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[SiM, CYOA] Proportional Punishment

By Olibird
Created: 2020-12-31 15:25:59
Expiry: Never
anoncelestialunansfwcyoachangelingsbdsmcadance/sim/submission is mandatory

  1. ”Alright, so you’re sure this will work?”
  2. >You stare at the object in your hands, supposedly the key to your freedom after all these centuries.
  3. >The translucent draconequus shrugs as he floats before you, “I’m as sure as I am of anything, Anon.”
  4. >In other words, not very.
  5. >”You promised us the key to our escape, Discord! This is...this is a mere toy!” the ancient centaur on your right spits out.
  6. >Poor Tirek.
  7. >You both discovered that immortality is one of the few ‘perks’ that comes with being banished to Tartarus-to ensure your eternal torment isn’t cut short-but at least you have your youth.
  8. >Your best friend here showed up as an old man, and that was how he stayed.
  9. “He’s got a point, Discord. You could have made us a rocket launcher, or a flaming holy sword, or something. This is just...sad.”
  10. >”We’ve been over this, that there wasn’t a whole lot I could do to affect this place while the SISTERS were still around. You’re lucky I managed to create THAT!”
  11. >You and Tirek both make a face as the projection of your other best friend brings up the ones who quite literally sent you three to hell.
  12. >The fun thing is, best as you can remember, Discord was the only one of your trio who ever actually DID anything worthy of an eternity of torture.
  13.  
  14. >Tirek’s plan never had a chance to get off the ground. Apparently thought-crime is a thing in magical horse land.
  15. >As for you? Well...you wouldn’t say what you did was THAT bad. Objectively, maybe a decade or two in jail from a human court….including parole, of course.
  16. >Nothing worthy of literally going to hell.
  17. “Yea, but, even so, this is kinda...practically nothing.”
  18. >”I swear, he SHOULD fall for it. He IS a dog, after all.” Discord turns his nose up, floating behind you on his back.
  19. >Tirek facepalms and growls out, “He has THREE heads, not ONE you buffoon. If I had been the one to break out, I would have taken care of Cerberus immediately!”
  20. >Discord’s lackadaisical mood shatters.
  21. >In an instant his face-just his face, mind you-hovers inches in front of Tirek, steam shooting out of his ears as he snarls out, “I was focusing on making sure we KEPT our freedom, you geezer! It wouldn’t matter WHAT I did to him if the Elements-”
  22. “Guys, shut up before he hears you!”
  23. >You grab Discord by a horn and pull his head back onto his body, giving it a little spin to screw it back in place.
  24. >You may not be able to feel him, but he certainly reacts as though he were solid.
  25. “Yea, alright, he didn’t do everything perfectly. Can you BLAME him for going a little crazy and having fun, Tirek? It’s not exactly like the three of us have had much to do down here. At least he tried.”
  26. >Those last words feel a little hollow as you gaze back down at the object in your hands.
  27. >”I...suppose so. If this works, Discord, we will be forever in your debt.”
  28. >”Only one way to find out. Anon, will you do the honors?”
  29. >The draconequus appears in front of you wearing a suit and tie.
  30. >He bows over dramatically, his eagle arm outstretched.
  31. >You look at your two friends, the only companions you’ve had during your long, long life and sigh.
  32. “Well, here goes nothing.”
  33.  
  34. >You stand up from behind the boulder shielding you three, your arm stretched above your head, shaking the key to your salvation.
  35. >Calling out to Cerberus, you yell,
  36. “Hey boy! You want the ball? You want the ball, boy?!”
  37. >The Guardian of Tartarus leaps to his feet, all six of his beady little eyes locked on the completely ordinary tennis ball in your hand. His three tongues loll out and his tail wags.
  38. “You want the ball?! Then go get it! Go get the ball, boy!”
  39. >With all your might, you hurl the thing off to Cerberus’s side.
  40. >The gigantic demon dog barks like mad, his paws scrabbling at the loose Tartarian soil as he instantly takes off, bounding towards the ball.
  41. >”Now!” Tirek shouts, galloping past you.
  42. >Wow. For an old man, he sure can run.
  43. >You take off after him, the sharp, volcanic rocks cutting into your feet, a consequence of not looking where you’re stepping-you don’t even care.
  44. >You can almost taste it-the fresh, sootless air, the pleasantly cool rain splattering on your face, freshly fallen snow around you, real clothes instead of animal skins, trees, a real bed, civilization!
  45. >For the first time in a thousand years, sweet, wonderful freedom is actually in reach.
  46. >Maybe even...mortality.
  47. >Humans were never meant to live this long.
  48. >Discord floats alongside you, “Remember Anon! “Shave and a Haircut,” that’s the knock that’ll break my statue!”
  49. >Out of the corner of your eye, though, you see disaster striking.
  50. >The ball bounces off the cliff face, going under the great dog’s legs, heading right for...the exit!
  51. >Cerberus skids as he spins around, his barks a thunderstorm as he continues his pursuit.
  52. >With a shout of triumph, Tirek vanishes through the gates...he made it!
  53. >...But you aren’t going to, are you?
  54.  
  55. >It’s too late, you can’t stop now!
  56. >Gritting your teeth, you push all your energy into your legs, ignoring the agony lancing out of your bleeding feet with every step, a stitch in your side developing.
  57. >Almost there...you just need to…
  58. >The ball bounces through the exit, with Cerberus right behind it.
  59. >The instant the dog passes through, the adamantine gates slam shut, closing off the only way to freedom.
  60. “Nooo!”
  61. >You cry out, reaching your arm out uselessly as you stumble, your footing failing as your hopes shatter.
  62. >Without trying to catch yourself, you soon fall onto all fours, trembling as you stare at the gates, hoping, praying they’ll open.
  63. >Your vision starts to blur, tears welling up.
  64. “No, noo nonono, I’m still stuck here, I can’t do this, I can’t take it…”
  65. >You were so close…
  66. >Mismatched hands grip your head, more visual than anything, the yellow and red eyes of your companion soon following.
  67. >“Hey, Anon, it’s not so bad, Tirek’s out, that means he’ll free us soon, alright? We just need to wait a little bit longer.”
  68. >It doesn’t stop you from completely breaking down, sobbing before him.
  69. -
  70. >That was almost two years ago.
  71. >Four months after Tirek escaped, Discord vanished, leaving you completely alone.
  72. >You...you haven’t done so well, since then.
  73. >Sure, that was a great sign that Tirek IS actively working to get you to freedom but...Discord’s been free for a while now, why haven’t they gotten you out yet?
  74. >You’ve been trapped here this whole time, what if they’ve forgotten about you?
  75. >Maybe they just don’t care. It’s not exactly like you had a whole lot to offer them.
  76. >You were always the muscle of the group, but that wasn’t saying much when the only other members either had the body of an eighty year old, or was an ethereal projection of a trapped god.
  77. >If Discord has magic again, they wouldn’t need you for anything.
  78. >Making new friends isn’t exactly an option.
  79. >You...maaayyy have developed a bit of a reputation when it comes to the other…”inmates,” if they can be called that.
  80. >Hey, you made damn sure that anyone who tried to eat the old guy would quickly find themselves on the business end of a spear.
  81. >Speaking of, you’re currently using that spear to participate in your “favorite” pastime.
  82. >One of your ONLY pastimes, really.
  83. >Hunting the natives for food.
  84. >Yea, starvation isn’t fatal to you, but it isn’t exactly a pleasant thing to go through.
  85. >Especially now that your support system is gone...you get too weak to hunt, and you’ll end up laying there for eternity.
  86. >Gripping your spear tight, you slowly approach the weird skull headed cat-thing you’ve been chasing for the past...several hours, if you had to guess.
  87. >There’s literally no way to tell time down here, but the creature’s stops have been getting more frequent.
  88. >With a lucky throw, this might be its last one.
  89. >You cock your arm back, readying your spear...
  90. >There’s a crack so loud you can FEEL it, causing you to drop your spear in shock.
  91. >Shit! Tatzlwurm!
  92.  
  93. >Your prey takes off, a flash in your vision as you whirl around to see where the mountain destroying worm’s coming from.
  94. >What you see, however is...
  95. >No. It can’t be...is it?
  96. “Tirek! You old bastard, is that really you? ! I thought you forgot about me!”
  97. >There’s a square...hole in the sky, floating above you.
  98. >In it stands...well, he’s younger and he loots /fit/ as hell and his...horns...are bigger, but you’d recognize your best friend anywhere!
  99. >He always did say he knew an “age spell.”
  100. >”Like I’d forget about the only only being who kept me safe and sane this past millennium!” Tirek booms out, his voice sounding...well, rather badass.
  101. >You aren’t jelly.
  102. >Y-you’re just ‘mirin is all.
  103. “Hey, could you move that thing so I could climb out? It’s uh...kinda too high for me to reach.”
  104. >He looks uncomfortable for a moment, his black and yellow eyes avoiding your gaze.
  105. >”I could, but you wouldn’t be able to get through it. The ward’s still up, so there’s still only one way out.”
  106. >It takes you a moment to process that.
  107. “Wait...then what is this? You’re just calling to say hi? What happened to ‘Oh I’d kill the dog first thing you lazy bum,’ I remember that!”
  108. >That earns you a laugh, his voice booming around you.
  109. >”I’m working on it, Anon! They transferred their magic to a new alicorn, we need to hunt her down before we can kill Cerberus.”
  110. >You hear a mare’s voice cry out from somewhere on the other side of the portal. You can’t make out the words, but she sounds panicked.
  111. >”Silence!” Tirek screams out, turning to glare at whoever it was.
  112. >Woah. That made YOU want to shut up..
  113. >Tirek again turns his attention to you, “While we do that, I have some friends I think you’d like to play with.”
  114.  
  115. “I...look, I appreciate it, but seriously, just work on getting me out. Please. You guys are the only friends I need.”
  116. >He grins, your words falling on deaf ears. “Trust me, when you see them, you’ll WANT to play with them.”
  117. >His horns glow, a fireball igniting between them before three ponies, surrounded by an angry orange aura are rocketed through the portal, crashing all around you.
  118. >Manacles form around their hooves, securing them to the ground just like what happened to you when you were first sentenced here, long, long ago.
  119. >”If you think you can convince them to tell you where the new alicorn is, we’ll be able to get you out that much faster. Don’t worry, they’re harmless without their magic. Have fun!” Tirek calls out before the portal closes.
  120. >You stare at the spot where the portal once was, scarcely believing it.
  121. >They...They actually ARE going to get you out!
  122. >It’s only going to-
  123. >”Wait...it’s you…” a pony mumbles, the same voice that you had just heard from the other side of the portal.
  124. >Spinning around you see...them.
  125. >Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
  126. >The royal Alicorn sisters.
  127. >The ones responsible for sending you here.
  128. >Stealing a glance at the third one, you see it’s another alicorn-a pink one you don’t recognize.
  129. >”Human,” Celestia, the one who had previously spoken, begins, “That’s what you’re called. Please. I know not why Tirek chose to send us to you, but we can work something out. I do not recall what crimes you have committed, but they can be forgiven-”
  130. >Something inside your mind snaps.
  131. >She doesn’t remember.
  132. >She sentenced you to an ETERNITY of suffering, of torment, and she doesn’t even fucking remember why.
  133. >You don’t even bother to listen to the rest of her spiel.
  134.  
  135. >Oddly enough, if someone had asked you last week what your reaction would be if you ever saw these two, you would have told them that you’d rage out.
  136. >That you’d start screaming and attacking them for leaving you in here to rot.
  137. >You’ve certainly fantasized about what you would do to those two if you ever could get your hands on them...and now you have that exact chance.
  138. >But no...something cold takes over your mind.
  139. >Calculating.
  140. >You can do anything to them-ANYTHING.
  141. >Their being made helpless wasn’t something that had ever occurred to you.
  142. >You could repay them for every miserable day you’ve spent here.
  143. >Bending down, you pick up your spear and look back in the direction of your safe haven.
  144. >It’s a good long ways away...out here, you’re exposed.
  145. >But this is where he banished them, and you didn’t bring anything sturdier than a net and a length of homemade rope.
  146. >You look back at the three alicorns, all of them staring at you.
  147. >”Human. I know what is going through your mind,” Luna says, seeing the look on your face, “I have been down that path. It is not one that you wish to travel down.”
  148. >That path? She and her sister dropped you right smack dab in the middle of that path long ago.
  149. >The question is not whether or not you walk down that path.
  150. >The question is what should you do with your new playthings?
  151.  
  152. >With a grin, you squat in front of the lunar princess, holding your spear across your knees.
  153. “Really? You dropped me on this path, and you think you know what’s going through my mind?”
  154. >She looks at her hooves, avoiding your gaze, “Yes, human. I too have-”
  155. >You cut her off with a raised finger.
  156. “Up up up! Tell you what. Let’s make a game out of it. If you can guess right, I’ll let all three of you go, right now. Guess wrong though...well, then you’ll get to find out.”
  157. >That look of shame is replaced by one of fear.
  158. >Luna looks over at her sister, clearly asking for guidance.
  159. >You step in between them, scowling.
  160. “No cheating.”
  161. >Luna swallows hard before she speaks, closing her eyes.
  162. >”I too, have been banished, human. But to the moon, instead of Tartarus.”
  163. >”After a thousand years, I escaped, and upon my return, the moment I saw the pony responsible, I was driven into a fury, deeper into madness...”
  164. >”I wanted to do horrible things, both to her and the ponies she cared for...”
  165. >She looks up at you, a spark of determination in her eyes, “But I know now that it was NOT her fault for my suffering, it was but my own. What I wanted was WRONG, human, and you-”
  166. “Close! But not quite.”
  167. >That spark in her eyes dies, her ears sinking down.
  168. >You take your spear and rest the point under her chin.
  169. >The alicorn freezes up as her companions yell her name, the sound of shaking steel chains ringing out as the lighter colored ponies struggle to rescue her.
  170. “What’s going through my mind right now is that everything that’s about to happen is YOUR fault, not mine. Let me explain.”
  171. “A long time ago, I hurt some ponies, that’s true. Of course, your sister wouldn’t know that.”
  172. >Looking back to glare at the white alicorn, you scream out, the words tearing at your throat,
  173. “She couldn’t be bothered to REMEMBER!”
  174. >Turning back, your knuckles white as they grip the spear in rage, you continue on in a more controlled volume.
  175.  
  176. “You and your sister could have thrown me in a dungeon, you could have exiled me, hell, you could have left me alone, and I would be dead right now.”
  177. “Humans only life for about...eighty, ninety years or so, normally. If you had sentenced me to literally any other punishment than sending me here, I wouldn’t be immortal.”
  178. >You lower your spear as you talk, setting it down as you start to fumble with your net.
  179. >It’s not really built for holding struggling captives, you only really use it to drag animals back while they’re still dying.
  180. >But, you’ve learned to make do.
  181. “Buuut...you did. By sending me here, you put me through ten life sentences, with more to come.”
  182. >”Human…” Celestia’s voice rings out behind you. “We never would have done that to you if we had known. I’m so sorry...”
  183. “Really, Celestia?!”
  184. >You turn around to glare at her.
  185. “Did you just not THINK?! You know...where I’m from, we had dictators, monsters, people who committed genocide, and people who tortured humans for their amusement!”
  186. “They may all be horrible, but you know..there’s two things they all did that make them better than you.”
  187. >You raise a fist, holding up the appropriate fingers as you talk,
  188. “One...they KNEW the implications of what they were doing. And two, their victims’ suffering STOPPED when they DIED!”
  189. ”You two took that from me!”
  190. >You look up at the hazy, featureless sky, blinking back the tears forming.
  191. >This was something you’ve fantasized about for a loooong time...and now that moment’s come, you weren’t prepared for it.
  192. >Once you regain your composure, you take a deep breath and look down at the blue alicorn before you.
  193. “You’re mostly right, though. I AM going to do some horrible things to you, to pay you back for what you’ve done to me. But...there’s no credit for partial answers.”
  194. >Luna deflates, looking oddly pensive for her predicament.
  195. >You’d think she’d be begging for her life or something.
  196.  
  197. >”In that case, human, I will accept my...punishment. You did not deserve such a fate.”
  198. >”But what has happened to you is NOT our niece’s fault! Please, let her go, she has done nothing to you.”
  199. >Well...damn.
  200. >She does have a point there.
  201. >”No, auntie, you don’t need to do this!”
  202. >”Take me instead human! She has suffered enough!”
  203. >Trying to ignore the other two as they cry out, demanding to make themselves the martyr, you weigh on Luna’s words.
  204. >You really CAN’T do anything to the pink one, can you?
  205. >If you do, you wouldn’t be any better than these two.
  206. >After all, she really hasn’t done anything wrong, unlike the sisters. Her only crime is who she’s related to.
  207. “Tell you what. If you two come quietly, willingly, then you have a deal. Here, put this on.”
  208. >You throw the net over her, listening to the chorus of pleading ponies and rattling chains.
  209. >Grabbing your spear, you walk over to where Luna’s chain is anchored.
  210. >Tirek and Discord weren’t the ONLY ones you’ve ever dealt with down here, they were just the only ones who never turned on you.
  211. >You’ve learned there’s a trick to breaking the anchor on these chains.
  212. >You just have to wiggle the spear in, jiggle it this way and...tada!
  213. >The chain pops free from the rock.
  214. >Grabbing it to make sure she doesn’t get any funny ideas, you loop the chain around the ends of the net, tying it to secure your new pony.
  215. >You wiggle your finger at her as though scolding a child.
  216. “Now don’t make me have to catch you.”
  217. >You approach the quiet pink one first.
  218. >She looks at you, her eyes begging. “Please...don’t hurt her.”
  219. >Smiling, you pat her on her head before hoisting your spear.
  220. “Come on, now. I can promise you this much. What they’ve done is pretty bad, but I promise I won’t hurt them any worse than they hurt me.”
  221. >”Now we both know you’re going to try and rescue them the instant I let you go, correct?”
  222.  
  223. >She opens her mouth, working it for a bit before lowering her head.
  224. >”...Yes. They would do the same to me.”
  225. >You nod, completely sincere as you say,
  226. “Alright. Then I’m going to have to leave you here. But I’m going to warn you, out here, you’re exposed, you’re helpless, and there’s a LOT of things who would love nothing more than to hurt anything that even resembles your aunt and your mom.”
  227. >The younger alicorn blinks, thrown off guard. “Celestia’s not my mother…”
  228. >...Woops.
  229. >And here you were, guessing that 4th alicorn was her father or something...now you might feel guilty when Tirek and Discord get ahold of them.
  230. “Well..close enough. I know how horrible it is to be out here alone, so...I’ll offer you a deal.”
  231. “There’s no such thing as rescue in here, only changing tormentors. Once you realize this and find me, my doors will be open to you. You’ll be a free pony with me.”
  232. “But...all bets are off if you show up thinking you can rescue them.”
  233. >You pet over her mane again.
  234. “The bottom left bolt’s the weakest one. Twist your horn at the right angle and it’ll pop right out. Good luck.”
  235. >Ignoring whatever response she has, you approach the eldest alicorn.
  236. >She lowers her horn, her teeth bared. “You will not find me as willing as my sister, monster.”
  237. >Wow. She really is the one who deserves to be down here, doesn’t she?
  238. >You pause, staying out of her horn’s reach.
  239. >This could be a bit tricky...
  240.  
  241. “You ever see what happens when an immortal being suffers what would otherwise be a fatal injury in this place?”
  242. >Her muscles tense, her wings half spread. She spits out, ”I will not give you that chance, beast.”
  243. >With a shrug, you continue on,
  244. “You come back before it’s healed. You get to feel every bit of sinew and muscle as it regrows. I learned that one the hard way. But uh...you don’t need to GIVE me anything.”
  245. >You jerk your thumb at the bound form behind you,
  246. “I got your sister, there. ”
  247. >Celestia freezes up, her eyes growing wide.
  248. >”You wouldn’t dare…”
  249. “Oh? I wouldn’t?”
  250. >You lean in, glaring at her while still making sure to stay out of horn range.
  251. “I’m GOING to repay “the alicorn sisters” for every bit of suffering I’ve had in my long, long life.”
  252. “If you don’t come, then everything I was going to do to you, I’m going to do to her in addition to her own punishment.”
  253. >Her wings waver, but she doesn’t raise her head...or point that horn away from you.
  254. >”Human...if you do that, then you’ll be proving that you deserved to be sent here.”
  255. “No, Celestia, all it will prove is that you’re too cowardly to deal with the consequences of your own actions. Although…”
  256. >With a grin, you make a big show of turning around, back towards the youngest one.
  257. “Now that I think about it, the deal I made Luna was that you BOTH come easily.”
  258. “I know you like to make others suffer when it's convenient for you. So, if you aren’t going to come, then I’ll take the pink one instead.”
  259. >With a shout, Celestia charges towards you, stumbling and falling onto her belly once she reaches the end of her chain.
  260. >She jerks her hoof, trying to force it free. The ringing peppers her words,
  261. >”Human, she has done nothing to you!” She cries out, lifting her head from the dirt.
  262. >“If you touch one hair in her mane, then when we regain our magic, I will make you WISH you could return here!”
  263.  
  264. >Oh, so once the other side is a pony she starts to care!
  265. >Now you’re beginning to understand her. She’s racist...specist...whatever.
  266. >As she starts to climb to her hooves, you charge at her and swing your spear overhead as hard as you can.
  267. >The blunt end comes crashing down against her skull, the alicorn collapses once more as she falls unconscious.
  268. >The pink one cries out Celestia’s name again. Luna, oddly, stays silent.
  269. >At least one of them understands what has to happen.
  270. >You have to work fast, before she regains consciousness.
  271. >Rushing over to Luna, you undo the chain holding her net shut.
  272. >”H-human, what are you doing?”
  273. “We’re going to play our first game, Luna. I don’t know how close you were listening, but your sister just tried to abandon you, and leave you-and ONLY you-with me.”
  274. “So, because I’m willing to bet that you would never do something like that, your sister’s going to be the one in the net, and you are going to drag her back to our home. Got it?”
  275. >You wait for an answer, precious seconds ticking away.
  276. >You don’t WANT to have your new playthings damaged before you have a chance to have fun with them, but...
  277. >Stabbing Celestia starts to seem more and more appealing the longer you wait.
  278. >Finally, Luna says, “I...heard, human. She was going to let me suffer alone...again. I will...I will bring her with us.”
  279. >Beaming away, you get back to work on getting the net off her.
  280. >She doesn’t resist you freeing her, but she doesn’t exactly try to help.
  281. >Eventually, though, you free her.
  282. “Now stay,”
  283. >You command her like a dog before rushing back over to Celestia.
  284. >Luckily for you, Luna sits there, obeying as she stares at the ground before her...maybe she really did go through something like this.
  285. >Well, it’d be different for her, she’s SUPPOSED to be immortal.
  286. >Still...maybe you could go soft on her. She seems to grasp how colossal her mistake was.
  287.  
  288. >You secure Celestia in the net just as she begins to stir in the dirt, not fully conscious, but quickly working her way towards it.
  289. >It’s only once you’re sure that she isn’t going anywhere, do you break the anchor mooring her.
  290. >In a few moments, that chain connected to her hind leg is tied around the ends of the net, securing her in the same way you had secured Luna moments before.
  291. “Luna.”
  292. >You point at her bound sister and snap your fingers, your other hand holding your spear, keeping the consequence of disobedience clear.
  293. >It takes her a moment, but she walks over and takes part of the net in her teeth.
  294. >She looks away from her sister, holding her head up, her eyes shifting around as she tries to focus on literally anything other than what she’s doing.
  295. >Using your spear, you point off in the distance, behind and to the right of the blue alicorn.
  296. >Her eyes dart towards the pink captive for a second.
  297. “Get going. I’ll be along in a minute. Try and run, and you’ll be doing the same thing to her that she just tried to do to you.”
  298. >She nods and closes her eyes. With a grunt, she starts dragging her sister’s limp form off, walking backwards in the direction you had indicated.
  299. >It’s going to take a while before the three of you get home but, if you’re lucky, you might run across something to eat on the way.
  300. >If not, you have plenty of things you’ve fantasized about.
  301. >It’s time to figure out what exactly TO do.
  302. >You have one last thing to make sure of, before you leave.
  303. >Approaching the pink alicorn, you crouch before her and extend your free hand.
  304. “Look. I know how awful it is out here on your own. So last chance. Come with us, and you won’t be harmed.
  305. “I’ll do what I can to keep you safe until they find the fourth alicorn, and we can all get out of here. I won’t even ask you to tell me who it is. What do you say?”
  306.  
  307. >”I...” She looks around, obviously considering her options.
  308. >The fact that she has to think it over is all the evidence you need that she’s dead set on “rescuing” them.
  309. >It’s a look that you’ve become intimately familiar with over the past centuries.
  310. >But...despite that, you really DON’T want her to be left alone out here.
  311. >After all...you aren’t Celestia.
  312. >Once she finally meets your gaze again, she asks, “If...if Tirek wins...then I’ll only get to go home if I’m with you, right?”
  313. “Probably, yea. I’ll make sure to vouch for you, that you did nothing wrong and cooperated.”
  314. >She shakes her head, “What about my husband, is he alright? Is he here?”
  315. >...First there’s a third immortal pony goddess, and next she’s the only one that’s married?
  316. >Part of you is starting to wonder if this is all just Discord screwing with you.
  317. “I can’t answer that. I wouldn’t have known you three were here if you weren’t dropped right in front of me.”
  318. >Tears begin welling up in her eyes as you talk. Not giving them a chance to fall, you continue,
  319. “Buuut, if he is, I’ll make sure that you two are reunited when we get out. Deal?”
  320. >She closes her eyes and nods her head, squeezing away those tears. “Deal. I’d...like to come with you.”
  321. “Great!”
  322. >Getting up, you jiggle your spear into the base of her chain, soon popping it free like the other two.
  323. >With a wave of your hand, the two of you set off towards Luna, who couldn’t be more than a hundred feet away.
  324. “So...what’s your name, anyway? I can’t just call you Celestia’s not-daughter.”
  325. >A small smile forms on her muzzle at your terrible attempt at a joke. “It’s Mi Amore Cadenza...but everypony just calls me Cadance. What’s yours?”
  326. >You hmm and haw for a bit, before settling on,
  327. “Well Cadance, you can just call me Master. That’s all your aunts will ever be allowed to call me, and we don’t want to give them any bad habits, now do we?”
  328.  
  329. >Her smile dies as you mention her aunts. “What do you want to do to them?”
  330. “What do you want to do to them, Master,” you correct her.
  331. >She looks at you, concern written over every inch of her face.
  332. “Come on, I used the name you wanted! It’s only fair. If you don’t, I’ll just have to call you Mi Amore Cadenza…”
  333. >You grin, but the threat of committing a war crime fails to get you another smile.
  334. >”What do you want to do to them…” Cadance looks away, her ears lowered as she mumbles, “...Master?”
  335. >What a buzz kill.
  336. “I’m going to make sure they understand EXACTLY what they’ve put me through, Cadance. I’m going to make them feel every bit as terrified, as pained, as miserable as I have, until their sense of hope dies, just as mine did.”
  337. >She shakes her head, her voice pained, “But...why? I understand they hurt you, but this won’t make it better! It won’t make your pain go away!”
  338. “That’s not the point. I don’t-”
  339. >”Cadance?!” Luna lets go of the net, her wings twitching. “Human! We had a deal, you said you would not touch her!”
  340. >Shrugging as visibly as you can, you say,
  341. “Ask her yourself. Cadance?”
  342. >”Auntie Luna!” She bounds ahead of you, meeting at a more reasonable talking distance,
  343. >“I’m coming with you two on my own free will. He said I’d just be a guest. This way we can ALL be safe, together.”
  344. “It’s better than leaving her there to be eaten by a Tatzlwurm,”
  345. >You offer as you catch up to them.
  346. >Luna looks between you and Cadance. “That..is reasonable, I suppose. Very well then.”
  347. >She takes ahold of her sister once more and resumes dragging her.
  348. >”Here auntie, let me-”
  349. “Don’t you DARE help her!”
  350. >You point your spear at her as you back out that command, causing both of the conscious alicorns to jump back in fright.
  351. “No one ever helped me drag back a kill. You don’t get any help either.”
  352.  
  353. >Cadance looks helplessly as Luna once more takes the netting in her teeth. “I...but I want to..”
  354. >Placing your hand on her neck, you gently but firmly turn her around.
  355. “Come on Cadance, we’ll walk ahead.”
  356. >She reluctantly obeys, stealing another glance at her aunts as you lead her head.
  357. >”Please, I want to help her. If I’m just a guest, that means I’m free to do what I want.”
  358. “No, a guest still has to abide by their host’s rules. You can do what you’d like, unless it’s going to interrupt the lessons I’m teaching those two.”
  359. >”But...I still don’t understand. Why do you need to teach my aunts anything? Isn’t just seeing what’s happened to you enough?”
  360. “No. Cadance...I don’t know how old you are, but IF I ever get out of here, and IF I ever run across another member of my species, I’ll never be able to have a real relationship, or start a family.
  361. “I’ll have to bury anyone I love, and our children, and grandchildren and great grandchildren, until I’m nothing more than a living distant ancestor.”
  362. >You shake your head.
  363. “I know, I’m not telling you anything you won’t have to deal with...but my brain isn’t built to handle it, unlike yours.”
  364. “I mean...hell. I don’t remember anything more than bits and pieces of the world I came from. All I have at this point are little flashes that may or may not be even remotely accurate anymore.”
  365. “I know in a few more decades, it’ll all be gone. If I spend another century or two here, Tartarus will be the ONLY thing I remember.”
  366. >You look at her, seeing that she’s meeting your gaze.
  367. >Blinking, you try to get her into focus.
  368. >Apparently you entered a blurry area of Tartarus...yea. That must be it..
  369. “Pretty soon, my entire existence will be this place. The only thing I’ll remember is suffering..and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
  370. >You jab your spear behind you, pointing at Celestia and Luna.
  371.  
  372. “THAT is why I cannot be merciful to them. They deserve SO much more than what I can do to them...but they will learn.”
  373. >To her credit, Cadance keeps her mouth shut, looking away as you two continue your trek in relative silence, the only sounds other than hoofbeats being the noises coming from Celestia as she stirs.
  374. >Apparently she has a softer skull than you thought.
  375. >Eventually, though, she wakes, your first sign being her pitiful cries.
  376. >”Whaa…? Where am I...Luna? Luna, let go of the net! Help me out of this thing, quick!”
  377. >Whelp. It was nice while it lasted.
  378. “Sorry Cadance, but if she keeps being loud, she’ll attract nasties that I can’t deal with.”
  379. >Gripping your spear, you fall back to let Luna catch up with you, letting you meet up with Celestia as she thrashes against the netting keeping her in place.
  380. >You jab the blunt end of your spear into her side, eliciting a wordless cry of pain from her.
  381. “Keep struggling, and I’m going to keep hurting you, Celestia. Got it?”
  382. >Twisting as best she can she glares at you with one violet eye, “Human, you cur! Let me g-aaah!”
  383. >True to your word, you jab her again and again.
  384. >Every time she struggles against the net, and every time she yells out, she’s met with the blunt end of your spear being rammed into a soft spot on her.
  385. >Of course, compared to the half starved creatures of Tartarus, the princess is mostly soft spots.
  386. >Eventually, though, she learns to stay silent, allowing the four of you to resume your journey to your home cave.
  387. >Well...that is she learns for a little while.
  388. >You end up having to repeat the scene once she realizes Cadance is with you.
  389. >This is going to be a looong walk home.
  390.  
  391. >Your trip is largely uneventful, save for a couple animals that get away from you, and one bit where the four of you hid from a roving band of flightless gryphons.
  392. >Just another normal day in hell.
  393. >Eventually, you finally make it to the place you’ve called home for the past...seventy years or so, according to Discord.
  394. >Well, you reached the perimeter of the traps you have set up.
  395. >One can’t ‘just’ have a nice place to live without defending it.
  396. “Hold up,” you declare, raising your hand to stop your caravan.
  397. >”What is it…?” Cadance draws out that last syllable, seeing if she can get away without saying your ‘name.’
  398. >Deciding to let this one slide, you point at the array of rocks before her,
  399. “Well, if you keep walking, you’ll fall into the pit trap right there.”
  400. >She backs away, her eyes wide as she looks around for signs of other traps. “O-oh. How are we going to get past…?”
  401. >You grab the bottom of your shirt, which is really nothing more than an animal skin you’re wearing, and pull it taunt.
  402. “I’m going to lead you through the safe path. Luna, come here!”
  403. >Luna drops the load she’s been carrying and walks over.
  404. >To her credit, she hasn’t complained...or really said much of anything, but that might have something to do with having to use her mouth to hold “things.”
  405. >As she approaches, you use the tip of your spear to cut a strip off the bottom of your shirt.
  406. >You’re ruining it, but it’s for a good cause.
  407. >After all, you don’t want her to escape.
  408. >Avoiding your eyes, Luna looks off to your side once she reaches you. “You called, human?”
  409. “Yes, I did. Hold still.”
  410.  
  411. >Making sure the fur is facing her, you press the strip to her face and tie it as best you can, blindfolding her.
  412. >Hopefully between her horn and her snout, she’ll have a hard time taking it off.
  413. >As you work, she tenses up, hard, her wings flaring out...but despite lifting a hoof, she doesn’t try to pull away.
  414. “There. Now stay here, and I’ll lead you through in a minute.”
  415. >You look at the bruised and dirt covered form of Celestia, as tangled as could be in that net as she cranes her head to try and watch, and briefly consider whether to blindfold her as well.
  416. >...Then again, she might try to bite your hand or something.
  417. >You settle by grabbing the net where she can’t reach, and turn her away.
  418. “Alright, Now follow me, Cadance.”
  419. >With a hand resting on her horn, you guide her through the winding path you take almost every day through the traps as it zig zags, loops around, and finally leads you to an unassuming boulder against the cliff face.
  420. >You may have overcomplicated it a bit.
  421. >Just in case she has any funny ideas.
  422. >Pushing at it, you roll the boulder onto its side, the groove that’s dug into the ground lets you slide it with relative ease.
  423. >As the entrance is uncovered, Cadance scrunches up her snout the moment the smell hits her.
  424. >”What is...that?” she says, her voice dripping with disgust.
  425. “That is the smell of drying animal hides. Welcome to your new home.”
  426. >You guide her in, past the pelts by the entrance and the low burning fire by a carved out chimney.
  427. >Home, sweet home.
  428. >...
  429. >You still miss the cave you had a good three hundred years ago.
  430. >The floor was smooth as could be, it had a room with a nice breeze through it, it was the source of the bioluminescent moss that you’re STILL using to light this place, the walls were a nice color, hell, the place even had a bathroom!
  431. >Then some dragons “evicted” the three of you and made you start over almost from scratch.
  432.  
  433. >Leading her down the cave, you point out what’s down the various paths as they branch out.
  434. “So, that one’s my room, that one has a stream with clean water, that just leads to a cave-in, down that way will be where your aunts will stay, but right here will be your room.”
  435. >You gesture to the unmarked cave branch.
  436. “Feel free to take the spare straw mat I have in my room, it’s the closest thing we have to a bed.”
  437. >It takes her a moment to stop looking around, her expression almost disdainful in a way only royalty can pull off.
  438. >It’s not the palace she’s used to.
  439. >Oh well.
  440. >”It’s wonderful. Thank you for letting me stay with you.”
  441. “You know...when you’re a guest in someone’s home, it’s polite to use your host’s name.”
  442. >Her ears somehow manage to sink lower, despite already being pressed back against her head.
  443. >”R-right, where are my manners? Thank you, Master, for letting me stay with you.”
  444. >With a warm smile, you say,
  445. “You’re very welcome, Cadance. I’ll go bring your aunts in now.”
  446. >Leaving her, you set off to retrieve Luna, having no doubt that Cadance is going to start tearing the place apart for your stash of weapons.
  447. >Too bad for her, those are hidden in another cave nearby.
  448. >You’ve learned the hard way not to store them IN your home if you ever want to get them back.
  449. >Approaching the sisters, you see they’re talking to each other.
  450. >Celestia’s no doubt trying to convince her younger sister to turn on you.
  451. >Well...you can’t have that.
  452. >Breaking out in a jog, as soon as there are no traps directly between you three, you call out in a tone reserved for a misbehaving dog.
  453. “Luna! You come here RIGHT now!”
  454. >She jerks her head up, the blindfold still secure, her ears twisting around to locate you.
  455. “Here, Luna! Right over here! Now!”
  456. >She slowly works her way over to you, each step testing the ground before her as though it’s about to fall away, before she fully commits a hoof.
  457.  
  458. >Once she reaches you, Luna cries out in surprise as you grab her necklace thing.
  459. “Come on. Let’s move.”
  460. >Using it as a harness, you half guide and half drag her through the safe path.
  461. “What were you two talking about?”
  462. >”She...wanted me to release her from the net. She was telling me that without the threat of death, there is no reason not to fight you.”
  463. >Hmm...you aren’t sure you buy that answer...something about her tone is off.
  464. “But you didn’t do it. Good job, Luna.”
  465. >”I...thank you.”
  466. “Try again. It’s thank you /master/.”
  467. >She shudders against you and lowers her head. “Thank you, Master.”
  468. >You stay quiet until you drag her through the entrance to your home.
  469. >Her snout wrinkles up as you pass by the drying skins, but this time you don’t offer any explanation.
  470. >Working your way to the back of the cave, you note Cadance has made herself scarce.
  471. >Good.
  472. >You soon reach the fork at the end of the hall you designated for the sisters.
  473. >One was the closest thing Discord had to a private space...not that he needed it, and the other had always gone unused.
  474. >Until today.
  475. >Positioning Luna so she’s facing towards Discord’s room, you swat her on her mottled black rump.
  476. “Keep moving until you feel a wall, then wait for me.”
  477. >She nods in compliance and moves along in the same unsteady gait she without your guidance.
  478. >Heading back the way you came, you go down the ‘cave in’ branch, which you’ve always used to store what little supplies you’ve managed to stockpile.
  479. >...It’s closer to the entrance, you didn’t want to make old man Tirek walk all the way to the back of the place to get tools.
  480. >It takes you a bit, but you eventually retrieve what you need.
  481. >A hammer, a large metal nail, a cage large enough to juuust barely fit a certain alicorn, and a few strips of hide which you soon work into a functional muzzle.
  482. >Heh.
  483. >If others knew what you’ve collected, they’d storm the place.
  484.  
  485. >Worked metal is hard to come by down here.
  486. >Any operational forge is fought over by the BIG guys until its destroyed.
  487. >The cage makes a horrendous scraping sound as you drag it down into what will be Celestia’s room, no doubt terrifying Luna.
  488. >Luckily, you only need lighter tools to work with her.
  489. >Entering Luna’s room with nothing more than the hammer and the nail, you walk over to the thinnest stone column in the room.
  490. “Come here Luna.”
  491. >You slap your thigh twice, all the indication she should need.
  492. >She soon stumbles over to you, her nose bumping against your outstretched hand.
  493. “Hold still.”
  494. >Taking her chain, you loop it around the column and slip the nail between its links, using the hammer to twist it, locking the chain together.
  495. “There we go...good job, Luna.”
  496. >It’s only then that you remove her blindfold, letting her look around at her prison.
  497. “Welcome to your new home.”
  498. >She responds only by making a point of NOT looking at the chain holding her in place, her eyes filled with trepidation as she otherwise stays silent.
  499. “I’m going to go get your sister. You and I will begin soon.”
  500. >She swallows and nods, keeping her mouth shut.
  501. >If you didn’t know better, you’d think you already put a muzzle on her.
  502. >Speaking of...you may want to bring that now, so that way she doesn’t try to disturb your guest.
  503. >One penultimate trip through your trap field later, you approach the netted form of Celestia to see that...she trashed your net!
  504. >Apparently she’s managed to chew through one of the ropes, her head and foreleg sticking out of the hole she’s made.
  505. >Does she have ANY idea how annoying those are to make?!
  506. >Gripping your spear, you charge at her.
  507. >Screw leaving her undamaged.
  508. >She needs to learn the penalty for escape RIGHT NOW.
  509.  
  510. >By the time she sees you, it’s too late. she only has time to spit out, “You-” before you thrust your spear into her shoulder.
  511. >She screams out in pain, thrashing against the net.
  512. >With a jerk, you free your spear.
  513. >Dancing around to her other side, you hook the shaft of the spear under her chin and roll her over, pinning her head to the ground as her wound presses to the dirt.
  514. >”Human, you scum! You deserve every day you’ve spent in Tartarus! You’ll never see my sun again, I will not allow it!”
  515. >Yea, yea, yea, whatever.
  516. >Using your free hand, you fumble with the muzzle, trying to get it over her snout as she continues to scream curses and threats.
  517. >She thrashes her head, yelling about how she’s going to renovate “Nightmare Moon’s dungeon” specifically for use on you, whatever the hell that is.
  518. >Maybe it’s the place Luna said she was banished to?
  519. >...Alright, you’re sick of this.
  520. “If you don’t shut up and stop squirming, I’m going to hurt you again, Celestia.”
  521. >”Buck! You!”
  522. >She barely gets that last word out before you sharply elbow her in the eye, twice, and put all your weight on her neck.
  523. >It’s only then, with two hands free, that you’re able to get the muzzle around the dazed alicorn’s snout.
  524. >”Hrrrmm!” She screams out as you secure the bands together on the back of her head, her lavender eyes burning with hate.
  525. >That earns her a sharp wrap to the back of her skull.
  526. >Standing up, you look down at her.
  527. “I’m surprised that Luna’s the smarter one of you two. She accepted this, she understands what HAS to happen, Celestia.”
  528. “Every time you struggle, every time you fight me, it’s only going to be worse for you AND her.”
  529. “If you ever try to escape again, I’m going to inflict the SAME punishment to her as I will you, and I will make sure she understands why.”
  530. >She growls out something unintelligible behind the band silencing her.
  531.  
  532. >You’d punish her for that too, but you’re getting sick of being so exposed out here, especially after all that noise.
  533. >Instead, you hook the shaft of your spear through the net and drag her in the dirt through the path to your cave.
  534. >If the feet and hoof prints didn’t make it obvious before, then it sure is now.
  535. >At least the dirt’s keeping her from leaving a trail of blood.
  536. >You’ll have to sweep it to hide it from anyone passing by.
  537. >Actually...that sounds like a good task for your guest.
  538. >It’ll get her out and away from any...uncomfortable noises.
  539. >Pausing once you pass the threshold, you drag the boulder back into place, using the handholds Tirek carved into the back of the stone.
  540. >If he somehow screws up (like Discord did) before he gets you out, it is REALLY going to suck when you lose this place.
  541. >Luckily, Cadance is still hiding as you drag Celestia down to her “room,” the opened cage awaiting her.
  542. >Swinging her around, you see her eyes grow to...well, the size of Discord’s big eye, as she sees where SHE’LL be staying.
  543. >Once more, she thrashes against the net binding her, letting out muffled cries that sound less angry and more terrified.
  544. >Too late.
  545. >Placing your hands on her rather large rump, her tail thrashing as she whips you with it as best she can, you use the tip of your spear to cut the already ruined net and shove her forward.
  546. >She spills out, rolling up and over, her limbs flailing as you stuff her into the cage.
  547. >Her hoofguards rattle the bars as she tries to worm her way out.
  548. >Grabbing the door, you force it shut and latch it.
  549. >The thing was made to hold a gryphon captive, there’s no way a pony would be able to pick the latch.
  550. >You can’t help but grin once she twists around to meet your gaze, her eyes finally as fear-filled as they should be.
  551. “Welcome to your new home, Celestia.”
  552. >She yells out behind that muzzle...or maybe she’s pleading.
  553. >You don’t care.
  554. >You stand up and leave her room, listening to the rattle of her cage.
  555. >Now then...you told Luna you would be back soon...but soon is relative, and neither of them are going anywhere.
  556. >You lean against the wall of your cave with a smile on your face.
  557. >So many things to do, and so much time to do them.
  558. >You’re having trouble settling on exactly what to do first.
  559.  
  560. >Well...if you’re going to get revenge for what they’ve done to you, nothing says that you can’t start their torment the same way yours did.
  561. >Chained to a wall, struggling against your bonds while having no clue what’s about to happen.
  562. >Plus, you have a guest right now.
  563. >You should do what you can to entertain her.
  564. >They can stew for a bit.
  565. >Heading into your supply tunnel, you dig around, looking to see what kind of food you have that an herbivore could eat.
  566. >It’s slim pickings.
  567. >Stockpiling food has always been difficult without anything other than salt to preserve it.
  568. >Plus, you’ve eaten alone for the past two years.
  569. >You haven’t exactly had a reason have a big supply of vegetables, when you can hunt.
  570. >Dried stalks and leaves to use as building material on the other hand...those you have in spades.
  571. >Taking what you feel you can spare right now, you also grab a crude clay bowl.
  572. >Pottery’s one of those skills that has evaded you over the years.
  573. >With a short pit stop to fill the bowl with water, you start the journey down to your “guest” room.
  574. >Instinctively, you step over the bits of rock jutting up in that one spot.
  575. >You know the path to this room very well..
  576. >It was yours before Tirek escaped.
  577. >What?
  578. >There wasn’t any reason NOT to take the good room with him gone.
  579. >Entering, you see Cadance laying on the mat you offered her, staring at the wall, probably lost in thought.
  580. “Hey.”
  581. >She jerks, snapping back to the present as she looks at you.
  582. “Sorry the room’s a bit bare. I uh...wasn’t expecting company.”
  583. >”No, it’s...fine. It’s...kinda cozy, really. A nice change from the castle.”
  584. >The look in her eyes betrays her.
  585. “You’re a bad liar. Anyway, I wouldn’t be a good host if I didn’t try to feed you dinner, would I?”
  586. >You set down her meal on a carved-out shelf.
  587. > It may be a bit high for her, but it’s not like you could put it on the floor.
  588. >That would be uncivilized.
  589.  
  590. “I know it’s not much, but, I was out looking for food when you three were uh...brought here. Plus. I don’t know what you ponies eat.”
  591. >She shakes her head.
  592. >”No, I understand, thank you…”
  593. >Looking back down, she fidgets with her hooves, the silence heavy in the air.
  594. >Just as you open your mouth, she blurts out, “I’m a prisoner too, aren’t I?”
  595. >...Ho boy.
  596. >That’s never an easy question to answer.
  597. >’Am I a prisoner in Tartarus? When does my sentence end?’
  598. >Crossing your arms, you lean against the wall, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.
  599. “Now what makes you think that?”
  600. >She waves a hoof around, gesturing in particular at the food. “The stone walls, the...bed, the food, there’s no other furniture-it all looks like the dungeons under the Crystal Castle!”
  601. >...You don’t even know where to begin with that.
  602. >She’s a stupid little rich kid who hasn’t gone more than a day in her life without servants, isn’t she?
  603. >Cadance continues before you can get a word in. “On top of that, you sealed us in with a giant boulder, outside there are traps keeping us in, and that you expect me to sit around after you promised to torture my aunts!”
  604. “Actually Cadance, if you think you’d be better off out there, dealing with all the monsters out there on your own, then you’re more than welcome to leave!”
  605. >Before you realize it, you’ve taken a step towards her.
  606. >You know you don’t have much, but you’ve giving her what you can, dammit.
  607. >Her response is to jump to her hooves, her wings flared in the same way Celestia’s were earlier.
  608. >”How do I even know it’s as bad as you say out there? You might be making it sound horrible to keep me too scared to leave!”
  609. >You let out a humorless laugh, more like a bark..
  610. “Really? If anything, I’ve been downplaying it! If you really want to see how bad it is out there, then tell you what:”
  611.  
  612. “If you want your aunts to eat tomorrow, then you and I need to go foraging. You’ll get to see what I deal with on a daily basis...but if you leave before that, then I’m not opening the door to let you back in.”
  613. >”Which means if Tirek wins, I’ll never get to see Shining again. That’s how you’re keeping me here, instead of chaining me to a stalagmite, isn’t it?”
  614. >Apparently she’s already visited Luna.
  615. >That…might not be something you want to encourage.
  616. “I take it Shining’s your husband? Be happy you even have a CHANCE of seeing him again. That’s more than anyone else gets when they’re sent here! You know...”
  617. >Turning away, from her, you pace back and forth, not paying attention to her expression.
  618. “That’s all anyone wants after a few years here. To go home, to see their family again. Right up until one point. It’s the moment everyone in Tartarus goes through.”
  619. “It’s the moment when they realize everyone who ever loved them, everyone they ever knew is dead...and they didn’t even get to say good-bye.”
  620. >You look back at her seeing that...well, her expression has softened somewhat.
  621. >Those wings aren’t quite as raised.
  622. >She’s young, isn’t she? For an immortal, that is.
  623. >If she was anywhere near as old as her aunts, she’d know exactly what you’re talking about, instead of having an air of uncertainty around her.
  624. “You really don’t understand how lucky you are, do you? Freedom to you means that you get to go home to your family and tell them about the horrible place you were for a while.”
  625. “Freedom to me means I don’t need to worry about being eaten by an Orthos. That’s it. Any home I had, died centuries ago.”
  626. >That one seemed to get to her. Her wings are back at her side, and she’s once again looking off in the distance.
  627. >At least for a moment.
  628.  
  629. >She shakes her head and glares at you, ”Celestia always told me that the only beings she sentenced to Tartarus were monsters who couldn’t be redeemed or held anywhere else.”
  630. >”If you’re here, then you must have done something unforgivable.”
  631. >You shrug.
  632. “Is that the lie she tells you, when she can’t even remember why she sent me here? Look.”
  633. >You close your eyes and rub your forehead.
  634. >This is the most conversation you’ve had in years, and it’s taking its toll on you.
  635. “I need to go take care of a few things...you’ll probably want to wait outside. But I want you to ask yourself, if we’re all so horrible, then why give us immortality?”
  636. “If it was so we could atone for what we’ve done, then why did she leave me here to rot?”
  637. >You pause as you reach the lip of the ‘door.’
  638. “To answer your question earlier, yea, you’re a prisoner. Just not MY prisoner.”
  639. >Leaving her with her thoughts (or more accurately, to talk to her aunts), you head back to the main area of your home.
  640. >It’s a simple matter to grab the rake you use to hide your tracks and push the boulder aside.
  641. >Heading down to the end of your trap field, you get to work on brushing away the path the four of you have made.
  642. >There’s not a whole lot you can do to hide the tracks leading up to the field, but the least you can do is keep them from having an easy time reaching you.
  643. >Besides, by now SOMETHING probably knows there’s someone living in this area.
  644. >Still, there doesn’t appear to be anything watching you right now.
  645. >As you work, you run through your current todo list.
  646. >You need to do something about Celestia’s escape attempt earlier...they both obviously need to be punished for it, it’s just a question of how you go about it.
  647. >Flat out raping them would be too much, too fast, it could alienate Cadance...
  648. >Speaking of the escape attempt, you’re going to need a new net, before you and Cadance go out tomorrow.
  649.  
  650. >Once you’ve finished securing the safety of your home for the day, you head back inside, having a plan for how to deal with the alicorn sisters for this current incident.
  651. >...Cadance isn’t waiting outside…
  652. >She’s going to learn the hard way how loudly things can echo when living underground.
  653. >You head into your bedroom, as ‘lavish’ as it is.
  654. >It’s almost as bare as Cadance’s, there’s only a few extra knick knacks scattered through the room and an animal skin serving as a blanket to differentiate them.
  655. >You’re here for one of those trinkets.
  656. >Resting on a shelf is a carved bone.
  657. >Picking it up, you look it over...it’s practically a work of art.
  658. >Tirek spent years studying the shackles that new “inmates” appear with, and slowly but surely carved this bone into a working key to unlock them.
  659. >It was a preferable alternative to breaking their legs to get those shackles off.
  660. >That “skeleton key” (thanks, Discord) is simultaneously the most valuable and worthless thing you have.
  661. >It’s so useful that any major group would love nothing more than to get their hands on it...and it’s too fragile to carry around with you.
  662. >But you can’t just throw it away...it’s too big of a bargaining chip for that.
  663. >Although, right now you’re going to use it for its intended purpose.
  664. >You had hoped you’d be able to leave the two of them completely isolated from each other, but this is going to require a bit of presentation.
  665. >Swinging by your supply tunnel, you pick up a few things that you’re going to need for this.
  666. >A small knife, the blindfold you had made for Luna, and a fairly sturdy vine that should do the job.
  667. >First thing’s first...Celestia.
  668. >Entering her section of the final tunnel, you set down the three tools you brought in front of her cage, letting her try and guess what you have planned.
  669. >If the noises coming from behind her muzzle are any indication, she’s not guessing anything pleasant.
  670.  
  671. >You make a point of not looking at her as you pull the torn net out, laying it out flat on the floor so the hole Celestia made (and you exacerbated to remove her) is plain for all to see.
  672. >Doing your best to keep a completely neutral look on your face, you retrieve the blindfold and the vine.
  673. >Approaching her cage, you finally look at her.
  674. >Her eyes are smoldering with all the hate and fury they had before, but there’s a spark of something else there, now.
  675. >A hint of fear.
  676. >You hold up the blindfold.
  677. “Celestia. I am going to put this on you. Are you going to cooperate, or is this going to be another battle?”
  678. >If the way she jerks her head back is any indication, she’s choosing the latter.
  679. >Luckily for you, she doesn’t have very much room inside that cage.
  680. >Looping the vine, it takes you a few tries, the cage rattling all the while, as she hurtles what are no doubt insults, but eventually you do manage to catch Celestia with it, wrapping it around her neck, just behind her jaw.
  681. >With her caught, you grab her by her horn for extra leverage and reel her in.
  682. >Pinning the vine under your foot, you get to work on the blindfold, tying it around the still struggling alicorn’s head.
  683. “The more you struggle, the worse this is going to be.”
  684. >While you have the luxury of waiting for asphyxiation to force her to comply, you’d rather not have to wait for her to regain consciousness.
  685. >The band isn’t over her eyes for long before her wings flare out, slamming against the bars of her cage before jerking closed again.
  686. >The half-flaps repeat again and again, the rest of her going almost perfectly still, her limbs quivering from the effort as she tries to force her wings back under her control.
  687. >...You’ve seen this.
  688. >This is the same sort of anti-crash instinct that gryphons have, isn’t it?
  689. >This wasn’t your intended effect, but it certainly could be...fortunate.
  690.  
  691. >Celestia’s battle to reign in her instincts allows you to finish tying the blindfold, securing it against her.
  692. >It’s only then that you pull the vine away, letting her breathe again.
  693. >Her sides heave, her breathing erratic as her head slowly sinks to the ground, her wings still twitching all the while, threatening to snap open.
  694. >It would be cruel to interfere with that battle.
  695. >You know what else would be cruel?
  696. >Condemning someone to an eternity in hell.
  697. >You reach a hand in, ready to slap her wing and drive her into a frenzy...but an errant thought gives you pause.
  698. >Cadance.
  699. >Ooohh, you would love nothing more than to show Celestia the same cruelty she’s shown you...but if you move too quickly, you’d risk alienating your guest..
  700. >You only have a few cards, and you need to play them right.
  701. >Just in case Tirek screws up as badly as Discord did.
  702. >Taking your hand back, you set the vine back down, next to the knife and yell out, loud enough for your other prisoner to hear,
  703. “You know Celestia...your sister took being blindfolded much more graciously than you. She didn’t even struggle!”
  704. >”Hrrm mrrf!” is the best response you get.
  705. “I think I know who the smarter one is, between you two! It’s the one who doesn’t flail around like a wounded animal!”
  706. >Leaving her to struggle with her instincts in solitude, you head down towards Luna’s room, key in hand.
  707. >As you enter, she quickly climbs to her hooves, her wings half raised in concern.
  708. >”Human? Is it...my turn?”
  709. >Any jovial mood you had from tormenting Celestia quickly dies.
  710. “Luna. You’ve been good, so I’m only going to give you a warning, but we’ve been over this. You will address me as master, is that clear?”
  711. >With her ears still standing at attention, no doubt listening for any sign of her sister, she opens her mouth, taking a moment to fish for the right words.
  712. >”Yes...master. Is it...my turn now, master?”
  713.  
  714. >With a fake sigh, you sit before Luna.
  715. “Yes, it is.“
  716. “But I want you to understand, what we’re about to do is not what I was originally planning.”
  717. >Well, it’s a half truth. You hadn’t planned anything before.
  718. “I was going to ask you why your sister was so quick to abandon you before. But...well, she tried it again.”
  719. >”She tried to escape again?”
  720. >Before you have a chance to chastise her, she quickly adds, “Master?”
  721. >You smile to show her that was acceptable.
  722. “That’s right, she did. This time, she destroyed something very valuable. So, I need you to come with me.”
  723. >Leaning forward, you carefully unlock her shackle before standing up.
  724. >Luna tenses up, her eyes watching you, waiting to see what your next move will be. “Why is that...master?”
  725. >Getting up in a kneeling position so your height matches hers, you look her in the eyes.
  726. “I’ll explain on the way. But I want you to know. I am sorry for having to do this.”
  727. “You have been nothing but cooperative, you’ve been extremely well behaved. But, because of Celestia, I have no choice.”
  728. >Standing up, you place your hand on her back and feel how tense she is.
  729. “Come on.”
  730. >With a firm push, you guide her out of her room.
  731. >Fear marks her every step as she obeys, letting you move her along down the hall despite her apprehension.
  732. “You are being very brave, Luna.”
  733. >Her ear turns to listen, but she keeps resolutely staring ahead.
  734. “I mean it. Your sister would be fighting me every step of the way, but...you understand what needs to happen, and I respect that.”
