//------------------------------// // Armor Restored // Story: A Gleaming Love // by Prismfire Productions //------------------------------// -Several hours later- Gleaming Shield was wore out, heavily panting as she started to come out of her afterglow. Her butt hurt, literally, but she was thankful that Cherry Mist had spared her most sacred place. “Are you having fun yet deary as a mare?~" Cherry asked with a crooked grin. "N… no..." Gleaming managed to whisper, her throat raw from moaning and screaming during the so-called 'initiation’. “I was starting to get used to it until you pulled this stunt, now I'm terrified.” "Awe, well, get used to it.” Cherry said as she started to trot up the stairs. “Consider what I did to be light compared to a mare of your status and looks. As for me, I think I've had it for the day since I am wore out from smashing you with that strap on, so see you tomorrow Gleamy~." "You're… you're leaving me here?..." Gleaming asked with a whimper, slightly shaking in her bonds. “Immobile and chained up like some kind of animal?” "Aren't we all animals on the inside?” Cherry asked in a flat tone, earning a  deadpan stare from the captive mare. “and I can't have you running your muzzle about all that I did to you now can we? Besides, tomorrow is gonna be super fun since I am gonna… pop your cherry~." Once again chuckling at her own pun, she climbed the stairs and locked the door behind her before teleporting back to the spa and trotting into the dining hall playing off being disoriented. "Ummm… what the hay happened here? I was knocked out in the bathroom and woke up on the other side of the mountain trail that leads to the healing springs." "Glad to see you're fine Cherry Mist," Celestia said with a small smile, but noticed Cherry looked perfectly fine, not a bump or scrap to be seen. "Gleaming was ponynapped and none of us can't seem to track her." "Oh no,” Cherry Mist said sounding concerned, a small frown crossing her muzzle. “maybe I can help, I know these mountains better than most ponies since I like to vacation here." "That is true..." Rainbow said noticing her Elemental gem was softly glowing a dark garnet instead of ruby red, but kept her muzzle shut, opting instead to do a bait statement. "Anyways, I got to talk to Pinks in private about a matter so I will be back shortly." "Oh, like how you two are engaged?" Cherry said with a small grin causing the hall to once again fall silent and the two Pegasi to sweatdrop and slightly pale. “When is the wedding by the way? I would love to be there.” "Gotcha you ponynapper…" Rainbow thought to herself as Luna and Celestia glared in fury. "Is what Cherry Mist true daughter..." Both Tia and Luna asked with a slight snarl. "Yes mom..." Rainbow replied as she flared her wings, getting down into an attack stance directed at Cherry. "However, her exposing that little secret confirms which personality she is in right now, betrayal, so she ponynapped Gleaming Shield. So can we focus on getting her back and save the lecture for later mom?" "I agree Dash..." Luna said as all the patrons started to gather around Cherry Mist but she started to chuckle. "All of you can't do nothing to me since there is a spell in place which makes it so only I can use magic.” Cherry Mist said as she pulled out of her mane a cat o' nine tails. It was bright cherry red, but had menacing two inch long, midnight black spikes at the end of each "tail" arranged in a circular pattern. “So in short, shit is about to get real since I am gonna make your blood fall like a mist and kill… you… all… So lets play.” Rainbow and Pinkie made a beeline for the door, but Cherry caught them with her magic. Both wiggled and squirmed, desperate to break from the magalomanic mare, but it was no use as their captor approach ready to strike. "Awe, so my partners are trying to turn tail and run eh? That is not acceptable since you will be my first victims." Cherry then reared back and cracked the whip, each spike hitting its mark and ripping flesh in addition to the pegasi’s coats wherever she swung, her first target being their wings so they could not fly away. With each strike that landed, both pegasi screamed in pain and a few more feathers fell out. By the time she was finished, Cherry had left both of them a bloody mess with most of their feathers missing, both wings broken, and gashes across most of their bodies as they slumped to the floor in a weakened state. Nopony could get close to Cherry Mist or attempt to leave without getting a shot from the whip so they all watched the scene unfold in horror until Luna and Celestia finally were able to drag their daughters out of range before they got killed from the onslaught. While Cherry Mist was distracted by hitting Celestia and Luna, Cadance snuck up behind Cherry and hit her between the wings with her forehooves with enough force to shatter both shoulder blades as the smaller mare fell to the ground, her horn breaking when it hit the tile and releasing the spell she had put in place. Once they could use magic again, Twilight, Celestia, and Luna used several recovery spells to fully heal all damage done to Rainbow and Pinkie. "Where is my wife..." Cadance demanded in anger as she stood over the broken Cherry Mist, who softly chuckled despite no longer having the upper hoof. "I'll never tell unless you let me go… or do you want her to die?" Cherry said with a sly smile, but a small flash appeared in front of her that wiped the smile off her face when she saw who it was. Standing before her, weakened but still strong enough to be ready for a fight, was Gleaming Shield. "You were saying you troublesome mare?" Gleaming said with a sneer before smacking Cherry Mist in the face hard