[Copied from https://pastebin.com/kHCkmCtc]

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - #anon (or just scroll down ya lazy fuck)
Chapter 2 - #twlt
Chapter 3 - #pnka
Chapter 4 - #ajrd
Chapter 5 - #bdrm
Chapter 6 - #dtsp
Chapter 7 - #snek
Chapter 8 - #ftswgsf
Chapter 9 - #cfmf

Chapter 1 - At First Sight (#anon)
>Day Fuckshit in Equestria.
>Well, NIGHT Fuckshit in Equestria, more like.
>You are Anonymous.
>And you are fucking pissed.
>See, you decided last night that you were finally gonna be responsible and clean up around the house.
>You planned to rearrange everything to make it more inviting for visitors.
>>implying visitors
>Yeah yeah, you're more than aware.
>Your kitchen would have been great for cooking, your bedroom would be all nice for sleeping...
>You'd find a better place for your porn stash.
>Hell you'd even try and make a room to keep all your leftover gaming shit from when your house got sucked to Equestria ages ago.
>The one time you wanted to get shit done, OTHER shit blows the fuck up.
>It started when Pinkie Pie called you in to do the late morning shift at Sugarcube Corner in the absence of Mr. and Mrs. Cake - they were on their honeymoon this week.
>Pinkie's babysitting their little toddlers, leaving you to do the dirty work of chewing bubblegum and taking orders.
>tfw no bubblegum
>But that itself wasn't too bad.
>Then Twilight called you in to help her research some unusual magical activity that started in the Crystal Empire; that took up the entire afternoon and late into the night.
>She suspected you were behind this somehow.
>You're set to come back every day to help her out.
>Humans can't get away with nuthin'.
>But again, not too bad.
>THEN Fluttershy tracked you down and asked you if you could help her feed the animals in the morning AND late at night while she was over in Manehattan with Rarity.
>Something about a booty call and a tree or some shit.
>Not too bad, except with the lurking fear of unexpected >rape.
>Though you still expect it more than the Spanish Inquisition.
>THEN Applejack asked if you could get up at the crack of dawn each day to help her in preparations for Cider Season.
>On its own, not too bad - same with the rest of them.
>Problem was, these all happened at once.
>Your entire day today was non-stop work, hour after hour, lasting until you finally got home to get some fucking shut-eye.
>And this was going to continue to happen over the course of a fucking week.
>To make matters worse, you just KNOW Rainbow "top cunt" Dash is going to bully you during that time.
>And you could have said No.
>You could have just said "Can't do", "booked", "whatever".
>But you didn't.
>You fucking didn't.
>You threw your shoe at the closet in rage.
>The cabinet stumbled.
>Great, just another thing to add to the list of shit you want to get done but can't because you're such a fucking beta cuck faggot holy fucking shit Anon.
>Arrrrggggghhhhhh...
>Well look on the bright side.
>You're not totally booked.
>You just get like one hour to goof off during lunch, and that's it until 9.
>And you and StomachNon know it's not gonna be enough.
"Just wish I could get some fuckin' help around the fuckin' house or something," you mutter to yourself.
>Welp, nothing better to do than get some fucking shut-eye.
>You're gonna need it.
>You crawl onto your bed in a vain attempt at getting some fucking sleep.
>...

>Day "This is Gonna Suck" in Equestria.
>Be Anon.
>And you mumble in agony as you slowly opened your eyes.
>You did not get much sleep that night.
>Not much "good" sleep, anyway.
>Welp, no sense in delaying the inevitable.
>You force yourself out of bed and head straight for your shower.
>Then you perform your daily "three S's".
>Shit shower shave had to be rushed in order to get out the door.
>But it will feel so good to not rush that afterward.
>Once you've gotten that out of the way, you put your clothes on and head to the door, only to find a pony with a collar and maid outfit standing in the middle of your messy-ass living room.
>Wait...what?!
>Okay.
>There actually is a gray coat and white maned pegasus in the middle of your room with a slave collar and maid outfit.
>Please don't be real please don't be real.
"Uhhhh, hello?"
>"Good morning, Master."
>Oh God it's REAL.
>This has to be a prank.
"Do I know you?" you asked.
>"No, perhaps not, Master."
>You look around the room.
>No hidden cameras as far as you can tell.
"So what's with the Master schtick?"
>"I'm your slave, and you're my Master."
>Oh shit nigga
"Doooooubt it. Why would you be my slave, of all things?"
>"Because you summoned me."
>Summoned.
>Oh God, this is gonna be a clusterfuck already, isn't it?
>"What would you have me do, Master?"
>Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
>You look at your watch.
>Fuck, not even one day in and you're already fucking up your schedule.
"Well I kinda need to head out somewhere immediately..."
>"That's perfectly fine, Master."
"So if you could clean this whole house from top to fucking bottom to make it more tidy with room to decorate shit with like I planned on doing yesterday before , that would be helpful," you said, heavy sarcasm dripping like water in your tone.
>And without even stopping to confirm she heard you, you rush out the door to Sweet Apple Acres.
>You stopped a moment on your way, however, to consider if it's safe to leave her in your house.
>After thinking about it, you shrugged.
>It's not like you're a robber's wet dream or anything.
>You're also legitimately too tired to deal with it right now.
>She's also not gonna be able to do what you asked.
>Shit's impossible unless you lived there.
>Still very hard to believe this is happening.
>ONWARD, TO PROBABLY THE MOST TEDIOUS DAY OF YOUR LIFE!

"NUMBER 362?!" you called out. "ODER NUMBER 362, YOUR ORDER IS READY!"
>Sweet Apple Acres was exhausting.
>No, CIDER SEASON is exhausting.
>Let it be known that you're gonna need a shitton of cider once it's all over.
>Thankfully, Fluttershy's chores for you weren't that bad.
>Hooray for not getting raped!
>However, apparently you underestimated how bad the line would get at Sugarcube Corner in the morning.
>Turns out this place sells incredible breakfast pastries.
>Stuff you're not used to baking.
>But thankfully, those cram lessons Pinkie made you do yesterday paid off...?
>You're not sure they're as good quality as how ponies normally make them, let alone by Sugarcube Corner standards.
>Fucking ponies and their god-tier food skills.
>But you haven't heard any complaints yet.
>So that's a good sign.
>You glance at the clock.
>10:57.
>Ooooof...
>Just three more minutes.
>You notice a pony get up to collect her order - Derpy Hooves, judging by the order.
"Here you are, ma'am! One bag of lemon poppy-seed muffins. Anything else?"
>"No thanks," she said, smiling.
>With that, she took her bag of muffins and went on her merry way.
>You glanced at the clock.
>10:58.
>Two more minutes before you get freed from your shackles for thirty fucking minutes.
>What's worse is that on top of this, you were STILL thinking about that pony from before.
>You are regretting not kicking her out immediately like a sensible human being would.
>This ran the risk of you getting robbed and not being able to do shit about it.
>If she wasn't a robber, she was most likely pranking you.
>Which means you're more than likely gonna be publicly embarrassed with someone with their old-timey camera.
>You might as well kiss your porn stash goodbye if she found it.
>If she WASN'T pranking you and she really believed she was your slave?
>THEN you would have a much bigger problem.
>Namely, the fact someone's delusional enough to sell herself into slavery on your property.
>Or rather the fact someone's delusional enough to sell herself into slavery period.
>You were often criticized as having no standards, but you drew the line at offering yourself as a fucking slave.
>At least not unless it was in the bedroom for more risque activity.
>Don't ask.
>10:59.
>THEN on top of that, if she even tried to do what you asked of her, she would be exhausted before she was even half-way done.
>There were just some things you wouldn't wish on anyone.
>One of those things being, of course, forcing them to clean your house.
>Even you had trouble with that shit.
>11:00!
>FREEDOM!
>Right on cue, Pinkie scurried downstairs to swap shifts with you for the day.
>Now would be the time to run back home.
>So you did, not even bothering to avoid bumping into other ponies on the way.
"Ooof!"
>"Hey! Watch your step, boy!" shouted a matured, purple-coated colt.
"Sorry! In the middle of shit right now!"
>You can only hear what he shouted next in the distance as you ran back home.
>"You'll rue the day you've crossed with the might of the Empire!"
>Meh, you've got Darth Vader on your side, you'll be fine.
>'more like that Barbie doll of Vader'
>Shut up, BrainAnon.
>'lel nope faggot'

>50 minutes remain.
>You're still Anon.
>And you made it back home.
>Alright.
>Let's review:
>You have a pony in your house, potentially.
>Said pony is either a robber, insane, or someone who's going to publicly embarrass you.
>She's claimed she's your slave.
>You're not gonna take any chances.
>Thankfully you had a baseball bat just outside your home.
>Without any delay, you open the door.
>...
>Holy shit she did it.
>The absolute mad-mare actually did it.
>Your jaw dropped as you entered you house and saw what she did to your place.
>Your house is spotless.
>In fact it's better than spotless.
>It's almost as if it were a castle in its own right.
>Mind you, it's still a one-bedroom house.
>But a shitton of polish must have been applied to this place.
>You could barely believe your eyes.
>That pony was dead serious.
>"Welcome home, Master," she chirped, jolting you out of you awe-induced trance.
>Almost forgot what you came in here for.
"Uhhh, hello."
>In your moments of silence, you finally got a chance to take a good gander at the mare.
>She had a silky white mane and a very, very smooth and shiny grey coat.
>Almost like it were made of tiny silver crystals coated with pure, distilled water.
>Or something like that.
>Her feathers, although miniscule in comparison to Rainbow Dash's, were very feathery  and pretty to look at.
>On top of that, she wore a maid's outfit and a slave collar, as you noted before.
>She noticed you peeking, and blushed.
>Okay.
>Act natural.
>Ahem.
"So uh, I'm just stopping in here before heading over to Friendship Castle."
>"That's fine, Master."
>You look back at your house.
"I gotta say,” you commented, “I really like what you've done with the place."
>She smiled. "Thank you, Master. I'm glad you appreciate it."
>Alright, you gotta get to the bottom of this.
"So I have a few questions, and I don't want you to take any of them the wrong way or anything..."
>You waited to see if she had any objections.
>None?
>Okay, cool.
"First of all, why are you even a slave to begin with? Who sold you into slavery?"
>"No one did, Master. I was born a slave."
>That's...confusing as fuck.
"Then why are you still one? Isn't that considered a bad thing?"
>"I enjoy being a slave, Master."
"Why, though?"
>"Well, Master..." she explained, starting to get more enthusiastic as she spoke, "the joy of having to obey a Master's commands, the exhilaration I get when Master 'rewards' or 'punishes' me, the pure pleasure I get when I'm unable to resist...it's just so enjoyable that it's hard to not have those things."
>Oooooookay you have a crazy in your unwanted thrall.
>"Speaking of which...Master, Are you going to punish me?"
>OKAY WHAT.
"Punish you? Why would I do that?"
>"You have a baseball bat in what I'll assume are your claws Master."
>Oh.
>Right.
>You had a baseball bat.
>Shit.
>You put the bat down and held both of you hands up so she could see you had no ill intent.
"Nope. Not gonna do that,” you chuckled.
>She nodded. "Very well, Master."
>You sighed.
"So it's really happening. You're signing yourself up to be my slave."
>She smiled. "Yes, Master. I'll be a good slave."
>Unbelievable.
>This was not happening.
>You looked down at her.
>D'awww~
>She was sitting in probably one of the cutest ways a pony could sit.
>It almost made you want to-
>NO.
>BONERNON.
>STOP.
>'but anon she said shes ur slaveeeee'
>Not if I have anything to say about it.
"What's your name?"
>"...name?"
>Oh you've gotta be fucking shitting-
"As in what do you call yourself? A NAME."
>"I call myself a slave, Master."
>You pinched your bridge.
>This is creeping you out more and more as it goes along.
"Alright, you know what? I'm gonna take the initiative and call you Liquid Crystal."
>She cocked her head to the side. "'Liquid Crystal', Master?"
"I guess. At least it helps me remember who you are if need be."
>She frowned. "Master, are you sure it's okay to give this to me?"
>You nodded.
"Of course. What, never had a name before?"
>"No, never. None of my old Masters ever called me anything beyond 'bitch', 'slut' or 'slave'. I just never considered myself as anything other than those."
"Then as far as I'm concerned," you affirm, "Liquid Crystal will be your name."
>At first, she doesn't respond.
>But then, the newly christened Liquid Crystal gave you a huge, beaming smile.
>"Thank you, Master," she squealed. "It's a beautiful name."
>And before you can even react she's on your person, hugging you like you would one of your dakimakuras.
>Don't ask.
>It was very awkward and...unusually cold.
>Must've been in the Crystal Empire for a while.
"U-Uhhh..."
>As soon as she noticed you were uncomfortable, she let go, a frown forming on her countenance.
>"S-Sorry, Master."
"I-It's fine," you stutter, as something that you're refusing to call a blush formed on your face.
>Liquid then turned her back to you, specifically her flank, and held it up high.
"Errrr..."
>You're not sure how to respond to it.
"What is this?"
>"My previous Masters always punished me when I did something wrong."
>You're not surprised, given how quickly she reacted to your discomfort.
"Well unless you try to kill me and claim you're my twin brother born from the genes a legendary soldier or some shit, I probably won't punish you for anything."
>"R-Really?" Liquid asked, still hesitant to lower her butt.
"Well I mean I shouldn't have to explain that, considering I never said you were my Slave."
>This widened her eyes.
>"W-Why would you say -that-, Master?"
>Hooooooo boy.
"Well for starters, you and I just met today, I've never seen you before in my life, you've probably never seen me before, and you're claiming to be my slave despite me never wanting or needing one. I'm not even sure what I've gotten embroiled into, but I don't think in any timeline I'm meant to be a Master."
>Liquid's ears drooped as you explained your situation to her.
>"I-I'm sorry, Master..."
>And you start to notice tears come from her eyes.
>Oh great.
>Now you've got cute silver horse all sad.
>Don't be a jerk, Anon.
"Hey," you assured her, "you have nothing to be sorry about. Just that I'm extremely confused about everything that's happened, is all. If we can get things worked out..."
>You don't want to make promises.
>The last time you did that was a clusterfuck; it involved Ponka Poe, a date gone wrong, and secrets you're not going to mention.
"Well, we'll see. Still not convinced you're my slave, but if it turns out you actually are, then maybe."
>It seemed to work - Liquid Crystal at least started smiling again.
>The tears would take a bit to clear up.
>One thought came to mind, however.
"Speaking of which, though, you said earlier that I 'summoned you'. Why was that?"
>The mare cleared her throat as she begun to explain.
>"Well, Master," she claimed, "I heard you comment the previous night about how you needed help around the house."
>Wait what.
"I never said tha-" you countered, before realizing something.
>Hooooooly shit she might be right.
"Wait, what did I say, exactly?"
>She cleared her throat once again. "'Just wish I could get some fuckin' help around the fuckin' house or something'," she parroted in what was probably the most adorable Anon impression you've ever heard. "Was that not what you said, Master?"
>Oh God dammit, you DID.
"So wait, never mind the fact I said that too quietly for others to hear me in my own bedroom; have you been stalking me!?"
>"No, Master," she explained. "I only heard it when I was searching for a new Master. And so I decided on the spot that you were more than likely my new Master."
>Oh boy.
"That...really doesn't help your case. Why me, though, and not some other schmuck?"
>"And then I felt the waves of anger emanating from you. The synergy of sheer rage and exhaustion, one that demands someone inferior to be commanded," Liquid gushed, seeming giddier and giddier as she explained this to you. "That is the nature of my Master, which is why I picked you."
>Ohhhhhh boy.
"Well, there were some unfortunate circumstances behind that energy, or whatever you want to call it," you countered, "but I can assure you I'm not normally this salty."
>"'Salty', Master?"
>Oh, right.
"Slang I use for unreasonably angry."
>"Ah. I see, Master."
"But yeah, no, I'm usually very snarky and very annoyed," you admitted, "and there are legitimate reasons for that."
>Namely being picked on by Rainbow Dash almost every week.
"But I'm not usually angry. If I am, it's very uncommon."
>Now that you thought of it, you decided to check your watch slash phone slash brick slash-
>WAIT WHAT?!
"HOLY SHIT."
>"What is it, Master?!"
"How the FUCK did it get to be 11:45?!"
>You were almost late for your very special Twilight Time.
>And by very special you mean very annoying and overbearing.
"Shit, gotta go!"
>Before you can leave to go seek out Twilight, however, Liquid Crystal stopped you.
>"Where are you going?"
"To see Princess Twilight Sparkle. I'm sure you've heard of her."
>"In passing, Master."
"Yeah, got something scheduled with her in fifteen minutes, gotta get there early so she doesn't pick on me for being mere seconds late."
>"Master, with your permission, is it alright if I accompany you there?"
>Uh oh.
"If I say no, what do you plan on doing while I'm gone?"
>"Sit at the door and wait for your return, Master," she answered.
>Oh no.
>On one hand, if Twilight learns of what happened, she will kill you.
>On the other hand, you don't want Liquid Crystal to be here, bored, on her own.
>Especially after you took that big-ass gamble leaving her in here to clean your fucking house.
>On the other hand, maybe Twilight's reasonable today and can help you out of this bind.
>Running out of time, Anonymous...
>Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
"Alright fine."
>She beamed. "Thank you Master. I'll go get my leash."
>SHE HAS A LEASH?!
>OH FUCK NO.
"No, you won't."
>She froze. "Why not?"
"Because A. No one besides us knows you're my slave, and B. I know of at least three ponies who will kill me on sight before I get a chance to explain why I'd keep you on a leash."
>"Ah...I see, Master."
"And actually, now that I think about it..."
>You're not sure if you want to do this, if only because Bonernon will have a field day with it.
>But you see no other clothes for her in your house.
>...
>Fuck it.
"Take off your outfit and collar."
>"M-My collar, Master?"
"Did I stutter?"
>She paused for just a few more moments, then nodded. "Yes, Master."
>And without any more interruptions, she undid both her collar and her maid outfit, unveiling her body in full, smooth form.
>Eat your heart out, Bonernon.
>'yaaaaaaaaay'.
>"Is this acceptable, Master?"
>You gave a quick look at her now naturally naked body.
>Well, if she used to be a slave who got punished a lot, she certainly was no worse for wear.
>Wait a second...
"Wait, you don't have a cutie mark?" you asked.
>She nodded. "I wasn't born with one, Master."
"I'm filing that under no shit. But you never got one?"
>"I never have a need for one, Master."
>Okay, file that under things you need to ask her about when you get the chance.
"Alright. One more thing before we go."
>"What is it, Master?"
"While we're out...call me 'Anon'."

Chapter 2 - Ultimatum (#twlt)
>"There you are, Anon!"
>Be Anon.
>It's still the same day.
>And you managed to make it on time, hopefully?
>Judging by the way she just took you and whatever belongings you had with you into her castle without ever glancing at Liquid Crystal, you assume not.
"Here I am, Starbutt," you announced in a sarcastic tone.
>"You're about 31 or 32 seconds late," Twilight commented.
>Dammit.
>So close, too!
"And that matters, why?"
>"Because it's another 32 seconds you could be spending helping me figure out what happened!"
>You rolled your eyes.
"I told you already, I didn't do shit! Why you always blamin' the human?!"
>She glared at you, unconvinced by your self-defense.
>"Well, the data doesn't lie," Twilight explained. "Something with supposedly intense magical energy was transported from the Crystal Empire to edge of the Everfree Forest, very close to where you live. And I don't suspect it was coincidence, either; of all the places it could have landed, it chose the Everfree Forest, not Manehattan, Canterlot, or any other place in Equestria."
>Yeah, obviously not because it's the forest that surrounds the huge-ass castle of the Princess of fucking Friendship.
>That would be too convenient for a weird magick-y thingy.
"And you haven't already checked there...why?"
>"Because none of the pony researchers up North have figured out what exactly was transported that night. All we know is that it vanished in a huge burst of fog and mist."
>Ah, so it's a spooooky weird magick-y thingy.
"Well, if I see something like that, I'll let you know. Anything else you wanted me to do?"
>"Well," Twilight sighed, "unfortunately there hasn't been any new data from the Crystal Empire Research Team. So there's nothing else to really do today."
>Sanctuary!
>"...Unless you had a friendship problem I could help you with."
>...Friendship problem.
>Just what you needed to ask about.
>Not sarcasm, though!
"Okay, because I have a problem."
>"That's fine," Twilight snarked, "I know you're obviously a paragon of-"
>Twilight blinked as she realized what you just said.
>"You do?"
"Yeah, actually. And-"
>You look around to see if Liquid followed you in.
>You didn't see her, so you turned back to Twilight.
>Oh, wait, there she is.
>"-said problem is right behind you."
>After looking around the check, Twilight jumped straight into the air as she realized your problem had appeared behind her without either of you noticing.
>You love it when that happens.
>As soon as Twilight realized you were having a giggle, she blushed and flew down to actually greet Liquid.
>"U-Uh, sorry about that!"
>"It's quite fine, Miss Starbutt."
>You could barely contain your sides as Twilight's face faulted.
>You forgot to address Twilight Sparkle by her name.
>And Liquid Crystal, having never met Twilight, didn't realize Starbutt wasn't actually her name.
>Of all the things you could have prevented, this was the dumbest.
>"'M-Miss STARBUTT'?!" Twilight sputtered, blushing furiously. "Anon, what in Equestria did you-"
"Sorry, Twilight," you chuckled. "My 'friend' is new to town, she doesn't really know anyone here."
>Twilight calmed down after hearing your explanation.
>Good, it wasn't a total wipe-out.
>"Sorry about that. Let's try this again," Twilight sighed. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. You may or may not have heard that I am the Princess of Friendship. What's your name?"
>Liquid smiled. "My 'name' is Liquid Crystal. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Twilight."
>Twilight smiled in return. "That's a pretty name, Liquid."
>"Thank you, Miss Twilight. Master Anon gave it to me."
>Her smile faded.
>Uh oh.
>Twilight looked back at you with a scowl. "What does she mean, 'gave it to her'?" she asked, her tone growing dangerously low. “And what's this 'Master Anon' thing about?”
"Well...I won't sugarcoat things - she literally thinks she's my slave."
>Here goes nothing..
>"Y-You're joking," Twilight whispered.
"I'm n-"
>"He is," beamed Liquid, interrupting you before you got a chance to explain. "I don't think I'm his slave, I KNOW I'm his slave."
>Oh God dammit, Liquid.
>Twilight was glaring daggers at you right now.
"Is this true?"
>"Well...she keeps saying she's my slave but I don't-"
>"That begs the question - why haven't you freed her?"
"I basically told her that I wasn't her Master, not necessarily, and I was-"
>"Not necessarily?!" Twilight roared.
"Let me finish!" you grunt. "Anyway, I told her she wasn't my slave, that I was unconvinced at everything she said. However, she's apparently remaining steadfast that I'll be her 'Master' sooner or later."
>You scratched the back of your head.
"Yeah, I dunno. Shit's fucked up."
>"Well, Anonymous," Twilight commanded, her tone becoming more serious, "as one of the Princesses of Equestria, I order you to free Liquid Crystal from your thrall. Immediately."
>Hoooooo boy.
>You expected this to happen.
>And although you were hoping it did, it did nothing to lessen the impact.
>But Liquid had her hackles up as she spoke those words.
>Guess she's getting a little defensive.
"Alright."
>You put your hand on Liquid Crystal's hoof.
"Hey, Liquid? As of today, the 21st of Janurary," you declared in probably your most formal tone to date, "you are no longer my slave, and I am no longer your Master. You are a free pony."
>Liquid shook her head frantically.
>Uh oh.
>"Master, I cannot."
>Oh no.
"W-What do you mean, 'I cannot'?" you asked her.
>"I'm not a pony, Master; never have been. I'm a slave. I can never be granted the same rights as ponies."
>Oh nooooooooooo.
"But you are a Pony," you reassured her, "and I'm exercising my-"
>"No I'm not, Master!" she shouted, tears bursting from her eyes.
>An awkward silence passed from the three of you.
>Then, you sighed.
"Well, shit."
>After a few more moments, Liquid Crystal's face of heartbroken rage broke down into just heartbreak altogether.
>"I'm sorry Master I-I've been a b-bad slave I-I need to be punished please forgive me Master I need to be your good girl good girls don't-"
>Without thinking, you knelt down and hugged her.
"Sshhhh, shhhh...it's okay...please stop crying...I'm here...I'm not gonna leave you..."
>As you tried to comfort her, her stammering slowed to a crawl.
>She continued to cry, but at least she wasn't a wreck like a few seconds ago.
>You looked back over at Twilight, who had lost her angry glare.
>She was, however, continuing to stare.
>You let go of Liquid Crystal and walked back over to Twilight.
"A-An attempt was made."
>"I see," Twilight breathed. Then, clearing her throat, "Anon, can I have a word with you? Alone?"
>Hooooooo boy.
>You glanced back over at Liquid, whose face contorted to shock.
"Sure."
>You went to follow Twilight into another room, one filled with wooden bookshelves and cabinets, but a distinct clattering of hooves informed you that Liquid was not that far behind.
"Liquid?"
>"Y-Yes, M-Mas..Anon?"
"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, and don't worry about me."
>And then, turning your back to her, you went into the room with the Princess.
>"Alright, Anonymous," Twilight sighed, after the two of you got settled in. "So, can you explain what exactly happened?"
>You explained, in as full detail as possible, the events leading up to today, her arrival after your outburst in your own home, her possible delusion of your grandeur, and everything you knew from what she's told you so far.
"And I don't know if any of this is legitimate or not, considering the pony who's telling me this is probably insane, but that's really all I know about her."
>Twilight nodded. "Huh. So she seriously thinks you're her Master."
"Apparently."
>"Well, assuming I'm to believe you - and I do, because I don't think you are *that* much of a jerk - have you considered, perhaps, that she's doing this in an attempt to have you lower your guard?"
"As a matter of fact, I have," you said. "But I don't think I'm that important to be a high reward for bounty hunters."
>"Not bounties, Anon," asserted the alicorn, "I mean she's trying to rape you."
>Oh.
>Right.
"Well in all honesty the only pony whose done that is Fluttershy, yes I'm still very annoyed about that, and I don't suspect they're the same pony for various reasons."
>Namely that Liquid Crystal had a different normal voice.
>Unless Fluttershy was a deceptively good actor, both physically and vocally.
>But what are the chances of that?
>You absentmindedly knocked on one of Twilight's bookshelves just in case.
"Besides, why would anyone want to rape me?"
>Twilight scowled. "You're the only human in Equestria."
"And that on its own still hasn't gotten me a girlfriend, so I dunno."
>"Well, I know for certain that no pony I've ever met, even those I've met in Mr. Rich's or Prince Blueblood's estate, has ever wished to be enslaved. At least, not willingly."
>You shrugged.
"First time for everything."
>She rolled her eyes.
>"Well, I'm still not sure you should trust her completely."
"Agreed," you concurred. "But if she's being legit - and part of me thinks she is - I kinda want to give her a chance, see how it goes."
>"As you slave?" Twilight snorted.
"As a friend."
>Twilight thought upon your words for a moment before answering.
>"Well, this may be a bad idea, but I think you should give her that chance," she smiled, before clarifying. "A a *pony*, not whatever slave-type she thinks she is."
>Great.
>So now you're actually gonna have to be a white-knight.
>Fu-u-u-u-ck...
>"I mean, if she causes trouble for anypony, even you, don't be afraid to call her out," Twilight clarified. "That's what friends do in those situations.
>Okay that makes it better.
"Alright."
>"But I still want you to try and free her."
"Got it."
>So, new plan of action.
>Get Liquid Crystal (re)adjusted to society, get her used to working and acting on her own, maybe get her to play some of your vidya – you won't be a dick and give her Battletoads like with Sweetie Belle that one time - and when the time comes, free her.
>Easier said than done, but it'll have to do.
“Oh, and if you get a chance, try and see if you can look up any white-maned grey pegasi with blue eyes in the records. Maybe it'll help us figure out where she's from.”
>”If I had to guess, I'd say she's from the Crystal Empire, judging by the properties of her coat.”
“So she's a Crystal Pony? Makes sense.”
>”As good as guess as any.”
>With that, the two of you left the room to revisit your current "slave".
"Hey there, Liquid."
>"Hello again, Master," she smiled.
>By now, the tears had long dried up.
>But the tension was still there, if the frown on her face was any indication.
"So, uh..." you mumbled, unsure of how you wanted to go about this, "there's gonna be a few things we're going to do today."
>Her ears perked up.
>"Yes, Master?"
"We're going to be visiting some friends - namely Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and..." you groaned as you named that one other pony, "...Rainbow Dash."
>You already dreaded having to introduce someone who thought you were her Master to the Element of Cunt-iness and Loyalty.
"We're going to start with Pinkie Pie, because I have not had lunch yet."
>StomachNon needed to be sated, obviously.
>'anoooooooooon. feeeeeeeed meeeeeeeee'
>Now is not the time for satisfaction. That comes later.
"Then, after we've got introduced to those ponies, we're going over to a cottage near the edge of the Everfree Forest to feed a few animals. After that, we're heading home because I have nothing better to do today."
>Now the hard part.
"While we're doing this, I want you to act like you're a free pony," you commanded.
>"But Master, I'm not a pony, I'm a slave," she pleaded.
"I'll believe it when I see it," you noted, "but for today, I'd like you to fake it. Alright?"
>She sighed. "It will be difficult, but I'll try and obey, Master."
"Great! Now, Sugarcube Corner is a very famous bakery, so I want you to think about what you want from a bakery. If you can think of any pastry you want, Sugarcube Corner probably has it. Personally, I enjoy the bleu cheese wontons that they serve on very rare-"
>As you rambled on and on about what you planned on doing with her today, you noticed her start to cheer up.
>Must be your enthusiasm that sold it for her.
>Good, that's a start.
>You fucking beta cuck faggot.
>This had better fucking work.
"-though of course that's entirely up to you. Got it?"
>She nodded with overflowing excitement. "Yes I do, Master!"
"Great!"
>You reached to grab your belongings.
>"Master?"
"Mmm?"
>"May I carry your backpack for you?"
>Uhhhh...
"Sure, if you want."
>She nodded. "Yes, Master."
>Welp, one less weight on your shoulders.
>Now you get to watch as adorable silver pegasus tries to carry stronk human backpack.
>It's adorable.
"Alright, now say bye to Twilight!"
>Liquid Crystal nodded, and turned to face Twilight.
>"Good bye, Miss Twilight."
>Twilight blushed. "Just 'Twilight' is fine."
>Welp, that's settled.
>You opened the door to the outside world and were about to step out there, before you heard Liquid Crystal keep talking.
>"But just so we're clear," Liquid threatened, her voice growing lower, "my number one priority as a slave, not a pony, is Master Anon. And I would rather die than let anything happen to my love and life."
>Uh oh.
>"So you had better not bring harm to my Master, or I will do the same to you in kind."
>Twilight scrunched. "Well, Liquid, I don't plan on hurting him, but I'll see to it that Princess Celestia's the first to know if anything happens to him on your hooves, you-."
"WHOA, WHOA, both of you calm the fuck down," you interrupted, not wanting things to escalate again.
>Twilight glared at you, probably for being rude, again.
>Liquid shrunk back from her accusatory pose.
"Liquid, I know you mean well," you explained to her, "but please don't threaten the Princess. We're already in deep enough shit, we don't need things to escalate. Understand?"
>"Yes, Master," she nodded, "but I just don't want her to hurt you."
>You sighed.
"She won't, unless I colossally fuck up. But right now, I kinda want things to settle down, alright."
>She bowed her head, no doubt aggravated at you. "Yes, Master."
"Good, now c'mon! Lunch awaits, and I'm starving!"
>With that, you and Liquid Crystal, free pony-in-training, went forth into the unknown near-future...

