Author's Notes:

The Usual Disclaimer:

The following is a work of parody, and is protected as Fair Use under section 17 U.S. Code § 107 of US Copyright Law. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all affiliated characters are property of Hasbro Inc.

I own nothing. All characters, settings and other belong to their respective owners. This is purely a fan-work with no intent towards profit, slander or harm towards the characters, settings or other, or their respective owners. If the respective owners feel that this fan-work in any way, shape or form threatens or besmirches their property, please let me know so that it be can be removed asap.

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Contrary to all evidence, I am not dead. I just feel like it most days.

Shortly after the new year started, I finally found steady work again ... unfortunately, it is very physically-demanding and time-intensive work in a heavily-unionized environment. Which means as a non-union individual, things have been rather ... tense for me. I've already gone through three tires and a windscreen after being revealed to be a 'scab'.

Let's just say my stress levels have gone through the roof, and my fatigue has increased by a factor of ten from all the additional work I end up doing because of the 'politics' of the work-place. But at the same point ... it is a job in a heavily depressed area and with any luck, a year or so more working here and I might be able to save up enough to move to a less economically-depressed area of the country.

I am attempting to polish up and get the remaining chapters out in a reasonable frame of time, but when, six days a week, my day starts at 5am, I leave work at 4pm, I go to sleep at 6pm and wake up at 2am and have to then do my house-work quietly to avoid disturbing the neighbours and house-mate, I have precious little time for a luxury like fanfictions.

I am sorry for the delay and will attempt to get the remainder of the chapters out probably by the end of next month, but please be patient with me as I work my way through the current situation.

CHAPTER 60

“Well, this is awkward.” Shining sighed, staring out the window of the nicest carriage on the ‘Ponyville Express’ with his wife on one side, and Adamant and Flash Sentry sitting on the other bench across the small room … and half a dozen reporters crammed against the private room’s interior wall and door, hammering on the glass and demanding interviews and exclusives, with their cameras trying to peer around the edges of the blinds that Adamant had, in a flash of insight, drawn down to prevent unauthorized pictures being taken when the other two Crystal Guards on duty screamed about being over-run by paparazzi. From the far end of the hallway.

And even that wasn’t entirely guaranteed to work, given that at least two of the reporters had Stump Corp. access cards hanging around their necks, as did about a dozen or so Pegasi who were racing the train, trying to pull up next to the Royals’ window to get that one incriminating shot. If Stump was involved, odds were there’d be illegal, magically-augmented lenses on the cameras that would be able to penetrate solid material to get a photo regardless of what type of physical barriers were put in place for privacy.

“Well, at the very least, surely we’ve left most of the reporters back in Canterlot. After Celestia releasing the information that the Changeling Queen is confined to the Castle and that Sunset Shimmer is trapped in the Cell of Ultimate Confinement, I’d expect that Stump and Murdock will be focusing most of what they’ve got on trying to get a camera into the Castle to get a scoop.” Flash Sentry pointed out, flaring a wing up against a slight gap between the blind and the window-frame where one dementedly determined reporter was flashing away with a camera. “That just leaves us with a few diehards from Murdock and Stump’s camps, and of course the Muckrakers’ crews, to try and get their happy-snaps, and their Ponies aren’t nearly at the level of the Murdocks or Stumps.”

“Perhaps I’m speaking out of turn, sir, ma’am, but I cannot believe the Ponies here are so disrespectful to the Princesses! It’s absolutely unthinkable!” Adamant snorted, slamming a hoof against his share of the window and making the Ponies on the other side jump back in alarm. “I cannot understand why this is allowed to happen.”

“Adamant, Princess Celestia is over five thousand years old … she has always told me that she’s seen what happens when a leader, even a good one, has nobody to say them no or point out their mistakes. I will heartily agree she’s allowed the media to become too hostile and toxic, but you have to understand, we Alicorns are Immortal.” Now Cadence spoke, a sad smile spreading across her face as she explained the situation to her loyal Crystal Guard. “Unlike a mortal leader, whose mistakes can be corrected by other mortals, our mistakes can last for centuries, if not longer, and have the weight of divinity behind them.”

