Fall of Equestria: Reign of Mares

By mid-afternoon, everything was back to normal.

It had taken another thorough touch-up from Comet Tail before Lucky had been cleared to work again; after his mandatory session that evening, it would be a new personal record for the number of times he'd been magically healed in the same day. After that he'd been given one last opportunity to empty his bowels, and then, without any fanfare, he'd been led back to his plow and chained to it the same as ever. As if nothing had even happened.

He stared at the ground as he trudged along, dragging the plow behind him no faster or slower than usual. His weary legs were too used to the tug of metal and dirt to let pain or grief change their stride. His mind cried out for rest, some time to process what the day had already heaped onto him; but, he reflected, he'd already had his rest, as much rest as his circumstances would allow. Time enough to let him strengthen his body, but not his mind. Never his mind. There was no point in thinking about it, not of rape, not of death, not of seeing a loved one so close and yet so far away. These were just things that happened during the Reign.

There was nothing to do but pull. One hoof in front of the next, on and on, until the mares came for him again.

"What's got you so down?" Caramel quipped, popping in front of him. "Don't you know how many stallions want to be you right now?"

Lucky's arms snapped forward in their restraints, straining to grab Caramel by the neck.

"Look at you," the red collar went on with a smirk, either irritatingly oblivious or knowingly egging Lucky on. "Every mare in town wants your dick, and every stallion wants that ass. Even if some of them don't know it yet. You are one hot, hot commodity. I wouldn't be surprised if you find yourself face-down in the Arena all the time from now on." He skipped back but leaned in close, timing his steps to stay right in Lucky's face. "You're going to be doing so much fucking," he whispered, "you won't even have time for little old me any more..."

Lucky barked and lunged forward, but only succeeded in mashing his bit into his throat. Caramel just snickered. "Aw, what's got you so worked up? Are you mad that I'm jealous? Or maybe that no one's taking advantage of your fame right now? You know, it doesn't have to be that way. You've got a willing fan, right here, right-"

"Caramel, will you shut the fuck up?" Lucky burst out. "I'm not in the mood."

His tormentor just hopped back in faux terror, girlishly flicking his wrist at him. "Oh, I am so sorry," he keened, laying it on thicker than ever. "Having a bad time, are we? Maybe realizing some things about ourselves? Honey, we've all been there, but let me tell you-"

"I watched Meadow Song die today."

Caramel froze. His words caught in his throat, and though he recovered his composure almost instantly, a quick, frantic look in his eyes indicated that this wasn't fun anymore. "W-well, you know that sort of thing would never happen to a red," he recovered, unsuccessfully.

"I know."

Lucky just kept his eyes forward. Caramel fumbled for words, gulped, and then pranced away back to his seeding.

Over the next ten minutes Caramel's hoofsteps got slowly closer, then backed away, repeating as (Lucky assumed) he came up with more and more scathing retorts and then lost his nerve. Other than that, it was business as usual. Lucky resettled his pace and paved the way forward. At times like these he liked to let his mind wander, but the only positive thoughts he had that might distract him from his rape were reflections on that past, and he'd done enough of that for one day. So he let his mind go completely blank, and thought of nothing at all.

Sadly, just as he was starting to get some really good nothingness going, some shrill voices ripped apart his concentration. There were no hoofsteps to warn him of their approach, just rapidly-moving shadows that his dulled sensed hadn't picked up until now, and a spiral of shrill chattering that drew into focus as the flock descended:

"See, I told you he was a plowpony!"

"She's not gonna do it."

"I'm gonna do it."

"Snowy's gonna lose it! Snowy's gonna lose it!"

"Ohmygosh, he's even better up close..."

"She's gonna chicken out again."

"Sluts of a feather! We fly together! Hip hip-"

The rest of the mares joined in the nonsensical chant, only to break into shrieks and giggles as they made a series of uncoordinated landings in the field. Two of them who'd been carrying an earth pony dropped her from several feet up, forcing Lucky to come to a swift halt as she made a crater right in front of him. Another one tripped, her fall cushioned by the soft earth and her prodigious bust, and two more leaped on her with cries of glee to dirty her clothes even more.

