As everyone entered inside the building, they were greeted by a barrage of noises and lights. Every functioning attraction that the casino had to offer had been turned on, making it emit the kind of atmosphere one would expect from a establishment dedicated to entertainment and gambling. At least, that’s the impression that Trixie had, as a sensation of nostalgia came over her, since she had visited this place on many occasions prior.
The blue unicorn had never been in this particular resort hotel before, as it was one of the newer buildings of the cloud city, established only a short time before the caribou took over, and that was probably a good thing as she didn’t see anything that reminded her of bleaker times. A place like this, that was already devoted to the concepts of greed and pleasure, would have easily adapted to the corruption of the Fall, but any modifications that it made during that time were removed and disposed of. It looked as if the place had been completely renovated, with signs of the bondage equipment that was surely once housed here paved or painted over, at least from what one could see from the main entrance.
“Looks like Gladmane got the hint and told all the volunteers to get everything started,” Sunset said, as her small group, and a certain alicorn who was acting as a tag-a-long, made their way through a line that was rapidly approaching a table stationed front in center of all the attractions, “Most of the guests are already making their way around, and are hopefully enjoying what I’ve set up for them.”
“It is pretty amazing what you’ve been able to put together,” Celestia said, assuming the statement was made for her benefit, and recognizing the amount of hard work it took to run an establishment of this size, “How did you find so many ponies willing to help out with such a project?”
“Nothing we are running today requires that much skill,” Sunset replied, “Just some simple tasks that need some extra hands and a bit of common sense to perform. Even for the things that the average pony couldn’t do, we have stallions who have talents that are useful, such as cooks to make food for ponies when they get hungry, or engineers that we have on hand in case a slot machine shuts down.”
“Wait,” Bon Bon said, “You’ve got the gambling portions of the casino up and running?”
“Were we supposed to bring money?” Lyra asked, having not actually used any bits in some time, with most services being government funded to help those who had the entirety of their live’s savings stolen from them by the caribou.
“Everything will be explained when we get to the greeter’s table.” Sunset said, not wanting to go through the details herself.
The line dwindled down within seconds, no one sticking around the greeters’ table long before they made their way deeper within the resort. Before long, the group had made it to the front of the line, with no others behind them to likewise keep waiting.
“Welcome to the Gladmane Resort Casino,” said a recognizable voice in a cheerful tone, as Star Bright was sat behind the table, with Pistachio right next to them, each surrounded by stacks of pamphlets, and sizable bags that looked like money pouches, “Oh, sorry about that. I saw it was you guys coming, but I’ve been saying that nonstop for the last twenty minutes, and it just came out by habit. What I meant to say was ‘Hey girls, glad to see you made it’.”
“Star Bright was wondering when we’d get to the ponies from our group,” Pistachio said, already gathering up some of the items from the table, “Of course, about an hour ago we were wondering if we’d even get to do this because of…” the young stallion sent a sideways glance to Celestia, but didn’t finish his thought. Whether it was out of politeness, or because he was worried how the alicorn might react was uncertain, but he changed the topic by saying, “Anyways, are you all ready to have some fun and excitement?”
“We sure are!” Lyra said, slipping herself right up to the table, all in on having the time of her life today, “So this is why we didn’t see you on the airship ride here. I thought this would have been a good time for me and Bon Bon to get to know each other better before you officially became our ward tonight, but I see Sunset has you hard at work.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Pistachio said with a slight blush, enjoying the attention he was getting from one of his soon to be guardians, “I’m doing my part to help the cause.”
“So how does this work?” Lyra asked, figuring that the objects on the table were in some way involved with the activities they would be participating in.
“Well everypony gets a map of the building, a time schedule of when important events are taking place, and a bag with one hundred tokens in it,” Star Bright said, “The tokens can be used on any of the games, from slot machines to roulette and cards. The games are mostly to serve as entertainment, but winning at them can grant you tickets that can be exchanged for some small prizes.”
“The games are still left up to chance though,” Sunset clarified, “So it’s un-advisable to use all your tokens on a single game. All games that allow you to place bets have a limit on them to help prevent that, but it’s possible to come out empty handed if you use your tokens unwisely. However, none of the prizes offered are anything more than trinkets, so you shouldn’t feel bad if you lose all your tokens, but even then I’ve added a bit of a pity system for those down on their luck, and you can exchange a ticket for five tokens at the prize counter.”
“So the point is not to win, but just play periodically throughout our stay and have fun,” Bon Bon said, “That’s a pretty good approach to this kind of thing.”
Pistachio started handing out the items among each of the ponies, including the others of the group who Trixie didn’t know as well. “Aside from that, all other facilities are free. There are several places where you can get food if you are hungry, and entertainment halls can be entered at any time before the shows being held there start. If you get lost, there will be plenty of staff that can help you find your way around, and each one is a trusted stallion from one of our group’s chapters, so don’t feel intimidated to approach them.”
The ponies at the table each received their designated items, with even Celestia being granted a bag of tokens at the behest of Sunset Shimmer. “We’ll have time to enjoy some of the games after I show you around the place,” the orange mare said to the former matriarch, “But remember, you have to stay by me, for the sake of the other guests.”
“I remember the terms of my invitation,” Celestia said, acknowledging that Sunset wanted her to stay close by, for the comfort of the other ponies, and to ensure her own safety. Sunset said it would be less likely for anypony to be hostile towards the alicorn if she was accompanied by their group’s leader, and Celestia agreed it would just be better if the two didn’t separate. After all, she had to dismiss her escort of pony guards, as they were deemed to imposing for the guests to just wonder around and keep and eye on the alicorn.
“Then that should be it,” Sunset said to the others, “Go ahead and have some fun. I’ll catch you all later.”
“You’re not going to stay with the group?” Trixie asked, the thought of Sunset splitting off not occuring to her till that moment.
