Fall of Equestria: Bruised Apples

A sense of surrealism filled the air, something palpable. A dream… that was the first thing that came to mind. They had come so frequently that it was easy to differentiate them from the real world. The shackles connecting her wrists together might have felt real, but that was merely a delusion of her own mind. Still, she knew what was to come and that there was no escape from it. So when a hand reached down to grab that very chain and pull her to her feet it came as no surprise.

“Come on mare, it’s time for you to provide service to your masters,” commanded the caribou pulling her along so fast she could hardly keep up.

“Mare”, that is what she was called. Not by name, but simply an identification of race and gender, to the male controlling her that was all that mattered. For some reason though she was having trouble remembering her own name in this dream, drawing a complete blank on anything except that she was a mare, and earth pony, and a slave. For the time being “Mare” would have to do, at least until the male gave her something else to go by.

“You will be providing your body to a group of soldiers today,” the caribou explained “Until they grow tired of you, you’ll follow their every command without question, is that understood?”

The mare nodded, having come to understand that there was no point in refusing. They would take from her what they wanted if she didn’t give it freely, and for not submitting immediately they would make her pay. All she had to do was obey and everything would be fine, everything would be ok.

The caribou didn’t even turn his head to acknowledge the nod; she had been compliant for so long that he knew what her answer would be, despite how openly she’d defied the caribou at first. To her it felt like such a long time ago since then that she was starting to wonder if she was ever that way to begin with, or if that too had been a dream.

The mare was eventually brought into a circular room, benches curving along the walls were filled to capacity by caribou that looked at her with hungry eyes. There were no other females in there with her, and she had the attentions of each one of them as their sole provider of entertainment. It made her nervous, her heart racing in her chest. There was a good chance that she wouldn’t leave the room before every single one of them had their chance to stick themselves inside one of her holes, or all of them if they felt she had earned it.

The caribou leading her brought her to the center of the room before letting go of the chain between her wrists, “You will do as you’re told,” he said reinforcing what he had said before, “And if you don’t amuse us then we’ll make sure to punish you severely for your failure.”

The mare nodded again, but the caribou was already heading for the only empty spot he could before the gesture even began. With him in his seat, he cupped his hands to his muzzle and started the show by yelling out, “Let’s start with a dance!”

With a gulp she did what the caribou ordered of her, moving her body clumsily in what she felt was a provocative, sexual, and above all humiliating display of her body. She started by placing her hands at her waist, moving her hips around as she forced a smile on her face at some few awkward jerks a while attempting to dance in a way that she had only heard of before.

The caribou quickly let her know that she was doing poorly, booing and shouting obscenities at the mare. If she was going to make any headway she’d have to step it up a notch. She moved her hands up from her hips to her breasts, squeezing them hard and moving them around in her palms as she closed her eyes to take in the feeling. Her fingers pressed onto them, having the fleshy globes bulge out around the form of her hands, to which the caribou began to heighten their interest too, making comments of approval as their enjoyment of the performance increased.

“Stick your fingers in your twat!”

“Shake that dirt mare flank more!”

“Turn around and show us more of that body!”

The caribou’s demands piled up fast, and as they rose the mare found herself unable to pick which one to follow. Her unease from being watched by those lust filled caribou, their expectations of her becoming overwhelming. If she didn’t meet them though, it would be bad news, and thus she forced herself through the stage fright inside her and carried on.

The mare started with the easiest thing first, shaking her ass as commanded, moving it side to side to make her tail swish back and forth behind her. Next, she brought a hand to her mouth and pushed her middle and index finger inside to give the digits a sucking, wettening them thoroughly before sending them between her legs and into her soft mound. With her hand up her pussy and her hips swaying to the pleasure of those watching her, she moved her legs so she could turn in place to the motion. She kept the hand not buried in her crotch on her tit so she could grope it as well, pulling the cold chain between her wrists against her body. Admittedly this wasn’t any better a dance than the one she was doing before, but she knew that wasn’t the point of this. The caribou wanted her to shame herself in ways that degraded what it was to be a mare. As long as she could live up to their “standards”, they would be happy with what she did.

The caribou goaded her onwards, quite pleased with the mare’s debasing of herself, “There we go! Thats the way a slut mare is supposed to act!” one called out above the others, making the mare face go flush from embarrassment. Pushing through the burning humiliation, she continued her hip sway, gliding both hands slowly up her body, the chain connecting them following after, until her arms were around the back of her head.

The earth pony slowly moved her body left to right, letting gravity jiggle her breast before the eyes of the caribou, her blush intensifying when she noticed a few of them releasing their erections from their pants to pleasure themselves, slowly moving their hands up the length of their erect cocks as they watched, their desire growing with each stroke. At least now she knew they were getting what they wanted from her, and so the earth mare continued her display, slowly lowered herself, moving her whole body until she was squatting before the group, and ended her show by getting on her hands and knees so she could push her rear up into the air, putting her supple ass on full display for the caribou to partake of.

