The Carat and Stick pt3

 

>Rarity was painfully aware of her dishevelled appearance, and tried desperately to fix it as they walked.

>But it was ultimately futile.

>She had done far too much damage to her coiffure and makeup for any quick fix to resolve the issue.

>It was imperative that she head home as soon as possible to gussy up!

>But she knew deep inside that she couldn't return.

>Not yet.

>Not without finishing her task.

>Master would be upset, of course, and he might even punish her.

>But he wasn't what made it truly impossible.

>Lust was once more creeping into her every thought, and her needs had overpowered her vanity.

>She was well aware of how strange it was to be turned on by the idea of forced chastity.

>It was antithetical to her goal of being fucked.

>It served no purpose other than to give her master more power over her.

>And he himself had said it was a training tool, so that she might explore pleasures other than the vagina.

>It was frightening and degrading.

>But her apprehension was no match for the voice in the back of her mind.

>The sexual being she had buried deep inside was at last able to speak, and after so many years of being neglected it was not willing to miss any more opportunities.

>The notion that he was moulding her behaviour was not a new one. Rarity had realised that rather shortly after meeting him.

>But where once it was horrifying, it was now alluring.

"Train me more…"

>"Pardon?"

“Oh! I was talking about bits. He said his account had been settled, and I just realised that I didn't bring my bags. Hopefully we can choose the correct article now and I can pick it up later.”

>“Whatever you need, it’s free.”

>Free!

>She couldn’t possibly mean that!

“That’s a TERRIBLE approach to sales! There’s the lost revenue of course, but more importantly you’re devaluing your own work! If others catch wind of this, they’ll think your products are cheap! And that means low quality! You’re destroying your own brand, dear. No, I cannot accept this!”

>”You’re the only pony I know of who would try and argue their way out of free stuff. I insist.”

“Then we are at an impasse.”

>”Consider it sample materials to help you make more informed decisions on our partnership.”

“There is no need! Your apparel lacks art and your saleponyship leaves a lot to be desired, but the goods are excellent.”

>”Marketing and promotion expenses.”

“It would be best to do that through proper channels for the tax credit. You should REALLY never give your pieces away for free!”

>”Hypocrite.”

“Be that as it may, I am not going to allow you to degrade your work like that.”

>”What about… a business expense as professional development? You can’t effectively work with me if you aren’t familiar with my wares. Using them is the best way to learn them.”

“Hm. Yes, that COULD work. In that case, I shall be wanting one of everything. Best make it two.”

>”Done.”

“Um, no, that was said in jest!”

>”Oh. Well, the offer stands.”

“Why are you so eager to provide your works for free? Is this some form of penance?”

>”No! You REALLY have no idea how much this partnership means to me. Partially because, like, you were my idol for a while? But partially because we’re going to make so much money!”

“It might be wise to temper your expectations. My most recent attempt at expansion ended rather poorly.”

>”Yeah. In MANEHATTAN. How much were you paying for the building? Oh, sorry, is that too personal?”

“Not at all. About 400 bits per square hoof.”

>”FOUR- WHAT? PER square hoof?”

“Annually.”

>”Still! The fact that you lasted so long tells me you REALLY know what you’re doing, and my past experience tells me there’s a lot of demand in the Empire. And it’s only going to keep growing thanks to Cadence.”

>Rarity spat on the ground.

>”You REALLY have to work on that spitting thing.”

“I cannot guarantee you success in our endeavour.”

>”And you tell ME I have a bad sales pitch. It’s going to work. Trust me on this. When I tell some of my regulars that they can get railed while wearing a Rarity original… I hope you understand we won’t be able to keep up on Hearts and Hooves day.”

>They approached the store.

>Rarity walked straight past the entrance.

>”Prude.”

>Rarity circled the block four times before finally feeling confident that nopony was watching her.

>She furtively stepped into the store.

“I see you’ve made some attempt at decluttering.”

>”It hasn’t been easy, but I’m trying. And I have to admit, the place does look better.”

“It’s important to appear welcoming, especially in your- rather, our line of work. Your customers are going to be quite apprehensive coming in, and they won’t remember the visit fondly if they were nervous the whole time.”

>”Speaking from experience?”

“Yes. Now, I have been tasked with procuring something which would frustrate my efforts at- err…”

>”It’s okay. It’s just a mature conversation between adults.”

“I… touched myself when I wasn’t meant to.”

>”Ah, got it. You’ll be wanting a chastity belt then. Is this for long-term wear?”

“I believe so.”

>”I don’t have any on hoof, and I’m not just saying that because you suggested I make ponies wait. These genuinely have to be bespoke items since they’re so hard to fit properly. Mind if I take some measurements?”

“Go right ahead.”

>”I’ll probably be pushing the dress aside. If there’s a toy under there, don’t worry. I’ve seen it all. May I?”

“How did you know?”

>”The way you walk. It was affecting your stride enough that I suspect it’s too big for prolonged wear. That part of your body is pretty delicate, so it's always best to err on the side of caution. Go down a size for a few days, then reassess.”

>And yet Cadence had suggested a larger one.

>”Relax, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help me design it, would you?”

>She started feeling around Rarity’s groin.

>Getting really quite close.

>Intimately close.

>She has a powerful urge to kick the intruder.

“I could, I suppose. Is this not your specialty?”

>”Kinda. I know what I’m doing with the structure. I never really know how to handle the aesthetics though, and somehow I don’t think you’d be happy if it was just polished steel.”

“Polished steel? Goodness, no!"

>"Where would you start with something like this?"

"Well, if the structure is set in stone we only have so many tools to work with. I would start by selecting a pallette."

>"I'm not used to designing things for specific wearers, remember. How do you choose the right pallette?

"I suppose we can go over the basics of colour matching. We’ll be discussing primary and secondary tone selection; the following rules are meant to give a basis to work from rather than to dictate the entire ensemble. Accents and patterns may be better selected by what article they appear on rather than by the pony wearing them.”

>”Alright, so there are lots of exceptions, and the smaller the detail the more likely it is that an exception will be good?”

“Indeed! When you have so many different facets to manipulate it becomes nigh on impossible to make hard and fast rules, but you can have guidelines that will get you started. First determine if your undertones are warm or cold. With a bit of practice you can do this at a glance, but if you lack confidence contrast with something white. Pure white, not eggshell or anything like that. You’re looking to see if there’s more blue or more red in their coat.”

>”Well, you’re light grey. So… blue.”

“Correct! I have a cool hue. Next you’re looking into contrast. How much difference is there between the eye colour, mane colour, and coat?”

>”A lot."

“Correct. In fact, I have a tad too much contrast; my eyes appear a little bit too small because they’re so striking. I know that may sound odd, but it’s the truth. Since the line between eye and face is so obvious, the observer can see instantly exactly how big they are. We almost always want the illusion that eyes are larger than they truly are, so it’s a problem when others are able to get an accurate impression. That’s why I wear the eyeshadow. It’s there to blend the colours a bit more evenly so so my eyes look a tad bigger. And now, intensity. How bright am I?”

>”Uh… moderately? You’re not dark, but the grey does eat into the light a bit.”

>”Quite right! In industry jargon I would be referred to as a clear winter. Generally, you want to use more muted and earthy tones for ponies with little contrast, and more vivid hues when it’s stark. Overdoing saturation of colour will tend to distract from natural beauty, whereas underdoing it will dampen it. Next, you wish to have similar warmth in your hue! Cold colours on a spring or autumn will tend to exaggerate their natural complexion by contrast to the point of being unpleasant, whereas somepony with a cool hue will appear sickly when in contrast to warm tones. You may, if you wish, experiment with accents! But don’t stray too far from the fundamentals or it will look garish. Then finally, brilliance. Somepony who is naturally bright should have richer attire, whereas somepony who isn’t reflective should have a more radiant palette. You don’t want much contrast here because the eye will adjust to the light and become insensitive to the darker components, so stay fairly close, but make sure it’s not a perfect match. By contrasting the brightness, you make it possible for the outfit to pop without needing to use clashing hues. Haute couture regularly turns that rule on its head, though, as the goal there is to show off the attire and not to compliment the wearer. Now. How much of that was you wanting to know, and how much was you trying to distract me so I’d be more comfortable?”

>”About half and half. I do want to refine my craft, but it's also important that I put you at ease. You were REALLY tense before I got you talking. Talking design always seems to calm you down. So you would want moderately bright, cool, and highly saturated colours. But I, being brighter than you, would want brighter clothing that appears darker by contrast?”

“Indeed!”

>”Wow. That’s a lot to remember, but it’s good to know that this stuff can be learned at least. What about clashing areas? My mane and tail are golden blonde, it’s a pretty warm colour. But sky blue is DEFINITELY a cool one.”

“That’s harder to answer, unfortunately. Accessories usually follow similar rules, but there are plenty of exceptions. It’s often a good idea to accessorise a natural highlight, but It depends on if you want to accent or blend. Accessorization should usually be figured out after the outfit is decided upon, as it can be used to fine tune colours. For you, whilst nude, I would recommend trying a cooling highlight to offset some of the warmth. It will make your facial complexion look a bit less washed out. It can’t be a localised highlight or you’ll just make it clash, it has to be something relatively subtle but prevalent. Oh! What if you were to weave a few strands of fern green tinsel through it when you were braiding? It would cool it down a tad so it complimented your coat better, and it would contrast quite well with both of your colours.”

>”I might have to try that. Alright, here’s what I’m thinking. There’s not going to be a lot of contrast back here when your fun bits are tucked away, so the belt will have to BE that contrast. I’m thinking sapphire blue- oh! That’s why you picked the choker with the sapphire, isn’t it? Cool, saturated, and fairly bright.”

“Indeed! Sapphire is a good colour for me. The gem would have normally been a bit too dark, but the inlay offset that quite nicely. In this case, since there is no inlay, you’ll want something a tad lighter.”

>”That’s a shame. It would have been nice to coordinate with the choker. Wait, we might be able to do something for that. How about a semi-gloss lacquer coating? I need a coating anyway to protect the pigments. This would make it a little shiny despite being such a deep blue, and depending on lighting it might actually look a bit translucent!”

“Ooh! I LOOOOVE it!”

>Lovelace FINALLY pulled herself away from Rarity’s ass.

>She went behind the counter, and pulled out a rather ugly item.

>Well, not ugly.

>Artless.

“Hm. That certainly is polished steel. You’ve produced some charming attire, but this isn’t it.”

>”This isn’t yours, I’m just showing you what I’m going to do. This metal ring wraps around your back to maintain vertical position. It can be adjusted by shortening or lengthening this strap on the back.”

“What exactly IS that strap made of?”

>”Silk with a metal mesh strap set inside. The strap is what actually holds it, the silk is there to protect you from the mesh.”

“Make it modal charmeuse. It’ll handle the abrasion better, less pilling.”

>”Got it. We’ll get this adjusted for your measurements, and I’ll make sure to use the right fabric. When you unlock the belt at the front, it opens up like a clam. The adjustable strap works as a point of inflection so you can open it as wide as you need. You can even double it back on itself if you have to. When it’s time to close it, there’s a simple latch here that you slot into a lock. It’s inset right over your womb.”

“What if the key is lost?”

>”Good question! When I started I had to take ponies to the locksmith, but that was REALLY bad for confidentiality. Now I record the key code so a replacement can be cut discreetly. I’m sure you’ve noticed it by now, but just below the lock is the actual shield. This one would be a terrible fit for you, but YOURS will cover you up and then some, just to make sure you don’t start trying to slide things in underneath. There are two anchor points offset near the back for another pair of metal mesh straps. They’ll come off the back of your belt, and wrap around your butt. See how they make a V shape so your ass is still easy to fuck.”

>She was ever so crass.

“And what keeps them in place?”

>”See on the shield, just over your clit?”

“There’s another keyhole.”

>”The straps each have a hole drilled into their ends. Slide them into this slot right here, turn the key, and a bolt goes through the hole.”

“I can’t help but notice that the shield is perforated. And layered! And there appears to be a ring there on the inside.”

>”Perforated so it can dry out properly. It’s meant to be left on for days, or even weeks at a time. Yes, you can shower in it. Assuming that the fabric you wanted would handle it.”

“Hm. One would have to dry rather thoroughly since it tends to absorb quite a bit of water, but it should be fine. What about chafing?”

>"Not an issue if it's adjusted properly, nothing should be moving relative to you, and there's padding at all the contact points. I had no problems in four months."

"Four? I take it you wore one yourself, then."

>"I test out all my designs to make sure there aren't any flaws that I've overlooked."

"So why is the shield layered, and why is there that ring?"

>"It's layered because it's perforated. The holes are offset a bit, see? I wanted to make sure you couldn't get anything through the holes. As for the ring? It's a clasp."

>She fished around behind the counter for a while, eventually retrieving a rather bulky dildo.

>Rarity’s face trembled in fear as she watched Lovelace slot it into the belt.

>"You can lock a toy in there. It's probably not what your master is looking for right now, but colts like having options."

"That could be inside of me… for WEEKS…"

>And she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

>"That feature isn't meant for long term use. Give it a day at most."

>Still.

>A full day wrapped around that girth?

"I don't know if I'm frightened or excited. Possibly both."

>"I have to say, the blue approach feels RIGHT. But I’m betting there’s still room for improvement."

"Normally I’d want to add some textures so that it wasn’t so flat. That’s probably not possible.”

>”Well…”

“Oh? I’m ill accustomed to working with metals. What did you have in mind?”

>”Well, I’ll have to talk to some specialists and probably get their help. I’ve never done this before, so I’m not entirely sure it will be possible. But in my talks in the past, I’ve learned that it’s possible to dye metal. Not paint it, dye it. It’s called… I think they said anodization.”

“I can’t say I’m familiar with the process.”

>”I tried to get them to do it for a belt before, but they said it would just turn into rust. But if we were to use a different metal it might work. I don’t think you want something flimsy, so we might not be able to do it, but I’ll look into it.”

“I don’t see why- OH! If it’s dyed and not painted, you could etch it for texture! You could make metal lace!”

>”I’m not sure yet, but that’s the hope. I’ll definitely be wanting your help to pick the pattern though.”

“With pleasure! Ooh, this is starting to sound like a proper, sophisticated adornment. But even with texturing, it’s rare that monochrome will do much for the eye.. What if you made the straps orange?"

>"Wouldn't that be too warm of a colour? Wait, I must have it backwards."

"Not at all! That was perfect. What hue would you suggest?"

>"Hmm. We should contrast the blue. Maybe with red. Oh, but that's a warm colour too. Unless there's a hue that has enough secondaries in it to work. A really blue red. Purple, I suppose. But that doesn’t contrast your tail properly."

"Exactly. A deep lavender would be good for some, but it would blend in with my tail too much. The colour you're looking for is black. It doesn't work as a contrast to darker blues, but a matte black would work quite well as a contrast to the translucent idea you had."

>”Alright! What about the heart shaped lock?”

“Hm… Burgundy. Ooh, I can’t wait to see how it turns out!”

>”I’m excited too. It sounds like WAY more work than usual, but… I’m looking forward to it. This feels like my first step toward becoming a proper artist.”

“It IS more work, but it’s worth it. I’d rather spend a hundred hours making a masterpiece than a hundred seconds making rubbish. One is a grand investment, the other a small waste. Though, if you set standards such as this for yourself, you’re going to have to charge more. I’m certain you’d be popular making objet d’art for a pittance, but it’s simply not sustainable.”

>”Yeah… I might have to have two lines. Luxury and affordable.”

“Not in my boutique, you don’t! There is no compromise to be found at Carousel!”