“Trixie,” Sunset said to the blue unicorn with the calm temperament of a patient mother, “I know you probably have issues with crowds and public spaces after what happened in Canterlot, but I promise this place is safe. Nothing bad will happen within these walls.”
“Right!” Lyra said, pulling Trixie over to her and Bon Bon, “We are supposed to wander around, mingle, and gain a few pounds from all the tasty food. Just relax, come with me, and go with the flow.”
That Lyra made it clear she wasn’t going to leave Trixie’s side put the blue mare a bit more at ease, especially since that meant that Bon Bon would be nearby at all times too. Even if something bad did happen, the earth mare would be more than capable of dealing with it.
“I’ll be heading off on my own,” Carrot Top said, “Not that I don’t like hanging with you all, but I need a little me time.”
“Just make sure to get to the main event hall before we start the closing ceremonies.” said Starlight, “As we need all our future guardians to be present for the presentation. Lyra, Bon Bon, that goes for you too.”
“I’ll make sure we get there,” Bon Bon assured, as she was the responsible mare of the couple, and thus would be the one keeping track of time.
“Ok then,” Starlight replied, “Then all I have left to say is have fun.”
Starlight and Carrot Top parted ways from the group, going deeper into the resort, as did Sunset with Celestia alongside her, and the others of the support group that were outside of Trixie’s circle of friends. When Trixie, Lyra, and Bon Bon were all that remained standing at the greeters’ table, the mint green mare among them turned her attention to the two stallions stationed there. “And what about you two? You wanna come?”
“Sorry, Miss Lyra,” Pistachio replied, “But we’re supposed to stay here for a while to make sure that any stragglers get their things. At least an hour, just to be sure.”
“And what about after that?” Lyra said, still hoping there was a chance to spend some time with the young stallion before the warding ceremony.
“After that we’ll be working the floor, handing out drinks to all the guests.” Star Bright answered, “Non-alcoholic ones, to be clear. Sunset doesn’t want anyone getting drunk and rowdy.”
“Good call.” Bon Bon replied.
“So you’re not going to be able to have fun while your here?” Lyra said, now feeling bad for those volunteering. This was perhaps a once in a lifetime event, and so many were gonna have to sit out.
“It’s ok,” Pistachio said, a smile on his face, “So long as I know all of you are enjoying yourselves, I’ll be happy.”
“You sweet thing,” Lyra said, giving the earth stallion a pinch on the cheek, “I’m gonna make it my duty to make sure you have some fun today too, even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming.”
“Miss Lyra… Please…” Pistachio responded, a smile cemented on his muzzle, even as his cheeks turned to a deep blush. It was obvious he enjoyed being fawned over, but felt duty bound to his task.
“Come here, you…” Bon Bon said, grabbing her marefriend by her neckerchief, using it as a handle to pull her away, “Let the boys do their job.”
Lyra stumbled a bit as she was made to walk backwards into the building, finding the whole thing amusing. “Wait! I want to tell him how cute he looks with red cheeks!”
Pistachio of course heard this, and aware that everyone else in earshot did too, buried his eyes in his hands, the red area of his face doubling in size, if not tripling. “And just think,” Star Bright said, more than happy to rub salt in the wound, “Soon you’ll have that mare around you all the time.”
Pistachio let out an elongated groan, but both of the ponies still with him at the table could see the thought only made his smile grow bigger.
As amusing as this all was, Trixie didn’t want to cause any more embarrassment for the stallion, or lose track of Lyra and Bon Bon for that matter, so she said a quick “See you two later” before chasing after the other mares.
Trixie had no trouble catching up, as the marefriend couple had only made their way into the resort’s game room before Bon Bon saw it fit to release the unicorn. As Trixie approached, she could hear Lyra say “You know, being guardians to a stallion like that might not be that bad. He might be an adult, but it kinda feels like we’re adopting a son.”
“Just try not to lay it too thick with the mothering,” Bon Bon said, knowing well that Lyra was just being playful with the stallion, “He does still have actual parents, and we don’t want to give him a complex.”
“No promises are made,” Lyra said jokingly, but she was taking her lover’s words to heart. Having watched Trixie’s approach, she chose to focus her desire to have the most fun that day as much as possible on other things. “So Trixie, any idea where we should start first?” Lyra said to the other unicorn, thinking she had more experience with places like this, while also wanting to let the mare pick something Trixie would enjoy doing first.
“I’m happy doing whatever,” Trixie said, as even if she wasn’t as reserved as she was about social outings, there was nothing here that she hadn’t seen or done before prior to the Fall.
“Come on, there has to be something you’d like to do,” Lyra said, pressing the issue.
Trixie sighed, and took out her map and scheduling list. With most of the resort’s attractions shut down, the selection of things to do was limited, making it easier to just pick something, “How about we check this out?”
Trixie put her finger down on the paper, and the two mares closed in around her to see what the blue unicorn had picked, “Pony racing?” Lyra said curiously.
Bon Bon opened her own pamphlet, and found a part that gave details about the individual events, “Seems to be a standard pony race that you can place bets on,” Bon Bon said, “Featuring members of the Wonderbolts.”
“Sunset got the Wonderbolts to come?!” Lyra said, excited at that news.
“It’s not a farfetched idea to think some might have joined our group,” Bon Bon replied, “But this does seem like a good start. The races look to be lasting a while, and there are food stands stationed nearby. We can watch the runners go around a few times, grab a snack, then move on to the next thing.”
“I’m in.” said Lyra, taking both Bon Bon and Trixie by the arm, placing one on either side of her, “This will be great.” The two were then pulled along by the green mare, off into the direction of the track.
Being familiar with Lyra’s antics, both mares allowed themselves to be tugged along for a short distance, before then matching her pace. There was something about Lyra’s enthusiasm that made it contagious, which neither of the other mares could deny.