Inwardly, Lucky groaned. Teenagers. Older teens, sure, but some of the smaller ones he wouldn't have pegged at more than sixteen. They were loud and colorful, dressed in sort-of-coordinated outfits made from caribou silk, and each one sporting a cleavage that would have made her the star of the schoolhouse a year ago. They quickly regrouped and the tallest one raised her fist, silencing the others. "Lucky Clover?" she said.

Lucky sighed. "Speaking."

"Two of my friends here lost a bet." She grabbed a mare in each hand and pushed them forward, smiling through her pretext. "Now they have to suck your dick."

One of the losers waved shyly. The other stared at his crotch with a knowing, lusty smirk on her face. This was a familiar slut initiation game, the kind Lucky had endured before, usually when the weather was bad and he was left to work alone. On most days, it was a welcome change. This was not one of those days. "I'm powerless to stop you," he recited flatly.

This just made the group cheer. The more eager victim pulled the shy one forward and guided her onto her knees, already reaching out to hook Lucky's thong. But before she could get any further than that, a pair of gay red boxer shorts blocked her way, from which she visibly recoiled. "And just what do you ladies think you're doing?" Caramel asked.

As a unit, the mares gulped. "They lost a bet," the ringleader explained, standing firm. "It's the rules."

Caramel just tsked. "Ooh, I wouldn't start saying things like that around here," he said. "Mistress Applejack's very particular about what goes on on her farm. I don't suppose any of you asked her permission before you started manhandling her property?"

Now the guilty looks started. "She won't mind," one of them protested.

"Oh, I think she might," Caramel countered. "I'm sure we all remember what happened when Jelly Cups took one of her carts out for a little joyride." A chorus of worried nods. "And this fine specimen is absolutely irreplaceable. Certainly worth much more than some silly old cart. Why, I'd think Applejack would be well within her rights to drain your college funds if any of you stole so much as a single drop from his balls."

The ringleader glanced around before answering. Reading the looks on her friends' faces, she sighed in defeat. "Fine," she grumbled. "But this isn't over." She turned away and spread her wings. "Come on Snowy, get up. You're eating a dick today if we have to search the whole town to find one. Sluts forever!"

"Sluts forever!" the others cheered, smiles returning. In a messy flock they launched into the sky, leaving a rain of dust and earth behind them.

It wasn't until the flapping and laughter had faded into the distance that either stallion moved. Lucky felt himself unclench, releasing his breath. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Aw, it's only because I wanted you all to myself," Caramel countered, leaning back and draping himself over Lucky's frame. But he only lingered there a moment before sliding down and skipping back to his work, leaving them to carry on as before.

The sun had shifted in the sky. It was after Four o'clock now, Lucky reckoned, incorrectly. Enough time had passed.

They had made good distance today, considering all the interruptions. After a few more passes they'd cleared the usual hilly area and moved out to the further reaches of the farm, to a smaller, newer patch that jutted partway into the orchard. The soil was tougher here, but there was occasional shade and not a bench in sight. The trees here were in bloom, not due to be harvested for a good long while. Despite himself, Lucky gulped. He was as certain as he could ever be that there was no one else around. That meant that it was a perfect time to make his move.

Since their encounter with the mares, he'd given up on grief or blankness and been doing the most dangerous thing a black collar stallion could do: thinking. If events continued like this, his time on the farm might be closer to an end than he'd thought, one way or another. He wouldn't always have Caramel to defend him; for that matter, Caramel wouldn't always feel like defending him. If he was ever going to regain his freedom, he couldn't afford to just stand idly and let himself be taken advantage of. He needed a plan. A real plan, not his daydreams and romantic fancies, but something he could actually work towards. Something to give him hope.

What he had in mind was not a plan. Not exactly. But it was a start. And a start, he told himself, was sometimes all you needed.