>”I don’t want to price half the population out of this stuff.”

“Well, If you insist, you’re free to sell it here or by catalogue. But you’ll not be muddying our brand!”

>”Oh, of course! It’s your boutique after all!”

“How long will this take?”

>”A while, unfortunately. I can’t even start work right away, I have to start with research.”

>To Rarity’s surprise, she was pouting.

>While she certainly didn’t relish the notion of being unable to access her naughty bits…

>There was a strange allure to the whole situation.

>A delightful perversity.

“Are you still certain you wish to provide this for free? It’s clearly going to be more work than you’d anticipated.”

>”Of course!

“I look forward to seeing the end result.”

>”And I’m looking forward to actually making it! This is so huge; I’m actually going to be a real designer! Oooh! Promise me you’ll let me see it when it’s on!”

“Ehh… I suppose it would be wrong of me to deny an artist their right to see their work framed properly.”

>”Oh THANK YOU!”

>Rarity couldn’t deny that she had enjoyed that.

>It was rather basic stuff, of course, but what Lovelace had said was quickly proving to be true.

>The refined fashionista Rarity hadn’t gone anywhere.

>The eager slave was an accent, not a contrasting agent.

>She would be the most sensual and fabulous mare ever to live!

>Though exploring this new territory would certainly be challenging, it was one she was eager to face.

 

A few days later…

 

>Revascularization had proven to be a partial success.

>The patient still needed an amputation, but not nearly as severe as it could have been.

>Whole digit would suffice.

>Blood work shows the patient is ready for the operation.

>The area has been washed thoroughly.

>Pain management has already been applied.

>Antibiotics were already in.

>And for the first time since you got here, you were certain the patient had followed pre-surgical instructions.

>There was really no more delaying it.

>It was time for surgery.

>You begin by drawing the intended incision upon the tissue.

>You’re going with a circumferential racket incision.

>So named because it looks vaguely like a tennis racket if you have bad enough eyes.

>It’ll leave a pretty good skin flap for when you have to close the wound.

>Taking one last moment to clear your head and try to focus, you pick up the scalpel.

>The tip begins vibrating at 55 kilohertz, heating and cauterising tissue as it goes.

>The incision goes straight down to the periosteum.

>Somewhere in the back of your head you think of how dumb these names are.

>Tissue that covers the bone isn’t a name, it’s a description.

>The perks of working on non-viable tissue quickly make themselves apparent.

>Bleeding is almost nonexistent thanks to the combination of cauterization and the lack of blood flow, so only minimal suction is necessary to maintain visibility.

>You dissect the periosteum a bit further back, going for the metatarsophalangeal joint.

>You pull at half the incision with your retractors, once again thinking about how badly you need an assistant.

>Visibility is worse than you’d like, but workable.

>And you’re committed to the procedure at this point.

>The only way out is through.

>Normally you’d use a sagittal saw to cut the bone in half so as to leave more of the structure in place.

>But the damage goes too deep for that today.

>You mobilise the extremity by pulling on it, then sever the ligaments.

“Oh fuck. Nonono.”

>Focus, man.

>Treat it like any other patient.

>The extremity comes out with minimal resistance, but removing it is still hard.

>Normally you’d have your assistant collect it, but you’re short on hands.

>You simply let it fall on the floor, knowing that attempting to handle it risks complications in the remaining tissue.

>Excess tendon remains.

>You take a moment to extract it.

>It’s just an infection risk at this point.

>You spend a short while extracting small amounts of nonviable tissue.

>Suturing has to be done in layers so as to close the cavity as much as possible.

>You don’t want to leave a bunch of dead space for blood to pool in.

>A hematoma would make recovery much more painful.

>The first few layers are done with vicryl sutures.

>They’ll dissolve in a few weeks, so it won’t be necessary to open the wound again.

>The surface will be handled by 3.5 millimetre nylon.

>It will have to be removed manually at a later date, but it’ll hold much better.

>Given this wound will have appreciable weight put on it during the healing process, you have to make sure it doesn’t come open.

>As you’re bandaging the wound, reality hits you again.

“I actually did it.”

>You’d tried very hard to pretend there was nothing special about the patient, and for a fair while you’d succeeded.

>Sure, panic tried to set in about halfway through, but you’d managed to focus regardless.

>You really weren’t sure you could operate on this patient.

>But you did it.

“Physician, HEAL THYSELF! The frog can suck it!”

>Or was it the fox?

>You can’t remember off the top of your head.

>With the gangrene gone, the rest of your foot should have no trouble healing from the damage Chrysalis did to it.

>Most people approach amputations with a terrible sense of dread and loss.

>But you know better.

>You’ve been exposed to them plenty long enough to know what it’s actually like.

>Losing a toe isn’t that big of a deal, and for a little while you were worried you’d lose the whole foot.

>So this is a HUGE relief.

>Barring a massive infection in the surgical wound, your life will be completely normal in a month or two.

>Sure, you’ll be sore for a while.

>And your sense of balance will be a bit screwy until you adapt to your new anatomy.

>But before long there won’t be any meaningful difference.

>Half a year from now, you’ll have more or less forgotten it happened.

>The only proof that you’d been harmed will be a conspicuous absence where your left little toe should be.

>You sit around gloating for several minutes.

>But the adrenaline is starting to wear off.

>The excitement and pride slowly fade.

>And in its place comes a creeping sense of insecurity.

>You’re fine.

>This won’t affect you in any meaningful way.

>But it could have.

>What if the damage had been a bit more severe?

>What if it was your hands, and you couldn’t operate?

>What if you’re rendered unconscious by an injury?

>Hay, what happens if your resolve fails next time?

>You healed yourself, true, but if something were to happen again it’s likely you won’t be able to do it again.

>All this time you’d been lamenting how short staffed you were because it made your job hard.

>Sometimes, the lack of an assistant puts your patients in danger.

>But you’d never before realised that YOU were in danger.

>Even if no bugs mess you up again, there’s plenty of things that can go wrong in the human body.

>Healthy and vital people fall ill all the time.

>Most of the time, they’re easy to heal.

>But you wouldn’t be.

>You begin catastrophizing about all the things that can possibly take you out.

>There are plenty of things that could happen to you.

>Almost all of them are treatable.

>But how many of them could YOU take care of?

“Ooh, I didn’t really need that worry in my life.”

>Normally, you’d have a specialised shoe fitted to protect the wound.

>But you’re not stocked to care for feet.

>The best you can do right now is pad it with gauze and avoid putting pressure on it.

>You awkwardly and clumsily clean up before leaving, making sure the theatre could be used in an emergency.

>You’d more or less come to terms with the fact that you were on your own.

>There was no assistant, there were no second opinions, no specialists.

>Time permitting, you have the option of sending a patient to Earth for treatment.

>But with urgent care, it’s all on you.

>You’ve been doing your best to adapt, and you’ve done a solid job of it!

>But this was a possibility you couldn’t adapt to.

>If you’re incapacitated in any way, there’s nobody to heal YOU.

>Sure, there were ponies studying medicine, and you’d heard that Equestria was trying to import a few doctors to kickstart their own medical infrastructure.

>But those were all future considerations.

>Here and now, it was just you.

>The fact of the matter was simple, but grim.

>If something serious happens to you…

>You’re dead.

>There would be no fighting it.

>No clever work-arounds, no last ditch efforts, nothing.

>Straight to the grave.

>Dozens of things that could be easily cured in anyone else were immediately terminal in you.

>Common things, too!

>It probably happen, of course.

>And if it happens in five years or so you’ll probably have a safety net.

>But until then, you’re painfully fragile.

“It’s fine. What are the odds?”

>Low.

>But not zero.

“Nothing’s changed. It’s always been like this.”

>That doesn’t make it any less true.

“Stop being a pussy. You’re way safer than the people you’ve worked on.”

>Yeah.

>But they weren’t you.

>Sickness and injury were always something that happened to other people.

>As inconsequential as it may be, that toe was proof that you were vulnerable.

>And that’s something you’ll have to come to terms with.

“Best try not to think about it too much…”

>You grab your crutches and start going home, making a point of not putting your damaged foot down.

>You don’t want to put weight on it too soon, and you don’t want to dirty the bandages.

>Work at the clinic wasn’t getting easier, and Applejack had made a point of stopping by every single day to yell at you.

>Rarity wasn’t joking.

>She’s really relentless.

>You have no idea how you’re going to get her off your back.

>To make matters worse, Shining Armor has been demanding heaps of paperwork and reports from you.

>You understand that he’s trying to help, and that he needs the information to get anything done.

>You’re thankful.

>But it’s still more work.

>Every day you work longer hours, and it feels like you’re getting progressively less for your efforts.

>At least Apple Cobbler’s gone.

>You just hope she actually follows instructions.

>Because if she screws up, she’ll definitely need a follow-up.

>You don’t want to make a habit of abducting her.

“I REALLY need a drink.”

>You can’t.

>It would be irresponsible.

>You might need to operate on somebody, not to mention the fact that you’re in recovery.

>But…

>Maybe just one should be okay.

>Just a quick stop at the bar on your way home…

“Fuck. Money.”

>One of the disadvantages of a coin based system.

>You have to carry a purse if you want more than pocket change.

>Though the stigma against men carrying them doesn’t exist here, you still feel a bit insecure.

>So you have a tendency to leave it at home.

>You’ll have to go home first.

>Best only bring what you need just so the temptation isn’t there.

>Just enough for two ciders so you can’t overdo it.

>Although…

>You’re not really sure what cider costs around here.

>Best bring quite a bit just in case.

“Fuck, it’s starting to hurt.”

>The numbing was starting to wear off.

>Best take some codeine before it really starts to hurt.

“Should have done that sooner. I’m not thinking straight.”

>Drinking and taking opiates is a terrible idea.

>You’ll have to be careful.

>No more than three ciders.

>You push open the door.

>”Welcome home, master. Oh my STARS!”

>Rarity runs toward you with worry painted plainly on her face.

>”You’re injured! And you look absolutely dreadful! Come, sit down.”

“Naa, I’m going to head back out right away. I don’t want to have to get up again.”

>”I insist! You are in no condition. Whatever errand you must run, I can do it for you. What must I do?”

>You know drinking is a terrible idea.

>But the stress has gotten to you.

>The need to calm your mind has outweighed your common sense.

>But now, confronted with this failing, you back down.

>Shame was enough to tip the scales back to sobriety.

“I guess it can wait.”

>Rarity gently guides you to the couch, and helps you sit.

>She takes your crutches and puts them off to the side.

>Then she sits down next to you, looking up at you.

>Staring right into your eyes.

>”What HAPPENED to you?”

”The bugs froze my foot.”

>”Yes, but that happened quite a while ago. What happened now?”

“I saved my foot.”

>”Your bandage is red! You’re bleeding!”

“Hm?”

>Oh, just a little.

>Nothing to be alarmed about.

>”That’s where the bad toe is, right? Oh. I thought your feet were shaped a bit different from that.”

“You know what my feet are shaped like? Huh. I’m normally wearing shoes.”

>”Of course. I know every part of my master’s body.”

>You’re not sure if she’s telling the truth or just trying to make you feel better.

>But you appreciate it either way.

>”What did you do?”

“Well… that toe was going to kill me eventually. I had to get rid of it.”

>The look of concern on Rarity’s face quickly changes to confusion.

>Then slowly becomes overtaken with horror.

>”You did that to YOURSELF?”

“Had to be done, and nobody was more qualified than me.”

>”You POOR dear! That is such a cruel fate to befall such a noble colt!You must have had a dreadful- nay, an ABHORRENT day! Please allow me to pamper you! Would you care for some tea?”

”I don’t think I have any.”

>”But I do! It’s a bit late at night, and you’re visibly distressed. Perhaps a calming brew. Lavender.”

>Lavender tea?

>She returns in just a few minutes with a dainty porcelain cup on a saucer.

“That was fast. How did you heat the water that quickly? And why didn’t I hear the kettle whistle?”

>”Lavender is best prepared at two hundred and five degrees.”

“That’s impossible- oh. Pony units. Right.”

>Just a bit below boiling, so the kettle wouldn’t whistle.

>”And heating water on demand is slow and wasteful. It’s faster and more economical to have it on standby in a well insulated container near your desired temperature, and then finish heating it as needed. It must be VERY well insulated of course. Care for something to eat?”

“Ugh. My stomach is in terrible shape, but I should probably have something. Best keep it light. Just some bread.”

>”She gives you a curt nod before trotting off to the kitchen.

>You call out to her.

“How is it more economical?”

>”I’m sure you’re familiar with fire crystals.”

>You are.

>You’d been using them to incinerate stuff, and you’re pretty sure it’s how your water heater works.

“I’m not really sure how they work, but I know about them.”

>”They’re just normal crystals filled with magic, but flawed so they can’t retain it. It leaks out as heat. When they’re depleted, anypony can refill them from their own magic.”

>Oh.

>That was pretty simple.

“I guess that’s why I get half my money back if I return the crystal.”

>”The severity of the flaw determines how quickly magic is lost, and thus how quickly heat is generated. I have a few that last about two days. So every other day I swap them out and refill the water. It heats slowly, of course, but in about 5 hours the water is at temperature.”

>How was SHE recharging them?

>Wait.

>Was this a subtle hint that she wants her magic back?

>Hmm.

>If she points out that it’s a hassle, you’ll assume it is.

“Then why does anypony use wood fires?”

>”Hot fire crystals are quite hazardous to handle, and you can’t really control when they start generating heat. Wood is much easier to store, and can generally reach higher temperatures.”

>Huh.

>You’ve been here for a while, but there’s still a lot of stuff you don’t know.

>”It’s fortunate that we met, since you’re in desperate need of a homemaker. I’m not quite qualified, of course. I’ve got the boutique to tend to. But I can at least help you out!”

>She’s not mentioning it.

>Maybe it’s time to give it back to her?

>You’ll consider it.

>Rarity places some bread in front of you.

>It looks rather unfamiliar…

“Please don’t clutter it up with a bunch of tchotchkes. I like that it’s easy to clean.”

>”Of course not. I promise a limit of thirty live laugh loves.”

>You can’t help but chuckle at that.

“That’s a thing here too, is it?”

>”Oh? Do human mares do the same thing?”

“Some of them. One or two is fairly normal. Any more is a sign of mental illness, and a warning to get out of their home.”

>”Yes, I had heard from Fluttershy that human mares can be rather… cantankerous. Have they ever caused you trouble?”

“The director at my old hospital was a real psychopath. I get that she was under a lot of pressure and all that, but she always made a point of making her trouble into everybody else’s problem. Catch her on a bad day and she’s liable to bite your head off.”

>Slack jawed Rarity is a strange look.

>Was it something you said?

>Wait.

>That might not be an idiom here.

>She might be taking it literally.

>You open your mouth to clarify, but decide against it.

>It could be hilarious some day in the future.

>”I’m certainly glad you’re no longer working there!”

“Yeah.”

>You were understandably upset when you lost that job.

>But…

>Somehow, it turned out for the best.

>Sure, life is stressing you out around here.

>But it’s not like it was relaxing on Earth either.

>Plus you’ve got Rarity.

>The bread is surprisingly light, and the texture of the crust is crisp rather than chewy.

“Huh. That’s good?”

>”I’m glad.”

“Different bakery?”

>”No, actually. I merely spoke with the baker and asked what they recommended. He said a bunch of things about grains that I didn’t really understand, but said that this was best as long as it was consumed within three days. When you’re done with that would you like a hoof rub? Oh, that’s probably not a great idea. Back rub?”

“Sure?”

>You do appreciate the care she’s showing you.

