Amber Dawn was totally puzzled, and very cross as well.

For six solid hours she had been exercising her magic to its limit, expecting Twilight Sparkle to be driven delirious with sexual pleasure long ago. She had been sorely disappointed - not one orgasm. Twilight seemed to come very close on several occasions, but as the session progressed nothing seemed to work.

Amber had tried every construct she could think of: Tongues, hooves, cocks, vibrating butt-plugs, rope... even some rather rough tricks like riding crops and claws, though she hadn’t actually expected those to work. And all of it yielded nothing but moans, writhing, and most recently and certainly most irritatingly, giggling.

“What is the matter with you?” Amber snarled as Twilight moaned within her bonds. “You should be having the best orgasms of your life!”

Twilight took her time responding, shivering lusciously as the glowing cock between her legs continued to slip in and out of her.

“Mmm... yeah... hee hee!” Twilight snickered between sighs, her hooves weakly tugging at the chains. “I really should, shouldn’t I?” She laughed, then gasped as Amber drove the construct deeper inside her.

Amber was on the verge of using her own tongue and hoof to try to push her over the edge, but her frustration was already making it hard to concentrate on her magic. Taking a deep breath she summoned what she called The Dance of a Thousand Tongues, smiling as Twilight jumped in response, crying out more loudly than she had yet as her every erogenous zone was stroked by a cloud of eager constructs.

Amber leaned closer, waiting for the sign that Twilight was cracking; she must be close now! “Come for me, Twilight,” she cajoled, trying to keep her cool. “Beg me for release!”

“Oh, Amber!” moaned Twilight, turning her head to meet her captor’s gaze. “You... you’re so good at this!” Her face then split into a huge grin, and she started laughing again, this time with an edge of hysteria starting to creep in.

Unable to keep the anger from her features, Amber glowered at Twilight, her spell almost winking out as she barked out, “Then why are you laughing?”

Twilight struggled to respond, her eyes half closed as she alternated between erotic sighs and chortling. “Aheh... hee hee! ...oh, yes...’

“Answer me!” Amber shouted, now trembling with rage.

“Ha! Oooh...” cooed Twilight, then giggled madly and closed her eyes as she spoke. “I’d have thought that you, oh Alicorn of Lust, would have known! Eee hee hee...”

“Known what?” cried Amber incredulously, the glowing tongues around Twilight almost flickering out.

“That’s... ooh, Faust that’s good,” breathed Twilight, her body shaking with desire. “But... hee hee! This little dance we’re doing, this holding back - OH YES! Ahh... pardon me,” she giggled again as Amber growled at her. “Keeping myself balanced on this delicious edge?”

Twilight thrashed her head, her mouth open and panting, every sultry breath showing how very close she was to succumbing... and for the first time, how very far. “This is... ah, yes, more! ...my FETISH!”

Amber stared at Twilight in utter incomprehension. “Wh... what?”

“And as good as you are at this,” continued Twilight as she pressed herself harder against the cock between her legs, “Oh, and you are very good... hee hee!”

She opened her eyes and caught Amber’s gaze as she whispered, “Celestia’s better!”

Amber’s eyes widened in fury, and her horn flashed harshly. Twilight gasped in pain as the cock was abruptly wrenched out of her before the magic that sustained it disappeared. As she tried to get her breath back a hoof struck her hard across the face.

“THAT WAS SIX HOURS OF MY TIME!” Amber shrieked, trembling with anger and malice.

Twilight, still reeling from the extended arousal session, wanted to shrink back in fear from the insanity she saw in Amber’s eyes, but she forced herself to hold her ground. “You are not getting the Element of Magic!” she shouted in Amber’s face. “My friends are going to kick your plot and rescue me! Just give up already!”

For a second it looked like Amber Dawn was going to murder her then and there. However, she sighed and visibly relaxed, a smug grin stealing back onto her face.

“Oh my dear Twilight Sparkle,” she chuckled softly, though there was distinct venom in her voice. “You had to choose the hard option....”

“I’m not going to let you succeed with your plan!”

“Plan A, clearly not,” Amber mused. Her horn shimmered, answered by a metallic squeaking sound from the shadows. A simple dressing mirror on wheels rolled into view. “But there is really nothing you can do about Plan B.”

