After the bittersweet visit with Demir, Avarice was feeling rather angry with himself for having left his lovers alone for so long. Not to mention Poor Ichor, and likely Sharp Snap. Those Die Leucht fucks have had several months to do what they willed with them, and he had no idea just how bad things could be with their knowledge of mutative and practically transformative alchemy. Not even counting whatever they were using Dox’s blood for too.

Yeah, he wasn’t here at the time Dox was abducted and almost exsanguinated to death apparently, happened during his absence, but he was reading on his Echo right now the full reports of what major things had happened since he’d up and vanished for four months. He didn’t want to walk into the castle as if nothing had happened, that’d be stupid and irresponsible to a degree not even he could condone.

So...he’d actually been here when Dox was initially taken captive. Avarice grimaced that the official report was that he was “Emotionally Unsuitable For Deployment” due to an “Identity Crisis” which had been more or less true, as Vaga had dropped the “you’re a god now” bomb on him barely a few days before Missy summoned him, not to mention the trauma and shock added onto that by how he was still grieving for not even a week before that when Vaga first spoke to him, ACTUALLY spoke to him, and told him of Earth’s fate.

Fucking trolling Vaga….

Regardless, he was glad to know that Vaga personally took matters into his hands, saving Dox as well as two of his lovers. That aside, the Die Leucht had, only a month or two later; AGAIN abducted Dox, this time with the express goal of killing him for good. And once again; Vaga was the one to rescue him and his group, this time alongside Luna who acted as his backup, all the way in Griffonia. ‘Next time we see Vaga we’re rending him to pieces for endangering Lulu like that!’

{Calm your testes Av. She would’ve gone even if he didn’t take her if she’d been aware. Especially since the report also says that the Panther Crows were wiped out.} Crescent appeased the fuming mutant alicorn, who huffed out smoke and continued scrolling down the holographic screen of “incident reports”. He was currently sat atop Canterlot’s mountain at a normal size, for him, of fourteen feet with his clothed rear melting the snow around him, and the draconic portions of his body’s current form allowing him to not give a shit about the rapidly flowing water soaking his pants, his fiery internal body heat making the biting cold rather pleasant.

‘I’m wishing I’d gone to the con as Jackie Chan from the cartoon show about now. Then I might’ve been Displaced as a humble guy with all the skill and dumb luck to somehow come up smelling like daisies, unlike me now; stumbling around with absolutely no luck or skill to back up my power.’ Avarice bemoaned mentally. Sure, he wouldn’t trade this power for anything save his loved ones now, but damn, what if...damned powerful words.

{So are we appraised enough? Can we finally drop in on our sexy mates? We have to face the music sooner rather than later colt.} Crescent dutifully reminded and Avarice sighed out his nose, mentally bracing for the reaming of his life.

‘Let’s get this over with.’ Avarice bemoaned his fate, but decided to go for a devastating shock-and-awe approach to let them all know he was back.

[ $ ]

It was yet another gloriously peaceful day in Canterlot, a wonderful respite for the otherwise usually beligered Princess Celestia. Ever since she started showing, her advisors and military leaders had insisted-nay; forced her to take it easy and leave all the stressful management to them and appoint a regent. She would do no such thing! Not during a war that has spanned several years! She understood their concern, but she couldn’t in good conscience leave the country in somepony else’s hands besides Luna, and she was still off in Bullgaria, currently siegeing the capital.

She sighed blissfully in peace however as she ran a hand down her gravid belly, smoothing what few creases there were in her soft baby-blue gown, the cool winter air a wondrous counter to her hot body. She loved this sensation, being so full of life, simply allowed to rest. She’d let her military advisors take over the paperwork, since they only had to bug her for extreme issues, she essentially had nothing to do except care for herself. “Enjoying some rest Tia?”

Celestia groaned in joy as two huge, dexterous claws suddenly clamped onto her shoulders, rubbing what tension she had out. “Oh~ Sonata...thank you.” Celestia was indeed grateful, her enormous Q-cup breasts were a burden on her upper back and shoulders, even with her huge belly that seemed full term with triplets for them to rest on. Luna and Sonata didn’t have much issue with their own bountiful assets though, Luna because she was just stronger than her physically, and Sonata because she was a Claptrap.

“No problem Tia. After all, I’ve downloaded those caregiving subroutines for a reason.” The 14-foot-tall black and gray techno-organic Claptrap was wearing her full set of armor again, the black and crimson body-conforming alloy plates being reshaped for her own larger J-cups, which used to be I-cups, which used to be H-cups. She’d been through the ringer on breast augments for her chassis, all of which of her own choosing. Her current size was from her come-and-gone pregnancy, she’d laid her seven eggs last month and was as curvy and thin as she’d initially been.

In order to massage the seated 9-foot mare, Sonata was kneeling behind her balcony lounge chair, and the Diarch of the Day was moaning from her fellow herd member’s incredibly gentle claws. “Oh Sonata~...what would I do without you and the others?”

