Author's Notes:

Warning: A little more homosexual content, a little past halfway through.

My mood steadily worsened as the train pulled out of Ponyville, making its way across the valley towards the mountain on which Canterlot was perched. Doubts and regrets and questions plagued my mind.

There was something fucked up about how this power, and my relationship with ponies in general, revolved around sex. The self-hating part of me wanted to blame myself for my juvenile focus on it, but a smaller part insisted that there was more than that. Between the whole cum addiction thing and Celestia's panic over a single defenseless human, there was mounting evidence to suggest that… well, I wasn't sure exactly what, but there was a fundamental connection between humans, ponies, and sex.

The more I learned, the less confident I felt in sating my desires. My use of Daisy and Bon Bon bothered me in a big way. I'd half-thought I could let loose and just enjoy being in a sexualized Equestria without consequence, but here was my conscience rightfully rearing its ugly head. Toying around with Daisy out of spite, making Bon Bon suck my cock for telling me the truth… It didn't sit well with me.

I couldn't help get a rush of perspective, though. Waah waah, I'm a big baby because I had sex with two hot ladies and now I feel bad. What a beta cuckold I was. I'd spent waaay too much time on imageboards, in retrospect.

Also, I'd momentarily forgotten about Sassaflash in all the drama, and my interaction with her was barely triggering the morality alert, for some reason.

Could it really be as simple as 'I don't like spite and anger in my sex'? The encounters that were overall positive or uplifting (like most of the Welcome to Ponyville party), I was far more okay with. What did that say about me psychologically, and how did it fit with some of my other fantasies?

Round and round I went in my mind, but after I had tired myself out on the subject, there was still plenty of trip to Canterlot to go.

I let out a sigh and took a look around the train car. The seats were more or less filled up, at least one pony per bench, but there was no one I felt like talking to or interacting with. I was feeling neither sociable nor horny, and my grumpy, guilty mood wasn't helping to change that.

Nor was this headache. Over the last many minutes it had become a buzzing tingle across the top of my head, like what it feels like when a limb has fallen asleep. It was getting hard to think of anything but just taking a nap on the bench until we arrived in Canterlot. But then I heard some raised voices from the next car over, which didn't help my cranial discomfort.

In the interests of removing this problem and finding something to do other than wait, I got to my feet and carefully made my way through the doors and across the connector to the other train car. This was an area with private rooms, but the room closest to me was currently open – blocked by three arguing figures.

There was a pegasus stallion who was uniformed as one of the train's staff, trying to speak calmly. "Ma'am, I'm sorry for the mixup, but…"

Beyond him was a lavender earth pony mare with a light blonde curly mane. Her dress and style suggested somepony very upper class, as did her haughty attitude. "You canNOT expect me to sit with the other riffraff, not when I have also paid for this room, and NOT when I have been a faithful, loyal, and dare I say GENEROUS sponsor of this very company!"

Seriously? Did people like this actually exist?

And I couldn't quite see the third member of this conversation, but her voice was unmistakable. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has been riding since Tall Tale! You can't just kick her out, not right before her destination!"

I barged into the circle, leaning against the train window grumpily. "What's this about?" The other three took me in as I arrived, and I them.

The haughty high-society pony was adorned with ornaments of many kinds: feathers in her mane, earrings, a pearl necklace, a scarf with a rose pierced through it… And her dress was rather corset-like, designed to give her considerable but otherwise average cleavage an upward boost in presence.

Trixie, meanwhile, was tall and curvy, and dressed in her trademark hat and cape. Beneath it was a starry, form-fitting vest that outlined her bust, waist, and hips, followed by stockings all the way down her long legs. Her breasts were as big as pumpkins and ovally shaped, filling up the space in front of her and only covered by the triangular cups of her vest. Of the two, she was by far the most captivating.

The stallion grimaced and looked back at the train car I'd just come from. "Ladies, please keep it down. We're disturbing the other riders."

"This doesn't concern you," the haughty mare said imperiously at me.

The blue unicorn gave me a rather curious look, though. "What… are you, exactly?"

"Equestria's one and only human, hi," I muttered, then looked to the mare. "Lemme guess, you want this room but, lo and behold, the company sold you the ticket when it should've told you that the rooms were occupied."

"Right on the dot," the stallion next to me said. "Again, we'll refund you for-"

"I do not WANT a refund!" she shouted, making us all wince at her volume. "I would very much like this room!" She turned to Trixie and added, "Is it money you're holding out for? I can make that happen."

"Good god," I said aloud, mildly shocked at the caricature before me.

Trixie was rightfully indignant. "Even if Trixie didn't have far too much luggage to move… Are you seriously trying to bribe Trixie out of her seat?"

"It's quiet, private, comfortable, and ideally located," the bitchy noble explained. "It has value to me."

"Trixie is about to get off in Canterlot. Can't you wait until then?"

"Canterlot is my destination, too!"

"You just boarded! You want to kick Trixie and all of her belongings out of her rightfully purchased seat for one measly stop??"

I shook my head incredulously and looked to the haughty mare. "Ma'am, whoever you are…"

She glared at me and said, "Lyrica Lilac."