Twilight looked at the mirror skeptically. There didn’t seem to be anything odd about it to her; it was just a mirror so far as she could tell. She would have scanned it magically but with Amber watching her she knew it would only cause her pain. All she could do was wait as Amber walked up behind the mirror and tapped the top rim with her shimmering horn.

Twilight peered at her reflection in the mirror, feeling nothing. Then Amber spun it on its stand, and it felt like the image in it yanked at her insides. As her reflection came back around there was a bright flash of light that made Twilight wince and close her eyes.

Meaning to examine her reflection again, Twilight tried to open her eyes and found that she couldn’t. A spark of fear ignited within her, and she tried to struggle but found herself unable to tell where her body was, let alone move it. She heard Amber whisper, “open your eyes” and suddenly she could.

All Twilight could see was her own reflection, and it fanned the fear in her to a sudden flame. In the image her jaw was slack and her eyes vacant, and she drooped in her bonds. She consciously worked to move something, cast a spell, anything - even just twitch a facial muscle - to no avail. Only her years of magical training allowed her to keep her mind from frantically spiraling into despair.

“Can you hear me, Twilight Sparkle?” Amber drawled.

“Yes.” Twilight heard her own voice, though she hadn’t willed herself to speak. Her thoughts whirled helplessly. No no no no no, this can’t be happening!

Amber Dawn smiled in satisfaction. “Now, twitch your wings.” Twilight felt her wings involuntarily move. “Excellent.” Her horn shimmered, and the shackled holding Twilight opened, her body dropping down to land clumsily on all four hooves.

“It’s inconvenient that I cannot use the Element of Magic,” Amber said. “So I will have to be content with nopony using it. However, you’re coming to Canterlot with me. We have some unfinished business with a certain tyrant.”

---

Fluttershy sat on a rampart of the upper castle, watching the continuing chaos rolling through the city below. It was the third day of Amber Dawn’s declaration, and as she had promised the mass orgies and rioting continued, presumably across all of Equestria. To Fluttershy it seemed strange that she would command such a meaningless act, whose only result appeared to be causing random, easily reversible damage. A gathering of unicorns could easily use repair spells to undo almost all of it, and Amber had said that no mares would become pregnant.

I just don’t understand, she thought. How can anypony be so cruel and so considerate at the same time? It just doesn’t make any sense....

“Troubled, fair Fluttershy?”

The pegasus jumped in surprise, then relaxed as she recognized who had joined her on the rampart. “Princess Luna! Um... yes, just a little.” She shook her head. “Well, a lot.”

Luna nodded. “Understandable,” she said, walking up to Fluttershy and sitting down next to her. “You must have quite a bit on your mind. Care to share your concerns?”

Fluttershy was stunned. “I would... that would....” she stammered, then voiced her doubt. “But aren’t you angry with me like everypony else?”

The princess shrugged. “My sister says that she is pardoning you for your crime, and that you are owning up to your guilt as well as making reparations. That is quite enough for me; I trust her word implicitly. And besides,” she smiled sheepishly, “she pardoned me for much worse. Clover the Clever once said, ‘Let the pony that has never gone to war be the first to lift a lance.’”

“I think I understand that,” said Fluttershy, falling silent as she pondered. After some hesitation, she said quietly, “I actually have a question for you, Princess.”

“Ask away, and please... call me Luna.”

“Of course, Luna.” Fluttershy took a breath. “When Amber tried to convince me that her... first offer was not immoral, she said that... well, that you and Celestia already control everypony’s... urges with the sun and moon,” she finished, her cheeks pink.

Luna’s eyes widened and her hoof shot up to suppress her giggles. Her wings spread slightly as her attempt failed utterly and she began to laugh outright.

“Um, Princess Luna?” Fluttershy asked, trying to remain patient even though the laughter stung.

“Oh yes, forgive me fair Fluttershy,” Luna apologized, her chuckles falling away, though her smile remained. “No, we really do no such thing, though I can see why it was so easy for her to sell you on that lie. Ehem.” She looked at the pegasus beside her and said, “Fluttershy, do you know why Celestia and I control the heavenly bodies?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, only to stop when she realized, “Actually, I don’t! Do you... need to control them?”

