Shining's Return to the Brood 2

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Sunburst was locked up in his study when he heard the barrage of frantic knocks at his front door. Despite how introverted the unicorn usually was while in his home, he was quick to rush towards the door with diligence. However, due to the multiple stacks of old and rare books that were situated all across his unkempt floors, Sunburst had to maneuver around them as carefully as he could to avoid another mess. Nevertheless, the orange pony still managed to reach his door with a winded breath, and muttered under his breath, “Jeeze, this better be important…”

The moment he opened his door to see who it was, Sunburst’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Shining Armor standing in wait. The Prince carried a firm and uneasy expression across his face, which made the faint blush across his cheeks fairly unnoticeable to the unicorn. Flash Sentry was standing beside Shining, and had his eyes curiously narrowed on Sunburst without saying a word. Behind the two stallions were a couple of identical-looking Crystal Guards, who actually didn’t look recognizable to Sunburst at all; of course, given how important security was for the Crystal Empire, he was sure that they were probably new recruits to assist Shining or something.

“O-Oh! Ummm…” Sunburst tried not to look too alarmed at seeing two high-ranked officers standing at his door, but it was obvious their presence had him worried. His eyes darted around nervously behind his round bifocals, but he still smiled as he began to greet them cordially. “Uhh, H-Hello there, Shini--”

“There’s no time time, we need to come in!” Without warning, Shining pushed past Sunburst as he and his associates entered the unicorn’s home. While one of the Guards made sure to lock the front door shut, the other went to check the window blinds in Sunburst’s cluttered living room. Flash didn’t really do anything, and just walked around the numerous piles of books while scanning the space intently. Meanwhile, Shining Armor sighed before he turned his attention back towards the homeowner. “I’m sorry we had to do this, Sunburst. But right now, we need your help with something of utmost importance.”

Sunburst’s eyes widened enough to almost exceed the size of his glasses. While Flash and the other Guards made sure the home was effectively locked down, the unicorn bit his lip worriedly as he took notice of Shining’s stern gaze on him. He could hear a couple of his book stacks toppling over with muffled thumps, most likely caused by one of the Guards who were locking his windows to avoid any surveillance. His ears twitched worriedly to the sounds of Shining’s soldiers trotting unannounced through his home, but kept his sights on the Prince as he asked, “Ummm… I’m guessing by the urgency that this isn’t just a Royal Crystaller-related issue, is it?”

Shining closed his eyes and sighed with a shake of his head. “Unfortunately not,” he answered firmly before he looked back at the unicorn with a more serious gaze. “Sunburst, what I’m about to tell you is something that’s very confidential. At the moment, the only ponies who know about it are inside of this home, so you have to believe me when I say I trust you with this information.”

Sunburst grew more unnerved in an instant, and his brows rose up as he looked around the living room. Both of the Guards came back down the stairs after securing the second floor, and Flash returned from the kitchen with a surprisingly casual pace in his steps. While all five stallions were together in the same room, Shining leaned in to stare at Sunburst intensely as he asked, “Now... Considering how well-versed you are with the Crystal Guard and castle staff, I need to ask you if you’ve heard anything about an upcoming invasion from any ponies.”

While the unicorn stood still with a look of peril spreading across his face, Shining and the other officers were circled around him in wait. Sunburst began to sweat a little as the gravity of the situation began to sink in, and he nervously gulped before he was able to take a breath. “W-Well, I… I uhhh… I seriously haven’t heard anything about an invasion, I swear.”

Shining, as well as the two Guards who were behind Sunburst, all breathed out audibly in relief. Flash Sentry stayed silent, but made the briefest smirk to himself upon hearing that response. Meanwhile, Shining kept his attention on Sunburst as he said, “Alright, that’s exactly what we were hoping you’d say. Given the situation, the last thing we need is to have anypony knowing too much and inciting panic right now.”

