Book Binding CYOA Part 2

Your eyes shoot open. You can hardly see or feel anything. Silhouettes walk around you, tinted a sickly green by whatever it is you're floating in. This feels real for a change. You're awake, but you're not free yet.

 

You scrape at the walls of the pod with your hooves and magic. It's actually pretty fragile, and gives way without much effort. You fall out and take the first breath of real air you've had for some time.

 

The changelings around you hardly care that you're free. One of them approaches you as you pull yourself together. She calls you the new guy. What's that supposed to mean? You take a look around, trying to figure out what's going on. She puts a hoof on your shoulder and tells you to chill out. Chill out? You're in a cave full of changelings for fuck's sake! Wait, that hoof on your shoulder doesn't feel like it normally does. You take a look at yourself. Oh no. It's too late. You're a changeling now.

 

You ask the changeling if you can step outside for some fresh air. She says you can go as long as you come back in a few minutes. For creatures that lives through deception, they sure are easy to trick. You grab the cowboy hat from your pod and leave.

 

The cave is right in the middle of the Everfree Forest. It shouldn't be too hard to find a way home. You fly above the trees on your new wings and see that Ponyville is only a mile or two away.

 

The walk home gives you a little time to adjust to your new body. Everything about it feels different. Even your memories. They feel like stories of some other pony's life. There isn't any emotion to them. Is this how Book feels?

 

Alright, here's Ponyville. You talk to the guards, and they take you to Twilight Sparkle. She doesn't believe you at first, but when you tell her all about your life, she starts to come around. A guard is sent to get Book. He'll definitely vouch for you.

 

Book runs into the place seconds later. He looks like he's been crying. It must have been a while since you disappeared. He quizzes you on all kinds of things only you would know. Once he's confident that you're you, he asks the guards for some privacy.

 

He apologizes for not being able to save you. It's kinda sad, but you don't feel anything. Do you even love him anymore? Only time will tell.

 

Book explains the basics of being a changeling. It's mostly stuff you already knew, but there are a few helpful tips in there. He says you're not gonna feel much for a while, but you'll be almost like your old self eventually.

 

The poor guy's been through a lot since you left. You hold him close and promise him you'll get better. He doesn't seem entirely convinced, but he kisses you anyway. Hell, maybe this will even improve your relationship. You're on equal footing now.

 

Book shows you the necklace you gave him. He says he's kept it on since you left last week. Whoa, you felt something! Maybe your emotions are beginning to resurface!

 

Yeah, this is something! It's a feeling deep in your gut that might be a sign of something good. Wait, no it's not. The changeling goo must've given you gas.

 

This is just fucking perfect. You had so much going for you, but now you can't even feel anything! You lean on Book's side and start crying. He seems unsure of what to do, so he just pats your back and holds you.

 

As you begin to calm down, you notice another change to your body. Your tongue is a lot longer and more flexible now. You try moving it around, and it accidentally goes up Book's ear. He freezes for a moment, then shudders. You put your tongue back in your mouth. That was gross.

 

You guess there's not much to do but go home. This changeling body is gonna take a lot of getting used to, but Book seems like he's happy to help.

 

Storm Chaser is waiting outside of your apartment complex. He already heard the news about you, so he came to say hello. You talk for a while, and he tells you how his week went. He and the other guards found the real Caramel. Not only does he not know Storm, he's also convinced he's still in a relationship with Big Macintosh. It's sad news for everyone. Storm seemed really happy with the fake Caramel.

 

None of you ever knew the real Caramel, but you all decide to help him get back to his normal life. Maybe if you talk to Big Mac, you can get them back together again. Book goes off to Sweet Apple Acres, leaving you and Storm to go find Cara.

 

It's an awkward walk there. Storm still feels a bit apprehensive about this whole situation. You assure him that he's doing the right thing here, but that doesn't help him much. You get to the hospital, where all the former prisoners are staying for now. Oh, you should probably put on some sort of disguise. You think about your old appearance (plus a couple improvements), and you're feeling like you again. Storm knocks on the door, and that doctor from the hospital answers. You ask to see Caramel. He hesitates for a second, then leads you to a guest bedroom.

 

Caramel is even more awkward than his imposter was. He just sits there and stares at his hooves while you and Storm explain everything that's happened since he was abducted. Then you bring up Big Macintosh. He gets upset at the very mention of the name. Somepony must've told him what his replacement did. You tell him that if he just goes and talks to Mac, they could probably get back together. Surely, he would understand that Caramel wasn't in control of his actions when they broke up.

 

The three of you leave the hospital, headed for Sweet Apple acres. Storm asks if he can keep the rainbow socks. Caramel turns redder than his coltfriend and nods weakly.

 

You meet Book at the end of the path up to the farm. He stops you all to tell you what happened. Big Mac took the news very poorly. He's mad that a changeling dumped him, mad that he didn't realize Caramel was a fake, and worst of all, mad that Cara wants to just pick up where he left off. Well, mission failed. Caramel's crying again, and Storm can't get him to stop. Maybe they'll get together or something.

 

You feel some kind of energy coming off of Storm. It's like a refreshing aura going into you and Book. This must be what it feels like to absorb love. It's not that strong, probably because the love isn't for you, but it's there.

 

That part of you that still feels emotions grows stronger.

 

You need to talk to Book about this. Now. Luckily, there's an old barn nearby. You leave Storm and Caramel alone and step inside.

 

You ask Book why you're feeling like this. He reminds you that you've had every ounce of love sucked from your body. It'll take a while to absorb enough love to pull yourself together. Now that that's cleared up, what will you do?

 

You ask him Book when he became a changeling. He says it was about the same as your transformation, but he gave up his pony life for a long time after he became a changeling. Only recently did he adopt the "Book Binding" persona and come to Ponyville. Well then, what was his pony life like? Even after you pry for details, he insists that it was nothing special.

 

Whatever. You're getting some strange sexual urges now, so maybe you should give this new body a test drive. You could probably do some crazy stuff now that you're both changelings.

 

You find a pile of hay in the far corner of the barn. It's a nice place for a quickie. What are you two gonna do now? There's a whole world of new things you could try.

 

Why limit yourself to one thing? You turn yourself into a gryphon and pounce on Book. Wow, he's REALLY excited. Kissing him is hard with this beak, but you figure something out. Then, Book comes up with a new request: face sitting. Might be cool. He lies down on the hay pile and you come up behind him. You're not really sure how to do this, so you just go and sit on his face. Unfortunately, you're unfamiliar with your new gryphon ass. Your tail pokes him in the eye or something, and he screams. Oh shit, time to get out of here!

 

You grab him and fly up into the rafters just as Applejack enters the barn. How the hell are you gonna sneak out now?

 

There's a big open window up here. That'll get you out of the barn. You fly out and see Applejack searching the barn in confusion. That was close. Well, this Caramel situation is over, so you should probably go home. Or maybe you could go out somewhere. You deserve a treat after all the crazy shit you've been through recently.

 

You decide to go to the bar you first met in. The place looks a lot better than it did when you fought Chrysalis. Book points over to the same barstools you sat in that fateful morning. You sit down, and the bartender comes over.

 

He asks you if you're the one who wrecked the place fighting the changeling Queen. You reluctantly confirm his suspicions. He'd better not be asking you to pay for damages. No, he wasn't. He just shouts it out to the rest of the bar. Some guys there buy you a pitcher in exchange for the story. You and Book get very, very drunk before last call. Eventually, the time comes for you two to stumble home. Book leads you down an alley as a shortcut home. You can just make out the roof of your apartment when a mare's voice stops you dead in your tracks.

 

You're drunk and it's dark, so you ready a spell to retalliate against whatever might be back there.To your relief, it's only Rainbow Dash. She looks a little inebriated herself. You're getting a weird feeling about her as she stumbles your way.

 

She gets right up in your face and says "Hey bugfucker!"

 

You and Book stay silent. It's best not to provoke ponies at times like this.

 

"Ya know, now that you're both bugs, why don't ya be a normal couple? One of you can be a mare and then you're not colt cuddlers anymore!" She laughs. This is funny to her? What a bitch.

 

Book turns to leave. You're about to follow, but Rainbow swoops around to block you.

 

"So which one of you is the mare, anyway?" The bitch jabs a hoof at your chest. "I bet it's you!"

 

That's enough. You don't want to start anything, but she's crossing the line. You give her one hard slap across the face and walk away.

 

As an added "fuck you," you turn into her likeness as you approach your apartment complex. Maybe she'll think about what she said once she sobers up.

 

You and Book are home now. It's past midnight, and all you want to do is go to sleep. It's gonna be a very hungover work day tomorrow.

 

You lock the door behind you and tell Book about your great idea. With a few adjustments and one big addition, he becomes Rainbow Blitz. Damn, Rainbow's pretty sexy as a dude.

 

You lay down on the bed with him. Maybe you should try something new tonight. You turn to face the other way, leaving you with a great view of Book's massive balls. You tease him with a hoof, and he does the same to you. Oh, this could be good. As you wrap your lips around his growing member, Book begins to mirror your every movement. He's just so huge in this form that you could never hope to get to the base of the shaft. Instead, you're focused on the first half of his dick. The rest is left up to your magic. You can't help but moan around his shaft as he uses his tongue in all the right ways. You can't hold back much longer, not with the way Book's going down on you. You cum down his throat, and soon enough your mouth is flooded with spurt after spurt of his seed.

 

That's all the energy you've got left in you tonight. You pass out right there, with Book's dick still in your mouth and his cum still running down your face.

 

You're awoken by a loud knock on the door. Shit, you can't answer the door like this! You're covered in dried cum and you're really hung over. Book's about the same, but he's still passed out and in Rainbow Blitz form.

 

There's only one way to go about this. You throw the blanket over Book, turn into your old pony form, and get the door. It's Rainbow Dash. It was a VERY good idea to cover up your coltfriend.

 

Rainbow came over to apologize for what happened last night. She hardly even remembered what she said, but she knew it was something bad. Her apology seems sincere. You assure her that you're not upset. After all, everypony says things they regret when they're drunk. She's relieved by your understanding.

