Fall of Equestria: Bruised Apples

Mac sat across the desk from Gunne, in the same place he had been the first time he was in the town hall. This time he was in a much better position, unintimidated by the magistrate since Gunne had been willing to work with him every step of the way since he had agreed to the plan that was offered. The room no longer bore the oppressive and unnerving atmosphere it once had, instead being almost inviting with the knowledge that the caribou that resided in it only wanted to help with his situation.

If anything it was the caribou sensing some hostilities, picking it up from not only the large stallion, but the orange mare sitting right next to him. For whatever reason Mac had brought his sister to accompany him to this meeting, and her eyes were shooting daggers at him. Not the warmest welcome after his two weeks away from Ponyville, but he had a good idea why they both were upset with him.

He gave a heavy exhale, deciding that he’d get straight to what he thought was the problem, “So how did your inspection go?”

Mac opened his mouth to speak, but AJ beat him to the punch, “We did just fine for somethin’ that came out of the blue. Aren’t ya suppose to warn us about stuff like this?”

Gunne closed his eyes to calm himself, “Mac, your sister…”

“She has as much say in this as Ah do Gunne,” said Mac, “And Ah have to agree with her on this. A warning woulda been nice.”

“Of course you’re right Mac,” Gunne admitted, “Had I known Vestri was coming I would’ve told you in advance to keep you from getting caught off guard. I didn’t learn he was even in Ponyville until I passed him by at the train station. You were on my mind the entire time I was in Canterlot, but I had faith that you would handle the situation.”

“Well I’m glad ya have faith in us, but while we got through it by the skin of our teeth, we didn’t get passed for the collar. Vestri said AJ has places where she has to improve before she’d be ready.”

“That’s a shame, but not unexpected,” Gunne replied, opening his eyes as he assessed the situation, “I wasn’t planning on Applejack passing the first time she was looked into, and that she wasn’t completely rejected is a plus. Because you did that much I do have some good news to share.”

The caribou opened his desk drawer, pulled out thick strip of red leather with a heavy metal ring attached to it and tossed it on the table. Both AJ and Mac stared at the object that was thrown so casually at them as though it was solid gold. “Is that mah-”

“It’s your sister’s collar,” Gunne said, smiling in self congratulation, “While I was in Canterlot giving my direct report to... one of my superiors I put in a good word for both of you. Since everything matched up I was given authorization to let Applejack have it the moment I felt she was ready.”

Mac lit up instantly, “Then ya mean we got it?! She’s a red collar now?!” Mac reached out to take the collar, but found it just out of reach as Gunne took it away before he could get to it.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not that simple,” To Mac’s dismay the caribou put the collar back into the desk, “Vestri will have informed the higher ups that he feels she isn’t ready, and he outranks me. If I go against his opinion without good reason, even if it works today, he could cause trouble down the line. So we’ll have to keep at it to prove he’s wrong. Luckily I have something planned for her that should-”

“Excuse me!” AJ interjected, “Ah know I’m not highly respected by ya’ll, but I’d appreciate it if ya stopped talking around me like Ah wasn’t in the room.”

Mac’s face turned a slightly deeper color of red; While AJ’s statement was clearly meant for Gunne alone, he too had been pulled into doing the same, “Gunne, we both need to start treating AJ like she’s part of this.”

“Very well…” Gunne turned his full attention to the mare, “Applejack, why didn’t you do everything in you could to convince Vestri that you were a proper mare?”

“What?!” AJ yelled in objection, Mac grabbing her by the shoulders as she made a move towards the caribou.

“The test was mostly on your shoulders, so any negative marks are your fault. All you had to do was listen, obey and lie about your feelings towards your treatment.”

“Gunne…” Mac said with annoyance.

“My apologies Mac, but based on prior behavior I have to believe that any problems during the test were her doing. It doesn’t help her case when she interrupts me while I’m trying to explain our next course of action.”

AJ was fuming at the caribou, and Mac was worried that Gunne wouldn’t react well if she let loose. He placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her from trying something foolish, and then said to the caribou, “Look, she’s been doin’ all she can to follow this cockamamie scheme of yours. Can you cut her a break?”

“I have been cutting her a break,” Gunne answer to the stallion, “It might not make sense from your point of view, but helping a black collar become a red without the mare in question actually deserving it is… Well let’s just say that normally I wouldn’t even consider such a thing.”

“No, Ah understand that,” Mac said, he had realized for a while that Gunne had been putting himself out on a limb too for that sake of his family, “Can’t we all just be civil at least. No more arguments, or accusations, and not belittle one another?”

“As long as Applejack is respectful, I think we can keep things civil” said Gunne.

“Fine,” AJ added, feeling like her and the caribou’s definition of “respectful” was going to be vastly different.

“Good, then that matter is settled.”

“Well… not quite.” Mac was happy that he could work out some kind of middle between the two, but there was something else that had been on his mind that he had to address. “Ah wanted to ask ya about something Vestri sa-”

Suddenly a knock came from behind the two ponies, coming from the office door, “Master, I’m back from Mr. Cake’s.”

“Come in Ginna,” The door opened to Gunne’s command, and in walked the source of Mac's question. The caribou girl that was usually around Gunne, that obeyed his every command, and that the stallion had so recently learned was related to Gunne from an unlikely informant.

Mac took one more good look at her as she passed by, as did AJ since she had been told by the stallion of what he had learned. In many ways it was still hard to believe that this girl was Gunne’s sister. The way he had made her walk around naked, or that he had no problem letting her humiliate herself in front of anyone and everyone. The caribou had to have entirely different ideas of what family was if this was how a brother could treat their sister.

Ginna approached with a smile, before she set a bag on the desk. Mac Kept his eyes on the cow, taking in every movement, looking at every detail on her body for some sign that the revulsion of Gunne that was building up inside him was legitimate. From the small antlers on her head, to the two dark brown lines that travelled down her front from her shoulders to her belly button to form a “V”, all the way down to her cloven hooves. His discerning eyes couldn’t find any sign of abuse anywhere, and Ginna likewise showed no signs of being emotionally distraught while taking pastries from the sack so that she could put them on two plates that had been prepared for her return.

“Mac,” said Gunne, “I know my Ginna is a lovely creature, but we need to focus. I believe you were about to ask about something Vestri did at your home. Did he say something that offended you? If it was something about Applejack then you should know by now that’s not something that will change.”

Mac looked away from Ginna, unable to find anything that would fuel his personal disgust. That wasn’t going to stop him from giving Gunne a piece of his mind though, “This isn’t anything about mah sister, it’s about yours!”

Gunne’s eyes went wide in shock, while Ginna fumbled around with a pastry she was holding till it finally got away from her and hit the ground. Since the only person in town that knew they were related was the mute caribou that helped Fluttershy on the animal farm, they had never expected a pony to ever find out.

The male caribou sighed as his sister went after the pastry she had dropped, not wanting to be dragged into the conversation in fear of saying something that would embarrass her master, “I see that my colleagues are spreading rumors about me….”

“They sure are,” said AJ, “And they don’t sound pleased ‘bout what ya’ll are doing. Ah thought that caribou didn’t care a lick about incest.”

“They don’t,” Gunne said, as his composure slipped. He didn’t like that Applejack was trying to belittle him, “That’s not what this is about.”

“Then why does it sound like Vestri doesn’t like you or Ginna?” asked Mac, determined to know what was going on here.

Gunne leaned back in his seat and brought his hand to his face, giving it a light rub, “Mac… you shame me.”

The stallion could hear it in Gunne’s voice, a sound of disappointment from the caribou in himself that Mac swore matched how his own every time he handed AJ over to a group of men. He didn’t want to give a caribou the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn’t find it in himself to outright hate Gunne after hearing that voice.