“W-Wait, what do you mean?!” asked the Crystaller as his tone of voice grew more distressed. He tried looking around towards the other stallions as he asked, “Is… Is something going to happen soon?! Because if so, we need to get in contact with--”

“NO!!” Shining barked that interruption quickly enough to startle Sunburst like a housecat. He placed a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder before he could get a chance to light up his horn, and stared into his eyes more critically to whisper, “Sunburst, we are dealing with a very serious foe right now. The last thing we need is for any of our communications out of the Empire to be traced by their forces.”

Even though Sunburst wasn’t being restrained by him, the Prince’s grave tone was more than enough to ensure the unicorn wouldn’t move an inch. Sunburst was looking more wary with each passing second, but he understood Shining’s warning enough to nod his head silently. As soon as he was certain that the Crystaller wouldn’t light up his horn, Shining sighed again before he spoke in a more withheld voice. “Okay then… Now, at the current moment, no invasions have been planned just yet. However, we have reason to believe that a former villain has breached the Crystal Empire’s magical barriers.”

“WHAT?!” Sunburst quickly cupped his hooves over his mouth following that outburst, and looked around to make sure he didn’t compromise Shining or his men. Fortunately, none of the four seemed too upset by his involuntary response, and gave the stallion enough time to breathe out and collect himself. “S-Sorry,” he said with an apologetic wave of his hoof, even though he still looked rightfully scared about what he just heard. “I just… Are you serious right now?! I mean… Who could be in the Crystal Empire right now?! King Sombra? Lord Tirek? Cozy Glow?!”

Flash couldn’t help making a light snort following Sunburst’s last guess, but was able to keep from smirking at the idea. Fortunately, Shining kept the Crystaller’s focus as he placed both hooves on his shoulders, and held him close to calm him down. “Sunburst, I can’t have you freaking out on us right now! We’re in a very delicate situation, and we can’t risk you compromising our plans by making too much noise.”

“R-Right, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Sunburst had to clench his eyes shut as he lowered his head, and used a hoof to pinch the bridge of his snout right below his glasses. While the unicorn took a few seconds to breathe and regain his composure, he wasn’t able to notice when Shining glanced over towards his Lieutenant. Flash Sentry nodded back at the Prince with a knowing smirk, which seemed to be equally as apparent as the ones their Guards had while behind Sunburst. It was clear that the orange stallion was too overwhelmed to process what was happening, and kept his eyes closed as he groaned under his breath. “Ughhhh… I’m not going to lie, this is a lot to process right now.”

“It’s alright, Sunburst,” said Shining in an assuring tone as he lit up his horn, and floated a small metallic ring towards the stallion’s horn. “My Queen and I promise you’ll accept the idea soon~”

Sunburst tried to look up at him in confusion, but could only let out a “Wait, wha--” before Shining took advantage of his position. The Prince quickly slid the magic-suppression ring down Sunburst’s horn, which instantly locked in place the moment it reached the base. The military-grade device carried enough stability to keep an Alicorn’s magic at bay, so Sunburst was left completely helpless as the ring immediately clamped around his horn and frayed his senses. “GAAAHHHH!!!” The stallion fell to the floor as he tried to grip his horn, but it did absolutely nothing to counteract the multiple pulsations of pain meant to nullify the nerves inside of his horn. It wasn’t enough to break the appendage, but it certainly ensured that he couldn’t use his magic by any means.

Sunburst’s pained screams of intense agony were quickly muffled up when he felt something round and rubbery being shoved into his muzzle. While one of the Guards behind the unicorn tightened the straps of the ballgag around his head, the other was quick to pull his legs back and hog-tie him with a couple pairs of hoofcuffs. In less than two seconds, the Royal Crystaller was left completely immobile and gagged as he writhed in a mixture of pain and terror on his dirtied floor. He tried to move in his restraints, but he could only flop around like a fish out of water as he struggled to break himself free; unfortunately for him, it didn’t seem like he was going to receive any help while Shining stood before him with a reluctant look on his face.