 

Just then, Book sits up and tells you both to keep it down. Yeah, she definitely saw him. How will you explain this?

 

You don't feel like coming up with a bunch of lies with this headache, so you choose to ignore it. Instead, you try some small talk with Rainbow Dash. She tells you all about how she's been busy coordinating some weather stuff for Nightmare Night. It's all a bunch of nonsense to you, you never learned much about how pegasi control the weather. After a while, she leaves to go clear the sky or whatever she does all day.

 

You and Book take a long, cold shower together to get over the hangover. It barely helps, but at least you'll be able to stay alert at work.

 

Work looks like it's gonna be another day of nothing. Hardly anypony ever shops here, you usually only have to do your job when the boss is around for inventory. You have a bunch of books stashed behind the register for boring days like this. You're just starting a new one about weather control when the bell on the door frame rings. A customer? This early? It's a big zebra dude. Not a terribly uncommon sight around here, zebras do have a thing for enchanted antiques.

 

This one has no interest in your wares, it seems. He charges up to your counter and knocks the cash register to the floor. A robbery is good for some excitement, but you really wish it happened on a day you weren't trying to avoid migraines. Oh well. Time to teach this stupid fuck a lesson.

 

You change into the largest, scariest changeling you can imagine. Quite a contrast from the scrawny unicorn you used to be. He shrinks back. He's probably reconsidering this whole robbery thing. Your horn lights up, and he slumps to the floor. He'll be immobilized for a few minutes. Now it's time to try something. You begin to drain love from him. Not enough to risk turning him into a changeling, but more than enough to refuel yourself. You're feeling more like the old you with every passing second!

 

Once that's done, you use your telepathy to drag him out into the street and call for a guard. Storm Chaser swoops in and escorts him off to the station. All in a day's work, you guess.

 

Once Storm Chaser leaves, you decide to go on break. It's not noon yet, but you think you need a breather after that. You go down to the market and grab some snacks. It's really relaxing, at least until you notice another zebra trying to sneak up on you. Has a zebra gang set their sights on you or something? You've been mugged by a zebra, had your store robbed by a zebra, and now this colt's trying to jump you or something.

 

While you ponder the implications of the zebra crimes, that guy gives you a buck in the back of the head. You're out cold before you even hit the ground.

 

You wake up moments later. The zebra is nowhere to be seen, but several ponies are crowded around you.

 

You go back to the shop. You forgot to lock the place up when you left, but it doesn't look like anypony was here anyway. The rest of your shift is pretty uneventful. You finish the book on pegasus weather magic. It gives you a better understanding of what Rainbow Dash was talking about this morning.

 

Before you know it, your shift's over. You lock the doors and go home. Once you arrive at your apartment, you notice that Book's just getting home as well. That's odd, he's usually home an hour before you.

 

You ask him if he's noticed anything weird with the town's zebra population. He tells you all about a young zebra that stole a barrel of apples at work. This is so weird. Maybe they're targeting the two of you because you're minorities now. Ethnic violence and all that.

 

But whatever. You're sure that with a couple of them arrested, they'll start to back off. In the meantime, you'll be extra careful when you go out.

 

You enter the apartment together to see five zebras crowded around your kitchenette. They're eating all your fucking food! You don't give them time to react to your entrance, each one gets a blast of changeling magic. Book leaps over you and starts casting more spells. In seconds, every one of the intruders is unconscious and piled on the floor. Well, the next logical step would be to get the guards again.

 

This guard is somepony you thought you'd never have to see again: Storm Chaser's father. Although Storm had started talking to him again, their relationship was still strained by his bigotry. He was not the kind of pony you wanted helping you with a possible hate crime.

 

He didn't ask many questions, just the basic cop stuff. When that was taken care of, you helped him carry each zebra out into the street. More guards were waiting outside to take them somewhere. One of them, a stranger to you, started asking all kinds of questions about who you might've angered and stuff like that. You answered honestly. You'll help however you can if it'll get these guys to stop coming after you.

 

The guard assures you that pretty much the entire gang was in your apartment. There's nopony left to exact revenge on you.

 

You wake up to see somepony walking around the bed. You know it's not Book, he's still hugging you in his sleep. Looks like that guard was wrong. It's not over yet. This time, you want to make sure he's the last zebra to fuck with you. You seize him with your magic and slam him into a wall. He sees you approach, and it must be horrifying for him. It doesn't take much to get him to tell you everything.

 

His gang is dying out, and to reassert their power over this shitty neighborhood, they decided to weed out the changelings. Now, they're all in prison except for him. He came here to threaten you or something.

 

Something in you gives way to the brutality of your changeling mind. You take the zebra out to your front yard. It's time to send a message to whoever's in charge of this gang. The zebra's crying now, he must know what you're about to do. You kick him hard enough to shut him up for a while. The lasso from your cowpony costume gets looped around a branch of a nearby tree, leaving enough slack to tie a loop at the end. You lift the zebra up to it and coil the rope around his neck.

 

The knot holds, and you sit there and watch him die. There's something deeply troubling about your altered mind. You wouldn't have even considered doing this a month ago. Will you be able to live like your old self if you're willing to kill somepony? You're not sure. For now, this is all that matters to you.

 

You go back inside and wake Book up. You tell him what just happened. He's shocked that you're capable of murder, but he doesn't seem angry. He knows how it feels to deal with all this changeling shit in your head. His only concern is keeping the two of you out of jail. Even though Twilight's rules are pretty much null now, something like this would surely land you in the dungeons with the rest of Chrysalis's changelings.

 

Neither of you get much sleep that night. You're up for a long time finding a place to bury the zebra. When that's taken care of, it's almost time to go to work.

 

At the shop, you can hardly focus on doing your job. How the hell could you kill somepony in cold blood? You're worried this might be a permanent thing. What if being a changeling makes you abandon your morals? You'd be no better than one of Chrysalis's drones. The only solution is to do what Book said: absorb love until you're back to your old self. But how long will that take? Weeks? Months? What horrible shit could you do in that time?

 

Your thoughts are interrupted by the bonging of a clock. Your work day is done. On your way into your apartment, you grab the mail. There's something from your landlord. Wow, and you were having such a great day already...

 

It's an eviction notice. You haven't paid your rent in three months, almost the whole time you've been here. Guess the landlord got fed up with you. You have a week to get out of the place.

 

Well this fucking sucks! You have no idea where you can find a place to stay within the week (and within your budget). Book suggests setting up camp in the forest like when you first met, but with the changelings still prowling around out there, that's risky. Maybe one of your friends will have an idea.

 

Storm knows this town. Maybe he's seen some houses for sale or something. You and Book arrive at his house after a short walk, and you stop for a moment to admire the place. It's a damn nice house, the royal guard salary must be pretty great. Book knocks, and Storm opens the door almost instantly. He's glad to see you two. You explain your problem to him, and he comes up with a couple solutions.

 

You could try to renegotiate your lease, but that's bound to fail.

You could get an outrageously expensive loan and buy a house.

Or you could stay with him for a while. Caramel's not living there, so there's extra space.

 

It might be a little awkward living with Storm again, but you'll gladly accept his hospitality. He helps you move your stuff into his house. There's not much besides your clothes and some entertainment stuff. Your furniture gets set up in the empty extra room.

 

You're really grateful for all Storm's done for you since he left your apartment. He's proven to be a great friend. You should probably do something to thank him for taking you in.

 

Hey, there's an idea! You can use all the money you never spent on rent to get him something nice. What should it be, though? You think about everything you know about Storm. Well, he's a guard, he's gay, his dad's an asshole, and he liked those rainbow socks. That's all that comes to mind.

 

Shit, you don't really know much about him. If the Caramel that dated him were around, you'd just ask him. Wait... Caramel! The real Cara hardly knows Storm. Maybe you can get them back together somehow! You tell Book about the idea, and he begins laying out all sorts of plans to set them up. His idea involves a lot of trickery and a fairly large price tag, but it might be the only way to make it work.

 

Oh wait, you should make sure Caramel never got back with Big Macintosh. That would really throw a wrench in your plans. The next day, Book comes home from his applebucking job. He talked with Mac, and it looks like they're on pretty bad terms. That's good news. Now it's time to start Book's plan. He wrote up a list on his way home from work.

 

>1: We disguise ourselves as Storm Chaser and Caramel.

>2: "Storm" asks Caramel out.

>3: "Caramel" asks Storm out.

>4: We give some fancy restaurant a big wad of cash to pay for their meal.

>5: Maybe we should give Storm a little hint so he knows what we're doing.

>6: They hook up, everypony's happy.

 

It sounds pretty good to you. If you can think of any changes to make, now's the time. Otherwise, you should pick a pony to be and get going.

 

Maybe you should come up with a backup plan. The last thing you want is for one of them to want a movie date or something, that would fuck the whole thing up. You work out the flaws with Book, and then it's ready. He recites the steps once more, and you go your separate ways. He decides he'll be Caramel, so you're stuck with Storm Chaser.

 

You arrive at Caramel's brother's house and give the door a knock. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and you'll get Cara to go out with Storm. Hey, this is your first sneaky changeling thingy! So this is what it feels like!

 

While you're thinking about that, Caramel's brother comes to the door. Shit, what are you supposed to say? You ask if Caramel's here. He says yes, but it looks like he recognizes Storm. He tells you that you don't know the real Caramel, and almost shuts you out, but Cara walks by and sees you standing there. He's excited to see you. That's a good sign! He beckons you back to his room, where you can have a little privacy with him.

 

It feels like second nature to act just like Storm as you shoot the shit. The conversation soon turns to Storm's time with the fake Cara. His brother must've told him about that. You tell him that he made you happy, and you want to see how much better the real guy is. Smooth as fuck. You invite him to dinner at that fancy restaurant tomorrow night, and he accepts without any hesitation. He tries to kiss you, but you back off. You make up some lousy excuse to leave, and get out of there before you do something that blows your cover.