“Wallow alone in loneliness?” Said another voice as a similarly fecund mare in a green gown waddled onto the balcony. “Were it not for us, I fear you would have succumbed to depression with our mate so indisposed.” Zerona the Hawaiian zebra was rather swollen with foal herself, easily just as big as the larger mare in scale, even though she was a week behind her since conception. She was with seven foals herself, one more than Celestia, which explained said size. Otherwise her bosom had also grown from a pair of cantaloupes to two large watermelons, still nothing compared to the Solar Princess, but it was a small grace to the otherwise happy and grinning zebra. “Are you ready for your tanning? Are you sure you wish to turn yourself golden?”

Celestia smiled at her herd-mate’s concern, but looked down at her white-furred hand and wistfully imagined it being gold instead. “Yes. I want my fur to turn gold, if not for vanity reasons, then just for the enhancement of the lotion’s ability to allow me to absorb the energy of the sun better.” Celestia was beyond interested when Zerona told her of a special alchemical tanning lotion her tribe had developed that had also been known to change fur color permanently. It could do any color really, but she imagined herself golden...and she was taken with it instantly.

“Very well, then I will-.”

“Hello~ sexy mommas~.” The sun was suddenly blocked out, and the mares and dragoness all looked up at the voice, and gaped at the sight of an incredibly handsome stallion with slit green eyes and grinning shark teeth. But that wasn’t why they were gawking. He was enormous! He was standing and his head cleared over the balcony where they were relaxing while his hooves were still firmly planted in the grassy field of a garden below. “Oh, come now. I know it’s been a while, but things can change in a few months.”

“Avarice?!” The three members of his herd all shouted in shock, recognizing his cockney accent and gritty voice easily, making him give a rumbling chuckle that they could practically feel.

“The one, and only. Not many can say something like that, but with my nature; I apply.” Avarice answered, before leaning down and lidding his eyes at his sexy mates and humming as he hovered his nose over Tia, who wasn’t as scared as she was surprised, and he sniffed her deeply. “Hm, the tanning lotion? Changing fur color dear?”

“Y-yes...Avarice, what happened to you?” Celestia asked, her magic flaring softly as her condition forced her to take it easy, and she reached her aura out to him, gasping as she felt him consciously reach back, and entwine his own aura with her’s. “You’ve ascended?” Celestia breathed out, and gently stood to hug his muzzle, her body pressing into his lips. “Oh Avarice...what have you gone through in our time apart?”

She was shocked then when, he suddenly was no longer a giant, and stood even-height with her, hugging her back as her arms were suddenly squeezing his rippling back muscles rather than his face, and he had hooked his head behind her neck. She could feel a dam of utter despair deep within him that he was struggling to maintain, and she hugged him to herself tighter. “I missed you.”

“I’m here Avarice. It’s okay.” Tia cooed, soothingly running her hands up and down his back, kissing his neck as she let the tightly-hugging stallion hold her. He needed it. He had to know he had something to hold onto. She was all too familiar with the signs of a pony on the very edge, and she’d be damned if she let him break.

They stood there like that, embracing, silently cherishing each other’s presence as Sonata and Zerona smiled as they looked on, both also understanding he desperately needed his First Mate right now. “So aren’t you going to ream me out? I mean I’ve been gone for a long time.” He asked, still not letting go, practically crushing Tia’s back muscles in his claws, but she endured.

“The thought crossed my mind a few times, but no. You’ve been through enough.” Tia assured, nuzzling his neck as she tried to assure him that he was safe here. He was with loved ones.

“Besides, we need to meet any new members you might’ve brought into our herd with that mare-killer between your thighs first.” Sonata joked, and Avarice laughed as he let Tia go, the mare fluttering her wings a bit to get some tension he’d caused out.

“Well, actually...yeah. I do have someone for you all to meet. But first, is Lulu still at the-.”

“JOYOUS DAY!” Luna’s familiar voice in her Royal Caps Lock echoed out of Tia’s bedroom and onto the large balcony, which was no longer barricaded from paranoia, considering the large number of Loaders and Claptraps ensured that no assassins would be sneaking about, and she already had a couple claptraps on poison detail so none of their food could be tampered with. They still tried though, the dutiful bots having stopped several poisonings from happening and catching at least three different spies.

The extremely busty Q-cup night-blue mare who was still without foal happily trotted into the bedroom and onto the balcony, her steel armor having been dented, scratched, cracked, and even completely ripped off in her right breast’s case, revealing a quickly-healing gash in her otherwise glorious orb that she didn’t care to cover right now. “Sister! We have won! Bullgaria is now ours!”

“That is great news Luna! Oh, I feel so much relief, knowing that a third of our troubles are finally gone.” Celestia sighed, feeling some of the weight of the world lessen off her shoulders. “Who do we appoint as regent for the country though?”