>But you’re really not used to being treated like this.

>Some part of you is expecting it to be a trick of some sort.

>It’s making you anxious.

>But you present your back to Rarity regardless.

>”Oh, please strip. Just the top. For now.”

>You’ve been nude around Rarity before.

>But still, that request bothers you.

>It feels like she’s making you vulnerable.

>Having you lay face down does that already, the shirt doesn’t really change anything.

>Even so, you don’t like it.

>But you do it anyway.

>You’ll give her a chance.

>”Eww. I can SEE the tension in your back! You have no idea how to relax, do you?”

“They don’t teach you that in med school.”

>”I dread to think how much stress you experience working with the health of others, especially when your director is a cannibal! How do others handle the pressure?”

>She’s rubbing some kind of oil on your back.

>It has a potent floral scent, but you’re not quite sure what flower.

“It’s about a fifty fifty split between nervous breakdowns and alcoholism.”

>”Terrible. I certainly hope you have enough temperance to leave the drink.”

“Y- yeah.”

>”I’ll have to ensure you take time to relax, then. Oh! Oh. Oh… I had a magnificent idea, but I assume you won’t be walking much in the near future.”

“How much did you have in mind?”

>”A light, casual stroll with several rest stops.”

“Give me three weeks. Maybe four just to be safe.”

>”Excellent. I shall arrange an outing four weeks from tonight.

>She puts some weight between your shoulder blades.

>You can’t help but gasp in pain.

>”Dreadfully sorry, but it will pass.”

“Do you even know what you’re doing?”

>”Of course. There will be a few more that hurt unfortunately. But I’ll tell you what you told me. Relax. Let it happen. Deep breaths. Soon enough, you’ll enjoy me working you from behind.”

“Heh. I’m having trouble believing that, but I’ll give you a chance. Just as long as my pants are still- AUGH!”

>That one REALLY hurt.

>You shudder to think what it would be like without the codeine.

>You feel like you just got punched in the back by a prize fighter!

>The pain fades.

>And you sink deeper into the couch.

>”It’s unfortunate we’re doing this here and not on a proper massage table. But we’ll have to make do.”

>You can feel the unfamiliar sensation of muscles relaxing.

>For the first time in memory, your shoulders loosen.

>”There we are. I’ve been told that this improves blood flow.”

“You’ve been told wrong. But it does feel nice.”

>”Excellent.”

>Rarity steps away for a moment.

>You continue to melt into the couch.

>After a short pause, she returns.

>The lamps have been extinguished, and replaced with a few small candles.

>The dim light of the room is soothing to your eyes.

>A subtle citrus scent starts filling the room.

>She returns to work on your back.

>”I’m not particularly good at aromatherapy, but something tells me you’re going to say it doesn’t work.”

“That depends. What’s this meant to do?”

>”Hasten healing.”

“Oh. No, it won’t do that.”

>”But it will do something?”

“Well, it’s kinda soothing. Might lower blood pressure and reduce stress, which is useful at times.”

>”Hm! I’ve learned a fair bit by being around you, you know. Much of it clashed with these home remedies. Truth be told, had I not seen such visceral proof of your abilities, I’d have rejected them as superstition or possibly outright deception.”

>Visceral?

>Was that a pun?

>Good girl.

>”But it’s hard to argue with results like that. Your methods obviously have more merit than mine. I was starting to wonder if any of these things worked.”

“Lots of them do, just not what’s claimed. Improving quality of life is important too. A positive outlook does wonders, and- FUCK!”

>”Oh dear. I think that was too much pressure.”

>It was.

>You’re not injured, but the pain lasts a lot longer than the last one.

>Still, it fades.

>And you melt.

>The two of you fall silent, and you content yourself with just letting time pass.

>You close your eyes, and enjoy the sensation of Rarity rubbing your back.

>Time starts to lose meaning, and minutes tick by in blissful peace.

>Rarity eventually climbs up on the couch and cuddles up next to you.

“Thank you.”

>”I’m happy to help my master.”

“You’ve been acting differently these last few days. What’s up?”

>”I had something of a moment of clarity. I used to be of two minds on being your slave. I knew it was what I wanted, but I felt like I had to discard who I used to be to do it. But I’ve come to realise that simply isn’t the case. I’ve always been your slave, even before we’d met.”

>Now she’s massaging your ego.

>”My life before was… let’s call it preliminary training. It would be a terrible waste to abandon that self when she could be enhancing moi.”

>You’re really lucky to have her.

>You’re perfectly content to just spend the night relaxing with her.

>But Rarity had other plans.

>”May I pleasure you, master?

“I’m a bit surprised at myself, but not tonight. I’d rather just relax.”

>”I suppose that means I did a good job.”

“Let’s just cuddle. Tell me about your day.”

>”Well, it’s been a tad busy lately. We’re hoping to open the boutique within the week and there’s still an awful lot to do. But I’m rather looking forward to it. I’ll have plenty of access to Coco, which will be nice. Though I’m still not quite certain how I’ll break her, I intend to try hard. She deserves to feel the joy I’ve found.”

>Break?

>You’re pretty sure that’s the first time you’ve heard Rarity use that term before.

“You’ve been talking with a third party about this, haven’t you?”

>”Indeed. I’ve had several chats with Lovelace about how ponies express their love. I’m hoping to discover what Coco might desire so I have a starting point. Oh! That reminds me! Seeing you in such dreadful shape made me forget entirely, one moment.”

>Rarity pulls herself away.

>For some reason she re-ignites the lamps on her way out.

>You feel kinda cold with neither your shirt nor her body heat.

>And you’re no longer sure where to put your arms.

>Thankfully, she returns promptly.

>With a plain wooden box in tow.

>”Something arrived for us today.”

>She’s not telling you what.

>She wants you to open it, doesn’t she?

>You get up, with some reluctance.

>You see something rather beautiful.

>A chastity belt, sitting on top of a decorative cushion.

>Some rose petals have been scattered in the box too.

>”Did she do the cushion or the petals?”

“Both.”

>”Oh. That might actually be a bit too much. It’s a learning process.”

>It’s ornate and elegant, made of nothing but curves.

>A sophisticated lace pattern covers much of the surface, and the rich blue shimmers delicately in the light.

>”I hope you like it.”

“It’s not what I was expecting. But some surprises are quite pleasant. It’s beautiful. It’s like…”

>”Metal lingerie? That’s what we were going for. The design took a few revisions, and we needed to use some new techniques, but I’m rather pleased with how it turned out.”

>It wasn’t painted.

>Electrolysis was a pretty good trick.

>No surprise though, both ponies and humans were learning a lot in recent years.

>Still, that was probably a cutting edge technique.

>Which means…

“I’m scared to ask, but what did this cost?”

>”To manufacture, or to purchase? Manufacturing was about a hundred bits in materials. We’re still discussing how to handle labour, but I’m thinking for an article like this somewhere around two thousand.”

>The stress was returning.

>“She was quite adamant that it was free, though.”

“Free? I like free stuff, but this seems like an awful lot for a gift.”

>”That’s what I keep telling her. She insists that she owes me this much and more. Terrible at bargaining, I’ll have to be cautious to keep her from pricing anything without consultation.”

“There are a couple of loose pieces at the bottom. Is it broken?”

>”No, it’s not. It’s modular. One of those is a toy holder so you can force any compatible shaft you wish inside of me while I wear it. The other is a more recent addition. An anal shield, to prevent penetration. Or to prevent removal.”

>You could have her plugged in two thirds of her holes for the whole day!

>Three, if she didn’t have to go out.

>It’s tempting to do that.

>But you’ll stick with the original plan for now.

>”Please hold out your hand.”

>You present your palm.

>And Rarity places a small key in it.

>It looks surprisingly plain.

>”The key leaves a lot to be desired, but Lovelace pointed out correctly that we don’t want to tell others what your keys are for. It’s best to be discreet. Now, if you would be so kind master…”

>She turns around and presents her ass, lowering her head to the floor and keeping her rump high up.

>”I would like for you to be the one to put it on. The straps might need adjusting.”

>It takes a moment for you to figure out how it’s meant to go on, but Rarity waited patiently.

>It goes on easily, making for a fit that’s snug but not tight.

>You’re pleasantly surprised by how nice the colour looks against her coat.

>And by how much attention the straps draw to her rump.

>Though it’s a bit disappointing that you can’t see her cunt anymore.

>Especially with that toy feature.

>It would be fun watching her squirm while stretched around a big shaft.

>Maybe you can get a shield made out of crystal?

>You’ll bring it up with her later.

“How does that feel?”

>She gyrates her hips for a while, and shakes her rump about.

>”Secure. Almost comforting. I’m sure I’ll grow frustrated with it, but for the time being it’s nice.”

“It WILL be frustrating. But you’ll learn to love that too.”

>Rarity once again extinguished all the lights.

>She then climbed back up on the couch and gave you a kiss on the neck.

>The two of you quickly fell asleep.

 

 

>Rarity could barely contain her excitement.

>It was opening day AT LAST!

>It had been far too long since she’d had sex- err, had a chance to work her artistic flair.

>She arrived at the boutique well in advance of opening time, while the sun was still just barely rising.

>She took a moment to adjust her dress, hoof lingering perhaps a bit too long at her crotch.

>It was a very special article.

>A verdant and elaborate number with a fair bit of weight.

>Green satin with golden needlework.

>The celtic knot patterns had taken forever to embroider.

>Mercifully, master had allowed her to use a machine rather than hoof stitching it all.

>It was somewhat lacking in artistry, and really wasn't up to par with her other works.

>But she loved it regardless.

>She had to!

>It was the dress she wore when she first gave herself to her beloved master.

>Truthfully, it needed a revision.

>The spacing on the needlework was off, the pleating was uneven, it draped further on one side than the other…

>She had made it in something of a hurry, and it showed.

>But it had far too much sentimental value to ever face a seam ripper.

>The cum stains had been frustratingly difficult to wash out, but it was worth it to save this attire.

>She could hardly wait for the day when she could display those with pride…

>Rarity lit the lamps and took a look at the cock.

>Clock.

>Coco wasn’t meant to arrive for another hour at least.

>Although…

>She lived here.

>Odds were she was already present.

>Rarity was tempted to call for her so they could share in their excitement.

>But she thought better of it.

>Coco would cum soon.

>Be here soon.

>Despite her excitement, Rarity couldn’t help but yawn

>Fortunately, master had been understanding enough to allow her to sleep unbound the night before.

>While she had to admit she missed the perversity of sleeping in such a vulnerable state, it wouldn’t do to miss her opening.

>Opening.

“Oh dear. That one was even the right word.”

>She could barely contain her excitement.

>Both kinds!

>Rarity spent the time fussing with the dress forms and racks.

>There was nothing on display of course, they had yet to make anything worth showing.

>It was more of a workshop at the moment than it was a store.

>Ideally, they would be able to work in a more secluded location so as to avoid distractions.

>But somepony had to be present to take orders and measurements.

>And they were not in a position to hire any help.

>Somepony pushed the front door open.

“Oh, hello there Coco! I see you brought coffee.”

>”Half caff caramel hazelnut macchiato.”

“Thank you, dear.”

>Hopefully it was better than the last coffee she’d had.

>It would certainly be difficult to do worse.

“We ought to go over our business plans once more. Our goal is twenty thousand bits of revenue a moon, but we only really need fifteen.”

>”Are you sure we can survive off fifteen?”

“Of course! This isn’t Manehattan. At regular price points, three basic outfits per day should suffice for the 20. But that’s not our market. One proper outfit per week can pay the bills and then some. And of course, if we’re able to provide for the aristocracy, we should shatter that goal.”

>She smiled and nodded.

“Please, dear, there’s no need for that. You’re not my employee, you’re my partner!”

>Coco averted her gaze.

“You have concerns. State them.”

>”I just… Are you sure it's sustainable?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

>”I did some research. Apparently the empire is dealing with some kind of financial crisis.”

>And she had chosen to wait until now to speak up about it.

>She was doubtlessly hesitant to object to the plans.

“You really do need more confidence, don’t you? I don’t anticipate that will be a problem. I’m very familiar with the prince’s sister, and somewhat familiar with the prince himself. They are both extremely clever. Rest assured, the empire is in good hooves.”

>”Okay.”

>Ugh.

>This was going to be a real issue, wasn’t it?

“As my partner, I am relying on you to help with planning and prevent mistakes. Should something go wrong, it is at least in part your fault. Please do not hesitate to speak.”

>If she wasn’t going to use her mouth to speak, Rarity would have to find another use for it.

>”Well… are you sure there are enough clients?”

“That remains to be seen. But remember, we DO have more than one location. If things don’t work out, we have options.”

>”Alright.”

>Useless!

>She had no insight!

>Rarity wanted- nay, NEEDED a partner!

>She didn’t want a groveling yes-mare!

>And yet…

>Something about that statement felt wrong.

“Now remember. We’re not anticipating a profit in the first year. Setup costs coupled with a lack of local recognition will doubtlessly hurt. This is to be expected, so try not to let it worry you too much. If in six months we’re not at least breaking even, we will re-analyze our approach.”

>Nothing.

>It was so bizarre.

>This was perfectly in line with the Coco she knew.

>She was a pony who was hesitant to speak up for fear of attracting attention.

>Rarity was not at all surprised that she was being so quiet.

>In fact, it was a trait she was counting on.

>But for some reason, it was making Rarity very upset.

“Well, there’s no point in stalling. Let’s open up!”

>Rarity flipped the sign on the front door.

>They were officially open, and ready to fuck.

>For work.

”Ooh, this is so exciting! I hope you’re ready to make your debut as a headline designer!”

>“I’ll try my best.”

”Then you’ll do fabulously.”

>”But shouldn’t we have a few example pieces on display?”

>Some unseen tension eased in Rarity.

>Somehow, just hearing that had made her feel better.

>Coco was taking any initiative at all!

“You are absolutely right! And no, I hadn’t forgotten about that. Rather, I had a fun idea. We should use this time to create outfits for each other! It would be excellent practice, and we would have some fresh designs to display.”

>”Oh. That sounds fun. What would you like me to make for you?”

“I think you’re missing the point, dear. We’re both well used to adorning ourselves. This is an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with each other’s bodies!”

>Hopefully they’d become intimately familiar with each other.

”Come here. Let me measure you.”

>Rarity did her best to approach the task professionally.

>And it was proving to be very difficult.

>She was not attracted to mares.

>But in her current state, it didn’t matter.

>She couldn’t help but salivate while wrapping the tape around her tight body.

>Her pert buttocks were perhaps a tad on the small side, but pleasantly rounded and firm.

>How much girth could it handle?

>How much length?

>How might it react to a quick and stiff swat?

>Would it jiggle nicely?

>Might it make a nice slapping noise?

>Coco’s legs were long and slender.

>They were not particularly well toned; she was no athlete and it showed.

>But they had an elegant feminine curve to them.

>How far could she spread them?

>Her belly was nice and tight.

>There would be no need to corset her to attain proper form.

>However…

>It might be fun to do so anyway.

>It would introduce several new anchor points for bondage.

>They could suspend her, leaving her holes completely defenseless.

>Her coat’s colour was a tad unfortunate.

>Semen wouldn’t provide much contrast, so a facial wouldn’t provide as much of a show as it could.

>Granted, Rarity was in no position to condemn her for that.

>”Rarity? Are you okay? You’re being a little clingy.”

“Never better!”

>THIS ACCURSED BELT!

>She was going to do something she regretted.

>She just knew it!

>Master was going to let her out of it soon though.

>He had to!

>Rarity just had to-

>”Well?”

