“Because somepony has to stay with Vinyl, and we all know you’d be a terrible slave, pretend or otherwise.”
—Bon Bon explaining things to her wife. Again.
Frigid leaned on his counter and stared at the ceiling. It was another slow day, just like yesterday and the day before. Ponies were staying home, only leaving their houses if they absolutely had to. He understood why, of course. Ever since that rebel attack at the bar a few days back, Earth had been in a state of lock down.
Sure, rebel attacks were nothing new. A stray murder here, an attempted slave rescue there; it was all part of living in this frozen pit. But this attack had been something different. The rebels had made no attempt to act covertly. They had stormed the bar, killed several Earth ponies, and then killed a few of the city’s guards before vanishing like ghosts. Only one had been slain—stabbed through the neck by a strange sword—and that had caused the city to call for a lockdown.
The idea that the rebels could swoop in and cause so much destruction and then get away without a trace was unnerving, and there were even whispers that their ranks were growing to the point where they could pose a serious threat. Frigid knew that was impossible, but he had to admit that this attack did leave him feeling nervous, but not because of the rebels vanishing. They did that all the time.
No, it was the other rumor that was swirling around that made him feel uncomfortable. There were whispers that among the dead, a strange pony had been found. A pony that no pony had seen for hundreds of years, to the point where younger generations believed that it was nothing but a myth.
A Pegasus.
Frigid didn’t know if the rumor was true, but something deep inside him felt unsettled by it. Why a Pegasus? What crazy scheme had the rebels come up with this time, and what were they hoping to accomplish by pretending to have a Pegasus mixed in?
Or…what if the impossible had happened and there was A Pegasus? What if the rebels had found a settlement of them, and together they were planning to—
Ding-ding!
Frigid’s mind snapped back from his thoughts at the sound of the shop door opening. He stood up straight and prepared his best smile, but froze before he fully put it on.
A lone pony had entered his store. He couldn’t tell if it was a stallion or mare because it wore a black cloak over its body, but he did see the telltale bump at the top of its head.
The pony looked around for a moment, taking in the store with a single glance, and then brushed the light dusting of snow off its cloak. Frigid scowled as he watched it fall to the floor. Just who did this pony think he was? If he honestly thought that Frigid was going to allow him to just—
The pony removed its hood and Frigid’s mind came up short. He had heard that, every once in a while, a Unicorn was born that seemed to inherit the true royal beauty of the race, but he had never understood that until now.
Long, deep onyx hair spilled down the mare’s grey neck. It was so smooth that it looked as if her mane was made of liquid obsidian, sparkling whenever the store light hit it just right.
Her purple eyes were vivid in color, clashing beautifully with her dark mane as they scanned the room, pausing only for second as they fell on Frigid. His body froze, as if those two amethyst orbs had carved all the way to his soul.
Her face was lined in striking ash colored fur, and even from across the store it was plain to see that she groomed it every day, making sure it accentuated the curves of her face and strength of her cheeks.
Even the way she stood, not like a slave beaten down but as an empress ruling over a nation, made her steal away any other feeling besides wonder as Frigid stared at her.
But by far, the most striking thing about her was her horn. It was a little longer than most Unicorns, and it also had a slight curve to it, but its color demanded attention, just as the mare did. It was blood red, a harsh but stunning contrast to the black mane and grey coat that it nestled in. shined on its own and Frigid swore that he saw it pulse regularly as he gawked at it. He even found himself thinking that the magic collar around it was a shame, as if something so beautiful needed to be set free.
“It is safe, Master,” the mare said.
Even her voice rang of an elegance and power that Frigid didn’t think was possible for a pony, let alone a Unicorn.
The mare turned back toward the entrance and opened the door. Frigid almost jumped across the counter to stop her, fear gripping his heart that such a beautiful creature was about to leave his world, but he stopped when the mare made no further movement.
“Thank you, Melody,” another voice said. “This way, you two.”
Three more mares walked into the shop, all of them clad in cloaks like the first. They shook them off and removed the hoods, revealing two more Unicorns and an Earth pony.
The Unicorns looked much more in line with what Frigid was used to. They kept their heads low, as if the weight of the collars constantly beat them down. The purple one showed signs of being beaten, and the white one seemed skittish, constantly throwing glances toward Frigid.
Mm…I’d like to break her, he thought as he stared at the white mare. She looked so soft, so pure, and her constant fright only fueled his desire more. The purple one didn’t look bad either. Maybe, if he played his cards right, he could convince their owner to lend them to him for a night.
Not the grey one though. Something told him that he’d be nothing but a whimpering mess if he tried anything with her.
Their owner looked around the store once and nodded. “Ice Air, gear. Snow Drift, food.”
“Yes, Master,” the purple mare answered, bowing once and then hurrying off to a corner of the store.
“Move, Snow Drift, before Melody makes you!” the Earth pony barked, stomping her hoof.
“Y-Yes!” the white mare said, scurrying away. Frigid couldn’t help but stare at her flank as she did. Her long white legs, the soft curves of her rump, even the ragged short cut of her tail. Did her master make her keep her tail short for easier access? Frigid knew a few ponies who did that, but he preferred the tail long. Gave him something to hold in his teeth as he held the mare down.
The Earth made her way to the counter, and it was the first time Frigid actually looked at her closely. She was a looker all right, with a warm yellow coat and a blue and pink mane. Her frame was solid, a clear sign that she wasn’t some spoiled mare that made her slaves do everything.