“Well, yes and no.” Luna’s voice was cool and even, though there was a brief flash of anger in her eyes as she looked up at the reddish moon above them. “Current events aside, the sun and moon will naturally move without our magic in such a way that would basically sustain life. Such was the design of the Holy Empress Faust: She made all of creation inherently self-sustaining, though of course not unchanging.” She waved a hoof across the view, encompassing the whole of Equestria with a simple motion.

“However, nature as it occurs by itself is not always hospitable to ponies. In any other nation, the weather happens as it will. Here in Equestria, as with all places that ponies have occupied, the weather is under pony control. It is both an art and a careful science that demands concessions to maintain balance, but at the end of the day it means stable crop yields and minimal natural disasters.

“Ponies made the effort to involve themselves in the movements of the sun and moon because both are immensely powerful magical loci. Specifically, the energies they radiate can interfere with the weather control spells so necessary for us to thrive. To harness the energy and counteract this effect, we move the sun and moon, even though the path that we set is exactly the same as the natural route they would take.”

Turning to look at Fluttershy once more, Luna smiled as she continued. “Now, to address your original question, the sun and moon themselves do have a significant role in everypony’s estrus cycle. However,” she said with careful emphasis, “our magic never affects that cycle, because their actual movements are the same as if we simply let them be.”

Fluttershy nodded, then glared at the stone beneath her. “So she lied to me about that too,” she muttered bitterly.

Luna pursed her lips. “My dear pegasus, what difference does one more lie make?”

“I trusted her, Luna!” Fluttershy cried, just barely managing to hold back her tears. “She acted like she cared about me! I thought that she had brought me together with my true love! I thought... I thought she was nicer than any other pony I had ever met!”

Luna shrugged again. “Then you were a fool. In that, though, you are assuredly not alone in Equestria.” She shuffled closer to the pegasus. “Tell me something. In retrospect, did you ever disagree with Amber Dawn?” Luna grinned when Fluttershy shook her head. “I thought not. And do you ever disagree with your friends?”

“Well, yes,” Fluttershy admitted. “I get frustrated with Applejack when she tries to help me recover my animals because she just keeps scaring them off. Rainbow Dash is even worse; sometimes I think she does it on purpose. Pinkie Pie doesn’t let me get a word in. I enjoy my visits to the spa with Rarity, but she keeps going back for seconds, and it gets embarrassing for both of us. And Twilight... well, if I wanted to memorize ancient pony history I’d read the books myself!” She brought her hooves up over her mouth. “Did I just say all that?”

“You did,” Luna answered with a warm smile. “And you have illustrated the essence of a quality relationship. Their flaws stand out to you as much as their strengths, and you accept and appreciate them anyway. This is true of not just friendships, but family, lovers, partners, co-workers, really any relationship that two or more ponies care about. That’s what makes it possible for ponies to fight and disagree, or even do things that are reprehensible such as promoting bigotry against homosexuals and bisexuals, yet still protect and even love each other.”

Sighing deeply, Luna’s gaze returned to the night sky. “I remember what that era was like. Equestria is far better off today. But I know that the poor attitudes of that time are not entirely gone. And in one respect I’m glad.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows perked. “Glad?”

Luna turned and looked evenly at Fluttershy. “Yes. Amber Dawn lives in a fantasy world where nopony has any problem with anypony’s differences, and bad attitudes are immediately solved with government force or coercive magic. The idea that everypony’s civil rights would be protected instead of trampled upon is wonderful, but what Amber is ultimately proposing is the actual essence of tyranny, despite her claims that my sister has abused her power.”

Luna scowled. “Amber wants to be an autocrat who makes the laws, enforces them, and passes judgment. Certainly not what Celestia and I want for Equestria, let me tell you that fair Fluttershy! We must consult with the nobles before making laws, and we strive to appoint fair and knowledgeable judges to determine appropriate sentences, and that only when guilt has been proven. We are only absolute in our responsibility to enforce the laws that exist, or to choose absolution when it is clearly warranted, as in your case.”

Fluttershy squirmed as the weight of Luna’s words settled in. “Amber wouldn’t be nearly as generous, would she?”