The caribou men had seen enough, they were ready to use this mare for her intended purpose. They gathered around her to look closer at her flank, and as they encircled her, she could practically feel their hot, heavy breaths on her body. For some reason unknown to her, the warmth excited her. Her pussy twitched uncontrollably and became moist as the caribou’s desire permeated the air around her with its scent. She used to refuse admitting it, but she loved that scent. It made her hot and bothered so much that she couldn’t even pretend otherwise.

The mare abruptly jutted forward, a kick from behind from a caribou’s hoof forcing her to fall forward onto the floor. She cried out, her body being easily pushed forward, her ample breasts pressing to the ground, cushioning her fall slightly, as her flank shot up even higher up in the air. Each caribou laughed a little at the pathetic display of the mare before them, her wet slit clearly glistening in the light of the room, with small streams of her juices going down her muscular thighs.

With this proof right in front of them, the earth pony couldn’t deny that this treatment was getting her turned on. It was good that this mare let herself go, and now that she was ready physically it was time for the real show to begin. The caribou tossed to the mare many different sex toys to encourage her to change the “approach” of how she entertained them. Toys ranging from thick, ribbed dildos, to small nipple clamps, to small pill shaped vibrators fell all around her.

“Show us how you play with yourself!“ said one caribou.

“Stick something up that pert ass! “ demanded another.

As before, their commands came with such quantity and force that she could hardly make out one from another, but they all blended to that same goal. The mare had to further degrade herself to appeal to them. Looking at the toys, she bit her lower lip as she grabbed the nearest vibrator and turned it on. The vibrations from the device as it came to life were so powerful that she dropped it on accident and had to pounce on top of the toy before it could shake and rattle away from her. Grasping firmly the phallic object in her hands, she took a deep breath, lifted her tail, and guided the tip of it towards the entrance of her rump.

At the touch of the tip to her tight pucker, sparks shot through her body to send a sense of euphoria to her brain. The feeling forced a moan from her mouth; in her dreaming state she couldn’t hear it, but the mare could feel it vibrating in her throat and could see the pleased looks in the eyes of the men around her to as she let them all know how much she enjoyed it.

After all the things they did to her to condition her body, how could she not? It didn’t even shame her anymore to let them see it like it had so long ago when this whole ordeal started, it was a natural reaction and one she couldn’t control after all. Even if she could, she wasn’t certain she wanted to at this point. It felt so good to have something inside her, the men watching her increasing that feeling by simply watching her do it.

Plunging the powerfully pulsating phallus further in her anus, the mare lodged it in so that only a small portion of it remained visible, clenching with all her might to keep it from escaping and taking the pleasure building inside her with it. The way it was shaking, pounding her insides harshly so that she could feel it through her being, but most importantly within the inner walls of her soaked vagina, it wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge into bliss.

There were plenty of toys around that could help with this task, and any one of them would do to satisfy her urges, but when she reached for one of them a cloven hoof stepped down around her wrist to prevent her from taking it in her hand.

“You’ve had your fun,” said the caribou keeping her from that which she desired. She could tell he wasn’t talking about the toy in her ass, but also the dance she did for them before, making it so that everything that she had done was for her enjoyment and not theirs, despite having taken enjoyment from seeing her do it all. “It’s time you fulfill your purpose mare and submit to our whims instead of looking for your own self-gratification.”

Trying to argue with what the caribou said would have only gotten her a swift punishment, but the mare didn’t care about their needs one bit. For all it mattered to her they could be left blue balled, except that they certainly wouldn’t allow that to happen and would do with her what they pleased. So if she had to fuck she’d do so for her own sake, getting out of it what she could. She was starting to enjoy the feeling of those dominating dicks filling her pussy anyways, something she realized was instilled into her by the caribou, but likewise didn’t care if it was.

Another one of the males came up from behind, rubbing his rock hard cock head up and down the entrance of what was once her most private of areas, slathering it in her sexual fluids, making her wish that he’d push in and pound her cunt. She couldn’t resist anymore, not when release was in reach, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. With a push against the floor to shove herself backwards, the mare impaled herself on the large object...

Roseluck sat upright with a start, the texture of the caribou’s cock vanishing as she awoke from her slumber. The sensation of penetration had cut her dream short, incapable of achieving her climax even there. “This is getting ridiculous….” the earth mare said quietly to herself while examining herself and her surroundings.

First thing she noticed was the enormous wet spot in the cushion she was permitted to call a bed, the source of which was easily found at her own dripping crotch. She must’ve been touching herself in her sleep, because her hand was likewise covered with wet, sticky fluids and the scent of a lusty mare. It had been some time since she’d had a dream that was anything remotely close to that one, but she understood the problem at hand. Ever since she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres she hadn’t been getting laid near as much as she would like, and it was beginning to be a problem.