“Gunne… could ya please tell me why Vestri resents you so much?” asked Mac, “Ah know you’ve been helping us for a while now, but if we’re gonna go on like this Ah need to be able to trust you, and a secret between us isn’t gonna let me do that.”

Gunne thought it over as he looked to the floor at Ginna, who was still occupying herself with her pastry, having slid it under the desk and pretending to be unable to get it so she could hide from the topic that Mac wanted to know about. Their secret was something that plagued them both, but she would always be the one to bear the brunt of it all. Still, Mac was stallion of integrity in his eyes, perhaps he would understand the burden they carried more than anyone else.

“Okay Mac, you win,” Gunne said, taking one of the pastries and eating it to build up a little confidence. “I’ll tell you about my curse.”

Mac and AJ focused on the caribou, ready to hear what it was that Vestri had against another officer of the caribou army. This would make or break the caribou in Mac’s eyes, while Applejack was just looking for more reasons not to like him.

“As foolish as this might sound, this all goes back to the day of my birth. If you recall, Mac, I told you that my father was a hunter, well respected amongst his peers. He didn’t have much outside of his talents, save for the home he earned with his own two hands and three cows he was proud to call his women. One day his most beautiful and obedient cow got pregnant, and eventually she gave birth to me.”

“Ah bet he was so proud that he got himself a son,” said AJ, baring a bit of sarcasm.

“Perhaps he was, Applejack, up until right after when the female that was my mother gave birth to another child.” Gunne held his words for a few seconds, suddenly becoming somber. “Within a few minutes of delivering me the cow gave birth to Ginna, my twin sister.” Gunne reached up to his shirt and pulled aside it’s shoulder to show a dark brown line, indicating that he and the female caribou shared the same “V” fur pattern.

Mac scratched his head at this revelation and AJ seemed completely indifferent to what Gunne had said, but luckily the caribou male picked up on their confusion and was willing make clear why this was a big deal.

“Amongst my people, births of multiple females are common enough. Less common is when a female caribou gives birth to a pair of males, which is considered a sign of future prosperity. However it’s much more rare... nearly unheard of, for twins of separate gender to be born together, and when it happens it is seen as an ill omen.”

Mac started to see what the caribou was getting at, why this would bring shame to a caribou and make others see him as as a problem even though he hadn’t ever done anything to make them think that. Unable to add anything, he waited for Gunne to continue with his story.

“It didn’t help that afterwards the female that birthed me and my sister had complications, eventually dying from the strain on her body. Word spread quickly and soon everyone knew what had happened. My father was so ashamed that he had his other cows fixed shortly after to prevent the same thing happening again. He still had to deal with his two children though, along with the stigma that came with them. My father was unwilling to get rid of what would be his only son, and incapable of ridding himself of his daughter as no one wanted any part of her. So with a heavy heart he resigned to raising us both, binding the two of us together with the names Gunne and Ginna.”

Gunne paused as he tried to gauge what Mac might be thinking. All he could see on the stallion’s face was curiosity, not the disgust that he had been expecting. It was pleasing to tell his tale and not receive scorn in return, for once. It made him happy to consider Mac a friend, though he still wondered if Mac felt the same about him.

“My father raised us both the best he could under the circumstances. I would like to believe he treated me like he would’ve any son, perhaps feeling that he was to blame somehow for something he had no control over. Of course he expressed his disappointment, mostly when he was drunk, but I didn’t feel unloved,”

“Master…” Gunne looked down to find Ginna on her knees next to his chair, shaking in fear. He knew the reason, but he couldn’t stop now. He gave the girl a pat on the head, hoping that would grant her some comfort.

“Unfortunately, my poor sister often felt the brunt of his anger. From the moment she came of age he made sure to let her know how he felt about her; having her made incapable of having children, punishing her in extreme ways for little or no reason, despite her being one of the most well-behaved females I’d ever seen.”

“So all ya’ll caribou have always been like this, abusing your own women even when they’re doing exactly what ya want.” AJ said, appalled.

“Hold your tongue,” The caribou calmly commanded of the mare “You know nothing of my people’s culture and how much this devastated my father. I’ll admit this however, even back then I felt that my father on many occasions had gone too far. Making sure a female like yourself knows their place is one thing, and extreme displays of disobedience requires extreme methods of correction, but Ginna was perhaps the very example of how a woman should act.” Gunne petted the caribou female’s hair, to which the girl finally stopped her fright-filled trembling, as she rubbed her muzzle against her brother’s leg in appreciation, “It was… unfair.”

Upon hearing that even Gunne thought his father was wrong in the way he treated Ginna, Mac’s opinion of the caribou increased slightly, but only slightly. “So what did you do about it?” asked Mac, as he thought that maybe Gunne wasn’t the monster he had made him out to be all this time.

“Nothing,” Gunne replied, “He was my father and Ginna was his slave. It was not my place to contradict how he chose to train her, but eventually it would come to me to take care of her. You see Mac, while my father was still a dutiful man, the fact that his own son, the only heir to his lineage, was a seen as some sort of cursed creature was too much for him. He became more and more reckless as the days went by. I could see it when he took me hunting with him, his troubled mind showing itself through eyes that almost seemed to envy the beasts we felled. One day he simply left, leaving me behind, and next thing I knew I was being informed that he was dead, having pushed himself so hard that his heart just gave out.”

Mac had already known about this, but hearing it this way made it all more believable. He hated that he had assumed before that it was just some plot to pull at his heartstrings, but with the context also came the knowledge that Gunne’s father was a monster and deserved to die. Mac didn’t like thinking that way, but he found himself unable to do otherwise once he had heard everything that had been done to Ginna. It made him feel sick, so much so that he didn’t want to keep listening. He had asked for this though, and to back out now would be unfair to both Ginna and Gunne.

“Shortly afterwards his friends held a small funeral ceremony, which I was allowed to attend only because my father asked for it in his will. I watched as his body was placed inside of a pyre and set aflame. Yet as I watched him turn to ash before me, my thoughts were focused on other things. What would happen to my sister and I now that he was gone? I had reached adulthood, but I was unable to find a proper apprenticeship; the other men still knew who and what I was.”

“So ya joined the military,” Mac said, putting two and two together, “Ah bet it was the only place that would take you.”

Gunne nodded, “That’s correct, for the sake of protecting what I held dear. Still, my past followed me wherever I went. I probably would’ve never gotten as far as I have if not for one man who looked past that and gave me the opportunity to prove myself. I think you could guess who that was.”

The stallion had a guess, seeing that there was only one caribou that Gunne could assume that he would know, “Dainn…”

“I’m sure you think poorly of him, but he is truly a great leader, able to see a person for who they are instead of what people think they are. The military was hard work, but the only option I had left. Still, I did what I could for the sake of Ginna and myself. For years I was stuck at the bottom of the barrel, never advancing in rank even though my skills kept improving, until one day I was noticed by Dainn himself. He knew what people said I was, but could see past the superstitions and gave me a chance to do something in the service of the caribou as a whole when no one else would. It is because of him that I have this cozy job taking care of your humble town, far away from those of my brethren who think ill of me,” At that moment a hint of resentment could be heard enter Gunne’s voice, “As if my mere existence I could cause a drought or poor harvest.”

After his final statement the room fell silent for some time. It was hard for Big Mac to process everything, but at least now he understood what Gunne had meant when he said that the caribou saw a lot of himself in him. They were both in a way outcasts from their own people, both doing what they had to to make it in this world, and all for the sake of their family. He didn’t know how to respond to it all, old habits of keeping quiet creeping to the surface in the face of this revelation. However, just like in the past it was his sister who said something when he was at a loss for words.

“Do ya fuck her?” She said bluntly, not leaving any room in her tone to make it seem like anything less than an accusation, “Ya didn’t exactly deny it earlier.”

