Survival Through Resignation

Applejack looked over the crowd. They'd all gathered for the purposes of watching her say her vows. That, or to see her bowing to Zaka, or worse, to watch her pleasure him as part of the ceremony.

The shaman stepped up first. "Children of these striped lands," she called. Her voice echoed through the courtyard, as if propelled by magic. Applejack was reminded of the time Princess Luna stopped by on Nightmare Night. No nightmare could compare to this, though. "We come today to join the hands of our ruler, strong and brave, to one of a land he will soon save."

Cheering and applause rang out below. Applejack rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Zaka wasn't going to save Equestria, but conquer it. It had been explained to her multiple times that he was, in fact, saving it. He was protecting it from being conquered by someone who would outright kill all ponies, rather than leaving the females and children alive as servants. She had also been told that he was saving them from living a soft and cushioned life with no hardships to balance them out. While Applejack agreed that most ponies were significantly more lax than she was, she didn't think they all had it too easy.

"The groom has displayed his kindness, now, and so the bride shall make her vow."

That was it. That was the line. Bitch had told her what to do and what to say, and as the shaman stepped back, Zaka and Applejack stepped forward, with Bitch and the other slaves stepping forward behind them. Applejack turned to Zaka and vise-versa. Applejack lowered to her knees, with Bitch right beside her.

Bitch whispered her lines, and Applejack followed along, speaking at a normal volume. The shaman's blessing caused her voice to radiate throughout the crowds. "Ah, Applejack of Ponyville, do declare my typicality among Equestria. As Ah bow before my new master, so too do all a' the mares of Equestria. We are..."

She froze up. She hated lying, and she really didn't want to say the next few lines.

"We are to take commands from our new owners," repeated Bitch, gripping Applejack's hand.

Applejack took a deep breath. Her stomach was turning over in knots. Her lips hadn't even touched his tip yet, and she already felt as if she was going to vomit. She squeezed Bitch's hand and kept going. "W-we are to take commands from our new owners with pride in our hearts. Our bodies were made to serve their every desire. Our minds are made to anticipate their wants, and our hearts are want to please them. Without a master, we are without purpose, and Ah am no longer to wander in the dark. Ah have found my master."

A roar of applause rang out from below as Zaka's hand stroked her cheek. "I take you gladly to serve my whim, to please me with your zeal and vim."

The shaman stepped forward with her assistant, who was carrying a small bowl of body paint. Dipping her fingers into the sticky, slimy murk, she painted a series of stripes on Applejack's body, making her stand so that her cutie mark could be covered. The shame she felt was immeasurable, and she didn't think she could hold herself from fighting back and tossing the shaman off the balcony if Bitch hadn't been holding her hand so tightly.

"These two are joined forevermore!" called the shaman as the crowd erupted in applause. "To the first child of their score! Now it's time to kiss your spouse and allow him the fire in your loins to douse."

The slaves standing behind Zaka pulled away his cloak, revealing his cock and balls, cleaned, oiled and ready for use. Bitch, with a sigh of relief, pulled Applejack's veil aside. She leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his scrotum, kissing and licking it slowly and sensually. She wanted it to just be over, but the ceremony wasn't over until he filled her womb. If she could do that in a single shot, then she could leave.

Bitch helped her, of course, reaching down between her legs and rubbing her clit. She belonged to Applejack as of this moment, and her own vows that she'd taken decades ago pushed her to pleasing her mistress. She knew Applejack wouldn't enjoy this, but if she could make the experience less horrible, she would. In this case, it meant causing Applejack to be as wet as possible before insertion for easier access.

After a few moments, Applejack took the head of the cock into her mouth and sucked it down. Already having multiple wives and several slaves to pleasure him whenever he desired, Zaka had acquired a resistance to stiffening up, meaning she had to suck hard to make it stiff. Applejack had taken a few partners to bed over the years, but never one that was this resilient. He could probably last for hours.

And he would, had this been a lesser mare. Thinking about her sister, and how she needed to find her, Applejack gave everything she had, and when she came up for air after deepthroating him on the first try, the crowd was silent. They'd never seen their ruler grow an erection this fast, nor had they expected Applejack to take his entire length on the first try. Even the shaman's assistant had to pick up his jaw after dropping it.

The slaves that had taken Zaka's cloak came back with two belts secured with lengths of rope, wrapping them around the waists of the couple and tying the other ends to a wall anchor. Bitch led Applejack to the edge of the balcony and bent her over the railing. Even with the belt around her waist, Applejack was certain she was going to fall. This feeling was not abated as Zaka's cock slipped into her pussy, pushing her even further forward. If she were not tied to the wall anchor, and he were to let go of her hips, she had nothing stopping her from plummeting to the ground five floors below.

He pulled back slowly, then slammed forward, causing her breasts to swing around over the crowd. Her bells rang out over them as they cheered, tossing confetti and streamers and such into the air in celebration. Now that she was leaning over the balcony, she could see the crowd much more clearly. Several of the zebras were now engaging in sexual congress with their own slaves, possibly hoping to create offspring that shared a birthday with the royal child she would be gifted today.

There was little to do now but wait, and while she did, she tried to imagine a better time in a better place, where she could give consent without being under duress. She closed her eyes and imagined that she was being treated well by a kind stallion who'd broken an axle on his cart just outside of town and had bought her lunch in exchange for towing him to the mechanic. One thing led to another, and he'd stayed overnight.

It was difficult to keep the thought active, though, as Zaka was very rough and forceful with his thrusts, a large crowd below was moaning in an orgy, and a string of slaves behind her were being berated and abused by the private guests. This was no joyous day, but her own personal hell.