Twilight Falls : A Fall of Equestria Tale

Chapters

The Festival
Flight to Celestia
The Betrayal
The Parade
The Confrontation
To Ponyville

The Festival

The afternoon of the annual Spring Planting Festival was graced with perfect weather for Canterlot's celebration of Equestria's hard-working farmponies. Twilight Sparkle had come to Canterlot with her friends for the festivities – save Rarity, who had refused with the greatest reluctance. She had begged off not only due to a mysterious new customer, but also because she had not been invited to an important high-society party, and thus felt snubbed and disinclined to travel.

For the other five, however, it had been an enjoyable affair, with Applejack taking the lead as they wove their way amongst the stalls and attractions. Applejack was a font of knowledge of each family's specialty and contributions to Equestrian society.

Unlike more formal holidays, attire for the Festival was whatever anypony desired, although colors representing the richness of the fields and renewal of the seasons were encouraged. Many farmers simply wore their everyday clothes. Applejack wore denim overalls and flannel shirt with her trademark hat cocked at a jaunty angle. Fluttershy had opted for a light green blouse with white skirt; Rainbow in dark athletic attire, as with winter gone she was putting in overtime practicing, and Twilight was taking a rare day to go informal, the newest Princess in a simple white blouse with purple vest and matching skirt. Pinkie was in a dress that was a whirl of blues and yellows, frilly yet somehow not inhibiting her movement – she skipped along with her trademark high-energy and equally high spirits.

“Mighty glad y'could join us, Twi,” Applejack said to break a brief silence that had settled upon the mares. “I understand you've been quite busy with your new responsibilities, but it's great to see ya none the less.”

“Thank you, Applejack.” Twilight's smile was quite happy as she continued, “And it is wonderful to have a day off. I don't regret a thing, yet all these new responsibilities can be quite stressful. Thankfully, I have Princess Celestia helping me every step of the way – I don't know what I'd do without her!”

“Aw, you'd do fine, Twilight! She wasn't there when we beat Nightmare Moon, was she? Or when I was thinking a cloud was all of Cloudsdale, huh? And let's not forget the we-”

“That's enough there, Rainbow,” Applejack interjected, cutting off the pegasus mid-word. “Princess Celestia does plenty for Equestria, but she can't solve every problem. And she can't use the Elements of Harmony by herself. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.”

“Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight said gratefully. “Rainbow, the Princess does all she can, but if she did do everything, what would be left for us? No, I'm sure I'll get used to the added pressure soon enough – she's always known just how many assignments is one too many.”

Conversation turned to amiable chatting about the goings-on of Ponyville – how the Apple family was preparing to plant a new orchard, Pinkie going on about how Equestrian cooking would be revolutionized once she combined pizza and cake, and Fluttershy getting in a few soft words about the baby animals being born, and how glad she was to be able to help them.

It seemed like it would be the perfect afternoon between friends – marred only by when Pinkie Pie stopped in place. “Knee pinch...ear wiggle...entire body viiiibrrraaaatteeee....” Her teeth chattered at the end of it, and everypony looked at her in alarm.

“Doozy?” Twilight's voice was apprehensive – after the first doozy of the Pinkie sense nearly led to them becoming hydra snacks, she had learned to take Pinkie's strange premonitions quite seriously.

“Doozy,” Pinkie agreed in a moment of seriousness, though her cheerfulness immediately reasserted itself. “I have no idea what it means, so we'll just have to wait and see! But it'll be BIG!”

“We'll be sure to keep a lookout, sugarcube,” Applejack said soothingly. “But yer right, if you don't know what it means, then no point in lookin' for spoiled apples when they aren't even ripe.”

“Why don't we go back to the rendezvous with the Princess?” asked Twilight. “I've had my fill of the sights, and I'm sure she'd be glad to see us.” The others readily agreed, and the group turned and began making their way back through the festival marketplace.

It wasn't a long journey back to the stadium that housed some of the day's more spectacular entertainment. The exotic animals and performance acts benefited from the extra seating that the arena provided, which allowed far more ponies to view the most popular attractions. The friends were chatting when a ripple ran through the crowd, the hubbub dying away to be replaced by an eerie silence.

Twilight didn't understand at first, until she followed the gazes of other ponies. Large figures were stepping out of nearby alleyways, soon beginning to line the main thoroughfare. The push of the crowd made it difficult to get a good look at first. Twilight urged her friends forward, at least until a sudden thought caused her to slap her forehead in exasperation. The new alicorn used her wings to lift herself above the crowd for a better view. The newcomers almost appeared equine, yet there were clear differences; large racks of antlers adorned their heads. They were wearing metal breastplates with an odd three-ringed symbol upon them, while their belts contained a dangling assortment of items – she thought she saw chains amongst them. Some were carrying small rods, and all of them looked stern, purposeful, as more strode out of streets and took their place with their fellows. Twilight felt the surge of teleportation magic before she saw the flash of light heralding the arrival of a royal guard, his hand touching the shoulder of another figure. The unicorn guard teleported away as the newly arrived creature took its place with the others.

Twilight wracked her brain – she thought she'd seen them before, but where? Definitely not zebras, not deer, neither buffalo nor donkeys...it finally came to her as she suddenly recalled a few paragraphs in old books that spoke of a civilization far to the east of...”Caribou...” she whispered, and then her eyes widened in alarm as she dropped out of the air. “Girls! We need to get out of here! Now! Run!”

They'd barely managed to begin pushing their way through the crowd when the first screaming started. One caribou moved at some unseen signal. He stepped forwards and reached for the nearest pony. Twilight watched in stunned shock as a cream colored mare was grabbed by the shoulder, one hand holding her still as the other roughly gripped the gown she wore. The sound of ripping cloth carried across the small plaza the ponies occupied as the garment was torn away. The mare shrieked and reflexively tried to pull away. She grabbed futilely at her attacker's arm, but he barely noticed as the rent gown was tossed aside and he reached up to tear her bra away. Her defense was forgotten as modesty resulted in her trying to cover her suddenly exposed breasts, and the male grinned as he reached down and ripped off her undergarments as well to leave her naked. He took a moment to clearly admire the curves of her body, and then he pulled something off his belt. It was a silvery metal collar, which was then brought up to her neck and wrapped around it, cinched shut by some mechanism Twilight could not see.

He moved with smooth efficiency and hooked a chain through a small silver ring in the collar, and then the mare was jerked backwards. The mare was dragged her towards a wall where Twilight saw another caribou driving a post into the ground.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then pandemonium broke out within the crowd, and the greater mass of caribou moved as one. The previous scene began to repeat itself all around her as other females found themselves being grabbed, forcibly stripped, and then enclosed in collar and chain to be dragged away. Some attempted to flee, yet almost every exit was blocked by waiting caribou, and most who sought refuge only drove themselves into the invader's waiting hands.

“Twilight...” whispered Pinkie, her eyes wide and horror-struck. “What do we -do-?!”

“I,” Twilight began, but her voice caught in her throat. What was she to do? She barely knew anything about caribou, and even that was outdated information that could not be verified. “We, we...Celestia! We need to find Celestia! Come on! She'll know what to do!”

“Twilight! We need to fight them! Stop this! Buy everypony time! Help the others, look!” yelled Rainbow.

Those stallions and uncollared mares who had not panicked had begun to fight back, the ponies grabbing whatever they could get their hands on. A few were already carrying staves, while others gripped improvised weaponry – one wielded a chair, another had torn a flag off its pole and held the pole at the ready. It was of little use. One stallion struck at a caribou with his staff, yet the caribou almost offhandedly deflected the blow with the baton he carried, disrupting the stallion's balance and leaving him free to be jabbed in the gut with the baton. The stallion convulsed and dropped to the ground as the staff rolled free from suddenly nerveless fingers. Other stallions who chose to fight received similar treatment, yet afterward they and any males who stood apart were left alone.

The mares who fought, however, found themselves being dealt much harsher treatment. What was a simple light jab with the baton on a stallion was a bruising slap on a female, or a harsh thrust that would not only deliver the disabling charge, but knock the wind out of her as well. Those mares found black collars forced around their necks, and after their clothing was ripped away, they were dragged along the ground instead of pulled in a halting walk like the ones without the temerity to fight. One unicorn mare, at least, thought to use magic against her attacker – but whatever spell she'd used splashed onto his armor and dissipated harmlessly. Moments later, her clothing was torn away and a black collar was closed around her neck, and a harsh blow forced her down for easy dragging.

Rainbow had already lifted off the ground, and was about to rush in to save a goldenrod unicorn who'd stumbled and fallen to the ground with an attacker looming over her, but Applejack stopped her with a firm grip on her tail.

“Consarn it, Rainbow, there's too many of them! We'll be overwhelmed! Listen ta Twilight, she knows what she's doing! We have ta find the Princess!”

“But she's a Princess too!” Rainbow replied hotly, “She should be able to do something!”

“I am doing something! I'm getting us to Celestia! Without the elements, what can we do against this many?! Come on! Before they notice us!” Twilight grabbed Fluttershy's wrist and began pulling her forward, and Rainbow reluctantly fell in at Twilight's side. Pinkie, still silent and subdued, was on Twilight's other flank, while Applejack vigilantly guarded the rear as the group charged ahead.

Twilight's gut twisted at seeing so many ponies being captured around her – she ached to help them, but she had greater responsibilities. Get to Celestia, hope she could help. Get to Rarity, get the Elements of Harmony, find some way to use them against the invaders. Leaving her new subjects to their fates was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do – she knew it was the right decision, but it didn't stop her from feeling torn up. It was even worse when she saw pegasi take to the skies, only for most to be brought down by expertly thrown bolas that either entangled wings, or merely threw them off balance enough to bring them back to the ground.

Finally, the group broke free of the melee, suddenly emerging within a pocket absent any caribou or ponies. Twilight could sense a massive amount of power being wielded in the distance, a beacon that screamed the location of Princess Celestia.

“Princess Sparkle! Over here!” The voice rang out, and Twilight followed it to the source, to where a group of male royal guard waited. Twilight was filled with renewed hope that help had arrived, and she yanked Fluttershy along as the group ran towards the stallions.

“Oh, thank goodness you're here! Listen! You need to go back that way! We're being invaded by caribou and I-”

There was a sudden click beside her, and Twilight turned her head. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at Fluttershy, who now sported a silver collar around her neck, the chain dangling from it being held by one of the very guardsponies they'd just surrounded themselves with. Fluttershy gasped, her hands raised disbelievingly to her throat, even as another guardspony grabbed the front of her blouse and ripped it away from her. Moments later came a second click, and Twilight's head whipped around to stare at Pinkie Pie, who was now bearing a collar held by a smirking stallion.

“Oh,” Pinkie Pie said, and her voice was quiet, weak, yet filled with understanding. “That's the doozy.”

Author's Note

And so, after much delay, it begins. For those who follow the tumblr, there's an illustration accompanying the end of chapter one.

For those new to the story : Again, this tale is only going to grow darker from here, you've been warned! Fall is not a good society to be a mare in.

Flight to Celestia

The moment seemed to stretch endlessly as Twilight stared at the collars wrapped around the throats of her two friends. She heard somepony whisper, “No....”, and it took her a moment to realize the voice was her own. Her hand held tightly to Fluttershy as another guard began approaching. A gleaming collar held in his hands was already open and he was lifting it towards Twilight's throat.

The threat of imminent chaining finally snapped Twilight out of her daze, and her horn erupted in violet fury as a stunning spell blasted the stallion backwards, toppling him to the ground. Magic poured from her horn as several more lanced outwards into the traitorous guards, and blurs at the edges of her vision signaled Applejack and Rainbow Dash joining in.

If the guard had been all that they had needed to contend with, Twilight would have easily been able to rescue her friends. The caribou had not been idle, though. While the ponies were distracted, they'd taken the time to surround the group. Two broke off, approaching Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, and then the males grabbed the dangling chains, pulling the mares close. Twilight heard the sound of rending cloth as the rest of Fluttershy's top was torn away, and then another crude yank destroyed her skirt and panties. The pegasus began shaking as she was exposed, and Twilight's eyes instinctively tracked the caribou's movement. She went red as she realized she was staring at her friend's groin, and Twilight quickly yanked her eyes back upwards.