“Lord Horn may be old, but he has a few decades in him yet, and he won’t betray us, or let Bullgaria fall if he has anything to say about it.” Luna informed, and Celestia nodded in ascent to her sister’s choice. She’d been able to meet with Lord Horn once, and he was an incredibly well-mannered and wise bull from what she’d seen. “Oh, I did not know we had company. Hello. I am Princess Luna. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Luna introduced herself to Avarice, not recognizing him in the slightest due to his rapidly changing preferred forms not letting her connect the dots yet as he grinned at the polite princess who, despite trying to hide it, was obviously ogling him. “Lulu, we’re already rather intimate. I don’t think trying to start over is a wide decision.” Hearing him, Luna’s wings flared open and she let her decorum fail her as she jumped at him and squeed in joy as she hugged around his neck.

“Beloved! We hath missed thee dearly! And thou shalt not evade another bedroom encounter this time! We hast been chaste for several months, and thou shalt sate our desires. Especially for such a momentous occasion!” Luna demanded before she kissed him full on the mouth, moaning as she squeezed her breasts, both armor-clad and bare to his chest, and he hummed as he returned the kiss, before gently breaking them apart with a smile on both their faces.

“Okay, now that you’re all here. I need to introduce you all to someone special.” Avarice moved back away, and gently fingered the dog tags around his neck. ‘Missy~! I’m calling you in to introduce you to the rest of my girls. Now is the best time, they’re all happy to see me, and things seem to be looking up for the first time in forever.’

[MC-PoV]

There was a brief jingle in the air sounding almost like a children’s song. A simple, black, shadowy, gate opened and a small blue stallion with a messy brown mane and tail. His cutie mark was a gear and bell over an explosion. Staring up at the wide eyed mares and dragoness, he giggled a little.

“Greetings, I am Mistress Change, also currently known as Tinker Bell. Pleasure to meet you all.” He walked over to Avarice, wrapping a foreleg around his lower body. “How are you doing?”

“Better, now that I’m home Missy. Everyone; I’d like you to meet Missy. He’s a Mass Shifter, so he’s technically genderless, but he can be anything he wants so long as it’s a living form. This, however.” Avarice trailed off, holding his claw towards Missy’s mane.

“Hi I am Jeff, Mistress’s partner. Happy to meet all.” Jeff formed a face with his slitted eyes and shark like teeth. Nodding to the surprise mares and dragoness. The dragoness’s eyes flashed with curiosity about the “living” hair.

“My, he is quite adorable.” Zerona commented as she waddled closer, Missy’s face blushing a bit at her pregnant form. “Where did you meet?” She asked as she turned to the side and reached down to scratch his ears, getting Missy to grin and lean into the affection. It always felt so good to get the ears scratched.

“Oh I summoned him to help my partner Duncan deal with a rampaging magic construct. Then one thing led to another, I got pregnant, Jeff helped so we have an egg, all three of us the parents. He also ate a piece of my hoof which is where some of his new powers come from.”

“You mean you were a giant using the power you gained from the cute dear?” Tia asked as she looked down at Missy in astonishment, and he rolled his eyes, deciding to take away the adorable factor of full-pony, considering this was clearly an anthro world.

“One second, those of weak stomachs may want to look away.” Mistress then began moving his mass, his legs bending the other direction, and feet forming from his hooves. He rose himself up on the legs as his arms slimmed down and hands grew. Jeff flowed over him becoming a simple flower patterned sundress. Mistress grew her own hair out in voluminous blond curls with green highlights. Her chest size increasing to a respectable D-cup, till her now blue eyes checked the average size on the balcony and knocked it up another two sizes to F.

Deciding against the anthro form she shrunk her horn and flattened her face, till she became a supermodel figured human with gray-green skin. She smiled at the mares and dragoness. “Yes he was a giant because of me, and several other factors.”

“Because I already turned matter into energy, my new body can also turn energy into mass. And you all truly love me, so...yeah...I had a lot of energy just from being around others, feeding off the ambient emotional energy like a changeling and just getting more and more. Now when I just let myself loose, I’m a giant.” Avarice explained, before he suddenly shot up in size to being 14 feet tall, causing his girls to blush and Missy to giggle at his antics.

{Jeff get some photos of pony Tia and Luna ready, more embarrassing the better} Mistress directed Jeff as he used the phone in her pocket. He came across several from times Mistress had pranked them with ink in their sleep.

{Will these work?} He asked using their mental connection to share the pictures.

{Yup}

“Well I must welcome thee to our herd. Whilst things here are not all as they should be, we are currently in a good enough state to welcome yet another into our folds.” Luna wagged her eyebrows, making Mistress blush at the very heavy innuendo that the super-busty princess had just made.

“Two” Jeff piped up, not liking being left out. He cared for Avarice too.

“I would happily be welcomed, I must insist that in private you remember that there are two of us, Jeff is his own person, please don’t treat him as a pet or an extension of me.” She said the last part with a familiar fondness that the girls recognized. It was the same fondness they used when speaking of Avarice.

