Shining's Return to the Brood 3: Unholy Matrimony

Well… I can safely say that this is the worst moment of my life…

Princess Cadance wasn’t able to say that statement out-loud while the muzzle-guard was firmly locked over her face, but that thought certainly rang truthful enough in her head. Considering all the defeats and heartache she had to endure in her life as Equestrian Royalty, there were certainly a lot of moments where she felt hopeless and afraid. But even after being locked in the Canterlot caverns before her wedding, being thrown into Tartarus without her magic, and having her family held hostage by King Sombra, Cadance could undoubtedly claim that her current predicament was the worst. Not only had she been captured by her own Guards, and locked in a cage like some sort of animal by Queen Chrysalis, but now she could only sit and watch as her former husband was about to give away everything they had to that twisted fiend.

Even though the Crystal Heart was running strongly by its own magic in the center of the Crystal Empire, the skies above carried an ominous greyish hue to indicate a storm was looming near. But despite that foreboding forecast, Cadance was able to see the glow of her subjects as they congregated around the Crystal Heart. It had only been a few minutes since Shining casted out the announcement for the Crystal Ponies to gather at the center of the Empire, but it seemed that their hours spent under lockdown prompted them to act rather quickly for this event. Cadance would’ve wished for anything to warn them about what was to come, but it was hopeless to think about such a thing while she was bound in her floating cage, and being lead towards her Empire’s doom like a sideshow attraction.

Her cage bobbed up and down a couple times while it was being held by Sunburst’s magic, but the unicorn’s magical skills seemed to have improved greatly while under Chrysalis’ influence; either that, or the former Crystaller was placing more emphasis on his magical focus in hopes of being on the receiving end of Chrysalis’ Ovipositor again. Either way, the stallion carried a disturbingly blank smile as he trotted down the crystal street without a care in the world, and followed his Queen who had taken the lead in her impromptu parade. While the Changeling lead the charge towards the Crystal Heart, and the dozens of brainwashed Crystal Guards followed her in a couple of organized rows, Cadance was seated right behind her captor as she was being led towards her fate.

Despite the fact that Chrysalis was taking her time with slow and methodical steps, her soon-to-be-husband was still having difficulty walking beside her as he waddled helplessly. Even if the former Prince wasn’t swollen with his Queen’s eggs, Shining’s altered physical state was enough for his steps to falter a bit from inexperience. Instead of the slender and muscular physique he once carried, Shining now had to walk with a noticeably more swayed trot in his step to make up for his voluptuously enlarged rear. If Cadance wasn’t being held prisoner by her egg-addicted spouse, she likely would’ve been okay with seeing a little more meat on Shining’s bones; but right now, all that the Alicorn could do was struggle not to cry while hovering above the rows of compromised soldiers marching around her.

“Aaaaaahhhhhh… Such a lovely day for a Coronation~” purred Chrysalis to herself as she lead the march towards her destination. Shining was panting a little due to his difficulty breathing, but he still gave an enthusiastic nod in agreement up to his Queen. Meanwhile, Chrysalis made sure to shoot a cheeky glance back at her captive Princess, and smirked upon noticing Cadance’s nasty glare. “Hmph~ Go ahead and keep staring, Prisoner. I know you’re jealous~”

Cadance’s eyes narrowed on the Queen more intensely, and she let out a brief groan through her muzzle-guard before looking away from her with a scowl. Unfortunately, her aversion from her captor wasn’t enough to keep Chrysalis silent. “And just to think, you’re going to get a front-row show when the takeover begins! Honestly, I think you should be ready for the fun I’m about to have~”

A sharp huff could be heard through Cadance’s muzzle-guard as she rolled her eyes, and she crossed her hooves over her chest. Chrysalis tilted her head curiously, but maintained a confident smirk upon seeing her prisoner’s response. “Oh, what’s that look about? Aren’t you excited to see me take your crown like I should have done years ago?~”

Since Cadance was still effectively silenced in her bondage, all the Princess could do was look back at her with an unamused glare, and shook her head slowly towards the Queen. Meanwhile, the pregnant Prince-turned-Slave decided to speak up for Cadance’s sake, and said up to Chrysalis, “Ummm… I think she’s just nervous, my Queen. I mean, you remember how I was when you first came to me, right?”