"Lyrica, then."

"That's Miss Lilac to you."

"Goddamn, are you for real?!" I said aloud again, not really caring to censor myself at this point. "Look, I'll just say it – you're being a colossal cunt."

Despite the Normal, my comment seemed to mildly shock everybody. Probably because me saying it made it acceptable, because the next thing I heard was, "Yeah, you… you really are," from the stallion.

A nerve struck, the mare mustered a defense. "Do you think it matters what three commoners think of me?"

"Yes it does," I growled. "You've bothered half the train by now. We're two steps away from a public incident. And you may think that your fame, your money, your power, whatever – that gives you a way to ignore all that. But this, this builds a reputation. And unless you stand down and show a little humility, everyone who sees you here is going to think Lyrica Lilac is a huge cunt."

My rant slowly made her angrier and angrier, until at the end she… sputtered and broke into tears? "It's… It's true!" she wailed. "I AM a cunt!"

Okay. Hadn't expected that.

The other two kind of looked at me expectantly, just as surprised as I was. Not sure what else to do, I put a hand on the lavender mare's shoulder. She leaned into me and cried into my shoulder. "I'm a huge, colossal cunt! Everypony knows it, but… but I thought I could… Waahahaaaa!"

Still weird. I gave her a couple pats on the back. "Well… Uh… It's a… curable condition. Maybe find a therapist, listen to what they have to say… Uh, and just try to be nicer?"

Lyrica got up off my shoulder and nodded. She looked to Trixie and the staffer and said, "I… I know it was an honest mistake. I already knew, but I was too much of a cunt to see it."

Holy shit, what was happening??

"I'll… I'll just get a refund," she said with a sniffle. "And I won't kick you out. I'll… I'll sit in one of the public seats, for a change. It won't be so bad… I think."

The stallion and Trixie looked on with shocked expressions to match my own. "Uh, sure," the stallion mumbled. "Glad we could get this resolved, ma'am."

Lyrica nodded, then turned to me with misty eyes. "Thank you, human. That was a wake-up call I didn't know I needed. I'll always remember this day, and I'll try to be less of a cunt from now on."

"...Okay." What else was I going to say?

She walked off towards the train car I'd come from, and the three of us breathed a collective sigh of relief. The stallion looked at me, said, "Thanks for your help, I guess," and went back to his duties as well.

Which just left me and Trixie, who had become rather bemused. "Not that your analysis wasn't spot-on, but that was the fastest turnaround Trixie has ever seen."

"No kidding," I said stiffly. The amount of times that woman had casually said 'cunt' over the course of a minute…

"But, Trixie supposes when Equestria's only human, not even a pony, speaks to you so candidly, the only thing you can do is confront it."

Okay, that made a bit more sense. I'd called her that, and because of the Normal she'd believed I was right. Especially after I reinforced it. Not that hard to follow in retrospect, but the whiplash had thrown me off.

"At any rate, The Great and Powerful Trixie owes you her thanks," she said to me with a smirk. "And she never got your name."

"It's Pascal," I replied. "...Somehow, I think I already got yours."

She giggled – a rather low, confident, sexy giggle at that. "I'm a performer by nature. Even in an argument, I can't help putting on a show."

"So the third person is an act?"

Trixie shrugged. "It depends on my mood. Anyway, thank you for your help, Pascal."

I nodded, and took a step towards my old seat. But I stopped when I got a good look through the train connector: Lyrica Lilac had taken the bench I was just sitting on. And there were no other empty seats in the entire car.

"Oh, come on…" I muttered, lowering my head into my hand.

Trixie had been just about to close the door to her room, but noticed my facepalm. "What is the matter?"

I chuckled wryly and sighed. "She… I can't believe…"

Trixie stuck her head around the door and looked where I was looking. When she saw it, she sputtered in amusement. "Did-Did she take your…? Pfffft-hahaha!"

The irony was too strong not to find funny, so I just rolled my eyes. "Figures. You do a nice thing… So now my options are to sit with her, sit with another stranger, hunt all the cars for an open seat, or…" I looked into Trixie's room. "Any chance I can stay with you? I mean, I'd hate to bother you after all that, but…"

The unicorn magician considered it for a second, and then pushed the door open. "Trixie was against giving up her room entirely. Sharing it is a different matter. Come on in!"

I carefully stepped inside and closed the door behind me. True to her word, the room was filled with quite a few pieces of luggage, so I had to move some aside to make a place to sit opposite from her. Meanwhile, Trixie took off her hat and cape and neatly set them aside.

"You put on your hat and cape for that?" I asked.

"A showmare to the end."

I smirked and leaned back, trying to relax. The seats in here were softer and sturdier than the ones in the public cars, and with much more leg room. My headache had been momentarily forgotten in the argument, too.

...Now that I was thinking about it, it was coming back, much to my annoyance. For some reason, though, whenever my eyes glanced at Trixie's half-exposed breasts, the static went away a little bit. Maybe the blood rushing down south allowed me to ignore it.

And of course, I still failed to hide where I was looking. Trixie smirked and reclined in a showy pose. "Enjoying the view?"

