>Be El Bronco
>At least that's who you are now
>A black stallion with a microphone cutie mark
>In another life in another place you were a singer, and a somewhat famous one at that
>But here they have no use for pony singers
>So the humans found another use for your rich voice and charisma
>They made you grow a moustache, put you in front of a TV camera and you became El Bronco
>The host of Hippodrome, the most popular pony TV show on earth at the moment
>Which means you're a celebrity here as well, if now technically a slave
>So while you may not have your freedom, your needs (and most desires) are taken care of by the network
>Which is why you're sitting half-drunk in "your" condo with the city skyline view out the window, sipping a bourbon
>Right now you couldn't care less about that view, because there's something more interesting to see right in front of you
>The network is willing to spend money to keep you happy, as long as you help maintain such a high viewership
>And they quite rightly assume that you need some distraction in your off hours
>Because sitting around thinking about the exact nature of your celebrity wouldn't do you or the network any good
>So you've kind of been pushing things just to see how far they'll go to accommodate you
>Making a game of it
>The mare is very pretty - so is the filly, for that matter, even though that's not really your thing
>You figured the mother-daughter request was a good challenge
>But no one balked
>Management just made a note of it
>And here they are for your entertainment
>Of course back home you had some young ones backstage at concerts
>But never this young
>You're not gonna touch her
>The "mother" on the other hand
>She smells delicious
>She's gonna get some El Bronco in her
>And the two of them making out in your living room is more than hot enough to get a rise out of your jaded cock
>Fame has definitely made you a little degenerate
>Then again, you know they're both whorses and not an actually mother-daughter team
>Either that or the mare is an awfully young mother
>Not that it matters
>When the filly breaks away from passionately kissing the mare to steal a quick glance at you
>You give her a smile
"Wanna watch me put a foal in your mommy?"
>"Can I?," she responds, wide-eyed
"Oh, you can. In fact you will"
>The mare's response is pretty vivid
>Her tail is way up, and you see her back legs quiver like the's already on the egde of cumming
>You only have a side view of her at the moment, but you know she's winking furiously
>You like it when they're as turned on as you are
>And being a celebrity you're used to that
>But this is still a novelty
>Enough so that you're at full mast in spite of the half bottle of bourbon in you
>Experience has taught you that will give you the staying power of a man
>Which is something you're pretty sure this mare is used to
>Undoubtedly the filly as well, but you're not touching her
>Doesn't mean you can't have some fun with this situation
"How about mommy takes care of you while I take care of mommy?"
>Mommy looks a little uncomfortable for a second, then looks you over
>And sees the state of your arousal
>And shifts on her hooves like she's aching for it
>You notice her cutie mark is some kind of book, like a business ledger
>Poor thing was meant to be some sort of financial manager or accountant, or some shit like that
>Now she's just another plaything
>A plaything who is pretty obviously desperate for your cock
>And is about to get it along with a face full of filly
>You wonder what you'll ask the network for next to top this
>But only for a second
>There are more pressing matters before you
 
>Be El Bronco
>Sitting patiently in makeup
>You'd much rather have a pretty mare hovering over you than a swishy pink pegasus stallion
>But Vidal does your mane better than anypony
>And while a younger you would have been put off by how thickly he pours on the affectation
>He's somepony you respect, and has even become something of a confidant
>"Oh Honey," he says with exaggerated sympathy, "I'm afraid it's another eyedrops day"
"Yeah, I guess I went at it pretty hard last night"
>"I can smell. You ever think about slowing down a little?"
"Are you my mother now?"
>"Not at all," he responds with a laugh. "Just the pony who has to make you look presentable for the cameras"
"You haven't let me down yet. How was your week?"
>"Oh, me and the BF had a little tiff. Then we made up. You know, the usual"
>The BF is his owner, but they have an interesting relationship
>Not that you care to know too many details
>But the BF likes Vidal working because that keeps him happy
>So does having a somewhat open relationship
>And evidently a happy Vidal is that much better at giving the BF what he likes
>From what you can tell their relationship is a series of dramatic tiffs which serve as foreplay for them making up
>Over and over, sometimes several times a week
>To each his own
>"How about you? Any gossip to share? You seeing anypony yet?"
"Nopony special. But I'm not letting my meat loaf"
>"Oh, you dirty whorefucker"
>You smile
"I'd be a fool not to take advantage of the perks provided"
>"Another special order?"
>You really never figured you'd be talking about your sex life with a gay pink stallion
>Then again, you always figured you'd be a singer, and now you're a sportscaster
>Of sorts
>Besides, he loves the tidbits you give him, and will pout if you fail to provide at least a few lurid details
"Mother-daughter this time"
>"Classic, you perv. And just how young was the daughter?"
"Too young. I didn't lay a hoof on her"
>"So you haven't become a total monster yet?"
"I wouldn't say that. I just still have a few lines I won't cross. I'm pretty bad though, and you know it."
>"Bad boys are sexy, and you do the bad boy thing really well"
"Been doing it for a long time"
>"Which is why you ought to slow down a little on the drinking - that hits us harder as we get older"
"I'm well aware. And I'm certainly not partying like I used to," you lie
>"None of us are, Honey. So will your Mother-daughter team get a call-back?"
"Maybe. The mare was really into it. Not faking the was some whorses do. She was loving every second of it"
>"That's what I like about men," Vidal says with a sly smile. "They're ALWAYS into it... with ME, at least"
"Of corse gay men are into you. What could be gayer than being plowed by a pink pegasus? Maybe a rainbow unicorn?"
>"Oh, fuck that unicorn noise. I don't need magic - being with me IS magic!"
"I bet it is"
>"Well you'll never know, Mr Whorefucker," he says coquettishly
"I'm OK with that, Vidal"
>A quick look in the mirror reveals just how good he is as a stylist
>You look years younger, and all traces of your hangover have been erased
>And your jet black mane hangs beautifully down the side of your head and neck
>Thick and luxurious, shining in the light
>Even the moustcahe (which you hate) looks good
>For a cheesy TV character you look sexy as hell
"You are magic, you know"
>"Oh, I know it. But thanks"
 
 
>Be El Bronco
>Time for work
>You walk past one of the three cameras toward your desk, which sits in front of a green screen
>Every time you see it you think how much it would suck to be in this business if you were green
>You almost never see a green pony on TV
>Except as a competator on your show every now and then
>Because none of the action here is faked
>YOUR show
>You hate that you've come to think of it like that
>It's not your idea
>You wouldn't even be associated with it if you had a choice in the matter
>But you didn't, so now you're the face of it
>One of the faces, at least
>Your co-host Juan Pablo - a name as real as your own - is already seated behind the desk
>Another good looking stallion, to be sure
>A grey pegasus, with a snow white mane and a few black spots scattered on his coat and wings
>He's a perfect counterpart
>He never talks over you
>Picks up every cue you throw him
>And on the rare occasion you miss a call or get distracted
>He's right there covering it, without usurping you in the slightest
>On air you two seem like old friends
>Off the air you almost never interact with each other
>You'd like to think it's because he's a little resentful about being second fiddle to you
>But you know it's probably not that
>It probably has as much to do with his own feelings about the job you do here
>You'd be shocked if they weren't as mixed as your own
>You like being a celebrity
>And know how good you have it compared to many (honestly most) ponies here
>But there's no way either of you can feel good about the particular nature of your celebrity
"Hey Juan," you say, settling into the chair beside him
>"Hey, Bronc"
"So, back to this"
>"Yup. You feeling half as good as you look?"
"Just about"
>"Same here"
"Well, let's do this, then"
>A glance at the monitors in front of you set into the desk shows you'll be on air in fifteen seconds
>When the red light on camera one comes on you look straight into it
"Live from Madison Square Garden in New York City it's Hippodrome! I'm your host El Bronco, and at my side as usual is Juan Pablo"
>"Tonight is a great night for bloodsport fans, Bronc. We have a pegasus air battle"
"So the action will be taking place outside the ring, Juan?"
>"360 degrees in every direction, all of the Garden is fair game"
"Isn't that incredibly dangerous, Juan?"
>"Not for the VIP's in skyboxes, Bronc. And tonight we'll be catching all the action with drones provided by 3D Robotics"
"Great technology. Now, you're a pegasus - what specifically makes this match so exciting?"
>"We're not limited to a single plane where the action takes place. That and the speed" 
"Your opponent could be anywhere around you and moving very quickly in any direction?"
>"Exactly, Bronc. Fail to keep an eye on him and it could all be over very quickly"
"How much of a factor is gravity, Juan?"
>"Could be huge if somepony gets knocked out or injures a wing mid-air. But speed is really the dominant factor here"
"You guys are fast"
>"Some of us are incredibly fast, and we have two strong fliers competing tonight"
"And whoever proves to be the strongest will leave the Garden a free pony"
>"That's assuming there will be a survivor, Bronc. I expect tonight's fight to be brutal"
"Brutal is what we do here. In the event of a dual fatality the decision of our judges is final. Now let's meet our competitors"
>"And get ready to place your secure bets on our ponyline or at Hippodrome dot nyc"
"All bets must be placed before the start of tonight's match"
>"All winnings will be subject to applicable local, state and federal taxes"
"Our first contestant..."
>The rest of the broadcast goes by in a blur as usual
>Most of the fight had taken place in the air, and Juan Pablo really pulled his weight with the commentary
>By the end there were only a few audience injuries - nothing serious, miraculously
>And it appeared the victor was going to survive, though it was unlikely he'd ever fly again
>A broken pegasus wins his freedom by killing another of his own kind
>And you keep your celebrity lifestyle by making it seem all the more exciting to the viewers
>17 million domestically alone
>Tonight's battle ended a little inelegantly, but the audience lapped it up
>Gravely wounded the loser lay on the floor, begging for his life as the victor stood over him
>Both of them knowing that wasn't an option
>Then the victor turned away from him and caved in his skull with his hind legs
>And he just kept going, the roar of the audience egging him on
>Until the loser's head was no longer anything that resembled a head
>And the blood was everywhere
>It's going to take a lot of bourbon to get you to sleep tonight
"You did great tonight Juan. Good eyes. I would have missed a bunch of that aerial stuff"
>"That's why you have a pegasus partner," he replies
"Yeah, we make a good team"
>He pauses and looks you in the eye
>"Has it gotten any easier for you? You make it look easy, but is it any easier?"
"You made it look easy tonight - I was really working for it. But maybe a little. Maybe it's a little easier"
>"Yeah, same here"
"I'll tell you I'm glad it wasn't a couple mares tonight. I don't think a marefight ending like that is something I'd handle all that well"
>"You're a pro. I'm sure you could"
"Announce it? Sure. I mean handle it"
>"Oh, that. I have no idea how I handle any of this"
"Me neither. The perks help, I guess"
>"The whores and booze? I feel like I've been hitting both a little too hard"
"That's not something I want to trade notes on, if you don't mind. At least you look good"
>"So do you, Bronc. See you next week"
"Yeah. And seriously, good work today"
>"Thanks"
>And with that your workweek is over
>Nothing happening for the next six days
>Beyond whores and booze, and Juan Pablo so eloquently put it
>Unless you decide to take up needlepoint, or some shit like that
>Which ain't happening
 
>Be mare
>Shortly after your return to the Filly Brothel an unusual assignment came to you
>Apparently someone had contacted the organization looking for exactly the roleplay you had participated in there
>A mother-daughter thing
>And it was an out call at that
>Off-site, meaning the man had a lot of money to spend
>You'd never done an out call before
>But before you knew it you and your "daughter" were being whisked away to a posh downtown apartment
>Only to discover the client wasn't a man!
>He was a stallion, and while on the older side still beyond handsome
>And built
>And hung
>The trill of it all had you almost lose all sense
>Especially when he said he was going to put a foal in you
>You didn't even think that you might have been at the start of heat, because that wasn't an issue with men
>And this was the first time you'd ever done it with a male of your own species
>What a first time, though!
>You'd NEVER cummed that hard
>And he lasted long enough that you came TWICE!
>Before he came once
>But once is enough, apparently
>You're pretty sure he did exactly what he said he was going to
>Put a foal in you, that is
 
>Be El Bronco
>You kept thinking about that mare
>The "mother"
>The one who smelled so nice
>You're not stupid - you know she's just a whorse
>But she was also your best lay in recent memory
>And you're no slouch
>But there was something else about her
>It was obvious she'd seen her share of ugly shit
>And had no choice but to participate in it
>You can relate to that, for sure
>Maybe you're just kidding yourself, but she seemed into you
>You probably are just kidding yourself - your judgment always goes to shit when you get your dick wet
>But you want to see her again
>So you called management and requested just half of the team from last week
>They seemed surprised you weren't interested in the filly!
>Which kind of made you sad
>That they would think that of you
>But you guess it makes sense
>You have been hitting them up with more and more out there requests of late
>And nopony expects a middle aged alcoholic celebrity to be any bastion of morality
>But still - into fillies?
>Do they really believe you'd stoop to that?
>Of course they do - they sent you one
>Every aspect of pony life has been turned upside down by humans
>The ugliest things you could have imagined are commonplace here
>But that mare
>She's beautiful
>So much so that you're almost worried you might get tongue tied when she gets here
>Which means another drink, just to loosen you up
>Three more puts you at the right level of looseness when the doorpony buzzes you that she's here
>And within a minute she's standing in your living room again
"Nice to see you again"
>"Nice to be back, she says with a smile. 
"Was I kidding myself, or did you... enjoy your visit last week?"
>She manages to both blush and roll her eyes at the same time
>"Wasn't it obvious?"
"Can I get you a drink?"
>"I don't think I should"
"Well is isn't Pappy Van, but it's still top shelf"
>"I don't drink"
>There's a strike against her
>That and being a whorse, of course
"Should we get right to it then?"
>"I was expecting nothing less"
>You do
>It's maybe a little less hot than last week, and you hope that has nothing to do with the lack of a filly present
>But it's still a nice trip around the room
>And all over her
>After you finish you ask her if she can stay a little bit
>And she gives you a knowing nod
>So here goes - he's where you can make a complete ass of yourself if you're not careful
"Obviously I can make a call and have you here whenever I want"
>She nods again
"That really isn't as much fun for me as the idea that you might actually want..."
>"To be here even if I didn't have to?," she asks in a very sympathetic way
"You're good. Yeah, that. So if I made it lady's choice would you willingly add me to your roster of clients?"
>"My roster? I don't have a roster anymore. For the most part I'm no longer a working girl in the organization"
>That's hard to believe
"Somepony as young and gorgeous as you in your line of work? And if you don't mind my saying so good - no, great - at what you do?"
>She blushes again
"I have a hard time believing your dance card is always full"
>"It turns out I'm good at more than just that," she says with more than a bit of pride. "I handle the acconting for the entire orginization"
"Shit. I noticed your cutie mark and figures it was just more wasted pony talent in this world"
>"In my case it worked out. Of course they have a man sign off on my work, but he really hasn't done anything more than a half-assed audit in over a year"
"You've got to be good at what you do to be more valuable to your organization in that capacity"
>"It's five businesses under one corporation"
"So you're busy. Kinda wish I was. I've got a little too much time on my hooves, and it isn't doing me much good"
>Part of you wishes you hadn't been pouring yourself another drink while you were saying that
>She definitely noticed
>But why do you care what she thinks?
>Back home a mare like this would be nothing but a wall of red flags
>But here?
>She seems like somepony who might understand
>Or at least be emphatic 
>To what, exactly?
>Your unbelievably privileged lifestyle?
>No
>But maybe the reason why you squander opportunities other ponies would give a limb to have
>You realize something about what she just said doesn't quite add up, thugh
>Yet another red flag
"If you're so valuable to the organization that you don't HAVE to be a... working girl anymore why did they send you to me?"
>She looks at the floor
>"Well, your particular request last time? That's, um... something I have experience with."
>She hastily adds, "Not really, but roleplaying it"
"I didn't think that filly was really yours"
>"No," she says quietly, "But I... I chose her for it. I... chose to do that with her"
>Oh dear
>Will the red flags never cease?
>And why is EL Bronco Jr suddenly so interested?
>He loves really fucked up mares
>She looks up and notices, pupils going wide
"I'm guessing the network is paying your organization well enough that there's time for you to give me some backstory on that"
>You realize that sounded like more of a command than you meant it to be"
"Only if you want to, of course"
>She steals another look down beween your legs, then looks back up into your eyes
>"You're interested on more than one front, aren't you," she says with a lusty smile
>You nod
>"OK. I know exactly what your network is paying for me to be here. It's enough that I won't be missed for a couple hours"
>She looks at the floor again
>"I'll share some of my story with you if you promise to do the same with me"
"Fair enough"
>"I'm guessing yours is a lot more interesting than mine. But first I want you in me again. A little rough if you don't mind. Maybe choke me a little and..."
"And what?"
>"Tell me I'm a good little filly"
>El Bronco Jr thinks he's hit the jackpot, and demands you jump into action
>She's got to be in heat
>THAT'S why she smells so good
>That's why you couldn't stop thinking about her
>And had to call her back
>But what escort service sends a mare in heat to a stallion?
>A service that doesn't know the client is a stallion
>But she knows
>Back home this would have been an occupational hazard
>The conniving mare gets herself knocked up by the celebrity stallion to better her lot in life
>But here there's no gain for her in it
>If anything it'll only lead to a lot of hassle, and heartbreak for her
>What is she thinking?!
>It seems like she isn't thinking
>But you've already cum in her twice like this
>Once more isn't going to make a difference
>And storytime will come after
>Which ought to be enlightening
>And probably unnerving
>You're really not into the idea of choking her
>That's not your thing
>But the idea of getting her off even harder than you already have?
>That's definitely your thing
 
 
>Be mare
>Well, his idea of rough wasn't very rough at all
>Probably a point in his favor
>But the idea that if his foal wasn't arleady in you it was now?
>That got you off
>Like the good little filly he called you over and over
>It all made you feel like you belonged to him
>To a very handsome, kind stallion!
>Could that even be possible?
>There's obviously a lot of money around him
>Enough to buy you and have you raise his foal?
>And be his for real?
>Don't think ike that
>You're not a naive filly anymore!
>You are almost definitely pregnant, though
>Which is super hot
>But something you are going to have to figure out how to deal with somehow
>Not now
>You promised him you'd tell him about yourself
>Or at least enough to understand why you ended up doing a mother-daughter roleplay for him when you were no longer technically a working girl
>Because he wants to know
>He wants to know about you!
>So you do
>You tell him about growing up in the Filly Brothel
>About the client - your first - who made it his mission to shape you to his will
>And just how much he succeeded at that
>Which left you with certian... proclivities
>That might have brought you back to the Filly Brothel
>And how you've made peace with that, for the most part
>To the degree that you're not ashamed of the mare you've become
>In fact you're proud of yourself and the work you do
>Life isn't perfect for anypony, after all
>And you know yours is a lot better than so many others'
>Even though you had to go through a lot to get there
>He listens patiently as you ramble on like a filly
>Actually more sure of yourself than you ever were as a filly
>You've never talked like this to a client - or anypony - before
>Madam at the Filly Brothel is really the only one who knows any of this
>And Skydancer
>Just telling somepony this much about yourself makes you feel lighter
>And freer
>Than you've ever felt
>Almost giddy in front of this beautiful stallion
>Who only looked away from you once the whole time, to refill his drink
>While you babbled on to him, your hind legs still wet his cum that had dribbled out of you
>When you finished you were expecting something from him
>Shock, judgment, sympathy - some kind of emotion
>But all he said was, "That's a lot to go through. It had to be tough"
"Yeah, some of it was. And sometimes it still is"
>"I hear that"
"Really?"
>"Yeah. Having it better than so many other ponies and still it's tough"
"OK. I told you mine. Tell me yours"
>"You don't know who I am, do you?"
"No. Sorry. Should I? Somepony important I assume"
>"Not important at all. But a little famous. Do you follow pony music at all? I used to have a band in Equestria"
"That would be before my time. I was born here"
>"Right. That makes me feel old"
"You're not old. It's just been a while since you were a colt"
>"You should have gotten your cutie mark in diplomacy"
"I'm not being diplomatic at all. You might be a bit older than me, but you are bucking hot, and you know it"
>"You don't watch TV, do you?"
"No, but I have the internet. Is TV what you do here?"
>"Yeah. I'm on a show"
"So you're an actor?"
>"Sort of. More like a sportscaster. Ever hear of Hippodrome?"
>You have
>It's not anything you'd ever want to see
>Ponies killing each other for humans' entertainment
>Some ponies watch it too, because it has an evil hook
>Freedom to the "winner"
"That's barbaric"
>"That's me. I'm the host of the broadcast. I'm good at it, too. But..."
"Do you have a choice?"
>"No. But that's what gets me all this"
"And keeps your glass from being empty, I'm guessing?"
>"In more ways than one"
"You can't let yourself feel bad about it if you don't have a choice. Even if you're good at it. Even if part of you likes it"
>"You seem mighty sure of that"
"It took me a long time to learn. If you have no choice you do what you have to do. And it will leave a mark on you"
>His eyes are getting glassy
>He's not going to cry, is he?
"No reason to make that mark any worse than it's going to be anyways"
>"Holy shit, you're amazing!"
"No I'm not. But I am a damn fine accountant"
>He laughs
"I'm serious"
>"I'm sure accounting is serious business. So what about my question, then. I'm giving you a choice about seeing me again"
"As your marefriend, or just another girl?"
>"Just another girl for now. Maybe marefriend in the future?"
>Not the answer you wanted, but not a bad answer at all
>He can see your disappointment
>"Come on. I barely know you, even after today. And I'm guessing you don't want to talk about the elephant in the room"
"Not yet, if you'd be so kind."
>"Fine. Dumb is easy for me to play. Nopony ever expected me to be smart. But can I see you again this week?"
>You'd love to see him everyday
>But you have no say in that, and no idea how much power he has to make something like that happen
>Even with him knowing you're probably carrying his foal
>Pretty much definitely now
"I'd like that. Just remember I have a lot of work to do at my organization. I can't get that done if you start momopolizing my time"
>Was that too forward?
>Too much of a plea to be taken away from your life into his?
>You like your life
>But you feel like it's about to be turned upside down
>And you'd really love to just grab on to this beautiful black stallion and not let go
>Could that actually happen?
>You don't know
"I really ought to be going now"
>He wraps his forelegs around you in a hug
>You can smell the alcohol on him, but it's not unpleasant
>Just him
"You smell good"
>"Not as good as you do"
 
>Be El Bronco
>In makeup again with Vidal, the pink pegasus hovering over you
>"So," he says, "what's her name?"
"What?"
>"You're a million miles away today. What's her name?"
>You laugh
"Honestly I don't even know"
>"Oh, you're terrible! Let me guess. She's gorgeous and she's a whorse"
"Yes to gorgeous. But she's an accountant"
>"No way!"
"And a whorse"
>"I knew it! How does that even work?"
"Long story. If we were back home she'd have so many red flags that I wouldn't fuck her with your dick"
>"But?"
"Here she makes sense. Does that sound crazy? I mean, she's been through worse than I have, but she's not resentful at all"
>You really don't know how to explain it
"It's like she's accepted that life here leaves marks on you, and she's made some kind of peace with that"
>"Smart girl"
"When I'm with her it like I have permission to just be damaged instead of being angry or self-pitying about it"
>"So she's super upbeat and cheerful then?," he says in a voice dripping with sarcasm
"You know what I mean, don't you?"
>"That life here is so much more fucked up than back home that it's nice to be with somepony who just sees fucked up as kind of normal?"
"Instead of always wishing it wasn't. And hating what it does to you. Just accepting there's nothing you can do about it and..."
>"Making the best of it, regardless?"
"Or trying to, at least"
>"Have you read Camus? Because that's what you're talking like - Existentialism"
"Not much of a reader"
>"Too good looking to bother with it?"
"Now you're being mean. Fill me in"
>"Human philosopher who grappled with how absurd the human world is"
"That's a good word for it"
>"He wondered how you wouldn't want to just kill yourself when you realize how randomly tragic and meaningless it all is"
"Must have been fun at parties"
>"I think his point was that if it is all meaningless than the horrible shit that happens is meaningless as well"
"Just another part of life here? So don't get too hung up on it?"
>"Pretty much. If you can manage to do that without killing yourself"
"That's a big if"
>"Any of that sound like your new Miss Thing?"
"She doesn't think like a pony, or at least not one from Equestria"
>"Born here?"
>You nod, causing him to pull the comb away from your moustache hastily
>"That explains it. Equestria under Celestia was a deterministic universe, or it effectively was"
"You're losing me"
>"You knew what was going to happen. Every morning Celestia raised the sun. Pegasi controlled the weather"
>He sighs
>"Everypony got a cutie mark that spelled out the shape their life was going to take. And really, what was there to fuck things up?"
"Monsters"
>"Yeah, monsters and dark magic. Pretty much the only random threats to a predictable and satisfying existance"
"I miss it"
>"You miss it where the heaviest thing you had to deal with in life was a friendship problem?"
"It was easier, that's for sure. Not as ugly. Maybe not as sexy, though. How do you know all this shit?"
>"I don't spend my off hours crawling into a bottle, which leaves me with plenty of time on my hooves. So I read"
"Philosophy? Odd choice. I'd have pegged you for dramatic fiction"
>"My life already has enough drama in it."
"Mine is about to, I'm afraid. Still, why philosophy?"
>"Humans have been living in this world way longer than we have. I find it interesting to see what sense of it their great minds have made"
"Sounds like not much if the best they can come up with is 'it's absurd, try not to kill yourself'"
>"That's just one school of thought.And no surprise your new marefriend would think the same way, having never known Equestria"
"She's not my marefriend. Yet. Though I'm pretty sure I've knocked her up"
>"And WHEN were you gonna share THAT detail with me?"
"I dunno, now I guess"
>"Well, shit. What are you gonna do?"
"I dunno. Maybe I don't have to do anything, if it's all meaningless"
>"The situation might require a little more than that. What's her take?"
"We haven't talked about it"
>"You're BOTH in denial?"
"That's what it seems like"
>"Well you can't go on like that for long. Or at least she can't"
"I'm aware. This isn't a fit world to bring a foal into, and I'm sure both of us are too fucked up to be fit parents"
>"Biology doesn't take those kind of things into account, Honey"
"Funny thing is she's been a working girl since she was a filly, but I'm the first stallion she's ever been with"
>"And you knock her up right out of the gate?"
"I'm guessing my special request required a different agency than the usual one"
>"One that had no reason to think the client would be anyone other than a man"
"Right. Because who buys whores for slaves?"
>"A really good master? No, I get it. It's management's fuck up, not yours. You're gonna have to have a talk with them"
"Before that I should probably..."
>"Talk to her about it? Yeah, you should definitely do that"
 
>Be El Bronco
>You've been asking yourself what you want out of your situation
>And there's no easy answer
>Because you don't know what you want
>Your celebrity life has been OK
>Though you're aware you booze it up too much
>And fucking whores is a lot of fun
>But if you're being honest with yourself your life isn't all that fulfilling
>And really hasn't been since you got here
>This little fucked up mare is a bright spot, though
>And of course the first thing you do is make the whole situation complicated by knocking her up
>Which neither of you have spoken about yet
>That's gotta change tonight
>It's a lot of variables in play for a stallion who hasn't had a real marefriend since Equestria
>And back then you were the singer in a popular band
>So the relationship wasn't exactly the typical set up
>Here you don't even know what your options are
>Nor do you know what you want out of this
>If you want anything, really
>Or what SHE wants - that's a whole other can of worms
>One you're going to open up in a minute or so, as the doorpony just sent her up
>Walking to the door to answer her knock you feel yourself getting hard
>Just her being here turns you on
>You open the door and look her over
"Nice to see you. You look beautiful"
>"So do you. And I can see how happy you are to see me"
"Come in. We've got some... stuff to talk about"
>"Let's get you taken care of first. Otherwise you won't be thinking straight. Sit over there and lay back"
>In a matter of seconds her mouth is on you, and you feel her tongue against your shaft
>After a few more seconds she lifts her head off you
>"You don't have to hold back. I can take you down my throat"
>What the lady wants the lady gets
>And in less than two minutes she's getting you pumping a load right down her throat
>She stays in place until you've finished
>Then runs her tongue up the length of you as she pulls away, making sure to get every drop
>"Feel better?"
"You're really good at that"
>"I know. Glad you liked"
"Um... want me to... return the favor?"
>"That isn't necessary. Your pleasure is its own reward"
>Never had a mare say THAT to you before
>You kinda like it
>But it's time to get to business
"You're pregnant, aren't you?"
>"Not clinically diagnosed, but yeah. the signs are there. I sorry. I was so stupid"
"Not your fault. My management and your organization are where the ball was dropped here. Sending a stallion a mare going into heat"
>"I should have known the moment I saw you"
"Like either of us were going to be thinking clealy in that situation"
>"So you're not mad at me?"
"Mad? No, why would I be mad?"
>"Causing a hassle for you instead of just being a good girl"
"You are a good girl. I just want to do what I can to see that what you want is what happens in this situation"
>"Why?"
"Isn't it your body, your choice?"
>She laughs
>"I don't know if you've noticed, but you aren't in Equestria anymore"
"Which means what, exactly?"
>"It's not my body. I'm property of my organization. If they want this taken care of it will be"
"And?"
>"If they want me to have a foal I'll have a foal"
"Then what?"
>"I don't know. If it's a filly it'll probably grow up like I did. If it's a colt, who knows? My organization has no use for colts"
>She's so matter of fact about it all it's almost scary
>"What I want has no bearing on the situation. What YOU want might, though"
"How so?"
>"Your organization is a lot more powerful than mine, and you have some influence over it. They give you things you want because you're valuable to them"
"Within reason. I guess I'll have to talk to management to find out just what's within reason here"
>"Do it quickly. I've been keeping it a secret to keep your options open, and I can't do that much longer"
"It's like you care about what I want more than what you want"
>She sighs
>"When I was a filly I wanted to be a mommy. Then I found out what the reality of that would be, and I didn't want that anymore"
"So you'd prefer this was... taken care of?"
>"Totally depends on the situation the filly or colt would be brought up in. But I'm terrified of having a filly"
"You wouldn't want her to be a... working girl?"
>"That's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world. I'm more scared of myself"
"How so?"
>"You know the roleplay that led to us meeting in the first place?"
"It's pretty vividly etched into my mind"
>She smiles, but the smile quickly fades
>"If I were actually the mother of a filly I wouldn't trust myself to resist the temptation to... try that out for real"
>She looks up into your eyes
>"You're horrified"
>You are, a little
"No judgments - I haven't lived the life you have. But you'd have no issues like that with a colt?"
>"Of course not. There's nothing sexy about a colt"
>Wow
>There you have it
"So you can really go either way with this pregnancy?"
>"I have to be able to. I have no say in the matter"
"But if I were able to give you a say. If I told you it could be the way you wanted it to be?"
>"Can you do that?"
"I don't know"
>"Then I won't spook you with an honest answer"
"Try me anyways"
>She gives you a pleading look for a second, then simply looks resigned
>"All I've ever really wanted is to belong to somepony, or man if he were my master. Like a beloved pet or favorite toy"
>She looks away from you down at her hooves
>"Please him, do what he says and know that's all I have to do to be a good girl. If bearing and raising his foal is part of that, fine"
>She looks back up at you
>"But if it isn't, fine, too. I just want to belong. But I'm happy to fill the hours when I'm not pleasing him with accounting. That's just as straightforward"
"Not big on ambiguity?"
>"This was the first point in my life where things weren't all that ambiguous, and I end up pregnant. And telling you things I really shouldn't be"
"Then why tell me?"
>"Because there's a chance, isn't there? If you didn't think there was you would not have called me over to talk. You just wouldn't have called"
>She's got you there
"There might be possibilities. I'll have to look into it. I just needed to know where you stood"
>"If the part of you that wants me to be yours is calling the shots here I want whatever you want. If not just send me back and be done. I'll be fine"
>That's a lot to take in
>It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for her to be yours
>If management could pull that off
>They probably can, if not in a strict legal sense
>Slaves can't technically own property
>Yet you have this condo in a building where the doorpony calls you sir every time you enter or exit
>And cases of bourbon delivered, among other things
"What about the moments when I felt... vulnerable?"
>"Like motherly instinct, that wouldn't be my strong point. But I could give you rivers of empathy, because I know what that feels like"
>Shit
>This doesn't make it any clearer in terms of what action you ought to take
"I'll call management tomorrow and get back to you
 