Pinkie's dress joined the tatters of Fluttershy's clothing moments later, prompting Twilight to step forward. “LET THEM GO!” she cried out – only for her passage to be blocked by another caribou. She lashed out with a stun spell immediately, but it splashed against his armor and dissipated. Twilight took a step back, making space for Applejack to come to her aid. The Earth Pony wore grim determination as years of apple-bucking were put into a solid kick that smashed into his breastplate, denting the metal and sending him crumpling to the ground.

Applejack turned, giving Twilight a small smile. “Ain't no different than kickin a stubborn tree,” she began – but then another caribou between them, forcing Twilight away from Applejack. The farmpony dodged backwards, and stepped right into the waiting stun-prod of another caribou ambusher. Applejack convulsed, yet somehow remained on two hooves, at least until the first delivered a rough backhanded slap to her face that sent her sprawling. One of the black collars went around Applejack's throat, and beyond AJ, Twilight could see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie being dragged away.

Four caribou surrounded her, though, cutting her off from Applejack. One lunged at her, yet his fists met empty air as Twilight vanished in a flare of violet light, she reappearing some twenty feet away. Close by, she could see Rainbow Dash flowing from attacking to defending and back again. She danced between blows sent her way, easily dodging and riposting, though the caribou were weathering her counterattacks with ease. Without Applejack's raw strength, Rainbow wasn't having much effect beyond dishing out bruises to her opponents. Twilight hoped Rainbow could hold out, as Twilight found herself forced to contend with her own enemies. The four caribou spread out to flank the alicorn. She launched another stunning spell at the closest one, putting far more power into it than the first. It splashed against his armor, deflected, yet she saw him stagger for a moment.

Her horn's lavender light grew intense, dazzling each caribou before her and buying her the time to focus her magic. The third stunning spell soared forwards, overwhelming the protective enchantment, and the caribou hit the ground unconscious. Twilight needed a moment to recover; it was good to know she could call on that if need be, but it was far too inefficient to rely on, and the other three were still coming.

“What do I do, what do I do?” she murmured frantically, casting her eyes about. “Okay, can't use magic directly, too exhausting, have to improvise, I...” Her eyes fell on a rock nearby. She seized it with magic and sent it flying towards another caribou. He staggered as it crashed into his breastplate, distracted long enough for the next rock to crack him on the forehead, taking him out as well. Twilight didn't smile, however – she had to be fast if there was to be any hope of saving her friends.

A yelp from Rainbow Dash drew Twilight's attention to her friend. Rainbow's back was at the intersection of two walls. The caribou had been slowly herded her into a corner to contain her for capture, and now they were closing in. Twilight's eyes met Rainbow's own, and realizing there was no more her friend could do, she made a decision. “GO! Get to Ponyville! Find help!” Even with Twilight's order, Rainbow hesitated. Tears streaked down her cheeks, yet she dropped into a crouch, wordlessly mouthing an apology towards Twilight. The caribou prepared to attack, yet Rainbow was faster. She leapt into the air, her wings pumping as she streaked upwards, accelerating with every passing second. Bolas fell far short as the pegasus gained speed, and then Twilight found herself dazed by a sudden explosion of color. The now-familiar hues of the Sonic Rainboom washed through the air, and in the distance Twilight could see Rainbow's trail fleeing Canterlot in the direction of home.

It hadn't been easy. For her to order the Element of Loyalty to abandon her friends to their fates meant things had become truly desperate – yet what other choice did she have? Rainbow couldn't fight this way and accomplish anything meaningful, and both mares had known it. Still, Twilight's chest throat tightened and she fought back a sob as she realized she was now alone. She could see Applejack's body bouncing over the ground as her nude form was dragged away, but too many caribou barred Twilight from her friend.

As the remnants of rainbow light began to fade away, a beam of pink energy rose into the sky, then rapidly spread outwards to form a shimmering dome over Canterlot. Twilight felt a faint surge of hope. Her brother must be have been blocking more invaders from getting inside. Her gaze turned to the downed royal guard, and for a moment fear gripped her, yet...No. Shining Armor can't be a traitor! She wouldn't let herself even consider that possibility.

Twilight still found herself left with a dozen caribou to deal with, and the wariness in their movement suggested throwing rocks wouldn't work again. She needed something else, something unexpected. She might be the Element of Magic, but the raw power necessary to stun even one caribou meant she'd exhaust herself simply using brute magical force. What do I do, need something new, if only I could access some other magical reserve... Her eyes went wide in sudden understanding.

Of course! It's right there! Twilight reached out with her telekinesis to the shock baton on the nearest caribou's belt. A faint purple glow surrounded it, and then she wrenched it upwards while spinning it so it jabbed him right beneath the chin. As he dropped, Twilight effortlessly expanded her focus, and the caribou failed to notice their own batons glowing moments before she stole their weapons from them. The Princess felt a deep sense of satisfaction fill her at finding the most efficient way to tackle her problem. That's what this was – a problem, a puzzle she had to solve. Pull baton from caribou – no, he's already reacting, zap his leg – quick, jolt that other one a second time – okay, first one in the chin now. The four batons danced from target to target, and the caribou began to drop. Motion in the corner of her eye resulted in a baton whirling end over end towards Twilight, passing just over her shoulder to strike the caribou trying to ambush her. Most of the attackers were down, yet Twilight ran into a new problem – the charges within the batons were depleting themselves, as caribou started taking three or four jolts to disable, instead of merely one or two. Likely the mana crystal is running out. Combined with the caribou's greater size and armor enchantments...takes more of a charge to disable them. Still, it was only two against one when she discarded the final baton and rose one arm above her head. One caribou stopped, and she snapped her fingers, channeling magic not at him, but into the ground beneath him. The cobblestones exploded upwards, flinging him off his hooves and then down onto the ground where his head smacked the pavement, enough to knock him out.

The last caribou took that moment to charge her. He was on her before she could stop him, one hand reaching out to grab her. Twilight ducked – then placed a finger on his shoulder and teleported. If the traitor guard could teleport them in earlier...well, I'll know if he's warded this way in a moment. She felt herself shift, and when she looked, the two were twenty feet in the air. Twilight used his shock to push away, and while her new wings snapped outwards to let her hover, the caribou plummeted downwards and splashed into a fountain. Twilight only wanted to disable, not seriously hurt, even if they were...What they are doing is monstrous, but I won't let them turn me into a different monster.

Her wings pumped through the air as she looked about the plaza, yet there was no sign of her friends. In the melee, they'd all been dragged off. She could still sense the swell of Celestia's power nearby, however, and that made her decision for her. She needed the Princess to tell her what to do. Celestia would know. Twilight banked to the side and flew straight towards that magical beacon, weaving her way past multiple pockets of fighting. Many of the royal guard were openly aiding the invaders. Most notable was a group of guardsmares being stripped of their armor by their male comrades, a pile of golden attire steadily growing as mare after mare found herself collared. Shortly after that, she witnessed a group of ponies in chains being led out of an alleyway towards one of the main thoroughfares of Canterlot.

Some on both sides of the conflict noticed her, and a few times she was forced to use her magic to knock bolas out of the air and avoid entanglement. Other times, ponies cried out for help, and it tore at her to ignore them – the absolute worst when she passed a mare bent against a wall, one of the invaders grunting hoarsely as he claimed her as a conquest. Twilight slowed, and the pony lifted her head, and Twilight felt another pang of grief as she saw her face. The white-beige coat wasn't uncommon, but combined with the pink mane and amber eyes – it was Twinkleshine, one of her former classmates at Celestia's school.

Twinkleshine's eyes widened with hope, her expression pleading for help. Twilight looked for a convenient object to throw, or a discarded baton, anything – but there was nothing she could see, and then the sound of marching took her ear as a squad of caribou rounded the corner. They froze as they spotted the hovering alicorn, and then began running towards her. Twilight looked again at Twinkleshine, and for a moment, time stood still. Even if she stunned the caribou, there wasn't enough time to get her classmate away, and that was ignoring the power she'd have to expend to stop the caribou. She tore her gaze from Twinkleshine, tried to block out the mare's despairing wail as Twilight abandoned her to her fate, tried to ignore the horrible guilt and feelings of powerlessness in her gut as she wove through streets and alleys to shake her pursuit. Finally, she arrived at the stadium serving as the centerpiece for the festival. She could sense Celestia inside, as well as another source of power, though this one felt...colder than the Princess. It had an echo of familiarity – some portion she recognized, though she couldn't place it.

The outer grounds were mostly deserted by now. Only a few ponies remained, either stallions just coming to, or the occasional mare who'd managed to hide herself peeking out before ducking back into refuge.

Twilight flew across the intervening space, alighting in one of the pegasi landing zones in an upper tier of the stadium. She ran inside and dropped into a hiding spot amongst the rows of seating – much of the area was full of ponies of both genders, though unlike the streets, the caribou had yet to begin rounding up the mares. Most had abandoned their seats for hiding places, yet very few were attempting to make their way towards the exits, as most eyes instead were on the field itself. It wasn't hard to see why, either – Twilight's gaze finally fell upon Celestia, and her mouth dropped open in awe.

Celestia was clad in a gown of shimmering white silk, finery appropriate to a festival – or, as Twilight was just now realizing, appropriate for the fury of the sun itself. Her hands held a sword of crackling solar energy, and her body was enveloped in the unleashed aura of her magic. Tongues of flame licked at the edges of her mane and tail, and a quick spell to amplify hearing and vision allowed Twilight to see the grim expression of determination on Celestia's face.

Opposite Celestia was a caribou, one larger than any of his fellows, slightly taller than even Celestia. His armor was gleaming polished silver of a quality greater than any Twilight had seen thus far. He wielded a large war hammer, and this close, she could tell he was the source of the strange magical aura, the one interwoven with that niggling grain of familiar power that Twilight just couldn't place.

Around the pair was a half-circle of caribou behind their leader, and a crescent of guardsponies around Celestia, and given each group faced the other with weapons bared, Twilight felt a moment of relief. These ponies, at least, seemed to still be loyal. How the others could have turned traitor...

Celestia moved, faster than Twilight would have expected, her sword striking a blow that was turned aside by a parry from the caribou. Celestia remained unfazed, her parried slash transformed into a thrust that the caribou sidestepped, his war hammer shoving the blade away. He then twisted the hammer into an overhanded smash that was intercepted by the sword. Flame flared from Celestia's sword as her strength challenged his, but she faltered first, and the Princess jumped back as the hammer smashed into empty air. Her blade was held before her as her horn grew brighter, her magic condensing into a point of light that lanced outwards to send the sun's fury roaring over her enemy. He was engulfed in incandescence, vanishing within the fiery torrent as Celestia poured more and more power into the assault, and when she ended it, she was panting from the exertion, though showing no less determination to win.

Twilight whimpered. Celestia had poured even more power into that attack than she'd used when Chrysalis had defeated her, and yet the caribou had only dropped to one knee. Some of the joints of his armor had melted, and he bore a few patches of blackened fur with smoke wafting upwards. He smirked as he rose back to his hooves. He opened his mouth, and his voice was a cold smoothness that revealed none of the pain he must have felt. Twilight recognized an amplification spell at work – despite being several hundred yards away, he sounded as if he were standing just across the room from her. “Well struck, Celestia, but surely you can do better than that. I would have thought seeing your precious mares shown their place would...upset you more?” His chuckle rolled throughout the arena, “Unless, that is, you're just putting on a show before giving in? Many of your fellow females have welcomed the new order with open arms, and it would be a pleasant surprise to see you acknowledge where you belong.”

Celestia's reply was cold as well, but hers the bone-cutting gale of winter's howling heart to his calm, ice-misted lake. “I will protect my subjects from you, as I have from countless threats before, and as I will continue to do so. I don't know what has brought your people across the seas to Equestria, but I intend to see you sent back to your islands, back to the cold wastes, back to where your backwards culture can fester in solitude!”