She was wealthy though. She had to be, if she could afford to have three slaves walking around with her. Most ponies were lucky to own one or two, but this mare had three! Was she some sort of big shot? She certainly wasn’t built like one, but then again, if she grew her own food in this pit, then she’d have to be tough.
Or maybe she’s built that way because…
Frigid suddenly found himself imagining the Earth pony holding down the white Unicorn and repeatedly using her, and then using the purple one like a toy as well, again and again until they were both exhausted messes on the floor. He licked his lips, hoping he’d be able to get a piece of that himself.
“Good day, sir,” the Earth pony said as she walked up. “You are the last stop on my list today. I hope you have what I am here for.”
“I hope so to,” Frigid replied with a smile. His eyes then darted to the grey Unicorn. “That’s um…quite a collection you got there.”
The mare’s blue eyes blinked for a moment. “Thank you. I made sure Oct—Melody was brought up right. She is the jewel of my stock.”
“Indeed ma’am,” Frigid replied, turning his attention back to the Earth pony in front of him. “So what can…I…?”
“Is something wrong?” the Earth pony asked.
“Forgive me for being rude, but are you okay?” Frigid had just noticed the singed fur and bruises lining the mare’s face. She had done her best to cover them, but this close they were impossible to miss.
“Oh, yes,” the mare said, waving her hoof away. “Melody had a little accident with her magic a few days ago. Tried a spell she wasn’t ready for.”
“A spell?” Frigid asked, turning to look at the Unicorn by the door. He saw her looking right back at him, a small scowl on her face. “You’re…allowing her to use magic?”
“Training, sir. I’m training her.” The mare stood up straighter—Frigid couldn’t help but notice the small wince of pain as she did—and stuck out her chest. “Just as a jeweler polishes a stone to bring out its true worth, I make sure my property is not neglected, but makes use of its full potential. I make sure she is closely watched, of course, but tell me she is not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?”
Frigid couldn’t argue with that.
“I have found that, under the right conditions, her magic flow can actually increase her beauty.”
“Really?” Frigid looked at the Unicorn named Melody again, trying to picture her being more stunning. It was hard to imagine. “Perhaps you could bring her by sometime to show me.”
“Perhaps,” the Earth pony replied before turning away from him. “You two! What’s taking so long? You’re wasting my time and this fine gentlecolt’s!”
“Here, Master,” one of the Unicorns said. It was the purple one, and she was carrying five of the best coats in all of Earth on her back. She walked up to the counter and gingerly put them aside.
“And?” the Earth pony demanded. “Boots? Scarves? Hats? Do you want to freeze to death?”
“Sorry, Master,” the Unicorn whispered, scurrying back into Frigid’s shop.
“Honestly,” the Earth pony said with a shake of her head. “This is why I had to bring them both with me. Just one of them, and I’d be taking up your time all day. Speaking of which…Snow Drift!”
The white Unicorn peered around the end of a far isle. Her sky blue eyes were half hidden behind her snowy white mane, but Frigid still felt his body burning hot. Oh, for just one night with that mare. To leave her broken on the floor, panting, used her again and again…
“C-Coming, Master,” Snow Drift whispered. She carefully came around the corner, a full sack draped across her back. She was struggling to carry it, and as Frigid watched, a few apples fell to the ground.
“Idiot!” the Earth pony snapped. “Pick them up, now!”
With a meek nod, Snow Drift stopped, turned around, and bent down to grab a fallen apple with her mouth. Frigid couldn’t help but stare as she did.
“She’s quite a catch,” he said without meaning to.
“Indeed,” the Earth pony replied. “I enjoy this view as well.”
Frigid smirked. Maybe this Earth pony did do what he fantasied about.
Snow Drift finished her display and walked over to the counter. She had enough food in the bag to last a single pony for over a month, but without a word, she turned and went back for more.
Just then, the other Unicorn came up with five pairs of boots and several scarves and hats. She silently placed them on the counter and left yet again.
“We are planning a bit of an…excursion, you see,” the Earth pony continued. “Melody claims she is ready to try her spell again, but I have my doubts. So, we will be heading outside the city for a few days for some tests beforehoof. Best to be prepared.”
“I see, ma’am. A good idea, and you’ve certainly come to the right place.” Frigid rubbed the back of his neck as he stared the growing purchase on his counter. This was his finest stock, from the clothing to the food. The fresh apples alone would set back many ponies several weeks, and this mare wanted a dozen. “I hate to ask this ma’am, but how will you being paying for all of this? I just want to be sure before—”
The Earth pony turned around and pulled a rather sizable pouch from her saddlebag. Without a second thought, she dropped it in front of Frigid. It opened as it hit the counter, revealing more jewels and coins than Frigid had ever seen. He couldn’t help but gawk at the display.
“I believe that will cover it, but if not, do let me know,” the mare said casually.
“Er, yes. Yes, of course it will!” Frigid said. He scooted the bag closer and opened it fully, making sure that it was indeed filled to the brim with wealth. He looked up at the mare again, trying to figure out who she was. He didn’t know everypony in Earth—it was a large city, after all—but he was surprised he’d never heard of…
“Excuse me, Madam, but may I have your name?”
“Bonnie,” the mare said.
“A pleasure doing business with you, Madam Bonnie,” Frigid said, giving her a deep bow. He’d never heard of her before, but if she was paying this well, he had to do his best to make her a regular customer. This amount would be enough to set him up for several months, and if she came back regularly, then at the next slave auction he’d have enough to buy a Unicorn or two.