>Be El Bronco
>The call to management had been difficult
>They do best with simple, clear requests
>Not you describing a situation to them and asking for a list of your options
>When you're not entirely sure what you want them to do for you in the first place
>It had required a lot of bourbon beforehand
>Which is why the details of it are a little fuzzy now
>You remember being asked to repeat yourself a lot, so you were probably slurring a bit
>And you're pretty sure it was a long call
>But you remember hearing the clack of fingers on a keyboard as you rambled on
>So they were at least taking notes
>Which left you surprised that you didn't hear a peep from the for the next three days
>Had they just blown you off, figuring you were drunk calling them?
>Again
>And probably wouldn't even remember a thing you said in the morning?
>It's not like that was easy to talk about
>You never were one to talk about your feelings easily
>And when you're not even sure of what you're feeling
>Or what you even want
>There was no way you could have done that sober
>And thankfully management is discreet about this kind of thing
>Because you're pretty sure those notes would be embarrassing in the wrong hands
>Maybe even worse than that, given your celebrity status
>You even referenced Existentialism
>And you only have the roughest idea what that is from your stylist, of all ponies
>Regardless, after three days of radio silence from management you were debating making a follow up call when one came in
>Not from management, though
>From the network
>They sent a car for you - a white van, actually
>And now you're coming out of the elevator on one of the upper floors
>Where the executives have their offices
>"El Bronco," says the girl at the desk in front of you, "They're in the conference room down the hall to the right."
>She adds, "They're not ready for you yet. You can wait over there"
>She gestures toward two couches, on one of which a pretty mare is seated, playing with a smartphone
>As you head over to her the girl from behind the deask calls after you
>"Can I get you anything? Water? Cappuccino?"
"Do you have bourbon?"
>"I'm afraid we don't, actually. Sorry"
"Then I'm fine, thanks"
>You sit on the couch facing the mare
>You note the rose cutie mark and very pretty green eyes
>She's about your age, too
"Hello"
>"El Bronco, I take it?," she asks
"That's who I am now"
>She smiles, then whispers, "I know who you used to be. Back home. I was a fan. Still am"
"Is this my lucky day?"
>She blushes a little
>"Is the sexiest stallion in America hitting on me?"
"Do you want the sexiest stallion in America hitting on you?"
>"I'm flattered, but it's a terrible idea. My master is your VP of programming"
"So no quick trip to the bathroom?"
>"You know if we'd met back home I would have seriously considered it. Here? Bad idea"
"But you haven't said 'no'"
>"No"
"My loss, then"
>There's a slight, awkward pause between you two
>Instead of looking away you look right into her eyes for a second
>She looks away, and you understand
>You saw the pleading look and the size of her pupils
>She actually wants that quick trip to the bathroom
>But can't risk it
>You would have gone for it
>And banging the VP's mare couldn't have led to anything good
>But the fact that she's a fan of your work - not your work here, but your REAL work back home
>You're pretty sure if you pushed things just a little you could be cumming inside her in a minute or two
>She's right, though
>It's a bad idea
>"They're wasting your talent," she whispers
"What?"
>"You should be in a recording studio making music that would blow their human minds. Not on that horrible show"
"You don't watch it, then?"
>"I've seen it, but I can't bring myself to watch"
"Nopony should watch it. I think I might be getting some serious PTSD just from working on it"
>"Ponies DO watch it, though. A pony winning their freedom is like candy to them, even if that pony has to kill somepony else to win it"
"It's some straight up evil shit," you whisper in response
>"Can we change the topic? I have to live with it"
"So do I, but sure. What other lighthearted thing were we on about? Wasted pony talent? How about that? How is your special talent being wasted here?"
>Now you could really use a drink
>And she looks embarrassed
>"It's not, actually"
"No way!"
>"I was a florist in Ponyville. Now I have a studio in Midtown doing arrangements for special events"
"How'd you pull that off?"
>"Long story"
"I'm just sitting here"
>She sighs
>"My first master was this broke-ass guy who bought me at auction, but really couldn't afford to keep me"
"Perfect introduction to this world," you say with hopefully the right amount of sarcasm
>The phone at the reception desk buzzes
>The girl behind it calls over: "El Bronco? They're ready for you now"
"Thanks"
>"Aren't you going to head in?," the mare asks
"After your story. They made me wait, and I'm talent. They can wait for me now"
>That gets a great smile from her - total admiration
>"OK," she begins, "So he wanted to get into pony trading, and lucked across some well connected people and ponies"
"Mmmm hmmm"
>"And they knew my master was in the market for a redhead who was..."
>She's blushing again
"Who was what?"
>She looks away from you and says in a very soft voice, "High spirited and... a little lippy"
"Is that what you are?," you respond in your best come hither tone (which is pretty good), "High spirited and a little lippy?"
>If you're not going to bang her you may as well tease her a little
>The color of her face answers the question
>DAMMIT!
>You should have dragged her off to the bathroom while you had the chance!
>"So anyways," she continues, "He bought me and set me up with my own little business. Now it isn't so little anymore"
"Wow, you lucked out"
>"I suppose I did," then she adds softly, "No. I know I did, compared to how a lot of other ponies have it"
"That makes two of us. Well, it was a pleasure talking with you..."
>You made sure the word "you" went up in pitch just enough to prompt her
>"Roseluck"
"Aw. Beautiful name. If you'd like to meet again under less... constricting circumstances leave a message with Vidal in makeup."
>"Got it," she says, then adds a little sadly, "but don't hold your breath. It was pleasure talking with you..."
>Then she whispers, "Perfect Pitch"
"The pleasure was all mine," you respond automatically
>But her being a fan of who you were, then calling you by your real name knocks you for a fucking loop
>As you walk down the hall to the conference room the world seems to be tilting at angles it shouldn't be
>But you make it there and open the door
>There are five people in the room
>The VP in a Brooks Brothers suit, obviously trying to be cool by subbing an unbuttoned shirt collar for a tie
>The bald guy with glasses and reams of paper stacked in front of him
>Legal, probably
>Two bearded younger guys who look like they woke up under a bridge
>And Charlotte, who is the management exec
>You like her
>NOT in THAT way, though
>You don't find women attractive
>Well, that's not entirely true
>You've had a few
>You just don't find them nearly as attractive as mares, so you don't bother with them THAT way
>Anymore
>A few years ago you might have had a little conquest thing about them
>And they sure as fuck were into you
>Still are
>But you don't really want to put your dick into one again if you can help it
>You continue your quick scan around the room
>In the center of the table there are two pitchers of water, a bucket of ice and...
>YES!
>A bottle of bourbon!
>Sometimes you don't mind humans at all
>Hopefully this will be one of those times
>"El Bronco!," the suit says, "Welcome, and congrats. Number one among men ages 18-45! Number three overall!"
>There's a round of applause from those seated around the table
>"Have a seat," the suit continues. "Drink?"
"Please"
>The VP is pouring you a pretty heavy double in a water glass
>More like a double double
>He pours less tha half as much for himself, raises his glass to you and says, "Cheers"
>The offer doesn't extend to anybody else at the table
>And you notice the beardy guys looking at the bottle longingly
>When you knock back most of it in one shot he walks over and positions the bottle next to you
>"It's for you, anyways," he says, turning the label toward you to show it actually is Pappy Van
>Something is up
>"Today you get your Cadillic, and treat it well because I'm only buying you one," the suit continues
"My what?"
>"Your Cadilliac. You used to be a singer. You know Elvis? Jerry Lee Lewis? Carl Perkins?"
>You prefer pony music to human music
>But you've heard of the first two
>You're pretty sure they're all dead by now
>But you remember liking Jerry Lee Lewis
"Yeah," you reply, taking another sip of your drink
>You're almost feeling even keeled now
>"When they made SUN RECORDS a lot of money by being at the vanguard of an edgy new form of entertainment, Sam Phillips rewarded them with Cadilliacs"
"And a Cadilliac is?"
>"The top of the line American car back in a time when America was car crazy. A status symbol that showed the world you'd arrived"
"So You're getting me a car? I can't drive, you know?"
>That elicits a round of laughs from the table
>Not what you'd intended, but you can roll with it
>"Today," the suit continues
>You can't believe that guy is fucking Roseluck
>Stop thinking about that and follow along
>"Having a mare of your own is the same level of prestige. So as your request to management started working its way up the chain of command"
>Charlotte smiles at you
>The suit continues, "We decided it was time to give you a mare of your own"
>Oh shit
>What, exactly did you drunkenly request from management?
 
>Be El Bronco
>In conference room
>The VP just told you they were giving her to you
>That she was your Cadilliac
>The guy you assumed was legal speaks up
>"Of course you don't actually OWN her. She's owned by the network, just as you are. But she'll be on permanent loan to you"
>He continues: "As per your request she will remain under contract to her previous owners for accounting services"
>He leafs through the folio of paperwork he's reading from
>"She's had medical and psych evals. She does not appear to be a danger to you, herself or anybody else. She is in good health"
>He adds: "And of course, she's pregnant"
>The VP smiles and says, "And she'll be delivered to you this afternoon"
"I don't know what to say"
>"Then I'll just say congrats," the VP replies. "Of course since legal had to get involved we need something from you in return"
"So my Cadilliac is entirely free?"
>"You've earned it, just about. We just need a little more from you now," the VP says, gesturing to the beardy guys
>Beard #1 takes the cue: "Next season Hippodrome is expanding into the Hippodrome block, with a half hour program airing before it to hype the show"
>Beard #2 continues: "It will consist of profiles of that night's contestants, follow ups with previous winners and the like"
>Beard #1: "Basically a bunch of Hippodrome related segments, maybe even some behind the scenes stuff"
"So where do I fit into this?"
>Beard #2 responds: "Women viewers. The show is only number 6 among women aged 18-35, and you are a big part of that draw"
>Beard #1: "So more of you on screen translates to more female viewers"
>"We want to stage a wedding, Bronc," the VP introjects
"A wedding?"
>"Pure theater - no legal status whatsoever"
>The legal guy nods and adds, "Slaves can't legally marry"
>"Pack it with Hippodrome winners, B-list celebrities, well known ponies," the VP continues, "And really hype the shit out of it"
>"The sexiest stallion alive," Beard #2 says, "marrying the mare of his dreams. Ratings will be huge"
>"Then follow it up with reality segments of your life together," Beard #1 adds
"What?"
>"We'd send a crew to your place for a couple days a week," the VP says, "to capture little snippets of your life together"
"You're aware that she's a former filly sex worker and I'm an alcoholic. And she's got a foal in her. How's that supposed to work?"
>"You never saw the Osbournes, did you?," the VP asks
"Nope"
>"It was reality TV gold, and Ozzy was out of his head on pills the entire time - when he wasn't drunk"
>"And he was raising two kids," Beard #1 adds
>"It would be the first pony reality TV," the VP says proudly, "Though not a show on its own, just a segment. We'll be minimally intrusive"
>"At Home with El Bronco," Beard #2 says. "That's the working title"
>"And while we haven't focus grouped it yet," Beard #1 continues, "It seems like it would do just as well with or without the foal"
>"Foal is cuter, " Beard #2 replies
>"And no foal is easier," Beard #1 counters
"When you say 'no foal' does that mean no foal on camera, or no foal at all?"
>"You weren't clear about that, Bronc," the VP says. "I went over the notes several times. We planned for all contingincies in what little time we had"
"All contingencies?"
>"You're a father and your foal is on TV, you're a father and your foal is not on TV," the VP rattles off
>"Or," he continues, "you don't want to be a father at all. We can take care of that for you as well"
>"I think it would be better with the foal," Beard #2 reiterates
>"But it's Bronc's choice," the VP replies
>It's all so absurd 
>Vidal was spot on
>Or whichever philosopher he was paraphrasing was
>The life of your unborn foal is nothing but a sideline detail in a meeting about a reality show
>That's all it's worth
>Except to Beard #2 over there, who thinks the show would be better with it
>And its would-be mother was just given to you as a gift
>On the condition you go through a sham wedding with her and let a camera crew into your home
>A condition you suspect you have no choice but to accept
>All for what?
>To increase female viewership of a show where ponies gain their freedom by murdering other ponies
>Because your involvement with it has resulted in you being dubbed America's sexiest stallion
>Your only choices in the matter are the life of the foal and whether or not it's on the reality show
"I don't have to make any decisions now, do I?"
>"Of course not, Bronc," the VP responds. "But the sooner the better. And no need to go through management on this. Call me directly"
>He places his card on the table in front of you
>Next to the bottle of bourbon
>That's now about half full 
>You realize all eyes in the room are on you
"I... I don't know what to say"
>"You don't have to say anything," the VP replies with a smile. "Go home. Go home to your mare"
 
>Be El Bronco
>On the ride home from the network offices you wrestled with mixed feelings
>You'd asked for something, and the network had given it - her - to you
>It was your biggest ask yet
>And they didn't balk
>They got got legal and an exec in on it and made it happen
>It wasn't a surprise they brought in some creatives to then twist it to their advantage as well
>You actually don't mind that - you don't like it at all, but it isn't all that surprising or outrageous
>The wedding thing is just silly - tasteless and borderline offensive in a world where ponies aren't allowed to marry
>But you know women will suspend disbelief to watch a cute event and judge the mare who captured your heart
>Has she, though?
>Why did you want her so badly all of the sudden?
>Just because she's carrying your foal?
>She doesn't even seem to care about the foal
>She specifically said motherly instinct wasn't her thing
>You're pretty sure you could tell her you wanted the pregency 'taken care of' and she wouldn't protest
>For all you know she'd be relieved
>Would you be as well?
>Like one of the beards in the meeting said, it would be easier
>This isn't Equestria
>It wouldn't even be question there
>But here
>This is no place for a foal
>And in a way she's proof of that
>She pretty much said if it were a fliiy she'd be tempted to - call a spade a spade - sexually abuse it
>And it's not like she's any kind of monster
>She's just lived a life that would have been unimaginable back home, and it's left a lot of marks on her
>Then again, you're not unmarked yourself
>The nearly empty bottle of bourbon on the seat next to you is a testament to that
>So are you trying to be some kind of white knight, saving her?
>That's really not your style
>And she's long past the point where that would even be possible, if that's what you were trying to do
>So why her, exactly?
>There's the sexual attraction on both sides
>She really turns you on
>And she's obviously really turned on by you
>So eager to please you it would almost be embarrassing if it weren't so enjoyable
>But you also know she likes it rough - she's already ASKED you to choke her
>That's not your thing
>You've always looked down on stallions who treated mares like that - jerks who took advantage of their size and strength
>So they could get off on dominating mares who were in the position to stop them
>But you never considered the situation where that's what the mare wanted - that's what she got off on
>A mare who is hoping when you get home from a bad day at work you'll take it out on her
>Does that give you license to look at the darker side of yourself, and see if part of you wants to play like that?
>Do you want to go there?
>Do you even have a choice about that?
>She'll push for it
>And you're fine with taking a firm hoof with her, but more than that?
>You have no idea how much of that is in you
>It looks like you're going to find out now that she's yours
>And she's not just yours, but there are going to be cameras around to capture your dynamics together
>This reality show thing is what's really gonna suck
>All you can do now is hope it won't be as successful as the beards predicted
>That women viewers will find the both of you too damaged to relate to
>Though in reality TV you suspect 'too damaged to relate to' would be pretty far fucking gone
>The two of you being messed up is probably the hook
>The exec said as much
>Fuck
>But the biggest life-changing aspect of the situation is of your own doing
>That whole 'be careful what you wish for' thing
>With one phone call you've gone from a whore fucking bachelor to a guy with a live in marefriend
>That's your doing entirely
>And it's too late to think about whether or not this is what you really want
>Because now it's what you've got
>The white van pulls up in front of your building, and the driver gets out to open the door for you
"Thanks, Jack. There's about a quarter bottle of Pappy Van on the seat. Yours if you want it"
>"Thanks, Bronc!," he replies. "I'll raise a glass to you after my shift"
>You hope his name actually is Jack - you're only half sure it is
>Not that it matters
>You just gave him hundreds of dollars' worth of bourbon -at least - as a tip
>He's not going to complain if you got his name wrong
>When you open the door to your apartment you're immediately wrapped up in a tangle of hooves and warm mare
>She's been crying, but the smile on her face shows it's not out of sadness
>"You did it! You did, didn't you?"
>Pleading eyes look into yours
"I made the request. The network did it"
>"So I'm yours?," she says desperately
"Legally you're the network's, just like I am. But in practice? Yeah you're mine"
>"Oh, Master! I'll make you so happy for this! I'll be your good little girl. Whatever pleases you - ANYTHING..."
>Master?!
"Umm... Did you just call me 'Master?'"
>"You just said it. I'm yours. That makes you my master"
>You hadn't thought about that
"I don't know how much I like you calling me 'Master'"
>Her smile quickly becomes a frown
>"But you ARE my master. This is what I've dreamed of since I was a filly"
>The pleading look is back in her eyes
"OK. You can call me 'Master' when it's just the two of us."
>"I'll make you so happy to be my master!"
"Not in public. And not in front of the cameras, if you can help it"
>"Cameras?"
"Yep. The network made this happen for us, so they get their pound of flesh"
>"Their WHAT?!"
"It's a human expression. When businessmen give you what you want they make sure they get what they want out of you"
>"And what do they want from you?"
"From us. Both of us are going to be on TV together"
>"They know I'm an accountant, not an actress, right?"
"It's going to be so-called reality TV. Cameras just following us around a lot, then they take the interesting bits and air them"
>"And you don't want me calling you 'Master' in front of the cameras?"
"It might be weird. Then again, maybe it'll sour them on the show. I don't know"
>"Whatever you decide is how it will be, Master"
"You love calling me that, don't you?"
>"It's a dream come true"
>She's crying now
>"You have no idea how happy you've made me!"
"You'll have plenty of time to show me. We have a life together now"
>"A life... together... with a stallion! I never even dared to dream of that! You have no idea what you've done for me"
"Or for me. Honestly I didn't expect things to happen this quickly. I'm overwhelmed, myself. Like this isn't real"
>"It is though, right?"
"Yeah, it is"
>"Then," she says with a lusty look, "You haven't had me in every way possible yet, and now that I'm yours you ought to"
>She adds, "To celebrate"
>She standing in front of you with her tail lifted high
"Your tailhole? Interesting way to celebrate"
>But El Bronco Jr is at attention
>"We can have ice cream after, if you like"
 
>Be El Bronco
>In the shower with your little mare
>After having just ravaged her... ass - that's what you ravaged
>And she came from it
>You've seen mares faking that in porn, but this wasn't fake
>Now she looks even sexier with a wet mane
"I can't believe you got off from that!"
>"I was raised to be a good girl. I get off on what gets my master off. Unless you don't want me getting off. Then I won't"
"Why wouldn't I want you to get off?"
>"Doesn't matter why. I'm a good girl. Whatever you say is what I do"
"Didn't it hurt? Taking me like that?"
>"Of course it hurt"
"And you're OK with that?"
>She smiles 
>"Enduring a little pain for your pleasure is MY pleasure. I like that you get off on something that causes me a little pain. Means you're not boring"
>A little look of apprehension crosses her face
>"And YOU are not boring, Master. Besides, I like having to put a little effort in"
>She LIKES having to put a little effort in
>That's hot
>And you're hard again
>When she notices and nickers at you 
>And you're banging her again right there in the shower
>Making for a much longer shower than you'd planned
>As you emerge from it the phone is ringing
>The doorpony is sending up a delivery for you
>Which turns out to be a large, edible flower arrangement
>Easily dinner for two
>The card says ENJOY YOURSELVES!
>With the VP's name underneath
>But what strikes you is the rose logo on it
>Matches the cutie mark of the florist mare you were talking with this afternoon
>You still can't believe he gets to bang her
>But you'll thank him for the nice dinner anyways
>And Rose, if you ever get the chance
>The next few days pass like a honeymoon
>She's set up a laptop in your "office"
>aka the room you never go into
>And she spends a few hours a day there working on it
>The rest of the time you're pretty much going at it like minks
>Though there was one weird moment
>It had been a while since you woke up with a mare next to you
>And the first time with her it's from a dream that you're getting a blowjob
>Only to awaken to the reality that you were
>Which was a very nice surprise
>That only got weird after you finished
>When you started getting out of bed and she asked you where you were going
>When you told her you had to take a piss she said you didn't have to get out of bed to do that
>She could take care of that
>It took you a second to realize what she was offering
>And you assured her you were more than happy to take care of that in the usual way
>Which you did
>But she looked at you like you were crazy
>Though she didn't say anything more about it
>You enjoy how eager to please you she is
>But that kind of eagerness seems a little extreme
>You're a little afraid if you take her up on some of what she's offering you'll end up fucked in the head from it
>And part of you thought why not?
>If you picked up any kinks from her she'd be there to accommodate them
>Even if some of what she has to offer is nowhere near where you actually want to go
>But you figure it's better to just stay away from some things
>At one point she started saying how her life was yours now, and you were free to toy with it if you liked the idea
>You didn't follow her lead on that, either
>And don't intend to
>What she has to offer without going dark and weird is plenty for you
>And after a couple days her calling you "master" didn't even seem strange
>As you now associate it with some of the best sex you've had in your life
>She seems very happy about the whole thing
>It's almost eerie how quickly she picks up on cues from you
>The slightest iniclination toward sex and she's instantly game
>That could be any new relationship
>But how quickly any comment about the network results into a sympathetic eyeroll?
>Whether it's about the sham wedding, the upcoming reality series or even Hippodrome?
>Even the fact thay THEY made this happen for the two of you?
>In her eyes you are what made this happen
>And only your thoughts and opinions are worthy of validation, the sentence almost always ending with "master"
>She's happy with that, you're happy with that - it's hard to care about that much else
>Also you're drinking half as much as usual
>Sure, at the end of the night you still put a dent in a bottle to get to sleep
>But you're not drinking during the day beyond a nip here or there
>Because you don't want it to have a negative effect on your performance
>Or how many times during the day you might want to perform
>Which is making you feel half your age
>Probably because she is just about half your age
>Your dick is almost sore
>When you asked if she was sore at all her answer was: "In a good way"
>The cuddle factor ain't so bad, either
>For a mare who seems so dark sexually and detached emotionally (beyond simple devotion to you)
>She's very cuddly after sex
>And while being sexually satisfied has never really been an issue for you
>The network has been very generous in providing working mares at your request
>You had no idea just how much you'd been starving for physical contact beyond that
>Just her leaning against you or being tangled around you makes you feel so
>Grounded?
>Is that it?
>You haven't felt like this since your last marefriend back in Equestria
>How is this fucked up little mare who literally gets off on being your slave managing to make you feel grounded?
>Looking in the morning mirror surprises you as well
>You wake up looking like Vidal has already been working on you
>This might actually be really good for you
>You hate to give credit where it's due in this case
>But the suit might have been right
>A mare of your own might just have been what you needed
>Which really leaves only one question hanging over you
>The foal inside her
>Sitting at breakfast with her
>She figured out how to order groceries online from the network account you usually use for delivery
>And can cook serviceable meals that don't seem all too likely to make either of you fat
>Nothing exciting - oats and stuff - but you never were much of a gourmand, except when it came to liquor
>And you've always had the sense to keep that away from breakfast, and lunch most of the time
>So while eating oats and apples you just say it
"Should we be TV parents?"
>She starts the eyeroll, then realizes what you're talking about
"Or even parents at all?"
>A desperate look comes into her eyes
>"Master?"
"Stop with that, now. I'm trying to figure out what we should do. And you just deferring to me is no help"
>She looks panicked for a second, then calms down, pressing up against you
>"I LOVE having a part of you growing inside me. I wish I could keep it there forever - safe inside me"
"But?"
>"That's not how it works, I know"
"That's not how it works at all"
>"I'm scared of what happens after it stretches me out and enters the world."
"Me, too"
>"Am I a monster for just wanting things to stay like this forever?"
"This is pretty fucking good. I haven't been this happy in a long time."
>"For me it's never - I've never been this happy. I don't want anything to change"
"You know what that means, then?"
>"Only if you won't resent me for it. I couldn't live with that. Seriously, Master, I couldn't."
"Don't talk like that"
>"Yes, Master. But I'd rather have your foal several times over and do my best to be a dutiful mother than risk..."
"My resentment?"
>"Yeah. That would kill me"
>You have no reason to doubt she's being literal
"You just want more of this"
>She looks terrified, but nods
"That's what I want, too, but it's going to be this with TV cameras following us around. You realize that"
>"They won't tape us while we're...?"
"Fucking? No. They won't tape that"
>"Then they're going to be waiting around a lot"
>You laugh
"I suppose so"
>"I just want you to look at me and see a good girl. Not some monster who didn't want to have your foal"
"I asked you to tell me how you felt, and you did. That's a good girl. You're a good girl"
>She smiles
>"So what's going to happen to me?"
"You'll go in for a little medical procedure, then come back to more of this. Eventually cameras will show up and we'll deal with it"
>"Is it OK to be a little sad about it?"
"I think you'd be a monster if you weren't at least a little sad about it. I am, too"
>"But this is what you want?"
"I'm pretty sure it's what both of us want"
>She nods and leans into you a little more
>"It's still sad, though"
"Yeah, it is"
 
>Be El Bronco
>On hold for the VP
>"Hey Bronc! What can I do for you?"
"First of all, thanks"
>"My pleasure. I take it the honeymoon is going well?"
"We're both very happy. And delivering dinner for two the first night was a nice touch"
>"The flowers? Glad you enjoyed them. But I can't take all the credit for that. It was Rose's idea. You met her"
"Sure did. Thank her for me, for us"
>"Will do. She was a little starstruck meeting you, you know. Big fan of your work back in Equestria"
"She mentioned that. She was very... sweet"
>"She IS very sweet. And I'm sure you noticed she has a crush on you"
>You don't have a response to that
>"Just remember whose mare she is, Bronc. The network takes good care of you, and I am the network."
"Heard and understood. I would never disrespect you like that," you lie
>"Don't bullshit me, Bronc. I know restraint isn't your strong suit. Just don't bite the hand that feeds you"
>Note to self: don't bang Rose
>Who are you kidding?
>Given the chance there's almost to way you could pass on that
>Note to self: Try never being alone with her
>That makes more sense
>Can't bite the hand that feeds you if you don't get yourself into the position to do so
"So we've made a decision with regard to... the foal: no foal"
>"No foal on camera, or at all?"
"At all. That can be done safely?"
>"Absolutely. It's not like we haven't been through this before. This is just the first time we've let it be an issue for you"
>This is news to you
"Really?"
>"Yeah, Bronc. Think about it: there's no way you could be doing what you've been doing without that happening at least a few times"
"So can I ask?"
>"Do you really want the answer?"
>Do you?
>There might be some little El Broncos running around
>If you knew there were would you really want to know what kind of lives they're leading?
>Nope
"No, you're right. Let's keep focus on this particular situation. There's no was she'll be hurt by this?"
>"Not physically. Psychologically it can be a different thing. And I've seen her psych profile. You have a lot on your... hooves"
"Oh yeah. Back in Equestria I'd have considered a mare like her a head case. But here, given how things are..."
>"Look, Bronc, I gotta go. I'll see to it the pregnancy is taken care of. And I'm glad the two of you are happy"
>And with that the line goes dead.
 
>It's a show day
>You walk into makeup and Vidal does anexaggerated double take
>"Well, somepony just made my job a lot easier. I take it you had a good week?"
"You have no idea"
>"Oh yes I do, Honey. It's all anypony has been talking about"
"Gossip moves that fast?"
>"It's not just the grapevine and everypony curious about your personal life"
>He opens a laptop sitting on the table in front of his mirror and punches in an entry on the pony adaptive keyboard
>"I take it you haven't seen this," he says, turning the screen to you
>Your girl fills the screen
>The background shows they shot her in front of a green screen, as it's an areial view of New York harbor
>The voiceover begins: "Why is this accountant from Staten Island about to be the happiest mare in America?"
>It's Juan, and he's killing it as usual
>He continues: "Because she's going to marry the stallion of her dreams. And the stallion of her dreams is none other than..."
>A flattering pic of you fills the screen, with a goofy American flag background
>"The sexiest stallion in America! Tune in June 23 for a very pony wedding, only on the Hippodrome Block. Only on Fox"
>"She's beautiful," Vidal says
"Yeah, she is. When did this air?"
>"They started it in heavy rotation yesterday"
"Wow. I like how there's no mention of us both being property of the network and having no say in the matter"
>Vidal laughs
>"Or that pony weddings aren't legal. But you two are happy regardless? You must be - you haven't come in here looking this good in recent memory"
"Yeah. She's very happy. And me... I'd be worried it was too good to be true, but it doesn't feel like I'm ignoring reality"
>"How so?"
"She makes no effort to hide from the realities of this world and how they have effected her. And being with somepony like that makes me feel... grounded"
>"I'm guessing nonstop fucking doesn't hurt, either"
"No. Doesn't hurt at all. Just leaves you a little sore. Her more than me"
>"I bet"
"Kinda weird, though," you whisper. "She insists on calling me 'master'"
>"I was just reading about that being a thing with this next generation"
"Where did you read that?!"
>"Online. We're still a minority there, but there are places where pony communities exist. But let me guess - you don't even own a computer"
"She has one. Spends a few hours a day on it. Working"
>"Probably more than just working. It's a social thing now"
"I can't imagine that"
>"You're a Luddite. Be careful or you'll be totally out of touch in a couple years. Not a good thing when you're with a mare half your age"
"What's a Luddite?"
>"Somepony who wants nothing to do with the latest technology"
"Yeah, that's me then. But calling your lover 'master' is a thing now?"
>"Among the generation of ponies born here it seems to be. Makes sense"
"How?"
>"A filly growing up in Equestria fantasized about what?"
"I dunno? Being a princess?"
>"Of course being a princess! And someday her knight in shining armor would come for her. And how many stallions caught hell for being less than that knight?"
>You laugh
"Never me. But yeah, that was a thing back home"
>"Some stallions even wanted to be princesses, or at least get to comb their manes"
>You smile 
"I can see that would have been a thing for some stallions. Like you. Not for me at all"
>"Of course not. But what does a filly growing up here have to fantasize about? Human girls get to be the princesses. Fillies are working"
"So what do they pretend?"
>"That they have a kind master who cares for them. Duh. And being fillies they can imagine he's a stallion because they don't know any better"
"Shit"
>"Yeah, Bronc. You're literally her dream come true. That's why you have such a happy mare on your hooves"
"So how could I fuck it up?"
>"Just be a good master and everything will be fine, I guess"
"I never thought about being anypony's master"
>"Well, think about it now, Honey"
"I have no choice"
>"Nor do you have any choice about stage call, which is now"
 
>Be El Bronco
>Heading past the cameras toward your desk
>Juan is already seated there
>"There's the stallion everypony's talking about," he chirps at you
"I saw the promo you did. Great VO work"
>"Thanks. But I have no idea what's real and what's network created"
"There's a line between the two?"
>He laughs
>"Touche. But seriously, Bronc. Are you gonna give me the scoop?"
"I have a special somepony. She's an accountant from Staten Island. Or a bookkeeper. I don't know the difference. If she weren't a pony she'd probably be a CFO"
>"Cool. How did you meet?"
"However the network says we did"
>"Got it. And they bought her for you?"
"They bought her for a reality TV ploy to increase female viewership for the show. But in practice, yes. She's a perk"
>"Rumors about your perks have been pretty epic, but this is over the top"
"I'm guessing you're not doing so bad in that regard yourself?"
>"Can't complain, but you've got me beat"
"Sometimes you have to ask for what you want"
>"I may have to try a little more of that. This is gonna make more work for me. I don't know whether to be resentful or thankful for more airtime"
"You can be both. I know I am"
>"Speaking of airtime, you ready to get to work?"
"Yep"
>"You know I'm gonna have to softball something about you two in the opening"
"I expect no less"
>"And the rumors of a foal?"
"Just rumors."
>"Good to know. Not that it's my business, but..."
"Yeah, I get it. Looks like you're gonna end up narrating a chunk of whatever happens"
>"Narrating your personal life - sounds like my dream job"
"I'm easy. Practically an open book. SHE'S gonna be more challenging"
>"Good thing she's so damn pretty, then"
"That she is. What's on the agenda for today?"
>"Marefight. And don't go soft on me because you're got a little luvvy mare waiting for you at home"
"I don't go soft. And marefights would be totally sexy if it weren't for..."
>"How they have to end? I hear you. What a waste of good tail"
"To say the least"
 
