> Cold Reception > by Marble > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Ch 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The fire of friendship lives in our hearts As long as it burns we cannot drift apart Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few Laughter and singing will see us through. We are a circle of pony friends A circle of friends we'll be to the very end! Canterlot Tower erupted in enthusiastic cheers and hoof stomps as the annual Canterlot Hearth's Warming Eve play concluded. As the curtains closed, our heroes, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, whooped and embraced at a job well done. "Great job again, everypony!" Twilight Sparkle beamed as she congratulated her friends. "So girls," Rarity purred, still flaunting her majestic Princess Platinum garb, "any other plans for tonight? The night is young, as they say." "Umm, I'm not sure," Fluttershy piped up. "Performing in front of all those ponies really tired me out." She blushed a bit. "Aww c'mon, Flutters, don't be that way!" Pinkie Pie asserted. "Didn't you know there's an afterparty? And we're invited? How could you say no to the opportunity of a lifetime to have a drink with the Princesses? At a Hearth's Warming Eve themed shindig, no less?" Pinkie shot up close to Fluttershy's face, causing the pegasus to mewl and shrink to the floor at the sudden closeness. "A drink? Count me in!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Twilight tilted her head. "Wait, a party? Why wasn't I informed? I thought we were just going straight home after we finished the play." Applejack, who had been silent up until now, sauntered over to her friends and said, "I think the Princesses wanted to keep things on the down low because of what I smuggled in just for the occasion." Rainbow Dash stared blankly for a moment before she divebombed Applejack into the floor. "Wait, don't tell me. You didn't ... did you!?" "Mhmm~" Applejack hummed with a smirk. Rainbow Dash could barely contain herself. "YOU BROUGHT CIDE-" "Hush now, Dash! Don't want a mob starting up, now. Yeah, we busted out the ol' reserves to honor the holiday. After all, being a part of the Hearth's Warming Eve tradition in Canterlot has been one of the biggest honors for an Apple in a long time." She paused. "... Aside from being called a savior of Equestria a couple times, and such." "Aww!" Pinkie Pie cooed, scooping up Rainbow Dash and Applejack in a bear hug and twirling about. "I love saving the world with you too!" "Okay, okay," Twilight said as Pinkie tumbled to the floor with her pony cargo, "I'm fine with going if everypony else is too. I just wish Princess Celestia or Princess Luna told us about it." "Oooh, maybe the Princesses have some super special awesome secrets they wanna pass along! Like the nuclear codes," Pinkie Pie giggled and waggled her eyebrows. "The what now? Anyway," Twilight said, "we better get going before it gets too late. Where are we headed?" Pinkie Pie heroically pointed her hoof into the distance. "To the Banquet Hall!" Upon entry to the Banquet Hall, the Bearers were greeted by a diverse crowd of ponies from all classes and walks of life; it was unorthodox for Canterlot, but symbolic of the unifying power of the story of Hearth's Warming. The typical elites - Prince Blueblood (Rarity gagged), Fancy Pants (Rarity gawked), the Wonderbolts (Rainbow Dash gushed), and others, were joined by ponies of more humble backgrounds in equal numbers. Some of the ponies there raised their glasses to the Mane Six as they entered and congratulated them on the pageant. Aside from the rather hushed conversation, the occasional clink of goblets coming together in a toast, and this random obnoxious giggling mixed into the background, it was definitely a cozier affair the likes of Pinkie Pie was not acquainted with, or at least comfortable with. "Aww, no music?" Pinkie pouted. "What kind of party has no music? I'll just have to fix that!" Pinkie dashed off to Celestia-knows-where. "Eh. Maybe she went to go find Pon-3," Rainbow Dash muttered with a shrug. She flew away to go find where the cider was flowing. As Twilight Sparkle waded through the crowd of pony cliques, she soon spotted several uncorked barrels of the famous Sweet Apple Acres cider sitting out in the open, all of which were completely bone-dry. "Hmm, it did seem like a lot of the ponies here were acting a bit more, erm, relaxed, already," Twilight murmured mostly to herself, her eyes ever shifty. "You would think they would wait around for the brewer herself to show up first. And what is with that giggling-" Twilight nearly tripped over a magenta Earth pony sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep. "Ech." "No sweatin' the small stuff, Twi," Applejack said. "I'm glad our cider's enjoyed as much in Canterlot as it is back in Ponyville. At least some of these hoity-toity types have some taste." "I resemble that remark," Hoity Toity spat as he glared at Applejack beneath his gaudy shades. Applejack pretended not to notice. "Do you know how long the party has been going?" Fluttershy inquired. "That's an awful lot of cider gone..." "The Princesses have a high tolerance for alcohol," chimed in Hoity Toity in his trademark cynical tone, suddenly appearing at Fluttershy's side. "It usually takes about that much to sway them. I would know. Besides, cider is not exactly the most, potent, shall we say?" Applejack rolled her eyes. "By the way, splendid costumes, Rarity, doll. Though, your genius was obviously constrained by the drab source material. Tragic, that." "Why...thank you...?" Rarity forced a crooked smile, not sure how she was supposed to respond to that remark. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was nearly having a fit at the alcohol revelation. "Wait wait, are you saying that they - the Princesses I mean - drank all that cider themselves?" she squawked. Hoity was unmoved. "Precisely. See for yourself." He melodramatically dipped his head in the direction of the head of the banquet table. It was then that Twilight Sparkle learned of the source of the incessant giggling since she and her friends had entered. Splayed out across the table like a tranquilized goose was Princess Celestia. She would occasionally bicycle her legs in the air like a cartoonish wind-up toy and titter at some joke that never seemed to end. Princess Luna, on the other hoof, was draped across her sister's exposed belly and appeared to be snoring. The younger sibling was also wearing both crowns and chestpieces at once, the regalia stacked atop each other lazily. Twilight Sparkle wrinkled her muzzle at the heavy aroma of alcohol seeping from the emptied barrels bordering the downed royalty. "Just how much cider did you bring?" Twilight asked Applejack. "Not enough, apparently," the farmpony teased. Twilight turned to Hoity Toity, who was hovering nearby, amused at the ramping awkwardness. "Is ... is this normal for them?" "Mmm, to a degree," Hoity answered. "The flailing and the narcolepsy, certainly. The merriment is a tad unpleasant." Twilight Sparkle slowly floated towards Celestia and Luna as if in a daze. With every giggle, snort, and belch, she bore witness to the very destruction of the idealized memory of the Princesses. "Princess Celestia?" Celestia immediately went stock-still and jerked her face in Twilight's position. "Oh hi Twilight." "Nyah!" Twilight yelped and fell on her rump from the sudden movement. Celestia rolled off the tabletop with a grunt, Luna similarly slipping off as her makeshift bed got away from her. "Oh, they are here?" Princess Luna murmured, yawning and rubbing at any eye with her forehoof. "Come, my little ponies, we have been expecting you," Celestia said, and hiccuped. The royal sisters made their way to a staircase at the back of the hall, which Twilight understood would lead them to their private chambers. "Wait, Princess!" Twilight called out and sprinted to their side, the others giving chase. "What's this about? Why are you drinking? What the hay is going on?" "We believe some ponies nowadays call it 'liquid courage,' Twilight Sparkle," slurred Luna, a wobble in her step. "Indeed," Celestia replied, "we were in need of some...persuasion so we would be prepared to let you girls in on some long forgotten secrets." "I knew it!" Pinkie Pie squealed. Twilight rolled her eyes and followed along. As the Elements of Harmony filed into Princess Celestia's private study, all Twilight could ponder about was the timing. Why now, on Hearth's Warming Eve? Why divulge something so confidential on such a joyous occasion? When Twilight opened her mouth to speak her mind, Celestia held up her hoof in a gesture of silence. The subsequent change in her center of gravity led her to stumble over, and the Bearers quickly trotted over to try to help her up. "My goodness, Princess Celestia! What has gotten into you?" Rarity berated. Celestia seemed uninterested in standing up again, so she fell with a whump on the floor. "Just a moment...would anypony like a drink?" Celestia muttered. Her horn lit up, and a nearby glass case opened, revealing a lineup of expensive wines. "Hair of the dog, right sister?" Luna said, who was also flat on the ground at that point. "Yes, dear Luna. My, you are just full of idioms tonight, aren't you...?" "PRINCESS!" Twilight yelled, stomping a hoof. She was close to hyperventilating, not just from seeing her role models in such a decrepit state but from the tone in her own voice. That voice became caught in her throat, however, when she noticed that Princess Celestia was crying. "Oh no, oh no, Princess, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" "It's alright Twilight," groaned Celestia, tears running down her cheeks, "the blame is solely on me. On us. How distasteful, drinking ourselves into a stupor..." Celestia motioned to a lone book sitting upon her vanity. "I ... do not think we are mentally sound enough to speak on the matter tonight, at least completely, my little ponies," coughed Celestia, "but if you still choose to hear the truth, you must look inside that book. Everything I wanted to tell you is accounted for within. I will say one thing, though. "Hearth's Warming. The story of the three pony tribes - the Earth ponies, the Pegasi, and the Unicorns - coming together in harmony, which culminates in the founding of Equestria." "Frankly, my faithful student" - Celestia blinked through her tears - "it is all horseapples." "WHAT!?" the Bearers erupted. "Do not get me wrong; the story of Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie, and Private Pansy is true, to an extent. They did tell stories and sing together in that freezing cave that night. However, Clover's magic alone was not enough to melt the ice." "That was alllll us," Luna declared, rolling over and sticking her tongue out playfully. Observing the floored expressions they were receiving, Celestia cleared her throat and closed her eyes, feeling the alcohol starting to take her into a black place. "The book will elaborate. However, please be warned ... this account is not for the faint of heart, which is why I know you girls are strong enough to hear the full story. It will go into every single juicy detail." Celestia met the eyes of her sister. "Painstakingly." The uneasyness brought on by that little glance between the Princesses was palpable amongst the Bearers. Twilight was more unnerved by Celestia's usage of the word "juicy." "F-Faint of heart? Is it going to be...b-bloody?