As thoughts of chained Unicorns pinned against a wall filled Frigid’s mind, Snow Drift appeared again, carefully carrying another sack stuff with food.
“Excuse my boldness, Madam Bonnie,” Frigid said, “and if my idea is not to your liking, please pretend it never happened, but perhaps I could offer you a deal?”
“I am listening,” Madam Bonnie replied with a nod.
“I’d very much like to spend some time with that one,” Frigid said as he pointed at the white Unicorn. “I saw how tight she is back there, and I’d love to experience that for myself. One night with her, and that sack she’s carrying is on the house.”
Before the mare could answer, the purple Unicorn appeared again, balancing a few more supplies on her back.
“If you let me have her too, no cost for the boots, scarves, and hats. I’m afraid the coats are too valuable to let go, but still. So, do we—argh!”
Frigid yelped as an apple—a apple!—slammed against his head. His vision went dark for a second, but when it cleared, her whirled around, ready to beat the freezing blood out of whoever had…
“Touch me, and I’ll tear it off and stuff it down your throat!”
Snow Drift was glaring at him, her timid blue eyes replaced with burning pools of rage. Half the food was out of her sack and on the floor, but worse still was that the other half was levitating above her. She was using magic! While wearing a magic collar on her horn!
Frigid’s eyes whipped to the purple Unicorn and he felt terror grip him. She was smirking at him as she casually levitated her supplies onto the counter. “Told you she’d break first,” she said with a shrugged.
“I…Bon Bon, I didn’t…Octavia, I’m sorry!” Snow Drift stammered, dropping the remaining food as she sank to the ground, covering her head. She wasn’t looking at Bonnie though. Her blue eyes were locked on Melody, the pony who hadn’t moved from the doorway.
“Damn,” Bonnie said as she shook her head. “We were so close, but stallions always think with the wrong head at the wrong time.”
“You…you’re rebels!” Frigid said, then he glared at Bonnie, or whatever her name was. “And you’re a sympathizer! Traitor! They’ll string you up, skin you, gut you, and then—ARGH!”
Frigid screamed as pain shot through his front hoof. Against his will, it slammed down on the counter with enough force to crack it. Stunned, he looked at it, expecting to find the disgusting glow of Unicorn magic pinning it there, but what he saw was enough to make him lose all train of thought.
“Octaiva…” the Earth pony said. She was no longer looking at Frigid, instead turning to face the Unicorn who had remained by the door. “Whatever you’re about to do…”
Frigid felt his blood turn to match his name. He whipped his head to look at the last Unicorn, and somehow felt his body grow even colder.
The mare was looking at him with eyes that ate away at his mind. Her face was calm, but darkness seemed to be flowing from it, drowning out any other presence around her. Her mane flowed quietly despite the still air, and the red horn hummed in tune with its pulsing light.
Frigid felt that the very embodiment of evil was casually looking at him as if he was nothing more than a bug, and it was deciding whether to step on him or not.
“Bon Bon, put the rest of the money on this good store owner’s counter,” the Unicorn said as a smile crawled across her face. The sight only served to make Frigid more terrified.
Bon Bon, or Bonnie, or whatever the traitor’s name was, produced another hefty bag of payment and carefully placed it on the counter, not once taking her eyes off the Unicorn.
“Now, good sir, there are two ways out of this,” the Unicorn said. She strode up to the counter with poise that would have rivaled the ancient royalty of her filthy blood before stopping right in front of Frigid.
“There is enough here to cover all of our purchases, fix any damage that caused,” she gestured to his stone hoof and cracked counter beneath it “and possibly allow you to live out your degenerate fantasy for quite some time. Although Snow Drift and Ice Air will not be a part of it.”
Frigid vaguely noticed that Snow Drift winced at her name.
“But I am sure you can find some other poor mares to…toy with. Take this money and say nothing to anypony. Close up early if you feel like, perhaps go shopping for a slave or—oh, that is right.”
The Unicorn looked down and sneered as she placed her hoof firmly on his stone one.
“P-Please…” Frigid whispered. He could feel the sweat soaking his face now, despite how cold her felt.
“You cannot walk around with that, can you? What will ponies say? Tsk tsk.” The Unicorn shook her head and her horn began to glow even brighter.
“No!” Frigid begged.
“Octavia, don’t!” Bon Bon shouted, moving to tackle the mare.
“There, all better,” Octavia said quietly though, and to Frigid’s amazement, his hoof was restored to normal. The only hint of anything strange was a single thin ring around it, as if he was wearing a bracelet made of stone.
“What…?” he stared at it, baffled. He desperately wanted to yank it off, but Octavia was still holding his hoof and he was too frightened to move.
“Just a little token of our first—and last—meeting,” Octavia said with a smile that was everything but sweet. “As I said, take this money and go buy your little harem. Use them as you see fit for all we care. Or be smart and buy a better life for yourself. It matters not to any of us. We have no need of any of this, save for what we will need for our rooms at the inn this evening. So take it all, keep your mouth shut for two days, and live like the degenerate you want to be.”
Before Frigid could blink at Octaiva’s offer, magic closed around his neck and he was yanked into the air. Air shot from his mouth and his lungs immediately started to burn. He reached for his throat, desperate for relief, but he knew full well that magic could not be dispelled by touch.
