“So, you see why I had to come to you to properly research this?” Twilight Sparkle asked, as she lifted a forkful of pancake to her mouth.
“I do, Twilight,” Princess Celestia replied, rubbing a hoof on her chin in thought. The pair were sitting in the princess’s study, enjoying an intimate breakfast together. The sun had been risen only a score of minutes earlier, and the early morning light streamed in from the balcony which gave a stunning view of Canterlot. “When did you want to start this project of yours?”
“As soon as you are willing to start, Princess,” Twilight replied, gazing out to the balcony in thought as a distant look came over her eyes. “As soon as you are willing to start.”
“I see,” Celestia said, nodding. “Twilight, I have some red velvet cake. Would you like a piece?” Twilight snapped her attention back to where she was and she gave a small smile, looking down shyly. Celestia’s love of cake was legendary, and her love of red velvet cake was of epic proportions. To be offered a slice of her private reserve was a gift beyond price.
“I’d love a piece,” Twilight said, still keeping her head down, but sliding her nearly finished plate of pancakes aside to make room. She could hear Celestia rummaging around, and she could only imagine that her mentor was unsealing some special vault of her beloved pastry.
“Here you are,” Celestia said, setting down a tall narrow slice of succulent cake in front of Twilight. She inhaled the fruity scent coming from the baked good and delicately stretched out her neck, taking a bite without resorting to any tools at all. Celestia stroked the two tone mane of the younger alicorn as Twilight moaned in pleasure at the delicate flavours filling her mouth.
“This is wonderful,” Twilight murmured, extending her neck to take another bite. As she did, she felt something encircle her throat, and she froze in place as the item clamped down tightly then loosened off. Twilight heard a slight hiss come from the back of her neck and she straightened, putting a hoof to her throat. At the base of her neck, her hoof encountered an inch wide band of padded steel that went all the way around in a loop unbroken by lock, hinge or buckle. Twilight looked up at Celestia, her face flickering between confusion, nervousness, and affection.
“A gift for you, my dear little one,” Celestia said, as she slid a matching ring over Twilight’s upraised horn. “I care for you so much, I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to you. So, I’ve decided to keep you by my side from now on.” Celestia continued to stroke Twilight’s head, who leaned into the caressing hoof.
“Go on, my little one, eat up,” Celestia said, smiling as she ran her hoof down the length of Twilight’s body, stroking the soft fur. Twilight said nothing, bending back down and eating the rest of the cake, bite by bite, soft sounds of pleasure coming from her. Neither pony could tell if Twilight’s pleasure was from the incredible flavour of the cake or the bliss of the physical contact with her goddess-like mentor. In time though, the cake was finished despite Twilight using neither hooves nor utensils and she looked up at Celestia, who paused in her stroking of the smaller alicorn.
“I’m finished, Princess,” Twilight said, feeling quite small as she took in the dominant position Celestia had over her. “Um, thank you for the gift, but I have to ask. Is there any other reason you’ve put a collar on me?”
“I care for you a great deal, and I want to keep you close to me,” Celestia said, in a gentle voice. “I want others to always see that you are mine. That collar is a symbol to all, that I will always care for you and keep you safe. Now, finish the cake, my pet. We can’t have you wasting a crumb of it.” Twilight looked up at Celestia, and put a hoof to her throat, feeling the token of the Solar Princess’ affection there.
“Go on now,” Celestia said, in an encouraging tone. “Lick the plate clean, filly.” Twilight smiled and did as she was asked, licking the plate clean and getting every delicious crumb and bit of frosting, while Celestia continued to pet her. As she finished, Twilight could hear her owner’s magic moving a couple of items close.
“Good girl,” Celestia praised, and Twilight brightened at the compliment, a smile coming to her muzzle. “Now, lift your chin for me filly.” Twilight smiled, feeling a little playful, and shaking her head in the negative.
“Oh, it’s going to be like that is it?” Celestia asked, smiling. With a slow and gentle, but firm hoof, Celestia grasped Twilight’s mane and pulled back and down, forcing Twilight to raise her chin. Celestia was careful not to cause any pain, but Twilight had no choice but to comply with the superior strength holding her. There was a click and a jingling sound, and a moment later the pressure at the back of her head was released, allowing Twilight to bend her head forward again.
Twilight reached up to touch her collar again, only now she could feel a chain leash had been attached to a ring on the collar, along with a small round disk that dangled from the same spot. Twilight looked up at Celestia, lifting an eyebrow in an unspoken question about what had been attached to her. Celestia lifted a mirror up so that Twilight could see that the front of her collar was now adorned with a small round tag that sat beside the snap hook of her leash. The tag had a crescent moon on one side and a sun disc on the other, with the number “004” stamped onto both sides.
“Something Luna came up with quite sometime ago. Now, my little filly—” Celestia said, then paused in thought. “No, you need a better name than that. Something that says how much you light up my life... I know, ’Sparkles’ is what I will call you. What do you think, Sparkles?”
