~BANG!~
...
~BANG!~
The sounds of gunshots echoed from Selune’s dreams even after she had woken up. She stayed in her bed, looking up at the ceiling as thoughts and memories rushed back. They had met ‘GOB’ yesterday and he had promptly revealed his nature to them. As expected, he was a manipulative bastard… but Selune had no idea he was that powerful.
Knowing the princesses and having witnessed them raising the moon and the sun at certain ceremonies, Selune knew very well that they possessed great power. They weren’t unbeatable, infallible, or almighty, but they were no common unicorn, or a pushover for that matter.
This guy?
Claiming the princesses were nothing more than frauds angered her. But being able to mess with the multiverse, and pulling several ponies out of their respective worlds just to have fun at their expense? That was cruel. Despite his reassurances that they would all end up alive and waking up in their respective realities, Selune was no less angry about making them experience death, especially when it was her own victories that benefited this wicked masochist.
It also meant, however, that she might never be able to see Merc again. If this shared reality lasted for as long as the contest was going on, then Selune would never be able to live with him.
Oh, she was prepared for something like that. She was prepared to accept the fact that her victory or loss might be the reason they were set apart, the reason they never saw each other again. The feeling that hung over her heart when they said “goodnight” and parted ways.
Inevitably she woke up with a heavy stomach, her feelings weighing her down. There was, however, something positive in all of this…
A wish. If she won, she would be granted a wish.
Selune didn’t have many things to wish for, and most of the things she would wish for she could achieve on her own. She would certainly not trust a sly being like “GOB” to make her Princess Luna's right-hoof mare when he could easily act like a mischievous djinn and twist her wish. Besides, this was something that she wanted to earn, to have the satisfaction of having gained the position herself.
As Selune rose from her bed she realised she was a human again, or at least anthropomorphic pony. Selune lived in a small apartment in the center of Canterlot, three rooms: bathroom, kitchen, bedroom. Small, but adequate, and affordable since it was near her job. She worked as an archivist in one of Princess Luna’s recent projects to organize all documented Equestrian history prior to the events of ‘Hearth’s warming Eve'. As Selune soaked up the heat of the morning sun’s rays through the windows, she considered herself a lucky mare to have a dark grey coat. She rubbed her horn, shaking her head as she tried to brush off the lingering sleepiness, unaware that two lumps on her chest were missing. As she walked towards her dressing room where she conveniently had some clothes ready in case such “unfortunate” transformations happen, she thought on the subject of her wish. As she opened her eyes in front of the mirror and inspected herself she realised one thing.
“Okay, this beats every prank I made in my lifetime a thousand times over, “ she had a lot of things to consider wishing for… but being the opposite gender was not on the top of the list! Not even in the top hundred of it! Actually it was a hundred and first… but that wasn’t the point!
She laughed with her face resting on her palm, although she didn’t know if this was worthy of tears or laughter. Well, laughter at least was a better choice, so that’s what she did. Sighing, she opened her eyes once more, and looked around for the note.
There was always a Tartarus-damned note from this “GOB” person, who Selune was now convinced was worse even than reformed Discord himself. So there it was, a yellow note glued to the side of her bathroom mirror. Picking it up she read:
'As you already know, you're lacking a few... parts that make you a female, and instead find a different part that makes you male. Tonight, you will be... Presenting yourself for a famous magazine viewed by many devious readers! Be sure to smile for the camera. So be sure to look extra... Naughty... Also I do want to apologize for the actions that happened prior, with the shooting and whatnot. I knew I should have stayed in office... Anyway, good luck.
-GOB'
~DING-DONG!~
The timing of the bell ringing at her doorstep was impeccable. Walking to the door, Selune creaked it open and saw a bronze-tanned earth pony mare with a purple mane and a cutie mark of two theater masks. Holding a clipboard in her left hoof she asked the… guy in front of her.
“Selune Darkeye? My name is Face Check. I trust the transformation spell was executed correctly? Are you decent?” She looked back at Selune, who gave a half-hearted smile as she, or maybe “he”, was peeking through the half-open door. Not waiting for an answer, Face Check continued: “I’ll wait. Be quick though, we have a lot of work to do.”
Selune wasted no time putting some clothes on, appearing at the door wearing a pair of blue jeans and a purple t-shirt. Face Check was still there, ready to get down to business.
“Alright, now that we can talk I suppose you were informed about the photoshoot you were booked for?”
“Photoshoot? Yeah, I think so. What clothes do I need to bring?” Remembering the note, Selune nodded back at Face Check who sighed.
