Mac’s senses were assaulted the moment he stepped into the banquet hall. Never before had he been in such a jarring situation, which was saying something since Ponyville, and specifically Sweet Apple Acres, had encountered plenty of bizarre incidents over the years.

The gala had the general theme of Mac’s mental image of sophisticated party, like the ones his aunt and uncle Orange had thrown in the past. In their youth, AJ had talked about the few that she was able to attend; the ponies in their fancy suits and dresses, the feasts overflowing with the most tasty foods that one could think of, the finery and decor that gave the room a presence of luxury that was far beyond that any common pony could ever imagine. They never really seemed like anything he would ever enjoy, as he was more accustomed to the kind of parties that were held at the Apple family reunions. This gathering, however, was so different from the ones AJ had described to him that he wouldn’t be able to form an opinion, as the few things linking it to though high class soirées were easily overshadowed by the things that separated it.

The common attire of the party was the first major difference of it all, with the beautiful dresses that the women would wear replaced with fashionable scraps of fabric, made to mimic the aesthetics of their predecessors while having large portions of the material needed for the chest and crotch regions missing so that the mares wearing them had nothing to cover their vaginas or breasts. A rare few had on completed dresses, but were more exposed than the others as the fabrics used for them were so sheer that they were almost non-existent, so transparent that if not for a slight hue of color floating around the wearer, no one would be able to know it was there. These failed to impress Mac, as to him it was another way to make the women nude for the sake of it, and the outfits were so clearly made exploit the female form that he appreciated the completely nude mares walking about more, as they dropped any pretense of what this was all about.

What he saw was in no way improved by what he heard happening around him. The sounds were subdued compared to other events he had attended, lacking the random obscenities and wild yells from the males and usual lustful calls from the red collared mares. He could still hear the woeful cries and howls of protest from the black collars though, a large portion of which coming from the centerpiece of the room, which had the Princess Luna held there in bondage. They had her positioned standing and bent forward, her arms bound together tightly behind her back by half a dozen looped belts. From the last belt in the row, the one that encircled her wrists, was a heavy looking chain leading upwards to the ceiling, and from the ring in her collar another that found its place in a loop bolted to the floor. Her hooves were likewise attached to the floor, spread far apart with her tail tied in a knot to her long mane in order to allow the males around her a better view of her nethers.

The sounds of struggle that came from the alicorn were like that of some untamed, feral beast as she pulled against bonds she couldn’t break, a distinct “clink” noise sounding each time the mare pulled against them. While no stallions or stags were using her at that time, the mess of sticky fluids that clung to her body and pooled at her hooves, flicking off her body each time she gave a quick thrash, made it known that this was just a small reprieve from what had happened to her before the stallion entered the room. How anyone could have a good time while a myriad of awful, hate filled howls were bellowing out of her, uttering undecipherable things from behind a open mouth gag, was something Mac couldn't comprehend. The other guests didn’t even seem to notice it, or gave only a passing glance as the other sounds and ambient music over the room mixed with and overlapped her voice.

With one alicorn princess on his mind, it made Mac more aware of the other two in the room. A little to the left of the bound princess of the night was a pink mare bearing a crystal heart on her rump. While he couldn’t exactly tell through all the other noises in the room, the large stallion could easily imagine the elated sounds Cadence must’ve been making as two caribou on either end of the alicorn lifted her up off the ground by her arms and legs, and thrust themselves into her mouth and pussy with reckless abandon. The spattering of clear fluids hitting the floor every time the one at her legs pulled out, along with the face of pure pleasure the mare had with the rod of meat in her mouth announced to all that saw her that she loved every second of what was happening to her. With the other males at the ready to take the place of the ones inside her, she would be enjoying it for some time.

The last unaccounted for alicorn was at the back of the room, opposite from where he was standing, the former leader of Equestria held on an elevated stage within a decorative cage made of gold and adorned with gemstones as she acted as a displayed prize of the caribou king sitting next to her. Compared to her cum-covered sister, the princess made quite the stark contrast. While Luna coat was a terrible mess, Celestia’s was well-groomed and pristine. Where her sister was contorted in misery, Celestia held a look of content. Mac watched as that contentment seemed to grow when Dainn reached through the bars and gave her an offhanded scratch behind her ears as he watched over all who were participating in the party, not joining on the festivities himself yet still looking quite pleased with what was happening around him. Celestia followed his eyes to see what he saw, like a curious dog following the gaze of her master. At one point, her eyes landed on Mac, and for some reason stopped there for a moment.

At first he thought that it was just a fluke, that she was looking at something else in his direction, but then the red collar made a flirtatious wink as she lifted her chest up high to allow a good view of her enormous rack. She kept that pose for a short while, before resuming a more relaxed pose and going back to observing what the king was observing. There was no way that could have been intended just for him. It must have just been something she was supposed to do whenever she spotted anyone eying her up. While most here would enjoy looking upon her royal figure, it only served to make the stallion self-conscious, as now it seemed that a pony once regarded as the most wise and respectable pony in all Equestria, perhaps the world, knew that he was at an event such as this.

The sounds and sights were enough to make the give Mac second thoughts, but then there was the lofty scent of passion and lust within the air that hit him like a thick musk. It wasn’t much different from being in Pinkie’s bordello, the recent acts of sex permeating the room much like that place, and mixed with the strong fragrances of the cooked foods that were set on a group of banquet tables placed around Luna. The mixture made for a final addition to this trifecta of disgust for the stallion, and he wondered why he even bothered to come to the gala in the first place.

Of course the reason was standing right next to him, scanning the room just as he just had, but with a much more pleased expression on his face. “Quite the turnout,” said Gunne as the door was closed behind them, “But there is no way anyone would miss something like this.”

Mac had to agree, with the hall as packed as it was. While there was still plenty of space to move around, the room looked like it had exceeded its recommended capacity. Mac never considered that he had a fear of crowds, but the amount of bodies in one space was making him feel a little agoraphobic. The stallion guards placed at all the exits didn’t help either, and with he and Gunne standing at the front entrance for so long they were beginning to draw attention.