He gulped again. Every fiber of his being cried out against what he was about to do. He pondered calling it off, waiting for a better time, but hardened his resolve. He already knew there wasn't going to be a better time. And if his courage failed now, when the fire of urgency was still burning bright inside him, then he knew he would never be able to pick it up again.

"Caramel?" he called, as quietly as he dared.

"Yes, honey?" came the reply.

"Can I suck your dick?"

Laughter followed, then a pause. And then, to Lucky's surprise, Caramel's voice dropped what sounded like a full octave. "Wait, are you serious?"

Lucky drew to a halt. As much as he could, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm serious."

There was a long quiet. "Um. Wow. Okay." Caramel dropped his seed back and strode forward. By the time he came into view, a smirk was on his face and his voice had risen back to his usual overly-camp tone. "I always knew you'd come around eventually, honey," he said, running his hands down Lucky's chest.

"Alright, stop," Lucky spat. "Let's get some things straight, first." He paused. "Do you think you could take this thing out of my mouth? I'm gonna be using it a lot."

Caramel gave him a look of suspicion, but still reached up and unhooked the wire stretching around Lucky's face. He opened his mouth and let the metal bit slide free, breathing deep to pant the taste of iron from his tongue. "Thanks," he said. "Now, first things first. I'm not gay. I don't like the idea of doing this, and I especially don't want to do it with you. So don't go getting any ideas or blabbing anything to your Mistress."

"Yeah, sure." Caramel chewed his lip thoughtfully. His bulge was already visible through his boxers. "So what's this about?"

"I just..." Lucky sighed. "I just want to see where I'm at. Because you're right. I probably am going to have to do stuff like that in the Arena again, and maybe other places too. And as long as it's going to happen, I may as well... try to get used to the idea. To at least give it a shot, on my own terms, to see if there's any gay in me at all."

His voice grew sterner as he saw Caramel's mouth open for the expected quip. "And the reason I'm telling you this," he said, cutting him off, "is because this is your chance, Caramel. Your opportunity to show me that maybe being gay wouldn't be so bad. And that means we're doing this by my rules. You don't push me, you don't force me, you don't tell anyone about this, and if I say stop, then no matter where we are, we stop. Because if this ends badly for me, then this never happens again."

Caramel mulled this over, and his face softened. "Yeah, that makes sense," he said. "Don't you worry, sweetie. I'll be gentle."

Sashaying slightly, the red collar moved to the side and out of view. Lucky kept his breathing steady, calming himself as he felt his shackles being undone. The last chain pinged off and he dropped heavily to his knees, flexing and massaging his aching arms. "Let's go a little into the trees," Caramel said, taking him by the hand. "There's a grassy spot over there that'll be just perfect."

Hand in hand, they walked into the treeline. Lucky's stomach churned. Caramel hummed a smug little tune, and Lucky swallowed the urge to deck him. Instead he gulped and let himself be led over to a thick tree surrounded by long grass, against which Caramel eagerly leaned. The eager red collar thrust his thumbs into his boxers and slowly lowered them, his cock springing free with an excited twitch. It was of an average size and, Lucky supposed, nicely shaped, though it couldn't hold a candle to Big Mac's gut-buster. "At your own pace, honey," Caramel said, wiggling his hips enticingly and licking his lips in anticipation.

Lucky dropped to his knees again, more slowly this time, and surveyed Caramel's cock with a heavy, racing heart. Gingerly, he reached out and wrapped two fingers around it. The flesh was hot and hard, and Caramel let out a tiny mewl of approval at the touch. He flexed his hand and started to jerk Caramel off, taking stock. So far, so good.

Caramel was weak. It would be so easy to punch him in the balls, rip his dick off, break his arms. He could overpower him so easily and finally pay him back for every time the obnoxious red collar had gotten him in trouble with Applejack. Lucky mulled this over, then kept gently stroking. He felt no revulsion at the act; he'd long been desensitized to the sight and feel of cocks, and after the Arena this was comparatively child's play. So that was something. He was himself, however, as flaccid as they came.

"We can stick to hand stuff for now if you like," Caramel broke in, his breath short and eager. "But I hope you didn't bring me out here and get my hopes up for just that..."

