Fall of Equestria: Bruised Apples

by Schorl Tourmaline

First published 22nd of July, 2014

Set in the Fall of Equestria universe, Applejack and Big Mac must now make the best of their situation in a world now filled misogynistic males and under caribou rule.

After the caribou took over Equestria Big Mac and Applejack find that life is not as easy it once was. With their former family and friends conforming to the caribou ideal that all females are nothing more than property and sex objects the two find themselves alone in a world gone mad. As Mac tries to find some stability between obeying caribou law so he can keep his sister relatively safe and trying to keep to his own morals he finds that it is not that simple as Applejack's stubbornness and pride keeps getting her in trouble.

This story follows Applejack and Big Mac's new lives in the Fall of Equestria universe and was canon within the primary Fall of Equestria universe at one point, though it can still be canon to you if you want it to be.

Warning: The following work of fiction contains extreme themes which includes rape, slavery, body modification, degradation, misogyny, and brainwashing. The views of the story do not reflect the views of writer and are strictly fantasy. All acts of sex in real life should be consensual.

This story was heavily proofread and edited by several people, including Rylasasin, Aristagtle, Indigo Surprise (main editor for The Worst Night Ever: Part 7), and last, but not least, NCN, who helped me every step of the way to make this story perfect ^_^.

Orientation

Big Mac stood patiently by the front gate of his farm as he awaited a special delivery. It had not been long since the world that he had known had changed around him. The once peaceful land of Equestria had been his home his entire life, ruled over by two benevolent princesses named Celestia and Luna. There were dangers and hardships, but for the most part he had lived happily.

Now things were different. All of Equestria was under new rule, that of the caribou and their king. It all happened so fast. The caribou invaded the capital city of Canterlot, rounded up all the mares there and stripped them of their clothing, their freedom, and their dignity. They captured the princesses that had ruled over the ponies for more than a thousand years and reduced them to sex slaves.

As he dwelled on the event, Applejack came up to him from the farmhouse. "Ok Macintosh, everything is ready." She said to him.

Applejack was there that day; she had seen with her own eyes the downfall of life as the ponies had known it. After being captured, demeaned and defiled, she bore witness as the same happened to all who tried to defy the caribou. She also saw how some ponies willingly accepted their new roles: mares who willingly turned themselves to whores and stallions who aided in the conquest and rape of those they once called neighbors and friends.

After a moment of silence she grabbed his shoulder and shook it slightly. "Mac!"

The stallion turned his head to his sister in response to her touch. "Huh?" He said, being too deep in thought to hear her before.

"Ah got the room ready for 'em. Everything in it is boxed up and put away." Applejack said stretching her muscles out after all the work she did, making Mac feel awkward as he looked at her body. She was completely naked save for a black collar around her throat, an indication that she was an unwilling slave mare of the caribou's empire.

"And the bed?" asked Mac.

"Disassembled and stored in the cellar with the rest." AJ replied. "Are ya sure you're gonna be able to handle all this?"

Applejack was referring to the delivery Big Mac was waiting for, a group of mares. After the caribou had taken over, Mac had been placed in charge of most of the surrounding farms that had previously belonged to mares in the area, since he was the only male who had any in-depth experience in farming in Ponyville.

As a result Mac was now the sole provider of fruits and vegetables in the town which increased his workload tenfold. It was hard to keep up with the demand for food, especially on days when he had to let other stallions use AJ as a sex object, and thus Mac found himself reluctantly turning to the caribou for help. One form for additional help later, here he was waiting for four mares being delivered to him like a bunch of cattle.

Most stallions at this point would see this as something exciting. Four more slave mares to torment, abuse and fuck. Not Mac though; he wasn't like the rest. When the caribou swept through Equestria spreading their corrupted crystal heart spell Mac was not affected by it, or if he was it was to such a degree that no one could notice. To him the sudden change of attitude his fellow males displayed towards mares, as well as the willing acceptance of this from red collared mares, was more than a little revolting.

"It has nothing to do with if I think ah can handle it." Mac said as he looked down the road. "We need help if we are going to stay afloat. As much as ah hate to say it these girls are free labor. The caribou are even providing their food, at least for a while."

"If ya can call that food." Applejack added, leaning her back against the gate. "Think they'll take to the way things work around here?"

Macintosh stepped out in the road, seeing a cart coming down it. "The black collars shouldn't have any trouble. It's the reds we gotta worry about. Get to your knees, they're coming." AJ quickly obeyed her brother, getting on the ground and sitting on her legs.

Moments later the cart came up along the entrance of the farm. It was being driven by two pegasi that were wearing armor that identified them as Canterlot royal guards, and pulled by two females wearing black collars and wing binders. Seeing that their coats matched the two stallions, and that their cutie marks both had knightly symbolism, he assumed that the mares were once part of Celestia's female guard.

On the heads of the mares were leather hoods that tightly wrapped around their skulls, covering everything except for one hole at their snouts to allow them to breathe and another at the top to allow their manes out in ponytails. Their arms were also bound, connected by leather shackles to rings pierced in their nipples which forced the mares to hold their arms up to their breasts. Lastly Big Mac noticed that the reins the guards were holding didn't connect to bits in their mouths, but instead wrapped around their necks just below their collars. When the guard pulled on them it cut off their air and they knew quickly to stop their stride.

One of the guards got off the cart and stepped to Mac. "I take it you're the one who ordered the girls?" He said, going straight to the point.

"Eyup..." Mac said in return, wanting to have this done as quickly as possible. "Where are they?"

The guard gestured Mac to the back of the cart. With his view no longer obscured he could see the mares that were gonna be left in his charge, each chained by their collars to the cart's bumper. He knew these mares, each of them being a resident of Ponyville before the caribou took over. Lily Valley, Daisy, Roseluck and Carrot Top, mares that had backgrounds in agriculture and would be skilled in how to work on a farm for the purposes that Mac needed.

As the guard went to remove the chains from the cart Mac looked over the mares closely. They were exhausted from their trek from wherever they had come from, but otherwise no worse for wear. Mac was glad to see that most of them bore a black collar, all except for Roseluck who had on a red one.

Daisy jerked away from him as he inspected the mares. It added another level of shame to Mac, whatever had been done to her must have instilled a sense of fear in her of males. Her attempts to avoid him however were thwarted as the guard pulled her towards Mac by the chain on her neck, making it so he had to catch her in his arms. "Don't shy away girl. This is your master now. He is going to run you ragged on this farm as a work bitch. I bet he'll wear you out in a week and send you back right back to us."

The timid mare's eyes widened at the thought of returning from whence she had come from. "N-no!" She looked up to Mac, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Please master! Please keep me here and use me in any way you see fit! I'll work as your slave, I'll take your cock wherever you want, just don't send me back there!" Mac had no idea how to reply to that. He wanted to comfort her right there and then, but he didn't want the other stallions to see him do it. Seeing no better option he simply decided to say nothing and left the mare's side.

The guard finally removed the chains and handed them over to Mac along with a key for the locks on their collar rings. "You're going to have to sign off for them." The guard said walking back up to the front of the cart.

Mac went to the front with him, the four mares now in tow. Getting to Applejack he offered the chains and keys to her. "Take them over to the fields, I'll be there shortly."

"Yes master." Applejack said with a nod. Getting to her hooves she took the items from her brother and led the girls away.

"You trust that black collar bitch?" The guard said handing Mac a clipboard with a form on it.

"More than any other mare in Equestria." Mac took it and signed it quickly. He no longer wanted to be in the company of this pony. As he did however he found himself unable to look away from the two mares that would pull the guards to wherever they would be going after this.

"Fitting, isn't it?" The guard said, noticing Mac eying the cart mares up. "To think we let the mares use us all that time to pull them from place to place. Now they get to know how it feels."

Mac had never thought of pulling a cart for a mare as being "used". More that it was a common courtesy since a stallion was usually larger and better built physically. He dismissed the comment anyways as he knew that it was not coming from a source that sought some form of equality but instead simple oppression. He handed the signed form back to the guard and went to join his sister, not staying around to watch as the guards cracked a whip against the flanks of the helpless cart mares to get them to start moving once more.

The group of mares watched as their new master came towards them, uncertain of what was going to happen to them. So far they had been raped, tortured and degraded almost to the breaking point. The only one among them who had any enthusiasm about the situation was Roseluck, who was giving the large stallion a toothy grin. She couldn't wait to be at the mercy of his sexual desires.

"Ok girls," said Applejack "Just listen to Big M... Ah... mean our master and everything will be fine. Ah promise."

Mac stopped in front of the mares, relaxing his posture as he tried his best not to seem intimidating to them. "Ladies..." He said in an attempt to be polite. "I know ya'll have been through some horrendous things. I can't say that I know how it feels, cause ah don't. What I can say is that if ya'll do as ah say and pull your weight around here then we can at least make it so ya'll live relatively comfortable lives on mah farm. Now are there any questions?" Mac waited a moment, but couldn't help noticing the reluctant expressions on Lily, Daisy and Carrot Top's faces. "Come on, if ya don't speak up now ya might never get another chance. You have your master's permission to raise your hand."

Slowly Carrot Top raised her hand and waited until Mac pointed to her. "A-are you going to rape us?"

Big Mac expected this. "No, ah won't rape ya, but I might have to let others do so from time to time."

Lily raised her hand next. "Are you going to hurt us?"

Mac looked to the ground. "I can't say ah won't. If you act up I'm spose’ta punish you.... and some of the things you will do on mah farm will not be pleasant. If I can prevent it though I will, ah promise."

Roseluck took a shot at the questions. "How often are we going to be used to pleasure you?"

"What did I say? I'm not gonna rape you." Said Mac.

"Who said anything about rape?" Roseluck replied.

Mac let out a groan. Not even ten minutes on the farm and the red collar was saying things that were making him irritable. "If you really need to have sex every once in a while I'll set something up. There are plenty of stallions who will be willing to take a turn with ya."

He waited for a moment to see if Daisy had anything to ask, but she still seemed a bit timid. Figuring that she wasn't about to do anything she thought could even remotely get her in trouble Mac decided to move on.

"Now that all that is out of the way, ah want to say what we'll be doing here. Consider this your orientation. Now I know all of ya and ya'll know me. Let's just take it slow and make sure everyone understands what'll be expected of 'em." Mac walked the mares over to the fences that separated the fields from the house. "For the most part this'll be normal farm work. Tilling the ground, planting seeds, watering, harvesting, stuff ya'll can do. The difference is that I'm required to make ya use special tools to do all this with. Bondage gear, devices that will sexually torture you as you work..."

"But you said-!" Carrot Top started, but was shushed by AJ.

"Ah know what I said and stand by it." Said Mac. "But there are just some things that we have to do if I'm gonna keep ya'll here. Ah don't like it either honestly, but ah think that you'll agree that a bit of this stuff is better than another stallion doing it all the time."

Applejack stepped forward from the other mares and joined her brother. "What he's trying to say is that while he’d rather things just be the way they used to be it's impossible as long as the caribou are here and it doesn't look like they're gonna go away any time soon. So to make things easier for us all we just need to do what's required of us. If we get our work done, have sex when we need to and do it the way the caribou want then no one gets hurt and we all can be as comfortable as possible."

The way AJ put it Mac couldn't help but see the parallels between what he was doing and what the caribou were doing. Obey or suffer, that was the option he was giving. The only difference was that he would take no pleasure in the punishments he would issue.

"Ahem" Mac said stepping in front of his sister. "Now that all that is out of the way I have to give a few warnings and explain a bit of how things work around here." Mac waved the girls closer and little by little they came over to the stallion. "Most of farm land near Ponyville now belongs to me. Well, it’s more that I'm sanctioned by the caribou to make sure food is grown to keep things going 'round here. We grow everything here. Apples, carrots, celery stalks, you name it and we have it."

Some of the mares were beginning to get interested in what Mac was saying. Daisy, despite her earlier timidity, finally raised her hand. "Master... could it be possible that we grow a flower garden?"

Mac smiled, glad to see the mare come out of her shell. "If ya do what you're told ah don't see any reason why not. I'm allowed to reward good behavior. Just think of it as a bit of incentive." Mac turned back to the fields. "As ah was saying we grow everything, but one part of that is a field of pods over there."

The stallion pointed to a bunch of large green plants. "Those are tentacle plants that we grow for the caribou for Celes-" Mac covered his mouth, cutting himself short. The old world phrasing of using Celestia as some sort of all-knowing deity was not very welcome by ponies nowadays, but old habits were hard to break. "Ah mean for 'who' knows what. If any of you have to work anywhere near that field you will be assigned plugs to stick in yourselves for protection. If one grabs ya just relax and wait for it to release ya, they tend to give up if they can't find a hole."

Moving down the fences a bit Mac stopped and pointed to a farm in the distance that Carrot Top recognized as the one that’d been her own. "That up there is the only piece of farm land that I'm not in charge of. It's an animal farm ran by Fluttershy. There's all sorts of creatures there, including dangerous ones. Best if y'all stay far away from there."

Stepping away from the fence he led the mares to the farmhouse. "The last part of the tour is the house. Inside the barn is all the equipment I'll be teaching ya'll to use over the next few days. As I said before most of it's bondage gear that has been re-purposed as farming equipment." Mac looked to his sister, who had been patiently following the stallion in case he needed her. He had never been one for long conversations or speeches. "AJ, go ahead and do what you can in field thirteen today. I'm gonna show the girls where they'll be staying."

"Ya sure master?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, ah can handle this." said Mac as he walked off with his group of newly acquired slave mares.

Mac opened the door to the main house and beckoned the girls inside. They were still not very sure what to make of this all. On the one hand it seemed like Mac was trying to be nice to them, but on the other hand he was telling them right to their faces that he was going to make them do things they didn't want to. Roseluck was the only one who had a grin on her face; the idea of the sexualized farm equipment and having the powerful stallion fill her with his shaft intensely excited her.

Going over to the door to Applejack's room Mac opened it for the group. The room was completely vacant save for four large cushions that sat on the floor. A twinge of grief hit Mac as he looked inside. He had never seen his sister's room so empty. "This will be where ya'll will be staying."

Lily was the first to take a peek in the room. "We get to stay inside?"

"Eyup" Mac replied.

"And there won't be any chains?" asked Carrot Top.

"Eyup" Mac reiterated.

"And we get to sleep on these cushions?" said Roseluck. Even she was grateful to have a nice place to sleep at night. The only time she had gotten a soft place to lay her head was if she had just got done fucking a stallion and that was only if he didn't kick her out of bed immediately after.

"Eyup" Mac said one last time. As the three girls stepped inside to look at their new living conditions, a light sob entered Mac's ears. "Is something wrong?" Mac said as he turned to Daisy, who was rubbing tears from her eyes. Mac placed his hands on her shoulders and knelt down to put his eye level to hers.

"I...I'm j...just..." The pink furred, green haired mare tossed herself at Macintosh and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So ha... ha... hap...py!" She cried out loudly. Mac, caught off guard by the Daisy's actions, was stunned. Slowly, not wanting to startle the mare, he wrapped his arms around her body.

"You have no idea what it was like! They ripped me from my home, stripped me in front of stallions who only encouraged them, raped me again and again and beat me when I wasn't good enough!" She said, reliving the events since the fall, her tears soaking the shoulder of Mac's shirt. "They said a week ago that I wasn't learning fast enough. That they were going to make me a purple!"

Mac's heart sank at her words. The act of "making a mare a purple" was a term used when a stallion planned to cause a mare such mental trauma that it broke them. Usually brought on by extreme amounts of sexual torture, a mare would become mentally damaged to the point that all they could think about was sex. They would then get a purple collar to represent this condition. While the purple collar was an indicator of any mental incapacity, the majority of mares wearing them were broken into them.

Thinking back, Mac recalled that he had sent his request for additional help roughly a week ago and it would seem that he had sent it just in time to save the mare. Then again, it could just as easily have been a cruel trick Daisy's keepers pulled on her to break her will since they knew she would leave soon.

"It's ok. You're safe. Ah won’t let that happen to you." Mac stroked her hair as he comforted the mare. He could tell that she was in a fragile state and it would take some time to repair the damage, if it would ever heal. For now he just let her keep her hold on him. After an uncomfortable amount of time she released the stallion and wiped her eyes clear of tears, snorting and whimpering still as she recovered from her onset of emotions.

"Daisy... I want ya to go in to room and rest. We can start your training tomorrow." said Mac, as much as he wanted to just let her rest for as long as she liked after such an ordeal the mare was no more exempt from her duties as a slave than any other mare in Equestria.

"Thank you master." said Daisy.

"Ya don't have to say that. Not when we're alone. Call me Mac." The stallion said.

"I-I couldn't!" Daisy objected.

Understanding her mindset Mac gave another option. "Then call me 'sir'." Mac liked that word better. It had a sense of respect to it, but lacked the implication of ownership.

"Yes sir." Daisy said, the word fitting her liking as well. She then entered the bedroom with the others and found herself a cushion to call her new bed.

Mac left the mares to their own devices, feeling a bit satisfied that he made at least a small difference in one of their lives. Having dealt with his new work crew, he was ready to join with his sister in the fields. The girls would soon have more work than they could handle and one more day with just him and his sister wouldn't make too much of a difference. But before he could make his way to Applejack, the stallion noticed the little flag on his mailbox was up; the mail mare had been by.

He went directly to the mailbox, slipping out the envelopes within it. Flipping through them he saw what he had come to expect: bills, letters from his family, ads for several businesses in the surrounding area covered in images of naked mares in pose. It was only when he reached the last envelope that he found something that made him freeze. On it in bold red letters was "Letter of Request". Tearing the envelope open he quickly pulled out the papers within. This was not the first time he received one of these. It meant that someone had gotten official authorization from the caribou to use Applejack for a day. Most mares wouldn’t be subject to this kind of treatment; the caribou laws treated them as property of their masters, and they could only be used if permitted by their owners. But Applejack, as one of the former elements of harmony, was deemed to have special community interest in humiliating her.

Skimming over the useless legal jargon he got right to the important parts. The place: Ponyville Square, the date: three weeks from then, the ponies who made the request: Flim and Flam. Mac couldn't believe the audacity of the two stallions. Doing this was like telling Mac to his face that they were going to abuse his sister and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. He crumpled the request form in his hands, infuriated, yet unable to stop what had been set in motion.

Mare Breakers

Author's Notes:

It has come to my attention that several people wanted to read this story are wanting to know only the story and not the "pure clop" parts. Because of this I am putting a small note here to allow these people to know when they can skip ahead to the next chapter (when it is posted) because the rest of the chapter in mostly fetish material.

At the line that starts with "The two brothers were greeted...." You may stop reading. The next chapter will be more story based, I just want put this here to make sure that those who are only interested in where the plot is going don't see too much of something that offends them.

The sounds of hammers striking wood echoed through the town of Ponyville. It was early, the sun still half-hidden beneath the horizon, as several stallions worked hard to erect a large wooden stage in the center of town. “That’s it boys, put your backs into it,” said a yellow unicorn stallion with a peppermint striped mane and red mustache. “These products don’t sell themselves, and we need this thing ready to go by 10 o’clock.”

“Yeah, yeah, we got it,” said a black pegasus male as he nailed a sign that had the words “Mare Breakers” written on it to the truss of the stage. “You know, if you would lend a hand this would be done quicker.”

“I would but I am afraid that I have a bad back, my good sir,” Flam said, as he tried to slide out of responsibility.

The pegasus grumbled. “That doesn't seem to affect your libido...” he muttered to himself as he looked at a small, naked, cream-colored earth mare wearing a black collar who had her lips wrapped around the unicorn's cock. “What about that brother of yours. Why isn’t he helping?”

“Ah, but he is. He is busy taking care of the cow we brought with us.” Flam replied.

The pegasus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I bet he is....”

Flam dismissed the pony’s gripes. As far as he was concerned the pegasus was getting paid, so if he wanted to work him like a mare it was fine. The salespony put his hands on the head of the mare sucking his shaft and gripped her hair firmly so he could pump into her mouth as he turned his gaze to the west, taking in the natural sunrise. Ever since King Dainn made the princesses his bitches the sun and moon were left to rise and set at their own accord. Flam always felt a bit of satisfaction at the thought of the once proud monarchs being brought to their knees. It was good being a male, and today would allow him and his brother to reap the benefits of their gender.

“Any moment now...” The salespony said with anticipation as he watched the sun rise higher and higher, making sure to keep his eyes on the dirt path just beneath it. Before long, he noticed two black dots on the horizon. Flam's excitement got the better of him and he pulled out to shoot his wad right in the mare's face, covering it partly as she let out a small cry of discontent. "Get backstage, I have business to attend to." Flam said to the girl. She nodded in response her master's words and got to her hooves, running full speed to the stage.

---

Applejack and Big Macintosh walked down the dusty path to Ponyville. Big Mac had on a black and white button-up plaid shirt with a pair of blue jeans. His sister wore nothing but her black collar around her neck and an indignant look on her face as he led her by a leash.

The large stallion looked over to his younger sister. He hated to do this, but it had to be done if the caribou were to let him be her “master”. It was more of an honorary title really since Mac was more of her handler and she truly belonged to the state. He gladly took up the role though as it gave him the ability to protect his sister from the kind of torments that were commonly inflicted to well-known black collars.

Nevertheless, the state control meant the stallion had to follow certain rules when dealing with her. Some of these rules were simple: keeping her naked, having her publicly disgraced at least once a week, making her have sex at least once a month, disciplining her if she acted up; these were things he could control. It was things like today that made him worry.

“Now AJ....” he said in a somber tone as they approached the nearly-finished stage. “I know this is hard, it's hard for all of us, but please don’t cause trouble today. Just do what they say and it will be over before you know it.” He hoped that his last statement would comfort her somehow, but he knew that it wasn’t much of a consolation.

“Ah know... I’ll try....” Applejack said, a small blush forming on her face as Flam came into sight. “but ah ain’t making any promises with them around. You know as much as ah do they are doing this just to get mah goat.”

Big Mac groaned. It was difficult for the all the Apples to adapt to this new life, but AJ was always the most reluctant of the bunch. Big Mac could sympathize with her; every day for her seemed like a new humiliation. But every time she fought back or refused an order it only caused more problems for everyone on the farm.

As the two ponies approached the stage Flam came to greet them. “Why hello my fine fellow! How are you on this beautiful morning?” Flam said, addressing Big Mac and ignoring AJ. This was the sort of male that believed a mare wasn’t worth his attention unless she was serving his desires.

Big Mac grumbled. He didn’t like that he had to be civil to a pony who had tried to ruin his family’s business not too long ago. “Look here. I know you got approved to use my sister for your show. It’s obvious why you asked for her rather than anypony else. We don’t have to act like we like each other.”

“Why whatever do you mean?” Flam said, his salespony smile never slipping from his face. “I just felt that a lovely mare such as herself would be the best choice for today’s exhibition.”

Mac could see that the unicorn was as weaselly as ever. “Uh huh,” He said, letting out in annoyance. “What exactly are y’all going to do with her?” As the one in charge of AJ Mac did have the right to know how she was to be used.

Flam twirled a finger into his thick mustache. “Nothing too hard on the filly. She’ll just be helping us display some of the quality items that we’ll be selling to the stallions of this fair city.”

Big Mac could take a guess at what kind of things they were trying to sell, and could imagine what the unicorn and his brother would do to show how they worked. “Right...” He said as he put out his hand to let Flam take the leash.

The unicorn reached out, pleased to no end that he would be able to control Applejack, if only for the day. Just as his fingers touched the leash, Mac closed his hand and pulled it back. “Hey!” Flam yelped, his surprise and frustration breaking through his previously slick expression.

“Ground rules.” Mac said smugly, taking enjoyment in wiping that grin off of Flam’s face. “This is not one of my sister’s sex days. Ah don’t want you, your brother or any of the stallions that'll be here to use her. You can touch, put things in her, you can make her do whatever you want, but ah don’t want a dick anywhere near her- “ Mac’s voice fumbled as he glanced over at his sister “…areas.” Compared to what they were probably going to do the request was a small concession, but at least it saved AJ from the humiliation of being raped on stage. “Also I want her back the way she came. No piercings, no scars, if I see so much as a bruise...”

Flam lifted a hand dismissively. “My good sir, I wouldn’t dream about harming a hair on her pretty head. It will be a simple demonstration. Now, if you would...” Flam put out his hand, waiting for the leash. Big Mac sighed, but he knew he really didn’t have a choice. He had said his piece and if he refused Flam could report him for not following a government-approved request. Reluctantly he placed the loop of his sister’s leash around the salespony’s fingers.

---

Applejack watched her brother go back down the dirt road to the farm. She knew that he didn’t want to leave her here alone, but even if AJ was being abused and disgraced there were chores that had to get done. Swallowing her emotions and steeling herself for what was to come, she turned to the unicorn that now held her leash. “Well ya got me.” She said crossing her arms across her chest. “So what are ya plannin’ on doing?”

“Eager to get to work I see. An admirable trait for a slave.” Flam said as he gave the leash a hard tug, the force against AJ’s neck causing her to stumble forward a bit. “But your attitude leaves a bit to be desired. Normally I would give a bitch like you a firm paddling, but today that kind of disposition is perfect.”

“What?” Applejack was confused. Usually her demeanor would earn her a nipple twist or a slap on the ass and she had expected it tenfold from the Flim-Flam brothers. He made it sound like he wanted her to misbehave.

“Don’t strain your stupid little brain over it, just come with me and we’ll get you ready for your role in today’s activities.” Flam tugged on the leash again, this time lightly enough to just tell her to follow. “Oh, and if you are going to cross your arms then put them under your breasts.” AJ wanted to tell him exactly where she’d like to put them. But, remembering Big Mac’s request, she stifled herself and did as she was told. Placing her arms under her ample tits she couldn’t help but push them up slightly, putting on exactly the kind of show the unicorn wanted.

Flam led Applejack to the stage and up a set of stairs to enter the backstage area. Passing through a curtain she could see several crates stacked up one on top of the other, each of them bearing a logo print that said “Mare Breaker Inc”. With a name like that she could assume whatever it was inside them wasn’t pleasant. Before her thoughts could turn to specifics, Flam hurried her past them.

On the other side of the large stack of crates AJ finally spotted the other half of the salespony pair. Sitting in a folding chair was Flim, his pants unzipped and his erect cock out as a mare on her knees in front of him did her best to orally satisfy him. Applejack was shocked to see that the mare with her face buried in his crotch was Rarity.

Rarity had been not been in Ponyville for some time after she was ordered to go to Canterlot to design something for King Dainn. From what Applejack had heard, Rarity was punished for displeasing the king and sent to the mare dump as punishment. As she looked the unicorn over, she could see that Rarity was much the worse for wear: her mane and fur were mussed and matted with dirt, her hooves unkempt and cracked.

Long ago, the sight of her friend in such a state would have saddened Applejack. But the red collar around her neck, and what it meant, removed any sympathy the earth mare might’ve felt. The red collar was a representation of what AJ hated the most. The mares that wore them had willingly given themselves as slaves to the males. They took the whip across their skin, fucked stallions until they passed out, and crawled like pets while wearing a smile and begging for more.

There were a few exceptions. Fluttershy had always been timid, and just did what she was told. Pinkie Pie’s mind had snapped during the takeover, and she could hardly be blamed for what she did to get by. But the majority of red collars were sluts and whores that AJ felt helped bring about the fall of Equestria. Rarity was no different.

“Look alive, Flim,” said Flam to his brother. “Our other volunteer has arrived.”

“One moment brother.” Flim replied. Grabbing Rarity by her hair he pulled her off his shaft, stroking it a few times before dumping his load all over her face.

As the cum dripped down her muzzle, Rarity did her best to try and catch it with her tongue. “Thank you sir,” she said in a submissive tone that made AJ cringe in disgust. “It’s always this cunt’s pleasure to service you.”

“Of course it is.” Flim said, dismissing the unicorn mare and standing to approach Applejack. “So our second helper finally arrived.” Flim stepped close to the orange mare and without warning pressed his fingers against the lips of her pussy. “It’s been so long since that last time we saw each other. What was your name again? Applesnatch?”

Applejack’s hands curled up into fists. She wanted to punch Flim right in his smug, smiling face. She wanted to break his horn off and shove in his ass to make him feel even a fraction of the violation that a mare felt on a daily basis. But she remained still, knowing it wasn’t just her that’d be punished. She might walk away with just a few whip marks and a pussy full of jizz, but there were others she had to think about. Holding back her anger, she trembled as she let the stallion rub her slit, quietly replying to Flim’s rhetorical question in an attempt to retain some sort of dignity. “It’s Applejack...”

“Ah, that’s right.” Flim said mocking the mare as he sent his fingers inside of Applejack’s vagina. AJ tried to escape him, backing up till her back hit against a support beam. Flim was persistent though and mirrored her movements, never letting his digits leave her body. AJ, unable to retaliate, was at his mercy. She took deep breaths as unwanted pleasure washed over her, failing in every attempt to drive the growing warmth from her mind.

Luckily for her, Flam had other plans for his brother. He gave Flim a light tap on the shoulder and said. “I know you're enthusiastic brother, but we have all day to play with her and we need to go prepare for the show.”

Flim pulled his fingers out and gave them a quick lick, taking in Applejack’s flavor. “I suppose you’re right brother.” Flam tied the leash firmly around the support beam. It was an empty gesture, since the leash could simply be unclipped, but the meaning was clear: they knew what would happen if she ran. Once their new plaything was “secured” the two brothers headed to the front of the stage, laughing to each other as if privy to some joke Applejack couldn’t understand.

“Whew!” AJ said let out a sigh of relief, relaxing her now aroused body. “Safe....”

“I hardly think you can call managing not to cum at a little finger fucking ‘safe’.” AJ cringed a bit as the familiar tone of Rarity’s voice, twisted with contempt, hit her ears. She watched as the white unicorn scraped off the remaining clumps of ejaculate from her face, making wet sucking sounds as she placed them in her mouth.

Applejack really didn’t know how to respond to the unicorn. On the one hand she was a red collar: a living, breathing representation of what was wrong with the world. On the other hand, she was once the earth pony’s friend and she had been gone for so long. Swallowing her pride ever so slightly AJ decided to at least talk to her.

“So....” She started, unsure of exactly where to begin. “Y’all’ve been gone for a while. Anything happen?”

Rarity hung her head a bit, a sad look going across her face. “I suppose rumors of my failure to please the king have traveled back to Ponyville.” She put a palm over her face, as if embarrassed being looked at. “It’s true! The cape I made for him was rejected and he sent me to the dump. I was fucked over and over by monsters and covered in dirt and grime and who knows what else. It... was... horrible. The only way out was to join these crude salesmen to travel around and act as a simple prop to help show off their products!” Rarity’s shame was apparent now, even through her usual tendency for dramatics.

AJ was happy to see that. Not because she wanted Rarity to suffer, but because it made her feel like perhaps the unicorn had seen the error of ways. AJ desperately wanted to forgive her friend and perhaps this could open the door for her.

“That place was filled with ponies beneath my elegant stature! My perfect cunt should be fucked by high society! That kind of place is more suited for dirty black collars who are too stupid to accept their place!” Rarity added in a fit of hysterics, yelling through some tears.

In an instant Applejack went from starting to forgive Rarity to despising her. “Well ain’t that a kick in the teeth!” AJ yelled as she lunged towards the unicorn, arms extended as she grabbed at the air in front of her. The only thing that stopped her was the leash on her collar, snapping her back as it pulled tight around the beam. “Here ah am worrying my head off about ya and y’all go and say a darn thing like that! Y’know what?! I'm glad that you were sent there! After what ya did you deserve to at least be brought down a few pegs.”

“What I did?” Asked Rarity, a look of nervous confusion on her face. “Whatever do you mean?”

“It’s because of all y’all red collars that we are in this situation! Mah family’s life is in shambles cause y’all let this happen! Was it worth it!? Betraying your entire race just so ya could be bitch to a king who will toss ya to the timberwolves if you mess up even once?” AJ was fuming, she would’ve wanted nothing more than to run Rarity’s traitorous face through the dirt. Rarity on the other hand couldn’t help but smile at the upset mare. Her smile went into a mild laugh at AJ's expense. “What is so gosh darn funny?!”

“Are you really still upset about that?” said Rarity. “You really need to let it go. You should know as well as anypony else that once the Crystal Empire and Canterlot were taken over that the caribou had won. Would it have made you any happier if everypony was wearing black collars and tortured daily?”

AJ didn’t want to say it aloud, but in a way it would. She just couldn’t tolerate what the pony race had become. Worse than being just enslaved, it seemed that everyone had tossed out all sense of decency.

“You know Applejack, Twilight supports the new regime wholeheartedly.” Rarity added.

AJ finally relaxed and crossed her arms once more as she scowled at Rarity‘s remark. “Oh don’t even get me started on that traitor.” Applejack didn't know exactly what had happened after her own capture, but it wasn’t too long afterwards that Twilight had become the invaders’ lap dog, and that made her loathe the alicorn just as much if not more than the other red collars.

“AJ, sooner or later you are...” Rarity stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the Flim-Flam brothers returning, this time accompanied by a blue-maned mare she had become very familiar with during her time traveling with the two.

Flam walked up to Rarity as Flim went to Applejack to untie the leash. “Open wide, it’s time for your medicine my dear.” Flam said to Rarity, holding a small white pill in between his index finger and thumb.

“Yes sir,” Said Rarity, opening her muzzle as wide as she could, allowing Flam to toss the pill inside so she could swallow it.

“Now Applejack, the show is about to begin.” Flim said as he took AJ’s leash off her collar. “All you have to do is be yourself as we show everypony how our products work.”

“That’s all... be mah self? Y’all don’t want me to smile or pretend like ah’m enjoying what ya do to me in front of everyone?” replied AJ.

“Not at all. We want the products to speak for themselves and we can’t do that if you are not being one-hundred percent authentic.” Flim looked over to the small black collar mare standing nervously behind him. “Coco!”

The mousy mare jumped at the stallion’s commanding yell. “Y-yes mast-ter F-Flim?” The mare stuttered out as she trembled on spot, obviously terrified of the unicorn. “W-what d-do you-.”

Flam put his hand to silence Coco. “We will be here all day if I let you finish that sentence. Just listen up. Get this mare dressed up in what we showed you before and then get the cow ready. After that, meet me up front.”

Coco nodded and ran off to retrieve what she needed for Applejack. Flim watched as she hurried off, keeping a close eye on her flank. “Cute little filly she is. Not too smart, but she has a tight little ass and makes the most delightful squeals when you stick it in her cunt.” Applejack ignored the stallion; she knew he was just trying to get a reaction out of her. Seeing his verbal attempt had failed, he gave her a firm slap on her ass, making her jump a bit and inciting her to make a small yelp. “Well it’s show time. See you on stage.” With that Flim joined his brother as they both went on stage.

The two brothers were greeted by a crowd of ponies as they exited the backstage area. The group consisted of mostly curious males drawn by the new structure erected in the town square. A few of them had their mares with them, an even mixture of red and black collars. The stallions had taken to talking among themselves about what they thought this was about. Their ideas ranged from a public sentencing of mares that were too resistant for their own good to a stage performance involving “The Weak and Powerless Trixie”. Not wanting to keep the crowd waiting any longer the two brothers started their presentation.

“Gentlecolts.” Flam started. “Have you ever had a problem getting your mare to obey your every whim?”

“Is your black collar giving you lip instead of giving you head?” said Flim.

“Does your red collar still sometimes act like she still has a shred of dignity?”

“Don’t fret!”

“Don’t worry!”

“We have just what you need to put your disobedient bitch back in her place." The two unicorns said as they went side by side and gave the crowd a smile that was so filled with sadistically evil intent that it sent a jolt of excitement through the stallions and red collared mares in the crowd, and a shiver down the spines of the black collars.

“Of course, anypony can simply claim that they have the answers to all your problems” Flam continued. “So to prove that our items are the real deal we asked for the assistance of one of Ponyville’s most stubborn cunts to prove that what we have to sell will bring any mare to her knees.”

Flam took a peek to the backstage entrance and saw Coco was just now directing Applejack to join the brothers on stage. “And without further ado, please give a warm round of applause to our spokesmare for the day... Applesnatch!”

AJ stepped out from beyond the curtain, now wearing several of the brothers’ items on her body. She was now wearing a set of thigh high leather boots that were tightly cinched around her legs with several dozen narrow straps on either boot. Each step she made was accompanied by the jingle of every strap’s tiny lock, and punctuated by the heavy thud of large iron horse shoes that were difficult to lift even for AJ’s powerful legs. There was no way she was going to slip them off until the brothers were done with her.

Also on the orange mare was a set of metal rings that fit over her wrists and ankles. They had been made of a bluish-silver and covered with a set of green symbols. Applejack recognized the symbols as caribraic runes, one of the ways that the caribou used magic. It didn’t fill her with confidence knowing that the bracelets had some unknown power in them.

“Ouch.... aaah.... ouch....” AJ walked towards the brothers, making sounds of discomfort as her face contorted in mild pain.

“Not so fast Applesnatch,” said Flim. “Why don’t you take a lap around the stage, really show off the abilities of your footwear.”

AJ grumbled, but she did as she was told. The crowd watched as she walked a full circle around the wooden platform, her face contorting each time she let her hoof down and occasionally letting out a low “Ah” or “Ow” as she progressively made her steps lighter and lighter. It was almost as if she had a sense of fear in what should have been a simple walk.

Slowly but surely Applejack made her way around the stage, Flim keeping a close eye on her movements. While he was enjoying the show the mare was putting on he felt that it was lacking something. He knew how to fix it though, reaching into his pocket and grabbing a rectangular device he had within it. He waited for just a moment, trying to accurately judge AJ's movements, before pressing his thumb down on a circular button on the object.

As Applejack tried to gingerly take another step a sudden sensation overcame her orienting from inside her groin. "AAAaaaAAaa!" She moaned aloud. She knew what was causing the feeling, a pair of small ball shaped vibrators that the small mare had her put inside herself when she was getting dressed backstage. The two small orbs rattled around furiously inside her, hitting against inner walls. The sudden surge of pleasure made her falter in her stride, jolting her hoof down hard to steady herself.

As soon as the boot touched the floor the AJ's pleasure filled moan was replaced with a sharp howl of agony. The next thing the crowd knew the mare hopped backwards, causing her other hoof to land firmly on the floor. Another yelp escaped her mouth and then she slipped, falling onto her side with a loud thump. As soon as she could she scrambled into a sitting position and took hold of her hooves, rubbing them through the leather that covered them.

An uproar of laughter came to AJ's ears. It seemed that the stallions found her had found her clumsy movements hilarious. "Look at the dumb mare! Can't even walk upright!" She heard one call out randomly. The heckling laughter and the undesired pleasure inside her brought a flush of rage and humiliation. Her face turned a bit red as she tried to recover from what had just happened; she had to press forward. She wasn't going to let this get the better of her. Taking a few deep breaths, she focus out any sensations and slowly got back to her feet, continuing her walk of shame.

“I suppose by now you’re wondering what the… point… of all this is.” Flim said to the audience. “Well, aside from letting you all get a good look at this filly’s best features…” The stallions settled down as they heard the unicorn speak, only a few still chuckling because of the ungraceful pony on stage.

Flam picked up where his brother left off. “Well some of the more astute of you might have noticed that this girl is having a bit of trouble getting around. Perhaps in more ways than one if her poor attitude is any indication.”

The mustached brother quickly went to the side of the stage and grabbed a spare boot just like the one AJ was wearing. Going to the edge of the stage he sat over the side.

“Now gather round folks and I will reveal to you the secret behind the first of many amazing products that you simply won’t be able to live without after today.” As the crowd came closer Flam placed one of his hands on the heel of the boot while using his other to turn the boot inside out.

“Now boys, tell me if you ever had this problem.” Flam continued. “You’re bored, stuck at home with nothing to do. So you decide to take your bitch for a walk, after all she could use the exercise. You get her leash, snap it on her collar, only there’s one problem: the stupid mare refuses to crawl. Now you could give her a good flogging to correct her behavior, but this is not the first time and most certainly not the last. That, my friends, is why you get these.”

As Flam finished his speech a metal spike jutted up through the insole of the boot, catching the entire group by surprise.

“Say hello to the Mare Breaker Brand ‘Mare Shoes’.” These expertly crafted boots are designed with the sole purpose of teaching your insignificant other the benefits of acting like the bitch she is. As the mare that wears this hoofware takes a step and presses down the horse shoe on the sole, the patented ‘Mare Breaker Hoof Spike’ shoots up directly into the soft center of their hoof, sending an immediate reminder to their tiny brains about what happens if they continue to act like they’re actually people.”

While Flam demonstrated the spike mechanism a few more times for the now intrigued stallions, Applejack made her way back to Flim.

“Consarned boots…” She muttered under her breath. After the little spill caused by the vibrators, her hooves felt like she had worked a full day in the fields. Worse, they were causing fluids to flow out of her in small streams down her legs and onto the boots.

“What’s the matter Applesnatch?” asked Flim mockingly. “Does it hurt to walk? You know if you wanted to get on your hands and knees we wouldn’t stop you.”

“Ain’t no way that’s happening.” AJ retorted. She wasn’t about to give the unicorn the satisfaction of making her crawl.

“Suit yourself. Far be it for me to stop a stubborn black collar from hurting herself.” Said Flim. He could care less what Applejack did. One way or another, the shoes had given him his revenge. “Time for the second act.” Flim grabbed the mare by her mane and pulled her up to the front of the stage so he could join with his brother. AJ made loud protests of pain as the spikes shot into hooves again and again as took quick steps to keep from tripping once more.

“Gentlecolts, now that we have your attention, allow us to show you another wonderful product.” Said Flim. Flam got up and went to the back of the stage to let his brother take over.

Flim, still gripping the bottom of AJ’s ponytail, turned the mare around so the crowd could get a good look at her firm flank, giving it a hard slap for good measure, leaving a red hand print.

“Applesnatch...” Flim said, turning his attention to AJ once more. “Bend over; the men can’t see that wet twat of yours.”

Applejack had had enough. There was a limit to the amount of indignities she was willing to put up with in a single sitting and the combination of her sore hooves, pulled mane, the laughing audience, the warm imprint on her rear and Flim’s stupid nickname had pushed her to it.

However Big Mac’s words were still in the back of her mind, reminding AJ that if she acted out it would not only be her ass on the line but the rest of her family as well. Biting her lip she simply stood there in silent defiance.

Flim made an obviously fake sigh at AJ’s attitude. “Don’t you hate it when your mare doesn’t listen to your commands? Of course that could always be because you're not using the right words. Let’s try again, shall we?” Flim stood with a pose that oozed smugness, like he knew that he could get AJ to obey. “Hey bitch! Bend over and ‘Touch your hooves’.”

Applejack noticed the runes on the rings around her wrists begin to glow. Feeling a downward tug against her arms she realized quickly what the enchantment was that had been placed on them. She tried her best to fight against the magic, using her impressive earth pony strength to pull upwards, but it was only a matter of seconds before the ever-increasing pull became too much for her and her arms were yanked down so her wrist bracelets could join with the ones on her ankles.

“Whoa nelly!” She yelled as the momentum of her body pushed her forward and made her lose her balance. Falling forward AJ thought that she was about to land face first against the hard wood floor, but the feel of her hair going taut reminded her that Flim still had a firm grip on her mane. Unable to stop herself she let out a loud scream as she felt several strands ripping from her scalp.

“Introducing the Mare Breaker Brand ‘Bitch Benders’.” Flam said, pulling hard on the ponytail so he could restore AJ’s balance. “These magically magnetic bracelets and anklets ensure that at the utterance of the proper keyword your defiant black collar will be presenting her posterior like she is in the midst of her estrus cycle.” Flim let go of AJ’s mane and then moved his hand to lift up her tail, exposing her sex for all to see.

Applejack struggled to get the metal bands away from each other, but she found it was no use. Even with all her might she couldn’t budge them. She was helpless, able only to wiggle and moan as she felt Flim’s middle and index fingers press against her tight asshole and slip inside as he relentlessly penetrated the mare. She had lost all control over this situation, if she’d had any to begin with.

“Now as much as I would love to express the benefits of these wonderful rings we really must be moving on, especially since the next thing we have to show is a real treat,” said Flim, pulling his fingers out of AJ’s anus. He reached the pants pocket opposite the one that held the remote for the trembling ball in AJ's snatch and pulled out a small cylindrical rod. AJ, catching a glimpse of the object, began to panic. She was familiar with this type of item, having had several used on her during the invasion of Canterlot. Not wanting to have one used on her again she redoubled her efforts to get free of the ring’s pull, but to no avail.

Flim was unconcerned by Applejack’s struggles. He knew that it would take the strength of a caribou runemaster to break free from its power. “Now I am sure you all have at least seen one of these, but for those of you who might not be aware this is a caribou stun-prod.”

Some in the crowd started to murmur to each other. “Now, now. I know what you are thinking. ‘Flim, isn’t it illegal for anyone but caribou military and guardsponies to have one of those’? Well normally you would be right, but Mare Breakers have heard the public’s demands and made a deal to have exclusive rights to a civilian model of the stun-prod we’re all familiar with. The difference is simple, yet elegant. This stick has had the debilitating shock setting removed; giving a mild shock that will allow you to show your mare who is boss without rendering her totally unconscious. While some of you may think that cheapens the rod it does come with the benefit of being smaller and lightweight, making it easy to carry it in one's pocket. Plus, it lets you do this…”

With great finesse, Flim sent the shock stick along AJ’s body, starting with a few quick jabs to her rump, lower spine and breast, making her cry out in response. While this version of the stun rod didn’t have the stopping power of the original, it felt even worse. The first time she had been shocked in Canterlot, it knocked her nerves out of whack and she hardly felt it. Now she could clearly feel the sting of each spark.

Applejack attempted to avoid the stick as best she could as the crowd cheered at her torment and heckled the poor earth mare. The way she stood bent over made it difficult to move, though, and she found it impossible to escape the electricity.

After a few minutes of this treatment Flim tossed the rod into the air to further show how light it was, catching it with his other hand and twirling it in his fingers before delivering a few shocks directly to her pussy and anus. The surge of electricity stimulated the mare's sensitive areas and forced her body to go into a powerful orgasm.

“Ok! Ok! Ya win! Stop shocking me!” yelled Applejack through her painful climax, now in tears. “I’m sorry ah was being stubborn! Please forgive me!”

She hurt. It wasn’t just the stinging sensations all over her body, or the sharp agony in her back from being bent over for so long, or even the thick metal spikes poking against her underhooves. Her pride had been damaged for having to apologize for the “crime” of having some self-respect.

Flim’s enjoyment was clear on his face. He turned to the audience, his victory over Applejack claimed. “And there you have it! Even the most stubborn and resistant of mares is reduced to a submissive bitch. This is only possible with Mare Breakers.”

The unicorn took a bow as the stallions applauded, taking a glance at the black collars in the crowd as he did. Their faces wore expressions of true horror. If a strong pony like AJ couldn’t resist to the punishment the Flim-Flam brothers were offering what chance did they have?

After taking a moment to enjoy the praise the crowd was giving him Flim returned his gaze over to the sobbing earth pony. “OK Applesnatch, I release you.” At the unicorn’s words the enchantment of the rings went dormant, allowing AJ to move from her bent position. She immediately fell to her hands and knees, too tired and sore to try to stand. As she struck the floor, impact caused the vibrating spheres inside her to be jostled out of her still dripping pussy. Flam took a moment to watch the balls roll across the stage floor before neatly stepping over her. Lifting his hoof he placed it on the back of AJ’s head and pressed down.

“Does the bitch need a break?” He asked as he pushed the mare’s muzzle to the floor.

“Yes...” Applejack said in a low tone.

“I’m sorry, you need to speak up.” Flam replied.

“Yes! Ah need a break!” AJ said in mixed frustration and desperation. She couldn’t take much more.

Flam took his hoof off her head. “Brother, bring the mare a toy.” Flim was happy to oblige. He ran backstage and moments later came back with a simple blue colored dildo.

Flim handed the phallus to the earth mare. “We will let you relax for a while if you play with yourself for our potential clients. You’re on the clock and we want our money’s worth.”

AJ scowled as she took a seat on the floor. She knew darn well that the brothers hadn’t paid one bit for her use and somehow she felt this was just another knock at her. Regardless this was the only way she would get a moment's peace during this debacle.

Looking over the phallic object she saw that it was just a solid piece of blue plastic about a foot long and two inches in diameter, not the worst thing she’d had inside her at this point in her life. She also noticed a layer of fluid or gel covering the object.

“Lubricant.” Applejack thought. They apparently wanted her to get the dildo deep inside her pussy. She found it a bit odd that they’d bothered, seeing how wet her pussy was at the moment.

AJ took the point of the toy and aimed it for her slit. If she had to do this she wanted to just get it over with. Using her free hand she spread her labia far apart. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes she plunged the dildo into herself until only a small part for her to grip remained.

The brothers waited for a moment for the earth mare to start pumping the phallus in and out of herself, taking enjoyment in AJ’s resistant moans as she tried to stifle herself.

“Your turn brother,” Flim said as he spotted Coco bringing Rarity to the stage entrance. “You show off the product and I’ll get our assistant set up.” Flam nodded and went back to the spectators.

“Thank you all for being patient while we got everything ready for our next showcase. What we have to show next will be sure to please. Feast your eyes on our next spokescunt, Rarity the uniwhore!”

AJ opened her eyes to watch Rarity come on stage. She wanted to see what degrading thing the Flim-Flam brothers had in store for the stuck up mare. What she saw didn’t disappoint.

A loud jingle of an oversized bell came to the ears of all attending the presentation followed by a loud “Mooo!” Rarity stepped out on stage wearing a headband in her hair that bore two small cow horns on it. All along her white fur were black splotches including one directly over her eye. To complete the “outfit” the unicorn had a small tag on her ear with the number “03“ on it as well as a large ring in her snout.

It reminded AJ a lot of Pinkie’s costume from the last Nightmare Night “celebration”. She too had been dressed as a cow for the amusement of all the males that fucked her that night. Thinking of it gave AJ a twinge of sadness; she didn’t want to think about what the caribou had done to Pinkie.

However as she watched Rarity in this situation she had to cover her mouth to keep from joining in with the crowd’s laughter. While the unicorn’s expression suggested she enjoyed being put on display in such a way, she wasn’t fooling AJ. She could see right through that phony smile to see Rarity’s true feelings of humiliation.

“Yes, this bitch is a sight isn’t she? I assure you though her appearance serves a purpose aside from making her outside represent what she is more appropriately.” Flam said as he pulled out a small case from his pocket, opening it to show several small, multicolored pills.

Flam pulled out a little white pill from the case and held it aloft. “Just a mere fifteen minutes ago we gave this whore one of these. Inside this small capsule is a large dose of female hormones. How large you might ask? Allow me to demonstrate.”

Grabbing hold of Rarity’s ample bosom Flam squeezed firmly, causing two small jets of milk to spray out into the crowd. The unicorn mare let out a low throaty moan as the pressure in her breasts was eased at the release of the liquid. The stallions in the crowds were pleased as they watched the unicow get milked, those in the path of the streams opening their mouths in attempt to catch the sweet cream.

“As you can see with this little pill your mare can become a pleasant little dairy cow just like Rarity. Increasing the dosage produces more milk as well. Make your mare go from a B to a double D with just three pills a week. She might suffer from horrible spinal problems, but all that free mare milk will be more than worth any pains she will go through. Isn’t that right Rarity?”

Rarity pasted her fake smile back on. “M-mooo....” Was her only reply as Flam continued to squeeze her tits for the enjoyment of the crowd.

“And that is not all we have in store for you with our fine line of pills. In this case are several other supplements to help aid in breaking your mare or simply making her better in the sack.” Flam removed his now milk covered hands from Rarity’s tits and bent down to show the crowd the contents of his case. “This one here increases a mare’s arousal, this one turns pleasure into pure pain, this one sexual stamina, one for intensifying pleasure if you want to reward your bitch and, lastly, one that sends a mare into a docile, suggestible state that will have her obeying your every command.” He said pointing to the multicolored pills in order of purple, blue, orange, pink and yellow.

AJ watched on as she continued to fill herself with the toy she was given. Her eyes moved from Rarity and Flam to Flim and Coco. Flim was directing the poor young earth mare to a set of shackles dangling from a stage rafter. Coco reluctantly raised her arms up at the stallion’s order and allowed him to entrap her wrists within the metal bonds. Once she was properly secured, Flim picked up a sign from the floor. He grabbed a small toothed clip hanging from the sign by a string and snapped it onto Coco’s pert nipple, making her squeal a bit. He then did the same with another clip on the sign, attaching it to her other nipple. Now that the sign was properly in place AJ could see what it said.

“Anyone who buys 100 bits worth of stuff can fuck me rotten. I love to take large cocks in my dirty pussy and my slutty butt” was printed on the sign in bold red letters. Applejack felt sorry for her. She must have been used by stallions from Manehattan to Appleloosa by now. It was a pity that such a fragile-seeming girl was the property of these two brothers.

AJ didn’t have long to focus on Coco, though, as she started to feel a tingling sensation in her loins. Knowing something was wrong, she pulled out the toy inside her vagina. The tingle quickly turned into a powerful itchy sensation. “Gah! What is this!?” She yelled as she drove her fingers deeply inside herself to scratch at the sensation. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was the two unicorns’ doing.

Flim, now pinching and tugging Coco’s clit to get it stimulated to make her juices start flowing, heard the farm pony’s dismay. “Seems she’s ready Flam; time to wrap this up.”

“Of could she is. Horny slut didn’t think twice about putting that phallus in her twat, even though it was covered in our Bitch Itch Gel,” said Flam.

“What?!” AJ couldn’t believe she had fallen for their scheme. Frantically moving her fingers roughly inside herself she could feel her inner walls getting scratched raw.

“That’s right fellows. For the mare whose modesty is too much for her to masturbate in public, the Mare Breaker brand Bitch Itch Gel will guarantee she drives her fingers deeply into her dripping snatch. Use it with her favorite oversized dildo to make sure that the sensation becomes an itch she cannot scratch.”

AJ had to admit the gel was effective. She couldn’t help but scratch to try to relieve even a little of the irritation inside her. Even worse, she realized that, as Flam had said, she couldn’t reach as far as she had sent the toy inside her before. She was hopelessly at the mercy of the brothers yet again. Her attention was so drawn to her aggravated vagina she hardly noticed as Flam came to bring her front and center once more.

Flam grabbed her collar and lifted Applejack onto her knees, her hands preoccupied. Keeping a firm grip he stood the earth mare up so everyone could watch her dip her digits into her now dripping cunt again and again. She could feel her pleasure build, even as the itching sensation increased with it. AJ kept up this humiliating display for several minutes, unable to stop her hands from their frantic work as the stimulation caused her pleasure to build. For the second time during the demonstration she came right there in front of all the assembled ponies, letting out several moans as she did.

But to AJ’s horror, the fire did not dim even after her forced climax, and she kept rubbing herself like a bitch in heat. She just couldn’t stop herself as the itch inside drove her wild. Flim and Flam chuckled at her display. “Seems like she needs a bit of help.” said Flam, reaching in his pockets one last time to retrieve a diabolical looking double-sided dildo, its sides covered in bristles.

“You, help your ‘friend’ out while we conduct our business. Give it to her good, unless you want to be in Coco’s place next time.” The unicorn said handing the brutal looking toy to Rarity. She looked at the device and gulped audibly; using this item was going to hurt. “Something wrong mare?” said Flam snidely.

“No sir, not at all...” said Rarity. Spreading her slit with one hand she used the other to slowly shove the object inside, letting out gasp and whimpers of pain as she did. Getting it halfway in, she got to her hands and knees, the toy’s other end solidly sticking out of her as she firmly clenched her pussy around the end inside her.

Flim in turn helped Applejack get into position, turning her in the opposite direction as the unicorn mare and bending her forward so he could line up her ass up with Rarity’s. “Hands on the floor,” he said to the earth pony.

“No! Gotta itch! Too much!” AJ replied.

Flim took out his civilian model stun rod and tapped it against her skull. “Hand on the ground or I use this.” Applejack, knowing that he would do what he said, relented and removed her hands from herself, placing them flat on the ground in front of her. Rarity, seeing her now vacant hole, moved herself backwards towards AJ until the brush-covered phallus lined up properly.

“Now just press against the floor and let the uniwhore do her work. Try to scream for the crowd, they will love to watch you suffer.” Flim said getting up to AJ’s ear. He then zapped her once in the shoulder before joining with his brother who was bringing out a rolling table full of the items they had used Rarity and AJ to endorse.

“Come on up! Get everything you need to make your defiant mare into a broken bitch! Individual prices are listed on the items. Buy the whole lot in a package for the low price of 150 bits!”

As the stallions came up on stage to make their purchases, AJ braced herself for what was to come. Soon she felt Rarity push into her, the toy in the unicorn's snatch sliding into Applejack as well. She could feel the sharp bristles scrape against her sensitive inner walls, forcing her to wriggle and cry out in agony. Rarity joined in her screams as she moved her body to slam her rear into AJ’s again and again as she fucked her former friend.

“I’ll take a set, I got a pegasus at home who will just love this.” An earth stallion said in a cruel tone as he made his purchase.

“A fine choice, good sir. Please, help yourself to the filly off to the side. Just try to allow everyone else a turn.” Flam replied as he handed the stallion a sealed box. The earth pony nodded and headed directly to Coco. Setting his package on the floor he unzipped his pants to expose his fully erect cock to the small mare.

Coco glared wide-eyed at the rock solid penis and spread her legs slightly, she had been through this too many times to think there was a way out of the situation. “P-please u-se me s-ir.” She said hanging her head. The stallion was more than happy to accept her request. Grabbing her legs he picked her up off the ground and slammed her onto his dick, inciting a blood curdling scream from Coco as her cunt stretched around the thick rod that was bulging her stomach out, showing an imprint that was heading for her belly button.

Panting hard to try to recover from the shock she was in, Coco felt the head of another cock press against her anus. “N-no!” She begged, but she got no mercy as the new penis invaded her rear. Sandwiched between the two she could only sob and writhe as they punished her tight holes. As she did a line started to form next to her, each stallion wanting a piece of the action.

Rarity’s eyes were beginning to roll into her skull as she relentlessly pounded the farm pony’s sex, her own pleasure building through the sharp pain. Gritting her teeth she made demeaning noises with each thrust. She didn’t care how bad she looked as she did, she just knew as a red collar she had to obey if she was ever to make it back to her former standing as a slave to the powerful. Giving one last powerful thrust into AJ the two mares let out a lustful cry as they came at the same time, the climax so powerful it threatened to make them both black out from the pain and pleasure.

---

Nearly an hour later, the last of the stallions finished using Coco and walked off, a terrified-looking black collar in tow. AJ and Rarity both lay exhausted on the floor of the stage; as soon as they came to, they’d been force to perform again and again for the waiting stallions’ amusement. Their bodies were splayed across the rough planks, mouths agape and tongues hanging out as they took labored breaths. Coco was hanging limp on her chains, her body covered in semen from the dozens of males that had her small body.

Flim and Flam sat at the rolling table, the pile of cruel instruments now replaced by a large pile of golden coins. The mares' demonstrations today had earned them quite a profit.

“Ok fillies, we need to get you cleaned up for the second showing,” the two brothers said in unison.

“A... another... showing...?” AJ managed to force out of her weary form.

“Why of course, the day is still young and we have you for all of it,” said Flim as he flipped a bit in his hand.

“Don’t worry though; it’s only two more shows before you can go home. I’m sure a strong mare like you can handle it.” Flam said sarcastically. AJ had nothing to say to that. No comeback or witty retort. All she could do was cover her face, hiding it from the brothers as she sobbed lightly.

A Hard Day's Work

It was late evening in Ponyville as Macintosh and Applejack walked back to the farm. Mac had just gotten his sister back from the Flim-Flam brothers and while she was a little worse for wear, her body shaking slightly from the shocks she had received and her pussy red from being fucked by a dildo covered in brush bristles, the brothers had kept their promise. Not a single stallion had gotten to AJ that day, though after hearing what had happened to her instead he knew that didn't mean much to her.

As they walked home, Applejack once again being led by leash, the two remained awkwardly silent. It wasn't that they had nothing to say, just that they had said it all before. Big Mac would voice his concern over her getting sexually abused, AJ would cry on his shoulder once out of sight of any other ponies, and they both would feel awful for some time. Events like the one that happened that day were so frequent that his comforts had passed first into routine and then into meaninglessness. It wasn't like words would take away her humiliation anyways.

They walked until they approached the fence that outlined their farm. Applejack took a quick look to make sure no one was around before placing a hand on it. "Hold on Mac." AJ said. Mac stopped and leaned against the fence, doing his best to look like he had nothing better to do just in case someone came along. Applejack lifted her leg up and placed her hoof on the fence rail. "Those darn brothers and their darn shoes." said Applejack as she rubbed her sore hoof, letting out a low moan as she tried to relieve some pain.

"Ah should've been there..." said Big Mac.

"Don't knock yourself over it Mac." AJ replied as she switched hooves, rubbing the other one. "Ya know if you were there it wouldn't’ve changed things a lick. 'Sides, you got better things to do than worry about me."

She was right, but that didn't make him feel better. Sure, he had a farm to watch over but he also wanted to watch over his little sister. She put on a brave face now, but he heard how she really felt when she thought she was by herself. Looking her way to give her some supporting words he caught the mare with her fingers deeply inside her pussy, rubbing them roughly against her sensitive inner walls. "Applejack!" He yelled surprised to see her masturbating in front of him.

"Sorry." She said as continued unabated. "That gel they used on me is still giving me an itch. Ah just need a moment."

Mac turned his head away as his sister groaned in unwanted pleasure. It was as humiliating for him as it was for her and he only hoped that nopony would come along to catch her in the act.

"Ah! Uuhh! Ah! UGHH!"

Mac's expression shifted to one of extreme unease as loud calls of desire came to his ears. "AJ!" He said as the thought of his sister fingering herself to climax filled his mind.

"That's not me." AJ said pulling her wet fingers out of her pussy. "It's coming from the farm."

Mac let out a sigh. "Then that means..." The stallion waited for his sister to start walking, keeping her leash slack as he walked only slightly in front of her.

Approaching the front gate of their farm the two ponies saw the source of the disturbance. Two stallions, ones the Apples used to call friends, had a mare bent over the fence as they were on either side of her ramming their cocks into her mouth and cunt. Mac shook his head and undid AJ's leash. "Go on to the barn. I'll be there soon."

"Yes master." Applejack said with a nod, keeping up appearances in front of these two stallions. As she passed by she got a clear look at who they had wrapped around their penises. It was Roseluck.

Once Applejack was far enough away Big Mac address the stallions. "Caramel, Noteworthy, don't you two have anything better to do?" He asked the two while they piston-fucked the mare.

"Well I do have a mare at home, but her bitch ass isn't nearly as nice as this one's." Caramel said, sending a smack across her flank.

"You're not trying to be protective over these sluts, are you?" said Noteworthy as he pulled his saliva covered dick out of the mare's mouth. Rose gasped for air, her throat now clear of the male's meat. "Haven't you gotten in trouble enough times for showing sympathy for dumb cunts like these?"

"Please...." Roseluck begged as she took in a deep breath. "Moooorrreee. Fuck my mouth more."

"Heh, see? This one wants it bad anyways." Noteworthy grabbed Rose by her collar and shoved her lips back around his organ, the mare letting out a squeal of joy that was cut off by his member entering her esophagus once more.

"It's not that." Mac objected to Noteworthy's comment of him being sympathetic. "I've learned my lesson about that. I've even set up something already for these girls when I feel they need to be fucked." Big Mac pointed to a row of stakes in that he planned to chain the girls to from time to time to keep other stallions off his case, especially Roseluck since she actually wanted it. "But you both just grabbed this one from inside my property. It's ya'll who should know better."

Caramel made one final thrust into Roseluck and let out a grunt as he poured his jizz in her. "Relax Mac, this one was waiting by the fences for us. You should've seen her shaking her slutty butt, trying her best to get our attention." The stallion pulled out of the mare and his white fluids leaked out of her vagina and down her legs. "If you kept better control over your slaves then we would've just went right past."

Noteworthy released his own load down Rose's throat, removing himself from her once he finished. "And you're not being completely honest Mac. You still go easy on the orange one. Why don't you bring her out here for a while? I bet she could use a good hard cock to fuck that stubborn streak right out of her pretty little head."

That comment struck a nerve. Big Mac clenched his fist and walked right for the blue stallion. He was stopped though as Caramel got in his way. "Woah, easy there. We get it, we're gone. Let's not do anything that we’ll all regret later."

The two stallions put their dicks back in their pants and left the farm. As they went away Rose picked herself off of the fence. "Awww...." She groaned, not yet being satisfied. As a slave, she knew that it didn't matter if she came or not, but she hoped they would've used her till she reached her own orgasm. Then again there was another male right there. She went over to Mac and leaned against his muscular chest, her hands clasped as she pressed her tits together with her arms in an attempt to entice him. "Hello master, welcome home. Might I service you?"

Unamused by her gestures Mac grabbed the mare, removing her body from his and turning her to face him. Looking Roseluck over once he saw no bruises on her. He didn't really expect any since red collars were for the most part treated better, but there was always that errant stallion who would take things too far regardless of if a mare was willing or not. It's not like the red collars would object to the treatment so he had to make sure.

Glad that she was unhurt he then turned his attention to a bunch of black marks on her white fur. He could tell what they were even before looking at them closely. Words had been written across her body. Small phrases like "Flower whore" across her face and "Squeeze me" on her breasts, as well as other derogatory words. It was an odd quirk he'd seen stallions engage in all too often since the fall. Whoever it was that sold black markers must’ve been making a fortune because of it.

"Rose, were you instigating them?" Mac asked, wanting to know if Caramel was lying to him.

The mare nodded. "I was horny master. I needed a good fucking and they were the only stallions around." Rose moved her arms behind her back as she flashed a smile and pushed out her bust, not yet given up on arousing Big Mac.

Mac on the other hand was more annoyed by her attitude than enticed by her sexual gesture. "You know ah have enough trouble 'round here without you drawing in every stallion that walks by like moths to a flame. What if they decided to go up and molest the others while Ah was out?"

"They probably could use a good fucking too. You haven't used any of us once since we got here master." Rose replied, not thinking about the words she said.

Already frustrated from his encounter with the stallions, Rose's whorish and unemphatic tone towards her friends only served to anger him. He reached out, grabbed the mare by her mane and pulled her close, shoving her face up to his. "Listen you little slut, I'm the one in charge here. Ah say who gets screwed and when and if ya' don't like it then me and you can spend some time in the barn getting your ass to match the color of your mane. Is that what you want?!"

Mac watched as fear filled the eyes of the mare as the realization of her actions reached her horny mind. "I'm sorry master, I overstepped my bounds. Please forgive a dumb cunt for her actions." She said in a hushed tone, practically pissing herself in the terror as she stared directly in Mac's angry gaze.

These words didn't make the stallion feel any better, but it was the result he desired. As much as he hated treating any mare in such a manner he was beginning to see that it was the only way he would get through to Roseluck. Mac took a deep breath and released her hair. "Just get back to the barn. It's getting late, ya'll need to eat and get ready for bed." The mare quickly obeyed, not wanting to bring up Mac's ire again. Watching her scurry off he felt a certain level of detest at his own actions, but he got what he wanted out of them. Shaking his head he followed after her.

It was only a short walk back up to the barn and when he got there he found each of the girls under his watch eating their dinner. The mares were on their hands and knees with their heads down in a feeding trough, eating the slop that was within it. Even Applejack had her muzzle buried in it as she gulped it down, not having eaten all day. The trough contained the mare food that the caribou sent him. It kept the girls healthy enough to work, but it tasted horrible and had to be fed to them like this to show them their place.

Mac, seeing that the girls were all eating well, grabbed an apple from a nearby barrel. Pulling a knife from his pocket he started peeling the fruit. Once the peel was fully removed he cut small chunks off and flicked them in the trough. Each of the girls had performed their duties on the farm well and even AJ did what she was told while with the Flim-Flam brothers. They’d earned a small treat. Watching the girl's expressions of joy as they ate the sweet apple slices he felt a little better. It wasn't much, but any way he could make things nicer for them was a step in the right direction.

“Thank you sir.” said Daisy, being the first one to show her gratitude.

“Thank you Master!” Roseluck said right after in such a way that Mac could tell she was just trying to kiss up to him.

The other three mares followed suit, thanking the stallion, though for some the grateful words seemed a bit forced, which didn’t bother Mac at all since they shouldn’t have to show gratitude for something as simple as an apple.

As the mares finished with their meal Mac watched what was once Celestia's sun go down on the horizon. It was time to put these girls up for the night. Grabbing a water hose from near the trough he turned it on. "Bath time. Everypony on your hooves." The mares obeyed and Mac placed his thumb over the nozzle of the hose.

The cold water sprayed across the mare's bodies, making them yelp and jump at the sudden temperature change. They didn't try to escape it though as the dirt and grime from the day was washed from their coats. Better to suffer a moment of discomfort than to spend the night itching themselves. Mac made sure to hit every inch of them and once done he was left with a group of soaked, shivering, but clean, girls.

"AJ, come with me. The rest of you dry off and then get to bed." Big Mac said. Leaving the other mares he and his sister went to the front of the farmhouse. There, right next to the front door, was the large metal cage that AJ had come to call her bed.

The cage itself was custom-made for AJ, crafted out of metal thick enough to hold the mare despite her strength and embossed with the words "Apple Bitch's Home" on each side. The walls on the cage were solid, only the door of it allowing a meager view though thick bars. While it did have the benefit of protecting her from bad weather should it happen in the middle of the night, at least compared to the leaving her chained to a post, it’s overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere was demoralizing.

Mac also had to be careful not to wake up too late, else the sun would cause the cage to heat up and cook the mare. He learned this from one time he used the cage as a time out box when Applejack started yelling at a stallion for grabbing her breast. Not even thirty minutes had passed when he went to check in on her and she was already lying exhausted on the floor from dehydration. He was only glad he could write it off as punishment for her earlier behavior.

Applejack crawled into the cage and curled up so she could be in the most comfortable position she could find before Mac pulled down the cage door and locked it with a special key. "Can I get you anything before I go in? A bowl of water? An apple?" said Mac.

"No, I'm fine. I just need to get some sleep and put this day behind me." said Applejack as she scooped up some of her straw bedding into a makeshift pillow.

"Well, ok then..." Mac said and went to go inside the farmhouse.

"Thank you Big Mac." He heard his sister say, stopping him in his tracks. "If there is any stallion I can still believe in, it's you."

A feeling of relief and happiness grew within Mac. The gratitude of his little sister was one of the little things that made all the trouble worth it. He went inside the house without saying a word, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Mac went over to the couch in the living room and looked over a bunch of papers on a coffee table in front of him, having set them there himself earlier. Sales receipts, bills, orders from the caribou and forms he had to fill out to give details on how he was making his mares stay in their places. Grabbing the receipts and bills first he looked them over. The farm was starting to pick up a bit now that he had help. This was hardly a surprise, given that Mac practically had a monopoly on all of Ponyville's fruits and vegetables at this point. He felt that at the rate the mares were working it wouldn't take long for the farm to get to a point where it could cope with the increased demands.

Neatly setting those papers to the side, he grabbed his agenda and a pencil. He crossed off a line that referred to Flim and Flam before looking over the rest. "Let's see.... Lily is gonna have to go in town and make a few deliveries." Mac thought about what might happen to her and envisioned her coming back with her vagina and ass filled with produce. "A request for Daisy, and AJ needs to get laid in a week..."

As he looked through the sheets Mac heard the door open and saw the girls come in. They all bid him goodnight and headed directly to their room, most more than ready to get to sleep after their work day. Watching them walk by he couldn't help but look over their curvaceous figures. He might have been able to keep his morals, but he was still a male and even he could appreciate the idea of having several naked mares staying at his home. It was a shame one of them happened to be his sister.

Roseluck caught his watchful eyes and increasing bulge in his pants just before she entered the bedroom and smiled back to him. "Whenever you want Master, I will be more than ready for you."

Mac snapped out of his day dreaming and pointed at the door. "Bed...now!"

Rose giggled. "Just saying." She practically sung as she entered the room after her fellow mares

"Ah really need to do something about that girl." Mac said as he leaned back in his seat.

Mac started thinking of ways to deal with Rose without having to treat her poorly when his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock at his front door. His zipped his head over to a calendar on the wall and his ears went flat against his head as he saw what day it was. He jolted to his feet and rushed over to a bag on the other side of the room. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. How'd I forget that it was tonight!" He thought to himself as he opened the bag. Inside was a variety of sexual toys and bondage equipment that he kept at the ready in case he needed it.

He heard the knock again, this time even louder as the person at the door became impatient. "Just a minute!" He yelled as he frantically strew the items around the room. A pair of shackles on the table, some nipple pumps next to the potted plant, an over sized dildo laid at the leg of the couch. After dispersing the items in places they would be noticed he took out the last thing in the bag, a cologne bottle full of female fluids. Mac quickly sprayed it around the room and over his body before tossing the bottle under a couch cushion and opening the door.

When the door opened he was greeted by a pegasus stallion in the attire of a Canterlot royal guard. The pony had in his hands a clipboard and a pen and wore a less than pleased expression on his face. "Mr. Macintosh?" He asked as he gave Mac a once over.

Mac cleared his throat and adjusted his posture to stand up straight for the official. "Yes, that's me."

The pegasus looked through his sheets and then looked back at Mac. "You gave a letter of request for one red collar by the name of 'Cheerilee'. Is that correct?"

"Eyup." Mac replied as he looked behind the pegasus to see the purple mare, unbound and naked except for her slave collar, which was red. She gave Mac a wave hello with her free hand, the other holding a rather large book.

The pegasus handed Mac the clipboard and pen. "I just need you to sign the form at the bottom. She needs to be back by 8:00 A.M. When you're done with her just send her on her way, she knows where she needs to go."

Mac signed the form and gave it to the guard pony. Giving it one last inspection to make sure that everything was in order he flew off, leaving the two alone. "Hello Cheerilee." said Mac.

"Hello sir." Cheerilee said back in a demure tone. "Hello Applejack." She said seeing the orange mare was still awake in her cage. AJ just gave the mare a small huff in return. She was a red collar, and after the way Rarity acted earlier that day Applejack was through being courteous to them for a while.

"Come on, get in here." said Mac. The mare obeyed his command and Mac shut the door.

Once Cheerilee was inside, Mac went to the windows and shut all the blinds. Only once they were all closed did the mare finally break her slave-like demeanor, tossing the book she had on the couch before flopping across it herself. Mac smiled and took a seat beside her. "How've things been?" He asked her.

"Same thing as usual. Few hours of training each day followed by half a day of fucking and sucking till I run out of guys that want to plow my ass. Then of course there are my teaching duties. I'm just glad to have a night's rest." Cheerilee said.

"Well I'm just happy to help out." Mac said, giving a smirk to his own brilliant idea. For some time now Mac had been requesting Cheerilee under the pretense of using her sexually, instead simply giving her a night to herself away from any of the stallions that just saw her as a piece of ass. He figured that if others were going to use the system to abuse his sister then he could use it just as easily to allow one of his friends a bit of rest and relaxation.

"So why d'ya have to go so early tomorrow?" Asked Mac as he stoked the mare's hair. "Ya usually get to stay for a while longer than that."

"Oh, they're having me take a test in the morning to see how much improvement I've made. Speaking of..." Grabbing her book, which was titled "Positions, Techniques and Etiquette Even a Dumb Cunt Should Know", she brought it to her chest and cracked it open. Cheerilee was one of the smart mares that had become a red collar because the alternative was much worse. While she wasn't exactly enthused about taking dick in her holes whenever a male wanted, it was better than being tortured and then screwed anyways. Mac knew she'd ultimately surrendered to the caribou without any fuss, having reasoned there was no avoiding her inevitable capture.

"So..." Cheerilee started as she looked over a chapter that was mostly excerpts from the "Pony Sutra", a sexually based book that was popular among certain crowds even before the caribou came.

"So what?" Mac replied.

"How have things been with you?" She said stopping on a position that had a mare on her side as a stallion lifted one of her legs over his shoulder while sitting on top of the other.

Mac let out a noise expressing how much he loathed the topic, but he decided she deserved an answer. "Things have been hell. Applejack has been causing trouble since this whole thing started. Ah can't really blame her, seeing how hard the caribou are on her, and she has toned it down a bit over time but if she keeps at it I'm not sure how much I can do for her. " Mac rubbed his brow and then continued. "Then the local stallions have been harassing me because they know I'm not going with the program, some trying to get me to do something to have mah farm taken away or even..." Mac shuddered a bit as a thought popped into his head. "Ah don't even want to think about it. Everyday lately I've been so stressed that I'm about to keel over."

"Well..." Cheerilee said placing her book on the floor before flipping over on her stomach. "I know one way we could release some of that stress." The purple mare reached for the button on Mac's jeans, but was caught by the wrist in his firm grip.

"Oh no." The stallion said with a somber tone. "That is not happening. The last thing Ah need is for another mare I respect to try and get at my dick, especially you."

Cheerilee pulled back her hand, Mac releasing it when he noticed her wincing in pain. "Relax Mac, it was just a joke." She said rubbing her wrist as she gave the stallion a glare that at once made him feel better and worse for the same exact reason. It had been some time since any mare had expressed anger towards him, which meant that Cheerilee was still herself and not the slut that the caribou wanted her to be.

"Well it's not funny." said Mac, now embarrassed he didn't realize sooner. "I just don't want anything else I care about to go to shit like the rest of this world. That includes you too."

Cheerilee sat up on the couch and gave Mac a peck on the cheek. "You're sweet Mac, but you don't have to worry. I can handle myself. I won't let them get to me and you shouldn't either." She wrapped her arms around Mac's body and he in turn embraced her in his strong arms.

"So this is the reason." The two ponies heard as they held each other. In the room with them was Roseluck. The mare slipped in when they were preoccupied with each other and was currently stroking her labia with one hand while groping her breast with the other. "Forgive me for saying so master, but I was beginning to think you were gay... or maybe impotent. Now I see you're just holding out for this slut."

Mac was about to order Rose back to the room, but Cheerilee spoke first. "Mac, who is this?" She asked, curious about the other red collared mare that was in the stallion's home.

"She's just a girl ah ordered-" Mac started.

"You ordered her?!" Cheerilee said shocked, thinking the worst of the stallion. As the world was it wasn't hard to picture.

"Let me finish!" He said, not wanted the purple mare to think poorly of him. "I was having trouble with the farm and I needed some extra helping hands. I got four mares-"

"There are four of them?" said Cheerilee.

"...And I don't use them in anyway like you're thinking. All they do is work in the fields." Mac finished.

"I'm afraid he’s telling the truth." Roseluck added as she sauntered over to the couch. "I haven't even had the chance to see his dick, let alone have it stuffed inside me." She got next to Cheerilee and flicked up a part of the purple mare's hair with her finger. "Didn't know my master had a thing for school teachers."

Mac got stood up off the couch, making the flower mare back away. "Rose, get back to your room and go to sleep."

"Of course Master, I just wanted to get a good look at the slave that has the privilege of drinking your creamy cum." With that Rose made her way back to the bedroom.

"I'm sorry about that." Mac apologized to Cheerilee. "I'm trying to deal with her, but she has been a handful."

Cheerilee grabbed her book and opened it. Any magic the moment had before had been destroyed by the intrusion. "Why don't you just punish her. That kind of behavior really isn't acceptable."

"Ah don't do that." Mac said before his thoughts returned that morning when he had grabbed the girl by her mane, as well as the time he put AJ into her cage. "Well at least I try not to..."

"I've been around plenty of red collars Mac. The ones like her are all the same. All they want to do is screw till they collapse. If you want the behavior to stop you’ll have to do something to make her stop. Otherwise this will just happen again and again."

Big Mac crossed his arms. "Is that your idea... or theirs?"

"Mac... please don't do this. I'm just giving my advice. Use it if you want." Skimming the book a bit more she placed it aside and laid down on the couch. "Let's just go to sleep. We can talk about it more in the morning."

Mac didn't want to just let this go, but in the end the point of having Cheerilee over was to allow her rest. He gave her a nod and went to his own bedroom. Hopefully he would feel better in the morning.

---

The night passed and Mac sent Cheerilee on her way first thing in the morning, only having time to eat a quick meal Mac had woke up early to make. While eating the two ponies remained mostly silent, trying to start conversation a few times before backing out of it, seeing that all topics led back to Roseluck and deciding it was best not to continue the argument.

Before Cheerilee left Mac gave her a liberal amount of sprays with his perfume bottle, as well as adding a bit of his own sexual fluids that he had prepared and kept in a jar ahead of time to the mix, to give her the scent of a well used mare. If those in charge of her had any idea of what happened that night she would be in a heap of trouble for daring to speak to any male like an equal.

Mac watched Cheerilee until she was out of sight. "Time to get to work then." He said, knocking on AJ's cage to rouse her from her slumber.

"Huh!? What?!" Applejack yelled out as she jumped awake. "Oh... right." she then said as she looked through the bars of her cage to see the rising sun. Mac unlock her cage and walked away, giving her time to get up at her own pace.

The others were next. Returning inside, he opened the door to their room. The mares were all sleeping on their pillows, all adorably curled up on top of them. Mac took a slight moment to take in the scene before speaking. "Everyone up." He said loud enough to get everyone awake.

The mares slowly awoke, stretching, yawning and rubbing their eyes as they got up and walked themselves outside. As slaves there really wasn't anything they needed to do for morning preparations, as they were just going to get dirty a few minutes later. Once everyone left the house Mac came out as well. Seeing that AJ was among the group he started assigning tasks for the day.

"Ok girls, fall in line. Just another day." The girls lined up in front of Mac, the black collared mares trying their best to smile for the stallion. They all enjoyed working for Mac, but the fact was that he was going to have to make them do awful things and staying positive about that was difficult. "Lily, you're going into town today." The mare shook nervously on spot, she knew what this entailed. "Rose, Daisy, you two will be harvesting apples from field twelve."

"Yes sir!" Roseluck said cheerfully as Daisy just gave a simple nod.

He watched as Rose took the other mare by the hand and headed to the barn before turning to the last two. "Applejack and Carrot Top, field three.... plow duty..."

Carrot Top let out a groan, but AJ put a hand on hand on her shoulder. "Don't ya fret. I'll take it a bit slower today."

"I'd rather ya not." Mac said. "The quicker ya'll are done the better and taking longer will only make her suffer longer."

"Geez Mac, any other words of encouragement you want to share?" said Applejack, not pleased with how he phrased his thoughts.

"No, he's right. We need to get this done and over with. I can take it.... Don't go easy on my account..." Carrot Top headed to the barn, head hanging as she contemplated her fate. AJ gave the stallion one more dirty look and followed after, Mac trailing close behind.

As they entered the barn the ponies found themselves surrounded by the tools of their trade. Organized along the walls and neatly arranged on the floor were dozens of modified torture devices and bondage gear that were designed to act as replacements for standard farm equipment. At the center of the barn Roseluck was fitting Daisy with the contraption they would be using to collect apples. If Rose had any kind of practical use for Mac it was that she was more than eager to place her friends in bondage and saved him from having to do it himself.

The device was adapted from a simple pillory. The wooden device entrapped Daisy's head and hands within it like a normal set of stocks would, but at either side of it was a metal ring. Two chains went through either of the rings, each holding a bucket that hung next to the mare's shoulders. The chains then joined at the front, both going through another ring located there, as they ran down the mare's body. Traveling through the valley between her breasts it continued down until it went between her legs and up her back, ending at one final ring just beneath her shoulderblades. This made it so the chains would grow tighter and tighter, constricting her body and rubbing harshly against her slit and ass crack, as the buckets filled with apples. Once they were full she would be able to empty the bucket in a bin and relieve the pressure, but the constant constrictions against her sensitive areas throughout the day would cause them to get rubbed raw. Roseluck would be getting in one herself, but Mac would have to be the one to put it on for her.

First though, Mac had to fit Carrot Top and Applejack in their device. Grabbing a couple of leather body harnesses he handed them to the two mares. They slipped their arms into the loops of the harnesses and tightened the straps till they hugged against their skin, the leather crossing between their tits and squeezing them slightly to make them look a bit bigger, as well as between the legs in a way which kept their pussies exposed.

Next Mac gave them each a bit gag, and followed this with a spreader bar for Carrot Top and a set of shackles for AJ. They put these on as well, placing the metal rods between their teeth and securing them to their heads before attaching their respective hobbles to their ankles.

Mac then grabbed two arm binders, a couple dildos, a few spare leather straps and two bags of carrot seeds. The stallion went to his sister first, who was ready and waiting with her arms crossed behind her back. He placed the binder on his sister, wrapping the pouch of it around her appendages and pulled a belt on it to make it constrict around them. Once as he got it as tight as he could, he attached a few cloth straps to her collar to assure the binder wouldn't fall down.

Applejack feeling he was done with that then moved her legs apart, allowing her brother access to her waiting pussy. This was the part Mac always despised. Taking one of the dildos in his hand he used his fingers to spread her lower lips apart, allowing him a good look inside her. This would be something he would've made her do herself, but like having to use these "tools" themselves this part was mandated to him by the caribou.

He pressed the point of the large dildo against his sister's sex and pushed it in until it was mostly inside her, the object stretching her hole to its limits. AJ did her best to hold her moans as he did the task, but a few slipped despite her efforts. Both of the apple siblings couldn't help but be embarrassed by the ritual, but for Applejack at least that was the point.

Now finished with his sister he did the same to Carrot Top and in the process tied the seed bags to her sides as well as used the spare straps to attach the front of her harness to the back of Applejack's. With every item now in its place it was time for the work day to start.

A short while later AJ and Carrot Top were in field three, the two having to walk there under their own power as Mac had to help Rose get into her stocks. Applejack was pulling the other mare behind her by the straps that attached the two, the bags at Carrot Top's sides spilling seeds from holes in them as she dug her hooves into the ground to make furrows within the dirt. While Applejack pulled her "plow" she had to focus on the dildo inside of her cunny. She squeezed her internal muscles, gripping the best she could to the object. If she allowed it to slip out of her before the end of the work day when Mac would remove it himself then she would have to be punished, Mac not wanting to risk being caught if he let the transgression slide.

"Hey Applesnatch!" Applejack heard, breaking her concentration. Looking around to see who had the nerve to call her by the name that Flim had given her the day before, she spotted two stallions leaning against the far side of the field's fence. As she continued to till the earth with her fellow mare she approached them to see it was Caramel and Noteworthy again. "Heard you were on stage yesterday showing off your filthy cunt to everyone in town! Didn't know you were such a dirty bitch!" Noteworthy called out to her.

"What the hay are those two doing here? Do they really have nothing better to do then hassle me?" She thought. Applejack sent her eyes to the ground in front of her, trying her best to ignore the stallions. "Just keep pulling. If you pay them no mind they'll go away."

Noteworthy waited for AJ to get closer before addressing her again. "What's wrong? Got nothing to say in your defense? I thought you still had that old world pride in you, but I guess at this point you know that you are just a cock sleeve."

Applejack kept on her path. It would take a bit more than a few bad names to get a rise out of her. The stallion however had an idea of what would. "So how does it feel to know every female member of your family are being tortured and raped everyday." At that he got a small growl out of the mare, she had taken his bait. "How about we name off a few of the cunts. Red Gala, Apple Fritter, Apple Cobbler, Apple-"

"Yo shu he fuk ah!" Applejack yelled at the blue stallion though her bit, fire in her eyes as she kept moving along.

"There we go. Show us that angry face of yours." Caramel joined in as the two walked along the fence, following the mare as they gave her their full attention. "It must make you mad to know that all you dumb girls will have to be sex slaves for the rest of your lives. How many guys have came in your twat?"

"I bet that it's more than a hundred." Noteworthy added. "I bet she liked it too. I bet this whole attitude of hers just an act so her brother has to do more bad things to her. Incestuous bitch would just love to have him balls deep inside her."

Applejack was about to spout a few more obstructed obscenities at the two, but then she saw something that gave her a devious idea. A warbeast. One was currently resting near the fence the two stallions were on. It must've somehow escaped from the animal farm just up the hill. She kept on pulling until she made it back to the fence they were on and then turned along it. If the two stallions hadn't yet noticed the creature they were about to be in for a big surprise. "Come on Applesnatch, don't go. Why don't you shake that ass a little more for us."

AJ heard the stallion's taunt and decided to use it against him. Stopping for only a moment she looked back at them, giving a flirtatious wink as she lifted her tail to expose herself to them, before starting up again at full speed. If these two were like most of the stallions they would think with their dicks first and their heads second. "Well look at that, horny bitch wants us to chase her." Noteworthy said, running after the mare as he went right into her trap.

"Hey! Look out!" Caramel yelled at his friend.

"Huh?" Noteworthy said as he looked back at Caramel before hitting the resting warbeast with his body. The stallion fell to the ground landing on his ass. He only had a moment to wonder about how he could possibly not see something that big in front of him before the creature awoke in a start, letting out a loud roar and rearing up on its hind legs.

"Whew..." Mac said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, just having finished hitching the cart to Lily's harness. She was now bound in a similar fashion to his sister and ready to go to town to deliver produce and, to Mac’s dismay, likely get violated, too. Mac observed his work to make sure everything was tight and secure. It was hard having to bind the mares in complicated bondage. He would rather just get to his farm work, but since the mares on his farm all belonged to the state he had to follow the regulations that stated the mares had to be bound, degraded, and put through hard labor to assure they would stay submissive and humble.

Macintosh sent Lily on her way and then headed back to the barn. He wanted to ready the hose to give the other mares a quick drink when they would get to the side of the field closest to the house. But his plans were put on hold as the sound of screaming reached his ears. “That came from the field Applejack’s in…” he thought. Mac ran over to the field and jumped the fence as he went straight for his sister, never expecting what awaited him there.

"HELP!" Noteworthy yelled in panic as he narrowly rolled out of the way of the warbeast's stomping feet. As he did his best to avoid being trampled Caramel looked on in terror. The stallion didn't want to get anywhere near such a furious creature that could probably flatten him if it tried. Noteworthy was on his own as far as he was concerned.

Applejack on the other hand was struggling to slip out of her bonds to try to save the the stallion. She had just expected the warbeast to give the stallion a fright, not go completely berserk. No matter how hard she tried though she couldn't escape them. Mac had bound her far too tightly to break free.

A moment later Mac zipped past the mare and hopped the outer fence to get to the pony who was about to be squashed. He knew that this was probably all their fault and that they definitely deserved it, but if a male got killed on his farm it would all be over for him and he could kiss his sister goodbye. Slipping under the head of the distracted warbeast, Mac wrapped his arms around the creature's neck, gripping its fur in his hands. Exerting every bit of strength he had he thrust against its body, pushing it backwards a bit before flipping it over on its side.

The warbeast rolled over to its legs and stood up, looking at the pony that just overpowered it in a sheer show of strength. Mac was panting, having pushed himself to the limit with that single shove, but he was ready in case he had to do it again. The beast saw the glare in his eyes and decided not to test the stallion. It walked away from the group and headed up the hill a short distance before laying down to rest once more.

Noteworthy looked around in a state of shock, his eyes shooting from the beast, to Mac, then to Caramel and finally to Applejack. "You!" He said, his mind filled with loathing for her. "You did that on purpose! You.... you..." The stallion couldn't think of anything to say. No foul name or insult could make him feel better after something like that. Not being able to come up with a way to get back at the mare verbally he instead chose a physical method.

Grabbing a large rock off the ground he launched it towards the mare. Applejack didn't see it coming and the stone connected just above her eye, making her recoil and let out a yelp as pain sparked in her mind. "Serves you right you dumb slut! That will teach you!" said Noteworthy.

"Son of a bitch!" He heard shouted from beside him. Mac grabbed him by his shirt collar and lifted him off the ground. "I'll kill ya!" Mac brought the stallion to his meet his eyes just as he had done with Roseluck the day before. This time however he was ready to carry out his threat.

"Mac! Mac! Stop!" Yelled Caramel, hoping he could calm the larger stallion once more.

Mac saw him approach and dropped Noteworthy to the floor, not because of Caramel but because Mac figured beating him would just get the same results as if he would've let him get trampled. "Both of you.... get the FUCK... off my farm!"

Caramel immediately ran off, not wanting to wait and see what Macintosh would do if he didn't. Noteworthy followed after him as he stumbled back to his hooves. "This isn't over Mac! I'm not letting this slide you female sympathizer!"

Mac's anger was at the boiling point. He could tell this was no accident. Looking down at the furrows in the field, he could see that Applejack had broken the plow pattern to draw the stallions over to the beast. Now he was going to have royal guards coming to his farm and there was a good chance that his sister could be taken away. If the guards did see him as a female sympathizer then even worse things could happen to him, things that without a doubt he wanted to avoid as it would be terrible for both Applejack and himself.

He went back over the fence and up to AJ, lifting his hand as rage fueled his actions. Only when she looked up at him, a painful look in her eyes and her forehead bleeding from the impact with the rock, did he stay his hand. Mac placed his hand on her head gently. "It'll be ok. Ah can fix this. We just need to do some damage control." he said, trying more to convince himself than to comfort his sister. “But it won’t be fun...”

---

Not an hour later Noteworthy made good on his threat, returning to the farm with one of the town's officials following behind. ".... That's when she pushed me right into the field with that fucking beasts. The bitch is dangerous, I swear, and her brother just lets her get away with everything. You've got to put a stop to this." The blue stallion said, recounting the event for the tenth time to this same person.

Mac could hear his complaints as he drew closer and looked to see him walking down the path. His heart sunk a little when he saw the official he was coming with. It wasn't a single guard pony or even a group of them as he thought might happen. Instead it was a lone caribou and that filled Mac with more dread than if the entirety of the Canterlot Royal Guard would of been there.

The stallion made a gulp as he saw the caribou approach. He wore purple-enameled plate, trimmed in gold; this was Ponyville's official caribou representative. It was his job to make sure things were running smoothly, going exactly as King Dainn wanted. While Spike was technically the one who called the shots in Ponyville he was not really considered to have the leadership skills to control what went on around the city. Thus this caribou was sent to act as an adviser and enforcer for the dragon. He wasn't called upon often, as the spell from the corrupted crystal heart generally kept trouble down, but there was always the possibility of mares engaging in futile rebellion or the rare stallion sympathizer.

Mac had never met the caribou directly, but he had seen him around and was fully aware that this caribou never personally addressed anything unless it was something important. He also wasn't looking happy at all and with the tales Noteworthy was spinning Mac knew why. He could only hope that the measures he took would be enough.

As Noteworthy and the caribou made it to the entrance of the farm they were greeted by the sight of Mac as he sent a tree branch across AJ's backside. She and Carrot Top were strung up by their wrists with lengths of rope tossed over the archway leading into the farm and tied to the fence. The two were both forced to stand on the tips of their hooves to keep the full weight of their bodies from resting solely on their arms, and were covered in marks that showed that Mac had been flogging them for some time.

Applejack gave a sharp gasp of pain as the branch hit her skin, her breasts pushing out as her back arched. It was a surprise for Noteworthy to see the stallion treat his sister in such a manner, but for the caribou it was interesting after the story told to him. The caribou left the side of the blue stallion and got closer to Mac's handiwork. Mac noticed this and stopped his lashing. "Hello." He greeted the caribou.

"Hello." The caribou replied in turn. "I'm sorry to interrupt your disciplining of these two, but that pony over there told me a very unsettling tale."

"Ya mean that mah mare almost got him stomped on by a warbeast." Mac said, not trying to deny it. "She did lure him to the creature." He continued as he sent his attentions back to the girls. "I'm issuing punishment to both of these two right now because of it."

The stallion's words intrigued the caribou more. "Both of them? Was the orange haired one involved too?"

Mac sent the branch he held across Carrot Top's tits, making her cry out in agony and adding another mark to the bunch. "She was there. Isn't that enough?"

The caribou smirked slyly. "Well put, but I hope that you don't feel a simple flogging them with a tree branch is suitable punishment."

"Of course not." Mac said sending one more stroke to each of the mare's hips before going behind them and grabbing a large bucket he laid next to the fence.

"And what is that?" The caribou inquired.

Mac raised the bucket up high above Carrot Top's head and started to pour out its contents. "Mud for the dirt mares." He noted as the cool muck streamed down into the mare's hair and down her body. Making sure that a good dose of it covered her he then did the same to his sister, tossing the bucket away once it was empty.

The girls shivered and took in short breaths as muck chilled their bodies. The caribou seemed a little more pleased by the two being forced to be in covered filth, but Mac could see that he was still not convinced. Before the caribou could inquire further Mac swiped up a chunk of mud from Applejack's body and shoved it inside her mouth. AJ's eyes widened and she tried to spit it out, but Mac clamped his hands around her muzzle to force it closed.

"Swallow it." He said as coldly as he could. It was demeaning to make her eat it, but if it was either this or having her taken away he would choose this any day. Applejack, seeing he was serious, did her best to choke down the bitter mud. Tears welled up in her eyes as she did and she felt like she was going to be sick, her stomach was not going to be happy with her later that night.

When Mac thought she had gotten most of it down her throat he released her. "Now apologize for what you did." Mac said pointing to Noteworthy. "And do it right or I'll make you eat some more."

Applejack looked to the stallion, then hung her head in submission. "I'm sorry ah lured you to the beast. Ah thought ah could pull a fast one on ya and I was wrong..."

"And?" Mac added.

"And I'm a dumb bitch that needs to get with the program. There is no use in me trying to resist. Ah should just serve any male without question and be happy to do so." AJ finished.

The caribou had seen enough, it seemed that Mac was taking measures to put Applejack in her place. Now he wanted to hear Mac's account of the story. "Mister....Macintosh was it? Is there a reason that this happened? I have been listening to this other stallion for a while and he seems to be putting all the blame on you, saying that you have sympathy for these girls and that it's affecting your better judgement."

Mac was somewhat stunned that the caribou asked for his opinion, but he wasn't about to let this opportunity go. "Well actually he and another pony have been coming here for the past few days, harassing mah girls and using them without my permission. Ah was trying to let them slide on it, but now it is getting to the point that they are damaging my property."

"Damaging? What do you mean?" Asked the caribou. Mac went over to Applejack and wiped off some mud from her face to reveal the wound on her head. "I see..." The caribou went over to Noteworthy and gave him a stern look. "So you have been coming on this stallion's property, distracting and harassing his work mares without permission and to top it off you damaged one of them by striking her head. It seems that if anyone should be arrested it should be you."

"B-but he-!" Noteworthy stammered.

"He is doing exactly what he is supposed to." The caribou interrupted. "I've read his reports. He makes his mare available sexually and punishes her for every transgression she does. Just because you think he is going easy on his mares doesn't mean he is breaking the law. They are his to do with as he wishes and if you don't like that then go find something else to fuck. If I have to come out here again because of a false report there is going to be trouble. Am I understood?"

Noteworthy gave a frightened nod and ran off much like he had earlier with Mac, terrified at what the caribou might do if he didn't.

The caribou then turned back to Mac. "Now that that is taken care of.... Mister Macintosh, this is a good start, but I still think that your sister still needs a bit more before we can put this behind us."

His words took a moment to register to Mac as he stood there mouth agape. He never expected a reaction like that. "Uh.. um.. yes, what would you suggest?"

The caribou thought it over for a moment. "Normally for something like this I would recommend something extreme to make sure it never happened again. However the circumstances seem to point out that some of this was the fault of that stallion for going where he was not wanted as well as the mare at the animal farm for letting one of the warbeasts get out of the pen. I'll have to make a stop on the way back to town to discipline her as well." Mac cringed a bit in his mind. He didn't intend to get Fluttershy involved in this too. "How about this once we can let the punishment equal the crime." The caribou continued. "Stake her out with that beast for the night. You can return it in the morning after it’s had its way with her."

Mac didn't really like that idea, but it was still better than what he expected. "Ok, I'll do it..."

"Very well then." The caribou said as he went to leave. "But... you might want to watch over her tonight to make sure she doesn't try to break free from her punishment. I have heard she is a bit stronger than the average mare and if she was to try to escape... Better just to make sure nothing happens." With that word of advice the caribou left the farm.

Mac wasn't sure of what the caribou was getting at, but if he spent the night out there with her he could do his best to keep Applejack from getting violated by the creature that was more than five times her size and that sounded like a good idea to him. He untied the two girls from their ropes and directed them back to the plow gear he removed from them. They would have to make up for lost time now; their work day had still just begun.

Making Amends

"Hey! Go on! Get!" Mac yelled at the large, lumbering creature approaching his sister. It was after midnight, he was tired from his share of farm work and lack of rest, but he was dead set on stopping the beast’s advances on his sister, even though he had agreed to stake AJ out for it.

The warbeast, hearing the stallion's commanding tone, stopped in its tracks. It was trained to respond to the orders of powerful males, and the memory of how the red stallion had stopped its rampage that morning was still fresh. The temptations of its urges were outweighed for now and it backed away from the mare, moving to lay down in the grass a short ways away.

"Ya know, ya don't have to do this Mac." Said Applejack as she sat tethered to a post dug into the ground. "Ah can handle that thar critter and if things take a turn for the worse I'll untie mah self"

"Don't ya dare." Mac said from the fence he was leaning against. "After the stunt you pulled today the last thing Ah need is for somepony to accuse you of abusing a warbeast or trying to run away. Ya just lay down, get some sleep, and let your big brother take care of everything."

"Let your big brother take care of everything." It wasn't a phrase Mac was used to saying. Back before the caribou, he had left a lot of the work like scheduling harvests and balancing the budget to either Applejack or Granny Smith, preferring to live the simple life of farm hand. Pulling plows, collecting apples and bailing hay just seemed easier for a pony of his build.

It wasn't just him that had to worry about extra work, either. Many jobs that used to be run by mares had to be filled and since there were more mares than stallions in Equestria it seemed to Mac like an impossible task. The caribou would probably say it all balanced out, since the mares were used in some other way that would "help Equestria", from sex slaves to slave labor, but Mac wondered how much solace that would give the now all-male weather team the next time they had to get water to Cloudsdale.

As he sat there watching his sister like a hawk, thinking of her earlier troublemaking, an idea came to Big Mac. He didn't like it, but knew he had to address it before things got any worse. "AJ... I'm pushing your next day to tomorrow." He said sternly, looking away from his sibling.

"Next day? What does that mean?" Applejack replied.

"Ya know exactly what Ah mean." Mac answered, still keeping his eyes from contacting with AJ's, not wanting her to see the shame on his face.

AJ pondered on what he meant, it finally dawning on her after a minute. "Come on Mac, Ah still have another week before that!"

"It doesn't matter. I'm willing to bet that by the time we brought in the harvest from field twelve everypony in Ponyville heard about what ya did to Noteworthy. That caribou might'a let ya off the hook, but that was a miracle that we can't count on again if somepony spreads rumors all the way to Canterlot. You’re gonna have to let them..." Mac stopped, too modest a stallion to say what was on the tip of his tongue. "Why d'ya let them get to ya like that? Ya know that every time ya get some fool idea in your head about getting back at them it just makes things worse for the whole family."

Applejack's brow furrowed. She didn't regret for a second what she did, only that it went further than she had expected. "Ya weren't there Mac. Those jerks were bringing up the other mares in our family, calling them names, saying they were sluts and whores." The mare was exaggerating, her bias against the stallions skewing her memories. To her though it was the honest truth, and no pony in Equestria could convince her otherwise.

"I'm sure they did..." Mac said, willing to believe anything AJ said since he knew, without a doubt, that his sister would never lie, especially to him. "But we can't let 'em ruin what we have here. It's not just us anymore, we have Daisy, Lily and Carrot Top to worry about too." Mac said that, but if he had known at the time that Noteworthy was talking bad about his cousins, aunts and nieces on top of him striking AJ with a rock the blue stallion probably would've lost a few teeth for the slight. Mac cared about his family more than anything and the female Apples already had it hard enough without their names being besmirched.

"Ya forgot Roseluck." Applejack said, getting Mac's raised eyebrow in response. "Yeah you're right, fuck her." The mare then gave an embarrassed expression as she noticed the way she phrased her statement. "Consarn it, ya know what Ah mean."

"All I'm saying is that if you cause enough trouble to get y'allself taken away then it'll reflect on me as your handler and they might go as far as to remove everypony from mah care." Thinking back to the day the other mares first arrived he could clearly recall how timid and frightened Daisy was, how she would've done anything just to assure that she didn't get taken back to the place she came.

As much he respected Applejack's stance on her own abuse he couldn't in good conscience allow anything that would jeopardize the flower mare's safety. "We need to earn back some points, and ah think the best way to do that is with nice, humble, willing apology in the form of you allowing some stallions to..." Again his modesty forbade Mac from uttering the word. "Use you."

"Willing!?" The very idea that she would be a willing participant, or even pretending that she was willing, as stallions took her in any way they saw fit offended AJ to no end. Stallions had used her before, more times than she cared to remember, but she’d always made it clear that she wanted no part of it.

Mac would even have to tie down her arms and legs during the days stallions fucked her, more for their safety as they were always afraid she might kick, and the entire town knew that was no joke. There were still rumors floating around about how she left a sizable dent in the armor of a caribou soldier just moments before another one took her out of commission and placed on her neck the uncomfortable black, seamless collar that she bore to this very day.

“Well ya might as well ask me to parade mahself around town and beg everypony to cum directly in my mouth! The nerve of ya, suggesting something like that.” Applejack’s anger flared a Mac, to think that those words could come out of her brother’s lips. If she was close to him at that very moment she would of gave a sock in the arm for bringing up something so stupid.

“AJ, please.” Mac raised his arms and motioned for her to lower her voice. The only pony within listening distance was Fluttershy at her animal farm, but for all he knew she could have a “visitor”. Better not to take any chances.

“Ya know I’ve already had to deal with enough hassle just yesterday alone to make up for the whole week!” Applejack continued, keeping her voice raised. “Can’t we just hold off ‘til the day we planned?! It’s not like it really matters to them! A fuck’s a fuck and they know they’ll get it sooner or later!”

Mac took a deep breath, calming himself as AJ’s attitude was starting to get to him, already being a bit irritated from his lack of sleep. She was right in some ways, but now was not the time or place to voice her opinions. “Look… It’s either that or I’ll have to take you to town and show everypony that Ah can keep you in check by publicly punishing you.” Mac said sadly. “And I really don’t want to do that again… Not so soon.”

Applejack’s resistance crumbled at Mac’s sorrowful tone. Sometimes she forgot that Mac was hurting more over this than even she was. He didn’t want to hurt her, or let others treat her like some cheap whore, he was just doing what he felt would keep her from being mistreated like so many mares across Equestria. “Ok… if you really think this will help…” AJ hung her head, even though she knew it was for the best it was still hard to accept. “I’ll do it.”

---

The following morning Mac headed down the road to Fluttershy’s farm, tightly gripping a length of rope that went around the neck of the warbeast that had tried to take up residence on his land. The creature didn’t put up much of a fuss when he tied it on, only shuffling around a bit as the stallion pulled on the rope to make sure it was on securely. In fact it acted pretty docile as it allowed Mac to lead it where he wanted, much to the contrary of its wild fury the day before.

In this way the beast seemed like a gentle giant, but Mac knew that the caribou used them as terrifying instruments of war. It made him wonder what their true nature was. Were they destructive monsters that the caribou have trained to submit, or had they taken docile animals and turned them into weapons? Either way it was a testament to what the caribou could do to any living being if given enough time.

Making his way up a small hill Mac stopped as he reached the entrance to the outer fence of the animal farm, finding that the latch to it was broken, as if it was forced open, and hastily placed back on. “Ah guess this is your doing.” The stallion said rhetorically, looking back at the beast behind his back. The warbeast shook his entire body, as if it was responding to him, which even Mac had to chuckle at. “Let’s get you back in your pen.”

Pushing the gate open Mac stepped into the farm, looking around to see if he could find Fluttershy before entering, not wanting to stay longer than he had to. Not because of the pegasus herself, though the now open knowledge about her activities with the creatures she kept at her old cottage didn’t help.

No, the issue Mac had was that Fluttershy’s farm was one of the places that the caribou and corrupted stallions sent disobedient slave mares to be punished, having the former element of kindness allow the beasts in her care to mate with them. What made it worse was that Fluttershy actively participated in the act, joining in to show the other mares how “fulfilling” it was to help the animals by bringing themselves down to their level. It was a side of the mare Mac wished he had never seen, but he could easily blame on the caribou’s influence over her.

Not seeing the mare, Mac went through the gate and was instantly hit with the loud sounds of feminine moaning, making the warbeast riled up and forcing the stallion to wrangle it in his arms to get it to settle. “Now how’d Ah forget about that?” Mac scolded himself.

Not long after the animal farm was established the sounds of mares crying out, in both ecstasy and agony, as well as beastial grunts and groans could be heard resonating from it almost constantly. It was so much that Mac found it difficult to concentrate or get a decent night’s rest. After a few weeks he found himself resorting to sending a letter to Canterlot demanding that the caribou do something about it.

While he would’ve preferred they moved the farm altogether, they did at least put up a magic barrier to block out the sound and make sure he wouldn’t be disturbed. Seeing that his complaint was responded to was what eventually lead him to requesting help on the farm, which as much as he hated to admit was what he needed to run the farm as it was.

Pressing forward Mac tried to avoid looking at anything that would offend him, but found it incredibly difficult as he moved through the farm that was drastically different from his own. While his was, for the most part, the image of a normal pre-caribou farm save for the bondage-themed farm equipment and the tentacle pods filling a whole field, this one was the very embodiment of the new order.

Corrals of mares, wearing collars of red, black, and even purple, practically surrounded the stallion, many of which accompanied by creatures that were brought to Equestria from the caribou homeland that were in the midst of attempting to copulate with them. Several of the mares showed a bulge in their stomach indicating that they were carrying some monstrous spawn inside them. He laid his eyes on a particularly horrified looking black collar earth pony touching her belly in complete disbelief that this was her reality. Damning his slight curiosity Mac shut his eyes tight as he turned away, only opening them once he had passed.

Not wanting to let his eyes linger on another scene such as that Mac instead sent his attention to the assortment of signs posted all around the farm, each bearing words of propaganda and discouragement. Postings that said things such as “Females are less than beasts” or “Obedience is its own reward” could be found nailed into almost any solid surface or put on posts that stuck out of the ground in places the prisoners of this place were sure to see them. He found one inside a corral full of purple collars that said “If you can still read this you’re not ready yet” to be especially insulting.

Mac eventually passed by a row of cages with barred doors, not too different from the one AJ was forced to sleep in at night. Many of them were unoccupied, but a few held the mares who weren’t currently out with the beasts, instead stuffed into the containers that were a size or two too small for them.

His patience for searching through the horrors of this place running out, Mac decided to address one of the caged mares. “Excuse me, do ya know where Ah can find Fluttershy?” He asked.

The question prompted the mare to get close to the door of the cage, sitting on her knees as she placed her hands on the ground before her.

“Arf! Arf!” The mare barked at the stallion, letting her tongue hang out of her mouth as she panted heavily in attempt to mimic a dog. Mac could only cover his face in frustration, that was until he heard a more welcoming reply.

“Don’t let that one bother ya Mac. She’s just acting like that to please her master.” Mac heard from the cage right next to the barking mare. Stepping sideways a little the stallion spotted the source of the familiar voice.

There, curled up sideways with her back pressed against the wall of the small metal cell and wearing an expression of cold defiance that would put AJ’s to shame, was Fiddly Faddle, one of Mac’s distant cousins. Mac’s eyes narrowed as he took in the yellow furred, blue maned mare. He had no clue that one of his kin were being held here in this horrible place, and the thought of a family member being forced into bestiality or being bred like the mare he saw earlier made the stallion feel sickly.

Dropping down on one knee, Mac released the hold he had on the rope he was leading the war beast with and gripped the bars in his strong hands. If he felt he could get away with it he would yank the door right off its hinges, pull Fiddly out of the metal box and let her make a run for it. As things were though, it’d probably end with Fiddly getting re-captured within the month and Mac facing a multitude of horrible things. But still, knowing that another in his family was going through something like this, and so close to his home, was devastating.

Fiddly’s frigidness gave way as she watched the large stallion tremble, causing the door to her prison to rattle. “Hey wait a minute there big fella, what’cha doing worrying about lil ol’ me.” The earth mare said sliding closer to Mac, placing a hand on his. “I’m doin just fine. Got me one of them thar fancy black neck pieces and everything. Mite bit uncomfortable, but me and the gals back home think of them as symbols. Ya know, of our pride as part of the Apple family. Just a reminder that we ain’t gonna let no caribou get us down.”

Mac relaxed a bit, Fiddly’s words not exactly comforting, but at least the idea that most of his kin were were not simply letting themselves be swept up in the event of the fall was encouraging. It had honestly been some time since he had heard from any of them and he wasn’t sure exactly what was going on outside of Ponyville.

Yet there was still a question that Mac had to ask. “What’re ya even doing here?”

“Well it’s the darndest thing,” Fiddly replied “One day I’m on mah ‘master’s’ farm, doing mah chores and trying to keep mah head down, next thing ah know he wrangles me up, stuffs me in a crate and ships me off to this nut house. Said something ‘bout learning Ah was related to ‘Ponyville's most resistant mare'. Figure that he was talking about cousin Applejack.”

Mac knew without a doubt that was the case. Applejack had a reputation of being one of the most defiant mares in all of Equestria, even if she was compliant when it came to her farm work. “So they just sent you here because she’s the one acting out, even though you were doing what you were supposed to? That doesn’t seem very fair.”

“Mac, when since the caribou arrived has any stallion cared ‘bout being fair?” Replied Fiddly, making Mac feel a bit stupid for saying what he said. “But that brings something up. You don’t seem to be like the rest; how come?”

“Ah don’t know…. just ‘lucky’ Ah guess…” Mac said. Sometimes he wondered if that were true, that perhaps it would’ve been easier if he just turned like the other stallions. But if not for his odd “condition”, as the caribou called it, his immediate family would be even worse off than they were. Not wanting to dwell on that thought he changed the topic. “Ya said that there are more of our kin where’ya came from?”

“A few…” Replied Fiddly, rubbing her arm as she looked away.

“How many? Who? Are they doing ok?” Mac rapidly fired off his questions. This was the first time he had heard anything of his relatives outside Ponyville, and it was important for him to know that they were doing fine, at least fine considering the circumstances.

Fiddly’s mood, however, seemed to worsen with each thing asked of her. “Mac… there are some things that are best not knowing ‘bout.”

That answer didn’t satisfy the stallion one bit, but before he could inquire further the sound of heavy hoofsteps could be heard approaching the two ponies. “Oh no… he’s coming,” Said Fiddly, immediately scooting herself as far back in the cage as possible in hopes that whoever she was speaking about wouldn’t see her and pass over to some other mare.

Mac tried to back away from the cage himself, but as he did a hand landed on his shoulder. It felt too large to be that of an average pony, so even without looking he could assume what it belonged to. Turning his head to confirm he was correct, he was met by the visage of a brutish-looking caribou.

Not saying a word, the creature stuck out a thumb and gestured for the stallion to rise. Mac complied, standing straight up before being lightly nudged away from Fiddly. Next the silent caribou pulled a set of keys off his belt, using one to unlock the door, and reached inside to grab the closest part of the earth mare’s body that he could get a hold of, which happened to be her tail. With a powerful yank, accompanied by a loud yelp from Fiddly, the mare came flying out, skidding across the grass so hard it stained parts of her coat green on contact.

“Umm…. Ah hate to interrupt,” Mac said, hoping that he might distract the male, if only for a few moments to delay whatever he had planned for Fiddly. “But do you work here?” The question was legitimate, as the very few times Mac had been to the animal farm he had never seen this caribou before.

The caribou, unabated in his task, only gave a nod as he wrapped a finger around the inside of the loop ring in Fiddly’s collar, forcing her up to her knees by it a bit before pulling down to force her to stop herself with her hands.

“Well one of the warbeasts got out of your pens and onto mah land yesterday. Ah brought it back.” Mac said pointing to the beast, which had only wandered a few feet away.

Attaching a leash to the ring around the mare’s neck as he followed the stallion’s finger, the caribou gave another nod. Touching his own chest he pointed to the warbeast before touching Mac’s and pointed to the farm’s barn. Mac gave him a confused look, which in turn made the caribou repeat the gesture towards the barn, but more aggressively this time.

“Ya…. want me to go inside there?” Mac reasoned, getting a nod in return. “Well, ok… but I can’t stay long. Ah got things to do mahself.”

The caribou didn’t respond this time, seeing that the stallion got the message, and instead went to collect the warbeast as he pulled Fiddly along. The mare, crawling behind the dominating creature, took a moment to give Mac one last long look before giving her full attention to the holder of her leash.

It really didn’t seem to Mac that Fiddly was very resistant to what was going on, to a point that it was odd to him that she wasn’t a red collar. Then he thought that perhaps it was more her attitude that kept her that way instead of her actions. That her master could see that acceptance wasn’t the same as being willing and that if she had a choice she would rather things go back to the way they use to be. If that was the case then the amount of dedication it took to be worthy of wearing the symbols of submission was not something a normal pony could easily do and he wondered how Cheerilee could manage doing what she has to without losing herself in the process.

Dismissing that thought Mac headed for the door that the caribou had pointed to, wanting to get whatever he wanted done as quickly as possible so he could leave this place. Once there he opened it and entered to find that it led into a housing section much like the one at his own barn, except that it was filled with equipment and supplies needed to raise animals instead of furnishings that would be necessary for a pony to live comfortably.

Expecting a wait as the caribou dealt with the matter of the unpenned warbeast, Mac looked around the place for a chair or something else he could use to relax a bit, the impact of seeing Fiddly here of all places still affecting him a little. However, as he wandered a pleasant sound of a softly sung melody came to his ears. He tried ignoring it at first, knowing the source, but his own curiosity got the better of him and he found himself following the siren call.

Mac followed the noise till he found the room of its origin, stopping right at the doorway and only poking his head into it to sneak a peek inside. As expected he saw a familiar yellow and pink mare, crawling around on the floor with what was perhaps the brightest smile he had seen on the face of a mare in a long time. It was almost inspiring to see, ‘til Mac thought about how the mare used to be.

Fluttershy, a mare who could never even conceive of hurting another living being, a mare who was perhaps the gentlest and kindest pony to ever live in Equestria, was now just another thing used to aid in the degradation of females. From what he had heard from AJ, Fluttershy’s obedience had come quickly, but whether it was out of fear, acceptance or actual desire was still unknown to the two farm ponies. For the sake of their own peace of mind they agreed that it had to be in most part that the caribou intimidated the fragile pegasus to a point that she saw no other way. That is what they told themselves at least to try and retain a bit of faith in pony-kind and their former friends.

He stayed hidden for a while, examining her body for undue abuse, finding that compared to many a mare he’s seen she was virtually untouched, aside for the standard red leather wing binder that conceal a willing pegasus’ plucked wings. The sight of the shrouds, knowing that they concealed the sight of wings stripped bare of their feathers, suddenly made him aware of how glad he was that he only had earth pony mares at his farm. With them he could at least pretend that nothing was wrong, since they only had to wear collars. If he had to look a unicorn or a pegasus in the eye day in and day out, seeing their mutilated horn or wings, he wasn’t sure he could live with himself.

With a heavy heart the stallion entered the room. Now that he had seen the mare he couldn’t avoid speaking with her. “Hello Fluttershy.” He said blankly, trying in distance himself from his emotions.

Hearing her name called, the pegasus ceased what she was doing and zipped around to sit on her knees in attention. The look in her eyes had a level of innocence that mimicked that of an adoring filly, a trait that under different circumstances Mac might have found endearing.

“Hello sir, can I help you?” she greeted.

“Well…” Mac wasn’t entirely sure how to start the conversation. Should he start with small talk? Was she even allowed to partake in small talk? Was making her stop whatever she was doing for even a moment going to get her in trouble, even though her continuing without responding could be considered an act of disrespect towards a man?

“Ah guess that caribou outside wanted me to tell you Ah brought back the animal that escaped your farm.” Mac explained as he nervously scratched at the back of his head. “Ah mean I think that’s what he wanted. Kinda got confused when he wouldn’t talk to me.”

“Please excuse Master Thungrox.” Fluttershy said, apologizing for the caribou while crawling over to a bunch of bags Mac recognized as mare food containers, the same kind he was being sent to feed the girls in his charge. “He doesn’t mean to be rude, he is just mute.“ Fluttershy then covered her mouth, as if she had said something wrong.” Oh! But please don’t bring that up around him. Master Thungrox really doesn’t like talking about it.”

Mac had to hold back a laugh, snorting a little as he forced himself to keep a straight face. He wasn’t sure if she had done that on purpose or not, but the embarrassment in her voice coupled with her ironic choice of words lightened the mood a bit and it was good to have some levity.

“Ahem, so like Ah was saying...” Mac said, trying to get back on topic.

“Right, Mister Warbeast.” Fluttershy replied in a polite tone as she placed several food bags on her back, balancing them carefully on the curve of her spine. “Master Gunne told me that you would be bringing him back today. Thank you very much.”

“Gunne?” He thought to himself. “That must be the name of the caribou that checked in on AJ yesterday.”

“He also told me to apologize to you for all the trouble I caused by not paying enough attention.” Going over to Mac, Fluttershy lowered her whole body, pressing it against the floor, to get her head down far to press her muzzle against his hoof, kissing it ever so softly. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Well… of course.” Mac said, not really blaming Fluttershy to begin with.

“I’m very grateful sir. Master Gunne wasn’t so lenient.” The pegasus continued, bringing herself up off the floor to proceed with her chores.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Asked Mac.

“No more than I deserved, I’m sure. To think that somepony could’ve gotten hurt, or worse. It was very irresponsible of me.” Placing her bags on the floor and getting to her knees once more so she could pour their contents into several buckets. “He also gave Master Thungrox a stern talking to, which I think was unfair. It’s not his responsibility to watch the animals.”

“Then what is his job?” Asked Mac.

“Master Thungrox helps with some heavy lifting that I’m just not able to do myself and helps guide the other mares around to where they need to be. He’s such a kind soul and even takes care of me when he’s not busy.” Mac made a slight grunt at Fluttershy’s description of the man, not seeing how she could twist the image of a creature actively making life miserable for so many into “kindness”.

“Ah see, well then I guess Ah’d better get going. Got things to do back at the farm.” Said Mac, finished with what he had set out to do.

Fluttershy nodded. “Then please let me escort you out.” Emptying the remainder of the bag in her hands quickly, the mare returned her hands to the ground and got up aside Mac. “After you sir.”

The two ponies went to the exit, Mac’s discomfort returning the closer he got to it, the sounds of animalistic sex becoming louder with each step. It didn’t help that when he had made it outside he was met by the caribou that had dragged off his cousin to some unknown fate the last time he saw him.

Thungrox wasn’t focused on him though, instead setting his sights on Fluttershy as she crawled out with the stallion. He went right up to her, causing the pegasus to stop dead in her tracks. Mac watched him crouch down, put his hands under her her arms and lifted her up off the ground. The caribou glared her directly in the eyes for a moment, his intense look still plastered on his face, making Mac think that the male had found some fault in Fluttershy leaving the house.

The seconds that passed felt like they were going ten times as slow as Mac waited for the creature to make his move, determined to stop the creature from laying a finger on Fluttershy if it decided that she was somehow at fault for something. The look on his face when from serious to baffled as Thungrox cracked a smile and brought the mare close to him, rubbing the tip of his muzzle onto hers, inciting the girl to giggle at his show of affection.

Shoving the pegasus into one of his arms as one might do with a small dog the caribou proceeded to point to several buckets near the row of cages Mac stopped at before.

“Yes Master, I’ve prepared the food for the pets.” The mare said, understanding what the mute caribou meant easily. Thungrox then patted her on the head and reached just inside the house to pull a leash form off a hook rack and clipped it onto her collar, setting her on her hooves, putting his hand out palm up and curled his fingers a few time, which Mac took as an order to stand as the mare didn’t return to her crawling position.

Once he finished with that he addressed the stallion watching them in awe. Going up to him, Fluttershy following closely behind to keep her leash slack, the caribou pointed to Mac and then to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Huh?” Mac said, still confused over what he witnessed between the caribou and the mare.

“Master Thungrox is wondering if you own Sweet Apple Acres.” Fluttershy said, translating for the caribou.

“Yeah… Ah own it.” Mac said, a bit grudgingly.

The caribou then grabbed a pouch off his belt loop and bounced it a few times in his hand, making the jingle of coins sound from within it. “Master Thungrox wants to buy some apples from you, a bunch it seems.”

Mac didn’t really want to do business with the caribou, but if he turned one away it might cause problems. Besides, he could use the money. “Follow me.” He said, heading back to to his farm.

---

Some time later Mac found himself carrying a barrel of apples to the entrance gate of his farm, Thungrox standing just outside the fence with Fluttershy, scratching her behind the ear as he waited.

Dropping the container on the ground before the caribou, Mac held out his hand to receive his money. “That’ll be sixty-five bits.”

Thungrox paid the stallion and stooped down to pick up the barrel, Mac getting a little satisfaction as he saw him struggle ever so slightly with the heavy load. He eventually got it hoisted up in his arms and gave Mac a nod to confirm the exchange, heading back up to the farm afterwards with Fluttershy in tow.

“Whew.” Mac let out in relief, glad to be out of the presence of the caribou. Now that that was done he had other things to take care of, namely setting up for when the stallions of Ponyvile would come to his farm.

Before he had left to return the warbeast Mac had sent out Roseluck to spread the word that his sister would be available for public use for a few hours that evening, telling her that if she did a good job she could join and be allowed to pleasure the stallions as well, which he hoped would detract from the number that would take a turn with Applejack.

Going to his own barn, Mac hoped that Applejack had done her part and gotten ready. She had been given plenty of time, having been woken up before the other mares. If she wasn’t prepared there was really no excuse except her refusal, and Mac was too tired and too stressed from his visit to Fluttershy’s farm to want to deal with it.

Getting around to the back of the barn, the stallion was happy to see that AJ was toweling off her wet fur with Lily wrapping up the garden hose, Daisy putting away various bathing supplies and Carrot Top waiting nearby empty handed, partially watching AJ while at the same time not wanting to stare at the other mare’s body. It was a good sign; stallions liked to have a clean mare, mostly so they could make them a mess again.

As Applejack saw her brother coming towards her she hastened herself to dry off the rest of her fur, handing the used towel off to Carrot Top to put away. After her cold shower with the hose she actually felt quite refreshed, especially since she didn’t have to do any work yet that day, and not expecting to do any for the rest of the day either, as it was Mac’s habit to let her rest when she had sex. Normally that would mean a double shift the next day, but seeing that this was the first time she’d be put out for use since they had gotten the extra help she thought that her workload would be lessened.

“Finished bathing?” Mac asked as the two Apples stopped in front of each other.

“Yup.” Applejack replied.

“Enema?”

“Yup.”

“Took your pill?”

“Yup”

“Ate breakfast?”

“Nope”

“Making room?

“Yup”

“And you’re going to play nice today until everyone leaves, right?” Mac asked, ending his line of questioning.

“Ah said I’d do it Mac.” AJ replied, pushing past Mac. “Even if it’s gonna make a liar out’a me to sit there and take it with a smile.”

Mac didn’t respond, she was right. It was well known throughout Equestria that Applejack was the Element of Honesty, a fact that even the caribou knew. It was extremely difficult for her to tell a lie. For him to ask his sister to go out and eagerly fuck without complaint or being restrained was asking her to go against her very nature.

“Ok girls,” Mac said, speaking to the remaining mares. “Get some equipment and find something to do. Look busy, and stay away from the entrance of the farm and field ten.” He said, referring to the field with the tentacle pods.

“Yes sir.” The three mares said in near union before heading off to do as they were told, leaving Mac alone with his thoughts, but the stallion didn’t have long to think before something broke his concentration.

“Master! We got company!” He heard his sister shout from around the barn. The fact that she didn’t call him by his name could only mean there was another male around. It appeared that Roseluck had returned, probably with half of Ponyville trailing behind her. But glancing at the sun, he saw it was still far to early for her to return; he told her to stay in town till noon to draw in as many guys as possible to insure that AJ’s apologetic act would be known by the whole town and hopefully overshadow what she did yesterday, though Mac could tell that might be asking for a bit much. A mistake made by a mare was never fully forgiven, especially one of this degree.

When Mac made his way back around to the front of his property he wasn’t greeted by a horde of cunt-hungry males, as he had expected, but instead was met with the sight of the caribou official that Fluttershy had called Gunne, the caribou standing at the archway entrance to his farm with Applejack right in front of him.

“What is he doing back here?” Mac thought to himself, the same dread he felt the first time he saw the caribou magistrate building inside him as came up with the worst possible conclusions in his head.

Had the caribou returned because he learned that Mac didn’t allow the warbeast to mount and fuck AJ last night? He hadn’t even thought about how easy it would’ve been for the official to spy on him in the dark until now. Then again, it could be just as easily be that the caribou had changed his mind about what he’d said, finding that after a night to mull over his decision that Applejack really did deserve a more severe punishment. Whatever it was Mac needed to take care of it before something terrible happened.

“Hey there!” Mac yelled as he rushed over, doing his best to sound friendly. Coming aside his sister, he found reason to drop the act as the caribou groped her breast, his hand clasped around it while he rubbed her nipple with his thumb. The look on Applejack’s face let Mac know how little she appreciated his touches and his sentiments were rapidly matching.

A quick glance over to the large stallion made the caribou remove himself from the mare, more out of courtesy than anything else. “Mister Macintosh, good to see you again after yesterday’s unpleasantries.” He said, keeping a level of professionalism in his words. “I hope you don’t mind my quick inspection of this female.”

Of course Mac cared that some guy he hardly knew had laid a hand on his little sister, but unfortunately with the special interest the state took in her, he didn’t really have much say when it came down to what government officials wanted to do to her.

The caribou waited a moment before figuring a reply wasn’t coming. “I’m sorry, I suppose this is a bit awkward.” he said. At first Mac thought the caribou was actually being apologetic for what he’d done, that was until he added, “Here I am, fondling your work slave, and I haven’t even properly introduced myself. My name is-”

“Gunne…” Mac interrupted, “Ah know who ya are.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose given my role in your quaint city it was silly of me to think you wouldn’t.” Gunne replied.

“Look, Ah don’t mean to be rude an’ all, but is there a reason you’re here?” If the caribou really was there to discipline AJ, Mac didn’t want to beat around the bush. Best to get it over and done with.

“Straight to the point, a good quality in a man.” Gunne stated. “Then I’ll be direct. I heard one of your work slaves, the red haired one, yelling in the middle town about how this one is putting herself out to fuck any and all available males who want a piece of her ass.”

Mac should’ve known, of course a caribou would be the first in line, “So ya came to…” The stallion stumbled on his words, there was no clean way to say this. “...have sex with her.”

“Me?” The assumption forced the caribou to crack a smile. “No, no, I’m afraid she’s not my type.”

That made both Applejack and Mac give the caribou an odd look, AJ having to redirect her attention away from something else that had been distracting her. It was the first time they had ever heard of a caribou having a “type” aside from anything with breasts and a vagina.

“Then why’d ya come all this way then? Is it ‘cause Rose is being too loud?” Mac asked, not able to come up with any other reason.

“Nothing like that,” Gunne answered, “I just wanted to say that I think it’s wonderful this mare wants to give her body in apology, especially after the punishment she was given. Shows that she accepts responsibility for her actions, and for a black collar that is something they should express constantly.”

“Is that all?” Asked Mac, still unsure of the caribou’s motives. ”Seems like a long way to go just to say something like that.”

“Well there was something else.” Gunne replied.

“Here it comes.” Thought Mac, bracing himself mentally.

“I happened to recall that your slave had a wound on her head,” Said the caribou, taking Applejack’s muzzle in his hand, tilting her head slightly, “And looking at it now it doesn’t seem to have gotten any better. I fear it might cause some of the stallions to turn her down, which would reduce the sincerity of her apology. I wanted to have it cleaned up before they got here.”

Again Mac found himself confused at the caribou’s unexpected words. Despite the reason Gunne gave, Mac felt that very few stallions would see the injury on AJ’s forehead and find it as an excuse not to thrust themselves inside of her. “I’ll go get something to get it fixed.”

“There’s no need for that,” said Gunne before the stallion could make his way back to the house, releasing AJ as he did. “Ginna, take this mare somewhere and make her presentable.”

“Yes master.” said a light sounding voice coming from behind Gunne. To Mac’s surprise a small female creature stepped out into view, taking Applejack by the hand, her other hand holding a first aid kit. At first he wasn’t even sure what he was looking at, as the female was a bit different from anything he had seen before.

She was very small for starters, standing perhaps about half a foot shorter than AJ as they stood up next to each other, and a little on the chubby side, plumping out in a way that filled her out in a pleasant way. Then there were the small protrusions from her head that seemed to be horns, yet they were rounded at the ends instead of pointed like many horned creatures. Her hooved feet split in the front into toes, and sticking out from underneath the heavy looking leather collar around her neck was a tuft of hair which draped over the top of the two sizeable globes that were her breasts. Two broad, dark brown lines in her fur went across both of them starting from her shoulders and joining at her belly button to form a stacked “V” pattern on her front.

Taking a few looks back and forth from her to look at the caribou girl and her much larger master it eventually dawned on Mac that this was a female caribou, having similar, yet drastically diminished features in comparison. Gunne’s fur was nearly the same color of brown as hers, yet a bit darker and a richer shade that made the smaller caribou seem insignificant in comparison.

“This is Ginna, my personal pet,” Gunne explain, introducing the girl to Mac, “I’ve taught her a little bit about how to patch up small wounds, enough to be able to make your mare not seem like so much of an eye sore.” The caribou then paused for a moment, only to elaborate further on his thoughts. “Actually… that was another one of my problems. This one seems a bit… plain. I know in a way that can’t be helped, being that she is a simple farm slave and a, how did you put it yesterday? Oh yes… ‘dirt mare’.”

Mac cringed as he was reminded of what he had called his sister the day before to get the two of them out of trouble. He hated to term, but males tended to use it a lot these days to ridicule earth pony mares, even the earth pony stallions despite what it said about them.

Gunne ignored his reaction though, going on to say, “I was hoping that you would consent to allowing Ginna to spruce her up a little. Along with some medical supplies I packed some jewelry and makeup that should make her better features stand out a bit, including a few rings that should look nice in those nipple piercings she has.”

“So that’s why he was feeling me up.” AJ muttered, covering her breasts instinctively at the mention of them. During her time with the caribou before she was given back to her brother they had taken the liberty to fit her with a set of nipple rings to make it clear that they had complete control over her. She also knew that each of the former elements of harmony were likewise pierced, though it seemed like they only wore rings on special occasions since Rarity didn’t have any on during her last encounter with the mare.