  735. >As you enter Celestia’s room, you position yourself to obscure Luna’s vision of her, keeping her from getting a good look as you guide her over to the torn net.
  736. “Do you know what this is, Luna?”
  737. >”Yes...master. It’s the net you used earlier.”
  738. >Glancing over, you see Celestia’s ears stand at attention, the mare frozen inside that cage.
  739. >”Mmoonuuh?”
  740.  
  741. >Luna starts to turn her head to look at her sister.
  742. >Gently, you place your hand on her cheek and guide her attention back to the net, pointing at it.
  743. “That’s right. Now, does something look different about it to you?”
  744. >With a questioning look, she says, “It looks as though something tore a hole in it.”
  745. >She’s well aware that you’re treating her like a child, but this isn’t for her benefit.
  746. >This is for Celestia’s.
  747. >With another glance, you see Celestia is too busy fighting with her wings to form a proper coherent thought.
  748. >Not that it matters with that muzzle on.
  749. “Almost, Luna. Not something. SomePONY. Your sister destroyed it because she tried to leave you and Cadance alone with me, again. She wanted you to suffer in her stead.”
  750. >Celestia erupts, protesting as best she can with a fury of “Mm-mm! Mrrmm-mm!”s.
  751. >Still trying to keep Luna’s attention on you, you bend down and trace your fingers over the frayed edges.
  752. “You can see teeth marks here, and here, and she used her horn to split it over here.”
  753. >”Sister..is this true?!”
  754. >As Luna starts to turn to accuse her sister properly, you catch her muzzle, guiding her to look up at you.
  755. “I have no reason to lie, Luna. Not about something like this.”
  756. “You and your sister may not realize this, but down here, everything has to be made from scratch.”
  757. “Proper rope is especially hard, one of the most valuable things out here, because it’s as necessary as food and not everyone CAN make it.”
  758. >Beings without hands tend to use the exact kind of vine you’re holding.
  759. >You actually keep it specifically for emergency repairs...but they don’t need to know that.
  760. “This is the only net I have, and your sister destroyed it. Now, I know you had nothing to do with this. But your punishments are linked.”
  761. >As you speak, Celestia starts to call out, but any coherency is destroyed by her muzzle.
  762. >Lunas eyes grow wide, and she takes a step back.
  763.  
  764. >”Huma-master, please-what if I were to repair it?”
  765. “No, Luna.”
  766. >You grab ahold of her necklace thing, holding her there as you reach down and pick up the vine-the closest thing you have to a whip.
  767. >Unfortunately, you aren’t able to stop her as she twists her head around, seeing her sister locked in that cage.
  768. >”Celesti-!”
  769. >With a sharp yank, you pull Luna forward, tearing her gaze from her sister.
  770. >There isn’t much you can do to stop the white alicorn’s protests, save for speaking over them.
  771. “She needs to see the consequences of her actions! She needs to learn what it was she just tried to condemn you to!”
  772. >Raising your makeshift whip high, you bring it down, cracking it against Luna’s back.
  773. >”Niiiieee-aaahh!”
  774. >Luna half-whinnies, half-screams out, probably more in terror than in pain.
  775. >The whip isn’t exactly made out of tough material...but you can see a red line faintly appearing under her fur.
  776. >...Maybe members of royalty have low pain tolerances.
  777. >You doubt these two have ever been in a non-magical fight in their lives.
  778. >Still, you doubt this hurts worse than an open handed slap, it just sounds much, much worse than it is.
  779. “I’m going to give your sister the exact same punishment, Luna.”
  780. “Now, we’re going to twenty lashes, and I want an apology for all your crimes after each strike. If you don’t, then it doesn’t count. Start.”
  781. >With her ears pressed to the side of her head, she squeezes her eyes shut.
  782. >”I-I’m sorry, master!”
  783. “Two.”
  784. >You crack the whip over her back again, a second line joining the first, “Nnnn! I’m sorry!”
  785. “Three.”
  786. >Celestia’s hoofguards clang against her cage as she redoubles her protests, whether to curse you out or apologise to her sister, you aren't sure.
  787. >It doesn’t matter, though, as her words are quickly drowned out by the cracking of your whip.
  788. >”Nuuh! I’m sorry!”
  789. -
  790. >You make it until eighteen before she slips.
  791. >”Guuaahh!...I’m sor...I’m…s...”
  792. “...Eighteen again..”
  793. >She jerks, looking at you, her eyes filled with terror, tears threatening to fall. “No, wait, plea-Gaah!”
  794. >Delivering the extra lash with a thundering crack, you pull the whip back and give her a moment to try again.
  795. >As you wait, you can hear Celestia sobbing, her horror at what she thinks you’re doing to her sister overriding any instinctual reaction from the blindfold.
  796. >”S-sorry...I’m sorry…”
  797. >...You know…
  798. >If this punishment is more for Celestia’s sake, then you can afford some mercy.
  799. >It’s not like Luna’s been the one fighting you.
  800. >Bending down, you whisper in Luna’s ear, your free hand stroking over her chest.
  801. “Hey, you’re doing a very, very good job, and I’m very proud of you. We’re almost done, just two more.”
  802. >Panting heavily, Luna nods vigorously and squeezes her eyes tight, taking a deep breath as she readies for the last two lashes.
  803. >With a reassuring pat to her breast, you raise your whip, ready to begin the final two strikes.
  804. “Nineteen.”
  805. >You bring the whip down for its penultimate strike, when it catches on something, the vine slipping right out of your hand.
  806. >What in the world?!
  807. >”Stop. Hurting. Her.”
  808. >You whirl around to see Cadance glaring up at you, your makeshift whip pinned under her hoof.
  809.  
  810. >About a dozen different thoughts rush through your mind as you take in the sight before you.
  811. >Celestia’s sobbing stops, the clanging from her cage hinting that she’s gotten up.
  812. >She no doubt thinks Cadance is saving Luna from some horrendous fate.
  813. >Finally, you blurt out,
  814. “Why?”
  815. >Cadance pulls back, equally as shocked as you. “Wh-what do you mean why?”
  816. >Luckily, that gives you time to collect your thoughts into something half-coherent.
  817. “Why should I stop? I’m teaching them both a valuable lesson.”
  818. “Celestia’s seeing first-hand the pain her actions inflict on others, and they’re both learning what happens when you destroy supplies, just as painfully as I had learned it.”
  819. >”No.” Cadance resolutely shakes her head, her eyes squeezing shut for a moment before she resumes that angry glare.
  820. >”This is just you torturing them as part of your sick revenge! If /I/ broke something, would you tie me down and start beating ME, too?!”
  821. >...There’s no good answer to that, and you know it.
  822. >Telling her no would spark a massive argument, she’ll demand they ‘only’ receive the same punishment that she would, and it’ll lead to her resenting you or demanding to leave.
  823. >Telling her yes would mean that she’s your prisoner.
  824. >You need to change the subject if you’re going to win this.
  825. “Well, now you’re just insulting Luna.”
  826. >Luna jerks her head to look at you as they both speak up simultaneously.
  827. >”What do you mean, master?”
  828. >”How am I insulting her?!”
  829. >”Wait, no.” Cadance half shouts out, not letting you get a word in.
  830. >She shakes her head once again as she continues, “You’re deflecting, I want an answer!”
  831. “I’m not deflecting, though. You have this completely wrong! Look at her! I haven’t restrained her in any way. I haven’t needed to.”
  832. >You circle around your captive, tracing a hand over her back.
  833.  
  834. >Luna quivers as your fingers trace over the lash marks, the skin raised, an angry red under her fur.
  835. >Cadance merely points a hoof at the caged form of Celestia and deadpans.
  836. "She’s not the one being whipped! I-just wait a moment. Luna?”
  837. >You lean down to Luna’s ear and whisper to her again.
  838. “Her interrupting us like this is completely unacceptable. Now, I get the feeling she’ll listen to you, so if you want this to end peacefully, then you need to get her out of here.”
  839. >Cadance pipes up, ”I can still hear you perfectly fine. It’s what YOU’RE doing that’s unacceptable!”
  840. >Your hand soon finds its way to your forehead.
  841. >Sometimes you wonder if EVERY species in this place here has better hearing than you.
  842. >And a better sense of smell, and actual natural weapons…
  843. >Yea, if it wasn’t for your endurance, you’d be even worse off than you are now.
  844. >A hoof rubs against your leg, drawing your attention.
  845. >Looking, you meet Luna’s gaze, her expression telling you all you need to know..
  846. >”May I speak to her in private? Master?”
  847. “No, of course not. Anything you have to say, you can say in front of me.”
  848. >Luna deflates against you, that determined look fading.
  849. >”Very well...Cadance, he is right. I must request you leave at once.”
  850. >”Mrrmmr?” Celestia calls out.
  851. >”Auntie, you can’t be serious…” Cadance’s defensive posturing begins melting away.
  852. >”I am. I need you to abide by...master’s house rules, while we are here. It is the only way to ensure your safety.”
  853. >Cadance stomps her hoof like a mature pony. “According to who, him? Just because we don't have magic doesn’t mean we’re helpless!”
  854. >”We can handle ourselves, you don’t need to subject yourself to this!”
  855. >You make a point of turning away, and instead trace your fingers over Celestia’s cage, acting like you’re occupied with something.
  856. >Enough to loom over the conversation, but without seeming concerned.
  857.  
  858. >”Cadance. There is only one pony who would know better than I, what horrors await here.”
  859. >...Well, you suppose you aren’t a PONY. Otherwise you’d have an issue with that.
  860. >“The fact that he has allowed you to stay as a guest, instead of simply...as you put it, “tying you down” and doing horrendous things to you, proves he is above most creatures we’ve sent to this pit.”
  861. >Cadance cries out, ”But that’s exactly what he’s doing to you!”
  862. >Luna giggles.
  863. >”This? This was nothing I could not handle, my dear niece. Master made sure of that.”
  864. >”Before you interrupted, I was assisting hi...master in demonstrating to my sister what torment everypony she’s banished has gone through.”
  865. >You purse your lips together.
  866. >Interesting how she’s trying to make it sound like she’s blameless...that’s something you’re going to have to fix.
  867. >You’re also going to need to up the intensity of her punishments.
  868. >”Does that include what YOU went through when she banished you?”
  869. >Woah, wait, what?
  870. >Twisting your head back around, you look over the two non-caged alicorns.
  871. >If Celestia was the one who banished Luna to the moon...well, no wonder she’s been so cooperative.
  872. >”Yes, my niece, it does. I learned first hoof what horrors accompany a thousand years of imprisonment...but she has not.”
  873. >”She shies away from it, she won’t even discuss the matter with me. My sister has attempted to bury it, just as she attempted to bury my existence from history.”
  874. >Celestia clangs against the bars, her horn poking out as she calls out to her sister in muffled protest. “Mrrrnnaa! Mrrrmf!”
  875. >In response, Luna joins you against Celestia’s cage, gazing up at her sister.
  876. >The look on her face...hooo boy, you know that look.
  877.  
  878. >That’s the look of a fury that’s simmered for centuries.
  879. >”It is something that will be much more difficult to her to teach if you interrupt. But she will learn, won’t she, master?”
  880. >Celestia jumps back in her cage at the sound of her sister’s voice being so close, crashing against the rear bars.
  881. >”You’re not auntie Luna, are you...you’re…”
  882. >You can taste the fear in Cadance’s voice.
  883. >Maaayyybe you should shut this down.
  884. >You’ve been confused since Luna said Celestia was the one who banished her.
  885. >”Do you see a helmet on my head, my dear niece? Is my fur black?” Luna whirls around to face Cadance again.
  886. >“I have not reverted to old ways. I simply agree with master. Celestia needs to learn this lesson.”
  887. >Out of the corner of your eye, it looks like Luna’s mouth is still moving-you’re at the wrong angle to tell what she’s saying.
  888. >Whatever it was has an immediate effect on Cadance.
  889. >She takes a shaking step back, freeing your whip before she looks at you, her pupils shrunk down to pinpricks, “Huma-master, whatever you are...What did you do to my aunt...?”
  890.  
  891. >There’s something off about this whole thing.
  892. >You aren’t sure exactly what it is, but your instincts are screaming at you that Luna is playing someone.
  893. >You just aren’t sure who.
  894. >Regardless, right now, they’ve managed to completely lose you in this conversation.
  895. >Until you know more, playing along might be the right choice.
  896. “Nothing. Aside from a light whipping, which Luna did a wonderful job bearing, all we did was talk. I’m not the one who's DONE anything. Luna here,”
  897. >Swinging your arm out, you slap your hand on her back as you would a friend, your palm coming down right where you had whipped her.
  898. >”Nnnnn…” Luna shudders as you lean against her-a far cry from her earlier reaction.
  899. “Is the only one of you three who truly understands the pain of being sentenced to rot. When she saw that Celestia tried to run away again...Well, she realized I'm doing is right.”
  900. >That explanation does nothing to quell Cadance’s fear. As she takes another quaking step backwards, you continue,
  901. “Frankly, I don’t see why you’re so scared. It’s what I’ve been telling you all along.”
  902. >”Because you’re corrupting her...turning her back into that...THING.”
  903. >”That ‘thing?’ My dear, sweet niece-”
  904. “Enough!”
  905. >You slap your hand hard against Luna’s back, the blow being fueled by your growing frustration.
  906. >”Nuuh…” she moans out, shuddering under your hand.
  907. >Was there a delay there? You couldn’t tell.
  908. >You wish Tirek was here.
  909. >While you’ve certainly learned a thing or two from him, he was always the master manipulator.
  910. >He conned you into working with him, after all.
  911. >He’d already know what Luna’s goals were.
  912. “You’ve been told twice, Cadance. Go back to your room, and when we’re done here, I’ll be by to discuss the house rules.”
  913. “Right now, you being here is doing more harm than good.”
  914. >Cadance freezes up, her eyes darting between the three of you, torn between misery and fear.
  915.  
  916. “If you don’t, I’m going to start adding lashes…”
  917. >You can feel the muscles under Luna’s fur ripple as she tenses up, hard.
  918. >Shooting her a look, you growl out, making sure to keep your tone the same as before,
  919. “Not her. You.”
  920. >”Mrrf!” Celestia clangs against the bars of her cage, showing that your attempt to confuse her has worked.
  921. >Luna, however, relaxes under your hand...to a point, anyway.
  922. >You did just threaten to hurt her, after all.
  923. >Cadance takes another step back, her mouth agape, “I…I’ll find a way to fix this Auntie Tia! I swear!”
  924. >You open your mouth to politely yet firmly tell her to shut up, when she whirls around and half gallops out of the room.
  925. >Well...as long as she doesn’t decide to leave, you should be fine.
  926. >You wait until her hoofsteps are mere echoes before you walk over and reclaim your makeshift whip.
  927. >Reapproaching the blue alicorn, she looks...well, guilty.
  928. >She’s staring at her hooves, her ears pressed firmly to the sides of her head...she’d look almost pathetic if it weren’t for her previous display.
  929. >You aren't going to let it distract you.
  930. >For all you know, this is is her attempting to manipulate you.
  931. “Alright Luna. You still have two more lashes.”
  932. >She jerks out of her self pitying stupor as you approach, taking a moment to respond, “...Very well then. I will accept the rest of my punishment, master.”
  933. >Closing her eyes, she lowers her head, exposing her back for you.
  934. “Ooohh no, you aren’t getting away that easily, miss ‘Nothing I can’t handle.’”
  935. >Her eyes snap back open, her pupils as tiny as Cadance’s were a moment ago. “Would you have preferred I said otherw-”
  936. “Shut it.. You and I are going to have a fucking talk.”
  937. >Darting your hand out, you grab ahold of her horn and pull her forward. “Naah!”
  938. >Happily, she doesn’t struggle, her eyes wide as you march her back into her room.
  939.  
  940. >Entering her room, you “throw” her forward by her horn, causing her to stumble in front of you.
  941. >You aren’t sure where to begin with her.
  942. >There are too many unanswered questions, and not a whole lot you can verify.
  943. >May as well start with the first point that confused you.
  944. “Celestia was the one who banished you, and they’re both terrified of you. I want to know why.”
  945. >Luna blinks twice before breathing a sigh of relief. “Very well, master. That has quickly become my most told story. As you know, a thousand years ago, my sister and I-”
  946. “No. I don’t want the sanitized thing with a lesson at the end, I want the real story. If I ask Cadance and find out you’re messing with me, I WILL be taking it out on your hide.”
  947. >Luna looks away, her ears slowly lowering as a war seems to wage between her ears.
  948. >You look over your whip, making sure Cadance didn’t damage it up too badly.
  949. >Your patience is quickly dwindling, the urge to take out your frustration on Luna swooping in to replace it.
  950. >...The pink one didn’t seem to do too much damage, that’s good.
  951. >”She made me feel as though I was inherently unlovable!” Luna finally blurts out, still staring at the wall.
  952. “...Look at me Luna.”
  953. >Taking her snout in your hand like you had before, you firmly guide her to face you.
  954. “Now explain.”
  955. >Her eyes dart away or a second, returning only when you squeeze her jaw in warning.
  956. >”I...don’t know what was intentional and what was unintentional, but over the years, Celestia made me truly believe I was unlovable, that there was something inherently wrong with me.”
  957. >Well, so far you aren’t seeing any major signs she’s lying...just uncomfortable.
  958. >Wait, hang on, didn’t she tell you the opposite when Tirek dropped her off?
  959. >Dammit, which one was the lie?
  960. >The one she’s telling you now, or the one she said in front of her sister?
  961.  
  962. >”Any successful joint venture we had, our ponies would praise her. I would only be named if it was a failure. I struggled with this for years…”
  963. >”Eventually, I stumbled upon a...method...that would allow me to remove my sister, and force everypony to love me. I seized upon it, and almost killed my sister right then and there.”
  964. >”That was why she banished me, master. Upon my return, I attempted to resume my conquest, until I was defeated by the bearers of the Elements of Harmony…”
  965. “So they’re worried you’re going back to old ways.”
  966. >”As are most ponies, master. They do not understand that I would never do such a thing, again. My life has become defined by the worst thing I’ve ever done...something you may know well.”
  967. “Just an inkling.”
  968. >Well, that was the understatement of the year.
  969. >”At least I was able to put that fear to use. My niece should not interrupt us again, master.”
  970. >...She’s looking for praise, is she?
  971. >Too bad. Maybe she’ll get something, once you know this isn’t a game.
  972. “The helmet and black fur comment. Explain that.”
  973. >She gives you a sort of half-smile.
  974. >”I had a very distinctive look when I was attempting to usurp my sister...and an alias. Nightmare Moon.”
  975. >You blink at that.
  976. “YOU were Nightmare Moon? Your sister was talking about fixing up one of your dungeons to use on me. Apparently it’s fine if she does it.”
  977. >Luna jerks against your hand as though you had just slapped her. “Sh-she what…?”
  978. >Ignoring that, you move on to your next question.
  979. “The way you were talking back there, you were trying to make it sound like she was the one mainly responsible for banishing people to Tartarus. But I REMEMBER you were there. Explain.”
  980. >”I...she...I spent the last one thousand years imprisoned on the Moon, master. Were there no additional banishments while I was gone?”
  981.  
  982. >...Well, fairly early into your banishment, there was a lull in the number of “new arrivals” for a few years, before it picked back up.
  983. >Was that really one thousand years ago…?
  984. >You always knew you were estimating, there’s no real way to tell the passing of years, or even days in this place but...
  985. >Son of a fuck, how long HAVE you been in here?
  986. “No, no, there were. Are you trying to imply you wouldn’t have banished anyone? Because I don’t exactly remember you arguing to spare me. Or much of a trial, for that matter.”
  987. >That day’s still burned into your memory.
  988. >Two equine goddesses descending from the heavens to scream at you in a language you didn’t understand, before casting you down into the pits of hell.
  989. >”Truthfully, master, I never gave the matter the attention it deserved. I was too caught up in my own torment to do much more than agree to the punishments my sister suggested…”
  990. >”I sentenced you, and others to this place without caring about who any of you were, or what any of you had done.. That is why I must atone...master, you’re hurting me! Please, let go!”
  991. >Damn right you’re hurting her.
  992. >Your hand squeezes her jaw as rage threatens to overwhelm you.
  993. >What’s worse, the one who doesn’t remember, or the one who didn’t care?
  994. >In the back of your mind, a voice of rationality pipes up, cutting through the fog threatening to envelop your mind.
  995. >What if she’s lying to you about this, too?
  996. >She could be playing you like a fiddle right now, and you wouldn’t even know.
  997. >You need...you need to think. And fast.
  998.  
  999. >Luna’s metal hoofguards scrape against the stone floor as she scrabbles her hooves, trying desperately to free herself from the death grip you have on her muzzle.
  1000. >Briefly, you entertain fantasies of properly extracting revenge on her-lashing her until she loses her voice, throwing her in a pit outside and burying her alive-SOMETHING.
  1001. >But that voice speaks up once again.
  1002. >That’s her goal, isn’t it? To make you out to be the monster, and convince Cadance and Celestia that you deserve to be here, when she’s the one who’s done anything truly heinous.
  1003. >But...she’s right here…you’ve wanted this for so long...
  1004. >It takes an almost herculean effort on your part, but you let her muzzle go.
  1005. >She stumbles backwards from the sudden release, quickly falling onto her black rump, “Oopf!”
  1006. >Balling your fists, your fingernails dig into your palms, threatening to draw blood as you take a deep breath, regaining some semblance of control.
  1007. “I want you to understand something, Luna. It doesn’t matter how many people your sister’s sent here.”
  1008. “Compared to you, what she’s done is NOTHING. She at least understood what she was doing.”
  1009. >You eye the whip, still clutched in your hand.
  1010. >Luna’s still two lashes short of her punishment…
  1011. >But Cadance still seems to be on the verge of thinking you’re irredeemably evil. Any more screaming would be all the push she needs.
  1012. >Fuck...how do you handle this?
  1013. >”I...I realize this, master. That is why I will take whatever penance you deem acceptable.”
  1014. >She rubs her fetlock against her snout, almost like a sniveling child.
  1015. “You want atonement? Why do YOU deserve that privilege? No one here has EVER gotten the chance, because of your...your incompetence.”
  1016. >Luna still doesn’t even try to get up.
  1017. >All she does is look up to meet your gaze as you had previously demanded.
  1018. >Heh. Sitting like that, she kinda looks like a giant dog.
  1019.  
  1020. >You’ve never been able to tame Tartarian equivalent of a dog..but it’s just as well.
  1021. >They’re tastier than they would be useful.
  1022. >”I don’t, master. But I was given a second chance, and I will attempt to use it to right the wrongs I’ve committed.”
  1023. “Does that include freeing those in Tartarus who’ve served long enough?”
  1024. >She offers you a small, sympathetic smile-she knew you’d ask this one.
  1025. >”Master, releasing everybeing in Tartarus would cause Equestria to be overrun.”
  1026. >Yea, you knew it’d be too much to ask.
  1027. “I’m not saying everything in here. Just those who’ve served more than their fair share of time.”
  1028. >Luna climbs to her hooves, keeping eye contact with you. “Such as yourself? Given the company you’ve kept, I hardly believe-”
  1029. “Three ponies.”
  1030. >You hold up the appropriate number of fingers to emphasize your point.
  1031. >Hopefully she knows what that means.
  1032. “I killed three ponies. I didn’t know they were sentient-the world I was originally from, ponies were nothing more than dumb animals. But thanks to Discord, I now know their names.”
  1033. >You count off on your fingers as you list them,
  1034. “Golden Harvest, Spring Buffet, and Strawberry Crepe. I’d do anything to atone for killing them, I never would have attacked them if I had known they were intelligent.”
  1035. >Breaking off from her, you pace back and forth in front of her, trying to burn off the energy pumping through you.
  1036. “But even if I was sentenced to three lifetimes for every one that I stole, I still should have been released at LEAST a century ago.”
  1037. >You stop and glare at her.
  1038. “How many did you take to earn your thousand years? When do I get MY second chance?”
  1039. >”Hum-master, I…” she looks away, her eyes searching for something on the ground before her.
  1040.  
  1041. >“Even if...Sister would never allow it, it would be far too dangerous of a precedent.. My hooves are tied.”
  1042. “Dangerous? I’m not the one who had Celestia cowering in the corner of that cage, that was ALL you.”
  1043. >Her ears sink down as she continues to find the pattern in the rock before her fascinating.
  1044. >That’s something you shouldn’t let slide.
  1045. >She should be taking comfort in YOU, not anything else.
  1046. >Re-approaching her, you once more take hold of her muzzle.
  1047. >She flinches back, but you don’t let her pull away-instead, you guide her using only your fingertips, until she’s once more staring up at you.
  1048. “How short of a leash does she have you on, Luna? Why’s it ok for her to operate the dungeons you built, but punish you for building them in the first place?”
  1049. >She twitches again, but doesn’t try to pull away, “I am sure that was just hyperbole. My sister can be prone to it…”
  1050. “She could have used anyone else’s name, I wouldn’t have known the difference. Hell, she could have said “Luna’s dungeons,” and I would have known what she meant.”
  1051. “But she called you Nightmare Moon...maybe that’s what she still thinks of you as.”
  1052. >Luna slowly deflates against your hand, her wings dropping as heavilly as her ears, her eyes soon following suit. “I…”
  1053. >If this is all an act, then it’s a damn good one.
  1054. >Part of you is actually starting to feel sorry for her…
  1055. >A very, very small part of you.
  1056. “Look at me, Luna.”
  1057. >Her teal eyes are filled with misery.
  1058. “Let’s make a deal. If what you’re saying is true, and Cadance can verify your story, then...I think we can sort out any punishment later.”
  1059. >Luna’s voice wavers, ”I...she may only know the sanitized version, master.”
  1060. “I’ll take that into account. But if she says you’ve lied to me about any of this, then I’m going to unleash hell on you. Does that sound good to you?”
  1061.  
  1062. >There’s a slight hesitation before the blue alicorn nods in agreement.
  1063. “Alright. Come on, you.”
  1064. >You lead Luna back over to her chain and re-lock it around her ankle.
  1065. >Bending down, you place your hand on her withers, meeting her at eye level.
  1066. “Last chance. If you’ve lied about anything, now’s the time to change it. Without affecting your punishment.”
  1067. >She thinks for a bit before shaking her head. “No master. What I’ve told you is the truth.”
  1068. “Alright, glad to hear, Luna.”
  1069. >Heading out, you pause as you reach the ‘door’ to her room, and look back.
  1070. “Right, last thing. What did you mouth to Cadance, in front of Celestia? I want your exact words.”
  1071. >She freezes up, her eyes growing to the size of saucers before she mumbles, “I said…’Trust me. I need you to play along.’”
  1072. >...Well fuck. There goes your idea that Cadance is terrified of her.
  1073. >Still...maybe the fact that her sister is actually scared will be enough for you to work with.
  1074. “I’ll be back soon.”
  1075.  
  1076. >You pause once you reach the fork between Luna’s and Celestia’s rooms.
  1077. >There’s nothing stopping them from shouting to one-another...that could ruin the training they’re going to receive.
  1078. >Well…nothing stopping Luna from yelling to Celestia right now, save for the hope that, after your talk, the lunar princess won’t be in any mood to try.
  1079. >Celestia’s muzzled, so she wouldn’t get much of a reply anyway.
  1080. >Buuut...you can’t keep her muzzled forever.
  1081. >If you’re going to make a more permanent solution, like a door between them, you’ll need to find materials to do so.
  1082. >You KNOW you don’t have anything capable of dampening sound in the cave.
  1083. >Plus, with the way Cadance is acting, you need to convince her staying here is the best option, BEFORE she makes a terrible decision.
  1084. >Looks like you need to move the timetable for your excursion up.
  1085. >The fact that you really don’t want to have sleep for dinner...again...serves no bearing on this decision.
  1086. >Even if that’s what you ‘ate’ yesterday.
  1087. >Swinging by Celestia’s room, you retrieve the net and your discarded knife.
  1088. >Your plans of using the sisters’ manes to to repair the damage will have to wait another day.
  1089. >For now, the thing SHOULD be serviceable, despite the hole in the middle of it.
  1090. >It’ll work as an improvised saddle bag, if nothing else.
  1091. >You look at the solar princess and grin.
  1092. >She’s curled up as close to a ball as she can get, staying still, aside from occasional twitches here and there.
  1093. >Apparently she’s gotten her instincts under control...that’s disappointing.
  1094. >Approaching her cage, you whisper,
  1095. “Celestiaaaa…”
  1096. >A shudder runs through her, and she makes a point of turning her ears away.
  1097. >That’s not going to stop you.
  1098. “Your sister’s already mine, Celestia. Who knew she hated you so much?”
  1099. >It’s a half truth, anyway-it certainly seems true, if Luna can be trusted.
  1100. >If not...well, Celestia won’t know that.
  1101.  
  1102. >A shudder runs through her, the only response she gives.
  1103. >The only response she really CAN give, without causing a scene.
  1104. “And the next time you see her, your niece will be mine, as well.”
  1105. >Now THAT gets her going.
  1106. >Her head jerks up, turning roughly towards you.
  1107. >She’s a little off to the left.
  1108. >”Hhmmrrmf! Mrrf mmm mrrl!”
  1109. >Fighting the urge to laugh, you leave her, letting her shout and threaten the empty room.
  1110. >As you gather the rest of your supplies, you muse to yourself.
  1111. >Soon. That was what you told Luna.
  1112. >There’s no way in hell you’ll be back by any sane definition of soon.
  1113. >If your ‘internal clock’ is right, you doubt you’ll be back before what would technically be tomorrow.
  1114. >Once everything gathered by the entrance to your humble abode, you head back to retrieve the most important part of this expedition: your guest.
  1115. >You knock unnecessarily on the ‘doorway’ as you enter, now knowing that she certainly heard your approach.
  1116. “Hey. Mind if I come in?”
  1117. >Cadance soon pokes her head around a corner, “What do you want? Are you already done torturing my family?”
  1118. “You know, that’s not any way to greet someone who’s opened up their home for you.”
  1119. >Her resolute glare is the only response you get from her.
  1120. >Yep, moving ahead on this seems to be the right choice.
  1121. >Then you’ll be able to teach her proper manners.
  1122. >You’d think royalty would have had to take etiquette classes or something.
  1123. “Actually, that was one of the reasons I came in here. You managed to convince me that I was going about this the wrong way.”
  1124. >Her expression immediately softens into one of confusion, “Wait, really? But you said before...”
  1125. >You hold up a hand to quiet her as you enter the room properly.
  1126. >Her feathers are a mess...she must have been in the middle of preening them.
  1127. >...Angry preening.
  1128. >The image that comes to mind is as adorable as Luna on her hindlegs.
  1129.  
  1130. >What’s with these ponies and being cute?
  1131. >Is it a defense mechanism?
  1132. >If they’re cute enough, they might be able to keep a predator too busy d’awwing over them to actually attack.
  1133. “Don’t get me wrong. Those sessions ARE going to continue. But, I was putting them above your comfort, and that was wrong. So I’m sorry.”
  1134. >Her jaw drops, outrage spewing forth as she speaks, “Huma-”
  1135. >You shoot her a look, reminding her of that mistake before she can fully commit to it.
  1136. >”-Master, I wouldn’t EVER be comfortable with what you want to do. It’s sick, it’s WRONG., and I WON’T let you hurt Celestia like you did auntie Luna.”
  1137. >Nodding, you feign a look like you’re carefully considering her opinion while Tirek’s voice runs through your mind.
  1138. >’Let them THINK they’ve won. Then convince them to prove themselves wrong. They’ll think it was their idea all along.’
  1139. “I thought you’d say something like that. I was thinking, rather than head out tomorrow, you and I could go find something to eat, for us and your aunts?”
  1140. “I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda hungry, and the chef here hasn’t prepared anything decent.”
  1141. >Cracking a smile at your terrible joke, you steal a glance to confirm that, yep, she has in fact eaten the meager meal you gave her.
  1142. >”This isn’t a trick, right? You haven’t impaled them or something?”
  1143. >...Wow.
  1144. >Even YOU hadn’t thought of doing something like that.
  1145. >Is that how you’ve been coming across…?
  1146. “What? No. Nooo. Hell no. I want to /teach/ them not...not THAT. Besides, you’d have heard if I did anything like that.”
  1147. >Once more, your attempt at humor falls flat before the pretty pink pony princess’s petulant pout.
  1148. “They’re both just sitting there, waiting for us to bring them back something.”
  1149. >The fiery behind her eyes slowly dies as she mulls over your words,
  1150. >”I...alright. What do we need to do?”
  1151. “First things first, let's get that shackle off. Come on.”
  1152. -
  1153. >You heft your damaged net onto Cadance’s back.
  1154. “So! I’m going to establish some rules, which you absolutely HAVE to obey. They’re as much for your safety as mine. Understand?”
  1155. >Cadance raises an eyebrow, as you secure the aforementioned net to her, “Like what…?”
  1156. “Well, for one, under no circumstances do you destroy any of the equipment, or let it be destroyed. Replacing some of this stuff can take weeks, but /you/ aren’t going anywhere.”
  1157. >Wow. If you thought she could look disgusted before, it was nothing compared to the look she’s giving you now.
  1158. “What? It’s not like you can die. You CAN be hurt, though, which leads me to number two: What I say goes. Period. If I give you a command, I’m not doing it to mess with you, I’m doing so to keep you from getting hurt.”
  1159. >You wrap your feet in the remains of what WAS your shirt just a little while ago.
  1160. >”Anything else?” Cadance watches, her annoyance plain to see.
  1161. “Yea. You’re welcome to leave at any time, but if you do, you won’t be coming back with me. Also, if you do, I’ll also be taking a portion of what you foraged, for your aunts. Finally,”
  1162. “We’re going to be going to a relatively populated area, but this one applies in general: No talking to anyone, ESPECIALLY about the existence of the cave. To make sure of this,”
  1163. >You hold up the last remnants of your shirt.
  1164. “I’ve made another muzzle. I don’t want you to wear it the whole time, because you and I have plenty to discuss, but when we get close enough, you’re going to need it.”
  1165. >”You can’t expect me to wear that! That’s like what you put on auntie Celestia!”
  1166. >You shrug.
  1167. “Hey-if I think you DON’T need it, consider it trashed. But if you look like you’re about to scream and alert EVERYTHING around us, I’m putting it on you.”
  1168. >She takes a step back, still wearily eyeing the muzzle, “I don’t know if I want to do this…”
  1169.  
  1170. “Alright. That’s perfectly fine, I’m not going to force you. I just need to let your aunts know that the reason they don’t get to eat is because of you.”
  1171. >You turn towards the tunnels and start walking, making it about three steps before Cadance cries out, “Wait! I’ll go. I’ll...I’ll wear the muzzle, if I need to.”
  1172. “Great!”
  1173. >With a giant, sincere grin on your face, you spin around on your heel.
  1174. “Now, to make sure nothing flying decides to snatch you up, I’m going to have to tie a rope to your necklace thing. Buuut...I am going to entrust you with this:”
  1175. >You present the aforementioned object, with all the reverence Cadance is no doubt used to being treated with.
  1176. “It’s my spare knife. It’s not much, I know, but it means you aren’t completely defenceless.”
  1177. >Giving her a look, you silently transmit the most important part of the message.
  1178. >It also means she could literally stab you in the back, should she desire.
  1179. >Despite giving her the option, you know you have nothing to fear.
  1180. >After all, how would she find her way back without you?
  1181. >It just means it’ll be HER fault for letting you come back.
  1182. >”Thank you, master. I just hope I don’t need to use it.”
  1183. >You slip it between her fur and the band holding the net to her side, where it’ll be secure, but without cutting her.
  1184. “Yeah, me too. I’m not sure how well you’d be able to use it by holding it in your teeth.”
  1185. >Taking the vine that has gone through quite a lot of abuse so far, you tie it around her necklace...collar...thing.
  1186. >You were avoiding speaking the term, but now she’s properly leashed.
  1187.  
  1188. >Grabbing your spear, you head over to the boulder-door.
  1189. >Heh. If you ever ran across another human, you’d look indistinguishable from a caveman.
  1190. >Running around unwashed, buck-naked with a stone-tipped spear and a waterskin.
  1191. >...And quite literally living out of a cave.
  1192. >The only thing that ruins the image is your companion.
  1193. “For the record Cadance, those rules apply as much inside the house as they do outside.”
  1194. >”Wait, they what?!”
  1195. >Any further response is drowned out as you drag your “door” open and, with a tug at her leash, you usher her outside. “Whaah!”
  1196. “What? Don’t intentionally break anything is a rule you already KNOW applies. We’ll discuss them in detail when we get back. For right now.”
  1197. >With a grunt, you drag the boulder back into position.
  1198. >Perfect! Now nobody will know there’s anything here.
  1199. >Aside from the set of foot and hoof prints that will be leading directly to from it.
  1200. >..Fuck.
  1201. >You didn’t think that one through.
  1202. >Well...hopefully the wind will take care of it.
  1203. “We have a long walk ahead of us, and I still want to know if your aunt’s lying. So, Celestia banished Luna. Why?”
  1204.  
  1205. >The two of you wander through the wastes, running across a straggly bush here, a copse of trees (if they could be called that) there, and all the while the two of you run through Luna’s story.
  1206. >The version Cadance tells more or less matches up with what Luna told you.
  1207. >At least, superficially.
  1208. >Cadance’s version sounds like it’s straight out of a fairy tale.
  1209. >Luna’s jealousy from ponies sleeping through her nights attracted a monster that turned her into Nightmare Moon, leading Celestia to be forced to banish her…
  1210. >The whole thing was carefully crafted to absolve both sides of any blame.
  1211. >Despite repeated attempts to drill Cadance about it, she’s unable to offer you any insight behind her aunt’s motivations.
  1212. >The conclusion you’re forced to draw is, either Luna was telling the truth, and Celestia drove her insane, or Luna was lying to you and attacked Celestia unprovoked.
  1213. >Until you can tell how sneaky she’s being with you, you still don’t know where she stands.
  1214. >Then again...you’re still half expecting to wake up tomorrow with a knife in your back.
  1215. >On the plus side, however, you’ve gathered enough wood that you SHOULD be able to make some kind of door to block one of your captives in.
  1216. >Whether or not it’ll be sound proof remains to be seen.
  1217. >As far as food goes, you two find plenty of things that Cadance claims she and her aunts can eat…
  1218. >As for you?
  1219. >Aside from a few small, wild vegetables, it looks like you’re going to remain hungry tonight.
  1220. >Eventually, the two of you move on to more pleasant topics for your guest to talk about.
  1221. >She happily regales stories about her husband and the realm she rules over, where her castle is made out of solid crystal, and how she won it from a dark sorcerer with the help of her friends.
  1222. >Unlike most stories from newcomers, these tales aren’t tarnished by the knowledge that the storytellers will never see those things again.
  1223.  
  1224. >It’s easily one of the best times you’ve had while foraging for supplies.
  1225. >Having company, even if it’s barely willing, is something you don’t want to give up again.
  1226. >After what you’d guess to be a couple hours, Cadance freezes, her ears standing at attention. “Do you hear that?”
  1227. >...
  1228. >She’s like a dog or something.
  1229. “No, I’m not hearing anything. What is it?”
  1230. >It sounds like…a foal? This way!”
  1231. >With a flutter of her wings, Cadance pulls the leash taut for the first time, causing you to stumble forward as she threatens to tear it from your hands.
  1232. >At least this time, you’re ready for it.
  1233. >You pull right back on it-not enough to stop the human sized alicorn, but enough to make her necklace slide up and dig into her neck.
  1234. >Approaching her, you ‘reel in’ the vine, not letting her pull away.
  1235. “Are you TRYING to get us both eaten?! Or do you really think your aunts would banish a foal to this place?”
  1236. >Her ears slink down, the hurt from your insinuation visible in her eyes, ”Of course they wouldn’t. But I know what I’m hearing! Couldn’t...couldn’t somepony be born in this place?”
  1237. >Ho boy.
  1238. >That’s never been a topic you’re comfortable thinking about.
  1239. >Especially when you think about what you’ve done to the ‘natives’ you’ve dealt with.
  1240. “I-well, yes, they can. But...”
  1241. >You trail off as it hits you.
  1242. >Yes, you know better than to fall for this...but this is exactly why you’ve taken her out here.
  1243. “Fine. Tell you what. We’ll check it out. But you NEED to stay quiet.”
  1244. >She raises an eyebrow. “Does that mean…?”
  1245. >She glances at the muzzle, the question hanging in the air.
  1246. “Nooo, not yet. I just meant that if you can hear it, it means others can, too. Lead the way, Cadance.”
  1247. >Lead you she does, down into what could generously be called a small canyon.
  1248. >Discord once told you that, from above, Tartarus looks as tortured as its inhabitants.
  1249.  
  1250. >Jagged mountains are torn out from the surface, canyons and gorges split the ground, and the whole place is pockmarked with glowing lakes of lava that reflect off the hazy atmosphere, giving the realm what little light it has.
  1251. >Of course, you could have told him that, just from your years spent wandering.
  1252. >As Cadance leads you, her pace slowly increases until the two of you are running along, eventually you start to hear the echos of of child crying wordlessly.
  1253. >It isn’t too long before the only thing that’s keeping her from running off is the vine tied around her necklace.
  1254. >The two of you round yet another corner as the cries claw at your eardrums...with a glance, you see it’s right there!
  1255. “Stop!”
  1256. >You hiss out, digging your heels into the rocky ground and pulling hard on the leash.
  1257. >But the pink pony shows no sign of obeying-the sight of a foal in distress only exacerbated her own.
  1258. >In a contest of strength, the “harmless” alicorn soon proves to be the victor, your feet threatening to slip out from under you as she starts to drag you along.
  1259. >Shit, shit, shit!
  1260. >She’s going to run right into it!
  1261. >Just as you lose your footing, you swing your spear like a club in desperation, the shaft wacking her foreleg before you fall face first in the dirt.
  1262. >”Gahoww!”
  1263. >Cadance stumbles, giving you all the time that you need.
  1264. >Scrambling onto your hands and knees, you pounce on your escort, wrapping your arms around her as you tackle her onto her side.
  1265. >”Master let me go, she’s-”
  1266. >You slap Cadance across the face in a desperate move to shut her up.
  1267. >It works.
  1268. >She lays there, her jaw agape as she looks at you, stunned.
  1269. >Probably more from the fact that you just hit her, than from any actual pain.
  1270. “What the HELL are you doing?! Are you TRYING to get eaten?!”
  1271. >You whisper-yell as best you can, glancing up at the crying pegasus baby, your eyes wide.
  1272. >...Oh thank whatever, it hasn’t moved.
  1273.  
  1274. >”You just hit me...” Cadance holds a covered hoof to her cheek, her mouth hanging open.
  1275. “Shh!”
  1276. >Taking another glance to reassure that outburst hasn’t compromised what little safety you have, you climb off her, yanking hard on her leash.
  1277. “Back. Here.”
  1278. >She slowly climbs to her hooves, shock plastered on her face as she numbly shambles back around the corner.
  1279. >Only once you’re reasonably confident that imminent doom isn’t about to befall the two of you, do you speak up, tearing into your guest.
  1280. “What did I say before we went out?! When I tell you to do something, you NEED to do it!”
  1281. >”You hit me...” Cadance mumbles again, her shock giving way to betrayal.
  1282. >Oh for fucks sake.
  1283. “You’re damn right I did! You were about to do something incredibly stupid. I thought you’d find it preferable to being EATEN.”
  1284. >That seems to shake Cadance out of her stupor.
  1285. >Rarely does anything good come from shaking things.
  1286. >”Stupid? Rescuing a foal is stupid?! Did you see her?! She’s crying, her wing’s caught under that rock, and she’s probably starving! We need to help her!”
  1287. “No.”
  1288. >Cadance jerks back as though you had slapped her again.
  1289. >”...Why? She can share my room if THAT’S what you’re worried about! Or is it because you only want to keep ponies you can torment? Is that the reason you had me stay with you? It’s just not my turn yet?”
  1290. >She tugs at the leash with a hoof...somehow...to emphasize that last point.
  1291. >With a deep sigh, you pinch your eyebrows.
  1292. “Cadance, how many ponies do you think your aunts have banished here?”
  1293. >”I...I don’t know. A dozen? How often did they banish creatures here? You’re avoiding the question!”
  1294. >You aren’t sure which is worse: the baby’s or Cadance’s crying.
  1295. >One of those two is starting to make your head throb.
  1296. “I’m not avoiding it, I’m answering it. And you were close, by the way. You were only off by about eleven.”
  1297. >She raises an eyebrow.
  1298.  
  1299. “In the entire time I’ve been here, I’ve only ever seen one, single pony. He was a unicorn. Last I heard of him, he was some cyclops’s pet.”
  1300. >”Wh-what are you saying…?”
  1301. “What I’m saying Cadance, is THAT,”
  1302. >You jab your spear towards the source of the continued crying,
  1303. “Is NOT a pony. It’s not even a changeling. Ponies do not get sent here, Cadance. That’s a siren, it’s something that preys on newcomers.”
  1304. “That’s a lesson most people find out the hard way. I’m sparing you that pain.”
  1305. >”Master, that can’t be a siren, there’s no water around here, and they don’t masquerade as foals.”
  1306. >For a moment, you consider arguing the point.
  1307. >...You didn’t actually know that a siren was a THING in horse land.
  1308. >It was just a nickname you gave a certain type of creatures.
  1309. >But, rather than tempt the nearby monster, you decide that a demonstration will do a better job at convincing her.
  1310. >Even if it’ll be irresponsibly dangerous.
  1311. “...You know what? Fine. You win. Let’s go rescue the filly.”
  1312. >She hesitates for a moment, “Is this a trick?”
  1313. >You give her a dirty look.
  1314. “Do you actually want to help her, or do you just like arguing with me?”
  1315. >She continues peering at you, before a smile creeps onto her face.
  1316. >”I’m glad you aren’t a heartless monster after all. Master.”
  1317. >You bite your tongue, resisting the urge to comment on that.
  1318. >Instead, you wave your arms, wordlessly saying, ‘After you.”
  1319. >Cadance follows the silent command, walking back around towards the source of the ever-present crying.
  1320. >You follow close behind, keeping a tight hold on that leash.
  1321. >Your heart pounds as the ‘trapped filly’ comes into sight.
  1322. >This is a bad idea, this is a very bad idea.
  1323. >Trying to push those intruding thoughts out of your mind, you scan for a usable rock.
  1324. >It’s too late to turn back, now.
  1325.  
  1326. >”Hey there! It’s ok, we aren’t here to hurt you,” Cadance calls out to the filly.
  1327. >The crying stops, the grey, dust covered foal opens her large eyes to stare at the two of you in wonder.
  1328. >...
  1329. >There!
  1330. >”Hi there! I’m Cadance. What’s your name, little filly?”
  1331. >Snatching up the roughly spherical rock, you clutch it as you prepare to pitch it like a ball.
  1332. >You’ve worked on your throw since the Cerberus incident.
  1333. >Cadance lowers her head and holds her hoof out in an inviting manner...perfect.
  1334. >Putting all your strength into it, you pitch the rock.
  1335. >It flies right over Cadance’s lowered form and hits the filly square in the face.
  1336. >”What-?!”
  1337. >Whatever your guest was about to accuse you of is cut off as the filly screams out, its back arching unnaturally.
  1338. >The ground erupts around the boulder ‘pinning’ the filly as gigantic, tapered legs emerge, each joint easily dwarfing you.
  1339. >That screaming takes on a beastial quality-no longer one of fear, but a scream of rage.
  1340. >The filly and rock lift up as the body of the creature begins to unburrow itself, revealing themselves to be a ‘lure’ on the beast’s back.
  1341. >You pull HARD on Cadance’s leash, not giving her any more time to process the scene.
  1342. >Tearing her away from the emerging siren, you scream out,
  1343. “Run like hell!”
  1344. >Letting out her own scream of terror-she must have seen its true face-Cadance thankfully obeys, her hooves digging into the ground as the two of you run for your lives from the emerging monster.
  1345. >It isn’t long before you find yourself having to once more tug on her leash, this time to keep her from knocking you off your feet.
  1346. >Even with all the supplies you two have found weighing her down, she’s still faster than you on four legs.
  1347. >Unfortunately, the monster with eight legs is faster still.
  1348. >Its pointed legs crash against the rocky walls of the crevasse as it gains on the two of you, its high pitched shrieking piecing your skull.
  1349.  
  1350. >Stupid, stupid!
  1351. >There’s nowhere to hide, nowhere or you two to lose it!
  1352. >Of COURSE this would be a trap, how could Cadance not see it before?!
  1353. >...Worse yet, how could you let her walk right into it?
  1354. >You even sprung the damn thing.
  1355. >Frantically, you start reaching down, grabbing any rocks you can and throwing them behind you, not daring to look back.
  1356. >The occasional snarls interrupting your pursuer’s screeching is the only sign that you’re hitting it.
  1357. >But it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t slow down.
  1358. >Out of the corner of your eye, you see its foremost legs crashing down beside you two-it’s right there!
  1359. You aren’t going to escape it!
  1360. >...But you are not about to let this THING hurt your guest and ruin all your plans.
  1361. >Not without a fight.
  1362. >Whirling around, you heft your spear high, taking a split second to locate a weak point.
  1363. >One of its black, beady eyes, just above those clacking mandibles will do nicely.
  1364. >Locking on to your target, you let your spear fly, your weapon proving as accurate as the rock you had thrown earlier.
  1365. >The spear sinks right into the creature’s eye.
  1366. >Your pursuer rears back and screams in agony, swinging up two pointed legs to claw at its face.
  1367. >There’s no time to bask in your victory.
  1368. >The two of you continue sprinting away, the sounds of your pursuer fading as you soon leave the gorge behind, not slowing down for a second.
  1369. >You aren’t sure how long the two of you run for.
  1370.  
  1371. >Eventually, Cadance stumbles before falling forward onto her belly, her sides heaving.
  1372. >”I can’t...I can’t keep going…”
  1373. >Hah!
  1374. >It’s good to know that you can hunt down the princesses...if need be.
  1375. >Well, you could have, if you hadn’t just given up your weapon of choice.
  1376. >...Fuck.
  1377. >You’re down to just your knife and the one you gave Cadance, aren’t you?
  1378. >The two of you are screwed if you run across anything you can’t outrun, now.
  1379. >But...you can’t turn back, can you?
  1380. >You still haven’t found a meal for yourself...
  1381. >Gulping air, you look back to see that there’s no sign of your pursuer...it probably gave up after the two of you made it out in the open.
  1382. “It’s alright. Cadance. Catch your breath. We lost it.”
  1383. >She doesn’t need to be told twice, her wings splaying out as she makes no attempt to stand.
  1384. >”What...WAS that thing? Sirens...are aquatic…”
  1385. “That, Cadance? THAT, is why you LISTEN to me, when I tell you something.”
  1386.  
  1387. >Once you two have recovered from your flight, you set out in the direction of your cave.
  1388. >Your sudden lack of a proper weapon means continuing your expedition is a bad idea...and you’ve already had enough bad ideas for one eternity.
  1389. >Even if it means you'll go hungry.
  1390. >At least you still have that pear you found. That fruit will be very useful in the long run.
  1391. >Cadance stays relatively quiet as she trudges along at your side.
  1392. >Apparently a brush with death kills her good mood.
  1393. >That’s something she’ll have to get used to, if she’s going to be with you for a while.
  1394. >As you two are about to crest a jagged hill, she finally speaks up,
  1395. >”So...you said there were changelings in this place?”
  1396. “Hmm?”
  1397. >You jerk out of your stupor, having been walking and scanning the skies on autopilot.
  1398. >”Back there...before the...thing attacked. You said there were changelings here? How can you tell if something’s a changeling? We’ve never been able to get a detection spell working.”
  1399. >You chuckle.
  1400. “Hooo yea, there’s two competing hives in this place. One was here before I was, and the other started when a new queen was banished a few centuries ago. She and I were actually a couple for a while.”
  1401. >Cadance gives you a dirty look, “How could you associate with those things? One of them tried to kill me, my friends AND mind controlled my fiancé!”
  1402. >You grin.
  1403. >Apparently a talkative Cadance is an argumentative Cadance.
  1404. >...There’s a sexist joke in there somewhere, but you’ll be damned if you can’t remember it.
  1405. “Well, by ‘couple,’ I mean she fed off me for a few decades and then laid eggs inside of me. Apparently that was enough of a turnoff to ruin my ability to be a food source.”
  1406. “But, to answer your question, typically you can tell by the way they...gryphon! Move!”
  1407. >Your eyes lock onto the silhouette above you.
  1408. >With a yank to Cadance’s leash, the two of you make a mad dash towards a nearby pile of rocks.
  1409.  
  1410. >It’s not much, but hopefully it’ll keep you two from being spotted.
  1411. >Peaking out from behind it, you see the catbird circle rather close to you, before gliding down towards an oasis at the bottom of the hill.
  1412. “Oh no…”
  1413. >”What?” There’s a tinge of panic in Cadance’s voice, “What is it, Master?”
  1414. >Hey, there wasn’t any hesitation that time.
  1415. >Once the gryphon’s below your altitude, you give her leash a gentle tug.
  1416. “Come here, Cadance. It’s safe, but you need to be quiet.”
  1417. >With great trepidation she obeys, almost leaning against you as you bring her over to a rocky ledge.
  1418. >Crouching down, you point at the gryphon’s haggard form, just as it touchs down before the pond.
  1419. “See where he’s landing?”
  1420. >Your guest nods, her eyes the size of dinner plates.
  1421. >...You think anyway. It’s been a long time since you’ve had dishes of any kind.
  1422. “There’s a pack of Orthruses that live by that oasis. That’s why we’re going around. And they know he’s there...see? There’s one right there, one there, and one behind that bush. He has no idea…”
  1423. >You point out each of the shadows.
  1424. >”We can’t just let them attack him! We have to help!” She stage-whispers to you, panic gripping her every word.
  1425. “With what WEAPON, Cadance? I had to give up my spear the LAST time you wanted to help something. Which, by the way, unless you know of an unguarded source of obsidian around here, I’m not replacing any time soon.”
  1426. >”Why don’t we warn him? He can fly away!” Cadance opens her mouth and takes a deep breath.
  1427. >Shit!
  1428. >In a rather ungraceful move, you dive towards her, shooting out your hand and grab her snout, forcing her mouth closed before you land belly first before her.
  1429. >Pretending you didn’t just almost fall off the cliff, you pull her head down to you.
  1430. “Are you stupid?! Or is it just that we’re STILL NOT DEAD, and you just want to finish the job you started earlier?”
  1431.  
  1432. “You call out, they ALL hear you, and they come right after us. I KNOW you can’t outrun an Orthrus.”
  1433. >Climbing to a squat, you pull out the gag you had made earlier, still holding her mouth shut.
  1434. “Muzzle. Now.”
  1435. >You glare at her, making sure she understands that there will be no discussion on this.
  1436. >Tears well up in her eyes, but she nods her head, the look on her face reminiscent of a child being scolded.
  1437. >Replacing your hand with the rawhide muzzle, you begin tying the straps to the back of her head.
  1438. “There is NOTHING we can do here, Cadance. Nothing we can do for anyone. The best you can ever hope for, here, is to learn the traps and be left alone.”
  1439. >With the muzzle secure, Cadance reluctantly nods, the unfortunate truth settling in her mind with each movement of her head, and stands up.
  1440. >Her hooves are heavy with dejection as she starts trudging away to continue your journey.
  1441. >You, however, make no motion to follow, her leash soon pulling taut.
  1442. >”Mm?” Cadance looks back at you questioningly.
  1443. >You shake your head and point at the ground by your side.
  1444. “Sit.”
  1445. >She looks back, her eyes wavering.
  1446. >She obviously wants to say no...but the last time she refused an order is still fresh in her mind.
  1447. >The stern expression on your face helps her recent trauma win out.
  1448. >With her head low, she returns to her previous position, sitting next to you like a dog.
  1449. >Looking down, you see the Orthruses are closing in on the gryphon, who’s too busy greedily gulping down water to recognize how much danger its in.
  1450. >You grab Cadance by her horn and pull her head down, making sure she’s looking at the scene that’s about to unfold..
  1451. >She whimpers and tenses up, her sides quivering.
  1452. “I want you to realize something, Cadance. If you didn’t have a guide, there’d be nothing stopping this from being you.”
  1453. >Squeezing her eyes shut, her horn pulls against your hand’s firm grip as she tries to shake her head no.
  1454.  
  1455. >You stroke your hand over her furred cheek as you watch the pack of monsters ready their attack.
  1456. >Three…
  1457. >Two…
  1458. >One…
  1459. >With your hand still resting on her cheek, you use two fingers to pull her eye open.
  1460. >Cadance tenses up hard against you, pulling to try and free her horn, to look away.
  1461. >But you’re unyielding, forcing her to watch as...there they are!
  1462. >The trio of beasts leap out of the bushes down below and pounce on the unsuspecting gryphon.
  1463. >”Hrrrrrmmmhh!” Cadance’s scream of horror is dwarfed by the gryphon’s screech and the canine barking echoing off the hills as they start to play with their food, having already mangled the gryphon’s wings.
  1464. >You look away and instead concentrate on holding your guest still as her hooves scrabble at the rock, her wings flapping, and all the while she keeps screaming.
  1465. >Yea, you’ve seen this happen more times than anyone ever should, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
  1466. >Plus...you still haven’t gotten to the bad part.
  1467. >Your guest eventually stops struggling, having realized just how futile it is, when she’s being held this way.
  1468. >You make sure to occasionally ‘blink’ her eye for her...you don’t want anything to distract her from what’s coming.