“Hm? Oh, sorry. You were saying something?”

>”Aren’t you going to strip so I can measure you?”

“No.”

>”Oh. Why?”

>Because she was hiding her belt.

“Superstition! It’s bad luck to remove clothing from yourself in the workplace.”

>”I’ve been in fashion for a long time, and I’ve never heard that.”

“Yes, well, you haven’t exactly been associating with the right ponies then!”

>It was a flimsy excuse, but Coco seemed to accept it.

>”That’s true. Suri really only told me what I needed to know to do her job. I never really got to know much about the business itself until you came along.”

>A terrible chill went down Rarity’s spine as the measuring tape came out.

>She was confronted with the terrible realization that she might be found out.

>As Coco carefully and deliberately measured every aspect of Rarity’s body, she came dangerously close to feeling it.

>Time and again, she would brush up against the belt.

>The hard metal would be pressed into Rarity’s hide beneath Coco’s hooves.

>But if she noticed anything, she chose to remain silent.

>”Okay. So you’re sure you want me to design it myself?”

“But of course! I wouldn’t have asked if I were uncertain.”

>The two of them split up and began drawing.

>Rarity was able to set to work immediately.

>But Coco first oriented herself toward a dress form.

“Ah. Of course. How quickly I forget! Here, take a few of my pages.”

>”Thank you! But… why? What’s so special about them?”

“You were about to draw an outline of a pony, correct?”

>”Sure. It’s step one. You need to be able to see what you’re drawing over- these all have them on already? And they’re exactly the same!”

“Human machinery. It has many uses.”

>”This is very convenient. Would we be able to put one of those machines here?”

“I’m not certain. I’ll look into that.”

>She could remember when the doctor had made these for her.

>It was a strange time.

>She cursed his name every day and every night.

>Hopefully Coco would see reason a bit faster than she had.

>Now, how to approach this?

>As tempting as it was to adorn her in the sluttiest attire possible, Rarity knew it was a bad idea.

>Coco would pull away if she pushed too hard.

>It was Rarity’s duty to push her out of her comfort zone and broaden her horizons.

>But if she pushed too hard, Coco would simply refuse to comply.

>It would be difficult to get it exactly right.

>But Rarity loved a challenge!

>It would begin with stockings to accentuate those lovely legs.

>Black, semi-opaque with a transparent edge about halfway up the thigh.

>She would be needing some sheer fabric.

>Novices tended to make a terrible mistake of looking straight at the denier number, but Rarity knew better.

>The knit mattered just as much, sometimes even more.

>With a sufficiently loose knit, she could easily make 50 look like 30.

>She would need to spread the stress on the materials a bit more than usual. Perhaps a serged seam?

>It had to be a baby hem of course; there was no use in letting it fray.

>And it would be wise to use the pinking shears to add a bit of detail about the transition between semi-opaque and full transparent.

>She’d combine it with a tasteful slip skirt to ease the shock on her poor companion.

>A rich, regal purple would compliment her well.

>Perhaps phlox purple?

>She would have it cut to show just a flash of nude thigh when Coco walked, to ensure she titillated with every step.

>Actually, best make it a full slip dress.

>Strapless.

>No extensions to cover the upper portion of the front legs, keep the skirt component to match the stockings on the hind legs.

>That way she could flash the thighs while also keeping something in reserve.

>And as time went on and Coco became more comfortable, she could adjust the hemming.

>It would never reach full on salaciousness, of course.

>They would need another outfit when she was ready to graduate into a proper slave.

>As for her neck, a choker would be good.

>But…

>If Rarity was being honest with herself, there was something wrong about the simple choker.

>It didn’t feel…

>Strict enough.

>Coco would wear no such thing at first, of course.

>But it would be an important milestone, and Rarity would need to figure out what to put on her before they reached it.

>And what of headwear?

>A hat felt wrong for such a light and airy getup.

>Perhaps a simple ornament in the mane?

…

>No, her current ornamentation was just so…

>HER.

>It would be wrong to replace it.

>The front door opened.

>Both Rarity and Coco immediately dropped their pencils and looked at the visitor.

“Ah, Lovelace dear!”

>”Hello.”

>Coco didn’t exactly sound happy.

“What brings you here? Have you a client for us?”

>”Yep. Just a small job. I came here for them since they didn’t want to share their name.”

>”I’m scared to ask.”

>”Just a sleep mask, Coco. Nothing to worry about.”

>”Oh. That’s a bit unusual. But I suppose… how will we design it if we don’t know what they look like?”

>”Is that actually going to be a problem?”

“It is. Remember colour matching.”

>”Purple.”

“Which purple?”

>Both Rarity and Coco asked the question in unison.

“I think we can make this work, though you’ll need to aid us. Hold on, I shall fetch my colour charts.”

>They weren’t far away, thankfully.

>This WAS a boutique after all.

>Rarity only had to fish around behind the counter for a moment to retrieve a small box filled with multi-hued cards.

“If they insist on hiding, you’ll have to serve as an intermediary. Please determine their colours for us. We would also like to know their mane style, build, and height. We’ll also need to know their sex, and the size of their head.”

>”Okay. I’m liking where this is going. I’ll give you all the relevant information, and then you make it?”

>”No, not quite. We’ll make a few proposals. How many do you think, Rarity?”

“That depends on the price. Who are we dealing with here? Oh, I suppose you cannot say. How much do you think we should charge?”

>”Let’s say… they know it's going to cost a premium, but they still want it. Sticker shock shouldnt be too bad. 200?”

>1% of their monthly goal.

>A respectable and significant sale, but not one worth investing a large amount of time in.

“Two designs each. They can pick whichever one they find most pleasing.”

>”We don’t have much else going on. We could probably do five each.”

“We don’t want to overwhelm them with choice, dear. Remember that most ponies don’t really know what they’re looking for. They just feel right once they’ve found it. Besides, if we can’t get it right in four tries, then we clearly need to rethink our approach. Lovelace, could I speak to you for a moment about our business arrangement?”

>”Yeah, sure. Oh! Outside. Got it.”

>Rarity carefully tucked her drawings away and slipped out to speak with her second partner.

“We never really came to an agreement on how we should split our revenue.”

>”Really? I thought we had. The agreement was that you’d do the clothing and I’d do the toys.”

“Yes, but you’ll notice we haven’t exactly started selling any toys for you. It’s only fair that you get a cut of the sales you bring to us.”

>”I mean… I’d appreciate it. What did you have in mind?”

“This is a blindfold, right? The sleep mask thing was to put Coco at ease.”

>”Yeah. She likes sensory deprivation. It's about the anticipation and uncertainty. Never knowing when or where she'll get touched next.”

“How much would you charge for a blindfold?”

>”Well, when I sold her her current blindfold it was probably 20 bits or so.”

“A ten times increase for our wares is far from trivial. Are you certain she'll be interested? It's something she won't even be able to see, after all.”

>She shrugged.

>”They were really excited when I dropped your name. I don't think they'll mind.”

“Very well. You’ll have your 20. We’ll compensate you for the lost sale, and since you don’t need to replace your stock you come out slightly ahead.”

>So 0.9% of their goal.

>Pretty good for day one with no prior advertising, especially given they’d only been open a bit more than an hour.

>”Great. But when can we start doing this properly?”

“Once I’ve eased Coco into it.”

>”That’s going to be hard.”

>It was.

>Rarity had spent many hours agonizing over how to approach it.

>Her final goal still seemed unattainable…

>But it was at least possible to get a bit closer.

“True, but I know her quite well. I assure you, once she understands the beauty of the boudoir, she’ll change her tune. Even if she’s not willing to partake. Coco is an artist, even more so than I am.”

>”That’s hard to believe.”

“But it’s true! I focus far too heavily on client satisfaction to be a true artist. Coco has a marvelous tendency to ignore the wishes of the wearer and focus on pure beauty.”

>”That doesn’t sound like a good thing.”

“It isn’t. Unless the client doesn’t know what they want. I once made apparel for some of my closest friends, and they all gave me completely absurd parameters to meet. They were hideous! Coco would have made no such mistake.”

>She looked unconvinced.

>”I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Trust me. I have it all planned out. I’m going to introduce her to seductive apparel, and get her to design some. Once she’s comfortable with it, we’ll move on to ever more intimate designs. She’ll be willing to work with it within two moons.”

>To Rarity’s surprise, she believed herself.

>The instant Coco saw it for more than lewdity, she would be happy to work on it.

>How she was going to translate that into sexual servitude was unclear.

>But it would be a good start.

>”Alright. I’d best let you work on that then. I’ll be back later today with the colours.”

“Excellent. Oh! But before you go. I have a requests.”

>”Go on.”

“This accursed shield guarding my groin. Is there any way we could have a transparent one?”

>She chewed on her lip pensively for a bit longer than was decent.

>If Rarity didn’t know any better, she’d assume Lovelace was titillated!

>”That’s really hot.”

>Oh.

>She WAS titillated.

>”Being able to see it? Especially when there’s something shoved in it. There’s probably some kind of crystal we can use, I’ll look into it.”

“Excellent. And… about my other entrance. You said the plug I was using was too large, but we never really got around to selecting a new one.”

>”Oh! I totally forgot! Are you wearing it right now?”

“No, actually. I raised the issue with my master and he told me to stop. I suspect he was fearful I’d hurt myself. I figured this would be a good opportunity to test your salespony ship and see what you’ve learned.”

>Please?

>She had hated that thing at first.

>But without it, she felt…

>Wrong.

>Like something important was missing.

>”Is it really? Or are you just horny and want something in your ass?”

>Guilty as charged.

“If you’re to work with us, you’ll need to excel in all regards. I expect you to wow me when I arrive. You shall walk me through the process, guide me to finding the perfect accessory for myself, and make me feel good about the whole experience.”

>”Alright, alright. I’ll be ready. See you tonight.”

>The two of them parted ways, and Rarity returned to her work.

>Coco WOULD be dressed in a provocative manner.

>Not all at once.

>It would have to start small and escalate.

>But soon enough, she would yield.

>Rarity couldn’t help but wonder what the two of them might do together.

>And what perversity might occur in the boutique once she had surrendered to pleasure.

>But she was excited to find out.

 

>It was a wonder that the prince’s mane hadn’t fallen out yet.

>Every passing day seemed to bring with it a new challenge that tested him in ways he could have never prepared for.

>Yet he nobly soldiered on, unwavering in his determination and confident in his mission.

>He would do right by the empire.

>And he was sure Celestia would respect that.

>Her request for an audience was quite the surprise, one he hadn’t been mentally prepared for.

>Historically, he had been the one to request her attention.

>It wasn’t merely when he was serving in her guard either, he’d been expected to fit into her schedule even as prince.

>And that was what one should expect!

>As the protectorate of her nation, it was normal and sensible that he should be expected to fit into her schedule.

>And yet, she had come to him.

>Requesting an audience.

>And giving him all the room he needed to refuse.

>The prince looked down at the scroll she had sent him yet again, still amazed to see that the words on the page hadn’t yet changed.

>A more ignorant pony might swell with pride.

>But he knew all too well that this was a bad sign.

>Celestia was a VERY busy pony, and would not make her way out here for frivolous reasons.

>It was a fact that she endeavoured to have a more personal approach than other regents might, and that she was always willing to make time for her subjects.

>But this was different.

>This was a seemingly unprompted journey made on short notice all the way from Canterlot.

>One made with such urgency that she hadn’t even bothered to warn him of her arrival.

>Hay, he hadn’t even known she was in the palace until a few minutes ago!

>At first he’d thought the missive was a forgery, or some other kind of ruse.

>But it seemed genuine.

>It had her seal, at least.

>He sat in his study, still wondering why she had come.

>And why she had sent a courier with a petition rather than just summoning him.

>He had no clue, and he was afraid to find out.

>Shining Armor pulled himself out of his study despite the overwhelming sense of dread.

>He knew that this meeting would be fine.

>He knew Celestia was patient and benevolent.

>But it still didn’t feel right.

>And a good pony could easily be the bearer of bad news.

>The climb to the war room felt far shorter than usual, with entire flights of stairs seeming to blur by in an instant.

>The lantern light seemed to cast long, foreboding shadows, as though the light itself was trying to avoid the accursed steps.

>And as he approached…

>POWER radiated throughout the air.

>It was a sensation he was well acquainted with.

>Celestia’s magic had a tendency to diffuse and seep into everything that surrounded it.

>It felt like a heavy blanket.

>Warm, comforting, protective…

>Unyielding.

>A perfect combination of gentle power.

>Anyone vaguely sensitive to magic could feel it.

>He called upon his magic, and it came to him swiftly.

>But it was almost imperceptible.

>Like a flickering candle before the sun itself, his respectable power faded into the background.

>She was casting a spell of some sort.

>The door opened at the behest of Celestia’s magic, not his, and he was greeted with a warm and gentle smile.

>And a lancet being held aloft by her telekinetic field.

>Strangely, she was seated by the door.

>Not at the head of the table…

>”I do hope you’ll forgive me, prince, but I must confirm you are not a changeling before we speak.”

“Of course, princess. If you are willing, I wish to do the same. Though your aura is unmistakable, I would much prefer not to take chances.”

>He felt a small prick in the back of his neck as he approached the princess.

>It felt wrong to bleed her, though she gave him a gentle nod of encouragement.

>Her test came back with a normal result.

>”Please, take a seat at the head of the table.”

>She once again used her phenomenal strength, this time to close the door.

>Shining Armor couldn’t for the life of him understand how she controlled that power.

>There was such an elegant grace to it.

>A gentle and precise touch coming from overwhelming power.

>He took the seat as directed, feeling both awkward and unworthy.

“Are you certain you don’t want to take the head of the table?”

>”Of course. Tiger Eye would be appalled otherwise.”

>That explained her odd behaviour.

>She was doing him a great favour and playing into his political theatre.

>She knew he was in a precarious position, and was happy to allow him to claim he was in charge of this meeting.

>It was a great act of courtesy.

>Provided by a pony with an uncharacteristically stern face.

>Her gaze sent chills down his spine.

>”I’m here to talk about Apple Cobbler.”

>He knew this was coming.

>He’d been preparing for it.

“I did what I had to to prevent the death of an Equestrian citizen.”

>”You violated our treaty, illegally detaining and maiming her.”

“I saved her life.”

>”And for that, I am grateful. However, the facts remain stubbornly unchanged. I have public figures, including Applejack, demanding that I retaliate. They are unfortunately well within their rights to do so.”

>He took the time to correct his posture and take a deep breath before replying, hoping that his voice wouldn’t waver.

>Standing up to Celestia was almost unheard of.

>But if she was going to take that position, it was morally and tactically right.

“It is my duty to protect those within the empire. Both our citizens and our guests.”

>”And it is your opinion that this duty takes priority over their wishes? Over their rights?”

“Did she wish to die? Does she not have a right to life?”

>He wasn’t certain, but he thought he saw a smile flash across Celestia’s face for a moment.

>”Are you confident she would not have recovered from the condition? She claims she wasn’t even unwell.”

“She’s lying. Apple Cobbler would have been in intense pain before arriving, and likely unable to eat.”

>”Are you accusing one of my ponies of twisting the truth? To what end?”

“I cannot know her intentions. I only know that she was extremely ill before we apprehended her, and cured when we released her.”

>”I’ve been told you personally beat her when she tried to flee. She had broken no laws, but was still physically harmed and detained.”

>C’mon…

>You can do this.

>You have to.

>She’s scary.

>She’s powerful.

>But…

>She’s understanding.

>This is Celestia, the head of the biggest superpower on the planet.