“Imagine how much damage we could do if we are never questioned, never challenged? If we come to believe that we can do no wrong because nopony ever spoke against us, for good or ill, and began to lose sight of our fallibility? For all the conflict between Celestia and myself right now, I still believe that she speaks the truth, at least in this particular case.”

Adamant grimaced but nodded, while Flash Sentry just rolled his eyes, then grunted as Adamant kicked him in the shins, Shining Armor elbowed him in the ribs and Cadence levitated a pillow over his head and whacked him with it.

Sighing again, Shining looked out the window and grimaced as the flock of Pegasi reporters, so focused on their attempts to get a good photo of the Royals in their private room, failed to notice the sign advertising Donut Joe’s ‘Mane Six Special’ deluxe box speeding ever closer as the train steamed its way to Ponyville, before the enter flock slammed into the broad, painted wooden sign with a crunch that was audible even within the carriage and over the train’s rumbling.

It was going to be a very, very long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So Rares is currently koo-koo for coco-puffs an’ we’re waiting for this ‘Happy Place’ pony to come an’ fix her? Right. Jus’ perfect.” Applejack grunted angrily, taking a hearty swig of coffee and apparently burning the back of her throat in the process from the sounds she made afterwards. “’An’ just because we all ain’t got enough problems, ontop o’ that I jus’ ran into three Fillies whom smell like they jus’ did a week-long tour of a brothel. What next, the Caribou invade?”

“As bad as what the Crusaders were doing to each other while we were out, what’s happening to Rarity is even worse. Our friend is convinced that Nightmare Rarity is back and has fused with her mind. She’s alternating between being the sweet, giving Mare we all know and love, a paranoid wreck demanding that we all apologise to her or she’ll slander us to the far side of Equestria and back again, to a gibbering, terrified child screaming about the monster in her mind that’s trying to literally ooze out of her skin.” Twilight explained to an ashen-faced crowd of friends who had once-again crammed themselves into her kitchen. Even Pinkie Pie seemed serious for once despite having curly hair, which was almost a miracle in and of itself, although Twilight was also certain it was possibly the first sign of the apocalypse. “We’ve got Luna’s Bat-Ponies keeping watch on her to make certain Rarity doesn’t hurt herself, or another Pony for that matter, but for the time being, I’m asking for all of us to have a moratorium on using the Elements of Harmony and … well, if anyone is having any strange thoughts, any weird impulses to do things relating to their specific Element, let one of your friends know about it.”

“Well, I am feeling a little guilty about what I did to Rarity … and your front door.” Rainbow offered awkwardly, but Twilight shook her head.

“That’s normal, natural even, Rainbow. Rarity is our friend, it would be bizarre for anypony, especially you, to not feel guilty after putting her into a full-body cast after the disaster that was the Cake's cake. No, I’m talking about something like what Rarity has apparently experienced a few times before she ‘broke’ yesterday: A naturally generous, empathic Pony turning inexplicably selfish and hostile to the point of self-destructing in-front of us, something that’s almost a complete inversion of one’s character without needing Discord or some other external force to make the change.” The purple Alicorn explained, levitating small journals towards everypony. “I’ve been going back over my own actions and thoughts, as far as I can recall, and trying to figure out if and when I’ve been acting ‘against’ Magic, and I want all of you to do the same.”

“And before you ask, no, I won’t be reading the journals. That’s for Happy Place, the Royal Psychologist, who won’t tell anypony else what you’re writing in them. Anything you discuss with her will remain private, even from the Princesses. All of the Princesses.”

Her friends, her remaining friends, all took their journals from Twilight’s levitation, eyeing the books with trepidation or in the case of Applejack, anger. It was obvious that Applejack was still upset over what had happened to the Crusaders, but at least she wasn’t acting on her grudge while Rarity was … incapacitated.

“Where’s Luna, by the way?” Rainbow Dash asked Twilight softly as the other three Ponies in the room wandered out of the kitchen to have a discussion of their own, a discussion that had plainly been one Twilight wasn’t invited to by the expressions on Pinkie’s and Applejack’s faces when Twilight had gotten up to follow them.

