Chapters Eros was really getting tired of this.
Umbra had returned to attack th Crystal Empire twice before, and her third time was the charm. She successfully snuck in and destroyed the crystal heart. Which destroyed the spirit of the crystal ponies.
Gleaming Shield had gotten herself caught, and now Umbra was doing to her. Eros had managed to get their son out with him. Now he was being watched by Dusk Shine while Eros went about his vengeance.
His uncle Solaris lent him an army, and said to return with good news. He intended to.
Now, the day of Reckoning was upon them.
The Empire looked different, it was different. Gone were the colours of bright, beautiful crystals, now they were the black of cruel Obsidian. And more than that, the entire city had been surrounded by a large, black wall. And on top of it were armored figures, ponies.
Are those Crystal Ponies? Eros thought to himself. What did that monster do to them?
A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to look over at the guard captain behind him. A stallion with a white coat and black mane, a stallion know as Phalanx. He was the one sent to help lead the army in the Crystal Empire, the one who was the seniormost officer in the army that the soldiers knew. In other words, he was just as important as Eros was, if not more so.
"Prince." Phalanx said simply. "Not yet. I know you want to go in now, but if you do that we lose. This needs to be thought out more carefully."
Eros took a deep breath and replied, "You're right. When will the Trebuchets be completed?"
"A week from now, your majesty." Phalanx informed him.
"Are you sure they'll work?"
Phalanx gave a dark chuckle, "Please, obsidian is known for being brittle, a few good whacks and that whole wall will collapse without ever having stood a chance."
Eros returned his gaze to the now black city. "I hope you're right Captain."
The way back to the camp was uneventful, no words were exchanged, no attacks from enemy scouts came. Nothing. It was simply a quiet trek through the white snow that blanketed the Frozen North. Their hoofprints soon to be erased by the coming snowfall.
The army was camped a good ways away from the city, but well within sight of it. Far enough away to be unreachable. But close enough to be a threat should any try to leave it. Two hundred thousand soldiers were camped there, along with two hundred knights from Canterlot. Solaris had sent his best, and for that he had Eros's gratitude, with an army like this, he'd take the Crystal Empire back with no issue. More importantly, he could rescue Gleaming Shield.
With nothing to do but wait, he returned to his tent, and began again what he'd spent his days doing, maintenance on his armor and his sword. Oiling and polishing the metal to fend off rust, and sharpening his sword to make sure it would bring proper ruin to any who thought it a good idea to fight him. When a week was up, he'd be using these.
It had been three days, and while he was in the command tent planning for the assault on the city, the army outside continued to assemble the trebuchets they'd use to crush the city's walls. He was placing pieces on the map to show where the trebuchets would be placed and what units would go where when a soldier came into the tent.
"Prince Eros, a message."
Eros looked up at the soldier, "Yes?"
"It's Queen Umbra sir." The soldier informed, grabbing the attention of everyone present. "She wants to speak with you."
Eros's face fell into a deep scowl. "Where is she?"
"Outside the camp sir." The soldier informed. "We already have a unit making sure she doesn't try anything."
"Lead the way." Eros replied, his left hand landing on the hilt of his longsword.
The soldier bowed his head and stood up to do as Eros had said and lead the way out. Following the soldier Eros passed a number of tents, and a number of soldiers, all of whom looked ready for a fight. As well they should be, with Queen Umbra here who knows what she might try to do. It wasn't until he reached the edge of the camp that he finally saw the Despot Queen and her entourage.
The ponies with her showed nothing, they were clad in all-encompassing armor, carried shields and spears. All looked identical in their dark grey armor, but he was certain that these were indeed Crystal Ponies. Then there was their charge.
Queen Umbra stood front and Center, in a relaxed, commanding stance. She wore armor of steel plate and a red cape lined with white fur. On her head was an iron crown resting just above her curved, red horn. A mace hung at her right hip, ready for use if needed. Her face was set in a smug smile, a self assured one that portrayed her arrogance perfectly.
"Ah, Prince Eros. I don't believe we've ever properly spoken with one another." She said, voice smooth, calm and powerful. "I don't suppose we need introductions."
"No, we don't. What do you want?" Eros demanded.
In response to this Umbra crossed her arms. "Well someone's impatient. Very well. I'm no fool, and neither are you. The both of us are very much aware that I cannot best your army's numbers."
"If you're here to surrender then Don't beat around the bush."
Her eyes narrowed at this. "I have no intention to surrender. But I am willing to make an agreement. You're here for your wife no doubt." She gestured to the soldiers behind them. "And they, no doubt, would rather not die here. Even if I'm fated to lose I can still kill a great many of your soldiers before I do. And they will have to kill each one of my soldiers, all of whom are your crystal ponies. I don't think you want them dead either."
"Get to the point." Eros ordered, earning a scowl from the queen.
"I'm offering you a win-win scenario. I will give you back your wife, and an oath that I will make no attempts to expand my domain. In return you give your oath that you will make no attempts to usurp my throne."
"Counterproposal. You surrender to us and we won't put you back in that glacier." Eros suggested.
Umbra sighed in annoyance. "I take it that's a no."
Eros gave no response, and simply stood there. Result being a look of disappointment from Umbra, "I expected more from you."
With that she turned to march back to the city.
Once Umbra was out of earshot Eros turned to Phalanx. "How many trebuchets are done?"
"Two." Phalanx reported.
"It'll have to do. Get the soldiers mobilised, we assault the walls today."