>Be El Bronco
>Waiting for her to come back from her appointment
>You had offered to go along, but she said it wasn't necessary
>And there'd be nothing for you to do there anyways
>But now you feel like you should have gone
>Even though it's a routine procedure it's still surgery, isn't it?
>And the reason she's getting it is to undo what you did to her in the first place
>But she was probably right
>There's nothing you could do there
>And at least here you can chill, listen to some music and have a drink
>Which is how you've spent the afternoon
>Rumor is that Ryan Adams was involved with a unicorn in LA, and some of the songs on his new release are about her
>So you put that on
>But nothing about the music sounded all that pony to you
>A couple good songs on it, though
>You didn't get all the way through it because she returned before the end of it
"You OK?"
>"I let them cut you out of me," she says walking through the door like a zombie, "It seemed totally wrong, but I let them"
"EVERYTHING here seems totally wrong"
>"You sound like my friend Durril, when she was a filly"
"Did she have a low voice like a stallion?"
>"No, master. It's your judgment. I'm so scared it could turn on me for letting them do that"
"If there were any real judgment in this world it would fall much harder on me than you"
>"But what about your judgment on me?"
>You know what she wants to hear
>And it's honestly what you want to say to her
"You're a good girl. It was hard, and I know it was sad - for both of us. I'm sure our foal would have been beautiful"
>"The most beautiful foal, ever"
"Maybe so. But better not here. That beauty could be destroyred so quickly"
>"Not the beauty... just everything else good about her... or him. It's not a good place. God, now I sound like Durril"
>It always rubs you the wrong way when a pony says, 'god' instead of 'Celestilia'"
>But you can't fault her for it
>She was born here
>It's the same thing with you calling her a good girl
>If you'd called a mare a good girl back in Equestria you'd have had a huffy mare on your hooves
>It would have come across - probably rightly - as demeaning
>And no mare in her right mind would have called you master
>Not even the most starstruck ones would have gone anywhere near that
"I'd like to meet her someday"
>That's not really true
>You're just happy to change the subject
>"You will. They asked me for a guest list for the wedding. I only had five names, but she was one. I'm sure she'll come"
"They won't bother asking me for a list. It's gonna be ponies and people from work and a bunch of low rent celebs"
>Then you add:
"What a farce"
>"Farce or not I think it'll be fun. Nopony gets to have a wedding. Or even a party, for that matter. We do. That's something"
"It's a publicity stunt"
>"For the network it is. For us it can be whatever we want it to be"
>She adds, "I've never even been to a party, unless you count fillies in a dorm eating contraband sugar cubes. Having one thrown for me is a big deal"
"Even if it's a charade?"
>"If the network expects to see the wide eyed mare overwhelmed by her dreams coming true before her eyes, thay'll get it"
"You are so fucking cute"
>"I was thinking of wearing a collar, if you wanted me to"
"Why would I want you to wear a collar?"
>"To show the world that I'm yours, master!"
"I think a nationally televised wedding covers that base pretty well"
>"You know you go too easy on me, master. You don't have to. I can handle a lot more... I don't mind if being yours is a challenge sometimes"
"You've been through enough already, why would I want to put you through more?"
>She smiles at you
>"Because you can. I know you'd like to treat me like a china doll, but I'm tougher than you think"
"I don't need you to be tough. Not for me, at least."
>"You wouldn't say that when you're railing my tailhole, would you?"
"I get off on that because you get off so hard from it"
>Her smile broadens and a dangerous look comes into her eyes
>"And you know why. I LIKE having to work to please you. A little pain and humiliation just makes it more exciting"
>You sigh
"Sometimes I worry that I might not be controlling or sadistic enough for you"
>"I'm sure you have it in you. You just have to get comfortable letting it come out to play. I'm happy waiting until then"
"It won't be today. Not after what you've already been through"
>"You know what made it easier?"
>Do you want to know?
>She's going to tell you anyways
>"I imagined you were getting off on them cutting into me. Then it wasn't sad anymore. I was just being good for you"
>She looks away and hastily adds: "I know it's not true. It just made it easier for me to pretend that"
>She looks back at you, a little ashamed
"It's OK. We all tell ourselves what we have to so we get through hard things. You wouldn't believe the mental gymnastics I go through..."
>Now you feel a little ashamed
"...to say what I do on camera. Like I'm actually enjoying bloodsport. It's a lot to leave that guy at work"
>"You could bring him home sometimes if you want," she says brightly "I could handle him"
"You really want me to turn my dark side loose on you?"
>"You're not dark enough to scare me, master. Now about the collar?"
"I'll get you a collar if that's what you want"
>"It's what YOU want. Do you want the world to see what a good, obedient little pony pet you have?"
"You are relentless"
>You are smiling as you say it, though
"This is how it's going to be in front of the cameras when they get here, isn't it?"
>Her very naughty look is pretty clearly saying yes
>"It's going to be however you say it will be, master"
"You're going to make me into the master you want me to be"
>"That would be imposing my will on our relationship. If that's what I'm doing I should probably be punished for it"
>She looks at you hopefully
 
>Be El Bronco
>The cameras have arrived earlier than expected
>You thought the deal was that the reality show would begin after the "wedding"
>But you got a call telling you the network needed some material to test the markets with 
>And within hours they were there
>They sent you out to a nice restaurant while they set things up
>She was excited about that
>She'd never been to a restaurant before
>She was nerveous, but excited
>Nervicited
>But the food was good
>Obviously the chef put a few pony friendly dishes on the menu
>Even though you were the only ponies there during lunch
>Of course the network would send you to the most pony friendly place they could find
>And it's pretty obvious just how pony friendly dishes are put together in a restaurant
>Take pony food and salt it to human standards
>It's a good trick
>But it leaves you thirsty as fuck afterward
>And you know that will make you look like shit on camera
>So you be sure to go at the water pretty hard before leaving, and encourage her to do the same
>"How do we pay? And tip? Aren't we supposed to do that, too?"
"Network has everything on account. Not our problem."
>"Nice"
"Well, you're about to be on TV as well. It comes with some perks. May as well enjoy them"
>"I'm a perk, aren't I?"
"Yeah. They said you're my Cadilliac"
>"Your what?"
"Cadilliac. Fancy car back in the day. Status symbol given as a reward for a job well done. Sorry if that sounds demeaning"
>"You don't ever have to be sorry about that," she replies with a giggle. "I'm a status symbol!"
"You are terrible"
>"Tell me you don't love it"
>You're starting to
>Part of you is horrified by her expectations
>And her desires
>Specifically what she wants out of you
>But you can feel your hesitation to oblige her beginning to melt
>She makes you happy
>You should do whatever it takes to make her happy
>Even if it's not the way YOU think a mare ought to be treated
>Obviously what you think doesn't matter all that much
>Though she'll tell you it's all that matters
>She's manipulative as fuck and determined to have her way
>Not that you're complaining
>You haven't been this happy in a long time
>Though you wonder what the network is gonna make of it now that cameras are going to be rolling
>Because you doubt the nature of your relationship is what they bargained for
>Then again it's reality TV
>People tune in to see fucked up stuff
>You hope it won't be a hit, but who knows?
>In the van heading home all the water you drunk catches up with you
"Jack!," you call to the driver. "Pull over at a Starbuck's or something. I need a pit stop"
>The mare seated next to you gives you a funny look
>"No need to stop the van, master. You know I can take care of that"
>She's made this offer before, and you're not interested in going there
"Oh, come on. That's disgusting"
>"Of course it is. Doesn't mean I won't take care of it. I'm a good girl. Whatever you need from me is yours"
"I can't do that"
>"Why not, master? You'll be done in less than a minute, and you'll feel all better"
"And what about you?"
>"I'll have the satisfaction of knowing I took care of my master"
"Jack," you shout, "You're not hearing any of this, right?"
>"Not a word, Bronc," the driver responds
>Fuck
>A quick look out the window reveals you're on a residential block
>No businesses in sight
>Crawling in crosstown traffic
>"It's OK, master. Let me make you comfortable"
>Your bladder is telling you that you probably should let her
>If only to avoid what's about to be an embarrassing situation
>You let her
>You're totally ashamed of yourself
>Doubly so when halfway through the process you feel yourself stiffen from her mouth around you
>And she proceeds to take care of that as well
>When you open your eyes post orgasm you see her looking up at you, she couldn't look any more pleased with herself
>"That wasn't so bad, was it master?"
>You haven't exactly had a vanilla sex life
>Threesomes, roleplay and some even more out there stuff
>And you've made more than one mare cum so hard that she pissed on you
>But this feels like crossing a line
>The worst part is that you feel so good physically it's hard to stay as disgusted with yourself as you think you ought to
"You're a good girl," you say because you know she expects it
>She beams at you
>A quick look in the mirror up front reveals Jack's eyes are firmly fixed on the road ahead
"Jack," you call to him, "I won't be needing that pit stop after all. False alarm"
>"Got it, Bronc," he replies in a completely businesslike tone
>Like nothing the least bit fucked up just happened in his van
>The man is a pro
>"I'm so excited, master," she says, settling next to you on the seat and leaning in
"About which thing?"
>"All the chances I'm gonna have to show you just how good a girl I can be"
>You stop yourself from saying something sarcastic
>Because you can see she's completely sincere
>And that's just a little scary
>Especially heading home to an apartment full of cameras
 
>Be El Bronco
>Oh hold for the VP
>His office called you, but you still have to wait for him
>Which you find a little galling, but whatever
>"Hey Bronc I just saw the test footage, and hat's off to you! I didn't realize you had a 50 shades of grey thing going on there"
"A what?"
>"A sado thing going on. Very in right now"
"It's not exactly my thing, you understand"
>"Oh yeah. That's the hook. The reluctant master who is a pony himself - that's never been done before. Makes you sexy AND relateable"
"Really?"
>"Sure. You're in a position a lot of guys would kill for, and instead of just taking advantage of it you're sweating the scruples. Very noble"
>He adds: "And it tested well with the female audience. They LOVE you for it, as much as they hate her for corrupting you"
"I'm hardly uncorrupted myself"
>"You're playing the good hearted bad boy absolutely pitch perfect"
>You groan
>"But the tension between you two in what comes off as a pretty happy relationship? It's the perfect mix of romance and taboo"
"So the network is happy with it?"
>"Optomistic. We gotta change the name. At Home with El Bronco is pretty toothless. We're currently leaning toward 'Yours Truly'"
>That actually makes you laugh
>"You like that? Great. We were considering 'Good Girl', but wanted to keep the focus on you. And if you'll pardon the pun that bit in the van was pure gold"
"In the van?! You had a camera in the fucking van?"
>"It's reality TV. We have cameras everywhere. Except the bathroom and the bedroom - we're not making porn here"
"Then you can't air the footage from the van, right? Wouldn't that come across as extreme fetish porn?"
>"We're running two edits by legal. It's right on the line with the explicit bits edited out. But what a fucking line"
>You are...
>Horrorified, embarrassed, ashamed, violated
"Won't that make me look like some kind of monster?"
>"Not at all. I've watched it a bunch of times. You come off as very sympathetic. Trying to talk your way out of the inevitable is, like I said, fucking gold"
"You're going to stir up a lot of controversy airing something like that - even implying it"
>"I built my career on controversy. I'm the guy who brought bloodsport to 17 million American homes every week"
>Yes. You're that asshole
>With the blood of nearly fifty ponies on your hands
>And counting
>Don't respond
>"How was I supposed to top that? I had no idea. And you just handed it to me. I think we'll have a good run with this, Bronc"
>Shit
>That isn't what you wanted to hear at all
"Doesn't it seem like this going too far?"
>"I'm not making a children's show here. I want 17 plus million viewers tuning in every week to see just how much of a good girl your girl is going to be"
"That's a bit more personal than I hoped this thing would turn out"
>"Yeah, sorry about that. Would the penthouse take the sting out of that?"
"The penthouse?"
>"Yeah, it's available in your building. Very nice, I've been told"
"You want to move me to the penthouse?"
>"Sure. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Besides, part of the hook for the show is ponies living at a level of luxury unattainable to most people"
"I don't know"
>"Well don't look a gift horse. Sorry. Couldn't resist. At least take a look at it and get back to me."
"Of course I'll take the penthouse. You just caught me off guard with this. With all of this, actually"
>"Great. And don't worry about anything. You two look great on camera, and you'll look even better in the penthouse"
"This is not going to fuck up my... brand?"
>"This is going to double, maybe even triple your appeal. And you're already the Sexiest Stallion in America. Think about that. Hell, I even want to be you"
>That is some serious smoke blown up your ass
>And you know it
 
>Be El Bronco
>With your mare in your apartment
>Where you assume there are cameras rolling
"We're moving to the penthouse"
>"That's a good thing, right master? I can't tell from the tone of your voice"
"It's a larger, nicer apartment."
>"Whose dick are you sucking at the network? I thought sucking dick was my job, not yours"
"They liked the test footage of us"
>"That's hardly a surprise, is it?"
"I was hoping they wouldn't. Though I kind of knew they would. But the angle they like is exactly what I was hoping they wouldn't"
>"What angle?"
"They want to call it 'Yours Truly'"
>"That's so sweet!"
"It's pretty good, isn't it?"
>"Yeah. So what's bothering you?"
"Remember the ride home from the restaurant the other day?"
>She smiles at you
>"Of course I do, master. You were so reluctant to accept my help"
"There was a camera in the van. They got the whole thing. The VP loves it"
>"They can't air THAT, can they?"
"This is the guy who airs pony death matches every week. He'll find a way"
>She looks a little shocked for a second, then brings a hoof up to cover her mouth
>"You're so gonna have to punish me for this, master," she says stifiling a giggle
"For what?"
>Then you realize what
>She's in hysterics, laughing uncontrollably
"It's not funny. That's some incredibly compromising footage"
>"Nothing about that seems compromising to me, master"
"That's because you're such a fucking sub."
>"You say that like it's a bad thing," she says, trying to regain her composure
"No. It's who you are. And a part of you that's growing on me. But for viewers something like that is going to be pretty extreme"
>"Sometimes being a good girl requires going to extremes, and I'm happy to do that for you. But really it was no big deal"
"It was for me, and I would have never let you do that if the situation hadn't been... desperate"
>She smiles at you
>"You don't have to justify it, master. I belong to you. Use me however you like"
"I wasn't brought up the be the kind of stallion who would just use a mare like that. Not one he wasn't paying by the hour, at least"
>"You were brought up in another world. I don't know how much of that applies here. Besides, I'm your Cadilliac - already bought and paid for"
"Yet I'm still conflicted. Apparently that conflict is what viewers are supposedly going to tune in to watch"
>"I don't believe that, master. They'll tune in to see how good we look together"
"And to see just how far you can push me"
"Push you?!," she says indignantly. "If that's what you think is going on here you should take a firmer hoof with me"
>She's got a wicked little gleam in her eye
>You've got her
>You're about to have a penthouse
>And your personal life is much more "interesting" than you'd planned
>And soon it's all going to be very public
>You have no idea how the media is going to react to this
>But you suspect there's going to be a lot of negativity
>You really hope the whole thing is so far over the line that legal kills it
"I'll show you a firm hoof!"
>"I'll believe that when I see it, master"
 
>Be VP
>VP status: assblasted
>You just had it out with legal, and they laid down the law 
>They have no problem with implied sexuality
>Even borderline BDSM stuff
>But they're not going to let you even imply 
>Or even hint at the reality of what went down in the van between Bronc and his mare
>Which is pretty fucking gross
>But kind of amazing
>It really illustrates just how flat out her submission is, as well as his discomfort with it
>And it's him forced into a position where he has to accept it
>You have it
>It's fucking great
>And legal says there's no way you can air it
>You asked them how that could possibly be worse than ponies killing each other
>They'd given you some resistance about that
>PETA still does, and it ends up being like free advertising for the show
>They said that it's because ponies aren't technically animals, so it's not animal cruelty
>They're property, so the rules are different
>So you pressed on about the sex angle
>You could air a documentary that included real horses having sex, why not Equestrian horses?
>They assured you Standards couldn't be convinced
>Because they can talk, and thus can be viewed as stand-ins for people, or some shit like that
>They used the Fritz the Cat movie's X rating as an example
>When you asked them how the fuck a piece of shit cartoon from the 70's applied to your reality show they just walked out of the meeting on you
>Shitstains
>The level they're demanding you sanitize Yours Truly means Joe Sixpack and his couch potato wife won't even get what the show is about
>Not really get it
>Which means it's only going to appeal to hardcore fans of Hippodrome
>And of Bronc himself
>Not that there aren't plenty of those
>But they're ALREADY watching
>The point was to lure new fans in with the Hippodrome Block
>Sure, the wedding thing is going to do that to some degree
>But after that you have a half hour to fill every week
>And derivative Hippodrome shit isn't the way to attract new viewers
>You HAVE the fucking hook, and they're not letting you use it
>AIR it - they're not letting you air it
>You could still use it
>You just have to figure out how to get it out without any way to trace it back to you
>You need a fucking hacker, or someone willing to pose as one
>Is that even a thing in today's surveilence culture?
>Isn't everything tracked these days?
>Can a leaker remain anonymous for any length of time?
>You need to talk to someone younger and more tech savvy than you
>On your personal phone
>Your niece would be a good start
>But you can't just call her
>She's a teenager
>Or maybe even a 20-something now - you're not sure
>But definitely a member of the younger demographic who doesn't answer the phone if they're not expecting a call
>You were ahead of the curve on that
>You text her: "Got a minute to talk today?"
>Then wait
>Luckily her response comes right away: "Have a minute now"
>You call her
"Anna!"
>"Uncle John! How are you?"
"Doing good. You?"
>"You know. Good mostly, a little stressed out, a little bored..."
"Sounds about right. I remember being your age. Lonesome and howling at the moon as well?"
>"Unfortunately"
"Poor thing. Better than settling for less than you deserve"
>"Ew. You know I wouldn't do that"
"Good for you"
>"So what's up?"
"I need some tech help. Discreetly. Can't be you because the link is too close. But there's a Benjamin for you as a finder's fee"
>"Sounds good to me. What do you need?"
"Do you have any anarchist hacker type friends?"
>"No actual friends, but I know some kids like that"
"Could you act as an agent for me with one of them, without letting them know any connection to me?"
>"Sure. What's with the cloak and dagger shit?"
"I need sone stuff leaked. Need to be able to claim it's a hack and there can't be any ties to me"
>"What does the fake hacker get? A Benjamin of their own?"
"Sure."
>"Why are you calling me for this? Don't you have people?"
"Of course I have people. But this is a political move. And my people are also political"
>"You're not looking for a fall guy, Uncle John? I don't feel right setting someone up"
"No Anna. That's the opposite of what I want. I want someone who can leak something - or a few things - invisibly"
>You pause for a second to gather your thoughts
"Fifteen years ago I could have done this easily. A dynamic IP, a couple proxies, no problem. But today? I don't even know if VPNs actually work"
>"You don't even do your own social media, do you?"
"Nope. Probably for the better. PETA is all over my ass"
>"They should be. They're right and you're wrong"
"You're right. And don't think I don't hear plenty of that from Rose. But it's a hit, and if it's any consolation these leaks could be seen as..."
>Pause here for effect
"...damaging to it. So you can feel virtuous if you like. As long as you're insulated from whoever the leaker is. I am paying you, so don't be sloppy"
>"Why are you making political moves against the thing that made your career?"
"Because I've got something even better they're ignoring"
>"So this is vengence? That sems petty of you"
"Do I need to say more than it furthers my goals?"
>"Nope. So lunch at Dimes?"
"You're not over that place yet?"
>"Would you rather it be Candle 79?"
"Dimes it is, then. Tuesday OK?"
>"Perfect. I love you, Uncle John"
"Love you, too"
 
>Be El Bronco
>The move to the penthouse was pretty smooth
>On the second night you embarrassed yourself by waking up to piss and forgetting where you were
>You totally felt old when she got out of bed and led you to the bathroom
>It was dark, so the footage of it won't be usable
>And it's not like you peed on the floor or anything
>Though another few seconds and you probably would have
>And thankfully the way she handled the situation wasn't as extreme as she could have
>You really should cut down on how much your drink before bed
>You're better than you were before she got here
>Way better
>But you still lean on it to get to sleep
>Old habits die hard
>The new place is nice, though
>She loves it
>She's happy to just sit by the window and look out over the city
>She calls it the "big sky view", and got all excited watching a storm blow in
>Obviously she feels completely safe here with you
>Lightning and thunder didn't even spook her
>The idea that it happens randomly and not under pegasus control still kind of makes you uneasy
>It would be so easy for a city this size to have a pegasus weather team
>You're sure sompony has to have suggested it
>Why it hasn't been done is beyond you
>But a lot of the choices humans make are beyond you
>It's like their intention is to make things more difficult and miserable for most of them so a few can have things a little better
>Then again, you can't really bitch about that
>Since you pretty much live off the crumbs of the result 
>In a fucking penthouse, no less
>With a mare of your own
>Who just came through the door with a box from Amazon
>"It came! I'm so excited, master!"
>The collar
>She's been so excited about getting a collar
>You don't get why she wants to wear one when she doesn't HAVE to
>But she was determined to have one for the wedding
>She tears the box apart in seconds
>"Are you gonna put it on me?"
>You secure the collar around her neck, and she runs to a mirror to inspect it
>"Oh yeah! I never want to take it off, master!"
>She sees the skeptical look on your face
>"Really? Tell me it's not totally sexy"
"It's very pretty on you"
>She beams at you
"It's what it's a symbol of that bothers me. In the big picture, you know"
>"There is no big picture, master. All it means is that I'm yours. That's what it shows the world. And it feels so good"
"If it makes you happy I'm cool with it"
>"You know," she begins with a naughty grin, "I'd be happy to wear a bridle with a bit as well"
"Let me get used to the collar, will you?"
>"Does it make you want to fuck me right now?," she asks, lifting her tail at you
>She knows there are cameras rolling, even though a crew is not in the apartment right now
>She just doesn't give a fuck
>And you DO want to fuck her
>Though you don't like footage of doing so becoming network property
>But what does it matter?
>It's not like they don't already have compromising footage of you
>And you know what's swinging between your legs is not going to undercut your sexy image in any way
>Nor will banging a mare as beautiful as her
"Yeah. You're gonna get it right now"
>You're on her in seconds, and in her by the second thrust
>"Pull my collar, master!"
>You oblige
>"Harder, please!," she begs with a constricted voice
>Any harder and you'll be cutting off her airway
>Which, from her reaction to it is exactly what she wants
>You don't feel so good about it, but you pull a little harder
>To be rewarded with her soaking you with her orgasm thirty seconds later
>You ease up on the collar
>She gasps a quick intake of breath
>You keep slamming into her, but after what just happened you're not going to last much longer
>She can feel it as well
>"If you do that again I'll cum with you"
>You don't want to set this as a precident, but you like the idea
>So again you pull her collar tightly
>And feel her react around you
>As she does exactly what she said she would
>When you release the pressure on the collar she's breathing heavily
>"That was really hot, master," she says between breaths as you ease out of her
>It takes a few seconds to recover your senses
>And realize the two of are pretty soaked
>As is the floor where you were standing
>"I'll clean this up," she says looking down. "Then we should shower so we don't totally smell like sex"
"Why not smell like sex? We've got nowhere to be today"
>"I didn't tell you. Sorry, master! Roseluck is coming over in a couple hours to go over flowers for the wedding"
"Then we should definitely shower. Listen. About what just happened"
>"Totally fucking hot, right?"
"Yeah. But isn't this stuff a little... dangerous?"
>"Don't be silly, master. What's the worst that could happen?"
"I could choke you"
>She smiles
>"Which makes me cum really hard and fast. You seemed to like that"
"I do. But isn't there a danger to playing around like this?"
>"You could knock me out. So what? I'm out for like, 10 seconds, then I'm back. As long as you decide to let me come back"
"You're sure about that?"
>"Been through it plenty of times. No big deal"
"That can't be good for you"
>"I almost always cum before I'm anywhere near that happening. So it's only a risk if you wanted to push things in that direction"
"I don't"
>"Your call, master. You can if you want to"
"I don't"
>"Just knowing that you could is enough for me," she says with a really lusty look
>Which isn't any kind of surprise, but it's still a little disturbing
>All the more so because this conversation was just caught on camera
>You weren't thinking about that
>Shit
>She adds: "Not that my life isn't always in your hooves already. You know that"
 
>Be El Bronco
>A little uncomfortable with Roseluck in your penthouse full of cameras
>But the girls are hanging together going over flowers for the wedding
>You caught a little of it
>You lked the idea of the table arangements being part of the appetizers
>A human wouldn't think of that, to be sure
>"Master, let's show Rose the view from the bedroom"
>You don't like the sound of that, but follow the girls in that direction
>When you're all in the bedroom she shuts the door
>"No cameras in here," she whispers
"Allegedly"
>"Did you know Rose is a fan? Not of Hippodrome, but of your work in Equestria?"
"Yeah. she told me when we met before"
>Rose is blushing
>"That first record," she begings, "was literally the soundtrack to me coming of age"
>You smile
"Haven't heard that in a while. Those were good times"
>You've played that record for your girl, and she proclaimed it genius
>But you could tell she really didn't get it
>She obviously didn't grow up with music the way ponies did in Equestria
>And doesn't seem to have much interest in it
>Now she's squirming around impatiently
>"She's hot for you, master. You should fuck her," she says brightly
>Now Rose is blushing really hard
"Not the jealous type, are you?"
>"I'm confident about where I stand with you. And it would be really hot to watch you rut her. And she's into it"
"It would be hot, but it's a non-starter, I'm afraid. Rose can tell you why"
>Rose gives you a pleading look
"Oh, come on. You know I have a lot more to lose here than you do"
>"At the moment you're the goose that lays the golden eggs," Rose says hopefully. "You probably have more leeway than you think"
"Your master is the VP"
>"He has a name. It's John"
"I don't care what his name is. He took mine away. To me he's the VP. And we're in a place full of his cameras. He knows you're here, and..."
>How do you say this?
>And how the fuck do you pass on this?!
>You had taken it as a given that any extracuricrular activities would have to be discreet
>So as not to stomp on your little mare's heart
>Without realizing she might not only be cool with it, but encouraging
>That's something really good to know
>But it's put you in an awful situation where you have to turn down an opportunity - and a sweet one at that
>A mare who remembers your life before you were El Bronco
>And probably grew up fantasizing about you
"I love this little conspiracy you two have cooked up. And I'd like nothing more than to oblige. But he specifically told me not to"
>Rose looks a little shocked
"He knows you have a crush on me, Rose. He flat out told me so. And he flat out told me that if I want to stay in the network's good graces..."
"I should stay out of... yours. And now you're in my bedroom and he knows it, or will very soon. Not the situation I want to be in. Sorry. I really am"
>You said that louder than a whisper, knowing an open mic nearby would probably pick it up
>You open the bedroom door and walk out on two surprised and disappointed mares
>DAMMIT!
>No stallion in his right mind walks away from a situation like that
>Maybe one like Vidal, but that sure as hell isn't you
>But you have to keep that asshole VP happy or all this could come crashing down
>As sweet as it would to fuck his mare
>Even just out of spite, though she's super cute and super into you - it would be more than that
>But the spite part alone would be delicious
>And he's put you in a situation where you have to pass
>Shit
>He knew she was coming here
>He set this up just to fuck with you
>Just to put you in this situation with the cameras rolling
>Knowing however things went down it would suck for you, and could be edited into drama
>You should go right back in there and bang the shit out of her
>Or drag her out here and do it right in front of the cameras
>After letting her worship your cock for a while
>But the truth is you have way too much to lose
>So you pour yourself a drink instead
"You're a fucking asshole," you say to the nearest camera
 
>Be VP
>In development meeting for your new pet project
>Being told things you don't want to hear by beardy creatives
>Beard #1: "We've got three short segments edited that fit with your vision, but there's no way Standards will let us air them"
>Beard #2: "And the surveillance footage didn't turn out as good as we were hoping, as far as production values are concerned"
>Beard #1: "Unfortunately. Static shots are tough to watch for more than 30 seconds, and audio quality is poor enough to require subtitles"
>Beard #2: "If you want this to be anything more than an occasional segment on the Block you need have the camera crew there a lot more"
>Beard #1: "And if we're going to do that we need another vision for this thing"
>Beard #2: "They both look great on camera, but without the psychosexual angle there isn't much going on there"
>Beard #1: "He's right. Take the sex out of their life and it's actually pretty boring"
>Beard #2: "The novelty of ponies living that lifestyle could carry us through a few segments, but there's not a lot of meat on those bones"
"Look, I didn't conceive of this as a big thing. Not at first. I just thought it might be entertaining to be a fly on the wall when the sexiest stallion has his hot young girlfriend move in"
>Beard #2 responds, "So it was just meant to be voyuerism?"
"With the added spice of living the high life, his alcoholism and her tragic past"
>"The alcoholism," Beard #1 says, "doesn't seem to be as much of a thing as we thought"
"She's moderated him. He was going through A LOT more bourbon a week before she got there"
>"Too bad," Beard #2 adds, "We can air footage of him drunk. The 'has it all but still miserable celeb' would have been something, at least"
"Congrats, guys. you just walked through the original vision for this thing. Before I knew they had a 50 shades of grey thing going on"
>Beard #1 shakes his head. "50 shades is a GREAT angle, but they're not going to let us use it"
"I pay you guys to find creative ways around what they won't let us do"
>"There just isn't much to work with," Beard #2 responds. "Edit out the sex and things we can't imply and we're left with just a few..."
>"Very short, poor quality clips," Beard #1 finishes for him. "Look, John, I wish I had better for you, but here's the best we've got"
>He turns his laptop toward you and plays a video
>Bronc is sitting over by the window as an offscreen female voice calls out, "It came, master! I'm so excited!"
"The audio is pretty poor"
>"And we cleaned it up in post," Beard #1 replies. "That's as good as it going to get"
>On the screen she's come into view opening a box, from which she produces something... it's a collar
>You watch Bronc put it on her, and she runs over to a wall on the far side of the shot to look in the mirror
>Their dialog is tough to make out
>Fuck, it will need subtitles
>This is what you get for indulging in a vanity project on the strength of your hit show
>She raises her tail to him and there's the edit
"We can at least get away with the tail lifting bit?"
>"Pretty sure that's as racy as we can go," says Beard #2
>The footage continues with them both breathing heavily, standing where she was when she lifted her tail
>You can just about make out what looks like a wet spot on the floor
>"Let me pause it for a sec," Beard #1 asks. "I think the dialog here is exactly what you're looking for"
>He reaches into his backpack, pulls out a folder and hands you a sheet of paper from it
>"Here's a hard copy so you can follow along"
>He resumes playback as you try to read and watch at the same time
>Bronc is concerned over what was obviously breathplay during sex
>She's blase, like being choked out is nothing
>She even seems blase about whether or not she regains consciousness after
>Telling him she likes her life beinf in his hooves
"This is the fucked up shit I was looking for. This is what I'm talking about. THIS is compelling!"
>"Demn right it is," Beard #1 replies "But none of that would make it past the censor, and you know it"
>"And even if it could," Beard #2 replies, "Would you air it with THOSE production values?"
>No, you wouldn't
>The tekkies told you it would look better than surveillance camera video - this was better than surveillance gear
>But that's exactly what it looks like
>With sound quality to match
>And as much as you feel like this ought to be your Orson Welles moment you don't want to go down the way he did
"Fuck. We've got to pivot on this. I'm not in a position tobe the next How much good quality vanilla stuff do we have?"
>"About 25 hours," Beard #1 replies. "I'll get an editor on it right away, but there might not be much there"
"Get me something that keeps me from pulling the plug on this. Take a week. Now what about the wedding?"
>"On track there," Beard #2 replies. 
"That's what I like to hear. And the past winners follow up segments?"
>"Those have been more... problematic," Beard #2 says, "We had to get a little creative, but they're on track"
"What did you have to get creative about?"
>"Well," Beard #2 replies, "of the 44 winning contestents nine have committed suicide..."
"Fuck. I assume a lid is being kept on that"
>"It's not a news story yet. It gets worse before it gets better, though," he continues. "We're guessing about 20 got asylum in Canada"
"Fuck Canada! Those pussies won't even AIR the show"
>"Not a slave state," he replies. "So of the remaining 15 nine agreed to work with us"
"That's a lot if ingrates. We got nine good stories, at least?"
>"They are now," Beard #1 chirps in. "Their lives required some propping up and scripting. We even created a romance"
"Nice work. Expensive?"
>"Not cheap," Beard #1 answers. "We're looking to be just over projected budget. If you decide to limit the scope of the reality thing with Bronc we could be on or under budget"
"That might leave us a little strapped for content"
"We'll make it to the end of this season with what we have in the works - we can stretch the romance out," Beard #2 says confidently. 
"Flying by the seats of our pants, but hitting the new target demo. Nice. And then it's on me"
"If it's the success we think it could be," Beard #1 answers, "We'll need to go into overdrive on content creation by the end of this season"
"I'm counting on it. So you'll have some vanilla clips of Yours Truly from the better production values stuff for me next week?"
>Both beards nod
"Good. And send me the unedited version of the scene you played me today. Like, today"
>"Sure," Beard #1 replies. "Tough to let it go, huh?"
"I know there's a hit there. They're just not going to let me make it. So you guys show me what else we can make out of it"
>"On it," Beard #1 replies
"Oh, also... later that day my mare Rose swung by. Anything interesting in that footage?"
>"She looked great on camera," Beard #2 says
>"She definitely looked great on camera," Beard #1 echoes. "But the only juicy bit was an outburst from Bronc. It's on my laptop if you want to see it"
"Why not?," you say as nonchalantly as you can muster
>"We were thinking of using it as a reaction clip," Beard #2 says as #1 fiddles with his keyboard. "Censored, of course"
>The screen shows three ponies going into the bedroom to 'see the view'
>The door closes behind them
>Suggestive
>Not even 20 seconds later Bronc comes busting out, after some muffled unintelligeable speech
>He runs to the bar set up in the living room and pours himself four fingers of bourbon
>Knocks it back in two sips, looking wild and right at the camera, and says, "You fucking asshole!"
>Nice
"Yeah, use that as a reaction clip wherever you like."
>"You know," Beard #2 says cautiously, "This thing might have been easier to salvage if we'd kept the foal"
"That's done. My mistake. Don't bring it up again. Good meeting"
>You have a backdoor Welles never had
>And you live in a world where nagative publicity has only worked for you
 