“Not at all.” Luna stood up, prompting Fluttershy to do the same. “Try not to let her confuse your loyalties, fair Fluttershy,” the Princess said, not unkindly. “Trust in your friends and community; they have never failed you before.” With a final small smile she launched into the sky, resuming her patrol of the castle and environs.

Feeling bold in light of Luna’s words, Fluttershy hopped off the parapet to glide down to the courtyard. The tension that had been visible on her face and in the tightness of her wings had faded as she absorbed what she had learned. She still trembled a bit at the thought of what was to come, especially with Rarity, but the calm smile on her face reflected the confidence and hope in her heart.

“Hey, Fluttershy!”

The yellow pegasus looked up to see a familiar face. “Rainbow Dash!” She paused in midair to wait for Dash, and together they flew down to land in the courtyard. As they furled their wings Rainbow sat down and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Fluttershy waited patiently; she knew what it was like to try and speak her mind when the words wouldn’t come to her.

“Fluttershy... I, um....” Rainbow stammered.

“Yes?”

The blue pegasus shut her eyes tight and shouted, “I’m sorry!” She opened one eye to gauge Fluttershy’s reaction, and seeing that she was merely surprised Dash sighed and visibly relaxed.

“What you said earlier... about me... all of that is true,” she continued reluctantly. “And I understand why you said you got bad ideas from me. What I did to you was wrong, leaving you so suddenly and all. I was just so... ashamed.”

“Ashamed?” asked Fluttershy, compassion dispelling any anger she once had at her friend. “What in the name of Celestia for?”

Rainbow Dash swallowed hard. Her eyes were somewhat watery but as Fluttershy watched she gulped and wrestled herself under control. “I have a problem, Fluttershy. I’ve been diagnosed with compulsive sex addiction.”

Fluttershy gasped in shock as a cascading flood of memories suddenly made more sense. “Oh Dashie, I’m so sorry!” she squeaked. “When did you find out?”

“About three months ago, actually,” Rainbow replied, her eyes downcast. “The urges were getting so bad by then that I just had to go see a doctor. I thought I was just horny all the time, and apparently that’s what it started out as. He said it’s a psychological thing that I must have acquired in the past few years from pushing myself so hard, then trying to use sex to relax. My body’s just gotten so used to that feeling that it’s like a drug to me now....”

Rainbow saw that Fluttershy was on the verge of crying and held up a hoof. “Hey, none of that! It’s alright. I’ve been getting help. The doc says that if I try to not shag everypony in town every day I’m going to get better. It’s tough, believe me.”

She offered up a crooked grin. “I thought training to be a Wonderbolt was hard; this takes a lot of discipline! I’m just lucky that I didn’t get it really bad like some ponies do. And like I said, I really think this is something that I can deal with.”

With a deep sigh she continued, her wings drooping slightly. “Thing is, Fluttershy, I wasn’t dealing with it right until after I heard the diagnosis. I just thought that I was really hard up, and... well, you know how full of myself I can get? I decided that since I kept saving the town with you and the other girls, everypony owed it to me to help me out.”

Rainbow Dash hung her head, looking much smaller than usual. “I felt like such a big shot. I was using other ponies, but I was cool with it. Besides, ‘they’re having a good time so what’s the big deal,’ right? Well, I ended up using you, Fluttershy, and that was not cool. I tried to pretend like it was nothing, that I didn’t care...”

Rainbow swallowed hard. “...and the worst part is that until you said something, I succeeded.”

Fluttershy hesitated, unsure how to respond to such a bombshell. She wanted to say something reassuring, but didn’t think that’s what Rainbow wanted or needed to hear. Finally she looked inside herself and found the strength that Celestia and Luna had helped her grow. “Look, Rainbow... you can stop worrying about it. I forgive you. I just... I just hope you’ll forgive me, too... if that’s okay with you.”

“Fluttershy, you’re probably the only pony I know who asks for permission to ask to be forgiven,” Rainbow chuckled. “And the answer is yes, and also thank you. We’ve both obviously done some screwed up things, but that’s life, right?”

“You could say that,” said a gloating voice from above them.

Both mares’ eyes widened in terror as they turned toward the sky. The moon was blotted out by orange wings as Amber Dawn swooped over them. “Good evening, my little ponies,” she chuckled. “Pleasant night, isn’t it? The air is ripe for... regime change.”