enough to break her lower jaw. "When your horn broke my containment spell was dropped, so I teleported here and just in time by the look of it. You are gonna pay for what you did to me, but now, I am not even sure if I want to be turned back..." The whole room looked at her stunned as she slowly walked out and Cherry Mist was taken into custody, leaving Gleaming’s family and friends to process what had just transpired. After a small debate, it was decided to try and look for Gleaming to try and get some answers, each splitting up to cover more ground. After searching for an hour, Princess Cadance found Gleaming submerged in the hot spring, and she could tell by the look on Gleaming's face that the unicorn was a complete emotional mess. "Gleaming? Honey? Are you ok?" "I will be honey,” Gleaming said in a soft whisper. “just trying to relax after the torture Cherry Mist put me through. She violated my rear in so many ways that I am likely to have PTSD and require therapy." "I can imagine so since you said that you might not want to turn back." Cadance said as she got into the pool. "What makes you say that anyways dear? And don't worry, I will setup the necessary appointments and swear the doctor to absolute secrecy." "I don't want to cause you the pain that she put me through is why, and I am lucky that she didn't pop my cherry..." Gleaming said sulking down a little more into the water, which was now up to just below her muzzle. "Gleaming..." Cadance said in a loving tone while wrapping a wing around her wife to try and cheer her up. "Keep in mind you already popped mine silly, I am pregnant remember? Yes it hurt, but after that it was enjoyable, and I am going to be in far more pain when I go into labor. However, I can only imagine that it must be worse since you were male and now you just went through that." "No joke,” Gleaming said with a shiver. “now I am going to want to push for stricter laws when it comes to trials involving rapists. Cherry Mist is going to spend to spend the rest of her life behind bars, I will personally make sure she does." "Don't worry about it, her punishment will be far worse than jail time.” Cadance's tone was like liquid nitrogen, the temperature around the two mares feeling like it dropped due to Cadance's hate. “We all know that if you remove the horn off an Alicorn, you are left looking at a wounded pegasus… if you catch my drift." Gleaming's eyes widened in fear and shock, she had heard rumors back in ha guard days, but he never took them seriously. "Sweet Celestia, she will not last long in there since most of the workers are stallions, oh well, justice served and thanks for being here for me." "I am your wife, it is my job to be there for you no matter what.” Cadance shifted them both,  repositioning so that now she was holding her wife. “I am glad to see that you are in a slightly better mood so I have to ask, do you still stand by your statement of not wanting to change back?" "No, that statement was done in the heat of the moment." Gleaming then paused as she facehoofed. "Great, now Cherry got me making puns, how wonderful. Anyways, I do want to be changed back whenever Twilight figures it out. This whole experience has been a real eye opener for me as far as my way of thinking is concerned. I am closer to Twilly than I have been in a long time, come to understand ‘certain things’ concerning a mare's day-to-day routine, and a lot of other things as well. Now I have a whole new level of respect for mares since they have it a whole lot harder than stallions." "I am glad that it has broke your stubborness dear,” Cadance said with a giggle. “it will also help you as a ruler as well since you now see the struggles that I have to deal with when it comes to stress and hormonal fluctuation levels while ruling." Gleaming looked up at Cadance with a flat look on her muzzle. "Yeah and it downright sucks. By the way, is Twi any closer to reversing this?" "Actually Gleaming I believe I am,” Twilight said trotting up to the two, looking a bit disheveled. “I think that our initial theory was correct by saying my elevated hormone levels were acting as sort of a blocking mechanism. Not only that, I figured out how to change you back without changing me into a stallion, but that is irrelevant. Stay still while I do this, and thankfully for you it is painless." A blue sphere then started to surround Gleaming as the glow increased around Twi's horn, less than 30 seconds later it went away and Shining was back to normal. "Thanks Twilly," Shining said getting out of the water and giving her a hug. "I knew that you would be able to do it." "No problem BBBFF, you are my brother, I always to my best to look out for family.” Twilight said with a bright smile on her face. “This has also been a wake up call for me, I need to quit letting my princess duties get in the way of family time. How about we go on a picnic next Thursday with our parents and just spend the whole day relaxing?" "I am sure that I can make the time." Shining said looking back at Cadance who nodded in approval before he leaned in to whisper in Twilight's ear. "Do you think that you could teach me the spell? I have to be a mare if I want to keep coming up here." "Not a problem," Twilight whispered back with a giggle while casting an illusion to make him appear like Gleaming until their time at the spa was up. "and admit it, you wanna try clopping with Cadance as a mare. I am sure she will not break you like Cherry Mist did and besides, a mare's touch is the best touch." "I hope you are right about that Twilly..." Shining said with a shudder of mixed fear and anticipation before slipping back down into the pool, worry free for the first time since his sister's wedding.