>Be VP
>At Dimes with your neiece, Anna
>"The farro risotto is vegan, right?," she asks the server
>"The farro is vegan, the farro risotto is vegetarian," the server replies
>"Fuck it," she says. "I'll go with the risotto"
"Not vegan this week?"
>"Vegetarian, as usual, but still trying to do better"
"And I'll have the meatballs," you say to the server
>"Anything to drink?," the server asks
>Anna looks at you hopefully
>You know she'd love you to order wine
>Of course she would - she's underage and rarely gets to have it
>But this lunch and one of the Benjamins in your wallet are as far as you're going to be indulging her today
>Besides, you have to get back to work after this
>Experience has taught you that a glass or two with lunch pretty much shoots the rest of the day to hell
>And you've got shit to do
"Water is fine"
>She gives you a little pout
"So how's school?"
>"Almost done with high school. Glad to be done with it. Looking forward to and intimidated by college"
"I hear you. It's probably going to be more fun and more stress than you've had up until now in your life"
>"That's what I figure it'll be, but not looking forward to the stressful parts"
"You'll probably have a few crises, but come out fine overall. Definitely gonna hafta pull some all nighters"
>"What makes you say that?"
"Lack of discipline. The whole point of college is to get you to show up on time of your own volition, and think and manage your workload in a disciplined way"
>"You think I'm undisciplined?"
"Not like it's your falut. You've just never HAD to be disciplined, so you're not experienced in behaving that way"
>"I don't know. Mr Cipriani's history class last year would have kicked my ass if I'd let it. And I didn't"
"If you're lucky most of your classes will be like that in college, and you'll rise to the challenge. And hopefully party a bit"
>"That's a given"
"Just watch the drinking. You'll be a freshman, which means you're fresh meat"
>"I think things are a little less drinky than when you went to school. And less rapey. But I'm not stupid. The bigger challenge is going to be finding a girlfriend who isn't crazy"
"Half the girls in college are lesbians until they graduate. And they're all crazy - no way around that"
>She rolls her eyes
>"You're a fossil. You know that?"
"You'll see. And I think I'm right in line with the zietgiest."
>"If you're not working to move things forward you're being left behind"
"Speaking of which," you say, reaching in your pocket for the thumb drive and couple c-notes, "Take this"
>You hand the drive and $200 to her
>"Where is this supposed to end up?"
"Exactly where you'd want it to. Abolitionist organizations, PETA... Take your pick. It's dirt on Hippodrome. You know who would love to have it"
>"I don't get why you're doing this. Have you suddenly grown a conscience?"
"What do you mean?"
>"You've profited from the deaths of dozens of ponies. Made a sport of it. Yet I know you love Rose. Is the cognative dissonance finally getting to you?"
"Not even in college yet, and you're already talking like a college student."
>"Don't be condescending"
"I meant it as a compliment. The thing your generation doesn't seem to get is that your personal life and politics can be two different worlds"
>"You believe that?"
"You can marry an immigrant but still believe in tight border control. You can be an observant Jew and still be critical of Israel"
>You wind up for the punchline
"You can believe all men - and women - are created equal while still using the fact that you're the tallest white guy in the room to your advantage"
>Here it comes
"You can love a pony and still believe the government has no right to stop a man from buying a horse"
>"Apples and oranges. You'd be in a lot of trouble if you treated horses they way you treat Equestrian ponies on Hippodrome"
"For giving them a shot a freedom in the land of the free?"
>"You don't even believe that. You wouldn't say that in front of Rose, would you?"
"I'd be respectful of her feelings on the matter, you know that"
>"The only reason I don't think you're a monster is because I know how you are with her"
"But I wouldn't even have the chance to be that way with her if I hadn't BOUGHT her"
>"And you don't think that's fucked up?"
"It's how things are. Half your clothes were made by child labor in Southeast Asian sweatshops. Does that mean you should walk around naked?"
>"I would if I could"
"Of course you would. I'll keep dealing with how things ARE. You can keep working on changing things."
>"So is this," she holds up the thumb drive, "going to help change things?"
"It might. In the short term Hippodrome is Teflon. Nothing bad sticks to it. All press is good press"
>"So I'm helping you further a cause I'm dead set against? You're buying me pretty cheap for lunch and $100"
"In the long term it may bring more people to your way of thinking. The short term matters to me and the long term matters to you. It's a win-win"
>She sighs
>"Well I hope you're right."
>She gives you a sly smile
>"I still can't believe Aunt Cynthia is cool with you and Rose"
"She started it! She's the one who was drooling over stallions for so long we finally had to get her one. Rose was just a lucky side effect of that"
>"Was Hippodrome, too?"
"What do you mean?"
>"Your wife wants a stallion, and suddenly you have the idea for a show featuring pony bloodsport. Coincidence, or so much for your personal life and politics being different worlds?"
"Shit. I never thought about that. I guess you never know where inspiration is gonna come from. Certainly hadn't thought much about ponies until then"
>"And you found a way to take out your anger on all of ponykind"
"Come on. Don't talk like one of them. That's worse than a white guy with dreads talking in hip hop slang"
>"But you get my point?"
>Thankfully your server arrives with your orders 
>Ending a conversation that was getting pretty awkward
>Between bites you add:
"June 24, by the way. That's when this has to go down. Right after we air the wedding. And there can't be any way to link it to either of us. Legal is gonna go into overdrive over this"
>"I'm not stupid. I get it. This is technically illegal, blah, blah, blah, internet. None of this would interest the NSA or FBI, would it?"
"I'd be really fucking surprised. But whoever exploits it will get slapped with a C&D immediately"
>"Paper tigers?"
"And an internal investigation at the network. It's untraceable on my end. Keep it that way on yours"
>"Cool"
>Being the most controversial show on the air rocketed Hippodrome to the top of the ratings
>You know the Hippodrome block is going to be toothless, vanilla filler
>But hopefully this will assure it will be equally controversial
 
>Be Roseluck
>Thinking about Perfect Pitch
>You can't watch him on TV, where he's been renamed El Bronco
>The moustache is a bit much
>And what he does on the show is horrible beyond words
>It's not his fault, though
>It's John's
>He created it
>He transformed Perfect Pitch into El Bronco
>Part of you hates him for it
>How could you not?
>But you're torn
>Because you know he loves you
>He's given you a good life
>He funded your business for two years until it was profitable
>As his star was rising at the network
>How it rose - by convincing them to get behind a vile, horrific concept for a hit show - makes you cringe
>And in doing it he took one of your favorite artists from Equestria and turned him into the face of it
>That's probably your fault
>You asked him to find a copy of that record
>And you played it for him
>That's how he even knew who Perfect Pitch was in the first place
>Part of you wishes you'd never done that
>Though Perfect has it pretty good in spite of it all
>John is a lot of things, not all of them pleasant
>Sometimes intentionnaly unpleasant to get what he wants
>But he is generous
>You've been to Perfect's place
>He's set up very nicely
>As nicely as you are
>Even has a mare of his own
>What a piece of work she is!
>Poor little traumatized thing
>You know the script she's working off
>Yes, master. No, master. You lived it when you first got here
>But that was a matter of survival, and thankfully is was for just a little while
>In her case it's internalized - that's her identity
>Which is really disturbing
>Seeing her total acceptance and submission to her situation
>Not that you wouldn't mind sumbitting to Perfect Pitch!
>She told you she had his foal in her, then it was cut out
>She said it like it was nothing
>If his foal were in you you'd fight to the death to protect it
>The two of you are very different mares
>The filly-like way she said, "I think you should fuck her" still haunts you
>You can't imagine ever saying that to your stallion about another mare
>She said it like she was suggesting going out for ice cream
>It turned you on, though, even if it was incredibly fucked up
>So you're still a little jealous of her
>Because she gets to be with him
>You wouldn't want to BE her - you can tell she's been through some serious shit
>But you'd love to trade places with her for a while, so you can be with him
>Of course you don't HAVE to trade places with her to be with him - she's willing to share
>But once again it comes back to John
>He knows, and disapproves. And has obviously warned Perfect Pitch to stay away from you
>And he's got all of you wrapped around his finger, because he calls the shots
>Perfect Pitch's foal in you is exactly what he doesn't want
>The man's wife already has a smug stallion who walks around like he's some kind of super stud because he gets to service a woman
>It would break his heart if you started a thing with your fillyhood crush
>Then why does he keep that crush within your reach?
>It's cruel to everypony involved, and it's cruel to himself as well
>Because he has to know sooner or later nature is going to overcome the fear he inspires
>Is that it?
>This is just a test of his control over the situation?
>He does control the situation, in that quite a few pony lives depend on his benevolance
>Yours included
>And he loves you, in his own fucked up way
>You can't honestly say you love him back
>But you dishonestly say it all the time, because he needs to hear it
>You hate yourself for that
>It's not that you don't have feelings for him
>He treats you very well, and honestly cares about your happiness and opinions
>When he has no reason to beyond the fact that he adores you
>Which is funny, because the best you can figure is that he bought you to spite his wife
>Then proceeded to fall head over heels for you, like you were his first crush
>Even the sex - you're ashamed that you've actually come to enjoy that, especially when you're in heat
>Though you still think it's perverted to enjoy sex with another species
>You've become that kind of pervert - not that you had any choice in the matter
>But you still yearn for the touch of your own kind
>And you've obviously done a poor job of hiding that from John
>With the sinking feeling of doing something reckless and stupid you place a call
>"Fox television," the voice on the other end answers
>You were expecting to have to wrestle with voicemail
"Could you put me through to Vidal in make up, please?"
>"Vidal... Vidal... Hippodrome set?"
"That's him"
>"Transferring you now"
>Your heart is racing
>The phone rings and rings without an answer
>You don't leave a message
>This is probably for the best, you decide
>But you're pretty sure this is going to go down sooner or later
>And you're terrified of how John will react
 
>Be El Bronco
>In Vidal's chair before going on air
"Yeah, by Equestrian standards it's totally fucked up. But she's been very good for me, regardless"
>"Then I'm very happy for you and Little Miss Superfreak. Soon to be Mrs Superfreak"
>You sigh
>And a voice from the doorway behind you adds, "Glad to hear things are working out so well"
>The VP!
>What is he doing down here practically on set?
>"What brings you down here?," Vidal asks. "I thought these days you only travel up to the c-suite, and everypony else comes to you. This air can't be rarefied enough for you now"
>He smiles, shaking his head at the pink stallion
>"There is no air more rarefied than that which the talent breathes. All the talent"
>Vidal shifts on his hooves, rustling his wings slightly, obviously flattered
>"Still as smooth a talker as ever, I see," the stallion responds flirtatiously
>The VP runs a hand through Vidal's mane
>Vidal tries to pretend he doesn't like it, but fails
>"Aw...," he says. "Don't mess with the mane!"
>To you the VP asks: "And the penthouse is to your liking as well?"
"Liking? She LOVES it! Especially watching storms roll in. Thank you. Though if I'm being honest I'm getting tired of living in a fishbowl"
>"I'm pulling the plug on the fishbowl."
"Really?!"
>"I put my two best creatives on it and they couldn't come up with a way to get it past Standards. The idea is gold, but I can only spend network money on stuff the network can air"
>You want to get up and dance, but you stay in Vidal's chair
"Of course.. you know, if you need filler I could do some music"
>"Tested that to death," the VP responds. "If there were an angle there I'd have found it. If I could have turned you into the pony Lawrence Welk I would have"
"Lawrence Welk was cheesy"
>"Or the Monkees, or whatever."
"I'd have been happy to have been a one hit wonder"
>"To American ears pony music is cheesy. Even Dr Luke passed on trying to make something out of you, and we offered him half the publishing"
>You remember
>He was the LA hitmaker whose music sounded almost Equestrian sometimes
>You thought he was a lock for establishing a music career here
>And he passed on you along with a deal that would have been unthinkably in his favor back home
>But here it was just a pass
>And it stung
>And he was one of many producers who took a pass
>You told yourself it was just the difference between human and pony tastes
>But you know the industry
>It's possible to be ageless, but only if you establish yourself when you still have coltish good looks
>And by the time you got here you were past that point
>Your success in Equestria didn't mean anything here
>Couldn't even get you the position of a judge on one of those signing competition shows
>Because it turns out Americans were nowhere near ready to watch a pony judge their fellows on national TV
>"No one bats 1000," the VP continues. "Sometimes you have great ideas, great talent, but the timing is totally wrong so you have to walk away or make lemonade"
"And this time it is?"
>"Some weak ass lemonade. But I think the wedding is gonna do what we need as far as female viewers are concerned - if only because they're jealous"
>You don't know how to deal with that
>Being a sex symbol is something you used to be cool with
>Back when it was mares and the occasional queer stallion drooling over you
>But knowing there are thousands - millions?! - of women probably fantasizing about you?
>That creeps you out
"So your fascination with the details of my personal life has come to an end?"
>"It was never personal, Bronc. I know gold when I see it. But I work for the network, so I can't pour resources into something the we can't air"
"Sending Rose over felt personal. Like you were testing me"
>You probably shouldn't have gone there, but you just did anyways
>Fuck
>"The wedding is a big business opportunity for her. But you're sounding like you lost your tinfoil hat"
"You set me up in an apartment with microphones and surveillance cameras, then mock me for being paranoid?"
>"You're right. If it had been a test you would have passed. But it wasn't. The cameras are gonna be removed, and I'm having all the sensitive footage deleted"
>This is better than you could have hoped for
"Really?"
>"Out of respect for your privacy. But it's also dynamite, and if the network can't use it I don't want it just lying around"
>That's a relief
>You know the cameras captured some compromising stuff
>"Not to mention the production values. It just looks fucking creepy"
>That's probably closer to the truth
"It was creepy to live through it. Glad we're done with that. Tell me, why did you accept the VP position when you still want to be a creative?"
>You remember when you thought of him as John the Executive Producer, not the VP
>He's still credited as Producer on the show
>He smiles at you
>"More money than I could walk away from. And I'd hoped the extra weight behind my name would make it easier to get good ideas realized"
"And?"
>"Turns out I'm so swamped I don't have the time to come up with good ideas. Or at least ones I can actually use"
"I hear that. Like trying to write your next album when you're burned out on tour"
>"You miss it, still," he says sympathetically
"If advertizers targed ponies..."
>"They'd be trying to sell you whatever the pony equivalent of menthol cigarettes, malt liquor and Jheri curl is"
"Of course it would be exploitative to some degree. But it would be ours"
>"If ponies were a market demographic... Yeah, I know. You think I haven't spent a lot of time fantasizing about starting up a ponycentric channel?"
>That sounds really hopeful
>And it's obviously showing on your face, because he frowns at you
>"We could do it. It would be a hit among pony viewers, maybe even in Equestria, too. But there's zero money in it. Zero. As in non-starter"
>"Can I make an observation?," Vidal asks
>"Listening," the VP responds
>"I've been reading your history," Vidal begins, "and the big threat - the boogeyman in your previous slave times - was the black man going to fuck up the white man's status quo. Still kinda is"
>"Losing interest," the VP responds
>"What about this?," Vidal continues. "Now your women have fought for and nearly gained almost equal footing. And they suddenly have to compete against mares"
>"So?" the VP answers
>"The mare is the forbidden fruit, to the woman's outrage. YOU of all people have to understand that," Vidal says in a huffy tone you can't believe he's using
"Mares have it over women when it comes to the femenine ideal. We're not supposed to say it, but it's pretty obvious"
>"My point exactly," Vidal responds. "It's not stallions who are a threat to the paradighm. It's mares"
>The VP nods, and is quiet for a moment
>"So a lot of mare centered programming not just to attract mares, but the men fascinated with them?! Shit, I wish there were money in this. You'd be part of the team. Double threat"
>"Double threat?," Vidal asks tentatively
>"Co-producer and stylist," the VP responds. "Shit. It would be the opposite of Hippodrome. Instead of working to lure female viewers..."
>You can practically see the gears turning in his mind
>"Just center the programming around mares, and the men ages 18-45 won't be able to resist tuning in! You know our highest rated episodes have been marefights?"
>"Tells you something, doesn't it?," Vidal responds
>"Yeah. Pony programming shouldn't try to entice women. It should threaten them on a subliminal level. You guys have given me something to chew on. Good meeting"
>He abruptly walks out of the room
"I don't know how good that actually was," you whisper to Vidal
>"Almost anything would be better than what we're doing now," he responds
 
>Be Mare
>You think it's silly that you're not supposed to see your betrothed before the ceremony
>Even though you woke up together this morning, had sex and breakfast before comeing here
>But he has to wait in a room behind the stage where the ceremony is going to happen
>While you wait on the other side of the venue, so you can walk towards him, past where the guests are slowly now taking their seats
>You did a dry run yesterday, so you know everything you're supposed to do
>It's a little silly, but exciting
>The "I do" and the token kiss
>Being the center of attention with this many people and ponies around should make you nerveous
>But you think it's actually easier than just being a guest at a party like this
>Because you have a very specific role to play, and that's all you have to do
>It isn't all that difficult
>But waiting around for things to start sucks
>And everything is pretty tightly scheduled - you have a half hour of waiting to go
>Ten minutes before go time Vidal will come by to touch up your mane, if need be
>Yesterday he pronounced it "perfect as is", which made you proud
>You've always taken pride in the effort you put into your appearance
>So the approval of the pink stallion meant something, especially in light of the esteem master holds him in
>Thankfully being stuck alone in this stupid room comes to an end when Roseluck enters the room
"I peeked out at the flowers - they look beautiful"
>"Thank you," she replies. "How are you? Nerveous?"
"More excited, actually. This is the first party I've been to. And the first wedding"
>"Really?"
"Yeah. You could say my life has been anything but sheltered, but in a lot of ways it was"
>"So are you holding up OK?"
"I'm not so good at waiting. Being here with nothing to do knowing everything is about to happen and I just have to wait?"
>"Well you only have half an hour to kill, then I'm sure everything will be one big blur"
"I just wish I had something to do to make it go by faster"
>It hits you
>There IS something you can do
>Something that will make your master happy
>And keep you busy for just about half an hour
>Something really naughty
>But this is your party, isn't it?
>You should be allowed to be naughty here
"I just thought of something. You up for a little intrigue?"
>She looks at you suspiciously
>"I don't know. What are you thinking?"
"Now is your chance. He's just waiting like I am, right? You could go and... give him something to do!"
>She blushes
>"You want me to have sex with your soon to be husband half an hour before he's marrying you?"
"Come on. You know this is just for TV. And you know you want to do it"
>"Why do YOU want me to do it?"
"It'll be exciting. And it'll make him happy. You can give him something I can't"
>"What's that?"
"You're a fan of his work back in Equestria. I was born here. I can't pretend it's all that meaningful to me beyond it being something he did"
>You pause to gather your thoughts
"But you don't have to pretend. I adore him because I get to have a master who is a handsome, smart, sexy and talented stallion. He's my dream come true. But you?"
>You pause for effect this time
"You adore him because of who he was in Equestria. That's something special, and I know it means a lot to him"
>"But how can you be so casual about sharing him with me?"
"It isn't sharing. He owns me, for all practical purposes, at least. You're no threat to that, nor is any other mare"
>"I can't imagine thinking that way, but I get it, I guess"
"You grew up free. I didn't. Being his is the closest I've had to freedom - as close as I want or need"
>"Well that's very... generous of you. But I ought to pass. John is here, and how he'd react is not a given. It could be bad"
"Send him in. I'll distract him"
>"You'll what?"
"I'll take care of him. Suck his dick. That'd keep him occupied for a little while if I do a half-assed job of it"
>"How can you be so casual about THAT?"
>You smile at her
>For a mare who is older than you and has obviously been through some shit to be here she seems so naive
"Sucking a man's dick?"
>You laugh
"You've done it, right?"
>"Of course I have. But it's not something I'm casual about"
>Casual
>Like it's a choice, most of the time?
>Maybe it is for her
>Rarely has been for you
>Though this would be one of those times
>For a good cause
"I grew up working in a brothel. Doing it several times a day. It's hardly a big deal to me"
>"You grew up in a brothel?"
"Spent my fillyhood there, then a little bit of my young marehood at another one"
>"So you were doing that to men when you were a filly?"
"Every day. It's no big deal. One more is going to matter one way or another"
>Now Rose looks horrified
>"You poor thing! I can't imagine what that was like"
"A lot of sex with a lot of men, basically. A lot of cleaning yourself up in between. And some chores. But I had friends there, so it was OK"
>She gives you a pitying look which you don't like at all
"If you're wondering the answer is yes. It left a mark. But I'm happy now, and I wasn't exactly miserable then. You learn to deal with it"
>Rose shakes her head
>"So you want to blow my master so I can fuck yours?"
"He won't be thinking about you guys doing it while I'm doing him. It'll work. And it'll kill half an hour!"
>"And you're doing this just to make Perfect Pitch happy?"
"That's the main reason. But I know it means something to you, too. And I'd like us to be friends"
>"You're unbelievable. But yes, I'd like us to be friends, too"
>You hug her, and she hugs you right back
"Us ponies have to stick together"
>"You give that a whole new meaning," she says, smiling at you
>That makes you feel really good
>Rose is nice
>A good friend to have
"Well. Go tell John I need to talk to him. Then go surprise Br... um, Perfect Pitch."
>"Thank you," she says, and walks out the door, leaving you alone
>You can't wait to see how master reacts to this
>Just seeing him standing there waiting for you with that goofy after sex look on his face
>As you walk down the aisle
>Wearing the collar that shows the world you belong to him
>This is gonna be great!
>You hear the VP's voice before he even enters the room
>"Rose said you needed to talk to me? I hope everything is OK"
>You can tell he's a little stressed about things going perfectly
"Everything couldn't be better. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
>He looks confused
"I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me."
>His confused look gives way to a smile
>"Honestly I was doing it for Bronc. He's helped make a lot of money for the network. He deserved a reward"
"In the process of rewarding him you made my dreams come true," you say, nuzzling up to him
"And I'd like to thank you for that"
>"You're quite welcome," he replies
"But I haven't thanked you yet," you say, resting a hoof on his crotch
>He looks you, then at the door
>"No lock on this door," he observes
"There's a bathroom right down the hall. Follow me"
>He does, looking to make sure no one sees you
>Once in the bathroom he shuts and locks the door and unzpis his pants
"Now let me give you a proper thank you"
>He responds with a hand on your mane, pushing you onto him
>Ten minutes later you're peeking out the door
>A little ashamed of yourself for giving him such a shit blowjob when you could have made him cum in less than five
>You used to be proud of the fact that few men could last more than three minutes like that with you
>Even if Snowdrop never believed you could
>Shit! Your friends might be here today
>You hope they were able to get here
>Maybe you'll take a little peek at the crowd to see if you can spot any of them
>Right now you've got to sneak out of this bathroom, away from the relaxed looking VP
>He didn't seem to mind the lazy blowjob one bit
>He seems quite happy about it
>Good
>Let him be the one wondering whether he's crossed some kind of line
>So he doesn't suspect that Master and Rose have probably just finished doing exactly that
>Which is hot
"Coast is clear. I'll go out first."
>"You're welcome"
>You shoot him a quick smile and beat it back to the room you're supposed to be waiting in
>Only to find a pink stallion with a makeup case waiting for you there
>"Oh honey, you're here just in time," he says, then whispers, "Your mane could use just a little work"
>And ten minutes later you're walking down the aisle past the guests, who stand as you approach and the music plays
>Drones flying above you as you walk toward him
>And he's got that dopey look in his eyes
>That only makes him more handsome
>As you finally take your place next to him he whispers, "I can't believe you!"
"Happy?"
 
 
>Be Juan Pablo
>Today you have to co-host with a mare whose name is Ada-Maria
>What it with the VP and his love of Spanish names for ponies on TV?
>You looked into it a little and thought it had something to do with American cowboy culture
>And how Mexican cowboy culture interacted with it along the border states
>But you suspect it goes deeper than that, and it's probably vagely racist somehow
>But there she is
>So-called Ada-Maria - a beautiful mare by any standard, a little younger than you
>A redhead - no surprise - John seems to have a thing for them
>Yellow coat - inscrutable cutie mark
>This oughtta be interesting
>As you approach the green screen she says, "Mighty pleased to be working with you, J.P."
>Nopony calls you that
"Ada-Maria, right?," you respond. "You cover all the girly perspective, I'll push the narrative forward, stay out of my way and we'll be done in fifteen minutes as planned"
>"On it!," she responds
"And call me Juan on camera. Nopony calls me J.P. You're used to being on camera?"
>She gives you a disappointed look
>"Pony Time?"
"Oh, that's you. Sorry. I don't really watch TV"
>It's a popular children's show, which means she'll be familiar to any parents of young children watching
>Ponies having tea parties and shit with human kids
>For every little girl who wants a pony but can't afford one
>Which is most little girls
>"If I worked on Hippodrome I wouldn't watch TV either. I'll bring a more... gentle touch to this coverage"
"Great. You're exactly what I need then"
>She smiles
>You'd do her
>Honestly she's like an 8.5/10
>You'll look good together on the cut away shots
>If there are any - the producer is going to make that decision in realtime, so you have to be ready
>If she doesn't fuck this up maybe you'll make a move on her afterwards
>According to the monitor in front of you there's less than a minute to air
>And just a single camera on you
"Looks like it's go time. You ready?"
>"You bet," she responds
"Ladies and gentlemen, fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to A Very Pony Wedding on the Hippodrome Block. I'm your annopuncer Juan Pablo, and here next to me is Ada-Maria from Pony Time"
>"Thanks, Juan. The ceremony is just moments from starting, the guests are being seated and things couldn't look more beautiful"
"And there's our groom, El Bronco, defying the cliche of the nerveous husband to be"
>"You got that right. He couldn't look more relaxed"
"There are quite a few celebrities among the gathered here as well. There's William Shatner!"
>"Behind him you can see Patton Oswalt and Weird Al Yankovic"
"Does he still go by Weird Al?"
>"Pretty sure he does. And there's Jon DeLancie from Star Trek."
"Two Star Trek actors. Were they ever in an episode together?"
>"They were in different iterations of the show, I think. Not much of a Trekkie myself, though"
"Both played great roles, I can tell you that. And there's Roseluck, the mare responsible for the flowers, including the edible arrangements"
>"I saw you hovering by catering earlier trying to pilfer one"
"I just picked off a few nasturtiums, and they were delicious"
>"With the music starting up we get our first glimpse of our bride"
"She opted not to go with a dress, just a collar I see"
>"Times have changed. Mares don't really wear dresses anymore. Accessories are everything, and the must have is a collar"
"She looks great in it. And I'm told it's from Neighborhood Stylez, the top pony fashion house"
>"Also a sponsor of this broadcast. I expect they're going to be selling a lot of those after the way she's wearing it"
"Simple and classic is a great way to go"
>"Especially when you're that beautiful"
"You would know, Ada-Maria"
>"OK, bride and groom are togetherin front of the guests"
"I think she just asked him if he was happy"
>"They both look so happy."
>This is going well
>The two of you have a pretty easy rapport
>Your on air flattery was probably a little over the line
>But she's a pro, and didn't seem rattled by it
>Maybe she liked it, and if she did maybe there's a chance she'll...
>With the ceremony starting up you get a break 
>Just have to do a couple minutes of puff at the end and this is over
>Tonight's episode of Hippodrome was pre-recorded last week
>So you'll have nothing to do but enjoy the party
>If you ignore all the men and women in the room it would almost be like back home in Equestria
>A bunch of ponies getting together for a wedding
>It might not actually mean anything here
>But it fills you with nostalgia nonetheless
>For another life in another - much better - world
>Ada-Maria reaches down to rest a hoof on the cough drop button
>"Are you crying?"
"I always cry at weddings"
>You guess that's still true
>This is the first wedding you've been to since you "left" home
>And you are crying
 
>Be El Bronco
>You just got "married"
>And half an hour before you did you were balls deep in another mare 
>Who was sent to you by your "wife", who was distracting her owner - your boss - so you would not be caught
>In some way you take this as a sign that you've married well
>It feels rock and roll as fuck, and you feel like king of the world
>But it's really a risk you shouldn't have taken
>You really had no reason to trust her when she told you it was a safe time for her as far a pregnancy was concerned
>If she was lying this could blow up badly for both of you
>She has a lot to lose, too
>You hope her fangirling didn't make her stupid
>Nothing you can do about it now
>And now your "wife" is dragging you over to one of the tables to meet her friends
>This is important to her, so turn on the charm
>You do owe her one at this point
>Gonna have to think of something special to do for her to show your appreciation
>And of course her friends are all as beautiful as she is
>They're upscale whores, after all
>"Showdrop!," she says, rushing to embrage the mare
>Snowdrop has obviously been crying during the ceremony
>When she looks at you there's a very familiar glint of crazy in those eyes
>It's sexy as hell, you have to admit
>That damaged-goods-would-do-anything-to-please-you look
>That you would have run a mile from back home, but here seems... comforting?
>"Master, this is Snowdrop. That's Skydancer, and this is Durril"
"It's a pleasure to meet you girls"
>Durril looks you up and down and says to your "wife", "He's delicious"
>She replies, "He is" without even a blush
>Snowdrop is giving you a somewhat less lusty, but still pretty lusty look as well
>Only the pegasus, Skydancer doesn't seem like she'd let you take her right now if you offered
>So you decide to talk to her
"So Skydancer, you're the dominatrix? Right?"
>"That's me. Looking to pick up a few pointers from me along those lines? I'm sure she'd love that"
>Snowdrop and Durril start giggling like fillies 
>She probably would actually love that
>"Our little straight sub finally gets a master of her own and he's a beatuiful stallion," Skydancer says. "Tell me you're kind to her?"
"I do my best. I suspect she'd like it if I were a bit... tougher with her"
>"You think?," Skydancer says sarcastically. "This one has been a total sub from the start."
>Snowdrop adds, "In addition to being groomed for it"
>"Sloppily," Skydancer replies. "But yeah, a master is all she's ever wanted"
>"But she has a solid gold heart," Durril chirps in. "You're a lucky stallion!"
"I am. We're both very lucky things worked out this way for us"
>"But you're not really the Dom type, are you?," the pegasus asks
"A little. I like being in control"
>"Which means you're a normal stallion, maybe with appetites on the thinner edge of the bell curve, but not really into getting submission from your mare beyond the obvious"
"She's already dragged me past the obvious"
>Snowdrop and Durril giggle again
>Now your "wife" is blushing a little
>"Of course she has," Snowdrop replies, then adds, "Master"
>"Hey!," your girl shouts. 
>Snowdrop responds. "Seriously, this is all she's ever wanted. Wish you two the best"
>Durril nods and says,"I'm so happy for the two of you"
>She's an exotic looking mare - obviously a gypsy pony
>And the kind of green that would never work for the broadcasts you do
>And that feather around her hooves is crazy
>But you know she's a dancer, and that would look great on a dancer - totally sexy
"Well," Skydancer offers, "If you want some tips on how to keep her in line so she won't do stupid rebellious shit to get your attention I can probably help"
>Stupid rebellious shit
>Like arranging for you to fuck the VP's mare at your wedding
>Which the two of them been plotting for a while
>A very high risk thing
>Your "wife" is giving you a look
>You can't tell whether it's hopeful or trepidacious
>KInd of a mix of both
"I might take you up on that. I have a discretionary account. I can just buy your time oughtright if need be. Or Management can"
>"Really, Master?," your girl asks
"I have no idea what the limits are, but there's no reason we can't have your friends over. Even if their time has to be bought under the pretense of a professional capacity"
>you add:
"And Skydancer's offer sounds... interesting, don't you think?"
>Now you're getting a proper blush out of your mare
>"So you guys are rich?," Durril asks
"The network is rich. The network owns us and considers us valuable, so we're taken care of like we're rich"
>"Is it awesome?," Snowdrop asks
>"It could mess with your head," your "wife" begins, "you know - things and stuff - if you don't focus on what's important"
"Right. It's not about what we have, which is more than most. It's that we have each other"
>That was corny
>But it looks like the girls liked the response
"I'm going to let you girls catch up. Pleasure to meet you"
>And with that you can slip away
>You're going to have a drink
>And ask Juan how things looked on camera
 