With the cat out of the bag, I openly admired how much soft boob was firmly stuffed into that top. "How do you get away with… so much on display?" I asked nervously.

The magician regarded me with confusion for a second.

"Sorry," I clarified, "I haven't been in Equestria long. I've spent the last couple of weeks in Ponyville. And most of the mares there, despite being… how they are, tend to dress pretty conservatively. So I figured that was the rule."

Trixie smirked and put up her gloved hands in a shrug. "Equestria's decency laws aren't unfairly strict in writing; just unspoken. But I find that the right amount of 'appeal' goes a long way for my audience, mare and stallion alike."

That was a bit more calculating than I had expected, for some reason. "Is everything about the show with you?"

She mulled on that for a while, looking out the window at the passing landscape thoughtfully. Then she said, "It used to be all about ME with me. Then I put that energy into the show. Now? Trixie just finished a modest tour of Equestria. She is now on vacation, to visit the royal city."

I nodded. "That's where I'm going, too."

Trixie nodded back. "What's your purpose for going? I imagine, being the human, you're off to explore and see the sights?"

"Sort of," I mumbled noncommittally, and then reconsidered. "Actually… I'm gonna probably see Princess Celestia."

That surprised Trixie. Her eyes scrutinized me in a curious way as the information passed through her head and got rationalized. "I suppose the Princesses would want to see such a unique curiosity. Still, that and the haughty mare earlier… You certainly know your way around ponies, don't you? Even Trixie. You've been incredibly easy to speak to." Her tone wasn't suspicious or concerned, just acknowledging.

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, but I wasn't bothered either. I liked it when ponies noticed I was doing something special, though even that got rationalized by the Normal. Just like with Derpy.

Actually… I got an idea in my head. If I couldn't have Derpy be my guide, why not share the power with a different mare for the day?

I couldn't suppress a smirk as I said, "Actually, I've got kind of a special power. Ponies don't find… what I say and do unacceptable. I can do whatever I want, and ponies will rationalize it as normal somehow."

"Hmm," Trixie hummed. "I guess that explains it." And then she looked out the window again.

Well. That was underwhelming for a second.

Then she blinked and looked back at me with a slightly accusatory look. "Wait. Did you just… tempt me?"

"Uh, what?"

"Did you just try to tempt me with your power?"

"Um…"

Somewhere between offended and amused, Trixie scoffed and shook her head. "This is ridiculous. Is there writing on my face that says 'sucker for dark pacts'?"

I just stared at her in surprise. Was it too much to ask to have one interaction with ponies that didn't throw me a curveball halfway through?

The busty magician flipped a curl of her pale blue mane over her shoulder. "I apologize for my outburst. I'm not mad at you. Trixie has… a bit of a history with boasts of power from dubious sources. I can't blame you for trying, but it is a sore point for me."

"Woah woah woah," I protested, finally unfrozen. "Okay. My bad. But… that wasn't exactly what I was trying to do."

"What was it, then?"

"I… wanted to see if you'd be interested in…" I paused. "…being… sort of a partner for a while. I guess."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "And you mean to say that there would've been no temptation involved?"

What if I said 'yes'? Would she believe me? But I opted for the truth. "You got me. Sorry."

The unicorn arched her fingers in front of her face. "You've spent time in Ponyville…"

I grimaced. Double fuck. "Yeah. I… heard about the whole Magic Duel thing." When a pang of hurt crossed Trixie's face, I hastened to add, "But, uh, just in passing. Honestly, I don't think there's any real, uh, animosity there. At least from the six Elements. To them, you're probably just a… y'know, another problem or crisis that passed through Ponyville a while back. Heh, the town gets a lot of those…"

Trixie waved me off. "I know where I stand with them. Princess Twilight still sends me a letter now and then." Her brow furrowed. "'Princess Twilight Sparkle'… The mare shows me up twice, forgives me for everything I've done, and then ascends to alicornhood a short while later." She fixed me with a very serious look. "How could Trixie not try to change her ways after that?"

I lowered my head, still a little ashamed for my assumption. "Yeah."

"So Trixie put her work back into her magic show. Touring all across Equestria… or whatever town would take her. Trixie had a black reputation to beat, now." She patted the luggage sitting next to her. "This vacation is my respite from that."

Thoroughly humbled by this point, I became quiet for a while. "…I'm sorry."

Trixie's face softened, and she shook her head. "Thanks for listening. If I'm understanding this right, you could have made me your slave or something and I wouldn't have an objection to it. So I appreciate your restraint in this matter."

Her tone was casual, indicating that she probably still wouldn't mind such an outcome, but she wouldn't be totally on board either. The melancholy from the start of the train ride was rearing its ugly head, but now I realized I was with the perfect confidante to share it with. I leaned forward and said, "Y'know, from one person… with an incredible power they can't turn off, to another person who used to wield great power over others… Can I ask for some advice?"

The showmare took a deep breath. "I will try. But I was in every respect a failure, so I promise nothing."