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~"
Umbra had to resist the inescapable urge to reach down into her now soaking panties and masturbate herself to orgasm. She had a slave to dominate first. Hopefully, make her slave bring her to orgasm instead of just getting off to sexually torturing her.
Umbra was a cautious mare. Ever since she prematurely attacked the empire in her first attempt to reclaim it, she'd learned the value of caution. And as a result, she had fail-safes for everything, including the bonds around Gleaming's appendages.
"Come along, we have a lot to do," Umbra said with wicked glee, yanking forward on the chain in her hand.
Gleaming stumbled forward as she yanked on the leash attached to the collar around her neck, earning an evil grin from Umbra. Seeing someone so strong made so helpless was a real turnon. It made her feel strong, powerful.
Gleaming's manacles had been locked together behind her, meaning the only limbs she could move freely were her legs. And since Umbra had attached a chain to her collar to act as a leash, Gleaming had no way to resist her captor.
Umbra looked across the room, wondering what she'd like to do with this mare first. Should she put her on the rack and whip her? Should she put on a strapon and ruin her slave's holes? Hmmm.
Oh. I know just what to do.
Gleaming had absolutely no way of knowing what this evil mare had in store for her. Umbra had had several playtime sessions with her already. Each one had been very different from the others. So she couldn't even begin to predict what this evil mare had prepared. All she could do was resist, and even her ability to do that was severely limited.
She stumbled forward as she was yanked forward by the chain, grunting through the thing in her mouth. She could only call it a gag though it did nothing to quiet her down. It just stopped her from talking. It held her mouth open as opposed to plugging or covering it like a gag normally would.
She heard the scraping of wood against the stone floor of Umbra's sex dungeon, making her ears stand up in an attempt to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. But before she could determine where exactly it was, a stinging pain was lashed across her cunt. She let out a cry as she collapsed to her knees.
"Mmmmm." Umbra moaned quietly. "Delicious."
Gleaming tried in vain to close her legs and hide her, shamefully, wet pussy. She hated the fact that she loved the feelings this type of treatment gave her. She'd never tried anything like this before, she'd never asked Eros to tie her up, she'd never been spanked during sex before. She'd always been a little more submissive sure, but she'd never asked Eros to do anything like that to her.
Once I've been rescued, maybe I should. She thought before she could stop herself.
She felt her feet being lifted up from the ground, putting uncomfortable pressure on her knees as her weight shifted directly onto them. Her feet were released from whatever had gripped them, likely Umbra's magic, only to stay where they were, held up by the cuffs around her ankles.
Her ears dropped in aroused terror. Umbra giggled. "Awwe. Looks like my little slave has figured out what I have planned."
The sound of chains being pulled in by a winch could be heard, and her ankles were pulled up higher until she felt a sharp wooden edge press against her soft lower lips. She squealed past her gag as she was lifted from the floor by this cruel device, and her full weight was put down onto this edge.
She let out a long groan of pleasured pain. Why did she like this so much? Has the constant sexual strain finally broken her? She hoped not.
Umbra shivered as Gleaming cried out, her juices slid down either side of the wooden horse. Faust, she wanted to masturbate right now. But this was just getting good.
She cracked the flogger against Gleamings bare butt, striking the shield cutie mark and turning the white fur to red with the impact. This earned another squeal from Gleaming, who'd begun to drool past the ring gag which Umbra had put in her mouth.
"Well slave?" Umbra asked sultrily, running her hand up Gleamings side and giving her boob a squeeze. "Enjoying yourself?"
Gleaming only whimpered in response. How cute.
"I can't hear you slave. Speak up!"
She gave Gleaming another lash with the whip as motivation.
Gleaming let out another scream before shaking her head no.
"Well that's just too bad," Umbra told her. Whipping
Umbra continued with this method for a long while, slowly tormenting her prisoner until Gleaming's cunt was positively gushing her juices, soaking the stone floor beneath them. By then Umbra's own cunt was dripping wet and in desperate need of something to make her cum.
Umbra picked Gleaming up in her magic and brought her over to the bed, where she was bound spread-eagle across the mattress. Umbra wasted no time straddling Gleaming's face and setting her pussy directly on Gleaming's muzzle.
"Start licking else I make you scream into it," Umbra growled huskily. She needed release, and she wanted Gleaming to give it to her.
Gleaming didn't want to do it, but Umbra would have none of that. Gleaming was her slave, so she'd do as she was told. One great thing about being spread-eagle is that her pussy was exposed, and Umbra's whip was the perfect length to reach it.
With Gleaming stubbornly refusing to please her queen with her tongue, she received her queen's whip. Umbra brought the flogger up and then brought it back down harshly on Gleaming's cunt. Gleaming screamed, her muzzle still forcefully buried in Umbra's cunny. This made Umbra moan loudly as the mare's screaming brought unimaginable pleasure to the Dark Unicorn.
She whipped Gleaming again, and again, and again. Gleaming's screams brought out louder and longer moans from Umbra as her pleasure grew. After the seventh lash, Gleaming lost all control.
Gleaming's body spasmed violently. Her scream was much louder than before, much longer too. Her pussy began to spray its fluids across the bedsheets, staining them with her pleasure. And with Gleaming's orgasmic shriek came Umbra's own climax.
Umbra let out a long moan, her folds grabbing Gleaming's face as her juices drooled all over her captive. She rode out her orgasm on Gleaming's face, waiting for her orgasm to die down. Finally she began to come down off her euphoria.
With a loud crash, the door was broken in. And in stepped a fully armored Eros.