 

How's Book doing about now? Surely he's better at the changeling stuff than you are.

 

When Book arrives at your meeting spot, the look on his face tells you that something went wrong. He tells you a long, elaborate story about how Storm figured out who he was and got really pissed. Maybe you would've been better off if you let Storm in on this plan. Well, whatever. You should probably go apologize to him. He'll understand you were just trying to do something nice for him.

 

After a bit of explanation, Storm seems to come around. He actually thanks you for doing this. He'd been trying to work up the courage to ask Caramel out for days. He's still taking your cash for the meal, though. Consider it your rent for the month.

 

Storm doesn't come back for several hours. That's a good thing, right? You sorta skipped over the "getting to know" phase when you met Book.

 

He sashays in with Caramel at his side, both looking happier than ever. They go straight up to Storm's room. Storm sees you in the corner and mouths "thank you" before he follows Caramel and shuts the door. Well, it's probably time for bed or something. You've been up all night waiting to see how the date went.

 

You get to bed and sink into a long-awaited sleep. It's a little tough with all the noise coming from Storm's room, but you manage. They must be having fun over there.

 

When you wake up, the house is completely silent. That's odd, Storm should be up by now. He's working today. Well, whatever. You start making some pancakes. You're just pulling the first ones off the pan when Book comes frantically stumbling down the stairs. He tells you to come quick, something happened to Storm.

 

The room is a disaster. Decorations are ripped from the walls, a wardrobe is overturned, and the bed is covered in blood and semen. It takes you a second to see where Storm is. He looks real bad. All this blood must be his. You rush to his side and cast whatever spells you can to help him. It's not enough. He'll be dead soon if he doesn't stop bleeding.

 

Meanwhile, Book searched around the room for any sign of Caramel. Storm pointed a hoof to the bathroom door. He must be hiding in there.

 

You tell Book to look after Storm and burst into the bathroom, horn blazing with powerful magic. Caramel is in the tub, covered in Storm's blood. He looks like he's totally lost it. Something the changelings did to him must've really fucked him up. He sees you and starts screaming. Maybe the changeling look wasn't the best idea.

 

How are you gonna fix this?

 

You know he's damaged goods and all, but that's not gonna stop what's coming. You're getting a feeling just like when you killed that zebra. You looks out into the bedroom. Book is putting Storm on his back, probably to rush him to the hospital. Good. He shouldn't be around for this.

 

You run at Caramel, fangs bared. He throws out his hooves as a meager defense, but with your magic you pin him to the wall. You almost feel guilty for what you're about to do, but what he did to Storm was inexcusable. You grab a couple pairs of scissors off the counter and lift them up to Caramel. His eyes somehow grow even wider than before. His screams become unbearable. You magically seal his mouth shut. That's better.

 

Now for the good part. You stab the scissors all the way through each of his forehooves, and then through the wall. You stare into his eyes and see nothing but fear.

 

Hey, you should try to drain his love and see what happens. You reach out to his heart, but there's hardly anything left to take. Damn changelings.

 

Now that that's done, you don't really know what to do until he dies. It'll take a while to bleed him out this way, and you want to have everything cleaned up by the time Book gets back. Oh well. You go back to your room and get the book you've been reading. Caramel's just where you left him when you return. You sit on the counter and flip to your bookmark. If you have to wait, you should at least have some entertainment.

 

When you look up from your novel, Caramel isn't moving anymore. It's about time. You drop him back into the tub. Now you have to cover this up. You use the scissors to turn his stab wounds into deep slits, and fill the bathtub with warm water. A few minutes later, you've turned the murder scene into a convincing suicide. Your old pony conscience is nagging at you, but you'll get over it.

 

You're fucking starving after all that commotion. The pancakes are probably nasty by now, so you call for a pizza. The guy gets there within minutes, and you tip him well so he won't say anything about your bloodstained raincoat.

 

The cops arrive about a minute later. Luckily, you had time to magically zap all the blood off your clothes and curl up in the fetal position. You put on the waterworks and start babbling about a fight and the bathtub, and they fly up to Storm's room to investigate. You think you even hear retching sounds. Gross. One of the guys comes down to talk to you about the corpse upstairs. They take police assaults very seriously around here, so they'll be sure to gather any information they can about this. You tell them all about how Caramel was traumatized by his captivity, and he snapped and attacked Storm Chaser. Then he must've gone and slit his wrists in the tub.

 

They sorta trust you. After all, you did help them fight off the changeling army a few weeks back. However, that won't stop them from thoroughly investigating this case. They take you down to the police station for more questioning and a temporary detainment. You get one phone call. Who are you gonna call? Book's busy at the hospital, Storm's dying, and Caramel's dead. That's practically everypony you know.

 

You call the only other pony that comes to mind: your mom. She lives halfway across Equestria, but maybe she'll come through for you.

 

It only takes two rings for her to pick up the phone. She sounds just like you remember. How long has it been, anyway? You tell her where you are, and her tone shows her concern. She says she'll make some calls, but there's no way she can come down to Ponyville to help you. A guard tells you that you time's almost up, so you say your goodbyes. She makes you promise to call her as soon as things are cleared up. Well, that was probably a wasted call. Twilight probably could've gotten you out of this.

 

You're lead into a pretty nice cell. This must be where they keep the well-behaved prisoners. All that's left for you to do is bide your time until someone gets you out of here. At least it's only county; those prisons built for the changelings sound brutal.

 

Days pass, and you still haven't received any news on the case. You don't even know if Storm Chaser lived or not. The suspense is killing you.

 

Eventually, the sheriff takes you into his office. He says that you're being transferred to Princess Luna's Prison For Illegal Changelings. It's nopony's fault, probably just a fuckup in the paperwork or something. Everything will be sorted out soon, and you'll be back home with Book and Storm and it'll be okay.

 

Your hopes are crushed when you receive a package on the transport cart. This is no fuckup, you're being imprisoned for ponyslaugher. It's a year sentence minimum. Luckily, you're not being charged as a changeling thanks to your status as a former pony and a changeling defector. That doesn't mean you're not going to changeling prison, though.

 

You see the prison as you approach. It looks like the most secure fucking place you've ever seen. Well, that rules out escape. The cart comes to a rough stop, and you're yanked out by a mean-looking unicorn.

 

Your first few hours there are nothing worth detailing. You were registered as a prisoner, checked for diseases and smuggled items, and given a box with your prison shit. It's got your cell assignment, your uniform, and a collar that bears some resemblance to Book's old one. You lock it around your neck with a sigh. Say goodbye to shapeshifting and almost all of your magic.

 

You go to your assigned cell. There are four beds in here, two of them are occupied. You go to claim the nearest one, but a changeling mare stops you. Must be somepony's already. You set your box on the other bed instead.

 

The mare sees how new you are (to prison and to being a changeling) and explains how things work around here. Basically, you do whatever the fuck you want. Just don't try to escape or hurt any guards, and you're fine. It's not nearly as bad as you expected. There are programs you can sign up for to take time off your sentence, like classes on integrating into pony society and life skills and shit. You ask her about visitors. She giggles. According to her, nopony really knows how the visitation system works around here. Who wants to visit a captive changeling, anyway?

 

You thank her for the help and leave the cell. A large sign points you to the councilor's offices down the hall. Maybe he can tell you how you can talk to Book. It's been over a week since you've seen him.

 

As you walk down the hallway, a small figure darts out of the shadows and comes right at you. You thrust a hoof at it out of reflex, and hear a loud crunch. A scrawny changeling falls to the floor, barely even twitching. Oh shit, that was somepony! This feels different from the other ponies you killed, you feel so wrong for doing this. Is that what's been happening to you? Just being a changeling is making you do these horrible things? Where will you draw the line?

 

A few changelings have gathered around you. They feel your emotions, and try to calm you down before you do something else stupid and increase your sentence. You brush them off and keep going to the office. Fuck, this has to end.

 

The councilors tell you all about the visitation system. You give them Book's information, and they tell you that they'll send him some paperwork to file for it. In a week or so, you'll finally get to see him again.

 

The changelings you pass on your way back to your cell feel very angry. You can literally feel their anger. That must be the hive mind stuff ponies are always talking about. Well, that must mean they feel your fear, because they take the opportunity to push you into a cell and hook your collar around a bedpost. You're not going anywhere until they let you out.

 

They take turns kicking the shit out of you for what feels like hours. Your left big fang gets ripped out by the root. Hopefully those can grow back. Besides that, you hardly feel any lasting damage. They have their fill after a while, and leave you stuck there. That nice mare from earlier comes around, and you call for her help. She unhooks you from the bed, making a comment about your ability to find trouble so easily, and leads you back to your cell. It's gonna be a long year, but maybe with ponies like her it won't be so bad. Book's coming in a week too, so at least you have something to look forward to.

 

Days in here feel longer than anything you've ever experienced, but you begin to get the hang of prison life. It kinda reminds you of high school.

 

Soon, the day of Book's first visit comes. You're both nervous and excited to hear some news about the outside world. You practically gallop down the corridors that lead to the desolate visitation hall. They even have a guard posted just for you! As you enter the room, you see something impossible. Have you completely lost it, or what? It looks like Caramel is sitting right there! Wait, no. That's just his brother. With his hair grown over his horn, they look identical. It only serves to remind you of what happened to Caramel.

 

While you were reflecting, Book came around the table and locked you in the tightest hug you've ever had. It's great to see him again, and he's obviously relieved to see you're okay in changeling prison. He fills you in on everything that's happened in the month you've been locked up.

 

Storm is starting to recover, but it's still uncertain if he'll ever be back to his former condition. He always took pride in his fitness. Now, he'll be lucky if he can fly in a straight line.

 

Caramel's brother just sat there as you got caught up. He looked angrier by the moment, so you asked Book to help defuse whatever situation he was about to start. The doctor (whose name you never actually bothered to learn) says he just wanted to see the piece of shit that killed his brother. He tells you that he can't believe how much you've changed since you were back in that hospital, and how he regrets ever letting Caramel get involved with all you colt cuddlers. Fuck, you hate that term. It always just rubbed you the wrong way. Book knows that, and he gives the doctor a little "shut the fuck up" nudge. He collects himself and sits back down. Now he looks a bit more like the calm doctor you remember.