The damning words didn’t even penetrate Gunne’s defenses; he had already given away every secret that he wanted to hide. A question like this meant nothing to him, “Applejack, to put it in a way that will not upset Mac’s ears… I love my sister with all of my heart, more than anything else in this world, and she is likewise dedicated to me. You may take that answer in any way that you want to justify your hatred for me.”

Mac was happy that Gunne put it in such nice terms for him, since he already had a good idea that the answer was yes. There was no need to have it spelled out for him.

“So now that all that unpleasantness is out in the open I have just one question,” the caribou looked Mac directly in the eye, “Now that you know my shameful secret, have I earned your trust?”

What could Mac say to that, after forcing Gunne to bear everything to him? It didn’t come immediately, and it wasn’t easy to say, but in the end only one reluctant, but certain, word escaped his lips, “Yes.”

“Good, then my confession didn’t go to waste,” Gunne replied, ceasing the petting of Ginna’s head, “I also hope that I can trust you not to spread word of this to anyone else. I don’t think you would, but it would ease my mind just to hear you say you won’t.”

“Of course Ah won’t, Gunne,” He said, knowing that this relationship had to be mutual if it was to continue. He then looked to AJ, silently imploring that she agree too.

“Ah suppose there’s no reason for me to spread any gossip neither,” she said giving in to her brother’s request.

“Good, then we can put this unpleasantness behind us and focus on what I brought you here for. As I was trying to say before, I’ve come up with something that should help in proving Applejack’s willingness to be a cooperative mare, despite what Vestri has to say to the contrary.”

“And what’s that?” Mac was certainly curious as to what Gunne had planned, anything that sped up this process was welcomed in his book.

Gunne smiled, happy that Mac was not as stubborn as his sister and was willing to accept help when offered, “On my way back Ginna and I stumbled across a flyer for a competition being held in a town called Appaloosa.”

Both the Apples knew the town, Applejack and Mac having family that lived there and helped to build the town from the ground up. “A competition? What kinda competition?” Asked AJ warily.

“An amateur ‘Pet Show’ for black collars only,” explained Gunne. He reached into one of his pockets to withdraw a folded paper. He handed the paper off to Ginna, who then rose from her kneeling position so she could present it to Mac. The stallion took it, opened it and brought it closer to AJ so she could see what it said too.

The piece of paper was, like Gunne said, for a competition that implored men to bring in their black collared slaves to display their talents. It was scheduled to take place in just a few weeks, and sounded like the kind of thing that would bring bring in ponies from all over Equestria.

“The competition itself looks to be an event designed to allow stallions to publicly humiliate their mares into submission,” said Gunne as the two ponies looked at the flyer, “Which I suppose is its own form of entertainment if you’re amused by that sort of thing. However, if we were to enter Applejack and she performed to the quality of a red collar then that might be enough to override even Vestri’s opinion.”

“Ya sure that’ll that be enough?” asked Mac, still worried.

“With the amount of people that should be present at the event, I think that this will be the quickest way. Though even then there are no guarantees.”

“Exactly how many people are we talking ‘bout here?” asked AJ.

“Hundreds I’d think, if past events are any indication,” Gunne replied.

That number intimidated Applejack slightly. She had publicly humiliated herself in Ponyville plenty of times now, but the city didn’t have that big of a population. “I’m not sure Ah could do that.”

“And why not? Your file says that you were a show pony before we even got here. You should be used to performing in front of large crowds.”

“That’s completely different, Ah wouldn’t even know what ta do for a competition like this.” Looking over to Mac, AJ could see that he felt the same way. Neither of them would have a clue at what would please a crowd of that size aside from just more of the same stuff she’d been doing all along. Something told him that the basic sexual acts she had been doing wouldn’t be enough to make them happy, no matter how much effort she put into it.

“Then you should be thankful that I’m here to help you. I’ve already planned out a training regimen to get you up to snuff, all I need you both to do is met me at this address tomorrow at noon so we can begin.” Gunne jotted something down on a piece of paper and then used his antlers to levitate it over to Mac. When the Apples looked to see what he had written their eyes widened.

The next day Mac and AJ left their home a little before noon to met with Gunne to see what it was he had in store, once again leaving Lily in charge while they were out. They weren't heading to Ponyville, though, as the place that they were instructed to go was not in the city. At least not what folks would call Ponyville proper.

“Ah wish we knew what that caribou was up to,” AJ said along the way, partially to break the silence and partially because she didn’t like any part of a caribou “training” her.

Mac was in the same boat as her; he imagined the training Gunne had in mind wouldn’t be anything he’d want to see. Even if he knew Gunne was only trying to help, in the odd way that only a caribou like him could, Mac felt like he was going to have to remind himself of that constantly. Any time that AJ would let out any sounds of discomfort or offense he’d have to resist the urge to rush in and delay the training. They only had a few weeks to get ready, and even that might not be enough.

“Whelp… there it is,” AJ said after a long silence from Mac. They were still pretty far off, but from where they were they could see the sad state their destination had been reduced to.

The ponies were approaching a lone structure on the outskirts of the city, one in a state of disrepair since its rightful owner had since been relocated to a farm near Mac’s own. A once beautiful home built within a living tree sitting on a small hill across from a creek. Fluttershy’s cottage never looked worse, with several windows broken, the front door open and hanging off its hinges, and the bird houses that once were hung proudly in its branch having long since fallen to the ground and left to rot.

AJ and Mac crossed the small arch bridge along the trail, still not seeing any sign of Gunne. Thinking that he might have been waiting inside the house itself, Mac put his hand to his muzzle and called out, “Gunne! We’re here!”

At first there was no response, making Mac believe that they had arrived before the caribou. That would’ve been well and good for him, the urgency to get prepared not comparing to his own want to delay all of this, but then Gunne showed himself from behind the house, Ginna at his side.

“There you are Mac; we’ve been waiting for you!” The two caribou met Mac halfway along the trail, seeming a little more relaxed than usual. It was odd to see the caribou without a stern, almost stoic glare, “Glad you could make it.”

“Did you think that Ah wouldn’t?” Mac crossed his arms as he wondered what Gunne was implying.

“Well… no,” Gunne answered sheepishly, which caught Mac further off guard. It was enough to make him think that something was seriously wrong, and it was becoming increasingly evident as the caribou looked at him, “No, no, I’m serious. There is nothing wrong going on. I’m just… I suppose its been awhile since I tried to act casual.”

“Huh?” Mac was confused, but Gunne was already trying to clarify things for him.

“I’m sorry. I thought that it would make things easier for you if I didn’t present myself as an authority figure. I know that I can come off as intimidating sometimes.”

“I’m not intimidated by ya, not anymore at least” Mac said, thankful the consideration none the less, “It’s the other caribou that give me the willies.”

“As they should, considering what we’re doing. That’s why I brought you all the way out here, so we can both speak freely,” AJ noticed the wording he’d used. Not wanting to cause a fuss right off the bat, she let it slide. “Now come, I’ll show you what I’ve done.”

Gunne waved them to follow and went around back, still keeping that grin that seemed unnatural to Mac. He showed more joy and enthusiasm than he had seen from any caribou not in between a woman’s legs, and it lacked any of the sinister and malevolent intent behind it that a caribou like Vestri would have. Mac wasn't sure what to think of Gunne like this. Seeing him as a friend would have been too strong a word... ally perhaps, though even that was a stretch. Whatever he was, Mac was glad to have him on his side.

As the group went around the dilapidated tree house, Gunne stepped aside and extended his arm to what it was he wanted to show. Before them was a series of small, crudely made structures composed of large branches and what appeared to be remnants of Fluttershy’s furniture, her tables, chairs and, even her bed had broken up to suit the needs of the construction. Despite being made of salvaged materials and hastily put together, AJ could tell that they were supposed to be obstacle course of some sort.