"Well, at least you'll kind of understand… the feelings involved," I muttered. "See, I'm… just kind of a pervert. The way you ponies are shaped, it's… it's very arousing to me. With this power, I feel like I can't help but deal with my lusts. I don't think I can stop. But…"

There was a pause where I looked to see Trixie's reaction. She caught the implication that she was highly arousing to me too, and her cheeks pinked up a bit, but she motioned for me to continue.

"But… There are times where I don't feel bad about it, and times where I do. And I feel like such a fucking hypocrite. No one minds anything I do, but there are times where I don't like how I'm treating them. But I can't really talk to anypony about it, because again, they think it's alright. So… in a world where you can do anything, where's the fucking line?"

Trixie only had to think for a second, surprisingly, because she leaned back and confidently said, "Cruelty." She let that sink in for a second, then went on, "Part of it was the Alicorn Amulet corrupting me, but I was cruel to the ponies of Ponyville. That's how I used my great power. And those actions are the ones that haunt me now. If I'd been able to use that power to gives ponies a reason to love me… I might have been able to keep it." She sighed. "Even though that's what I wanted all along, but I went about it the wrong way."

I nodded and looked down at my hands. "So… You're saying how I treat ponies still matters?"

Trixie nodded several times. "Any unicorn who studies magic runs into ethics problems, boring as they are. Twilight's been telling me about a few historical mages in her letters. And, whenever there's morally ambiguous magic involved, it seems how history remembers them depends on one thing: If they were nice to the ponies around them, they were heroes. If they were cruel, they were villains."

The train passed into the tunnels beneath the mountain, causing the room to go black for a few moments. A second or two later, the lights in the room switched on automatically.

I ruminated on Trixie's words and smiled wryly. "Long way to come for just 'be nice to people.'"

Trixie shrugged sheepishly. "I know. I promised nothing, after all. Still, it's 'be nice to people… even while you possess unstoppable power.' That's history's lesson, according to Twilight. For you and your feelings, I think the same might be true."

"Yeah, I'd say 'cruelty' draws the line pretty well," I admitted. "I mean, I'm still doing perverted, kinda fucked up shit to ponies… But at least I feel better when I'm not an asshole about it."

"Unless it's karma, of course," Trixie pointed out with a grin. "Case in point: That Lyrica mare."

I laughed out loud at that. "Yeeeeah, I don't feel so bad about that. Kinda surprised when she kept calling herself a cunt over and over again, but… Hopefully that'll balance itself out. Eventually."

She giggled again. "That was quite entertaining. Maybe you should put on shows like that more often."

"One thing at a time." Celestia first, then everything else after.

A lull in the conversation happened, and I just kind of looked away awkwardly. I had no segue for this. We'd just finished talking about more sexually charged morality of mind control; what were we going to talk about now?

The train left one tunnel partway up the mountain, briefly letting light flood the room, and then passed into another one.

"So, you have this power, and you're off to meet Celestia…" Trixie began.

I frowned sadly. "Actually, I don't know if I want to talk more about all that. It's… It's just too much. Can we talk about something way less heavy? Like… Like your show? You've been touring all around Equestria, right?"

The magician smirked and reached for her hat. "Why, of course! Let The Great and Powerful Trixie regale you with her tale!"

For the next almost half-hour, Trixie gladly told me all about the latest journey of her traveling show. It seemed like she'd been dying to have someone to share these stories with, in all honesty. She'd been to many places I'd heard of, and many more I hadn't. Appleloosa, Dodge Junction, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, Rainbow Falls, the Crystal Empire, Vanhoover, Whinnyapolis, Tall Tale, even the flying cities like Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus. She had a story to tell for each.

Not every story was a happy one, but Trixie found a way to fit the sadder parts into a more compelling narrative across the breadth of her tale. She told me about how different the towns and cities were and the types of ponies who lived there. She even used her illusory magic to help illustrate her story when words weren't quite enough. I was captivated, despite how exhausted I was.

The remaining distance to Canterlot was mostly spent in a fuzzy trance, a willing captive of Trixie's performance. The ponies and places she described sounded so interesting and varied… The adventures big and small sounded so nice… It made me lament the last three weeks in Ponyville that much more. All this tension and drama because I was a human. So much more because of this dumb power.

Suffering a personality death still scared the hell out of me, but damn if Trixie didn't make being a regular pony living in this world sound pretty great. Yeah… There could be worse fates, I supposed.

The buzzing in my head got louder.

Before I knew it, one of the staff came by the rooms loudly announcing that we would be arriving in Canterlot in about 5 minutes. I yawned to let my ears pop from the increased altitude. Trixie did her best to wrap up her story, using a mini-display of magical fireworks as she concluded with a cheesy, "The End," and I chuckled.

The train slowed down as it left the final tunnel and got into the outskirts of the royal city. Trixie stood up, donned her cape once more, and said, "Thank you, you've been a wonderful audience. Any possibility you could help Trixie with her luggage?"

"Of course," I mumbled lazily, and tried to get to my feet. The train decelerated for just a moment, and I found myself hurled forward into Trixie's cleavage.

"Oh! Whoops," she said as my head nearly pulled down her vest, my nose landing between those two soft bubbles of flesh.