 

You spend the rest of the time talking about everything you've done in prison so far. They both tell you that they hope you get over whatever your problem is while you're here. It hurts to hear that from Book, but you know it's true. You have some serious issues.

 

As they leave the prison, you feel another one of those urges. You just want to reach out and throttle Caramel's brother for calling you a colt cuddler. It's such a petty little thing, but it's scary how worked up you can get so easily. They're right about you.

 

Book comes to visit every weekend. He's all alone at Storm's house now, and his social life consists of visiting his friend in the hospital and his boyfriend in prison. It almost sounds like he has it worse than you do.

 

The months start to pass like nothing. You're feeling a little crazier every day. Those strange feelings become more frequent, and harder to resist. Well, there's no better place to get over your problems than a prison with changeling therapy, right? That might be just what you need to work things out.

 

You sign up for therapy the next day. It's run by some of the nicer changelings in the place, as well as a couple actual therapists. It sounds like a great way to bridge the gap between your old pony identity and your newfound changeling-ness.

 

Turns out it isn't. The therapists are only trained to rehabilitate the typical sneaky kidnapping changelings that make up the majority of the prison's population. You're a bit of a special case, so the best they can do for you is wish you the best.

 

About a month later, your councilor calls you into the office. He introduces you to Mental Math, a new therapist specializing in changeling psychology. You start your first session immediately. Mental proves to be exactly what you needed. He understands how different everything feels now, and how your behavior has been altered by your transformation.

 

You're starting to feel better about things. Book is relieved to hear that when you talk to him the following week. You meet with Mental every day to discuss your problems. He doesn't judge you for giving in to your feelings, or even for trying to cover up Caramel's murder. Hey, maybe by the time you get out of here, you'll really be better.

 

Your next memory is another murder. A bloodied corpse lies under your hooves, barely recognizable as Mental Math. You've done it again. Is this it? You've just given in like that? The guards will be here any moment now, and they'll make sure you never see the light of day again. You can't let that happen, not when your queen worked so hard to win you over.

 

Fuck! You shoot out of bed, almost tipping the shitty prison cot over. It must have been a nightmare. You tell Mental about it at your next meeting. Instead of the shock you expected, he got out a new notepad and began writing all about Queen Chrysalis's presence in your thoughts. It explains everything. From the moment you fought her, she's been digging her fangs into your mind. Now you just have to break whatever connection you have to her. Book would probably be a good pony to talk to about this.

 

Storm doesn't come back for several hours. That's a good thing, right? You sorta skipped over the "getting to know" phase when you met Book, so this is all unfamiliar to you.

 

He sashays in with Caramel at his side, both looking happier than ever. They go straight up to Storm's room. Storm sees you in the corner and mouths "thank you" before he follows Caramel and shuts the door. Well, it's probably time for bed or something. You've been up all night waiting to see how the date went.

 

You get to bed and sink into a long-awaited sleep. It's a little tough with all the noise coming from Storm's room, but you manage. They must be having fun over there.

 

When you wake up, the house is completely silent. That's odd, Storm should be up by now. He's working today. Well, whatever. You start making some pancakes. You're just pulling the first ones off the pan when Book comes frantically stumbling down the stairs. He tells you to come quick, something happened to Storm.

 

The room is a disaster. Decorations are ripped from the walls, a wardrobe is overturned, and the bed is covered in blood and semen. It takes you a second to see where Storm is. He looks real bad. All this blood must be his. You rush to his side and cast whatever spells you can to help him. It's not enough. He'll be dead soon if he doesn't stop bleeding.

 

Meanwhile, Book searched around the room for any sign of Caramel. Storm pointed a hoof to the bathroom door. He must be hiding in there.

 

You tell Book to look after Storm and burst into the bathroom, horn blazing with powerful magic. Caramel is in the tub, covered in Storm's blood. He looks like he's totally lost it. Something the changelings did to him must've really fucked him up. He sees you and starts screaming. Maybe the changeling look wasn't the best idea.

 

How are you gonna fix this?

 

You know he's damaged goods and all, but that's not gonna stop what's coming. You're getting a feeling just like when you killed that zebra. You looks out into the bedroom. Book is putting Storm on his back, probably to rush him to the hospital. Good. He shouldn't be around for this.

 

You run at Caramel, fangs bared. He throws out his hooves as a meager defense, but with your magic you pin him to the wall. You almost feel guilty for what you're about to do, but what he did to Storm was inexcusable. You grab a couple pairs of scissors off the counter and lift them up to Caramel. His eyes somehow grow even wider than before. His screams become unbearable. You magically seal his mouth shut. That's better.

 

Now for the good part. You stab the scissors all the way through each of his forehooves, and then through the wall. You stare into his eyes and see nothing but fear.

 

Hey, you should try to drain his love and see what happens. You reach out to his heart, but there's hardly anything left to take. Damn changelings.

 

Now that that's done, you don't really know what to do until he dies. It'll take a while to bleed him out this way, and you want to have everything cleaned up by the time Book gets back. Oh well. You go back to your room and get the book you've been reading. Caramel's just where you left him when you return. You sit on the counter and flip to your bookmark. If you have to wait, you should at least have some entertainment.

 

When you look up from your novel, Caramel isn't moving anymore. It's about time. You drop him back into the tub. Now you have to cover this up. You use the scissors to turn his stab wounds into deep slits, and fill the bathtub with warm water. A few minutes later, you've turned the murder scene into a convincing suicide. Your old pony conscience is nagging at you, but you'll get over it.

 

You're fucking starving after all that commotion. The pancakes are probably nasty by now, so you call for a pizza. The guy gets there within minutes, and you tip him well so he won't say anything about your bloodstained raincoat.

 

The cops arrive about a minute later. Luckily, you had time to magically zap all the blood off your clothes and curl up in the fetal position. You put on the waterworks and start babbling about a fight and the bathtub, and they fly up to Storm's room to investigate. You think you even hear retching sounds. Gross. One of the guys comes down to talk to you about the corpse upstairs. They take police assaults very seriously around here, so they'll be sure to gather any information they can about this. You tell them all about how Caramel was traumatized by his captivity, and he snapped and attacked Storm Chaser. Then he must've gone and slit his wrists in the tub.

 

They sorta trust you. After all, you did help them fight off the changeling army a few weeks back. However, that won't stop them from thoroughly investigating this case. They take you down to the police station for more questioning and a temporary detainment. You get one phone call. Who are you gonna call? Book's busy at the hospital, Storm's dying, and Caramel's dead. That's practically everypony you know.

 

You call the only other pony that comes to mind: your mom. She lives halfway across Equestria, but maybe she'll come through for you.

 

It only takes two rings for her to pick up the phone. She sounds just like you remember. How long has it been, anyway? You tell her where you are, and her tone shows her concern. She says she'll make some calls, but there's no way she can come down to Ponyville to help you. A guard tells you that you time's almost up, so you say your goodbyes. She makes you promise to call her as soon as things are cleared up. Well, that was probably a wasted call. Twilight probably could've gotten you out of this.

 

You're lead into a pretty nice cell. This must be where they keep the well-behaved prisoners. All that's left for you to do is bide your time until someone gets you out of here. At least it's only county; those prisons built for the changelings sound brutal.

 

Days pass, and you still haven't received any news on the case. You don't even know if Storm Chaser lived or not. The suspense is killing you.

 

Eventually, the sheriff takes you into his office. He says that you're being transferred to Princess Luna's Prison For Illegal Changelings. It's nopony's fault, probably just a fuckup in the paperwork or something. Everything will be sorted out soon, and you'll be back home with Book and Storm and it'll be okay.

 

Your hopes are crushed when you receive a package on the transport cart. This is no fuckup, you're being imprisoned for ponyslaugher. It's a year sentence minimum. Luckily, you're not being charged as a changeling thanks to your status as a former pony and a changeling defector. That doesn't mean you're not going to changeling prison, though.

 

You see the prison as you approach. It looks like the most secure fucking place you've ever seen. Well, that rules out escape. The cart comes to a rough stop, and you're yanked out by a mean-looking unicorn.

 

Your first few hours there are nothing worth detailing. You were registered as a prisoner, checked for diseases and smuggled items, and given a box with your prison shit. It's got your cell assignment, your uniform, and a collar that bears some resemblance to Book's old one. You lock it around your neck with a sigh. Say goodbye to shapeshifting and almost all of your magic.

 

You go to your assigned cell. There are four beds in here, two of them are occupied. You go to claim the nearest one, but a changeling mare stops you. Must be somepony's already. You set your box on the other bed instead.

 

The mare sees how new you are (to prison and to being a changeling) and explains how things work around here. Basically, you do whatever the fuck you want. Just don't try to escape or hurt any guards, and you're fine. It's not nearly as bad as you expected. There are programs you can sign up for to take time off your sentence, like classes on integrating into pony society and life skills and shit. You ask her about visitors. She giggles. According to her, nopony really knows how the visitation system works around here. Who wants to visit a captive changeling, anyway?

 

You thank her for the help and leave the cell. A large sign points you to the councilor's offices down the hall. Maybe he can tell you how you can talk to Book. It's been over a week since you've seen him.

 

As you walk down the hallway, a small figure darts out of the shadows and comes right at you. You thrust a hoof at it out of reflex, and hear a loud crunch. A scrawny changeling falls to the floor, barely even twitching. Oh shit, that was somepony! This feels different from the other ponies you killed, you feel so wrong for doing this. Is that what's been happening to you? Just being a changeling is making you do these horrible things? Where will you draw the line?

 

A few changelings have gathered around you. They feel your emotions, and try to calm you down before you do something else stupid and increase your sentence. You brush them off and keep going to the office. Fuck, this has to end.

 

The councilors tell you all about the visitation system. You give them Book's information, and they tell you that they'll send him some paperwork to file for it. In a week or so, you'll finally get to see him again.