“I suppose Mr GOB was vague and mysterious as always? Guess I’ll have to explain myself,” she mumbled, gritting her teeth as she scribbled something angrily on her clipboard. “Anyway, I’m from Playgirl magazine and you’re arranged for a nude photoshoot with us…”
Nude Photoshoot. Nude Photoshoot. Nude Photoshoot…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No.
One word echoed in Selune’s mind as she silently followed Face Check. She had said something about duty, contract, fines, and though Selune followed, the words fell on deaf ears. She suspected what the note from GOB might have meant, but this?!
Of course, she had no problem with magazines like “Playgirl”. As a teenager she’d sneak some issues in her room whenever she could in order to… play with herself, but being in one? Being a model for it?
No.
A side of her found that naughty thought of being in such a magazine intriguing, maybe even enticing, but it was nothing more than a thought, nothing more than the innocent dreams of a mare discovering her own sexuality, learning about the “spicy” side of life. But then she would look herself in the mirror and there would be one word in her mind.
No.
“Hello? Mister?! Are you paying attention to me?”
Selune blinked as she snapped back to reality. Lights, panels, luxurious furniture, and a grey-coated humanoid mare with a purple mane holding a camera that matched the one on her cutie mark… ‘he’ was definitely in for a photo shoot for “Playgirl”.
“S-s-sorry.” Selune stuttered, shaking ‘his’ head to shake off the shivers.
“Come on, we don’t have all day, you need to give me some good pictures! How else am I going to help you win the games? Come on, give me some sexy poses, I know you have the body.” Snap Shot tapped her foot as she circled around Selune, who was sitting in a silken bed covered with red roses to complement her mane. The make-up artists had done their best to bring her to top shape, though admittedly there wasn’t much they could do with her coat. Their groans of frustration had caused her to cower in embarrassment, using her mane to hide her face.
Just like she was hiding behind the blankets right now.
“Ugh!” Snap Shot grit her teeth. “Sweet mother of mercy, stop being such a bucking wuss and stop hiding!”
“S-sorry, so sorry…” Selune lowered the blankets exposing “his” back. Snap Shot chased the muscles of the guy standing before her.
“There we go, finally growing some balls for real… now show me some more.” But when she tried to zoom in her markings, Selune hid once again. Snap Shot groaned, she had met a lot of shy models, but this was beyond ridiculous! How could she perform even the most basic of poses when her model was cowering from the lens in an almost fetal state?
“I said more, not less, what part of more don’t you understand?!” Snap Shot’s eyes twitched in frustration as she raised her voice. “Are you that afraid of showing your ass to the world? Is it so hard?” She turned the other way and flicked her tail up, showing her marehood straight up in Selune’s face “THERE! See? What’s so hard about that? This is Playgirl, not Vogue, Selune!”
Selune’s eyes watered and ‘he’ shivered as she backed away from the mare. She tried to whimper back a response but was met with a mocking imitation by Snap Snot.
“Oh look at me! I’m so shy and cute… I’m so terrified of the dark, twenty seven and still a BUCKIN virgin drooling over the princess of the night...” She put her hooves next to each other and pretended to have a mock conversation between them.
“Shut up…” Selune’s voice was ignored.
“...I have a ton of tattoos on my black body that make me sexy…”
“Shut up.” ‘His voice was now steady and firm, an ordering tone in her, but it was still ignored. Red was building up as her face was distorted by her emotions.
“...Oooooh they are from a birth defect? Edgyyyyyyyyyyy…” Snap Shot raised her hooves and let them flop in surrender “What am I going to do with you?”
“SHUT…” Snap Shot’s breath was cut short as she saw Selune’s face in breath’s distance, malformed and twisted in anger, veins visible all over it. “...UP!!” As Selune screamed in front of her face she felt the spit inevitably fall on her.
“Do you think this is funny? Do you think this is cool? DO YOU?!” Selune screamed once more, bearing her teeth, eyes gleaming with hate. Everything was red now for ‘him’, anger was heating ‘him’ up. ‘He’ clenched ‘his’ fists, eager to harm in whatever way possible.
“Look! Look closely…” Selune bared ‘his’ neck, pointing at some of the white markings “Don’t you dare back down now, LOOK CLOSELY!” She yanked Snap Shot’s hoof towards her, bringing her closer “See this? These aren’t simple markings, these aren’t tattoos! This infection once was like choking tendrils for me! My very skin remembers it and I cower LIKE A LITTLE BITCH!” ‘He’ let her hoof go and pushed Snap Shot away. Mouth hanging agape, Snap Shot watched with regret as she saw the anger turn into sadness. In her frustration to win, to get a good shot she had made a very sensitive subject surface. The guilt took hold of her stomach and dragged it down.