>The ancient alicorn of unimaginable strength.

>But she’s also Celestia, the kind and gentle leader.

>The loving and patient mare that he’d served.

>The wise and benevolent pony who had instructed Twilight.

>She was not his enemy.

>”I’m waiting for an answer. Is it true?”

“It is.”

>”And how can you justify such extrajudicial actions against the innocent?”

“I made a mistake.”

>Her stern gaze slowly changed into a scowl.

>He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen that look on her before.

>”A mistake? You call this a mistake?”

“A massive one. I know the ponies don’t understand this stuff very well. I’m still learning it as I go. They lack the context and background knowledge to make informed decisions. My mistake, princess, was in allowing her to leave the clinic in the first place.”

>She raised an eyebrow.

“We lost track of her. Had our search failed, she would have surely perished. Next time, we will not be so careless as to let them flee in the first place.”

>”You stand by your decision to inflict physical and psychological injury on the innocent? To detain a foreign citizen without cause? To violate her bodily autonomy?”

“I had cause, princess.”

>”Which is?”

“My cause for detaining Apple Cobbler is Apple Cobbler herself. I secured the health and safety of a good pony. I can scarcely think of a better cause.”

>”The purpose of arrest is to control the guilty.”

“No. The purpose of arrest is to enforce law, and the purpose of law is to protect the innocent. If my actions are a violation of your law, then your law is counterproductive.”

>”I beg your pardon?”

“Your laws are wrong. You should change them.”

>”Excellent.”

>Her scowl was gone, much to his relief.

>It returned to her normal serenity in the blink of an eye.

>”Very well done, prince. I feared that it was a mistake to put you on the throne, but it’s clear that fear was unfounded.”

>She regretted it?

>Was he really doing such a bad job?

>Shame and guilt quickly replaced the fear he’d felt only moments ago.

>But wait…

“I thought you put Cadence on the throne.”

>”That was a pretext. She has a good heart, but Cadence is not fit to rule the Empire. You might be.”

>Might be.

“If I may ask, why me? And why do you regret your choice? Did I make another mistake?”

>”You’ve made several. I chose you because they would respect you, and because I believe I can trust you. Anypony else would have been rejected immediately for lack of shared history and culture. You don’t fit in either, but you’re what they aspire to be. A warrior.”

“Princess, I have seen very little conflict in my life.”

>”Yet you used those few opportunities to prove yourself capable. Further, you are clever enough to rule. It is not an easy task, but you are every bit as sharp as your sister.”

>He found that hard to believe.

>”I’m pleased with your justification for Apple Cobbler’s arrest. It is clear you had your priorities straight. My own experts have already weighed in on the matter and told me that intervention was likely necessary. It will be difficult to placate the public, but I am glad you acted as you did. Even if I wish you had found a less violent means of persuading her.”

“You’re not angry that I detained her?”

>”I’d be furious if you’d allowed her to die.”

>He released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

>”Please seek better means, but know I am pleased with the ends.”

“I don’t know how else I could have detained her, princess. She was fighting hard. But I’ll try.”

>”Very good. I’m afraid there are more matters to discuss. You have made several blunders of late, prince.”

>A scroll appeared before him in a burst of warm light.

>”I’m hoping I can aid you in recovering.”

>He skimmed through the document, trying to quickly make sense of what he was seeing.

>A formal declaration of war…

>With HIS signature.

>AND his official seal!

“But- WHAT? I didn’t-”

>It was all in his writing.

>”Declaring war on all diseases is rather ambitious, and ultimately futile. Further, the wording has some rather troubling implications.”

“Vendetta against all sources of illness-”

>He felt like he was going to faint.

>All SOURCES of illness.

>Including…

>”It is simply not in Equestria’s best interests to be at war right now, and I must respectfully decline. Though I do appreciate your effort in delivering this declaration to me through the proper channels.”

“Princess, I SWEAR-”

>”I know it’s a forgery, prince. A rather damning one, but a forgery regardless. I know you well enough to realise you would never do such a thing. Other recipients might feel otherwise.”

“Oh.”

>Oh no…

>There might be more than one!

>What if one of these winds up on Earth?

>”I can see from the look on your face that you understand the gravity of this situation. I have already contacted the embassies and informed them of the situation, and asked my intelligence services. It did not appear as though there were any other recipients. I shudder to think what the Soviet Reunion would have done had they received this missive.”

>It wouldn’t even be a fight.

>They had more divisions than he had ponies.

“Why didn’t you lead with this?”

>”I feared you’d be too concerned with this issue to properly discuss Apple Cobbler.”

>She was absolutely right!

“Thank you, princess. I should still make a trip to Canterlot to speak with the ambassadors.”

>“Indeed you should, but that must wait. A letter must suffice for now. You have to figure out how this happened and prevent it from happening again. Please tell me, how is it that this forgery came to be?”

>It was changelings.

>It had to be.

>Except…

“Co-signed by Cadence? And ratified by three of my senators. Everyone except Howlite… Could that be a forgery too?”

>”Perhaps. Are those their seals?”

“Yes.”

>”Illicit access to one official seal is quite the feat of subterfuge. TWO is a disturbing prospect. Any rogue agent who had secured five more would be terrifying indeed. Is it perhaps possible that those signatures are genuine?”

>It could be.

>Easily.

>Except…

“Not Cadence. And the other three… none of them would want this. Tiger Eye wants us to assert dominance, Garnet wants money, and Jasper wants conquest. Garnet understands that war is expensive, the other two know we couldn’t win and would want an easier target.”

>”I encourage you to read the document on your own time, but for the sake of expediency I will tell you the scope. That document states that you are at war, and could be interpreted as saying the Empire is at war with everyone from both planets. Arguably, you have even declared war on yourself. However, it doesn’t specifically name any targets except Equestria.”

>It doesn’t specifically name any other targets…

>Oh!

“Imprecise wording. So you figure that this was probably not made by anypony experienced in diplomacy. For the love of- I walked right into this. I was posturing as though I intended to declare war on disease, so this was totally believable. I’d started setting aside funding, grouping task forces- hay, I even wrote up a phoney declaration! It was a bluff, but I still moved.”

>Right after he’d done something that COULD be considered an act of war against Equestria, no less.

>Capturing Apple Cobbler had been an act of aggression against illness, AND Equestria.

>It was right in line with the document…

>They might have been able to convince some ponies that this was real even without his signature.

>”I had heard of your gambit. It was rather ill advised, I’m sorry to say.”

>He could see that for himself.

>”What were you hoping to accomplish?”

“We need funding for medicine. I was hoping to trick the senators into giving it to me.”

>She gestured for him to continue, apparently dissatisfied with that explanation.

“I was going to let them shut me down by declaring it wasn’t a military issue. In doing so they’d confirm it was a civil issue, meaning it’s subject to civilian law. He has a lot of controlled substances.”

>”Ah, I see. If a civilian may not possess those objects, they must be managed by a governing body. One with a budget. A budget which could be used to secure and even import these controlled substances. You wouldn’t be funding a private physician, you’d be funding a government agency which happened to supply one. A useful technicality. And if the senate objected, this would be a logical conclusion to their demands. They’d speak from a disadvantageous position.”

>She was practically a mind reader.

>”You are no longer a soldier, you’re a prince. I understand this change is difficult, but please try to understand your new context.”

“I thought I had.”

>”I’m afraid not. Gambits such as these have little value in this environment. Politics is a far less noble pastime than combat, prince. You’ll find far more deception and treachery here than you ever did in the field.”

>That was hard to believe.

>But she of all ponies would know.

>”Forcing a disadvantageous position is not the same as winning. Surrounding a phalanx will likely prompt a surrender, and barring that it will cause a route. Your political opponents aren’t so quick to retreat. They don't fear you, prince, and they have no reason to. They stand to lose nothing by defying you. As long as that remains true, they will continue to frustrate your efforts regardless of how you may slow them. You must let them know that the Empire’s wellbeing is their own, and that they will share in the Empire’s pain.”

“But… why? This seems so pointless. They’re trying to throw the empire into a totally futile war!”

>”I think you are mistaken, prince. Your prior objections ring true; they would not want that. If they are sincere about their desires, they stand more to lose from this than to stand to gain.”

“If they don’t want it, but still signed it… they’re expecting me to get out of it somehow.”

>”You are assuming it was the senate and not a complete forgery. You are also assuming that your senate was not deceived themselves. This could have been written by a changeling or some other bad actor, who then persuaded your senate to ratify it.”

>So… someone, he had no idea whom, had managed to forge a clumsy declaration of war.

>They had then either persuaded powerful ponies to endorse it, or faked their signatures.

>This was done with an unknown purpose.

>By an unknown agent.

>Using unknown means.

“This all feels so… messy.”

>”Someone is making a big move, prince. I urge an abundance of caution in who you trust in the coming days.”

“But to what end?”

>”That depends on who’s responsible. Assume for a moment it was a changeling. I trust you’ve figured out what Chrysalis was after.”

“Yeah. And she’s definitely going to come back for it. This… this doesn’t feel right. It’s too loud. They try to lie low. Why draw attention like this?”

>”I would agree. Chrysalis would not use a tactic such as this. Assume it was the senate.”

“I can see Tiger Eye or Jasper doing this if they thought we would win. But not Howlite. And they would have no way of getting my seal. The changelings could easily slip in and take something like that, but they’d be caught.”

>“And Garnet?”

“She could be bribed easily, as long as she didn’t think it would come back to bite her.”

>”Your intuitions serve you well. All three of them could be persuaded into supporting this. Would any of them start it?”

>Maybe.

>He didn’t know.

“It doesn’t matter if they would or not. I don’t think any of them could make the fake bill in the first place.”

>”Perhaps not. Unless they had at some point received a document from you with your seal on it?”

>Oh no.

“They could have recreated it. Or even just removed it from something else and fixed it here.”

>Any of them could have done it.

>If they could fake his writing.

>Or pay somepony else to do it…

“Princess? I hate to admit this, but I don’t know how this happened. But I’m going to do what I can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

>”That is the right answer.”

“You said you’d come here to help me. I’ll take all the help I can get. Where do I even start with something like this?”

>She adopted a pensive look as she stared at the ceiling.

>Her brow furrowed, and she began to chew on her lip.

>The serenity she normally radiated had been broken.

>Princess Celestia was visibly stressed.

>”My initial hypothesis is weak. I had thought it was a simple act of sabotage by Chrysalis. If we were to fight, the Empire would lose financial support from Equestria, along with all trade. You have made no secret that you are modernising your military, and I had thought she wanted to financially ruin you to keep that from happening.”

“How do you know that’s not the plan?”

>”This started because you were trying to spend bits. She would have encouraged that if she was trying to break you. This approach overcomplicates things, and risks exposing infiltrators.”

“So it was the senate.”

>”I doubt it. If they were to go through the trouble to forge a document such as this, their goals would be more ambitious. They would have you and your family exiled, in an attempt to seize power for themselves.”

>That DID make more sense.

“So it was neither? Neither of them would want this.”

>”It might be both.”

>A chill ran down his spine.

>”I have not seen anything aside from what I showed you. I suspect we are still missing a few pieces to this puzzle. You will have to search through your records to see if there were any other forgeries. If you are careful and cunning, you stand to reveal your foe. Ensure you take the time to contact the various ambassadors who might have been caught up in this. Once you have prevented further harm, move slowly and deliberately. I suggest a thorough investigation into the specifics of this bill and all other recent documents. Exercise extreme caution. If you aren’t absolutely certain you can trust somepony, don’t. This is almost certainly a trap, and it would be better to avoid it than to step in it. While I would like to aid you in this more directly, it would be unwise. It would be for the best if I took my leave now.”

“Wait, you can’t go! I need help!”

>”Yes. You do need help. But I am not the right one to provide it.”

“But-”

>”Calm yourself, prince. There is no immediate danger. I am a great believer in hooves on education.”

>Oh no.

>She was going to make him figure it out himself!

>”I sent Twilight away because she could not learn friendship from books. You will find in time that governing is much the same.”

“But I have lots of experience with governing!”

>”No, you don’t. You have experience with command.”

“What’s the difference?”

>Stupid answer.

>STUPID!

>”In command, your objective is to disable the hostile parties. In governing, it’s to WIELD them. I shall be watching you, prince. Rest assured that I will catch you if you fall. But know that everything you need is in this palace. Even your senators, traitorous as they may be, can aid you.”

>She stood up to leave.

“Please… princess. I’m scared.”

>”Of what, my little pony?”

>She didn’t call him prince.

>And the look on her face had softened from mere gentleness to motherly care.

“Last time I made a mistake… Twilight got hurt.”

>”You blame yourself for that? Of course you do. You’re a protector at heart. I am sorry to say, we cannot be sure the attacks are over.”

>He had been expecting her to lie.

>Celestia was not a deceiver, and STILL he thought she’d tell him everything would be okay.

>Maybe that’s just what he wanted to hear?

>”We don’t know where Chrysalis is, and we’re not certain if she’s involved in this. But we do know something for sure. Twilight is surrounded by vigilant guards as long as she stays here. She would be in greater danger in her own home.”

>It was not comforting.

>”And just between you and me? I don’t think she’ll try the same approach again.”

“Why not?”

>”It is not in the changeling’s nature to kill. They need captives, not corpses, and so they are quite averse to it.”

>That was VERY hard to believe.

>”They abducted Cadence before your wedding, and did not harm her. They abducted Rainbow Dash, and though they abused her, she was never in mortal danger. Their attack on Fluttershy was never life threatening. And even though he betrayed their trust, they chose to spare mister Anonymous. By your recounting of the events, it seems as though they even devoted a fair amount of magical energy to keeping him warm.”

“But what about Twily?”

>”They are adaptable and ruthless. I suspect you had them quite frightened, and so they lashed out. But it is not in their nature to kill. I don’t doubt that she would do it if she thought it beneficial, but she won’t do it without some reason. Your senate is more likely to kill than she is.”

>Not helping!

>She leaned over the table and spoke directly in his ear.

>”I’ll send help.”

“Who?”

>”You have all the tools you need to succeed, prince.”

>She wasn’t answering.

>”I will be in touch.”

>Celestia vanished.

>He wasted only a moment before moving.

>He couldn’t help but be fearful about what surprises might await him, but he didn’t allow the dread to dissuade him.

>Ponies scurried out of his way as he made his way through the palace, desperate to avoid getting caught in his path.

>His sour mood was plainly evident to all who glanced at him, and though he was known to be kind when he was at his best…

>Rumors of his temper had begun to circulate.

>Nopony wanted to be the one who made him snap.

>He didn’t mind being left alone.

>In fact, he welcomed it.

>He didn’t need any distractions during this investigation!

>First, he penned a number of letters to inform various powers that there had been a breach of security.

>He made a point of omitting what had happened in the hopes that only Equestria had been targeted, but still made it clear that falsified missives were in circulation.

>It should be enough to prevent any immediate reactions…

>He then went to the archives and looked through the most recent bills.

>What he found was quite different from what Celestia had received.

>It wasn’t just a declaration of war, but an omnibus of some sort.

>As Celestia had hinted, there had indeed been more to this breach of security than a frankly incoherent declaration of war.

>But none of the rest seemed to be consequential at a glance.

>It was going to take some time to go through the documents.

>Hundreds of pages of preamble, and hundreds of pages of pointless fluff had made what could have been a straightforward if ill advised statement of intent into a mind numbing mess.

>A deliberate act, no doubt.

>Somepony or some changeling had put a great deal of work into making this document,

>It would have been more believable had it been succinct, and it would have taken much less effort to create.

>There had to be something buried in the rambling.