Mac gave a nod to approve of Gunne’s offer. It wasn’t too terrible an idea, not compared with what she would be doing later, and the entire point of it was to get back in good graces with the other males so any extra concessions, particularly to one with Gunne’s stature, would only help with that goal.

Given the go ahead by Mac, the female caribou turned her head a few times, searching for a place to sit, before settling on a nearby tree stump. “Come on, this way.” she said, pulling Applejack by the arm.

AJ looked back at Mac as she gave little resistance against the smaller female, hoping that her brother would say something to stop her. For a second it looked like he was going to do just that, but he shut his mouth as Gunne placed a hand on his shoulder. Mac’s hands were tied; while he could object to a common stallion’s demands to let them do as they pleased with the mares he had at the farm, a caribou, especially one of Gunne’s rank, couldn’t be objected to. For the sake of making this easier on the both of them AJ put her face forward and sped up her pace to go directly to the stump.

Taking a seat, Applejack felt the hard, coarse wood of the tree stump press against her rump and the lips of her vagina, making her wish that she could still wear pants. While she adjusted her position to make herself more comfortable, she kept a close eye on the female caribou as she opened her case and pulled out several items, including a bottle containing some sort of fluid inside, a white rag, and several small makeup kits, all while wearing an pleasant look on her face like she wasn’t standing next to someone being forced into sexual servitude.

Word through the grapevine was that caribou women were not the brightest apples in the bunch, which AJ figured would be about right since the males of their race probably didn’t hold female education in high priority, or could even find it counter productive, as an intelligent woman would be more likely to act out against them. Then again, Twilight was one of the smartest mares she knew before the fall and she, from the few times Applejack had seen her since the annexing of Equestria and the letters the alicorn sent her periodically, was more than happy to spread her legs for any and all caribou who wanted to dump a load of cum inside her.

In any account, the girl in front of AJ wasn’t exactly a shining example for female caribou intellect, fumbling a few times with the items she was handling and bearing an incredibly simple look about her. It disgusted the mare to watch her, though not because of anything the girl was doing herself, more of what she represented. She was a glimpse of the future if the caribou got their way, where females would never be able to reach their true potential under an establishment that saw them not as equals, but something to possess.

“Does it hurt?” Ginna asked.

“Huh? AJ responded, the question seemly inquiring about her thoughts.

“The cut on your head,” Ginna clarified, “You’re making some bad faces; it must be painful.”

“Yeah…. that’s it.” said AJ, wanting to avoid conversation, but the caribou had other ideas.

Her eyes drifted downward, and for a second Applejack though she was staring at her breasts until she said. “So you’re one of the ‘black collars’.” The statement was so obvious that AJ had to resist the urge to condescend to the girl. “My Master has one of you too; always having to be persuaded to do what she’s told. Just the other day she was allowed to play with one of her toys, but she just stood there staring at it ‘til he came over and assisted her in cramming it inside her pussy. She made some very lovely noises as he did too, so I don’t know why she resisted in the first place if she likes it. It’s so odd.”

“Not really…” AJ muttered low enough so Ginna couldn’t hear, positive that what the girl mistook for pleasurable moans were ones of pain and dismay.

“You don’t act like her though.” Ginna added, grabbing the cloth and bottle she had set out. “You called for your master when you saw mine, knowing it was too much for you to handle, and when you were touched you didn’t even try to pull away.”

“Can we not talk about this?” AJ said gruffly, not enjoying her reluctant capitulation being perceived as obedience.

“Is it because your master doesn’t fuck you enough?” Ginna’s question was so blunt that it literally made Applejack recoil as it hit her. Unscrewing the cap to her bottle, the caribou continued while pouring it’s contents into the rag. “That’s it, isn’t it? I was told that before the king liberated these lands your kind didn’t have sex nearly enough. Makes me think that black collars are so grumpy all the time ‘cause their masters don’t let them get enough.”

Applejack didn’t know how to respond to that, at least not without stirring up trouble. There was so much wrong with what the caribou girl said that even addressing even one part of it would start a rant that would last for hours, or at least until the caribou official talking with Mac came over to shut her up.

She had to say something though, else it would just eat away at her. “Mah master is mah brother. It wouldn’t be right if we… did that.” She said, picking what she felt would be the easiest to dispute.

For her opinion the mare was rewarded with a stinging sensation against her forehead, Ginna dabbing the chemical-filled rag against the mare’s cut. “What would be wrong about it? I’ve met plenty of cows that service their family members.”

Hearing her endorsement of incest, as well as the word “cows” and realizing that Ginna was talking about other female caribou like herself, AJ reached the point she was willing to go with this discussion. Nevertheless, while she was done, she could tell that if left alone the caribou would go on without her. She had to get the caribou focused on something else, something that wouldn’t push her to the boiling point. “Hey, ah got an idea. How ‘bout we talk about you a bit, like how it is ya’ know about fixing up things like mah wound here.”

“You want me to talk about something boring like that?” Asked Ginna.

“Well sure, Ah find it a mite interesting.” AJ replied, thinking it would be hard for even a caribou to sexualize cleaning out a cut.

“You black collars, always worrying about the small things.” Ginna removed the rag and applied a bandage to the cut before taking one of the makeup kits in hand, opening it, taking a small brush out from within and rubbing the end of it inside one of the many small compartments within it which held different shades of multicolored powders inside them. “It’s nothing special. My master felt I needed to know it, so he taught me everything I could understand, which wasn’t that much really.” The girl let out a giggle, somehow finding her own inability to comprehend harder medical techniques funny.

AJ closed her eyes as the brush was pushed up to her face, the caribou applying a touch of blush to her cheeks to make them rosy red. “Oh come on, you're not givin’ yourself enough credit. Ah bet he likes having a girl around that can patch him up when he gets in a scrap.”

“He didn’t teach me it for his sake,” Ginna corrected, putting the brush away, placing the kit back on the stump and replacing it with a tube of lipstick. “He did it for me. I hurt myself a lot and he can’t be expecting to waste his time caring for me when he has more important things to do.”

“Hurt yourself, how?” Asked AJ, not doubting for a second that the girl had been trained in some way to cause herself bodily harm to fulfill some sadistic urge her master had. Shifting her body to look at the male caribou, she sent him a hateful glare that she was sure he couldn’t see from that far away even if he looked away from her brother.

Ginna took off the lipstick’s cap, “Well, when I don’t stay focused on something, like when I’m left alone at home sometimes, I get- ah!” The caribou girl, stepping around the mare, hit her hoof against AJ’s, which had moved when the pony changed positions on her seat.

This made her fly forward and crash into AJ, smearing the red lipstick over the mare’s face as she plowed right into her, and causing both the girls to fall to the grass around the stump. The earth pony fell flat on her back as the Caribou laid across her, muzzle placed precariously in the valley between Applejack’s breasts. “Ooohh… clumsy. Sorry about that…” Ginna said.

AJ let out a sigh. “Course ya are…” AJ said, burying her embarrassment deep inside, that was until she heard the girl’s master call out to the both of them.

“Ginna! Are you and that mare pleasuring each other without permission!?” He yelled from several dozen feet away, alerting anyone within listening distance about what happened and making an already humiliating situation worse. Applejack could just imagine how this looked to Mac from where he was standing.

“No master! I just tripped!” Ginna yelled back, not bothering to remove herself from on top of the prone mare.

“Then get back up and complete your task! This stallion’s guests could arrive at any minute!” The male caribou yelled in reply, making Ginna get off. “And no more chatter! I’ve been standing watching you two talk since you started and I know that’s the cause of this accident!”

Ginna’s generally happy expression receded a little, having been scolded by her master. Helping AJ up off the ground, she silently went back to her things and readied herself to diligently fulfill what her master had told her to do. While AJ was glad she could just get this over with now, the sight of the dejected girl didn’t make her feel any better either. Still Applejack didn’t give any encouraging words to the caribou as she cleaned up the mess she had made on the mare’s face, starting anew on prettying her up, since she felt that the only thing that would get to the girl at this point was the praise of her undeserving master.

---

Eventually the caribou girl finished and started putting her things back in the white case, AJ having to sit there for what felt like an agonizing amount of time, even though it was only a matter of minutes. The idea of being painted to entice a bunch of guys who only saw her as another piece of meat to put their dicks in wasn’t a very motivating one, and while being clean and able to have a a bit of eyeliner was something that some mares only dreamed of these days, the feeling of makeup on her skin and in her fur always irritated AJ.

With this irritation was the noticeably weighted feeling of two metal loop rings that had been had been placed into her nipple piercings during the process. She wished that they were stud or chain rings instead, as something about a solid loop always caused a stallion to want to pull at them, much like they frequently did with the metal loops on a slave’s collar.

“No use complaining about it now” she thought, standing up from the stump. Without a single word she made her way back to Mac, the caribou girl following right behind her once she got all her things together.

Returning to her brother, she found that the male caribou was still talking to him. “... I appreciate your cooperation, and speak of the mare now.” AJ heard, catching the tail end of what they were talking about. When the caribou turned her way she stopped on spot, staying a few feet away and out of his grabby hands, Her muzzle being locked in his grip once that day was enough for her.

Mac, noticing her distance, approached her instead. “Ya look… nice.” He said, being painfully honest. The caribou girl seemed to know what she was doing, not going overboard by making AJ look like some two bit whore. She had on just enough lipstick, blush, mascara and eyeshadow to accent her facial features without forcing the eye to focus on the makeup itself. “It’ll be good for your apology; guys like a pretty mare and it’ll leave a lasting impression.”

AJ nodded back, easily accepting Mac’s compliment since she was sure it was hollow in nature, only said to appease the caribou walking up behind him.

Reuniting with his slave, Gunne gave her a pat on the head, making the girl give a gentle smile and a nuzzle against the chestplate of his armor. “You did well Ginna, and it seems just in time too.” he said, seeing a line of ponies heading down the dirt road to the farm.

Roseluck had finally returned, a horde of roughly twenty stallions following closely behind her. “This way boys, not too much farther!” Roseluck’s eagerness was evident, she had been waiting all day for this. Mac had promised her a spot next to his sister, where she could let the men fuck her senseless ‘til she was nothing but a quivering mess of pleasure. She longed for it and the only thing that stopped her from fulfilling her want in town was a sign Mac had locked to her collar that said “Do not touch: Needs to learn restraint”. Whether or not a male wanted to screw her, something as simple as that kept them at bay and even made it so if she had tried to pleasure herself she would’ve just earned herself a beating.

Before long the red-maned mare was in front of Mac, the stallions crowding up right behind her. “Here they are Master. Can I please have my reward now?” Roseluck pushed out her chest, presenting the sign resting atop it. Mac, reaching into his pocket, pulled out a key and removed it without hesitation, much to her delight. “Thank you Master, now if you’ll excuse me.” Turning to face the group at her rear, she moved her hands along her body provocatively. “Ok everypony, this slut is open for business.”

“That mare is bit presumptuous, didn’t even wait for you to give her permission.” said Gunne as four of the men took her off to the side, taking her over to the fence where she placed her hands upon it and spread her legs to allow easy access to anyone wanting a piece of her.

“It’s fine, she’s doing what Ah want her to.” Mac replied, aware that a majority of the stallions still had their eyes on AJ. There was no point in delaying it any further. Putting his hands around his sister’s neck, rubbing her shoulders to help her relax, he got close to her ear and whispered “Okay, there’s only a few of them. Shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. Just go over there and do it like we planned.”

AJ made an audible gulp, she wasn’t prepared for this. If she was bound, unable to escape, then it would be much more agreeable to her than what she had to do. It was going to take every ounce of will she had not to act out and do something to make things worse. Pulling away from Mac she placed herself in front of the group of males and got down on her knees.

“Thank y’all for coming today,” AJ began, forcing her best submissive tone. “As Ah know y’all heard Ah made a huge mistake yesterday. Almost got a pony hurt, all ‘cause I didn’t like what he was saying ‘bout me. It was stupid of me and when Ah was punished for it Ah knew that was what Ah deserved.” AJ took a deep breath. That part was easy, it was all true except perhaps the part about deserving punishment. Next came the part she would regret later. “Now all Ah want is for y’all to know mah sincerity, so Ah… Ah want to… want to….”

With her eyes glued to the ground, a pair of brown hooves came into her line of vision. “I think we all know what you’re trying to say, and we understand. A dumb bitch like yourself makes mistakes all the time.”

AJ lifted her head slightly to look into the face of the stallion talking, sending it back down the moment she got a good look. It was Filthy Rich, a pony who was a long time business partner of the family. Unfortunately, he was like the other stallions and had changed for the worse with the coming of the caribou.

“But you’re keeping all these fine gentlemen waiting for what they came here for, which is to stick their dicks inside you. So how about we skip the pleasantries and get started.” The brown stallion reached down and unbuttoned his pants, releasing his semi-erect shaft from it’s cloth prison. “And we’re all under the impression that you’re going to put out for once. So skip the speech and get to work.”

Applejack didn’t know whether to be thankful that Filthy cut her off and prevented her from lying, or resentful that he was rushing her into one of the worst things she’d had to do since her enslavement. With his cock presented before her she had to push herself to go further. If she didn’t proceed, Mac’s plan would be wasted and it would reflect poorly on the farm as a whole. Taking his dick in her hands, she moved her hands clumsily along it to get the warm, fleshy rod hard.

It was a new sensation for her, to have a man’s privates in her palm, heat radiating from it as she slowly stroked it. Males had tried to get her to do it before, but she always refused to do it, no matter how many times she was spanked or her nipples were pinched in retaliation for her disobedience. Once a stallion tried to force the matter, seeing it as a personal challenge since it was the only thing they couldn’t make her do, even when bound. All it got him was a few deep scratch marks along his cock, which in turn earned her a night being in a stockade while ponies pelted her with rotten produce and had open access to ream her backside. She still preferred it over giving into the stallion’s demands though.

However, now she was stuck with an increasingly hardening flesh growing in her hand, turning solid as a rock, which only served to make AJ’s embarrassment rise, her own body warming up from the surge of emotion causing her heart to steadily beat faster.

“That’s enough of that little filly.” Filthy Rich said, stopping the mare by grabbing her wrist. “Use your mouth, show us exactly how sorry you are.”

AJ, slowly but surely, opened her muzzle and brought her face up to the stallion’s awaiting cock. She was a bit hesitant, but letting out her tongue she started by lightly sending it across the front of the bulbous head. A sudden favor of salty sweat overtaking her senses, making her have to hold back a cringe as she continued.

With a quick swirl of her tongue over the rest of the tip to get it wet, she moved herself down the organ to get the rest of it moist with her saliva as well, only to get a few more words from Filthy for her efforts.

“Don’t just use your tongue girl,” He said, “Put more into it. Press your lips against it and suckle the shaft, caress the balls with your hands, rub your face on it. You need to put every bit of yourself into pleasing a man if you want to be a good cock slut.”

“Ah don’t wanna be a cock slut” AJ thought, taking his advice and wrapping her lips along the side of his dick as she continued her licks. “Ah just want y’all to get off and leave” Her technique, despite following Filthy’s suggestions and bringing her hand up to gently roll his sack in it, was sloppy at best. She couldn’t help it really; this was the first time she had ever tried to please a male of her own accord.

Mostly when a stallion wanted her they would take their pleasure without waiting for her to give it, not that she would anyways, and her life before all this was far too preoccupied with her work on the farm to pursue a relationship, at least not one that Mac wouldn’t chase off the moment he caught wind. She had to work with what she knew, and that wasn’t much aside from what she would see out of the corner of her eyes when another mare was being used.

“Inside…” Filthy spoke up again, annoyance setting in. “Stick it in your mouth.”

AJ mentally rolled her eyes at the stallion’s impatience, but did as she was told. Gripping the cock at its base, she directed it to her face, staring it down like it was a challenge to overcome. She just had to treat it like any other problem and take it one step at a time. First, opening her muzzle as wide as it could go, holding for a moment to allow her warm breath to touch the sensitive flesh, causing it to twitch from the sensation. Then, after mustering up the courage, she slid the sizable meat rod inside, grazing her lips on it and smearing her red lipstick along its length.

She had intended to take it easy, move her tongue around in her mouth till he would eventually because satisfied from the wet muscle rubbing against it. The was until Filthy placed his hand on the back of her head and thrust himself forward, pushing until he pressed against the back of her throat.

“MRPH!” AJ yelled against the solid pole threatening to go down her throat without mercy. In reflex she placed her hands against Filthy Rich’s hips, ready to push him away to prevent him from going any further.

“You’d better not.” Filthy warned, Bringing his dick out just a bit so that AJ could see the lipstick smear she had made before. “Just take it and let me finish, or else you’ll get it worse.”

AJ heeded the stallions warning; resistance tended to make things worse off all around since stallions felt the need to press a point when mares tried to deny them. So instead of pushing away she grabbed a hold and pulled herself against him, bringing the dick in her mouth back to the point that Filthy had sent it before.

Doing so seemed to please him, as while he could’ve pressed against her head to go deeper he instead removed his hand from her. “Good, now just keep doing that.” With a slight nod, Applejack did as he said. She at least knew that men liked this, to have themselves pushed deeply into a mare’s mouth over and over. Closing her eyes she concentrated only on the task, doing what she thought would get him past the point of release where he would let loose his load and be done with her.

Each time she sent her lips down the length of the shaft was just another few seconds from this horrible experience being over, each pull back a second of reprieve as she took in a small breath of air before her next plunge. The pattern became easy to pace and soon she was going at a speed that even Filthy couldn’t complain about, and before she even knew it she could feel a burst of fluids filling her mouth.

For a moment she just froze, the creamy stallion cum filling her muzzle to the point that her cheeks had to puff out to contain it all. If this was any normal situation she would’ve just opened her mouth wide and allowed the semen to spill out all over, not caring about the consequences of the mess, but today she was putting on a show and she had to make it look good. Waiting for Filthy to pull out of her, she swallowed a little before lifting head up, opening her maw, and letting the other men get a good look at the cum coating her tongue and dripping from her teeth.

Filthy Rich gave AJ a pat on the head, a gesture that she took with plenty of resentment as he condescended to her. “That was decent, but you need to learn how to better please a cock. Luckily you’ll have plenty of practice.” With that he stepped away from the crouching mare, putting his dick away and walking towards Mac, the other stallions going over to crowd the mare in his stead.

---

Mac had since taken a seat against the fence around his farm, staying close to where AJ was and keeping as close an eye on her as he could bear. Next to him, sitting about a foot away, was Gunne and his slave, much to his aggravation. While AJ and Ginna were together, he and the caribou had a small talk about how he wanted to stick around and observe the event. The caribou made the excuse that it would save Mac the trouble of having to fill out another form to explain exactly what happened if he stuck around and watched it himself, but to Mac his intentions were clear.

All he wanted was to see if AJ screwed up, to completely nullify this attempt at redeeming what little good graces she had in the eyes of the caribou. Even as he sat there, the caribou female sitting in his lap, he never let his eyes stray from Applejack. Mac likewise kept one eye on Gunne, checking to see if he showed signs of disapproval. He was so distracted that when Filthy Rich came aside him he didn’t even notice ‘til he looked back to AJ and caught him in his peripheral vision.

“Evening Mac,” Filthy greeted, “Nice to see your sister do something with herself for a change. I was wondering if there would ever be a day when she didn’t have to be tied up to get a good face fucking out of her.”

“Hello Rich....” Mac replied, trying to stay civil with the older stallion. While Filthy was as much as a bastard as any other guy in Ponyville, he and Mac had a certain understanding between one another. Filthy saw Mac as a good man, perhaps a bit influenced by his female family members, but aside from that he was a fine young stallion with a good head on his shoulders that only needed a little guidance. Out of all the others who had turned on Mac when he showed signs of not wanting to treat women like slaves, Filthy was the one who actually stood up for him and used his influence to dissuade ponies from harassing him, with varying results.

Mac was also appreciative that Filthy wanted to keep the deal he and Granny Smith had made for over the sale of zap apple jam, only with Mac now in charge of it since the aging mare had been taken away to stay in an elderly home by the caribou. It was one thing that he was glad for, that Granny Smith was taken to a place where she was treated as well as a woman could in these times, with no abuse, no forced sex and kept healthy as possible. It was also good that she didn’t have to stay on the farm and see exactly how the caribou were treating her grandchildren. The heartbreak from that alone would’ve probably done her in.

“Actually, Mac, while I was over there with her I gave the girl a few pointers.” Filthy went on, noting Mac’s sullen mood. “Now I know you like to keep her cooped up here and away from stuff like this, but you and I both know that every once in a while she has to get a good dicking.”

“I know that Filthy, but you coming here and making things worse for her doesn’t help.” Mac retorted, though keeping to a calm, level headed demeanor.

“Sure it does,” said Filthy, “If that girl were trained to use her body as much as she uses her mouth she could be through all these men in no time at all and sleeping off a gut full of cum, as much as it disgusts me to think of a mare relaxing when there's work to do. Despite what you might think, I was trying to help her, so you don’t have to sit here stressing about all this.”

After Filthy said what he had to say, a loud long moan came from the crowd, sending Mac’s attention back to it. The stallions had brought Applejack up on her hooves, two of them holding her arms back as a third behind her grabbed her hair and bent her forward, his cock planted deeply inside her ass. With a grip of her waist the male pulled out to begin his fervent assault on the farm pony’s rectum, turning her sustained moan into one that skipped each time he slammed inside her.

“Just think about it Mac,” Filthy said, taking in the scene, “And if you wanted you could always let me train her for you. I’d be as gentle as possible, since I know how much you care for her.” Mac sent him a look, this time obviously telling the older male that he was overstepping even what Mac was willing to tolerate. “Fine, but my offer will still stand if you change your mind.”

Mac was happy to see Filthy head off back to the city. As much as he wanted to be in good standing with him, the stallion grated on his nerves as much as any other at times. Especially when talking about how he should handle Applejack.

“I would’ve taken him up on the offer,” The caribou sitting next to him spoke up, his fingers now buried deep within the crotch of the girl in his lap and she silently took in the pleasure given to her, only letting out light pants so not to draw attention to herself and interfere with the conversations of the males. “It wouldn’t hurt for a black collar like her to learn some useful skills besides farm work.”

Once more Mac resisted the urge to tell another guy off. His sister had plenty of useful skills, just that most of them were not permitted for her to use, since stripping away a black collar’s responsibilities was just another way the caribou belittled them. He had heard of other mares, red collars of course, that owned farms that were allowed to continue maintaining them as long as they kept up with the outrageous demands given to them, and if any other mare could do it then AJ would have no trouble at all.

“Are you ok Mr. Macintosh?” Gunne asked, moving a hand to the female caribou’s breast. “You seem agitated.”

It was at that moment Mac suspected something else was behind this caribou wanting to watch as his sister was violated before his eyes. The caribou had made it look like all this time he was watching Applejack, looking for a moment when her true nature would show through this act, but what if in actuality he was seeing if Mac’s would do the same? He had already come once to see if Mac was letting his mares get away with causing trouble, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think the caribou would want to keep an eye on him. The fact that the farmland was a ways out of the outskirts of Ponyville made it hard for anyone to spy on him without being noticed. This sort of thing would’ve made for a perfect excuse.

“Ah’m fine, it’s been a rough day is all.” Mac said to draw away any suspicion.

“If you say so.” Gunne replied, returning his gaze to the crowd, a new stallion having taken a place in AJ’s rear end while another had silenced her moans by shoving himself in her throat. At this point they no longer cared if she was willing or not, they were just going to fuck her and be done with it.

---

An hour passed and AJ was down to the last four stallions, the ones that had started with Roseluck. She was crouched down, straddling the waist of a pegasus laying on the grass beneath her, repeating a motion of lifting herself up off his crotch only to drop herself back down to stab his cock back inside her.

Standing over the pegasus was a unicorn who held the underside of her jaw and pinched where her cheeks overlapped the top of her jaw bone to force her mouth open. He guided her head, pulling it forward and twisting it to around, Applejack making sucking slurping sounds each time she pulled back away from it.

The last two, a pair of earth ponies, were on either side of the mare. Their hands closed around hers, which were likewise wrapped around their cocks. They moved her limp hands along their lengths to simulate her masturbating them, her mind too focused on the other two stallions to concentrate on pleasing them at the same time.

AJ herself was exhausted, both mentally and physically. She was barely able to keep her eyes open as she bounced on the cock wedged inside her. Twenty stallions back to back was too much, even for a farm mare of her stamina. Not only that, but her previously clean body was drenched with sperm, soaked into her fur, on her skin, and inside as well. She could feel large globules of the warm white liquid seeping out of her ass. Her body was so covered that each time she moved it splashed a few more drops all around her, and the entrance of her pussy was matted with not only the fluids of the stallions, but her own as she was sent into one unwanted orgasm after another during the course of the day. Combined with the the pool of the stuff sitting at the bottom of her stomach, it gave her a strong, sickly feeling that made her wish that the stallions would just finish with her and be done with it.

Her wish was was soon granted as the pegasus beneath her grabbed her by the hips and slammed her down on him to deposit another load inside her wet and defiled tunnel, the unicorn pushing forward a few seconds after to shoot into her mouth. The pair cumming inside her at both ends made her body tense up, causing her grip to squeeze hard on the dicks in her hands, which in turn made them reach climax and cover Applejack’s face with their own cream. With a sounding of varying moans and grunts of pleasure, as well as AJ’s own woe-filled cry of reaching one final unwilling orgasm, she fell over and collapsed on the ground.

“Okay, fellas... Break it up.” Mac said, coming over to check on his sister. She was just barely conscious, her eyes still slightly open and mouth giving an unpleasantly forced smile. “She’s done. Everypony home.”

The stallions were happy to oblige, getting dressed and leaving without issue, gratified that they were the ones who got to screw the farm mare to near unconsciousness. With them gone this ordeal was over, Mac could finally find a bit of peace and give AJ some much needed rest, after getting her cleaned up. He knelt down and picked her up in his powerful arms, wanting to get her into the house and lay her down on his bed. She had definitely earned it and he didn’t give a damn if the caribou objected, but as the thought of them crossed his mind he was reminded that one of them was currently on his property.

Mac turned to him, wondering what he thought about all this, if his sister had performed to his standards and if he saw this as a display of “female sympathy”. When he saw the caribou, he didn’t like the look he was given in return.

“Mr. Macintosh,” Gunne said, his voice neither evidently upset or happy. “I would like you to come to my office later this evening if you would, perhaps around 6:00. I think you and I have to have a talk.”

“A talk?” Mac questioned, not liking where this was going.

“Yes, about your future and the future of your farm,” Gunne said, “But I won’t bother you with the details now. Just come to the old town hall and we’ll discuss everything there.” Without another word Gunne took a hold of his slave’s arm and the two of them headed off the farm, leaving Mac with something new to stress about.

What could the caribou want to talk about? If his earlier worries were true than this wouldn’t end well, but with how vague Gunne was it could be anything. In either case, there was only one way to find out what it was for sure. Not that there was was any question of him going to the meet the magistrate that night, as there was no way he could turn down a request from a caribou.

Entering his home, still worried more about the well being of AJ then whatever the issue with the caribou was, Mac made his way upstairs to his room. He stepped as lightly as possible, Applejack having slipped into what passed as a peaceful slumber for her these days, completely oblivious to the world around her. Making only one stop along the way to grab a clean towel from the bathroom, he crept quietly into his room and set his sister on top of his bed.

He pressed the towel gently against her fur, doing the best he could to clean off the congealed semen without disturbing AJ from her slumber, before grabbing a chair and sitting next to the bed. He thought about going outside to help the girls with work, or even getting Roseluck cleaned up from her own fucking. But with the mystery of what Gunne had in store for him, and the possibility that his sister was going to be taken away from him, he could think of no better way to pass the time than watching over her, even if it was for the last time.

The Other Way

Big Macintosh stood outside the city limits of Ponyville, just short of reaching the first building. So many things made him want to stay away from the town: the glares that other stallions gave him, the mistreatment of mares on full display in the streets, and now the fear that as soon as he spoke to Gunne his sister would be taken away. The longer he stayed away from the town hall, the longer it would take for his fears to be confirmed and the longer Applejack could stay safe at the farm.

He couldn’t just stand there forever though; the caribou was expecting him to show up. If he kept him waiting it would be seen as a rude refusal, and Mac assumed he was already at the end of his rope when it came to the amount of times he could slip up. It would be one thing if he had shown any real enthusiasm for how things had changed; most other males weren’t hassled with inspection and were allowed to do as they pleased as long as it followed the basic principles of caribou society. Still, Mac just couldn’t see himself being involved in one of the twisted versions of old pony celebrations, let alone buying a slave, even though it might make things easier for him.

If Mac had to be honest with himself, he had resigned from ever setting foot in the town proper since the place turned. He even bumped up the price of delivery for his produce to make more stallions have to come to the farm to retrieve their fruits and vegetables. That was quickly reversed when he found out stallions were happy to walk the distance just for an excuse to stare at and heckle Applejack while she did her chores. Some, like Noteworthy, still kept at it afterwards.

Eventually, despite his every objection to do otherwise, Mac entered the town. Making his way to where Gunne was waiting for him, he kept his eyes to the dirt road, having seen enough things to offend him for the day already at Fluttershy’s farm. If he just didn’t look at anything and hurried along perhaps he would be fine. Maybe no one else would notice him either, though that was hoping for too much really seeing that he was one of the biggest ponies around.

“Hey Mac~” the clydesdale heard a pair of voices sing to him. Mac kept his head down, but from the sound of the voices it had to be Aloe and Lotus Blossom trying to get his attention. It had happened a few times before in the past, the two red-collared mares trying to lure him over for a little private time, or perhaps some not-so-private time if they had their way. Much like Roseluck, those two seemed to have only one thing on their mind whenever he saw them, or at least whenever they saw Mac.

He was starting to believe that there was some sort of weird bet going on between the red collar mares in Ponyville to see who would be the first one to get him to fuck them, as many of them acted similarly when he was around. They would blatantly touch themselves in front of him, try to show him how they played with some of their sex toys, or otherwise do lewd things in an attempt to entice him. If that was the case though, they would find the challenge more than they could handle. The sluttier a mare acted, the more it made him think of how many other guys must’ve stuck their dicks in them and that just turned him off to the idea even more. The only red collar he would even consider doing something like that with was Cheerilee, but that’s because no matter how many guys she fucked, how much cum she drank, or however many other terrible things she did during her duties for the caribou, she was still the Cheerilee he knew when they were in private.

So without so much as a turn of his head Mac sped up his pace, ignoring the spa ponies and the gazes from others on the street that the two mares had drawn to him. His only goal was to make it to his destination, something he was so focused on that he tuned out everyone else. He knew the town’s layout by heart, so all he had to do was keep walking. The town hall was just a little bit further and…

Just as he got to the front of the building he felt himself bump into something, something big, hard, and scaly. Finally lifting his head up, he peered into a pair of reptilian eyes. A purple and green scaled creature stood in front of him, right in the path of the entrance to the building. The creature was a dragon that was not much taller than Mac, perhaps a few inches, but shared a similarly muscular build.

“Spike…” Mac said, staring the dragon in the eye.

Spike let out a low growl, annoyed that anyone would have the nerve to run into him, even more so that a pony didn’t apologize for the transgression and still worse gave him a dirty look. The dragon leaned down a bit to get eye to eye with Mac before opening his lips ever so slightly to reveal his fangs.

Mac didn’t even blink, not intimidated by the dragon’s posturing. During the Fall, the caribou had done something to Spike. He had turned into a monstrous brute who simply saw mares as things for his amusement. He didn't even have the decency of respecting other stallions when it came to the ownership of their mares at times. If he saw a female he felt would go nicely wrapped around his shaft, he would make sure she found her way there. Given his newfound size and strength, no one put up too much of a fuss if he dragged their slave off to his den at Golden Oaks Library. Eventually he would get bored with them and move onto another mare, so many males didn’t see it as too much of a problem.

Mac saw things differently, not afraid in the slightest of what Spike might do if he didn’t get his way. As far as he was concerned, the dragon was an oversized teenager, unable to separate his hormones from his normal thoughts. He could outsmart Spike if he had to since he showed few signs of intellect behind those savage features. If push came to shove, Mac felt he might be able to get in enough good hits to make him think twice about trying to fight the stallion again

Even without thinking about what he’d do in a fight, Mac would find it hard to see the dragon as a threat, since not too long ago he could’ve picked Spike up one handed. While he knew better than to let his guard down for a ferocious creature that was bigger than he was, something about his mental image of Spike refuse to allow him to be afraid like the rest of the town.

For a while the two simply stared at each other, testing each other’s resolve, each waiting for a moment of weakness in the other that they could take advantage of. The other stallions saw what was going on, particularly just who it was that was instigating Spike. The prospect of seeing the two fight, and more specifically to see Mac get beaten, was more than they could resist. And so, little by little, a circle of ponies was formed around the two, some stallions bringing their mares with them to see the show.

The crowd cheered, shouting words of encouragement for Spike. Feeling their encouragement, the dragon stood up straight, placed a fist in one hand, and loudly cracked his knuckles. Mac was starting to see there was no way out of this; the stallions of Ponyville wanted to see a bit of his blood. It had never been this bad before, but perhaps it was a long time coming. He put up his fists, ready to take out a bit of his frustration. With all that had happened as of late, he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to control himself if he let loose, but if one thing was for sure he wasn’t going to throw the first punch. Not because he was relying on this being seen as an act of self defense; the stallions had such a poor opinion of him that he assumed they’d say he started all this anyways. Still, he was determined to show that he was the better man, even if that sentiment only mattered to himself.

One word begun to repeat amongst the onlookers, “Fight! Fight!”. It was time, both Mac and Spike knew it and since the stallion wasn’t going to make a move, it was up to the dragon to start this off. With a grin, he brought back his fist with the intent of sending a devastating haymaker to Mac’s head.

“What’s going on here!” A voice yelled over those of the crowds, garnering the attention of everyone there, Spike and Mac included. A caribou made his way through the crowd, tugging along behind him by chain a white, blue mained black-collared earth mare Mac knew by Vanilla Sweets, her wrists cuffed, her ankles shackled, and muzzle bound shut by a band wrapped tightly around it. “I leave for something as simple as retrieving a runaway slave, and I come back to find a riot.” said Gunne, making his disappointment known.

The conglomerate of male ponies began murmuring to themselves, not sure what to say to the caribou. They didn’t need to say anything; Gunne had a pretty good idea of what was happening as he looked at Spike holding up his fist and Mac readying himself to guard the attack. Gunne walked towards them both, placing himself aside them but not actually getting in between the two. “I don’t know what started this, but whatever it was isn’t worth the consequences. Besides….” Gunne extended his hand out to offer the chain he held to Spike. “I’ve caught your runaway mare. Teaching her a lesson for escaping in the first place would be more productive and pleasing than a fight.”

Spike shifted his gaze to the now trembling mare, licking his lips as he imagined what he would do to her. He gave Mac just one more look, taking the opportunity to blow a thick blast of smoke from his nostrils directly into the stallion’s face, making Mac cough until the cloud dissipated. Satisfied that he had gotten the better of the pony, Spike grabbed hold of the chain so that he could bring the defenseless mare before him closer. Slowly, almost as if savoring the moment, Spike pulled in chain. As the distance between him and the earth mare shortened, his cock poked out of his sheath, the size of it growing bigger as the chain grew smaller.

Vanilla pulled against the chain that was bringing her to the horny dragon with all her might, but it was not long until the she was right next to him. With no place to go, a moan came from her closed muzzle as the dragon leaned down to look her dead in the eyes. The mare’s ears went flat upon her head, fear overtaking her. Spike smiled at the sight, and uttered only one word to define his thoughts about the mare, “Pussy”.

Grasping the mare around the neck, he shoved her face into his dick, making sure that the pre-cum that was already flowing from the hard rod covered it completely. Vanilla made more noises to voice her displeasure from behind her closed mouth as it rubbed against her muzzle, pressing into her cheeks and along her nose so that she had to take in his masculine scent. Once he felt he had gotten every part of her face wet from his sexual fluids, the dragon released her throat, only to grab her by the waist, hoisting her body over his shoulder with ease in a display of his power. With the mare returned, Spike forgot all about Mac, glad to head back home so that he could use his new fucktoy for her intended purpose.

The crowd made way for the dragon and was about to disperse all together, but then Gunne raised his voice once more, “As for the rest of you!” He started, “I would’ve thought that I’d made it clear how we caribou do things. You may do what you please with your females, fuck them, beat them, throw them in the street for all I care, but under no circumstances are you infringe on the rights of another male. We are not savages, we are civilized creatures and will act as such. There are still laws, rules and regulations, and as magistrate of this town I will ensure they are followed. Now go back to your business. I don’t want to see another disturbance like this”

The ponies did just as they were told, none of them so much as bothering to pin the fight on Mac as they returned to their homes. Soon it was just Mac and Gunne left standing in the streets. Mac was not sure how to feel. It was the second time in two days that a caribou had saved him from the stallions who saw him as little more than a degenerate that held far too tightly to the past. The same caribou who groped AJ without any issue and just handed off a mare to be violated by Spike ‘til he grew disinterested in her. It was an odd predicament, to feel indebted to someone whose sense of right and wrong was so vastly different from his own.

“Well…” Gunne said, seeing that things had calmed down. “That was something. I’ve had trouble with the dragon in the past, but never the entire town at once. You seem to attract the ire of your peers Mr. Macintosh.”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Mac apologized, still unsure about the purpose of the meeting Gunne had scheduled with him. Not letting him take his fair share of licks from Spike was a good sign, but he couldn’t assume anything yet. “Ah can tell ya what happened if ya need an explanation.”

“Not at all, “Gunne said, “I got here before anything happened, and I have a feeling it was more the dragon’s fault than anyone else’s. As I said, he can be a bit problematic at times, but as magistrate it is one of my many duties to make sure that he’s kept in check. Now come on, we can continue this discussion in my office.” Gunne stepped up to the town hall, opening the door for the stallion. Mac, unable to put this off any longer, stepped inside with a foreboding sense of unease emanating from his depths.

The first thing that met the stallion’s eyes was how the ground floor of the building had been altered. The scene was a dungeon-esque, cages hanging from the ceiling beams, metal wrist shackles bolted into the walls and metal rings drilled into various spots in the floor, each with a heavy chain attached to them with a clip on the end to insert into a collar.

Some of these were even in use, as several mares were held captive. The only one without a discouraged look on her face was a red collared pegasus in one of the cages, bound by several thick belts that held her legs together, as well as secured her her arms behind her back under her wing binders. She was flailing about, moaning and panting something fierce as a large rod vibrated inside her pussy. It was exactly what Mac was trying to avoid seeing when he went through the town, and it took all his will to not reveal his shock at the sight to the caribou next to him.

“Strays,” Gunne said, taking the look on Mac’s face as curiosity, “Being held here until the local pound comes to retrieve them. Some males are so wasteful with their things. Mister Rich brings in mares all the time only to throw them away a month later. His choice, but some of these girls are attractive enough to earn a place in some stallion’s home. Perhaps you would like to adopt one? The pegasus up there is energetic and very receptive; I stuffed her with a vibrator before I left on the dragon’s errand and she’s still going at it.”

Mac shook his head, “No thanks… I have my hands full already,”

“Suit yourself,” Gunne replied, making his way to a set of stairs in the back of the room. Big Mac followed behind, giving the mares a pitying look. It was one thing to have to be treated like a slave or something that only exists to be fucked, but it was another thing altogether to have stacked on top the idea that you were easily tossed away like garbage too. Just another reason not to take Filthy up on his offer to train AJ, since he didn’t even treat mares with enough dignity to keep them after he was done raping them. Just thinking about it made Mac feel dirty that he still associated with Filthy.

Following the caribou to the second floor, Mac was relieved that it wasn’t just more of the same. This floor looked mostly unaltered, looking like a normal office, except with a few decorations strone about it of caribou origin. Things like stone tablets covered in caribraic runes and art pieces depicting what Mac assumed was the caribou’s homeland hung from the walls, a bookshelf full of a tomes written in caribou symbols and books written in after the conquest of Equestria, and a small pod that looked suspiciously like a miniature version of one of the tentacle plants at his farm which was resting on a table covered in scrolls. While none of these particularly upset him, the room wasn’t completely void of things that bothered Mac though; one such thing being the previous mayor of Ponyville.

The surprisingly pink-maned mare had her back turned away from the door, hunched over as she feveriously tried to clean off the caribou’s bookshelf with a feather duster placed in her mouth. Because of his absence from the town, Mac hadn’t seen many of the mares for some time and it still shocked him when he would see one walking around naked and even when he would see a girl he knew for years unexpectedly wearing a red collar, but seeing the mayor’s hair in anything other than grey was one of the most off putting things he had seen so far. The natural color of her hair clashed with her brown fur and was an incredibly unflattering look for her, perhaps so much it could be considered an eyesore. As humiliating as it might of been for her to have to show her admittedly embarrassing mane color, Mac felt she had much more pressing matters to worry about with the way Gunne kept her bound.

Her arms were behind her back and had been placed into an armbinder, one that he believed was called an arm sleeve, as it enveloped both her arms and forced them to be held straight and stiff. With her bent over as she was Mac could also see the end of a large anal plug sticking out of her rounded rump. It looked rather uncomfortable, and fleshy ring of her anus looked stretched, and periodically tried to clench down in an attempt to return to normal size.

The other thing that was bothering Mac was next to an oak desk at the far wall of the room. Kneeling there was the caribou girl that Gunne brought his farm earlier; Mac thought he remembered the male caribou calling her Ginna. She was very busy occupying herself, bouncing up and down on an odd looking object standing up from the floor and placed inside her wanting snatch. It was a dildo, obviously, but a bit different from the smooth ones he was used to seeing on the farm. From the looks of it, there were huge bumps all over it that brushed against the caribou cow’s soft lips with each movement and undoubtedly rubbed her insides. There also seemed to be a ridge of taller nubs across the front of it, each one grinding against the female’s clit one by one in rapid succession every time she slammed herself down.

“Mare!” Gunne said aloud, startling the poor black collar, “You’ve done… adequately for now. We have a guest, and I need you to get me that file I spoke of earlier.”

The earth mare turned and opened her mouth to let the colorful, and presumably pegasi made, feather duster made fall from her mouth onto the bookshelf. Now visible, the handle had been carved into the shape of stallion’s cock and stood straight up in the air balanced on the feathers, making it easy for a mare in her position to pick it back up and return to work the next time she was bid. With the feather duster removed, the mare made her way to a rather large file cabinet, giving a rushed “Yes sir!” as she hurried along.

“Do excuse her. As a mare, she was entirely unfit in her former role as mayor of this town. I took ownership of her when I was first stationed here and have been trying my best to train her as a secretary, but black collars will be black collars.” Gunne went around the desk and sat down in a red, plush seat that the caribou sunk into slightly as he relaxed. “Please… sit down. There is much to talk about.” He said as he leaned into the back of his chair.

Mac scratched his head, for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what the mayor had done wrong. As he sat down across from the caribou, in a chair that he noted paled in comparison to the caribou’s own, he could only come to the conclusion it was just Gunne putting her down just because she was a black collar.

Even now she was doing her best to obey, though her arms were heavily restrained. The sleeve forced her to drop to her knees and bite down on the handle of one of the cabinet drawers, pulling back with her head in order to get it open. Once opened, she stepped beside it and shoved her face inside in order move the files inside around, all the while being watched by Gunne. Mac tried to follow his gaze, leading the stallion to the earth mare’s heavy breasts, the pair of mammaries bouncing against the side of the drawer each time she used her muzzle to sift through it. Even in the middle of what was suppose to be an important conversation the caribou couldn’t keep his mind off sex.

A sudden, loud moan of climax drew Mac’s eyes away from the mare, redirecting them to the caribou girl aside the desk. “T-Thirt-ty s-sev-en…” She said, the trembling in her voice stating clearly that she had came.

“Thirty seven?” Gunne questioned, likewise pulling his eyes away from the cabinet and the earth pony rooting through it. “That’s very good Ginna,” After congratulating the female caribou, he placed his hands between her antler nubs and petted her lovingly. He did this for a minute, visibly satisfied by the happy smile the caribou girl returned to him, before catching Mac sending him a look. Sensing the stallion’s impatience, the caribou adjusted himself in his seat. “Ahem... How unprofessional of me. I’m just very proud of my Ginna. She’s been at this for a few hours now and she’s supposed to announce the number of orgasms she’s had during a session every time she has one. I hope that won’t be too distracting.”

To say she was distracting would be an understatement. Her body quivered with pleasure, the scent of her soaked pussy permeated the room, and her breaths were so raspy that he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hear Gunne talk. On top of that, she was already going at it again, pumping herself on her toy without concern for her own tired state.

“It’s fine,” Mac lied, “She’s not bothering me.”

“Very well, then all we’re waiting on is for that file. Mare, have you found it yet?” Gunne said, tapping his finger on the desk as he looked back towards the cabinet.

“I’ve almost got it,” The earth mare replied, a fear in her voice that told Mac that if she kept the caribou waiting it wouldn’t lead to anything good. How long had she been with him? It hadn’t been that long since the caribou occupied Equestria, but it appeared it was long enough to have the once-respected government official worried that she wasn’t performing to the standards Gunne held for her. In desperation she clamped her teeth down on the file once found and rushed over to Gunne, releasing the folder only when he had a firm grip on it.

He inspected the outside of the file once in his possession, checking the front and back of its cover, before letting out a sigh of disappointment. “Teeth marks... “ Gunne showed the file covering to his slave, pointing out a visible indent accompanied by a few droplets of spit. “You know this is unacceptable Mare.”

“I’m sorry,” The earth pony said, backing away slightly, “I was worried I was being too slow and-”

“You were correct to worry,” said Gunne, raising out of his seat, “You were taking far too long, but in the condition this is in I’m going to have to send out for a replacement. The punishment you would’ve received for being slow is nothing to what you’ll get for being reckless.”

Mac could see the tears forming in the mare’s eyes, and yet she didn’t try to run or even dispute how unfair that line of thinking was. Mac understood why; any back-talk and whatever he had planned would become something twice as bad, if she was lucky.

Gunne, unmoved by the crying mare, placed the file in front of him and opened it. “I’d punish you now Mare, but you’ve wasted enough of our guest’s time already. Just wait in your corner till I need you again. When me and Mr. Macintosh are done I’ll deal with you.”

The earth pony gave a slight nod and walked over to a stool in one of the corners closest to the door. She sat down, making a low groan when her rump touched the stool and pushed the toy in her ass deeper inside. She shifted around, doing whatever she could to find a position that wouldn’t be uncomfortable. It didn’t take long for her to abandon that goal, finding it impossible to her ass crammed full as it was, and instead focused on the “motivation” posters pinned on the wall in front of her to take her mind off her discomfort, each one depicting a red collared mare in the middle of doing some demeaning task, expressing the importance of obedience, or otherwise demonstrating the new caribou values. The one directly in front of her had “Good mares are well kept mares" printed on it in bold red letters over the image of a mare smiling back at her, laying comfortably on a plush, mare-sized pet bed.

“Good, now we can get to the matter at hand.” Gunne stated, picking up the first sheet in front of him. “This is your personal file Mister Macintosh, containing all the information the caribou have gathered on you.”

Mac’s unease skyrocketed. The caribou had been collecting information on him? What did those sheets say about him exactly? His mind filled with things that the other stallions might have said about him; did they think he wasn’t doing everything he could to keep his mares in line, maybe seeing it as signs that he was a female sympathizer or perhaps even a member of the rebellion? He could feel himself turning a lighter shade of red with each passing second.

“Don’t be so surprised Mister Macintosh,” said Gunne, “We caribou have gone to great lengths to keep records on every pony in Equestria, both male and female. It allows us to know who is loyal to the caribou cause… and who might be liable to start trouble.”

The ominous tone in Gunne’s voice began to make Mac shake in his seat, this was starting to seem like trap, like the caribou wanted to bring Mac here to safely bring him into custody. For all he knew there were guards waiting just outside the town hall, ready to bring him down by force if need be.

Gunne didn’t seem to notice the stallions complete lack of a poker face, instead focusing on the sheet in his hands. “Name: Big Macintosh, A.K.A. ‘Big Mac’, Mane Color: Blond, Fur Color: Red, Residence: Ponyville. Yup, this appears to be you. At least my secretary can do something right.” Gunne chuckled slightly at his remark about the black collar before continuing. “Status… Mac, can I call you Mac?”

The stallion nodded, not willing to risk the ire of the caribou.

“Let me be straight with you, I’ve read your file perhaps a dozen times now. I know why you threatened to beat the blue stallion that was at your farm yesterday, and why you’ve gone to great lengths to prove to me that you’re doing your part to keep your sister in line.” Gunne placed the paper on the table, turned it around so it would be right-side up for Mac to read, and pushed it towards him.

Mac took the paper in hand and lifted it off the table. The caribou surely wanted him to read it for himself, but he had a good idea what it said already. Skimming down the information, he got to the part that Gunne had stopped at. Status: Mentally Deficient.

“I’m very aware of your illness Mac,” Gunne explained, “That you suffer from a condition brought upon by what is assumed to be a prolonged exposure to an all female family with no direct male influences. That it’s caused you to have an unnatural amount of respect for females in general. I also know that you’ve been doing your best to overcome that disability, doing everything that we’ve asked of you. On behalf of King Dainn, I would like to thank you for your compliance.”

Mac almost didn’t register what the caribou said, set on this being a worst case scenario. To hear the caribou say that he believed Mac was trying to abide by the new order was almost surreal, but at the same time greatly relieved the clydesdale, With the tension removed, Mac felt all of the muscles in his body start to relax all at once, expressing his sudden comfort with an powerful exhale. “Thank goodness, Ah thought you were going to arrest me.”

“Don’t misunderstand me Mac, I am authorized to do just that if I felt you were a threat to the caribou regime in any way.” The caribou picked up another piece of paper from the file, “And your fellow stallions certainly seem to think so with your tender approach to training your slaves. Some have even said that you’re dangerous, telling stories that they saw you once moved a house with nothing but a rope tied around your waist.” The caribou let out another chuckle at the notion. “But surely that has to be an exaggeration.”

Mac neither confirmed or denied the statement about his alleged strength. The caribou already knew too much about him, and he did want that to include exactly how strong he was as well.

“But it does say here that when we came to your farm to inform you of your liberation from the former monarchs of this kingdom, you got into a fight with our soldiers upon hearing what we had done with your sister, the mare known as ‘Applejack’, managing to knock five unconscious before the rest overwhelmed and subdued you. From there you were taken in for your psychiatric evaluation where you were deemed “incurable” by the stallion psychiatrist appointed to you.”

Mac’s expression turned grim as he heard that term, he had heard it directly from other caribou before, when they passed judgement over him. They told him of all the possibilities that could come from his perceived mental status, starting with small things like being assigned a personal probation officer to ensure he didn’t do anything the caribou would object to and ending with the possibility that they might have to “switch” him, which they explained meant that he would be put into some device that they had that would use some sort of magic to turn him into a mare so that he could live out the rest of his life as a sex slave. Seeing how he had so aggressively assaulted several caribou soldiers Mac figured the latter was the most likely outcome. Going against every moral objection he had towards the caribou, Mac shamefully threw himself at the mercy of the court, pleading for them to have mercy and promising that he wouldn’t do anything to buck the system. There was nothing to be gained if he allowed himself to be “switched”, except perhaps a lifetime of pain and misery.

His continued existence as a stallion told what decision they had come to, but they didn’t choose to spare the stallion entirely. They made sure that everything he did from that point on was for the benefit of the caribou’s empire, having him take over the farms in Ponyville, releasing Applejack into his custody under the stipulation that he treated her as the slave she now was, and reporting everything he did directly to the government. In retrospect, it was perhaps the worst decision he had ever made, one that ate away at his very being. Without it though, who knows what terrible things would’ve happened to all the mares he had at his farm.

“Incurable… is a strong word Mac,” Gunne continued, “And one that I don’t really believe in. If I did, I would’ve shipped you off to Canterlot to be switched the moment I read your file. But you seem like an upstanding stallion, and I can see that you are making efforts to conform. You may run into a few bumps along the way, but I see nothing that makes me want to cut down such a fine masculine specimen in his prime. We would much rather have you with us as a male than under us as a woman.”

“Well thanks for trusting me… Ah think…” Mac was still a bit baffled by this whole situation. The caribou looked like he was being sincere, but again just like on the farm Mac couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to this. If not, then why have him come all this way for nothing?

“Mare, make me and our guest a few drinks. I’m in a good mood, so if you serve well I’ll consider lessening your punishment.”

The brown mare carefully lifted herself off her stool at the caribou’s command, the large object inside her making each motion ache. The notion of a lessened punishment was a good motivator, but not so much as the unspoken alternative of if she did poorly or chose not to obey. Her master worked on a system of merits and demerits, so her every action either made her life better or worse, never staying on even ground. For the simple mistake of using her hand to do a chore without her master’s express permission she earned the arm binder she wore. The plug in her ass was added when she refused one of her “rewards” for good behavior, and until the day before she had to wear a achingly large gag in her mouth for saying no to an order to orally pleasure his caribou slave.

So when she was told to make some drinks she automatically translated it to “Make some drinks, or else”. She went to a cabinet containing a metal tray, a couple of small glasses and a bottle of cider. The earth mare wanted to get this right, knowing that she had to be fast while at the same time not make a mess of things. She contemplated on how to do this for only a moment, settling on the first idea that came to her.

She started by carefully setting the glass cups on top of the tray with her teeth, her still bound arms completely unable to aid her in the task given to her. Next, she took the side of the tray into her mouth and carefully took it over to Gunne’s desk, setting it down at one of its ends. After that, she rushed back to retrieve the bottle, cocking her head sideways and grabbing it by its neck with her muzzle. Making haste back to the tray, she set the bottle next to her owner, the cap needing to be removed to be able to pour it.

“Hmmm… not exactly how I taught you, but still efficient and creative.” Gunne said as he etched a small rune into the metal cap with his thumb. With a glow of his antlers the rune glowed with magical energy, and the cap folded in upon itself till it rolled right off the top. “You did well, now pour the drinks and then be on standby if we need more.”

“Yes sir, thank you sir.” The mare said before placing the neck of the bottle in her mouth once more, carefully pouring the glasses full, then setting the bottle on the tray. With the order given to her completed she knelt down on the floor, bowing her head down while awaiting the inevitable request for a refill. Mac’s eyes were drawn to her though, noticing the subdued demeanor of the mare as contrast to that of the caribou girl who was still panting and letting out small yelps as she pounded her sopping pussy on her toy. Gunne looked to have a taste for variety in his females, at least from what Mac could see.

The stallion, pulling his gaze from the mayor, watched Gunne take a glass from the tray and then took the one that remained, figuring it was expected of him. “I’m a little confused by all this,” He said taking a sip, the taste of apple cider splashing against his tongue, “Are ya saying that ya don’t care that Ah…. feel the way I feel about all this?”

“Not so long as you don’t cause any problems, and so far you’ve done what the higher ups request of you. Even with your odd mindset you understand that things are different now; as far as I’m concerned that’s just as good,” Gunne gulped down his drink in one draft before going on, “So what if you’re protective of your property? There are other stallions that choose to keep their mares to themselves and take offense to when someone else hurts them without permission. Like I said before, a hiccup here and there is not going to be the end of the world so long as overall you stay on the right path. I’ve taken your condition into consideration and have tried my best not to upset you by unduly disciplining my pets.” As he finished speaking, Gunne placed his glass back on the tray. “Mare, refill.”

“Ya know, if you’re trying not to upset me then calling her ‘mare’ isn’t helping much,” said Mac.

Gunne gave the stallion an odd look as the earth mare poured him another drink, but soon turned it into a bemused smile. “Mac… that’s her name.” The stallion was taken aback, the caribou was right, “I think that you're trying to find faults where there are none, but I won’t hold it against you.”

Mac took another sip of his drink as he composed his thoughts of the caribou. It had been a long time since he had met another guy who didn’t outright hate him or at the very least tried to convince him to change. “So… you don’t mind if I say what I want about what’s going on?”

“Well if I were you, I wouldn’t go about telling other stallions that you want the women to be treated as equals, but how about this. From now on, if you have any thoughts you want to get off your chest then come here to me. I might not agree with them, and I’ll certainly give you my own thoughts on the matter, but on my honor as a loyal soldier under King Dainn I promise that nothing of what is said or done in this office will leave it.”

Come to him if he had something to get off his chest huh? Sounded like the caribou was fishing for information. Yet, having someone to talk to was tempting. Perhaps he could test the waters, say something that the caribou already kinda knew in order to gauge how he’d react. What harm could that do?

“Okey, then Ah want to say something right now. Ah don’t think I’ll ever get used to all of this. Ah just can’t see myself doing it. With everything I’ve seen, everything your people have done to mah family and friends; it just tears me up inside, especially since Ah have to do it mahself and to mah own sister.” Mac braced himself for what Gunne had to say, expecting to receive a lecture in return. He had to admit though, it did feel good to finally speak his mind and to a caribou no less.

Gunne closed his eyes, working out what he would say to the stallion in his head, “Yes… your sister does seem to be the center of a lot of your problems. You care for her, but she doesn’t seem to care enough to worry about you.”

“What are ya getting at?” Mac asked, not liking where the caribou was taking this.

“I’ve looked at her file; she’s a troublemaker, pure and simple. Sure, she might go along when it comes to the things that she feels concerns her, like that farm work she enjoys doing, but when it comes to doing something for your sake she has to act stubborn and resistant, even though she knows that it only attracts more trouble for all of you.”

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Mac replied, going to Applejack’s defense without a second thought, “You don’t understand what she’s been through.”

“I understand well enough,” said the male caribou, his voice calm “She used to be one of the symbols of this nation, a representation of your old society. Now she has been brought down to where nature itself says she belongs and it doesn’t sit well with her. So she’s defiant, refusing to submit when others like her did so happily.”

“Oh for crying out loud….” Mac muttered, frustration setting back in.

“Please Mac, don’t be angry. I’m giving you the right to express your opinion, grant me the courtesy to do the same,” Gunne took his glass once more, this time only sipping at it, mimicking what Mac was doing with his own glass, “But I’m glad you brought her up.”

“You are?”

“Yes, as I said she is one of your biggest problems. While my superiors aren’t telling me to do much with you except keep an eye on you, they are very interested in her progress, or lack thereof. Even the pink one submitted over time, with the right things to motivate her, but your sister is still an issue and your approach with her is what’s being blamed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mac asked, pretty sure that he wouldn’t like the answer.

“It means that some of the higher ups think they could do better and if she doesn’t show improvements soon, she could be taken away from you and put into the hands of someone more qualified.”

With that Mac’s realized his worst fears were close to coming true. They were planning on taking Applejack away from him, and he didn’t have much time left.

“I’m only telling you this because I know she means a lot to you, so if you want to keep her you might have to take some extreme measures. I have a few suggestions that might work, like maybe hiring a professional mare trainer. For quicker results you could try some psychotropic drugs, there are plenty that would make her more submissive or even eager to serve. If money is an issue you could just let one of the town stallions impregnate her. Carrying a child will slow her down, which would be an improvement from her trying to get a man trampled.”

Mac raised his hand, “Please…. stop,” He couldn’t stand thinking of doing what the caribou was trying to suggest to AJ. “Ah could never do anything like that.”

“And why not?” Gunne asked, “You want to keep her safe, right?”

“You don’t understand…. Ah grew up with her…. watched over her since she was young… It‘s just… not something a caribou can get….”

Gunne tapped his finger a few times on his desk, then got up from his seat. He headed straight for door, opening it wide. It looked like he had heard enough from Mac, and had gotten the information he needed from him. The stallion put his hands on the arms of his chair, ready to leave, but then he heard Gunne say “Mare, you’re excused. Go downstairs and find something to occupy yourself.”

The earth mare rose to her hooves, unsure why she was being allowed to leave the room, but happy to be able to have some time away from the caribou. The moment she was past the doorway, he closed and locked the door.

“Mac…. There is a reason I’ve taken a special interest in you.” Gunne stepped over to his bookshelf, grabbing one of the large tomes from it. “You’re a hard working pony who does everything in his power to keep those he cares about safe. In a way it’s commendable, even if it’s for misguided reasons.” The clydesdale watched the caribou flip through the pages of his book, not even making the effort to make it look like he was looking for anything specific. “Tell me, do you know anything about caribou culture?”

“Ah take it ya mean aside from what I’ve seen,” Mac replied, “Not really, no.”

“Then let me tell you that we aren’t all that different. Just like you ponies, we had cities full of men who worked tirelessly to maintain their homes and raise their offspring for their appropriate roles in life, until they sell off their daughters of course, if they choose to do so. Like any man, we do what we have to in order to keep the things we hold dear.”

“You’re trying to convince me that the your way of living is the same as what I’m doing?” Mac took offense that Gunne would even suggest such a thing.

Gunne, picking up on the Mac’s change of tone, closed his book to return his attention to the stallion, “We might have different views on ‘right and wrong’, but I see a lot of myself in you. You come from a long line of farmers, my father was a hunter himself. The two professions are not dissimilar; they both depend on strong men that earn a living from the land.”

Mac was having a hard time seeing how this vague similarity gave Gunne the right to say that they were anything alike. He might as well of said they were the same because they both had hooves. "Somethin' as simple as that makes ya think we're one in the same?"

“That’s not all,” said Gunne as he set his book back onto the shelf and returned to his seat, “I hate to bring this up, considering how personal it is, but I recall your file saying that while you were young your father and his mare had gotten into a terrible accident, killing both of them. While not at as young an age, my father too died because a tragic accident during one of his hunts.”

The caribou was entering dangerous territory. The situation with Applejack was something he has come terms with to some degree, but if Gunne dared to besmirch his parents who had thankfully passed away long before the caribou arrived then he couldn't be responsible for his actions.

“And just like you, when my father passed it was up to me to step forward and take responsibility for my life and the things I hold dear.”

“Ya know,” said Mac, “Before y’all came along mah sister ran everything on the farm.”

“I’m sure you think that’s true, but I think we both know who kept things going there.” Gunne remarked with a smirk, “I mean if you look at the both of you its obvious which one among the two of you is more capable. You both come from the same parents, but even if Applejack is strong for a mare , you’re clearly the more powerful between the two. It’s just the way it is.”

Mac stayed silent, arguing with the caribou was getting him nowhere. The two just had too different of mindsets, their opinions almost exact opposites from one another. He could spend all night trying to get the caribou to see his side, toss up argument after argument supporting it, and Gunne would still try to counter it with his backwards logic. At this point, all he wanted was to leave, to get the creature in front of him out of his sight. “Okey, ya gave me your side of it. Is there anything else, or can Ah go?”

“That’s everything. You’re free to go, but I hope that you can see now that we are more alike than you once assumed.”

Mac didn’t, and no matter what Gunne said he would never agree with that sentiment. Getting out of his seat, he went to the door and placed his hand on the knob.

“Mac,” Gunne said when the stallion reached the room’s exit, “What do you plan on doing about your sister? How will you make her do what she has to do?”

The stallion gave it some thought, “I’ll talk to her, tell her to straighten up. If that doesn’t work…. well then I’ll deal with what comes when it comes.”

As Mac went out the door, Gunne couldn’t help but feel a powerful sense of foreboding from what he had said. Sooner or later, AJ was going to act up again, do something that Mac would have to suffer the consequences for. He hadn’t lied when he said that he could identify with how Mac felt, for more reasons that the stallion knew, and didn’t want him to throw his life away because of one mare. “There’s another way,” He called out just before the door closed completely.

The door stopped just short of shutting, and then opened up once more. Mac didn’t know why he did it; perhaps he just felt that his situation was hopeless, that there was no way to stay the course and at the same time keep AJ at the farm, but something inside the stallion made him push the door back open. “What are ya’ sayin?”

“There is another way that you could keep your sister in your possession without having to do anything worse than what she’s done already.”

Mac was skeptical, as he had been from the start of this meeting, but desperate. The caribou couldn’t have anything good in mind, but hearing him out at least couldn’t hurt. “Then what are ya suggesting?”

“You need to make your sister a red collar.” said Gunne, his face completely deadpan.

Grimacing, Mac turned around and started to leave again, “Ah knew it...”

“No, listen to me,” implored the caribou, “What I’m trying to say is that if your sister wore a red collar it would make life easier for her on the whole. She would be considered tamed, submissive, and most of all willing. So if you want to keep her safe, she needs to get one… even if it’s under false pretenses.”

Mac came back into the room, went up to the desk and placed his hands on the top of it as he looked Gunne in the eye. “Ya mean lie?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,” Gunne replied, “Most of the stallions only go after her because of the challenge she presents, each one wanting to be the one to break her. Take that away, and they’ll lose interest.”

Mac could see the caribou’s point, but he still wasn’t convinced about this idea. “So what, just go git a red collar to replace the one around her neck?”

“If you were her owner it might be that simple, but your sister is a state owned mare. Because of that it’s up to the government to decide when she’s ready.”

“So it’s impossible to get her one.” Mac said, getting a sneaking suspicion that he was getting jerked around.

“Impossible, no. Difficult, well that depends on your sister’s acting talent.” Gunne leaned back in his seat, tenting his fingers together. “I saw her ‘apology’ earlier. Not the best performance, but it’s passable and can be improved on over time. If she can be convincing, and by that I mean start publicly acting like an obedient mare who knows her place and purpose, who’s willing to prove it by giving her body out freely and taking humiliation without showing resentment… it’s possible.”

“Ah don’t know, this still doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s not about what’s right or wrong Mac, it’s about what you have to do to keep her safe.” Gunne personally didn’t care about what happened to Applejack, but he had to appeal to Mac’s sense of responsibility towards the mare. “It’s not like this is a unique situation either, there are other mentally deficient stallions out there, and some of them have forced their loved ones to become red collars as well. There’s even one in Ponyville that has done the same to his wife.”

That caught Mac’s attention, “There’s another stallion like me here? Who?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not at the liberty to divulge that information. The point is that this is the only way that you're going to be able to keep your sister. A red collar isn’t going to solve all your problems; even with it she’ll still have to show that she’s a good mare from time to time to keep up the illusion, but once she has it things should become easier for the both of you. Just think it over, it’s all I ask.”

“Ah… Ah will…” It would be hard not to think of the options given to him with a looming threat hanging over his head. The stallion headed for door once more, this time not being stopped when he closed it behind him.

Now alone, aside for the caribou girl aside him, Gunne pondered the situation himself. Big Mac still didn’t sound one-hundred percent convinced, but perhaps there was some way to make sure he made the right decision. He went to his file cabinet and searched through the papers it held one by one in order to find an answer.

---

Heading back to his farm after leaving the town hall, Mac found himself ambling slowly as he thought over Gunne’s plan. It was true that mares that wore red collars were generally treated better, and that black collars were mostly picked on because they clearly showed their defiance around their throats. But Applejack would never agree to such a plan, even if he wanted to go through with it.

Her own personal pride as a pony would refuse to let her even feign submission to the will of those who had ruined the lives of so many, and lying went against her very nature. Having to go around fucking stallions to prove that she was willing was something that she’d be against, to say nothing of his own issues with it. As much as seeing her get raped on a monthly basis upset him, it wouldn’t compare to her having to fuck them herself and frequently enough to make them believe she had given in. It was a tough decision either way, to let her keep her dignity and possibly lose her or to make her lose that to make sure she wasn’t mistreated by some caribou in a place where he’d never see her again.

He went over the options time and time again, unable to decide which one was the right thing to do or even if he should bring this up to Applejack. Perhaps he needed a second opinion, someone unbiased to the situation, or at least more level headed than himself. Who could he talk to though? The caribou way of running things already made it so everyone showed what side they were on. The closest pony he could think of was Fiddly Faddle, who had told Mac that she did what her master ordered her to do, but still wore a black collar to show that she was against all of this. She’d be just as likely to tell Mac the plan was stupid, but maybe that was just what he needed to hear.

By the time he made it down the long dirt road from Ponyville and back around his farm the sun was starting to set and Mac noticed some dark clouds had filled the skies over his field, reminding him that there was a scheduled rain that night and while he needed to hear what Fiddle had to say, he might have to make it quick to avoid getting soaked. He might not even be able to talk to her at all if that mute caribou Thungrox decided to get in the way, but he had to try.

Speaking of the man, Mac could see him as he walked up the hill the farm sat atop. He was sitting on a bench placed just outside the entrance, finishing off one of the apples that he had purchased from Mac earlier that day. With him he could see two mares, the first one and most noticeable was Fluttershy. Even from a distance the stallion could tell that it was her laying on the bench with her head in Thungrox’s lap, easily recognizable by her bright colors and the red wing binders she wore.

The other mare there was standing at the end of the bench, just aside the caribou with her back to the stallion. Her legs were spread, and she was bent over and bracing herself the fence around the farm. Mac wasn’t very sure who the other mare could be, since all he could make out from this angle was her blue mane and tail, as well as splotches of yellow fur from beyond him. With each additional step though something started to click in his head, and before he close enough to the farm to be noticed he begun to walk around the mare to get a better look at her. Getting around her side, giving Mac a clear view of the mare’s face and music note cutiemark, he found out that it was the mare he had intended to speak with.

Fiddly, jaw clenched and teeth bared, looked to be in a lot of pain, and Mac could see why. Her stomach bulged out, making the mare have the appearance of being pregnant, and with the way she writhed and took hard, quick breaths, acted like she was in the midst of labor. Mac also noticed that something had been painted on her inflated belly, something round, red, with a brown and green bits at the top of it; an apple?

How could something like this happen? Mac had seen her just that morning and she was fine. Nothing could impregnate a mare and grow to that size at such a rate. What did that Thungrox do to her?

The answer came when the caribou tossed the core of the apple he was eating to the ground. His hand empty, he reached underneath Fiddly and pressed his fingers into her stomach. Fiddly let out a loud long, low scream, her legs struggling to stay straight from the pain she felt. She kept herself as still as she could, enduring the harsh touch, only allowing herself the slightest of tremors. To Mac’s horrified amazement the lips of his cousin’s mound opened up, allowing something red and round to be pushed out of her.

Thungrox placed his hand underneath the opening, ready to catch it was that he was forcing out of the mare’s vagina. With one last push from both Fiddly and the caribou, what was inside her popped out, revealing it as a large, bright red apple, one that Mac instantly realized must’ve come from the bushel he had sold the caribou.

Big Mac had to cover his mouth to stop a gasp from escaping. He had contributed to the suffering on one of his relatives. He had done it indirectly, but if he hadn’t sold Thungrox the apples then Fiddly wouldn’t’ve ended up like this. The rest of that bulging stomach had to be more of them too, turning a mare that had no business being at the animal farm in the first place into some sort of fruit dispenser. It only got worse when the apple was brought to Fluttershy’s muzzle, to which the pegasus opened her mouth and took a sizable bite out of the tainted apple. It was so overwhelming that Mac had to get away, fleeing before anyone saw he was even there, running as fast as his legs would take him back to his farm.

He took the shortest route back to Sweet Apple Acres, sprinting to the part of his farm’s fence that was closest to him. Placing a hand on the top plank, he leapt over it with ease, a rush of emotion guiding his body. Mac had only one thought, to get away from what he saw, and nothing would’ve stopped him. He didn’t even notice Lily Valley or Carrot Top, still finishing their chores in the fields, call out to him as he rushed by, or pay attention to how worried they were about him.

The stallion only stopped when he made it back to his home, slamming the door behind him and even locking it for good measure despite nothing pursuing him, as if doing so would keep out the vision still stuck in his head.

“Is everything okay master?” Mac heard from Roseluck, who was standing near the entrance of the door just as the stallion burst in, “You look like you’ve been chased by a pack of timberwolves.”

Gasping for air after his run, Mac took a few seconds to recover and catch his breath, “AJ, where is she?!”

“She’s still in your room resting,” Roseluck answered, “She asked where you went, but after that wouldn’t say a word to me.” Upon learning where his sister was, Mac rushed past Rose to head upstairs. After seeing Fiddly in the state she was, he had come to a decision. It was a tough one, but it had to happen. If not then stuff like this would just keep happening and the stallion just could let it go on if he could do anything about it.

Applejack, when he entered the room, wasn’t there. At first her not being there flared up his panic once more, but then he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. Going across the hall, he finally relaxed when he saw her sitting on the edge the tub, cleaning off what remained of the cum that had covered her fur. Using a wet rag, running it across her body, paying special attention breasts, ass and pussy, practically having to rub them raw in order to remove the filth from herself.

“AJ!” Mac let out, still in a bit of a daze and unable to control his voice.

With the earth mare now aware of Mac, she tossed her rag aside, quickly going to her brother and embracing him in a hug. “Mac, Ah was so worried ‘bout you!” She said, stepping away and inspecting her brother. “What happen? Did they hurt you? If they did Ah swear I’ll...”

Mac was glad to see AJ worried about him and was glad that he didn’t get into a fight with Spike. Seeing how she reacted, she would’ve already been out the door if he had a single bruise on his body. “I’m fine, but I got some bad news. Ya might want to take a seat for this.”

Mac explained everything that had happened that day, starting with what happened with Gunne, since that was what AJ was most concerned about, and then leading into how he had seen Fiddly at Fluttershy’s ranch. He told her everything; that she was a black collar, that she was being punished by her owner because she was related to Applejack, and lastly about what had happened to her.

Applejack was appalled, “That… that… Caribou! I’m gonna-!”

“Nothin’” Mac said, “There’s nothin’ ya can do… not without…” There was one thing he had left out from what went on at the town hall, but he couldn’t put it off any longer, “Not without being taken away… Gunne told me so himself… After what you did you’re on your last legs.”

“So that’s it then?” said Applejack, “A caribou tortures your own kin with your own apples an’ y’all not gonna do anythin’ about it?”

“No… I’m gonna do something.” Mac prepared for the worst. He hated the plan, but as far as he could see it was the best thing he could do. “I’m gonna… get ya a red collar.”

AJ know what to say. At first she was sure she misheard him, then she thought he was crazy, then she wasn’t sure what she thought. “Excuse me?!”

“Listen, I know it sounds crazy.”

“Darn tootin it sounds crazy!” the mare yelled, rising up so she could look him dead in the eye. Being that close she could suddenly catch a faint smell in the air, “Have ya been hitting the cider?”

“Ah had a little with Gunne, but that’s not-”

“Ya had a drink with a caribou?! Ah… Ah can’t even look at ya right now!” AJ couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her own brother was palling around with a guy that he had told her was making the mayor of Ponyville his personal bitch. Pushing past the stallion, Applejack headed downstairs.

Mac chased after her, but kept his distance, “Ya aren’t listening to me. I’m not saying that ah want to make ya a red collar, just that ah want you to fake it in order to get everyone of our backs.” As he blurted out what he was trying out he could tell it was just making things worse.

“So on top of making me look like a traitor to all of Equestria ya want me to lie ‘bout it too, huh?!” Applejack reached the front door, throwing it open to show the dark and rainy skies outside.

“AJ, where’re ya going?” Mac asked, knowing he couldn’t talk her out of leaving if he tried.

All she said in response was “out” and then slammed the door.

With that Mac was left there, feeling awful for what he’d done. He never should’ve brought it up. He could go after her, but he trusted her judgement and believed that she wouldn’t try anything stupid, even if she was mad as heck. All she needed right now was some space and time to calm down.

---

Applejack stomped out into the fields, heading for the apple orchard. Droplets of water came down from up above, but she didn’t care. She had to get away, cool her head, before she attacked Mac for suggesting what he did. As mad as she was, she could see herself at least saying something that she’d regret later, and she didn’t want that. Mac was the only stallion she could trust, the only one she could stand to be around anymore. He didn’t deserve to be yelled at for just doing what he had to, but did he ever say something stupid up in that bathroom.

It was the caribou, the one that ran the town. He was the one that put a fool thought like that in Mac’s head, she just knew it. It boiled her blood, Mac being manipulated like that, making her feel hot all over. Then the frustration set in, making her want the opportunity to get back at the caribou. Gunne, the one at Fluttershy’s ranch, heck anyone would do right now. But with how things were, that she could be dragged off somewhere else on a moment’s notice, she couldn’t even try. Needing to lash out at something she took her anger out on one of the trees, kicking it so hard as she passed by that she knocked the bark right off and made every apple it held fall to the ground.

It wasn’t enough though, it wasn’t what she wanted. It wasn’t a caribou, or a stallion, or even one of those traitorous reds, so it didn’t do her a lick of good. She needed something else, something to ease the stress, something to give her release. While every ounce of her moral fiber told her this was neither the time or the place, she knew that there was only one way to relieve herself.

Finding the largest tree she could, AJ went to the side that faced away from the barn house and sat herself at it’s roots. The ground was wet and muddy, but that hardly registered to her; all she felt was a primal urge. She gave one last look around, just to make sure that no one else could see her, then spread her legs wide and plunged her hand down between them. She went slow at first, pressing the tips of her fingers softly against the soft skin of her lower lips, sliding them up and down as she let herself feel good from sexual stimulation for the first time in a long time.

While AJ was far from an expert when it came to pleasing males, she was well versed at what brought herself pleasure. This wasn’t the first time that she had hunkered down out in the fields, and thinking back to times when she would go someplace private, bring down her jean shorts and finger herself made her heart pound and her blood rush, spreading a warmth all over her body. She had resisted this for so long, the caribou turning what was once a natural action into something dirty, but right now she didn’t care.

The earth pony took hold of her breast, moving it around in her hand while pinching and twisting her nipple with her index finger and thumb. A few circular rubs on her clit soon joined in to increase the mare’s arousal, bringing her closer to the release she sought. With a few loud moans, not thinking anyone was around in this ever increasing bad weather, she worked up the nerve to shove her fingers inside, letting her feel the wet warmth contained inside her privates. Shame in her actions should’ve reached her by now, but her rough, anger fueled strokes were sending sparks through her that distracted her from any other thoughts except for a desire for revenge that she feared would never be fulfilled. It was still a pleasant dream to hold onto though, and what drove her to increase the dexterity of her fingers until to even greater speeds.

Letting herself get lost in the feeling, AJ’s goal of simple release turned into a quest for satisfaction. Perspiration and rain water drenched the mare and her crotch added a third fluid to the mixture with a splash every time she pushed inside herself. When her climax inevitably came to her it was spectacular, flooding her very being and reminding her of how good sex could feel when it wasn’t done against one’s will.

“Interesting…” said a voice from the darkness, “As resistant as you act and still you have no problem touching yourself out in the open.” Any pleasure AJ felt washed away instantly when she realized that she had been watched. Pulling her finger out of her soaked slit, she scrambled to get to her hooves. “No, please, don’t stop on my account.” said the figure of a caribou.

“You!” AJ said, stumbling to get her footing as the figure drew closer, allowing her to see it was Gunne, holding something in his hands that she couldn’t quite make out, “Ah know what you did to mah brother, gettin’ him drunk and planting ideas in his head!”

The caribou darted toward her, throwing what he held to the ground and before AJ could react he pushed her against the tree, holding her back by her shoulder with one hand as his other arm pressed against her neck. “You are a female,” he told the pony struggling against him, “Don’t presume to know anything.”

Applejack used her hands to grasp the caribou’s arm, putting all she could into moving it away enough so she could speak. “Then ya aren’t going to admit to telling him to make me a red collar?”

“I suggested the idea to him,” Gunne admitted freely, “And it seems he agreed with it. So the only problem now is you.”

“Fuck you!” AJ lifted her leg, ready to send a devastating kick into Gunne’s gut. It looked like she’s be able to take out some of her frustration on a caribou after all. She was almost ready to attack, but just before she could she felt Gunne release his grip and her other leg knocked out from underneath her. Next thing she knew she was falling and ended up face first into a large puddle of mud.

“I know about your capabilities Applejack,” Gunne stated, “I’ve looked at the information that we have on you. You might be strong in those legs of yours, but the moment you try to kick you leave yourself open for anyone focused on you. It’s no wonder you were captured so easily.”

Applejack lifted herself to her knees and spat. Second time in two days she had a mouth full of mud and she was not enjoying the flavor any more than the last time. “So what? Ya gonna go ‘head a rape me? Ah won’t make it easy for ya,” she said in defiance.

“I told you once before girl, I have no interest in you,” Gunne searched the ground around him, looking for what he had thrown down before he pinned AJ against the tree. “I was coming to see Mac, to make sure he made the right choice, and to convince him otherwise if he didn’t,” Finding what he was looking for, Gunne reached down and picked up two folders. “But perhaps you should see what I brought for him instead.”

AJ, getting out of the mud, stood up went over to Gunne. She was outmatched, the caribou watching and waiting for her to try another attack, so for now she would see what he was going on about. There was nothing that could be in those folders that would change her mind anyways.

Or at least that’s what she thought until she saw what was inside. The papers inside showed information on one of her cousins, Apple Cider. Like Mac, Applejack had heard next to nothing about what was happening with the rest of her extended family. When she had heard that Fiddly was a black collar it made her feel good that the rest of her kin were resisting just like she was. For the caribou though, resistance was only tolerated so far and when you went too far out of line they took extreme measures to put you in your place. So when she saw the word “Blanked” stamped over the sheet of paper that listed every detail about Apple Cider, her hometown, her age, even an image of her cutiemark crossed out in a black X, making it impossible for any doubt that it was the right pony.

She still didn’t want to believe it, searching through the pages for anything that would prove that this was a forgery, eventually coming across an image of a mare strapped into a machine, completely devoid of hair and fur, leaving a pale pink shell. There were no defining marks on her, nothing that would be able to tell her apart from any other mare in the same state, but when AJ looked into they pony’s vacant blue eyes she knew that it was her cousin, and it made Applejack’s heart sink.

Blanking was the caribou’s ultimate form of control, using a device to completely remove a pony’s personality, going so far as to remove their cutie mark and with it their very destiny. It left them as a blank shell that the caribou could then turn into whatever they desired, taking away any form of free will or choice that pony ever had.

Applejack flipped Apple Cider’s folder behind the other one she held, opening the next one without a moment’s hesitation. Another sorrowful feeling shot through her when she saw that another one of her cousins, Apple Dumpling, had also been marked as blanked. She shifted through the pages much quicker this time, needing the see the photograph she knew would be there to make sure. What she found wasn’t another image of a blanked pony, but of an extremely busty earth mare surrounded by naked stallions, grabbing two of their penises while sucking off a third. She was obscured by the semen that drenched her body, and her mane had been changed from red to blond and her fur from green to pink, but AJ still somehow knew the truth. It was enough to bring the strong mare to tears.

“You see Applejack,” said Gunne, “You inspire those in your family to do things they shouldn’t. These two heard about how much you resisted everything that we tried to do to teach you about where you belong, and decided that they should do the same. They joined up with one of the rebel factions and were quickly caught. Needless to say it turned out poorly for them.”

Applejack stood there silently, her mind refusing to accept what she was hearing. Two of her family members had been blanked because they followed her example. It turned her stomach, to know that she would never see either of their smiling faces ever again, or if she did it would be when they were completely different mares than who they once were. The only thing she could do was hand the two files back so she no longer had to look at them.

“You’ve caused enough trouble with your petty rebellious acts Applejack, bringing suffering not just to yourself but to everyone that follows your example. I’m not going to allow you to take Mac down with you as well.” Gunne turned away from the mare, heading off away from the farm. “Become a red collar. I don’t care if you have to fake a smile every time a cock goes down your throat, just make it believable.”

---

Back at the farmhouse, Mac waited patiently for AJ to return. His eyes never looked away from the front door and seldom blinked as he sat on the couch. The other girls had all come inside the moment the rain started hitting hard, asking him why Applejack had stormed off in such a hurry, as well as why he looked so depressed. He explained that it was his fault, that he had said something to upset her and that he would deal with it when she got back. Sending everyone else to bed for the night, the stallion wanting to fix what he had done alone.

He had made a mistake in sharing Gunne’s plan with her, that he realized now. The stallion could only hope that it didn’t send her over the edge. For all Mac knew she could’ve run away or anything else for that matter, but he had faith that she just went out to cool her head and nothing more.

The door opened, allowing a soaked, muddy Applejack to come in. She looked miserable, but Mac assumed that the rain was mostly to blame for that. Regardless, the first thing he did was greet his sister with a big hug as she did before.

“AJ, thank goodness,” He said, glad to have his sister back home.

The next thing he heard were the words “Let’s give it a try” uttered from AJ’s mouth.

“Give what a try?” He asked, she couldn’t have meant..

“Your red collar plan. Ah think… Ah think it’s worth a try… at least.” Applejack replied and she wiped her eyes.

“What made ya change your mind?” Mac asked curiously, yet somewhat relieved that she was willing to give the red collar idea a shot.

AJ couldn’t tell him the truth. Family was everything to Mac, learning about the fates of Apple Cider and Apple Dumpling would destroy him. “Ah just thought it over and figured you were right all along. If we don’t do somethin’ they’ll take me away, so let’s do somethin’” He could never know, and as long as she pretended to obey he wouldn’t have to feel the pain of losing a loved one. She only hoped that she wasn’t so good a liar that she started to believe herself.

Following the Plan

Applejack slipped in and out of consciousness, still in a daze from… something. What it was that made her like this, she wasn’t sure. She hardly even knew what was going on around her; her vision was blurred, her sense of touch numbed, and her hearing deafened, but she could still make out a few things.

There were tons of ponies running about, raising a bigger holler than the last Apple Family reunion. She must’ve been at some sort of celebration and drunk more cider than usual. Those screams didn’t sound right though, more like panicked cries then cheers. She also felt a sense of urgency coming to her, like she was in danger, except she couldn’t remember why.

Whatever was making her feel that way it must’ve been important, so it was time to get up and take care of it. She tried to move her legs, but something was getting in the way, preventing her from stretching out completely. Next she attempted to move her arms, getting better results but still finding that she couldn’t push them more than a little forward. In fact, it felt like she was inside something, and that something was moving.

As she was it didn’t seem like she going anywhere, so the earth mare just relaxed, finding rest a better choice than wasting effort and tiring herself out. She closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep, when she heard a pair of voices nearby. Their deep, masculine tones identified them as stallions, and she could make out a few words. It was mostly disconnected garble, but within it she could make out a lot of unsavory language. “Cock”, “pussy”, “fuck”, and other similar things repeated over and over, making AJ think that somebody's mouth needed to be washed out with soap. Apple parties got wild, but they usually stayed clean.

As she slowly, but surely, recovered she was able to listen into more of the two foul-mouthed males, each one talking about how they were going to have sex with one mare or another, talking about female pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies alike as if they only existed to be screwed.

“Hey….” One of the two voices spoke, “You think the caribou will let me stick my dick in that orange one back there? The one with apples on her ass?”

The audacity of that remark snapped AJ back to reality. As her eyes pulled into focus, she saw that she was surrounded by metal bars in all directions. She was caged, placed in a small metal container that barely gave her room to move and surrounded by other mares in the same predicament, each in their own separate prisons. She was atop a cart that was moving through the streets of Canterlot, recognizing the fancy buildings of the capital. In the air, pegasi were being pursued by winged guard ponies, unicorns and earth ponies were running around. It was mass hysteria and some sort of large, horned creatures seemed to be at the center of it all. It was jarring hearing the panicking ponies and to see so many captured mares around her, each one stripped of her clothing. Some were yelling to be let out, most were crying or sitting silently, unable to cope with what was happening. To Applejack’s disgust one mare was even touching herself, somehow getting off on the horrors surrounding her.

Once she’d gotten her bearings, Applejack noticed a powerful aching in her neck, and she immediately moved her hands up to remove whatever was causing it. As she did her best to tear it away she found herself unable to do so. The thing hurting her was tightly wrapped around her throat, going all the way around without a seam to form an inescapable ring. Looking to the other mares, she could see that they bore the same things around their necks. They looked like collars, made of red-, black-, or silver-colored leather with heavy metal rings in the front.

“What the hay is this!” Applejack yelled, attempting to get the guard ponies to notice her.

“Look at that, she’s already awake after that hit she took,” said one of the guards, a white pegasus, “Bitch is tough, no denying that.”

“That’ll just make her more fun,” said the other guard,

With that AJ remembered what was going on. The screaming ponies scrambling around her to find some sort of escape, the large creatures taking them down one by one, stripping the clothing off of mares in the middle of the streets. She recalled how a few of the royal guard had apparently sided with them and captured Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and that sudden and powerful shock that coursed through her body just before everything went black. Canterlot was under attack, besieged by some antlered creatures wearing armor that prevented them from being harmed by magic. Guessing by what the guard said earlier she assumed that the invaders were called caribou.

She could see that the invasion was still going on too, and it wasn’t going well for her side. Some ponies did their best to fight back only to receive a debilitating blow to the gut or a shock from the same electrified sticks that had knocked her for a loop earlier. Others were running for their lives, a few managing to duck past the invaders and slip away while the most of them were easily snatched up. For mares of the latter category a quick grab and a strong pull tore their clothing to tatters, exposing their naked bodies to the world.

That was nothing compared to what else she was seeing, as even while the chaos was going on around her she could spy several of the large creatures forcing their female victims to their knees or bending them over nearby objects. To her horror, these actions were followed up by the large males reaching down to the codpiece of their armor, removing it to reveal their prominent manhoods, and shoving them into whatever hole they chose. The dismayed howls and muffled groans of the violated mares mixed into rest of the screams around her that AJ couldn’t separate one from another, and for all she knew this was happening all over Canterlot.

She didn’t dwell on it though, she couldn’t. More than ever before the ponies of Equestria needed her help. Applejack needed to escape, but to do that she needed to know where she was. All she knew was that she had put into the back of a cart, being taken to Celestia knows where. But wherever she was going, it was clear that only bad things awaited her, and in that case then the opposite direction was as good as any.

Pulling her leg forward, AJ readied herself to bust the cage open. It looked tough, but a solid enough hit to the door should make it give. “Here goes nothin’” Applejack muttered, slamming her hoof back into the door with as much force as she could muster.

Upon contact the door gave a loud “clang” and shudder from the impact, but it didn’t go flying off as the farm pony had hoped. Instead, the strike to the solid metal frame recoiled back onto Applejack herself, giving her a sore hoof to accompany her aching neck. Covering her mouth to hold back the sounds of her pain, she looked over towards the two guards driving the cart. They didn’t even bother to look, thinking that it was just the sound of another useless struggle.

AJ was starting to feel the same, but with another look at the cage door she could see that it had dented ever so slightly. Even as weakened as she was, she could still make a break for it if she were willing to bear some pain in return. Run around for a while with a sore hoof, or wait until her captors had her where they wanted her, what choice did she have?

Keeping her hand clamped down on her muzzle, she prepared for another go at freedom, “Clang”, Another muffled cry of pain resonated inside Applejack’s mouth and in exchange the door bent outward just a little more. “Clang”, the sharp sting was starting to linger, but AJ was determined to free herself.

Rearing back for a fourth blow, she heard a mare’s voice directed right at her. “Would you cut that out!?” said a sobbing, distraught unicorn from up above, a ring wrapped around the base of her horn. Applejack hadn’t even noticed that there were cages stacked on top of the ones in the cart’s bed ‘til then, “As if this day wasn’t bad enough,” The unicorn said, not finishing what was in her mind.

Applejack slammed her hoof down once more, escape just a few more hits away. “Sorry, but Ah gotta do this if we’re gonna get out of here,” she whispered, as much as she was being ignored at the moment, she didn’t want to tempt fate.

“Get out of here?” the upset unicorn asked unsure, “You’re just one mare, what can you do?”

AJ smirked, this time ignoring the pain in her hoof as drove it back and deepened the curve of the door. “Sugarcube, you’d be amazed at what one mare can do.” The farm pony thought back to her everything she’d done the last few years. There was a lot she could do; her strength provided her with what she needed to make a difference.

“Wait a second!” the unicorn said from above in her loudest whisper, “You’re kicking that too hard!”

“Ah gotta kick it hard,” AJ replied, paying the girl no mind as her good memories fueled her, “Else I ain’t gonna get through.”

“No that’s not what I mean!” The unicorn said back, pushing her horn between the bars as she forced her face against the walls of her cage “You’re gonna-!”

With one final mighty kick the door broke open, “Got it!” Applejack said aloud in triumph, too loud in fact. Sending one last glance back to the guard’s ponies, they locked eyes with one another. The looks on their faces were priceless, in total disbelief that a mare could break through one of the sturdy cages. Applejack’s grin widened, positive that she’d have plenty of time to get out of the cage and slip away away in the confusion of around her. Turning to leave before the stallions could get a hold of themselves, AJ slipped her hoof right out the exit she had made for herself.

Before she could even place her whole leg out the door she caught something in her peripheral vision that made her freeze. With a scream that made the mare’s blood grow cold, followed by a stomach turning crash, the cage containing the unicorn above her fell from the cart and to the streets below.

Upon hearing the sound cease and a whimper come from below her, Applejack slipped out from her cage, though not to make a break for it as she had originally intended. Her guilt and worry for the unicorn’s well being took precedence over her desire to get away. The sight that met her was not good. The unicorn mare had hit the ground hard, and was unmoving save for a few twitches.

“Oh my gosh, are y’all alright?!” Applejack said, knowing that the answer was no. She was so preoccupied with the unicorn and what she had done that the two male ponies coming from either side of her, guilt consuming her when she noticed that the unicorn’s horn was now a broken stub. When a hand gripped a hold of her collar, she couldn’t find the strength in her to fight back. All the energy left her body; she’d never hurt another pony that badly before, let alone maimed them.

“You stupid bitch, look at what you’ve done,” the guard pony holding her scolded, filling Applejack with a sense of shame unlike any other.

“It’s not all bad,” The other guard stated as he inspected the injured mare, “She won’t be joining the parade with the rest of these mares, but at least this saved us the trouble of removing the dumb slut’s horn.”

Applejack was filled with self loathing; if she hadn’t been held up she would’ve dropped to her knees. She wasn’t a unicorn herself, so she could have no idea, but she was certain that having your horn broken off didn’t feel good.

“So what? We’re still going to have to report this shit and take the blame for it. I’ll tell you what, after all the trouble this one’s caused…” Applejack felt a slightly warm metal object press into her spine and for the second time that day a powerful jolt of electricity flowed through her body. As the guard let go of her collar and let her fall to the solid pavement the last thing she could make out before darkness overcame her was, “They need to build this bitch a better cage.”

---

AJ’s eyes shot open, her mind kickstarted into awareness. She had to get up, the caribou were in Canterlot, the guard ponies were traitors, Celestia had to be told and she had to… find... her...

The farm mare looked outside the confines of her tiny cell, grabbing the bars that made up it’s door and pressing her face against them. She wasn’t in Canterlot, she was at Sweet Apple Acres. The caribou weren’t invading, they were in charge. And everyone she knew was either a traitor, suffering, or a brainwashed slut. Everything she thought she was going through had done and passed, leaving behind only memories and bad dreams.

She had them frequently, almost every night she since that day. Phantoms of past nightmares she had to go through, of defeat, humiliation, and violation. This dream was different though, and she knew why it had come to her every night since Gunne showed her what happened to two of her cousins. How many times was she going to make things go from bad to worse, and how many times would it be her family that paid the price?

Things had to change, before her she hurt someone else she loved. How long would it be ‘til Big Mac was the one that the caribou came down on. From the way Gunne made it sound, he wouldn’t be spared if they came to take her, and that would be the final nail in the coffin for her. It might’ve been manipulation on the caribou’s part, but it was effective.

A tap on top of her cage sounded, informing her that Mac was awake and ready to enact the plan Gunne had offered them. Having Applejack pretend to be willing, to let men have their way with her and express a desire to be used by them. It wasn’t going to be easy, but supposedly it was the answer to all their problems, at least the ones that could be solved.

“Morning AJ,” said Mac, unlocking the cage door, “How about some breakfast before we… you know.”

“Sure Mac,” she said crawling out. No doubt he had made something spectacular to cheer her up before going out, or at least something better than the slop she had to eat normally since he was never the best cook. The sentiment would be well received no matter how good he made it, the thought was what counted after all.

---

One hearty meal followed by a disturbingly familiar walk in silence later, the two earth ponies were entering Ponyville. It had only been a full seven days since she had last been here, being used as a model to show off Flim and Flam’s products designed to force mares to degrade themselves and break their wills. Usually after an event like that she wouldn’t be back for roughly a month, being at the mercy of some other stallion that requested her services. So when she was lead in by leash much earlier than expected it turned a few heads.

It didn’t bother her as much as it normally would that she was the center of attention; today she was depending on it. Just like when she gave her body in apology, the more that joined in the more would be able to spread the word of what would happen that day, and the more word of her perceived obedience spread the more believable her ruse would be.

On the other hand, Mac was as nervous as ever. He could keep his head held up and his face straight, but deep down he was unable to handle the things he saw in what should’ve been a simple walk down the streets of the town. The clydesdale could hardly turn his head without seeing something that put a pit in his stomach. He and his sister had arrived early enough that the shops were just opening up, and with that came the early morning preparations of the town.

Red collars could plainly be seen near a few of the houses, their master’s putting them out to be fucked by any and all passersby, or were just being screwed publicly by their owners themselves before heading of to work. Many black collars were in similar situations, but the more stubborn ones had to be completely bound to allow easy access to their flanks, mouths and pussies. The more timid ones were either tied up similarly or just taken with minimum resistance, only able to announce their dismay to the sadistic pleasure of their owners.

“It’s okay Mac,” AJ whispered, walking closely and sensing his discomfort, “Just ignore it. We’re almost there.”

Mac was glad that he had Applejack there by his side to help him relax. It was good to have someone around who understood just how much this sort of thing set him off. He certainly couldn’t expect another stallion to grasp his revulsion. They’d just say he was acting silly, if they even bothered to give him the time of day.

“Ah know AJ,” Mac replied, “But this is goin’ to be horrible for ya. It’s not too late, we could just go back now.”

AJ gave her head a shake, “We both agreed, this is what we gotta do.”

They did both agree on at least giving Gunne’s “red collar” plan a shot, but Mac still was unsure about why his sister changed her mind so quickly when she felt so strongly against it only not more than an hour before. He was sure that she wasn’t telling him something. AJ never was a good liar, but if she didn’t want to tell him he wasn’t going to pry. Applejack already had enough of her private matters exposed to the world, if she wanted to keep one thing a secret, even from him, Mac was going to respect her wishes.

“Cum one! Cum all! Come on in and see the show!” The Apples gave a quick cringe at the cheerful, bullhorn-amplified voice sounding through the town, both somehow able to differentiate which version of the word “come” was being said at each part. But hearing that particular voice told them that they were getting close to their destination, and the mare they thought would best be suited to help them.

As they drew closer the sound of a loud bell joined with the invitation to see whatever sights it was promising, pinpointing the exact location of a large breasted, shapely bright pink mare prancing near a white dry erase board, sporting a cowbell on her red collar. Pinkie Pie, even under the rule of the caribou, seemed as happy-go-lucky as ever, bouncing around without a care in the world as she carried out her own duties for the caribou.

“Come on all you lucky stallions, today ‘The Amazing Pinkie Pie’ has been told to allow admittance for the low cost of two bits to show how each and every mare performing today is a two bit whore, or less than that if you divide it up. Don’t miss out on your chance to see acts unlike any you’ve seen before, expertly performed by myself, Cupcake and…” One of Pinkie’s sporadic hops sent her heading directly for AJ, but before they both collided the pink mare somehow stopped herself in mid-air, planting her hooves on the ground a moment later. “Applejack?”

“Uhh… Hey there Pinkie.” AJ said giving the best smile she could manage with the addition of a small wave.

Pinkie leapt towards AJ again, this time wrapping the farm mare in a powerful hug, locking in her arms and pressing their bare breasts together, “Where have you been? I’ve missed you so much!”

“Pinkie, I’ve been at Sweet Apple Acres. Y’all know that.” Applejack answered as she fought to break free, finding that even her strength was no match for the other earth mare’s hug.

“But you never write, never come and visit, and you certainly never come to play.”

“Pinkie…” Mac said, his face turning a darker shade of red than his fur as he made himself watch the mares’ embrace. “Ah think you’re hurting her.”

Pinkie released her friend, “Sorry, I’m just SoooOOoooo happy to see you.”

“Well I’m happy to see you too,” Applejack said with mixed feelings.

Pinkie was an odd one, as she had always been, but there was just so much about her that conflicted AJ. The fun loving mare was a red collar, as eager and obedient as ever one was, but there was more to it than that. She recalled catching a few glances of Pinkie back in Canterlot, and to the best of her recollection the caribou saw fit to put a purple collar around her neck back then. By the time Applejack had been handed over to Mac however, Pinkie’s collar had changed and she was in charge of her own bordello.

AJ also noticed from her few times around Pinkie since the Fall that she appeared to be more mindful of the black collars than some of the other reds she had encountered. She would still do things against their will if directly instructed to by a male, but she wouldn’t go out of her way to make them miserable and would do her best to make sure that the mare in question enjoyed herself, even if they didn’t want to. Applejack figured this was Pinkie just being “Pinkie”, and that even with the caribou around she still just wanted to make everyone happy. If having sex was what the stallions wanted, she’d suck a dozen cocks at a time. If a black collar was sad, she’d send them screaming into orgasms that even they couldn’t object to. Compared to Roseluck, who’d hold her own friends down as they got raped if it meant she’d get fucked too, Pinkie was a saint.

That was exactly why Applejack and Mac went to her, because Pinkie was helpful and as long as it would make a pony happier, without breaking the commands given to her, she was glad to be of service. She was perfect for what the Apples had in mind.

“Say Pinkie,” Mac said, working up the courage to set the plan into motion, “AJ… well… AJ has been very good for the last week and Ah wanted to, as a reward, let her spend some time with ya today in the bordello.”

“Really?!” Pinkie’s excitement grew, stars sparkling in her eyes with the thought of sharing some time with her friend. That enthusiasm died quickly though, “Awwww, but I’m gonna be busy aaalllll day.” She said twirling her head around to add a bit of flair to her words.

“Actually…” Mac continued, “Ah meant that Ah want her to join in on whatever it is y’all are doin’ today.”

Pinkie placed a finger by her muzzle and tilted her head to the side, “You told me before you didn’t want us playing together like that.”

“Well… times have changed and AJ really wants to spend some personal time with ya,” Mac‘s mouth suddenly felt dry, as if telling him not to go on, but he had to make this look convincing, “In front of as many ponies as ya can get to watch her.”

Pinkie’s confusion gave way to a great overflowing sense of joy, any chance to play with one of her friends, especially one that stayed as distant as Applejack, was not to be questioned. The pink mare sent her hand down to her crotch, sticking her fingers inside herself to the amazement of the other two earth ponies. Big Mac turned his head, face once more flush with embarrassment as his sister couldn't help but stare. Both assumed they were seeing Pinkie Pie’s kinkier side come to light, but to their surprise her hand quickly returned with a dripping-wet marker.

With the fluid covered writing utensil in hand, Pinkie went over to the dry erase board and used her arm to wipe away what she had written before. With the board cleared, the pink pony popped the cap off her marker and went to work. Using dexterity and coordination unlike anything the Apples had seen before, Pinkie wrote down a new announcement for all to see.

Once finished, Pinkie took a step back to admire her work while Mac took a step forward to see what she had made. The board now had written in the center of it:

FOR ONE DAY ONLY

COME SEE APPLEJACK AND PINKIE PIE AS THEY PLAY

BE TANTALIZED BY THE EROTIC DANCE OF CUPCAKE

AID IN THE THE TRAINING OF THE STUBBORN BLACK COLLAR TRIXIE

AND HAVE FREE REIGN OVER ANY SERVING MARE FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE

ADMITTANCE ONLY TWO BITS!!!

YOU’D HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO PASS THIS UP!

The whole thing was in large, bold letters, encircled by a zigzagging pattern, and even had poorly drawn doodles of mares in ecstasy around it. There was no doubt it was going to draw attention, which Mac had to keep reminding himself was what they wanted.

“There we go, that should have all of Ponyville coming to watch. Mr. Gunne is going to be so pleased.” Pinkie said, making Mac and AJ wonder exactly how much of Ponyville’s affairs the caribou had a hand in, “And I promise I’ll make this the best day ever! Well, until the next time Mac lets you come and play that is.” She continued, turning around to take Applejack by the hand.

“Well thank ya Pinkie, that’s awfully sweet of ya ta do so.” AJ put a smile back on her face, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt. She wasn’t sure which part of this she disliked more, the humiliation that was about to ensue or that she was taking advantage of the better nature of one of her friends.

While the two mares shared words, Mac grew curious over one of the names on the board. He was familiar with pretty much every mare in town, but Cupcake wasn’t someone he thought he knew. It sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he could’ve heard the name before. Fortunately for him he didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

“Pinkie~ I hope I’m not too late~” called out a new voice from behind the stallion. He knew that voice, but it couldn’t be.

But of course it was, Mrs. Cake, sauntering towards the bordello with an arm holding that of her husband, and was she a sight to behold. The pleasantly plump mare showed no reservation, sporting a red collar which she casually toyed with, spinning her finger around in the ring in the front. Her mane and tail were a mess, unkempt with strands poking out all over the place. Streams of white cum flowed down the insides of her thick thighs, pouring out from her recently used pussy, and with each step she took her legs spread apart wide enough that he could see a secondary set of streams coming from her well-rounded flank. She had been wrecked, and yet the look on her face said that she loved every minute of it.

“Sorry for the delay,” said Mrs. Cake, rubbing the front half of her body against Mr. Cake’s side, grinding her crotch on his jeans and smearing some of the fluids she was dripping onto them. “But you know my master, always has to frost my sweet holes before I leave the house.”

Both Mac and AJ were stunned, not because of her whorish demeanor, though that didn’t help. They were shocked at the color of the collar she wore. They knew that Mrs. Cake worked at the bordello from time to time, but as far as they knew she was doing so as a black collar.

“Don’t worry about it Cupcake,” said Pinkie dismissing the older mare’s tardiness, “If your master wants you to be late then you’re gonna be late. And besides,” Pinkie reached over to Applejack and pulled her close. “We’ve got somepony else coming to play with us today.”

Mrs. Cake joined the two mares, “Why Applejack, I didn’t expect you to come here. I thought that you didn’t like the way things had changed.”

“Ah don’t- Ah mean Ah didn’t,” Applejack answered, unable to pry her eyes from the image of pure debauchery that was Mrs. Cake, “But Ah had a change of heart. It’s... not so bad once ya get use to it… umm.. ma’am.”

“Oh please Applejack, ma’am is such an old world term. Just call me Cupcake. It sounds so much sexier than ‘ma’am’ or ‘Mrs. Cake’.”

“Okay… Cupcake…” AJ said to satisfy the slutty mare in front of her. If someone had told her before the fall that the woman that sold her pastries would’ve turned into this, she’d have punched them square in the teeth. Now AJ wasn’t sure what she’d believe anymore.

“Well since we’re all here, why don’t we all go inside and get ready.” Pinkie said, ready to get this surprise playdate with AJ started, “The bordello will be opening in thirty minutes, and if I know the stallions they’ll be expecting our legs to do the same.”

“I’ll be right in Pinkie,” said Cupcake, going back to Mr. Cake who was carefully watching everything. “Don’t work too hard master.” The plump pony planted a kiss on her husband’s cheek, to which he returned a light peck.

“Don’t have too much fun in there,” Mr. Cake said in a lightly joking manner.

“I’ll try not master, but that might just be one command I can’t follow.” Cupcake gave the stallion a wink before practically skipping away from the stallion, Mr. Cake watching her until she entered the building completely, her hips jiggling ever so slightly with every step she took.

“Right behind you Cupcake!” Pinkie yelled, running in after. A few seconds later she poked her head back out. “Are ya coming AJ?”

“Just a second, Ah want say goodbye to mah master,” said Applejack.

“Okie dokie, but you better hurry before everyone else calls dibs on all the good joy toys.”

As Pinkie zipped inside, Mac came aside the orange mare. “I’ll be fine." AJ reassured her brother, "Y’all go on and come get me in a while.”

Mac put his arm around his sister and pulled her close as Pinkie had before, “If ya feel like it’s too much, Ah won’t blame ya if ya buck some jerk in the balls,” Mac said half-jokingly, still not entirely happy with all this.

AJ was glad that Mac had her best interests in mind, but she was doing for his sake. She wasn’t about to break his heart by doing something stupid. Not saying another word, she unclipped the leash from her collar and headed in after Pinkie Pie, ready to sacrifice her dignity for her family.

Applejack disappeared from Mac’s sight, leaving the stallion alone in front of the brothel. Well, except for Mr. Cake standing not but a few feet away from him. He, like Mac, had stayed behind for a while after his wife entered the whore house. It was funny though; for a stallion with a red collar mare willing to fuck him like a beast, his lips had a disingenuous curve.

Mac felt he knew that look, the look of a stallion with the weight of Equestria on his mind. What could be bothering him so much? Money problems? Mrs. Cake mentioned something about him working hard. That didn’t look to be it though, with a horny red collar willing, perhaps wanting, to whore herself out at a brothel he’d certainly make some kind of profit off her.

It was only when he heard Mr. Cake release a sigh while leaving the spot he stood at that Mac thought he recognized what was going on, remembering that Gunne had let slip that there was another stallion in town like himself, one whose wife was a red collar. But how could he be sure it was Mr. Cake that the caribou was talking about? He had an idea, and his curiosity wouldn’t let him pass it up.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Mac said following after the lanky stallion, determined to speak with him.

Mr. Cake turned his head back, but didn’t slow down for the clydesdale, “What is it Mac?” he said, hints of anger in his voice.

Mac picked up the pace till he was a foot behind his quarry. “Ah wanted to talk ta ya,”

“Mac, I don’t really want to be associated with a female sympathizer that picks fights with dragons.” Mac could see Mr. Cake’s point. Talking to him outside of business would look bad, but Mac couldn’t let this go. He had to know who the stallion Gunne talked about was.

“It won’t take but a minute,” Mac assured, “I just wanted to know if the word ‘incurable’ meant anything to ya.”

Before Mac knew it, Mr. Cake’s hands had clamped down around his muzzle. Any annoyance he bore before was gone, replaced with a frightened look in his eyes. “Not so loud,” he said in a hushed tone. “At least not out here.”

Mr. Cake took Mac by the shirt, leading him in the direction of Sugar Cane Corner. Mac could’ve stopped him at any time, but he could tell that Mr. Cake was scared that someone else, someone not as understanding as the town’s magistrate was, would listen in, so he let himself get lead inside the building without resistance or complaint.

---

Inside the bordello, AJ was hardening her will for the inevitable. With Mac gone, she could now feel the anxiety she was suppressing building up inside. The room she was standing in didn’t help matters one bit either.

The second her hoof passed that threshold into the building she was nabbed by Pinkie Pie, who then proceeded to drag the farm mare room to room till they were standing inside the supply room for the place. Inside it were all kinds of toys and devices for perverse partying and pleasure. Shelves overflowing with multicolored mouth gags, funny looking paddles, and dildos of every imaginable shape, size and thickness, including intimidating large ones that only the most loose flexible and loose mare could handle, lined the wall to AJ’s left. To her right were nipple clamps, glittery pasties, cuffs and shackles, and cotton candy panties with the crotches cut out of them hanging from hooks. At the back wall was a large box, “Pinkie’s Party Chest” embossed on it’s front of it, sitting next to a Celestia-shaped blow up doll that had white stains around it’s mouth and crotch, and several cannons stuffed to the brim with phallic objects. And that was only what Applejack could make out, the rest of the room was cluttered with things that she could only wonder what they were.

Standing in a spot that she cleared out for herself, AJ’s gaze was locked on Pinkie as she dug through her party chest, the pink mare taking out random things to help with the show. Her flank wiggled side to side in the air with elation, head full of all the fun and kinky things she wanted to do with her close friend. “Oh we’ll need that! And this! And this too! And definitely this! oh… not that... but this!” Random objects flew all across the room, joining with the other objects scattered across the ground, while AJ looked on with grief at some of the things Pinkie Pie grabbed.

“Uhhhh Pinkie, not ta be a bother, but Ah was hoping that we could avoid anything… fancy.”

“Phanphy?” Pinkie said, poking her head out of the box, holding a floppy rubber stallion dick inside her mouth. She spat the long, limp phallus to the ground. “What does that mean?”

“I think she doesn’t want to play with anything too exotic,” said Cupcake, taking her own assortment of things for her part in the act. “She’s just starting to warm up to the joys of submission, you don’t want to scare her off do you?”

“Of course not!” Pinkie dumped the arm full of sex toys she had back in the chest, ”I’m sorry Applejack, I wasn’t thinking. What do you want to play with?”

AJ sent her eyes from toy to toy, not seeing anything she’d be comfortable using in front of a crowd. No matter how many time she had done it before it never got any easier. “Ah don’t mind ya picking Pinkie. Ah trust your judgement, but try to keep it simple.”

“Simple… Sim… plllleeee…” Pinkie said with a smile putting her arm around AJ’s shoulder. “If it’s nice and easy you're looking for then I got just the thing!” said Pinkie Pie as she winked to her friend in her arm’s grasp.

Pinkie Pie walked AJ to her party chest and moved aside the blow-up Celestia to reveal a smaller box aside it. Opening it, the pink pony revealed a set of toys far tamer than those that filled the rest of the room. Some of them even looked like the kind AJ used to hide in her own closet before the Fall.

Kneeling down, Pinkie grabbed a brightly colored string of beads, the smallest one being the size of a marble while each one along the line increasing in size until the last one was the size of a ripe orange, with a small ring just big enough to fit a pony’s finger in at the end. With the bead string she took out another object, an egg shaped vibrator.

Pinkie held up the beads in front of AJ’s face, “Say hello to Mister Beadsworth,” she said, then twisting the bottom of the egg vibe to get it turned on. “And Eggs Wellington. Mr. Beadsworth likes to take it nice and slow with new friends on stage, and Eggs Wellington loooves to set the mood.” Pinkie gave one of the widest grins AJ had ever seen her make as she held them up on either side of her head “And dont worry, there’s no need to be shy with them. They love to get to know new mares and are very good at getting them nice and playful while being on the stage.”

“Ya…. named them?” AJ questioned.

“Pinkie names all her toys,” Cupcake said, taking a set of nipple pumps to add to her own pile of things, “How else would she tell them apart?” The older mare made a bemused giggle, “I’m going to go set this up on stage for the others Pinkie.”

“Okie dokie, we’ll be out in a minute!” Pinkie replied, waving goodbye as Cupcake left the room, then turned back to AJ, “Here, go ahead, take Mister Beadsworth and this too while I go look for some more things that you’ll like.”

AJ took the bead string and a tube of lubrication from Pinkie, eyeing them in her hand momentarily before turning around. Just relax, it’s not anything ya ain’t had in ya before, she thought, perking her tail up high while slathering the spheres she held in the lubrication. Using an arm to brace herself on the wall, she took a deep breath, exhaled, and pushed the first of the beads through her sphincter. It went in easily, but it was only the smallest of what she had to get inside. With another deep breath she pushed the next one inside, spreading her ass a little farther than the first time before closing once more around the string part of the sex toy.

Again and again she felt her O-ring spread, each time becoming more uncomfortable than the last as they pushed her insides further apart, till all that was left was the final orb sticking out of her. She strained herself to get that last one in, but even with the substance on it to make it slick the ball wouldn’t quite fit in. Even with all the times it had been unwillingly fucked AJ still had a tight, firm ass. She kept at it though, doing all that she could to get it in.

It wasn’t until she felt something else push against it hard as a hand grab her by the hip that enough force was put on it to slowly, but surely, jam it all the way in. AJ clenched, not only her ass, but her whole body. The plastic ball was far too large, even with the other ones having gone in first to make way. In the end, it made it’s way inside to join with the others, leaving AJ struggling and panting with only the plastic ring left sticking out of her.

“Thank ya Pinkie,” Applejack said, knowing it had to be the other mare that assisted her, “Ah needed a little help back there.”

“AJ…” The farm mare heard, stricken with a tinge of fear at how foreboding and somehow dark the two letters sounded. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Taking a chance to look behind her, AJ saw that it was indeed Pinkie standing right behind her, but something was off with her, something she recalled seeing before. The mare’s bright pink fur had darkened to a shadowy shade, her poofy hair straightened out so that it draped down her shoulders and back, and the happy go lucky expressions on her face were replaced with ones of hatred and anger.

“Hold on sugarcube, I think-” AJ was grabbed by the arm and spun around, slamming her back against the wall so she could be face to face with the farm mare. Pinned as she was by Pinkie’s hands, Applejack was far too confused and frightened to defend herself, only able to move her eyes up and down Pinkie, taking note that somehow the party pony’s red collar had been swapped for a purple one.

“I expected a fuck-slut like Mrs. Cake to end up in a place like this, but not you.” Pinkie snarled, her fingernails starting to dig into AJ’s fur and flesh.

“Pinkie, ya know that Mac brought me here as a reward,” said AJ, not sure if this was some kind of test, or if Pinkie had gone off the deep end. “He wanted me to have spend some time with ya, remember?”

The farm pony flinched as Pinkie slammed a fist right next to her head, “Bullshit! You expect me to believe that after everything you’ve done to let those mother fucking caribou bastards know that you’re not going to be a part of this, that you’re just rolling over and giving in?”

Applejack grabbed the arm Pinkie was using to hold her down, her instincts telling her to get the mare off her else she was gonna take a beating. Though as she was about to push her friend off, she stopped when caught another look at Pinkie face. The anger was still there, but with it were also signs of sadness, “Pinkie, are you crying?”

The dark pink pony brought her free arm back, wiping up the tears starting to well up in her eyes with a loud snort, “Of course not, I’m not a fucking crybaby.” Pinkie took a few more wipes with her arm and then placed her hand back firmly, but much more gently, on her friend’s shoulder. “AJ, let me make this very, VERY, clear for you. If you give in, you can’t go back. You’ll be their plaything for the rest of your life, and eventually you’ll regret it. Is that what you want?”

Applejack couldn’t stand the idea of lying to her friend, but she couldn’t tell her the truth. Out of all her former friends, Pinkie was the one who would let something like this slip on accident. She couldn’t even rely on a Pinkie Promise to keep her quiet if one of caribou commanded her to give out any secrets she had. Plenty of ponies had met their downfall by telling the wrong pony the wrong things.

But with the way Pinkie was looking at her AJ couldn’t just say nothing, so she decided to met the mare in the middle, “It doesn’t matter what I want. That’s up to my master to decide, right?”

AJ suddenly heard hoofsteps, forcing her head to tilt downwards. The pink pony’s leg was moving uncontrollably, like something was bothering it. That stopped as suddenly as it started, and when Applejack looked back up she spotted Pinkie’s ears moving around in a similar state of irritation. Lastly, Pinkie’s entire body quivered so intensely that AJ could feel her vibrations through her own body. When she was done the mare stepped back from Applejack, turning her back to the farm pony.

“You’re playing a dangerous game AJ,” Pinkie said, gloom falling over her.

“I ain’t playing any games,” This was as far from a game as it could get for the farm mare. This was a matter of protecting her kin, and she took that more seriously than anything else in the world.

“Fine,” Pinkie relented, stepping back from AJ, “Go outside and wait, I’ll be out in a minute.”

AJ obeyed Pinkie’s request. The girl needed some alone time to sort this out, Applejack could tell that even from a mare as impossible to predict like Pinkie. AJ exited the storage room, leaving as Pinkie brought her arms up to hold herself, and as the orange mare closed the door she heard are few small whimpers and sobs right before it closed completely.

---

AJ didn’t stray too far, she wanted to be there for Pinkie when she came out. That Pinkie was a red or purple or whatever collar the caribou slapped on her made no difference, she was a pony in need and more than that she was a friend, of which AJ had few left. She would’ve waited there all day if she had to, forgoing any attempts at following through with the plan, but she found that wouldn’t be necessary.

Not even five minutes had passed when Applejack saw the knob on the door turn, and out came Pinkie, bright colored and once more in a collar of red. The mare looked left, then right, stopping when she laid eyes on the farm mare, “There you are!” she said in a delightful tone.

“Ya told me ta come out here and wait for ya,” said AJ in return, “Are y’all okay sugarcube?”

“Okay? Why wouldn’t I be?” questioned Pinkie, “I’m a little upset that you left without telling me, but that’s not important. The show’s about to start, and we’ve gotta get on stage before the curtain rises. Don’t want to disappoint all the readers who want to see us together.”

“Readers?” AJ asked, not sure what Pinkie was going on about.

“Yeah, all of them right there,” said Pinkie, pointing at a wall behind Applejack.

Applejack turned around, looking out the window Pinkie’s arm was directed towards. Outside she could easily see the many stallions looking at the dry erase board the pink mare had wrote on before they entered, looking very interested about what was written on it.

“Ah see, then Ah suppose we shouldn’t keep ‘em waiting,” said AJ before being grabbed by the hand and pulled through the building again. AJ stumbled and tripped along, keeping up with the pink pony a well as she could, ending up in the backstage area of the bordello’s showroom before she could find proper footing again.

Dozens of other slave mares were already there in wait, red and black collars alike. The reds were all scurrying about, making some last minute adjustments to themselves. They applied lipstick and blush to their faces, inserted a variety of things into their pussies and flanks, spit into their hands and rubbed the fluids on their slits to give themselves a wet look, anything they thought would make it more likely to be picked by one of the customers.

Some of the black collars were doing the same, but most were doing their best to just stay out of the ways and go unnoticed, except for a few angry-looking ones that were securely bound, equipped with hobbling chains on their ankles and arm binders that forced their arms back and their chests out, leashes danglingly between the valley of their breasts.

As AJ’s eyes wandered from mare to mare, the sound of the gathering crowd could be heard from behind a large curtain separating the mares from the stage itself. The brothel was filling up, meaning that the farm pony only had a few moments left before she had to put on the best act of her life.

“Theres so many out there…. We might not have enough girls for this,” said a pegasus peeking out the curtain.

Pinkie Pie, curious to the size of the audience, pushed the pegasus out of the way, taking her place behind the velvet divider. A sea of ponies was all the party mare could see, every seat in the house filled with stallions waiting for the show to begin. It was easily one of the biggest crowds Pinkie had seen in a while, and her eyes widened in joy and she bounced up and down on spot, making the cowbell on her collar ring.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Theres so many!“ Pinkie’s excitement was so loud that everyone in the building could hear her, and laughter could be heard coming from tables as the stallion snickered and chuckled at the oversexed mare’s enthusiasm.

Pinkie spun around, pushing out her ample chest, and reached behind her back to pull out a mock soldier helmet from seemingly nowhere. Placing it on her head, she addressed the mares under her charge, “Ok girls listen up! Front and center!”

All the mares around AJ stopped what they were doing, save for a few of the black collars, and dashed to form a line in front of the earth pony. AJ followed the others’ example, taking a place at the far end of the line.

Pinkie made a few paces back and forth in front of the other mares, making as serious a face as she could, which made her look sillier for it. “Ok we've got a packed house and I already see a lot of stallions just waiting to fuck us all silly. Today is going to be one of the toughest days of your lives. Some of you might break under the pressure!” She got right in front of a shaking black collared unicorn and stared her in the eye, “and some of you may want to quit!” Pinkie said as she dashed in front of another black collar, causing her to make a small yelp, “But we don't have quitters here! It’s every mares’ job here to make sure every stallion that enters past those doors leaves completely satisfied! If we all work together I KNOW we can make it happen! I'm counting on each and every one of you to give it your all!”

The red collars all clapped and cheered at the pink mare’s speech, and AJ even caught a few of the black collars join in too. Leave it to Pinkie to figure out how to turn getting violated against your will into something fun. Pinkie Pie gave her hoof a hard stomp. “Now lets get this party started girls! Get those lights ready! Man your stations! Grab your favorite toys! And MOST….OF….. ALL!” Pinkie paused for a second, letting the tension rise. “Have fun out there!”

The curtains spread apart and the mares dashed off in different directions to get things ready to go as Pinkie tossed her helmet aside with a sigh and smile before turning to face the crowd.

The audience outside the curtain were all ready, the lights dimming till the room was nearly in complete darkness around them as a pair of spotlights flipped on and honed in on Pinkie Pie. The pink mare walked out to the edge of the stage, a fast tempoed beat starting up and filling the room with music. She walked out with no inhibitions, taking the time to shake her breasts for everyone watching and turn around to show off her curvaceous rump.

As the party mare danced and strutted her stuff, a barrage of confetti and streamers exploded on stage, fired from several party cannons placed at the placed on either side of the platform. It didn’t deter or distract Pinkie for a moment, and she continued her titillating dance unabated even as the paper rained down upon her, sending a seductive look towards the crowd as she spread her legs and bent over, placing the fingers of her hand on one of her ankles and allowed it to glide up her leg as she rose back up, giving herself a powerful slap on the ass once she stood fully upright again.

The crowd’s cheers hit AJ like a wave as she watched Pinkie dance, letting them get a good look of every part of her body, sending her hands across her the top of her breasts and down her body to her hips and she swayed them side to side. As she watched on, she became equally fascinated and repulsed at the same time. How did Pinkie pull this off? How was she able to do all this when back in the supply closet she showed clear signs of hatred towards the caribou? How could she warn AJ about the dangers of submitting to their will one minute and then have her fingers knuckle deep inside her vagina the next.

As AJ watched on, unable to look away as the mental image of her friend slowly crumbled, she tried her hardest to figure out what her secret was, since learning it could help her when it was her time to go up there. Honestly it was like she was a completely different pony altogether, like the Pinkie she thought she knew was somewhere else.

It was only when Pinkie’s dance was coming to a close that AJ determined what she thought was the answer. That the mare on stage wasn’t the one she knew, at least not in mind. She didn’t know why or how, but somehow Pinkie had mentally separated herself from this. What she was seeing was some sort of alter ego, something she made to cope with all that had happened. Could AJ even attempt to duplicate something like that, to disassociate herself completely from the world around her and take on some other persona? And even if she could, would she want to?

As Pinkie Pie’s dance finished she pulled her fingers out of her now soaked crotch, bringing her hand to her lips and licking the fluids off. Cheers renewed at the sight of the mare’s indecent actions, the stallions hardly able to contain themselves at what they had just seen.

Pleased at the response that she got, the pink pony took her now streamer draped body to the front of the stage, grabbing a microphone waiting for her there. “Hey all you Gentlecolts out there, are you ready for the show?!”

The crowd replied with a resounding, “Yes!”

“I SAAAAIIID ARE YOU READY FOR A SHOW?!” The crowd of stallions gave their reply again, this time so loud it felt like it shook the building, “Then let me introduce for your viewing, and eventually full on touching pleasure, today’s performers!”

One of the spotlights zipped away from Pinkie to another smaller stage off to the side, revealing Mrs. Cake from the darkness. “Let me introduce you all to tonight’s side attractions! To my left, our one and only Cupcake, ready to shake her moneymaker and give you boys everything she’s got!”

At Pinkie’s cue, Mrs. Cake placed her hand on a pole sticking out from the center of the platform she was on and begun her own dance of seduction, lifting up her leg to wrap it around the metal bar, using it to to press her mound against it. The men gave the mare a round of whistles and cat calls, imploring her to proceed. Their wish was her command, so she started her dance proper, using her leg’s grip to spin herself round and round, giving the stallions a good look at all she had to offer.

“And to my right, a mare known for her need for attention and an attitude that needs adjustment, the weak, and powerless, TRIXIE!!!” Another spotlight moved away from Pinkie at lightning speed, shining down on another stage like the one Mrs. Cake was on, except that this one was surrounded by thick metal bars. The blue mare inside had one of her hands cuffed to her own dance pole, a chastity belt hugging tightly around the waist of her otherwise exposed body as several things filling her pussy and ass hummed deep inside her blocked-off holes. Unlike her other co-performers though, she wasn’t about to go into an erotic dance for the stallions ogling her, something that the males didn’t appreciate.

The boos and hisses from them frightened her, forcing her to recoil away, which only provoked the unsatisfied males to take things further, throwing at the mare some spoiled fruits that they had brought just in case this particular mare had the nerve to refuse entertaining them. She was struck from all sides, ineffectually using her arms to block the on coming barrage, yelling out protests to her poor treatment that were drowned out by the combination of music, boos and laughter.

AJ could see the mare screaming, but not a single word made it to her ears. Her helpless pleas were swallowed up by the sea of males and the sound of spoiled fruit splattering against the mare's body, until all that remained was a discolored mixture of mush and tears before the hapless unicorn dropped to her knees.

“And lastly our main attraction, joining me up here at center stage for her debut appearance, my good friend... APPLEJACK!” The other spotlight left Pinkie and searched around the stage until finally landing of AJ. “Coming here all the way from Sweet Apple Acres, being rewarded for her recent good behavior, the lovely mare is ready and willing to show you all how much of a horny slut she is.”

The farm pony froze, she wasn’t sure she was ready for this, but she had to be. She had to make every one of these bastards think that she was willing, that she had what it took to be a red collar. Taking one final gulp, AJ went to join Pinkie.

The light followed her each step of the way, and while Mrs. Cake was in the middle of her dance routine, AJ knew all eyes were on her. They were silent, unblinking, and would judge her every move in this charade. She had to make this look good, but she didn’t know how. She couldn’t do one of those provocative dances, and she was far too modest to stick her fingers into herself. This was seeming more and more like a mistake with each passing minute, and if AJ was going to get through this she needed help.

Fortunately for her, help came in the form of Pinkie Pie. The party pony had moved around in the darkness, circling around AJ and coming up from behind. Applejack was so preoccupied with what she thinking about what she would do that she didn’t notice her friend until she grabbed her and slid a wildly buzzing egg vibrator in between her legs, pressing it against her sensitive folds.

“Oh mah stars!” AJ cried in surprise, the unexpected pleasure catching her mid-step. The leg she stood on gave way beneath her and she tumbled down right to the floor, landing on her hands and knees.

Next thing she knew, her tail was hiked up behind her, grabbed at it’s base by Pinkie and moved out of the way so she could get at the nicely toned flank in front of her. Without any warning, Pinkie drove her muzzle in between AJ’s cheeks so she could glide her tongue along the outer part of her friend’s anal ring, flicking at it, knocking around the string holding the plastic ring.

A slight shiver traveled up AJ’s spine as the tongue lovingly licked at her dirty hole, “I’ll help you relax,” said Pinkie, just loud enough for AJ alone to hear her, “And don’t you worry, I’ll be very gentle”.

Pinkie Pie moved to the inner ring, teasingly pressing her tongue into it and of her to push into her, until she pushed a bit too hard and her tongue slipped into AJ’s anus. Applejack let out a sharp gasp. This was just the excuse she needed, a way to be demeaned in public according to plan, while being able to tell herself it wasn’t by choice. With Pinkie face pressing fully between her cheeks and her not making any effort to get away had to be enough to prove that she was willing, right?

She wanted to believe that, but she knew better. Stallions called mares who took it without participating “dead fucks” and would punish them for not even bothering to struggle. To be convincing she’d have to do something, but it was hard to think of what with Pinkie twirling and flicking her tongue inside her.

Play along Applejack, what is it these guys like to see? As AJ did her best to think through what Pinkie was doing, she felt a powerful shock of pleasure course through her body, a pleasurable vibration touching her lower lips once more. It was so unexpected that she couldn’t hold herself back; her arms giving way, making the front half of her body lean down her breast pressed flat on the hardwood beneath her, AJ releasing a deep, throaty moan as her mind filled with good feelings.

It sent her into such a haze of pleasure that she nearly missed the applause given by males, catching only the tail end of it when feelings began to fade. This was what they wanted, for her to just let loose and let her body do what came natural. To give into lust and desire, to simply fuck the other earth mare with her for their amusement. Maybe under different circumstances she could’ve done just that, if it was something just between her and her friend, and without the implication that giving into desire meant giving into the caribou.

Perhaps that was how Pinkie separated things in her head, seeing all this as nothing more than having sex with a friend, and maybe if AJ could do the same she could pull this off herself. It took a lot of effort, Pinkie’s poking and prodding at her nethers not helping, to concentrate, to block out that she was being watched, but eventually AJ managed to focus in on only herself and her friend.

With only herself and Pinkie in her consciousness, AJ relaxed little by little, allowing herself to start to enjoy what was happening to her. Her whole body rocked forward with each slurp of Pinkie’s tongue, causing her nipples to grind along the floor, only to be pulled back by the hips each time as the party pony pulled Applejack’s flank back into her face. Even without phasing out the voyeurs, AJ would’ve had trouble not enjoying this. Pinkie was far too skilled at pleasing people, and every touch from her created a new sensation that AJ couldn’t deny.

The trembling of the vibrator grazing her soft lips, touching ever so slightly, added to subtle accent to the invasion of her ass, one powerful and direct while the other was weak and teasing. It was like Pinkie had perfectly calculated what it would take to make Applejack’s pleasure build, but never push past that peak that would give her climax. AJ felt like she could hold her like that all week if she wanted, but that wasn’t going to do at all. While AJ was willing to see this as just sex between two friends, she still didn’t want to give the caribou the satisfaction of causing of the most intense orgasm she might ever have.

So when AJ pulled away it was Pinkie’s turn to be in for a surprise, the pink mare falling forward with the absence of the well toned rump in front of her. “Pinkie, Ah just can’t let ya do all the work,” AJ stated, snatching the egg vibrator right out of Pinkie’s hand. “It’s about time Ah made y’all feel good to.”

The farm mare climbed over Pinkie, rolling her on her back, straddling her waist so the two could be face to face, Pinkie giving her a big smile smile. “Okay Applejack, let’s see what you’ve got.”

AJ was up for the challenge, cupping one of the mare’s enormous breasts in one hand while bring down the egg vibe down on the other. Pinkie had done her best to make AJ happy, even if it was in a way that was tainted by the caribou, the least she could do was return the favor. Pressing her thumb and the vibrator against Pinkie’s nipples, the farm mare flicked at the soft, but increasingly hardening, nubs, receiving some light coos from Pinkie for her efforts.

She took her time at first, going nice and slow, allowing Pinkie’s pleasure to increase at a snail’s pace as her own eased back down to manageable levels. She wasn’t sure if this was doing it for all the guys watching, but Pinkie was certainly enjoying the teasing, spreading her legs as her enjoyment grew. Those large pillowy mammaries of hers must’ve been really sensitive, the lightest of touches and caresses making her fidget and kick reactively. AJ could’ve done what Pinkie was trying to accomplish, hold that girl at the peak of pleasure and never let her slip over the edge, but for the sake of her respect for the mare she wanted to keep this short and sweet.

Lifting her body off of her friend, Applejack placed her hand to her crotch, spreading her lower lips wide open to the joy of those who saw it. She could feel that she had become wet, but that wasn’t unexpected; Pinkie had done a good job, and as resistant as AJ was she knew her body had urges that needed fulfilling from time to time. With her entrance a slick as it was, she had no trouble slipping the vibrator into the hole, having it halfway inside and outside of her at the same time. With the vibrator in place between her lips, AJ gave into her the urges of her body only slightly and let herself indulge in her friend’s advances.