“Luna decided that she wanted to have a moment to herself, Faust knows I understand, we’ve been either joined at the cutiemark or getting under each other’s hooves since the moment Princess Celestia sent us both out to the Everfree Forest.” Getting her friend another cup of tea, Twilight ran herself through the calming breathing exercises over and over again. Everything was spiralling out of control, her friends were … Calm down, Twilight. This is huge, and the Princess who knew what the Elements could do to us told us nothing about it for three years. They’ve every right to be angry with Celestia, and even you and Luna, given that Luna is Celestia’s sister and I am her ‘prized’ student.

“And she just … left you with Trixie the Dickmare? Who may or may not be infectious with either the dickmare thing or the succubi curse, or maybe secretly working for the Succuponi who tried to convert you against your will in the first place?” Rainbow asked, looking somewhere between shocked and amused. “Said dickmare who apparently wants to introduce you to her magic wand, repeatedly and at … length?”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuugh, that joke got old really quick, you know? Considering that Trixie’s proving herself to be an asset and I am supposed to be trying to tell her that Luna and I are together on my own, rather than keep relying on Luna to do the harsh things in this relationship?” The purple Alicorn groaned and put her muzzle onto the kitchen table for a moment. “Dash, you’re supposed to have had more mare- and colt-friends than all of Ponyville put together …”

“Oh geeze, backhoof compliments, how can I refuse?”

“Just … look … you’ve dated a lot more than I have, so tell me how I tell somepony who is very much into me that I’m very much against them getting into me in any way, shape or form?”

“Just mare-up and tell Trixie ‘it’s not me, it’s you and your cervix crusher’.”

“Rainbow, I am trying to avoid kick-starting another disaster, not encouraging Trixie to fall off the friendship wagon and try to enslave Ponyville again. Besides, up until a few days ago, Luna and I were both very much straight Mares. I’m not sure if this thing with Luna is just us being really good friends and Luna being so giving and … and the fantastic sex, or if I really am bisexual and it took accidentally sparking with a Goddess to tumble us both out of the closet.”

“How … fantastic are we talking here?”

“Uhm, at the risk of sharing too much?” Twilight blushed and traced a hoof across the top of the kitchen table. “Fantastic enough that Lotus and Aloe caught us in the steam room ... and we didn’t stop. I am kicking myself for never trying sex-stuff up until now.”

“Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait. I kind of guessed you were a virgin up until a week ago, but you never tried … anything? Not even on your own, uh, special touch?”

“Ugh, and now we get to the ‘sharing too much’ part.” Twilight mumbled, but nodded, groaning again as Rainbow Dash's face went through an indescribable series of contortions.

“Twi … you’re a young, hot mare, and you’ve never even hoofed it? How in Faust’s name have you made it through your estruses without some kind of sexual release?”

“Spike sleeps in the same bedroom as I do, Rainbow. Ewwww, no, there are some things I want my baby brother to remain ignorant of, so I basically just toughed my ‘spring madness’ out rather than risk traumatizing Spike. And I was all but raised by Princess Celestia, so imagine trying to diddle your bean with the knowledge that the personification of everything good about our species is just a few rooms away and you’re full of the belief she knows exactly what you’re doing, and the virginal goddess of the light and all things holy disapproves mightily of you being ‘naughty’.”

“Virginal?”

“She … gives off the aura of unblemished purity. I, of course, am old enough now to know that’s not the case, I mean, the various Princes and Princesses over the centuries shows she’s at least had enough sex to produce offspring, but … look, let’s just say I have had no privacy for that kind of thing until I moved to Ponyville, Pinkie’s inevitable and unstoppably random entrances at unfortunate moments notwithstanding … and no interest in exploring anything to do with sex until Luna and I crossed horns and accidentally sparked each other silly.”

“Have you considered that maybe, just maybe … it’s just normal sex, and you’re just thinking its great sex because you’ve never … had anything other experiences?”

Twilight blinked and looked at Rainbow as if she’d grown a second head, mouth opening and closing for several seconds before steam exploded out of Twilight’s ears, and she turned from purple to incandescent pink.

“WHA-WHA-WHAAAAAT?”

“No, I’m serious here, Twi. You just said you’ve never had an orgasm before you and Luna accidentally got together.” Rainbow winced at how hard she was pushing the ‘accidentally’, but Twilight had just given her possibly the best opening the would-be Wonderbolt was going to get in this situation. “Have you considered you’re just friends-with-benefits, not actual girlfriends? And you said both Luna and you consider yourselves ‘straight’, right? Have either of you ever actually … banged another mare before this all happened? How can you know you’re actually both having great orgasms, not just so-so ones? I mean, Luna might know, but she might not want to say anything since you’ve kind of just started?”