“I’m sorry I had to do this, Sunburst,” Shining said with a genuinely apologetic tone of voice, before he looked over towards “Flash” and his widening grin. “But like I said before, this invasion is going to be a delicate process to start. And we need all the help we can get if we want to please our Queen~”

Sunburst began to tremble as he gawked up at Shining, and took notice of the widening grin that was spreading across the fake Flash Sentry’s face. His pupils shrank in unbridled fear when he saw the pegasus smiling down at him in utter glee, and finally heard him speak with an unfamiliar voice. “That’s right, my little pawn~” purred Chrysalis in her natural voice while she remained in Flash’s form for another moment, and reached out to pet Shining’s mane like an obedient pet. “And given how insistently Shining vouched for you after I claimed him as my own, I think it’s only fair to see how quickly you’ll succumb too~”

Sunburst tried to scream for help, but he could only let out a couple muffled groans of anguish while his mouth was crammed with that ballgag. He couldn’t believe the notion that Chrysalis had returned, let alone accept the idea that she had Shining in her magical grasp; but alas, the unicorn couldn’t ignore the horrifying sight of his Prince standing beside her with a blushed and prideful-looking smile. His nostrils flared wildly as he tried to breathe, but his rapid exhales weren’t enough to keep him from hearing the snickering from the Guards still behind him. While the bound and gagged pony tried his hardest to writhe within his restraints, Chrysalis stepped in closer as she said with a maniacally evil smile, “Of course, I think it’s only best to make myself more… comfortable first~”

Chrysalis’ long and misshapen horn slowly sprouted out from the fake Flash’s forehead, and pulled off his helmet before the top of his head emitted an eerily green flame. As the Changeling magic began to envelop Chrysalis’ form to reveal her true self, Sunburst was frozen in pure fear upon seeing her terrifying reveal. The flames shot up high enough to expose Chrysalis’ grinning sneer from her natural height, and gave herself a more intimidating stature above the cuffed pony laying on the floor. The transformation itself only lasted a couple seconds as the flames shot down her body, but it was just long enough to have her Drones drop their disguises as well; by the time the last of her green flames dissipated at the base of her hooves, both of the unreformed Changelings stepped forward to obediently bow before her.

Unfortunately for Sunburst, who was now quivering in horror while laying hog-tied on his stomach, he was forced to watch as Shining Armor did the same. The traitorous Prince shamelessly submitted himself to the creature as he kneeled at her hooves, and had his eyes closed with a satisfied smile on his blushed muzzle. Sunburst squirmed with a muffled shriek as he tried to catch his Prince’s attention, but it was to no avail. Despite the fact that Chrysalis was supposed to be their enemy, it was obvious she brought Shining back into her thrall as Sunburst heard him say, “I successfully claimed the Royal Crystaller for your personal use, my Queen! I hope that I performed to the best of my ability to serve you, your Grace~”

If his muzzle wasn’t stuffed with that red rubber ball, Sunburst’s jaw would’ve dropped at hearing Shining’s unnatural words. Even if this wasn’t the first time the Prince was claimed by Chrysalis’ magic, actually hearing him say such a thing left Sunburst looking downright mortified. If he still had his magical abilities, there was no doubt that Sunburst would’ve tried to abduct Shining and get him the help he desperately needed; but sadly, there was nothing for the immobile unicorn to do as he struggled in his bondage, and watched his former leader kneeling before that citiinesque fiend.

“Yes, you did a very good job, my obedient Slave~” purred Chrysalis with a fanged grin down at her mindbroken stallion. As she gave the top of Shining’s head another thankful pat while he remained bowed, Chrysalis looked down at Sunburst’s petrified expression as her smile grew even wider. “Isn’t this nice, Sunburst? I only needed the smallest amount of my magic to claim your ‘Loyal’ Prince, and now he’s willingly serving me as my personal pet.”