Using her hips for leverage she slowly pushed down into her friend, moving the exposed vibrator into Pinkie’s hole, the vibrations meeting the mare with surprise as she gave a pleasant squeal. Pinkie looked up to meet her gaze with her friend, reaching up to wrap her arms around the farm pony’s neck so she could pull her close. The pink pony lifted her head up, closed her eyes, and planted a kiss on AJ’s lips.

AJ, without an ounce of resistance, starting moving her hips back and forth, pushing her crotch into her friend’s, the vibrator becoming a connecting point between the two, each hip thrust causing the object to vanish inside them momentarily before revealing itself again when Appplejack pulled back, all the while the vibrator staying perfectly between the two, becoming covered in their combined juices. AJ clenched her eyes, feeling her growing pleasure returning, working its way to becoming as strong as it had been before.

“More Applejack! MORE!” Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs, AJ happy to oblige in her aroused state, increased her pace, slamming her hips down with force, feeling her pleasure as it was reaching its peak. She just needed a little more to send her over, and she had an idea what would set her off.

Reaching behind herself, she grabbed the plastic ring coming from her rectum and pulled with all her might. One by one the balls inside her came out, each one sparking her nerves until finally halfway through them the farm mare let out a cry of climax, Pinkie joining with her own sounds of ecstasy. Their pussies spasmed, exploding their fluids while they orgasmed, spewing their liquids onto the stage where, the crowds cheering them on. AJ didn’t listen to them, she only wanted to focus on her and Pinkie, to make this experience as pleasant to her as possible.

She was still embarrassed, and didn’t really want to be there, but it didn’t feel completely terrible when she tuned out those around her. She gave a smile, letting go more than she had intended to, and when she noticed it she could only think of how glad she was that Mac wasn’t around to see her like this.

---

Mac stood just inside the entrance of Sugar Cube Corner, keeping track of Mr. Cake as he locked all the doors and windows of his shop, closing blinds and putting up a “Closed for business” sign. It was obvious to Mac that he was dead on the money about his assumptions, Mr. Cake was another stallion just like him, completely unchanged from the caribou’s manipulations.

Mr. Cake ran into his kitchen, locking his back door last, before going back to Mac. The panic stricken looked up at the taller male, the first thing out of his mouth being one question. “Mac, are you part of the resistance?!”

“What? No, I’m not with any of them,” Mac replied, understanding Mr. Cake’s fears. There were still ponies out there trying to fight the caribou, mares and other stallions like Mac that opposed this new order, actively rebelling against them to try and take back Equestria. Problem was that they weren’t doing a very good job of getting rid of them and being part of them was the quickest way to get yourself blanked or switched into a mare. Mac was just glad that none out his relatives were foolish enough to join up.

“Oh thank Equestria!” Mr. Cake said aloud, “There were rumors spreading around town for a long time now that you were working with them. I thought you were gonna try and recruit me.”

This was news to Mac, but it did explain why everyone wanted Spike to beat him up. It also explained why Mr. Cake didn’t want to speak with him in public, “Wait a second, thank ‘Equestria’?” the clydesdale asked, picking up on Mr. Cake’s euphemism.

“It’s… what I use to replace… you know,” Mr. Cake said, “It gets a lot less looks from ponies that hear it.”

“Huh…” Mac said, admiring Mr. Cake’s idea. There were quite a few times that Mac fell back into the habit of saying things like 'Thank Celestia', but such a change to his old habits could be easily adapted, “I’m going off track, Ah wanted to know-”

“If I was ‘incurable’,” said Mr. Cake sullenly, gesturing Mac to come with him into the back, “I’ll tell you what they told me.”

Mac followed, and not long after was seated at a table across from the stallion. They both sat in silence, neither one sure where to start. It felt weird for both of them, being able to sit down and talk to another stallion about how the world changed without them. In the end, it was Mr. Cake who spoke up first.

“They called it ‘Male Submissive Disorder’,” he explained, “When the psychiatrist gave me the diagnosis I didn’t know what it meant. Then he told me the details about it, that I was mentally unable to take charge, it all started to make sense.”

“Unable to take charge?” Mac asked, “What’s that mean?”

“It means I don’t have a spine,” Mr. Cake said bluntly, “I always let Cupcake make the decisions when it came to everything. The shop, the money, our…” Mr. Cake wiped his brow, placing his face in his hands after. “I couldn’t even do anything when they kicked in our door, or when they ripped off Cupcake’s dress and raped her on the front counter. I just stood there terrified as they took turns on her.”

Mac didn’t blame the stallion; the caribou were physically strong and so numerous that even he couldn’t beat them with his strength, Mr. Cake would’ve of been taken down instantly. But this also told Mac something else, that there were several factors that could make a male “incurable”, since what they diagnosed Mr. Cake with was different from his own.

“They didn’t even bother putting me on trial, said that the had nothing to fear from a pony like me. Eventually they gave Cupcake back to me, ordering me to whore her out as part of therapy, with Gunne breathing down my neck to make sure that I did what I was told.”

“They did the same with me an’ AJ,” said Mac, “Ah have to personally bind her before she goes to work. Ah guess Gunne told ya get her that red collar she wears too.”

Mr. Cake shook his head, “It was Cupcake’s idea.”

“Cupcake?”

“She came to me one day and told me she wanted to be seen as a red collar. Said that it’d be for the best, that it would be better this way. Then she started walking around like…. that.” Mr. Cake said disgusted, “Collecting sperm from the bordello so she could make the other stallions think I was just one of the guys.”

“And was it worth it?” Mac had to know if being a red collar was all it was cracked up to be.

“It got the caribou off our backs, got other stallions to stop hurting her, and we get to pick the days she goes to the bordello now. It’s… it’s just better this way... for her… for all of us...”

“Even you? Ah personally don’t like AJ having to fuck every stallion in town each and every month. Doesn’t it bother ya the same way?”

“It’s… just sex, Mac,” Mr. Cake answered, “Pointless, meaningless sex. Me and Cupcake know we love each other, and that’s all that matters.”

“Ya can’t be fine with that,” Mac argued, “That’s your wife doing who knows what in that building. If it wasn’t for mah kin getting in trouble for AJ’s actions than I’d have never sent her there.”

Mr. Cake lifted his hand and slammed it down on the table, “Dammit Mac!” he yelled, shaking, holding back his emotions the best he could. “I have a family too...”

The two went silent. Mac felt terrible, he had pushed this conversation too far. Mr. Cake didn’t like his wife having to fuck, but the Cakes had other things to worry about. “Sorry Mr. Cake, Ah forgot about… Look, I’m just gonna leave. Don’t worry ‘bout me bothering ya’ll again.” The clydesdale had overstayed his welcome and had been inconsiderate to another pony in their own home. Not wanting to burden the stallion anymore, he left out out the front door so everyone would know he didn’t stay very long. Upset with himself, and with no place else to go, Mac went back to the brothel to check on AJ, hoping that she was doing better than he was at making this all work out.

---

“I’m sorry, but admittance is two bits sir.” A red collared mare blocked Mac’s way inside the bordello, insisting that the stallion toss two coins into a basket before heading inside.

“Look, Ah have a slave performing in there. Ah want to check on her to see how she’s coming along, just one quick peek and I’m out.” Mac said, having left his coin pouch at home by mistake.

“I have to apologize again sir, but I just can’t do that. If I did that my master would have my ass when he found out. Though…” The mare gave Mac a pair of bedroom eyes and turned around. “If you want you could have my ass right now.”

Mac rolled his eyes, “Then could ya go in and check for me?”

“I’m not allowed to leave my post sir,” the mare replied.

Mac was about to give up and find a place to sit as he waited for Applejack to finish, but while trying to leave he heard the sound of a few coins being dropped into the collection basket. “Let the man in, he’s with me.” A caribou walked towards Mac, having used his antlers to levitate four bits ahead of him.

“Gunne, wasn’t expecting to see you here,” said Mac.

“When I heard your mare was here doing what she was suppose to, I had to come see,” Gunne said, being discreet, but making Mac know what he meant. “Why don’t we have a look see to make sure she’s not making a fool of herself. It’ll give me some time to check in on one of my wards too.”

“Your wards?” asked Mac as the caribou put his arm around his shoulder, leading the stallion inside, “Oh right, Pinkie mentioned you earlier.”

“She’s a wild one, but controllable when you know which buttons to press.” Gunne added, making Mac feel uneased at how he spoke of the mare. “Enough about her though, let’s check on Applejack.”

The inside of the bordello was dark, but being within that darkness allowed Mac to see what it hid. He had entered a large room with Gunne, tables placed all around it, not an empty seat at any of them. Going around the room offering drinks and refreshments were perhaps two or three dozen assorted mares, some which were in use, sitting in the laps of stallions while moving their pussies up and down on their cocks or kneeling under the tables, taking the lengths of the males into their mouths.

These were little distraction for Mac, as he was fixated on what was at the back of the room; Applejack, on stage rubbing her breasts against Pinkie Pie’s, her hips straddled over the pink mare’s, their vaginas touching with something that he could hardly make out placed between the two mares lower lips. AJ had pulled it off and was able to disgrace herself in front of everyone in the bordello and it even looked like she was able to force a smile. Mac was not entirely comfortable about what he was seeing, but this act was the first small step towards getting that red collar, which in the long run would be worth it, he hoped.

“She’s doing a better job than I thought she would,” Gunne commented with some satisfaction as the two mares let out a cry of climax, AJ pulling something out of her ass as they did, “It’s a much better act than at your farm, I’d almost say she’s actually enjoying herself. Maybe the problem all this time was the stallions. She must’ve had a preference for other mares all along.”

Mac’s head shot to Gunne, brow furrowed at the caribou. He didn’t like the insinuation that AJ was a lesbian, though more because he refused to think of his little sister in a sexual manner than a matter of her preferences.

“Settle down Mac,” said Gunne, giving a smirk, “I’m trying to getting a rise out of you.” Grabbing the stallion by the arm the caribou turned him towards the exit, leading Mac back outside, “But now that we know she’s doing alright let’s discuss a few things about how to get the stallions to start liking you again.”

“Me?” Mac said trying to get another glimpse of his sister, “But what about AJ?”

“She’s fine Mac,” Gunne replied, “After she’s done with the pink one she’ll spend some time fucking some stallions and be done by the time we get back. However, if you want to have the stallions stop treating you like a pariah then we need to work on your image.”

“I ain’t gonna do anything that’s against mah morals,” Mac said, having a good idea what Gunne would suggest he do.

“Don’t worry, even you shouldn’t have reservations about this. Tell me, how do you feel about doing some volunteer work?”

“Volunteer work?” Mac asked.

“There are a few places around Ponyville that could use the help of stallion like yourself. The pound, the local pet store, that ranch near your farm, all of them have purple collars that could use a bit of grooming to spruce them up a little.”

“Purple collars? Ah don’t know Gunne, those poor girls make me feel uncomfortable.”

“Then think of it as trying to help them out,” said Gunne, once more trying to appeal to Mac’s better nature, “Take them to your farm, let them run around, give them a good cleaning and warm meal. Perhaps you could make their lives just a tiny bit better by showing them some of that kindness you think the other stallions lack.”

Mac thought for a moment about what the caribou was saying. He did enjoy the idea of making things better for those unfortunate mares while making the others think he was embracing the new order. Maybe if they were treated better, he could even pull them back from beyond the brink, restore some of their minds to them. He didn’t know if that was possible, but it was enough motivation to make the clydesdale accept the proposition. “Okay, I’ll do it, but only if Ah get to treat them how Ah choose while they're on my property.”

“I’m sure no one will object to your methods with the purples,” Gunne replied, “Most treat them gingerly regardless. Now let’s go to my office, I’ve got some paperwork for you to fill out so we can get this underway.”

As the two made their way out, Mac stopped to give his sister one last check before leaving. She was still at it, having changed her position, moving to her knees with Pinkie in the same pose in front of her as Applejack ran some toy over the sensitive areas of the other mare’s breasts and crotch, putting on the best show she could muster for the crowd. She would be ok, she’d get through this, and when she could get some rest and this would all become a distant dream.

A Surprise Visit

A darkness that had fallen over Applejack was beginning to lift, and once more she was returning to the realm of the living. This time, however, with a little more understanding of her situation. She was in the custody of two royal guards, ones she knew as traitors to the crown and Equestria as a whole. They had allied with creatures known as caribou, aided them in an attack on Canterlot, and were rounding up every pony in sight, knocking out stallions while stripping, raping and slapping painful collars on all the mares.

She could feel herself moving once more, but could tell she was no longer inside the cage or the cart she was in before. Now she was being held by her arms, lifted up off the ground as she was being transported someplace, unable to fight back while she recovered from her most recent shock. Her vision, while slowly recovering, was still a blurred haze like the one she had awoken to after her earlier harsh shocking that day. Those batons were terribly powerful, feeling like they had enough power in them to take down a stampeding buffalo, and repeated shocks were taking their toll.

With her return to consciousness came the return of the events that happened back at the cart. The farm pony sure felt guilty about the pain she had brought to that other mare, but she also couldn’t help but think that if she would have ignored her and made a break for it that she wouldn’t be in the situation she was right now, which made her feel even worse for wishing she had abandoned an injured pony in her time of need. That was only one of many thoughts spinning around in her head though, as there was still the ever present issue of the invasion, which she was still determined to put to a stop. She’d just have to find the unicorn after this was all over and hope that a heartfelt apology along with her freedom from these animals would be enough to make up for what she had done.

“Careful!” One of the guards exclaimed, feeling her twitch and seeing her face scrunch up in discomfort, “She’s waking up, maybe we should give her another shock.”

“Don’t worry,” said the second guard, “We’re almost there, just get her into the room.”

The sounds of empty threats and woeful moans could be heard muffled from behind a door, becoming clear when the guards pushed it open. AJ, still unable to work up the strength to break free, lifted her head weakly at her surroundings. It appeared that she was in some kind of locker room, the kind one would find in a stadium or gym. The room was filled with stallions, some partially dressed in armor, others fully nude, each one looking to be more of the turned royal guard. Most hardly even noticed that the two stallions had entered with her, all too busy molesting their own bound and helpless mares in one form or another.

The mares all looked to be fellow royal guards, ponies who were being raped by those they had once fought side by side with. Pegasi were being held face-down on tables, their feathers being plucked off one by one as they were fucked from behind, some of the bastards going so far as to cram their violating dicks into their victim’s unwilling and unprepared asses. Those that had their wings completely plucked were being fitted with black cases that covered their wings, making one mare yell out in agony as it was placed on.

The non-pegasus females in the room were not faring much better, the stallions shoving their cocks down some of their throats without remorse or restraint. Others were being bent across small benches placed around the room or slammed up against the lockers with relentless force. The mares were unable to resist the stronger males’ powerful jabs into exposed privates, and those that might have been able to being teamed up on by several of their former comrades. AJ could see few unicorns in the crowd, but those she did had their horns cut down to a mere stump, seemingly having be removed by an incredibly sharp blade from how smooth the remaining surface looked.

The most atrocious part of it all was how the males all seemed to revel in their actions, loudly celebrating every time one of their ranks shot a load of cum into the face of a mare or into their vaginas, grinning with glee at their conquest. The pegasi and unicorns made this all the more apparent as wings were proudly spread out wide, fully erect to show their excitement, and horns shot off magical sparks of varying intensities when the unicorns that possessed them reached climax.

“Ok guys, make room! We got a celebrity here!” The guards holding AJ called out, allowing a bunch of guards that had just finished applying a wing sheath to one of the mares to move her out of the way. With the table now void of any obstructions, the farm mare was turned around, lifted up high, and slammed onto the table back first.

The impact knocked the wind right out of Applejack, but woke her up completely as she desperately gasped for air. The males took advantage of her inability to react from the blow, grabbing her arms and legs, pulling them far apart from one another.

“This one’s a tough one. Broke one of the cages getting her here.” said one of the guards that had escorted her in. “Somepony get some chains so we can tie her down. Then we’ll show her what happens to mares that try to escape.”

Two stallions watching from aside the table gave a nod and went off the fulfill the request, going off out of AJ’s sight. She didn’t have to be shown what would happen to her though; at this point it was painfully clear what their intent was. If she didn’t do something soon they were going to tie her up like a calf at a rodeo and fuck her holes like the rest of the mares in the room.

She struggled with all her might, pulling and pushing her appendages as sporadically as she could to break free. “That’s it, I’m zapping her,” said one of the guards that had brought her in. He let go of Applejack’s leg with one of his hands to reach for the stun stick at his side. He would soon come to regret this, as she easily slipped out of his grasp, pulling her leg far back so she could get the momentum to send a powerful kick into the stallion’s chest. The male pony practically flew backwards, getting knocked on the floor and into a daze.

“Fuck!” The other stallion holding her leg yelled, narrowly avoided receiving the same, “We need some help over here!”

Those that could be spared rushed over to the table, surrounding Applejack while they placed their hands all over her to seize whatever they could to hold her down. They couldn’t quite grab ahold of that wild leg though, as seeing what had happened to the guard that got hit put a little caution into them each time the mare reared it back, and even more when she shot it out.

But in the position she was, it was only a matter of time before someone got a hold of the appendage, and while pulling it back after another desperate flail AJ felt a hand wrap around her ankle. She found herself stuck, unable to break free from what gripped her.

“What going on here?” demanded a deep, gruff voice unlike anything AJ had ever heard before.

There was a sense of command in it that made the stallions, and even herself, pause upon hearing it. Moving aside, the stallions made way for the farm pony to see a large caribou, holding a defiant looking unicorn mare around the neck with one hand while holding her own leg in the other.

“I was coming in here to reward all your good work with another freshly disempowered unicorn slut, and I find you all having trouble with one mare.” The caribou leaned over to get a closer look, “And it’s one of those plain dirt bitches too. You should all be ashamed.”

AJ, snapping out of her stupor, stared the larger creature down. She was determined not to be intimidated, and if she was going to be violated she was going to cause as much damage as she could beforehand. She pulled her back on the leg that remained free from the caribou, but after found that the other guard stallion still had it grasped tightly, not about to make the same mistake as his partner.

“Heh,” the caribou let out, “So this one thinks she can go up against me?”

“Lieutenant Ivangir,” addressed the pony making sure that Applejack’s leg couldn’t break free, “We’re sorry, but this one’s been causing trouble since her capture. She broke out of her cage, injured one of the mares, knocked out one of the guards, and-”

“And you’ve been letting her get away with that?” Ivangir said, “Let me show you how you take care of a female that’s acting out against her masters.” The caribou casually tossed the unicorn in his hand aside to another group of stallions and then pushed away the one holding the farm mare’s leg away so he could take it instead. With both in hand, Invangir pulled Applejack toward him with a powerful jerk.

AJ shot across the table toward him, her arms almost escaping the grasps of the guards, as they lurched forward to keep them from being wrenched away. AJ didn’t show any fear to the caribou, her nerves steeled in the presence of the large male. She might not have had the ability to break free, but she refused to cower or show pain for his amusement. She continue to struggle, even if it was in vain, to show that she wouldn’t bend to his sadistic desires.

“Squirm all you want,” the caribou mocked, “It’ll make this all the more fun.”

Raising his arms upwards, the caribou lifted AJ’s lower body up off the table till only her shoulders remained on it. It was a little humiliating at first, but that humiliation grew one hundred fold when she felt something wet and slimy slither across her defenseless lower lips. The caribou had spread her legs and placed his head in between them so he could lick her most private of places. Each run across her opening sent a sickening sensation through her, starting from her hips and flowing down her spine.

Her body shuddered in disgust as he took things one step further, wrapping his lips around her passage so he could penetrate her tunnel with his tongue. Her body told her to cry out against the audacity of this creature, but AJ didn’t want him give him the satisfaction of making her scream. Hold back her voice as she did, she couldn’t prevent herself from letting out heavy pants as the thing invading her body rubbed against her insides, painfully aware that the rhythm of her labored breaths were matching that of the caribou’s.

Minutes passed, though it felt much longer to the mare, and Ivangir grew tired of the earth mare’s silence. His urge to dominate the female demanded that she vocally acknowledged him. Removing his mouth from the mare’s crotch, Invangir placed both of her legs into one hand. What AJ felt next was not any more pleasant to her, but in a way much more agreeable as the large male sent his open palmed hand into her flank, filling the room with a loud “SWACK” and her mind with a stinging sensation that she prefered over the unwanted pleasure that had been building within.

She remained muted, allowing herself only to flinch as another harsh sting connected with her cheeks. Ivangir chuckled suddenly, “Weak little slut. Do you honestly believe that defiance will earn you anything around here? Let’s see just where your limits lie.”

Applejack thought that the caribou was about to use his tongue again in another attempt to make her call out, and readied herself for another go. Invangir had other things in mind for her though. If she wasn’t going to willingly give him her moans, then she would give him her screams instead. With little warning, the caribou put the weight of his muscular arms down on her well-toned legs, intent on making her ankles meet with her ears.

Applejack wasn’t a contortionist by any means, her tensed up muscles not aiding that at all, and she made sucking noises between clenched teeth as the pain of being stretched much farther than her legs were intended to crept into her. It felt like her hips were on fire and that her legs would pop out of their sockets, but she persevered against it. She had felt worse pain working out in the fields bucking apple trees, and the caribou would have to do better than that if he wanted a reaction out of her.

Ivangir pressed on, slowly but surely reaching his goal. The mare’s body at least submitted to his might, if not her will. That would change soon enough though, he was sure of it. “You two, hold the bitch’s legs down,” He said, nodding at two guards that quickly snapped to the side of the table to relieve him of the task. With his hands freed, a dastardly smirk spread across Ivangir’s face.

No woman could resist him, but this one was putting in a good effort. Perhaps one of the best he had come across in some time. The challenge was exhilarating, making the caribou want to break her all the more. Reaching down to the codpiece of his leather armor, he moved the padding their aside to reveal just how excited about that prospect he was.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed at the sight of it, that engorged flesh rod that was by far larger than any of the ones the stallion’s in the room had. “W-wait a minute there,” AJ spoke, breaking her silence.

“So you can speak,” Invangir replied, grabbing her by the waist with one hand, pulling her closer as he had before until her rear end went over the side of the table she was on and her tail draped off the side, “I was beginning to think you were too stupid to say anything.”

The caribou’s insult struck a nerve, and AJ’s resolve returned in a flash, “Now listen here, Ah don’t know who ya’ll think ya are, but you’re not gonna get away with-” Applejack’s declaration was cut short by the sudden strike of the caribou’s backhand against her face. It didn’t feel like he was holding back either, his knuckles ramming into her cheekbone with a force that let her know that she would have a sizable bruise by the time Celestia lowered the sun that evening.

“I think I liked you better when you were quiet,” He told the mare before grabbing his cock so he could press it against the mare’s spit soaked mound.

AJ felt the hand on her waist squeeze down tight, the pressure against her groin increasing. The creature was crazy to think that something of that size could enter her narrow hole, but he wasn’t giving up either. His head was pushing up against her so hard that it was starting to hurt, and when he pulled back for a moment to give another thrust she thought she could feel her lower lips part ways slightly to allow a small bit of him entrance. She had to be mistaken, her mind playing tricks on her because of the anguish she was going through.

The caribou kept at it though, pulling his hips back every so often to make another brutal attempt at penetrating her, each time feeling like he was actually making some sort of progress. Then, as she watched the dick slam into her once more and its head disappear between her folds, she went into a slight panic. After she didn’t know how many tries he had pushed inside her through sheer perseverance. She hadn’t ever been with a stallion before, and this creature she hardly knew, with a penis that seemed too large for her body, was going to be her first time.

“Sir, are you sure you wanna do that?” one of the guards respectfully asked when he saw the caribou accomplish what even he thought was impossible, “This is one of the mare’s the king wanted to walk in the parade later today. If you stick it in her now….”

Ivangir scoffed at the stallion, “I’m one of the king’s most trusted advisors, if I want to fuck a mare, any mare, he’ll have no problem with it,” With his cockhead now forced into his victim, Ivangir released it so he could grab hold of the mare with both hands. “Besides…”

“Wait! I’m not-!” That was all Applejack could get out before the caribou slammed into her with full force. The pain was unbearably harsh as her never-before-used passage made way for the caribou’s mast. She let out a scream of horror unlike any she had before, her back arching and stomach bulging out in an imprint of the male’s penis during what would be the most terrible moment of her life to that day. Her thoughts were overcome with the sparks that shot into it, her vision blurred, and she lost all control as her body futilely flailed to escape what was happening to it.

“I think the bitch can handle it.”

---

Applejack shot awake, aware that she was having a terrible dream that she wanted to escape at all costs. This one she was far too familiar with, as it was the one that usually plagued her since her capture. The moment of her initial rape by the caribou, where she had everything taken from her in one act of defilement. She didn’t want to go through the rest, but the visions still flashed before her eyes as the dream faded.

Ivangir had fucked her with full force until he released himself, thankfully all over her body instead of inside where he could’ve gotten her pregnant. Then there were those chains that they tied her down with after that gripped and pinched her wrists and ankles, her body bent over the table so the caribou could shove his enormous cock into her anus, every jab pushing her forward and shaking the piece of furniture, causing her pain unlike what she felt when the caribou took her vaginally. She was overcome by the feeling when the last vestiges of control of her body was stripped away as the other guards gathered round so they could sneer and jeer at her. Their laughing faces blended seamlessly into those of the assembled crowd as she was forced into a humiliating costume and marched down the streets of Canterlot.

“Calm down Applejack,” she said to herself, rubbing her body lightly to settle her rattled nerves, “Remember, he didn’t break ya and that’s all in the past.”

She had to tell herself that, to remind herself that even though Ivangir had done all that he could to make her submit to his whims, and that any small concessions she made were only to stop the tortures he had put her through from being more prolonged, all the while resisting everything he did to her. Things that went beyond the locker room, beyond the parade, not stopping during her entire stay in Canterlot as he paid special attention to her until she was sent back to Sweet Apple Acres and into Mac’s care. The caribou made sure she would never forget him by filling each day during that time with beatings and sexual violations that now filled most of her nights.

It took some time to get over her tremors, her visions feeling more real than than usual, but over time she settled down by taking in the calm and silence of her surroundings. She wasn’t in her cage, instead laying on a soft cushion in the middle an otherwise empty room. For a few weeks this had been where she rested, having earned the privilege to sleep in the house after word of her apparent good behavior made its way to Canterlot. She had to begrudgingly thank Gunne in part for spreading it so far so quickly.

It had been a little over a month since she made her debut in the bordello, performing on stage with Pinkie and then following that up but offering her mouth for use alongside her fellow earth pony until Mac came to take her home. From there her monthly mandatory sex days became twice-daily sessions where she had to pretend that she enjoyed being used. Every time she had to suck off a stallion it had to be prefaced with a smile and a “Thank you sir”, each time they teased her pussy by rubbing their cockheads on it had to be joined with her giving pleas for them to stick it in, and when they reamed her ass she had to give false praise to compliment their size or sexual prowess. It was amazing how small things like added moans and thrusting her hips slightly helped in this as well.

Of course AJ being the pony she was the plan wasn’t exactly going off without a hitch. There had been a couple of times that she had let out a few obscenities towards a stallion when they had gotten too grabby or did something that hurt her, such just the day before where Noteworthy had been part of a group that came to the farm. He decided it would be a good idea to bite down on one of her nipples during his turn fucking her, grinding his teeth on the nub and pulling it hard to stretch out her breast.

Mac got him away from her quick enough, though not before she let out some words she instantly regretted and despite giving a half hearted, genuine sounding, apology on the spot he had to punish her for the sake of his own slowly building image. The paddling he gave her smarted worse than the stallion’s teeth, so much that it was visible enough that Mac gave his own apology to her when he pushed her into the house, but in a way that kept up appearances in the eyes of the other stallions. That didn’t stop him from being so worried that the plan derailed that he had to ask Gunne for advice on how to fix things, to which he was relieved when the caribou said a few mistakes here and there wouldn’t do too much harm and perhaps helped out, since it would be a little suspicious if a mare like Applejack acted like a full fledged red out of the blue. Aside from that the only thing he had to say was to keep it to a minimum.

Applejack spent minutes to settle down, and even longer just laying on the floor looking at the ceiling as she cleansed her mind by thinking of better days. If not for the good memories of when she and her friends were free and happy she probably wouldn’t have the inner strength that she had now to cope with all this, so she held onto them dearly, even the ones that had Twilight and Rarity in them. They might’ve been traitors to Equestria now, but at one time they were her friends who would’ve done anything to stop tyrants like the caribou. She wished she knew how it came to all this, but she was so far out of the loop that she doubted she’d ever get the slightest clue. Even if she asked them directly she would get some story that she wasn’t sure she could trust.

She dismissed it for now, and finally got up off the cushion she called a bed to get ready for her day’s work. With her sexual activities being increased she had to work extra hard to pick up the slack; thank goodness that they had all the extra help.

The earth mare headed downstairs, finding her brother in the dining room. He was sitting at the table, holding a newspaper in his hand with a plate of food placed in front of him. Across the way was another plate that was her own, another perk of obeying the ideals of the caribou regime. It all looked nice and inviting, save for one thing that set her off slightly.

Next to Mac was a mare, sitting on her legs with her hands on the floor, right beside his seat. The grey maned, blue coated earth pony was waiting aside her brother, tongue hanging out of her head as she panted, her eyes aiming towards his plate. Not noticing that AJ had walked in, Mac took a stick of celery off it and offhandedly slipping it to the sitting mare, to which she happily took it and gobbled it down.

“Big Macintosh!” AJ yelled at the stallion making him jump in his chair a bit.

“For Equestria’s sake AJ, ya ‘bout scared me half ta death” He said, having to recover from his sister’s sudden break in the silence of the house.

“What are ya doin’ bringing one of them in here?” said AJ pointing to the mare, specifically to the purple collar around her neck.

“AJ, don’t be so harsh,” Mac said getting back to what he was reading, “Ya know that it’s not her fault she’s like that.”

Applejack went to the table and took her seat across from her brother, taking an apple slice off her plate and chomping it down in a flash, “Ah know, but it’s uncomfortable enough having them run around the fields and havin’ ta personally clean them up, but watching ya feed one by hand...”

“It’s either by hand or out of a bowl,” Mac replied, knowing that it still wasn’t good for him to reinforce the behavior. He had taken up the responsibility of a dozen or so purple collars so he could attempt to reach them from beyond their insanity, but this particular mare apparently had mental issues before the caribou came, or that was what Gunne told him when he dropped her off. Mac felt she might’ve needed more help than some of the others, who every so often seemed to show some small signs of lucidity before slipping back into their crazed states.

AJ wasn’t all that convinced by his answer, feeling it was more an excuse than the compromise he made it out to be, taking a slow bite out of a carrot to non-verbally express her concerns. She didn’t like that he was doing so many things that Gunne advised him to, even if it was getting the results he promised so far, as she still wasn’t in full belief he was entirely on the up and up. This had all the markings of some sort of trick than legitimate help, and she stilled feared that the caribou was trying to get into Mac’s head.

Putting her concerns aside, she grabbed a glass of juice prepared for her and looked out a window in the dining room, doing a spit take when she saw that the sun was telling her it was around 10 o’clock, “Consarn it Mac, ya gone and let me oversleep again,” AJ was upset, as her brother had been doing this far too often as of late. It was one thing to get a day off every month after a day of forced sex, but another thing entirely to get half a off every time she was taken out to fuck. Getting a red collar and making her life easier wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans if they lost the farm in the process.

The stallion slinked down behind his paper; his sister was right, but he wanted her to not be so burdened by the responsibilities of the farm as long as she was faking her way to that collar. Once she got it and he could let her ease up on her activities outside of the farm she could work to her heart’s content, until then he would sneak in as much rest for her as he could. He did have Lily, Daisy, Carrot Top and Roseluck around to cover for her, and aside from the latter of the bunch none of them made too many complaints taking up a few more chores. He had a strong assumption that Roseluck only made a deal out of it because AJ was getting more sex than she was anyways.

A hard knock at the front door reverberated throughout the house. It sounded important and insistent enough to mean either good news, or bad. Mac got up from his seat, AJ taking one last apple slice and gulping it down as she followed after him. The two were curious as to who it could’ve been, as they weren’t expecting anyone that evening. Going straight to the front door, Mac grabbed the handle and opening it slowly to take a peek outside.

Outside it stood a tallish caribou, holding himself with a great deal of importance, a yellow horn dangling from his neck by a string. Beside him, held by a leash, was a smaller yellow-tinted mare with a mane and tail of a sky blue color. Poking out the front of her mane was a small stump, telling Mac that she was a unicorn and that the horn that the caribou wore belonged to her.

“Um…. can I help you?” Mac asked this caribou, of whom he had never seen before.

“I am Lieutenant Vestri, Advisor to King Dainn. I am here to conduct your slave’s Red Collar Evaluation. I presume you knew of this beforehand?” barked Vestri in a deep, no-nonsense tone. Beside him, the mare held onto a clipboard and held her head high.

The stallion wasn’t sure how to respond. He had honestly never heard of a “Red Collar Evaluation” before, but he also had expected something like this from the way that Gunne had explained how AJ would have to satisfy the caribou’s expectations of her. In the end all he could do was give a nod in return, hoping that would suffice, and opened the door to greet Vestri.

AJ, on the other hand, knew exactly how she felt about Vestri. She had come to know him during her time with Ivangir, as he was the bastard’s brother. On more than one occasion she had the displeasure meeting him when being used by Ivangir, and it didn’t make her happy to see him once again. However, she had never seen the mare with him before, well at least she thought so. She might’ve recalled maybe seeing her around Canterlot one or twice, but with the sheer amount of mares there being abused in that city it was hard keeping track of who was who, and this one must have not left a lasting impression on her, at least not to the degree the two caribou did.

Another party in the room let her feelings for the caribou be know as well, letting out a low growl, slinking out from behind Applejack. The purple collar from the kitchen had followed the two Apples to the living room, staying close to them so she could stay a safe distance away from the creature outside. Sensing the tension in the air around the two ponies that had fed and taken care of her for a while now, she was ready to expel this intruder to their home.

She made a small leap towards the caribou, but felt a snag on her collar before she could get to far. “Woah there,” said the orange mare holding her still, “It’s okay, they are our…. guests.”

Vestri, ignoring the purple collar’s disdain for him, nodded down toward the mare beside her and reached under her chin to unclasp her leash. Nervously, though with an undertone of excitement, the mare exclaimed, “I’m Sunny. I will be handling Applejack’s Evaluation. If she could come out and if you could point us to a private location, we should be able to begin.”

“You and I, however, will have things to discuss between ourselves, Mister Macintosh,” Vestri said with a note of finality. “My pet will take care of your slave, and she will discover whether a Black as well known as her is truly ready to Change.”

“Now hold on,” Mac said, working up some courage, “This is all sudden. Ah mean ah knew something like this was gonna happen eventually, but I didn’t get anything saying that ya’ll were gonna be here today. Maybe if we could go into town and get Gunne-”

Vestri interrupted Mac rather quickly, his voice booming out over the large stallion’s, “Gunne has nothing to do with this, nor will he. Your slave is a high profile mare, and considering her priority, it is in our best interests to make sure she is ready and merely not faking her urges to simply get better treatment.” He smiled creepily, “My pet here is the best at what she does. She will see if your slave is ready to become a Red, without any evidence of a doubt one way or the other.”

A chill went through AJ and Mac simultaneously when Vestri said “faking”. They were hoping that the idea wouldn’t have of even been on the caribou’s mind. Not only that, but Mac was becoming increasingly unnerved that Vestri made it clear that Gunne, the one who had helped him get this far, wasn’t going to be able to assist in this test of his. The two Apples were just going to have to wing it on the spot, and pray that they didn’t get found out by the end of it.

“Well then,” said Mac, “Ah don’t have any problems with that. Mah mare is very loyal to me and I’m sure she would not do anything to embarrass me in front of someone like yourself, right AJ?”

The earth mare clicked her mindset over to the one she used in public, internally swapping the words she used in private for more appropriate ones. “Yes master,” She said bowing her head while she kept a firm grip on the purple collar in her hand, “I’ll be on mah best behavior.”

“Sunny,” was all that Vestri said when he held out the leash to her.

Sunny smiled lovingly up at Vestri and took the leash into her hands, bowing her head and replying, “Yes, Master.” She edged herself past Big Mac, making sure that she was respectful to him. Then, without any warning, she reached up and grabbed AJ by her collar, then attached the leash to it. “Is there a private place for us to conduct the test, sir?” Sunny asked Mac.

Mac could sense AJ was about to give a scowl at the unicorn mare for being so forward about clasping the leash to her collar, and hastily drew attention to himself, “The barn!” He exclaimed, “Ah mean… ahem, the barn would be a good place. It’s big and you can close it off if ya feel ya need to.”

Sunny twisted her head about to stare at Bic Mac with wide eyes, just missing AJ’s dirty look. “The barn it is, sir,” she replied, then turned her gaze back toward a now pleasant looking Applejack, giving the leash an experimental tug.

The slight pull made the farm mare lurch forward a little, to which she had to stifle a grumble. She understood what it was this red collar wanted from her though, “We’ll have to drop this one off with the others first,” she said tilting her head to the still growling mare in her grasp, “But after that I’d be happy to escort ya to the barn,” slipping past Sunny, AJ led the purple collared mare outside, having to pull her away from Vestri when she went she made a snap at his ankles. Applejack was glad to see that even a mare with a screw loose could see that a caribou was no good; perhaps she had been too hasty before about having her in the house.

Vestri watched the three pass, dismissing the attempted bite from the purple collar as an uncontrollable action from a mare whose faculties were gone. Once the females were out of the way however, he blocked the doorway with his body and said to Mac in such a way that dared him to say anything otherwise, “You and I need to discuss some things.”

Mac could see there was no arguing with Vestri, and moved out off the way for the caribou, “Come on in then, we can have a seat in the living room and talk about anything ya want.” Vesti stepped inside, following Mac through the house, the clydesdale giving a grimace while turned away. Whether he and AJ passed this or not, it was going to be one of those days.

---

As AJ and Sunny headed toward the barn, they passed a fenced in area at the side of the house. Inside it were all the other purple collars that Mac had volunteered to spruce up or take care of for a while. Along with them was Lily, whose turn it was to look after the lot to make sure that none of them made too much of a mess of one another. This task required a sharp eye, as the purples would seek out pleasure in their constant dazes.

“Are ya gonna be okay with this one being added to the rest?” AJ asked her fellow black collar for the other side of the fence.

The pink earth mare was on her knees inside the pen holding a pegasus and a unicorn at bay from one another. Lily’s hands were pushing them away at arm’s length, her hands placed on their chests in between the valley of their breasts, as they desperately pawed at one another and whined. “Don’t you worry about a thing Applejack,” she let out a yelp of surprise as another earth mare mounted her from behind and vigorously humped her back. “That one is not nearly as bad as the rest of these purples. It will be no trouble at all keeping an eye on her too.” With a powerful thrust from the mare on top of her, Lily toppled forward and the unicorn and the pegasus tackled each other so they could have at one another, “We really need to get some stakes set up to tie these girls down…”

“I’ll ask our master about it once I’m done with our guest,” AJ said pointing back to Sunny, who was holding her leash and looking away while wearing a bored expression. “Just do your best till then.”

“Okay, good luck on your test,” said Lilly as she pushed off the mare on top of her, not aware of the plan AJ and Mac had but knowing that AJ had recently developed an urge to become a red collar for some unknown reason. She respected and trusted AJ enough that she was sure that even if she did turn red, she wouldn’t be nearly as much of a problem as Roseluck was.

“Thank ya kindly!” yelled back AJ with a wave as she headed off to the barn.

Before Applejack got too far ahead, Sunny yanked the leash in her hand. Walking in front of the farm mare, she raised her finger, and said in a commanding tone, “As of right now, all you need to worry about is me. You have no master, there are no caribou, just me. I’ve already been warned beforehand about you.”

Warned about me? AJ thought to herself, not having to think too hard on what it could’ve been that the unicorn had heard. Everyone from Fillydelphia to Canterlot knew she had been as stubborn as a mule until recently. She’d have to be extra convincing to prove herself to this girl, “Ah know I’ve been a hassle in the past,” she said, conveying embarrassment in her voice, “But I’ve been really good as of late. And Ah might not have a master, but Ah follow mah brother’s every order like he was the one who owned me.”

The unicorn shook her head and settled her clipboard at her side. “You misunderstand. As of right now, you have no handler, no master, no nothing. I am the only one you should be worried about.” She glanced about, then headed toward the building she assumed was the barn, keeping a tight grip on the leash.

The earth mare scratched her brow, “Sorry, Ah don’t quite understand what ya’ll mean.”

Sunny sighed and looked over her shoulder. “This is your Red Collar Evaluation. Think of me as your…. ‘master’, I would say. Though that’s not quite right, either. I’m the only one you have to worry about.”

Hearing that, Applejack though she understood what Sunny meant, “So I should act towards you like I’d act towards a caribou or mah Master, got it.” It was going to be odd having to take orders from a mare for once, and AJ didn’t really like the tone she was getting from the unicorn either. It felt like this one was just another red collar that thought herself better than she was just because of black collar around her own neck.

Sunny smiled and gave the leash a gentle tug. She cooed at AJ, “Now you’ve got it. To be honest, I didn’t expect to ever Evaluate one of the former Elements again, so I’m more than a little giddy about it.” Sunny withheld a giggle and nearly skipped her way toward the barn.

With the sudden burst of speed from the unicorn, the two mare’s distance from one another widened until the collar on Applejack’s neck was tugged painfully forward by the leash attached to it. It was all she could to keep on her hoof and not get tugged face first into the dirt from being forced off balance.

Sunny paid the farm mare’s stumbling no heed, keeping a steady pace until they reached the barn doors. “Is this it?”

“Yeah, that’s it alright,” said AJ, rubbing her now sore throat through her collar as she did, “Ya gonna need me to open it for ya?” Something told AJ that this mare wasn’t the type to put herself through any kind of labor that she didn’t have to, making her think of some of those snooty unicorn mares she knew about from Canterlot, or at least how they acted before the fall.

“Hm?” Sunny stared at the door a second, “Oh, yes. That would be good to have you do. I was never a farmer.”

Having been given the go ahead, AJ opened the large barn door for the mare, revealing its interior. The center of barn was mostly vacant, save for the straw bedding that covered the ground. However, the walls of the barn were stocked with makeshift farm equipment that had been created from slightly modified bondage devices. AJ looked at the items for a moment and hoped that Sunny wouldn’t get any bright ideas about using them in this test of hers.

“So… Ya do this evaluation of yours with a lot of black collars, do ya?” she asked waiting for Sunny to enter first, not wanting to receive another painful tug at her collar.

Sunny glanced about at the various equipment and the rather austere function of the barn. She waved Applejack in and raised her clipboard to shuffle through the sheaf of papers upon it. “For the most part. Usually it’s up to the Master, but that’s more for the common mare. Anypony high profile, like you, uncertain, or ‘important’ enough gets a visit from me or any other person able to do the same.” Sunny placed a sarcastic emphasis on ‘important’. “Silvers often get visits from me as well. I talk with them and convince them to go Red. Sometimes they don’t. After all, not all mares can be Red, I make sure those that aren’t are punished.”

The unicorn bent back the paper on her clipboard to a certain page, then took a pen from the top of it. “Now, if you could close the door, we can get started. And don’t you at any point lie to me. Especially since it’s in your file that you’re terrible at it. I will know.”

AJ closed the door, isolating herself and the unicorn, “Lie? Now why would I do something like that?” AJ chuckled with the very lightest hint of nervousness in her voice, “Ah wouldn’t be very good at it if Ah tried, ‘Element of Honesty’ an’ all. At least I was before the caribou came around.”

“Before the Masters came,” Sunny corrected, “As for lying, do you think me some Fillydelphian mare that knows nothing about the ponies around me? It’s not the first time a pegasus begged to be Red just so she could have those sheaths replaced, when in fact she was not ready for it at all.” She pointed the pen at AJ and tapped it to the earth mare’s nose. “One day you’re as stubborn as ever. In fact, unusually so, then the next you want to be Red? It’s my job to make sure you’re not only ready for it, but that you are in fact wishing to be such. Plenty of ponies lie to get better treatment. I’ve become good at sniffing those out.”

“Well of course some ponies try to slip through, and I’m sure that you’ve found a bunch of them out,” AJ had to get on the mare’s good side, and a small compliment was perhaps the best way to start, “But Ah promise that I’m not looking for a red collar for mahself. If anything I’m doing it for mah master.”

Sunny scribbled something down on the page and nibbled the tip of the pen a moment. “Then you have nothing to worry about,” Sunny suddenly said and flashed AJ a warm smile. “I imagine he’s very happy that you’re doing such. Now, tell me in great detail why you’re doing it.”

“Well umm…” AJ had to think on that one, as she thought that “doing it for her master” would be enough of a reason. She taxed her brain on it for a moment, but then came up with something that she thought might work, “To tell the truth…. I’m tired of getting in trouble and making mah master look bad. He’s done so much for me, and in the past all I’ve brought him was grief. I’d do anything in mah power to make him happy.”

While Sunny listened, she tapped the tip of the pen against her lips, then wrote down her observations and opinion. “To be honest as well,” Sunny started, “I did not expect that answer at all, but I think it makes you quite the good mare to start putting your master’s desires before your own.” Another tap of the pen, then she asked, “And what do you think of your friends and their actions?”

AJ thought the question over as she had the previous one, this time considering what she really thought about the situation. Beforehand she would’ve considered half her friend traitors for having even considered putting on a red collar, but now that she was trying to get her own she wasn’t so sure anymore. It could be just as likely that they had their own reasons beyond simply wanting to fuck uncontrollably as well.

“Ah believe…. that they had their own reasons to choose the collars that they did, and while Ah might not agree with those reasons, I’m sure that they did what they thought was right.” For the most part that was what she really thought, except that in her head she replaced “believe” with “want to believe”.

The scribbling continued again, and Sunny shifted her weight, which gave AJ a brief look at the page. Several questions were laid out, but it was all in caribou script. Sunny’s writing, however, was not, though it was tightly packed and elegant in its nature.

A twinkle entered Sunny’s eye and she pulled the clipboard to her breast. “And what of Rarity? From what I’ve been told, your relations with her are the most strained between all your friends. What do you think about her? Be truthful,” Sunny smiled with delight.

“Rarity?” AJ questioned, “Is that on your sheet? Sounds a little specific.”

Sunny rolled her eyes at AJ, “Do you think everything I do is a script? This is the first time I’ve had to deal with a list of questions. The rest the Masters leave up to me. They trust me fully. Now, about Rarity.”

“She…. did irritate me at first, and the last time Ah saw her, she wasn’t the most pleasant mare to be around.” AJ crossed her arms and thought back to that day she was handed off to Flim and Flam, “And she came off as a bitch if ya ask me.”

Sunny smile only grew wider. It felt delightful to dangle this in front of Applejack’s face. “Did she ever tell you why she went Red? Or what she did?” the unicorn mare asked, having to keep herself from outright blurting things out. Slow and steady.

The farm mare raised an eyebrow at the unicorn, “No, she didn’t. Do ya’ll know something Ah don’t about that?”

The unicorn mare leaned over to place her mouth near AJ’s ear and whispered, “Did you know that the very first Red-collared mare talked to Rarity at one point? Then, suddenly, Rarity doesn’t show up in Canterlot the night the Masters came?”

AJ shook her head, she hadn’t heard of anything like this about her former unicorn friend, but she could easily confirm that Rarity wasn’t in Canterlot the day of the caribou invasion. Did this ‘First Red Collar’ have something to do with that? Curious, she listened in further to see what else Sunny might let slip.

Sunny was enjoying herself all too much. The chance to not only Evaluate one of the Elements, but to reveal to her just what happened with one of her friends? Oh, it was almost too much for her. Sunny reached up and adjusted her collar so that the caribou and Equestrian script came into the light. “She and I had a long discussion about her wanting to advance so much higher. She wanted to be one of the Elite, you see, and when one of them came looking for new dresses, Rarity lept at the chance to prove herself to them. A shame that all she did was disappoint afterward. I really thought she’d be a good little mare,” Sunny sadly added, shaking her head.

This new revelation shocked Applejack to her core, and the way Sunny had explained it… She had to make sure, “S-so you’re the first Red collar that ya mentioned?”

Sunny tapped a finger against her collar and the golden script upon it. “The very first. Maybe Rarity will tell you about it sometime. After all, Canterlot didn’t fall in a single day,” Sunny snorted. “Now tell me. What all would you do to prove you’re a Red?”

A sudden urge entered AJ’s mind, things coming together one by one. Rarity may have become a red collar by choice, but that would’ve never come to pass if not for this mare speaking to her right now. It infuriated her, but regardless of how she felt she couldn’t show anger. No angry glares, no clenched fists, nothing that could ruin all that she and Mac had worked so hard for. As much as she wanted to throttle the unicorn where she stood, any action against her would put her back to square one, or worse seeing that she belonged to one of Dainn’s advisors. She would just have to take this one in stride…

Then again, did she? She couldn’t cause the mare any direct harm, but…. A grin formed on her face as a devious thought came to her. “What would Ah do to prove mahself?” She replied, “What all Reds do to prove themselves to their masters.” AJ got close and took Sunny around the waist, “What do ya say about us doing it, right here, right now. Why, it’d please me to no end to pleasure a mare as important as yourself”

---

Mac kept close watch on the caribou in his living room as he looked around the house. Vestri left no nook unchecked, the stallion not sure what exactly he was even trying to find. If he was looking for something that would make it look like AJ’s new attitude was faked he’d be hard pressed to find anything, especially after the alterations he made a few weeks ago.

At Gunne’s suggestion, Mac had redecorated the house with a few things that would make those that visited him think that he had turned over a new leaf. All the books that now covered his shelves were ones that he had borrowed, and his wall had a poster given to him by Pinkie Pie when he went to retrieve Applejack from the bordello, it bearing the image of the pink pony in a begging position while being covered in jism. Pinkie had even autographed it and accompanied her signature with a message made for his sister, a small note to try and convince AJ that it was better to submit than to resist.

Then there was AJ’s “reward chart”, which Mac bought from the store to explain away some of the new privileges that his sister was receiving, arbitrarily marking good days down while keeping plenty of spots open to make it seem like he wasn’t just going easy on her. The last bit, and perhaps the most impressive thing amongst the items hung up in the room was a letter from the former Princess Twilight made out directly to AJ herself with instructions on it on how the farm mare could improve herself. The finishing touch was a sheet of paper that was the “Apple Family House Rules” on it, stating on it false rules and ideas for the mares on his farm that would appeal to any male that decided to read it. All of it made Mac’s skin crawl having it draped around the house like this, but it definitely paid off during this unexpected visit from Vestri.

Vestri passed from one room to the next with a diligent and discerning eye. Though the reports said otherwise, for a mare like Applejack to suddenly turn a one-eighty were rare and curious to say the least. Curious enough that he didn’t believe it fully. Applejack was a trouble mare, and the reports on Big Macintosh were just as disappointing. A mentally-ill stallion who had a soft spot for mares. In fact, at one point it was even considered he may be a mare sympathizer. However, everything so far seemed in place and said that Mr Macintosh may have had a change in heart, just as much as his sister.

“Tell me, Mr Macintosh,” Vestri said while studying the contents of the bookshelf. “What drove your charge to decide to go Red? By all previous appearances, she’s among the most resistant mares.” The caribou’s antlers towered above him and nearly scraped the ceiling when he turned his head to level a cool gaze at the stallion.

“Was,” Mac insisted, being a much better liar than his sister, “A while back, after a certain incident involving one of those warbeasts ya’ll brought with ya to Equestria, she decided she didn’t want to cause anymore trouble around here. I think it’s because she felt guilty about what she’d done, but not until after I flogged her for being such a bad mare.”

The stallion retold the event in the way that he thought any of the other stallions would, putting all the blame on AJ and emphasizing that she was ‘bad’ and received a harsh punishment for her actions. The only thing he stayed away from was calling her some crude name.

Clasping his arms behind his back and flicking his tail, Vestri turned back to the books, occasionally pulling one off the shelf and opening it to confirm its contents. Several long moments of silence followed before the caribou spoke again. “I take it that you’ve also had realizations of your own?” he asked, setting a book back on the shelf and turning his back upon it.

“I’m… getting better,” Mac answered, “I’ve been doing mah therapy, putting the mares under mah watch in bondage and taking charge of them, and been getting things to help me adjust. Ah still have some feelings towards them all, but with a lot of support from the town’s magistrate I’ve been getting on the right track.” It was no secret to anyone in Ponyville that Mac and Gunne spent lots of time together, and rumors that the caribou was helping set Mac straight were already beginning to float around. Whether or not if that was part of Gunne’s plan was a mystery to Mac, but he had never explained that part to him if it was.

“I see,” Vestri replied, his lips curling downward at the mention of Gunne. “I guess that is one thing he is attempting to do right, then. You will not be seeing him for a while.”

“Do right?” Those two words were confusing, as it made it sound like Vestri held some sort of animosity towards his fellow caribou. If that was the case Mac didn’t understand why, as Gunne seemed like the very model of a caribou officer. For a moment he thought that Gunne might’ve crossed Vestri in some way in the past, that they have some problem that was between the two of them, but then the caribou before him continued his thoughts on the town’s magistrate.

“What, he hasn’t told all you about his ‘curse’?” Vestri made a soft chuckle to himself, “I presume he is going for a fresh start. Don’t suppose I blame him, I wouldn’t want to carry the shame he has either.”

“I’m sorry, but am Ah missing out on something here?” To say that what Vestri was talking about sounded ominous was an understatement.

Vetri gave another creepy smile like the one he gave at the door. “Why don’t you ask the outcast yourself? I’m sure he’ll be glad to tell you about that sister of his he keeps close by.”

“Sister?!” Mac said out loud, a revelation hitting him like a ton of bricks. It was clear as to who Vestri was talking about, as there was only one person Mac knew that fit the bill. The only female caribou in the entire town, Ginna. Now that he made the connection he couldn’t believe he didn’t notice it before, but with how Gunne treated the caribou cow like any other slave it was easy to understand why it didn't click before now.

Vestri ignored Mac for the time being and strolled out into the living area. He settled down into one of the chairs and crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you keep tea around?” he suddenly asked.

The clydesdale followed after Vestri; he could ask Gunne about this later, but for now he had to stay focused. “Tea? Well Ah suppose that ah could whip some up real quick if ya’ll want some.”

“Of course. One cube,” Vestri replied, thoughts roiling about in his head. Was Gunne attempting to receive good favor, or was there more to it? Whatever it was, he had faith that Sunny would find out whether or not this stallion’s mare was actually ready or faking.

Whipping up a teapot and some bags from the cupboards, Mac started preparing what Vestri requested of him. It was a good way to kill time, and he was certain that as soon as his mare was done with AJ they’d both leave with all the answers they needed, hopefully the right ones. He set the filled pot on the stove, set it on high and watched it like a hawk so he wouldn’t have to speak with Vestri anymore. The only thing that interrupted this attempt was the sudden opening of his back door, and the entering of a certain red haired mare that made Mac groan at the sight of her. Things couldn’t just be easy for him.

“Bleck!” said Roseluck as she came inside, dusting off some dirt from her grime covered fur coat. It was one thing that Mac didn’t let her fuck as often as she pleased while his sister was getting stallions out the ass, or maybe in the ass in this case, but to be stuck doing the bitch’s chores too was something that she would not have put up with before the fall. She had become a red so she could fuck all the stallions she wanted, not to play work horse all day.

Vestri flicked his ears and glanced at the entryway to the kitchen. “Who has entered, Mr Macintosh?” he demanded with a bellowing voice. He gripped his armrests and stood, then walked out from the living area toward the kitchen to see what was going on. This better be important.

“It’s nopony,” Mac replied, “Just one of mah work mares.”

Roseluck, hearing that another male was in the house, instantly became intrigued. Her so called ‘master’ hardly ever had guests over, and this one had a very masculine voice. She wondered who it could be, and her curiosity had her handing towards the living room to spy on this pony. She was surprised when she looked around the doorway and went face first into the caribou’s chest.

“O-oh my…” she said softly, not expecting a caribou to be here. She hadn’t ever had much experience with one before, but everyone knew they liked to fuck like crazy. Perhaps she might be able to have sex today afterall.

The caribou stared down at the… he twisted his head to the side to glimpse her collar. Red. He grunted and used his arm to push Roseluck aside, only to walk past her and into the kitchen. “I assumed we would be unbothered for the time being. Make sure this does not happen again, especially if we are in… talks.”

“Sorry ‘bout that, but Ah didn’t have time to tell mah mares to stay outside ya know.” Mac said, subtly implying that it was more Vestri’s fault than his own.

On the other side of the room Roseluck looked on dumbfounded that the caribou didn’t get her even a second glance. The fuck was wrong with him? Wasn’t she attractive enough? Didn’t she just scream “loose mare looking for a rutting”? It was the same with that other caribou too, and she was starting to get offended that she wasn’t being forced face down, ass up, and taken like she had been on the day of her enslavement.

“Excuse me sir?” She said as she approached the caribou, dropping to her knees next to him. After so long without a dick in her she wasn’t about to give up so easily, “I’m sorry for interrupting your get together with my master. I’m sure it’s important, and I wouldn’t want to intrude, but perhaps I could make your visit a more pleasant one. My master would surely let you use any of my holes as you pleased, right master?”

“Huh?” Mac was hardly paying attention to the mare, “Sure, go ahead if ya want.”

Vestri narrowed his eyes and whirled around on Big Mac. His voice held little in the way of amusement and hinted greatly at being angered, “Mr Macintosh, I certainly hope this is not in any way an attempt to ‘butter me up’ and make my report and decision more in your favor.” He barely glanced at Roseluck, ignoring the needy mare. This was not the time for actions of that nature.

A huff came from Mac as he set his hands on the side of the stove firmly before reluctantly turning back to Vestri. “I’m not trying to suck up to ya, and she’s the one who offered first. If ya’ll got a problem then take it up with her.” The moment that he said that the stallion understood that in his frustration he had said something that he regretted and had essentially gave Vesti permission to do anything he wanted to the mare.

A shadow passed over Vestri’s face and he suddenly turned to Roseluck. “You, out,” he commanded, pointing at the backdoor.

“Eep!” was all Roseluck could say as stare into the caribou frightful visage, followed by the earth mare making a mad dash to the door on her hands and knees, scampering right under the table so she could get there even faster. She wanted to taste the caribou’s cock, not the back of his hand.

Mac watched, a bit upset with himself that Roseluck had to embarrass herself like that, but for now it was for the best that she was nowhere near Vestri. So with the two males alone once more he closed the door, locked it to prevent any more intrusions, and then snatched the pot off the stove just as it started to whistle, “Tea’s done,” he said in an upbeat tone, doing what he could to hide his own self loathing.

Watching Roseluck leave the room, Vestri turned his gaze back upon Big Mac. “She is a Red under your care. What she does falls upon you as her master. Make sure you remember that, because if Sunny finds out that your mare is merely pretending, the fallout comes for you, as well.”

“Right,” Mac said with a sigh, “Ah know that, but like any good master Ah have faith in mah mare.”

---

Wet, slurping sounds filled the barn, the light whimpers of accompanying the sucking noises. Not long after making her declaration of wanting to have sex with the unicorn, AJ had dropped down to her knees so she could bury her snout into the mare’s snatch. She sent her tongue in all directions and made efforts to create as much noise as possible, turning the calm, quiet ambiance of the barn into one of sloppy, lewd desire.

Sunny’s legs rattled with joy as the farm mare’s wild tongue darting in and out of her hole, its tip poking at her inner walls before slipping out and edging around her outer lips. AJ had learned a thing or two from Pinkie during her time on stage with her, like how to make a mare squirm using only your mouth. It wasn’t something she liked knowing about, but for the situation it was aiding her immensely. She could swear that the flavor of caribou dick permeated the unicorns snatch, recognizing the taste from her time with caribou males. She’d have to make a date with a bottle of mouthwash after all this was over, but for the sake of the plan, and the scheme she was cooking in her head, it would be worth it.

Applejack’s hands were busy as well, clenching the unicorn’s rear firmly so she couldn’t get away or escape, not that AJ thought that she’d want to. From the very beginning the unicorn seemed to be into all this, which was what the farm mare had expected would be the case.

Now let see what ya think about this? thought AJ, slipping a hand back behind Sunny slightly. With a grip of the base of the mare’s tail, she gave a quick, sharp tug to test what reaction she’d get.

Sunny’s whimpers broke to make way for a small yelp, but it didn’t look like the tug bothered her much. It did just the opposite in fact, causing the unicorn’s hips to trust forward in eagerness from the small amount of painful stimulation. Continuing to play her part, AJ licked up some of the fluids, being very slow as her tongue ran along the opening that was becoming more soaked by the minute.

“Well golly,” AJ said, sending a flick across the clitoris in front of her face, “Looks like all that time with caribou master has made ya really sensitive, if I’m not mistaken.”

Sunny panted and gripped her hand in Applejack’s mane. If there was anything to say here, it was that Applejack had certainly learned something as a Black. “You have no idea the kinds of things a caribou can do to you to make you a better mare,” she breathed, imagining the various potions and toys all designed to make a mare perform better for their master.

That was all AJ wanted to hear, this was going to be much better than she thought. Not as good as she would have liked, but something she could at least get some satisfaction from. She’d have to work her way up to her goal though, and that required just a bit of creativity on her part.

“Well strap yourself in then," said AJ giving the unicorn a firm slap on her flank, “And I’ll show ya how we do it down here on the farm.”

Placing her mouth back on Sunny’s slit, AJ wrapped her lips around the soft, sensitive clit so she could swirl her tongue around on it. The circular motions made Surnise squeal, further strengthening her grip in the farm mare’s hair and pulling upwards on it. Feeling the tugging, Applejack went along with it, allowing her head to move up, letting her tongue trail along Sunny’s stomach, up until she reached the unicorn’s belly button, to which she did the same to it that she had done to the clit, teasing around its rim repetitively.

Sunny wasn’t as sensitive at her navel as the was her clit, but the new type of satisfying stimulation surprised her and made her go off balance. AJ was there to catch her though, her arms pulling her forward and repositioning the red collar on her hooves. “Ya’ll ok there?”

Sunny brushed AJ aside and calmed her breath. She’d never had her navel played with before, and when it came to play with other females, she usually had the lead, so the sensation was quite new for her. “Keep going, let’s see what other magic you can do,” she replied.

AJ quickly took the offer to continue, setting her sights on Sunny’s breasts. The modest-sized mammaries beckoned her to them, for several reasons. First thing was first though, time to get her riled up. With her hands now free of the mare’s rear, she clasped the tits, squeezing them hard enough that her fingers press into the rounded lumps, but not hard enough that she would leave an indent or mark. A slight quivering moan from Sunny let her know she had done right, so she eased up a little, shifted her hand, and squeezed again to hear another vocal indication that her actions were correct.

The farm mare went on, groping and massaging Sunny’s chest until she felt that she had worked the mare up enough to finish the job. Sending her hands to the base of the breasts, she squeezed them in a way that made them swell up slightly and caused the now erect nipples on them to poke out. Before Sunny could say anything else, objection or otherwise, the earth mare had placed her mouth around one of the nipples and started sucking on it hard, receiving some more pleasure filled moans and a much labored breath from the unicorn. She was certainly nearing her peak and if AJ continued like this she would cum in a matter of seconds. Too bad for Sunny then that Applejack had other plans.

In the splitting of a second the unicorn went from pure pleasure filling her body, to a sudden sharp, powerful pain shooting through her being. It was the feeling of teeth against soft nipple, clamping down and grinding ever so slightly so to cause pain, but no permanent damage. It hurt so much that Sunny could hardly think, but her every instinct told her to make it stop. She suddenly lashed out and smacked her hand upside Applejack’s head.

AJ released, she had gotten what she wanted and didn’t want to push it too far, “Beg your pardon,” she said hiding her smugness the best she could, “But did Ah do something wrong?”

Sunny rubbed her hand against her nipple to lower the ache and pain, then struck out with another slap straight across Applejack’s face. “There will be none of that now. If I was actually your master, I’d have shut you in a cage for a week. Instead, now I’m thinking you’re not ready.” That bite felt more on purpose. One doesn’t simply bite another’s nipple without knowing what they were doing.

“But…” AJ started, feigning innocence as she rubbed the sting off her face, “Ah was shown by a stallion just yesterday how it felt to have your nipples clamped down on by a set of teeth. See, take a look here,” Taking her own breast in hand, Applejack pinched her nipple and stretched it out to show off a set of teeth marks, “Ah thought that, seeing ya’ll are a full fledged red, you’d like it ‘bout as much as Ah did.” Judging by the look on Sunny’s face, that assumption was right.

Sunny walked away rubbing her breast, deigning not to answer the mud pony. Her eyes wandered the equipment lining the walls. There was a sore lack of anything she could use to punish Applejack, something that she’d have to add to her report to her master. “There’s a lot more you need to learn about being a Red,” Sunny mentioned to Applejack, then turned back to her, “So you’ve told me your reasons, showed me you could serve properly, but there’s still the rest of the test.”

Applejack smirked, “Okay then, bring it on.” After that little bit of retribution she was ready for anything the unicorn could throw at her.

The yellowish unicorn shook her head and laughed. “I didn’t say I’d be giving it to you. You have a long way to go before you earn your Red. The test is what you give yourself to earn it,” Sunny explained with glee in her voice. Outside of that little hiccup with the bite, Applejack was certainly showing progress. She couldn’t wait to tell Vestri.

“Well then,” AJ said a little relieved that this inspection seemed to have reached its conclusion, “In that case Ah suppose we should return to our masters.”

The unicorn suddenly grinned wider, her eyes landing on a few items she thought would satisfy her own need for revenge for the bite “Yes, we should. But first I need to make you presentable.”

---

Mac sat across the kitchen table from Vestri like he had done with AJ earlier that morning, nose back in the paper as he waited silently for his sister to return with what he hoped was good news. The tension was thick, and he didn’t know how much longer he could keep from shaking from anger and anticipation.

“Enjoying your tea?” he said just to break the silence.

Vestri didn’t respond. Instead, he raised the cup to his lips and took a slow sip. The tea was passable. He’d had far better in the pony capital. His ears swiveled when they picked up the sound of the front door opening.

Both the males turned to see what it was, Mac halfway assuming that it would be Roseluck coming back for another go at Vestri. What he saw instead was his sister and Vestri’s slave mare entering the room. However it was not as simple as the two walking inside. Instead, Applejack had been fitted with a few of the things that he had kept in the barn, things that he had never intended to use.

AJ was on all fours, crawling inside, with Sunny sitting on a saddle strapped around the earth pony’s waist. There were bands wrapped around Applejack’s thighs and calfs, a sturdy cord connecting each calf band to its respective thigh band, making it so she had no ability to walk properly. As a finishing touch to this ensemble there was a bit gag in her mouth, with reins attached to them that lead into the unicorn’s hands.

“Master,” called Sunny, pulling back on the reins to bring Applejack to a standstill. “My report is ready.”

Vestri stood and set his teacup down on the table. He walked over to Applejack and Sunny and casually lifted the unicorn off AJ and into his arms. Ignoring the bound mare, he walked past her into the living area, presumably for a private conversation. Or, at least, that was what the hushed murmuring suggested.

While they were in the living room, Mac scooted his chair over to AJ, getting close to do his own bit of whispering. “Did it go well?”

AJ was unable to give a verbal response, but a nod of the head was all she needed to do to confer her thoughts on the matter.

“Good, then we just have to put up with this for a little longer.” Mac ensured, now that Vestri was getting his answer onto if AJ was faking or not he’d surely be leaving soon.

Every so often, the whispers ceased and were replaced by the sound of papers being sifted about, or in several cases the giggles of a mare being teased. After several long and foreboding minutes, Vestri walked out from the living room holding onto the clipboard with a blushing Sunny in tow. “Mr. Macintosh?”

“Yes, Ah suppose everything went well. Ah mean, it better have gone well.” Mac crossed his arms and gave AJ a glare, to which his sister played along and hunched down slightly.

Vestri quirked his brow and snorted, “Indeed… Everything seems in order for the time being. With Sunny’s evidence, I have approved Applejack continuing her goal for a Red collar. However!” The caribou lifted a thick finger into the air and let the word hang between them for a moment.

“However?” Mac repeated back.

Vestri’s gaze drifted until it found Applejack nearby and wandered over her saddled form. “She has a long way to go before she earns it. By what Sunny has told me, she’s on the right path but needs further conditioning,” he finished.

Mac noded in false agreement, “Then I’ll just have to work extra hard on her to make sure she gets the discipline she needs.” Bending down, he went to remove the reins from his sister’s mouth, “Will there be anything else then?”

The caribou grinned and showed his large teeth, “Yes. Leave her in that getup for the rest of the day. I suggest putting her in it every so often. It’ll help build her toward her goal.” He inclined his head to Big Mac and commented, “Believe me, Mr Macintosh. We’ll be watching your little slave quite closely. Now, I think I am a bit peckish. The mares will fix us dinner while you and I discuss some things that may help the mud mare on her way to her Red.”

Mac wished he hadn’t said that, but now that he did he was obligated to keep the caribou as a guest till he had gotten something to eat, “Sure, let’s go to the living room and we can talk all about it,” Getting up from his chair, Mac looked down at AJ before sliding the seat he was in next to the stove and picking up AJ so she could sit on her knees on top of it. “Mine can do the cooking while yours gets the ingredients.”

Before leaving the room with Vestri, Mac grabbed a cookbook and set it on the counter opened on a page for apple fritters. “Here’s what the two of ya can make us,” was all he told Sunny before heading off into the living room with her master.

Sunny peered over Applejack’s shoulder at the recipe book, then started bustling around in the kitchen, trying to find the various ingredients here and there. For a time, she stayed silent, glancing at Applejack every so often until she finally decided to speak up, “There was once a mare who lived in Canterlot and owned a jewelry store. Over a year ago, she foolishly decided to visit her parents in a little town called ‘Lindisbarne’.”

AJ turned her head to the unicorn for only a moment, then huffed and returned to her cooking. These were going to be the longest baking apple fritters she ever made.

Author's Notes:

I would like to thank Twipet for taking the time out to help me with this chapter collab by writing for Ivangir, Vestri, and Sunny.

BTW, if you want to know the story that Sunny was telling Applejack at the end feel free to check it out here and learn more about the part Sunny plays in the FoE universe.

A Different Perspective

A sense of surrealism filled the air, something palpable. A dream… that was the first thing that came to mind. They had come so frequently that it was easy to differentiate them from the real world. The shackles connecting her wrists together might have felt real, but that was merely a delusion of her own mind. Still, she knew what was to come and that there was no escape from it. So when a hand reached down to grab that very chain and pull her to her feet it came as no surprise.

“Come on mare, it’s time for you to provide service to your masters,” commanded the caribou pulling her along so fast she could hardly keep up.

“Mare”, that is what she was called. Not by name, but simply an identification of race and gender, to the male controlling her that was all that mattered. For some reason though she was having trouble remembering her own name in this dream, drawing a complete blank on anything except that she was a mare, and earth pony, and a slave. For the time being “Mare” would have to do, at least until the male gave her something else to go by.

“You will be providing your body to a group of soldiers today,” the caribou explained “Until they grow tired of you, you’ll follow their every command without question, is that understood?”

The mare nodded, having come to understand that there was no point in refusing. They would take from her what they wanted if she didn’t give it freely, and for not submitting immediately they would make her pay. All she had to do was obey and everything would be fine, everything would be ok.

The caribou didn’t even turn his head to acknowledge the nod; she had been compliant for so long that he knew what her answer would be, despite how openly she’d defied the caribou at first. To her it felt like such a long time ago since then that she was starting to wonder if she was ever that way to begin with, or if that too had been a dream.

The mare was eventually brought into a circular room, benches curving along the walls were filled to capacity by caribou that looked at her with hungry eyes. There were no other females in there with her, and she had the attentions of each one of them as their sole provider of entertainment. It made her nervous, her heart racing in her chest. There was a good chance that she wouldn’t leave the room before every single one of them had their chance to stick themselves inside one of her holes, or all of them if they felt she had earned it.

The caribou leading her brought her to the center of the room before letting go of the chain between her wrists, “You will do as you’re told,” he said reinforcing what he had said before, “And if you don’t amuse us then we’ll make sure to punish you severely for your failure.”

The mare nodded again, but the caribou was already heading for the only empty spot he could before the gesture even began. With him in his seat, he cupped his hands to his muzzle and started the show by yelling out, “Let’s start with a dance!”

With a gulp she did what the caribou ordered of her, moving her body clumsily in what she felt was a provocative, sexual, and above all humiliating display of her body. She started by placing her hands at her waist, moving her hips around as she forced a smile on her face at some few awkward jerks a while attempting to dance in a way that she had only heard of before.

The caribou quickly let her know that she was doing poorly, booing and shouting obscenities at the mare. If she was going to make any headway she’d have to step it up a notch. She moved her hands up from her hips to her breasts, squeezing them hard and moving them around in her palms as she closed her eyes to take in the feeling. Her fingers pressed onto them, having the fleshy globes bulge out around the form of her hands, to which the caribou began to heighten their interest too, making comments of approval as their enjoyment of the performance increased.

“Stick your fingers in your twat!”

“Shake that dirt mare flank more!”

“Turn around and show us more of that body!”

The caribou’s demands piled up fast, and as they rose the mare found herself unable to pick which one to follow. Her unease from being watched by those lust filled caribou, their expectations of her becoming overwhelming. If she didn’t meet them though, it would be bad news, and thus she forced herself through the stage fright inside her and carried on.

The mare started with the easiest thing first, shaking her ass as commanded, moving it side to side to make her tail swish back and forth behind her. Next, she brought a hand to her mouth and pushed her middle and index finger inside to give the digits a sucking, wettening them thoroughly before sending them between her legs and into her soft mound. With her hand up her pussy and her hips swaying to the pleasure of those watching her, she moved her legs so she could turn in place to the motion. She kept the hand not buried in her crotch on her tit so she could grope it as well, pulling the cold chain between her wrists against her body. Admittedly this wasn’t any better a dance than the one she was doing before, but she knew that wasn’t the point of this. The caribou wanted her to shame herself in ways that degraded what it was to be a mare. As long as she could live up to their “standards”, they would be happy with what she did.

The caribou goaded her onwards, quite pleased with the mare’s debasing of herself, “There we go! Thats the way a slut mare is supposed to act!” one called out above the others, making the mare face go flush from embarrassment. Pushing through the burning humiliation, she continued her hip sway, gliding both hands slowly up her body, the chain connecting them following after, until her arms were around the back of her head.

The earth pony slowly moved her body left to right, letting gravity jiggle her breast before the eyes of the caribou, her blush intensifying when she noticed a few of them releasing their erections from their pants to pleasure themselves, slowly moving their hands up the length of their erect cocks as they watched, their desire growing with each stroke. At least now she knew they were getting what they wanted from her, and so the earth mare continued her display, slowly lowered herself, moving her whole body until she was squatting before the group, and ended her show by getting on her hands and knees so she could push her rear up into the air, putting her supple ass on full display for the caribou to partake of.

The caribou men had seen enough, they were ready to use this mare for her intended purpose. They gathered around her to look closer at her flank, and as they encircled her, she could practically feel their hot, heavy breaths on her body. For some reason unknown to her, the warmth excited her. Her pussy twitched uncontrollably and became moist as the caribou’s desire permeated the air around her with its scent. She used to refuse admitting it, but she loved that scent. It made her hot and bothered so much that she couldn’t even pretend otherwise.

The mare abruptly jutted forward, a kick from behind from a caribou’s hoof forcing her to fall forward onto the floor. She cried out, her body being easily pushed forward, her ample breasts pressing to the ground, cushioning her fall slightly, as her flank shot up even higher up in the air. Each caribou laughed a little at the pathetic display of the mare before them, her wet slit clearly glistening in the light of the room, with small streams of her juices going down her muscular thighs.

With this proof right in front of them, the earth pony couldn’t deny that this treatment was getting her turned on. It was good that this mare let herself go, and now that she was ready physically it was time for the real show to begin. The caribou tossed to the mare many different sex toys to encourage her to change the “approach” of how she entertained them. Toys ranging from thick, ribbed dildos, to small nipple clamps, to small pill shaped vibrators fell all around her.

“Show us how you play with yourself!“ said one caribou.

“Stick something up that pert ass! “ demanded another.

As before, their commands came with such quantity and force that she could hardly make out one from another, but they all blended to that same goal. The mare had to further degrade herself to appeal to them. Looking at the toys, she bit her lower lip as she grabbed the nearest vibrator and turned it on. The vibrations from the device as it came to life were so powerful that she dropped it on accident and had to pounce on top of the toy before it could shake and rattle away from her. Grasping firmly the phallic object in her hands, she took a deep breath, lifted her tail, and guided the tip of it towards the entrance of her rump.

At the touch of the tip to her tight pucker, sparks shot through her body to send a sense of euphoria to her brain. The feeling forced a moan from her mouth; in her dreaming state she couldn’t hear it, but the mare could feel it vibrating in her throat and could see the pleased looks in the eyes of the men around her to as she let them all know how much she enjoyed it.

After all the things they did to her to condition her body, how could she not? It didn’t even shame her anymore to let them see it like it had so long ago when this whole ordeal started, it was a natural reaction and one she couldn’t control after all. Even if she could, she wasn’t certain she wanted to at this point. It felt so good to have something inside her, the men watching her increasing that feeling by simply watching her do it.

Plunging the powerfully pulsating phallus further in her anus, the mare lodged it in so that only a small portion of it remained visible, clenching with all her might to keep it from escaping and taking the pleasure building inside her with it. The way it was shaking, pounding her insides harshly so that she could feel it through her being, but most importantly within the inner walls of her soaked vagina, it wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge into bliss.

There were plenty of toys around that could help with this task, and any one of them would do to satisfy her urges, but when she reached for one of them a cloven hoof stepped down around her wrist to prevent her from taking it in her hand.

“You’ve had your fun,” said the caribou keeping her from that which she desired. She could tell he wasn’t talking about the toy in her ass, but also the dance she did for them before, making it so that everything that she had done was for her enjoyment and not theirs, despite having taken enjoyment from seeing her do it all. “It’s time you fulfill your purpose mare and submit to our whims instead of looking for your own self-gratification.”

Trying to argue with what the caribou said would have only gotten her a swift punishment, but the mare didn’t care about their needs one bit. For all it mattered to her they could be left blue balled, except that they certainly wouldn’t allow that to happen and would do with her what they pleased. So if she had to fuck she’d do so for her own sake, getting out of it what she could. She was starting to enjoy the feeling of those dominating dicks filling her pussy anyways, something she realized was instilled into her by the caribou, but likewise didn’t care if it was.

Another one of the males came up from behind, rubbing his rock hard cock head up and down the entrance of what was once her most private of areas, slathering it in her sexual fluids, making her wish that he’d push in and pound her cunt. She couldn’t resist anymore, not when release was in reach, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. With a push against the floor to shove herself backwards, the mare impaled herself on the large object...

---

Roseluck sat upright with a start, the texture of the caribou’s cock vanishing as she awoke from her slumber. The sensation of penetration had cut her dream short, incapable of achieving her climax even there. “This is getting ridiculous….” the earth mare said quietly to herself while examining herself and her surroundings.

First thing she noticed was the enormous wet spot in the cushion she was permitted to call a bed, the source of which was easily found at her own dripping crotch. She must’ve been touching herself in her sleep, because her hand was likewise covered with wet, sticky fluids and the scent of a lusty mare. It had been some time since she’d had a dream that was anything remotely close to that one, but she understood the problem at hand. Ever since she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres she hadn’t been getting laid near as much as she would like, and it was beginning to be a problem.

Her cravings for stimulation were getting stronger each passing day, and yet the stallion she had been assigned to as a slave didn’t seem to care. There was a time that she might’ve seen Mac’s refusal to take her as a mare as sweet, or his protective nature over her and the other mares as chivalrous, but that was before she was shown the pleasure that could be had by letting loose and becoming the slut she was now. Sure, she had started out as a silver and then progressed to a black in protest of the takeover of Equestria, but that didn’t last too long once she was shown how things really were better the way they were now.

In the old Equestria mares had to work hard to find a suitable mate, as the number of stallions vastly paled in comparison. Even if you prettied yourself up, wore a skimpy dress, and were at the start of your estrus cycle there was always the chance that you wouldn’t hook up with a guy in time to fulfill the requirements that mother nature demanded of you, as many males in town had steady marefriends, wives, or might not be interested in what you had to offer. Now that the stallions were unrestrained they’d happily screw any mare they came across, regardless of prior relations, especially if you had a smoking hot body and a scarlet band around your throat.

It was the reason Roseluck converted to a willing red to begin with, so she could sleep around as much as she wanted and get something out of it aside from a new set of marks from the punishments she received as a black. If she was going to have to fuck it might as well be under her own terms, or at least the delusion that this was what she really wanted. Like so many others though, she fell into the trap and became accustomed to the idea of having sex constantly.

Almost anywhere else she wouldn’t have any problems, but Mac’s take on how things were now didn’t match up with her plans. When she first heard she was going to be the Clydesdale's slave she was expecting to ride his cock day in and day out, loss of consciousness being the only thing that would interrupt their sessions of wild, unabated lust. The other three mares that came with her further supported her fantasies, since more mares usually pointed to more sex; that was how it was in Fillydelphia working as a public slut along with a bunch of other reds. That was a city a where a mare could have some fun.

But she was here, and every time she tried to talk to Mac about setting her up for some playtime he would say he’d look into it, which would take days deliver on the promise. Trying to appeal to Mac himself bore less results, causing him to become more annoyed than aroused. He just didn’t know how to treat a mare with needs, so it looked like she’d have to take matters into her own hands… again.

Roseluck laid back on her cushion, caring little about the wetness covering it, and placed her hand between her legs. Mac didn’t have any problems with her doing this… in the bedroom… when no one else was around. What an odd time for ponies to be prudes. All the other beds were empty though, and Mac would’ve knocked if it was time to work, so she had some time to polish the pearl.

Spreading her lower lips apart with her ring and index fingers, the earth mare slipped her middle finger inside and rubbed the inside of her folds, taking measures to go slow and build up her pleasure so she could get the most out of this. It wasn’t a penis, or a vibrator, but the strokes would be enough to get her off. She’d have to imagine that it was some stallion’s tongue tasting of her insides or that a caribou stag was using her as a cum dump to make this into something worthwhile.

Minutes passed by and finally she was able to cum with some vigorous rubbing and a some special attention to her sensitive clit. However, despite all of her efforts the climax was underwhelming. It wasn’t the same as having a man inside of her, no heat radiating from a solid rod of flesh that filled to her limits or beyond, no cum flooding her womb, she couldn’t even get a decent squirt out of it. It was frustrating, but it would have to do for now. Getting out of bed, she grabbed the cushion and headed to the bathroom to freshen up before another tedious and unfulfilling day at work.

A short wash to cleanse her fur and a stop at the laundry room was all she needed before she was prepared for the day ahead of her. While Mac wouldn’t have objected to her taking a full shower, and being a red she had privy to such privileges if her master allowed it, it would’ve been a waste to get clean just so she could head out to the field to get dirty again. She wondered what she would be doing that day and deep down hoped it would be something near where the tentacle pods were. If that was the case she was going to slip out her plugs while no one was looking and let one take her. If Mac wanted to scold her for it later she would say that she was adjusting them and one grabbed her when she wasn’t looking. He seemed gullible enough to believe something like that as long as she put a pout of her face and acted like she was distraught about the plants’ tendrils forcing their way into her.

On her way outside she encountered Lily Valley, who was pacing around the living room, deep in thought about something that Roseluck could not hazard a guess to. Whatever it was must have been important with the way she was ignoring that another mare had come into the room with her, so Roseluck had to ask in case it was something that applied to her. It might have been something like reassignment to another place where she would be once more free to pursue her desires, which would be a wonderful and welcome change of pace.

---

Lily circled the room, dwelling on something that had been bothering her since AJ talked to her the day before at the purple pens. Until she had explained that the unicorn with her was there to test if she qualified as a red collar, it didn’t even click with Lily that Applejack was even trying to become one, assuming that it was something that Mac had been ordered to make her do by that caribou in town. Now that it was clear what was happening it confused her a little.

“Hey Lily,” said Roseluck as she came towards the other flower mare, “What’s going on? I thought we’d be out working by now.”

Lily, upon hearing the other mare’s voice, snapped out of her concentration and ceased her pacing, “Huh, oh… good morning Roseluck,” she greeted her friend unenthusiastically. It was difficult to talk to Roseluck, knowing that she supported the caribou and what they had done, but they were co-workers on Mac’s farm and she had to be civil with her. The other mares had the same problem with her, and Carrot Top practically refused to speak with the red-collared pony. Lily might have done the same, if not for the “promotion” Mac bestowed on her not too long ago.

With Applejack going out to town every other day, Mac needed someone to run things when he and AJ was out. It was a position she gracefully accepted, and was glad for the days she could stand back and watch over things. A clipboard and a pen beat a stocks and ankle shackles. She felt bad for those that still had to do the work in those conditions of course, but there was no helping that since Mac could only reason away one spot for a managerial role.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you, but Mac left to town with AJ and said that we could take the day off to relax. He marked it down as a... “ Lily grabbed a sheet of paper off Mac’s business table, “‘Mutually earned holiday for good behavior’. Glad to see we can still get a day off every month and a half.”

“Am I sensing sarcasm?” Roseluck asked, not sure with the way Lily way holding a cheerful tone in her voice.

“No, I get that Mac’s doing what he can for us. He’s been good to us all.”

“Hmph,” Roseluck sounded, lifting her head up slightly to emphasize her resentment, “Speak for yourself.”

Lily lifted up her eyebrow at the comment, “What’s your problem?”

“My problem is that Mac’s been taking his slut of a sister out to town every other day for weeks now and it never even crosses his mind to take me with her.” Now that she knew that she didn’t have any work, she slumped herself down on the couch in a huff, “You know how many times I’ve asked him to allow me to go in her place? She didn’t even want to have sex when we first got here and now she’s becoming the most fucked mare in Ponyville. It’s not fair.”

“I…. don’t think you can call a mare slut when you’re complaining about wanting to have sex,” Lily reasoned aloud. But Roseluck did bring up a good point, the one that Lily was thinking about before she had entered the room. What was the deal with AJ’s sudden desire to be a red collar? Did that incident with the warbeast affect her so much that it broke her will to fight back? A mare of such moral character as AJ might feel guilty over it, but Lily did not believe that would be the kind of thing to make her turn.

“Whatever, all I want is for Mac to stop ignoring me. How hard would it be to take me with Applejack and let us have some fun together?”

“Maybe he’s trying to…” Lily stopped short of completing her thought, as what she had to say would surely offend Roseluck.

“Trying to what?” asked Roseluck, Lily had already said too much avoid pissing her off.

“Well… he does want to help the purple collars go back to how they were before the fall, so-”

“You’re comparing me to those brain dead mares who snapped when they took it up the ass?” Roseluck asked accusingly, as it that was clearly the case, “I’m not crazy, just horny, and I don’t see how being prevented from having sex is any different than being forced to do it.”

Lily wasn’t buying what the other earth mare had to say; even if there was some reasoning that controlling a pony’s sexuality in any way was as bad as any other way, the truth was that Roseluck was happy to disregard that stance when it came to her own wants. The mare would put any one of the black collars on the farm into bondage and force them into a succession of orgasms they didn’t want if it meant she would receive the same as a reward afterwards. It was this hypocritical ideology that gave Lily zero sympathy for the red collar’s personal plight.

Sympathetic or not, Lily could see clearly Roseluck’s agitation from not having what she desired. She was jittering in her seat from lack of sexual interaction, craving alleviation from her lust more than any red collar had felt since the caribou had came, or at least that was Lily’s idea about it. It was sad to see anyone suffer like that, but Lily wasn’t going to be the one to assist the red collar with her problem.

“You got a problem?” Roseluck spotted that Lily was looking at her funny, to which the black collar shot her head away quickly. That head turn alone told the mare volumes about what Lily was thinking, and made Roseluck so frustrated at Lily’s poor opinion of her that she removed herself from her seat. “That’s it, I’m going outside.”

“You had better not be heading for the purple pen,” Lily said as Roseluck reached the living room exit, “You know that Mac forbade you from getting near them after that incident last week.”

“You don’t have to remind me,” the red collar replied, “And it’s not my fault if they cornered me during my shift. They’ve done the same thing to you.”

Lily was about to explain the difference between being surrounded by the sex crazed mares by accident and going out of your way to coerce them into licking your pussy by rubbing apple jam all over it, but a loud wail from the kitchen drew both mares away from what they were doing.

“What now?” Rose said, going to check out what all the fuss was about. Lily walked right after here, whatever had happened would need a gentler approach than Roseluck would have to offer.

---

Sitting at the kitchen table, her face buried in her arms as she wept quietly, was Carrot Top. Her real name was Golden Harvest, but everyone knew her by the nickname which she preferred. It was the one thing that she had left after having everything else taken from her. It hadn’t been easy for her at all since the fall, but she had always had hope that things would get better in time. That was, until now.

When Lily and Roseluck entered the room they saw that Carrot Top must have been crying for long time before crying out; streaks had formed from her eyes and the fur on her arms was saturated in the salty fluid. “Carrot Top, what happened?” Lily said first out of concern, never having seen the mare like this before in all the time they had been on Mac’s farm.

“I can’t take it anymore!” She said distraught, “I… it… they…”

Carrot Top couldn’t think straight through her sorrow, hyperventilating between her words as panic overtook her. In her hysterics, she grabbed a tear soaked newspaper from underneath her arms and tossed it at Lily.

Taking the folded paper in hand, Lily read the first article that caught her eye. “Pop sensation Sapphire Shores gone missing after being sent to the local beast ranch for failing to perform her last concert in a way befitting of a mare. Investigations by local authorities have determined that the mare tried to escape from the farm, but in her attempt was snatched away by a group of diamond dogs. This marks the ninth time that diamond dogs have snatched wandering slaves within the last six months.” Setting the paper on the table, Lily gave the upset mare a comforting pat on the shoulder. “I’m sorry Carrot top, I didn’t realize you were such a big fan.”

“It’s not that!” Carrot Top yelled, reaching for the paper so she could turn it over to the front page. “There!”

Both Lily and Roseluck got closer to the paper and could now see exactly what it was that had put the mare into such a state. In large, bold letters were the words “ZEBRA SURRENDER TO THE MIGHT OF EQUESTRIA!”

Taking the paper in hand once more, Lily again read what it had written on it, “After a crushing defeat of one of the zebra cities, the leaders of the nation stepped forward to discuss the terms of their surrender. Terms are still being negotiated, but the zebra will be adhering to several demands from King Dainn, including removing any and all females from positions of leadership and providing Equestria a tribute of gold and females from their nation on a monthly-”

“It’s never going to end!” Carrot Top interrupted, hitting her hand in anger against the table repetitively, “They’re not ever going away and we’re going to be like this forever!”

Lily could understand why Carrot Top was so upset. She had been keeping a close eye on the news for a while, looking for any signs that someone was coming to help, that they would be rescued from the caribou and things could go back to normal. If anything this confirmed that no such assistance would be on its way, especially when the article ended by saying that the next target the caribou had their sights set on was the gryphon nation.

“That... that’s it!” Carrot Top got up, choking on her own words, “I’m going… I’m going up… up that hill and... kicking that yellow... bitch! Right off my farm!”

Carrot Top marched towards the door with determination, fixated on making her words reality in anyway that she could. If she had to she would drag the pegasus that had turned the land she had earned with her own two hands into a depraved nest of bestiality out into the street and beat her so severely that it would give a caribou pause. The rage and despair inside her got rid of any inhibitions she had that told her that in every way this was a bad idea.

The only things that kept her from reaching for that doorknob were the arms holding her back as Lily grabbed her from behind, “Carrot Top! No! If you do that then you’ll be taken away! Sent to who knows where and treated as badly as before! You don’t want that!”

“You think I don’t know that!” Carrot Top struggled against Lily, knowing full well that what she had said was true. Before the farm she had been all around, going from city to city so she could be passed around to every stallion that wanted to push themselves inside her. She was even flown up to Cloudsdale for one of Rainbow Dash’s competitions, the use of her body being one of the prizes to the winner’s owner. Since most of the mares belonged to one stallion, she had to spend a whole month with Soarin of the Wonderbolts, something that should’ve been a dream come true for most mares before, and having him put her through the wringer physically, mentally and sexually before she was able to leave the cloud city. After having to go through all that she made a few attempts at escape, each ending in her capture and being shown what happened to mares that didn’t accept their place, “I don’t care! I’m going to do this and you can’t stop me!”

“Let her go,” said Roseluck calmly, making both mares stop their struggles.

With Carrot Top momentarily settled, Lily sent a glare to Roseluck, “You shouldn’t encourage her.”

“Oh, she won’t even get to Fluttershy,” Roseluck retorted, "She’ll take one step onto that farm and get snatched up by that caribou that lives up there. After that she’ll get sent back here with a slap on the ass and a cunt full of cum. Heck, I might go up there with you just to get ‘punished’. Beats sitting around here all day.”

Carrot Top looked dumbfounded at Roseluck’s simple explanation of what would happen, but the red collar was right. What made her think for a moment she would get within five feet of Fluttershy with that hulking brute around? Unable to cope with her inability to do anything, her lips curled downwards and she went back to crying buckets of tears.

“Roseluck!” scolded Lily as she guided her friend back to a seat.

Roseluck shrugged, “Better than her causing trouble for our master, right?”

“You didn’t have to say it like that though. Can’t you see how torn up she is about all this?”

“Then she needs to suck it up and get over it. Nothing is going to change and the sooner you accept it the better off you’ll be.”

“That kind of thinking doesn’t help anything…” Lily replied, “I’ll be right back Carrot Top, try to keep it together.” The crying mare gave a halfhearted nod as Lily left her side, immediately returning to an outright sob when they were a foot apart. Lily was going to need some help with this, and she had an idea where she could find it.

---

Outside of the farm house, on the opposite side from the recently constructed purple pens, a pink furred, green haired mare was on her knees in the grass, a light blue watering can resting in her lap as she looked over a small patch of flowers. She had been there ever since she heard that she wouldn’t be needed to work for the day, delighted that she would be able to tend to the flowers instead.

As Mac had promised the day she had arrived, he had allowed her to plant a small garden that she was able to spend her free time on. Mac had even gone out and purchased the seeds for it out of his own money. He was the nicest stallion Daisy had ever met, both before and after the fall, and she was very grateful for his kindness. She wished that there was some way to pay him back, but being the considerate pony he was, Daisy was sure Mac would never ask for anything more than for her to do the work he was forced to make her do.

Lifting herself up off her knees slightly, Daisy bent over to add another dose of water on top of her flowers, enjoying the simple pleasure of watching the droplets evaporating in the sun. It was her own personal haven away from the day to day torments that even Sweet Apple Acres couldn’t keep her from, a place where she could pretend that nothing had changed from the way it was before. Unfortunately there was always something that would bring her back to reality.

“I thought that you’d be here.” said Lily from a window above her little patch of paradise, “Carrot Top isn’t doing so well, I could really use your help in here to help cheer her up.”

Daisy looked up for her flowers, “Sure, I’ll be in there in a minute,” she said, giving a smile so bright that it would be difficult for anyone not to smile along. She waited for Lily to retreat back into the kitchen before getting off her knees and onto her hooves, not wanting Lily to stop her from heading for the front door instead of using the one that headed directly into the kitchen. She wasn’t trying to be heartless and avoid whatever was causing the other farm mare grief, but she didn’t want to be taken out of her fantasy yet. Just a few moments more would be all she needed, the short walk to the front of the house would suffice that.

But even something as mundane as that was enough to bring her out of her fantasy world prematurely, as walking towards the front door at the same time as her was an earth pony stallion wearing guard armor, leading a purple-furred red collar behind him who was unleashed, unchained, and otherwise unhindered as she followed under her own will. Daisy’s first instinct was to duck behind the house to get out of sight, but the guard had already seen her coming and turned his head in her direction.

“You!” he called to her, “Get over here!”

There was no getting out of it now, she had to go towards the stallion. “Yes sir, how may I help you?” said Daisy, her own fear of males surfacing with each step towards the guard. If Mac was here he would be able to prevent anything from happening, or at least talk the guard down from full out rape to something as simple as a blowjob. Mac wasn’t here right now though, and the implications of that terrified her.

Getting closer, she could see that it was Cheerilee that had been trailing behind the soldier. That put Daisy at ease, since it meant that the guard pony was here to drop her off for her monthly visit with Mac.

“Where is your master?” the guard asked, clipboard in hand, “He needs to sign off for this mare.”

Daisy, being as polite as possible to the stallion while keeping her nerves as settled as they could be in this situation, explained that Big Mac was in Ponyville for personal business and that she wasn’t sure when he’d be home. She then said that the stallion’s best bet would be to go look for him in town, but that he was more than welcome to stay and wait if he wanted to.

The guard gave an annoyed groan, “I don’t have time for this...’ Frustrated, he took the clipboard and hit it into Cheerilee’s chest hard enough that it made a loud slapping noise, causing the purple pony to wince a little, “Make sure that stallion signs this when he gets back and have it and your slut mare ass on my desk by tomorrow afternoon.”

Cheerilee took the clipboard in hand, “Yes sir, I’ll make sure it gets done,” The guard huffed and headed for the main gate, Cheerilee giving an indignant expression the moment his back was turned to her. As many times as she had taken it up the ass by stallions like him, the passive aggressive gesture was well deserved.

“Hello Cheerilee,” Daisy said to break the tension, as well to relax herself now that the stallion was leaving. It had been a while since she had been off the farm, but she would never forget what had happened to her outside the boundaries of that fence that separated it from the rest of Equestria. So seeing that kind of look on the face of another mare, even one wearing a red collar, was something she related to easily. So, like with her garden, she figured that the best way to solve the problem was to get a distraction from the source.

It worked, in a way, Cheerilee’s mood lightening when she she focused on Daisy instead of the male, “Hello… uh...” Cheerilee had trouble recalling the name of the mare in front of her, something that made her more flustered the longer she failed to remember the name. Had she become that out of touch that she forgot something like the name of a mare she lived in the same town with for years? Lots of things had happened to her, but that was no reason to forget something so important.

“Daisy,” the black collared mare said, trying to save Cheerilee from further humiliation.

“Right, sorry,” Cheerilee apologized, “How have you been? Has Mac been treating you well?”

Daisy led Cheerilee inside while telling the purple mare about everything that had happened since the last time she had been here. About the incident with the warbeast, how the town’s magistrate took a sudden interest in Mac, and AJ’s recent inspection to see if she was being good enough to qualify as a red collar. In a way it almost felt… normal. Gossiping with another mare about recent events was difficult when you lived with all the mares you talked to on a regular basis; they knew everything you’d have to say since they experienced it too. Best she got before this was Roseluck spreading rumors about sneaking a peek at Mac while he was in the shower, the red collar wanting to know how big he really was under those jeans. Daisy had to admit, to herself at least, that it was something that she was curious about too.

---

Once inside the house, Cheerilee finally felt that she could truly relax. Being a red was no easy task by any account. There were always expectations, and the smallest mistake could be all it took to send you to the first step of the ladder. She had done a good job so far, showing “improvements” every step of the way. Her sexual abilities had definitely grown, as had her ability to fake that she actually liked being manhandled and treated a common slut. On a good night she could put the most cock hungry slut to shame, never indicating for a second that she despised having the horny stallions make their best attempt to make their way into her stomach. It was hard, degrading work, but something she had to do.

“Daisy!” A loud voice gave Cheerilee a start and she dropped the clipboard in her hands to the floor, not expecting it right after she had let down her guard. Another mare had entered the room, and she appeared none too happy with the black collar Cheerilee had walked in with, “What took you so long?! Carrot Top has been bawling her eyes out for minutes and I really needed your… oh.”

“Yeah,” Cheerilee said to the mare that was now fixated on her, “My fault. She got caught up when I was dropped off.”

“Okay, fine, just get in here. Both of you.”

They did as they were told, filing into the kitchen one by one. As Lily said, Carrot Top was still crying to herself. She had returned to the table, going back to having her face shoved into her arms as she whimpered near silently.

“She’s in a bad way, isn’t she?” Daisy felt terrible seeing her friend this way, she really should’ve been here sooner, “There, there, let me fix you something nice to eat. A warm meal will get rid of all the bad thoughts.”

Daisy left Cheerilee’s side to go to the fridge, Cheerilee’s gaze following her until it landed on Roseluck. The other red collar was just standing there, back pressed against the wall with her arms crossed as she watched Carrot Top’s sorrow from a distance.

“And what about you?” asked Cheerilee, “Why aren’t you helping?”

“I gave her my advice, and she didn’t take it.” Roseluck replied, showing no sympathy, “You should know as much as I do that this wouldn’t be a problem if they’d get with the times.”

Cheerilee got behind Carrot Top and placed her hands on the distraught mare’s shoulders so she could give them a rub. “It’s not that simple and you know it. Not everypony is willing to give up on everything they knew and loved, especially when the caribou offer nothing in return.”

“They offer plenty if you’re good enough.” Roselock argued, “Security under a man who will fuck you as often as he pleases, where a mare doesn’t have to stress over how they're going to pay their bills each month or how they’re going to manage their own business to earn money. The moment a mare learns that all they have to do is spread their legs and let a man inside, they’re set for life.”

“Really? Is that how it worked out for you? All that whoring around get you everything you ever wanted?”

Rose went quiet, Cheerilee was right of course. She had a good run off the farm, but here it was nothing but work. At least before the fall she could spend the money earned through her labor on the things that she wanted. Every cent she she made now went towards maintaining the farm, something that didn’t benefit her in any way.

Hearing someone shut Roseluck up for once, Carrot Top started to feel better. The red-collared mare was one of the things that made it so she could never forget that even in the relative peace of Sweet Apple Acres, she was still a slave and had no rights. She couldn’t place who it was that had been talking to her though, so she took a look over her shoulder to see who was there.

The first thing her eyes saw was that red band around Cheerilee’s neck, and that triggered the mare immediately. “Get away!” Not even stopping to see who it was, Carrot Top got up and shoved Cheerilee, pushing her into the closest wall, “It’s your fault we’re like this! You and every red collar mare out there! We can never go back to our old lives again because you just gave up and let the caribou walk all over us!”

“But… I…” It was hard for Cheerilee to justify her actions in the face of such accusations. She had surrendered for convenience's sake, but there was something else that motivated her too.

“Come on,” Roseluck said, removing herself from the wall to gently take Cheerilee by the shoulders and guide her away, “She’s delirious from dehydration. Let her have her tantrum. She’ll snap out of it eventually and see that we were right and she was wrong.” Cheerilee allowed the other red collar to take her from the room, for the sake of Carrot Top’s mental state more than her own safety.

When they got out of the room, Roseluck let go and gave Cheerilee a smirk, “See? The black collars will never understand until they convert too. We reds need to stick together, don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” Cheerilee answered, shaken by the attack.

“Good, then we’ll help each other out. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you, and in return you can do something for me. Like maybe put in a good word for me so I can get transferred someplace else. You’re one of those higher-level government slaves right? They’ll listen to you if you tell them about how good I’ve been and how willing I am to please.”

“You want me to...” The purple mare’s brow furrowed, Roseluck was as transparent as she was shallow, “You know what Roseluck? Have you ever stopped to think that this is actually what you deserve?”

“Being a slave?” Roseluck asked, unfazed by Cheerilee’s declaration.

“No, being here with Big Mac,” Cheerilee looked the mare in the eyes, an intensity within them that made Roseluck recoil, “I take it that he hasn’t been fucking you, which is why you want to leave, am I right?” Roseluck didn’t respond, which was all Cheerilee needed to know she was correct in her assumption, “There are thousands of mares out there right now going through the worst times of their lives and here you are with penis on the brain. Let’s face it, Mac is the perfect master for a mare like you.”

Cheerilee could feel the blood inside Roseluck boil, absolutely furious that she had hit the mark dead on. “Oh no you don’t bitch! You don’t get to be high and mighty with anypony! Not with the shit you do!”

“So what if I’m a red? At least I’m not as bad as you.”

“No, you’re worse,” Roseluck said with a malicious grin, “Don’t think I don’t know. Heck, everypony knows about your ‘duties’. What the caribou have you do when you’re not being taught how to fuck and suck.” Just like that Cheerilee was put on the defensive, yet she had no ability to defend herself. Roseluck, on the other hand, had the other red collar right where she wanted her, “It’s not some big secret, I’m surprised you even care after all this time. I wonder what Mac thinks about it?”

“I’ll tell ya what Ah think,” said a deep voice from behind Roseluck, one that sent a chill through her body, “Ah think that’s none of your business and that ya need to get on up to your room before ya say somethin’ we’ll both regret.”

---

Mac had arrived home, holding in his hand a clipboard with a form that told him that Cheerilee had been dropped off in his absence. After leaving AJ in town for another day of self-degradation, he had been really happy with the idea of spending some time with the mare. While he was in town he had tried to stop off at the town hall to tell Gunne about Vestri’s visit the day before, but when he got there he discovered rather worn looking Mayor Mare set up outside in a cage.

She had been left there with a sign that said “Please leave all messages with my secretary”, and when Mac asked her what was going on she told him that Gunne had left town and wouldn’t be back for a few weeks. With that bit of disappointment having Cheerilee around as friendly company would be a nice consolation, but then he had to walk in on this conversation.

“Mac!” Cheerilee called as she ran to the clydesdale, getting brought into his arms.

With the stallion around, Roseluck was outmatched. That glare in his eyes told her he wasn’t going to put up with any further taunting, so without another word she unceremoniously resigned from this fight and headed upstairs as she was told. So much for spending some time out in the tentacle pods.

Big Mac looked down at the mare in his arms, her body pressed up against his, her eyes welling up slightly. “Hey, don’t let what she said get to ya.” he said stroking her mane to comfort her.

“No, she’s right. I’m horrible,” Cheerilee said gripping his shirt tightly, “They make me do horrible things, all so they can spread their ideology as far as they can. But if it wasn’t me then there would be somepony else in my place and I couldn’t trust them like I could myself.”

That hit Mac hard, since he knew that perspective more than anyone else. Cheerilee was exactly like him in that regard, both doing what they had to in order to keep others away that they could not trust to do the same. “Don’t worry,” he put his powerful hand under her chin and gently led head upwards to look him in his compassionate eyes, “Ah believe that you’re doing the best ya can. I’d expect nothing less from ya.”

Those words seemed to cheer the mare up, at least enough to work a smile out of her. He planted a kiss on her forehead, making her giggle through her tears, and then escorted her to the kitchen. Inside it were the other three mares entrusted to his care, doing everything they could to keep going on in this world gone wrong. It had only been about a month and a half since they had got there, but already they had become like part of the family. Though the circumstances of how their fates became intertwined were awful, he was happy in some way to have them all around, but that might of been his protective nature speaking.

“Hey Daisy, can Ah trouble ya to make a plates for everyone?” he said seeing the mare delivering a freshly prepared meal to Carrot Top, who had obviously been crying over something, but looked to be getting over it as she took a celery stick off her plate and chewed on it without so much as a sniffle.

“Yes sir, I’ll get right on it!” Daisy cheerfully replied, happy to be of help.

Mac sat at the table and pulled a seat close so Cheerilee could sit beside him. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was the closest he was going to get to a normal day at the farm during the fall.

The Next Step

Mac sat across the desk from Gunne, in the same place he had been the first time he was in the town hall. This time he was in a much better position, unintimidated by the magistrate since Gunne had been willing to work with him every step of the way since he had agreed to the plan that was offered. The room no longer bore the oppressive and unnerving atmosphere it once had, instead being almost inviting with the knowledge that the caribou that resided in it only wanted to help with his situation.

If anything it was the caribou sensing some hostilities, picking it up from not only the large stallion, but the orange mare sitting right next to him. For whatever reason Mac had brought his sister to accompany him to this meeting, and her eyes were shooting daggers at him. Not the warmest welcome after his two weeks away from Ponyville, but he had a good idea why they both were upset with him.

He gave a heavy exhale, deciding that he’d get straight to what he thought was the problem, “So how did your inspection go?”

Mac opened his mouth to speak, but AJ beat him to the punch, “We did just fine for somethin’ that came out of the blue. Aren’t ya suppose to warn us about stuff like this?”

Gunne closed his eyes to calm himself, “Mac, your sister…”

“She has as much say in this as Ah do Gunne,” said Mac, “And Ah have to agree with her on this. A warning woulda been nice.”

“Of course you’re right Mac,” Gunne admitted, “Had I known Vestri was coming I would’ve told you in advance to keep you from getting caught off guard. I didn’t learn he was even in Ponyville until I passed him by at the train station. You were on my mind the entire time I was in Canterlot, but I had faith that you would handle the situation.”

“Well I’m glad ya have faith in us, but while we got through it by the skin of our teeth, we didn’t get passed for the collar. Vestri said AJ has places where she has to improve before she’d be ready.”

“That’s a shame, but not unexpected,” Gunne replied, opening his eyes as he assessed the situation, “I wasn’t planning on Applejack passing the first time she was looked into, and that she wasn’t completely rejected is a plus. Because you did that much I do have some good news to share.”

The caribou opened his desk drawer, pulled out thick strip of red leather with a heavy metal ring attached to it and tossed it on the table. Both AJ and Mac stared at the object that was thrown so casually at them as though it was solid gold. “Is that mah-”

“It’s your sister’s collar,” Gunne said, smiling in self congratulation, “While I was in Canterlot giving my direct report to... one of my superiors I put in a good word for both of you. Since everything matched up I was given authorization to let Applejack have it the moment I felt she was ready.”

Mac lit up instantly, “Then ya mean we got it?! She’s a red collar now?!” Mac reached out to take the collar, but found it just out of reach as Gunne took it away before he could get to it.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not that simple,” To Mac’s dismay the caribou put the collar back into the desk, “Vestri will have informed the higher ups that he feels she isn’t ready, and he outranks me. If I go against his opinion without good reason, even if it works today, he could cause trouble down the line. So we’ll have to keep at it to prove he’s wrong. Luckily I have something planned for her that should-”

“Excuse me!” AJ interjected, “Ah know I’m not highly respected by ya’ll, but I’d appreciate it if ya stopped talking around me like Ah wasn’t in the room.”

Mac’s face turned a slightly deeper color of red; While AJ’s statement was clearly meant for Gunne alone, he too had been pulled into doing the same, “Gunne, we both need to start treating AJ like she’s part of this.”

“Very well…” Gunne turned his full attention to the mare, “Applejack, why didn’t you do everything in you could to convince Vestri that you were a proper mare?”

“What?!” AJ yelled in objection, Mac grabbing her by the shoulders as she made a move towards the caribou.

“The test was mostly on your shoulders, so any negative marks are your fault. All you had to do was listen, obey and lie about your feelings towards your treatment.”

“Gunne…” Mac said with annoyance.

“My apologies Mac, but based on prior behavior I have to believe that any problems during the test were her doing. It doesn’t help her case when she interrupts me while I’m trying to explain our next course of action.”

AJ was fuming at the caribou, and Mac was worried that Gunne wouldn’t react well if she let loose. He placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her from trying something foolish, and then said to the caribou, “Look, she’s been doin’ all she can to follow this cockamamie scheme of yours. Can you cut her a break?”

“I have been cutting her a break,” Gunne answer to the stallion, “It might not make sense from your point of view, but helping a black collar become a red without the mare in question actually deserving it is… Well let’s just say that normally I wouldn’t even consider such a thing.”

“No, Ah understand that,” Mac said, he had realized for a while that Gunne had been putting himself out on a limb too for that sake of his family, “Can’t we all just be civil at least. No more arguments, or accusations, and not belittle one another?”

“As long as Applejack is respectful, I think we can keep things civil” said Gunne.

“Fine,” AJ added, feeling like her and the caribou’s definition of “respectful” was going to be vastly different.

“Good, then that matter is settled.”

“Well… not quite.” Mac was happy that he could work out some kind of middle between the two, but there was something else that had been on his mind that he had to address. “Ah wanted to ask ya about something Vestri sa-”

Suddenly a knock came from behind the two ponies, coming from the office door, “Master, I’m back from Mr. Cake’s.”

“Come in Ginna,” The door opened to Gunne’s command, and in walked the source of Mac's question. The caribou girl that was usually around Gunne, that obeyed his every command, and that the stallion had so recently learned was related to Gunne from an unlikely informant.

Mac took one more good look at her as she passed by, as did AJ since she had been told by the stallion of what he had learned. In many ways it was still hard to believe that this girl was Gunne’s sister. The way he had made her walk around naked, or that he had no problem letting her humiliate herself in front of anyone and everyone. The caribou had to have entirely different ideas of what family was if this was how a brother could treat their sister.

Ginna approached with a smile, before she set a bag on the desk. Mac Kept his eyes on the cow, taking in every movement, looking at every detail on her body for some sign that the revulsion of Gunne that was building up inside him was legitimate. From the small antlers on her head, to the two dark brown lines that travelled down her front from her shoulders to her belly button to form a “V”, all the way down to her cloven hooves. His discerning eyes couldn’t find any sign of abuse anywhere, and Ginna likewise showed no signs of being emotionally distraught while taking pastries from the sack so that she could put them on two plates that had been prepared for her return.

“Mac,” said Gunne, “I know my Ginna is a lovely creature, but we need to focus. I believe you were about to ask about something Vestri did at your home. Did he say something that offended you? If it was something about Applejack then you should know by now that’s not something that will change.”

Mac looked away from Ginna, unable to find anything that would fuel his personal disgust. That wasn’t going to stop him from giving Gunne a piece of his mind though, “This isn’t anything about mah sister, it’s about yours!”

Gunne’s eyes went wide in shock, while Ginna fumbled around with a pastry she was holding till it finally got away from her and hit the ground. Since the only person in town that knew they were related was the mute caribou that helped Fluttershy on the animal farm, they had never expected a pony to ever find out.

The male caribou sighed as his sister went after the pastry she had dropped, not wanting to be dragged into the conversation in fear of saying something that would embarrass her master, “I see that my colleagues are spreading rumors about me….”

“They sure are,” said AJ, “And they don’t sound pleased ‘bout what ya’ll are doing. Ah thought that caribou didn’t care a lick about incest.”

“They don’t,” Gunne said, as his composure slipped. He didn’t like that Applejack was trying to belittle him, “That’s not what this is about.”

“Then why does it sound like Vestri doesn’t like you or Ginna?” asked Mac, determined to know what was going on here.

Gunne leaned back in his seat and brought his hand to his face, giving it a light rub, “Mac… you shame me.”

The stallion could hear it in Gunne’s voice, a sound of disappointment from the caribou in himself that Mac swore matched how his own every time he handed AJ over to a group of men. He didn’t want to give a caribou the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn’t find it in himself to outright hate Gunne after hearing that voice.

“Gunne… could ya please tell me why Vestri resents you so much?” asked Mac, “Ah know you’ve been helping us for a while now, but if we’re gonna go on like this Ah need to be able to trust you, and a secret between us isn’t gonna let me do that.”

Gunne thought it over as he looked to the floor at Ginna, who was still occupying herself with her pastry, having slid it under the desk and pretending to be unable to get it so she could hide from the topic that Mac wanted to know about. Their secret was something that plagued them both, but she would always be the one to bear the brunt of it all. Still, Mac was stallion of integrity in his eyes, perhaps he would understand the burden they carried more than anyone else.

“Okay Mac, you win,” Gunne said, taking one of the pastries and eating it to build up a little confidence. “I’ll tell you about my curse.”

Mac and AJ focused on the caribou, ready to hear what it was that Vestri had against another officer of the caribou army. This would make or break the caribou in Mac’s eyes, while Applejack was just looking for more reasons not to like him.

“As foolish as this might sound, this all goes back to the day of my birth. If you recall, Mac, I told you that my father was a hunter, well respected amongst his peers. He didn’t have much outside of his talents, save for the home he earned with his own two hands and three cows he was proud to call his women. One day his most beautiful and obedient cow got pregnant, and eventually she gave birth to me.”

“Ah bet he was so proud that he got himself a son,” said AJ, baring a bit of sarcasm.

“Perhaps he was, Applejack, up until right after when the female that was my mother gave birth to another child.” Gunne held his words for a few seconds, suddenly becoming somber. “Within a few minutes of delivering me the cow gave birth to Ginna, my twin sister.” Gunne reached up to his shirt and pulled aside it’s shoulder to show a dark brown line, indicating that he and the female caribou shared the same “V” fur pattern.

Mac scratched his head at this revelation and AJ seemed completely indifferent to what Gunne had said, but luckily the caribou male picked up on their confusion and was willing make clear why this was a big deal.

“Amongst my people, births of multiple females are common enough. Less common is when a female caribou gives birth to a pair of males, which is considered a sign of future prosperity. However it’s much more rare... nearly unheard of, for twins of separate gender to be born together, and when it happens it is seen as an ill omen.”

Mac started to see what the caribou was getting at, why this would bring shame to a caribou and make others see him as as a problem even though he hadn’t ever done anything to make them think that. Unable to add anything, he waited for Gunne to continue with his story.

“It didn’t help that afterwards the female that birthed me and my sister had complications, eventually dying from the strain on her body. Word spread quickly and soon everyone knew what had happened. My father was so ashamed that he had his other cows fixed shortly after to prevent the same thing happening again. He still had to deal with his two children though, along with the stigma that came with them. My father was unwilling to get rid of what would be his only son, and incapable of ridding himself of his daughter as no one wanted any part of her. So with a heavy heart he resigned to raising us both, binding the two of us together with the names Gunne and Ginna.”

Gunne paused as he tried to gauge what Mac might be thinking. All he could see on the stallion’s face was curiosity, not the disgust that he had been expecting. It was pleasing to tell his tale and not receive scorn in return, for once. It made him happy to consider Mac a friend, though he still wondered if Mac felt the same about him.

“My father raised us both the best he could under the circumstances. I would like to believe he treated me like he would’ve any son, perhaps feeling that he was to blame somehow for something he had no control over. Of course he expressed his disappointment, mostly when he was drunk, but I didn’t feel unloved,”

“Master…” Gunne looked down to find Ginna on her knees next to his chair, shaking in fear. He knew the reason, but he couldn’t stop now. He gave the girl a pat on the head, hoping that would grant her some comfort.

“Unfortunately, my poor sister often felt the brunt of his anger. From the moment she came of age he made sure to let her know how he felt about her; having her made incapable of having children, punishing her in extreme ways for little or no reason, despite her being one of the most well-behaved females I’d ever seen.”

“So all ya’ll caribou have always been like this, abusing your own women even when they’re doing exactly what ya want.” AJ said, appalled.

“Hold your tongue,” The caribou calmly commanded of the mare “You know nothing of my people’s culture and how much this devastated my father. I’ll admit this however, even back then I felt that my father on many occasions had gone too far. Making sure a female like yourself knows their place is one thing, and extreme displays of disobedience requires extreme methods of correction, but Ginna was perhaps the very example of how a woman should act.” Gunne petted the caribou female’s hair, to which the girl finally stopped her fright-filled trembling, as she rubbed her muzzle against her brother’s leg in appreciation, “It was… unfair.”

Upon hearing that even Gunne thought his father was wrong in the way he treated Ginna, Mac’s opinion of the caribou increased slightly, but only slightly. “So what did you do about it?” asked Mac, as he thought that maybe Gunne wasn’t the monster he had made him out to be all this time.

“Nothing,” Gunne replied, “He was my father and Ginna was his slave. It was not my place to contradict how he chose to train her, but eventually it would come to me to take care of her. You see Mac, while my father was still a dutiful man, the fact that his own son, the only heir to his lineage, was a seen as some sort of cursed creature was too much for him. He became more and more reckless as the days went by. I could see it when he took me hunting with him, his troubled mind showing itself through eyes that almost seemed to envy the beasts we felled. One day he simply left, leaving me behind, and next thing I knew I was being informed that he was dead, having pushed himself so hard that his heart just gave out.”

Mac had already known about this, but hearing it this way made it all more believable. He hated that he had assumed before that it was just some plot to pull at his heartstrings, but with the context also came the knowledge that Gunne’s father was a monster and deserved to die. Mac didn’t like thinking that way, but he found himself unable to do otherwise once he had heard everything that had been done to Ginna. It made him feel sick, so much so that he didn’t want to keep listening. He had asked for this though, and to back out now would be unfair to both Ginna and Gunne.

“Shortly afterwards his friends held a small funeral ceremony, which I was allowed to attend only because my father asked for it in his will. I watched as his body was placed inside of a pyre and set aflame. Yet as I watched him turn to ash before me, my thoughts were focused on other things. What would happen to my sister and I now that he was gone? I had reached adulthood, but I was unable to find a proper apprenticeship; the other men still knew who and what I was.”

“So ya joined the military,” Mac said, putting two and two together, “Ah bet it was the only place that would take you.”

Gunne nodded, “That’s correct, for the sake of protecting what I held dear. Still, my past followed me wherever I went. I probably would’ve never gotten as far as I have if not for one man who looked past that and gave me the opportunity to prove myself. I think you could guess who that was.”

The stallion had a guess, seeing that there was only one caribou that Gunne could assume that he would know, “Dainn…”

“I’m sure you think poorly of him, but he is truly a great leader, able to see a person for who they are instead of what people think they are. The military was hard work, but the only option I had left. Still, I did what I could for the sake of Ginna and myself. For years I was stuck at the bottom of the barrel, never advancing in rank even though my skills kept improving, until one day I was noticed by Dainn himself. He knew what people said I was, but could see past the superstitions and gave me a chance to do something in the service of the caribou as a whole when no one else would. It is because of him that I have this cozy job taking care of your humble town, far away from those of my brethren who think ill of me,” At that moment a hint of resentment could be heard enter Gunne’s voice, “As if my mere existence I could cause a drought or poor harvest.”

After his final statement the room fell silent for some time. It was hard for Big Mac to process everything, but at least now he understood what Gunne had meant when he said that the caribou saw a lot of himself in him. They were both in a way outcasts from their own people, both doing what they had to to make it in this world, and all for the sake of their family. He didn’t know how to respond to it all, old habits of keeping quiet creeping to the surface in the face of this revelation. However, just like in the past it was his sister who said something when he was at a loss for words.

“Do ya fuck her?” She said bluntly, not leaving any room in her tone to make it seem like anything less than an accusation, “Ya didn’t exactly deny it earlier.”

The damning words didn’t even penetrate Gunne’s defenses; he had already given away every secret that he wanted to hide. A question like this meant nothing to him, “Applejack, to put it in a way that will not upset Mac’s ears… I love my sister with all of my heart, more than anything else in this world, and she is likewise dedicated to me. You may take that answer in any way that you want to justify your hatred for me.”

Mac was happy that Gunne put it in such nice terms for him, since he already had a good idea that the answer was yes. There was no need to have it spelled out for him.

“So now that all that unpleasantness is out in the open I have just one question,” the caribou looked Mac directly in the eye, “Now that you know my shameful secret, have I earned your trust?”

What could Mac say to that, after forcing Gunne to bear everything to him? It didn’t come immediately, and it wasn’t easy to say, but in the end only one reluctant, but certain, word escaped his lips, “Yes.”

“Good, then my confession didn’t go to waste,” Gunne replied, ceasing the petting of Ginna’s head, “I also hope that I can trust you not to spread word of this to anyone else. I don’t think you would, but it would ease my mind just to hear you say you won’t.”

“Of course Ah won’t, Gunne,” He said, knowing that this relationship had to be mutual if it was to continue. He then looked to AJ, silently imploring that she agree too.

“Ah suppose there’s no reason for me to spread any gossip neither,” she said giving in to her brother’s request.

“Good, then we can put this unpleasantness behind us and focus on what I brought you here for. As I was trying to say before, I’ve come up with something that should help in proving Applejack’s willingness to be a cooperative mare, despite what Vestri has to say to the contrary.”

“And what’s that?” Mac was certainly curious as to what Gunne had planned, anything that sped up this process was welcomed in his book.

Gunne smiled, happy that Mac was not as stubborn as his sister and was willing to accept help when offered, “On my way back Ginna and I stumbled across a flyer for a competition being held in a town called Appaloosa.”

Both the Apples knew the town, Applejack and Mac having family that lived there and helped to build the town from the ground up. “A competition? What kinda competition?” Asked AJ warily.

“An amateur ‘Pet Show’ for black collars only,” explained Gunne. He reached into one of his pockets to withdraw a folded paper. He handed the paper off to Ginna, who then rose from her kneeling position so she could present it to Mac. The stallion took it, opened it and brought it closer to AJ so she could see what it said too.

The piece of paper was, like Gunne said, for a competition that implored men to bring in their black collared slaves to display their talents. It was scheduled to take place in just a few weeks, and sounded like the kind of thing that would bring bring in ponies from all over Equestria.

“The competition itself looks to be an event designed to allow stallions to publicly humiliate their mares into submission,” said Gunne as the two ponies looked at the flyer, “Which I suppose is its own form of entertainment if you’re amused by that sort of thing. However, if we were to enter Applejack and she performed to the quality of a red collar then that might be enough to override even Vestri’s opinion.”

“Ya sure that’ll that be enough?” asked Mac, still worried.

“With the amount of people that should be present at the event, I think that this will be the quickest way. Though even then there are no guarantees.”

“Exactly how many people are we talking ‘bout here?” asked AJ.

“Hundreds I’d think, if past events are any indication,” Gunne replied.

That number intimidated Applejack slightly. She had publicly humiliated herself in Ponyville plenty of times now, but the city didn’t have that big of a population. “I’m not sure Ah could do that.”

“And why not? Your file says that you were a show pony before we even got here. You should be used to performing in front of large crowds.”

“That’s completely different, Ah wouldn’t even know what ta do for a competition like this.” Looking over to Mac, AJ could see that he felt the same way. Neither of them would have a clue at what would please a crowd of that size aside from just more of the same stuff she’d been doing all along. Something told him that the basic sexual acts she had been doing wouldn’t be enough to make them happy, no matter how much effort she put into it.

“Then you should be thankful that I’m here to help you. I’ve already planned out a training regimen to get you up to snuff, all I need you both to do is met me at this address tomorrow at noon so we can begin.” Gunne jotted something down on a piece of paper and then used his antlers to levitate it over to Mac. When the Apples looked to see what he had written their eyes widened.

---

The next day Mac and AJ left their home a little before noon to met with Gunne to see what it was he had in store, once again leaving Lily in charge while they were out. They weren't heading to Ponyville, though, as the place that they were instructed to go was not in the city. At least not what folks would call Ponyville proper.

“Ah wish we knew what that caribou was up to,” AJ said along the way, partially to break the silence and partially because she didn’t like any part of a caribou “training” her.

Mac was in the same boat as her; he imagined the training Gunne had in mind wouldn’t be anything he’d want to see. Even if he knew Gunne was only trying to help, in the odd way that only a caribou like him could, Mac felt like he was going to have to remind himself of that constantly. Any time that AJ would let out any sounds of discomfort or offense he’d have to resist the urge to rush in and delay the training. They only had a few weeks to get ready, and even that might not be enough.

“Whelp… there it is,” AJ said after a long silence from Mac. They were still pretty far off, but from where they were they could see the sad state their destination had been reduced to.

The ponies were approaching a lone structure on the outskirts of the city, one in a state of disrepair since its rightful owner had since been relocated to a farm near Mac’s own. A once beautiful home built within a living tree sitting on a small hill across from a creek. Fluttershy’s cottage never looked worse, with several windows broken, the front door open and hanging off its hinges, and the bird houses that once were hung proudly in its branch having long since fallen to the ground and left to rot.

AJ and Mac crossed the small arch bridge along the trail, still not seeing any sign of Gunne. Thinking that he might have been waiting inside the house itself, Mac put his hand to his muzzle and called out, “Gunne! We’re here!”

At first there was no response, making Mac believe that they had arrived before the caribou. That would’ve been well and good for him, the urgency to get prepared not comparing to his own want to delay all of this, but then Gunne showed himself from behind the house, Ginna at his side.

“There you are Mac; we’ve been waiting for you!” The two caribou met Mac halfway along the trail, seeming a little more relaxed than usual. It was odd to see the caribou without a stern, almost stoic glare, “Glad you could make it.”

“Did you think that Ah wouldn’t?” Mac crossed his arms as he wondered what Gunne was implying.

“Well… no,” Gunne answered sheepishly, which caught Mac further off guard. It was enough to make him think that something was seriously wrong, and it was becoming increasingly evident as the caribou looked at him, “No, no, I’m serious. There is nothing wrong going on. I’m just… I suppose its been awhile since I tried to act casual.”

“Huh?” Mac was confused, but Gunne was already trying to clarify things for him.

“I’m sorry. I thought that it would make things easier for you if I didn’t present myself as an authority figure. I know that I can come off as intimidating sometimes.”

“I’m not intimidated by ya, not anymore at least” Mac said, thankful the consideration none the less, “It’s the other caribou that give me the willies.”

“As they should, considering what we’re doing. That’s why I brought you all the way out here, so we can both speak freely,” AJ noticed the wording he’d used. Not wanting to cause a fuss right off the bat, she let it slide. “Now come, I’ll show you what I’ve done.”

Gunne waved them to follow and went around back, still keeping that grin that seemed unnatural to Mac. He showed more joy and enthusiasm than he had seen from any caribou not in between a woman’s legs, and it lacked any of the sinister and malevolent intent behind it that a caribou like Vestri would have. Mac wasn't sure what to think of Gunne like this. Seeing him as a friend would have been too strong a word... ally perhaps, though even that was a stretch. Whatever he was, Mac was glad to have him on his side.

As the group went around the dilapidated tree house, Gunne stepped aside and extended his arm to what it was he wanted to show. Before them was a series of small, crudely made structures composed of large branches and what appeared to be remnants of Fluttershy’s furniture, her tables, chairs and, even her bed had broken up to suit the needs of the construction. Despite being made of salvaged materials and hastily put together, AJ could tell that they were supposed to be obstacle course of some sort.

Balance beams, foot high hurdles, poles sticking up out of the ground in a row, as well as other things that would be common place for such a thing back when Equestria wasn’t under Caribou rule. “As you can see, I’ve set up something to whip Applejack into shape.”

“That’s not all ya setup,” AJ pointed out a stand holding several pieces of bondage equipment and an assortment of sex toys.

“You didn’t expect me to bring things like that? With your black collar mentality it should’ve been a given that a caribou would want you to fuck.” The male caribou gave a slight chuckle, but then noticed that what he meant as a joke was not taken well by either of the ponies. “Right… not funny, sorry Mac.”

Mac shook his head in disappointment with Gunne as he went over to the course that the caribou had built. It all looked fairly standard, nothing particularly degrading or sexual about it, but that was actually what made Mac skeptical about this, “Gunne… Applejack can already do all this. She used to have a ton of ribbons for competing in this sort of stuff.” Mac had to try hard not to emphasize “used to”, as he remembered how the awards for his sister’s ability were taken from his home and burned during his arrest when caribou soldiers ransacked his home in search of any females that might’ve been inside the residence.

“I’m sure she can,” Gunne agreed, “She seems capable enough for that. It’ll take more than a small physical display or her being publicly open to sex to sway the minds of my superiors though. She is going to have to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is willing to submit to the rule of a male, to let them take control of her and obey their every command. That is what we are here to train her for.”

Gunne knew an objection was coming; Mac was sadly predictable when it came to his sister, and before the stallion could utter a neigh he turned to Applejack.

“Applejack, how about this? If you can do one thing for me, right here and now, we’ll completely skip any and all training that involves those items on the stand, no matter how much you might need it.”

AJ crossing her arms over her bare breasts and cocked her hips to the side, not really enjoying having to go along with this game. “An’ what would that be?”

The male caribou approached his obstacle course, zigzagging from one obstacle to the next and touching them as he went along before stopping at the one farthest from the mare. “I would like you to go through the course in the order that I just pointed out without falling off or tripping up on any of them.”

“Well that’s nothin’ too hard at-”

“With your eyes shut the entire time,” he added to his challenge nonchalantly, as if the addition was no big deal.

“And there ya go putting some fool stipulation on it that'll make it impossible,” AJ could remember the order of the course, she could even memorize the layout to some degree, but if her eyes were shut it was far too likely that she’d lose her way or knock over a hurdle.

“The proud mare is going to give up without even trying? Expected, but a pity. If that is how you feel, I suppose I could give you a handicap. I’ll allow Mac to help you through the course by any means he wants to use, just as long as it’s still you that runs the course.”

“So ya want Big Mac to talk me through it,” It was possible that she could do it that way, but it was more likely that she’d end up face first in the dirt. AJ trying to accurately guess at what Mac wanted her to do would be a confusing situation for both of them. “Still sounds like you’re just setting us up to fail.”

“What do you think about it Mac?”

The stallion couldn’t even remember which obstacle AJ was suppose to go to first, “Ah have to say Ah agree with her. It’s doable, but we wouldn’t be able to do it first time.”

“Then I suppose a demonstration is in order. Ginna!” The female caribou, who had slipped over to look at the toys that she would no doubt get to play with later, removed herself from them in flash so she could join her brother, “Are you ready to show them your best trick?”

Ginna’s face brightened up with glee, happiness filling her very being, “It would please me to no end to perform for my master’s guest and his slave.”

“Then close your eyes tightly and we’ll proceed,” The caribou cow shut her eyes tight at Gunne’s command, clenching them down so there was no doubt in the minds of Applejack and Mac that she was sneaking a peek through the cracks of her eyelids. Without a word, Gunne lifted up one hand, closed all his fingers except his index and middle, and made sure that the two ponies were watching as he placed the tips of his fingers on the girl’s neck right above her collar.

Ginna relaxed at his touch, as if some great burden was lifted from her. The only sign of movement on her body was her lips as they curled upwards. “Ginna, my dearest pet, who do you belong to?” Gunne asked as softly, as one might ask something of a child.

“My mind and body belong to you and you alone my master,” Ginna stated, saying it as if it was a definitive answer to the question given.

“Would you ever serve anyone other than I?”

“Only if my master wished it, though he hasn’t demanded that of me yet.”

“And the last question, the most important of them all,” Gunne reached around Ginna’s body, causing her to let out a gasp of excitement as he placed his hand gently, but firmly against her left breast. He could feel her heart racing through his palm, and could tell through it how exhilarated she was by his very touch, “Do you trust me?”

Ginna’s answer was instantaneous, starting the moment the last syllable of Gunne’s question left his mouth, “I trust you with everything that I have master. Guide me as you have guided me always. Till you tell me otherwise, I am an extension of your own body.”

