=BiE 44=

>You stomped through the castle.
>The guard was leading you.
>You weren't pleased.
>You come to Celestia's door.
>The guard knocks. "Who is it?~" comes from behind.
>"You know damn well who it is, let me in."
>The door magically swings open and you walk in, ignoring the stink eye the guard was giving you.
Fuck you too, guy.
>You cough.
>"You could at least air out your sex dungeon before inviting people in."
>Seriously, it smelled like estrus in here.
>"Come now Mous, the dungeons are on the lower floors."
>Good to see she's in top form.
>Celestia sat at her mirror, running a comb through her hair.
>"If you're still on that rats nest, I can come back in an hour or three."
>"No need, almost...done!" she says as she rises from her seat.
>You give her hair a once over.
>"You look exactly the same."
>"You charmer you." she says.
>Celestia steps out onto her balcony overlooking the city.
>You follow her out, eager to avoid the musky overtones.
>"Now, Mous. This is supposed to be a punishment, I hope you don't think this is a visit planned for fun."
>She says that, but you can see her smirking.
>"I guess we'll just have to make our own fun along the way, Princess."
>Celestia lets out a throaty chuckle as she leads you out of the room.

>You and the Princess walk along Canterlot's busy streets.
>Ponies passing by were shocked to say the least at the sight they were seeing.
>"Someone doesn't get out often..."
>"Oh no, I normally just have an escort with me if I walk the city. However, I usually travel either by carriage or by flying myself." she says.
>"And, why are we walking as opposed to either of those?"
>"Why, to see the sights of course! And I love spending my time with my best human friend."
What?
>Celestia stops walking. "Unless..."
>She turns her head and looks you in the eyes with a grin. "Mous, are you asking to ride me?"
>Seriously?
>"Gotta try harder than that, O' Queen of the Sluts."
>You start walking again and catch Celestia grinning.
>"What?"
>"I've never been called a Queen before." she says.
>"Keep the name, it suits you."
>The two of you continue down a street much less crowded then the last.
>Good. All those ponies bowing was getting weird.

>"So, Mous. How has this year been to you?" Celestia said.
>"I can't complain."
>"We both know you could, but indulge me. Twilight says you've made some new friends."
Twilight is spying on us?
>Not weird at all.
>"A few."
>"She also said you made one -good- friend."
>Dammit...
>"Yes, Lotus. We work together. We had actually been seeing each other for some time before the cult."
>"Oh? And how do you feel about her?" she asks.
>Smells like a trap...
>"I love her."
Why did we say that?
>"Oh my~! I would never had expected to hear you say that, Mous!" Celestia teased.
>"I try to defy expectations."
>The two of you continue walking.
>"So, you've been seeing each other this whole year?" Celestia asked.
>You nod.
>"Well now, it seems things are getting serious."
>"I'm committed."
>Celestia gets a grin. "So, no looking at other mares when she isn't around?"
What is this?
>"Nope."
>"What about her?" Celestia points to a mare across the street.
>"Nope."
>"Her?" a pegasus flying over you.
>"Nope."
>"What about -her-?" That one was hanging off some guy in a suit, and looked like a hooker.
>"Nope."
>"What about this?" Celestia spins around and shoves her ass in your face.
Oh, come on.
>You put on your best offended voice.
>"Don't insult me, I know what's been there."

>The two of you approach a large building built into the city walls.
>Celestia stops outside the steps.
>This place looked deserted
>"This the place O' Princess of Pony Pricks?"
>Celestia lets out a chuckle. "That was rather good."
Oh?
>You get a grin.
>"O' Sultana of Stallion Shlongs! O' Countess of Cocks!  O' Duchess of Dicks!"
>You throw out your arms as you put on your little show.
>Celestia laughs and starts up the stairs. "Come along, Mous."
>You follow Celestia inside and enter a large lobby with a single desk in it. A single guard sat behind the desk.
>He saw the two of you approach. "This way Your Highness."
>The guard leads the two of you to a small room with a desk in it.
>You take a seat in the chair at the end.
>The desk was bisected by the wall, the other side of it was seen through thick glass.
>Were you at a jail?
>Celestia catches your attention. "I'll be outside while you do this." she says.
>The door closes.
Do what?