She flung herself forward once more, and her sword struck a hastily risen hammer. Celestia pressed her advantage; the caribou dug his hooves in, yet the hammer drew back once inch...two. Celestia's arms strained with effort, the Princess allowing herself a small smile as she forced his weapon down. And then he laughed. “Oh, Princess,” he mocked, “Did you really think you're an even match for me?” One hand released the hammer, yet the other continued to hold the weapon and keep Celestia's two-handed push at bay. “It's been very amusing,” he continued, and then the hammer began to push the sword back, “But as you can see....” His free hand cracked Celestia across the face, sending the Princess to the ground. Her sword went clattering across the floor, then vanished at being separated from its owner. “You were merely a tool to demonstrate to these ponies the futility of resistance.” Celestia went to her knees, and though she winced from the pain, her hands still rose to prepare to resummon her weapon.

“No,” he said firmly as he snapped his fingers. There was a shimmer around her neck that rapidly coalesced into a black collar, and another into a ring upon the base of her horn, one Twilight recognized as a magic nullifier. Twilight felt her throat go tight – she wanted to cry out, but she could only watch in stunned silence as he bent forward and wrapped thick fingers around Celestia's neck to haul her up and hold her above his head. Celestia grabbed at his wrist, trying to pry his grip away, fighting the pressure at her throat as her hooves kicked at the air.

“The game was fun, cunt,” he continued smoothly, “But now it's time for ponies to see you for what you are.” His free hand dug into the front of her dress, and then he pulled it back, tearing the silken garment free. Two more crude tugs ripped away the filmy coverings over her intimate areas, though he left her dangling from his grip. “You will serve the new order, willingly or not.” Celestia's struggles began to weaken, her kicks losing force as the pressure continued to choke her, and only then did he drop her to the ground. “Get used to your collar, Princess,” he murmured mockingly. “It will be the only thing you're allowed to wear from now on.”

Celestia caught herself with her hands as she dropped to the ground, the Princess coughing as she pulled in lungfuls of air to blink away the black spots that had crowded out the edges of her vision. She tried to get back to her hooves, tried to beat her wings, yet the muscles wouldn't respond. Still, her gaze was defiant as she turned to meet his own. “You may capture me,” she began. “But there are others. My sister. My niece. The Elements of Harmony. One of them will free me, and I will join them in stopping you.”

He began to laugh – cold, dry, and without a hint of fear. “Oh, you stupid cunt. How little you understand. Your sister? A trifle. Your niece? I can sense her approaching as we speak. But by the time she gets here, well, we'll be done with our little game. Your precious Elements of Harmony?” He gestured with his free hand, and a group of caribou stepped apart. Applejack had been forced to her knees, with her arms bound securely at her back, yet she was still thrashing and fighting – two caribou each had a hand on her shoulder to keep her secure, the one on the left also holding the chain attached to her collar. She was clearly somewhat worse for the wear as her mane was tangled, her beloved hat was missing, and one eye was slightly swollen from some unknown impact. Fluttershy just trembled on her hooves as her hands attempted to conceal her nudity. Pinkie was almost catatonic, the party pony staring straight ahead in seeming shock at her current state. “Three of them are mine already. And a fourth should be...easily procurable.”

Twilight hissed. If he thinks I'm going to be an easy capture, he has another thing coming. I know I can't overpower him, but maybe I can teleport in, grab my friends, grab the Princess...wait, what's he doing?

“And as for you, Princess. Even if your ponies rescue you, it's laughable to think you'll help them.” Two caribou had been busy setting something up while their leader spoke, what looked like a padded bench of some kind, and as Twilight watched, Celestia was rudely grabbed and dragged by her hair towards it. Celestia laid eyes on it for but a moment before a full-throated shriek tore free from her throat. The Princess clawed at the wrist pulling her, but her attempts to break the grip were futile. Her hooves pounded the ground as she sought purchase, arms grabbing onto the bench and fighting to push herself away. Even with her frantic struggle, the caribou still forced her onto the bench, one holding her shoulders in place while another gripped her beneath the chin and behind the head to force her flat. Her head thrashed back and forth until her jaw was firmly secured in the caribou's grip and she was forced forwards, head bent to allow her horn to slide through a hole in the smooth metal plate. Celestia still struggled - her fists pounded at the thighs of the caribou holding her, yet inexorably she was pushed forwards until the greater length of her horn stuck out the other side and her forehead was braced against the cool metal. The leader stepped close, and murmured, “No, Princess. It's time for you to show your subjects where your sex belongs. On their knees without any delusions of equality.” His finger hovered over a button on the device's side, and then he nonchalantly pressed it, and Twilight heard a sudden echoing thump in tandem with a shriek of disbelieving rage from Celestia.

What she saw next turned her stomach to ice. What was before her couldn't be happening. Her disbelieving expression was echoed across the face of every mare in the stadium – including Celestia herself, who'd scrambled back from the bench when the caribou released her. The Princess's eyes remained fixed upon the ground before her. There, laying on the platform for all to see, was the majestic, slender spiral of Princess Celestia's newly severed horn.

Author's Note

So, this is where one begins to see how far down the rabbit hole the story will go! Questions/Comments/Whatever are encouraged, I will do my best to answer nigh-everything!

Chapter 3 and 4 are already written and just need a final editing pass before they are ready to upload.

The Betrayal

Twilight couldn't find the strength to move. Simply breathing was hard enough; she made short, shuddering gasps as she stared at the sight on stage. The two caribou that had held Celestia down for that...abomination...were now binding her wrists behind her and forcing her to kneel while the leader ambled over and picked up the dangling horn.

“No more need for this,” he said as he plucked the nullification ring from the severed horn and pocketed it. “And you look much improved, Princess,” he added as he walked back and tapped the small nub on her forehead with the tip of her horn. He held the horn aloft like a scepter, displaying it to the arena while allowing the sunlight to glint off its pure surface. “Now hear this, ponies,” he said, his voice carrying through the stands. “Your Princess has fallen. Every mare is now property. Those of you who willingly submit will have a much more pleasurable existence than those who need to be tamed. It does not bother me whether you are collared willingly or by force. If you are a mare, you will wear a collar. Celestia was no match for me; what hope have you left?” He turned to look at the kneeling Princess. “You know, this wouldn't have been possible without you. Here you thought that 'friendship' was enough to tame chaos itself. Yet another foolish mistake. I made him a better offer.”

Twilight saw a murmur go through the crowd, and worse, she saw at least two mares rise up from their hiding places to make their way down towards the gathering below. Their body language left no doubts as to their intent, as with heads down and ears submissively back, it was clear Celestia's capture had broken what spirit they may have had.

Worse, she now understood the strange magic she had sensed upon the caribou. She did not know what game Discord was playing, but without the Elements of Harmony, she didn't know how he could be contained.

And Twilight...what was she to do? Her friends were captured. Celestia was worse than captured. The loyal guards had taken up a clear defensive position, expecting attack at any moment. Twilight's eyes flew about the stadium, then back to her friends. Perhaps she could teleport in, grab them, and then get out, except...

Her eyes went back to the sky. She would need to meet her brother first. Canterlot had fallen, his shield was merely inhibiting escape rather than protecting the city, and he must not know what had happened.

Or perhaps he does...Twilight thought – for she saw him enter, side by side with Princess Cadance, the pair walking towards the platform containing Celestia and the caribou leader. Cadance was carrying some sort of rod or staff, but the top was buried beneath a covered cloth. Together with Shining Armor, she walked to the platform. Twilight cast a spell to amplify her hearing as Cadance turned and regarded Celestia.

“Oh, Auntie...” the younger alicorn began, only to be interrupted by Celestia.

“Cadance, please!” the Princess began, “You and Shining – you need to stop him. As with Chrysalis, if the two of you -”

“Whyever would I want to do a silly thing like that?” Cadance replied, her voice radiating puzzlement. “Stop him? Oh, Auntie, no! You misunderstand. I think you look wonderful like that. I only wish I could have seen it, but Shiny and I were needed elsewhere to finish this...” Her hand yanked the cloth off with a flourish to reveal a shimmering azure crystal – though the Crystal Heart had changed considerably from when Twilight had seen it last.

The once-pure crystal had been carved and perverted, the 'point' of the heart having been rounded and smoothed into a cylindrical shaft, while the curved end of the heart had been shaved into a pair of plump spheres. “It looks much better as a Crystal Cock, does it not?” Cadance said gently.

“Cadance, what have you done?” demanded Celestia. Her voice was shaky at the clear betrayal, as her hope for salvation was diminished yet again.

“It is because of you, Celestia,” replied Shining Armor. “Because of how many times you have nearly led Equestria to ruin. Nightmare Moon. Discord. Chrysalis. Sombra. My sister. Each time you gambled everything. Each time we dangled on the precipice of ruin because of your incompetence. That we haven't fallen by now is due only to sheer luck. But your rule ends, Celestia. From this moment onward, Dainn rules Equestria, and he shall bring it forth into a new age, where Equestria shall remain safe because none dare challenge it! As for you...you need worry no more. Your place in the new order is one of servitude to your betters.” Shining' turned towards his wife. “It's time, Cadance. One last thing, and then you can have your reward.”

The pink alicorn smiled, and then her horn lit itself in hue that matched the faint glow of the crystal she held. She lifted the corrupted Heart, and touched her horn to it. The deep glow intensified, and then erupted outwards. It bathed the arena in light, then expanded beyond in a rush of energy that went all the way up to the shield over the city, only fading once it hit that barrier. Twilight felt a slight...tingling when it passed through her, yet other than that light buzz, nothing.

Twilight blinked. She didn't feel any different, and as she looked about, the mares didn't seem any different. It was sudden movement that drew her attention back below. The group of guardsponies had broken ranks. Almost all of the males were rubbing at their foreheads, as if shaking away a wave of seeming dizziness. One by one, they lifted their heads and looked at their commander, who quickly nodded at them. They turned, grabbing their female comrades as shrieks of surprise came from the mares. The women were outnumbered, though; there were three stallions to every mare, and with two holding each in place, the third was free to rob the mares of their weaponry and then begin stripping armor away, just as Twilight had seen them do to her friends.

She suddenly realized where the traitors had come from. Somehow, the Crystal Heart had been perverted, and worse, she saw that within those areas were mares and stallions had hidden together, the stallions were now subduing the mares by whatever means were on hand.

Cadance, meanwhile, had nonchalantly stripped away the gown she had on, revealing her nude body, and even smiling when Shining Armor wantonly reached between her legs to grope her in full view of everypony. She knelt before the caribou leader, the one Shining had called Dainn. He had produced a new collar, though unlike the black one wrapped around the neck of Celestia, this collar was a rich red. Shining Armor lifted Cadance's mane out of the way, while the alicorn bent her head forward and the collar was clasped around her neck to click closed.

Cadance slowly got back to her hooves. Her face held a gentle smile as she turned towards Celestia, and her voice was kind as she cooed, “It may take some time, Auntie, before you come to see the pleasure in submission. That is fine; a fresh cunt can hardly know her place if she's gone through a lifetime of foolishness, now can she? Things will be much better for you once you give in, once you accept that we will be happier on our knees than at any point when we stood above the stallions.”

She then moved towards the padded bench and placed herself upon it, and then slid her horn through the waiting socket. Once it was firmly snugged in place, Cadance tensed with anticipation. Twilight stared dumbstruck as her brother walked over and gave his wife a firm slap on the rear, drawing a light moan from Cadance. Shining then rested his finger upon the button, and turned to gaze at Dainn.

Dainn spoke, letting his voice carry throughout the stadium once more. “Do you see, mares? The Crystal Princess comes to us willingly. She embraces her servitude, and she shall know pleasure for it. She knows that magic is an unnecessary burden; look how eager she is to be rid of it!”

Shining tapped the button, and the wooden platform echoed with the clatter of the pearl-pink horn dropping upon it. Cadance shuddered as she clenched her thighs together, and another moan rolled past her lips, a throaty spasm of desire as she slid off the bench, moved to take her fallen horn, and then knelt once more to offer it to Dainn. He took it in his other hand, then held both arms up to allow the gathered ponies to behold the horns of their Princesses.