  1469. >Sure enough, it soon starts.
  1470. >”Help! Someone, please! Someone! Help meee!”
  1471. >The gryphon screams out below, having been cornered.
  1472. >Cadance’s ears press to the back of her head, and she looks at you out of the corner of her tear filled eye, begging.
  1473. “You were about ready to abandon him, Cadance, and NOW you want to help him? Even if I had my spear, we missed our chance. It’s too late, now. There’s nothing we can do.”
  1474. >”Anyone?! Help! Please! Help!”
  1475. >Turning Cadance’s head slightly so she can’t peek at you anymore, you look away, partly in shame.
  1476.  
  1477. >Despite spending the past millennium or more, here...that part of you that wants to do the right thing, that wants to help someone in need has never died.
  1478. >You just know better than to listen to it right now.
  1479. >The gryphon’s next call for help is cut off by a primal scream as the Orthruses properly attack, tearing into him.
  1480. >Cadance screams again and again as she’s forced to watch every last detail, the muzzle keeping her horrified vocalizations relatively quiet.
  1481. >Eventually, their screams stop, for two vastly different reasons.
  1482. >Cadance’s devolve into wordless sobbing and she presses into your side.
  1483. >Letting go of her, you wrap your arms around her withers, hugging the pink pony the best you can.
  1484. >You don’t offer any verbal comfort.
  1485. >It’s not like you can tell her things will be ok.
  1486. >While she leans into that hug, still crying, she doesn’t look away...is she still obeying your command, or is this the pony equivalent of rubbernecking?
  1487. >Eventually, the monsters below finish their meal, leaving...not much left of the gryphon.
  1488. >Cadance looks at you, having cried herself out.
  1489. >Her bloodshot eyes beg you to let her leave.
  1490. >You shake your head.
  1491. “Not yet. Keep watching.”
  1492. >With great reluctance, Cadance tears her head from you to look back at the mostly skeletal remains down below.
  1493. >The gryphon moves.
  1494.  
  1495. >The bones of its foreleg, held together only by bits of sinew, claw at the ground, pulling what’s left of the gryphon along.
  1496. >”Mmmmmmmrrrr...” Cadance moans out, her quaking forelegs wrapping around you.
  1497. >She keeps watching, obeying your command.
  1498. >Down below, the gryphon uses its only other ‘intact’ limb to aid its foreclaw, helping to push it along.
  1499. >Your guest continues to whimper wordlessly, soon turning her head away, burying it in your chest.
  1500. >Checking first to make sure your guest’s continued crying hasn’t attracted any unwanted attention, you undo the muzzle.
  1501. >”Why is he…how is...” She can’t bring herself to finish the question, instead just burying herself against you.
  1502. You stroke a hand over her mane.
  1503. “Still alive? It’s because he’s not ALLOWED to die. None of us are. Celestia and Luna took that privilege from each and every one of us.”
  1504. >Gently, you guide her by her snout until she’s looking at him again.
  1505. “He’s going to regrow everything. It’ll be excruciatingly painful, it’ll take a year, if not more, but it will. I know from experience. And you can thank your aunts for that.”
  1506. >She pulls away from your touch, covering her face with her hooves.
  1507. >”They-they wouldn’t-couldn’t, they-they don’t know!”
  1508. “But they do. Remember the chat I had with them, when you landed here? They weren’t surprised. The only thing they didn’t know was how long I would have otherwise lived for.”
  1509. >Gingerly, you go back to stroking her mane.
  1510. “This is why I’m protecting you. You’re innocent. You’re as much of a victim as the gryphon.”
  1511. >Her hooves slowly lower and she looks up at you, her eyes betraying her tortured psyche.
  1512. >The reality of just how horrible the situation is finally hitting her.
  1513. >It’s a look you’ve seen countless times.
  1514. >”Thank you...m-master. I won’t...I...I’ll do whatever you want me to. I’m sorry for...arguing before.”
  1515. >You pull her against you and squeeze her in a bear hug.
  1516.  
  1517. “It’s not your fault, Cadance. You just didn’t understand, before.”
  1518. >You simply hold her, letting her process the fate she’s been condemned to.
  1519. >At the same time, you keep an eye on the gryphon’s path...just in case your next hunt goes as badly as the last two.
  1520. >However, there’s no reason to keep Cadance out here with you any longer, and you’ll be able to hunt more effectively without something escorting someone with big, noisy hooves.
  1521. >Just how exposed your position is, is starting to bug you.
  1522. >Placing both hands on her withers, you take a step back.
  1523. “You feel alright enough to head home?”
  1524. >She slowly nods, her eyes looking through you, rather than at you.
  1525. “Alright. Come on, then.”
  1526. >You give a gentle tug at her leash, prompting her to shamble along beside you.
  1527. >Heh.
  1528. >If you weren’t guiding her, she’d probably just keep walking until she hit a wall.
  1529. >As the two of you slowly but surely make your way home, she eventually speaks up, asking the question that’s on the mind of every single being sentenced to Tartarus,
  1530. >”Why did aunt Celestia and auntie Luna do this…?”
  1531. >Despite knowing it was coming, you let out a harsh laugh.
  1532. “You have no idea how many times others have asked me that same question...minus the ‘aunt’ bits. But...you might be the first one who ever gets an answer. Just uh...I want to be there when you do.”
  1533. >”Ok, master.”
  1534. >That quiets your guest again, allowing you to complete your journey in peace.
  1535. >Once you’ve navigated through your trap field, you stop your companion again, kneeling down to meet her at eye level.
  1536. “So. I’m giving you a job, Cadance. I just want you to watch this time, but from now on, when I go out, I’m going to need you to cover my tracks. Do you think you can do that?”
  1537. >She nods, her eyes still gazing past you, more than they are at you.
  1538.  
  1539. >You know there’s no way she'll absorb this right now...but it’s another one of those things she has to learn.
  1540. >Opening the ‘door’ and retrieving your rake, you get to work, while still making sure your guest watches you.
  1541. >Once more, you find your thoughts wandering.
  1542. >With Cadance...complacent, there’s nothing to stop you from getting to work on ‘educating’ her aunts as you had originally planned.
  1543. >But showing her off to them right now would be a bad idea.
  1544. >It could ruin any progress you’ve made with Luna...and Celestia would probably try and dislocate her spine to get out of the cage to ‘murder’ you.
  1545. >Perhaps you’ve reached the step in your recipe where you let everything rest.
  1546. >With your work completed, you guide Cadance into the cave, your companion having remained immobile where you left her.
  1547. >Relieving her of her physical burden, you finally untie the leash.
  1548. “We’ve had a long day, don’t you think? I’ll distribute what we've gathered tomorrow, you should go rest in your room.”
  1549. >”O-ok master,” comes her far off reply, her hooves shuffling under her to obey your command.
  1550. >You, in turn, get to work on freeing the net from the fruits of your labor, literal and metaphorical.
  1551. >You can’t fix the thing if it’s still being used, after all.
  1552. >When she reaches the turn-off for her room, Cadance looks back. “Thank you, master. For rescuing me and...taking me in, and everything.”
  1553. >You give her a warm smile, standing up from your work.
  1554. “I do what I can. Besides, you’d do the same for me, wouldn’t you?”
  1555. >She pauses for a moment.
  1556. >She obviously realises the significance behind your question...but the gears in her head are a bit jammed at the moment.
  1557. >When she responds, the words come slowly, “Of...course I would, master. You’ve done so much for me, even after I fought you…”
  1558. “All’s forgiven Cadance.”
  1559. >She starts shuffling around that corner.
  1560.  
  1561. >Only her rear is visible when it hits you.
  1562. >The question you had PLANNED to ask her, before.
  1563. >The question that would verify every word that's came out of Luna’s.
  1564. “Oh! Hang on, before you go.”
  1565. >You jog over to her, your guest looking up at you, “Yes, master?”
  1566. “Earlier today, back in front of Celestia, what did Luna mouth to you? I was at the wrong angle to see.”
  1567. >Your guest averts her deep purple eyes, looking down at her hooves.
  1568. >“She said...I think she said something like, ‘not without magic, Cadance.’ I think she was talking about turning back intto Nightmare Moon?”
  1569. >...Well then.
  1570. >That answers that question.
  1571. >Luna claims she asked Cadance to play along, Cadance claims Luna was all but turned.
  1572. >Somehow you doubt Cadance is still lying to you, after what she just went through.
  1573. “Thank you. She said the same thing to me.”
  1574. >You bend down and hug her.
  1575. “Let me know if you need anything, alright?”
  1576. >”I-I will...thank you again.”
  1577. >You turn your attention back to what you’ve gathered, soon freeing your net and the few small victuals you’ve found for yourself, and, after attending to the fire, bring them to your room.
  1578. >Sitting down on your mat-bed, you get to work on repairing your net, sacrificing a few lengths of your vine.
  1579. >You’d LOVE to grab ‘materials’ from the other princesses, but you don’t have the inclination to have a ‘proper’ session with them, after earlier.
  1580. >While you managed to avoid showing any major sign of weakness in front of your guest, you’re still dead tired.
  1581. >After all, this was your SECOND excursion in one day.
  1582. >You never do that.
  1583. >Tying the lengths of vine into your net, in a way that won’t cause them to break the moment they’re stressed, is slow, careful work.
  1584. >It’s nothing physically demanding, so there’s nothing to break the wave of weariness as it washes over you.
  1585. >Your eyelids feel heavy as you near completion.
  1586. >You just need to tie a few more strands…
  1587.  
  1588. -
  1589. >The sound of hooves tear you from your dreams, your eyes snapping open.
  1590. >Something made it inside your home!
  1591. >Abandoning whatever it was you were working on, you scrabble around, looking for your spear.
  1592. >...It’s gone.
  1593. >Ooohh, that’s not good, you’re in trouble.
  1594. >They already found you...but you aren’t tied down?
  1595. >Running your hands over you, you find your knife, still tied to your thigh.
  1596. >Good...whoever this is, they’re an idiot.
  1597. >With a quick check to see if they’re alone, you see they’ve inexplicably closed the door behind them.
  1598. >Nothing about this makes sense,
  1599. >You creep down the cave, towards the sound of hoofsteps, your heart pounding in your chest.
  1600. >Let's see...particularly dumb changeling, or centaur?
  1601. >It’s gotta be one of those...anything else would have disabled you properly.
  1602. >Whatever they are, you aren’t about to let them take YOUR cave from you.
  1603. >You’ve put too much hard work into this to give it up to one monster,
  1604. >You approach whatever’s wandering through your halls as it nears the back of the cave.
  1605. >Clutching your knife, you raise it high.
  1606. >You’re going to FEAST, today.
  1607. >Whirling around a corner you see the back of...a pink pony?
  1608. >...Oh.
  1609. >Oh!
  1610.  
  1611. >The events of the past day hit you like a rock to the face.
  1612. >Right!
  1613. >That’s not an intruder, that’s Cadance, your hostage-guest!
  1614. >...You were about to flay her alive.
  1615. >That...that probably wouldn’t have helped your case with her at all.
  1616. >You clasp your hand over your face.
  1617. >You really are a paranoid idiot sometimes, aren’t you?
  1618. >...Where is she going? She passed the stream a while ago.
  1619. >Well.
  1620. >You’re already shadowing her. May as well see what she’s up to.
  1621. >Your guest continues heading down the back of the cave, hanging a left to head towards...Luna’s room.
  1622. >Trailing her, you stay just around the corner as she enters her aunt’s room.
  1623. >You really should stop her.
  1624. >If Luna sees her like this, it could undo the progress you’ve made with the elder alicorn.
  1625. >”You...told me you wanted to see me, Auntie?’ Cadance’s voice is still as traumatized as earlier.
  1626. >...Then again…
  1627. >This might be the only way to figure out what Luna’s game is.
  1628. >Is this a gamble you want to make?
  1629.  
  1630. >...If you weren’t a gambling man, you’d have dug yourself a grave and laid in it centuries ago.
  1631. >Still...those ears are DAMN sensitive.
  1632. >If you don’t do something, and soon, they’ll hear you breathing.
  1633. >”Yes, my niece. I was hoping we could coordinate a strategy for dealing with our captor. I have a plan, but it will require your cooperation.”
  1634. >Making sure your footfalls line up with Luna’s words, you creep away from the room, cupping both hands to your ear to keep their words sharp.
  1635. >You’d probably look ridiculous if there was anyone around TO see you.
  1636. >”O-oh,” Comes Cadance’s curt reply.
  1637. >”Has he struck you? Hurt you, or...touched you?”
  1638. >...Shit.
  1639. >You might be in trouble, here.
  1640. >Depending on how much of an imprint you’ve made on your guest.
  1641. >”I…No, auntie. He hasn’t done anything like that. He’s...actually been kinda nice...”
  1642. >You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from sighing in relief.
  1643. >Cadance’s smart enough to not bite the hand that feeds her.
  1644. >Or she’s so traumatized she doesn’t remember.
  1645. >Either way, you’re in the clear for now.
  1646. >”Good. I am glad to see the creature can be reasoned with. Now then, I have a plan to control him, and ensure that your and my sister’s stay will remain as painless as possible.”
  1647. >Luna pauses, obviously waiting for Cadance to respond.
  1648. >When no response is offered, Luna continues anyway.
  1649. >”As I have said before, he is much like I was, upon my return as Nightmare Moon. Full of anger and hate, with the objects of his hatred before him. Having been in that position, I know exactly how to manipulate him.”
  1650. >Luna’s chain rattles as she continues to speak. She must be pacing.
  1651. >”When I was in the throes of my madness, one of the few things that would have tempered my fury, would have been for the object of my ire to have...admitted fault.”
  1652.  
  1653. >”To have her...them prostrated before me and accept that their crimes were greater than any punishment I could deal while begging justice. I will fulfill that role, and take the brunt of his rage. I am no stranger to pain, it is nothing I cannot handle.”
  1654. >“The important thing, my niece, is for you not to intervene. I am going to tell him many a disturbing tale, implicate my sister and I in horrendous things, perhaps even pretend I am descending once more into madness.”
  1655. >The rattling stops.
  1656. >“But I want you to know that nothing I say will be true. By the time Twilight comes to free us, he will be wrapped around my hoof, without having laid a claw on you or Celestia.”
  1657. >There’s a pause before Cadance finally speaks up, ”But it IS all true, isn’t it?”
  1658. >”Whaaat?! My dear niece surely you must-”
  1659. >”Don’t touch me!” Cadance screams out, her hooves clacking.
  1660. >You close your eyes, lamenting your inability to see what those two are doing.
  1661. >You’d kill for a mirror or a peephole, right now.
  1662. >A metallic clanging rings out from Celestia’s room-that shout was loud enough for her to hear.
  1663. >You inch back towards the two speaking alicorns, crouching down to keep listening over the noise from your third prisoner.
  1664. >”Cadance...surely you don’t think I could be turned once again, do you? I created a failsafe, the Tantabus, to ensure I COULD never even THINK of-”
  1665. >”I don’t care if you turn back into Nightmare Moon or not! You’re just as horrible as Luna! I-I saw…”
  1666. >She trails off, her voice quivering, “I saw a gryphon get eaten alive today. And then it..it crawled away! It was still alive!”
  1667. >Cadance breaks down sobbing, her cries echoing throughout the cave.
  1668. >You can barely make out Luna’s response,
  1669. >”What has he done to you…?”
  1670. >”He saved me from the things YOU put here! Twice!” Cadance sobs out, her tears flowing freely.
  1671.  
  1672. >When Luna speaks, her voice is downright frigid. “He put you in harm's way? Cadance, I forbid you from leaving this cave again. I will not allow whatever threats he has made to come to pass.”
  1673. >”He didn’t-” she hiccups, “make any threats! He wanted help finding you and a-aunt Celestia something to eat!”
  1674. >”...Cadance,” Luna’s voice has warmed, but there’s still a bit of frost clinging to her words,
  1675. >“I have gone a thousand years without eating. A few days will be nothing to me...and it may do my sister some good, to remember what it is to want. You did not need to do that.”
  1676. >”...Why, auntie? Why did you send so many things to this place? What did they all do to deserve this?”
  1677. >Your breath catches in your throat.
  1678. >This is it.
  1679. >The question to the greatest mystery of Tartarus.
  1680. >”...Truthfully Cadance, I do not remember. You would have to ask Celestia.”
  1681. >She’s lying.
  1682. >There’s no way both Celestia AND Luna managed to conveniently forget something that huge.
  1683. >Does she know you’re here?
  1684. >”Much of what I once was, many of my old memories were locked away when the Elements sealed Nightmare Moon. I can only vaguely recall my sister saying that it would be a mercy.”
  1685. >Cadance voices almost the exact words that spring to your mind.
  1686. >”Mercy?! Auntie this isn’t mercy! It’s torture! This place is...is worse than anything anypony imagined!”
  1687. >”He is showing you the worst of it! To steal your heart from us!”
  1688. >”There shouldn’t BE a worst of it!” Cadance is sobbing again. “The o-only difference between you and Sombra is that he didn’t hide what he’s done, isn’t it?”
  1689. >”Cadance...please…”
  1690. >Your guest continues to sob wordlessly.
  1691. >The quiet clinking of Luna’s chain is all you need, to know that she’s trying to comfort Cadance.
  1692. >Dammit all, YOU should be the one she’s taking comfort in, not her aunt.
  1693. >You’ve only just planted the seed of doubt in her, you haven’t had time to tend to it yet.
  1694.  
  1695. >Any concern you had regarding Luna disrupting your bond with Cadance is soon wiped away.
  1696. >”I said don’t touch me!” Cadance roars, the only warning before a slap rings out.
  1697. >...She didn’t just do what you think she did, did she?
  1698. >Even Celestia stops her clanging.
  1699. >If it wasn’t deathly silent, you’d have missed Luna’s next words, barely above a whisper,
  1700. >”...He’s poisoned your mind…”
  1701. >”He saved! My life! From the place YOU made! You said before that the proof you aren’t Nightmare Moon is because you aren’t wearing a helmet and your fur isn’t black! That’s the only difference, isn’t it?”
  1702. >”I see he is moving faster than I had expected,” Frost once more spills forth from Luna’s mouth, “Leave. I need to reevaluate my strategem. But I expect to see you here tomorrow night.”
  1703. >The echoing clip clop, accompanied by a loud snivel, alerts you that Cadance is doing as she’s told.
  1704. >You stand up and nonchalantly lean against the wall.
  1705. >That should be enough to let her know you were listening, without destroying what little dignity you have.
  1706. >Cadance is staring at the ground as she turns the corner, her eyes as red as they were back when she had seen the gryphon, a few hours ago.
  1707. >She stops with a jerk and looks up at you, “M-master?”
  1708. >...Whelp. If Luna didn’t know you were listening before, she sure does now.
  1709.  
  1710. >Holding a finger up to your lips, you shush your guest, just in time for Luna to speak up,
  1711. >”Cadance? Cadance, come back here at once!”
  1712. >Letting your finger slip from your lips, you use it to beckon her to follow you, a direct contradiction to Luna’s demand.
  1713. >If Luna’s been messing with you this whole time, then it's your turn to start messing with her.
  1714. >For a moment, it seems as though your guest is going to obey her aunt over you.
  1715. >She stares at you, her brow furrowing...but she doesn’t make any move to return to the lunar princess.
  1716. >...Oh! Of course.
  1717. >She’s probably seen maybe two sets of fingers in her life, she might have no idea what you’re saying.
  1718. >Let’s see...what would be the best way to get the message across?
  1719. >Pointing would probably be a bit too authoritarian right now, and dragging her is completely out of the question…
  1720. >An old memory resurfaces, from the last time you were around beings that didn’t have anything resembling a hand.
  1721. >Balling your hands to mimic hooves, you pantomime the changeling motion for ‘come hither.’
  1722. >Recognition sparks in Cadance’s eyes, barely noticeable behind the murky cloud of her trauma.
  1723. >Lifting a hoof, she starts clip-clopping...over to you.
  1724. >You bite down on your lip to keep from breaking out in a manic grin.
  1725. >”Cadance?! Are you alright?!”
  1726. >Luna’s chain rattles behind you as she works herself up in a panic.
  1727. >With a quick glance, you confirm that, while she looks quite pained to do so, Cadance is still following you as you lead her away from her aunts.
  1728. >Luna wants to keep playing games with you?
  1729. >Fine.
  1730. >That’s check, moon horse. Your move.
  1731. >You know you need to cut off any way for Luna to communicate...but until you can figure out exactly how she summoned Cadance, anything you do could be a waste.
  1732. >And you hate being wasteful.
  1733. >Once you reach the turnoff to Cadance’s room, you stop and turn around, kneeling down before your guest to be eye level with her.
  1734.  
  1735. >As you stare into her red, puffy eyes, your grin breaks free from its restraints.
  1736. “Thank you, Cadance.”
  1737. >She takes a jerking, unsteady step backwards, her wings flaring out in surprise, “W-wha..?” “Thank you so much for understanding. For seeing this place for what it is.”
  1738. >You’d continue, but you can see your words are barely registering.
  1739. >But, her wings slowly lower, settling back in against her barrel as she mumbles out, “You’re welcome, master.”
  1740. >Silence settles in between the two of you.>Cadance stands right before you, mentally as far away as she can be.
  1741. >You know that’s not healthy.
  1742. “Hey You going to be alright tonight?”
  1743. >She blinks, snapping back to the present, “I...I don’t know. Can I stay in aunt Celestia’s room, tonight? I’m not used to being alone anymore…”
  1744. “You miss your husband.”
  1745. >She nods wordlessly as her eyes start to well up with tears once again.
  1746. “I’d...really rather you didn’t, right now. But...you shouldn’t be alone, in a place like this. I’m the only one with a blanket, so why don’t you stay with me, tonight?”
  1747. >Plus you don’t think she’ll be in any condition to try to dismember you in your sleep, after all that.
  1748. >It takes her a moment to respond, “I...I don’t know…”
  1749. “Who would you rather have protect you, the one stuck in a cage, or the one who’s already kept you safe twice today?”
  1750. >”You’re not going to...try anything, right?” She looks away the instant the words leave her mouth, obviously ashamed she even asked.
  1751. >What’s with these mares and constantly insinuating you’re going to rape her?
  1752. >You make a show of it as you paint an overly shocked look on your face.
  1753. “Cadance, you’re married!”
  1754. >”Alright...I’ll...stay with you, tonight.”
  1755. >You flash her another smile before standing up.
  1756. “Go make yourself comfortable, while I go get your mat.”
  1757.  
  1758. >When you finally enter your room, rolled up makeshift mattress in hand, you find Cadance curled up in a ball under the bear-like pelt you use as a blanket.
  1759. “Oh no, that won’t do at all.”
  1760. >”M-master?” Cadance jerks out of whatever stupor she had fallen under to look up at you.
  1761. >Laying her mat down next to her, you jerk your head to the side,
  1762. “Come on, get up.”
  1763. >Shakily, she climbs to her hooves, slipping out from under the blanket.
  1764. >You push the two mats together, as they had been previously, before flipping the blanket over and laying it down on the bed.
  1765. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right. Lay down in the middle, would you? On your back.”
  1766. >She blinks before obeying, your little scheme being lost on her as she lays down on her back, her forelegs curling up above her barrel in a rather adorable manner.
  1767. >You get to work, folding the blanket just so, one side securing the other, until Cadance is cocooned in the hide, with only her face poking out.
  1768. >A long forgotten word resurfaces in your mind.
  1769. >She’s wrapped up like a burrito.
  1770. >Well, it’s comfort for her, and if she has any nightmares, she won’t be able to do much more than squirm with that blanket restraining her.
  1771. >You also won’t have to worry about her trying to slip away and see Celestia, while you’re asleep.
  1772. “There we go, isn’t that better?”
  1773. >As you lay down, you can’t help but notice her cheeks seem a bit redder...is she blushing under her fur?
  1774. >”It is. Very much so...thank you master.”
  1775. >You gently turn her to face away, before wrapping your arms around her and pressing to her bound form, becoming the big spoon.
  1776. “I hope you don’t mind...it’s kinda chilly without a blanket. Or fur.”
  1777. >”N-no, it’s alright.”
  1778. >With a smile, you rest your face against the back of the blanket covering her head, using her has a pillow.
  1779. “Good night, Cadance.”
  1780.  
  1781. >”Good night, master,” She repeats before the two of you slowly drift off to sleep.
  1782. >...
  1783. >The only break from your eternal sentence ends prematurely.
  1784. >While you aren’t sure how long you get to sleep, your guest wakes you as she squirms, mumbling in her sleep.
  1785. >Her limbs jerk against the burrito blanket as she lets out little half voiced cries, calling out for her husband and “Twilight”-the name of the fourth alicorn, if you guessed right.
  1786. >She’d be thrashing around if she could.
  1787. >Apparently restraining her was the right idea.
  1788. >You shush her and stroke your hand over her face, petting her as you try to calm her down.
  1789. “It’s alright Cadance, you’re safe here. I’m not going to let anything hurt you…”
  1790. >It takes a while, but she does calm down, your repeated comfort eventually getting through to her.
  1791. >With her quiet against you, you once more close your eyes and fall asleep.
  1792. >Unfortunately, her terrors return throughout the night, twice more dragging you back from whatever dreams you may be having to comfort your guest.
  1793. >You can’t help but get annoyed.
  1794. >It’s not like she was ACTUALLY eaten or anything!
  1795. “Shhh-shhh-sh Cadance. I got you…”
  1796. >You aren’t going to get a goods nights sleep while you have these three, are you?
  1797. >The third time seems to be the charm, as this time, she manages to stay asleep allowing you to dream of running away from giant bird monsters uninterrupted.
  1798. >At least this time you feel somewhat rested when you’re jolted awake by a loud crack, like thunder striking right next to you.
  1799. >”Aaahh!!” Your guest cries out, thrashing helplessly against her blanket.
  1800. >”Wakey wakey, Anon!” Discords voice slithers into your ears.
  1801.  
  1802. “You mis-matched son of a bitch!”
  1803. >You cry out, leaping to your feet, your guest forgotten, still caught in her blankets.
  1804. “Where the hell have you been? You disappear for a year and can’t even be bothered to let me know what happened?! I thought you abandoned me!”
  1805. >You glance around, looking for any sign of the draconequus.
  1806. >Finally, you spot him floating on the other side of a portal that has opened near your ceiling, identical to the one Tirek opened the other day.
  1807. >The chimeric creature grins, looking much more solid than you’re accustomed to.
  1808. >”Why, isn’t it obvious, Anon? I’ve completed my sentence! I’m a new draconequus! I won’t be causing chaos...snrk!... anymore, because I’m...I’m...reformed!”
  1809. >He breaks down laughing, doubling over in the air.
  1810. >”Oh, I can’t keep a straight face! They thought they could take the discord out of Discord!”
  1811. >He keeps laughing, giving your guest time to begin work on squirming her way out of her warm, snuggly prison.
  1812. >Once he’s calmed down, Discord continues, “Isn’t it obvious? I found a way out, and I took it! I didn’t have any way to contact you while still playing houseguest to a herd of humorless horses. Still…I’m surprised you decided to stick around.”
  1813. “Right, because it’s so easy for me to just waltz right past Cerberus.”
  1814. >”Well, I summoned another ball!” Discord exclaims, as if you had just declared the sun to revolve around the Earth.
  1815. >You deadpan as you continue to pour sarcasm all over the floor,
  1816. “Yea, that worked SO well last time. So why are you here NOW? You interrupted our quality time.”
  1817. >”Is that…” Discord leans in, his snout squashing as though pressing against glass, “Is that...Condense?! Anon, she’s married!”
  1818. “Seriously?! You’re going to start with that, too?”
  1819. >You rub your fingers against your temples, before you look back at your guest who has just barely gotten a foreleg free.
  1820.  
  1821. “Cadance? Why does everyone think I want to rape you?”
  1822. >She pauses her hoofing at the ground to answer, “I...I don’t know, master. Tirek kind of hinted that you’d do something like that, but...” she trails off, not even looking at you.
  1823. >Turning back to Discord, you see him tugging at his goatee, “Well, there was the time with the Changeling-”
  1824. “Why are you here?!”
  1825. >Great.
  1826. >It’s not even been five minutes and he’s already screwing up how your guest sees you..
  1827. >”Oh, fine! I see Celestia’s ALREADY rubbing off on you.” With a snap of his fingers, Discord summons a rather cushy chair and settles down in it.
  1828. >“I’m hoping you’ve been able to uncover the location of the fourth alicorn, Twilight Sparkle? My only lead seems to be a dud.”
  1829. >He points a claw off to the side.
  1830. >The portal’s view pans in that direction, revealing a rather quaint looking town with Tirek towering over panicking multicolored ponies, the equines running this way and that.
  1831. >...DAMN he really got fit.
  1832. >You need to get ahold of his regiment...for...reasons.
  1833. >He pulls open the door to a thatched cottage and magically levitates the terrified residents before him.
  1834. >”Oh no…” Cadance whines, her voice coming from beside you.
  1835. >With a glance, you see she’s made it free and is standing next to you. “Not Ponyville…”
  1836. >One at a time, Tirek pulls some glowing...stuff, for lack of a better word, out of the ponies and consumes it.
  1837. >He rumbles out, “No,” after each pony, before he tosses them, quite literally, over his shoulder and repeats the process with another house.
  1838. >Huh.
  1839. >So that’s what his whole ‘consuming magic’ shtik looks like.
  1840. >The “camera” turns back to face Discord, who’s still lounging in that chair.
  1841. >”Don’t let his new look fool you, he’s as crotchety as always. You know as well as I that he’s probably going to lose his temper soon...and now he can actually do some real damage when he does. So, any luck?”
  1842.  
  1843. >You know...you knew you were forgetting to do something.
  1844. “No. I haven’t had a chance to even ask them, after you guys ruined my hunt and dropped them off in the middle of nowhere.”
  1845. >”Anon, you’ve had them for three weeks!”
  1846. >That statement strikes you like a blow to the head.
  1847. “...Huh?!”
  1848. >You knew your sense of time has been ruined but...there’s no way it was THAT badly screwed up, was it?
  1849. >”Three weeks?!” Cadance cries out behind you, “Ohh no, no, no, no, no...Shining must be worried sick! Discord? Is he alright?”
  1850. >”I assure you, Shining Armor is unharmed.” A malicious glint appears in Discord’s mismatched eyes, “but HE is...such a strong word, don’t you think?”
  1851. >...He didn’t...
  1852. >Cadance blinks, not comprehending. “Wh-what…?”
  1853. >With a dismissive wave of his paw, Discord sounds as though he’s talking about going for a stroll.
  1854. >“Oh, you know how the ponies of the Crystal Empire are. Without a “Crystal Princess,” they started to panic! So I took the only royalty around and gave them EXACTLY what they wanted.”
  1855. >He did.
  1856. >There’s a thud as your guest sits down hard, the information having sank in before you had a chance to run damage control.
  1857. >Glancing, you see her pupils have shrank to pinpricks.
  1858. >Great.
  1859. >You need to do something about this.
  1860. >Kneeling down, you look her in her shell shocked eyes, rubbing a hand over her withers.
  1861. “Don’t worry, Cadance! I’m SURE what Discord means is that he helped disguise your husband, so that way your subjects won’t think there’s anything out of the ordinary.”
  1862. “He’d never do something like turn your husband into a mare! Right. Discord?”
  1863. >Turning your head back at the end, you give him a murderous glare, demanding he, if nothing else, play along.
  1864. >He answers with a look of his own, saying ‘You owe me.’
  1865. >”Oh, you know how to take the fun out of everything. YES, I only disguised Shining.”
  1866.  
  1867. >”If it wasn’t for your sudden obsession with comic books, hobbyist miniatures, and a predilection for using the wrong bathroom, they’d have no idea you were replaced, Candy.”
  1868. >Yea, it's a blatant lie, but hopefully Cadance still hasn't recovered enough to be realize it.
  1869. >”Really, I’m not sure why you two are making such a fuss. It’s only TECHNICALLY been three weeks.”
  1870. >He raises his eagle claw with a grin, ready to snap his fingers, “Want to watch me make it a month?”
  1871. >Before you can respond, he snaps his fingers, and, behind him, the sun descends at a speed no celestial body has any right to move, the sky quickly darkening.
  1872. >Your jaw hits the ground as the moon moves in to replace it at the same blinding speed.
  1873. “Did you just…”
  1874. >He holds up a finger to silence you, “Hang on!”
  1875. >After a moment, the moon seems to shake in the air, rocking back and forth.
  1876. >Discord’s grin widens, stretching impossibly from ear to ear before the moon rockets down, the sky brightening as the sun moves back into place...and overshoots it, soon flying down the opposite horizon.
  1877. >Your draconequus friend bursts out laughing, doubling over in his chair as the moon mimics the sun, flying through the sky from one horizon to the other.
  1878. >The show repeats a good half dozen times before the sun seemingly skids to a halt at...roughly its original location.
  1879. >”It doesn’t get old!” Discord cries out between bouts of raucous laughter, “She doesn't get any better at it!”
  1880. >You feel like there’s a joke you’re missing, here.
  1881. >You knew he claimed he was a trapped god, that he was powerful, magically but...it never really sank in that ALL his stories about playing tapdance with the laws of physics were true.
  1882. >...
  1883. >You’re best friends with a damn near omnipotent being!
  1884. >Not only that...you just bossed him around.
  1885. >Before you have a chance to recover mentally, Discord leans in, with that same manic tone.
  1886.  
  1887. >“Is Celestia there? I’d LOVE to see the look on her face when she finds out her ‘Favorwite Stooodent’ is making a mockery of her sun!”
  1888. >That snaps you out of your funk...your guest, however, is long gone, a far-off look in her eyes.
  1889. “I uh...she’s in the cage. After trying to run away a few times.”
  1890. >Discord snickers, “The changeling cage? I still don’t know why you kept that thing…”
  1891. >”Discord!” Tirek booms out, denying you the chance to come up with a snappy comeback, “They aren’t here!”
  1892. >Your friend’s chair vanishes, and he stands back up to be eye level with the swole centaur.
  1893. >”Well, I don’t understand why they WOULDN’T be! I didn’t give them any reason to doubt that I wasn’t “reformed!”
  1894. >”All you did was learn what plausible deniability was! You gave in too quickly and she must have known it!” Tirek snarls out and grabs Discord by the throat.
  1895. >The draconequus raises a finger, gasping out, “What if we try blowing up Twilight’s tree-bary? Maybe that will get her out of hiding?”
  1896. >”How in the WORLD would that help?! She isn’t HERE, you ignoramus!” Tirek roars as his horns begin to glow.
  1897. >Ho boy, he’s really pissed. “You’ve done nothing but slow me down this entire time! Give me ONE reason why I should keep you around!”
  1898. >...This is going to end bad if you don’t do something.
  1899. >Even with their powers restored, they apparently as just as likely to clash as they were before.
  1900. “Hey, hey, hey! How about you wait to kill each other until AFTER you get the two of us out of here?!”
  1901. >You drape your arm around Cadence to emphasise the ‘both,’ your guest glued to the scene unfolding before you.
  1902. >Whelp.
  1903. >If you weren't concerned about your chances of them breaking you out before, you are now.
  1904. >Tirek, pauses, his horns depowering. ”Is that…” his expression softens and he looks around, taking a moment to spot the portal. “It is! It’s our favorite human!
  1905.  
  1906. >“And the pink alicorn. In MY room?” Letting your other friend go, Tirek bends down and peers at the two of you, Cadance tensing up in fear.
  1907. >You squeeze her with the crook of your arm, silently letting her know that there’s nothing she needs to worry about.
  1908. >Sadly, it doesn’t do much to get her to relax.
  1909. “Yea, the pink one that you shouldn’t have sent here. And let’s get one thing straight, it’s my room now, you got out.”
  1910. >Having mostly recovered from his recent throttling, Discord speaks up, his voice still slightly pained,
  1911. >”Our good friend was just telling me that he hasn’t been able to get the princesses to tell him where Twilight’s hiding, either. I was thinking, perhaps he could use a little assistance.”
  1912. >Tirek looks back towards Discord, his scowl returning, “You just want to see if you can use me as a battery.”
  1913. >Discord, in turn, pulls out his snaggletoothed grin, “Oh, is it that obvious? I was thinking we could see about getting our human friend some assistance.”
  1914. >”No,” comes Tirek’s curt reply.
  1915. >”Well, unless you have a better idea, we’re stuck waiting around until Twilight makes her move.”
  1916. “What are you guys talking about?”
  1917. >Your question falls on deaf ears, as Tirek marches up and glares at Discord, his beady eyes matching Discord’s comparatively large and larger ones.
  1918. >After a moment, he spits out, “Fine.”
  1919. “Anyone want to inform the human of your master plan?”
  1920. >”I’d be happy to!” your non-roid raging friend speaks up, breaking from the impromptu staring contest to slither over to the portal.
  1921. >”To put it simply, we’re going to see if we can temporarily overpower the ward to send you a...care package. Any one item you need to...get through to them.”
  1922. >With a wicked grin, he leans in and glares at Cadance, who still hasn’t managed to calm down.
  1923. >He jerks back, looking at you, ”Well? What would you like? Try not to make it too complex, or you’ll make ol’ Tirek cry.”
  1924.  
  1925. >Anything, huh?
  1926. >Your mind races at all the endless possibilities.
  1927. >Something to magically isolate Luna, or a REAL weapon to replace your spear, or even something from Earth would be wondrous.
  1928. >Shock collars, various implements of “persuasion” would all be incredibly useful.
  1929. >Although, maybe you should go for something for Cadance’s comfort...yea, it’d be manipulative, but it’d help show that you aren’t out to just torture Celestia and Luna.
  1930. >Or you could get something to eat...no, that’d be stupid, anything consumable would be a waste.
  1931. >You could even get a...or maybe even...
  1932. >You...are...you are hungry.
  1933. >Far too hungry to think of anything useful right now.
  1934. >Any idea of that critical tool that could change everything slips away, devolving into something that would no doubt fill your empty belly.
  1935. “You know what? I just want a big crate of food. That both of us can eat,”
  1936. >You hastily add that last part, pointing at Cadance, who is still frozen in horror.
  1937. >As if to emphasise your point, your stomach growls audibly.
  1938. >Discord’s face falls, his ears pressing to the back of his head, “Surely you can’t be serious?”
  1939. >...No. Screw him.
  1940. >He’s probably set you back to square one with Cadance, you aren’t going to finish the joke he set up.
  1941. “Yes, I most certainly am. Right now, what I need more than anything is more time, and this is the best way to get it. Unless YOU want to come down here and help out yourself...”
  1942. >He slumps a bit once he realizes you refused his bait.
  1943. >Your sour mood has the opposite effect on Tirek, who grins and clasps his beefy hand over Discord’s shoulder, “Oh, don’t tempt me, Anon. Seriously though, FOOD?”
  1944. “You’re gone two years and you’ve already forgotten what it’s like to starve? YES, food!”
  1945. >He shrugs, “If you want. I suppose I DO owe you for all the help you’ve given me. Hurry up, Discord.”
  1946.  
  1947. >The scorned draconequus snarls out, “Oh, FINE!” and grabs ahold of one of Tirek’s curved horns.
  1948. >The two of them glow orange as Discord raises his eagle claw, ready to snap it.
  1949. >A look of exertion grows as he seems to strain to complete what should be a rather simple action.
  1950. >The orange aura grows brighter and brighter, Tirek soon joining Discord in looking...well, alright, he just looks rather constipated.
  1951. >Finally, there’s a loud pop, before a large crate appears in the air.
  1952. >Before you can react, it crashes down right on your combined beds, the sides splitting open as it lands, causing various foodstuffs spill out.
  1953. >...He did that on purpose.
  1954. >But your mouth is already watering as you see meat, vegetables and...some weird bread-y looking things spilling out all over your floor.
  1955. >You know what? You don’t even care.
  1956. >This is enough food to last for a month, easy.
  1957. >”There. Is the most boring human in Equestria happy now?” Discord spits out, sulking like a child.
  1958. “Yes. Very.”
  1959. >You won't even turn around, instead approaching the smorgasbord cautiously, as though it might disappear if you move too fast.
  1960. >”Good,” Tirek sounds almost out of breath, “then we expect results, human. Soon.”
  1961. >The sound of the portal closing echoes through the room, just in time for you to snatch up one of the bread-y things.
  1962. >You barely register how sweet it is as you practically inhale it, quickly moving on to something that looks like jerky.
  1963. >Pausing before you pop that morsel in your mouth, you look back at your guest.
  1964. >She’s staring off into space, her pupils pinpricks.
  1965. >...Oops.
  1966. >Consuming that jerky, you reapproach her, crouching down and resting a hand on her back.
  1967. “Hey. You alright? I know they’re uh...not the greatest individuals.”
  1968. >Her voice eeks out, barely above a whisper, “They’re destroying Equestria...and...Shining… They...he...”
  1969.  
  1970. >Tears well up in her eyes, her situation quickly proving too much for the traumatised mare.
  1971. >...Fuck.
  1972. “Look, I don’t have anything to do with what they’ve been up to. But hey, you saw they at least sort-of respect me. When we get out of here, I won’t let either of them mess with you, alright?”
  1973. >”But...what’s the point? Equestria won’t be any better than it is here…they turned all my friends and family into playthings.” Her voice cracks.
  1974. >You grab her in a hug to hold off those tears, petting over her mane as you did last night.
  1975. >...It’s probably a good thing those two weren’t able to get you out right now.
  1976. >You’d probably have tried to beat some sense into the two of them.
  1977. “They’re just going a little crazy now that they’re free. I know them, they just need a little while to get it out of their system, then things will go back to normal...ish.”
  1978. >It’s technically true!
  1979. >Just…“a little while,” is relative, when you’re immortal.
  1980. >Cadance doesn’t respond, but she doesn’t break down, either.
  1981. >She needs something to distract her.
  1982. >Reaching your foot out, you snag a particularly juicy looking fruit and nudge it over to you, not breaking the embrace until you can grab it in your hand.
  1983. “Hey. You hungry?”
  1984. >She shakes her head no.
  1985. >Apparently she’s gone nonverbal.
  1986. “You sure? Not even a little bit? You don’t even want a bite of…”
  1987. >You glance at the fruit you’re holding,
  1988. “Apple?”
  1989. >..Wow.
  1990. >There’s more kinds of food than you remember being possible right in front of you, and you offer her some plain fruit?
  1991. >She hesitates, however, and there’s a flash of something in her eyes...nostalgia perhaps?
  1992. >Whatever it was, she nods.
  1993. “Can I borrow your knife to cut it?”
  1994. >She nods again before lifting her wing, the knife slipping out and clattering on the ground.
  1995. >Wow.
  1996. >You thought she left it with the net...was she ACTUALLY planning to stab you in the back?
  1997. >After all you've done for her yesterday?
  1998.  
  1999. >Either way, you grab it and quickly cut the apple into chunks.
  2000. >Holding one up to her mouth, you say,
  2001. “Open.”
  2002. >She complies, gingerly taking it from your hand.
  2003. >Luckily, you don’t have to help her chew it.
  2004. >Waiting until she’s swallows, you hold up the next piece, repeating your command.
  2005. “Open,”
  2006. >You go through the same act over and over with every piece, your guest never once trying to take the food herself, always eating from your hand until there’s nothing left but a core.
  2007. “Feel a little better?”
  2008. >She nods once again, the dam behind her eyes no longer threatening to burst.
  2009. >Standing up, you pat her withers.
  2010. “Come on, then. Why don’t you pick out your favorite foods, and we’ll make sure to set them aside for you.”
  2011. >”O-okay, master.”
  2012. >She climbs to her hooves, her legs just as unsteady as her voice as she follows you over.
  2013. >The two of you sift through the various foodstuffs which have made a nice pile in your room, with you periodically holding up something to either get a shake of rejection or a nod of approval.
  2014. >Once you’ve made a decent-sized pile, your guest speaks up, her voice still a tad unstable.
  2015. >”I can give some of this to my aunts to eat too, right? I know that cake’s aunt Celestia’s favorite flavor...I’d really like to give it to her, master...”
  2016. >...Crap.
  2017. >You still haven’t been able to figure out what exactly to DO with those two.
  2018. >’It would do her some good to learn what it is to want’ were Luna’s words…
  2019. >She didn’t know you were there, she wouldn’t have had any reason to lie.
  2020. >You look up at your guest, her eyes pleading for you to grant her this bit of normalcy.
  2021.  
  2022. >Looking back down, you take out her knife and toy with it in your hands as you mull over her request.
  2023. “I don’t know Cadance...don’t you think we should do what your aunt Luna said?”
  2024. >Those words devastate her, her head sinking along with her ears. “O-oh...alright…”
  2025. “Hey.”
  2026. >You clasp your hand on her shoulder to stop her from slipping deeper into that funk.
  2027. “I’m just joking with you. If you want to have breakfast with your family, who am I to stop you?”
  2028. >She blinks twice, her ears creeping back up as your words make it through her ravaged mind.
  2029. >”Not funny,” she punctuates that statement with a sniff.
  2030. >...You know…
  2031. >As you turn the knife over and over in your hands, you don’t feel very jovial.
  2032. “You know what else isn’t very funny, Cadance? Finding out you were sleeping with THIS.”
  2033. >You jab the knife towards her-not to hurt her, but enough to threaten her.
  2034. “I was trying to be polite when I asked you for this, I didn’t think you ACTUALLY had it on you. What exactly were you thinking?”
  2035. >Your guest shrinks back a bit, those ears returning to their downturned position, her eyes joining them.
  2036. >She almost looks like a child being scolded. “I...I thought that…”
  2037. “You thought what? That you could stab me and try to kick me out of my own home? Or were you planning on grabbing your aunts and trying to use this to defend yourself out there? Because neither one would end well for you.”
  2038. >Standing up, you vaguely register that she’s attempting to explain, her stuttered words struggling before the torrent that is your lecture.
  2039. “So which is it? I mean, if you want to leave, go right ahead. Door’s open. You can even take whatever you’d like from the pile, here!”
  2040. >She jerks up at that, her eyes screaming louder than her words. “No! Master, I-I don’t want to leave!”
  2041. >You really should shut up right now.
  2042. >Yelling at her isn’t going to help convince her you’re the nice one of your trio of friends.
  2043.  
  2044. >If only your mouth would listen to you.
  2045. “Really? Well, I don’t want a guest to stay with me if she’s out to disembowel me when my eyes are closed.”
  2046. >”That’s not it, master!” Cadance blurts out, her eyes squeezed shut, her whole body tensed.
  2047. >What, does she think you’re about ready to physically drag her outside?
  2048. >Luckily for you, your mouth finally snaps shut, having caught up with the rest of your mind.
  2049. >Silence settles in before the two of you, hopefully prodding Cadance towards an explanation.
  2050. >As you wait, your mind whirrs.
  2051. >How much have the other two been able to hear, between you, Cadance, Discord and Tirek?
  2052. >They must have heard the crate landing, but do they hear you right now? Or Discord talking?
  2053. >Too many questions, and not enough answers.
  2054. >Finally, Cadance speaks, her words hanging heavy with shame,
  2055. >“I...I’m scared, master. This place is absolutely terrifying. I don’t...I don’t have any magic, and I can’t fly for the first time in my life and…Shining isn’t...” Her voice catches.
  2056. >Ho boy.
  2057. >She doesn’t find one joke funny, and you go off on her.
  2058. >Aapparently Discord’s really rubbed off on you, over the centuries.
  2059. >You force yourself to relax, having wound yourself up while you were lecturing her, and spread your arms,
  2060. “Hey. Come here, you.”
  2061. >She tentatively obeys, avoiding eye contact, until she’s close enough for you to wrap you arms around her, hugging her once again.
  2062. “You don’t need to worry about protecting yourself, alright? That’s MY job, not yours. While you’re my guest, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
  2063. >She nods her head against you, showing she understands.
  2064. “If there’s something you’re worried about, just let me know, and I’ll take care of it. Got it?”
  2065. >”Mmhmm.” She nods again.
  2066. >After a moment, her wings wrap around you in a sort of pseudo-hug.
  2067. >Briefly, you entertain the thought of extending that protection to include outside Tartarus.
  2068.  
  2069. >It wouldn’t be a bad idea, given what your friends are up to.
  2070. >Then again, it’s not necessarily something you could guarantee.
  2071. >For now, you settle on dealing with the immediate.
  2072. “So? Are we going to have breakfast with your aunt? Or what?”
  2073. >”A-alright, master…”
  2074. >Pulling from the embrace, you gather up a few things from Cadance's ‘pile,’ making sure to include the cake she had pointed out.
  2075. >As the two of you set off towards Celestia’s room, you once again try to find some way to lift Cadance's spirits, in an attempt to “make up” for going off on her.
  2076. >Most of your attempts at conversation get little to no reaction out of her.
  2077. >You’d...probably would have had better luck if you hadn’t have just scolded her.
  2078. “Soo...all this bread looking stuff is called cake, huh?”
  2079. >That one gets a rise out of her.
  2080. >She looks up at you with a look unlike anything you’ve seen on her face.
  2081. >Almost like...pity?
  2082. >”You don’t know what a pastry is?”
  2083. >...Now that’s a word you had forgotten.
  2084. >Other, similar words come tumbling forth from a dusty, cobwebbed corner of your mind-muffins, bagels, pies…
  2085. “Of course I know what a pastry is. Who wouldn’t? I’m just messing with you.”
  2086. >If the look she’s still giving you is any indication, your attempt to save face isn’t working so well.
  2087. >You really DID forget about that entire aspect of food, didn’t you?
  2088. >Here you had thought you were exaggerating to Cadance about how much you’ve lost from your former life.
  2089. >Your introspection ends as you enter Celestia’s room.
  2090. >The caged princess seems to be sleeping in what could no way be a comfortable position.
  2091. >Her legs are wedged into the gaps between the bars of her cage, and her head is tucked under a wing, her horn poking out between flight feathers.
  2092. “Wakey wakey, Celestia!”
  2093. >She jerks as you unconsciously echo Discord’s greeting, her wing slapping against the bars as she extracts her blindfolded head.
  2094.  
  2095. >Twisting around to face you, she pulls in her legs.
  2096. >...Right.
  2097. >You forgot you had blindfolded her.
  2098. >...Maybe the gaps in your memory have nothing to do with your long life, and more you just being forgetful.
  2099. >Setting down most of the meal, you motion to Cadance to sit down before her aunt.
  2100. >Celestia tenses visibly as the clip clop of Cadance’s hooves echos through the mostly empty cavern.
  2101. >You hold up the cake to the cage, Celestia’s nostrils flaring as as the scent hits her, her face twisting into some unknown emotion.
  2102. “So. Your niece...convinced me that you two should get some quality time together.If I take the those off, are you going to fight me?”
  2103. >You make sure to put more emphasis on the word ‘convince’ than it deserves.
  2104. >She tenses for a moment, her ears twisting around.
  2105. >You make a motion for Cadance to speak up.
  2106. >”H-hi auntie…I was hoping we could have breakfast together?”
  2107. >Celestia relaxes...no, more than that, she slumps over with what little movement she has, before shaking her head no.
  2108. “Good.”
  2109. >You purr out as you reach your hand in, easily undoing the knot securing her blindfold.
  2110. >Fingers.
  2111. >You never realized how amazing they were, until you dealt with species that never had them.
  2112. >She a few times and squints, the light of the moss clinging to the ceiling proving to be too much for her restored sight.
  2113. >You’d think a sun god would be fine with looking at bright lights.
  2114. >...Granted, that moss could be described as anything but bright.
  2115. >Celestia’s eyes dart between you, her waiting niece, the pastry you’re holding, and the assorted food sitting before her.
  2116. >Once more reaching your hand in, you repeat your previous action on the bands securing her muzzle, pulling it free and allowing her to speak for the first time since you locked her in there.
  2117. >With her voice returned, her jaw working wordlessly as dozens of questions try to force their way out at once.
  2118. >Finally, she blurts out,
  2119. >”There are bakeries nearby?”
  2120.  
  2121. >She...what? Bakeries?
  2122. >You stare at her for a moment, your mind refusing to process that ridiculous question.
  2123. >It’s so outrageous, it’s too much for you to handle.
  2124. >You’re brought out of your little funk to reaffirm your hold on the cake, having almost dropped it.
  2125. >”Auntie...what are you talking about?” Cadance pipes up, as flabbergasted as you. “Didn’t you hear the crate falling earlier?”
  2126. >Closing her eyes, Celestia takes a deep breath before answering,
  2127. >”Is that what that was? I heard something fall. Along with a great number of other dreadful noises and half heard conversations. So I’m trying to focus on the positive.”
  2128. >...Oh.
  2129. >Oh!
  2130. >Now you get it! She’s trying to screw with you, like Luna was yesterday.
  2131. >The apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree.
  2132. >You’re just...not quite sure what her angle is, right this second.
  2133. >”What kind of creatures were there? How did they treat you, Cadance?”
  2134. >Nevermind, you think you know what she’s aiming for, now.
  2135. >Too bad Luna already tried the whole, “piss you off until you beat her, so you look like a monster in front of Cadance,” routine.
  2136. >...At least she’s trying to be subtle over asking whether or not you’ve abused Cadance, unlike Luna.
  2137. “Actually Celestia, they treated her pretty well. They didn’t bite her, leave any bruises, AND, when they were done, they even had the decency to clean her up back there!”
  2138. >Both the mares look at you with varying levels of confusion.
  2139. “What? There’s no money down here, and we had to pay for your meal somehow. Isn’t that right, Cadance?”
  2140. >Luckily for you, your guest’s traumatized mind doesn't work as fast as your caged princess’s. “Cadance...you didn’t…”
  2141. >”I-I didn’t what?” she looks at you, her eyes pleading for guidance.
  2142. “Oh, you know, Cadance. You serviced the baker to pay for Celestia’s food. At the strip mall. Next to the candy store. After we got you fitted for a dress.”
  2143.  
  2144. >Sarcasm splatters on the ground with increasing frequency as you go on.
  2145. >Her mouth forms a little ‘o’ as she finally realizes what you’re getting at.
  2146. >”Human, what are you talking about?” Celestia asks.
  2147. >Turning back, you glare into her large lavender eyes,
  2148. “Let’s get one thing straight, Celestia. If you’re going to refer to me, then you will call me master. It’s a lesson that the rest of your family has already learned.”
  2149. >She stiffens inside her cage, her gaze refusing to waver, “So it IS my turn, then? This was all just a pretense to get me to lower my guard?”
  2150. >”No, auntie, it’s nothing like that! I asked for this! To-”
  2151. “This is me refusing to play your game, while TRYING to do something nice for Cadance. Something you and your sister seem dead set against.”
  2152. >”I am not playing any games with you, human.”
  2153. >With a snarl, you lean right up against the bars of the cage.
  2154. “Call me that again, horse, and the muzzle’s going back on.”
  2155. >She opens her mouth, ready to no doubt defy you, when Cadance cuts her off, sounding absolutely miserable, “Auntie...please…”
  2156. >Slowly, but surely, Celestia’s snout closes, despite her refusal to abate her burning glare. “I am not playing any games,” she reiterates.
  2157. >You snort.
  2158. “Right. So the bakery comment is some sort of sick joke, then?”
  2159. >”Hu-” She catches herself before she finishes that word. “Are you trying to tell me that there ISN’T some sort of functioning society in this place?”
  2160. >She searches your face for any clue, before leaning over to do the same with her niece, her pupils starting to shrink as she nears the realization, “None at all?”
  2161.  
  2162. >Casually reaching your hand through the bars, you grab a fistful of her mane and yank hard, pulling her head down and earning a yelp.
  2163. >You can hear Cadance’s sharp gasp as you lean into Celestia’s ear and mutter,
  2164. “You know...your sister was a lot better at this than you are. Cut it out. I’m not going to let you ruin breakfast.”
  2165. >Once she realizes further abuse isn’t forthcoming, between half-panicked gasps she asks, “What-are you talking about?”
  2166. >You take a moment to look over your prisoner.
  2167. >Her wings half-splayed, the dirt covering her coat, her legs twisted in a jumbled mass under her, and her large eyes, as defiant as they are questioning while she looks up at you.
  2168. “Are you really trying to tell me you don’t know what this place is like? What do you think Cadance, should we show her what kind of society there is here, and take her out to the oasis?”
  2169. >You look back to see your guest bristling at the idea. “M-master, please, we don’t need to-”
  2170. >Interrupting her with a grin, you continue on as though she hadn’t just started begging for her aunt’s life.
  2171. “Or you could tell her about the adventure we had yesterday, if you think she’ll listen to you better than she would me? You know, while the THREE of us have breakfast?”
  2172. >You raise your voice at the end to ensure Luna hears that she’s getting exactly what she wished last night.
  2173. >She almost sags under the weight of the relief hitting her, “I would hope so...auntie?”
  2174. >You let go of Celestia’s mane, allowing her to snap her head back to a more normal posture.
  2175. >She takes a quick look over the two of you, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, “Of course. What did you get up to, while I was stuck in here?”
  2176. -
  2177. >Dinner with your worst enemy.
  2178. >None of your revenge fantasies ever featured anything like this.
  2179. >Listening to Cadance recount your excursion as though it was a great adventure, is actually somewhat pleasant, if you ignore your third companion.
  2180.  
  2181. >Which would be a lot easier to do, if you didn’t have to hand feed her.
  2182. >But, with the unspoken promise that she would lose her teeth if you even felt them, Celestia hasn’t tried anything.
  2183. >For the most part you stay quiet, deigning to let Cadance tell her story.
  2184. >It’s only once she finishes telling her aunt about the gryphon’s fate, do you speak up.
  2185. “That’s about an average day, here. If anything it was a little light. But...the food chain is the closest thing we’ve ever come to a working society. I mean...there are the two Changeling hives, and the Ifrit camps around the lava pools.
