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Year 15

Rain falls on your face as you plant your feet on the stone below. You find yourself standing dead center on the stone bridge leading to Opaline's castle. The overcast sky and strong wind make for a dramatic scene, and you, the human standing on the bridge, handmade spear at his side, make the scenario seem like something out of a movie.

On the mountain, just shy of the bridge, a small army of about forty ponies from all three ponykinds stare you down, weapons of their own in their hooves. For a while, no words are spoken as you are all drenched in the rain, the wind blowing your hair and clothing dramatically behind you. Eventually, one of the ponies, an elderly earth pony stallion with a faded yellow coat and white mane, steps forward to speak. His voice is gruff, but unmistakably full of vitriol.

"Stand aside, beast. We have no quarrel with you."

"If you have business with my lady, then I'm afraid you do."

"Your lady? So you do serve that witch."

"Watch your tongue, sir. She is the ruler of this land, and you have no right to speak of her in that manner."

"Ruler?! You call that coward a ruler?!" The stallion steps onto the bridge and slams the dull end of his spear onto the stone. "She is nothing but a schemer and a murderer! Our grandparents fought alongside Princess Twilight Sparkle! Our families never forgot the bonds that the ponykinds shared! We grew up hearing tales of the magic that the monster you call a queen stole from Equestria!"

"You are mistaken, sir."

"Huh?!"

"It was Twilight Sparkle that took Equestria's magic, not Lady Opaline. Call her a schemer and a murderer all you want, the fact of the matter is that she simply did what was necessary to claim her rightful place as Equestria's ruler."

"Rightful place?! And that's why she's been in hiding ever since, I take it?!"

"Her motives do not concern you."

"Her everything concerns me, beast. This day is something everyone here has been preparing for their entire lives. We will ensure that all of the lives she took were not in vain! Tonight, we will have our revenge on Opaline Arcana!"

There is a supportive cheer from the crowd of ponies behind the stallion as they all step forward with him. Together, they all slowly begin to cross the bridge, approaching you as a result.

"...Very well, then. I had considered offering you mercy, but if it's going to be like that..." You stick out your arm, spear in hand. Between your hunting and all of the downtime you've had since moving in with Opaline, you've had thousands of hours to practice with your homemade weapon. "Then none of you are leaving here alive."

The air is filled with the war cries of the revenge-hungry makeshift army. Before them, you stand alone, silent and prepared for every eventuality.

The throne room is filled with a creaking sound as the door slowly opens. The enchanted torches flick on as you step inside, your rain-drenched clothes squishing all the while. Thankfully, the rain did an okay job of washing the remains of the battle off of you, but your clothes are still in desperate need of a wash.

You glance up at the throne, Opaline looking at you with genuine interest and concern.

"You're alive."

"I am."

She gives you a smile.

"Once again, you continue to impress me. Not that I couldn't have handled that situation myself, but it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see if you're worthy of being called my assistant."

"Well? Am I?"

"You didn't leave a single one alive. A harsh punishment, perhaps, but a fitting one. Those who would sympathize with Twilight Sparkle and cling to the past are a threat to everything I've built."

"...Of course, my lady."

Your eyes find their way to the floor, but your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Opaline approaching you and lifting your chin with a hoof, resulting in the two of you locking eyes once more.

"You did the right thing, my little human. I know you wished to offer them mercy, but... ponies like them cannot be reasoned with."

"..."

"...Are you having second thoughts about all of this?"

"H-huh?"

"You never imagined you would take the life of a pony, did you?"

"..."

Opaline sighs. To your surprise, you feel yourself suddenly growing much warmer. Opaline has leaned up against you and wrapped her large, beautiful wings around you. You know from experience by this point that, being a fire alicorn, Opaline runs pretty warm. She's always very, very comfortable to be in close contact with; something you've been doing more and more often as of late.

"Ordinarily I would chastise you for being soft. However... because it is you we're talking about, I am willing to let it slide just this once. Besides, try as I might with the scrying pool, I cannot find any other bastions of resistance. The only one I knew about is currently lying motionless beneath the bridge. So, you will likely never have to do this again, my little human."

"I... I would still do so if you ordered me to, my lady."

"I know you would, Anon."

There is a moment where the two of you simply stand there silently in your embrace until Opaline finally lets you go.

"Get those clothes washed. After that... get some sleep. You can even join me, if you like."

"Y-you're giving me an option?"

"You've earned some leeway tonight. Just... do whichever is best for your mental state." Opaline turns to head up the ramp towards her quarters, her expression full of conflicting emotions. Right before she disappears from sight, you hear her say one more thing. "Thank you, my human."

You blink as she finally makes it out of sight. With a completely emotionless expression, you head towards the laundry room, ready to get the terrible smell out of your clothes.

You lie awake in your bed. As much as you love spending the evening with your lady, there's just too much on your mind tonight.

You've been here for about fifteen years now. That's a very long time, but to you, it doesn't feel like it has been nearly that long. Getting to serve Opaline has been an absolute joy. Compared to your old life, she gives you everything you ever wanted. Food and shelter, obviously, but more than that, she gives you a purpose. Her smile is something you strive for. Is she evil? Yes, absolutely. You've been regularly robbing and taking advantage of ponies left and right while the two of you bide your time until Opaline's magic finally returns to her. And yet, you now realize that up until today, you've been taking your role for granted. You were treating it like a silly little game in this world of ponies.