“I … I don’t know if I’d say that. We … ah … well, it all started when Luna and I touched horns accidentally, and we can … sort of feel each other when we do that, do you remember me …”

“Saying something like that back in the Everfree Forest, yeah, but what does that even mean? You can feel each other’s location? Each other’s moods?”

“Not … quite. Imagine there’s a mirror. Now imagine that everything that happens in or to the reflection, you feel as if it is happening to you, and likewise, everything that happens to you, the reflection can feel and experience.”

“…’Kay. So you’re saying you can feeeeeeeeeeeh?” Rainbow’s jaw literally dropped as she finally grasped what the furiously-blushing Twilight was saying. “You’re telling me you two feel each other’s orgasms?”

“Not so loud! Faust! But yes, when we’re snuggling and not fighting the Sympathy, just letting it do what it wants to do, we really just … one of us builds up to an orgasm, which means the other one also does, and then we’re both peaking together, and we’re both so in sync that … I don’t have the words for it, Rainbow.” Blushing, Twilight put her face in her hooves and sighed.

Rainbow sat back in her chair, wings sagging and mouth open. How in bucking tartarus am I supposed to compete against magical alicorn sex-powers?

“Uhm, Rainbow, since you’re willing to talk about all … this … can I ask you a question?”

“Sort of … trying to process that I’ll never have mind-blowing magical unicorn sex because I’m a pegasi, but sure, fire away.” Rainbow replied in a monotone, watching her current plan burn up like so much dead grass in a summer fire.

“Good, great. Uh, at the risk of dragging us back into the ‘too much information’ part of the conversation … is it normal for a mare to ‘squirt’ when we’re …”

Rainbow groaned and put her face on the table as Twilight, in a adorably nerdy fashion, proceeded to pump her for information about a mare’s body that, had the conversation happened a week before, Rainbow would have happily provided a very physical demonstration of.

And yet … they’re just fumbling about, trusting in this magical malady they’re stuck with. They aren’t really bisexuals, this is just puppy-love and post-orgasm closeness. Rainbow thought to herself as Twilight gushed about being held after sex while Rainbow made thoughtful-sounding “Hmmmm” and “Aaaaah” noises. That doesn’t mean that she’s ever had a real orgasm, just magic-induced ones. I’m still in the game … if she’ll stop crushing my plans by accident!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Your Majesty, you know I’m a loyal servant but this is … somewhat odd.” Dawn Ray muttered, awkwardly shuffling in his new uniform, or rather, a second-hand one that had been left behind when Shining Armor had been ‘reassigned’ to the frozen north.

“Dawn Ray, you are a senior Castle Guard, well known by my soldiers and have the double benefit of being both liked and respected by your comrades. While Rosebush is … absent … you will be a fine Royal Guard Captain in her place. You might even find yourself holding the position permanently if Rosebush’s issues with Cadence and the Changelings cannot be resolved.”

“I was actually referring to the front-page advertisements in the papers and on the radio. A month-long ‘amnesty period’ during which any Changeling who turns themselves in at the Castle proper, where they may apply for citizenship, regardless of their previous actions?” The middle-aged Stallion asked in a tired voice, pointing a hoof to a dozen newspapers scattered across Princess Celestia’s desk, the front pages of which all bearing the same message, and the same symbol, the Sun-and-Moon crest, which identified the message as crown-sponsored and approved.

To falsely use that crest was punishable by treason, and even Stump, Murdock and the Muckrakers hadn’t worked up the stones to test that in the courts yet …

Celestia sighed and sagged a little behind her table before meeting Dawn’s eyes. “Something that Chrysalis has said has been bugging me, if you will pardon the term. She mentioned several times when Stoic Mountain and I were questioning her that she and her sisters came across the Equestrian border decades ago. Yet we have only ever faced Chrysalis’s Hive, a single enclave of Changelings, and she is the only Queen-caste Changeling amongst their number, disguised or not.”

“Ah.” Dawn Ray said, blinking sharply as he considered that little nugget of information.