>Be VP
>It seemed like things went over well
>Now you just have to wait for the ratings
>If they're great you'll look like a genius
>If they're good you'll come off as clever
>If they suck...
>That's unlikely, riding on the coattails of a hit like Hippodrome
>Though a wedding and bloodsport are a daring mix
>Less risky when the common ground between the two is the sexiest stallion in America
>Still, you're counting on male Hippodrome viewers watching the wedding for the mares
>You made sure there were plenty of them
>So that there was at least one beautiful mare in every possible shot
>You laugh, thinking about how you shot a load down the bride's throat minutes before she walked down the aisle
>An unexpected bonus for putting a pony wedding together
>That was probably wrong
>One the one hand she's legally network property
>And she'd offered it of her own free will
>It's not like you asked and she felt obliged because of the imbalance of power
>She wanted to thank you
>Wouldn't it have been rude to refuse her?
>Then again, if you took the perspective of how those around you would react if they knew
>You'd probably be judged negatively
>What would Rose think?
>She wouldn't be too happy with you sticking your dick in another mare
>But would she really expect you to turn down an offer like that?
>It's not like you were seeking it out - it just fell into your lap
>She'd probably understand, but you don't intend to tell her
>Just on the chance it might hurt her
>That's the last thing you want to do
>What about Bronc?
>Tough call there as well, for the same reason
>You're sure he'd be pissed if you'd forced yourself on his mare
>And rightly so - you would never do that
>But he knows she's a whore, that's how he met her
>So he shouldn't be all that surprised when she acts like one
>He's not stupid
>And he's also a guy, so he knows you don't just turn down a blowjob without a damned good reason
>You're sure he wouldn't
>But he wouldn't be happy about it - you're sure of that
>Who else?
>Your niece, Anna?
>Shaky ground there
>She doesn't even trust your relationship with Rose because you own her
>Even though she knows you love Rose
>She'd question whether Rose has any choice but to "love" you back
>Even if the pony seems happy with her situation
>With regard to the blowjob, what would Anna think?
>You took a mare from a whorehouse and put her into a penthouse with the sexiest stallion in America
>Along the way you provided requested medical care for her
>She blew you as a thank you
>Were you wrong to accept?
>You're sure she could find some way for you to be wrong about this
>You're not going to wrack your brain thrying to figure out what it would be
>You're just going to discreet about this, of course
>It's the kind of thing a man ought to be discreet about anyways
>But it still makes you laugh
>There's just something fundamentally funny about getting blown by the bride at a wedding
>You'll be telling this story in a few years, with a lot of the details left out, for sure
>It's just too good
 
>Be VP
>Calling your neice
>"Hi, Uncle John," says the familiar voice 
"Hi Anna. Did you watch the wedding?"
>"Crying Juan Pablo"
"What?"
>"You started a meme. Crying Juan Pablo. Look it up"
>You walk over to your laptop and open a new tab, into which you type "crying juan pablo"
>Immediately among the image results you see several pictures of Juan Pablo from the wedding broadcast
>He was only on camera for a few seconds near the end of the broadcast
>But he'd obviously been crying
"What does it mean?"
>"It's a reaction image, mostly. If someone posts something overly emotional they get that pic as a reply"
"And this is happening now?"
>"For the next few minutes, at least. I've already seen it like 20 times today"
>You get it
>The pic is a capture of a moment when the handsome, self-assured stallion looks like he's about to bawl like a baby
"Shit. Free advertising"
>"In my very valuable demographic, no less. You guys didn't plan this?"
"Nope, but I'm going to give the producer a pat on that back for making that call"
>"It's brilliant, but it's being co-opted immediately"
"Let me guess, by the hard right against your people"
>"It's been a response to a bunch of my posts today, twice with a 'you' in parenthesis as the caption"
>You laugh
"Sorry about that. But it is funny."
>"Funny to you. Someone who unironically had a flip phone until just a few years ago"
"I think it shows I'm more in line with the zietgiest than you thought"
>"Your camera operators are, at least"
"Hand picked, like the producer"
>"Okay, so you win. The old guy is in line with the times. Doesn't mean you're on the right side of history"
"I never claimed that"
>"Yet it would be such a nice thing to be able to claim, don't you think?"
"Nice things are overrated"
>"So that's why we can't have them?"
"Like our lives aren't full of nice things. We're the fucking privileged ones. How was that trip to Belize?"
>"It was amazing. But shouldn't we use that privilege to make things better for others?"
"Noblesse oblige? What is this, the early 19th Century?"
>"We have the slavery, the racism and we're working on the Corn Laws. Before you know it abortion and gay rights will be out the window. Sounds about right"
"Shit, next thing you know you'll be telling me they're going to take away your right to vote"
>"Don't think there aren't a bunch of folks out there who would love that. But how dare anybody express any outrage over the next school shooting"
"Says the rich girl from her ivory tower"
>"How does that make my opinions any more or less relevant than anybody else's?"
"Fair point. I guess if you look at anyone's situation you can more or less predict their opinions, but that doesn't render them irrelevant"
>"You're a creature of privilege as well. You sit around concerning yourself with what's on TV. Kinda parasitic, don't you think?"
"Or shaping the culture, depending on your view. Speaking of your view, how are things with that other matter we spoke about?"
>"I'm supposed to keep you airlocked. I'll just say I did my part and the rest is up to forces beyond my control."
"So I should see results any second?"
>"Yeah, if you monitor the social media you claim not to"
"I have people for that"
>"Yeah. It feels like I'm one of them"
"You kinda are. And I appreciate it"
>"I'm almost too connected, though. I just found out I'm about to be an evil gentrifier just because I want to live in a cool neighborhood when I go to school"
"There will always be people who hate you because they see you as a symbol of something they dislike."
>"I'm guessing you're that for a lot of people"
"I know I am. But I don't let it keep me up at night. Nor should you"
>"Easier said than done"
"Well, if anything juicy with regard to that other matter appears would you let me know?"
>"Am I on payroll now?"
"It wouldn't look great, but I could probably finagle an internship at some point"
>"Miles away from Hippodrome?"
"It would have to be. Can't make the nepotism too obvious"
>"I'll keep that in mind. Gotta go. Love you, Uncle John"
"Love you, too, Anna"
 
>Be VP
>Looking over the rating numbers from the wedding broadcast
>You're pretty satisfied
>7.5 million tuned in for it
>Not amazing, but definitely a success
>And enough to attract two new advertisers who wouldn't touch Hippodrome before
>Under the condition that their ads be aired during the block, not during Hippodrome
>Controversy attracts viewers, but can be a tough sell to advertizers
>The block gives them a shot at the audience without as much direct association with it
>Which was the idea in the first place
>It played strong with female viewers, as you expected
>And stronger with male viewers than everyone but you seemed to expect
>Mares - that's what young men want to see - lots of pretty mares
>You checked out the numbers for Pony Time and they confirmed it
>The viewership is mostly children, dominantly little girls
>But there's an unexpected populatiry among teen and 20-something males
>Watching it for the mares, of course
>You have a meeting with the beards in a few minutes to discuss the shape of the block for next season
>See what kind of mare centered programming you can spitball
>The block will do fine until the end of the season - the wedding pretty much assured that
>But there's no reason to continue it next season if you guys can come up with a mare centered blockbuster
>Unless that blockbuster is vaguely related to Hippodrome, which could work, too
>As you're just about to get up from your desk your phone rings
>You press the speaker button and hear your secretary's voice
>"I've got Robert from leagal on the line for you"
"Put him on."
>when you hear the line transfer you say
"Hey Bob, what kind I do for you?"
>"We may have a problem. I don't know if it's a little one or a big one. IT is looking into it, but it seems like a leak"
"A leak of what?"
>"The working title is Yours Truly - your baby"
"That's still being pieced together. We had to delete half the material for that and start over with a new angle. A lot couldn't be aired"
>"I'm afraid some of that is what got out"
"Like pony sex stuff?"
>"Exactly"
"I specifically ordered that to be destroyed"
>"Obviously someone saved copies of a few choice bits before it was deleted"
"We know this is a leak, and not a hack?"
>"No. All we know is some very compromising video of one of... now two of your stars is out there. Thank god they're ponioes, not people"
"So who has it? I'm assuming you've already sent out a C&D. It is our property, after all"
>"Of course. Released by PETA and a couple abolishinist sites. They actually made and interesting video out of it"
"Interesting as in going viral?"
>"I'd say not quite, but some buzz"
"Anything that can damage us?"
>"Whenever someone else uses your IP without permission it can damage you"
"Should I be launching an investigation of some sort?"
>"IT is on it. Just giving you a head's up. Sending you a link right now. But if you want to see it you better be on it quickly. I plan on having it shut down in a matter of hours"
"Thanks, Bob. Appreciate it"
>"You gonna be out in the Hamptons this weekend? Haven't seen you all summer. Saw Cynthia a couple times..."
>Of course she's spending her summer parading her stallion around out there for all the other wives to see
>You and Rose like it better in the fall anyways
>Less traffic, quieter, MUCH more like a getaway
"Probably not. Sounds like this could be a shitstorm"
>"Could be. Might not be. Just remember: 'all work and no play...'"
"I get plenty of play in"
>"Good for you. Bye, John"
>You check your email and see the new message from Bob arrive
>Looks like the beards are gonna have to wait a few minutes for you
>Clicking on the link a video opens in another browser tab
>Several shots of obviously physically abused and wounded ponies fly across the screen and the voice over begins:
>"Almost 70% of Americans are uncomfortable with the idea of Equestrian pony slavery"
>"Over half believe it ought to be put to an end immeidately. So why is the enslavement of these beautiful, sentient creatures capable of communicating their suffering"
>"to us clearly in our own language still legal in America? It's profitable. As in billions of dollars' profit"
>Several shots of slave auctions go by on the screen
>"America has a long history of valuing profit over doing the right thing"
>Now it's pictures of black sharecroppers, Japanese internment camps and a quick clip of napalm being dropped in Vietnam
>"But this instance is a little worse because many of us seem to be taking pleasure in their suffering. This is a 'whip' video, common online, and very popular"
>The screen shows a mare getting whipped as she begs for mercy, until she's doing a combination of screaming and crying
>It's disturbing, as the man whipping her does not relent for what seems like a long time
>When he does she's shaking and scream-sobbing
>In the last seconds he's approaching her ass with a giant dildo
>Thankfully that's the end of that clip
>"You might think this is just a handful of deviants, and not representative of what the media is selling us as mainstream American culture, but you'd be wrong"
>A clip from Hippodrome appears on the screen - a pony begging for mercy before another stomps his skull into paste
>You remember that broadcast - a live one - and the audience went nuts
>"This is from a very popular show on the Fox Network called Hippodrome"
>"17 million people tune in weekly to watch ponies battle each other to the death"
>"Which is not normal behavior for Equestrian ponies"
>"Suicide was nearly unheard of among ponies in Equestria, but it's epidemic among ponies in America today"
>"The suicide rate among Hippodrome WINNERS is almost 20%. The cruel lives we force them to live are taking a toll"
>"Even when the media tries to sugar coat things..."
>A clip of the wedding begins, during the ceremony
>"The horror that lies just below the surface is impossible to mask"
>The video cuts to the bride talking with Rose in the penthouse
>They subtitled it, because the audio is almost as bad as the video
>It's Bronc's mare saying she grew up in a brothel and had to have sex with a lot of men constantly as a filly
>Rose looks horrified
>Then the mare goes on to say how that left a mark on her
>Quickly the camera cuts to a clip of Bronc choking her during sex, while she begs for him to choke her harder
>Then the clip of her drinking his piss in the back of the van, then blowing him after
>"This is not normal behavior for Equestrian ponies, either"
>It cuts to another clip of her saying, "I've never been so happy"
>"So many lives have been degraded and destroyed, while we turn their suffering into entertainment. Is that who we are as a nation?"
>"70% of Americans are uncomfortable with this for a good reason. It's wrong. And it's time to put an end to pony slavery"
>The screen cuts back to the 'whip' video where it left off, and the man proceeds to mercilessly savage the mare's ass with the giant dildo
>The sounds she's making are horrible, and he's even more relentless with the dildo than he was with the belt
>"This is legal in America today. It's not even legal to treat animals like this. Speak truth to those in power. End Equestrian pony slavery now"
>Shit
>They put that leaked stuff to good use
>It's not going to make the 7 o'clock news, but it made its point
>Vice and the Guardian will probably mention it
>You scroll down to see if there's a comments section
>There is
>And the .gif of crying Juan Pablo comes into view pretty quickly
>Now you owe Bronc a call
>Just to warn him that it's out there
>But first you have to get to the conference room to meet with the beards
>As you enter they are sitting at the table, laptops at the ready
"Mares, gentlemen. I'm not just talking a lot of screen time for them. I'm talking the kind of programming that would actually appeal to them. Ideas?"
>"Do we own or have access to enough mares," Beard #1 asks, "to do some legit concept testing with actual mares?"
"Good question. I'll have an answer for you on that soon. In the meantime let's spitball"
>"You love this, don't you?," he replies
"Any break from managing people and dealing with stupid crises is a welcome break, because I have to go back to that the second I walk out of here"
>"You could have just stayed a producer"
"You don't leave money on the table"
 
>Be El Bronco
>Eating some oats and apples for a late breakfast with your "wife"
>It's a nice routine
>When neither of you are working you chill together
>Which still means sex about one thrid of the time
>Then it's mostly meals together, talking and listening to music
>Her taste in music is different than yours, and her appreciation much less keen 
>But you've discovered a fair bit of overlap - stuff you both enjoy
>Currently you're both on a tear with Latin jazz from the 60's and 70's
>This world may have a lot of ugly shit in it, but they have produced some outstanding music, like Chacho, currently playing softly in the background
>"You look like something's bothering you, master"
"You can read me petty well."
>"You're easy"
"I got a call from the VP this morning. We're in the media in an unexpected way. I don't know how you're going to feel about it"
>"Try me. What kind of unexpected way are we in the media?"
"Some of the footage of us in... compromising situations from the reality show - the stuff they were going to delete"
>"Ended up not being deleted?"
"Even worse. Spread online as part of a propaganda thing"
>"Does this make us more famous?"
"Infamous is what I'm afraid of"
>"Can we see it?"
"The VP says it's being taken down, so I don't know"
>"I'm better than you with computers. Let's go see if we can find it onnine. How easy it is to find should tell you if this is a big deal or not"
>You follow her to her office, where she taps the keyboard, making a monitor come to life
>She taps another key and a browser window replaces a spreadsheet
>"So I'll try El Bronco, Hippodrome, sex tape... what else?"
"PETA. They made it"
>"What's PETA?"
"An animal rights group, allied with the abolutionists"
>"ANIMAL rights? That's a thing? We're slaves but animals are supposed to have rights here?"
"You can see why they'd be on the abolitionist's side. They actually predate pony slavery"
>"Animal rights doesn't sound like something most people would support, aside from the few species they have as pets. Most of them love eating meat"
"Yeah, that's how it works, and part of what PETA points out - that very hypocrisy"
>"People have to hate that. This is a group most people hate, then?"
"It's not the kind of thing people talk to ponies about, but from what I can tell a lot of them are dismissive toward them, if not actively mocking"
>"Like they are to abolishonists. OK. I see a few stories ABOUT it. Not a lot. Still looking for a link to the actual video"
"Legal was getting it taken down"
>"Obviously. Not on the PETA site anymore. Wait. Got it. You want to watch, master?"
"May as well"
>You watch
>It stirs up a lot of emotion
>First you feel violated
>In one way it's good to see people acknowledging the horror and suffering slavery causes
>But it's tough to see yourself at the poster boy for it
>And embarrassing, shameful and angering to see intimate moments between you and your mare used to that effect
>Makes you feel both complicit and damaged by it
>Which you suppose is true
>But her reaction is very different 
>She looks terrified
>Pupils little dots, shaking
"Are you OK?"
>"It's not true, is it?"
"What?"
>"More than half of America wants to end pony slavery?"
"It's propaganda, so who knows? As embarrassing and ashamed as it makes me feel it's still good to know some humans are on our side"
>"On OUR side?! The hell they are! They just gave guilty consciences. Master! Imagine if people did what they're asking in this video"
"Abolished slavery? You don't think that would be a good thing?"
>"Sure, if they respected us, saw us as equals and generally cared about our well being. You know they don't."
"So you're pro-slavery?"
>"Imagine the alternative. Imagine we weren't valuable property. What would our lives be worth?"
>You never thought of that
>You're fed, housed and taken care of by the network because you're worth a lot to them
>You even have a mare of your own because of that
>And you remember what it was like to be free back home
>You'd love to be free like that again
>So for you it's easy to think abolitionists are on your side
>But for somepony who grew up here?
>Somepony for whom the only reason she's not homeless or starving to death is becdause she's someone's valuable property?
>She looks at you like she can see the wheels turning in your head
>"You see, master? What if suddenly nopony had a master. We'd have to take care of ourselves"
"In a world where we can't own property, get jobs in a real sense - like that pay, or even find a place to live on our own"
>"It wouldn't lessen pony suffering. It would create a lot more of it instantly"
"Because there's no way for ponies to take care of themselves here"
>"It'd be like asking an earth pony to fly, or a pegasus to do magic, or a unicorn to..."
"Take her nose out of the air for a second?"
>You both laugh
"I get it. Look at human slavery, alot of the dark ones don't get treated as well as the light ones much of the time"
>"Of course not. How many dark ones are in the c-suite?"
"I don't know, but none is a safe guess"
>"Right. Because how does abolition work? They tell you you're free, keep treating you like slaves, but you lose the protection of a master"
"And human slavery ended over 150 years ago. That's humans - they're practically the same. Ponies are not. Shit. I didn't think of that here in my ivory tower"
>"Really, master? It never occured to you that we'd be among the ponies with the most to lose if slavery were abolished"
"I wasn't thinking of myself. I was imagining it would be like Equestria, but with humans"
>"You were there, I wasn't. How did that work out, Master?"
>Shit
>Your 'wife" just crushed all sympathy you felt for abolitionists
>After watching a pro-abolitionist video starring the two of you
>Being a slave is an awful thing
>But suddenly NOT being one in this world would be...
>A lot worse
>You deserve to be the poster boy for slavery - you live like a king as a direct result of it
>And as wrong as it is undoing it in a simplistic manner would just make things worse for everypony
>As much as you hate slavery supporting abolition would not just be hypocritical, but dangerous for all ponies
"Don't judge me, but I need a drink. I know it's before noon, but..."
>"I don't judge you, master. If you fall asleep on the couch I'll plan on a late dinner. I have work to do anyways"
 
>Be Mare
>It was a strange call from the network
>They asked if you would like to come in for a panel discussion
>Very polite about the whole thing
>They said lunch would be provided
>You asked Master what he thought you should do
>And he said you didn't owe the network anything
>But if you thought it would be fun excuse to get out of the house and do something different you should go for it
>So you agreed
>Which is how you find yourself in a large corporate meeting room with a bunch of other mares
>The only one you recognize is Roseluck, and forunately the seat next to her is empty
"Hey Rose! How are you doing?"
>"Great!," she replies enthusiastically
"Wow, glad to hear it"
>She leans toward you and whispers, "I was worried for a little while there might have been some consequences from our little... escapade"
"Really? You said you were safe"
>"I was. I'm usually like clockwork. But you never can be 100% sure. Now I am. Thank you again. I still can't believe you did that"
>You smile at her
>She's so pretty
>She could totally work at a nice brothel like you did
>Probably end up being one of the more popular girls, too
>You realize you're being distracted, and she's waiting for you to respond to her
"He was very pleased," you whisper back. "Said it was a great wedding gift"
>"Well it meant a lot to me, too. Still can't believe how generous you are"
"I was brought up to believe that all we ponies really have is each other, and we can't let anyone take that away from us"
>Rose is about to reply when the mare at the head of the table you're seated around speaks up
>"Good morning, ladies," the mare addresses the room. "I'm Ada-Maria. For those of you who don't know me I work for the network"
>"I have a show called Pony Time," Ada-Maria continues, "But we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about what mares watch and would like to see on TV"
>Seriously?
>You don't even watch TV
>"How many of you watch TV on a regular basis?," she asks
>A few hooves go up, including Rose's
>"How many of you get to choose the programs you watch?"
>Rose lowers her hoof, as do the other mares who raised theirs
>"Interesting," Ada-Maria comments. "Do you enjoy the shows you watch, or just watch them anyways"
>The murmuring of female voices indicates the latter
>"OK," she continues. "So if you could choose what you watched what would you choose? Romance?"
>The room goes quiet
>"No takers on romance?," she asks
>Rose shakes her head
>"Too sad," Rose replies. "Just a reminder it's not something most of us are going to ever have in our lives"
>"Go on," Ada-Maria encourages
>"My relationship is a perfect example," Rose replies. "I'm happy, and I deeply care for him. But it's more like an arranged marriage than a romance"
>"Yeah," a mare across the table from you replies. "Romance is more of an impossible dream than a real thing for the average mare"
>You feel like you ought to chime in
"For some of us the idea of romance - like the way people portray it - doesn't even seem like a real thing. Totally fantasy"
>Ada-Maria turns her attention to you and says, "Go on"
"You know, romance involves making a choice - two people feel something and choose to act on it. I've never had that kind of choice"
>"Some of us did in Equestria," Rose adds. "But here we don't. So instead of being uplifting romance is just depressing"
>The other mares murmur their assent
>"Good," Ada-Maria says. "We're all on the same page with that one. I told them romance was a non-starter"
"Who's them?"
>"The producers," Ada-Maria responds. "They're trying to figure out what kind of programming would appeal to mares"
"Why?"
>"I have no idea," she replies. "It's not like we're a vaulable advertising demographic."
>Rose pooks uncomfortable
>"My master," she begins, "for those of you who don't know, is the VP of programming. If we're here doing this it's because he thinks there's a hit along these lines"
"Along the lines of what?"
>"Of a show mares would actually want to watch," she replies. "What was the last show you watched?"
>You laugh
"An online abolishionist propaganda video starring me and Bronc. Scared the shit out of me"
>The other mares in the room laugh uncomfortably
>"Did everypony in the room see that?," Ada-Maria asks
>Every mare in the room is sheepishly nodding
>A blue unicorn whispers to you, "You're very lucky"
>That takes some of the awkwardness out of the situation
"I know it. And I'm not embarrassed about you all having seen the video. You can imagine modesty wasn't something my upbringing ingrained into me"
>That gets you some more nerveous laughter
"We're all pretty lucky. And let's face it girls, the only reason we live lucky lives is because we're status symbols"
>"Wow," the blue unicorn exclaims. "I've never heard somepony just come out and say it before!"
"It's true, though. That's why that video scared me. Status symbols have to be worth a lot. If abolition happens our value becomes zero"
>"This is an interesting turn," Ada-Maria chides, "but I don't know how productive it is"
>"Oh, come on," Rose replies, "When do you ever get to just sit with a group of mares, no men around, and just talk?"
"I used to back when I was a working girl. All we did in the dorm was sit around and talk"
>"What did you talk about?," the blue unicorn asks
"I don't remember. Probably men's dicks, because we sure saw a lot of them. And who got ice cream for bravely taking one up the tailhole that day"
>Another nerveous laugh from the group
>Are you killing it?
>You feel like a comedian with the audience on her side
>"What a way to grow up," the blue unicorn responds
"All I wanted back then was a master. I knew everything would be fine if I could just get a good master"
>"You know she's right," Rose says. "I hate to admit it, but she's right. We're all better off as high priced property than we'd be as free ponies"
>"What makes you so sure of that?," Ada-Maria asks
>"I employ one in my shop," Rose answers. "Poor thing. I have no idea how she lives on what I pay her."
>"Can't you just pay her more?," Ada-Maria asks
>"I'm paying her a human mimimum wage, which is more than free ponies ever get. From a business perspective I'm being reckless, but I couldn't sleep if I paid her less"
>"I've heard it's almost impossible out there for them," Ada-Maria replies
>"I kept getting desperate calls for almost a year after I filled the position," Rose says, sadly. "No one will hire them for anything but the most dangerous or disgusting jobs"
>"Imagine walking down the street with a poorly styled mane, no man at your side and no collar," another mare chimes in
>"You may was well be a talking rat or cockroach," Rose replies. "Honestly, most people are better disposed toward illegal immigrants than free ponies"
>"I heard," the blue unicorn speaks up, "of free ponies selling themselves back into slavery so their foals don't starve to death"
>"I've heard worse," Rose replies. "I've heard of free families selling a filly so the rest of the family doesn't starve"
"For all I know that's what happened to me. I can't remember back that far, except some vague memory of my mother crying"
>"You poor thing," Rose replies
"You got ripped away from a world you loved where you were happy. That's just as bad"
>"That was bad, but at least I got to be a happy filly," Rose replies
"I was happy, in a way. We may have it good now, but we've still all lived through a lot to get here"
>A room full of mares nods along with you
>"I hate to say it," Rose begins, "I had no choice about being brought here, and... sold"
>She sniffs like she's on the brink of tears and continues
>"But I KNOW I'm better off suffering the indignity of being a piece of property - a man's status symbol - than being free and going through that they do"
>Now the tears have started
>"Does that make me a terrible pony? A traitor to my own kind?"
>A gentle chorus of negative replies from every mare in the room is her answer
>Then things get quiet for a little bit
>But not really uncomfortable, for you, at least
>It's nice to be around other mares
>That's the one thing you miss from your days as a working girl
>"Just so I have something to give the producers when we break for lunch," Ada-Maria asks, "would you watch a show that was a bunch of mares sitting around talking like this?"
"This real? They wouldn't make a show like that"
>"Who knows?," Rose responds, "If John feels strongly about something he'll get it made."
>Ada-Maria answers, "Pretty sure this came directly from him, Rose. So I'll ask you all again, would you tune in to watch a group of mares talking this real on TV?"
>You would actually watch that, and you've never watched TV in your life
>As you reply every other mare in the room is busy agreeing with you
>"Great," Ada-Maria says. "There's at least one thing we all agree on. Real talk with mares good, romance no good"
 
>Be El Bronco
>Once your girl left for her meeting you needed something to do with that chunk of your day
>You bounced a few ideas around in your head
>And decided on one you thought was promising
>A couple phone calls later and you discovered you could clear a chunk of somepony's busy schedule for a not unreasonable price
>So you did
>An hour later you were inviting her in
"Welcome, Skydancer. Can I get you a drink?"
>The pegasus enters your penthouse and looks around, clearly impressed
>"It's a little early, but why not?"
"Bourbon OK?"
>"Sure. Look, just so you don't get the wrong idea..."
"You're not into stallions, I know"
>"She told you?"
"She didn't have to. At the wedding all the mares were looking at me like they wished they could be the bride"
>You pour a couple generous doubles and hand one to her
"Except you. Even while we were talking you were stealing glances at Snowdrop. I get it. She's a beautiful mare"
>Skydancer blushes a little
>"You should have seen her as a filly. Perfect, and perfectly needy in just the right way. Then so eager to prove she wasn't selfish"
"Really?"
>"Yeah, we had a thing back then"
>She takes a sip of her drink and looks you up and down
>"You don't approve?"
"No, Just not my thing"
>"Riiiiight! You're from Equestria. Fillies weren't for sexual there, were they?"
"Definitely not"
>"Well they sure as fuck are here. And you're married to one of the results of that. So be careful with that disapproving look"
"I'm not judging. Really. I wouldn't invite you here to judge you. I wouldn't touch a filly, but that's just me"
>"Don't knock it till you've tried it. They're delicious little things. So sweet, so earnest, so fluffy..."
"So you still?"
>"I was a living legend at the Filly Brothel. I may go back every now and then to... perpetuate that legend. You know, help out those in need"
"I think I'm in need righ now, but of a different kind of help"
>"Is your little sub acting out because you're not taking a firm enough hoof with her?"
"Not yet, but that's something I'd like to avoid entirely"
>"Thinking ahead. Smart, and definitely part of the job"
"The job?"
>"Proper care of a sub is like a job. Why do you think ponies like me can be professionals? But I'm a mare dealing with men - different situation"
"What's that like?"
>"Let's just say my hooves are always clean, because they get a lot of attention"
"Popular fetish?"
>"You have no idea," she says with an eyeroll. "OK. So first thing to understand is she wants your attention. A sub lives for master's attention"
"I've noticed that"
>"If she can't get enough of it in a good way she'll go for a bad way, hoping you'll punish her. She done anything like that?"
"Not yet"
>"Good. You don't have a sadistic streak, do you?"
"Not that I'm aware of"
>"Even better. No need to turn her into a pain slut if she isn't one already."
>You finish your drink and pour yourself another
>You gesture toward her with the bottle
>She initially shakes her head no, but then knocks the remainder back and allows you to refill her glass
"Never thought I'd be having a conversation like this with a pegasus dominatrix half my age"
>"Life is weird. Try growing up in a brothel, then spending your nights humilliating men"
"I can't imagine. So don't punish her? Because truth is I'd rather not"
>"I get you. But sometimes a sub will behave in a way that's begging for it, and if you don't punish them you're not doing your job"
"I don't want to hurt her. That's not my thing"
>"It doesn't have to be physical. The best stuff is more psychological. If she's bad she can't eat or talk or cum again until you say so"
"Got it. I don't think she wants to be bad. She's kind of tripping over herself to be good all the time"
>"OK. That's your responsibility then as well. She wants to be a good girl. You have to spell out very clearly exactly what that means"
"What does it mean?"
>"Wow, you are new at this. It means whatever you say it does. But include just enough of a challenge that she knows you care about her"
"So don't make being a good girl too easy"
>"Not if you don't want her bored, and a bored sub is an unhappy one who will start trying to manipulate you"
"That she's done. And when I called her out on it was the one time she suggested I punish her"
>"Did you?"
"No"
>"Probably should have. Keep that in mind for the future"
>Your time with Skydancer rolls along for the next few hours of similar conversation
>The two of you polish off a couple hayburgers and just over half a bottle of bourbon
>She's totally charming, in a perverted way
>She's into fillies, after all
>And it's really odd to be talking sex with a mare where there's absolutely no sexual spark between you
>You're pretty sure you've never done that before
>Total novelty, and informative as well
>Personally you're not sure just how far down this particular rabbit hole you want to go
>But you have a better grip on the mentality behind it now
>And understand the kind of things your "wife" will respond to
>Not all that different than what you thought
>Just a little more active effort than you'd planned on
>But it's not like you don't have the time on your hooves
>Now it's pretty clear the pegasus is drunk
>Which you have to admit is really cute, but damn is she a lightweight
>"You know I always wanted a piece of her," she slurs ever so slightly. "Never pushed it though"
"Why not?"
>"Because she's prettyfuckingstraight, so it wouldn't have been half as much fun as in my fantasies"
"I like that about her"
>"Of course you do. I always saw it as a character flaw"
>You raise your glass
"To character flaws"
>She awkwardly clinks hers against yours and finishes the last of what's in it
>She's cut off
>You hear the familiar sound of the elevator arriving and hear your girl's voice
>"Master! You won't believe what the network is up to now! Skydancer?!"
>She runs across the room to hug the wobbly mare trying to get up from the couch
>"What are you doing here, Skydancer?"
>The pegasus slurs, "Getting myself in trouble at work it looks like"
>But she smiles at your girl
>"Your mashter loves you very much. He really does. I was just giving him a few tips on how to better... show it. You know what I mean"
>Your "wife shoots you a look that manages to be both suspicious and hopeful at the same time
>"Looks like he also got you hammered"
"Not my intention"
>"My fault," Skydancer says. "Shouldn'ta tried to keep up with him. You can really DRINK, can't you?"
"Not something I'm proud of, but yeah"
>"Well," your girl says, "You bought her day. Looks like you're buying her night, too. Skydancer, you're staying with us tonight"
>"Shit," Sky says, "I'm gonna have a couple pissed off regulars. This shit is like threapy for them"
>"Master, will you make the call?"
"Of course. Now you be a good girl and get her settled on the couch in your office. Then you can tell me about your day"
>It's not even 4PM yet, but you can tell the pegasus needs to crash
>And when she wakes up early in the morning you know your girl will be excited for the hang time with an old friend
>Even if it means she has to get up at an uncivilized hour
>But it is your fault a little
>Pegasus ponies don't hold their liquor anywhere nearly as well as earth ponies
>You should have remembered that, and paid more attention to how much you were pouring her
>What gives you half a buzz is enough to wreck a pegasus, especially a mare
>That's what made them cheap dates back in Equestria
>But tonight isn't gonna be cheap
 