Cadance lifted her head and smiled at Celestia. “Now, Auntie, just as a unicorn mare has no need for her magic, a pegasus has no need for her wings. You will have to wait a short time for that gift, but for me...” Cadance fanned her wings outwards, splaying their full length, each and every feather on display as Shining walked behind her. At a gesture from him, two caribou came bearing some sort of...glossy plastic object, red to match Cadance's collar. Twilight found herself confused once more, at least until Shining's horn lit up, and Cadance's feathers were enveloped in his magic.

A hand flew to Twilight's face while Cadance let out a rapturous groan. Feather after feather was plucked from her wings in a display of magical dexterity that would make Rarity proud. Each was placed into a waiting bag. Celestia stared at Cadance in disbelief. “How could you ask for this?” Celestia whispered. “It's barbaric!”

“Because, Auntie,” Cadance cooed amidst small grunts of discomfort, “The submission feels...wonderful. Right. Arousing like nothing I have ever felt.” Bared flesh was exposed to the open air, the primary feathers long gone and the secondary joining them, leaving the coverlets for last. They too were carefully plucked until bare, fleshy stubs of muscle and bone flapped uselessly in the open air. Cadance wiggled them a few times, feeling the warmth of summer heat upon her skin, and then slowly curled them back against her body.

From the hoarse groans she was making, it was clear she was drooling down below. Her hands strayed towards her pussy, and none stopped her as she began toying with herself while on either side, the caribou moved close. “These wing-sheaths will be delightfully comfortable,” Cadance murmured to Celestia. “Red ones can be yours too, Auntie, if you would just give in and embrace your place. The sheaths for black collars are, mm, rather uncomfortable.” The red plastic had been pulled into two-halves, and though bodies obscured her vision, Twilight could see flashes of them being fitted over Cadance's stubby wing muscles. The caribou stepped away, and the nude Princess spasmed as her fingers worked frantically about her sex, the twitching joined by a high-pitched cry of orgasm as her body trembled, while she proudly displayed the red wing-sheaths affixed to her back.

With that, Shining moved over to stroke his wife upon the head, and then nodded to the caribou leader.

“Now then,” Dainn rumbled, “It is time for the actual festivities to begin. Shining Armor, if you would do the honors? We don't want to spoil the parade until it's ready to begin, do we? That, and it shall make rounding up the spectators far easier.” A motion from him brought another caribou forward, he bearing something smooth and silvery which was guided towards Princess Celestia's rear, but Twilight's attention was turned towards her brother, and she did not see exactly what happened to her teacher.

Shining grinned as he nodded his head, and a new beam of magic rose upwards, centering itself over the stadium. It began to expand outwards, and Twilight was forced to make another painful decision. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes as she vanished, a faint 'pop' the only hint that she had teleported away. Abandoning her friends, abandoning ponies who had asked for her help, none of that compared to the pain of abandoning Princess Celestia. Twilight reappeared in a bush outside the stadium, and from there, she teleported into a nearby house. She looked about to ensure she was alone, and when she saw no movement, she collapsed onto her rear, wrapped her arms around her knees, and started crying.

Today had started out so well! These past few months had been so wonderful! Yes, she didn't enjoy the new stress that came with being a Princess, yet she'd had all sorts of ideas on how to improve life in Equestria. And then, when the burden suddenly fell to her to stand up and truly lead, she'd failed. Not just once, not twice, but again, and again, and again.

And now? Now she was hiding inside somepony's home. Twilight had no idea whose it was; she was in a filly's bedroom, but the house was quiet and she had no intention of exploring. Not with everything...out there.

She needed time to think. Time to come up with a plan, time to...Princess Celestia, how...oh, Princess...no! I can't. I have to focus. Focus, Twilight! How do I get out of here?

Time. That was what she needed. Time. That meant getting away from Canterlot. And that meant that she needed to disable that shield. I'll have to confront my brother. Oh, Shining, how could you? Right now would not work; even if she were able to get back into the stadium, he was surrounded by others. She would have to follow him, catch him alone, and that meant the parade.

Her refuge let her spy upon the stadium. Twilight spent the next hour worrying to herself while she tried to figure out what to do. The Elements, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow...with all of them, she was sure she could think of something. Step 1, get Shining Armor alone. Step 2, disable his shield – by force if need be. I'll apologize later. Step 3, rescue my friends if possible, but if not, get back to Ponyville. It was simple enough. A checklist. She could handle a checklist. For now, she needed to follow her brother while avoiding capture. Hence the parade, hence why she had chosen her current hiding place, as it overlooked the main roadway leading from the arena towards the castle. It only made sense that that would be the parade's endpoint.

While Twilight was planning, the commotion outside steadily grew louder, and the next time she poked her head out the window, she realized the invaders had been busy. A large crowd of ponies lined both sides of the road. Before, it had only been caribou and the rebellious guards, and now...now it was more. There wasn't a mare in sight who wasn't naked, collared, and on her knees. Most mares wore black collars, and many bore signs of struggle – a swollen eye, a split lip, hesitant breathing where somepony had been struck in a tender location. It wasn't pretty; most of the collared mares were leashed, either lashed to posts, or leashes held in the hands of stallions of all stripes. There were faces she recognized: Jet Set being pushed down again by her husband, Octavia quivering with anger between other members of her orchestra, Twinkleshine crying to herself. She saw one mare try to rise and break away, only for a pegasus guard patrolling the air to swoop down and shock her with a baton like Twilight had wielded earlier, at which point the mare was dragged back into the crowd.

The mood of the crowd was easy to read. Almost all males were eager, although Twilight did see faces in the crowd that were less than enthusiastic. For mares...just the opposite. Most still wore silver collars and sported varying expressions of shock, rage, fear, denial, entirely understandable as Twilight had experienced all herself in the past two hours. A few black-collared mares were being actively held on their knees, with shackles around wrists and ankles to prevent them from fleeing. The scattered reds, though... most looked resigned and hesitant. It was clear to them the choice had been one of taking the path of least resistance. But there were a few who were clearly eager, with heads tilted to rub against offered hands, and others clearly eyeing the males with lust in their eyes.

There was little left for her to do but wait. She could feel a pit growing in her stomach. She didn't want to see what was coming, yet she had no choice. She needed to find her brother if she was to escape Canterlot.

Author's Note

Well. I can't say I am surprised by the polarized response the story has received so far. Chapter 3 should answer a few questions, raise a few more. This chapter should clarify why Celestia lost the fight.

At any rate : Please, if people express their disapproval, that's fine. There's no need to attack them for it. I'm a big girl and can handle criticism; I knew this would be polarizing, and I'm okay with people expressing their opinions for good or for ill!

The Parade

Twilight knew the parade had begun when fanfare erupted from within the stadium. She carefully peered over the windowsill, keeping herself low to avoid being seen – for now, it seemed the caribou were content to let her lay low and she was in no mood to change that.

The reactions from the crowd were next, a distant hubbub that first went silent, then roared anew. At first, all she could hear was cheering, but as the cacophony drew nearer and Twilight recast the hearing enhancement spell, she could hear shocked gasps from the ponies. Finally, the first caribou banner-bearers drew round a corner, and Twilight was able to see the parade for herself.

It began with caribou flanked by the all male royal guards. They were walking in neat ordered ranks that demonstrated clear unity between the two groups. The banners of the caribou were raised high, as well as the flag of Equestria, yet the latter had been vandalized. The Princesses had been covered in crude inkings that left them in collars with poorly drawn phalluses intruding into their faces and backsides. They were in shackles, their wings and horns crossed out. The guards showed no regret as they held the flags up high and passed Twilight by.

Next came a group of collared mares; Twilight recognized a few faces as those who had been hiding with her in the coliseum. The reds led the pack, each wearing a silken leash that was linked to a pony or caribou walking alongside them, as if the newly-collared mares were favored pets. Most kept their heads down, though Twilight spotted one who was walking with a sway to her hips and a cheerful smile upon her face, the mare seemingly unashamed by her nudity.

Behind came the unwilling captures, the black-collared mares walking in rows six abreast. Their arms were pulled behind them and their wrists chained together. For all but the rear row, a chain went from the wrist-cuffs to the collar of the mare directly behind, linking them together. Their ankles were hobbled as well, forcing them to walk with a quick shuffling motion. One in the rear lagged behind, only for the caribou watching the group to graze her in the back with his shock baton. The brief touch wasn't enough to drop her, but her yelp and sudden rush forwards to keep pace showed how painful even minor contact had been.

It was then Twilight realized the mares weren't all simply marching in unison. Bondage alone failed to explain the odd gait of many of the mares; Twilight couldn't seem to puzzle out why until she looked closer. Manes had obscured many foreheads at first, but a closer look showed each was a unicorn mare whose horn had been removed. That didn't explain the awkward shuffle, though… until she looked at one red collar who was passing her by, the same one who'd been smiling before. Unlike her companions, the red’s tail was hiked up high and swaying side to side. Beneath, Twilight saw a glint of reflected light that matched the mares coat in hue. She was confused until the first row of bound mares passed, and she saw another sheen matching the blue of the second mare. Twilight’s hands shot to her mouth to stifle a gasp even as she fell backwards. She thumped her posterior on the floor, while her skirt bunched up, pinching the cleft of her bottom. Each mare had had her shorn horn stuffed into her ass, and Twilight now understood why they were walking oddly, why their faces were flushed; not only were they being forced to display themselves shackled and nude, the improvised dildos were the cherry atop the humiliation sundae.

The earth ponies fared somewhat better. They had been dressed in equine tack. The females marched forwards with blinders preventing them from seeing the crowd, with a thick bit stuffed in their mouth, and with the straps of the tack criss-crossing beneath their breasts, as well as between their legs. Each step was stimulating, like it or not. One earth pony mare suddenly squealed, and from her flushed face and quivering legs, it was obvious she was cumming on the spot. Unlike her lagging companion from earlier, she wasn't firmly shocked. A caribou lightly slapped her on the ass to tell her to get moving.

The pegasi, though, they were the hardest hit. Each was wearing the sheaths indicating plucked wings. The reds seemed fine, but the black-collared mares… some had tear-streaked faces, and many were marching stiffly with oddly rigid posture. One bent forward, then let out a pained moan as the black sheath shifted with movements from the trapped wings beneath. It… oh, merciful Celestia, there must be something painful about it… Yet, the pegasi were still forced to march forward, and the occasional twitch or pained whimper was ignored utterly by their escorts.

The rows of mares soon passed Twilight by, and as the last departed, Twilight found herself breathing heavily. That light tingling from earlier was back, a sort of warm buzz in her groin. She ignored it, watched instead as another line of royal guard came by, each of them carrying collars, leashes, sex toys… laughter, jeers, and winks towards the kneeling mares lining the streets, shouted promises of playtime to come. Twilight's hands once more leapt to her mouth, and she squealed as she spotted a familiar face. Her horn glowed as she focused the the magical amplification spell, and in moments the roar of the crowd dimmed to background noise as the spell shifted to only amplify what she focused upon.

Her friends were being 'honored' by being given spaces all to themselves; just one pony, and the caribou holding her leash to walk her along. Applejack came first, the black collar cinched tight around her neck. She had been bedecked in golden reins and shackles set to display her more prominently. Whereas other ponies had bits in their mouth, AJ's was stuffed with a large ruby-hued apple. The apple was protected by a metal ring-gag to ensure AJ simply couldn't bite through it. The fruit wasn't able to muffle her angry shouts, and she sported numerous fresh bruises. As she watched, Twilight saw Applejack plant her hooves and refuse to move.

The caribou responded with a powerful yank upon her leash, sending her tumbling into the dirt as he started to drag her along. Applejack laid like that for a good dozen feet before she began to try to struggle to her hooves. The caribou halted, allowing everypony to see the bound mare’s thrashing. With her wrists shackled behind her, with her ankles bound in leather hobbles, her clumsy struggles eventually resulted in her captor using her ponytail to drag her to her hooves. Tears welled up in the proud pony's eyes as she began to once more walk forward.