Lucky cursed under his breath and brought his face closer. No doubt about it; he was not in the least bit getting turned on by this. Good enough to survive, not good enough to pass muster. What had Big Mac done? Fantasize about Twilight Sparkle? Maybe he could do something similar.

He pictured Coco Pommel's cute face. He thought about her first, fumbling attempt at a blow job, of going to town on Rarity's adorable assistant. His dick twitched. He imagined facefucking her, hearing her gag as she worshiped his cock. The silken, heavenly feel of sliding into her wet pussy...

Those thoughts in mind, Lucky took a deep breath, leaned forward, and ran his tongue up the underside of Caramel's cock.

Conflicting thoughts and images clashed in his mind. Sickly protestations filled him from both sides; a roar of indignity at servicing Caramel, a weak and feeble guilt at thinking of Coco in this way. Still he pressed on, licking and stroking while his mind made up excuses and made itself scarce. His erection reached half-chub from fantasizing, apparently unaffected by the sex acts he was performing. "Mm, someone's getting into it," Caramel crooned. Lucky rolled his eyes and prepared to take Caramel's cock into his mouth.

From somewhere nearby, there was a loud, pained scream.

Lucky's head shot up. He let go of Caramel and tried to stand, only to be pushed back down to his knees. "The mares will take care of it," Caramel mumbled, his head back against the bark.

"That was nearby," Lucky protested. "We have to-"

"Don't stop." Caramel thrust his hips forward, slapping Lucky across the lips with his dick.

Another scream rang out, more high-pitched than the first. Lucky looked back toward the noise, then at Caramel. A flash of anger surged through him. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd risen up and slugged Caramel in the stomach. As the red collar gasped and lurched forward, Lucky took off toward the sound.

He sprinted through the trees, already cursing the decision as he ran. Wind and leaves whipped past him and then he emerged onto a field, skidding to a halt as he nearly charged directly into a river winding lazily through it. Already he could see several pegasi circling overhead, and a horde of ground-bound mares approaching from the untilled field yonder. As he rapidly took in his surroundings, Lucky saw what they didn't.

A wooden bridge spanned the river not far from where he stood. Beneath it, crouched on rocks, was a pair of stallions. One of them slumped weakly against the dirt wall, while the other, keeping a lookout in the other direction, had a wriggling mare under his arm, something held against her throat. Their colours were indistinct beneath the shadow of the bridge, but Lucky's blood ran cold as he recognized the shaggy mane of the second stallion. Ace.

Lucky crept closer, trying to take stock of the situation without revealing himself to the ponies flying above. Ace gave a signal with his hand and the two stallions crept forward, diving into the water with their captive between them. The slow current carried them away, tiny blobs among the blue and white. Lucky looked up. The pegasi were still circling obliviously, the other mares still too far away. They were getting away.

Lucky looked up. Part of him longed to turn around and pretend he'd seen nothing. Another part said to call up to the pegasus mares and let them deal with it. He couldn't do either. After all he'd seen, after all he'd endured, no part of him could bring him to sell out his fellow stallions. But he also knew, in the pit of his heart, that he'd never be able to live with himself if he left an innocent mare alone with someone like Ace.

With another whispered curse, Lucky leaped forward and dove into the river.

Lucky came to with a groan. He put a hand to his head and felt something wet. For that matter, all of him was wet. Gentle waves lapped at his lower half, and smooth sand lay beneath him. Where was...?

Right, the river. He'd jumped into the river. And immediately hit his head on a rock. Then he must have been carried down here... to the lakeside? That sounded right. Then that screaming nearby must be...

Lucky leaped to his feet. Everything went white, and he fell over. He tried again more slowly, blinking in the sunlight. He was at a bend in the river, at some part of the farm he didn't recognize. Was it even still Sweet Apple Acres? Three figures were on the ground nearby, slowly coming into focus. He blinked again. "Roseluck?" he choked.