>...
>"Good evening, Master."
>"Waugh!"
>"..."
>"O-Oh, it's just you...w-wait, who ARE you?"
>"I'm your slave, Master."
>"My...slave?"
>"Yes, Master."
>"I d-didn't know I had one."
>"You do, Master. I'll be your obedient slave for as long as you live."
>"Oh! I think I've seen you before. But...that's impossible!"
>"...?"
>"...Wait, does anyone know you're here?"
>"Just you and me, Master. Nopony else really needs to know."
>"Ah. So..."
>"What would you have me do, Master? After all, I'm only here to be your willing and obedient slave."
>"Yeah. I think I'm going crazy."
>"You're not crazy, Master."
>"Of course -you'd- say that."
>"Am I wrong, Master?"
>"..."
>"...Master?"
>"No, not at all. Now come here, slave. There's something I, aheheheh...wanted to do on the bed."
>"What was it, Master?"
>*pomf*
>...

Chapter 3 - Luncheon (#pnka)
>"HI, ANON!" called Pinkie Pie.
>Greeeeeat.
>Didn't even get to walk in the door.
>Same day in Equestria.
>Still Anonymous.
>And still kinda annoyed.
"Good afternoon, Pinkie," you mumble, this time remembering not to call her Ponk like you usually do.
>Even if it was funny when Liquid called Twilight "Miss Starbutt".
>"And how's my favorite widdle greenie-guy today?" Pinkie Pie asks, giving you a wide smile.
>Oh great now she's giving embarrassing nicknames.
>This was a bad idea, and you haven't even ordered lunch.
"Fine. Annoyed. Occupied with stupid stuff," you grumbled.
>"Anon is right," Liquid concurred. "I *am* stupid stuff."
>Oh God dammit Liquid, not this shit again.
"Not *you*, Liquid," you groaned, turning towards your favorite grey-coated pony, "just today in general."
>She blinked. "Oh. Sorry, Anon."
>You rolled your eyes and turned back to head to the counter.
>...Only to find Pinkie, baker's hat and all, had somehow gotten in front of you in the seconds you spent chiding Liquid.
>WAUGH PINK HORSE!
"WAUGH!"
>You hate it when she does that.
>"Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...?"
"S-So...what?"
>"Who's the cutie you have with you?"
>Cutie?
>Oh, right!
"Uh, okay...Pinkie Pie, this is Liquid Crystal," you introduced. "Liquid, this is Pinkie Pie."
>"Liquid Crystal?" Pinkie repeated to herself.
>Liquid nodded. "Yes, Miss Pinkie."
>Pinkie gasped in a way you have memorized.
>And even more chills went down your spine as you realized what this meant.
>Oh no...
>"You're a new pony!" Pinkie shrieked!
>Oh God, it WAS, too, wasn't it?!
>"I gotta plan a pretty prancy power party, pronto!" Pinkie alliterated, outright bursting with excitement. "Liquid Crystal is gonna have the best party I've ever thrown for her!"
"Uhhh, wait-"
>”Even if it's the only party I've ever thrown for her, but-”
>"Miss Pinkie," Liquid interrupted, "you do not need to throw a party for me. I'm not a pony, I'm a-"
>Knowing exactly what she was about to say, you hushed her before she could finish her sentence.
>Not in front of the party pony.
>"...Not a PONY?" Pinkie asked.
>Too late.
>initiate damagecontrol.exe
"Uhhh...it's a long story."
>"Oh, wait wait wait don't tell me! She's a princess in disguise who's madly in love with you and has run away from her father and disguised herself to avoid being sent back home to her arranged prince!"
>Oh God, she's already started with her wild theories.
>"No, Miss Pinkie."
>"Wait, maybe! Maybe you're a robot disguised as a pony!"
>"No, Miss Pinkie," mumbled Liquid, showing no signs of exasperation.
>You, on the other hand...
>"Well, then maybe you're a mercenary on a secret mission to weaponize a giant animatronic puppet thingy with loads of chocolate sauce to spread across Neijing!"
>Wha-
>"Y'know, because you're *Liquid* Crystal."
>You facepalmed.
>Shouldn't have given her that video game to play through.
>"No, Miss Pinkie."
>"Okay...maybe-"
"Or maybe," you interrupted, having been fed up with Pinkie's horseshit for one day, "she's waiting for you to stop speculating about who or what she is and take our orders for lunch already."
>Liquid smiled. "Yes, Anon, that's correct."
>Pinkie paused to process your statement. Then, with a very loud "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she went back behind the counter so you could order your meal.
>"I still think you're twin siblings," Pinkie whispered.
"Why would that even work? Pinkie, I know you've played that game I lent you, so-"
>"Think about it!" Pinkie explained. "You've lived here for years, you're not a pony, this new pony comes into town and you're introducing her to everyone, she looks like she knows you very well-"
"And by everyone I mean you and Twilight so far."
>"Point is, I think you're brother and sister clones!"
>You're starting to get a migraine from Pinkie's antics.
"I am 100% sure that's not how cloning works, or even siblings for that matter."
>Pinkie just giggled.
"Besides, what would we even be like as clones?"

"LIQUID!" you shouted, at the end of your rope.
>It was during the wreckage near the end of the Shadow Moses incident.
>You and Liquid Crystal were staring each other down at the moment.
>But while you had a countenance of fear, the white-maned pegasus just smirked.
>"Face it, brother," she yelled in the smuggest, over-the-top British accent you've heard, "you and I are destined to fight one another, as was her last wish!"
"Big Boss?!" you called back in disbelief. "But isn't she-"
>"Yes," Liquid corrected. "The pegasus who became a legend in war, Naked Crystal - her rage fueled by betrayal set her on a warpath against the Equestrian Empire, and we were created- no, designed to be the ultimate soldiers based on *her* genes!"
"Wait, then why am I a human, not a pony?!"
>"You, Solid Crystal, inherited the Boss's dominant genes, the ones that they considered superior, and I've inherited the recessive genes!"
"How does that even work?!"

>You shook your head.
>Shit's too complicated to even daydream about.
>"Soooooooooooooooo...?" Pinkie chirped.
>Oh, right.
>Back to the task at hand.
>You glanced down at Liquid Crystal.
"You figure you what you want?" you asked her.
>She nodded almost immediately. "Yes, Anon. What are you getting?"
>You try to read her face, see what she's planning.
>Aha...
"You're not going to order whatever I order, are you?"
>She nodded. "I am, Anon."
"Not a chance," you smile encouragingly. "I'd like you to order what you want, not what you think I want you to have."
>She frowned as you explained this to her.
>Oh no, not this again.
>"But Anon-"
"Don't worry. I just want you to order what you like."
>She opened her mouth to supposedly give a rebuttal, but very quickly after she closed it. "Yes, Anon."
>You turned back to face Pinkie, who you were dead sure was listening on you and Liquid.
>There was no way she wasn't putting the pieces together.
>The look on her face gave it away.
"Is it okay if I explain in private after lunch? It's kinda awkward to explain."
>Pinkie nodded, just before giving a lewd whistle.
>Oh God dammit, she's got you figured out.
"E-Exactly. Anyway, do you have any of those bleu cheese wontons in stock today?"
>Pinkie shook her head. "Nope, sorry, those aren't being baked again until February 7th for Luna's birthday."
>Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
"T-That's fine. Uh...can I get two cheese sandwiches, instead?"
>"Grilled, or plain?"
>Hmmmm...
"Grilled, if you can."
>"Any drinks with that?"
"Chocolate milk."
>She smiled. "Great taste, as always! And how about you, Liquid?"
>Liquid looked at the menu.
>Poor girl was riding on the hope you would give her something to eat.
>You almost felt bad for her.
>She looked back at you, prompting you to give her a warm smile.
"Don't be scared," you encouraged.
>She stared for a few second more.
>Then, bowing her head with a pitiful frown on her face, she answered, "I don't want anything, Miss Pinkie."
>Oh.
>Ohhh no.
>"I see..." Pinkie uttered in an increasingly low tone.
>Then, she smiled. "Will that be all for you two lovebirds, today?"
>You opened your mouth to object to Pinkie and Liquid's decision - only to realize if you did, you'd be exerting control as a Master.
>You remembered exactly what Twilight told you.
>Mother fucker.
>"I think you should give her that chance - As a *pony*, not whatever slave-type she thinks she is."
>Chills went up your spine as you imagined what Twilight might do to you if you did.
"Er...yes. That will be all."
>"Let's see..." Pinkie pushed a few of the buttons on the register, before announcing, "that comes out to a total of 10 bits!"
>You paid her the money, and in turn she gave you both your order number and your glass of chocolate milk.
>"I'll be back in a bit!" she sang, before bouncing off to get your sandwich started.
>That was your cue to get you and Liquid seated.
>Once the both of you had gotten comfortable, you stared at your new friend.
"What was *that*?" you asked, incredulous at her behavior up at the counter.
>Liquid bowed her head again, closing her eyes.
>"I'm sorry, Master," she sighed dejectedly, not even bothering to address you by your real name. "I've disobeyed you."
"Don't be sorry, Liquid. You did what I asked, which was to order what you wanted. I just wanna know why you didn't want anything for lunch."
>She looked back up at you. "Well...I..."
>Liquid took a few seconds of silence before finally answering. "I never want anything for my own. I only took what my previous Masters provided for me."
>'Previous' Masters?
>Ah.
>You started to put the pieces together.
>So she's not new to enslavement.
>She's had a few Masters before you.
>Must've been broken beyond redemption if she's never wanted anything.
>You added that to the list of things to ask her about when you got a chance.
"And?"
>"And sometimes that meant they would give me meals befitting proper ponies, not slaves. Sometimes that meant I would eat dog food or cat food. It doesn't matter."
"So you've been used to some schmucks telling you what to eat instead of deciding what to eat on your own," you summarize.
>"Correct, Master."
"And stop with the 'Master' thing, it's freaking me out," you chide her.
>It really was.
>Especially in public, where everyone else could see you.
>Brrrrrrr...
>"Yes, Anon."
>This isn't much better, but beggars can't be choosers.
>Now if only she understood that phrase.
"So why did you want to get what I was having for lunch?" you asked.
>"Because," she explained, "I had assumed you were going to get something for me to eat, and I would eat it even if I didn't like it."
>Well shit.
"Well, you gotta eat something..."
>She nodded. "Yes, Anon. What would you have me eat?"
"I mean like something you do like," you clarified.
>"I do not enjoy anything. I only enjoy what you and my previous Masters provide for me."
>Grrrrrrr...
>This was gonna be harder than you thought.
"But won't you go hungry?"
>"I'll go hungry," Liquid claimed, "if that is what you wish."
>Fuck.
>You nervously glanced around to see if anyone was watching you two.
>Thankfully, only one pony stared; just the old jackass stallion you bumped into earlier.
>And even he looked away as you noticed him watching you.
>Dodging bullets left and right here, boy...
>Before you could question her further, Pinkie Pie came bouncing towards your table with a plate containing your meal.
>"Two grilled cheese sandwiches and one choco-latte milk for Mr. Eh-Noon-Ee-Moose?" Pinkie called, stretching out each syllable of your name as if it were French or some shit.
>Your right eye twitched.
>You hated it when she did that.
"Right here, Panko," you waved, deciding to return fire.
>Giggling to herself, she placed the platter on your table.
>Wait a minute...
>Before she could bound away to take care of the others, you cleared your throat.
"Uh, Ponk?"
>"Hmm?"
"Could I get a menu to go?" you asked, an idea beginning to bubble in your head.
>She did not hesitate to conjure a very long menu from within her hat.
>It was definitely larger than the hat.
"How-"
>"Emergency to-go menu stash!" Pinkie explained. "Comes in handy when a customer plans on making a grand return!"
>Before you could ask her to elaborate further, she was gone.
>Fuck.
>You looked back at the table, hoping that Liquid would have taken one of the sandwiches.
>...It was a fool's hope.
>All four slices were still on your plate.
>You looked over at Liquid Crystal, who was smiling at you.
>She was smiling like someone who was trying to please you as if you were her-
>No, fuck you boner.
>Not this time.
"Are you sure you don't want this sandwich?"
>"If you want me to eat it, I'll eat it for you, Anon," she affirmed.
>Gears started grinding in your head.
>Twilight wanted you to treat her like a normal pony, not a slave.
>This meant you couldn't act as her Master.
>Problem was, Liquid wanted you to treat her the other way around.
>This proved especially troubling because she apparently wants to satisfy you, not herself.
>Now, this gave you one of two options.
>You could let her starve, and if she needed to eat, you'd let her without any qualms.
>This was under the risky assumption that she would eventually need to disregard the mindset she's been used to for what's probably been years.
>Or...you could ask her to eat your other half of your lunch.
>Which, let's be honest, you don't want her to go hungry.
>But it would be because you asked her to, not because she wanted it.
>Plus, this ran the additional risks of the sandwich not being to her liking and Twilight being furious at you if she found out.
>...
>You sighed.
>Fuck it all.
"Liquid, I'd like you to eat this."
>You gave her two of the slices of grilled cheese.
>She smiled. "Yes, Anon."
>And without hesitation, she started eating.
>You gave a sigh of relief.
>At least she wasn't going hungry tonight.
>But, as you started to eat your half of the meal, you realized it was just a temporary fix.
>Twilight had asked you to free her, not encourage her current behavior.
>This was gonna be harder than you thought...
"How is it?" you ask tentatively, as you watched her finish her dinner.
>She gulped down her sandwich. "Delicious, Anon!"
>At least she enjoyed it...?
"Good! I'm glad you like it."
>"Thank you, Anon!"
>You turned your head around to see if Pinkie Pie was anywhere.
>Turns out, she was busy near the stairs.
>As you took a sip of your chocolate milk, you waved her over to your-
>?!
"Ack!"
>You spat out some of your drink.
>Fucking hell...
>"Mas- er, Anon! Are you alright?" yelped Liquid.
"I-I'm...gah, fine. Just didn't expect her to use that kind of milk."
>Turned out she used a different kind of milk for her drink.
>Tasted like goat milk or some shit.
"Pinkie!"
>"Yeeeeeeeees?" she sang from directly behind you.
>WAUGH PINK HORSE!
"AUGH!"
>You fell off your stool as she did that.
>As you scrambled to get back up and save face, Pinkie chuckled.
"Urgh...I HATE it when you do that," you groaned.
>Pinkie shrugged. "Meh."
>You shook your head again.
"Anyway, so about that thing I wanted to talk to you about..."
>You looked around to see if anyone else was watching.
>Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed.
"Is it still okay if we talk in private?"
>Pinkie nodded, and gave another lewd grin.
>Yep, she knew.
>At least she isn't being a total dick right now.
>"Okey-dokey-loki!"

>One lackluster transition later, and you and Liquid found yourselves in Pinkie's room with its eponymous owner.
>Alright, here goes nothing.
>Again.
"Alright, so the thing with Liquid is..."
>You waited to see if Pinkie would interject.
>Nope, not happening.
"Well, I'm sure you've pieced it together, but the skinny of it is that Liquid Crystal over here thinks she's a slave and I'm her Master."
>Pinkie blinked. "Really, now?"
"Yep, and-"
>You explained everything you could, starting from when you first met, up until the events that occurred just minutes ago.
>Once you finished explaining, it took a bit for Pinkie to respond.
>"Wow...so Liquid is.."
"Yup."
>"That really IS a problem."
"Yup."
>Then, Pinkie grinned.
>Oh mother fucker you recognized that grin.
"No, screw you Pinkie-"
>"Anon?"
"Not today. Not now."
>"Anon."
"PINKIE I SWEAR TO GOD-"
>"Hopefully you can find the solution!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
>Liquid winced as you exploded in anger.
>Pinkie giggled. "Oh come on, that was a good pun!"
"It really wasn't..." you hissed.
>She sighed. "Well, I've never dealt with anypony deciding I'm their Mistress or anything, so I really couldn't help you."
"I know," you admitted, "but I'm just letting you know before you asked. Besides, reason I brought her here was so I could introduce her to you and the other girls."
>"Ahhhhh, gotcha."
>You looked down on Liquid, who had sat herself down, presumably waiting oh so patiently for you to-
>No, boner, stop right where you are.
"Could you do me a favor," you begged, "and not tell anyone besides Twilight and the others about this? At least, until I can get this sorted out."
>Pinkie saluted. "I'll do you one better and Pinkie Promise on that."
"Sure."
>She went through the motions and customs of doing a Pinkie Promise, and like that, it was done.
"Thank you SO much," you gasped. "I feel a bit better about this now."
>"No problem! Anyway, gotta go, been on break for too long!"
>And just like that, Pinkie was outta here.
>You glanced back down at Liquid Crystal.
>She was still sitting so pretty and-
>Boner, no.
>Don't you fucking start.
>'but anoooooooon'
>No means no, smartass.
>Hmmm...
>Alright, time to put your plan in motion.
"Liquid?"
>She looked up at you, and beamed. "Yes, Anon?"
>You handed her the menu you got from Pinkie.
"See this?"
>"Yes, Master."
"I want you to do me a favor and skim through the menu, and before lunch tomorrow, pick out something you like or want to eat," you commanded. "Only stipulation is that it does not cost over 30 bits - I'm not some rich dude from Canterlot. Understood?"
>"Yes, Master...?"
>You noticed a bit of concern in her voice.
"Is there a problem with what I'm asking?"
>"...Yes Master," she admitted. "It's just that...I never want anything other than what my Master wants, and I don't think I can find anything on here I want."
>This again?
"Then don't worry about what I want. Focus on what you want. Not me."
>"But Master-"
"No buts," you interrupted. "If need be, just pick something random on here, and we'll see how it goes."
>She took a moment before responding again. "Yes, Master."
"And stop with the Master thing, really!" you snapped.
>Getting real sick of this shit.
>"Sorry, Anon. Force of habit."
>You groaned.
>We haven't even met Rainbow Dash, and this is already a clusterfuck.
>...At least it's a cute clusterfuck.
"Anyway," you yawned, "I think it's time we visit our good friend Applejack..."

>...
>”Good evening, Master.”
>”Urgh...good evening, slave.”
>”...what's wrong, Master?”
>”Nothing, just that...I HATE it when those dolts pick on me for no good reason.”
>”I'm sorry, Master.”
>”I know I'm a shut-in most of the time, but those ruffians have no right to remind me every dusk about it. Worst part is, I want to fight back but never could find the gall to do so. If I could, I would tear them...ahem, anyway.”
>”Master?”
>”Hmm?”
>”What would you have me do, right now?”
>”Well, I would get more agressive with you, like I promised. But unfortunately I need to study.”
>”Oh? What about, Master?”
>”Magic. Important, life-changing exam tomorrow. His Majesty is going to observe me, and I cannot falter under pressure...”
>”Is there anything I can do to help you study, Master?”
>”Not much. Just...you are dismissed until I summon you again.”
>”Yes, Master.”
>”...Oh, and slave?”
>”Yes, Master?”
>”...Happy dreams.”
>”Thank you, Master, and to you as well.”
>...