 

The changelings you pass on your way back to your cell feel very angry. You can literally feel their anger. That must be the hive mind stuff ponies are always talking about. Well, that must mean they feel your fear, because they take the opportunity to push you into a cell and hook your collar around a bedpost. You're not going anywhere until they let you out.

 

They take turns kicking the shit out of you for what feels like hours. Your left big fang gets ripped out by the root. Hopefully those can grow back. Besides that, you hardly feel any lasting damage. They have their fill after a while, and leave you stuck there. That nice mare from earlier comes around, and you call for her help. She unhooks you from the bed, making a comment about your ability to find trouble so easily, and leads you back to your cell. It's gonna be a long year, but maybe with ponies like her it won't be so bad. Book's coming in a week too, so at least you have something to look forward to.

 

Days in here feel longer than anything you've ever experienced, but you begin to get the hang of prison life. It kinda reminds you of high school.

 

Soon, the day of Book's first visit comes. You're both nervous and excited to hear some news about the outside world. You practically gallop down the corridors that lead to the desolate visitation hall. They even have a guard posted just for you! As you enter the room, you see something impossible. Have you completely lost it, or what? It looks like Caramel is sitting right there! Wait, no. That's just his brother. With his hair grown over his horn, they look identical. It only serves to remind you of what happened to Caramel.

 

While you were reflecting, Book came around the table and locked you in the tightest hug you've ever had. It's great to see him again, and he's obviously relieved to see you're okay in changeling prison. He fills you in on everything that's happened in the month you've been locked up.

 

Storm is starting to recover, but it's still uncertain if he'll ever be back to his former condition. He always took pride in his fitness. Now, he'll be lucky if he can fly in a straight line.

 

Caramel's brother just sat there as you got caught up. He looked angrier by the moment, so you asked Book to help defuse whatever situation he was about to start. The doctor (whose name you never actually bothered to learn) says he just wanted to see the piece of shit that killed his brother. He tells you that he can't believe how much you've changed since you were back in that hospital, and how he regrets ever letting Caramel get involved with all you colt cuddlers. Fuck, you hate that term. It always just rubbed you the wrong way. Book knows that, and he gives the doctor a little "shut the fuck up" nudge. He collects himself and sits back down. Now he looks a bit more like the calm doctor you remember.

 

You spend the rest of the time talking about everything you've done in prison so far. They both tell you that they hope you get over whatever your problem is while you're here. It hurts to hear that from Book, but you know it's true. You have some serious issues.

 

As they leave the prison, you feel another one of those urges. You just want to reach out and throttle Caramel's brother for calling you a colt cuddler. It's such a petty little thing, but it's scary how worked up you can get so easily. They're right about you.

 

Book comes to visit every weekend. He's all alone at Storm's house now, and his social life consists of visiting his friend in the hospital and his boyfriend in prison. It almost sounds like he has it worse than you do.

 

The months start to pass like nothing. You're feeling a little crazier every day. Those strange feelings become more frequent, and harder to resist. Well, there's no better place to get over your problems than a prison with changeling therapy, right? That might be just what you need to work things out.

 

You sign up for therapy the next day. It's run by some of the nicer changelings in the place, as well as a couple actual therapists. It sounds like a great way to bridge the gap between your old pony identity and your newfound changeling-ness.

 

Turns out it isn't. The therapists are only trained to rehabilitate the typical sneaky kidnapping changelings that make up the majority of the prison's population. You're a bit of a special case, so the best they can do for you is wish you the best.

 

About a month later, your councilor calls you into the office. He introduces you to Mental Math, a new therapist specializing in changeling psychology. You start your first session immediately. Mental proves to be exactly what you needed. He understands how different everything feels now, and how your behavior has been altered by your transformation.

 

You're starting to feel better about things. Book is relieved to hear that when you talk to him the following week. You meet with Mental every day to discuss your problems. He doesn't judge you for giving in to your feelings, or even for trying to cover up Caramel's murder. Hey, maybe by the time you get out of here, you'll really be better.

 

Your next memory is another murder. A bloodied corpse lies under your hooves, barely recognizable as Mental Math. You've done it again. Is this it? You've just given in like that? The guards will be here any moment now, and they'll make sure you never see the light of day again. You can't let that happen, not when your queen worked so hard to win you over.

 

Fuck! You shoot out of bed, almost tipping the shitty prison cot over. It must have been a nightmare. You tell Mental about it at your next meeting. Instead of the shock you expected, he got out a new notepad and began writing all about Queen Chrysalis's presence in your thoughts. It explains everything. From the moment you fought her, she's been digging her fangs into your mind. Now you just have to break whatever connection you have to her. Book would probably be a good pony to talk to about this.

 

Mental decides to attend Book's next visit. He gets right down to business, asking how Book freed himself from the Queen's control. It involves some pretty complex changeling magic, and there's no way you're going to pull it off with the prison collar on. There's gonna be some serious paperwork involved. Mental will make sure it goes through, though. It'll make you yourself again, and nopony in their right mind would deny you that.

 

A month later, Mental calls you to the therapy room again. Today must be the day. Four guards are lined up along the far wall, a precaution just in case you try anything. There's no need for them, you wouldn't dare to fuck this up. One of the guards unlocks your collar and hands you the instructions Book wrote you.

 

The process takes about an hour. As time passes, you begin to feel like yourself again. The memories of your pony life feel more like your own life, not just some story you recall. Your violent tendencies seem to disappear in the blink of an eye. It's great. Three months left in your sentence. When you get out, you can finally go back to the way things were before all this changeling shit.

 

Three months later, you're a free pony. Book comes with Twilight Sparkle to pick you up. Twilight tells you that you're on a a sort of probation. Basically, just don't lose your shit again and you're fine.

 

They have a cart waiting outside. You take a seat in the back, and Book lies right next to you. It's been so long since you've been able to hold him. Twilight is too absorbed in her studies to talk to you, so you drift off to sleep in the moving vehicle.

 

You come to right on the edge of Ponyville. Finally, you can sleep in a real bed. Eat real food, and have real sex. The cart stops in front of Storm's house, but Book tells the driver to keep going. He doesn't live there anymore? You get off at a small house near the center of town. It looks like a nice place. Not nearly as nice as Storm's place, but definitely bigger than your apartment.

 

Unfortunately, as you carried out your sentence, so did those zebras. One of them is standing on your doorstep. He looks like he has a bone to pick with you. You're not the crazy hardcore bug you used to be, but you can try something to drive him off.

 

You get right up in his face and tell him what's up. You're fresh out of prison, and if he doesn't fuck off then you're ready to go back. It works, and he leaves without any more trouble. That should be the last you see of them.

 

Well, time to settle into your new home. All your stuff is there already, along with a big "Welcome Home!" cake from the Cakes. You spend the next few days catching up with Book. Your old job is long gone, so there's not much else to do. Book is working with Twilight's magical creature research, which pays a nice government salary. So much has changed since you were locked up. You ask about Storm Chaser. He did live, but wants nothing to do with you two. Makes sense. You've been nothing but trouble since you met him.

 

Well, what will you do now that you're home?

 

You've been on a 13-month dry spell, so one thing comes to mind. You look around for the bedroom. It's small, hardly big enough to hold your bed and a dresser, but at least it's not your only room this time.

 

Book finds you there on the bed. He's obviously sick of jerking it too. He lies on top of you, kissing the back of your neck. His crotch grinds against your cutie mark. You can feel his growing member poking at your side. Looks like he's gonna be the top today.

 

You've only bottomed once, and that was when he had you in the changeling pod. It's a strange feeling, but you trust Book to go easy on you. He shifts his hips into position and begins to slide into you. It hurts like a motherfucker, but you've heard that it gets better after a few minutes. He must sense your discomfort, because he stops and asks if you're alright. You tell him to keep going. Maybe this won't be so bad once you loosen up a little.

 

Your suspicions are correct. After he gets all the way in, you begin to feel really good. Book starts a normal rhythm of his thrusts. Within minutes, you go from biting the pillow to begging for more. Why didn't you try this sooner? It's amazing, especially after going so long without so much as a sexy magazine. Maybe it's been too long, because you can hardly contain yourself. With one loud moan, you finish on the sheets. Book has had enough as well. You feel the burning hot load pouring through you. You just stay like that for a moment, enjoying the feeling of actual contact with another pony. It's good to be home.

 

It's not long before Book tells you he wants to go again. Your ass hurts too much to bottom again, so you're the top this time. It's just like old times, pounding Book as hard as you can. He's much better at taking dick than you are.

 

You're better at giving it too, apparently. You've got him moaning under you with the greatest of ease, getting all the right spots. As your second orgasm hits, you stretch forward and kiss him on the lips. It's your first kiss in over a year. Being back in Ponyville, with your coltfriend, and as your true self again... it's the best feeling in the world.

 

Okay, either Caramel's brother is stalking you or you're still a little crazy from the big house. You swear you just saw a brown pony in the window. When you look outside, however, there is not a pony to be seen. You go back to the kitchen. That cake should calm your nerves.

 

The cake is fucking huge, way too big for two ponies to eat on their own. Book must've really wanted something special to welcome you home with. The frosting on the top says "Welcome Back!", but you notice something else below that. Just four letters that send a chill down your spine. C A R A.

 

This is fucked up. Is Caramel really haunting you? It seems like the only logical reason for this. You decide to search the house. Nothing seems out of the ordinary until you reach the bathroom. Standing in there is somepony you never thought you'd see again. It's Caramel. He seems oddly calm for a vengeful spirit, and greets you casually.

 

Caramel tells you that his mind is clear now. He's not even angry about his death. The whole ordeal helped him get over the pain caused by Queen Chrysalis. He asks you to apologize to Storm Chaser for him. You doubt you can even get Storm to talk to you anymore. Well, you don't want to piss off a ghost, do you?

 

You offer Caramel some cake. Maybe you'll learn something about how ghosts work.