Her cravings for stimulation were getting stronger each passing day, and yet the stallion she had been assigned to as a slave didn’t seem to care. There was a time that she might’ve seen Mac’s refusal to take her as a mare as sweet, or his protective nature over her and the other mares as chivalrous, but that was before she was shown the pleasure that could be had by letting loose and becoming the slut she was now. Sure, she had started out as a silver and then progressed to a black in protest of the takeover of Equestria, but that didn’t last too long once she was shown how things really were better the way they were now.

In the old Equestria mares had to work hard to find a suitable mate, as the number of stallions vastly paled in comparison. Even if you prettied yourself up, wore a skimpy dress, and were at the start of your estrus cycle there was always the chance that you wouldn’t hook up with a guy in time to fulfill the requirements that mother nature demanded of you, as many males in town had steady marefriends, wives, or might not be interested in what you had to offer. Now that the stallions were unrestrained they’d happily screw any mare they came across, regardless of prior relations, especially if you had a smoking hot body and a scarlet band around your throat.

It was the reason Roseluck converted to a willing red to begin with, so she could sleep around as much as she wanted and get something out of it aside from a new set of marks from the punishments she received as a black. If she was going to have to fuck it might as well be under her own terms, or at least the delusion that this was what she really wanted. Like so many others though, she fell into the trap and became accustomed to the idea of having sex constantly.

Almost anywhere else she wouldn’t have any problems, but Mac’s take on how things were now didn’t match up with her plans. When she first heard she was going to be the Clydesdale's slave she was expecting to ride his cock day in and day out, loss of consciousness being the only thing that would interrupt their sessions of wild, unabated lust. The other three mares that came with her further supported her fantasies, since more mares usually pointed to more sex; that was how it was in Fillydelphia working as a public slut along with a bunch of other reds. That was a city a where a mare could have some fun.

But she was here, and every time she tried to talk to Mac about setting her up for some playtime he would say he’d look into it, which would take days deliver on the promise. Trying to appeal to Mac himself bore less results, causing him to become more annoyed than aroused. He just didn’t know how to treat a mare with needs, so it looked like she’d have to take matters into her own hands… again.

Roseluck laid back on her cushion, caring little about the wetness covering it, and placed her hand between her legs. Mac didn’t have any problems with her doing this… in the bedroom… when no one else was around. What an odd time for ponies to be prudes. All the other beds were empty though, and Mac would’ve knocked if it was time to work, so she had some time to polish the pearl.

Spreading her lower lips apart with her ring and index fingers, the earth mare slipped her middle finger inside and rubbed the inside of her folds, taking measures to go slow and build up her pleasure so she could get the most out of this. It wasn’t a penis, or a vibrator, but the strokes would be enough to get her off. She’d have to imagine that it was some stallion’s tongue tasting of her insides or that a caribou stag was using her as a cum dump to make this into something worthwhile.

Minutes passed by and finally she was able to cum with some vigorous rubbing and a some special attention to her sensitive clit. However, despite all of her efforts the climax was underwhelming. It wasn’t the same as having a man inside of her, no heat radiating from a solid rod of flesh that filled to her limits or beyond, no cum flooding her womb, she couldn’t even get a decent squirt out of it. It was frustrating, but it would have to do for now. Getting out of bed, she grabbed the cushion and headed to the bathroom to freshen up before another tedious and unfulfilling day at work.

A short wash to cleanse her fur and a stop at the laundry room was all she needed before she was prepared for the day ahead of her. While Mac wouldn’t have objected to her taking a full shower, and being a red she had privy to such privileges if her master allowed it, it would’ve been a waste to get clean just so she could head out to the field to get dirty again. She wondered what she would be doing that day and deep down hoped it would be something near where the tentacle pods were. If that was the case she was going to slip out her plugs while no one was looking and let one take her. If Mac wanted to scold her for it later she would say that she was adjusting them and one grabbed her when she wasn’t looking. He seemed gullible enough to believe something like that as long as she put a pout of her face and acted like she was distraught about the plants’ tendrils forcing their way into her.

On her way outside she encountered Lily Valley, who was pacing around the living room, deep in thought about something that Roseluck could not hazard a guess to. Whatever it was must have been important with the way she was ignoring that another mare had come into the room with her, so Roseluck had to ask in case it was something that applied to her. It might have been something like reassignment to another place where she would be once more free to pursue her desires, which would be a wonderful and welcome change of pace.

Lily circled the room, dwelling on something that had been bothering her since AJ talked to her the day before at the purple pens. Until she had explained that the unicorn with her was there to test if she qualified as a red collar, it didn’t even click with Lily that Applejack was even trying to become one, assuming that it was something that Mac had been ordered to make her do by that caribou in town. Now that it was clear what was happening it confused her a little.

