Today, I was being led deep into the castle- to the dungeon. I know what you’re thinking- but no, I’m not in trouble for once. No, the reason I was being led underground is to perform some interrogations. You know- with my tongue… God, that sounds so fuckin’ dirty.

But then again- I’d also be celebrating my wifes (early) birthday either today or tomorrow since I’d be on the march by the time that rolls around… so I came up with something special for her; to let her indulge her fantasies before I left.

The dungeon itself looked… very typical. It was a long hallway lined with cells and a torture chamber at the end. Towards the end in some of the cells were Diamond Dogs- which belonged to a clan of warrens to the Northwest, in Nalot. They were the closest clan to us, which is why they were chosen as the lucky bastards.

I don’t think I’ve ever bothered to explain how the Dog clan system works- Basically, you have a central mine city led by an alpha, which functions sort of like a king in that he and his soldiers are to provide protection and military aid to nearby settlements, villages, what have you. The only difference is there is a more personal aspect to it- the dogs are quite loyal to their alphas, with local village chiefs taking on the Alpha’s name. It’s like any other kingdom- but with a more familial aspect to it.

Say what you will about these creatures- they’re loyal to their masters.

The dogs we’ve captured are part of the MacDoggal clan- and by sheer coincidence, they were the perfect representation of the whole clan thing- they were a bunch of tartan wearing terriers that practically screamed Scotland. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that they played the bagpipes, wielded big swords, and were experts in all things demolition related.

“So, where’d we find this bunch?” I asked the warden, and he chuckled.

“Pirates. Captured their ship around the east coast about a month ago. Nasty bunch, these ones were- killed a few of our own when we tried to stop ‘em. They even had women aboard the ship- and not willingly, either.” I simply nodded in response.

“Well, strap one down, then. Let’s get this started.” The man just pointed towards the chamber. Apparently, they were ahead of the game. Centered directly against the back middle wall was one of those torture racks- one which had a ratcheting wheel on one end which could be tightened. It was even attached to a cradle allowing you to more easily move it around and reorientate it. Hell- I spent a few minutes just testing this out. You could wheel them around, re-angle them, spin them, what have you.

The dog was glaring at me with his teeth bared, his shaggy fur almost covering his eyes. I decided to speak up first.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” Was all I said with a smug grin.

“I’ll not tell ye a bleedin’ thing.” He drawled out, a faint growl in his voice.

“I don’t need you to talk.” SWISH! His eyes shot open in fear and he didn’t even have time to scream.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m getting way too comfortable with this parasite thing. It is extremely useful- the ability to instantly share any memory you have with someone, crystal as day, is invaluable… but something just feels off about it. Oh well.

I spent a while rooting around his skull for answers- Mainly what I was looking for was maps- secret passages, alternate routes, flanks, that sort of stuff. So take our first target, for example; Goldcairn. It’s the site of a relatively recent gold rush, so it is somewhat small and makeshift in nature… and the sole reason the King has a vendetta with this clan- after all, it’s encroaching on our territory, violating our NAP.

So while there technically wasn’t any entrances- there were air shafts and tunnels. Basically how these settlements were typically laid out was you had the main entrance- which was often a wide, open entrance- so it would need to be heavily defended. Some cases, there was a castle guarding the main entrance. Then underneath the main entrance you had living areas, and branching from that were various mine paths.

I’m assuming that the living quarters must have a degree of separation from the mines- after all, if someone hits a gas pocket below and it rises up, it could wipe out an entire population. It was just common sense to me. But anyways, where was I-

These branching paths often have an air hole somewhere along the lines. Doesn’t matter if they can eat gems, they still gotta breathe. They were often unmarked and well hidden in the hills, and therefore, relatively unguarded. This is where the shock troops will make their entrance. Flank them and flush them out, and the theory is that the main entrance will become a choke point where they’ll be mowed down by volley fire until they surrender.

After I was done interrogating this guy, I was just meeting the other ones at their cells to cross reference the info to make sure it was all correct. I couldn’t even pay attention to all their shocked expressions and I didn’t care- I just wanted to get this over with. Dee’s surprise could wait until tomorrow.

Shlick! Sluuuurp! I groaned and clutched my skull, and the guard rushed to my aid.