Sparkles didn’t see a need to tell Celestia how she felt, when she could simply show her, and getting up and bouncing up and down on her front hooves, she did just that. Celestia laughed as Sparkles' enthusiasm caused the leash attached to her collar to jingle and jangle.
“I’ll take it you like your name, Sparkles,” Celestia said, still laughing as Sparkles nuzzled her side. “Okay filly, I think I should take you for a walk before I have to start my working day. Come on, Sparkles. Let’s go.” Celestia gave a gentle tug on the leash and her pet obediently followed her out the door and into the hallway.
The pair walked out toward one of the small gardens, guards snapping to attention as Celestia passed, Sparkles in tow. A couple of the guards developed broad smiles as they took in Sparkles and the happy look her presence was giving Celestia. The Solar Guard protected Celestia not just because it was their duty, but also because they loved their princess, and all of them liked to see Celestia happy.
Sparkles, while trying to be well-behaved, was new to being walked on a leash, and would occasionally dart in front of Celestia, or get tangled up in the legs of the large alicorn. After the fourth such incident in the space of a hundred yards of corridor, Celestia pulled her pet to a halt.
“Sparkles, you are a wonderful pet, but we need to do a little heel training,” Celestia said, bending down to rub her pet’s head to show she wasn’t angry with the little one. Sparkles seemed to understand she wasn’t in trouble and let herself be positioned back and to Celestia’s side.
“Alright Sparkles, when we start walking you keep position there, okay?” Celestia said, and began to lead off again. Sparkles immediately moved up beside Celestia, rubbing against a front leg and nearly tripping her.
“Hmm, this may be a little harder than I thought it would be,” Celestia mused to herself as she thought of ways to teach her pet how to maintain the correct position. After a minute of thought Celestia nodded as an idea came to her and, using her magic on her pet’s leash, changed it from a flexible length of chain to a rigid bar of steel. Sparkles did not like being denied the ability to rub up against her owner, and she whined and tried to slip her collar, which held her firmly.
“I know you don’t like it, Sparkles,” Celestia said, with a reassuring tone of voice, “but it’s for everyone's safety while we are out and about. Come on, let’s keep walking.” Celestia led off again, this time towing and occasionally dragging a protesting pet behind her. Happily, Sparkles was an intelligent pet, and after a couple of minutes she realized that she could neither get out of her collar nor force her way closer to Celestia. By the time Celestia and Sparkles reached the garden which was their destination, Sparkles had accepted her only option and she was keeping position on Celestia’s heels as if she had always been there.
“Good filly,” Celestia praised Sparkles, returning the leash to its original, flexible state and hugging her pet to her breast. Sparkles responded by happily licking Celestia’s face, wriggling a bit as she did so. Celestia’s bubbling laugh filled the garden and her breast with happy joy, a happiness that the guard who came in with a message was loathe to put an end to. But duty was duty, for high and low alike, so the guard cleared his throat.
“Princess, I’m sorry to disturb you,” the guard said, saluting, and Celestia could hear the honest regret in his voice. “But you’re late for your sit-down with the trade representatives from Neighpon.”
“What?” Celestia said, her head coming up to look at the guard. “Drat, I have to admit that it completely slipped my mind and I don’t have time to get Sparkles here back to my rooms.”
“I could take her back, Your Highness,” the guard offered. “She’s wearing your tag, so nopony will bother her if she is in your rooms waiting for you.”
“I just got her and we’re still bonding,” Celestia said, protesting. “I need to keep her beside me as much as physically possible.”
“Princess, with all due respect,” the guard said, going to a knee, “you know how touchy the Neighponese are about protocol. If... Sparkles here, made a noise at the wrong time or otherwise disturbed the negotiations it wouldn’t be good.” Celestia thought for a moment, as she looked into the loving eyes of her pet, and came to a decision.
“I need you to run down to the kennels for me,” Celestia said, looking back at the guard and she saw the light of understanding in his eyes as he realized what his princess needed. “Meet me at the entrance to the room where the trade meeting is being held. If you can do this quickly enough I will be very, very pleased with you.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” the guard said with a crisp salute before turning and running from the garden.
“We need to get moving Sparkles,” Celestia said, and set out at a trot. Sparkles gave out a happy bark of pleasure and kept pace, staying in the relative position she had been trained to. For the next several minutes the duo trotted through the corridors, guards noting their haste held up doors in advance and Celestia nodded her thanks as she passed. At last, they reached the outer doors to the negotiating room just as the guard from the garden came pelting up, holding a contraption of leather straps and panels.
“Well done,” Celestia said, her happy praise filling the guard as she took the item from him. “Come see me tomorrow after court.”
“Yes Ma’am,” the guard said with a salute and a smile before heading back to his assigned post.
“Okay, Sparkles,” Celestia said, holding up the muzzle and approaching her little purple pet. “Hold still while I put this on you.”
Sparkles however, was having none of it. She shied away from the approaching leather panels, trying to run away, and had Celestia not had a firm grip on Sparkle’s leash she would have escaped.