“Hey Lily,” said Roseluck as she came towards the other flower mare, “What’s going on? I thought we’d be out working by now.”

Lily, upon hearing the other mare’s voice, snapped out of her concentration and ceased her pacing, “Huh, oh… good morning Roseluck,” she greeted her friend unenthusiastically. It was difficult to talk to Roseluck, knowing that she supported the caribou and what they had done, but they were co-workers on Mac’s farm and she had to be civil with her. The other mares had the same problem with her, and Carrot Top practically refused to speak with the red-collared pony. Lily might have done the same, if not for the “promotion” Mac bestowed on her not too long ago.

With Applejack going out to town every other day, Mac needed someone to run things when he and AJ was out. It was a position she gracefully accepted, and was glad for the days she could stand back and watch over things. A clipboard and a pen beat a stocks and ankle shackles. She felt bad for those that still had to do the work in those conditions of course, but there was no helping that since Mac could only reason away one spot for a managerial role.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you, but Mac left to town with AJ and said that we could take the day off to relax. He marked it down as a... “ Lily grabbed a sheet of paper off Mac’s business table, “‘Mutually earned holiday for good behavior’. Glad to see we can still get a day off every month and a half.”

“Am I sensing sarcasm?” Roseluck asked, not sure with the way Lily way holding a cheerful tone in her voice.

“No, I get that Mac’s doing what he can for us. He’s been good to us all.”

“Hmph,” Roseluck sounded, lifting her head up slightly to emphasize her resentment, “Speak for yourself.”

Lily lifted up her eyebrow at the comment, “What’s your problem?”

“My problem is that Mac’s been taking his slut of a sister out to town every other day for weeks now and it never even crosses his mind to take me with her.” Now that she knew that she didn’t have any work, she slumped herself down on the couch in a huff, “You know how many times I’ve asked him to allow me to go in her place? She didn’t even want to have sex when we first got here and now she’s becoming the most fucked mare in Ponyville. It’s not fair.”

“I…. don’t think you can call a mare slut when you’re complaining about wanting to have sex,” Lily reasoned aloud. But Roseluck did bring up a good point, the one that Lily was thinking about before she had entered the room. What was the deal with AJ’s sudden desire to be a red collar? Did that incident with the warbeast affect her so much that it broke her will to fight back? A mare of such moral character as AJ might feel guilty over it, but Lily did not believe that would be the kind of thing to make her turn.

“Whatever, all I want is for Mac to stop ignoring me. How hard would it be to take me with Applejack and let us have some fun together?”

“Maybe he’s trying to…” Lily stopped short of completing her thought, as what she had to say would surely offend Roseluck.

“Trying to what?” asked Roseluck, Lily had already said too much avoid pissing her off.

“Well… he does want to help the purple collars go back to how they were before the fall, so-”

“You’re comparing me to those brain dead mares who snapped when they took it up the ass?” Roseluck asked accusingly, as it that was clearly the case, “I’m not crazy, just horny, and I don’t see how being prevented from having sex is any different than being forced to do it.”

Lily wasn’t buying what the other earth mare had to say; even if there was some reasoning that controlling a pony’s sexuality in any way was as bad as any other way, the truth was that Roseluck was happy to disregard that stance when it came to her own wants. The mare would put any one of the black collars on the farm into bondage and force them into a succession of orgasms they didn’t want if it meant she would receive the same as a reward afterwards. It was this hypocritical ideology that gave Lily zero sympathy for the red collar’s personal plight.

Sympathetic or not, Lily could see clearly Roseluck’s agitation from not having what she desired. She was jittering in her seat from lack of sexual interaction, craving alleviation from her lust more than any red collar had felt since the caribou had came, or at least that was Lily’s idea about it. It was sad to see anyone suffer like that, but Lily wasn’t going to be the one to assist the red collar with her problem.

“You got a problem?” Roseluck spotted that Lily was looking at her funny, to which the black collar shot her head away quickly. That head turn alone told the mare volumes about what Lily was thinking, and made Roseluck so frustrated at Lily’s poor opinion of her that she removed herself from her seat. “That’s it, I’m going outside.”

“You had better not be heading for the purple pen,” Lily said as Roseluck reached the living room exit, “You know that Mac forbade you from getting near them after that incident last week.”

“You don’t have to remind me,” the red collar replied, “And it’s not my fault if they cornered me during my shift. They’ve done the same thing to you.”

Lily was about to explain the difference between being surrounded by the sex crazed mares by accident and going out of your way to coerce them into licking your pussy by rubbing apple jam all over it, but a loud wail from the kitchen drew both mares away from what they were doing.

“What now?” Rose said, going to check out what all the fuss was about. Lily walked right after here, whatever had happened would need a gentler approach than Roseluck would have to offer.