“So sounds like Avarice didn’t waste much time summoning me, why don’t we all get some lunch so we can get to know each other better. I’m sure you all want some time with Avarice anyways, sexy sex god he is.” She winked at him getting Avarice to bashfully look away and scratch the back of his head.

“Yeah...kinda...I’ve ascended into being a God of Fertility. Likely the fault of both my contract, and being so modified by Die Leucht accelerating it. So...that along with my new Shifter powers, I could please any and all of you at one time even.” Suddenly, a second Avarice began emerging seamlessly from the original, getting everyone to gape as the clone easily stood in the buff, everything on display as he and the original leaned against one another, before speaking. “We’re two in here remember? Crescent? Multiple souls, multiple egos, one mind. So if one of us is trouble, you’d better make it double~.”

“Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light” Mistress chimed in giggling to herself.

“Surrender now~ or prepare to fight~!” They chorused as Jeff suddenly formed a mouth from the sundress over Mistress’s breasts.

“Jeff, that right!” Mistress now folded over laughing at the jokes. Ah Displaced, atleast they got the pop-culture references.

“What?” The locals and the dragoness all asked in complete confusion to the four’s amusement over what seemed to be a reference they couldn’t get.

“.... You know Dox once gave my cell infinite battery, anyone think they can give it internet connection across the void?” Mistress asked the desire to spread the power of anime across the multiverse growing. She pulled the small white and pink cased phone out of her pocket. Looking hopefully at the claptrap dragoness.

“I’m afraid I could only give you guest access to our local Echonet, and we don’t have any entertainment up yet. We’re too new. I could still improve your phone for free though, boost signal strength, send and receive more forms of signals, even perform all around better. Other than that, I’m afraid it won’t help explain your little inside joke.” Sonata informed, getting Mistress to sigh and shrug.

“Centuries of work and I still can’t watch anime. Oh well, if you can do that, I would love the access to information, I’m a bit of a tinkerer and could even pass any inventions I make back to your Handsome Jack. I’ll just need his token, but we can sort that out later. For now...embarrassing pictures!” She turned the phone over, in a smooth motion unlocking the screen to show a picture of Celestia and Luna cuddling with black ink drawn all over their face. Gigilling as she went.

“Oh goodness! So adorable!” Tia gushed, pulling her sister in closer to look at the image. “Aw, even as quadrupeds, they look like us when we were a bit younger.”

“Indeed sister. I can also see she too has a bit much jiggle to her wiggle.” Luna sniped back, giggling as she poked her heavily pregnant sister who huffed indignantly as she pat her belly, getting Mistress to gulp and try not to focus on it, lest her nipples decide to give Jeff a tease.

{Damnit five minutes around the man and I lose body control again.} Mistress groaned internally. Jeff laughed, making a comment about enjoying it.

“Its from what is normally referred to as a more “Alpha” universe featuring more “Feral” body types. I assume you have had the Displaced explained to you then?” She switched to one of Celestia hiding her anger at a griffon diplomat, her eyebrow twitching with a faint golden aura around her warhammer.

“Oh~ I like her sister! She’s much bolder than thou.” Luna jibbed at her sister again, and Celestia rolled her eyes.

“I have the desire to pound idiots too Luna, I just don’t break out into an enraged beat-down like you do sometimes. Why do you think the nobles are so scared of you?” Celestia admonished, elbowing her sister, sending glorious quakes through their breasts and lifting up the domed gown a bit, getting Mistress to once again fantasize suddenly about her beautiful baby belly, and blink the dirty thoughts away.

{Damn it, no! Not now.} “I like this one, I wonder if you have one to?” Mistress slid it to Luna sleeping with a cute little pony doll. She was sucking her hoof as she slept. Jeff laughed, {We could always relax instead of eating?}

“Aw...Tiberius III! I do so miss him.” Luna admitted, looking at the picture fondly. “Alas, even if we do not grow out of our little toys, sometimes we just outlast them.”

{Jeff make a note for next time we visit Star Swirl, we shall bring presents next time!} Mistress refused to let the alternate of one of her best friends be sad. Then she blinked, finally taking note that Luna’s right breast was exposed, she was wearing broken armor, AND she had a line of missing fur on her breast, exposing red, inflamed flesh that was open in a thin, but deep line where a wider gash had clearly been not long ago.

“Oh Luna let me see that,” Mistress reached over, placing a hand on Luna’s breast without a second thought. She focused her magic, knitting the wound closed and regrowing the lustrous midnight-blue hair. She smiled at her handy work enjoying the now perfect breast, how she missed seeing boobs. “There now you won’t get a scar.”

“Oh thank you dear! We were going to enlist the aid of the infirmary in knitting it closed, but your magic is much more advanced than ours. Here, in gratitude.” She suddenly closed the distance, and surprised Mistress by gently grabbing her head, and putting her face to the 9-foot tall mare’s still-exposed breast. “Know that we embrace thee fully friend. Thou may even drink if thou wish.”