Chapter 4 - Confrontation (#ajrd)
>"Howdy, Anon!" called Applejack, who was currently bringing a wheelbarrow load of apple barrels to the farm, most of them to be made into cider.
>Still same day in Equestria, by the way.
>Also still Anonymous.
"Eyyyyy!"
>Applejack peered over at your silver friend, and gave a knowing smirk.
>"So, uh, who's the lady ya got with y'all?"
>...The 'lady'.
"Wow, Jack, way to make me feel even more inadequate," you groaned.
>"Ah don't try, honest!" Applejack chuckled.
>If it were any other pony, you'd doubt it.
"Anyways," you shrugged. "Applejack, this is Liquid Crystal, and Liquid, this is Applejack."
>Almost immediately, Applejack extended a hoof to greet your friend. "Howdy! Nice t' meet ya!"
>"And to you as well," Liquid smiled.
>As the two of them shook hooves, you couldn't help but notice Applejack shiver as if Liquid's hoof was cold to the touch.
>Yep, Liquid was DEFINITELY a Crystal pony.
>Or at least, she's lived there for several years.
>If Princess Cadence weren't the residing Princess up North, you'd move to the Crystal Empire, if only for the cool weather and snow.
>But, as much as you enjoyed the childlike pleasures of frozen rain, you had your priorities straight.
>Applejack caught you staring at Liquid, and retracted her hoof.
>"So Ah don't think yer here jus' to visit, am Ah right?" she asked.
"Well, kinda."
>You looked around to see if Apple Bloom or her friends were around.
>They were definitely too young to hear about this kind of shit.
>Even though you suspected Sweetie Belle was not as innocent as she looked.
"Is Apple Bloom around?"
>"Eenope. Still at school."
"Okay thank God," you gasped.
>Dodged a fucking bullet there.
>"Somethin' about Twilight bring you here this afternoon? 'Cuz Ah seem t' remember you sayin' y'all had to meet with her all this afternoon."
"Yup," you conceded, "See, here's the other thing about Liquid."
>Applejack raised one of her eyebrows. "Uh huh...?"
>You explained everything you could about your situation, including Liquid's unexpected arrival, her...'dedication' to you, her meeting with Twilight, her lunch with you at Sugarcube Corner, and the Pinkie Promise you had Pinkie make in case of emergency.
"...and that's really about all I know," you concluded.
>Applejack grimaced. "Anon, Ah know you mean well, but Ah gotta be honest here - that's messed up, even by yer standards."
"I gathered that, but-"
>"So Ah want you to do me a favor," Applejack continued, not bothering to let you finish, "and do not, under any circumstances, force 'er to work on mah farm. Got it?"
>That made sense.
>Slave labor was probably frowned upon at Sweet Apple Acres, if not outlawed.
>You've never been in a situation like this to ask.
>"Got it?"
>Oh, right.
>Focus.
"Sure."
>You looked back at Liquid, who had paused to think about something.
"Liquid, you alright?"
>She snapped to attention immediately. "Yes, Anon," she affirmed quickly, as if she was doing her own sort of damage control.
>"Uh...that don' sound alright," Applejack pointed out.
"Liquid?"
>Liquid sighed. "Sorry, Anon. It was just that..."
>She paused, before continuing. "It was just that I really wanted to help you over here if you needed it, and part of why I was summoned was becuase I knew you needed it."
>Applejack glared at you.
>One thing you needed to know was that you never pissed Applejack off.
>run damagecontrol.exe
"I made a snarky comment at my house about needing help at home," you elaborated, "and she used that as an excuse to make me her Master. Or something, I dunno."
>Apparently damagecontrol.exe was busted, because Applejack continued to glare at you.
"C'mon, it was a long day and I was frustrated, cut me a break here!"
>Applejack nodded, the glare refusing to leave her eyes.
>Hoo boy.
>You looked back at Liquid to try and comfort her.
>"I'm sorry, Anon."
"Look, I really appreciate that you're willing to help, I really do," you reasoned, trying as hard as you can to not piss off Applejack, "but again I really don't need help on the farm itself."
>Liquid sighed.
>"I just want to help you in any way I can, Anon...I just want to fulfill my duty as your slave."
"I know, but even if I needed your help, I don't think Applejack would let you work on the farm, mainly because-"
>"Because if Ah didn't pay her for whatever hard work she has to offer," Applejack theorized suddently, "Ah wouldn't feel right makin' her do it."
>Huh?
>Wait a minute.
"Say that again."
>"Ah'm not saying she should work here for you, and Ah won't recommend it, but if she really wants to help you out at Sugarcube Corner, Ah could offer her a temporary job, salary an' everythin'."
>Suddenly, things started clicking together.
"Now there's an idea," you mused, the gears finally grinding in your head.
>It would get Liquid Crystal accustomed to the idea of having money in her pocket to do what she pleased with, and satisfy her urge to serve you.
>Obviously you'd ease her into working independently from you, but that would be a start.
>Plus it might get Twilight off your back.
"Liquid, would you be interested in having a paying job?" you asked.
>"A p-paying job, Anon?" she asked, blushing as you got more excited.
"Yeah! You'd get a salary, worker's benefits, everything!" you ranted, growing more excited as you explained this to her.
>"A s-salary, Anon?" she asked. "What's a salary?"
>Never had a job, eh?
"Y'know, payment in bits?"
"Bits?"
>You sighed.
>"Money," you emphasized once more. “A currency you earn.”
>Did this magical talking horse really not know what money is?
>Then, she gasped.
>"Oh! Is it like a reward, Anon?" she asked, earnestly.
"Ehhh...kinda sorta?" you shrugged.
>She gave you a wide smile. "I like rewards, Anon! I love it when I do dirty chores for my Masters and they give me nice rewards like head-scratches, belly rubs, fucking my pussy-"
>*WHAT.*
"Wh-what?!"
>"WHAT?!"
>"A-And if I've been a good girl, and only if I've been a good slave for them, sometimes my Masters might allow me the privilege of sucking their big, meaty-"
"E-Enough," you sputtered, unable to contain your embarrassment. "Enough, I-I think I get the idea."
>Jesus fucking CHRIST, this pony was broken.
>Whoever took her in as a slave - and it was definitely more than one - must've done a real number on her psyche.
>You were almost impressed.
>You glanced over at Applejack, who was blushing redder than the apples on her butt.
"Sorry."
>Applejack shook her head. "Ah'm just wonderin' the kind o' timberwolf-crap she's been through t' make her like that."
>You glanced back over at Liquid, who was still smiling as if the kind of shit she just explained in detail was no big deal.
"U-Uh...Liquid, it's not -quite- like that," you corrected.
>Liquid frowned.
"I mean, it's just that when you work over here, you get money - hell if I know if you've ever had money before, but it's like these coins that you can use to get something you want."
>She looked at you as if she didn't even know what you were talking about.
>Then, she nodded.
>"Ah. I understand, Anon."
"It's basically that."
>"I've never had money before, Anon," Liquid confirmed. "I've never had a need for one. My previous Masters earned 'money, and they always decided what I would have, and I would never complain about what I get; I'd just accept it without question."
>Jeeeesus.
>"But with yer own money, you can get what y'all want!" Applejack asserted.
>"I understand that, Miss Applejack," Liquid acknowledged, giving a quick smile before frowning once more, "but I've never wanted anything in my entire existence, except for that which my Masters want."
>Applejack gave a deep sigh, and shook her head. "Y'all need help. Real help."
"Agreed."
>You cleared your throat - the sputtering did a number on it.
"But unfortunately, neither me nor Twilight know where Liquid Crystal came from, let alone who she is beyond what she's told us," you explained. "All I know is that she MIGHT be a Crystal Pony."
>It suddenly occurred to you that you've never asked.
"Wait, Liquid, -are- you a Crystal Pony?"
>"I am not, Anon," she argued, a scrunch emerging on her face, "I'm a slave."
>You pinched your bridge at her remark.
>nottodisushittoagen.png
>"But you *are* from the Crystal Empire?" Applejack asked.
>"Yes, Miss Applejack."
>Okay thank God.
>You thought for a second the coat was false advertising.
"Alright. So we know that," you continued. "Still, we don't even know her real name - I actually just gave that to her because I couldn't come up with anything better."
>Applejack shrugged. "Welp, Ah know Ah couldn't help you. I'd say ask Pinkie cuz she knows a lot o' ponies, but y'all already met her this afternoon."
"Yeah," you grunted.
>You glanced back over at Liquid to see how she was responding.
>She was...
>Despondent?
>Wait, no, that wasn't despondence...!
"Liquid, what's wrong?"
>"Master, look out!"
>Without warning the silver pegasus pushed you straight to the ground.
>And the moment you looked up, you saw a distinct rainbow blur making headfirst contact with Liquid Crystal...

>As you regained your senses, your heart immediately sank as you realized something.
>Liquid was hurt.
>And since Miss Sonic Rainboom was the pony who did that, you instantly knew she was badly hurt.
>On top of that, you immediately assumed that was meant for you.
>Oh shit.
>Without thinking, you rushed over to where Liquid was sent, and tried to scan her for any major injuries.
>Shit, she got some serious major bruises around her ribcage.
>Surprisingly very little bleeding, though.
"Liquid, are you okay?" you murmured, trying to comfort her as best as you could. "L-Liquid, please say something."
>Then, she groaned and started shifting around in your arms.
>"M-Master..." she grunted, slowly coming to.
>Okay, thank God she was alive.
"H-How bad is it?"
>"D-Don't worry about me, Master...I'm fine..."
>Then you heard a set of hooves land on the ground behind you.
>"HEY, APEDICK!"
>Wincing at that racial slur you assumed she invented on the spot, you wheeled around to face the pony who was currently your worst enemy.
"Rainbow Dash."
>The rainbow-maned pegasus looked pissed.
>Specifically, the kind of pissed look that one would have if he or she fully intended and was about to fucking maul you.
>No surprise there - the kind of shit you got into would make any sane person upset.
>"Anonymous, what the FUCK?!"
"Look," you pleaded, "it's been a Harriet Beecher Stowe kind of day, and not in a good way, but I can explain-"
>"Save it," she spat, pointing an accusatory hoof at your chest. "I heard it all on the flyby. You, your so-called 'slave', everything."
>Ohhhhhh no.
"I take it you didn't hear the fact this was all a huge mis-fucking-understanding?" you countered. "Or the fact I'm trying to get this shit resolved before - well, tried, but I guess it got ugly anyway since you decided to show up."
>Rainbow Dash scowled. "I dunno what you're trying to pull, Anon, but you crossed a line when you enslaved that poor, defenseless pony and ordered her to act as a fucking shield for you!"
>Oh heeeeeeeeeeeeell no.
>"Fer the record, Rainbow Dash," called Applejack, "Liquid here pushed him out of the way on her own!"
>"Horsefeathers!" Rainbow Dash snapped, causing Applejack to reel back in shock. "Anonymous obviously broke that pony into submission, in both mind and body, and forced her to defend him with her life."
>Bullshit of the highest order, and she knows it.
"Yeah, it's *real* impressive that I pulled that off in one morning, in what was more than likely less than a hour. Way to give me so much credit, Dash."
>"AHA!" Rainbow Dash yelled triumphantly, giving a dastardly smirk and completely ignoring your sarcasm. "So you admit it!"
"I'll take 'sarcasm' for 500, Trebek," you snarked. "Of course I fucking didn't."
>Then you glanced back at Liquid, who was only now starting to get up from the impact.
>Your fist clenched in fury.
>It certainly wasn't worth it, but in that moment you realized you might have to punch a bitch, and you were certain it wasn't Winona.
"But for the record, you yourself just hurt that pony you claim you defended the rights of. Mind you, I agree with you about her needing to be free, but-"
>"Then do her a favor and FUCK off!" Rainbow snarled.
>Your eye twitched.
>Ignoring her interruption, you continued to explain.
"On top of that, the main reason I'm bringing her around town today, to both Sugarcube Corner and Sweet Apple Acres, is because-"
>"Because you enjoy humiliating her?!" Rainbow Dash accused.
"Horseshit," you spat, "it's because Twilight Sparkle recommended she get some social interaction."
>"Oh, and you really expect me to believe the Princess of Friendship didn't order you to free her outright?!"
"Oh, she did," you retaliated, "and I almost freed her, but Liquid wasn't having any of it - I shit you not."
>You glanced back down at Liquid for a split second.
>She had finally gotten up, but she looked pretty agitated.
>Rightfully so, considering...
"So if you would please just back off for once, Skittles, that would be-"
>"SKITTLES?!" Rainbow Dash roared.
>Oh shit.
>Then the impact of what you just said settled in your head.
>Ohhhhhhhhhhhh shit.
>You just called the fastest pony of Equestria the name of a kid's candy.
>One that you realized just then that you actually shared with her once.
>Welp.
>You're fucked.
>But before you could work out how to damage control out of this, Rainbow Dash zoomed towards you at a speed you're just barely able to retaliate against.
>It was just slow enough to wind up a punch to her insufferable face.
>...
>So.
>Funny story.
>You've had a friend with a hypnosis fetish.
>Specifically, being hypnotized into being frozen in place.
>He really enjoyed doing that kind of shit.
>Yeah, you've seen weirder, but it was always hypnotic petrification that got him horny.
>Right now, you were living what was probably his wet dream.
>Well, you and Top Cunt over here.
>And there actually wasn't any hypnotism involved, just a purple aura of magic surrounding you and Rainbow Dash.
>...
>Speaking from experience now, you weren't sure how he got off to that.
>Thankfully, your eyes were unaffected, so the two of you were able to see that Twilight was the spellcaster in this scenario.
>And that she was fucking pissed.
>If you could have gulped, you would have.
>"Alright," Twilight sighed, "I don't want to hear who started it or who fueled the flames, but I want to know what happened. So start talking."
>And then, the two of you unfroze just enough to do as the princess said.
"I was just taking Liquid Crystal around to meet Pinkie and Applejack, then Rainbow Dash just comes out of nowhere, tries to slam into me but nicked Liquid Crystal badly because she pushed me out of the way-" you tried to explain, before getting interrupted by Top Cunt herself.
>"And the reason I did it was because Monkeydick over here thinks he's big enough to turn ponies into slaves! Twilight, you can't seriously think-"
>"I know," Twilight conceded, frustration being barely held back by what you assumed was her sanity, "and I've already given Anonymous a deep grilling about it."
>"So why haven't you-"
>"Because he said he's going to try to fix this, and we've already established that it's going harder than it looks."
"Yeah, no kidding."
>Twilight looked at you and scowled.
>"Speaking of which, Anon. Why in EQUESTRIA, when you KNEW Rainbow Dash was upset, did you try to egg her on like that?!"
"I, uh..."
>You tried to remember why you said the things you said.
>But everything that related to that had to do with Rainbow Dash ramming Liquid in the stomach.
"I got very angry in the moment when she rammed into Liquid, and said quite a few things I probably shouldn't have that I didn't mean," you explained, feeling a tiny bit guilty.
>Only a tiny bit.
>You still hated Rainbow Dash's guts right now.
>"I see."
"But I'm calm now, everything's fine," you lied.
>Obviously it wasn't, but with that, Twilight loosened your grip on the both of you.
>One cursory glance at Rainbow Dash told you that she was still incredibly pissed.
>"Alright," Twilight announced, "I think the two of you need to stay away from each other for the time being. You're obviously very heated at each other, and keeping you two together is a disaster waiting to happen. I want to avoid conflict, not have it happen inadvertently. Got it?"
"Got it." 
>Rainbow Dash huffed. "Fine."
>"Good! Rainbow Dash, I need to have a talk with you later. For now, you're free to go."
>With that, Twilight released Rainbow Dash completely from her magical grip.
>The blindingly fast blue pony wasted no time getting the fuck away from the scene.
>Good.
>...Bitch.
>"So, Anon."
>Oh, right, there's also Twilight you need to worry about.
"Yeah?"
>"You said you were taking Liquid around, right? So, aside from that whole 'could-have-been-avoided' incident," she emphasized those words with ice-cold fury, twisting the knife even further, "how'd it go?"
>Looking back over at Liquid, who was sitting at attention and smiling again despite everything, you nodded.
>You summarized the events of these past few hours, from asking her to order something for herself to her refusal to eat unless commanded and finally to the moment where you realized she was more mentally broken than you thought.
>Another blush formed on your head as you relayed exactly what she said to the Princess.
"On the plus side," you chirped in fake enthusiasm, "I asked her about it, and she apparently *did* live in the Crystal Empire at one point."
>Twilight smiled. "That's good to know! I'll send a request to the Crystal Empire and ask Cadence if she can track this pony down."
>Thank goodness.
>Maybe Candybutt might actually be helpful for once!
>"Oh, and I'll make sure I don't say it's at your request."
"Thank GOD. Last thing I need is another crazy magical horse to deal with today.
>The memories still gave you nightmares to this day.
>Then, Twilight gave a shit-eating grin.
>Oh fuck no, not you too!
>"Don't worry, it'll be an *anonymous* request."
>You groaned loudly, annoyed by how terrible that pun was.
"Really?!"
>"I'm sorry, Anon!" Twilight chuckled, unable to keep a straight face. "I just thought of it today after you left and I couldn't help it!"
>Fucking pun-making ponies.
"At this point I'm gonna have to keep calling you Starbutt in retaliation," you grumbled.
>"Am I to call her Miss Starbutt as well, Master?" asked Liquid, giving a smile that looked very innocent (but really wasn't).
>Oh God dammit.
"I- let's not and say we did," you shrugged.
>Then you felt your body turn back towards Twilight, reminding you that you were still being suspended in midair by the Princess of Friendship and Starry Plots.
>"Anything else to report?" asked Twilight.
"Nnnnnope."
>With that, you were released from her magical grip, which dropped you to the ground.
>Oof...
>"Well, if you need me, I'll be discussing some things with Rainbow Dash," Twilight sighed.
"Gotcha. See ya!"
>Twilight looked back at you one more time, and changed her face to a serious look. "Oh, and Anon? Remember, if you see anything weird in the forest..."
"Let you know immediately. Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes peeled."
>Twilight nodded, and within seconds, she was on her way back to the castle.
>You gave a huge sigh of relief.
>That could have gone a lot worse.
>"Anon?"
"Yeah, Applejack?"
>"Been meanin' t' say, but Ah don't think you felt everythin' was fine," she accused.
>You groaned.
"Nothing gets past you, does it?"
>You waited to see if she was gonna elaborate, but when that failed, you continued.
"Nah, I'm still incredibly salty about Rainbow Dash," you admitted.
>"M-Master?"
>You flinched.
>That was enough of that shit.
"Not Master," you complained. "Just Anon."
>She shrunk back as you complained. "S-Sorry, Anon."
>This was like the third time now you've had to remind her.
"It's fine, what was it?"
>"O-Oh.." she stammered, "I was just wondering. That villain who attacked you - was that really the Rainbow Dash you spoke of?"
>Villain?
>Well now.
"Well, she's not exactly a villain, but...that pony was Rainbow Dash, yeah."
>She coughed, probably still hurting from Rainbow Dash's attack. "I-I'm sorry, Anon. I was just wondering because...she is your enemy, right?"
"Well..."­
>"Liquid, sugarcube," cooed Applejack, "it's not like her to attack somepony outta the blue. But her and Anon don't exactly git along well."
"More like not at all," you muttered.
>"Point is, Rainbow Dash was just afraid for yer safety, but don't you worry none..."
>Liquid gave a weak smile, just for a few moments before grimacing again.
>"Rainbow Dash doesn't need to worry about hurting me, Miss Applejack. I can take it. It's Anon I'm worried she might kill."
>Again, you would not have been surprised if Rainbow Dash tried.
"Speaking of which," you asked, trying to change the subject, "how are you feeling right now, after she rammed you into the distance?"
>Liquid smiled more brightly than before. "I'm fine. I know you're safe, Master, so that makes me happy."
"First of all, it's 'Anon'," you complained again.
>This was starting to get obnoxious.
"Second, that's not what I'm worried about. You took the brunt of her attack back there."
>You took a quick look at her body.
>...to scan for injuries, obviously.
>No, Bonernon, scram!
>Hmm...?
>The bruises seemed to all be gone.
>No bleeding, either.
>A little ruffled up, sure, but you could have sworn-
>"I'm fine, Anon, really!" Liquid Crystal asserted, interrupting your train of thought.
>You sighed.
"Alright, fine. Are you sure you're okay?"
>"Yes, Anon."
>Welp, there was nothing more to say about that.
>At least for now.
>You checked your watch.
>5:00.
>Shit, you need to get going.
"Well, I should be on my way. Fluttershy asked me to feed her animals."
>With that, you and Liquid Crystal started heading out to Fluttershy's cottage, to where all her “cutesy-wutsey little animals” were.

>Still same day in Equestria.
>Still Anonymous.
>Still angry at Rainbow Dash.
>But at least the animals were somewhat easy to feed this time of day.
>Mind you the only reason it's so easy is because they were more or less domesticated by Equestria's expert veterinarian, but still.
>The only problem was Angel.
>You were convinced he was the spawn of Satan reincarnated into Equestrian soil in the form of a cute little bunny.
>He would not eat.
>Even when you grew stern with him.
>Eventually, after trying to force feed him (and getting bitten as a result), you ragequit.
>There was just too much bullshit going on with the little shit.
>"Master?"
>You groaned for what is probably the tenth time today.
"I'm almost tempted to relieve you of my orders to call me 'Anon' because you just won't do it."
>"Relieve me of my orders, Master?"
"Yeah. That's one hell of a force of habit you got there if you're still calling me 'Master'."
>"S-Sorry, Master."
>In the clearing up ahead, you and Liquid Crystal saw your house.
>Right now, after everything that had happened today, you wanted answers...

>...
>"Good evening, Master!"
>"Mmm. Good evening, my slave."
>"Master, you seem...different?"
>"Different? How?"
>"More confident, Master. More assertive. More aggressive."
>"Ahhh. Really?"
>"Yes, Master."
>"Didn't really notice, slave. I was too busy assisting His Majesty."
>"I did, Master. I've noticed it for weeks. And I love it."
>"..."
>"Master, something's on your mind, isn't it?"
>"...Yeah. Listen, slave, I've been doing a lot of studying lately and..."
>"...Yes Master?"
>"When I get a chance, I'd like to give you something I know you'll enjoy."
>"Oh, Master, you musn't! I'm your slave, you don't need to-"
>"That wasn't an option. Everything I give you, you'll accept without question, was I incorrect?"
>"...Oh. No, Master. I'll accept it."
>"But this thing I'm going to give you isn't ready yet. When it is, you'll know. Alright?"
>"Yes, Master."
>"Unfortunately, slave, I cannot fuck you tonight. His Majesty expects good things out of my research, and I cannot be distracted."
>"..."
>"You look disappointed."
>"Yes, Master."
>"...Alright, fine. A night to ourselves won't hurt the old fool...Alright, slave, on the bed!"
>"Thank you, Master!"
>*pomf*
>...