 

Book is cutting the cake downstairs. He hands you a slice, which you gladly accept. He doesn't take the news about Cara well, but at least he's not preparing an exorcism or anything. Caramel comes downstairs, and you cut him his own piece of cake. As you go to hand it to him, the plate of cake goes right through his hoof and clatters to the floor. He seems disheartened, but at least you tried to do something nice.

 

The next day, Book asks Twilight about resurrection magic. She refers him to Zecora, who gives him a book about the history of necromancy, and a warning not to dabble in it.

 

Skimming through it, you find all kinds of spells on raising mindless servants. There isn't anything about making a pony who they once were again. However, there is one that might apply to your situation. If you can find Caramel's body, you can use the dark magic to put his spirit back into it. Maybe with the right spells, you can fix his corpse enough to sustain his life. Cara seems open to the idea. The only thing that remains is finding a powerful enough healer to cast the spells.

 

Hey, you know just who to ask! Caramel's brother must have exceptional skill in healing magic. If you can convince him that the spell will work, you have a shot at bringing Caramel back! The only problem is that he hates your guts for killing his brother. He probably won't be too keen on digging up his body and casting dark magic on him.

 

That doesn't mean you won't try, though. You visit his house when Caramel says his shift is over, and get straight down to business. He's offended by the plan, but when Caramel's ghost steps out from behind you, his demeanor changes. He tries to hug his brother, but nearly falls over when he finds no solid body to lean on. Caramel convinces him to try the spell. Now it's off to the graveyard.

 

Caramel's brother knows exactly where the grave is, he must come here often. He points out the tombstone, and you get to work immediately. You and Book lift chunk after chunk of dirt off the site until you hit the casket. Book lifts the thing up to you, and you break the seal open.

 

The corpse isn't pretty. The casket emanates the stink of decay, and what's left of his flesh is barely hanging onto the bone. Caramel's brother has to go vomit into the empty grave. You barely resist the urge to follow him. He spits a few times, then approaches the casket again. His horn glows, and the rotting flesh begins to spread across the skeleton. Even the smell begins to fade. The doctor tells you that his work is done. Now it's time for you and Book to do your part.

 

Caramel's ghost gets inside the casket and almost seems to disappear inside his corpse. Your spell begins to fuse him together again. Minutes go by with no visible results. Cara's brother is struggling to stay awake after casting all that healing magic, but he won't go down until he sees his brother again.

 

More time passes, and you begin to feel woozy. Your eyes glow purple with dark magic, and it's hard to see if Caramel is even moving. Wait, he's breathing!

 

You drop the spell and shake him a little. He's pale, and bald on most of his body, but he's definitely alive. His brother must be one hell of a doctor if he can recreate an entire body from memory. It just shows how much he wants his brother back.

 

Caramel clears his throat and thanks you all for fixing him. The doctor finally gets that hug, then falls to the ground. He must've burned himself out with all that magic. You know, sleep doesn't sound too bad right now. Maybe you should lie down for a minute.

 

You wake up back in your house. Caramel and his brother (who reminds you that his name is Doctor Stable, not Caramel's Brother) are there chatting with Book. They notice you're awake and get you up to date on Cara's condition. Everything seems to be working fine, but his coat and mane will have to grow back over time. Until then, he's borrowing some of your clothes to cover himself with. It's the least you could do.

 

Stable seems a lot friendlier than you've ever seen him. Maybe he really forgives you. Speaking of forgiveness, Caramel still wants to go talk to Storm Chaser. It wouldn't be a bad idea to go with him. You still need to have a word with Storm, and it's best if Caramel doesn't go alone. He did kinda cripple Storm, after all.

 

On your way to Storm's house, you pass by a little market stall. A checkered bandana catches your eye, and you buy it with some of the cash you keep hidden in your leg holes. You tie it around your neck, almost like a replacement for the collar you'd become so familiar with. It'll look good when you're in pony form. You've been using that appearance lately, now that you feel like that's who you are again.

 

You stop at Storm's doorstep. Stable decides to wait there. He has no quarrel with the guy. That just leaves Caramel, apologizing for attacking him, Book, apologizing for letting you go crazy, and you, apologizing for going crazy. This won't be fun. You step forward and ring the doorbell.

 

The tension grows as you wait for Storm to answer the door. Finally, you hear a lock click open. The door swings open, and Storm Chaser stands there glaring at the three of you.

 

You don't really know how to start this conversation, so you and Caramel just say "boo" in unison. That just makes him angry.

 

He starts yelling about how you have the nerve to come back here after what you did, and venting all the frustration this last year has brought him. He is deaf to your claims that you've changed. Then Caramel speaks up. Storm takes a moment to recognize him, then freezes up. The anger is wiped from his face, replaced by confusion and fear. Caramel tells him that he's sorry for snapping and attacking him, and how he's fixed his problems thanks to you. Storm tries to process all this. He trots (with a noticeable limp) back into his living room, and you all follow.

 

You spend the whole day telling each other about all the shit you've been through since that day last year. Storm can hardly fly anymore, and the surgery that would fix his wings is outrageously expensive. He's spent all this time alone, unwilling to let anypony else into his life. It sounds like he had an even worse time than you. By the time you and Book go home, it's almost looking like things can go back to normal. That's all you want right now.

 

Even after that long conversation, Storm still seemed pretty bitter. Especially where Caramel was concerned. It's probably because of the disabilities. Is he even working as a royal guard anymore? They probably wouldn't have a pegasus that can hardly get around.

 

That's it! That's what you can do to make things up to him! If you can scrape together enough money, you can pay for his wing surgery. It might take a pretty long time, though. Book spent a lot of your money on that new house, and you don't even have a job anymore. Twilight pays Book pretty well, but it isn't enough to pay for something like this. You need some way to make a lot of cash on short notice. Maybe something that takes advantage of your powers.

 

You could whore yourself out. The ponies around here would die for the opportunity to fuck (or be fucked by) anypony they desire. The more you think about it, the better it sounds. Book might be a little apprehensive; It's for the best if you don't tell him yet. Now, how will you get into the prostitution business?

 

It only takes a few hours for your first customers to find you. They're the zebras that came after you! It's a good thing they can't recognize you in your new persona. There's the huge guy that robbed your store, the one that knocked you out, and one of the zebras that broke into your house. They offer you a ton of money to come with them. It's a pretty big risk, but the pay is too good to turn down.

 

They lead you into a nearby house and point you to a couch. You lie on your back and wait for them to get ready. Soon, the big one comes climbing over the arm of the couch. He grinds his dick across your face. You try to wrap your lips around it, but it's fucking huge. There's no way you can take this whole thing. Maybe three quarters at best. He doesn't care about that, though; He starts fucking your face all the way to the hilt. It's hard to breathe like this, but DAMN is it worth it. You feel his pre start to run down your throat.

 

The second one comes later. He lifts your legs over his shoulders at the other end of the couch. Luckily, he's all lubed up. He probably won't be as rough as the guy you're sucking off.

 

You're wrong. He lines himself up and thrusts as hard as he can. Your poor ass can barely handle it. He starts a rough tempo, taking full advantage of your position to get the best angle. He's missing most of the good spots back there, but you don't mind. Book would never go this rough on you. It's actually not bad.

 

The third guy is nowhere to be found. Maybe he's too shy to have a go. You can't really look around the room for him, the big Zebra's balls are in the way. It's a bit of a surprise when you feel him clambering over you. What does he want, a hoofjob or something?

 

Nope. He's straddling you. Ooh, this is about to get a lot more fun.

 

He teases you with a hoof. With all this stimulation, you barely prevent yourself from cumming right there. You feel him slide forward across your chest. He starts lowering himself onto you. It's obviously his first time. Nopony with experience would be this nervous. Nevertheless, he's trying his hardest. He bounces on you as fast as his legs can carry him.

 

That must've got Facefucker all hot and bothered, because he starts fucking you harder than ever. You just have to lie there and hope he finishes before you run out of air. Soon enough, you feel him flood your mouth with his seed. You swallow as much as you can, but there's way too much for you. He finally pulls out and climbs off you.

 

The other zebra that's fucking you decides it's time to finish too. He slaps your flank and thrusts as hard as he can. It nearly knocks his friend off of you. His cock pulses against your prostate. It pushes you over the edge. Good thing, too. You're getting a little sore. Right as the last guy begins to pull you out of him, you orgasm harder than any of the zebras. Shot after shot paints the zebra's chest. You can hardly even move at this point, so you just sit back and enjoy it. The small zebra snuggles up against you and falls asleep almost immediately. Well, you don't want to wake him. You should just take a little nap too.

 

Yeah, you're gonna get some rest before you go. The zebras don't seem to mind.

 

When you wake up, the smaller zebra that slept on you is trying to get off the couch without disturbing you. Looks like he failed. You open your eyes and greet him. He actually seems like a nice guy, despite that first impression last year. He shows you where the shower is, just in case you want to wash up before you leave. You gladly accept that offer. No need to go home reeking of sex, that would just make Book suspect something.

 

The shower is full of weird herbal soaps and shit you don't know anything about. There's something that seems like shampoo, so you give that a try. It does the trick, but your mane won't stop standing up now.

 

You finish the shower quickly and head to the front door, but something catches your eye. It's a dreamcatcher. You think you've seen it somewhere before... oh! It's one of the enchanted antiques from your shop! It lets you watch dreams or something. Maybe you should take it. After all, you'd just be stealing it back from the thieves.

 

Yeah, let's not upset the zebras again. Last time wasn't fun. You will keep that dreamcatcher in mind, though.

 

You walk home as the last hints of sunlight disappear behind the Everfree Forest. It's been getting colder all week. Winter must be on the way. The town is bustling despite the weather, ponies fill the streets the whole way home. You revert to your changeling form as you approach your house, and instantly feel the uncomfortable sensation of wind whistling through your legs.

 

You forgot to get a key to the new house, so you have to knock. Book comes and lets you in. He asks what you've been up to all day. Shit, what's a good excuse? Oh! You tell him you were out job hunting all day. He buys it. You just hope you aren't walking funny or anything, that would be a dead giveaway.