“Good, then let’s begin.”

Ginna placed one hoof in front of the other and began to walk, Gunne following right behind her with only the tips of his two fingers against her neck. “This oughta be be good…” AJ said quietly, keeping a close eye on Ginna. She didn’t have high expectations for her, recalling how the female caribou was a self admitted klutz. Ginna probably was incapable of going through the course perfectly with her eyes open, let alone walking in the dark as she was. Gunne seemed to believe in her though, and AJ didn’t think a caribou would intentionally make a woman embarrass themselves when their own pride was also at stake. Perhaps there was something to this, or maybe the two would cheat to make Gunne look better. If the latter was the case she wanted to make sure she caught them in the act.

The caribou approached the first obstacle, the poles that had been staked into the ground. The simplest part of the course, requiring those going through it to weave in between the poles without nicking them in the process. In a real competition speed would be of the essence to outdo the other competitors, but the caribou were in no rush as they made their way through them. Ginna was taking it slow, being the one who went back and forth around the waist high rods as Gunne stuck to one side of them, his fingers staying on the back of her head while the two moved in sync.

They got past the poles flawlessly, albeit at a snail’s pace, and made their way towards the set of small hurdles. It was another easy task for someone who would took their time and able to see what they were doing, but with Ginna’s eyes shut tight it would prove more difficult than the poles. One misplaced step and she could knock over one of the horizontally elevated sticks Gunne had set up.

Ginna got within half a foot of the first hurdle before she made a sudden leap forward, hopping over the stick, propelling her so far that AJ could tell another jump like that would only just get her over from where she stood. With nary a pause, Ginna leapt again, barely getting over the stick in her path to land even closer than before to the next one in line. If she went with her momentum and took on more jump she was surely going to hit the stick and fail the course, and it looked like that’s what would happen as she crouched down.

But to both AJ and Mac’s surprise, the cow froze, stopping short of making her blind leap. She still had her eyes clenched, so she couldn’t have known what was a few inches in front of her, and Gunne hadn’t uttered a single word of warning as he stood a few steps back with his arm extended. They both held their positions for a few seconds, until Ginna stood up straight and stepped backwards into Gunne’s awaiting fingers and they touched the back of her head again. With his fingers back into position, Gunne stepped forward with his sister, Ginna easily hopping over the final hurdle with ease.

It was amazing in its own way, as Mac figured out what was going on; Gunne was using only his two fingers to direct Ginna’s every move. Mac had realized it as he watched her return to her brother after being separated, it must have been an indication that she had gone to far or was about to make an error. Now that he understood he could see the minute movements of Gunne’s fingers as he guided her. With his silent instructions Ginna was able to go across a balance beam without threatening to tip over, crawled under low hanging ropes without issue, and even jumped through a suspended hoop at the end of the course with only her hoof touching it as she passed through. In a technical sense that little touch caused her to fail the course, but the point had been made none-the-less. It was completely possible to go through such a gauntlet blind, but it would take complete cooperation, trust, and the right kind of commands to pull it off.

The two caribou returned to the ponies, AJ as much in awe as Mac, “I take it that you figured out how it works,” he said with confidence to the stallion.

Mac nodded in return, but then heard his sister say, “Y’all are givin’ her some sorta signals with your fingers. Betcha had plenty of time to practice something like that. Bet they teach that sort of thing to everyone back where ya come from.”

“That would be where you are wrong, Applejack,” Gunne replied, “If you recall most other caribou do their best to disassociate themselves with me. This is something that me and Ginna developed together in private to help her get over a few of her… lingering fears after our father died. A trust exercise, one that isn’t used by others of my race, which is why I’m going to try and teach you how to follow Mac’s commands the same way Ginna follows mine. Something like this, unseen by anyone before this point, is exactly what will prove you’re the kind of mare that…” Gunne paused to let out a deep sigh, “Deserves a red collar…”

“Ah think it’s a great idea, Gunne!” Mac said, starting to like what he was hearing more and more. It sounded like the perfect plan to him, and it wouldn’t even be too embarrassing for AJ from the looks of it.

“Not so fast, Mac,” said Gunne, able to read Mac easily after being around him for a while. The caribou knew that he was getting a misconstrued idea of what would have to happen, “I don’t want to burst your bubble, but a common course like this will not cut it. You’re going to be in front of potentially hundreds that will want to see Applejack’s sexual abilities and I did bring those toys for a reason after all.”

Mac seemed disappointed to hear that, but it didn’t take long for him to recover from it. To think that AJ was going to be able to do this without some form of personal violation was hoping for too much. but he wished he could have clung to that hope a little longer.

“Now that all that is cleared up and our goal has been explained, we need to get started. Mac, if you would take my sister,” Gunne stepped away from Ginna, gesturing his hand toward her.

“What?!” Mac exclaimed, shocked at Gunne’s request.

“No, no, no!” Gunne said panicked, waving his hands in objection when when he realized that Mac had thought he meant for the stallion to have sex with her, “I didn’t mean that. I want you to do what I just did with her, guide her around and have her go through a few of the obstacles. You know, get a feel for the technique with a woman that is already skilled in it.”

“Master?” Even though Ginna had said that she would obey another male at her master’s request, it caught her off guard. This was going to be the first time since her father was alive that she would be at the command of any man but him.

Gunne placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders and turned her to look in her eyes, “It’ll be ok. I’ll be right here watching. Just do your best and pretend you’re with me.”

Ginna tilted her head downwards, but kept her eyes lifted to keep them on her master. “Yes master, I obey.”

“That’s a good girl,” Gunne bent down to plant a kiss on her forehead, which cheered up his cow slightly.

Mac looked over to AJ to get her opinion about all this, but she just looked back unable to come up with anything. What could she say? This was what they were here for, and it would be better to start off with someone experienced than to start from scratch. All she could do was reluctantly tell him, “Go on, I’ll watch and see if Ah can pick something up from here.”

The stallion went up to the cow and extended his fingers as he had seen Gunne do before, “Good,” Gunne complemented, turning Ginna around so her back was turned to Mac, “Now place your fingertips lightly where her collar touches her head.”

Mac did as he was told, putting his two fingers together and pressed them ever so gently where he was directed. The moment they touched, Ginna straightened her back up and put her legs together. Mac quickly pulled the fingers away, not sure exactly what he had done.

His reaction got a chuckle out of Gunne, who was amused to see the clydesdale startled by such a small, nonthreatening thing as Ginna, “Mac, please separate your fingers a bit. When you put them together like that you’re telling her to stand at attention.”

Mac heeded his words, putting his fingers back where he had them, but with a bit of space between them. This made the caribou girl relax under his touch, her body becoming less rigid and tense.

“Now the basics of how to guide Ginna are simple. Where your fingers are now will be where she knows they should be. If they are not there, then she will do what she can to get them back where they belong. Press them forward a little and you’ll see what I mean.”

The stallion did as he was instructed and put some pressure behind his fingers. As the tips pushed against her flesh Ginna took a step forward to attempt to alleviate it, stopping when the pressure left her.

“Good, now try moving your fingers to the left a little.”

Again, Mac did as he was told, moving his fingers to the left slightly to see what would happen. To his surprise Ginna tuned on the spot to face right. He thought that she would have turned left since the signal was going that way, but then he realized that if she had done that the fingers would have gone even further from their original point. The inversion was odd to Mac and would take some getting use to.

“Now go ahead and walk around with her. Take her around some of the easier obstacles, and remember that no matter what your fingers tell her to do, she’ll follow it.” With those words Gunne went over to Applejack to undoubtedly teach her how to perceive the instructions that would be given to her, something that seemed like a much harder thing to learn than just moving your fingers around. It didn’t help that Gunne was going to be touching her directly, something that she would not like personally and something that made him feel uncomfortable as well, even if he trusted Gunne.

“Well then, let’s get a moving,” Mac said, pushing his fingers against the back of Ginna’s neck. The caribou started walking forward, and Mac stayed close behind so that he could keep his fingers in place against Ginna’s coat.

---

The two walked around for what might have been an hour, both having their own share of hiccups along the way. Mac would often press too hard, causing Ginna to make abrupt starts and stops in her stride as he tried to catch up, or when he’d make her go left when he wanted her to go right, or simply making her run right into a one of the obstacles on accident. Being distracted didn't help matters, Mac constantly sending looks back over to Gunne and AJ to see how things were going for them. From time to time, a sharp, biting word would ring out from Applejack, and Mac would turn his head away from the cow just in time to see Gunne give AJ a light tap to tell her in his own way that such acts wouldn’t be tolerated. Overall though they were, for the time being, as civil as Mac could hope for, but knowing his sister as he did, he could recognize that tensions were high.

“Oh!” Ginna cried out as she stumbled through one of the hurdles, Mac’s eyes having drifted away for a moment.

Mac shot his head back to his path as Gunne turned his away from AJ to see what the problem was, but the caribou caught the tail end of the movement. The caribou stepped away from the mare, and Mac was sure he was about to get it from him.

“Is something wrong, Mac?” asked Gunne.

“No, no, we’re fine. I’m tripping up here and there, but ah think ah got it.”

“Well one good tip would to keep your eyes on the path you’re walking on and off of your sister.” Gunne said, having figured out the problem.

Mac gave an embarrassed smile having been caught red handed, “I’m sorry… ya know Ah care about her.”

“I do,” Gunne replied, “But we need you focused. Would it help if I took her around the house?”

Mac thought about it before he shook his head. He knew how protective he was of his sister, and having her out of his sight would only make him create excuses to sneak peeks at Gunne and AJ, which would slow down the training process further.

“Ok then, Ginna would you please take Applejack to the other side of the house and show her how to use those toys we brought.”

“Yes master,” Ginna happily replied, walking as fast as she could to grab the sex toys. She scooped them all into her arms before before she skipped over to AJ, “Come on, I’ve got so much to show you.”

“Wait a second,” Mac tried to object as the two women slipped out of sight, but Gunne placed his hand on the stallion’s shoulder.

“It’s Ginna, Mac. A mare like your sister will be able to handle her,” the caribou reasoned, “And I don’t want to let them see what we’re about to do.”

“Ah suppose you’re right,” said Mac, seeing Gunne’s point. AJ could handle herself well enough and Ginna was far too meek to be considered a threat, “What are we about to do?”

“Well I have to admit, I was keeping an eye on Ginna as much as you were Applejack, and it looked like she was having a few problems even when you were giving her your full attention. It might not’ve been completely your fault that things weren’t going smoothly. It was her first time with someone else besides me guiding her, so I have to assume that she’s partially to blame.”

Mac wasn’t so sure about that himself, but there was little point in arguing. Instead he just gave a nod and let the caribou go on.

“Seeing that Ginna has some trust issues, and that you are having a few problems with your sister around, I was thinking of trying something different. Something that would make it easier for you to learn the commands that you’ll have to learn while keeping Applejack out of your mind. That is, if you’d be up for it.”

“Well if ya think it’ll help, Ah don’t see a problem giving it a try. What do ya have in mind?”

Next thing Mac knew, he could feel something touching the back of his neck, two somethings in fact. Reactively, the clydesdale zipped his hand behind his head and grabbed a hold of what was touching him. He had already made an assumption of what it was, and when his palm wrapped around a set of knuckles it confirmed his assumption. “Gunne… what are ya doing?”

Gunne slipped his hand out of Mac’s, turning away to save face, “I apologize, I should’ve told you what I had planned before doing that,” the caribou said, slipping back into his more professional persona, “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“And what were you thinking?” Mac asked, nervous to what the answer would be.

“I… I mean you…” Gunne clear his throat and turned back to face Mac, determination in his eyes, “You don’t learn the same way other males do. I’m not trying to insult you by saying this, but I believe because you are mentally deficient it impairs your ability to pick up on things like others. So I wanted to see… if maybe I showed you firsthand you might be able to understand it better.”

Mac didn’t know how to take that, Gunne bringing up his so-called disability and saying that it was the reason Mac wasn’t catching onto his training technique within the first hour of trying. “Do ya really think that’ll help?”

“It… couldn’t hurt to give it a shot. Perhaps after you’ve done it yourself, you’ll be able to do your part easier. Your disability might be getting in the way, making you think that leading a woman around somehow demeans them in a way you find uncomfortable. Once you see that’s not the case, then maybe you’ll be more understanding of the skills I’m trying to teach you.”

Mac mulled it over. He didn’t really think that was the case, but he didn’t see a problem with the idea either. The worst that would come of it would be a few bruises if he ran into something, and Gunne seemed flustered after attempting his idea without asking first. If he didn’t agree to it now it would just make things awkward, which would interfere with the rest of the training. With the little time they had, Mac couldn’t let anything slow down their progress.

“Okay, we’ll do it,” Mac said, “For a little bit. Then Ah want to focus on me an’ AJ learning how to do this together.”

“Of course,” Gunne replied, “Now if you would, please close your eyes.”

The stallion did as he was instructed, shutting his eyes so that all he could see was the sun’s light shining through his eyelids. Once more he felt Gunne touch the back of his neck and while it still made him feel odd, Mac did his best to focus on those two points.

“You’re tense,” said Gunne, “I know it must feel weird, but try to relax.” Mac did his best, but his body wouldn’t listen to him. It took him minutes for his body to ease up in the slightest, and before long Gunne had to accept that it was as much as he would get out of the stallion. “Now, just like I showed you with Ginna, except this time you’re the one being led. Feel the pressure of my fingers as they are now, concentrate on that pressure, and if that changes do what you can to make it change back.”

Mac gave a nod, and then he felt the fingers get pushed into his skin. He took a few steps forward, the sensation not being eased up as he did. Mac, taking heed to what Gunne just said, went even faster and escaped the touch of the caribou, which in turn made him have to stop until he felt Gunne’s fingers again. This pattern repeated a few times, and made Mac feel like he was repeating Ginna's actions, step by step.

“Hmmm... “ Gunne accessed the problem, and came to only one conclusion, “Mac, you're over-thinking this.”

“What do ya mean?” Mac asked, opening his eyes.

“You're trying to figure out what the perfect pace is, when all I want is motion. You might not have noticed, but Ginna only has two speeds: slow,“ Gunne pushed in his fingers, ”and fast,” he said as he pressed the fingers in harder. “It’s actually a credit to your way of thinking to try and get it down perfectly, but we must remember that women aren’t that bright.”

“Gunne…” Mac said in annoyance.

“Right, right, I meant to say that Ginna isn’t that bright, and even if you think that Applejack is, it might be best to keep it simple. The less you both have to think while doing this, the easier it will become.”

“Keep it simple,” Mac repeated, the words making sense to him. Everything he had done since he was forced to take charge of the farm was complicated, and he wished he could go back to the simplicity of being a normal farmhand. He always had to decide what was best for the mares on his farm, as well as what actions he had to take in order to keep the farm afloat. Having something that was straightforward, with no complex thought to it might be what he needed to ease the stress of it all.

“Let’s try again, but this time remember that we are only looking for two speeds.” The two started over from the beginning, ready to give this another try. Now that Mac knew what was expected of him it was much easier to stay at the pace Gunne’s fingers were telling him to go at. In fact, it was no problem at all; when Gunne pressed in lightly he took slow steps, when he pressed in harder he went into a rushed walk, and when the caribou removed his digits Mac came to a complete stop. In the midst of all this they made a few attempts at turning, but Mac kept finding himself going with the direction that the fingers moved instead of the opposite direction to get it back to the original spot on his neck. Gunne didn’t seem to mind too much though, and adjusted himself to suit Mac’s error.

“Good, good,” said the caribou after leading Mac around for roughly ten minutes, “You’re getting the hang of this real well. I think you’re almost ready to try again as the one in command.”

“Ya think so?” Mac said as he continued walking. Gunne had not removed his fingers yet, so he assumed he wasn’t done with the demonstration.

“Yeah, but first we need to teach you some of the more advanced commands. We’ll start out with something simple. Tell me, what do you think you should do if I do this?”

The clydesdale felt Gunne’s fingers go upwards, a jolt going to his brain as the fingers traveled up his spine. Mac reacted with an involuntarily jump, startled by the sensation. He had not expected that from the caribou, and the motion made him feel very uncomfortable. It unnerved him so much that he had to even clamp his hands around his muzzle to hold in the surprised yelp he was going to make.

“Very good Mac,” Gunne complemented, “That was the command to jump. I can see you really are getting the hang of all this. Though, you jumped so high you made my fingers leave you entirely.”

“Sorry,” Mac said as he looked at Gunne with wide eyes and a racing heart. “Ah hopped a little higher than Ah meant to. A-ah think Ah got it now. Let’s go get AJ so Ah can practice with her before the day is out.” Surely the caribou had not tried to make him feel uncomfortable on purpose, but that touch creeped Mac out so much that he really didn’t want to be at the receiving end of Gunne’s fingers anymore that day, maybe not ever again if the way his body tensed up was any indication.

“Well… okay then, let’s get the girls and work on making some progress. If we’re in luck Applejack will have already learned a thing or two from Ginna when we get there.”

---

“So as you see, AH! They go deep in-SIDE! And theymOOooovveE! Around a LOT!

Ginna was already well within her lessons on how to use the sex toys her master had brought with them. Applejack had watched her go through quite a few of the objects within the first few minutes, and now the cow had deep inside of her a large pair of vibrating balls. The two orbs were so powerful that they made the caribou girl weak in the knees, and forced her on her back as they shook violently inside. They made Ginna groan and writhe, hardly able to control herself. One of her hands was shoved into her soaked slit while the other rubbed the outer lips of her mound, both becoming likewise drenched as she rubbed the passage to her womb to increase the already intense feeling of pleasure.

While AJ kept her eyes on the girl, she really wasn’t paying much attention to what she was doing. She didn’t really have to, as she had already experienced how those kind of orbs worked during the time she spent with Flim and Flam. She had a similar attitude towards the other objects as well, since when it came to sex toys it was pretty straight forward what to do with them. Put them in your rear or vagina, or press it against some other erogenous area, and move them around until it felt good. Even a complete fool knew how to pleasure themselves, as the cow was demonstrating that very moment.

There was nothing that Ginna could teach her that she didn’t already know, especially since the caribou wasn’t at all interested in showing how to safely use the devices, and was more concerned with shoving them inside herself with wreckless abandon. It was a wonder how she didn’t strain a muscle or tear something with how she was going at it, but perhaps she had been doing things like this for so long that her body had adapted to the self-inflicted sexual abuse. The thought made the mare shudder a bit, as she hoped that she would never get used to that kind of treatment.

“So…” Ginna said in between pants as she pressed on her abdomen to push out the balls inside her, “Do you get it?”

“Ah get it, alright,” AJ responded, not really answering the caribou as she was commenting to herself about what this training was all about. If Gunne was half as smart as he let on, then he already knew that sending her back here to watch Ginna play with herself was a fruitless endeavor, and that meant that this could only be one other thing. This was busy work, something to occupy the ‘lesser gender’ while the men were off talking about more important things. Just another way for the stag to belittle her in front of her brother without being overt about it.

“Great!” Ginna replied, slowly getting back to her feet after having the vibrating balls pop out of her covered in sexual fluid. Her legs wobbled as she stood upright, but she placed her hand on wall of the tree house to keep from falling over, “Then maybe you’re ready to give it a try now?”

“Sure,” Applejack said relenting. Every time Ginna had finished with one of the toys she had asked that question, and each time she had refused to participate. That lead Ginna to try harder to get the earth mare interested, using more effective toys to put on increasingly lewd displays. With the way Ginna was panting and stumbling about, Applejack worried for her safety if she continued to refuse. “But mind if we start off with something easier first?”

“As long as we do what my master wishes, I don’t see why not?” Ginna said with a smile, pleased that she had made some progress. All of her hard work must have finally paid off.

Ginna went over to where she had placed the rest of the sex toys, and looked over them until she laid eyes on a simple wooden dildo, sanded down, coated in varnish, and polished to an almost mirror sheen. The smooth, solid phallus would slide in nice and easy, and it was large enough that it would fill the mare wonderfully. She reached out for the object, but before she could lay hands on it Applejack placed her own hands around the caribou’s wrist and stopped her.

“Ginna, might Ah ask you something?” AJ had only had a chance to speak to the caribou girl only once before this, but back then she had very little to talk about. Now she had found something that she actually wanted to know about Ginna, something that she felt even a simple girl like her could understand.

“I don’t know…” Ginna looked nervous at the question, “Master wants me to teach you how to pleasure yourself, he wouldn’t be happy if I was talking instead.”

“Just one question,” AJ requested, “After that I’ll stick that thing there wherever ya’ll want.”

“Okay,” Ginna answered, not seeing an issue with one question, “What do you want to know?”

There was only one question Applejack had on her mind, one that bothered her since the day before in Gunne’s office. “Do ya actually believe all this hooey?”

“What do you mean?” Ginna asked, confused to what the mare’s question.

“What your people are doing? How they treat you; how they treat all women. Do ya actually think that this is right?”

“What kind of question is that?” Ginna asked, with discomfort in her eyes.

“You and your brother are treated like ya’ll have some kind of disease and your own father tortured ya just for being born,” AJ attacked the problems that directly affected Ginna, believing that there was no way the cow could defend something like that, hoping that if she could show her that what the caribou was doing was wrong that she could somehow make a difference in the girl’s life. Maybe get her to start questioning what it was she was doing, anything that could lead to her breaking free from the control her race, and more directly her brother, had over her. “Ya can’t tell me that ya feel that their doing the right thing.”

Ginna just stayed silent, as she tryed to work things out in her head. As AJ watched patiently, tears formed in her eyes, which AJ took as a good sign. That was until she heard the cow's answer. “It’s all my fault!” Ginna said, as she brought her hands to her face with a muffled sob, “If I hadn’t been born, then my master wouldn’t have had such a hard life. Father would’ve loved him like the son he always wanted, and he’d be able to be live with the rest of the stags. He’s always been so nice to me, even before he was my master, and all I’ve done is cause him trouble!”

AJ was taken aback by the response, never expecting this to be how Ginna took the question. It made the mare feel guilty for bringing it up in the first place, trying to coerce the girl into an answer that she should’ve known the girl couldn’t give. “There, there,” Applejack said as she brought the girl into her arms, holding her close to her body in an attempt to cheer her up. “It’s not your fault… It’s mine for askin’ ya such a fool question. Don’t let it get to ya.”

It was no use, the cow was far too distraught over what she perceived as a personal failure. Simple words weren’t going to make her feel any better at this point, at least not from AJ, and the mare came to see that very quickly. In her desperation to fix the problem she caused, the earth mare’s mind raced to think of ways to cheer Ginna up without having to appeal to Gunne. If she let him clean up her mess, she’d never hear the end of it, and she didn’t want to give him more reasons to badmouth her in front of Mac. She eventually determined that the only way to cheer the girl up was to show her that she was useful, to allow her to accomplish what her master told her to do. As much as it would annoy her to go along with this part of Gunne’s plan, she made Ginna a promise, and an Apple always kept their promises.

Applejack grabbed the wooden dildo from where it laid and lifted it up as she tried to gauge how difficult it would to insert it into herself. It really wasn’t that big, not when compared to some of the things she’d had forced into against her will. Still, AJ felt that the caribou girl would have to be a part of this to make her feel like she had followed her orders. “Hey Ginna… Ya’ll mind helping me with this?”

The cow looked up from her hands, eyes red and puffy from her sobs, “W-wha?”

“This... dildo here,” Applejack said with a pause, the word leaving a bad taste in her mouth, “It’s awfully big, but Ah bet if you got it wet for me first it’ll go in easier than a snake down a rabbit hole.” If it was any other circumstance AJ would’ve never uttered something so disgraceful, but with the way Ginna prioritized sex and serving her brother as a slave the pony assumed that the best way to make her happy again was to involve her in the act.

“O-okay…” Ginna took the object from the farm mare and brought it up to her face. Her mouth opened without hesitation and her tongue came out to glide itself over the length of the wooden phallus. The cow seemed to be treating the inanimate object like a real cock as she rolled it around to licked every inch she could. The way she was going at it stunned Applejack as she stood there and stared, not that watching Ginna tongue-polish the piece of varnished wood brought her any kind of arousal.

Applejack was amazed at how quickly she had gotten over being upset. Ginna’s distress over Applejack’s questions faded the second she was able to distract herself with something sexual. In a matter of minutes the rod was completely wet, but the caribou showed no signs of stopping. She had slipped away from the world around her, completely focused on the toy as if it was the only thing that mattered. Gina parted her lips before she slid the dildo inside as she took great care to not graze it with her teeth. At first she simply pushed it in as far as it would go, practically inhaling it so deep that AJ could only assume that the tip was pressing at the back of the girl’s throat, even though Ginna didn't seem discomforted in any way. s she slid the object back out, her lips sealed tightly around it. The cow's cheeks bowed inward to show how intent she was on her work, even if the gesture was entirely pointless. From there she sent the shaft in a few more times, pushing it in at different angles, like she was trying to get to touch every part of her inside of her mouth, her cheeks bulging out on occasion.

As strangely hypnotic as it was to watch Ginna go at it, AJ had to pull the cow out of her own little world and back into reality. “Ginna!” she said, and the girl jump.

“Sorry, I got distracted… forgot that this was supposed to be for you.” Ginna said with a giggle and a smile as she handed the completely saturated toy back to AJ.

“Ah could see that,” The mare replied as she snatched the dildo away, having to grasp it firmly for how slick it was. It was easy to see that Ginna knew what she was doing when it came to this sort of stuff. “Thank you kindly though, Ah appreciate you doin’ this for me.”

AJ spread her legs apart to give clear passage to her pussy, the bulb of the phallus resting against her folds. With a breath to prepare herself, the farm mare clenched everything before she sent the wood rod towards her uneager lips.

“Excuse me,” Ginna spoke up, making Applejack stop cold, “Master said that we should start by training your ass. He said you make bad faces when stallions fuck you there and that makes you look like you’re not having a good time. Red collars need to let those who use them know that they love the feeling they get when a cock peni- penny…. gets put in them, no matter what hole it is.”

AJ forced herself not to grumble, not wanting to come off as hostile to the girl who still had tear tracks on her face. Without so much as a word of outward complaint, she moved the rod away from her mound and reached around to grab one of the cheeks of her rump so she could allow easier access to the tight, hidden opening. With a quick repositioning of the object in her hand, AJ braced for it’s entrance once more. She decided that a quick thrust would be the best option, not wanting to endure the pain that would come from having something enter her butt any longer than absolutely necessary, and with what could only be considered a sharp stab she thrust the firm wood inside.

The head of the dildo was the hardest part to get in, its large, rounded head giving slight resistance as it spread the earth mare’s anal ring apart, even while slick with spit as it was. Of all her holes it was this one she had the most problems getting screwed in, both personally and physically, and thus she avoided it whenever she could.

“Master was right. You do make bad faces when things go back there.” Ginna commented as she noticed a cringe that looked like it was about to turn into an outright snarl. AJ barely heard what she had to say though, as she was far too preoccupied getting the rest of the phallus into her. Fortunately, it slid in much easier the moment her anus allowed the tip to slip inside. With a bout of light pants, AJ put her back against the outer wall of the tree as she tried to relax with a solid shaft sticking so far up her ass that only small portion of it was still visible from underneath her uncomfortably hiked up tail.

Before she could recover completely she saw Ginna go over to get another toy, the cow picking up another fake phallus that was longer, thicker, and much more twisted and bumpy than the one currently in her bowels. She breathed a sigh of relief as she caught Mac and Gunne walking around the side of Fluttershy's former home. AJ would be more than happy with being talked down to by Gunne, rather than humoring Ginna by having her holes stretched further.

---

As Mac and Gunne rounded the corner together, they both immediately sent their gazes to their respective sibling. To Mac what he saw was his sister breathing heavily As what looked like a handle poked out of her posterior. That was no surprise, seeing what they were here to do, but all the same the stallion looked away to let AJ maintain some form of decency. Gunne, on the other hand, was not so accepting of what he saw, and rushed over to his sister’s side for a her closer.

Gunne took the cow's muzzle gently in his hand to give her face a close inspection. “Ginna… have you been crying?” With her mouth enwrapped by Gunne’s hand as it was, the cow just nodded to answer her master. Gunne released his sister’s mouth and turned to AJ, assumptions already forming in his head. “What did you do to her?”

“Master, please…” Ginna said before anything else could happen, “It’s not her fault… I was thinking too hard on something… Something bad. It made me cry and she was kind enough to cheer me up when I started.”

Gunne looked back to his sister, and then back to AJ, “Is that true, mare?”

Applejack looked back at Gunne, unfazed by his glare. “It is, but I’m the one who got ’er thinking. Ah didn’t think she’d get upset over what Ah asked, and for that Ah apologize,” Removing herself from the tree, she got right up to Gunne until she had to tilt her head upwards slightly to look him in the face, “But if ya’ll are gonna keep treatin’ me like Ah don’t have a lick of sense in mah head, and givin’ me the stink eye then Ah won’t be apologizing for what comes of that.”

Gunne looked as if he was about to raise his hand to the mare in front of him, but then glanced over to Mac who was likewise giving him a stern glare. It took every bit of will he had to restrain himself, but he managed not to smack the mare across the face in order to educate her on how not to speak to one better than herself. Instead he looked over to Mac calmly said, “Mac, you need to discipline your mare right now.”

“Oh come on, ya can’t be serious,” Mac replied, the caribou knew his stance on having to punish AJ.

“I am serious, Mac. What if she did this during the competition, or in front of someone she shouldn’t? They will have to see that she is willing to accept swift and immediate discipline for her transgressions,” Gunne explained, “Even the purple alicorn would act up from time to time after she first submitted, but she always accepted what was coming to her when she did. If Applejack is to act like a true red collar, and you the master of a red collar, then you’ll have to be able to tell her when she has gone too far, and she’ll have to debase herself at a moment’s notice when you do.”

Mac could see Gunne’s point. AJ did have a bit of a temper, and if she decided to let loose in an inopportune moment it would be nice to have some insurance. “AJ, would you…” The stallion took a moment to think of some action he could agree with, something that would show outwardly that she was sorry, but would not have his sister get hurt, “Kiss Gunne’s hoof?”

AJ huffed. Mac was only going along with this because he felt Gunne’s plan was their only option, she knew that, but she wished he didn’t listen to the caribou as much as he did. Regardless, she decided this once to take it on the chin. She lowered herself down, dropping down to the ground until she was on her hands and knees. With a tilt of her head downwards, AJ planted her lips on the caribou’s cloven hoof and kept it there for a few seconds to let her ‘apology’ sink in.

Gunne looked down at the mare, hands on his hips in disapproval, “Lick it”

“WHAT?!” both Apple siblings yelled, one in shock and one in outrage.

“Make me believe you’re sorry. If you can’t do that, then how do you expect to ever convince anyone else that you’re a red collar?”

“Gunne, Ah think that’s goin’ a bit too-” Mac’s words got cut off with a raise of a hand, one not from Gunne, but from Applejack.

“It’s ok, Ah got this.” she said, as she allowed her tongue out of her muzzle and onto the hoof before her. She lapped at the dirt-covered surface, the taste not bothering her in the least as it was essentially what the mare food she was forced to eat tasted like. Compared to many of her other punishments, this was a leisurely walk through the orchard. If this was what she would be expected to do when she mouthed off to a stallion as a red collar, it would be a small price to pay in return for the satisfaction.

Gunne let the mare run her tongue across his hoof a few dozen times before moving away, having gotten out of the mare what he wanted. He then went over to Ginna and grabbed her by her collar, gently leading her back towards the obstacle course. “That was good enough for now. It’s an improvement at least. Don’t assume for a moment that a hoof cleaning will get you a free pass though, not all males are as forgiving as I am.”

When the two caribou were out of sight, Mac let out a small groan and looked down at AJ displeased, “Are ya trying to cause trouble?” He asked, not sure if AJ was simply trying to get in a fight with Gunne.

“No,” AJ replied, spitting the taste of the caribou’s filthy hoof out of her mouth as she rose, “All Ah was tryin’ to ask what she thought about all the caribou aside from her brother, then she went all into tears. Ah said Ah was sorry, and Ah even spit shined that bastard’s hoof til’ it sparkled, so will ya believe Ah wasn’t tryin’ to do it on purpose. Like she said, Ah did what Ah could afterwards to cheer ’er up.”

Mac rubbed his forehead, “Okay, Ah believe ya. Just… no more questions about the caribou. Ah think we all understand that their ideas and ours are different, and we have to respect each other’s point of views even if they don’t exactly line up. Can ya do that for me?”

AJ nodded in agreement, “Won’t happen again, promise.”

“Good…” Mac said. putting his hand on AJ’s head while once again looking away, finding the idea of hugging her while she was naked more than a little odd. “Ah love ya AJ, and I’ll do anything to keep ya safe, but Ah need ya to work with me okay?”

Applejack grabbed the clydesdale’s arm and moved his hand away, giving him a light pound on the side in return, “Ya big lug, gettin’ worked up over the silliest things.”

Mac rubbed the back of his head, as a goofy smile crossed his face. “Ah know, Ah know, but can ya blame me with what we have to deal with?”

AJ was about to reply, but she stopped when the two ponies heard Gunne call out, “Are you two coming? We still have a lot of training to go through before the competition and not nearly enough time to get ready!”

The two ponies gave each other one last silent nod to acknowledge their promises to one another before they headed to where the caribou were waiting. Gunne was right, they didn’t have time to stand there and yammer. It would only be a few weeks before they were in Appaloosa in front of a crowd of what could be hundreds, if not thousands of ponies, and they could hardly imagine what would be there waiting for them when they arrived.

Appaloosa

Mac stirred in his seat, placed between his sister and Gunne, with his nose buried in a magazine. The book was a catalog for some company called “Mare Breakers” and contained images of restraints and intense looking bondage devices, things that didn’t really catch his interest in the slightest, but with the predicament he was in he would take any chance he could to ignore his surroundings. How the voices of the other train car passengers could drown out the sound of the wheels going down the track was beyond him, but somehow they managed it with their unending grunts, groans, and screams. Is there no place these guys won’t fuck? Mac thought while glancing around at his fellow passengers.

The train had been altered considerably to accommodate the wants of the males, the most obvious of which were the ceiling shackles that dangled from above. The chains were adjustable, to allow for a mare to be suspended or brought down to sit in their master's lap for ease of use. They came with a small storage compartment to put them away when not being utilized, so Mac didn’t have to sit there with a set dangling above him for the whole trip, but that didn’t mean much when the he could hear the rattling of chains from across the aisle as a stallion pounded his dick into a black collar pegasus, the mare trying and failing to escape the firm grasp of her rapist.

The seats were spaced further apart which allowed one to have a mare kneel before them. Metal rings had been installed as well, to be attached to a mare's collar or shackle, along with a large metal phallus sticking right out of the floor. At one point Mac put his hoof against the decent size pole to test a theory he had about it, and sure enough it was vibrating something fierce, perhaps doing so under the force of the train’s motion alone. He normally wouldn't have bothered to test it, but he noticed that some of the other rods were moving up and down in the floor at a furious pace, which he took a guess were somehow linked to the side rods of the wheels or some other moving part of the train, and he wanted to know if the one before him had a similarly sinister gimmick.

He was surrounded by all the things that he had been doing his best to avoid on the farm. So when he was offered something to distract him by one of the uniformed stewardesses, if one could call the bits of cloth that covered their shoulders and the mini skirts so small that they were just strips of cloth around their waists a uniform, he jumped on the chance despite the magazine’s contents. He had refused her initial offer to provide her body for his pleasure for the duration of the ride; if there was one thing he didn’t need, it was some red collar he had never met before all over him while AJ sat right beside him.

“How are you holding up?” Gunne asked as he watched Mac stare blankly at a page featuring a variety of cages, from the cramped and uncomfortable to comparatively spacious ones with plush inner linings. Mac had only stopped there because it was devoid of any mares.

“I-I’m fine,” said Mac, the slight tremor in his voice telling otherwise, “Need to stay focused is all. Won’t let any of this get to me. By the way, thanks again for coming.”

“Not at all,” Gunne said, a measure of courtesy evident in his voice, “Ponyville has been running fairly smooth for some time now, and I have no problem helping a friend in need.” Mac didn’t reply to the caribou. Friend was still too strong a word to call their relationship with one another, but he was glad that Gunne had tagged along. His presence was making this whole ordeal that much more tolerable.

For starters it was Gunne that made it possible for Applejack to be allowed her own seat. The company that owned the train had a strict policy that slaves had to be kneeling on the floor, chained on the ceiling, or stored in either the cargo car or the overhead compartments, but Gunne made quick use of his authority as magistrate of Ponyville to allow Mac just the slightest bit of comfort. He had also been the one to suggest a way to allow AJ to take this trip without Mac being beset with requests to stick their dicks in her, to which the stallion was surprised she agreed to with little coaxing.

Turning the page in his magazine, leaving the safety of the page he stayed on so long, Mac instantly regretted his choice when he saw what was on the next page. It featured several of the companies’ products, like boots that were suppose to help a mare learn to crawl, and pills that caused sexual effects that the stallion didn’t care to read about. But it wasn’t the items themselves that bothered him, but the image of Applejack modeling them. She was, of course, completely nude aside for a set of bracelet on her ankles and wrist and a pair of the belted boots he saw before. One of the Flimflam brothers was right aside her with her tail in hand lifted high up to expose her flank to the camera, having gotten her to bend over to touch her hooves somehow, while he pressed a stun rod into her rear passage. The pain on her face as she looked back to the camera left no doubt in his that the rod was active. He resolved that if he saw either of those unicorn brothers again, they would be experiencing something equally painful.

Mac crumpled the magazine and tossed it aside, then with his thoughts on his sister shifted his eyes over to her to make sure she was still okay in her current predicament. Gunne himself had locked several objects onto Applejack before they made their way to the station. AJ had accepted each one with the same amount of indignance as she usually bore towards the stag, but their effectiveness was undeniable so far. Mac’s gaze went from her legs up, stopping first on a device fastened around her hips that went in between her legs to cover her crotch.

When Gunne had presented it to Mac, he tried to explain its purpose as he thought the stallion would have no clue what it was. However, even Mac wasn’t so disassociated with the world outside his farm to not recognize a chastity belt when he saw one. It was an odd name for the device though, as there was nothing ‘chaste’ about how males used the form fitting metal device when they blocked off all access to a mare’s privates only so they couldn’t get at a vibrator or something more dastardly as it rattled or slithered around inside them. Just another method to drive a mare into the throes of lust when it came down to it. Gunne suggested that they use it for its originally intended purpose when he had brought it out, but also brought forth the idea that giving AJ a plug or a dildo along with it would make males less suspicious. After all the farm mare had gone through both the ponies immediately refused the dildo, but gladly accepted the belt.

Mac looked up from the belt after he was certain that it was still secure, and next examined a leather muzzle mask that covered the lower portion of his sister’s face. This made her mouth completely unaccessible, just as the chastity belt did with her nethers, to keep stallions from thinking they could get her to give out blow jobs on demand. It had another benefit that Mac would never admit out loud; as long as it was on AJ wouldn't argue with with Gunne, and say something that she'd have to apologize for afterwards in some humiliating fashion.

If those two restraints weren’t enough to deter horny guys from asking for her sexual services, Gunne had hooked a small dry-erase board to the ring of Applejack’s collar explaining that she was off limits to make sure she would be well rested for the competition in Appaloosa. Not only was that a final “no” to anyone who couldn’t take the hint, it served as an advertisement to watch her perform. The more people that showed up, the more their efforts would count towards getting that red collar.

Mac placed his hand on AJ’s, squeezing it slightly to get her attention, the mare looking out a window to keep her mind off of all the atrocities going on around her. “We’re almost there,” he said reassuredly, perhaps more for himself than AJ since he really didn’t know how much longer it was going to be.

While the mask hid most of her facial expressions, her eyes told him that behind the leather she was giving him an unsure smile. This was a big step in so many ways; AJ would become what she hated the most, at least outwardly, but in return for her feigned obedience things would become easier for her. How much easier they didn’t know, but with what Gunne and Mr. Cake had told them they were hoping for the best while expecting the worst.

“Attention all passengers,” announced one of the few stewardesses that wasn't bent over by a passenger, “We will be pulling into the Appaloosa station in a few minutes. We ask you to finish any activities at your earliest convenience and return all mares or other females to a secured position.”

A heavy exhale could be heard from behind Applejack’s gag, joining with Mac’s own. Despite their willingness to do what they had to, they both knew that it was not going to be pleasant. Nonetheless, when the train stopped and Gunne got up from his seat to head for the exit they were right behind him, heading reluctantly to what awaited them outside of the car.

---

Mac stood outside of the station, holding a heavy duffle bag in one hand and his face in the other. He didn’t know why any of this still got to him, but perhaps it was his good nature giving him reminders that the world had become something terrible. As he looked through the cracks of his fingers, he could see past the obscuring digits what the caribou had done to the city.

He had never seen what Appaloosa had been like before, but he could tell that it had been hit worse than his hometown. While Ponyville had a few additions to it, such as the bordello, the animal farm, and an overall sexualization of anything and everything that had once been part of the small community, Appaloosa was slathered with depravity in ways that could only compare to his short visit to Canterlot during his incarceration. The rustic town, constructed from scratch by many of his kinfolk, had been transformed into one of the sleaziest and most depraved holes in Equestria.

The local businesses were all of proudly endorsing their own unique changes to what would’ve once been respectable establishments. What Mac assumed was once a simple saloon had become a whore house like the one Pinkie Pie ran, but much more elaborate in its presentation with large signs exclaiming the low prices and high quality of the mares they had. The signs were being waved around by mechanisms that were powered by several black collars running along a treadmill for all to see, locked to it by chains on their collars while a red collar supervisor kept them motivated with the occasional slap on the ass with a heavy paddle. The general store had added slaves to its inventory with an offer to brand any purchase for an additional fee of five bits, with mares that clearly knew that possibility displayed in the shop’s window, each priced based on their race and collar color. Another store right across from it was fitting those recently bought for ankle shackles, blinders and binders of all sorts. If there were worse places than this, Mac never wanted to see them.

Already he was placing the blame on the amount of caribou he saw. The place wasn’t flooded with them, but from the station Mac could see four stags just milling about in the streets. That alone doubled the entire population in Ponyville and since none of them looked like a magistrate like Gunne, he had to believe there were more elsewhere. Not to mention the abundance of cows he saw, some of them being led around with ropes around their necks, some being felt and touched as they let out moans, and others crying out in dismay as they were forced over a post and fucked hard.

As he thought for a moment on the last thing he saw, something didn't add up with that scene. Mac didn’t know much about female caribou, but what little he did know was that they loved to have sex no matter how demeaning or painful it was, Ginna being a shining example of that. It was only when he took a closer look at the women in question that he learned where he had made his mistake. There were a few caribou cows around, but they were outnumbered by other women that were bovine in nature. He recalled what AJ had told him of her first trip to Appaloosa, of the buffalo she had met. Once he understood what he saw, Mac felt embarrassed at making such a silly mistake, but the only cow he had ever seen was Ginna so he just made the assumption. Clearly these were buffalo females that had been enslaved, collared, and treated no better than the mares.

The buffalo women were an interesting sight to behold, on a purely physical aspect. Many were roughly the size of ponies, with soft, supple features and thin layers of fur similar many of the mares he knew, but then there were some that stood out much more than the others, some in a literal sense as they were huge in comparison to the Appaloosan stallions. A number of them were as tall as he was, with well toned and robust features that made the clydesdale flustered just by looking at them. The sheer size of them made the sight of one being led down the street by her nipples look ridiculous, her globe shaped breasts stretched out forward to show that the stallion was not giving her any leniency. Mac was certain that she could overpower the earth pony based on her bulk alone, yet she just walked along behind him with a look of indignance plastered on her face.

AJ noticed the glimpse of confusion on her brother's face at the sight of the woman, and gave him a nudge to direct his attention to the set of bracelets on the buffalo’s wrists and ankles, heavy looking pieces of metal that bore caribou runes. They looked exactly like ones in the magazine, ones that he now remember Applejack mentioning at one point. Magical bracelets that could be activated with a simple command phrase to force the bands together and render the wearer helpless, no matter how much physical effort they used to fight it. With those locked in place, and with the right kind of motivation, it was possible that anyone could be coerced into such a demeaning act if they found it more bearable than the alternative. Other females of similar build that passed by either had the rune enchanted bracelets on them, fitted with hobbling devices that caused them to stumble around awkwardly, or even made to crawl on their hands and knees while their owners pulled them along by a rope attached to a large loop ring pierced into their nostrils. Mac found himself unable to look away from the disturbing scene, but the more he watched, the more he became aware of something he had missed at first.

What he had believed were extended parts of their bonds encompassing their arms were actually elaborate tattoos that had been placed upon them, going through the upper layer of fur and to their flesh. It wasn’t just a few of them either; every buffalo Mac could spot had markings scrawled on them, with the rare red collars seemingly having more that climbed up to the shoulders and even to their backs. The images in the tattoos were varied and difficult to make out at a distance. Mac wondered if there was some kind of meaning to them, but he didn't have the time to figure it out as Gunne exited the station.

“I know where we need to go to sign up,” said the caribou, “A stallion told me we’d have to go down that way, make a right, and there should be a rodeo arena that we can’t miss.”

“Good,” Mac replied, “Then let’s get going. I've already had enough sightseeing to last the whole trip.” It would just be the three of them in Appleloosa. Gunne had decided not to bring Ginna with him to Appaloosa, not wanting to upset any of his fellow caribou with the presence of both he and his sister in one spot. Instead, he asked Mac to do him a favor by keeping her on his farm. The stallion gladly agreed, with the stipulation that the former mayor could stay while they were gone as well. Keeping both of Gunne’s slaves there would give the mare a much deserved break away from the confines of town hall and Roseluck a consenting partner that would tend to her desires, once she was done with her share of the chores.

Gunne took Mac’s bag, allowing Mac to slip his finger into the loop of AJ’s collar, wanting to appear in control to any stallions that might be at the competition. As long as she kept up the collar wouldn’t hurt her too much, and they had lots of practice with this type of display already. A short walk at an even pace and no one would be the wiser. They didn’t go completely unnoticed though, and they didn’t make it halfway down the block before someone snuck the two earth ponies from behind, taking measures to keep his presence hidden as he closed in. Mac was so focused on getting to his destination, eyes forward at all times to not look into some shop and see more things to haunt his dreams, that he never knew he was being stalked until it was too late and his pursuer was upon him.

Mac felt an arm wrap around his neck, followed by the force of a body pulling him downward to force him to bend forward. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that the farm stallion gave no resistance whatsoever, his loose grip on AJ’s collar ring slipping out as his torso was forced down. It took him a moment to realize what had even happened, his brain panicked, his instincts told him to fight back but his body froze in spot. He wasn’t even able to yell out an objection as the feeling of knuckles pushed against the top of his skull and…. rubbed harshly through his mane?

“Hey there cousin!” He heard a familiar voice say as he felt himself become the victim of a powerful noogy, “Fancy seein’ y'all around these parts!”

Mac tilted his head and moved his eyes upwards, which allowed him to make out the yellow coat and golden blonde hair of one of his family members. “Braeburn?!”

“Darn tootin’,” Braeburn said as he released Mac’s neck, “Haven’t seen ya since the last Apple family reunion, how’ve you been?”

“Fine, I’ve been fine,” Mac answered as he stood back upright, taking Braeburn’s hand in his so he could shake it. He looked exactly as Mac remembered him, in his hat, dusty jeans and leather vest he liked to wear everywhere. It had been so long since he had seen a friendly face, or at least one that wasn’t accompanied with the same kind of mental burdens he had. “So… how’ve you been since the last time Ah saw ya?”

“I’ve been great,” Braeburn replied with a smile that didn’t fit with everything going on around the two stallions. Or maybe it fit far too well, “Ever since the caribou came and helped us get all the women folk under control I’ve been put in charge of Appaloosa’s apple growing operations. With all the mares I’ve bought with the money I’ve made we’ve been growing at triple the rate that we used to, and at a fraction of the cost since we don’t have pay ’em.”

Mac disappointedly pulled his hand away from Braeburn’s; they had gotten him too. A member of his own family, now just another turned stallion who saw women as things to use for his own personal gain. How did he think he was gonna be though? Immune stallions were so few and far between that he had only ever met one, and the few others he’d heard about were either part of the small resistance groups that lived outside normal society, or had been switched into mares. That Braeburn stood there was indication enough that he had changed.

“And what do we have here?” asked Braeburn when he saw AJ standing aside Mac dumbfounded next to a caribou, “If it isn’t cousin Applejack, and lookin’ much more presentible since the last few times Ah saw ‘er.” Braeburn went up to his female cousin, hand raised, making its way to AJ’s breasts.

Mac laid his own hand on the stallion’s shoulder and held him firmly in place before he could reach his destination. If any other stallion had tried he might’ve let them get a quick grope just to keep up appearances, but there was no way he was going to let Applejack get felt up by a family member. That was one experience he would never allow to be scarred into her memories. “Sorry Braeburn, but she’s off limits. She’s goin’ to be shown off tomorrow in front of a crowd and Ah don’t want her to get bruised up by some grabby hands.”

“Mac, who is this stallion?” Gunne spoke up, getting over his own surprise and awkwardness, hand on the stun baton on his belt in case this stallion decided to lay a hand on Mac again.

“It’s fine, he’s family,” said Mac to dismiss Gunne’s concerns. He didn’t want harm to befall Braeburn, even if he had become a bastard under the influence of the caribou.

“Got yourself a new friend Mac?” Braeburn asked, sizing up the caribou. “And he looks to be one of them there official types too.”

“Yeah, well… he’s just here to help with AJ and…”

“Right, ya said ya were gonna be showing her off tomorrow. Then Ah suppose that you’re entering her into that competition they’re holding, right? Then do ya got yourself a place to stay for the night?”

Mac didn’t have a reservation anyplace, but he felt this was another situation Gunne’s presence would fix if needed. “We were gonna rent a room after we signed up for the pet show.”

“Then y'all are gonna be hard pressed to find one in such short notice. That show has brought in a mess of tourists an’ anyplace ya could find a room will be filled up by now. I’m afraid the only way that you could get in one is if ya forced somepony else out and took their room.”

“That could be arranged.” Gunne offhandedly remarked at Braeburn’s comment.

The caribou’s words fell on deaf ears, as the earth pony had already figured where his cousins would be staying that night. “Why don’t ya head on over to mah farm and stay there? I’d be pleased as punch to put ya up for the night. Had to deal with so many mares in our family lately that it’ll be nice to have another Apple stallion around for a change.”

With the way Braeburn was acting, Mac wasn’t too enthused with his offer, but what he had tacked on to the end of it peaked his interest immensely. “You’ve been around mares from our family?”

“Almost constantly,” answered Braeburn as a bit of smug pride came to the surface, “When mares started going up for sale Ah got a few, put them to work so ah could afford more of them to do more work and earn me more bits than Ah know what to do with. No matter how stupid those dirt mares are, there’s still no better pony to do hard labor like an Apple. You know that though, since ah see you’ve got cousin Applejack under your control like she should’ve been all these years.”

“That’s right... “ Mac said, Braeburn’s attitude beginning to get to him, “She’s the hardest working mare on mah farm.”

“If that’s fancy talk for businessman then Ah sure am. I’d be glad to give y'all a guided tour, even if cousin Mac here decides not to stay over.”

Mac wasn’t sure; he had wanted to know what was happening with the rest of his family since he had seen Fiddly Faddle at Fluttershy’s farm, but he didn’t like the mental image he was getting from Braeburn's explanation. He looked to Applejack in hopes that she would tell him whether or not he should go, even if she’d have to do so non-verbally, but before she could make the slightest of gestures Gunne stepped in. “I’m sure Mac would be glad to tour your facilities.”

“Then follow me. The farm is on the outskirts of town, but it’s not that far. I do have to make a stop to pick up one of mah slaves along the way; left her back at the grocers so Ah could catch up to ya.”

Braeburn started walking ahead, unaware that Mac wasn’t following behind him. Mac was far too busy shooting Gunne dirty looks for volunteering him to be part of Braeburn’s tour. “What was that all about?”

“I apologize, but I feel it would be in your best interest if you were to see how another stallion of your family did things, one that has embraced my people’s ways.” Despite saying he was sorry, Gunne didn’t really appear to be all that apologetic. It was more like he was glad, glad to find someone that could act as a better influence on Mac than himself. “At the very least it will give us something to do. We got here early, we have all day to sign in for your attendance.”

Gunne walked ahead so as to not to lose track of Braeburn, leaving Mac and AJ with nothing to do except silently share their annoyance at the stag’s actions. The glare Applejack gave her brother said “Are you really surprised?” and he couldn’t disagree with that sentiment; regardless of how helpful and understanding Gunne was, he was still a caribou. If he thought that there was a way to change Mac’s point of view he would try it. The clydesdale put his finger back in AJ’s collar ring and the two reluctantly went to meet back up with Braeburn.

They caught up quickly, Braeburn hadn’t gone too far, and saw that he had already retrieved the slave he spoke of before. To Mac’s surprise it wasn’t an Apple, or even a mare, but one of the buffalo. She was one of the smaller ones, with orange fur and hair a similar golden blonde as her owner. She was a red collar, her body a lean, girlish figure. She wore a tan shawl that covered her shoulders and arms, but nothing else, tassels running along its edges that draped over her exposed size B breasts. Her nipples had been taped over, with the imprints of two pill shaped objects showing through the silvery stripes. Beneath the tape, they shook with intensity. Her vagina was simply stuffed, as a red rod stuck out of her that made her labia stretch out till the skin pulled tightly against itself, the cylinder pushing her pierced clit outward. The rod was visible through a pair of panties so sheer they might as well not even exist, especially after being soaked through by her obvious arousal. Mac of course had no idea who this girl was supposed to be, but with the way he saw Applejack’s eyes narrow she clearly did.

“Master,” the buffalo addressed Braeburn in a calm, yet cheerful manner, “I have what you told me to get.” The girl lifted her arm to hand her master a bag that had been concealed underneath her shawl, presenting it to the stallion and revealing that she too had rows of tattoos travelling up from her wrists to her shoulders.

Braeburn took the bag and peeked inside, looking pleased when he saw his slave had accomplished the task given to her. “That’s mah Strongheart.”

“Thank you master,” She replied, bowing her head slightly. She was very composed for having so many things in and on the sensitive areas of her body, but light pants could still be heard.

“What a lovely and well-trained creature you have,” Gunne said, seeing Braeburn as more of an ideal role model for Mac with every new thing he learned about the new stallion. “She is delightful, so polite and obedient.”

Braeburn extended an empty hand towards Strongheart and she in turn handed him a leash. “Well thank ya kindly, I’ve worked hard to get ‘er just how Ah like. Buffalo are a stubborn lot by nature, but once ya wear them down they make much better slaves than ponies, at least in mah opinion.”

“You give too much credit, Master.” Strongheart said as she allowed the stallion to move her panties aside and hook the leash onto her clit ring, “You’re the reason I was able to see how good it felt to submit to the will of a male. As for the rest of my people, I can only apologize for their behavior and hope they can be as well trained by their own masters.”

“And humble too.” said Gunne, “How refreshing to see a girl who understands that their accomplishments, like themselves, belong to their master.”

AJ let out a low growl, one quiet enough that only Mac noticed it. She was tired of hearing Strongheart talked about as if she were mere property, and even more so that she was accepting it. The buffalo she knew, albeit for a brief time, was much stronger than that, and it was infuriating to see her reduced to this level by her own cousin. Only the leather wrapped around her muzzle kept her from giving Braeburn, Gunne and Strongheart a piece of her mind. That, and Mac’s pleading look that asked her to just let it go. She turned away and folded her arms, her stifled anger building up impotently in her chest.

“Looks like cousin Applejack is gettin’ restless,” Braeburn commented, “It’s ‘bout time we headed off anyway, can’t leave those mares alone for too long. No telling what kind of mess they could make without me around to keep them in line.” The stallion gave the leash in his hands the lightest of tugs and then headed out of town with Strongheart in tow, leading his guests to his farm.

---

If Mac was a lesser stallion he would’ve cried, or perhaps had gone mad on the spot from what he saw. Even that would have been an understated reaction to the nightmare before him.

“Aah, huff, uhh, ahh. ooohhhhhh!!!” a row of red collars in front of the outer fence of Braeburn’s farm were grunting lustfully. All of them earth ponies, all of them Apples. There was a sign set up at the entrance that stated that any one of the red collars were eager and willing to please any male that paid a measly sum of five bits per ten minutes of use, with barrels placed under the sign for the male ponies to put their coins in. With such a deal there was a line around the farm that seemed to go on for miles. Each mare covered head to hoof with semen, and when a stallion released himself in or outside one of the mares, another would take his place.

“Don’t! Stop! It! Feels! Good! Splitting! Me! In! Two!” One of the mares, a yellow mare with pinkish red hair and amber eyes Mac knew by the name of Apple Bumpkin, declared her enjoyment at how a unicorn was plowing her from behind. Every thrust slammed the two together so hard that slapping sounds could be heard over the yells and grunts. The “pat, pat, pat” of the stallion’s hips hitting her rounded ass grated Mac’s ears and caused him to flinch with each contact. Her flooding vaginal fluids trickled down her legs and slathered the male’s cock, the sight repulsed Mac and made him avert his eyes. This proved to be a mistake, as they landed on another Apple in the bunch.

Apple Brown Betty, one of his aunts, knelt before a pegasus so she could make make his penis disappear down into her muzzle. Betty had allowed her tongue to hang out of her mouth to provide a pleasant pillow for the stallion to place his sensitive organ upon as she slowly, almost lovingly, moved back and forth along his shaft. The pegasus was quite pleased with the earth mare’s treatment, his wings flapping with excitement so hard it made him lift off the ground slightly. Betty’s hands firmly grasping his ass to keep him close were the only thing that kept him grounded.

Mac didn’t watch his aunt for too much longer, as a pair of squeals led his eyes away just before he had to watch the stallion cum inside her mouth. Two more mares had been picked up by two earth stallions, their bodies held up by their legs as they held onto one another while the ones holding them shoved themselves inside their backsides. A pair of braided red pigtails told Mac that she was his cousin Candy Apple, even though her back was turned to him, and the other his cousin Apple Honey. Watching them like that, holding onto each other, kissing like lovers, and moaning as they were fucked in public was so unreal that Mac had to move to get a better look, to make sure that it wasn’t someone else, to convince himself that no member of his family would let themselves fall so far and that this was all a big mistake.

The change of perspective didn’t change the mares he saw, no matter how many times Mac tried to adjust his position. The only thing it did was give him a clear view of what was going on. How the two Apple mares were rubbing their bare breasts together as their bodies pressed together, how they shared a large, metallic looking rod in both of their pussies, and the expressions they made as they were treated less as mares and more as things to stick one’s dick in. It turned his knees into jelly, and he might’ve fallen over if Applejack hadn’t stayed close and braced herself against him when she saw him trembling.

“Ah don’t blame ya cousin Mac,” said Braeburn as AJ helped the clydesdale keep his balance, “A sight like this is so amazing that it knocks the breath out of ya.”

“Ya... can say that again... “ said Mac, regaining control of his faculties. He needed to tune it out. Couldn’t let it get to him, had to stay focused like all the times in Ponyville. How could he though? Four mares from his own flesh and blood hollering for more sex than the stallions behind them could provide, six others had already collapsed from the stain of the sexual labor they had been put through, each turned into distorted shadows of their former selves.

Braeburn handed the leash he held back to his buffalo slave, walked up to the coin barrels and grabbed the string to a bell nailed to the fence post just above the sign. “Y'all wrap it up! These mares got more than their fair share of dick for the morning and need to get their asses out to the fields.” The line of stallions let out a united disgruntled groan, most of them had waited so long for nothing, some of the ones next in line even looked hostile. Braeburn, not the least bit intimidated, added to his announcement, “If y'all really want to keep at it then be mah guest, but if any of these girls get fucked so silly that they turn purple then you’ve bought ‘em, and they go for ten thousand bits a head.”

The jaws of the entire crowd dropped at the outrageous price the stallion was asking for damaged property, with the ones that were inside of a mare already pulling out the second they realized they could be liable. “There isn’t a dirt mare alive that’s worth that much!” yelled a pegasus yards away from the front of the line.

“Ah beg to argue that,” Braeburn replied, “Totaling in the price Ah paid for them, the wages Ah stand to lose with them not working, inflation, what it’ll cost me to have someone hunt down another one with the same capabilities, plus my own personal finder’s fee for gettin’ a new pet for whichever one of ya is the lucky stallion to break one of ‘em… Well iffin y’all don’t believe me ah could fetch an appraiser, but I’d have to add that to the total cost and they don’t come cheap.”

The stallions were all stunned at the amount of financial jargon that came from a pony this far out in the boonies, at a loss for words save for one last unicorn that saw a way around this situation through the caribou standing not so far away from Braeburn. “Excuse me, but you look like you're a man of prominence. Is he telling the truth? Are they worth that much?”

Gunne thought about what he had been asked, this wasn’t really something he had taken the time to learn. He did know the law however, and there was an easy way to resolve this. “We can’t be certain without an appraiser, but I can say this. This stallion has the right to set an asking price for his property that’s as high as he wants. He might never find a buyer for the amount that he wants, but it’s on him if they never sell. You could do the same with a painting or a piece of jewelry. Now that doesn’t mean that he would necessarily get that much if one was broke, that is where an appraiser would come in again. But…” Gunne looked at the determined glint in Braeburn’s eyes, not once showing doubt, “Do you really want to risk it if he ends up being right?”

The stallions only took a few seconds to mull it over before walking away, the caribou shutting down their last hope of continuing without fear of being heavily indebted to the farm pony. “Now don’t y’all go sulkin’ off like that. There will be a fresh batch of reds out here at five in the afternoon. Come on back and you’ll be able to get your dicks wet good an’ proper.”

Braeburn got little more than a few disheartened grunts in reply, many of the stallions not wanting to put up with the earth pony’s shady dealings. They could find cheaper pussy elsewhere. When Gunne determined that the crowd was out of earshot he went behind Braeburn as said to him, “You’re a shrewd business pony indeed, but I have to know… Are they really worth that much?”

“Worth every single bit,” the stallion answered, “Now iffin’ ya will excuse me for a moment.” He walked over to the exhausted group of red collars, stopping at Apple Bumpkin, who had slumped herself over the fence taking labored breaths, her whole body shaking as cum flowed out of her. “Ten minutes, then mah gold better be inside and the lot of ya out in the fields. Make sure to clean up that mess over there while you’re at it.” he pointed to the cum-soaked mares laying on the flat ground on the ground. “You bitches still in the right mind to understand a simple order like that?”

“Yes Master,” Bumpkin answered, with the others that were still conscious giving the same reply a split second after.

“Good,” Braeburn went back to Mac and the others, assured that his orders would be followed without error, “Now that that’s been settled how’s about Ah show ya how Ah run the actual business of the farm.” The group entered through the archway that separated Braeburn’s land from the rest off Appaloosa, the stallion immediately going into how he ran the place. Mac and AJ weren’t listening too carefully though, as they didn’t need to know the details when the results were all around them.

There were so many of the Apple family mares on the farm, perhaps just under a tenth of the entire clan from what Mac could see. So many of them were still black collars, and of those none were shown any mercy under Braeburn’s watch. Large metal carts were pulled from one apple tree to another by relatives chained to them, yokes latched around their collars as sweat glistened on their bodies in the hot sun, only allowed rest as they waited for others to buck down the fruits that hung from them. He caught a few lucky ones get a short extension to this break when an apple would fall outside of the containers. The mare that bucked the tree had to crouch down and bend over so that they could clasp the stems of the fruits in their teeth, as their own arms were cuffed behind their backs with rounded rubber pieces of plastic around their hands to make them unable to be used.

More were in the vacant areas off to the side of the orchard, attached to plows in similar fashion as they made lines in the empty fields, others tethered at the back ends of the farm equipment by their throats, wearing belts with seed pouches on them as he had been forced to do with to the mares at Sweet Apple Acres. That’s when it dawned on him what Braeburn did and what it was he had turned into. Of the two stallions, Braeburn was always the more proactive one. While Mac was happy to stay at home and help Granny Smith and Applejack tend to the fields, Braeburn was out forming a new settlement and expanding the family business. Had Mac been the same, or maybe even if he would’ve turned like the rest of the stallions, this could’ve been Sweet Apple Acres. He could’ve been buying mares and putting them to work for his ends; friends, family members, Applejack. This was the answer to the question he had been asking himself for a long time, and now that he knew it he was all the more glad he stayed the way he was. Despite the heartache and the horrors he had seen, it was better than allowing the mares in his charge to suffer like this.

“...And with the girls working their asses off from the crack of dawn to sun down it’s no wonder we’re the top producer of apples, apple cider and…” Braeburn stopped in the middle of his guided tour mid sentence, something in his peripheral vision not sitting right with him. “Excuse me a moment, Ah gotta take care of a little problem I’ve been havin’.”

“But of course.” Said Gunne, the only one there who was able to speak and who had been paying attention.

Braeburn left the path he was on and stepped over to one of the carts, matching pace with the girl pulling it. “Dosie Dough, what the fuck is the matter with ya?!”

Hearing the name of another of his relatives yelled aloud, Mac looked back just in time to catch Braeburn grab the mare by one of her thick curls and yank her head to the side. It was enough to make the clydesdale want to intervene, but Gunne shot that down quickly by putting his arm in Mac’s way as a silent reminder that he couldn’t act without causing trouble for himself.

“Ya keep lagging behind, slowing everypony else down, and in front of guests no less. Ah thought putting ya on one of the disciplinary carts would give ya the motivation to shape up, but now Ah gotta take things into my own hands.”

“Aaa orwie!” Dosie Dough said from behind a gag in her mouth, a white, hollowed out ball full of holes and made of hard plastic.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Ah want results! Ah want you moving as fast as all the others, if not faster!”

Examining the ‘disciplinary cart’, Mac could see that it was designed to make things harder for the mare attached to it. The cart was bigger for starters, meaning it was heavier and could hold more weight when filled. On the side were hooks that held several paddles and switches of different sizes. Where the other carts had yokes that allowed the mares to use their whole bodies to pull, Dosie Dough’s cart had a singular pole sticking out of the front of it with cuffs attached to her wrists, which made the cart’s entire load rest upon her arms. A pair of chains at the cart’s bottom were likewise attached to her ankles, but it was so short that the only thing it would do is slow her down. Braeburn expected her to keep up in these conditions?

Braeburn let go of the clump of hair, grabbing one of the leather strands of her gag instead. “Ah know you’re tryin’, so I’m gonna let you pick how bad your punishment will be. One, two, or three?”

Dosie continued to pull, but knew that Braeburn couldn’t be ignored. “Uhn!”

“One? No, no, ya can do better than that.”

That bastard, Mac thought to himself, He just said she could choose.

Since Braeburn didn’t accepting her answer, Dosie Dough gave him another. “Ooo?”

“Not quite, but getting warmer to what you want to say.”

Dosie finally gave in and told the stallion what he wanted to hear. “Hree…”

Braeburn grabbed the biggest paddle he could find on the cart and pulled it off, “That’s a good girl.” With a snap of his wrist he fired five swift shots at any part of Dosie’s behind he could find. By the end of the admittedly quick assault the mare was moving at double the pace she was before, the pain in her flank more important than that which the cart would cause her later. “Now keep that up and don’t slow down for nothin’. If dragons fly by and set fire to the town you best be collecting apples while they do.” Dosie gave a nod of understanding as she speed along, allowing Braeburn to return to his other two cousins, his buffalo slave, and his caribou guest. “So where was I?”

“You were getting into some of the other things that your slaves do on the farm aside from grow and collect apples.” Gunne reminded.

“Quite right, and we’re right where we need to be to show ya what Ah was talking about.”

The group stopped as they stood in front of a barn that. They could hear a great deal of sound coming from within; whatever was inside was big, and Braeburn was eager to show it off. He pulled the door open, and ushered everyone inside.

The interior of the barn was no different than the rest of the farm. Perhaps it was a bit more… industrial, but the overall atmosphere of oppression and misery still hung over everything like a wet blanket, heavy and practically suffocating. Where spare farm equipment and stores produce should’ve been, there were instead large machines running full tilt, powered by the same treadmill system that he has seen the brothel use earlier. Actually, he was familiar with these, being that he had powered such a device himself for Granny Smith several times in the past. It was an apple juicing machine, the kind used by the Apples to make their famous cider. Jonagold, Red Gala, and Caramel Apple were running their little hearts out to keep the machines up and going, their individual black collars each connected by a wire to a set of metal bars in front of them, their arms bound behind them by belts tightly wrapped around their upper and lower arms. He couldn’t help but notice that the girls hips tended to sway from side to side in a seductive manner while they sprinted, and wondered if that was something they have been trained to do as it didn’t look natural.

Others, ones in collars of red, had the much easier task of sorting the good apples from the bad and tossing them into the devices. Apple Bottom, Apple Cobbler and his own Aunt Orange were amongst the mares Mac could pick out from the ones given this privilege. Being red collars, they most certainly fucked their way into this cushy position, and it sickened Mac to think that even more of his family than just the ones out front had chosen to submit to caribou rule. The clydesdale traveled down the machines to the rows of conveyor belts the cider was going to, countless more of his female kin filling bottle after bottle with freshly squeezed cider and putting the sealed glass containers into crates for shipping. They all moved like clockwork, surely motivated by the threat of Braeburn’s cruelty like Dosie had been.

“And here is where we make our biggest money maker,” Braeburn said, continuing his tour, “Apple Family Cider, freshly squeezed and shipped out all across Equestria.”

“I’ve actually had some of this before,” said Gunne, “It’s a delicious drink. Intoxicating in its own ways.”

Mac wasn’t as delighted to learn about where the caribou’s cider supply had come from, in fact it made the stallion outraged at what his cousin was doing, “You’ve been selling our family’s secret recipe around Equestria, knowing that Sweet Apple Acres makes a lot of the money it needs during cider season?!”

“Oh shucks, Ah suppose Ah should’ve told ya what Ah was doing Mac, but with how many mares there were that use to run things for the family Ah thought it wouldn’t matter anymore iffin’ Ah took advantage of one of our best kept secrets. It’s not like ya are completely out of things to keep your farm afloat. Ah take it y’all got yourself the zap apples, right?”

“And don’t forget,” Gunne added, “You provide more than just apples to Ponyville now. The fruits and vegetables you grow are bought by all the stallions in the town. A few less cider sales shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”

“But if ya are feelin’ cheated Ah could always buy ya out of your farm and slaves. Sweet Apple Acres is a nice piece of land and havin’ cousin Applejack workin’ here would draw in stallions from all around. Ah bet they’d pay a hundred bits a pop for the chance to cum in her slut mare pus-”

“NO!” Mac shouted, turning the heads of every pony in the barn with the commanding tone of his, some mares so shaken by it that they accidentally spilled the bottles they were filling to the ground. He was not about to even humor the idea of Braeburn being AJ’s master, not after all he’d seen.

Gunne identified that Mac was at his limit of tolerance for all this and felt the need to cover for the stallion, since it was he that insisted that Mac come in the first place. “What my friend here means is that he can’t sell his slave, as she’s not truly his. She belongs to the state, put into his care in order to help grow food for Ponyville.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Braeburn said as he put his hand to his chin, thinking deeply on what the caribou told him. “Then Ah suppose Ah’ll have to withdraw mah offer. The only thing on that farm worth a bit to me is cousin Applejack and…” Braeburn stopped himself, looking at Mac intensely for reasons the clydesdale could only assume. “Then Ah suppose that brings the tour to a close.”

“What?” Mac said, a feeling of insult coming over him, “Ah don’t have anything ya want so you’re kicking me off your farm?”

“Course not,” Braeburn replied, “Ah offered mah hospitality an’ Ah don’t intend to take it back. You’re more than welcome to stay the night like Ah promised.”

Mac was conflicted by the offer. On one hand he would have to be around Braeburn, who had proven to be the most selfish and opportunistic stallion he had met yet. On the other, being around the farm would give him the chance to talk to some of the mares of his family and see how they were. He wouldn’t get good answers, but it would let him know exactly how bad Braeburn was, and perhaps if they obeyed they at least had an easier time. It would be the closure he needed when it came to the mares of his family, or at least that was what he hoped. “I’ll… take ya up on that offer.”

Gunne pulled Mac aside and took him towards the barn’s entrance, “Mac, are you sure? You almost cracked a moment ago. I don’t want you to do anything that might push you over the edge.”

“Ya shoulda thought about that before draggin’ me out here.” Mac lashed out at the caribou, getting a bit of unexpected surprise from him. Mac sighed as he realized what he had done. “Look, I’ll be okay. This is somethin’ Ah have to do for mahself. Ah won’t do anything to mess up tomorrow an’ I’ll be on mah best behavior.”

“Very well then,” Gunne turned back to Braeburn, “We graciously accept your offer.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Mah invitation was to mah cousin an’ his slave only. Not to be inhospitable, but Ah was already havin’ him sleep on the couch. It wouldn’t be good iffin’ word got around that Ah made a caribou sleep on the floor.”

Mac found what Braeburn said odd, as it was a custom amongst Apples to always have a spare bedroom at the ready. There were so many Apples that one could never tell when they would be getting unexpected guests that needed a room for the night. Then again, Braeburn probably turned his guest room into a vault to store all his money. This however wouldn’t deter Mac from speaking with the women of his family.

Gunne gave Mac a look to see if he still wanted to stay, to which the stallion gave a short nod. “I suppose it can’t be helped then. I was planning on getting a hotel room anyways, so this doesn’t bother me.” Gunne went to leave the barn, stopping aside Mac along the way. “I’ll make sure you are signed in when I get back to town and will pick you up tomorrow. Get lots of rest and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Mac gave Gunne one more nod, sending the caribou on his way. It was going to be tough to restrain himself without Gunne around, but he felt he could manage. And he still had AJ, though that might have been a bad thing considering she might encourage poor behavior.

“Nice friend ya got there,” Braeburn commented as he shut the barn door once the caribou had gotten halfway down the path off his land, his slave mares having returned to work as soon as Gunne had exited the building, “Ya deal with caribou often?”

“Ah don’t make a habit of it,” Mac replied as went aside AJ, a place he intended to stay to make sure that Braeburn didn’t get any funny ideas, “But Gunne has been… helping me around Ponyville.”

“How has he been helping ya?” asked Braeburn, his curiosity about the two’s relationship becoming evident.

“It’s not worth talkin’ about,” Mac answered. If he told Braeburn the truth there was no telling what could come of it. He could be like Filthy Rich and try to give him advice on how to ‘guide’ him on how to treat a mare properly, or like Gunne and respect his stance on the matter even if he disagreed. But the way he acted it was most likely that he’d be like the countless stallions who had shunned and ridiculed him in the past, maybe going as far to use the knowledge against him.

“Master,” a small voice spoke up from behind Mac and Applejack, that of the buffalo girl that belonged to Braeburn, “I think there is something I need to tell you. Permission to speak freely?”

“Permission granted,” said Braeburn. Having been allowed to speak as she wished, Strongheart went to her master’s ear and whispered something so quietly that Mac couldn’t overhear. He could hear what Braeburn thought of it though, as he uttered, “Uhuh.. Right... I’ve been noticin’ the same thing too,” all while the slave/master pair darted their eyes between the clydesdale and his sister. When Strongheart finished she stepped away, still wearing that smile from back in town.

“Mac, Ah want to make somethin’ clear between us, iffin’ ya don’t mind.” Braeburn said, his back lead up against the barn door with his hands in his pockets. “Ah been gettin’ word of you an’ cousin Applejack’s shenanigans in Ponyville. That she’s been a stubborn bitch an’ that you’ve been lettin’ it go on.” Mac opened his mouth to rebut what his cousin had to say, but was interrupted, “But then Ah started hearing that ya turned a new leaf. That ya were puttin’ her ass out more an’ in turn she had become more obedient. Not exactly somethin’ a mentally deficient stallion does easy. Strongheart here says that she’s seen ya acting pretty strange around mah mares, givin’ them sad looks like they don’t belong here, but at the same time you’re pals with a caribou. So exactly which side of the fence are ya on?”

“What difference does it make?” Mac answered.

“Do ya get the stallions that stick their dicks in her to pay ya at least?”

By now even AJ was sending Braeburn hateful glares, never in her life believing that her cousin could ever become as crass and loathsome as he was. With her mouth bound up though, it was up to Mac to defend his sister’s dignity. “No Ah don’t.” he said truthfully, never once wanting to belittle Applejack more by turning what she was volunteering to do for the good of the farm into prostitution.

“Do ya sit there an’ watch?”

“On occasion,” he replied honestly again, acknowledging the times he watched over AJ to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

“Do ya fuck ‘er?”

Somehow Mac knew this was where the line of questions was going, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant to hear out of Braeburn’s lips, especially with what it implied about the stallion and the mares he had. “Ah... wouldn’t… dare touch her like that. I’m not goin’ to take advantage of her like that, or any other mare for tha-” The clydesdale clamped his mouth tight, but he had already slipped out too much. There was hardly any way someone could misconstrue what he was going to say.

This seemed to be what Braeburn was looking for, as he gave a devious grin. “Well look at that, seems mah cousin does still care about what happens to mares.” The stallion reached up to his hat, grabbing the tip of it and tilting it downwards to cover his face. “Gotta say, Ah wasn’t too sure for a moment if ya had been ‘cured’ or not…” Braeburn gave a pause and removed the hat completely from his head, handing it off to Strongheart. “But boy howdy am Ah sure glad ya aren’t.”

In the blink of an eye something about Braeburn changed. No longer did his face bear the same mannerism that he had seen on so many converted stallions. Instead his expressions seemed gentler, kinder, completely unlike what he had been acting like before and more like how he Mac knew he was before the fall.

“You’re… glad that I’m not cured?” Mac asked confused, the sudden tonal shift from Braeburn having confused him.

“Of course Ah am. When I saw ya pullin’ cousin AJ around in town, and with a caribou at your side no less, Ah thought ya lost your mind like the rest of the stallions. What a relief to see Ah was wrong.”

Both Mac and Applejack were shocked. After all that Braeburn had said and done this was the last thing they had expected to hear. “Then ya mean that you’re not…”

“‘Cured’? Heck no.” The yellow stallion spat onto the ground, as if to get the bad taste of saying the word out of his mouth. “An’ it’s good to see another stallion who isn’t either.”

This didn’t make sense, “But the way you’ve been acting, the red collars out front, what you did to Dosie Dough…. HER!” Mac pointed to directly at the buffalo girl standing right beside him, the pill shaped toys taped to her breasts still vibrating as they spoke.

“It’s… an act.” said Strongheart, her cheerful tone being replaced with a much less happy one. “Something we do to make everyone else think that we’re just going along with the system.”

“Ah promise to explain everythin’,” said Braeburn, “But Ah think ya need to speak with some other ponies before Ah do.”

Mac didn’t know who or what Braeburn was talking about, but then something hit him. It had been a while since he heard to sounds of running machinery or the sound of glass bottles hitting up against one another. He tried to turn around as fast as he could, but before he could a set of arms wrapped around his neck for the second time that day.

“MAC!” yelled out Red Gala as she hopped onto the much larger pony, the impact of her body being followed by several more as mares plowed into Mac to give him the biggest group hug he had ever received. AJ received some similar attention, though the loving embraces given to her were one at a time instead of a huge dog pile like with her brother. As happy as the Apple mares were to see Applejack safe and sound, it couldn’t compare with the excitement of Mac being able to resist the caribou’s influence.

“Ah… Ah...“ Mac took a step back and braced himself against a wall, overwhelmed by the affection being given to him by his completely nude female kin. “Ah need a minute. Could someone please tell what’s goin’ on here for Equestria’s sake?”

“It’s like Strongheart said,” Braeburn answered, “Most of what y'all have seen is an act, Something to convince the stallions in town, an’ visitors, that I’m on the up an’ up.”

“But… what about the red collars up front? They were fucking those stallions like there was no tomorrow.”

As if to answer Mac’s question, the barn doors opened up once more to allow the ten mares he had seen to enter with the barrels that held the coins they had earned for the use of their bodies. “Our caribou guest just left the farm Master,” announced Candy Apple as she set the barrel to the side. She gave Braeburn the once over and saw what she needed to in order to know that the coast was clear. She leaned over the top of the barrel, laying her elbows and breasts in the bits, and rested her chin on her hands. “So Big Macintosh is in his right mind then, is he?”

“Told you he’d be like Braeburn,” said Apple Honey while she gave a slight push to shoulder, “But you didn’t believe me.”

“I didn’t say you were wrong, “ Candy pushed Honey back, giving a bit more than she received, “I just didn’t answer because the stallion I had was poking my ass too hard. Good thing they can’t tell the difference between a moan of pain and one of pleasure.”

“I could still find the time to whisper to you despite that dildo in us almost going in my womb.”

“Hey!” Braeburn interrupted the two mares’ spat, “We got actual guests here for once. Cut all the red talk, mind y’all’s manners, an’ show some respect.”

“Sorry Braeburn...” The two earth mares said together.

“Good, cousin Mac’s been through as much as we have, so let’s make him feel right at home. But first…” Braeburn addressed the still confused stallion in the barn, “Mind takin’ that stuff off of cousin Applejack? Ah think she deserves to be a part of this too.”

It took a moment, but Mac reached into his pockets and took out a pair of keys given to him by Gunne. He found the one for the muzzle and unlocked it, Applejack pulling it off as soon as she heard the click on the lock that held it tight. “Braeburn, what the hay are ya up to?” The mare was still wary of her cousin’s intentions. She’d like to have believed that Braeburn was just pretending to go along with the caribou’s way of doing things, and the amount of black collared mares on the farm supporting his claim was a plus, but his earlier actions attested otherwise. A red collar might be able to be faked, and walking a woman on a leash wasn’t really a big deal if they weren’t being dragged along, but he had made a move to grope her earlier and the paddling he gave Dosie Dough was all too real. “If ya are tryin’ to show us that y’all ain’t like the rest of them stallions then ya got a heck of a way in doin’ so.”

“Again, sorry but Ah couldn’t be too careful. As bad as it sounds, Ah had to test Mac. Everything Ah did was to see how he would respond. If need be Ah would’ve felt ya up like any other stallion, but ya know it wouldn’t have meant a thing to a pony like me.”

“Right… Ah suppose ya got a point there.” AJ replied, understanding what he meant.

Mac, however, was in the dark about what Braeburn was talking about, “Am Ah missing something here? Why wouldn’t it mean anythin’ to ya? If Ah was in the same position Ah know it would mean a lot to me.”

“Well ya know that I’m... of a certain persuasion, right?” Braeburn said to Mac, “Actually it’s one of the reasons the other stallions didn’t think twice when Ah didn’t join in with raping the mares in Appaloosa when the caribou came around. Ah reckon it might even be why I’m immune.”

Mac was lost in what Braeburn said, not understanding what he meant by a certain persuasion. It was something that AJ picked up on quickly, “Braeburn, Ah don’t think Mac ever learned about your preferences.”

“Seriously?” Braeburn said astonished, “Ah knew ya were never the brightest Apple in the bunch, but… Well we can talk about that all later. For right now Ah think ya two got a lot of catching up to do with everypony here.”

That was something that Mac understood, and was glad to follow his cousin’s suggestion. He didn’t know who to start with, but as all but a few mares went back to work, some of them taking a small opportunity to give him and AJ small hugs or encouraging words before returning to their assigned jobs, he realized he wouldn’t have to. They had already figured out how to handle situations with new family members finding out about the farm’s secret. Maybe it was something Braeburn had come up with; he was always the more proactive one.

---

One by one Mac and Applejack were led around that day to speak with each and every mare on the farm, receiving their individual stories of how Braeburn had saved them. Tales of their horrible experiences at the hands of ponies they had once called friends, or how they were forced to undergo torments by the caribou who didn’t consider them sentient beings. Where they would be bound to some device in a public display of how weak they were, made to work with heavy restraint to prove their inferiority as they stumbled about, or simply raped time and time again so they would be reduced to nothing but sex slaves. Every story awful, but all of them ended with Braeburn showing up to take them away from it all.

They also explained in better detail about how Braeburn stayed under the radar, that he would take efforts to keep suspicions on him at a minimum by treating them as he knew males would expect another male to treat a woman. It sounded bad, but there was a system to the abuse that the stallion dished out on a daily basis. Any mare wearing a red collar had been asked before hand if they would be willing to change from their ‘unwilling’ status and sacrifice their own dignity for the sake of the others, usually older ones that offered up their own bodies to distract any wandering eyes from those who lacked the experience or mental fortitude to endure the degradation that came with being treated as a fuck toy.

Black collars were then asked to take turns playing whipping girl to keep up the idea that Braeburn was keeping them all under pressure, being taken into town in groups for a day of use or allowing themselves to be run through the wringer when Braeburn would personally give them an entirely real flogging for their ‘disobedience’. Dosie Dough, when approached, had a few light bruises from her paddling, as well as some incredibly sore arms from lugging around her heavy cart, but to her a week of pain on the farm was nothing compared to a lifetime of it elsewhere.

There were also those that Braeburn took a small form of leniency on, a few that he found too sensitive to play either the red collar or the whipping girl, and that is where he came up with the idea of the cider brewery to keep them further away from the outside world. They would still receive the occasional touch from some male touring the farm, or by Braeburn himself if he needed to keep up appearances, but for the most part the barn was a safe zone for those meek mares. It also served as a place of short reprieve for those who had just ended their own shifts taking the brunt of Braeburn’s ‘cruelty’. If a guy ever tried to go too far with them, or any of the Apple mares, then he would do as he did at the the gate and give them reasons why it was better off if they didn’t, usually involving a price far too steep for anyone to want to pay. It was as clever as it was devious, which made it fit the character Braeburn was trying to portray all the more.

The day eventually came to an end, and all the mares were taken to a stable behind the barn so that they could rest, every one given her own separate stall filled with hay to provide them something soft to lay in. After each mare attached themselves to the stall via a chain, as another precaution encase some horny stallions or perhaps something worse like diamond dogs decided to pay them a late night visit, Applejack and Mac were treated to a somewhat amusing round of “goodnight”s before Braeburn turned out the lights and escorted them both to a campfire he had set up earlier. The work day was over, and now the only things still awake on the farm were three Apples and a single buffalo.

For a short time the four were silent, reflecting on everything that had happened that day. To Applejack it was a relief to learn that there was another stallion in her family going out of his way to make things better for those who had been unjustly tortured and abused. For Mac it was a bit eye opening as he learned not only what had been going on beyond Sweet Apple Acres, but exactly what Braeburn’s preferences were; suddenly a few times skinny dipping in the creek together started to make a lot more sense. It gave them both peace of mind, which was more than they could have hoped for during this trip.

“So you two,” Braeburn said to break the quiet, “Ah believe y’all have been filled in on what I’ve been doin’. Now how about ya do the same for me? What exactly are ya doin’ coming all this way to enter y’all selves into a pet show and with a caribou trailin’ ya like a dog after a bone.”

“Well… it’s gonna sound stupid sayin’ it out loud.” answered Mac.

“Darn foolish when ya get down to it.” Applejack added.

“Ya see, we’ve been tryin’ to get AJ a red collar in order to… well… try to do something similar to what you're doin’”

“Ah don’t think that’s foolish at all,” Braeburn said, tossing a stick into the fire, “As y’all have seen I’ve done it a few times myself. It makes things easier in its own way, since reds tend to get treated better for doing things they would’ve been forced to otherwise. Plus no pony thinks twice when you start givin’ a red collar more responsibilities and privileges.”

There it was again, another male saying that things would be better if he went through with this plan. Gunne, Mr. Cake, and Braeburn; three people with different motivations and different ways of doing things all saying the same thing. It left little doubt to Mac that he had been doing the right thing, and in a way that made him happy.

“Braeburn, now that you know your cousin isn’t like the rest, isn’t there something that you wanted to ask him?” said Strongheart, who was sitting aside Braeburn, as she slowly removed the sex toys that she had been wearing all day.

“Right… Ya see Mac, Ah was wantin’ to see iffin’ ya would like to join in on a little venture with me.”

“Of course, what do ya want?” Mac asked, curious as to what way he could help. If there was anything that he could do to assist his cousin after what he had done for the Apples on the whole then the clydesdale wanted to know.

“Well to tell the truth, it ain’t easy keepin’ so many of our kin here in one spot. There’s always cost to it. Keeping them fed, sheltered, buying pills to make sure they don’t get knocked up by some random stallion. The money we get from sales an’ the reds putting themselves out lets us stay it the green, but each time Ah want to get a new one ah have to worry about what that will do further down the line. Sooner or later I’ll have to stop just to keep from goin’ under, and that’s not fair to the rest of our family out there that deserve more than what’s given to them. So since you’ve got lots of land and what sounds like not enough workers, I’d like ya to go out and buy up a few Apples yourself.”

The idea Braeburn suggested pleased Mac to no end, “Of course. A-Ah wouldn’t be happier doin’ otherwise.” It was perfect, and something that Mac had wished that he had come up with himself sooner. If he took in the mares he would be able to make a much better home for them than even Braeburn, as Gunne knew how he felt and he wouldn’t have to be as harsh with the ones he kept.

“Now Mac, Ah wanna give ya a few warnings before ya go into this all headstrong. We all know how ya like to take on more responsibility that ya can handle sometimes.”

“What kind of warnings?” Mac wondered aloud.

“Well they’re more like a set of rules to follow when tryin’ to purchase one of the mares from our family. First off, never get one that’s already gone red.” Braeburn said with the utmost of seriousness.

“Why not?”

“Ah got an idea why,” said AJ, “It’s cause they can’t be trusted, right?”

“Applejack is right,” Braeburn confirmed, “As much as it hurts me to say it, we have no idea what to make of Apples that have red collars put on them by anypony other than ourselves. Like Apple family cider, all it would take is one bad apple to ruin things for everyone.”

“Ah see,” Mac said, disappointed that both AJ and Braeburn agreed on this point, ”Then what else do ya got to warn me about?”

“One other thing really, somethin’ that a matter of dealin’ with other stallions. Ah know this is a hard one, but don’t let them talk ya into overpaying for a mare.”

“Overpaying?” Mac didn’t understand that word in this context, as allowing a mare to have a relatively peaceful life would be worth any price.

“What Ah mean is that there will always be that stallion out there that’ll want to take ya for a ride, and they’ll try to squeeze every bit they can out of ya. Money that ya might need to keep the home you’re trying to provide for the mares y’all are trying to save. Sometimes it’s just them testin’ ya to see iffin’ they can get away with more than ya are offerin’, an’ other times they are just askin’ for too much. Which ever one it is ya are just gonna have to know when to say no and accept the loss.”

“That seems like a pretty bleak way of lookin’ at things.” said Mac.

“Well times are pretty bleak, and we have to use every trick we can to keep ahead.” Reaching into his pocket, Braeburn pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it off gave it to Strongheart to pass along to Applejack, “But Ah have been at this for some time now an’ have already found some of the perfect candidates to join your farm.”

Strongheart extended her arm to Applejack to hand off the note, but instead of taking the piece of paper AJ instead took hold of the buffalo’s wrist, pulling the arm out of the shawl she was wearing to take a better look at the tattoos she bore. “Pardon mah forwardness, but what’s the deal with these?”

Strongheart didn’t attempt to pull away, nor did she scold Applejack for grabbing her without permission. Instead she let farm mare look them over to see the tiny murals depicted upon her. The scenes of buffalo preparing for battle, of their confrontation with the caribou, their inevitable defeat and the subjugation that followed. “It is a reminder… of my eternal shame.”

AJ released Strongheart’s wrist shortly after, having to use the hand to cover a gasp escaping her mouth. The images that the girl had etched into her skin were a retelling of the ordeal the buffalo had to go through when it was their turn to face the invaders of Equestria, the images speaking better than words ever could.

As she got her arm back, Strongheart made no effort to conceal them back underneath her shawl. In fact she did the exact opposite, setting the garment aside to allow nothing to hinder the view of the ponies who knew not of what had happened. “Not long after Canterlot had fallen to the caribou, they came to Appaloosa to further lay claim on the lands of Equestria. Our people had to make a choice when we heard of what they had done, and of what they would do to the ponies that we had come to call our friends. As proud warriors we decided to take a stand against these tyrants, to push them back and show them that they couldn’t just have their way.”

Strongheart lifted up her arm, pointing to the depiction of the buffalo fighting with the caribou. “For a short time it seemed as if we would be able to hold them off, our own strength and knowledge of the area allowing us to act as a line of protection for the city and its inhabitants, their magic that changed the stallions to sex crazed beasts not having any effect on us. But then…” Strongheart’s finger moved along the back end of her arm to the front, stopping on image of a female buffalo amongst an orchard of trees, a group of pegasi surrounding and netting her. “Somehow a few got past the guards standing watch, three or four stallions under the caribou’s command snuck in and captured a single member of my people… me.”

The buffalo girl moved her finger up a row, scrolling over a solid black line that separated the two parts and before she stopped on an image of the girl that was supposed to be her trapped in a dungeon, wrists tied to a bar above her head as several ponies used her sexually, “They took me to the Crystal Empire, were I was forced to fuck any stallion that wished to use my body. When I wasn’t being raped they took turns torturing me physically. Snapping a whip across my back, shocking me with their batons, depriving me of sleep and piercing parts of me so they could get information on my tribe and their tactics. As much as I tried to resist I eventually slipped things out little by little, and as the chief's daughter I knew everything they wanted to know.”

With another movement of her finger she went circled around to the back of her arm, where the tattoos showed the buffalo’s defeat, “I wasn’t there for the battle, but I heard how easily my people were conquered using the information I provided and I know what happened afterwards. My people were rounded up and the caribou were finally able to move into Appaloosa’s borders.”

“And Ah can tell ya that we didn’t last long once they got that far.” said Braeburn, breaking Strongheart’s narrative for a moment. “Mares were being lined up in the streets and taken against their will within the hour.”

“And with the town taken, the caribou had to do something with my people. They couldn’t use their spell to convert us to their ideals, and lacking cutie marks they couldn’t blank us either, but there was one other thing they had left that still affected our kind.”

Putting two and two together, back came to a conclusion that he dreaded. If the buffalo couldn’t be converted like ponies and were still resistant even after defeat, there was only one thing the caribou would do with males like that. The lack of male buffalo in Appaloosa supported the theory too. “They switched them, didn’t they?”

“Many of the buffalo slaves you saw in town were once the males of my tribe. I had to watch as they put into that machine the caribou have and changed before my eyes, stripped of their gender for their defiance. When they were completely transformed they were taken aside and forced to their knees before the soldiers that defeated them, fitted with devices that held their mouths open, and made to take their cocks down their throats as a beginning of their new lives as sex slaves.”

Mac gulped, unnerved by what he was hearing. It was not a pleasant thing to hear happen to those who did all they could to keep the caribou at bay, and something that could have so easily happened to him as well. “What happened after that?” It could not have ended there, not since the buffalo could only be switched in Canterlot and they seemed to mostly be in Appaloosa.

“After they were done initiating us as their new playthings they tied most of us to their warbeasts and forced us into a slow and arduous journey back here, made to trudge along with our legs chained together so we couldn’t try to escape. They only gave us small breaks as we were paraded through city after city, barely enough time to catch our breath, but were never allowed to sleep or eat as ponies tossed garbage and called us names. Sometimes they left a few of us behind. I’m not sure exactly what happen to those ones, as I could only hear screams of terror or rage as the rest of us were led away and they were crowded by the stallions of those cities, but any guess I could make would probably not be far off. Our homecoming was no better; the first few weeks we were pinned up in corrals, left bound up, exposed to the elements, and helpless there so any stallion in the city could have open access to any one of us. Then things they put on us to prevent us from fighting back made it so all we could do to get around was crawl on our elbows and knees. They didn’t even allow us to even eat their dirt flavored food without us first drinking down a bowl of sperm, and unless it rained, the only way to get water was to allow yourself to get fucked while begging for their amusement. We had very little to look forward to as the days went on, but when the caribou soldiers were finally called away from the city it was something to be thankful for.”

“Is that when they gave ya… those?” Applejack asked Strongheart.

The buffalo girl gave a single nod of her head, “Before leaving us to the men of Appaloosa, the caribou then ‘honored’ us all with these tattoos to show our history through their eyes, to remind us all of how we fought and failed. It didn’t stop there though, or at least not with the stallions it didn’t, as they found these markings amusing. Our new masters started to add to them when they felt it was needed, expanding on the history of each individual.”

As Strongheart went on she placed her finger on an image of her and a few others atop a wooden block, standing before a crowd of stallions. “This was given to me the day before I was auctioned off to the highest bidder, no longer having any value to the caribou except as just another female to be treated as property. As I stood there in front of those prying eyes, each pony placing bids so they could have me as their property, I heard Braeburn’s voice come over the crowd, giving a price that no other stallion would dare to compete against.”

“For all that her people tried to do for us, Ah couldn’t just let her go to somepony who would mistreat her.” Braeburn cut in once more. ”Heck, it would’ve be to one of the same ponies her people tried to protect, and that just wouldn’t have been fair.”

“And with Braeburn as my master I was able to get a red collar to ease my suffering, even though I don’t really deserve it after what I did…” Strongheart moved her finger across one last dividing line, a red one this time, and point at an image of herself bowing down before a stallion, one that had to be Braeburn by the way she was explaining, that bled into a depiction of her being re-collared with the red band she wore around her neck. “We commemorated the event with these to prove to everyone that I had been ‘broken’, and I became Braeburn’s personal assistant.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” stated Applejack, as she knew that it could not have been easy for the buffalo when she was held prisoner in the Crystal Empire, “I’m just relieved that they didn’t really convert ya and all that hooey you were talking about in town wasn’t true.”

“You mean about how ‘I apologize for my people’s behavior’ and ‘hope they can become well trained’?” Strongheart asked to confirm what the mare was talking about. “Of course not, who talks like that? Braeburn just came up with that speech because he thought that the caribou would like hearing me say it.”

Applejack felt silly doubting Strongheart as she had, her own prejudice towards the red collars blinding her from seeing the truth behind the facade. She had to stop doing that, as most of the time that she made that judgement of late she had been told later that she had been wrong about her assumptions. She needed to start looking at the reasons that a mare decided to wear a red collar, as perhaps their own tale was not too different from her own.

As AJ sat there, watching the buffalo from a few feet away, she could see Strongheart start to shiver and hold herself tightly. The night air was chilly, but that wasn’t what this was about. There was something more to it that the mare could see on her face. “But… I didn’t leave that dungeon they kept me in without them taking their toll on me.” said Strongheart, leaning into Braeburn as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “My body craves sex now… sometimes I can’t control myself as it gets so bad. It’s the reason I walk around with all those… things… on my body and inside me. Other times I get urges... of being with Braeburn, or another stallion… or even other women.” Strongheart willed her body to stop and scooted closer to Braeburn, the yellow stallion placing an arm around her body to comfort the troubled buffalo.

“Ah have been doin’ what Ah can to wean her off of that need, and it has gotten a lot better over time, but we’re not sure it will ever get better fully.” The pity in Braeburn’s voice was almost tangible; he clearly worried for Strongheart as much as Mac would for any of the mares on his own farm. The pain of seeing someone you cared for in such a state was a special sort of misery, and this reminded Mac of that feeling as well. Things had been going so smoothly as of late that he had almost forgotten that no matter how much his sister went along with this, she was still a victim.

Mac got off of the log he was using as a seat and went over to take the note Strongheart had offered before. With the paper in hand, he planted himself next to Braeburn and opened it up in front of him. He would probably need help to understand whatever his cousin wanted him to see; Braeburn had already showed that he was far ahead in the game compared to the clydesdale. “So what do ya got here for me?” Mac looked at the list of names he held, each one a female relative and followed by a location.

“Those are mares Ah want you to track down an’ purchase for your farm. Ah don’t expect ya to do it immediately, but do what ya can when ya can. If Ah get the money I’ll give it to ya as a ‘loan’ to keep ponies from thinkin’ I’m taken favor on a female sympathizer, but right now things are tight here.”

So that was it, rescue any Apple mares they could when they had the ability to and pray that they weren’t too late for any of them. Not the best plan, but it seemed to work out for Braeburn so far. As he skimmed the list, Mac wondered who exactly he should go after first. He wasn’t gonna be able to get them all at once, so he’d have to make a choice in the order. Decide on which ones he thought had the will to hold out compared to those who didn’t. As he stopped on the name of a mare that he had seen not to long ago, that he knew was up to her ears in trouble, he folded up the the sheet and pocketed it. He had made his choice, and he could only hope it was the best one in a decision that had no right one.

“Whelp, Ah think that we all oughta hit the hay,” said Braeburn, “Y’all got a pet show to go to in the morning, and Ah still got a farm to run. Strongheart, do ya mind showin’ cousin Applejack to the guest room? With what she’ll have to do tomorrow Ah think she deserves a night in an actual bed.” Braeburn helped Strongheart get herself up, the buffalo taking light steps at first to assure herself that she would be able to walk with her knees weakened by her urges. When she felt confident, she took Applejack by the hand and headed to the farmhouse, bidding Braeburn goodnight as the two girls disappeared into the darkness.

“Ya did right with that one Braeburn,” Mac said in complement, “Ah bet she’s grateful for everything ya have done for her.”

“It’s not not about gettin’ gratitude,” Braeburn corrected, “It’s about protectin’ those closest to ya.”

“Ah didn’t mean it that way… I’m just… not exactly good with words ya know…”

“Ah know,” Braeburn gave his cousin a pat on the back, “But if there is one thing ya got to be good at now, it’s keepin’ those under your watch safe.”

“Well Ah get that,” Mac replied, “There is no way I’ll let anything bad happen to an Apple, ah promise.”

“Good, then Ah can tell ya the last an’ most important rule to this plan.”

Mac was surprised to hear that Braeburn had another rule left, and one that he had apparently wanted to keep Applejack from knowing about. “What is that?”

“If it ever comes down to ya havin’ to do the right thing for the wrong reasons and the wrong thing for the right reasons… always do the wrong thing. Even if ya have to become a monster an’ do somethin’ unspeakable, do it if there are no other options. It’s the way this world works right now an’ somethin’ you’ll have to accept.”

Mac understood what his cousin was getting at, since the only way he could do what Braeburn was doing now was because he had “become a monster” like the rest of the stallions. The clydesdale wasn’t sure if he could do the same though, not to the degree that Braeburn had.

“I’ll do what Ah can.” Mac answered.

“Do what ya must,” Braeburn stressed as he got up, leaving Mac to put out the bonfire, “Cause one day ya might find that ya have to.”

The Competition

Applejack shuddered amidst the hostile environment around her. She had been through many things that tested her as of late; the red collar plan, performing in Pinkie’s bordello, playing steed to a caribou’s bitch, and the countless times she had to willingly push herself on some jerk’s dick with her reward being that she’d be closer to her goal. None of that compared to what she was neck deep in just then, waiting in an alcove in the Appaloosa rodeo arena until it was her turn to go out there in the middle of a crowd that wanted three things; her humiliation, her body, and her absolute submission to their desires.

Watching the competition from her place kneeling next to her brother, emotions built up in her as another one of the competitors was being put through her paces. It angered her to see a buffalo woman being made to crawl around, her legs tethered to her nipple rings and her wrists to rings in her labia. She was probably one of the former warriors of the race, she was likely one of the males that tried to keep the people of Appaloosa safe from this very fate. It saddened AJ to know that; more than that though, she was nervous and a bit afraid as this was all too similar to her time in Canterlot.

For the first few months in that once glorious, and now wretched, city this was the order of the day for anyone unfortunate enough to have been trapped there during the invasion. The caribou wanted to confirm their dominance quickly, so while a portion of their military went out to conquer the remaining cities that were much less defended, the rest stayed behind to teach the newly corrupt stallions a thing or two about how to train a woman. Every day was treated like a celebration, with events just like this held all across the city where stallions drank, ate the finest foods and participated in anything the caribou had lined up for them. Mares were caged at night if not being penetrated by one or more dicks, fed slop and given water if they were well behaved. Being that Ivangir kept Applejack around as a cock warmer, and that her willful attitude didn’t mix well with his cruel nature, she spent far too many of those days only drinking cum straight from the tap.

And here she was once more completely surrounded, without the chastity belt or mouth muzzle that had protected her during the entire trip, naked as the day she was born save for the irritating and restricting collar on her throat. The small saving grace of it all was Mac’s presence and the knowledge that as she sat there psyching herself up for her role in all this, her family was doing as well as they could under Braeburn’s watchful eyes.

“Everything ok AJ?” asked Mac, seeing his sister’s shakes as clear as day.

“Of course Master, why wouldn’t Ah be fine strutting around in front of...” AJ broke her sentence with a gulp, “Hundreds of guy that will want a piece of me afterwards. It will be a pleasure to have them see what you’ve taught me.”

“Huh, that’s something you don’t hear coming from a black collar’s mouth too often,” said a stallion sitting aside Mac, wearing one of the thickest handlebar mustaches that AJ had ever seen. “Not without something to motivate some truth out of their tongues first. Why can’t you be more like her?”

Applejack traced down the stallion’s extended arm to the earth mare whose mane he had his fingers sunk into deeply to keep a hold of the girl. With a strong pull of the thick brown hair her head was wrenched backwards, the mare that sat in front of him gave a howl of disapproval to the feeling of follicles being yanked from her skull through the metal O-ring gag in her mouth. The look she gave her owner was one that AJ had not seen in some time, and would have been one she too bore if not for the illusion of submission she was trying to uphold. It was a welcome sight to see a mare take a stand, fighting against the tight ropes that weaved around her body, breasts and through her thighs, not allowing herself to be made to do what she didn’t want easily.

Her struggles, wild and violent as they were, made the mustached stallion become more liberal with his hands, grabbing parts of her body as punishment for her actions. It almost appeared like he wanted to rile her up, as no matter how much she screamed or lashed out the stallion refused to let up. “Easy there,” He mocked, slapping his hand down on the mare’s nipple that the accompanying cry was not needed to understand how much the impact must have hurt, “Don’t want to tire out before we get you out in front of everyone.”

“Uck oo!” The mare said in reply to his condescending remark, slamming her shoulder into his leg.

The mustached stallion held back his own cry of pain, gripping the mare’s mammary so tightly that his fingers pushed into the lump of fat and flesh and caused the it to bulge out slightly around them. “You should know by now there will be plenty of time for that. Now calm your tits or I’ll squeeze them so hard you’ll be sore for a week.”

The mare was released, her fit quelled for the time being by her owner’s threat. The way she hung her head, furrowed her brow, and huffed with each breath let it be known that the rage she let loose moments ago was still present, and was only contained for the sake of avoiding pain. If not for the restraining cords that covered her body and made her arms unusable she would have shown that stallion a thing or two about inflicting pain on another, a sentiment that Applejack shared on many a previous occasion. She wished that she could give the girl her condolences for being treated in such a poor manner, but her actions that day did not reflect that and as she looked on sorrowfully at the mare, she was given a scowl that it made even a strong mare like her turn meekly. She could not blame the other black collar for acting hostile towards someone who was acting obedient and submissive while those around her suffered, as she had sent many a red collar similar glares in the past for the same reasons.

While she kept her eyes to the ground, away from the mare next to her so not to cause any further embarrassment, the stallion spoke once more. “I had heard that there was going to be a celebrity here today, but I was expecting a different one than Applesnatch.” AJ’s ears flicked when her nickname touched them, but she didn’t do anything else beyond the subtle gesture to express her annoyance that it had spread this far. Being around Gunne consistently for a few weeks allowed her to build up an immunity to bad mouthing, his constant berating becoming much less effective once she learned his game.

At first she believed that Gunne wanted to see her make outbursts, as each one was another time she would have to lick his hooves in apology. Past the first week her tongue had memorized the taste of dirt and sweat, and she noted that he was not especially smug about it, but instead disappointed at her progress. With her success tied directly to Mac’s own, it became clearer that Gunne was trying to get her past those tendencies. With that in mind the following two weeks went along with much more ease, her listening more to the instructions given to her than than the insults. With the amount of foul, lewd, and insulting comments tossed at her, a simple degrading name was nothing.

“Please give a round of applause for our last contestant, and welcome up next Sheriff Silverstar and his pet earth mare, Toffee!” The announcement was joined with the sound of hands clapping together, a light one that was perhaps more of a polite gesture than anything else. The buffalo being led around in such a manner showed her master’s dominance over her, but there was hardly anything specifically interesting about it. A pony could see that walking the streets of Appaloosa and for a competition like this it was rather underwhelming.

“Welp, time for us to show off your stuff,” said the mustached stallion as he got out of his seat, twisting the the mare’s long hair around his hand once to get a better hold before stepping out of the alcove. The mare had no choice but to get to her hooves and follow, not unless she wanted to be dragged out kicking and screaming.

“The sheriff of our lovely city is proud to present the impressive riding skills of one of his slaves in a show that he likes to call ‘The Fucking Bronco’.” The stallion walked his slave out to the center of the arena where he was met by four caribou males, event organizers who helped any stallion that needed assistance with their acts. They were more than glad to relieve Silverstar of his mare as he undressed himself, taking the the opportunity to give out some harassment of their own to the mare. They passed her around to one another in a seemingly random pattern, squeezing her breasts as they groped her body, or going so far as to kiss her lips and slide a tongue into her mouth before shoving her off. The chaos and disorder of it gave the mare no ability to slip away from them, no chance to lash out as she had with her master, with just enough time to spout off another obstructed obscenity or hack the caribou saliva out of her mouth in disgust.

“This wild and completely untamed bitch, defiant as she is, has been brought here today to show to everyone attending here that no matter how much a mare resists, her master will still get his way. “ The mustached stallion removed his clothing as the announcer talked, getting completely naked and revealing his erect shaft. He gave it a few strokes to get it up as much as he could, then stepped out of his pants that were piled up at his ankles so that he could lay down on the dirt floor of the arena. He used one of his hands to provide a resting place for his head, and the other to aim his cock straight up for everyone to see.

The caribou took this as a sign that he was ready, and the last one that had ahold of her turned the mare in the direction of her master so she could see what awaited her. She hardly had time to take it in before the other stags crowded around her and picked the unwilling mare up to take her to the stallion. They each took hold of one of her appendages, two grasping her by her bound arms while the others held fast to to her legs. The mare made her best efforts to break free, tossing and flailing around as much as possible, but the combined might of the four males was too much. It didn’t take long for her to end up hovering over the stallion, the caribou lining her up for the inevitable impalement that awaited.

“As you all can see this feisty filly is one furious fighter, but as we all know there is no female alive that can outmatch a male’s strength. Even so, the beloved sheriff of Appaloosa will be taking some risk to himself as he breaks this bronco.”

“Come on boys, bring her down.” Silverstar said as he gave his twitching dick a few more pumps of his wrist, “Time to put that puss in its place.” The caribou were happy to oblige.

The caribou lowered Toffee down, bending her legs at the knees as she descended to the ground. When her shins touched the ground the tip of Silverstar’s cock slid up between the mare’s legs until the head of it pressed against her mound, the caribou stopping there for a moment so the stallion could reach up and move the two thick strands of rope that blocked his entrance into her body. With the obstruction gone the stallion decided to savor the moment and tease the mare by slightly moving the flared head of his penis across her defenseless slit a few times, gleeful at the way she contorted her face and moved her hips as she made one last futile attempt to escape.

The mustached stallion signaled the caribou with a nod, and with one powerful combined push downward from the four of them the crotches of the two ponies were joined together, the stallions shaft shooting up her vaginal tunnel without mercy. Toffee arched her and threw her head back, letting out a shout that let her pain be known to all. As tears began to form streams from her eyes and her tongue stuck out through the ring in her agony induced convulsions, the males in the stands rewarded the sheriff’s treatment of the girl with cheers, whistles, and howls that almost sounded beastial in nature. There was nothing like a black collar being forced into painful and agonizing sex to work up a crowd.

The mare let out her cry for about half a minute before simply running out of air to go on. With her lungs emptied, she slumped her body forward and took deep, raspy breaths to provide herself the oxygen her required to stay conscious. Each gasp made her chest heave, her breasts hovering up and down in front of the stallion that violated her.

“There we go, nice and snug inside that snatch.” Silverstar commented to Toffee as he sent a swipe across the mare’s boobs. “Taking it that fast took a lot of you too by the looks of it, but you still have a show to give.” The sheriff sent another smack to the mare’s ass, hitting it with a loud “crack”.

Each of the stallion’s smacks made the mare yelp and flinch, but with the force of her penetration and the exhausting scream she gave, Toffee found little energy left to do anything else. If not for the caribou holding her arms she would have fallen over onto the Silverstar’s chest, which in itself would have been embarrassing for the mare with her body resting on the stallions as his cock stuffed itself inside her privates for anyone at the right angle to see. As it stood the invasion of her body just humiliated her and made her ache so much internally that she didn’t even want to bother with the struggles Silverstar wanted her to make.

It wasn’t her choice however. The will to move had left her body, but the caribou still holding her body were more that capable of getting her to do as they pleased. Toffee’s ears caught the voice of one the caribou holding her talking amongst themselves, “Looks like the bitch lost the will to fight already.” One of the caribou holding her hips snarked.

“What do you expect from a weak, pathetic female?” The caribou holding her right arm added before he let out a mischievous laugh. “Well if shes so weak, why don't we give her a nice, long workout.”

The other caribou holding her smiled at the idea and began to lift her up off the sheriff's shaft, raising the increasingly panicking, yet still very tired, mare until nothing but the stallion’s flare was left inside.

“On your mark!” called out one of the stags.

“Get set!” called another.

“AO-OOOO!” Toffee gave a slurred cry, shaking her head in complete and absolute objection to what was about to befall her.

The caribou paid her protest no heed, and instead used it as the final signal to push the mare’s body back down the sheriff's shaft with, using a furiousity much greater than what they had done the first time. Toffee let out a yelp as she felt the inner walls of her pussy widen again from the full girth of Silverstar’s cock, the small breath in her forced out as she clenched her eyes shut at the feeling. Before she could take in what was happening enough to gasp for another breath, she was brought up once more to the very top of Silverstar’s shaft and brutally thrust back down upon the rock hard flesh rod.

“Look at the slut go!” A caribou said as she let out moans and yelps of dismay, “She really wants that dick pushed up in her!”

“Yeah, she’s taking it all up her cunt and moaning like a whore. Bitch is going so fast I can't even hold her down!”

The caribou picked her up and pushed her down with no mercy, making comment after degrading comment as they made it sound like the movements were all her own and that she was even enjoying herself as she did them, which sparked more excitement from the males watching on in eager lust. Each thrust had such power that the dirt where Silverstar’s hips were blew away when they made contact, each loud smack of Toffee’s hips against his own sent pleasure throughout his body as he enjoyed the sight of Toffee’s bouncing breast in front of him. As the mare clenched her tear filled eyes and clenched her teeth, the sheriff knew she was being forced into climax as he neared his own. He licked his lips in anticipation, and sent one last open hand smack across her ass. “Come on bitch, ride that dick! Show them all how much you love it!”

With each painful thrust of increasing speed Toffee could only groan helplessly through her ring gag to refute the stallion’s claims of her enjoyment. She wanted to hold out for as long as possible, vainly hoping that somehow she would outlast the caribou’s efforts even as she could feel herself being pushed to the peak. The crowd of onlookers cheered and egged on the caribou “helping” hold the wild mare down, many moving around to get better looks at her exposed body.

From the sidelines Applejack looked with inner disgust, knowing that the girl wasn’t enjoying any of what was she was being forced to go through. She had been put through the same far too many times to believe what the caribou was said about the mare, being called a slut or a whore, made to look like she wanted to be fucked all along when they could not have been further from the truth. It made her ill just watching, as in the end she knew they would get “validation” for their claims when the girl’s body went through enough sexual punishment that she would have to cum.

“How are things coming along?” the now familiar voice of Gunne said as he came to meet up with Mac and Applejack. Gunne sat down next to the ponies, the three of them being the only ones left in the alcove.

“Everythin’ is fine if ya don’t mind that innocent ponies are being raped.” said Mac, as sickened as Applejack was. The whole morning had been nothing but woman after woman being forced through one humiliation after another, and the mares being fucked while bound or held down had become a common trend of the competition before half the competitors had finished.

“And here I thought that you had learned something from your cousin. You looked so happy when I got you from his farm this morning.” Gunne peered out to Silverstar and Toffee as the mare relented to her sexual assault, voicing her orgasm so loud that all in the stadium could her throaty, woeful moans. “And no offense, but it sounds like that one is enjoying herself.”

“Are ya really that dense?” asked AJ, not sure if he was being facetious or if he really believed that the mare sobbing her eyes out as the caribou continued to move her body was in anyway happy with the predicament she was in.

Gunne let the comment go, with Mac and Applejack’s turn quickly approaching, this was neither the time or the place for a remedial lesson in respect. There were more important things to do before Mac went out into the arena. “I’ve made the necessary arrangements to have the arena set up for your presentation. They gave me some dirty looks while I talked with them, but I got them to agree to help when your turn came around. Once you finish with her warm up they’ll take that as a signal to proceed.”

“Ah suppose that’s one less thing to worry about.” said Mac unenthused.

“There’s one other thing though, something I feel you should know before you head out there.”

“What’s that?” Mac said, lifting an eyebrow. Gunne had done all he could to make sure he and AJ would be ready for this, what more could there be?

“Well…” Gunne leaned in closer to Mac and brought his voice down low, “You should know that there will be a very important caribou spectating today.”

“Very important?” Mac wondered aloud, keeping his voice down simply because Gunne had done it first, “You mean someone like Vestri?”

“Someone... like him, yes,” Gunne confirmed, “He isn’t here as of yet, but he could come in at any moment. With that in mind, you should act as if they are here until this is all over. If you and Applejack do exceptionally it might give this this person a favorable opinion of her, and if that happens we might be able to finish this today.

Mac definitely liked the sound of that, the sooner the accomplished their goal, the better. “Okay,” said the clydesdale, “But why are we being secretive about it?”

“I don’t want to give Applejack something to distract her while she does her part. She’s already expressed how much it worried her that so many males would be staring at her out there, and it’s important that she does her best today. If she knew who’s going to be keeping an eye on her…. I just think it’s for the best that we wait till afterwards to let her know.”

“Just who is showing up today?”

Gunne began to answer the stallion, but before he could get out a single syllable the voice of the event’s announcer boomed over the arena. “What a show of courage and ability from Sheriff Silverstar. That wild mare stood no chance against his sexual prowess, and has fucked herself into a coma in her attempt to defeat his dick.”

Mac turned back to the atrocious act in the arena’s center and saw that the mare addressed as Toffee had gone limp. From his vantage point he could see that she had not gone unconscious as the announcer had implied, but had simply stopped fighting from exhaustion. Her pants had become so hard that every breath had become a struggle for precious oxygen, and she had exerted herself against the caribou that held her so much that she could do nothing but blink.

The mare, unable to move herself, was lifted off of the stallion’s cock and up off the ground by the two caribou holding her rope bound arms. The earth mare gave one more loud gasp as Silverstar’s shaft left her body, and as she dangled above the stallion a viscous blob of white oozed out of her violated vagina, which spilled back down onto the stallion’s crotch. The way the crowd cheered as Toffee dropped her head, her now messy mane draping over her face as if to hide it in shame, was heart rending.

“Our next contestant comes to us all the way from the quaint town of Ponyville, and has brought with himself something that is sure to make any of you still wearing your pants feel them tighten up. With him is one of the most stubborn mares in all Equestria, that mare that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that no matter how much one tries to resist, or how strong they are, that a stallion will always get their way. Give a warm welcome to Big Macintosh and Applejack!”

“There’s no time to explain,” Gunne said getting off the bench, “You need to get out there and do what I taught you all to do. I’ll be watching from the sidelines in case anything goes awry, but I have faith in you Mac.”

Mac gave Gunne one last nod, understanding that he’d have to deal with this other caribou’s presence, whoever he was, when it came and why he chose to keep it a secret from AJ. While he trusted that his sister would be able to refrain from acting out, as she was able to do so when Vestri intruded their home, it still made sense not to add the possibility that this caribou would be watching to Applejack’s worries though. For now he would be quiet and if AJ got angry about it later he would just take the heat for it.

Both the ponies stepped out of the shadows of the alcove and into the light, out to where everyone attending could see them clearly. The fanfare for Applejack was what they had come to expect, with whistles being blown at her, requests for her to shake her ass or show off her tits, and one or two empty food wrappers coming all her way. At least that’s how it was until the crowd noticed something that brought about a bout of confusion to most and curiosity to the rest.

The black collar mare was walking behind her master of her own accord, not having to be dragged out by leash or mane as pretty much every other contestant before her had been that day. She was completely unrestrained, her body devoid of “motivation marks”, and didn’t appear to be under the influence of any drugs to make her act this way. She showed no apprehension to situation, didn’t attempt to cover up her beautiful breasts or her crotch as most black collars would do if their hands were free, and was showing off her pearly whites with the biggest smile that she could muster. It was an odd change from everything else they had seen that day, and intrigued some to a degree that they pushed their own red collared mares off their dicks just to get a better look.

---

Okay Applejack, the orange mare thought to herself as she mentally forced her arms to her sides, They seem to be buying it. Just keep calm and get through this.

She repeated the last part of her thoughts a few more times, each time with less conviction than the last. The crowd had become much less rowdy, with a few drunken assholes retaining their belligerent demeanors. That meant that all eyes were on her, with hundreds of ponies judging her every movement. While at a distance she might have looked relaxed and complacent, she was certain that if they were any closer they would be able to see the nervousness of her grin or the slight tremble in her step. With as much as Gunne taught her to act as a slave, he couldn’t get her completely over her trauma induced stage fright.

When she and her brother made it to the center of the arena, close enough to where Toffee had been that she could see the pile of jism that had poured out of the mare, she had become so concerned in what was going on around her that she had to be stopped by her brother’s hand. Feeling it on her shoulder, she brought her eyes forward and looked up into Mac’s compassionate eyes. He was just as uncomfortable as she was with all this, but hiding it much better. With that in mind her false smile turned into one more real, happy that if she had to do this it would be with the one stallion she knew would never hurt her. The way he looked at her made her face turn a shade of red, and being aware of her blushing she looked to the ground.

“Let’s give them the show they’re looking for.” Mac said to her, putting his hand under chin to gently raise her head up. “Do your best, that’s all Ah ask.”

“R-right…” AJ turned away from her brother, focusing on what they came here to do. As long as she was out here she had to act like she thought a red collar would, remove herself completely from the situation and replace her thoughts with that of another persona. Pinkie Pie did that, so did her cousins at Braeburn’s farm, and now she would do the same. Taking one last deep breath, she gave the biggest exhale of her life and used it as a switch to change her from one version of herself to another.

In the passing of an instant AJ’s body language changed drastically. Her slight tremors disappeared, her smile changed from the nervous one she was wearing to a sultry and lust filled one, and her overall disposition seemed much more fitting to the role she portrayed as she let her hands wander around her body freely. One went down to her crotch, rubbing her lips and slipping a finger inside, while the other went up to her lips so so she could lick at them.

It wasn’t a perfect shift from one personality to another in the way that she had seen Pinkie do before, as she was still very aware of what was going on and what she was doing, but the act would be enough that those watching her wouldn’t care if she made a few small mistakes. During her more recent trips to town she put on this same facade before servicing the stallions, or having sex with a red collar when it was requested of her, and she had gotten a lot of practice doing it. All it took was her running her tongue lustfully against some inanimate object or sticking a few fingers into her holes to get the males so distracted that it would take outright resistance afterwards to notice if she slipped up.

The small gestures appeared to work here as well, the stallions leaning forward or leaving their seats to move closer in attempt to get even a slightly better look at the mare touching herself in the arena. If was the first time that day that any of the entries to the contest showed any kind of willingness, that she wanted to be watched by the stallions as much as they wanted to watch her. They could hardly contain themselves as they waited to see what she would do next.

With the stallions’ attentions caught, Applejack worked her fingers faster inside of her body. They wanted to see a slut, and in order to give the presence of one she had to work hard. It was difficult to get her body started in a situation as arousing to her as an ice water enema, but not impossible. With vigorous rubbing of her vaginal walls, and few soft grazes of her thumb nail against her clitoris, her juice got flowing just enough to get herself wet. With the addition of the sensual tonguing she was giving her fingers, along the occasional loud groans and sharp gasps, Applejack set the tone of this performance.

“That’s enough AJ,” said Mac as he came up from behind, “You’ve convinced them. Let’s get on to the next part.”

Applejack, embarrassed that her brother had to see her like this, stuck to character and moved her hand away from her vagina and up along her curvaceous form, brushing it on her hip and over her breast. When the hand got to her shoulders, she slipped it behind her neck and pushed its finger into her long blonde mane. The hand she had at her muzzle soon joined it, the mare using them to part her hair in the middle and leave a gap.

When Mac saw that Applejack was ready, he reached behind himself into the back of his jeans to pull out a heavy leather blindfold. The clydesdale then carefully set it on top of her muzzle and adjusted it so the thick leather covered her eyes and left no room for light to reach them. With the blindfold in place, he took its straps and buckled them together in the gap his sister made in her mane, tightening it as much as he could without it becoming uncomfortable to her.

Once the blindfold was firmly attached Applejack let her hair slip through her hands, allowing the strands to neatly cover and hide away the strap. She gave her head a few good shakes to let those in the crowd know it was not loose, and while the mare could feel the blindfold press against her eyelids she was thankful that it didn’t budge. Now she could pretend that she was somewhere else, somewhere less public, somewhere like Fluttershy’s cottage. The only people that existed was her and her brother, of whom she awaited patiently to make his next actions.

---

Mac gave the blindfold one final inspection and found nothing wrong with his handiwork. As of now it would be up to him to do the his part of the plan. With Applejack surrounded by darkness, it was up to him to help her through this. They had rehearsed the motions and commands enough in the past three weeks that while they weren’t near flawless like Gunne and Ginna, they had a fairly good idea of what to do. They would take it slow, give AJ a feel for her surroundings, before getting into the hard stuff.

The stallion put his hand into place, making a small display to the crowd to show that he was going to touch her with two fingers and those two fingers alone. With the stallions and mares in the audience watching and waiting to see what was going to happen, Mac’s fingertips found their spot at the base of Applejack’s skull just above her collar. In response to his touch AJ straightened her posture and stood at attention, arms to her side and breasts thrust outward. From this point on he would have to remain silent in order to demonstrate how much control he had over his sister, and how well behaved and trained she was.

A small press of his fingers started it all off, causing AJ to walk forward, arms moving slightly back and forth as she made efforts to move her chest from side to side with each step. Part of what Gunne had drilled into her head, that when being directed like this she should do all she could to show off her body. As he took a peek behind his arm, Mac noticed she was taking that lesson to heart as she perked her tail up high to allow an easier view of her flank. It was conflicting to see, as he was happy AJ was putting her all into this, but sad that she had to do so in the first place. He swore to himself that if they did get that red collar that day he would give her the break from this kind of stuff that she deserved.

The two ponies walked along the walls of the arena, with AJ the closest to them so she could be easier to see, moving along at a slow pace so those watching could take it all in. As they walked, Mac made constant adjustments to the direction Applejack was walking by stroking one of his two fingers in the direction that she was supposed to turn while maintaining her speed with the other. Gunne’s method of having Ginna keep track of where the fingers were supposed to be was perhaps simpler and more practical, but in the end it felt a bit vague for the two ponies so they developed their own versions of the commands based off the ones he had shown them. Gunne himself was impressed with their ingenuity, or Mac’s as he only credited him for the idea, and supported the changes as it just seemed to work better for the two ponies.

A few stallions tried to touch her as she passed by, but every time they got too close Mac would zip his finger across AJ’s skin to get her to make a sharp turn around the grabby hands, giving them each a sly smile as he passed by their failed attempt. That didn’t stop them from giving their cat calls though, to which it was Mac’s turn to just take the debasing statements about his sister. It wasn’t like he didn’t expect them to make them when he agreed to do this, but that didn’t make swallowing his annoyance at what they were saying any easier.

The Apples made one full lap around the ring and then returned to the center of the arena. The caribou acting as event organizers, upon seeing this, realized that it was time for them to do their part and set things up so the show could go on. One went up over to the pony announcing the event and told him what was happening while the others went to retrieve the objects they needed to bring in.

The announcer, upon hearing what was to come, perked up and grabbed his microphone in excitement, “I’ve just been told that we are in for a real treat. Our contestant’s owner has tamed the stubborn streak out of this black collar mare and is going to demonstrate how well she is trained and how much control he has over her by sending her through a series of obstacles using his two fingers to guide her.” The crowd around went into murmurs as they talked amongst themselves about what they were about to see, most not having caught on to what Mac was doing before. “Since the stallion is boasting that his mare is so obedient that he can guide her around while remaining absolutely silent, we must ask all of you to refrain for talking, whistling or making noise so our judges can pay careful attention to him.” The announcer’s request made Mac chuckle to himself as the caribou set up he course he and AJ would run. Gunne had once more made things easier for him in the caribou’s own, unique methods.

The stallions in the audience waited with bated breath; they wanted to see what Applejack would do for them now that she was supposedly tamed, and their thoughts filled with what she might do once the contest was over. At events like this there were usually post show activities and it wasn’t everyday you got to screw a mare of such notoriety, not to mention one with such a well-toned and firm body. They couldn’t wait to for their chance get a pony ride from the black collared farm mare, hoping that they might be able to be the one to fuck away the last bit of resistance she had in her.

Eventually the four caribou finished their job and everything was set up to continue: four obstacles erected in the matter of minutes, placed in a row before the two waiting ponies. With them constructed without Applejack’s knowledge of what or where they would be it was up to Mac to be her eyes. He took only a minute to check the layout, to think of how he would make his approach, and then let out one last exhale before pressing his fingers down.

The first obstacle the two came to was a balance beam shaped in a zigzagging pattern, a perfect opening test for the clydesdale’s abilities. If he was really just blowing smoke then this would show it immediately, and Applejack would be eating dirt within seconds of her start. Mac thought back to the commands he and AJ practiced and crossed his fingers when his sister was one step away from the beam, signalling to her what was ahead of her.

In response AJ lifted her leg and took a step upward, becoming tense as her leg landed on the beam. This was one of the obstacles she and Mac had the most practice with, as it was one of the more difficult ones to do while blindfolded. She lifted her body up and placed her other hoof in front of the first, raising her arms slightly to balance herself as well as she could. With her hooves on solid ground she felt her brother uncross his fingers, another one of their personal adjustment to Gunne’s technique. Where Gunne would keep his fingers crossed for as long as he wanted Ginna to walk with one foot in front of the other, Mac just used it as a sign of when he wanted her to start and would do it again when he wanted her to stop.

Mac kept his eyes on the beam and AJ’s hooves as they moved forward. If AJ fell it would be all his fault, and he wasn’t about to let that happen. He did take a look up every now and then to check her posture, but she was doing fine with that. Standing straight, shoulders leveled, chest out, and flank pulled in. She carried an elegance in the way she moved, at least to Mac. It made him wish he went to see more of her competitions before all of this, instead of staying home to work on the farm. Compared to this, her real athletic talents were outstanding and he preferred to see Applejack in an arena running through barrels, jumping hurdles, and displaying her feats of strength than being out here helping her embarrass herself in front of everyone.

The balance beam posed no problems as the ponies worked their way across it, Mac easing up his fingers when each turn came, changing Applejack’s course with his gentle strokes, and moving her along in a slow but steady pace. When they reached the end of it he crossed his fingers once more and AJ very brazenly took a step down without fear. The clydesdale gave a muted sigh of relief and looked around to see what the crowd thought of it, but noticed that they were not exactly amused. It was an interesting sight to watch, but there was nothing titillating about it. It made Mac think that they would’ve been happier if she failed and hurt herself, but he didn’t dwell on it for long. He still had three more obstacles to get through.

Next in his way was a row of hurdles, all coming up to about AJ’s knees. They were placed closely together, too close for her to land safely between if he was to make her jump. The intention of this placement was clear to him though, as if she couldn’t go over them she would have to go under, and through a pool of thick, sticky mud that was underneath. Another thing that they had done before during their training, though without things that would cause a mess. Applejack was in for quite a surprise, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. He gave AJ three quick downward strokes, one telling her to crouch, two telling her to crawl, and the third telling her to crawl as low as possible, followed up with ten quick taps to tell her that she would have to move without his direct guidance, and how far she would have to go. His commands in place, he removed his hand and put his trust that AJ would do what she was told.

The moment his hand broke contact AJ took a deep breath before she dropped to her hand and knees, hugging the ground she began to slowly crawl forward. The farm mare put one hand in front of the other, pulling herself slowly as she moved until she felt the gooey stickiness of the mud. It made her recoil on contact; the muck was cold to the touch. She’d heard running water as she waited for the course to get set up, and it looked like she found what it had been used for. She pressed on though; a little bit of muck wasn’t going to stop her.

The mud was so thick it felt like wet cement, making her strain with every movement as she pushed with her legs as hard as up against its hold to advance more. Her breasts pressed into it, the chill making her nipples poke out as they got covered in the wet earth. With each additional push more of her body got some of the sticky mess on it to where she started to feel it in the curvature of her back, in between her legs, and even down the crack of her rump. AJ was never a stranger to getting dirty when she had to, but something about this particular situation made her feel a little disgusted. Perhaps the caribou did something to give it a slimy texture, or maybe it was all in her head. It did not matter, she already felt it practically everywhere, and all she could do was press fully into into mass of thick mud to hurry through and ignore that the sloppy substance was spattering onto her face and getting into her hair.

Mac waited on the other side for Applejack, unhappy to see the mess that the hurdles had made of her beautiful mane and fur that they had put so much effort into grooming before heading to Appaloosa. It was just like the caribou though, to take something lovely and ruin it. She was able to rub a bit of it off as she made her way back onto a dry part of the arena, Mac having purposely overshot his instructions as he didn’t trust his judgement when it came to how far Applejack had to crawl. When she stood back on her feet her front was filthy, with no part of her breasts, stomach and crotch untouched by soil, but at least it wasn’t slathered in it like her backside.

Clearing his mind once more, Mac placed his fingers back at the base of his patiently awaiting sister’s skull, and directed her to go towards the next obstacle in their way. Now they were getting past the parts of the course that in any way resembled a normal one. What probably should have been a climbing wall or a series of barrels for them to weave through was replaced a single length of rope, suspended between two poles, knotted at various sections of it and drawn taut like a string on a fiddle. Mac had not ever encountered this kind of sexual device first hand before, but Gunne had clued him into the workings of many such things in case he encountered them.

So knowing what would need to happen, Mac brought AJ aside the simple contraption. With AJ and the rope now side by side he saw that it came up to the midsection of her waist, this wasn’t going to feel good whatsoever. Still, he gave the next command; this time stroking both his fingers at the same time. AJ answered the touch by taking one step to the side, running her into the rope.