“Yes, ‘ah’ indeed. And if her claims of some greater evil on the other side of the Badlands is indeed correct and not just a petty attempt to avoid her just punishment, then that means there could be multiple Changeling Hives, hostile enclaves of shape-shifting assassins all perfectly designed by some unknown entity to blend into our species and be nearly undetectable, hostile enclaves within Equestria who may still be loyal to this ‘greater evil’. And we might never identify these enclaves unless we get lucky and a Changeling uses their abilities within range of the detection charms the Magi are creating.” The Princess explained, placing a hoof on the front page of the Stump Times, her frustrated look growing grimmer as she used the hoof to push the front page aside to where the second page of the paper was almost completely dominated by the words ‘Princess on the verge of surrendering Equestria to Changeling Menace?’ greeted Dawn Ray’s eyes. “This is a calculated risk, my loyal Guard. If I can convince the other Changeling Hives to follow Chrysalis’s lead and join Equestria directly, or at least hammer out a peace-accord with their Queens, we stand a better chance of protecting our little Ponies than retaining a confrontational position with these Hives who may or may not still retain ties to the threat Chrysalis speaks of.”

“And if this ‘threat’ across the Badlands is actually real, we might gain access to more … credible … sources of information that Chrysalis.” Dawn Ray muttered, reading the first few lines of paragraphs under the libellous text before rolling his eyes and snorting in disgust. Apparently being ‘forced’ by Royal Decree to print what he was told, and only what he was told, on the front page of his own newspaper had enraged the infamous and clandestine owner of the Stump corporation to the point he had personally write an editorial, and nopony at the paper had had the stones to point out the whole thing came out as stark raving gobbledegook revolving around Princess Celestia’s very existence being a personal insult to the writer’s sense of importance in the world. “But is it worth the cost? We clawed back significant ground from your detractors yesterday, and they’re going to jump on this and take back almost all the headway we made.”

“And that is different from normal how?” Celestia shot back, a hint of a teasing smile on her face.

“Considering all the complaining that is made within the Castle, especially from a certain Princess, about how we never seem to get any respect from the public media, yet you have just painted a bullseye on your flank for those very same ponies?” The Royal Guard-turned-temporary-Captain said with considerable heat, to which Celestia blinked slowly and turned her attention back to the newspaper. “Unless there is some secret, self-destructive plan between yourself and the Royal Public Relations ponies to actively destabilize the country by letting yourself get torn to shreds day in and day out by Stump, Murdock and the Muckrakers to the point we have an armed uprising against the Thrones, I cannot see how this helps us in the slightest other than the slim possibility that Queen Chrysalis, a known antagonistic force towards our country and a scheming liar who was able to fool the entirety of Canterlot for months, might be telling the truth.”

“The alternative is we leave the Changeling Hives as an unknown within Equestria and our allies, and we have no way of knowing if they share a similar modus opperandi to Chrysalis’s Hive.” Celestia pointed out weakly, trailing a hoof over the Royal Seal on the front-page of another paper. “While we are in a position of strength, it would be wise to offer the other Hives a chance to come in under our wing and be protected under the law as official citizens, rather than leave them out amongst the populace, either to continue preying upon our citzens or to become the victims of witch-hunts.”

“And what happens if no Changeling Hives turn themselves in?”

“Then we tell the citizens that Chrysalis’s Hive is the only one in Equestria … and have the Royal Guard and Magi sweep the country with what we can glean from our ‘guests’ to make absolutely certain we are Changeling-free, planting detection wards and runes in as many cities as we can so that any Changelings who refuse to join us openly cannot hide amongst the populace.” Princess Celestia turned and gave Dawn Ray a sad smile as she stood up from behind her desk, her horn glowing and the papers all folding themselves up into a neat pile before putting them in her ‘out’ box. “I have little reason to believe Chrysalis is lying this time, not with all the counter-measures Bleak Mountain and I have put in place to force her to tell the truth. And with how badly injured she is I cannot see the Changeling Queen risking actively antagonising the one nation on Equis who would have few qualms about crushing her and her beloved children if she proves false for a third time.”