“Gunne, can we find a seat? Ah want to get off mah hooves.” said Mac, moving into the room in attempt to break line of sight with those looking at him, a silly notion since he stood heads over most of the others in the room.

"Now wait a minute Mac," said Gunne, "Are you sure you don't want to take a moment to grab a bite? Maybe mingle a bit before we spend the rest of the night supporting the walls?"

"No, Ah don't," Mac answered as he moved away from the door in search of a stray chair he could commandeer, "I'm not hungry and Ah don't have any reason to talk to anyone here."

"Well... perhaps you might want to look around to see if that purple mare is here?"

"Who?" Mac said, only half listening to Gunne.

"That lovely red collar with the flowers on her rump. You'll have to forgive me if I don't remember her name."

Working out what Gunne was getting at, the clydesdale froze. "Are ya telling me that Cheerilee is here?"

"I wouldn't know," replied the caribou, "but as a government-owned mare, she could have been called to this event as entertainment. One time around the room should be enough to determine if they brought her in."

Mac didn't know why Gunne was so dead set on getting him to interact with the party, but he had to admit that the caribou pressed the right button with that. "Okay... ya sold me. Let's take a look around."

"Good," Gunne put his arm around Mac's back and placed his hand on the shoulder opposite from him, "And you'll see. There is nothing wrong with taking a small walk around your fellow peers."

The caribou guided Mac through the festivities, and checked around in every direction. Mac was glad that he was actually trying to find Cheerilee, but it only took a few seconds for him to start wondering why he wanted to look in the first place. If they did find her, she would be shoulder deep in dicks, and Mac didn't want to see her like that, surrounded by men shooting their sperm all over her. He knew she would feel the same too, and that if she caught him watching her while she was on the job it would humiliate her more than any of the demeaning act the caribou made her do. If he didn't look though, the thought would bother him all night, at least until AJ showed herself again and more immediate problems arose.

"Well would you look at that?" said Gunne, pointing through the crowd.

Thinking that he had found Cheerilee, Mac zipped his head in the direction of the finger, only to see four robed caribou standing next to the refreshments table, each gulping down a tankard of ale to celebrate the occasion. Mac looked as hard as he could, checking to see if one of those robes had a tail sticking out the front of it, but there were no signs of a mare being concealed within them.

"Those are the four runemasters. They are the most knowledgeable caribou when it comes to the runes we use, each one specializing in one of the four favored elements of caribou magic: metal, stone, wood and bone."

"Umm... that's nice and all, but what about Cheerilee?" Mac asked.

"Oh, I haven't seen her yet. I've got my eye out for her, don't you worry." Gunne turned his head away as they continued walking, but not long after it locked onto something else. "Ah, there's Durnir, the caribou's master blacksmith.”

Mac was disinterested, but he humored Gunne by taking a moment to gaze at a muscular caribou near the refreshments table, dressed in a simple shirt and pants that looked too casual for an event like this. He was rather large, and appeared to have a taste for ale from the amount of empty tankards sitting at his side, another being emptied that very moment as Durnir chugged it down.

“That’s really interesting, but-”

“And over there is Lord Sindri,” said Gunne, cutting off Mac to point out an older looking caribou in a freshl-looking ceremonial robe, sitting off to the side and keeping to himself for the most part, “He is one of the wisest caribou of our race, and one of the king’s mentors.”

“Gunne, really-”

“And of course you know Vestri,” Gunne said pointing to the caribou who had once graced Mac’s farm with his unwelcome presence, dressed in an odd leather outfit that had to have been of caribou fashion. At his side, wearing one of the transparent gowns Mac had seen several of the red collars in, was the mare that he had brought with him that day, standing at the ready, enjoying everything that was going on around her.

Vestri himself was speaking to two other caribou that looked important, one in a fancy black suit with gold trim on it that looked to try and outclass every other one at the party, and another in the same leather ensemble as Vestri.

“Those two next to him are Throtr, council quartermaster, and Hrathr, master of beasts.” Gunne gave one final look around the room, but to his disappointment he had run out of caribou council members to point out for Mac, “Pity... Nothri, Anvari and Invangir haven’t joined the party yet. I was hoping I’d be able to show you all the council members.”

Finally understanding the trend in the people Gunne was pointing out, Mac came to the conclusion that his associate wasn't really putting in his best effort to locate Cheerilee. This was fine honestly, since Mac was still on the fence about seeing her even if she was at the gala, but it got him curious about something."Why are ya so interested in the council and those rune guys? Ah thought they all hated ya."

"They do," that very moment, Gunne caught Throtr look his way, only to hastily avert his gaze back to Vestri when he realized who he was looking at, "And I'm not specifically attached to any of them either, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what they represent."

"Mind explaining that one to me?"

"Of course," Gunne said to the justy confused stallion, "No matter how they might feel about me or how I feel about them, they are still held in the highest regard by my brethren, considered the best of the best. As someone also strives to be the best at what they do, it would be a disservice not to give them the same respect that I would want for myself."

"Ah suppose that Ah can understand that," said Mac, seeing this as a testament to the caribou's character to be able to give that kind of respect to those who didn't give it in return.

"But it's not just caribou I respect in that manner, you ponies have similar men of merit. Take for example that unicorn over there."

Mac followed where Gunne's eyes pointed once more, and there across the room, with a pegasus kneeling before him as she did her best to get his penis into her stomach, was Shining Armor. Prince of the Crystal Empire and leader of the Equestrian Stallion Army, his command over them only second to King Dainn himself. Since the fall of Canterlot he had been helping to carry out Dainn's wishes for conquest across the land, along with his most trusted soldiers who had been trained by the caribou to be fearsome combatants. With his loyal knights at his side, along with his own magical abilities, Shining Armor had become a pony whose power rivaled any of the council members.

"Shining Armor is a respectable stallion, Ah suppose." Mac didn't really know much about the unicorn, save for who he was, what he did and how he use to be, but to avoid an argument he agreed with Gunne.

“That’s not all either, but look at the man right next him.” Mac did as Gunne suggested, taking note of the pegasus watching the girl on Shining Armor’s dick. He was a white stallion, wearing a golden version of the armor worn by the guards acting as security. “That’s Orestes, captain of the guard in the Crystal Empire. He was one of the first stallions from their to join with King Dainn and assist in bringing that land to order, along with Prince Shining Armor and his alicorn slave.”