I lingered there for a few moments, and then pulled back. "Sorry." I wasn't feeling particularly horny despite the accident, and felt no desire to engage in any more sexual shenanigans…

"It was an accident," Trixie muttered with a blush. "Anyway, the luggage."

"Right."

But as I reached for the nearby suitcases, my headache flared up and I nearly tumbled onto the floor, barely catching myself on the seat.

The luggage became encased in pink magic and floated away from me. "You… don't look well," Trixie admitted to me. "Trixie can manage it. You take care of yourself, alright?"

I nodded vaguely, only half-aware of what she was saying, and Trixie awkwardly left. If she was at all concerned about me, the Normal probably made it so she assumed it wasn't serious or something… Damn this stupid power.

So I sat alone for the last mile or so into Canterlot's station, just holding my head in my hands and trying to steady myself. I had no idea what the hell was going on. I'd never had a headache like this before. Was it the travel? Was it dehydration? Was the exertion of all the sex over the past two days catching up with me? I didn't have a clue.

Best thing to do, I figured, was to get off the train, get some water, and find a place to sit until this wave of… whatever passed.

The train came to a stop, and I eventually felt well enough to walk, however unsteadily, off the train. Canterlot station was regal and welcoming, but I didn't really have time to admire it. I stumbled through the station, past throngs of ponies who were mildly curious at the creature without a pony tail, pony ears, and pony endowments, and made my way out into an ornate round plaza.

Where four Royal Guards were waiting for me. "Halt!" one of them shouted, and all four leveled spears towards me.

"What…?" I was barely able to manage walking, let alone figure out this nonsense.

The one with the most decorated armor, a dark brown unicorn, spoke to me in a loud, official voice. "Human! Princess Celestia has asked, for the good of you and others, that you be detained until the setting of the sun. We are authorized to use force if necessary."

"What the hell…?" I found the strength to shake my head through the static. "No…! No, I need to see Celestia now!"

The leader shook his head. "You may believe that, but Celestia's orders are clear. She will meet with you after sunset, and not before."

Okay, WHAT? He'd… I'd used an imperative. He'd outright ignored it. The Normal was supposed to be in play.

...Wasn't it? It was hard to tell through this buzzing headache…

Dawning horror shook me to my very bones. I recognized this feeling, this static. I'd felt it in the first dream, from the other side. This was the battle between me and the Normal. This was my reality – my mind – changing right before my eyes.

I let out a howl of pain as the static doubled in intensity. Now that the jig was up, it was making one big push, one great effort to consume my senses right then and there.

How had this happened? It was extremely hard to think, but something in my heart said I needed to figure this out or die.

"E-Excuse me? Are you alright?" I heard a muffled voice nearby say.

In what way could I respond? That the answer was no, because I was fighting a losing battle for my mind? I needed a comeback, now or never. Why was this happening? I thought this was only in dreams, but now it was in the waking…? What had changed?

And wouldn't it be better if I just gave in?

I nearly collapsed, but I was caught by the arm. A spear clattered on the ground, and I found myself spun around until I was standing against something hard. An armored breastplate was at my back, and two arms under my pits held me up.

"Is this some kind of trick?" another muffled voice asked through the noise.

"I don't think so," the voice behind me, the leader's voice, responded. "Celestia wanted him in custody, not dead. Human! What is the matter? Do you need medical attention?"

What did I need? To embrace a peaceful existence? Or to make this stop?

The words "I need…" croaked out of my mouth.

"Yes? What is it?!" the leader shouted, but I barely heard him despite his head being right next to mine.

For some reason, the sound of Twilight saying 'point-zero-zero-two' got into my head. Something about my connection to the magical field. Then it all came together. Luna. Normal. Fighting back.

"I need…" I could feel an evil look get into my eyes, not gonna lie. "…a blowjob."

Everything paused. Their words, the static, the sound of anypony nearby so much as breathing. If I wasn't on the verge of being consumed by a cosmic concept, I might've been able to hear a pin drop.

Instead, I grinned at the guards and said, "I need one. It's an emergency. Life or death. Right here, right now."

"You heard him," barked the decorated royal guard behind me. "On the double!"

My pants and underwear dropped before I even realized it.

Three buff white stallions in light armor set down their spears and crowded around my naked crotch. The ones on each side lifted a ball to their mouths and began to lick and suck, while the guard in the center sucked half of my shaft into his mouth and rhythmically bobbed up and down.

The leader adjusted a bit, lifting me up with his strong arms so I was standing more on my own weight. The hard bulge of a crotch pouch built into the guard's armor pressed against the small of my back. "Is this helping, human?" he asked me urgently.

Shit-eating grin activated. "Oh yeah. That's… hahahaha… that's actually helping."

I looked out into the plaza. A few ponies coming and going from the station were momentarily captivated by the sight of a human getting sucked off by three royal guards while a fourth one propped him up. A handful of them kept watching throughout, but many others turned away, whether out of nonchalance or actively trying to focus on something else.

And among the onlookers was Trixie, halfway out of the station with checked luggage in tow. Just stopping to watch me get my cock worshiped by a bunch of royal guards. Only a little bit surprised. Not shocked. Not mortified. Not wondering which authorities to call. Just watching like this was a reasonable, understandable, if slightly unusual, occurrence.