“Ffffuck… help me back to my room, would’ya?” I asked him, leaning into his side for support. “I’ve gotten all’at… all’at… All eh need. Fahkin’ migraine.” I mumbled, barely able to form a coherent sentence. He replied, but I wasn’t listening.

My left foot felt somewhat numb as I walked, and I almost fell on the poor guard on a few occasions. I felt nauseous as a cold sweat dripped down my forehead, my ears rang, and… and…

Weird. When did I get in bed? One second the guard was walking me to my room, and the next I was tucked in with the curtain drawn. My foot had upgraded from feeling numb to feeling like pins and needles. My vision was blurry but at the time, I chalked it up to having apparently just woken up.

Here’s hoping we can just find some paper maps in Goldcairn. God, I do not wanna have to do this after every successful raid. Here’s hoping that transferring the map-memory to the lads won’t grant the same adverse effects.

… Since when did I ever call them the lads?

---

The next morning, I woke up feeling like… not like a million bucks, but at the very least I felt like a crisp twenty dolla’ bill. My eyes slowly fluttered open and I got a faint whiff of my wifes strawberry perfume. It was faint… but it was there.

“Mhmm… morning, baby.” I muttered in her ear and smooched her on the cheek. She awoke with a smile and a faint giggle. Thankfully, since I was on temporary leave, I wasn’t awoken by a bugle today or any day this week; which was nice, since I didn’t want to deal with a murder charge so close to the battle.

She rolled over and we shared a deep, passionate kiss… or the best we could, seeing as I had a beak. Hell, it’s honestly kind of wrong to call it kissing when I’m the one initiating, since it’s more like a peck than a kiss. But I digress.

We showered together as we often did, and I was taking extra care to make sure I looked absolutely perfect. After that was done I had our breakfast brought to us, which I only picked at. Anticipation killed my appetite.

I grabbed a bag of supplies and ushered her down into the dungeon. A grin threatened to tear her face in half when she realized what was about to happen. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and told her to wait outside the torture chamber while I got ready.

“So…” I said to the prisoner. “I don’t envy you.” I said to him as I wrapped a black blindfold over his face.

“Ye’ve already got’n me dignity and me brain. What more do ye want?” He asked, fear evident in his voice. Since he couldn’t see me anymore, I started getting dressed.

“I want to make my wife happy, among other things.” I said to him, paying no mind as I slid my thigh-highs on.

“I had a wife, you know.” This made me pause for a moment… but the horny took over as I slid my panties on.

“I don’t remember asking.” I said to him. There was a small, plastic bead in the panties which was controlled by a remote- naturally, I’d be handing that off to Dee. I also had a bra on with a window to let my fluff through, a black choker with a collar loop, and long gloves covering my arms.

When I was ready, I cracked my neck and slowly opened the door. She was leaning against the wall, excitedly tapping her hoof when I invited her in.

“Today, Empress, you may do whatever you please with the prisoner. I’m here at your beck and call- just tell me where you want to start.” She was blushing madly, breathing heavily as she bit her hoof to try and contain herself.

I’ll be honest- what followed has got to be the weirdest sex I’ve ever had, ever. Seriously. Consider this a warning.

We good? Just in case, there's gonna be a large gap between this section and the next, if you wanna skip it. I recommend that you don't skip it... but I understand if you do.

---

I can tell that Dee really let loose because she was able to do the one thing she would never do to me; that is, inflict permanent bodily harm. She had me cutting flesh, removing fingers, burning him with gunpowder, genitals were obliterated, back scored with lashmarks, salt and lemon juice, showed him what his guts looked like, all while making sure he stayed alive via adrenaline and pervitin.

In case you didn’t know- pervitin is literal methamphetamine and saw brief popularity a while ago, but was taken off the market rather quickly due to the deleterious effects. At one point I was considering using it for my shock troops, but I feel like getting myself addicted to meth wouldn’t make my wife too happy. Thankfully though, it wasn’t hard to find if you were rich.

All while the prisoner was being brutally tortured, my wife was using the panties to great effect and edging the fuck out of me while she played with herself during bouts of torture. Everytime I inflicted pain upon the prisoner, her masturbation would intensify, the torture chamber full of shouts of pain and moans of pleasure, along with bouts of HARDER! KEEP GOING! SCREAM LOUDER!