Additional apples were bulging out of her crotch and ass, though unlike the unicorns, Applejack managed to walk as if she barely noticed them. Yet, the glistening on the skin of the fruit showed even she couldn’t stop her body from growing aroused. Like her gag, the fruit remained anchored by gilded leather straps that encircled her belly and thighs, providing a convenient harness for the apples. The tack was further connected to the dressage around her head and breasts, complementing the showier appearance she had been 'gifted' with.

To finish the ensemble, she bore a tail wrap which was cinched tightly round her the base of her blonde tail, forcing it to remain hiked and ensuring continual display of the well-toned muscles of her rear. Though she started to plod forwards yet again, her coat was left covered in dirt, while her ponytail had come undone from the caribou’s crude ‘help’, resulting in her mane becoming unkempt and dirt-laden as well. Even so… Applejack managed to somehow remain proud and defiant in her bonds. She radiated suppressed strength. She was bound, restrained, but not broken.

Twilight's fingers had drifted lower to flick lightly over her abdomen. The tingling had grown stronger. She was horrified, yet at the same time, there was an undeniable erotic element to it all. A small part of her brain wondered what it would be like to be in that parade, and her fingers danced of their own accord as her skirt fell to the floor around her. Her face was flushed, humiliated at what she was doing, yet she couldn't seem to tame her disobedient hand as a soft gasp broke the silence in her hideout.

Twilight forced her gaze free from Applejack to turn towards the next lone pony. Pinkie Pie was… well, arguably even worse-off than Applejack. Twilight recognized that straight-maned, wild-eyed look from a memorable birthday party of years ago, but the resemblance ended there. Pinkie's eyes darted about wildly, and she was clearly muttering to herself, but whatever she was saying was incomprehensible.

Pinkie too was wearing accoutrement… though whereas Applejack's could be seen as some sort of twisted carousel affair, Pinkie was being treated like a dangerous dog. A metal muzzle was wrapped around her face. The muzzle doubled as a ring-gag, and it was Pinkie's flapping tongue that had clued Twilight into her ranting. While Applejack had only needed one handler, Pinkie had three. The first held the leash hooked to her collar; the next was behind her, holding a chain linked to the shackles on her wrists, and the last by a knotted rope that teased Pinkie's nethers with every slight movement of the rope.

It took Twilight a moment to realize Pinkie’s collar was different. It was purple, though she had no idea why. She tried to turn her thoughts to that mystery, but her mind was clouded, her eyes fixated on the perky bouncing breasts of Pinkie Pie. Twilight's fingers began to tease through her panties as moisture beaded between her legs, but a sudden effort of will forced her quivering hand away. She tightly gripped the windowsill and panted as she struggled against the humiliating wave of lust burning within her. She shouldn't find this arousing! It waswrong! And yet…

She squeezed her eyes shut, not willing to look until she was sure Pinkie Pie had passed. She didn'twant to look again, knowing who was likely to be next. You owe it to her… Twilight's thoughts were being traitorous. She's your friend. She deserves somepony to know what's happened. One eye squeezed itself open, then the other, and Twilight turned back to the road to look for Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was not where Twilight had expected her to be. She wasn't being forced to walk nude behind a handler. She wasn't busy desperately averting her eyes like Twilight had thought, not shaking and sobbing.

Fluttershy was atop a small parade float. It was a simple affair with small curtains of white cloth on the sides to veil the wood and wheels beneath. The float itself was being pulled by a dozen black-collared mares; each had a harness wrapped around her chest, straps encircling and emphasizing the naked bust. The mares were in six columns of two, while flanking the ponies were a pair of caribou handlers carrying long riding crops. Small welts marred the beauty of several of the mares, a testament to the willingness of their escorts to punish infractions, as one mare who faltered found herself with a stinging bottom and a new zeal for maintaining her pace.

The float itself carried another seated caribou upon a small carved chair. Seated at his left was a large wolf-like dog whose tail lazily wagged as it panted and surveyed the area. To his right, closer to Twilight, Fluttershy lay kneeling upon a plush pillow. The caribou was affectionately scratching her between the ears. His thick fingers stroked through her pink mane while the pegasus trembled nervously. It looked as if he was comforting Fluttershy as she would have comforted a frightened animal.

Most shocking, though, the thing that sent Twilight's stomach into a confused knot of clenched dizziness, Fluttershy's collar was the same maroon of the willing mares Twilight had seen earlier, the same hue that she'd watched Cadance eagerly accept around her neck back in the stadium. Fluttershy's wings had undergone plucking, yet she seemed to be in no pain when the caribou suddenly laughed and let his fingers lightly tweak the glossy sheaths affixed to her back. Fluttershy's squeak came easily to Twilight's magically enhanced ears, but it was equal parts embarrassment and arousal.

What was next, though… any doubts that Twilight had about Fluttershy's acceptance were soon dispelled. It began with a sharp snap of the caribou's fingers. The canine beside him roused. The dog's ears perked attentively as the caribou pointed and commanded, “Shift. Roll. Present.” The canine obeyed quickly, moving to the indicated spot before its master, then rolling onto its back and spreading its legs to expose its - no, his very male anatomy.

“Now, Fluttershy,” the caribou firmly told her. “As you can see, he is already growing excited. And we would not want him to stay pent up like that, would we? It will make him very uncomfortable if he remains eager and isn't pleased.” A deep chuckle came from the caribou as he gave the back of her head a gentle push. “It's just you and him, now. There's no need to think of anybody else, just you and a needy animal. I know you don't want to see your new friend feel sad, do you?” He turned his eyes towards the canine, and added, “Longtooth, Beg!' The dog's ears immediately drooped, his eyes went wide and pleading, and one paw reached plaintively for Fluttershy as a low whine came from the canine's throat.

Fluttershy trembled as her eyes darted wildly around the crowd. She slowly moved forwards off her pillow. The hand upon her head never let up, ensuring each small scoot towards the dog was a one-way trip. As she drew near, the pegasus reached a hand out and began to scritch him beneath the chin. “Oh, you are a good boy, aren't you?” she whispered. “So very big, yet so gentle and warm.” She took a deep breath as she reached his side and knelt there. “And you've been so well-behaved, I don't want to see you deprived of your reward.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, and Twilight suspected only she could hear it. “Okay Fluttershy. You've, uhm, you've done this before. All that's different this time is there's ponies watching you… but the masters said those ponies need to learn how to make the animals happy too! You need to show them how it's done. Without a demonstration, how will they learn?” Her other hand began on his belly, providing a slow rub that set his tail wagging.

Twilight bit her lip so hard it began to ache painfully. She watched in wide-eyed wonderment as Fluttershy's fingers began to slowly circle the canine's furred sheath, then dipped downwards and trace the outline of his furry sac. Her hand came back up, and her fingers split into a V that traced itself along the sheath once more and then down the excited flesh that had stiffened from her teasing. “Good boy,” Fluttershy murmured as her hand changed position, soon encircling the stiff member and lightly working its way up and down his length. Longtooth's tongue rolled out as he eagerly panted, and the pony's first hand continued to scritch him beneath the chin. Fluttershy's timidity faded as she lost herself in caring for the animal below. Her hand worked faster now, pumping itself up and down the length of the dog.

Twilight took a glance at the crowd; the reactions were what she'd expected, most mares in stunned silence, and most males with a look of smug enjoyment on her face. There were occasional ponies though, even black collars, that she… squirming in the same way she herself was. Her hand found its way down to rub over her panties again. It's okay this time… she told herself. Fluttershy wants this. I'm only seeing something she's already done in secret. She's sharing this, I'm… only enjoying the show. The words rang hollow in her head, but her fingers felt so good as they kneaded her wet panties against the tingling warmth of her puffy sex. The panties grew so damp as to be partially transparent, though nopony was there to see; Twilight's pleasures were for her alone.

She watched, her breath coming in sensual grunts as Fluttershy leaned forward. Fluttershy’s tongue flicked outwards, suddenly rasping over that glistening red cock, and then Fluttershy smoothly lifted the shaft, guiding it into her mouth. Lewd sucking noises flowed into Twilight's eager ears, feeding her voyeuristic lust as Fluttershy pleasured the beast below. Fluttershy moved to all fours to be more comfortable. She slowly bobbed her head back and forth, and her tail rose upwards as she too grew aroused, showing Twilight and the crowd the gleaming excitement coating her labia. Fluttershy’s trembling body testified that she too was enjoying things almost as much as the dog beneath her.

Twilight felt her sex clench in need, and her hand finally pulled her panties away so she could slide fingers into her eager, warm cunt. Her muscles squeezed the teasing digits. She gasped in acute desire, and then angled her fingers up to lightly graze her throbbing clit. Her eyes remained riveted upon her friend, Twilight masturbating until Fluttershy's float wheeled past, and Twilight let out a disappointed groan as she pulled her head back inside. Twilight gasped in relief when she realized she'd been completely exposed if anypony had looked, but it appeared as if her lust hadn't accidentally betrayed her.

She took a few moments to compose herself, to pull hand away from her dripping sex, to bring herself back to her center. By the time she was ready to peek again, the tempo of the crowd had changed. Whispers were spreading from pony to pony, and heads were rapidly turning to look in the distance.

It began with the former guardsmares. They had been stripped of their proper armor, yet they did not walk nude. Twilight first noticed the black collars that were wrapped around the throat of each and every mare; not one of these ponies had been taken willingly. Like the earlier procession, their arms were shackled behind them, but though they wore golden cuffs around their ankles, there were no chains attached, at least for now. Golden corsets were wrapped around the chest of each, rising to a tapered point that cupped their bared breasts, while beneath they wore crotchless golden plate that was designed to draw attention to their exposed vaginas. Each wore a matching tail wrap that kept the tail high and out of the way.

Finally, the mares had been placed in tack; bits in mouth and bridles that wrapped around heads and shoulders were linked to long traces that connected to the float behind. The harnesses allowed the mares to pull as they walked, and in seven columns of seven mares each, they steadily marched forward to draw a large float forwards. And upon it...Twilight’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks, and it took the roar of the crowd to snap her out of her sudden daze.

Twilight stared at Cadance first. Cadance was closer, and Twilight couldn't yet bring herself to turn her eyes towards the other side. Her former foalsitter was on all fours atop a plump pink pillow that glimmered wetly with reflected sunlight. Cadance’s legs were spread, and Shining Armor was behind her wantonly pumping away while she moaned whorishly at every thrust of his cock.

Twilight gulped. Here were her foalsitter and her brother, openly fucking in public. Shining grit his teeth, and his hips surged forward, and then he groaned and shuddered atop Cadance. His movements changed from firm thrusts to shuddering jerks while Cadance collapsed on the pillow, and a blissful moan flowed from her throat. Soon, Shining pulled himself free, and more fluids dripped onto the pillows as he lounged backwards in a chair. He then glanced to a pegasus stallion sitting nearby, and gestured towards his wife in open invitation. The stallion's reply was a lustful grin as he moved behind Cadance and unbuckled his pants, then slid them downwards while the former Princess swished her hips and beckoned to him. Lust and ecstasy were in equal measure upon her face, and Cadance shoved her dripping cunt back the instant he had freed himself, impaling herself on his firming cock and then grinding away as she began to groan hungrily once more.

Twilight's fingers had approached her throbbing nethers once again, but she had managed to regain some semblance of control, and thus only lightly teased herself as she watched the stallion roughly rut Cadance. Twilight couldn't lie to herself. Watching her former foalsitter being used like the whore she'd clearly become was a sinful delight.

But it was not to last. The other noises eventually forced Twilight's attention to the other mare upon the float. She stopped midway and looked at the small throne where Dainn, the caribou leader, lounged. He appeared almost bored as he cast his gaze about the crowd. His hand was idly toying with a pearly white horn, occasionally tapping it against the wood of the chair as if it were a foal's toy.

Twilight's stomach clenched. The final occupant of the float was who Twilight didn’t want to see. Even the faint movement of her head required to focus upon Princess Celestia was extraordinarily difficult for Twilight, and her throat grew tight as she fought for inner control. Like Cadance, Celestia was on all fours, though unlike Cadance, the solar princess was being held down. Her black collar was attached to a pair of chains. The first bound her to a ring on the surface of the float, while the second to a metal band wrapped around her tail to ensure both head and tail were held up and at attention. Her wrists were shackled to the surface, and her abdomen was supported by a stool that ensured she simply didn't collapse on the float.