The static slowly retreated to the back of my mind, and I let out a great sigh of relief. Followed by a groan of pleasure as the stallions sucked hard right after. The situation hit me in one fell swoop, and soon I was shooting off into the middle stallion's maw.

He sputtered as the cumming began, but I said, "Swallow," and his protests stopped. He sucked down the rest of my load dutifully, and the two on my balls kept up their military-like attention until it was clear my orgasm had waned. Then the three stallions looked up at me expectantly, their mouths still on my genitals.

"That'll do, guards," the leader ordered. "Up and at 'em!"

The stallions on the side got my underwear and pants back up, belt buckled and all. At the same time, the leader moved my hands behind my back and… strapped something metal to them?

"Aw fuck, what?!" I shouted as I realized I'd been handcuffed.

"If you're no longer in danger, it's time to take you into custody," the leader explained.

"No, hold on!" I insisted. "Whatever Celestia told you, she's… she's wrong! About me! I'm not some threat that needs to be contained! She's behaving irrationally!"

The leader took a second to consider this, then shook his head. "Princess Celestia's judgment hasn't let this nation down before. Even if she's irrational like you say… Celestia at her least rational is more wise than our greatest general at his most sober. I will defer to her judgment."

The middle guard that had swallowed my load got an unsure look on his face. "LT… He doesn't seem all that dangerous. He almost fell over. Maybe he COULD see her now?"

"Princess Celestia's orders," the guard lieutenant repeated. "They don't meet until after sunset."

"Why?" I had to ask.

He frowned, then said, "I assume to make sure the duties of the day court were taken care of before your private meeting."

There had to be another reason, though, right? "Anything else?"

"Princess Celestia did not give me a more specific reason, nor did I ask for one. She said it was important that you meet today, but she wished it to happen after she lowered the sun. I was told to make sure the meeting happened on these terms."

At the back of my head, the static started to feel like it was crawling back. I was losing control of this situation. But thanks to the exchange between the inferior guard and the leader, I had an inkling as to why. "What's your name? You, the one who seems to be in charge."

The guard looked confused by this question, but maintained his stern expression. "Rook."

"Rook. Before we go any further, can you show me your cutie mark? Right here."

The lieutenant known as Rook let out a grunt and started the lengthy process of removing his lower armor. A few seconds later, his pants dropped with a heavy clang, leaving Rook only in his underwear, which was bulging obscenely in the front. Then he turned his back to me and lowered his garments just enough to let me see the mark on his buttcheeks: A chess rook standing almost in front of a symbol of the sun.

I noticed Trixie, still off to the side, admiring the display rather openly.

"Okay, that's enough," I said, and Rook began dressing himself again. Starting to understand the situation, I said, "You're a career guard, aren't you? The other guys, they're volunteers, but you… Your destiny is to be a protector of the sun princess, isn't it?"

Rook looked only somewhat embarrassed from stripping half-naked in public, and still stern in spite of it. "It is. I… admired the royal guard as a foal, and when I applied and met Princess Celestia herself, I knew that was what I wanted to be."

Son of a bitch. I was up against a pony's own immutable cosmic concept. "Did Celestia specifically ask you to handle this job?"

He blinked and thought about it. "I… Maybe. It wasn't a special assignment. Theoretically, any guard of my rank with no scheduled duty could have received the task. But I was the one who got it."

Son of an ULTRA bitch. Celestia knew everything I did about the power. Of course she did! She'd had spies on me the whole fucking time! That whole scene on the park bench with Lyra and Bon Bon, where I first figured out that little limitation? Bon Bon probably reported on the conversation the moment she got home! Fuck!

Okay, less panicking. I had an idea. "Don't you think... this irrational concern is very out of character for Celestia? Like she's not thinking clearly? Like she's putting her nation in danger?"

Rook's stoic visage faltered slightly. "What…?"

"What if I told you that it was vitally important to Equestria that she and I meet, but her behavior is pushing us apart, putting us all in danger? What would be best for your destiny then: Following her orders, or making sure what needs to happen happens?"

The other three guards looked over at Rook expectantly, while the lieutenant's expressed the mental battle he was having with himself at that moment. I realized I'd put him in the center of a moral crisis: The question of loyalty to the letter or the spirit of the law.

Eventually, he gave me a hard look and growled, "Is this true? Is it that dire that you two meet?"

"I'm not confirming yet," I replied, matching his look with one of my own, just as intense. "I'm just saying 'what if.' What if… it was abundantly clear, without a doubt, that her orders were putting herself in danger?"

"Then…" Rook gulped, looked uncertain for a moment, then lowered his head. "Then I would take you to her. Then pray that she forgives me afterward." He glared angrily at me. "And YOU had better pray you're telling the truth."

So that was it, then. When push came to shove, I could work around a pony's destiny if I could convince them that following my imperatives was in service of their destiny. It was risky, but I could do it.

Now the question was: Did I want to?

"When is sunset? What time is it now?" I asked.

