Vindicta et Iustitia

Hades damn that stallion. Umbra thought to herself as she marched back into the city. I'd have given him his precious wife back if only he'd agreed! I can always grab some other Crystal pony for when I want entertainment. But he had to go for my Empire too.

Umbra continued to curse that Pink-furred Prince as she passed through the gatehouse and into the city proper.

It was a glorious sight, her newly conquered city. All the crystals of the empire had been stained black as Obsidian, and those Crystal ponies who weren't puppeteered by those mind-controlling helmets were working.

Ponies chained to carts that they were forced to pull hauled ore from the mines to the smiths. Those in the mines were forced to dig, in conditions that were less than safe.

But as she'd told Eros, she was no fool. She was powerful yes but she couldn't hope to hold down an Empire on her own, so she needed help. And that came in the form of lieutenants, stallions and mares who were strong enough to hold their own, but weak-minded enough to be brainwashed. These Lieutenants were the slave drivers, they made sure that the work was being done.

But she also targeted skilled labourers in this manner, blacksmiths, masons and carpenters mostly. She needed the iron to be forged into steel in the proper way. She needed the masons and carpenters to do their work right without loopholes, intentional weaknesses or other forms of sabotage.

So it was and she turned her Empire into a well-oiled machine, and it was glorious.

She sighed to herself. Okay. I can't win this as-is, but the scouts say they aren't finished constructing their siege weapons, which means I have a few days. If I consentrate all of the Smith's efforts on making helmets and weapons I could increase our numbers a bit. Then we'll need some bulwarks put up, fallback positions for when the wall collapses.

She continued to think of potential solutions. She doubted she'd be able to win outright, but maybe she didn't have to. Maybe it was enough to make them lose. She certainly wasn't about to be a prisoner again, she'd win or die.

Goodness that's a morbid thought.

She shook her head to clear it. She needed to cool off a bit. And since victory wasn't quite possible, might as well make it hurt them badly to win.

The doors to her castle opened, and she strode through them. Turning to her entourage she said, "noone is to disturb me for anything until further notice."

There was no response, but she knew that the guard heard and would obey her, so she continued on. She went straight for the stairwell and began to descend into the castles undercroft, and from there to the dungeon.

She passed a great many cells, some with live prisoners, others with corpses, she bypassed them all in favour of going straight for the door at the end of this cell block.

Her horn lit up, and the magical lock hidden in the doorframe unlocked itself, and she passed through.

On the other side was an odd sight for a dungeon, a lavish bed was found in the middle of the room, with a chest on one end. But it didn't entirely lose its dungeon aesthetic. Against the wall was an X rack, with adjustable leather straps attached to each arm. A pair of similar leather cuffs hung from a chain attached to the vaulted ceiling above them. And along the wall was a rack of various "tools" for her own, personal use.

The first thing she did was magically dismiss her Cape and armour, leaving her entirely nude. Then she approached a wardrobe in the back of the room, and opening the doors revealed a generous selection. Outfits made from silk, leather and lace were hung from hangers, many of them corsets and leotards, others were very flattering bras and lacy panties that hid absolutely nothing.

After a few moments of browsing she made a choice, something befitting of her dark palette and "Queen of Darkness" aesthetic. A black leather corset that barely covered her bosom, coupled with simple silk panties that covered as little as possible. Closing the doors of the wardrobe, and opening one of the two drawers below she selected a pair of stockings, also black lace, that reached covered her entire leg all the way up to her butt, leaving her cutie mark exposed. Then finally, she opened the second drawer.

Inside was a selection of chokers, some leather, some lace. They were meant to go with her various outfits interchangeably, so she had six in total following two different types, with two of each colour. Black, red and white. Reachin in she picked up her black leather one, it had two rows of spikes going along its edges, and she didn't like having to fiddle with a buckle every time, so she had enchanted it so that it would fuze it's ends together when they met, and they'd part again when tugged on.

She brought the leather up to her throat, and brought the ends together under her mane. The choker hugged her neck snugly, comfortably. She grabbed a flogger, and she was ready to have her fun.

In the back of the room, a few feet from the wardrobe, was another door, leading into a small room with no other exits. She sauntered up to it, letting her hips sway as she walked. And like she did with the previous door, she used her magic to open an otherwise inaccessible lock system. The door swung open, and the captive, Umbra's prey, was revealed.

Gleaming Shield was less than happy about her situation.

Her husband had tried to warn her, going back at that moment would only get her caught, but again she didn't listen. She was too impulsive to listen. And just as her husband had said, it got her caught.

She was a hostage, a bargaining chip, an exploitable weakness. And she hated it. She wanted so badly to say it was Umbra's fault, that the Dark Queen had tricked her, but she knew, deep down it was her own fault. And now she was Queen Umbra's plaything.

I'm sorry Eros. I should have listened to you. Now I'm just a liability. Please Eros, don't give in to her demands for my sake. Please don't give her any…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door open, and slow, deliberate hoofsteps came closer to her.

She squeezed her fists closed as she pulled against her bonds. Her wrists however, were secured too tightly above her to move very much.

She couldn't see, she'd been blindfolded ever since Umbra had caught her, but she could tell that Umbra had prepared for another session of "fun". Much as she hated it, she couldn't deny that Umbra was very good at both pleasing and punishing a mare, and nor could it be denied that the physical pleasures that Umbra brought were good ones.

Gleaming had been naked for a long time, almost as long as she'd been blindfolded. Her only adornments were the restraints that kept her still, and the collar around her neck. Umbra had deemed her important enough to have custom bonds made, the collar and cuffs that looped her neck, wrists and ankles were cold, made of metal, Crystalline Steel if Gleaming were to guess, and were fitted to her perfectly. There was no looseness to them, but neither were they tight enough to restrict circulation or anything else.

"Well slave? Are you ready to properly serve your mistress?" Umbra asked her sultrily, the feeling of the tails of the flogger she carries trailing up her breast to her neck then off, reappearing on her buttcheeck and tracing slowly down her thigh.

"Go…" Gleaming choked out through her parched throat, "go to Tartarus."

The retaliation was immediate, the smack of the flogger landing directly on her left breast, eliciting a sudden shriek from the bound mare.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Umbra scolded. "Bad girl. Try again."

A second blow landed on her right tit, drawing another scream from the captive's lips.

"Well?" The dark unicorn demanded.

Gleaming managed to force out. "Go. To. Tartarus."

The handle of the flogger was forced under her chin, it's long tails draping down onto her sternum and between her breasts. Her chin was forced upwards by the flogger's handle, so that her face was looking at where she could only assume Umbra was standing.

"I can see why Eros is so smitten with you. A beautiful specimen such as yourself is quite the prize." Umbra said as she let the flogger slip out from beneath Gleamings chin, "But your attitude is terrible." The flogger came across both her breasts this time, the flogger's tails striking not just the tender mounds but also the extremely tender nipples that were there.

Just as Gleaming screamed her face was seized, and something was forced into her mouth. She tried fighting, thrashing and swinging her head hither and thither, but the Queen had a strong grip. Leather met Gleaming's cheeks, and she could hear the clinking of a buckle being secured behind her head, followed immediately by the feeling of the leather on her cheeks and the object in her mouth sinching down a little further.

Her mouth was held open, she couldn't close it, and she couldn't speak anymore either. But nor was her breathing obstructed, she could breathe just fine. She'd never been a kinky mare, but she knew a little about these things. Doubtless she had been forced into wearing a ring gag.

If only Umbra hadn't blocked her magic with that horn-blocker magic of hers.

"Now slave, we're going to have some fun~"