{And now I’m embarrassed, how does this keep happening, not like its my first breast. Jeff we are going to need to partake in the welcoming before anything else. My head is way too distracted.} She sighed taking a quick sip of Luna’s breast milk, it was creamy, sweet, warm and filling. She only suckeled for a moment.

“Thank you, that tasted far better than I was expecting, this world’s physiology is vastly different from many I have visited. Now then I must confess, I’ve been reading the minds of several of your nearby servants. I’m concerned to say the least. Perhaps you can catch me up on the situation here? Then… we can… get to know each other better?” Mistress blushed at her own suggestion, but the rest all just grinned impishly at her, {Oh gosh, I’m in a relationship with some of the sexiest women and man I’ve ever met, and they’re all perverts too. I’m nervouscited just thinking about it.}

“We’ve had regular assassination attempts as of five months ago to current. The first ones almost claimed our lives, but thanks to Avarice and his affiliations with Hyperion Interstellar Corporation, the attempts have become less and less as we captured more and more agents.” Sonata informed, stepping forward as an Echo hologram projected from her eyes, showing the important video files from Solar and Lunar in their respective put-downs of the first assassination attempts. “The first ones were the worst. After that, Solar and Lunar have doggedly hunted down every suspect, set up security in an infallible net around their respective mistresses, and have repelled all attempts thus.”

“But you still haven’t found them all, or even the local base for these...Die Leucht?” Mistress asked, fishing the name from the surface of Luna’s mind, the hate and utter rage against the name made it impossible to ignore, especially from the Mercurial Luna, and surprisingly even the gentle and loving Celestia.”What has your counter intelligence network found?”

“Next to nothing I’m afraid. These fools would sooner commit suicide before they give any information.” Sonata stated, making Crescent turn away in shame.

“Alright, if I may have your permission, I would like to read your minds. Think about every detail you can. Then I’m going to get to work at my specialty… after we do some things to clear my head, mister sexy is messing with my mind again.”

“Hey~ not my fault I’m so sexy. I’m, too sexy for my shirt~!” Avarice sang, his gritty voice creating a rumbling tone that sent shivers down her spine, especially as he ran his hands up and down his washboard abs and his fucking glorious hard pecs-

{Damn it I need it now!} Mistress pounced on the stupid-sexy-sex god and chaos ensued.

[ $ ]

After banging...everyone. Especially Celestia and the zebra Zerona, what with their divine, sexy pregnant bodies, they cleaned up and Mistress decided to sit down with each of them, get a look through their minds and see if she could pull anything specific or overlooked from them with their permissions of course. Each of them had something to offer, save Sonata, couldn’t read her; robot after all, alive or not. Thankfully she upgraded Mistress’s phone to the Echonet and gave her access the the video files from her memories. Jeff was currently reviewing the videos for clues.

Celestia’s memories provided a good starting point. Noting the face of every servant she started creating a list of any that ever acted oddly that weren’t already ousted as assassins and spies before, and some who she felt might not be but were imprisoned under suspicion. She hoped Mistress could prove them either guilty or innocent, a nice gesture from a wonderful mare.

Luna’s memories about the daggers brought out a lot of questions, even one of those daggers would be a treat to tinker with. Although upon learning that Star Swirl of this world had died she quickly placed that thought to the side. She loved her friend and mentor, it was unsettling to watch the memory, she hugged Luna afterwards, the two comforting each other.

Zerona didn’t have much about the local situation, but her memories of abroad, as far back as her homeland of Zebrica. Disturbing. Somehow they had agents that far out. The corruption was extensive, she hoped she could get enough of it to set them on a downward spiral. It was so much easier to topple a tyrant than a shadow organization with talons in every pie, eyes on everyone, and ears everywhere.

“Thank you Zerona, knowing the extent of the corruption saddens me deeply. However I will not rest until this problem is resolved. Now then if you will excuse me I have some work to do.” With that Mistress rose, shifting into a bland and simple servant stallion. He began a brisk walk towards the kitchen. Some of the best places to learn proper gossip, and find low level spys.

Along the way she noticed, three guards whose thoughts were of the recent attacks, they were far too upset. She slid around a corner listening to them think. She was quickly rewarded as each one remembered being contacted with orders from Die Leucht. Making note of all three names and Guard stations she moved on. She also grabbed the image of the ponies who contacted them with orders.

Upon finding her way to the kitchens she found many a happy mare chatting along with gossip. Mostly they were talking about Avarice, the new ‘consort’ of the princess’s. Reviews were mixed several found him terrifying and creepy. Many thought him to be a rude undeserving creatin not fit to be around. Especially since he showed up out of nowhere, a practical street urchin, beguiled Celestia with his good looks, and now he’s in the royalty’s pocket and then some. Oh and the scandal of him vanishing for months, sending troops, supplies, new technologies.