Twilight heard a small whimper, and realized it came from her throat; how could she not, seeing Celestia so laid low? The Princess's hooves were forced wide by a spreader bar around her knees that left her unable to protect her wet sex.

Wait… wet? Twilight was disbelieving, but her magically enhanced eyes did not lie. Moisture beaded the floor beneath the mare, so that even if Twilight could not yet see Celestia's backside directly, it was clear she was damp. Further, when Twilight turned to look at Celestia's face, she saw that the Princess was disheveled, sweaty, panting, clearly heavily aroused. The Princess was grimacing, fighting it, but a moan still forced itself past her lips and her hips arched upwards, presenting that winking sex to the assorted ponies around her: the male members of the Royal Guard.

“I think she's ready now,” the cold voice of Dainn drawled out. “How are you enjoying that toy in your backside, Princess? I imagine it is like being in estrus, only… magnified. Feel free to take your reward, guards. After so many years of service, you deserve it. And, oh, prepare her wings, as well.”

Her wings? Twilight focused for the first time on Celestia's back, and realized the Princess's wings were pulled outwards, small clamps keeping them stretched taut. She watched as one guard casually stepped to the Princess's side, then knelt down, grasped one of her long primary feathers, and gave it a firm tug, plucking it free and holding it up for the crowd to behold. The males in the audience roared with approval as the guard turned and dropped the feather into a box beside the Princess.

A second guard moved to her other side, and together they began to pluck feather after feather from Celestia's wings, but they did so slowly; each was carefully yanked free, held up for inspection, and then dropped into the box.

Celestia's degradation only began there. Just after the first feather was plucked away, a half-naked guard knelt behind her, then hungrily thrust himself into her cunt. “I have wanted this ever since I enlisted, Celestia. Perhaps had you not been such a bitch, things could have been different. Then again, I suppose you're still a bitch, just one in her proper place.” He went silent as he hissed in pleasure and began to powerfully fuck the Princess. His hips slammed into her rear, and Celestia groaned in unwanted relief, the pleasure of the act painted upon her face as her body betrayed her. She bit the exhalation short, stifling it halfway as eyes shut themselves and she drew a ragged breath.

The guard's rut did not last long. Celestia's cunt was clearly ecstasy for him, as while the stallion atop Cadance was still grinding away, the guard stiffened, and Celestia did as well. There was a silvery glow from beneath her tail, and then the Princess let out a whorish squeal as she trembled beneath him. The two guards attending to her wings impassively continued plucking the spasming appendages, but Celestia didn't seem to notice. She simply collapsed against the support stool and sucked in great breaths of air while fluids spattered the ground beneath her, leaving her knees sticky from the small puddle forming beneath her.

In moments, a second guard moved into place, and the float by now had drawn level with Twilight. She was able to clearly see Celestia's sweat-soaked body, see patches of bare flesh where feathers had been plucked away, see the second guard thrust into the Princess. She watched as Celestia groaned and ground into the cock within her before she was able to seize control of her traitorous body and do her best to hold still.

It was too much for Twilight. Her fingers curled and plunged in and out of her sopping sex; the floor beneath her was wet, her thighs were slick with her juices dribbling free, and a heated pressure in her pussy demanded relief. Her eyes were locked on the Princess, unblinking as she watched her mentor get taken again and again as the float rolled on; several of the guards were masturbating to ensure they could cum quickly once they took the Princess, to ensure the puddle of cum below Celestia grew steadily larger.

It came without warning – a sudden seizure that left Twilight's fingers stiff and unresponsive as the walls of her pussy squeezed tight, pulling and massaging while her burning clit blanked her brain, numbing her to anything but the sight before her. She bit back a shriek as some small shard of consciousness that remained kept her from betraying her location even as she betrayed her mentor by wantonly masturbating to her being defiled by her traitorous guards.

Twilight collapsed on the floor, and the world went dim for several seconds until the torrent of bliss slowed, the undulating waves of pleasure fading to a manageable buzz of relief. Small spasms still shook her sex as she drew her fingers free, and her cheeks grew hot with shame as the full measure of what she had done hit her. She dragged her panties quickly up, then grabbed her skirt in her magic and wrapped it around her waist, yet even as she did, the cold wetness clinging to her thighs served as a reminder of her indiscretion.

She carefully wiped her fingers on the floor, though the sweet scent of her juices still clung to them, tickling her nose as she dared to peek out once more. The float had moved on, and Twilight glanced to a window ahead, then concentrated, vanishing in a pop of teleportation magic and reappearing in formerly distant room. She glanced around to make sure it was deserted, then looked out the window once more. Shining Armor's spell was still active; she couldn't lose sight of him, even if it meant watching every minute of Celestia being used as a fuckdoll by her eager guards.

Several of the guards who had already gone had begun masturbating once more. Instead of taking her, however, they began to stain her body with their seed, leaving sticky patches of cum across the Princess's coat. The guardsmares steadily pulled the float forwards, and Twilight was forced to teleport again and again as they drew ever-closer to the castle.

Finally, the parade came to a halt with Celestia's float right at the stairs to enter the palace. Twilight had squirreled herself in the boughs of a thickly-leaved tree to conceal herself from prying eyes. The last feather on Celestia's wings was plucked away, and the guards removed the clamps, letting the Princess's naked wings finally retreat to her back where they quickly stretched and folded as she worked out the aching pressure of having them kept cramped for so long.

“I do hope you're enjoying that, Celestia,” Dainn drawled. “As you won't be stretching them anytime soon. Sheathe her.” One caribou stepped forth, and grabbed Celestia's left wing. Black plastic, identical to the sheaths on Cadance's back, save for color and larger size, was drawn over her wing, and then the second piece fitted against it, sealing the left wing within. The second sheath was similarly fitted over her right wing, and then the caribou drew out a multi-colored rod, black at the base and then an interweaving spiral of purple, blue, white, and pink to a silver gem held at the far end. It was passed over the sheaths, and Celestia stiffened as her eyes went wide. Her teeth gritted and she hissed as Dainn opened his mouth once more.

“Unpleasant, is it not? Agonizing, I would dare say. But it doesn't have to stay this way, cunt. All you need to do is crawl your way into the palace. Not walk, but crawl. The longer you take, the longer the agony continues. Once you obey, your discomfort will be appropriately lessened. So long as you are well-behaved, the worst of it will be stiff wings that crave stretching yet remained confined. Disobey, and... well, this is far from the rod’s highest setting.”

The shackles around Celestia were removed, and the Princess stretched her arms and legs, but did not attempt to stand. A guard proceeded to hook a leash around the collar, then gave it a firm tug. “Heel, cunt,” he demanded. “Crawl.”

Celestia held out for a short time, up until Dainn spoke again. “You know, if you insist on being recalcitrant, several of your former guardsmares were pegasi, no? You can either begin crawling now, or we shall see if you enjoy watching them experience the same pain you are.”

Celestia waited several more grueling seconds as her eyes turned to the mares still shackled to the float. One hand lifted, moved forwards, and then a knee, another hand, Celestia beginning to crawl till she was alongside the guard holding her leash. She went down a ramp, and towards the stairs… but Twilight saw no more, for she realized that Shining Armor was breaking off from the group.

Her brother was hurrying towards the a servant's entrance, one Twilight was long familiar with. This was the quickest route to the guard captain's quarters. Twilight took one last long look at Celestia. Her mentor was naked, cum-soaked, crawling like a dog up the stairs to her palace. Tears filled Twilight’s eyes, and then she vanished for the final time, teleporting to her brother's quarters to await his arrival.

Oh, Celestia, I am sorry… Twilight thought as the tears were joined by muted sobs, but the mare was all too aware of the slowly drying sticky proof of betrayal still staining her thighs.

Author's Note

First, apologies on the delay! Life has a way of eating up one's time, even when all that remains to be done is editing.

Second, thank you to Twipet for serving as an editor for the chapter; you gave a bunch of valuable input!

Beyond that, I do not have much to say on this chapter. I suspect the Fluttershy segment will be the most controversial. Of course, the story itself is controversial, and rightly should be; this material is meant to be disturbing, because it is something so depraved in substance.

The Confrontation

Twilight had spent her childhood romping all over the castle, and she silently thanked the young filly who’d turned ‘bedtime’ into ‘sneak into the library to read by candlelight’. She darted from one hiding spot to another, tailing her brother without rousing a hair of suspicion. It was a short pursuit, ending as soon as she was confident of his destination. She knew the castle’s exact layout, she had visited him in his old office numerous times, and she was confident he was going there now.

She also knew a shortcut. She could teleport, yes, but she had no idea if his office was already occupied, and ending up in the midst of a dozen foes was hardly a pragmatic plan. She loved Celestia with all her heart, but the Princess had been arrogant. Just as with Chrysalis, she had underestimated her foe, and Twilight did not want to find herself sandwiched between two caribou, her mouth violated, her throat stuffed with turgid, throbbing, heated…

She shook her head. It was a foolish idea, a pitfall she would avoid. The long route wound its way around the throne room, but a quick trip up the nearest flight of stairs, past the servant’s bunks and then the Princess’s quarters would lead her there all the faster.

She encountered nopony on her way to the staircase, but halfway through her ascent, she stopped. There was something just at the edges of her hearing, and with every stair, the faint vibrations transformed. A squeak. A gasp. A squeal. Creaking hinges, heavy breathing, and as she crested the stairs, a door ahead was ajar. Twilight skipped over a loose stone that eight years ago had betrayed her, ending her quest to shave precious hours off her attempts to check a desired book out of the library. Technically, it was borrowing without asking, but she had intended to immediately return come the morning and check it out legitimately!

Celestia had tried to appear stern the next morning, but in the end her amusement at her student’s antics had won out.

Twilight carefully peered around the opened door, lured by the constantly creaking bedsprings. That same curiosity that drove her to so many late night study sessions spurred her forwards, and within…

“Oh, master, harder!” Twilight felt the blood drain from her face for the few seconds it took to tear her eyes away and stumble past the room. She pushed herself against a stone wall and took several deep breaths to calm herself. She knew some mares had given themselves over to the caribou rather than face the torture the resistant ponies were enduring, but the level of ecstasy upon that maid’s face left her bewildered.

And to so wantonly be engaging in THAT...stuff she had seen, how was she even fitting…? No. I need to stay focused. She took a deep breath, holding her arm to her chest, then extending it as she slowly exhaled. Cadance may have betrayed them, but her calming technique was still useful.

Twilight’s stride became more confident as the rest of the corridor was quiet. The next corridor had muffled cries coming through a closed door, but Twilight passed it by without even turning her head. She was approaching Celestia’s chambers when a sudden thought occurred. One sister had been captured, but with Luna, she might have a fighting chance.

It would add an extra minute, she would have to hurry, as Luna’s apartments had been hastily converted from some former guest quarters when she had returned, and though extensive renovations had been done in the years since, where Celestia’s chambers were akin to what one would expect of a Princess, Luna’s could in many ways be called a lair. Soundproofed, heavy curtains, the various amenities the nocturnal Princess preferred to support her odd comings and goings.

When she arrived, Luna’s doors were closed. Twilight took a moment to focus, reaching her magic out to test the wards and finding them undisturbed. Then she eased the door silently open and peered inside, about to call the Princess’s name when the word died on her lips.

Twilight, like Celestia, was keyed into Luna’s wards, one of the few ponies able to enter without Luna’s express consent.The largest group was that of Luna’s night guard. Their loyalty to their Princess had been unmatched, and so they were trusted because Luna knew they would only ever disturb her in the gravest of emergencies.

The Night Guard had proven themselves unworthy of that trust.

Twilight’s eyes swept the room. Luna’s horn lay forgotten on the side of her pillow. The Princess herself was sandwiched between a pair of guards, one hissing as he thrust himself into her, the other silent while he held her mane in his hand, forcing her head to pump upon his stiff shaft. The Princess didn’t move, and it took Twilight moments to see why - an empty vial lay upon the carpet, and though her eyes couldn’t make it out in the dim light, she was confident it was a paralytic. Luna’s eyes were narrowed in rage, yet the Princess was impotent before her captors, powerless to resist as they violated her. Two more were busy plucking feather after feather from the Princess’s wings.