“That’s… interesting Gunne,” Mac said, watching the male pegasus looking over a small black object in hand before he pocketed it away, “but…”

“And just over there you can see Arcane Writ,” Gunne exclaimed as he pointed out a stallion who was preoccupied with a zebra mare, pushing her against a wall so hard as he thrust himself inside that her ample chest pressed against the cold stone, “He’s an archeologist who discovered some interesting facts about one of your historical stallions, the one called Starswirl the Bearded. It’s amazing what your former ruler tried to hide in order to keep the men of this land from taking their rightful place as the dominant gender.”

Mac didn’t have a clue what the caribou was talking about, but he did take notice of something else. For one who spent most of his time in Ponyville, Gunne sure knew what was going on in the world outside of it. He might have been out of the loop, but he tried to keep up with current event when he could, and he hadn't heard anything in the local newspapers about this.

"How do ya know so much about everypony here?" he asked, curiosity peeked.

"Well, perhaps I asked the king for a list of everyone who would be here when I found out we were going to attend," Gunne said as he made mental notes on where everyone was, "And then maybe I looked up each of the attendees' files up in order to know what topics they would enjoy talking about. If you recall Mac, we caribou have very extensive files on every pony in Equestria."

"So you used government information... to have something to talk about?"

"Well I'm one of the king's loyal soldiers. Should someone want to chat with me, it would be my duty to make it as entertaining to them as possible," Gunne's grin grew ever so slightly as he went on to say, "And should they be so delighted that they remember my name and tell their peers about how wonderful I am, well that is just an unforeseeable circumstance that I have no control over."

Mac was amazed at how forthcoming Gunne was about what he was doing. He was intending to use the information he had acquired to smooth talk his way into notoriety, and perhaps into a higher rank. Such a plan couldn't happen overnight, but by saying the right things to the right people, Gunne could make himself so well known amongst ponies that the disapproval of his people could potentially become irrelevant. It was a completely underhanded approach to reaching his goal, but Mac couldn't find it in him to condemn Gunne for it. It didn't really hurt anyone, except maybe invading the privacy of some despicable bastards, and the caribou had done so much good for the stallion that even Mac felt that he deserved a much higher position than he was given.

“Stallions aren’t my only targets tonight either, as we have a few special guests here tonight.” Mac followed the direction Gunne was looking, and spied upon a small group of male gryphons. A few of them were enjoying what the party had to offer, having acquired a small sampling of mares to keep them satisfied, but the rest were simply standing around, watching and waiting with grim expressions plastered on their beaks. The poor temperament of the gryphon race on the whole was pretty common knowledge, and from the looks of things they could be grouchy even when they were being offered up some of the finest foods, festivities and females that Equestria had to offer.

“Two months back the king graciously brought the kingdom of Griffinstone in his fold.” Gunne explained, making sure Mac was up to speed, “They were fairly hostile at first, resisting our initial advancements, but in the end their kingdom joined with us the same way your own did, with a combination of force and finding those who were more than willing to aid our cause with a little persuasion, which wasn’t incredibly hard do seeing the natural greed those creatures have. Within a day of the king’s annex their females were rounded up and proceed, shipped off to locations all around Equestria to be trained properly. We even have a few in the animal farm next to your property.”

“So you’re gonna try getting in good with them too?” Mac was skeptical if Gunne could accomplish that, with the fierce eyes of one of the tougher looking gryphons meeting his own telling the clydesdale that it might be a lost cause.

“Doesn’t hurt to try, and I do have a little bit of information on them too. If worse comes to worst, I’ll have lost nothing aside from time and breath.”

“Suppose you’re right about that. Good luck to ya then.” Mac said without an ounce of sarcasm. He did wish the best for the caribou, that was until something dawned on him that made Mac a little more uneasy about what Gunne was doing, "Hey... wait... ya did the same thing to me when ya first met me, didn't ya? Ya looked into my background just so you knew what to say."

"I might have." Gunne said without any guilt behind his words, "Do you feel that you have been manipulated in some way?"

"Yeah a little." Mac answered bluntly.

“Well if you want to look at it like that, then almost anything a person can say or do to another could be considered a manipulation. When a man shakes your hand, he is trying to convince you that he is an honest, trustworthy person. When a disobedient girl gives you a pair of pleading eyes before you enact punishment, it is to coerce you to stay your hand. These are manipulations, even if the person doing it doesn’t believe that to be so.”

“Ah don’t think that’s always the case…” said Mac, preferring not to believe that everyone was out to make others do as they pleased.

“Maybe it’s not directly,” said Gunne, “But on at least a subconscious level we are all trying to get people to see things our way. Though in most cases people like to use the word ‘guide’ over ‘manipulate’. Has less of a sinister take to it, and just because you’re trying to make someone do something, doesn’t mean it isn’t in their best interest. So if I have indeed manipulated you, it was only because I knew that the way you were doing things wouldn’t end well, and I was trying to look out for you.”

“Ah didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“And none was taken. I was simply explaining how things are.” Gunne came to a halt, the two having made a full rotation around the room. “Well, I didn’t see your purple mare anywhere. Did you?” Mac shook his head. He had been a bit distracted by Gunne halfway through their walk, but he had seen enough to get a good assumption that Cheerilee wasn’t there. It was enough to satisfy his morbid curiosity, and having been allowed to see which guests had came Gunne appeared satisfied as well. “Then let’s get ourselves some some seats and wait for your sister to present herself.”

Just outside the door, four red-collared mares waited patiently as they were instructed, with a fifth one jittering about as much as the guard pony watching them all would let her. Each of them had on, or within, them several items to make them more enticing for the men waiting for them. With Rarity’s assistance, AJ found herself a couple of red elastic bands to wrap around her upper thighs to accompany the apple shaped nipple rings she wore, each one holding within it two out of four rune powered remotes to the four large, softly trembling plastic pills that had invaded her backside and vaginal passage.