Dawn Ray looked at Princess Celestia, then around the Royal Office, noting the many pictures of foreign heads of state, famous philanthropists and heroes of many races and, both past and present. Individuals whom Princess Celestia had lauded and thrown her support behind because they represented harmony, compassion and respect for life.

“Do you honestly believe that? You, of all beings, ‘crushing’ anything if the need arises?”

Princess Celestia was quiet for several seconds, and Dawn Ray mentally kicked himself for asking such a blunt question, while the stallion assumed a parade-stance, expecting to be lectured or even dismissed from his Princess’s presence. It was well known that Celestia abhorred violence and warfare, but history had shown that when push came to shove, the Princess was willing to step onto the battlefield, and there was a smoking crater the size of a small village that had once been a Gryphonian war-camp near the border to prove she did more than just provide moral support.

“ 'Should the need arise?' Yes. With the additional pieces of my Regalia I am currently wearing, I can crush Chrysalis with about as much effort as one would expend stepping on an ant. If I were to don the entirely of my Regalia, Dawn Ray, it is well within power to raze the surface of the world to ash, boil the oceans into steam, set all of the sky ablaze, 'should the need arise'.” The white alicorn said quietly, a haunted expression on her face as she stood up and walked around the table to stand in-front of him, her wings drooping slightly.

“Hence why I am so loathe to wear the Regalia: Should I fall to corruption as other Immortals have, or worse still be driven into a corner by my enemies and lash out without thinking about the consequences, without restraining myself, it would be far too easy for me to wipe out staggering amounts of life in the process, for I control the Sun, Dawn Ray. A sphere of fire and raw power so vast a hundred worlds the size of Equis could disappear into it and the Sun would still remain hungry for more.”

“If I should ever turn to evil, if I should ever become corrupted, then all life on Equis is doomed.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Now Bloom, ah … oh mah stars, ah was hopin’ you’d be a fair bit older a’fore we had this conversation …” Applejack stuttered, mashing her hat between her hooves again and again as the two sisters sat down for ‘the talk’ in a quiet corner of the library, while Pinkie and Fluttershy had likewise taken a Crusader with them for similar discussions.

“Is this about giving the pickle to Sweetie and Scoots? Or about them giving the pickle to me?”

“Faust as mah witness, girl! It’s ‘bout the whole dang thing, an’ y’all are way too young to be buckin’ each other’s brains out!” The older farm-mare exploded, then blushed as four heads turned to give her startled looks. “Y’all gotta cool down an’ stop this … t’aint natural for a mare to have that thing, an’ what’ll y’all do if’n you get yourselves pregnant?”

“Trixie sat us down and explained that we’ll … be really, really hungry for sex because of the spell’s effects. An’ the aphrodisiacs in the cake ain’t really helpin’ either.” Appleblom said slowly, and it irked Applejack to no end that her sister could be so calm in the face of her older sister’s frustration and anger. “She’s taught Sweetiebelle a charm to help us avoid knockin’ each other up, an’ shown me how to make a tea to drink to keep our bellies flat. Ain’t the best solution, ah get that Applejack, but it ain’t like we’re jus’ bein’ silly and leavin’ dents in the headboard without thinkin’ about the consequences.”

“This is worse than mah first estrus last year. Ah can’t just diddle the bean till ah blow off some steam an’ get back to mah chores. The cravin’s jus’ don’t stop unless ah’m in one o’ the other girls, or they’re in me, so the best thing ah can do is make sure we ain’t gonna ruin our futures while miss Twilight fixes this mess.” The younger mare put a hoof to her cheek and sighed heartily. “Ain’t what ah thought mah week was gonna be like, but at least all those times getting covered in tree-sap prepared me for this a little.”

That conjured some images in Applejack’s head involving her little sister that the older farm-mare really wished her subconscious hadn’t generated …

“Ah ain’t really comfortable with y’all getting advice from that … that showmare, but she’s really bein’ straight ‘bout this? Can’t y’all jus’ … not bump yer uglies? Ah mean, ah remember bein’ your age an’ learnin’ what the crease ‘tween mah legs could be used for, but this jus’ seems …”

“Sis, imagine the fuzzy-head yah get during estrus an’ how you’ll do anythin’ if’n it means getting’ a cock inside you? Now imagine it bein’ twice as bad an’ yah got the smell o’ a cock hangin’ round, makin’ it even worse ‘cause yer sproutin’ an’ drippin’ all over the place …”

“Can’t rightly say ah’ve ever sprouted.”