“As I said, there are two ways out of this,” Octavia said. The fake kindness was gone now, replaced with a terror and threat that truly matched her appearance. Frigid tried to look down at her, but he was so high that all he could do was roll his eyes down.
“The other option is as silent as the grave,” she said as her magic tightened around his throat even more. “I end your existence here, we close your shop, and no pony finds your body for several days. At which point, we will have long since left the city. Choose wisely.”
“P-Please…” was all Frigid could stammer out before the last of his air escaped. For an agonizing second, he was sure his life was over. His lungs screamed for air. His muscles lost their will to struggle. His eyes threatened to pop from his skull. He felt a single tear form as the last of his consciousness threatened to leave him, but then the pressure was gone. He crashed onto the floor, coughing and sucking in as much air as he could.
“As I said, it is your choice,” Octavia’s cold voice drifted down to him on the floor. He dared not look up. It wasn’t until he heard all of the mares slowly walk out of his store that he tried to even stand. It was another five minutes before he ran to the door and locked it, then quickly covered all the windows.
He was alone. That demon Unicorn was gone and he had his life. As he tried to steady his breathing, he couldn’t help but turn his eyes toward the two sacks of payment on his counter.
It was all stolen, no doubt. Ransom payments, or trinkets taken in the dark of night. It was dirty money through and through.
But Octavia was right. It was more than enough for him to live on for a long time, and the thoughts of debauchery and pleasure quickly drowned out the terror that had consumed him moments before. The only reminder he had was the strange bracelet Octavia had forced on him. It itched slightly, but something told him that trying to remove it was not a good idea.
* * *
“Are we sure leaving them in another room is a good idea?” Bon Bon asked as she stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around her body. Steam flooded the room, and Lyra basked in its warmth. She was so tired of being cold all the time that Bon Bon had been forced to drag her out of the bath after she had been in there for nearly an hour.
“I think so,” Lyra replied as she watched her wife walk over to the bed they were sharing. She had wanted to take a bath with her, but both had agreed that leaving Octavia alone right now, even for a few minutes, probably wasn’t the best idea.
Lyra had stayed outside of the shop, both to serve as a lookout and keep an eye on Vinyl’s…form. The had been forced to load the stone pony in a sled back at the castle and take turns pulling it back to Earth, but once they had neared the city, Lyra, Snow Drift, and Ice Air had been the only ones pulling. It would have been too suspicious to have Bon Bon do it, and Octavia was not the best choice either, despite her protests.
They had thrown a blanket over Vinyl and walked into the city. They had been confront by five guards immediately, but once Bon Bon ‘forced’ the rest of them to show their collars—and a small bribe to cut any red tape—they had been let through with no problems.
Things had gone fine up until their little shopping trip, but Octavia had insisted that they had nothing to worry about.
Now they were back at the inn, with Lyra and Bon Bon sharing a room with Octavia and Vinyl, and Ice Air and Snow Drift in the room next door. Both mares had promised to keep their collars on just in case, but Lyra wasn’t worried about them. They knew the dangers if they were caught without them.
“They said it themselves,” she said, scooting over on the bed so her wife could lie next to her. “They have nowhere to go. Sticking with us is their best chance.”
“Hm,” Bon Bon said. She leaned over and Lyra gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I guess you’re right. Besides, even if they did run, they couldn’t turn us in. The guards would arrest them for being runaways.”
“True,” Octavia said quietly. She was sitting on the other bed, staring at Vinyl’s stone body that had been placed in the far corner. “We have nothing to fear with them.”
“Yeah…”Lyra said. She tried to hide it, but she knew Octavia heard the concern in her voice when the mare’s ear twitched.
Lyra hadn’t witnessed Octavia’s outburst in the store, but she had heard about it. She had known the cellist for many years, and while she had seen Octavia upset, she was starting to see sides of her on this trip that frightened her. And now with Sombra firmly inside her head, Lyra was starting to wonder if her friend would ever be able to come back.
“It is okay, Lyra,” Octavia whispered. Slowly, she turned around and offered her first genuine smile in what seemed like years. “I…am scared of what I did as well. But, both you and Bon Bon will stop me. Right, Bon Bon?”
Bon Bon nodded, but Lyra saw hints in her body language that only she could see. What had happened in the shop shook her wife more than she was letting on.
“No worries, Octy,” Lyra said. She stood up and jumped over to the other bed. She scrambled across the covers, deliberately acting like a little filly. When she was next to Octavia, she sensually draped her body across her shoulders. “I’ve got you. You seem pretty tense. How about a massage, hm?” She ran her hoof through the mare’s mane, gently stroking her neck. “And if you like that, maybe we could go take a bath together. I mean, Bon Bon already had hears and she didn’t—mmph!”
A pillow slammed into Lyra’s face. She lazily rolled over and found her wife glaring at her. She smirked back and stuck her tongue out.
“Somepony’s jealous.”
“And you just want more time in the hot water,” Bon Bon countered.
“Not true. I want more time in the hot water with a hot mare.”
Octavia giggled, and Lyra quickly shot a wink to her wife. He plan was working.
“If anypony gets to bathe with Octavia, it’s me,” Bon Bon said, puffing out her chest. “I own all of you, after all. Says so right here on this very official paper.”
“That I wrote,” Octavia replied, a hint of a smile spreading across her face.