“That’s very true,” remarked Chrysalis with a thankful smile down at Shining, which made the stallion blush sheepishly with a goofy smile. “However,” she then added sharply, “I feel like Cadance isn’t too confident in my abilities just yet…”

When she turned her attention back towards Cadance, the Queen could see her eyeing the crowd of Crystal Ponies who could be seen in the distance. The combined glow of their crystalized and luminescent bodies intensified as more of them gathered around the Crystal Heart, and their magic auras combined to help strengthen the beacon’s powers. Even though the magic was fairly fruitless against Chrysalis at the moment, the Princess was eyeing the display with a look of determination on her face. But despite how the Alicorn may have looked, Chrysalis’ cocky smile didn’t falter in the slightest as she asked, “Oh, Cadance? Might I ask what’s catching your attention right now?~”

Again, since the muzzle-guard was still firmly clasped around her face, all that the Princess could do was give a split-second glance back at her captor before shrugging her shoulders. Chrysalis’ grin widened a little as she narrowed her eyes on Cadance, and then asked, “Oh, let me guess… You think that the Crystal Ponies won’t approve of my presence, and will try to rebel against me. And then while I’m fighting them off, you’ll find a way to use your magic and activate the Crystal Heart and stop me. Is that correct?~”

Cadance blinked a couple times, and tried not to let her expression change too drastically while staring back at Chrysalis. Unfortunately for the Alicorn, her pupils shrunk the tiniest bit from hearing that correct guess her captor made. Meanwhile, Chrysalis just chuckled in delight as she watched some of the color pale from Cadance’s face, and then looked back ahead while continuing their march. “Well, I’d hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Sunburst and your Ex-Husband already prepared for such an outcome. Isn’t that right, Shining?~”

Shining Armor kept a chipper smile as he nodded enthusiastically, and smiled back at his fretful-looking spouse to explain. “That’s right, Queen Chrysalis! Since the Crystal Heart is the only way to stop this invasion, Sunburst had the idea to set up pheromone bombs in advance. It’s meant to help ponies lose their inhibitions and become more… accepting of various things~”

As Cadance’s eyes began to widen in fear, her ears twitched as she heard Sunburst speaking up from behind her. “It’s actually quite a fascinating chemical reaction invented by our Queen!” he chirped gleefully while keeping Cadance’s cage steady in his aura. “It’s the same kind of substance that’s found in Chrysalis’ eggs, which makes them so amazing to feel inside of the Equine body. And since I swore my allegiance to her, I was able to craft an airborne version of the chemicals to disperse out at will, and help everypony to see how amazing Chrysalis is as our new leader!~”

Cadance’s heart shot up to her throat, and her panicked reaction wasn’t helped when she heard many of the Crystal Guards cheering to Sunburst’s statement. The Princess’ horrified gaze returned towards the Crystal Heart, and the crowd of hundreds of Crystal Ponies that were becoming more visible in the distance. She had no idea what was going to happen if those bombs went off, but she was certain that any plans of escape would be futile if they did. But alas, before any bright ideas could come to the Alicorn’s head to try and stop the mass drugging of her subjects, she heard Sunburst’s voice calling out from behind, “Flash Sentry! I think we’re good to set them off!~”

“Great!” shouted the brainwashed pegasus, who pulled out a remote control from underneath his armor. Since the Guard was right behind Cadance’s cage as part of her “escort,” the Princess was able to look back at him just as he smiled excitedly, and pressed the red button with his hoof.