>Be El Bronco
>Your girl just got Skydancer situated on the couch in the office, and apparently she's already asleep
>You made the call to management to arrange for the pegasus to stay over
>No trouble
>You're not surprised
>Over the last little while the bourbon budget has to have been cut in half, and the whore budget has been zero
>So one night of expensive whore budget isn't going to raise an eyebrow with them
>Your girl is in the living room woth you telling you about her day
"That sounds like a focus group"
>"What's a focus group?"
>You explain the idea to her
>"Yeah," she says." That's what it was meant to be until Rose kind of took control away from Ada-Maria, which gave me the chance to get some one-liners in"
"You do one-liners now?"
>"Never occured to me to try, until I did and got a response. A couple times over"
"Positive response from an audioence is the most addictive drug of all"
>"I can believe it. By the third time I had them laughing, even though they were a little uncomfortable it was a total rush"
"Who knew the accountant has a little entertainer in her?"
>"I used to entertain men all the time, though that was mostly physical"
"Don't underestimate yourself. I'm sure your regulars came back to you because they liked your personality. It's not like there was a shortage of pretty girls where you worked"
>"Nope. Plenty. And you just knocked one of them out"
"Sorry about that. But you can hang with her when she gets up, and we'll all have breakfast together. We can even go out, if you like that idea"
>"Out for breakfast?"
"Sure. Balthazar is pony friendly. You've never been. I'm sure she's never been. It's a New York classic"
>"Let's see what kind of shape she's in tomorrow"
"She'll be fine. She didn't drink all that much. Just a lot for a pegasus mare who obviously doesn't drink often"
>"OK, master. I'm sure she'll be fine. I know it's not my place to ask, but you didn't call her over because I was away and you needed... release?"
"I would never make a move on one of your friends unless you wanted me to. Also, it's pretty obvious she's not into anything with a penis"
>She laughs
>"That's true."
"Her taste seems to run toward the pre-adolescent as well"
>"Then she hasn't changed a bit"
"Yeah, she said she used to have a crush on you"
>"She was always cool about it. Not willing to compromise our friendship over me not being interested in that"
"You really had no interest?"
>"More like didn't get it. Not grossed out or anything like that. I did plenty of shows with Snowdrop. Just not something I'd do for fun"
"It's obvious she cares about you. And she was more than helpful about getting me to understand some things I'd missed about our... dynamic"
>"You can be a little thick sometimes, master"
"Hey! Cut me a break! The master/slave subtext wasn't a thing back in Equestria"
>"Subtext?"
"You know what I mean"
>She smiles at you lovingly
>"I do, master. It's cute watching you fumble around it"
"I hope you don't see our sex life as fumbling"
>"No, no! That's not what I meant at all! I just mean as far as being somepony's master is concerned"
"She was a help that way. And good, if interesting company. But no release, if that's what you're worried about"
>"Not worried. Just didn't want to feel like I'd shirked my duties to run off and hang with a bunch of mares. Would you like some release now, master?"
"I just spent most of the afternoon with a mare who didn't find me the least bit sexually attractive. A little time with one who does is just what I need"
>"Well, then?"
"In a little bit. Tell me how things worked out in your focus group first. Then we'll get to that. Don't dangle two distractions in front of me at once"
>"Oh, right. So once Rose turned it into a bunch of mares talking things got real pretty quick"
"What did you end up talking about?"
>"How it was better it is to live in a gilded cage than be talking rats on the street"
"Wow. Ouch. No sympathy for free ponies in that crowd?"
>"Are you kidding? Rose employs one at her flower shop, and pays her more than she should. There's still no real way for a free pony to make it in this town"
"What do you mean by 'make it'?"
>"If you could be a free pony right now would you do it?"
"Do I get to keep my job and home?"
>"What do you think?"
"Then hell, no"
>"That's what I mean"
"Think about it. Freedom kind of HAS to be kept as a shit option. If it weren't there'd be millions of ponies striving for it"
>"Well they're doing a good job keeping it shit. For all I know I ended up at the brothel because I was the daughter of free ponies who needed the money"
"Or you came from a breeder. Not as romantic, but just as awful. Maybe worse"
>"True, master. The point is I don't even know where I came from, but I know freedom would be worse than what I have"
"Because they've rigged the game against us. That's what happens when they have all the power and we have none"
>"Still we've done pretty well. Just like all the mares in the group. And when you have something you're not all that eager to trade it for nothing"
"Like I said, it's a rigged game. The lie gets to me every time I tell it on the show. Winning their freedom. For what? To seek asylum in Canada, or to kill themselves?"
>"Yeah, but the show isn't for ponies. Nopony in their right mind would watch it. The focus group was supposed to come up with something ponies would watch, specifically mares"
"What's he thinking there?"
>"No idea"
"So what did you come up with?"
>"A bunch of mares talking real talk"
"That sounds dangerous as hell"
>"That's what I thought. I said there's no way they'd air something like that. But Rose said if John were behind it..."
"Even more dangerous. Shit. Is this something you really want to be a part of?"
>"It was kinda fun, actually. I'd go back and do another group if they called me. Lunch wasn't bad, either"
"Just be careful around him. He's always working on a way to twist things. He buys you for me and suddenly we're doing a reality show"
>"I thought he walked that idea back"
"He did. Then some of that footage ends up in a PETA abolitionist video? I don't trust him one bit"
>"Yet we're dependent on him. You think he's playing both sides of the fence?"
"He doesn't even see a fence. He's just thingking 'ponies are hot right now. How can I capitalize on that?' The message doesn't matter"
>"Are we really 'hot' right now?"
"Honestly I have no idea. I know you're really hot right now, and I know I could use that release"
>"You feel like railing me, master, or would you just like me to suck you off?"
"Is it OK if I'm feeling lazy?"
>"Whatever pleases you is more than OK. I thought that would be obvious after an afternoon talking with Skydancer"
"Of course. All this talk about serious shit put me in a weird headspace"
>"Then let's get you in my headspace," she says with a giggle
"That's my good girl"
 
"So what do you want to do for dinner? I doubt Skydancer is gonna be joining us"
>"Can we have something naughty?"
"What would be naughty food?"
>"Ever had an Italian cold cut hoagie? I think it's more commonly called a sub"
"I know what it is. Definitely not pony food!"
>"You got that right, master. But have you ever HAD one?"
"No"
>"Oh, it's so salty! And so wrong. You want to split one?"
"OK. I can order it. Any place in particular I should choose?"
>"Someplace with an Italian name would be my guess. What are our options?"
"Sergimmo sound right?"
>"Oh yes. Tell them no onions and we'll be great"
>Twenty minutes later the order arrives
>You expected a Mexican guy who came by bicycle
>But it's a stallion who clearly just ran here by the way he's sweating
>You'd already arranged for a tip online, but after he gave you the bag you went and found a $5 bill to just gave him
>On a $12 order
>Because you assume he's a free pony
>Pretty obvious he is - he looks like shit
>Running himself to death all day, for what?
>Probably little more than three or four times the price of the sandwich you just bought
>You hope that isn't true, but you have some confidence that it probably is
>"Thank you, sir!," he says, obviously as surprized to be delivering to a pony as you are to see a pony delivering to you
"Would you like a drink?"
>"I have to get back"
"Take care of yourself"
>This is new, but you haven't ordered delivery for a while
>Your girl likes hay, apples, oats and carrots
>Black men deliver those boxes to you every week
>And usually recognize you from television
>This was an unusual request - some crazy human food
>And it left you caught off guard
>You've never had a pony delivery guy before
>Which makes you feel like things are changing
>In a way you hadn't noticed
>You place the bag on the table in front of your girl
>"Oh, wow!," she says. "The smell of this takes me back. I once blew a man for one of these when I didn't really even want it"
"Then why did you do that?"
>"Because it was one of the first decisions I ever got to make on my own, even if it wasn't a very good one"
"Sometimes just making the decisionm yourself is more important than the decision you actually make"
>"You understand, then. I was afraid saying it might sound sad or stupid"
"So this is a symbolic sandwich for you? I get it. There was a song on my first album like that, where I intentionally chose to make it weird because I could"
>"Was it a hit?"
"No. It was just me proving a point - doing that artist thing of testing where the limits are of what you can pull off"
>"I don't think that's just an artist thing, master. I've been doing that all my life"
"Maybe the arts are just a safer place to do it. So this is it?"
>"Yeah. And I haven't had one in years. I hope it holds up, master"
>You unwrap the sandwich and place each half on a plate
"It smells really strong"
>"I hope you like it"
"Bon app"
>You take a bite
>It's a massive blast of salty flavors against sweet, starchy bread
>You can feel several kinds of animal fat coat your mouth as you chew
>And you can tell the thing is almost totally devoid of vegetable fiber, like so many foods humans love
>The second bite pretty much leaves your sense of taste overwhelmed to the point of almost being numb
>"What do you think, master? Do you like it?"
"The first bite is amazing, like a lot their food. But it makes the voice in the back of my head ask, 'Should I really be eating this?'"
>She laughs
>"It's naughty"
"That's one way to put it. And if by naughty you mean something we probably shouldn't be eating in the first place I agree"
>She gives you a pleading look
"But it's fun for a change of pace. Good call"
>Now she's all pleased with herself
>You doubt you're going to be able to finish your half, but it is interesting
>You would never have thought to even try something like this
>But it's interesting as a cultural experience
"So Skydancer says you'll be unhappy if I don't challenge you enough"
>"Does she?," she says, blushing
"Well, I asked and she kind of confirmed it"
>"What kind of... challenges did she suggest?"
"Nothing specific - we talked more about the mindset they ought to be framed in"
>"Oh, I see, master," she says, taking another bite of her sandwich
>Suddenly an idea pops into your head
>Why didn't you think of this earlier?
>Suggesting going out to fucking breakfast when you're going to wake up tomorrow with two mares in your apartment?
>That's missing an opportunity
>You must be getting old
>A younger you would have thought of this right away
"And as long as she'll be here in the morning, and she's always had a crush on you I figured we could exploit that for a little fun"
>"You want a show with her? I can do that. She'll LOVE it!"
"I want more than that. I want to see YOU get off with her, because your master tells you to"
>She gives you an apprehensive look that slowly turns into a smile
>"I can't tell if you hanging out with Shydancer is a good thing"
"That doesn't change the fact that tomorrow morning you're going to bring her to bed and be a good little filly for her"
>And that's how you find yourself in bed with the sun rising out your window
>Two soaked and panting mares next to you
>And your cock at full mast, because it was hot as fuck
>As predicted Skydancer was really into it
>And your girl warmed up when you commanded her to
>To Sky's delight
>And really, watching her lose it all over the pegasus' face was the hottest thing you've seen in recent memory
>Telling her to be a good little filly and cum for mistress Sky
>Now you've got a ridiculous amount of cute in your bed and a raging hard on
>Sky whispers something into your girl's ear, and she nods
>Then she repositions herself so her face is nearly on top of your dick, smiling at you
"I thought you didn't like dicks?"
>"I don't," Skydancer replies. "But you just did something very nice for me."
>She runs her tongue up your shaft and toward your half flared head
>"I owe you one, and I don't like owing anypony anything, so let me..."
>You let her
>She's not as good as your girl
>But that still qualifies her as pretty damn good
>There is something satisfying about unloading in the mouth of a mare who likes mares, not stallions
>After making a fantasy of hers come true with your own mare
>Definitely a moment to savor - like planting your flag on conquered territory
>After you finish you're lying with a mare on either side of you
"You're both good girls"
>Your girl smiles
>Skydancer frowns. "It's been a while since anyone called me that"
"Do you hate it?"
>"Yes," the pegasus replies, "but I'll take it from you. I think you're going to be a good master"
>"He IS," your girl replies. "He's a great master! And what did you think about...?"
>"Having a stallion in my mouth for the first time?," Skydancer replies. "Better than a man, but I'm still into fillies"
"I'll take better than a man any day. Who wants to go out for breakfast"
>"We had pretty heavy food last night, master. Is it OK if we just have apples and oats"
>"Apples and oats sound great!," Skydancer says. "I'm starving"
"You want to go get us breakfast in bed?"
>"On it," your girl replies, leaving you in bed with Skydancer
>"I can't believe i'm in bed with a stallion," she says. 
>You figure it might be pushing your luck, but you did just cum in her mouth so...
>You give her a little nuzzle
>And are a little surprised when she nuzzles you back
>You can't believe how cute this lesbian pegasus dominatrix pedo can be when she wants to be
>"I'd be totally jealous of her if I swung that way," she says. "Even so, maybe I am a little"
"As long as you don't let that get in the way of your friendship you're welcome here any time"
>"Would you want more shows like that?," she askes hopefully
"You liked that, didn't you?"
>She blushes, which is quite a trick for a red pony
"I'm sure we can arrange something"
>"Just go a little easier on the pours next time, for me at least. That kind of hospitality could kill me"
"Noted"
>She snuggles up against you a little
>Then you realize it
>Sooner or later you're gonna fuck this little pegasus
>And you're gonna make her love it
 
>Be El Bronco
>Hanging with your girl after Skydancer left
>You arranged for the white van to take her back to her workplace
"Did you enjoy having your friend over?"
>"Yes," she says blushing a little. "You did, too."
"Yeah, I did. Would you like it if we had her over again before too long?"
>"I'd love that, master!," she says brightly, then adds in a sly tone, "You want to fuck her, don't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
>"Yeah, but that's Skydancer. Always had the most regulars at the brothel, always first pick at the salon..."
"When she was a filly?"
>"She was just as sexy back then as she is now. Men couldn't get enough of her. I'm sure it's still true with the guys she..."
"Disciplines?"
>"Whatever you call it."
"Does it bother you that I want to fuck her, or that I made you..."
>"No master. It was actually very nice to do that for her. She always wanted a 'piece of me', and you gave her that"
"No weird feelings about it?"
>"It was obvious how turned on you were when you commanded me to cum. That's what got me off. I mean, she's good with her tongue, but not that good"
"I can tell you flat out she's not nearly as good as you are at sucking cock"
>She smiles
>"I always thought I was the best at that among the girls growing up"
"You're far and away the best I've had, and I've had a bunch of mares who were no slouches in that department"
>"She really did want to finish you off, though"
"I appreciated it. Just saying she's not as good at it as you"
>"She's not as into it. Doesn't take the same kind of pride in it that I do"
"Just so you know, I really appreciate the pride you take in it"
>"Thank you, master"
"And you're really cool with me wanting to fuck her?"
>"My feelings shouldn't matter, but obviously they do to you. So... You can fuck anypony you like. You're the master"
"But..."
>She hesitates
>"You invited Skydancer over when I wasn't around because you wanted tips on being a better master, right?"
"Yeah"
>Tears are welling up in her eyes
>"Because that's important to you?"
"Of course it is"
>The first few tears drip from her eyes, and her lower lip is trembling
>"I don't deserve any of this. I don't deserve YOU, master"
>Now she's just balling her eyes out, catching her breaths between sobs
"Of course you DO. You're a good girl"
>You let her sob for a bit, unsure of what else you should say here
"You ARE a good girl"
>After a minute or so she calms down a little
>Honestly it makes you feel a little pervy
>That there's a mare in front of you crying over being so happy about her life with you
>Because she gets to be your good girl
>Makes you just want to plow her right now
>And she picks up on it
>And steals a quick look between your legs
>"Is this," she asks with a sniffle, "turning you on, master?"
>It is
>You're already at half mast
"Is it terrible that I want to fuck your ass while you cry about how happy you are?"
>"Awww, no. It isn't terrible at all! It's sweet, master"
"Then go get the lube"
>She looks at you and starts crying again
>"You're so good to me!"
>Then she runs off to the bedroom
>You think you could just about get the hang of this 'master' thing
 
>Be VP
>It feels really weird to ask a horse for permission on casting
>But you consider yourself a man of your word
>So you push the button on your phone to get your secretary's attention
"Could you get me Bronc on the line?"
>And less than a minute later he's on line 1
"Bronc!"
>"What's up?"
>His tone is kind of suspicious, and you get that
>You actually hold a lot over his head
>So the illusion of being able to speak like equals is impossible
>Even though it's what you're about to attempt
"So, things good with you?"
>"Yeah, no complaints. And you?"
"I have a few complaints, but who would give a fuck about them for less than $150 an hour?"
>That gets you a laugh
>And that's what makes him such an entertainer
>The laugh sounds completely honest
>Though you know he didn't find your comment the least bit funny
>He is good
>"So to what do I owe the pleasure?," he asks
"You know I've been taking up a bunch of your mare's time lately"
>"Yeah. She seems to enjoy getting the chance to hang with other mares every week. She says your Rose can be a handful"
"Part of what I like about her. But yeah, they both are"
>"What are you thinking with this?"
"Exactly why I called. Technically both of you are property of the network. But I gave her to you, so in a practical sense you own her"
>"Ponies can't own property, you know"
"Right. I said in a practical sense, as in the way I see things, and that's what matters here"
>"OK"
"So in a practical sense each of us owns a beautiful mare who has been taking part in a focus group I put together"
>"Got it"
"Four of them have proven to be particularly interesting as possible talent"
>"So it's not really a focus group anymore"
"Not anymore. We both know your mare is great on camera. Turns out she interacts really well with my Rose"
>"So it's time to do some test shoots with them?"
"If you give your blessing. I'm not calling you as your boss, but as an equal here"
>"We're not equals here, and we both know that"
"True. But it's your decision whether she participates any further in this thing. I'm just making the offer"
>"I appreciate it, but going against your wishes isn't a good idea for somepony in my position"
"Yet I'm letting you make the decision anyways. However you decide I won't punish you for it. And you don't have to tell me right now. Think about it"
>"Why are you doing this?"
"I gave you a mare. Now I have an opportunity for her. Whether she takes it is your decision, not really mine"
>"Then would you give me an executive level summary of what you're doing here?"
"Sure. Four mares on camera, unscripted, provocative topics, riffing off each other... maybe some guests"
>"Shouldn't you be getting pros for this?"
"Ada-Maria will play the role of moderator"
>"Hmmm. Sounds boring, if you ask me"
"You're a stallion. We'll shoot an hour of it in the morning, edit it down to the best 11 or 23 minutes, and air it that night"
>"Who's the target audience? Mares?"
"The idea is to make something that would strongly appeal to high status mares"
>"Why? Are advertizers clamoring to connect with that demographic?"
"Not yet. But think about who's gonna tune in as a guilty pleasure. It's a bunch of beautiful mares being provocative and reacting to each other on camera"
>"Every man out there who wants a mare of his own but can't afford one?"
"That's a lot of men in a very desirable demographic. Maybe even some wealthy, sympathetic women in that age group as well"
>"Watching for entirely different reasons... I get it. It has to be twisted with you, doesn't it?"
"It's more subtle than just playing of people's hatred for ponies with bloodsport"
>"I never got where power of that hatred came from"
"The ground was seeded for that long before you got here. You can't make enslaving a group a popular idea without casting them in a terrible light to the masses"
>"Is that something you were a part of?"
"Nope, but I watched it happen. Straight out of Goebbels playbook. I just looked around for a way to play it to my own advantage"
>"I'll have to read up on Goebbels"
"Or just follow politics and advertising for a little bit. Portray ponies as a threat to the nation, culture and humanity as a whole"
>"So why didn't you just annihilate us? Or try to?"
"That was one idea. Then the wizards on Wall St realized subjugation would be even more profitable, and not much harder to sell"
>"So now I'm a part of your machine that profits off hatred toward my own kind"
"Yeah. But I'm already bored with that. Too easy, and it's popularity is only going to last so long. The gambling on it is really what keeps it going"
>"That'll make me sleep better at night," he says sarcastically
>He's got every right to feel that way, of course
>There's a buzz on your line, and you see line two light up on your phone
"Hang on for a sec, Bronc"
>You push the button for your secretary
>"Robert from legal on line two," she says
"Ask him to hold for a minute"
>You click back to line 1 with Bronc"
"I gotta go in a minute, Bronc. But my point is I want to try something other than dehumanizing ponies. I want to be the first to humanize them on TV"
>"As objects of pity?"
"NO! Not at all. As creatures with their own opinions who are as smart as us, just in situations where they have to make decisions people can't imagine"
>"Edgy. Remember you're talking to a pony. But I guess it doesn't hurt that they're all beautiful, too. Does it?"
"Would you listen to anything mares have to say if they weren't?"
>"Ouch"
"I'm not wrong though, am I?"
>"Not entirely, but I feel like a shit when you put it that way and I realize it's true"
"It's how things are. I didn't make the rules. A lot of them are wrong as fuck. I just make things work for me"
>"So you're really trying to turn over a new leaf here? Or sort of?"
"More like sort of, if only as penance for Hippodrome, which isn't going anywhere. But falling for Rose has changed how I think a little"
>"And you're comfortable with her being a part of it?"
"She's excited, actually. Look, I gotta go, Bronc. Get back to me when you have a decision on this. Sooner the better"
>You click over to line 2
"Hey Bob, what can I do for you?"
>"Just an update, John. The investigation into the leak is being dropped. The situation has been handled as much as it's going to be"
"That's a good thing?"
>"Given the way it was pointing you should probably think so"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
>"Nothing. Like I said the matter is closed. But if a pattern of leaked network IP were to emerge it would HAVE to be throughly investigated"
"Heard and understood. Have you seen the numbers for the Hippodrome Block?"
>"Impressive, John. Probably a big part of why the investigation was closed"
"Good to know. Thanks for the call"
>You knew you'd get away with it - even if they know it was you
>And even though it was meant to hype Yours Truly it has helped the block just as well
>Not to mention how it'll help drive interest in this new concept
>You're thinking of calling it "Blinders Off"
>Unless one of the Beards crushes it with a better idea for a name
>You want to shoot it with an all pony crew, if possible
>To capture the way they talk when there are no men in the room
>The highlight compilation from the meetings so far has been a great listen
>The only question you have is whether you're right in line with the zeitgeist, or a little too far ahead
>But that's why you program the block as a bunch of segments
>So you can test the limits in a safe situation where good ratings are almost assured
>You realize it's pretty much just an 80's panel discussion show
>But with pretty mares instead of white guys in suits
>And their expertise is the perspective lives that led to them becoming high status slaves gave them
>You really think that's enough to float the thing - it's interesting as fuck to you
>Then again, one of them is your lover
>But you see how it ought to work from a voyueristic perspective as well
>Which you're counting on - that's got to be the angle
>You hope Bronc goes for it
>His mare and Rose are dynamite together
 
>Be Skydancer
>At work in the dungeon
>It's not bad - you know you're good at it, and you have the respect of your peers
>But part of you feels like you peaked as a filly
>Back at the brothel when you were the belle of the ball
>The most popular among the clients
>And you could pretty much have your pick of the fillies
>Sweet, little fluffy fillies
>You're whistful for your fillyhood pretty often
>Even if you didn't like constantly servicing men
>A lot of cocks slamming into you back then
>You don't miss that one bit
>But you're still servicing men, just in a different way
"Mistress said you could only cum for her, when she tells you to. Have you been a naughty boy?"
>"N-no, mistress," the naked, middle aged man before you replies
"Are you lying to me?"
>This guy's thing is repressed homosexuality
>It's written all over him
>He ought to be out having a grand old time sucking cock and getting his ass plowed
>But he can't own up to it
>So instead he comes here for you to give him the punishment he thinks he deserves
>It's kind of sad, actually
>That he's here bent over a bench waiting for you to whip his pasty ass
>Instead of out living a richer life full of the cocks he obviously dreams about
>But whatever
"Are you lying to mistress?"
>"It wasn't my fault, mistress. I woke up from a dream on the egde and came before I remembered your order"
>Even if it isn't true it has to be for this scenario
>You pick up the leather whip with your mouth
>After all these years leather still lastes funny
>Like it would almost be delicious if you salted it
>WACK!
>You land the first strike across his ass
>"Please, mistress, I deserve more than that"
>WACK!
>Don't go too fast - you have to stretch this out for half an hour
>"Thank you, mistress," he says, voice breaking a little from the pain
>One more for now
>WACK!
>That had to hurt
>You put the whip down
"I really ought to get a stallion in here to plow your ass like the little bitch you are"
>A little gratuitous, but effective
>"Please, mistress. I'll be good. I promise"
"Are you sure? Maybe a master could make you more obedient than a mistress"
>"Please, no!"
>It's pathetic how much that sounds like 'please yes!'
>Just take the control away from me so it isn't my fault that I love it
>Every fucking week with this one
>Same script
>You think about your fillyhood friend and her stallion up in their penthouse in Manhattan
>While you're in a dungeon in Staten Island
>Are you jealous?
>Maybe a little
>Not of her stallion, though if you were into stallions you would be
>He's a beautiful creature
>You lube up the dildo on the fucking machine
>Usually you don't go this far with clients, but this guy is a special case
>You do feel bad for him
"Well, your sorry ass is getting plowed one way or another"
>"No, please mistress!"
"You disobeyed me. Now take your punishment"
>You ease the tip against him
>He may be protesting, but if he had a tail it would be up as high as he could hold it
>You turn the machine on to its lowest setting and it pushes the dildo forward into him
>"Oh mistress, please!"
>You're going to let him cum this time
>Though another threat is probably a good idea here
"Do we need a cage for your naughty cock, so you can't cum without mistress' permission?"
>You should probably do at the end of this session
>He's just about ready for it, maybe even overdue
>These things are judgment calls
>No response from himas he's lost in his own world of pleasure with the dildo slowly going back and forth up his ass
>It's pretty fucking disgusting to look at, so you increase the speed of the machine
>And think about being in bed in that penthouse with a mare you knew as a filly cumming all over your face
>If only she'd have come around to that back then
>It was still a great moment, and you suspect there will be more to come
>El Bronco wants to fuck you, but you can live with that
>Not like one more dick in you would make any difference at this point
>Though you do take it as a point of pride that you have a choice in the matter these days
>And that choice has been no dicks in you ever since you left the filly brothel
>You'd be doing him a favor, and it's not like you haven't already made an exception for him when you sucked him off
>He deserved it
>He gave you a longtime fantasy right there in his bed
>He didn't have to know you were pretending she was still fluffy
>Actually he probably knew, which is fine
>You wonder what his flare mashed up against your cervix would be like
>A lot more fun for him than for you, but probably not all that bad for you, either
>Oh, shit!
>You'll have to actually time that carefully with your cycle!
>He could knock you up, and that sure as fuck isn't happening
>Now you wonder if they're going to have a foal someday
>Always was a fantasy of hers
>They have to at least roleplay it, you're sure
>You look down at your work
>A few more minutes of that thing slamming this guy's prostate and a few well placed lashes
>Will have this guy jizzing
>While you tell him how disgusting he is
>Then you'll have him lick up the mess he makes while he thanks you
>"Mistress, please make it stop! I'll be good"
>That's him begging for more
>You increase the speed on the machine to about halfway
>Probably all he can handle with a dildo this size
"We're not finished yet. You've been a bad boy. A disgusting, bad boy. Now take the punishment you deserve"
>"I want to be good, mistress!"
"A good boy only cums when mistress says he can"
>"I'll be good!"
>He's getting close
>Almost time to give the poor bastard some relief
>Before you make him lock up his ugly cock for a week and hand you the key
>A few more lashes first
>WACK!
"Should mistress let you cum?"
>"I don't deserve it, mistress," he says pleadingly
"I know that. I'm just deciding how indulgent I feel today"
>You don't have too much longer to keep this up
>You pick up the whip again, and watch him tense as the dildo rams him mercilessly
>WHACK!
>Really smells like man ass in here now
>Not your favorite smell, to say the least!
>But things are gonna get worse before they get better
>Only then will you get to fan out the room with your wings
"Since I'm going to lock up your cock after this I've decided to give you permission to cum"
>"Thank you mistress!"
"Now be a good boy and cum for mistress"
>He doesn't need to be told a second time
 
>Be mare
>On video call with Snowdrop
>It's 1PM on a Tuesday, so she doesn't have to work yet
>You just told her about Skydancer's visit
>Very carefully, of course, because you don't want to make her feel jealous or left out
>"We should see if Sky wants to join us on this call," she suggests
"Good idea. She probably hasn't started work yet, either"
>A couple minutes later you have two windows open on your screen, one with Snowdrop and one with Skydancer
>"So you had a good time?," Snowdrop asks
>"Yeah, once I came to," Skydancer replies. "Be careful drinking with him if you ever get the chance"
>"He drinks a lot?," Snowdrop asks
"He drinks a lot. Thankfully he's not a mean drunk, just a dopey one. I still worry about it a little, though"
>"He's devoted to you, and doesn't seem to have anger issues," Skydancer replies. "I'm sure it's just to ease the self-loathing"
"Self-loathing?"
>"Sure," Sky replies. "He loves being a celebrity, but feels like what makes him that here is him betraying ponykind"
>"It's kinda true," Snowdrop chimes in. "I know what that show is about"
"He has no choice, so you can't really pin blame on him"
>"That's true," Sky replies, "But that's not going to change how he feels about it. There's definitely part of him that hates himself for it"
"He's a good master, though. Let's not forget that"
>"I think he needs that," Sky answers. "Keeping you happy keeps his mind on something other than the guilt over living so well while doing something so..."
"Awful. And I know it gets to him. But you're right, being my master does seem to take his mind off of it"
>"That and the obvious," Snowdrop adds
"Yeah, the obvious is pretty good, too"
>"I bet it is," Snowdrop replies
"Skydancer got a taste"
>"I got a taste of both of you," Sky says in a sultry voice. "And you tasted better"
>"That was a long time coming," Snowdrop says with a giggle
>"Actually it was pretty quick," Skydancer says with a smile. "She came the moment he told her to"
>"Such a good girl! But you did him, too?," Snowdrop says in disbelief
>"I sucked him off as a thank you for a taste of this one. I thought it was very kind of him to share. Had to return the favor somehow"
>"Is a stallion like a man that way?"
"Better," you and Skydancer reply in unison
>"I wouldn't mind finding out for myself someday," Snowdrop replies
"I'm pretty sure I can nudge things along in that direction, just give me some time to plant the seeds"
>"Speaking of planting seeds," Sky begins, "Are you two thinking about foals someday? I know that used to be a fantasy of yours"
"It's already come up. Things moved so fast I never filled you girls in. First time we did it he knocked me up"
>"And you lost it?," Snowdrop asks. "Poor thing!"
"We had it... taken care of. It was for the best"
>"That doesn't sound like you," Skydancer says doubtfully
"It wouldn't have been me as a filly, that's for sure. But what would I do with a colt? And god forbid it was a filly!"
>"Not sure you could keep your hooves off of her?," Snowdrop asks
"Not 100%, and I don't think that's right if it's your own. Does that make sense?"
>"It does when you're with somepony from Equestria," Sky replies
"What do you mean?"
>"We spent our fillyhoods being sex objects. So when we look at a filly what do we see?"
>"I know what YOU see," Snowdrop says suggestively
>"Of course," Sky says dismissively, "but you can't pretend both of you don't a little bit of that, too"
"Yeah. It's not like I want to have sex with fillies, but I do see them as sexy"
>"We sure were back in the day," Snowdrop adds
>"And we still are. But he grew up in a place where seeing fillies as sexy was unthinkable"
"That's true"
>"He was trying so hard not to judge me for it when the topic came up in conversation," Sky says, "But I still felt his judgment"
"Can't help how you were raised," you say, suddenly feeling the need to defend your stallion
>"And we can't help how we were raised, either," Sky answers. "Which was to be sex objects"
"I know the fact we were sex objects at such a young age kind of horrifies him, now that you mention it"
>"No doubt about it," Skydancer replies. "He's WAY into mares, but definitely draws a line at fillies, and that line doesn't really exist here. It's an Equestria thing"
>"So about the foal," Snowdrop asks. "That must have been awful to go through!"
"More sad than enything else. Part of me loved the idea of a piece of him growing inside me. But then what happens when it comes out into the world?"
>"I'm sure you would make a good mother," Snowdrop says gently
"I'm not. Not at all. I'm sure he'd be a doting father, but given how things are..."
>"You'd rather just have him doting on you as your master?," Skydancer asks
"Yeah. Is that selfish and terrible? Does it make me a monster?"
>"Most ponies never have any of their dreams come true," Sky replies. "You got one. Trying for two might have been being greedy"
"That's really kind of you, Sky"
>"We all have things we have to face," she replies. "Like me. I'm aware my taste for fillies is more than just growing up in a brothel full of them"
>"What do you mean?," Snowdrop asks
>"You should know," Sky answers. "It's the uneven distribution of power. I'm older, so I get to be the one calling the shots"
>"You're good at that, though," Snowdrop replies with a little blush
>"Yeah," Sky continues, "But it says something about me that I have no interest in a relationship based on a more level playing field"
>"I guess," Snowdrop replies. "But who gets to have that? Nopony I know"
"Me neither. I'm probably the closest to that of anypony I know, and he's still the master"
>"It's an idealized thing, like love," Skydancer replies. "Something to aspire to even if you'll never have it. And I don't. I like being in control"
"There's so few things anypony actually has control over I don't think anypony would begrudge you that"
>"Your stallion would," she answers, "though he wouldn't admit it. And I don't hold it against him. But I know he sees me as some kind of predator"
"You are not a predator!"
>Snowdrop giggles and says, "Maybe you are a little bit, but in a good way. I don't think you should be ashamed of it"
>"I wrestle with it sometimes," Sky admits
"We all wrestle with stuff, and you can't control what turns you on. You were the pony who taught me that"
>"Thanks," Sky replies
>"Speaking of wrestling with stuff," Snowdrop says. "I've picked up an awful new fetish that I'm not proud of"
"Do tell!"
>"Have you girls heard of whip videos?," Snowdrop asks
>"Torture porn?," Sky asks, "Really?"
>You keep your mouth shut on this one because you don't want to sound judgemental
>You've only seen one whip video in the PETA thing
>And it was horrible
>"Not the torture kind," Snowdrop replies. Then adds in a low voice, "The punishment ones"
>"THAT makes a lot more sense," Skydancer answers, "But aren't most of those fake?"
>"There are some real ones," Snowdrop says defensively
"Can you girls fill me in? All I know are the torture porn ones, and I find them... disturbing"
>"That's because they're full on sadistic," Sky says. "That's not what she's into. These are more intimate"
>"Basically," Snowdrop begins, "The mare knows she's done something wrong and deserves to be punished. The master decides to film it"
>"Often she has the belt or whip in her mouth," Skydancer adds, "And gives it to him."
>"Then she suffers through her punishment like a good girl," Snowdrop sontinues, "And usually they fuck after!"
"THAT sounds like something that would tun you on, for sure"
>"Yeah," Snowdrop says, blushing a little. "I've got like 20 of them in a hidden folder on the brothel computer"
"Doesn't shock me at all. And really doesn't seem all that bad"
>"Tell me," Skydancer asks, "When you watch these do you want to be the mare, or the master?"
>Snowdrop pauses for a little bit, then answers, "During the punishment I just like being a voyeur. During the fucking I want to be the mare, of course"
"Makes sense. You never get to be the voyeur - you're always in the center of the action"
>"And they never whipped us at the brothel growing up," Skydancer adds, "So it's a taboo thing. I totally get it"
>"So you don't think I'm weird or sadistic or anything like that?," Snowdrop asks
>"Not given what I do all day," Skydancer says with a little laugh, "You'd probably love being a fly on the wall for some of that, too!"
>"I bet I would," Snowdrop says hopefully
>"That's not something I can make happen, I'm afraid. Sorry."
>There's a lull in the conversation
"So Snowdrop, have you heard from Durril recently?"
>"She's been really busy at the tack dance club"
"Yeah, I fugured. That place makes a ton of money on alcohol sales, but spends a lot on security! I do the books every week"
>"I'm sure they need a lot of security," she replies. "Drunk men and dancing mares? Gotta keep those mares safe!"
>Another lull in the conversation
>"So anypony have anything else interesting to share before we wrap this up and get back to reality?," Sky asks
"Well... I might be on TV"
>"Aren't you already on TV?," Snowdrop asks
"More than just as arm candy for master in little segments. As part of an actual talk show"
>"A pony talk show?," Snowdrop saks doubtfully
"A MARE talk show. Remember Roseluck from the wedding? She did the flowers? It would probably be with her"
>"Probably?," Skydancer asks, "So it's still in the works?"
"I haven't even decided if I want to do it. Master says it's up to me, and you know I'm not so good at making my own decisions"
>"Not when you have somepony to tell you what to do," Skydancer says with a smile
"What can I say? It's true"
>"Well, if you need somepony to hash out the pros and cons with I'm here for you," Skydancer replies
>"Me, too," Snowdrop adds
"Thanks, girls. Now isn't the time though. I ought to be going. Good talking with you both!"
>"Thanks for including me," Skydancer says. "I miss you two!"
>"We miss you, too," Snowdrop answers
"At least we get to catch up like this! Bye, girls!"
>That was nice
>Now it's back to the books for the tack dance club
>Gonna have to check in with Durril before too long
 