The others had on items of various levels of glamour. Pinkie and Fluttershy had kept things simple like AJ had, Pinkie having acquired a bunch of small, vibrating balls that she set to max speed and taped to her erogenous areas, and Fluttershy stuffing her rear with a small anal plug as she wore an elaborate head harness that held a metal bit in her mouth. The yellow mare patiently stood next to AJ, holding in her hands a set of reins attached to the harness, playing with them slightly as she awaited the moment she could hand them to someone who would lead and command her.

Twilight and Rarity were, in comparison, much more dressed up than the other three. They had gotten into a box of jewelry that the toy cabinet had within it and used its contents to make themselves as attractive as they could with what was on hand. Bracelets, anklets, nipple rings, clit rings, earrings, decorative hoof covers, tail wraps, the whole nine yards. They were practically a matching pair, save for Twilight’s own red wing binders and a small golden ring sitting atop her head that wrapped around the stump of her horn. The ring fit the severed protrusion perfectly, ending where the horn did and wrapping it tightly. Around the ring were several small half loops of metal, with a chain going from each one to one of the dangling rings on her body. The ones that attached to her nipple rings went behind the alicorn’s ears, draped over her shoulders, and hung down on the outer sides of her breasts before swooping back up to connect with the pieces of jewelry. The rest of the chains dangled down off of her horn and ears, giving it the appearance of a metallic extension of her purple mane. It was beautiful, in its own way, and would have made for a lovely, albeit eccentric, piece of apparel even before the caribou had conquered Equestria.

The one thing that they each shared though was a heavy layer of makeup. The amount covering AJ’s face was applied so thickly to her that it held a noticeable weight, with the lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, and mascara hardly missing a spot. When it was being applied, the farm mare expressed her worry that so much would make her look too trampy, when a party like this would require something classier, but Rarity assured her that no matter the type of party, this kind of look was always appreciated. At the very least she didn’t have to suffer through this embarrassment alone, with Rarity’s talent at applying makeup allowing her to get them all to look the same. The only difference was their individual layers of eyeshadow, which matched the primary color of their cutie marks.

All things considering, AJ was glad to have had some short time with her friends, even if it was spent fussing over their appearances for something as revolting as this. Even the time they spent together in the main hall waiting was a wonderful reprieve, each second out there being one less that she had to be part of the gala, but it was what they were waiting for that made it so her nerves couldn’t settle.

“For fuck’s sake, where is he?” One of the guards said suddenly, his patience wearing thin.

“I don’t know, but if he doesn’t show soon we’ll have to send these five in alone.” said the guard on the other side of the door from him.

The first guard gave a grunt of annoyance, “Bad enough that we’re stuck on guard duty tonight, but now we’re stuck babysitting.”

“What are you complaining about?” The second guard asked, “Tomorrow we get some private time with moon butt in the barracks.”

“Do you really think that will compare to what’s going on behind those doors? The stallions in there are getting their dicks drained by the best mares in Equestria, and we get shots at that ex-princess slut all the time.”

“She and her sister still have the best pussy in Canterlot though.”

“Maybe, but some variety would be nice. Did you see the bodies of those zebras they pulled in their earlier?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t mind sucking those black and white tits till they were red all over.”

“Think they’ll be around for a while? Maybe the king would let us get a taste of those striped snatches?”

“Couldn’t hurt to ask. The king is pretty generous when it comes to stuff like that.”

The annoyed guard’s mood improved on hearing that, the ideas of what he might do with a zebra filling him with joy. Having to listen to the inane conversation had the opposite effect on AJ. If not for the guards being instructed not to, they would have had no issue with fucking her and the others while they waited. They needed to be presentable though, and the order to keep them that way was the only thing that kept the stallions at bay.

The stallion’s pleasant thoughts of zebra women around his cock could only keep him pleased for so long, and mere minutes later his grumpy demeanor returned. “That’s it, we’ve waited long enough.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get these mares in there.” The guards turned to door, and grabbed the handles to usher the red collars in.

They managed to get the door open a crack, but then heard the sounds of heavy wing flaps from behind them. “Wait! I’m here!” The two guards turned their heads towards the castle’s entrance, closing the slightly opened banquet room door when they saw a blue pegasus fly in. “I made it, don’t go send them in yet.”

“You know, there is a point where being late is no longer considered fashionable.” The guard scolded the pegasus, who AJ identified as Soarin.

“I know,” Soarin answered, “I had a couple of complications, but we got it under control now.” The pegasus pointed back the way he came, his finger directing the stallions to two other guards leading in two black collared pegasus mares in by leashes, arms bound and legs shackled, with a third red-collared one trailing closely behind, each in an open-front Wondersluts uniform.

Applejack easily recognized the black collars as Rainbow Dash, the pony they had been waiting for, and Spitfire, the once proud leader of the Wonderbolts. The red collar was less familiar, but after reaching into her memory she recalled a brash mare from Rainbow’s time in Wonderbolts Academy, and how she caused an accident that almost spelled the end for most of the other red collars present in the room. It was no surprise that someone like her would so easily adapt to the caribou rule, or at least that was what AJ’s prejudice wanted her to think at first.

Then she started to think back about what little she knew about the mare, from that one brief encounter and what Dash had said about this other pegasus on her return to Ponyville. This mare, who AJ believed was named Lightning Dust, from Dash’s explanation was rude, self centered, egotistical, and arrogant, but was also a flyer on par with her own abilities. She took as much pride in her abilities of flight as Rainbow Dash herself, perhaps even more so, and it led her to disregard others in her pursuits of recognition for her skills. AJ couldn’t say if this spoke for Lightning Dust’s current disposition, but a girl like one that had been described to her didn’t seem the type to simply give in.

Perhaps the caribou had done something to her that it gave the pegasus no other choice, or maybe it was possible that the girl was faking her obedience as well. She hoped the former was true, but as she had hoped the same of every red collar she encountered thus far, it felt like that was just her projecting her reasoning onto others. Still, she couldn’t help herself for thinking it. If the caribou could manage to slip a red collar around her own neck, then she didn’t want to think poorly of the others who wore the same color.