>He entered his study and locked the door, intent on staying put until he knew this document inside and out.

>He took a moment to stretch, lit a candle, and sat down at his desk.

“Whereas the time has come such that it is no longer acceptable to consider action, but rather to act, the crown has seen fit to influence the course of pony history and take initiative on matters of great importance.”

>Wow.

>That didn’t mean anything!

“History is not kind to the idle and complacent. And we shall not be kind to history. Proactive and synergistic initiatives can idealise a more streamlined approach at collaborative protocols. The hay?”

>Whoever had created this had to be a special kind of insane.

>He did his best to untangle the word salad.

>Time stretched onward.

>He had to light a second candle.

>His eyes began to glaze over.

>He had to light a third.

>And he was starting to nod off.

>Somehow, one key word seemed to pop off the page.

>Or rather, a number.

“A hundred million?”

>What’s a hundred million?

“An immediate payment in cash of Equestrian bits to…”

>There was a knock at the door.

”GARNET!”

>“No, it’s me. Cadence.”

>He used his magic to unlock the door.

>It creaked open and Cadence walked in.

>”It’s really late. Come to bed.”

“Right after I strangle Garnet.”

>”Oh no. What did she do?”

“Robbed us blind. A hundred million!”

>Cadence was understandably dumbstruck.

“No, we don’t have that much.”

>The Empire was broke.

>He shuddered to think what might happen when he failed to pay the public servants.

>Especially the military.

>He paced back and forth rapidly, hyperventilating.

>Cadence began to look through the document on her own volition.

>He didn’t care.

>There was a way out.

>There had to be!

…

>Of course there was.

“Help me into my armour. She’s going down.”

>He could feel the vein twitching on his forehead again.

>The world seemed to be turning a terrible shade of red.

>And his heart seemed to be hammering against the back of his eyeballs.

>”Shiny? This doesn’t sound right.”

“She’s going to destroy the Empire!”

>”I don’t think it’s her. She couldn’t have done this on her own.”

>He was grinding his teeth fiercely.

>”I think it’s a trick.”

>Trick.

>She was right.

>The rage hadn’t left him.

>He was still ready to beat that wretch until her skull caved in.

>But…

>She was right.

>Celestia had told him if he wasn’t sure what to do, he should do nothing.

>”You need to come back to this when you’ve calmed down. Take a break for a while.”

“I’m lucky to have you. I want Garnet followed until we decide what to do. We can’t lose track of her. In the morning, we’ll need the treasurer here to help figure out how this happened, and we’ll need Twilight to make sense of the rest of this document.”

>”Of course. I’ll do what I can to help. We’d better get Flurry a foalsitter for the day… I’ll take care of that in the morning. You need sleep.”

>Cadence sounded calm and collected.

>But the prince knew better.

>She was worried too.

>She was just better at hiding it.

“I’ll head to bed soon. I need to make sure she doesn’t leave the city.”

>”You had that meeting with Celestia earlier today, right? You must be exhausted by now. I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave, you go to bed. And no sex tonight. You need your rest.”

>No sex?

>He was the luckiest husband in the world.

 

>Shining Armour was in rough shape.

>He’d been exhausted enough to sleep, but only a little.

>The stress had gotten to him even before he’d discovered the massive theft.

>A hundred million bits.

>About 7,500 from every stallion, mare, and foal in the Empire.

>It was a hole they’d be able to get out of eventually, but not fast.

>The Empire was not wealthy, and their coffers were nearly barren already.

>He’d had so many plans, all of them ruined!

>Despite his exhaustion, he found it trivial to get out of bed.

>He was driven entirely by righteous fury, and found it to be an extraordinarily potent drug.

>It had suppressed his weariness far better than caffeine ever could!

>It would come back to bite him eventually, but for now, he was focused.

>Shining Armor could feel his heart racing as he moved around the bedroom.

>”You’re putting your armour on?”

“Yes, dear.”

>”Why?”

“Because I’m hoping that I’ll be leading a raid before the end of the day.”

>”Do you think we’ll be able to figure it out today?”

>Maybe not.

>They didn’t have much to go off of.

>Just a massive mess of a document that had been seemingly designed to confuse him.

>They had to figure out what it said.

>Who wrote it.

>How it came to be ratified.

>And how to handle it.

“I really should have asked you last night, but I was kinda distracted. Did you sign any big bills lately?”

>”No.”

“Alright.”

>It wasn’t hard to believe her signature and seal were forged.

>His had been, after all.

“I’m going to go speak with the treasurer. We need to find out if there’s any way to stop this. Then I’d better find out where Garnet is, get Flurry a foalsitter, get Twilight-”

>”I’ll take care of the treasurer and Garnet. I should have time to do that and get back before Flurry gets up, then I’ll get somepony to take care of her.”

“Are you sure?”

>”You and Twilight need to get to work. There’s probably more bad news in there, and we need to figure out what to do about it.”

>It was hard to argue with that.

“Thank you.”

>He stepped out of his room and headed to meet with Twilight.

>The palace was easier to navigate in the early hours, but there were still several ponies in the hallways.

>Each and every one of them ducked out of the way when they saw him.

>They knew that his fiery glare could only mean trouble, especially when he was wearing his armour.

>He pushed open the door to Twilight’s room to find her laying in bed reading a book.

>”ACK!”

>The book quickly vanished beneath the covers.

>Twilight was blushing for some reason, and pretty sweaty.

>”Shiny! Please KNOCK first!”

“Sorry. You look flush. Do you have a fever?”

>”Uh- er, yeah! I think I might!”

>Poor girl was flustered.

>She was obviously still not feeling well.

>And why should she?

>She was horribly wounded not that long ago!

“If you’re feeling up to it, I need your help reading something.”

>”Reading? Woohoo!”

“Yeah! I think I’ve finally found something you WON’T want to read. Here, let me help you out of bed.”

>”Uh, er, no! I mean, I’m okay. And I have to do things myself to build up my strength!”

>She was behaving strangely.

>It was probably the fever.

“Actually, maybe I shouldn’t bother you. If you have a fever-”

>”Oh, no! I’ll be fine. If you need my help, I’m there for you!”

>It wasn’t a good idea.

>She needed rest.

>But he knew he wouldn’t be able to talk her out of it.

>His best bet was to give her something easy to do so she could get back to bed soon.

“Thank you. Meet me in the study- wait, no, it’ll be too cramped. The war room.”

>That was no good either.

>Twilight would have to climb a ton of stairs and she was in no condition to do that.

“Better make it the dining room. There’s a big table there.”

>He didn’t waste any time heading to the archives to fetch the omnibus.

>Somehow, it looked bigger than the previous night.

>He marched his way to the kitchen, and was surprised to find somepony approach him despite his appearance.

>Surprised, but not upset.

“Howlite.”

>He had to talk to him anyway.

“Let’s walk and talk.”

>”Your highness. I heard there was trouble.”

“There is. Have you signed any bills lately?”

>”Not since the bill forbidding private posession of fentanyl.”

>That had been when Chrysalis was still around.

>This thing was dated only two days ago.

“Were you approached with anything lately?”

>”The most recent was… I think it was four days ago. When you were trying to trick us into funding your friend.”

>He’d have preferred it had Howlite worded that differently, but it was technically true.

>”What happened, your highness?”

>What could he tell this pony?

>He was pretty much the only senator who wasn’t a suspect.

>And while he had been an inconvenience in the past, Howlite had time and again proven himself as actually caring about the Empire.

>And yet, this was highly sensitive information.

“Changeling check.”

>”Of course.”

>Howlite produced a lancet and a glucometer.

>Before Shining Armour could speak, he’d already pricked himself.

“I’m using mine.”

>He scooped up the drop of blood on the test strip.

>His blood sugar came back within normal ranges.

>He started walking again, expecting Howlite to follow.

“Someone forged my signature on a bill. It’s been ratified and passed into law.”

>He didn’t answer immediately, instead staying silent for nearly a whole minute.

>”What does the bill say? And is it too late to stop it?”

“We can annul it, but actions have probably already been taken to comply with the new laws. Whatever they are.”

>”You don’t even know what they are yet?”

>He partially knew.

“No. Well, somepony stole a lot of cash, and threatened Equestria.”

>”Threatening Equestria? That’s insane.”

>It really was.

>”How serious was this threat?”

“I’ve already talked to princess Celestia. She knows what happened, and I don’t expect meaningful consequences.”

>”Good. But again, how serious was this threat?”

“Why do you care?”

>”You said it hasn’t been annulled, and that some actions have already been taken. Did you do anything to stop that?”

>Oh.

>Oh no.

>That was really bad.

“I need to go.”

>”I’ll take care of it. Just say the word.”

>He couldn’t give Howlite permission to recall forces.

>That was insane.

>He also couldn’t give them permission to check where they were.

>But…

“I’m going to write up a note. I want you to personally make sure the commanders see it. I need to see ALL of them. Today!”

>”I’ll do my best.”

“I need more than that from you. I need you to succeed.”

>He took a detour to his study and wrote up a quick note.

>He signed it, and added his seal.

>Shining Armour couldn’t help but wonder why he bothered doing that.

>It was no longer proof of his will.

>It was just ink and wax.

>Whatever other harm might have been done, this had undermined his authority for years to come.

>Ponies would forever be wondering if his word held any meaning, or if it was merely another ruse.

>That couldn’t be annulled.

>”I’ll also need a list of all your commanders. And where they were posted.”

“Right, right.”

>Fortunately, the Empire was small enough that he actually knew that off the top of his head.

>Howlite took the documents and trotted away with due haste.

>And the prince made his way to the dining room.

>Twilight was already seated at the big, crystal table.

“Sorry about the delay. I had to get someone to contact my commanders.”

>”All of them? Oh, wow. Is- is there another– actually? I’m testing your blood!”

>Twilight looked downright fearful as Shining approached.

>”You stay right there. I’m using magic for this.”

>He couldn’t help but feel hurt.

>His own sister was afraid of him.

>And he couldn’t even fault her; she had great reason to be fearful.

>Shining Armour could see the tension leaving her body as soon as she got the results back.

>”We’re running out of these, aren’t we?”

>He approached her and did a test of his own.

“We’re meant to be placing an order for imports in less than a week. We should get more on time.”

>Assuming they could pay for them.

>”I can’t help but notice you’re levitating a pile of paper big enough to fill a book. Is that what you needed help with?”

>He gave her a curt nod before placing the papers in front of her.

>Her eyes sparkled with joy.

>But the sparkle quickly faded.

>”What even is this?”

“A bill that was somehow made law without either Cadence or I knowing about it.”

>She skipped to the last page and looked at their signatures.

“It’s a shockingly good forgery.”

>”Changelings can mind control. Could they have made you do it?”

“No. I remember everything that monster did to me.”

>He didn’t like talking about it.

>”Right… unless there’s lingering mind control preventing you from remembering.”

>There could very well be.

>For all he knew, he was currently enthralled.

>He’d have no way of knowing the difference.

>There was no advantage in assuming reality wasn’t real, though.

“That fades. If I still don’t remember in a few days, we’ll know it wasn’t me.”

>”Right. So… what does this bill even say?”

“That’s the first thing we need to find out. I know that- and don’t freak out, since I’ve already talked to Celestia- it declared war on Equestria.”

>Her jaw went slack.

“And that it gives one of my senators a hundred million bits which we don’t have.”

>”Wow. At least we know who did it.”

“I’m not so sure.”

>Garnet didn’t really have the means to do this.

>And why try to start a war?

“She didn’t do it on her own, at least. Either way, she’s not getting the money.”

>The two of them buckled down and began to study the document.

>Cadence joined in shortly after.

>Shining Armour found the document much more approachable than he had before.

>And with three sets of eyes, they were making great time.

>The room was filled with quiet chatter as they shared their findings with each other.

>Twilight had brought highlighters, and made a point of noting every actionable item in the bill.

>He and Cadence had to call for various ponies several times to see what had and hadn’t been acted on.

>Much to their dismay, they quickly found pandaemonium in the palace.

>Word had gotten out about this mess.

>And in shockingly good detail.

>Every now and then, they would discover some terrible consequences through the public rather than through the pages.

>It seemed as though they had caught it before the bulk of the damage had been done.

>But still, they were far from unscathed.

>They no longer owned the train station, the water, or even the local postal service.

>They were going to be charged exorbitant fees for the use of all three.

>Luckily, they had managed to intercept the transfer of the deed to their palace.

>They’d tried to make his family homeless.

>His wife and daughter…

>The military chain of command had been thrown into complete disarray.

>Most state servants had been laid off, and notices of dismissal had already been sent out.

>It was likely that they’d arrive in all the postboxes by morning.

>Vast amounts of liquid wealth had been lost in addition to the Garnet mess, and most of it was in untraceable exchanges.

>Hundreds of important documents had been destroyed or lost.

>Most frustratingly of all, they didn’t know who had done it.

>Progress began to slow over time as they struggled with the stress and confusion.

>It slowed further as Shining Armour started getting visitors.

>Some of them were commanders as requested.

>And much to his dismay, every single one of them had been given new orders.

>There didn’t seem to be an obvious pattern…

>But there were visitors who weren’t there for other matters.

>Most alarmingly, he got word of a fire started in the armoury.

>Arson had been added to the list of sabotages.

>Mercifully, everypony seemed to be okay…

>He even received visitors for business not caused by the sabotage.

>Ponies with proposals and plans he’d requested.

>Plans for greenhouses so they could grow food domestically.

>Highly automated and solar powered, they could allow one pony to feed dozens.

>It would reduce their dependence on imports and foreign aid.

>Plans to restructure the education system so that it at least covered the most recent thousand years of history.

>Plans to fund the clinic, so that they could have a few more miraculous survivors.

>Plans to eradicate age-old diseases like whooping cough.

>He’d wanted to rearm the military so they wouldn’t be totally defenceless in the new paradigm.

>But more than that, the core of his vision was falling apart before his eyes.

>The frozen North had been set to become THE industrial centre of Equestria.

>Most machinery worked on electricity.

>And if that electricity happened to be generated magically, it wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

>He’d planned for vast rock farms in the uninhabited tundra to soak up latent magical energies.

>He’d imagined artisans crafting and converting crystals by the thousands to fit every possible need.

>He’d imagined chemists and geologists working together to CREATE crystals when they couldn’t find them with the right characteristics.

>And of course, factories use that energy.

>It would pale in contrast to the size of what could be found on Earth, of course.

>But they weren’t so populous.

>They didn’t NEED as many.

>Plus, the energy was nearly free.

>It was just leaking out of the aether and dissipating out into space.

>And he would avoid the punitive expense of importing goods from another reality.

>The Empire could have had a clean and powerful manufacturing sector to pay its bills, and the public would have steady and highly paid employment.

>No longer would they be forced to beg Equestria for their supper, they would have DIGNITY!

>That dream had been shattered.

>It was gone.

>The Empire would be crippled by debt, and without the territories it lost control of a thousand years ago, it had no way to pay for itself.

>Rampant poverty would overtake them.

>They would be defenceless.

>Disease would run wild.

>And they would forever be reduced to beggars.

>How many lives had been ruined by this bill?

>The fury in his heart burned ever hotter.

“This was meant to sabotage.”

>Both Twilight and Cadence nodded and muttered in agreement.

“It wasn’t Garnet. At least, not on her own. She wouldn’t have bothered with any of this, hay, none of the senators would have signed this.”

>Cadence muttered something before speaking.

>”Definitely not if they read it. But they might have been willing to sign without reading if they were promised the right thing.”

>“Any chance it was a changeling trying to destabilise us before another attempt?”