Twilight stood a few seconds more, then silently shut the door. Her eyes squeezed shut to fight the tears threatening to overtake her. Yet again, there was nothing she could do. She could stop the guards, but then what? Luna was not only powerless to help her, but dead weight. She would only slow Twilight down.

A sob tore out of Twilight’s throat as she fled the room, the newest Princess fighting the pit in her belly as she yet again abandoned another pony. Why? Why was this happening? How could anyone be so cruel?

The silence answered her, broken by the faint clattering of her hooves as she made her way to the guard captain’s office. The hallway was empty, and her horn glimmered as she held a stunning spell ready just in case the room was occupied. Her hand stalled before the door, yet she forced herself to turn the knob and dart inside, ready to surprise the occupants.

The room was empty. No ambush was awaiting her, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She had a few precious seconds to prepare herself. The office itself was fairly sparse, a simple chair and desk and shelves that were relatively empty; the new captain of the guard hadn’t truly made it her own den, and given today’s circumstances, Twilight feared she never would.

It was also void of hiding places, so Twilight took the only that made sense, setting herself so the door would conceal her when it opened. Then, she waited.

A minute passed by, another, Twilight’s adrenaline-flooded body aware of every breath, every thump of her heart as she awaited her brother’s arrival. She didn’t know what exactly she was going to do when he arrived. She wanted answers, she knew that much, she wanted…

The door swung inward, and Twilight felt her body tense when her brother strode inside. Fists she did not recall making unclenched themselves, and she placed a hand on the door and pushed it shut. Her horn flashed as the walls began to glow from the silencing enchantment now upon the room. The sound of the door clicking shut caused her brother to turn, and he strode forward before she raised a hand to stop him.

“Hello, Shining,” she began. Now that the moment was upon her, she felt her nerves calm, her voice grow steady. “We have a lot to talk about. You are going to sit down. Now.”

Shining looked at her for some seconds, then had the audacity to grin at her as he sauntered behind the desk and plopped down in the Captain’s chair.

“Twiley. Lovely to see you. I was disappointed when you weren’t with your friends, but it makes sense now. You wanted to be collared by somepony close to you. I suppose I can’t blame you, though you made quite the -”

“SHUT UP!” she roared at him as her temper frayed. “How can you say something like that?! How could you do what you did?! Haven’t you seen what they’re doing to everypony?! What they’re doing to Luna?! What they did to my friends, to...to Princess…” She felt her throat tighten up, couldn’t bring herself to choke out the last name.

Her brother grinned as Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself. “So there was no trouble with Luna, then. Wonderful. She could have been quite a nuisance had she escaped. As for the rest of it, it’s for their own good. For your own good.”

Twilight held up a hand to stop him. She was shaking, forcing herself to control the anger boiling within her. “Here’s how this works. I ask the questions. You answer them. Taunt me and you won’t like what happens. We both know who is the stronger sibling, Shining. Do you understand?”

Shining returned her anger with a derisive smirk. “If that’s how you want to play it, though it’s only going to delay the inevitable, Twilight. You’ll be collared just like that incompetent whore Cel-”

It took a moment for Twilight to realize why he had stopped, and another moment to realize what she had done. The guard captain's desk had been shoved several feet forwards, pinning her brother between it and the wall. She released the telekinetic hold, and the desk fell back to the floor, while her brother slumped forwards and began to cough.

“That’s one hoof in mouth! Do you want to play for number two?” When Shining did not respond, Twilight nodded and continued coldly, “You’ve betrayed everything you vowed to protect, Shining Armor. I want to know : Why?”

Shining leaned on the desk while he caught his breath, and even when he spoke, his words had a hint of strain to them. “Because I betrayed nothing! Celestia was incompetent! Look at what she had done! She gambled with the fate of Equestria again and again! Nightmare Moon! Discord! The Changelings! Sombra! How often did she send you out to clean up her messes?! How often did everything nearly end for her arrogance?! I was blind! Blinded by her false radiance, blinded until Cadance showed me the truth of it all! She opened my eyes, made me see how much better everything could be! How Equestria could be safe, secure, prosperous, if only those most fit to rule DID rule!”

Twilight felt bile rise in her throat. Her brother spoke with the madness of the true believer, and she could not understand how he of all ponies could buy so wholeheartedly into something like this.

“You swore to protect her, Shining! You...you swore an oath to Celestia, to Equestria, and don’t give me a pile of, of bucking horseapples about how the Princess nearly threw it all away! What would you have done in her place?! Only the Elements could stop Nightmare Moon or Discord! Nopony saw the Changelings coming! Sombra cursed the Crystal Empire the last time Celestia faced him! How could you have done any better?!” Twilight nearly screamed the last at him, and only stopped herself when she realized she might alert unwanted attention. She stepped back, away from the desk she’d been leaning on, and took a deep breath, hand to her chest and then away from her body as she exhaled.

When she looked at him again, her eyes were moist. “What happened to you, Shining…?” Her throat ached, and she fought the need to cry, to purge herself of all the pain she was forcing herself to hold in. Then she walked past him, to the window, stared out across Canterlot, down the streets until her eyes came to rest upon the stadium in the distance, where...where Celestia had fallen. Where Cadance had come out and in her last act as a Princess had…

Twilight wheeled and faced her brother. She knew what she was looking for now as she closed her eyes and reached out with a different sight, felt the magic coursing through his body. She almost missed it, but there, deep down…

“Oh, Shining Armor, I am so, so sorry.” Now she understood. Her brother was a victim in his own way, fallen under the sway of the same corruption that had overtaken the males of Canterlot. With enough time, Twilight was sure she could find some way to undo that taint, but there was no time. Her earlier outburst may well have attracted attention, and even if it had not, somepony was sure to come knocking eventually. Or, worse, one of the caribou.

“Then you’ve come to your senses…?” Shining Armor asked her. “Will you cease this pointless fighting and submit, Twiley? You don’t have to suffer like Celestia. If you follow Cadance’s example, you will be pampered. You will feel pleasure beyond any you have before.”

“No, Shining,” Twilight said. “I will not. But I do need one last thing from you. The shield must come down, now.”

Their eyes met, and neither sibling spoke. The implanted conviction in Shining’s gaze was all she needed to see.

“Very well. I will remember you as you were, BBBFF. And I promise, I will find a way to free you from your nightmare.” Twilight bowed her head down in silent mourning, and Shining started to rise.

A concussive blast of magic smashed him into the wall. He slumped downwards, groaning in pain as Twilight approached him. She reached her hand outwards, placed it upon his forehead, and let the power flow forth. Her brother fell limply to the floor, and outside, the shield surrounding Canterlot began to crumble into nothingness.

Twilight stood at the window and watched for a minute, and a small hopeful smile came across her face when small distant shapes began to rise into the air, pegasi making a break for freedom. A few fell, but others did not. She had given what free ponies were left the chance to flee, and she hoped as many as possible took advantage of it.

A moment later, and Twilight had vanished from the room. Ponyville beckoned.

Author's Note

And, after a long, long wait, Chapter Five is complete! I do apologize for the delay. Life sometimes has other plans for us, and if all is well I should be more on the wagon, so to speak, once more.

Some answers this chapter, more questions. Thanks to Twipet & the others who have given me feedback or editing aid!

The world here is a twisted one, a dark fantasy, and such actions belong strictly within the realm of fantasy.

To Ponyville

Author's Note

And after a very, very long time...an update.

As always, this is pure fantasy, and the material contained within is very dark. There is a lot of disturbing material within, and if any reader feels uncomfortable with the subject matter I encourage them to do whatever they feel best for their own health. In reality, anything intimate should only be done with the affirmative consent of your partner.

Lastly, people are free to comment here as they wish - I ask only that they do so politely, even if that is to say 'I hate this and everything it stands for'; that's their opinion and they are free to express it. Just please keep things constructive.

Thank you, and enjoy!

To Ponyville

The sun burned in late afternoon light as a column of ponies slowly limped their collective way towards Ponyville. At its head was Twilight Sparkle. She had found herself a natural rallying point for those lucky ponies who had managed to escape Canterlot before the shield could be restored. Her eyes were dark circles from the pressure of unexpected leadership, yet she hadn’t faltered when her party of one began to swell. The refugees were primarily pegasi, for wings made escape that much more likely, although some unicorns and earth ponies had also managed to evacuate during the chaos of Canterlot’s fall.

The group was almost entirely mares, although to Twilight’s surprise a small number of stallions had made themselves known. Each swore to be unaffected by the corruption that had befallen their brethren. They were kept segregated from the other mares, just in case, though none had yet made any form of aggressive move. Twilight desperately wanted to believe each told the truth. If they remained untainted, then perhaps she could discover a way to reverse the effects on the rest of the populace. She could not see how an Equestria divided against itself could hope to resist. How were they to fight when their husbands, brothers, sons, and fathers could turn on them at any moment?

Twilight left unspoken that she too could not stop suspicion knotting her gut each time she stared at the cluster of stallions. It was what she would do were she as heartless as the caribou. Send infiltrators in amongst the refugees. It would be easy to slip in a collaborator or two amongst the half-dozen stallions, one sent to spy upon them, or sabotage the escapees at the most opportune moment.

Then again, even if one of them was a traitor, how much harm could they cause? It was not as if Ponyville was fortified in any way. There were no gates for them to open, no secrets to betray, nothing of value to be lost. Well, aside from herself, yet Twilight was certain no one stallion could handle her. Nor a half-dozen, for that matter. I suppose there is always the possibility of drugging my food or ambushing me in my sleep, but it will not be hard to safeguard against that…

Her reverie shattered when a mare approached, and Twilight straightened up to conceal her inner turmoil. “What is it, Emerald?” she asked the pegasus.

“Why are they with us? You saw what they did back in Canterlot. How can you possibly let them stay? They’re...monsters.”

“Not all of them, Emerald. They frighten me as well. I feel the same fear. I want to send them away.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Because, Emerald. It is not enough for us to simply try to survive. If we lose everything we cherish in that struggle, then the caribou will still have won. I think it likely that at least one of them is not who he claims to be. Yet if I condemn them all, not for who they are, but for who they might be, I condemn the innocent to bear the burden of the guilty.” Slowly, Twilight shook her head. “I know it may lead to disaster. I’m afraid of what may come.” She clenched a hand to her chest. “I have watched my closest friends raped today. I have seen Princess Celestia and Princess Luna taken by those monsters, or those they have made their servants. They destroyed so many beautiful things to pursue their own twisted dream. And they will not stop.” Twilight shook as her throat clenched and a muffled sob fought to break free.

She did not let it. Her face contorted, and she refused to face the memory of Celestia. Of how she had felt, in those moments. Her own weakness could not be revealed. A sickening wave of revulsion, of shame at her actions washed over her, and she shook as she fled the guilt and the deeply buried hint of desire that beckoned, even now.

“We have allies we may call upon. But to win, we must be strong. We must be willing to welcome those who would stand for Friendship, for Harmony. Perhaps, even, in doing so we will find the key to let them overcome the vile magic warping them. To save those who can be saved.”

Emerald fell silent, and they walked together for a time. “I understand. But you’re wrong, Twilight! What will friendship do for me if one of those stallions attacks me? What good is harmony if one of them comes for me?!” Her voice rose to a shout, and heads turned in their direction. She started, and shrunk in on herself, dropped her voice to a mere whisper. “Please, Twilight,” and her voice cracked as she shook, as she fought to form the words. “Send them away. They can find their own refuge. Please don’t let them get me.”

“Emerald…” What was she to do? How was she to stand there and ask others to stand with her? Who was she to tell them they should risk enslavement for mere philosophy? The answer wouldn’t come. “I can’t promise it will never come to that. I...I want to. But I can’t. When we get to Ponyville, I can promise you supplies. Food. Clothing. If you wish to stay with us, I am certain we will welcome you. But if you feel the need to move on...I understand.”