As they ascended the steps, AJ could see what had delayed for so long. Aside from the wild struggles of Rainbow Dash, and Spitfire’s own begrudgingly slow paced walk, the three mares had small white clumps of partially dried semen on exposed bits of fur they had. Soarin had had himself a bit of private fun with the three before making his way here, or maybe had even let those celebrating outside of the palace walls have some turns with them, losing track of how much time had passed as he took his fun from either scenario. AJ knew that Dash would never allow such a thing to happen without a fight, but she also assumed that the uniform she was wearing, while it left her tits, vagina and anus visible, was good at concealing any bruises resistance might have brought her.

“I really hope the king isn’t too mad about the delay.” Soarin said as he landed.

“We haven’t heard anything yet,” one of the guards replied, “But you’re cutting it really close. Another minute and-”

“Yeah, I get it, but she’s here now. Besides, I brought along two special party favors.”

“The former captain of the wondersluts and her replacement,” said the other guard, “I suppose the guests will enjoy them both.”

“Actually…” The other guard stated, getting some bad ideas in his head, “Since you did keep us waiting a bit mind if we, well maybe, have first crack at those two?”

“Hey,” said the other, more focused guard, “We’re on duty here.”

“I know, but a quick fuck and suck won’t hurt anything. We’re still right by the door to make sure nothing goes wrong, and when we’re done we’ll just push their hot flanks into the room.” The focused guard had to admit that what his associate was suggesting was tempting. He didn’t push the issue himself, but his eyes did wander over to the stallion athlete.

“I don’t care. Knock yourselves out,” Soarin said as he gestured his red collar over, “Lightning Dust, see what you can do for the hard-working men of the kingdom.”

“Yes sir master,” the pegasus said in a seductive tone, giving a small salute to her owner before taking the leash of the former Wonderbolts captain. “Let’s go Spitfire, a little warm up before the marathon.”

The yellow pegasus didn’t put up much resistance, hardly pulling against the leash as it pulled tight. She was actually pretty compliant, despite the look of pure indignity she gave. AJ felt she knew that look, the look of a mare who could buck any instant, but didn’t because she knew that it was pointless. It was exactly the expression that she use to wear whenever around a stallion other than her brother, even more so when she gave an accusing stare to her and the red collars as she was pulled by. For a mare to have gone through what she must have, and still have the will to walk right into more abuse without protest, she had to have a will of steel. The farm mare herself could only claim the same because she had a kind soul like Mac supporting her in the worst of times, and even then she sometimes fell short.

As soon as Spitfire got past the group, and in arm’s reach of the guard stallions, the more impatient of the two door guards took hold of her leash and wrenched it from Lightning’s hands. “The old captain doesn’t look too happy to be a invited to the gala. I bet she’s still upset about those plucked chicken wings.” Despite being given no physical resistance, the guard harshly jerked the pegasus mare over to the side banister at the top of the steps. He then took hold of her mane so he could direct her head, and with it her body, over the railing. “Bet you miss that sensation of flying. Don’t worry, I can make you feel that again.”

The guard used his free hand to reach down and open up the codpiece of his armor, releasing a cock that had been neglected for far too long while he performed his duties. The well-trained lips in front of him attracted him like a siren call, and with a singular twitch of his rod he heeded that call. Spitfire used what little time she had to brace herself, clenching her muzzle to stifle a yell of violation. Her pussy had met with plenty of large cocks and phallic objects, but never got use to the merciless thrusts that some males would make as they rushed themselves inside her sleek, well-toned body. With his cock shoved halfway inside with a single push, the pegasus mare felt the rest slide slowly, and steadily inside till his hips pressed against her ass. The sensation caused her body to react on it’s own, making what remained of her wings to stretch out uncontrollably within the case surrounding them, only to recoil once they touched the prickly bits resided inside the restraints with them.

Off to the side, Lightning Dust watched the strong stallion force himself on her predecessor. She was awestruck, the rhythmic plunging of the cock into Spitfire’s unwilling pussy filling herself with emotions she didn’t dare speak aloud. The Wonderslut knew she’d be expected to want to please her master, and he did enjoy a show of exhibitionism, so pulling herself away from the act of rape before her, she went to the railing on the opposite side of the steps.

“Hey boys,” she announced as she brought a hand to her mouth, licking and sucking her fingers to get them nice and wet with her spit. Once she felt the digits were ready, she braced herself, stuck out her rear, and slid them down between her spread legs,“If you like watch that black bitch take it, then let me show you what a Wonderslut red can do.” She shoved her hand into her mound, going in with two fingers at first, with each digging pushing in up to the knuckle. It didn’t take long for another finger to join them, then the fourth and final one. She sight easily drew the attention of most of the unoccupied ponies, some impressed at Lightning’s ability to practically swallow her hand whole, while a few of the others were simply happy to get a show after their long wait. When she removed her fingers from the orifice, the pegasus gave the guards the three guards a seductive look, tasting of the fluids that now covered her hand in a thin coat, “So which one of you wants to make me fly?”

The declaration came off as a challenge, and each of the three remaining men were more than willing to take it up. Momentarily neglecting their duties, they gathered around the wanting mare’s flank, the one with Rainbow Dash’s leash pushing her towards the other five mares as he approached the pussy presented to him. “Gotta say, this one does have a hotter twat than old Spitroast over there,” he said, delivering a hard slap across her ass.

Lightning took it in stride, making a small squeal and wiggling her rump in a way that further delighted and excited the men, “I’m the finest piece of pegasus ass in Equestria boys. You should be thankful to my master for letting you have even a few minutes with me.”

“Watch it there slut,” said one of the guards as they took hold and yanked high the mare’s tail, “A mare has no reason to get cocky, unless one is being pushed into her.”

Lightning faked a laugh for the stallion to humor his terrible joke, “Can’t help it. My master has trained me so well that I have to brag.”

“Then we had better put that claim to the test,” she heard the stallion holding her tail say, just before the pegasus mare felt the press of a semi-soft cock head press against her o-ring. Being without any kind of lubrication, the dry shaft had a difficult time allowing it inside the unreadied passage, but pushing against the railing Lightning grunted her way through the rough penetration. With the combined effort of both ponies, the solid appendage made its way inside her ass, and soon the stallion was thrusting at the same pace as his associate across the way.