Sunburst could hear both of Chrysalis’ drones giggling evilly as they pulled away from their Queen, and stood beside the unicorn to make sure he wouldn’t escape. Chrysalis pulled her hoof away from Shining’s head before she asked him, “Isn’t that right, Shining Armor?~”

Much to Sunburst’s horror, Shining didn’t hesitate for a second to answer his Queen as he shamelessly said, “Yes, Queen Chrysalis! You helped me to understand just how generous and kind you can be! And because of that, I’ll proudly serve under your hoof however you may please~”

Sunburst knew that Chrysalis brainwashed him to be acting this way, but it was still beyond shocking to hear how genuine Shining’s voice sounded as he said those things. He didn’t want to think the Prince meant what he said, but he couldn’t see any greenish tint coming from Shining’s eyes either. While the traitor remained at a submissive stance for his Queen, Sunburst stared up at her with tears of disbelief beginning to bead at the corners of his eyes. Meanwhile, Chrysalis’ lecherous smile didn’t dissipate in the slightest as she kept her sinister gaze down at Shining. “If you truly mean that, then surely you wouldn’t object to showing Sunburst just how loyal you are~”

Sunburst could hear those drones chittering gleefully once more, and could practically taste the drool seeping from their fangs while they were so close to him. The moment Shining looked up her with a blushed and sheepish smile, Chrysalis brought out her hoof just inches from his face before giving her order. “Lick it clean, Slave~”

Shining Armor immediately opened his muzzle as he leaned in towards Chrysalis’ hoof, and dragged his tongue along the bottom of his Queen’s presented hoof. His eyes closed with a blissful look as he moaned under his breath, and gave Chrysalis’ shimmering chitin several deep and pronounced laps without any signs of guilt. His ears could be seen twitching as he overheard her Drones cackling in delight to his submission, but he paid no heed to their jeering as he did what he was told. All the while, Sunburst could only gawk in stunned silence while forced to witness such a horrifying display of Chrysalis’ power; he wasn’t trying to scream for help anymore, but a couple muffled whimpers could still be heard through his gag while a couple tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Ohhhhhh, don’t cry, Sunburst~” cooed Chrysalis with a mockingly fake pout as she peered down at the unicorn. Shining didn’t stop servicing his Queen, and continued to lick her hoof as she said to Sunburst, “I promise that you’ll be just as happy about serving me as he is~”

Sunburst gasped through his nostrils, and let out a meager shriek as he tried to jolt away from the grinning Changeling Queen. Unfortunately, her Drones were quick to hold the unicorn down before he could squirm too strongly. While the pony continued to writhe and squeal through his gag to try and escape, Chrysalis pulled her saliva-coated hoof away from Shining’s mouth before saying, “Shining, won’t you be a dear and help settle him down? Perhaps… you can tell Sunburst what I have in store for him?~”

Shining was breathing heavily while his tongue was still lolled out, and a deep blush was plastered across his cheeks. His heart was racing from showing his loyalty so obscenely, but the stallion still nodded with a smile before he stood back up on his own hooves. “My Queen, I would be honored to tell him myself~”

Sunburst continued to thrash in his bondage, but it did nothing to help him escape the terror his “Prince” brought down on him. While the terrified Crystaller was held down by her Changelings, Shining leaned in with a disturbingly sincere smile and said, “Sunburst, I swear to you that you’ll be fine. Our Queen promised me that she won’t hurt you, and I know for a fact that she won’t go back on her word. Besides, don’t you think that she might have a good enough reason to allow me to serve her?”

Sunburst threw his head up as he desperately tried to scream through his gag. “Fi-meenth, feeth frai-wuthim oo!!”

Despite how hard it was for Sunburst to speak through his gag, Shining understood his muffled words enough to laugh and shake his head. “Oh, Sunburst~ She’s not brainwashing me! She just helped me remember how amazing it was to serve her again! In fact, she gave me the privilege to serve under her as a very important role. It’s one more fulfilling than any title I’ve had under Princess Celestia, and I know that you’ll appreciate it too, my friend…”

While Sunburst was left quivering in fear under the Drones’ hooves, Shining grew a giddy smile as he got in close to the Crystaller’s ear and whispered excitedly, “I managed to convince our Queen to induct you as one of her personal Brood-Stallions~”

Sunburst’s eyes shot wide-open, and he thrashed strongly enough to almost toss both of the Drones off of his back “HUURRRRRRR!!! HUUUUUURRRRRRR!!!”