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

The multiple explosions were intense enough to make the ground underneath Chrysalis and her new subjects shake like an earthquake. Cadance gasped in horror as she looked back towards the Crystal Heart, which was now concealed by the thick plume of dark green smoke that enveloped the entire space like a chemical attack. Her hooves shot up over her muzzle-guard as she heard the countless screams and panicked gasps from the Crystal Ponies, along with the numerous gasps and coughs from whomever was unlucky enough to inhale too much of Chrysalis’ pheromones. Cadance almost looked like she wanted to cry, and winced painfully from the sounds of her subjects all struggling within the attack her husband willingly committed alongside their captor.

Fortunately enough, the Alicorn felt a light tap from the back of her cage before Flash Sentry said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Cadance. Sunburst did a lot of tests, and there’s absolutely no way those bombs will be fatal. I promise you that none of the Crystal Ponies are hurt~”

Even though that detail was fairly comforting, Cadance didn’t show her enthusiasm as she stared back at the Guard with an intense grimace. Chrysalis may have not been intimidated by the claimed Princess, but Flash certainly cringed worriedly as he stepped back from her cage. Meanwhile, Chrysalis merely chuckled after seeing her pheromone bombs being activated so successfully. “Ooh, you know what’s interesting?~” she asked before peering back at Cadance with a wickedly wide smile. “Since that muzzle-guard you have on has a breathing filter, you’ll be the only pony not affected by my pheromones just yet! Which means while everypony else has their fun, you’ll be the only one who gets to witness my greatness through sober eyes~”

As Cadance looked back at the grinning Queen with a more disturbed look on her face, she could already hear the Crystal Ponies’ screams and coughs dying off fairly quickly. The thick smog of Chrysalis’ smoke bombs were still lingering around the Crystal Heart, but Cadance wasn’t able to hear any sounds of despair or fear anymore. Slowly, she and the others were able to hear new sounds that began to surface within the greenish smoke; particularly, they could start to hear childish giggles as they marched in closer towards the smog, as well as enamored moans and sultry whispers too faint to really make out. Of course, by the time Chrysalis’ pheromone-laced smoke finally started to dissipate, those sounds intensified even more as the aftermath of the Changeling’s plan was fully revealed.

Cadance, as well as most of the brainwashed ponies around her, all gasped in shock as they caught sight of what Chrysalis’ bomb did to the Crystal Ponies. In less than a couple minutes, the Changeling pheromones were potent enough to turn the crowd of standing ponies into an absolute frenzy of mindless, lust-added savages. Adults of all ages and genders were quick to start rubbing up against one another, and were growing increasingly frisky as they began to grope each other’s bodies while giggling incessantly. Fortunately for Cadance’s sake, it seemed that Sunburst had enacted a small alteration to the pheromone strain that affected the younger ponies differently. While most of the adults started to make out with each other and grow more aroused with each passing second, most of the Crystal Pony children were rolling around on the ground and laughing like they just took an entire bong hit; it may have still been horrid to have kids in the presence of their parents and neighbors eager to start fucking above their heads, but at least the adults were keeping to each other while losing themselves to Chrysalis’ pheromones.

“Oh, WOW!~” beamed Shining Armor as his eyes grew as wide as his mesmerized smile. Even though he should’ve been appalled by the sight of his subjects all succumbing to a mass orgy around the Crystal Heart, he was grinning from ear to ear while standing alongside his egg-giving Mistress. “Can you believe it?!” he gawked excitedly as he looked up at Chrysalis with pure optimism. “The Crystal Ponies are all so happy now! There’s no way they’ll oppose you now, my Queen!~”

While Chrysalis threw her head back to cackle victoriously, Cadance's jaw tried its hardest to drop in shock inside of her muzzle-guard. Her eyes couldn’t look away from the hundreds, if not thousands of Crystal Ponies who were indulging with one another like some Caligula-esque orgy. Even with her snout inside of the safety of her breathing filter, she was somehow still able to smell the musk that was starting to waft out from the countless stallions who were growing erect from their sheaths. Mares of all sizes and ages were beginning to grow wet while rubbing themselves and each other, and their kids continued to laugh in hysterics below their hooves like nothing was amiss. The sight was shocking enough to leave the Alicorn in a completely appalled state, and she could only watch the carnage ahead of them while her hooves were clasped over her muzzle-guard in stunned silence.