“Sparkles...oof...I need...you to hold still,” Celestia grunted, pulling her pet close, and pinning the squirming little one against her body. Even tightly held, Sparkles kept struggling, whipping her head back and forth in an attempt to keep Celestia from sliding the silencing device onto her.
It took longer than Celestia wanted it to, but eventually, she was able to feel the thrill of success as she slid the muzzle over her pet’s nose and tightened the straps, clamping Sparkles’ mouth closed and fastening the muzzle to her. Trapped, Sparkles gave a pathetic little whine, looking up at her owner with large soulful eyes and Celestia had to pull herself away from the sadness and despair in those depths.
“Oh, it’s not that bad, Sparkles,” Celestia said, putting as much reassurance as she could into her voice and nuzzling to show that she wasn’t mad with Sparkles. “But I do need you to keep quiet and be good for me during this meeting. Can you do that for me?” Sparkles seemed to consider things for a minute, then huffed a breath out through her nose and rubbed her leather covered cheek against Celestia’s chest, returning the affection of her owner.
“That’s my filly,” Celestia praised, getting up from the floor. Sparkles stood up as well, giving herself a shake and looking up at her owner, waiting for Celestia to lead off. With a nod to the guard to open the door to the conference room, Celestia stepped through, Sparkles at her flank and wagging her tail.
“My apologies for the delay, gentlecolts,” Celestia said, addressing the trade delegation. “I had to settle a few things first, shall we get to it?”
None of the Neighponese forming the trade delegation seemed to be able to say anything, merely murmuring their assent as Celestia moved to her seat. As she sat down, she looked her Sparkles in the eye, pointing to a spot on the floor directly by her chair and giving a brief downward pull on the leash. Sparkles was a very smart pet and took the hint, tucking her legs under herself as she sat on the floor in the indicated spot, and wrapping her tail around herself like a blanket.
With that the trade negotiation started. The Neighponese had always been noted for strict protocols and firm adherent to any agreement made with them. Perhaps because of this, they were also known as some of the most cutthroat negotiators around, willing to use almost any edge to get the best deals they could get for Neighpon. So it was with some pleasure that Celestia noted that the mere presence of Sparkles seemed to have thrown the five ponies of the delegation off of their stride. Wan Tun, the lead pony of the team, repeatedly kept asking one of his aides, a mare with a glossy black coat and a fiery orange mane, for information.
The mare in question didn’t seem to have the answers Wan Tun needed, and Celestia found herself managing to get more and more ahead in the negotiations. The mare, whose name Celestia didn’t know, couldn’t seem to take her eyes off either the Sun Princess, or her pet. Celestia made sure to favour her little one, who was being very good, with ear rubs and strokes down the mane as often as she could. Sparkles reciprocated by stropping her head against Celestia’s leg anytime there was a good pause in the conversation.
“It has been a pleasure, Wan Tun,” Celestia said, as the session wrapped up a few hours later. Celestia got up to shake the hooves of each of the delegates in turn, thanking them for coming to see her in person while Sparkles engaged in a series of bone cracking stretches that turned her body into a “U” that the delegates refused to look at for some reason.
“Let’s go get some lunch, Sparkles,” Celestia said, as they began to leave the conference room. “Once we get back to my rooms, I’ll get that muzzle off of you. Promise.”
“Princess,” a voice called from behind them. It was the orange maned mare from the trade delegation. “I’d like a word with you.”
“This should be interesting,” Celestia said, sotto voce as the mare approached.
“How dare you corrupt the sanctity of a formal negotiation with your perversions?” the mare asked, hotly. “There is no place for such in dealings at this level.”
“Well, Miss...” Celestia began, pausing for the mare to supply her name and noting that her little Sparkles was becoming agitated.
“Blurred Line,” the mare supplied. “I realize you are a princess and as such you may pretty much do as you wish but...” Blurred Line stopped talking as a growl filled the hallway. Celestia blinked a bit as she took in the fact that her cute little Sparkles was angrily growling at Blurred Line and slowly advancing on her. Celestia looked from Sparkles to Blurred Line and coming to a quick decision, grabbed the mare in her magic, holding her in place.
“I think you need to explain what is going on,” Celestia said, maintaining her grip on Blurred Line, who broke out into an unexpected smile.
“I should have known better than to try to fool you two,” the ebon mare said still smiling, and with a wash of green flame, she disappeared. In her place stood a tall lean changeling queen, possessing an orange mane and a warm smile.
“Explain yourself, before I summon the guard,” Celestia said, making sure the changeling in her grasp was held firmly. Sparkles was still growling, but was at least no longer advancing on her target.
“My name’s Shaushka,” the creature began, still smiling that calm smile. “I’m a changeling queen allied with Thorax and I’m actually here as an employee.”
“Excuse me?” Celestia asked, a little confused and even Sparkles was taken aback, looking quizzically up at the two larger mares.
“The Neighponese trade delegation hired me to read your emotional states during negotiations,” Shaushka said, and her smile became a little rueful. “But your ploy here with your little pet shut me down completely, because all I could sense was the love and affection you two have for each other, instead of anything related to the trade deal. Well done, Princess. I surrender the field to you, mastered by the Unconquered Sun.” Celestia laughed.