Shining reeled back from his friend upon seeing how violently he tried to refuse that fate, even though it was inevitable nonetheless. The Prince’s ears lowered in worry, and he looked back at Chrysalis while Sunburst continued to struggle underneath her Drones. “I’m sorry, my Queen,” said Shining with a remorseful tone as he lowered his head in shame. “I… I don’t think he’s as open to the role as you were hoping.”

“Ohhhh, it’s quite alright, Shining~” Chrysalis walked past her corrupted pet with a sympathetic smile on her face, and bent down to face Sunburst herself. The unicorn thrashed even harder upon seeing her face, and was pulling against his cuffs strongly enough to risk tearing through his skin. Sadly, the pony’s resistance was beyond futile as he remained locked before his grinning captor. “Besides, I think that I may be able to help… persuade him~”

While Sunburst whinnied fearfully through his ballgag, Shining nodded with an oblivious and grateful smile to her words. “I’m sure that you will, my Queen. I mean, you were able to help me, after all~”

More tears stemmed at the corners of Sunburst’s eyes, unable to take hearing Shining’s blissfully ignorant words of praise for that fiend. If he was able to move his muzzle freely, he’d likely try to spit in Chrysalis’ face for breaking the Prince so severely. But in the position he was in now, it was clear that she had all of the cards firmly in her own deck. Not to mention, the Queen’s wickedly wide smile and piercing eyes left the unicorn feeling utterly hopeless, like he was a fly caught up in her spider’s web.

“Now then… Let us begin~” Chrysalis bent in so she was less than a couple inches from Sunburst’s squirming face, and widened her eyes to further accentuate her slitting pupils. Sunburst tried his hardest to look away from the Changeling, but her Drones were quick to hold his head in place so he would be facing her. One of them lit up their jagged horns while grinning evilly, and used his magic to pry both of the stallion’s eyelids open. And all while the Crystaller was writhing in agony, and letting out muffled screams through his gag, Shining Armor stood behind his Queen as he watched on with a nervous smile and a look of disturbing optimism.

“Ssssshhhhhh… It’ll all be better soon…” Chrysalis closed her eyes for a split-second, and then reopened them to reveal two brightly glistening orbs of luminescent green. Her narrowed pupils stared directly into Sunburst’s eyes as she began her work, and she spoke in a sickeningly sweet whisper. “Don’t try to resist it, Sunburst… It will only cause you pain if you try to ignore it… And you don’t want to be hurt, do you?~”

At first, it seemed like Chrysalis’ words weren’t getting to Sunburst, as the stallion continued to struggle underneath her Drones’ grip. But from Shining’s perspective, his smile grew more relieved as he watched his friend’s movements slowly settle down. Tears continued to roll down the unicorn’s face while his eyes were pried open, but the greenish tint of Chrysalis’ magic started to emerge from the edges of the scalera. Slowly but surely, that ominous hue enveloped more of the Crystaller’s eyes as his squirming became more subdued; and by the time his irises started to glow from the Queen’s efforts, the Drone holding his eyes open was able to slowly pull away without much resistance.

Sunburst blinked a couple times as soon as he regained the ability, but his eyes were still glowing as he continued to look up at Chrysalis and her sadistic grin. “Thaaaaaat’s right… There’s no use in resisting me~”

Sunburst didn’t seem to notice when both of her Drones pulled themselves off of him, and he was left laying on the floor while his bondage was still on. He was no longer crying, but his tear-matted face carried no real emotion as he stared up at Chrysalis with his eyes wide-open. He was no longer trying to writhe out of his restraints, which seemed to make Shining happy enough to smile pridefully in glee. Meanwhile, the Crystaller’s mind felt effectively clouded in a thick fog of confusion, with any thoughts he previously had now sounding muddled and incomprehensible in his head. Even when Chrysalis brought a hoof down to stroke the top of his shaggy mane, the pony didn’t even flinch out of instinct from her touch.