When the trio arrived at the track, they found that the races had already started, the delay on entry not pushing back the starting time one bit. This didn’t bother them, since there would be plenty of races throughout the day, and fortunately with the resort having far fewer guests than it was normally accustomed to, there were plenty of open seats, even track side.
Before long, Trixie found herself seated right next to the fence around the track, at a small table with a bench that encircled it, watching Lyra as she stood right up against the barrier separating the seats from the racers, yelling words of encouragement to any that passed her by. If not for the signs warning the spectators not to, Trixie was sure Lyra would have bent over the divider to get the closest view possible, but excited as she was, the other unicorn was still conscientious about the guidelines.
“I’m gonna go get us something to munch on,” Bon Bon said, seeing that her marefriend would be preoccupied for a while, “Just do me a favor, make sure that she stays on this level of interaction with the races.”
“Got it,” Trixie agreed, though she didn’t think there was anything to fear about Lyra getting out of hand.
The competition for that day consisted of all stallions, most of which being pegasi, with a few earth ponies sprinkled in, each rotating out after each race finished. This sort of thing only appealed to two types of ponies; the ones here who wanted to try their luck guessing who would win, and the kind who liked seeing sweat trickle off the bodies of athletically fit ponies. Had there been a few mares in the bunch, then there might have been a risk of Lyra’s eyes wandering, and her getting a little too excited, but like this it was just a harmless spectacle for the mare.
Trixie likewise had no real interest in this sport, outside of it providing her a means to kill time without doing anything. She was still in a state mentally where males didn’t appeal to her, especially with the recent realization that some stallions out there were still more than willing to force themselves upon mares if given the chance. With the races being the only thing to participate in though, she couldn’t help but have them attract her attention.
As advertised, a few Wonderbolts were a part of each lap, but only what seemed to be the lesser known or less popular members. That probably couldn’t be helped, since the most popular Wonderbolts Pre-Fall were mares like Fleetfoot and Spitfire, with Soarin being the only super popular male member of the team. While Soarin was perhaps a bit too high profile to be interested in something like this, even if it was practically a charity event, ponies like Lightning Streak and Silver Zoom had certain features that made them excellent consolation prizes for anyone enthusiast of watching stallions exert themselves.
With each race lasting less than a few minutes, with only a few more in between to get the next set of competitors in place, the spectators were able to watch many in a short amount of time, and after a few the novelty wore off on Trixie. Still, it looked to be making Lyra happy, and that was enough for Trixie to be satisfied. She just wished that Bon Bon would get back so she had someone to talk to while Lyra was distracting herself by cheering each stallion on to victory at once, but the lines to the concession stand must have been long, as nearly twenty minutes had passed and the earth mare had not returned.
Trixie had almost resigned herself to watching more of, what was to her, the tedious sport of running in a circle, until she heard the cry of her name from somewhere among the other seats. At first she thought she must have misheard, but a second call of “Trixie! Lyra!” made sure that she knew the first one was real. Both the mares turned about, wondering who was trying to get their attention, as it didn’t sound like Bon Bon, and almost at the same time their eyes landed on a petite cream colored earth mare with light blue, striped hair.
“Oh hey, it’s Coco!” Lyra said with excitement, remembering the mare from that gathering in Canterlot, “I didn’t even think about you being here! Get over here, girl!”
Coco Pommel was already on her way to do just that, a pleasant expression on her face as she and Lyra converged at the table Trixie was seated at.
“I haven’t seen you since the day of that riot. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.” Lyra said to the earth pony.
“I’m glad to see the both of you as well.” Coco said, returning the sentiments, “Especially since I heard about that attack on the two of you. I was really worried that the two of you had been traumatized by it. I know I would have been.”
“Thanks for your concern,” Trixie replied, not exactly happy that news that she and Lyra were the victims of the rape attempt had made it so far. For a mare who had always sought notoriety, almost becoming a victim of rape after the Fall was not the way she wanted others to recognize her name, “But Sunset has made sure that our mental health has been attended to.”
“Yeah, Sunset knew how to handle the situation right away,” Lyra said, “It’s amazing how fast she follows up on these things, but she always seems to have a handle on what’s going on.”
“It’s a good thing that you two have such close relationship with her then,” Coco said, genuinely happy to see her two acquaintances were being taken care of, “The leader of our chapter of the group, Minuette, is a good organizing events and making sure everyone knows when to be at them, but she doesn’t seem the type to handle serious situations like that.”
“Oh, I think I actually know her,” Lyra said, “If it’s the mare I think it is, we both used to go to the same school. I might have to hunt her down later, if she came today that is.”
Coco gave a nod to say that Minuette did come, “All group leaders were instructed to come today, since this was such a big event, but you might not get a chance to talk to her. She and the other leaders are supposed to meet up with Sunset to talk about what plans she has for after the ceremony.”
“Sounds important,” Lyra said, “So what do you guys do in Canterlot?”
“It’s probably not too different from what your group does,” said Coco, “We hold support groups to talk about what we all went through, help each other build self esteem through get togethers, hold public protests against the committee’s less savory decisions, and run charity events to help out the less fortunate mares of Equestria. Actually, most of the resources the group gets nationwide are from pledges donated to us from ponies in Canterlot. Or… so I’ve been told.”
“That makes sense, since there are a lot of rich ponies there,” Lyra said.
“Rich stallions,” Trixie corrected, remembering that many once rich mares were still in a state of not having their previous wealth, at least since the last time the two unicorns had spoken to Coco Pommel, “It’s probably something they are doing to ease their guilty conscience.”
“Probably,” Coco mused, “But if guilt is what motivates them into giving something back to us mares, I don’t mind it. Especially since it’s those kinds of stallions who profited the most off our suffering. The worst of them even exploited the other stallions, like a pair I was bought by, who went town to town selling overpriced torture devices and sex toys to stallions who were too brainwashed to say no.”