Almost everyone around the two mares was fixated on them, the few exceptions being Rarity, who looked disinterested and was busy touching up her jewelry to get it looking just right, Applejack, who couldn’t care less, and Rainbow Dash, who probably didn’t want to watch one of her foalhood heroes get raped for the umpteenth time. For the first time that night, Applejack wished they would let them join the party. Spitfire gave her rapist so little response to his blatant disregard of her as a person, the farm mare interpreting it as as a show of her inner strength. Such strength caused her shame to build up, the comfortable red collar on her neck becoming heavy with guilt. The old black collar may have been painful, but it never felt this much a burden.

The farm mare looked to find ways to relieve the sense of self loathing inside her, and once more the only way she could figure to take her mind off things was to confide in a friend. Dash was busy attempting to work her way out of the contraptions that bound her, struggling as much as she could to break free, no matter how futile it might have been or the fact that she really had no plan if she did manage to break free. If the guards were too busy to notice this, or at least believed that her efforts were in vain, they would probably wouldn’t care if she talked to the pegasus. Dash was more than likely still mad at her for converting, but this was a good opportunity to try and set things right. Applejack couldn’t explain the situation entirely, the risk of exposing her secret too great in a place like this, but she could try to put it in a way to get her friend to understand.

AJ snuck over to Dash, creeping over slowly to the mare as not to attract anyone’s attention. Rainbow herself hardly noticed the approaching orange figure, until she was right beside her. Quick on the uptake, Dash turned to the earth pony and took a few fast steps backwards, her disgust saying the words her lips would not.

"Dash," AJ whispered, working up the courage to address her friend, "Can we talk?"

“I don’t have anything to talk about, red collar,” Rainbow said just as quietly, not wishing to draw any attention to her attempt to remove her bonds.

That short, to-the-point sentence stung, and again AJ was reminded of herself and how she used to act. The times she had refused to speak with a mare, even those who were her friends, because they gave in. Rainbow had every right to not want to hear a word out of her mouth. She couldn’t just let it go though, she had to say her piece, even if it would be ignored.

“Ah get that, honestly Ah do,” Applejack said, “and Ah suppose Ah wanted to say…. well Ah don’t know… I’m sorry.” Her start already sounded like a repeat of what she had said to Rarity earlier that night, and AJ felt bad to give what to her was a stock apology, “Ah know that me being a red collar must make ya mighty angry, and Ah deserve that, but Ah want ya to know that if Ah didn’t do it because Ah wanted to. Ah can’t explain, but if Ah didn’t become a red collar the caribou would have done something awful to mah family. Ah just hope that ya can understand that.”

Rainbow Dash’s expression went on unaltered, having stopped her struggles only long enough to hear AJ out. With that out of the way, she proceeded with nary a comment, as if what the earth mare had to say was meaningless. Applejack wasn’t expecting vindication with this incomplete explanation, but she expected something. For Dash to lash out, to argue, to give an acknowledging nod, or simply to tell her to fuck off, but to give her nothing was unlike the normally outspoken girl.

“Ain’t ya gonna say something to that?” she asked, Dash’s silence getting to her more being berated ever would have.

Rainbow shook her head in response, focused on her attempts to slip her binds.

AJ could’ve just left it at that, but she found it hard to just let Rainbow ignore her. It was the first time she had seen her friend in months, and the first time in a year she had heard her voice. If she allowed the pegasus to keep quiet, there was no telling how long it would be until she got another chance like this. “Then could ya at least tell me why ya won’t speak to me at all? I’m not expecting ya to forgive me. Heck, I’d be happier if ya chewed me out for putting on this darn thing.”

Dash stopped tossing about for a moment, something in AJ’s words reaching her slightly. Giving the farm mare the most serious look she had given anyone, the pegasus looked her square in the eyes and said, “I’m not talking to you because you aren’t my friend.”

That hurt. Those few words made her entire body feel numb, and a taste of copper hit her tongue. It was worse than anything that the caribou had done to her. They had stolen her freedom, ravaged her body, but this damaged her very spirit. Yet, as painful as it was, she couldn’t fault Dash for thinking that way. If the shoe was on the other hoof, she probably had done the same. “Ok Rainbow, if that is how ya want it then fine.” AJ said sullenly, “Ah understand, we don’t have to be friends anymore.”

AJ tried to slip back into the group of red, willing to accept that she and Rainbow Dash might never be friends again, until the pegasus continued on to say, “Anymore? We were never friends.”

“Wait a gosh darn minute,” AJ spun around on spot, “What do ya mean we were never friends? Ah can take you not wanting to be associated with me anymore, but to say we weren’t friends in the first place-”

When AJ turned around Dash had been right behind her, her expression stiff and unchanged from before, “We were never friends because you’re not Applejack.” The pegasus stated as if it were fact. “I believe in my friends, they wouldn’t stand by and let others suffer around them, and they definitely wouldn’t let a group of evil pricks push them around and make them their slaves. So I don’t know what this is, maybe you’re all mind controlled like that time with Discord, or maybe you’re all changelings and the caribou are trying to use you to break me, or maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, you might look like Applejack, you might sound Applejack, and you might act like Applejack, but you’re not Applejack.”

With that Rainbow turned away, not taking a second look at the farm mare as she went back to vainly pulling against the cuffs on her wrists. It was equal parts encouraging and sad, hearing the pegasus’ opinion on her and the rest of her friends. Her loyalty to them made her refuse to believe that any of them could possible be this way of their own accord, and she would rather believe that they were either not in their right mind, or someone else than to think they would become red collars. In her own case, AJ couldn’t say she was completely wrong. When she did what she had to, acted like a insatiable red collar slut, taking cock into any available orifice she had, that wasn’t her. Just a character that went by her name.

“Okay guys,” Soarin said, pulling himself away from the show his two best mares were putting on with the guards, “The king’s probably wondering where these six are. I’ll escort them inside while you all have your fun.”

“Go ahead,” said the guard inside Lightning Dust, sending a slap across her firm flank so hard that a red imprint showed through her fur and made her give a long howl that partially interrupted each time the stallion made another hard thrust inside her, “We’ll send these two in after you once we finish up.”