“It wasn’t anything I planned to be honest,” Celestia said, releasing the changeling, who immediately shifted back into her pony form. “I guess I’ll have to be a little more careful now about my emotional states.”
“If you like, Your Highness,” Blurred Line said, looking up at Celestia, “I can help teach you to control your emotions so they aren’t readable. I’m sort of out of a job at the moment, so I have time.”
“I think that might be an excellent idea,” Celestia said, rubbing her brave little Sparkles’ ear. “Come see me tomorrow afternoon and we’ll talk about your future employment with the Crowns.” The mare/changeling bowed graciously to Celestia.
“By your command, Princess,” she said, and with a bow to Sparkles, left.
“Well, I was right at least,” Celestia said to Sparkles as they made their way back to her apartments. “It was an interesting encounter.” When the pair arrived at their destination Celestia found a lunch laid out and waiting for her.
“Hmm,” Celestia said to herself. “They don’t seem to have provided anything for my pet, I wonder if—”
“Excuse me,” a maid said, entering the room behind Celestia, and holding up a round flat container. “Broad Stroke mentioned you had a pet, and those of us in the kitchen took the liberty of making up a bowl for her.”
“Why, thank you, Bright Light,” Celestia said, smiling to the maid. “Sparkles, wasn’t that nice of Bright Light to put together some food for you?” Sparkles looked up at Celestia, then at the food, pawing ineffectually at the straps holding her muzzle in place and whining as she did so.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Sparkles,” Celestia said, with a little embarrassment as she lifted Sparkles up in her magic and undid the straps of the muzzle. As she slid the leather covering off her pet, Sparkles instantly bombarded Celestia’s face with happy licks, causing Celestia to giggle. Bright Light hid her smile as best she could and made her way of Celestia’s apartments, eager to tell the rest of the castle staff about the wonderful mood their princess was in.
Pet and owner both dug into their meals with gusto, as the pleasure of each other’s company gave added spice to the meal. Celestia was just finishing her lunch when she began to feel pressure against her lower leg. Looking down, she saw little Sparkles had finished her meal and was now leaning into and rubbing herself against Celestia.
“Come here you,” Celestia said, scooping up her pet as the two exchanged nuzzles. Celestia promptly settled Sparkles on the chair beside her and started brushing out her mane. The brush made long, slow lines through Sparkles' two-toned mane and the pet slowly collapsed into boneless relaxation on the chair’s large cushion. Celestia was starting on brushing out Sparkles' tail when her pet suddenly sat up and hopped off the chair pulling her attached leash to its limit.
“What’s the matter, Sparkles?” Celestia asked, holding onto the leash which was now fully taut as her pet strained to keep moving forward. Celestia followed the line of the leash, followed it to the collar now digging into her pet’s throat, and carried the line forward to where it ended at a door.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom, my little one?” Celestia asked, and smiled as Sparkles stopped straining against the leash to paw the floor. “Silly pet, only ponies use bathrooms, but there is a place where you can relieve yourself. Come on.”
With that Celestia gave a tug on the leash and Sparkles obediently, if reluctantly, turned to follow her owner who led her pet out the door and down the hallway. Guards smiled and saluted as the pair passed them and a minute or two later, the pair emerged into the small garden they had been in earlier that day.
“Anything I can be of assistance with, Your Highness?” the guard posted to the garden asked.
“Everypony has been so helpful today,” Celestia said, holding the leash firmly as Sparkles began to pull on it again, trying to reach a nearby bush. “Do you happen to have a cleaning cloth I could have?”
“Of course, Your Highness,” the guard said, passing over a foot square cloth of the sort used to polish armour.
“Thank you,” Celestia said. “I’m afraid we will also need a few minutes of privacy.”
“Not a problem, Ma’am,” the guard said, saluting. “I will be right outside the door if you need me, and I will make sure no pony enters.” With that the guard left the garden, closing the access door to the castle behind him.
“There we go, Sparkles,” Celestia said, slackening the leash and allowing her pet to move behind a bush. Sparkles dug a hole with her hoof, having no magic of her own, and then proceeded to squat over the hole. As she began to bear down Celestia came up and began stroking her pet’s head, praising her.
“That’s a good filly. Oh, you are so very good at this, aren’t you?” Celestia said, continuing to stroke Sparkles' head and mane. Celestia’s pet seemed to shudder and leaned her head against her owner as bowel and bladder voided into the hole. Business done, Sparkles kept leaning limply against Celestia, even as Celestia used the cleaning cloth she had taken from the guard to wipe and clean the nethers of her little one.
Celestia leaned back and pulled Sparkles with her away from the hole, tossing in the cloth and using her magic to recover the hole with dirt. The two sat like that for a long minute, each looking deep into the others eyes. No words spoken as Sparkles simply lay against Celestia’s chest, her heavy breathing slowly subsiding. Celestia slowly began rubbing one of her pet’s ears.