“Why does that sound familiar…?” Trixie asked rhetorically, recalling a pair of unicorn brothers she was loaned out to for a small period of time, who went by the names Flim and Flam. It probably wasn’t the same ponies, since Trixie didn’t see Coco during her stay with them, but it was possible they had both just had the misfortune of spending time with the sadistic salespony siblings at different times.
Before Coco and Lyra could inquire about that comment, the third member of their party interrupted the conversation with her return, carrying with her a tray so full of food that it might have been a challenge for any of the mares seated at the table to have brought back from the food stand.
“I’m back,” Bon Bon said, setting the tray in the center of the table, “And I see some pony else has decided to join us.”
“Bon Bon, this is Coco Pommel,” Lyra said, introducing the mare, “Me and Trixie met her a while back. Coco, this is my marefriend.”
“Nice to meet you,” Coco said to the new mare joining the small gathering.
“Same,” Bon Bon replied, taking a seat, “Especially since the food stand gave me way too much food when I told them I was ordering for three. Everypony feel free to grab whatever looks good.”
Bon Bon was first to grab something from the tray, snagging a hay burger from the pile. The others followed suit, taking up snacks and drinks, and chowing down while facing the track to watch the next race as it started.
In another part of the resort, Sunset Shimmer and Celestia were walking around among the other ponies. They had not stopped once to partake in the activities of the event, only observing from a distance as Sunset made sure everything was going according to how she planned. Celestia found it a little dull not being an active participant to everything that was going on, but as a regal figure she was used to sitting at the sidelines while everyone else enjoyed themselves.
Sunset, being the hostess of this gathering, didn’t seem too put off by her own lack of direct participation either, performing her role with the kind of diligence and duty that was reminiscent of when she was Celestia’s direct student. This was, in some ways, exactly what the unicorn had always wanted, to have authority over a large group of ponies, and control the systems that they functioned under. It wasn’t anything as extreme as her earlier ambitions of ruling Equestria, but perhaps this dedication to ‘her people’ was her finally acting in her element.
“Well, that takes care of the pool inspection,” Sunset said, turning herself away from the ledge of a balcony she was using as a vantage point, a set of binoculars in hand, as she finished watching those below who decided to enjoy the resort’s indoor swimming pool. She had already explained to Celestia that she was making sure that the lifeguards were not slacking at their jobs, and that all the poolside refreshment stands nearby were properly distributing food and drink to the guests. “Sorry this is taking so long, but I couldn’t make Starlight keep track of everything by herself.”
“I understand,” Celestia said, “The duties of a leader are never easy, and it might be best if I’m kept a good distance away from your group’s members, even if they all know I’m here now.”
“You’re probably right,” Sunset said with a laugh, “But it just seems like such a long time since we’ve done something together. That is, something that isn’t trying to pick up the pieces of Equestria.”
“I’m hoping that task will be done sooner than later,” Celestia replied, walking up to the balcony’s edge to watch the ponies below, “That ponies can still come together and enjoy something like this makes me feel that might be the case.”
“It’s certainly better than the alternative,” said Sunset Shimmer.
“Are you talking about the caribou?” Celestia asked, “Or what the Committee of Ponies has decided upon?”
“Well the caribou go without saying,” Sunset answered, “But you know that I’m not personally fond of how the Committee runs things. Their lockdowns and forced labor practices have only worked to lower the population’s morale.”
“Forced labor?” Celestia questioned, apprehensive about the insinuation, “They have never mandated that anypony be made to work against their will.”
“Maybe not on paper,” Sunset said, “But you probably haven’t seen what happens on the ground level. The Committee is always asking for volunteer workers, and don’t care where they come from. Then there is how they present the work as a great service to Equestria.”
“Isn’t it?” Celestia questioned, seeing nothing wrong with praising those who would help others through doing the tasks Equestria needed at that moment.
“It might be for those who can actually do the jobs, but for those who have no knowledge in what you ask of them, it can be an obligation pushed onto them by their peers. I’ve had more than a few ponies in my group share stories about how they were in a shelter, and were pressured by other mares into volunteering, cause they’d be seen as freeloaders otherwise.”
“If that’s the case, it certainly wasn’t the intention,” Celestia rebutted.
“The intentions of the Committee don’t really matter once their decrees go beyond their sight,” Sunset said, “And it’s no wonder things are still being repaired when most ponies that sign up are both reluctant and unqualified.”
Celestia didn’t want to say anything aloud, but in this matter Sunset might have had a point. Though she had heard reports that the re-housing problem was coming to a close, it was an issue that should have been fixed months ago. Sunset was right that despite her stepping down from the lofty position of princess, she really didn’t know what was going on outside of Canterlot. Perhaps that was her own doing, as she didn’t wish to step on the Committee’s hooves by interfering with their work.
“Take a look down there,” Sunset said, waving her hand over the scene below, “I had a lot of ponies volunteer for this event too, but I made sure beforehand that everypony who did were put into jobs they could handle. The ones making food are ponies who have special talents in cooking. The lifeguard at the pool is actually a lifeguard, and every other job that requires some degree of skill has a pony who knows how to do that skill doing it. Any other ponies that wanted to help out were just given tasks anypony could do, like those two at the front desk, so they can still help and know they contributed to helping mares, no matter how small their contribution was.”
Celestia gave a nod, but wondered for a moment if Sunset was blind to a hypocrisy that might have existed in her own system. Everypony might have been qualified, but they might not have been as willing as Sunset wanted to believe. Seeing as the volunteers were almost all stallions, and most of those able to enjoy the festivities freely were mares, it made the alicorn wonder if there hadn’t been some form of peer pressure that had escaped Sunset’s awareness of the situation.