“I look at my body every day and I see the reason I can’t act like a normal mare, the reason that makes me act like a helpless baby!” She paused “I’m always the weirdo… and now I have to advertise it for some random horny teenagers to wank their dicks over? You think I want to be pointed at in the street while ponies talk behind my back? BUCK THIS!” Everything was a blur as Selune rushed through the room, not bothering to listen or look behind her.
“Wait, Selune! I’m…” but she was already gone, around the corner, not listening, not looking back, a whimpering sound fading as the distance increased “...sorry.”
Turning to the right of the set, Selune noticed the toilet only a few paces away. With only a small silken blanket covering her basics Selune opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. Holding the only warmth she had closer to her chest, Selune sat in the corner, tears flowing like a river down her skin.
But there was someone else…
Selune raised her head as she spotted a reflection opposite her. Approaching, she noticed it was a mirror. Now her own male self was looking back at her, eyes red, and two rivers flowing down her body. She saw what she hated, what was there, what couldn’t change.
“I’m beautiful.” There was a stabbing feeling in his chest, and Selune cringed but remained still.
“I’m beautiful.” She fought, she wanted to have the confidence, she needed it, she craved it so desperately. But the echoing judgements of the past were slimy hands making her shiver, dragging him down.
“I’m… b-beautiful?” There was a tremble in her voice, doubt clouded her mind. The words aired from her mouth, but not even she believed them.
“I’m… I’m… I…” she struggled, she moved her mouth, but no sound would come out The air was tightening, it seemed stale, heavy, and it was getting hard to breathe. Her feet gave up on her and she knelt on the ground as her watered eyes started pouring rivers again, sobs echoing in the room.
There was a knock outside the door, and a soft, calm voice followed: “Selune? Are… are you there?” Snap Shot sighed as she sat down with her back against the door.
“I’m sorry. I know it might not mean a lot right now, but I’m sorry.” She waited, listening carefully. After a whole minute two words came from behind the door.
“Go away.” A shiver ran down Snap Shot’s spine as she felt the sadness in Selune’s voice. She sighed, this was going to be hard.
“I will, but before that, allow me to say my piece. If you don’t want to talk to me after that I’ll leave you alone, alright? If need be I can forge some really good pictures for you. I’d hate to do that, sure, but I still care about you winning. What do you say?” She paused and waited, holding her breath as she did.
“Kay.” Snap Shot let out a relieved sigh.
“Listen. I’m sorry for pushing you so much. I… I sometimes encounter such fake individuals in this industry. Fake personalities, fake boobs, fake smiles.” There was a momentary pause, and she felt something against the door, just standing there, not pushing.
“I get frustrated so much at those fake-shy girls that keep a cute cover, while behind that they’re the world’s greatest whores. Bucking public uteruses!” Snap Shot slammed her left hoof down the floor, and held her nose with the right. “When I read your profile, I thought you were one of them: acting all cute, but hiding behind a mask of pretentiousness. I’m sorry. I let my expectations interfere with my judgement. I shouldn’t have.” Silence followed her words, and as it drew on and on she thought she had failed. Standing up, she got ready to leave, but then she heard it loud and clear.
“You’re not entirely wrong.” Snap Shot froze in place “I never was too popular in school to begin with, and having these stripes didn’t help, but I managed. The way I managed, however… it wasn’t healthy.” Selune’s voice shook at the last phrase.
“Want to open the door and talk about it? I promise I won’t do anything improper.”
“Kay.” Selune’s voice barely had any strength, or spark in it. This frightened and compelled Snap Shot to enter even more. Once the door opened, Selune backed down once more. Snap Shot sat as close to Selune as she could, making sure she didn’t cross her boundaries and push her away. They continued saying nothing, until Selune finally broke the silence.
“I always wanted friends. Always. I wanted to make everyone happy, but that’s easier said than done…” Selune’s eyes stared down ahead, a blank expression on her face “I became a social clown, making all kinds of jokes, humiliating myself if need be, just to feel accepted. Yet despite all that I hypocritically couldn’t accept myself.”
“You felt ugly.” Stated Snap Shot.
“Yes. A classic teenage fear really, but teenagers try and do something about this stuff. Instead, I ignored it, I ignored it thinking that since there was nothing I could do about it, there was nothing wrong. I thought, if that was true, then this phase, this fear should go away. Yet as logical and as simple as this conclusion was, I never believed it.”
“Why?” Snap Shot asked.