Balance beams, foot high hurdles, poles sticking up out of the ground in a row, as well as other things that would be common place for such a thing back when Equestria wasn’t under Caribou rule. “As you can see, I’ve set up something to whip Applejack into shape.”

“That’s not all ya setup,” AJ pointed out a stand holding several pieces of bondage equipment and an assortment of sex toys.

“You didn’t expect me to bring things like that? With your black collar mentality it should’ve been a given that a caribou would want you to fuck.” The male caribou gave a slight chuckle, but then noticed that what he meant as a joke was not taken well by either of the ponies. “Right… not funny, sorry Mac.”

Mac shook his head in disappointment with Gunne as he went over to the course that the caribou had built. It all looked fairly standard, nothing particularly degrading or sexual about it, but that was actually what made Mac skeptical about this, “Gunne… Applejack can already do all this. She used to have a ton of ribbons for competing in this sort of stuff.” Mac had to try hard not to emphasize “used to”, as he remembered how the awards for his sister’s ability were taken from his home and burned during his arrest when caribou soldiers ransacked his home in search of any females that might’ve been inside the residence.

“I’m sure she can,” Gunne agreed, “She seems capable enough for that. It’ll take more than a small physical display or her being publicly open to sex to sway the minds of my superiors though. She is going to have to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is willing to submit to the rule of a male, to let them take control of her and obey their every command. That is what we are here to train her for.”

Gunne knew an objection was coming; Mac was sadly predictable when it came to his sister, and before the stallion could utter a neigh he turned to Applejack.

“Applejack, how about this? If you can do one thing for me, right here and now, we’ll completely skip any and all training that involves those items on the stand, no matter how much you might need it.”

AJ crossing her arms over her bare breasts and cocked her hips to the side, not really enjoying having to go along with this game. “An’ what would that be?”

The male caribou approached his obstacle course, zigzagging from one obstacle to the next and touching them as he went along before stopping at the one farthest from the mare. “I would like you to go through the course in the order that I just pointed out without falling off or tripping up on any of them.”

“Well that’s nothin’ too hard at-”

“With your eyes shut the entire time,” he added to his challenge nonchalantly, as if the addition was no big deal.

“And there ya go putting some fool stipulation on it that'll make it impossible,” AJ could remember the order of the course, she could even memorize the layout to some degree, but if her eyes were shut it was far too likely that she’d lose her way or knock over a hurdle.

“The proud mare is going to give up without even trying? Expected, but a pity. If that is how you feel, I suppose I could give you a handicap. I’ll allow Mac to help you through the course by any means he wants to use, just as long as it’s still you that runs the course.”

“So ya want Big Mac to talk me through it,” It was possible that she could do it that way, but it was more likely that she’d end up face first in the dirt. AJ trying to accurately guess at what Mac wanted her to do would be a confusing situation for both of them. “Still sounds like you’re just setting us up to fail.”

“What do you think about it Mac?”

The stallion couldn’t even remember which obstacle AJ was suppose to go to first, “Ah have to say Ah agree with her. It’s doable, but we wouldn’t be able to do it first time.”

“Then I suppose a demonstration is in order. Ginna!” The female caribou, who had slipped over to look at the toys that she would no doubt get to play with later, removed herself from them in flash so she could join her brother, “Are you ready to show them your best trick?”

Ginna’s face brightened up with glee, happiness filling her very being, “It would please me to no end to perform for my master’s guest and his slave.”

“Then close your eyes tightly and we’ll proceed,” The caribou cow shut her eyes tight at Gunne’s command, clenching them down so there was no doubt in the minds of Applejack and Mac that she was sneaking a peek through the cracks of her eyelids. Without a word, Gunne lifted up one hand, closed all his fingers except his index and middle, and made sure that the two ponies were watching as he placed the tips of his fingers on the girl’s neck right above her collar.

Ginna relaxed at his touch, as if some great burden was lifted from her. The only sign of movement on her body was her lips as they curled upwards. “Ginna, my dearest pet, who do you belong to?” Gunne asked as softly, as one might ask something of a child.

“My mind and body belong to you and you alone my master,” Ginna stated, saying it as if it was a definitive answer to the question given.

“Would you ever serve anyone other than I?”

“Only if my master wished it, though he hasn’t demanded that of me yet.”

“And the last question, the most important of them all,” Gunne reached around Ginna’s body, causing her to let out a gasp of excitement as he placed his hand gently, but firmly against her left breast. He could feel her heart racing through his palm, and could tell through it how exhilarated she was by his very touch, “Do you trust me?”

Ginna’s answer was instantaneous, starting the moment the last syllable of Gunne’s question left his mouth, “I trust you with everything that I have master. Guide me as you have guided me always. Till you tell me otherwise, I am an extension of your own body.”

“Good, then let’s begin.”

Ginna placed one hoof in front of the other and began to walk, Gunne following right behind her with only the tips of his two fingers against her neck. “This oughta be be good…” AJ said quietly, keeping a close eye on Ginna. She didn’t have high expectations for her, recalling how the female caribou was a self admitted klutz. Ginna probably was incapable of going through the course perfectly with her eyes open, let alone walking in the dark as she was. Gunne seemed to believe in her though, and AJ didn’t think a caribou would intentionally make a woman embarrass themselves when their own pride was also at stake. Perhaps there was something to this, or maybe the two would cheat to make Gunne look better. If the latter was the case she wanted to make sure she caught them in the act.

The caribou approached the first obstacle, the poles that had been staked into the ground. The simplest part of the course, requiring those going through it to weave in between the poles without nicking them in the process. In a real competition speed would be of the essence to outdo the other competitors, but the caribou were in no rush as they made their way through them. Ginna was taking it slow, being the one who went back and forth around the waist high rods as Gunne stuck to one side of them, his fingers staying on the back of her head while the two moved in sync.

They got past the poles flawlessly, albeit at a snail’s pace, and made their way towards the set of small hurdles. It was another easy task for someone who would took their time and able to see what they were doing, but with Ginna’s eyes shut tight it would prove more difficult than the poles. One misplaced step and she could knock over one of the horizontally elevated sticks Gunne had set up.

Ginna got within half a foot of the first hurdle before she made a sudden leap forward, hopping over the stick, propelling her so far that AJ could tell another jump like that would only just get her over from where she stood. With nary a pause, Ginna leapt again, barely getting over the stick in her path to land even closer than before to the next one in line. If she went with her momentum and took on more jump she was surely going to hit the stick and fail the course, and it looked like that’s what would happen as she crouched down.

But to both AJ and Mac’s surprise, the cow froze, stopping short of making her blind leap. She still had her eyes clenched, so she couldn’t have known what was a few inches in front of her, and Gunne hadn’t uttered a single word of warning as he stood a few steps back with his arm extended. They both held their positions for a few seconds, until Ginna stood up straight and stepped backwards into Gunne’s awaiting fingers and they touched the back of her head again. With his fingers back into position, Gunne stepped forward with his sister, Ginna easily hopping over the final hurdle with ease.

It was amazing in its own way, as Mac figured out what was going on; Gunne was using only his two fingers to direct Ginna’s every move. Mac had realized it as he watched her return to her brother after being separated, it must have been an indication that she had gone to far or was about to make an error. Now that he understood he could see the minute movements of Gunne’s fingers as he guided her. With his silent instructions Ginna was able to go across a balance beam without threatening to tip over, crawled under low hanging ropes without issue, and even jumped through a suspended hoop at the end of the course with only her hoof touching it as she passed through. In a technical sense that little touch caused her to fail the course, but the point had been made none-the-less. It was completely possible to go through such a gauntlet blind, but it would take complete cooperation, trust, and the right kind of commands to pull it off.

The two caribou returned to the ponies, AJ as much in awe as Mac, “I take it that you figured out how it works,” he said with confidence to the stallion.