  2186. “But if you aren’t one of them, you just end up being their food if they get ahold of you. Anything else always ends up being destroyed by dragons or cyclopses. It all boils down to food chain. This is what you sentenced us to.”
  2187. >You look over Celestia, her expression unreadable as she stares at the chunk of cake in your hand before her.
  2188. >”Auntie...why did you do this? Why did you send so many creatures here?”
  2189. >After a literal eternity, the moment of truth has arrived.
  2190. >You can’t help but notice your heart is beating faster in your chest, silence dragging on as you await the answer you’ve asked countless times.
  2191. >Finally, Celestia speaks, not looking up, “Why didn’t you warn the gryphon?”
  2192. >”Wha..? Auntie, I told you, it was bec-”
  2193. >”No.” She looks up at you, a fire burning in her eyes, “Before he landed. You could have warned him without alerting the Orthoses. Why didn’t you?”
  2194. >Well…you can’t tell her the truth.
  2195. >Him getting eaten in front of Cadance was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
  2196. “Here’s what would have happened. Even IF that didn’t alert them, he would have seen us without any weapons, with all everything we gathered, and attacked. For either the supplies, or our hides.”
  2197. >”You don’t know that. He might have been grateful for the warning. Perhaps he would have been willing to help you in return.”
  2198.  
  2199. >You shake your head.
  2200. “I wasn’t going to put your niece in any potential danger without knowing I could handle it. Without my spear it was too great of a risk.”
  2201. >”...And that is why you deserve your fate, human.”
  2202. “What?!”
  2203. >”What?!”
  2204. >You and your guest cry out in unison, her refusal to address you properly sailing right over your head.
  2205. >Cadance, remarkably, recovers faster than you, “Auntie..what are you talking about?”
  2206. >Closing her eyes, Celestia adopts an almost serene expression, ”In the years following Discord’s reign, Equestria-and civilization as a whole-were hanging on by but a thread.”
  2207. >“After the sirens nearly brought the country to its knees, Luna and I came up with a stop-gap method to deal with those who would destabilize Equestria.”
  2208. >”We would banish them to another realm, where they could start a new life, a new civilization, without being able to threaten our ponies. It was the greatest mercy we could offer them.”
  2209. >You can’t hear a single sign of dishonesty in her voice...either she’s suddenly become a better actress, or she’s telling the truth.
  2210. >”If this place is a torment, it is only because the beings here refuse to work in harmony.”
  2211. “Bull. Shit. You made us immortal! You filled this place with monsters!”
  2212. >...Your voice is shaking.
  2213. >Now that you think of it, your hands are too, the food discarded.
  2214. >Celestia sighs, opening her eyes, “We had no idea that was a side-effect of being banished here. For that, you have my sincerest apologies, human. But the creature you described seems no more dangerous than what’s found in the Everfree forest, in Equestria.”
  2215. >She looks between you and Cadance, no doubt searching for any sign of reassurance.
  2216. >Finding none, she offers, “You must understand, this was never meant to be a permanent solution. We were starting to phase it out when my sister was possessed by Nightmare Moon. Afterwards...I had my hooves full.”
  2217.  
  2218. >”If anything, the immortality is a gift. It means that this place truly is what YOU’VE made it, not your descendants...it is not my fault that you’ve made it an eternal torture.”
  2219. >”Auntie...you can’t be serious,” Cadance sounds as horrified as she did when she was talking to Luna last night.
  2220. >You don’t turn around. You’re too busy visually boring a hole in Celestia’s skull, a screaming rage keeps you from forming a response.
  2221. >“You taught me that a princess is responsible for ALL the consequences of their decisions-good and bad, intended and unintended!”
  2222. >Celestia shifts to look at her niece, a fire igniting in her eyes, “That is true. But a pony is still responsible for their own actions. When one of your subjects steals, THEY are the ones to go to prison, not you.”
  2223. >Taking a deep, shuddering breath, you get ahold of yourself well enough speak up, cutting off the conversation before you’d do something you’d regret.
  2224. >Specifically, something that you’d regret doing in front of your guest
  2225. “Cadance? I want you to go to the entrance of the cave. I want you to stoke the fire until it’s a nice roar. Then I want you to take what we’ve gathered, and separate the edible from the inedible. After that, check the traps outside.”
  2226. >That should be enough to keep her from hearing anything.
  2227. >”Master...?”
  2228. >You look back at your guest.
  2229. >There’s a bit of trepidation there, but none of the outright defiance from yesterday. “What are you going to do with her?”
  2230. >You look back at Celestia, her determined gaze burning.
  2231. >You...you can’t think of a good lie right now.
  2232. “...I don’t know.”
  2233. >”Ok, master.” Her hooves clip-clop as she obeys.
  2234. >”Cadance? Cadance, I want you to stay here! Don’t leave, we still haven’t finished eating!”
  2235. >Her hoofsteps don’t even slow, turning into an echo as she enters the hall, leaving you alone with the one who finds an eternal sentence to be just.
  2236.  
  2237. >You grip one of the bars to Celestia’s cage, your knuckles white as you try to get ahold of yourself.
  2238. >Cadance will be out of earshot soon, there’ll be nothing stopping you from doing whatever you want to the solar princess.
  2239. >She thinks you’re a monster for trying to survive?
  2240. >Oooh...you could show her just what a monster IS. Just how much of a “gift” this immortality is!
  2241. >There’s no reason to hold back, if she already thinks you’re a lost cause.
  2242. >...Unless she was just lying in front of Cadance…
  2243. >Her sister had to get it from somewhere.
  2244. >Wrangling your voice into some semblance of control, you growl out,
  2245. “You banished some of the greatest monsters your world’s ever seen to this place. And you expect me to have turned them into model citizens? I can barely keep myself alive! This was the first meal I’ve had in days!”
  2246. >”Of course I’m not saying you should have personally reformed everybeing in Tartarus. But you have a well defended home, and I’m sure there are those worse-off than you. As a fellow immortal, you have responsibilities-”
  2247. >Your vision goes red.
  2248. >All rational thought leaves your mind, being replaced by one thought-no, less than a thought
  2249. >A single, all consuming urge.
  2250. >Kill.
  2251. >Groping blindly for your knife, you clutch it as tight as you can, your fury-fueled grip threatening to snap the handle.
  2252. >You’ll see how much she’ll go on about your responsibility after she experiances her first death.
  2253. >She clangs against the back of her cage, shouting SOMETHING-desperately trying to get away as you raise the knife.
  2254. >For an instant, she looks almost like Cadance did, yesterday.
  2255. >Cadance.
  2256. >You’ll destroy any progress you’ve made with her if you do this...she thinks you’re the good guy, right now.
  2257. >No, no!
  2258. >You aren’t going to let some pink, naive little pony stop you from getting your revenge!
  2259. >Even if she’s the only one who sees you aren’t a monster…
  2260. >You...you…
  2261. “Gaaaah!”
  2262.  
  2263. >Forcing your fingers open, you drop your knife, the bone handle's clatter deafened as you bring your fist down against Celestia’s cage, punching the bars with all your fury.
  2264. >You barely feel it.
  2265. >Again and again you punch those bars, the sick sound flesh on metal ringing out as you take your rage out against the unyielding iron, soon leaving splotches of blood with every strike as you split the skin on your knuckles.
  2266. >You only stop once the pain overpowers the adrenaline, your arm hanging limp.
  2267. >Glaring at her, your teeth bared, you fight back white hot tears of rage.
  2268. “You abandoned us here! You filled this place with monsters no one could ever hope to fight, and you want to SCOLD ME?! What about YOUR responsibility?! You’re JUST as immortal as we are!”
  2269. >”Human…”
  2270. >She looks at your, her breath as heavy as yours, as she reaches out a foreleg, her hoof resting with a feather’s touch on your hand still gripping the bar of the cage.
  2271. >”I have made a great many mistakes in my long life, each I deeply regret. I promise, I will fix this. But I cannot do that until I’ve regained my magic.”
  2272. “Fuck. You.”
  2273. >Jerking your hand back, you turn away from her, soon resting your bloodied hand against the cave wall as you get control over yourself.
  2274. >UNTIL she’s regained her magic.
  2275. >Not IF.
  2276. >That means she thinks Tirek is going to lose.
  2277. >No doubt her solution will be something like locking the big monsters in another level of hell, or underground, and leave everyone trapped in here, never to see the real sky again.
  2278. >She’d probably even have the gall to claim that it’ll be enough for you to “finally” build a society.
  2279. >...You need to make sure your friends win.
  2280. >With a deep, shaking breath, your rational mind slips back into control.
  2281. “How are you going to fix it? Are you going to let the ones who have been here for millennia go? You can’t just remove the dragons. Everything dependent magic here becomes slaves to those who aren’t.”
  2282.  
  2283. >Looking back at her, you see her expression is unchanged, as stony as it was before you lost it.
  2284. >”The changelings aren’t slaves.” Her eyes dart up for a moment before looking back at you, “Except for the one that was kept in this cage.”
  2285. >How in the world does she…?
  2286. >You stare at her, your jaw a bit slack.
  2287. >“She etched her name in it,” Celestia offers, her words falling flat.
  2288. >...You aren’t sure if you should be impressed that etching survived that long, or mentally slap yourself for not checking.
  2289. >Either way, it doesn’t matter right now.
  2290. >With a dismissive wave of your hand, you spit out,
  2291. “That’s different. They were born here, so they can still shapeshift. I know they were, because the first generation crawled out of me when they hatched. That’s what I get for trying to live in harmony.”
  2292. >She doesn’t offer any response, a silence soon settling in between the two of you.
  2293. “You know…you’re lucky those two dropped you off with me.”
  2294. >She blinks at those bitter words, “I’m in a cage.”
  2295. >You point at the manacle still attached to her hind leg.
  2296. “Most people you sentence here don’t ever get that free from the rock. Their first experience in Tartarus is screaming for help, struggling to get free until something hears them and bites their leg off.”
  2297. “And if literally anyone else intelligent had found you, they wouldn’t have put down the knife. They’d have shown you just how far Tartarian immortality can be pushed.”
  2298. >She blinks twice, “Do you want me to thank you for meeting the bare minimum standards of equine decency?”
  2299. >You twitch as you feel that boiling rage rising up once again.
  2300. “Bare minimum?! You-I could have thrown you to the wilds! I took you AND your family in, I’ve fed you, I’ve-”
  2301. >”Traumatized my niece, impaled me on your spear, let an innocent gryphon be eaten alive, locked me in a cage, beaten me, and you’ve started to turn my sister back into that-that THING!”
  2302.  
  2303. >Wait...if that hurt glare she's giving you is any indication, she doesn’t know Luna was faking.
  2304. >”So far, I have yet to see you do ANYTHING that hasn’t served yourself. If you want to show me you aren’t a monster, then prove it. Find the gryphon from yesterday, and bring him here to nurse him back to health.”
  2305. >Find the gryphon…?
  2306. >You find yourself mouthing the words as the thought tumbles through your mind.
  2307. “Are you giving me a fucking QUEST?! Maybe you don’t get it. You live in MY home. You have ZERO authority, here!”
  2308. >Bending down, you scoop up the gag and approach her, holding it up for her to see.
  2309. “You know what? I’m done with you, and your self righteous bullshit. Muzzle. Now.”
  2310. >Her eyes lock onto the muzzle in your hand. “If you think I’m going to allow you to-”
  2311. >A muscle above your eye twitches.
  2312. “You don’t want to wear it? Fine. Then you either tell me where the fourth alicorn is, put the muzzle on, or it’s going on Luna, and I’ll use her as a bloodhound to find that gryphon.”
  2313. >Her mouth hangs open, silently for a moment before she closes both her mouth and her eyes, and sticks her head forward.
  2314. >Ignoring the throbbing pain from your skinned knuckles, you slip it over her snout and re-tie the band.
  2315. >With her muzzle resecured, you give her a condescending pat to the top of her head.
  2316. “Good girl.”
  2317. >Her eyes narrow.
  2318. >Using your foot, you kick the remnants of breakfast over to her cage, juuust within reach of her hooves, if she really tries.
  2319. >It’ll be fun, knowing she’ll be fighting to get the muzzle off once she’s hungry.
  2320. >Are you being a spiteful bastard?
  2321. >Yes. Yes you are.
  2322. >But you aren’t quite done with her.
  2323. >Not yet.
  2324. “You want us to build a society? Fine. Then what happens to the carnivores? There’s no cattle here. Do they get a place, or are we supposed to let them starve? I want an answer when I get back.”
  2325.  
  2326. >You leave her room, ignoring her muffled response, only pausing once you make it to the fork between her room, Luna’s room, and the rest of the cave.
  2327. >You should check up on Cadance.
  2328. >Hanging around with her is probably the best way to cool off after dealing with her aunt.
  2329. >Plus, it was a mistake to tell her to check the traps, she might have fallen in one and...what the HELL is that jangling noise?!
  2330. >Some high pitched metal-on-metal is coming from Luna’s room.
  2331. >Whatever it is, your frayed nerves can’t take it.
  2332. >You still don’t know what to do with miss “Can’t trust a word she says,” but this noise is going to echo through the cave, and it’s going to drive you insane.
  2333. >Cadance...Cadance can wait.
  2334. >It’s not like she’ll be going anywhere, if she’s caught by one of your traps.
  2335. >Clenching your teeth, you make your way towards Luna’s room.
  2336. >As you’re about to round that last bend, you hear her growl, “Curse these thrice damned hooves! Sister, I’m coming…”
  2337. >Turning the corner, you see Luna curled around herself, her forehooves clasping the chain securing her to the rock pillar.
  2338. >Fumbling it with her hooves, her metal hoofguards slapping against the chain-no, not the chain, the nail you used to secure it-is the source of the racket.
  2339. “Luna. What are you doing?”
  2340. >She jumps-quite literally, in fact-the moment she hears your voice, landing on all four hooves.
  2341. >Whirling around, she spreads her wings wide, her horn pointed at you threateningly.
  2342. >Her eyes, though...her eyes lock onto your bloodied hand, her pupils shrinking.
  2343. >Is she seriously going to attack you?
  2344. >With a strangled voice, equal parts terror and rage, she cries out, ”Human...what have you done to my sister?!”
  2345.  
  2346. >...No.
  2347. >You’ve only been awake a couple hours, and they've already disrespected you one too many times for the day.
  2348. “You know what? If you want an answer, you’ll address me properly, horse.”
  2349. >She stares at you, shock fighting with her outrage for control of her face. “You...you wish to play games regarding my sister’s wellbeing?!”
  2350. >This would be the time where you’d start grinning evilly, if you were in a better mood.
  2351. >Instead, you jab a finger at your prisoner, using it to punctuate your words.
  2352. “Let’s get one thing straight, Luna. I don’t play games. Now either address me properly, as your master, or I’m leaving.”
  2353. “And if I hear you fight with that nail again, then I’m going to go RIGHT back to your sister’s room, and what I DID, will be nothing compared to what I WILL do. Now say it.”
  2354. >She meets your gaze, trying to stare you down.
  2355. >Nope.
  2356. >You just told her you weren’t playing any games.
  2357. >Rather than get into a staring contest, you spin around on your heel and start walking out of the room.
  2358. >”Wait!” You keep walking. “M-master! Wait! Please.”
  2359. >Well...now we’re getting somewhere.
  2360. “Yes, Luna?”
  2361. >You look back, making a point of keeping your body facing away.
  2362. >She’s obviously struggling against her own whirlwind of emotions, “We-I...would like to know. What have you done to my sister? Master.”
  2363. “Better.”
  2364. >The word hangs in the air, your prisoner waiting for an elaboration that’s not forthcoming.
  2365. >Squeezing her eyes shut, she lowers her head.
  2366. >You can SEE her swallowing her pride. “Please, master. Would you PLEASE tell me what you’ve done to my sister?”
  2367.  
  2368. >That...actually soothes your nerves.
  2369. >Yea, alright, you know she’s only saying it to get you to talk and she’s just as ready to try and kill you as she looked a moment ago.
  2370. >But you know what?
  2371. >You don’t even care right now.
  2372. >...Maybe she was right when she said all you’d want was for one of them to recognize they were wrong.
  2373. >Turning back to face her properly, you can’t keep the smile off your face.
  2374. “That’s more like it. Alright. You want to know what I did with her?”
  2375. >Approaching the chained alicorn, you squat before her, resting your hands on your knees-to make your bloody knuckles stand out even more- and make your eyes level with her’s.
  2376. “We talked. We had a civil conversation, just like I had with Cadance yesterday.”
  2377. >Her pupils shrink with every word, her muscles tensing, her wings soon quaking with rage, “Liar.”
  2378. >You stand up, towering over her.
  2379. “Let’s get one thing straight, Luna. I. Don’t. Lie. Unlike you. I had a civil conversation with her, and then your sister decided to be very uncivil. So I responded in kind.”
  2380. >Still quaking with rage, Luna glances back at the chain holding her, looking at the nail securing her in place.
  2381. >She’s going to attack you.
  2382. >Keeping an air of superiority, you let your hand wander to the knife tied to your thigh...only to be met with bare skin.
  2383. >...You left it back in Celestia’s room.
  2384. >Shit.
  2385. >If she gets free, you’re going to be in serious trouble.
  2386. >Well, you’ve gotten this far using just your words for the most part....
  2387. “Try it, Luna. You have no magic, and I’ve gotten real good at fighting things like you. If you try to escape, then I’ll have carte-blanche to do WHATEVER I need to secure you.”
  2388. >She looks back at you, before returning her gaze to the nail.
  2389. >This...is going to end badly.
  2390.  
  2391. >She repeats the gesture twice, before her gaze moves to your feet.
  2392. >With a hefty sigh, she says, “Very well. Master. I shall not try to escape.”
  2393. >What?
  2394. “Really? Just like that?”
  2395. >”I recognize when I am beaten. Master.”
  2396. >...No.
  2397. >She’s fucking with you again, just like she did yesterday.
  2398. “You really think I’m that stupid, huh? You’re going to get right back to it the moment you think I’m out of earshot.”
  2399. >Her eyes snap up to yours, “Master, I would not-”
  2400. “You wouldn’t what?! Lie to me? Betray me? It’s a little late to try that one. I heard everything you told Cadance.”
  2401. >Turning from her, you start pacing as the rage you felt from dealing with Celestia returns
  2402. >It demands that you do SOMETHING to her. To repay her maliciousness in kind
  2403. >”Then you know that I see you for what you truly are-a beast to be controlled.”
  2404. >...That’s it.
  2405. “You know what? I treated you civilly. All I wanted from you was to be treated like you-to get the same second chance you received. If you won’t do that? Then I’d say it’s time I treat YOU like you’ve treated ME.”
  2406.  
  2407. >”And just how do you plan to do that, Master?” Her tone takes a sarcastic turn, the lunar princess unphased by your threats.
  2408. >You look over her, your mind racing.
  2409. >There are so many things you could do to her...but she wants you to.that
  2410. >She said last night that she wants you to physically torture her...because “she can handle it.”
  2411. >Dammit, you just want to let off on her!
  2412. >But you can’t give her what she wants.
  2413. “You’ll find out.”
  2414. >Moving to leave the room, you pause at the turn-off, your hand resting on the cave wall.
  2415. “If I have to listen to you playing with the nail again, then I’m going to make YOU listen to your sister screaming. And I’ll make sure she knows you’re the reason.”
  2416. >Luna doesn’t respond, choosing instead to glower at you.
  2417. >She’s wasting her chance to have “proper” last words.
  2418. >You set out, making a beeline for Cadance’s room.
  2419. >This isn’t going to be the roaring rampage of revenge that you’ve fantasized about for centuries…
  2420. >It’ll be less immediately satisfying, and more subtle than you’d ever have guessed.
  2421. >But she was abandoned alone, on the moon for a thousand years.
  2422. >That wasn’t something you had anticipated.
  2423. >Arriving in Cadance’s room, you scoop up its only occupant-the shackles that had anchored your guest to the rock, upon her banishment-and proceed to your room.
  2424. >You remember what it felt like, to have freedom snatched away and be returned to your unending banishment.
  2425. >Screaming from pure existential horror, when Cerberus left, when those doors slammed shut.
  2426. >Nothing physical could compare.
  2427. >A fact she must be keenly aware of...after all, she claimed she could take any physical abuse you could dish out.
  2428. >Fine.
  2429. >You may not be able to send her back to the moon...but you’ll do the next best thing.
  2430.  
  2431. >Trying to ignore the destroyed crate taking up most of the room, you search around, soon finding the rest of your supplies.
  2432. >Knife, key, and the muzzle Cadance wore yesterday.
  2433. >Check, check, and check.
  2434. >Now you just need something sticky and something smelly…
  2435. >Good thing your “supply drop” came with those in droves.
  2436. >Gathering everything on your list, you finish it off by sawing off the exposed “paw” of your blanket.
  2437. >You should be able to fashion it into a set of ear plugs.
  2438. >Ignoring the throbbing pain from your abused knuckles, you work on that hide on the way back, pausing only to make one last detour.
  2439. >Once you have everything ready, you deposit all but one item by the turn off and enter Celestia’s room, key in hand.
  2440. “Well? Do you have an answer yet?”
  2441. >She jumps in surprise, her eyes confirming that she hadn’t expected to see you again, today.
  2442. “Didn’t think so. I know you’ve probably gotten a bit slow with your old age. Give me your hind leg for a moment, and I’ll leave you alone.”
  2443. >You hold up the key to show your intentions aren’t violent, and point at the shackle still attached to her fetlock.
  2444. >The wheels in her head turn as you move around behind her.
  2445. >But, the solar princess doesn’t offer any resistance when you grab ahold of the metal chain, allowing you to unlock the manacle.
  2446. >...Would it be horse-acle?
  2447. >Doesn’t matter.
  2448. >On your way to exit Celestia’s room, you scoop up the last piece of the puzzle-the blindfold.
  2449. >Unnecessary?
  2450. >Maybe.
  2451. >You know what else was unnecessary?
  2452. >Banishing you to an eternity of hell, and then treating you like an animal.
  2453. >Thats one of those things that’s kind of hard to let go of.
  2454. >Retrieving the rest of your supplies, you once again head towards Luna’s room.
  2455. >Before you reach that last bend, she calls out in a mocking tone, “Back so soon, master?”
  2456. >Rounding it, you get the pleasure of seeing Luna’s smug look die once she sees what you’re carrying.
  2457.  
  2458. >”What is all of this...?” Equal parts fear and outrage grip her voice.
  2459. “You want to treat me like “a beast to be controlled?” Then I’m going to treat you the exact same way. And the best way to control an animal, is to put it on a leash.”
  2460. >You hold up the knife.
  2461. “Every time you struggle, I’m going to give Celestia a tally mark. So she can look down at her hide, and it’ll tell her all the times you hurt her.”
  2462. >Recovering her composure, she makes a little scoffing motion with her hoof.
  2463. >“Very well, then. If you wish to restrain me further, master, then so be it.”
  2464. >The little sarcastic tone she takes on when saying ‘master’ is quickly starting to get to you.
  2465. >Well…
  2466. >It’s not something you’ll have to put up with for much longer.
  2467. >One at a time, you wrap the two recently procured shackles around stalagmites, making a loose ‘knot’ with the chain, using the original rock-anchor to secure them.
  2468. >The tapering stalagmites will keep the chains suspended in air, right at the same height as Luna’s shoulders.
  2469. >Yea, it’s not the most secure thing in the world, even compared to using the bent nail.
  2470. >But…
  2471. >They should be far enough apart to keep her from being able to play with them too much.
  2472. >Turning towards your prisoner, you snap your fingers and point at the ground besides you, as far out as her chain will allow.
  2473. “Here. Now. Give me your hoof.”
  2474. >She hesitates for a moment.
  2475. >You creep your hand to your knife, reminding her of the price Celestia will pay if she refuses.
  2476. >”Continually threatening my sister’s well-being will only work for so long. Master.”
  2477. >She obeys despite her protest, making a point of looking away as she offers you her forehoof.
  2478. >Apparently she’s going to act like a spoiled brat.
  2479.  
  2480. >You lock the cuff around her fetlock, the chain pulling her newly-bound foreleg out to the side, suspending it in the air.
  2481. >The shackle attached to her hind leg prevents her from moving to gain any slack in her foreleg.
  2482. “Other hoof. Now.”
  2483. >She looks at the third shackle, then up at you, “You cannot expect me to-”
  2484. >Screw this.
  2485. >You grab her second foreleg and yank it out from under her, cutting off her little speech, “Nyaah!”
  2486. >She beats her wings in a panic to try and regain her balance.
  2487. >Before she can free her hoof from your grasp, you slap the cuff around her fetlock, a click ringing out as it locks.
  2488. >Her chains rattle, her wings flapping uselessly as she tries to free her legs, to get out of the unnatural position you’ve forced her in.
  2489. >Heh.
  2490. >Too bad you don’t have a fourth shackle, then you could get her into a proper spread-eagle position.
  2491. >Should you count having to manhandle her as disobedience?
  2492. >It’d be kind of unfair...
  2493. >”Human, what are you hoping to accomplish by this?!” You can FEEL her fighting to keep the panic out of her voice.
  2494. >But you know what?
  2495. >She didn’t call you master.
  2496. >Looks like the next time Luna sees her sister, she’ll have a new scar.
  2497. >Which...won’t be for a while.
  2498. >It’s a good thing you didn’t specify how you were going to make the scars.
  2499. >Maybe you’ll force Cadance to decide that one.
  2500. >”You think merely making me uncomfortable will break my will? Make me view you as more, simply because you have not taken a whip to my hide?”
  2501. “Shut up before you earn Celestia a third tally.”
  2502. >She freezes, her front slipping down, the cuffs digging into her fetlocks and twisting her forelegs back as she’s too caught up in what you just said to concentrate on keeping her balance.
  2503. >“Th-third…?”
  2504.  
  2505. “One for not calling me master, and one for not giving me your hoof when I asked.”
  2506. >Her mouth works wordlessly as a flurry of emotions wash over her face.
  2507. >Whatever she’s about to say, you don’t want to hear it.
  2508. >Taking the muzzle-with it’s new, scent blocking addition, thanks to the spices from Discord-you force it over Luna’s snout, not giving her a chance to find her voice.
  2509. >”Mrrrmf!” She jerks her head back to dislodge it.
  2510. >Grabbing her horn, you force her head down and pin the bony protrusion against your side so you can tie the band.
  2511. >It’s so nice that these three have handles built in for you.
  2512. >Otherwise this could be difficult.
  2513. “Thaaat’s number three!”
  2514. >Luna’s desperate struggle to free herself doesn’t slow in the slightest, your words being lost in the cacophony of rattling chains and her muffled, enraged screaming.
  2515. >Well...she‘ll be in for a shock, one day.
  2516. >Despite her thrashing, you remain in possession of her horn.
  2517. >It makes it easy to tie the blindfold and force those ear-plugs in.
  2518. >With that, she’s now blinded, deafened, the glued-on spices taking away her smell, the muzzle preventing her from tasting...and the shackles hold her in a position to keep her from feeling anything you don’t want her to.
  2519. >Almost complete sensory deprivation.
  2520. >Kind of like on the moon.
  2521. >Well...not quite.
  2522. >You’d have to asphyxiate her, collapse the cave and scrape away the moss from the ceiling to properly simulate it...
  2523. >But you’re being fair, not cruel.
  2524.  
  2525. >Besides, she would have been able to walk around on the moon, so it’s only fair she get something-her air, in this case.
  2526. >Plus, she gets to decide whether she’d rather try and stand under her own power until her muscles give out, or hang from the shackles and let gravity twist her joints beyond their normal range of motion.
  2527. >That’s TWO things you’ve given her!
  2528. >Letting her head go, you can see her sides heaving, her head jerking back and forth as she begins hyperventilating.
  2529. >Obviously she didn’t get away without a few mental scars.
  2530. >You kneel down so your mouth is right by her twisting ears.
  2531. >She should be able to hear this.
  2532. “My people have a saying, Luna. ‘Do unto others, as they would do unto you.’ I followed it, treated you right, and you spat in my face. So it’s time I do unto you, as you did unto me.”
  2533. >She shakes her head slowly, whimpering out, “No,” repeatedly, the word simple enough to be understood.
  2534. >Oh well.
  2535. >You gave her a chance and she blew it.
  2536. >That’s more than she gave you.
  2537. >Speaking of...you’ve learned the speech they told banishees-the last words they ever heard before their torment.
  2538. >It’s her turn.
  2539. “Princess Luna of Equestria, for the crime of continued cruelty in the face of those who’ve suffered by your hooves, I hereby banish thee to the dark indefinitely!”
  2540. >”Hhhhrrrmm!” She screams out, arching her back before she...deflates, her side heaving as she begins to sob, her head sinking between her suspended forelegs.
  2541. >Her hind legs slip out from under her, suspending her in an unnatural angle as any fight she once had vanishes.
  2542. >...Huh.
  2543. >You didn’t expect her to break down so quickly.
  2544. >Celestia must have given her a speech like that, before sending her to the moon.
  2545. >Oh well.
  2546.  
  2547. >...No.
  2548. >No, you’re better than Celestia.
  2549. >You’re BETTER, dammit!
  2550. >You aren’t going to let the last interaction Luna has with you be the same as what her sister did to her.
  2551. >The least you could do is say good-bye..
  2552. >Hell...if she’s mentally back on the moon, then anything that could bring her back to reality would be welcome.
  2553. >But you can’t do something to reassure her, not after how she treated you.
  2554. >She thinks that you have nothing to offer her, that you’re nothing but “a beast to be controlled,” an animal, that “would soon be wrapped around her hoof.”
  2555. >In other words, a pet.
  2556. >Fine.
  2557. >Then you’ll turn her into exactly that...an animal who’ll come crawling back to her master, no matter what you do to her.
  2558. >Just...you need to figure out how to do that.
  2559. >You lean back against the cool stone wall and close your eyes, trying to think as you listen to Luna’s trauma driven sobbing.
  2560. >She keeps repeating something…”Mmmiff-hrr, mmrrrhh.”
  2561. >If you had to guess, it’s her begging Celestia for something.
  2562. >Her mind is no doubt telling her that her freedom was just a hallucination, that she never left the moon.
  2563. >Of course, this little episode won’t last long, things like this never do.
  2564. >...
  2565. >That little squeak she makes when she’s gasping for breath...it touches some old memories of yours
  2566. >Memories you normally try to keep buried.
  2567. >Memories which have been dragged to the forefront by everyone you’ve been dealing with lately.
  2568. >Memories of your old girlfriend.
  2569. >Before everything went horribly wrong.
  2570. >Back when she was a good little changeling, in the cage….when she would do ANYTHING for you.
  2571. >She loved you as much as you loved her, no matter what you did to her.
  2572. >Your eyes snap open.
  2573. >That’s it.
  2574.  
  2575. >You know EXACTLY what to do to the bound mare before you.
  2576. >It’ll mean that you won’t be able to claim you AREN’T the monster everyone thinks you are…
  2577. >Oh well.
  2578. >As you move around the bound mare, you reach a hand down to ‘prepare’ yourself.
  2579. >You don’t have far to go-you’re already halfway there just thinking about it.
  2580. >...Wow.
  2581. >From behind, Luna even LOOKS like her…that black-furred rump…
  2582. >Once you’re fully ready, you push her free leg out of the way.
  2583. >Luna jerks, letting out a squeak of a whimper, and raises her head at the sudden contact, her ears twisting around.
  2584. >”Mmmiff...hrrr…?”
  2585. >No. No you are not her sister.
  2586. >Moving in right behind her, you make that point very clear by slipping a pair of fingers under her tail, and pushing them in between her tight, puffy lips.
  2587. >”Hmm? HRRMM!” Luna screams as your touch drags her back to lucidity.
  2588. >She arches her back and kicks her hind legs, pulling hard at her bound forelimbs to try and get away from your probing finger.
  2589. >Ignoring the rattling of her chains, you pin her unbound leg with your free hand and crouch down to concentrate on your work.
  2590. >Her pussy squeezes against your fingers, trying to force you out.
  2591. >But, despite her best efforts, you’re able to push your way deep into her soft, dry passage, until you hit a sudden resistance.
  2592. >...She’s a virgin.
  2593. >This just gets better and better.
  2594. >Satisfied, you pull your hand out of her and let go of her leg, eliciting a whimpering cry of relief.
  2595. >Her tail slams down between her legs the moment you’re free, as if that would be enough to keep you from trying again.
  2596. >Listening to to her whimper filled gasps, Luna no doubt thinking that you’re being merciful by leaving her ‘intact,’ you look over your fingers to see what you’ve been able to harvest.
  2597. >Not even a drop.
  2598.  
  2599. >Well, you’re no stranger to that one.
  2600. >It takes a little bit to generate enough lube in your hand from your spit, all the while Luna hangs there, shuddering and shaking her head no.
  2601. >Occasionally, you can hear a little sob escape her throat.
  2602. >Once you’re ready, you grab her tail and yank it skyward, slathering your spit over her pussy before grabbing your cock.
  2603. >”Hhhmm! Hmm-mm! Hrmm-mm!” Luna shakes her head, begging you as best she can as her tail struggles against your iron grip.
  2604. >You only have to endure her pleading for a moment, as you line things up, and shove your cock into her, not even slowing down as you break through her hymen.
  2605. >”MMMRRHHMM!” she shrieks, both from the pain and the sense of being violated.
  2606. >Too bad for her, you’re only getting started.
  2607. >To keep her from getting any funny ideas, you wrap your arm around the thigh of her free leg and force it back, as far as it’ll go, before tucking it against your waist.
  2608. >Only then, do you get to work.
  2609. >Her blood manages to be a worse lubricant than your saliva.
  2610. >Gritting your teeth, you thrust hard into her, again and again, listening as she begins to sob once more, her body quaking against yours in shame, in disgust, in...well, continued pain, probably.
  2611. >That pain’s her fault, for not getting wet at your touch.
  2612. >Letting go of her tail, you place your other hand on her back for added stability and pull out further, until just your tip’s inside her, before slamming hard into her.
  2613. >Again and again you repeat that motion, each time Luna squeezes against you, trying desperately to force you out, before you plunge back in, pushing until your cocktip hits her cervix.
  2614. >It takes a bit...but it’s slowly starting to get easier.
  2615. >She’s starting to get wet, a clear sign that her body’s betraying her.
  2616. >If her shaking head and repeated, sobbed out “No”s are any indication, she’s keenly aware of that fact.
  2617.  
  2618. >It’s...actually making this feel really good.
  2619. >However, the wetter she gets, the more aware you are of the fact that a two century long dry spell is not helpful for improving your sexual stamina.
  2620. >Which is especially not helpful, when you’re trying to train Luna like the animal she thinks you to be.
  2621. >Slipping your hand from her back, you instead grab a fistful of her mane and dig your fingernails into the palm of your hand.
  2622. >Pressing your abused knuckles against her, the pain flares, dragging your attention away from your cock.
  2623. >Of course, Luna’s a virgin, she shouldn’t have much in the way of stami-
  2624. >A jolt of pleasure courses through you as she involuntarily winks around your cock, another whimper soon rising from her throat.
  2625. >There we go…
  2626. >Now knowing that you’re on the right track, you redouble your efforts, establishing a proper rhythm within her.
  2627. >You’re soon rewarded by her continued winking, again and again her passage squeezes around your shaft, not to push you out, but sucking you right in, her clit rubbing against your balls.
  2628. >Luna’s soon unable to properly cry anymore, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps as she no doubt nears her sexual peak.
  2629. >But unfortunately, so are you.
  2630. >Biting the inside of your cheek, you push hard into her one more time, and instead grind your cock into her, your cocktip digging in against her cervix.
  2631. >That does the trick.
  2632. >”Nn, nn, nn-nn-nn! Nnmmmhhhh-h-h!”
  2633. >It barely takes a few seconds before she cums against you, her pussy ripples over your cock as her marecum leaks out all over you, covering your legs.
  2634. >It’s more than you can handle.
  2635. >With a deep, heaving sigh, you dig your fingernails into Luna’s chest and release your load into her.
  2636. >It doesn’t matter if she and her sister escape back to Equestria right this second.
  2637. >You’ve taken something from her, something she’ll NEVER be able to get back...and she’ll remember it for the rest of her unending life.
  2638. >She’s yours, now.
  2639.  
  2640. >Panting, you pull out of her, a small amount of your cum accompanying you, dripping under her tail.
  2641. >Luna hangs there in her restraints, limp, as the reality of what you’ve just done to her sinks in.
  2642. >Ugh.
  2643. >She made a mess of you...you’re going to have to clean off.
  2644. >Your prisoner starts sobbing once again as you double check to make sure you have everything.
  2645. >By the time you’ve left her room, she’s openly bawling.
  2646. >You know you need to check on Cadance...she STILL hasn’t shown up, she must have gotten stuck somewhere.
  2647. >But first, you take a detour to the little stream you’ve been using for all things water related, to get Luna’s various fluids off you..
  2648. >Hmm...with no soap, it’ll be difficult to get the scent off you.
  2649. >Still, you can at least TRY to look presentable.
  2650. >As you splash water over yourself, your mind races, going over what you’ve just done.
  2651. >Heh.
  2652. >When you were holding her leg, you really WERE wrapped around Luna’s hoof.
  2653. >Looks like she was right.
  2654. >All jokes aside, there’s no way you’ll be able to deny the no-doubt forthcoming accusations that you’re a monster.
  2655. >You know what?
  2656. >Before they sent you here, you’d like to think you were a decent person.
  2657. >But a thousand years of hell would change ANYONE.
  2658. >You’re the monster THEY created.
  2659.  
  2660. >Once you’ve finished cleaning various kinds of bodily fluids off, you set out in search of the only pony whom you haven’t had to lock up in some way.
  2661. >You certainly hope you won’t have to change that status, after she gets a whiff of you.
  2662. >...Not just because you’re running out of ways to restrain ponies.
  2663. >But because she’s the closest thing you have to a friend in this place, now.
  2664. >You’d hate for a little rape to come between friends.
  2665. >After all, even Tirek got over that one, and he’s the kind of guy who would hold a grudge for a thousand years.
  2666. >...Man, listening to him rant about how horrible his traitor brother was got old REAL fast.
  2667. >Briefly, you pause at the entrance at your room, debating whether or not you could use the spices to mask the smell of your recent activities.
  2668. >...No
  2669. >Then you’ll probably just smell like you had sex with a very excited pie.
  2670. >However, that does give you an idea.
  2671. >If you can meet her by the entrance, then the rather potent smell there might be able to hide it.
  2672. >If she hasn’t managed to get herself hurt or stuck, she should be waiting for you riiiight...here!
  2673. >Entering the room, you see the fire’s roaring, the supplies you two gathered have been separated into two neat little piles, there’s a dried skin folded and resting on the ‘inedible’ pile…
  2674. >But no Cadance.
  2675. >Damn.
  2676. >The door’s half-open, practically a neon sign announcing where she went.
  2677. >You’re not sure what’s more impressive: the fact that she was strong enough to open it by herself, or the fact that she worked up the courage to go out there by herself.
  2678. >...
  2679. >If she got hurt, she’ll never forgive you.
  2680. >Granted, she shouldn’t have had to do much more than poke her head out to see if any of your traps were set off.
  2681. >...Right.
  2682. >You didn’t actually tell her HOW to check the traps.
  2683.  
  2684. >For some reason, part of you is dreading the inevitable confrontation as you approach the half-open “door” to your cave.
  2685. >You’re actually kind of afraid you’ll lose your only friend in this place.
  2686. >You squeeze through the narrow opening Cadance provided, and look around.
  2687. >There she is!
  2688. >She’s about halfway down the path, sticking out like a big pink sore thumb.
  2689. >Where the hell does she think she’s going?!
  2690. >It’s like she’s TRYING to get herself killed.
  2691. >...Whiiiich...is her own prerogative, really.
  2692. >If you grab her out there, she’s going to instantly smell her aunt on you.
  2693. >Waiting for her to come back here would be the best choice, you’ll be able to break things to her slowly.
  2694. >In fact, it wouldn’t take too much to convince her that Luna essentially threw herself at you, after how much of a martyr she was trying to be last night.
  2695. >Yep.
  2696. >You should really leave her out there.
  2697. >Let her do whatever it is she’s...oh, screw it.
  2698. >It took you less than a second to spot her, a gryphon would see her even faster.
  2699. >Patting your knife with your hand, to reassure yourself, you run after her.
  2700. >That’s when it hits you.
  2701. >She might be leaving.
  2702. >When you sent her off, you hadn’t quiiite planned on raping any of her family...could she have heard Luna’s screaming?
  2703. >Your mind races, trying to think of how you could convince her to stay.
  2704. >...
  2705. >It would be a lot easier to come up with something if your hand still wasn’t killing you.
  2706. >It’s only once you’re close enough for Cadance’s ears to swivel around, a sure sign she’s heard you, does an idea pop into your head.
  2707. >It’s straight out of Tirek’s playbook.
  2708. >It’s undignified, it’s manipulative, it’s stupidly dangerous to do out in the open, it twists everything you and her aunts have told her…
  2709. >It’s perfect.
  2710.  
  2711. >”Master?” Cadance turns around, her eyes wide, her wings threatening to flare out.
  2712. “Cadance! Where do you think you’re going?”
  2713. >”I...you told me to check the traps, so I was…” her nose wrinkles up, “What is that…”
  2714. >That’s when it hits her.
  2715. >She takes a step back, her eyes wide, “Master? What did you...do...?”
  2716. >She’s terrified of the answer.
  2717. “I...something I regret. I lost it Cadance, I shouldn’t have, but...she told me I was an animal, so...I acted like one.”
  2718. >Her eyes grow with every shakey word that comes out of your mouth.
  2719. >”No…”she takes a step backwards, “You...you didn’t…you’re-you’re better than that!”
  2720. “Listen, Cadance, this isn’t the place to talk about it, alright? It’s not safe here. Now come back inside.”
  2721. >You reach your hand out, offering it to her.
  2722. >Specifically, you offer her your injured hand.
  2723. >Her eyes lock onto your abused, if no longer bloodstained, knuckles.
  2724. >The smell clinging to you, the signs of violence, the noises she no doubt heard from your tantrum in Celestia’s room all come together in her mind to form a much grislier picture than what happened.
  2725. >”You’re...you’re as bad as Tirek said…”
  2726. >...
  2727. >What the hell did he tell these three?!
  2728. “Cadance. I’m not going to ask again. Inside. Now.”
  2729. >Panting, her eyes dart all over the place-looking for any sort of escape route.
  2730. >You had expected her to freak out, but...you hadn’t expected her to panic this badly.
  2731. >You take a step forward, prompting her.
  2732. >Her reaction, is to spin around and take off down the path.
  2733. >Shit.
  2734. >You had planned on her stomping her hooves and yelling, not running.
  2735.  
  2736. >...Dammit, you told her she can leave any time she wanted, too.
  2737. “Cadance! Get back here!”
  2738. >She glances back, her eyes wide with fear as she gallops through the maze of traps.
  2739. >...Wow.
  2740. >It’s pretty impressive how well she remembers the safe path.
  2741. >Despite the gravity of the situation, you’re half tempted to see if she’s going to panic her way into a pit.
  2742. >At least then you’d have a captive audience.
  2743. >...Or...it looks like she’s actually going to clear the thing.
  2744. >Great.
  2745. “Now, Cadance! I’m not chasing after you!”
  2746. >You’re totally chasing after her.
  2747. >It’d be one thing if she was leaving because she had some objection to how you treated her family…
  2748. >Well, alright, you’d consider letting her leave.
  2749. >But right now she’s running because she’s scared of what she thinks you’re going to do to her.
  2750. >She’s selling her aunts out to you to save her own hide.
  2751. >If she gets caught by anything out there, she’ll sell you AND her family out, to stay safe.
  2752. >Which means, if you let her go, you’ll have every single living thing in Tartarus quite literally tearing the mountain range apart looking for the alicorn sisters.
  2753. >But…
  2754. >For right now, you stick true to your word and turn around, sauntering your way back to the cave, the crackle of fire drowning out any noise from the outside.
  2755. >Taking a quick peek at the supplies you two had gathered, you spot a large branch that should work as a clu-
  2756. >Mace.
  2757. >It’ll work as a mace.
  2758. >Which is good, because you’re going to need a weapon.
  2759. >If you’re going pony hunting, then you’re going pony hunting with all your equipment.
  2760. >An hour or so later, you step out into Tartarus, your repaired net tied to your side, mace over your shoulder, and shove the boulder back into place, once again concealing your home from prying eyes.
  2761. >It doesn’t take long to find her trail in the soft Tartarian soil.
  2762.  
  2763. >She didn’t exactly try to obscure it...or make it difficult to follow her.
  2764. >It’s pretty much a straight line from the moment she got out of the trap field.
  2765. >Sure, it’s easy for you to follow...but it’s just as easy for anything else to follow.
  2766. >Patting over yourself for one last check to make sure you have everything, you take off running down the path she made.
  2767. -
  2768. >Well, the good news is, you haven’t run across a giant blood splatter indicating the end of her flight.
  2769. >The bad news is, you’ve spent the past half hour following her trail through territory you aren’t as familiar with.
  2770. >You REALLY try to avoid going out here if you can...there’s an old cave of yours out here, and you don’t like hanging out in places where they remember you.
  2771. >As you trudge up a hill, worry starts to gnaw at the back of your mind.
  2772. >He’s been gone for a year, but Discord’s been your scout for so long that you still can’t get used to being COMPLETELY alone out here.
  2773. >You have no idea if there’s some giant monster on the other side of the hill, or if they’ve taken Cadance or what.
  2774. >The worry swells to dread as you crest the hill revealing...
  2775. >She’s right there.
  2776. >Well, so much for sneakily following her.
  2777. >Your escaped guest is huddled under what could generously be called a tree, mumbling to herself.
  2778. >You...can’t make out her words.
  2779. >Well, she’ll probably notice if you try and run away now.
  2780. >You hold your mace out and drop it, the pink pony jumping at the noise, looking up to face you.
  2781. “Hey Cadance! Small world, huh? I’m really glad I ran into you, we weren’t done talking earlier.”
  2782. >This is the bit you never got to see before.
  2783. >Her body locks up for a moment as terror takes ahold of her mind, her jaw agape, her pupils shrinking.
  2784. >Shocked disbelief in three, two, one…
  2785. >...
  2786. >One half?
  2787.  
  2788. >”How did you…find...”
  2789. >There it is!
  2790. >You can see why Discord loved doing this.
  2791. >Shrugging in response, you casually pick up the mace.
  2792. “So, about the whole “raping your aunt’ thing...”
  2793. >The words have barely left your mouth when she turns tail and bolts, galloping away.
  2794. >Grinning away, you tear down the hill after her.
  2795. >You don’t get too far before you’re forced to slow down, as the far side of the hill proves too steep for you to run without tumbling your way down.
  2796. >She leaps from rock to rock, her spread wings allowing her to practically glide her way down the steep hillside, leaving you to scramble after her.
  2797. >She’s worse than a damn goat!
  2798. >...You still can’t tell if those things are sapient or not.
  2799. >As you clamber over a rock, you see the pink pony land at the bottom of the hill with a thud, her legs give out at the impact and she falls on her belly.
  2800. >If you hurry you’ll catch-oh, shit!
  2801. >Your handhold breaks off, leaving you to scramble to keep from completely losing control.
  2802. >The rock underneath your feet shifts, the only warning you get before the whole hill face collapses with you on it.
  2803. >Fuck, fuck, fuck!
  2804. >You dig your heels into the sliding dirt, trying desperately to control your sudden, unplanned descent.
  2805. >That lasts about ten seconds before you hit a previously hidden boulder.
  2806. “Gah!”
  2807. >You’re barely able to cover your head as you tumble over and over in the middle of the avalanche, rocks battering every exposed part of you.
  2808. >You come to a stop only when the ground levels out, landing gracefully on a flat rock.
  2809. >It’s ok though, you used your spine to cushion the landing.
  2810. >...Everything hurts.
  2811. >That’s it.
  2812. >Screw being nice.
  2813. >Pink pony gets the prey treatment.
  2814.  
  2815. >Steeling yourself, you groan out in both pain and exertion as you gingerly roll onto your side, every bit of your body screaming at you for daring to move.
  2816. >A quick check reveals that...
  2817. >Wow.
  2818. >Just scrapes and bruises...miraculously, nothing’s broken.
  2819. >Cadance’s fading hoofbeats taunt you as you force yourself to climb to your feet, your legs and hips howling in protest.
  2820. >If this happened to you with anyone else, they’d quickly find themselves impaled on your spear.
  2821. >She is NOT getting away again.
  2822. >Grabbing your dropped supplies, you give chase once more, your anger helping you ignore the pain, instead letting you focus on the shrinking pink form in the distance.
  2823. >Cadance eventually does manage to get out of sight, as she rounds a rocky outcropping.
  2824. >That’s fine.
  2825. >Now that you know something else hasn’t gotten to her first, you can focus on catching her.
  2826. >Just like any other prey.
  2827. >You follow her into a...well, you always called something like this a rock forest.
  2828. >Stony pillars jut into the sky around you, carved by some unknown force, for some long forgotten purpose.
  2829. >These places have always felt really eerie to you...even Discord never liked them.
  2830. >Just add a bit of fog and it’d be something out of a horror show.
  2831. >In the middle of the ‘forest,’ Cadance’s tracks abruptly stop.
  2832. >What the hell?
  2833. >A quick scan of the sky doesn’t reveal any gryphons...not that it would.
  2834. >Ignoring your protesting back, you bend down to take a closer look at the end of the trail.
  2835. >...Daaaww.
  2836. >She tried to use her tail to cover up her tracks so you couldn’t find her.
  2837. >It’s only been a day, you’re surprised she’s already picked up that idea from you.
  2838.  
  2839. >Still, she’s inexperienced, and now that you know what to look for, it’s only a matter of seconds before you hear her heavy, terrified breathing from behind one of the columns.
  2840. >Slowly, carefully, you creep up around the pillar, getting as close as you can without her seeing you.
  2841. >You can hear her breathing quicken as she hears you, little whimpers punctuating those shallow, quick breaths of hers.
  2842. >...Oh, you can’t resist.
  2843. >Just as you turn away, you hear her gasp as she tries to hold her breath.
  2844. >Listening carefully, you hear the smallest, almost inaudible squeaks from her, her recent flight keeping her from being able to hold air in for very long.
  2845. >Smiling, you walk away to move to a different pillar and make a show of calling out,
  2846. “You know, Cadance, I’m really impressed that you thought to hide your hoofprints.”
  2847. >She doesn’t respond, prompting you to walk over to another one, slowly making a big circle around her hiding spot, letting her think you’re still searching for her.
  2848. >You can hear her hooves shuffle as she scrambles to keep hidden.
  2849. “Seriously, good job. After all, how am I going to be able to find you if I can’t track you?”
  2850. >This time, you reach down and snag a small rock, your voice masking any sound that could make.
  2851. >These damn pony ears are sensitive, but you haven’t been able to get a bead on exactly HOW sensitive they are.
  2852. >You move to a third pillar, this one behind your starting position.
  2853. “You weren’t lying about not being able to fly, were you?”
  2854. >Her panting quickens again, and she starts to shuffle around the column once more.
  2855. >That’s when you go silent.
  2856. >You aren’t the one who’s panicking, the one who needed to stop to catch their breath...your gentle breathing is easily masked by Candace's desperate whimpering as she struggles to catch her breath.
  2857. >Juuuust as you hear her start calming down, you throw the pebble, the rock clattering somewhere behind the pillar.
  2858.  
  2859. >She gasps and starts to shuffle around the pillar again, no doubt terrified that you “snuck up behind her.”
  2860. >That’s when you see it.
  2861. >Her tri-colored, disheveled tail appears...she’s in too much of a panic to stop.
  2862. >You grin as wide as you can, showing off your canine teeth.
  2863. >The rest of her emerges, her flank pressed tight to the stone as though it could protect her.
  2864. “You didn’t hide them very well.”
  2865. >She locks up, visibly tense even from where you are, her head the only part of her that moves as it slowly turns towards you, her eyes gigantic.
  2866. >You get to watch as a little spark of hope in her eyes dies, being consumed by terror.
  2867. >Taking a step forward, you start to run towards her.
  2868. >The movement’s all it takes to break the spell.
  2869. >”Aaahh!” Cadance shrieks as her mind resumes control of her body, and shoots out from her ruined hiding spot, her hooves kicking up dirt as she scrambles to get away.
  2870. >You chase after her, hot on her...heels? hooves? as she zig zags between columns, trying desperately to lose you.
  2871. “Don’t you know it’s rude to walk away when someone’s talking to you?”
  2872. >Your taunt manages to distract her enough for her to slip, slamming her side into one of the stone pillars before she gets her footing again.
  2873. “Seriously though, A for effort!”
  2874. >The distance you close from her mistake is soon lost as she gives up trying to outmaneuver you and just gallops straight out of there.
  2875. >You keep running right after her.
  2876. >She’s starting to act like every other prey you’ve chased down.
  2877. >So you hunt her like you would anything else.
  2878.  
  2879. >For two hours, you continue your relentless pursuit.
  2880. >She never manages to lose you for very long.
  2881. >A couple times she tries to cover her tracks, again, hoping to be more successful than she was earlier.
  2882. >But she’s too terrified, too inexperienced to pull off anything you can’t see right through.
  2883. >You’ve been at this a long time, after all.
  2884. >So you taunt her, continuing to appear like a monster straight out of her nightmares each and every time she thinks she might have a chance to rest, or even escape, always causing her to flee as fast as she can.
  2885. >Is it unnecessarily cruel?
  2886. >Yea, maybe.
  2887. >But your cuts, bumps and bruises from earlier have put you in a bit of a vengeful mood.
  2888. >Besides, it’s not like you’re going to HURT her.
  2889. >If she’d sit down, she’d see all you want to do is finish the conversation you had planned.
  2890. >As the normally-deadly marathon continues on, she soon becomes too exhausted to try anything but hide for a moment to catch her breath.
  2891. >To her credit, she never tries to beg.
  2892. >Never tries to throw anything at you, never starts begging and pleading for her life, or screams about how it's impossible that you keep catching up to her, like you’ve come to expect from your sapient prey.
  2893. >She just runs.
  2894. >...Well, alright, only the most generous of people could call what you’ve reduced her to, “running.”
  2895. >She’s more stumbling along at just above a trot as she desperately tries to suck down air.
  2896. >You, in response, are sticking to a light jog as you chew on a piece of jerky.
  2897. >What?
  2898. >There’s no point in catching up to her NOW, she’ll just kick you and try to run away after a minute.
  2899. >After a chase like this, you’re going to need her to sit still.
  2900. >...The fact that your legs, feet and hips have been screaming at you for the last few miles have nothing to do with it.
  2901. >Up ahead of you, she vanishes behind a rather jagged outcropping.
  2902. >You make it about three steps before Cadance lets out a bloodcurdling shriek.
  2903. >...Uh oh.
  2904.  
  2905. >Abandoning your snack, you burn some of your last reserves of energy to break into a sprint.
  2906. >Skidding around the corner, you see the black form of a changeling bent over your shaking, sobbing guest, it’s fangs sunken deep into her leg.
  2907. >What the hell is that thing doing all the way over here?!
  2908. >...No, it can’t be one of hers, her hive’s a good two weeks away from you...right?
  2909. “Hey!”
  2910. >You clutch your mace in your hands, ready to swing.
  2911. >The changeling stands from your guest and looks up at you, its featureless, blue eyes masking any sign of what might be going on behind them.
  2912. >As Cadance looks up at you with a mixture of terror and misery, the changeling speaks, “Father? Is it really you?”
  2913. >Fuck!
  2914. >It IS one of her’s!
  2915. >One of the little chestbursters your old girlfriend laid in you.
  2916. >The changeling’s wings buzz as it begins to lift off, joy spewing from it’s mouth, “Ooohh, mother will be so proud of me!”
  2917. >You swing the mace into the changeling, slamming her against the wall.
  2918. >Her limp, unconscious form falls to the ground.
  2919. >No.
  2920. >You are NOT going to be her incubator again.
  2921. >Little bitch lied to you and pretended she loved you for DECADES so she could spawn her swarm in YOUR stomach.
  2922. >Throwing the net over the changeling for good measure, you rush over to the pink, injured pony.
  2923. “Cadance! Cadance, you’re alright, I got you!”
  2924. >Every part of your body protests as you kneel down and pull her head onto your lap, a hand fumbling for your waterskin.
  2925. >”How did...why did you…” she half gasp, half sobs out, weakly squirming in a final, pathetic attempt to get away.
  2926. “Shhh.”
  2927. >You press the waterskin to her dry, cracked lips.
  2928. “Just drink. You’ll be ok.”
  2929.  
  2930. >She wavers for a moment, her eyes full of misery before she squeezes them shut and follows your command, greedily gulping down every drop you pour into her mouth.
  2931. “You’re going to feel really woozy for a bit, but you’ll be alright, Cadance. I promise.”
  2932. >She nods with a shaky little “Mm-hmm,” before going right back to drinking.
  2933. >You look down at the two puncture wounds on her leg and lament that there’s nothing you can do.
  2934. >Her heart’s beating too fast for you to do anything about the venom, and medical supplies are a pipe dream.
  2935. >It’s too bad, really...you’d be able to cement yourself as the hero who’s saved her life twice in as many days.
  2936. >”Nnn…” the changeling stirs, rubbing her head with a hoof. “Why did you do thaaaat?”
  2937. >You twitch, about ready to squash the bug for real this time.
  2938. >...Nooo.
  2939. >You need to play hero for Cadance.