Of course, the Princess jolted with a surprised gasp as she heard several trumpets blow out in unison behind her cage. After the brainwashed Guards made that booming display to catch the Crystal Ponies’ attention, the “parade” continued on as Chrysalis and her claimed subjects marched on towards the Crystal Heart. Even though most of the compromised citizens were still rubbing each other and moaning weakly, their sights were pinned towards the grinning Changeling Queen who was practically prancing towards them with glee. And right by her side was their former Prince, who was waddling more notably with a bloated gait while grinning in excitement.

“ATTENTION!” he bellowed out with a tremendously cheerful tone, before he managed to balance himself well enough to wrap a hoof around Chrysalis’ foreleg in solidarity. “As your former ruler of this wonderful Empire, I would like to have all of your attention for this momentous event in our history!~”

Despite the unsettling image of Queen Chrysalis standing freely alongside Shining, or the sight of their Princess being held in a cage right behind them, the pheromones that were dispersed caused many of the Crystal Ponies to smile and applaud to their Prince’s enthusiastic tone. Meanwhile, Princess Cadance could only sit in growing turmoil as she witnessed her very subjects losing their sobriety -- and eventually their personal freedoms -- without even the slightest hint of worry in their blank expressions. Due to how potent the Queen’s smoke-bombs really were, many of the Crystal Ponies were still groaning in arousal and groping each other while their Prince continued to speak before them.

“For far too long, our nation has kept itself blind to the wonders that await past our own species. But after reuniting with a former enemy, I’ve been able to truly understand the potential that Changeling magic can do for our society, as well as for ourselves. Before today, I may have been alright with leading the Crystal Empire as best as I could. But on this day, I couldn’t be happier to announce that our times of struggle will be no more!~”

The Crystal Empire may have not had many instances of “struggles” outside of villainous conflicts, but Shining’s sentiments were convincing enough to receive a strong round of applause from the intoxicated Crystal Ponies gushing before him in the crowds. From her higher vantage point, Cadance was able to see several pairs of Crystal Ponies slipping down to the ground to get more intimate with one another, with their writhing bodies being completely ignored by any of the younger citizens still rolling around in hysterics. The sight of her subjects all losing themselves so carelessly before Chrysalis’ invasion was nothing short of disturbing for the captured Princess to see. But since her muzzle was still firmly locked shut, all she could do was sit and listen to her fallen husband while a couple tears of defeat beaded at the corners of her eyes.

“To all of my Crystal Ponies,” he said with genuine conviction as he stepped away from his grinning Queen, and presented her like he was a game show host revealing the grand prize for his subjects. “Let me be the first to officially welcome our newest leader to the Crystal Empire, and eventually to Equestria as a whole! Everypony, I would like to present your Queen in all of her magnificent glory: Queen Chrysalis!~”

If those pheromone bombs weren’t dispersed earlier on, Cadance would’ve likely expected to hear horrified screams and uproars of protest from how enthusiastically their Prince was selling them out. But with their minds thoroughly warped and clouded in intoxicated bliss, the only thing the Alicorn heard in response to Shining’s declaration were strong rounds of applause and cheering among the Crystal Ponies’ incessant moans and giggles. The crowd gathered before Chrysalis’ hooves were as disorganized and carnal as one would expect from a group who had been laced with Changeling pheromones; but from the new Queen’s perspective, she couldn’t have looked more content as she smiled proudly before her captured subjects, and waved her hoof regally to their unorganized applause.