Chapter 5 - Explanation (#bdrm)
"Home sweet home," you mumbled as you swallowed the last of your dinner.
>Night "This is Gonna Suck" in Equestria.
>Still Anon.
>And it was still absolutely mind-blowing how clean this place was.
>This would have been fit for Princess Twilight, not some lowly faggot like you.
>"Master, are you quite alright?" asked Liquid Crystal.
>Of course, you were apparently the one lowly faggot that had a slave.
"Yeah. Just still amazed how good a job you did on the house."
>"Thank you, Master."
>Since coming back home, you decided to make a quick dinner for you and Liquid.
>Mind you, leftover cheese pizza wasn't that good in the long run.
>But you weren't in the mood to cook, and you sure as hell weren't gonna let Liquid cook for you.
>She asked, even, if you wanted her to cook you dinner.
>It was tempting, but no, the last thing you wanted was Twilight on your back.
>You shook your head to try and retain focus.
>All that glitters...
>Once you were certain Liquid had finished her dinner, you grabbed a soda from the fridge and escorted Liquid to the bedroom, which was also extremely clean.
>Thankfully all your shit that you had wanted to be left alone - mostly gaming shit - were mostly untouched.
>They were just organized in alphabetical order.
>You glanced back at Liquid, and noticed her smiling, as usual.
>God DAMN she was very pretty.
>You took a deep sigh.
>Can't focus on feelings - that was tumblr's job.
>Finding out what the hell happened for her to end up as a slave was most important right now.
>Here goes...
"So. Since today has been a borderline clusterfuck," you rambled, clearing your throat, "I want answers."
>"Answers? To what, Master?"
"First of all, you said you had previous Masters," you commented, remembering some of the remnants of her past that she talked about earlier. "And apparently some of them were total douchebags, if their idea of rewarding you was sexual violation."
>"Yes, Master. My reward was indeed being fucked by my Masters," she said, smiling as she did so.
"But why do you consider *that* a reward?" you asked, raising one of your eyebrows in skepticism.
>Liquid giggled. "Because although the pleasure of obeying my Master is more than enough to satisfy me, the fact they enjoyed my service enough to fuck me reminds me that I had done a good job and that I was a good slave to them."
>You tried to contain your boner, but that didn't change the fact this was lewder than you expected.
"Ignoring the fact that this is creepy as hell, I would think that would just give you STD's."
>"STD's, Master?" Liquid asked, tilting her head.
"Sexually transmitted diseases," you elaborated.
>The poor girl never even knew what STD's were.
>"Ahhhhhhh...no, I've never had those kinds of diseases before, Master."
>Unless some sexually transmitted germ affected her mind enough to make her want to be a fucking slave (and you wouldn't question it - weirder shit has happened in Magical Horse Land), you were thankful she never got STD's.
>However, just to be safe, you were going to use condoms if you ever-
>Wait, thinking of which...
"Did they at least use condoms?" you asked, fearing what she would answer.
>"Most of them did, Master, but some of them went in raw."
"Yeeeeeeesh."
>Yep, better safe than sorry.
>You weren't sure why you expected them to use condoms.
"Wait," you point out, "doesn't that mean you're technically at risk of pregnancy every time they *don't* use condoms?"
>"Pregnancy, Master?"
>Jesus fucking Christ how innocent WAS this mare?
>Not even fucking Ponk was this naive, and she was basically a peppy manchild!
"Surely you've heard of that before. 'The birds and the bees' ring a bell to you?"
>She paused.
>"I think I heard of the word 'pregnancy' before. Is it where your stomach gets swollen and curvaceous?"
>...
>For fucks sake.
>For FUCKS sake.
>You sighed.
"Kinda, not really?"
>You were not sure how to respond to that.
"Actually no, that's just getting fat. Why the fuck would you think that was pregnancy?"
>"Under one Master, I had met other slaves whose bellies became very round over time, then becoming flat overnight. The other slaves hated it, just like they also hated that Master, partly for being a Yak - and that put us at odds with one another. Though, I never got to see him for very long so I wouldn't know."
>You feel like you have to kick that Yak in the balls now, even if you've never seen an Equestrian Yak before.
>You've only heard of the Yak species second-hand - you were out of town when the delegates from Yakyakistan came over.
>Even though pregnancy was a relatively average fetish among your fellow Anonymi back home, that still crossed a line as far as the real world was concerned.
"Yeah, no, that's pregnancy, and it's very fucked up," you confirmed, trying as hard as you can to not let Bonernon have his way. "See, when you're pregnant, that means in about 9 to 12 months you'll have a little foal, maybe two or three. Give or take, of course; hell if I know how horse biology works."
>'You could find out how *her* biology works-'
>No shut up boner.
>"Ah. I see, Master. I always wondered why they said these mares were made for 'breeding'."
>Okay yeah, you needed to fuckin' murder that double faggot.
>Provided, of course, the Yakyakistani police didn't already shitcan his ass to prison to be executed.
>Or...maybe that's part of their culture and that's what almost caused the war you remember hearing about.
>Or something.
>Something something gas the yaks?
>Again, you'd never seen one, so that was just fanfiction at this point.
>You made a mental reminder to ask Twilight tomorrow about it.
"So I take it since you d-didn't know what pregnancy is," you coughed, "that you were never pregnant."
>"Never in my being, Master."
>Interesting...
>It was taking all your effort to keep your boner from acting up around Liquid.
>Bear in mind, you now knew she was sexually abused, in addition to what you suspect was consensual sexual assault.
>And you feared that she enjoyed being raped.
>There was no telling what she would do if your dick got hard enough for her to notice.
"Now I'm almost afraid to ask what they did when you were a 'bad' slave."
>"W-Well," she stuttered, a blush forming on her face, "my Masters varied on what they did. Some found it fitting that I get denied orgasm. Some felt it right that I stay outside in the dark of the night."
>Okay, seems pretty decent.
>Sounds like the stallions wouldn't hurt a beautiful-
>"Then some of them decided to torture me."
>Nevermind.
"Torture you? How?"
>"What they did to me varied, Master, depending on who I served. Sometimes I was whipped, sometimes I was spanked. Sometimes they beat me with their hooves, over and over again, until I couldn't stand for hours."
>Yeesh...
>That had to have sucked, big time.
>"I could go on, but I can't help but notice you're growing uncomfortable."
>Yeah, no fucking kidding.
>"But when they did that, always I was a bad slave, Master," Liquid argued. "I deserved every punishment they wanted to gave me."
>She giggled a slight bit. "And I enjoyed some of the more creative punishments they gave me."
>So not only was she deluded into thinking being treated like a sex toy was a good thing, but apparently she got off on being tortured.
>Holy fucking shit she needed to take a visit to the fucking mental ward.
>Though...
>You couldn't help but notice that she looked relatively unscathed compared to the amount of hell she claimed to have gone through.
>Plus there was that incident with Rainbow Dash from earlier.
>Maybe Crystal Ponies were stronger than you initially thought?
>Then Twilight's words echoed in your head.
>'Have you considered, perhaps, that she's doing this in an attempt to have you lower your guard?'
>The thought made you tense up.
>It was entirely possible Liquid was exaggerating to make you feel bad for her.
>The fact she was treating it as no big deal only hurt her case.
>She might have been trying to butter you up, to make you defenseless when she-
>"Master? Are you alright?"
>You banished the thought from your head.
>Focus, Anonymous.
>Couldn't worry about that now.
"I'm fine."
>She smiled. "Alright, Master."
"Were there any GOOD people you served?" you asked, still incredulous that this pony knew nothing of kindness.
>"Oh, they were all *good* Masters," she smiled, stating that without any hint of irony or sarcasm, as if she truly did love them.
"No I mean like, any of them that you even liked?"
>"Yes, Master. I liked them all."
>You facepalmed.
>This is why you enunciate your shit.
"Let me rephrase that one more time. Was there anyone you served under that was kind to you, and DIDN'T treat you like a sex slave or punching bag or some shit?"
>"Yes Master," she smiled. "There's you."
>...
>You blushed.
"W-Well...I mean I'm not *that* nice but I'll take it. Anyone else?"
>Liquid didn't respond.
>That silence was all you needed.
"Seriously, Liquid?" you asked, completely deadpan now.
>Unbelievable.
>"You're the only one that's ever tried to treat me as you would a pony, Master."
>Un-fucking-believable.
"How long have you even been this way?" you asked.
>"For as long as I can remember, Master," she admitted.
"So in that time frame," you summarized, scowling as you did so, "even with getting social interaction with other, rightfully rebellious ponies, no one besides me has told you that being a slave is actually a bad thing?"
>She shook her head.
>"I've been told many times over the years, Master," she admitted, "that I should be trying to run instead of serving my Master. But I am a slave to my very core. Why would I run?"
"I dunno, because there may be more to life than being bound to some fucking double faggot's will?"
>You clasped your mouth as soon as you realized what you blurted out.
>You very, VERY rarely had to use that word in real life, and it's something you only used on imageboards (albeit very liberally, for any one of you newfags that asks).
>It was not something you should teach Liquid - Twilight would fucking kill you if she noticed cute silver horse spouting derogatory names all around Ponyville.
>Thankfully, she didn't seem to flinch.
"I-I mean, last time I checked being free was a good thing."
>"For others, yes. They're right to do so, Master. But all I've lived for, all I'll ever live for, is to obey the will and call of my Master. I would never have it any other way."
>Just how broken WAS Liquid Crystal, to not only believe she's a slave but to embrace that way of thinking?
"So wait. There wasn't anyone else you could go to?" you asked, now very concerned for both your sanity and her safety, if she was telling the truth.
>"No, Master. Just my owners."
"No friends, no family?" you asked.
>"F-Family, Master?"
>Oh God, was she one of the ponies who was part of that Yak's breeding program?!
>That would explain a lot of shit.
"Brother? Sister? Mother or father? Anyone?"
>She paused, as if you had told her something horrifying.
>But then, frowning as she did so, she nodded. "There was my father, Master."
>Ah.
>Okay, thank God she had a normal father.
>Maybe you could track *him* down, find him, tell him you have his daughter, and-
>"B-But he's been dead for years," she revealed, not waiting for you to question further.
>...
>Oh.
>The two of you shared an awkward, depressing silence.
>Liquid Crystal sound very unhappy when she said that.
>You could only speculate at that point, but you think she was taken from her family when she was very young.
>She probably watched her father die, and over the next rough, grueling years, the fact she had no one left to even run to made her just say 'fuck it' and become the slave she was taken to be.
>Shit must've been very traumatizing for that to be the case.
"Are you sure there wasn't anyone else you could do?"
>"No, Master."
>...
>In the moment, you understood just how shattered she was.
>You hugged her.
>No one should have to have their father die.
>And no one, in this world or otherwise, should have to have their father die and be taken from the life of the free, and be forced to enjoy it.
"I'm sorry," you told her. "I'm so, so sorry..."
>Thankfully, you weren't a total pussy, else you would've cried.
>But as you embraced her, she hugged you in turn.
>"Thank you, Master," she cooed.
>Then you let go of her, deciding this was enough for the night.
>She's clearly had it rough over the years; there was no need to push her further.
>At least, not yet.
"Anyway," you yawned, "I'd better go take my break."
>Liquid cleared her throat.
>"Oh? What do you intend to do during your break, Master?"
>Hmmm..
>You hadn't thought about that.
"Well, I was originally gonna fap to hentai I had saved up," you joked, scratching the back of your head, "but now I can't."
>"Why not, Master?"
>You recalled the one time you fapped to the porn on your computer when you had someone over to visit.
>Your left hand still stung occasionally.
>Twilight definitely was the Element of Magic...
"That would be both very rude and very sudden of me, given I only just met you," you explained as you started stretching on the bed. "I mean, it's not shit I do with any roommate I've lived with, let alone another girl."
>You learned that the hard way.
>As you took a swig of your soda, Liquid sat down in front of your bed.
>You almost expected her to ask you something.
>At least, she looked that way.
>But when you realized she didn't, you decided to play along.
"Okay, dunno how things worked in the past, but around here, if there's anything you want to ask, go right ahead."
>Liquid nodded.
>"Yes, Master. I was just wondering..."
>She cleared her throat again.
>"Would it be acceptable if you fucked me instead?"
>W-WHAT?!
>You nearly spat out your soda in response.
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
>Talk about very sudden.
>Boner, stay fucking put.
>'but anoooooon'
>No buts.
"W-Well, I wasn't gonna do that first day, but-"
>Her ears drooped.
>Not a good sign...?
"But I gotta ask - why?"
>"Because...you can?"
>'you technically could, ya wuss'
>BONER!
"Okay, look, as a general rule I don't fuck other girls until I've dated them for at least a week's worth of dates, maybe less if the girl is very pretty."
>'>implying you know how dates work'
>Oh fuck off, BrainAnon, you're not helping.
>"But I'm not a girl, Master. I'm a slave."
"Yeah, I got that the first hundred times," you snapped, growing more irritated as she rambled on.
>"So you would have no qualms with fucking your property?"
>JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.
"Again, why would I do that?"
>"Because you yourself said you couldn't fap to pornography if I was around."
>Oh, okay.
>Yeah, that made sense.
>Wait, no it didn't - this horse was fucking insane.
"What I meant was - okay, I shouldn't have said 'can't'. I really meant 'won't'. That's fucked up, Liquid!"
>Liquid nodded, and blushed. "I understood that, Master, but...usually when one of my Masters couldn't fap on their own, they would instead ask me let them fuck me."
>Boner, no!
>"And I would always do so, and wouldn't stop until their they told me I could stop - and I've learned to expect and embrace the feeling of having hard, meaty cock in my dripping, wet and slippery pussy."
>NOOO!
>...
>Well shit.
>Liquid blushed as she stared right at your bulging pants.
>You glanced down at it, to see how bad your boner-
>YUP.
>NOPE.
>YOU COULD SEE THE BULGE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
>You glanced back at Liquid.
>Then, she nodded, and smiled as she did so.
>"Yes, Master."
>Wait what?!
>You didn't ask her to do anything!
>But before you could respond, she was already at your side, walking up to your pants.
>Your breathing got more rapid as she approached you.
>Flashbacks of your first, fateful encounter with Fluttershy were zooming through your mind.
>You had gotten raped that first week in Equestria.
>As she got up to your pants, you realized this was that exact same trainwreck all over again.
>She started to unzip them slowly, seductively, as if she had done this a thousand times.
>And as your cock extruded from the zipper hole, gently tapping Liquid as it did so, she opened her mouth to-
"NO!" you shouted, desperate for it to end.
>Silence filled the room as Liquid halted her approach.
>You took that moment to catch your breath.
>After a few moments, she backed away from your crotch and frowned.
>Then, she turned to face the opposite direction and hoisted her flank up towards you.
>Your eye twitched in anger.
"No, I am not going to fuck you in the ass, either, holy fucking shit Liquid," you choked, unable to contain your unwanted arousal.
>"I know that, Master. I am awaiting your punishment."
>Punishment?!
>Oh FUCK no.
"Wait, what the fuck am I going to punish you for?"
>"B-Because I m-misbehaved and d-did something against your will. I was a bad slave, Master, and I need, no, DESERVE to be punished."
>That only made your boner even harder, but you knew things were fucked up enough as it was.
"Misbehaved?" you parroted in disbelief.
>"W-When I tried to suck your cock, Master."
"I- okay, I overreacted; got a horseshit history with ponies literally trying to come onto me; but right now I want to know exactly why you did that," you demanded, growing more and more confused. "And no horseshit here, I want to know the truth."
>She sighed. "My most recent Master had told me that whenever he was hard, I was to suck him off until he came, without exception. I assumed your boner was your non-verbal command for a blowjob, but-"
>Tears flowed from her eyes.
>"B-But I see now that was completely foolish of me. I deserve to be punished."
>On one hand the smart thing to do was kick her out of your house.
>No, the actual smart thing to do was call the police and file a claim for sexual assault.
>You were well within your right to do so.
>But it had just been established that she was abused, beaten, broken beyond your capability to understand, meaning her actions, while horribly, HORRIBLY misguided, might have been somewhat justified in her mind.
>Assuming she was telling the truth, of course - you were hardly certain whether this was a very elaborate lie of some sort.
>But Twilight would have your head if she wasn't and you threw this poor, pitiful pony out onto the streets.
>You had to think fast.
>Uhhhhhhhh..
"What happens if I don't punish you? Do we just drop the subject and move on with our lives?"
>"N-No. If you d-don't punish me, t-then..." she sniffled, "then I-I am to give myself a punishment."
>WAIT WHAT?!
"Why?!"
>"Because I misbehaved, Master, because I was a bad slave, because bad slaves deserve to-"
"No, like, if I don't give you a punishment that should mean you weren't really a bad slave, right?"
>"That's not it, Master," she wept. "I could never let myself be happy again, knowing I went unpunished for wronging my Master. I need to be punished, I need to be disciplined, I-"
>As she rambled on and on about how bad she was, you decided to try something that would calm her down.
"Well...well what if I order you to not punish yourself?" you suggested hastily.
>Liquid froze.
>Oh, maybe?
"Would that work?"
>She looked at you, allowing you to get a good look at her tear-stained, miserable face.
>You almost pitied her for that.
>Then, she turned away once more.
>"No, Master. I need to be punished, I was a bad girl, I was a bad slave, I've-"
>As she bawled on and on about how horrible of a slave she believed she was, you sighed.
>Welp, THAT didn't work.
>You were running out of options.
>All of the options you knew would work were going to get Twilight pissed at you, let alone Rainbow Dash if she ever caught wind of it.
>Ordering her to not punish herself was the only good idea you had, and even that didn't work.
>Maybe try-
>Shit, no, *that* wouldn't work...
>...
>FUCK IT.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalright, fine."
>You gave up trying to talk her out of it.
"I uh...well..." you stuttered, trying to think of a decent enough punishment to get her to stop crying. "Your punishment is...er..."
>She turned back towards you, her ears perked up as if awaiting your command.
>What the fuck would her punishment be?
"Your punishment is...I guess you aren't allowed on my bed tonight?"
>Truth be told, you were a little more than uncomfortable having her sleep with you, at least for tonight.
>Since you only had one bed it was either sleeping bag or at a hotel.
>And you were not paying the extra amount of cash to have her sleep somewhere else - that shit was expensive.
>Either way, that wasn't really a punishment.
"And no playing any of my video games until further notice."
>That's better.
>After a few moments of awkward silence, you noticed Liquid had stopped crying.
>Maybe?
>You decided to break the silence.
"Got it?"
>After a few seconds, she hung her head low, and weakly smiled. "Y-Yes, Master."
"Alright."
>Thank God THAT'S taken care of.
>You realize, in the absence of shit the two of you could do now, that something might have been missing.
>But what-
>Oh.
>Right, you forgot that she had (probably?) brought her stuff with her.
"Oi, Liquid."
>Liquid, who had just finished crying her last tear, looked over at you and beamed.
>"Yes, Master?"
"Did you unpack your belongings when you got here this morning?"
>"I did, Master."
>Okay, so sleeping bag it is.
"Alright, so where's your stuff?"
>"On the floor where you had me leave it, Master."
>On the floor?
>You don't-
>Oh, the maid uniform and collar.
>Yeah, no, that made sense.
"Okay, and...?"
>“The cleaning supplies are on the kitchen table.”
“What about the rest of your belongings?”
>She tilted her head once more. "The rest?"
>Oh you gotta be kidding-
“Seriously, nothing else? No shampoo, no toothbrush or hairbrush?”
>"No, Master," she smiled.
>Unbelievable.
>She's mooching off of you.
>Twilight's advice echoed in your head.
"Uh, okay. Why's that?"
>"A slave like me only needs her cleaning supplies, her collar and her uniform to do her job, Master."
>You facepalmed.
>Of fucking course that would be her reason.
>Well, if nothing else, she's consistent.
>You opened a slit between your fingers, and saw your friendly little pony show off a genuine little smile.
>She is INCREDIBLY fucking lucky she's cute, otherwise you would kick her out of your house.
"Right."
>Hmmmm.
>You look around your place.
>Nothing else you could have done out of boredom.
>Vidya was out of the question - you had already forbidden her from doing so.
>Maybe consulting Liquid would be a good idea?
"What do you want to do right now?" you asked her.
>She shook her head. "Whatever you want me to do, Master."
>Well that was going nowhere fast.
>You weren't sure why you expected any different.
"Welp," you shrugged, getting off your bed, "since today had more than enough crazy to handle for one night, I guess I'm clocking in for tonight. Let me show you where the sleeping bags are."
>You went to the nearby closet and found that not only did she do a top-notch job at reorganizing the fucking closet of all things but that the sleeping bags were still there.
>Noice.
>You took one off the top shelf and started to detach all the belts so you could unravel the damn thing.
>Once you got that taken care of, you plopped it on the floor, right next to your bed.
>"This is gonna be your quote unquote 'bed'," you explained to Liquid, who was eyeballing it with increasing curiosity. "I know it's not much, but unfortunately, I only have one bed, and I'm too greedy to pay for a hotel room so..."
>Oy vey.
>She looked up at you in awe. "None of my previous owners have ever offered me any sort of comfortable sleeping area."
>You gave her a firm smirk.
"Guess I'll be the first."
>"Oh, Master," she gasped, "you shouldn't..."
>Grabbing one of your pillows off your bed for her to also sleep on, you chuckled.
"I can, and I honestly should. You've been through a lot over what I'm going to assume are years, I'd say you've earned a bit of rest."
>And by the time the pillow had landed, that was that.
>You looked at your alarm clock to check the-
>Oh God dammit.
>You're not sure how it happened, but the batteries on that thing ran out of power.
>You checked your phone.
>Shit, THAT ran out of power too.
>And charging that damn thing took forever here in Equestria, so there was no way it would act as your alarm clock either.
>Since there was no other choice...
"Hey, Liquid?"
>"Yes, Master?"
>You sighed. "I hate to ask this of you, but...how early are you going to be up tomorrow?"
>"Well, Master," she explained, "I was planning on being up at 4 at daybreak to clean up parts of your palace that I missed, and perhaps make breakfast for you, if that is what you wish."
>Palace?
"I wouldn't say my place is a palace, Liquid," you shrugged.
>Well, by the time she was done with it, it might as well have been.
"But anyway, as long as you're up, can you wake me up at 5AM? I need to get to Applejack's farm at 6 AM to work there, and the alarm clock is busted."
>She nodded. "Of course, Master."
>And with that, you turned off the lights, jumped back onto the bed and tuned out for the night.
"Night, Liquid."
>As your conscious mind went down to the world of dreams, you heard Liquid respond, "Good night, Master."
>And it was very strange, then, that the last thing you heard for the rest of the night was Liquid saying, "I love you, Master..."

>...
>"Slave?"
>...
>"Look at me, slave, and speak."
>"Yes, Master."
>"Waugh!”
>...
>"...How is your gift?"
>...
>"Speak when you are spoken to, Slave."
>"It's wonderful, Master. I *love* it, and I love *you*."
>"...Ah."
>"What's wrong, Master?"
>"No, no, I'm glad. I know it's not perfect-"
>"It's perfect, Master. I wouldn't dare ask for anything more."
>"..."
>"Master? Are you quite alright?"
>"Ahahahaha. I feel...I feel incredible. As if I've never felt more 'in charge' before. Something tells me this gift was a great idea."
>"Well, I'm happy for you, Master. Now, what would you have me do?"

>...
>"...and you are NOT to come into conflict with him in any shape or form tomorrow. Understood?"
>"Y-Yeah. Understood."
>"Anyway...I think something's come up, and I need your help."
>"Help? With what?"
>"I think I told you a while ago about it, but I can't recall. It's something in the forest."
>"Oh yeah. I think I remember."
>"Can you try to track it down? Because whatever it is, it REALLY hates unicorns; and since *you're* a pegasus, a strong one at that, I trust you more than anypony I know to find it."
>"You can count on me, Twilight!"
>...

Chapter 6 - Rehabilitation (#dtsp)
">..ter, it's time to wake up!"
>Day Rehabilitation in Equestria.
>Be Anon.
>And you groaned sleepily as you rolled around in your bed.
"Five more minutes, mom..." you mumbled instinctively.
>God, you missed your mom in Equestria...
>The voice giggled. "I am not your mother, Master."
>That jolted your eyes wide awake.
>Now you remembered why there was even a voice there.
>You shot up out of bed and looked towards the source of the voice, Liquid Crystal.
"...Good morning, Liquid," you mumbled, still very much asleep despite realizing the situation you were still in.
>Not garnering a response, you sighed.
"Sorry about that, still got a force of habit."
>As you got up out of bed, Liquid cleared her throat, before asking, "It's quite alright, Master. Is it alright if I make you breakfast this morning?"
>Ehhhhh...as hungry as you were, no.
"Not enough time," you shrugged. "Maybe tomorrow, after cider season starts. Now I gotta go take a shower. Be back in a bit."
>But before you could force yourself to walk over to the bathroom, Liquid asked, "Am I to join you in the shower?"
>Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's the first unwanted lewdness of the day.
>Cute but crazy counter - 1.
"No. A guy needs his privacy."
>And with that, you forced yourself to your shower to perform your daily shit shower and shave.
>...
>One shit shower and shave later, you're all refreshed!
>Somehow, after the events of yesterday, a clean, hot shower was more than enough to make you completely energized once again!
>Now to have something terrible happen to ruin your motivation, because fuck you!
>You checked your newly charged phone to see what time it was.
>5:20.
>Heh, not bad.
>It's at 30%, so bringing it with you was probably a bad idea.
>As you grabbed your bags, you looked around your still incredibly clean house to see where Liquid was.
>Thankfully, she hadn't gone too far - she was busy sitting down in front of your door, smiling like a dog that wanted to be taken for a walk.
"Okay, Liquid, quick question. Are there any hobbies you have?"
>"No, Master," she answered, still retaining her smile.
"So there's nothing you want to do here while I'm gone."
>She shook her head. "No, Master. Is there anything you wish me to do?"
>That was one nasty habit you would need to break.
>But you were on a pretty tight schedule right now, so it's not worth it.
"So, uh, I know we dropped the subject yesterday because of the...incident, I'll say, that happened."
>You were still fucking salty about Rainbow Dash getting off so easily.
>Obviously you had no ground to stand on either, considering you also got off pretty easy, but still.
"But have you put any thought into working for a paycheck?" you asked.
>She nodded. "I have, Master."
>After another few valuable moments of awkward silence, you cleared your throat. "And...? Do you want to do that?"
>"Only if you wish it of me, Master. I've no need for monetary payment."
"...Riiiiiight."
>Cute but crazy counter - 2.
"Well, anyway...First of all, I left the menu for Sugarcube Corner on the table where we had dinner last night. I hope you remembered what I asked you yesterday, while we were at lunch."
>She nodded. "Yes, Master."
"Again, don't worry about disappointing me, I'm not gonna judge based on your taste. Second..."
>Your hand drooped as you realized that what you were going to ask wouldn't work.
>Your punishment of no vidya wore off this morning, so originally, you wanted to see if she was any good at vidya.
>Problem was, your newfangled 'game consoles' were allegedly pretty advanced by pony standards, even though you could have sworn their arcade machines were much more powerful than you expected.
>You did NOT want to ask her to set one of them up until she knew what it was.
>Uhhhh...
"By any chance, did you happen to see any cases with the labels 'Wii', 'NES', 'SNES' or 'Gamecube' on them?"
>"Yes, Master. I reorganized them while you were gone yesterday."
>Oh yeah, right, she did that.
>"Are they meant for the gaming machinery you had lying around, Master?"
>Wait what?
"Yeah, actually. I'm a little surprised you figured out they're for games."
>Liquid giggled. "I only assumed based on the wording on one of the cases, and you confirmed that you had 'video' games last night when you forbade me from playing them."
>Okay yeah, now you remembered.
"I'd like you to sort through the game cases again, figure out which game you think looks good, and remember it for later as well."
>Last, but not least...
"Last, I'd like you to meet me at around 11:00 for lunch at Sugarcube Corner, and order that thing you want from the menu. Got it?"
>She nodded. "Yes, Master."
>You smiled.
>At least you had part of your day planned out.
>Now for things to go completely horribly, because fuck you!
"Alright, I'll see you later!"
>"Goodbye, Master!"
>With that grin on your face, you started heading out for Sweet Apple Acres...