---

AJ knew that Mac would not have given her a false command, especially one so blatantly incorrect as that, so she quickly figured out what he wanted of her. Lifting her leg up high as she could, she put over the rope and straddled it in between her powerful thighs. The rope pressed up into her crotch, even as she stood on her tippy hooves to alleviate some of the pressure. This was where she was going to have to put her acting talents to the test, to hide her outright hatred of being abused and treated like she was nothing. She had to act like a red collar, and do as she thought they would do.

Her arms were free and unbound, and she felt that could help in this situation. She reached behind herself, taking hold of her tail with one hand and pulling it through her grip with the other. She did this till she felt the hair band that she used to keep the strands neatly together, and then took hold of it as tightly as she could. With her tail held firmly, she spun it around both her arms a few times, lifting her arms up behind her back as she did. When she was finished her arms were placed level behind her back, the hair of her tail wound tightly around them to create a makeshift binding, and at the same time lifting it up out of the way for all to see her rear..

The action managed to make some of the audience break their silence, a few males letting out yells and whistles, one calling out with a comment about her ‘apple bottom’. The smile she gave became nervous when she finished, wondering what her brother thought about her doing this on her own. She’d hear about it later, but for now all she got was a pair of fingertips pressing her forward.

Following the signal she took her first steps forwards, and with those steps came the sensation of the rope rubbing harshly against her privates. The cries she made with each step were quite real; it was better to let her pain out than to proudly stifle it for several reasons. Males wanted to see her like this, as a helpless and vulnerable mare who had no control over what happened to her. To see her give in to all that happened to her, to just let it happen, to smile once it was done, to beg for more afterwards. This is what she would have to display for them all to convince them that she was what a red collar represented.

She moved along the path made for her by that length of rope, but its coarse fibers rubbing against the gritty dirt that was on already her did not make the journey easy. It felt like she was being rubbed raw, and each time one of the knots in the cord slipped through her lips she couldn’t help but grit her teeth and pull with her arms in reflex, which caused her tail to ache as well. When she felt the texture of wood press up against her crotch and the pressure on the back of her head fade that she knew that she could relax for a moment. She leaned forward against the wooden pole, using it to keep herself upright, and took the few seconds she felt she had to catch her breath.

---

Big Mac waited for his sister recover from her ordeal. The rope had hardly gave any leeway during her walk across it, and her howling during the whole thing was awful. He could imagine how it felt, being a farm pony who dealt with ropes often his mental image of what it would feel like going across a pony’s crotch was very vivid. It was enough to make him want to quit there and then, but they only had one last obstacle to do in this horrible competition. He had to suppress his sympathy and better nature for a little longer and it would be done. With a heavy heart and a troubled mind, he gave the command to have her step back over the rope so that they could finish this.

AJ obeyed what his fingers told her to do, her body still visibly sore from the previous obstacle. Her legs had in them a slight trembling, and the pain of it left a light pant in her breath. He had seen her worse off during a difficult harvest though, and knew she had the strength to endure what was left. The last obstacle doesn’t look that bad..., Mac thought to himself, at least not from here…

The last device in their path looked like a long table, a thick plank of wood on top of four small, yet sturdy looking legs. Across the top of it were several solid looking pegs, lined up one after another, beginning with a small sized one and then increasing in size with each one past the starting point. There were five phallic shapes in total sticking up from the board, the last one looking a bit big for any pony to handle. Big Mac took Applejack to the device, but hesitated to make her go onto it. If she went on that device then she was gonna have to push each one of those things inside herself, and it was going to be him directing her to do so. It wouldn’t be like other times when he simply watched from the sidelines. This would be him, making her sexually violate herself with his own hands in front of who knew how many people. It was something that couldn’t be done on a whim, even if he knew that AJ was willing to put herself through it.

The pegs were intimidating as their polished and smooth surfaces let off a shine in the sunlight, a shimmer clear fluid shimmer off a few as if as another mare had used it used it recently. For all he knew one probably had, as it seemed unlike the caribou to keep such equipment around and not use it. Mac steeled himself and finally spread his fingers apart before pressing them down. Applejack stepped forward, spreading her legs apart as much as she could while comfortably stepping forward, making a whimper along the way. The command made it clear what was coming, and she had not expected to get out of this without something going into her to begin with. Mac wanted to comfort her, but he couldn’t move his lips to give her words of encouragement or use his hands to give her a reassuring touch without breaking her focus. The inability to do so made him feel terrible, but he would make it up to her later.

---

AJ was put into position, and had no doubt that something hard and phallic lay beneath her. She inhaled and exhaled powerfully and held as tightly as possible to the tail still wrapped around her arms, awaiting for her brother to instruct her to take a plunge downward. It must have come across as yearning to those watching her, as now it sounded like all the arena was in an uproar, completely forgoing the request to remain silent and announcing their satisfaction. They had seen enough to believe what the announcer said, that AJ was tamed and that Mac had complete control over her. Now all they wanted was to see how far she would push herself for their pleasure. The feeling of Mac’s fingers telling her to sit was almost like a release, breaking away the tension and anticipation of the moment so she could do what she was simply waiting to be told what to do at that point.

She let out a small yelp as she felt something cylindrical slip inside her ass. It was not that it was too large, far from it. Ginna’s sexual training had helped her adjust to having things of this size inside her. As embarrassing as it was, she had gone down so fast and at such an angle that the tip of the rod scraped against her innards. As her butt sat flat on the board beneath her, she could feel it forcing her body to rearrange. When she felt Mac tell her to rise back up, she scolded herself for rushing on something that she should’ve been more delicate with.

She did just that when she lowered herself down on the next peg, and the feeling of the rounded tip entering her now sore rectum became much more pleasant as it travelled an inch deeper than the previous peg. Her o-ring was stretched further than before as well, but again this was nothing she couldn’t take. Gunne had made AJ focus on making her rear more accessible, and it was practically all Ginna had worked on. His reasoning was that her pussy had been used more than enough by the stallions in town, and she certainly had a problem keeping her mouth shut, so keeping it open should not be an issue. She didn’t know back then just how much she’d appreciate the caribou for his sexist view on what she needed help with.

The third and fourth peg seemed to follow the same formula when they came, each traveling deeper into her while spreading her passage out more. They made her grunt and gasp and she slid slowly down each one but they did not feel unbearable, with the fourth one coming just near fitting uncomfortably. Inside she felt that that couldn’t have been all, that it could not have been that easy, that there had to be something left to push her limits, as caribou always started off with simple defilement and took things far beyond that. When she made her last move forward along the device, she figured out in the most frightening way possible what was left for her when she didn’t even have to sit down to feel the top of the next rod touch her in between her legs.

The other pegs before all seemed to be preparation for the next one to come, increasing their size in increments proportionate to the one that would come after. This one didn’t follow that theme, and was so large that Applejack was worried that she couldn’t take it if she wanted to. She let out a few sounds of worry, which were muted by the cheers filling the stadium. Mac must not have noticed them at all, as he had given her the order to go down after a long pause. She too gave a pause, but then adjusted her bottom to line it up with the large peg. This was the last part, it had to be, and she would push herself through it.

The farm mare concentrated hard on what she would be doing, this wasn’t going to feel pretty. The piece of wood she was about to inch inside herself was bigger than anything she had taken back there before, what she would define as “caribou sized” from her past experiences with the beasts. There was enough girth to it that it could outright ruin someone not trained to handle it, and she was going to have to pace herself to keep from tearing or otherwise injuring herself while taking it in. First thing to do was relax her body, untighten her hole and allow as much give as she could to the object. Applejack did what she could given the intimidation she felt with the roaring crowd around her, cheering her on as they awaited for her to descend, and eased herself downwards as she pulled against her tail to brace for what was about to come.

Her already strained ring made way and gave entrance to its new invader. For as big as it was, AJ didn’t feel nearly as much pain as she thought she would upon it entering. It hurt, enough that her jaw was shut so tight that she might have been able to chomp through the rod if given the chance, but she wasn’t screaming in agony or being overwhelmed with shock. It was still no picnic having her bowels expand as it delved deeper inside the more weight she put down on it, with the large peg rubbing against the sore spot she made with the first peg in the line. When the length dared to poke around the bend of her innards, she finally touched her butt down on the plank beneath her and rejoiced that she had made it. Not even thinking she let out a loud wail of relief and triumph over this trial, her voice bellowing through the arena as she let out all of the emotion and discomfort that welled up inside her.

---

Mac looked down at his sister with pity. After all she had done she had become a horrible sight to behold. Sitting there, fur soaked with sweat and matted with muck, with something the size of a pipe resting inside her. Her mouth hung wide open and her tongue hung limply out of it as heavy exhaustion brought on by sexual labor. Below her blindfold two rivers of tears flowed out from underneath and down her cheeks. Then there was the wetness that had formed between her legs while she brought herself onto peg after peg on his command, her body responding to the treatment in ways that didn’t reflect her true feelings to what she just went through. Mac reached down with his free hand and wiped the tears off AJ’s face to make her look less a fright, as it was apparent that those watching no longer cared what he was doing. They had gotten what they wanted out of his sister and then some, now it was time to end his performance and bring this debacle of a competition to a close.

After a minute long wait Mac gave AJ one final command, lifting his finger up the back of her head one more time. She gave a nod to acknowledge that she had received the order, but waited about half a minute longer before following it. When she lifted her body up off that small pole she made no effort to hide how much it hurt, which to Mac was a measure of just how much she went through for him and everyone on the farm. To him, she had done enough. If this wasn’t what it took for her to get a stupid red leather band around her neck, one that he rather not be there in the first place, then he might have to call the whole thing off. He never wanted to see AJ like this ever again, it was crushing him to know that his suggestion and his actions were what made her suffer this day.

When AJ lifted herself off the peg it left her ass with a loud “pop” sound, the hole attempting to close with its absence, but left twitching as it failed to shut completely. Unable to keep herself upright, her tired mind making her body weak, the farm mare fell forward, but was caught by her brother before she went too far. His strong arms kept her on her hooves, and aided her as they went to stand with the previous contestants of the show. No one would blame a mare for needing a bit of help after what she just did.

“That was spectacular!” the announcer yelled into his microphone, “I was beginning to think that we weren’t going to see any of these disobedient black collar sluts put on a real show today, but this one with the direct guidance of her loving master did it. Goes to show that with the right kind of training and motivation any mare, no matter how stubborn or resistant, can be taught to obey.”

Mac found a vacant spot on the wall in between two of the other stallions, resting his sister against it and leaning her head forward so he could work towards removing the blindfold that blocked out her vision for so long.

“Hey,” said one of the stallions next to him, “Do you give lessons on how to tame mares? Cause if you can get a bitch like Applejack to do that I’d love to let you take a shot at some of my disobedient mares.”

Mac ignored what the stallion said to him, fixated on Applejack’s wellbeing. He carefully and gently took off the strip of leather around her eyes, to not cause an accident by being too hasty, and with it coming off he could see how much pain he had made her endure. Her eyes were red and puffy from her crying, the back of the piece of leather in his hands wet from it. The sorrow in her eyes pierced him like a knife, drilling in the guilt he had. Yet even as he stood there blaming his own actions as the cause of his sister’s misery, the first thing Applejack did once the blindfold was completely removed was throw herself at the stallion and embrace him in her arms as she let out any residual emotions she had. Mac wrapped his arms around her in return and lightly rocked his distraught sibling, not caring if he came off as sympathetic towards a woman.

The other stallions took it surprisingly well, the sight of a mare rushing to her master for comfort after doing something so sexually taxing being what they wanted to see, and since she was so good the reassurance of his touch was an excellent reward for her obedience. “What a delightful display of affection! If I didn’t know better I would say that this stallion swapped this mare’s collar just so he could have a surefire win! This mare has come a long way from the pony known for her stubbornness!”

All the other ponies agreed with the contest announcer, as stallions and red collars in the crowd were enthusiastically applauding Applejack, while the other black collars that had been entered into the competition focused their combined hatred at the former heroine of Equestria that had apparently turned traitor.

“We have surely just seen the highlight of the competition!” the announcer went on to say, “But before we bring this to a close and hand out the awards we have one more last minute entry that just arrived in town moments ago. Due to unexpected complications he was unable to get here in time to register, but the judges have decided to take this into consideration and have allowed him and his black collar to still compete for your enjoyment!”

Another entry? Mac thought, Applejack still weeping in his arms. He had thought that they were the last ones to go up; they were the last ones sitting in the waiting area after all. Now they allowed someone else to enter in and he and Applejack would have to sit through it, which irked him to say the least. Whoever it was must’ve had a lot of pull to prolong the event, but had earned himself a bit of Mac’s spite for making him have to stick around for longer than he thought he would.

Two of the four caribou in the arena that had set up the course that Applejack had gone through had already gotten to taking down the devices that made it up, deconstructing them and removing them from the performance area. The other two were bringing in other things to replace those items. It mostly consisted of large wooden blocks and hoops at the end of poles, the hoops being set in between the blocks for the purpose of having the mare this new entry had jump through them. Once it was set up they brought out many buckets of water and doused the ground around the blocks heavily, creating more of the mud that Applejack had to crawl through earlier.

It did not take long to create a sizeable puddle around the blocks, and with it the stage was set for whoever was up next. The others in the line of stallions that had competed before Mac were all anxiously muttered amongst themselves, each wanting to see who would have to run this new course, and was curious if it was going to be as amusing as the last. They didn’t have to wait long, and when a gate on the other side of the ring opened up any questions they might have had were quickly answered.

Mac turned to the look as well, the sound of large gate opening distracting enough to pull his thought away from Applejack for an instant. That instant was all it took for him to see something that made him stop and stare, as it was not just another random mare Mac had never met before being brought in. He had caught a tiny glance at first, and the blue of the mare’s fur could have been from anyone, but the multicolored mane and tail belonged to only one pony.

Rainbow Dash, formerly Ponyville’s personal weather pony and top contender for fastest pony in Equestria, came through those gates kicking up a storm. Mac figured this would be the case when he realized it was her, as she had earned herself a title from those that used her just as his sister had. While Applejack was known for being the most stubborn mare any stallion could ever fuck, refusing to “admit” that she liked having stallion after stallion treat her like a cum dump, Rainbow Dash been dubbed the most resistant for her constant struggles against those who would do the same to her. Her body bore fresh bruises and lash marks that was indicative of punishment for such behavior, but to Mac this identified to him that the stories he had heard the stallions in Ponyville say was true. Dash was a fighter, and was not going to simply allow this to go on without a fight, even if her struggles proved fruitless.

The multicolored mare was being led in by two large caribou, both holding on tightly to a pair of poles attached to metal yokes that had entrapped her neck and hands. Her legs had been likewise bound, shackles encircling her ankles with a chain barely half a foot long. If the caribou hadn’t been dragging her out she would not have been able to make it so far alone, but that did not stop her from lifting both her legs to try and kick at the two carrying her along, which was most likely why they had to use the poles to stay out of bucking distance. With the rage Dash was showing she probably had a few choice words for anyone present in the arena that had a dick, but if she did those were being cut off by a leather mask not unlike the one that Applejack wore the day before.

The two caribou holding Dash got a few feet out before another pony came into view trailing behind them. It was another pony Mac knew on sight, but not one that he knew personally. The pegasus stallion Soarin was someone that any pony would know of from before the fall for his athletic gifts, and if they were a stallion that wasn’t immune like Mac they would know him better now as the owner of all of his former teammates, who have now been turned into his own personal harem that he now termed the “Wondersluts”. As he walked behind the caribou leading Dash around, holding a proud look about the situation, several red collared pegasi wearing skin-tight Wonderbolt uniforms with the fronts of them cut out of them skipped gleefully ahead of their master. Mac couldn’t spot anyone he knew amongst them, but there had been many new additions to the team with Soarin’s management, his two requirements being that you at one point had wings and a body to die for.

The Wonderslut mares started to circle around Dash and those who were escorting them, half of the group blowing into flugelhorns while the other half pulled confetti out of a bag they held and threw it over Dash’s head. The fanfare of it mocked the very thing that the once aspiring athlete had strived to achieve with her own talents, and with it everything the prestigious Wonderbolts once stood for.

When they got to the course they lifted Dash up with the poles and placed her down on the first block they came to, the Wonderslut mares dispersing to kneel at the sidelines when it was clear Dash’s own performance was about to begin. The caribou twisted the poles they held and unhooked it from Dash’s yoke, leaving her to stand in front of her awaiting audience covered in bits of paper. She took a moment to remove the confetti, shaking her body in a way that allowed Mac to see something poking out of her butt from behind her tail.

“R-Rainbow?” Mac heard his sister say, the commotion going on too much for her to ignore, even in her distraught state. The two hadn’t seen each other for a long time, since the caribou made them return the Elements of Harmony to the Tree of Harmony to get rid of some plants that were wreaking havoc across the kingdom. Being the only other member amongst their friends that didn’t submit to the caribou, it had to be hard to witness Dash’s public humiliation. At least she wasn’t in there to watch Applejack act like a submissive mare herself. Last thing AJ would want is for the mare she saw as her last true friend to think she had turned.

---

Soarin made his way to the course, passing by one of the caribou who handed off to him a stun rod. “It’s that time again,” said the stallion, “You better do a good this time. You know what happens to mares who can’t do a few simple tricks.” He pressed down on a button on the rod, making it spark up before he slapped it down on the platform.

Dash was unthreatened, sending a small kick the stallion’s way. Soarin dodged back, getting out of the way of the kick before grabbing the chain that held her legs together and giving it a hard yank. The mare was pulled right off her hooves, landing ass first onto the block beneath her. The howl she made when the impact violently pushed the dildo in her butt inwards was horrendous to Mac, AJ, and the black collars, but hilarious to everyone else watching.

“Still too fast for ya,” Soarin said to the writhing mare, giving her a light shock with his baton to add insult to injury. “Now how about we cut the crap and get to work. Heck, if you can do this right this time I might even let you rest if you can get through all the hoops.” Soarin went over to the next block over, tapping it a few times. “But if you refuse or fail like normal I’ll have to let everyone here have a turn with you. After what you just did to your ass I’m thinking that you won’t enjoy that too much.”

Dash took her time to stand back up, partially to recover from the blow she just took and partially because it was difficult to do so the way she was bound. She managed it though, and while she wore nothing but indignation on her face, she was aware that Soarin would make good on his promise if she didn’t do as was told. She’d kick herself over it later, right now the downside of resisting far outweighed the positive aspects of disobedience.

A quick and precise leap got her through the first hoop, landing her flat on her hooves. This would be easy, the few problems in her way being the yoke and shackles that restricted her movements and the thing stuffed into her ass that shifted around when she moved. She would have loved to push it all the way out of her, but everytime she did Soarin would pin her down and put it back in. She thought that pushing it back to where it just stuck out would be okay, being better than filling her up as it did, but as she tried to do so she caught a bit of orange in her peripherals.

Wait a second, is that… Applejack?! The pegasus excitedly thought, extending the remnants of her wings at the sight of her friend, until she felt something poke into them from inside the bindings around that prevented them from spreading out completely. She was filled with joy of seeing someone that she knew she could trust, someone she could stay loyal to when the rest of her old circle of friends had turned against her. Why was she out here in the middle of nowhere though?

Then she looked to the stallion standing next to her. Big Macintosh! This time her thoughts were not as happy as before. She had not been around Mac as Applejack had been, nor had she ever been in a position to speak with Applejack long enough learn that Mac was immune. Being that she was trapped in Cloudsdale most of the time with no way to leave by herself, Dash didn’t even know that there was such a thing as immune stallions. So seeing AJ next to Mac when she had so obviously had been crying her eyes out made her think the worst of the stallion.

A spark of electricity touching her leg brought Rainbow Dash back to her current situation, Soarin growing impatient with her. “Come on, next jump. Get a move on.”

Dash snorted and positioned herself to jump through the next hoop. She couldn’t do anything for Applejack right now. If she tried she would not get far before either Soarin or the caribou stopped her, so all she could do for the moment was continue to jump through hoops for their amusement, both literally and figuratively. Another fast leap through got her onto the next block in the row, her landing becoming a bit unstable as the box was smaller and took more of her weight upon it. She fumbled around to retain her balance, eventually getting the block to rest and become stable enough to stand up straight on. There was one more in front of her, which she assumed was that way due to time with her and Soarin arriving late. First time she was ever glad that she was slow to get someplace, but now she wanted to finish this fast. She made one last dive, and caught exactly what she thought would happen out of the corner of her eyes the moment she went into the air.

Soarin had made his move the moment Dash’s hooves left the ground, grabbing the hoop she was going through and pushing forward. Dash tried to move herself mid-air to avoid the hoop, even flapping her wings instinctively against the painful prickly bits inside their binders, but her momentum couldn’t be stopped. The hoop crashed into her, and the weight of it pushed her off to the side, landing her in the muck.

Soarin shook his head disappointedly, “Still too slow Dash, and you know what that means. The boys are gonna have a fine time with you.”

Rainbow flailed around for a while before getting her bearings straight. She knew that would happen, knew that Soarin would do something to make it so he wouldn’t have to keep his promise. There was no way that she was travelling all this way just to make a few jumps.

The only reason she bothered to obey was because she knew that if she had refused, if she had done anything else like simply sat there and let the crowd boo her to their heart’s content, she would be getting it here, on the way back to Cloudesdale, and back at Soarin’s home for the next month. Her struggles were not resisting for resistance’s sake, it was about letting everyone know that she would not ever agree to anything they forced upon her, so when she gave a little it was so she could continue to fight another day. Soarin making her fail at the task he gave her was expected, as any male would do the same in his place, but this slight embarrassment was nothing compared to the beatings and rape that would have happened if she didn’t play along.

Soarin strode up to Dash, grabbed her by the yoke around her neck, and brought her up to knees by the contraption. “Come on, let’s get you in line so they can hand out the awards. You’ve held up the show long enough as it is.”

---

Soarin and Dash joined the line of other contestants, Dash having to use her knees to walk as she was dragged along. Two others separated the pegasus pair from the two Apples, close enough for AJ and Rainbow Dash to exchange glances but nothing more. They both had so much to say to one another, but that small distance made it impossible for either to say anything to the other.

“Now that the final entry has finished with their pitiful, yet incredibly entertaining display of female weakness, we can now move on to handing out the awards. Our judges have scored each of the females’ performances based on attractiveness, sexuality, control and overall enjoyment. They are tallying up the scores as we speak and the results will be here soon.” A few minutes passed with the arena coming to life with the mutters of who the winners would be, who would be open for use after the competition, and what punishments would befall those who didn’t place. It all ceased when they saw a more distinguished looking caribou who had acted as one of the judges come to the event announcer with a envelope in hand.

“We have our results!” said the announcers as he tore through the paper exterior and pulled out its contents, “And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Starting with the absolute lowest of the best, our third place award goes to…” The announcer gave a moment of pause to build up the suspense, making Mac wonder if anyone really cared who placed where. Maybe there were bets placed on the girls by a couple of independent parties, but beyond that name being called out really didn’t matter to anyone involved. “Soarin and his fuck-slut Rainbow Dash!”

Soarin stepped forward, dragging Dash along with him. The two pegasi received a light round of applause for their placing from their co-competitors and the audience, but the stallion that asked Mac before about possible training services got close to the clydesdale and muttered to him under his breath, “Figures, that mare always ranks in just for being Soarin’s prized piece of ass. Third competition I’ve been in where I’ve entered in where she’s jack all and still placed. We always get to have some fun with her after, so there’s a nice trade off at least.”

Mac stood perfectly still, ignoring the stallion and waiting to see who was called up next. With how much celebration he and AJ’s act received compared to the others, it was just a matter of time before he would get called up. That was, unless the judges had different standards than everyone else there, but that was doubtful.

“Taking the place of best loser, we have Cherry Fizzy and Cherry Berry for their ‘Soda Pop Butt Chugging’ act!” The two ponies walked together to join with Soarin and Dash, the mare meekly following behind as her distended stomach sloshed what might have been a gallon of pop around inside, the only thing holding it in being a rather large plug wedged into her butt.

“And lastly, no doubt being the most interesting and surprising entry into this competition! An act that no one expected, but we all were amazed by! Please give a well deserved cheer for our competition's winner.... Big Macintosh and his obedient sister slave Applejack!”

The ponies in the arena all mimicked the same enthusiasm that they had when they say AJ first perform in front of them, and with the thunderous roar of approval surrounding him Mac led AJ to stand with the rest of the winners. All that was left was to get whatever ribbon or trophy they would be handing out and then get out of there. Then he would see if this had been worth any of the effort or if all this time Gunne was blowing smoke. AJ had subjected herself to violation for months now, and now showed that she was not simply a defiant black collar to thousands. If that didn’t work, then Mac did not think anything would.

As he thought about the caribou that had talked him into this in the first place, the clydesdale noticed that he was nowhere to be found. He said earlier that he would be watching from somewhere close, but Mac did see hide nor hair of him since he left the waiting area. It was unlike Gunne to lie to Mac, so the absence of the caribou was starting to make him jittery.

“Now that the competition has been decided it’s time to hand out the awards, and do we have a surprise for all our lucky winners! We have a special guest here to hand out the ribbons and prizes, hailing all the way from Canterlot! Every stallion now rise and every mare bow down before our praised and respected ruler…!” As if of one mind AJ and Mac’s eyes widened, their irises shrinking to the size of dots, and gave each other a look before turning their heads towards looking around frantically. There was just one person who would be announced under that title, and it was the worst possible person for any black collar or immune stallion to be around. “King Dainn!”

As Mac’s eyes darted everywhere to find the king of caribou, the clydesdale found him stepping out from the shadowy alcove he himself had used to enter the arena. The caribou must have slipped in there some time after he had left, as there was no way that anyone in Equestria would miss the presence of Dainn, or that of the two alicorn princesses following behind him; one, the former ruler of Equestria, Celestia, and the other Princess Luna. Both of which were linked to Dainn by thick iron chains that led from his hand to their collars, Luna's walk a slow, reluctant shuffle, while Celestia moved with contented grace. Following behind the three of them was Gunne, accompanying the king that he respected so much out into the arena. He must have been so proud of himself to do so, as his face was the happiest Mac had ever seen it.

The corner of Mac’s lip twitched as the caribou walked in his direction. This was the orchestrator of all Mac’s troubles. The one who took the life he and his friends and family once had and destroyed anything that made it good. The anger that he felt towards this one man was unfathomable, yet had to be somehow contained. He couldn’t show anger or hostility, the king would not take that lightly and it could cause everything he had done to be pointless.

On that thought he looked down to AJ and found her in a similar state of noticeable anger at the sight of the tyrant and the fallen rulers of Equestria. He couldn’t risk being disrespectful to the king by bending over to tell AJ she needed to calm down, but he had to do something before Dainn got close enough to see Applejack’s face. Thinking the fastest he ever had, Mac slipped his arm up Applejack’s back and placed his fingers on the back of her skull as lightly as possible. She needed to recognize the command to be at ease, for her sake, and she needed to follow it. When she tensed her body and forced herself into a somewhat uncomfortable grin Mac knew she had listened to him and that this was the best he could do considering. It was all he could ask of her.

Dainn moved toward the awaiting contest winners, the alicorn princesses crawling on hands and knees behind him as he approached Soarin. For the first time, Mac heard the voice of the man who overthrew a thousand year kingdom. “Always a pleasure to see you enforce your authority over this one. Shame you got here late, I would have liked to see more out of her than just a few jumps.” His words were powerful and precise, without seeming loud.

Soarin put his arms in between Rainbow’s yoke and her arms, lifting her up and presenting her before Dainn. “Well it couldn’t be helped. I’m just glad we got here in time for Dash to do what little she did.”

“Indeed, and for her participation I believe she has earned this.” Dainn looked to Gunne, who handed him a large blue ribbon that said ‘3rd’. With the ribbon in hand, Dainn grabbed Dash’s left breast and squeezed it so her nipple poked out. With the nub sticking out as it was he was able to make out a small hole within it, one that matched Applejack’s own pierced nipples, and slid in the ribbon’s needle to put it into place. While Dainn tugged on the ribbon to ensure that it was attached properly, AJ watched Dash lift up one of her hooves as if she was going to kick, but then set it back down in a half hearted stomp. Even she knew that in this situation trying to attack Dainn would only lead to a heap of trouble. Though if AJ was in Dash’s place and circumstances were different, she wasn’t sure she would have the mental fortitude to do the same. At the very least she would give the caribou king a piece of her mind, for what little good it would do, if any.

Dainn took another ribbon from Gunne and proceeded down the line, stopping at the two other earth ponies from Ponyville that had placed second. “An amusing performance. You’ve trained your mare well.”

“Thank you very much your majesty.” Cherry Fizzy said, giving the mare a slap on the ass, “Say thank you, Berry.”

“T-t-thank you, y-y-your majest-t-ty” Said Cherry Berry, terrified of what both her master and the king would do if she didn’t.

“Um... Sorry King Dainn, my little Berry is still self conscious in front of crowds. We are working on that problem though, aren’t we?”

Fizzy gave Berry’s ear a hard tug prompting her to speak, “Yes master! We are doing our best to get past that!”

“It’s understandable that a female has problems speaking in front of me,” said Dainn, “As any might be before their king. However, make sure that she gets over her fright soon. Mares need to be willing, eager and unafraid to do anything and everything that is commanded of them, no matter who is watching them.” As he did with Dash, Dainn gripped Berry’s breast with his mighty caribou hand and squeezed until her nipple pleasantly popped out. Unfortunately for Berry she didn’t have the piercing holes that Dash and AJ had, and Dainn had to put the ribbon into place the hard way. What was probably supposed to be a scream was reduced to a small squeak as Berry suppressed her pain in her muzzle. AJ watched a small trickle of blood from the needle’s entry point, adding it to her list of sins the caribou had committed against ponykind, a list that already had too much on it to keep track of.

“And here we come to the winner.” Dainn said as he stepped away from Berry without a care for what he had just done. “I have to say, when Gunne told me that you’d managed to show improvement and train your sister into a proper mare I had my doubts, but I think that the performance you gave speaks for itself.”

AJ allowed herself to slip back into her red collar frame of thought, and placed her arms behind her back while pushing out her chest to present her breasts as she had caught Roseluck do in front of Mac on several occasions. The more easily accessible they were to the caribou, the more “red” she would appear in Dainn’s eyes, and if anyone needed to be convinced it was him.

Gestures alone wouldn’t cut it though, words were needed to emphasize exactly how far she had come. She had to fiddle with what she would inside her head to come up with something that was agreeable to her, but she knew that in many cases a woman wasn’t supposed to speak until her master gave her permission, so she had time.

When Dainn stepped in front of AJ he gave her a cursory glance, then gave his full attention to the stallion next to her. “Gunne stressed that her development has been, for the most part, your doing Mister…”

“Macintosh,” Gunne piped up, quick to give the king the information he required.

“Of course, Macintosh. Gunne has said so much about you. Glad to see that our rehabilitation program for mentally deficient stallions has paid off.”

Mac kept eye contact with Dainn, which made him have to lift his head slightly as Dainn was a little taller than even he was. At this close of range he could make out every detail of the caribou king; his body covered in fur of a greyish tan hue, his short cut black hair that came out from behind two large antlers that branched off into many small points, eyes of dark blue that made Mac think of the darkness of night. All of this protected by a suit of half plate mail embroidered with etched in caribou runes that made him all but untouchable to magical attacks. He would be a daunting, if not impossible foe to anyone stupid enough to face him in battle, and someone Mac had always hoped he would never have to be this close to.

“I’m..” Mac took a second to recompose, building up the courage to speak to one who held his sister’s fate in his hands. “I’m glad to be of help. Took me some… time to get mah priorities straight.”

“He still has some small problems, as to be expected with stallions with his disability,” Gunne added, “But with my help, he has become much better and in turn has been able to tame this mare.”

Mac wished that Gunne hadn’t had said that, thinking that it would make Dainn think poorly about him. However, if the caribou king did he didn't show it, barely acknowledging the comment visibly. “It’s good to see a citizen of my kingdom coming along nicely, and that our decision to allow the more compliant of you to remain a part of it has produced such positive results.” The statement reflected Gunne’s own view on the subject, that it didn’t matter to Dainn if a stallion had a few issues as long as they didn’t interfere with the caribou’s agenda. “The only thing I’m curious about is how this mare feels about her role in my kingdom.” He turned to Applejack “Have you accepted that you are a worthless female who has no power and exists for the sole purpose of servicing men?”

Dainn was trying to antagonize her, trying to see if she would crack under his insults. She could tell by the way spoke his words, intent on wounding her pride. She had already decided on what she would say as she was waiting, and even if she skirted around the question itself. “Ah have been letting mahself be used for mah body frequently and been doin’ everything mah master has told me to do. It was only because of his guidance that Ah was able to do what I did here today. Ah live to serve him as much as Ah do any man that wants to use me.” The way she said it was completely honest, even the last part. She didn’t ‘serve’ Mac, they were a team in this endeavor, and likewise she didn’t serve anyone else.

“What splendid words from a mare who has learned her place.” said Dainn, pleased by Applejack’s answer.

“Then might I take this as a go ahead on that matter we’ve been discussing, my king?” asked Gunne.

“Yes, yes, from what I saw she’s done what she needs to in order to prove herself worthy of it.”

Gunne could not have shown more eagerness to put an end to this as he did. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the red collar contained inside it, then walked in such an expedient way that it near became a sprint in the short distance he had to go. “Stand aside Mac,” he said, gently directing the clydesdale out of the way so he could get behind the mare. Placing his hand onto Applejack’s collar, the caribou’s antlers started to glow.

Applejack let out an amazed gasp as the collar around her throat fell off her neck. It hit the ground with a resounding thud, a sound that etched itself in the farm mare’s memories. The pain that had been constant since her enslavement had left, and for the first time in a long time her neck was unrestricted. She couldn’t help but stretch out her cramped muscles, moving them in ways she almost forgot she could. It felt right, it felt like freedom, the distinct lack of a layer of clothing being the one thing that separated how she felt at that moment from how she used to.

The feeling was incredibly short lived, and a hand grasped her hair and held it firmly. “Hold still,” said Gunne, wrapping the old black collar’s replacement around her throat, taking away what she had just reclaimed. What she wouldn’t give just to not have to wear one of those accursed pieces of leather. She would happily suck off every stallion and lick the pussy of every mare in Equestria just to be able to move her neck from side to side without anything getting in the way, but knowing the caribou they’d agree to such a deal only to renege on it when she finished.

Applejack felt the seam of the new collar disappear from existence and become one solid ring, removing once more any freedom of movement she had. With the confinement came something new though, something that replaced the months of agony she just endured. The red collar, while still as tight and constricting as the last, felt much, much better than before. The inside of it was layered with soft padding that was amazingly comfortable in comparison to the rough, scratchy texture of the black one. The magic induced sting was replaced with a massaging sensation that made a moan of pleasure escape AJ’s lips, which then made her face try to match the color of her newly acquired status symbol when she noticed that was enjoying the simple lack of pain much more than she should have.

With the collar now properly fitted, Gunne released Applejack and let her take in the benefits of obedience. What she could’ve had from the very beginning was now hers, and perhaps that would make her become more compliant over time. She was a fake red collar now, but over time she hopefully would settle into her role and stop being a mess that Mac had to clean up after. That was his hope for now, but he would have to keep at the work that he had started. This mare was still far from being the woman she should be in his eyes.

AJ did spend a few seconds taking it in, reaching up to touch the object that represented what she and her brother had gone through and achieved. She never really believed that this plan would work, and partially never wanted it to. They had done it though, and now things would finally be easier. That was the thought that was slipping into her mind, that was until she heard a loud sound of outrage coming from down the line she was standing in. It pulled her from her thoughts, and when she saw who had made it her heart sunk all the way to her hooves.

Rainbow Dash, being held back by Soarin, was creating a bigger fuss than AJ had ever done during the times she was abused, betrayal and hatred showing within her eyes. She was livid, the very picture of rage. What set her off was clear as her anger, as she had just watched the last of her friends give in to those who had taken away everything from all of them. She couldn’t say anything to defend herself, not because Dainn was right next to her, but because if it had been Dash doing this instead of her she would’ve been the same way, if more subtle with how she expressed it. Despite what the caribou might say, Rainbow Dash was still the embodiment of loyalty, and now as far as she knew there was no one left to be loyal to.

“AH!” A near crushing squeeze of Dainn’s hands wrenched Applejack away from her infuriated friend’s hatefilled shouts, her breasts getting the same treatment as the others before her as the first place ribbon was placed into her nipple holes and locked into place.

“Don’t concern yourself with that one, mare,” Dainn said with a sense of satisfaction, “Unlike you, she doesn’t yet understand her place.”

Against Dainn’s suggestion, Applejack gave Rainbow Dash one last look. Soarin had gained control over the bound mare, forcing her on her knees and keeping her down by holding onto her shoulders. Dash did give one final glare though, right before turning her head away and drooping it in disappointment. It was heart rending to see what might have been Dash giving up on what little she had left to hold onto, but AJ didn’t think she could say or do to fix what had happened.

With the ribbon latched on tightly, Dainn brought his attention back to Mac. “You’ve done well, and for that, I want to give you this.” He gestured to Gunne, who then presented Mac with a gold embroidered, pure white envelope.

Mac took the envelope, again not wanting to risk offence, “T-thank you. Now if I can, I’d like to get Applejack back home so she can get back to work. She’s had enough of a break as it is and with that nice new collar on Ah think she needs something to remind her where she stands.” Mac tried to play it off, but his attempt to get AJ away from this terrible event was pretty transparent, even to himself.

If Dainn thought the same he didn’t let it be known, and instead just said to the stallion, “Indeed; after getting a red collar is the best time to remind these females that they are still just pets. Don’t you think it would be much better if you had some help to drill in that lesson though?”

“What do ya mean?” Mac asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

“We have an entire arena of stallions that are certainly itching to reward her for earning her red collar. It would be a pity to let her leave without letting them do so first.”

“Well we really do have a train to catch and... “ Mac felt a hand go on his shoulder, Gunne’s hand, and it was telling him to let it go. He had to remember that as far as things were concerned, he was just AJ’s handler. His sister was a government owned mare, and this was the king deciding that she had to stay and fuck any that would want to fuck her. “You’re right. Mah train doesn’t leave until later anyways.”

“Then it is settled,” said Dainn, “And with that I have my own train to catch back to Canterlot.” The caribou king turned and gave the chains in his hand a hard tug, one hard enough to pull Luna and Celestia’s arms out from underneath them, making them both hit the ground harshly on top of their bare chests. “Get up and let’s go. You both know what will happen if you hold us up.”

Dainn left with his two princess slaves just as he had came, putting Mac at a state of ease at his departure, and of grief at seeing those who he felt were better rulers than the caribou brought to such a state. It couldn’t be helped, no more than what was about to befall Applejack.

“Hey!” Soarin said as he took Dash by her yoke again, “Macintosh right? Congratulations on your win.”

Even though he had gotten AJ a red collar, Mac didn’t feel like much of a winner. “Thanks…” He said out of courtesy.

“So your mare is going to be sticking around for the after game activities, and she’s been giving my Dash some looks for a while.” Mac looked to Applejack and caught her turning away as she heard the pegasus stallion mention her. She wasn’t looking too satisfied with all that had happened either, what little they gained from this had attached to it a price they hadn’t foreseen. “It’s giving me a great idea. How about we set them up together. Two of the kingdom’s most recognizable sluts together in one spot. There will be lines circling the place. What do you say?”

Emotionally drained and seeing that this would had no different of an outcome than if he had Applejack put herself out to get screwed, Mac gave a somewhat defeated nod.

“Great, then follow me and we’ll set these two up, sit back and let everyone else perform for us.”

Soarin walked ahead, and Mac turned his sights on Gunne. He didn’t feel as if the caribou had betrayed him; his plan had delivered the red collar as he had promised. This was all a matter of bad circumstances, and he had no way of knowing that this is where, when, or how any of this would turn out. Nevertheless, there was still a little resentment towards the caribou for his part in what AJ was about to endure. He swallowed the mild and unjustified hostility, and instead held out his hand to the caribou.

“Gag, now.” said the clydesdale. Gunne understood, and handed over the leather gag they had used to transport AJ to Appaloosa. Mac snatched it up and placed it around Applejack’s mouth, catching her off guard as she dwelled on Rainbow Dash. “The king said you had to have sex, not how. Let’s at least keep one hole away from a dick today.” Mac locked the muzzle gag on fast, not wanting to hear any objections or complaints. This would make things a little easier on his sister for now, as she could swear and scream and act out as much as she desired, and no one would be able to tell the difference.

“Mac,” said Gunne as he watched Mac tighten the strap on the gag,” I know that this seems bad right now, but this is the last thing that needs be done for things to be better for the both of you.”

“Ah get that, Ah really do,” Mac replied, “But I’ve had mah fill of ‘last things’ for one day.” Once the gag was in place and locked, Mac spun AJ around to look her in the eye. “Now AJ, you’ve been through a lot today… and if it were up to me we’d run back to Ponyville if it meant getting away from all of this… but…” Mac paused for a second needed to find the courage to say what he had to,”… We can’t defy a direct command of the king. So just bear with it for a little longer. Can you do that?”

Applejack gave a nod, her self-esteem so low after Rainbow Dash lashed out at her that she couldn’t muster up the will to object.

“Good girl…” Mac said as he gave his sister a motivating pat on the head and led her off in the Soarin went off to, Gunne following close behind.

---

In a matter of ten minutes, AJ had her arms tied above her head, wrists bound together by rope that went through a hook hanging from the ceiling of one of the arena’s entrance corridors. On the other end of the rope was Rainbow Dash, removed from her yoke and tied in the same fashion so the two pulled against one another as they stood back to back. Dash’s wing binder pushed up uncomfortably against Applejack’s shoulders, AJ not making any effort to adjust herself as if the farm mare did she might unintentionally hurt the pegasus again.

She was close enough to Dash that she could have whispered to her if she did not have the muzzle on, but even if she could speak AJ did not know what she would say. If Dash was anything like herself, she wouldn’t believe that this was all an act, even if it was said by the element of honesty. Red collars always had supposed reasons or excuses as to why they submitted, and most were not to be believed. The collar she now wore marked her as trouble to any black collar, and Dash had every right to think the worst of her.

“Why are you hanging your head so low?” said a stallion standing in front of AJ, “You’re a red collar now. A sexy slut who should take some pride that a line of men this long wants to fuck you.”

AJ lifted her head up to see the line in front of her, stallions in numbers so high that she could not see the end of it. Behind her was another line just as long for Dash. With the amount of stallions she recalled seeing in the stands, she could tell that neither of them were going anywhere for a while.

“Who cares if her head hangs?” said an earth pony stallion as he stepped up, cock in hand to be the first one to take the new red collar, “All that matters is that we have a hole to shove our dicks in. The red collar just means that she’ll love what we do to her.”

The earth stallion grabbed one of Applejack’s legs and lifted it up off the ground, causing her body to turn slightly and her arms to pull down on the ropes that connected her to Rainbow Dash. She could hear Dash yelp as her arms were forced upwards by Applejack’s own weight; the toned, muscular earth mare was much heavier than the trim racing pegasus. Feeling guilt over what she had inadvertently done to her friend, AJ adjusted herself to alleviate some of the pressure on the ropes, straining herself to lift her arms and body up in the awkward position she was in. It didn’t do much, and put AJ’s face first into the space between Dash’s wing shrouds, but Applejack would do anything in her power to make this experience less awful for her friend.

The earth stallion placed AJ’s leg over his shoulder, which made AJ have to go on her hoof tip in order to not be taken completely off the ground, before using his now free hand to grab a hold of her other leg with his now free hand. “Sluts like this are only good for two things; being a quick fuck that doesn’t make a fuss about it and the nice sounds they make while getting hammered.” The stallion said while he rubbed the engorged flare of his dick against the farm mare’s exposed sex.

Next thing AJ knew, the stallion pulled back on her leg and thrust himself forward into her. The forced entrance was not nearly as bad as what she had already done to herself earlier, but it made her give out a long moan of displeasure all the same. The stallions watching had good laugh about that. “Suppose you’re right. Listen to her moan. She just loves having a cock inside her. Let’s make sure to give her a fucking she won’t soon forget.” One of the stallions waiting for their turn said.

“Don’t worry, I intend to fuck her brains right out of her skull before any of you even get to her,” said the earth stallion. With that he began his his assault on the mare’s sensitive tunnel, thrusting into her with powerful jabs that pushed AJ forward each time and ran her face into Rainbow Dash’s back. It was like he was putting everything he had into each movement, like he was trying to break her when as far as he knew she had already broken. Figured that she would get a sadist as the first person to take her that evening, and more were certainly to come.

It was not long after the stallion penetrated her that the line on Dash’s side started to move themselves. A stallion that AJ couldn’t see from her position went right up to the blue pegasus and grabbed her legs, lifting her right off her hooves and onto his penis. The raising of Dash’s body caused the rope to gain some slack, and AJ involuntarily dropped down to make up the difference. Applejack found herself staring right at Rainbow Dash’s flank, and with another trust from the stallion inside her, the earth mare was pushed far enough that she went face first into that rump and was draped in Dash’s multicolored tail.

Perhaps it was because she was living in the moment and was taking everything she felt as it came, but Applejack felt that this was, above anything else that she had done to her, the most humiliating and demeaning moment of her life. More than when she had sex with Pinkie on stage, more than being paraded naked through the streets of Ponyville, more than being raped by Ivangir or any other insignificant point of embarrassment before the fall. Being used as a fuck hole for countless stallions while one of her best friends got raped in a similar fashion next to her would be the benchmark she would base all future events against.

She would be able to handle it, as Apples were made of sterner stuff than most, but there was little more that could be done to make this worse than it already was. The feel of the rope tightening and pulling against her wrists as Dash pulled against them with all her might in vain struggles. The sounds of her infuriated screams and a light patting that came from her binders as her wings hit the inner walls of them, either in her rage or as an involuntary reflex to the sexual abuse she was given. The knowledge that during it all Dash was probably thinking of her, and how she no longer had a friend she could trust. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and lastly herself, all wearing the caribou’s symbol of obedience and acceptance. It was going to be yet another thing to visit her dreams, and would haunt her for some time to come.

---

From a nearby wall, Mac looked on stoically while the first stallion came inside his sister. He had held nothing back, and when he moved out of the way another took his place, going at about the same speed as the first. It was revolting, and made worse by having to watch yet another person he knew can cared for get molested not even inches away.

Gunne stood right next to him and kept an eye on Applejack as well, though for reasons that Mac knew were different than his own. “She is doing very well,” he said, “And don’t worry, I won’t let every male here have a turn. When she gets past maybe thirty or forty of them I break them up and we can leave. We do have a train to catch after all.”

“That makes me feel so much better…” said Mac.

“It’s the best I can do,” Gunne replied, “And she can handle it. I have that much faith in her abilities.”

“Of course she can. She’s mah sister.” Mac said back while he wished this day would just end.

“By the way, what is it that the king gave you as a prize for winning?” Gunne asked in hopes of getting Mac’s mind on other things.

Mac was still holding the envelope in his hand, crumpling it up slightly as he expressed his anger in a socially healthy manner. He was not very sure what he had been given either, and right then diverting his attention from something he could not prevent might be better than stewing in his own emotions. He tore open the envelope, and pulled out a letter. As he looked it over, he read it aloud for Gunne to hear.

“Dear first place winner, in commemoration on your victory today King Dainn and the Council would like to, blah, blah, blah…. It is an honor to have a stallion as capable of handling black collars as yourself in our kingdom and, blah, blah…”

“Mac please, show some respect.”

Mac sighed, “We would like to show of our appreciation and acknowledgement of your abilities, and as such hope you accept these two...” The clydesdale stopped there, not believing what the letter said. It couldn’t be right, or at least he hoped it wasn’t. After today he didn’t want any more of the caribou’s surprises, and yet as he reached inside of the envelope he found that what the latter stated would be inside was indeed there.

“What is it Mac?” Gunne said curiously, not knowing himself what had been awarded to the stallion.

Mac just looked at what he had in his hands with dread: two golden slips of paper, each saying on them, The Grand Galloping Gala at Canterlot Castle, Admit One.

Seeing Red

Mac stood before five mares, ready to start another day of work on his farm. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, but the girls under his protection were now well-acclimated to the way things worked under Mac and their duties. What had been an uneasy relationship between the stallion and the mares held loosely together based on their dependence for one another had developed into something stable.

“Okay girls, you know the drill,” Mac said with a smile on his face, troubles feeling miles away due to recent events. He looked to a blue-coated mare sitting with her hands in front of her on the ground next to him, the dog-like purple collar whom he had all but adopted, and gave her a pat on the head before looking to his other side and the mare who had sacrificed so much to make the current peace on the farm possible. “AJ, if ya would.”

Applejack stepped forward, clipboard in hand and determination on her face. She grabbed the tip of her hat, one of the ‘privileges’ restored to her upon becoming a red collar, and tilted it to get the sun out of her eyes as she went over the day’s agenda. “Carrot Top, you’ll be harvesting field four today, with Lily backing ya up and pulling the carts once they get full,” said the farm mare, getting right down to business on one of her ‘off days’ in the month since her re-collaring. Whether she wore red or black around her neck, her loathing of spreading her legs for the men that used her didn’t change, and she found she looked forward to days where she didn’t have to put up with them and could get some honest work done.

“Got it Applejack.” said Lily, who had been replaced by AJ as assistant supervisor. She had taken the demotion a bit better than she had at first, since Mac explained that she would still be asked to take up the role when he had to accompany AJ to do her red collar things. Considering the small changes her collaring had brought to the farm there was no one else as deserving of the role as her. Lily smiled while waiting for the others to get their own assignments, believing that it would be another day of hard, but fulfilling, work.

Carrot Top didn’t feel quite the same as her fellow black collar, not able to look past a simple change of neckwear to see that the mare behind it was still the same. From where she stood Applejack was just as bad as Roseluck, and in a way took the farm mare’s previous position of main red-hater. A shoulder nudge from Lily did manage to get a reply of “Yes ma’am” out of her though.

“Daisy,” AJ continued, “We need ya to crate up everything Lily brings ya to be shipped out off to Ponyville tomorrow.”

“I’ll do my best,” the mare replied, running off to get ready before the rest got to their jobs. Mac watched her scurry off in a blur of pink and green, somewhat satisfied that she was no longer the emotionally distraught mare she started off as when she first arrived. Making her life the slightest bit better, despite having to be molested every so often, was one of the rays of sunshine that helped him keep going. With the way she kept to her chores and stayed upbeat during even the worst of times, he could tell he did a good job with her.

“Roseluck, ya got purple duty. We need the ones brought in yesterday to get a full body cleaning. Fur, manes, tails, teeth and hooves.” AJ looked up from her task list and sent Roseluck a look of suspicion, “We’re trustin’ ya to do it right this time too. No more incidents like the last time.”

Roseluck grumbled under her breath, almost parroting Carrot Top’s own resentful gestures, but for entirely different reasons. AJ’s change from black to red did not equally change her situation like the rest. She was still stuck on the farm, limited to the rare times she was allowed to service a stallion physically. If anything AJ’s own red collar interfered with her goals, with each time the farm mare stepped out for a day meaning Roseluck would have to pick up the slack. She was getting sick of it all, but there really was nothing she could do about it. Mac’s word was as good as law when it came to what she could and couldn’t do.

“Whatever...” said the mare, taking off in a huff.

“She’s in more of a mood than usual.” AJ said to her brother.

Mac understood the issue, but it couldn’t be helped for now. He had a plan, the one given to him by Braeburn, and in order to follow it he had to earn the money he needed to buy up the family members on the list he was given. It was going to take a little time, but once he got a few more of his kin at Sweet Apple Acres he would be able to allow Roseluck all the time she wanted with the men in town if that’s what she really wanted. For now she was just going to have to see that prospect as incentive to work harder.

“I’ll talk to her later.” Mac said, unsure if he would really do so. While he wanted to make sure everyone was happy on his farm, Roseluck and her demeanor were still a touchy subject for him. For now it was best to let her vent and hope the problem would resolve itself.

“Then all that leaves is planting the carrots and cabbages in fields twenty and thirteen.” AJ looked up to the last remaining mare in the lineup; a yellow, blue maned mare in a white hat similar to her own. “That’ll be me and you Fiddly.”

Fiddly Faddle had been added to Mac’s roster of mares hardly a week prior, and had been easily acclimated to how things worked at her new home. From the stories she told of the farm she was at before, the black collared mare was mostly used as a farm hand that periodically had to serve her owner’s desires, both roles coming with all the necessary bonds and punishments one would expect a black collar would receive. Her new life as Mac’s private slave would be much less demanding, only requiring the use of her skills as a farmer and little more. He was so happy to be able to rescue her, and that she came at a fairly low price considering what Braeburn said would be the range he should look for. The clydesdale took it as a sign that things were turning around for him, but didn’t intend to depend on such luck to stay. It was unlikely that things would continue to fall into place for him, but a small reprieve such as this alleviated some of the stress he had been feeling up until now.

“What’ll you be up to Mac?” Fiddly asked as she picked up a heavy bag of seeds sitting in front of the fence separating the fields from the housing section of the farm.

“I’m going to get back to work setting up the extension to the house.” Mac answered. With the mares that he hoped would soon be living there, he would need more room to keep them all in. “Which if any of ya get done with your chores early then I’d like ya to come an’ help me with that.”

The girls gave their last regards before heading off to their individual tasks, and Mac likewise went off to do his own. It looked to be a peaceful day, at least compared to many before it.

---

Equipped with a hammer and nails, Mac was busy as he nailed planks of birchwood to an oak frame. He had dedicated any free days he had to this project, which were not as many as he would hope. It was an unexpected side effect that AJ’s popularity increased immensely, requests for her use coming in from all over. The requests varied from photo shoots, to parties, to even a request to have AJ come to one of the red collar schools to show off her amazing display of obedience. To get anything done around the farm he had to limit her appearances to one or two a week, which seemed to be acceptable to the caribou.

From where the clydesdale stood he could keep an eye on almost everyone, the work of the mares motivating his own. Applejack herself was pulling a plow to till the land, a normal plow. Not one that she had to be bound to, or that had some sexualized gimmick to it, just a simply piece of farming equipment that let her do the work she needed to do. Gunne himself dropped it off, his own gift to the mare for, as he put it, “doing a what she was supposed to”. Mac would never understand how being unimpeded while doing her work was really a reward, but he had to admit that it sure felt like one when he didn’t have to put his sister through that wretched ritual of binding and unbinding day in and day out.

It was a reward that extended to the others, as the rest were allowed to go without the modified farm equipment as well, making things much easier on everyone. If not for their nudity, it would have been a normal, pre-fall day. Well… that and the mare chewing on a heavy stick Mac threw a few times for her before he started his work on the house. He really had to figure out what her name was, or at least come up with something to call her if she was going to be staying on the farm. He played around with a few names like Barking Mad, but then quietly reprimanded himself for making light of the girl’s illness before going back to hammering nails and watching the girls.

Each mare was doing their assigned job with no complaints and as efficiently as they could, except maybe for Roseluck, who was the only pony not in Mac’s line of sight. He didn’t mind too much about that though, the work he gave her was mostly to keep her out of everyone’s hair anyways, and she tended to do just enough to not have to hear about it later. For the most part she had been good as of late, the attitude replacing her attempts to seduce him. Perhaps she deserved something for her good behavior, just as Gunne thought AJ did for hers. What to get a red collar though? The easiest answer would be a day off to do what, or who, she wanted. Would it really set the plan Mac and Braeburn agreed on back that much if he just let her do it? Reminding himself that he essentially had her doing busy work that moment, it probably wouldn’t. With no reason to keep her, Mac decided he would let her have tomorrow off. She would be happy to hear that, so happy in fact that he chose to keep it a secret until next morning.

As he stood there, putting together an outer wall, he let all the bad thoughts of the world outside his farm slip as far away as possible. This is what he and AJ had earned; the ability to live a somewhat normal life at the cost of a bit of their dignity. It wasn’t a fair trade, but it was the best they could ask for. As long as Dainn was king things would stay this way, and that looked to be a long time. Keeping things as close to ‘normal’ as possible during these troubling times would be what would keep himself, as well as the rest of the Apple family, sane. Not much more they could do aside from look after one another and hope.

Mac pulled back his arm and swung his hammer towards a half-sticking-out nail, ready to drive it the rest of the way into the beam behind it. What he had intended to be a solid, yet controlled strike, went awry though as he caught something out of the corner of his eye. The distraction was enough for him to break his concentration, and slam the hammer into the wood so hard that it broke the plank he was working on, as well as the beam behind it.

“Aww shoot!” Mac yelled out as he realized what he had done. This was would set his project back, but no more than a few hours.

“Something wrong Mac?” said Gunne as he got completely round the corner of the barn house.

“Nothing Ah can’t fix,” Mac said, stepping through the half constructed addition to the building, inspecting the damage he had caused with his carelessness, “What are ya doing all the way out here?”

“Is it improper for someone to check in on a friend every now and then to make sure they’re alright?” Gunne replied, the inflection of his voice making Mac curious whether his question was rhetorical or not.

“No, but it’s a walk,” answered Mac as he started to remove the broken beam, “And Ah know ya got more than your own share of work to do.”

“The town has been pretty calm as of late. No escaped females, the dragon has commandeered enough mares to satisfy himself, and no one is complaining about a certain stallion being the town pariah anymore.”

The last part caught Mac’s ear, but he had already noticed that stallions had ceased their demands for his arrest and that he had become tolerated, if not accepted, by those who only so recently loathed his existence. “Figure that, let everyone treat your sister like the town whore and they suddenly like you.”

“I don’t think Applejack has quite that high of a title yet, and I think the pink one has claim to it. We could always help her get it if you wanted though. Would certainly help to remove any doubts anyone would have of her.” A smirk grew across Gunne’s face.

“Are ya mocking me?”

“Sorry Mac, but you left yourself wide open for a little ribbing there.” Gunne leaned up against one of the exposed beams as he gave a slight laugh. “Besides, you once again overestimate the abilities of your sister. It’s not her obedience that made them like you, but yours.”

Mac lifted an eyebrow to the caribou, “What do ya mean?”

“You are the one who, in their eyes at least, tamed your wild sister. You brought her to town, let men use her as a woman, and got her to do what no other man could, even a caribou. In some small sense you’re a hero.”

Mac cringed as he pulled the broken beam away from the rest of the frame, “I’m no hero... I’m just a man looking out for his sister…”

“Well yes, you and I know that, but if people want to believe more of you then let them. The more they believe in you the more they trust you, and the more they trust you, the more they will believe that you can handle Applejack. That’s what really matters about this and you should openly accept anything that makes you look better in the eyes of the public. It was part of why we went through so much to get your sister that comfortable collar she wears now, even if she doesn’t really deserve it,” Gunne paused, thinking back to the competition, “Speaking of…. I do hope that you are going to the Gala.”

Mac cringed even harder at the mention of the gala and tossed the wood beam he held in a huff, “Why would Ah want to go there?”

“Because there will be many, many, influential people there who it might be good to show that you’re no longer going to be a problem. You wouldn’t even have to say or do anything, your presence there alone would speak volumes.”

“Ah just don’t think it’s worth the effort. I’d be be sitting in the corner all night, watching more mares get abused…”

“I assure you that Canterlot red collars are amongst some of the most well-kept in Equestria.” Gunne interjected.

“And you know exactly what Ah mean. The best kept woman in Equestria still isn’t treated right.”

“Perhaps in your eyes, but that is just your perspective. I don’t believe I abuse my sister, as you put it, and if you said I did I’d punch you in the mouth right now.”

Mac believed him. As twisted Gunne’s view was, he did care for Ginna in a way that he had not seen in any other male that supported the caribou regime. Vestri might have been close, as he showed a deal of affection for the mare he brought with him during his visit, but Mac only encountered them both for what was maybe a few hours, not enough time to compare the two caribou.

Gunne sensed that he had made the conversation uncomfortable and changed the subject back to Mac, “You could always go to watch over Applejack,” he said, knowing that Mac was just as protective over his sister as he was his own, “I’m sure you’ve already gotten a letter saying that she is required to be at the event.”

The clydesdale had indeed gotten the letter in the mail. As Gunne said, it told him that Applejack would have to attend the Grand Galloping Gala in two months, along with the other mares formerly known as The Elements of Harmony. The date of the Gala had been changed by the caribou, to that of the anniversary of their capture of Canterlot and the beginning of their reign over Equestria, thus they were going to use the notoriety of the biggest party ponies knew to boost the celebration of the event. It was the only reason he even hung on to those damned tickets, as he worried what would happen if he didn’t attend, not that his attendance would make any difference.

“The king gave me two tickets though,” Mac said, making excuses so he wouldn’t have to decide right then. To further try to ignore the choice, he picked up a new beam and started hammering it into place. “It wouldn’t be right for me to show up alone.”

“Why don’t you take Mr. Cake with you?” Gunne asked. He had long since learned of the two ponies’ encounter. “You both share a handicap, and while he has a real red collar in his care I’m sure there are plenty of things that the both of you have in common.”

“Me and Carrot Cake don’t talk too often,” Mac replied. That was all both of the immune stallions needed; to be cooped up in Canterlot Castle, surrounded by caribou and converted stallions fucking the night away, with only each other’s discomfort to keep them company through the whole thing. He wouldn’t subject Mr. Cake to such torment when he and his wife, who was about as ‘red’ as Mac was blue, already had to deal with what was happening at the bordello.

“Then how about Mr. Rich?”

“Filthy?” Mac wondered aloud. He would enjoy the Gala, and would be quite thankful for the opportunity to hobnob with all the important people who would be there. Then again, any time spent with him would revolve around the older stallion telling him how good it was that Mac took his advice and tamed AJ, maybe attempting to get some private use with her for being the one to set him on the right track. “I’d rather not.”

“Well then, I suppose it can’t be helped.” Mac thought that he had finally won in one of he and Gunne’s debates with one another, but then he heard the caribou say, “I’ll go with you.”

“You?” Mac questioned, “You weren’t gonna go before?”

“I tend to stay away from events where my people congregate if I can. They are always displeased to see me, and thus I tend to put a damper on things. For you though Mac, I will gladly suffer their indignation.”

“Well Ah don’t wanna impose,” Mac said in one last ditch effort back out of the event.

“I insist,” Gunne stated, he would not take no for an answer. He would do almost anything to assure that Mac did not become an outcast like himself, “We go together. Ginna can stay here for the night to keep my people’s irritation to a minimum, you can keep an eye Applejack, and I’ll keep an eye on you as you drown your troubles in cheap wine.”

“Then… Ah guess Ah can’t refuse your offer,” Mac relented. Gunne was the best choice to take after all, and with him around he’d at least have a person to complain to when things got rough. It was going to be one rough night though.

“Then it’s settled,” Said Gunne ”And believe me Mac, you won’t regret this.”

Mac finished hammering his replacement beam onto the frame, “Ah already am.”

“Come on, no need to get all resentful. I even have something to take your mind off the matter.”

“Something to… what in Equestria have ya done now?” asked Mac as he got back to the outer part of his construction area.

“Well... you were right before about me not coming all this way for a simple hello.” Gunne pushed himself off the beam he was leaning against and headed back to the front of the house. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“Ya know Ah hate surprises!” Mac yelled after, standing in spot long enough to see that Gunne wasn’t coming back. The large stallion tossed his hammer aside and followed, bracing himself for whatever the caribou had prepared for him. Walking as quickly as he could, Mac passed right by purple pen, noticing that Roseluck was shirking her chores and was nowhere to be seen. It made him give second thought about rewarding her as he planned, but for now he had to let it slide. As he put that thought aside, Mac rounded the corner to the front of the house, and what he saw waiting for him was surprising as Gunne had said. Whether it was pleasant or not was still up to debate.

Gunne had brought with him Ginna, along with one other Mac hadn’t expected, Cheerilee. The purple mare was pressed up against the front of his home, with what looked to be some sort of golden jewelry hanging off her form, as the female caribou kneeled before her and licked lovingly in-between the red collared mare’s legs. Cheerilee's face contorted in attempt to control the lust building inside her with each long, heavy brush of the tongue against her labia, making only the lightest of sounds of desire.

“Very good Cheerilee,” said Gunne as he stood aside the mare, “You kept quiet enough that I could keep your presence a surprise. It’s a testament to your training.” The caribou male reached down and patting Ginna’s head, “But did my sister make you cum?”

Cheerilee shook her head, “No sir, I did as you told me and held it in.”

“Ginna?” The caribou wanted to make sure this mare was telling the truth.

“She didn’t, master,” said the caribou girl as she moved her lips away from the purple pony, “I held her on edge just like you asked, but I didn’t let her cum. She is a very good mare.”

“Then I guess Mr. Macintosh has good tastes then.”

“Gunne, for the love of Equestria will you tell me what is going on here?” Mac said, wondering why the caribou had Cheerilee in the first place, let alone why he had ordered Ginna to go face first into her crotch.

“For the progress you have shown in your therapy, the king has decided to give you a bit of a reward.” Gunne explained, “And going through the records we have on you, we found that you had a particular liking towards this specific mare, requesting for her use once a month at the least. A couple of guards dropped her off this morning and are waiting in town to get confirmation that you recieved her. I have to say she is a lovely creature, if a bit plain, and I can see why you’d choose her over some others you have access to.”

Mac had very little response to this, as the reason for why he had Cheerilee visit from time to time was a secret he kept from Gunne. As understanding as the caribou was of his assumed condition, the clydesdale didn’t think he’d appreciate that a government owned mare was being diverted from her duties just so she could have a break every once in a while. With direct movements he went to the mare, took her by the shoulders while hardly even looking at her, and led her to the front door. “Get inside, I’ll be in soon.”

“Yes sir,” Cheerilee said within heavy breaths, still feeling a sensation throughout her body from Ginna’s skilled tongue. She went through the door quickly to let Mac deal with the male caribou, believing she understood what he would do and why he would do it.

“You don’t have to be ashamed,” Gunne said as Mac closed the door tight, “I know you feel that you have to project an image of a pony who doesn’t treat females like sex objects, that it strengthens your moral view, but no one would blame you for having sex with a single mare every now and then. I bet she relieves a great deal of stress for you and…”

“Why did ya have to have Ginna lick her like that?” Mac cut in without even looking at the caribou, outright interrupting Gunne’s train of thought for what felt like the first time. “Ya know how I get with stuff like that?”

Gunne thought about what he had done, and came to the conclusion that Mac was right this time. “I’m sorry. I didn’t take your condition in consideration. It was careless and insensitive of me. I suppose with how much better you’ve gotten from when we first spoke I felt you might’ve finally seen that the way we do things isn’t bad.”

Mac lifted his hand, ready to slam it into the door in a bout of outrage, but held himself back. He didn’t need another thing to fix that evening. “Gunne, let me make this clear. Ah will never see things the way you caribou do. I’ll do what you ask of me, make the mares in my care fuck if I’m told to, I’ll even let AJ wear a got dang red collar to keep others off her back, but that will never change mah stand on this. So unless you’re going back on what ya said…”

Gunne calmly raised his hands, “No, my word still stands. All I ask of you is your compliance, nothing more, and you have given that.”

“Good,” said Mac, his mood settling down, “Then if ya mind not doing that again Ah won’t have to repeat mahself.”

“Right, got it…” Gunne stepped away from Mac, head drooping down a bit as Ginna followed closely behind him in worry. “I really didn’t mean to upset you.”

Mac tried to hold strong to his anger, but the way that Gunne held himself as he walked away got to him. The stallion rushed after him, “Look, Ah know Ah was harsh, but that mare in there is very important to me. If Ah could Ah would buy her and make it so no one else would ever touch her again, so seeing Ginna like that set me off mighty fierce.”

Gunne smirked as Mac came to his side, “So another one like your sister. Your heart might be in the right place, but you have some very unrealistic goals.” The two stopped at one of the fences dividing the house from the fields, watching as AJ moved by with her plow, Fiddly staying close behind pouring seeds into the furrows that were being made, “You can’t save them all like you did with Applejack.”

“Yeah, Ah know…” The stunt Mac and Gunne pulled was something that the stallion would never want to try again, and after inquiring about Cheerilee he learned that the caribou felt she would be put to better use under their direct command. As much as he wanted to help everyone he cared for, or perhaps everyone if he could, it was not a task a simple earth pony like himself could grasp.

“She works very hard, master,” Ginna commented suddenly as she observed Applejack.

“She’s an odd female. I believe her work is all she takes joy in,” Gunne explained to the female caribou.

“She takes joy in helping her friends and family. She used to go far out of her way to help the town whenever it needed it.” said Mac, keeping a closer eye on AJ than either of the caribou. What would have been a smile filled with determination as she tended the farm was nowhere to be see, only a cold expression of a mare who had little reason to wake up in the morning. “Ah think ya’ll took that away from her.”

“Do you think she sees herself like you master?” Ginna asked, “Like she’s a c… sival… civ-”

“A civil servant? She might think that, but I wouldn’t go that far. Remember Ginna, a female can never compare to the abilities of a male.” Ginna nodded and hugged her brother, while Mac crossed his arms at Gunne’s words. The caribou talked big, but he wondered if his attitude would be the same if he worked from dawn to dusk, all the while hauling a heavy plow behind him. “And with that I suppose it’s time we excused ourselves.”

“You’re leaving?” asked Mac.

“Yes, you were right with several things before. A magistrate’s job is never done, and I’ve already irritated your condition enough for one day. No need to exacerbate it further by talking about your sister the way I tend to do.”

“That’s thoughtful of ya,” Mac said as he walked with Ginna and Gunne back to the entrance.

“Mac, even though I made the mistake I made earlier, I don’t wish to cause you aggravation. I like you, and as of right now you're number two on the list of men I respect for something more than rank.”

“Well… I like you too,” Mac replied out of courtesy. Gunne had done so much for him, the caribou deserved at least that, “but Ah suppose King Dainn is number one, isn’t he?”

Gunne’s smile grew, “Always showing you’re quicker on the uptake than you let on.” The two caribou stepped off of Mac’s property and onto the road leading back to town. “Have a pleasant evening.”

“You too,” said Mac.

Gune gave one more nod and heading down the road. “And Mac,” he said without stopping, “That list I mentioned, there are only two people on it.”

---

Mac only allowed for a little time to let what Gunne had said sink in. For another person to tell you that you're one of two people they actually respect was big, but there was something more important waiting for him. He ran back to the house, where Cheerilee was waiting, as fast as his legs would move him. Making his way to the door, he almost burst it open on accident just so he could see the mare as soon as possible.

What awaited him though drained his excitement, as Cheerilee was not waiting patiently for him or fixing herself something to eat or anything else that he had thought she would be doing till he came to check on her. Instead she had braced herself against the arm of the couch, bent over with her legs rigid and spread to make a perfect upside down V, with her finger going through the sloppy mess of saliva Ginna had made. He could smell the scent of her sex from where he stood, and she was making noises so loud that if he had stopped at the door instead of barging in he would’ve been able to avoid the embarrassment he felt.

Caught in a situation that he didn’t expect, somewhat ironically considering the state of the world, Mac froze and stared. He had seen plenty of mares in acts of open and unrestrained self pleasure by now, but this was the first time it was someone close to him. It was a shock akin to walking in on Granny Smith in the bath, his eyes unable to avert themselves. With his vision glued to the mare’s body, he could now see and take in all the items she was dressed up in to accentuate her admittedly beautiful features.

Hanging from her neck was golden necklace; a strap of connected segments that curved to make a full circle that rested right underneath her collar. Rubies and sapphires encrusted each segment, leading to a large, circular diamond would have been resting atop her breasts if she was standing upright. From her breasts dangled two small chain piercings that held sapphires of their own at their ends that jingled and jangled with her movements. A plain strand of gold wrapped around her waist, hugging closely to her body and going over her tail as it went over her backside, the long strands of the tail itself put into a braided weave that separated its two colors into two long crisscrossing lengths, red ribbons carefully tied with it to create a third intersecting row of color.

Mac himself was beginning to become uncomfortably aware that he was staring for far too long, nervous sweat was forming all over his body, and a swelling was becoming more and more apparent in his pants. With as many naked mares as he had seen, the idea of female nudity had no real sway over his libido, and even seeing one masturbate in clear sight was practically meaningless as this point, but never did he figure that it would be what a mare was wearing that would trigger an erection. As if to swallow his own unexpected arousal, the stallion made a loud, audible gulp.

The sound was enough to catch the ear of Cheerilee, and she looked back to Mac with fear reflecting in her eyes. She thought she was alone, and never wanted Mac to see this side of her. Mac himself could spot the terror she held at him walking in on her, but likewise noticed that she was continuing to rub her fingers against her wet slit as if he wasn’t even there.

“S-sorry, I’ll come back later,” said the stallion, making an one eighty.

“Mac, wait!” Cheerilee yelled just as Mac touched the front door handle, making Mac freeze. “This… haa… isn’t… aah… what it looks like. Huh..huh… I’ve been drugged.”

“Drugged?!” The stallion closed the door he had partially open and went right to the mare’s side, his concern removing his embarrassment, “Did Gunne do this?!”

“No, not him. It was the fucking guards that brought me back from Canterlot.”

“Oh gosh, oh gosh! What do we do?! Maybe Ah should get Roseluck or AJ, they might know how to-”

“Calm down!” The stallion shut his mouth instantly, clasping it with his own hand to keep from blurting things out. “It’s… guuuuhh,” Letting out a longer moan than before, Cheerilee shook her head to regain her senses, “Look, just get me some water. A lot of it.”

“Of course, right!” Mac said as if he knew that was what would fix things. He grabbed the largest glass he could find and put it under the faucet. “Hot or cold?”

“MAC!”

“Right, sorry, sorry!” He filled the cup to the brim and took it over to Cheerilee, spilling much of it on the floor as he did. When he handed it off to the waiting mare, who had laid herself over the couch arm to have a free hand, she drank it down with only a few deep gulps.

“More.” She said, fingers still digging inside herself. Mac repeated his trip to the kitchen several times, getting Cheerilee glass after glass while not entirely sure why, until the mare final told him to stop. Whatever she was doing didn’t seem to be working though, as her finger had buried themselves deeper before, up to her knuckles. “This… aaa… will have to do for now.”

“What did that do?” Mac asked curiously.

“A liquid detox,” Cheerilee explained, “Purging my system to push out… aahh... what they put in me. It’s still gonna take... huuhhh... a while to pass, but it will make it shorter and help prevent… uhhh… addiction.”

“For Equestria’s sake… Ah can’t believe they would make you take something that…” Mac stopped himself, “No, that’s stupid of me to say. Of course they would. Is there anything else I can do to help ‘til it’s done?”

Cheerilee moved herself and sat down on the couch properly as her hand continued to rub her insides, looking as if it was moving on its own accord, “I need something to distract me. Mmmmm… Something to take my mind off things. AAaaaaa…..”

“Like what?”

“Just talk to me as I work my way through this.” Cheerilee said, her pants and groans becoming less frequent. “Tell me anything, what’s been going on around here. ooooooohhhhh…. I heard you and that caribou say something about Applejack being a red collar now, what’s up with that? I never saw her as the type to turn.”

“It’s… complicated,” As with the other mares on the farm, Mac hadn’t brought up anything about the plan to Cheerilee. Not that he didn’t trust her; if there was one red in the entire world to trust other than Applejack it was Cheerilee, but the clydesdale never really saw the plan ever reaching this point. It was always hoping for the best, but expecting the worst for him. Now that it had happened, there was little reason to tiptoe around the issue.

“Complicated is good, complicated means it will take a while.”

“Okay, one second,” Mac took a quick look around the house to make sure no one was inside, locking the doors along the way as he did. He didn’t want anyone else on the farm to hear, as thus far they had been treating things as if AJ had truly become red, with only family informed of the truth. If anyone else heard about it then there was a possibility for secret to spread further than intended. He had faith in the mares on his farm, but they were government owned and didn’t have the kind of will he assumed Cheerilee did. If for some reason they were taken away, even temporarily, there was no telling what they might say while they were gone. They could tell an old friend gone red, or let it slip in a moment of emotional duress. Keeping them in the dark affected little, except how they looked at AJ, and they would figure out that she was still the same mare as always as time went on.

When the coast was confirmed clear, Mac returned to Cheerilee’s side, “Well, it all started when Gunne invited me to his office one night…” Mac told the entire story, leaving out none of the details. Telling it to another pony, Mac started to realize exactly how lucky he really was. Had it of been another caribou that was magistrate, Mac would have never come up with the red collar scheme himself, and if he had he wouldn’t have had someone around to keep him calm during the worst of it or vouch for Applejack to the king of all people. AJ would’ve been taken away and it was even possible that he could’ve been switched because of it, as he wouldn’t have simply let her go easily. Gunne had done him a great service, and Mac wondered if he’d ever be able to repay him.

Cheerilee listened as closely as she could in her condition, having gone from using her fingers to keep her drug-induced lust in check to using one of the vibrators Mac kept around the house for appearances. “And after all this you think that he’s doing it for your sake?”

Mac, having finished his tale at the pet show, went onto the kitchen to make some snacks for the both of them. As he cut up a few apples into slices and prepared what he needed to make some daisy and hay sandwiches, he replied by saying, “He doesn’t seem like the type to lie to me. Once ya get to know him, he’s actually a decent guy… well aside for the whole ‘treating women like property’ thing.”

“Just because he seems honest doesn’t mean that he is. He could just be really good at it. Can’t you think of any reason he’d want to help you outside of ‘out of the goodness of his heart’?”

“Not really, Its not like Ah bribed him or anything. He just did all this on his own.”

“You gullible, lovable lug head, you are too trusting.” said Cheerilee, shaking her head at Mac’s naïveté, “He could have done this for a number of reasons. Maybe he wanted to make the king think that he got through to an immune stallion and helped tame Applejack for in order to look good. He might even be using it as insurance that you’ll do as your told. He uses the good will he’s built up with you and holds this over your head so when you step out of line he can remind you of all he’s done, and if that doesn’t work then he can just threaten to tell the king what happen.”

“He… could…” said Mac as he walked back in with two plates of food, “But I really don’t think that’s the case.” He thought about it more on his way over to the couch, and as he sat next to the mare what she did began to set in. “Ah sure hope that’s not the case.”

Cheerilee took the sandwich off the plate Mac was holding, biting into it, “Do you have any proof that he helped you do this?”

“Aside from mah word? Not really, why?”

“Would be nice to have something to impliment him if he tries something funny. Bet the caribou above him wouldn’t like hearing that he had anything to do with a mare swapping her collar color without actually being willing. I’d turn it in myself if things went for the worst.”

Mac shook his head in disagreement, “Ah don’t want to resort to that, even if it does turn out Gunne did this for selfish reasons. So long as Ah do as he wants AJ can stay here and everything will be fine… Could a woman even turn in evidence against a male?”

“I’ve seen it happen a few times before,” she said, “Mares tattling on resistance members in hopes that that could earn a red collar that way. Some black collars even try to act smart and accuse their abusive masters in hopes that they could get a better one in their place.”

“And it works?”

“It depends,” Cheerilee said, taking another bite of her sandwich and returning part of her attention to her still aroused pussy, running the tip of the whirring vibrator gently across its lips, “Many times they are ignored, but if there are prior incidents with a stallion not acting the way they’re supposed to then they are looked into. If they determine that the mare gave a false report then they are re-educated, the normal ‘rape and torture you straight’ routine that is giving to those who haven’t done a blankable offense. If the stallion is found guilty then it still doesn’t usually end well for them though, since just became available for the royal guard to take as ‘evidence’, who like to use their tattling as a reason to discipline them. They say that the mare was going against a male, even if it was in order to point them out as a traitor.”

Mac exhaled deeply, understanding from the last bit that Cheerilee was willing to put her own neck on the line for him. The sentiment was welcome, but the action would not be. He was going to tell her to not to do that under any circumstances, that if things went south he’d rather take his lickings and live with the outcome, but before he could Cheerilee let out a frustrated groan and tossed the vibrator she was holding.

“GRRAAHHH! It’s no good.” she declared, “They dosed me with something strong. I can’t even cum like this.”

“Is there anything Ah can do to help?” Mac said with sympathy. If the drugs inside her were making her aggravatingly aroused, but denying release, she would have to suffer through it all till the effects wore off. There was no telling when that would be at this rate, and for all he knew it could take all night.

“I don’t know.” said Cheerilee as her fingers made their way back through her vaginal entrance. “I thought I heard the fuckers mention that it reacted to warmth or… something!” The mare curled herself into a ball and fell over to her side, unable to push herself past the peak of pleasure no matter how hard or fast she rubbed. “Nothing is working though...”

Mac sat there as a mare he respected was reduced to shuddering, moaning pony trying desperately to achieve an orgasm that wouldn’t come. The whimpers she was failing to hold back as she masturbated herself next to him were pitiable, the clenching of her teeth while trying to resist, hurting in a way similar to when he watched Daisy, Lily, or Carrot Top submit themselves to some horny stallion they had no desire to be with. He loved Cheerilee like she was a member of his family, she was a dear friend that he couldn’t stand to see in pain. Unfortunately, he could only think of one thing that might work.

“Ah think… Ah think they wanted to make sure ya had... sex with me.” Mac said, scooting a few inches away from the mare when it set in that he had said that aloud.

“Huh?” Was the only thing Cheerilee could get out before a sharp sensation shot through her from her now aching pussy, making her clench her teeth back down and suck air through them.

“It’s just a guess…” Mac added, not wanting to sound like a stallion after the one thing most were after nowadays, “But whatever they gave ya might need a… umm… you know…” The stallion choked down his manners for just a moment, forcing himself to verbalize anything that was remotely a swear to him. “It might need a penis to fix, at least quickly…”

Cheerilee looked wide eyed back at Mac, he had never so much as suggested that the two of them actually had sex during her stays. From the very beginning he told her that he would refrain from having sex with any mare, willing or not, as long as the act was used to bring misery. “Mac, you don’t have to worry about me… ah! I’m fine, I promise you I’m-EEP!” Mac’s moral fiber didn’t allow him to break his self-imposed oath after all this time, and Cheerilee wasn’t going to be the reason he did.

“Ya can’t lie to me,” Mac said, grabbing the mare, bringing her into his arms. “You’re shaking, Ah can feel your heart racing through your chest, and ya haven’t completely stopped breathing hard since Ah came in here.” Making his point, Mac push Cheerilee back gently, “But you’re right… Ah can’t fix what ya are going through. Ah could never take advantage of a mare, not even if like this. If we did it while you’re under the influence of some damned drug, it would take away any meaning of love making.”

Admiration grew on Cheerilee’s face, her respect for Mac letting her ignore the feelings building inside her. He understood what she was going through, wanted to do what he could to help her, but still wouldn’t do anything that he felt would taint their relationship. “If only we did get married when we were slipped that love potion, then I would be able to stay here with you all the time.”

Mac had almost forgot about that and laughed when it resurfaced in his mind, “That does sounds nice…” He said, knowing that the potion she spoke of was just a different way of making a pony do something against their nature, but feeling a fond nostalgia for that incident that happened so long ago. It was like an innocent day dream compared to what he lived in now.

“I mean it,” the mare continued, “Of all the males I’ve ever been with, you’re the only one I’ve actually wanted to be with. If things were different, if I had a choice in the matter, and if the caribou didn’t own me… I couldn’t think of anyone else better than you. I could have sex with a thousand stallions and caribou, and I would never feel for them what I feel for you.”

“That’s just the drugs talking.” said Mac, half kidding.

“No, it’s not.” Cheerilee said as she wrapped her arms lovingly around Mac’s neck, kissing his cheek gently. ”I’m forced to be with all those other men, but the one I actually want to be with is you.”

Mac contemplated her words and the body language she was presenting. It wasn’t that of a horny mare looking for a quick screw, he had enough examples of that to know the difference. This was a mare showing her true affection for someone she cared for. She wasn’t begging for sex for the sake of her own release, or being all over him like she was in her estrus cycle, she was speaking her true feelings towards him.

“Cheerilee... I… ummm… “ Mac started, nervously coming to a decision about what to do, “What I’m trying to say is… if ya wanted.. but feel free to outright refuse me if ya don’t... “

The mare placed her finger over the stallion’s lips, silencing him. She understood where he was going with his clumsy talking, “Mac, I only want to do it if you do too. If not I’ll be fine, honest.” she said that, but as soon as she finished another spike of the desire peaked up and she yelped in dismay.

The yelp and Cheerilee’s words were all he needed to quelch his moral conflicts. He wouldn’t be taking advantage of her current predicament and she wouldn’t likewise be using him for just his dick, it would be two ponies giving their mutual consent to an act that would commemorate their affections for one another. “Then if we’re gonna do this…” Mac said as he slid his arms underneath the mare’s legs and back, picking her up from the couch so he could hold her in his arms, “We better do this right.”

Cheerilee let out a laugh, “Mac, you are so lame,” she said as she cuddled up close to him, “But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

Mac carried the mare in his arms up to his bedroom, savoring what was the first real romantic contact he’d had since the fall. He couldn’t get enough of it, the romanticism of it intensified after such a long absence. Some might say Mac was a ladies man, that he took more pleasure in bringing happiness to his partners than the act itself. Mac himself would say that it was just common courtesy, that if everyone wasn’t enjoying themselves then it was pointless, an attitude that got him more than his fair share of sex before the caribou came in both long term relationships and more casual ones when he wasn’t “spoken for”. He really wasn’t as much a prude as his demeanor entailed, he just didn’t like what sex had become.

Seeing it everywhere, with blowjobs and public sex becoming as common an occurrence as saying hello to a person, took away from Mac any of the aspects that would be arousing to him without having to connect it to the more sinister parts of the caribou regime. Mares being made to wear the painful black collars as guys rammed their dicks into them turned what would have been plainly dull into something vile, mares like Daisy who had come to him in such a traumatized state she feared that the men that had her were going to turn her into a purple collar. As he opened the door to his room, Mac felt that if anything would remind him of the good things sex could offer, it would be this.

The stallion, being the gentleman he was, took the mare in his arms over to his bed and laid her down on it so her head rested on his pillow. Cheerilee let out a small squeal at the treatment, as excited about this as Mac was. It had been just as long since she had been treated this way by a male, most of which using her as a warm hole to shoot their loads in. Watching the stallion remove his clothing turned her on ten times as much than being tied down and paddled, covered in jizz by dozens of horny stallions, or shoving the many vibrating, pulsating, wriggling or otherwise stimulating sex toys inside her various entrances. The removal of his shirt alone gave her a clear shot to the clydesdale's muscular torso, with abs so solid that they could cut diamonds. Taking off his pants, however, made her let out a loud gasp at the plump piece of meat that popped itself out of the denim at the first chance of escape.

The joke that the mares of Ponyville shared with one another was that he wasn’t called “Big Mac” for nothing, and as his pants hit the floor Cheerilee could see clearly that there was truth behind the humor of it. Mac was easily over a foot long, sporting a dick so long and thick that even some caribou would be envious. The head alone looked to be as big as her fist, and from her experience she could tell that if he put it in all the way that it would reach her cervix and likely push past it into her womb. The sight of it sparked her libido, and made the chemicals coursing in her system ignite her lust, shooting feelings of arousal into her being again and again.

Mac heard Cheerilee’s heavy panting return, and turned to see her face flush. She was feeling it bad, and as stupid as it sounded he was the only cure to what ailed her. He kicked off the pants that draped over his ankles and went to the foot of the bed, climbing onto it and up to the horny mare. The closer he got, the more her legs separated for his arrival and revealed her wet, waiting privates. He stopped as his face reached the lips of her nethers, gently placed his hands on her spread thighs, and opened his mouth so he could lap his tongue against her sweetness.

“OOOoooOOoooOOoo… Maaaaaaaccc!” Cheerilee moaned when the stallions tongue rolled over the entrance to her pussy. It was all too rare for a male to go to this length to bring pleasure a woman, so wrapped up in their own desires that one would have to have a fetish for the act or the taste of female fluids to want to go to this extent. The sensation felt wonderful, the tongue having a precision that a dick did not as it went along her sensitive flesh. Mac used the tip of it to teasingly go along the skin, slipping it into the mare’s slit occasionally and less occasionally at her clitoris. He was diligent at the task as well, hardly taking a moment to relax as he sent spark after spark of good feelings through her.

As he wriggled his tongue over Cheerilee, Mac took careful note of how she was reacting to him. Every sharp inhale, every twinge, when her legs gave a tremble or her fingers curled up to grip the blanket she was on top of he knew. He wanted to make this perfect for her, wanted to make her forget about any other males that treated her like some whore that existed solely to satisfy their needs. If he could do that then he had done his part, and thus would be pleased himself.

He didn’t really think he’d have much trouble accomplishing that though, as he knew his way around a woman fairly well. The number of mares that shared his bed with him would have been admirable pre-fall, even if laughable now. Aloe, Jetstream, Amethyst Star and Berry Punch used to be frequent visitors to Sweet Apple Acres for a quick romp in the hay, Sassaflash was short term his girlfriend once before they broke it off so she could be with Caramel, and he and Lily Valley once started dating simply because they both had the common talent of growing plants, which to his admittance was partially why he picked her to run the farm while he was away in the first place. If there was one stallion that knew how to get the most out of a mare sexually, it was him.

It showed as he continued on, with Cheerilee’s moans becoming so loud at the touch of his slippery tongue that he had to ease up a couple of time in fear that someone outside would hear. If AJ caught wind of this he might never hear the end of it, even if she was pretending to be a red collar. That didn’t stop him from doing his best to push the mare beneath him to the peak of pleasure, forgetting that only his dick was the only thing that would push her over that edge. When he felt that the teasing had reached the point he wanted, he pressed his muzzle directly into her wet crotch, mouth open so he could wrap his lips around her opening and send his tongue as deep inside as he could.

Cheerilee jumped, surprised that Mac would go so far. His tongue flailed around inside her as if desperately looking for something and the slurping, sucking noises coming from the stallion served to enhance the feelings it delivered. Her arms pulled so hard against the blanket her hands gripped that she ended up partially covering herself as her hands came to her breasts, pulling the ends onto the mattress itself. She could barely stand it all, feeling like she could burst at any moment if not for the inhibiting chemicals inside her. It made her regret not being with Mac sooner all the more, as the clydesdale was thrilling her as much as any partner she’d had before, and this was before he even started fucking her.

“Okay,” Mac eventually said, removing himself from the soft labia that he had spent tens of minutes on, “Let’s fix that itch those caribou gave ya.”

Just like that Cheerilee was once finding herself laughing somewhat at what she believed was Mac attempting a bit of dirty talk, sounding as cheesy as it possibly could’ve coming out a mouth that had only seconds ago been buried in her mound. It really spoke for his personality; that he really would never be like the converted stallions, that it just didn’t suit him, and that was something special that she loved.

Cheerilee leaned forward slightly, looking up at Macintosh with longing eyes. The clydesdale stared back, looking deeply into the green irises that surrounded the blackness of her pupils. For a while they simply looked at one another, watching to see if either was regretting what they had started while building up their own courage to go on. They both saw nothing but approval in the other’s eyes, and felt something inside them that told them to go on.

When they slowly inched toward one another, meeting with single deep kiss, they were both at the same time surprised at their actions and yet had anticipated them. Cheerilee’s tongue swirled around Mac’s as she wrapped her arm around his torso, their saliva mixing as the their tongues danced with one another. Cheerilee couldn't remember the last time a kiss had made her feel so good, a warmth inside her body raising to incredible heights. She closed her eyes and let it all flow over her until a feeling of something entering forced her to embrace the stallion above her as tightly as she could.

With a slow but firm push, Macintosh entered into Cheerilee. Entering the tunnel between her legs, he could feel as her inner walls hugged and tightened around his cock as Cheerilee broke their kiss with a moan. Hearing her pleasure filled cry, Macintosh pushed in more until he was fully encased in her body, Cheerilee dug her fingernails into the fur of his back as she felt Mac’s full girth in her, took a deep breath and let out the deepest groan she could, her experienced body feeling a pressure within it unlike any that came before.

Macintosh, fearing that he might have been hurting the mare, stopped. It would not have been the first time he was too big for a mare, and he didn’t want to risk an injury, “A-are you ok Cheerilee? I'm not hurting ya am Ah?”

Cheerilee opened her eyes, small tears pooling in them, but smiling gently, “No Mac, i'll be just fine. Just… hold me.” Macintosh nodded his head silently and leaned down to slide his arms under her body, lovingly and tenderly pushing himself the rest of the way into the mare as he returned her embrace. Each movement of his hips got him closer to hers, filling her insides with his cock until finally they met.

Now that his complete length was inside the mare, the head of his dick resting up against the entrance to her womb just enough to feel as if it would push through without actually doing so, Mac pulled out slightly and thrust himself forward, a loud smack of flesh hitting filling the bedroom. Macintosh pulled partially out again, and then trust forward, repeating this pattern over and over, Cheerilee announcing her approval with her grunts and squeals. The air around them began to smell of sex like the living room had, this time accompanied with a bitter scent of sweat, the potent smells serving to arouse them both as they held each others in embrace.

“AHH! Mac! Please! HARDER!” Cheerilee yelled as loud as she could while she moved her body into the clydesdale, matching his building rythme as the fire within her built. She could feel the drugs letting go of their hold of her with every push, each of Mac’s heavy breaths acting as a spell to release her from her denial of pleasure. Mac heeded her words and plowed himself into her as hard as he could, feeling his own pleasure building up inside as well. Each of his pants was responded to by one of Cheerilee’s sharp gasp, Mac understanding her feelings like they were speaking a language only they knew. Clenching his eyes shut, the stallion made one final thrust and…

---

A splash of mildly cool water splashed over Applejack’s body, cleaning off the sweat and grime of a hard day laboring out in the hot sun. It was refreshing as she poured a bucket of clear liquid over her face, mouth open to gulp down as much as she could while letting the rest flow down her form. Fiddly stood aside her, pouring some water from her own bucket on top of her head before replacing her hat and taking a deep sip. It had taken most of the day, but the two had gotten their fields plowed and seeded.

“Nothing like a honest day’s work, right AJ?” Fiddly said after finishing her drink.

Applejack poured the remainder of her bucket down upon herself, getting the few remaining dry spots she had, and then tossed the container aside. “Well it sure beats the heck out of sucking down cum from a pitcher,” she replied, recounting a part of her last visit to Ponyville, shuddering as the memory of the taste of white fluid surfaced in her mind. The feeling of the substance she chugged down just the day before still sat in her stomach. She hoped that it was only stallion semen that they had her drink and that there weren’t some other disgusting surprises inside.

“Darn tootin’,” Fiddly Faddle said resting against the fence, “Ah still can’t believe that ya are able to put up with all the stuff they put ya through as a red, or that other Apple mares do the same at Braeburn’s place. Ah don’t think ah could ever hold a grin on mah face while stallions did to me what their doin’ to ya. Ummm… no offence intended.”

“None taken,” AJ replied, “If Ah had to spend another night this week at the business end of a dick or thanking a guy for a slap on the flank I’d... I’d… well Ah guess I’d have just done it…” The mare groaned and took a spot on the fence next to Fiddly, “The things Ah will do to keep mah family safe.”

“Well everypony here sure appreciates what ya are doin’ for them, or at least I’m sure they would iffin’ they knew about it. From the way it sounded ya’ll were pretty much like the last farm Ah was on before ya did this whole red collar thing”

“Yeah, it was all bondage tools and heckling from guys who were looking for a black collar to torment. Can’t believe that Gunne was right about them stopping once Ah became a red.”

“Ah guess they git their fill when ya are in town,” said Fiddly, taking another sip from her bucket before passing it off to Applejack, ”Gunne… that’s that there caribou feller that was walkin’ down to the house, right?”

“Right,” AJ took a gulp from the bucket and then hung it off one of the fence posts, “And Ah wouldn’t concern yourself too much ‘bout him. Might’ve come up with the plan to get this collar, but he’s still nastier than a one-eyed snake.” It took a moment for AJ’s to realize how her euphemism came out. “Ah mean… aw shoot.”

“Heh, don’t worry cousin, I git it. Don’t have to tell me twice that a caribou is bad news. There was one back at the last farm Ah was at that would throat fuck any mare that so much said a word when he was around. Said he was putting their mouths to better use than they were. Was working up the nerve to tell him off when Mac came strolling up to get me out of there.”

“You were?” asked Applejack, “Ah thought ya said ya kept your head down and did what they told ya at that place.”

“Ah did, but that doesn’t mean Ah was just gonna sit back an’ let some overbearing prick walk all over me an’ other mares without a stern talking to. Bet he would've forced mah mouth open with a gag an’ tied me to a tree so the whole town could push their dicks in it, but some things are just too important. At least he would have to hear it from a mare, and that would’ve steamed his britches for a while.”

“Huh…” AJ said, amazed to hear a mare say something like that while at the same time acknowledging that she would’ve had to go through something terrible if she did what she set out to. AJ had been a resistant, unwilling mare before she agreed to Gunne’s scheme, and partially all the way through it, but in many ways it was a kneejerk reaction to a bad situation. Thinking back on it all, there were so few times since the caribou that AJ had actually stood up for others, let alone herself since Canterlot. Had she really been so affected by what happened there that she had forgotten how to do so? It was an odd revelation, and one that scared her slightly as it dawned upon her.

“But Ah guess for you that boat has done left dock,” Fiddly added, “Can’t go toe to toe with a caribou without lettin’ them know that collar ya have doesn’t belong there.”

“Ah guess you’re right about that,” AJ sighed, knowing that what her cousin said was true.

As the two earth mares continued talking the sky began to get dark, with the sun setting down on the horizon. The cool air brought on by the nightfall was very much welcomed by the two mares after a hot day of roasting out in the fields, and two rounded up their equipment and put it back in the barn, moving on to more pleasant topics while doing so. By time they set everything up where it belonged and came back out, Daisy, Carrot Top and Lily were coming in to do the same.

“Howdy girls,” AJ said politely as she stepped aside the barn door, “Didn’t work ya’ll selves to hard, did ya?”

The other mares looked a bit more exhausted than she and Fiddly were, but she attributed that to them just finishing up. It was getting around quitting time and even if they had things left to do, Mac didn’t want them working past dark in case something was lurking about that shouldn’t have been, which could include things from diamond dogs to even less savory things.

“We’re all fine,” said Lily while she pulled in one last batch of Apples to that would be crated up first thing in the morning. “Just glad the day is over. It was scorching today.”

“Warmer than it was last week. Glad I was able to sit in the shade for most of it.” said Daisy.

Carrot Top had nothing to add to the conversation, walking past AJ and Fiddly with little more than a “Hi” as she entered the barn with a couple large buckets in her hands.

“Don’t mind her,” Lily said trying to make up for her friend’s apparent rudeness, “We had a few accidents today. Bucked a tree the wrong way and her hoof is still hurting from it.”

“Don’t worry about it none,” said AJ, “Ah know that she doesn’t like red collars and she is right to do so. If it takes her a while to be friendly with me again, then I’ll just have to wait.”

“Thanks for understanding AJ,” Lily said making her way inside, “Speaking of red collars, where is Roseluck? She should have been here by now.”

Lily was right, Roseluck wasn’t anywhere to be seen. If it was any of the others AJ would have chalked it up to them taken some time finishing up their tasks for the day, but when the sun went down Roseluck was always one of the first to drop everything and wait near the barn for Mac. It made AJ somewhat worried about her, though at the same time she wondered if the mare had wandered off.

“There she is!” said Daisy, pointing out to the dirt road in front of Sweet Apple Acres, spotting Roseluck walking back to the entry arch from the other side of the fence, “But… who are those other two with her?”

“What other two?” AJ quickly questioned as she took a few steps away from the barn, getting closer in order to get a better look in the fading sunlight.

When she saw who it was she made a spin on the back of her heel and went back to the other mares as casually as possible. Two ponies fully dressed in the uniforms of Canterlot guards were coming to the farm, following closely behind the red collar with matching scowls while she had a gleeful grin. That combination could not be anything but bad, and AJ had to act fast to prevent things from being worse than they had to be.

“Girls, Ah need ya’ll to listen to me carefully.” The others all came close, even Carrot Top, AJ’s tone too dire to ignore. “We got two guards coming our way and that means trouble’s coming with ‘em. Ah need a couple of ya to go around back, not draw attention to yourself, and get Mac while the rest of us keep them busy.” AJ knew that no matter what the guards were here for, they weren’t going to want to listen to what a mare had to say. They could be distracted for a while by some alluring acts of submission, but they were going to have to talk to a man to work out what they came for.

“Are the ones that stay behind going to have to have sex?” asked Lily.

“Maybe… but if Ah can prevent it then Ah will.” AJ said reassuringly.

“Then… I’ll stay here with you,” said Lily.

“I’ll stay too,” Fiddly Faddle said after Lily, “Family has to stick together. Mac told me those two have had it harder than some. Ah reckon I’ll not be the reason for them to go through more things they rather not.”

“Thank you Fiddly. That’s awfully nice for you to do for someone you hardly know.” Daisy was amazed, it was hard to find a black collar that was willing to take a raping in the place of another, at least not out of the ones she had met.

“Ain’t nothing.” Fiddly showing a tiny bit of pride on her face through her modest words. “Figure everyone here watches out for each other an’ Ah’d hate to be the only one not actin’ neighborly around here.”

Carrot Top was put a little off guard by both AJ’s and Fiddly’s willingness to take one for the team, if only in a potential sense. She had spent far too much time with Roseluck, seeing her drastic change from upstanding member of Equestria to cock hungry, self-centered slut as a common trait amongst red collars. AJ, outside of her frequent excursions off the farm to fuck, didn’t really seem like the type of red that she knew though. Where she expected Roseluck might have come up with some sort scheme to involve everyone in some huge orgy to satisfy her lust, Applejack was doing what she could to keep as many as possible out of that kind of situation. Seeing that Fiddly was just as willing to bite the bullet for mare she hardly knew, it might have been an Apple family trait to do more for others, even if they turned red.

“We’ll get Mac and be back soon.” said Carrot Top, grabbing Daisy by the hand as she headed to the back of the farm house. The two groups split up as they exited the barn, Carrot Top dragging Daisy along as Applejack and the others went to meet the guards that were already a quarter of the way towards the house.

---

Mac opened his eyes slowly, a pounding in his head bringing him back into the world of the living. After his initial release, which had been beyond anything he had anticipated given how long it had been since he was with another pony, he and Cheerilee kept at it until they both were too tired to continue. The feeling was indescribable, like something inside him was able to escape after being pent up for months upon months. Masturbation, while able to satisfy any immediate need to stimulate his body, just didn’t compare to actual sex. Abstinence certainly came with its downsides, and Mac could tell that his cock wasn’t going to be happy with him later for returning to celibacy just after it had the chance to savor the taste of a mare’s pussy.

He rolled on his side, lifting himself off his mattress with one arm. The way he turned gave him a good look at a pleasantly sleeping mare lying underneath his blankets, silently dreaming dreams that he hoped had him in them. Right then, the school mare was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on, the recent emotions they had shared together still fresh in his mind. The more he thought about it, about her, the more he thought about how she would have to leave him again. How a mare of such beauty would be treated as a cum dump again in a week’s time, and how none of the men who fucked her would appreciate their time with her for anything more than a quick and easy fuck. Mac wondered how long it would take for the mistreatment to wipe away what little good he had done today, to make what was something special that he would cherish a distant memory for Cheerilee. He hoped that day would never come, but too many of his hopes went unfulfilled when the caribou had their way.

He dwelled on those thoughts for a while, trying to barter, compromise, or even outright deny them in any way he could, but in the end he couldn’t legitimize to himself any of the scenarios he came up with. He felt defeated, believing that it was possible one day that Cheerilee would see sex as nothing more than a chore, or worse, that her urges would consume her and she’d see it as something she had to do for more than just the caribou demanding it of her.

The whole thing was gradually taking Mac away from the good mood he had waking up and making him more depressed each passing moment. He had to put his attention on something else, and luckily for him that pounding in his head was getting louder.

“Wait…” the clydesdale said quietly so not to wake Cheerilee, “That’s coming from downstairs.” The pounding wasn’t that of an on coming headache, but of a knock on the door that was pretty urgent from the sounds of it.

Mac slid out of bed, his dick still semi-erect from after what he had done with Cheerilee and covered in a thin layer of the mare’s vaginal fluids. It came as little surprise to the stallion, he always had above average stamina when compared with other stallions, but now was not the time for his penis to be craving seconds, or perhaps tenths was more appropriate seeing how many times he came. He had a heck of a time getting back in his jeans with the added bulge, but with some maneuvering found enough space in his pants leg. His walk would be a little off, but no one would notice it unless they were looking directly at it. At least he that’s what he told himself while putting on his button up shirt and heading downstairs.

When he got downstairs both doors were receiving quite a pounding, and with a glance to one of the windows to see how dark it had gotten it was understandable to the stallion why. The work day was done, but the doors were locked and no one could get inside. He chuckled at what he had done, not having expected that he and Cheerilee would have been upstairs for hours. If AJ had anything to say about it, she would’ve been right to do so and he would easily admit the mistake.

“Hold on, hold on! Imma comin!” Mac said as he approached the closet door, the one in the livingroom. With a turn of the lock and a twist of the knob, he opened the door to what he thought would be an incredibly miffed orange farm pony, but instead he found himself face to face with a Canterlot guard. “Umm… hello…” He said sheepishly, not sure what else to say to the serious looking pony staring up at him.

“Would you please step out of your home sir,” the smaller stallion said, emphasizing the ‘sir’ to make it clear that he had only said it out of formality. Mac obeyed his request, ignoring the pounding at the other door. The guard, noticing the pounding himself, turned his gaze away from Mac. “Hey commander, we got some more around back. Go get them and bring them here.”

Following where the guard was looking, Mac saw another guard not to far away standing next to what was two thirds of the mares that resided on his farm. Fiddly, AJ, and Lily were down on their knees, lined up side by side with their arms behind their heads and chests pushed out. Roseluck was with them but on her hooves, arms crossed as she watched a guard travel down the line, hip cocked slightly and bearing a somewhat proud expression. The guard himself was eyeing up each of the kneeling mares, tapping at them with a shock baton, causing it to spark close their bodies to get a reaction from them while chuckling like an idiot when he got one to recoil.

“Did yah hear me?!” The guard near Mac yelled, not liking that he was being ignored.

“Sorry, was making sure these mares didn’t try anything funny. Especially this orange one.” said the other guard, taking a moment to rub his free hand across the front of his chestplate.

“I’ll watch them, go around back and see what that knocking is about.”

The lesser ranked guard grumbled and charged his baton one last time in front of AJ’s eyes before heading around the house. The threat of his sister being hurt made Mac feel a lump in the pit of his stomach, the sensation making a feeling that he hadn’t had to deal with for a month come to the surface. “What do ya think ya’ll are doing to mah slaves!?” Mac yelled, sticking to the part he had to play in public.

The guard was unimpressed by the outburst, “Quiet you, this whole farm is currently under investigation-”

“Investigation?” Mac asked, “What for? I’ve done nothing wrong and neither have mah mares.”

“That’s yet to be seen,” the guard argued, “And for the possible crime of being a female sympathizer.”

A tingle traveled through Mac’s body, his nerves felt as if they had shut down from the shock of the accusation and needed to start back up. The look on the guard's face told him that his own face was being very telling at the moment, as the stallion’s glare was slowing going from annoyed to menacing. “Now wait just a cotton picking minute,” Mac had to regain control of the situation, even though he didn’t know how. His first thoughts told him to stall for time, so that is what he decided to do. “What reason do ya have to go accusing me of something like that?”

“We have the testimony of that mare over there,” said the guard, pointing directly Roseluck. The mare looked back at the clydesdale, a smile on her face that was filled with devious intent as she saw the terror gradually grow in Mac’s eyes.

“Roseluck?” He said aloud, the utterance of the name further expressing the fear he felt, along with a sense of betrayal.

“She had quite the story to tell,” the guard elaborated, “She said she overheard a conversation you had with the town’s magistrate. That you two had come up with some sort of crazy scheme involving that orange bitch over there, getting her a red collar despite her being as resistant as a mare who’s about to be blanked. Seeing that the magistrate is a caribou we ignored her at first, but after a while her tale became very convincing.”

“Took a lot of convincing too,” Roseluck said as she wiped her lips off on her arm.

“Shush you,” the guard reprimanded, to which the mare went silent, “We looked into her claim, discreetly asking the stallions in town about you, if you had an ongoing relationship with the magistrate, if you had had a past of… causing problems.”

Mac didn’t have to ask what the guard had heard about him, it was pretty well known that he and Gunne spent a lot of time together in the past months, and what they said about his past wasn’t even in question. “Look, I’ve been getting better each day. Gunne has been helping me get mah mares in line, Ah am not a sympathizer.” He said that, but panic filled every word he spoke.

The guard didn’t seem to be buying it either, grabbing his own shock baton and patting it in his hands, “To tell you the truth, the only reason I haven’t given you a shock to the chest already is because a caribou is involved and it seems impossible that one would do anything to help a mare and a sympathizer. They have pretty clear views on how females should be treated.”

“R-right, that’s an excellent reason why Ah can’t be a sympathizer. If Ah was Gunne would have turned me in himself,” Mac was grasping at straws, unequipped to deal with something like this. The last time he even felt like something like this would happen to him was the first time he was in Gunne’s office, and back then the very thought of being arrested for treating his mares fairly filled him with a fear like none other. He was no better off now after all this time. He tried to think of what to say, how to turn things back in his favor.

Try as he might, the only thing he could think of was Roseluck and how she caused this. It was all so hard to take in; as much as he was wary of her as a red collar, he never expected her to do something this malicious. He knew her before being a red collar, as he did all the others on his farm, and the mare he knew back then would have never been the type for this. It put a question in his mind, one that he had to get out and knew there was only one way to do so. What could drive a mare to do something like this? Something that threatened not only his well being but that of every pony on the farm. She had to know that it wouldn’t just be him and AJ that would suffer if this guard decided to side with her story.

“Roseluck… What’s all of this about?” The clydesdale asked, wanting answers. There had to be something to this. Had he done something wrong? Did he mistreat her in some way? There was that one time long ago when he grabbed her by the hair, did she still hold a grudge? If she was really going to turn him in, then he wanted to know why.

“What’s this about?” she repeated, “Are you really that clueless Mac?” In a display of brazenness Mac had seen in few mares after the fall, Roseluck walked right up to him, tilted her head upwards to look the large stallion in the eye the best she could, and said with resolution, “Sex.”

“Ah… Ah beg your pardon?” said Mac, in disbelief of her answer. She couldn’t be serious, but she looked as if she couldn’t have been any more serious as she was at that moment.

“Oh for fuck’s sake… I want dick, cock, penis, dongs, shafts, rods, sex! I want sex!”

Mac was taken aback by Roseluck’s barrage of obscenities. She had shown plenty of irritability from a lack of frequent sex, but he didn’t want to believe that was what it was the real reason for this. “But Ah have made it so you could have sex. When Ah took AJ to the pet show we left Ginna here with you so you could-”

“Sex with men!” The mare interrupted, “If other women could do it for me then I’d use the purples behind your back. Heck, if I got Daisy alone and pressured her into it she might have given my cunt a licking.” Roseluck stopped herself, noticing her sexual frustration getting the better of her, “I need to be fucked, fucked hard, by a big, powerful dick. I want stallions to stick their things between my legs and in my flank till I can’t stand, and if I stay here than that will never happen. Ponyville is too far off for stallions to visit regularly and you hardly ever let me go to town. The only way to change this is by turning you in for the threat to the kingdom that you are.”

“I asked about this too,” said the guard, “and from what I heard it sounds like you don’t fuck these sluts like any real stallion would. As a guardsmen that believed that a mare’s real purpose was in a bed with her legs spread even before the caribou came, I don’t find it very reassuring that you have four mares at your beck and call and you don’t bother to use them.”

Just then, the other guard returned, and with him came Carrot Top and Daisy walking in front of the stallion as he pointed his baton at them.

“Make that six mares. It’s ludicrous that a straight male would be so surrounded by pussy and not take advantage of it.”

“You’re telling me…” said Roseluck.

“Quiet, you had your say in this and that much more than most mares get. We’ll take it from here.”

“Yes sir, of course sir.” Roseluck said delighted.

Mac was running out of options, Roseluck’s testimony backed up by the townsponies acting as character witnesses against him to a pair of biased guards. He was considering attacking them, certain that he could take them if he really had to, but that wouldn’t solve anything. It would just lead to a bigger investigation when the pair didn’t report back to their stations. He needed something to give him some leeway, a way to get these two on his side. He didn’t have a clue where to start though.

“Hey,” the returning guard said as he passed Mac by and got a good look at him, “Isn’t this the guy we had to deliver that purple bitch to?”

“Yeah, what’s your point?” said the commanding officer.

“Well you were complaining earlier about how you have to keep dragging her back out here all the time so he can fuck her right? Sounds like that goes against what we heard when we asked around.”

There was his opening, the little space he could slip through in order to maybe… maybe get out of this. “Like he said, Ah request a mare once a month for her use. Ya know that more than anyone else. Ah don’t have sex with any of these ones because they don’t compare to a mare as trained as her.”

“Oh please….” Roseluck chimed up again, “You don’t do anything with Cheerilee. You just let her sleep on her ass all night.”

“That sounds like you’re letting a government owned mare neglect her duties, which is considered unlawful misuse of government property,” The guard said, once more taking Roseluck’s word over Mac’s.

“No, Ah do use her. Ah even…” Mac went silent, stopping before he said too much.

“‘You even’ what?” the guard insisted to know what the clydesdale was about to let slip.

Mac didn’t want to finish the sentence, even if it could clear his name. Perhaps if what he almost blurted out was untrue it would have been different, a feasible lie being easier to say then the truth. To tell the guards, and likewise everyone on the farm since they were too close not to hear, would break his code of honor and make open a private matter between him and a mare he greatly respected. He grit his teeth, once more put into a spot where he couldn’t do anything because of his morals.

“Come on, out with it.” demanded the guard, his patience wearing thin.

“Ah… can’t say...” Mac relented.

“Then I think that you need to come with me so we can get this whole thing straightened out. Don’t worry about these sluts either, my partner will make good use of them until one of us comes back.” The way the guard said that told Mac there was a good chance that the one that returned wouldn’t be him.

Already he was fearing the worst, he was going to be taken to Canterlot and the farm was going to be put under investigation to see if Roseluck’s claims were true. Someone else would be put in charge of Sweet Apple Acres, and they would do unspeakable things to the mares on his farm. What if it somehow got back to Braeburn? There really was no reason to think it would, but if it did reach back to him then his entire operation could be blown wide open. Mac’s entire family was in danger, at least in his wild imagination, and all because of a single red-collared mare.

“I’ll make use of them alright?” The other guard said, thinking he was being witty as he forced Carrot Top onto her knees next to Fiddly. He then reached for Daisy, but the pink mare made a quick step backwards away from his out reaching hand. “Hey, do you want me to shock that can of yours, or do you want to get on your knees like a good little bitch?”

“I…. I…” Daisy looked over to Mac, the stallion that had been so kind to her since her transfer to the farm. If not for him her holes would have been filled day in, day out in some place far away from Ponyville till her mind broke and she became a purple collar. He had saved her from such a fate, allowed her to live the best life she could with the kingdom under caribou rule, and had been nicer to her than any stallion, no, anypony had ever been. She could not just let him get arrested, not for doing the right thing. “I would sir, but… well a slave is suppose to do what her master commands of her right?”

“Of all the stupid things to ask. Of course a slave obeys her master, that’s the first thing you should’ve learned. Hasn’t this stallion taught you anything?”

“He has sir, and that’s why I can’t join that line.” Daisy replied.

“What?” the guard said to her bold statement, patting his baton in his hands a few times as he approached her slowly.

“I-I don’t mean to be disrespectful sir, but if I kneel next to them I’ll be disobeying an order from my master,” Daisy walked over to Mac as calming as she could with the guard coming at her, “Because I’m suppose to be kneeling next to him.” The mare descended to her knees, placing herself in front of Mac and her face a little below his crotch height.

Roseluck looked at the other flower mare, confused at what she was doing. She knew what it looked like, but out of all the mares there Daisy was most coddled one Mac had. It was almost humorous to see her pretending to be submissive, and she just had to call her out on the act. “Daisy, what the fuck do you think you are doing?”

“You should know what I’m doing Roseluck.” Daisy said, not removing her eyes from Mac’s crotch. “It’s the same thing I’ve done since I got here, everyday at exactly this time.” Daisy took a deep breath and let her jaw hang down, holding her mouth open as she stood herself up on her knees slightly to make up the difference in the height. She had never done anything like this of her own accord, but pressing her face into the front of Mac’s pants she felt excitement creep in.

She actually did like Mac, adored him, maybe even loved him. She fantasized of him often, of what it would be like if they were a couple before the fall, if they had gotten married, and sometimes her daydreams wandered into what it would be like if she was his willing slave. There was a certain erotic pleasure she got from imagining herself as one of those whorish red collars, tending to every desire Mac had, which was never more than her body and her own contentment, a contentment that revolved around the clydesdale’s own. It was a silly fantasy, one that she knew would never really happen since Mac was far too modest and kind to treat any mare as a mere sex object, but if it was him she felt that had he ever wanted to use her for that it wouldn’t be that bad.

Daisy rubbed her face against the cloth fold covering Mac’s pants zipper. She was unskilled at what she was trying to accomplish, but the extra brushes made it look like she was worshipping his dick as a good mare should. Mac himself was speechless, standing in silent shock at her behavior. His inability to speak worked out for them, as if he resisted her advances or jumped in surprise it would have given away that they had never done this before.

With the stallion frozen, she kept rubbing her muzzle until she finally pushed the cloth impeding her progress aside. The next part would be harder, but at least this step was over. Next she needed to get that zipper down. Sticking her tongue out, she flicked it at the slider to lift it up. She had no experience in this whatsoever, but it didn’t seem that hard to understand. It took a few attempts, but soon she balanced it on the tip of her tongue and then clamped her teeth down on it.

The feeling of metal between her front teeth was not pleasant, but still she held it there and lowered her head. A slow pull brought the slider into a descent, the usually short journey to the bottom of its track turning into a minute long excursion. When the zipper reached the end of the line something unexpected by both Daisy and Mac happen, as the final pull popped the button of the stallion’s jeans and the fell to the floor.

The moment the pants fell low enough Mac’s dick shot up slightly, still partially erect from his time with Cheerilee. The guards noticed Mac’s impressive size immediately, along with the powerful, heavy reek of sex wafting into the air. In a split second their opinion of the stallion shifted greatly, as Roseluck was caught in what they thought was a lie. This was not enough to change it completely though, but now their attention was gained.

Daisy, on the other hand, was now mimicking Mac’s own silent shock. She had heard stories, but never expected to see something of this girth before her eyes. It removed the idea of swallowing Mac’s dick from her plans, as something of that size would be impossible to fit inside. She couldn’t stop though, she had to do something now that she got this far. “Master?” she asked, her voice as submissive as it could be, “May I please have the pleasure, the privilege, of cleaning you mighty cock?”

Mac found it difficult to get over the paralysis that prevented him from moving away from the mare kneeling before him, but as time passed he regained control little by little. First thing to leave was the surge of panicked thoughts that rushed around in his skull, his own exposure in front of the group not nearly as bad as he thought it would be. His initial reaction was pretty much as he expected, but the recovery for it was amazingly short. He had become mildly desensitized to the taboo of his own nudity after seeing so many others privates during acts of public sex, or general nudity in the case of the mares. It was embarrassing, but he was not as mortified as he should have been.

With the subsiding shock came recognition of what was going on before him. As AJ had sacrificed her own dignity for the those who lived on the farm, Daisy was about to do the same. In order to convince the guards though, Mac would have to likewise participate in the act and show that he could be trusted by using a mare for her body. That would be the hardest part of this, to be a direct participant in something he despised, but a quick glance over to the other mares that depended on his protection, particularly those amongst his family, he knew he had no other options.

“Like ya even have to ask,” He said as he gave Daisy a gentle pet across her mane. Mac was going to put aside his morality, just this once. The looks the other mares gave him, Roseluck included, told him that they were as speechless as he was earlier. Their stares were not accusing or disgusted, as all of the mares knew better than to believe that Mac had been training Daisy on the side as she had lied, but they bore an amazement that Mac was actually able to follow through with his part in this ruse. He had to have learned a thing or two from Applejack about removing himself from the situation, having to sit through many of her performances himself without objection. “Well, get to it. Ah don’t have all night.”

Even Daisy gave a few blinks of astonishment at how forward Mac was, but then gave a grin in return. “Of course master, right away.” She gave the huge dick in front of her a kiss, making the appendage twitch slightly in response, before she let her tongue loose over his length.

Mac crossed his arms across his chest, using his hands to clench his upper arms and keep himself from enjoying himself. Each time he felt the pleasing sensation of Daisy’s tongue slither itself down his shaft, making it get harder with each pass, he would press his fingers deeply into his solid bicep to push that sensation out. Daisy wasn’t skilled, but a tongue was a tongue and hers was the first one he felt down there in ages. Small grunts managed to work their way out of him as she went on, regardless of him concentrating against it, and it seemed to make the guards see his side even more as they matched Daisy’s abilities.

Daisy did her part as well as she could under the duress of the situation, licking and lapping at the clydesdale’s dick as if her life depended on it, since in many ways it surely did. The ability to fulfill her fantasies helped, but the pungent taste of another mare on the organ did not. Her taste buds were assaulted by a salty and sour flavor, and many times she found it hard not to make faces after a deliberately long slurp, but that only added to the deception. Black collars weren’t known for finding sex enjoyable, but some still did what they were told to avoid punishment or receive small rewards.

The longer the two kept up the show, the more the two guards began to suspect that Mac was on the up and up, and when the earth mare focused on his flared head they were all but convinced. To them it was clear that this mare was dedicated to the stallion, and that type of dedication only came from proper training. They were finally persuaded when the clydesdale was brought to climax by the mare, his cum shooting out in several strings that splattered onto her face, covering most of it and causing the mare to flinch just in time to avoid having one of the shots hit her in the eye. Daisy wiped the clump that obstructed her vision away, then slid it into her muzzle as a finale act to show the guards that Mac had trained her to pleasure him. A pleased sound as she swallowed the bitter substance sealed the deal, and finally got the clydesdale off the hook.

“Umm…” The head guard started as he recollected his thoughts on the matter, “I suppose I owe you an apology, but you have to admit that the stallions saying you don’t have sex is awfully suspicious.”

Mac twitched a bit in the afterglow of his orgasm, one that wasn’t nearly as satisfying or wanted as the ones he had with Cheerilee earlier. This was the last thing he wanted to do to those in his care, but there was Daisy in front of him covered in his semen. This was going to haunt him for some time, if not forever, and it made him feel empty looking at it. His dick deflating from both his climax and the un-arousal that he felt, and the clydesdale bent down and pulled up his pants. “Not every guy wants his business spread around town like it’s front page news,” He said in very real anger, coming up with what he would say on the fly, “What Ah do on mah property, in mah home, with mah mares only concerns me. Do you want every stallion you know staring at your thing while you're having sex?”

That did explain the stories in some ways, and the fury of the stallion as he had to explain his stage fright seemed to be genuine. “Then on behalf of the Royal Canterlot Guard let me say that I’m sincerely sorry.” With that said though, the two guards’ attention turned to Roseluck. “Of course this mare here was the reason we thought that anything was wrong in the first place.”

Roseluck was understandably flustered and confused as the guards turned to her. There was no way she could’ve anticipated this. Ever since she first laid hoof on the farm Mac had been the most prudish stallion she had ever met. He didn’t fuck any of the mares, even though he could have his way with any one of them and not only not get in trouble for it, but receive praise by his peers for doing so, he did nearly everything he could to keep mares away from sexual situations, and he went so far as to lock the bathroom door so no one could go run in on him, on accident or accidently on purpose. Sure, he took Applejack around to get fucked frequently as of late, but by the town magistrate’s own words that was just a ruse to get her in a nicer collar. Mac letting Daisy lick his cock didn’t match up with the behavior he had been showing for months, and thus was completely unpredictable.

“That doesn’t prove anything!” Roseluck said in a last ditch attempt, “He is just doing that so you’ll believe him over me!”

“Oh shut it…” Came a voice from behind the guards, one coming from the line up of mares. All heads turned to one direction, all but the one of the mare who had spoke. Carrot Top, still on her knees, gave a stare that shot daggers at Roseluck. “You’re just a horny bitch who’s pissed off that her master doesn’t want to screw her.” Turning her eyes away from the flower mare, she sent them to the guards, “Our master doesn’t fuck any mares except Daisy and Cheerilee. He has a particular type. and she just couldn’t accept that she couldn’t be his fuck toy. It got so bad that he had to try and restrict how often she had sex just to get some peace.”

“That’s right,” Lily added in, seeing this impromptu lie to be the only way to convince the stallions, “She’s always complaining about not getting enough sex and acts out because of it.”

The two guards looked to each other, and then to Applejack, “And what about you? Got anything to add to this?” The one in charge asked, knowing that Applejack was the Element of Honesty.

AJ looked to the ground, and then lifted her head up to them. “To tell the truth, she’s caused mah master nothin’ but trouble since she got here.”

That was all they needed to hear. The guards went over to Roseluck, the lead one grabbing her by the collar as she tried to make a break for it. “I see, you’re one of those kind of mares. Thought you could get a better master by spreading lies huh? Well we can fix your little sex problem.”

“By the time we and the rest of the guards are done with ya, you’ll have had more than your fair share of cock. That is... after you’ve entertained us in other ways first.” The other shoved his shock stick right into Roseluck’s rear, giving her a solid shock at the baton’s lowest setting. Roseluck jumped, yelled, and tried to get away, but could find no escape from the stallion’s grasp.

“You won’t have to worry about this one anymore,“ said the first guard, “She won’t be causing you any more trouble. By the time we’re done with her she’ll be fitted with a new purple collar and she won’t have the brains to try something like this again.”

“Please, no!” Roseluck yelled, “Not that! I’ll be good, I promise!”

“Awwww, what’s wrong?” The guard holding the baton spoke up again, “As a purple you’ll get all the cock your empty headed body can handle.”

Roseluck’s fear was evident, Mac seeing it clear as day. The threat of becoming a purple collar was too much for even her to find pleasing, and he didn’t blame her as he thought there would be few that would find the idea inviting. It would have perhaps been a fitting punishment for one so dedicated to the red collar ideology, but Mac was not so cold hearted that he could just let the guards take her away. She was once a normal mare, like the rest of the mares at Sweet Apple Acres, and one he knew personally. As much as he might regret it, he had to do something.

“Now wait just a cotton picking minute!” Mac shouted, marching up to Roseluck himself. Lifting his hand up, he grabbed the collar she wore and easily ripped both it and the mare from the guard’s grip. “This one isn’t going anywhere, Ah need her to do work on mah farm. Besides…” Mac said dragging the mare towards the barn, “If anyone is gonna punish her it’s gonna be me. I’m the one that was put in charge of her, and I’m the one who will handle this.”

Mac pushed Roseluck into the barn through the large door in its front, the force of his shove making the mare stumble over her own hooves until she managed to find her footing about halfway inside. Once Mac himself got inside he closed the barn door behind him, shutting it as tightly as he could before joining the mare.

“Thanks Mac,” said Roseluck as she rubbed the sore spot on her rear, “Those two sounded like they were serious. I should’ve known that you would come to my rescue though. You’re too nice a guy to let me get hurt, even after all I did.”

Mac stayed silent, listening to Roseluck pretty much admit that she knew what she did was wrong. He stood there stone-faced, waiting for Roseluck to say something more.

“Oh come on, don’t give me that look,” Roseluck said playfully to break the silence, “If you were that angry with me I’d be on my way to Canterlot. If you’re waiting for an apology then fine, I’m sorry. I won’t try to tell on you again and I’ll lay off from bothering you about sex for a while. There, are we square?”

Mac let out what might have been the most exacerbated sigh he had ever made as he place his hand on his forehead and rolled his head back. Straightening his neck, he took Roseluck by the wrist, looking around the barn as if in dire need of something within it. A quick search lead his other hand to a rope, and with it and the mare in his possession he headed to the back of the barn.

Roseluck followed at his side, Mac’s grip gentle yet inescapable. When they reached the back of the barn he still didn’t speak, only tossed the rope he held up and over one of the ceiling beams. It only took one try to get it over, getting the two halves of the coil dangling at equal lengths on either side, and with it where he needed Mac lifted Roseluck’s arms to the ends.

Roseluck didn’t resist, but she was unsure as to what the stallion was doing. It looked like he was stringing her up for punishment, but that wasn’t Mac’s style. He had made threats in the past, but she learned rather quickly that they were empty. She wracked her brain on it as he tied her other arm in a way that gave her a bit of slack and the ability to move around a bit from the spot that she stood, until finally it hit her.

“Ah, right. I get it.” she said to Mac in a happy, and quieted tone. “The guards are waiting outside. They are going to want to see you punish me.” It wasn’t the first time Mac had used this trick, and she was kicking herself for not figuring it out sooner. “I’ll make sure to be extra loud and make it sound real for them.”

Mac finished his knot and went around the bound mare, heading for a bunch of tools hanging on the barn wall. They were not the normal tools that he and the others had been using as of late, but the fetish style ones that he had stored away in case the caribou ordered him to use them again. His eyes darted from one item to the next, seeing little he could use for what he had in mind, that was until he laid eyes on a few free hanging leather straps, the ones he used to connect mares to to equipment and each other. He snatched up three of them, wrapped them around his hand, and went back to Roseluck.

Hearing Mac’s return, Roseluck braced herself for the first hit. She bit her lips, closed her eyes, and clenched everything for the inevitable impact. What she thought would be a moderate hit was instead a light pass hardly strong enough to make a sound of collision. Still, she sold that strike like it was the worst pain she had ever felt. “AAAAAHHH! NOOOO!!!” she yelled as loudly as she could, only to go back to a whisper and say. “You know they are going to want to see a few marks to believe this. Stop being such a wimp and give me a real hit.”

When the final word left her mouth another hit connected with her, this time hard enough for her to feel it good. The three straps smacking across her flank stung enough that she wished that she hadn’t relaxed, and she reactively pulled against the ropes that held her arms. Still, now that she knew what she was dealing with she could take it.

“Ha… ha… good one… just like that… about ten of those should be enough.” she said to Mac as she braced for the next hit.

This time however, the strike was nearly double the force of the last one. It forced a very real and very agonized howl of pain to rush from her lungs, and her body stepped forward on its own to escape the source of the terrible sensation. Roseluck could feel three line shaped imprints forming on her side where she was struck, heat building up in those spots like someone had poured hot wax on her. It was more than she expected, but after a small moment to get over the initial shock she was good enough to speak.

“That was too hard.” she said in a normal voice, forgetting to keep down with the guards possibly listening in. “Take it down a notch would you?”

Another strike hit her backside, one of equivalent strength as the one before. Again the mare screamed loudly enough that she could be heard outside of the interior of the barn, emptying her lungs. It was much harder to catch her breath this time, mind filled with the snap of the straps. She didn’t understand, she just told Mac that it was too much and he didn’t listen. She turned herself to the stallion, best as she could at least, thinking that maybe he didn’t hear her turned around, only to be greeted by a smack of leather across her stomach.

“Roseluck….” Mac said solemnly, “Ya threatened the wellbeing of your friends, of mahself, and most importantly of mah family. Ah can’t… Ah… Ah just can’t.” Mac spoke sternly, though with a bit of remorse.

He would keep Roseluck away from the fate the guards had in store for her, but he couldn’t just let this go. He had to make sure that this never happened again, he couldn’t have the lives of everyone on his farm dependent on whether one member of it was in a good mood. He would take no enjoyment from what he had to do, but this would press the point that this kind of behavior would no longer be tolerated.

“Ah tried giving you a safe home, Ah tried threatening ya, Ah tried ignoring ya, Ah wanted to find a way to reason with yah, but… it really seems that this is the only thing you’ll listen to.” Mac lifted his arm in preparation for his next strike.

Roseluck’s iris’ shrunk to dots, fear overtaking her. “No… no, no, no, no… I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-” The harsh crack of the straps ended her pleas. She wasn’t sorry, not for ratting out Mac. She was only sorry for her plans backfiring. If he was taken away and switched, she would have never given it a second though as long as she was rewarded with her pussy getting stuffed. Cheerilee had told him before there was only one way to get through to red collars like her, and now he had no other options.

The three straps struck hard and fast against the earth mare’s body, Mac no longer letting up for her to get used to the punishment. Roseluck did her best to dance around the strikes, moving away from Mac, dodging around him, and simply trying to dodge the pain, but every swing managed to hit some part of her, and the ones that only grazed her were followed up by the Clydesdale gripping her tail and landing two blows as squarely as he could before releasing. The tears that poured from her eyes broke Mac’s heart, but he had to see this as what it was. This mare was in his care, she was his responsibility, and this was correction.

“Mercy Mac! Mercy!” yelled the mare, not understanding that Mac was being merciful. With his strength he could have easily caused lacerations on her body with his strike, flaying the skin right off her body. His first few swipes were to test her tolerance, what she was able to take without harming her, knowing that if he didn’t limit himself he could easily do so in his rage.

Eventually the mare gave up, the unending chase making her body sore and lungs burn from screaming in agony. She slumped over underneath the beam, rope pulled tight against her wrists, knees not allowed to touch to the floor as she hung. Mac lifted up the straps for one more swing, but stopped himself when he heard the sobs of the mare. She’d had enough, and he tossed the pieces of leather aside. He wasn’t done though, as while he had certainly left an impression he still had to drill in the message. He got in front of the tired, weeping mare, and crouched down.

“Never again,” he said, more seriously than he had ever said anything in his life. The mare mumbled something back, and when he didn’t get the response he wanted Mac took hold of her muzzle, lifted her eyes to his, and repeated, “Never… again…”

“Never... “ Her voice broke with a sob as she looked at the stallion, now having been shown how far he could go, “Again… master.”

Mac eased her head back down and left her side, letting her dangle as he opened the barn door. As he expected, everyone was awaiting his exit from the building. Each mare there looked fearfully at him from the horrid screams they had heard, including the purple collar that he had left outside who had been drawn to the barn by the sounds. As they all stared at the sight before the, the two guards walked past Mac and smirked as they peeked inside. The lead guard whistle, “Whew, you sure did a number to her. Looks like we’ll be leaving her in good hands after all. Excellent work.”