It was definitely Roseluck on the ground - the mare who used to take Lucky into the alley for blowjobs every day at lunch. She was shrieking and kicking her feet, her head in the lap of - Lucky blinked once more - Four Sides, his old coworker, who was holding a knife to the throat. He looked pale, listing slightly to the side as he firmly held her down. Ace was at her other end, yanking on her skirt and ripping it off her body. He was fully naked, his erection huge and menacing, and missing his collar. With a loud bark he tore Roseluck's skirt down the middle and violently spread her legs apart. She wasn't wearing any panties.

Clarity returned to Lucky like a thunderbolt. "Hey!" he yelled, striding forward. A dozen aches and pains shot down his side, and he suppressed a wince. "Ace! What the fuck are you doing?"

Ace dropped Roseluck's legs and looked up, momentarily shocked and afraid. Then his face spread into a grin. "Lucky, my man!" he said. "Glad you could join us."

Lucky stopped, a safe distance out of Ace's reach. "Ace," he repeated. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I was making my great escape," the burly stallion replied proudly. "Until I found what this bitch was doing to Sides here. Now she's getting what's coming to her. Sides, show him."

"I'd rather not," Four Sides said weakly. "C'mon, I'm in a bad way. I can't hold her forever." He stared at Lucky with dead eyes. The short knife trembled against Roseluck's skin.

"So I'm taking one for the road before we leave," Ace announced. "You want in? It'll be easier to hold her with three of us."

Roseluck kicked out again. Slowly, Lucky shook his head. "Don't do this," he said.

Ace's face clouded. "What, are you with them?" he growled. "You want I should just stay here and get turned into a fag, is that it?"

"No!" Lucky backed off, raising his hands. "No, I get it. No one should go through what we do. Get out of here, never look back. I won't tell a soul. But..." He gestured to Roseluck. "Leave her out of this. She doesn't deserve that."

Ace guffawed. "Doesn't deserve-" His face darkened again. "They're all bitches, Lucky. All of them. Four Sides is never gonna fuck again after what she did to him. I'm taking back what she took from him. She's just another evil whore and she's gonna get what whores get."

"No." Lucky shook his head. "You don't have to do this. Because you're better than her."

Ace laughed, shaking his head as well. He sauntered forward, resting a heavy hand on Lucky's shoulder. "If you try and stop me," he said, smiling and nodding, "I'll kill you as well." Then he turned and walked casually back to Roseluck, kneeling between her legs. "Now where were we?"

Lucky stared blankly. His arms trembled. Ace lined himself up and started to thrust roughly, his thick prick failing to find purchase between Roseluck's kicking legs. Lucky sighed. "Aw, hells," he muttered. Then, before he could talk himself out of it, he charged forward and tackled Ace in the side.

A moment's confusion gave Lucky an advantage, but a moment was all he got. Within seconds Ace was tussling with him, frothing and shouting, and moments later he was on his back with Ace straddling his chest. "I told you, you piece of shit!" Ace shouted, and his fist collided with Lucky's jaw.

Stars and blackness circled Lucky's head. Fists rained down like hail, and every painful thud and crunch brought another flash followed by a longer period of darkness. He tried to raise his own fists in response, but couldn't seem to locate them on his body. Still, the pain wasn't so bad, all things considered. And, some semiconscious part of him mused, there were worse ways to go out.

He wasn't aware at first that the beating had stopped. Darkness still had hold of him, and the pounding in his head went on. After what felt like an age, however, some part of him prompted him to open his blood-crusted eyes and see Ace frozen above him, arms slack at his sides and a blank look on his face. Then Ace's cock erupted, showering Lucky's face with at least half a cup of thick white cum before the stallion fell to the side and tumbled onto his front. Lucky choked for air and squinted with his uncovered eye. A pulsing, rune-covered stone was stuck square in the middle of Ace's back.

In a flurry of footsteps, he felt himself being surrounded. "Is he dead?" a mare asked, checking his pulse. "No... no, this one's alive. Get him up." Lucky felt himself being lifted. He stood slowly and shook his head, flinging cum and blood in all directions. The mares around him shrieked and backed up as he blearily took in his surroundings.