>Still day Rehabilitation in Equestria.
>Still Anon.
>Sweet Apple Acres relatively quiet this morning.
>Applejack wasn't too worried about Liquid not tagging along for a paycheck, and she didn't seem to be mad still after yesterday's bullshit.
>She said it wasn't your fault, that it was more of a misunderstanding gone horribly wrong.
>Try telling that to Rainbow Dash.
>However, she did anticipate that this would be the case, and ended up sending a letter to her relatives over in Appleloosa to see if they'd be open to volunteer work.
>So you'll see about that.
>Working on the farm today was a bitch and a half.
>Nearly broke your fucking back doing so.
>However, you were told that, after today, you would not be working at Sweet Apple Acres anymore.
>...At least, not until Cider Season was over.
>See, they didn't need your help with selling apple cider.
>And you really didn't like Cider Season anyway, for various reasons.
>So they thought it would be best if you just didn't work with them during Cider Season.
>That meant a majority of tomorrow would be spent dealing with Twilight Sparkle, and you already knew how fun that was.
>And that also meant you weren't getting paid for those days, which sucked, but you didn't mind that much.
>Next, you fed the animals at the Cottage.
>Angel was still a little fucking bitch.
>But the others were alright.
>Yes, even the bears.
>You're surprised at how nice the bears were.
>You hated what you were going to have to do later tonight, though...
>Right now, you were just about done with your shift at Sugarcube Corner.
>11:00 rolled around, and right on cue, Pinkie rushed downstairs to tag you out.
>And you started to head towards the door to wait for Liquid.
>Thankfully, you didn't have to go far.
>The door opened and Liquid-
>?!
>"Hello, Anon," Liquid smiled, swaying happily in what you think is *her* bag, collar and maid outfit.
>OKAY.
>Cute but crazy counter - 3, maybe 4.
>You looked at the collar again.
>It had the words 'Property of Anon' engraved on there.
>This meant that unless she's very good with metal - and you wouldn't be shocked if that ended up being her real talent - she had been planning on being your slave in advance.
>There was no way she could have gotten that done in one night.
>Cute but crazy counter - definitely 4.
"U-Uh...hi?" you greeted tentatively, unsure of what to even expect at this point.
>You shook your head.
"What's with the outfit and collar?" you whispered, trying not to draw too much attention.
>"I decided to wear it, Anon."
>No shit.
"I gathered that. Why?"
>"I figured it would please you, Anon."
>Cute but crazy counter - 5.
"Oooooookay...?"
>Liquid sat down, smiling as if she had done something right.
"Uhhhhh..."
>You looked around, trying to see if anyone was watching you.
>Nope.
>You were in the clear.
>"Can you take off the collar while we're in public, at least?" you asked. "I don't want ponies getting the wrong idea." 
>She nodded, and replied, "Yes, Anon."
>Liquid undid her collar and placed it in her bag.
>Noice.
>"Do you wish me to take off my clothes as well, Anon?"
>L-LEWD!
>Cute but lewd counter - 6.
"U-Uhh.."
>You looked around.
>If anyone in the dining area had noticed you, they certainly didn't show it.
>Looking back at Liquid, the thought popped up in your head that you should probably have her take it off, just to prevent controversy.
>But one cursory glance at the bathroom stalls told you that it would not be feasible to do so in private.
>Fuck you Cakes for making the bathrooms go under renovations while you were gone, arrrrrrrrrgh!
>You could theoretically have her take it off right here and now, since ponies, as you've come to learn, don't normally wear clothes.
>But that would be lewd and it would have the other ponies get the wrong idea.
>Of course, Liquid would probably enjoy that.
>So...
"I- let's not, at least not right now."
>She nodded. "Yes, Anon."
>That tone caught you by surprise.
"You almost sound disappointed," you joked.
>Her ears drooped. "I-I'm sorry-"
"No, it's fine," you affirmed, "I'm just saying..."
>You glanced over at the counter to see if Pinkie was watching.
>The smug grin on her face told you that she definitely was.
>Fuck.
"Well, do you know what you want from here?" you asked your silver friend.
>Her smile faded once again.
>You immediately guessed she slacked off in that regard.
>"Y-Yes, Anon."
>Oh, maybe not?
"After you, then."
>She hesitated for just a few moments, and then went up to the counter to place her order.
>"Hi! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!" chirped your favorite pink horse. "What can I get for you today, Liquid?"
>Liquid waited for only a few moments longer, then cleared her throat. "I would like a grilled cheese sandwich and a spot of chocolate milk, Miss Pinkie."
>Ahhh.
>That was exactly what you ordered yesterday.
>She's still got a lot to learn about independence, but that wasn't too bad.
>At least she didn't just not order anything like yesterday.
>Plus, you'll be damned if that wasn't good taste.
>Pinkie's grilled cheese sandwiches are amazing!
>It's almost like she's got an affinity for them or something.
>"Alright, grilled cheese and chocolate milk! Got it!" Pinkie jotted down what Liquid ordered, then looked at you. "And for you, Sir Anonymous Esquire?" she asked in a terrible British accent.
"Oh! Uhhhh..."
>You were so wrapped up in getting Liquid to want instead of depend that you forgot to focus on what YOU wanted.
"I guess...one of your croissants with lettuce and swiss? And a glass of chocolate milk as well."
>Pinkie nodded, and jotted your order down once again.
>"That comes out to 18 bits!"
>You gave the bits to Pinkie, and the two of you took your seats at a nearby table.
>One thing you noticed was that Liquid seemed to be happier at this hour than she was yesterday.
>Part of you thought it was because she was with you.
"So, how were things at home?" you asked, trying to strike up a normal conversation for once.
>"It was fine, Anon," she answered. "Rather quiet, I would say, but I enjoy it."
>You had to admit that peace and quiet would be fucking amazing right about now.
>But alas, this shitty greentext must go on.
"Alright, I seem to remember asking you to sort through my backlog of video games earlier this morning. Any game you like?"
>She smiled once again.
>This pony just seemed to be all smiles and sunshine whenever she's not being creepy and lewd.
>Or fearful of failing you for some reason.
>"Yes, Anon. There is one that particularly caught my eye. I assume you mean me to play it?"
>You were surprised at how quickly she caught on to what you were implying.
"Actually, yes. And maybe I'll play with you as well. What's the game?" you asked, genuinely smiling for the first time in weeks.
>Surely a pony trying to please you would have had good taste in vidya, right?
>"Battletoads."
>Your face fell.
"Uhhhh...w-why that game in particular, and not any of the other ones?"
>"Because it was the first one that caught my eye."
>Oh.
>Shit, you forgot.
>You had no games that started with the letter A.
>She probably picked the first game in alphabetical order so as to not be forced to choose on her own.
>Welp, that's ANOTHER thing you need to work on.
>Liquid reeled back, fearful of what you might do.
>"D-Did I displease you, Ma- Anon?"
>Ohhhh boy.
>You're not sure how to break it to her.
>But you knew, first hand, that if she played this game, it would break her soul.
"How do I say this..." you mumbled, trying to recompose yourself. "Battletoads is...not a game I think you should play."
>Liquid's ears drooped, presumably ashamed at you forbidding her from-
>Wait, what are you saying?
"I mean, it's not a terrible game, probably one of the better ones I've done - but it's incredibly-"
>"Well well well," spoke a new, feminine, childish voice - one you immediately recognized, "looks like Anon's got a new ladyfriend with him."
>Oh no.
>Of ALL the ponies you had hoped NOT to run into today, it had to be this one.
"Good morning, Diamond Tiara," you greeted in a strained tone. "And what do I owe the 'pleasure' of meeting you here?"
>"I was just surprised that you're not only the cutest non-pony in all of Equestria," the pink filly coaxed, "but you're also very, very wealthy."
>See, Diamond Tiara was among the worst fillies in Ponyville.
>Not only did she, up until some time ago, bully other fillies without their cutie marks, but she had, for some reason, decided she had an unshakable crush on you.
>Thus, you were eternally tormented, at least weekly, by her trying to hit on you.
>Thus far it had not devolved into rape - that would both be wrong and would get the both of you into so much trouble you couldn't even imagine.
>Thankfully, one thing you were exceptionally good at was banter, especially so without swearing in her case.
"Yeah, I wish," you gagged. "If I were a rich man - and I'm not, by the way, thanks for asking - I'd accuse you of being a gold digger. Hardly something to write home about."
>Diamond just chuckled.
>Did this filly seriously not understand when you said NO?
>"Oh, Anon, of course you're rich!"
>>implying
"And what makes you think that?" you asked, your eyebrows raised.
>Diamond, in response, simply pointed at Liquid Crystal.
>You had to admit, you were a little caught off guard by her impression of Phoenix Wright.
>Turns out Liquid was surprised as well; while she was smiling in Diamond's presence before, she wasn't now.
"W-Wha..?" you asked, dumbfounded. Then, regaining your composure, you accused, "Isn't it rude to point, missy?"
>"If you weren't rich, you wouldn't have hired a maid around your house!"
>'Maid'?
>Riiiiiiiiiiiight, she's addressing the elephant in the room.
>Fuck.
>Liquid scrunched her face.
>OH SHIT.
>Alarm bells immediately sounded in your head as you realized what this meant.
>INITIATE DAMAGECONTROL.EXE
>"I'm not a maid, Miss Diamond," she began, "I'm a-"
"-girlfriend!" you interrupted, not letting Liquid have a chance to dig you deeper. "She's a sort of girlfriend with an incredibly quirky sense of fashion!" And I'm really not in the best position to discuss that fashion."
>Diamond Tiara raised her eyebrows.
"Sorry, 'marefriend'. I keep getting-"
>"I think I know a maid when I see one," Diamond quipped.
>Oh fuck.
"How would you even- ohhhhhhhh."
>You mentally facepalmed as you remembered.
>Alongside being a former bully and having that crush on you, she was also very rich.
>And she lived in a mansion with a ton of butlers and maids.
>Of COURSE it would be this pony to see through your lies.
>...
>BLUFF HARDER.
"No, really, she has one of the strangest fashion senses I've ever seen, and-"
>"Anon," Diamond snapped, "I know Pinkie Pie and Rarity. I've seen a lot of weird dresses my whole life."
>Damn.
"Alright, fine," you admitted, getting increasingly frustrated at the pink filly. "She's a maid, I'm having her clean around the house."
>Technically she was already done and you're lying through your teeth here.
>But anything to get Crownbutt here off your back.
"What's your point?"
>Diamond smiled. "I'm just so happy you're rich so you don't have to worry about me spending my money on you when we're married!"
>Ah, yes, the 'marriage'.
>Diamond Tiara was also convinced that she was getting married to you, the only human in Equestria, because of 'reasons'.
"If, not when," you corrected, "and I've told you a hundred times, I'm too old for you! It's just not gonna work."
>"That's okay," Diamond giggled. "I like older men anyway. Especially if they're rich."
>You rolled your eyes.
>Fucking old diggers.
>"Speaking of which - miss, what is your name?" asked Diamond Tiara, who had jumped up onto the bench to sit with the two of you.
>"My name is Liquid Crystal, Miss Diamond," said Liquid.
>At least she wasn't unhappy about Diamond being a bitch.
>"Soooooooooooo..how much does he pay you?"
>WHAT.
"Uh, excuse me," you interrupted, at least one of your eyes twitching, "but last I checked it was rude to ask a lady how much she's paid."
>Diamond scowled. "*I'm* a lady."
>>implying
"I know, but it's still very solid advice, even when you're dating men- or rather, stallions."
>Then, the pink filly smirked. "If that's the case, then why don't you tell me how much *you're* paying *her*."
>Uhhhhhh...
"I- what?"
>"You said it's rude to ask how much you're paid, but not how much you're paying."
>Oh shit.
>If you told her the truth, it would blow your cover.
>Parents would get involved.
>Accusations would be made.
>Police would get involved.
>You'd be fucked nine ways to hell if that happened.
"Uhhhhh-"
>"NONNY!~"
>WAUGH PINK HORSE OUT OF NOWHERE!
"Buh- wha- Hi Pinkie, what are you doing here?!"
>Oh shit, wait a minute.
>Ponk's still an employee here, isn't she?
>She can bail you out!
>YES!
>"Is Diamond Tiara bugging you again?"
"Yes, actually!" you hastily blurted out, wanting to speed things along.
>Pinkie looked at the pink filly, and gave a condescending smile. "Diamond, leave the little green man alone."
>Little green man.
>Your eye twitched.
>Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it and walked off in a huff.
>Dodged a bullet there, boy...
>Then, turning your attention to the good and pure(?) pink pony, you saw that she had brought a clipboard with a bunch of names on there, along with your lunch.
>"Let's see... I got a lettuce and swiss croissant, a grilled cheese sandwich, and two chocolate milks!"
"Thanks, Pinkie," you breathed.
>"Thank you, Miss Pinkie."
>She placed the tray containing your lunches on the table, then sat down next to you opposite to Liquid and gave a great, big smile.
"Alright, whaddaya want?" you asked as you began to eat away at your croissant.
>"Well," Pinkie explained, "I was wondering if you'd like to come with me and camp out tonight for Cider Season tomorrow morning! I just need, like, one more pony to RSVP, but everypony else I asked was busy."
>Cider Season?
>Ohhhhh boy.
>Not this again.
"Wait, I thought you were still babysitting Pound and Pumpkin?" you asked, surprised she still found time to party.
>"Turns out Mr. and Mrs. Cake are coming back tonight! Turns out there was some weird stuff going on in Manehattan and they decided to come home early."
>Oh!
>Noice, now you don't have to get here so early!
>...
>You're still gonna come over early.
>The paycheck is godly.
>"Soooooooooooooooooooooooo? You two wanna come?"
>Oh, right, cider season.
"Sorry, but I still don't do Cider Season. You know me..."
>As it turned out, Sweet Apple Acres' cider came in two flavors, unlike the filthy American style of cider – non-alcoholic, which you enjoyed, and alcoholic.
>You weren't the biggest fan of alcohol, unless you were incredibly stressed out.
>Given the circumstances, you might have been convinced to drink at one point, but it hadn't become that stressful quite yet.
>You were more surprised that they had some very lax laws on the drinking age in Ponyville – obviously foals under 13 weren't allowed to drink, but beyond that was totally fine.
>Granted, Ponyville didn't have cars or drunk drivers to go with them.
>But there was also the fact that there was a huge-ass line for Cider Season.
>And it was mostly social, AND on top of that a lot of ponies ended up drunk.
>And on top of that, you knew too well how Anonymous does with socialization.
>Never a good combination, you thought.
>"Really?"
"Yeah, sorry."
>Pinkie nodded, and turned to Liquid. "Wow, what a bummer...how about you, Liquid?"
>Liquid shook her head. "Not unless Anon wills it."
>Cute but crazy counter - 7.
>Pinkie looked up at you, her face filled with worry.
"Riiiiight, sorry, she's still got a ways to go."
>Liquid was completely dependent on you, at least in her own willpower.
>But it still sucked that she wouldn't allow herself any form of-
>!!!
"Wait a minute..."
>If you took her there, she might get the positive social interaction she needed to try and be independent!
>She would start doing things for her own enjoyment instead of relying on you to decide everything for her!
>Yes!
>All those years of stray dogs ending up at your house were about finally pay off!
"Actually, yeah," you beamed, "I think we will be going, if only so we can socialize for once."
>Pinkie smiled very widely as you said that. "Yes! I'll get your names on the list right away!"
>While the pink horse  did that, you finished eating your croissant.
>It was delicious.
>You looked down at Liquid's plate, and-
>...
"Liquid, you didn't eat."
>Liquid nodded. "I know that, Anon."
>You facepalmed.
"Don't tell me I have to order you to eat..." you muttered in disbelief.
>"I won't eat unless you ask me to, Anon."
>Cute but crazy counter - 8.
"But you technically could eat whenever, right?"
>Liquid shrugged. "I suppose so, Anon. But I'd rather you let me, so I won't feel bad about eating when I'm not supposed to."
>You looked back at Pinkie, whose ears stood up like tall tacks in concern.
"Can you please eat?"
>Liquid nodded, and said "Yes, Anon," and promptly ate her sandwich.
>This was not going well at all.
>But before you could try and save face in front of Ponk, the pronking pink horse had already pronked off to her next table.
>Aaaaaaaaaaugh.
>You'll never understand that pink horse.
>You glanced back at Liquid's plate, and noticed she had already finished.
>Liquid was a quick eater.
>Kek, not even a week in and she's already taking after you.
"Okay, so next time - you don't need to wait on me to eat. Once we're both at a table for lunch or dinner, feel free to start eating. Sound good?"
>Liquid nodded. "Yes, Anon."
>With that under the belt, you put your tray up on the rack, and started heading out to Twilight's castle.
>Maybe she'll be able to help you at Cider Season tomorrow...

>Still Day Rehabilitation in Equestria.
>Still Anon.
>The walk over there was very...tranquil, compared to usual.
>No one had attempted to confront you over Liquid's outfit.
>The collar was out of sight, thankfully, so you assumed you were in the clear, at least for now.
>But as you reached for the castle door, Liquid froze.
>Uh oh.
"Liquid, what is it?"
>She quickly turned around. "Anon, I don't think we should go inside."
"Why not?"
>"Because you're putting yourself in grave danger if you step through those doors."
>>implying
"Yeah, in danger of being nagged by my oh-so-favorite bookhorse," you chuckled, rolling your eyes. "Twilight's not that bad, just a little on edge half the time, that's all."
>"Not Twilight," she corrected. "Something far worse."
>Oh...?
"Alright, lay it on me thick, Liquid: what 'danger' am I going to be in?"
>"Master, there's a DRAGON in there."
>...
"Oh. Okay."
>You promptly continued to reach for the door.
>"Master, you don't understand - there's a DRAGON in there, and it's big and strong and scary and-”
"First of all, it's 'Anon'."
>She huffed. "Yes, Anon, but-"
"Second," you interrupted, "I know there's a dragon in there. Trust me, I'll be alright."
>And with that, you opened the door.
>You didn't even take one step into the castle before Liquid tackled you to the ground.
>Cute but starting to get kind of annoying counter - 9.
"Liquid, geroffome!" you grunted, trying futilely to get Liquid to stop smothering you.
>"M-Master! H-He's staring right at us..."
>You looked up, and saw Liquid was pointing somewhere inside the main hall.
>Specifically, at the 'dragon': the little, purple and green lizard who was busy carrying a scroll in his claws.
>Welp.
>This was awkward.
"Sup, Spike," you croaked, almost out of breath from Liquid's moment of panic.
>"Hey, Anon," he greeted, giving a gentle smirk as he took note of your present predicament.
>Looking at Liquid, he laughed. "You must be the new pony Twilight was telling me about. Something about you winding up in his care by accident?"
>Fearfully, Liquid nodded, still holding onto you for dear life.
>You scowled at Liquid.
"Liquid, off!" you commanded.
>Liquid hesitated for one moment, then let go of you, allowing you to get up.
>"What the heck was that all about?" asked Spike.
"I think Liquid Crystal here," (you gestured to Liquid as you said this) "was a little too afraid for my safety, and panicked. Was that the case?"
>Liquid bowed her head. "Y-Yes, Anon."
>You sighed.
>Maybe you were right to accidentally call her 'mom'.
"Anyway. Spike, this is Liquid Crystal, and Liquid, this is Spike, one of the cutest dragons you'll ever meet."
>Spike blushed. "H-Hey! I'm not cute!"
"Work with me here," you whispered.
>After a few moments, he nodded, and greeted, "Pleased to meet you, Liquid!"
>Spike extended his claw to Liquid as a form of handshake.
>Liquid, very hesitantly, started to extend her hoof forward.
>But before Spike could shake it, she reeled it back.
>"Y-You're not going to eat me, a-are you?" she stammered, sweating bullets as she spoke.
>"Whaaaat?" Spike chortled. "Of course not!"
>"A-And you're n-not going to eat my M-Master?"
>You snorted.
"He wishes," you joked. "I'm a little too big for this lil' critter."
>Liquid gasped, while Spike scowled.
>"Well it's a good thing you're also too raw for me," Spike grunted, going along with your joke.
"Yeah, that's *clearly* the reason," you drawled, your voice dripping with blatant sarcasm, causing Spike to chuckle.
>Then you looked back at Liquid, and saw she was still cowering in fear.
>That wasn't helping.
"Liquid, in all seriousness," you explained, dropping the snarky attitude for a more calm tone, "Spike is a total bro. He's not going to eat or hurt either of us, and I don't think he'd even try. Truth be told, he's probably more helpful than most everyone I know."
>Liquid loosened up just a tiny bit, and her breath started to abate.
>Hopefully that worked?
>Better double-check.
"I'd trust him with my life if it came down to it."
>"Sorry about that," Spike shrugged, extending his claw once more. "It's still nice to meet you, though."
>Liquid hesitated once again, as if she was unsure if she could consider Spike a friend or enemy.
>Then, she sighed.
>"A-And to you as well, Lord Spike," she greeted, finally shaking his claw.
>'Lord Spike'.
>She was so formal, you almost didn't deserve having her as a friend.
>Then again she kept referring to most every other girl as 'Miss Pony' or something, so it wasn't that strange.
"So, what all has Twilight told you about Liquid?" you asked, still in shock that Spike was considered old enough to even hear about your faithful friend.
>"Enough to know I should probably stay out of it. Good thing, too, because it looks like Liquid's kinda afraid of me."
>He's not wrong.
"Yeah, what gives?" you asked Liquid, raising one of your eyebrows in doing so.
>Liquid gulped. "I-I was afraid that Spike would try to eat you, and I didn't want to have that happen again."
>Again?
"Wait, again? Tell me what happened."
>"One of my previous Master's lived near the Badlands where there were a lot of dragons, and one day while we were on my daily walk, he ended up being eaten by a large, scary dragon before I could help him. Ever since, I'd been deathly afraid of dragons, to the point where I can't help but disobey orders to protect my Master from dragons."
>Ah.
>Even though you questioned why she would risk her life to live with someone who was a borderline badass, it at least made her phobia reasonable.
>"Hey, I get you," Spike concurred. "Speaking from experience, dragons can be total jerks, especially if you get on their bad side. Glad I don't have to deal with them ever again."
>Spike has a bad side, wha...?
"He's right," you shrugged, "but let's not focus on your...wait."
>You struggled to think of the actual term to use.
"...I know there should be a word for this, but I can't-"
>"Dracophobia?" Spike suggested.
>There it is.
"Ah, yes," you joked, giving him a shit-eating grin, "Dracophobia, the fear of draconian, totalitarian policies."
>Liquid tilted her head. "I'm not sure that's the right definition, Anon."
"Sure it is," Spike reasoned, giving his own smug smirk. "It's perfectly fine to be afraid of being forced under a strict, dominant, tyrannical leadership."
>Considering that was basically Liquid's past, that came off as insensitive.
>But Liquid didn't seem to mind - hell, she even smiled just then.
>She had to have found good humor in it!
"So basically living with Twilight," you muttered.
>"What was that?!" shouted a distinctly bookworm voice from behind you, causing you to clamp your mouth immediately.
>Oh shit.
>Spike then stepped away from you. "You said it, not me."
>OH SHIT.
>You slowly turned around to face the source of the voice head on.
>The owner's face scowled.
>panic.png
"Uhhhhhh..." you whimpered, trying to initiate damagecontrol.exe again. "Hey, Twilight, buddy, is it too late to say that was just a joke, and that I didn't mean any offense?"
>Twilight continued to scowl.
>You might be straight-up fucked on this one.
"Look, I'm sorry about that," you admitted, trying to hurry things along before Twilight got even more pissed at you than usual, "and I wasn't-"
>Twilight rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Was just a little caught off guard, before remembering you're the snarkiest *anything* I know."
>Remember the fact you were good at banter?
>Yeah, it's earned you a reputation.
>"Okay," Twilight continued, "so you and Spike," (here, she glared at Spike - good to know she wasn't discriminatory against humans) "said something about me having draconian policies at home?"
>Liquid chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, Miss Twilight. Anon and Sir Spike were just misinterpreting the definition of dracophobia."
>She's...not wrong.
>Fuck, that sucked all the enthusiasm out of your joke.
"Yeah," you explained, "turns out Liquid is afraid of dragons."
>That loosened Twilight up a bit. "Really?"
>Liquid nodded. "Y-Yes, Miss Twilight."
>Twilight shook her head. "Ooof. If I knew, I would've..."
"Trust me," you said, "what happened just a few minutes ago could not have been anticipated."
>How were you supposed to know she was afraid of little baby dragons?
>You glanced back at Liquid, and noticing this, she smiled.
>At least she didn't seem to be too miffed about her confrontation with Starbutt yesterday.
>"Anyway," Twilight muttered, "so how Liquid's rehabilitation coming along?"
>You glanced down at Spike, who took the cue to leave the room.
>Good, because this was gonna get pretty lewd.
>You explained all of what Liquid told you of her past, up until just before Liquid's father's death.
>All the while you explained it, Twilight's face contorted into pure terror and disgust.
>"R-Really?"
"Yep."
>"A-Anon, that's horrible!"
"Yep."
>Twilight reeled back. "A-And Liquid! You s-seriously enjoyed all of this?"
>"Yes, Miss Twilight," admitted Liquid.
>The purple pony princess just barely resisted the urge to puke just then.
>But, as she swallowed whatever gumption she had down her throat, she resumed, "A-Anon. I'm surprised you're not all that emotional about it."
>You shrugged.
"Believe me, I am. I just don't show it as much."
>Technically true - this was downright horrifying, and you knew full well Liquid was overdue to be put into actual rehabilitation (i.e. not the shit you're currently doing).
>But you were born and raised on what you considered the more cynical planet of the two you've lived on.
>It was a little hard to be as heartfelt as most of Equestria's citizens.
"And by the way - I asked about her father. She said her father's dead."
>Twilight gasped, and you could already see the waterworks being fueled.
>"N-No..."
>Liquid also looked as if she were about to cry.
>Truth be told, you were also on the verge of tears.
>But you were Anonymous - Anons don't cry.
>You solemnly nodded.
>You were, however, a little taken aback when Twilight managed to recover from this horrible, awful truth.
>"S-So, wait. You *had* a father, right Liquid?"
>"Y-Yes, Miss Twilight.."
>Wait a minute.
>You see where Twilight's going with this.
"That means ­ once we hear back from the Crystal Empire," you deduced, "we might be able to track down your mother and figure out what she knows about all this, right?"
>That was all assuming her mother wasn't already dead.
>Flawless plan, 10/10 it's okay.
>"B-But my-" Liquid started to stammer, before you heard a distinct shuffling of feet.
>Not hooves.
>Feet.
>"Actually," interrupted Spike, "about that."
>Uh oh.
>This was never a good sign.
"Wait, why were you eavesdr- MMPH!"
>You couldn't finish your sentence before your lips were zipped.
>Literally.
>Dammit Twilight!!
>"What is it, Spike?" asked Twilight.
>"I was going to tell you I got a letter from Princess Cadance," he explained, holding up the scroll from earlier, "but then Liquid and Anon came over and I got a little sidetracked."
>Oh okay.
>That might be good.
>Without a moment to waste, Twilight took the scroll and unfurled it.
>"Okay...no residue from the Wasteland...all clear given in the Crystal Empire...bill coming in the mail...ah, here we go!"
>Twilight cleared her throat, and started to read the letter, giving you time to undo your recently-installed zipper.
>"It says here that Cadance did an extensive background check in the official Crystal Empire records, but she found..."
>After a few more moments of reading, Twilight turned pale.
>Uh oh.
>Then she looked up from her letter and stared daggers straight at Liquid.
>Liquid, shockingly, didn't flinch.
>"Anon...?"
"Yeah...?"
>A few moments of silence passed.
>Then, Twilight's horn started to glow.
>Chills went up and down your bones as you realized what she might have read.
>Oh no.
>"Anon, get down!"
>You hit the floor as Twilight cast a changeling-detection spell on the silver, maid-dressed pony...
>...
>But nothing happened.
>Once it turned out Liquid was not affected, you decided to do something drastic.
>You started making weird, almost feral transformation noises and started spazzing out on the floor.
>"Anon?!" called Liquid, caught off guard by your antics.
>You continued doing this a few seconds more before Twilight scowled.
>"Really, Anonymous?"
"Pfffahahahahahaha!"
>You couldn't keep a straight face anymore, so you resorted to laughing.
"You're so, ahaha, you're so gullible, Starbutt!"
>Liquid, after making sure you weren't actually transforming into a bug-pony, Liquid started to laugh as well.
>As did Spike, though by now he was used to your bullshit.
>Twilight blushed, and that was your cue to get up before she did something else.
"Ahaha...anyway, let me guess - she might've been a changeling?"
>Twilight sighed. "That's what I thought from the letter, but apparently not."
"Good," you muttered. "Bad enough I had that one incident with their queen..."
>"Anyway," Twilight explained, "Princess Cadance checked, turns out there hasn't been anypony living in the Crystal Empire that matches up with what Liquid looks like.
"Are you sure?"
>"There was exactly one pony that matched her coat and mane - Silver Screen, the local movie director for the Crystal Empire. However, Silver Screen is not only alive and well, but she has a cutie mark, so that's what got me confused."
>Fug.
>Finding out Liquid's past was going be harder than you thought.
“I'm almost starting to wonder if the reason she enjoys all of this is because of some mind control spell,” you mused, wondering if it was because of some faggot's fetish.
>Liquid shook her head. “No, Anon. There was no mind control involved.”
>Twilight, who immediately cast another spell, presumably to check, also shook her head. “Nope, nothing. In fact, the only hypnotic magic I've ever read about requires the caster to be present at almost all times, and it's also not permanent.”
>Interesting.
“Well, I'm glad there isn't a permanent hypnosis spell,” you smiled. “Things would really suck if we ever had to deal with it.”
"Now I'm starting to wonder..." you muttered to yourself.
>"Yeah?"
>You weren't expecting to actually have to ask a question, but...
"...what movies has Silver Screen directed?" you asked, jokingly. "Might be tempted to go see them sometime."
>Twilight rolled her eyes.
>"A-Anon?" asked Liquid, putting her hoof on your side. "W-What happened with the changeling queen?"
>You chuckled. "It's a long story. I'll tell you when we go to camp out."
>Twilight paused. "You're going camping tonight?"
>Oh yeah, that's what you needed to ask her about.
"Yeah, actually. Me and Liquid are going out tonight with Pinkie Pie for Cider Season."
>She tilted her head. "And why is that...?"
>"Because Anonymous wishes it of me," Liquid stated matter-of-factly.
>Twilight glared at you.
"Well that, and I kinda want to have her get some social interaction. The only kind she's had, as far as I'm aware, were from ponies who hated her loyalty to her previous Masters."
>"Ah, I see..."
"And I was wondering, because you're some sort of expert of social interaction, would you like to come with us tonight?"
>She sighed. "I'd love to, but I can't."
>Aw, what, really?
>Liquid's ears drooped, probably because she sensed your disappointment.
"Why not?"
>She levitated some of her papers over as a means of explaining. "I've got a huge amount of data to sort out relating to that unusual magic activity that keeps emanating from the Everfree Forest. As I feared, it's growing stronger every night. I'm almost tempted to think that whatever's out there, it's alive, and I don't want to get drunk and have it become uncontainable."
>Oh yeah.
>That was also an issue.
“Wow, what a bummer..."
>"Hey, speaking of which - did you see anything out of the ordinary last night?"
>You shook your head.
"Nope. Was a bit busy dealing with Liquid. Sorry!"
>"Liquid, did you see anything?" Twilight asked.
>Liquid shook her head now. "I haven't, Miss Twilight."
>Twilight put a hoof to her muzzle before speaking, "Well, let me know IMMEDIATELY if you find anything. I don't want it being a risk to Ponyville."
>You gave her a slight salute.
"Will do."
>"Yes, Miss Twilight."
>You surveyed the room, trying to think of anything else to do or talk about.
>You almost considered telling her about how Liquid tried to rape you last night.
>That would probably be important considering how paranoid Twilight gets.
>But...
>Actually, nah.
>It was probably just a one time thing.
>...
>Now watch it not be a one-time thing because fuck you!
"Welp, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow," you yawned, knocking on wood to prevent fate from fucking you over. "Probably gonna be all drunk because that's how things roll around Cider Season."
>With nothing else to do, you and Liquid started heading back home...