“Looks like I’ve dampened the mood,” Sunset said, noticing Celestia’s silence, “How about we take a break and actually enjoy ourselves?”
“What do you suggest?” Celestia asked, kinda happy to have a means to not think about some of the heavier topics that currently plagued pony life. The alicorn, trying to predict what Sunset had in mind, held up the small pouch given to her earlier, “Should we hit the casino floor and use these tokens?”
“I have a better idea in mind,” Sunset said, since she knew more about all the activities the two could be doing, “Just follow me, it’s not too far from here.”
Sunset lightly pushed herself away from the balcony, heading towards the steps that would bring her back to the ground floor. Celestia had to admit, she was intrigued about what the unicorn could be leading her to. Probably not the pool itself, as Sunset said it was near here, and they passed by so many things on the way here that it could have been anything. While both curious and excited, the former princess maintained her composure as she went after Sunset, her mind racing on the possibilities of where they were heading.
As Sunset claimed, their destination wasn’t that far away, close enough to the indoor pool one could mistake it as being part of that attraction. “Well, what do you think?” Sunset said, standing right in front of an open doorway, with several signs around it announcing what this section of the resort was, and that it was both open and free to use.
That probably should have gone without saying, since every functional part of the resort had been free of cost, but seeing as to what this was, Celestia could understand why there might have been a need of a reminder. “You wanted to go to a day spa?”
“Well, why not?” Sunset said, already making her way inside, “I was always too young to be interested in this stuff when I was your student, but now that I’m an adult it seems like the perfect thing to do together.”
“Not that it doesn’t sound like a lovely idea,” replied Celestia, “I just thought that you’d prefer something more exciting.”
“My life is exciting enough as it is,” said Sunset, as the alicorn started to follow after her example, “Being the leader ponies need is not as easy as you used to make it look.”
“That might have been the thousand years of peace making it seem that way,” Celestia said musingly, remembering times when she too had to deal with a more stressful version of what her role as princess had become.
“All I’m saying is a little bit of relaxation is exactly what I need after planning a day of fun for hundreds of other ponies.” Sunset replied with her own playful banter.
Celestia certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea, as she hadn’t been to a spa in ages, at least not that she had been aware of. From what the alicorn could recall, she had scheduled a beautification visit to the local one in the weeks leading up to the Summer Sun Celebration, but in her mind she never attended that appointment.
In reality, Celestia probably had been there, but the spell that erased all memory of the caribou’s reign, which had begun on that particular pony holiday, overshot its intended target and wiped out roughly a week prior to it. Celestia had heard that the caribou also had allowed spas to be run that specifically catered to mares, but from what she knew about what happened at those, the white mare hoped that she hadn’t been ‘rewarded’ with a trip to one of those facilities. After waking up in this post caribou world, there was no opportunity to go to one for anypony, as they were one of the businesses that had been deemed by the Committee to be a waste of resources.
So, with no arguments to be made from the alicorn, the two approached the front counter, and the stallion attendee who was managing it. Having no greater task than to greet the ponies who wanted to use the facility, he noticed the two high profile mares the moment they had entered, incredibly happy to see one that he had a high opinion of, but equally upset that another he had a low opinion of was walking right beside her.
Being the first one inside the entrance, Sunset quickly picked up on the counter stallion’s rapid shifts in demeanor, concluding that he hadn’t gotten the memo that Celestia would be with her for the day. Having always been the quick thinker, the unicorn loudly announced, “Me and my guest here were looking to participate in a full spa treatment. Could you politely set us up for a together?”
The way Sunset stressed ‘politely’ and indicated that the princess was with her made it clear to the stallion that he was to be on his best behavior, giving him just enough time to wipe the scowl off his face before Celestia could see it. “Right away, miss. We have a few skillfully trained estheticians, hooficurists, and masseurs on staff to provide the both of you an experience unlike any other you’ve had before.”
“Hmm, maybe for me,” said Sunset Shimmer, more to Celestia than the clerk, “But I bet you’ve had the best hands in Equestria on you.”
“Well the ones I used to go to certainly were talented,” Celestia replied, believing this to be some idle banter as the clerk got everything ready. “But just because someone sets up shop in Canterlot doesn’t make them any better or worse than any other pony.”
“I’ll say…” the counter stallion said under his breath as he collected up a few items for the two mares.
The stallion’s muttering was low enough that Sunset Shimmer didn’t hear it, with her back turned away from him, but Celestia was able to take note of the shift in his tone as she watched him do his job from the boundaries of her vision. While perhaps not as a blatant disapproval of her presence as some others had displayed, there was a level of tension that could be felt resonating between the alicorn and this spa worker.
“Something wrong?” Sunset said, noting a few wrinkles appearing on her former mentor’s face. Tracking the direction the alicorn was looking, the unicorn followed her gaze back to the stallion, who had already turned back towards them with a smile on his face and a pair of baskets for the two mares, each holding within it a folded bathrobe.
“Here you go,” the stallion said, his voice as cheerful as Sunset could have hoped, “Just take these and go into the changing room to slip out of your clothing. After that, there will be a door at the far wall where ponies will be waiting to attend to your needs.”
As convincing as the stallion was being, Sunset Shimmer could tell something had happened. Even if it were a brief moment where this member of her group had revealed his true feelings towards his ex-princess, it was enough that Celestia spotted it, which might have been the stallion’s intention. Had this have been any other day, under any other circumstances, Sunset wouldn’t have issues with ponies showing their dissatisfaction with any representative of those who currently ruled over them, but Celestia coming to her as the alicorn had creaked open a door of new possibilities for the mare, and she couldn’t let the grudges of some other pony slam that door shut, even if they were just following the ideals she had herself circulated among her group.