A dozen mares now stood at the riverbank. Roseluck was crying into Applejack's shoulder, while Four Sides sat cross-legged with his hands over his crotch. Someone hurriedly attached a leash to his collar. Ace, still down, was being poked at with a stick. "Easy, now," Applejack was saying, cradling Roseluck comfortingly. "Just tell me what happened."

"It was awful," Roseluck sobbed. "These three stallions kidnapped me for no reason. They were all going to rape me and murder me. If you hadn't come when you did-!"

Lucky's brow furrowed. He croaked a protest, which was ignored. "Well, it's all over now," Applejack told her. "You're safe. That's what matters." She looked around at the others. "Well, don't just stand there! Get 'em tied up!"

The nearest mare choked Lucky, bringing him to his knees. The mares began to carefully bind his and Ace's hands while Applejack paced among them. "Purple," she said, kicking Ace's side. She marched over to Four sides and forcefully lifted his hands. Lucky winced at the sight. "White," she said. "And you." She marched up to Lucky, fury burning in her eyes. "If you think I'm gonna go easy on you just 'cause you fucked my brother-"

"Don't listen to that bitch!" Ace roared. The mares working on him shrieked and fled in all directions. "Lucky wasn't with us! He's a traitor to all stallions! That bitch-boy tried to stop me!"

Applejack paused. Slowly, she raised an eyebrow. "Is this true?" she asked Lucky. He desperately nodded.

"He's lying!" Roseluck cried out. "They were all in it together! All three of them!"

"The fucker punched me! Wouldn't let me take what's mine! He's a fucking pansy-ass mare-loving son of a whore!" Ace spat. "You make sure everyone knows that!"

Roseluck started to protest again, but fell silent when Applejack turned and focused her gaze on her. "Is. This. True?"

Roseluck said nothing.

Applejack turned back. For a long moment, she looked Lucky up and down, anger and defeat clashing on her face. "Get the fuck back to work," she eventually said.

"What? No no no. Applejack, you don't understand." Roseluck clutched at Applejack's arm. "You can't trust this one. Every day, he used to rape my mouth in the alley behind work. I had to be afraid for my life every single day. He's a monster!"

"What?" Lucky finally found his voice. He sniffled and coughed, spitting blood before continuing. "That's not what happened. You sucked me off. You wouldn't stop sucking me off. It was all your idea."

"Please. I knew exactly what you wanted." Roseluck hid behind Applejack and hissed. The other mares started to cart Ace and Four Sides away. "I saw the way you were always staring. I only gave in to keep you from taking it from me yourself. If I ever stopped, you would have murdered me or worse. That makes it rape."

Lucky stared in disbelief. "What ever gave you the idea that I would do that? You had no reason to think that! I would never lay a hand on you!"

"Yeah, because I gave you what you wanted," Roseluck spat. "Everyone knows how stallions are. You pretend not to be monsters to get into our pants, and turn on us the moment we say no. You're no white knight, Lucky Clover. You're just another rapist."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Alright, that's enough," she said. "Rose, take the rest of the day off. I promise I'll deal with this one. And you, I thought I told you to get the fuck back to work."

"Y-yes ma'am," Lucky said. Under Roseluck's glower, he rose up onto his feet and looked around. "I'm not sure-"

"Figure it out." Applejack took Roseluck by the arm and walked away. The remaining mares followed, sneering at Lucky as they went.

Lucky's heart pounded as he was left alone. This was his chance. He could make his escape. He could go...

Where, exactly? In his broken, bleeding condition? He stood still for several minutes, catching his breath, then sighed and started to trudge back across the field.

It took over an hour to find Caramel again, leaning miserably against a stump near the abandoned plough. "Took you long enough. Any chance of finishing that blow job?" the miserable red collar asked.

"Sorry, Caramel. Not in the mood," Lucky answered.

Together, they strapped him back into the plough. He began to move again, one slow step at a time, across the endless field. As if nothing had even happened.