>After a few minutes, the door on the opposite side of the glass opens and a familiar looking pegasus takes a seat.
Oh hell...
>You sigh as the pony stares at you.
>"Stormwing..."
>"Mercenary." he spits out.
>"Any reason we're doing this?"
>Stormwing slumps in his seat. "I'm told that that luminescent bitch in the palace wanted us to have words."
>Of course she did...
>"Fine. Let's have words. How's life?"
>Stormwing grunts. "They treat us like cattle in here. Twenty three hours inside, one out. Not allowed to fly..."
>"Not allowed to worship a dead chaos spirit?"
>Stormwing harrumphs. "I have stopped worshiping Discord, Mercenary."
Well, that's progress.
>"So, serving time for almost bringing about eternal chaos?"
>"No." he says.
>"Oh?"
>He's starring daggers at you. "I am still serving time because I said I would kill you if I ever got out."
Oh.
Well, damn.
>Can't let him know we thought that.
>"You would try...but I can see why they keep you here now, at least."
>We're done here.
>You bang on the door and have Stormwing taken out.

>Celestia sent you back into the room when you walked out, said you had two more visitors.
>The second of which was brought in wearing a straight jacket and a glowing collar.
>"Trixie, nice to see you. I like the necklace."
>"Human. Nice to see you're treachery was rewarded." she says with fire in her eyes.
>You weren't feeling sorry for these fucks. Stormwing was a psychopath.
>"So, how's it hanging? They ever get you to stop seeing Twilight Sparkles big throbbing horn when you went to bed at night?"
>Trixie's face flushes. "Trixie will not sit here and be insulted!" she shouted.
Cute, she doesn't know.
>See they still haven't fixed the third person thing...
>"I see your prison garb is a bit different then my last guests, how is psychiatri-"
>"You thing yourself better then Trixie? You think yourself different?" she asks.
>"HA! We are the same, human. We both saw what we wanted and took it." she's grinning now.
>"The only difference between us is that one of us roams free and healthy, while the other is imprisoned and without a kidney!" her she shouted. She had jumped out of her seat and onto her end of the table now.
Okay...that sucks.
>Didn't really want that to happen...
>The aids must have noticed the commotion, because they came in and tried to wrestle Trixie back down.
>You must have made a face because Trixie got a huge smile. "Remember that feeling, human! Remember the feeling of knowing that you are no different from those you fought!"
>The guards haul Trixie out, but you can still hear her shout obscenities at you from the hall.

Right, well, that was annoying.
>I feel a bit bad about the kidney...
>The door opens
She got what she paid for, bitch was lucky...she didn't...lose...
>Your mind quiets as your last guest is wheeled in.
>Oh no...
>No no no...
>He was in a straight jacket, his mouth locked in a bite-mask.
>The whole thing was very Lecter-ish.
>Unlike before, the guards stay in the room.
>His stare has enough hate in it to destroy a city.
>"Speedy..."
>"Don't talk to me, traitor! You don't get to talk to me!" he barks at you. "Traitors don't get to talk to me..."
>"Speedy...what happened?"
>Speedy was a good kid, he had punched you after the trial, but you just thought that was emotions playing up.
>He's all lit up now. "What happened!? WHAT HAPPENED!? WHAT HAPPENED IS YOU KILLED MY GOD!" he bellowed. 
>The guards moved towards him.
>"Stop."
>The guards stall as Speedy continues his rant. "You join or society, help us gather up everything we needed to summon Him! AND THEN STAB US IN THE BACK!"
Technically, it was the kidney.
>Shut it brain.
>Speedy isn't stopping. "No, worse than that! You made the entire society meaningless when you KILLED LORD DISCORD!"
>The room is silent for a while until a sound come from Speedy's side.
>He's crying... "He...He was the only one that made any sense anymore...and you killed Him. I called you my friend and you killed Him..."
>"Speeds..."
>"Shut up! Don't talk to me..." he's breaking down. "You belong in here with us..."
>That sentence galvanizes him. "You belong in here with us!"
>Speedy starts thrashing in his bindings, the guards start wheeling him out.
>"YOU BELONG IN HERE WITH US! YOU BELONG IN HERE WITH US!" he shouts as they take him away.