 

He ushers you into the kitchen, where dinner is waiting. It's just some kind of crock-pot concoction and leftover cake. You wolf it all down. The only other thing you've eaten today is zebra cock, so there's no time to be picky. Book is getting a little close to you. Oh no, he isn't trying to get some, is he? You don't have the energy to do it after those guys had their way with you. Time for another excuse... you aren't in the mood tonight. He's a little disappointed, but doesn't insist on doing anything.

 

It sounds simple enough. Book teaches you a spell to cocoon him, and within minutes he's out cold. That's pretty much all there is to it. You can fuck around with his unconscious body if you want, but he won't feel it anyway. Maybe you should just wait around until it's time to wake him up.

 

Wait, when are you supposed to wake him up? And how do you get him out? Shit, you should've asked first. At least there's no hurry to get him out. After all, it's not like he's in danger of becoming a changeling or anything. He's just having a trippy pod dream.

 

So how are you planning on getting him out? You really don't want to have to bullshit your way through this process.

 

For some reason, you make a little opening in the pod and stick your tongue in his ear. It tastes like changeling slime, which is eerily similar to changeling semen. He giggles a little, but not because of you. Must be the dream. You wonder what he's thinking of right now...

 

That dreamcatcher back at the zebra house might be useful right now. You could use it to ask Book for help, or at least entertain yourself by watching his dreams.

 

Getting into the house isn't hard. They didn't even lock the front door when they all went to sleep. Your dreamcatcher is waiting there on the counter. You take it and leave before you get into some deep shit.

 

The dreamcatcher comes with a little instruction booklet. You skim through it on your way back. Blah blah blah, Luna's Dream Net, blah blah blah, view and interact with dreams... this is all stuff you know. You toss the instructions over your shoulder as you go back inside.

 

Book is still catatonic. Time to give this a try. You activate the dreamcatcher and focus it on Book. Your vision blurs, and you feel yourself falling asleep where you stand. The last thing you feel is your side hitting the pod wall, and beginning to sink into it.

 

The world around you is strange. Really fucking strange. You're in some kind of physical manifestation of Book's mind. It's tough to make much sense of it, but you recognize a few familiar things drifting by.

 

Memories of you two together, all the time he spent alone, and even his life as a pony surface in his thoughts. For now, you're just gonna try to respect his privacy. Nopony wants their coltfriend poking around in their secrets. Book's subconscious, however, seems to have something else in mind. It holds you where you stand and floats three apparitions in front of you, almost as if it wants you to choose. Dream, nightmare, or memory?

 

You've always been a horror fan. Time to see what Book's afraid of. You reach out for the nightmare, and a new scene fades in.

 

You're standing in a dark room. A quick light spell reveals piles of toys, books, and discarded candy wrappers. It looks like a little colt's bedroom. There's a bed pushed up against the window. Book is there, buried under half a dozen blankets. You shake him awake. Hey, something's not right here. This is Book, but he looks about half his age. He stares at you for a moment, then makes a run for the door. Shit, what do you do?

 

As long as Book thinks this is a dream, you should be able to have some fun with this. You grab him before he can leave the room. Hmm... he's a little young for you, but it's the Book you know and love. Maybe you could do something with him.

 

Book isn't having any of your shit, though. He notices your distraction and kicks you in the nose. You lose your grip on him, and he bolts out the door, screaming. As you check your injury, you notice that you're a changeling right now. That must be why he's so freaked out. Even you still jump sometimes when you see Book walking around at night.

 

You're gonna feel really guilty about this when you wake up, but you go after him anyway. You turn into Princess Celestia as you fly down the hall. A door clicks shut nearby. Approaching it quietly, you peek through the keyhole. Book is trying to pry the front door open!

 

That's not gonna happen. You burst through the door and charge at him. He's just within your grasp when the door he's been tugging at flies open. The fucking asshole tricked you!

 

You realize you're back in the first area. You missed this chance to get Book's attention. What will you choose now? Dream, nightmare, or memory?

 

Another nightmare sounds fun. You choose that one again.

 

You're in your house this time. It's almost as if you've woken yourself up, but that can't be right. You don't even have a body in here. You're over there, arguing with Book. Oh shit, you know what this nightmare's about.

 

You listen to Book pleading with you to stay. You're not having any of it. You watch yourself pack a saddlebag and storm out of your new house. Book tries to give chase, but you slam the door on him. He looks more miserable than you've ever seen him. What the fuck did the dream-you do to him? You could follow him and find out, or try to get through to Book.

 

You decide to talk to Book. It's not important what he's afraid of you doing, right now you've got to wake him up.

 

Book doesn't seem to notice your presence. He just walks off to the bedroom, you follow, trying to think of what you'll say on the way. He's lying on the bed, tears beginning to form. You try to put a hoof on his shoulder, but remember that you don't have hooves right now. You'll just have to talk to him.

 

"Book, this isn't real. You're dreaming."

 

Something changes in his eyes. He seems to focus on the dream more. He still can't tell you're there, but your words got to him somehow.

 

"Is that you? The real you?" he asks with a broken voice. "I'm gonna try to wake up."

 

He gets this really intense look on his face, and the dream fades back to that hub again. You're not presented any choices this time, just a door. It looks like that's the way out of Book's mind. Good thing too, you were worried you'd be trapped here and become his tulpa or something. If you're done here, you should get out now.

 

No need to stay here any longer. It's time to wake up and explain what you just did to Book. As you walk through the door, everything fades to black.

 

You wake up halfway submerged in Book's pod. He's still stuck in there, so you cut him out. He coughs the slime all over the place and promptly slaps you across the face. You don't blame him. Everypony's thoughts should stay private.

 

He calms down a little after you explain the whole situation to him. Of course, you choose to omit the first nightmare you went through.

 

Your alarm clock goes off. It must be morning now. Book will be headed to work any time now, so what will you do?

 

You hear the shower turn on. A shower sounds like a good idea right now, this slime smells like smegma. Book lets you into the bathroom, and you both take your time getting all the gunk out of your leg holes. Once you're both sure you're clean, Book shuts off the water and runs for the library. You're all alone again.

 

Well, you've got about 8 hours to kill. How about fucking around with more necromancy? The book is still sitting in your saddlebag. You flip through it, and a certain spell catches your eye. This will be good.

 

You run out to your old apartment. It's almost a mile away, and you're pretty winded by the time you find the spot you're looking for. A tiny bump in the grass is all that remains of the makeshift grave you and Book dug so long ago. You make sure nopony is looking, and you lift the dirt off the top of the grave. What you see is a little distressing. There's no way you're going to be able to fix this body. It's just a skeleton now. There's probably a spell for skeletons, though.

 

A quick glance at the necromancy book confirms that. You bring the skeleton behind your former home, where nopony could see you unless they're taking out the trash. Actually, just in case somepony sees you, you change into some random pony. Better safe than sorry.

 

The spell is much less complex than the resurrection spell. Since you don't have the zebra's ghost, all you need to do is put a little magic into the remains. Once that's done, the skeletal zebra stands up and starts following you around. Success!

 

Unsure of what to do with your new skeleton, you take it to Flim and Flam. You ask them if they have any use for it. Flim says no, but Flam has an idea. It doesn't live up to their standards for whores (one of which is "is it alive?"), but it could have other uses. Maybe it would be good for scaring ponies, or entertaining at parties. Something like that. The brothers offer you a pretty large bag of bits in exchange for control of the skeleton. You gladly accept.

 

If you can keep up this kind of income, Storm's surgery just might happen after all. It's a good thing Flim and Flam seem willing to pay you for all sorts of slightly shady stuff.

 

You decide to go see what Caramel's been up to. Now that he's back, you could probably get your record wiped clean. After all, your victim is alive and more than willing to help you out. You walk over to Stable's house, where Cara is staying again.

 

At first, it seems nopony is home. You turn to leave, and see a hooded pony standing right behind you. He sees your shock and just giggles a little as he pulls the hood down. It's Caramel! Now you see why he's covering himself up. His coat is just starting to grow back, and it looks absolutely repulsive. A small price to pay for a new body.

 

Caramel invites you in and tells you what he's been doing. It turns out that spending a year as a ghost changes you a little. He's got this weird sixth sense thing going on now. He's not certain about the extent of his powers just yet, but Twilight Sparkle is helping him figure it out. Speaking of Twilight, she's been using her connections to clear your name. They're trying to pass the whole thing off as an elaborate ruse, and it's working.

 

Caramel tells you about a secret stash of bits and stuff he has from when he was a teenager. It might just be that last little bit of cash you need! He digs it out of the back of his closet, making sure not to let you see any of his mementos. There's a big bag of some kind of medication and a ton of bits. Caramel tells you he'll sell off whatever antidepressants he still has, and you can get everypony together to take the money to Storm. The drug money should cover any extra expenses.

 

Will you go straight to Storm, or get Book and Caramel to come with you and get rid of any hostilities between you guys?

 

You make Cara promise to meet you at Storm's house later. He's gonna go sell as many pills as he can and hurry there. Now you've just got to find Book and explain to him how you got so much money on such short notice.

 

Book is just leaving work when you fly by. He shoots into the air to see what you're up to. All you tell him now is that he needs to come to Storm's house to give him something important. You're gonna have to tell him either the truth or some clever lie before you get there. He definitely wouldn't be happy about the stuff you've done for money recently, but will he believe a lie?

 

You try to break it to him gently. You weren't finding any jobs, and you were desperate to do this for Storm. That's why you whored yourself out and dug up that zebra. It would be an understatement to say he got upset. He almost swats you out of the sky before it has time to sink in. Luckily, he chooses instead to go on a little tirade about how he's making enough money for you two to get by now, but you just went off and did this behind his back. It's nothing you haven't told yourself before.

 

As you approach Storm's house, you reassure Book that he's still the most important stallion in your life. There's no way he can stay mad at you for long; you're fucking adorable. He's about to say something, but Caramel runs by with his big cloak and scares him. The whole gang's here, time to do this.