>Several hours later.
>Be Anonymous, once again.
>And you just got done feeding all of Fluttershy's animals and having the smaller, less predatory ones put into her cottage for the night.
>See, Fluttershy had specifically requested that her "poor, defenseless little critters" be locked up during Cider Season.
>Why that was, she didn't say.
>But considering Twilight's continual dedication towards finding that magical anomaly in the woods, it was highly likely this would impact them.
>Angel hated it, obviously.
>But FUCK Angel.
>Now, you were heading back home.
>See, since the last transition between scenes, you took Liquid back to your place, decided to teach her how to play a different game (Mario 3), and actually got pretty far in it.
>Then, you had a familiar dinner (leftover pizza again) before heading out to feed the animals.
>You opened the door to your house, and found Liquid sitting there, probably waiting for you to come home.
"Hey, Liquid."
>She nodded. "Good evening, Master."
>Yet another thing you needed to work on tonight.
>But you pushed that thought aside.
>It was time.
"So, you ready for tonight?"
>"Yes, Master."
"Got a spare hairbrush? A sleeping bag? A flashlight in case we tell spooky ghost stories?"
>"Yes, Master. I'm prepared."
>You smirked.
"Well, let's do it. Let's head to Sweet Apple Acres."
>Then, you and Liquid headed off to participate in Cider Season, an event you would later know as the first major turning point in your adventure...

Chapter 7 - Into the Woods (#snek)
>"Happy Super-Yummy Cider Season's Eve, Nonny!" chirped the voice of a very loud and very excited pink horse whose name should be pretty obvious by now.
>At any rate, Night Rehabilitation in Equestria.
>Still Anon, as always.
>And the two of you were just walking up to where Panko had parked her tent.
>Said tent was pink and had so many damn balloons attached to it.
"Evenin'," you muttered, incredulous that she would bring balloons that would probably deflate before the night was over.
>"Good evening, Miss Pinkie," Liquid greeted, hesitantly waving a hoof towards Pinkie Pie.
>You put down your backpack and started setting up the tent where you and Liquid would sleep.
>"You excited?" Pinkie asked, nudging you against your butt.
>L-Lewd.
"Yeah," you replied, trying NOT to pay attention to her as you set up your tent.
>"We're gonna have so much cider come tomorrow! Applejack said she was making it super-special this year because the harvest turned out so good and she said she might add special, super secret spices in it and-"
>As Pinkie rambled on and on about how good this year's cider was going to be, Liquid just listened intently.
>Meanwhile, you were still setting up your tent.
>That was another reason you didn't go each year.
>Tents were annoying to set up properly.
>"-and I know you're not the biggest fan of alcohol but ya gotta try some because-"
>You groaned.
"Pinkie, a minute please? I'm trying to set up my tent over here."
>Pinkie paused, then nodded. "Ahhhh, gotcha."
>Then her head twitched.
>Ignoring that, she then turned to Liquid. "Soooooooo? Liquid, guuurl, how ya doin'?"
>"I'm fine, Miss Pinkie. And yourself?"
>"Super duper!" Pinkie beamed. "Gummy's been very patient with me when I was getting ready to go to cider season, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake had a good time even though they had to come back early, and the babies are just fine!"
>Liquid nodded. "I'm glad."
>"Anyway, what'chu been up to today?"
>"Well, mostly just helping Anonymous out. You already know what happened during lunch, so I shant elaborate on that, but then there was this dragon..."
>As the two ponies conversed, you finished setting up the tent.
>Then you took a step back to gaze upon your handiwork.
>You never felt more prouder about camping out in your entire life.
>"...and then we played what he called "Super Mario 3", and I'm proud to confirm he was very skilled at it."
>Ah, they were just getting to the part where you kicked ass at Mario 3 earlier.
"It's almost like I've played that game before," you noted, chiming into their conversation.
>Liquid nearly jumped at your comment, but then smiled.
>"Indeed you have."
>Pinkie snorted.
>"Is something the matter, Miss Pinkie?"
>"I could totally beat him in that game!" bragged Pinkie Pie. "You think -he's- skilled?"
>This bitch.
"No way," you denied. "I've seen you play, you were terrible at the sequel! There's no way you'd be able to even beat it."
>"Sure I can."
>You rolled your eyes.
"Anyway..."
>You tried to think of another conversation topic, now that Liquid was finally making it somewhere on that front.
"So, who else did you invite?"
>"Hello, Anonymous," purred the familiar, Russian-accented voice of a certain spa mare you knew, catching you somewhat off guard. "Is good to see you again."
>Oh boy, which one of them was it?
>Was it the pink one?
>You and Liquid turned around to face the voice.
>Dammit, wrong one.
"Evening, Lotus," you greeted.
>"Ah, and who is de new pony with you?" she asked, no doubt referring to Liquid.
"Right, introductions. Liquid," you introduced, "this is Lotus Blossom, one of the spa ponies. Lotus, this is Liquid Crystal, a new friend and, shall we say, temporary companion."
>You still felt uncomfortable talking about Liquid's so-called roll, especially after having Pinkie make her Pinkie Promise.
>"Is good to meet you, Miz Liquid!" the blue spa pony smiled, extending a hoof.
>Liquid matched it in turn. "Same to you, Miss Lotus."
>"So, Anon. Vhat brings you to Cider Season dis evening?"
"Well-"
>"Nonny here," Pinkie explained, in her own, very much Ponk sort of way, "decided he liked the fresh taste of alcohol in the morning and wanted to get wasted!"
>Lotus snickered.
>Gooooood dammit.
"It's not that. It's just that...Liquid needed some socialization, and I figured tonight was the most convenient."
>"Ah. Make sense. Vell, ze spa is always open for ponies, so if you want..."
>You nodded.
"I'll keep that in mind. Would that be something you'd be interested in, Liquid?"
>Liquid giggled. "Yes, Anon."
>"Vell, is good to hear. Perhaps you vould be okay with ze Deep Down Treatment again zis time?"
>Oh God.
"Uh...things are already kind of awkward, so I'll have to pass."
>"Anon," Liquid asked, "what's the Deep Down Treatment?"
>You and Lotus shared a glance, with the former tilting her head as if expecting an answer.
>Yeah, you remembered the last time you had that treatment.
>Never did find the pony who impersonated you.
>You shook your head, as if to tell her to spare her innocence.
"It's something I've done that I can't recommend at this time," you explained, glossing over exactly what it was. "For grown-ups only."
>Pinkie snickered.
"Laugh it up, Ponk."
>"Strictly speaking, Anon," Liquid stated, "I'm older than you."
"And strictly speaking, Liquid, I don't give a fuck."
>"...understood, Anon," Liquid sighed, giving a sly smile.
>Pinkie's head twitched.
>You peered behind Lotus to try and find her sister, but she was nowhere to be found.
>"You are looking for Aloe, da?"
>Motherfucker read your mind.
"Yeah."
>"She is, ah, busy tonight. So I'll just bring her back some leftover cider."
>Seemed reasonable.
"Alright. Could you tell her I said hi? And tell her Liquid says hello as well."
>"Anon?" asked Liquid again, her eyes filled with wonder. "Who is Aloe?"
"Lotus's twin sister, I think?" you explained, looking over to Lotus as if to confirm. When she nodded, you continued your train of thought, "She looks just like her, except pink and blue instead of blue and pink. You'll know her if you see her."
>"I see, Anon. Then if you don't mind me asking-"
>Before Liquid could continue, you heard a small, very pompous voice come from behind you.
>"Greetings, Anonymous!"
>Oh no.
>Of all the adults you DIDN'T want to see tonight...
"Evening, Rich," you greeted back, turning to face Diamond Tiara's father, Filthy Rich.
>"Heya, Mr. Rich!"
>"Hello, Mizter Filzy Rich!"
>"Greetings."
>You scratched the back of your head, in a bit of nervousness.
"So, uh...did Diamond, well-"
>"Oh, my daughter's delightfully busy visiting Silver Spoon's house this evening," he explained, "so you don't have to worry about her tonight. Not that you ever were in any danger - she's very friendly!"
>Yeah, right.
>He glanced over at Liquid, and gasped.
"You're..."
>Liquid nodded.
>"It's been a long time, Master Rich."
>Oh shit.
>Ohhhhhhhh shit.
>"Backstory!" Pinkie whispered, snapping you out of your shock-induced trance.
>Shit, right, Liquid has more backstory!
>...Backstory that you're probably going to forget by the end of tomorrow because you're getting shitfaced.
>Thankfully, you came prepared - you opened your backpack and got a scroll and pencil.
>A regular piece of paper would have worked just as well, but #1: regular paper was only found in Manehattan as of now, and #2: Twilight insisted you have scrolls, not paper.
>This left you with the important first step.
"Wait, you two know each other?"
>They nodded.
>"I did, actually," Mr. Rich explained, a small frown emerging from his snout. "She used to be one of the maids at my mother's mansion, long before she passed away. Interestingly, after the funeral, I never saw her again."
>Aw, damn.
>You thought Mr. Rich was her former master.
>You looked towards Liquid as if to confirm, to which she nodded.
>"That is indeed correct. But when Mistress Verri Rich died, I did in fact attend the funeral. I just never got a chance to meet with anypony else. That, or no one saw me there."
>Interesting.
>So Liquid used to serve under Filthy Rich's mother for a few years.
>That puts her age as definitely older than you.
>You could've sworn she was younger than that.
>Though assuming this 'Verri Rich' was a good pony, that means Liquid was full of shit when she said you were her first 'good' Master.
>Not that you're complaining or anything.
>"Erhum...well, I never got your name," Mr. Rich sheepishly admitted.
>You're not surprised - Mr. Rich once considered her part of an ensemble, so why would he ask?
>"My name is Liquid Crystal, Master Rich," Liquid explained, no doubt regurgitating the one you gave her.
>"So, Liquid, about my mother...was she at peace when she...?"
>"...she was," Liquid solemnly admitted.
>After a few moments of awkward silence, you coughed.
"Well, that's definitely very interesting..."
>"So, Liquid, it's been, what, 7 years at this point - what have you been up to since the funeral?"
>You glanced at her, uncertain at what she would say.
>"Well, Master Rich, mostly I've, well, worked with other clients here and there," she explained, seeming glossing over the weird shit she might have done, "but just recently I found myself in Anonymous's service, and for the most part he's been very kind to me."
>Welp.
>"Is that so?" Filthy asked, peering over at you.
"Kinda sorta," you muttered.
>"Ooo la la~! Iz Mizter Anonymoose a gentlecolt of a dizzerent kind?," Lotus purred, giving you a very knowing smirk.
"SO!" you continued, trying to prevent being kept in the spotlight. "Mr. Rich, do you or does anyone you know happen to know anything about where Liquid came from? Because that's kinda what I've been trying to do lately, and it will bug me until the end of this greentext if I don't."
>”Greentext, Anon?”
“Long story.”
>Mr. Rich shook his head.
>"Sadly, no. As far as any of us are aware, Liquid showed up at my mother's mansion out of nowhere. Not even my mother knew where she came from."
>Damn.
>There goes your lead.
>You were hopeful.
>Pinkie's head twitched.
"Okay seriously Pinkie I've noticed you doing that like three times now, what's wrong?"
>"Sowwee, Nonny!" she apologized, shaking her head. "It's just something's acting up with my Pinkie Sense."
>Oh great.
"Uh oh."
>"Anon," asked Liquid, "what's a Pinkie Sense?"
"Some sort of psychic tell Pinkie has that I've learned you probably shouldn't ignore," you explained, "at least if you want to make it out unscathed here in Ponyville."
>"Miz Pinkie, what is ze Pinkie Sense telling you zis time?"
>"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell," Pinkie explained, "it's more like I've been waiting here for Rainbow Dash but she-"
>WHAT.
"WHAT?!"
>"Yeah, forgot to mention - Rainbow Dash RSVP'ed!"
“Aw, fuck off...”
>Of course she'd invite Dash!
>Welp, just a way to end your night, dealing with a horse who hates your guts.
>Someone go get a casket now, you won't be surviving the night at this rate.
>"Anyway, she said she'd be in the Everfree Forest doing something but she hasn't come back and I got really worried about her because my Pinkie Sense is making me all light-headed, like I'm still in a dream or something..."
>You snorted.
"I am still in a dreeeeeeeeeam, Snake Eater!~" you sang, a well-known ear worm making its way into your head.
>Pinkie froze.
"Oh shit, forgot you haven't played that one yet-"
"Snake...snake..."
>Suddenly, Pinkie gasped.
"SNAKE PONY!"
>...Snake pony?
"...no, Pinkie, it's Snake Eater. Both the song and the name of the-"
>"NO! Like, an actual snake-pony! Half pony half snake, Fluttershy said! It's in the forest and I was supposed to keep everypony out of the Everfree Forest because of her and I totally forgot and-"
"Wait, an ACTUAL snake pony?" you asked, your curiosity piqued.
>"Is the snake-pony dangerous?" Filthy Rich asked.
>"Yeah! And if Rainbow Dash doesn't make it out I think she might be eaten alive!"
>Welp.
>On one hand, given that this is the Everfree Forest we're talking about it's a bad idea to confront.
>But on the other hand, you've seen more than enough hentai to know where this will go.
>And all the descriptions imply this is some monster girl bullshit.
>But then again you'd be saving Top Cunt.
>Hmmm..
>"Oh, Pinkie, I'll go get Princezz Twilight and tell her Rainbow Dash is in ze forest!"
"Well, that's a good idea, but for all we know Rainbow Dash might not last that long," you explained. "Someone who's skilled at navigating the forest here should go in now."
>They all looked towards you as if you had given a death sentence to her.
"I mean, I don't think it's a good idea, but I'm just-"
>"You'd really do that for us?" asked Pinkie, a smile growing on her face.
"Yeah, but-"
>You had to do a double take on that one.
"Wait, run that by me one more time."
>"You're ze one who vill enact zis plan, yes?" asked Lotus.
>"I will admit it's a very solid plan," complimented Mr. Rich.
>"You're our hero, Nonny!"
>Oh no.
>Oh fuck no.
>Please don't say you're being volunteered for this.
"I call shenanigans, I- I never agreed to that!"
"I can't believe I agreed to that."
>Still Night Rehabilitation in Equestria.
>Still Anonymous.
>And you and Liquid were now traversing the Everfree Forest in search of Rainbow Dash and a snake-pony.
>She volunteered to go with you.
>You got volunteered.
>That was the extent of how planned out this was.
>"I don't believe it either, Master," muttered Liquid. "You'd really put yourself at risk in this situation?"
"I guess," you shrugged. "I mean, saving Rainbow Dash is really a bonus, but if we can tame a snake pony, I could only wonder..."
>"Master," scowled Liquid, "you can't simply *tame* a snake-pony."
"Have you tried?"
>"Well, no, but-"
"Then I will."
>The current plan of action was find Rainbow Dash, and if the snake pony found her first, try and save her before she gets gobbled up.
>But the anonymous degenerate in you was thinking of a secondary plan, that being to somehow “tame” this snake pony.
>Maybe she can be made friendly and be added to your list of fuckbuddies around Ponyville.
>tfw possible snake waifu
>Again, you're not going to complain if that ends up being impossible - getting out of this alive was priority number one.
>"Alright, Master, but for HER?"
"Yeah. I'd rather not have to stick my neck out for her of all ponies, but then again I got volunteered."
>You looked around the forest.
>So far, there was no sign of either.
>Just yards and yards of overgrown trees.
>The closest you've gotten were hoofprints, but you were half-convinced those were Liquid's.
"Alright, if I were an arrogant pegasus trying to track down snake pony, where would I look?"
>Liquid snorted. "Back at camp where we should be?"
"Pfft. That'd be the smart thing to do, but then again Dashie ain't smart."
>On a side note, you began to notice Liquid was being kind of a dick.
>Not to you, of course, but to Rainbow Dash.
>Sounds like someone had a grudge match from earlier.
>You don't blame her.
>With how much of a dick Rainbow has been, you'd hold a grudge too.
>"Seriously, Master, we should head back. Everypony's worried about us."
"And they're worried about Dashie," you rebutted, "and if we come back without annoying rainbow horse we'd be letting them down."
>"But you'd be putting your life at risk, Master!" she complained.
>You groaned.
"I know, and I'm a little worried about that too," you admitted. "But I gotta."
>Then, before you could go any further, Liquid flew in front of you in such a flash, you'd thought she were the pony you were looking for.
>"How about this? You go back, I'll look for Rainbow Dash. Problem solved."
>You had considered the possibility.
>And you dwelled on the idea for a few seconds.
"No, Liquid," you said. "I'd rather not put you at risk. You have no experience with this forest-"
>"But it's better than you going out here to die!"
>The two of you shared a quick, tense silence.
>Then, you sighed.
"I know. But after everything you've gone through, I'd rather not make you suffer..."
>"I can handle it, Master, really!"
>Brave girl.
>You almost envied her courage.
>It was almost as if she were a naive little kid.
>But you shrugged.
"Besides," you explained, walking back a bit, "Twilight would have my head if anything happened to you on my watch, and if it's between her and being eaten by snake pony I'd rather- WHOA!"
>'Thump!'
>Apparently when walking backwards you tripped on something.
>When you tried to inspect the offending twig, you reeled back in horror, as did Liquid.
"Yeeeesh..." you muttered, "no wonder they say to keep out of the forest."
>You had tripped on some sort of reddish unicorn horn, presumably bloodied from being torn off.
>It glowed a tiny bit in the dark, just enough for you to notice the red on it.
>You still have no idea how pony biology works here, but supposedly horns glow when cut off.
>You need to ask Twilight about this when you get done here.
>"M-Master?"
"Urk...let's just get this over with so we can get out of here," you grunted, attempting to stand up and walk the opposite direction.
>Then you saw something else.
"Well, now..."
>You gestured for Liquid to come over, but when she did not immediately come to your side, you looked over to find her staring at the horn.
>Poor girl.
>Probably brought up bad memories.
"Liquid?"
>She snapped out of her stupor, and, nodding, trotted over to what you had seen.
>"Yes, Master? What is it?"
>You pointed 
"Snake pony tracks."
>You were no expert in snake tracks.
>But you were aware of how a snake slithers, and the slight disturbance in the grass was unmistakably that of a snake's.
>Jackpot.
>The two of you nodded, and slowly and quietly you followed the path.
>Cute snake mare, here we come!
>Eventually, after a few yards, you came across a clearing, and-
>Holy SHIT, that's not a cute snake mare.
"U-Um..."
>In the clearing was Rainbow Dash, firmly embedded in the monster's coils.
>See, what you had imagined was a qt pony with the body of a snake.
>This decisively wasn't.
>Her body was definitely the body of a snake.
>But her 'pony-like' parts were grotesque.
>Her hooves were like small appendages, mutated from that of a lizard's paws.
>Her ears had no discernible auricles or earlobes, and were mainly there for show.
>Her hair was merely bushes and twigs to camouflage itself from unsuspecting victims.
>And her face.
>Brrr...
>Her face resembled that of a horse, but anyone who wasn't drunk or blind could see that it wasn't.
>Instead, it had all the disgusting features of an actual snake, distorted just enough to better disguise itself as a horse.
>Just looking at it would induce fear into most adults, let alone the kids that would make up this goddamn place's population.
>Yet it had an almost calm expression on its face.
>It was the most horrifying creature you'd ever seen.
>tfw you know a few /d/egenerates who'd still fap to her.
>"M-Master?"
>You shook your head, snapping yourself out of a fear-ridden trance.
"Right. There goes plan B."
>"What was plan B, Master?"
"Just something I kinda wanted to do."
>So this snake was busy lulling Rainbow Dash to a happy, sleep-deprived trance, whispering into her ear to make her more comfortable.
>What was worse was that she was implementing real, legitimate techniques hypnotists used to lull their subjects to sleep, just in a chilling snake-like voice instead of the cute or sexy voice you thought she would have used.
>Mercifully, it had not eaten her yet.
>But there wasn't much time.
>"Master?"
"Yeah, Liquid?"
>"What do you plan to do?"
>You looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon or a distraction.
>Sadly, nothing but a stick and some rocks.
"Distract her, get Rainbow Dash out of there, go back to camp and get shitfaced come dawn."
>You began to formulate a plan of action as to how you'd use the rocks to distract her.
>"We could still go back now?"
"And leave Rainbow Dash here? Are you insane?"
>"She's your enemy, Master. You're not going to save your enemy, are you?"
>You paused.
>As worried as she was, Liquid was right.
>Saving Rainbow Dash would not immediately make you best friends with her.
>If anything she'd be embarrassed that you had to save her ass.
>And if you fuck up somehow, Rainbow Dash might, in a fit of rage, kill you.
>But the alternative was leaving her to die...
>...
"Liquid, how fast can you fly?"
>"Fast enough, Master. Why?"
"Alright. Go find Twilight, and wake her up if you need to. Tell her Rainbow Dash is stuck in the woods. We need a professional out here."
>"Yes, Master! You'll come with me, right!"
"I... I'll try."
>She began to turn towards the castle, but then you cleared your throat.
"But we gotta hurry," you added, turning back to her, "because I don't think she'll last that long."
>You looked back at the clearing, to where the snake-pony was still whispering sweet nothings into Rainbow Dash's ears.
"I'll catch up."
>Liquid nodded, and then she took off in a blur.
>You waited a few more seconds to ensure Liquid had left completely.
>Then you started heading back to the clearing.
>You hated having to lie to Liquid like that, she was too pure to lie to.
>But you could not just leave a pony hanging like that.
>Even if that pony was your worst enemy.
>So you grabbed one of the stones, and hurled it past the snake-pony into a nearby bush.
>The snake pony froze, tilting its head towards the grass.
>Then, it whispered something to Rainbow Dash, laid it down to rest, and slithered off to find the stone that rustled within the bush.
>This gave you just enough time to grab Rainbow Dash's body and get the hell out of dodge.
>As you fled the area, Rainbow Dash started to groan.
>"Urrrgghhh..."
"Rainbow Dash, are you okay?"
>"Unnnn....A-Are you the pretty voice innnnggnn....in my little pretty head?" she asked, still dazed from the hypnotic trance. "My prince in shining armor?"
>Damn, that snake did a number on her mind.
"See, NOW you compliment me, Skittles," you replied dryly.
>She blinked lazily, then looked at you. "Wait...A-Anon...?"
"Nice to see you too, Dash."
>She shook her head, trying to clear out something. "Owwwww...my head hurts."
"Nothing a little cider can't fix," you noted, "but just go back to sleep and I'll- OOF!"
>Of all the things you could have done, of course you had to trip again, sending you and Rainbow Dash tumbling on the ground.
>"Oww..."
"Urgh..."
>You tried to get up, but as you did you noticed something had grabbed hold of your legs.
>Specifically something cold and slithery.
>Shit.
>Well, if nothing else, this snake-pony was fast.
>As the snake-pony dragged you away, you saw Rainbow Dash pass out again from wooziness.
>Then, those coils of hers made you turn face to face with the snake-pony.
>You nearly cringed in fear.
>"It'sss not niccce, creatureh, to sssneak up on me and sssteal my prey like that..." she hissed, a threatening scowl crossing her face...
>You scowled back.
"In my defense I was going to share," you lied, trying to distract her as much as possible to buy Liquid time.
>"What sssort of creatureh are you?"
"Anonymous the Human," you quickly explained, "and surely you wouldn't eat the last human in Equestria?"
>She hacked, as if to laugh.
>As she did, the coils around your body tightened.
>"A human? In Equessstria? Of courssseh not," it smirked. "After all, this...human isss the mossst magnificent beassst thisss ssside of Equessstria hasss ever known!"
>Wait, what?
"Wait, there's more of me here?" you asked, briefly forgetting who you were talking to.
>"Of courssseh!" she explained, very slowly. "Humansss were once fe-arr-ed, hat-ed, lov-ed, ressspect-ed by all. They were sssecond to noneh around here..."
>You noticed that she was misusing words left and right, pronouncing silent letters, getting various syllables wrong, and in some cases being inconsistent.
>It might have been this snake pony had learned words but not meaning, context or pronunciation.
>You almost pitied the creature a bit.
>But its raspy, fear-inducing voice dashed that pity.
>She chuckled, loosening the coils just a bit.
>It began to feel warm in her coils.
>"But ever sssinccceh a gre-at fiend ssstruck them, you and your kind have bean on the run..."
>You never knew that.
>Add that to the list of things you have to ask Twilight once you-
>You struggled against her coils, realizing she was trying to bullshit her way into your mind.
>"Jussst look at you. All work-ed up and panicky from fiveh thousssand yearsss of pain and sssuffering..."
>Her coils gently stroked your body, loosening it up a tiny bit.
>You stopped struggling for just a minute, realizing escaping her coils was futile for the moment.
"I-I'm not suffering!"
>"Sssure you areh..." it cooed, rubbing its nose against yours. "I pity you, human...after all theeeesssehh yearsss of sssuffering, it mussst be good to relackssss...and resssst..."
>You began to calm down, and embrace her coils.
>Then, you blinked, and saw a few colors floating around.
>This was your warning sign that the snake pony was being effective at her job.
>So you continued to struggle.
>"Why do you ssstrugglehh, human? Isss it human natureh to sssuffer?"
"W-When you're about to be eaten by some creature who nearly tried to eat your friend, y-you kind of have a gut instinct," you noted.
>"Ohhh, ssssweet boy...I am no creaturehh..."
>It tightened its coils just a bit.
>"Elizzzabeth am I...and I can be very niccceh to you, o human, if you will jussst relacksss..."
>Slowly, you began to stop struggling, and as it did you were rewarded with the pleasant touch of coils around your body making it more and more sensitive.
>"Yesss...that'sss right...just relacksss...and drift deeply down into transsse...
>You knew it was bad.
>You knew you shouldn't be trapped here.
>But somehow everything seemed right.
>"Just relacksss and sssleeeeeeep..."
>So you drifted down, and let Elizabeth embed you in her coils.
>Then she recoiled after being hit by something, snapping you out of your trance.
>You immediately began to resist the coils, and for your efforts you were rewarded by tumbling out of her coils.
>You struggled to get your head in one place, and as you did you were treated to the sight of Elizabeth fleeing the area, hissing sharply as she was chased by distinct lavender magical blasts.
>As your body started to reawaken, you were promptly held by Twilight Sparkle.
>"Omigosh, Anon! Are you alright! You're not hurt or anything, are you?"
"I-I'm fine," you blurted out, still woozy from trance. "Just a little lightheaded."
>She then gave you a glass of water, which you drank greedily.
>Wew, those coils somehow made you thirsty.
>Then, you felt Liquid giving you a great big ol' bear hug.
>"I-I'M SORRY MASTER, I-IF I'D KNOWN YOU WERE STILL OUT TH-THERE I WOULD'VE-"
>"Shhh, shh..." you hushed, trying to sooth her body. "It's okay...I'm okay...don't worry about me..."
>"M-M-Master," she sobbed, weeping into your chest, "I-I don't want to let go of you, y-you're too good to d-die out there..."
>All you could do was hug her.
>Then, you heard a distinct raspy groaning.
>"Unnnngh...what happened?"
>Welp, looks like Top Cunt was awake.
>You could tell, too, because Liquid's hairs started standing up on their own, as she began to glare behind you.
>"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight gasped, galloping towards the slowly awakening pegasus. "Are you alright?"
>"Y-Yeah..." Rainbow whispered, struggling to get up. "I- owww...I think I broke a wing..."
>Shit, that snake-pony did a number on her body too.
>"T-Thanks for saving me, Twilight."
>"Don't thank me," admitted Twilight, who gestured towards you. "Thank Anon."
>Rainbow took one look at you, and winced. "I-I think I need to go to the hospital...or something...because I think I'm...dreaming..."
>She then passed out, again.
>Damn.
>It might just be easier to kill her now and prevent this cycle from becoming a habit.
>Twilight sighed. "I'll go take her to the hospital. Anon, do you need to go there to?"
>You shook your head.
"Nah, I'm good. I need a few drinks to forget all of this, but otherwise I'm fine."
>Twilight nodded.
>But before you and Liquid could head back to camp, Twilight cleared her throat. "In case I didn't make myself clear..." Then, she smiled. "thank you. If you hadn't stepped in, Rainbow Dash would've..."
>You chuckled.
"I don't hate her *that* much, Twilight."
>Liquid gasped. "You don't?"
"Nope."
>Twilight chuckled. "I'm thankful you're alright. You, Rainbow Dash, and Liquid."
>You then realized something.
"Oh, and if she asks, tell her I'm not letting her live that down anytime soon."
>Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fair enough."
>With that, Twilight took the still-unconscious body of Rainbow Dash away to the hospital, and you and Liquid started heading back to camp...