“I was a social clown, if there was any feeling of self-respect, self-confidence that I had.., it wasn’t there. I still struggle with that, I try some methods every morning like… I talk to the mirror, and I repeat that I’m beautiful like a mantra over and over and over. I’ve had improvements since then, and I’m more assertive than I was when I was younger…”
“You can say that again!” Snap Shot smiled awkwardly, thinking of her previous outburst, and for the first time Selune aired a small laugh.
“But it still hurts me at times.”
“Know why I joined this business? The world of photography?” Selune’s ears perked with interest, and as she raised his head Snap Shot gave her a shy smile.
“I wanted to take pictures of others doing their best. Noone thought I’d be happy doing that, but look where I am! I’m successful, I’m happy with making others successful because that means I’m doing my job well. But the greatest joy of all is working for models like you.”
“But you said that…” A hoof was placed on Selune’s mouth.
“I know what I said, but your body… this is an opportunity Selune!”
“Opportunity?” Selune cocked a brow. This was too absurd to be true.
“Yes! Think of how many boys and girls out there are like you! How many girls hate themselves over the smallest pimple, the tiniest freckle, the faintest scar!” Snap Shot extended her hooves, touching Selune’s hands gently and bringing them closer “Those girls don’t even have the courage to get out, let alone be a social clown to begin with! You can help them.”
Snap Shot placed the hands on Selune’s bare chest “You can show them that it’s okay to have scars, it’s okay to have pimples, it’s okay to have your coat marred. You can STILL be beautiful!”
A small spark made itself present in Selune’s eyes. “I never thought about it that way…” she said.
“You have a coltfriend, don’t you?”
Selune blushed once again, “How did you…”
“Word goes around. Back to my point, this means that someone loves you, despite that coat color. Most girls like that don’t ever get the chance to get a coltfriend. They live in their own little worlds, with closed doors, shutting themselves out from any form of interaction. They grow fat, old, lamenting their own lives, wondering if they could have changed them. Some… some even kill themselves from the peer pressure.” Selune shuddered at the thought and scrunched his nose.
“You can help them.” Snap Shot’s words struck a chord in Selune’s heart, and her face lit up a bit.
“If they see you, if they learn about you, they’ll gain some of that confidence, and in turn they’ll give you confidence back. Just like with each successful photoshoot I gain money, fame, and recognition, so will this help your own confidence! So… what do you say?” She bumped Selune’s shoulder with her hoof. “Are you up to show Equestria that a healthy mind can exist within a healthy body? Wits, will, beauty, all in one!”
A small fire lit up in Selune’s heart. Snap Shot’s words rang true, and this brought a smile to her, and shot a ray of hope in her weary heart.
“Yes…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Beautiful!”
~SNAP!~
“Awesome gimme more, work that body, come on!”
~SNAP!~
“Flex those muscles honey, show them your strength!”
~SNAP! SNAP!~
The flash snapped twice more. “Hmmm…” Snap Shot smacked her lips together and stroked her chin, thinking “Wiggle that bubble butt of yours, flex those cheeks together!”
Snap Shot watched as Selune stretched her back and tensed the muscles around her bottoms, striking a sexy pose with a rose in her mouth, and a sly grin while she winked to the camera.
“UNF! So help me Celestia, I’d buck you right here and now if I wasn’t working.”
“W-what? I’m…”
“Oh chill, I was joking! Jokes aside though, you have a mighty fine ass. Girls love that kind of stuff as well.”
Selune’s face grew red in response.
“Besides, with a body like this I imagine your coltfriend will be jealous later, hmmm?” Snap Shot gave Selune a sly smile.
“Heh… or maybe I’ll be the jealous one. You said he’s scheduled with your friend in Appleloosa later, right?” Snap Shot simply nodded. After that, she checked her camera, making sure she got all the necessary photos
“Alright, let’s see… we did back shots, frontal, oooh this one is my favorite I’ll save it for personal use.” Selune scrunched her nose as Snap Shot waved her hoof dismissively, laughing, “Pffft! Gotcha twice! You need to step up your game! You should be pranking me, not the other way around!” The two of them laughed heartily together, their past worries gone for the moment. As the laughter died down, Snap Shot took a deep breath and asked.
“How do you feel now?”
“A little better. You’re right, it does make me happy to think I’m helping others.” Selune smiled and continued, “The most important thing is I’m doing this because I genuinely want it, not because I want something in return.”
“The reward will come on its own.”
“Guess it will. But for now…” She could feel the warmth inside her heart, the desire to feel Merc’s touch once more, to see him, to find him in her world. The thought that she had others to help and care about, that others were helping her, cared for her. It was a bright flame that guided her, and even though Merc was far away now...
“I’m happy that I have someone to love.”
He was with Selune, inside her heart.