Now, there is blood on your hands.

Is it worth it? Is any of this worth it? Those ponies... they were just angry. Scared. Confused. They missed their families, and they had to live knowing that the cause of all of their problems was just lounging about in a castle with her human servant. They were victims, unsure of how to deal with their sorrows.

And you cut them down without question.

What are you supposed to do now? Can you just go on like nothing happened? Keep serving Opaline with a smile on your face? Waltz into Maretime Bay, look other ponies dead in the eyes, and pay for groceries as if it was a day like any other?

You feel a terrible tightness in your stomach. The more you think about today's events, the more you want to throw up. You've always known that you aren't a good person, but this is something else entirely. Maybe those ponies were right when they called you a beast.

...

Okay yeah it's coming you'd better get to a toilet.

You rub your eyes as the morning sun filters through your window. You didn't get much sleep.

After preparing yourself for the day, you exit your bedroom, but you are surprised to find Opaline standing in the hall waiting for you.

"L-Lady Opaline. Good morning."

"...Walk with me, Anon."

"A-alright."

Without another word, you close your door and follow your queen as she makes her way down the hall and towards the throne room. To your surprise, rather than head to her throne, she turns the other way and throws the entrance open, walking out of the castle as she does so. You follow, noting to yourself that you aren't used to seeing her in broad daylight.

She's quite beautiful in this lighting, actually.

The two of you wordlessly cross the bridge, eventually making it to the mountainside. From there, Opaline begins to ascend, not following a set path but seemingly knowing exactly where she's going.

After a long walk, the two of you find yourselves at the peak of the mountain that the castle is built on. You look out at the landscape surrounding you. In the distance you can see the coast, as well as the tiny outline of Maretime Bay. In another direction, you can see the forest that Bridlewood is located in, and in another, you can see the mountain range that houses Zephyr Heights. It is here that Opaline takes a seat on the ground, something that she would normally never do. She taps the ground next to her, motioning for you to take a seat next to her. You silently oblige.

There, you and your lady look out over the incredible landscape bathed in morning light. Eventually, Opaline breaks the long-lasting silence.

"As of today, you may consider yourself promoted."

"My lady?"

She closes her eyes.

"I do not have an official title to give you, so this is just between us. Effective now, you are free to operate independently if you so desire."

"Independently?"

"If I give an order that you do not wish to carry out, you will receive no punishment for disobeying. If you have a mission of your own that you must prioritize over serving me, you are free to do as you please. And... if you wish to leave my service entirely..." She looks away from you, hesitating before finishing her sentiment. "I will happily welcome you back should you choose to return."

You sit in stunned silence for a good long moment. Opaline continues to look away from you, so you cannot read her facial expression. As the light hits her at just the right angle, you can't help but notice that her typically immaculate mane is frazzled and unkempt in a few places. On top of that, her posture is slumped, and she looks as if she didn't sleep very well.

Your heart skips a beat. She... really cares a lot about you, in her own strange way.

She's evil. You have to keep reminding yourself that. She's done some unforgivable things to countless ponies, and her goals are entirely selfish.

But then again, aren't both of those things now true about you, too?

Your mind suddenly becomes clear. You have to focus on what matters. When you first met Opaline, you joined her because it was a means of survival. Now, you continue to serve her because you want to see her succeed. Because you like the attention she gives you.

Because you love her.

You take a deep breath as you steel yourself. After a moment, you reach out and grab one of Opaline's hooves.

"Anon?"

"Lady Opaline. I understand how difficult it must be for someone of your station to say something like that to a servant like me. I can't express how happy it makes me to know that you think so highly of me." You take another deep breath. "And that's why I can tell you with utmost certainty that I am not going anywhere. I want to serve you. You've given me a place to belong. Please... please don't take that away from me."

Opaline looks at you with wide, confused eyes for a moment. The sunlight hits those eyes in just the right way, causing them to look like they're sparkling. She never cries (at least, that's what she tells you), but she sure looks like she is on the verge of tears. With a smile, she wraps a wing around you once again.

"...Good. It wouldn't do for me to reclaim my place as Equestria's ruler without my right-hand man."

Feeling the sudden warmth in the air between the two of you, you decide to lean over and rest your head on her shoulder. It's a bit awkward considering you're taller than her, but you try to make it work regardless. As far as you know, in most scenarios, it should be her resting her head on you, but you don't see any world where she does that willingly. The fact that she makes no effort to resist as your weight is pressed against her is good enough. The feeling of her tightening her grip on you when you do so is more than you could have asked for, but there it is.

You're awful. You're evil. You've done some unforgivable things that you can never take back.

But at least you still have her.

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joElecTeen

joElecTeen #1 · Aug 2nd, 2023 · 3 · ·

Okay yeah it's coming, you'd better get to a toilet.

Opaline looks at you with wide, confused eyes for a moment. The sunlight hits those eyes in just the right way, causing them to look like they're sparking. She never cries (at least, that's what she tells you), but she sure looks like she is on the verge of tears. With a smile, she wraps a wing around you once again.

sparkling

mommy5260