>"NONNY!"
>AUGH PINK HORSE.
"AUGH- OW- PINKIE- OW- IT KINDA HURTS RIGHT NOW-"
>Day Fuck Snakeponies in Equestria.
>Be Anonymous.
>And you and Liquid finally found your way back to Sweet Apple Acres.
>And were promptly glomped by an even worse bear hug from Ponk.
>"Heheh...sorry!"
>The hug subsided, and you smirked.
"Mornin'..."
>"Anonymoose? You are not hurt are you?"
"A little," you lied. You were hurting a lot.
>"Ah, and I see Miss Liquid is intact as well!" smiled Mr. Rich.
>"Indeed I am, Master Rich," greeted Liquid.
>You found the sleeping bag near your tent, and promptly collapsed onto it, to get as much sleep as you could...
>"ANONYMOUS!"
>The shrill southern drawl of Applejack's voice jolted you awake.
>Shit, you didn't realize cider season started THAT early.
"Huh- wha- oh- hey- Applejack!"
>"What's this ruckus Ah hear about you and Liquid goin' into the forest, fixin' to fight snake ponies at night?"
>Oh.
>Word got about quickly.
"Who told you that?"'
>"Twilight did, jus' before goin' off to the forest 'erself!"
>Oh.
>Made sense.
"Well, long story short Rainbow Dash was there and I saved her."
>"Ah..."
>She shook her head. "Yer a fool for tryin' to rassle up a snakepony, but from what Ah hear, things worked out alright."
>You shrugged.
>Applejack then scowled at the three ponies. "And y'all just let 'im?"
"He volunteered!" Pinkie explained.
>"I-"
>You stopped yourself from answering, but it was too late - all eyes were on you.
"Well, what matters is snake pony will snake here no longer."
>Applejack rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Ah aughta be mad as a bull for y'all havin' lessuva sense of a billygoat, but as long as everypony's alright, Ah see no reason to be mad."
>She then trotted over to the cider stand.
>"Cider season don't 'fficially start 'til a nother few hours, but Anon, Liquid, for savin' mah friend's life, Ah think y'all deserve a drink..."

Chapter 8 - Drunken Confession (#ftswgsf)
>Day Fuck Snakeponies in Equestria.
>Be Anonymous.
>And now you remembered why you don't drink.
"Buuuuuuurp!"
>You clasped your mouth in shock, then after realizing everyone else was smiling, you laughed.
>Still had it in ya.
>As you took another swig of the non-alcoholic stuff - you were sober enough to have stopped drinking the alcoholic cider after like two mugs - your eyes darted around trying to find Liquid.
>Indeed, she was busy conversing with another group of ponies that you couldn't remember the names of right now.
>It was definitely the mint magic dyke that was totally lesbian with that other candy horse.
>Liquid seemed to be having fun, so there's that.
>"HIC! Nonny!"
>Speaking of fun, there's fun horse.
"Yeh, Ponk?"
>"You wanna...?"
>Oh boy.
>You took a good long look at Pinkie's plastered pink face.
>Yeeeeeeeeeeep, she had long since passed the alcoholic event horizon.
>You could not help but snicker.
"Wanna what?"
>"Like...HIC! Ya wanna go home and go to bed?"
>She was not being subtle at all.
"Nonh wit' you. Yerr drunk," you slurred.
>She giggled at your half-baked quip - so hard, in fact, that she fell over.
>You rolled your eyes.
"Can we get a meeedic?" you called out. "Pink horse had way too much to drink."
>As Nurse Lovetofuck started helping Pinkie Pie up, you felt a slight tug at the seat of your pants.
"Oh. Ey, Liquid!"
>Liquid cleared her throat.
>"Anonymous, if you don't mind me asking, may...may I..."
>She trailed off, either unable or unwilling to finish her sentence.
"Wuzzat?"
>She paused for a few more seconds, then shook her head. "Nevermind."
"What? Tell me."
>"It's nothing."
"Liquid?"
>Then, she scowled. "May I have a drink, Anon?!"
>It was her turn to clasp her mouth - what she had said ended up being very loud.
>Everyone had stopped their conversations to look over at the two of you, as if she had dropped a bombshell.
>Whoops.
>Turns out, Liquid had refused her complimentary drink, and was going into this party completely sober.
>Not that you blame her – you'd have done the same if not for Elizabeth.
>This was supposedly because, in her words, she "did not feel she deserves a good drink that ponies have".
>You still needed to work on that.
>But hey, you got her to come out and play.
>That's progress.
>You hiccuped.
"Well, all I gots is the non-alcohol shtuff, but-"
>Before you could finish your sentence, Applejack ran up to the both of you with a mug o' cider.
>"Took y'all long enough."
>Y'all.
>You laughed, causing everyone else to resume whatever the fuck they were doing.
>You don't know why you found that so funny all of a sudden.
>"What's so funny, Non?"
"Nothin'."
>God dammit, now YOU were getting into the countryisms.
>You let loose another fit of giggles at that thought.
>Graciously, Liquid accepted the mug and started taking a swig.
>Welp, you finally got Liquid to drink.
>You snickered at the irony - Liquid drinking liquid.
>Anyway, she should loosen up a bit after that-
>Waiiiiiit.
>She just downed the whole damn mug!
"Shiiiit, you shore you can handle it?"
>As she drank the last drop of cider, she sighed. Then, she smiled. "Yes, Anon. I will handle this very well."

"I don't think you handled it very well."
>Still Day whatever the fuck it is you can't remember shit while fucking drunk.
>Be Anonymous.
>And you had excused yourself and Liquid from the farm and were now on your way home.
>"Maasshhhter...HIC! I'mm not drunnnnk!" she slurred, hiccuping every few seconds as you carried her in your arms.
"You had like one mug and you were fucking plastered!" you accused, incredulously.
>It was true.
>Under five minutes after she took her first drink, she started having all the symptoms of being drunk - stumbling around, slurring her sentences, hiccuping...
>More importantly she started calling you 'Master'.
>Or rather, 'Maasshhhter'.
>You and Applejack agreed that this was a sign to get the hell out of here before things went haywire.
>Pinkie would probably agree but she was drunk as hell.
>But god DAMN she was cute when she was drunk.
>Cuter than you, anyway...
>"Nnnn..."
>She nuzzled up against your arms, still sleepy from the cider.
>"Mashter...where we..HIC! Where we goin...?"
"Home."
>She gasped.
>"H-Hoooome? HIC! B-But Maaaashter.."
>You chuckled.
"Let's just say you may be a wee bit too drunk right now."
>"H-Have I been...HIC! Have I been a baaaaad girl?"
"Nonsense."
>Again, you're shocked that she was that intolerant to alcohol.
>She took like one drink and she was wasted.
>Even Pinkie had to take like four mugs before she started getting drunk.
>Then again Ponk was Ponk, and who the fuck knows with her.
>Bad example.
>Even Twilight needs like 3 drinks before she gets drunk.
>Shit, also a bad example - Twilight never drinks alcoholic stuff.
>Point is, it is unreal for anyone to get drunk that fast.
>Must be a gemhorse thing.
>Thankfully, you were sober enough to find your house at the edge of the Forest.
>You unlocked the door and brought your cute, drunk, silver horse indoors.
>"I've been a baaaaaaad giiiirrll..." she whined, barely even aware of how drunk she was. "Mashter- HIC! Hatesh meeeee..."
>Then, you found the makeshift bed you had made for Liquid and put her down.
>As you started to find a blanket, she tried to get up from it, but as she attempted to stand she instantly tumbled down back on the bed.
>Fucking adorable.
"Get some sleep, Liquid," you ordered, giving her an earnest smile. "We both need it."
>"B...but- HIC! But Mashter, I'm a b-bad shlave! I don't desherve-"
"What you deserve is more than a few hours of good sleep," you explained, knowing how tired she must be.
>She gave a half-hearted sigh. "Yesh, Master..."
>Then, very weakly, she settled down on the bed and started to close her eyes.
>You waited a few moments to make sure she was asleep, and not just faking it.
>Once you were certain she was, you sighed.
>She was indeed very beautiful.
>You almost wanted to-
>No.
>Not like this.
>'doooo it faget'
>Oh fuck off, Bonernon.
>Then, you took a closer look at the pony.
>Her breathing had finally slowed down, calmed from the amount of drunken crying she was doing.
>Her coat, her beautiful, beautiful coat, shone brightly even after having been dirtied from the events of last night.
>And her mane was even better.
>In your drunken state, you almost wanted to have your way with-
>A loud noise, specifically that of glass hitting the table, came from the living room, which snapped you back to reality.
>Nooooooope fuck that shit right now.
>You banished the lewd thoughts from your head and walked over to where the noise was.
>Your heart nearly froze as you realized what, or rather who, had made the noise.
"Good afternoon, Anonymous," spoke the old, purple unicorn you had bumped into a few days back.
>You audibly gulped.
"U-Uhhh...hey...I think I saw you around Ponyville lately."
>The stallion glowered at you, taking a sip of something in a wine glass (presumably cider).
>Nervously, you coughed, finally getting to take a good look at him.
>Obviously he was purple - more like a shade of heather than anything.
>But he also wore a black trenchcoat slash business suit with a magenta tie.
>On top of that, his mane, although not obscured by a fedora, was pure black.
>This gave you the impression that this is not a guy to fuck with.
"Um...no hard feelings about the other day?"
>He chuckled, shaking his head as he did.
>"Oh, no, not at all, my friend," he reassured you, taking a few steps forward. "It was mere accident - you had places you needed to be, I just happened to be in the way."
>He levitated the glass towards you. "A drink, maybe?"
>You shook your head.
"Nah, I'm fine."
>He took the drink back, and took another sip. "Fair enough. Let me introduce myself - I am a delegate from the Crystal Empire. You may call me Flattering Shard."
>Flattering, huh?
"Interesting. I'm Anon, but you apparently already know that."
>He smirked. "As does everypony else, given you're a very one-of-a-kind gentleman."
>Yep, he lives up to the name.
"Suuure."
>You glanced around, trying to determine if he had taken or messed with anything."
>"I do enjoy what you've done with the place."
>Remember, this is bait.
>You know what happened last time you took the bait.
"Uhhh...well...funny story about that-"
>He smirked.
>"Does it have to do with a certain silver pegasus?"
>Oh.
>Oh shit.
"What?! W-Well..."
>Flattering raised one of his eyebrows.
"Yeah."
>"As I thought. How long has she been in your service, Anonymous?"
>Shit, he's on to you.
>Run damagecontrol.exe, and quickly!
"Unofficially, since the day we bumped into each other, b-but she's not like that, I swear!."
>Flattering grimaced.
>"Don't play naive with me, Anonymous. She's come to your arms as a slave, your slave in fact, hasn't she?"
>damagecontrol.exe failed to run, abort abort!
"...yeah. How did you know?"
>"It was rather obvious - that maid costume in the middle of Sugarcube Corner, the way she was acting in your presence? Frankly, that little pink whelp was right the first time."
>He then shook his head. "A great misfortune has befallen you, I fear."
"Let me explain, Flattering," you sputtered. "She claims I'm her Master, but really I didn't know about this until she came to my house one day, and ever since then, I've been working with Princess Twilight to try and fix her."
>"'Fix' her?"
"Yeah, but-"
>"-It's not working, is it?" he accused.
>You flinched.
"It's still a work in progress."
>He tutted. "Oh, Anonymous, at the rate you're going, it will remain a 'work-in-progress'."
>Uh-oh, what is this faggot up to?
>"From what I was able to discern, this pony of yours – Liquid, I take it? She has become attached to you. Obsessed with you, your control, your entire being is her world now. What you've been doing - having her order something on her own, taking her to parties, having her talk - none of that will work, and will only serve to reinforce that behavior."
>Each and every word he spoke cut a dagger into your heart.
>You were already starting to hate this guy's guts, but he wasn't wrong.
>She still thought you were her Master.
>She still thought she was your slave.
>"I fear the worst for her mentality, Anonymous - as I'm sure you are, as well."
>You opened your mouth to speak, but paused as he looked upon you.
>Then, after a few moments of awkward silence, you finally got your thoughts out.
"Well what the hell do you want me to do? I have, like, no experience in psychology."
>He smirked. "I do."
>Oh?
"W-Wait, I thought you were a delegate."
>"I am," he explained, "but on the side I've had some experience working with the minds of ponies, as you may have already guessed by my name. I think I know what may work for your so-called slave."
>Shiiiit, this might be the lucky break you needed.
"Really, now?"
>"Yes.”
“Great! Now how will this work?”
>”Simple – I take her under my hooves, and I'll do everything in my power to help her.”
>He then gave a very menacing grin.
>“But it will require you to relinquish control of her – and, as sad as it is to say, you will need to say your good-byes."
>...
“Wait, you're not serious, are you?”
>Flattering opened his suitcase and retrieved a scroll with an unholy fuckton of writing on it. "If we are to salvage your pony's mentality, I will need to take matters into my own hooves and treat her as she needs to be treated. This includes isolating the major factor preventing her from growing into that mare.”
>He waved a contract in front of you, along with a quill to write with. ”So just sign here, and I will help her become what she deserves to be."
>Ooof...
>Disregarding the bullshit lawyers would typically put in there, this was one doozy of a contract.
>By signing this contract you'd be giving up Liquid to some schmuck you don't even know.
>Even if he was telling the truth and that this is the only way, it'd be out of your control afterwards.
>Twilight would be pissed at you skipping out on your job.
>Everyone else would be pissed at the idea of you abandoning a friend.
>It'd give credence to what Rainbow Dash said.
>Worst of all, you'd never see Liquid again.
>She'd be gone forever...
>...
>On the other hand, this would mean she could finally overcome her crippling slave mentality.
>And it might just be what she needed.
>You took a deep breath, then sat down and started looking over the contract for any legal loopholes.
>Sure enough, it read that you were to relinquish control over Liquid in exchange for 1000 bits, and that you would need to-
>Wait.
>In exchange for 1000 bits?
"Hold on a moment - what's this here about 1000 bits?"
>"Simple, you relinquish your 'slave', you get paid 1000 bits."
>You're getting paid for this?
>Dafuq?
"...Wait, so that means I'd be-"
>Then, as it all clicked in your head, your heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, FUCK off!"
>You got up from the table.
>"Whatever is the matter, my friend?"
>You glared at the fucker, Flattering.
"You think I'm dumb, Flattering? You're trying to have me sell Liquid off instead of fix her, aren't you?!"
>"..."
>His silence was damning.
"Aren't you?"
>He smirked.
>"...perhaps."
>Fuck, he totally was.
>This fucker was trying to manipulate you into selling you Liquid in exchange for a fuckton of money.
>This was the seedy shit you'd expect from a crime lord, not a delegate from the Crystal Empire.
>Hell, you weren't even sure he was a delegate at this point.
"I don't know what the fuck kind of slave trade you're part of, but I won't have any part in it. Keep your damn money for all I care."
>"Anonymous, listen," he yelled, this time being genuinely frustrated, "you won't fix her. You CAN'T. This kind of pony, after so many years of mental abuse and delusion, cannot merely be fixed to become a 'free' mare!"
"So you'd rather her be a fucking slave?!" you yelled, "To just give up on being free? To have her whole fucking person be at the whim of ponies who would buy and abuse her?!"
>He scowled. "It would take an immense amount of luck for her to even accept this flavor of freedom at this point, and you do not seem to have luck to begin with!"
>Your hands clenched together into a ball.
>As they did so, Flattering audibly gulped.
"Get out."
>"Anonymous, let me explain-"
>You glared at him.
"I said get out!"
>He cleared his throat.
>"Anonymous, I have not made myself clear. I don't know if you seriously intend to keep putting her through this torment, but hear me out! What you're doing, this end goal you think you have, it will not work the way you think. She may or may not accept freedom, but I've seen her type before. She will merely be bound by the limitations of what you and the others call freedom, by the crippling fear of having the whole world at her hooves without any knowledge about it or anything else beyond the world she grew up in, and in doing so, will struggle to truly feel free."
>You snorted, and looked away from the stallion.
>Then he walked slowly, slowly towards you, and gave a smile that almost felt like a sneer.
>"I only work for her benefit, to ensure she won't suffer. What you intend to do will only make things worse.”
"And if I sell her to you, that will ensure she suffers through a wholly different evil," you accused. "Do you really think that's what she wants?"
>"Yes. She wants this, Anonymous, and it's what she feels she deserves."
>You looked back at the bedroom Liquid slept in, Flattering's words twisting knives into your heart.
>"Trust me, Anonymous - she'll be happier this way, and it would be easier, both for you and for everypony else, to let her be."
>...
>You glared back at Flattering Shard.
"You're wrong."
>He flinched. "Excuse me?"
"You're wrong," you stated, matter-of-factly. "Liquid deserves better. I don't know how long it will take, and frankly I don't give a shit. But coming from the most 'free' country I've ever lived in - which is not on this planet, by the way - I'd rather she have the freedom she doesn't know what to do with than have the option taken from her by a piece of shit like you."
>The two of you shared a deafening silence, tension building in the room as you stared each other down.
>Then, Flatttering put his wine glass down, and closed the suitcase. "Fair enough."
>He levitated the suitcase, and started heading towards the door.
>"The offer will remain open at any time, especially to a fine gentlecolt such as yourself."
"Then I'll say no every time."
>He smirked. "Then it's settled. We will meet again."
>He opened the door, and began to walk off.
>But before closing the door, he sneered back at you. "Though as good as you are, I will warn you - it is very unwise to *bump* into dangers you don't comprehend."
>Flattering Shard slammed the door shut, and presumably left, hopefully never to be seen again.
>As the mysterious stallion walked off, you gave a sigh of relief.
>That was NOT the kind of bullshit you didn't want to deal with today.
>Then, as you had time to digest the 'information' he had shared, your heart sunk.
>As much of a dick he was, you almost suspected he was RIGHT, in a way.
>You hadn't gone much of anywhere with Liquid.
>She still thought of you as her Master, and of herself as your slave.
>And now you were worried you were making things WORSE.
>You shook your head.
>Can't let that faggot get to you.
>You instead decided to go back into the bedroom to check up on Liquid.
>Sure enough, that clusterfuck managed to wake her.
"Uhh, sorry about that," you sheepishly apologized.
>"M-Mashter? Wh-what wash that all about?"
>You shrugged.
"Nothing important."
>You then spend the next fifteen minutes trying to get Liquid to go back to sleep.
>It took a lot of self-deprecation on her part, and a lot of water on your kitchen sink's part, but in the end it all worked out perfectly.
>As she nodded off to sleep once more, you sighed.
>You really hoped the best for her.
>As you took off your shoes, you could hear a set of mumbling from her bed.
>Oh no, she sleeptalks too?
>Hope to God she doesn't sleepwalk.
>"Mmmmm...Master...zzzz....too kinnnd..."
>Wait, is that actually-
>"Master...yess...yesh I would like ssssome of Mishush pippermint's cinnamon fudge muuuuffins..."
>Cinnamon fudge muffins?
>You're not sure that was a real thing.
>"Sss...so delicush..."
>But you could not prevent yourself from grabbing a piece of parchment and writing this down.
>"A-At...puuurk, by great...zzzz...lake? M-Master..yerrr too kii..."
>Park, great lake. Got it.
>As she mumbled, you wrote everything down as coherently as possible, and in doing so began to formulate a plan.