“Oh my gosh, that’s incredible!~” praised Shining with an overwhelmingly impressed look on his face. Due to his corruption, Sunburst’s glowing eyes and sudden limpness didn’t seem to set off any red flags while he smiled gratefully at his Queen. “Chrysalis, you really are amazing!”

Chrysalis chuckled before she shot a cocky grin back at her slave, and said with a shrug, “I already know that, but I still appreciate your praise, Shining. Thank you.”

“No, thank you, my Queen!” Shining gave her another respectful bow of his head, which didn’t seem to alarm Sunburst anymore while his eyes remained locked on Chrysalis. As the two Drones cackled mercilessly in response to their Queen’s effectiveness, the broken Prince added in a more sincere tone, “It really makes me happy to see you help out one of my friends.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m only helping Sunburst, remember?~” she asked rather coyly. While Shining blushed in embarrassment and nodded in response, Chrysalis pulled away from the Crystaller for a moment as she said in a firmer voice, “I’m helping out every pony who’s willing to place their trust in me. And as long as you trust whatever I say, you’ll always be by my side to carry my eggs. Do you understand?~”

“Yes, my Queen!” shouted Shining more excitedly as he bowed his head even lower for the Changeling. “After seeing you help out my friend, I’ll always trust your judgement one hundred percent! I promise~”

Chrysalis grew a sinister grin while nodding thankfully at her pet. “I’m going to remember you told me that, Shining Armor~”

Even though he could hear the laughter from her Drones after she said that, Shining responded with an elated-sounding, “I hope that you do, my Queen~”

After shooting the stallion a grateful nod, Chrysalis turned her attention back to the still catatonic-looking Sunburst. Since he was unable to coherently think for himself, he could only blink while staring up at the Changeling like a fish in an empty tank. Meanwhile, the sadistic Changeling grinned mischievously before leaning back down, and staring at the stallion eye-to-eye. “Sunburst… All that I’m going to do is talk, alright? I promise that I won’t hurt you, and you have my word that you’ll be safe during our conversation. Do you understand?”

Chrysalis’ words may have been practically dripping with dishonesty, but Sunburst was too overwhelmed by the Queen’s abilities as he slowly nodded his head.

“Good,” she said with a more genuine-looking smile, and a small pat of her hoof atop Sunburst’s head. “Now then… I’m going to ask you a couple of questions, and I’d prefer to hear you answer them. However, I’m going to need your assurance that you won’t start screaming if I undo your gag. So… will you promise to refrain from screaming if I give you the ability to speak?”

Even though Sunburst knew that he could’ve been able to just lie and shout for help the instant his ballgag was undone, the idea didn’t even cross his compromised mind as he nodded his head weakly.

“Okay then.” Chrysalis smiled contently as she used her hooves to unbuckle the strap behind Sunburst’s head, and added in a more direct tone of voice, “Now remember, I’m trusting that you won’t break your word. I won’t break mine, so I think it’s only fair we have common ground here.”

Shining, who pulled himself back up to stand obediently beside Chrysalis, gave a respectful smile at hearing her words. Even though either of the stallions should’ve known better than to take her trust with anything more than a grain of salt, nothing happened after Chrysalis pulled off Sunburst’s ballgag. Instead, the unicorn only took a couple heavy breaths after his muzzle was freed, and he moved his jaw a little to counteract any earlier strain. Meanwhile, Chrysalis waited only another moment before she spoke once more. “Now… Sunburst, are you okay with talking to me respectfully? If you promise to behave, I’ll have you out of those cuffs in no time~”

Sunburst’s brain was too overwhelmed with Changeling magic to think too hard about the danger he was in. So after taking another breath, the stallion nodded his head before he spoke in a timid tone. “Y… Yes. I’ll… I’ll talk wi… with respect…”

“Thank you,” she replied politely, before she stood back up and pulled Shining in close to her side. The Prince blushed deeply from his captor’s close proximity, and tried not to smile too wide from feeling her welcoming embrace. Meanwhile, Sunburst didn’t seem to object to that unnatural sight as he stared up at them silently, and heard Chrysalis ask her first question. “Now then, it’s clear to me that you and Shining Armor are good friends here in the Crystal Empire. Is that correct?”