The arrogant words cut through Rainbow Dash’s fear, and she glared at Amber, her wings flaring as she pawed the ground. “Not today!” she growled, shooting past Amber into the sky. After several excruciating seconds, Fluttershy saw a Sonic Rainboom fill the sky and a rainbow streak race down toward the earth. Amber watched the whole process with a bemused expression, and as the pegasus blasted closer her horn began to shimmer.

“TAKE THIS!” Rainbow yelled at the top of her lungs, spinning into a kick backed by all the power of her Rainboom dive. Just before she reached Amber a red forcefield appeared between them, deforming under her hoof. She pushed on, her body jittering as she fought to break the shield, sweat breaking out on her forehead.

Amber watched calmly as Rainbow Dash struggled, though her smile faltered when she realized that the field wasn’t outright repulsing her attacker. Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw a crack in the barrier appear under Rainbow’s hoof.

“C’MON BREAK ALREADY!” Dash shouted pleadingly and angrily through gritted teeth.

“Ha! You wish!” Amber retorted, the glow of her horn intensifying. She grunted and the forcefield flashed, blasting Rainbow away into the sky.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy screamed, her fear fading to relief as Dash recovered from her spinout easily. A moment later she shot back to Fluttershy’s side, a smug look on her panting face.

“Hah!” Rainbow spat at Amber. “A little more altitude and I would have totally nailed that!”

“Now, don’t get too cocky, partner!” Applejack galloped into view from the other side of the courtyard, with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance right behind her. “Ya did great though - Princess Luna saw everything and was able to round us all up while ya kept her busy!”

“Of course I did,” Rainbow replied with a wide grin as she exchanged a hoof bump with Applejack. “I’m awesome!”

The mares all took their places in a staggered formation, the four spell casters in the back guarded by the earth ponies. Fluttershy stepped to the side, ready to assist the injured and hoping not to be needed.

“We meet again, Amber Dawn,” Celestia greeted impassively. “It has been quite a long time.”

“Nearly ten centuries,” Amber replied in a cold, cutting voice. “Almost a thousand years away from my homeland. A thousand years in unfamiliar, sometimes hostile lands. A thousand years without the full measure of my magic... which is my very being! That is quite a lot of time.”

“You earned every moment of it, Amber Dawn,” Celestia stated in that too still voice. “Though you may not believe it, I have always respected your cause. What I do not respect are your methods: Pain, coercion, and even death.”

“‘Respect my cause?’” Amber snorted derisively. “Cowards do not possess the ability to respect. You threw my cause to the dogs at the first sign that your reign was threatened. The irony is that in cowering at the possibility of a civil war, you earned yourself a real one.”

Celestia shook her head. “A ruler’s obligation is to the stability of the realm. You know that I didn’t throw your cause to the side, I postponed its realization--”

“I am not here to rehash these arguments!” Amber interrupted hotly. “You are a tyrant and a collaborator with bigoted plutocrats, and you will be removed in the name of the people.” Her eyes narrowed. “You have two options, and both end in your death: Stand your ground and be annihilated in a battle that will no doubt ravage Canterlot, if not worse. Or surrender and be tried and sentenced to the execution you so richly deserve. Do so and I will ensure no other pony gets hurt.”

Her calm demeanor slipping, Celestia glared at Amber. “Even now, when we could find a way to work this out, you choose death as your only two options.” Her horn began to glow. “I’m sorry, Amber. I never meant it to come to this. I loved you then, and in spite of all you’ve done I love you even now. But this madness must come to an end. Please... please, Amber--”

Celestia shrieked in pain, whatever magic she had been calling dispersed as Amber’s horn lit up. “Don’t, just don’t!” Amber snarled, fury etched on her every feature. “You presided over two hundred years of legalized lynching, dismemberment, and murder, and nopony has paid for--”

Amber ducked her head, a beam of blue energy just barely missing her. She looked down at the glowering Luna with a twisted smile. “You are quite loyal to a sister that locked you away on the moon for ten centuries.”

“At least after all these years I have loyalty,” Luna scoffed in retort, standing close to her sister.