From the way they spoke of him, he was like the Steve Jobs of this world, both ridiculed, and given adulation for his providing them with such wonders as these “golems” such as FIX Loaders that work construction and engineering exclusively, and the Echonet for communicating. And they wouldn’t stop talking about how sexy he was. Stop ogling my man! {Whoa, possessive much Mistress? Calm down, anyway.}

{Well this is a regular hen’s den, shall we gaggle like the rest of the geese?} Mistress asked Jeff with a smile. Sometimes mind reading was just a touch overpowered. She sighed at her lapse in control, taking a deep breath she prepared herself.

{Perhaps a new maid would be proper.} Jeff thought back eyeing the maid uniforms. Rather attractively formed on each usually very curvy mare. Considering their employers, it must be the norm here.

Shifting to look like a young girl barely old enough to be on staff, but still very clearly busty and shapely to not stand out. Her fur was a deep blue with her main a lovely violet, after settling the details she and Jeff made their way in.

“Um.. ‘scuse me I’m a little lost. I just got hi-hired today, an-and was told to report to the kitchen.” She played up her lost girl persona, sniffling as she went.

“Oh you dear girl you. Its alright, I don’t remember there being any new workers mentioned. Are you sure you are in the right area? This is the kitchen.” A large mare with an apron and chef’s hat on spoke to the lost girl.

“Ya, said it was a favor for me pa, he was in the army and and and…” She started crying unable to finish letting the mares make their own assumptions.

“Shh, its ok deary, what’s your name?” The mare patted her on the head. Her huge bosoms bouncing as her arm brushed against them.

“Hyacinth miss. I’m a hard worker, and I used to do the cleaning. I promise I can help!” She exclaimed portraying a fear of rejection. While inside: {Oh~ why is everyone in this world hot? I think the influence of Avarice is still messing with my head, lowering my inhibitions, it’s a good thing I like it.}

“Well then there is a mop and bucket over there. Why don’t you start and we will help you learn to cook. It’s always nice to have an extra hand.” Nodding to the closet with a well handle attached to the wall next to it.

Mistress quickly got to work, earning a smile from most of the staff. At Least they didn’t have to mop anymore, so much they could push off on the new girl. Listening in she managed to catch a lot of important information. Like the fact one of the employees was not even with Die Leucht but tried to poison the princesses out of religious fanaticism, seeing them accept Avarice as a fall from grace. Mistress made particular note of that one to make sure there wasn’t another shadow group to go after.

“Um, ma’am I was wondering, I missed lunch, can I take a break? The food everyone is cooking smells great!” She asked the head mare again.

“Sure, and call me Cream, short for Cream Puff. Guess what the princess asks me to make the most.” She laughed, sending quakes through her great bosom. Mistress giggled at the joke, smiling as she accepted a cream puff that Cream handed to her in humor.

“So I was curious why the castle is in such a lock down state. The guard searched me a dozen times.” Mistress commented acting ever innocent. She munched down on the sweet snack, making sure she got a little cream on the corner of her mouth for added effect.

“Deary where have you been? Don’t you know about the attempts on the princess’s lives?” One of the other cooks called out. The religious mare visibly tensed at the sudden change in topic and grew very silent. However that once sentence flooded Mistress with useful knowledge. Several mares thought of their husbands currently in jail. One mare though was of particular interest. She was a old cranky mare who had worked in the castle for decades. Mistress shivered hearing her list the ways she had ordered the princesses killed. All in the name of Die Leucht.

“Don’t they know who is doing it? Is it the Minotaurs?” She asked mocking shock and fear. She regulated a bit of extra epinephrine, norepinephrine and dozens of of other hormones. The response was a perfect simulation of fear.

“Oh, most definitely not, at least now that we’ve apparently won the war over them from Princess Luna’s earlier overjoyed announcements across the kingdom earlier from the Echo has anything to say about that.” Cream said as she tossed about some dough with her big but nimble hands. “If it was them, any agents working from there would have either left or surrendered. Any sort of violence against us would just be salt in the wound, spite, no real point to it.”

“That is super scary, no one know where they are coming from? I’m glad the guard has gotten so good, especially with those golems helping them out. We will be safe here… right?” She asked finishing a second cream puff and returning to work.

The old mare continued to smirk in her corner, ignored by the rest of the cooks. {Too bad they will never learn of Die Leucht or our base in Trottingham. Ah, the Gray Stallion, a shame we have failed you so much.}

“Yes they have almost gotten routine at their job. I’ve had so many wonderful meals ruined by poison, it’s such a shame.” Cream Puff shook her head as she continued rolling out the dough.

Mistress almost jumped for joy at all the information she’d gathered, it was so easy to get unguarded ponies thinking. “Well I’m glad I’ll be safe here. Just makes me scared, I might be forced to go live with my uncle out in the country. I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens.”