Despite the fact that Shining was more of an acquaintance to him in comparison to some of his friends in Ponyville, Sunburst was comfortable enough with that claim to nod his head truthfully. “Y… Yes, he is,” he said in a weak tone of voice. “He… He’s one of my closest friends in the Crystal Empire...”

Shining smiled a little wider with a grateful blush, but remained silent while Chrysalis nodded with a smirk of her own. “That’s very good to hear,” she said without any clear hint of dishonesty in her voice. “So with that being established, you do trust Shining Armor’s judgement, don’t you?”

Sunburst nodded his head again, his mind no longer focusing on the brainwashing the Prince had succumbed to. “Y-Yes, I… I trust his judgement…”

Chrysalis’ smile widened with a more devilish gleam, but neither of the stallions seemed to mind while she pulled Shining in closer. “I’m happy to hear that too. Because I know that he just told you that he wasn’t brainwashed by me. Isn’t that right, Shining?”

When she turned to face him, Shining was quick to nod his head and answer pridefully. “That’s right, Queen Chrysalis. I know it might sound a little unusual for Sunburst, but… I really did choose to pledge my loyalty to you. And I did it all by myself~”

Sunburst knew deep down that Shining was corrupted enough by her influence to give that answer, but he could also tell that the Prince legitimately believed what he just said to Chrysalis. So when the Queen looked back down at him to ask, “Now, you know that he meant that, right?”, there was nothing Sunburst could do but nod his head again.

“That’s right~” she purred in a more pleased tone, while her Drones stood behind Sunburst and watched their Queen gleefully. Chrysalis then turned her focus back on Shining as she said, “And given how he used to be a Prince before he swore his allegiance to me, don’t you think there’s a valid reason for him to give everything up to be my willing Slave?~”

Shining didn’t seem upset at all by that title, and just nodded in agreement while smiling bashfully back at her. Sunburst technically tried to answer that question back when Shining himself brought it up, but he couldn’t recall that moment very well as he nodded his head and answered, “I, uhhhh… I suppose there prob... p-probably would be a good reason...”

“Exactly~” she chirped enthusiastically, before she asked with her eyes narrowing on Shining’s, “So… Shining, won’t you be a dear and tell him why you would prefer serving me over those inferior Pony Princesses?~”

Shining sighed as he nodded gratefully, and said with a bow of his head, “Absolutely, my Queen~” After Chrysalis gave him a loving kiss on the cheek, which made his face blush profusely with a flustered smile, the corrupted stallion was able to recompose himself by the time she pulled away from him. Shining then took a breath before looking down at Sunburst, and began to speak with a disturbingly positive tone. “Sunburst, you… You have noooo idea how amazing it is to serve our Queen!~ I mean, I know that the word ‘Slave’ sounds kinda bad, but it’s really not a big deal at all! Back when I was just a Prince, I spent so long just… just dying to go back and feel her eggs inside of me again! And after I finally found her to make amends, I just… I couldn’t help myself! I surrendered myself right then and there so I could be her Brood-Stallion again, and I don’t regret it at all~”

Shining then closed his eyes as his smile grew more enamored, and he brought one of his hooves down to rub his stomach direly. “Mnnghhh~ I… I can’t even begin to describe how… how wonderful it feels when my Queen blesses me with her eggs! It just makes me feel so… so perfect!~ It’s like… l-like nothing else even matters in comparison! Not my title, not my status, not… not even…”

Despite that slight pause of hesitance, Shining’s blush deepened as he said after a thoughtful huff. “... not even the Crystal Empire feels as important as feeling her Ovipositor filling me up! Aaahhh!~ I just… I just want to give in and beg for her eggs right now~”