Mac gave a final glance back to the handiwork the guard was praising, and immediately regretted it. While Roseluck’s body bore no cuts, it was heavily bruised. Red marks and welts has formed where he had hit her, and he could see the streaks of tears coming from her eyes dripping from her cheeks. The clydesdale turned away, and went to the front door of his house without reply. The other, unrestrained mares followed him, wanting to know what had happened, wanting to know if Mac had acted on his anger or this was another ruse, but Mac ignored them. Opening the door, he slammed it behind himself, and locked it so no one could follow after. For him this night was done.

The two guards stepped out of the barn together, the subordinate one asking his superior, “So, are we going to report this?”

“It looks like everything’s been taken care of, but we’ll tell the town magistrate what happened. I’m sure he’ll want to know what this fucking mare said about him.” The other guard replied. With that the two walked away from the barn, off of Sweet Apple Acres, and into the darkness.

With Mac inside and the guards gone, the mares were left to their thoughts. They really didn’t know where to begin with this stressful night. A crisis was averted, but it looked like Mac had been pushed past his limit in the process. They couldn’t blame him, but to do this went against his usual gentle nature. Applejack and Fiddly, knowing him the best, were the most unnerved by this turn of events, and were so at a loss for words that they had to wait for someone else to chime up before they could take their thoughts away from their brother and cousin.

Carrot Top was the first to speak, the least horrified at seeing a red collar get what she deserved. “What the heck is going on here?” she asked, eyes locked on AJ, “Roseluck isn’t smart enough to come up with something like this on her own, so she had to have gotten the idea somewhere.”

Applejack couldn’t handle this right now, she needed to bring order back to the farm. Looking to the others, she decided quickly on her course of action. “Lily, come help me get Roseluck off that rope. Daisy, Fiddly, you two fetch a bucket and fill it with cold water.”

The mares nodded to one another a broke into their two teams, leaving Carrot Top standing alone. The mare, not wishing to be left out or seem entirely insensitive to what had happened to Roseluck, called out to AJ, “What about me? Want me to do anything?”

AJ looked back, “Try to get Mac to open the door or look around for a window to climb in.”

“Okay, I’m on it!” Carrot Top said, running around the house, the dog-like purple collar following close behind.

Applejack rushed to the barn as fast as she could, able to foresee that the rest of that night was going to be a doozy. The combined efforts of all the mares would be needed to help ease the pain Roseluck was feeling, and even then it would be a while before she would get better in the condition AJ saw her in. A few things were for sure though, Roseluck would not try something like this again, and that there was no more point from trying to hide the the secret about her collar from the rest anymore. First things first though; help Roseluck, get her as comfortable as possible, and then she would explain everything.

Author's Notes:

Next update will be the start of the story finale! Thank you to anyone who has read this far, and I hope you will stick around for the exciting conclusion.

The Worst Night Ever: Part 1

Author's Notes:

I would like to thank NCN, Twipet, and all the other contributors of FoE for helping get this far with this story. Without their support, I could have never gotten this far. I hope you all enjoy the final parts of this Bruised Apples, and thank you for reading.

Applejack sat as still as possible, her posture rigid with her spine pressed flat against the back of a wooden chair. She fidgeted every so often when the brush going through her tail caught a knot in her hair, near silent sounds of discomfort as her work-worn hair was tugged, but otherwise she allowed the two ponies behind her do their work without much of a fuss.

It was the night of the Grand Galloping Gala, and tensions were high. Daisy was feverishly brushing every hair on the farm pony’s body till there wasn’t so much as a single one out of place. She had long since finished with AJ’s mane, and Lily was there forming the strands into a long braid. Applejack was considered such a “honored guest” of the occasion, which translated to open access sex slave, and thus was expected to show up looking her best for the pleasure of those who would fuck her.

Ever since Roseluck’s attempted betrayal two months before, everyone on the farm knew Applejack and Mac’s secret, and how close it was to being blown wide open. With that in mind, they had all been doing everything they could to help AJ strengthen her red collar image. Daisy had joined AJ a few times in front of Sweet Apple Acres when stallions were passing by to give them a quick suck, expressing that she greatly enjoyed the taste of cock and that it was the farm mare to thank for showing her how good it could be. Lily, on the other hand, took the opposite approach, bad mouthing Applejack whenever she was in town on a delivery run. The rumors she spread about the mare in falsified loathing could have made her a legend amongst reds in a more populated area where word of mouth would have spread much faster.

“You don’t have to do this.” said Carrot Top, watching the girls as they readied Applejack’s hair.

“Now ya know the caribou will throw a fit if Ah didn’t show up at their daggone Gala.” AJ replied, “They’d have someone here by the end of the night and I’d be goin’ there in a cage instead of a cart.”

“I’m talking about this whole red collar business,” Carrot Top said back, “You shouldn’t be hiding the fact that you’re really a black collar at heart. Those bastards need to know that there are those who object to what they do to us, and I don’t like that you have to pretend you’re a slut for the sake of the rest of us.”

Applejack didn’t disagree, but she had her own reasons for what she did. The image of her two cousins, Apple Cider and Apple Dumpling, entered her mind. She had to hold back her emotions as she thought of how they had been blanked, changed into things nowhere resembling the mares they used to be. Gunne had said they acted out because they were following her example, and thus her red collar prevented others from doing the same. It protected Mac as well, as it showed that he accepted how things had become and that he was willing to do what the caribou wanted, even if he hated it. As long as the caribou believed that, she would never have to see him get switched and forced into the life that she had to live.

Her motivations were known only to herself, and she had no intention of sharing them in fear that Macintosh might learn of the horrible fate that befell their two cousins. If one thing was to be learned from the Roseluck incident it was that the most important secrets could spread like wildfire if let slip. The only other person that knew was Fiddly Faddle, as she had been at the same farm as Dumpling and Cider. She was considering joining their resistance group, but it was caught before she could, and after seeing what happened to them she decided it was better not to try butting heads with the caribou. She agreed it was best not to tell Mac of what happened, as while they had no idea of how he’d react upon hearing the news, they knew it couldn’t lead to anything good.

Since AJ wouldn’t explain her reasoning to Carrot Top, she stayed quiet, allowing the others to finish grooming her. This didn’t satisfy Carrot Top at all, but she had little to say beyond what she already did. If AJ wasn’t even going to say anything to defend her position, she couldn’t do anything to convince her further. “Fine, just let them walk all over you. You’ll regret it sooner or later, if you don’t already.”

AJ did regret what she had done, but not the reasons she had done it. The times she spread her legs for some strange stallion, the cum that she drank from their fully erect cocks, the half-hearted lies that went against her very nature, the humiliation was worth it to make sure that nothing bad happened to her friends and family. It was hard, sometimes unbearable, but because of it the farm had become a haven of sorts for those who lived on it. She made her mistakes, tripped up from the character she was supposed to be every now and then, her own self worth and pride refusing to let her submit, but she would endure much more in order to keep those she cherished safe from what Gunne had said was her rebellious acts.

A knock on the doorframe jolted her out of her thoughts, and she spun her head around in response to the sound, which accidently pulled her mane out of Lily’s hands. It was her brother standing there in his attire for this evening, a tuxedo he rented that might have been a size too small, with Fiddly standing at his side. He gave a nervous grin as the girls made him the center of their attention.

“So… how do Ah look?” Mac asked, the silence creating too much tension for him to find tolerable.

Applejack was the first to speak up, “It looks good on ya. Bit overdressed for what’s going on tonight though.”

Mac wasn’t sure if AJ was trying to make a joke about what would be happening at the Gala, but he gave a laugh to calm his own nerves. “Ah guess so, but I’d look silly if I was the only one in a pair of worn out blue jeans.”

“It took us an hour to slip ‘em into all these fancy duds,” Fiddly said, as she gave Mac a spin to let everyone get a good look at the whole ensemble, “But Ah think it was worth it. It’s like he’s ready to go to prom with his school sweetheart.”

“Fiddly, please...” said Mac, his face becoming flush, “But thanks.”

“It looks nice Mac.” said Daisy.

“You’ll be the most handsome stallion there.” Lily added.

“At a party full of rapists.” Carrot Top finished.

“Carrot Top!” yelled all the other girls at once. They all knew she was right, but there was no point in stating the obvious.

“It’s okay,” Mac said as he straightened out the few wrinkles his suit had, “We all know I’m not going there to enjoy mahself.”

“But you’re going to be miserable all night,” said Daisy, approaching him from the side to sneak in a hug, “Maybe you should take one of us along to keep you company.”

“No way, no how,” Mac said, putting his hoof down on the spot, “It’s bad enough that AJ has to go, but if any of the rest of you come along then Ah might as well put a sign on ya that says ‘open access’. If this goes the way Ah think it will then any mare in that castle tonight isn’t coming out untouched.”

“I’m with him,” Applejack joined in, her hair draped over her shoulder while she finished the end of her braid, “Best if all ya stay home, get some early shut eye and prepare to cover mah shift tomorrow.”

“We’ll all get plenty of rest,” said Lily, “And if you don’t come back by morning for any reason I’ll manage everything.”

“Then there is only one other thing Ah have to take care of before we go...” said Mac, his previous nervousness giving way to a glum mood, “Roseluck! Come here please!”

The others went quiet, amazed and almost frightened that Macintosh wanted to be in the same room with the traitorous mare. He had hardly wanted to look at her up until then, letting Applejack handle the morning chore assignments so he wouldn’t have to. Roseluck herself wanted to remain off his radar as much as she could as well, the girls often caught her as she ducked out of his sight and worked harder than anyone else to make sure her chores were finished so she wouldn’t have to be punished again. Now she was being called by him directly, and none of them knew if she’d even respond to it out of fear that Mac wanted to work out more of his aggressions on her.

The seconds ticked by as they waited for the mare’s arrival, time feeling like it had come to an unbearable crawl. “I’ll go get her.” Lily volunteered, the discomfort getting to her. As she tried to walk out the room though, Mac lifted his hand.

“She’s coming…” The stallion watched as Roseluck came slowly out of the communal mare bedroom, looking sullen and downtrodden as if she was walking to her own execution. The spike of guilt in his heart drove deeper with each step she took towards him, her head hung low and ears drooped lower than he believe he had seen any pony’s before. She was beyond pitiable, but at the same time Mac didn’t want to appear soft in front of her. If he was too sympathetic, he risked a repeat of her attempt to undermine him, and even if she failed again his soul couldn’t take it if his anger got the best of him again. So he showed no compassion towards her and stayed unflinching no matter how much it crushed him internally.

Roseluck halted once she got in front of her master, lifting her head up only to see if he looked upset. His face was stern and uncaring to the terrified mare, and she dropped down to her knees in an attempt to look so pathetic that she wouldn’t be worth his effort to discipline her further. The one time was enough to scare her straight and never want to do anything like that ever again, but she had learned in her time as a black collar that being corrected never stopped a male from beating you if they felt you hadn’t learned the lesson properly.

“You called for me master?” Roseluck said meekly.

Mac didn’t know if she was mocking him, since she knew that he didn’t enjoy this sort of display, or if his lashes in the barn made her see him as just another male who had no trouble whipping a woman into submission. He just knew he didn’t like it. “Please… stand up.” The mare did as she was told, jolting back to her standing position as if his calm voice was instead a demanding yell. Her response to his well-meaning request didn’t make him feel any better, and he could tell that he had to end this quickly before self-loathing consumed him. “Look…. ya see… Ah just wanted to tell ya that… well ya have been doing such a good job around here lately and Ah thought that maybe ya deserved a bit of a reward. So after tonight… I’m going to make sure ya can have sex in Ponyville at least once a week. That should let ya work out your urges and give ya enough time to do your fair share of work around here. Does that sound okay?”

Roseluck didn’t say anything to the stallion, either positively or negatively. For all she knew this was a test to see if she was acting more red than he preferred. If she showed any signs of wanting this her only reward might have been the back of a hand, and with her sluttier disposition now associated with pain she wasn’t even sure if she wanted it anymore.

“Umm…” Mac started, clueless of what else to say, but understanding that he would have to be the one to say something, “That was all Ah really wanted to tell ya. If ya want you can go back and rest for the rest of the night.”

“Thank you master,” said Roseluck, turning around to do just that. Lily and Daisy poked their heads out to chance a glimpse of their fellow flower mare as she slipped into the bedroom and out of sight.

“Oooohhh, is it bad that I actually feel sorry for her?” Daisy said, biting her lower lip to keep out her unwanted emotions.

“She should feel bad for what she did, but I’ve never seen her this upset. She hardly touched any of her food last night and…” Lily stopped herself as she saw Mac walk away and head downstairs without a word, and she realized that she had said far too much.

AJ got up from her seat, following after her brother, “Don’t worry, Ah got this.” She said as she passed by Lily. Applejack easily relieved the mare of her worries with that quick sentence, but she might not be able to do the same with Mac even if she had an entire night.

Everyone was on edge after the recent events. No one on the farm could say for certain if what Mac did in the barn was wrong. Each pony had an opinion, and it usually leaned more to one side than the other, but no one wanted to outright say that Roseluck got what she deserved or that Mac went too far. To condemn Mac would be to condemn themselves, as they had conspired against Roseluck in the dire moment that led to her being in the barn with him in the first place, and while everyone could agree that Roseluck was in the wrong, the punishment she received was far greater than any of them expected Mac to be capable of.

Mac's own opinion swayed more than any other pony's on the farm. If anyone mentioned to him that he had been in the right, he would immediately object, saying that it was out of nothing but anger, and that he had lost control of himself. Yet, if anyone told him that he had gone too far, he would become defensive and say that Roseluck had been trying to undo everything he had done.

AJ had never seen him as rattled as he had been in the last few months, the moral conflict almost too much for a stallion who preferred to keep things simple. If and when Mac came to terms with it would be up to him alone, as it was a hard topic that the mare assumed had no definitive answer. All she could do was be there for him during those tough times and hope that in the end things would turn out okay.

---

The day went on with no further incident, Applejack and Mac keeping each other company in the downstairs living room as the others went about their business. It was only when a knock came to the door that things picked up again, with both Applejack and Macintosh knowing who would be on the other side.

Applejack got to her hooves first, answering the door before her brother could remove himself from his seat. As expected, she was greeting a particular caribou magistrate and his sibling slave. “Hello Gunne,” she said begrudgingly as she stepped aside, “Would ya like to come inside?”

Gunne stepped in past the threshold, Ginna walking in closely behind with a bag in hand. “You clean up nicely Applejack, but you're gonna need to sound more enthusiastic for the party.”

“Well golly Gunne!” AJ said, wide-eyed and wearing a bright smile that was as obviously forced as the excitement in her voice, “Ah just have a nest of butterflies in my stomach from the thoughts of all the stallions and stags that will be rubbing their dicks over every inch of mah body! Ah bet that I’ll get over it by the time Ah get the tenth cum shot in mah eyes! Might even whittle away the last remaining bits of dignity Ah have piece by piece as they-”

“AJ...” Mac said loudly, able to hear her from the living room. Gunne gave her a look as if he had gained some sort of victory from her getting scolded, and tracked Mac’s voice into the living room. Ginna went along right behind her brother, a spring in her step as she gave AJ a wave of acknowledgement while running past her.

AJ couldn’t help but be peeved that the caribou’s provoking got her corrected by Mac, but she had become accustomed to getting the short end of the stick when Gunne was around. Both Mac and AJ had to defer to his expertise when it came to interacting with those outside the boundaries of the farm, the results he had gotten earning him a bit of respect, but to her that was easily overmatched by his daily acts of oppression and his overall demeanor. AJ accepted that these were things she would have deal with, but she still needed to be occasionally reminded to not reciprocate the caribou’s poor behavior.

Gunne found Mac in the living room, adjusting his suit to brush out the wrinkles that were caused by him sitting. “Well look at that, so there is a proper gentleman under all that dirt you usually wear.”

Mac finished his adjustments by straightening out his bowtie. “Ya wouldn’t believe how hard it was to find a suit that didn’t have some sort of removable crotch.” he stated, the inconvenience being the first thing on his mind when it came to the tuxedo. Then he realized that Gunne had given him a compliment and he had been impolite by not giving him one back. “You look good too though, but Ah suppose ya always do in that getup.” said Mac, noting that Gunne was in his usual Caribou officer uniform.

“Ah, yes…” Gunne said giving himself a once over, “It is tradition for caribou soldiers to wear their armor to special occasions. Most don’t wear it on a day-to-day basis like myself, but I find every day in service of the king is a special occasion.”

“That is… actually kinda corny.” Mac said, finding Gunne’s quirk silly. The chestplate had to be at least slightly cumbersome, and Mac could see him having to clean it often, or at the very least have Ginna give it a good polishing.

“I know, but let’s get back to what I was saying about you,” Gunne started circling around Mac, taking in every detail, “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were an upstanding member of society. Combed tail, shined up your hooves, the tux isn’t spectacular, but it should let you blend in with the other ponies at the castle. If you combed back your mane I’d be afraid of one of the guys taking you home with them.”

Mac wasn’t quite sure what the caribou was talking about at first, but then remembered that there were some like Braeburn who were into other things than women. “Ah guess there would be some gay stallions here as well.” he said, partially joking, but also aware that he might actually receive a few passes.

“I would believe that there would be more bisexual men there than those that are purely gay, and not just stallions either. My people don’t quite have the same views on male relationships as yours. Many of the friendships among us are cemented by more than ale and war stories. Though given that you’re likely to be the smaller of the pair, I suspect they’d have certain expectations.”

Mac found that bit of information a little ass clenching. Bad enough that AJ had to take it from the caribou, he didn’t want to end up on the end of one’s cock as well, “Yeah... Ah think that I’m gonna be avoiding the wine tonight, if ya don’t mind.”

“Thinking about it, that might actually be a good idea,” Gunne said in agreement, “And with that we should get going. Ginna, here, now.”

The caribou girl came front and center, bag in hand, standing in attention and ready to take any order given to her by her master. “Yes master?”

“Do you remember what I told you on the way here?”

Ginna thought hard. “You told me I was staying here again like when you left last time.” She said, a finger pressed against cheek as she put effort into remembering what she had been told. “You said that I should keep myself busy with my toys and the mares if they told me to do anything.”

“Except for..?” Gunne added to remind his sister of something she had forgotten.

Ginna had to think again, “Except for… the… red collar…?”

“Right, and why is that?”

“Because she’s bad. She disobeyed her master and had to be punished.”

Gunne gave a firm nod, “Good, I don’t want you anywhere near her. She’s a bad influence.”

“Yes master,” said the cow, a bit confused. She was hardly ever told to listen to black collars, and it was very odd that she had to stay away from a red collar.

Gunne gave his sister a rub on the head and a kiss on the cheek, “Good girl, just don’t cause trouble and if you can’t find anything to do then focus on breaking your record.”

“Ok master, I’ll do my best to do forty three orgasms before you get back.” With that the girl scurried off with her bag of toys, almost tripping over a large, knotted piece of rubber that fell out of the leather pouch on her way upstairs, the caribou girl heading to where she thought the mares that would be watching over her were.

“Now that that’s settled, we should be off,” said Gunne. The two Apple ponies agreed, and with no reason to postpone their trip to Canterlot any further, the three headed for the door. The two males exited, and as Applejack closed the door behind her she saw her hat on a rack next to the entrance.

AJ felt tempted to grab it on the way out, to have something that would remind her of who she really was during a night that would do its best to make her something she wasn’t. As the earth mare reached for it, she stopped, second guessing herself on whether it would be a good idea. She wasn’t worried that wearing it would get her in trouble, the party guests would probably get a kick out of seeing a mare dressed only in a collar and a hat, see her as some sort of stereotypical representation of a country bumpkin and focus on that the whole night. In the end she pulled her arm away from it, deciding it was best to not let the last symbol of her long since removed freedom get soiled, and left it there to wait for her return as she ran after Mac and Gunne.

---

Gunne guided the two ponies down the dirt path of the farm, to a carriage sitting in front of the entrance arch. It had a warbeast at its front attached to its reins, which made Mac glad Gunne hadn’t gone for the option of having mares pull it instead. The cart itself was elaborately decorated, almost fit for royalty and far more extravagant than Mac assumed that they would be riding. There was a driver waiting upfront, some caribou that Mac didn’t know. Something was attached to the back of it, a wagon or cart of some type, but at this distance the clydesdale couldn’t make out if it had anything inside. The outside was covered in decor that was made of cheap material unsuitable for a foal’s float for the Summer Harvest Parade, with tin cans tied to the back end, banners of tissue paper, and crayon written obscenities announcing the contents of the cart as ‘cock-hungry sluts of Ponyville’.

“Ah right, almost forgot,” Gunne said as he reached into a side pouch on his belt, “There are a few things that I need to tell you both before we go, since we are away from prying ears.”

The ponies assumed that he meant Roseluck; Gunne was not too pleased when he had heard that she had tried to tattle on him and Mac. The earth stallion couldn’t blame him, as he stood to be in trouble too if their secret ever got out. “So what is it?” Mac asked.

“King Dainn wants Applejack to give a speech when tonight’s events come to a close.”

“Wait, what?” AJ cut in, not welcoming this sudden news.

“Because you were once known as the most stubborn mare in Equestria, your recent conversion to red collar, and your status as a former ‘Element of Harmony’, the King wishes that you tell everyone how much better you life has become since submitting. It will be very pleasing for the guests there to see that there is no such thing as an ‘unbreakable mare’, and it might convince some of the black collars there to convert as well.”

“Ah ain’t givin’ no speech in front of no caribou,” AJ said, he face contorting in disgust at the very thought of it, “Ah wouldn’t even know what to say.”

“I felt that might be the case, so I took the liberty of writing out something myself.” Gunne pulled a folded piece of paper from his pouch.

AJ took the paper and opened it, scrutinizing every part of it with extreme prejudice. The speech was more than the normal caribou fare of having a woman verbally degrade herself in the image of a insatiable whore; it went into the reasons why a mare would find the new order preferable to the way things use to be. The ‘liberty’ brought about by someone constantly rubbing your face in the dirt whenever you got out of line, the ‘pleasure’ of being in their service and giving them everything while getting nothing in return, the ‘appreciation’ of knowing that being born with a dick made a male in every way better than you could ever hope to be. It was the most eloquently crafted example of female disparagement that she had ever read, worthy of being quoted in some caribou textbook as a perfect representation of how a female should see herself.

“You can’t be serious…” AJ said in disgust, “Ya can’t expect me to actually say all this. Ah don’t even know how to pronounce some of these bigger words.”

“I assumed you might not,” said Gunne, never missing a chance to send an insult the farm mare’s way, “But don’t worry about that. No one expects you to have come up with something like this, and they’ll assume your master was the one who wrote it for you. In fact Mac should hold onto that until the time is right. However, you can take this.”

The caribou handed off another item to the mare; a small jewelry case, already opened to reveal a pair of rings. They had small chains attached to them, with an apple shaped ruby at the end of each one. She wished that they were earrings, but the size of the clasp on the first loop told her it was intended for a thicker area of flesh. Compared to the speech she was now required to give, this was a simple request. She reluctantly handed the paper to Mac for safe keeping before she slid the rings into her pierced breasts. The weight of the small gemstones pulling on her nipples would be the least of her problems that night.

“I do have some good news for you Applejack,” Gunne said, pleased to see the farm mare comply without complaint.

“Oh boy, Ah can hardly wait.”

“You should actually enjoy this. You see, King Dainn…”

“Already lost me.”

“AJ, please. Not tonight.” Mac reminded.

“Anyways,” Gunne continued, “When King Dainn learned that I was going to come to the party tonight he felt that I could save time by bringing some important government property along with me. You’ll be riding along with them tonight.”

“Them?” Applejack asked, the word escaping her mouth just before a familiar voice hit her ears.

“APPLEJACK! OOOVVVEEERRR HHHEEERRREEE!” yelled a pink figure leaning out of the wagon behind the carriage, its call accompanied by the sound of a ringing cowbell.

“Pinkie Pie?” Applejack said aloud, having thought that she was going to be alone with Mac and Gunne for the ride. With the pink mare waving bringing attention to the cart though she could now see that it not only held her, but two others as well. A yellow head with a long pink mane poked its head up from the bed of the wagon. Fluttershy must’ve been picked up moments before Gunne arrived.

There was one other mare in that cart with those two though, a pony that made AJ’s heart beat harder. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were one thing, as even as red collars the farm mare could make up reasons in her head to not see them as traitors. AJ, however, had never managed to come up with a reason for why the last occupant of the wagon would submit so easily to the caribou.

Twilight Sparkle, a mare who so easily caved in during the invasion of Equestria that she handed over the entirety of the Ponyville’s mares upon the caribou’s arrival to the town. Or at least that was the rumor that was spread around by those who were there. Applejack had no reason to doubt the validity of those rumors either, as each encounter with the mare after her enslavement only served to prove it further. She was never around Twilight long enough to speak with her directly, and in many ways she didn’t want to if it meant that a mare she was once proud to call friend had had both willingly surrendered herself and aided in the enslavement, torture and humiliation of every mare in Equestria. Twilight always seemed enthusiastic about her life as a red collar from what she could see, but as long as she could stay away from the alicorn, Applejack could always pretend like there was a reason behind it that she just didn’t understand.

AJ’s muscles tightened, becoming rigid and stiff. She contemplated asking, perhaps even begging Gunne to let her sit in the carriage to avoid confronting the former heroine of Equestria face to face. Pinkie’s excitement prevented her from doing so though, as it would hurt her feelings if she did. “Ah suppose Ah should get in back then… with your permission of course, Master.”

Sensing AJ’s switch into her publicly displayed persona, Mac gave her a nod, “If ya feel like it becomes too hard…”

“Come to ya, Ah know. Ah can handle this, Ah just need to try an’ enjoy mahself.” The farm mare separated from her brother, and headed to the back of the wagon to use the stepping platform.

She hardly got halfway there before a pair of arms embraced her around the neck and a large lump of firm flesh obstructed her view. “I’m so happy you could make it! This is going to be the greatest party ever!” said Pinkie as she pressed the side of her friend’s face into her breasts.

AJ allowed Pinkie a moment to work out her well meaning hug, noticing that her wrists had shackles on them that attached to her collar by chains, before gently pushing away. “Well of course Ah made it. Can’t refuse an order from the king, now can Ah?” she said in the most polite tone she could. Even if Ah want to.

“Oh right, hehe, but I hope that’s not the only reason you’re cumming tonight. We are going to have so much fun, I just know it!”

AJ hoisted herself into the cart, taking a seat next to Pinkie. She then looked to the other two passengers that she would be spending the next hour or so with. “Fluttershy,” she greeted with a nod, “Twilight.”

“Hello Applejack, long time no see.” Twilight said, wearing a smile one would expect to see from a friend they hadn’t talked to in a while. But that smile was being worn by a mare whose wings were in red wing binders that prevented them from stretching out fully, and with what was once her horn reduced to a mere stump atop her head. With the red collar clamped tightly around her neck, she was like an embodiment of every wretched thing the caribou had ever done, and that welcoming smile was just a sad reminder to AJ of the mare she used to be. “I can’t believe it’s been so long since the last time we’ve talked, but I suppose we’ve both been really busy in the past year.”

“Ya know me, always staying busy on the farm,” said AJ in attempt to divert the conversation from where she felt it was heading.

“Well let me finally congratulate you on earning your red collar. I know it’s not always easy to accept change, but I always had faith in my friends to eventually come to see reason.”

“Reason… right…” It felt weird hearing Twilight talk accepting slavery like it was just common sense. AJ wondered if the alicorn even knew about Pinkie’s other side, the part that hated the idea of her conforming to the caribou’s wants, if acting a bit unhinged while showing it. It was why she had chosen to sit next to the pink pony; on some level they both were just acting out a role instead of really agreeing with how things were.

“Now we just need to hope Rainbow follows our example and becomes a red soon too. Then we can all be best friends again, working together to do what’s best for Equestria.”

The night was already starting off on the wrong hoof, AJ had to turn away from Twilight just to keep from showing a frown. She gave Sweet Apple Acres one last look before the cart took off, and hoped that before the night was over that she would be able to still look at it the same way.

---

Mac and Gunne stepped inside the passenger compartment of the carriage so they could depart, the inside being comprised of two seats set on opposite walls from each other. Mac took the seat furthest from the front, as did Gunne as he sat aside the clydesdale. Mac paid this no mind, as his paranoia made him prefer they both be further from the driver in case they needed to talk about private matters. Something did seem off though, as while there were four mares sitting in the back, only he and Gunne were sitting up front.

“Aren’t we missing someone?” Mac asked, all of the mares’ masters and handlers accounted for save for one.

“Missing?” Gunne questioned, having to think about who Mac could have meant. “Do you mean the dragon?”

“Yeah, Ah thought Spike would be waiting in here with Twilight sitting in the back.”

The stallion’s words gave the caribou a light chuckle, just as the carriage started to move. “Do you think that he’d be able to control himself long enough for a ride to Canterlot?”

“Well… Ah..”

“Mac, one of my duties is to make sure that he doesn’t run amok in the town. I’ve dealt with him enough to assure you that he is little more than a beast fixated on fucking as many females as he can get a hold of. I’ve had to distract him away from Ginna on several occasions in fear that he might hurt her with his aggressive tendencies, and he tried to fight you for bumping into him that one time. Such unrestrained and unpredictable behavior isn’t something the king would appreciate on a night as important as this one.”

Mac saw Gunne’s point, and was happy to hear that he went out of his way to protect his sister from potential danger, “So how did ya get Twilight away from him?”

“The way one gets anything away from an animal,” Gunne said smugly, “Toss it another piece of meat.”

Mac caught the implication, and was close to asking who he had sacrificed to the dragon’s brutal lust to steal away his treasure for the night, but then figured putting a specific face on the image wouldn’t do him any favors. Best he didn’t know, that way no one else would be troubling his thoughts that evening.

“So what about me,” Mac said, changing the topic, “The king expects AJ to give a speech along with doing her red collar stuff, do Ah have to do anything? Join her on stage? Explain how Ah tamed her when others couldn’t?”

“Not at all,“ Gunne say as he leaned back to settle in for the long ride, “You are a guest tonight, and the only thing expected of you is to have as much fun as possible. No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to.”

“No, they’ll just try to convince me to do things Ah don’t wanna.”

“Perhaps, but you apparently haven't learned yet that you are your own man.” Mac gave the caribou an odd remark, but Gunne was more than happy to clarify what he meant, “This passive aggressive demeanor doesn’t befit you. I understand where it comes from, your life as a farmhand and living in your sister’s shadow before we came and set things straight, quietly complying to the demands of the females that shaped you into what fulfilled their needs.”

“Are ya trying to insult me? Cause if that’s it then it’s working.”

“My apologies then, I’m only trying to say that I see a much stronger man in you than that. You’re not spineless, like some of the other incurable stallions I’ve seen. You are able to take charge, argue your view on things, if clumsily, and you’ve done what you had to in order to keep what you care for. I’ve always said that you were misguided, but as I’ve said before, you are the only person aside for the King that I respect for more than rank.”

That was a bit of a switch, Mac thought. Mac didn’t know what to say, but settled on the first thing that came to mind and went on from there. “Thank you, Ah really respect ya too. Ya didn’t have to do what ya did for me an’ mah family, but ya did and Ah can never really tell ya how much Ah appreciate that.”

“You’re right, I could have shipped you off to Canterlot the day I met you and saved myself a lot of trouble,” Gunne said jokingly, “But I think that would have been a mistake. You might have a head full of bad ideas, but you’re no more a threat to this kingdom than I am.”

Mac knew the caribou was just kidding around, but the joke fell on a bad chord with him. Before meeting Gunne, the stallions of Ponyville were just as unnerved around him as he was with them. Everyone knew his stance on how mares were treated, and even thought him to be part of the rebels that lived day by day in a losing battle against the oppression the caribou brought. Now a year had passed and he had done so many things he never thought he would’ve, things that made him view himself as grimier than the lowliest caribou bastards simply because he felt that the options he took often went against what he stood for. These choices might have made things easier, but they were never easy, and they took from him the pride he had back when he was treated as a “threat”.

“Is that that another disheartened look I see creeping on your face?” Gunne asked. He’d been around him long enough to be able to tell when Mac’s deep thinking was about to make him become angsty, “That’s it, when we get to Canterlot, I'm taking you on a tour around the castle, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“Ah thought the reason Ah was going to this thing was to keep an eye on AJ.”

“We will, I promise,” Gunne reassured, “but a stroll around the castle will take your mind off things.” Mac didn’t believe this would be the case, but he also felt that this might be something that Gunne would pursue until he won the debate. “One quick tour and then you can spend the rest of the night blending in with the decor.”

“Alright… but just a small one.”

“Fair enough, but I promise you won’t regret it.”

It was funny how often Gunne said he wouldn’t regret things, and even more so how often he was wrong.

---

While Mac and Gunne discussed what they would be doing when they got to the Gala, Applejack found herself sitting in the middle of a similar discussion. The three other mares in the cart with her were abuzz with speculations of how the night would turn out, each of them tossing out their high expectations. It was strangely nostalgic, reminiscent of the last gala and how they talked about all the wonderful things they thought would happen that night. The only difference being that their sex-fueled fantasies were much more likely to come true than the ones they had before.

“Is something wrong Applejack?” Fluttershy asked, breaking away from her musings about how the animals in the garden would possibly be more welcoming this year, “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

Leave it to Fluttershy to pick up on someone else being more reserved than she was. Then again, out of four red collars she was the only one not joining the group’s discussion. It was likely somebody was going to catch on eventually.

Now that it was brought up, everypony’s eyes were on her, each one curious about the Applejack’s distant behavior. “Ya see… well it’s hard to say really...” she floundered for words, not sure what she could say to get them to back off. She could tell them that she wasn’t feeling well. That was honest enough an answer, her friends all happily talking about how they were open to any violating act the three could think of, along with the looming Gala itself, turning her stomach in ways she didn’t think possible. However, her sheepishness prompted Fluttershy to speak up for her.

“I think I see what’s going on,” the pegasus said with understanding, “Applejack is still in her transitional phase. It took me a while to fully accept my place when I got my red collar too. I was so scared when the masters claimed me, but over time I was shown that it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought and that I actually liked it better being a pet.”

Fluttershy had been the first to be a red collar out of their small group, and thus had more experience with it that any of the others. AJ watched as something she assumed was supposed to be a comforting smile grew on Twilight’s face, as even the alicorn had to accept Fluttershy’s expertise in the matter, having gone through something like a transitional phase herself. “AJ, it’s OK to be nervous. You’ve been a black collar for so long, and this is all new to you. You don’t have to hide it from us.”

Twilight’s words hurt, sounding all too close to what she might have said in the past to help one of her friends work through their emotions. “Ah didn’t want to make ya’ll worry ‘bout me or think that Ah was having second thoughts is all.”

“Well don’t you worry AJ, we are here to help you through this. A case of the jitters is fine, just as long as you keep obeying and don’t let it lead you into a relapse.”

“You know what helped me out?” Fluttershy said. “Talking about everything that happened after my collaring to my master. Once I got all my fears out in the open things became much easier.”

“Does that mean we’re going to have story time?” Pinkie said happily, practically quivering with elation.

“If Applejack doesn’t mind telling us what she’s been doing all this time,” answered Twilight, “I’ll admit, I’m curious to hear what’s been going on with you myself. So what do you say?”

AJ thought it over, it would keep the other from putting more disturbing imagery into her head. “Well, ah suppose Ah could tell ya’ll… but… if Ah say something that sounds funny try not to judge me too much.”

“We would never,” said Fluttershy.

“Why would we ever do anything like that?” said Pinkie.

“We promise to listen to everything you want to tell us and won’t say anything to make you feel bad.” said Twilight.

“Well… Okay… here it goes…” AJ started her story right where it began, in Canterlot with black collar around her neck. It wasn’t easy to talk about how she was raped, how Ivangir made her his personal fuck toy and tried to break her, and even harder admitting that in an attempted escape she caused a unicorn girl to be injured. She explained it all with blunt description, keeping to simple terms and not going into detail about the torment Ivangir put her through.

When she got to the point where she was given over to Mac she was a bit more forthcoming. How at first she had feared that the caribou were handing her off to her brother because he too had changed, that being beaten and raped by him might remove what spirit she had remaining was their plan, and how relieved she was when Mac sat her down and told her this was not the case. Pinkie and Fluttershy even cried a little when she said how she flew into her brother’s arms for comfort after the ordeals she went through, the stallion’s kind and loving embrace feeling like shelter in a turbulent storm.

From there the two siblings agreed to do what they had to in order to stay together, and started their new lives under the caribou’s rule. They accepted their roles as food providers for Ponyville, answered every request for her use, and obeyed the rules that were set for them while doing everything they could to keep what little they had left. That all changed when Gunne entered their lives.

Applejack figured that the part would need a bit of a discreet touch, and she resorted to a clever bit of wordplay and the omittance of anything that alluded to her collar being obtained by less than legitimate means. The encounter with Gunne alone at Sweet Apple Acre went from him guilting her into pursuing a red collar to him explaining that her actions had consequences beyond herself. Her first visit to Pinkie’s bordello changed from its original intent to spread the word that AJ was going to be willing from that point on, to Mac wanting to help ease her into sex by having her begin her new lifestyle with the aid of a friend. Pinkie joined in at that part by adding her own vivid rendition of how the two mares played with each others' bodies. The training Gunne had given her and Mac remained mostly the same, as it was easy for anyone to interpret what he did as teaching AJ to be a better slave while showing Mac how to become a better master. All of this was true, if looked at from a certain perspective, so Applejack had few qualms with her small alterations.

She ended the story at the competition after Dainn gave Gunne permission to have her collar swapped, completely skipping Braeburn's farm to keep herself from saying too much about her cousin’s activities. “Ah couldn’t believe that Ah actually earned a red collar. Ever since then things have been less stressful for Mac, mahself, for everyone on the farm Ah reckon.” Applejack finished, not sure where to go from there. She could have brought up Roseluck, but there was no need to make Mac look like a monster in the eyes of her friends. Though as far gone as they were, they might not interpret what she said that way.

Fluttershy got close, taking AJ’s hands in her own, “Did getting all that out make you feel better?”

In a way, it did. Not because she had been bottling her emotions all this time. There were countless times she had voiced her opinion of the caribou in the past, and with ponies like Mac, Braeburn, and the mares on the farm she had no short supply of people to talk to. This bit of storytelling with her friends was different however. It almost felt like how it used to be, where she and her friends would come together to catch up on things with each other that they might have missed in between time. If Rainbow Dash and Rarity were there and the topic was on a lighter subject then there would have been little difference. “Yes, it did Fluttershy. Thank you.”

“It was a wonderful story Applejack,” said Twilight, “And it shows that you really worked hard to change yourself. You might want to focus a little bit more on the sexy parts next time you tell it though.”

“What are ya gettin’ at?” Applejack asked, a dark feeling rising up inside her.

“Stallions and red collars like hearing stories that have graphic sex to them, and making it sound enjoyable can help black collars to see the pleasures of serving their masters. With a few alterations the story you told us could make for a good read, even the parts at the beginning, since it makes a great contrast of how you used to think to how you think now.” The farm mare hoped that the alicorn was only joking, but then she said, “I bet I could write out a version that would be better, in case you want to tell it again. If your master doesn’t mind, I could even give it to my mother and she could use it for one of her books.”

Just like that, all the bad feelings she had within her at the start of her tale rushed back. She had only shared the story with the mares in the cart because she hoped their bond with one another still meant something, that maybe they were still friends regardless if the others willingly wore their wretched red collars and could see that this was a personal and private matter. Now Twilight was talking like she intended to have the story spread all across Equestria and modified to become books that stallions and mares would masturbate to. Mac would never allow it, but Applejack’s imagination was getting the best of her in this case.

Luckily for Applejack, Pinkie was there to pull her away from such thought, in a literal sense as she drew the farm mare into a big hug, the pink pony this time pressing her ample breasts into Applejack’s own. “Don’t you let all that bad stuff get you down. Just think of the great time we’ll have tonight at the Gala.”

Applejack was about to follow Pinkie’s advice and focus on what awaited her at the party, but then a twitching ear came into her peripheral vision. “Umm… Pinkie, are ya feeling okay?”

Pinkie followed Applejack’s line of vision, placing her hand on her ear when she saw the problem. “Don’t worry about that, just a few twitches. My Pinkie Sense has been going off all day.”

“Pinkie sense?” said Applejack, “What’s it telling you?”

“I’m not sure.” Pinkie replied, “Whatever it is though, it’s gonna be a doozy. My ears have been wiggling, knees pinching, and I’ve been quivering like crazy. Mister Gunne gave me these shiny chains to make it stop, but whatever it is, it’s huge. I can hardly contain it!” Pinkie gave a wide grin as she gave a powerful tremble, one strong enough that Applejack could feel it throughout her being while the pink pony held her tightly.

“Well this is the biggest party of the year,” Twilight reasoned, “Something big is bound to happen.”

This didn’t bode well at all. AJ recalled the last time Pinkie’s senses went off like this. It was the day of the Canterlot invasion, right before things took a turn for the worse and never turned back. If that was what happened back then, she dreaded to think what these twitches could mean.

The Worst Night Ever: Part 2

The carriage made its way into the city of Canterlot after a long trip through the countryside. In the darkness of night the city stood out like a beacon, the castle and the buildings surrounding it lit up brightly, resembling from a distance the glory that it once stood for. Inside the city itself though, the light revealed the truth behind the perceived beauty.

Applejack could hear it for about a mile before entering the borders of the capital, the noise of celebration, of men victoriously cheering and chuckling, of women giving off moans and screams that were so various and intermixed that the sounds of pain couldn’t be separated from the sounds of pleasure. The city was alive, the Equestrian citizens within it celebrating the anniversary of the caribou’s appropriation of the kingdom in their own way, as the Gala was not the only place where one would be able to find entertainment or something to satisfy their rampant desires.

Going down the stone streets of the city, Applejack could see fully what was going on within it’s walls. The streets themselves were packed with carriages, as well as ponies and caribou heading from one destination to another, having walked away from one wild orgy and heading elsewhere to find another.

“Wowie, zowie! Look at them all!” Pinkie said placing her hands on the edge of the wagon as she hung herself over the side, her large melons resting on the wood edge beneath her, “They look like they’ve been having fun all day long!”

The other girls came aside the pink mare, AJ included, to see what had drawn her attention. Some stallion’s private party had become a bit less private as it poured out from his home and out onto the sidewalk in front of it. Males of all varieties of ponies crowded around several mares who were so covered in sperm that it was difficult to make out what their colors were, the mares themselves weakly trying to keep up with the oncoming demands for their service after a long, exhausting, sex-filled day.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said with a tint of red flowing into her cheeks, “Do you think that will happen to us at the Gala?”

“It’s entirely possible,” answered Twilight, a touch of excitement evident in her words, “But that depends on what the king has planned for us.”

“Don’t worry Fluttershy,” Pinkie added in, “If we don’t get covered in cum then whatever happens will be just as good. By the end of the night your pussies will be pounded so hard that you won’t be able to walk right for a week.”

“That’s fine by me,” Fluttershy said with a polite smile, “I prefer to crawl like the animal I am anyways.”

The three went on with their conversation as Applejack remained silent. The joy she felt from being able to share the ride with her friends was quickly slipping away as they went back to discussing how great it would be if the Gala’s guests wrecked them. It was like one of her nightmares, but this time she knew she wouldn’t wake up. She would have to sit there and listen to those once closest to her talk as if their enslavement was the best thing that could have ever happened, that they were the sluts the caribou said they were. She tried to block it out, to tell herself that it wasn’t true, but the happiness they showed was hard to dismiss.

“Oh! Applejack! I almost forgot to ask!” said Pinkie, doing what she could to drag the quiet mare into the conversation. “What do you want to do tonight. Whatever would make you the happiest, just tell me and I’ll try extra special hard to make it happen.”

What would she like to do tonight? She would like to be able to walk down a street without seeing a mare being oppressed. She would like to put on a piece of clothing without it making her feel more exposed than simply being naked. She would like to remove the collar she wore and stretch her neck. Most of all, she would like her friends back the way she remembered them. None of those things would happen tonight.

“There’s not really anythin’ I’d like to do more than anythin’ else,” AJ replied, “Ah suppose I’m up for whatever the stallions what to do to me.”

“That’s good,” said Twilight, “Always keep an open mind and let the men do as they please.”

“I’m tryin’ to…” AJ said back, her words drowned out by a loud uproar from the crowd they were watching, one of the mares being cheered for reaching a powerful climax that made her pussy shoot fluids in small squirts.

---

Inside the carriage, Mac was getting a slightly better experience. While he still had to hear the sounds of perverse pleasure coming from the streets, he didn’t have to look at it unless he felt curious how the mares were being molested, which he surely didn’t. What he did catch out the carriage windows, despite his attempts to avoid looking out them, were the caribou that stood heads over the stallions. There were so many of them, residents of the city he assumed, as Canterlot had become home to many of them. He took to counting them in his head in order to take his mind off things, until the amount he saw passing by became too daunting.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Gunne said out of nowhere, “So many people in one spot, all celebrating the liberation of these lands. It’s breathtaking, in it’s own way.”

“I’d think you’d be used to something like this.” said Mac, talking more about the sights the caribou was looking at than the sheer number of people doing it. “Didn’t ya go to a lot of these back where ya came from?”

“Actually, no,” Gunne answered, “My people’s disdain for me gave me little reason to come to celebrations like these, and like yourself I lived outside of any of the cities. Outside of my military training, my interactions with my people were kept to a minimum.”

“Do they really hate you that much?” Mac asked, wondering if this was just Gunne saying things to make him feel better or try to relate with him.

“They… tolerate me. Accept me as something they can’t get rid of, regardless of their superstitions.” Gunne’s face bore irritation towards the topic, which Mac suspected was only a fraction of what he truly felt. The caribou had been a pariah amongst his people for much longer than Mac had ever been, and for that much the stallion had some sympathy. “The king does buffer the brunt of it, at least when he’s around, and the others are aware of my dedication towards him. That doesn’t stop them from endlessly talking behind my back or doing what they can to maintain my… modest standings within society.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t be,” Gunne interrupted, “I’ve become used to their glares, it’s humorous at this point. This will be the second time I participated in an event like this, and if my brethren are as unsettled by my presence as last time this should be a fairly interesting.”

It would be a little funny to see some of the caribou’s feathers get ruffled with Gunne around, for one of them to go strangely silent cause they spotted him out of their peripheral vision. Anything that put a damper on their evening would make his all that more enjoyable.

“And there it is,” Gunne pointed out his window, “Canterlot Castle.”

Mac scooted over aside Gunne so he could get a good look at the large, majestic structure they were slowly approaching.

“Get your tickets out, we’ll need to show them to the guards at the gates.”

---

“We’re almost there girls,” Twilight exclaimed, the carriage passing through the palace gates, “Any minute now and we’ll be inside.”

The alicorn said that, but the carts ahead were moving at a snail’s pace. There were at least three times the amount from the last Gala, indicating that the amount of guests would increase by that much. The numbers no longer bothered AJ; she had long since accepted that she was going to have to satisfy the desires of stallion after stallion until the exact count became meaningless, and now was determined to find ways to remove herself mentally from what was happening around her. Unfortunately, it seemed a near impossible task as the area around and in castle grounds had plenty to remind her where she was.

The first things that stuck out to her were the number of ponies flocking around the front gate. It was mobbed by stallions who lacked the fortune of acquiring a ticket of their own to the event. Some tried to barter with the guards at the gates, offering the use of their own mares for entrance, others tried to make their way through by force, but on both accounts the dutiful guardsmen barred entrance to anyone who without an invitation. The troublemakers were only a minority amongst the assembly though, as most were taking a break from their own sexual escapades and debaucherous activities to catch glimpse of all the famous and powerful stallions and stags that would be attending the party, along with the luscious pieces of flank that they were taking inside to parade about as personal trophies of their male dominance and possibly share in what was expected to be the biggest, most sophisticated orgy the kingdom had ever seen.

Once past the crowd and beyond the gates, the ocean of onlooking ponies subsided and instead a bunch of statues attracted Applejack’s attention, those that replaced the ones that used to sit in the castle courtyard. The old stone figures that featured stallions and mares in happy and proud poses were swapped out for ones of mares in less dignified positions of submission and bondage. Many of them had the subject of the perverted pieces of art with lustful looks literally plastered on their faces, looking completely satisfied with with their depicted situations despite how disgraceful the pose or how painful it would be to have their bodies contorted in their bonds. Artistic liberty was certainly on display here, especially when it came to a statue featuring princesses Luna and Celestia gleefully running their tongue across the massive cock of King Dainn. Celestia, being a red collar, might have given the sculptor the grin captured in stone, but it was a well known fact that Luna was a black collar, and would never give any caribou anything more than a scowl if she were put into such a position.

“It looks beautiful,” said Twilight, locking on to the statue that the farm mare had in her glare, “Whoever made this captured all of their best features.”

“Ya don’t think they shoulda made Celestia’s boobs bigger?” asked Applejack, refraining from expressing the sarcasm intended for the question.

“They could have, but the way they have in now is more accurate to her proportions. Luna on the other hand looks like she had her bust made a little bigger to match.” The image gave Twilight a thought that delighted her enough to give a childish giggle. “Then again, I haven’t seen Luna for a while. The king might have adjusted her tits to the size shown here.”

The uncaring, no, outright disrespectful comment towards the former ruler of Equestria added another mark against Twilight, adding to an already huge list of reasons why AJ had no reason to treat her differently from any other red collar who turned their back on everything they knew and loved before the caribou came into power. Every word the purple mare uttered was another thing to scrutinize, each action a hint to her true motivations, and so far things weren’t looking in her favor. How Applejack thought about her might be determined by the her actions this night, so she wanted to give the alicorn as many chances to redeem, or damn, herself as possible. If she could, she would stay next to Twilight all night, drill her about everything she had done since this all began, and confront her with every question she could think of to form an honest opinion. Even if it made her former friend break down in tears like she had once made Ginna do, it would be worth it to see that there was still something relatable inside the mare she thought she once knew.

It was uncertain if the night was going to allow such a confrontation though, as there was no telling what was in store for her once the farm mare got inside the palace. She would find out shortly though, as after a slow trudge through the line of carriages their own stopped aside the castle steps. The carriage door opened, Mac and Gunne stepped out, and AJ accepted that the inevitable could no longer be stalled. As if to compete with Luna’s statue, AJ exposed her pearly whites with the best smile she could fake without it being obvious. She would have to wear it for most of the night to imitate her red collar friends, feeling that the only time she could drop it would be when her mouth was stuffed with cock.

---

Mac’s hooves touched ground after a long ride from Ponyville, looking up to the looming structure towering over him. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Like his sister, Mac had dwelled far too long on this moment for it to be more than a formality at this point. He had thought about what would happen constantly since agreeing to Gunne’s offer to come with him. It would surface in his thoughts once a day at least, and entered his dreams a couple times too. He had come up with so many hypothetical scenarios and possibilities based on what he had already seen that he believed that nothing could exceed what his nightmarish fantasies had conceived. By the night’s end he might be proven wrong, but for now this created a strange comfort zone for him that deadened him to the things that would usually repel him.

Gunne allowed Mac a few moments to compose himself, heading to the back of the wagon that held the four mares and releasing the latch to bring the tailgate down. The girls took this as a sign to exit their humble transport, sliding over the side so they could put their hooves on the ground. Without being told, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie lined up before the caribou with, eyes forward, backs straightened, chests stuck out, arms to their sides, and rears pulled in tightly. Applejack joined along when she figured out what was going on. The caribou leered at the four females, commencing his final inspection on each one before allowing them entrance to the castle.

“Listen up,” he said while pacing down the line, “The king has been anticipating this night for a long time. He wants everything to be as close to perfection as possible, and since I’m here, it is my duty to see that every desire is fulfilled.” The stag stopped before Pinkie Pie, stepping close enough that her nipples grazed his chestplate, “That means no outbursts.”

“Of course not Mister Gunne,” said the pink pony, her beaming grin shriveling to a nervous smile, ears drooping slightly.

Gunne sidestepped, Fluttershy being the next target on his list, “No hesitations,”

“Yes Master Gunne,” the pegasus answered, posture straight and rigid under his intense glare.

Gunne made a heel turn and walked further down the line. He stopped for a moment when he came into Twilight’s path, a disinterested look on his face as he gave her a quick “Hmph,” and went along to Applejack instead. “And absolute obedience from each of you. Am I understood?”

The caribou leaned down over Applejack, coming short of an inch away from her muzzle. Gunne’s normally calm, controlled tone giving way to a serious one that understood that out of the four, AJ was the most likely to cause a scene. Applejack had to avert her gaze from his piercing eyes, for the first time acknowledging his attempt at intimidation to be more than bravado brought on by being a caribou. If she acted out tonight, at such a public event, her punishment would amount to far more than tongue-cleaning a man’s hooves.

“Yes sir,” she answered, keeping her eyes down.

“Good,” Gunne worked his way back down the line, “Should I hear from King Dainn that any of you so much as serviced a stallion in a substandard manner, I’ll personally see to it that the one responsible spends a week in the town square so every man and mare can do with you as they see fit.”

A giggle escaped pinkie’s muzzle, “Where’s the punishment in that?”

Gunne stopped on spot, tuning to the offending mare, “Turn around,” he said, spinning his finger in the air.

“Awwww…” Pinkie groaned as she turned back towards the wagon, presenting her rump by placing her hands on the lowered tailgate. “I was just asking a question…”

Gunne grabbed her tail by its base, lifting up the poofy strands up high to get a clear path to her ass. A yelp came from the mare as she felt the powerful tug, and more followed as a hand slapped down on her chubby cheeks.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!” The hits made the unfortunate earth mare’s legs lift in pattern as the caribou alternated between the two sides of her backside. It turned into a stationary dance of sorts, his hits directing her movements, her small yelps providing a song of pain to accompany.

Gunne spanked her until her pink posterior turned a few shades darker, and then released his grip to return to where he was before he started the punishment. “That was the only warning, for all of you,” he stated, assured that his point was now made, “But to answer the pink one’s out of turn question, should any of you think the punishment I presented might be ‘fun’, I’ll make sure to come up with something else that won’t be so enjoyable. Any more questions?”

“Ah think we understand,” AJ spoke up, her intimidation from before not being near as strong as her hatred towards the man who just spanked her friend for no reason, “We aren’t as stupid as ya think we are, sir.”

Gunne considered having AJ taking a turn with her rump out, but her tone didn’t carry the indignance that it usually did, and she did address him properly in the end. If anything, it was an improvement. “Thin ice Applejack, but I suppose we’ve wasted too much time here. I’m going to get your handler, then we’ll all go inside.” Gunne left to fetch Mac, making sure to lift and lock the tailgate before he did, and gave the four mares a moment alone.

Applejack went to Pinkie’s side, the pink mare rubbing her reddened rear. “Ya’ll ok Pinkie Pie?”

“I’m okay, just stings a little,” Pinkie answered, looking with concern at her flank. The concern expression soon vanished though, as it was replaced with her usual smile, “But look at you. You must’ve left an impression on Mister Gunne if he calls you ‘Applejack’.”

“Pardon?” AJ asked curiously.

“Master Gunne hardly ever calls a mare by name,” said Fluttershy, “He calls me ‘the yellow one’.”

“I used to think he only called his cow by her name,” said Twilight, “But it seems he’s taken a liking to you. Good work.”

Applejack had the feeling that Gunne saying her name was just a habit, formed from him saying it for Mac’s sake. That aside, she couldn’t help but blush a bit from the others giving her praise for the perceived accomplishment. If she had her hat, she would have pulled it down over her face, but without it all she could do was turn away. It was such a silly thing to get approval for, but coming from the other three made her feel good somehow. “Well thank ya, but it weren’t nothing.”

The three mares said no more, but snickered a bit at her sudden shyness. Little by little they were getting AJ to open up, which was good since none of them wanted to see their red-collared friend in a mood during this night of celebration.

Not much later, Gunne and Mac rejoined the girls and the carriage drove off away from the front steps of the palace. It was time to enter, and see exactly what lay behind those massive front doors.

“Everyone, hands and knees as we enter the castle.” said Gunne. Each of the mares immediately obeyed, even AJ, since the caribou had stressed the importance of listening to every command. Mac thought about saying something, but figured that this was neither the time nor the place. He was just going to have to accept that tonight he would have little say over what happened to his sister.

The group made their way into a crowd of people heading into the castle entrance, the mares crawling behind the two males that had escorted them to Canterlot. There wasn’t much to see from their lowered position, just the legs of every other guest that walked by, but there was plenty to feel as many of the males were already getting liberal with their touches. Applejack saw an arm reach down to Fluttershy first, grabbing her rear as they moved towards their destination. Neither Mac nor Gunne must’ve noticed it as far ahead as they were, and the small whimpers the pegasus made from the sexual contact were drowned out by everyone around them.

It was not long before AJ had her own admirer touching her body, but instead of a hand against feeling up her rump she got the distinct sensation of a hoof rubbing lightly between her legs. It couldn’t press against her hard, her motion prevented it, but it was enough to send small shivers through her. The farm pony tried to go faster to outpace the stallion behind, but he seemed determined to keep up his teasing and caught back up easily. No matter how fast she crawled, she couldn’t outpace an upright pony.

She felt like she didn’t have a choice in this matter, save for calling for Mac and getting him upset at one of the party’s guests before it even started. With the goal of that night to get through it with as little trouble possible, she resisted that option and was set on keeping quiet, which included holding back on the moans that were desperate to leave her throat. That was until something else pressed up against her backside, something much more solid that pillowed her rear as it lifted it up off the ground.

“Come on!” said Pinkie as she pushed Applejack forward with her head, “Mac and Mister Gunne are getting away!”

AJ had to move her hands faster to keep from toppling over, placing one in front of the other as fast as possible to keep up with Pinkie’s speed. She wasn’t sure what the other earth mare was talking about though, Mac and Gunne weren’t that far ahead. If it was just to get her away from whoever was brushing their hoof against her pussy, AJ was thankful, though this was perhaps the most embarrassing way to escape the situation. Pinkie’s push continued until they got inside the castle, with the other guests watching and chuckling at the silly spectacle, and once in the main hall the mare made a sudden stop that made AJ hop off by her own momentum.

The inside was not changed very much from how it had been when the princesses ruled the kingdom. There was the usual caribou flair of course; the stained glass windows that once depicted Equestria’s rich history now contained portrayals of caribou conquest and male dominance over vilified and chastised images of the former female rulers, and the tapestries that lined the wall held embroidered versions of the kingdom’s banner, the image of a half sun, half moon wrapped in chains that represented the caribou’s control over princesses Luna and Celestia and Equestria itself. Save for those small changes the overall structure and layout of the castle remained the same; King Dainn must have found that it suited his needs well as it stood.

Very few guests had congregated in the entrance hall, most of them heading directly to the banquet hall where the festivities and entertainment of the evening were being held. Of the few that had remained in the chamber were several pony guards placed at key points of the room, such as the entrance and exits. They were fully equipped with armor and stun batons in the unlikely event that someone would try some fool scheme against the castle during the party. There were others about too, small congregations of high class stallions and caribou that had the visage of powerful warriors talking to each other about things that AJ couldn’t discern that faded into a torrent of words coming from all directions. There was one other in the room, the person she figured would be there to greet her, standing in the exact spot she expected him to be standing.

King Dainn stood atop the staircase leading to the banquet hall, taking the place that Princess Celestia held in the many galas that came before this one. He, like Gunne, wore his armor for the celebration, a silver chestplate with caribraic symbols and patterns on it that was polished to a reflective sheen. On his head, resting behind his antlers, was a red circlet that wrapped around his skull, acting as his crown of kingship. He stood atop the steps as a figure of authority, looking down upon the subjects of his kingdom as they came in. For a moment Applejack believed that the large caribou was looking right at her, that she was caught in his sights as if they were pinpointing her location like a spot light. Only when she froze and his head turned slowly away from her did she understand that it wasn’t her that Dainn was watching, but Gunne as he approached the steps that led up to him.

“Hurry up Applejack,” said Twilight as she crawled by, showing her ecstaticism to be in the presence of the king, mirroring the same emotions she once had when in the company of the princess, “We have to greet King Dainn, and we can’t keep him waiting.”

Applejack pressed forward, though not before allowing Fluttershy and Pinkie to go ahead of her, and followed behind the group that she had come with. She placed her hand on the first step that came before her, then her other on the step above. What would have been an easy stroll if she was upright became a difficult climb, but she had to make it to the top. She made Dainn her goal, and forced herself to work her way up the marble steps towards him. Being on her hands and knees, with the caribou king being elevated above her, warped her perspective and made him look much bigger, while at the same time making her feel that much smaller. It felt unpleasant, undignified, and like it was just a taste of what was to come.

---

Mac made his way to the top of the steps, feeling none too well about who was waiting for him at the top. It was going to be the competition all over again, where he would be eye to eye with the man that ruined the wonderful life he used to have and would smile and take whatever he had to say without a giving a hint of his true feelings. Even if he wasn’t a previously arrested, incurable stallion, an insult to the king would not end well, as it was rumored Dainn didn’t tolerate such slights against him. For the most part Mac was going to just remain quiet unless spoken too, let Gunne do most the talking, and try to get through the night with as few problems as possible.

“My king.” Gunne greeted Dainn once he got both of his hooves to the top landing, putting his fist to his chest in salute and bowing his head briefly.

“Gunne, welcome,” Dainn replied as he extended his hand to the stag, who took it and gave a firm shake, “Good to see you at one of our celebrations for once.”

“Thank you,” Gunne replied back, “I just wish the others felt the same.”

“Don’t worry about them,” Dainn said, dismissing Gunne’s concerns about the other caribou, “You just do what you can to enjoy yourself.” The caribou king shifted his head slightly, bringing his attention to the red stallion aside his loyal soldier, “And this must be your date.”

The last word of Dainn’s sentence set off alarms in Mac’s mind. “Excuse me?” he said aloud, foregoing his plan to remain silent, but keeping himself calm enough not to cause a scene.

Dainn smirked, seeing the fear in the clydesdale’s eyes, “Forgive the expression, what I meant to say was ‘guest’.”

“Actually, my king,” said Gunne stepping in, wanting to save Mac from any further embarrassment, “He brought me here tonight, so I would be his guest.”

Dainn gave Mac a closer look, trying to determine who the stallion was and how he got tickets to the Gala. “Oh yes, the one from the pet show in Appleloosa. You showed how well you trained that wild earth mare. A marvelous display, if I recall.”

Having been reminded of his sister, Mac twisted his head in order to check up on her, she and the other crawling mares just making it over the final step. “Well yeah, but I can’t take all the credit for that.”

“No need to be modest, you should be proud that you broke her wild spirit,” Dainn said, extending his open hand to Mac, “That aside, allow me to welcome you to my castle.”

Mac lifted his own hand and reciprocated the gesture, Dainn squeezing his hand before giving it a few shakes. The caribou king’s grip was more than necessary, hurting Mac slightly as he directed their hands up and down. The stallion wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret that, as it could have simply been how the king shook hands, or it could be him proving a point that he was the most powerful male in Equestria. Either way, Mac didn’t attempt to outdo him and didn’t flinch. This wasn’t a competition, and Mac had nothing to prove, but he didn’t want to show weakness on the offhand chance that this was some sort of test.

The handshake ended as abruptly as it started, and with that sign of welcome out of the way, the king looked to the floor at the female ponies that had gathered around both Mac and Gunne. “Ah, and if it isn’t the kingdom’s shining symbols of submission.”

“Greetings my king,” Twilight said while lowering her head to the floor, the king addressing her giving the permission she needed to speak. Before the alicorn spoke another word, she crawled up to the large caribou, placed her lips on his hoof, and gave it a kiss before backing away, “It is my honor to be here tonight to serve the kingdom.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie parroted Twilight’s display, Pinkie exaggerating her own kiss by pressing her face down deeply and practically making out with the king’s foot, a loud “MMMMmmmwwwaaaahh!” coming from her mouth as she broke away. After Pinkie crawled away AJ was next in line, and she did her part without hesitation. Mac figured that to her it didn’t matter any more than the many times she had licked Gunne’s hoof in the past, so while she did it with little enthusiasm, it was an easily accomplishable task. Once she was finished showing her respects for to the king, she went aside Mac and waited for the next time she would have to obey an order or disparage herself for the sake of some male.

“Excellent,” said Dainn in reply to Twilight, “It is good to see a woman so willing to provide her body in service to those better than herself. Such words would be worthy of reward, but as you are well aware…” He trailed off.

“Submission is it’s own reward.” Twilight said, finishing Dainn’s sentence. “To be able to be useful to men is all a mare should ever ask for or expect.”

“That’s a good mare. You’ve been studying thoroughly, those books I sent you aren’t going to waste I see.”

“Of course my king.” Twilight gave a smile and a nod before going on to say,” So where should I begin? Would you like me to stay here with you to help greet the guests? I’m sure that the men would enjoy my lips around their cocks before joining the rest.”

“A delightful notion, but most of the guests have already arrived.”

That information visibly upset the alicorn, true worry revealing itself for the first time that night. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t realize we were so late. Please forgive me, if I had known I would have…”

“What would you have done?” asked Dainn, curious at what the mare’s answer would be.

Twilight wracked her brain, biting her lip as she drew a blank. “I wouldn’t have done anything. I was to arrive with master Gunne, so there was nothing I could do.”

“Don’t fret too much Twilight,” Dainn said in understanding, “You are a powerless female, and had no ability to influence when you would be delivered here. If you truly feel bad about this though, you and I could spend some time together after the party to explain the importance of punctuality while you show me what else you’ve learned while with your dragon master.”

The idea of having a private audience with the king seemed to remove the purple mare’s doubts, as the corner of her lips curved back upwards. “Nothing would please me more.”

“Good, but for now…” Dainn turned his head and looked down one of the side corridors leading away from the banquet hall. “You seem a little under dressed for the occasion, and I understand that your unicorn friend wanted to see each of you red collars before you presented yourself in front of everyone.” The caribou king waved over one of the stallion guards on duty, who came over promptly at the order of the king. “Take these four to where we put Shining Armor’s unicorn.”

“Yes sir,” The stallion replied before he turned to the group of mares, “On your hooves, all of you.” The mares obeyed, some happier to be able to stand upright than others. “Now come on, the quicker we get there the better.”

The guard walked off down the corridor, the four female ponies following behind and eventually stepping out of Mac’s sight. He wasn’t too happy that he and AJ would be separate for who knows how long, but he knew that this was something that didn’t involve him when Gunne didn’t go with them. He would have to be patient, and trust that nothing terrible would happen to his sister while she was gone.

With the women out of earshot, Gunne addressed the king once more. “King Dainn, I apologize for being late. I didn’t think the trip would take so long.”

“Think nothing of it.” Dainn said, excusing the caribou, “I brought it up to place some doubt into the alicorn’s mind. A little worry is good for a female. It will push her to strive at being an even better slave and keep her mind off ideas that might harm her.”

“Ah, of course my king. I’ve found myself that placing a little bit of self doubt into a female can go a long way.”

Mac began drifting away from the two caribou’s conversation little by little, as it was moving into subjects that he neither understood, nor cared to. While he listened to every word spoken, he hardly retained any of it. Most of it was just them cryptically explaining how simple it was to trick mares into compliance, taking pride in their manipulation of others to their will. Whatever they were going on about didn’t apply to Mac though, so he just waited it out off to the side until they finished patting each other on the back for their accomplishments.

“Oh yes, there was one last thing I wanted to request before me and my host joined the others in the main hall.” Gunne said, running out of topics to discuss or update the king on.

“And what would that be?”

“I wanted to give the stallion a bit of a tour around the castle, allow him to see the symbols of caribou might that are contained within these walls.”

The king didn’t have to give the request too much thought, “Go ahead. It might do him some good to see the fruits of what we caribou worked for laid out in front of him. Don’t take too long though, I would hate for you both to miss out on the gala itself.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.” said Gunne, giving Dainn one more salute before he went over to Mac, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged the half-aware stallion deeper into the castle’s interior. “Come, I have such sights to show you.” The caribou said, the pride he made evident when speaking with Dainn still clear. While it would keep him away from the banquet hall, and the horrific things held within it, for a little while longer, the clydesdale had no doubt that going through the castle would uncover many other things that would be unpleasant for him. He would tolerate it though, since it would allow him to spend some time away from the other stallions that came to the castle to satisfy their lustful desires, which he hoped would make the night more bearable.

---

AJ walked down the halls of the palace, last in the line of enslaved elements. The castle had an alien atmosphere about it as she stepped quickly to keep up with the guard, like it was an entirely different place than the one she had visited several times before. The whole place had an oppressive nature about it, with the guard stallions keeping a close eye on the four mares as they traveled the otherwise vacant halls. It was easy to tell what they were thinking, one or two making rude gestures as they passed, or outright proclaiming how they would like to stick their penises into the various orifices of the female ponies, but they seemed unable to do more than that on this occasion.

Still, their restraint did little for AJ’s creeping anxiety. The silence surrounding her was foreboding, considering that there was a party going on somewhere else. The only things she could hear was the rude remarks from the guards, which consisted of whistles, foul names, and explicit comments of what they would do if they had time with a single one of them, and the rattling of Pinkie’s chains as she walked in front of her. She was relieved when the quiet hall suddenly came to life as a door opened up in front of her and a trio of voices came out from inside. That relief was short lived though, as one of the voice’s owners stepped out from the room: the first person who had ever raped her, the caribou Ivangir.

It had been a long time since AJ had last seen the man, but his visage was something that stuck in her mind. His size and muscular frame, while not as impressive as Dainn, would have been intimidating enough for most ponies, but the brief history they shared together made the stag all that more monstrous to the farm mare. She hadn’t even realized that she had stopped walking, the entirety of her focus on this man who seemed so pleased with himself as he slipped his large, recently used shaft, still wet with fluids from whatever he had done in the room, back into his pants.

Applejack couldn’t come up with words for her feelings towards Ivangir, other than that they were intense. She didn’t fear him, as if she she refused to be terrified by anyone who attempted to bully her around, no matter how effective they were at it. She certainly didn’t respect him, neither for his position over her or his actual skills. Anger seemed like too insignificant a word to properly describe her hatred towards the man, and loathing too much as when it came down to it he was nowhere near as reprehensible as the one in charge of the caribou, he was just one who AJ had a personal reason to dislike more than others. Whatever the proper word was, it didn’t matter, as once he finally noticed that Applejack was there with him, he grew a look on his face that told her that she would have to put them to the side.

Ivangir, realizing the farm mare was a few feet away, put an expression on his face that resembled one a person might have after stumbling across a long forgotten toy from their childhood, becoming overly excited at the chance to be able to play with the mare once more. He immediately pulled his dick back out from his pants, the piece of meat becoming solid from him just looking at the earth pony.

“There’s my little fuck slut,” he declared, hastily stepping away from two other caribou coming out from the room, “I’ve been wondering when I’d get to shove myself back into that tight cunt of yours again.”

Applejack stepped away at his approach, as did the other mares as they were either equally surprised by his brash actions or simply trying to make way for the large male, but didn’t make more that a couple steps back before Ivangir wrapped his hand around her muzzle and wrenched her head upwards.

“So Vestri was telling the truth,” he said, airing his disappointment at what he saw, “You somehow got yourself a red collar.”

AJ wanted to give him a condescending response, as she didn’t see how her red collar status could be seen as anything but a positive thing to a caribou, but her almost instinctual reaction to overbearing males was prevented by the hand clamping her mouth down. It was for the best, as that was the worst place for her to give sass to a male, but asking Ivangir “Something wrong with that?” like he was stupid would have been so gratifying, at least for a while. The farm mare thought she could settle for giving him a glare from behind his hand, that was until he started to pull her head to him, aiming her snout to his crotch.

“Well then, you should have no trouble giving my dick a good sucking.” Ivangir shoved her face into his dick head, pushing the meaty mass against her snout so she had no choice by to inhale the strong scent of his arousal.

The caribou’s repugnant behavior was too much, even for a mare who was trying to pretend to be a red collar. Applejack could deal with being forced to have sex with other red collars, she could even deal with allowing stallions to use her as a cock cleaner, but caribou were the lowest of the low and Ivangir was a shining example of how depraved their kind could be.

He had no issue in making things as uncomfortable as possible for even the most willing of women, shoving his thing into any hole he could find without care for how painful it might be to push something of that size into a space clearly not designed to fit it, and making the ordeal all the more terrible by adding the occasional full-powered slap to whatever area of the body he felt like hitting at the time. This habit of his was something that AJ saw in all caribou to some degree, but Ivangir was the worst offender for his malicious cruelty towards the female gender. She would not willingly allow him, or any other caribou for that matter, to slam themselves full force into her throat like her own comfort didn’t matter when it came to their pleasure, no matter how many times they had done so by force before.

AJ pulled against his grip, doing what she could to either pull free or pull away from the dick pressed into her face. Her struggles didn’t help much though, as she had been put off balance when her head was brought forward and her body attempted to follow where it was led the best it could, but fortunately she didn’t need to break away.

The guard that had been guiding the mare’s through the castle stepped aside the large caribou, hesitant, but encouraged by his sense of duty. “Lord Ivangir, I hate to interrupt.”

“Then why are you?” Ivangir replied while trying to guide Applejack’s mouth around his rod.

“King Dainn wanted these mares to be properly prepared for the guests at the party. While I don’t wish to challenge your authority, the king’s takes precedence over your own.”

Invangir gave a huff, and released Applejack. “If it’s at the king’s order, I suppose I’ll oblige his wishes,” he stepped past the farm mare, heading down the way the mares had came with the other caribou to where the gala was being held, “But don’t think I’m done with you Applesnatch. Tonight, you’ll be at my mercy, and I’ll have you scream my name when I enter your anticipating womb.”

Applejack managed to keep on her hooves when released, retaining a small bit of dignity as the caribou gloated about his plans for her later. She wasn’t going to be too happy when it came down to fulfilling those desires, but that would be something to worry about later. For the moment she was just glad to escape that inevitability for a little while longer.

“Ok you sluts, get your asses in here,” said the guard, “And be quick about it. You’ve already taken up enough time as it is.”

AJ allowed herself the privilege of a subtle eye roll, if not for Ivangir’s interference they would had already been in the room. If she tried to explain that to the stallion though, he would just give her a slap on the ass for talking back, so she didn’t say a word as she entered the room. She almost received a hit to her backside regardless, as the guard slammed shut the door after every mare was inside, but her reflexes allowed her to avoid getting a sizable bruise on her butt. It was frustrating to be treated so poorly, after everything she had done to get the collar on her neck, but it didn’t take long for her to notice a whimpering in the room after the sound of the slamming door settled.

The others were already aware of where the sounds were coming from, each looking on silently at a purple-maned, white mare sobbing softly against a caribou sized mannequin, her face buried in her arms while she pressed them into the side of the wooden body.

“Rarity….” AJ said, keeping her own voice too low for the unicorn to hear. She thought that she might see Rarity that night, but not in this state. She expected her to be living it up, mingling with the high society types and providing her sexual services as a way to work herself up the social ladder. To see the mare in this moment of weakness was a surprising contrast to their last encounter, and she didn’t know what to make of it.

“Hello Rarity,” said Twilight, loud enough that Rarity could hear.

The unicorn made a sharp gasp, and then spun around to see the four mares accompanying her in the room. “My goodness, I didn’t think anyone else was in here.” She said wiping her eyes clean of tears, black streaks and white fluids that were covering her face smearing onto her arms.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Twilight, “We’re all just glad to see you again.”

“But...” Fluttershy said, “It looks like we came in at a bad time.”

Pinkie Pie stepped up to the unicorn, and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Are you okay Rarity? Do you need a hug?”

“No, I’m fine, really. I feel better just seeing you all.” Rarity said through her sniffles. She continued to remove the tears from her eyes, holding in her emotions to stop more from welling up, and when they were finally unobscured she noticed that there was one more person in the room than she had assumed. “Applejack?”

“Howdy… Rarity,” AJ greeted with a small wave. With Rarity facing her directly, the earth mare could no longer ignore something else that had changed about the unicorn aside from her demeanor. Rarity’s breasts were noticeably bigger, engorged farther than AJ remembered. What used to be an attractive, if somewhat modest set of C cups that were slightly smaller than the farm pony’s own home grown breasts, had now became a pair of Ds that had beaten Applejack’s by a few centimeters. It was hard to avert her eyes from the obtrusive melon-sized pieces of flesh, but through a combination of inner will and embarrassment AJ managed to pull away.

Rarity gave one final unflattering snort to clear her sinuses, “I… I was told that I’d be waiting here for friends, but I thought that it would only be the red collars.”

“Well, ya weren’t wrong,” AJ said, lifting her neck.

Rarity was bewildered to see that the farm mare had a red collar on. “Applejack, I never expected you of all ponies to ever convert.”

“Well, things change right?” said AJ to dismiss the unicorn’s statement, “I’m surprised ya hadn’t heard about me switching collars. Ah thought all of Equestria would’ve heard it by now.”

“Sorry Applejack, news doesn’t travel to the Crystal Empire easily.”

“Oh, that’s right.” said Twilight, “My brother sent me a letter telling me he purchased you as his personal slave.”

AJ hadn’t heard anything about that. For all she knew, Rarity had been still traveling around with Flim and Flam. It only went to further emphasize how far out of the loop she was, and that bothered her more than she’d liked to admit. They might have had their conflicts in the past, but AJ had been reminded of the good times they shared before all this.

“Oh goodness, I must look a fright,” Rarity said spotting the smeared mascara on her arm, “Please, excuse me for a minute.” She went to a vanity mirror sitting against one of the room’s walls, where she grabbed several pieces of tissue paper off of the top of it. Rarity then proceeded to wipe away as much of the black and white substances off her body as she could, all while muttering to herself. “I will never be able to get this out of my fur before we get out there. Shining Armor will have my ass for being in such an unpresentable state. This is going to be the worst night ever.”

Applejack, unable to let Rarity’s crying go, went next to her at the mirror, “Are ya really okay sugarcube? Ya’ll were lookin’ mighty distressed when we came in.”

“Tears of joy Applejack, I assure you,” the unicorn answered, dabbing her tissues against her face. “Lord Ivangir, Lord Anvari, and Lord Nothri gave me the privilege of having their cocks in my throat. Why wouldn’t I be happy about that?”

Rarity’s words said one thing, but her tone seemed to say something else entirely to the farm mare. It might have been her imagination, but the combination of pleasant words and a half-hearted attitude sounded far too close to what she herself had been doing lately. Was it possible that Rarity had a change of heart? Or even that she had been doing the same thing this whole time? The last time AJ had spent time together with Rarity, the unicorn had sounded rude and insulting, but how much of that was conjured up by her own prejudice against red collars, misinterpreted from what Rarity was really trying to say. Then again, the same could be said about this situation, as it could be just be wishful thinking brought on by her own experience as a red collar, but like with all the others Applejack would rather think the best of her friends.

If that was the case though, AJ couldn’t just ask her about it, not here at least. It would be crazy to think that any mare would admit to not being a true red collar in a room full of them. She wanted to know though, and she could say something to get a better assessment of the unicorn.

“Rarity, if ya don’t mind Ah wanted to talk to ya about… well… about when we last saw each other.”

The unicorn mare paused for a moment, then gave a huff as she set her hands down on the vanity mirror. “You mean back with Flim and Flam. I suppose I should expect the same from you as I get from everyone else. So what do you wish to bring up? My humiliation at their hands, the way I acted like an insatiable whore, or did I make some minor mistake that you wish to toss into my face so I’m never able to forget it?”

“Well no…” AJ replied, feeling somewhat ashamed that not to long ago she might have done just that, “I just wanted to say… sorry.”

“What?” Rarity said, gazing into the mirror to see the remorseful mare behind her.

“Ah made a lot of assumptions back then, just thought that because ya wore a red collar that it meant ya surrendered to the caribou and wanted them to use ya for sex.” AJ took a moment to think out what she wanted to say, and even taking her time she didn’t know how to say what she was thinking, but she hoped that what she said would hit the mark she wanted, “What I’m tryin’ to say is that now that I’ve gotten my own red collar, Ah realized that not everyone gets one because they’re just lookin’ to screw and don’t give a dang about anyone else, and maybe… ya had your own reasons to obey the caribou that I just don’t understand. If that’s what’s going on, ya don’t have to ever explain it to me, but Ah want ya to know ah get it and won’t judge ya for it anymore.”

Rarity slowly turned to face the earth pony behind her, at first appearing to be unable to accept what AJ had said, like it had been so long since someone had forgiven her for anything that it was a foreign concept. AJ was about to make an attempt to explain what she meant better, that was until the unicorn thrust herself upon the earth mare and brought her into embrace, hiding her face within AJ’s shoulders, while at the same time accidentally pressing her well-endowed bust into the earth pony’s.

“I’m sorry...” Rarity said lowly, unable to put any real volume in her voice, “I didn’t mean any of those horrid things I said. I just… no, I can’t excuse what I did. I only hope you forgive me.”

“There, there,” AJ said with an awkward pat on the back, “It’s okay, really. No need to get all emotional.”

Despite her attempts, Rarity began to cry again, her chin resting on AJ’s shoulder as she whimpered to herself. Some might have thought that it was just Rarity being dramatic over something so minor, but Applejack could tell that these subdued sobs were as genuine a cry as the unicorn had ever given. Rarity had been through just as much hell as she had, though in different ways and for different reasons. How the earth mare wanted to know what she had gone through, but she felt she would never be able to find out with the gala taking what little time they had together here.

But this did put in her a renewed trust in Rarity, that somewhere deep inside she might not be what the caribou had turned her into, that her friend was still there. This faith in Rarity also reinforced her belief that Twilight could be the same, and even if they had to live the rest of their lives as slaves, they wouldn’t have to do it alone.

“Girls,” AJ heard Twilight say from behind her, “I don’t mean to butt in, but King Dainn will be expecting us any moment, and he wanted us to do something before we showed ourselves to the guests.

“Yes, of course, how irresponsible of me,” Rarity said, taking her time to remove herself from Applejack, as if she didn’t want to pull away, “The king wanted me to dress us all up so the guests would have something nice to look at while they used us.”

“Oooohhhhh, does that mean that you made us some dresses like last time?” asked Pinkie, bouncing on her hooves.”

“I’m afraid not,” Rarity answered, to the disappointment of the others, “Not that I didn’t want to, but the council asked Shining Armor, I mean ‘my master’, to have me create some outfits for them. I had to put all my efforts into getting those done before anything else, and with the amount of alterations and revisions they sent me to make sure everything was exactly how they wanted them, along with my normal duties, I simply didn’t have enough time for anything else. It cut so close that I had to finish them up here and delivery them right before the party.”

That explained what Ivangir and two of the other members of the council members were doing back here instead of enjoying themselves in the gala. AJ hadn’t noticed their clothing at the time, as she had her mind focused on Ivangir himself, but if she had been paying better attention she would have surely noticed Rarity’s handiwork. The three caribou had no doubt finished rewarding Rarity, as the unicorn had said, after seeing how good a job the unicorn had done, though a punishment for failure would have been of similar nature.

“Dresses or no, I was still granted this room in order to ‘doll us up’ as some of the caribou put it. It is such a shame though, I had planned on making something for each of us, even the black collars within our circle of friends… which I suppose is only Rainbow Dash at this point.” Rarity gave a heavy sigh, her brilliant designs going to waste, “But when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, and there's always next year I suppose.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Twilight, “What really matters is that you got the important outfits finished. So, what do we have to make ourselves look better?”

“Well, the King gave me access to this room, which they use to store makeup for maids and other slaves they keep in the castle. It also has... “ Rarity went over to a large cabinet, opening it to reveal a plethora sex toys and bondage equipment of all types, shapes, and sizes inside. “These.”

Applejack’s heart sank slightly, but she calmly stepped up to the cabinet along with the other, more ecstatic ponies. She could handle this, nothing she hadn’t had to deal with before. At least that is what she kept telling herself as she stuck her hands inside and looked for something she could tolerate for the evening.

---

“So how was it?” Gunne asked as he led Mac back to the banquet hall.

“It was fine,” The clydesdale replied, feeling indifferent about the tour. They had been around most of the castle checking out the many sights Gunne wished to show the stallion who had rarely left Ponyville. They first took a short stroll though the royal gardens, that was until they stumbled upon a black collar who had been chained to a post for the animals to take advantage of. The spatterings of white fluids matting her fur coat and flowing out of the backside of the miserable mare were enough to send the clydesdale back inside the moment he realized what he was looking at.

From there Gunne led Mac to the royal throne room, where he saw more stained glass windows featuring images of the caribou’s take over of Canterlot and the rest of Equestria, as well as the horns of the four alicorn princesses that were mounted atop the king’s seat. Then there was the royal library, which Mac appreciated for the simple fact that few aside Gunne and himself were there at the moment, and it gave him a small respite away from the things that disturbed him. On the way back they even passed by a vault which Gunne explained contained the Crystal Heart, the pony relic kept there for safe-keeping after the caribou altered it to aid in their goal of liberating Equestria from its female rulers, though they weren’t allowed to go in and have a look because of the importance of the item.

It was all impressive, if in ways Mac hated, and it showed just how far the caribou had come since their arrival to these lands. While all that had captured Mac’s attention for some time, it all didn’t nearly get his attention as much as the amount of guards on duty for this event. He hadn’t bothered to count how many he saw, but he took quick notice to the fact that they were present all over the castle, keeping a watchful eye in case anyone decided to try something stupid. Mac didn’t think anyone would try something in the castle itself, but if some foolhardy resistance member, or anyone else, decided to cause a scene during the Gala it would be nothing less than suicide.

The two males made their way back to the main hall, and during their tour the chamber had become rather empty. The chatter that had filled it before had vanished, each of the groups that had been there when they entered disappeared, and the king had moved from the spot where he stood while greeting the guests. They had to have all gone to join the party, and now it was Gunne and Mac’s turn to do the same.

Gunne gave the two stallions guarding the entrance to the banquet hall a nod and they opened the way for him and Mac, “After you,” he said politely.

Mac steeled himself for what would be waiting for him inside, and stopped when he looked past the threshold. At first he was confused, seeing the many males and females inside as he expected, but not hearing any of the noise that should been sounding in the lively celebration that he was observing. Then it dawned on him, the reason things had been fairly quiet the whole night with a party going on nearby. The caribou had cleverly used the same silencing enchantment that they used on Fluttershy’s animal farm on the banquet hall, trapping the sounds inside as to not disrupt any conversations going on outside, or disrupt the peace in the city as a party like this would go on well throughout the night. The moment he passed through the doors, it would all hit him at once, and it would be like stepping out of a pleasant meadow into a war zone.

He would have to go in there eventually though, and the longer he put it off the harder it would be, so he took one last deep breath, braced himself for what was about to come, and crossed beyond that barrier to what awaited him.

The Worst Night Ever: Part 3

Mac’s senses were assaulted the moment he stepped into the banquet hall. Never before had he been in such a jarring situation, which was saying something since Ponyville, and specifically Sweet Apple Acres, had encountered plenty of bizarre incidents over the years.

The gala had the general theme of Mac’s mental image of sophisticated party, like the ones his aunt and uncle Orange had thrown in the past. In their youth, AJ had talked about the few that she was able to attend; the ponies in their fancy suits and dresses, the feasts overflowing with the most tasty foods that one could think of, the finery and decor that gave the room a presence of luxury that was far beyond that any common pony could ever imagine. They never really seemed like anything he would ever enjoy, as he was more accustomed to the kind of parties that were held at the Apple family reunions. This gathering, however, was so different from the ones AJ had described to him that he wouldn’t be able to form an opinion, as the few things linking it to though high class soirées were easily overshadowed by the things that separated it.

The common attire of the party was the first major difference of it all, with the beautiful dresses that the women would wear replaced with fashionable scraps of fabric, made to mimic the aesthetics of their predecessors while having large portions of the material needed for the chest and crotch regions missing so that the mares wearing them had nothing to cover their vaginas or breasts. A rare few had on completed dresses, but were more exposed than the others as the fabrics used for them were so sheer that they were almost non-existent, so transparent that if not for a slight hue of color floating around the wearer, no one would be able to know it was there. These failed to impress Mac, as to him it was another way to make the women nude for the sake of it, and the outfits were so clearly made exploit the female form that he appreciated the completely nude mares walking about more, as they dropped any pretense of what this was all about.

What he saw was in no way improved by what he heard happening around him. The sounds were subdued compared to other events he had attended, lacking the random obscenities and wild yells from the males and usual lustful calls from the red collared mares. He could still hear the woeful cries and howls of protest from the black collars though, a large portion of which coming from the centerpiece of the room, which had the Princess Luna held there in bondage. They had her positioned standing and bent forward, her arms bound together tightly behind her back by half a dozen looped belts. From the last belt in the row, the one that encircled her wrists, was a heavy looking chain leading upwards to the ceiling, and from the ring in her collar another that found its place in a loop bolted to the floor. Her hooves were likewise attached to the floor, spread far apart with her tail tied in a knot to her long mane in order to allow the males around her a better view of her nethers.

The sounds of struggle that came from the alicorn were like that of some untamed, feral beast as she pulled against bonds she couldn’t break, a distinct “clink” noise sounding each time the mare pulled against them. While no stallions or stags were using her at that time, the mess of sticky fluids that clung to her body and pooled at her hooves, flicking off her body each time she gave a quick thrash, made it known that this was just a small reprieve from what had happened to her before the stallion entered the room. How anyone could have a good time while a myriad of awful, hate filled howls were bellowing out of her, uttering undecipherable things from behind a open mouth gag, was something Mac couldn't comprehend. The other guests didn’t even seem to notice it, or gave only a passing glance as the other sounds and ambient music over the room mixed with and overlapped her voice.

With one alicorn princess on his mind, it made Mac more aware of the other two in the room. A little to the left of the bound princess of the night was a pink mare bearing a crystal heart on her rump. While he couldn’t exactly tell through all the other noises in the room, the large stallion could easily imagine the elated sounds Cadence must’ve been making as two caribou on either end of the alicorn lifted her up off the ground by her arms and legs, and thrust themselves into her mouth and pussy with reckless abandon. The spattering of clear fluids hitting the floor every time the one at her legs pulled out, along with the face of pure pleasure the mare had with the rod of meat in her mouth announced to all that saw her that she loved every second of what was happening to her. With the other males at the ready to take the place of the ones inside her, she would be enjoying it for some time.

The last unaccounted for alicorn was at the back of the room, opposite from where he was standing, the former leader of Equestria held on an elevated stage within a decorative cage made of gold and adorned with gemstones as she acted as a displayed prize of the caribou king sitting next to her. Compared to her cum-covered sister, the princess made quite the stark contrast. While Luna coat was a terrible mess, Celestia’s was well-groomed and pristine. Where her sister was contorted in misery, Celestia held a look of content. Mac watched as that contentment seemed to grow when Dainn reached through the bars and gave her an offhanded scratch behind her ears as he watched over all who were participating in the party, not joining on the festivities himself yet still looking quite pleased with what was happening around him. Celestia followed his eyes to see what he saw, like a curious dog following the gaze of her master. At one point, her eyes landed on Mac, and for some reason stopped there for a moment.

At first he thought that it was just a fluke, that she was looking at something else in his direction, but then the red collar made a flirtatious wink as she lifted her chest up high to allow a good view of her enormous rack. She kept that pose for a short while, before resuming a more relaxed pose and going back to observing what the king was observing. There was no way that could have been intended just for him. It must have just been something she was supposed to do whenever she spotted anyone eying her up. While most here would enjoy looking upon her royal figure, it only served to make the stallion self-conscious, as now it seemed that a pony once regarded as the most wise and respectable pony in all Equestria, perhaps the world, knew that he was at an event such as this.

The sounds and sights were enough to make the give Mac second thoughts, but then there was the lofty scent of passion and lust within the air that hit him like a thick musk. It wasn’t much different from being in Pinkie’s bordello, the recent acts of sex permeating the room much like that place, and mixed with the strong fragrances of the cooked foods that were set on a group of banquet tables placed around Luna. The mixture made for a final addition to this trifecta of disgust for the stallion, and he wondered why he even bothered to come to the gala in the first place.

Of course the reason was standing right next to him, scanning the room just as he just had, but with a much more pleased expression on his face. “Quite the turnout,” said Gunne as the door was closed behind them, “But there is no way anyone would miss something like this.”

Mac had to agree, with the hall as packed as it was. While there was still plenty of space to move around, the room looked like it had exceeded its recommended capacity. Mac never considered that he had a fear of crowds, but the amount of bodies in one space was making him feel a little agoraphobic. The stallion guards placed at all the exits didn’t help either, and with he and Gunne standing at the front entrance for so long they were beginning to draw attention.

“Gunne, can we find a seat? Ah want to get off mah hooves.” said Mac, moving into the room in attempt to break line of sight with those looking at him, a silly notion since he stood heads over most of the others in the room.

"Now wait a minute Mac," said Gunne, "Are you sure you don't want to take a moment to grab a bite? Maybe mingle a bit before we spend the rest of the night supporting the walls?"

"No, Ah don't," Mac answered as he moved away from the door in search of a stray chair he could commandeer, "I'm not hungry and Ah don't have any reason to talk to anyone here."

"Well... perhaps you might want to look around to see if that purple mare is here?"

"Who?" Mac said, only half listening to Gunne.

"That lovely red collar with the flowers on her rump. You'll have to forgive me if I don't remember her name."

Working out what Gunne was getting at, the clydesdale froze. "Are ya telling me that Cheerilee is here?"

"I wouldn't know," replied the caribou, "but as a government-owned mare, she could have been called to this event as entertainment. One time around the room should be enough to determine if they brought her in."

Mac didn't know why Gunne was so dead set on getting him to interact with the party, but he had to admit that the caribou pressed the right button with that. "Okay... ya sold me. Let's take a look around."

"Good," Gunne put his arm around Mac's back and placed his hand on the shoulder opposite from him, "And you'll see. There is nothing wrong with taking a small walk around your fellow peers."

The caribou guided Mac through the festivities, and checked around in every direction. Mac was glad that he was actually trying to find Cheerilee, but it only took a few seconds for him to start wondering why he wanted to look in the first place. If they did find her, she would be shoulder deep in dicks, and Mac didn't want to see her like that, surrounded by men shooting their sperm all over her. He knew she would feel the same too, and that if she caught him watching her while she was on the job it would humiliate her more than any of the demeaning act the caribou made her do. If he didn't look though, the thought would bother him all night, at least until AJ showed herself again and more immediate problems arose.

"Well would you look at that?" said Gunne, pointing through the crowd.

Thinking that he had found Cheerilee, Mac zipped his head in the direction of the finger, only to see four robed caribou standing next to the refreshments table, each gulping down a tankard of ale to celebrate the occasion. Mac looked as hard as he could, checking to see if one of those robes had a tail sticking out the front of it, but there were no signs of a mare being concealed within them.

"Those are the four runemasters. They are the most knowledgeable caribou when it comes to the runes we use, each one specializing in one of the four favored elements of caribou magic: metal, stone, wood and bone."

"Umm... that's nice and all, but what about Cheerilee?" Mac asked.

"Oh, I haven't seen her yet. I've got my eye out for her, don't you worry." Gunne turned his head away as they continued walking, but not long after it locked onto something else. "Ah, there's Durnir, the caribou's master blacksmith.”

Mac was disinterested, but he humored Gunne by taking a moment to gaze at a muscular caribou near the refreshments table, dressed in a simple shirt and pants that looked too casual for an event like this. He was rather large, and appeared to have a taste for ale from the amount of empty tankards sitting at his side, another being emptied that very moment as Durnir chugged it down.

“That’s really interesting, but-”

“And over there is Lord Sindri,” said Gunne, cutting off Mac to point out an older looking caribou in a freshl-looking ceremonial robe, sitting off to the side and keeping to himself for the most part, “He is one of the wisest caribou of our race, and one of the king’s mentors.”

“Gunne, really-”

“And of course you know Vestri,” Gunne said pointing to the caribou who had once graced Mac’s farm with his unwelcome presence, dressed in an odd leather outfit that had to have been of caribou fashion. At his side, wearing one of the transparent gowns Mac had seen several of the red collars in, was the mare that he had brought with him that day, standing at the ready, enjoying everything that was going on around her.

Vestri himself was speaking to two other caribou that looked important, one in a fancy black suit with gold trim on it that looked to try and outclass every other one at the party, and another in the same leather ensemble as Vestri.

“Those two next to him are Throtr, council quartermaster, and Hrathr, master of beasts.” Gunne gave one final look around the room, but to his disappointment he had run out of caribou council members to point out for Mac, “Pity... Nothri, Anvari and Invangir haven’t joined the party yet. I was hoping I’d be able to show you all the council members.”

Finally understanding the trend in the people Gunne was pointing out, Mac came to the conclusion that his associate wasn't really putting in his best effort to locate Cheerilee. This was fine honestly, since Mac was still on the fence about seeing her even if she was at the gala, but it got him curious about something."Why are ya so interested in the council and those rune guys? Ah thought they all hated ya."

"They do," that very moment, Gunne caught Throtr look his way, only to hastily avert his gaze back to Vestri when he realized who he was looking at, "And I'm not specifically attached to any of them either, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what they represent."

"Mind explaining that one to me?"

"Of course," Gunne said to the justy confused stallion, "No matter how they might feel about me or how I feel about them, they are still held in the highest regard by my brethren, considered the best of the best. As someone also strives to be the best at what they do, it would be a disservice not to give them the same respect that I would want for myself."

"Ah suppose that Ah can understand that," said Mac, seeing this as a testament to the caribou's character to be able to give that kind of respect to those who didn't give it in return.

"But it's not just caribou I respect in that manner, you ponies have similar men of merit. Take for example that unicorn over there."

Mac followed where Gunne's eyes pointed once more, and there across the room, with a pegasus kneeling before him as she did her best to get his penis into her stomach, was Shining Armor. Prince of the Crystal Empire and leader of the Equestrian Stallion Army, his command over them only second to King Dainn himself. Since the fall of Canterlot he had been helping to carry out Dainn's wishes for conquest across the land, along with his most trusted soldiers who had been trained by the caribou to be fearsome combatants. With his loyal knights at his side, along with his own magical abilities, Shining Armor had become a pony whose power rivaled any of the council members.

"Shining Armor is a respectable stallion, Ah suppose." Mac didn't really know much about the unicorn, save for who he was, what he did and how he use to be, but to avoid an argument he agreed with Gunne.

“That’s not all either, but look at the man right next him.” Mac did as Gunne suggested, taking note of the pegasus watching the girl on Shining Armor’s dick. He was a white stallion, wearing a golden version of the armor worn by the guards acting as security. “That’s Orestes, captain of the guard in the Crystal Empire. He was one of the first stallions from their to join with King Dainn and assist in bringing that land to order, along with Prince Shining Armor and his alicorn slave.”

“That’s… interesting Gunne,” Mac said, watching the male pegasus looking over a small black object in hand before he pocketed it away, “but…”

“And just over there you can see Arcane Writ,” Gunne exclaimed as he pointed out a stallion who was preoccupied with a zebra mare, pushing her against a wall so hard as he thrust himself inside that her ample chest pressed against the cold stone, “He’s an archeologist who discovered some interesting facts about one of your historical stallions, the one called Starswirl the Bearded. It’s amazing what your former ruler tried to hide in order to keep the men of this land from taking their rightful place as the dominant gender.”

Mac didn’t have a clue what the caribou was talking about, but he did take notice of something else. For one who spent most of his time in Ponyville, Gunne sure knew what was going on in the world outside of it. He might have been out of the loop, but he tried to keep up with current event when he could, and he hadn't heard anything in the local newspapers about this.

"How do ya know so much about everypony here?" he asked, curiosity peeked.

"Well, perhaps I asked the king for a list of everyone who would be here when I found out we were going to attend," Gunne said as he made mental notes on where everyone was, "And then maybe I looked up each of the attendees' files up in order to know what topics they would enjoy talking about. If you recall Mac, we caribou have very extensive files on every pony in Equestria."

"So you used government information... to have something to talk about?"

"Well I'm one of the king's loyal soldiers. Should someone want to chat with me, it would be my duty to make it as entertaining to them as possible," Gunne's grin grew ever so slightly as he went on to say, "And should they be so delighted that they remember my name and tell their peers about how wonderful I am, well that is just an unforeseeable circumstance that I have no control over."

Mac was amazed at how forthcoming Gunne was about what he was doing. He was intending to use the information he had acquired to smooth talk his way into notoriety, and perhaps into a higher rank. Such a plan couldn't happen overnight, but by saying the right things to the right people, Gunne could make himself so well known amongst ponies that the disapproval of his people could potentially become irrelevant. It was a completely underhanded approach to reaching his goal, but Mac couldn't find it in him to condemn Gunne for it. It didn't really hurt anyone, except maybe invading the privacy of some despicable bastards, and the caribou had done so much good for the stallion that even Mac felt that he deserved a much higher position than he was given.

“Stallions aren’t my only targets tonight either, as we have a few special guests here tonight.” Mac followed the direction Gunne was looking, and spied upon a small group of male gryphons. A few of them were enjoying what the party had to offer, having acquired a small sampling of mares to keep them satisfied, but the rest were simply standing around, watching and waiting with grim expressions plastered on their beaks. The poor temperament of the gryphon race on the whole was pretty common knowledge, and from the looks of things they could be grouchy even when they were being offered up some of the finest foods, festivities and females that Equestria had to offer.

“Two months back the king graciously brought the kingdom of Griffinstone in his fold.” Gunne explained, making sure Mac was up to speed, “They were fairly hostile at first, resisting our initial advancements, but in the end their kingdom joined with us the same way your own did, with a combination of force and finding those who were more than willing to aid our cause with a little persuasion, which wasn’t incredibly hard do seeing the natural greed those creatures have. Within a day of the king’s annex their females were rounded up and proceed, shipped off to locations all around Equestria to be trained properly. We even have a few in the animal farm next to your property.”

“So you’re gonna try getting in good with them too?” Mac was skeptical if Gunne could accomplish that, with the fierce eyes of one of the tougher looking gryphons meeting his own telling the clydesdale that it might be a lost cause.

“Doesn’t hurt to try, and I do have a little bit of information on them too. If worse comes to worst, I’ll have lost nothing aside from time and breath.”

“Suppose you’re right about that. Good luck to ya then.” Mac said without an ounce of sarcasm. He did wish the best for the caribou, that was until something dawned on him that made Mac a little more uneasy about what Gunne was doing, "Hey... wait... ya did the same thing to me when ya first met me, didn't ya? Ya looked into my background just so you knew what to say."

"I might have." Gunne said without any guilt behind his words, "Do you feel that you have been manipulated in some way?"

"Yeah a little." Mac answered bluntly.

“Well if you want to look at it like that, then almost anything a person can say or do to another could be considered a manipulation. When a man shakes your hand, he is trying to convince you that he is an honest, trustworthy person. When a disobedient girl gives you a pair of pleading eyes before you enact punishment, it is to coerce you to stay your hand. These are manipulations, even if the person doing it doesn’t believe that to be so.”

“Ah don’t think that’s always the case…” said Mac, preferring not to believe that everyone was out to make others do as they pleased.

“Maybe it’s not directly,” said Gunne, “But on at least a subconscious level we are all trying to get people to see things our way. Though in most cases people like to use the word ‘guide’ over ‘manipulate’. Has less of a sinister take to it, and just because you’re trying to make someone do something, doesn’t mean it isn’t in their best interest. So if I have indeed manipulated you, it was only because I knew that the way you were doing things wouldn’t end well, and I was trying to look out for you.”

“Ah didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“And none was taken. I was simply explaining how things are.” Gunne came to a halt, the two having made a full rotation around the room. “Well, I didn’t see your purple mare anywhere. Did you?” Mac shook his head. He had been a bit distracted by Gunne halfway through their walk, but he had seen enough to get a good assumption that Cheerilee wasn’t there. It was enough to satisfy his morbid curiosity, and having been allowed to see which guests had came Gunne appeared satisfied as well. “Then let’s get ourselves some some seats and wait for your sister to present herself.”

---

Just outside the door, four red-collared mares waited patiently as they were instructed, with a fifth one jittering about as much as the guard pony watching them all would let her. Each of them had on, or within, them several items to make them more enticing for the men waiting for them. With Rarity’s assistance, AJ found herself a couple of red elastic bands to wrap around her upper thighs to accompany the apple shaped nipple rings she wore, each one holding within it two out of four rune powered remotes to the four large, softly trembling plastic pills that had invaded her backside and vaginal passage.

The others had on items of various levels of glamour. Pinkie and Fluttershy had kept things simple like AJ had, Pinkie having acquired a bunch of small, vibrating balls that she set to max speed and taped to her erogenous areas, and Fluttershy stuffing her rear with a small anal plug as she wore an elaborate head harness that held a metal bit in her mouth. The yellow mare patiently stood next to AJ, holding in her hands a set of reins attached to the harness, playing with them slightly as she awaited the moment she could hand them to someone who would lead and command her.

Twilight and Rarity were, in comparison, much more dressed up than the other three. They had gotten into a box of jewelry that the toy cabinet had within it and used its contents to make themselves as attractive as they could with what was on hand. Bracelets, anklets, nipple rings, clit rings, earrings, decorative hoof covers, tail wraps, the whole nine yards. They were practically a matching pair, save for Twilight’s own red wing binders and a small golden ring sitting atop her head that wrapped around the stump of her horn. The ring fit the severed protrusion perfectly, ending where the horn did and wrapping it tightly. Around the ring were several small half loops of metal, with a chain going from each one to one of the dangling rings on her body. The ones that attached to her nipple rings went behind the alicorn’s ears, draped over her shoulders, and hung down on the outer sides of her breasts before swooping back up to connect with the pieces of jewelry. The rest of the chains dangled down off of her horn and ears, giving it the appearance of a metallic extension of her purple mane. It was beautiful, in its own way, and would have made for a lovely, albeit eccentric, piece of apparel even before the caribou had conquered Equestria.

The one thing that they each shared though was a heavy layer of makeup. The amount covering AJ’s face was applied so thickly to her that it held a noticeable weight, with the lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, and mascara hardly missing a spot. When it was being applied, the farm mare expressed her worry that so much would make her look too trampy, when a party like this would require something classier, but Rarity assured her that no matter the type of party, this kind of look was always appreciated. At the very least she didn’t have to suffer through this embarrassment alone, with Rarity’s talent at applying makeup allowing her to get them all to look the same. The only difference was their individual layers of eyeshadow, which matched the primary color of their cutie marks.

All things considering, AJ was glad to have had some short time with her friends, even if it was spent fussing over their appearances for something as revolting as this. Even the time they spent together in the main hall waiting was a wonderful reprieve, each second out there being one less that she had to be part of the gala, but it was what they were waiting for that made it so her nerves couldn’t settle.

“For fuck’s sake, where is he?” One of the guards said suddenly, his patience wearing thin.

“I don’t know, but if he doesn’t show soon we’ll have to send these five in alone.” said the guard on the other side of the door from him.

The first guard gave a grunt of annoyance, “Bad enough that we’re stuck on guard duty tonight, but now we’re stuck babysitting.”

“What are you complaining about?” The second guard asked, “Tomorrow we get some private time with moon butt in the barracks.”

“Do you really think that will compare to what’s going on behind those doors? The stallions in there are getting their dicks drained by the best mares in Equestria, and we get shots at that ex-princess slut all the time.”

“She and her sister still have the best pussy in Canterlot though.”

“Maybe, but some variety would be nice. Did you see the bodies of those zebras they pulled in their earlier?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t mind sucking those black and white tits till they were red all over.”

“Think they’ll be around for a while? Maybe the king would let us get a taste of those striped snatches?”

“Couldn’t hurt to ask. The king is pretty generous when it comes to stuff like that.”

The annoyed guard’s mood improved on hearing that, the ideas of what he might do with a zebra filling him with joy. Having to listen to the inane conversation had the opposite effect on AJ. If not for the guards being instructed not to, they would have had no issue with fucking her and the others while they waited. They needed to be presentable though, and the order to keep them that way was the only thing that kept the stallions at bay.

The stallion’s pleasant thoughts of zebra women around his cock could only keep him pleased for so long, and mere minutes later his grumpy demeanor returned. “That’s it, we’ve waited long enough.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get these mares in there.” The guards turned to door, and grabbed the handles to usher the red collars in.

They managed to get the door open a crack, but then heard the sounds of heavy wing flaps from behind them. “Wait! I’m here!” The two guards turned their heads towards the castle’s entrance, closing the slightly opened banquet room door when they saw a blue pegasus fly in. “I made it, don’t go send them in yet.”

“You know, there is a point where being late is no longer considered fashionable.” The guard scolded the pegasus, who AJ identified as Soarin.

“I know,” Soarin answered, “I had a couple of complications, but we got it under control now.” The pegasus pointed back the way he came, his finger directing the stallions to two other guards leading in two black collared pegasus mares in by leashes, arms bound and legs shackled, with a third red-collared one trailing closely behind, each in an open-front Wondersluts uniform.

Applejack easily recognized the black collars as Rainbow Dash, the pony they had been waiting for, and Spitfire, the once proud leader of the Wonderbolts. The red collar was less familiar, but after reaching into her memory she recalled a brash mare from Rainbow’s time in Wonderbolts Academy, and how she caused an accident that almost spelled the end for most of the other red collars present in the room. It was no surprise that someone like her would so easily adapt to the caribou rule, or at least that was what AJ’s prejudice wanted her to think at first.

Then she started to think back about what little she knew about the mare, from that one brief encounter and what Dash had said about this other pegasus on her return to Ponyville. This mare, who AJ believed was named Lightning Dust, from Dash’s explanation was rude, self centered, egotistical, and arrogant, but was also a flyer on par with her own abilities. She took as much pride in her abilities of flight as Rainbow Dash herself, perhaps even more so, and it led her to disregard others in her pursuits of recognition for her skills. AJ couldn’t say if this spoke for Lightning Dust’s current disposition, but a girl like one that had been described to her didn’t seem the type to simply give in.

Perhaps the caribou had done something to her that it gave the pegasus no other choice, or maybe it was possible that the girl was faking her obedience as well. She hoped the former was true, but as she had hoped the same of every red collar she encountered thus far, it felt like that was just her projecting her reasoning onto others. Still, she couldn’t help herself for thinking it. If the caribou could manage to slip a red collar around her own neck, then she didn’t want to think poorly of the others who wore the same color.

As they ascended the steps, AJ could see what had delayed for so long. Aside from the wild struggles of Rainbow Dash, and Spitfire’s own begrudgingly slow paced walk, the three mares had small white clumps of partially dried semen on exposed bits of fur they had. Soarin had had himself a bit of private fun with the three before making his way here, or maybe had even let those celebrating outside of the palace walls have some turns with them, losing track of how much time had passed as he took his fun from either scenario. AJ knew that Dash would never allow such a thing to happen without a fight, but she also assumed that the uniform she was wearing, while it left her tits, vagina and anus visible, was good at concealing any bruises resistance might have brought her.

“I really hope the king isn’t too mad about the delay.” Soarin said as he landed.

“We haven’t heard anything yet,” one of the guards replied, “But you’re cutting it really close. Another minute and-”

“Yeah, I get it, but she’s here now. Besides, I brought along two special party favors.”

“The former captain of the wondersluts and her replacement,” said the other guard, “I suppose the guests will enjoy them both.”

“Actually…” The other guard stated, getting some bad ideas in his head, “Since you did keep us waiting a bit mind if we, well maybe, have first crack at those two?”

“Hey,” said the other, more focused guard, “We’re on duty here.”

“I know, but a quick fuck and suck won’t hurt anything. We’re still right by the door to make sure nothing goes wrong, and when we’re done we’ll just push their hot flanks into the room.” The focused guard had to admit that what his associate was suggesting was tempting. He didn’t push the issue himself, but his eyes did wander over to the stallion athlete.

“I don’t care. Knock yourselves out,” Soarin said as he gestured his red collar over, “Lightning Dust, see what you can do for the hard-working men of the kingdom.”

“Yes sir master,” the pegasus said in a seductive tone, giving a small salute to her owner before taking the leash of the former Wonderbolts captain. “Let’s go Spitfire, a little warm up before the marathon.”

The yellow pegasus didn’t put up much resistance, hardly pulling against the leash as it pulled tight. She was actually pretty compliant, despite the look of pure indignity she gave. AJ felt she knew that look, the look of a mare who could buck any instant, but didn’t because she knew that it was pointless. It was exactly the expression that she use to wear whenever around a stallion other than her brother, even more so when she gave an accusing stare to her and the red collars as she was pulled by. For a mare to have gone through what she must have, and still have the will to walk right into more abuse without protest, she had to have a will of steel. The farm mare herself could only claim the same because she had a kind soul like Mac supporting her in the worst of times, and even then she sometimes fell short.

As soon as Spitfire got past the group, and in arm’s reach of the guard stallions, the more impatient of the two door guards took hold of her leash and wrenched it from Lightning’s hands. “The old captain doesn’t look too happy to be a invited to the gala. I bet she’s still upset about those plucked chicken wings.” Despite being given no physical resistance, the guard harshly jerked the pegasus mare over to the side banister at the top of the steps. He then took hold of her mane so he could direct her head, and with it her body, over the railing. “Bet you miss that sensation of flying. Don’t worry, I can make you feel that again.”

The guard used his free hand to reach down and open up the codpiece of his armor, releasing a cock that had been neglected for far too long while he performed his duties. The well-trained lips in front of him attracted him like a siren call, and with a singular twitch of his rod he heeded that call. Spitfire used what little time she had to brace herself, clenching her muzzle to stifle a yell of violation. Her pussy had met with plenty of large cocks and phallic objects, but never got use to the merciless thrusts that some males would make as they rushed themselves inside her sleek, well-toned body. With his cock shoved halfway inside with a single push, the pegasus mare felt the rest slide slowly, and steadily inside till his hips pressed against her ass. The sensation caused her body to react on it’s own, making what remained of her wings to stretch out uncontrollably within the case surrounding them, only to recoil once they touched the prickly bits resided inside the restraints with them.

Off to the side, Lightning Dust watched the strong stallion force himself on her predecessor. She was awestruck, the rhythmic plunging of the cock into Spitfire’s unwilling pussy filling herself with emotions she didn’t dare speak aloud. The Wonderslut knew she’d be expected to want to please her master, and he did enjoy a show of exhibitionism, so pulling herself away from the act of rape before her, she went to the railing on the opposite side of the steps.

“Hey boys,” she announced as she brought a hand to her mouth, licking and sucking her fingers to get them nice and wet with her spit. Once she felt the digits were ready, she braced herself, stuck out her rear, and slid them down between her spread legs,“If you like watch that black bitch take it, then let me show you what a Wonderslut red can do.” She shoved her hand into her mound, going in with two fingers at first, with each digging pushing in up to the knuckle. It didn’t take long for another finger to join them, then the fourth and final one. She sight easily drew the attention of most of the unoccupied ponies, some impressed at Lightning’s ability to practically swallow her hand whole, while a few of the others were simply happy to get a show after their long wait. When she removed her fingers from the orifice, the pegasus gave the guards the three guards a seductive look, tasting of the fluids that now covered her hand in a thin coat, “So which one of you wants to make me fly?”

The declaration came off as a challenge, and each of the three remaining men were more than willing to take it up. Momentarily neglecting their duties, they gathered around the wanting mare’s flank, the one with Rainbow Dash’s leash pushing her towards the other five mares as he approached the pussy presented to him. “Gotta say, this one does have a hotter twat than old Spitroast over there,” he said, delivering a hard slap across her ass.

Lightning took it in stride, making a small squeal and wiggling her rump in a way that further delighted and excited the men, “I’m the finest piece of pegasus ass in Equestria boys. You should be thankful to my master for letting you have even a few minutes with me.”

“Watch it there slut,” said one of the guards as they took hold and yanked high the mare’s tail, “A mare has no reason to get cocky, unless one is being pushed into her.”

Lightning faked a laugh for the stallion to humor his terrible joke, “Can’t help it. My master has trained me so well that I have to brag.”

“Then we had better put that claim to the test,” she heard the stallion holding her tail say, just before the pegasus mare felt the press of a semi-soft cock head press against her o-ring. Being without any kind of lubrication, the dry shaft had a difficult time allowing it inside the unreadied passage, but pushing against the railing Lightning grunted her way through the rough penetration. With the combined effort of both ponies, the solid appendage made its way inside her ass, and soon the stallion was thrusting at the same pace as his associate across the way.

Almost everyone around the two mares was fixated on them, the few exceptions being Rarity, who looked disinterested and was busy touching up her jewelry to get it looking just right, Applejack, who couldn’t care less, and Rainbow Dash, who probably didn’t want to watch one of her foalhood heroes get raped for the umpteenth time. For the first time that night, Applejack wished they would let them join the party. Spitfire gave her rapist so little response to his blatant disregard of her as a person, the farm mare interpreting it as as a show of her inner strength. Such strength caused her shame to build up, the comfortable red collar on her neck becoming heavy with guilt. The old black collar may have been painful, but it never felt this much a burden.

The farm mare looked to find ways to relieve the sense of self loathing inside her, and once more the only way she could figure to take her mind off things was to confide in a friend. Dash was busy attempting to work her way out of the contraptions that bound her, struggling as much as she could to break free, no matter how futile it might have been or the fact that she really had no plan if she did manage to break free. If the guards were too busy to notice this, or at least believed that her efforts were in vain, they would probably wouldn’t care if she talked to the pegasus. Dash was more than likely still mad at her for converting, but this was a good opportunity to try and set things right. Applejack couldn’t explain the situation entirely, the risk of exposing her secret too great in a place like this, but she could try to put it in a way to get her friend to understand.

AJ snuck over to Dash, creeping over slowly to the mare as not to attract anyone’s attention. Rainbow herself hardly noticed the approaching orange figure, until she was right beside her. Quick on the uptake, Dash turned to the earth pony and took a few fast steps backwards, her disgust saying the words her lips would not.

"Dash," AJ whispered, working up the courage to address her friend, "Can we talk?"

“I don’t have anything to talk about, red collar,” Rainbow said just as quietly, not wishing to draw any attention to her attempt to remove her bonds.

That short, to-the-point sentence stung, and again AJ was reminded of herself and how she used to act. The times she had refused to speak with a mare, even those who were her friends, because they gave in. Rainbow had every right to not want to hear a word out of her mouth. She couldn’t just let it go though, she had to say her piece, even if it would be ignored.

“Ah get that, honestly Ah do,” Applejack said, “and Ah suppose Ah wanted to say…. well Ah don’t know… I’m sorry.” Her start already sounded like a repeat of what she had said to Rarity earlier that night, and AJ felt bad to give what to her was a stock apology, “Ah know that me being a red collar must make ya mighty angry, and Ah deserve that, but Ah want ya to know that if Ah didn’t do it because Ah wanted to. Ah can’t explain, but if Ah didn’t become a red collar the caribou would have done something awful to mah family. Ah just hope that ya can understand that.”

Rainbow Dash’s expression went on unaltered, having stopped her struggles only long enough to hear AJ out. With that out of the way, she proceeded with nary a comment, as if what the earth mare had to say was meaningless. Applejack wasn’t expecting vindication with this incomplete explanation, but she expected something. For Dash to lash out, to argue, to give an acknowledging nod, or simply to tell her to fuck off, but to give her nothing was unlike the normally outspoken girl.

“Ain’t ya gonna say something to that?” she asked, Dash’s silence getting to her more being berated ever would have.

Rainbow shook her head in response, focused on her attempts to slip her binds.

AJ could’ve just left it at that, but she found it hard to just let Rainbow ignore her. It was the first time she had seen her friend in months, and the first time in a year she had heard her voice. If she allowed the pegasus to keep quiet, there was no telling how long it would be until she got another chance like this. “Then could ya at least tell me why ya won’t speak to me at all? I’m not expecting ya to forgive me. Heck, I’d be happier if ya chewed me out for putting on this darn thing.”

Dash stopped tossing about for a moment, something in AJ’s words reaching her slightly. Giving the farm mare the most serious look she had given anyone, the pegasus looked her square in the eyes and said, “I’m not talking to you because you aren’t my friend.”

That hurt. Those few words made her entire body feel numb, and a taste of copper hit her tongue. It was worse than anything that the caribou had done to her. They had stolen her freedom, ravaged her body, but this damaged her very spirit. Yet, as painful as it was, she couldn’t fault Dash for thinking that way. If the shoe was on the other hoof, she probably had done the same. “Ok Rainbow, if that is how ya want it then fine.” AJ said sullenly, “Ah understand, we don’t have to be friends anymore.”

AJ tried to slip back into the group of red, willing to accept that she and Rainbow Dash might never be friends again, until the pegasus continued on to say, “Anymore? We were never friends.”

“Wait a gosh darn minute,” AJ spun around on spot, “What do ya mean we were never friends? Ah can take you not wanting to be associated with me anymore, but to say we weren’t friends in the first place-”

When AJ turned around Dash had been right behind her, her expression stiff and unchanged from before, “We were never friends because you’re not Applejack.” The pegasus stated as if it were fact. “I believe in my friends, they wouldn’t stand by and let others suffer around them, and they definitely wouldn’t let a group of evil pricks push them around and make them their slaves. So I don’t know what this is, maybe you’re all mind controlled like that time with Discord, or maybe you’re all changelings and the caribou are trying to use you to break me, or maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, you might look like Applejack, you might sound Applejack, and you might act like Applejack, but you’re not Applejack.”

With that Rainbow turned away, not taking a second look at the farm mare as she went back to vainly pulling against the cuffs on her wrists. It was equal parts encouraging and sad, hearing the pegasus’ opinion on her and the rest of her friends. Her loyalty to them made her refuse to believe that any of them could possible be this way of their own accord, and she would rather believe that they were either not in their right mind, or someone else than to think they would become red collars. In her own case, AJ couldn’t say she was completely wrong. When she did what she had to, acted like a insatiable red collar slut, taking cock into any available orifice she had, that wasn’t her. Just a character that went by her name.

“Okay guys,” Soarin said, pulling himself away from the show his two best mares were putting on with the guards, “The king’s probably wondering where these six are. I’ll escort them inside while you all have your fun.”

“Go ahead,” said the guard inside Lightning Dust, sending a slap across her firm flank so hard that a red imprint showed through her fur and made her give a long howl that partially interrupted each time the stallion made another hard thrust inside her, “We’ll send these two in after you once we finish up.”

Soarin shook his head and smirked at the guard’s words as he snatched up Dash’s leash. Even he was aware that it would be some time before they ‘finished up’, but that didn’t matter much to him. The other guests were sure to have brought their own women that they were willing to share, so there was nearly no limit to the amount of pussy that he would get that night. He even considered pulling a fast one and nabbing the alicorn before anyone else had a chance, if something else didn’t catch his eyes beforehand. “Come on bitches, there are lots of hungry cocks just waiting for your asses inside.” He stated, giving Dash’s leash one strong tug to get her to follow as he opened the banquet hall doors and entered.

The five red collars stepped closely behind the male pegasus, with AJ taking the rear. The moment she passed through that door, the relatively tolerable part of this night would be over, and she would have to do her best to maintain the character that everyone wanted to see. It wasn’t going to be easy, especially after hearing what Dash had to say to her, but she would try her best to put up with all that would happen.

---

Inside the banquet room, Mac had found himself a spot to wait out the rest of the party. He and Gunne discovered a small area off to the side of the room where tables and seats had been set for those who wanted to get off their hooves and have a comfortable place to eat. They were, of course, not without a certain level of sexuality, with mares gathered under the tables to give their master’s blowjobs as they dined. Seeing their heads poke out from under the short tablecloths, bobbing up and down in between the stallion’s legs was amongst the least disturbing things he saw that night, but still he chose to take a few seats for himself and Gunne and sit off to the side. Besides, he couldn’t be near those men, watching them so closely, without thinking they were all internally making the same dumb joke of ‘feeding their slaves’ as they fed themselves.

Things were a bit calmer on this side of the room, with more of the wilder sex acts gravitating to the opposite side. It was far enough that the music drowned out most of the passionate moans and horrified screams, which meant it would be the best place for a stallion like Mac to try and ignore it all.

For the time being, Mac was sitting next to an empty seat. Gunne had gone off for a food run, saying that he was feeling a bit peckish. The clydesdale knew better though; as loyal as Gunne might be towards him, the caribou had to look out for his own interests, and that meant taking every opportunity he could to talk himself up to stallions here. Mac wasn’t mad about that, he had a good idea that even though he had lost track of him, Gunne was keeping an eye on him just in case, and eventually he would be back to provide him with company.

So instead of feeling abandoned, Mac chose to appreciate his time alone for what it was, which was a short reprieve from any caribou interactions. Sure, he had to respectfully decline speaking with any of the stallions that approached him, but that was a small price to pay in order from Gunne’s misogynistic, though well-meaning, lectures.

Part of him wished that he could spend the whole gala like this, eyes closed, blocking out everything around him, and focusing on the future of his farm. Another part of him knew that AJ would be depending on his support. He still didn’t know where she was, and for all he knew the guards were just going to slip her and her friends in through a side door unannounced since they were considered unimportant mares. If that was the case, he was sure Gunne would inform him, so for now he stayed relaxed.

“You holding up okay?” Mac heard voice directed to him say. With slight remorse, he opened his eyelids and returned to reality.

Gunne stood before him, holding a plate of food in both hands. “I’m doin’ fine,” he answered.

The caribou handed the clydesdale a plate, and then took his seat. “Good, though I really wish-”

“Ah know, Ah know, ya wish I would go out and be with the others.” The stallion took a carrot off his plate, and took several seconds observing it before giving it the slightest of nibbles.

Gunne noticed his associate’s strange behavior, and quickly deduced what Mac was doing based on the stallion’s misconceptions about his people, “Come on Mac, they wouldn’t put drugs in any of that,” he said taking a huge bite out of his own carrot, “They only do that to the stuff they feed the females.”

“That doesn’t make me feel much better,” Mac said back, chomping down on the vegetable in his hand.

“It’s just some aphrodisiac to keep them ready for action.”

“And that doesn’t help any...” Mac needed to change the subject, else Gunne would spend the next thirty minutes trying to explain the reasons it was okay to drive mares to uncontrollable heights of arousal, “So how were the guys you talked to?”

“I don’t know who you could be referring to.” Gunne said in a mock confused tone, receiving a raised eyebrow from Mac. “They were fine. Seemed to like my sense of humor, though I had to dumb it down a bit to keep from going over their heads.”

“So you really hit it off with them, huh?”

“Yes, but not as much as you have it appears.” Gunne said, taking another bite of his food and swallowing, “Keeping distant and to yourself has had the opposite effect of what you wanted. Every stallion has been asking about that, and I quote, ‘mysterious stallion that is sitting all by himself’.”

“What did ya tell them?” Mac said, not liking where this discussion was heading.

“Nothing much. Just that you were from Ponyville, that you were Applejack’s handler, and that I have known you for a long time. When they asked for more information, I sidestepped the topic to something else.”

“Well thanks,” Mac said, glad that talk about him was kept to a minimum.

“Not a problem, but it may have made them even more curious about you.” The caribou looked out into the party, and gave a deep sigh. “I hate to harp on this, but one day you are going to have to start interacting with your kind again. It’s just not healthy for a man to be cooped up in one spot with no one to talk to but women. They start to drain your intellect if you do it for too long.”

Mac didn’t appreciate Gunne telling him that being around his sister and friends was going to make him dumber, but he once more decided to stay quiet to avoid argument, that was until he thought of something that he felt the caribou couldn’t have an argument against. “What about you?”

“I beg your pardon?” Gunne asked, not sure what the clydesdale was getting at.

“Don’t give me that, ya know exactly what I’m talkin’ about. You’ve been alone with your sister for a long time, and ya might be the smartest guy Ah know at the moment.” The last part was hard to admit, but true. It was mostly because of Mac’s self imposed exile to the farm, but the caribou always gave off a presence of being more intelligent than the converted stallions of Ponyville.

Gunne looked at Mac, pausing for a moment as he stared at the stallion square in the face. Mac took his speechlessness to mean that he had finally found something that the caribou couldn’t dispute. He couldn’t help but be a bit smug at his victory, and a smile grew slowly across his muzzle. As it did though, he begun to notice that Gunne was doing the same, and when the caribou gave a snort, placing his hand in front of his mouth to stiffle some laughter, Mac’s expression faded instantly.

“Mac, have you listened to a thing I’ve told you about myself?”

“Of course Ah do.”

“Then you should know I grew up with my father, who himself had many male associates.” Gunne stated, recounting his upbringing.”

“Yeah, but then he died and no one would speak to ya,” Mac retorted.

“Until shortly after I joined the military to support my sister,” Gunne answered, unfazed in the slightest by Mac’s statement, “And while most wouldn’t stay near me for extended periods, they still had to deal with me when I came to training. It wasn’t the best interaction, but it was still interaction. Of course that changed a bit when Dainn took notice of my progress as a soldier.”

“But… what about Ponyville?” Mac didn’t want to let this go. It was the best argument that he felt he had ever had against Gunne’s ideas, and for once Mac would like to hear him admit that he was right, “There’s only one other caribou there, and he doesn’t talk.”

Gunne didn’t miss a beat though, and when Mac said his last word, he jumped back in saying, “Believe it or not, I do talk to other stallions in town aside from you. You’re my friend, but you’re not the only one I have. Ginna may rarely leave my side, but I always make sure to speak with other males to keep my mind sharp.”

Mac really didn’t have anything else to say. His ammo had run dry, and again he was the one who lost a debate. Put off by his assumed victory being snatched away, Mac crossed his arms and turned away from Gunne in his seat. “Ya have an answer for everything, don’t ya…”

“Oh come now Mac, don’t be that way.” said Gunne in a playful tone, finding the stallions behavior amusing for its childish tone. “You put in a good effort this time, but the problem was you were wrong from the start.”

“Hmph”

“No, really,” Gunne put a hand on Mac’s shoulder to console him, “You put a lot of passion into your argument, but you failed to think about all the facts thoroughly. You need to look at all the information, think it through, and then form an argument around that.”

“Don’t patronize me...” Mac dismissed.

“I swear I’m not, and this is no reason to be in a mood.” Gunne removed his hand, and thought on how he could make Mac feel better. “Would it help if I told you that I don’t really think that being around your mares has made you dumber? That I was just trying to provoke you so you would do something besides sit here?”

The admission did help. But Mac was still upset, “Would it kill ya to say you’re wrong for once?”

“No, but I’ve never seen a person die for making their point either.”

“Oh shut up,” Mac said, slightly turning back to Gunne to give him light punch in the shoulder. The caribou’s stubborn position had become so insulting that it wrapped around and became hilarious. It made Mac wonder if Gunne knew how to filter his opinions.

“Hey,” Gunne said, going back to his playful tone, “That hurt a bit.”

“Sorry,” Mac mocked, “Sometimes Ah can’t control mah own strength.”

“Fine, fine, I might have deserved that.” With Mac’s mood lifted, appearing to be higher than it had been when they started started their short lived debate, Gunne was willing to just let him have this. The two had a bit of a laugh to themselves, for a small moment forgetting everything around them. However, Mac’s heightened mood wasn’t to last long, as the entrance doors flew open, and in walked six very familiar mares being guided by a blue pegasus.

It was not the door itself that drew Mac’s attention, but the deafening of the sounds around them. It didn’t all stop at once, or completely as the music kept playing and some of the guests had refused to stop fucking till they got their rocks off, but the voices in the room dying down one by one was enough to make it hard for anyone not to notice.

The clydesdale removed himself from his seat, and headed towards the group that had entered. While at a distance it was hard to make out who it was, there was only one group of mares he knew that had those combined color schemes. The former elements of harmony, all together in one spot, were being lead in by Soarin, the pegasus stallion gripping tightly to a leash attached to the last remaining black collar amongst them. The others followed without the need of such devices, with Applejack being the one at the back of the line. Of the six mares, she was noticeably the most nervous and timid, the feeble smile she gave to all the onlookers speaking volumes that only Mac could decipher.

To everyone else it might have looked like a bit of stage fright, but he was able to see it as her own inner loathing coming out as she did her best to pretend she wanted to be here. Being one of the most recognizable mares in Equestria, thanks to the caribou’s and his own publicizing of her, she would have ponies watching her for the rest of the party, and would have to keep that false smile up for some time. She had to have been feeling awful with so many potential rapists surrounding her, and knowing he couldn’t stop them if he wanted, he shared that feeling. The best he could do was to let her know that he was around, to watch over her and offer his support, so he lifted his arm up high and waved it to get her attention.

Applejack looked his way, but he didn’t know if it was just her taking in her surroundings. If she noticed him, she didn’t show any signs of it. Mac wanted to be certain, to have no doubt that Applejack he was around, but the other guests we grouped so thickly that he couldn’t push through them without without outright shoving them aside. Since his own manners told him that wasn’t a good option, he was stuck. He was going to lose her, and with things as they were he had no idea how long it would take to get Applejack back into his sights. She was just about to go out of his line of vision, but before she could a bright light shone down upon her and the other mares from above, stopping them in their tracks.

“I will have your attention.” The voice of Dainn filled the room, projected loudly from a few strategically placed speakers along the walls. Everyone looked towards the stage where he had been watching everything, even those previously to wrapped up in their own pleasure to watch the elements enter, and found the caribou king had moved himself to the front of it.

“Look’s like the king is ready to give a speech,” said Gunne, having snuck up aside Mac while his focus was on his sister, “Pay close attention, it’s not every day one is privileged to hear such brilliance.” The stallion didn’t really have much of a choice, but since this was keeping Applejack from straying further away, he minded much less than he should have. With one eye half-focused on Dainn, and the other locked on AJ, he waited to see what Dainn would have to say. This would mark the actual start of the gala for the stallion, as when the king stopped talking, the molestation of his sister would begin. It was the last few minutes to prepare himself mentally, to buffer his reactions to what could be the most horrid things he had ever seen her endure. He would have to be strong, for both Applejack and himself, as what was to come would be the toughest trial the two had ever encountered.

Author's Notes:

BTW, if you are enjoying my story, why don't you check out a freshly released story for FoE as well. It's called "Turning a Page" and can be found here. It's has just one chapter up right now, but if you are a fan of FoE then I'm sure you will love it.

The Worst Night Ever: Part 4

The light shone down on AJ with an intensity that reminded her of a sweltering, laborious day in the field. While there was no heat to make the image complete, she felt herself beginning to sweat. The light was obscuring, preventing her from seeing what was going on around her, from seeing the ponies that could now clearly see her and her friends bare forms before them, and kept her from seeing the owner of the voice that now came in on her from all directions.

The speakers increased the boom in the caribou king’s voice, making it feel much more foreboding than normal. Everything within her being told her to flee, but there was no place to go, no place she could escape to. A lesser mare would have made a fair impersonation of the small plastic pills trembling inside her, but AJ still had enough courage inside her to keep her from losing her nerve. She knew something like this was bound to happen, and that kept her from shaking in her boots, but that didn’t completely remove how intimidating this was. She wasn’t the only one to show some small signs of fear either, as most of the others were revealing their own fright in having the direct attention of the ruler of Equestria.