This went on for literal hours. By the end my snatch was aching, but holy fuck I felt goooood. I was covered in blood, sweat, and my chin was sopping wet from when I took small breaks to… tend to my wife. Our breathing was intense, I cuddled against her side.

“One more… one more thing I wanted to try.” She gestured towards a coil of rope attached to a winch and hanging from a pulley in the rafters. She then wordlessly pointed to the prisoner, and I knew what she wanted.

I rolled the torture platform to the noose and wrapped it around his neck. His breathing was shallow, his muscles probably burnt out from all the adrenaline and meth in his system. Still though, I decided to be extra careful. Blindfold still on, I tightened the noose and undid the straps that confined him, throwing handcuffs on him. He merely flopped around, the noose dragging him across the floor and hoisting him in the air as I cranked it.

“Take off the blindfold.” My wife commanded, and I did as instructed. “Give him a chair to stand on, for now. I wish to speak to him.” I nodded and again, followed orders. She approached him slowly, and he glared at her with sheer hatred. I continued to crank the winch until he was just barely able to support himself on the chair.

She looked at him with a sort of fire in her eyes. “How does it feel, knowing that your life is held entirely in the hooves of an apparently weak, pathetic pony?” After a few seconds he didn’t respond. “Leona, more gunpowder.”

“Wait.” The dog said, taking heavy breaths. “Don’t… please…” Her face morphed into a sheer, sadistic rictus grin.

“Hmmmm… You're right. Perhaps you’d make for a good fuck-slave, instead!” Aww, but I thought I was your fuck slave! He didn’t respond once again, and my wife sighed in defeat.

“Kick the chair. He’s making me bored.” She said, and with a swift kick and the sound of rope tensing, the dog was left to dangle off the rafters, feet kicking impotently as I helped my wife bring herself to orgasm one last time at the sight.

Once the prisoner was dead and I was hoping my wife was satisfied, we both sat back leaning against the dungeon wall. She was panting heavily, her face completely red from blushing. Her hair was a mess, the fur between her legs was matted down, and she smelled of sex. She slumped her shoulders and leaned into my side, and I put a wing around her and lit up a smoke.

We sat there for what felt like ages until she spoke up.

“Leona, darling… You’d do anything for me, right?” she asked, and I nodded with a smile.

“Of course, baby.” She gave me that sly, adorable grin I loved so much.

“Bring me his head on a silver platter, then.” I blinked in confusion, but eventually shrugged.

“Sure thing.” I said simply, pulling a switch on the winch and causing the corpse to fall like a ragdoll. Against the wall was an assortment of weapons; I grabbed an axe and started hacking away at the neck.

“Be careful! I want the head intact.” She said in an airy, almost dreamlike voice. She had a faint smile on her face- that same, cute little smile that I loved so fuckin’ much. Soon the head was severed, and I grabbed a metal tray that some torture implements are kept on in lieu of the silver platter.

The mouth and chin of the head were absolutely covered in blood, and Dee gave it a strange grin. She took the tray from my grasp, moving it delicately as though the head were still in pain. Its dead eyes stared at her, and she stared back full of… lust, perhaps.

“Ohh, what a wonderful time we’ve had.” She spoke to the head as if it were still alive, and I cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “I think I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. Your mere presence is a gift from the Gods- and for that, I thank you.” I realized- she wasn’t looking at the head in lust. She looked at it with a genuine sense of respect and admiration, as if he himself were born solely for my wife's amusement.

“I have cherished you ever since my wife brought me in your presence. Wherever you are, I hope you find your worth in the land of the dead.” Nothing could have prepared me for what came next.

She brought the head in close and kissed him on his still bloody lips. I was frozen in surprise and my wife giggled, paying me no mind. “Oh my… what a bitter taste. I wonder- is it the taste of blood? Or is it… the taste of love? They say love has a bitter taste… But what of that? What of that?” She said with a laugh, setting the tray to the side and running up to me, pulling me in for a hug.

“What the actual fuck was that?” I asked, my voice being surprisingly neutral. She just shrugged.

“I dunno. I was in a sort of… poetic mood, I guess. Maybe it’s a form of post-nut clarity?” She explained and you know what? Fuckin’ fair enough. I was feeling too good to give a shit at the moment, though.

---

Thankfully, cleanup wasn’t too difficult for us. The servants would handle the bulk of the disposal, but thankfully there was a basic shower down here which Dee and I used to clean the blood out of our fur. The water was ice cold, but this worked out perfect- made the blood easier to wash away.