  2940. >That’s why you set out originally, isn’t it?
  2941. “I’m not your dad, that’s why. And you hurt my friend.” You jab your finger at the bug pony, “Now sit down and don’t move, or I’m going to do it again.”
  2942. >The changeling does exactly as you say, sitting on her haunches as she keeps rubbing her head. “You’re not? But you look just like Mother said…”
  2943. “Shut it.”
  2944. >You need to think.
  2945. >Turning your attention back to Cadance, you pull out the snack you brought from her little food pile.
  2946. >...You’re not sure what a “granola” is, or why it would be a bar...but it was easy to carry.
  2947. >Tearing open the wrapper, you hold the...alright, you still can’t tell what the hell it is, up to Cadance.
  2948. >You don’t even get a chance to command her before she grabs it in her mouth, holding it in two shaking hooves as she devours it.
  2949. >She shouldn’t be able to do that if she's poisoned...right?
  2950.  
  2951. >Looking back up at the changeling, you bark out,
  2952. “That stuff’s paralytic, right? How long does it take to kick in?”
  2953. >The changeling blinks, “Yes, but...I didn’t use enough…”
  2954. “Alright, good.”
  2955. >Rubbing your hand over the back of Cadance’s head, you mumble,
  2956. “You hear that, Cadance? You’ll be fine. We can go home, soon.”
  2957. >Under your breath, you mutter,
  2958. “Whether you like it or not.”
  2959. >She lets off something between a whimper and a sob before squeezing her eyes shut again.
  2960. >Resigning herself, she swallows hard before nodding her head the tiniest bit,”You’re gonna...kill it...right?”
  2961. >That’s...a good question.
  2962. >”What?!” The Changeling sits up, its wings buzzing uselessly under the net, “I wouldn’t have bit her if I knew she was yours, father!”
  2963. “Hang on, Cadance.”
  2964. >You give her another pet before you gently lay her back and stand up, gritting your teeth to keep from groaning in pain.
  2965. >Well, you can’t exactly let the little bug go.
  2966. >It’ll just run right back to your ex girlfriend, and then the swarm will descend upon you.
  2967. >You know this, because the psycho bitch has done it before.
  2968. >The problem is...killing it won’t do anything but delay the horde for a week or two.
  2969. >Tirek and Discord HAVE to get you out of here by then, or you’re screwed.
  2970. >You don’t want to try setting up another cave, while dealing with two...ish...prisoners.
  2971. >Retrieving your mace, you approach the changeling.
  2972.  
  2973. >”Father...” she begs, scooting backwards, “I know you can't tell, but I’m really scared right now…”
  2974. >Oohh, you can tell.
  2975. >”I’m sorry! I just want to make you and mother both happy!”
  2976. “Yea, that’s not going to happen. Those two are mutually exclusive.”
  2977. >“Wait!” She presses against the back of the net, having scooted as far as she can, “What if I come with you? I could be a lot of help!”
  2978. >...Alright, this could be good.
  2979. >Over the centuries, your various prey have come up with a lot of amusing ways to beg for their lives.
  2980. >Taking the chance to rest for a moment, you pause and set your mace down, leaning against it like a cane.
  2981. “Go on…”
  2982. >”I could...I could turn into anything you want!” In a burst of green light, the changeling vanishes, an...aaalllmost perfect replica of Cadance standing in her place.
  2983. >”See? I’m your prey! Except I’m not injured!” She announces in the stolen voice of your guest, oozing pride.
  2984. >”Nooo, no, no, noo…” the real Cadance almost sobs out behind you.
  2985. >Glancing back you see she’s covering her eyes with her hooves.
  2986. >...
  2987. >Well that could certainly be...useful...
  2988. >"Hey, turn into that blue Alicorn.” "Like this?" "Yea, now come into Celestia's room, I'm going to rape you in front of her so she thinks I'm raping her sister" "Wait, what?"
  2989. >Fantasies aside, you don’t really have anything left at the cave to restrain her with, and you have no doubt she’ll backstab you worse than Luna at the first opportunity.
  2990. >You take hold of your mace.
  2991. >”F-father?”
  2992.  
  2993. >And jab the end of your mace into the changeling’s chest.
  2994. “If you even /look/ like you’re thinking of trying anything, I’m going to drop you in a lava pit. Got it?”
  2995. >She blinks twice before breaking out in a large grin, “Thank you father! Just so you know, I’m really happy that-”
  2996. “Shut it.”
  2997. >Her mouth snaps shut, her teeth making an audible click as you rub your forehead.
  2998. >As if it was weird enough hearing a bug monster call you “father...”
  2999. >Hearing it come out of Cadance-albeit a fake one-is too much for you to handle.
  3000. >Well, It’s not like you can’t kill the changeling later.
  3001. >For right now...you really, really are not looking forward to carrying your guest the thirty miles it’ll take to get back home.
  3002. >Bug horse can be a work horse.
  3003. >Yea, it’s a security risk but...so is having three ponies in living with you that would like to see you dead.
  3004. >Besides, it feels wrong to murder something in front of your guest.
  3005. >Looking back at her, you see the real Cadance wearing a mix of misery and disappointment.
  3006. >...Really?
  3007. >Here you’d think she’d be happy you’re being “better than that,” as she so succinctly put it a few hours ago.
  3008. >Eh.
  3009. >Regardless of the species, there's no winning with some women.
  3010. >”Master…? Please…”
  3011. >You mouth the word “Later,” before you turn back and start to gather the net off the changeling.
  3012. “You want to make me happy? Fine. I’m putting you to work. You’re going to carry her back home.”
  3013. >Jerking your thumb behind you, you turn your attention towards your net, fighting with the thing to get it back into an easy shape to carry.
  3014. >It’d go a lot faster if you weren’t still holding your mace.
  3015. >But no leash means you need to be ready in case the bug decides to run.
  3016. >”Don’t! Don’t touch me!” one of those two cry out behind you.
  3017. >Looking back, you see the real Cadance clawing at the ground, trying to drag herself away from her less disheveled looking doppleganger.
  3018.  
  3019. >You catch her eye, “Master, please...don’t let that thing…touch me...”
  3020. >Oh boy.
  3021. >Pink horse is just as racist as the rest of her family.
  3022. >You vaguely recall her mentioning something yesterday about them raping her husband, as you walk up and slap the changeling on the back of its head. “Ow!”
  3023. ”Turn into something she can stomach.”
  3024. >The changeling lets out a little whine and rubs the back of her head once more, before looking between you and the real Cadance a few times.
  3025. >Her gaze lingers on you for a moment, her eyes hopeful.
  3026. >...Oooh no.
  3027. >You shoot her a threatening look, warning her of what would happen if she tried to turn into you.
  3028. >She looks away and chews on her lip, evidently taking the hint.
  3029. >Finally, in a burst of green light, she turns into a gryphon, “How’s this, father?”
  3030. “Good enough. Come here, Cadance.”
  3031. >Stooping down, you wrap your arms around her barrel and brace yourself, mentally preparing to lift her up onto your new companion’s back.
  3032. >...You’re really going to have to come up with a name for the changeling.
  3033. >”Master…” Cadance shudders under your touch, whimpering out, “Please don’t make me...I don’t want to be anywhere near that thing…”
  3034. >With a sigh, you rub her side.
  3035. “Look. If you had sat still and let me explain things earlier, instead of making me chase you, we wouldn’t be in this situation. You’re going to have to deal with it for now.”
  3036. >”But I…” She sobs, “You said I could leave anytime I wanted…”
  3037. “I know what I said. Right now, you’re injured. Once I get you patched up, we can discuss the matter.”
  3038. >”But I...”
  3039. >You silence her by planting a kiss on the back of her head, causing her to shudder under you.
  3040. “This isn’t up for debate. Come on, we’re going home.”
  3041. >With a grunt, you heave the heavy horse up, onto the changeling-turned-gryphon’s back, her limbs dangling off.
  3042. >You swear you can feel something pop in your back before a jabbing pain lances through you.
  3043.  
  3044. >Ooohh fuck, you just overdid it.
  3045. >Still, you grit your teeth and clench a fist, doing your damnedest not to let either of them know..
  3046. >At this point, Cadance must view you as practically a force of nature, something that cannot EVER be escaped.
  3047. >You can’t let anything shatter that mental image.
  3048. “Come on. Let’s go, you two.”
  3049. >The changeling looks back, concern in its borrowed, yellow eyes, “Are you sure, Father? I can-”
  3050. “Move.”
  3051. >The three of you set off, following the two sets of prints you made on your long, winding chase.
  3052. >For the most part, you stick to retracing your exact steps.
  3053. >You didn’t run into anything else doing that the first time, you have no plans on stumbling across some hidden den by taking shortcuts on the way back.
  3054. >Eventually, the pain radiating from your back, legs and feet stop being enough to distract you from the mind numbing boredom.
  3055. >Cadance isn’t exactly offering any conversation, having resigned herself to her fate.
  3056. >The changeling...well, she keeps looking back at you eagerly, but you shoot her a glare every time she opens her beak to speak.
  3057. >Your guest is uncomfortable enough that you haven’t killed the changeling, you have no plans on letting it make things worse.
  3058. >That’s your job.
  3059. “So, like I was saying earlier,” You announce all of a sudden.
  3060. “About the whole “raping your aunt” thing.”
  3061. >”You what?” The changeling asks, looking back.
  3062. >Cadance just sobs and squeezes her eyes shut.
  3063. >Ooooh no.
  3064. >You came up with that brilliant plan earlier, you are not going to let it go to waste.
  3065. >Plus…
  3066. >Your new companion will be a wonderful prop.
  3067. >Pressing a finger to the underside of her snout, you tilt Cadance’s head up to look at you.
  3068. “I’m sorry, Cadance. That wasn’t what I intended. I hope you can forgive me someday.”
  3069. >Her eyes snap open, disbelief, shock, and outrage swirling in those large pupils, “You...are you...saying you ACCIDENTLY raped her?!”
  3070.  
  3071. >You slip up another finger, pressing it to her lips.
  3072. “Hear me out.”
  3073. >If your three hour long chase has taught her anything, it’s that she has no choice in that one.
  3074. “For the past thousand years, almost every single person, gryphon, changeling, pony, it doesn’t matter the species, has lied to me, deceived me, used me, and had all thrown my broken body away when they were done.”
  3075. >You jab a finger towards the changeling.
  3076. “Her mother is a FANTASTIC example of that! For DECADES, Cadance, she put up an act, she lied to me, and every one of my friends, so that I would let my guard down. And the moment I did? She laid her eggs in me.”
  3077. >”But father, that wasn’t-”
  3078. >Your temper flares.
  3079. >Before you know it, you grab a fistful of the changeling’s borrowed feathers, yanking her head down. “Aah!”
  3080. “Changelings should be SEEN, not HEARD. That was something your mother knew REAL well. If I want your stupid, uninformed opinion, I’ll ask for it. Got it?”
  3081. >”Sorry father?” she whimpers out, her eyes shut.
  3082. >Letting her go, you close your eyes and take a moment to compose yourself, taking a deep breath.
  3083. “She did. She did lie to me. She told me herself.”
  3084. >Opening your eyes, you see Cadance...well, she doesn’t exactly look upset at your sudden outburst.
  3085. >Heh.
  3086. >Looks like you found something she isn’t opposed to you abusing.
  3087. “Where was I...? Right...she made me think that she loved me. That she was even capable of it. I-here’s how dedicated she was, Cadance. She let me change. Her name.”
  3088. “When we first met, she was called...I don’t know, it was something stupid. Nymph. That was what I changed it to. And she loved it.”
  3089. >You glare at the changeling with those words, daring her to contradict you.
  3090. >She smartly keeps her mouth...beak...something shut, prompting you to move on.
  3091.  
  3092. “I could go on for ages about what she did to fool me. But the fact is, she made me fall in love with her. Think I could have a normal relationship here. That things might actually take a turn for the better.”
  3093. “Then I woke up one day, locked in a cage-the same one Celestia’s in, by the way-with these little nameless bastards growing inside of me and her going on about how stupid I was for trusting her.”
  3094. >The changeling opens her mouth in protest, only to slam it shut the moment you look her way.
  3095. “The point is...that was nothing new. My whole life it’s been like that. Then your aunt did the same. Fucking. Thing. She made me think that she empathized with me, that she understood what I’ve been through, that...that I could trust her!”
  3096. “Then I heard what she told you last night! The only thing that kept me from losing it was you, Cadance.”
  3097. >For the first time during your rant, she opens her eyes, meeting yours. “M-me? But...”
  3098. “When I left Celestia’s room, Luna called me in, and she taunted me, just like Nymph had. Laughed at me for thinking she’d ever see me as anything more than an animal...and I just saw red.”
  3099. “I took out a thousand years of anger and frustration out on her because you weren’t there. I don’t know what it is but...there’s something about you, Cadance. Something that makes me better. I’m trying but...I need you."
  3100. >You take her hoof in your free hand,
  3101. “I’m sorry, but I need you to come back and help me be better. For my sake. For your aunts sake. Can you forgive me?”
  3102. >...Huh.
  3103. >You don’t remember this part of Tartarus being quite so blurry when you were chasing her earlier.
  3104. >”I…” She averts her eyes for a moment, before offering you a weak, almost pitying smile.
  3105. >Twisting around, she wraps her wings around you in a sort of hug, nuzzling against your cheek, “Of course master. I forgive you.”
  3106. >...You win.
  3107.  
  3108. >As long as she thinks she can “redeem” you, there’s nothing she won’t let you get away with.
  3109. >Smiling from ear to ear, you return the hug.
  3110. “Thank you, Cadance. Thank you...You know, if you had sat still, we could have saved each other a lot of pain and suffering by doing this back home.”
  3111. >”I...I had thought you were going to…”
  3112. >Pulling away from the hug, you scratch behind her ear.
  3113. “Thought I was going to what? Rape you? You’re married, silly. Besides, you’re the only one who treats me even somewhat decently.”
  3114. >With both of your spirits considerably lighter, you continue on in silence, the journey ahead of you seeming much shorter now.
  3115. >Especially since, once again, you have an out, should Tirek fail.
  3116. >What was it the old coot said before? “The best lies are grown from a seed of truth,” or something.
  3117. >Well, you had one hell of a seed, there...and it paid off fantastically.
  3118. >Once more, you can feel a little glimmer of hope ignite inside you.
  3119. >Your third companion breaks that silence, your good mood, and the rule about how she shouldn’t be heard, “I’ll treat you decently, father.”
  3120. “Mm-hmm. I’m sure.”
  3121. >You almost slip on the puddle of sarcasm.
  3122. >”Also...she gave us names…”
  3123. “She what?!”
  3124. >You distinctly remember that little bitch fighting you about that one!
  3125. >She insisted that, “No, only queens have names.”
  3126. >You find your fists clenching again.
  3127. >...She must have done it just to spite you.
  3128.  
  3129. >”Mm-hmm! She named every one of us, like you had wanted! My name’s Forlorn Hope!”
  3130. “I’m not going to tell you again. Be quiet.”
  3131. >With your good mood ruined, the three of you trudge on, continuing your long walk home.
  3132. >Your mind wanders along with you.
  3133. >You have this new bug to break in...Cadance to take care of...Luna might finally be finished sobbing, and there’s still the matter of this “Twilight Sparkle” that your friends need to know about.
  3134. >Then there’s Celestia.
  3135. >She undoubtedly heard every single thing you did to her sister…
  3136. >If she didn’t hate you before, she sure as hell will now.
  3137. >Well, there’s a bright side to being so far away from home.
  3138. >It gives you plenty of time to plan exactly what you’re going to do when you arrive.
  3139.  
  3140. >For once, something goes right today.
  3141. >You manage to make it home without running across any MORE monsters that want to make your life miserable.
  3142. >Apparently one is your daily quota.
  3143. >Reaching your trap field, you lead the whining changeling by the tail down the path, while Cadance covers Hope’s eyes with her wings.
  3144. >...You could probably fix the whining thing, if you stopped yanking so hard on her tail.
  3145. >But you’re not doing it just to hurt her!
  3146. >You’re keeping her from figuring the safe path out.
  3147. >Yep.
  3148. >That’s the only reason.
  3149. >Sparing your back, you pry the door open with your mace and yank hard on Hope’s tail. “Owww!”
  3150. “In.”
  3151. >She stumbles backwards into your cave, allowing you to slip in after her, your door slamming shut seconds later.
  3152. >Hey, look at that, you’re home.
  3153. >...
  3154. >You still hate this place.
  3155. >Maybe you’ll tell Hope that you’ll consider going back to Nymph if she has her swarm reclaim the good cave for you.
  3156. >...Naaw.
  3157. “Alright Cadance, lead her into our room, would you? I’m going to go find uh...something to try and keep that from getting infected.”
  3158. >She blinks, her wings falling away to uncover Hope’s eyes, “Our room?”
  3159. >The changeling turned gryphon looks around, “Wow, this is where you live? It’s really pretty, I like it!”
  3160. >...
  3161. >Well, she’s certainly not doing anything to get into your good graces.
  3162. >Turning to stoke your perpetually burning fire, you listen to Hope backpedal, “It doesn’t look as comfy as the hive though...is it true you picked out that cave? You must really like green, don’t you father?”
  3163. >She really is not going to shut up, is she?
  3164. >You cut off Hope from continuing her asinine ramble by belatedly answering the pink pony.
  3165. “Yes, Cadance, OUR room. It’s getting a little cramped in here, don’t you think? I’ll let you two fight over who has to sleep alone. Now please, get going.”
  3166. >As you stride out of the room, Hope mumbles, ”Sorry father…”
  3167.  
  3168. >Keeping an ear out for any sign of Hope attempting to escape, you work your way to the back of the cave to check up on your two prisoners.
  3169. >The quiet clanging from Celestia’s room is all you need to know she hears you, and is ready to give you hell.
  3170. >Aah well.
  3171. >She can wait.
  3172. >Continuing down, you check up on the one you've made slightly more progress with.
  3173. >Well, look at that. The door you made for Luna’s room has held.
  3174. >...You maaaay have taken more than an hour before you went after Cadance.
  3175. >Not like you have any way to tell.
  3176. >Pressing your ear to it, you hear...wow.
  3177. >THAT’S a noise you haven’t heard in a long time.
  3178. >She’s keening.
  3179. >For a minute, you actually feel kind of guilty about putting her through this level of mental torture.
  3180. >...
  3181. >Alright, minute’s up.
  3182. >With an unburdened conscious, you start to move away.
  3183. >That’s when Luna’s cries change.
  3184. >You pause as her wailing now sounds more like she’s trying to get someone’s attention.
  3185. >Damn, did she hear you?
  3186. >No, she couldn’t have...between those ear-muffs and the door, there’s no way.
  3187. >Just in case, you take a few heavy steps, only to hear no change in her crying.
  3188. >...Hah.
  3189. >She can’t already be calling out to you, can she?
  3190. >That stupid girl didn’t even last a day!
  3191. >Safe in the knowledge that neither prisoner has made an escape attempt, with a bounce in your step, you head down to dig through your cache of rapidly dwindling supplies.
  3192. >You’ve already burned through what would normally last you a good month.
  3193. >Eh.
  3194. >There’s not any reason to hoard them, if you’re going to be free before you run out.
  3195. >Big if.
  3196. >Rather than dwell on just how gargantuan that “if” is, you instead focus on your present dilemma: who you’re more comfortable leaving alone at night.
  3197.  
  3198. >Princess “I want to do the ‘right thing’ by protecting two monsters and ruining Luna’s training” Cadance, or Forlorn “I want to drag you back to your psycho ex-girlfriend so she can lay eggs in you forever” Hope.
  3199. >Well...that’s a question that will prooobably be answered once you finish interrogating your newest prisoner.
  3200. >Once you’ve found...something…vaguely usable to clean the pink one, you head back to see what shape the two for them are in.
  3201. >You enter the room to see Cadance, laying on what’s left of your now cleared off mattresses, quivering and covering her eyes with her hooves.
  3202. >Hope is just sitting there on her haunches, staring at Cadance while making a kind of chittering sound.
  3203. >That is, until she sees you. “Welcome back, father! I’m really happy to-”
  3204. “You!”
  3205. >In two long strides, you reach the changeling and grab her by her forehead handle. “Aaah! Father, that feels r-really weird…”
  3206. >...Oh right.
  3207. >You remember Nymph getting all weak kneed whenever you played with her horn.
  3208. >That’s an erogenous zone.
  3209. >Great.
  3210. >Now you’re molesting her.
  3211. >And in front of your guest too...
  3212. “With me. Now.”
  3213. >You yank on that horn, practically dragging her out of the room, her hooves clacking on the ground as she stumbles to try to keep up.
  3214. “Stop. Terrorizing. Her.”
  3215. >With that, you drag Hope out into the hall, towards the only room that's currently unoccupied.
  3216. >”Father, she wasn’t any more scared of me than she was earlier! I promise, I was only trying to figure out what she is!”
  3217. “She’s a pony.”
  3218. >Hope blinks as you continue to manhandle her through your home, “What’s a pony?”
  3219. >...Right.
  3220. >She’s a native...Nymph’s probably the only banishee she’s ever actually had a conversation with.
  3221. >You should probably change the subject to something a little less depressing.
  3222. >With a deep sigh, you let go of her horn.
  3223. >Time for you to see just how cooperative she is.
  3224.  
  3225. “That's not important. Look. You said you were happy to see me when I came back?”
  3226. >”Mm-hmm!” Hope rather energetically nods.
  3227. “Right. Remember what I said before about how changelings should be seen and not heard? Your mother wagged her tail to SHOW me she was happy, without having to be heard.”
  3228. >”Ooohhh,” you can hear the dawning comprehension in her voice, “That’s because you’re emotion-blind, right? That must be horrible not to tell how things feel...”
  3229. >What little patience you’ve regained during your long walk suddenly evaporates.
  3230. >”Sorry!” Hope cries out before you can respond.
  3231. >It’s too little, too late.
  3232. >Drawing your hand back, you slap her black rump as hard as you can, earning a yelp from the changeling as she hops forward from the pain.
  3233. “Just get in there! And don’t move! I’ll be there in a minute.”
  3234. >She cries out in apology yet again as she gallops into what was once Cadance’s room...or may still be.
  3235. >You lean back against the wall and cover your face in your hands, massaging your forehead with your fingertips.
  3236. >A thousand years of the same routine, and suddenly everything’s happening at once.
  3237. >At this point, you’d love nothing more than to lay down, and do a whole lot of nothing for a good three days.
  3238. >It’s almost becoming sensory overload for you.
  3239. >”Ow!” Hope’s voice echos through the cavern as she no doubt trips over the rocks in that one spot.
  3240. >That’s what she gets for not looking where she’s going.
  3241. >Once you’re reasonably sure she isn’t about to come sneaking back out, you end your short break and return to the pink pony.
  3242. >Entering the room, you quickly approach her and get to work.
  3243. “Hey. How you holding up?”
  3244.  
  3245. >”Master…” Cadance shudders as you take her injured leg, pulling it out straight, “Why did you have to bring that thing back here? I don’t...I really don’t feel safe with it here…”
  3246. “I know. But it was either deal with one changeling or risk a thousand. We don’t exactly have a timetable until our friends bust us out of here, so it wasn’t a risk I wasn’t willing to take. Now hold still, this is going to sting.”
  3247. >She arches her back as you start to clean out her injury with...well, alright you’re not quite sure what it is, but it was able to hold a lot of water, and didn’t feel TOO scratchy. “Nn-nn-nn-aah! Ah! Ow!”
  3248. “I know, I know. It’s ok, you’re ok. Look. I promised I’d protect you, and even though it seems dangerous-dammit, hold still.”
  3249. >You yank on her leg, pulling it out straight again.
  3250. >”I’m-oowww-trying!”
  3251. >You continue on as though you hadn’t just been interrupted.
  3252. “Even though it seems dangerous, I promise you, you’re completely safe here. I may not be able to control everything out there, but in here, I most certainly can. Hope will NOT hurt you again. Alright, bandage time.”
  3253. >Cadance closes her eyes and nods, whether from your reassurances or your announcement of the next step, you aren’t sure.
  3254. >Regardless, you press your makeshift bandage-more like a large frond, really-to her wounds, “Nnn-aaahh!”
  3255. >Once you’ve secured it, you cup her muzzle in your hand and turn her head to meet your gaze.
  3256. “Look at me, Cadance. I told you to trust me. Even if it seems a bit unorthodox, I promise you, as long as you’re in my home, I’ll keep you just as safe as you were in your castle. Once you understand that, both our lives will be a lot easier.”
  3257. >Despite the fact that your nose is so close that it’s about to boop hers, she keeps her eyes cast downwards.
  3258.  
  3259. >”I know...I’m sorry Master. It’s just...I /really/ don’t like them...it just reminds me of the worst point of my life…”
  3260. >Slipping your hand from her muzzle, you trace your fingers over her fur, down her neck and over her withers before you pull her into a tight hug.
  3261. >Almost instinctively, she wraps her wings around you, her head resting on your shoulder as she returns the embrace.
  3262. “I know, Cadance. Now you know how I feel having your aunts here.”
  3263. >You just hold her for a moment, letting that sink in.
  3264. >It’s certainly true...you can safely blame every single bad thing that’s happened to you on those two.
  3265. >Eventually, with a firm pat to her withers, you break the embrace by standing up.
  3266. >Thaaaat...was a bad move.
  3267. >You practically have to bite your tongue to keep from groaning as your back howls at you for daring to use it.
  3268. “Anyway,” you say, once you’ve regained your composure, “Do you feel up for taking a short walk with me?”
  3269. >Cadance blinks, looking up at you, “Erm...maybe. Why?”
  3270. >You offer her your hand to help her stand up.
  3271. “If I’m going to protect you, then I need to figure out EXACTLY how much of a threat Hope is. Whether we need to worry about her running off or not. And well...I want you there with me, so you can do what you do best, and stop me if I’m going overboard.”
  3272. >Her mouth works for a moment before she finds the right words, “I...wow. Alright. I’ll help you, master.”
  3273. >Steeling herself, she starts working her way to her hooves, ignoring your awaiting hand.
  3274. >...Right.
  3275. >You’re an idiot.
  3276. >She’s quadrupedal, it’d probably be harder for her to get up WITH your help than without it.
  3277. >Once Cadance is standing again, you place your hand on her back and gently guide her out, towards the changeling.
  3278. >In what could in no way be an attempt to distract yourself from thinking about how wonderful your social graces are, you ask,
  3279. “Why do you seem so surprised that I wanted your help?”
  3280.  
  3281. >”I...honestly, master. I wasn’t sure if you were just telling me what I wanted to hear. But...this is showing that you really DO want help to be better.”
  3282. >She leans against you, giving what, if she wasn’t a married mare, could be construed as a nuzzle.
  3283. >But of course, that’d be silly to think.
  3284. “Cadance, we’ve been over this. I would never lie to you like that.”
  3285. >She flashes you a smile, ”I know...that’s why I forgave you. But it’s hard to get rid of that little voice in the back of your head.”
  3286. >Smiling right back, you sneak your hand up to gently scratch behind her ear as you two work your way to the changeling.
  3287. >Yep...you want to be better.
  3288. >You haven’t been desensitizing her to horrific violence to ruin her ability to tell what “better” is, or anything.
  3289. >And you certainly aren’t bringing her with you to normalize her to what a “real” interrogation in Tartarus is.
  3290. >Totally.
  3291. >...Although, if you ARE getting out of here, you really WILL need to turn off the “monster from Tartarus” mode. Especially if it’s not YOUR friends that let you free.
  3292. “Careful! That spot’s really tricky.”
  3293. >You carefully guide her around the rocks Hope tripped over earlier.
  3294. >”Father? And... Cadance-Pony? Is that you?” Said changeling calls out from the room.
  3295. >...Alright.
  3296. >Time to see what you can get away with.
  3297.  
  3298. >”Hello again, Pony and Father!” Hope chirps out, sitting on her haunches with her tail swaying from side to side behind her.
  3299. >...Huh.
  3300. >You didn’t actually expect her to start doing that so soon.
  3301. >Seeing such a tiny bug pony wag her tail is actually really cute.
  3302. >She’s like a mutant puppy.
  3303. >Cadance tenses up under your hand the moment she sees the changeling, the two of you having barely entered the room.
  3304. >You slide your hand up, over the back of her mane, until you reach that sweet spot behind her ear that everything in this world seems to have, and give her a gentle scratch.
  3305. “Why don’t you wait over here? You don’t need to do anything, or be any closer than you’re comfortable with.
  3306. >She leans her head forward, pulling away from your hand and tries to reach a hoof around to push you away, “I’m not really comfortable with THAT right now, Master.”
  3307. >You easily avoid her somewhat sluggish hoof and continue your light scratching.
  3308. “Oooh yes you are. You were fine with it on the way here.”
  3309. >”I...maybe…” she pauses a moment before resuming her attempts to stop you, “But do you really have to do it in front of...?” Her eyes dart in the direction of the changeling.
  3310. “Yes. Yes I do. I need to make sure YOU’RE ok, before I do anything else.
  3311. >Her resistance crumbles and she relents, ”Mmm…”
  3312. >She leans into your scratching hand, “Alright, masteerrr…”
  3313. >You give her a couple seconds of scratches before making your way towards Hope.
  3314. >“Father?” Her tail speeds up, and she cocks her head. “If you were just going to bring Cadance-pony in here with you, then why did you want me...to come in...here...?”
  3315. >Her wagging tail slows as you approach, her ears sinking down. “Father, I don’t know what I did, but I’m very sorry!”
  3316. >It’s almost like she can sense what’s on your mind or something.
  3317. >That you’re about to hurt her.
  3318.  
  3319. >Part of you may feel bad about doing this...she’d be a good ally, and she hasn’t done anything to you in a long, long time.
  3320. >But that’s just it. She HAS done something to you.
  3321. >You still remember what it felt like when she and her siblings killed you.
  3322. >She starts to scoot backwards before you grab her crooked horn and yank her head forward.
  3323. >Squeezing her eyes shut, she whimpers out, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’m sorry!”
  3324. >With a glance back to Cadance, you make a show of rolling your eyes.
  3325. >She covers her muzzle with a hoof and, just for a second, it looks like she’s trying to hide a giggle.
  3326. >But she wouldn’t do that, right?
  3327. >That would mean she thinks Hope’s overreacting.
  3328. >Looking back at the cowering, whimpering Hope, still repeating her apology, you growl out,
  3329. “You REALLY don’t know what you did? We could always start with the time you chewed a damn hole through my chest.”
  3330. >”I don’t remember that! Father, if you weren’t emotion-blind, you’d kno-”
  3331. >You yank her horn again, interrupting her cries.
  3332. “If I have to say the words “Seen, but not heard” a third time, I swear, I’m just going to start hurting you.”
  3333. >She shudders at your words but squeezes both her mouth and eyes shut before swallowing and nodding her head.
  3334. >She’s still shaking before you as little whimpers escape her throat.
  3335. >...This isn’t fair.
  3336. >You already have to hold back and you haven’t even gotten to do anything yet.
  3337. >Carefully, you kneel down, into a squat really, and take her head in your hands.
  3338. >She squeaks, but doesn’t pull away, squeezing her eyes even tighter as she tenses up.
  3339. “Look at me Hope.”
  3340. >You feel her head move just the tiniest bit, as though she was shaking her head no, “Nn-nn…”
  3341. >But you know she’s smart enough not to do that.
  3342. >Well...you’d hope, anyway.
  3343. “Look at me!”
  3344. >”Nnn!” She whines out, but cracks an eye open, her featureless blue orb peaking out.
  3345.  
  3346. “I’m not here to hurt you, alright? We’re here to talk to you.”
  3347. >To emphasise your point, you sneak two fingers back to stroke down her frill.
  3348. >”I...but I can feel-”
  3349. “I know. You’re afraid of what I’m going to do to you, if you act like your mother and start lying to us. But if you tell the truth, you have nothing to fear. Ok, Hope?”
  3350. >”Mm-hmm,” Hopes voice quakes, but she nods her head, closing her eye once more.
  3351. >You stand back up and give her another pat on the head.
  3352. >...Whoever said it doesn’t hurt to be nice needs to have a stern talk with your back, because it didn’t get the memo.
  3353. “Alright, let’s start with the obvious. Last I checked, Nymph’s territory was at LEAST a week away. So what the hell are you doing all the way out here? Has she expanded, set up an outpost, or what?”
  3354. >Hope blinks before cautiously opening her mouth, “What’s a week?”
  3355. “Oh for fuck’s sake!”
  3356. >You draw your hand back and slap the changeling across the face.
  3357. >She cries out in pain and recoils, covering her cheek with her forehooves.
  3358. “We can’t even get through the first damn question. How stupid do you think I am?”
  3359. >Whimpering, she doesn’t move from her guarded pose, as though she expects you to start kicking her or something, “I-I, I dunno…”
  3360. >Too bad she left her ears unguarded.
  3361. >You grab ahold of her pointy ear and yank her head, “Aahhoow!”
  3362. >Her hooves clatter against the stone as she’s forced back onto all fours.
  3363. “Everyone knows what a week is, Hope. Now I’m going to ask again. What are you doing all the way out here?”
  3364. >”I was looking for you!” She whines out before screwing her eyes shut, flinching in your grasp.
  3365. “Seriously? Why?”
  3366. >The words fly out of you before your brain can register them.
  3367. >Instantly, you regret them.
  3368. >You cringe, squeezing your eyes shut in what an outside observer would probably find to be a decent mirror of the changeling.
  3369. >You spent the whole walk home TELLING Cadance why.
  3370.  
  3371. >Maybe that mare really DOES have an effect on you.
  3372. >She makes you stupid.
  3373. >”I know what you said earlier, Father, but Moth-oooow!”
  3374. >You silence her by twisting her ear as your mind scrambles to find a way to salvage that.
  3375. “No, I mean...why were you looking for me all the way out HERE?”
  3376. >Smooth.
  3377. >”Oh!” Hope relaxes in your grasp as she actually sounds somewhat excited
  3378. >“I was following the things with the most recent memories! Lotsa things saw you around here recently, including a biiiiig spider with a wanna-be changeling on top, and a gryphon that got really hurt! Those two saw you only a little bit ago so I knew I was in the right spot!”
  3379. >...
  3380. >She’s been following you for HOW long?
  3381. >”Wait, she can read minds?!” Cadance exclaims from behind you, sounding downright terrified.
  3382. >Well, mind reading makes sense, you can recall Nymph saying she used to be able to do that when she had magic.
  3383. >You also recall how it works.
  3384. >Why would Cadance be so scared of that, it’s not like it’s always on-
  3385. >Oh right.
  3386. >The fourth alicorn.
  3387. >Hope could tell you EXACTLY where she’s hiding in a minute.
  3388. >Glancing back, you see Cadance all tensed up, her hooves half under her.
  3389. >...If you don’t do something to calm her down, she might try running again...and you’re in no shape to catch her right now.
  3390. >Stupid prey instincts.
  3391. >’Oh no, something’s scary, that means it’s time to run!’
  3392. >You’ve always prefered dealing with predators.
  3393. >”Mmhmm! I need to have eaten lotsa love first, but then I can see pictures! Only I don’t really SEE them as much as-”
  3394. >You point at Cadance.
  3395. “Prove it. Turn into her husband.”
  3396. >”F-father?” Hope looks up at your hand, then at you, your face reflecting in her blue, featureless eyes.
  3397. >”Master, that’s not funny,” Cadance gives you a dirty look.
  3398. >You return that look with one of dead seriousness.
  3399. “It’s not supposed to be. If her mother could do it, then anything from my memory’s compromised.”
  3400.  
  3401. >Turning your attention back to the changeling, you go on,
  3402. “I pumped your mother full of so much love that the holes on her legs closed up, and she could never do anything like that. Which means one of you is a liar. Normally, I’d think your mother’s the one lying, but this is a big claim. So turn into her husband.”
  3403. >“Don’t you dare!” The pink pony, in typical fashion for her family, flares her wings out, a sign you’ve quickly come to learn means she’s found your latest shenanigans to be intolerable, “Not my Shining!”
  3404. “Oh for-shut up, Cadance. I don’t believe for a second that she can do this, neither should you.”
  3405. >Hope blinks, having not looked away from you once during Cadance’s outburst, “Is she emotion-blind too, father? Because I can feel that you DO belie-eeeee-eeee-eee!”
  3406. >You snatch her gossamer wing and ball your hand into a fist, crushing the delicate membrane between your fingers.
  3407. >”-eeeow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” Hope slowly sinks down, her eyes squeezed shut in pain, only stopping once her belly presses to the stone floor.
  3408. >Just like her mother always had
  3409. > “Stop it, stop it-that’s-really-delicate-that really-hur-ur-urts!” Hope sobs out, pawing a hoof at the ground.
  3410. “Then turn into her husband! He’s a unicorn, Hope, he doesn’t HAVE wings to be hurt!”
  3411. >”But I-I can’t! I need-I need...I need to-see her-eeeyyees!” She squirms on the ground, tears dripping down her cheeks.
  3412. “You mean you want to terrorize her again. That’s what this was, wasn’t it?! You can’t read minds or you would have transformed those wings away. This is just an excuse to torment poor Cadance!”
  3413. >You rub your fingers back and forth, grinding her wing membrane between them, “Aaah! Aah! Sorry! Sorry!”
  3414. >”Master!” Cadance calls out, her voice sharp, causing you to instantly snap your hand open, releasing Hope’s wing.
  3415. >Crying, the changeling curls up in a ball, clutching her crumpled wing in her hooves.
  3416.  
  3417. >”You enjoy-oy-oyed thaaat…” She sobs out before taking the edge of her wing in her mouth, sucking on the very edge of it.
  3418. >Turning your attention to the lighter colored pony, you meet her half-hearted glare with a sheepish look of your own.
  3419. “Too far?”
  3420. >She nods wordlessly before looking down at the changeling, chewing on her lip, lifting a hoof.
  3421. >...She’s fighting with herself over whether or not she should comfort the poor thing.
  3422. >Too bad.
  3423. >That’s not her choice to make.
  3424. >Kneeling down, you rest your hand on Hope’s back.
  3425. >”Nnn!” She tries to scoot away without letting go of her wing.
  3426. >She doesn’t make it very far.
  3427. “Listen, Hope. I wouldn’t have had to do that if you would just tell the truth. I don’t want to hear made up stories. I’ve put up with too many of your mother’s lies to have any patience for yours.”
  3428. >She doesn’t outwardly respond, instead she only continues crying.
  3429. >But she stops trying to scoot away from you.
  3430. >The clip-clop of hooves joins the sound of Hope’s sobbing, informing you that Cadance is trying to join you with comforting Hope.
  3431. >No, bad pony.
  3432. >Kneeling down, you wrap your arms around Hope’s small form and lift her up, turning her around.
  3433. >”Noooo no, no, not again, you’re right, I lied, I’m soo-rrryy!”
  3434. >She finally abandons her wing to struggle, squirming and thrashing in your arms to try and escape your grasp.
  3435. >Despite her pain-weakened hooves pushing against your chest, you force her against you, hugging her close, her head resting on your shoulder.
  3436. “Shhh, shh-shh. Calm down, Hope.”
  3437. >She bats a hoof against your side, her sobbing not slowing, “You don’t mean thiiiiis…”
  3438.  
  3439. >You simply repeat your shushing and gently rock her back and forth as she slowly but surely calms down, her sobs eventually being replaced with little hiccups and sniffles.
  3440. >Candance reaches you in the middle of comforting her, offering the changeling a gentle, rubbing hoof.
  3441. >Finally, Hope speaks, “M-mother said that...she said you wouldn’t hurt me…”
  3442. >You tug at the corners of your mouth, trying to resist smiling.
  3443. “That’s because your mother’s a liar, Hope.”
  3444.  
  3445. >For a moment, it feels like she’s shaking her head no against you...and that whimper aaallmost sounds like she’s trying to say no.
  3446. >But if she’s ACTUALLY your daughter, she would be smart enough not to try to contradict you.
  3447. >Especially in front of company.
  3448. >”Nnnn…” Hope whines out, shuddering against you as she threatens to cry once more.
  3449. >You sigh.
  3450. “Alright, that settles it. Cadance?”
  3451. >She looks at up at you, her hoof still rubbing Hope’s back.
  3452. “I don’t know about you, but after our adventure today, I could use a nap. Hope’s proven she can’t be trusted, and I’m not going to subject you to her, so you get the room.”
  3453. >Switching your attention, you pat the changeling on the back.
  3454. “Come on, Hope, you get to stay with me tonight.”
  3455. >The changeling in your arms freezes up for a moment, “Noooo, I don’t wanna! I don’t wanna stay with you!” She resumes her struggles, her hooves pushing at your chest, trying to break your hold on her.
  3456. “Really? So you want to stay with Cadance? Is that because she’s injured and we both know she wouldn’t be able to stop you if you decide to attack her, AGAIN, and run off to your MOTHER?”
  3457. >She winces, no doubt feeling your enmity towards her mother, but stops fighting, “N-no..I...I wanna…”
  3458. >Cadance speaks up, “Maybe she can stay with Auntie Lu-”
  3459. >You silence her with a glare, earning yourself a whimper from Hope, “Nnn…!”
  3460. >”I wanna go hoooome!” Hope wails out as her tears spill once more, “You’re not supposed to hurt your daughter like this!”
  3461. >Pulling back, you cup her muzzle in your hand, turning her head up to meet yours.
  3462. “Hope. If you’re really my daughter, then you ARE home, now.”
  3463. >With a smile, you pull her back into that hug.
  3464. >As screwy as it is...you mean it, too.
  3465. >It’s not like she can ever go back to her mother’s hive.
  3466. >Not unless you take some very horrid precautions before setting her loose.
  3467.  
  3468. >”Noooo, no, no, this isn’t the hive!” Hope whines out, shaking her head.
  3469. “No, it’s not. But at least THIS place has running water. Now come on.”
  3470. >You slip your arms around her and move to pick her up. “Nooo, I don’t wanna!” She bursts out squirming against you, once more trying to push you away.
  3471. >You barely lift her off her hooves before your body rather rudely informs you that it’s not going to happen.
  3472. >Abandoning that attempt, you grab ahold of Hope’s frill.
  3473. “Look. You can either come voluntarily, or I can drag you. But you’re not staying with Cadance, and you’re not leaving the cave.”
  3474. >You barely put any pressure on her frill before she cries out, “I’ll come! I’ll come!”
  3475. “Good girl.”
  3476. >Sliding your hand over, you give her a gentle ear scratch before pushing down, using her almost as a cane as you stand back up.
  3477. >Surprisingly, she manages to support your weight with only a minimal amount of sniffling.
  3478. >With a gentle pat to the back of her head, you start to guide Hope out of the room.
  3479. “Now let’s go...Cadance?” You look at the pink pony princess, who has still barely moved.
  3480. “Sorry about this. I know how much you were looking forward to our sleepy snuggle sessions. Are you going to be able to get to bed tonight?”
  3481. >She replies with a dirty look, “I’m sure I’ll make do. If I really can’t sleep, I could always stay with aunt Celestia.”
  3482. >The words are barely out of her mouth before you turn your head and snap at her,
  3483. “Nope.”
  3484. >”I…” her voice dies in her throat, her mouth dangling open for a moment, “Excuse me? After what you’ve done today, I need to-”
  3485. >You jab a finger at her, cutting her off to finish her sentence for her
  3486. “Sit here, and rest until you’ve started healing. You are in no condition to be walking around on your own. If you need help, you can yell for me. But you’re not going to wander around the cave unsupervised.”
  3487. >Hope shudders under your guiding hand.
  3488.  
  3489. >Cadance, perhaps picking up on the changeling’s reaction towards your feelings, seems to relent, “I...alright, Master…”
  3490. >...
  3491. >No, that was too easy.
  3492. >She’s going to try to sneak out and see one of them once she thinks you’re asleep...again.
  3493. >Only this time, it won’t be to push YOUR agenda.
  3494. >Great...as if you didn’t have enough to worry about.
  3495. >Well, arguing the point when she’s already feigning acquiescence won’t get you anywhere...you’ll just have to catch her again, tonight.
  3496. >...Maybe you could avoid this if you ever get around to actually TELLING her that her aunts are off limits.
  3497. >Then again...she was all worked up on whether or not she was your prisoner yesterday...and you didn’t do yourself any favors to clear THAT up by hunting her down and dragging her back home.
  3498. >...You’ll try and find a more appropriate time to let her know.
  3499. “Glad to hear, Cadance. I’ll be back in a bit with your bed and a blanket. Move, Hope.”
  3500. >With a push to her back, you guide the changeling out of Cadance’s room.
  3501. >Once the two of you are presumably out of range of Hope’s emotion sense, she mumbles out, “You weren’t glad to hear that…”
  3502. >You keep your voice low, to keep Cadance from having an easy time listening with her super-hearing.
  3503. “No. No I was not. Do you know why?”
  3504. >She gives you the barest shake of her head as you continue to guide her back to your room, her gaze planted firmly at her forehooves.
  3505. “It’s because I don’t need to smell emotions to know when someone is lying to me.”
  3506. >She tenses under your hand, opening her mouth to protest…
  3507. >Oooohhh, if Cadance hears her…
  3508. >”I...e…” Hope makes nothing more than the barest of sounds before closing her mouth with a bit of a squeek.
  3509. >She’s about ready to cry again.
  3510. >You stay silent, deciding to wait to add fuel to that fire, the only sound between you two being the clipclop of Hope’s heavy hoofsteps.
  3511.  
  3512. >It’s once you enter your room, that you speak up, continuing on as though the pause in your conversation never happened,
  3513. “For example, I know you were telling the truth about being able to read minds.”
  3514. >”What?!” She cries out, her voice shaking, tears once again threatening to fall.
  3515. “Shh!”
  3516. >You snatch at her jaw, trying to squeeze her muzzle shut before she can yell out something for Cadance to hear.
  3517. >Unfortunately, the muscles in a changeling’s jaw are stronger than your hand.
  3518. >“You-you knew and you still hurt me..?”
  3519. “Yes. Yes I did, now be QUIET Hope. I-”
  3520. >Hope burst out into tears, slipping from your hand as she collapses onto the straw-mat you call a bed and wails out, “Bu-ut I did what you waaanted!”
  3521. “No. No you did not. You scared Cadance which...I...explicitly told you not to...before...”
  3522. >You trail off as you realize your anger filled reply is only making her cry harder.
  3523. >Great.
  3524. >She’s going on like you broke her leg or something, and all you did was slightly abuse her wing.
  3525. >Comforting her right now is only going to encourage this behavior.
  3526. >Especially when you’re tempted to condition her to handle the pain you inflicted earlier, just like you did with her mother...
  3527. >...Then again...you were kind of harsh.
  3528. >Maybe...you’ll let her cry herself out.
  3529. >Folding your legs under you, you join her, practically collapsing on the bed as she sobs before you.
  3530. >As you watch her, a little voice of doubt begins to nag at your mind
  3531. >Maybe...maybe you were too harsh on her.
  3532. >Jumping straight to the wings was a bit much...
  3533. >After all, she could have gotten you the location of Twilight right away, if you had actually made her use her mind control.
  3534. >But no, you had to get your revenge first thing.
  3535. >You couldn’t have waited until AFTER she was useful.
  3536.  
  3537. >Now you might not ever be able to take advantage of her...unique abilities.
  3538. >As you stew in your guilt, it seems to have an effect on Hope...well, she stops crying so hard, anyway.
  3539. >In fact...she seems to be calming down even faster than when you were hugging her in front of Cadance.
  3540. >...Must be because there isn’t someone who’s racist against her in the room with the two of you.
  3541. >Regardless of the reason, you wait until her crying has been reduced to hiccups and whimpers once again, before speaking.
  3542. “Hooope. Come here. On my lap.”
  3543. >She curls up into a ball at your voice.
  3544. >”I don’t wanna…” She whines, her voice as shaky as your long-term memory.
  3545. “Forlorn Hope, do not make me tell you again.”
  3546. >Your lack of patience makes itself clear in your voice.
  3547. >”Nnn!” She whines out, but drags herself onto your lap, her rump settling in rather nicely as she makes a point of facing away.
  3548. >You wrap your arms around her barrel, hugging her against you once again as you sneak a hand up to rest behind her ear.
  3549. >”Whyyyy…” She sniffles, “Why did you hurt me…?”
  3550. “Because you hurt me, Hope. A long time ago, you hurt me even worse than I hurt you just now...and ever since then, I’ve wanted to punish you for it..”
  3551. >”I-I don’t remember that…” she almost sobs out, repeating the line from earlier.
  3552. >You sigh, forcing yourself to admit a fact you’ve denied for decades.
  3553. “I know. I know it’s not your fault, Hope. You were just hatched, you were too young to be responsible for your actions...but you still hurt me, and I wanted to hurt you. But now that I have...We can wipe the slate clean. ”
  3554. >You squeeze her against you.
  3555. “I’ll stop comparing you to your mother, treat you as your own changeling...who has repaid her debts. What do you say?”
  3556. >Hope sits there, her shaking slowing, “You don’t believe that…you still don’t like me...”
  3557. >...Well.
  3558. >So much for lying to her.
  3559.  
  3560. “You’re right. But I’d like to. It’s just a bit hard to give up on so many years of being mad at you.”
  3561. >Sneaking your hand back, you start scratching over her ear.
  3562. >Unlike Cadance, she doesn’t show any sign of reacting.
  3563. >...You know she has that spot. Her mother certainly did.
  3564. “But...I know of something that would go a looong way to fixing that…”
  3565. >Her ears perk up the slightest bit, “What is it?”
  3566. “The next time you see Cadance, I want you to SECRETLY read her mind. She CANNOT know you’re doing this. There’s three other ponies that look just like her, with both wings and a horn. One’s white, with a rainbow colored mane. You know what a mane is, right? Your mother has one.”
  3567. >”Mm-hmm.” She nods.
  3568. “Good girl. One’s blue, with a big black butt, just like your mother...and I don’t know what the third one looks like. But her name is Twilight Sparkle, and I NEED you to tell me where she is right now. It’s very, very important Hope. Can you do that for me?”
  3569. >Looking around her head, you can juuuuust barely catch her chewing on her lip.
  3570. >”Will you maybe want to see mother again, if I do?”
  3571. >No.
  3572. >Absolutely not.
  3573. >...Maybe.
  3574. >You...miiight need a backup plan if your friends on the surface manage a repeat of Discord’s first escape.
  3575. >Especially if you’re stuck with the princesses.
  3576. >Buuuut...hopefully it won’t have to come to THAT.
  3577. “I’ll…think about it. How about we see how good of a job you can do with this first, ok?”
  3578. >”O-ok,” Hope seemingly reluctantly agrees, settling in against you.
  3579. >...She’s going to follow in her mother’s footsteps and lie to you, you just know it.
  3580. >But...after your screw-up earlier, you don’t have much of a choice.
  3581. “Good. Now, scoot. I need to bring Cadance her half of the bedding. You’re going to stay here and wait for me, understand?”
  3582. >She cautiously nods before climbing off your lap and curling up next to the bed, staring at you with her large, blank eyes.
  3583.  
  3584. >Rolling off the bed, you get to work on gathering up Cadance’s half, grabbing the newly-prepared animal pelt she gathered earlier, so she’ll even get a blanket.
  3585. >Juuust as you finish folding them up, a now-familiar crack rings out, causing you to drop the bundle, and making Hope jump a good foot in the air.
  3586. >Now? Really?!
  3587. >”Anon!” Tirek’s voice calls out, “Times up!”
  3588. >Twisting yourself around, you look back at the portal that’s opened up, seeing the giant, musclebound centaur you call a friend, his beady eyes glaring at you.
  3589. >”We need to know where she…” His eyes slip from you, looking at...well, without looking, you’d have to guess the only other living thing in the room.
  3590. >”Is that...what I think it is?”
  3591.  
  3592. “Yup. All that food you sent me attracted some bugs. Let me guess, the high and mighty king of the centaurs wants me to squish the icky bug for him?”
  3593. >Tirek sneers at your joke, but despite his altered appearance, you can still read him perfectly.
  3594. >His heart isn’t in it.
  3595. >”You are still YOU, I hope? Don’t forget what the last one did to you.”
  3596. >D’aww, the big guy’s worried about you.
  3597. >...Would have been nice if he had been worried about you at all within the past two years.
  3598. >He always pulls this crap.
  3599. >Does his own thing riiight up until there’s something he wants, and then he pesters you endlessly until you get it done.
  3600. >...And now that he’s big, buff and magical, you can’t screw with him in return by putting everything on the high shelf.
  3601. >...Still…
  3602. >He might be onto something.
  3603. >You were seriously considering the possibility of going back to Nymph…
  3604. >Which, of course, would mean you’d be used as a giant egg-sack for the next eternity.
  3605. >What the hell is WRONG with you?!
  3606. >You’ll...you’ll figure this out in a bit. After you’re done talking with Tirek.
  3607. >The last thing you want to do is make your two friends think you might have been compromised.
  3608. “Yes, I’m still me. But since you’ve decided to check up on me every two hours, I thought I’d pull in someone who can get results quicker. Say hello, Hope.”
  3609. >”Hello, Hope,” she parrots, her words quickly greeted by a laugh from Discord.
  3610. >...You can’t tell if that was on purpose.
  3611. >”Sorry!” She squeaks out an instant before both you and Tirek shoot her a pair of dirty looks.
  3612. >Once she’s been returned to an appropriate level of misery, Tirek speaks, “Well?”
  3613. “Well what?”
  3614. >“Where is the alicorn?!” He explodes behind the portal, “We’re running out of time, and you’ve spent most of it screwing around! We need to know where she is and NOW!”
  3615. >Oooh no, he’s not blaming this one on you.
  3616.  
  3617. >Approaching the portal, you jab your finger at him.
  3618. “I’ve spent? I’ve spent?! Don’t you DARE throw this at me! You had TWO YEARS to do this, and you waited until the last possible second to drop them on the one member of our trio who DOESN’T have magic.”
  3619. >Something clicks in your mind as you start working yourself into a frenzy.
  3620. >A question that had been bugging you for quite a while now.
  3621. >Something that very well might mean he’s screwing with you.
  3622. “I-now that I think about it, you have MAGIC, and I have a stick! What the HELL were you thinking, dropping them on me?! Why didn’t you start, I don’t know, turning them inside out if you needed this done so fast?”
  3623. >You glare at Tirek, demanding some sort of half-baked answer so you can properly explode at him.
  3624. >However, rather than rise to the challenge, his fearsome look melts away, softening into a gentle smile.
  3625. >”I owe you an explanation.”
  3626. “You’re damn right you do.”
  3627. >His face twitches to some unreadable emotion for a moment before he begins.
  3628. >”When we invaded the palace, Celestia went on a tangent about how they had rid themselves of their magic, and thus they were worthless to me. I couldn’t tell if they had a plan or not, so I removed them before they could activate some sort of artifact, or failsafe behind our backs.”
  3629. >He grins a rather toothy grin, his teeth as horrible as always, “See? We have this under control. The only snare in the plan, is that Twilight’s proven more difficult to find than we thought.”
  3630. >...
  3631. >You search of an appropriate rant to respond, only to discover you’ve run out of outrage to fuel it.
  3632. >Instead, you offer a humorless chuckle.
  3633. “You always know just the right thing to say, Tirek. Fine, I-”
  3634. >Tirek?” Hope cries out, “You’re-”
  3635. >So much for her having a clean slate.
  3636. >You whirl around to glare at her, letting her feel the consequences if she keeps speaking.
  3637.  
  3638. >”-he...mother...to...I...but...sorry...” She squeezes her eyes shut and puts her head down before mumbling, “Seen and not heard…”
  3639. >Well, at least she’s learning.
  3640. >Turning back to Tirek, you try to continue where you left off.
  3641. “I’ve only had Hope for a good...I don’t know, twenty minutes or so? I haven’t even had a chance to put her to work. Your constant pestering is screwing up my plans, which means we won’t get results. I need a good week, minimum, to just work.”
  3642. >Tirek’s scowl returns, “You have a day.”
  3643. “No, no. You gave me enough food to last a month. I’m offering you a week.”
  3644. >His scowl evolves into a snarl, “A DAY, human! You don’t need to get your revenge, you just need to point the insect at one of them, so WE can move on. How long could that POSSIBLY take?!”
  3645. >Rubbing your chin, you look down, thinking.
  3646. >You somehow doubt you’d be able to trust Hope's results right now...or if she even CAN get anything from them.
  3647. >Not to mention there’s a very good chance only one of the alicorns even KNOWS where Twilight is.
  3648. “Two days.”
  3649. >He waves for a moment before spitting out, “Fine. But no more. We NEED to know EXACTLY where she is by then.”
  3650. “Good. You’ll have results by then. Now close this thing before Cadance shows up.”
  3651. >His face twitches once again before he does as you asks, the portal vanishing once more.
  3652. >Taking a deep breath, you turn to look at Hope.
  3653. “Now WHAT were you trying to say earl-”
  3654. >Another portal cracks open.
  3655. “Son of a bitch!”
  3656. >That’s it.
  3657. >First thing you’re doing the next time you meet Tirek is putting his immortality to work.
  3658. >Turning around, because apparently their idea of a good time is to always open their portals BEHIND you, your gaze is soon met by the snaggle-toothed grin of Discord.
  3659. >”Anon...did you get eaten again?”
  3660. >Oh sure, NOW they’re both worried about you.
  3661. >He still never bothered to contact you before.
  3662.  
  3663. “No, I got into a fight with the ground, and that guy has a mean left hook. What do you want?”
  3664. >Discord chuckles at your sarcasm, ”I couldn’t help but overhear your discussion with our roid-raging friend, and I thought I’d shed light on the cause of his latest tantrum.”