For the first time the entire evening, Fluttershy’s own timid nature exposed itself, if slightly. Most probably would not have noticed, with their attentions garnered by Dainn, but the pegasus had moved from being ahead of Pinkie and Rarity, to slipping subtly behind them with a few small steps backwards. Her hands also seemed to have trouble keeping to one spot, lifting up or moving forward a little at random instances, like she was instinctively trying to cover herself, but then forcibly keeping her arms from obstructing the sight of her breasts and pussy. Fluttershy might have been well-trained, but deep down she was still herself, and public events where she was the center of attention were never things she found enjoyable.

Pinkie’s fearful emotions were more obvious than the rest, as her twitches, which had been subdued for the most part, started to flare up. She took turns hopping from one leg to the other, her knees seeming to irritate her something awful. Her ears wiggled uncontrollably, and her body shook so powerfully that AJ believed she couldn’t match the strength of it in her most fright-filled state. Luckily Pinkie never removed her ear to ear beaming, so it was easy to perceive this as the mare being overly excited for what was to come.

The same could not be said for Rarity though, who out of everyone there was the one that revealed her outright dread the most. Knowing what AJ did, the farm mare couldn’t blame her one bit. It couldn’t have been pleasant with the person that had condemned her to the mare dump acknowledging her existence in such a outstanding fashion. For her it would have been best if she could have come in, performed her marely duties to the kingdom, and left without the king paying her any mind. Now she would have to be at peak performance for the rest of gala, constantly assuming that king’s gaze would be on her when she least expected it, judging her every move, looking for any reason to send her back to the bottom of the barrel for not performing to his standards.

Dash likewise had no qualms in showing how upset she was with this turn of events, her face holding an expression so sour that it could curdle milk. It looked as if any moment she could attempt to break loose from her leash and go on a rampage, but something kept that apparent urge in check. Perhaps she likewise understood that while causing a few injuries and property damage might be gratifying, there would be far too high of consequences for those actions. Still, AJ could just imagine what was going on in her head at that moment.

Out of all of them, Twilight was the only one who didn’t seem the least bit bothered by being the center of attention. She was pleased as punch, standing there without an ounce of worry or doubt, the pressure not getting to her at all. The thought of all eyes being on her seemed to have the opposite effect as everyone else, with thick streams of feminine fluids traveling down her legs denoting how happy she was for it. If not for the binders on her wings, they would have been spread out full length in pride, which in itself would have made a mockery of what the purple alicorn once stood for.

“Gentlemen, scholars, soldiers of the Equestrian guard, esteemed caribou brethren, and honored guests…” Addressing every male member in the room, Dainn started his speech, his voice giving dominating every other sound in the banquet hall, “One year ago, my men along with the aid of the trusted stallions of this nation claimed the city of Canterlot and liberated all men in this nation from the rule of the females that lead this nation with arrogance and incompetence, wrenching away their oppressive grip on the destinies of men.”

Thunderous applause filled the room, some of the king’s audience adding in a few whistles and howls of approval at his statement. The crowd ate up every word the king uttered, unable, or uncaring, to separate his propaganda from the truth of the matter. It made AJ sick to see how easily history was being altered, facts changed to something more preferable to the caribou’s cause, how the once generous and altruistic rule of Princess Celestia was being spoken of like she had some tyrannical agenda. Yet, when she spotted Twilight spreading her cupped hands apart, AJ beat her to the punch and became the first amongst her friends to clap along. The action made her feel ill, and her self loathing grew with each joining of her palms.

“In the old world before we corrected the mistakes of this nation’s past,” The king went on to say, extending his open hand towards the mares trapped in the spotlight, “These six mares were heralded as heroes, but were only able earn that title did because of artifacts of power that they abused to make themselves seem like more than they really were. In actuality, they were always weak, pathetic creatures that never acknowledged that there were those amongst them that rightfully deserved to rule the kingdom. They perpetuated this falsehood, ignoring that Equestria was teetering closer to the brink of destruction with each passing day that they continued on. Luckily, the stallions that they so ignorantly pushed into the shadow with their stupidity were willing and capable to reverse the damages they had caused, and restore this land from the precipice of disaster.”

More lies, accompanied by more cheers. The Elements of Harmony were not the only reason that AJ and the others were able to save Equestria time and again from the impending dangers that threatened it. It was their own skills, abilities, and perseverance as ponies that made that possible. If Dainn had known the truth, he would be aware that they didn’t chose the Elements, that the Elements chose them because they embodied the ideas they represented, just as they had Celestia and Luna once long ago. Then again, maybe he did know, and he just didn’t care.

As much as that accusation got AJ steamed up, the other blatant lie was more insulting to her than saying that the Elements were the only reason they ever accomplished anything. Equestria never placed one gender over the other. Plenty of male figures through history were given as much admiration as they had ever gotten, if not more. Starswirl and Commander Hurricane were amongst noteworthy examples of the past, and in even recent stallions like Soarin and Shining Armor were stallions celebrated for their abilities. That aside, Applejack herself never felt that her talents were more important that any other ponies. She felt she was capable, and in the past she had issue problems accepting help, but she never looked down on anyone, stallion, mare, or otherwise.

“But as they lived in the nation we created,” Dainn continued, “They one by one began to see past their own stubborn, stupid, and selfish ways to see the truth, save for one straggler who still prefers the shackles of resistance to the freedom of submission.”

“Fuck you!” screamed Dash in opposition to the caribou king’s speech. To no one’s surprise, Soarin a gave her swift and well-earned backhand across her muzzle for her outburst. The impact was so so sudden and strong that Rainbow Dash would have went the floor, if not for the male pegasus’ grip on her leash allowing him to maintain Dash’s balance for her. The hit had to hurt, and Dash winced because of it, but that didn’t prevent her from forcing a grin to spite the stallion.

Dainn paid little mind to Rainbow Dash’s antics, proceeding with his speech as if they had never happened. “Aside from the one insignificant flaw amongst them, these mares stand as symbols of what a female should be. Obedient, submissive, and eager to serve those who are better than themselves. They have embraced their destinies, and the rewards that come with it.”

Applause came again, but this time it was different. This time Applejack could tell it wasn’t directed at Dainn, but themselves. Every stallion, caribou, and red collar gave their approval, cheered that they had accepted that these monsters owned them.

“This celebration is to commemorate the liberation of all males, but it is also to give these five the reward they have earned. The pleasure and attention that all females desire, their minds overflowing and addled with lust. This night will provide them with the pleasure they crave, the ecstasy they need. Use their bodies as you see fit, give them enjoyment as you take it for yourself, and hold nothing back so they can feel how far those sensations can take them.”

The spotlights cut off, and those surrounding the small group of mares could once more be seen for more than silhouettes in the darkness. Slowly, they all began to understand that not only was Dainn’s speech over, but he had granted his express permission to have their way with them. The evil intent of the stallions and stags surrounding them was palpable, sending shivers into AJ as they slowly approached like a pack of ravenous timberwolves, some casually leaving behind the mares and cows they had with them for the more delectable females. These six were some of the most desired mares in all of Equestria, and outside of special events like this one most of them were normally off in some out of the way place, too pre-occupied with their duties or the whims of their owners, for the high class males to get a shot at any of them. They would savor this night, and the opportunity to have a turn with each of them as they explored the depths of debauchery.

Soarin, still holding onto Dash’s leash as he stood with the six mares, wasn’t about to let any of the other elements outshine his own slave. With a smug expression denoting that he knew his mare was the best out of the bunch, the pegasus dropped the length of leather and announced to the crowd, “First one to catch her is the first one to fuck her!”

---

The leash hung limply from Dash’s collar, and the pegasus mare became very aware that Soarin had just put a bounty on her for her ‘re-capture’. It took a moment for the males to register the meaning of the words, but once they did they were up to the given task. Rainbow, seeing so many come her direction, made a hasty decision and ducked into a small void between a caribou and a unicorn. It wasn’t the best choice the athletic pegasus had ever made; she knew that the doors were locked, that there was too many to escape forever, and that the harder she made her pursuers work for it the worst she would get after they finally managed to pin her down. It was her choice to make though, and even with her arms bound, her wings plucked, and having suffered through a year of hell, her instincts told her to fight.

Going behind the two males wasn’t the greatest decision when attempting to resist though, as while it got her away from the males that were now actively on her tail, it sent her into the thick of the crowd. The only advantage to this was the element of surprise, as no one had expected the mare to do something so stupid. The others chasing her now had to work their way through others to make their way to her, having to work their way through those who had abstained from the chase to return to discussions or sexual activities that they had to put on hold because of Dainn’s speech. A few of those more casual stallions couldn’t completely put her out of mind though, seeing the opportunity they had as Rainbow frantically ran past them, and tossed aside what they doing to join in.

By the time a stallion would make his move to snatch up Dash’s trailing leash, the mare had already zipped away out of reach. The lack of wings might have slowed her down, but with her hooves unbound she was still one of the fastest ponies in Equestria. Ducking, dodging, and weaving past person after person, she almost disappeared into the sea of bodies. However, as the seconds passed, so did the shock that her brash act had caused. Hands started to come at her, each trying to grab on to something and claim the prize. One gripped her black wing binder, but with a twist of her body and a terrible amount of pain she slipped away. Another managed to grab her short, boyish mane, but she powered past through it, losing a few multicolored strands of hair in the process. In her mind, there was just one thing they could get a hold of to guarantee her capture, and as long as that remained out of reach she could keep this up for some time.

Unfortunately, Dash’s mind was too focused on what she perceived was the real threat, the men around her, that during a sharp turn away from one, the rainbow pony neglected to notice the hand of an earth mare swipe in to take hold of her leash. She instantly felt the heavy pull against her throat, accompanied by a weight pulling her down when the mare connected to her was pulled so hard that she hit the floor. Dash pulled and pulled, ignoring the stings of her collar that told her not to, but she couldn’t get the prone mare to release.

“Let go!” Dash yelled at the mare attached to her. The earth pony, purple furred with a curly mane of blue hair, dared not comply though and shook her head in refusal. Seeing no other alternative, Dash lifted her hoof high, ready to do some serious damage to this unknown mare, stopping only when she lifted her head to look Dash in the face.

The mare gave a look of pure fear at the hoof threatening to come down on her, pupils reducing to dots at the mere thought of the pain that would befall her. It was not that look of terror that made the pegasus stop, but what she saw past that which made her give pause. A ring of black encompassed the neck of the earth mare, which confused Rainbow to no end. She expected this sort of thing from a red collar, but to see a black collar cling to her leash like her life depended on it was baffling.

As Dash stood frozen in attempt to figure out what was going on, the stallions that had been chasing her finally caught up with her. Catching a pair of them in her peripheral vision, the pegasus made one last ditch effort to escape, but it was too little, too late. Tethered to the earth mare, the stallions easily got a hold of her, and delivered a few smacks across her face as punishment for running.

“You had your fun ya little cunt,” said a stallion holding Dash by the bonds on her arms, “But now it’s time we got to see if you’re as loose as you are fast.”

The two stallions holding the pegasus used their free hands to start undoing their pants, ready to fuck her right on the spot, until they heard another stallion, a unicorn, clearing his throat behind them. “Pardon me gentlemen, but I believe that mare’s owner said the first one to catch her gets to fuck her first.”

“Yeah, and we got to her first,” retorted the stallion holding Dash’s arm binders, “So we get first dibs.”

“I don’t think so,” the unicorn argued, grabbing the mare on the floor to stand her up, “My mare got the leash first, and since she’s my property I believe that makes me the winner of this competition.”

“That doesn’t count!” said the other stallion, his erect cock out and twitching as it eagerly awaited entrance into Dash’s unwanting pussy.

“Guys, guys…” said Soarin, flying overhead, “What are you all fighting for? There are three of you, she’s got three holes, pick your favorite spot and shove yourselves inside.”

The three stallions admitted to one another that the pegasus had a point, and agreed on that in order to each get their satisfaction in the quickest way possible. Dash, on the other hand, gave a disgruntled grumble at this, as not a single one of them actually caught her. It was the earth mare that caught her by the leash, and while it didn’t really make a difference who raped her first, second, or hundredth, she couldn’t stand that they were breaking their own rules just because they wanted to.

Having come to an agreement, the unicorn went over to his earth pony slave so he could give her a pat on the head, to which the mare meekly smiled back at him. “You did good.” said the stallion, praising the earth pony for winning him a shared first crack at a geniune wonderslut.

“Thank you master,” the mare replied, “I-I thought it might please you, and that maybe you would… maybe reward me for it?”

“Reward?” the unicorn asked curiously, “What kind of reward were you looking for?”

The mare took a deep breath, working up the courage to give her request. “I was hoping that… I wouldn’t have to have sex with that caribou from earlier…”

The stallion thought about what she was asking, trying to understand who the mare was talking about exactly. Then he recalled there was one who had inquired about fucking his mare later that evening. “You mean Lord Ivangir?” The stallion gave a chuckle to himself, joining with the other two males, “Do you know how important a person he is? His approval is far too valuable to refuse a his request.”

“But… master please!” The earth mare begun to plead with the unicorn, only to be silenced by his stern look.

“Don’t ruin the one good thing you did tonight by whining,” he said, placing the coil of Dash’s loop around his wrist, “When Lord Ivangir comes for you, you’ll accept his dick with a smile, or you can accept it as he gives you a good paddling. The choice is yours.”

As the three three stallions led Dash away, adding in a few harsh tugs, as well as a some unnecessarily harsh smacks across to the mare that gave them such trouble in catching her, she watched the earth mare meekly hang her head and droop her ears. The unicorn hadn’t given her a choice at all, telling her that she would either do things his way, or be punished until she complied. It was a pitiable sight, but Rainbow had no room for sympathy in her heart. The mare had betrayed another to have a chance to save her own skin, and as a black collar she should have know better than to think she would escape an act of sex because she did something beneficial for the stallion that owned her. No matter how Dash looked at it, the earth mare was stupid, selfish, and deserved what was coming for her for betraying another black collar.

---

Back with the other five mares, Applejack watched as Dash was lifted up and made to get on her knees atop one of the dining tables. The short lived chase had caught the attentions of most present in the room, with everyone either running after the mare to catch her, or watching in amusement as Dash dodged around with a horde of stallions at her heels. The pegasus had done the best she could considering the circumstances, but with the handicap given to her with her arms and wings rendered useless, her impressive display of dodges and weaves lasted a little over a minute. As the three stallions joined her, placing themselves so that each could take a different orifice, AJ averted her eyes. She couldn’t watch as the three male ponies thrust inside of Dash simultaneously, the muffled screams coming from Dash’s stuffed muzzle alone being enough to form an apple sized lump of unease in the pit of her stomach.

She was almost thankful that she would have other things to keep her mind occupied, as with Dash caught the next move for the rest of the men was clear. They would each decide which of the five remaining mares they would want to stick their dicks in, separating them into groups, or pairs if they thought fucking two together would be sexually satisfying, until they were spent. All AJ could do now was wait and see who would pick her.

Of course, she wasn’t the first to be chosen out of the group, not by a long shot. That honor was reserved for the alicorn amongst them. No stallion would pick a farm mare over the chance to fuck a former princess, even if the mare had only held the title for a short time. Numerous stallions came to claim their time with Twilight, and when they reached out with their lust guided hands, she happily offered her hand in return. AJ caught a glimpse of a hand wrapping its fingers around the alicorn’s wrists, and then watched as she was pulled into the horde, vanishing completely along with the earth mare’s hopes of speaking with her privately. It was bound to happen, but it was still disappointing for AJ to see the chance slip through her fingers.

“I call first dibs on this one!” The shout was so close to AJ that she was sure she was the next one to be snatched up, but instead it was Fluttershy who had been chosen.

A pegasus had come up behind the timid mare, wrapping his arms around her to grope her breasts, pressing his body against her so the wings shrouds she wore spread apart to give space for his chest. Fluttershy had given a sharp yelp of surprise through the bit in her mouth when she was grabbed, which might have been assisted by the thick cock pressing into the crevice of her of her ass. It was the first stallion that night AJ had seen completely nude, and she had to wonder how long he had been strutting about like that. The others didn’t seem to care that much, with just a few of the other males giving the avian stud an odd look or snickering at his brazenness.

“Hey, you know you can’t hog that slut all to yourself!” another stallion called out, “Bring her this way so we can all have a turn!”

The male pegasus was more than eager to oblige, taking hold of the reins Fluttershy was holding onto as he made his what towards those who shared a craving for the timid mare’s supple body. Fluttershy was nothing but deferential, following the stallion’s lead with no more than the tiniest bit of resistance at the initial pull of her collar, keeping her hands clasped in front of her as she went along in order to keep them occupied. With a pleasant smile that expressed the mare’s shy, yet eager to please nature, Fluttershy too disappeared from sight, leaving only three in the center of the ring of onlookers.

Applejack didn’t need to wait to see who would be the next one chosen, as the stallions had already made their pick while she was busy watching Fluttershy get taken away. They hadn’t bothered to take Rarity to some remote area of the room before making her go down on her knees, one making use of her enhanced breasts by sticking his dick between them as she used the rounds lumps to masturbate him. Another had entangled his hand into her mane, ruining her perfectly-styled coiffure within mere minutes of her entrance into the banquet hall, and was hilt deep inside her muzzle.

How Rarity was able to concentrate on stroking a guy’s dick while choking on a penis that was being forced so deeply into her throat time and again was a testament to her sexual abilities, which was something the one between her tits overlooked as he made loud declarations on how they were recognizably enlarged to give the unicorn another layer of shame on top of what was already happening to her. Others gathered over, finding amusement in the insults being given to the mare they deemed the most whorish of the bunch, and within no time AJ was completely unable to spot anything more than slight glimpses of white fur from within the mass of figures, despite Rarity having not moved from the spot she was standing during their introduction.

With four mares claimed, all that remained of the group of the group were the earth ponies. AJ waited in silent dread as those who were left took their time deciding over which one that remained they would like to have wrapped around their dicks first. The longer they put it off, the more her curled up lips sunk, and the more she started to realize just how difficult it would be to hold a smile for the ponies that would soon violate her body.

Don’t focus on that. AJ thought to herself. It won’t make a lick of difference once they put a dick in ya. Even the most willful black collar in Equestria had problems holding a grimace in extended periods of sex, unable to control the contortions of their faces as the unwanted feelings of pleasure raced through their beings and created a state of euphoria. If they would hurry up and pick her, they could have their way and she could ride out the night on a wave of endorphins.

Of course it didn’t take long for the stallions and stags to make their picks, a few entering to finalize their decisions. With so many looking her way, it was clear to her that she would be the next to be taken. It satisfied her want to get this done and over with, but also restored her apprehension towards being the reluctantly willing fuck hole to what looked to be a couple hundred men. No matter how this situation turned out, AJ wouldn’t be able to relax or enjoy herself, this whole ordeal was one big no win scenario. All she could really do was let herself go, slip into character, and pretend that she was having a good time.

A pegasus reached out to the awaiting earth mare, the lecherous and somewhat threatening look he gave confirming his decision with the well-toned farm mare. Someone else had other ideas though, and what the stallion had would be his fingers entering the loop of an awaiting collar ring, instead became his hand pressed against the large, soft breasts of a certain pink pony.

“Hi there!” Pinkie practically yelled to the bewildered stallion, “Oh here, let me help you with that.” Placing her shackled hand on his, the pink mare moved it till the palm was over her nipple. She then proceeded to make the unicorn’s fingers grip down on her tit, the soft flesh squishing down around his digits. “Hehe, would you like me to give you the best night of your life? I have lots and lots of tricks that you’ll love to see. Oh! I know, I can show you one right now. If you squeeze it down a just little more you’ll get to see one of my best tricks.”

The pegasus was taken in by Pinkie’s declaration, and while he still had the blonde mare behind her on his mind, the one excitingly wiggling her ears at him had made a great first impression. Curious as to what would happen, he gripped the oversized mammaries as hard as he could. In return he, as well as the others that had been heading for Applejack, watched as a jet of milk shot out from the pink pony’s now stiff and engorged nipple.

“The milk pouring out of me makes my boob tickle.” Pinkie said with a slight winch at the near crushing grasp of the pegasus, still managing to worked out a grin and a giggle through the pain.

A mare with breasts full of milk wasn’t really much of a trick. The pegasus had encountered several mares that had been filled with even hormones that they could put a dairy cow to shame. Still, the pink mare was making a promise of the most pleasurable night he could have, and he couldn’t help but want to put that claim to the test. “Fine, you do seem more interesting than the other one. Let’s find something to bend you over, and some paddles in case you’re boasting doesn’t match your talents.”

“Woohoo! Let’s go!” Pinkie skipped merrily away from AJ, taking the pegasus and many of the other males with her as they followed the perky pony whose breasts bounced with every slight hop. “Hey Applejack!” she said right before disappearing like the others, “Make sure to enjoy yourself tonight! I know I will!”

With those final words, Pinkie was gone. With her she had taken a sizeable chunk of the remaining males, but there were still plenty left who would make good use of her. Those that were left were those who had either been too slow to make join the lines for the rest of the former elements, or had stayed back to keep up the facade of civility this party was trying to represent. There were those amongst them who had wanted to have first crack at AJ from the beginning, but for the most part she was the leftovers. It wasn’t too surprising actually; AJ could see why she would be the worst choice when compared with her red collar friends. She wasn’t some unique race like Twilight. She wasn’t as cute or naturally graceful as Fluttershy. She didn’t have beauty of Rarity or the outstandingly upbeat attitude of Pinkie.

If she had to be honest with herself, she was kind of plain. She had a nice figure that was sculpted by years of hard farm in the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, with or without the restraining bondage the caribou made her wear as a black collar, but that was about it. Without her status as one of the elements of harmony, she was just an earth pony. A highly talented one in many ways, but not in any of the ways that a stallion or a stag would care about. The only thing that they ever focused on with her was how ‘stubborn’ she was, and wanting to be the one to break her. Now that was gone, and those who cared about that would be more focused on Dash than her. In that, she supposed that Gunne had been right all along. She garnered more attention as a black collar than a red, and it wasn’t so much that she would be treated better from here on out so much that men would have less concern for her.

Applejack put those thoughts aside, as they wouldn’t help her with what was about to happen. Right now she had to play her role, satisfying the urges of those who chose her because she was the one that they didn’t have to wait for to be available. Clenching her teeth tightly together, she spread her lips apart to show off the pearly whites, pushed out her chest, and hid her disgust the best she could for the men coming right up to her.

“Why so shy?” the first one up to her said, more condescending her than legitimately asking the question, “Those other sluts were showed much more enthusiasm.“

“Don’t be too hard on the stupid dirt mare,” said another, “I bet she’s still having trouble wrapping her head around all this. Probably never been to a soiree like this one before. It’s overwhelming her horny little mind.”

“Still, you’d think that some barnyard bitch would be ready for a rodeo,” said yet another.

“Ah am!” yelled AJ, unable to control the volume of her voice from the well of nerves building up in her. “Ah mean, I’m ready to take anythin’ y’all want to do to me.”

“Of course you are?” said a unicorn as he used his magic to pull the ring on AJ’s collar, “A dirty whore like yourself loves to the feeling of something moving around inside her. Just can’t wait to get a fat cock in those holes of yours, can ya?”

Another stallion grabbed the farm mare’s arm and pulled her in his direction, making her twist slightly since the unicorn refused to release her collar. “Think she’s the kind of mare that likes being throat fucked? I altered my own red collar’s throat to be as sensitive as her vagina, and the way she moans around my dick when she sucks it is amazing.”

“Who gives a shit if she likes it or not?” a caribou stag announced while grabbing the long braid attached to AJ’s head. “She’s here for our pleasure, not the other way around. Isn’t that right bitch?”

Being pulled in all directions by the men around her, AJ wanted to escape their grasp by any means. Her first instinct was to buck, and had she been in the same situation as a black collar she no doubt would have. She had a image to uphold through, and through incredible willpower stopped herself from kicking some unseen male who sent a slap across her flank.

“O-Of course that’s right,” she answered the stag from before, stammering a little in restrained rage, “It’s the duty of a red collar to please men, and Ah am a red collar.” Saying that aloud left a bad taste in her mouth, but knowing where things would go she expected that it would be replaced soon.

The men found it humorous that the farm mare had to state her collar status, it appearing to them that the mare was trying to act smart and sounding incredibly stupid by doing so. It inflated their egos, acting as further proof to them that mares, and furthermore all females, were highly unintellegent. The southern draw in her words help support the idea that the farm mare was particularly stupid, and that was translated to the horny, high class males that she would crave their dicks even more than a mare that smarter mare who could speak without such a ridiculous accent.

“Okay slave, let’s go fulfill that… ‘duty’ of yours.”

The men released her, allowing her to straighten herself out just before the two caribou took her by the arms. Their grip was harsh, uncaring, but easily endured by a mare who had already been through more hardships than she could count. The two large, muscular stags debated with each other where they would take her, many places already taken or lacking anything interesting they could use to spice up their sexual conquest of the earth pony.

“We could take her to a dangle her upside-down by her hooves. I kinda want to see if she’ll do a little dance when we lick her pussy raw.”

“I’m more of a tits man myself, and if she’s hanging by her legs they’ll be hard to get at. We could take her over to one of the bending bars and have her stick that big rump of hers out.”

“That’s too boring for a party like this, plus I want to bind this slut up so she pulls feebly against them when we use her.”

“Then… why don’t we take her over there.” the caribou said, looking off into a random direction. It at least seemed random to AJ, since she didn’t know what was in that direction.

“Isn’t that where….?” The second caribou figured out what his associate’s plan was, and instantly approved. “That’s perfect. Let’s do it.” The two caribou begun to move, and Applejack along with them. From this point on she would have to comply with their every action, so when they took a step she did the same. As she did the rest of the group followed along, fixated on her like a pack of dogs after a piece of meat, until after a small jaunt they came to a stop. What the two large males lead her to didn’t surprise Applejack, as very few things the caribou did could after the things she put herself through, but it hardly inspired confidence in her either.

What stood before her looked like an odd cross between a table and a dentistry chair, standing up from one solid pole built into the floor with many different levers to adjust the height and angle of it. Atop the pole sat a flat surface with made of leather that appeared to be shaped with the thought of holding a torso in mind, with two large gaps where the shoulder would be placed and several additional pieces being on its sides that were made for the appendages of whoever would be held within it. The extra parts included two for the arms, two for the legs, and one for the head, and each had a set of straps and locks that would ensure that the occupant wouldn’t be leaving of her own accord.

It wasn’t the only one around either, there was another just off to the side with a pegasus already strapped inside. Hers was different, with the leather covering removed to reveal the wooden frame beneath. Her black wing binders had be carefully slipped into the shoulder holes of the device, indicating what they were for, and the arms and legs of it adjusted so that the mare’s body was trapped in the shape of an X. The pegasus laid on the device parallel to the floor, her mane tied to a rod beneath her headrest so tightly that it forced her neck to make a straining arch backwards. At either end of her were lines of males, with the two at the front of them taking advantage of her helplessness.

The one positioned between her legs had a strong hold on her hips, his fingers digging into her fur, and was plowing himself into his victim so hard that AJ was amazed he didn’t hurt himself from the force he was putting into each thrust. The same could be said about the one orally raping the mare, except that AJ recognized the specially-designed made gag that enwrapped her muzzle. It was made for black collars that had problems keeping their heads still, as even with a standard open mouth gag teeth were still a major issue. The leather of this one prevented any such problems however, as it didn’t stop at the entrance of the mouth, but instead folded into it. The padded extra layer draped over the teeth, creating a safe pathway for a male’s most sensitive and treasured area, while having a section cut out for the tongue so the one being mouth raped would still have to suffer the indignity of tasting her rapist’s salty flesh rod as it was repetitively pushed into her mouth. Applejack had experience with that variety of gag due to her time with Ivangir, who found she likewise had an issue of ‘self control’ when it came to the dangerous thrashing of her head whenever he wanted her to orally satisfy him.

“Okay cunt,” one of the caribou said, pushing her towards the empty seat, “Take your proper place, and we’ll give you the reward you crave so badly.”

It took a second for AJ to cease the momentum caused by the shove, the caribou putting much more power into it than needed, but once she stopped she approached the seat of her own accord. It took little effort for AJ to climb into the device, having to place a hoof into one the bottom part of one of the leg holders before she could turn around and place herself inside it like a normal chair. Once seated she took a few deep breaths, preparing herself mentally for what she would have to endure. The seat’s restraints meant that she would have little freedom of movement, which meant that as long as she was in it, she wouldn’t be expected to participate much as the males filled her holes full of semen. She wouldn’t have to speak to any of them unless addressed directly, and even that wouldn’t apply as much as the night went on when they would be too wrapped up in their own pleasure to care if she answered. All she had to do was respond enough to keep them amused, which would come naturally as her body reacted to what they did to her. How long they would keep her here was a mystery. The night was still young and there was another large crowd next to her on the opposite side from where the bound pegasus was that would surely want to move over to her the moment she became more available, so she felt it would be a while at least. Looking to the bright side of her situation, she decided to appreciate that she wouldn’t have to put too much effort into her red act.

The men that escorted AJ to the device went around it when they saw she was properly within it. A few from that group stepped forward, going to the seat to wrap the straps around her appendages and align it appropriately the entertainment they were about to have. A couple started with a few sturdy belts attached to the back of the seat, the first one going across her waist while another went under her breasts, pushing them up slightly. Slipping the ends of the straps through buckles bolted into the seats, they pulled and tugged on them until they hugged the farm mare tightly. They were perhaps a little too tight, but the padded leather allowed AJ to sink into it slightly to relieve the pressure. AJ had to assume this cushioned seating was another ‘perk’ of being a red collar, as the earth pony had no doubts that if she was still a black collar she would be like the pegasus girl and have nothing but hard wood to press up against.

“Lift your arms,” commanded one of the stallions behind her, to which Appplejack obeyed and lifted up the requested appendages. Another belt went across her front, this time over her armpits and across her collarbone so that they teamed up with the ones on the bottom side of her breasts to apply pressure to her, and made them poke out a bit more than usual. Thinking that was it, AJ brought her arms back down, or attempted to until the stallion behind her grabbed her arms and yanked them behind her back. It was an unexpected move, but AJ prevented her muscles from tensing up in response. Whatever the stallion wanted to do with her, she had to let him do it, and with no resistance given to him, the stallion slipped her into a set of shackles chained to the back of the head rest and locked them in. Feeling her arms ensnared, she gave them a few slight tugs to test the bonds, finding them sturdy enough to hold her if she started to unconsciously pull against them, at least for a while.

With her arms taken care of, the mean took the now unused arm rests of the device and adjusted them stood up vertically, creating a barrier of sorts that would prevent her from falling off should she squirm or toss about too much in the throes of passion that reds so easily got sent into. That took care of the upper part of her body, and now all that remained was the lower, more interesting parts of the mare’s anatomy. A lone caribou took up the task of binding her legs as her torso had been, using several straps to assure that they were as tightly kept in place as her chest was, but as he finished he noticed something that didn’t sit right with him.

“What is this?” he said aloud as her took one of the remotes from the bands around her legs.

AJ looked down at what the stag was holding, “It’s a remote to one of mah vibrators,” She had honestly forgotten the four pill shaped objects jittering around inside her. Everything else that had happened had her focused on other things.

“I know what it is,” he replied, “But your dumb ass left it on the lowest setting.” The stag put his thumb on the lever that controlled the intensity of the vibrator, and with one swift flick set it from the bottom of the remote to the top.

AJ clenched her jaw shut, screaming into her closed lips as one of the objects in her ass went from soft vibrations to powerfully pulsating. Her muscles squeezed down around it, as if trying to stop its movements, but that only made her feel it all the more.

“That’s much better, but don’t feel like you have to hold back on our account,” The stag said as he swapped the remote in his hand for another in AJ’s bands, “We want to hear you announce how much of a whore you are.” Just like before, he zipped the switch as high as it would go without so much as a pause along the way.

AJ shook her head, pushing out the feelings coming to her, this time from inside her pussy. Eventually they would overtake her, send her into unwanted pleasure as they always did in situations like this, but just because she had to put up with it didn’t mean she had to give into it. She lost a little of that control as the next pill turned up to its maximum, her mouth opening enough to let out a low moan, her body curling up and contorting a little as the rapid motions in her two tunnels got to her, but AJ was able to keep mostly in control. The worst she did was kick her legs a little from the stimulation, but the bonds that held them kept them from moving any more than an inch off the padding.

“Those vibrators must be pretty weak,” said a stallion as he pulled AJ’s tail through a small hole in the chair, “That reaction wasn’t great.”

“Nah, they’re fine,” answered the caribou, “I’ve seen collared dirt mares do this before. Even as reds they like to act tough, which makes it all the more fun to watch them squirm.” The stag took the next remote in line, and decided to take it slower this time. His thumb on the switch, he eased it upwards as slowly as he could, which made the other pill inside Applejack’s backside increase the speed of its buzzing incrementally instead of in one solid burst like before. Something about that made it much worse to the farm mare, and as it steadily got more powerful, so did her breaths become shorter and shorter until they turned into fast, heavy pants. The stag, noticing how much this was affecting the bound mare, brought the vibrator down to its lowest setting and grabbed the last remaining control. Applejack watched helplessly in her bonds as the caribou readied a remote in each of his hands. The joy that he expressed was drenched with cruel intent that she had seen countless times in the males of his race, and she knew that he didn’t care if she would enjoy what he would do to her. As he had just said, he wanted to watch her squirm as her senses underwent a barrage of uncontrollable feelings and emotions.

The farm mare could get through this though. This was no different that anything else that had happened before, and this time she had an advantage of knowing what would come. She just had to keep a close eye on those switches, trace the movements of his thumbs, and adjust herself accordingly to the amount of pleasure the stag wanted to pour into her. She honed her vision in on those two switches, ignoring all other things around her so she could react to the slightest movement the caribou made the moment he made it. With her attention so focused though, she was caught by complete surprise when the back of her seat suddenly fell backwards, and her line of sight switched from the caribou in front of her to the ceiling above her.

Disoriented, the earth mare lifted her head up as high as she could off the device in order to get the caribou at her legs where she could see him. Unfortunately for her though, her own breasts blocked the stag from sight, and try as she might she couldn’t move her body, strapped down as it was, far enough out of the way to make him visible. She made quite a few attempts at it too, but inevitably had to give up when she once more felt a building sense of pleasure welling up inside her.

The increasing tremors of the two vibrators slowly building power, going higher and higher as they worked their way to the two other pills going at full strength, wracked her body to the point that she felt she could lose control any moment, that she was right on the edge of her body becoming a prison of pleasure that would move of its own accord and force her to unwillingly declare her building desire to the lustful males around her. She could already feel her loins moisten, the fluids within her pussy no longer able to be contained by her mere hatred of what was being done to her.

Slamming her head down on the padding beneath it, AJ took in several deep breaths in order to stabilize herself. The caribou was rapidly changing the frequency of the object within her, randomly changing the power so that they would suddenly spike from near stillness, or hold at an unexpected level just below the peak to increase her anticipation before sending it to the highest point again. The rapid change made her hips thrust upwards, her body shudder, and brought from her lungs the grunts, gasps and groans that made clear what was feeling. She couldn’t deny what her body was telling her, and as much as it disgusted her, she was becoming hot and bothered by her four toys.

“Please! Don’t!” She managed to yell out, pleading for the caribou to stop. The stallions around her took these words in the opposite manner however.

“You hear that?” said a pegasus as he brazenly clutched AJ’s breast and squeezed, “She doesn’t like being held on edge. Greedy mare wants to cum so badly.”

“Then why don’t we help her out?” Announced a unicorn, his horn coming aglow as he took hold of the apple shaped ring on her other tit, tugging at it, pulling it in as many directions as he could.

The pain brought on by the careless, or perhaps sadistic, unicorn’s pull was enough to give AJ back a little command over her body, and it kept her from going over the brink of being lost in the overwhelming sensations. When she allowed the sting of him stretching out her nipple, she could keep out a tiny portion of the thoughts that threatened to consume her. In some twisted way she appreciated the pain for that reason; it was keeping her sane, it was keeping her ‘her’.

But with her coherence came an awareness of what was happening to her, and thus she was able to feel when the stag at her legs pressed his lips against those of her vagina. He had become bored of simply playing with the toys inside her, and wanted to continue things with a more personal touch. He made no delay to thrust his tongue inside the now soaked passage, slurping up and drinking the filthy fluids that where coating Applejack’s crotch. Again AJ thrust her hips upwards, but this time of her own volition, forgetting for a moment where she was as she tried to keep away from the caribou’s oral muscle.

“Hold still,” the stag scolded, dropping one of the remotes he held. It plummeted to the floor, and the weight of it combined with AJ’s slickness was enough allow the pill it was attached to pop out of the mare, flicking spatterings of her fluid into the air as if did. AJ couldn’t help but give a joyful cry at its absence. The small amount of time she spent tied down had already become torturous, and even the one less source of stimulation was a great relief for her. This small reprieve wasn’t going to be simply given to her though, and another sharp spike of pain entered her mind as the stag pinched down on her clitoris as punishment for her squirming.

From that point on he swapped back and forth from pinching the flesh nub between his fingernails and rubbing it softly while continuing his lewd licks at her loins. Applejack could feel her clitoris swell and become tender at his touches, giving her no real incentive to keep still for the caribou, save for the increasing pressure he would put into his pinches each time she moved to far for his liking. With the stallions playing with her breasts not letting during all this, the earth mare found it impossible to keep silent. She vocalized her sexual agony she was experiencing to the hoard surrounding her, the sounds of partial pleasure and suffering being music to their ears.

Some took it as an invitation to join in themselves, and with one particularly excited stallion making his way through the crowd to get to the object of his desire, Applejack found herself face to face with a fully erect penis. The thick member wasn’t an inch away from the end of her muzzle, and she had been through this enough times to have a good idea what he wanted. She was already this deep in, with no real ability to escape the situation or fight back, so she opened her mouth as wide as she could to make way for the large meaty schlong coming her way.

Instead of thrusting it in violently, as Applejack had come to expect from males who shoved their dicks in her face, the stallion pulled away. It confused her for a moment, enough for her to vocalize it in a small noise that was prolonged by a sudden feeling of lips wrapping around and sucking on her clit, but the stallion didn’t take long to explain why he didn’t take the opportunity to enter her open and, as far as he knew, willing orifice. “Look at her. She wants to suck me so bad that she stretched her mouth as wide as she could at the sight of it. Do you do that everytime you get a glimpse of a man’s meat, or does mine look that tasty to you?”

AJ closed her mouth and looked away from the stallion. He was teasing her, attempting to shame her in front of the others by acting like she was starved for cock. Normally she wouldn’t dignify the question he gave with a response, but she thought back to what Gunne said he would do if there were any problems tonight, and such questions were never rhetorical. “I want your dick as much as I’d want any other…” She replied in her ‘lying by telling a slanted truth’ way.

While she answered the question in a way that made her sound slutty, the stallion didn’t take kindly to the mare not complimenting his shaft in the way he felt it deserved. He grabbed her by the lower jaw, pushing his fingertips into her cheeks so that she would have to bite the insides of them in order to close her mouth again, and directed her back to the fleshy tip that pointed right at her. “Come on, you know that this is the biggest dick you’ve ever seen in your life, and I bet the scent of it just drives you wild. You can’t resist wanting to wrap your collared throat around it.” The stallion didn’t wait for an answer this time, rubbing his cock across her face and running the head of it along her lips so that they lipstick on it smeared both on it and the bound mare’s face.

While the stallion didn’t care for a reply to his comment, AJ did think to herself about what he had said. The penis really wasn’t as big as he boasted, at least not when compared to the multitude of cocks she had crammed inside her back in Ponyville. When matched up to the country studs back home, the stallion currently smearing her makeup was only a moderate size. If she had to actually pick a dick she had seen to be the biggest, that honor unfortunately went to Ivangir’s. Even if this stallion matched the size and girth of the biggest pony cock she had ever seen it wouldn’t compare to that monster's mast.

As for the scent, it reeked like fish and made her think that he hadn’t properly bathed that part of himself for days, perhaps even on purpose to make that masculine scent that he was so proud of stronger. As revolting as it was though, she could tell that in some way it was having an effect on her. The lofty smell of arousal and sweat intoxicated her being and was making her own sexual organs get started. Her nipples started to swell, and poked out more than usual from her fur, the small streams coming from her lower passage pouring out becoming rivers that the caribou between her legs happily lapped up, and her the lips of her pussy had began to twitch each time said caribou’s tongue went across it.

Despite all this though, Applejack retained control of her mental faculties. Her body and mind were at ends about how much of a turn on this all was, as one was more than ready to accept the feelings being given to it. This was not helped by the addition of two new mouths encircling her areolas and sucking on them like they expected milk to come from the hard nipples at the center of them, while the other kept hold of just how awful her induced elation was at the hands of these men whose interest in her ended when they shot their jism inside or onto her body. She didn’t know exactly why she couldn’t ‘shut off’ as she had intended to, as she had done plenty of times in Ponyville, but she was stuck unfortunately aware as her body was toyed with.

The groping, sucking, and rubbing continued on for longer than the farm mare could keep track of, every minute of this torture feeling longer, like each second was being stretched out to make the experience worse for her. It all came to a head though, in almost a literal sense, when the caribou that had been licking her now rapidly quivering pussy with the length of his rock hard shaft.

“Are you ready for the real fun to begin?” he asked, running his tip along her slit, getting it drenched in her fluids.

AJ, released by the stallion holding her jaw, looked up at the stag and gave a nervous nod. She was as prepared as she would ever be, and it was an inevitability that someone’s dick would be inside her before the Gala was over. If she had a choice, a caribou would have been her last choice of men to fuck her, but of course she didn’t. The only thing she had any say in was whether she would brave what the stag would do to her head on, or close her eyes and take it like a coward. With the way Spitfire took her own rape earlier without fear, AJ felt she didn’t have the right to back down. Maybe it was the thought of the pegasus sticking in her mind that stopped her from slipping into her slutty persona, and the idea that it would somehow be a disservice to every black collar present if she tried to tune it out and act like she enjoyed it. Maintaining her red collar disguise was a priority, but she didn’t have to lose sight of herself to do that; she just had to have sex in a way that satisfied the males.

So with her eyes wide open, focusing on the stag that would penetrate her at any second, she braced herself both physically and mentally. The caribou seemed ready to plunge himself inside, constantly pressing against her entrance enough that she could feel his tip poke inside her. He was trying to catch her off guard, wait for a moment when she wound relax and then stab it into her, at least that is what she assumed. She had no clue of his true intentions, but the earth mare would learn shortly what those were.

As she kept a close eye on the stag prodding her privates, she begun to notice another stag coming up behind him. At first she didn’t pay this any mind, it was surely just the next person in line getting a little anxious. Then she started to notice how big this caribou was compared to the one looming over her, being huge even for a male of their despicable race. She also noticed that this one was wearing a very informal, and somehow familiar, outfit of leather armor with small decorative flourishes on it that were about the only thing that made it seem like it could belong in the kind of party this was suppose to be. The gears were starting to turn in her head where she had seen this before, but before she could piece it together the large caribou spoke and removed any mystery of who it was.

“How are things coming along?” said Ivangir, putting his hand on the shoulder of the stag about to thrust into Applejack.

AJ let out the deepest groan she had given that night. She couldn’t even begin to pretend that she enjoyed Ivangir’s presence, but being bound and receiving pleasure at all ends helped disguise her vocalized aggravation as a announcement of desire.

“As you can hear, it’s coming along fine,” said the stag, “We’ve been toying with her for a while, and I’ve been making sure she been kept on edge. Haven’t even let her cum yet, and she’s getting more desperate for that sweet release the longer we go at her.”

Ivangir inspected the mare before him, brushing some of the stallions aside as he laid hands on her. He took no time in going for the more sensitive areas, cupping one of her tits in one hand while using the fingers of his other to test how damp she had gotten between her legs. The way he slipped his fingers into her, scraping his fingertips against her innards, was far from pleasant. It wasn’t an accident either, as Ivangir was as true a sadist as there ever was. He cared more about his own satisfaction than any other male Applejack had ever encountered, and if he made somehow made a woman cum through the pain of his gigantic dick pummeling their womb, he would only be pleased that it validated his sexual prowess. To AJ that just made Ivangir a caribou, a creature so wrapped up in their own wants and egos that they only cared about others when they found it useful to their goals. He was no different from any of the others, except that what he desired could be considered vile and self centered even when compared to the rest of his brethren.

Removing his fingers from AJ’s still quivering vagina, the caribou found it absolutely slathered in viscous pre-cum. It pleased him to once again see her this way; restrained, ravaged, wanting. While he didn’t care much for her as far as her value as a woman when, being that she was a dirt mare and thus in many ways considered the least worthwhile woman one could ever have, she had provided him with much entertainment for the short time they had together. He had always regretted the fact that he let her go before breaking her completely, but tonight was a chance to make up for lost time.

“Yeah, she’s good and ready. Time to go to the next step.” said the massive caribou.

“Already?” The smaller one replied, “That’s a shame. I was just starting to get into it.”

AJ pondered what the two were talking about, and she wasn’t alone as the stallions seemed as lost as she was. However, when the smaller caribou bent down and the buzzing inside her came to a sudden and unsuspecting stop, she had a good idea of what they were planning. She had to take some deep breaths at first, the thoughts entering her mind threatening to overwhelm her reason. She had been brought so close to peaking, and had kept herself from cumming by sheer force of will, but now she was paying for it. The removal of sensations, after feeling them so strongly for so long, was a more taxing than anything else she had felt that night. Her body had felt the presence of an orgasm building inside, and now it demanded that promise be fulfilled. So long had it been that AJ was denied the ability to cum from sex, since in Ponyville she had ample occasions to do so without restriction, even if she did so unwillingly.

Her erogenous zones ached from the denial, begging for the small amount of additional pleasure that would send her over the edge. They went unrequited though, as while the unnamed caribou did go back to licking her pleading pussy, he did so in such a careful way that it could never push her past the point of peaking. A light graze or a slow slither along her loins was all he would do to ensure that she stayed aroused, but never contented. She might have pleaded for him to stop holding her in that limbo of arousal, if not for a combination of her own pride and the understanding that such a request wouldn’t be given no matter what she said or promised in return.

“Now listen up!” Ivangir said loudly so those around Applejack could hear his boisterous voice, “This dirt mare’s holes are now reserved for my cock.” This announcement came as an unpleasant surprise many of the males. They had thought that the mare was ready for action, and now one of the council said she was off limits. Those who had procrastinated now regretted their indecisiveness, but those who had picked her over the rest felt the most cheated.

“Now, now,” said Ivangir, “Her holes might be off limits, but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop. This girl still needs lots of attention before I decide to cram myself into her. Keep groping her, keep her aroused, but don’t let her cum.”

“And what are you going to do until you’re ready Lord Ivangir?” asked the other stag as he removed the now-still vibrators from AJ by their cords.

“What I’ve been doing. Going around and sampling every cunt at the party. If I don’t cum inside half the slaves here before this ends then I’ll be sorely disappointed with myself. In fact...“ Ivangir looked over to the other crowd that had gathered nearby, “The next bitch to check off my list is right over here.” Having declared dibs on Applejack, using his authority to override anyone else’s claim to the same, Ivangir sauntered himself over to the group he was eyeing, and demanded that everyone there made way for him.

AJ couldn’t believe how readily the others made way for Ivangir, showing a level of respect for the caribou that he made evident he didn’t share for them. Then again, it could have been less respect and more a healthy amount of fear. Applejack knew little of how his reputation had grown during their time separated from one another, and Ivangir seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t let any pony stand in the way of what he wanted. He obeyed the king, but that was about as far as his appreciation for another’s rank went. For all the hatred that she bore for Dainn, the farm mare could see that it was his authority that kept caribou like Ivangir from going ‘too far’, even by caribou standards. She shuddered to think how much worse it would have been being his fuck toy if the caribou king hadn’t been around.

Those thoughts left quickly though, as someone within the crowd, someone AJ didn’t quite expect to see again so soon, was made visible when the ponies parted for Ivangir. In a device that matched the one AJ was currently in, laid Twilight. If the surprise of seeing the alicorn so close to her once more hadn’t been enough to stun the earth pony, the image of her former friend taking it from both ends was enough to leave a lasting impression in her memories. The joy on her face as she sucked on the long cock of some random stallion was reminiscent of the same joy she use to show when she solved one of the many problems that plagued Equestria. The happy expression she wore held a sense of pride at what she was doing to help other ponies, but also subtle humility in the knowledge that she was just a small part of something bigger.

It was a happiness that AJ could once appreciate and share, something that filled her to the brim with emotions unexplainable with simple words like ‘joy’, ‘pleasure’, or ‘ecstasy’. What she felt now though was revulsion as yet another thing she used cherish had been taken and twisted till it was no longer recognizable. The picture of the friend she once knew, an intelligent mare who did her best to protect those she could and help anyone in need, who did everything she could in order to maintain harmony in the kingdom, and never gave up even when all looked lost, was nearly decimated by it all. The squeals of delight that came from her obstructed mouth each time her pussy was thrust into, the layers of cum smeared over her face from where who knew how many males let loose their loads, and the ever increasing curvature of the ends of her lips as Ivangir came her way made it really difficult for AJ to see anything in Twilight that resembled the respectable mare she once knew.

AJ kept her eye on Twilight for as long as she could, catching a little more of the scene that was happening a few feet away. The two stallions fucking her stopped and removed themselves as Ivangir came up beside her, and with a sickeningly sultry smile Twilight looked up at the next male she would serve. The alicorn’s lips moved in a way that showed she was saying something to him, what it was AJ couldn’t tell over the other sounds flooding the room, but that ceased when Ivangir himself clasped her muzzle down with his hand.

“Save your flattery for a stag who gives a shit,” said Ivangir, loudly enough that Applejack could make it out as clearly as if he were right beside her, “If you want to please me with that mare mouth of yours, then there is only one way I want to see you do it.”

Twilight gave a slight nod, pleased as punch to be able to serve. This prompted Ivangir to release her, which in turn prompted her to open her mouth as far as she could. AJ knew what was about to happen, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away. If this was really what Twilight was like now, eager to swallow down the cocks of the very people who ruined Equestria, then she wanted to confirm it for herself. If she could catch even the slightest hint that Twilight didn’t enjoy what she was about to do, that would at least be something that Applejack could hold onto, and if not then it would be one more reason to believe that the purple mare was exactly what she made herself out to be. She hardly even heard the flapping wings about her as she watched the caribou’s cock head push into the alicorn’s mouth, but what it tried to warn her about could not be ignored.

“UGH!” A sudden, heavy pressure landed squarely on her stomach. The hefty mass pushing down on her abs gained her attention like nothing else, and with a turn of her head she met gazes with a pegasus using her body as a seat.

“Your cunt and ass might be spoken for,” said the pegasus, visibly upset that he wouldn’t be able to use the best parts of the mare he waited for, as he adjusted himself and set his legs against the two arm rest barriers to better straddle the mare, “But there are other things you can be used for.”

The stallion placed his cock in between AJ boobs and squashed the two mammaries together to cradle his most precious of areas, and without delay started moving his hips. The cock ran back and forth between her breasts, the tip of it vanishing inside of her mounds to reveal itself again with his next thrust forward. With the stallion on top of her moving around in the valley of her chest, Applejack didn’t bother to give Twilight another look. The pegasus was already mad, perhaps blaming Applejack for being inaccessible instead of the man who made her that way, and if she dared to ignore him punishment would follow. To avoid a slap to the face she kept an eye on the his dick, fixating on it, looking right into the hole that would be shooting hot, white cum on her. Occasionally he bucked his hips forward a little harder than usual, and the cock head ending up against her lips, almost pushing inside her mouth, but never quite getting inside.

The other males gathered round got some amusement from the tit-fucking they were being privy to, with other pegasi waiting for a chance that they might be able to swap places with the one on top of the dirt mare. Not all had the advantage of wings though, and were quite aware that there were other places in the party that would reward their impatience with more that the chance to lick the pussy of a famous mare. With the passing seconds the crowd became thinner, until just a few dozen dedicated stallions and casual viewers remained.

Letting his wings proudly expand to their full span, the pegasus made one final thrust and released himself. A veritable flood of seman shot out, pouring onto AJ’s chest, making a mess of the fur around her collarbone and spilling into the gap between her collar and neck. It made the small amount of space between the piece of leather and and her throat gunky, and added a disturbing discomfort to an already uncomfortable situation. Having gotten his rocks off though, the pegasus released the earth pony’s breasts.

“Ha… ha… not bad for a worthless dirt mare,” he said, a little exerted by all the work he put towards getting off, “At least you got a good set of tits, or else you’d be completely worthless.”

The pegasus flapped his wings tiredly, and another soon hovered over Applejack to take his place. Another stallion who she didn’t know to be added to a long list of nameless stallions who took pleasure from her. When he landed though, he didn’t go straight for her boobs like the other had, instead he bent over and went face to face with her. “Aren’t you a cute one.” The way this new pegasus looked at her gave AJ a creepy vibe, which in no way was made better when he slurped his tongue across her lips. “Come on, I want a kiss. Open that filthy mouth and let me inside.”

AJ, having no other options, gave in to the stallion’s command. She opened her muzzle wide, a moment later having the gross tongue enter inside and poke around like it was in search of something. Compared to a dick, the tongue was less disgusting, but held a higher level of violation. It could get itself into places that a solid piece of cylindrical meat couldn’t, prodding at the gums and slipping under her own tongue as it explored every area. More than a few times he would swirl around the oral muscle, every motion mixing his saliva with Applejack’s even more.

Eventually he broke away though, and took hold of the earth pony’s muzzle. “What is wrong with you? I’m putting my all into this, and you’re laying there like a dead fish.”

AJ hadn’t been putting a lot of effort into the kiss, forgetting that she had to participate in this due to the straps that kept her from being an active part of the things that were happening to her.

“Sorry, Ah was thinking about something else,” Applejack apologized through the pegasus’ fingers.

“Well there’s the problem, you were thinking.” the stallion said, poking her temple sharply with his index finger, “Now focus on the only thing that matters here: me.”

Not having the patience he had before, the stallion slipped his fingers into Applejack’s mane, pulling it hard. The pain of feeling a few of her follicles getting removed from her skull, along with her head wrenching backwards, made her mouth open again, and once more the male pony dove in to explore the orifice. In order to avoid any more issues, AJ started wriggling her tongue the instance she felt the pegasus touch it. She didn’t direct it to anywhere specific, randomly darting it around in any direction that she could touch anything. She got a strong taste of cranberry when her tongue occasionally entered his mouth, which might have been some wine that the stallion might have drunk earlier. It wasn’t terrible, at least being something slightly sweet to taste, but it did make her wonder if the stallion would have been as into the idea of an of the kiss if the flavor of another man’s penis permeated the inside her mouth.

The stallion didn’t seem to mind how she was at the moment though, as with her now being an active participant he was getting into it much more. Lying along AJ’s body, he started grinding up on her, pressing his cock against her stomach as if he was fucking her. The fur of her coat tickled the appendage, making it twitch and spasm as precum trickled out of it. Every pass made it poured more onto her, covering her in sticky fluids and the scent of his stallionhood. If this kept up, even with the few men that were waiting their turns for her, she would end up a mess before Ivangir got to her.

When the stallion pulled away again he looked much more pleased. “That was better. I wish that I could give you a proper reward.”

“Submission is it’s own reward,” AJ said, recalling what Twilight had said to Dainn earlier. It seemed to make the stallion happy, and to show his approval he allowed his hand to wander down her body, slipping it into the space between her legs and putting them inside her pussy. The earth mare felt her libido start up again as he moved his digits around, having died down a bit from lack of stimulation, and gave some light, demure pants at its return. This was supposed to be her reward for doing as she was told, seeing as the stallion couldn’t fuck her or even allow her to come to climax, so she gave him a small smile to acknowledge it.

“Now that’s not how a mare shows her gratitude,” He stated, adding a pinch to her swollen clit, “You need to tell me how much you appreciate what I’m doing. I might get offended if you don’t.”

The stallion was asking her for a bit more than she liked. This kind of self depreciation was the worst part of acting like a red. Treating her rapists like they had done her a favor by getting off inside her, or touching her in ways that would not be considered appropriate if not for the fall. It would be a simple thank you either, as most males believed that the proper way for a woman to show appreciation was by expressing how much better they were them. She could tolerate almost any amount of physical abuse, but the added degradation from having lower herself to their standards pushed an annoyance into the realm of humiliation.

“Thank ya kindly for fiddling with mah privates,” she forced herself to say, the smile fading slightly as the words left her lips, “It makes me feel… umm… well..”

“Come on spit it out,” the stallion drove his fingers as far up into her pussy as he could get them, causing AJ to move up to escape being stabbed by his fingernails.

How to finish the statement without giving a lie. She wished that she had time to have thought out her words before saying it. “It makes me feel dirty. Like you see me like a cum slut with no worth except for the parts of me that can get ya off.”

“That’s not wrong,” said the stallion, pumping his fingers a few more times before taking them out. Bringing his finger back up, he placed it in front of Applejack’s face, his index and middle finger covered in the secretions of her desire, “Now how about you show me how much of a slut you can be.”

After being mouth raped by the stallion, the thought of tasting her own sexual fluids didn’t bother her in the least. Better to taste something that came from a place she knew had been cleaned earlier than from a place that she couldn’t be sure where it had been. She easily lapped up the clear liquid, cringing when the taste hit her tongue before slurping it up without any further issues. Even when the stallion started pushing his fingers in her mouth and pulled them out to fuck her muzzle with them, she gave no sign of complaint. In no time at all his fingers were cleaned, and with that task completed the pegasus had ran out of things he could think of for the earth pony.

Ideas exhausted, the pegasus removed himself from the bound mare, but in his place four more stallions came to replace him. Unlike the two before them, none of these ones bothered to climb onto the chair and on top of her. They instead chose to encircle the device she was strapped in, examining AJ as she was as they wondered aloud what they could do with her.

“What to do with a mare you can’t properly fuck,” said one, “I guess we could keep teasing her twat.”

“No way am I going to keep a mare warmed up for some other guy if I’m not getting anything out of it,” said another, “Even if it is one of the council.”

“It does limit our options…” said a third, but then a sparkle appeared in his eye, “We could always test out her dirt mare endurance. See how much of a masochist she is with some playful punishment.”

“She would look pretty hot with some whip marks across her ass, and if we get that pussy nice and sore before Lord Ivangir gets to her… the screams she would make when he stick it in. I bet all of Canterlot would hear her.”

The stallions were overjoyed with the prospect of torturing her, tossing ideas back and forth about how to inflict agony on her in a way that would appease them. AJ could have cared less about their plans, seeing it as an inevitable conclusion for males that couldn’t use her for what they believed a woman was good for.

That didn’t matter though, she could take whatever they had to dish out. The only thing it made her worry about was Mac. If he was keeping an eye on her like he usually did in events like this, he would be none too happy to see her getting hurt. She hadn’t seen him around thus far, but she hadn’t been specifically looking for him either. Maybe he was around, or maybe he and Gunne where off doing something else entirely. It would have been better if he wasn’t around; she appreciated his concern and support, but she was aware at how much of a toll this took on him. He shouldn’t have to see her like this, having a dozen guys screwing her night after night with no end in sight. As long as he was her handler though, he would have it no other way. It was a degree of self sacrifice for a mare that she would never see in another male, which made her equally proud of her brother for being so noble and kind, and guilty for being the one to make him suffer for her sake. She would do anything to put an end to his anguish, but as it was it was out of her hands.

The four stallions removed the straps holding AJ down, and with them removed she sat up off the flat surface she had been laying on. “Are you ready for some well deserved pain, dirt mare?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” she replied without fear, placing her hooves on the floor. Whatever they had decided to do to her would preferable to being kept on edge all night, and for the first time that night she would be able to be completely honest to herself. Even red collars tended to scream when hurt. The stallions pointed in the direction that they wanted her to go, and without any qualms or dirty looks she started to head that way.

“AAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhh!!! Ah…. ah… AH!” From behind Applejack, a loud string of cries rang out, hitting her with full force before petering out into silence, followed by a cheer. She recognized that scream, but had never heard it as loud or desperate as she had then. It was Twilight, and it sounded like she was in trouble. “Twilight!” Applejack called out while hastily spinning around. She wasn’t even sure why she did it, something about hearing that voice in such distress made her react in a way she hadn’t expected it would when considering how much the alicorn had changed. The parts of her revered morality and how Equestria use to be wanted to deny any attachment to Twilight, but this proved that AJ still cared for her, even if she had slipped so far.

“What’s the hold up?” one of the stallions asked, snatching up AJ by her collar ring so he could pull her to him.

AJ was frantic, still worried about what was happening to Twilight, and unable to adequately respond to the stallion’s question. For a moment she even considered shoving him aside so she could rush over to see what had happened beyond that large crowd blocking her view, but fortunately she didn’t have to.

“Now wait a minute,” one of the other stallions said, looking as if he had come up with another plan that would be more interesting than putting a red collar through sexual torment, “I think this mare is worried about what’s happening to her friend.”

“So?” the one holding her asked, “Who gives a fuck about what she cares about?”

“Well, it might be a good idea to ease her mind. Let her see her friend before we move on. Maybe let them have some quality time together so we can see how much they really care for one another.”

AJ understood the true motivations behind the obvious euphemism he was using, but she didn’t care. She wanted was to make sure Twilight was alright, and whatever happened afterwards she would take as it came. “Ah would be pleased as punch to show y’all how close me and Twilight are,” she blurted out behind a set of nervously grinning teeth, foregoing any attempt to construct her words in a way that would make the statement not be a lie, “Whatever makes y’all happy,”

With the one holding the ring on her collar now understanding other stallion’s plan, he directed the farm mare in the direction of the former princess by pulling the ring of her collar hard enough to force the non-resistant mare to walk, releasing it when momentum was gained, and then adding a push to her back for good measure. It was all unnecessary, she knew where she was heading, but she didn’t say a single word of objection to it. She had only one goal right now, and griping would make it take all that much longer for her to get to it.

Filled with a bit of determination she hadn’t felt in a while, she went up to the crowd around Twilight, ready to slip through the men and slave mares to get to the alicorn. Her own abuse was one thing, but when it came to someone doing the same to one of her friends or family, it was something else entirely. She wouldn’t let that stand, even if she had to take punishment instead, and if Twilight was actually in danger then it looked like Gunne was gonna have to give her a week as a public mare for what she was about to do.

“Make way!” said one of the stallions of her small accumulated following, “We got a horny lesbian slut that wants to have some fun with the princess!”

AJ cringed at that statement, but watched as the ponies blocking her path parted ways for her and those behind her when they saw it was another one of the elements coming to join in. Being able to enjoy the sexual acts of one of the former heroines was a treat, but two together was a rarity that few of the aristocratic ponies had the pleasure of beholding before.

They gave a fanfare of catcalls and whistles that had become a normal event for AJ during her time as a slave, many of the males having drunk themselves far past their limit till they no longer cared about upholding proper etiquette. AJ ignored the casual usage of words like “slut” and “whore”, and pressed herself forward without flinching as one of the rowdy unicorns levitated the remainder of his drink over her head and poured it into her onto her head, staining her lovely blonde braid with a splash of red wine. The only thing that gave her a moment’s pause was when she finally made it to the other side of those gawkers and saw what had happened to Twilight.

The alicorn looked dreadful, her head hanging limply over the side of her head rest with her eyes rolled up into her skull with all but the very bottom of her irises having retreated within, her tongue hanging limply from her gaping maw. The expertly stylized mane that Rarity put so much effort into had been ruffled till it became an unrecognizable mess of tangles and knots with clumps of semen oozing into it. The horn stump ring that she had been wearing had been knocked off, hanging loosely from the the chains attached to her nipple rings. Her chest heaved mightily as she gasped for air, each breath taxing as her overextended body recovered from whatever had happened to her. The one that had made her this way was still with her, taking satisfaction over his most recent of conquests, hilt deep inside Twilight, looking over his handiwork and rubbing his hand over a sizable bulge in her gut that was too big and rounded to be an outlining of his cock. That person being Ivangir.

His palm passed over the spot several times, petting it like one might do with a cat or a dog, while his face showed a malevolence that AJ had seen him wear plenty of times before. She knew he wasn’t done, and she picked up her leg in order to start a mad dash over to him to try and prevent what he was planning, but as she was already too late. It was as if her hoof acted as a signal for him to proceed, as when it touched down the caribou pressed down hard with one mighty thrust of his arm, collapsing the space within Twilight and leaving no room for what resided inside her to stay. The pressure built in a moment, and before AJ could lift her other leg an explosion of cum burst out of the alicorn’s stuffed pussy from around Ivangir’s still solid shaft.

The feeling of jism rushing to find any exit it could escape from, along with the sudden intense push from the caribou, brought Twilight screaming back to life. Her body shot into a state of rigidity, her legs bucking uselessly against bonds that matched the ones AJ had just gotten out of, and her spine creating an upward arch that had to be kept in check by the belts around her chest. Her once limp tongue stiffened, jutting out of her mouth as far as she could get it as she howled and twitched from the sensations that drowned out everything else around her.

The image stopped AJ right in her tracks. The horrendous spasms and wails coming from her friend shocked her to her core, horror setting in from seeing Twilight in a way she never imagined she would. Her body felt weak, her mouth dry, and her voice fell silent as she tried to call out to the alicorn. Torturous was the only way to describe it; to see someone she cared for, fought along side with, aided through the good times and the bad, and likewise was helped in return, in such condition. Yet as much as she wanted to look away the defilement of her friend continued to play out before her.

She remained frozen, muscles refusing to move and eyes refusing to shut, trapped in a moment of disbelief and awe at something she never thought she would see happen, until something jarred her. The hand of the stallion that pushed her before snapped her back to reality with another shove forward, and with that AJ was able to regain control of her faculties. What she had witnessed was still fresh in her mind, but the stabilizing herself and not falling to the floor took priority. With her senses restored, she gazed back at the stallion who shove her. The male pony pointed her onward towards Twilight. AJ obeyed, but she was beginning to find a point where she was being pushed too far.

As she and the other stallions got close, Ivangir became alerted to their presence. “If it isn’t my farm-bred fuck toy. They let you out much sooner than I thought they would.” he said while unsheathing himself from the bound mare he had used as a place to empty his balls, a torrent of seed spilling from Twilight’s voided vaginal passage now that his penis was no longer there to hold back the outward flow. The relief of pressure inside her allowed Twilight’s body to relax, and once more she laid limp in the device that held her. Ivangir, giving AJ a cursory check, took joy in her own abused and defiled appearance, “Heh, I like what you did with your hair. Red with blonde tips… Perhaps that handler of yours should make you dye it that way all the time. Really makes you look like the cum-slurping gutter slut we both know you are.”

AJ tilted her head downwards and trembled before the caribou as he took a few steps to stand in front of her. His imposing form towered over her, his posture and smirk dripping with smug superiority that wafting from him like a palpable aura of misogyny. The sheer amount of disrespect Ivangir held towards her, to all mares, no, all women in general, combined with the sight of Twilight’s stretched and used vagina slathered with the evidence of his lust was what caused her to quake. While she was sure he mistook it as fear, there was nothing but hatred flowing through her. What she would give for just one kick, to just once hurt him, or any caribou, like they had hurt so many others.

Her desire to send a devastating blow into the dick of the man before her only increased when he decided to lay his hands on her, gripping her skull so he could twist her head up to meet him eye to eye. “I know my dick is impressive, but my eyes are up here.” he said, “But that’s what you’re after, isn’t it. Couldn’t wait until I came and got you. The others must have teased and tormented that cunt of your so much that you’re at your limit. Are you here to beg me to shove my dick in you?”

This time AJ couldn’t hold back her look of anger. She gave Ivangir a death glare as strong as she had given anyone before, but it only made the caribou scoff at the irate earth mare. “There is that lovely face I remember,” said Ivangir as he bent down, placing his face in front of hers so he look her square in the eyes. He was trying to intimidate her, but she wasn’t going to let him. She wouldn’t even give a twitch of an eyelid to acknowledge attempt to make her show fear or weakness. Her bravado didn’t phase Ivangir one bit though, and in fact it only made him that much more pleased with the situation. “That use to turn me on so much when I first had you. It’s almost like you’re doing it on purpose so I will impale you on my dick. Was that your plan? Then why don’t you work for it then.”

Ivangir started to push down on the top of the mare’s head, putting legitimate effort into making her crumple up in the presence of his strength. AJ locked her joints immediately upon feeling the pressure being applied to her, her own power being the only thing keeping her standing when faced with a man more than twice her size doing his best to force her to fall to her knees. It didn’t come easy, as all the weight was put directly onto her spine and legs, but she bared the pain and refused to give into the vile male in this test of strength.

However, AJ already knew she wouldn’t win out in the end. She and Ivangir had played this game before, and she had always been the loser in the past as well. She could tough out the pain, perhaps even outlast Ivangir on pure stubbornness, but the caribou would never allow a female to beat him. Aware as she was of what would come, she stayed standing, keeping an eye for the moment he would make his move, which considering the amount of people that were watching she figured wouldn’t take long. She was right, and within half a minute of small contest the caribou lifted his leg and shot it forward.

The target of his blow was easy to deduce considering the amount of times he had done this to punish her for not simply giving in. He was going to kick the back of her leg at the joint in order to force her leg to bend and make her lose balance. She could take it, but in this instance it would prove nothing. Being forced on her knees would get the same results no matter how it happened, and the crowd would laugh at her for being kicked into submission instead of seeing it as Ivangir having to kick her to make her fall. Being that there was no other way around it, AJ unlocked her legs of her own accord, and let Ivangir’s weight push her down to the floor.

Relenting to his strength didn’t stop the kick from following through though, but it did change its destination. Instead of having it hit her leg, which might have given her a limp for the rest of the evening, the hoof connected into her side. While it was a better choice to receive a blow, the attack still wasn’t any more pleasant when it connected. She managed to make the best of it, doing little more than letting a huff of breath get knocked out as she resisted the urge to yelp, but there was a good chance that she was going to have a decent sized bruise before the night was over.

Ivangir didn’t waste a moment before continuing. He didn’t care that he had missed his mark, only that he had given the mare a punishment for her defiance and that she was on her knees. Still clutching her head, he pulled back to place her muzzle up to his dick for the second time that night. “Tell me how much you want to swallow my cock. Since you’re a red collar you must be aching to chug down my cum.”

AJ didn’t have any more desire to suck the stag’s dick than she did earlier, but she didn’t have the ability to object in the position she was in. Ivangir was moving his hips so her lips were being brushed by his flared cockhead, and if she tried to say anything it could be slipped inside easily. Instead she lifted her arms up and placed her hands on his shaft so she could move it away, but the slick fluids that coated it cause her hands to slide down it instead.

Perceiving the mare’s loose hold as a stroke of his cock, Ivangir pulled her away and twisted her head upwards to look at him once more. “Not so fast you cum craving cunt. You don’t get to touch my dick until I say so, and I’m not ready for you yet.” The caribou casually tossed Applejack to the ground, very pleased with himself to have an opportunity to treat her like he used to.

To those around him, Ivangir’s acts of violence towards the mare were warranted. She had given him the kind of look more often seen from disobedient black collars, and had foolishly tried to go against his power. Then, when the thing she was after there in front of her, she went for it without being given any sort of permission beforehand. For a red collar, she was acting a bit too willful in the face of one of the most important caribou in the world. Not that a red collar having small fits of poor behavior or attitude was unheard of, but when it happened the appropriate measures had to be taken to make sure that they didn’t stray too far out of line. Ivangir, as far as they believed, was entirely in the right. The stag wasn’t done yet either, his desire to torment Applejack not yet fulfilled. He strode up aside her, standing on the side where he had hit her before and waiting as she picked her up. Another kick would be just what she needed to see where she stood in life, and what he needed to affirm his superiority.

He reared back his leg, ready to deliver a blow the farm-bred mare would not soon forget. Before he could deliver it though, Ivangir felt himself grabbed by the shoulder and turned away as he went to deliver the blow. It took him a moment to acknowledge what had happened to him, and even more time to regain his balance as his shot went wild, The audacity of it all, that someone would get in his way when he was busy enjoying himself. Ivangir whipped around to see just who had the balls to stop him from punishing a disrespectful mare, and was greeted by a red stallion with blonde hair.

---

“Ah think she’s gotten the point.” said Mac, having pushed through the crowd when Ivangir had gone so far as to physically harm his sister. He had been vigilantly watching his sister’s every move since she had entered the banquet hall, and had been ready to step in if anything were to happen to her that he felt went beyond the scope of her obligations. Acting as someone’s punching bag certainly fell into that category.

“And who the fuck are you to say when this dirt mare has had enough?” Ivangir questioned, never having met this stallion before and curious as to who would oppose his physical abuse of a mare when everyone at a function like this should have been under the influence of the relic the caribou had claimed from the Crystal Empire.

“I’m that mare’s handler,” Mac answered, “She’s mah responsibility and to some degree mah property.

“Ooooooohhhhh,” Ivangir’s smirk returned, and widened till all on his teeth were revealed, “So you’re the mentally deficient stallion they sent this rut slut to. Seems like she needs a bit more work, seeing as she’s not giving me the amount of respect I deserve.”

Mac went over to Applejack, offering his hand to help her up, which she gladly accepted. “I’ve been watching her like a hawk and Ah know she didn’t open her mouth to say a single word to ya, disrespectful or otherwise. Ya just started pushing her around without any reason.”

“She’s a mare, and I think it’s funny when she put up her pathetic attempts of a struggle.” the caribou scoffed, “That’s reason enough for me.”

Mac ignored the last bit that Ivangir felt he needed to add to the conversation, and proceeding to get AJ upright. “Are ya okay?”

“I’m fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me is all.” AJ said, concealing the ache that was still persisting in her side. She was sure it would stop hurting by the evening’s end, fighting the various things that she had in the past giving her a pretty good gauge on when she would recover from an attack, and Mac didn’t need another thing to worry about.

“Good, then be a good girl and let me handle this,” Mac replied before addressing the issue that was the caribou behind him again, “Now, if mah mare offended ya in any way then Ah will deal with her mahself later when Ah get her home. That aside, you declared earlier that no one else could have sex with her but you tonight. Is that right?”

“I sure did,“ said Ivangir, “Why? Have you been getting complaints?”

“No, but if I’m understanding things right then ya also said that aside from sticking their dicks in her, they could do what they wanted. Is that right too?”

“I don’t see why any of this is important.” said Ivangir, wanting to dismiss Mac. He didn’t really consider a stallion who was considered mentally deficient a man, since it meant that they were stallions who thought females should be treated equal, but weren’t switched on the single merit of them following the laws and not causing trouble.

“Well if they can’t fuck her at all then Ah don’t see any reason to not take her off to the side and have her sit ‘til you’re ready for her. There’s not much for the others if they can’t watch her straddle a sex toy or they can’t use her body in anyway. They could have fun torturing her, Ah guess, but then I’d have one less mare working tomorrow at mah farm and I’m not about to let a few horny stallions cut into mah business.”

Ivangir groaned a little, but decided to answer the stallion. “Yes, I said they couldn’t use her holes, but could do anything else to her.” As much as he wanted her more interesting parts to himself, the thought of a mare, Applejack in particular, not being molested and used for her proper purpose sickened him.

“Well then, ya have been getting in the way of that for the past few minutes because ya wouldn’t let mah mare get a word in edgewise.” Mac put a hand on AJ’s shoulder, and gently brought her forward, “AJ, please tell,” Mac paused for a split second, having to choke out what he would say next, “Lord Ivangir what those men were planning on doing with ya, and be polite about it.”

AJ took a few steps towards Ivangir so she could stand before him again, swallowing her pride to adhere to her brother’s request. She could make herself look bad, but she wasn’t about to ruin the reputation her brother had built up. “Lord Ivangir, the men that were using me thought it would be entertaining if Ah had some fun with Twilight.” she said, still a little worried for the purple alicorn as she still

Ivangir thought about it, but didn’t need to think hard. Watching two females go at it was always a pleasant sight, and the idea of watching one of his favorite playthings go face first into another mare’s snatch was an irresistible notion. “Fine, go ahead, but I’d like to make it a bit more interesting. You can play with your little friend all you want, but you’re only allowed to use your mouth.

“Sure thing… Lord Ivangir...” said AJ. The request limited what she could do, pretty much narrowing it down to kissing, licking, and sucking.

“And you better do it right,” Ivangir added, “If I don’t hear that alicorn bitch cumming before I get bored then you’re gonna have to answer for it later.”

“I’m sure that AJ well do just fine so long as ya don’t do anything to interfere,” Mac said, coming to his sister’s defense in a way he had never expected that he would.

“We’ll see about that.” Ivangir gave a cursory glance at the red-collared alicorn he was enjoying before he was so rudely interrupted by the dirt pony mare, and was equal parts proud of his own sexual prowess and disappointed with the mare to find she had drifted off into unconsciousness. Going up to her, he brought his hand up briefly, only to bring it back down and land a powerful slap across her slimy, exposed pussy lips.

Twilight woke with a start, letting her pain be known. The stag had smacked her so hard that an imprint covered the entirety of her crotch, coating the purple skin with red as the blood in her body having rushed to the point of impact. With her senses so sharply returned to her, especially her sense of feeling, Twilight showed little appreciation for her rude awakening, that established where she was and who she was in the presence of.

“Lord Ivangir,” she said, “That… was… amazing!” The alicorn wore her enthusiasm towards what the caribou had done to her with pride, showing it off to all around her like a school filly who had just got a fancy new pair of hair ribbons. “You were so forceful, and strong. I haven’t ever been fucked so hard before, even by Spike.”

“I can’t say the same about your performance,” said Ivangir, moving around to the mare’s top half, “You passed out after one go, and you alicorns are suppose to be so special. Ha, you’re no better than any of the other pony slaves I’ve taken before.”

“I’m sorry Lord Ivangir,” Twilight started, lowering her head as he came near, “My failure only further proves that it doesn’t matter if you are an earth pony, pegasus, unicorn, or even an alicorn, a female is prone to failure.”

“Heh, at least you know you’re useless.” Ivangir cupped the hand he used to slap her, covered in a mixture of fluids from both himself and Twilight, before her lowered muzzle. Without a single word to prompt her, she lowered her mouth and partook of the gunk presented before her. The combination of her self-debasing words and her willingness to guzzle down the gooey substance put in front of her was a good trait to see in any woman, but he was more interested in making sure another mare was put in her place. “And for being a less stupid female, you deserve a reward.”

Twilight’s ears perked up when told she would be rewarded for her good behavior, reminding Mac of a dog being promised a treat for doing a trick. How they had gotten such an intelligent mare like her to act like that was baffling, and if there was any mare who should know her own worth it was Twilight Sparkle. He wished he knew what could have made her turn like she had, but he felt it was something that he wouldn’t be able to understand even if he did know.

“Hey, Applebitch!” yelled ivangir, “Get your ass over here!” AJ and Mac exchanged one last glance, sharing sentiments of concern, encouragement, and reassurance within an exchange of expressions. It took AJ’s initiative to end it, as she broke away and headed to what awaited her. All Mac could do was stand and watch as his sister bravely did what he couldn’t. Often he wished he could take her place, to have her go free while he bared the brunt of the punishment, but even if that was how he felt the caribou would never allow that. They would only laugh at the idea of it or, worse, just have him join alongside her. As usual, all he could do was sit at the sidelines and watch.

From where he stood, he watched AJ fulfill the task that Ivangir obligated her with, placing her arms behind her back and clasping her hands together so she wouldn’t be tempted in any way to use them. Slowly she knelt down before her friend, who watched on with glee as discovered what her reward was to be. It didn’t take too long for Applejack to press her lips into the sperm-spewing hole between the Alicorn’s legs, doing what she had been told to do by lapping at it to remove the white globs.

With the short pauses and involuntary scrunching of her nose, Mac could tell there was nothing pleasant about her end of this, that the sexual secretions that AJ was slurping up both smelled and tasted horrid, but wasn’t letting that stop her from doing so until there was nothing left of the substance. Those gathered round showed their appreciation for her efforts, spouting their words of ‘encouragement’ and ‘praise’ to what they perceived as a red collar acting like a red collar. The clydesdale stuck around to watch for just a minute, just long enough to see that AJ had things under control, then turned around to slip back into the crowd.

“Hey!” He heard, making him stop just short of the border created by men and women watching. He didn’t even have to turn back to know it was Ivangir trying to get his attention, “Aren’t you going to stick around and watch your precious mare make this alicorn cunt climax all over her face.”

Mac turned his head partially, just enough to get Ivangir in his peripherals, and calmly said to him, “There’s no need to. Ah’ve seen this so many times by now that it’s become dull.” Mac said no more after that, and slipped back into the crowd. On his way out he could swear he Ivangir said something in response to him, but couldn’t make out anything specific. He let himself believe that he was saying something about what Twilight and AJ were doing, lest he be tempted to cause a scene.

When he made it to the other side of the men and mares eagerly watching his sister diminish her self respect by orally pleasuring another mare in public, he was met by a certain caribou standing in his path, arms crossed and carrying a stern look.

“I can’t believe you just tried to scold one of the highest ranking caribou in the kingdom.” said Gunne.

Mac could understand what he was saying; Ivangir was a powerful man to make an enemy of, but he couldn’t stand idly by as Applejack got the snot kicked out of her. He was lucky that AJ said she was fine, else he might’ve even went to blows over it.

“Are ya gonna lecture me about how I shouldn’t step when another man decides he wants to punch her,” asked the stallion, feeling that was what was about to come.

“Lecture you?” Gunne questioned, “I was actually about to congratulate you.” As usual, the caribou had a knack for bewildering the clydesdale, catching him off guard with this strange attitude. “I knew that you had more nerve than you usually let people see, and while not it’s not exactly the smartest thing to try and go up against one of the council, no one who witnessed that can deny that you have guts for doing so.”

“And ya don’t think Ivangir will try to get revenge on me for it?” Mac needed to know if he’d have to watch his back even more than he usually did later down the road.

“Do you think that someone of Lord Ivangir’s stature would really care about the words of some random pony who lives in the middle of nowhere?” Gunne replied, “My small experiences in his presence have shown that he is a bit rough around the edges, but I assume that part of that is him following the superstition about me. I doubt he is a petty person who would go after another man at the first slight made against him. Just try not to make it a habit of going after council members to challenge them. Courageous as it might be, there is often a thin line between bravery and stupidity.”

Gunne took Mac by the shoulder and guided him back to where they were standing before Mac left his side to help Applejack, since it was a decent vantage point to watch what was happening to her without making her aware that they were doing so. This was why Mac had picked it out to begin with; AJ didn’t need any additional distractions.

“So ya don’t think what Ah did was wrong?” Mac was still a little confused, and just wanted some confirmation from Gunne to make sure.

“If I had thought you were doing something bad, I would have stopped you myself. It is one of my priorities to make sure you don’t ruin your life with some brash action.” Gunne gave a bit of a chuckle to that notion, having to act as Mac’s personal guardian angel, “But a stallion preventing someone from beating a mare he has claim in and considers his prized slave? I see no problem in that.”

Mac was glad that Gunne was seeing this as what it was and wasn’t making a big deal out of it, though he had small reservations in the caribou referring to it in the terms of a slave and master relationship. It was his way of making what Mac did fit within his worldview, but it did make Mac’s motivations seem impure when described in that manner, like he wasn’t defending AJ because she was his sister or it was the right thing to do, but instead protecting an investment.

“I chose to see this as a good thing,” Gunne added, “A step forward to you being the kind of man I know you can be. One with a dignity for himself, a take charge attitude, and can handle his mares as well as anyone el-” Gunne cut his sentence short, stopping his stride in the process.

“Something wrong?” Mac asked, picking up on the odd behavior.

“Not at all,” Gunne said, turning his head as if tracing something through the abundant amount of people in the room, “But I think I just caught trace of a griffon official I hadn’t spoken to yet. Do you mind if I…?”

“Go ahead,” Mac said, “But I’m going to stay here in case Ivangir tries to do something funny again.”

“I thought you might say that, and I expect no less from a stallion as dedicated to his slave such as yourself. Now excuse me, this shouldn’t take too long.”

Gunne went into light jog, Mac believing that he didn’t want to lose track of whoever he was after in the myriad of people enjoying the festivities the gala offered. This wasn’t exactly what he had promised the event would be like, this making the second time the caribou had ditched him, but just as Gunne chose to see Mac’s actions as a good thing, Mac chose to return the sentiment. Leaving him alone meant that the caribou trusted his judgement, as if he thought Mac would fly off the handle at any moment he would surely be watching him like a hawk. That was reassuring, at least a little, since it did mean that Gunne respected the clydesdale enough to believe that he didn’t need babysat. The irony of it wasn’t lost on him as he turned to return to keep an eye on AJ, though he did feel the circumstances were a bit different in that case.

However, he could only take one step before he realized that there was a stallion standing in his path. With all the people at the event, Mac had been slipping around and ducking past others all night as they meandered from one sexual thrill to another, but this stallion wasn’t just obstructing his path on a chance, he was there intentionally. Mac could see it in the way he was approaching, the intrigue in the way the stallion looked at him, and in the fact that he wasn’t dragging along some hapless or horny mare along by her collar.

“Hey there,” the blue-maned, white unicorn casually addressed Mac, “Mind if you and I chat for a while?” Mac could only stare as the stallion showed direct interest in him, hoping he was actually talking to someone behind him, but knowing that wasn’t the case. “Oh, how rude of me, I haven’t even introduced myself yet. I’m Shining Armor, and if I’m right, you’re Big Macintosh.”

The Worst Night Ever: Part 5

Author's Notes:

Here is a Christmas update for you all. Hope you all enjoy it!

Next update will bring a close to the story, and I hope that all of you that stuck out this long enjoy how the story ends. Until then, hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Mac was speechless for a multitude of reasons. It was not everyday that one was directly approached by one of the rulers of Equestria; having spoken with the king two times before failed to dull the impact of it. The idea that royalty, the prince of the Crystal Empire, would not only want to start a casual conversation but knew him by name… He wasn’t sure if he should be flattered or repulsed with himself for doing whatever it was that got the attention of a despot like this stallion.

Perhaps his opinion of the other stallion was a bit harsh though. Shining Armor hadn’t always been this way, or at least as far as he had heard. AJ, before the caribou takeover, would often recount the tales of her adventures and Shining Armor was a topic that came up more than once. Her descriptions of him was that of a noble stallion who pushed himself beyond what most would have to protect Canterlot from a looming changeling threat. The changelings knew his one weakness though, his love for Princess Cadence, which was one of the few things that outshone even the duty of his old post as Captain of the Royal Guard.

With Shining and Cadence’s combined power of love, they managed to repel the invaders and save the kingdom when all seemed lost, even when the efforts of AJ and the other elements failed. Later, the couple once more aided in saving a different realm from certain doom by repelling the evil King Sombra from the Crystal Empire long enough for Twilight to locate and recover the lost Crystal Heart, and later by not allowing the Heart and Spike, its carrier, to fall into the mad king's hands shortly before the artifact was used to vanquish the dark lord once and for all.

That was then though, and as Mac saw him now, the prince no longer lived up to this benevolent depiction. This opinion of the stallion not only came from the fact that it was Shining Armor that ensured the victory over Canterlot by trapping everyone in the city within the dome of his trademark shield, but in the very way he held himself. The visage that he displayed seemed arrogant, a heavy amount of unjustified pride in his royal status that he exhibited in the way that he adjusted the small grey circlet atop his head as if he wanted to draw attention to it. And there was that look he held, much like that of many stallions Mac interacted with, what could only be called misogynistic smugness. With his power and authority, he could have any mare in the kingdom he wanted, and probably did.

If it had been any other pony Mac would have ignored them and walked away. After what had happened with Ivangir it was probably not a good idea to piss off even more of the hierarchy.

“So you’re Shining Armor,” he said after what what felt like an eternity of silence, but was more like a minute, “Ah suppose your sister told ya about me.” It was the only way that Mac could think of that Shining could know his name. Not ‘Macintosh’, as he could have heard that from Gunne or any number of other sources at the party, but his nickname of ‘Big Macintosh’ that only his friends and family called him by.

The prince gave a nod, “Twilight spoke of you a few times, usually when talking about that mare burying her face in her snatch. I think it’s wonderful that our sisters get along with one another so well.”

“And so ya felt that since they are such good friends that, we should get acquainted with one another too,” Mac said, doing his best not to come off as bitter but felt that he was failing.

“It’s more that I’m curious about a stallion who is so eager to get his mare back to work, but then walks away when the good part starts,” Shining answered. “And pick the brain of a stallion who would stand up to Lord Ivangir without an ounce of fear in his eyes.”

As far as Mac could tell, Shining Armor didn’t seem to know about the reputation of disability the caribou had placed upon him. His duties in the Crystal Empire must have kept him away from the rest of the world, and it’s not like Mac’s condition was some big topic plastered all over the news. Most outside of Ponyville wouldn’t give Mac a second look if they saw him strolling down the street, save for his greater size than most other stallions.

“Ah would love to oblige, really Ah would…”

“But?” Shining inquired.

“But Ah really should keep an eye on mah slave.” Mac answered, “Gotta make sure Ivangir doesn’t try to hit her again.”

Shining gave Mac an awkward look, finding something blatantly wrong in what Mac said. “Are you trying to avoid talking to me?”

“Of course not,” Mac lied. “What would make you think that?”

“Well, wouldn’t it have been better to watch your slave at the front of the crowd instead of coming all the way back here where you can’t see anything?”

There was no denying that Shining had a point. If Mac was going to lie, he could have done better. Now he had put himself into a spot where his words lost a bit of believability. He could have taken a step back, said that he wasn’t really in the mood for talking, and went about his business, but he was still worried about the consequences of outright snubbing a member of royalty. So instead of taking the smart route, he chose to go all-in on the mistake.

“Well ya see…” He started, his mind racing to grasp for something, anything he could use to persuade the unicorn prince that what his actions and his words lined up. “It’s not in my interests be up close and personal to all that… action.”

“What do you mean?” Shining Armor was having a bit of trouble figuring out how any stallion couldn’t tolerate a mare cleaning another mare’s pussy with her tongue. “Aren’t you into mares?”

“Yes, of course Ah am,” Mac replied, not wanting there to be any confusion on his gender preferences. He needed a bunch of guys with minds open to bisexuality asking him if he wanted to find a room for quickie as much as he needed his gender switched. “It’s more about…. uh… voyeurism?”

Anyone would have noticed the uncertainty in what Mac had said, but Shining found another reason to nitpick the clydesdale’s statement. “Voyeurism?”

“Well... yeah… you know…” Mac started, pushing just a little more of his dignity down to be able to say what he was about to, “Watching ponies get naked or have sex without them knowing about it. It’s… thrilling to think that they have no clue that you’re spying on them. The idea that you could get caught, and get in trouble for being a peeping tom. It’s not something that a pony can really do anymore, is it?”

“I think I get what you’re saying,” said Shining. “The way things are now, there’s really not much room for that particular fetish, is there? I’m surprised though, this is the first time I heard of anyone being into that in a while. Never really struck me as something men would care about with the ability to look out their window and see some mare walking around naked. I guess that’s a part of the problem when you think of it, it takes some of the excitement out of it when there is no risk.”

“Right… so Ah have ta take what Ah can get when Ah can…” Embarrassing didn’t begin to express how Mac felt. He was always a respectful stallion, the kind that would knock on a bathroom door before entering, and now he was placing himself in the ranks of perverts who had too much free time on their hands in order to fit in. Going to such lengths to keep up with a facade to a stallion that he might never see again past this night, he might as well toss out the rest of his credibility as an decent and ethical pony as well.

“Well don’t worry,” Shining Armor said in clear support of Mac’s quirky fetish, “I have a place where we can sit and talk, and give you a clear view of all the action. Come on, I’ll show you.”

“Sure,” Mac said, caving in to Shining’s relentless determination, “Lead the way…”

The two stallions made their way through the party, Mac followed behind as they strolled past the various other events of the gala, catching several mares that were strapped to tables while being used as serving plates for stallions and their loyal red collars to eat food directly off them along the way, as well as an odd display of art using several other mares who were painted completely grey from head to hoof and bound into positions to act as statues for onlookers to gawk at. As interesting as both activities could have been on some level if done consensually, the looks of discomfort and irritation displayed on those forced into the situations tainted any curiosity Mac had about them.

The further they went away from AJ, the more unnerved the clydesdale became that he left AJ with Ivangir, not being helped by a small line up of mares Shining led him by that were bound and balanced atop a set of wooden wedges. With both Applejack and those mares on his mind, he accidentally overlaid the image of his sister over the bodies of one of the tortured girls, imagining it was her straddling those wood spikes, having them dig into her privates with every slight motion. The sympathy he felt for his sister spread over to the tormented mares, but with no authority to remove them for those dreadful devices he just moved along as Shining led him on.

The two eventually ended up back near the entrance of the room, far away from where AJ was currently. “So… if Ah might ask… where are ya taking me again?”

Shining’s smugness visibly increased, “One of the best seats in the house. Take a look.” The unicorn pointed upwards, and while Mac didn’t understand right away, he eventually tilted his head back to see a rather large balcony booth. “You should feel privileged; that booth is one reserved for only the finest of the Equestrian elite, but you’re gonna be able to get up there just because I like ya.”

“Are ya sure it’s gonna be okay?” Mac asked, worried that it might actually be an issue if he went up there without being on some sort of list.

“It’ll be fine, and except for maybe where King Dainn is seated there’s no better view of the party.”

The two stallions went over to a couple of pegasus guards off to the side of the entrance, protecting a doorway to a set of stairs. Shining Armor walked right past, unabated in his stride, but when Mac tried to do the same they both extended one wing to block the way.

“Only royalty and specially permitted guests allowed through here,” One of the guards announced, “And judging by that tux, I don’t think you are on the list.”

Mac fought the urge to push through the feathery wings. He didn’t want to act too rash, but it was frustration brought on by this night was starting to get to him. Shining Armor wouldn’t have wasted the time to drag him this far for nothing though, and he knew if he just waited the problem would be resolved.

As he assumed, Shining came back when he noticed that Mac was no longer behind him. “It’s ok guys, he’s with me.”

Hearing the prince say that the earth stallion was fine to pass, the two pegasi retracted their wings. He had been the respected captain of the guard before he got to the royal rank he had now, so no pony guardsmen would argue with an order given by Shining Armor. They went so far as to give a brief apology and bid Mac a pleasant evening as he went by them.

After climbing the small inclined of steps, Mac and Shining Armor made it into the VIP booth. There was no one else in it at the time, with rows of seats left empty as their intended occupants were still out enjoying themselves, which was fine with Mac. The less people that he’d have to keep assumed, the more comfortable he would be, and the booth did get him a good distance from rest of the sex driven activities while allowing him to see everything going on.

From here he could see Princess Luna, still acting as centerpiece of the gala, but having been rebound from her earlier pose. As she was now, her arms and legs were put into something similar to a hogtie, held within a steel bar with four ring cuffs shackled to it. As she dangled, the weight of her body straining her appendages, two caribou stags took the liberty of penetrating her at both ends, relentlessly thrusting as if their very lives depended on getting off inside princess of the night. Needless to say, Mac didn’t linger on the mistreatment too long before looking for something else to watch from his vantage point.

He moved on to what he was really interested in seeing, his own sister. His worry for her hadn’t diminished in the slightest; as the one thing he had some small amount of control over in this, she stood out as the one thing he could really invest a great deal of his attention in. Remembering where he had left her, Mac traced back to those odd bondage chairs and picked her out from the void between a crowd of ponies. Within the short time of his absence, she had moved from cleaning out Ivangir’s cum from Twilight’s pussy, and had gone to sucking and groping her friend’s tits instead. It was a bit more acceptable for Mac to see this, as Twilight’s breasts had to be more sanitary than her crotch, but Mac didn’t believe for a moment that his sister had chosen to proceed this way on her own. AJ tended not to put too much thought in the methods of her sexual acts, as much as she put sheer effort into what it was she was doing. It was more likely that she just heard someone in the crowd, or Ivangir himself, mention they would like to see her wrap her lips around Twlight’s nipples, and then did it to please to onlookers.

“Does this please your inner voyeur?” asked Shining Armor, noting on how intensely the clydesdale was staring at their siblings.

Mac gave a slight nod in response. He was happy to be able to see exactly what AJ was doing without a bunch of bodies in the way, and even more so that AJ was doing well to keep up the facade under Ivangir’s scrutiny, but there was a terrible trade off to this. From this distance, should Ivangir attempt to hurt her again, it would be much harder for him to get to her in time before the stag caused some damage. He had to repeat to himself over and over that a red collar shouldn’t be in danger of being harmed, and that AJ was smart enough that she wouldn’t purposefully put herself in danger.

“Then please, have a seat.” Shining Armor said taking one of his own, plopping down into it hard and crossing his legs as he leaned back and relaxed, “It should only be us up here for a while.”

Mac moved away from the balcony, and took the seat next to Shining. It was a larger seat that easily accommodated his own size, and thus Mac assumed it belonged to one of the caribou, one of the council, maybe even Ivangir himself. He didn’t really care about that, or at least not as much as the other things littering the booth. There were evident signs that the booth had been occupied that day, as uncleaned splotches of cum were covering certain areas of it. There were a few strewn out chains lying about, bolted to the sides of the seat so those who had the misfortune of being attached to them couldn’t wander away too far from the one who put them there. Each seat had one such chain on either side, enough to accommodate two slaves, but Shining’s seat had a small addition that the others didn’t. Placed on the floor, near Mac’s hoof, was a pink throw pillow with the name “Cadance” sewn into it with purple thread.

“So… where is your… pet?” Mac asked, somewhat curious that Shining didn’t have the former princess of love at his side.

“Which one?” The unicorn joked, “Don’t answer that, I’m sure you mean my sexy and slutty alicorn slave. She’s out there, having her fun. She is insatiable, that one.” That last bit was spoken in a very whimsical fashion, like he was picturing the countless times he had stuck his dick inside his perverted pink princess, “She’s usually so frisky I have to shackle her wrists to her ankles just to get a good night’s rest, but she always sleeps like a foal when I give her permission to let loose.”

“Is that why you’re taking a break from the party?” Mac asked, focusing on how Shining implied that he was getting so much sex it was interfering with his rest. The stallion, now that Mac looking at him closely, was covered in sweat. His princely outfit had a few darker spots on it from the perspiration, as well as a few white splotches on his pants. He had seen his share of action that night, enough that Mac felt even he would have been unable to keep up without collapsing.

“Huh? Oh, well after twenty or so times anyone would need a rest.” Shining answered, basking in his own sexual prowess, having lost count of the number of women that he had wrapped around his dick since his arrival to the castle. “But I didn’t bring you up here to talk about myself.”

“Then what did you bring me up here for?” Mac was happy to feign ignorance, pretending to have forgotten what Shining had said earlier. He had few interactions with the upper crust of Equestria, but if Filthy Rich and Gunne were any indication, they liked to believe they were the smartest people in the room.

Shining took a deep breath, “Heh, you are an odd one Big Macintosh. You are the first stallion I’ve ever seen who can be surrounded by lusty, attractive mares, and look miserable about it. Do you know how much attention you’ve gained by acting gloomy while everyone else is having a good time?”

“Ah wasn’t trying to, trust me,” Mac answered.

“Yeah, I figured that,” said Shining, “Hard not to pick up on your animosity when you wear it on your sleeve. You’d have to be pretty oblivious not to notice when a person acts annoyed every time they open their mouth.”

This line of dialog was starting to head down a path Mac wasn’t liking, an ominous feeling starting to rise inside him, making goosebumps form on his skin, “Okay then… If ya understand that Ah wanted to be alone, then why are we here?”

“I’ll be upfront with you,” Shining said, aiming his eyes directly at the clydesdale, “As prince of the Crystal Empire it is my duty to uphold the law, keep the peace and to ensure events like this don’t fall into chaos because someone is having a bad day. So how about you Big Macintosh? Will I have to detain you for the safety of everyone else here?”

“Is that what this is about?” Mac asked, glad to hear that Shining was only asking if he should be removed from the party to cool down, and not that he wanted to arrest him. He was just acting as peace keeper, just as Gunne would if he thought Mac was about to cause a scene. “I’m fine… Just didn’t like seeing that caribou hitting mah sister. You can understand that, right?”

“‘That caribou is a person who helped to liberate this kingdom, and he deserves respect,” Shining said to correct the earth stallion’s attitude towards Ivangir, but then his facial features softened, “But I will agree that if someone punished my slaves without getting my permission first, I would be pissed off too. I might’ve gone a bit further than you did, which is why I had to make sure you weren’t planning to do something stupid.”

“So you’re gonna believe me, just like that?”

“I don’t see why not.” Shining replied, pretty sure of himself, “You seem like an upstanding stallion, and you handled yourself well enough back there. Plus there has been a certain caribou magistrate who has been vouching for you all night. But if you want, you can stay up here and cool your head for as long as you need to. I could even send you up some red collars if that would make you feel better.”

“Ah… think I’m fine… but maybe…” A wild idea popped into Mac’s head, one formed out of curiosity about Shining Armor. There had to be something more than just the promise of power and women that changed this once noble stallion into the what he had become, and while any answer he received would never be good enough to account for Shining’s actions, it would at least allow Mac to know how the caribou pulled Shining’s loyalty away from the princesses and to them. “While Ah got ya here… could Ah ask you a few questions?”

“Sure, if that will help you out? What would you like to know?”

The amount of questions one could have for a stallion who so easily betrayed Equestria were insurmountable, but while the amount of things to ask were nearly limitless, his time with Shining wasn’t. It would be good for him to be direct and concise, but if he was too direct on a touchy subject then Shining might refuse to answer him. However, if his talks with Gunne had taught him anything, it was that people were more willing to discuss things they usually wouldn’t if you took your time to get to know them. Where to start though, what topic would be a good ice breaker?

Beyond what AJ had told him about Shining Armor’s past, Mac only knew common knowledge about him. That he was one of the ‘heroes’ of the caribou’s takeover. That he had joined with them to aid in the takeover of Canterlot, using his shielding magic to entrap everypony inside as the caribou did their thing. Of all the ponies to ally themselves with the caribou before that time, Shining Armor and his pet princess were some of the first notable ponies to start adhering to the caribou’s way of life.

Deciding on his first step in the conversation, Mac started on his line of questioning. “Well pardon a simple farm pony for not knowing what’s going on in the rest of the world, but how are things going where you’re at?”

“You want to know about the magnificent Crystal Empire and how it has prospered under my rule.” Shining took to the question well, happy to inform the inquisitive stallion, “Everyday living there is wonderful. I get woken up from my slumber by the pleasant feeling of one of my many slaves licking my dick to erection before I reward them with the taste of my cum. Then, me and my Cadance go to the throne room balcony where we look out onto my shimmering city while I fuck her for all my loyal subjects to view and admire. The cool morning air hitting our bodies as she bounces on my cock with her vice-like cunt.”

“That’s quite a picture you’re painting,” said Mac, “But Ah was wondering more about the city and the ponies that live in it.” Being considered ‘royalty’, Mac already had a good idea of how extravagant Shining’s sex life was.

“The crystal ponies? They are having the time of their lives.” Shining answered, his pride surfacing again as he talked of the citizens of his kingdom, “To them the kingdom is paradise. Every crystal mare enthusiastically offers their bodies and will to the supremacy of men, and as you might expect their devotion has gone over well with the crystal stallions. Everyday to them is something to be celebrated, and we frequently have parties that would rival the one we are attending here, just without so many mares of the quality we have here.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way… but that just doesn’t sound right to me.” Mac said, a few of the things Shining told him coming off as embellishments instead of fact.

“Maybe living in a small town like Ponyville limits your concept of what other cities can be like then.” Shining replied in a matter of fact way, “The caribou help to make sure that the Crystal Empire gets what it needs to stay prosperous, and things go much smoother in a city where everyone is happy.”

“That’s one of the issues Ah was thinkin’ about, there was something else that makes me scratch mah head. You said that all the crystal mares are happy to be sex slaves?”

“The ones I see are,” said Shining with a certainty that was akin to if he was asked if the sky was blue, “We did a census and the only black collars in the kingdom are ones we have to import in. If there are black collar crystal mares, they don’t live in my kingdom.”

“Then it’s really hard for me to wrap mah head around how a people who had been enslaved before, and in a way that traumatized the lot of them from what Ah heard, could want had something like that be such a big part of their lives now.”

“Come on, you can’t really relate being forced to mine for crystals to the mutual benefits that comes from a slave and master relationship.”

“Actually, Ah think Ah can,” Having seen enough farms in Equestria to discern how they were commonly operated, as well as the general mistreatment of black collars, purple collars, and even red collars as far as he was concerned, it was very easy to see the connection.

Shining sighed, “Well maybe if you look at it in an extremely pessimistic light, you might be able to say that. Then again, the crystal ponies were the first ones to receive the caribou’s cure, and they took to it exceptionally well.”

Mac paused at the mention of the caribou's cure, the same one that changed most other stallions while leaving him as he had always been. It was always an assumption of his that any stallion mistreating a mare was somehow under its influence, and that in many ways that was why they couldn't be reasoned with in a logical debate. Listening to the unicorn and putting two and two together gave him a sneaking suspicion. The crystal ponies might have been amongst the first receive what the caribou had as far as Shining Armor knew, but that didn't mean that was actually the case.

He considered bringing up his newly formed theory to Shining, but then thought of the repercussions of doing so. Even if he was right, it seemed to only lead to negative results. It would be a simple for Shining to handwave the accusation away, and even simpler to accuse Mac of being part of the rebellion and that he was trying to recruit a high ranking official. It was irritating, but to protect those he loved, as well as himself, he had to keep his ideas to himself. Making Shining aware that he could have been manipulated just wasn't worth the risk, as it wouldn't really mean anything if it did work out as he would hope. It's not like Shining Armor, should a best case scenario happen, had the power to go against someone like Dainn, of whom even the rumors of his ability and strength made him sound invincible.

However, that didn't mean that he had to clam up completely. He couldn't directly claim that the caribou had done something terrible, but he could imply that maybe the caribou didn't have Shining's best interest in mind in a more subtle way. Just give him something to think about when he was plowing those in his harem of slaves that weren't active participants in his debaucherous acts.

"Then you would agree that Sombra character was doing the wrong thing by holing up all those ponies in his mines?" the clydesdale asked, hoping that Shining would something close to what he wanted him to say.

"Well of course," Shining replied, "He was an evil creature made of shadows, who caused pain and misery to an innocent race of ponies." For a moment Shining didn't recognize how his answer applied to anything else in the conversation, but after a few seconds of silence from Mac it started to dawn on him, "Now wait a second, you're not trying to imply that stallions nowadays act like he did, are you? If so, I've heard this argument before, and I'll let you know that the ones who tried to use it never win."

It appeared that Mac had gone a bit too far in this discussion, the slightest insinuation that the caribou or the stallion that acted under their rule were doing something morally wrong sending up red flags. Fortunately, he did have something that might get him out of trouble, though it would also lower Shining's opinion on what he had to say from that point on.

"Look, you were upfront with me earlier, so I'll be the same with you," Mac said, sitting up straight in his seat, "I'm what the caribou would call a 'mentally deficient' stallion. I'm sure ya have heard about them before."

Shining Armor did of course, being the leader of one of Equestria's kingdoms. Suddenly things were starting to add up, allowing him to understand why Mac was acting the way he was, "So you’re two steps shy of being someone I'd have to ship off to be switched." He said, making his apprehension be known.

"Ah already said that Ah don't intend to cause any trouble, and what Ah have is a recognized mental illness that I've been working through with the help of Gunne."

"Right... the magistrate of Ponyville. He did vouch for you..." Shining acknowledged the validity of Mac's condition, even if it still bothered him to have a stallion of the clydesdale's mind frame so close.

"So now that we got that all straightened out, mind if Ah ask you a few more questions. Gunne told me that it would help if Ah talked to an authority figure about the thoughts Ah have to get another perspective on the subject."

"I suppose as the prince of the Crystal Empire, it is my duty to correct the seditious thoughts of a stallion who sees fault in our benevolent king's rule." Mac was glad to hear Shining Armor say he could continue, but wary of the serious expression he that was forming on the unicorn's face, "But I'm not going to stand for you insinuating I’m some evil tyrant like Sombra was, and I won’t allow you to try that with the king or any of the council members either. If I feel that the conversation is heading in that direction again, then it’s over. Understand?”

“Ah understand." Shining Armor was refusing to allow anyone to speak ill of the people who could be held responsible for corrupting Equestria, and if Mac made so much as a word towards that idea then the unicorn was going to walk. It was a hard rule to follow, but not impossible. He just had to approach this from another angle. “Then if ah may be a bit rude askin’ ya this, could ya tell me exactly what made you join the caribou?”

“Now that’s a question I don’t mind answering,” crossing his arms together, Shining reflected on how he and Dainn met, “The king came to the Crystal Empire over a year ago and sent a message of his arrival to me through my second in command, Orestes. After learning of the caribou, and their return to our lands after what might have been a millennium, me, Orestes, and my lovely pet went with him to an encampment his people had set up to see how they did things.”

“And when ya got there ya weren’t surprised with what ya saw? If Ah had seen a caribou village when Celestia was still in charge, Ah would have been too mortified to move.”

“That was one of the old problems with her in charge, wasn’t it? Everyone was too prudish to recognize a good time when it was in front of them.” That response got Mac to raise a confused eyebrow, “Sorry, I try not to think too much about the time when her incompetence was what led us. Reminds me to much of how blindly I followed her. To answer your question though, sure. Me and Cadence were shocked at what we saw at first, but we got over it really quick. Cadence took to it like a fish to water though. You should have seen how excited she got when she saw the caribou’s cows serving their owners, acting as communal sluts to any guy horny enough to grab them by the collar and fuck them on the spot. It was like she knew that was the kind of life she wanted to have.”

“It’s nice that she found something she could enjoy, but Ah don’t think that really answered mah first question. What made ya join the caribou in their takeover of Equestria?” If he didn’t stress the point, Mac felt Shining would have gone through every little detail of what happen when he met Dainn, and he only wanted to hear the part that applied to what he was asking.

“It wasn’t something like bribery or the promise to rule the Crystal Empire when they took over, if you’re trying to insinuate that.” said Shining, Mac wondering if that was the unicorn’s way of saying he getting close to breaking the established rules, “I was running the Crystal Empire with Cadence from the moment we settled in there. I was even working on putting together a team for the Equestrian Games before Dainn came along and more important things happened. No, what convinced me that the king was the right side to be on was our conversations with one another. He’d ask me something about some rumor he heard, then I told him what happen and he tell me his opinions on the matter.”

“And Ah could hazard a guess that it was somethin’ like he was saying during his speech earlier.”

“Pretty much. The king would often point out the flaws in Celestia’s rule. How when things were going to shit, she would just sit back and do nothing, and even when she did try to do something she would fail miserably. If not for our enemies being just as incompetent as she was, then we would have fallen into ruin a long time ago. A real leader should be able to protect their kingdom, and that is not something a woman can hope to do”

“Hmmm..." Shining looked satisfied with himself, perhaps thinking that the king’s point had been made through him, but Mac was having trouble following the logic. “Okay, ya think that Celestia wasn’t a good leader. Ah could understand how ya could feel that way with some of the things that have happened just before the caribou arrived, but did ya have to go and make all the mares into sex slaves just to remove her from power?”

“Didn’t have to, but it was a pleasant perk to it all.” A light laugh escaped the unicorn’s muzzle, but the clydesdale sitting next to him found his little joke in poor taste, “King Dainn felt it would be better if stallions took their place as the dominant gender, and as long as we continued to let mares think they were useful, there was always the chance that another ‘Celestia’ could come along and ruin everything again. Celestia, as bad as she was, was the best woman we could have had in charge. Could you imagine what it would be like if a lesser mare tried to take a seat of power?”

He didn’t have to imagine it, he lived it. Mayor Mare had governed over Ponyville for years, and Mac never saw how she ran things as terrible. There was the occasional hiccup here or there, or something big happened that she couldn’t handle since they were beyond her abilities, but those didn’t reflect on her overall performance as the mayor. In his own personal opinion, as much as he liked Gunne, he believed the former mayor did a better job managing the town.

Of course, he couldn’t tell that to Shining. That would be going too far into 'female sympathizer’ territory for him to feel comfortable, even with his excuse. This did bring up one of the other points that Mac thought was wrong about what Shining said before, but how to address it?

“Shining Armor, I’m not really sure Ah agree that women are only useful as slaves.”

“That is the nature of your disability...” Shining Armor replied.

“Bear with me a minute, I’m almost done. Ah promise.”

“Fine... go ahead with whatever you want to get off your chest.”

Mac dug deeply for the words he would need to make his point. He wanted to form his argument the best that he could, but he was never really the talkative type. He still didn‘t believe that it would get him anywhere in the long run, but if he could leave Shining Armor without the ability to make a decent rebuttal, then that alone would be success in his book.

“Well correct me if I’m wrong,” he started, thinking back on every little detail AJ had ever told him about her adventures, “But didn’t it take a group of mares to save the kingdom you now rule over.”

“Where did you hear... Ah, I get it. Must have been your sister embellishing her importance when it came to the restoration of the Crystal Empire.”

“Actually, she said that her part was helping to keep the crystal ponies calm and distracted from Sombra’s encroachment on the kingdom. Are ya gonna call mah sister a liar?” Mac would dare the unicorn to besmirch Applejack’s good name in that manner. Throughout all of this, her honesty was one of the few shreds of dignity she had managed to keep.

“I suppose that is true,” Shining conceded, but only to give a retort to Mac‘s claim by saying, “But I hope she remembered to tell you that it was Spike who ending up saving the kingdom, by delivering the Crystal He- excuse me, the Crystal Cock, back to where it belonged.”

“She did,” Mac shot right back, ready for that reply, “But the only reason he had ahold of it was because your sister found it in the first place.”

For the first time since he had met the stallion, Shining Armor didn’t have an immediate answer for what Mac had presented. It wasn’t for lack of trying, as had the appearance of a man searching his mind for an answer to a difficult puzzle, placing his chin in his hand as he paced over the events of that distant incident. Knowing that this was a rare opportunity, Mac pressed his advantage.

“Now this is just second hand information from your sister to mine and then to me, but the only reason the Crystal Heart could be found was because Twilight was taught some spell by Celestia to get into where the heart was being kept. Now we can’t say for sure, but Ah was under the assumption that if ya didn’t get that pretty looking stone, then ya would have been up the creek without a paddle and Sombra would be the one in charge of the Crystal Empire now. So it would’ve been a darn shame if either of them had their horns removed at the time like they are now, wouldn’t ya agree?”

Shining lifted his head from the palm of his hand. Mac thought that he was going to get chewed out, or that Shining was going to get up and walk away, but he didn’t. Instead the unicorn grew a proud smile across his muzzle.

“My sister always was smart, for a female at least. Always ahead of all the rest of those mares. She might’ve been deceived by Celestia, like the rest of them, but she always knew her purpose.”

“What are ya getting at?” Mac asked, confused why Shining’s voice had a tinge of nostalgia in it.

“Big Macintosh, what do you think that incident with Sombra proves? That mares don’t need us acting as their masters? That they can take care of themselves? If so, I’m not convinced.” Shining lend back, now completely relaxed and sure of how he would counter Mac’s argument, “I’m glad you reminded me of all this, because it makes me see even more now that King Dainn was, and still is, right.”

“But ya can’t ignore that-”

“My sister was performing the duties of a diligent servant?” Shining said with enough smarm to fill the entirety of the banquet hall. “A simple task of fetching something for those better than herself. If she was capable of doing so at the time, I’m sure she would have brought the Crystal Cock back to me so I could use it to defeat Sombra, but when she realized she was incapable of completing such an important task, she gave it to someone she knew would be able to do what she couldn’t. Spike, the man that would eventually be her master. Even before the caribou came along, Twilight was doing everything she was supposed to like the good mare she is.”

“But what about the spell? She had to do that to find the Crystal Heart.”

“Who says that she had to do it? I had left for the Crystal Empire some time before she did, and if Celestia had just shown me how to do it myself there is a good chance that Twilight wouldn’t have had to put herself in danger.”

Mac didn’t believe that it was that simple. While he couldn’t say for sure why Celestia chose not to teach either Shining Armor or Cadence the spell that unlocked the pathway to the Crystal Heart, he assumed that it was because Shining couldn’t cast such a spell. It’s not like unicorns can learn every spell that any other unicorn can cast, else Shining Armor’s unique shielding magic would be something every unicorn guard would know. Regardless, the prince didn’t appear to acknowledge this as a valid argument, so Mac saw no choice but to move on.

“And what about the Elements of Harmony?” Mac said, going to his next thing on his list, “The real ones. There were a few times that they were needed to fix something that no one else could handle, and only our sisters and their friends were able to use them.”

Shining shook his head with a shrug, “You’re going on assumptions again. The elements were used to defeat a few of our enemies, and I’ll remind you that one of them was Luna, but who's to say they were needed? With enough force, strategic thinking, or simply circumstances falling into place, it is possible that ‘Nightmare Moon’ could have been subdued without the Elements.”

“And what about the other problem they solved?” Mac said, becoming slightly apprehensive as he recalled the other person that was defeated with the Elements, “Discord.... Do ya really think that he could be dealt with in the same way?”

“Well... it’s possible. Though I don’t think we have to worry about him anymore. You do know that he’s one of our allies now, right?”

“That’s another thing Ah don’t understand. If ya believe that Dainn is a great leader, that’s fine, but Discord tried to throw Equestria into complete chaos.” Recalling his own personal experience with the draconequus, Mac could remember a short period where he was made to believe he was a dog. He doubted that any of the caribou would have appreciated if the same had happened to one of them. “He was a danger to both mares and stallions, and now he’s out there doing whatever he likes. Can ya explain that one to me?”

“Well, obviously King Dainn managed to reform Discord. That’s not too hard to believe , is it?”

It was pretty hard for Mac to believe actually, “Ah happen to remember someone else trying to reform him before...”

“Then it’s just another thing that proves that men are better than women,” replied Shining, knowing where Mac was heading with this, “And thus you’ve disproved your point yet again. I’m sorry, but this is getting too sad to let continue. I have to ask you to stop just to spare you the embarrassment of having such a wrong opinion.”

“Now hold up,” Mac said, “Ya jumped the gun so soon ya didn’t even let me say what Ah wanted to. Let me ask ya this though, it’s a fairly easy question. Would ya say that Celestia’s plan to reform Discord from being evil succeeded?”

“Of course not,” Shining said without giving a second thought, “To assume that any of her plans bore positive results would be stupid. If anything she made things... worse... What is with that look you’re giving me?”

Now Mac was the one to show a bit of smugness on his face. Shining, by giving the default answer that pretty much any stallion would give on a question concerning Celestia’s rule, had walked right into the clydesdale’s trap. “So ya would say that Celestia, by trying to reform Discord, did something stupid?”

Shining took a step back in the conversation, thinking that he wasn’t too far in to adjust what he said, “You’re not understanding what I meant when I say that. It’s not a bad thing to want to reform Discord, but the methods that Celestia used were just further proof of how she mismanaged Equestria. While she never did anything to change Discord for the better, King Dainn has had great results.”

Mac could tell that Shining believed he was out of the woods, but he knew better. The point of this was not if Discord could be reformed, or even if Dainn was a better influence. “What if Ah told ya that Ah don’t think that Celestia had much of an influence on Discord either?”

“Then I’d say it was the first sensible thing you’ve said since we started this.”

“Good, then we are on the same page.” said Mac, setting up everything he needed to proceed, “Personally Ah don’t think people like Discord can just change overnight. Ah might even say that Ah don’t think anyone can change that much so quickly. So Ah have to ask mahself what our benevolent king is doing making deals with a despicable person like Discord.”

“Excuse me?” It was Shining’s turn to feel uncomfortable about where the conversation was heading, though he didn’t understand why just yet.

“Well it might just be my farm bred thinking narrowing it to the simplest way of looking at it, but if Discord wasn’t reformed by the time he met Dainn, then it goes without saying that he would have been evil at the time, and mah granny always told me that someone can tell how rotten an apple is by the other apples lying on the ground with it.”

Mac had just broke the rule of not implying Dainn of being as bad as someone like Discord, but he didn’t care. The look of confusion and anger on Shining’s face as he tried to piece everything together would be worth him walking off at this point. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen, not while Mac was still ahead.

“Well then maybe we misjudged Discord from the very beginning. Maybe he wasn’t a danger and Celestia embellished his actions to put him in a bad light.”

The clydesdale shook his head, “Ah saw what he did to Ponyville when he paid it a little visit. He was about as dangerous as they come.”

“Then perhaps he just didn’t come off that way to the king, and then realized the error of his ways as things went along.”

“Did ya happen to see Discord before the caribou took over Canterlot? He seemed to make it pretty clear what side he was on. I’d even say he was happy to let everyone know he was evil.”

It was an odd little logical paradox that could only exist in the caribou’s society. If Celestia’s attempt to rehabilitate Discord was indeed fruitless, then Dainn accepting a creature like him as an ally during the planning of his takeover was questionable at best. On the other hand, one could say that Celestia’s plan to reform him worked. It would absolve Dainn of any accusations of associating with a clearly evil being, but it would also be an admittance that Celestia wasn’t as incompetent as the caribou had implied, and saying that it was her order that caused such a change in the draconequus would be no small admittance.

Shining wracked his brain for several minutes to come up with something that could escape this problem, but found himself coming up short. He couldn’t find a way that Discord could have not come off as a mischievous and devious creature to someone as intelligent as Dainn without Celestia having a hand in it, and that wasn’t something he was going to permit himself to even think. In the end, he gave the only reply that he could.

“I can’t speak for the king’s actions, but I can speak for the results. He has never steered us wrong, and I trust that he knows what’s best. It’s not like I’ve always agreed with every decision he’s made, his choice of what to do with a certain changeling bitch being one thing I was against, but I trust that he is making the right choices. I might not be able to understand the long term results of his choices, but I know that in the end everything will be fine as long as we follow him.”

The reply was a cop out, and Mac knew it. It might’ve shown how loyal he was to the caribou king, but it also showed that he had no answers for this particular moral dilemma except that he trusted in Dainn’s judgment. From the looks of it, Shining knew it too, though he didn’t like that he couldn’t dismiss this like everything else Mac said that night.

“Okay, I think I’ve humored you enough,” Shining said, breaking the silence shared between the two stallions, “Now it’s time you listened to something I have to say about this.”

“Ah... suppose that’s fair,” Mac couldn’t refuse to hear Shining Armor out after having him sit through all the things he had to say, “Go ahead, but Ah wouldn’t expect what ya have to say to have any more effect on me than what Ah said had on you.”

“Actually, I think you’ll find what I’m about to tell you very compelling,” Shining leading forward, placing his arms on the ledge of the balcony, “I have a feeling that I understand where all these crazy ideas of yours are coming from. You see, believe it or not, it’s a trait I think I share with you.”

Mac remembered hearing something like this before, from Gunne, the first time he was called into his office. It made him wonder if this was a coincidence, or if it was standard practice for trying to reason with an incurable stallion to say that they were more alike to you than they assumed. It was always easier to approach someone when you did so from a point that they could identify with, but in this case Mac felt the other stallion was just blowing smoke. “You’re a unicorn who grew up in Canterlot, became the captain of the royal guard, married a princess, and then helped to remove the one you had served under for most of your life from power. Ah really don’t see how you can relate to a simple farm pony like me.”

“Then you’re letting your predisposition towards me get in the way of seeing the obvious,” said Shining, “I’ve been watching you for a while now. I see how your eyes drift away from me every few seconds, looking out into the party, like you’re trying to keep track of something going on out there. It’s not hard to guess what it is.”

The clydesdale couldn’t deny that Shining Armor was right about his assumption, he hadn’t really been trying to conceal his motives. He had been watching Applejack’s movements closely ever since he took his seat, ready to bolt from it the minute something bad happened so he could minimize the damage as much as he could.

“You might not believe me when I say this, but I can share your feelings for not wanting to see someone you love get hurt. When all of this started I was so worried for Twilight, since I knew how deeply she believed in Celestia. I wasn’t sure if she was going to catch on as quickly as she did, and there was a point where I thought I’d have to personally put a black collar around her neck. You can’t believe how relieved I was when the new regime was firmly established, and I learned that all the women in my family made the right choice.”

“So ya think that we have some sort of bond just because we would rather our sister’s obey rather than be hurt?” That was a bit of a stretch when it came to similarities, and Mac really wasn’t buying it.

“Let me put it this way,” Shining continued, “If for some reason Ivangir had tried to kick Twilight instead of your sister, I would’ve stepped in just like you did, at least to figure out if she really deserved that kind of punishment.”

“How noble of ya,” Mac said in slight sarcasm as Shining’s words implied that he would allow such a beating to continue if he thought the situation warranted it.

Shining noticed the clydesdale’s mocking tone, but ignored it so he could get to his point, “This is where I see our connection. No matter what happens, we want what is best for our sisters. I mean look at you; you have about as negative an outlook to the changes that happened to Equestria as I’d expect from a stallion immune to the cure, but you’ve still let your sister give in to her desires and become a red collar.”

“Pardon me?” Mac said, Shining’s words coming as a surprise.

“Well I have to believe you weren’t the one pushing for her to be a red, not with how you’ve been acting about the regime, so she must’ve broke down and made the right choice by herself.” Shining said, pointing out to the red collared, orange mare who had been relocated near the refreshment tables over the course their long conversation, “If you were a selfish and uncaring brother, you would’ve put your hoof down and made her a stay black collar under the idea that red collars are ‘evil’, or some nonsense like that. Not only have you let her follow what she knew was right in her heart, but Gunne said that you personally helped her like a good brother, and a good master, should.”

“I… I…” Mac really didn’t know what to say to that. The entire premise behind AJ being a red collar hinged on people believing she had converted, and that she was doing what her caribou masters wanted her to do with the aid of her handler. Arguing that point would turn the whole facade into one big muddled mess. “Ah just want her to be happy.”

“And that is where we see eye to eye,” said Shining with absolute sincerity, “We both want our sisters to be happy. We might have completely different opinions about the way things have changed, but in this we are in agreement.”

Mac’s eyes fixated on the unicorn, trying to discern any form of deceit behind what his words. A slight change in expression, a twitch of a nerve or an incorrect crease of a lip that would reveal the straight faced statement as a lie. He couldn’t find any though, and when one of your family’s most important principles is honesty you can pick up when someone is trying to sell you snake oil.

“I’ve always had this idea about all these black collars out there,” Shining added, “How after all this, when mares like Celestia and Twilight have chosen to submit, and when they have been shown over and over the consequences of fighting this, that they choose to be stupid. I think they believe it’s expected of them. That because of the incurable stallions convincing them to rebel, and the other equally misled black collars perpetuating this absurd notion that they will be happier if they keep pretending that they can act independently. All of these ponies selfishly cling onto a failed system and are dragging as many as they can down with them. I mean just look at that Applejack of yours.”

At Shining’s request, Mac gave his sister another look. She was kneeling in front of a stallion, grasping his dick in her hand as she ran her tongue across it. He had seen her do this many times before, fulfilling her obligations to the caribou, but there was something different this time. It was hard to make out from this distance, but Mac could make out a showing of teeth every time she took a moment to stop and look up at the man she was pleasuring. He wanted to remove the image from his mind, pretend it didn’t happen, but Shining Armor wouldn’t let him do so. At least, not before adding his thoughts on the matter.

“Big Macintosh, have you ever thought that maybe your sister was a black collar for so long because she was trying to live up to your expectations of her? That because she knew you had this mental image of her being a strong, independent mare, that she couldn’t let go of her inhibitions, even though everything else told her to? It’s just a theory I came up with, but maybe you were the only reason she held out so long.”

That just couldn’t be right. There was no way that AJ really wanted to be a sex slave, that she would be happy being treated like some sort of sub-sentient creature who only understood pleasure, pain, and the absurd concept that she was something to be owned. And yet, as he watched her continue, saw her take the stallions shaft into her mouth, deep enough to have it travel down her throat despite being forbidden by Ivangir to let anyone enter her orifices, Shining’s words begun to make a bit of sense.

It wasn’t that he thought that his sister was secretly some cock-hungry slut, his mind wouldn’t let him believe that, but perhaps she did enjoy things more than she let on. Thinking back to when he shared Gunne’s plan to her, she had shown outrage at first, but not even an hour had passed before she came back with a more open mind. As far as he knew, nothing had changed in that short time that would’ve made her more accepting of the idea, but then what could have changed her mind? Was it something as simple as finding the best of a bad situation, was she sick and tired of having to be constantly bound day in and day out, or did she feel that it was just better to just give up?

If it was the latter she had never shown it, but that just played into what Shining was talking about. This could have just been an easy out for her, a way to stop resisting while pretending that wasn’t the case to those closest to her. That was a bleak thought indeed, but one that Mac could understand. The hopelessness of her situation was enough to make even the strongest of mares consider surrendering to it, and accept the pleasure of submission over the agony of defiance. If faced with the same kind of hopelessness, what would he do? At the very least it was something worth talking about when they got home, and if she had truly been holding out for his sake, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to relieve her of that burden.

---

A hot shot of spunk poured into AJ’s mouth, the unicorn in front of her emitting a few magical sparks from his horn as he came. The farm mare looked up at his pleased expression, her muzzle agape and full of cum, her face covered in thick trails of semen that hung off it and mixed with the messy remains of her makeup.

The unicorn, a little winded from the mare’s oral expertise, returned the gaze he was given by the pretty earth mare using her hand to aim his penis to her cum catcher of a mouth. “That… was… wonderful!” he said through a few light pants, “Go ahead and swallow, you earned it.”

Applejack did as she was told, and gulped down the contents of her mouth in one hard swallow. The sound of the creamy cum traveling down her esophagus was nearly audible, the semi-solid sperm sticking to the sides of it as it slowly worked its way to her stomach. The farm mare managed to down it all eventually though, and presented a cleaned-out oral cavity, opening her mouth as wide as she could and sticking her tongue out.

Being completely satisfied by the lowly dirt mare’s treatment of his cock, the unicorn stuffed it in his pants and moved on to another part of the banquet hall to allow another stallion, a pegasus, to move into place with his exposed penis pointing right at the mare’s face.

“How may Ah serve ya, sir?” AJ asked as politely as she could, he jaw aching as she talked from having it open for a while.

The pegasus sneered, “You know what I fucking want slut, now stop your yapping and get to sucking.” The stallion hadn’t even finished the second part of his sentence before he had taken hold of the base of AJ’s knotted braid so he could push her face into his erection.

AJ didn’t give so much as a snide remark, and offered the stallion gripping her mane a pleasant smile before letting her tongue hang from her bottom lip and wrapping her lips around the bottom of his shaft. Her saliva-slick tongue slid along the underpart of his dick, her face moving up and down along its length at her own volition. The pegasus gave a joyful flap up his wings, the attention the farm mare was giving to his sexual organ feeling wonderful as she took careful consideration to press her tongue along the curvatures of his plump, blood-filled veins, running it slowly along each line teasingly before moving to the next. He couldn’t contain his desire to push himself inside her mouth, and so he didn’t.

With a quick turn of his hips, and a strong thrust, his cock head pushed past her teeth and up to the entrance of her throat.The tongue that had been working so hard to push him to his limits was now acting as a delightfully soft pillow for his organ, the earth pony’s inner cheeks enveloping it like a sleeve, that gasp of surprise pulling cool air across it before he blocked the passage to her lungs. Every part of this got his blood pumping, and made his dick swell to the point of bursting. He wanted to feel more, his desire gradually growing as his cock stayed motionless in position.

Since his hand still held her braided mane, he felt the increasing urge to use it to his advantage. With it he could easily direct her head to bob on his penis and allow himself to go hilt deep into her vulnerable throat. All it would had taken was a simple pull back and push forward to get things started, but before he could, she started moving on her own. It was like she was reading his mind as she pulled herself back, took a deep breath, and plunged herself down so hard that her nose pressed up against his stomach and her lower lips touched the base of his sack.

“Aaaaawwww yeah,” the pegasus said as his wings went full span from the mare downing his dick, “Swallow it you greedy bitch.”

Applejack complied with his command, moving off of the flesh rod in her mouth. She let the head of it touch the middle section of her tongue before replacing it in her esophagus. She repeated the process, allowing her natural gag reflexes to take care of most of the work by massaging his shaft with her spasming throat muscles. With her hands unoccupied, she brought them to her breasts and roughly moved them around in circular motions to further entertain the stallion she was servicing, as well as the ones watching her from a distance.

As much effort as she was putting into the act, making sure that the men that came to her one by one got what they wanted, AJ was finding it all but impossible to really get in the mood herself. It was only through her own ability to fake a smile and perform her sexual acts regardless if she was aroused or not that was getting her through this night. After Mac’s interference and Twilight’s reward for pleasing Ivangir, the caribou decided to remove the ban on her use, at least when it came to oral. That was all it took to bring the men back in droves, and since then she had been putting her all into sucking off each one.

She was not doing it to make it through the night alone, but because of another reason that arose. Ever since she was made to run her tongue over Twilight’s body, AJ had been left very close to the alicorn. As she pushed herself through throat fucking herself with the pegasus stallion’s dick, Twilight was mere feet away doing the same to a stallion of her own, with another underneath her taking advantage of her available pussy. The alicorn looked to be on the verge of exhaustion from the sheer amount of partners she had been with thus far, both stallions and mares, and it was AJ’s hope that she could stay close to her friend by acting so slutty that she’d take anyone on the spot. With each stallion that came in her muzzle, she would close the gap a little more by moving to the next closest stallion to Twilight. If she could time it just right, and be near Twilight when they had no other choice but to allow her some rest, then maybe she could finally get some answers.

Her head was thrust forward one last time, this time with the assistance of the pegasus despite her being an active participant, and held into place so a few spurts of goop could be deposited down her throat. Seemed that Twilight wasn’t the only one whose endurance was about up for the night, and this had started to become a trend. The men had been fucking every woman they could get their hands on before she even arrived to the party, and they had their limits too. AJ, on the other hand, was still fairly fresh, her own earth pony stamina assisted by being brought in later and having restrictions placed on her body. It helped her immensely when she had started, allowing her to take three stallions at a time with the combination of her mouth and hands, and was the only reason she felt her plan to approach Twilight would work.

With the pegasus’ cum stored within the earth mare’s stomach, joining and mixing with that of the rest of the stallions she had sucked off before him, he released the braid in his hand and moved away, a strand of saliva connecting them until it became too thin to hold. The broken line of spit indicated to Applejack that she had to move, and so she looked towards the next closest stallion to Twilight, practically leaping at him from her kneeling position.