Soarin shook his head and smirked at the guard’s words as he snatched up Dash’s leash. Even he was aware that it would be some time before they ‘finished up’, but that didn’t matter much to him. The other guests were sure to have brought their own women that they were willing to share, so there was nearly no limit to the amount of pussy that he would get that night. He even considered pulling a fast one and nabbing the alicorn before anyone else had a chance, if something else didn’t catch his eyes beforehand. “Come on bitches, there are lots of hungry cocks just waiting for your asses inside.” He stated, giving Dash’s leash one strong tug to get her to follow as he opened the banquet hall doors and entered.

The five red collars stepped closely behind the male pegasus, with AJ taking the rear. The moment she passed through that door, the relatively tolerable part of this night would be over, and she would have to do her best to maintain the character that everyone wanted to see. It wasn’t going to be easy, especially after hearing what Dash had to say to her, but she would try her best to put up with all that would happen.

Inside the banquet room, Mac had found himself a spot to wait out the rest of the party. He and Gunne discovered a small area off to the side of the room where tables and seats had been set for those who wanted to get off their hooves and have a comfortable place to eat. They were, of course, not without a certain level of sexuality, with mares gathered under the tables to give their master’s blowjobs as they dined. Seeing their heads poke out from under the short tablecloths, bobbing up and down in between the stallion’s legs was amongst the least disturbing things he saw that night, but still he chose to take a few seats for himself and Gunne and sit off to the side. Besides, he couldn’t be near those men, watching them so closely, without thinking they were all internally making the same dumb joke of ‘feeding their slaves’ as they fed themselves.

Things were a bit calmer on this side of the room, with more of the wilder sex acts gravitating to the opposite side. It was far enough that the music drowned out most of the passionate moans and horrified screams, which meant it would be the best place for a stallion like Mac to try and ignore it all.

For the time being, Mac was sitting next to an empty seat. Gunne had gone off for a food run, saying that he was feeling a bit peckish. The clydesdale knew better though; as loyal as Gunne might be towards him, the caribou had to look out for his own interests, and that meant taking every opportunity he could to talk himself up to stallions here. Mac wasn’t mad about that, he had a good idea that even though he had lost track of him, Gunne was keeping an eye on him just in case, and eventually he would be back to provide him with company.

So instead of feeling abandoned, Mac chose to appreciate his time alone for what it was, which was a short reprieve from any caribou interactions. Sure, he had to respectfully decline speaking with any of the stallions that approached him, but that was a small price to pay in order from Gunne’s misogynistic, though well-meaning, lectures.

Part of him wished that he could spend the whole gala like this, eyes closed, blocking out everything around him, and focusing on the future of his farm. Another part of him knew that AJ would be depending on his support. He still didn’t know where she was, and for all he knew the guards were just going to slip her and her friends in through a side door unannounced since they were considered unimportant mares. If that was the case, he was sure Gunne would inform him, so for now he stayed relaxed.

“You holding up okay?” Mac heard voice directed to him say. With slight remorse, he opened his eyelids and returned to reality.

Gunne stood before him, holding a plate of food in both hands. “I’m doin’ fine,” he answered.

The caribou handed the clydesdale a plate, and then took his seat. “Good, though I really wish-”

“Ah know, Ah know, ya wish I would go out and be with the others.” The stallion took a carrot off his plate, and took several seconds observing it before giving it the slightest of nibbles.

Gunne noticed his associate’s strange behavior, and quickly deduced what Mac was doing based on the stallion’s misconceptions about his people, “Come on Mac, they wouldn’t put drugs in any of that,” he said taking a huge bite out of his own carrot, “They only do that to the stuff they feed the females.”

“That doesn’t make me feel much better,” Mac said back, chomping down on the vegetable in his hand.

“It’s just some aphrodisiac to keep them ready for action.”

“And that doesn’t help any...” Mac needed to change the subject, else Gunne would spend the next thirty minutes trying to explain the reasons it was okay to drive mares to uncontrollable heights of arousal, “So how were the guys you talked to?”

“I don’t know who you could be referring to.” Gunne said in a mock confused tone, receiving a raised eyebrow from Mac. “They were fine. Seemed to like my sense of humor, though I had to dumb it down a bit to keep from going over their heads.”

“So you really hit it off with them, huh?”

“Yes, but not as much as you have it appears.” Gunne said, taking another bite of his food and swallowing, “Keeping distant and to yourself has had the opposite effect of what you wanted. Every stallion has been asking about that, and I quote, ‘mysterious stallion that is sitting all by himself’.”

“What did ya tell them?” Mac said, not liking where this discussion was heading.

“Nothing much. Just that you were from Ponyville, that you were Applejack’s handler, and that I have known you for a long time. When they asked for more information, I sidestepped the topic to something else.”

“Well thanks,” Mac said, glad that talk about him was kept to a minimum.

“Not a problem, but it may have made them even more curious about you.” The caribou looked out into the party, and gave a deep sigh. “I hate to harp on this, but one day you are going to have to start interacting with your kind again. It’s just not healthy for a man to be cooped up in one spot with no one to talk to but women. They start to drain your intellect if you do it for too long.”

Mac didn’t appreciate Gunne telling him that being around his sister and friends was going to make him dumber, but he once more decided to stay quiet to avoid argument, that was until he thought of something that he felt the caribou couldn’t have an argument against. “What about you?”

“I beg your pardon?” Gunne asked, not sure what the clydesdale was getting at.

“Don’t give me that, ya know exactly what I’m talkin’ about. You’ve been alone with your sister for a long time, and ya might be the smartest guy Ah know at the moment.” The last part was hard to admit, but true. It was mostly because of Mac’s self imposed exile to the farm, but the caribou always gave off a presence of being more intelligent than the converted stallions of Ponyville.

Gunne looked at Mac, pausing for a moment as he stared at the stallion square in the face. Mac took his speechlessness to mean that he had finally found something that the caribou couldn’t dispute. He couldn’t help but be a bit smug at his victory, and a smile grew slowly across his muzzle. As it did though, he begun to notice that Gunne was doing the same, and when the caribou gave a snort, placing his hand in front of his mouth to stiffle some laughter, Mac’s expression faded instantly.