>Twilight dragged her highlighter across yet another page.

>”That would explain why so many of your weapons were destroyed.”

>The thought had occurred to him.

“Princess Celestia didn’t think so, but she didn’t know about most of this stuff. I think it was them, but there’s no evidence.”

>”Isn’t the scope of this breach evidence of changelings?”

“I suppose so. It’s hard to imagine anypony being able to get all this done undetected. But on the other hoof, we’ve been testing for changelings pretty diligently. And a lot of this doesn’t make sense for changelings to do. Unless-”

>There was a knock on the door.

“Enter.”

>Garnet walked through the front door.

>She bore a golden watch upon her left front leg, and a heavy diamond pendant to flaunt her wealth.

>And the prince’s blood boiled.

>Even if she wasn’t responsible for this, he just didn’t like her.

“I am too upset to look at you right now. You will be speaking to my wife.”

>”I do not associate with whores.”

>He nearly stood up, but Twilight put her hoof on his back, signalling that he should stay put.

>Garnet walked up to the prince and stared him dead in the eye.

>”It wasn’t me.”

“How do you know what’s happening?”

>”Everypony does. There’s panic all throughout the palace.”

>She was telling the truth, unfortunately.

“Security breach. We’ve got it handled. Expect everything back to normal in a few days.”

>Garnet scoffed.

>”A few days? You’re broken, and you expect to have recovered in a FEW DAYS?”

“Yes.”

>Keep it cool, prince.

>Patience.

>”Garnet, was it? Why should we believe it wasn’t you? There’s a part here that says-”

“Shush, Twilight. Don’t tell her anything.”

>Garnet smirked.

>”The hundred million? I anticipate you cannot pay at the moment.”

“And how did you know about THAT?”

>”Because I was given a hundred million in unmarked bearer bonds from an unknown source. It was quite a pleasant surprise. I do intend to cash them, by the way.”

>She already had it as bonds?

>That was trouble.

>HUGE trouble.

>They could refuse to cash them for her of course, but they couldn't stop them from circulating.

>And if they tried to stop honouring bonds altogether, it would make things much worse.

“How did this get your signature?”

>”The same way as it got yours, I assume. Now, I didn’t come here for chit-chat. We have business to discuss. Luckily for you, I would prefer it if the Empire didn’t collapse. There’s a lot of money for me to make here, far more than a hundred million.”

>She wasn't satisfied?

>Of course not.

>Being potentially the richest pony alive off of stolen wealth wouldn't satisfy her.

>Nothing would.

>”A while back you made a proposal for your economic action plan. It needs to change.”

“I thought you liked it.”

>”I did. When I had no leverage. Now that you’re at my mercy, you’ll have to alter the deal. Your factories. I want them. ALL of them.”

“They don’t exist.”

>”Correct. Since there is a risk that they won’t manifest, I’m afraid I’ll have to expect a major discount. I want you to see that project through. I shall assume total ownership.”

“And what do I get in return?”

>”Five years.”

>He didn't like where this was going.

>”You shall have my word that none of the bonds will be cashed or circulated for five years.”

>He barely caught himself before leaping over the table and tackling her.

“Do you mean to tell me you won't be paying a single bit?”

>”Why should I? You have no leverage. You can't have me arrested.”

“It's stolen property! I have every right to seize it, and if you DARE stand in the way of justice I can do MORE than ARREST YOU!”

>”Good luck. You'll never find the money, and you’ll never prove I claimed to have it. I’ll just say I never got it, and that the insane prince who declared war on Equestria is looking for a scapegoat.”

>He could feel his heart beating behind his eyes again…

>”I hope to hear from you soon. And if I don't? You shall be hearing from my lawyer for that hundred million you owe me.”

>The prince yelled something.

>Nopony could tell what he'd said.

>It was too loud and guttural to be coherent.

>And since he hadn't thought before speaking, even he didn't know what he'd said.

>Communication had broken down to the point that the only meaning which could be conveyed was raw emotion.

>”That's right. I issued no receipt for payment. As far as the paper trail is concerned, you still owe me.”

>Cadence stepped in for her husband.

>She slammed her hooves on the table, knocking a chip out of it.

>“We will consider it.”

>She didn’t speak so much as she growled.

>”Remember, I can destroy your banks at any moment I please.”

>“I said, we’ll consider it. Leave. NOW!”

>She left while humming happily to herself.

>The prince was grinding his teeth.

>He believed her when she said it wasn’t her.

>Whoever had done this was a saboteur.

>And they knew that she would do damage for them if she had the money.

>She was a tool in somepony else's plan, and it was a role she was happy to play.

>”Shiny? I don’t want to let her win.”

>He didn’t either.

>Whether or not she was responsible for that bill, she had betrayed the Empire.

“She’s not going to.”

>He was going to throw her in the deepest, darkest pit he could find.

>And force feed her those bonds until she choked.

>Revenge fantasies could wait.

“This isn’t just random sabotage. It’s way too organized. All this stuff happened almost at the same time, and if Princess Celestia had called me to Canterlot instead of meeting me here, I don’t think we’d have caught ANY of it in time.”

>The travel time would have been way more than enough for them to lose the palace, in addition to several other things.

>Could that be their saving grace?

>Whoever had done this was seemingly expecting Celestia to think herself too important to request an audience with him.

>And they were half right.

>Celestia WAS too important to do stuff like that.

>Had she seen so far into the plot that she’d partially defused it before it even began?

>Or were they just lucky that she was so humble?

“There has to be a plan of some sort. I think I know what it is… we need a list of where all our remaining soldiers are deployed.”

>Twilight slid him a piece of paper.

>”A list? Already on it. By which I mean I already made it.”

“Fantastic.”

>He happily took the paper, running his eyes over the neatly ordered list of commands that had supposedly been issued by him.

>It was both far longer than he cared for, and way shorter than he’d hoped.

>So few ponies were still available to call on.

>And all of them were in the wrong place.

“We’ll have to find out who owns what. Any chance of getting that list?”

>”Already done.”

>He had a great sister.

“”Next, we need to deal with our insolvency. Forget about Garnet for now. Any ideas?”

>Silence.

“Nothing? Cadence, what would you do if you were faced with a problem like this?”

>”I AM faced with a problem like this! And I have no idea!”

>He couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

“Twily? I’m really hoping you have some plan.”

>”We should contact princess Celestia.”

>It might be their best bet.

>Wait…

>Celestia had given him a hint.

“Commanding is about disabling the enemy… governing is about WIELDING them.”

>Even your senators can aid you…

>He could practically hear her voice.

>”They don't fear you, prince, and they have no reason to. They stand to lose nothing by defying you. As long as that remains true, they will continue to frustrate your efforts regardless of how you may slow them. You must let them know that the Empire’s wellbeing is their own, and that they will share in the Empire’s pain.”

“They will share in the Empire’s pain?”

>Normally he'd use their faults to pressure them.

>To force them into a weak position, or to force an error.

>Could he do more?

>Could her avarice be an asset?

…

>Yes.

>She would never allow her fortune to slip away.

>If he were to pressure that-

>No.

>It wasn't enough to pressure it.

>He needed to contrive some way where the ONLY way she could keep it was by staying out of the way.

>Or better yet…

“I know what we’re supposed to do.”

>Garnet had been born rich.

>She had spent her entire life securing more wealth.

>The wretch had never worked for anything, and had always lived in luxury.

>It was her entire identity.

>He knew what he had to do.

>But it could wait.

>”Shiny?”

“Yes, dear?”

>”That list of soldier deployments. I don’t recognize some of those names.”

“Huh?”

>She was right!

>Some VERY important posts were supposedly being filled by ponies he’d never heard of.

>He didn’t know the names of every single soldier in the empire…

>But even so, this was wrong.

>That had to mean something…

>He looked at the list, trying to envision the deployments throughout the empire.

>There were gaps in security all over the place.

>The munitions depot was meant to be guarded by them, and it had been burnt down.

>These positions were probably completely unmanned!

>And they were using fake soldiers to obscure that fact.

>If he could-

>The door opened yet again.

“Get out of here, Garnet. We’re busy!”

>She surveyed the room while bearing a massive grin.

>”I’m glad you’re so eager to see me. I figured I’d warn you that I am not a patient pony. You don’t have much longer to make up your mind.”

>She wasn’t leaving.

>Apparently, she couldn’t wait.

>”Tick tock. It’s time to decide.”

“I already did. You’re not getting shit.”

>Shining Armour slammed the door behind her.

“I know how you work, Garnet. I wish I didn’t. I wish I could be innocent enough not to understand the filth between your ears. But I get it. Your country is being ravaged. Ponies are losing their livelihood, the city is on fire, and we’re being threatened by a war we can’t hope to win. And YOU! You don’t care.”

>”It’s not my problem.”

>She really didn’t care.

>He couldn’t understand how it was possible for somepony to be so selfish.

>And worse, he couldn’t understand why he’d tolerated it for so long.

“I’ve been much too patient with you. It’s way past time somepony stood up to you.”

>”You can’t touch me.”

>Her avarice was mind boggling.

>And avarice was a weakness.

>If it’s money that she valued…

>It was poverty that she feared.

“Why not? Do you think your money will protect you?”

>She gave him a confused look.

“We’ll see how much protection your gold provides when I come after you.”

>She scoffed at him.

>”You don’t have the guts to shoot me.”

“Shoot you? No, I’m going to hit you where it hurts. I’m destroying your fortune. You’re broke.”

>”Pardon?”

“A pauper.”

>Her eyes grew a bit wider.

“Bankrupt. Not a bit left to your name.”

>Her breathing hastened.

“Go ahead. Destroy the bank. Your bonds will be worthless. A hundred million will slip away from your grasp.”

>Her legs were trembling.

“I’m still in charge of the military for a little longer. And my last act before everything falls apart? I’m going to have all of your property seized, burned, and scattered. The Empire’s dying breath will be spent destroying your fortune. If the empire goes down, you’re going to find out what it’s like to go hungry.”

>”You wouldn’t.”

>He moved suddenly, vaulting over the table.

>In the blink of an eye, Shining Armour had Garnet pinned to the ground.

>He gripped the pendant in his teeth, and ripped it off, breaking the silver cord that held it.

>His hooves were fumbling with the straps on her watch.

>”Let go of that! It’s worth more than you are!”

>He kicked her in the ribs twice.

>As soon as he had the watch free, he pinned it against the wall with his magic.

>He held the pendant close…

>”Stop! please, I’ll-”

>And impaled the watch with the diamond, ruining the mechanism.

>The room fell silent, except for a small squealing sound coming from beneath his hooves.

>Shining Armour walked off her, making a point of stepping on her neck.

“You’re going to come up with a proposal for how to pay the bills. If it works well enough, I’ll leave you alone. Hay, I’ll even give you this diamond back, assuming it’s not at the bottom of the ocean by then. But if we have to cut spending AT ALL, I will make sure you never see the glint of gold again.”

>”You-”

“Cadence! Burn down her mansion.”

>”With pleasure!”

>”WAIT Please, I will- I’ll figure it out! Just, give me time, please!”

>Garnet scrambled up to her hooves.

“Time? Alright. You’ve got 12 hours. Here. You can keep track with your watch.”

>He casually tossed it back at her.

>She snarled at him.

>But still bowed.

>He couldn’t hold back his smile any longer.

“Why are you still here? You should be getting to work. Tick tock, Garnet.”

>She bolted, slamming face first into the door.

>Moments later she opened it, and ran once more.

>Shining Armour sat back at the table.

>Both his sister and his wife were just looking at him in amazement.

“I’m sure neither of you approve of that.”

>He would probably come to regret it later.

>But he couldn’t deny…

>It felt GOOD.

>”Shiny?”

“Twilight.”

>”What was that?”

“An act of desperation. She’ll try her hardest to help out. And even if she can’t think of anything, she won’t try to make it worse.”

>”It wasn’t right to threaten her like that.”

“Why not? She threatened us.”

>”Princess Celestia would never have done that.”

>That was true enough.

>But that didn’t mean it was wrong.

“The difference is that nopony would have tried that stunt with Celestia. Garnet thinks she’s in charge. She needs to know she isn’t.”

>”You tackled her!”

>Twilight still looked shocked.

>But sadness was starting to creep in.

“I needed to scare her.”

>”You threatened to burn down her home!”

“You know what we’re going through. I had to do something.”

>”I don’t CARE! You went WAY too far!”

“You SHOULD care. She was going to hurt a lot of good ponies, Twilight.”

>”You stepped on her neck! And you kicked her! I’m worried about you! How many times have you hurt others recently?”

“Just the one.”

>”What about Apple Cobbler?”

“I saved her!”

>”After beating her up! And what about the doctor? You split his lip!”

“I thought he’d betrayed me!”

>”Why is it that everypony in the palace seems scared of you?”

“Because… uh…”

>Because he was quick to anger.

>And kinda violent.

>”You’re changing. And not for the better.”

>He wanted to deny it.

>He wanted some way to claim there wasn’t a pattern emerging.

>But no matter how he tried, it was there.

>”I… I think I need a moment. To think.”

>She vanished, leaving the smell of ozone behind.

>Guilt was gnawing at him.

>Twilight was right.

>Whether he'd intended to hurt Garnet or not, he had just used violence for money.

>The empire used to fund itself through tribute and conquest.

>He'd condemned it for that before…

>Was he walking a similar path?

“Cady, do you think I went too far?”

>”Are you kidding? You FINALLY put that bitch in her place.”

>She walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

>”Do you really think she can solve it?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. She has a knack for scrounging up cash, so she should be able to help out a little. But at the very least, she won’t get in our way now.”

>He wanted to stop and collect himself.

>He wanted to dwell on what just happened, and try to find out if he'd done the right thing.

>He wanted to figure out if he was a good pony or not.

>But there was too much work yet to be done.

>They hadn't actually fixed anything yet.

>But they knew the scope of the problem.

>He sat down with a sigh, wondering how he’d patch things up with Twilight.

>It wasn’t going to be easy.

>He’d just done something pretty awful, after all.

>”Don’t worry about Twilight. I’ll talk to her.”

“She can’t stay mad forever, right?”

>”Like I said, don’t worry. I know exactly what to say.”

>That did put his mind at ease.

>Cadence had never let him down before.

>He gave his head a shake, and started looking through the lists Twilight had left behind.

>All of the information they’d dug up was neatly arranged and easy to navigate.

>The whole mess was summarised on a single page.

>There were supporting documents that gave solid information on each major issue.

>And greatly detailed writeups on every single attack.

“There’s a lot of stuff that was supposed to happen all at once. This must have taken some time to set up. Months, maybe.”

>”Didn’t you say this was caused by your idea to fund medicine?”

>He had.

>But…

>There was just no way this had all been organised that fast.

“Maybe they had it all ready and were waiting for the right time? I bet it’s because of Apple Cobbler. They were expecting tension between us and Equestria.”

>Months of preparation and planning.

>A massive breach of security.

>Prolonged infiltration.

“Do you think this is why Chrysalis was here in the first place?”

>”Probably.”

>They still weren’t certain it was Chrysalis, of course.

>Ultimately, they didn’t know how this had happened, nor who was to blame.

>He was confident it was her, but right now, he really only knew one thing for sure.

“The declaration of war involved repositioning most of our military assets. The disruption in the chain of command makes it hard to recall them. The fire leaves us short on ammo…”

>Cadence’s eyes lit up.

>”They dismissed most of our staff, right? Most ponies won’t be at their post! And if they’d managed to transfer ownership of the palace, we’d be being kicked out right around now!”

>She knew exactly what he was getting at.