Mac nodded in return, but then heard his sister say, “Y’all are givin’ her some sorta signals with your fingers. Betcha had plenty of time to practice something like that. Bet they teach that sort of thing to everyone back where ya come from.”

“That would be where you are wrong, Applejack,” Gunne replied, “If you recall most other caribou do their best to disassociate themselves with me. This is something that me and Ginna developed together in private to help her get over a few of her… lingering fears after our father died. A trust exercise, one that isn’t used by others of my race, which is why I’m going to try and teach you how to follow Mac’s commands the same way Ginna follows mine. Something like this, unseen by anyone before this point, is exactly what will prove you’re the kind of mare that…” Gunne paused to let out a deep sigh, “Deserves a red collar…”

“Ah think it’s a great idea, Gunne!” Mac said, starting to like what he was hearing more and more. It sounded like the perfect plan to him, and it wouldn’t even be too embarrassing for AJ from the looks of it.

“Not so fast, Mac,” said Gunne, able to read Mac easily after being around him for a while. The caribou knew that he was getting a misconstrued idea of what would have to happen, “I don’t want to burst your bubble, but a common course like this will not cut it. You’re going to be in front of potentially hundreds that will want to see Applejack’s sexual abilities and I did bring those toys for a reason after all.”

Mac seemed disappointed to hear that, but it didn’t take long for him to recover from it. To think that AJ was going to be able to do this without some form of personal violation was hoping for too much. but he wished he could have clung to that hope a little longer.

“Now that all that is cleared up and our goal has been explained, we need to get started. Mac, if you would take my sister,” Gunne stepped away from Ginna, gesturing his hand toward her.

“What?!” Mac exclaimed, shocked at Gunne’s request.

“No, no, no!” Gunne said panicked, waving his hands in objection when when he realized that Mac had thought he meant for the stallion to have sex with her, “I didn’t mean that. I want you to do what I just did with her, guide her around and have her go through a few of the obstacles. You know, get a feel for the technique with a woman that is already skilled in it.”

“Master?” Even though Ginna had said that she would obey another male at her master’s request, it caught her off guard. This was going to be the first time since her father was alive that she would be at the command of any man but him.

Gunne placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders and turned her to look in her eyes, “It’ll be ok. I’ll be right here watching. Just do your best and pretend you’re with me.”

Ginna tilted her head downwards, but kept her eyes lifted to keep them on her master. “Yes master, I obey.”

“That’s a good girl,” Gunne bent down to plant a kiss on her forehead, which cheered up his cow slightly.

Mac looked over to AJ to get her opinion about all this, but she just looked back unable to come up with anything. What could she say? This was what they were here for, and it would be better to start off with someone experienced than to start from scratch. All she could do was reluctantly tell him, “Go on, I’ll watch and see if Ah can pick something up from here.”

The stallion went up to the cow and extended his fingers as he had seen Gunne do before, “Good,” Gunne complemented, turning Ginna around so her back was turned to Mac, “Now place your fingertips lightly where her collar touches her head.”

Mac did as he was told, putting his two fingers together and pressed them ever so gently where he was directed. The moment they touched, Ginna straightened her back up and put her legs together. Mac quickly pulled the fingers away, not sure exactly what he had done.

His reaction got a chuckle out of Gunne, who was amused to see the clydesdale startled by such a small, nonthreatening thing as Ginna, “Mac, please separate your fingers a bit. When you put them together like that you’re telling her to stand at attention.”

Mac heeded his words, putting his fingers back where he had them, but with a bit of space between them. This made the caribou girl relax under his touch, her body becoming less rigid and tense.

“Now the basics of how to guide Ginna are simple. Where your fingers are now will be where she knows they should be. If they are not there, then she will do what she can to get them back where they belong. Press them forward a little and you’ll see what I mean.”

The stallion did as he was instructed and put some pressure behind his fingers. As the tips pushed against her flesh Ginna took a step forward to attempt to alleviate it, stopping when the pressure left her.

“Good, now try moving your fingers to the left a little.”

Again, Mac did as he was told, moving his fingers to the left slightly to see what would happen. To his surprise Ginna tuned on the spot to face right. He thought that she would have turned left since the signal was going that way, but then he realized that if she had done that the fingers would have gone even further from their original point. The inversion was odd to Mac and would take some getting use to.

“Now go ahead and walk around with her. Take her around some of the easier obstacles, and remember that no matter what your fingers tell her to do, she’ll follow it.” With those words Gunne went over to Applejack to undoubtedly teach her how to perceive the instructions that would be given to her, something that seemed like a much harder thing to learn than just moving your fingers around. It didn’t help that Gunne was going to be touching her directly, something that she would not like personally and something that made him feel uncomfortable as well, even if he trusted Gunne.

“Well then, let’s get a moving,” Mac said, pushing his fingers against the back of Ginna’s neck. The caribou started walking forward, and Mac stayed close behind so that he could keep his fingers in place against Ginna’s coat.

The two walked around for what might have been an hour, both having their own share of hiccups along the way. Mac would often press too hard, causing Ginna to make abrupt starts and stops in her stride as he tried to catch up, or when he’d make her go left when he wanted her to go right, or simply making her run right into a one of the obstacles on accident. Being distracted didn't help matters, Mac constantly sending looks back over to Gunne and AJ to see how things were going for them. From time to time, a sharp, biting word would ring out from Applejack, and Mac would turn his head away from the cow just in time to see Gunne give AJ a light tap to tell her in his own way that such acts wouldn’t be tolerated. Overall though they were, for the time being, as civil as Mac could hope for, but knowing his sister as he did, he could recognize that tensions were high.

“Oh!” Ginna cried out as she stumbled through one of the hurdles, Mac’s eyes having drifted away for a moment.

Mac shot his head back to his path as Gunne turned his away from AJ to see what the problem was, but the caribou caught the tail end of the movement. The caribou stepped away from the mare, and Mac was sure he was about to get it from him.

“Is something wrong, Mac?” asked Gunne.

“No, no, we’re fine. I’m tripping up here and there, but ah think ah got it.”

“Well one good tip would to keep your eyes on the path you’re walking on and off of your sister.” Gunne said, having figured out the problem.

Mac gave an embarrassed smile having been caught red handed, “I’m sorry… ya know Ah care about her.”

“I do,” Gunne replied, “But we need you focused. Would it help if I took her around the house?”

Mac thought about it before he shook his head. He knew how protective he was of his sister, and having her out of his sight would only make him create excuses to sneak peeks at Gunne and AJ, which would slow down the training process further.

“Ok then, Ginna would you please take Applejack to the other side of the house and show her how to use those toys we brought.”

“Yes master,” Ginna happily replied, walking as fast as she could to grab the sex toys. She scooped them all into her arms before before she skipped over to AJ, “Come on, I’ve got so much to show you.”

“Wait a second,” Mac tried to object as the two women slipped out of sight, but Gunne placed his hand on the stallion’s shoulder.

“It’s Ginna, Mac. A mare like your sister will be able to handle her,” the caribou reasoned, “And I don’t want to let them see what we’re about to do.”

“Ah suppose you’re right,” said Mac, seeing Gunne’s point. AJ could handle herself well enough and Ginna was far too meek to be considered a threat, “What are we about to do?”

“Well I have to admit, I was keeping an eye on Ginna as much as you were Applejack, and it looked like she was having a few problems even when you were giving her your full attention. It might not’ve been completely your fault that things weren’t going smoothly. It was her first time with someone else besides me guiding her, so I have to assume that she’s partially to blame.”

Mac wasn’t so sure about that himself, but there was little point in arguing. Instead he just gave a nod and let the caribou go on.

“Seeing that Ginna has some trust issues, and that you are having a few problems with your sister around, I was thinking of trying something different. Something that would make it easier for you to learn the commands that you’ll have to learn while keeping Applejack out of your mind. That is, if you’d be up for it.”