“Besides the point,” Bon Bon said with a wave her hoof as she unrolled the owner’s license. They had received it when they had purchased Ice Air, and with a few extra strokes, it now said that Bon Bon legally owned Octavia, Lyra, and Snow Drift as well. “The point is, I could order you to stand over there and watch as Octavia and I take a bath.”
Lyra couldn’t help but swallow. “I’d, uh, actually wouldn’t mind that. As long as I got to join—”
“No,” both Bon Bon and Octavia said at the same time.
“Not fair!” Lyra squeaked.
“I’m the boss,” Bon Bon responded. “My orders are absolute.”
“Or,” Octavia said, turning around with a look on her face that made Lyra almost jealous of Vinyl, “you could order bothof us to serve you, Master.” Octavia wiggled out from under Lyra and then draped herself over Lyra’s body, her hooves sliding around the Unicorn’s middle until they were locked in an embrace that Lyra wasn’t entirely sure was a joke.
“Um, Octavia…?” she said as she felt the mare’s thighs press against her flank. “You still in there?”
Instead of answering, Octavia’s—Sombra’s! Lyar reminded herself—horn glowed red and Bon Bon was suddenly up in the air. Lyra instantly tried to break free, but one twist from the cellist’s hind legs and the Unicorn found herself pinned. A moment later, Bon Bon was flying through the air toward them, still being held firmly by Sombra’s magic.
Just as her wife was about to slam into them, she stopped. Her mouth was so close that Lyra could stick her tongue and lick her. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, each one trying not to show the panic that was clearly building inside of them.
If Octavia was gone, if Sombra really was in control now…
Slowly, Bon Bon was lowered onto the bed. The magic guided her until she was firmly pressed against Lyra, her thigh slipping between Lyra’s hind legs. Lyra felt her foreleg being raised and then lowered around her wife’s back, and then she felt her muzzle nestling into her neck.
“You two promised me,” Octavia whispered. “You promised me that you would stop me when the time comes.”
“If, Octavia,” Bon Bon said, but Lyra heard the fear in her voice.
Lyra’s body tightened around her wife’s.
“You two need to remember this,” Octavia continued. “You need to remember what you mean to one another, because if either of you hesitate, he will not. You cannot let your guard down around him. Around…me. I still have control, but I do not know for how long. He is planning something, and while it still feels distant, I cannot be sure. So, promise me again. Here. Now.”
“We promise, Octavia,” Bon Bon whispered, her breath tickling Lyra’s neck.
“Yeah, we got you,” Lyra added.
For a long time, the three mares lay there in silence. Lyra could feel Octavia’s body pressed against her back, the slow rise and fall of her chest calmly massaging her.
She was also keenly aware of her wife in her forelegs. Bon Bon’s breathing was rapid, but with a few strokes from Lyra, it was beginning to slow down. Her wife’s embrace was still strong, but there was a layer of fear in it, the type Lyra hadn’t felt for many years. She was scared too, because Octavia had easily overpowered both of them in under a second.
The cellist was right. They would need to be more careful around her.
“Hey, Octavia?” Bon Bon finally whispered after a while.
“Yes, Bon Bon?”
“You can stop getting a feel for my wife’s flank any time now.”
“Aw, come on,” Lyra said, relief filling her mind now that her wife seemed to be back to making snark remarks. “It’s a great flank! You’ve said so yourself.”
“Yes it is.”
“Whoa!” Lyra squeak as Octavia gave her rear a very liberal press.
“But Bon Bon has more flank to spank.”
Slap!
Lyra felt her wife jerk, which in turn caused her leg to jerk, rubbing between Lyra’s thighs in all the wrong, and right, ways. She couldn’t help but let out a small moan.
“I am going to take a bath,” Octavia said as she finally untangled herself from her friends. “If either of you actually do care to join me, I will not complain, but I think you may have more fun out here.”
“Uh…” Lyra stammered, still keenly aware of her wife’s thigh.
“Promise you’ll behave?” Bon Bon asked, clinging tighter to Lyra as she spoke.
“Only if you two promise you will not,” Octavia countered with a knowing smile. “I will leave the door unlocked though, if you feel you need to check on me.”
“Fifteen minutes,” Bon Bon said. “You sure you’d be good for that long?”
“Uh, are we—” But before Lyra could finish her sentence, Octavia had floated the owner’s license in front of her face.
“Master needs some quality time with you,” the cellist said as she let the paper fall on Lyra’s face.
With that, the mare turned and walked into the bathroom. The door wasn’t even fully closed before Lyra felt a tongue forcing it’s way into her mouth.
Fiftenn minutes to forget about everything, and just be with her wife.
* * *
Octavia sat quietly in the hot bath. Every now and then, a muffled moan or a slight gasp slipped through the door, but for the most part she was alone. The water felt soothing on her aching body, and she could feel the stress in her joints melt away as she slowly stretched them out. She lowered her head even further, allowing her black mane to float behind her as she closed her eyes and silently stared at the ceiling.
Lyra and Bon Bon needed this time alone. She could give them that, at least.
‘I have told you before, child. I am powerless. You need not fear me taking control here.’
“What happened at—”
‘Careful. You do not wish to interrupt you friends’ playtime.’
Octavia scowled. She did not enjoy speaking with the monster in her head, much less speaking using her mind, but he was correct.
What happened back at the shop was not my doing. You—!
‘I merely provided you the means. I may have guided your hoof, but you are the one who raised it. That was your doing.’
Liar!