>And if there was anyone who could help you complete this plan, it was none other than Princess Starbutt Twinkles, who you were also certain was here, taking care of Rainbutt Dicks.
>You knocked on the door, and who should so appear before your eyes than the beautiful Spike the Dragon.
>Wait, Spike?
>"Hey, there, Anon!"
"Oh. Thought Twilight was home."
>"Nah, she and Starlight are busy visiting Rainbow Dash at the hospital."
>Damn.
>Well, at least Starlight wasn't home, because your relationship was...well, strained, we'll leave it at that.
"Alright. Question."
>"Shoot."
"Are you able to find any books on cooking in here at the library wing? Asking because you literally live here."
>He nodded. "I think I can manage."
>You followed the small and not at all beautiful purple dragon to the library, and cleared your throat to start a discussion with him.
"So, how's Rainbow Dash doing?"
>"Relatively okay, I guess?" he answered hesitantly. "Last I heard, her wing got broken."
>Oooooh!
>Interesting!
"Ouch. So...does she need help recovering?"
>He shrugged.
>This could be a good time to initiate Operation ANATSOORD (Annoy N' Aggravate the Shit Out Of Rainbow Dash).
"I'm willing to bet she need someone at her bedside, as a hero to keep her company while she slowly gets back on her-"
>"Three days TOPS, Twilight told me," he explained.
>AWWWWWWWWWWWW.
"Awww, dammit. Was hopeful I would get to annoy her."
>He chuckled. "Would be fitting, Mr. Hero."
>You rolled your eyes.
>"Hey, don't fret yourself – this way, she's not going to bug you for those three days."
"I guess," you shrugged.
>"Plus, after being attacked by a snake pony, you both probably need to rest anyway, so it all works out."
>You smirked.
>"So, tell me."
"Tell you what? I ain't tellin' you nothin'!"
>"Was the snake pony like you see in comics?" he asked, an earnest smile on his face.
>Oh.
"Nah. Elizabeth was definitely uglier, I'll tell you that much."
>His smile faded. "Aww."
"But it was definitely terrifying. So if you were looking for fearsome then the Everfree Forest would be a great place to search right now."
>He laughed. "Stop it!"
"Hiss hiss to you too!" you quipped.
>He rolled his eyes. "Anyway - Twilight suspected you might be here, so she wanted me to nag you. Did you find the magical anomaly yet?"
>Oh, right.
>Turns out, you had found the anomaly while searching through the forest.
"Yeah, actually."
>"Oh, really?" he asked, his eyes snapping to attention.
"Yeah, and it was very weird," you explained in complete sarcasm, "because, like, it had this long tail, and these razor sharp fangs, and-"
>"That's...the snake pony, though."
"Bingo. That ugly mug is an anomaly in its own right."
>"No, I already asked. Twilight told me that the snake pony's form was some sort of symptom, not the cause. She thinks that whatever's been causing her so much trouble is still out there.”
>Oh.
>Shit, there goes that theory.
"Well, crap, never mind then," you sighed. "I'll keep looking."
>"Yeah, I can see why you'd think that."
>Welp, the hunt continues.
>You tried to think back to when you were in the forest, in a desperate attempt to not have to go back in there in fear of snakepone.
>Nothing else stood out, except...
"Outside of that I did find some poor unicorn schmuck's horn torn off, and it was all red and glowy and stuff. You happen to know if a unicorn's blood glows?"
>"Well...no, and I don't think I wanna find out."
"Alright, I'll ask Twilight when she gets back. She'll probably know."
>The two of you finally found your way to the library, and Spike then directed you to the cookbook section.
>Holy FUCK that was a lot of books.
>You could fucking cure world hunger with that kind of knowledge, if you were back on Earth.
>And you suspected no one would complain – Equestrian chefs sure knew how to cook their food!
>"Alright, so what cookbook were you looking for?"
"Well..."
>God it's been forever since you've needed to rent a cookbook.
"You have anything in here related to..."
>You consulted your list.
"Cinnamon fudge muffins?"
>He blinked. "Wait, repeat that again."
"Cinnamon Fudge Muffins," you explained. "Or something, I might have heard it wrong."
>Spike shook his head. "No, no, those aren't in any cookbooks. Least, not in any I've read."
>DAMN.
"Crap. Was asking for a friend."
>"Let me guess - Liquid?"
"How'd you guess?" you asked, completely deadpan.
>He snorted. "Well, if you're looking for cinnamon fudge muffins, you're going to have to ask Peppermint Twist and her family. It's actually their family recipe, and they NEVER share it with anyone that's not a close friend of theirs."
>Awwww, not the filly with the lisp!
>Oh well, you'd gladly take her over annoying pink filly.
"Alright."
>"Anything else?"
"Yeah, sure - I was hoping if you could-"

>Still Day Fuck Snakepone in Equestria.
>Still Anonymous.
>And Liquid was finally starting to wake up, after about 4 hours of sleep.
>"Mmmm..."
>She looked up at you, and smiled.
>"Good afternoon, Master."
"Ey, Liquid."
>She looked around to get a better bearing of her surroundings. "What do you wish of me today, Master?"
>You smirked.
>Alright, here goes nothing.
"I want to show you something."

>...
>"Good afternoon, Master."
>"Good afternoon, my slave. I assume you're recuperating from last night's torture?"
>"Yes, Master. I enjoyed it very much."
>"Very good. As I expect of you. Now, come here - I wish to show you something."
>"Yes, Master."
>...
>"Wait, Master, are those from Mrs. Peppermint's Bakery?"
>"They are."
>...
>"Oh, Gods Above, Master, you're too kind! I couldn't-"
>"What, do you not want them?"
>"Yes, Master. I would like some of Mrs. Peppermint's Cinnamon Fudge Muffins! They're so delicious!"
>"Good. We'll share some over by the park."
>"A-At the park? By the Great Crystal Lake, Master? You're too kind!"
>...
>"I am. And never you forget it, my little pet."
>"Yes, Master. I won't forget, I promise!"
>"Good slave. Now, grab your collar and leash and heel - we have much to discuss about our futures..."
>...

Chapter 8 - Dessert Date (#cfmf)
"Good afternoon, Anonymouth! It'th been a while thinth I latht thaw you!" chirped the red-maned filly who worked at the bakery.
>After about three months in writefag time, beyond all standards of time conversion it's STILL Day Fuck Snakepone in Equestria.
>Believe it or not, still Anonymous.
>And the first thing on your agenda for this afternoon was bring Liquid and stop by Mrs. Peppermint's Bakery to pick up those Cinnamon Fudge Muffins she was mumbling about.
"Afternoon," you greeted. "Long time no see."
>"Anon, where is this?" asked Liquid, looking around the bakery like a child discovering a fancy restaurant about 10 yards wide.
>You weren't sure where you were going with that metaphor but by God you're still a little tipsy from that cider and you're sticking with it.
>"Oh! Thith ith Mithuth Peppermint'th Bakery!" Twist lisped.
>Liquid tilted her head. "Come again, miss?"
"Mrs. Peppermint's Bakery," you clarified, resisting the temptation to roll your eyes.
>This was one of two reasons you hardly ever came here - that lisp made it incredibly frustrating to even understand anything, as energetic as she was.
>Only making things worse is that she was usually cashier.
>Which sucks, because their bakeries were one of the best in Ponyville.
>Liquid blinked. "I-I think I've heard of this place before, Anon."
>Okay, good, you're on the right track.
>"Mithuth? What'th you're name?" asked Twist, now curious at the mare.
>"Oh!" Liquid jumped as Twist addressed her. "Very sorry, miss. My name is Liquid Crystal. And this is Anon."
>Yeah, like the only human in Equestria needed any introduction whatsoever.
>"Very beautiful name, Mitthuth Liquid! My name's Peppermint Twitht, but jutht call me Twitht," smiled Twist. "Nith to meet you, Liquid!"
>You couldn't help but smirk.
>Poor filly's going to be in for a shock when Liquid ends up accidentally calling her 'Twitht'.
>"I'm thurprithed neither of you are at the thider theathon party like Ma."
"Oh we were," you corrected, rubbing the backside of your head, "but the less said about that, the better."
>Liquid only blushed and shrunk back as you said that.
>Shit, didn't mean to embarrass her.
>"Tho! What will the two of you be having today?"
>You looked at the menu.
>This proved to be harder than you thought, because nothing here looked incredibly outstanding to you today.
>Mind you, it was like comparing one food of the gods to another.
>But still, it made it notoriously difficult to decide.
>Hmmmm...
>Well, you think you'll have what you're getting for Liquid.
"Question - do you still serve something called a Cinnamon Fudge Muffin?"
>Liquid's eyes darted towards you in shock.
>"Ma- Bu- Anon?!" the silver pony sputtered, completely in disbelief at your choice of dessert.
>"Well...I think tho, but it'th been about a year thinth I made one mythelf."
"Oh, really?" you inquired. "And why is that?"
>"Well, the latht time we made them, we kept getting repeat vithits from Printheth Thelethtia, who kept buying them over and over again. Not that Ma would turn down the money, mind, but the Printheth kept buying tho many of them that thee made it impothible for anypony elthe to buy them! Tho I thtopped putting them on the menu jutht to make her thtop."
>You couldn't tell whether this was a great advertising point for the muffins or scandalous on Celestia's part.
>You're inclined to believe both.
>"Anon, how in all my being do you-"
>You could only give a knowing smirk at your silver friend.
"But you do still sell them, yes?"
>"Well, no, not offithially, not after Thelethtia came over. But I can try and make one if you want."
"Oh, I need three of them. One for me, because now I'm curious, one for Rainbow Dash, and one for my good friend Liquid."
>Liquid gasped.
>"But Anon-"
>"Oh, I dunno...it'th been a year thince I made one, and I don't want to plot-th it up."
>That was reason number two you hardly ever came here - Twist and her family had the signs of Judaism.
>Oy vey.
>The inner /pol/ in you was screaming at you to get as far away from them as possible right now, and considering your past experience on Earth, it gave reason unto paranoia.
>But this wasn't Earth, this was a whole world filled with magical technicolor horses - so you tried to keep your paranoia in check.
>So far, however, their prices seemed to be fair and inexpensive.
>Though when competing with Ponk, aka the pony everyone knows, you probably had to be if you wanted to survive out here.
>Twist herself was actually very sweet.
>>implying that's not a ruse to get you to trust her and her family so you'll buy their food and then their food products and-
>Ahem.
>Anyway.
>As it stood, however, this was the only place you knew that sold Cinnamon Fudge Muffins.
>And for better or worse, this was where you needed to go.
"I'm sure you'll do fine."
>Twist hesitantly nodded, and went off into the kitchen, leaving you and Liquid to sit down.
>As it turned out, you actually had a plan for once.
>However, as it stood, the plan was haphazardly put together with the information you gathered from her sleep-talking and with what Spike had told you.
>In honesty, it's not so much a plan so much as it is an idea.
>But by God's name you're going to prove that smarmy, heather-coated motherfucker wrong, even if it killed you.
>To sum it up, you would go places with her that would potentially jog her memory, and allow her to open up more, all the while chatting with her and hanging out with her, see how she's doing, all that jazz.
>Step one was to take her to Mrs. Peppermint's Bakery and get her a cinnamon fudge muffin, which you were doing now.
>Step two was to take her to some sort of sporting event.
>You really couldn't understand which one she was talking about, but one was coming up.
>Maybe she might recognize it?
>Steps three, four, and five were somewhat similar - go somewhere she might recognize, do something she might recognize, hope to God she opens up to you like one of your romantic dating sims.
>Eventually, you'd take her up to the Great Crystal Lake, mainly just for the sake of sight-seeing the Great Crystal Lake.
>You hear it's real pretty this time of the year.
>Maybe then, you could finally...
>Well, let's not get ahead of yourself.
>First, you need to eat.
>Can't scheme on an empty stomach.
>"Anon?"
>Oh, right, you also had to talk to your silver pony.
>That also has priority.
"Yeah?"
>"How did you know I liked Cinnamon Fudge Muffins?"
"Well..."
>Think of a bluff, quickly!
"I just had a hunch you'd like one of those."
>She stared at you, unconvinced at your statement.
"Like, who wouldn't want one of those warm, delicious-"
>"That's not it, is it, Anon?"
>Damn.
"How'd you guess?"
>"I had a hunch," she stated, flinging your words in your face.
>Oooh, some quality-ass snark from silver pony over here.
"Okay, in all honesty, I just heard you talk in your sleep, and-"
>Liquid blushed with the intensity of a thousand suns. "E-E-Excuse me?"
>Riiiiight, you gotta work on tact.
>You're in front of a lady here.
>run damagecontrol.exe
"I-I mean, it was only for a short while, and-"
>Liquid trembled as she covered her red-glowing face in complete embarrassment.
>Tears streamed down her eyes as she stuttered, "O-Oh, A-Anon, I'm so, so sorry, I-I didn't- I sh-shouldn't drink-"
"Hey, now," you comforted her, "it's okay. It beats snoring, at least."
>Her trembling calmed ever so slightly. "I'm so embarrassed! To think I would mumble in my sleep in front of my Master..."
>You cleared your throat, so that hopefully Twist wouldn't overhear what she had to say.
"Anyway, I couldn't help but notice you mention these choco-muffins. I've actually never had one of those things. What are they like?"
>"W-Well..."
>She paused as she tried to recall.
>"They're cool, chocolaty, and spicy. The sprinkles of cinnamon are layered in the innards of the muffin to add a flavor of spice that define a commanding, dominant tone, yet the cold, frozen taste of fudge counteracts it, giving an aura of cold sweetness."
>Man, she should be a food critic for all you know.
>You looked down at her flank.
>Nope, still no cutie mark.
"God, that's making me so hungry right now. When was the last time you had one of them?"
>She gulped.
>This was going to be a heavy subject, wasn't it?
>"M-My first Master..."
>Called it.
>Your fists clenched.
>You recalled her story from a few nights before.
>Her father had died, presumably trying to keep her away from becoming a slave.
>Her first Master took her under his wing, and most likely broke her into wanting to be what she is now.
>And presumably that guy's the same fucker who might have killed her Father.
>You're just speculating at this point.
>But with what little you know, it's definitely in the ballpark.
"Yeah, what about him?"
>"H-He used to go take me to Mrs. Peppermint's place every now and then to feed me these muffins, and only because I was a good slave. He was so kind to me on his better days."
>Ah.
>Basic psychological conditioning, with benefits being the catalyst for obedience.
>Obeying him would result in being rewarded, while disobeying him would bring whatever the fuck that sunnuvabitch did to her.
>"A-And because he fed me them, they became my favorite food."
"Is it because of him making you that way, or is it because they're that damn good?" you asked.
>"I-It's because my first Master feeding me them, yes."
>She's probably delusional.
>Poor girl doesn't know what to believe.
"Well, I think it's both. But, well, there's only one way to find out."
>You stared out the window, to look at the town.
>It was real pretty out this afternoon.
>And rather empty, at that.
>More likely than not Cider Season was still going on by this point, which is why it felt empty.
>"Anon, sir?"
"Mmm?"
>Liquid gulped. "Is that why you're feeding them to me?"
>Wait what?
"Not sure what you mean?"
>"Are you feeding me Cinnamon Fudge Muffins because I've been a good slave?"
>You cleared your throat in an unusually loud tone.
"Kinda."
>"But Anon, all I've done is follow you around and clean your house, I don't deserve-"
"But you did save my life last night," you recalled. "If you hadn't gotten Twilight when you did, neither me nor Rainbow Dash would've lived to tell the tale, if you'll mind the pun."
>Liquid sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
"See?" you smirked. "You scratch my back, I give you something so sweet that it'll probably ruin whatever diet you had before.
>You looked down at her body.
>Now that you had a chance to take a good look at Liquid, you realized that she could stand to gain a few pounds.
>Probably whoever had her last neglected to feed her.
>Yeah, add 'fattening her up' to the list of things to do.
>...Not that you're going to tell her that to her face.
”Not that I'm worried about your diet, but it'd be pretty sweet to throw a wrench in Rainbow's."
>Sounded like the perfect setup for a fat-fetish green.
>Liquid scowled. "I'm frankly more concerned for your sake than HER'S, Anon."
>You couldn't help but roll your eyes.
"And why is that?"
>"If I may be so blunt," Liquid explained, venom dripping from her tone, "Rainbow Dash has done nothing to deserve your kindness. Did you not see her at the farm, how she tried to beat you within an inch of your life? Or how she immediately gave credit for saving her life to Twilight, who only showed up at the last second? Or how, from your own words, that she's been-"
"Liquid!" you shouted very suddenly.
>This got Liquid to quiet down for just a moment so she could pay attention while you thought out your argument.
>Clearly she held a grudge against Rainbow Dash.
>And she sounded like the pony who would seek revenge, even if you didn't want it.
>Add the fact that you don't know how strong crystal ponies are and that she genuinely believes she's a slave in your service, and that is a recipe for disaster.
"Look, let's not mince words - I don't like her. Rainbow Dash is probably the pony I dread the most in this saccharine world of multicolored horses. But sometimes, ya gotta stick your neck out for someone, even if you don't like 'em."
>She tilted her head, confused as to why you would say that.
"Like, there's a difference between doing what you're expected to do, doing what you want to do, and doing what's right. Saving Rainbow Dash was right, and even though I still hate her, I'd rather do it so that karma doesn't bite me in the, er, butt, I'll say."
>"But Mas- er, Anon," Liquid countered, "if I'm told to do something, I must do it. Wasn't saving Rainbow just that - following orders like I would do?"
"Weeeeeeell..." you slurred, "yeah, kinda. But if some guy ordered me to do something I liked at the cost of someone's life, I'd probably say 'fuck that guy, I'm saving this other dude' because that's just wrong, y'know?"
>You really weren't sure about how to word that argument.
>The silver pony sighed. "I guess, Anon. But for her?"
"I think you'd do the same."
>She looked away, not bothering to give you an answer.
>You hoped she would do the same, if the time comes.
>For the most part, it sounded like she still held a grudge against Rainbow Dash.
>Not that you blame her or anything - you still do.
>And not even saving her life would change that.
>Again, you still had to mock her endlessly for needing to be saved, which would generate enough salt to go on your sides for weeks.
>But regardless, hopefully it wouldn't get volatile once Dashie got better.
"To answer your question, though - it's not just that you saved my life."
>It's that you're trying to jog her memory and see if you can reconstruct her mind and see if that will help her want to eventually be free.
"It's also because I kinda want to try one of those muffins. They sound so delicious."
>"Well I'm glad they do, Anonymouth," lisped the red-maned filly in charge of Mrs. Peppermint's Bakery, nearly causing you to jump out of your seat in surprise, "becauthe they're ready!"
>Oh, wow, that didn't seem like it took long at all!
>Twist put the plate containing the three muffins on the table.
>By God, they looked so delicious.
>You almost salivated just by looking at them.
>By the looks of it, Liquid felt the same way.
"Ooooh, nice!" you commented, getting hungrier and hungrier every second you looked upon the cinnamon fudge muffins.
>Of course, if you knew this place well enough...
"Alright, Twist, lay it on me. How much do I owe ya?"
>"Nothing."
"Alright, I think I have enough to cover-"
>Your mind skipped a beat as it processed Twist's proclamation.
"Wait, whaaaaat?"
>"I heard from one of my clathmateth earlier today about how you and Mithuth Liquid thaved Rainbow Dath, tho thethe are on the houth, jutht for today!"
>Damn, that was actually really sweet.
>You're almost willing to believe that some Goddess of Luck (Belldandy or whatever the hell she's called) smiled upon you today.
>Then again, it's probably a ploy to get you to continue to come here and continue buying their sweets!
>Oy vey intensifies.gif
"Wow, thank you, Twist! Really appreciate it."
>Twist simply smiled.
"Bon appetite, guyth!"
>So there it was.
>Three muffins.
>One for Dashie, the other for just the two of you.
>Without any further ado, you both begun to eat.
>...
>If you could physically orgasm from eating confectioneries, you would have blown your load at least seven times over by now.
>You'll never quite understand how these ponies do it, but their food is unanimously about 100 times better than anything you'd ever find on Earth.
>This muffin was no exception - it had all the hallmarks of an amazing dessert, with the amount of care and love you'd expect from something your mother would make.
>However, as you began to notice, the cinnamon was a little too strong.
>You coughed.
>"A-Anon? What's wrong?"
"Oh, ack, nothing," you hacked, "just trying to get this cinnamon down."
>You always had an issue with too much cinnamon being too spicy for your lungs.
"A-Anyway, how's your muffin?"
>She gulped down the part of the muffin she was chewing on. "It's- mmph! It's delicious, Anon! I love it!"
"Heh, bringing back memories?" you asked, ready to make a mental note of it for when you told Twilight all about your brilliant plan™.
>"Oh, does it ever!" she squealed.
"Good. Is the muffin as good as you remember?"
>"It's as delicious as it was all those years ago," she explained. "Perhaps even better, if I'm being honest."
>You snorted.
"So it used to have this much cinnamon in it, is that what you're saying?" you joked.
>At this point, you'd believe it.
>"No."
>Oh, really?
>Liquid leaned forward and started to whisper to you.
>"It's because my beloved Master is eating them with me."
>...
>You honestly lost track of the cute but creepy counter from yesterday, what with the whole snake-pony derailing things a bit.
>But right now, it's probably at 2 or something.
>You blushed as your eyes darted around the room to see if Twist was listening.
"U-Uh...Liquid..."
>She giggled. "Oh, Anon..."
>Thankfully, all of this was out of Twist's earshot.
>Not that she needed to hear any of this.
>You decided then and there to drop the subject and eat.

>Eventually, you managed to keep the cinnamon down and finish your muffin.
>Liquid had long since finished hers, but you were a different story.
>The consensus between the two of you was that this shit was delicious.
>Finally, the last muffin was set to go to Rainbow Dash.
>So obviously the next step was to go directly to Friendship Castle.
>Knocking on the door, you mentally prepared yourself to meet Spike again.
>Now watch, it's going to be Twilight at the door or some-
>"Hey, Anon, welcome back!"
>Okay thank God, you weren't made an ass of today.
"Hey again, Spike."
>You glanced over at Liquid, who had shrunk back and started trembling in nervous hesitation.
"Liquid, it's okay. It's just Spike."
>After a few moments, she stopped trembling and bowed. "E-Excuse me, Lord Spike."
>Spike, rolling his eyes, held the door open so the two of you could enter.
>You looked around to see if either of the two purple horses were home.
>Mostly the one with wings.
>You could do without the other one.
>"If you're looking for the Twilight, she came back about half an hour ago pick up something, but left just before you got here. I think she said something about lending Rainbow Dash her collection of the Daring Do Expanded Universe or something."
>Well damn, there goes the convenience factor.
"Alright. Next time you get a chance, can you do me a solid and send this to Twilight to give to Rainbow Dash?"
>You handed him the muffin you saved for the accursed technicolor horse.
>"Sure thing. But uh...why are you asking me?"
"Just don't tell her it's from me. Tell her it's from you or something."
>He shrugged. "Alright. So I'm going to take a stab in the wind and say this is a Cinnamon Fudge Muffin, right?"
"Yep."
>Spike licked his lips as he stared it down.
"And before you ask, no I didn't get one for you," you noted, remembering that Spike was indeed a fire-breathing dragon.
>That much cinnamon would probably kill the poor bastard from inside, provided the fire he spewed out didn't burn the castle down instead.
>Not that you would mind - this place was a bloody eyesore anyway.
>But pyromania aside, you glanced at your watch.
>5:00.
>Oh, right, you have to feed the animals at Fluttershy's cottage around this hour.
>...
>OH FUCK, YOU FORGOT TO FEED THE ANIMALS THIS MORNING!
>OH DOUBLE FUCK YOU REMEMBERED YOU FORGOT TO UNLOCK THEIR CAGES!
“Shhhhhhhhit,” you muttered.
>Fluttershy was going to kill you if you didn't get that under control, ASAP.
>”Anonymous, what's wrong?” asked Liquid, who immediately noticed you freaking the fuck out and showed concern to match.
>”Yeah, what happened?” Spike inquired.
"Sorry Spike, but we gotta head out, now," you hurriedly told the dragon.
>Spike tilted his head. "Let me guess - Cider Season still going on?"
"No," you explained. "The animals at Fluttershy's cottage! I forgot to let them out and feed them after last night!"
>Liquid did not need you to explain twice, and so the two of you rushed out of the castle and scurried towards the forest once again.

>Soon enough, you made it to Fluttershy's cottage.
>And it was very quiet around here.
>You'd think these animals would be a lot louder when they're hungry.
>Searching around the area, your stomach begun to churn as you realized the animals were nowhere to be found.
>"Master?"
"I know, I know, I'm looking for them," you muttered, trying to make heads or tails of where they might've gone.
>You were not cut out for this job.
>Fluttershy had better pay you handsomely for this.
>"But Master-"
"Yeah, if you see anything that looks like an animal, let me know, Liquid."
>"Master, behind you!" Liquid shouted, pointing directly behind you.
>But before you could respond, you were hit in the head by...a tomato?
>As you stumbled down, you found the perpetrator.
>Oh God, no.
"Angel."
>"Angel?"
>What should stand before you but Angel in a military leader's outfit, holding an assortment of home-cooked weaponry and tomato grenades.
>And what should stand behind him but a bunch of hungry, savage animals also similarly garbed.
"Oh, God dammit," you whispered, in complete shock at this whole bullshit, "they've staged a rebellion."
>You noted that, thankfully, Harry (that bear Fluttershy always liked) was not among the militia.
"Uhhhhh...hey, little critters..."
>Angel simply scowled.
"Err...who wants some dinner?" you asked, the impeding doom looming on your horizons.
>Seems your luck just ran out...