“We can stop,” Celestia said, in a whispered voice. “You know what to do if you want to.” The words hung in the air between the two, and Sparkles gave no sign that she had heard Celestia, other than to lean into the ear rubs. Celestia smiled with unalloyed affection at her pet, rubbing both of her ears, and causing a hum of contentment to rise from the animal. Peace and tranquility covered the pair until some time later when a clock began to chime out the hour.
“Damn,” Celestia muttered, “I need to take care of Day Court. I’d love to have you by my side, my little one, but if I did you would have to be muzzled again and I’m not sure if you can handle it.” Sparkles lifted her head up and looked at Celestia, who saw a flash of intelligence in those eyes. Her little pet bent her head down and nosed under the loosely dangling chain leash, then she lifted her head and looped her nose in a circle causing the chain to wrap around her muzzle.
“Okay, okay, you win,” Celestia laughed, and Sparkles dropped her nose letting the chain slide off. “We’ll swing past the apartments and get the muzzle for you, but you let me put it on you this time. No games, little lady.” Sparkles jumped off Celestia’s belly making the older alicorn give a “whoof” of exhaled air, while giving a “yip” of assent.
Fifteen minutes later, a proudly strutting Sparkles on the end of Celestia’s leash entered the throne room for Day Court. Celestia mounted the steps, Sparkles at her side and as Celestia took her seat on her alabaster throne, Sparkles settled on a white and gold cushion that seemed to magically appear there. Celestia shot a glance to where one of her pages was discreetly retreating from the dais, and the solar monarch gave the page a slight nod of thanks.
Court was, per usual, an exercise in sound and thunder, signifying nothing. Between petitioners Celestia would stroke her pet, who sat as proud as could be in her position, legs tucked beneath her. Sparkles' presence was definitely having an effect, many of the pages and clerks noticed. Their monarch did not become as edgy or as irritable as she usually did toward the end of court, almost as if she was drawing on a well of patience and calm she had lacked before.
At long last court was over, the last “all rise” was said, and the court staff began to file out, giving smiles and nods to Celestia as they did so. A few, greatly daring stallions, asked to pet Sparkles in thanks for helping their princess through a rough day. Celestia denied each and every such request with a smile, saying, “Perhaps another time. I just got my Sparkles today.”
The two got up as the last staff members left and began to make their way back toward Celestia’s apartments again when a sudden delighted and amazed squeal brought the two of them to a halt.
“Oh my, goodness,” Cadance squealed in glee, running up toward the pair. “I had heard that you had gotten a pet, Auntie, and isn’t she just the cutest thing!”
“Hello Cadance,” Celestia said, with a tolerant smile at her niece’s over exuberance. “It’s good to see you too. And yes, I have myself a lovely little pet. I just got little Sparkles today.”
“May,” Cadance began, visibly reining herself in, “May I examine her?”
“Examine her?” Celestia asked, curious. “You know something about pets like her?”
“Some,” Cadance said, her cheeks heating for some reason. “Shining has himself a pet and I’ve picked up a few things from him.”
“Oh really?” Celestia said, in a voice dry enough to mix martinis with. “I don’t really see a problem with that. Come here, Sparkles, stand up straight and tall for Cadance.” Celestia pulled the leash around to the front, holding it high and taut so that Sparkles had no choice but to stand in place. Cadance began to check every inch of the displayed pet, going over ears, eyes, the straightness of her limbs, even sniffing Sparkles nether regions briefly.
“Well, she certainly seems to be a fine example of the Bookus Ponyta breed,” Cadance said, sitting up from her examination. “But you have her muzzled. Is she a biter?”
“What?” Celestia said, then laughed. “No, she doesn’t bite at all. We were in Day Court and I had to make sure she didn’t disturb things. You say you’re familiar with her breed?”
“Oh yes,” Cadance said, in assurance. “I helped raise one once, but it’s very rare to see one domesticated. Have you taught her to heel yet?”
“Oh yes, that was the first thing we learned,” Celestia said, as Cadance plunged on.
“Oh, how about fetching, or tricks,” Cadance said, excited.
“Um—” Celestia began, only to be overrun by the Alicorn of Love.
“Or, having her prance in different gaits,” Cadance said, and a manic gleam came to her eyes.
“Cadance,” Celestia said, as Sparkles tried to shy away from the crazed pony.
“I bet I could train her to do so many wonderful things,” Cadance said, tilting up Sparkles' head to look her in the eyes.
“Cadance,” Celestia repeated, trying to get the younger alicorns attention, even as she let the leash go slack so that Sparkles could move away if she chose.
“Oh I know, you could have her bred,” Cadance continued, unheeding of Celestia and following Sparkles, who took advantage of the slack leash to try to hide behind her owner. “I’m sure I could find a couple of studs who would lo—”
“CADANCE!” Celestia yelled, full in Cadance’s face snapping the ruler of the Crystal Empire out of her frenzy.
“Oh! Um, oh dear,” Cadance said, completely embarrassed by her display and obvious lust to have Sparkles in her clutches. “Celestia, I’m sorry. That was very improper of me.”