Amber’s horn shimmered intensely as she built up an attack. “Familial loyalty is a petty excuse for lacking a sense of justice!” she yelled. She fired a sharp-edged beam of crimson energy at Luna, who rolled to her left to avoid it. The beam struck a stone statue and shrapnel went flying, and Fluttershy, Rarity, and Cadance all cried out in pain as they were cut.

“HEYAAA!!!” Applejack shouted, her powerful legs launching her straight to where Amber hovered, turning in midair to deliver a double-hoof kick. With no time to raise a force field, Amber opted to dodge and spin into a kick of her own. Applejack managed to turn and bring her forehooves up to block the brunt of the attack, somersaulting back to land on her hooves in the courtyard.

Applejack’s attack had given the three princesses time to safely charge up their own attacks without fear of Amber’s cancellation spell. They began firing their attacks with staggered timing, forcing Amber to focus most of her energy and attention on shielding while giving themselves the freedom to draw up more magic. Rainbow Dash shot up into the sky again, preparing another Sonic Rainboom.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie pulled out three of the actual cannons she had demonstrated earlier. “This one is for making Fluttershy cry!” she shouted, lighting each fuse in quick succession. The cannons fired, their fire and smoke coinciding with an energy bolt from Celestia and Rainbow’s Rainboom Kick.

Though projectiles and mare were all repulsed, the shield cracked and shattered. Amber was staggered backward in the air, directly into the path of a magical blast from Cadance. Everypony gasped in horror and frustration as the Elements of Kindness and Generosity glowed, causing Cadance’s attack to flicker and vanish.

Amber tossed her head, and the crown she wore glinted in the red moonlight. “These two Elements are not just a source of raw power you know,” she smirked, her horn glowing as she prepared her next assault.

Invisibly, Discord watched the battle with a jaundiced eye; so much fuss and bother was turning out not to be quite as amusing as he had hoped. His wandering gaze fell upon Fluttershy, and his eyes darted from her tear-stained face to the bleeding wound on her leg.

He brought his claw to his chin, considering; he had been through so much in dealing with her, and not all of it good... and he also remembered all too clearly the story he had overheard of what Amber had done to her. As he watched she whimpered, favoring her hurt leg, but grit her teeth and stood in spite of the pain she was obviously in. His expression unreadable, his eyes lingered on Fluttershy for a long moment before he snapped his fingers.

A deep chuckle rolled from Discord’s throat as he appeared behind Amber Dawn. “You know, little alicorn, I’m surprised at you,” he rumbled over her shoulder. “I spent most of the last thousand years in stone, and even in just the short time I’ve been free I managed to learn something new. You spent the last thousand years scheming and plotting and I’m not sure you learned a bloody thing.”

Amber rolled her eyes and did her best to ignore the draconequus as she dodged and blocked a volley of bolts and cannonballs. She continued to gather power for her attack even as the alicorns arrayed against her continued to harry her.

“What did I realize, you ask?” Discord continued casually as he easily followed behind Amber. “Well, I shall be uncommonly kind and tell you. Just think: another chance to learn, though it will probably be wasted. Now where to begin?” He tapped his chin, pondering.

“Ah, yes!” he said said as if suddenly realizing a profound truth. “It’s simple, really. I’ve never been one to have a lot of friends; it just wasn’t in my nature, or so I thought. I still don’t have many. In fact, I think it’s safe to say I only have one.”

“I can’t believe this,” Amber hissed as she narrowly avoided another series of attacks, looking a bit harried but still confident.

Discord clearly heard her, as he raised the volume of his grand speech. “Just one gentle, annoying, patient, frustrating, and oh so very kind friend. Who you used... no, let’s not bandy words about here, shall we? Who you mentally raped, causing her to betray the mare she loves, and breaking one of the sweetest hearts I’ve ever known.

“And so, congratulations! You're very creative, little alicorn. Powerful, too! I'm impressed! But," he said, his chuckle dying away as the yellow in his eyes darkened to molten sulfur, "I’m afraid you’ve stepped over the line, and I’ve decided that your little display of chaos here, while amusing at first, is no longer... fun."

The air shifted strangely around Discord and in a blink he was right behind Amber Dawn, snarling as he reached out with claw and paw. There was a disturbing wrench as he grabbed hold of the warp of reality and pulled....