“Come on, Celestia,” Sunset said, taking her mentor by the hand, tugging her along while snatching up the robes from the stallion, “We can’t waste time hanging out in the lobby if we want to do more things after we’re done here.”
Both mares passed right by the front desk and into a locker room, away from the stallion and any more remarks or sneers he could make towards the alicorn. Sunset had hoped that would make Celestia forget whatever had just happened, but she soon learned that wasn’t going to be enough.
“Sunset, I have to ask you something, cause it seems like it’s going to be a problem throughout my stay here.” said Celestia, addressing a legitimate concern for her, “Why do the members of your group hate me so much?”
Sunset huffed, hearing a question that she knew the answer to, but it was one she couldn’t possibly give. “Do we really need to focus on something like that? We’re moments away from having a nice, relaxing time together.”
“Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia said, crossing her arms to let the unicorn know how unmoving she was gonna be on this topic, “I knew that I wouldn’t be welcomed here with open arms, but so far the only pony to not look at me with fear or disgust was a pony who was a recovering purple collar.”
“With all due respect, we both know what you did to make them feel that way towards you,” Sunset Shimmer said, seeing that this was now unavoidable, though trying her best to not come off too harsh, “Some ponies can’t get past that your previous self submitted to Dainn’s rule.”
“Which is something I’ve accepted,” said Celestia, not even trying to defend the life of as a red collar she couldn’t remember, “But I’ve never met so much consolidated and lasting loathing towards me than among your members.”
Sunset couldn’t refute this observation from Celestia, as she knew it was the truth. It was practically a doctrine of her group that all those who had ever been red collars should be detested, a philosophy that Sunset endorsed as hatred targeting such an obvious source of pain and misery brought about a solidarity that former black collar mares and mind controlled stallions could stand against.
However, not every pony universally held such strong grudges against red collars, often because they knew a close friend or loved one they were close to prior to the Fall who had given in to the caribou’s rule for one reason or another, but occasionally because they took more rational approaches to the events of the Fall than those who would rather just use red collars as a convenient outlet for their anger could. It was difficulty to convert such ponies to believe the core principles of Sunset’s group under these circumstances, even when many mares had been proven by the Committee to have only been pursuing their own repugnant desire to satisfy their own lust, and thus they would frequently drop out of the meetings and activities altogether when they learned about this shared trait.
So it made perfect sense that Celestia would receive less backlash for her perceived past mistakes from those outside of Sunset’s group, as many who couldn’t forgive would more likely find themselves gravitating to those with like minds.
“It’s probably a byproduct of our group therapy sessions,” Sunset explained, having to come up with a reason that was believable to the alicorn, “Ponies use it to share their trauma with others, there are only ever three sources of that. Caribou, stallions, and…”
“Red collars…” Celestia finished, seeing that was where Sunset was going with this.
“And while I’ve done my best to make mares have better opinions about stallions, you know my own personal opinions about red collars, and can see how that would lead me to not persuading others to be as accepting of them.”
Celestia did indeed know of Sunset’s opinions about them, as she had often expressed open disdain towards anyone who had taken up a red collar, which included the one member of the Committee of Ponies who once wore the color, despite Cheerilee’s actions being completely vindicated. During the few red collar trials she attended, Sunset was always the one who bore down on those being judged the hardest, and only ever made a vote of not guilty when there was evidence that a pony used their status among the caribou’s trusted mares to undermine them. As bothersome as that position was, Celestia felt that she had to respect it, since Sunset had actually lived through the Fall, with memories still intact, which met she had seen first hand how red collars, both legitimate ones and ones who obeyed out of fear, participated in tormenting those who wore black collars.
“Look, I saw how you behaved as a red collar.” Sunset went on to say, “Maybe not first hand, since I didn’t want to put myself or those under my command at risk just to get close to you, but I saw how your master displayed you as his sex pet, with you gleefully smiling for the cameras by the end. With that in mind, it’s one of my positions that the memory erasure spell shouldn’t give anypony a free pass. No offense intended, but you probably deserve more than having your title of princess removed, something that only happened cause you decided to step down.”
The tone in the room went silent, as what Sunset said was harsh, but at the same time couldn’t be rebuked. Had Celestia given in to the caribou, as all recorded evidence seemed to indicate, there would be few punishments that would be unfit for a ruler who abandoned her people in that dire time of need. Celestia knew this, and even agreed with such a mindset, but that didn’t make the fact that this was coming from her once cherished student hurt any less. The contrast between Sunset’s and Twilight’s positions on the matter couldn’t have been further apart, and perhaps the forgiveness the purple mare displayed was not the stance Equestria on the whole should side with.
“But…” Sunset said, breaking the deafening silence, “Seeing you come here today, wanting to try and work with me to help fix the damage done to the kingdom, has given me second thoughts about our strained relationship. So please… let’s try to relax and have some fun together.”
“Very well,” Celestia relented, forcing a faint smile for the orange unicorn, defying the dark feelings that the same mare had just placed within her, “Let’s change and go enjoy the spa.”
Sunset returned the smile, and then started removing her clothing so she could get into the bath robe, placing what she was wearing in the basket provided to her. Celestia followed her lead, stripping down to nothing, the pure white mare’s body becoming slightly less burdened as her mind became increasingly so.
While Sunset words struck true to Celestia’s guilt, there was another issue with what the unicorn told her that the alicorn couldn’t ignore. As Sunset knew could tell that something was wrong with Celestia by the expression on her face, Celestia had long developed the ability to tell when Sunset was being dishonest, and something about the last thing Sunset said sparked some of those instincts. Thing was, she couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, cause everything sounded like the mare’s true, unedited feelings about how Celestia effectively got away with a slap on the wrist. As she put on her own robe, and placed her belongings into a locker, she thought that maybe it had something to do with the comment of their strained relationship, but even that didn’t seem deceitful when all the mare wanted to do right now was spend time together.