Sitting at the kitchen table, her face buried in her arms as she wept quietly, was Carrot Top. Her real name was Golden Harvest, but everyone knew her by the nickname which she preferred. It was the one thing that she had left after having everything else taken from her. It hadn’t been easy for her at all since the fall, but she had always had hope that things would get better in time. That was, until now.

When Lily and Roseluck entered the room they saw that Carrot Top must have been crying for long time before crying out; streaks had formed from her eyes and the fur on her arms was saturated in the salty fluid. “Carrot Top, what happened?” Lily said first out of concern, never having seen the mare like this before in all the time they had been on Mac’s farm.

“I can’t take it anymore!” She said distraught, “I… it… they…”

Carrot Top couldn’t think straight through her sorrow, hyperventilating between her words as panic overtook her. In her hysterics, she grabbed a tear soaked newspaper from underneath her arms and tossed it at Lily.

Taking the folded paper in hand, Lily read the first article that caught her eye. “Pop sensation Sapphire Shores gone missing after being sent to the local beast ranch for failing to perform her last concert in a way befitting of a mare. Investigations by local authorities have determined that the mare tried to escape from the farm, but in her attempt was snatched away by a group of diamond dogs. This marks the ninth time that diamond dogs have snatched wandering slaves within the last six months.” Setting the paper on the table, Lily gave the upset mare a comforting pat on the shoulder. “I’m sorry Carrot top, I didn’t realize you were such a big fan.”

“It’s not that!” Carrot Top yelled, reaching for the paper so she could turn it over to the front page. “There!”

Both Lily and Roseluck got closer to the paper and could now see exactly what it was that had put the mare into such a state. In large, bold letters were the words “ZEBRA SURRENDER TO THE MIGHT OF EQUESTRIA!”

Taking the paper in hand once more, Lily again read what it had written on it, “After a crushing defeat of one of the zebra cities, the leaders of the nation stepped forward to discuss the terms of their surrender. Terms are still being negotiated, but the zebra will be adhering to several demands from King Dainn, including removing any and all females from positions of leadership and providing Equestria a tribute of gold and females from their nation on a monthly-”

“It’s never going to end!” Carrot Top interrupted, hitting her hand in anger against the table repetitively, “They’re not ever going away and we’re going to be like this forever!”

Lily could understand why Carrot Top was so upset. She had been keeping a close eye on the news for a while, looking for any signs that someone was coming to help, that they would be rescued from the caribou and things could go back to normal. If anything this confirmed that no such assistance would be on its way, especially when the article ended by saying that the next target the caribou had their sights set on was the gryphon nation.

“That... that’s it!” Carrot Top got up, choking on her own words, “I’m going… I’m going up… up that hill and... kicking that yellow... bitch! Right off my farm!”

Carrot Top marched towards the door with determination, fixated on making her words reality in anyway that she could. If she had to she would drag the pegasus that had turned the land she had earned with her own two hands into a depraved nest of bestiality out into the street and beat her so severely that it would give a caribou pause. The rage and despair inside her got rid of any inhibitions she had that told her that in every way this was a bad idea.

The only things that kept her from reaching for that doorknob were the arms holding her back as Lily grabbed her from behind, “Carrot Top! No! If you do that then you’ll be taken away! Sent to who knows where and treated as badly as before! You don’t want that!”

“You think I don’t know that!” Carrot Top struggled against Lily, knowing full well that what she had said was true. Before the farm she had been all around, going from city to city so she could be passed around to every stallion that wanted to push themselves inside her. She was even flown up to Cloudsdale for one of Rainbow Dash’s competitions, the use of her body being one of the prizes to the winner’s owner. Since most of the mares belonged to one stallion, she had to spend a whole month with Soarin of the Wonderbolts, something that should’ve been a dream come true for most mares before, and having him put her through the wringer physically, mentally and sexually before she was able to leave the cloud city. After having to go through all that she made a few attempts at escape, each ending in her capture and being shown what happened to mares that didn’t accept their place, “I don’t care! I’m going to do this and you can’t stop me!”

“Let her go,” said Roseluck calmly, making both mares stop their struggles.

With Carrot Top momentarily settled, Lily sent a glare to Roseluck, “You shouldn’t encourage her.”

“Oh, she won’t even get to Fluttershy,” Roseluck retorted, "She’ll take one step onto that farm and get snatched up by that caribou that lives up there. After that she’ll get sent back here with a slap on the ass and a cunt full of cum. Heck, I might go up there with you just to get ‘punished’. Beats sitting around here all day.”

Carrot Top looked dumbfounded at Roseluck’s simple explanation of what would happen, but the red collar was right. What made her think for a moment she would get within five feet of Fluttershy with that hulking brute around? Unable to cope with her inability to do anything, her lips curled downwards and she went back to crying buckets of tears.

“Roseluck!” scolded Lily as she guided her friend back to a seat.