>There was a common thread.

>Everything seemed to converge on one eventuality.

>Almost all of their strength had been repositioned.

>And what little remained looked to be entirely populated by fake ponies.

>This wasn’t about destroying the empire.

>This was about making sure the palace was unguarded.

>No, not just the palace.

>The Crystal Heart was in danger.

“I’m going to grab my gun and head up there. Scrounge up whatever soldiers you can!”

>Cadence began to run, signalling acknowledgement just before reaching the door.

“We need help.”

>And soon.

 

>The second day of a new business usually carried less excitement.

>Grand openings carried with them uncertainty and tension, the certainty of a bright future.

>The uncertainty of whether that light was the gleaming of polished coins, or the flickering of money caught aflame.

>The fear and hope tended to fade over time as it resolved into certainty, and what was once novel had a tendency to become mundane.

>It was a gradual decline, of course, but an inevitable one.

>And yet…

>Rarity was no less eager to reach her boutique than she was yesterday.

>Because this was about more than the boutique.

>This was about Coco.

>And about mounting her tight ass.

>Lust had clouded Rarity’s mind, and she knew it.

>But she had chosen to embrace it.

>Lust was part of who she was, and it would be unhealthy to repress that.

>Rarity arrived at the boutique and pushed the door open to find Coco already hard at work, using the machine to stitch something up.

“Good morning, dear!”

>”Hello, Rarity.”

>She walked by Coco, analysing her friend’s body as she went.

>Rarity knew academically what colts found attractive.

>But she didn’t truly feel that attraction.

>She preferred penis, and Coco’s perky posterior did little to arouse her.

>And yet, the thought of pinning it down and ploughing it with a strap on was ever so exciting.

>She wasn’t yet certain how she’d get there, but she knew she would.

>Rarity set to work on Coco’s outfit.

>It could have been done yesterday had it not been for a few early sales.

>She would never complain about covering expenses of course, but it was still a tad frustrating to have her true goal pushed back.

>Every day Coco went to bed without being bound was a day wasted.

>But alas, it would be difficult to get her there.

>Getting her accustomed to being around lewd things was going to be a challenge in and of itself.

>Helping her to realise that she WAS a lewd thing was another matter.

>”Why do you want Lovelace in our partnership?”

>Coco was speaking out about it.

>It must have been really bothering her.

“Why not?”

>”She seems like a poor fit for our boutique.”

“I cannot deny that she’s a tad odd in some regards. But I think you’ll find she’ll fit right in.”

>”It seems a bit odd to offer somepony who you just met a partnership like that.”

“Yes, well. Perhaps it was a tad hasty. But so far I’ve seen nothing that would make me regret the decision. Besides, it means a great deal to her.”

>”Yeah… being offered a partnership with Rarity is a pretty big deal…”

>She sounded downright morose when she said that!

>Whatever could be-

“Oh.”

>A terrible sense of guilt washed over Rarity.

>Poor Coco had been working with Rarity for quite some time.

>She had proven herself time and again, and had only just recently received the recognition she deserved.

>She’d been expected to pack up her life and move halfway across the continent for her opportunity, and only after years of diligent thankless work.

>And Lovelace had gotten it all without even trying.

>It really wasn’t fair, was it?

“I think you misunderstand the nature of our relationship. I agreed to partner with Lovelace because she provided a product I know nothing about. She makes up for what I lack. You got your partnership because you provide a product I know EVERYTHING about, and I quite liked what I saw.”

>She didn’t react.

“I understand it’s not fair to you. You deserve it far more than she does, and I shall be looking for ways to give you your due. But I ask that you not take it out on her. She has done you no wrong.”

>”I just don’t understand why you need her in the first place.”

“This is the Empire, dear. Things work a bit differently here. Their, ugh, princess has some rather unusual ideas about love, and sees fit to spread them.”

>”What does that have to do with us?”

“I don’t intend to turn away a client simply because they wish for something intimate. You said it yourself yesterday, the Empire is smaller than Canterlot of Manehattan. We have to cater to everypony who comes through those doors. And if they should make a request I cannot understand, we need an expert on these matters.”

>”Do you really think that will happen so often that we need her?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Her affiliation only extends to those days where we need to call on her aid. Anything more, shall we say, tame shan’t involve her at all. If she proves to be unnecessary, there won’t be any appreciable loss from associating with her.”

>No answer.

“I know you are uncomfortable with the idea, but there’s no reason fabulosity should end when ponies head to the boudoir. It is our duty to bring beauty to everything.”

>Coco wasn’t happy.

>But she wasn’t complaining any further.

>Has she been partially placated?

>Or was that simply as much speaking out as her nerves would allow?

>Either way, Rarity wasn’t really satisfied.

>Coco had a legitimate grievance, and Rarity greatly regretted it.

>There had to be some way to give Coco her due without taking away from Lovelace.

>But she had nothing available to offer…

>Oh, wait!

>That wasn’t quite true.

>She did have an opportunity that only Coco could enjoy.

>It was perhaps a tad risky for her own brand…

>But she was a great believer in Coco’s potential.

>It was impossible to approach their relationship from a strictly professional perspective, and she knew that their friendship was affecting her actions, but even so she was confident that it was the right move financially.

>More importantly, it was what Coco deserved.

“Besides. Lovelace’s wares are going to be hidden from sight and confined to one location. Yours will be on full display, both here and in Canterlot Carousel.”

>She perked up.

”Obviously we’re prioritising bespoke items, but I still hope you’ll have time to design a line once you’ve settled in. There’s no reason why it can’t be available internationally.”

>She had totally frozen up, and was allowing the sewing machine to make a terrible mess of the fabric.

>The needle went in and out much like a penis-

>Rarity shook her head violently.

“Too much pressure?”

>”Rarity, I’m flattered! But… I’m not good enough for that.”

“I disagree.”

>”My designs are nowhere near as good as yours-”

”Ah! I cannot have you lying to me. While it’s undeniable that they’re quite different, that doesn’t by any means make them worse.”

>She was still slamming her sewing needle into the same spot.

>The fabric was totally ruined at this point, and likely the needle as well.

“Stop pedaling that machine and take a break for a moment. Nopony’s saying you have to make a line today, or even soon. But just know that my displays are ready for you the moment you’re ready for them.”

>Coco pulled herself away from her work.

>The flywheel began to lose momentum, and the needle gradually slowed.

>Rarity took to the machine as soon as the needle stopped moving.

>She discarded the ruined fabric, changed the blunted needle, and switched to a different colour and gauge of thread.

“Was that for moi? Carnation Pink is a lovely and rich tone, but it’s rather bold to use such a warm colour for the primary shade.”

>No answer.

“I suspect you had something in mind. Care to enlighten me?”

>”Well, it’s actually Shocking Pink. The lighting is a bit off in that corner.”

“Oh my. It really looks like Carnation here! We’ll have to address that somehow. Still, that’s even more likely to clash. What was the plan?”

>”Well, it might have been a bit of a silly idea… it’s just that there are so many cool tones around here. This is meant to be a demonstration to potential customers, right? I figured it would be nice to have something that pops against the background.”

>It was no surprise that she had a plan.

>Colour matching was not a hard and fast rule, though it was quite risky to go against it.

>Even the greats had to approach such things with caution.

“I do like how you think. But aren’t you afraid that it might look overdone on me?”

>”That was the plan, actually. You have brand recognition. Ponies know what you look like.”

“Well, some of them perhaps.”

>”And you’ve already done such a great job of making yourself beautiful, just gorgeous, that I thought… maybe… I can’t keep up. I needed a different strategy. I need to display the outfit instead of you.”

>Ah.

>She wasn’t making it to compliment Rarity.

>She was making it as its own objet d’art.

>Coco was venturing into haute couture.

“Bold. It should work if you accessorise right. What did you have in mind for that?”

>”I was still thinking that through. But I’m going to try to use shadow to downplay your natural colour. Maybe we’d start with a veil?”

“And yet you keep telling me you’re not good enough. That’s well thought out- accessories aside of course- and entirely attainable. Most would be fearful of breaking such fundamental rules, but not only have you committed to it, you seem to know how to get away with it.”

>The machine whirred away as Rarity did her work.

>The accessories would take some time to finish, but the dress itself should be possible to complete today.

>”I noticed you’re wearing the same outfit as yesterday.”

“Indeed.”

>”Why?”

>To hide her chastity belt.

>”Isn’t it bad luck to change clothing? What happens when I finish your outfit?”

“Indeed. I’ll have to change at home when it’s finished.”

>She hadn’t answered why she was wearing it.

>Hopefully Coco would drop it…

>”May I ask what you had in mind for me?”

>Rarity sighed with relief.

“I’d rather not ruin the surprise, but if you insist… it’s a slip dress.”

>”Phlox purple?”

>Uh-oh.

“Y-yes! You must have seen my sketch. Though if you already knew what I was planning, I must ask why you’re inquiring.”

>”I wanted to know the design philosophy.”

“Ah.”

>”I don’t know if I can wear it. It’s so… provocative.”

>Quick!

>Think of a lie!

“That was the point.”

>NO, YOU NEED TO LIE!

>Wait…

>Actually, this might work out!

“You’re extremely talented, and you’ve put in plenty of work to hone your skills. But you’re a complete unknown! If we’re to build brand recognition, you need to leave an impression not only with your work but with your face.”

>”Does it have to be so… indecent?”

“Trust me, dear. This isn’t indecent.”

>”I’m not sure I can wear it.”

“Nonsense! It’ll look great on you. Ponies will see that it looks great, and they’ll want the same for themselves. More importantly, you’ll be memorable. When somepony asks who made their outfit, they’ll remember your name and proudly say it was Coco Pommel, rather than mumbling some mare in some store somewhere.”

>That guilt was coming back.

>Rarity knew she was pushing her friend into a terribly uncomfortable position.

>And yet…

>Her loins ached.

>And her heart demanded she push further.

“It’s exactly what you need to escape from my shadow.”

>And there it was.

>The message was clear.

>Accept it.

>Or forever remain in obscurity.

>She was furious with herself.

>Rarity knew full well she would lose sleep over this decision…

>Coco did not deserve this kind of abuse.

>But it was much gentler than what her master had done.

>Maybe some degree of tough love was necessary.

>Perhaps with time she could refine her technique, but for now she knew she had to be cruel to be kind.

“I insist.”

>”Alright. If you think it’s for the best…”

>Rarity’s better nature railed against her for the manipulation.

>And yet she was already thinking of how she might next use this newly discovered tool.

>Today she was being ordered to dress provocatively to get recognition.

>Might she be taking cock later to keep her job?

>One hoof reached down to Rarity’s nethers, subconsciously trying to pleasure herself despite the accursed belt.

>Pushed by the perversity of the thought, she began to drip all over the seat.

>And her stomach churned as she thought of the dirty tactics she was using.

>Lovelace had warned her that she’d doubt herself.

>But she hadn’t expected it to hurt quite so much!

>Rarity did her best to focus on her work despite the conflicting emotions.

>The seam was done.

>She stopped the machine and pulled the cloth out.

>Time to work on the hemline.

”Would it help if I were to dress in a similar manner?”

>Coco didn’t react at first.

>But strangely, a blush began to overtake her face.

“It would draw attention away from yourself which is a tad counterproductive. But on the other hoof, it would draw attention away from yourself, which might make you feel more comfortable.”

>”It might…”

“Very well then. You may alter your design to show off my body- wait, no. That conflicts with the design philosophy. It would be a waste to abandon the work you’ve already done… We’ll have to make a second one for myself, and I can wear it every other day.”

>”Can I have a more tame outfit too? We’ll take turns wearing the… attractive one.”

“Very good.”

>It was an interesting compromise.

>Rarity wasn’t entirely happy about giving Coco days off half the time.

>Yet, on the other hoof, there were opportunities to be had.

>Rarity could alter her own outfit to shift standards if she needed to.

>She’d likely have to make it herself, of course…

>Though perhaps that was unwise.

>It would be best to have Coco create the enticing attire so she grew accustomed to both donning and creating it.

>So many decisions…

>Perhaps it would be possible to enjoy the best of both worlds?

>She began to fantasise.

>Her work was slowing and her stitches growing uneven, but she was far too horny to care.

>She was going to get fitted with a strap on.

>No, not just any strap on.

>She was going to have Lovelace make a replica of her master’s cock.

>The exact shape, exact colour, exact size- everything down to the position of the veins would be recreated with exquisite care.

“Ooh, I should have done that a while ago. It would be magnificent for practice.”

>”Pardon?”

>Once it was mounted on her, she would doll Coco up in the most alluring manner she could.

>A tiny bit of foundation on her face to even it out, with a faint touch of blush to accent her natural colour.

>And a bit of mascara so it could stain her face if she cried.

>Rich black stockings would be brought up to mid-thigh, held in place by garters.

>A tight pair of panties would be stretched over her rump, hugging it tightly, with a slit in place for easy access.

>She would have a thick steel collar riveted onto her neck, never to be removed again, with chains connecting it to her master’s bed.

>Ooh! And a spreader bar would be put in place to ensure she was never able to hide her pussy.

>Rarity would lie on the bed, strapon facing up.

>And Coco would come by and fellate it.

>She would demonstrate her skills, proving she had been practising diligently.

>She would swallow it with ease, holding it deep in her throat for as long as her lungs could tolerate it, allowing her throat to spasm about it for that unique massaging sensation that could only be provided by deep throat.

>She would drool all over the fake phallus, savouring every moment of its invasion as though it were the most exquisite of delicacies known to ponykind.

>Eventually, she would be forced to pull back.

>But she wouldn’t stop her ministrations, caressing and sucking with gusto even as she gasped desperately for breath.

>Rarity would watch her friend- nay, her slave- worship the replica of her master’s cock, working it until she was completely exhausted simply to make a good show.

>Then, once she was weary to the point of being unable to move, she would receive her reward.

>Rarity would rise from the bed, and mount her friend.

>She’d shove it in with reckless abandon, and Coco would be helpless to resist.

>Rarity would thrust as fast as she could, unable to restrain herself any longer, driven mad by desire.

>And then, Master would take HER from behind.

>Every time Rarity drew back, she’d penetrate herself on her master’s glorious dick.

>Every time she thrusted, Coco would be penetrated by the replica.

>The wild lovemaking would press on well into the night, with Rarity pressed between her master and her friend, fucking and being fucked until the early hours of the morning.

>Master would pull on her tail.

>Rarity would bite down on Coco’s ear.

>And the three would reach climax at the same time.

>Rarity would collapse on top of Coco as the seed slowly leaked out of her, spilling onto Coco’s buttocks.

>The three of them would rest until-

>”Rarity?”

“Ack!”

>”You spaced out. Are you okay?”

“Absolutely! I’m just a tad sleepy is all. Though I see my needlework isn’t exactly of the highest quality…”

>She was too horny to work.

“I had best go-”

>Try to get off by having master fuck her ass.

“And, uh, take a walk. To clear my head.”

>Rarity couldn’t help but notice the pool of arousal she had left on the chair.

>She furtively grabbed the cloth Coco had ruined and mopped it up, hoping she wasn’t noticed.

>Rarity trotted off quickly, looking forward to playing with her butt.

>She knew she wouldn’t be able to finish.

>She knew it would leave her sweaty, exhausted, frustrated, and desperate.

>Right now, she didn’t care.

>Rarity trotted to her master’s home eagerly, relishing the sensation of the plug grinding itself against her insides with every step.

>Lovelace had advised she use this smaller model, and it was proving to be quite a treat.

>The other one hurt a tad, but had been so titillating she had been able to overlook it.