“Well if ya think it’ll help, Ah don’t see a problem giving it a try. What do ya have in mind?”

Next thing Mac knew, he could feel something touching the back of his neck, two somethings in fact. Reactively, the clydesdale zipped his hand behind his head and grabbed a hold of what was touching him. He had already made an assumption of what it was, and when his palm wrapped around a set of knuckles it confirmed his assumption. “Gunne… what are ya doing?”

Gunne slipped his hand out of Mac’s, turning away to save face, “I apologize, I should’ve told you what I had planned before doing that,” the caribou said, slipping back into his more professional persona, “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“And what were you thinking?” Mac asked, nervous to what the answer would be.

“I… I mean you…” Gunne clear his throat and turned back to face Mac, determination in his eyes, “You don’t learn the same way other males do. I’m not trying to insult you by saying this, but I believe because you are mentally deficient it impairs your ability to pick up on things like others. So I wanted to see… if maybe I showed you firsthand you might be able to understand it better.”

Mac didn’t know how to take that, Gunne bringing up his so-called disability and saying that it was the reason Mac wasn’t catching onto his training technique within the first hour of trying. “Do ya really think that’ll help?”

“It… couldn’t hurt to give it a shot. Perhaps after you’ve done it yourself, you’ll be able to do your part easier. Your disability might be getting in the way, making you think that leading a woman around somehow demeans them in a way you find uncomfortable. Once you see that’s not the case, then maybe you’ll be more understanding of the skills I’m trying to teach you.”

Mac mulled it over. He didn’t really think that was the case, but he didn’t see a problem with the idea either. The worst that would come of it would be a few bruises if he ran into something, and Gunne seemed flustered after attempting his idea without asking first. If he didn’t agree to it now it would just make things awkward, which would interfere with the rest of the training. With the little time they had, Mac couldn’t let anything slow down their progress.

“Okay, we’ll do it,” Mac said, “For a little bit. Then Ah want to focus on me an’ AJ learning how to do this together.”

“Of course,” Gunne replied, “Now if you would, please close your eyes.”

The stallion did as he was instructed, shutting his eyes so that all he could see was the sun’s light shining through his eyelids. Once more he felt Gunne touch the back of his neck and while it still made him feel odd, Mac did his best to focus on those two points.

“You’re tense,” said Gunne, “I know it must feel weird, but try to relax.” Mac did his best, but his body wouldn’t listen to him. It took him minutes for his body to ease up in the slightest, and before long Gunne had to accept that it was as much as he would get out of the stallion. “Now, just like I showed you with Ginna, except this time you’re the one being led. Feel the pressure of my fingers as they are now, concentrate on that pressure, and if that changes do what you can to make it change back.”

Mac gave a nod, and then he felt the fingers get pushed into his skin. He took a few steps forward, the sensation not being eased up as he did. Mac, taking heed to what Gunne just said, went even faster and escaped the touch of the caribou, which in turn made him have to stop until he felt Gunne’s fingers again. This pattern repeated a few times, and made Mac feel like he was repeating Ginna's actions, step by step.

“Hmmm... “ Gunne accessed the problem, and came to only one conclusion, “Mac, you're over-thinking this.”

“What do ya mean?” Mac asked, opening his eyes.

“You're trying to figure out what the perfect pace is, when all I want is motion. You might not have noticed, but Ginna only has two speeds: slow,“ Gunne pushed in his fingers, ”and fast,” he said as he pressed the fingers in harder. “It’s actually a credit to your way of thinking to try and get it down perfectly, but we must remember that women aren’t that bright.”

“Gunne…” Mac said in annoyance.

“Right, right, I meant to say that Ginna isn’t that bright, and even if you think that Applejack is, it might be best to keep it simple. The less you both have to think while doing this, the easier it will become.”

“Keep it simple,” Mac repeated, the words making sense to him. Everything he had done since he was forced to take charge of the farm was complicated, and he wished he could go back to the simplicity of being a normal farmhand. He always had to decide what was best for the mares on his farm, as well as what actions he had to take in order to keep the farm afloat. Having something that was straightforward, with no complex thought to it might be what he needed to ease the stress of it all.

“Let’s try again, but this time remember that we are only looking for two speeds.” The two started over from the beginning, ready to give this another try. Now that Mac knew what was expected of him it was much easier to stay at the pace Gunne’s fingers were telling him to go at. In fact, it was no problem at all; when Gunne pressed in lightly he took slow steps, when he pressed in harder he went into a rushed walk, and when the caribou removed his digits Mac came to a complete stop. In the midst of all this they made a few attempts at turning, but Mac kept finding himself going with the direction that the fingers moved instead of the opposite direction to get it back to the original spot on his neck. Gunne didn’t seem to mind too much though, and adjusted himself to suit Mac’s error.

“Good, good,” said the caribou after leading Mac around for roughly ten minutes, “You’re getting the hang of this real well. I think you’re almost ready to try again as the one in command.”

“Ya think so?” Mac said as he continued walking. Gunne had not removed his fingers yet, so he assumed he wasn’t done with the demonstration.

“Yeah, but first we need to teach you some of the more advanced commands. We’ll start out with something simple. Tell me, what do you think you should do if I do this?”

The clydesdale felt Gunne’s fingers go upwards, a jolt going to his brain as the fingers traveled up his spine. Mac reacted with an involuntarily jump, startled by the sensation. He had not expected that from the caribou, and the motion made him feel very uncomfortable. It unnerved him so much that he had to even clamp his hands around his muzzle to hold in the surprised yelp he was going to make.

“Very good Mac,” Gunne complemented, “That was the command to jump. I can see you really are getting the hang of all this. Though, you jumped so high you made my fingers leave you entirely.”

“Sorry,” Mac said as he looked at Gunne with wide eyes and a racing heart. “Ah hopped a little higher than Ah meant to. A-ah think Ah got it now. Let’s go get AJ so Ah can practice with her before the day is out.” Surely the caribou had not tried to make him feel uncomfortable on purpose, but that touch creeped Mac out so much that he really didn’t want to be at the receiving end of Gunne’s fingers anymore that day, maybe not ever again if the way his body tensed up was any indication.

“Well… okay then, let’s get the girls and work on making some progress. If we’re in luck Applejack will have already learned a thing or two from Ginna when we get there.”

“So as you see, AH! They go deep in-SIDE! And theymOOooovveE! Around a LOT!

Ginna was already well within her lessons on how to use the sex toys her master had brought with them. Applejack had watched her go through quite a few of the objects within the first few minutes, and now the cow had deep inside of her a large pair of vibrating balls. The two orbs were so powerful that they made the caribou girl weak in the knees, and forced her on her back as they shook violently inside. They made Ginna groan and writhe, hardly able to control herself. One of her hands was shoved into her soaked slit while the other rubbed the outer lips of her mound, both becoming likewise drenched as she rubbed the passage to her womb to increase the already intense feeling of pleasure.

While AJ kept her eyes on the girl, she really wasn’t paying much attention to what she was doing. She didn’t really have to, as she had already experienced how those kind of orbs worked during the time she spent with Flim and Flam. She had a similar attitude towards the other objects as well, since when it came to sex toys it was pretty straight forward what to do with them. Put them in your rear or vagina, or press it against some other erogenous area, and move them around until it felt good. Even a complete fool knew how to pleasure themselves, as the cow was demonstrating that very moment.

There was nothing that Ginna could teach her that she didn’t already know, especially since the caribou wasn’t at all interested in showing how to safely use the devices, and was more concerned with shoving them inside herself with wreckless abandon. It was a wonder how she didn’t strain a muscle or tear something with how she was going at it, but perhaps she had been doing things like this for so long that her body had adapted to the self-inflicted sexual abuse. The thought made the mare shudder a bit, as she hoped that she would never get used to that kind of treatment.