 

Storm doesn't answer the door. Caramel does some weird psychic thing, and confirms that nopony is inside. Time for Plan B.

 

Book flies to the store to grab some party supplies. You just have to wait there while Caramel picks the lock. Even though he's an earth pony, it only takes him seconds to find every pin and slide the lock open. Damn, this guy has some tricks up his sleeve.

 

Book comes back pretty quickly. He's got a pie and some "Get Well Soon!" shit. You each fill out a card with some generic words of encouragement and wait. Just then, you hear the front door opening.

 

It's the skeleton! You must have cast something wrong if it's not obeying Flim and Flam. Well, it's not too late. You try to transfer control over to Flam again, and it seems to work. The skeleton fucks off to who knows where. Caramel's probably gonna be asking all sorts of questions about that later. He seems to have taken an interest in the supernatural after all he's been through.

 

No time for that, though. You hear the door again!

 

It really is Storm this time. You can see how confused he is about the skeleton walking out of his house. He's looking around for any sign of an intruder, but finds none. He proceeds into the kitchen, where Book set everything up. You swoop down from your hiding spot and join them.

 

Storm seems angry at first, just as you expected. He did say he wanted you guys out of his life, after all. But when you explain why there's a box of cash on his counter, that all disappears in an instant.

 

He thanks you all for raising the money for him. Cara asks if this means he'll forgive him. Storm hesitates, but only for a moment. He says he's willing to move on. And just like that, everything's as it should be. Caramel and Storm will probably get back together again, too.

 

Cara makes some calls to his brother at the hospital. Storm's appointment is set for three days from now.

 

The news comes back within hours of the operation. There was nothing left to be fixed in his wing muscles. You didn't hear many details, but it's obvious that he'll never fly again. Caramel could hardly get the words out when he came to tell you. You just brought him in and gave him something to drink. You can't do anything to calm him down right now. That's just gonna take time.

 

You know you should visit him in the hospital, but he might have taken the news just as bad as Cara. Hopefully, there are still no hard feelings.

 

You ask Caramel why his brother can't just rebuild the muscles. He's too busy crying to answer you. Fortunately, his brother barges in to check up on him. He answers your question.

 

The way healing magic worked on Caramel wasn't normal. A corpse is easy to recreate, but altering a living body is a delicate process. If he were to use the same spells on Storm's wing, it could damage his entire body. Even the nerve connections alone would be incredibly hard to reintegrate.

 

Wait. That gives you an idea! If it's easier to fix a dead part than a live one, maybe you could find some way to kill only the spots that need fixing! You tell Stable about your realization, and he looks at you like you're the greatest genius he's ever met. There are spells in the necromancy book that could be used for this. It's totally unheard of, combining necromancy and healing magic, but you've all seen the results. It's a plan, then. Stable asks you to come to the hospital immediately. There's no time to waste!

 

You are escorted into Storm's hospital room by Doctor Stable. Storm is still asleep, but Stable increases the sedatives just in case the magic wakes him. This has to be done in secret.

 

The necromancy book explains the spell as if it were for attacking. Paralyzing hearts, things like that. With a few changes, you make sure it'll only affect the damaged muscles. You begin casting. Storm squirms a little, but the drugs keep him asleep. Soon, your work is done. Stable begins his own spells. It only takes a minute or so. He really is a master of his profession.

 

The process is complete. Stable checks the area to make sure everything is in order, then gives you the OK. You two slip out as easily as you got in. Too bad you won't be there to see Storm's reaction when he wakes up.

 

You go back to your house with Stable. Caramel's still crying on your couch. It looks like he got into your booze, too. Book managed to fall asleep despite Cara's sobbing. Stable goes to comfort his brother, and you just fall next to Book and sleep.

 

You wake up early the next morning. Everypony ended up sleeping in your living room. Stable sees that you're awake, and announces that visiting hours begin in 15 minutes. Everypony scrambles for their clothes and runs out the door.

 

You arrive at the hospital in record time. The staff lets you go right through, since you're with Stable. Storm is already up and walking around his room. You all rush in, expecting him to be elated, but he seems as unhappy as usual. What gives? He should've figured out his wings are working by now.

 

Doctor Stable's eyes go wide. You hear him mutter "Shit, almost forgot," under his breath as his horn flickers on. To everypony's surprise, his wings pop straight up. Storm winces from the double wing cramp, but soon realizes what this means. He flexes each wing and springs forward, capturing you and Caramel in a painfully tight hug.

 

Unsure of what to do, you kiss Storm on the lips. He returns it, but only for a moment. You both remember that Caramel is literally inches away from you, and he won't appreciate you making out with his coltfriend. Wait, are they even together anymore?

 

Well anyway, this isn't the time or place to be hooking up with your ex. He does seem open to the idea, though.

 

You spend the day visiting with Storm. He's happier than you've seen him since before the fake Cara was exposed. There don't seem to be any hard feelings left between any of you. He even invites you to dinner at his house when he gets out tomorrow.

 

You're at home, enjoying a nice meal with Book and Caramel, when you hear a knock at the door. Caramel goes to get it, expecting his brother to get off work any time now, but stops when he sees out the little window in the door. It's that damn skeleton again. That's it. It's time to get off this ride. You fling the door open and blast it to ashes.

 

Caramel sensed your magic in it, so you end up explaining how you made it. He seems fascinated with all things supernatural now that he's psychic, so you give him the necromancy book.

 

After a while, Stable comes around to pick Caramel up. It's just you and Book together. Now that you're alone for the first time in a few days, Book drops his normally cheery demeanor. You know what's coming.

 

Book stays silent for a moment, then states flatly "It's time to have a serious talk about what you've been up to."

 

Book is never mad, but right now he's pretty damn upset.

 

You tell him to just say it. This talk has been coming for a while.

 

"I don't want you to do all that anymore," he says. "I'm finally starting a real career. You know what that means?"

 

A few tense seconds pass.

 

"It means we can really build a life together. Isn't that what we both want? I'm sick of all this shit we keep getting into! It feels like you just don't care what's best for us." He's choking up now. This won't be pretty. "I need you to promise me that you'll stop this for me."

 

Yeah, you've really gotta make this promise. You take his hoof in yours and swear that you're done with all your bullshit. All he says is "Thanks" before he goes off to bed. That wasn't enough for him, apparently. You've got to do something to really prove that you're trying to better yourself for him. But what?

 

Wait, you know exactly what you could do!

 

That whole FlimFlam business was to make sure you didn't bankrupt yourself by paying for Storm's surgery. You've got a pretty decent savings set aside, even after all the big expenses you've faced lately. It's settled, then. You're gonna propose to Book. You'll go visit Rarity tomorrow; she can help you out with this.

 

The next morning, you leave just after Book goes off to work. Carousel Boutique isn't far away, at least not by flight. Rarity is surprisingly happy to see you. After you explain your dilemma, she's elated at the idea of arranging the perfect proposal. She comes up with everything from time and place to what you should wear, all in the blink of an eye.

 

"But what about the ring?" you ask. That's the only thing she hasn't laid out for you. She paces around the shop for a moment, then spots something in a box. With her magic, she pulls out the biggest fucking gem you've ever seen.

 

"Well, I was saving this for Spikey-wikey," she says, giggling a bit at the pet nickname. "But a matter this important takes precedence over a friendly gesture. Take it."

 

And with that, she tosses the massive thing at you. You consider refusing the offer, but then again, she's giving you a diamond the size of your head. There's no way you can pass up this offer. Fuck yeah, element of Generosity!

 

It takes all day, but you get a plan put together with her. You've got a ring, an outfit, and even a borrowed camera to capture the moment. Rarity tries to do it for free, but you can't allow that. You slip a big bag of bits into a drawer on your way out. It's the least you could do to thank her.

 

Well, it's ready. All you have to do is get Book out to somewhere romantic, get the right mood going, and pop the question.

 

Book's never been much for expensive restaurants and big nights out. He'd probably prefer a nice, quiet evening with you. It's got to be perfect, though. You can buy a pie, he loves pie. And maybe get some champagne too. Shit, you need to start a list.

 

You put a little shopping list together, and soon you're getting everything ready inside. Book will be home any minute!

 

Soon, you hear the lock click open. He's here! You lead him into the kitchen, where an elaborate assortment of food is laid out on the counter. He really seems to appreciate the gesture after last night's drama.

 

You end up skipping most of the meal and going straight for the giant apple pie. Book tells you about how shitty his day was, and how glad he was when he came home to see everything you did. Great, he's not mad anymore.

 

After guzzling down most of the alcohol left in the house, Book is getting a little emotional, talking about how happy he is that you're dating. Now's your chance! Wait... what do you say? You haven't put any thought into the proposal itself! How will you pop the question?

 

How about you take it slow? Ease into it.

 

You have a few drinks yourself, and talk about all the times you've had together. Everything from that fateful morning at the bar to his weekly prison visits. Remember how Book dropped his disguise when you screwed in his tent? According to him, that's because he was so starving for love that he couldn't even keep the pony form up. You always just thought it was because he was blackout drunk.

 

Anyway, you keep reminding him of how happy you make each other. How you want to spend the rest of your life with him. The feeling is mutual.

 

You reach for the spot under your wing where the ring is hidden. "Book, I wanna ask you something."

 

Even as inebriated as he is, he starts to catch on. The romantic dinner, the nostalgic conversation, and now this important question. All of it could only mean one thing.

 

You bring the ring out between the two of you. It's hard to even speak right now, but you manage to get those vital words out. "Book, will you marry me?"

 

Before you even finish popping the question, he's out of his seat and trying to spring over the table at you. He's in no state to be trying that, so he nearly topples the table over with him. You grab him mid-fall with your magic and hold him close.

 

"Y-yeah! I mean yes! I do! Let's get married!" he exclaims. Even though you knew he'd say yes, it's a relief to actually hear those words. There's no time for a heartfelt moment, though. You feel him flop over against you as he passes out. He's such a cute little drunk, isn't he? Let's put him to bed and pick this up in the morning.