I bagged all of my gear with the intention of burning it later. I wasn’t about to hand my lingerie off to the castle launders and besides that, I doubted the blood would easily come out. We were a bit of a mess, but because of my intimate knowledge of the castle layout, I knew of a lesser traveled path to take. On a side note- as it turns out, it’s really, really annoying trying to comb flakes of coagulated blood out of fur and feathers. Ask me how I know.

We both took a long, hot shower and for the second time that day, we were both feeling fresh and rejuvenated. Which was a good thing- I’d completely forgotten that we were expecting company today! Since dinner would be soon, a guard knocked on our door just as we got out of the shower.

My smile threatened to burst my face in half once I realized who was with the guard.

“MAMMA!” I yelled, running up to her and wrapping my arms around her.

“How’s my baby been?” She asked before kissing my forehead.

“Working hard, same as always.” I said simply. We all got settled in- oh, Emmie was there as well. Dee greeted him with a quick, friendly hug.

Thankfully, getting Mamma across the sea was no issue- since Fertilia hadn't tried anything yet, borders were still open, even if things were a bit shaky.

I’d reserved a table for us all at a local fancy restaurant- one which Mamma enjoyed back in the day.

“So, how’s the trip down memory lane been?” I asked Mamma, and she shrugged with a grin. The waitress had just brought our drinks and we were just waiting on our food. We were all wearing our fancy clothes, of course, and Emmie even had a fancy eyepatch with a white hem around it.

“The city hasn’t changed much, I’ll give you that. I will admit, though- I feel old with all these young folks out and about.” I giggled in response.

“And what about you, Emmie? How’s the city been treatin’ you?” I asked him,

“With all due respect, it’s a lot better than I was expecting.” He then glanced around and whispered, “Though I hear that has something to do with you?”

“Damn right.” I said, having a bite of bread. “Lemme tell ya’s. I am gonna be savoring dinner tonight because in a couple days, my diet’ll be nothing but salted pork, grain, vegetables, and hardtack.” I said with a shudder.

“What’s hardtack?” Mamma asked, and I suddenly remembered that I was with civilians, basically.

“It’s basically a hard, dry bread specially made for long journeys. When I say hard, I mean literal bludgeon hard,” I explained, “You use a rock to break it up, and from that point it’s usable. Stuff lasts damn near forever, unless weevils find it. But hey, that’s just a bonus. Extra protein with dinner.” I said with a chuckle and everyone else cringed.

“But anyways- forgive me if I’m the last one left eating tonight.”

Dee decided to speak up next. “So Emmie- how’s your research been going?” She asked, and his eyes lit up. Er, eye.

“Well, you’ll be glad to hear that the college got approval to send expeditions below the equator. Our surveyors found something… incredible.” He said with a sense of wonder in his voice, and I snorted, pulling out my watch to rewind it.

“I don’t care if it’s a castle made of gold, I ain’t goin’.” He rolled his eye at me.

“It’s the ruins of some sort of city that, by sheer coincidence, was made out of bricks plated in gold… but most of it had been picked away by now.” This got my attention. “It’s ancient too- if I had to guess, it was built in a time before the first bricks of Ponylon were baked.” I pocketed my watch, giving him a stern look.

“Be careful. Seriously.” I looked at him sincerely, “You’re one of my best friends in the world. I don’t want you getting hurt… or worst case, find you screaming in a madhouse.” He snorted at me,

“Come on, Leona. I’m made of tougher stuff than most. Don’t worry- I’ll keep my mouth shut!” We all shared a laugh for that one. I was still worried for my friend- but then again, he wasn’t the only one heading into a perilous situation.

Later that night after dinner, and when Emmie retired to his room, I was out smoking on my balcony when Mamma joined me. She stood beside me, leaning against the rail overlooking the city below.

“Gimme a smoke, would ya?” She asked, and I snorted.

“You can’t get your own?” I asked her jokingly, handing her a couple darts and lighting one up for her.

“I can, but you’re my daughter. I’ll bum as many smokes off you as I want.” she expertly took a drag from the cigarette, to my surprise.

“When’d you start smoking?” I asked her, and she shrugged.