"Uh, sunset is scheduled for 7:51 tonight," the guard on the left replied. "It's about… 2:30 now."

"Oh, god…" I muttered under my breath. If I respected Celestia's wishes, I would have to survive for over five hours.

For the sake of clarity, let me recap what I thought was happening at this point:

My connection with the ambient magical field had increased from that initial 'point-zero-zero-two' measurement from before my operation. Probably thanks to all the pony magic that had been used on me in the last day or so. Like I feared, this meant that the Normal could use its power to slowly change me during the day as well as night. So instead of having a few days to get this resolved… I had anywhere from minutes to hours.

In order to fight back, I had to follow Luna's advice. I had to do things that were abnormal that I then MADE normal. Like asking four royal guards to give me a multiple blowjob in the middle of the Canterlot station plaza, in plain view of all the ponies coming in and going out. Like asking the lieutenant to show me his butt mark. Like any of the crazy ways I'd changed ponies in the last two days. But even now I could feel the Normal crawling back, bit by bit. If I was going to survive, I had to do more. Go bigger.

I looked over at Trixie. With a quiet undercurrent of regret, I said, "Trixie…? Could you give me a titfuck while I think about this?"

From her reaction, I could tell that the question was a little out of left field for her… But she set down her luggage and nodded neutrally. "Of course. Whatever you need."

My pants unbuckled again magically, and my cock and balls were out by the time Trixie was kneeling in front of me. She opened up her vest, freeing her massive blue tits from their jiggly confines, and easily smothered my cock with them. "Like this?"

"Yeah… Yeah, like that." As all the ponies around me failed to react as they should, I could feel the static receding again. Not by a whole lot, but by enough that I didn't have to worry. But I had a feeling that just having sex in public wouldn't be enough for long. The Normal was a thing now. It had a purpose of its own. If I pushed, all it was going to do was push back.

I addressed the patiently waiting guards. "I'll be straight with you." Mostly, I mentally added. "The only person I'm a danger to is myself. I'm at the center of a magical anomaly that is currently threatening to overwrite my personal reality – mind, body, and all. In order to stay anchored in THIS reality, I need ponies to do things that are unusual. And the fastest way to do that is through lewdness."

Trixie's eyes widened slightly, and she stopped squeezing her breasts for a moment. "Oh. So by using the guards… And Trixie, as well?"

"That's right." I looked back up at the guards again. "So if I'm going to have any hope of making it to that meeting, I either need to see her now, or I need your help so I can stay me."

Rook nodded passively. "I think we understand. We can figure out how best to do that when we take you to the holding location."

I rolled my eyes and growled. "Seriously? Look, you… You were asked to detain me. How about I just don't leave the city until sunset? Celestia's covert agents… ugh… will be watching me, so that'll be LIKE I'm under arrest."

"You're going to wait?" Trixie asked with a fair amount of surprise.

"Maybe," I muttered back. "Can't blame her for wanting to make sure shit's settled before our meeting."

Rook considered my offer for a while, then let out a sigh and nodded. He walked back to where my hands were cuffed and unlocked them.

I rubbed my wrists for a second, and then my hands landed squarely on Trixie's breasts. My eyes nearly rolled back into my head from the feel of her abundant, soft skin under my hands. No matter what, no matter the crisis I was facing, this particular tactile sensation would always be the good stuff.

"I take this to mean your 'what if' was just a hypothetical," Rook said as I humped Trixie's tits. "And that you aren't asking me to disobey Celestia's orders."

Here it was; the door was closing. If I said nothing now, the loyal royal guards would make sure I didn't set foot near the castle for another five hours. Five hours I would have to spend staving off the Normal. But as I looked up at the beautifully designed buildings of Canterlot standing before me, I found myself wanting to see the sights. I could find a way to kill five hours here. Most definitely.

"Yeah," I said at last. "That was just a 'what if.' I still need your help, though."

Rook's glare lightened slightly, which I took as a good sign. "Very well. Our assignment is to make sure you arrive at that meeting at the scheduled time. If you're suffering from this… anomaly, and we can help, I suppose that is part of our assignment too."

The other three guards nodded. "Yeah, human," one of them said. "Just tell us what you need us to do."

Now faced with the question, I found myself more than a little unsure. I had Luna's guideline of 'make more stuff more normal,' but… How big did I need to go? How involved did I need to be? How far out there in terms of lewdness did I need to make this?

I looked down at Trixie, still rocking back and forth to stroke my cock with her tits. She kept her eyes on mine and said, "I'll help too, if you ask."

"Not sure what to do…" I admitted quietly.

Trixie just smirked back. "You want to affect as many ponies as possible? Put on a show."

I thought about it, then looked back up at the guards. A plan started to form.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," I said, still getting a titfuck from Trixie. I was starting to get hard again after the blowjob, but this was a bit more important. "You four guards, go out into the middle of the plaza" – I couldn't help but grin at this point – "and masturbate until you're tired."

"Until… we're tired?" the guard in the middle echoed. "But…"

"The average stallion can go for hours, Pascal," Trixie pointed out. "I'm not sure how it is with humans…"

"Then masturbate for hours," I said casually. "Take breaks if you need to. Bathroom, water, snacks. But at least one of you, and ideally all of you, should be jacking off out there at all times."