Shining looked back at Chrysalis with a pleading gleam in his eyes, and his bottom lip tightly bitten as he smiled hopefully. Chrysalis and her Drones all chuckled to Shining’s lustful praise, and the Queen rolled her eyes before glancing back at the stoic Sunburst. “See what I mean? Shining absolutely looooooves receiving my eggs, and is willing to do anything to receive them~”

“More than anything, my Queen!~” shouted Shining as he bowed before her again. His tail was wagging like an overzealous dog while his rump was raised, not caring at all how pitiful he looked to her snickering brethren. “Nnnnfff!!~ Oh, Goddess I need it so bad~”

“In a moment, Slave!” barked Chrysalis firmly enough to make the stallion whimper and close his muzzle. Despite the fact that her slave wasn’t supposed to interrupt her, the sight of Shining’s poignant groveling was satisfactory enough for the Queen to make an exception. While the Prince was left bowed in growing need, Chrysalis smirked down at Sunburst as she continued her manipulation. “You see? But despite how badly he wants to be filled to the absolute brim with my eggs again, he’s willing to let you experience it yourself first! Isn’t that a nice gesture?~”

Just a few minutes ago, Sunburst would’ve been absolutely disgusted by the shameless display Shining was giving to appease such a vile temptress. But with his eyes still glowing that deathly green magic, all he could process was how… elated Shining looked to be Chrysalis’ Brood-Stallion. And if he really was willing to give up his Equestrian ranks to take that role, the experience had to have been significant enough to make him serve her as a slave. Even though any uncompromised pony could see clear as day that Shining was brainwashed to want it, Sunburst could only nod his head hopelessly. “Y-Yeah, I ummm… I… s-suppose it is a big thing for him to do…”

“It really is~” Chrysalis ignored her kneeling slave as she bent in close to Sunburst’s face, and said with a faux-sympathetic smile across her fanged muzzle. “So how about this… If I promise to undo your cuffs, will you promise to take Shining’s word, and at least consider holding my eggs?~”

While her Drones’ grins widened in anticipation, Shining glanced up from his bowed position to stare optimistically towards his friend. A brief moment of conflict made Sunburst’s face contort with worry, just as Shining’s had when Chrysalis mentioned Cadance to him earlier that day. Nevertheless, Chrysalis narrowed her eyes with a waiting smirk as she studied his face, knowing that he was bound to succumb soon enough. Eventually, Sunburst’s face relaxed as he closed his eyes to take a thoughtful breath. However, the stallion made sure to look over at Shining when he reopened his glowing eyes, and asked him genuinely, “Is… Is it really worth it?”

Shining stood back up with a sincere smile, and nodded his head before proclaiming with pride, “Sunburst, I would gladly melt down my Royal Armor if it meant being Queen Chrysalis’ Brood-Stallion. It’s worth that much~”

Chrysalis grinned with an affirming nod to the Prince’s statement, and made a mental note to make him do just that when he gave his official surrender later on. She then looked back at Sunburst, who closed his eyes again to take a final affirming breath. And with his last exhale, the brainwashed unicorn reopened his eyes before he gave his sheepish response. “Ummm… W-Well, I… I guess, ummm…”

Despite how horrified he may have felt when Shining first revealed his betrayal, and how badly his veins were coursing with fear while he was bound without any escape, Chrysalis’ magic was strong enough to make him answer without a single thought breaking through that thick fog of ignorance. “... I… I guess it’s worth trying once…”

Shining excitedly pumped his hoof with a satisfied smile, and Chrysalis’ grin couldn’t have been wider as she said with titillated glee, “Excellent, Sunburst~” The Queen then turned to Shining as she motioned down to their bound stallion. “Shining, please undo his cuffs so you can begin prepping him.”

Shining Armor gave a respectful bow while his smile was growing ear-to-ear, and he said with pure contentment, “My Queen, I would be honored~”