After swapping into the proper attire, Sunset and Celestia finally made their way into the main area of the spa, where roughly a dozen stallions were already attending to ponies who had arrived prior to the two mares. All functions of the spa were held within the same, large room, with a series of chairs, each paired up with a skin, where one could receive a hoof and nail treatment, while getting their hair washed, massage tables where a stallion would use their skilled hands to work out the tension of a pony’s body, each with their own movable divider to give a bit of privacy to receiving that service, and central soaking pool to wade and relax in once the everything else was finished. Normally there would be other treatments for winged and horned creatures, but after the Fall many who had these particular appendages had become overly protective of them, thus a horn filing or feather preening was out of the question.
“Oh my, if it isn’t our hostess,” said one of the spa attendants, who was approaching the two with a look that said he was eager to please the newest arrivals, “I was just told that you’d be partaking in our services, and about your… plus one. Rest assured, I have instructed my staff to treat the both of you like… well…”
“Royalty?” Celestia said, seeing that the stallion was stuck on the last word of his sentence, taking a guess at what it was he was having an issue saying, if only to get past them past this assumed faux pas he believed he was making.
“Yes, of course,” he said, “Shall we start with a nail and hoof filing, as well as a facial fur cleansing, and mane wash?”
“What do you think?” Sunset asked Celestia, “You’d know more about this than me.”
“Yes, that sounds like a lovely start,” Celestia said, the spa worker’s decision of where to start being pretty standard procedure.
“Then right this way,” the stallion said, leading the two over to the chairs.
From that point forward, the experience was fairly routine for the alicorn, with none of the workers commenting too much about her being there. Some even seemed happy that she was there, making Sunset think they were much more capable of hiding their true feelings than the stallion at the front desk.
The other mares making use of the spa also didn’t show too much discomfort that the alicorn was using the spa at the same time as them, not letting that spoil what was otherwise a pleasant spa day. The alicorn wasn’t doing anything but utilizing the facility like they were, or saying anything upsetting as she remained mostly quiet. So, despite the unignorable presence Celestia had, everypony allowed themselves to relax and enjoy this activity, though nopony could truly keep from having their eyes stray to the direction of the alicorn from time to time.
Things went peacefully, and before long Sunset and Celestia were stepping away from their seats with freshly trimmed nails, sanded and polished hooves, manes that had been shampooed, rinsed, and wrapped in a towel, and a rejuvenating mud mask coating their faces.
“Bleh…” Sunset said in disgust, briefly showing her detest about the substance coating her face. She had already tried to wipe it off a few times, making it so the spa stallions had to request she stop, before reapplying it.
“It’s not so bad once you get used to it,” Celestia said, holding back a few snickers at Sunset’s annoyance. Most mares had that kind of reaction to having gunk smeared all over their face, until they saw the results that came from it. It was funny for the over a thousand year old mare to watch the much younger, if still adult, mare go through this rite of passage.
“Fifteen to twenty minutes is far too long to have mushed up zucchini covering your face,” Sunset replied, not allowing herself to be swayed by Celestia’s notions that it wasn’t as bad as it felt, “I bet you know a way to use magic to keep yourself young and beautiful.”
“Alicorn magic does help,” Celestia replied, as alicorns naturally lived longer lives and lacked actual signs of aging because of it, “But these less magical methods do help aid in keeping a mare looking the best they can. As superficial as it might be, keeping up your image can do wonders for your mental health, and how others see you.”
“Ahem,” interrupted a stallion, who had been standing in wait as the first part of the beautifying process was wrapping up, “Excuse me, ladies, but if you two will follow me, I’ll guide you over to the massage tables.”
“I suppose we are taking up space right now,” Celestia said, seeing other mares entering the spa area from the changing room, awaiting their turn at getting their nails done, even though there were other chairs open for them to take. It didn’t escape the alicorn that the new arrivals were probably waiting for her to move along so they didn’t have to be close to her. “Let’s proceed, so others can have their turn.”
Sunset was more than happy to leave the beautification station, and with a nod headed over to the tables without the need of guidance. Celestia politely waited for the spa worker to lead the way, though it didn’t seem like it mattered to the stallion that much, so long as both mares got to where they needed to be.
Upon reaching the next area, the stallion stepped before the two mares and said to them, “If you two would please be so kind, please step into one of the privacy areas, disrobe, and lay face down on the table. For those who might not be familiar, we supplied you with some towels inside to cover your private areas. Even if you are comfortable with our staff looking at you nude, we request that you cover yourselves for the sake of the one who will be giving your message.”
The two mares nodded, and picked a pair of tables right next to one another. They both entered, closed the dividing walls, and removed the robes that were the only article of clothing the two were wearing. Grabbing one of the provided towels, they took their places on the tables, draping the sheets of cloth over their backsides, while folding their arms in under their chins provided adequate concealment for their breasts as they rested atop the padded surface. Shortly after they stopped moving about, they both received a knock on their dividers, accompanied with a request to enter in, which both mares granted.
As Celestia’s divider opened, she was surprised to see a very large stallion with white fur and a short trimmed, blonde mane, pushing a small cart of supplies enter in. Celestia thought he was an earth stallion at first, due to his size but as he put his cart into place, she caught a glimpse of a small set of wings on his back. The pegasus had a muscular bulk that far surpassed that of an average pony, the definition of which she could plainly see through a spa uniform that wrapped around his body in a skin tight fashion, from his shirt that looked like it could pop a seam at any moment, to the shorts that hardly could contain his chiseled thighs, and even the black cloth tied around his beefed up neck muscles. This was not a trait shared by any of his coworkers, who all had outfits that looked a little loose around their bodies, but judging by the size of this stallion, there might not have been any clothes that appropriately fit him in all of Equestria, let alone a workplace approved attire.