“Well if you work this hard everyday you will always have a place here. Now it’s getting late, why don’t you take the rest of the evening off. Dinner's almost ready.”

“Thanks I’ll be back tomorrow if I can then!” Mistress wave happily as she skipped out of the kitchen. With luck she could have her new herd friends saved by the end of the week.

[ $ ]

“This is a list of every single operative I found. Also I recommend keeping this one I’ve noted, around, and feed her false information. You might be able to draw out more of them that way.” Mistress texted the list of ponies she found to be known members of Die Leucht over Echo with her phone using a private channel. She also sent a second list. this one consisting of other spies from other countries, and organizations.

“Also keep an eye out, several ponies are unhappy about Avarice, and see him as a corrupting force in spite of all the good his company’s technology is doing. Might try some PR there to fix that. it seems that many fear the technology. Others seem to think he might even be a demon from Tartarus seducing you. I hope you can think of something soon, I don’t think I can keep calm with ponies so rashly accusing our man of things.” Mistress growled, her pony face becoming a bit dog-like before she shook herself, glad she’d slunk away to a small storage closet so there weren’t any prying eyes. {Ugh, Avarice, at a distance? Really? Why can’t I control myself today?}

“AH~!” A terrified scream jolted Mistress to alertness and she quickly stashed her phone before she bolted out of the closet, and froze at seeing something disturbing, and also very unsettling. “Miss Graystone~!” The maid wailed, kneeling over the bleeding corpse of the old mare Mistress had taken the most valuable information from in the kitchen, and she paled under her coat of fur while more of her sanguine flowed from her slit neck.

{No...how? Why?}

“There’s been a murder!” A guard’s voice called from down the hall, and a said guard, who had no treasonous thoughts at all so he was clean, paused at the sight of the mare. “Damn it, another one! Two murders! Two murders!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, as more calls of other voices echoed through the castle, screaming murder, some fresh screams of fear.

{No! NO! What’s going on?! I just started, I was as absolutely inconspicuous as possible! How could they have known? Are they just cutting and running?} It made no sense Mistress hadn’t encountered anypony that seemed even capable, let alone using mind magic. There was no way that it was a coincidence, something had to have known they were compromised… {but how?}

“Well aren’t you the prettiest Monster I ever did see?” A smooth male voice came from behind her, and before she could even move, a large knife plunged into where her heart would’ve been, clean through her spine, but heart-or-no, this knife was something different.

“AH~!” Mistress screamed in agony, it felt like the blade was trying to literally rip the life from her body. Jeff instantly went limp, his mind breaking from hers. It was terrifying, the sudden onslaught of emotions flooded her as she lost control of her own mind.

“Feel it Monster? A blade that takes all magic of any form, in your back. Only souls can break it from what I’ve learned.” He held the limp Mistress up by the blade in her back, the maid had run off the instant the unseen attacker had appeared. “And you Shifters, you’re all so reliant on your magic you have no idea. I’m surprised you didn’t dissolve instantly.”

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” Mistress took a gasping breath as the huge knife suddenly left her, and she fell to the floor just as a giant swathe of black flames flooded down the hall over her. “Touch our mate again Leon, and thou shalt have thine soul devoured!”

{My hero….} Mistress thought as she panted and cringed, the wound wouldn’t seal, she couldn’t change shape. {I can’t Shift...I CAN’T SHIFT!} “A-Avarice...help…!” Mistress was about to panic, lowered brain chemicals had spiked, all control of her body was gone, Jeff wasn’t responding to anything! All reasonable thought left her as she lunged at Avarice, finding she could at least shift her teeth, she ripped into the flesh of his shoulder.

In a blind fury she ripped the arm off, consuming chunks of flesh as she went. She was using the fresh biomass to stop the bleeding. The feed back from the wound caused her to convulse on the floor. For a moment she blacked out to the world around her. “I SAID STAY AWAY FROM HER!” She heard Avarice roar above her, and more heat, he was clearly desperate to keep whoever this was away from her.

{I...I just ripped off his arm and ate it, and he’s still defending me?} Mistress asked herself in awe, before she opened her eyes to see the clearly scared and worried Avarice standing over her, his left arm torn off at the shoulder, the rest of it gone; eaten in her rabid desperate frenzy. But his fear wasn’t of her. She bolted up, gasping in pain as she still wasn’t back to normal, and she also froze.

Down the hall, was a platinum-blond human man of fairly impressive stature, definitely taller than her right now. He wore black combat fatigues aside from his shirt, which was instead a form-fitting black muscle-shirt clearly meant to make it easier for him to move aside from his harness over his torso holding various tools, grenades and other small weapons. In his hand however, was the offending weapon that hurt her; a bowie knife...that was it?! However, what really stood out was his glowing purple eyes.

He was Leon S. Kennedy...oh fuck! That’s right! {Avarice is the Merchant! A Resident Evil character! This Leon I’m seeing is the character design from the same game as him; Resident Evil 4!}

“You okay Missy?” Avarice asked, not taking his eyes off the enemy, who similarly kept his eyes trained on them while a fresh arm sprouted out of the torn stump.