“Ah’d smack yah sis, but we both know you’re stronger’n me on even your worst day.” Applebloom snorted, then dropped down to her belly on the couch and sighed like there was a Cutie Mark waiting for her if she did it hard enough. “It ain’t like we wanna be doggin’ each other’s kennels, but it jus’ … builds up ‘til none o’ us can keep our hooves off each other. Ah can’t explain it any clearer than that.”

Applejack sighed, crushed the sick feeling in her belly down and leaned back, considering her little sister’s words. They made sense after all, in a twisted fashion. With a spell designed to help repopulate an entire species cast on them and the aphrodisiacs from the Cake’s great cake-mistake flooding their system, it would be nearly impossible for young, inexperienced Mares to keep their hooves off each other.

“At least y’all didn’t wander into Snips and Snails.”

“Oh come on, they’re not that bad … but yeah, kind of glad we all ended up at the clubhouse together rather than wanderin’ into town.” Applebloom gave a short laugh, then her face scrunched up in thought. “Hey, Applejack? Do you know anything that can get, uhm, ‘water stains’ out of wooden floorboards?”

“Oh mah Faaaaaaaaaaaaaust…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna paced back and forth, chewing on a mouthful of her ever-flowing mane in thought as panic gripped her.

Her re … rela … relationship with Twilight was both a boon and a source of endless distress, for Twilight was a sweet and thoughtful mare who seemed happy to be with Luna, not Princess Luna, not the Immortal but the Mare … but Luna also knew that her sister, ever-plotting and planning centuries ahead at the least, ever seeking to bring peace and harmony to the world whether it wanted it or not, had plans for Twilight that certainly did not include seeing her beloved student entangled with her benighted sister!

And yet the thought of being separated from Twilight permanently made Luna sick to her core. Their ‘entanglement’ had been accidental, their continues efforts to understand the Sympathy muddled by their feelings and the mercurial nature of the ‘affliction’ and Fate itself seemed hell-bent on making sure their progress was slow and grinding, but it also begged a question Luna felt she dared not answer.

What if they did master the Sympathy? Once Luna’s estruss had run its course, would they still be willing to entangle with one another? Or would the rush of hormones and wild sex fade into an awkward distance between them?

Would Twilight still want to be Luna’s friend after they’d crossed such an important line and found it wasn’t for them? The thought of being alone again but for her sister, who was often absent due to her own royal duties, sent panic racing through the Lunar Princess’s veins and set her the tone of her pacing from nervous to frantic.

And now Celestia was, once again, completely bypassing Luna and altering the fate of the world. Changelings being allowed an amnesty period to turn themselves in and become officially recognized citizens of the nations. Queen Chrysalis surrendering herself and being subjected to ‘the trial of the century’, as the papers put it.

And despite the many ways that Celestia could have easily contacted Luna nearly immediately and asked for her input and advice … nothing but silence.

I cannot, will not, spend eternity as the younger sister meekly following in Celestia’s wake, not again! She promised that I would always be included in the fate of our nation after I returned from my exile, yet here we are once more…

Luna turned and paced back the way she’d come, eyes narrowing in anger and frustration.

But I simply cannot abandon Twilight to go home to Canterlot and give Celestia a piece of my mind, not now, especially not now. With Lady Rarity in such a fragile state, the proto-succubi is only barely trustworthy and cannot be trusted to leave Twilight unmolested and ensuring that Twilight herself is guarded at all hours of the day and night until her Ascension is complete, and our Sympathy is only barely understood and could flare up again at a most imappropraite time should we make a mistake … but if I take her back to Canterlot with me, how can I guarantee that the Changelings may not make a last-ditch attack against my Twilight, attempting to kill her or accidentally corrupting her?

Again Luna turned and paced, back and forth, her mind likewise chasing itself hither and thither. It was only when the sunlight began to dim, and Luna looked up in shock to see a wild storm that frequented the Everfree Forest beginning to block the sun that the Lunar Princess realized she’d been fretting to herself for several hours.

Perhaps … I should simply ask Twilight what she believes the right course of action is. And together, we might find a way forwards.