"Where do we, uh, finish?" the guard on the right asked.

"On the ground. You can clean it up on your breaks."

"Just stand there and stroke ourselves? All afternoon?" the guard on the left clarified.

"Mmhmm. And if anyone asks, tell them that it's for the sake of Equestria's only human, who has important business with Princess Celestia later tonight. I'm pretty sure no one will object."

Rook just nodded grimly. "If this will keep you anchored, then that's what we'll do."

"It can only help," I stated.

The four guards did as I asked. They marched into the center of the plaza, undoing their lower armor along the way. They set the armor and their underwear into a disorderly pile at their feet, and let their massive horsecocks unfurl. They were a range of sizes and thicknesses, from a lean foot and a half to a thick 30-inch log to rival Big Mac. And there were so many ponies around that could see everything.

As one, almost in military formation, they grabbed their horse-shafts with their hands and started to stroke up and down. Up and down. Getting harder and harder in front of all the ponies, without giving a single fuck about it.

The rush of control aroused me, I'll admit. I gripped Trixie's boobs, squeezing them harder around my cock, and thrust over and over again. While I did that, I could hear the guards groaning from across the open space, their gasps of pleasure neatly matching my own. The fact that they were doing this because I had convinced them to, that they had no objections to the idea that this was necessary for my survival… in front of all these ponies… and none of them were getting mad!

I lost myself in the power trip, and released between Trixie's breasts. My cock poked out of her cleavage a few times, shooting ropes of white seed onto her neck and chin. She just smiled and kept rubbing until I was all cummed out.

Soon after, I heard the first moan from the guards, and heard the splattering of a load of semen across the ground that probably dwarfed the load I just released. But none of the guards stopped stroking. For them, this was going to be a long, tiring, but hopefully enjoyable day.

Trixie cast a spell to clean up the stains I'd left on her, then gently put my genitals back into my pants. "How are you feeling now?"

The thought that those royal guards were masturbating in public, in front of all those ponies, and no one minded… I could barely feel the Normal right now, just at the back of my neck like I was being watched. It was still there, but much weaker now. "I'd say it fucking worked," I replied.

Trixie stood up and readjusted her vest to cover up her assets. "Trixie is glad she could be of service."

I grimaced as she walked away to collect her luggage and continue on her journey. "Trixie… I hate to ask this after everything, but… I'd like you to stay with me and help me through this."

The curvy magician twirled back around, her cape flowing behind her. "Is that so? Trixie thinks you have the means to your survival well and truly handled on your own."

Regrettably, I shook my head. "I… I need to be doing things like this constantly to make it to sunset. And being confident about it, just throwing these commands out there all the time… I don't know if I can keep that up all day on my own. It'd be really nice to have someone at my side, well, encouraging me. Someone who is more naturally suited to this."

Trixie smirked and, to my surprise, actually sauntered towards me. Her gloved hand gripped my chin and she said, "Then, if I'm understanding this correctly... your first mistake is asking. Don't ask. Do. Take."

How could I refuse? "Trixie… I'm just going to say it. You're going to be my public sex slave until I have to go to my meeting."

The magician grinned. "That's more like it. I'm happy to serve." Though a melancholy look crossed her features soon after. "Alas, here I am again, toying with great powers…"

"Sorry," I apologized automatically. "Even a solid line like 'cruelty' gets blurred when it becomes about self-defense."

Trixie shrugged. "Honestly? Enjoy the excuse. That's something I never had."

I certainly was going to. Together with Trixie, I walked across the plaza to where the four guards were still jacking off. Another one of them had orgasmed, adding another streak of white across the hard ground. "Don't hold back, guys," I said to them. "And take it easy. Enjoy it."

A couple of the more uptight guards relaxed, including Rook. "Of course, human. We will do what is necessary."

"Cool," I muttered, a slightly dark look on my face. "And the name's Pascal. Anyway, I'm off to enjoy Canterlot. Maybe I'll see you guys again before sunset, maybe not. We'll see."

"Hah… Have fun, I guess?" one of the white stallions murmured, his eyes shut closed in pleasure.

I walked away from the lewd scene, enjoying the looks on other ponies faces as they beheld the scene. Nopony was all that shocked or disgusted or anything really all that negative. Because I'd told them to, because I'd given them permission, all these ponies automatically rationalized four guards masturbating in the Canterlot station plaza.

Trixie's magically levitated luggage followed behind us. "Trixie would like to drop off her things at her hotel," she said, "for convenience's sake. After that, I should be free to be your 'public sex slave.'"

"Sure thing," I replied. "I've probably got enough time before I have to put on my next 'show.'"

As we walked along the Canterlot city streets, we reached an intersection where the royal castle was clearly visible between the buildings. Somewhere in there were the Princesses. I wondered if they knew what was happening right now. I wondered how soon they would find out, and how they would respond, if at all.

Either way, I had a plan for the rest of the day. I was going to see the sights, meet new people… and have some fun. Celestia was going to make me wait? Then goddamn I was going to have some fun.