“So…” Ginna said in between pants as she pressed on her abdomen to push out the balls inside her, “Do you get it?”

“Ah get it, alright,” AJ responded, not really answering the caribou as she was commenting to herself about what this training was all about. If Gunne was half as smart as he let on, then he already knew that sending her back here to watch Ginna play with herself was a fruitless endeavor, and that meant that this could only be one other thing. This was busy work, something to occupy the ‘lesser gender’ while the men were off talking about more important things. Just another way for the stag to belittle her in front of her brother without being overt about it.

“Great!” Ginna replied, slowly getting back to her feet after having the vibrating balls pop out of her covered in sexual fluid. Her legs wobbled as she stood upright, but she placed her hand on wall of the tree house to keep from falling over, “Then maybe you’re ready to give it a try now?”

“Sure,” Applejack said relenting. Every time Ginna had finished with one of the toys she had asked that question, and each time she had refused to participate. That lead Ginna to try harder to get the earth mare interested, using more effective toys to put on increasingly lewd displays. With the way Ginna was panting and stumbling about, Applejack worried for her safety if she continued to refuse. “But mind if we start off with something easier first?”

“As long as we do what my master wishes, I don’t see why not?” Ginna said with a smile, pleased that she had made some progress. All of her hard work must have finally paid off.

Ginna went over to where she had placed the rest of the sex toys, and looked over them until she laid eyes on a simple wooden dildo, sanded down, coated in varnish, and polished to an almost mirror sheen. The smooth, solid phallus would slide in nice and easy, and it was large enough that it would fill the mare wonderfully. She reached out for the object, but before she could lay hands on it Applejack placed her own hands around the caribou’s wrist and stopped her.

“Ginna, might Ah ask you something?” AJ had only had a chance to speak to the caribou girl only once before this, but back then she had very little to talk about. Now she had found something that she actually wanted to know about Ginna, something that she felt even a simple girl like her could understand.

“I don’t know…” Ginna looked nervous at the question, “Master wants me to teach you how to pleasure yourself, he wouldn’t be happy if I was talking instead.”

“Just one question,” AJ requested, “After that I’ll stick that thing there wherever ya’ll want.”

“Okay,” Ginna answered, not seeing an issue with one question, “What do you want to know?”

There was only one question Applejack had on her mind, one that bothered her since the day before in Gunne’s office. “Do ya actually believe all this hooey?”

“What do you mean?” Ginna asked, confused to what the mare’s question.

“What your people are doing? How they treat you; how they treat all women. Do ya actually think that this is right?”

“What kind of question is that?” Ginna asked, with discomfort in her eyes.

“You and your brother are treated like ya’ll have some kind of disease and your own father tortured ya just for being born,” AJ attacked the problems that directly affected Ginna, believing that there was no way the cow could defend something like that, hoping that if she could show her that what the caribou was doing was wrong that she could somehow make a difference in the girl’s life. Maybe get her to start questioning what it was she was doing, anything that could lead to her breaking free from the control her race, and more directly her brother, had over her. “Ya can’t tell me that ya feel that their doing the right thing.”

Ginna just stayed silent, as she tryed to work things out in her head. As AJ watched patiently, tears formed in her eyes, which AJ took as a good sign. That was until she heard the cow's answer. “It’s all my fault!” Ginna said, as she brought her hands to her face with a muffled sob, “If I hadn’t been born, then my master wouldn’t have had such a hard life. Father would’ve loved him like the son he always wanted, and he’d be able to be live with the rest of the stags. He’s always been so nice to me, even before he was my master, and all I’ve done is cause him trouble!”

AJ was taken aback by the response, never expecting this to be how Ginna took the question. It made the mare feel guilty for bringing it up in the first place, trying to coerce the girl into an answer that she should’ve known the girl couldn’t give. “There, there,” Applejack said as she brought the girl into her arms, holding her close to her body in an attempt to cheer her up. “It’s not your fault… It’s mine for askin’ ya such a fool question. Don’t let it get to ya.”

It was no use, the cow was far too distraught over what she perceived as a personal failure. Simple words weren’t going to make her feel any better at this point, at least not from AJ, and the mare came to see that very quickly. In her desperation to fix the problem she caused, the earth mare’s mind raced to think of ways to cheer Ginna up without having to appeal to Gunne. If she let him clean up her mess, she’d never hear the end of it, and she didn’t want to give him more reasons to badmouth her in front of Mac. She eventually determined that the only way to cheer the girl up was to show her that she was useful, to allow her to accomplish what her master told her to do. As much as it would annoy her to go along with this part of Gunne’s plan, she made Ginna a promise, and an Apple always kept their promises.

Applejack grabbed the wooden dildo from where it laid and lifted it up as she tried to gauge how difficult it would to insert it into herself. It really wasn’t that big, not when compared to some of the things she’d had forced into against her will. Still, AJ felt that the caribou girl would have to be a part of this to make her feel like she had followed her orders. “Hey Ginna… Ya’ll mind helping me with this?”

The cow looked up from her hands, eyes red and puffy from her sobs, “W-wha?”

“This... dildo here,” Applejack said with a pause, the word leaving a bad taste in her mouth, “It’s awfully big, but Ah bet if you got it wet for me first it’ll go in easier than a snake down a rabbit hole.” If it was any other circumstance AJ would’ve never uttered something so disgraceful, but with the way Ginna prioritized sex and serving her brother as a slave the pony assumed that the best way to make her happy again was to involve her in the act.

“O-okay…” Ginna took the object from the farm mare and brought it up to her face. Her mouth opened without hesitation and her tongue came out to glide itself over the length of the wooden phallus. The cow seemed to be treating the inanimate object like a real cock as she rolled it around to licked every inch she could. The way she was going at it stunned Applejack as she stood there and stared, not that watching Ginna tongue-polish the piece of varnished wood brought her any kind of arousal.

Applejack was amazed at how quickly she had gotten over being upset. Ginna’s distress over Applejack’s questions faded the second she was able to distract herself with something sexual. In a matter of minutes the rod was completely wet, but the caribou showed no signs of stopping. She had slipped away from the world around her, completely focused on the toy as if it was the only thing that mattered. Gina parted her lips before she slid the dildo inside as she took great care to not graze it with her teeth. At first she simply pushed it in as far as it would go, practically inhaling it so deep that AJ could only assume that the tip was pressing at the back of the girl’s throat, even though Ginna didn't seem discomforted in any way. s she slid the object back out, her lips sealed tightly around it. The cow's cheeks bowed inward to show how intent she was on her work, even if the gesture was entirely pointless. From there she sent the shaft in a few more times, pushing it in at different angles, like she was trying to get to touch every part of her inside of her mouth, her cheeks bulging out on occasion.

As strangely hypnotic as it was to watch Ginna go at it, AJ had to pull the cow out of her own little world and back into reality. “Ginna!” she said, and the girl jump.

“Sorry, I got distracted… forgot that this was supposed to be for you.” Ginna said with a giggle and a smile as she handed the completely saturated toy back to AJ.

“Ah could see that,” The mare replied as she snatched the dildo away, having to grasp it firmly for how slick it was. It was easy to see that Ginna knew what she was doing when it came to this sort of stuff. “Thank you kindly though, Ah appreciate you doin’ this for me.”

AJ spread her legs apart to give clear passage to her pussy, the bulb of the phallus resting against her folds. With a breath to prepare herself, the farm mare clenched everything before she sent the wood rod towards her uneager lips.

“Excuse me,” Ginna spoke up, making Applejack stop cold, “Master said that we should start by training your ass. He said you make bad faces when stallions fuck you there and that makes you look like you’re not having a good time. Red collars need to let those who use them know that they love the feeling they get when a cock peni- penny…. gets put in them, no matter what hole it is.”