“Uh… Could you please not stare,” the stallion said in a gruff, but polite tone, displaying a nervousness on his face that was unbefitting of a stallion of his apparent physical strength, “I get a little uncomfortable when mares look at me like that.”
“Oh, sorry…” Celestia replied, aware that she had been deeply analyzing this masseuse. She turned her head forward, looking at the shut divider, as the stallion prepped for his task.
Next thing she knew, the feeling of warm oils touched the path along her spine, sending a satisfying sensation through her being. It almost made her squeal, and probably would have if she hadn’t re-focused her every thought on not doing or saying anything that might offend the ponies who she believed already had poor opinions of her.
The stallion put his hands down on the alicorn’s back, firmly, though gently, rubbing the oils throughout her pure white coat, till it reached the skin hiding underneath. When he was satisfied with his work, he proceeded to the massage itself, placing his hands between the wings of the regal figure laying before him, before applying impressive force on that spot of the alicorn’s back.
Celestia felt her front practically flatten as her whole body was pressed into the cushioning beneath her, her eyes shooting open as powerful hands pushed into her. The pony handling her was certainly living up to the power his body displayed, as the pegasus roughed up Celestia’s body. Thankfully, it was nothing she couldn’t handle, even if it pushed a grunt from her lungs from time to time, and she had gone through similar massages like this before, from skilled hands of trained professionals. It might have hurt a little, but the pain gave way to an immense feeling of relief, and lead into a sensation of pleasure. She had to concentrate to bottle up these spikes of elation, not wanting to display any behaviors that might be seen as those of a red collar, but the alicorn had every bit of faith that this stallion wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, and after it was finished she’d be feeling like a new mare.
The muscular stallion was indeed doing just that, performing a job to the best of his abilities. Normally he strictly worked with earth pony stallions, as they often required stronger hands to properly tenderize the thicker muscle fibers that they tended to have, as well as due to his own bashfulness when it came to females, but he volunteered to work on the former princess when most of the other spa workers refused to service her.
Thankfully for both ponies, the alicorn’s body felt sturdy enough to handle it, and he didn’t personally hold the kind of grudge against Celestia as most in the support group did. The stallion just wasn’t the type to harbor anger against others, more likely to flee from conflict than his imposing stature might make others presume, so as long as Celestia was being a model customer, which she was, then he saw no reason to cause an issue where there was none. While the alicorn was not aware of any of this, there were a few within Sunset’s group that had slipped through the filter, and didn’t harbor the hatred towards those who ran the nation, former or current, having more rational feelings about how the caribou incident and the slow recovery of the aftermath.
On the other side of the divider from Celestia, the occasional grunt joined with the alicorn’s as Sunset received her own massage. These were not coming from the orange mare though, as she was not given the same rough treatment as the ex-matriarch, but from the one giving the message.
The earth stallion assigned to her was doing the best job he could while making sure that none of his hands were going anywhere near the places he felt he shouldn’t touch, even if his extensive knowledge of muscular anatomy told him these spots needed to be attended to. The risk of a mare complaining that a stallion inappropriately touched her, especially one that happened to be the founder of their group, was too great to do things properly.
Sunset didn’t really know the difference, but something about this ‘professional grade’ massage felt off. She didn’t say anything about it, as she laid there with her eyes closed, but this first time for her felt like her fur had been greased up only to get a subpar rub down. She had received shoulder rubs from Starlight that provided more relief than this, and had she not been the esteemed leader of her organization, she might have believed this stallion was doing a poor job on purpose.
Still, several minutes of gingerly touching from the earth stallion pushed Sunset’s patience to the limit, and eventually she opened an eye to see what he was doing. The downward curve at the corners of his lips screamed intimidation and fear, traits the orange mare could easily pick up in others.
“Is something wrong?” Sunset asked, openly displaying her annoyance at the stallion’s shoddy work.
“Well,” the stallion replied timidly, “I can’t really give you a proper massage without running my hands over… your curves.”
“So you’re afraid I might take offense if you touch something you’re not supposed to?” Sunset questioned. The stallion gave a nod in return. “You’re in the uniform I supplied to this department, yes?”
“I… I am,” the stallion said, suddenly becoming embarrassed about something.
“And you put on everything, right?” Sunset replied, stressing the point that he should have everything on that she provided.
“Yes ma’am,” the earth stallion answered, knowing well what she referred to.
“Then feel free to do what you have to,” Sunset said, her demeanor returning to neutrality, “So long as you put on every item, that is your pass to do your job unrestricted.”
“Oh, thank you.” the stallion said, relieved that he wouldn’t have to worry about the mare panicking at an awkward touch.
Now reassured, the stallion moved to place his hands against the mare, but before his hand could touch the unicorn’s body, he was grabbed by the wrist by hers, “Just don’t feel that gives you the privilege to do more than your job. Are we understood?”
The stallion felt a bit of that intimidation return to him, but he gave an understanding nod, to which the mare released him and went back to her face down pose. As worried as he remained though, he gave Sunset Shimmer the service she was expecting, applying proper amounts of pressure to muscles that were in great need of release from the daily stress they endured.
“Ahhh, that’s much better,” Sunset said, feeling the difference in the stallion’s effort.
The mare let herself relax, occasionally allowing a pleasure filled grunt escape her lips. This was the kind of treatment and pampering that she deserved. The kind of fear and respect that she had been denied by the princess long ago. It had taken some time to get to this point, but she felt that she finally reaching the kind of respect, admiration, and power she should have had ages ago. Soon all ponies, from the most humbled rock farmer, to those sitting in the seats of the Committee of Ponies, would come to learn of her plans on how to properly restore Equestria, seeing that she was, and had always been, the best choice as leader of Equestria. While not close at hand, that fateful day would not be far away, and perhaps it would be her former mentor who would help make that goal be fulfilled.