>Be mare
>Surfing the internet after doing today's bookkeeping
>You decide to look for pony opinions, since you're considering taking part in a show where you'll be offering your own
>It appears not too many ponies are all that comfortable talking frankly online 
>The interesting stuff is all in kind of fringe places, posted anonymously or under obviously fake names
>And just how accurate any of the facts used to back up the stuff you read there is is nearly impossible to validate
>Because there's a lot of hatred and misinformation associated with any search replated to ponies
>And porn
>So much porn
>So much of it really ugly and abusive
>Makes you realize just how good you had it growing up in the Filly Brothel
>And appreciate what you have now all the more
>Hoping to find some actual information you can use you decide to search with the word 'history' in the search bar
>And something interesting comes up halfway down the first page of results
>It reads: PONIES: What People Won't Tell You About The History Of Equestrian Pony Subjugation
>You can't resist reading it, even though you know it could very likely me misinformation
>As you start reading you're sucked in
>But it's slow going, because you're embarrassed to have the computer read it to you with master in earshot
>You're still not that great a reader
>But you figure he might enjoy this, too
"Master!," you shout as you walk into the living room where he's listening to music - something weird, "Could you read me something I found on the internet?"
>Sure, I guess," he responds. "What did you find?"
"I don't know if it's history or propaganda or both, but it looks interesting. And maybe you could help me?"
>"Are you reading stuff you shouldn't be reading? You know they can track everything you do online"
"This is sopposedly history, but it's a lot to get through, and if I'm struggling to read it I won't really be paying attention to what it actually says"
>"What is it about?"
"The history about us people don't want us to know"
>"Conspiracy theory stuff?"
"Isn't slavery just a giant conspiracy against us in the first place?"
>"Good point. Yeah, I'll come in and read it to you. As long as there's no shit about overthrowing the government in it"
"Didn't strike me as that kind of thing, but I didn't get very far"
>"If it starts advocating for anything illegal I'm going to stop"
"I have no interest in anything illegal, master. You know that"
 
	What People Won't Tell You About The History Of Equestrian Pony Subjugation
 
When contact was first made a small number of residents of two very different worlds gazed upon each other in amazement. Equestrians guardedly offered overtures of friendship while humans sent scientests to study them. What those scientists found confounded their knowledge. Their instruments could not measure the effects of magic in Equestria, so they were left baffled at things as simple as pegasus ponies controlling the weather, earth pony strength and even the most elementary unicorn magic. They were unable to square their observations with any of their knowledge, even with the help of pony scholars. Alicorn magic left them stupified. That a kingdom prospered for over 1000 years of peace under a monarch who literally raised the sun every morning was even further beyond their comprehension. The human world rearly knew a century without several major wars and more minor ones. And they had no control over their weather, let alone their planet or solar system - exploration of that had only recently begun. The observations these scientists reported to people in their own world were immediately seen as a threat to human hegemony in that world. Their technology, for all of the awesome power it harnessed seemed no match for pony magic. Of course they never let these fears show to their pony hosts in Equestria. Their scientists continued their studies in Equestria while in the human world ponies were cast as the biggest threat to national and even global security the world had even encountered. Their leaders had plenty of experience turning groups of humans against each other for political purposes, so turning a majority of humans against the Pony Menace proved easy for them. The ground was being seeded for an attempt to annhilate ponykind, preferably after they'd figured out at least some of the workings of our magic. This was not common knowledge in Equestria, where authorities were still working with human scientists in good faith. Until the first Equestrians were brought to the human world. That's when the narrative among humans changed entirely. 
 
In a magicless world individual ponies turned out to be much less threatening than on Equestrian soil. A pegasus capable of hitting or even breaking the sound barrier in Equestria could barely fly faster than 40 mph under her own wing power, and even during a dive would be lucky to hit a mere 100 mph. Controling the weather on any large scale wasn't an option. Earth ponies, while still strong for their size compared to other creatures in the human world proved to have only about 1/4 the strength they had in Equestria. Unicorn magic was reduced to parlor tricks in a world where intricate and complicated spells simply couldn't be cast. From this humans correctly calculated that even Alicorn magic was no threat to them in their own world. Quickly their propaganda machines began to sell the idea of bringing ponies into their world on tight leashes as an alien workforce under private ownership. That's right - ownership. It was around this time pictures of attractive mares captioned, "Ownership has its privileges" began to circulate on the internet, even though private ownership of Equestrian ponies had yet to be legalized. All that was required was a way to disable Equestrian royal power and herd the citizens to the human world, which would welcome them as private property. 
 
Of course that came in the form of the Royal Technology Expo. It turned out that human technology was hobbled in a world where magic was part of the natural order in a similar way that magic was in the human world. But much human technology could be shown on a demonstration level that several royals, including Princesses Celestia, Luna and Twilight Sparkle were eager to see. Hidden among the items brought to Canterlot for the Exposition was a nuclear bomb, which was detonated right after Celestia had lowered the sun for the day, but before Luna had raised the moon. While the force of the explosion was merely a fraction of what its terrifying power would have been in the human world it was still more than enough to cause the intended havoc. Most of Canterlot, including the castle was leveled. At least htree princesses were killed, and Equestria was plunged into darkness. The scientists were also killed, of course, leaving an accident as a plausible explanation for the carnage. Ponies quickly panicked in a leaderless, darkend world. 
 
Meanwhile in the US the idea of private ownership of Equestrian ponies - pony slavery - was a hotly contested issue. Many who had bought into the original narrative of ponies being a danger to human control of their own world were terrified at the idea of bringing ponies there en masse. Others vehemently opposed it on the grounds that it sounded a lot like slavery in a nation that was still recovering from its own legacy of enslaving their own kind. These voices became muted as the collapse of mortgage based derivative trading threatened to throw the economy into a global depression. Economists and those supporting private pony ownership quickly pointed out that pony trading could generate trillions of sorely needed dollars. Many speculate that the derivative markets were set up to fail in order to usher in the era of Pony Subjugation. The timing of the Technology Expo so-called accident does fit this narrative.
 
We all know what happened after. Ponies were given the choice to leave Equestria to come to a world where they would have no rights, very little magic and would literally be private property. But it wasn't really much of a choice. In a dark, cold world with food running out it was the only option for survival. Since the Second Migration the US government has kept tight control of all contact with Equestria as a matter of National Security. Roumors abound, but nopony has any way of knowing whether it's become a barren, dark world or whether those left behind somehow managed to raise the sun again and rebuild. We can choose to keep hope alive in our hearts, but in all likelihood we'll never know.
 
So the next time a man or woman tells you ponykind was saved by human compassion you may want to keep your mouth shut. But remember their original intent was to annihilate us. Instead they destroyed Equestria and brought us here as slaves. Do not ever mistake that for compassion. It's the greatest crime that could have been committed against Equestria and ponykind. And it was premeditated, methodically carried out. They murdered our princesses and countless innocent ponies, and destroyed our homeland for one reason: bringing us here as slaves made better economic sense to them than exterminating us entirely. Think about that the next time you feel like letting your guard down around a man or woman. Good luck to all of us little ponies. In this world we need as much as we can get.
 
>Master is in rough shape by the time he reads the last paragraph
>He has to stop several times to sob and wipe tears from his eyes
>You're crying as well, but also in shock
"Is any of this true, master?"
>He talkes a little while to collect himself
>"I don't know. It's something you found on the internet. No way of knowing how much truth there is to it"
"What do you think, then?"
>"If it's misinformation somepony - or someone - put a lot of work into it. It lines up with my recollection of what happened perfectly"
>He adds, "It also fits with some things I've heard the VP mention in passing"
"I hate to think this might me true"
>"I hate the fact that it doesn't sound at all implausible. Fuck"
 
>Be mare
>You decided to go through with it
>The TV thing
>It should be really intimidating, but it's just a couple "test shoots" at this point
>Master said a lot of shows make it all the way to pilot level and still don't get picked up
>And if it doesn't make it into production
>It's still flattering
>That's really what it is
>It makes you feel the way you do when you're called pretty or beautiful or sexy
>But there's a difference
>You KNOW you are those things
>What makes this so strange is you're being praised for shooting your mouth off
>Having opinions about things
>For most of your life you didn't really bother to have opinions about things
>Because you knew no one cared what a whorse thought about stuff
>To be honest you didn't care, yourself
>You weren't all that interested in having opinions about stuff
>Why bother to have them if they don't matter?
>So to be told what you have to say is interesting or compelling?
>It doesn't make any sense
>It's like a mare who knows her hooves are nothing special suddenly catching the attention of hoof fetishists
>You're being flattered for a part of you that you always saw as valueless
>They even encourage it
>The 'notes' you've gotten so far all praise you for expressing opinions that come from strong emotions:
>Fear, disgust, passion
>And when you're being judgmental and dismissive, which is usually a matter of following Rose's lead
>She's got way more of that in her than you do
>Not that you agree on everything
>They really seem to like it when you disagree and argue
>You wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with just anypony
>But you're comfortable with her
>Because it really feels like she's not going to be hurt by your disagreeing with her
>She actually seems to enjoy the little bit of confrontation with another mare
>And you've never had that kind of dynamic with a friend before
>Where part of your friendship was judging stuff and arguing about it?
>It's new and exciting ground for you
>Then being told it's so interesting that they might put the two of you on TV together?
>It's flattering
>Who knew you were interesting?
>You never thought about being interesting
>Being pretty and sexy was what mattered to you, because that was your purpose
>Then you started doing the books, and the absolute integrity of the numbers became something else that mattered
>But having interesting opiniopns about things?
>That's a completely foreign concept to you
>But it turns out you do have them, at least when you're talking with Rose
>Or that's what the notes from the meetings say
>Part of you is a little distrustful of the situation
>Master agrees with that, because of the man behind it all
>The creator of Hippodrome
>But nopony is getting killed here
>If anything it seems like the opposite of master's show
>And he has no problem with you doing it
>He did point out that while ponies technically can't sign contracts the agreement between him and the VP would basically be one
>Once you said yes to this you would have no choice but to go through with it
>You don't get to just walk away if you don't like it anymore
>Which makes this the biggest decision you've ever made in your life
>Master pointed out that technically they didn't HAVE to let it be your decision
>Both of you are network property
>But the VP is determined to treat you like you're Master's property
>So it's Master's decision
>And he let it be yours
>Even if it's just a symbolic choice the consequences will be real
>Your life could change a bit
>But as long as you get to be a good girl for your master
>And get to use your special talent to help out the organization that fed, sheltered and raised you
>Which is really the closest thing you have to a family in your life
>You're happy
>And you've been assured this adventure won't get in the way of those very important things
>It'll just eat up a day and a half a week - time you currently waste on the internet anyways
>And really, the internet just leaves you shocked, disgusted and sad most of the time
>That time would be better spent talking with your friend Rose
>Ada Maria is nice, too, if a little bossy sometimes
>But you know that's becuse she's supposed to be the moderator
>Her job is to reign you and Rose in
>And Moonglow - the blue unicorn
>She's going to be part of the team as well, most likely
>You don't know her that well yet, but talking with her is fun
>She seems to like egging you on to say more outrageous things
>Especially sexual things
>Which is no big deal to you - you've been talking pretty frankly about sex things since you were a filly
>But obviously not all mares are like that
>Moonglow is not, so she gets a real kick out of it when you go there
>You're sure this will be fun
>And whatever it will be it's happening
>Because master already made the call telling the network you're on board
>And the day after tomorrow they're sending a van so you an the rest of the team can do a test shoot
 
>First thing you notice when you walk onto the set for the test shoot it the crew
>They're all ponies!
>The camera operators and lighting crew?
>Ponies
>There's only one human on set, talking to Ada Maria
>A skinny guy with a beard
>As you walk toward them he looks over at you
>"What do you think?," he asks
"About what?"
>"No men on set. I'm on my way out of here right now," he says proudly
"How did you find ponies who could do this?"
>"We trained them. And the unmion is probably going to have a shit fit about it, but the point is all pony cast and crew"
>"And of course, " Ada Maria adds, "there are no such thing as union ponies"
"How could there be? Slaves can't own property, so you couldn't pay them"
>The bearded guy smiles at you and gestures toward the camera operators
>"These are free ponies," he says with a grin. "They're getting paid. They're just not allowed to join the union"
>That's the moment you realize just how subversive this show is going to be
>You've just signed up to be one of the faces of something that could be as controversial as Hippodrome
"This is going to be bigger than a bunch of mares speaking their minds..."
>"You're just realizing that now? Well, don't let it throw you off your game. Even if it does, no big. This is still proof of concept"
>He adds, "And we have faith in the talent. Break a leg"
>With that he walks away and off the set
>The talent
>YOU'RE the talent!
"Holy shit!," you say to Ada Maria
>"Tell me about it. This is a huge change from Pony Time"
"What will happen if this gets picked up?"
>"I'll be working on this. I may be a beloved memeber of the cast there, but I can be replaced. This is much more... exciting"
"It really feels like doing something you're not supposed to"
>"I think that's entirely the point. John is such a fucking contrarian, but he somehow has his finger on the pulse"
"There are a lot of people out there who are going to HATE this, aren't there?"
>"Yup," she says with a smile. "But fuck them. I've been the face of their kids' favorite show for years. Besides, no matter what happens we're safe under the wing of the network"
"They're not," you say, gesturing a hoof toward the crew
"No," Ada Maria responds in a hushed voice. "For them this is a huge risk. It's also an opportunity for self-determination"
"Which makes it even riskier. People don't want that for ponies"
>"You can bring that up if you like. The first topic we're going to cover is the show itself, kind of an introduction for viewers"
"We're going to have a little meeting before we just get up there and do it, right?"
>"Of course. And a stylist is going to give you a few minutes' attention as well. Hey, look! Rose just got here"
>You look over at your friend
>She's even more beautiful than usual
>Almost glowing
>She walks over
>"What do you girls think about this set up?," she asks
"It's a good way to make sure the show will be controversial regardless of what we say"
>"Yeah," Rose replies. "It's all I've been hearing about from John all week. How this is really going to make waves"
"You ready to make some waves? You're not worried it could be bad for your business?"
>"The kind of customer who chooses a pony florist isn't someone averse to ponies making waves"
"You're sure?"
>Excuse me, girls," Ada Maria says, backing away, "I'm going to go bring Moonglow up to speed"
"Cool"
>"Does it matter?," Rose continues, "If business gets hurt John will just have to float it for a while like he did when we started it"
"I guess that would be fair, since it would be his fault"
>"I think if anything it will be good for business. Your wedding certainly was"
"That's great to hear"
>"I've already had to come up with human friendly versions of my edible arrangements"
"That was a good idea," you say, noticing for the first time ever Rose seems the tiniest bit pudgy underneath
>Rose usually has no pudge at all!
>She catches your look and whispers conspiratorily, "Am I starting to show?"
>Now she's blushing
"You told me you weren't..."
>"I was so busy lying to myself I might have extended the lie to you. Sorry"
"Appology accepted, but... How do I react? I this happy news or a huge problem?"
>"A little from each column, but I'm pretty sure it's going to end up mostly happy. No one knows yet"
"They will soon! It's almost obvious! Then what are you going to do?"
>"John loves me. He'll hate this, but he'll accept it for a bunch of reasons"
"Like what?"
>"It's what I want, first of all. Then me being that way on the show will just make it edgier."
"That sounds a little thin. You think he won't take this out on master and me as well?"
>"No. Bronc is the star of his biggest hit. You and I are part of the team he's counting on for a follow up. I think we're all safe because of his ambition"
"And the foal?"
>"I want it, and I'll see to it he lets me keep it and raise it. Don't tell Bronc yet, though"
"Wow. OK"
>"You're OK with this, I hope?"
"Your decisions are yours, not mine. As long as you don't blow up master and my life I'm cool with whatever"
>"You won't have to worry about that. Don't forget John's not entirely innocent here either, thanks to you"
"Right. You think that'carries enough weight?"
>"It's something I can hold over his head. He doesn't know I know"
"I don't know the relative value of actions here, but I would think getting pregnant is a bigger deal than getting a blowjob"
>"The bigger issue is that I lied to him. I told him I wouldn't do it, and I did"
"That's an issue for a guy like that. I also don't think he'd like the idea of his concubine raising the foal that was the result"
>"You're right. But he doesn't want me to just be his concubine. He wants to pretend I'm the impossible - actually his marefriend"
"I kind of noticed that. You don't act like he's your master at all"
>"That's not what he wants. I pretend I'm his marefriend. And I'm going to make it clear if he takes this away from me all he'll be left with is a concubine. He'd lose me the way he wants"
"You have that kind of power over him?"
>"I keep up the lie. I let him believe he has a girlfriend who just happens to be a pony. I even make him cajole me into sex if he wants and I feel like I need some... cajoling"
"I can't imagine that!"
>"I threaten to take that away and he'll cave. Regardless of how furious he's going to be"
"I think he'll be furious"
>"Me, too. But I'm pretty confident it's going to work out fine after the initial bumps in the road"
>Ada Maria approaches you with Moonglow following behind her
>"All right, girls," she says. "Let's get into make up and hash out the topics for today. It'll be just like our meetings, but with cameras"
 
>Be El Bronco
>Today was her test shoot
>You're really curious to hear how things went down
>Because these last couple ideas the VP has thrown out seemed kind of half baked
>Hippodrome had pretty high production values from the start
>It has always been kind of a slick show
<At least the production bits were
>The action was mostlr covered like a sporting event, often using drones
>And while it definitely showed contempt for pony lives, it did so stylishly
>Both his recent concepts, "Yours Truly" and this new one show the opposite of contempt for ponies
>It's like he wants to show people "they're just like we are"
>Which you're not sure people want to hear
>And why make a tough sell tougher with bottom of the barrel production values?
>Either he's lost it or he's seeing something you don't
>Both could be problematic down the road
>Hopefully he'll get this out of his system, decide it's a waste of time and your girl gets a fun experience out of it
>It has been pretty good for her so far
>So you hope she enjoyed today regardless of how it works out in the future
>She should be getting home soon, so probably best to throw something together in the kitchen
>Not that you're going to do any actual cooing, but you can assemble a meal from what's in the fridge
>And she might like coming home to that
>Besides, with her out you didn't bother to eat lunch today, so you're starving
>As you fuss around getting some oats, apple slices and hay (because why not?) into bowls you hear the door open
>"Master?"
"In the kitchen fixing us a snack. How was it?"
>She quickly appears alongside you and gives you a kiss
>"It was great. But this isn't going to be fluff. He's courting controversy, for sure"
"How so?"
>"First off the crew were all ponies"
"How'd they pull that off?"
>"They trained a bunch of free ponies and they're paying them!"
"What about the union?"
>"The producer said the union is going to have a shit fit"
"I would think. How were they?"
>"They fucked up a few times. We did, too. But the idea is that doesn't matter. They shoot an hour and a half then edit it down to 22 minutes"
"I can't tell if he's being slack or he's got something up his sleeve"
>"Ada Maria can't, either. Rose has the inside track, and she's confident he's onto something"
"Like when he filled our place with cameras? He might just be losing it"
>"I'm not gonna defend him.But back when you did music was every idea you liked a hit?"
>She's got you there
>You laugh
"Good point. Sometimes your least favorite songs are the hits and the ones you love the most nopony gets. You can't always tell in the thick of it. That's what a producer is for"
>"The producer is definitely chasing down some kind of concept. It was mostly hot button issues, like our free pony crew"
"How'd the banter feel with the other girls?"
>"The cameras made us a little stiff at first. I know I felt stiff because they distracted me. Rose, too. Ada Maria was the most at ease"
"She's a pro. Of course she did well. Rose did OK though?"
>"Yeah. We were both on track after the first twenty minutes or so. They want us to come back for more tomorrow"
"Is it what you'd hoped it would be?"
>"It's interesting. I see why you like being talent so much. And if it goes nowhere it's a good story to have"
"Good perspective. Just remember if it goes somewhere you are on that ride. And things can move very quickly"
>She nods
"Snack?"
>You push one of the bowls you put together toward her
>"Thank you, master"
>She likes being talent
>That's so fucking cute
>Who doesn't like being talent?
 
 
>Be Rose
>Back at John's place
>You'd prefer to be at yours, but with his wife in the Hamptons for the summer he likes having you here
>And it's hard to bitch about a two floor apartment, even if it is technically the Upper East Side
>Even though the AC is on just knowing what a hot, humid day it is out there makes you thirsty for a cold glass of wine
>You call down to the wine shop for delivery
"Two bottles of wine for delivery"
>"What would you like, Ma'am?"
"Two of your best selling rosé from Provence under $20"
>"Got it"
>You provide the address and credit card info
>"I've only got one cold"
"That's fine"
>Given your state you know you shouldn't have more than a glass, but John will probably need some after you talk to him tonight
>Wine usually isn't his thing - more of a scotch guy - but in the summer everyone drinks rosé, even John
>You should probably be thinking about dinner, too, since he ought to be home and hungry before too long
>You'd like to order from Candle 79 again, but you've already done that once this week
>And he isn't really so much of a fan
>You know he goes along with it just because you like it
>What's the French place he likes that delivers?
>Cafe d'Alcase
>He likes the duck from there
>And the gougeres, but those run out quick
>He probably shouldn't be eating like that eith his cholesterol the way it is
>Should that really be your concern?
>He has a wife, doesn't he?
>Yes, and she's fucking useless for anything other than spending his money
>Still, he ought to have a meal he likes before you drop this bomb on him
>You'll have to make a meal of two appetizer salads, since there's nothing on the mains for you there
>It'll be the beet salad and the chopped salad again
>You decide to text him
You: "Thinking ordering Cafe d'Alsace. ETA?"
>His response comes a minute later
John: "Sounds good. Leaving in 5"
>Which means he'll be leaving in half an hour, and be home in an hour, earliest
>So you should put in the order in about half an hour
>The doorman buzzes
>"Delivery"
"Send him up"
>At least you can have a glass of wine
>Maybe even a glass and a half
>You rifle through the bowl where John keeps small bills for tips, and find a $5 bill
>Then you unlock the door to the elevator to find a short, young man holding a black plastic bag and a receipt
>You take both from him and give him the bill
>You don't recognize him, and he seems surprised to be dealing with a pony
>Must be new
"Thank you"
>"Thank you," he replies in some kind of Spanish accent
>John could tell where he was from from that accent alone
>He spoke fluent Spanish and had lived in Mexico City for a while
>Back when he and Cynthia were still happy together
>Before the Contact
>When you were coming of age in Ponyville
>Not for the first time you wish you could go back to those times
>When both of you were happy and neither of you even knew the other's wold existed
>You sigh as you fumble with the corkscrew
>THESE things were clearly not made with hooves in mind
>But with both forehooves and your mouth you can get a bottle open
>And pour yourself a glass
"Simpler times," you say to yourself
>You take a sip of the cool liquid
>Better get both bottles in the fridge
>While he will drink rosé he won't touch it if it's warm
 
>Be Rose
>Finishing up dinner with John at his place
>There had been a gougere for him, so he was happy
>Though he said he would have preferred red wine with duck
>"So I heard things went well today at the shoot"
"After a little bit of a shaky start, yeah"
>"Heard that, too. But after half an hour everyone got into a flow?"
"That's what it felt like"
>"Great. We'll shoot more tomorrow then take stock of what we've got. Did you enjoy yourself?"
"It's a little nervewracking, but exciting"
>"That's 'cause you're just starting out. It'll be more casual as you get used to it. You're gonna be great"
>Now is the time
>You don't want to do it, but you have to
"John, can we talk about something?"
>"I don't like the sound of that. What's up?"
"John, I'm just going to come right out and say it. I'm pregnant"
>He leans away from you with a look of horror on his face
"John, I..."
>"Shut up. It's Bronc, isn't it? I was afraid something like this was going to happen. I'll kill him!"
"For what, having sex with your mare? You had sex with his!"
>Seeing the dunbfounded look on his face you add
"You think the two of us don't talk?"
>"That kind of behavior is par for the course from her - she's a whore. I didn't expect it from you, Rose. When did this happen?"
"At the wedding. Same time it happened with you"
>"Let me guess - was it her idea, by chance?"
>You nod
>"Ungrateful little bitch! That little whore played the both of us, probably just for her own amusement"
"Why would she do that?"
>"Because she's a whore. That's what whores do - they like nothing more than watching everyone around them sink to their level"
"If that's how you see it then there's got to be something we can do to make things right between us!"
>He sighs
>"We've each committed a transgretion that could put a normal relationship in danger," he says calmly
"Right, so, um... uh... clean slate?"
>He shakes his head showly
>"You want to keep the foal, don't you?"
"I want to"
>"Then YOU'VE got a problem. Because I want you as a girlfriend, but I don't want a pregnant soon to be single mother who acts like a whore"
"Please, John! Don't break up with me!"
>He laughs
>Not at all a pleasant laugh
>A laugh full of hurt and anger
>"I can't break up with you. I own you. Neither of us liked that fact to be part of our relationship, so the boyfriend-girlfriend thing worked out fine. But now you're blowing it"
"I'm blowing it?"
>"If I'd have wanted to be a parent Cynthia and I would have had kids back when she was into the idea. Lose the foal and maybe we have a future"
"I'm keeping the foal, John"
>"Like the choice is really yours to make"
"You may as well just kill me then, because that would kill me"
>"Already hormonal, I see. I'll let it be your choice, but you should understand what it means," he says in the calm voice
>"This is humiliating to me, in addition to being painful and infuriating," he continues. "As a couple we're done. You're nothing but a piece of property to me now"
"This doesn't have to be that way, John"
>"No more of that, either. My pony girlfriend called me 'John'. You're nothing but a disobedient slave. 'Master' will do from you"
>You can't believe what you just heard
"John!"
>He raises a fist 
>"Call me that again and you'll get hit. Maybe I can beat his spawn right out of you"
"No, master, please..."
>"And don't worry about the show or the flower shop. You're going to keep working, because your allowance is about to become how much you actually earn working"
"Master, we could still..."
>"Shut up. There's only one thing WE have left to do together"
"What, master?," you ask, betraying a last glimmer of hope
>He pulls out his phone and taps the screen a few times
>"Push off tomorrow's test shoot for a couple days... I don't know... How long does it take a slave to recover from a good whipping? Three days, then. Thanks"
 