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Not quite, fair Fluttershy," Luna answered, and promptly passed out. By then, Twilight had already opened the book and had begun to read aloud. > Ch 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My dearest most faithful student, In the event that I am incapacitated by the time we meet tonight, I have written all of my thoughts down here. I apologize ahead of time if you must see me in such a weak light. This part of our past is difficult for both of us to talk about, but I feel the time is right that we break the story. If you have not surmised already, this concerns the founding of Equestria. I will state right away that the story you know as Hearth's Warming that has been passed down for generations is false. While some of the characters in the story did exist and have stood the test of time, their agency in the events which would transform our world has been fabricated. The very origins of our society can actually be traced back to two brazen alicorn sisters who one morn' saw through their selfishness and accepted the burden of altruism. But let me backtrack. In the days before Unification, when there was still immense tension between the Earth ponies, the Pegasi, and the Unicorns, Luna and I were equally worshipped as deities by all. While we did not have the power to command the Sun and the Moon as we do today, our uniqueness as alicorns was nevertheless coveted. Even before the great snows there were still famines, due to the infighting between the three pony tribes. In turn, ponies would pledge their bodies to us "goddesses of fertility" in hopes that it would bring better days. You must understand: back then, the idea of carnal sacrifice to divinity was an explicit virtue. Luna and I were also much more "forward" about partaking in base pleasures of the flesh. In fact, we sought it. We welcomed these ailing people into our wings, obsessed by their desperate, yet sincere touch. We blissfully ignored their grim circumstances through it all. Never once did we even think to act as mediators to try and unite them as one because it would probably mean the end to the sex... I quickly lost count of how many we bedded together. Years blurred into one another as we traveled the land, delighted as ponies threw themselves at our hooves wherever we went. Mare and stallion alike obediently mounted us and brought us to climax again and again. Pegasi with their stamina, Earth ponies with their utter strength in their movements, and the endless titillating possibilities when it came to Unicorn magic...we could not get enough. To Luna and I, that was life. We hungered for more. We had to find other ways to stoke the insatiable fire within us. When we were not in the company of other ponies, we took to the woodlands, which was lush with feral animals that were eager to mount us. Wild creatures of all kinds, blinded by their heat, would copulate with us into the night. But it still was not enough. We soon turned to each other for that release. It was like a whole new chapter. What I saw in those heartfelt ponies was magnified a thousand times in Luna. When we kissed for the first time as lovers...it was like a rebirth. As I lay with her, whispering promises into her ear whilst we made love, the fringes of reality finally melted away. There was nothing else for me but Luna, and her pleasure. The three tribes most likely assumed their Goddesses had abandoned them, and they wrote us out of their history in bitterness. We barely recognized the blizzard which manifested with our growing lust. We rolled about in the snow, oblivious even to the pain cutting into our bones from the everlasting layer of snow on our pelts, and the hunger and thirst from going days, weeks, months without true sustenance. It is a wonder we did not perish out there in the midst of our debauchery, but perhaps because we were the progenitors of the storm, somehow it sustained us, and we it. Of course it was at that time that the leaders of the tribes struck new ground to find a home away from the forever blizzard. Unfortunately, the snowstorm followed us as we went on our aimless search for ever more "erotic" locales. Evidently, we caught up with them. I remember the cave frozen over with glassy ice. Luna melted the barrier with a burst of magic and we stumbled inside, our lips joined. I collided with what felt like a boulder, but I gasped when I saw it was a pony trapped in ice: Clover the Clever. She and five others were there, similarly frozen in expressions of rage or horror. We became aware of a source of light above: a flaming heart which seemed to be split down the middle and flicker in and out of reality as if its magic source were failing. And even higher, in a maelstrom of wind and snow, were the Windigos. As I beheld that dying heart, I viewed in it not only the despondency of the people but also their will to live. I saw the heated passion of two sisters, misdirected. I saw the result of wanton desire put forth before the establishment of true order. Luna came to the same conclusions as well, as far as I could tell. I could see a change in her eyes. We both knew that we had made terrible mistakes, and most likely were the cause of the deaths of countless ponies. I am no better than a cold-blooded killer, I thought. The Windigos were the perfect representation of our selfish, rampant sexual chaos - all wind