  3665. >...You really should tell him to, as he would say, ‘make like a tree and split’ before Cadance shows up...especially after the way he almost broke her fragile mind this morning.
  3666. >Buuut…
  3667. “Discord, do you even give a damn about me?”
  3668. >His bushy brow furrows, “Anon, what are you talking about?”
  3669. >You jab your finger at him, just as you had Tirek a few moments ago, before devolving into wildly gesturing.
  3670. “Two years of NOTHING from you. I told you before, I seriously thought you abandoned me! ‘Oh, thanks for breaking me out, Tirek. We have our magic back, we don’t NEED the human now!’ That’s what this is, isn’t it? You only contact me when it’s about Tirek, or something you need. No social calls, no nothing.”
  3671. >He places a paw on his chest, as though you had wounded him.
  3672. >”Of course not! I can barely get a snortle out of him on the best days! You KNOW I would have written, the problem is that he WASN’T the one who let me out.”
  3673. >...What.
  3674. >There isn’t a FOURTH member of your group, is there?
  3675. >No...no, of course not.
  3676. >He’s made it out on his own once before, maybe he pulled that off again.
  3677. >...If he’s figured out a way to escape his own prison with ease, you may be going through this song and dance a lot more often, in the future.
  3678. >You need to find out.
  3679. “Wait, really? How the hell did you get out, then?”
  3680. >”Believe it or not, Celestia. She decided I could be “reformed,”” he makes overly large air quotes, “She even stuck me with a babysitter, if you can believe it. I couldn’t contact you without tipping them off that something was amiss.”
  3681. >With those words, your carefully constructed worldview come crashing down.
  3682.  
  3683. >She what.
  3684. >You’ve never known of literally ANYTHING ever being released.
  3685. >Period.
  3686. >Celestia not only has the power to, she has the inclination to release prisoners...and she purposely LEFT you here.
  3687. >No.
  3688. >You must have misheard him.
  3689. >This might be one of his jokes that’s just going too far...like that time he told you minotaur milk had everything you needed to survive.
  3690. “...What the fuck do you mean reformed? She let you out? On her own? Why?! Was she letting any others out?”
  3691. >You can hear Hope shuffle away from you as she no doubt senses just how very, very close you are to losing your mind at this news.
  3692. >”Erm...not that I know of. She said...perhaps we should change the subject? You could always ask her yourself, once you’ve calmed down.”
  3693. “Yes. Let’s. Before I have an aneurism. I know: Tirek. Has he been happy AT ALL since he got out?”
  3694. >Overjoyed to change the subject, Discord makes a big show of thinking, his eagle claw resting on his chin.
  3695. >“Hmmm...not that I can recall. He has some scheduled for next Tuesday, but you know how those things go. Now, I have an idea to help get your mind off things. Let me put on a show for you...but watch closely. I’m only going to repeat this until it stops being amusing.”
  3696. >With a snap of his fingers, he vanishes in a puff of smoke, revealing a verdant lake, in the middle of a forest, the sun hanging high above the treeline.
  3697. >Hey, real nature.
  3698. >You haven’t seen anything like this since your banishment.
  3699. >Granted, you got over the whole ‘drooling at how beautiful Equestria was as you remember what the outside world looked like,’ thing during Discord’s first escape not too long ago.
  3700. >But it doesn’t stop being beautiful.
  3701. >It actually does help cheer you up...pretty soon you’ll be walking IN that scene.
  3702. >It’ll be your life.
  3703. >...
  3704. >Hope hasn’t seen ANYTHING like this in her life.
  3705.  
  3706. >Can you really destroy her reality by showing her a glimpse of paradise and revealing Tartarus as the hell it is, knowing that she’ll spend eternity pining for the chance of another?
  3707. >...The look on her face will be priceless.
  3708. >You beckon her over the changeling way.
  3709. “Hope. Come here. There’s something I want you to see.”
  3710. >She approaches, cautiously at first, but once she realizes your near rage-out has subsided, she quickly reaches your side, sitting at your feet.
  3711. >You look down at her looking for any sign of emotion.
  3712. She cocks her head, but, with her eyes all one color, without tears it’s impossible to read any emotion in them.
  3713. >Her mouth gapes open, ”Wow, it’s just like that one nightmare Mother has, but a lot brighter. Why is the sky blue and on fire? Mother never said.”
  3714. >...
  3715. >Well that was a disappointment.
  3716. >”Did I do something wrong, father…?”
  3717. “Shush. The fire’s called the sun. Don’t look directly at it unless you want to go blind.”
  3718. >You then remember the first time Nymph ever tried to sense Discord’s emotions.
  3719. >The way she clutched her head in her hooves, screaming in agony...before panicking and screaming even louder that she could no longer sense emotions.
  3720. “Or directly at Discord, for that matter. Same reason different sense.”
  3721. >You place your hand on her head a moment before someone you’ve never heard before calls out, “Introducing, the Great and Powerful Discord!”
  3722. >...Who the hell is that?!
  3723. >You don’t have much time to ponder that question as the air erupts with the sound of what you guess is hundreds of pony’s hooves clapping, followed by Discord floating into sight a good distance away, dressed in his magician’s outfit.
  3724. >How he managed to dress himself as incorporeal projection was always a mystery to you...as well as why he considered clothes to be optional.
  3725.  
  3726. >Once the applause dies down, Discord launches into a speech, “Changeling, Gentle-human, and my enthralled subjects. Watch, and be amazed as I, Discord, make the very sun disappear!”
  3727. >As he starts going through his ‘nothing up my sleeves while amusing things fall out of said sleeves’ routine, you glance down at Hope.
  3728. >She seems to be completely rapt.
  3729. >A drumroll begins, signifying the beginning of the magic trick.
  3730. >Looking up you see...boo, he does something like this all the time.
  3731. >He has his lion’s paw at the perfect height to look like it’s touching the sun.
  3732. >The monster’s been restored to near omnipotence, and he STILL doesn’t have any new material.
  3733. >Discord makes a big show of struggling to slowly push downwards, and as he does so, the sun lowers along with it, until he’s forced it below the horizon.
  3734. >Once the sky’s gone dark, he calls out, “Tada!” and bows, the crowd erupting into cheers.
  3735. >”I don’t get it,” Hope comments, mirroring your own thoughts.
  3736. >After all, he did the exact same thing earlier today with much less fanfare.
  3737. >As you start to think of an appropriate response, the sun rockets back up, the crowd gasping in horror as it returns to it’s previous position.
  3738. >Discord snarls and snaps his fingers, appearing in front of the portal sans outfit, “Do you SEE the problem, Anon?”
  3739. >No. No you do not.
  3740. “I uh...I don’t get it. Mind explaining for the idiots in the cave?”
  3741. >”She put the sun back on her first try!” He cries out, sounding almost despondent, “She took all the FUN out of it!”
  3742. >You take a moment to rub your forehead.
  3743. “So...Tirek’s mad that she ruined your game? That sounds exactly nothing like him.”
  3744. >”No, it means Twilight Sparkle’s LEARNING. She’s getting better at controlling her magic. The longer it takes to find her, the more difficult OUR job is going to be. And…”
  3745. >...Oh.
  3746. >Oooooohh!
  3747. >He's saying they could lose this thing if you take too long.
  3748.  
  3749. >That got the point across as to why Tirek’s been pushing you so hard.
  3750. “Alright, I’ll uh...keep that in mind. But in the meantime, maybe you two should think about brushing up on your magic uh...combat...whatever the hell you guys do.”
  3751. >That gets Discord grinning again, “Oh, absolutely. After the next act, of course. Blindfolded knife-throwing. Would you like to watch?”
  3752. >With a deep sigh, you shake your head.
  3753. “No...no. You got me into serious mode. I’m going to get to work on finding Twilight.”
  3754. >He grins, quite literally from ear to ear, “Oooh, I get it, not kid friendly enough for the concerned father. Speaking of..."
  3755. >He drops any pretense of amusement, "Hope is going to tell you some very disturbing things. But you can trust her. The bug doesn’t have a dishonest bone in her body.”
  3756. >How does he know about…
  3757. >Wait.
  3758. >Bug...bones...
  3759. >You laugh and wave him away.
  3760. “Ooh, that’s bad. Get out of here, you.”
  3761. >With a smirk, Discord pinches the portal and zips it shut, leaving no trace of the hole in reality.
  3762. >”I’m confused…” Hope mumbles once she thinks it’s safe to talk.
  3763. >...Right.
  3764. >You have a job to do.
  3765. “Good. Stay confused right there. I’m going to bring Cadance her bedding.”
  3766. >”Ok, Father.” Hope does as you command, sitting there and...as far as you can tell, watches you as you gather up Cadance’s bedding and head out.
  3767. >Discord’s over-the-top message weighs on your mind as you make your way to your guest’s room.
  3768. >Maybe...maybe asking for two days WAS too long.
  3769. >If Twilight’s already ruining Discord’s fun after less than a day, it means she’s getting good real fast.
  3770. >And, for all you know, she might be the magical equivalent of you-the one who’s good at combat.
  3771. >It would make sense, after all.
  3772. >Why NOT give the best fighter all the advantages they could ask for?
  3773. >Whiiich...means you might have to fall back on the offer Cadance made before, that she would take you with her.
  3774.  
  3775. >Assuming it’s still open, after you hunted her down like an animal.
  3776. >Speaking of the pink pony…
  3777. >You pause as you enter her room, looking around.
  3778. >...Where is she?
  3779. >A second scan of reveals nothing.
  3780. >She’s not here.
  3781. >Shit!
  3782. >Dropping your bundle, you take off, sprinting down the hall, skidding around the corner before running towards your prisoners.
  3783. >Shit, shit, shit, she must have snuck off when you were talking to your friends!
  3784. >What is WITH this mare?!
  3785. >She has more trouble sitting still than a damn child-you know this now, because even HOPE stays in the room when you tell her to.
  3786. >If she tore down the door to Luna’s room, she could've ruined Luna’s training…
  3787. >You skid to a halt at the fork between Celestia and Luna’s rooms.
  3788. >You can hear hushed voices...dammit you can’t make out the words.
  3789. >But they’re coming from Celestia’s room!
  3790. >You start sneaking down the hall as the faint clanging of metal joins them, filling the air.
  3791. >”Got it!” Cadance cries out in victory, the first words you can make out before you hear the sound of the rusted cage door swing open, ”Now let me help you get the muzzle off.”
  3792. >Repeating your actions from last night, you creep up on the entrance to the room and stop, deigning to listen in for right now.
  3793. >You’ve been waiting for Cadance to finally try to betray you properly but…you had just started to trust her.
  3794. >Maybe she just wants her snuggles?
  3795. >She did ask to stay with Celestia, after all...
  3796. >”He did something to Luna, I don’t know what, but I’ll try to help her. I can’t...get a good grip! Auntie, if you can sneak past, just push the door and run for it. He caught me but...you have longer legs, and I don’t think he can do it again today!"
  3797. >Well, she’s right on that.
  3798. >But you CAN’T let them know it.
  3799. >...If you’re going to make a move, you need to decide NOW.
  3800.  
  3801. >Your mind races as you work through your possible options, Cadance’s words having yet to sink in emotionally.
  3802. >First thing’s first, deal with the impending crisis, THEN you can get upset.
  3803. >As for HOW…
  3804. >Well, if you hadn’t rolled your way down a mountain earlier, you’d just pick one of them up and throw her into the other.
  3805. >But that’s not going to happen right now.
  3806. >Stupid, you just HAD to leave your hunting gear by the fire!
  3807. >You should have at least kept your knife on you.
  3808. >Now it’ll take too long to get to it.
  3809. >You’re not sure how fast they’ll move, but you’re not about to give them a chance to jeopardize Luna’s training.
  3810. >Hope’s always an option…
  3811. >Let her do the magic thing on those two, and probably fling them around like toys.
  3812. >...No.
  3813. >She might decide this is the perfect chance to drag you back to her mommy.
  3814. >...
  3815. >Dammit, you need time to THINK!
  3816. >But you cannot let them believe they can get away with trying to escape.
  3817. >You need to seem like an all knowing god, who’ll swoop in the moment they try to disobey you.
  3818. >Which you can’t DO right now because of your damn back!
  3819. >...Actually...you probably could.
  3820. >THEY don’t know you’re hurting, all they know is you’ve already subdued of them once.
  3821. >You just need to give up the element of surprise...but a little yelling, maybe a punch or two, or even a broken leg, and Celestia will slink right back into her cage.
  3822. >Like a good girl.
  3823. >With your mind made up, you approach the room, letting your footfalls land heavy on the smooth ground to announce your presence.
  3824. >Right when you hear a sharp gasp, you call out with a big shit eating grin,
  3825. “Actually Cadance, you’d be surprised. I could chase every one of you down, and STILL do a victory lap around the whole mountain range.”
  3826. >You hear her mumble something unintelligible, followed by the clip-clop of hooves.
  3827. >But you don’t see any movement…
  3828. >They’re going to try to ambush you, aren’t they?
  3829.  
  3830. “You know what’s sad? I was ACTUALLY going to let you get your nightly nuzzles. I thought ‘Alright. If she wants to tear open her wounds, then SHE gets to deal with the pain.’ But escape?! I TRUSTED you, Cadance!”
  3831. >Staying close to the far wall, just in case they’re trying to be sneaky, you round the corner.
  3832. >...They’re both standing next to each other by the cage.
  3833. >Those two really WOULDN’T have lasted a day if they weren’t with you.
  3834. >Celestia looks about ready to kill you.
  3835. >Her eyes are filled with a burning, murderous rage.
  3836. >You only spare her a glance before turning your furious gaze on your guest, her ears slunk down, her head bowed the tiniest bit.
  3837. >It’d be cute if she hadn’t just let her aunt out.
  3838. >”Master, let me-”
  3839. “Shut it.”
  3840. >She doesn’t shut it, ”-explain! I wasn’t going to leave, I was going to-”
  3841. “One of you! Back in the cage! Now! I don’t care who!”
  3842. >You roar out, having lost your patience, drowning out whatever stupid thing Cadance was saying.
  3843. >It does not have the intimidating effect you had hoped.
  3844. >Rather than cower and climb back into her cage like a good pony, Celestia covers Cadance with her wing and steps forward, her eyes screaming one word:
  3845. >Kill.
  3846. >...Ok, this could be bad.
  3847. >Your eyes sweep over her, evaluating the threat before you.
  3848. >Sharp pointy horn and big, metalbound hooves are her biggest weapons.
  3849. >With that muzzle still attached, you won’t have to worry about her biting you.
  3850. >Her shoulder’s still a mess from when you stabbed her, she’s favoring that leg, and she’s been curled up in a ball for the past two days, she must be barely standing.
  3851. >...
  3852. >One good hit in the right place and she’ll be on the ground.
  3853. >You just need to avoid getting impaled.
  3854.  
  3855. >”Auntie, Master, stop, both of you, please!” Cadance cries out, limping to get out from behind Celestia’s wing.
  3856. “She’s right. You’re not going to win thi-”
  3857. >Celestia barks out something unintelligible to Cadance and charges at you, her head down.
  3858. >Pointy horn, pointy horn, pointy horn!
  3859. >You scramble to get out of the way of her charge and the moment you’re clear you spin around and swing your fist at her as she passes, trying to bring her down with that one good hit.
  3860. >With a slap of her wing, she knocks your hand out of the way, soon stumbling to a halt herself.
  3861. >Dammit, you didn’t think she could use her wings to fight!
  3862. >...You really should have gotten a weapon.
  3863. >You might be in trouble.
  3864. >Ignoring Cadance’s cries of protest behind you, you run at Celestia, not giving her a chance to try THAT maneuver again.
  3865. >She rears up before you can get ahold of her, brandishing her forelegs and wings.
  3866. >You dance backwards, keeping just out of her reach.
  3867. >...You HAD to throw your spear at the giant spider monster siren, didn’t you?
  3868. >Celestia stumbles a bit, constantly readjusting herself to keep her balance.
  3869. >If you wait, she’ll probably fall over on her own.
  3870. >Then you’ll take care of her.
  3871. >As you take another step back, you hear the shuffling of hooves behind you.
  3872. >Cadance isn’t stupid enough to try anything, is she?
  3873. >Celestia’s eyes dart behind you.
  3874. >She is!
  3875. >You whirl around-before she can attack, you snatch her horn and yank her over to you before kicking her in the flank, right where Hope bit her.
  3876. >”Aaahh!” She shrieks out in pain as she crumples to the ground.
  3877. >You don’t get a chance to relish that victory.
  3878. >With a scream of rage, Celestia slams into you from the side, her horn just missing you as she tackles you to the floor.
  3879. >You just barely get your arms under you to keep from cracking your head on the ground.
  3880. >Shooting one hand out in retaliation, you grab ahold of SOMETHING and pull hard.
  3881.  
  3882. >But rather than bring her down with you, there’s a tearing sound before whatever you grabbed pulls free.
  3883. >You just tore the muzzle off her.
  3884. >Shit, now she can-
  3885. >Her hoof comes crashing down on your skull.
  3886. >Your ears ring and your vision swims as the whole world lurches under you.
  3887. >You need…
  3888. >You need to do something…
  3889. >She’s saying...something-you can’t make out her words over the ringing in your ears.
  3890. >Forcing your limbs to obey, you try to crawl out from under her, to do something, ANYTHING to try and get control of the situation.
  3891. >But your legs aren’t responding.
  3892. >They’re stuck.
  3893. >”...for what you’ve done to my sister!” Celestia’s voice starts to come into focus.
  3894. >Wait, but you hurt Cadance, not Luna…
  3895. >...Right...the rape thing, earlier today.
  3896. >That…
  3897. >That’s not good.
  3898. >You curl up in a half fetal position and try to cover your head, the best defense you can manage before she begins to rain blow after blow down, her thunderous hooves slamming into your arms, her wings pummeling you.
  3899. >She’s going to kill you.
  3900. >She’s not going to stop until she’s either killed you or left you completely broken, and then she’s going to free Luna, and run off.
  3901. >You’ll be alone again.
  3902. >Without Cadance, your backup plan goes up in smoke.
  3903. >You…
  3904. >You have to do SOMETHING!
  3905. >Groping with your free arm, you grab a fistful of her long mane.
  3906. >You yank on it, earning both a grunt of pain from her, and an almost bone shattering punch to your ribs, but she still lowers her head.
  3907. >Her horn’s now in reach.
  3908. >You lash your hand out, your fingers wrap around that hard, unyielding bone, her mane still entangled in your fingers.
  3909. >Got her!
  3910. >Pulling hard, you force her horn to the floor, twisting her neck further than it’s capable of moving.
  3911. >Faced between losing her horn or turning into the direction you’re pulling her, she smartly chooses the latter, allowing you to wiggle your leg free.
  3912. >Which you then bring down on her ruined shoulder.
  3913. >”Gyaaahh!”
  3914.  
  3915. >You kick her again and again, working your way free as Cadance’s cries join Celestia’s, her words incomprehensible over the ringing in your ears.
  3916. >With a yank, you manage to pull the rest of yourself out from under the alicorn.
  3917. >But you aren’t done.
  3918. >Not while she’s still moving.
  3919. >Not until you’ve hurt her as badly as she’s hurt you.
  3920. >You dive on top of her.
  3921. >She becomes a whirlwind of flailing legs and battering wings as she thrashes under you, doing her damnedest to throw you off.
  3922. >Your grip on her horn is unyielding, allowing you to trade blows with your abused, bruising arm.
  3923. >Right up until she catches you, her forelegs wrapping around your arm and twisting it back as far as it can go.
  3924. “Guuuh…”
  3925. >It’s your turn to lean into the pain now, arching your now relatively pain-free back.
  3926. >But you don’t let go of her horn with your other hand, instead, you pull her head down along with you.
  3927. >”You can’t win, human,” Celestia gasps out, her sides heaving, “I fight for my family. To protect everypony who looks up to me. To save them all from the likes of you!”
  3928. >”Auntie, enough! Master, please, just let her go!” Cadance chimes in, unwelcome.
  3929. >Celestia’s right.
  3930. >You may not have been a borderline cripple before going into this, but you sure are now.
  3931. >She’ll kill you unless you end this.
  3932. >NOW.
  3933. >With a wordless cry, you let her horn go and lunge forward.
  3934. >There's a sickening snap as, with a twist of her forelegs, she breaks your arm.
  3935. >Agony lances through you, your vision turning white from the pain.
  3936. >But you manage to grab her neck, your fingers sinking into her soft, supple flesh.
  3937. >”Ngugh!” She cries out as you start strangling her, bashing you with her wings once more, her forelegs kicking at your destroyed arm, that entire half of your body searing.
  3938. >But it’s ONLY pain.
  3939. >You’ve experienced it more than any other human who’s ever lived.
  3940. >It’s not about to get in the way of your revenge.
  3941.  
  3942. >Your grip holds strong, no matter what she does to you, no matter how her hooves beat you, or how she thrashes under you.
  3943. >Her attack eventually slow.
  3944. >She grows weaker the longer you keep her without air, the fire in her eyes fading, giving way to desperation, to pleading.
  3945. >It’s just like the countless times you’ve fantasized about this moment.
  3946. >But it’s actually happening.
  3947. >This is actually REAL!
  3948. >”Stop...I surrender...” she tries to beg, but without any air, the words come out almost without sound.
  3949. >You couldn’t hear them over Cadance’s crying.
  3950. >For a moment, you consider easing up on your death grip, juuust for her to get one gasp.
  3951. >She’d no doubt beg you for mercy.
  3952. >The look on her face when you denied her would be one you’ve dreamed about.
  3953. >But no.
  3954. >She doesn’t get that.
  3955. >One of the ooold speeches from your fantasies bubbles up in your mind.
  3956. >It’s over the top, tacky, but...she’s about to lose consciousness.
  3957. >It’s now or never.
  3958. “How does it feel, Celestia? Thousands of years of life, finally coming to an end, and there's nothing you can do, nothing that can make me stop. The goddess of the sun, about to die in a nameless cave in the middle of hell, to a little magicless ape!”
  3959. >Despite the pain you’re in, you’re grinning.
  3960. >Tears run down her cheeks as those words sink in, knowing it’s inevitable.
  3961. >Finally, her eyes close and she goes limp under you.
  3962. >She’s lost consciousness.
  3963. >But you aren’t done.
  3964. >You only squeeze harder, leaning into her throat to collapse her esophagus.
  3965. >Her heart’s still beating, you can feel it.
  3966. >You’re not going to stop until it’s snuffed out.
  3967. >”Master, please!” Cadance sobs out, “Stop! You win! You beat us, she’s not moving anymore! I’ll-I’ll go in the cage if you’ll stop! Ple-e-e-ease!”
  3968. >...
  3969.  
  3970. >You once sat down and tried to hash out whether or not it would be morally sound for you to get your revenge on them.
  3971. >Whether or not it’d be wrong for you to do this.
  3972. >You must have spent months writing on cave walls, arguing, debating with Tirek over the ethical thing to do if you ever saw them again.
  3973. >The conclusion you came to was...you don’t remember.
  3974. >But right now, with the amount of pain you’re in, with what she’s done to you…
  3975. >You don’t care.
  3976. >Tearing your gaze from Celestia, you look over at Cadance.
  3977. >...How did she get all the way on the other side of the room?
  3978. >Regardless, she’s now crawling on her belly towards you, sobbing, “Please don’t kill her...she’s my family...”
  3979. “No.”
  3980. >You turn your attention back to Celestia’s unconscious form and do your best to tune Cadance out.
  3981. >It takes much, much longer than it should, but you finally feel it.
  3982. >That last, stuttering heartbeat.
  3983. >What little tension there was in her chest from her continued, unconscious attempts at breathing vanishes.
  3984. >”No...no, no!” Cadance shrieks in anguish, taking her aunt’s head in her hooves, “Why-y-y!?”
  3985. >You did it.
  3986. >The long life of Celestia has finally been brought to an end.
  3987. >...Well, for a couple minutes, anyway.
  3988. >Long enough for you to figure out some way to deal with her.
  3989. >You really aren’t sure why Cadance is making such a big deal over this.
  3990. >She KNOWS this isn’t permanent.
  3991. >Speaking of…
  3992. >You need to deal with HER, now.
  3993. >Carefully, gingerly, with almost every part of your body screaming at you in agony, you fight your way to your feet, towering over the only other living thing in the room.
  3994. “Cadance…”
  3995.  
  3996. “...Be a good girl. Get in the cage.”
  3997. >You stick your unbroken arm out, pointing at her new home.
  3998. >She doesn't even look up, “Why did you… she...she couldn't…”
  3999. >She’s going to start crying and screaming if you don’t do something fast.
  4000. >...With a broken arm and slightly less broken face, forcing her in is out of the question right now.
  4001. “Look at me, Cadance.”
  4002. >Reaching down, you geeeently grab her horn and pull her head up to comply.
  4003. >It takes more effort than you’d like, but you twist your mouth into a reassuring smile.
  4004. "Listen. She's going to be fine. Remember the gryphon? By tomorrow morning she'll be healthier than YOU. Now, I can't trust you anymore, because you keep running around behind my back, so get. In. The. Cage."
  4005. >Dropping both your smile and your hand from her horn, you resume pointing to said cage, your voice losing any warmth as you speak.
  4006. >”But...you s-said it would take a year…” she hiccups out, tears running down her cheeks as, without your hand to support it, her head sinks back down.
  4007. >Well...there goes your good mood.
  4008. >This is what you get for caring about her.
  4009. “The gryphon was nothing but bone and sinew. Your aunt’s still in one piece. I’m going to bring her in the other room, make sure she’s comfy like I was TRYING with you earlier, and she’ll be good as new in a bit. Now get in before I have to put you in there.”
  4010. >Dammit, you’ve wanted to do this for longer than you should have been alive, you should be dancing right now!
  4011. >But nooo, she’s managed to suck all the enjoyment out of revenge.
  4012. >Case in point, she drags herself to her cage, her hooves the only things heavier than her head.
  4013. >This should be your victory party!
  4014. >But she’s making you feel like shit...and it’s driving you crazy.
  4015. >The moment she crosses the threshold, you slam the door shut and angrily relatch it.
  4016.  
  4017. “Oh, will you stop with the fucking pity party?! You’re the reason she died, not ME!”
  4018. >That pulls her out of her funk.
  4019. >She twists around to look at you, her eyes wide, screaming at you, “Wha-how could you say that?!”
  4020. >You jab your finger at her.
  4021. “This only happened because you didn’t listen to me! Again! I told you no Celestia, you ignore me, she tried to kill me, and I had to stop her from getting the three of you eaten alive out there!”
  4022. >”What are you talking about?!” She cries out, her tears once again flowing freely.
  4023. >She looks like she’s in as much pain emotionally as you are physically, “You could have-”
  4024. “Could have what?! Let her up, so she could go back to trying to murder me? So you could try running away again? I had to clean up the mess YOU made, just like I have every single other time you refused to listen to me.”
  4025. >Cadance sags backwards before landing on her rump with a thud.
  4026. >Her head soon follows suit, her eyes resting at your feet, ”I didn’t make any mess...I wasn’t going to leave...”
  4027. >You hold up your fingers, counting off.
  4028. “I told you to stay out of my sessions with Celestia and Luna, you refused, and Luna went off the deep end.”
  4029. “We almost got eaten by a giant spider monster because you REFUSED to listen to me when I told you it was a trap. If that thing caught us, your aunts would have starved without having any clue what happened to you!”
  4030. “I said not to run off, you did, and got attacked by a changeling. You’re lucky it wasn’t something worse, you could be impaled on a pike, being roasted alive by Ifrits right now.”
  4031. “And now you let your aunt out after I tell you no, and what does she do? She tries to kill the only thing in this place who gives a damn about you!”
  4032. >You slap the bars with your four outstretched fingers.
  4033.  
  4034. “Every time you ignore me, every time you disobey me, you make everything worse. For everyone! All of this could have been avoided if you’d just fucking listen to me!”
  4035. >You turn away, your sides heaving as you blink back your own tears.
  4036. >Your voice started catching near the end, there.
  4037. >...That’s what happens when you trust someone.
  4038. >Every time.
  4039. “Now I'm going to go clean up your latest mess.”
  4040. >As you approach Celestia, Cadance’s equally tear-filled cries ring out, “No...you’re wrong...I’ve only done what’s right…”
  4041. >Steeling yourself to keep from crying out in pain, you heft Celestia's body up, her head over your shoulder.
  4042. “You thought running away BEFORE trying to rescue her was the right thing to do? Wow. I’ll make sure she knows that.”
  4043. >After you find Twilight Sparkle.
  4044. >The pain in your...well, everything flares as you start dragging Celestia out of the room, drowning out whatever continued protests Cadance may have.
  4045. >You’ve dragged kills back home in worse shape than this...and you don’t have to go very far with her.
  4046. >Still, experience doesn't make this any easier.
  4047. >As you drag her through the cave, you can't help but wish Discord were here.
  4048. >One good kick to Celestia’s side and he’d be hysterical.
  4049. >As you near the entrance to your room, you manage to move juuust the wrong way, your broken arm bumping against your side.
  4050. “Aahhgg! “
  4051. >Your vision flashes, your other arm going limp.
  4052. >Celestia flops onto the ground as you fight to keep from doing the same.
  4053. >Blinking back tears, you stare at the entrance to your room while you gasp in agony.
  4054. >Just a few more feet…then you can have the magical bug monster do its thing.
  4055. >...Hang on.
  4056. >Magical bug monster has magic.
  4057. >Why are you dragging her when you can do this the easy way?
  4058. >Marching towards your room, you wipe away any sign of the pain you’re in.
  4059. > Hope can sense emotion...so you’re going to give her something to sense.
  4060.  
  4061. >Specifically, you focus on the fact that she just left you to die.
  4062. “Seriously?”
  4063. >You call out, catching her before she can greet you like she did earlier,
  4064. “All that screaming and yelling, and you just sat there?! I needed you, and you ignored me, what kind of daughter are you supposed to be?”
  4065. >You glare at Hope, who hasn’t even moved off her spot on the bed.
  4066. >She hunkers down, cowering, “You said to stay here and stay confused so I did! I even stayed confused, just like you said! Honest!”
  4067. >...
  4068. >How the hell did she manage to…?
  4069. >No.
  4070. >You hurt waaayy too much right now to investigate THAT one.
  4071. >”It was really hard,” she offers, answering your unspoken question anyway.
  4072. “Riiiight...you can carry things with your magic, correct?”
  4073. >Hope blinks at the sudden change of subject, “Not if it’s something really heavy…”
  4074. >’Really heavy’ had better include your front door.
  4075. “Good enough. Come here, there's something in the hall I want you to bring in.”
  4076. >Hope makes it roughly three steps out of your room before she yelps out and leaps behind you.
  4077. >“That-that’s the monster from the...the one nightmare mother has with the sun thingy in it! How did that-”
  4078. >You place your hand on Hope’s head, silencing her.
  4079. “I’m that good, that’s how.”
  4080. >She stops shaking under your hand and looks up at you in what you can only assume is awe, her mouth agape, “But...that’s the only thing that mother’s scared of that isn’t you…no wonder she thinks you could beat the other hive for us…”
  4081. >You were joking…
  4082. >Still, if she wants you to think you’re a badass that can singlehandedly take down the most entrenched group in Tartarus, you’re not going to stop her.
  4083. >Maybe it’ll keep her from trying anything with you.
  4084. >...Or at least keep her from trying the brainwashing thing again.
  4085.  
  4086. “Yep, that’s right. This is Celestia, and she is what I’ve been keeping in your mom’s old cage. Bring her in the other room, when she wakes up, I want you to do to her what I told you to do to Cadance. Read her mind, find the other pony like her and Cadance.”
  4087. >Hope blinks, her brow furrowing.
  4088. >D’aaww, she’s confuuused, “But...why not just have me do that right here?”
  4089. >...Well the real reason is that you’d like to have SOME semblance of organization in this cave.
  4090. >Hence why you keep shuffling everyone around.
  4091. “Because I said so, that’s why. If I’m supposed to be your dad, then that should be good enough.”
  4092. >”Ohkay, father.”
  4093. >Hope screws up her face, evidently in concentration before her horn glows a bright green.
  4094. >Celestia starts dragging against the ground.
  4095. “Hope! Pick her up before you break something!”
  4096. >”She’s REALLY heavy…” Hope whines out, her voice showing the strain.
  4097. “Then hurry up!”
  4098. >Despite your complaints, it’s still easier to let her do all the work than it would be to take back over.
  4099. >Following your continued commands, she moves Celestia as far away from the entrance as possible, while still letting you tower over her.
  4100. “To remind you, Hope. There’s four alicorns. Cadance. This is the white one with rainbow hair. There’s one that’s dark blue. Then there’s another one, that I don’t know what it looks like. But it’s name is Twilight Sparkle. I need to know where THAT one is. Got it?”
  4101. >”Mmhmm, mmhmm,” Hope nods.
  4102. >With that, you’re stuck waiting for Celestia to revive.
  4103. >Which should be aaanyyyy moment now.
  4104. >...
  4105. >Yep.
  4106. >Any minute now.
  4107. >Celestia lays there, her limp, lifeless form mocking you.
  4108. >You know YOU would have revived by now...
  4109. >...
  4110. >She IS immortal too, right?
  4111.  
  4112. >You stare at Celestia's unmoving body, fighting your welling panic to keep calm.
  4113. >Tirek’s spell LOOKED like it was the same thing…
  4114. >And, hell, you KNOW the changelings are immortal, and they were born here!
  4115. >If they weren’t, there’d be no way Hope would still be alive…right?
  4116. >Maybe...maybe Celestia’s just faking it?
  4117. >She could have revived while you were getting Hope, and gone limp to lull you into a false sense of security.
  4118. >Or she’s ACTUALLY dead for real, and any chance of you escaping vanished with her life.
  4119. >...
  4120. >How the fuck are you going to tell Cadance?!
  4121. >”Did I do something wrong again, father? I didn’t break her, did I?” Hope asks, evidently sensing the panic you’re trying to suppress.
  4122. >You need to figure this out before you lose it.
  4123. >Either she’s dead, or she’s faking.
  4124. >If she’s dead, you’re screwed.
  4125. >If she’s pretending to be dead, she’ll want you to THINK you’re screwed.
  4126. >Or leave yourself open so she can finish you off….that’s what anyone in Tartarus would do.
  4127. >You just…
  4128. >Dammit, you need SOME way to figure this out without exposing yourself!
  4129. >”Father? I’m really sorry if I did…”
  4130. >...Wait a second.
  4131. >If Hope can sense emotions from you, she could sense emotions from Celestia.
  4132. >She could tell you if she’s faking.
  4133. >And if she is...you’re going to have to do something to keep her from starting round two the moment she knows you know.
  4134. “I wish. This time it was me.”
  4135. >Your eyes dart around the room looking for something-anything you could use to hold her down.
  4136. >They settle on a weak looking chunk of rock jutting out from the wall.
  4137. >Heh...Tirek wanted you to carve it into a chair for him.
  4138. >It was one of those things you always promised him you’d get around to, ‘when you had the time.’
  4139. >...
  4140. >Oh well.
  4141.  
  4142. >With a few kicks, you break it off from the wall and roll it until it’s resting on Celestia’s tail skirt.
  4143. >It’s a good thing your arm’s broken, or your foot would be killing you for doing that.
  4144. >Well...it’ll hold her for all of three minutes if she’s REALLY determined to get up, but it’s the best restraint you can come up with, without giving her any sort of opening.
  4145. >...Please be faking.
  4146. >Sitting on the boulder, you look at the changeling and take a deep breath.
  4147. “Time to find out if I did screw up. Hope, what emotions are you feeling right now?”
  4148. >She scrunches up her face, sticking out her tongue and tapping her chin with a hoof, “Umm...a fear that’s masking a panic...a little bit of overt hostility...oh, and a liitttle tiny bit of regret that could get really big really fast. That’s all I’m feeling coming from you, father!”
  4149. >You shoot her a look and point at Celestia.
  4150. >”Sorry, make that a lotta bit of overt hostility, father,” Hope squeaks out.
  4151. “What about Celestia? Are you feeling anything from her?”
  4152. >You fight to keep the ‘overt hostility’ out of your voice.
  4153. >Or...maybe it’s panic.
  4154. >”Um...just what I usually feel when someone gets hurt really bad and falls asleep for a while. But it also feels like she’s about to wake up!”
  4155. “Oh, thank fuck!”
  4156. >You almost slide off your boulder as a wave of relaxation washes over you.
  4157. >Good….
  4158. >The world still works the way you thought it did.
  4159. >You...you really wouldn’t have killed her if you thought she wouldn’t come back.
  4160. >The concept of death’s been little more than a very, very painful inconvenience for so long that you aalllmost forgot how deadly serious it used to be.
  4161. >...
  4162. >Heh.
  4163. >Discord would have loved that one.
  4164. >”I’m confused again…” Hope mumbles out.
  4165. “Good. I told you before to stay that wa-”
  4166. >Celestia gasps out, her limbs jerking aimlessly, signifying her long delayed return to life.
  4167.  
  4168. >She wheezes as she sucks down air, her eyes wide, unseeing.
  4169. >You can see her fight with her tongue as she tries to speak, her body is overriding her, forcing her to simply keep breathing.
  4170. >Cute.
  4171. “Well it’s about damn time!”
  4172. >You get off your rock and return to your previous position, towering over the pinned mare.
  4173. >Her wild eyes lock onto you.
  4174. >You don’t need Hope to tell you about the terror and confusion behind her traumatized gaze.
  4175. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought you weren’t coming back!”
  4176. >”Wh-wh...wha…” is the best reply she can come up with.
  4177. >Reaching down, you grab her horn and use it to pull her head upright, holding her head still as the rest of her twitches, the closest thing to resistance she can offer.
  4178. “Now, Hope! Show me Twilight Sparkle!”
  4179. >The little bug nods and sits down in front of Celestia, her black nose almost close enough to boop the larger white one, as she...well, you’d guess she’s looking into Celestia’s eyes.
  4180. >It’s hard to tell without pupils.
  4181. >There’s no horn glow, no sign of super-natural abilities at all from Hope as, you assume, she gets to work.
  4182. >After how often Nymph hyped it up to you, you had kinda hoped it’d be a bit more dramatic than...well, nothing.
  4183. >Celestia’s squirming slowly comes to a halt as she regains control over her body, her sides heaving as she looks back at you, ignoring hHope as she gasps out her first coherent question, “Wh...where’s Cadance…?”
  4184. “...Seriously? Your first thought is about Cadance? You just died and resurrected, you idiot! How about you pay attention to the changeling that’s two inches in front of your face!”
  4185. >”Wait, that’s not how that dream goes…” Hope mumbles before chirping out, “Why does she keep calling Mother by the wrong name?”
  4186. >You squeeze Celestia’s horn and listen to her groan in pain.
  4187.  
  4188. “Focus you idiot! Twilight! Now!”
  4189. >”Right, sorry!” Hope re-scrunches her face in concentration, her tongue sticking out as she gets back to work.
  4190. >You don’t care how cute she’s looking right now, she’s on track for getting her wings abused again if she doesn’t do this right.
  4191. >”Human...wait...not Twilight…” Celestia struggles in an attempt to stand, her hooves slipping on the ground as she weakly pulls at your hand.
  4192. >You respond by giving her horn a sharp yank.
  4193. “Look, I’m going to find out one way or another. Now either YOU tell me, or the bug does.”
  4194. >She chooses to squeeze her eyes shut, rather than speak.
  4195. >”Father, I need-”
  4196. “On it.”
  4197. >You twist her head to the side and pin her horn with your foot, freeing up your only good hand.
  4198. >“Nnnh!” She grits her teeth but refuses to open her eyes.
  4199. >You could sink to her level and pry her eye open…or...
  4200. >Bending down, you instead wrap your fingers around her throat, just as you had earlier.
  4201. >Her eyes snap open.
  4202. >She looks back at you, the fire threatening to return in them as her mouth hangs open.
  4203. >But she doesn’t make a move to attack.
  4204. >Hope twists her head until it matches Celestia's and resumes pouring into her hate-filled gaze.
  4205. “Thaaat’s right. Keep them open and I won't squeeze.”
  4206. >She grits her teeth but stays silent, her eyes beginning to water as tears threaten to run down her cheeks.
  4207. >It doesn't take long before Hope cries out, “Got it! I know where she is!”
  4208. “Yes!”
  4209. >With a cheer and a great sigh of relief, you let Celestia go.
  4210. >The instant your hand leaves her, she screws her eyes shut yet again, her face scrunching up.
  4211. >You’ve done it!
  4212. >Now you can actually enjoy yourself until Tirek and Discord show up again.
  4213. “Good jooob Hope, good job! Where is she?”
  4214. >Smiling from ear to pointy ear, she puffs her chest out and takes a deep breath.
  4215.  
  4216. >”It’s really weird! The ground’s all black and grey like carved rocks, and there are these REALLY tall things! They’re like a rock forest, but really shiny and sometimes you can see things in them…”
  4217. >Your stomach sinks as Hope goes on.
  4218. >She has no idea what she’s describing, does she?
  4219. >”Only some of them were made out of smaller rocks, and you could only see inside parts of those. Also there were lots of ponies only some of them didn’t have horns and some didn’t have wings and some didn’t have either!”
  4220. >You rub your forehead.
  4221. >...Ok, you can salvage this.
  4222. >Looking down, you see Hope looking up at you eagerly, apparently not reading YOUR emotions.
  4223. >”Did I do good, father?”
  4224. >Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Celestia lift her head, a smile resting on her snout.
  4225. “That depends. Did you get a NAME, Hope? I need to know what the place is called.”
  4226. >”Oh, umm…” Her ears sink down.
  4227. >You don’t need to be a changeling to know what she’s feeling.
  4228. >”Mother never taught us how to hear things when doing this…”
  4229. >Shit.
  4230. >It’s been decades and Nymph is STILL able to screw with you.
  4231. >Your mind races, once more trying to find some way to salvage this.
  4232. “What about written down, did you see a sign or something?! Big flat thing? Lots of writing?”
  4233. >Hope starts scooting backwards while trying to make herself as small as possible, “I…I dunno what writing is… I saw the flat things with lotsa symbols…I just...I’m sorry father, I just don’t know what those symbols meeeaaan!”
  4234. >...She can’t read…
  4235. >Your trump card is useless.
  4236. >Below you, Celestia begins to laugh, mocking you, quickly bringing your blood to a boil.
  4237. >Fighting to keep a snarl from your face, you meet her laughter with a death glare.
  4238. >It only causes her sing-song giggling to get worse.
  4239. >You could fix that.
  4240.  
  4241. >Choke her again until she stops laughing, take away her oxygen privileges until she tells you where Twilight is...and if she doesn’t, just keep killing her over and over again.
  4242. >You have two days, you can fit a LOT in that time.
  4243. >After all, you need to pay her back for every time you died because she sent you here!
  4244. > As you lunge to grab her neck again, your arm moves juuuust the wrong way to bang against your side once again.
  4245. >It takes everything you have to keep from crying out in pain, as you tense up, your legs threatening to give out again.
  4246. >...Your revenge is going to have to wait until after you’ve taken care of your arm.
  4247. >Otherwise you’re just going to hurt yourself as much as you hurt her.
  4248. “Hope? Bite her.”
  4249. >Celestia only laughs harder.
  4250. >”Whaa? Father?”
  4251. >Hope freezes up, staring at you with her mouth agape.
  4252. “Inject her with your venom-every last drop.”
  4253. >”How’s your master plan coming along human?” Celestia gasps out between bouts of laughter, “You can never win like this, violence will only cont-gaaah!”
  4254. >Hope sinks her fangs into Celestia’s flank, finally shutting her up.
  4255. “That’s not my name, Celestia. You know what it is, Cadance said it earlier, Luna said it earlier, and when I come back...”
  4256. >A sick grin grows on your face
  4257. “You’ll say it too.”
  4258. >”Noh,” Celestia slurs, the venom already taking effect, “You’ll lonly mag yourshelfff...”
  4259. >...
  4260. >She talks brave, but the look frozen on her eyes as she’s paralyzed betrays her.
  4261. >She’s scared.
  4262. >Hope sits up, a bit of green fluid dripping from one of her fangs, “I did good, right father? Now what?”
  4263. “Now? Now you’re going to sit here and watch her. I’m going to be right back. If uuh...your venom wears off sooner, you need to keep her from leaving this room.”
  4264. >She tilts her head as you move to leave, “But where are you going?”
  4265.  
  4266. >You pause at the ‘door’ to the main hall.
  4267. >...Right now, for all Celestia knows, you’re going to pay one of her family members a visit.
  4268. >No need to ruin that.
  4269. “Do you remember what I told you about staying confused?”
  4270. >”I...but...uh-okay Father…”
  4271. >You can’t stop from grinning again.
  4272. >There are SO many ways you could abuse that…
  4273. >Later, of course.
  4274. “Good girl.”
  4275. >With that, you leave the room, heading down to your supply tunnel.
  4276. >First thing’s first, you need to put a damn splint on your arm.
  4277. >Then...you’ll take care of things so you won’t have to wait six weeks for it to heal.
  4278. >During which, you’ll have plenty of time to figure out what you’re going to do to Celestia.
  4279. >You’ve promised her so many things…
  4280. >A decent whipping, scarred tally marks for Luna, that she’ll join her family in calling you master, destruction of her entire philosophy regarding Tartarus...and so much more.
  4281. >It’s hard to figure out where to begin.
  4282.  
  4283. >Once you’ve finished coughing up liquid, you stumble out of your watering hole.
  4284. >MAN, you hate doing that.
  4285. >But you can already feel all your bruises begin to fade.
  4286. >Despite her histrionics earlier over coming back to life, you knew this was the easy way to get your arm back, without having to wait a full six weeks.
  4287. >...Yep.
  4288. >With an average “lifespan” of a couple months, you’ve taken a pragmatic view on suicide.
  4289. >Leaning against the wall, you play with the new splint on your arm, making sure it’s not going to go anywhere, while you take mental stock of the situation.
  4290. >Let’s see...chores have been taken care of, you took your net apart for real, actual rope, you just finished setting the bone in your arm and committing suicide, and...you should probably check on the prisoners again.
  4291. >...
  4292. >By the sound of it, Cadance is just sulking in that cage.
  4293. >She can sulk all she wants.
  4294. >As far as you're concerned, she really IS the reason she’s in there and the reason you had to kill her aunt.
  4295. >Maybe you’ll be more forgiving once Tartarus gets to work on making your arm hurt less.
  4296. >As for Luna…
  4297. >Well, Luna’s still in the middle of a flashback.
  4298. >She was already trying to beg SOMEONE when you approached the door, but gave that up real fast.
  4299. >Overall, these two seem to be marinating nicely.
  4300. >And now, it’s time for you to throw Celestia back on the grill.
  4301. >This bout of alone time was exactly what you needed to come up with an appropriate lesson.
  4302. >Assuming you can play her sense of righteousness correctly.
  4303. >As you collect everything, you can hear Hope’s voice drift out of your room, “... lot meaner than Mother said.”
  4304. >Wait, are they talking about you?
  4305. >Slowing down, you decide to listen in for a moment.
  4306. >Hope speaks up again, “Cuz it’ll make her happy, and I don’t like anyone being miserable.”
  4307. >...
  4308. >”Nooo, I don’t think so.”
  4309.  
  4310. >...Hang on, why can’t you hear Celestia?
  4311. >”Uh oh, I think I taste my dad.”
  4312. >Ok, that’s it.
  4313. >With your stealth broken, you barge into your room.
  4314. >Hope’s sitting on her haunches next to an evidently still paralyzed Celestia, her tail wagging, “Hello father!”
  4315. >You jab a finger at her.
  4316. “Don’t you ‘hello father’ me! Who told you you could talk to her?”
  4317. >Hope’s ears sink down and she points a hoof at Celestia, “She did…”
  4318. >You glower at her and point to the corner, not wasting any breath in explaining just how wrong that answer was.
  4319. >Her head soon follows her ears, “Sorry father…” she mumbles as she drags herself over to the corner.
  4320. >The closest thing to a reaction you get from Celestia is a twitch of her legs.
  4321. >Looks like the venom’s starting to wear off.
  4322. >Not wasting what little time you have left, you get to work, binding her with the rope salvaged from your sacrificed net.
  4323. >Sadly, you used all the long pieces to make a leash and collar
  4324. >Well...technically it’s a noose.
  4325. >And by “technically a noose,” you mean that’s exactly what it is.
  4326. >...If you could make a choking collar...or anything that wasn’t nearly as morbid looking, you would.
  4327. >As for the rest...well, the best you could come up with is to tie her legs so they’re folded up, and force her to walk on her knees and hocks.
  4328. >She’ll probably figure out a way to squirm her way out of it when she’s left alone.
  4329. >This is what you get for using all your good restraints on Luna.
  4330. >As you work on binding Celestia’s limp legs together, you start having a much more one-sided conversation with her.
  4331. “So, while I was ‘checking up’ on your family, I was thinking about what you said. And you know what?”
  4332. >You set the now bound leg down and take her foreleg, giving her a look before getting to work on that one.
  4333.  
  4334. “You’re right. Violence ISN’T the way to win. I mean, sure, I could bash your skull against the wall all day, and it’d make me feel a lot better but uuh...well, it wouldn’t really help my case any, now would it?”
  4335. >She gives another twitch and glares at you in response-she may not be able to talk, but with a look like that, she doesn’t need to.
  4336. >Pausing your work for a second, you reach up and pull her eyelids closed.
  4337. “Don’t give me that look, I'm agreeing with you. We’re only doing this because you're so bullheaded that I can't trust you to walk around. Instead, we’re going to work together.”
  4338. >With her forelegs bound, you start work on her back legs, even as she tries to kick them.
  4339. “I’d love to just take you out there and let you experience the hell you created firsthand, just like I did with Cadance. But you're kinda public enemy number one. I can't imagine why.”
  4340. >The sudden splatter of sarcasm threatens to stain her fur as you move on to her last leg.
  4341. “As for right now…uh…I got nothing. I’m tired, I want to get to bed, you and I can figure this out in the morning. And since you never learned your lesson from the last time you ruined my rope, you get to be my snuggle buddy tonight.”
  4342. >”Nuuuh,” Celestia attempts to respond, her head turning.
  4343. >Right!
  4344. >The collar, you almost forgot to put it on.
  4345. “I know Hope, I promised you cuddles tonight. Don’t worry, she’s not stealing your spot. You get to be the pillow!”
  4346. >”I don’t think I wanna be the pillow…” Hope mumbles out from her corner.
  4347. >You stop and shoot her another look, informing her that she’s given you the wrong answer once again, despite the upbeat tone of your words,
  4348. “I thought you were Nymph’s kid. She loved it, just give it a try.”
  4349. >”O-ohkay father.”
  4350. >“Who?” Celestia wheezes.
  4351. >Uh oh, the venom’s almost worn off, and you might not have secured everything.
  4352. >You attempt to distract her as you check all your knots.
  4353.  
  4354. “Seriously? Did you just not pay attention to who you sent here? Or was it just THAT routine for you? I’ll give you a hint: she was the one who lived in the…she’s the OTHER changeling queen you banished.”
  4355. >Woops.
  4356. >You don't remember if Hope knows the exact conditions you kept her mother in or not…it sounded like she had a fairly rosy picture.
  4357. >...Good, looks like everything but the noose is nice and tight.
  4358. “There we go...Now, you ready to get to bed?”
  4359. >”No,” comes Celestia’s resolute response, every syllable forced out through her uncooperating jaws, “I need to see my fa-mi-ly.”
  4360. >Yes!
  4361. >Fighting back a grin, you squat to get closer to eye level with her.
  4362. "You mean you want to see what kind of torture I put them in. Ooh, they were screaming before, and now they’re silent. Let me take a wild guess, you think I must have done something horrible and you need to save them from their torment, right?”
  4363. >Celestia meets you with a mute sneer.
  4364. >D’aaww, she thinks she’s being all big and powerful by not verbalizing an answer.
  4365. >That’s YOUR shtick!
  4366. >You offer her a gentle mocking smile, a concession to the grin you were fighting.
  4367. “Okay.”
  4368. >Shock swoops in to replace her defiance, “What? What game is this?”
  4369. “Well, I see who taught Cadance how to trust people! ‘I want to do this! Whaaaaaat?! How dare you say yes!’ Look.”
  4370. >You jerk your thumb at Hope.
  4371. “I got a bug over there who doesn’t want to try new things, I got cuddles either way. And the last time I tried to convince a pony that they should let themselves heal instead of running around, trying to be the big damn hero, SOMEONE broke my arm!”
  4372. >Hope opens her mouth to protest something, but you keep going before she gets a chance.
  4373. “You just came back from the dead, and you're still recovering from a paralytic poison that's fading WAY too fast. You want to run around? Fine. But I'm not helping you.”
  4374.  
  4375. >Celestia stares at you throughout your little rant, waiting for you to spring some sort of catch or condition.
  4376. >Finally, her expression softens, “Thank you.”
  4377. “For what, being irresponsible? Hold still and let me get the boulder off.”
  4378. >Moving over her tail, you squat so your back is blocking her view of what you're doing.
  4379. >There's one very, very important thing you need to do before you let her up.
  4380. >If you want this to be a fun game, after all.
  4381. >Taking the end of her leash, you tie it in with her multicolored tail, just above her dock so it's almost tight.
  4382. >She shifts behind you, her tail covering her pink sex, “Human, what are you doing?!”
  4383. >Does she really think you're going to molest her?
  4384. >That’s not an unfounded fear, given what you did to her sister…and it IS tempting…
  4385. >But this isn't the time for that.
  4386. “I’m making sure you don't trip over the leash.”
  4387. >”Then remove it or tie it to my leg, not my tail! Sexual violence is still violence, you barbarian!” She squirms on the ground, trying to get away from your hand.
  4388. “Oh for-if I wanted to break out the sexual violence I’d just do this.”
  4389. >Turning around, you make a point of making eye contact with her before you yank her tail high and press a finger under her tail dock to keep her from lowering it.
  4390. >The look on her face as she passes through shock, horror, embarrassment and disgust is priceless.
  4391. “Look. I’m the one with fingers here. Don’t tell me how to tie knots and I won’t tell you how to prance around like a pretty pony princess.”
  4392. >Gently, carefully, you boop her nose with your other hand to emphasise your point.
  4393. >...Ow…
  4394. >Turning back so she won't see the pained expression on your face, you get back to tying the rope to her tail, your arm yelling at you louder than Celestia's continued protests.
  4395. >Once you're reasonably certain that it's tied correctly, you rock backwards, bracing yourself against Celestia's big, squishy rump.
  4396.  
  4397. >”Get off!” She squirms as you, with both legs, swiftly kick the boulder off her tail.
  4398. “There you go!”
  4399. >Once you've painfully and awkwardly climbed off of her and back to your feet, you lean against the wall.
  4400. “Now am I helping you to bed, or are you heading out on your own?”
  4401. >She squirms, testing the rope binding her limbs before sighing and giving you a dirty look, “I presume you expect me to crawl to them like this?”
  4402. >Your grin returns with a vengeance.
  4403. “How’d you guess?”
  4404. >She simply keeps scowling, “You’re a sore winner, human.”
  4405. >With that, she reaches out as best she can with her bound legs, fighting to get to all fours, and starts marching along on the joints of her legs.
  4406. >Can you really let that one go?
  4407. >Of course not.
  4408. “The only thing that's sore about me is my arm. Almost like it's broken or something.”
  4409. >She refuses to acknowledge you, instead staring straight ahead as she steadfastly works her way towards the entrance to the main hall.
  4410. >How much depth perception does she have with those silly prey eyes?
  4411. >Is she going to notice the little dip right there in time?
  4412. >You bite your lip in anticipation as she slowly squirms her way closer…
  4413. >”Ah!” She yelps in surprise as her next step is greeted with only air, her forelegs slip out from under her as she tumbles forward, her chin slamming against the ground, her rump raised high, invitingly.
  4414. >The noose around her neck tightens a few notches from that spectacular landing.
  4415. >Perfect!
  4416. >”You’ve traded violence for humiliation, human!” You can hear her fighting to keep the anger and tears out of her voice almost as much as she's fighting to get back up.
  4417. “You want to talk about humiliation? My people built weapons that MAKE suns, and I’m stuck naked, living out of a fucking cave.”
  4418.  
  4419. >”Only through your continued refusal to live in harmony,” Celestia grits her teeth as she gets back to her arduous journey.
  4420. >That bitch is still…
  4421. >Nooo, she’s just trying to rile you up again.
  4422. >You’re not going to let her ruin your fun time with a philosophical argument.
  4423. “Have fun living in harmony as you spend the next hour wiggling your way down the cave. Hope and I are going to have a fun time.”
  4424. >”W-what?” Hope jerks as you call her name. “Are we, Father?”
  4425. >Relinquishing your spot on the wall, you approach her, your hand raised.
  4426. >”Maybe I should stay with Celestia-pony so one of us can-”
  4427. >You bring your hand down once you reach her…
  4428. >And scratch in that spot behind her ear, “Ooohhkaay…”
  4429. >It’s like a superpower or something.
  4430. >Sitting there, you keep scratching her while the two of you watch Celestia as she worms her way around the corner, falling and causing her noose to tighten a second time before she vanishes from sight.
  4431. >Finally, you let your hand drop, slipping down to her far shoulder.
  4432. >Hope lets out a little chitter once the scratches stop and looks up at you.
  4433. “What's this backtalk about suddenly not wanting to be the pillow?”