“Thank you! Thank you all for accepting me as your new Ruler!~” Given how enraptured the Crystal Ponies were all acting, it was doubtful that even a fraction of them were aware of just how dire their situation had gotten with the invasion of such a ruthless Queen. But alas, Chrysalis still spoke out with unbridled glee as she stood before the crowd with a wide and victorious grin. “Changelings may have felt the need to change themselves to appease to lesser beings, but that doesn’t mean we can’t revive the former glory we once carried with pride! And with all of your help as willing slaves, I know that we can bring back our kind with a force even Thorax wouldn’t have fathomed! The Crystal Empire may be the first city I’ve claimed for myself and the Changelings, but rest assured that we’ll all be able to conquer this nation, and make a Hive that transcends the Alicorns themselves!~”

The Crystal Ponies didn’t even pause to process what their new ruler just said, and just applauded wildly while indulging each other even more in their inebriated states. As the mood among the audience grew more animalistic, Cadance could barely watch as she watched her former subjects rolling over each other and thrusting without caution. Mares and stallions alike were moaning out more intensely as random ponies mounted their backs, and started fornicating out in the open due to the effects of those pheromones. Chrysalis’ grin widened as she eyed the spectacle she created with great satisfaction, absolutely loving how deeply the ponies were succumbing to her inflicted actions. And since the only pony willing to stop her was unable to free herself from her bondage, Chrysalis paid no attention to Cadance’s morose state as she turned towards the brainwashed Prince.

“Shining Armor!” she belted out dominantly as she stood before the stallion, and motioned for him to follow her command. “As the new Queen of the Crystal Empire, I hereby order you to surrender yourself before the Crystal Ponies!”

Despite how horrified Cadance may have looked with tears finally streaming down her face, she was completely ignored by the cheering crowd while Shining Armor obeyed his Queen. The egg-stuffed Prince closed his eyes as he bowed himself shamelessly before Chrysalis, and spoke out pridefully over the moans and laughter of his former subjects. “Queen Chrysalis! As the former Prince of this Empire, and now your willing Slave, it’s with my deepest pleasure to officially renounce my Royal Status before you all!~ I am a Prince no more, and shall devote the rest of my life to being your Brood-Stallion! From this moment on, I hereby reject my Equestrian rankings, and surrender the Crystal Empire to be under your rule as Queen!~”

Even though she already understood how deeply her former spouse had fallen before the hooves of their captor, Cadance’s head still hung in unrelenting shame after hearing Shining proclaim such horrifying things without a shred of remorse in his voice. And worst of all, the uproarious applause from the Crystal Ponies, as well as the Crystal Guards all around her cage, only intensified the helpless dread which made more tears trickle down the Princess’ face. But as the Alicorn sobbed silently in her bondage, clearly anticipating a fate worse than death at the hooves of Chrysalis, she couldn’t bear to reopen her clenched eyes and see Shining bowing before that Changeling. Fortunately, that action meant that Cadance wasn’t able to see her Ex-Husband openly kissing the hoof of Queen Chrysalis among the entranced crowd.

As the former Prince’s lips remained firmly planted to the underside of her hollow chitin, Chrysalis’ grin couldn’t have been wider while savoring the applause of her momentous victory. But even with her conquest in check, the Changeling couldn’t resist lighting up her horn to summon some familiar items that were formerly in Shining and Cadance’s living quarters. Among those items were Shining’s golden-plated armor, his former spouse’s tiara, and a framed document that Cadance would’ve immediately recognized as their marriage certificate.

“Now then!” Chrysalis placed the items before Shining’s hooves, and allowed him to stand back up while motioning down to their Royal regalia. “Shining Armor, as your first act as my official slave, I hereby order you to destroy the items of your past, and show the Crystal Ponies how deeply you wish to relinquish your former freedoms!~”

Shining didn’t even pause to reflect on the emotional significance those items carried, and nodded his head with a prideful smile. The former Prince lit up his horn brightly with his pink magic, and lifted up his golden plating to hover before his compromised subjects. Hig magic grew tremendously bright as the temperature of his aura increased, and eventually caused the metal of his armor to warp and deform from the intense heat. With Chrysalis watching in approval with a domineering grin, Shining made a quick effort to destroy his most valuable regalia without any regrets, and leave the armor a useless hunk of metal that fell to the ground like a crushed soda can. The armor was something many of the citizens’ most skilled craftsponies created within days of Shining’s appointed rule, but there didn’t seem to be any horrified screams from the Crystal Ponies while it was being tarnished before their glowing eyes. In fact, their applause only grew louder after the armor was tossed aside, and Shining brought his attention to his spouse’s tiara.