AJ forced herself not to grumble, not wanting to come off as hostile to the girl who still had tear tracks on her face. Without so much as a word of outward complaint, she moved the rod away from her mound and reached around to grab one of the cheeks of her rump so she could allow easier access to the tight, hidden opening. With a quick repositioning of the object in her hand, AJ braced for it’s entrance once more. She decided that a quick thrust would be the best option, not wanting to endure the pain that would come from having something enter her butt any longer than absolutely necessary, and with what could only be considered a sharp stab she thrust the firm wood inside.

The head of the dildo was the hardest part to get in, its large, rounded head giving slight resistance as it spread the earth mare’s anal ring apart, even while slick with spit as it was. Of all her holes it was this one she had the most problems getting screwed in, both personally and physically, and thus she avoided it whenever she could.

“Master was right. You do make bad faces when things go back there.” Ginna commented as she noticed a cringe that looked like it was about to turn into an outright snarl. AJ barely heard what she had to say though, as she was far too preoccupied getting the rest of the phallus into her. Fortunately, it slid in much easier the moment her anus allowed the tip to slip inside. With a bout of light pants, AJ put her back against the outer wall of the tree as she tried to relax with a solid shaft sticking so far up her ass that only small portion of it was still visible from underneath her uncomfortably hiked up tail.

Before she could recover completely she saw Ginna go over to get another toy, the cow picking up another fake phallus that was longer, thicker, and much more twisted and bumpy than the one currently in her bowels. She breathed a sigh of relief as she caught Mac and Gunne walking around the side of Fluttershy's former home. AJ would be more than happy with being talked down to by Gunne, rather than humoring Ginna by having her holes stretched further.

As Mac and Gunne rounded the corner together, they both immediately sent their gazes to their respective sibling. To Mac what he saw was his sister breathing heavily As what looked like a handle poked out of her posterior. That was no surprise, seeing what they were here to do, but all the same the stallion looked away to let AJ maintain some form of decency. Gunne, on the other hand, was not so accepting of what he saw, and rushed over to his sister’s side for a her closer.

Gunne took the cow's muzzle gently in his hand to give her face a close inspection. “Ginna… have you been crying?” With her mouth enwrapped by Gunne’s hand as it was, the cow just nodded to answer her master. Gunne released his sister’s mouth and turned to AJ, assumptions already forming in his head. “What did you do to her?”

“Master, please…” Ginna said before anything else could happen, “It’s not her fault… I was thinking too hard on something… Something bad. It made me cry and she was kind enough to cheer me up when I started.”

Gunne looked back to his sister, and then back to AJ, “Is that true, mare?”

Applejack looked back at Gunne, unfazed by his glare. “It is, but I’m the one who got ’er thinking. Ah didn’t think she’d get upset over what Ah asked, and for that Ah apologize,” Removing herself from the tree, she got right up to Gunne until she had to tilt her head upwards slightly to look him in the face, “But if ya’ll are gonna keep treatin’ me like Ah don’t have a lick of sense in mah head, and givin’ me the stink eye then Ah won’t be apologizing for what comes of that.”

Gunne looked as if he was about to raise his hand to the mare in front of him, but then glanced over to Mac who was likewise giving him a stern glare. It took every bit of will he had to restrain himself, but he managed not to smack the mare across the face in order to educate her on how not to speak to one better than herself. Instead he looked over to Mac calmly said, “Mac, you need to discipline your mare right now.”

“Oh come on, ya can’t be serious,” Mac replied, the caribou knew his stance on having to punish AJ.

“I am serious, Mac. What if she did this during the competition, or in front of someone she shouldn’t? They will have to see that she is willing to accept swift and immediate discipline for her transgressions,” Gunne explained, “Even the purple alicorn would act up from time to time after she first submitted, but she always accepted what was coming to her when she did. If Applejack is to act like a true red collar, and you the master of a red collar, then you’ll have to be able to tell her when she has gone too far, and she’ll have to debase herself at a moment’s notice when you do.”

Mac could see Gunne’s point. AJ did have a bit of a temper, and if she decided to let loose in an inopportune moment it would be nice to have some insurance. “AJ, would you…” The stallion took a moment to think of some action he could agree with, something that would show outwardly that she was sorry, but would not have his sister get hurt, “Kiss Gunne’s hoof?”

AJ huffed. Mac was only going along with this because he felt Gunne’s plan was their only option, she knew that, but she wished he didn’t listen to the caribou as much as he did. Regardless, she decided this once to take it on the chin. She lowered herself down, dropping down to the ground until she was on her hands and knees. With a tilt of her head downwards, AJ planted her lips on the caribou’s cloven hoof and kept it there for a few seconds to let her ‘apology’ sink in.

Gunne looked down at the mare, hands on his hips in disapproval, “Lick it”

“WHAT?!” both Apple siblings yelled, one in shock and one in outrage.

“Make me believe you’re sorry. If you can’t do that, then how do you expect to ever convince anyone else that you’re a red collar?”

“Gunne, Ah think that’s goin’ a bit too-” Mac’s words got cut off with a raise of a hand, one not from Gunne, but from Applejack.

“It’s ok, Ah got this.” she said, as she allowed her tongue out of her muzzle and onto the hoof before her. She lapped at the dirt-covered surface, the taste not bothering her in the least as it was essentially what the mare food she was forced to eat tasted like. Compared to many of her other punishments, this was a leisurely walk through the orchard. If this was what she would be expected to do when she mouthed off to a stallion as a red collar, it would be a small price to pay in return for the satisfaction.

Gunne let the mare run her tongue across his hoof a few dozen times before moving away, having gotten out of the mare what he wanted. He then went over to Ginna and grabbed her by her collar, gently leading her back towards the obstacle course. “That was good enough for now. It’s an improvement at least. Don’t assume for a moment that a hoof cleaning will get you a free pass though, not all males are as forgiving as I am.”

When the two caribou were out of sight, Mac let out a small groan and looked down at AJ displeased, “Are ya trying to cause trouble?” He asked, not sure if AJ was simply trying to get in a fight with Gunne.

“No,” AJ replied, spitting the taste of the caribou’s filthy hoof out of her mouth as she rose, “All Ah was tryin’ to ask what she thought about all the caribou aside from her brother, then she went all into tears. Ah said Ah was sorry, and Ah even spit shined that bastard’s hoof til’ it sparkled, so will ya believe Ah wasn’t tryin’ to do it on purpose. Like she said, Ah did what Ah could afterwards to cheer ’er up.”

Mac rubbed his forehead, “Okay, Ah believe ya. Just… no more questions about the caribou. Ah think we all understand that their ideas and ours are different, and we have to respect each other’s point of views even if they don’t exactly line up. Can ya do that for me?”

AJ nodded in agreement, “Won’t happen again, promise.”

“Good…” Mac said. putting his hand on AJ’s head while once again looking away, finding the idea of hugging her while she was naked more than a little odd. “Ah love ya AJ, and I’ll do anything to keep ya safe, but Ah need ya to work with me okay?”

Applejack grabbed the clydesdale’s arm and moved his hand away, giving him a light pound on the side in return, “Ya big lug, gettin’ worked up over the silliest things.”

Mac rubbed the back of his head, as a goofy smile crossed his face. “Ah know, Ah know, but can ya blame me with what we have to deal with?”

AJ was about to reply, but she stopped when the two ponies heard Gunne call out, “Are you two coming? We still have a lot of training to go through before the competition and not nearly enough time to get ready!”

The two ponies gave each other one last silent nod to acknowledge their promises to one another before they headed to where the caribou were waiting. Gunne was right, they didn’t have time to stand there and yammer. It would only be a few weeks before they were in Appaloosa in front of a crowd of what could be hundreds, if not thousands of ponies, and they could hardly imagine what would be there waiting for them when they arrived.