Emerald did not speak again. Nothing more needed to be said. Their band was only a few dozen, and few were in any state to fight. Some bore bruises. One or two limped. Many had started partially or fully unclothed, and those lucky enough to get out with more had shared what they had amongst them.

Ponyville itself would have taken more than a day of constant travel to reach by hoof, and when the afternoon began to turn to evening, Twilight called the group to a halt.

“We cannot keep going like this,” she reluctantly stated. “We’ve been lucky so far, but we can’t be certain there’s no pursuit. We know there’s pegasi working with them. All it will take is one scout to report back, and we find ourselves attacked by a raiding party.” The group broke into worried murmurs, but she raised her hands to quiet them.

“I want to take those who can fly with me. We can reach Ponyville much sooner, and then I can return with help for the rest of you. Carts and a come-to-life spell will be faster. I know you’re scared. I know you are exhausted. I know you don’t want to be alone. And I promise...I will return.”

Those unable to fly were not happy. A few yelled that she was abandoning them, at first, but eventually they agreed, reluctantly, that the plan seemed the best available.

Two hours later, with the sun swelling red on the horizon, Twilight touched down with her straggled flock in the center of Ponyville, amidst pandemonium. Pegasi had seen them coming some time back, and the moment she was on her hooves the inhabitants were shouting, pushing, demanding information.

“Please, everyone! Wait, give me a moment, I promise I will - no, don’t do that! Hey! Watch it! If you’ll just give me a moment! Hey! Let go!” Twilight took a deep breath as the crowd surged around her.

“Hey! Calm down! Give her room!” Heads snapped at the loud shout, and Rainbow Dash swooped in to hover over the crowd. “What the hay do you think you’re all doing?! Give her space! Let her breathe! Panicking won’t help anypony! If Twilight’s back, she doesn’t need you all fighting too! We’re Ponyville, and we stand with our own! I know her! She’ll answer your questions, but not till she’s ready! Go home!”

The tension shattered as ponies found themselves with ears lowered in shame, and the angry roar of the mob subsided to embarrassed mumbles. It soon broke apart, fearful clusters of ponies chattering to one another as Rainbow dropped from the sky to her hooves.

“Twilight. I...I’m glad you made it. I was afraid only I…” The air was squeezed from her lungs as Twilight wrapped her in crushing hug, buried her face in Rainbow’s shoulder, and broke down crying. Rainbow wheezed for breath, awkwardly wrapped an arm around Twilight’s midsection, and patted her on the back. “It, uh, it’s okay Twilight, you’re home now. I mean, it’s not okay, but with you here, we’re sure to whoop them...right?”

Twilight sniffled. She drew back, inhaled, exhaled, wiped at her face with her hands. Cleaned away the tears with the back of her forearm. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I didn’t know if I would see you again. It was horrible, Rainbow! What they did, what I saw…”

“We’re gonna make ‘em pay, Twilight. I promise you. They’ll pay for everything. They got the drop on us the first time, but now we’re gonna be ready. And we’re gonna show them just who they’re messing with!”

“How, Rainbow? You weren’t there! It wasn’t just the caribou. They…” She turned and looked around. Her voice fell to a forlorn whisper. “They have the Princesses.”

“Princess Celestia and Luna?” Disbelief. “No way!”

“Cadance, too,” Twilight croaked. “And it’s worse. Cadance...she was helping them. She did something to the Crystal Heart. They did something to it! And then...then...the stallions…” She shook in place. “Canterlot is gone, Rainbow. It’s theirs. They twisted the stallions somehow. Made them...they’re helping. Doing the same things to us the caribou began. And I don’t know how to stop it. It...there’s no help coming, Dash. We’re it. What are we supposed to do now?”

Rainbow stood silent, pensive. She glanced round at the rest of Ponyville. Those still present hadn’t interrupted, had remained in their huddled groups, but heads continually turned in the pair’s direction.

“It changes nothing, Twilight. It’s always been long odds, hasn’t it? And you’ve found a way out every time. You awoke the Elements. Yea, okay, you needed us, but there’s no way we’d have ever done what we did without you. You saved us from Discord. You found Cadance when nopony else believed you. You found the Crystal Heart, and you saved us from...well, okay, the Cutie Mark thing was kinda your fault, but you fixed it in the end!” Rainbow tightly squeezed Twilight’s shoulder. “This may be the worst thing we’ve faced, but I know you can do it. And I’m with you every step of the way. Loyalty, right?”

Twilight mustered a wan smile. “Right.” The hubbub of the crowd stilled as Twilight turned towards them and raised her voice. She forced a bravado she did not feel. “Everypony!! I know you have questions! I know you are scared! And you have a right to be!” The chatter of the crowd immediately started once more, but Twilight flapped her wings to hover above them, held a hand up for silence.

“We face an enemy now that...is worse than anything we have yet fought. One crueller than Discord, more heartless than Chrysalis, colder than Nightmare Moon. But just as we have triumphed over them, so we shall triumph here!” She hesitated. The next part would not be easy. “These caribou have some foul magic that can turn our stallions against us. But not all! It can be defeated, and we shall find out how! Their barbaric society shall be opposed at every turn...and even if we fall? As long as even one pony still holds to the ideals of Harmony, we can never be defeated!”

The crowd cheered halfheartedly. Twilight dropped back to her hooves, and Rainbow clapped her on the back. “That helped! I mean, it wasn’t the greatest speech. You really need to work on, uh, not adding ‘if we lose’ into inspirational speeches, egghead...but it helped.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Rainbow.” The few moments of tranquility did not last as a familiar voice rang out through the crowd.

“Excuse me! Coming through! Just a moment! Ah, Twilight, darling...I did not expect you to return so soon?” Rarity stepped between a final pair of ponies to approach her friends. She stopped at the expressions on their faces. “Oh, dear. I have come at a bad time, haven’t I?”

“Yes. Rarity, something terrible has happened. Our friends, the Princesses, they’ve been...taken.” Rarity’s hand flew to her mouth. Twilight continued, “It’s worse. They haven’t merely been captured. The caribou, they have forced themselves upon them. They put on some sick parade where our friends were used as toys. Where captured ponies, all mares, were…” Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t want to go into it. I don’t want to remember it.”

The three friends stood in silence, then Rarity took Twilight’s hand in hers. “Surely it cannot be as bad as you fear,” she said softly. “Come. You’ve had an exhausting day. Let me make you some tea. I have news as well. But it can, ah, wait.”

“Not yet, Rarity. Rainbow Dash? There are other ponies who escaped. They’re making their way by hoof. Those of us with wings flew ahead to get help. Do you think you could - “

“On it, Twilight!” Anything that would let her help, do something good? That was welcomed. Rainbow needed to feel useful. After today, after running? “You go rest. You need it. I’ll handle things from here!”

The news came as welcome relief to Twilight. “Thank you, Rainbow. They should be coming west of the train tracks. We followed their general path, but stayed far enough away that any train would not see us.”

“Got it! I won’t let you down!” Rainbow leapt into the air, leaving the other two alone. Rarity placed a hand on Twilight’s back, gave an insistent push to start her walking.

“Come, Twilight. We shall go back to my boutique and you can tell me as much as you are comfortable telling, mm? You may wish to stay the night, in fact. The library, weeeeeeell…” Rarity drew out the last word, and Twilight snapped her gaze to her friend.

“What? Is something wrong? What’s happened?”

Rarity laughed, though to Twilight’s ears it sounded forced. “It is nothing serious, darling! Not truly. It is just, well, Spike has gotten a little ill-tempered I fear. He seems to be experiencing one of those growth spurts of his. Oh, nothing like last time! He hasn’t gone stomping over all of Ponyville! But, ah, he isn’t quite himself, mm? I tried to talk him out of it, but when he attempted to grab me, well, the only thing to be done was to leave him be, yes? But nothing has changed in hours! I have had ponies watching to make sure. And you can’t help him if you are so exhausted you are about to fall over, which I promise, darling, you are. You need rest. It can wait till morning. You know Spike! This is probably just a fit of sillyness and come tomorrow it will be all better, yes?”

Twilight had already turned towards the library. “No. I have had enough failures today. If Spike is out of sorts, then I am going to fix it. I’ve lost enough friends. I am not letting another suffer because I don’t have the answers.”

“Twilight! Please! You’re in no state to be handling this. Just look at you! Your dress is in tatters! Your mane is out of sorts. You need to sleep!”

Twilight ignored her. She fanned her wings and leapt into the air, left Rarity behind as she zoomed for home. Moments later, she touched down outside of the library. The tree hung dark in the evening light. No firefly lanterns, no scent of cooking food. Twilight knew she hadn’t been expected until tomorrow, but even so, this was not like Spike.

She walked to the front door, and carefully pushed it open. “Spike!? I’m home! Are you there?” Nothing. Dim shadows in the waning light. No movement, no sounds. A few scattered books that she absently levitated before her eyes. Soon they were back in their proper shelves as Twilight headed for the stairs.

“Spike?” she called again. Still nothing. She took the first few steps, and then a blur rushed downwards, and Twilight found herself bowled over, as a voice at once familiar and distorted roared out, “MINE!”

Claws closed round her neck, yanked her upwards, and she kicked out instinctively only for her hoof to bounce off hard scales. Spike was larger, no question about that. Unlike last time, he was...bulkier, too. Muscled and thick where he had been thin and lanky. Twilight gawked, but when his other talons cleaved open her gown, her paralysis shattered.

Darkness vanished as a bright flash of light illuminated everything, and Spike roared as it blinded him. Twilight screwed her face up, and popped out of existence, to reappear at the bottom of the stairwell.

“MINE!” Spike roared, and blindly swiped outwards, gouging the wood as he stumbled down the staircase. “TWILIGHT MINE!”

“Spike! Get ahold of yourself! This isn’t you!” He ignored her, only oriented towards her voice, and charged. Twilight narrowly stepped out of the way, and Spike barreled past her. His impact shook the room as he smashed into a bookcase, sending precious books tumbling to the floor. The mass moved, and Spike erupted from it as he roared in frustration. Talons clenched, rubbed at his eyes to try to clear away the spots.

Twilight backed away, but she could tell the faint clipclop of her hooves was giving her away. Spike grabbed a book, and her eyes widened.

“That’s a first edition! Be carefu-OOF!” The book smacked her in the stomach. Her breath vanished, and she wheezed as she tried to inhale. Spike’s low growl roiled in his chest as he stood and approached.

“Mine,” he snarled, and reached for the doubled-over mare.

Twilight’s eyes were wet with tears as she stared up at him. “I’m...s-sorry...Spike…” She puffed between short quarter-breaths. Her eyes squeezed shut as she gathered power in her horn, and just before he laid claw on her, the most powerful stunning spell she could muster blasted forth.

Spike’s angry roar reverberated about, but Twilight did not relent. More and more power poured into the spell, until a loud, boneless thump brought her back. Spike lay prone on the floor before her. She shuddered, wide-eyed and looking at him as she fought to get her breath back, and only then did she dare poke his body. She carefully levitated him up, rolled him over, and let out a held breath as she saw his chest rise and fall.

“Only unconscious. I’m sorry, Spike. You...you’re not well.” She rose, and he floated behind her as she carried him into the basement. It took the greater part of an hour before she felt he was adequately sealed away. Equipment needed to be moved upstairs, cluttering the main library. Spells woven to enhance the walls and door so he could not batter them down. And...food. She wouldn’t want him to be left alone and hungry. Even if he wasn’t in his right mind, he was still her number one assistant.

By the time she was done, it was well past moonrise, and Twilight had to fight to keep her eyes open. She realized she’d never changed, that her top was in tatters. She thought of tea, but even that simple pleasure felt too much work. Her horn had begun to ache at any use of magic halfway through, and she’d been forced to carry the rest of her equipment upstairs to conserve power. Now, she felt utterly drained. She plodded slowly up the stairs, to her room, to the one refuge she felt any degree of safety in.

Her bed beckoned. Twilight fell atop the sheets without bothering to change. Her eyes slumped shut. Her head found a pillow, and as tears stained her cheeks, she felt the world fall away until the last of her awareness winked out. Alone, uncertain, afraid...Twilight slept.