“That night after you left for the gala. I was… stressing out a bit at the time and I found a pack you left behind. That, and… agh, this is gonna sound awful… but the smell reminds me of you.” She said, and I burst into laughter.

“Yeah, that’s fair… I’m sorry.” I was genuinely feeling apologetic- but she threw a wing around my back and I felt a little better.

We just sat there in silence, enjoying our cigarettes when she spoke up.

“Be careful out there. I know that you don’t have any problems with fighting… or killing, for that matter… but full on war is an entirely different entity.” I knew exactly what she meant, but at the same time-

“Mamma… Do you think I’m doing the right thing here?” I asked her, and was met with silence.

“Well… do you think it’s right?” She asked, and… I wasn’t sure. I had a bad feeling about this, but- why?

“I don’t know, if I’m being frank. I feel like it’s right for me, but what of everyone else?”

“Baby, I think the bottom line is that not everyone’s gonna be happy with the outcome of this war, whatever it is. You’re doing what’s best for our people and the diamond dogs are, presumably, doing what’s best for their people. That’s the problem with the Equestrian government, I believe. They try to make everyone happy by encouraging peace, but it clearly hasn’t been working.” I looked at her with a smile.

“You think so? Yeah, I can see it.” She pulled me in for a hug, wrapping her wings around my back.

“No matter what happens, darling… bottom line is that you’ll always be the best daughter ever. I’m always a letter away; If you ever need me, I’ll drop what I’m doing to come help in any way I can.”

I sniffled. “Th-thanks, Mamma.” I buried my head in her chest feathers and she began to sing softly, you are my sunshine.

My only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.

“Please don’t take… my sunshine away.” How she can sing that without breaking down into a teary mess is beyond me, because I can’t even listen to it without breaking down into a teary fucking mess.

“Please. Just stay safe.” She said, her voice cracking.

“I-I will, Mamma. I’ll stay safe.” I promised her, and goddamnit I don’t care if I have to dig my ass out of my own grave, I will always return home.

We just embraced each other for what felt like hours. It was lovely, to be honest.

The next few days were just spent in pure relaxation. The night before we planned to march out, I had to gather all the shock troops together to impart all the info I’d taken from the Diamond Dog prisoners- thankfully, if any of them were suffering from it, they kept their mouths shut.

Today, we would be marching on to the enemy. We’d be gathering at noon, since the King wanted everyone to be awake for the parade.

It was 11:30- I was wearing my armor, save for the gas mask and wing gloves which were held in a canister at my side. My pistols were cleaned and oiled, my cutlass was sharpened, and my dagger was strapped to my forearm. Mamma was adjusting my head feathers while I smoked a cigarette.

“Maaa! I’m gonna be wearing a helmet!”

“That’s no excuse, baby.” I rolled my eyes, but conceded with a chuckle. “Ohh… look at my adorable little hen in her soldier's uniform!” She had a sense of pride in her voice and she pinched my cheek, much to my embarrassment. Thankfully though, we were still in the castle bedroom.

“You picked yellow?” Dee asked and I shrugged.

“It’s a nice color.” I said, donning my helmet. I also skipped the balaclava for the sake of keeping cool.

“Well… I guess this is it for now?” Dee asked, a hint of sadness apparent. She didn’t really want me to go and I didn’t want to leave her, but we both understood the importance of our roles. After all, she's responsible for starting an underground movement while I’m gone. One which would eventually depose the king and put me in place; I trusted my wife, and I’m sure she’ll be getting creative with this project.

I just pulled her in for a parting kiss- one which neither of us wanted to break. After that, I turned to Mamma and pulled her in for a tight hug.

I stepped to the balcony with a grin. “Don’t miss the parade!” I yelled as I made my leave.

I never imagined myself becoming a soldier before, to be honest. I’ve been in a couple gang scuffles before, but never anything massive or prolonged. Hell, a lot of my kills were without even looking the fuckers in the eye. Still though; how different could it really be?

This chapter goes out to everyone who thought Leona was the more unhinged one :P
It's as if Julie D'Aubigny and Elizabeth Bathory were in a lesbian relationship, it's adorable! :3

Please, let me know if you spot any errors! I'm the sole writer and editor, and I'm stretching the limits of my ADHD medication as it is haha

Also... Hardtack!

As always, thank you so much for reading! Likes and comments are always greatly appreciated!