and fury and isolation, locked away in a desolate cave. The spectral equines concentrated ahead, perpetuating a neverending vicious cycle. At once I knew that this cave was our own personal Tartarus, almost like a play conducted to show us our direct involvement in the destruction of the world. The furious Windigos seemed to detect our change of heart. Macabre light pierced from their eyes and they neighed, streaming down towards our cowering forms. There were three of them, each only like half a torso with their back half terminating in a ghostly haze. I heard my little sister whimpering and I moved to comfort her. Just then I felt a cold presence upon my neck which yanked me back. I was tackled by two of the Windigos, the third holding Luna by its hooves and screeching triumphantly. It hit me all at once. Yes, we were beginning to realize the true meanings behind our existence. But first, the Windigos would force us to pay for our insolence. Two hooves smashed into the back of my head as the Windigo in front of me pulled my snout into its ghostly barrel. Its "coat" felt gelatinous on my nose and colder than anything I had ever touched. As it bobbed my head back and forth, I felt something protrude into my mouth, making me salivate. Indeed, it had pressed me deep into the area where any other pony stallion's member would have emerged. Tears came to my eyes as the sheer girth of it strained my jaw. Its pounding was incessant, sending that frigid cock forcibly down my gullet repeatedly. My muscle memory kicked in and I swirled my tongue when I could, feeling no veins or throbbing of life to speak of. The cold burned my lungs, numbing me from the inside out. Did all the other ponies feel the same way inside? I tried to tilt my head to see what was happening with Luna. She was flat on her back, the Windigo's ghostlike "tail" spread out upon her chest and restraining her. He had buried his tongue into her nether lips and was feasting deeply. The Windigo then began to thrust its entire muzzle inside of her pussy, gaping her opening to an unimaginable width. Through its transparent form I could see the deep pink of Luna's insides straining at his girth. When Luna cried out, a strand of its tail slithered outward and took residence in her mouth, making her gag. I became distracted by my second adversary, who had laid atop my back and was stabbing its stallionhood at my dock. What it found first was my tailhole. It did not wait for me to adjust, only plunged forth viciously until it felt like I was splitting in half. The sheer cold of the thing made me clench instinctively, which only served to make the experience that much more excruciating. The Windigo huffed wintery breath in my face as it undulated against me. All the while, my maw was forced upon the other beast's staff, the period in between each alloted breath like an eternity. I tried to close my eyes and focus on the sound of Luna, tried to pretend that she was enjoying it. But deep down I knew that this was our punishment, and that it was meant to hurt. Luna was screaming, a pool of her feminine juices staining her tail and rump. The Windigo atop her had at some point switched positions and was thrusting into her hard and fast. I saw sparks fly from her horn, bouncing off the creature's hide harmlessly. In spite of her wetness, it was obvious that the rutting was giving her no pleasure. I tried to crawl over on my belly so I may at least kiss her, or try to lick her neglected clit, but I was given no quarter. I could only watch as she was rocked back and forth upon its turgid stallionhood. I do not know how long we were pounded on the cave floor like that. Their vitality was endless and their movements savage and bestial. Outside, the light was changing rapidly. Only later did I conclude that it was the Sun and the Moon wheeling in the heavens which was causing the phenomenon. Our astral selves were wrestling the control away from the Unicorn ponies while we confronted the Windigos. With the apocalyptic motions in the skies came such brutal tides and winds that the storm itself was completely decimated. I felt myself grow taller, stronger. With my renewed strength came a great feeling of inner peace, like I finally understood what it was I needed to do. If that was not enough, we had gained our cutie marks, the blazing sun and the lonely crescent moon emblazoned proudly on our flanks. If I am going to cast away my sexuality once and for all, let it be driven from my very lifeblood in one fell swoop. Now much bigger and tougher, my stamina increased tenfold. I savored the taste of that Windigo's member as it shot down my throat and slid against my palate. I acquainted myself with every inch of that popsicle of a dick thrusting in and out of my rump. To my right, I saw that Luna had actually flipped the Windigo over and she was slamming her voluptuous rump upon its arctic stallionhood with abandon. It felt like victory. The enlightenment was so momentous that it actually drove Luna and I to the greatest climaxes of our lives. The orgasmic explosion of light and color which erupted from our horns obliterated the Windigos from existence and shattered the ice away from the captive ponies. Luna and I collapsed upon the cave floor, reaching out to touch hooves encouragingly. The smiles we wore were no longer of lust but of shared love for the ponies which we knew we would have to win back. It is said that as the pony tribe representatives in the cave slowly regained consciousness, Clover the Clever, bleary-eyed, caught a glimpse of two alicorns spinning in the sky, the Sun and Moon rotating about them triumphantly.