>You stepped out of the room.
>You were shaking.
>You remembered the Speedy that you talked to on Gallopfrey. The one that was decent to you when everyone else there was distant.
>The one who took a magical blast to save somep0nies life.
>To see him turned into that?
It sucks.
>You find Celestia standing in the middle of the room.
>"Okay, I get it. Seeing how I've ruined their lives was my punishment, are we done here?"
>You wanted to go home.
>Wanted to see Lotus again and forget all this.
>"Not yet." Celestia says as the doors to the prison open.
Great, what now...
>Two ponies walk in, a mare and a stallion.
>The stallion was just some unicorn you'd never seen before, but the mare...
>The mare, you didn't help when you should have.
>"Screwball..."
>She trots up to you "Hello, Mous. Princess Celestia" she bows.
>Her hair is different, she looked bigger, her eyes are natural.
>"W-what is this?"
No, seriously, what happened?
>"Well, when you helped me expel the Voice and closed the portal, it never came back. I spent a few months in a hospital before I got released." she turns to the stallion at her side. "I went and found my old husband, and well...here I am!" she beamed.
This...this is good.
>"T-that's great, Screwball."
>She looked so much better.
>She glanced up at Celestia. "The Princess told me you would be here today, so I just stopped by to say thank you. Thank you for ending all of that. None of us would be here if you didn't."
None of us?
>That denotes more than two.
She said she was trying for a kid...
>Guess we know why she's bigger...

>You and Celestia wave Screwball and her husband off.
>"Well, come along. I have a chariot ready to take you home." Celestia said.
>The two of you walk down Canterlot's streets.
>"Princess, I have to ask..."
>"Hmmmm~?" she coos.
>"What was the point of all that? I thought seeing how much I fucked everyp0ny in there up was my punishment, but then you brought out Screwball."
>Celestia lets out a surpassed laugh. "Mous, I have been around for a very long time...and I've become familiar with taking extreme measures to stop disasters."
>You glance up at a banner with a full moon on it.
I'll bet she has.
>"The 'point' of this exercise was to make you aware of the most important thing in those situations; taking into account the lives that will be affected."
>Your mind goes back to Stormwing, Trixie, Speedy, and Screwball.
>Celestia must be a fucking psychic. "There were more that were affected then just the four you saw today, most of them are doing well, luckily."
That's good.
>Celestia leads you into the chariot stables. 
>"But, if the trip to the jail was for all that, what was the punishment you told the judge about?"
>Celestia laughs. "Come now, Mous. A year free? Free to think every day on what horrible plans the Princess had in store? I'd say the judge would be satisfied."
>Celestia, you magnificent bitch.
>"Maybe he thought you were the one aiming to be satisfied?"
>The both of you laugh.
>You board the chariot.
>"But seriously, Celestia."
>She cocks an eyebrow at her name.
>"Thanks. For all this. I think I needed it." 
>Celestia gets that grin of hers. "That's two you owe me now."
>You two are left smirking at each other as the chariot flies away. 

>The chariot dropped you off in the center of town.
>You were able to catch Lotus on the path back you your house.
>You'll remember the squeal she made when you snuck up on her for the rest of your life.
>You both decided to forgo T.V. tonight and hid in your bedroom.
>It was your first night where you weren't afraid of some mystery punishment, you were planning on enjoying it.
>You like to think you forced Anon and Rainbow to take a night on the town.
>It was late now.
>Lotus was asleep on your chest.
>It had taken eight months, but you two had finally figured out a way to sleep on the bed comfortably. 
>Your mind was going back to the events of today.
>It still threw you for a bit of a loop, to see what happened to Speedy.
>Lotus stirred on your chest after a bit. "Are you okay? Your heart is beating out of your chest."
>Damn traitorous organ.
>You had been better.
>"That damn thing, always keeping me up. Take it off my hands for me?"
>Lotus cocks an eyebrow.
>"What? It's been a year and I don't see myself giving it to anyp0ny else. Take if off my damn hands for me."
>Lotus crawls up to your shoulder. "What kind of special somep0ny are you? Dumping that on me?"
>You roll over.
>"Come on, it's all noisy and half busted. Do me a solid here."
>Lotus sighs. "Fine."
>She gives you a kiss. "I'll hold onto your heart for you."
Wait, what just happened?
>Jeeze, pay attention brain.
>You pull her close.
>"I love you."
>She wraps her hooves around your torso. "I love you too."
>The two of you stay like that as you drift off to sleep.
>...
Still in the dark here.