Octavia stuck her entire head under the water. The heat massaged her face, and for a brief moment, she was rid of the voice.
She surfaced, taking a deep breath of the steamy air. She relished the feeling of it filling her insides. The bathroom was a far cry from anything back in Equestria, but it was still better than the cave where Ice Air had kept her, or the miserable state of Princess Platinum’s castle, and not only because both of those places lacked running water.
Hot coals filled the shallow pit under the bathtub, and Bon Bon had made sure to heat them again when she had finished her bath, thus the room was already steamy when Octavia had entered. The whole room was made of wood save for the tub itself, which seemed to be built of some sort of stone. It was the type of place she would expect to find back in Ponyville, or maybe some other small part of Equestria, but it was still one of the better places in the city.
Originally, Octavia had wanted to stay in a smaller inn. She did not want to draw attention to their group, especially after what had transpired at the shop, but Bon Bon and Lyra had suggested that they needed to flaunt their wealth. If one Earth pony showed up to a dive with four Unicorns and a mysterious Unicorn statue, somepony would suspect something.
Either they would end up having to fight off muggers, or Earth’s guards would come knocking.
And so they had decided on one of the more upscale inns in the city. When Bon Bon had shown enough money to pay for two rooms for an entire week, the staff had been very accommodating, offering her—and her property—the best rooms available. They had not even questioned Vinyl’s body and simply offered to have it carried to one of the rooms.
Bon Bon had refused the offer though, saying that she did not want anypony but her slaves handling it. Octavia had thanked her for that once they had reached their room.
‘The only way that Unicorn could be damaged is if you willed it, child. My magic keeps her quite safe.’
You will forgive me if I do not take you at your word.
‘And why is that? I am no fool. The moment something happens to that mare is the moment you destroy me.’
Remember that. Remember that the moment we return to Equestria, I will undo that magic, save her life, and then end yours!
‘Oh, believe me child, I remember. I can feel it burning in you.’
Octavia could feel the slimly shadow grin in the back of her mind. She was not sure why his own impending demise was cause for him to celebrate, but she did not care. She would not let him win. Whatever scheme he thought he had prepared, she would stop him.
‘Or one of those filly foolers will stop us, correct? That is, if they are not busy stuffing their faces between each other’s—’
Enough! You know as well as I do that Bon Bon and Lyra will make sure you die, even if it means I go with you!
‘Would you like to know what they are doing now? I felt your emotions when you seized both of them. Part of you wanted to join them. You are just as pent up as they are, and now they get to release that while you are stuck in here. You are hoping, in that dark part of your mind that you keep hidden, that one of them will join you. That mare of yours is cold stone now, and they are both hot blooded, and possibly willing, given the right circumstances.’
Be silent! I admit the thought has crossed my mind in the past, but it means nothing!
‘How long has it been for you now?’
Not a thousand years, unlike you.
Octavia smiled to herself as she felt Sombra recoil in her mind. She waited for him to say more, but she could feel him slither away from her thoughts until he was nothing by an elusive memory hiding in a dark corner.
Stay there for a while. Unless you are some pervert that enjoys watching your descendent bathe.
When Sombra failed to answer again, Octavia finally relaxed enough to put him out of her mind. She laid out on her back and floated in the hot water, letting the aches and worries of the past several days drift away, if only for a while.
Thoughts of supplies and the journey ahead threatened to cloud the cellist’s mind, but she forced them away. Ice Air had said they should have more than enough food to last until the caves and then some, and with their new winter gear—which still was not great compared to what the Equestria ponies had arrived with but better than mere cloaks—they should be able to make it without freezing to death.
Worrying about anything more would change nothing, so Octavia drifted in the water and thought of other things.
Her family’s bow was gone. A small part of her felt remorse, but the rest felt relief. This whole nightmare had begun because of that thing, and she would have broken it twice over if it meant preventing any of this.
It was not like anypony had used it in nearly a thousand years. What was supposed to be a symbol of friendship and trust from the Princesses to her family had slowly mutated into a reminder of their shame. Her mother would no doubt be cross about its loss, but that seemed small compared to the price Vinyl had paid over the thing.
Vinyl…
Sombra promised her marefriend was fine for now, and as much as Octavia loathed it, she used the magic he gave to verify his words. She could indeed still feel the D.J.’s life. It had not dimmed or flickered once, and that was great relief to her, but it also terrified her.
“Like you care,” Octavia muttered to herself. Those had been Vinyl’s last words to her back at the inn, before she had been taken by Keket’s ponies. Before she had been beaten, blasted, and burned. Before she had been impaled and left to bleed out on the stone floor of the castle.
Tears swelled in Octavia’s eyes. She cared. She cared so much about that silly mare and her ridiculous mane and odd music that it had driven her to do something stupid. Vinyl was right about her. All she thought about was herself, and how she would feel if Vinyl left her. She had never even considered the Unicorn’s feelings during all of this.
“If I had just…told her,” the mare whispered as a tear fell and mixed with the bath. “I am such…Even if I save her, she will never forgive me. I would never forgive me…”
Octavia closed her eyes and let the tears fall silently.
* * *
“Are you really going with them?” Snow Drift asked from her side of the bed.
“Yes,” Ice Air replied, not rolling over. They were sharing a queen bed in their own room. Ice Air suspected that this was a chance that was being offered to both her and Snow Drift if they wanted to leave. There was no lock, and it had been over an hour since anypony had come to check on them. Sure, she could hear the occasional muffled conversation from next door, and there was a door connecting their rooms on the inside, but the strange Equestria ponies seemed to be truly leaving them alone.