>Be VP
>Last night you texted your niece Anna
>You know she stays up late - really late
>So a text message around midnight wasn't a big deal for her
>She agreed to meet for lunch 
>She wanted to go to Fat Radish, but they stopped doing lunch
>So you agreed to do Wild Ginger
>It will be weirder than Fat Radish - they have shit like macro bowls on the menu
>But you remember an Asian mock seafood dish there that was pretty good
>If you have to eat vegan you can get by eating stuff like that
>It's not like vegan means awful all of the time, just most of the time
>Plus they do so much business in delivery that you can linger there, because the crowd will be pretty sparse around 1PM
>When she asked what this was about you texted back: "Fucked up with Rose"
>She responded "Shit. OK C U then"
>Which is how you find yourself standing on Broome St near the edge of Little Italy at 1PM
>Reading a text from her telling you she's running 15 min late
>Fuck
>Young people these days never plan in advance, and their plans are always shifting
>Consequence of growing up with instant communiaction
>How can I be late for anything when I sent you a text telling you I was running late?
>And they all operate that way, so no one takes offense
>Looking around you'd like to think it was noteworthy how Chinatown has encroached on Little Italy
>But it's been this way as long as you remember
>You know a lot of ponies are scared of Chinatown
>You've even herad them imply that ponies are served in restaurants there
>More than once you wanted to point out that's just antique racism
>Left over from 150 years ago when the Chinese were the despised newcomers on this soil
>Before the Italians even got here
>But you've stopped yourself
>Because the idea of trying to make ponies sympathetic to the legacy of man's racism seems absurd
>When similar forces have put them in a far worse position
>The Chinese Exclusion Act may have been an awful part of our history
>But history is going to look back on pony slavery as far worse
>As well as people like you
>But, hey, you don't get to choose the world you live in
>You just live in it the best you can
>Which is why the whole thing with Rose hurts so much
>You had things going so well for a couple years there
>You were sure she was happy
>You were happy
>What you never should have done is bought that whore for Bronc
>Like they say, no good deed goes unpunished
>But this one really bit you in the ass
>Poor Rose, too
>You could have forgiven her for a romp with Bronc
>It wouldn't have been easy, but you understand it
>He's not just handsome, but also her celebrity crush from her youth in Equestria
>That's enough to earn her a pass, even if you don't like it
>But going for it when she knew there was a chance of ending up pregnant?
>That's where she was over the line
>Because it's not like mares from Equestria are casual about terminating pregnancies
>They're not like observant Catholics or conservative Christians
>They don't think it's murder, or even morally wrong
>They're just horrified by the idea in a way that mares who grew up here - like Bronc's whore - obviously are not
>Their biological imperative overrides everything else
>And Rose knew that, and knowing that means it was on her to be more careful if she didn't want to fuck things up between the two of you
>Then to just tell you she's pregnant?!
>Like asking you what you were going to do about it?!
>Or just assuming you'd be OK with it?
>WTF is wrong with that mare?
>Did she think just because she was working two jobs like a Pueblan innigrant she could suddenly start acting like a free pony?
>You could make her a free pony
>But there's no way you could be that cruel to her
>You doubt you could even be that cruel to Bronc's foal
>Because it'll be just as much hers as his
>"Hi Uncle John," a familiar voice says next to you
>And there's your Anna, up on her tiptoes to kiss your cheek
"Hi beautiful. I think I fucked up"
>She smiles
>"You must have to ask your 19 year old niece for relationship advice. I've only had two relationships in my life, and I'm still not over the last"
"This is bad. Rose fucked up first, but then I..."
>"Massively overracted?"
"Almost. Let's leave it at overracted for now. I'll tell you the story over lunch"
>"If I'm going to be your therapist you're buying drinks, too"
"I'm really looking for more of a reality check, but fair enough. Wine only. Two glasses"
>"Make it three. Something tells me this is going to be a lot of shit I really don't want to hear"
"You're probably right. Done"
>Once you're seated and your dreinks arrive you get to business
>You tell her about what happened at the wedding and over dinner last night
>"So you inadvertently ended up swinging with the most promiscious couple you know at their wedding, which you put on?"
"You could put it like that"
>She laughs
>"Well that's a hazard of hanging with promiscious people, er, ponies. I don't want to have sex if it isn't going to be meaningful, so I don't socialize with promiscious people"
>She catches your raised eyebrow
>"I don't judge them. That's just not how I see things, and how am going to meet people who see things they way I do if I'm hanging with people who see things like that?"
"I get that, and I still want to blame Bronc and his whore - she kind of set it up"
>"She probably did. But what kind of behavior would you expect from an Equestrian rockstar who is now the sexiest stallion in America and his sex worker fiancee?"
"She told me it was a 'thank you'"
>"Maybe in her eyes it was. But she didn't exactly drag you into the bathroom kicking and screaming, did she?"
"No. Honestly I thought it would make a funny story someday - the bride at a wedding blowing me minutes before she got married"
>"Then you can't jduge Rose for a moments' indescretion with her celebrity crush, can you? You're no better!"
"True, but I didn't end up pregnant"
>"The double standard in full effect, I see"
"I didn't write the rules of how biology works"
>"Or patriarchy, right?"
"Didn't write those rules, either"
>"But you will enforce them?"
"I told her lose the foal and we could still have a chance"
>"How romantic. What every woman wants to hear, let alone an Equestrian mare"
"Yeah, she was having none of that"
>"Why was that so important to you? Not having the foal in the picture?"
"I have no interest in raising a foal. And I sure as fuck don't want to look like a..."
>"Were you gonna say 'cuck'? Holy shit, what are you? Some 17 year old tiki torch nazi who wants to tell me about Q-Anon?!"
"No, but..."
>"Besides, you couldn't impregnate her if you wanted to - she's a different species. So there's no way you could be a cuck. If anything this makes you a pony breeder"
"I don't want that, either"
>"And I'm guessing Rose wouldn't budge. So you two are left at an impasse?"
"Not quite. It gets worse"
>"What did you do?"
"How do you know it was me?"
>"What did you do?"
>You tell her about threatening to hit Rose if she called you John again, and telling her she had to call you 'master'"
>She shakes her head and sighs
>"Two years... You spent two years getting her to trust that your relationship really was botfriend and marefriend, and not master and slave"
"Yeah, and I fucked that up in like under half a minute"
>"I'll say you did. She's never going to trust you again"
>Your food arrives, and you ask the server to refill your drinks, then start picking at it
"It gets worse"
>"Oh, Uncle John, please tell me it doesn't"
"I told her she was nothing to me anymore but a disobdient slave, so she deserved what a disobedient slave gets"
>"Oh, god. You know the only reason she was so forthcoming with you about being pregnant was because you got her to believe you didn't see her like that!"
"I told her she was going to get a whipping"
>"Way to pull the rug out from under her. You didn't actually do it, did you? Tell me you didn't"
"I started to... didn't follow through"
>"OK, now I feel sick."
>She empties her glass of wine and gestures toward the server for a refill
"I took her to the study, piled up some pillows on the couch and told her any noise she made had better be into them"
"Then I set up my iPhone to record it"
>"You recorded it?!"
"If she was going to humiliate me I was going to humiliate her. The plan was 15 lashes, let her think it was over, the 15 more she'd have to take for Bronc and his whore"
>"You are one vengeful motherfucker, Uncle John. Probably good you and Aunth Cynthia didn't have kids"
>You let that slide, because this really is you at your worst
>She has every right to judge you
"I landed the belt on her four times and stopped. I couldn't handle her screams and sobs"
>"Nice to know you couldn't go full psycho. That's a point in your favor, I guess"
"I was also on the verge of seeing red with anger and shame. One more lash and I don't think I would have been able to stop myself"
>"Shit. Poor Rose"
"I told her to get out, take an Uber home and not contact me for a few days"
>"I'm sure she won't. That's really, really bad. Not the absolute worst case scenario, but REALLY bad"
"So you think there's still hope?"
>"What, for you two as a couple? That ship sailed the moment you made her choose between you and her foal. Eveything after is just... monstrous"
>She starts crying
"Sorry your uncle is a monster"
>"Oh, I knew that the first time I watched Hippodrome. I'm actually impressed you stopped yourself before full psycho on her"
>Hardly something for your beloved niece to find impressive about yout character, but you'll take what you can get at this point
>"I understand how betrayal hurts. When my girlfriend left me for another girl I fantasized they'd end up in a car wreck or... a house fire"
"That kind of pain makes you crazy"
>She sobs a little more
>"I'm just gonna miss Rose. I liked her. I liked the two of you together. She was good for you"
"You can still see her. It's not like I still don't own her"
>"No, no, no, no, no... You can't keep her after this. She's terrified of you now. And she feels betrayed herself - rightfully so. And she's pregnant. You can't keep her"
"Well I can't sell her in good conscience. The kind of people who buy pregnant mares make me at my worst look like a walk in the park"
>"Right. You're certainly not the scariest monster out there, to be sure"
>She pauses to think for a second
"Would you consider taking a loss on her?"
>You quickly do the math in your head
>Over the last two and a half years taking a loss on Rose is like having leased a Maserati
>Which is something you might have done, or at least something a guy like you might have done
"What are you thinking?"
>"Well, both of you fucked up your relationship. You sealed the deal, but both of you were at fault"
"So?"
>"You also place a little sliver of blame at the feet... hooves of Bronc and his wife, right?"
"More than a sliver"
>"And she's got his foal in her anyways, so... Why not just give her to Bronc?"
"Reward him for wrecking our relationship?"
>"You did that yourselves. And dumping a pregnant, terrified, probably traumatized mare on his doorstep when he can't refuse is hardly a reward"
>You think about it for a second
"That does solve the problem entirely, doesn't it?"
>"Sounds like it. Oh, and you're buying me dessert, too. Not here. At Dominique Ansel. I deserve it after having to hear about the whipping"
"You're on. Thanks, Anna. I love you"
>"I love you, too. After this I don't think I'd even let you take care of Maisy, but I love you"
"I don't want to take care of your dog anyways"
 
>Be mare
>you and Bronc were awakened by an early morning phone call
>He answered, mumbled a few words
>He turned to you and said, "Your shoot today is cancelled"
>Then he rolled over and went back to sleep
>You wonder what happened, but it's just a test shoot - there's no deadline - so you figure it doesn't matter
>This gives you a day off
>And since you can't get back to sleep you decide to head to the kitchen and make something special for breakfast
>Well, more like breakfast in bed special, not gourmet special
>Neither of you is much of a gourmet
>But you did order something new to try online
>And it arrived yesterday
>Master told you he put it in the fridge last night
>And just like him it's in the fridge, packing box and all
>You open it up to reveal two pounds of product in a special container
>Summer Grass for Ponies
>The website promised it was cut less than a day before shipping, and packed to ensure freshness
>Also in the box is a small sample of Summer Salt for Ponies
>It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't all that much of a splurge
>And living high above the city there really isn't anywhere you can just graze
>Truth be told you've never grazed in your life
>But master expressed a nostalgia for it the other day
>You carefully dump out two bowls' worth of the sweet smelling greens
>And then just for shits and giggles sprinkle a little Summer Salt over them
>You hope master will be pleased as you bring him his bowl
>He turns over, a little grumpy because he's still half asleep
>Then his nostrils flare above his silly mustache
>"What is THAT?," he asks, voice still raspy from sleep. "That smells amazing"
"Summer grass. The delivery that came yesterday. I hope it's as good as grazing"
>You give him his bowl and he takes a bite of the greens
>"Not as fresh as tearing them right off the plant, but close. But something else is jacking up the flavor like crazy"
"Summer Salt! I'll show you," you say as you bolt back to the kitchen for your bowl and the little package of salt
>He takes the package and reads the ingredients
>"Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium salts specially formulated for ponies' summertime needs"
"What does that mean?"
>He thinks for a moment
>"You know how when you're outside in the hot weather sweating and suddenly you crave salt?"
>You nod, because you know EXACTLY what that's like
>You thought it was just you!
>"Well this is supposedly what your body is craving"
"It's delicious," you respond after taking a taste from your own bowl
>"Yeah. I bet if some chef carefully arranged this on a plate with a drizzle of oil and molasses and a few cracked grains he could charge a fortune for it"
"This wasn't exactly cheap, master"
>"If you say it's within budget I trust you. You're hardly a spender"
"I don't like watching expenses add up"
>"This is a good splurge, and you're a good girl. I tell you that often enough, don't I?"
"It's always nice to hear, master"
>"I love our little life together"
"I bet I can make you love it more!"
>"I bet you can"
>The buzzer rings
>The doorman knows not to buzz this early
>"Do you have some special delivery arriving today?"
"No. The Summer Grass was the only thing I've ordered"
>"Weird. Maybe it was a mistake"
>The buzzer goes off again, and master gets out of bed to go to where he can answer it it the other room
>"Can't you just keep it at the desk, and I'll get it later? Oh, OK. Send it up"
"What is it, master?"
>"Signature required."
"Weird"
>You wander over to join him and watch the elevator door open to reveal a man with a clipboard in one hand and a leash in the other
>There's a pony on that leash and it's... Rose?!
"Rose! What are you doing here?"
>She's looking down at the floor, and doesn't respond
>The man gives a pen to master and holds the clipboard in front of his face while he signs with the pen in his teeth
>"There you go," the man says, awkwardly taking back the wet pen and handing master the leash
>The man then turns to you and offers an envelope
>"Here's the paperwork," he says, and walks back into the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby
>You're left staring at Rose on a leash that master currently holds in his mouth as the elevator doors shut behind her and it's just the three of you in the foyer
>Not knowing what else to do you open the envelope that was given to you
>There are several papers in it, wrapped in a handwritten note
>You try to read it, but it's not printed, it's in script, which you can't read
>You hold it up for master, who spits the leash out of his mouth and reads, "You reap what you sow - she's all yours now. John"
>Then to Rose he adds, "Let's get you off this leash!"
>That's when you notice her flank
>It looks like three, maybe four lashings, tops, but still...
"You've been whipped?"
>She looks up at you and says, "Just enough to prove a point. Not like some ponies get it, thankfully"
>"What point?," master asks
>And you realize you know exactly what point, and what the note meant by reaping what you sow
>You also realize this is something Rose is best left to explain for herself
>So while she takes a moment to get her shit together you give the remaining papers from the envelope a quick scan
>Sure enough one paper shows a transfer of Rose's ownership to the network account master is a signator for
>The one his credit cards are tied to
>The one your ownership is also tied to
>Basically the VP has just given Rose to master as much as he gave you to him
>She comes with two contracts, one is an option - you assume that's the show - and the other a pittance, you assume for the flower shop
>You've seen your own papers, and the organization sold you to the network at about half your value
>But they pay on the contract for your accounting work enough that the break even point is ten years from now
>When you'd be worth half as much anyways, and given present value vs future cashflow it was a good deal for them
>What they pay for your bookkeeping services is less than what feeding and housing you would be
>Basically they sold you for half what you were worth, but could get ten years of your service for less than the cost of keeping you that long
>Rose, on the other hoof looks like a fire sale
>Very little coming in and very little inherent value
>You guess pregnant mares aren't worth much, and that, coupled with the VP's wrath has reduced her value - on paper at least - to almost nothing
>Yet the contract you assume is with the flower shop demands a lot of her time
>Poor Rose!
>Yesterday she may have been an elite slave mare
>Today on paper she's not much
>But she belongs to master, even if neither of them realize it yet
>Which makes her part of the household
"Master, maybe the living room would be more comfortable than the foyer?"
>"Right. Come with me Rose, and tell me everything"
>He doesn't know what he's asking for!
"Rose? You haven't eaten, have you?"
>"No," she replies. "I got a call early this morning to pack my things. Then I realized I didn't want anything HE gave me, so I didn't bother. Then I was brought here"
"How does Summer Grass sound?"
>She looks at you, eyes brimming with tears
>"Like where I'd like to be right now, if I could," she replies
"I can't do that, but I can get you a taste of it"
>"It's really good," master says to her
>"Please," she replies
>With that you're off to the kitchen to fix a bowl for Rose
>You hope this doesn't send the wrong signal to her
>That you and master are living all posh here in the penthouse
>You know she's used to living posh
>But beyond the view out the windows - which you love - you and master could live this same life in any four room apartment, even a small one
>Even on half of what you suspect is in the network account at your disposal
>Better to keep that money for unforseen situations
>Like master inviting Skydancer over and getting her so drunk he has to buy her time for the whole night!
>Best to live in a manner that when something like that happens it's easily taken care of, instead of a crisis
>But Rose here is going to stretch that a little
>Even more with a foal on the way
>So somepony had better make it clear that a posh lifestyle here - in spite of the view - isn't going to be supported
>And even though it's technically master's decision you suspect that role is going to fall to you
>Neither of them understands the situation yet
>So best to bring her breakfast and watch it unfold
>Would putting Summer Salt on the Summer Grass send the wrong message?
>You decide it doesn't matter - you can't be stingy with your friends
>You'll let it be between the two of them, and if they don't figure it out you'll tell then what the papers say
>Rose is going to need some emotional support, and you're ready to be there for her
>But master?
>This is going to be a shock for him
>He's probably going to need a lot of help dealing with this, too
>Thankfully the penthouse is a five room apartment
>This is just about workable, even if Rose proves to be as high maintenance as you fear she might be
 
>Be VP
>Weird to be home alone
>You haven't been a lone wolf since your late 20's before you hooked up with Cynthia
>Which gave you 15 years of a pretty great relationship
>And pretty shortly after it became not so great you got Rose
>Which was another two and a half years of things being pretty great
>Which makes being alone and heartbroken so much more of a strange feeling
>The last time you felt like this you could have easily counted the number of grey hairs on your head
>Not so easy anymore
>What did you do back then to feel better?
>Other than drink with your buddies?
>You'd casually date as many girls as you could manage
>To soothe your damaged ego and remind you that one pussy isn't all that much more special than another
>It did nothing to ease the emotional pain of losing someone you cared about
>But it sure as fuck helped take your mind off it
>Now things are different, though
>Because you're no longer looking to tits and ass
>Your taste now runs toward four hooves and a tail
>And you can't just go out an meet mares like you can women
>Of you assume you could still go meet women if you wanted to
>You have no idea where people go to meet these days
>Do single people still hang out in bars?
>Or do they meet through apps?
>It doesn't matter, because what you want right now is a mare
>What you really want is to have Rose back and everything be the way things were four months ago
>There's no way to make that happen, though
>But another mare would be a good start, or at least knowing what's available in that arena
>What was that weirdo's name?
>The guy who kept calling you "man" and wanted you to pay in Bitcoin
>Jay
>That was two phones ago, so you have to search your email to find contact info for him
>Thankfully his number was included in his email signature, so you find it quickly
>Only to discover he's out of the ponytrading business
>"Early retirement, man. It's the best! Just me and my pony girl kicking back. Of course I picked up another mare to take the pressure off her," he says with a giggle
>"You know what I mean"
"Yeah, I do actually. I was kind of looking for the same thing"
>"Wow, man! You must be a fucking dyanamo if you've worn Rose out already! Good for you"
"I'd like to know my options in that regard"
>"Like I said, I'm out of the business. Made enough that I can pretty much kick back as long as I don't get all extravagant, and that isn't me"
>You can't imagine that - walking away during what ought to be your peak earning years
>Technically it's something you could do 5-10 years from now
>But leaving that much money on the table so you can kick back and do - what?
>Play with mares all day?
>Sure that sounds like fun - for a month or two - then what?
>Wait to fucking die?
>No thanks
>You still have big things to do - shit to stir up, stuff to make happen, money to make
>"Anon's taken over the business," Jay continues, "He was Rose's owner before you"
>You've only had contact with him through email, but Rose spoke of him a few times
>Nothing bad to say, although she said the best thing he ever did for her was sell her to you
>You wonder if she still feels that way
>You guess not
"Can you text me Anon's contact info?"
>"Sure man! I'm sure he'll be psyched to hear how Rose is doing. She was his first, you know. Pretty sure he still carries a torch for her, though he'd never admit it"
>Well, that makes two of you on both fronts - Rose was your first (and only) mare, and you still carry a torch for her
>Of course you do!
>It's only been a couple days since things went south with her
>You're not going to get over her that quick
>But another mare should be a big help
"I appreciate it"
>"No problem, man! Be well. And keep enjoying the privileges of ownership"
"You, too"
>"You know it!"
>Withing a minute Anon's conctact info comes in to your phone
>No better time than the present, so you call the number
>"Hello?<" The voice on the phone answers
"Anon? This is John.Jay brokered a sale between us about two and a half years ago?"
>"Hi, John. That's was Roseluck, right? How is she?"
"Managing a popular midtown flower shop, trying out for a pilot for a TV show and living in a penthouse"
>"Great. I'm happy you could give her the opportunities I couldn't have. She deserved that, I think"
"Well, I called because I thought it might be a good idea to get another mare to.. take some of the pressure off her"
>"She's still pretty young, and you two haven't even been together for three years! She should be able to handle anything you throw at her THAT way"
"It's a matter of time - I've got her busy enough that she's not always around when I want her"
>"That's a problem of your own creation. But I get it. I was afraid you were going to say something else"
"What do you mean?"
>"Well, I read stories online about masters with willful mares like Rose really fucking things up"
"Really? How?"
>"With a mare who speaks her mind, like Rose, it's pretty easy to realize mares are as smart and capable as women"
"Kind of hard to miss that, which is why I set her up with these opportunities"
>"Right. Smart. But you know what a less smart guy would do? Forget he's the master, and just start treating his mare like a wife or girlfriend"
"No, really?"
>"You wouldn't believe how often it happens. And it never turns oot well. The mare forgets that she's completely dependent on the master"
"How can she forget that?"
>"Because he starts treating her like an equal long enough that she believes it. Then all it takes is one misunderstanding to..."
"To what?
>"Bring things crashing down for the both of them. Of course it's always way worse for the mare than the master, even though it's entirely the master's fault!"
"That's horrible"
>"Yeah, it is. But you wouldn't believe how often it happens. I mean, of course part of you wants to fall in love with them - they're such sweet creatures"
"No kidding"
>"But part of loving a mare is knowing your positions - I don't have to tell you that - but some fools forget it"
"Poor mares"
>"You got that right. The closest I've seen to a guy in love with his mare making it work is Jay - and she still comes running like a dog when he whistles for her"
"Because she knows her place"
>"Exactly. It might sound hard to someone who doesn't understand how things work between men and mares, but it's for their own good"
"You don't have to tell me. I think that's part of why I've kept Rose so busy"
>"That's one way to do it - put them to work. It's actually less of a thing with mares born here. They're a lot more compliant - less work for their masters"
"That's what I think I'm in the market for - something a little younger, more compliant and..."
>"Eager to please? Yeah, that's easy. I'll send you a link to my current stable. How young do you like them?"
"No fillies, if that's what you mean"
>"Good, we're on the same page then. I don't do fillies. Plenty of guys do, but I don't. Just a personal line I don't cross"
"We're on the same page"
>"Great. Link is on its way. I'll look forward to hearing from you. And give my love to... no. Just tell Rose I said hi and wish her the best with all the stuff she has going on"
"Will do. Thanks, Anon"
>"My pleasure, John. And don't be too shocked at the prices. Prices have gone up a bit since you bought Rose"
"Really?"
>"Oh yeah, but there'll be some wiggle room for you because you're a repeat customer. Feel free to tell your friends about me, too"
"Thanks, got it and will do, Anon. Bye"
>You tap the red icon to end the call
>Shit, he nearly had you figured out
>But it's good to know you're not the only guy in your position who has made the same mistakes
>Evidently it's pretty common
>And as for Rose suffering for it, you've seen to it she won't in the long run
>Bronc's set up is opulent, and his allowance is more than enough to cover the situation even without what she'll be bringing in
>She can easily raise a foal there with no material worries
>And you take more than a little satisfaction that it's a monkey wrench in Bronc's life
>After he threw one into yours
>Even if he comes around to loving it over time you KNOW this is probably the last thing he wants to deal with now
>That feels good
>While your heart still aches for Rose, it's pretty easy to see the mistake you made
>You'd never owned a mare before, but liked the description "lippy and high spirited"
>Kind of stupid in hindsight
>Like those guys who make their first couple million and run out to buy a Ferrari
>Only to wreck it in a matter of days
>If what Anon said was true you're lucky it lasted as long as it did with Rose
>And it'll be that much harder to make the same mistake with a mare who is young, compliant and eager to please
>That actually sounds really good right now
>And really more like what you need
>You're almost 50 with a high stress job
>You don't need more than some sweet little thing to play with, keep your bed warm
>And maybe clean your place and make a meal every now and then
>That would be nice, actually
>Of course it's a given that you'd fuck her silly, too
>Whenever you wanted, without the slightest hesitation on her part, ever
>That's really what you should have gone for in the first place
>At least you know now
>Even though there might always be a little ache in your heart for Rose
>No doubt she's special - you even heard Anon correct himself when he said "give my love to"
>She honestly deserves better than her position in this world
>But your attempt to try to give her something like that was misguided, and you see that now
>And she'll be fine, even if she does end up hating you
>You click the link Anon sent you and start scrolling through possibilities on your phone
>And quickly realize this would be much better on a larger screen
>Even so you see a few likely candidates
>What if anyone gives you shit for trading Rose in for a younger modle?
>In all honesty?
>That's just your prerogative, isn't it?
>Of course the person most likely to give you shit about this - Anna - is the leastly to buy that argument
>Which is exactly why 19 year old girls aren't put in the position to pass judgment over 50 year old men very often
>No way they can really understand
 
>Be Beard #1
>Looking over the test shoots for Blinders Off
>The second shoot is much better than the first
>You brought in a small studio audience, and let them ask questions
>And a couple of the crew members piped up here and there
>The first time it happened you wanted to run in and give them hell
>But it turned out that kind of fourth wall break worked
>It really gave the show a pony feel
>So during the first break you told the crew they were allowed to voice their coments, within limits
>You reminded them they were crew, not talent, so keep a lid on it unless they absolutely couldn't resist 
>And if a crew member went for it the responsibility of getting them on mic and camera fell to the rest of the crew
>Kind of following in Letterman's footsteps, but instead of using the crew to comic effect they ramp up the controversy
>By offering the free pony perspective
>And this only egged the audience on, giving the show just a little of a free for all feel
>Without losing focus on the four mares who are clearly running the proceedings
>Ada Maria is a natural leader, and handles the helm very well
>Letting things descend to just the right amount of chaos during the most controversial moments
>Then pulling things back to her and the other mares before things get sidetracked
>The bit of footage you're working on right now is their first attempt at dealing with a guest
>The topic is slavery and sexuality, and you threw Vidal from makeup into the mix as a placeholder guest
>Turns out he's pretty good on camera
>You play the clip again:
 
>"I don't know about the younger generation," Vidal says. "It seems like the lines have gotten really fuzzy for them"
>"How so?," Ada Maria asks
>"Well," Vidal responds, "How many of you grew up knowing you were straight?"
>"I did," Bronc's mare responds. "The opportunity for sex with mares was always there, but it didn't interest me"
>"I fooled around that way a little in college," Moonglow adds, "But the idea of it was more appealing to me than the reality"
>"I knew I was straight from the time I was a filly," Ada Maria responds
>"Same here," Rose chimes in. "I didn't even realize there were other options until I was older"
>"Right," Vidal continues. "I knew I liked stallions from an early age. Then when I got here and discovered men..."
>That gets a little laugh from the studio audience
>"But I'm a pegasus top," h continues, "hanging with a crowd of mostly 35-60 year old gay men. People whose social lives are pretty much built around their sexual identity"
>"Even today?," Ada Maria asks
>"Oh, yeah," Vidal responds. "Where we go out, eat and shop... even where we go on vacation - gayness is a determining factor"
>"So in a crowd like that being a pegasus stallion top makes you... kind of a superhero?"
>More laughter from the audience joins with Vidal's own laugh
>"And being pink doesn't hurt, either, I guess," adds Bronc's mare, to more laughter
>"I never figured the color of my coat would be such a THING," Vidal replies, "but yeah, it is.Let's just say I'm very popular in the circles I run with"
>"So gay men look at you the same way a lot of straight men look at us," Ada Maria continues
>"I'd say with the same desire," Vidal responds, "but different expectations. I am a top, after all"
 
>The way Vidal adjusts his wings there is great
>Got to cut to camera three right after - the little blush on Rose's face is priceless
 
>"OK, Ada Maria continues, "We were talking about the younger generation. You say the lines are less clear for them?"
>"Oh yeah," Vidal replies. "Say you're a man dating a trans man - pre-op, but taking T. They dynamic of that relationship will be very much like a gay one"
>Ada Maria nods
>"But in the sack?," Vidal continues. "It's what? Pretty much straight sex, isn't it? That doesn't fit at all with a gay or straight view - it's somewhere in between"
>"I think that ambiguity," Moonglow adds, "while it's great for those who don't identify as straight or gay leads to anxiety among those who are unsure exactly where they're supposed to fit in"
>"I think it's bigger than that," Vidal says. "That anxiety, coupled with increasing social isolation is enough to turn some people, and ponies off of sexuality entirely"
>"Well," Ada Maria responds, "I'm sure there are plenty of legit aces out there"
>"I can't imagine being that way," Bronc's mare chimes in
>"Me, niether, honey," Vidal responds, "But I understand sexual expression might not be everypony's thing"
>He adds, "But I think a lot of ponies, and people end up with so much anxiety about their sexuality that they become aces by default, because it's more than they want to face"
>"Especially when the choices extend beyond sexual orientation and into which species you're attracted to," Ada Maria adds
>"You don't HAVE to choose," Vidal replies
>"A lot of ponies don't really get to choose," Ada Maria, "And a lot of people find it paralyzing to add one more option to a growing list of sexual identifiers"
>"Which kind of explains Cuddle Porn," Moonglow adds
>"That stuff is creepy," Rose replies
>"I'm going to need an explanation," Bronc's made announces
>"They're videos of a young man and a mare," Moonglow explains, "Just ciddling and nuzzling each other. Nothing more. It's not really even porn, because they're relentlessly not sexual"
>"They make them with stallions, too," Vidal replies
>"Is this an exclusively pony thing, like whip videos?," Ada Maria asks, "Can any women in the audience help us out on this one?"
>Camera 2 awkwardly pans to the audience, which is mostly mares and about a dozen women
>A heavyset middle-aged woman stands up and a crew member rushes toward her with a wireless mic
>"Whip videos are nothing new," she says. "That's been a thing with the S&M scene for ages. Just more mainstream now with ponies"
>"Great," Ada Maria responds, "so we've helped popularize a formerly obscure fetish"
>The woman laughs and says, "I guess you have"
>"And what about Cuddle Porn?," Ada Maria asks
>"I've been on the internet since I was a kid. Only seen those over the last few years, and it's always person on pony"
>"It's just cuddles?," Bronc's mare asks. "I love cuddles as much as anypony else, but wouldn't that get... frustrating after a while?"
>"It's creepy is what it is," Rose answers "it's like pretending pony sexuality doesn't exist"
>There's an off camera voice, and camera 3 swings around to foucs on camera 2's cameramare, wearing a headset
>"Can we get her mic patched in?," Ada Maria asks "We've got a comment from our free pony crew"
>"It's not just creepy," the cameramare says, "It's completely degrading - it's portraying us as spayed or neutered pets"
>The audience applauds
>"I'd go a step further," Ada Maria replies, "I'd call it terrifying. Because that's something that actually could be done to ponies"
>"If this has created a market for ponies who act like this," Moonglow responds, "It probably is being done already"
>"Oh, don't even SAY that," Vidal says, "That's just too dark"
 
>That clip needs some tightening up
>Gotta edit out the woozy camera pans and some of the dead air between responses
>But it's one solid take that can be used for the pilot
>Three or four more chunks like that and you have a pilot
>A pilot you suspect is going to test off the charts with focus groups
>It's got everything
>Beautiful mares talking about racy subjects
>A charismatic homosexual
>Controversy
>Audience participation and reaction
>And even a terrifying conclusion
>If Beard #2 is having as much luck with the footage as you are this thing is in the bag
>And John will be pleased
>Because you guys will have another hit on your hands
>You wander over to the other producer's station
>Beard #2 is engrossed in a clip of his own, headphones on
>You tap his shoulder
>He pulls a headphone off one ear
"Have you found gold? I think I've got gold"
>"You tell me," he replies, pulling his phones out of the jack to bring the audio over his monitors
 
>"Indignity is a tough one," Rose says, "because it takes really different forms based on your position"
>The audience murmurs assent
>"Everyonypony up here," she continues, "either currently is or has been a sex pet for men at one point"
>"Yet I live in a luxury apartment," Rose adds, "never worry about where my next meal is coming from, and really the worst I've had to suffer in years is this"
>She angles her flank toward the camers, which zooms in to show she's been whipped
>"Four lashes," she says as the audience gasps. "Rally, that's nothing compared to what a lot of ponies have to endure"
>"Of course there is the sex pet bit," Vidal says
>"Right," Bronc's mare agrees, "but how much can you let that get to you when you have no say in the matter?"
>"You tell us," Rose replies. "You're the one who spent her fillihood servicing men in a brothel"
>"So you," Vidal begins, "has sexuality forced on you long before you would have discovered it on your own?"
>"Oh yeah," Bronc's mare replies. "I just tried to be a good girl. Later on I made peace with it. The point is I didn't have a choice about it. None of us did"
>"That lack of choice may be an indignity," Rose continues, "but who wants to hear mares who live luxury lifestyles complaining about that?"
>Ada Maria speaks up,"It looks like we have a comment from the audience. Go ahead"
>It's a woman, probably young 20's, glasses
>"If you have no say about who you have sex with and when it happens," she says into the mic, "That's rape"
>"If we were women it would be," Ada Maria answers. "But we're slave mares - day to day reality is what it is"
>"But if you can't say no, or it doesn't change anything if you do," the woman continues, "that's the definition of rape"
>"Then we've all been raped a lot," Ada Maria replies. "Some of us more than others"
>Bronc's mare smiles and says, "It was sometimes five or six men a day for me growing up. What do I have to gain by seeing myself as a victim because of it?"
>"That would just be depressing," Ada Maria adds
>"Maybe," Bronc's mare replies. "I didn't know anything else at the time, so it just seemed normal"
>"To many of us," Vidal says, "that's not exactly normal"
>"Even so," Bronc's mare replies, "Am I supposed to feel bad about my fillihood? Because I don't"
>The camera cuts back to the woman with the mic in the audience
>Her mouth is hanging open
>"That's terrible," she says, "You were just a filly!"
>"That probably made it easier," Bronc's mare replies, "since I never knew anything different"
>"And who's going to listen to us pointing out this kind of thing might be an indignity?," Rose asks
>"She adds, "When now we're a bunch of rich bitch whores living in multimillion dollar apartments? it might be shocking, but it doesn't make us very sympathetic"
>"That doesn't change the facts of what you've been through," the woman replies
>"Good of you to say so," Ada Maria answers, "though I suspect it's an unpopular opinion"
>"And if we had the freedom to make our own choices," Rose continues, "we'd be facing another set of indignities"
>"We've got a comment from our free pony crew," Ada Maria, says "Go ahead"
>The camera swings to cameramare #2
>"Like working two or three jobs and still not being to afford food, shelter or medical care for your family," she says
>"And let me guess," Ada Maris replies, "You get asked why you had a family if you couldn't afford to support one?"
>"It would be a step up to be asked anything," says the cameramare, "We're completely invisible. It's like we don't exist to the rest of the world"
>"It's that bad?," the woman from the audience asks, having still not given up the microphone
>"Ponies starve to death on the streets of East New York every day," the cameramare replies, "Sanatation comes by and throws their bodies into garbage trucks"
>"But I just heard the mayor on the radio," the audience woman responds, "saying crime is finally down in East New York"
>"That's because it's almost entirely ponies there now," the cameramare answers, "And no matter how bad things get we don't turn on each other"
>"Right," Ada Maria adds, "But reporting is an issue as well. If a a pony is a victim of a crime are the cops going to do anything about it?"
>The cameramare laughs
>"The only reason fires get put out there most of the time is because people own the buildings. You'll never see a cop there"
>"Or a store, a supermarket, a restaurant or pretty much any kind of business," Ada Maria adds
>"There are check cashing places," the cameramare replies
>"I have empathy for my free brothers and sisters," Vidal begins, "But I hear 'East New York' and mu first thought is..."
>He hangs his head a little shamefully and continues, "...you couldn't PAY me enough to go there. Sorry"
>"Don't be," the cameramare responds, "if there were somewhere better to go I'd be headed there myself"
 
"Not bad. Pretty punchy"
>"I've got another clip that's even better," Beard #2 replies
"So do I. Come over to my desk and check it out"
>"It looks like this is going to happen, doesn't it?"
"We'll know when we test the pilot with focus groups"
>"It's going to test really well, don't kid yourself"
"Let's hope America is ready for this"
>"Ready or not This is happening"
 
 
End part one