“That’s okay, you mentioned Shining Armor has a pet as well?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. “What sort of pet?”
“Oh, he has an Amorica,” Cadance said, and the heat was back in her cheeks. “They are very beautiful pets, but they can be willful and impulsive. It took Shining quite a while to get his fully trained.”
“I see,” Celestia said, tapping her chin with a hoof. “Do they have any other problems?”
“Well, they can be a little greedy,” Cadance said, looking down at the floor, “and they can be very territorial. Shining brought home a couple of strays once, trying to help them out, but it didn’t go over so well.”
“Cadance,” Celestia said, in a calm voice that held a note of command.
“Yes, Celestia,” Cadance said, stopping her story and a very small quaver entered her voice.
“When you get home, you will go tell Shining Armor that his Amorica is in need of some remedial training,” Celestia said, and she lifted Cadance’s chin with her hoof, looking her in the eye, and deliberately mirroring Cadance’s earlier interaction with Sparkles. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mi—Ma’am,” Cadance stuttered out, dropping her gaze as soon as Celestia allowed her to.
“Good,” Celestia said, her voice still calm and pleasant but absolutely commanding, “because if he can’t get her under control I’ll just have to come up to the Empire to train her myself.” Cadance gulped and paled visibly.
“Yes, Princess Celestia,” Cadance said, in a voice of complete submission. “May this pony leave so that she may obey your commands?”
“Of course, dear niece,” Celestia said, and once again her voice was happy and full of the joy of life. “I look forward to hearing of your success.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Cadance said, before bowing deeply and almost running in her haste to leave the scene.
“Well, things are definitely interesting when you are around,” Celestia said, bending down to hug her pet, who still looked a little shaken. “Don’t you worry Sparkles, I won’t let anything happen to you that you aren’t ready for. How about we get back to my rooms, get that muzzle off of you and have some fun. How does that sound?” Sparkles gave Celestia’s leg a quick hug before walking forward and pulling the leash taut, trying to drag Celestia to their destination. Celestia laughed at her pet’s quick recovery, and started moving forward, following her little animal to their rooms.
A couple of pleasant hours later found Celestia and her pet in one of the larger gardens of the castle grounds. Sparkles and Celestia were playing a spirited game of catch and chase, with the alicorn monarch throwing a ball for her pet to retrieve. With enthusiasm Sparkles charged through bushes, puddles, and around guards who did their best to hide their pleasure at seeing their charge take some time to truly relax. They also shooed away anypony who tried to enter the gardens with business. Celestia’s working day was done, and the Royal Guard intended to keep it that way barring any sort of major emergency.
“Here’s a long one Sparkles,” Celestia said, sending the ball in a high arc past some bushes and Celestia laughed as the tail of her pet disappeared into the bushes the ball had gone over. The alabaster alicorn laughed again as Sparkles returned through the hole she had made a few moments ago, proudly trotting back, head held high with the bright red ball in her mouth. She dropped the ball once more at Celestia’s hooves and looked up expectantly.
“Oh, this has been fun Sparkles, but you’re filthy,” Celestia said, laughter still in her voice as she clipped the lead back onto Sparkles' collar. “You, my dear, need a bath. Let’s go.” Celestia began to lead her pet back to their rooms, and at first Sparkles was reluctant to go, needing to almost be dragged along. Celestia paused, frowning slightly, and repeated the command to follow, which Sparkles did after a few moments.
Once the pair reached Celestia’s rooms, Celestia saw that her maid staff had once again anticipated her needs. A warm bubble bath had been drawn and a meal for both her and her pet were waiting for them. Unclipping the leash and putting it to one side, Celestia lowered Sparkles into the warm, sudsy water. The pet hummed with pleasure as Celestia began rinsing the dirt off, while scrubbing deep with a massaging brush.
“Oh, you like that do you?” Celestia said, which garnered her a soggy nuzzle from Sparkles. After awhile Celestia decided her pet was clean enough and Sparkles yipped and pawed with her hooves at the bubbles, as Celestia pulled the plug from the tub, letting the now grey water flow away. With the dirty water gone, Celestia then poured clean water over her pet, sluicing away the last of the soap and grim.
“Okay then, let’s—” Celestia began, stopping as Sparkles leaped up from the tub to perch on it’s edge, and Celestia didn’t like the look in her pet’s eyes. “Sparkles, down. Down, filly.” Instead of obeying like she had in the past though, Sparkles suddenly leaped outwards past Celestia and onto the floor. Alas, wet hooves do not make for good purchase on a hard floor and Sparkles skidded into a chair a short distance away, knocking it over.
“Sparkles, no!” Celestia commanded, as her pet ran in place trying to get moving again, hooves pounding on the floor as they sought purchase. It took a few seconds, but Sparkles got in motion again, just dodging Celestia who had leaped to catch her. For the next few minutes the scene kept repeating. Sparkles running, then skidding into a piece of furniture only to just dodge her outreaching owner, heedless of commands to sit or stay. Minutes later, after another dash in and out of the tub, Celestia finally cornered her dripping pet.