Cadance opened her eyes for only a split-second, and instantly winced as she saw Shining preparing to destroy the crown gifted to her by Celestia herself. The moment Cadance reclosed her eyes and whimpered pathetically, she heard her Ex-Husband’s enthusiastic grunt as he pulled his forelegs off the ground. The egg-swollen slave didn’t even look back at Cadance before he lifted his body up high, and then brought his hooves down to give a brutal stomp to that delicate piece of jewelry. Cadance may have been fortunate enough to keep from seeing her crown being crushed under Shining’s hooves, but the metallic snap and crunching still caused her ears to twitch uncomfortably among the sounds of her subjects applauding once more.

“Wonderful, wonderful!~” Chrysalis used her magic to float up that framed document, and was quick to pull out the parchment that carried Shining and Cadance’s official marriage certificate. As she hovered the pristine paper before Shining’s blank smile, Chrysalis grinned evilly before saying, “Now then… As soon as you proclaim your marriage with the former Princess to be null and void, we shall continue the celebration so that we can be wed!~”

That time around, Shining did pause for a brief moment to glance back at his former wife. Unfortunately, all that the stallion saw was Cadance hunched-over with her muzzle pointed to the floor, and a small puddle of tears growing larger between her quivering forelegs. But despite how heartbreaking that image should’ve been to the Ex-Prince, Shining only sighed sympathetically before looking back at his Queen, and taking the document with his hoof with an affirming nod.

“Very well, my Queen…” Shining closed his eyes to take a deep breath, and then stood on his hind-legs so that the Crystal Ponies could bear witness to his massively swollen body. He held out his marriage certificate with both hooves while presenting it to the crowds, and then proclaimed with disturbing conviction, “From this moment on, I am no longer a married stallion! For I, the former Prince Shining Armor, am willing to show my devotion to my Queen, and announce this marriage to be invalid!~”

With a simple pull of his hooves, the marriage certificate was torn in half with a single rip that caused Cadance’s heart to do the same. Even with her Ex’s mind being thoroughly morphed and deformed by Chrysalis’ twisted whims, Cadance knew that there was no going back to what they had before. Shining was truly lost to her now, and there was nothing she could do to stop him as he gave away their entire marriage before the cheering crowds. While there may have still been the slightest glimmer of hope that she could be rescued by Twilight or the Royal Sisters later on, Cadance knew that the relationship she had with Shining would likely never be saved.

Flash Sentry tried to lean in close to Cadance’s cage to say sympathetically, “It’s alright, Cadance. Maybe you can be Chrysalis’ broodmare after this! Wouldn’t that be nice?~”

If her heart and soul weren’t thoroughly tarnished by Shining’s debaucherous actions, Cadance would’ve likely had the energy to kick Flash in the face. But as she sat among the sea of encaptured ponies as the lone sober prisoner, all that Cadance could do was close her eyes and await her fallen fate. Meanwhile, she was able to hear Chrysalis’ booming voice as she called out to everypony, “HAH!!~ I’VE FINALLY DONE IT!! After years of isolation and failure, I can finally say without hesitation that I won!! I WON AGAINST PRINCESS CADANCE, AND STAND VICTORIOUS BEFORE YOU ALL!! THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE IS NOW MINE!!!~ AAAHHHHH, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!!!~”

The Ex-Princess wasn’t sure how long her captor’s maniacal laughter lasted for, but it rang on for a long while among the Crystal Ponies’ mindless applause and cheers. She felt her cage moving about once more, but she couldn’t bear to open her eyes and witness what had become of the Crystal Empire through the remainder of Chrysalis’ “Parade.” Instead, the Alicorn hoped more than anything that her daughter was still safe and out of harm’s way, even as she was being escorted throughout the Crystal Empire to endure the remainder of Queen Chrysalis’ celebration of conquest.