  4434. >Any joy she had leftover from her ear scratches quickly evaporates, “I-but, I didn't even want cuddles to begin with…”
  4435. “Oooh yes you do. Your mother loved it-hell, I have no doubt she STILL loves it. And she especially likes it when she gets to be the pillow, you will too.”
  4436. >Hope tries to shy away from you, only for you to pull her back against your side.
  4437. >”You said you weren’t gonna compare me to mother anymore…” she whimpers.
  4438. >...
  4439. >Woops.
  4440. >Well, she’s got you there.
  4441. “So I did...well, it’s not like I’m still playing with your wings.”
  4442. >She shudders against you, reaching a hoof back to rub over the gossamer you ‘played’ with earlier.
  4443.  
  4444. “If it makes you feel any better, your mom wouldn’t cry this much about having those played with. I think she even learned to like it.”
  4445. >Well, either that or she learned that complaining would get her nowhere with you.
  4446. >Hope lets out a whine, looking up at you, misery plastered over her face.
  4447. >D’aaww.
  4448. .”Alright Not-Nymph, you win, I’ll stop. In fact…”
  4449. >You point towards the exit.
  4450. “I’m going to go have fun with Celestia instead. Watching her crawl is too hilarious for me to pass up. You want to come, or do you just want to get to bed?”
  4451. >Hope blinks, “But I only woke up when Cadance-pony ran over me…I’m not tired...”
  4452. >You motion for an answer,
  4453. “Soo…? ”
  4454. >Her ears drop as she realizes that wasn't an acceptable answer, “Maybe I'll just get to bed…”
  4455. “Good girl. If you really don’t want cuddles then go get the stuff I brought to Cadance’s room so you can have your own bed.”
  4456. >Once she answers in the affirmative, two of of you set out, Hope for some level of comfort, and you for entertainment.
  4457.  
  4458. >It takes you less than a minute to catch up with her.
  4459. >As you settle into a new comfortable spot on the wall, you note that she’s settled into a sort of rhythm, rocking back and forth as she fights her way into your cave.
  4460. >It’d be a shame if someone distracted her.
  4461. “Hey Celestia! How are your legs feeling?”
  4462. >She shudders visibly at your words, her ears pressing to the back of her head while Hope easily trots past her.
  4463. “So, how do you know you're even going the right way? You were blindfolded the last time you were here. Did Candace tell you? Did Hope?”
  4464. >The only answer she offers is a grunt.
  4465. “Come oooon, I need an answer. Otherwise I’m just going to blame them both.”
  4466. >The implied threat finally gets her to answer.
  4467. >”I could hear your fire the first time you brought me here, and I could smell the corpses you collected around it, in some monstrous ritual. I can still hear it and sti-oof!”
  4468. >The distraction is perfect; she falls on her face.
  4469. >Once more her rump raises high, practically begging you.
  4470. >Taking the open invitation, you get up from the wall and pat that large, white ass of hers before she can get up.
  4471. “Come on, I get you’re trying to be sexy, but you’re not going to make any progress down there.”
  4472. >Her tail swats at your hand as she scrambles back up to resume her crawl, “Don’t touch me, human!”
  4473. >You don’t offer too much resistance to that tail, as the implication of her words tumble around in your head.
  4474. >She said she can hear the fire from here?
  4475. >...No. She’s lying.
  4476. >There's no WAY her senses are that good...right?
  4477. >You’ve barely taken a dozen steps before Hope trots by at a comparatively blazing speed, the bedding rolled up on her back.
  4478. >The moment Hope passes her, Celestia falls once again.
  4479.  
  4480. >She scrabbles on the ground before landing flat on her belly.
  4481. >Did she just trip her?!
  4482. >You eye Hope, who wags her tail.
  4483. >...Maybe you weren’t entirely fair to the little bug…
  4484. >You stop Hope with a hand to her withers, her tail freezing in place, and lean over.
  4485. “Don’t go to sleep quite yet. I might need you later. If I whistle, come running.”
  4486. >”Ohkay father,” She bobs her head and resumes wagging her tail once you let her go, allowing you to focus on the fallen alicorn before you.
  4487. “You know, you probably could get to them by crawling on your belly, but it‘ll be pai-”
  4488. >“Human, will you be SILENT?!”
  4489. >Frustration drips from Celestia’s voice and she kicks the ground before working her way as close to upright as she can manage.
  4490. “...Sure thing.”
  4491. >She squeezes her eyes shut, her face scrunching up from the force as she gets back to moving along.
  4492. >”What hidden cost does your acquiescence have this time?”
  4493. >Dammit, she’s good.
  4494. >Cadance still hasn't figure that one out yet.
  4495. “Oh, well, if you want a cost, I can give you one. I’ll be quiet once I stop being in Tartarus. Until then, you’re in MY house, and my house is humiliation and degradation central.”
  4496. >”Human, if we were reversed I would not treat you like this!” She raises her head up and wails out.
  4497. >You know...you almost feel bad about doing this to her.
  4498. >Almost.
  4499. “Really now? You talking about the humiliation or the physical abuse? Because I could bring up the whole naked in a cave thing again. Or I could mention how I was kept in a cage, the time minotaurs forced me to beg them not to beat me every day...”
  4500. >She opens her mouth to argue, but you cut her off.
  4501. >You aren't done.
  4502. “Seriously, quite literally no one in Tartarus buys that line of shit you fed me this morning. Better yet, how about I just throw your own words back at you. How exactly is recommissioning one of Nightmare Moon’s torture chambers LESS abusive?”
  4503. >She pauses, her mouth hanging open.
  4504.  
  4505. >All at once, she deflates, her head sinking down, her trek slowing.
  4506. >”I really said that out loud, didn’t I?”
  4507. “Yea, you did. And plenty of other very un-princess like things. I think you told me to go buck myself. I don’t even know what that means!”
  4508. >She looks back at you, her voice full of remorse, ”You’re right. It's not. For that, I’m…sorry, human.”
  4509. >...Holy hell, are you actually winning an argument with her?
  4510. >”I’m not used to being so surprised like that, and I...may have panicked. When I thought my family's saf-ooh!”
  4511. >She catches her mane under her leg, pulling herself down and forward.
  4512. >”Nguh!” her face slams into the ground, stopping her from flipping over right onto her back, her hind legs dangling in the air.
  4513. >She shudders, her limbs quaking, but she doesn’t try to move out of that compromising position quite yet.
  4514. >Instead, her sides heave.
  4515. >D’aww…she's trying to keep from losing it.
  4516. “Well that’s just waayy too well timed to be an accident. Is this your way of giving your apology substance?”
  4517. >You squeeze her ass to clarify, taking a handful of her soft, pillowy rear, and lift it even higher in the air.
  4518. “Because I happily accept.”
  4519. >”Don’t you dare! Let go of me!” She howls out, thrashing around to get out of your grasp.
  4520. >She kicks back with her bound hind legs, uselessly with you well out of her reach.
  4521. “Hang on, I thought you’re apologizing. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of recanting...”
  4522. >Siding your thumb over, you wedge it under her tail dock and press it to the edge of her puffy sex lips.
  4523. >”Human…I...yes, stop…please…I’m begging you…” She squeezes her eyes shut, tensing up as a tear runs down her grime covered cheek.
  4524. >Well…
  4525. >As tempted as you are to keep going, if she’s recanting then you still have the moral high ground.
  4526. “Talk about mixed messages. Fine, I’ll stop, but that means you’re still an evil bitch.”
  4527.  
  4528. >She almost collapses; relief crashing over her the instant you pull your hand away.
  4529. >Her hind legs hit the ground with a thud.
  4530. >”How...in the name of my SUN is that a mixed message?!” Her voice is as tearstained as her cheeks.
  4531. “You say no, but you keep sticking your butt in the air and practically start winking at me. What the hell else am I supposed to think?”
  4532. >”I’ve only fallen, you…you brute! You’ve tied me up like an animal and forced me to parade around for you!”
  4533. >She fights back to all fours and resumes her journey, her ears and tail both pressed flat.
  4534. >You hang back against the wall and call out,
  4535. “Ok, one, I specifically asked you NOT to parade around. You're just being stubborn. And two, you’re quite literally the only thing in Tartarus that would have a problem with this.”
  4536. >You know that from experience!
  4537. >Well, maybe they wouldn’t be ok with the whole being tied up thing.
  4538. >But this whole time, as she's worked her way deeper into your home, with every movement she's made, that noose has slowly inched tighter.
  4539. >”Degenerates and black hearted monsters! Every one of you!” She shakes her head, her voice threatening to crack, as unsteady as her legs, which are still shaking from almost being molested.
  4540. >No longer hanging freely, the noose threatens to press into her neck.
  4541. >And well...she seemed reeeeeal touchy about that part of herself-that’s why you put the rope on her in the first place.
  4542. “Oh yea, that’s real civil. Insult the guy who DIDN’T molest you because you said no.”
  4543. >Just like she couldn't bring herself to sacrifice her horn to beat you, you doubt she’ll consider suicide to be a reasonable sacrifice to see her family...meanwhile, everything else in Tartarus would just see it as an inconvenience.
  4544. >Celestia squeezes her eyes shut once again.
  4545. >”This...is EXACTLY why you deserve your sentence to this place.”
  4546.  
  4547. “And this is EXACTLY why you're crawling on your knees. This holier than thou attitude of yours. Once you can admit you aren't infallible, I might be able to treat you like the wiser members of your family.”
  4548. >”Treat me like my...So you can beat me and rape me?! Do you believe I was ignorant in that pris..on…?”
  4549. >She freezes up, her already giant eyes growing even larger, before she twists herself around, tilting her head back and forth to try and get a good look at her neck, “What did you do?!”
  4550. >Did she finally notice the noose?
  4551. >You must have had her more worked up than you thought if it took this long.
  4552. “You’re going to need to be a bit more specific, Celestia.“
  4553. >She shakes her head, “The rope, the rope, the rope, the rope! You’ve tightened it! I know you have!”
  4554. “Seriously?! I’m all the way over here, I haven’t touched it!”
  4555. >Leaning back against the wall once more, you spread your arms wide.
  4556. >As she looks over at you to confirm, you can see terror bleeding from her eyes.
  4557. >If...if she wasn't responsible for placing you in literally unending agony, it’d be enough to make you feel like a gigantic ass.
  4558. >She has that same look an animal gets when it can't understand why it's hurting, but knows you should be able to fix it.
  4559. >...Maybe this game really is too far.
  4560. >For all you know, she really was just completely naive.
  4561. >”You...you must have...or, or you tied-enchanted it! It keeps getting tighter!” She squirms around, teetering as she struggles against her bonds to reach a foreleg to her neck.
  4562. >She really is acting just like a panicked animal…
  4563. >In two long strides, you close the distance between you two and grab her horn.
  4564. “Look at me Celestia. Look at me!”
  4565. >You twist her head, forcing one of her violet, terror-clouded eyes to meet you.
  4566. >She looks as bad as Cadance did, right before she ran away.
  4567. “Deep breaths now, just take deep breaths. Is it getting worse? Right this second, is it still getting worse?”
  4568.  
  4569. >Her sides heave as she drinks in your words, slowly, but surely sliding down from her panic high, “...No...it’s...what are you…”
  4570. >That’s actually a very good question.
  4571. >You scramble around your overworked mind, looking for the excuse you had prepared for this.
  4572. “Listen to me. This is exactly why I wanted you to stay in bed. Your neck's suddenly hyper-sensitive, and you’re worried that the rope’s going to start choking you any minute now, right?”
  4573. >Her pupils shrink as you speak, telling you everything you need to know.
  4574. >”Of course it is. You’ve done something to it-you must have!”
  4575. >...You are so lucky you put the leash on her AFTER closing her eyes, instead of right away.
  4576. >You give her horn a little shake as you recall the excuse you had prepared.
  4577. “Celestia. You were just strangled to death. And now that you're getting all worked up, it suddenly feels like it's happening again. Don’t you think those two could be connected?”
  4578. >That look in her eyes…your explanation makes more sense to her traumatized mind than she’d like.
  4579. >”This…you're saying this will stop if I calm down?”
  4580. “It should.”
  4581. >You shrug.
  4582. >Squeezing her eyes shut, she grits her teeth, “Human. Just remove the rope. Please.”
  4583. >You grin.
  4584. “Please what?”
  4585. >She mumbles as she mentally combs through that sentence, figuring out what she's forgotten, “Just remove the rope please...”
  4586. >Her eyes snap open, her eyes pinpricks as she realizes what honorific you expect her to use, “No...”
  4587. >She takes a deep breath, steadying her voice, “I won't say it. Human.”
  4588. >With a shrug, you step back, leaning against the wall once more.
  4589. “Ok. Then I won’t be removing the rope any time soon.”
  4590. >A bit of panic begins to seep back into her gaze, “Human, how can you claim to be deserving of release when you enjoy watching a pony suffer like this before you?!”
  4591.  
  4592. “Oh, don’t give me that. I literally just told you that we’re doing this because you need an attitude adjustment. If you can’t lower yourself for two seconds, then you don’t deserve help.”
  4593. >”You want me to give you carte-blanche to be a monster, not lower myself!”
  4594. >She’s quickly burning through what sympathy you have for her.
  4595. “Right, Cadance calls me that, so I made her my cocksock. It's not like I constantly risk my own neck to keep her safe. I’m giving you an out, Celestia. A way for you to stop your pain. Just do it, it's better than anyone else would give you.”
  4596. >She pauses, her expression becoming unreadable, “Yet you call me a tyrant for placing you in the same predicament.”
  4597. >With that, the light of your remaining sympathy is promptly snuffed out.
  4598. “What the hell do you mean the same predicament? You didn’t give us any sort of out! You gave us fuck all, and expected us to deal with it for eternity! This isn’t even CLOSE.”
  4599. >"Of course it is! If you would simply set aside your selfishness, Tartarus could be a paradise!”
  4600. >Gone is Celestia, the wounded and crying animal.
  4601. >All you see before you is Celestia, the psychotic and uncaring god brought low.
  4602. “Oh, selfishness is why this place is shit! How could I have never guessed that if we just came together and sang kumba-fucking-ya that you’d finally send us tools and clothing and rain houses from the sky for all of us!”
  4603. >She shakes her head and starts ‘walking’ again, this time with you in tow.
  4604. >Celestia's speech is riddled with pauses, each one filled with a deep breath, “Of course not, human. This realm, is removed from the light of myself, and my sister. The onus is on, everyone of you, to make it a better place.”
  4605. “You seriously expected us to build civilization from the ground up?! Like it's that easy!?”
  4606. >She turns her head to look up at you.
  4607. >That fucking infuriating look of smug superiority has returned to mar her pretty face.
  4608.  
  4609. >Screw the game, you should sodomize her with her own damn horn!
  4610. >Do it in front of Luna, just so she can see what you’ve done to her sister!
  4611. >Or, better yet, you could grab Cadance and use HER horn to…
  4612. >...Nooo…
  4613. >You can’t lose it on her.
  4614. >But...dammit, you can't have her win.
  4615. >You NEED to get her all worked up, to get her in a panic...otherwise she’ll be able to think clearly enough to know what the noose is doing.
  4616. >Of course… if she gives earlier, you wouldn't complain…
  4617. >Either way, you need to knock her back into the panic which you, in a stupefying moment of brilliance, helped her climb out of.
  4618. >Because you felt bad for her.
  4619. >But she’s so frustratingly set in her ways that you aren’t sure how to…
  4620. >Wait...that’s it.
  4621. >You know of one thing that got her real worked up, real fast.
  4622. >And it begins with you doing the most mature thing you can think of.
  4623. >You step on her mane.
  4624. >“I watched as my little ponies, accomplished the very same feat. Three warring tribes built a functioning, loving society, whilst being pr-aah!”
  4625. >Right as you feel her mane begin to grow taut under your foot, you slide it under Celestia’s legs.
  4626. >She goes down just as she had before, stumbling before crashing face first into the ground.
  4627. >You said earlier that you weren’t going to let her ruin the evening with a half baked debate, and that's exactly what you’ve let her do.
  4628. >If you're going to salvage your evening, then you're going to have to drag her down to your level and beat her with experience.
  4629. >Which is exactly what you're doing now.
  4630. “Seriously? This is time number three, Celestia. Are you just… ooohh, I get it!”
  4631. >You snatch her tail and yank it high, earning a cry from her, “Whaah! Human, let go of my tail!”
  4632. “Noo, noo, I get it now! This is why you’ve been presenting yourself, why you convinced Cadance she was going to have to have sex with me!”
  4633. >Her eyes grow wide as you confirm what seems to have been her biggest fear.
  4634.  
  4635. >“Human, don’t you dare! Stop this!”
  4636. >You loop her tail skirt around your good arm-to keep control over THAT part of her, while also having your hand free for the fun bits.
  4637. “You knew that after all this time in hell, I’d be desperate for some real, caring companionship. You didn't have a human, so you did the best you could. A cute mare, one who never raised a hoof against me…”
  4638. >...Maybe you’ll start slow.
  4639. >Or at least with the parts that’ll be much harder to get at once she’s walking again.
  4640. >Celestia's frozen in fear as you go on, your hand reaching between her legs.
  4641. “That’s what you meant by giving up selfishness, isn't it? Going out of your way to make another happy. Problem is… she's married, Celestia. And compared to what I'm used to, she almost looks like a kid! You, on the other hand...”
  4642. >You squeeze one of her small breasts.
  4643. >”Nyaaah! S-sto-let-me-go!” She tenses up under you, quaking, her breath quick and shallow.
  4644. “Oh, don’t be so selfish! The onus is on YOU to make this a better place now, remember?!”
  4645. >”That’s not what I meant! Pl-please! I’m begging you!”
  4646. >...Oohh, this is too perfect.
  4647. >You tease and tweak her teat with a finger, her nipple stiffening as you lean forward, getting as close to her ear as you can while still playing with her.
  4648. “Please what?”
  4649. >She chokes back a sob and kicks her hind leg out at you.
  4650. >It’s just as effective as it was the last time she tried that move.
  4651. >She thrashes to get back to all fours as you pinch and keep playing with her teat, “Human! Wait! I-if you stop, you-you can still be forgiven for your crimes! Y-you can-”
  4652. >You cup her breast...crotchtit...whatever they’re called on ponies.
  4653. “Really? Forgiven? See, funny thing about that one. I already served my sentence. I served it a hundred times over! And you forgot about me. You’re only offering me one way out, so I’m doing the same.”
  4654.  
  4655. >You pull your hand back moments before she slams her thighs together, having made it to all fours once again.
  4656. >Your hand stays firmly attached to her, moving back to trace around her pink vulva, that she’s desperately trying to cover with her tail dock.
  4657. >Each twitch and jerk of her tail only serves to tighten the noose around her neck.
  4658. >“Human! I’m sorry! It was all I could offer! Stop, stop, stop! Stop! Stop!”
  4659. “Oohh, you’re finally admitting it Celestia? That you screwed up? Or was it that you didn’t care? I think you’re just telling me what I want to hear. I KNOW you are! Do you really expect me to believe the god-empress couldn’t offer more?”
  4660. >You trace your fingers over the lips of her marehood proper, a finger occasionally brushing against the entrance.
  4661. >”Nuuuh!” She shudders and charges forward in some vain attempt to get away.
  4662. >You’re easily able to keep pace with her, your hand never once pulling away from her sex.
  4663. ”You know what the god of chaos, and the big evil Tirek have done since they took over? They started food shipments!”
  4664. “They’ve had more empathy in the last two days than you had in your entire reign! And THAT’S why there’s only ONE way that I'll know I’ve gotten through to you!”
  4665. >”I can’t...they need me...to stay strong for them...” She squeezes her eyes shut, just a second too late to stop tears from running down her cheeks.
  4666. “I can’t think of too many who’d call this strong right now..”
  4667. >With that, you push a finger in between her lips.
  4668. >”Gaaahhhoout!” Her passage clamps around your finger, pushing against you as she shrieks, “Get out! Get out of me!”
  4669. >Sounds like there's no sparing Cadance from having to hear it this time.
  4670. >Pushing into her resisting sex, your knuckles slowly but surely vanish as they enter her.
  4671. >There’s no hymen stopping you this time.
  4672. >Looks like Celestia got a bit more action in her long, long life than her sister ever did.
  4673.  
  4674. >Her heroic charge slows as she stumbles, her voice cracking, “Get ooouuut…”
  4675. >In response, you slide back a knuckle and shove a second finger into her.
  4676. >”N’aaah!” She howls out, her voice drenched in tears, her legs shake, threatening to give out from under her, ”It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, your claws, stooop!”
  4677. “I don’t have claws, what are you...”
  4678. >Oh, wait.
  4679. >Your fingernails.
  4680. >Oops.
  4681. >You’re actually tempted to apologise for that one.
  4682. >But she stops you before you can really think about it, “You win! You win, I’ll d-I’ll do it!”
  4683. >You freeze your hand inside her and lean around to try and get a good look at her.
  4684. “Seriously?”
  4685. >Her waterfall of tears have cut twin paths through the grime covering her cheeks.
  4686. >”Nn-hnn,” she sobs out, nodding her head.
  4687. >Well...it’s about time.
  4688. >You eagerly wait as she works to get her breathing under control.
  4689. >...And wait some more.
  4690. >You beckon with your free hand.
  4691. “...Well…?”
  4692. >She takes a deep, shuddering breath and closes her eyes.
  4693. >”I need...some proof that you won’t touch my family anymore, first….”
  4694. >...It is tempting…
  4695. >This would be a fantastic chance to show her just what happens when you make deals with the people in this place…
  4696. >Plus, the look on her face, when she catches you having fun with Luna would be PRICELESS.
  4697. >But...you can’t.
  4698. >The whole point of this is to teach her that she’s just as powerless against you now, as she was in her cage.
  4699. >She REFUSED to give you any sort of deal, to give you any sort of wiggle room, when you were begging her to let you out.
  4700. >If you let her get away with that, while offering her a deal now that your positions have been reversed, you won’t look merciful.
  4701. >You’ll look pathetic.
  4702. >Weak.
  4703. >All she’ll learn is that she can get away with screwing with you, while offering nothing tangible.
  4704. >You pull your hand back and shove a third finger into her.
  4705.  
  4706. >”Y-ooww-ow-ow-oh!” She screams out, her sobbing beginning anew.
  4707. “You know, funny thing about that. I tried negotiating with you earlier today, and it got me about THIS far!”
  4708. >You slam your fingers into her pussy “Aahh-ohh! Stop, stop, stop, human, I said I would!”
  4709. >This time, rather than clamp down around your hand and try to force you out, her walls instantly relax...probably from you purposely dragging your fingernails against her this time.
  4710. >She...actually feels rather pleasant to play with, now.
  4711. >Just as dry as her sister was when you first started...but you know how to fix that.
  4712. >You start to work your fingers in her, much more gently this time, your pinky rubbing under her clit.
  4713. >She shudders as heavily as she had when you were simply threatening to penetrate her, “Nuuu-uh-huh-huuuh...I said…I… ”
  4714. >Her moan of discomfort is a bit more tear filled than before.
  4715. “I know what you said, Celestia. I’m still waiting for you to actually say it. You didn’t do anything to make life easier for ME when you expected me to live by your ideals, so I'm not giving you special treatment.”
  4716. >She gasps out between her heavy sobs, her legs still just barely dragging herself along.
  4717. >You work her sex, wiggling your fingers inside her, trying to get her nice and wet.
  4718. >For a moment, it seems like she's given up begging you, concentrating instead on continuing her journey at a snail’s pace, leaving a path of tears.
  4719. >She doesn't even notice as she passes by the last turn off, to your supply room.
  4720. >The relative peace allows you to focus on her marehood, her passage slowly but surely getting nice and wet as you inflict pleasure on her.
  4721. >She jerks her head up, seemingly randomly.
  4722. >”Human! It's getting...I can't breathe! I’ll...I’ll…come to bed with you, just please, I need to see Luna first, I just need to look at her!”
  4723. >Looking up, you can see the noose is biting into her neck now.
  4724. >Just a little bit more…
  4725. >”She’s…my baby sister…”
  4726.  
  4727. >...If you keep engaging her, she’s just going to keep trying to negotiate.
  4728. >Now that she’s given up on trying to force you out, you could probably fit…
  4729. >For a third time now, you answer her by pulling your hand back and, this time, curl your thumb and pinkie inwards.
  4730. >”No!” Her sex squeezes around your fingers again, but it’s too late.
  4731. >You shove your entire hand inside her.
  4732. >Celestia howls out wordlessly-whether from the penetration or humiliation, you can’t tell-but her cries quickly dissolve into wordless sobbing.
  4733. >She’s finally understood that bit about negotiating.
  4734. >Now there’s just one more lesson for her to learn.
  4735. >You get to work on her sex, pumping your hand into her slick pussy, ”Nuuu-uhuuhhh!”
  4736. >Her legs drag against the ground, inching her forward.
  4737. >At first, she tries to push you out of her when you pull back...but a few sharp thrusts into her, your fingertips brushing against her cervix, each time provoking a shriek of pain, quickly put an end to that.
  4738. >As you start to pound away at her increasingly wet sex, you soon discover that, aside from her perpetual, stubborn march towards the back of your cave, it’s the last bit of resistance she had to offer.
  4739. >Without having to deal with her continued verbal posturing, you can actually start to enjoy this.
  4740. >Your worst enemy before you, sobbing, a sound you wanted to hear for so very, very long.
  4741. >...What you never quite fantasized about is the rest.
  4742. >Her increasingly wet pussy squeezing around your thrusting hand, winking and twitching involuntarily as the smell of her forced arousal surrounds you.
  4743. >Even though it’s quickly getting you ready to replace your hand with something else, you know this really isn’t the time for that.
  4744. >If you stick with just your hand, you can always claim later that Luna had it worse.
  4745. >For now...you have to keep this up until she gives.
  4746. >Which she will...you know she will.
  4747. >...
  4748.  
  4749. >Eventually, her sobbing begins to subside, making room for a high pitched mewl as her winking grows more and more frequent.
  4750. >”Nooo...you...ca...can’t…”
  4751. >She’s close.
  4752. >Celestia tenses up, her ears laid flat back as she grits her teeth, doing her best to fight it-to fight you.
  4753. >That’s not something you can allow.
  4754. >Her continued winking, those flashes of her clit give you an idea.
  4755. >Given how stable she’s been this whole time, it should be easy to…
  4756. >With a bump of your leg, you knock her off balance.
  4757. >”Gah!” She cries out as she goes down, with you taking great pains to move your arm with her, as she falls onto her side.
  4758. >”Wha-what are you…?” Her belly heaves as she struggles to breathe, her eyes wild as she thrashes against the ground.
  4759. >Reassuming your fisting, you can see just the tiiiiiiiniest bulge in her belly moving back and forth-your hand.
  4760. >With her trapped in this position, pinned by your arm inside her, it’s easy to line your mouth up juuust right...
  4761. >The next time she winks, you lick at her clit.
  4762. >”Nyaah!” She screams out, arching her back as the sudden jolt of pleasure overcomes what little resistance she has left.
  4763. >As her pussy ripples around your hand, you’re just barely able to get your head out of the way before her fluids leak out.
  4764. >Kneeling upright, you jerk your hand back.
  4765. >She curls up as you do, jutting her head forward...and the noose clamps down around her neck, “Grrk-!”
  4766. >”I-I..I ca-..n’t....” She gasps, her eyes bulging as her mouth works silently.
  4767. “What’s that Celestia? You’ll have to speak up.”
  4768. >You pull your marecum covered arm out of her as you await the moment of truth.
  4769. >”Help me…” a squeak arises as opposed to actual words, “Mas...ter…”
  4770. >...You win.
  4771. “Good jooob Celestia! Alright, hold still. It’s weird, but trust me, this will work.”
  4772. >Rushing around to the front of her, you kneel down, psyching yourself up.
  4773.  
  4774. >Without breaking out a knife and destroying your rope, this is going to hurt...but you can do this, she was a good girl, she called you master.
  4775. >With the hand on your broken arm, you grab ahold of the noose around her neck, clawing at her skin as you juuuust barely manage to wedge your fingers in under it.
  4776. >The rope bites even harder into her neck now, she pitifully reaches a foreleg up to try and do...something to stop you.
  4777. >The best she can do is bat her elbow against you.
  4778. >Your arm screams at you from a combination of that touch and the strain you’re putting on the broken bone, your whole side igniting in flame.
  4779. >Holding her by the rope, you bend down and forcibly kiss her, silencing any cry of pain forming in your throat.
  4780. >As your lips meet, you yank back on the knot with your fluid soaked hand.
  4781. >She gasps out, fresh air filling her lungs as you pull the noose to be roooughly as loose as it was when she first began her trek.
  4782. >Breaking off the kiss, you stand before her, watching her sides heave as she processes what just happened.
  4783. >...Hopefully that kiss was enough of a distraction to keep her addled mind from figuring out what you ACTUALLY did with the rope.
  4784. >It takes a moment, but her eyelids droop down as she bit by bit begins sobbing anew, the reality of what just happened, what she had just said hits her, overwhelming her abused mind.
  4785. >She shoves her head under her forelegs, doing her best to cover her face, “I’m sorry Luna...I’m sorry Cadance...I wasn’t strong enough…”
  4786. >You gingerly stroke over her filthy mane with your “bad” hand, easily slipping under her tied up forelegs.
  4787. “There there, Celestia. Shh-shh-shh, it’s ok, you did good. You did good.”
  4788. >As you uncover her eye, she instantly looks away, affixing her tear filled gaze firmly to the ground before your feet, before shifting one of her legs to block her view of you.
  4789.  
  4790. “The thing with your neck only going to come back if you start running around again, faster this time. And...you’re barely halfway there. Do you want my help yet?”
  4791. >She gives you the barest of nods, her voice reserved for crying.
  4792. >With a smile, you give her neck a ginger hug, ignoring her feeble attempt to pull away.
  4793. >You’d carry her yourself, but after the abuse you put yourself through today, you know it’s out of the question.
  4794. “Good girl. Alright, I’d carry you back if I had both arms, but since I don’t…”
  4795. >You put two marecum coated fingers in your mouth and whistle for the bug.
  4796. >...Ok, that doesn’t taste NEARLY as good as you had hoped.
  4797. >Fighting the urge to gag, you wait for your “companion” to arrive.
  4798. >In a few seconds, Hope’s hoofbeats echo through the halls of your home, moments before she comes into view, a panicked look on her face.
  4799. >D’aww, she thought Celestia was trying to kill you, didn’t she?
  4800. >As she nears you, you can see her stumble, her face twisting up into...what you think is a cringe?
  4801. >Riiight, she’s probably tasting Celestia’s anguish…
  4802. >From what you’ve been told, that one’s not pleasant.
  4803. >She clipclops to a halt in front of you, panting almost as hard as Celestia was moments ago, “You...you called, father?”
  4804. >She gives a half hearted wag of her tail at your name.
  4805. “Yep. Celestia’s finally decided to listen to me, so you’re going to carry her. Just like you did Cadance, now.”
  4806. >She looks between you and Celestia, her mouth agape as her ears sink down.
  4807. >But before you can give her one of the looks you like to give her, her horn ignites, surrounding Celestia in a green glow.
  4808. >She so caught up in her self pity as she’s deposited on Hope’s back, she doesn’t even notice when you guide Hope to turn around and head back the way you came.
  4809.  
  4810. >As the three of you work your way back down the cave, you stroke over Celestia’s long, filthy mane, soon spotting something out of the corner of your eye, staining your “carefully maintained” bare rock floor.
  4811. >No, not her marecum, you expected that.
  4812. >Instead, there’s twin trails of blood.
  4813. >Hope steals a glance at you as you lag behind a bit, to get a good look at Celestia’s legs.
  4814. >She split her knees wide open during her fight to get to her sister.
  4815. >You...you were so caught up in messing with her, you didn’t even notice.
  4816. >While you’re tempted to say something to her, you doubt it’d register with her.
  4817. >...And you’re too tired to think of something witty right now, anyway.
  4818. >Soon enough, the three of you reach your room.
  4819. “Sorry to crush your hope...Hope...but there’s no getting out of it. You’re being the pillow after all.”
  4820. >Her ears sink down, “But, but, you said-”
  4821. “I know what I said, put her on the bed for me, would you?”
  4822. >You jerk your thumb at her passenger.
  4823. >”Wha…? Where…?” the alicorn lifts her head as Hope’s green aura once more surrounds her.
  4824. >”You said y-you’d help me see-ee Lunaaaa!” Celestia wails out before Hope lifts her into the air.
  4825. “Noo. I told you earlier, Celestia. I’d help you to BED. And that’s what we’re doing. You’re not in any condition to see her right now.”
  4826. >The moment she’s set down on the bed, she curls up in a ball, the noose tightening as her crying begins anew.
  4827. >Just like old times…
  4828. >You rub her flank, as close to reassuringly as you can get, while still wiping her drying marecum off on her.
  4829. “Hey, hey. You’ll see her soon, ok? Once your neck’s doing better. Now, since you admitted you aren’t better than anyone else, let me do what I can to help you heal.”
  4830. >First thing’s first, you undo the rope from around her tail, loosening the noose until it’s practically a necklace.
  4831.  
  4832. >You’d take it off entirely, but...just because you broke her doesn’t mean you can trust her yet.
  4833. >Next up, you loosen the bands holding her wings-not enough for her to free them, but enough so you won’t have to worry about her cutting circulation off in her sleep.
  4834. >She just concentrates on curling into a tighter ball the moment she can, muttering “I’m sorry,” to herself.
  4835. >Once your work’s completed, you point to the head of the bed.
  4836. “Alright, Hope? Lay down right here.”
  4837. >The bug wavers for juuuuust a moment before she does as you say, “Like this, father?”
  4838. >You didn’t have to give her a look this time, either!
  4839. >...She must know better than to ruin your feeling of victory.
  4840. “Juust like that. Good job Hope. Now, let’s get to bed you two.”
  4841. >Carefully, you pull one of your blankets over Celestia, tucking her in, before laying down with your head on Hope’s rear.
  4842. >It’s almost as squishy as Celestia’s...more muscly, like her mother’s in fact...
  4843. >Facing her, you gingerly stroke over Celestia’s mane with your good hand, her leash in your bad one as you wait for her to inevitably cry herself to sleep, your eyelids feeling heavy...very heavy…
  4844. >...
  4845. >You’re soon dragged back to consciousness by your rather sore and insistently dry throat.
  4846. >You drowned yourself today, and you’re still thirsty.
  4847. >Go figure.
  4848. >Cracking an eye open, you carefully untangle yourself from between Hope and Celestia, doing your best not to wake them.
  4849. >You get a minimal reaction from those two as you wiggle your way free of Celestia’s mane.
  4850. >...Still...better safe than sorry.
  4851. >Taking the end of Celestia’s leash, you lightly brush it over Hope’s nose.
  4852. >Her snout scrunches up, and she attempts to roll over.
  4853. >Stupid bug…
  4854. >Her mother could do this first try.
  4855. >You repeat the gentle boops with the end of that rope, causing Hope to squirm unconsciously, “Fi’ mor’ minu’s...”
  4856.  
  4857. >It takes more attempts than it should, but she finally opens her mouth and lazily bites down on the leash.
  4858. >Two little spots of green appear as she unconsciously injects the ‘prey’ with venom.
  4859. >Satisfied that now Celestia is secured, you stand up, your joints popping and protesting.
  4860. >If your body was filing formal complaints about your strenuous activity yesterday, it’s full on rioting tonight.
  4861. >These fucking ponies.
  4862. >They're driving you to drink.
  4863. >...Damn do you miss alcohol.
  4864. >Ignoring your sore joints, you stumble down the cave, not needing to open your eyes once to navigate every twist, turn, and bump.
  4865. >After all, you’ve basically spent a lifetime here.
  4866. >You only force them open once you hear the gentle rushing of your personal river.
  4867. >It’s THE reason you picked this place as your new home.
  4868. >The water’s crystal clear, tastes decent, and...wait.
  4869. >What the hell is that?
  4870. >There’s some blue blob at the bottom of YOUR stream.
  4871. >With your razor sharp, sleep honed reflexes, you awkwardly slap your hand in and bat at it in an expert attempt to grab the invader of your water source.
  4872. >You come up empty handed.
  4873. >In fact, by the time the water’s cleared, there’s no sign of whatever that thing was.
  4874. >Well...it doesn’t look like your stream is contaminated.
  4875. >Whatever that thing was, it didn’t try to viciously murder you, manipulate you, convince you to piss off a spider monster, or drag you back to its insane mother, so as far as you’re concerned, it’s now the closest thing you have to a friend in this place.
  4876. >Or you’re hallucinating again.
  4877. >...Probably that one.
  4878. >Sipping from the source of your latest hallucination, the cool water assuages your throat’s complaints.
  4879. >You’re soon interrupted by the distinctive clip-clop of hooves on stone.
  4880. >...Shit.
  4881.  
  4882. >Ok, Cadance or Luna escaping at this point is fairly unlikely…
  4883. >Hope probably followed you like the lost puppy she is.
  4884. >Standing up, you take a deep breath and look back.
  4885. “Hope, go back to…”
  4886. >The shadow-cloaked figure is too tall to be Hope-in fact, only one pony fits that profile.
  4887. >Celestia managed to get herself untied, and she’s looking for revenge.
  4888. >Ok, you can handle this, you have a potentially lethal weapon this time-the water.
  4889. “Turn around, and go back to bed. You already tried this, we both know how it ends.”
  4890. >”Master? What are you talking about?” comes a voice that sounds like it’s been run through a cheese grater.
  4891. >Your heart rockets into your throat.
  4892. >You KNOW that voice.
  4893. “N-Nymph...?”
  4894. >The figure steps forward, the light revealing a long, black horn, adorably curly hair...
  4895. >A shiny, blue thorax.
  4896. >It’s her.
  4897. >She looks exactly like you remember her. Not a single hole in her slender legs.
  4898. >Shit. Shit!
  4899. >Nymph smiles, revealing her pointed, dripping fangs, “I’ve missed you so much, master!”
  4900. >To emphasise the point, she wags her tail like a dog, lowering her head, just as you had taught her.
  4901. >You stumble backwards in response, your eyes darting around, looking for something-anything you can use to escape.
  4902. >You have no weapons, no clothing, your arm is broken, and she’s blocking the only exit.
  4903. >There needs...there has to be some way out of this!
  4904. >there always is!
  4905. “How…did you find me?”
  4906. >Her smile only grows wider, “We have a hive-mind, master. Didn’t you know? When you found our daughter, she led me right to you!”
  4907. >You knew you should have killed Hope when you found her!
  4908.  
  4909. >Falling back as she advances, you still haven’t found anything you could use to save yourself.
  4910. >Maybe she still remembers her conditioning?
  4911. >You snap your fingers and point at the ground.
  4912. “Sit, girl!”
  4913. >She leans backwards, seeming as though she’s going to obey your command, before she shakes her head, “I’m sorry master, but I can’t right now. I need to bring you home first! Then you can punish me all you want, I promise!”
  4914. “Don’t you dare Nymph, don’t you fucking da-”
  4915. >She pounces, her gossamer wings flapping, her mouth open impossibly wide.
  4916. >You throw your arms up in a desperate bid to protect your face.
  4917. “Gah!”
  4918. >She crashes into your broken arm, the splint snapping as you go down, agony engulfing you.
  4919. >It’s almost enough to mask the twin stabs of her fangs.
  4920. >You thrash on the ground, trying to get out from under her as a numbness spreads through you, taking away both your pain and your ability to move.
  4921. >Still, you force your increasingly sluggish limbs to respond, getting at least one good punch in against the bug.
  4922. >Nymph simply giggles and kisses your forehead as her poison takes over.
  4923. >”There’ll be time for that later, master! Ooohh, I’ve waited so long to see you again! I even saved a batch of eggs for you!”
  4924. >...What?
  4925. >No, noooo, no, no!
  4926. >Not again!
  4927. >Your limbs refuse to obey you as she stands, revealing her fully prepared ovipositor.
  4928. >Green slime drips on you as she lines up, “Just think master! You’ll get to be a father again...our children's’ host forever and ever!”
  4929. >She plunges it into you.
  4930.  
  4931. >Your eyes snap open to reveal your bedroom, and the two slumbering forms against you.
  4932. >You...you can feel your limbs!
  4933. >Scrambling, you extract yourself from Hope and Celestia, your heart pounding as you pat over yourself.
  4934. >No eggs, no bite marks…
  4935. >It was a dream!
  4936. >Just a dream...just a really, really bad dream…of her...
  4937. >You look over the two on your bed as you struggle to get control of your breathing.
  4938. >...Oh.
  4939. >Well no wonder you dreamt of...that.
  4940. >Hope IS a changeling, with all the associated scents and feelings…and Celestia’s the same size Nymph was.
  4941. >Of course you’d dream of her.
  4942. >Looks like...no cuddles or comfy bed for you tonight.
  4943. >That’s...that’s fine.
  4944. >Stumbling away, you lay down in the entranceway once you’ve calmed down, using the wall as your pillow.
  4945. >You need to get SOME sleep…
  4946. >After the day you’ve had today, you doubt you’d be able to function without a good night’s rest.
  4947. >...
  4948. >A forked tongue licks your ear, “Love you master!”
  4949. >Aaand you’re up!
  4950. >Leaping to your feet, you stretch, your heart pounding again.
  4951. >You don’t need sleep!
  4952. >What was that old phrase?
  4953. >You’ll sleep when you’re dead, right, and you died earlier, which means you had a nap, you’re good…
  4954. >Just…
  4955. >You need to find something to do.
  4956.  
  4957. >You lean against the wall and take a few deep, calming breaths before reviewing your options.
  4958. >Let's see…Cadance, Celestia, Forlorn Hope, Luna…
  4959. >You know you're going to have to let Cadance out of time-out sometime…but if you let her out now, she’s just going to wander over to Celestia like the lost puppy she is.
  4960. >Plus, you should probably wait until your arm is no longer covered in her aunt’s fluids.
  4961. >Ignoring the deep, almost painful itching of your bone knitting itself back together, you peek back into your room.
  4962. >Celestia and Hope lay sound asleep on your bed, seemingly undisturbed by your panic filled abscondence.
  4963. >You should probably apologize to Hope for going back on your word on the whole pillow thing.
  4964. >Almost on cue, she rolls over in her sleep, her forked tongue lolling out.
  4965. >For someone who INSISTED it wasn't her bed time yet, she sure is sleeping soundly.
  4966. >As for Celestia…
  4967. >You managed to massively blueball yourself with her, earlier, and despite the disturbing dreams you're having, the physical urge hasn't gone anywhere.
  4968. >There's nothing stopping you from waking the little tease up and making her finish the job she started…
  4969. >But you’ve been making very good progress with her.
  4970. >If you push her too hard, too fast, she might just shut down...and you’ve already felt sorry for her once.
  4971. >She should probably be left alone, at least until she wakes up.
  4972. >And Luna, of course, is still in isolation.
  4973. >Great.
  4974. >You have four beings with perfectly functioning holes in your home, and somehow, you’re ruling out everyone but Rosey Palm and her five friends.
  4975. >Hang on...weren’t you training Luna for something?
  4976. >You tied her down, dragged her back to the worst time of her life, trapped her in it so she’d relive it over and over it until you returned, and then...
  4977. >Right!
  4978. >Then you made it worse by raping her!
  4979.  
  4980. >You were turning her into an adorable little fuckpuppy, just like you did to Nymph.
  4981. >This would be the perfect thing for her to handle!
  4982. >Assuming she isn’t going to just laugh at you for thinking a day of sensory deprivation would break her, when she’s gone through a millenia of it already.
  4983. >...Yea, you’re definitely pushing it…
  4984. >But she hasn’t had anything to eat or drink since she’s gotten here.
  4985. >You’ll just have to make it work, if you don’t want her first death to be when she’s completely alone.
  4986. >Besides…
  4987. >Little miss “I’ve been hardened by my banishment so there’s nothing that can hurt me” quickly turned into little miss “I have PTSD worse than someone pulled out of the Ifrits’ meat farms” once you got sick of her screwing with you.
  4988. >In a few minutes, you effortlessly travel double the distance Celestia fought so hard to make, soon arriving at Luna’s door.
  4989. >...You may have been generous by calling it a door.
  4990. >Doors usually have hinges, doorknobs, and are attached to the wall.
  4991. >You pry the almost-door out from where you wedged it, opening the way to Luna’s room.
  4992. >Immediately, your ears are hit with the muffled whimpers of a pony caught in terror’s clutches.
  4993. >You drink her whimpering as you carefully, gingerly lean her door against the wall, and look over your captive.
  4994. >It’s a sight straight out of your fantasies.
  4995. >...Minus the cave of course.
  4996. >It’s about time you’ve gotten to see her suffer the same way she made you, for centuries.
  4997. >Although, she was imprisoned as well for almost as long as you, so…
  4998. >No. She had her chance and she used it to spit in your eye.
  4999. >Burying that little voice of conscience, you focus on the task at hand.
  5000. >...All her restraints seem to be intact…good.
  5001. >Being careful not to touch her, you crouch down and search for any obvious signs of injury.
  5002.  
  5003. >Her fetlocks look more than a little raw, her wings hang limp at her sides, her feathers are scattered around her, and her translucent mane…thing…is plastered to the side of her face...but that looks to be about it.
  5004. >Nothing seems to be dislocated or broken from her struggling…miraculously, no bleeding either.
  5005. >Time to wake her up.
  5006. >With all the subtlety and grace you can muster, you clasp your hand around the side of her neck with an audible slap.
  5007. >”Hrrmmhh!” She cries out, jerking away from your hand…before shoving herself back against the first source of outside stimulus she's had in a day.
  5008. >You scratch over her neck, your fingers working into her mane as she nuzzles into you, a tear-filled whimper rising from her snout.
  5009. >Well, that should put to bed any hopes of rescue.
  5010. >After all, you're the only one with hands.
  5011. >You soon switch from scratching to just petting down her neck, the princess pushing into your hand every chance she gets, just like a cat.
  5012. >...She's kinda cute when she’s not running her mouth.
  5013. >Maybe you should just leave the muzzle on her forever, let her stay just a cute little animal.
  5014. >Of course...Celestia wasn’t all that much fun when she was like that…
  5015. >Eh, you’ll figure something out, after you’ve had your fun.
  5016. >You trace your hand down her neck, over her withers, and onto her back, her muscles twitching under your touch as she twists her head around uselessly, as though watching you with her blinded eyes.
  5017. >Her breath quickens, her sides heave as you dance your fingers over her splotched rump.
  5018. >”Nn-nn, nn-nn!” She pulls against the chains keeping her in place as you reach her tail, her dock pressing firmly over her privates in some vain attempt to stop you.
  5019. >...Well it looks like she didn’t learn one of the lessons you tried to teach her yesterday.
  5020. >You know you really should just get up and walk away for now, and just keep repeating this ‘exercise’ until she voluntarily lifts it…
  5021.  
  5022. >But dammit, you’re horny NOW.
  5023. >Besides, the point of this whole thing is to make her associate freedom with sex.
  5024. >It takes a bit of force, but you manage to wiggle your fingers in under her tail dock, and stroke over her pussy.
  5025. >”Hrrrrmmff--mmf-mmmf!” Luna sobs out as you rub over her puffy lips, her head lowering, the only part of her moving as the rest of her freezes up.
  5026. >Well…
  5027. >Looks like you won’t have to worry about her laughing at you.
  5028. >Once you’re satisfied you’ve made your intentions clear, you pull your hand out from under her tail and grope around on the floor, looking for where you left the key.
  5029. >Oddly enough she doesn't seem to enjoy that any more than actively groping her.
  5030. >With a whine, she inches backwards towards you, her free hoof probing out, seeking any sign of you.
  5031. >...Poor girl just doesn't know what she wants, does she?
  5032. >You’d be lying if you said you don't have fun watching her search become more desperate, her whine blossoming into a full blown whimper before you finally decide she's had enough.
  5033. >Gingerly, you rest the hand of your broken arm on her back, reassuring her that no, you haven't decided to leave her alone in the dark again.
  5034. >Yet.
  5035. >Her tense muscles go slack immediately, even while her fear-fueled panting continues, her barrel straining like bellows beneath your touch.
  5036. >...Found it!
  5037. >Snatching the key, you unlock the binding securing Luna’s hind leg.
  5038. >A satisfying click rings out, echoing through the mostly empty room, before the shackle falls away.
  5039. >Her ears twist and turn as she fights against the earplugs to get some idea of what you're doing.
  5040. >Well, since she’s just so eager to know…
  5041. >You slip your hand right back under her tail and shove a pair of fingers into her sex.
  5042. >”Mrrmff!” Luna screams out kicking off in an attempt to run away from you.
  5043.  
  5044. >She doesn't even make a full step before she reaches the end of her other chains, her forelegs being cruelly yanked backwards before her wings start beating uselessly.
  5045. >She didn't even manage to get your fingers out of her.
  5046. >Why exactly is she so surprised, anyway? You literally just ‘told’ her what you two were going to be doing.
  5047. >You take a moment to listening to the rattle of her chains as she thrashes and squirms, sobbing behind her muzzle as you ponder which pony's managed to be MORE pathetic in their attempts to escape you.
  5048. >...For now…you’ll go with the one who seriously hurt herself while accomplishing nothing.
  5049. >As you start working on Luna the same way you had her sister last night, you can practically hear Discord’s response.
  5050. >”And which one was that, Anonny-boy? The one who tried to be a changeling’s chew toy, or the one who turned her legs into hamburger while getting off?”
  5051. >...Discord and Tirek better save some of the fun for you.
  5052. >You continue to work Luna’s recently deflowered sex as her muffled cries and desperate moans roll over you, soon being replaced by sobbing as her fight quickly leaves her.
  5053. >Good girl…she's already learned that fighting only brings pain.
  5054. >Once your fingers come away nice and slick, you pull out of her and snatch the key once again.
  5055. >”Wwmmrr!” Luna cries out before she stumbles backwards, her black butt bumping into your bad arm.
  5056. >Son of a fuck!
  5057. >Her stubby tail half curls around your arm as you reel in pain, fighting both the urge to finally give in and cry, like a proper tough guy, and the urge to “return the favor.”
  5058. >...It's just an accident…she doesn't know…she's just trying to be a good pet for you…
  5059. >You’re the only thing keeping her safe, she’s probably already falling for you.
  5060. >...She's just that terrified of you leaving her again.
  5061. >MAN, it is SO tempting to make that fear into a reality right now.
  5062.  
  5063. >But then you’d be stuck with the same problem you had when you came in here.
  5064. >You’ll deal with this...after you’ve taken care of your own fun.
  5065. >Once your pain has subsided, you get to work on unlocking Luna’s forelegs.
  5066. >”Hrrrrm?!” She cries out in confusion as one of the chains holding her in the air falls away, the princess threatening to follow suit.
  5067. >Luna’s barely able to catch herself, her hoofguard clacking against the ground as she tries to support herself with unsteady legs, leaning heavily into that last chain.
  5068. >Oh...wait.
  5069. >You get it now!
  5070. >She’s screwing with you again, isn’t she?
  5071. >Just like every other member of her rotten family, she’s trying to manipulate you for her own benefit.
  5072. >She knows what you want, and since being strong didn’t work last time, she’s going to pretend to be infirm-she might have been doing it this whole time.
  5073. >In that case, she really hasn’t learned the lesson you’re trying to teach.
  5074. >You unlock the last chain holding Luna up.
  5075. >For a second, it looks like she’s going to...right up until her legs buckle and give out from under her and Luna slams down with a muffled cry.
  5076. >Her head joins suit as whatever energy she had seems to leave her, her snout slamming into the ground as her cry grows into sobbing, before devolving into outright bawling.
  5077. >...Just like her sister, she’s trying to make this as difficult as possible.
  5078. >At least this time, you don’t have to chase a pony halfway through your home.
  5079. >...A fully day of straining her limbs probably has something to do with that.
  5080. >Well, if she’s going to make this difficult, you’ll just have to…
  5081. >She twists around the moment you touch her, until she’s facing you and wraps her forelegs around your ankles, still bawling away.
  5082. >Her horn pokes between your legs as her covered snout rests on your feet, her tears dripping onto your skin as they escape her blindfold.
  5083. >Is she...trying to apologize?
  5084. >...
  5085. >She might not be faking.
  5086.  
  5087. >Kneeling down, you scoop Luna’s chin up in your good hand and lift her head, examining her mostly covered face.
  5088. >She doesn't offer even a modicum of resistance, the closest thing to a reaction you get is when her sobs lose that edge of desperation, even if she doesn't stop crying.
  5089. >...It doesn't matter if she's sincerely apologizing or if she is acting again.
  5090. >A simple, verbal apology isn't enough for what she's done to you.
  5091. >Plus, she's already demonstrated her words can't be trusted.
  5092. >Hell, her ACTIONS can barely be trusted.
  5093. >You came in here to have sex, and dammit, you’re having sex one way or another.
  5094. >Buuuut…Cadance is right there.
  5095. >Until you’ve figured out exactly what you’re going to do with her, it might be best to tone down the high impact sexual violence when you’re within earshot.
  5096. >...Or at least not be a COMPLETE monster.
  5097. >You could do that AND find out if Luna’s lying at the same time!
  5098. >And step one involves calming the poor pony down.
  5099. >Crouching down, you pull Luna into a one armed hug, her forelegs hanging limp against your chest.
  5100. “Shh-shh-sh.”
  5101. >You resume petting down the back of her head, the best you can manage with your other hand, shushing her occasionally, despite the fact that it’s useless with those earmuffs still in place, as you let her cry herself out.
  5102. >All this constant crying from the three of them is really starting to get old.
  5103. >Yes, yes, everyone goes through their little sad period when their new reality sinks in, it’s nothing you aren’t used to.
  5104. >But...dammit, THREE at once is more than you’re used to.
  5105. >Oooh, and then there’s the bug and all her tears!
  5106. >She was born here, she doesn’t even HAVE an excuse for all that!
  5107. >Speaking of, you might have to have that bug root around Celestia's mind again.
  5108. >Luna’s the only one who doesn't know you have a changeling running around the cave, and you haven't gotten to have it impersonate anyone for laughs yet.
  5109.  
  5110. >Assuming she doesn't screw THAT one up, too.
  5111. >Time drags on, but eventually Luna’s tears run dry, her sobbing reduced to a hiccup-filled whimpering.
  5112. >Somehow, one of her wings has managed to wrap around your back, in what some might consider an attempt at a hug.
  5113. >For a moment, you just sit there, enjoying the cute attempt at affection, and just bask her warm feathers.
  5114. >Yea, you abused her already...but you’re literally the only one who’s there for her.
  5115. >The pause doesn’t last long.
  5116. >But another part of you recalls that if she's not crying anymore, it means she's ready.
  5117. >The next time you reach up to pet her, you brush over her earmuffs, knocking them just slightly askew, allowing sound to trickle past them.
  5118. >Yes, you COULD just yell through them and she’d hear you…but everyone else is asleep, that would be rude.
  5119. >And the last thing you need is someone waking up and walking in here while you're balls deep in pony pussy.
  5120. “Luuunaaaa…”
  5121. >She jerks against you, her ears twisting around towards the first outside noise she's heard all day.
  5122. >Petting over her mane one last time, you run your hand down her withers, over her back, and dance across the splotchy black fur of her rump,
  5123. “You know I can’t trust you after what you did earlier...and you know what I came in here for…”
  5124. >”Hhhrrmmhh!” She cries out, her hooves pressing firmly to your chest as she tries to squirm away.
  5125. >She doesn’t make it very far.
  5126. >Before she even manages to get off your lap, you hook your arm around her and pull her right back against your chest.
  5127. “Noo Luna, none of that! None of that, girl. It won’t be like last time, now stop squirming.”
  5128. >Her ears press to the sides of her head but she obeys, her legs falling limp as she gives up her futile attempt at escape.
  5129. >But her whimpering returns as Luna shudders against you, her muscles as tense as they can be while she waits for you to...well, start beating her or something, given this reaction.
  5130.  
  5131. >She couldn’t hear what you were doing with her sister last night, could she?
  5132. >It...really doesn’t really matter if she did.
  5133. >Keeping your elbow hooked around her wing, you sneak back up to tease her mane.
  5134. “Were you trying to make amends a few minutes ago? Did you mean it?”
  5135. >She nods as her breath hitches, threatening to cry again.
  5136. “Ok, Luna. I...want to believe you. I really do. But almost every single thing you’ve told me from the minute you arrived was a lie. Can you give me one reason why I should, now?”
  5137. >”Mmrr?” her muscles twitch as she threatens to start squirming again.
  5138. “Sshh girl, I know, I know, you can’t talk. That’s ok, I’m giving you another way to prove it, one that doesn’t involve lying words.”
  5139. >She stays tense against you, her whimpering growing louder as it begins to dawn on her what you want.
  5140. >Huh…
  5141. >Maybe it's the throbbing pain from your broken arm, maybe it was the freaky dream you had, maybe it's simple exhaustion…
  5142. >But for whatever reason, the sound of her crying isn't getting you as giddy as it did yesterday.
  5143. >Physically excited?
  5144. >Ooh, of course.
  5145. >Maybe it's that you’ve gotten your revenge with Luna, and now she's as broken and malleable as anyone else in Tartarus.
  5146. >Ripe for training, something you’ve done dozens of times before.
  5147. >And speaking of…
  5148. “Luna...look. You know what I came in here for. Either I can take it from you, and let it be a miserable experience for both of us, or you can use it as an opportunity to show me that you’ve changed, and we can see about getting rid of some of your restrictions. It’s up to you, girl.”
  5149. >Her whimpering stretches out into another whine, growing louder as the apparently impossible choice tumbles around in her mind.
  5150. >...If anyone asked you, you’d say it really isn’t a choice.