“Enough of this, Sparkles,” Celestia said, getting out the leash to bring her unruly pet under control, then her eyes widened as Sparkles lowered her head and began to tense her hips. “No...no Sparkles, don’t. Do. Not. Sh—” Whatever Celestia was about to say was cut off as Sparkles shook herself from head to tail, sending droplets of water flying out in every direction, and coating every surface within reach with rinse water from the bath.
Celestia just stood there for a moment, her mind frozen at the shock of what her normally well-behaved pet had done. Sparkles looked up at her, panting happily. Happily that is, until Celestia spoke a moment later.
“BAD!” Celestia exclaimed in a loud voice, and Sparkles cringed at her owner’s disapproval. “Bad Pet!” Sparkles cringed even more and whined as Celestia took a padlock and locked the chain lead to Sparkles' collar. Using the leash, Celestia drew her naughty pet to her side as she looked around the room for something of Luna’s, and her eyes lit up as she found it.
“You need a time out,” Celestia said, pulling out the cage Luna kept in the room for her pet, Tibbles. It was a little on the small side for Sparkles, but this was to be a punishment after all. “In you go,” Celestia said, pushing Sparkles into the cage firmly, locking the door behind her and locking her end of the leash to one of the bars of the cage with another padlock. Sparkles whined and batted at the cage’s bars, finding no exit.
“Oh no you don’t,” Celestia said to Sparkles, who began vainly tugging at her leash. “You are going to stay in there at least until I finish getting this all cleaned up.”
After a few more desultory tugs on the leash Sparkles gave up and laid down, placing her head on her damp hooves with a sad expression on her face. Celestia began walking around the room systematically drawing the water off of each and every affected surface and item. Sparkles didn’t move in her improvised kennel, but her sad eyes tracked her owner’s every movement. It took Celestia some time, but at last every surface was dry again, as was Sparkles, whose belly rumbled.
“Yes, I suppose it is time we ate, Sparkles,” Celestia said, heaving a sigh. “I’m still cross with you though, so you’re going to eat in there.” Celestia opened the wire door of the cage and put in the food and water bowls that the maids had filled for Celestia’s pet. Sparkles looked sadly up at Celestia, her wide sad eyes showing how much she was sorry for misbehaving, but Celestia was made of sterner stuff and instead of freeing Sparkles, she locked the door and ate her own dinner in silence.
That silence hung in the air like a wet blanket, unbroken except for the sounds of Celestia and Sparkles eating from their respective locations. Neither pet, nor owner looked at each other, neither made any attempt to reach out to the other. It was as if the walls of the cage around Sparkles had cut her off from the world around her. That is, until Luna arrived.
“Hello Sister,” Luna said cheerfully, her rest having refreshed her for another night’s work. “How are you doing this fine even—” Luna’s voice trailed off as her eyes took in the leashed, collared and caged form of Sparkles, eating the last bits of food from her bowl. Her eyes shifted to her sister and Celestia could see the gears turning in her sister’s mind as Luna tried to work out what was going on. Celestia let her sister’s mind work the problem in peace, and it was a full minute before Luna spoke again.
“Sister,” Luna asked in a careful and deliberate voice. “May I ask what is going on, and why the cage for my Tiberius is currently occupied?”
“Luna, meet Sparkles,” Celestia said, a smile coming to her face for the first time since the incident. “I just got her today, and while overall she is a very good pet, she misbehaved rather badly a little while ago, so I thought a timeout was in order.”
“I... see,” Luna said, her mind flashing between new sets of possibilities. “Do you mind terribly if I have a look at her?”
“Feel free, Luna,” Celestia said, smiling slightly. “Please try not to startle her though, we ran into Cadance earlier and she was a little excessive in her enthusiasm.” Luna snorted delicately at that, but moved toward the cage with slow and deliberate motions. Celestia noted, with approval, that Luna put herself between Celestia and Sparkles as soon as she could, cutting off the line of sight between the two. “Trust but verify” was always a good idea when something unusual came up.
“Hello Sparkles,” Luna said, kneeling by the cage and casting a spell as subtly as she could. Sparkles looked up into Luna’s eyes, swishing her tail in happiness at meeting somepony who might let her out of her cage and as the two made eye contact Luna’s spell revealed the mental health and wellbeing of Sparkles'.
“She certainly seems to be a physically healthy pet,” Luna said dissembling, as her spell revealed no signs of magical trickery on Sparkles mind. “May I touch her?”
“Certainly, Luna,” Celestia said, leaning back a bit. “I know you are aware of how to properly handle pets.”
“Thank you, Sister,” Luna said, and she opened the cage door, extended her hoof toward the tethered pet and dropped her voice to the barest whisper. “If this is of your own will, touch my hoof twice.” Sparkles blinked, looked at Luna and carefully tapped her hoof twice. Tension oozed out of Luna as she let out a breath, until something touched the back of her neck and she stiffened trying not to let out a shriek of surprise.