“Mac, have you listened to a thing I’ve told you about myself?”

“Of course Ah do.”

“Then you should know I grew up with my father, who himself had many male associates.” Gunne stated, recounting his upbringing.”

“Yeah, but then he died and no one would speak to ya,” Mac retorted.

“Until shortly after I joined the military to support my sister,” Gunne answered, unfazed in the slightest by Mac’s statement, “And while most wouldn’t stay near me for extended periods, they still had to deal with me when I came to training. It wasn’t the best interaction, but it was still interaction. Of course that changed a bit when Dainn took notice of my progress as a soldier.”

“But… what about Ponyville?” Mac didn’t want to let this go. It was the best argument that he felt he had ever had against Gunne’s ideas, and for once Mac would like to hear him admit that he was right, “There’s only one other caribou there, and he doesn’t talk.”

Gunne didn’t miss a beat though, and when Mac said his last word, he jumped back in saying, “Believe it or not, I do talk to other stallions in town aside from you. You’re my friend, but you’re not the only one I have. Ginna may rarely leave my side, but I always make sure to speak with other males to keep my mind sharp.”

Mac really didn’t have anything else to say. His ammo had run dry, and again he was the one who lost a debate. Put off by his assumed victory being snatched away, Mac crossed his arms and turned away from Gunne in his seat. “Ya have an answer for everything, don’t ya…”

“Oh come now Mac, don’t be that way.” said Gunne in a playful tone, finding the stallions behavior amusing for its childish tone. “You put in a good effort this time, but the problem was you were wrong from the start.”

“Hmph”

“No, really,” Gunne put a hand on Mac’s shoulder to console him, “You put a lot of passion into your argument, but you failed to think about all the facts thoroughly. You need to look at all the information, think it through, and then form an argument around that.”

“Don’t patronize me...” Mac dismissed.

“I swear I’m not, and this is no reason to be in a mood.” Gunne removed his hand, and thought on how he could make Mac feel better. “Would it help if I told you that I don’t really think that being around your mares has made you dumber? That I was just trying to provoke you so you would do something besides sit here?”

The admission did help. But Mac was still upset, “Would it kill ya to say you’re wrong for once?”

“No, but I’ve never seen a person die for making their point either.”

“Oh shut up,” Mac said, slightly turning back to Gunne to give him light punch in the shoulder. The caribou’s stubborn position had become so insulting that it wrapped around and became hilarious. It made Mac wonder if Gunne knew how to filter his opinions.

“Hey,” Gunne said, going back to his playful tone, “That hurt a bit.”

“Sorry,” Mac mocked, “Sometimes Ah can’t control mah own strength.”

“Fine, fine, I might have deserved that.” With Mac’s mood lifted, appearing to be higher than it had been when they started started their short lived debate, Gunne was willing to just let him have this. The two had a bit of a laugh to themselves, for a small moment forgetting everything around them. However, Mac’s heightened mood wasn’t to last long, as the entrance doors flew open, and in walked six very familiar mares being guided by a blue pegasus.

It was not the door itself that drew Mac’s attention, but the deafening of the sounds around them. It didn’t all stop at once, or completely as the music kept playing and some of the guests had refused to stop fucking till they got their rocks off, but the voices in the room dying down one by one was enough to make it hard for anyone not to notice.

The clydesdale removed himself from his seat, and headed towards the group that had entered. While at a distance it was hard to make out who it was, there was only one group of mares he knew that had those combined color schemes. The former elements of harmony, all together in one spot, were being lead in by Soarin, the pegasus stallion gripping tightly to a leash attached to the last remaining black collar amongst them. The others followed without the need of such devices, with Applejack being the one at the back of the line. Of the six mares, she was noticeably the most nervous and timid, the feeble smile she gave to all the onlookers speaking volumes that only Mac could decipher.

To everyone else it might have looked like a bit of stage fright, but he was able to see it as her own inner loathing coming out as she did her best to pretend she wanted to be here. Being one of the most recognizable mares in Equestria, thanks to the caribou’s and his own publicizing of her, she would have ponies watching her for the rest of the party, and would have to keep that false smile up for some time. She had to have been feeling awful with so many potential rapists surrounding her, and knowing he couldn’t stop them if he wanted, he shared that feeling. The best he could do was to let her know that he was around, to watch over her and offer his support, so he lifted his arm up high and waved it to get her attention.

Applejack looked his way, but he didn’t know if it was just her taking in her surroundings. If she noticed him, she didn’t show any signs of it. Mac wanted to be certain, to have no doubt that Applejack he was around, but the other guests we grouped so thickly that he couldn’t push through them without without outright shoving them aside. Since his own manners told him that wasn’t a good option, he was stuck. He was going to lose her, and with things as they were he had no idea how long it would take to get Applejack back into his sights. She was just about to go out of his line of vision, but before she could a bright light shone down upon her and the other mares from above, stopping them in their tracks.

“I will have your attention.” The voice of Dainn filled the room, projected loudly from a few strategically placed speakers along the walls. Everyone looked towards the stage where he had been watching everything, even those previously to wrapped up in their own pleasure to watch the elements enter, and found the caribou king had moved himself to the front of it.

“Look’s like the king is ready to give a speech,” said Gunne, having snuck up aside Mac while his focus was on his sister, “Pay close attention, it’s not every day one is privileged to hear such brilliance.” The stallion didn’t really have much of a choice, but since this was keeping Applejack from straying further away, he minded much less than he should have. With one eye half-focused on Dainn, and the other locked on AJ, he waited to see what Dainn would have to say. This would mark the actual start of the gala for the stallion, as when the king stopped talking, the molestation of his sister would begin. It was the last few minutes to prepare himself mentally, to buffer his reactions to what could be the most horrid things he had ever seen her endure. He would have to be strong, for both Applejack and himself, as what was to come would be the toughest trial the two had ever encountered.

Author's Note

BTW, if you are enjoying my story, why don't you check out a freshly released story for FoE as well. It's called "Turning a Page" and can be found here. It's has just one chapter up right now, but if you are a fan of FoE then I'm sure you will love it.