“I’ll live, we need to end this fast, and I need to see Star Swirl, something is wrong with Jeff,” She forced herself to her feet. Taking a deep breath she settled on a defensive stance, like riding a bike she prepared for combat.

“How cute. The Monsters found love. How about I help you dance?” Suddenly he drew a pistol from behind him that couldn’t have possibly fit, considering it has a stock, and he shot Avarice through the head from that distance, but Missy’s beau merely stumbled back, and hissed with a gurgle as he regenerated. “No, no, that’s not how you waltz. You have to put a bit of certainty in it.”

“There’s no ending this fast Missy. This bastard’s too strong. We can only fend him off until reinforcements arrive. Then he’ll run. Leon may be a certified badass, but he can’t take a whole horde of enemies at once.” Avarice then split in two, revealing that Crescent was with him too.

“Alright, then no rush attacks, we just hold our own till help arrives. I hate fighting like this.” Keeping an eye on Leon watching where he aimed, prepared to dodge as best she could.

“Aw, she won’t be any fun, she’s already wisened up. How about you dance with me fellas? I think I can accommodate two.” The pistol was gone, and suddenly it was a CHICAGO TYPEWRITER?! “What was it you said? It’s not about shooting, but reloading?” The cheap bastard held down the trigger and a hailstorm of bullets flew down the hall.

Mistress jumped high clinging to the ceiling, aiming to avoid the first volley of lead. Avarice and Crescent didn’t bother though. “What are you doing?!” Her horror was ruined when they stood stock still, the bullets being stopped by a now-visible shield that was around them, and it wasn’t until now that Mistress noticed the shield modules they had on their waists. {Oh~ right, Borderlands.}

“Are you quite done?!” Crescent shouted over the typewriter-like loud firing only for a grenade to bounce off his face. “Shit!” They jumped away, their wings giving them an extra boost that allowed them to avoid the frag grenade’s explosion.

“He can shoot a Tommy Gun one-handed AND throw a grenade at the same time?! HAX!” Avarice shouted angrily before the gunfire finally ended.

“Huh...gonna need to get my hands on some Hyperion tech if it’s that good.” Leon commented before putting his Tommy behind his back, vanishing as easily as it’d appeared. “Looks like range isn’t going to work with you two. But my time’s up. Killed all the loose ends anyway.” He then looked up at the petrified Mistress, and he narrowed his eyes. “Most of them anyway. You already sent the information, so you made my mission pointless. Congrats Monster; you win this round.”

The gunfire suddenly roared through the halls, and Leon bolted down another hall as Loaders stormed after him at ridiculous speed. “Oh~...Mistress...what happened?” Jeff’s voice echoed out from Mistress’s maid dress and she gasped as she dropped to the floor and began happily petting Jeff by rubbing her hands over herself.

{You’re alive! Oh thank Billings you’re alright! I thought I lost you!} Mistress hugged herself, and by extension Jeff, slowly sinking to her knees, holding back choking sobs as tears left her eyes. {I thought you were gone….}

{Should know by now Mistress it’ll take more than that to kill me. Even if it was more potent than a Null.} Jeff groaned as he flung chunks of his own body out, tainted pieces from around the wound. The anti-magic had made them no-longer compatible with his own body.

Before anything else could be thought, Mistress gasped as she found herself protectively wrapped in two sets of arms. “It’s okay sweetie. Avarice is here. We won’t let anything hurt thou.”

“We shall remain here for thee.” Crescent whispered as he kissed her brow, and Mistress couldn’t take it anymore. She wept. She’d hadn’t been so scared or helpless for such a long time. Nothing had outright horrified her and laid her bare like that before, not even the Nulls of her ‘homeworld’ had gotten so close.

“Come dear. we shall carry thee to our bedchambers.” Avarice softly comforted as he moved his arms under her, carrying her bridal style away from the scene, she buried her face in his shoulder and continued to cry, clutching him for a sense of stability to ground herself, to tell her that she was okay, that he could protect her. No matter how much her rational mind screamed in terror otherwise.

It felt good to cry like that, to not have to be so strong. She had been strong for so long, even with her own princesses helping her, she had felt like an older sibling. Now she could finally let someone else be strong, to let the weight of the world off her own shoulders for a bit. Sniffing, she looked up at Avarice, in a soft tone that he had never heard before, “Thank you, Avarice. Thank you so much.”

With that she let the adrenaline stop flowing and fell fast asleep in his arms as he muttered sweet nothings in her ears.

Author's Notes:

'Nother Crossover, this time with me hosting for once! This and next chapter are with Reinardtoma's Shape Shifters and Sakura Cards in Equestria

Here she helps us along on our journey, while also being brutally reminded that she is still fallible, still a little fish in a very big pond. Leon apparently does that to anyone he fights.