“You know, Luna,” Celestia said, her hoof resting on the back of her sister’s neck. “If I really was a bad pony, this would be the point where I would capture you and stuff you in a cage beside Sparkles. Tag, you’re it.”
“Very funny, ‘Tia,” Luna said, getting back up. “Is she allowed out now?”
“Yes, I think little Sparkles has learned her lesson,” Celestia said, a smile on her face at having pranked her sister so easily. “Besides, it is getting late. I think we have just enough time for some grooming and then bed.”
“Then I will leave you to it,” Luna said. “Besides, I noticed you have managed to tag your pet properly and it has reminded me I should look for the owner tags I have tucked away in my own things.” Celestia blushed furiously for some reason, but said nothing as Luna took her leave.
Celestia unlocked the lead from the wall of the cage and gently pulled on it after Luna left, asking, “Would you like to come out now, Sparkles?”
Setting one hoof in front of the other with deliberate and slow care, Sparkles emerged from the cage. She froze the moment she cleared the cage itself, the door banging shut behind her.
“I think you’ve learned your lesson for now,” Celestia said, leading her charge to the bedroom, scooping up a pair of brushes as she did so. “Perhaps another day we will do some more training, so you can learn to be an even better pet.” Sparkles swished her tail back in forth, leaning up against her owner as she realized her punishment was truly over.
“Up we get,” Celestia said, tugging upwards on the leash to indicate that Sparkles should hop up on the bed. Sparkles was trying very hard to be a good pet now, and leapt up without a second’s hesitation. Celestia got out her brushes and starting with the mane, began to groom her pet as she had earlier that day. Long slow massaging strokes of the brush slowly turned Sparkles into a pile of happy goo and her eyes half closed as Celestia finished off the grooming session by braiding the mane and tail of her pet.
“Just about ready for bed, aren’t you Sparkles?” Celestia asked, beginning to go through her own preparations for sleep. Sparkles was still awake lying on Celestia’s bed, but only just, she was so relaxed. A few minutes later Celestia finished getting herself ready for her rest. Before she did so though, she got out a padded pet bed that had been brought to her room much earlier in the day. She gently lifted Sparkles off the bed with her magic, and laid her pet into the cushioned nest. Sparkles stirred slightly as Celestia drew a warm blanket over her before locking Sparkles' leash to the bedpost so that she would be secure overnight.
Sparkles snuggled a little deeper into the corner of the round bed, the soft blanket her owner had laid over her body a comforting weight. As she moved, Sparkles felt the rigidity of the steel collar around her throat, holding her as securely as Celestia's caring hooves. The light links of her leash clinked slightly, reminding her that nothing and nopony could steal her away from her beloved Princess. Everything was perfect.
"The cake is a lie," Twilight said, in a quiet voice that was pitched to carry up onto Celestia's bed.
"I'm here, Twilight," Celestia said, appearing at Twilight's side as if by magic and laying a soft wing over her former student. "Did you need to stop being my pet now?"
"No, but I would like a bit of a time out so we can talk about today," Twilight said, a smile on her muzzle. "Plus, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to do this with me. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable at any time over the course of the day."
"Oh Twilight," Celestia gently laughed, love and affection in her voice. "As you have likely suspected, I'm old enough that I've played like this before. Although to be honest, it's been a pleasant change being on this side of the leash. How are you feeling?”
“To be honest, Celestia,” Twilight said, still laying unmoving in the bed. “I’m not really sure.”
“Let me ask that a little differently then, Twilight,” Celestia said. “Right now, you are collared in a ring of steel that is welded around your neck. You are chained by it to my bedpost. Your magic is cut off, and with it, your flight. Without any context ponies in your position would be scared, even terrified, at finding themselves in this situation. How do you feel about it?”
“It’s weird,” Twilight said, looking into herself and examining her feelings. “You’re right, I should be scared. But I’m not. The collar is like you’re holding onto me, keeping me safe. The leash isn’t keeping me from escaping from danger, it’s keeping me close to somepony I care for deeply. The books were right, you can’t really understand it until you experience it.” Twilight yawned.
“Do you have any plans for trying out what it’s like to be a pet owner, now that you have experienced being a pet?” Celestia asked, softly. Twilight nodded, and the motion jingled a few links of her leash.
“Fluttershy mentioned that she likes being the pet sometimes,” Twilight said. “I’ll ask her if she is willing to let me be her owner sometime in the future.”
“I think that is a wonderful idea Twilight, and we should talk more in the morning,” Celestia said, yawning slightly herself. “But it’s been a long day for both of us. Would you like a piece of red velvet cake?” Twilight smiled as the “time in” phrase she and Celestia had agreed to washed over her.
“Yes, I’d love a piece,” Twilight said, as Sparkles laid her head back down in the basket. Celestia smiled some more as she gave her pet a few loving strokes before laying a gentle kiss on Sparkles' forehead. A candle blew out, the room grew dark, and soon the only sound to be heard was the steady, contented breathing of a beloved pet and her adored owner.