Roseluck shrugged, “Better than her causing trouble for our master, right?”

“You didn’t have to say it like that though. Can’t you see how torn up she is about all this?”

“Then she needs to suck it up and get over it. Nothing is going to change and the sooner you accept it the better off you’ll be.”

“That kind of thinking doesn’t help anything…” Lily replied, “I’ll be right back Carrot Top, try to keep it together.” The crying mare gave a halfhearted nod as Lily left her side, immediately returning to an outright sob when they were a foot apart. Lily was going to need some help with this, and she had an idea where she could find it.

Outside of the farm house, on the opposite side from the recently constructed purple pens, a pink furred, green haired mare was on her knees in the grass, a light blue watering can resting in her lap as she looked over a small patch of flowers. She had been there ever since she heard that she wouldn’t be needed to work for the day, delighted that she would be able to tend to the flowers instead.

As Mac had promised the day she had arrived, he had allowed her to plant a small garden that she was able to spend her free time on. Mac had even gone out and purchased the seeds for it out of his own money. He was the nicest stallion Daisy had ever met, both before and after the fall, and she was very grateful for his kindness. She wished that there was some way to pay him back, but being the considerate pony he was, Daisy was sure Mac would never ask for anything more than for her to do the work he was forced to make her do.

Lifting herself up off her knees slightly, Daisy bent over to add another dose of water on top of her flowers, enjoying the simple pleasure of watching the droplets evaporating in the sun. It was her own personal haven away from the day to day torments that even Sweet Apple Acres couldn’t keep her from, a place where she could pretend that nothing had changed from the way it was before. Unfortunately there was always something that would bring her back to reality.

“I thought that you’d be here.” said Lily from a window above her little patch of paradise, “Carrot Top isn’t doing so well, I could really use your help in here to help cheer her up.”

Daisy looked up for her flowers, “Sure, I’ll be in there in a minute,” she said, giving a smile so bright that it would be difficult for anyone not to smile along. She waited for Lily to retreat back into the kitchen before getting off her knees and onto her hooves, not wanting Lily to stop her from heading for the front door instead of using the one that headed directly into the kitchen. She wasn’t trying to be heartless and avoid whatever was causing the other farm mare grief, but she didn’t want to be taken out of her fantasy yet. Just a few moments more would be all she needed, the short walk to the front of the house would suffice that.

But even something as mundane as that was enough to bring her out of her fantasy world prematurely, as walking towards the front door at the same time as her was an earth pony stallion wearing guard armor, leading a purple-furred red collar behind him who was unleashed, unchained, and otherwise unhindered as she followed under her own will. Daisy’s first instinct was to duck behind the house to get out of sight, but the guard had already seen her coming and turned his head in her direction.

“You!” he called to her, “Get over here!”

There was no getting out of it now, she had to go towards the stallion. “Yes sir, how may I help you?” said Daisy, her own fear of males surfacing with each step towards the guard. If Mac was here he would be able to prevent anything from happening, or at least talk the guard down from full out rape to something as simple as a blowjob. Mac wasn’t here right now though, and the implications of that terrified her.

Getting closer, she could see that it was Cheerilee that had been trailing behind the soldier. That put Daisy at ease, since it meant that the guard pony was here to drop her off for her monthly visit with Mac.

“Where is your master?” the guard asked, clipboard in hand, “He needs to sign off for this mare.”

Daisy, being as polite as possible to the stallion while keeping her nerves as settled as they could be in this situation, explained that Big Mac was in Ponyville for personal business and that she wasn’t sure when he’d be home. She then said that the stallion’s best bet would be to go look for him in town, but that he was more than welcome to stay and wait if he wanted to.

The guard gave an annoyed groan, “I don’t have time for this...’ Frustrated, he took the clipboard and hit it into Cheerilee’s chest hard enough that it made a loud slapping noise, causing the purple pony to wince a little, “Make sure that stallion signs this when he gets back and have it and your slut mare ass on my desk by tomorrow afternoon.”

Cheerilee took the clipboard in hand, “Yes sir, I’ll make sure it gets done,” The guard huffed and headed for the main gate, Cheerilee giving an indignant expression the moment his back was turned to her. As many times as she had taken it up the ass by stallions like him, the passive aggressive gesture was well deserved.

“Hello Cheerilee,” Daisy said to break the tension, as well to relax herself now that the stallion was leaving. It had been a while since she had been off the farm, but she would never forget what had happened to her outside the boundaries of that fence that separated it from the rest of Equestria. So seeing that kind of look on the face of another mare, even one wearing a red collar, was something she related to easily. So, like with her garden, she figured that the best way to solve the problem was to get a distraction from the source.

It worked, in a way, Cheerilee’s mood lightening when she she focused on Daisy instead of the male, “Hello… uh...” Cheerilee had trouble recalling the name of the mare in front of her, something that made her more flustered the longer she failed to remember the name. Had she become that out of touch that she forgot something like the name of a mare she lived in the same town with for years? Lots of things had happened to her, but that was no reason to forget something so important.