“But…” Snow Drift whispered. Ice Air felt her shift on the bed, but the mare still didn’t turn around. “What if they’re…? What if she…snaps?”
Ice Air sighed and finally rolled over to face the other Unicorn.
The mare was almost pure white, from coat to mane, with only hints of blue here and there. The only other color on her was the striking sky blue of her eyes, which immediately looked away when they met Ice Air’s.
“Snow Drift, look around you.” Ice Air waved a hoof in the air as she spoke. “We have nothing. Keket tried to have me killed. She had the rest of my cell slaughtered, only to end up getting her mind destroyed by the very thing that she swore would save us all. As far as I know, you and I are the only two members of her faction left. We could try reaching out, find another group, but how far do you think two unclaimed Unicorns would get?”
“Well…” Snow Drift hung her head, and Ice Air had to admit the gesture did make her look alluring in a way.
“Plus, we’ve both gotten to used to using our magic. You slipped up in the store because of that. Do that while we’re outside, and we’d be dead within an hour.”
“I-I didn’t mean to—” Snow Drift hugged her body and lay down in the bed, her back turned to Ice Air. It wasn’t long before she started shaking and sniffling, but Ice Air pretended not to notice. She rolled her eyes and flipped back over.
“What happened to you?” she asked after the sniffling grew too much. “When Bon Bon caught you, you were defiant. You called me a traitor constantly. You glared at me, and even though you were captured, you showed no signs of being beaten. I could see why Keket kept you in her main force, but now?”
“You…” Snow Drift stopped, and it was a moment before she spoke again. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see Lady—I mean, Octavia, or whatever she calls herself now. When she found me in the castle after everything, she…she wasn’t like this. She was a monster. She wanted to…I couldn’t…there was nothing I could do against her. Whatever that jewel on her head is…When I ruined the plan earlier, it all came back; the terror, the feeling of her lifting me up, the pressure on my neck. I knew she was going to kill me, and all I could do was hope it would be quick.”
Ice Air sighed again. She knew exactly what Snow Drift meant. If they hadn’t arrived in time, whatever was controlling Octavia—she had heard the name Sombra being tossed around—would have slaughtered Snow Drift and left.
“You’re looking at it wrong,” she said after a moment. “Whatever that thing is, she fought it back to save you from it. It’s not Octavia you have to worry about.” Ice Air rolled over and looked at Snow Drifts shivering form.
What am I doing?
She reached out with her foreleg, wrapped it around the mare, and pulled her into an embrace. Snow Drift’s back pressed against her front, and for a moment the white Unicorn tensed.
Seriously? Why the buck did I do this?!
Ice Air decided immediately to let go, but Snow Drift’s hoof was suddenly wrapped around her own. A second later, the white Unicorn nuzzled her way closer into her embrace, until they were pressed firmly against each other, flank to thigh and back to chest.
“Um..” Ice Air whispered.
“Tell me why you’re going,” Snow Drift said. “Tell me why I should go with them and with you.”
“No one is forcing you to—”
“I know!” Snow Drift snapped. “So tell me why I should!”
Ice Air sighed. “Have you…every done this?”
“Screwed a mare? Yes.”
“Not what I meant,” Ice Air replied, suddenly aware of certain body parts touching. “I mean, have you ever just…lay in a bed and relaxed? Not wondering where your next meal will come from, or if the door was suddenly going to be kicked in and you’d have to fight for your life?”
Snow Drift was silent, but Ice Air felt her hoof squeeze her foreleg a little tighter.
“I mean, when was the last time you even slept in a bed, let along one this nice? Or had a hot bath? Or ate food that was actually fresh? When was the last time you were full? Genuinely full?”
“No pony at the castle ever was a good cook,” Snow Drift whispered.
“You see how different those three ponies are. Octavia walked into a trap to rescue a Unicorn she claims she loves, and given how far she says she traveled just to get here, I think she means it. And you see the way Bon Bon and Lyra look at each other.”
“The side glances are painfully obvious,” Snow Drift said with a giggle.
“They’re not lying about that, so what if they’re not lying about their home? What if Equestria really is a place where Unicorns are not only free, but treated as equals? What if we could have a life where we weren’t looking over our shoulders constantly? Where we were free to use our magic as we wanted, and where the world isn’t a constant frozen cesspit?”
“That…would be nice.” Snow Drift nuzzled under Ice Air’s chin, and the Unicorn could feel her breathing on her foreleg. “But what if they’re lying?”
“Okay, fine,” Ice Air replied, rubbing her chin on top of Snow Drift’s head as she spoke. “If you don’t want to cling to hope, then let me ask you a question. Where did they come from?”
“They say they come from the land of Equestria, but I’ve never heard of it.”
“Exactly. But they had to have come from somewhere. I found Octavia wandering out in the middle of the Wastes. When Keket sent me the mission, I thought she was mad. No pony would be wandering out there willingly, but she was. And so was Vinyl. They had gear I’d never seen, even here in Earth, and they didn’t behave like any ponies I’d ever met. Vinyl tried to play the part of a freed slave, but she wasn’t one. So either those two ran away together and had been living out there alone, not only surviving but somehow thriving, or they came from somewhere.”