  5151. >But her sister was more than happy to pick the first option last night...so who knows?
  5152.  
  5153. >History begins to repeat itself as her steady, loud whine is broken up once again as she starts crying, her head juuust barely moving, shaking back and forth.
  5154. >You can aaalllmost make out words, there, amongst her crying.
  5155. >Almost like she's crying for her sister?
  5156. >Or...no, it’s slightly off…
  5157. >The muzzle’s making it impossible for you to figure out exactly who she’s begging for.
  5158. >Regardless, she's certainly acting nothing like her defiant bitch of a sister was last night.
  5159. >She just needs a gentle push to come to the right decision.
  5160. “Really? You’re going with option one, then?”
  5161. >You place your bad hand on her askew earmuff, making the thread clear.
  5162. >”Hnn-nn! Nn-nn!” Luna shakes her head furiously before burying her face into your chest, her horn almost smacking you in the face as her crying overtakes her.
  5163. >You don’t even try to keep up with her, just letting your hand fall away once she started moving.
  5164. >She’s already hurt you enough for one night.
  5165. “Soo...option two, then? You’re going to show me how sorry you are?”
  5166. >Sobbing away, she gives you the barest of nods.
  5167. >You snatch her up in the tightest hug you can manage.
  5168. “Good giiiiirl, good girl, Luna! It’s all on you, then. You get to decide what we’re doing, how fast, slow, it’s all up to you. Whenever you’re ready.”
  5169. >..Within reason, of course.
  5170. >You’re still horny, and physically ready to begin any second, dammit.
  5171. >But good fuckpuppy’s need to be eager to please, so you have to start somewhere.
  5172. >...Besides, this was how you did it with Nymph, and it worked pretty well.
  5173. >For the most part.
  5174. >Luna immediately pushes those boundaries of ‘within reason.’
  5175. >Every time she starts to make a move, she freezes up, only to cling to your chest again, her breath hitching.
  5176. >Once your nerves are sufficiently frayed, you take her hoof during one of her attempts, and gingerly guide her the rest of the way.
  5177.  
  5178. >She mewls as you ‘help’ her wrap her hoof around your cock…but at least she doesn't pull away this time.
  5179. >Probably because of the firm grip you’re keeping on her pastern.
  5180. “There. That's not so bad, is it girl? I know I hurt you last time, but if you keep cooperating, then you’ll feel fine. Now come on, get to work….”
  5181. >Carefully, you remove your hand from her hoof, seeing if she’ll be a good girl.
  5182. >Her head sinks down as your words cause a shudder to run through her, but she doesn’t try to pull away.
  5183. >She even starts half heartedly running her hoof up and down your cock.
  5184. >A pitiful attempt at a hoofjob...it doesn’t exactly feel BAD, but it’s not going to get you off any time soon.
  5185. >Luna may have been a virgin, but she’s also been a god, she must know how it’s properly done.
  5186. >...She just needs the proper motivation.
  5187. >Which...you’ve already used your big threat to get her THIS far.
  5188. >There’s nowhere to go but down…however, there are other ways to motivate someone.
  5189. >You’ll just have to make her want this as much as you do.
  5190. “I know, last time wasn’t quite how you expected your first time to go. Not in a cave, to an ape from another world.”
  5191. >Her hoof slows as she starts quivering, on the verge of breaking down once again.
  5192. >Don’t give her time to think about it.
  5193. “Can you tell me how you pictured it would go?”
  5194. >Her hoof stops as she tilts her head up at you, clearly confused...and with the way her ears are back, probably scared of the consequences of not being able to answer you.
  5195. >Reaching a hand out, you play with the back of her half-covered ear to try and reassure her.
  5196. “Come on, surely you didn’t fantasize about humans. You pictured a stallion, didn’t you? A big, strong, alicorn stallion, am I right? Can you picture him? Right now?”
  5197. >Luna nods, her breath growing steady as you assuage her fears.
  5198.  
  5199. “Let me take a guess. A good head taller than your sister, rippling muscles under his dark coat, and eyes only for you.”
  5200. >”Mmm-hmm,” she nods again, as her hoof starts moving again.
  5201. >Using what you picked up from her and Cadance regarding her fall from grace, you start painting a picture, her mind your canvas.
  5202. “It would have been a romantic affair, no? He’d arrive at the castle, announcing that he’s a prince from a land across the ocean. That he came in search of the one who painted the night sky. When you came out to greet him, he’d kiss your hoof and tell you how you’re even more beautiful than the constellations you create each and every night.”
  5203. >Luna switches hooves on you, working away much more eagerly now...aallmost at the perfect pace.
  5204. >Her stimulus starved brain is probably playing out exactly what you describe in front of her, whether she’d want to see it or not.
  5205. >And the exertion of a hoofjob is negligible compared to what you put her through yesterday.
  5206. >...Right, you’d better keep going before her reality sets back in.
  5207. “He’d convince you to have dinner with him. His chef would serve the most exotic meals as the two of you stay all night talking. The two of you would be so rapt, by the time either of you looked up, Celestia would have lowered the moon for you.”
  5208. >Luna nods silently and switches hooves again.
  5209. >Ooohhh, there we go!
  5210. >You have to fight the urge to grab onto her horn as she works away at a proper speed now, having completely forgotten where she is.
  5211. >Instead, you focus on keeping Luna adrift in that fantasy, describing a blooming romance between her and the unnamed stallion, as all the while she thanks you by doing her best to get you off.
  5212. >Which...well, you certainly can’t complain, but there are other options that would feel so much better.
  5213. >It’s so tempting to throw her on her back and fuck her brains out...
  5214. >But that’s not what you’re doing here.
  5215. >She needs to think it’s entirely her idea.
  5216.  
  5217. >Mouth….no, you’d have to take the muzzle off…having her turn around to get under her tail might be enough to bring her back to reality…
  5218. >Your eyes fall on her wings.
  5219. >That...could be interesting…
  5220. >Time to bring her fantasy to a warm and sticky end.
  5221. “But, one evening the two of you would wake up to see he’s gotten a letter. There’s been an emergency, and he’s needed back in his homeland. But you can’t just let him go. Who knows when he’d return? You need to give him something to remember you by, something to make that last night special…”
  5222. >Reaching out, you stroke over the edge of her feathery wing.
  5223. >She immediately takes the hint, her hoof falling away as her wings swoop in to replace it, her wonderfully soft feathers engulf your cock.
  5224. >The sudden rush of pleasure is almost overstimulating.
  5225. >Gritting your teeth, you dig your fingernails into your palm.
  5226. >Those downy feathers stroking over every inch of your cock….you’re not going to last long.
  5227. >Thrusting into her wings a bit, you fight to keep her fantasy alive.
  5228. “Ooohh, he likes that. He, likes that, quite a lot. In fact, it isn’t long before...you feel his weight on your back. He’s just as eager as-inexperienced as you are. You have you use your wings for balance as he gently...slips inside you.”
  5229. >You’d swear you heard a moan come from behind her muzzle as her wings speed up.
  5230. >..Her tail’s definitely rising behind her.
  5231. >Doesn’t matter, you’re going to…
  5232. >You thrust hard into her pumping wings, doing your best to aim, before you give into the pleasure, and let yourself release, your cum splattering against Luna’s face.
  5233. >”Hrrrff!” She jerks back as though you had hit her, her fantasy shattered.
  5234. >Her wings pull away from your throbbing cock as her hoof creeps up to her face, as though she’s afraid of having her suspicions confirmed.
  5235. >Grabbing her horn, you lean in to hiss into her ear.
  5236.  
  5237. “But that’s not what happened, now is it girl?”
  5238. >Luna freezes up, her breath shallow as your cum starts to leak into her muzzle.
  5239. >Between her flashbacks earlier, Tartarus, and the fantasy you just trapped her in, the poor girl probably doesn’t even know what’s real anymore.
  5240. “It wasn’t in your castle, it wasn’t to a prince, it wasn’t even to a member of your own species.”
  5241. >A quivering whine arises from Luna as her head shakes back and forth just the tiiniest bit.
  5242. >She’s still trying to deny it, trying to pretend this isn’t real.
  5243. “You lost your virginity to ME, and you’ll never be able to get it back!”
  5244. >She sinks down to the ground, crying out the word ‘no’ over and over again behind her muzzle as you drill her new reality home.
  5245. >Kneeling along with her, you pull her head to your chest just as you had earlier, petting over her mane.
  5246. “Sshh, now. Shh-shh-shh. I know you still want to have some connection to your first lover. That’s why you just did your best to please me. It felt amazing, by the way.”
  5247. >She wails out against you, squirming for just a moment...before curling in on herself, pressing against your chest in a fetal position.
  5248. >Ooohh, you’re suddenly regretting leaving the blindfold on.
  5249. >You’re missing the look in her eyes.
  5250. >That look as any rationalization for being raped dies, replaced by the immutable fact that she just voluntarily made you, her rapist, cum.
  5251. >As her dreams, her rationalizations, her justifications all perish, they take her sense of who she is with them.
  5252. >If she didn’t enjoy it, if she didn’t WANT it, she wouldn’t have just pleasured you.
  5253. >But she did.
  5254. >At her very first opportunity, she did.
  5255. >...
  5256. >The snivelling creature in your arms isn’t the same goddess of the night that cast you down into Tartarus.
  5257. >Not anymore.
  5258. >You’re holding the shattered remains of a pony, ripe to be rebuilt however you’d please.
  5259. >A pony who’s completely reliant on you now.
  5260.  
  5261. >... And you've neglected your responsibility to keep your pony fed.
  5262. >You scratch behind Luna’s ear, just as you did Cadance and Hope, as you wait for Luna’s new sense of self to finish locking in.
  5263. >Once you've given her a more than reasonable amount of time to process what she had just done, you slip your hand down to her chin and tilt her head upwards to face you.
  5264. “The day you were sent here. Did you have anything to eat, before you arrived?”
  5265. >You don't need to take the blindfold off to see her brow furrow as her mind shifts gears.
  5266. >They grind for a bit as Luna sifts through her recent trauma, before finally shaking her head no.
  5267. >You smile.
  5268. >It certainly simplifies things.
  5269. >You won't need to worry about her trying to make any leaps of logic.
  5270. “Then we’re going to get you something to eat.”
  5271. >Making sure to keep your hand resting on her head, you let her muffled attempts at voicing her confusion wash over you as you climb to your feet.
  5272. “I’ll guide you, that's how. Now come on girl, forward.”
  5273. >You give her two light taps to the base of her skull, getting the point across as gently as you can.
  5274. >Taking the hint, Luna lifts up a hoof and gingerly puts it before her, testing the ground before putting any weight on it.
  5275. >...Did she forget you're in a cave?
  5276. >The floor is quite literally bedrock!
  5277. “I'm not going to let you walk into anything. You have nothing to worry about, girl.”
  5278. >Your words are slow to sink in, but experience soon proves she can trust you.
  5279. >By the time the two of you have reached the edge of Luna’s room, she stops testing her hoofsteps; you don't even make it halfway to the fork in the cave before Luna’s walking at something close to a normal pace.
  5280. >There's no motivator like hunger, after all.
  5281.  
  5282. >With her faith placed in you, you guide your pony through the cave.
  5283. >As you call out with each and every turn the two of you make, you place your hand on the opposite side of her head to give an appropriate tactile response, all while the two of you work your way to your supply “room.”
  5284. >A couple days of this, and you’ll be able to leave the earmuffs on.
  5285. >...Well.
  5286. >If you could focus solely on her, instead of having to deal with two other uppity ponies and an over-eager bug, as well.
  5287. >As you pass by your water hole, you slow down for just a moment.
  5288. >You really should get her something to drink first…
  5289. >But that would involve going right where you just had spooky rape dreams without getting anything to defend yourself to feel better.
  5290. >And besides.
  5291. >Luna might just drink herself sick.
  5292. >...
  5293. >You’ll just find her something juicy from the food shipment.
  5294. >Ushering Luna along, you soon find a real reason to skip the drink.
  5295. >You haven't had a chance to clean up the dried-up mess her sister made, and she would want to ask questions if she was capable of smelling anything right now.
  5296. >...
  5297. >With four guests to clean up after, take care of, make sure they get fed….you could really use a maid.
  5298. >If Cadance is going to wander around anyway, you may as well put her to work.
  5299. >...Although...Hope would have an easier time with it, since she has magic.
  5300. >Plus, you could have her look the part, too...
  5301. >Oh look, you’re there.
  5302. “Left.”
  5303. >Moving your hand, you steer her into the side passage, bringing her right up to where you had “carefully organized” the shipment your friends gave you.
  5304. >You just piled everything back on the broken remains of the crate and dragged the whole thing in here.
  5305. >But Cadance’s pile is still separate!
  5306. >Leading Luna to a convenient spot next to the pile, you squeeze the back of her neck.
  5307. “Stop.”
  5308.  
  5309. >As she obeys, you slide your hand down, over her back, to tap her black butt twice.
  5310. “Sit, girl.”
  5311. >At your command, Luna tilts her head down as far she can, as if she was able to see, before leaning backwards.
  5312. >With all the trepidation and caution as her first guided hoofstep had held, she slowly, carefully follows your command, putting absolutely no weight on her splotchy behind.
  5313. “What, do you think I'm going to made you sit on a stalagmite or something?”
  5314. >...Sometimes, you can't help yourself.
  5315. >Luna freezes up, her ears pressing back against her head in fear.
  5316. >She gives the smallest shake of her head to say no.
  5317. >Ooohh…if only she could talk…
  5318. >It would be hilarious to grill her over this.
  5319. >But that would require her to speak.
  5320. >Which is not something she gets to do again for a long time…if ever.
  5321. >...You just wish you had put more foresight into how to feed her while leaving her silenced, when you were making her muzzle.
  5322. >It’s a good thing that Tartarus has gotten you used to making do with what you have.
  5323. >...
  5324. >You’re getting ahead of yourself.
  5325. >Getting up to actually retrieve some food for Luna, you barely make it a step before she panics.
  5326. >”Hrrhhm!” She cries out, her hoof guards clacking against the ground as she struggles to get back to all fours.
  5327. >Rushing back over to her, you plant your hand square on her withers and push down hard, doing your best to force her onto her belly.
  5328. “Dooown girl! Down!”
  5329. >The moment your hand touches her, she stops squirming, albeit still panting out of fear.
  5330. >Slowly, she relents, sinking down under your hand, all while oozing hesitation...she’s putting faith in your command.
  5331. “Dooown, dooown, lay down…good giiirl.”
  5332. >You only let up the pressure once her belly is pressed against the stone floor.
  5333.  
  5334. “I’m not going anywhere. I'm just getting you some food, girl. You’ll know when I'm going to leave, alright?”
  5335. >She blushes under the elaborate setup covering her face before giving you a shallow nod.
  5336. “Good. Now stay.”
  5337. >Adding a nonverbal component to that command, you touch her horn before standing up yourself, towering over your blinded pony.
  5338. >Keeping your hand at the ready should you have to enforce the command again, you watch her to see whether or not she's going to repeat her performance.
  5339. >Her muscles tense for a moment, but this time, she manages to stay still.
  5340. >Good.
  5341. >Now where were you…?
  5342. >Right! You need to dig out the fruit Discord sent.
  5343. >...Yep.
  5344. >He thought sending fresh, extremely perishable fruit in the middle of a food crate was a good idea.
  5345. >Like it's not all going to rot in a couple days.
  5346. >You start awkwardly digging through the pile of food with your one good hand, only half registering the various foodstuffs you're discarding.
  5347. >Your mind is instead focused on how exactly you're going to get the food in Luna’s belly.
  5348. >Maybe if you loosen…no, then the whole muzzle would come apart.
  5349. >What if you pull…you’d have to untie it to do that, and if you're going untie it, you may as well take the whole thing off.
  5350. >You could always slide…no.
  5351. >That could cut off circulation, which could end up killing Luna.
  5352. >...This would be a lot easier if you didn’t care about her, then you could just...jackpot!
  5353. >You snatch up a huge, juicy, citrus-y looking fruit.
  5354. >It’s a...tangerine, or grapefruit or...something along those lines.
  5355. >...Well at least you remember THIS classification of food, unlike what happened with the cake.
  5356. >The sharp, wooden remnants of the crate works well enough as a peeler, making short work of the thick skin.
  5357. >A groan rises from your stomach, a reminder that, despite your recent windfall of food, you’ve barely eaten anything.
  5358. >What a whiner.
  5359. >It’s not like it didn't get fed yesterday!
  5360.  
  5361. >...Luna’s the priority…especially when you can't exactly do two things at once right now.
  5362. >There will be plenty of time for you to eat in peace, once she's put away and everyone else is still fast asleep.
  5363. >It’d be nice to get a moment to yourself to actually, properly relax.
  5364. >Once you've prepped a few of the various, equally juicy looking fruits, you pull them over to the traumatized princess.
  5365. >She’s been good -no, she's been very good, for how long she's been in training- she’s kept her underside rooted to the floor, in the exact spot you told her to stay.
  5366. >Resting your hand on her horn, you squat down, examining her gag to see if there was anything you missed.
  5367. “I’m back, girl.”
  5368. >She twitches at the sudden touch, before turning her head to push her horn into your hand.
  5369. >A little hum escapes her muzzle, cleverly disguising the sigh of relief escaping her.
  5370. >...
  5371. >Dammit.
  5372. >There's no way around it-the muzzle has to come off for feedings.
  5373. >Reaching around, you start to undo the knot holding it on.
  5374. >It’s nothing complex, really anything with fingers and half a brain would be able to undo it in a second.
  5375. >Even old Tirek would be able to undo it, and his hands shake -used to shake- worse than a terrified...well, pony.
  5376. >It’s good then, that the only thing with fingers in your home is you.
  5377. >As the knot slips free, you grab the bands of the muzzle in your fist, holding it in place.
  5378. “I know I promised you wouldn’t have to worry about this coming off again, but until I come up with a better design, we have to remove it for mealtimes.”
  5379. >”Rrrmm?” comes her response, her head tilting just the sliiiiightest bit.
  5380. “Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something more permanent, so we won’t have to worry about this. But for now...I want you to remember one thing.”
  5381. >Letting the straps go, you slip her muzzle off with your bad hand.
  5382.  
  5383. >You yank your good hand back before she could possibly have a chance to speak, and snatch her snout, your fingers squeezing harder than the hide muzzle ever did to help drive your point home.
  5384. >”Nn-hmm-hrrm!” Luna cries out through your fingers, her wings batting at the ground as a hoof quickly wraps around your hand.
  5385. >You don’t need to physically see her eyes to know that behind that blindfold, is a terrified pony on the verge of tears, begging you to stop.
  5386. “Good girls don’t speak. Bad girls don’t eat. Do you understand me, Luna? Nod yes or no.”
  5387. >”Mm-hmm!” She nods yes, her snout pushing against your hand.
  5388. “Then show me how good a girl you can be.”
  5389. >One by one, you lift your fingers from her snout, your thumb the last to fall away.
  5390. >For the first time since she pushed you too far, her mouth is hers again.
  5391. >She’s wielded her words as a weapon, and you’ve re-armed the night goddess.
  5392. >But the little pony before you doesn’t seem to have any inclination to go on the offensive.
  5393. >With short, hiccupping breaths, she hunches over, rubbing her snout with her hoof, no doubt still blinking back tears.
  5394. >There really isn’t any fight left in her.
  5395. >The only thing left of her is Celestia’s scared little sister, who’s in over her head.
  5396. >Reaching down, you pinch off a piece of fruit, maybe half a bite’s worth, if you're being generous, and hold it up to her nose.
  5397. >Her nostrils flare as the no-doubt intoxicating scent hits them, the first new thing she’s smelled since the muzzle went on.
  5398. “Open.”
  5399. >Wordlessly opening her mouth, her hoof slips away, allowing you to place the dripping piece of pulp right on her tongue.
  5400. >Luna shudders as the liquid seeps into her bone-dry mouth, her lips wrap around your fingers as you pull back, sucking every bit of juice from them.
  5401. >With slow gentle chewing, she does her best to savor that small bite, as though it’s all she’s going to get, before swallowing.
  5402.  
  5403. >”Ooohh…” That moan barely makes it past her lips before she freezes up, terror gripping her bones.
  5404. >Did that make her a bad girl?
  5405. >It’s the question she’s begging you to answer, while being too afraid to outright say it.
  5406. >You actually find yourself having to consider that one.
  5407. >Any other pony, you’d write it off, but with HER...she very well could be testing you, seeing what she can get away with, or worse, trying to make you pity her.
  5408. >...
  5409. >Three days without food and water?
  5410. >You’ll give her another chance.
  5411. >Breaking off another miniscule piece, you answer her with a lack of acknowledgement of her offense.
  5412. “Open.”
  5413. >She eagerly obeys, wrapping her lips around the fruit with gusto, practically sucking it out from between your fingers.
  5414. >This time, she’s able to swallow without any extra noise.
  5415. >It brings a smile to your lips.
  5416. >There may be a few missteps here and there, but it seems like Luna really is trying to be your good pony.
  5417. >Which earns her another bite.
  5418. >Breaking off yet another piece, you decide to fill the silence between you two.
  5419. “Eager little girl, aren’t you? I bet you’d try to eat this whole thing at once if I let you, right? Open.”
  5420. >Shivering as she suckles her food from your grasp, she nods in answer to your question, barely chewing her food before swallowing.
  5421. >...Hah.
  5422. >Silly pony thinks you’re offering.
  5423. >You instead continue as you were, pulling off the same sized morsels you have been.
  5424. “Then it’s a good thing I’m feeding you this way. If I let you eat how you wanted, you’d gorge yourself until it all came right back up. Open.”
  5425. >Her ears droop as she opens just the tiniest bit, her tongue sticking out invitingly.
  5426. >...No.
  5427. >If she wants to eat, then she’s going to deal with you putting the food IN her mouth, not depositing it on her tongue like you’re her servant.
  5428.  
  5429. >You push your fingers past her lips, almost shoving that next bite down her throat, before continuing on, ignoring the gagging sounds she’s now making.
  5430. “And I’d have you clean it up, too. Trust me, you don’t want the inside of your muzzle getting dirty from THAT. Open.”
  5431. >...Is it cruel, to play with a starving pony’s food?
  5432. >Probably.
  5433. >But you do it anyway, as you stick your empty fingers into Luna’s awaiting mouth.
  5434. >Her lips eagerly close around your hand, sucking away...only to soon be joined by her probing tongue, her brow furrowing underneath her blindfold as the primal joy of food gives way to confusion.
  5435. >You hold your fingers for a few seconds longer than normal, without any sort of explanation coming, the confusion quickly overwhelms her.
  5436. >Fear soon sets in, her probing tongue becoming more and more insistent, as you pull your hand away.
  5437. >She tries to catch your hand with her hoof, only to miss wildly and paw at the air for a moment, searching for you.
  5438. >As you reach down to get a REAL bite for her, she opens her mouth to...protest? Beg? Demand?
  5439. >Her words are born in her throat, only to be swiftly culled.
  5440. >The barest, strangled noise that slips past her lips is the only sign of her potential disobedience’s short life.
  5441. >She caught herself.
  5442. >Grinning, you lean back, deciding just to see what she’ll do next, now that Luna’s proven she isn’t about to defy you.
  5443. >You don’t need to see her eyes darting back and forth under her blindfold to tell her mind is racing, fighting the growing sense of panic as it tries to figure out what went wrong.
  5444. >Could it be that she somehow managed to be a bad girl, which means the end of her meal?
  5445. >...Hopefully she’ll realize that, regardless of obedience or defiance, you wouldn’t just stop being so explicit with her.
  5446. >Finally settling on a course of action, she lowers her snout to the ground and starts sniffing.
  5447.  
  5448. >Now it’s your turn to struggle against making any sound as you fight to keep from laughing as she twists her neck back and forth, running her nose across the ground in search of food.
  5449. >She thinks you’ve dropped it!
  5450. >Apparently you picked the right pony to train int a fuckpuppy, she just naturally acts like one.
  5451. “Up here girl, up here.”
  5452. >Not even trying to hide the smile from your voice, you hold her next bite just above her snout, the scent guiding her head back up to where it was.
  5453. >When she’s upright once more, you boop her right on the nose, a grin still plastered on your face.
  5454. “I shouldn’t have to bribe you every time I want you to do something. You’re blind, you need to trust me that there’s a reason behind everything I tell you. Now, open.”
  5455. >Nothing says you can’t turn a bit of fun into a lesson, is there?
  5456. >There’s no fanfare this time, as you plop her food right in her mouth.
  5457. >You don’t try to trick her, or play any more games with her food, as you slowly but surely feed Luna her meal, one small bite at a time.
  5458. >Once is enough to get the point across.
  5459. >Any more, and you’d be eroding what trust she’s placed in you.
  5460. >As the last bite of her second fruit -something purple- vanishes down her throat, you start playing with her gag, wiping away the spice mix you used to cut off her sense of smell.
  5461. “Still hungry, girl?”
  5462. >She nods, probably expecting another portion to come her way.
  5463. “When you were on the moon, were you stuck starving the whole time?”
  5464. >Luna’s ears sink down as you remind her of her past trauma, before she nods yes.
  5465. “Then I’m sure you know as well as I do, that if I let you eat until you’re not hungry, that it’s just all going to come right back up.”
  5466. >Pressing her lips together in a tight frown, the urge to beg almost overwhelms her, but she manages to stay silent.
  5467.  
  5468. >You could probably get away with feeding her quite a lot more...but just like with every other animal, her continued hunger is a more effective restraint than anything you could cobble together.
  5469. >Especially while you’re down an arm.
  5470. >Satisfied with your decidedly ‘good enough’ job at cleaning the muzzle, you flip it rightside out, and hold it up to Luna’s face.
  5471. >There’s no way you’re going to completely get the smell out...but once she gets used to it again, she should be able to smell other things around it.
  5472. >She’s earned at least ONE of her senses back, after how good she’s been.
  5473. >At least enough to keep her from having flashbacks, this time.
  5474. “Muzzle’s going back on now, girl. Hold still, and I’ll make sure you get to eat again tonight.”
  5475. >You swear you see a tear leaking out from behind her blindfold, as you slip the muzzle back on her and secure it properly.
  5476. >With the gag tied in place, you rub over her ear, trying to comfort her.
  5477. “Come on girl, there’s no reason to be sad. This way you don’t have to police yourself against every little temptation. Wasn’t it stressful earlier, when you first started eating and accidently made a few noises?”
  5478. >If the way she tenses up is any indication, she was hoping you didn’t notice.
  5479. “Well? Was it?”
  5480. >The additional prompting pays off, as she nods.
  5481. “Well, you’ve had such a wonderful turnaround, that I don’t want you to feel any more stressed out than you absolutely have to be. Plus...this way I get to hear your pretty voice.”
  5482. >She does not respond with her pretty voice.
  5483. >In fact, she makes no indication she heard you at all.
  5484. >...
  5485. >Of course, that’d be too much to expect from her so soon.
  5486. “Come on. Up girl, let’s go.”
  5487. >You place your hand on the back of her head, just as you had when you guided her in here.
  5488. “We’re going back to your room. Right.”
  5489.  
  5490. >Leading her back, Luna all but screams her reluctance.
  5491. >She’s quite literally dragging her metal hoofguards against the ground, her wings hanging limp off her sides as you lead her back down the cave.
  5492. >You...can’t really blame her, there.
  5493. >After all, you’re quite literally leading her back to her prison cell.
  5494. >Lead her in you do, bringing her in until she’s standing right where she had been chained up for the past day.
  5495. “Now stay.”
  5496. >Tapping her horn to remind her of the appropriate signal, you then reach down and grab ahold of the chain.
  5497. >The instant the clicking of metal and metal reaches her ears, they slam down against her head before she pulls back, her wings flare out as she shakes her head violently, “Nn-nn! Nn-nn!”
  5498. >You shoot your arm out, clasping the manacle around her foreleg with a click.
  5499. >With it secured, you reach up and grab her by the horn, yanking her head down before she can devolve into a full blown panic.
  5500. “Luna. Luna! Calm down. This is for your own good. I'm not going to let you get hurt wandering around blindfolded.”
  5501. >Well… not quite.
  5502. >If it were JUST for her own good, you’d only secure her with one shackle.
  5503. >...
  5504. >She DID sentence you to an eternity of suffering, after all.
  5505. >”Mrrh!” She does her best to shake her head no, perhaps sensing that you aren't quite telling the unvarnished truth.
  5506. “I’m not going anywhere, I’m staying right here!”
  5507. >That cuts through her growing wave of panic, her struggles slowing as she turns one ear towards you, “Hhhmm?”
  5508. “You’ve been good until now, you don’t deserve to be completely alone again...show me I’m not wrong.”
  5509. >Well...in a manner of speaking, she won’t be alone.
  5510. >While she stops outright fighting you, Luna’s sides still heave as she pants from a mix of fear and physical exhaustion from her recent struggling.
  5511.  
  5512. >Now that she’s calmed down, you get to work on her chains, tugging here, fiddling with it there, kicking the knot in an ill-thought out move, everything you can do to get more slack out of it.
  5513. >There’s no reason she should be left half suspended in mid-air again, which means you need more chain.
  5514. >All the while talking to her.
  5515. “I’m right here girl, you’re doing a good job, just like that-Ow!”
  5516. >...Your toe’s bleeding.
  5517. >But you managed to free up enough extra chain to pull it right over to her, and, while making sure to stay well out of the line of fire from any potential kicks, lock the manacle around her hind leg.
  5518. >”Rrrnf!” She jerks her leg away as if you just hurt her, the chain quickly snapping tight.
  5519. >With Luna properly secured once more, you head over to the third chain, hanging unused from a stalagmite.
  5520. >”Hrmm…” The rattle of Luna’s chains echoes off the walls, threatening to drown out her whining as she tests them, seeing what her new range of motion is.
  5521. >You’ve managed to get her just enough slack to choose whether to lay down on the floor this time, or stand as she is now.
  5522. >Hopefully it won’t be enough for her to have any leverage, should she try to fight them when you’re not there.
  5523. >Grabbing ahold of the empty manacle, you hesitate, looking over your captive.
  5524. >Two...look like they’ll be enough to hold her...and the restraints on her sister were only supposed to be temporary…
  5525. >But if Luna gets any stupid ideas while you’re dealing with the rest of her family, you’d never forgive yourself.
  5526. >Luna, taking advantage of her new ‘freedom’ in her chains, lays down on her belly, her bound muzzle resting on a foreleg.
  5527. >...
  5528. “I think you’ve earned a little bit of freedom, don’t you, girl? We’re only going to use two chains this time.”
  5529. >That shackle would be infinitely more useful securing one of the two quadrupeds who’re still actively trying to murder you...or turn you back over to your nutty ex.
  5530.  
  5531. >Luna twists an ear towards you, lifting her head just the slightest bit off her forelegs.
  5532. “Let me just get rid of this one…”
  5533. >Taking ahold of the cool metal, you start fighting with it much like you had a few minutes ago, only this time you’re trying to take it off entirely.
  5534. >The bolts from the anchor are quickly proving to be more effective at securing it than you had initially hoped.
  5535. >It was supposed to stop a struggling pony, not YOU.
  5536. >Yanking individual links to and fro, you’d probably have an easier time if you focused on it.
  5537. >But your mind is once again running ahead, not giving the rest of you a chance to catch up.
  5538. >You promised her you’d find a way to stay with her in some way, shape or form, and you need to figure out how to do that.
  5539. >The easiest way would be to give her something.
  5540. >But the only things in her room are the key to her shackles, the stone hammer you used to secure her chains with, and the chain you’re currently playing with.
  5541. >No help there.
  5542. >You just promised her you weren’t leaving anytime soon, so getting something proper is right out.
  5543. >No, you need something nicer than that, something that makes her feel like you care…
  5544. >Preferably, something that takes advantage of her recently returned sense of smell.
  5545. >Something like…
  5546. >Your gaze drifts down to the demon-bear skin you’re wearing.
  5547. >The brand new, one day old, just made before hunting down Cadance, pristine, relatively clean shirt that you JUST MADE.
  5548. >No, it’s your only semblance of clothing!
  5549. >...It’s perfect.
  5550. >Yea, it’s got a little blood on it...mostly yours...but you spent all day yesterday running around wearing it, it’d even smell like you.
  5551. >You just need to get this damn thing off firs-
  5552. >Wait.
  5553. >Hooking your hand around it, you slide the chain straight up, off the tapered stalagmite, and let it drop by your feet, the metal clang echoing painfully in the small room.
  5554. >...
  5555. >Maybe going back to bed isn’t as bad an idea as you thought.
  5556.  
  5557. >Carefully, taking great pains not to rattle or bang anything, you peel the animal hide shirt off and over your broken arm.
  5558. >You’re the naked caveman once more.
  5559. >Bundling your ex-shirt up in a ball, you crouch down before Luna.
  5560. >Hopefully her ears aren’t ringing too badly.
  5561. “Lunaaa…”
  5562. >She twists an ear towards you.
  5563. “It’s time to put the earmuffs back on, girl.”
  5564. >”Nnnnnff!”She shakes her head violently as both her ears slam back against the sides of her head, like that would stop you from covering them.
  5565. >It’s a good thing you tied her earmuffs into her blindfold, or she probably would have knocked them off by now.
  5566. “Shhh, shhh. I’m not done yet girl, don’t think I forgot what I just promised you.”
  5567. >You hold out your bundled up shirt, pressing it to the side of her unbound, half-raised foreleg, as though she’s about to leap to her hooves.
  5568. “We both know I can't physically stay with you AND protect Cadance at the same time. So I'm going to give you something to hold you over until I get back. This...uh…Doll. I may not have access to pony magic, but I found a way to imbue it with part of me.”
  5569. >Your literal blood, sweat and tears.
  5570. “It may not seem like much, but I have to work with what I have. I want you to hug it close whenever you start feeling lonely or afraid. Now settle down before you knock it out of reach.”
  5571. >She pants, her breath whistling through the muzzle as her mind churns, torn between the primal terror of returning to the hell she was in earlier, and the hell you could bring down upon her, if she doesn’t do what you say.
  5572. >With shaking legs and twitching wings, she obeys, her head sinking down to rest on her forelegs.
  5573. >Pushing the bundle of furs against her once more, you rub it over her leg until she takes the hint and wraps her foreleg around it.
  5574. “Good giiiirl, good girl.”
  5575. >Reaching up, you stroke over her mane one last time, before taking the earmuffs in your hand.
  5576.  
  5577. “I’ll be back later tonight to get you dinner. And if you’re real good, you’ll get to find out what Celestia and Cadance have been up to. Doesn’t that sound good?”
  5578. >”Mm-hmm.” With a voice as tear-stained as it was when you first came in here, she nods, her face scrunched up, clearly waiting for the silence to return.
  5579. >With a twist of your wrist, you grant it to her, securing the earmuffs back in place.
  5580. >Your captive back in ‘storage,’ you stand up, looking over her once more.
  5581. >Luna pulls that bundle in close, squeezing it against her, as whimpers leak out from behind her muzzle, her legs quivering.
  5582. >Cuuute.
  5583. >Better yet, it won’t be long before she unconsciously associates safety with your scent.
  5584. >Now...finish cleaning up here, and maybe you can get back to sleep.
  5585. >Taking care not to rattle it too much, you heft the extra shackle over your shoulder, collect the other tools you left hanging around, and head out.
  5586. >Food first, then check on Celestia and the bug, then...then hopefully Cadance will be awake, and the two of you can ‘discuss’ things.
  5587. >Stopping on the way out, you make sure to shift Luna’s door back into place.
  5588. >She deserves her privacy, after all.
  5589. >Your mouth is already watering at the thought of food.
  5590. >A proper, quiet meal this time, without having your appetite ruined by a certain bad mouthing pony.
  5591. >One where you’ll get to properly be alone with just your thou-
  5592. >You stop cold at the fork in the cave as a sound hits your ears.
  5593. >Hoofsteps.
  5594. >They’re coming right towards you.
  5595. >Great.
  5596. >You’re doing this again.
  5597. >Literally the last time this happened, you had to kill Celestia.
  5598. >As stealthily as you can with a big, noisy chain slung over your shoulder, you head down the main hall, ready to meet the source of the noise.
  5599. >Your dream is already replaying in your mind.
  5600.  
  5601. >...Well...If your dreams have suddenly turned into premonitions, and that somehow IS Nymph, you’re at least armed this time.
  5602. >And it’s something better than a big unwieldy mace!
  5603. >The hoofsteps have stopped...whoever it was, she must have heard you.
  5604. >Abandoning stealth, you run after the intruder, sliding around a corner, only to stop dead in your tracks.
  5605. >There is a giant boulder blocking the hall.
  5606. >...
  5607. >This boulder was not here when you were leading Luna through here.
  5608. >Your sleep addled brain screeches to a halt.
  5609. >In the seven decades you’ve lived here, there has never been a boulder in this spot.
  5610. >Squeezing your eyes shut, you rub them for a moment, knowing that when you open them, that rock isn’t going to be there.
  5611. >You open your eyes.
  5612. >That rock is still there.
  5613. >Ok...you’ve officially lost it.
  5614. >Either you’re hallucinating, or whoever was going clippity clop towards you magically turned...into…
  5615. >Oh.
  5616. “Forlorn Hope, you turn right back into your normal self this second!”
  5617. >The boulder is engulfed in a wave of green fire, before little miss “I’m your interspecies bug daughter” appears before you, her ears pressed firmly against the sides of her head as she inches back away from you.
  5618. >”I’m sorry Father, I didn’t mean to make you all confused!”
  5619. “Sit down.”
  5620. >She plops her butt on the ground, but doesn't exactly look too relaxed as she does so.
  5621. >If the way her hooves are planted is any indication, she’s ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.
  5622. >You rub your forehead again.
  5623. >It’s starting to become like clockwork.
  5624. >You just finished dealing with one of your captives, and something requiring your immediate attention always pops up.
  5625. >She couldn’t just stay in your room, watching over Celestia.
  5626. >No, she just had to...to…
  5627. “Hope, what the hell ARE you doing?”
  5628.  
  5629. >She looks down and scuffs a hoof against the ground, “You were coming and you had a looot of frustration and fear leaking around you and so I got scared...but there wasn’t anywhere to hide so I panicked...”
  5630. >You shoot her a look, prompting her gossamer wings to fan out, her head jerking back up at you.
  5631. >Taking a deep breath, you try to calm down...you were just enjoying yourself with Luna, you’re not going to let Hope ruin your good mood.
  5632. >”You aren’t going to use that chain on ME, are you Father?”
  5633. >...Well, now you know what she’s looking at.
  5634. >You heft the chain, knowing there’s not much point in lying to her.
  5635. “I haven’t decided yet. Why aren’t you guarding Celestia?”
  5636. >You didn’t think Hope’s big blue eyes could get any wider, but she manages to prove you wrong, whining out, “I don’t wanna watch her, she’s really scary!”
  5637. >You raise an eyebrow.
  5638. “Scarier than me?”
  5639. >Hope’s mouth slams shut, her fangs making an audible click.
  5640. >Hah.
  5641. >You have to fight to keep from grinning.
  5642. >Finally, you’ve managed to instill proper respect in at least ONE of your guests.
  5643. >Evidently sensing your mood change, Hope squeezes her eyes shut, whining, “You shouldn’t be so happy about scaring someoooone…”
  5644. >Your smile wins the fight, breaking out onto your face.
  5645. >Bending down, you lean forward, getting your face as close to Hope’s as you can.
  5646. >Her whining shoots up a few notes in pitch as she starts shuffling her hooves, scooting backwards.
  5647. “Then maybe you shouldn’t be so cute to scare.”
  5648. >Her ears press to the back of her head as she scrunches up her snout, her eyes staying firmly shut.
  5649. >”Father? Can I pleeeaaase go? I’m really, really hungryyyy…” She sounds almost on the verge of tears.
  5650. >Maybe you should lighten up.
  5651.  
  5652. >Pressing two fingers to the side of her snout, you turn her head to the side in an attempt to get her to look where you want.
  5653. “Go where? You’re still up past your bedtime. The bed’s that way, Celestia’s that way, and pretty soon, I’m going to be that way. You won’t have to be scared of her anymore.”
  5654. >Hope gestures with a hoof in the opposite direction, voice still wavering, “But I had bad dreams, and Cadance-Pony’s down THERE, and she’s the only one with anything for me to eat!”
  5655. “Yea, yea, so did I, you don’t see me whining about it. Come on.”
  5656. >You nudge her with your foot, trying to get her off her butt and back down the hall, when it clicks.
  5657. “Wait, what do you mean CADANCE is the only one with anything for you to eat?”
  5658. >Hope leaps to her hooves, all but running away from you, at this point, her eyes opened wide.
  5659. >”W-well, the white pony had some affection last night, but she’s too sad for me to feed off now, and you had some lust last night, but now you don’t have any love OR lust cause you spent it all, but Cadance has a whooooole lot of love for some other pony who isn’t here…”
  5660. >You reach out to give a little tap to her horn for that lust comment.
  5661. >”Nn!” Hope jerks back, sensing exactly what you were doing.
  5662. >She’ll probably run if you try and push this one...and you’re not in the mood to chase her, right this minute.
  5663. >You settle on simply jabbing a finger in her face.
  5664. “You shouldn’t be eating lust anyway, it’s bad for you.”
  5665. >Nymph once explained to you that lust is basically the changeling equivalent of junk food.
  5666. >”Ohkay Father...can I go feed off Cadance-pony now? I promise she won’t feel it...and most things like it when I drain them of love from before they come here!”
  5667.  
  5668. >’No. I already told you, go back to bed.’
  5669. >At least, that’s what you’re about to say before an errant thought flitters through your mind.
  5670. >You flat out lied to her.
  5671. >It’s become a point of pride that you haven’t lied to any of your prisoners-you even yelled it at Luna.
  5672. >But you lied to Hope earlier, when you told her you weren't going to use her as a pillow.
  5673. >Clutching to those feelings of self loathing and annoyance, you tower over her.
  5674. “...Hope? How screwed up would it be, if I made you go hungry, and then proceeded to gorge myself in front of you?”
  5675. >Her voice quivers as she thinks your annoyance is directed at her. “I-it would be a lot of screwed up…”
  5676. >Looking down, her big blue eyes are full of...something.
  5677. >”You’d...really do that to your own daughter…”
  5678. >...She’s not making it very hard to stay annoyed.
  5679. “No, I wouldn’t. And regardless, I’m going to let you nibble on Cadance.”
  5680. >Hope blinks, her impending cry shutting down as her mind overloads from the sensory mismatch.
  5681. >Her ears are telling her yes, but her emotion gland...thing...whatever it is she has, is telling her no.
  5682. >”W...what?”
  5683. “Just a nibble, though. I don't want you to start draining her. And just this once. If you want any more, you’re going to need permission.”
  5684. >Hope just stares at you, her mind rebooting as a grin slowly creeps onto your face.
  5685. “Well? Are you hungry or not?”
  5686. >She shakes her head back and forth before blurting out, “Yes! I am, Father! That makes me really happy!”
  5687. >Hefting your ‘baggage,’ you glance around for anywhere nearby that looks half decent to leave it all behind.
  5688. >No reason to lug a big heavy chain around everywhere
  5689. >...Nothing.
  5690. >There’s nowhere in this part of your home where you wouldn't end up tripping over everything after being distracted by a certain bug.
  5691.  
  5692. >...You’ll just have to keep the chain rattling from waking Cadance up.
  5693. “Alright Hope, let’s go.”
  5694. >Spinning around, you head back the way you came, a steady clippity-clop coming from behind is all you need, to know the bug is following.
  5695. >Without a blindfolded pony to guide, or an impending crisis to prepare for, traipsing up and down the unhewn rear of your home for the umpteenth time this week, is rather tedious.
  5696. >Hope speaks up the moment your mind starts to wander.
  5697. >”Father? Could you explain something for me?”
  5698. >...One of the few upsides of a having a changeling around.
  5699. >They usually have perfect timing.
  5700. “Depends what it is, Hope.”
  5701. >”Nothing about any of this makes sense...Mother always said you were ‘tough but fair’ with her...and that maybe you’d get a little rough sometimes but you’d always keep her safe and cared for…”
  5702. >You snort.
  5703. “Somehow, I don’t think one human compares to an entire changeling hive at her command.”
  5704. >”Mother’s given less commands than the holes in my leg. She usually just wanders around aimlessly.”
  5705. >What?
  5706. >...No, you remember Nymph too well to fall for that.
  5707. >She was a crafty bitch who overran the most recent attempts at civilization.
  5708. >Attempting to guide the conversation, Hope takes on a rather cautious tone, choosing each word with great care
  5709. >”Father...I’ve look at the memories of a lot of things...and one thing they all have in common, is that IF they ever encountered the white Celestia-pony, it was always the worst memory they had.”
  5710. >”You’re the only thing that’s ever beat her. I don’t know whether I should be scared or amazed...”
  5711. >Hope’s trying to massage your ego
  5712. >More to the point, she’s trying to turn the conversation away from her family, and back to you.
  5713.  
  5714. “Your mother wanders around aimlessly, huh? Isn’t a queen supposed to run her hive?”
  5715. >Hope stumbles, both physically and mentally, her hoof catching on an errant rock, and your question throwing her off.
  5716. >”Ny-aah!”
  5717. >There’s a flurry of hoofbeats as Hope struggles to catch herself.
  5718. >Turning around, you watch the show, grinning as she desperately tries to right herself, tipping further and further to the side.
  5719. >Juuuust as she reaches the point of no return, you lean down and scoop her up, wrapping your chain-laden arm around her head.
  5720. >Hope’s cheeks squish into your hand as her forehooves dangle underneath her.
  5721. “If I didn't know better, I’d think you were doing this for attention.”
  5722. >The bug wriggles in your grip, trying to pull her head free.
  5723. >All she succeeds in doing is smooshing her cheeks and snout together, “Tha’sh no’ funnee!”
  5724. >Yes it is.
  5725. >Once you’ve plopped her back down, you resume walking towards Cadance’s room, prompting Hope to follow you.
  5726. “That’s twice I’ve watched you trip, Hope. Am I going to have to give you piggyback rides everywhere, or are you going to start looking where you’re going?”
  5727. >”I would just fly everywhere, but right now I can't because YOU hurt my wing!”
  5728. >The bitter misery in her voice is like a spear to the chest.
  5729. >You bring the shield of your rationalizations to bear.
  5730. “Yea, well…if I hadn't, there wouldn't have been anything stopping you from flying right back to your mother the first chance you could.”
  5731. >Hope tries again, with her voice on the edge of cracking.
  5732. >”I wouldn’t of...Mother would want some proof it’s actually YOU, and not somebug from the other hive again…”
  5733. >...What does she mean “again?”
  5734. >You push on, trying to take control of the conversation before you really start to think about what Hope just said.
  5735.  
  5736. “And? Instead of first chance being the moment my back is turned, it's the moment you bite my finger off or something.”
  5737. >The steady cadence of her hoofbeats is the only answer you get.
  5738. >Which you’d accept from anybody else...but she's still too much of an unknown.
  5739. “Hope? You never answered my question. Isn't ‘Queen’ Nymph supposed to rule her hive?”
  5740. >”She…likes to say that to me in private, a lot. Then she usually says that she’s all broken and needs you to help her, Father.”
  5741. >After all that, she's still trying to keep the conversation on you.
  5742. >...That's the proof she's looking for, isn't it?
  5743. >She needs you to say something that she can mimic to Nymph.
  5744. >And…you let her sit in during your chat with Tirek and Discord.
  5745. >Shit.
  5746. >You’re going to have to be careful about what you say around her.
  5747. >...How well did she pay attention last night?
  5748. “I bet she does…what did you think of my non-pony friends? You seemed eager to say something when they first showed up.”
  5749. >”The big red centaur. He…”
  5750. >Hope clams up, her hoofsteps slowing.
  5751. >She must be afraid of pissing you off by saying the wrong thing.
  5752. >”Father? Were they really telling the truth? That they're going to make you leave for the Dreamland?”
  5753. “Dreamland, Hope?”
  5754. >”The place we say with the bright lights in the sky and more trees than I’ve ever seen before…I usually only see it in the deepest thoughts of the things I’m feeding on. And not just our hive’s herd! Mother sometimes dreams of it, too…”
  5755. “Oh. It's called Equestria. And…if everything goes according to plan, yea…I just might.”
  5756. >The words feel hollow as they slip past your lips.
  5757. >Despite your bravado and insistence earlier, even with the princesses under your thumb, freedom still feels elusive.
  5758. >You’re so caught up in your introspective pity party, that you miss the telltale clatter of hooves coming from behind.
  5759.  
  5760. >Hope bodyslams you right in the middle of your back, almost knocking you off your feet.
  5761. “Gah!”
  5762. >As you stagger forward, she wraps her forelegs around you in a hug.
  5763. >”Please don't, Father! We spent a lot of time looking for you, and I just found you and whenever I see memories of things getting hurt in the Dreamland they never wake up again!”
  5764. >You juuuust barely manage to avoid smacking your broken arm against the wall.
  5765. “Dammit, let go!”
  5766. >”Promise you’ll stay here first! You’ll be happier with us!”
  5767. >As you twist around to try and get ahold of her, your patience quickly wears thin.
  5768. “If I have to pry you off…”
  5769. >The combination of your change in attitude, along with a verbal threat is enough to get her to listen to you.
  5770. >”Sorry Father…” She slips off your back and retakes her place behind you.
  5771. >You brace yourself against the wall and seeth for a moment, trying to get your temper under control.
  5772. “You’re lucky I don't turn you around right now and make you go back to bed without dinner.”
  5773. >Looking down at her hooves, Hope’s ears hang low.
  5774. >”Sorry, Father…I just-”
  5775. “Seen and not heard, Hope.”
  5776. >The bitter anger that coats each word is more than enough to convince her to stay quiet.
  5777. >That could have been her horn, or her teeth, or a proper attack.
  5778. >Even Cadance wouldn't get away with pulling something like that.
  5779. >You point down the hall.
  5780. “Move. In front.”
  5781. >With a heavy heart and heavier hoofsteps, Hope obeys, walking along with you behind her as her prison guard, the conversation shattered.
  5782. >The two of you carry on in silence.
  5783. >Without any new input, Hope’s words work their way through your mind, over and over again.
  5784. >We spent…I just found you…you’d be mortal, you’ll be happier here, promise me, I just, We, I, me.
  5785. >...
  5786. >Guiding her through the fork, you’re dangerously close to Cadance's room when you finally speak again.
  5787. “You didn't mention your mother.”
  5788. >Hope turns her head back, peeking at you.
  5789.  
  5790. >She keeps her mouth shut, unsure if she should say anything.
  5791. “When you tackled me. You were scared I’d leave, but didn't use your mother to try and convince me to stay. You’ve never failed to bring her up before. Are YOU worried about me, Hope?”
  5792. >If any emotions are swirling inside her blank eyes, it's impossible to tell.
  5793. >After a moment, she answers you with a nod.
  5794. >Even after the stunts you’ve pulled with her…
  5795. >Apparently she's inherited your sense of comradery.
  5796. “If...what if you came with me, when I get out? You never committed any crime to deserve being here.”
  5797. >She opens her mouth silently, as though seeking permission to answer.
  5798. >When no chastisement comes, she speaks, “Would Mother and the rest of the hive get to come, too?”
  5799. >You gave her a yes or no question and she's already trying to dodge it.
  5800. “Why?”
  5801. >”If Mother found out we both left and were never coming back... I think she’d just climb into a cocoon and sleep forever…”
  5802. “Why is she still-”
  5803. >You snap your jaw shut and ball your hands into fists, digging your fingernails into your palms.
  5804. >Yelling about this won’t make you feel any better.
  5805. >All it will do is wake Cadance up and make Hope cry.
  5806. >You know exactly why she’s still obsessed with you, almost a century later...you made her YOURS, just like you’re doing with the ponies in your captivity.
  5807. >For the most part.
  5808. >”That’s what I’m trying to figure out…”
  5809. >Taking a deep, calming breath, you match Hope’s miserable look with the most reassuring one you can muster.
  5810. “We’ll...see. About bringing the rest of the hive. I might not be going anywhere, anyway.”
  5811. >The corners of Hope’s mouth tug upwards just the slightest bit, “Ohkay, Father.”
  5812. >Trying not to dwell on it, you wave her on in an attempt to get moving again.
  5813. “Come on, let’s go. We’ve probably woken Cadance up at this point, so you have until the end of the conversation to nibble on her. NIBBLE, not drain.”
  5814.  
  5815. -
  5816.  
  5817. >Cadance is not awake.
  5818. >After squirming and crying and waking you up every five minutes the other night, she’s somehow dead to the world, not even stirring from Hope’s big clomping hooves.
  5819. >You’ll have to figure something out, to let Hope know time's up, without waking up Cadance.
  5820. >For now…you just lean against the wall and bask in the calm scene before you.
  5821. >Forlorn Hope, sitting there with her mouth open and tongue hanging out as a translucent, pink aura wafts its way past her fangs.
  5822. >Cadance, pressed up against the side of the cage, a little line of drool running out of her mouth and down the bars.
  5823. >Twin streaks of pink cut through the grime covering her face, trails blazed by tears.
  5824. >She cried herself to sleep.
  5825. >Nothing anyone could fault her for, of course-it’s been nothing but hardship after hardship for her, since she's arrived.
  5826. >She's been trying to gain back some control, after her world was shattered in front of her.
  5827. >Her family revealed to be monsters, thrown into the pony equivalent to hell only to have you swoop her up, as everything and everyone she once knew is lost to her.
  5828. >The thought of seeing her husband again is probably the only thing keeping her going, and with a changeling now living in the house, after what they did to her and her husband before…
  5829. >She's no doubt terrified of a repeat of the last time she encountered them.
  5830. >Or worse, that she’ll be robbed of her feelings towards her husband before she gets out.
  5831. >...Nymph did exactly that to you, didn't she?
  5832. >That's why she's the only one you keep thinking of.
  5833. >You’ve had plenty of female companions in your stay here…minotaurs, gryphons, hell, you even had a fling with a young dragoness, one time.
  5834. >Yet...you barely even remember them, let alone feel anything towards them.
  5835. >She did that to you…and worse.
  5836. >That's why what Hope’s wishing for is ludicrous.
  5837. >... But she did have a point, earlier.
  5838.  
  5839. >If your friends screw this up, you don't know if you’d be mortal or not, outside of Tartarus.
  5840. >After living so long…
  5841. >Maybe your contingency plan should be modified.
  5842. >If you can find a way to prevent history from repeating itself, you’d have someone who cares about you, and, with a little more work, at least Luna, if no one else, would voluntarily stay in Tartarus as penance.
  5843. >...
  5844. >Or maybe the little bug is trying to worm her way into your mind.
  5845. “Hsst!”
  5846. >Hope jerks her head up, the aura vanishing as she probably looks at you to see what you wanted.
  5847. >You tilt your head towards the hallway, your message clear.
  5848. >Feeding time’s over.
  5849. >Hope’s ears sink down as she turns away from her meal, her hooves heavy while she forces her way back to you as Cadance stays still, adrift in her dreams.
  5850. >Reaching down, you pet down her frill once she's reached you, whispering,
  5851. “Good job, Hope. Now come on, it's my turn to eat, then back to bed. Move it.”
  5852. >She nods, not trusting herself to speak around the sleeping pony.
  5853. >Making sure she's ahead of you again, you look back at Cadance, wanting one last taste of the serenity she has to offer.
  5854. >Instead of looking where you’re going.
  5855. >Not two steps into it, your bad arm slams into an errant stalagmite.
  5856. >Literally biting your tongue to keep from making noise, you double over in pain, fighting so hard to keep from yelling out that you lose your grip on the chain.
  5857. >With an earth shattering clatter, it falls to the floor, the normally pleasant ringing deafening you.
  5858. >”Aahh!” With a shriek Cadance jumps to life in the cage, her wings slamming against the bars in alarm, before her hooves hammer against it.
  5859. >Hope rushes to your side and her foreleg quickly wraps around your leg, ”Father?! Are you ok?!”
  5860. >Mashing your palm against her head, you shove her away.
  5861. “Go back. To the bedroom. I’ll be fine.”
  5862. >You spit each syllable out through gritted teeth.
  5863.  
  5864. >“M-master?!”
  5865. >Through your tears, you can see Cadance's eyes dart between you, the dropped shackle, and Hope.
  5866. >”W-what’s going on?”
  5867. >Deal with this.
  5868. >Now.
  5869. >Hope’s hoovesteps dance around you as she cries out, “Wait, Father, lemme fix it!”
  5870. “Go! Damn it, Hope!”
  5871. >You don't look at whatever reaction she has
  5872. >Her dejected voice cutting through your pain is enough.
  5873. >”...Ohkay, Father.”
  5874. >You drag yourself over to the edge of the room, the echoing hoofbeats confirming that Hope’s obeying you.
  5875. >Pressing your back to the stone wall, you plant your eyes on the ceiling and slide down, sitting on the floor.
  5876. >Fuuuuck.
  5877. >It feels like you just broke it again.
  5878. >”Master? A-Anon…? What were you two doing…?”
  5879. >Cadance's voice oozes her primal terror.
  5880. “Just…hang on.”
  5881. >With deep breaths, you keep your head tilted up, out of view of Cadance while the pain slowly subsides.
  5882. >Once you trust yourself, you tear your eyes from the spot on the ceiling to look at Cadance, meeting her miserable, half-panicked gaze.
  5883. >”Were you going to…” Her eyes lock onto the shackle, too terrified for words.
  5884. “Cadance…what am I supposed to do with you?”
  5885.  
  5886. Continued in Part 2: https://pastebin.com/fjnuPC6h

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