“Daisy,” the black collared mare said, trying to save Cheerilee from further humiliation.

“Right, sorry,” Cheerilee apologized, “How have you been? Has Mac been treating you well?”

Daisy led Cheerilee inside while telling the purple mare about everything that had happened since the last time she had been here. About the incident with the warbeast, how the town’s magistrate took a sudden interest in Mac, and AJ’s recent inspection to see if she was being good enough to qualify as a red collar. In a way it almost felt… normal. Gossiping with another mare about recent events was difficult when you lived with all the mares you talked to on a regular basis; they knew everything you’d have to say since they experienced it too. Best she got before this was Roseluck spreading rumors about sneaking a peek at Mac while he was in the shower, the red collar wanting to know how big he really was under those jeans. Daisy had to admit, to herself at least, that it was something that she was curious about too.

Once inside the house, Cheerilee finally felt that she could truly relax. Being a red was no easy task by any account. There were always expectations, and the smallest mistake could be all it took to send you to the first step of the ladder. She had done a good job so far, showing “improvements” every step of the way. Her sexual abilities had definitely grown, as had her ability to fake that she actually liked being manhandled and treated a common slut. On a good night she could put the most cock hungry slut to shame, never indicating for a second that she despised having the horny stallions make their best attempt to make their way into her stomach. It was hard, degrading work, but something she had to do.

“Daisy!” A loud voice gave Cheerilee a start and she dropped the clipboard in her hands to the floor, not expecting it right after she had let down her guard. Another mare had entered the room, and she appeared none too happy with the black collar Cheerilee had walked in with, “What took you so long?! Carrot Top has been bawling her eyes out for minutes and I really needed your… oh.”

“Yeah,” Cheerilee said to the mare that was now fixated on her, “My fault. She got caught up when I was dropped off.”

“Okay, fine, just get in here. Both of you.”

They did as they were told, filing into the kitchen one by one. As Lily said, Carrot Top was still crying to herself. She had returned to the table, going back to having her face shoved into her arms as she whimpered near silently.

“She’s in a bad way, isn’t she?” Daisy felt terrible seeing her friend this way, she really should’ve been here sooner, “There, there, let me fix you something nice to eat. A warm meal will get rid of all the bad thoughts.”

Daisy left Cheerilee’s side to go to the fridge, Cheerilee’s gaze following her until it landed on Roseluck. The other red collar was just standing there, back pressed against the wall with her arms crossed as she watched Carrot Top’s sorrow from a distance.

“And what about you?” asked Cheerilee, “Why aren’t you helping?”

“I gave her my advice, and she didn’t take it.” Roseluck replied, showing no sympathy, “You should know as much as I do that this wouldn’t be a problem if they’d get with the times.”

Cheerilee got behind Carrot Top and placed her hands on the distraught mare’s shoulders so she could give them a rub. “It’s not that simple and you know it. Not everypony is willing to give up on everything they knew and loved, especially when the caribou offer nothing in return.”

“They offer plenty if you’re good enough.” Roselock argued, “Security under a man who will fuck you as often as he pleases, where a mare doesn’t have to stress over how they're going to pay their bills each month or how they’re going to manage their own business to earn money. The moment a mare learns that all they have to do is spread their legs and let a man inside, they’re set for life.”

“Really? Is that how it worked out for you? All that whoring around get you everything you ever wanted?”

Rose went quiet, Cheerilee was right of course. She had a good run off the farm, but here it was nothing but work. At least before the fall she could spend the money earned through her labor on the things that she wanted. Every cent she she made now went towards maintaining the farm, something that didn’t benefit her in any way.

Hearing someone shut Roseluck up for once, Carrot Top started to feel better. The red-collared mare was one of the things that made it so she could never forget that even in the relative peace of Sweet Apple Acres, she was still a slave and had no rights. She couldn’t place who it was that had been talking to her though, so she took a look over her shoulder to see who was there.

The first thing her eyes saw was that red band around Cheerilee’s neck, and that triggered the mare immediately. “Get away!” Not even stopping to see who it was, Carrot Top got up and shoved Cheerilee, pushing her into the closest wall, “It’s your fault we’re like this! You and every red collar mare out there! We can never go back to our old lives again because you just gave up and let the caribou walk all over us!”

“But… I…” It was hard for Cheerilee to justify her actions in the face of such accusations. She had surrendered for convenience's sake, but there was something else that motivated her too.

“Come on,” Roseluck said, removing herself from the wall to gently take Cheerilee by the shoulders and guide her away, “She’s delirious from dehydration. Let her have her tantrum. She’ll snap out of it eventually and see that we were right and she was wrong.” Cheerilee allowed the other red collar to take her from the room, for the sake of Carrot Top’s mental state more than her own safety.