“What if they came from the Crystal Empire?” Snow Drift asked, and Ice Air could hear the hope rise in her voice.
“According to them, the Crystal Empire is actually part of Equestria, but it’s not a Unicorn utopia like the legends say.” Now it was Ice Air’s turn to hold Snow Drift tighter. “But still, the fact that they know it give me…hope.”
Snow Drift nodded, and the two mares fell silent. Ice Air stayed still, no thoughts really crossing her mind as she held Snow Drift. She was surprised with how happy she was doing nothing. Tomorrow they were going to possibly walk off to their deaths, buried in snow and frozen into the ground, but that was tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted to do was stay the way she was, with a soft bed beneath her, a full belly of actually tasteful food, and a hint of Snow Drift’s clean mane tickling her nose.
“I…” Snow Drift started to say something, but stopped and instead just squirmed in the embrace.
“I can let go if you want,” Ice Air whispered.
“You’re a traitor,” Snow Drift said.
Ice Air froze. Her hold on Snow Drift loosened and she wanted to pull away, but her mind was too in shock. After all that, Snow Drift was still—
The white Unicorn rolled over until she was facing Ice Air. The blue eyes drilled into Ice Air’s green ones for a long time, and then suddenly Snow Drift shoved her on her back.
Before Ice Air could react from the attack, Snow Drift scrambled on top of her and pinned her down with here forelegs. What in Platinum’s name was this mare doing? Had she lost her mind? If they started fighting, the others would rush in and it would be over for Snow Drift. She was in no shape to take on all three of them plus Ice Air, and if she tried anything, they would have no choice but to leave her here, either to die at the hooves of the guards, or worse.
Magic! Ice Air suddenly thought. Snow Drift could easily fire off a spell, kill Ice Air, and be out the door before Octavia, Lyra, or Bon Bon even heard anything. Was that what she was hoping for? Didn’t she understand that they’d let her leave without…any…
Ice Air’s mind slowed as she glared up at the blue eyes staring down at her. They were trembling, one of them half hidden behind a tattered mane. The face they rested in was shaking, and the throat beneath it was tight, struggling to either swallow something or let something out.
The hooves pinning her shoulders where quaking slightly.
The body on top of her was straddling her hips.
The horn wasn’t glowing.
“You’re a traitor now, too,” Ice Air said.
Snow Drift leaned down and pressed her mouth against Ice Air’s. It was a quick kiss, one lacking in passion and intent, and before Ice Air could fully process what had just happened, Snow Drift had pulled away.
She did not, however, move to get off.
“So…?” Ice Air said, keenly aware of Snow Drift’s thighs on her hips.
“So,” Snow Drift answered. The determinded, slightly arrogant mare from a few days ago was back, but Ice Air could still catch a hint of the frightened girl in her eyes.
“So.” Ice Air bit her lip and waited, keeping eye contact the entire time. Snow Drift was strikingly beautiful, there was no doubt about that. She fully understood that stallion’s twisted request, and she wouldn’t mind having a little fun with her either.
But was Snow Drift really up for it? Was this just a mare acting out of fright? Was it some sort of trick so she could slip out later on her own? Was she hoping for something…more out of a quick night together?
“So you’re a traitor, but after spending…time with them, I can see why. And Keket is gone. All my friends are gone. I have nowhere to go. You’re the only pony left that I have any connection to and—”
“Snow Drift, if you’re about to say you love me, then I think we need to slow way down and—”
“I wasn’t done,” Snow Drift said as she firmly put a hoof on Ice Air’s mouth. “And do not flatter yourself. We barely know each other. We are two mares trapped in the same circumstances, and that is all. We don’t know if the ponies we’re following are telling the truth. If they are, we don’t know if we’re going to survive the trip. If we do, we don’t know if this Equestria really will be everything they say it is, and everything you hope for.”
Ice Air nodded, her eyes darting between Snow Drift’s face and the hoof on her mouth. It wasn’t pressing down hard. She could easily remove it if she wanted, but she decided against it. Right now, she figured she would just enjoy having this mare sit on her.
Need to keep an eye on that horn though.
So far Snow Drift had shown no signs of using her magic, but if she did, Ice Air would only have a second to react.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Snow Drift continued. “I don’t know why you trust them so much.” Snow Drift sighed and removed her hoof from Ice Air’s mouth. She slouched back and Ice Air keenly felt the pressure of her flank on her inner thighs. “What I do know is that you do trust them, and that I can’t survive if I leave. So I’m going to trust your judgment about all of this.”
Ice Air nodded as Snow Drift leaned forward once again.
“I know a few other things,” she said, blinking her eyes as she firmly placed a hoof in the middle of Ice Air’s chest.
“And those are?” Ice Air asked.
“I know that I’m attractive. I know you think so too.”
“Guilty.” Ice Air couldn’t help but blush.
“I know I don’t love you, and you don’t love me.”
True enough, Ice Air thought with a shrug. As Snow Drift has said, they barely knew each other.
“Good. I also know that I find you attractive, and that I’m terrible at any type of sweet talk or seduction, despite how I look. So, now I have a question.”
“And that is?”
“We are alone, we are both exhausted from the past few days, we are both attracted to the other, and we both have a lot of stress built up. Do you want to buck? No strings, no commitment. Just the two of us having a physical night together.”
“Sure,” Ice Air said. “I mean if you’re sure you—whoa!”
Ice Air immediately stopped talking as Snow Drift’s hoof slipped between her thighs.