When they got out of the room, Roseluck let go and gave Cheerilee a smirk, “See? The black collars will never understand until they convert too. We reds need to stick together, don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” Cheerilee answered, shaken by the attack.

“Good, then we’ll help each other out. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you, and in return you can do something for me. Like maybe put in a good word for me so I can get transferred someplace else. You’re one of those higher-level government slaves right? They’ll listen to you if you tell them about how good I’ve been and how willing I am to please.”

“You want me to...” The purple mare’s brow furrowed, Roseluck was as transparent as she was shallow, “You know what Roseluck? Have you ever stopped to think that this is actually what you deserve?”

“Being a slave?” Roseluck asked, unfazed by Cheerilee’s declaration.

“No, being here with Big Mac,” Cheerilee looked the mare in the eyes, an intensity within them that made Roseluck recoil, “I take it that he hasn’t been fucking you, which is why you want to leave, am I right?” Roseluck didn’t respond, which was all Cheerilee needed to know she was correct in her assumption, “There are thousands of mares out there right now going through the worst times of their lives and here you are with penis on the brain. Let’s face it, Mac is the perfect master for a mare like you.”

Cheerilee could feel the blood inside Roseluck boil, absolutely furious that she had hit the mark dead on. “Oh no you don’t bitch! You don’t get to be high and mighty with anypony! Not with the shit you do!”

“So what if I’m a red? At least I’m not as bad as you.”

“No, you’re worse,” Roseluck said with a malicious grin, “Don’t think I don’t know. Heck, everypony knows about your ‘duties’. What the caribou have you do when you’re not being taught how to fuck and suck.” Just like that Cheerilee was put on the defensive, yet she had no ability to defend herself. Roseluck, on the other hand, had the other red collar right where she wanted her, “It’s not some big secret, I’m surprised you even care after all this time. I wonder what Mac thinks about it?”

“I’ll tell ya what Ah think,” said a deep voice from behind Roseluck, one that sent a chill through her body, “Ah think that’s none of your business and that ya need to get on up to your room before ya say somethin’ we’ll both regret.”

Mac had arrived home, holding in his hand a clipboard with a form that told him that Cheerilee had been dropped off in his absence. After leaving AJ in town for another day of self-degradation, he had been really happy with the idea of spending some time with the mare. While he was in town he had tried to stop off at the town hall to tell Gunne about Vestri’s visit the day before, but when he got there he discovered rather worn looking Mayor Mare set up outside in a cage.

She had been left there with a sign that said “Please leave all messages with my secretary”, and when Mac asked her what was going on she told him that Gunne had left town and wouldn’t be back for a few weeks. With that bit of disappointment having Cheerilee around as friendly company would be a nice consolation, but then he had to walk in on this conversation.

“Mac!” Cheerilee called as she ran to the clydesdale, getting brought into his arms.

With the stallion around, Roseluck was outmatched. That glare in his eyes told her he wasn’t going to put up with any further taunting, so without another word she unceremoniously resigned from this fight and headed upstairs as she was told. So much for spending some time out in the tentacle pods.

Big Mac looked down at the mare in his arms, her body pressed up against his, her eyes welling up slightly. “Hey, don’t let what she said get to ya.” he said stroking her mane to comfort her.

“No, she’s right. I’m horrible,” Cheerilee said gripping his shirt tightly, “They make me do horrible things, all so they can spread their ideology as far as they can. But if it wasn’t me then there would be somepony else in my place and I couldn’t trust them like I could myself.”

That hit Mac hard, since he knew that perspective more than anyone else. Cheerilee was exactly like him in that regard, both doing what they had to in order to keep others away that they could not trust to do the same. “Don’t worry,” he put his powerful hand under her chin and gently led head upwards to look him in his compassionate eyes, “Ah believe that you’re doing the best ya can. I’d expect nothing less from ya.”

Those words seemed to cheer the mare up, at least enough to work a smile out of her. He planted a kiss on her forehead, making her giggle through her tears, and then escorted her to the kitchen. Inside it were the other three mares entrusted to his care, doing everything they could to keep going on in this world gone wrong. It had only been about a month and a half since they had got there, but already they had become like part of the family. Though the circumstances of how their fates became intertwined were awful, he was happy in some way to have them all around, but that might of been his protective nature speaking.

“Hey Daisy, can Ah trouble ya to make a plates for everyone?” he said seeing the mare delivering a freshly prepared meal to Carrot Top, who had obviously been crying over something, but looked to be getting over it as she took a celery stick off her plate and chewed on it without so much as a sniffle.

“Yes sir, I’ll get right on it!” Daisy cheerfully replied, happy to be of help.

Mac sat at the table and pulled a seat close so Cheerilee could sit beside him. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was the closest he was going to get to a normal day at the farm during the fall.