“Hey!” yelled a new pegasus that was standing just behind the one just behind the one that had just used AJ’s mouth as a cum receptacle, “I was up next!”

The other stallion gave this pegasus a sly smirk, assisting the farm mare as she devoured his cock on the spot, “Looks like the the dirt mare thought my dick looked like a tastier treat. I don’t see a reason to deprive her of it.”

Not wanting to be denied himself, the pegasus walked up beside the other stallion and presented his dick to the mare, “Then the impatient cunt can take us both a the same time.”

Refusing to let the other stallion object, the pegasus shoved himself into Applejack as the other male was pulling himself back for another thrust. “Whatever, you’re just pissed she picked me over you.” said the stallion with a roll of his eyes.

AJ mentally gave her own roll, but continued on with the task. In some ways this show of masculine rivalry was more pleasant than the single stallion by himself, since they were both competing for the space in her mouth. Neither would make way for the other to enter the pipe leading to her stomach, and that made it much easier to breath since there was always at least a little bit of space in the crevice between their two shafts. Applejack even used the movements they were making to her advantage by lifting her tongue and slipping into that space, and letting the two cylinders of meat roll it around as they moved in and out. With the combination of their own thrusts, the wildly moving oral organ, and the look she gave them both as her cheeks filled and deflated again and again, the two released themselves in a matter of minutes. Their combined cum blasts were so sudden and plentiful that AJ had no time to try to drink any of it before it ended up spilling out of the opening of her mouth and onto the floor.

Lacking the one advantage of having the cum poured right into her throat, the fluid threatened to go into AJ’s windpipe, and thus she had to pull away to keep from choking. Coughing, sputtering, placing her hands on the floor to keep herself from falling over as she took a few deep breaths, the rest of the cum that was in her mouth spilled out into a small puddle. The rest of what the two stallions had left in them spurted out and landed on her face, leaving their nasty gunk in the short layer of fur that covered her face. Normally her first priority would have been to wipe it off before it made a mess, but as she looked back to Twilight she saw her window of opportunity finally open.

The alicorn looked to be wrapping up her set of stallions, with two more having come to her sides to have the purple mare make good use of her hands, stroking the plump cocks vigorously while her throat and pussy continued to get pounded. The speed of every participant was beginning to rapidly increase, a clear sign that everyone was pushing themselves to climax. AJ felt this was her one chance, but she had to be quick.

Before anyone else could approach her to demand another blow job, she got to her hooves and headed over to Twilight. While a few of the remaining stallions that had been waiting were a bit irked to see her walk off, they were also curious to see what she was going to do. The last time lead to her sucking off two ponies at once, who knew what silly antics the dumb dirt mare would get herself into this time. Perhaps she was about to do something just as amusing.

The group watched as the mare brazenly walked over to her fellow Element of Harmony, coming from behind the alicorn and getting back on her knees as she positioned herself between the purple pony and one of the stallions she was masturbating. Twilight was so preoccupied that she didn’t notice that her friend’s cum-covered face had come up beside her until AJ grabbed the dick she was jerking and pulled it from her hand. It was enough of a distraction to make the alicorn aware with Applejack’s existence, the farm mare noticing a purple iris turn her direction.

She paid it no mind, and proceeded to point the newly acquired dick in her direction. With an offhanded brush across her face to push an out of place strand of blonde hair out from in front of her eye, she went to work. Tightly squeezing the meat in her hand, she could feel the heat radiating off it in this state of full erection. This hot, throbbing mass felt like a solid rod with a soft, movable coating wrapped around it, and a plumped up head that was somewhere between firm and pillowy.

Just as she had done countless times before, she moved her hands up and down the male pony’s dick, gripping it perhaps a little too strongly and moving her wrist as fast as she could manage. She didn’t really care if he was enjoying it, just that she could get him cum as quickly as possible. He didn’t seem to mind the somewhat rough treatment, or at least he didn’t say anything about the level of tenacity she was putting into this handjob. He was probably past the point of caring, lost in his own sensations, to notice anything to complain about.

Either way, she found that speed alone wasn’t cutting it. It figured, seeing how late in the night it was. This man was perhaps far past spent, having cum who knows how many times prior, and was still coming back for more. So when her hands failed, she once more resorted to her mouth. A few simple licks at first; focusing on the head while trying not to hit herself in the nose from the ferocity of her strokes. She ran her tongue over it to assure that the inflated tip got wet, the flavor of numerous other women he had fucked earlier hitting her taste buds in a mixture of sour flavors. It was revolting, but her determination made the process tolerable to her senses.

With the dick properly prepared with her saliva, AJ needed to add one last ingredient to this cocktail of sensations. Inhaling deeply, she paused her rapid rubbings for just a moment and let out a stream of hot air from her lungs onto the moistened part of his penis. Through her hand she could feel a very clear movement of throb, and a release of clear precum let her know that this was working. She took another deep breath, exhaling harder than the last time to have the hot air wash over the phallus. Again it made a strong twitch in approval, but it still held back on its load. She decided to give this method one last shot, believing that the third time would be the charm, and once more she filled her lungs while using her hands to push his penis to the point of pleasure. If he had anything left in him, this would get it out.

With a final heavy, controlled release of breath, AJ let the heat created from her body to flow over the stallion’s penis, this time the sensations pushed him over the edge and into orgasm. Several small shots of white burst from his cock, finding resistance in the air pushing in opposition to it trajectory, making it fall short of the mare’s mouth and land in splatterings across the earth mare’s chest. AJ had gotten past her obstacle, the stallion’s solid dick deflating and retreating into his sheath. The question was if she had timed it to match the mare aside her.

Thankfully, a string of male groans and garling cries of ecstasy sounded out aside her, and she knew she had hit her mark; Twilight and the stallions she was servicing had cum. AJ steered her attention to the mare, checking to see if her assumption from before was correct. As she suspected, Twilight was at the verge of complete exhaustion, hardly capable of lifting her own body after going through more men in a single evening than AJ went through in a week. When the stallion she was straddling moved out from under her body, her legs struggled to keep her upright, trembling until finally she fell over.

AJ reacted as fast as she could, and grabbed the tired alicorn before she hit the banquet hall’s marble floor. She held the sperm-soaked mare for a few seconds, making sure she hadn’t pushed herself to dangerous degrees in her pursuit of greater heights of pleasure. Twilight was taking sharp, heavy breathes that made her chest heave with every inhale, and her body had become a quivering mess of dripping sexual fluids. There was hardly a part of her that wasn’t matted in a shower of semen, with much of it spreading over to AJ while Twilight rested against her.

“She didn’t last nearly as long as she said she would,” a random stallion from the crowd said aloud, making AJ cringe a little in detest for the callous statement, “She didn’t even make it through half of us and she can hardly move.”

“That dirt mare isn’t doing much better,” said another, ”Listen to the way she’s huffing just from sucking off a few dozen guys.” AJ’s breathing had become rapid, but it wasn’t from fatigue. It was part of her plan all along to pretend to be as tired as Twilight in hopes that the stallions would leave them both alone while they recuperated, and yet that wasn’t the full reason for her labored breaths. It was mostly coming from the restriction of her building rage, her anger increasing rapidly at how the male dismissed Twilight not being able to fuck everyone at the party, pushing herself till she almost passed out again, as a failure on the alicorn’s part. AJ might not have appreciated Twilight being a red collar, but she at least understood and in some way respected the kind of effort that she had put forth to please as many men as she managed to.

“And the king said they thought they were heroes?” another random voice stated from the crowd of onlookers, “I don’t see it. If they couldn’t handle something as simple as fucking, how could they protect Equestria?”

AJ felt Twilight stir in her arms, the alicorn weakly pulling herself upright. “I can… still go on,” she declare, her tired voice barely loud enough to be heard. “I can still serve… Please… Use me.”

Bringing herself back to her knees, Twilight let her hands wander to her sensitive areas, cupping one of her tits with one and burying the fingers of the other inside her sloppy sex. She caressed and fingered her body in a way that she hoped would allure the males so they would partake of her body once more, but with each small motion came a shudder as her muscles demanded she stop, and the horny stallions could see that she was going to be a dead fuck.

“Come on,” said the one who just recently occupied Twilight’s mouth with his cock, “Let’s find some more lively females to fuck.”

The area around the alicorn became much more empty in a matter of seconds, with only a few staying close to watch Twilight’s pathetic display as they went on to the the next piece of ass they could find. The former princess eventually gave up with a soft whine, both weariness and a sense of abandonment making her aware that it would be a while before anyone would ease her undying lust. The only person who had still cared about Twilight in her defeated state was Applejack, having not moved an inch from the mare’s side.

They were not alone for long though, as there was still one more person who had at least some interest in the pair. AJ didn’t even notice as a lone caribou approached them from behind, too focused on Twilight to acknowledge anything else.

“Applejack!” The caribou said loud enough to startle both of the unsuspecting mares. The earth mare’s whole body jumped, and her head spun around to see who dared to get her attention at a time like this. It wasn’t the first person she had expected, but it was far from the last.

“Gunne…” she said coldly, her anger still simmering after the unappreciative stallions left. The caribou, knowing the mare, picked up on her attitude and sent her a cutting glare to remind her she needed to show respect to those above her status. AJ bowed her head slightly as she got the message, though she choose to interpret it as ‘you need to stay in character’. “Ah meant to say is how can Ah help ya, sir?”

The caribou shifted his eyes from the earth mare to the alicorn beside her. The purple mare was covered in sweat and jism, mane ruffled and unkempt, and looked to be half asleep. The golden headdress she had borrowed from the royal treasury was gone, perhaps removed by one of the guests and tossed aside when it started getting in the way, and her makeup was nothing but smears across her face. She was in no state to continue her duties at the moment, pushing herself beyond the point that even most red collars would willingly.

Twilight still didn’t see it that way though. “I’m sorry Master Gunne. I didn’t mean to slack off in my duties. I’ll give myself to the next stallion that passes by. I’ll treat him like a king, and I’ll-” The alicorn tried to get to her hooves as she gave her apology and made her promises, but her strained leg muscles wouldn’t permit her to do so, and she buckled under her own weight into AJ’s waiting arms.

“Your dedication is commendable,” Gunne said, permitting Twilight a bit of credit where the lust fueled stallions had not, “But that kind of dedication makes you reckless. You’ve put your all into satisfying every penis given to you, but have allowed your eagerness to please drain you completely. You have no consideration for what else is expected of you tonight, and have wasted all your energy on this when you know there is something more important you will have to do.”

Applejack could identify the shame appearing in Twilight’s eyes, “I’m sorry Master Gunne, I suppose I let my urges get the better of me…”

“You are just lucky that there is time left.” With that said, Gunne returned his gaze to the earth mare, “Applejack, take the purple one over there.” The caribou pointed to an out of the way area of the room that was about as void of guests as it could be at a party such as the gala.

“What do ya want me to do with her there, sir?” AJ asked in reply as she put Twilight’s arm around her neck and lifted the alicorn to her hooves.

“You can help her get presentable,” Gunne explained, “I’ll get some of the castle staff to bring you a few buckets of water and some rags. That should be enough of a break for the both of you,” he added with a tone of condemnation, “I saw you were huffing and puffing as well near the end.”

“T-thanks…” said AJ, suddenly aware of how long she had been watched by the caribou. As much as he had been around her in Ponyville, he might’ve know exactly how far she could push herself if she wanted, and maybe he knew that what she had done so far at the gala was nowhere near her threshold. Nonetheless, he was going to allow her some rest, and guarantee some time alone with Twilight. If she had to be honest with herself, her plan had no contingency if someone would have wanted to tear her away from her friend after it went off. This was yet another thing she would have to add to her list of ‘things she begrudgingly thanked Gunne for’.

“Just don’t try to use this as an excuse to sit on your ass for the rest of the gala,” Gunne said as he headed off in the direction where Dainn was watching his party unfold, “I’ll go tell the king that I authorized small recess for the two of you.”

That was the last thing AJ heard the caribou say before getting out of earshot, and with him gone AJ was already heading to the spot he had pointed her towards. “Come on sugarcube, you’re takin’ a breather whether ya like it or not.” Twilight could only whine in protest as she was pulled aside and away from the males who could potentially make her their fuck toy.

---

With Gunne having permitted a break for the two mares, AJ took Twilight to where she had been directed and waited for the supplies needed to clean the alicorn. For a while she was left standing there next to Twilight, who had taken a seat on the ground next to a marble column as she did her best to recover from what she had put herself through. The wait seemed a bit longer than needed, with what should have taken a few short minutes to get to them taking what nearly felt like a half hour. As the items arrived though, Applejack could see what had caused the delay.

A trio of black collared maid mares, a pegasus, a earth mare, and a unicorn respectively, approached the farm mare carrying buckets of water, rags, and a couple of foot high stools. Each were dressed in uniforms that were clearly inspired by caribou design, the areas around the chest and skirt cut away to expose their privates to the world and allow easy access. The outfits came with a belt that went around their waists, which then had a single metal link on either side that connected to shackles attached to their wrists.

Applejack had no doubt that the servant girls had been made to fetch the items they held themselves, and the limitations placed on their arms meant that what should have been a simple task taking mere seconds instead was a troubling ordeal taking many minutes. One of the maid's fur and clothes was clearly soaked to the core, the already revealing cloth now showing even more of the mare's body. No doubt the poor girl spilled some on herself while trying to fill or pick up the bucket. AJ could only imagine the mocking roar of laughter the poor girl had to hear on account of the "dumb mare's clumsiness." It wouldn't surprise AJ in the slightest if the maid had gotten a slap or worse on top of that, as if the humiliation alone wasn't enough.

“Hey there,” AJ said motioning them over to her, “Ah think that there stuff is for me.”

She didn’t receive much of a response, the black collars giving a united collection of hateful glares in Applejack’s direction as they had to bend down to place the items on the floor. Though even if they have been in a talkative mood, their muzzles had been bound shut with silken straps fastened with several locks that gave the overall design a sense of symmetry, aiding the aesthetic design as much as they kept the objects tightly bound around their snouts and jaws.

“Uh, thanks for helping me out here. Ah realize that it must have been awfully inconvenient with all that stuff on y’all...”

Despite their own indignant attitudes towards her, the farm mare thanked them for their help. She of course couldn't blame them for their bitterness towards her; she knew they had every right to be angry at a red collar. They must have assumed that Applejack was having the time of her life at their expense, and that their misery was partially her fault for needing these items and making their night worse than it already was. Applejack could understand that sentiment better than anyone. It seemed like only yesterday when she was in a position not too dissimilar to theirs. She also assumed that, as unwilling slaves, they didn’t receive much genuine gratitude from anyone on the castle grounds.

Two of the mares seemed to appreciate the sentiment, and their demeanor seemed to lighten up ever so slightly, but the mare covered in wet clothing only gave a scoffing grunt at the very idea that a red collar would care about their mistreatment. Perhaps Applejack’s well-meaning gratitude had come off as disingenuous to her, maybe even as if she had been mocking her miserable position? She quickly set her buckets on the floor, and then spun around to make a beeline to the exit, with the other two quickly going after her so not to be separated.

Unfortunately, this only lead to them being discovered by a rowdy group of stags who mistook them as fresh entertainment. They were snatched up and dragged away to some unseen location, muffled grunts and cries barely audible over the laughs and jeers of the caribou. Appelejack could do little more than sigh regrettably at the sight of it, and helped Twilight get onto one of the stools before taking one of her own.

Applejack noted the chill of the water that had been brought to them as she dipped her rag into one of the buckets. It wasn’t going to be pleasant for Twilight, but it was all they had to work with. The alicorn was sitting in front of her on her stool, back turned her way so that AJ had to look at those horrid wing binders, partially unaware of what was to come.

It wasn’t going to be easy looking past those things as she did this, knowing that inside were the plucked remnants of a pair of beautiful wings. To her, what the caribou did to the other races was akin to if they would bind her legs together so all she could do is crawl, or to cut off one of her hands so it would be harder to get anything done. To lose the use of your wings or have your horn removed had to be the worst thing that ever happened to a mare who had to experience it, and Twilight had experienced both.

“Brace yourself, the water’s not warm,” AJ said as she applied the wet rag to the spot in between the two restrictive shells.

Twilight gave a shiver, the chill traveling through her spine. “I’ll be okay. Nothing a good dicking won’t make me forget about.”

AJ was glad that Twilight was facing away from her for the time being. She didn’t want to have to explain why she was looking so concerned for the alicorn, and she would rather not look her in the face as she talked about sex as ‘a cure for what ails you’. Silently, Applejack moved the rag through Twilight’s grimy fur, starting the process of cleaning the mare. Now that she had gotten her friend’s attention, with no one paying much attention to them, she was having trouble figuring out where to start. Should she ask about what really happened after they got separated a year ago in Canterlot? Should she focus on the events of Ponyville? Should she just go straight to the point and in what way she believed the caribou were worthy of her loyalty when they did things that made villains they used to protect Equestria from look like saints in comparison. She knew she couldn’t cause a scene, but in a way she wanted to if it had the remote chance of bringing Twilight to her senses.

For a while she just went on cleaning the alicorn’s back, listening to her light gasps and shudders. With the added sounds of her wing stubs hitting against the padded insides of their containers, it was hard for AJ to tell the difference between these ones and the ones Twilight might give under some more subdued sexual interactions.

“Are ya okay? It doesn’t hurt when your wings try to stretch out inside those things, does it?”

“Not at all,” Twilight answered, “The lining of my wing binders are really soft.”

“They never feel... trapped in there?” AJ said, failing to come up with a better way to say what she wanted.

“They get pretty stiff when I forget about them for a while, but that’s perfectly natural for a body part you have no use for.”

AJ didn’t see anything ‘natural’ about neglecting the use of one of your appendages, but perhaps her wings weren’t that big of a deal to her. She didn’t have them too long before the invasion started and might not have been as attached to them as pegasi who had lived with them their whole lives, but her horn was what she needed to cast magic, and magic was a core part of her very being. That had to have some sort of effect on her, and thus AJ had decided on a question she wanted to ask Twilight.

She didn’t come right out with it though, she wanted to bide her time just a little to not sound like she was prying about things that shouldn’t concern her. Instead she proceeded to wash Twilight’s backside, the disturbing sounds being made by the purple mare getting worse as the farm mare went lower with her rubbing, until it came to a head with a squeal of delight as the rag brushed against the entrance to the Alicorn’s ass.

“Ah think you are clean back here!” AJ exclaimed in embarrassment, her face turning red as the joyful noise drew several onlookers. It was not lost on her that the real reason Gunne had her bathe Twilight in the middle of the party was so the men could have another spectacle, but this sudden leap in notoriety made her incredibly self-conscious. After becoming used to the party, the sensation was rather unwelcome.

Twilight turned on her stool, and presented her front side to her earth pony friend. This part had gotten it much worse than the alicorn’s back and rear. There was hardly a single spot that hadn’t been hit. Dried patches of white dyed the fur on her face, breasts, and crotch, into a pale version of her normal color, and caused the short strands of hair to clump together into unflattering masses.

This was going to be a problem AJ would have to tackle one step at a time, starting with the part that was closest to her, Twilight’s breasts. There was no need to tell the alicorn to brace herself for what was to come, and AJ could feel her press into her hand just before the rag touched the mammaries. This incited a new string of coos and gasps from Twilight, along with a range of facial contortions that conveyed how the feeling of the cold washcloth against her sensitive body parts was both discomforting and exhilarating in its own individual ways. The sensations were a bit much for though with the strain she put on her body making it sore and sensitive, and she had to clench her eyes shut to endure it all.

AJ didn’t let the sounds bother her too much, the small winces from Twilight acting as odd source of reassurance. Each one allowed the farm mare to keep believing that somewhere deep inside her friend was still there, that this was all just an act of some sort like what she was doing.

“So, Twilight…” AJ said, forcing the nervousness building up inside her to stay hidden, “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get together like this, hasn’t it?”

“I guess it has, hasn’t it?” Twilight opened one of her eyes to look at the mare before her, “But you know that I wasn’t avoiding you on purpose. The king has been keeping me incredibly busy with all the celebrations, my re-education on how to be a proper mare, the little projects he gives me to do with other mares.”

AJ had heard of some of these projects, experiments on black collar mares delivered right to Twilight’s doorstep to test out new drugs or whatever else the caribou asked her to do. The remainder of this gave Applejack pause, but she recovered quickly. She had to try and think the best of that situation, that maybe Twilight took up that responsibility so she could minimize the damage done. Twilight was a smart pony, and would be able to tell what would go beyond the limits of the average person. Was it beyond reason to think that Twilight would use this position to help people?

“It doesn’t help that Spike likes to ream my pussy whenever he gets the slightest glimpse of it,” Twilight went on to say, “He has become very assertive, and his dick is so big I-”

“And what about the others?” AJ interrupted, drawing the line at talking about Spike’s penis, “Do they see you more than I do?”

“A little more. We mostly stay in touch with letters, but we’ve had a few playdates between my obligations. Are you feeling left out AJ? If you want I could ask the king if he’d give us all some time to catch up, and I’d love to share some intimate moments with you.”

The alicorn must have seen what she said as a segue for her and AJ to start fucking, as she lifted herself off her seat and threw herself at the earth pony. Applejack was able to keep the mare at bay with the hand she already had planted on the alicorn’s chest, and a light push was all it took to put the mare’s rear back on her stool.

“Twi, we tryin’ to get ya clean, not dirty ya up some more.” AJ reminded Twilight, glad that Gunne had given her the perfect excuse to avoid having sex with her friend.

“Sorry…” Twilight apologized, “I lost myself there for a second, but you know how hard it is for a woman to keep their mind off fucking. If we didn’t have masters we’d be at it like wild animals. That reminds me, I wonder if Fluttershy ever made it out to the gardens.”

“Can we focus on what we were ordered to do?” AJ said as she removed the rag from her friend’s breasts and dipped it into a bucket to rinse it. “I’d hate to get punished for being disobedient.”

“Of course,” Twilight said as Applejack replaced the wet cloth and vigorously scrubbed her fur, “But I want to tell you again about how proud I am that you accepted your red collar. I was beginning to get worried. It was beginning to look like you’d be a black collar forever.”

“Would that have been such a bad thing?” AJ asked, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them, “What Ah mean is that plenty of our friends back in Ponyville are still black collars, and Ah don’t think any different of them after Ah got mah red collar than Ah did before it.”

“Applejack, I know you are going through your transitional period, but you can’t think things like that.” The understanding, even cheerful aspects of Twilight’s demeanor vanished, “Black collars represent everything that was wrong with how things used to be. They put their wants and their needs before anyone else’s and constantly harm those around them by doing so. They deserve the punishments they bring on themselves with their selfish, reckless and, above all else, stupid actions, and if they would only listen to reason then things would be better for every- WAH!”

Twilight was so wrapped up in her lecture that she didn’t notice that something was flying towards her head until it was too late. A heavy wetness splattered across her face as her vision was obstructed. A simple reach of her hand corrected this problem, as she removed a wet rag from her person.

“If yah got enough energy to start arguing, then ya got the energy to help me clean up.”

Twilight laughed, “You’re right, but I can’t help but get irritated when I think about how much trouble all those black collars cause. If only they’d understand…”

The two mares returned to the task assigned to them by Gunne, each directing their attention to a different part of the alicorn to get things done as soon as possible. Applejack put her focus on Twilight’s head and mane, since she would be able to get up every spot of grime that the alicorn couldn’t see herself, while Twilight took care of everything from the waist down.

AJ’s part was taking a lot less time, having less surface area to cover than Twilight, with only the bits that merged together parts of the purple mare’s striped hair causing some minor issues. Twilight was keeping up with her pace for the most part, doing her best to finish as quickly as she could so she could return to her duty as a servant to the kingdom, but every so often the farm mare caught her rubbing the rough fabric she held against the soft skin of her crotch in ways that went beyond what was needed to clean it off.

Inevitably, Applejack’s washing brought her back to the topic that thought about before, the severed horn atop her friend’s head. She made several passes around the stump, not getting anywhere near the maimed unicorn appendage. Touching it seemed almost taboo, like poking an open wound. If there was any time to ask her question, it was now.

“Twi, do ya mind me asking about… this?” AJ asked, still unsure if it was appropriate to ask any unicorn about their horn.

“About what?” Twilight asked back. “Is there something on my face?” The alicorn touched around her forehead, feeling for whatever it was AJ was talking about. She touched the horn stump several times in her search, until she finally realized what Applejack was looking at. “Oh! You mean my horn.” Twilight gave the earth pony an understanding smile. “Why of course. I’m sure you’re curious about what it was like to have it cut off.”

Applejack gave a nod. When it came down to it, the horror a unicorn felt when having their horn removed was something she could never understand, but she wanted to try if she could.

“Well to answer what I think your first question is; Yes, it did hurt when it was taken off.” The earth pony’s dread was clear at this revelation, but Twilight’s smile did not waver. “Don’t worry too much about it AJ. When I submitted to our masters, I knew and accepted that losing my horn was unavoidable. It was my choice to give it up, and I see the pain I felt as the first step to having the life I knew I wanted.”

“Does… does it still hurt?” AJ asked, thinking the stump to be akin to a scar or a scab.

“Not at all. It is a bit sensitive though. I get all sorts of feelings when it’s touched.”

“What kind of feelings?” AJ had a good idea where this was heading, but she still hoped that Twilight might say something more profound.

“It’s hard to describe,” said Twilight, “I want to say ‘happiness’ or ‘contentment’, but something about those words doesn’t seem right. When I do touch it though, I get a surge of emotions unlike anything else I ever feel. Sometimes I run my finger around the edge of the stump when I masturbate, and the feeling is so powerful that… that… Well it’s completely indescribable.”

AJ didn’t want this conversation to turn into the little quirks Twilight had when she touched herself, so she steered it back on track. “But don’t cha ever miss it?”

“Miss my horn?”

“Well… that and your magic. Ya use to be so proud of all the things ya could do with it, and it helped out so much when ya could use it.” Being the element of magic, this had to hit home to her more than anything else. She had poured most of her life into studying and expanding her magical talents, and one does not just toss years of work down the drain on a whim.

“It use to cause a lot of problems too,” Twilight answered, “Remember when those parasprites ate most of Ponyville?”

“Come on Twilight, that was an accident,” said AJ, “No one ever held that against ya. You were dealing with something you didn’t know anything about.”

“That’s just it, there were plenty of times that we rushed into a situation and didn’t have the first clue about how to handle it. Dragons, diamond dogs, hydras, all it would have taken was one mistake and things could have been disastrous.”

Twilight’s logic made Applejack scratch her head. While there were times where everything didn’t go to plan, times when any one of their group caused more trouble than good for the given situation, overall it usually worked out for the best. A single mistake could have ended things horribly, but if they had backed down every time a problem arose then things would have gone for the worst long before the caribou came along. It was a cowardly outlook, and one not befitting of one of her closest friends.

“The masters say that mares have no use casting spells that could harm themselves or others, and their word is law.” The way that Twilight stated that made it seem like that was her final say about the topic, but then a smirk started to grow on her face, “Though, it’s not like I don’t think about it every now and then.”

“Ya do?” AJ asked, believing she saw a small glimmer of hope for the alicorn she could latch onto.

“Well sure. If I still had my magic, then just imagine all the good I could have done helping mares adjust to their new roles. Who knows what kind of sexual spells I could have learned. It a shame I never got to experiment with anything like that when I still had my horn.”

AJ dipped her rag in her bucket one last time and wiped her own face with it, using it to hide her disappointment in her friend. While she still unsure about her opinion, these words did more harm than good to her mental image of the mare. If only she could ask some more serious questions without raising suspicion, but anything else she could think of felt too dangerous. If everything up to this point left her with a bad feeling about Twilight, then it wasn’t safe to pry too deeply. She was just going to have to take what she was given, and hope that some day things would change for the better.

---

A few minutes later, the two mares had finished. Both of them had gotten as clean as they were going to without a proper bath, and the guests were not in the right mindset to nitpick any remaining spots that could have been missed.

The last thing AJ did before tossing her rag into one of the buckets and setting them aside was remove the long since ruined makeup that covered her face. Its removal bore no real significance, but it felt nice to get it off regardless. If only removing all her problems were so easy.

“Well Twilight, that’s it,” said Applejack, seeing little more reason to stall for time, “What are ya goin’ to do now?”

Twilight rose from her stool, giving a cursory glance to her surroundings. “I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat at the refreshments table. Wanna join me?”

That was the most normal thing AJ heard Twilight say all night, but after all that was said before the farm mare couldn’t help but think that there was some ploy behind it. Not necessarily directed at her, but there could have been another motivation behind it aside from getting food. “Ah think I’m gonna wander about, see if any stallions are left that want to use me.”

“Well then I’ll catch you later,” Twilight gave a wave goodbye, and within a few feet became lost within a sea of party guests.

Applejack got up from her own stool and walked off in the opposite direction, cursing herself for her own hesitance. How was she ever going to come to a decision about what to think of Twilight if she kept avoiding the issue altogether? A part of it was her own reluctance to do something that would stain the memory of the alicorn, but she couldn’t help think how this whole event would have been different if she was a black collar. If she didn’t have this secret hanging over her that made it nearly impossible to approach anything negative about the caribou, would she be able to muster up the courage to confront Twilight directly?

Then again, would she have even been allowed that close to Twilight to begin with? Was it possible that was part caribou’s plans? Applejack still knew nothing about how or why Twilight submitted, but what if the caribou believed that she was easily influenced by external forces. While it didn’t match up to the Twilight she knew, it did align with how caribou thought of women in general: naive, stupid, and easily controlled using the slightest of manipulation. The theory could be backed up by something else too; why Applejack hadn’t had any prolonged contact with the mare in a year, only being close to her when the caribou deemed it absolutely necessary. She would love for that to be the case, that all Twilight needed was someone to set her straight, but as things were she couldn’t be the pony to do it.

As her thoughts spun around the idea, and maybe how to implement it in a way that didn’t ruin everything she and Mac had worked for, she paid little attention to where she was heading. Any direction was pretty much as good as any other, and if anyone wanted her to act as a cock cleaner all they had to do was grab her. No one was really approaching her however, the night seeming to have died down a bit as the rampant orgy was slowly coming to a close. The men were still trying their best to make the most of the party, with many still fucking anything that had a pair of tits, but they were running out of steam. Even the most sexually active male had their limits.

The other women at the party were likewise drained of their stamina; those allowed to rest at this late hour gasping with heaving chests as they took in either the blissful ecstasy of being fucked in every way imaginable till their bodies became useless from overwhelming fatigue, or the horror that came from unwillfully being put through the same experience. The only ones with any sort of energy left, and thus the only ones not lying on the floor in a heap of exhaustion or dangling limply from in bonds meant to suspend them from the ground, were mostly earth mares whose stamina exceeded that of most other pony races. They seemed to comprise the majority of those still servicing the horny males, but even they were releasing pathetic whines and giving full body tremors that denoted that they could give out at any moment.

The only others in the room that showed the same kind of resilience to this test of sexual endurance were the caribou guests. It came as no surprise, really; their culture was one built on sexual activity, and events like this one appeared to be an average day to them. Still, they were not without limits themselves. They might have been the last men standing, but each of them had had an evening of chain fucking an assortment of the sexiest mares Equestria had to offer. That they were not coughing up a lung from exertion alone was a testament to their virility, as their inability to be satisfied with what they had already done was a testament to their endless lust.

Yet AJ could see that this night was reaching its inevitable close. She had no clue how much time had actually passed since the start of it, but this purgatorial night of disgrace and humiliation would end within the hour. Then she could go home, return to her work in the fields, and do her best to put this all behind her. She believed there was nothing left that could happen to worsen this night any further for her.

Of course, fate had a way of making things turn out as they were least suspected, and even in something as carefully planned as the Gala there were surprises to be had. As Applejack continued her wondering, thinking her next course of action was to either find her brother and remain near him till she was needed by the caribou for another display of their dominance, or to seek out Gunne to ask him directly what she should be doing, she caught glimpse of something that bothered her more than she believed it should.

Several caribou had found themselves a vacant space they could use to huddle around some red collared mare, treating her with as much respect and dignity as they did any woman as they did everything in their power to ruin her insides with their shafts. Even in their exhaustion, they were relentless. The mare, bent over while standing so she could have her mouth and ass filled at the same time, was hardly given time to take breaths as the two men inside her kept making what looking to be an effort to have their dick meet somewhere in the middle of her. Of course, being a red collar, she wasn't exactly being forced into participation, and was in fact the one putting in the energy to swallow the genitals of the stag in her muzzle, cock, testicles and all.

It was lewd, revolting, and indecent on many levels for the farm mare, but also par for the course when it came to the behavior of a red. She couldn’t help but be fixated on the display of open debauchery though, the reason why escaping her and thus making her even more intrigued as with each additional hip thrust made by the caribou at her backside. Surely it wasn’t the act itself that was irresistibly drawing her to keep watching like some sort of voyeur, but something about this group of stags and their earth pony whore raised an inexplicable curiosity.

As the caribou snickered and leered at the mare’s desperate attempt to milk their fellow stags’ dicks like their cum was the only thing that gave purpose to her existence, it began to dawn on Applejack that she had seen this mare somewhere before. She couldn’t place her finger on where, but she gradually became more and more certain that was what was bothering her. The question, though, was how she knew this mare and why every instinct was telling her it was important to figure out the answer to that question. Almost as if compelled, AJ risked getting closer to the mare and the caribou surrounding her.

The mare, at first glance, was just another earth mare. She had blonde, semi-striped hair and pink fur, with a set of dark green eyes that looked like they were devoid of any real intelligence, but there wasn’t anything too distinguishing outside of that. Her body was a bit more curvaceous than most perhaps, and her breasts looked to be too large for a pony of her size, putting her in strict competition the enlarged boobs Rarity had acquired, but that could all be easily explained by the many types of female ‘enhancing’ drugs the caribou had brought with them or started making in Equestria. None of it really answered why AJ had this dreadful feeling creeping up inside her. Of course, there was one thing that could solve this here and now. Even if the mare was someone that the farm pony knew who had her body altered to a point that it was only vaguely familiar, her cutie mark would be a dead giveaway as to her identity. With no other course of action save for simply leaving, and that option never even entering AJ’s mind, she circled around the group to get a good look at her backside and that identifying mark.

The mere sight of the cutie mark gave Applejack cause to back away from the mare entirely, shock overtaking her every thought. The mark was not familiar in any way, being unlike any cutie mark she had ever seen before in her life. The mark lacked any subtlety as to what this girl’s supposed special talent was, the symbolism clear to anyone who looked upon it. The first thing anyone would note about it was the poorly drawn dick that comprised most of the image, rigid as a pole and a few veins sketched onto it to denote how erect the drawn dick was suppose to be. It’s head had a bulbous flare, and what looked to be a waterfall of sperm was pouring out of it into a set of red, feminine lips.

Such a cutie mark was not a natural occurrence, and was the markings of a mare who had been blanked. Whatever mark she had originally had been stripped from this earth pony, along with everything else that defined who she once was. With this knowledge, Applejack understood why it was that the mare’s eyes seem devoid of thought. The caribou had drained it out of her and replaced with an undying urge to have sex. As loathsome as that was alone, the farm mare couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t the most terrible thing about this. Something else still filled her with an instinctual rage that AJ just couldn’t put her finger on.

She was unable to pull her gaze away from the tragic sight that played out before her. This mare had literally been transformed into a insatiable cock slut against her will, and was being fucked relentlessly by the very kind of people she fought against to receive such a punishment in the first place. Artificial joy gurgled from her gullet each time the pathway to her throat cleared, coming out in a string of incoherent slurs and gasps for breath.

The stag reciprocated his own enjoyment by giving the blanked mare an approving pat on the head for her efforts, placing his hand down gently a few times before clenching the blonde mane and thrusting his cock forward as hard as he could down. He aided the force of his thrusting hips with the power of his muscular arm, and got as much of himself inside of her as he could, smashing her face into his abs to squeeze a few more centimeters inside her moist orifice. A groan and a burst of cum from the mare’s muzzle soon followed, making the her vacant eyes shoot wide before raising her lower eyelids up to express the happiness she was programmed to express.

The stag made a few more slow movements of the mare’s head, sliding her lips along his shaft so she could pleasure him to even greater heights as he got milked for every drop he had, all the while his associate at the the earth pony’s backside refusing to relent his own piston thrusts. The utter violation of the blanked mare’s holes only ceased when the stag’s own biology took over, and retracted his cock into the flesh sheath on his crotch as it deflated from erection. The mare, however, didn’t want her visitor to leave, and tried to follow after it with her tongue. She licked and lapped at the hole that hid the dick her altered mind told her she craved, whining as she failed in her struggle to get it to come out.

“Please Mahster,” the mare croaked out, the odd way she said that word making Applejack’s ear twitch, “Give Sperm Slurper have more! She need more cummy in her tummy, it tastes so -GGGAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!”

The mare’s left eye spasmed, her body tensing every muscle as she clung tightly to the stag she sucked off. The other stag had finally reached climax, and the feeling of his hot cum pouring inside allowed the mare to do the same. Applejack could only describe what the mare was going through as agonizing bliss with how unnaturally her smile grew and stretched till it seemed she might tear her lips, her irises turning up into her skull and straining themselves to try to vanish completely. Occasionally she made a small twitch, a momentary twist of her spine, a flick of her leg, or a shudder of her head, creating a gruesome depiction of what happened when one’s own body was turned into a prison of pleasure.

The caribou pulled himself out of her vagina before it could retract on its own, and the blanked mare’s entire back half collapsed as if it had been the only thing supporting her, buckling her legs so that she was forced to sit on them as she remained latched to the caribou in front of her. “Peeaa…. mooorrr” her words became heavily slurred, her limply hanging tongue getting in the way of her own lips while attempting to plead for more of the pleasure that was wracking her body beyond its limits. “AAAAhhhhh neeeeeeeee eeeettttt…..” When the mere pleading for cock didn’t seem enough to entice the caribou, the earth pony weakly bounced her body as much as her tired muscles would allow, getting just enough momentum to get her oversized breasts to jiggle from use of gravity. As more desperation set in, she started to wiggle her tail, and shake her rump in one final attempt to convince the caribou that she was worth at least one more fucking, and thus momentarily ease her undying lust.

“I’ll give you more, you filthy rebel cunt,” said a new caribou that stepped up to the task of continuing this sadistic session of sex with the blanked mare. He took hold of her mane as the other released it, preventing her from falling to the floor and aiming her towards his crotch.

“Yeeeeeeaaaaaa- gurk,” Her final announcement of overflowing elation was cut off by the caribou’s member making its way down the used meat pipe of her throat.

Another caribou soon joined the first, and brought her now dangling arms together behind her back so he could lift her up again. He then took the base of her tail with his other hand, positioned her rear, and used the grip he had on her two appendages so he could make a full powered thrust into her cum filled pussy and begin anew with what had just made the mare collapse. She couldn’t even stay upright on her own accord, but the caribou saw it fit to continue their sexual assault on her limp form.

AJ remained frozen, stuck watching this punishment performed on a mare who had the knowledge of what crime she committed removed for some time now. In fact, Applejack knew how long this mare had been reduced to this repugnant state, as it finally hit her why this mare in particular had flooded her with a combined sense of anger, fear, and now self loathing. This blanked mare was her cousin, Apple Dumpling, one of two relatives she had who had been blanked for rebelling against the caribou, the same ones that Gunne accused AJ of being responsible for since her resistance acted as a spark for their own. What had finally tipped her off was the recognition of her cousin’s voice, and the slight country accent that slipped out a bit more in her pleas.

The farm mare could feel her heart sink more and more with each thrust the two men made into her cousin, the guilt of seeing the result of her own actions becoming unbearable. The knowledge of the blanking alone had caused her go against her own morality for the sake of letting something like this never happen again, but seeing it in person was nearly enough to cripple her.

“Man, these blanked sluts sure know how to suck a dick,” the caribou in Dumpling’s mouth said aloud, “She’s almost comatose, and she’s treating my shaft like it’s a water feeder.”

“Her cunt is still squeezing mine cock like a vice too,” said the other, “I’ve haven’t ever had a mare this well trained before, it makes me wonder why we don’t just blank the lot of them.”

“Oh come on, you want to take all the fun out of this?” replied another stag from the small group, “Sure, having your penis professionally milked is great, but these blanked bitches are boring when compared to breaking a black collar. We have enough cows that worship our dicks like this one, but hearing those pony sluts scream when you pin them down and stick it in is the best.”

“You mean like this?” The caribou at Dumpling’s backside said back, removing his fluid covered shaft from her wet pussy so he could shove it into her tight ass. The hole must have been under used, as the stretching of her hole brought about the scream he said it would from her half-conscious state, muffled and filled with a combination of suffering and satisfaction.

“You’re right, it is more fun to watch those stupid cunts cry and squirm. Would be a shame to lose that. Maybe we could figure out some sort of black collar breeding program. I’m sure the king would love it.”

Applejack wasn’t sure if the caribou were even aware, or even cared, she was listening in on them as they mocked at the mare’s plight. To them, this was the proper fate of any who mare who dared to defy their rule, to eventually turn them into a creature who desired, no craved, the abuse they offered by force when their conditioning didn’t take. Yet they themselves supported the continuance of the bad behavior because they found sport in taming mares and torturing them for their transgressions. The very notion was hypocritical in nature, and only served to give them an excuse to serve out their torment in the form of ‘disciplinary actions’.

She of course always knew that the caribou’s methods and ideals were cruel, vile, and above all else evil, but this pushed the boundaries of reason. To hear how these caribou were glad to have black collars stay black collars, to let them continue to live life day by day in pain, and even wished to spread that torment for generations to come, when ones like Gunne had always pushed the concepts of submission and servitude being the natural state of all females, appeared to contradict the very ideology that their race on the whole preached. It was possible that it was just something confined to this group alone, but AJ didn’t care. If one caribou approved of such barbarism, then they all might as well be guilty of it.

As her rage built up inside, Applejack began to question if what Gunne had convinced her of months ago in Sweet Apple Acres was true. Even if she had been a red collar before, or had simply cowered in the wake of the caribou’s rule like some other black collars did, would this outcome have been any different? Was it truly right to blame herself for what happened to her cousins when they were doing what they felt was right, what they probably would have felt if AJ had been removed from the equation entirely?

The answer she inevitably came to was ‘no’. As close as the Apple family was, as much as any of her cousins and siblings might have looked up to her and been proud of her actions as an Element of Harmony, she had no more influence over them than anyone else. Her extended family hadn’t suddenly started going on adventures and fighting monsters before the fall on some fool notion of emulating Applejack’s exploits, and her immediate family were more than willing to stay home at the farm and live out their normal pony lives despite sometimes being dragged into the situations she had to face with her friends. She was so willing to blame herself for her own failure that she never put any real thought into it until now, and now that she determined that her immediate submission wouldn’t have changed a thing there was only one party to blame for what had become of Apple Dumpling: the caribou.

With her self doubt starting to fade, something else began to grow, and she found herself walking right for that group of caribou. She was determined to put an end to what they were doing. She didn’t have a plan, and she knew attacking them would be fruitless, but something inside her told her if confronted the caribou everything would be okay. Some would call what she felt foolishness, but she preferred to call it courage.

However, whatever would have happened should she had made it up to that group wasn’t meant to be, as a heavy tug at her neck caught her off guard. She was pulled back a few steps, her leverage stolen as her back and shoulders got ahead of her hooves, and was cut off from Apple Dumpling and the caribou around her, the body of a caribou much larger than any of them blocking her view.

“Not so fast, little apple slut,” said Ivangir as he stood in the way of her objective. Applejack made a few attempts to get away, but the grip Ivangir held on her seamless collar was too strong, “I know you can’t wait to gargle down another gallon of cum, but you’ve had your fun for tonight. Now it’s my turn.”

Applejack couldn’t believe it. The first time in months she decided to do something she felt was right for change, and Ivangir picked it as an opportune moment to assert his authority. She wanted to hit the caribou to get him out of her way, but while there was a slim chance confronting her cousin’s rapists could bring about some kind of good result, fighting Ivangir at this moment seemed like it would only end poorly.

“Lord Ivangir...” she said, willing her not to say his title with sarcasm, “Can Ah please have just a few more minutes to mahself. Ah have to take care of somethin’.”

Ivangir let go of the farm mare’s collar, but not before taking her by the wrist so he could give a show of his power over her. He lifted his arm up, and with her the mare’s own until she was made to stand on her tippy hooves. “Yes, you have. Me.”

The caribou gave no time for AJ to even try to explain what she wanted to do with the time she was requesting, setting her back on the floor and dragging her away from from Apple Dumpling. She looked back one more time, and caught the group of caribou giving one last hurrah as the two fucking Apple Dumpling came simultaneously. Once they finished shooting what they had left into the mare’s unresponsive body, they both pulled out and allowed her to fall to the ground in a pool of sperm that had formed beneath her. They had gotten what they wanted from the blanked mare, and thus with no more use for her, walked away as she convulsed and leaked sexual fluids out both ends.

It equally infuriated and saddened the farm mare that she couldn’t do anything to help her relative, and filled her with one last important question. If other mares were going to be tortured, brainwashed, and discarded so flippantly as was displayed here, regardless of her own actions, were the benefits of pretending to submit really worth the cost?

The Worst Night Ever: Part 6

Author's Notes:

For those new to this story, and its history, this is not the "bad end" that FoE fans might have wanted out of this story. if you are ok with that, then I recommend you read this chapter and then move on to the epilogue. If not, then stop now and move on to the next chapter. If you would rather see AJ recieve more of the "FoE treatment", then move onto the "BA Alternate Ending" chapter, and once done with it stop reading, as that will be the end. Both endings had a lot of work put into them, so hopefully you will enjoy whichever you chose, but in the end it is your choice to read one or the other, or both.

The Grand Galloping Gala was finally coming to a close. After what felt like an endless night of equally endless lust, everything was coming to a halt. Most of the guests that had attended the event were far too tired from being active and enthusiastic participants of the celebration, having held back nothing so they could squeeze out every last drop of euphoria they could from what was suppose to be the biggest event of the year. The very few that continued on, despite having experienced this party to the fullest, had been reduced to a snail’s pace, their thrusts losing the impact and energy they had earlier in the night when they were fresh. Men and mares alike were going to sleep well once they got home, this night having taken everything they could give.

However, not every male at the party was showing the signs of their exhaustion. As Applejack was tugged by her wrist thought the banquet hall, she could feel the caribou pulling her along with every ounce of strength, making sure she could neither get proper footing nor attempt to resist his might. It was completely unnecessary, since AJ was making little effort to fight back in the first place, but the caribou wanted to make every effort to get across to the farm mare that he was the dominant force in this and she had no possible means of going against his will even if she wanted to. He was the one who would decide how she would act and what she would do, which would settle a certain matter between the two once and for all.

“Lord Ivangir,” said AJ as she found a pace that allowed her to keep up without stumbling about, “Ya don’t have to guide me by the arm. Ah can follow ya just fine.”

The caribou jerked his arm forward, knocking AJ out of her step pattern before increasing speed to keep her unable to maintain proper balance. “You’ll be led by me because I wish it. Even if I didn’t question your ability to follow simple instructions, I can’t trust a cunt like you to be competent enough to not get distracted. I would hate for you to get lost.”

Ivangir was so dismissive of the earth pony that he didn’t even look back when he spoke to her. He was trying to make it sound like she was the problem when they both knew that he was just doing this because he could. Ivangir wore his feelings towards women more openly, and trying to justify his actions just served to prove further how little he thought of AJ herself. If nothing else at least, it gave her a rare chance to openly roll her eyes at his sexist remark without fear of reprisal.

Applejack didn’t argue though; if he wanted to assume she was stupid enough to believe him, she would let him believe it. She was long past the point of caring what he thought of her, being that Ivangir was a creature who lacked basic concepts like respect, dignity, or conscience. He was just looking for a reaction anyways, so silence denied him that while shortening the time they interacted with one another. Should he chose to perceive that as capitulation, which he probably did since he liked to assume everything went the way he wanted, then so be it. It only secured her image of being a red collar.

It wasn’t like she had to put up with this treatment for too long anyways, as she could tell where they were heading. Ivangir was taking her to the stage, the one that Dainn had made his perch as he surveyed his subjects. It was the best place to show off one’s domination over a woman, a spot in which everyone in the party could see what was going on. Before long, everyone would watch Ivangir as he did as he pleased with her, which knowing him was going to be something humiliating, brutal, and mercifully swift.

Whatever the caribou had planned for her, it appeared she wasn’t going to have to endure it alone. Most of the other members of the caribou council were heading to the stage as well, and with them were the rest of the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie was being guided by Anvari, Fluttershy by Hrathr, Nothri had Rarity in tow, and Durnir had collected Rainbow Dash from wherever the stallions from earlier had taken her.

Each mare was exhibiting varying levels of fatigue from their cum-covered bodies. Rarity and Fluttershy looked to be the worst of the bunch, near the same state of exhaustion that Twilight had earlier, emitting labored gasps for air as their tired forms struggled to keep them upright. While they might not have put everything they had into their tasks like Twilight did, they still did their best to provide pleasure to the males they serviced. By the looks of it, they didn’t have the same motivations for doing so though, and while Fluttershy’s wavering smile had the appearance of one pleased with her accomplishments, Rarity’s sorry appearance conveyed the opposite. The unicorn didn’t even bother to pretend that she was anything but miserable from the whole ordeal, with streams of dried up tears staining the fur around her cheeks and a jaded expression that announced to the world that she had nothing more to give that evening.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie looked much more lively than the others, Rainbow thrashing about in a ripped and tattered Wondersluts uniform, marks and bruises covering her from head to hoof, with as much force as much as she had at the start of the party. Dash always did have more endurance than the average pegasus, but AJ figured that this was more bravado than anything else. She might not have shown any signs of exhaustion, but no one could have gone through the things that had been done to her without it draining them.

As for Pinkie, she appeared to be more legitimately unaffected by her evening. Her beaming, white smile was only occasionally broken by a need to lick off the cum that was dripping down to her muzzle from higher up on her head, or to give one of the twitches she had been making all night, which had strengthened and come more frequently as the night went on. AJ wished she knew what Pinkie’s senses were telling her, as right now it could be anything from someone stubbing their hoof to the end of Equestria, and the anticipation of outcome was becoming an ever growing source of anxiety for her. She wished that whatever happened would happen, and that it had no effect on her and those she held dear.

---

“Ah, looks like the main event’s about to start,” said Shining Armor as he looked down from the VIP booth, keeping a close eye on his sister as Throtr escorted her to the stage to join the others.

Mac was relieved to hear that he and Applejack would be able to leave soon. While he hardly interacted with anyone or anything at the gala, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his presence at the event was causing a stain on his soul that might never leave, and that each passing second was making that stain darker.

“Then Ah think I’m gonna head on back to mah sister,” said the clydesdale, getting up from his seat so he could go back to the main area of the banquet hall.

“Hey Big Macintosh,” Shining called out just before Mac made it to the steps, “You’ll think about what I said, won’t you?”

“Yeah, Ah will…” How could he not? If what Shining said was in any way true, then it meant that all this time he had been doing the wrong thing, making things harder for Applejack than they needed to be.

“Good,” Shining replied, “and one more thing. Just because you got a bunch of stupid ideas floating around in your head, doesn’t mean that you can’t be one of the guys from time to time. Let loose, live a little, indulge yourself in what this kingdom has to offer.”

The unicorn’s new bit of advice didn’t have as much sway as the last one did. While Mac was questioning AJs motives, he was still had a good grasp on his own. He still had no desire to take advantage of the perks that came with caribou’s way of life, since it meant directly taking advantage of another person. He gave Shining a nod, his country mannerisms telling him that it would not be polite if he completely ignored the suggestion, and left the stallion.

The guards at the bottom of the steps gave him no trouble this time, and Mac entered back into the main hall without issue, heading straight for the stage where Applejack was taken. He wished to be there for her when she was raped once again by Ivangir, since anyone could tell that was what would happen next. Whether or not she had given in to the changes that befell Equestria, he was certain that she still despised the caribou with all her heart. To be forced into a position where she would have to fuck one, willingly, without showing her disgust for the situation, would be one of the hardest things she would ever have to do, and she would need all the support she could get.

If he could, Mac would have stood right next to the stage to let his sister know that he was there, that someone that cared for her was close by, but a large formation of ponies and caribou had already amassed around it before he made his way out of the VIP box. Even more got to it as he made his went to join the crowd, and by the time he did, he was one of the last people to become a part of it. He made a few attempts to find a way deeper into the cluster of males and their slaves, but no one wanted to give up their spot to someone else. With a heavy sigh, he grumbled to himself about letting Shining Armor drag him so far away, and resigned himself to the back, hoping that AJ would still see him, so she knew she didn’t have to suffer through this alone.

The view wasn’t too bad from where he stood. He could easily see each of the six mares and the six caribou with them, his height letting him see over the sea of ponies and caribou in front of him. It wasn’t perfect though, as Mac couldn’t see farther towards the back of the structure, where Celestia’s cage and Dainn’s seat had been set, and because of that he wasn’t able to see the king himself until the caribou got up from the chair and approached the front of the stage.

Dainn looked over his guests, his people, with a pleased expression. The night must have gone as he had hoped, with everything falling into place as he had expected. Not a single incident, disturbance, or hiccup in what he had planned for this evening. For one such as Dainn, there must have been no better satisfaction than to see his kingdom running smoothly, uncomparable to even the pleasures of the flesh.

“Gentlemen, scholars, soldiers of the Equestrian guard, esteemed caribou brethren, and honored guests,” he began, just as he had when introducing the Elements of Harmony to the celebration, “Before this evening comes to a close, my council of advisors, tacticians, and powerful warriors wish to give a final demonstration of male dominance over the submissive and ignorant females. These mares will now provide their bodies to six of the esteemed leaders of the kingdom of Equestria, submitting themselves to their every want in order to satisfy their sexual desires.” Dainn took a moment to turn his gaze slightly towards Rainbow Dash, who was struggling to keep a rather frisky Durnir from fondling her breasts and plunging his fingers into her snatch, “Whether they like it or not.”

The king’s statement got a laugh out of the crowd at Rainbow’s expense, Mac believing that he was the only guy there not adding his voice to the pegasus’ ridicule. It wasn’t even a joke, so much as statement that had been driven into the dirt at this point, so even in context the humor was lost on the clydesdale.

“There you are,” Mac heard in a hushed tone as Dainn continued his explanation of the things to come, “I was wondering when you would rejoin us.”

“Hey Gunne,” said Mac casually. Gunne appearing when something important was about to happen had become such a common occurrence in Mac’s life that he hardly turned an eye his way. A somewhat predictable behavior that was both annoying and comforting at the same time. If anything, he could depend on the caribou to show up and make things a bit more awkward with his presence. “How did your talk with that griffon guy go?”

“Hmm? Oh, it went well enough,” Gunne said with little concern, “More importantly, how did your conversation with Shining Armor turn out? I noticed that you walked off with him shortly after I left your side.”

“It was fine, Ah suppose,” Mac said, not really wanting to go into detail.

“Come on, there is no reason to hide something like that from me. You didn’t insult with your usual political criticisms, did you?”

“Maybe a little,” Mac said honestly, figuring it was something Gunne would be able to find out about later if he really wanted.

“Typical…” said Gunne, “I leave you alone with another stallion and you immediately start tossing about accusations of them being mare-raping monsters with no sense of morality.”

Mac raised an eyebrow to the caribou, “Didn’t every black collar here get raped about a hundred times tonight?”

“Yes, but you putting a negative connotation on it is the problem.” Gunne replied, “Besides, they bring it on themselves. If they would just enjoy themselves and accept their roles, it wouldn’t be rape.”

Mac refused to justify that one with a response, and instead focused his attention back to the stage. It was good timing too, as it seemed like the king was about done with his speech.

---

“And so, with great pride I present my men and the false heroes of Equestria.” Having said everything that he wanted to, Dainn returned to his seat at the back of the stage with Celestia. It was going to be quite the show and he wanted to watch it from the comfort of his royal chair.

For a moment, AJ watched the caribou king as he sent his eyes over all the participants of the scene that was about to play out. The mildly satisfied expressions he gave to the crowd vanished in an instance, and was replaced with what appeared to be cold, unfeeling indifference towards each of them. He had none of the evident joy or anticipation that the stallions or other stags had, and it felt like he was observing to the event for entirely different reasons altogether, taking it in as part of some grand calculation. What was actually going through the head of a man like Dainn would forever be a mystery to the farm mare, as she could never comprehend the thoughts of a person who could conquer nations, enslave people, force them to do the bidding of him and his people, and all for the abominable goal of turning the women of all races into sex slaves.

Dainn had caught her gazing at him though, and when he returned it she had to look away. No need to make this night any worse by giving the caribou king some vague excuse to punish her for staring impolitely or some nonsense like that. If this part went off without incident, she was home free, but of course that meant she’d have to do something she loathed.

Taking one final deep breath, doing what she could to bury every ounce of anger she had someplace where it wouldn’t surface, she turned to Ivangir and bowed her head so her eyes and muzzle pointed towards the part of the caribou’s anatomy that she was about to get reacquainted with.

“Lord Ivangir,” AJ spoke, trying her darndest to emulate the kind of respect she had only exhibited towards Princess Celestia in the past, “If it would please you, Ah would lo… lik…”

“Come on little dirt mare, spit it out,” Ivangir mock, putting his hand atop her head and directing her face closer to his crotch, “And make sure that everyone can hear you so they know how much of a slut you are.”

How was it that of everyone in all of Equestria, Ivangir was the one that could piss AJ off with anything he said? Almost any other guy, save for maybe Dainn or one of the other council members, could have said the same thing and she would have brushed it off like it was nothing, but when it came from the mouth of her original rapist it sent her from calm to enraged in the matter of seconds. She couldn’t let that show though. She needed to remain composed and do as she was told, but Ivangir just made her want to scream.

“Can Ah please lick your dick, please!” she yelled loud enough that it echoed back to her ears. It got the point across, that was for sure, and fulfilled what the large caribou wanted from her.

The somewhat desperate sounding plea did get a smirk out of Ivangir at least, and without delay he reached down to remove his codpiece and revealed his meaty cock to all present to the event. It immediately made her feel intimidated, as while it was only semi-erect as it stuck out right in front of her, she still had to say that his dick was the largest one that she had ever encountered from a stag or a stallion, and it would soon be stretching her holes to their limits.

The entire night had been leading up to this inevitability for AJ, but she still wasn’t truly prepared for it. She couldn’t bypass her own inner qualms about sucking the very dick that had stolen her freedom. It couldn’t be held off much longer though, as the other red collars amongst her friends were already following the farm mare’s lead, offering their own bodies to the caribou that had brought them to the stage. With each additional penis released from the confines of the council members’ pants, greeted by the waiting lips of eager mares, the more conspicuous Applejack’s own reluctance became.

When every other red collar on stage had placed the rod of the respective caribou into their muzzle, with Pinkie being the first to gulp down the solid rod presented to her and Rarity being last as she primed her penis with an liberal message of her ample bosom, AJ relented and opened her own mouth as wide as possible to make way for the man she despised.

Just get him off as quick as ya can, AJ thought to herself, They might even congratulate ya for being the first one to finish. She instantly regretted adding on that extra bit, finding what was supposed to be motivating to have the exact opposite effect. If she was to be praised for anything, the last thing she would want it to be for was how well she fellated someone, especially if the one praising her was a stag.

However, this ill thought didn’t stop her from proceeding, and taking Ivangir’s dick in hand, she rubbed and caressed it until any softness it had vanished and all that was left was a rigid, throbbing shaft that pointed directly at her. The heat coming off it made her arms sweat, and radiated into her mouth as the farm mare strained to get her muzzle around the cock.

Before Applejack could close her lips around the rod, a massive hand fell upon her head. Giving a snort in response, she prepared for the soon to come push from Ivangir and the pressure that would come from having her throat completely stuffed. The caribou’s impatience was exasperating. He had always been this way, needing to feel that he was in control of the situation, never letting a mare go at her own pace. Of course, when it came to their interactions in the past, that was the only way he got anything out of her, but it was never any different with other reds either. There was never a time when a mare could just pleasure him without the caribou needing to push them beyond their limits. It was his routine to treat women as more sex dolls than living beings.

So when Ivangir pushed away instead of towards him, she was reasonably confused. “Not so fast, you stupid slut,” said Ivangir with a grin, “I’m not letting you put your filthy mouth on my dick. I’ve seen what you’ve been doing with it. Even I won’t fuck your throat after all that.”

Sonava-! This was bullshit, and AJ knew it. Ivangir was not the kind to refuse sex, no matter how ‘filthy’ the hole. He had casually sent Applejack into the hands of scores of other caribou, and had very easily joined in after watching them fuck her in every way imaginable. He had let her get so close, letting get to the point right before she actually started, and pulled her away at the last second so he could add another insult to her character.

“No, I kept your other holes off limits for a reason. Your country cunt and apple ass will have to be enough to satisfy me.” Ivangir gave another push, twisting his hand before releasing, spinning Applejack around on her hooves until her back was turned towards him. “Now be a good bitch and bend over.”

Applejack shot the caribou a sideways glare, but went on to do as she was told. “Like this?” she asked, placing her hands on her knees to balance herself as she bent forward as far as she could without falling over.

A firm, unrestrained smack across her ass was the reply she received for daring to confirm that her actions were according to his whims, “What kind of stupid question is that?” the stag shouted, adding insult to the burning sting on her flank. “Either you know how to bend over or you don’t.”

Ivangir circled the mare, his eyes closely and ruthlessly scrutinizing her exposed form. As far as he cared, it was just him and her on the stage. During the night he'd already had his merry and merciless with way each of the other mares up there in a variety of ways, but he had saved his favorite for last. This mare had dared to scorn him not once, but time and time again with her defiant attitude and seemingly unshakable resilience, never once showing the superior stag the respect he felt he deserved. Tonight would be different though. Tonight she would scream for him, beg him to leave her holes a sopping wet, cum filled mess, and everyone would watch as he put her in her place once and for all.

“Spread your legs,” he commanded sternly. The mare obeyed instantly, parting them as wide as she could while standing. This was rich; he had never gotten such instant results from Applejack in the past. Before now, the stag always needed to apply an ample amount of pain and other punishments to her to get the slightest bit of obedience from her, if he had gotten any at all. “Say you’re my cock warmer.”

“I’m your cock warmer,” she repeated, monotoned and parrot-like, yet still as convincing as she could muster.

Stopping at her flank, Ivangir grabbed her tail and lifted it to remove the only thing concealing her backside. “Shake your ass for me slut.” Again, the mare complied, wiggling her rump without a second thought. It was a perfect representation of female obedience; performing an action at a moment’s notice without any hint of refusal or reluctance. It was the sign of a true red collar: of a perfect sex slave, or of a very good liar. It didn't matter which to them. Not right now.

Ivangir gave one of his fingers a lick, moisting his index finger before pressing it tauntingly against the earth pony’s anus. It twitched reflexively as it felt the tip of the finger, anticipating its entry. “Has my little penis puppet developed a love for anal in her time away from her master?”

“No…” AJ replied, his absurd and degrading question working on a tiny sneer from the mare. Ivangir always knew just how to grate on her nerves, even when attempting to mindlessly follow commands.

With tail gripped firmly in one hand, the caribou drove his digit into her sphincter. A low and restrained moan slipped past her lips. It was music to the stag's ears. “You always were an avid liar. You love it when I stick things in here. You love it so much you lie just to get me to punish you with bigger and bigger things.” Ivangir curled his finger into a curve as it poked into the mare’s hole, and proceeded to pump her pucker with it, scraping the walls of her intestines with the point of his nail.

The sharp tip going against her fleshy insides incited a series of equally sharp gasps, her nerves shooting jolts of pain through her with each pass. The careless pokes and pushes of the caribou were difficult to resist, but Applejack gritted her teeth. “Ah do not” she managed to mumble out under her breath.

“But how about we bring your string of lies to an end?” Ivangir went on to assert coyly, hushing his tone slightly as he continued to slip his finger in and out of the mare, “Let’s let everyone know how much of a slut you are. I order you to announce to everyone here that you are a whore who likes getting it in your ass. Better yet, why don’t you tell them all that you're a pain slut who likes to get punished. Tell them all how paddles and whips excite you, and you can’t get off unless a guy gets rough with you.”

AJ didn’t respond to Ivangir’s ridiculous order. As much as she wanted to keep up appearances, she wasn’t stupid enough to mark herself as a masochist. If she did, everyone in Equestria would hear about it by the end of the week, and then there would be no end to the men who would use it as an excuse to hurt her. She had seen it far too many times before, stallions stringing up mares, exposing their sensitive spots, and striking them over and over to see if they could get a mare to climax from pain alone. It was not something she was willing to put herself through, nor Mac for that matter.

“What’s the matter?” Ivangir asked, pulling his finger out of the now lubricated o-ring so he could deliver another hard, stinging smack across her ass, “You were being so good before.”

“Nothin’,” AJ answered, her doing what she could to conceal her shimmering anger, “Ah just don’t like those things.”

A powerful tug on her braided mane was the response given for her backtalk, Ivangir yanking her whole body upright by her head, “And I still say you are a liar. You always gave your best reactions when I beat you. I can still remember how well you howled when I sent a crop across your pussy, or how you would moan as I twisted and tugged at your nipple rings.”

Applejack gripped her braid in attempt to ease the pain, the caribou testing the tolerance of her follicles with the way he pulled the strands of hair. Of course he use to get a reaction out of her when he did that to her. Being bound with your legs spread beyond their normal limits while your privates were assaulted or invaded with devices created for to sole purpose of inflicting pain would get a response from anyone. Then again, she had a good feeling that the caribou was being facetious, and that even he was aware that she derived no amount of satisfaction from their old torture sessions.

“Fine then,” Ivangir released the braid he held and instead wrapped his hand around Applejack’s collar, “If you don’t want to admit that you enjoyed our time together, perhaps we should talk about another one of your lies.”

“And what would that be?” AJ asked, expecting it to be something like how she didn’t praise his penis as much as she truly wanted to.

“Let’s talk about this lie you’ve had wrapped around your neck for some time now,” The caribou’s finger went between the earth mare’s chin and collar, stroking the piece of leather repeatedly as he continued. “We both know you don’t deserve this.”

Applejack felt her heart skip a beat, Ivangir’s words hinting that he somehow knew her secret. He couldn’t actually know that though, she had accepted most of what had been done to her that night with little sign of apprehension. If anything, the only reason he would be able to say such a thing was the incident earlier that Mac had to step in for. That was hardly evidence that she was faking her collar, but perhaps the stag somehow knew more that she assumed. If he did have some sort of information on her, then she knew one way to figure out what it was.

“And why do ya say that, Lord Ivangir?” she asked plainly. There was no reason for Ivangir to withhold any information he had on her. In fact it was in the caribou’s favor to share it with her. Anything he knew could be used as blackmail to make her more compliant, and a mere bluff would be easy to see though if he didn’t give any details.

The stag’s smirk held, which in itself wasn’t a good sign. Whatever he had was solid enough to him that he had no worries about its validity. “You simple minded creature, so blind to the obvious,” with his one hand still wrapped tightly around her collar, and the other grasping her by leg, Ivangir lifted the farm mare off the ground, wrenching her leg upwards while bringing her ear level with his lips, using the proximity to whisper to her, “You’re not a red collar because I didn’t break you.”

“W-what?” AJ replied, both shocked from having the ground removed from beneath her and dumbfounded by Ivangir’s statement.

“I did everything I could to tear your stubborn will from you. Raped you, beat you, put you at the mercy of my best men, rubbed your face in the dirt, and nothing worked,” Ivangir’s disdain for the mare’s past transgressions filled his words, “And then I heard you somehow wormed your way into a red collar because you won some stupid contest. Do you know how offended I was that a liar like you got away with that?”

While Ivangir’s hold on her was contorting her body in an painful manner, what he had to say was comforting. The only thing pointing to her collar being false was his own ego. As far as her secret was concerned, she was safe. Her body, on the other hand, was still in for a bit of punishment, as Invagir reminded her by rubbing his penis across her pussy.

“There is no way that a stallion could correct your defiant behavior when I couldn’t. The only reason I agreed to hand you off to him was because I knew you would end up back in my hands when it became clear that you couldn’t be taught.”

“So what ya are sayin’ is that you’re pissed that mah brother is mah master instead of you.” AJ said, happy to see Ivangir upset about not having things go the way he wanted for once. If his hands weren’t pre-occupied, she would have received a well deserved strike to the head, and would have been entirely satisfied with herself that it would have been his only response.

“It’s a shame, I’ve actually missed that impertinent attitude of yours. Used to get me all hot and bothered. It was a pleasant, if futile, change from the other mares who become sobbing messes the moment I lay eyes on them. None of them are a real challenge like you.” Ivangir, clenching the earth mare’s leg, pulled it to the side and placed his massive rod at her vaginal entrance, “But I suppose all good things must come to an end, and tonight the challenge is over.”

“What do ya-” The next thing to come from AJ’s mouth was a powerful gasp as pain entered her consciousness. She had been given little warning as the caribou pushed down on her shoulders, and forced his shaft halfway into her unprepared tunnel. His cock was as large and invading as she remembered, filling her so much that it felt that her insides might tear if he so much as moved.

“Tonight, I’m gonna break you. Ravage your body, and leave you wishing that you were my fucktoy again. Every night when you finger yourself to sleep, you’ll think of how you’re stuck digging up soil on a farm in the middle of nowhere when you could be straddling my stiff dick. It is the perfect way to end the relationship we’ve built together.”

AJ felt another push downwards on her shoulders, along with a mighty thrust from the caribou’s hips. The meaty penis inside her traveled deeper through the passage of her pussy, her tight tunnels in no way preventing its journey towards her womb. If Ivangir was planning to make her crave his cock above all others, this was not the way to do so. There was no sense of pleasure in this, no elation or ecstasy. The burning of her muscles as they were stretched far beyond a point of comfort combined with the pressure of other internal organs having to move and shift to accommodate the stag was pure agony. Every nerve in her crotch felt ablaze with the sensation of suffering.

At least with a stallion it felt good. As much as it made her feel dirty and used, there was something there that could distract her if she wanted. But here there was nothing of the sort; only the pain and misery that she had come to expect every time she had to copulate with the cruel caribou. And yet, while she was panting for breath and tearing up from the sudden internal trauma, she had to admit that it wasn’t nearly as bad as she remembered.

It was torturous, but tolerable. Strenuous, but sufferable. Agonizing, but only to a degree that it was acceptable. As Ivangir rammed his way into her womb, it wasn’t even a thought on her mind that it could have been because he was taking it easy on her. The caribou didn’t know the word ‘restraint’ except as something applied to a woman to keep them still. Something had changed though, and if it wasn’t him, it was her.

With another punishing push, the bulbous bulk of Ivangir’s cock head pressing and grinding against the walls of her sexual organs, AJ came to a conclusion that disgusted her. It wasn’t that Ivangir was showing mercy or was giving his best attempt to bring her pleasure, it was that her body had grown used to the violation. All that time she spent pleasuring the stallions in Ponyville on a bi-weekly, and sometimes tri-weekly, basis had ‘paid off’ in some way. She could now bear the pain of this sexual torment, her vaginal muscles having adapted to its frequency. She still loathed it, perhap now more than ever since it had actually changed her in some way she never wanted, but thanks to this it seemed like she would be able to withstand whatever the caribou might do to her without being left a wreck afterwards.

Seeing that she was now properly impaled on his most sensitive of organs, Ivangir took his hand off of Applejack’s neck and shoulder and grabbed the leg opposite of the one he was holding, pulling it and her other leg upwards. With her thighs firmly cupped in his grasp, the mare’s back pressed against his muscular chest, her tail draping over and around his balls and what little of his penis that still remained outside of her penetrated pussy. What pleasure and pain she would experience was now, quite literally, in his hands.

It started with a gentle lift upwards, her body rising off the shaft inside her. AJ could feel her insides becomes void once again, each centimeter removed causing more terrible sensations as her muscles tried to constrict in order to get back to a normal size, only to find that the solid mass of male meat was still obstructing the way. The only relief she gained was when the caribou’s dick exited her womb, and allowed her cervix a brief chance to vainly clench closed.

This was not to last though, and the caribou slammed himself back inside with a force that allow him to barge right past the half tightened flesh ring and back into the depths of the mare’s vagina. The stress on such a small section of her innards sent searing sensations through her, and as much as she wanted to hold back, to give Ivangir nothing for his effort, the pain got to her. She let out a scream, brought short as she was lifted to be shoved down again. Each plunge started her howling anew, with the caribou quickly gathering speed as the entrance to her womb had less and less time to make an attempt shut out the thing constantly barraging it’s barrier.

Out of pure reflex, Applejack’s hands reached for something to clench around in order to help tone out the pain. The only thing within reach though was Ivangir himself, and thus they clamped onto his biceps.

“Hehe, you’re starting to like this already huh?” Invagir mocked, never relenting as her drove the mare he held on his dick again, mistaking her reaction to her torture as an act of participation, “I can feel the dampness of your dirt mare cunt as I take it. The contorting of your insides as they lovingly squeeze around me. You missed this as much as I did… No, you missed it even more. You just can’t admit it to yourself that I was the best thing you ever had, isn’t that right?”

The question came with another strong thrust that hit the back of her womb with the force of a fist, and elicited a loud moan from her throat. The caribou took the cry of pain as sign that he was right, and pushed his dick in a few more times at the same strength. With the way Ivangir was recklessly trusting, her inside felt like they would become thoroughly bruised.

The other members of the caribou council on stage, noticing how far Ivangir had gotten with his own mare, pulled the mouths of the mares sucking on them away from their dicks. None of them wanted to be outdone by their associate, even though Ivangir was bigger and arguably the most powerful of the bunch, save for maybe Durnir.

“It’s about time you rode a real dick, you black collared cunt.” Durnir told Rainbow Dash as he slowly pulled out, cum leaking from the seam between the caribou’s cock and the mare’s mouth until it came out in one final burst, shooting out from the orifice as Dash refused to swallow any of it that wasn’t forced down her throat.

Durnir looked at the mess she made; his seed not only spilled on the floor, but covering the mare’s breasts and his own legs. “You’re gonna regret that.” he announced as he pulled the pegasus up by her rainbow mane. Not stopping at her getting her to her hooves, Durnir kept raising his arm up until the pegasus could no longer follow her shortly cut hair of her own volition, her body only proceeding to do so because the strains were attached firmly to the mare’s scalp.

The distance between Rainbow’s hooves and the floor grew rapidly. Her first instinct was to flap her wings to remove the stress on on her follicles, but the slightest extension of her plucked appendages reminded her of the pointy, pain inducing things that covered the inside of their encasement. Her next thought was to reach her for the ground with her hoof, but flailing for it with her legs proved fruitless. She had but one option left to stop her pain, and that was to get the caribou hurting her to stop.

With a twist of her body, Dash sent a hoof into Durnir’s side. What she made contact with was solid muscle, the abs of the caribou having no give to them. The caribou gave the lightest of grunts in reply to the swift strike, but that was enough for Rainbow to think she could get him to release her. She went for another kick to the same spot, and hit her mark with ease. However, Durnir wasn’t about to let her get in a third hit. His free hand clutched around Rainbow’s ankle before it could retreat again, having prepared for the second blow. “Gotcha, bitch,” he said before pulling the leg up, his strength and the pegasus mare’s limberness allowing him to keep going until his hands could join with one another.

Limber as the mare might have been, the stretching of leg tendons added to her agony, which greatly increased her desire to be free of the caribou man handling her. With her other leg, she continued her flails, but wasn’t allowed to keep it up for too long as Durnir removed his hold on her hair and wrapped his arm around her body. His massive strength allowed him to compress her body against his own, and pin her legs between their two torsos.

Thus trapped, Rainbow had little room left to struggle. It didn’t stop her from trying though, and with all of her remaining strength she did what she could to escape the fate Durnir had in store for her. With her arms bound, body held, and the stag’s erect dick, slick with her own saliva, pressed against her lower lips, all it took was a simple thrust to take away any chance that would happen. Lubricated as it was, the caribou’s cock slipped between her legs and inside Dash’s tight slit with ease, and with it shoved inside so easily, Dash could do nothing but let out a low, throaty moan at her defeat.

The others didn’t nearly give the same resistance that Rainbow Dash did, and the caribou saw no reason to put in the effort to use excessive force on women who would obey what they were told. Simple commands got the remaining mares into positions preferable to the men. Getting on all fours, moving to their back, straddling the hips of their caribou, or letting their legs wrap around the waist of the one who would take them, each of the red collars obeyed the instructions given to them, and one by one was penetrated by the men who craved the warmth of their willing pussies.

---

From Mac’s spot in the audience, the scene on stage was becoming one big mass of bodies pushing into one another. The group was too crowded to really see what was going on, but it didn’t take much imagination to figure out what was happening. The six mares, with the exception of AJ, had finished fellating the members in the counsel, so the next logical step was to stick it in their other holes. No gimmicks or odd sexual devices to aid them, just six mares getting fucked by six men who felt they had to press a point through the use of a carnal act.

In any normal circumstance, this is where Mac might have gone out for a breath of fresh air, since watching others having sex really didn’t appeal to him, and watching Applejack as she was violated appealed to him even less. This time just felt different though, and there were plenty of reasons why. He didn’t want to leave his sister alone while the person who raped her first proceeded to do so again, nor did he want Ivangir to hit Applejack like he had done earlier in his absence. Above everything else though, he wanted to watch his sister’s reactions to what was done to her, and gauge if she truly did take some form of enjoyment from it.

He wasn’t sure why, but something about what Shining Armor had said had stuck with him. The unicorn had made at least a little sense in his theory of why a mare would choose to suffer as a black collar. Peer pressure was a very powerful thing in the right hands, and could easily influence those of weak will. The issue with that was that he never considered Applejack to be a person of weak will, but for all he knew that could have changed the moment a caribou dick defiled her.

If AJ had any tells though, she wasn’t showing them as Ivangir slammed her down that very cock. Most of the time her teeth were gritted, her eye wide in agony, and the sounds coming from her were labored and forced. Then again, with the way Ivangir was going at it, there was no wonder why AJ was doing so. Being a stallion who had seen his fair share of action, Mac had a general idea of what women liked, and Ivangir certainly wasn’t bothering to do any of it. It actually looked like he was doing his best to deny pleasure to Applejack; sadistically thrusting his penis inside her with reckless abandon while he squeezed her breasts until they looked like they were about to pop.

The only indication that she was enjoying her time with the caribou was the visible wetness of her pussy. She wasn’t gushing the throes of climax, but Mac could see a thin layer of her sexual fluid coating Ivangir’s rod. That was normal, as she had always produced a bit when she had sex, but the substance bothered him with his new perspective on things. How many times had she told him it was just a natural reaction she couldn’t control? AJ couldn’t have been lying all this time about it, could she?

Mac shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Why was he even questioning if she was enjoying herself? Before he just wondered if she was being defiant because he motivated her. When did that lead to her actually wanting to be a sex slave? His imagination was getting away with him, taking him down a thought path that he didn’t wish to explore.

When the clydesdale gave his head a few shakes to remove the things appearing in his mind, the caribou standing right next to him quickly took notice. “Mac, is something the matter?” asked Gunne, noticing that the stallion’s complexion was looking a bit paler than usual, “You’re looking a bit ill. Is your stomach upset? If so, I’ll make sure that the mare that prepared the food for the gala receives a proper punishment for serving something unfit for consumption.”

“No,” Mac replied while giving his skull a few more shakes for good measure, “It’s not mah stomach bothering me.”

“Hmmm….” Gunne pondered aloud, not convinced that his compatriot was ok, “Then what’s the problem? You didn’t do anything tonight, so it’s not sexual fatigue. Well… unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Well unless you’ve been trying to suppress your desires all night. All those pent up urges aren’t good for a stallion, not even one such as yourself.”

“The problem isn’t that I’m not getting mah rocks off,” Mac said with a bit of anger at the assumption. Didn’t he understand that what the caribou council was doing up on that stage would turn the stomach of anyone who didn’t follow the caribou ideals?

The sickening sight of having those that had been so close to you that you could deem them family fucked before your eyes, the rhythmic thrusting of flesh into flesh, bodies conjoining in an act of pleasure. Mares who had once acted as Equestria’s protectors being used as sex slaves by the one group of villains they were unable to stop. Each, in Mac’s mind at least, either having been brainwashed into enjoying this treatment that an otherwise sane pony would despise, or being humiliated and tortured because they managed to resist the caribou’s mental conditioning. It was all very, very, taxing.

Then again, perhaps that really wasn’t the case for Mac, at least not anymore. He had seen enough of this kind of thing first hand over the past year that it almost didn’t phase him. After all, he wasn’t exactly averting his gaze as he tried to read Applejack’s body language, and if anything that bothered him most of all. The moment that this all became nothing to him, or even normal, was the moment he lost a part of himself.

Maybe it really was time he stepped out for some fresh air. He wasn’t helping his sister by just standing here, and this whole thing was filling him with thoughts that refused to be forced from his head. AJ would understand, if she even noticed at all. This was their usual pattern afterall.

“I’m gonna go outside,” Mac said to Gunne as he turned for the door, “This is all too much for me right now.”

“Well if you want, I’ll come and get you after the council are done having their fun. Where will I be able to find you?”

“I’m just going out the front door. I’ll try not to get too far away from-” There had been many things in Mac’s life that had made the clydesdale cut short a sentence. The sound of a crashing apple cart, a flocking swarm of fruit bats, a surprise kiss from a mare who liked him. However, never before had one been trumped by a mere smile, at least until now.

He didn’t know how long she had been there, observing him from a safe distance as she waited to be noticed, but a pure white alicorn with hair of the many colors of an aurora in the night sky had been sitting on her knees, hands on the floor behind him for some time.

“Princess…” The word escaped his mouth, as if it were the most natural response one could ever have in the presence of this woman. Her image, even with her horn cut to a stump and her wings covered by those atrocious binders, was the very image of regality. Her body was, for lack of a better word, perfect, and almost seemed to cast a light in the dimly lit room.

“I didn’t catch that last part Mac, where did you say you would… be?” Gunne, turning to catch Mac before he had gotten too far, laid eyes on Celestia as well. Her presence there vexed him as much as the clydesdale, but for different reasons. “What are you doing here, mare? Why are you not seated at your master’s side like a proper pet?”

Celestia bowed her head, sliding her hands forward on the ground while bending her upper torso forward till her breasts pressed into the floor and her mane draped over her face. “I am here on behalf of my master,” she said, “He couldn’t help but notice that one of the attendees of his party was having a bad time, not joining in with any of the other stallions in conversation, or partaking of any of the many mares present tonight. With the night growing increasingly short, he didn’t want to let a guest leave the party unpleased, and so he sent me to ensure that your night didn’t end with you leaving unhappy.”

“And by that ya mean?” asked Mac, hoping that she didn’t mean what he thought she meant.

“If you wish it, sir, my body is yours to do with for the remainder of the night.” Celestia declared as she rose back up, that smile still on her muzzle, disturbing Mac by how innocent and, for lack of a better word, ‘real’ it looked.

It was like she didn’t understand what had been going on all night – that the mares of her kingdom had had their lives utterly decimated, that the stallions had been corrupted into fiendish creatures consumed by desire, that her own cherished sister was mere feet away and dangled in agony from her bonds. Red collar or no, it was impossible for the princess that he knew to ever be happy knowing that this was the destiny that her people had been forced into. How in Equestria could the wise and benevolent alicorn princess simply sit there and smile when so many were suffering?

But... as he actually stopped to take a look at the former ruler of Equestria, an explanation finally dawned on him. Somehow, he had failed to notice something that was different from his mental image of the alicorn aside from her severed horn, plucked wings, and a branding of black chains that overlapped her cutiemark. Her collar, which he assumed was red, was instead purple.

It was something so terrible that Mac had to take some time to process this new revelation. How could the caribou do such a thing, and when? When he walked into the the gala and saw Celestia at a distance, he could have sworn she was still wearing a red collar. Had it been a trick of the light, or of his own mind denying the possibility that of all ponies, Celestia, a pony older than any other, who had faced the trials and seen tribulations that spanned the entirety of pony history, could be so broken.

Only when faced directly with the truth did Mac have to accept it, and he knew that he was not mistaken since the large shrouds entrapping her wings were also of that same purple hue. The caribou had mentally destroyed the best ponykind had to offer, and if they could do that, they could do anything. He could feel another part of his heart chipping off as he stared into Celestia’s face, that smile of hers never wavering. The princess he knew was not here, she was miles away in what he hoped was a better place than the hell she had left behind.

At his side, he heard what sounded like suppressed snickering coming from his caribou associate. Mac had already been pushed to his limit several times that night, tested to see exactly how much he could take, and it appeared that Gunne wished to test that limit as well. This was one line crossed too many though, and Mac’s tolerance was low. Still, he restrained his urge to take Gunne by the armor to express the seriousness of the matter, and instead said to the stag, “What the heck do you find funny about this?”

“I’m sorry, Mac, but you must admit the situation is a bit humorous,” Gunne answered, doing what he could to wipe the smirk off his face for the sake of the stallion he considered his friend, “I mean you and I both know quite well why you’ve been avoiding things that any other man would jump at the opportunity to do, but your abstinence has been rewarded by the opportunity with one of the most sought after mares in Equestria.”

The caribou was, yet again, aggravatingly correct about the situation. Celestia, save for what the caribou had done to mar her, was the very image of beauty. Her voluptuous body haunted the hormone-filled minds of many a colt, and Mac would be lying if he said he never had an impure thought about the kind and beloved alicorn princess. With the former princess being nothing more than a sex slave, and stallions as open as they were with their perverted thoughts nowadays, there was no denying that most would trade in every mare they owned, and then some, just for a single night to do as they pleased with her heavenly body.

“So, Mac, I don’t suppose you’re actually going to take advantage of this rare situation, are you?” Gunne asked rhetorically, assuming that the stallion’s predictable moral qualms would rear their head once more.

A bit of worry appeared on Celestia’s face, “Does my body not please you?”

“It’s not like that.” Mac said in knee jerk reaction to the statement, “Ah think you’re a lovely woman, and that any stallion should feel lucky just being able to see you…” Mac gulped, taking in the every part of Celestia’s nude form, “As ya are.”

“Be careful Mac,” Gunne warned, “You don’t want to give this one a big head.”

“Can’t Ah even give a mare a compliment without ya-” For a second time, Celestia cut Mac off mid-sentence, but it wasn’t her smile that did it this time, it was her body.

Without warning, the alicorn rubbed up against the clydesdale while he was was distracted by his caribou companion,shoulder and ass raised as her back curved downward, starting with her face before running the entirety of her body had made one solid pass against Mac’s leg. That action felt similar to a cat seeking attention, with Celestia making a series of delighted sounds to further complete the connection. “Then I’ll be happy to fulfill your every desire, no matter how humiliating or strenuous it would be on my person. If it pleases you, I’ll take your cock into all my holes, no matter how much it stretches me. I’ll let you spank me till my ass turns red, or you may tie me up and handle my vulnerable body as rough as you see fit, if slapping my flank isn’t enough to sate your desires. My only wish is your enjoyment and happiness, and as a sex slave the only way I can provide it is through my body.”

Taking a second pass, the alicorn took a chance to press the side of her face against the crotch of Mac’s suit pants. Fight as he might, biology took over, and an uncomfortable erection took shape from this, with his penis and embarrassment rising at even rates. Watching his sister being violated was too much for him to stand by idly and watch, so seeing the mare he still mentally saw as the rightful ruler of Equestria, despite her current state of mind, acting in this less than flattering manner in the hopes that she would be bedded by him was in a whole different league. Celestia, regardless of what the caribou felt, represented the best aspects of ponies everywhere; and to Mac, seeing her turned into a purple collar and shaped into some kind of a sex pet in her mentally fragmented state felt like an insult.

And yet, he didn’t simply push the brain-damaged princess aside so he could walk out of the banquet hall as he had intended. Amidst the atrocity of it all, there was a part of Mac that acknowledged the fantastical aspect of this situation. Celestia was on her hands and knees before him, all but pleading for him to allow her the privilege of pleasuring him. His repulsion was in contest with a shameful side that he thought he had put away in the light of the caribou invasion. A side of himself that actually did enjoy the absurd display happening before him.

Celestia was such a charming person in her rule that she could have had anyone if she wanted, yet seldom held a suitor for whatever reasons she had. The idea of being the one to reintroduce her to the pleasures of the flesh was an often thought of, but never spoken dream that entered the minds of all stallions, or perhaps even all ponies, from time to time. It was a thought that took many shapes; ranging from a simple romantic affair, to more ambitious fantasies of becoming king and ruling Equestria together, to more caribou-esque concepts of having the princess at one’s mercy to do with as one pleased, if only for a short time. Mac’s own imagination usually led him towards the former, since he enjoyed what his simple farm life was at one point and wasn’t really deep into the bondage stuff himself, only having ever done some very light rope play if his partner requested they do something outside the norm.

So, as much as he hated to admit it, he felt a slight temptation to act on Celestia’s offer, one akin with wanting to take a piece of candy from a store. What would it hurt if Mac took the Alicorn somewhere private and pleasured her like a mare should be? As a purpled mare, Celestia might not even remember it beyond that night, seeing him as just another stallion from the hundreds, maybe thousands, that she had already been made to fuck and would be made to fuck down the line. The only men that would know about this would be Gunne and the king, as everyone else was so fixated on what was happening on stage that they didn’t even notice the alicorn had left it herself, so he didn’t really think rumors would spread if he did decide to indulge himself for once.

Gunne would applaud him for coming out of his shell for once, but he didn’t seem the type to go out of his way to repeat another man’s business, especially if he felt it would offend the person. As for the king, while Mac had no clue on what he was really like, enough stallions and stags had done so much to his pet by this point that this wouldn’t mean anything to him, and thus wouldn’t even be worth talking about in the first place. So really, what would it mean if just this once Mac said ‘fuck it’ and took a moment to fulfil a personal fantasy? Like Gunne had said, this was a rare thing for a stallion like Mac, since the pleasure of screwing the former princess was a privilege usually reserved only for the highest members of Equestrian society and the loyal guardsmen of Canterlot. A farm pony like himself got only one shot at a body like hers, if they ever got a shot at all.

“Ah! Ugh! ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!!” Lamented sounds of a mare in the midst of an unwanted and unsatisfying climax hit his ears. He had heard this far too many times not to know it’s source, and his brotherly instincts took over. Immediately he turned away from the once proud matriarch treating his leg like a rubbing post, sending his attention back towards the stage.

In the time that had passed since he last laid eyes on his sister, her position had changed dramatically. Instead of having Ivangir hold her up off the ground by her thighs, her hooves were now planted well on the ground, upper body bent forward into a near perfect right angle as Ivangir pummeled her ass from behind. It would have been hard for her keep balanced in such a position, but the caribou was helping her with that in characteristic fashion. He had taken her neatly braided mane and knotted it around her wrists, holding onto the end of it so he held up AJ’s weight using the roped length of hair and the arms they were tied to.

AJ assisted in the matter the best she could, pulling with her bound arms to keep her body from dipping down too low, but not doing much else except holler and struggle. From the moment this started, Ivangir had taken any control AJ could have had away from her, making his actions be what moved her body. As she was, even if she wanted to escape the caribou’s aggressive invasion of her ass, he would just pull her back painfully by her hair. With the way Applejack’s head was angled, her back curving in a sharp arc, it looked like Ivangir was doing that regardless, just so she would have the worst possible experience he could grant her.

It showed too, as AJ alternated from clenching everything in an attempt to ease or block out the agony she felt, to yelling at the top of her lungs wide eyed as she let her misery out. Of all the times Mac watched someone rape his sister, this was certainly the most brutal sexual assault he had seen yet, which was in its own way amazing seeing as the caribou was just using his body and not something like a whip or a crop or some other device created for the sheer purpose of inflicting pain. Each thrust of his hips pushed his Applejack’s whole body forward, making her breasts sway and her hooves nearly leave the ground from the force.

The reckless, uncaring treatment of his sister horrified Mac, but also gave him the perspective he needed. Witnessing AJ in what had to be one of the absolute worst moments in her life, he didn’t even know what he had been thinking just a few moments before. If he was to compromise his moral values by having sex with Celestia, it could end up leading to him looking at mares as the caribou did. It could start out as mere curiosity, and have all the good intentions in the world as he worked to give Celestia what the caribou conditioned her to want, but that was a slippery slope. One time where he reasoned to himself that ‘it would be okay to try’ could easily turn to him thinking ‘no one would stop me if I did’, and then where would he go from there?

That logic might have been an exaggeration, and perhaps for him it could have been a one and done, but why risk damning himself. If he could resist such thoughts further down the line, what would that mean? He would still have to live with the mistake he made, eating away at him as he attempted to keep it a secret from his loved ones. It was just not worth it.

His silent revelation didn’t stop temptation from giving it another try though, and soon her felt another rub against his thigh as Celestia once more gave him a show of affection. “Are you sure you don’t wish to use my eager and willing body? Yours would be the first real dick I’ve had all night, and I would make sure to satisfy you in every way imaginable. It would be something you would never forget.”

“Yeah… That’s what I’m afraid of...” Mac said, knowing that it wouldn’t be hard for the alicorn to back up her claim.

“But sir, I promise you that my cunt it the greatest in all of Equestria,” Celestia went on to say in the most sultry voice she could muster, not quite done trying to convince the stallion, “And if it is not what you desire, then my whorish ass would graciously accept your cum. Should it fail to entice, my skills with my mouth and tongue are sure to suffice, as well as my massive tits as I use them to stroke you to climax.”

Mac shook his head. He could swear that something in the universe was trying to test him, but he would not fail in this instance. Even so, he didn’t have it in him to lay a hand on Celestia, even to guide her away. However, Gunne had no qualms in doing that for him.

“You’ve overestimate your abilities of seduction,” said the stag as he snatched up her multicolored mane and directed her head away from Mac’s leg, “He said he didn’t want to fuck you.”

Celestia hardly flinched as she was torn away from the male she was sent to pleasure. In fact, she looked elated as her beautiful hair was painfully tugged at. “Yes sir, I understand. I was only trying to do as my master instructed me.”

“And you failed,” Gunne scolded her, though he knew well enough that the only reason she did was because Mac wasn’t interested. “Now be a good alicorn whore and return to the king. If he is feeling merciful he’ll give you another opportunity to redeem yourself later.”

“That is a wonderful thought,” the alicorn said showing delight, the continued tugs on her hair seeming to thrill her as her cheeks blushed and she let her tongue hang from her mouth in a lewd expression.

Gunne aimed Celestia around the crowd and back towards the steps of the stage so she could rejoin with her master. He sent her along her way with his hoof by giving her a firm push against her posterior, and when he felt he had made sure the purple mare knew where she was going he returned to Mac.

“Well that was something,” he said, “And I think it has let me learn just a little bit more about you.”

“What more could ya possibly know about me now that ya didn’t before?” Mac asked, believing that his nature wasn’t really that hard to read. He had been an open book about everything up to now, so what more was there for the caribou to read into.

“I’m beginning to think you might actually be incurable.” Gunne replied, though not with the kind of apprehension Mac would expect from such a statement when coming from a caribou. If anything, it looked like the idea amused Gunne.

“Ya get that just from me turning down an offer from sex from th- I mean from her?”

“Not exactly,” Gunne said, taking his place at the back of the crowd so he could continue watching the show on stage, “But one has to admit that the king’s pet one of the more attractive females of your race. Yet, you’ve built up this seemingly impervious wall in your mind that prevents you from acting on your natural urges, no matter how tempting. You simply refuse to succumb to it.”

“And that makes me mentally ill to you?” Mac was feeling like this was leading another one of Gunne’s unintentional insults.

“I think that it makes you a rather silly stallion,” Gunne said, doing all he could to refrain from smirking, “It will be interesting to see how long you latch to this ‘moral code’ you have formed from growing up in the terrible environment you did, and believe me when I say that I still don’t truly believe in such things as ‘incurable stallions’, but you might be the closest thing to the concept as there could be.”

“And what does that mean between us?” Perhaps the previous encounter with Shining Armor still had his nerves wound up too tightly, but he just wanted to make sure that he hadn’t crossed over some line that made Gunne perceive him as a threat.

“Nothing at all,” Gunne reassured, “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, but you’re illness means nothing to me so long as you abide by the laws the king has set in place. As far as I’ve seen, you’ve done nothing wrong, and I could even say that you act more like a man should than all of the other mentally deficient males I have met. So unless you’re feeling guilty over something you’ve done, you should really stop worrying.”

“Ah guess you’re right…” Mac said, realizing that he had asked this same question, or variations of it, far too many times, “I’ll try not to bring that up again.”

“I would appreciate that. Now then, it looks like the counsel is almost done. It would be a wasted trip if you decided to leave now.”

Looking at the stage, it did appear that the counsel was coming to a climax, in more ways than one. Their faces were covered in signs of blissful pleasure, and they were thrusting into their selected mare with a lack of control as they rushed towards their own build orgasm. With the end coming so soon, there was no point in not sticking around and seeing what would happen.

He joined with the rest of the ponies watching, locking his eye on the horrid display on stage. It enveloped his attention so much that he didn’t feel the touch of two gentle hands setting down on his shoulders, nor did he sense the muzzle going up to his ear. He didn’t even realize anything odd was happening until he heard the words “I’m sorry Macintosh” whispered into his ear by the sweetest, most sympathetic voice he had ever heard.

He knew this voice, as he had just heard it not moments ago. It was Celestia’s, though it in no way reflected the tone the purple collared alicorn had before. She sounded less like a cock hungry whore, and more like the princess he remembered. It stunned him, more than anything else had in the past year, just to hear those three words spoken by that kind and caring voice.

He stood there for a moment, frozen in place, as the hands slipped off his shoulders. Mac suddenly felt very alone, the presence of the noises and people around him becoming very distant. All he could think about was those three words, and what Celestia could have been apologizing for. Was she just trained to be apologetic in general, and thus was saying sorry that she couldn’t satisfy him? Did she understand that he wasn’t like every other male at the party, and was giving her condolences for the way things had become? For all he knew, it could be an apology for something completely obscure, and unrelated to the fall or her duties as a slave all together.

He needed answers, but as he turned to see if the alicorn was still there, he caught only the glimpse of her tail disappearing behind the congregation of ponies and stags. With the question of what she meant burning in his thoughts, he of course gave chase, but by the time he got around the bend himself, Celestia had gotten to the steps of the stage. He knew well enough that going on the stage was a bad idea, and the two guards stationed at the step reinforced that notion. As much as it bothered him, it looked like he would never know the reason Celestia decided he deserved some sort of apology.

---

The world was a blur; a mixture of pain, misery, and a constant reminder that there was a person who was the cause of both. Applejack could feel Ivangir so far inside her ass that the first bend in her intestines had to reshape itself just to accommodate him. It felt like Ivangir was doing everything in his power to test the limits of her endurance, and unfortunately she was passing with flying colors. An average mare might’ve blacked out, unable to handle the intensity of the caribou’s lust, but the farm mare didn’t have such liberties.

“What’s the matter?” The caribou said as he pulled back on the braid he held, having tied it so loosely around her wrists that he could use it to yank her head backwards. “I heard you did this to yourself when you got that red collar of yours. You should be loving this.”

AJ didn’t know if Ivangir was legitimately asking her a question or whether he was just mocking her, but she didn’t really have the ability to care let alone answer. The violent thrusting was was making her head spin, filling her with a horrid concoction of sensations every time he shoved into her depths, as well as physically propelling her whole body so she couldn’t focus her vision on anything as her head was constantly bobbing up and down.

The only thing she could concentrate on was the damage that Ivangir had done to her. Her inner womanhood was essentially one giant cramp, strained to its limit when it was made to stretch around the massive fleshy rod that now inhabited her ass, still dripping out the thick, white batter that the caribou left behind when switching holes. There were plenty of bruises forming under her fur from where Ivangir would deliver the occasional slap or grope a spot far too roughly, and she was beginning to feel rope burn on her wrists from all the rubbing her braid was doing against it. There was nothing pleasant about this, as even when her biology took over and an orgasm came it only intensified the pain as tired muscles tried to perform a function they had already been pushed too far to accomplish.

As images whirled about her in blotches of brown surrounded by a sea of black, she occasionally spotted a blur of color in the mix. AJ knew that these splotches of pink, white, blue, yellow and purple were her friends, each only a few feet away from her and in a similar position as herself. When Ivangir decided he had spent enough time in what he considered foreplay, the others followed by his example and gathered to bring this night to a close. As they stood, the six caribou and six mares stood in pairs, forming a circle with their bodies. The council, each gripping their selected mare by either their arms or mane, were all faced inward so they could watch the others as they piston fucked the pony impaled on their penis, each doing everything in their power to outdo the others in an impromptu competition of masculinity.

Because of their positions, the six female ponies were likewise face to face, their heads bobbing in and out of the center of the circle as they were pounded, filling the space with moans, grunts and gasps. Rainbow Dash added her own enraged howls to this, as even now she struggled to fight a through a situation beyond her control, but no one outside of the circle could here them over the sounds of passionate lust, and Twilight’s own shameful declarations of being “The Pony Princess of Pussy” as she let herself blurt out whatever lewd thoughts would come to mind.

There had already been a few times that AJ had to endure something like this, where she and her friends were brought together to serve as some sort of an example, to validate the supremacy of men and act as a symbol of female weakness. When they surrendered the Elements of Harmony to the Tree of Harmony, the caribou’s revised Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant, the Gala, it was all different ways of expressing the same point.

So as she was having her backside pounded by the guy she hated worst in the world, she couldn’t help but have her thoughts wander to the future that was ahead of her. She and Mac had followed Gunne’s plan to a T, acquired the red collar that he promised would make things better, but what did it really improve? Even if someday Mac was able to keep her on the farm and away from the men of Ponyville, as unlikely as that was, events like these would still be a constant problem in her life.

Days where she would be paraded like some prize before hundreds. Where she wouldn’t be under Ivangir’s “protection”, and would she would have to fuck any man or mare that came before her like a red collar was expected to do. She would have to fuck, suck, and slurp on her own accord, with each action adding another regret to the pile. What would that do to her over time, to her will, to her sense of self?

The blurred streaks of color around her showed many possible futures for the farm mare, many points where this lie could lead. She could end up like Rarity; a mare who seemed to only play her part out of sheer hopelessness; stripped of any power and standing she had as a free mare, cowed into a corner she had no ability of getting herself out of, and living day by day in a lie so she could pretend that she was living the life she wanted. It was a sad, underserved destiny for anyone who had what she could to put the wants and needs of others before her own.

She could become like Pinkie Pie; partially, or perhaps fully, succumbing to base lust and desire, her true self all but lost in an ocean of euphoria. It seemed less likely an outcome for AJ, since she wasn’t a brothel mare, but over time the despair and remorse of the life that was stolen from her could take it’s toll, and maybe that would be enough to break even her if she allowed it. How long would it be when the act stopped being an act? How long would it be until the persona she invented to get her through these situations took over, her anger and disgust buried beneath a facade.

Even if her personality persisted, she could turn out to be like Fluttershy. Submitting to the caribou, adhering to their ways, and becoming a mockery of what she really was. It was horrific to lose one’s self because of abuse or an onslaught of sex, but to lose all sense of will while your mind was still intact was a different, yet equally frightening, horror altogether. A shiver flowed over her as scenarios formed in her head. She could see herself doing some mundane task one day, something like delivering a cart of vegetables to Ponyville, and finding herself on her knees before a stallion because he told her to abandon her work to suck down his dick, simply because he told her to.

The unsettling thought of having another’s word dictate her actions blocked out the sensation of another orgasm being forced into her by Ivangir’s savage thrusts, her fear of such a life overpowering even biology. The fluids of her climax seeped out of her pussy and down her leg did remind her that there was one more option left however, that of Twilight. The others might have been transformed into something far from what they were in their lives before the caribou, the alicorn’s own changes were by far the most extreme. It still dumbfounded her how one of the nicest, smartest, and heroic mares she ever had the pleasure of being friends with could become approve of an evil concept such as slavery, and comply with the desires of villains who would casually destroy everything she use to stand for.

It begged the question ‘if a pony like Twilight could turn so easily, could the same happen to anyone else’? Could AJ one day become what she despised; a true red collar, tossing away all sense of morality, taking joy in her enslavement, defend it as the only destiny a woman could have in this caribou ruled world? Could she turn a blind eye to the suffering of others, or go as far as to join in? The earth pony had seen mares in the past gleefully entrap others struggling for freedom and escape in painfully tight bondage, the near crushing embrace of the rope and leather squeezing tears from their bodies as they screamed to deaf ears for mercy. She had watched women guide an unwilling mare’s mouth down on a dick to till they choked on the engorged stallionhood. She had experienced first hand how someone who she used to buy flowers from tried to betray ponies she was close to, with only the promise of more sex as a reward. What would it take for the farm mare to become like them, and was she already unknowingly walking down that road.

These were the four examples of what awaited her in her future as a red collar. Loss of hope, loss of sanity, loss of will, loss of self. Each one of these fates were equally terrible, and lead to an end that was against everything she stood for. She would rather die than turn out that way, where she could no longer even pretend that there would be a day where things would be better. Without that hope, she might as well just lay down, give up completely, and refuse to allow the caribou anymore satisfaction from her by becoming unresponsive to everything. Would be better to do that than to live a lie.

As those thoughts passed, a warm feeling became more and more noticeable to the mare. The feeling formed inside her, building in her core, accompanied with a certain familiar pressure. Ivangir’s elongated groan of pleasure, as well as his strengthened pull on her mane, let her know that the caribou had finally came. His jism was flooding her intestine, pouring out of Ivangir’s cock in such volume that she felt it might find its way to her stomach.

She gritted her teeth as her ravaged body was held in painful pose; legs together, ass spread wide from the cock in it, her body bent awkwardly with Ivanagir pushing down at the bottom of her spine, while at the same time pulling her head back. Her back curved to it’s limit, while her chest pushed outward. The longer she was held there, the more her muscles cramped and stiffened, intensifying her agony. Ivangir, reaching the end of his climax, pulled out his cum covered cock out to near removal from the apple mare’s ass, and gave two finale powerful thrusts to finish his victim off.

The first one forced AJ to break what little composure she had retained, her muzzle unclenching as sparks in her body sent jolts through her, compelling her to let out one last moan as she was made to cum one final time against her will. The second jab into her innards cut her cry short though, as the caribou simultaneously pushed his rod in as hard as he could and pulled back oh her mane with the same intensity. For a small moment, Applejack’s body was lifted completely off the ground by the meat mast inside her. The narrowness of her irises, as well as her silence, expressing the combined horror and misery she felt, but even the mighty caribou dick couldn’t hold up a full sized earth pony body for long, and after a few brief moments of suspension, Ivangir released her hair and allowed her to slide off his still spurting sex organ.

AJ hit the wooden floor of the stage hard, the force of the impact staying with her as she felt the remaining wads of cum rained down on her from the caribou standing over her. The hot, white spunk felt like it was everywhere, covering both her insides and outsides. It was a nasty feeling, but one she had gone through countless times as a slave. Yet, somehow the cariou’s cum made it all the worse, like the substance was more filthy… grimier. She would rather be covered head to hoof in muck from a pig pen than to have a drop of caribou sperm on her, but right now half of her body was covered in the substance.

Still, through her disgust, embarrassment, and full body aches, she managed to make a smile. AJ had been violated in a way that no other male had ever done to her before on their own, but she had made her way through it all. It was reminiscent of pulling a triple shift in the fields, working herself till she had no energy left. Applejack would be feeling the effects of it for a few days after, but she had push herself through it all the same. She was done, having fulfilled the physical part of her obligations. Her muscles could now relax, she could at last put this night behind her. The feeling of her pain fading away was more enjoyable than any of the orgasms brought on by her rape, the relief more comforting that the undesired pleasure ever was.

“See,” she heard the caribou standing above her body announce, “This red collar bitch loves riding my cock! Look at how pleased she looks! Pushed past her limits, and still she grins like the stupid cunt getting a new sex toy!” The crowd gave a round of applause and cheers to Ivangir’s statement, and with their admiration, the caribou directed his attention back to AJ, “And now you can consider yourself a red collar. Be appreciative that I spent all this time to drill your true purpose into that thick skull of yours, as you won’t get the privilege of being impaled by my cock again. You were more interesting as a stupid and stubborn black collar, and as a red you’re just another dime a dicking dirt mare that’ll turn tricks for any guy who wants to stick it in ya. Completely, and utterly, worthless.”

Ivangir made his way off stage, passing by Applejack to deliver one last small kick to her gut before leaving her to lay in a pool of his semen. AJ didn’t even bother to react to the hit, she was past the point of caring about both his petty attempts to insult her, and his physical abuse of her being. If what Ivangir said was the truth, then he would never be a problem for her ever again. He had achieved his glorious triumph in his mind, believing he had finally broken her. After that, she was no longer any fun. She was just another red collar in an ever increasing population of mares turning into cum sluts, and with no particularly interesting traits on top of that, she had become boring to the caribou who derived pleasure from taming those who resisted his will. For her, his disinterest was one of the greatest rewards her otherwise repugnant red collar could ever grant.

With the pain in her ass gone, and the soreness in her rear receding, Applejack took a moment to relax and allow the world around her to stop wobbling after the harsh thrusting her body been put through. The blurred colors were once more resembling her friends, and the brown backgrounds they were splashed against reshaped into the caribou fucking them. The other red collars certainly looked as if they were enjoying themselves more than she had, each being consumed in a constant string of orgasm. Fluttershy’s was wincing ever so slightly, the caribou pounding her pussy perhaps being too aggressive, but she was still going along with not so much as a ‘no’ to what was being done to her.

Rarity seemed to have changed her tune as well from her earlier attitude, with nothing but lustful moans escaping her exhusted lungs. Her head was so clouded with pleasure that she had trouble controlling her body, having to be supported by the one taking her from behind, the cruel caribou holding the top half of the unicorn’s body up by her once lovely mane alone, while keeping the back half upright with her tail. The parts of her body that could, that being her arms and jaw, hung limply as her pupils tried their best to vanish behind her upper eyelids. Her tongue popped out on occasion from the rhythmic pumping of her pussy, and its retreat back into her muzzle was the only sign that she wasn’t completely out of it. Rarity would certainly sleep soundly once the gala was over, that was unless Shining Armor felt that she somehow didn’t deserve it after all she was put through.

AJ watched the other reds for only a short time as she caught her breath, catching a second wind right as she heard the remaining council members reach their own limits. One by one, they sounded off their last grunts and poured what little cum they managed to preserve throughout the gala’s festivities into their respective mare. Each of the girls announced their acknowledgement that they pleased the caribou inside them, heralding the arrival of their sperm with a few final sounds of shock, excitement or, in Rainbow’s case, outrage and dismay before being released and allowed to join the apple mare on the floor. The group became a quivering, gasping mass of cum spewing bodies, on the verge of clocking out from the physical stress they had received over the course of the night, with Applejack, being the only one to avoid the gauntlet of sexual activities, the only one who still felt capable of moving of her own accord. All the others were devastated, writhing on the ground in punishing pleasure that resonated through their beings. Twitches, shuddered gasps, and small squeaks were all any of the other ponies could create after such an exasperating ordeal.

For a while, the caribou surveyed the six mares they destroyed with their dicks, basking in their own masculine glory as they listened to the cheers directed towards them from the other guests of the gala. The council members had little doubt that they were amongst the most virile of the men there, and no one there would deny it seeing how they had outlasted everyone else. However, even the best the caribou had to offer had its limits, and for the first time in a long time each one of them could say that they were spent, but in the end they still were not satisfied. They knew they could obtain gratification through means other than sexual dominance, and that they could show these mares where they stood without the use of their emptied dicks.

“Get your stupid cunts in gear,” Hrathr said, bending over so he could place a finger into the rings of both Applejack and Fluttershy’s collars. Feeling a tug, the two mares looked inside for whatever reserves they managed to hold onto during their intense session of climaxes. They allowed Hrathr to lead them, as a pet would allow its master, and were brought to the edge of the stage. The other council member brought the other four over as well, exerting their power over the mares through their exhaustion to line them all up side by side.

With most of them almost too tired to hold themselves upright, the caribou assisted them by gripping the back of their collars. The six former elements of harmony, put on display as their cum filled orifices spilled their contents all over the floor, showed just exactly how thoroughly a caribou could devastate a woman with their dicks. The way they struggled to keep from succumbing to their weariness, or slipping into euphoric bliss after countless orgasms, reinforced the notion that no man could quite match up to the sexual prowess of the caribou council. Everything about these mares made that more than clear, from their cum drowned, spasming pussies, to their glazed over eyes, to their messy manes and the smiling, but drained expressions. AJ herself joined in on flashing her pearly whites, not wanting to be the only red not to be showing her expected enthusiasm, having reason to smile now that she assumed that she had completely her womanly duties, at least for the night.

With the council’s masculinity firmly established, all that was left was to clean up after the mess that was these mares. A wave of beckoning from one of the council members was all that was needed, and a group of pony guardsmen made their way on stage carrying several large buckets. Encircling the tired mares, they unceremoniously dumped the contents out, and the weary women suddenly found a new source of energy as gallons over ice cold water poured over them. Not one was spared the terrible, yet exhilarating, sensation of frigid fluids passing over their hot skin, cleaning them of spunk as their body temperatures rapidly lowered a few degrees. Shrill shrieks and shivers were shared by all, and when the guards were done it was only Twilight who had any ability of keeping a pleasant appearance plastered on her face.

Applejack made no effort to restrain the sour look that had grown on her face, angered at not only her own irritation, but the discomfort of her friends as well. It probably would have been picked up easily by the guards, but a clear view was obscured by the head of a certain pink pony as she latched onto the farm mare for warmth. The suddering and squeezing, accompanied by incidental rubbing of body parts, as Pinkie’s pointed nipples pressed into AJ’s fur, didn’t make her feel any warmer, nor made the elated laughter of the guards any more tolerable, but it did keep her from expressing her distaste for such treatment in a way that surely would not be appreciated.

“That’s enough,” said an unmistakably imposing voice. The pony guards, along with the caribou council, made way for their king. Dainn seemed very pleased, or at least that was what Applejack took from that half smirk of his, and seeing how his party had gone off without a hitch there was no reason for him to be upset. Perhaps his only disappointment was that it had to end.

“Return these two back to their masters,” said the king, pointing to Rainbow Dash and Rarity, “After such a hard day of service, I’m certain that they long for the comforting embrace of their rightful owners.”

“Yes, my king,” replied one of the guards as he took a leash from his belt and clipped it to the ring on Rainbow’s collar. Another guard went to Rarity, this one not bothering to get the leash on his own belt or grab her by the collar, but instead showed a particular interest in treating her as cruelly as possible as he went right for her mane to wrench her up to her hooves. Rarity, either out of exhaustion, fear, or willing capitulation, didn’t fight against this ill spirited method of directing her to her next destination, and did her best to follow where her head was being yanked. Every time she matched the force applied to her though, the guard just increased his pull that much harder till she couldn’t keep up anymore.

“As for these two,” Dainn went on to say, pointing to Pinkie and Fluttershy as he looked to his council, “Do what you will with them until the closing ceremonies are finished.”

“With pleasure, my king,” replied Anvari as he and Hrathr collected the ponies they had picked to be their personal cock sleeves. Anvari had to practically pry the pink mare off of AJ, her grip on her friend as tight as a vice, but with a bit of effort he managed to remove the two mares from one another. Pinkie, once she realized that she had made the caribou exert himself in order to retrieve her, gave a worried giggle through a series of nervous twitches. Hrathr expressed that he was not amused by her antics, giving a cold glare back to her, before pointing her to the stage’s steps.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity were each escorted off stage, each being taken to the back of the room, heading to the VIP box where they would be handed back to their owners, or utilized by the caribou they had been given to. None of the drenched mares were even allowed to say goodbye to the two they were leaving behind, and could only give one last parting glance to both AJ and Twilight as they left the platform, some of the looks given less pleasant than others. The caribou council members remaining on stage soon followed, heading to the same destination as the four mares. They wished to end this night in their private seats, surveying the last portions of the gala from their perch as they amused themselves with the prizes they had claimed long ago for what little time remained for them.

“And what of these two?” a unicorn guardsman asked, inquiring about the farm mare and the former alicorn princess.

“The dirt mare has one more duty to her kingdom to fulfill,” said Dainn, “So she will stay here. As for the alicorn, she has done an… adequate job fulfilling her role, so she may take a place at my side with her former mentor for the remainder of the gala.”

AJ had never seen such joy as the kind that appeared on Twilight’s face upon hearing what the reward for her efforts were. The way she showed off her pearly whites rivaled any smile Pinkie had ever produced, and Applejack couldn’t help but see a twinkle in the eyes of fallen heroine right before she leapt forward and hugged the leg of the caribou king.

“Oh thank you my king!” the alicorn said in earnest, before noticing what she had done in her excitement. She hastily removed herself from Dainn’s person, and bowed her head to the floor. “I mean, Thank you my king. You honor me with your kind words.”

Dainn didn’t seem to be put off by Twilight’s actions. If anything, her fanatical behavior was welcomed. Women were suppose to enjoy a life of sexual slavery after all, and praise was amongst the greatest rewards one could hope to receive, and to get it from the king no less. Her reaction was warranted, if not demanded.

Dainn tapped his upper thigh a few times, and like a good pet Twilight answered his silent command by crawling over to that side. When Dainn turned back to his throne, Twilight scurried on her hands and knees to make sure she stayed close to the spot she had earned, paying close attention to the movements of the king so she didn’t stray too far. Many a caribou would have exploited such behavior, seeing how far they could manipulate the alicorn for sport, going back and forth in seemingly indecisive movements until she tripped over her own appendages. Dainn did not play such games with his prized pony though, more concerned with returning to his chair than to pointlessly test a mare who had already proved herself to be loyal, obedient, and subservience.

Returning to his sitting area, where Celestia awaited locked in her decorative cage, the pair left Applejack where she sat on the floor. “There will be a brief intermission,” Dainn declared while easing back into his luxurious chair, “After which we will begin the closing ceremonies, and will be entertained by a speech given by a most humble dirt mare who, after much time in denial, has come to understand that her fate had always been meant for a life of servitude under men.”

At those words, the pony guardsmen left to attend to setting up the room for the final activities of the night. The room was being hastily rearranged to allow the guests to be seated in the center, instead of near the walls, and all objects were removed to make way for rows of folding chairs spaced far enough apart that each guest could have a slave mare sit aside them for a bit of last minute entertainment. The only thing left behind in all this was the party’s centerpiece, Luna, still held suspended above the ground and barely conscious after everything she was put through, jism seeping out of every orifice from her near constant violation over the course of the gala. Whichever lucky stallions or stags that claimed the seats place under her would have quite a sight dangling above them, and perhaps the chance to make the poor princess’s night a little bit worse with their attentions, though they would have to watch out for the cum she had collected over the course of the night dripping onto their expensive party outfits.

During this short moment of reprieve, AJ was at a loss at what she was supposed to do. She wasn’t exactly told to wait there until she was needed, but she wasn’t given permission to relax. All the guards, the council members and the audience had left, and she felt almost alone despite the banquet hall still being packed well beyond the recommended capacity. So far no one had come over to correct her for just sitting there, but from the moment Dainn sat down he locked his eyes on her, and didn’t look away as he started to stroke Twilight’s hair like she was a common animal.

That could have meant anything though, or nothing at all, so AJ ignored the glare and decided that as long as she wasn’t being bothered, taking the time to recuperate from the brutal fucking Ivangir gave her wasn’t a problem. Still, she didn’t go so far as to lay down for this, as she had a good inclination that the moment she tried something would happen to prevent her from doing so, since that seemed to be an ongoing theme for her during the gala. Her expectations were not disappointed either, as mere seconds after choosing to do nothing, she felt something take hold of her tail and give it a few light tugs.

Applejack, checking who was trying to get her attention, found that her tail was held within a magical aura. Someone was using their telekinetic magic, and that meant all she had to do to figure out who was bothering was look for a glowing horn. She couldn’t find a glowing horn though, at least not one within normal range for an average unicorn to be able to grab her. What she did find though was a pair of glowing antlers at the edge of the stage.

At first she was infuriated that there was a caribou that still wanted to mess with her, but that frustration dissipated slightly when she figured out that the caribou in question was Gunne. He was trying to get her attention, and her brother was standing next to him. Seeing Mac alone was enough to make her much better, a friendly face doing her wonders.

Gunne beckoned the mare over, AJ finding this to be the first order she was given by the stag that she was happy to abide. She crawled over, hoping that she and Macintosh could have a moment to speak with one another, no matter how brief, and while the situation might not have warranted it, she gave the clydesdale a powerful hug the moment she got close enough.

“Well… ummm… it’s nice to see ya too.” Applejack knew that Macintosh wasn’t exactly comfortable with the way she was hugging him, with her having to bend down from her elevated position to wrap her arms around his neck, her breasts draping down on his chest.

For once though, Applejack didn’t care. She needed some sort of emotional connection after the pain, disgrace and humiliation brought to her by the man who she could have called her greatest enemy. She could hold back tears, she bite her tongue and keep her opinions locked inside, but she couldn’t stop herself from embracing the last person she felt she could still trust completely.

“Excuse me,” said Gunne, having no problem ruining the moment, “But we don’t have time for this.”

“Gunne….” Mac said, returning his sister’s embrace, “Give her a minute.”

At the clydesdale's request, the caribou backed off for a minute to allow AJ a little respite. However, time was of the essence, and if they missed this window of opportunity then it would cause problems that the caribou rather avoid. “I hate to pull punctuality, but your minute is up. Mac give her the speech I had you hold onto earlier.”

Mac reached into the pocket of his tux, and pulled out the folded up piece of paper. The mare, knowing that Gunne was right, removed herself from Mac and put out her hand so Mac could place in it the words she would have to say in front of everyone.

“Don’t lose that,” Gunne said as if to a child, not trusting her competence though she would be giving the speech in mere minutes, “I don’t have a replacement if you do.”

AJ scoffed, but gripped the paper tightly in her hand. If she could agree with Gunne on one thing, it was the importance that she keep ahold of what the caribou had written.

“Now, get back into place and do what you're supposed to,” Gunne grabbed Mac by the arm, and started leading him away from the stage, hoping that what the two ponies had done was only seen as an affectionate display between slave and master.

“Wait!” AJ called out, much to Gunne’s disapproval, “Where are you two going?”

“If you need to be told, your master and I will be doing our best to reserve seats at the front as soon as they are set up. The other participants are busy getting some last minute refreshments, so that will give us a little time to claim a good spot.”

Mac looked back to his sibling with reassurance reflecting in his eyes, “Don’t worry AJ, I’ll be close if ya need me.”

Applejack’s lips went tightly shut, and her face crinkled a bit. She didn’t want to part with Mac so soon, but she understood he couldn’t stick around and disrupt the closing ceremonies by standing at the edge of the stage. She was reluctant, but with her pre-written speech in hand she crawled back to where she had been before being lured over by Gunne. She would just have to be patient, and have the courage to get through the speech without Mac by her side.

---

Time passed, and before long everything was in its proper place. A pedestal of glass had been brought up to the stage, made with the line of sight between the guests and any mare up there in mind. The stages and stallions were also seated with that as a priority, the larger caribou sitting in the back rows while allowing the ponies to sit up front, with a few of the males deciding that the sitting near the walls was still the best choice of seating arrangement.

Then of course there was the VIP box, which occupied the entirety of the caribou council, the runemasters, important ponies such as Soarin, Fancy Pants, Shining Armor, the commondered members of the Elements of Harmony, and whatever personal female slaves and pets they had decided to bring that night. Soarin himself was enjoying his gaggle of girls, having placed Spitfire on his lap, her legs going over and being spread apart by his own, his dick stuck inside her vagina as his two other pegasi, Dash and Lightning Dust, knelt on either side of him. They were given the task of licking his sack and what parts of his cock were left outside the former Wonderbolts captain’s cunt as he thus pumped his penis inside her, Dash of course having to have her face pushed into the stallion’s crotch, while her red collar compatriot had the liberty of pleasuring the pony unbound and at her own pace.

Very little alterations were made to the stage itself. A few cum-covered maid mares, which AJ recognized as the ones that had helped her earlier that night, had come to mop up the various fluids that had spilled over its wooden surface during the orgy. They had to do so several times since the fluids that covered them would drip off as they worked, but now the stage floor was spotless, and a pedestal of glass stood upon it.

Dainn, finding everything to his liking, rose from his seat, and approached the pedestal. “And so, in this late hour, we bring this glorious event to a close,” he announced loudly, his voice booming throughout the silent banquet hall, “We will return to our domiciles, every man fully confirmed in their dominance over their domain and every woman having a reinforced idea of what their proper place in the world is, with memories of the festivities of this night to act as a reminder of both of these things for all who attended.”

A round of loud claps arose from the king’s words, but the caribou king was quick lifted his hand and lower it slowly to silence the sounds of approval, “But before you go, we have a mare who wishes to say a few words of her own. To show her gratitude for all we men have done to guide her in the past year, and how much happier she is following the order brought by the caribou, made possible by the hard work and effort of the men of this great nation of Equestria.” Dainn looked over to AJ, and that was all she needed to know it was time. Giving herself one more silent gulp, she went to face her fate.

Each step was like walking a mile, knowing that everyone in the room was now watching her, scrutinizing her every movement, or perhaps just fantasizing about her toned and endowed body. It was like their gazes had weight, bogging her down. Friends, relatives, the former leaders of the nation, red collars, black collars, the richest and most powerful stallions Equestria had to offer, the collection of rapists that destroyed her world, and of course the man who ruled of them all that she going towards.

Applejack didn’t waver though. She didn’t show so much as a quiver of her lip as she took her place standing behind that podium. Her heart pounded in her chest, but any visible signs of her fear were near unnoticeable, with only a deep breath to calm her nerves taking precedence over the unfolding of the pre-written speech.

“Ah-he-hem,” she said, clearing her throat as she spread out the piece of paper across the smooth glass. She reviewed what Gunne had written, and looking to memorize a bit on the fly so she could try to keep a steady flow of speech without pausing or tripping over her own words. She hardly got off the first sentence when the paper was torn away from her, lifted off from the pedestal by an act of telekinesis.

“What do we have here?” said Dainn, having floated the piece of paper to himself. His eyes roamed over the paper, skimming to get a quick understanding of what the mare had kept on her person.

“It’s the speech I’m gonna to give,” AJ answered, being direct.

“Did your master give you this?” Dainn questioned, finding what he read to be far above what he believed a mare of Applejack’s background would be capable of. AJ gave him a nod in response. With his personal prejudices about her preserved, the earth pony assumed that she would be handed back the speech so she could continue, but to her shock the king crumpled it up and tossed it aside. “It was very well written, and would have been a joy to hear, but I think that it would be better if you told us how you felt about your new life with your own words.”

“But…”

“Is there a problem with that?”

There were plenty. She could give a speech on the fly if need be, having done so on several occasions in Ponyville when asked, but what the king wanted to hear from her was not her forte. Even as she frantically tried to recall what was on the speech from what she had read earlier that night, she was having extreme difficulty piecing together the words that would have declared that she found the enforced servitude, along with the ceaseless sexual, and physical and verbal abuse to be some great honor to suffer through. The worst part of all was that whatever she said at this point would be an outright lie that she would have to fabricate herself.

Dainn smirked, seeing the how immediately unnerved the mare was without her cheat sheet. “Don’t worry, we aren’t expecting much from a pony like you, just that you put in your best effort to amuse us with you most humble and self debasing words. If they come out poorly without the aid of your master, then that is just the nature of a mare.”

Dainn placed his hand on her shoulder, and turned her back towards the awaiting crowd. Whatever she was going to say, she was going to need to say it soon, as she doubted that Dainn was as patient or understanding a person as he was making himself out to be, and she knew that many of the men looking at her didn’t even pretend to carry such virtuous traits.

“Umm… Well… hello y’all… Nice party we’re having, isn’t it.” The earth pony fumbled for things to say, feeling a nervous sweat form on her brow. She could already hear the snickering of some of her observers, their faith in her dropping drastically with each hesitated word.

“Ah am here before you a cha… a changed… mare. Mah master has taught me so many-”

“Play with your tits!” called out a random stallion from the sea of judging eyes, their tolerance for this poor display already wearing thin.

“He has taught me a lot since I’ve become a slave and….” There was little more that AJ could think to say, her introduction being from the small part of Gunne’s speech she managed to read to before it was taken from her. She was put on the spot, and drawing a blank. She really hadn’t learned anything about being a red collar, a ‘proper slave’. All she really had learned was how to hide her feelings, and not very well if she had to be truthful. She was in over her head, up the creek, and every other metaphor that meant that she was in a situation she couldn’t handle.

Looking for any kind of help, she looked for her brother amongst the crowd. She needed his support, or at least his presence, to aid her through this. As he had promised, he had found himself a seat in the first row, one at the very end of the row, seated close to the stage steps. Gunne was seated directly aside him, his palm covering his face at how terribly Applejack messed up something that should have been simple.

However, Mac didn’t seem to share in Gunne’s aggravation. As AJ was embarrassing herself with her silence, he was patiently waiting and watching for her to continue. Where everyone else in the room was already disregarding AJ as a ignorant dirt mare who had no business on the state as anything more than eye candy, Mac didn’t show a single sign of doubt in her. No expressions of embarrassment, or attempt to slink away sheepishly to leave Applejack to whatever punishments she would receive for her failure. He just sat there, his attention directed only to her in wait for her to get her act together. He had complete faith in her, knowing that she could accomplish nearly anything if she put her mind to it.

AJ couldn’t help but smile at the thought, and calmed her nerves as she focused on the one thing that she felt she had learned from this terrible situation. Though perhaps learned was too strong a word, for what she had in mind she had always known.

“Ahem!” she said loudly, getting her previously meek voice to a volume loud enough to regain the attention of the dismissive crowd. “Ah know that all of you think that ah have nothing important to say. Ah bet that most of y’all feel that mah lips are put to better use wrapped around your privates than up here talking about something as unimportant as why Ah accepted being a sex slave. You’ve already heard the same stories hundreds of times before. A red collar was broken by their master, or they were sent on a trip to a training facility and set straight, or just maybe just gave in when presented with no other options or the ability to screw as much as they wanted to. Well, in mah case it was a bit different.”

Little by little, the interest of the males listening to her began to peek, and soon there were few that were ignoring her completely. They wanted to know what this supposedly unique reason for a mare to become a red collar was, and perhaps if they could use it in the future to tame their own stubborn black collars.

“After I was collared, and shown how Ah would be treated as a woman, Ah felt had a strong resentment towards every man Ah saw. Ah thought that all any guy would want of me from then on was to make mah life miserable. That was until Ah was handed over to the stallion that would be mah master. He helped me see that Ah could still be happy, that there was still a way that Ah could live in Equestria and do mah part, and not hate everything that Ah was being forced to do. We took everything one day at a time, and every time Ah came back with drenched in cum, threatening to break out in tears, he would do everything he could to make me feel good again. There were still times that Ah lashed out at stallions, and he was sure to tan mah hide when Ah went too far, but Ah always understood that he did it with the best of intentions, that he was just trying to keep me out of trouble. Ah would wish that every mare could have a master like mine, one that gets more respect from the women he is in charge of than any other man in all of Equestria. If not for such a stallion, Ah would not be up here now, wearing this red collar around mah neck.”

The speech was not at all elegant, or what she would call ‘good’, but it got the point she was trying to make across. Macintosh, her brother, the stallion she was forced to call master when he would rather she not, was the greatest stallion, no, greatest man she knew. He had done so much for her and the other girls on the farm, suffered the mental stress of a normal stallion having to live in an abnormal world, and all for the sake of those he cared for. If there was ever a man that deserved praise, admiration and devotion, it was him. He earned the respect he was given, through his compassion and good nature, where others had to demand it because they had power over those with no ability to fight back. Neither of the two farm ponies truly believed that Mac owned Applejack, but if she had to have a master then she couldn’t ask for a better one.

Those listening were not so impressed though, their groans announcing their overall disappointment. The stallions and stags were expecting some grand secret of how to turn any mare they wanted into a cock hungry slut, and instead they got that. It was already a known strategy to torment a woman to their lowest point and then feign some sense of compassion for them, and it didn’t even work all the time. Now it just seemed like her master got lucky with his approach, which was good for him but did nothing for them. As for the women who sat through the speech, their enjoyment of it was a bit more varied.

There were some who took her words to heart. While not well spoken, the way she spoke sounded sincere, and made them think that if they truly had masters that cared about them as Applejack’s did for her, then perhaps their own enslavement wouldn’t be so terrible. Still, others felt it was all just a ruse. There were a ton of reasons that a mare would take the stand and propose what benefits there were to submitting. Blackmail, brainwashing, threats of torture. To mares whose suspicion were high, the pure and honest declarations were nothing but lies that couldn’t be trusted.

“Ah guess all Ah trying to say is that mah master is what makes this all worthwhile.” Applejack added, trying to leave off on a note that had some sort of message, even if it only really applied to her. “And as long as you can find something that can keep ya going, nothing else matters.”

There was little more AJ could say that was positive about being a slave. She had come to equating the feeling of climax to feeling sick, and everyone she knew outside of the shelter of Sweet Apple Acres was changed for the worse, with those who refused to change being treated like prisoners in their own bodies. What more could she really talk about when only the terrible parts were left.

After a brief moment of silence, the audience took the hint. Her words were hardly worth their time in this late hour, but they did show that she was properly indoctrinated into the caribou way of life. Such obedience and dedication to her master meant that if he commanded it, she would do it, and that meant they could get her to do anything if they could talk the stallion who owned her into it. That thought, and the want to head home and rest after a long nice of sexual exertion, allowed the males to give a half hearted clap to wrap things up.

“That could have been better,” said Dainn from behind the farm mare, not sharing even the mild enthusiasm for AJ’s attempt, “You could have put more effort into explaining why women are inherently inferior, or masturbated to at least provide us with a bit of visual stimulation.”

“Well beg your pardon King Dainn,” AJ said with a grin, somewhat enjoying the tyrant’s annoyance with her, “Ah suppose Ah just wasn’t thinking. Can ya forgive me for making my marely mistakes.”

“Indeed...” Dainn said giving the mare a glare of mild tolerance, “We can’t expect a mare to think for herself, and perhaps my instructions were too vague for you to understand. Still, you did as you were told and showed your worthy of the comfortable collar around your neck, and that does deserve some sort of a reward.”

“A… reward?” Applejack asked with caution. There was never anything rewarding about a gift given by a caribou.

The king didn’t respond to her, instead turning to his loyal subjects. “This mare, while showing an aptitude with words expected of her species, has shown how far she has progressed from arrogant, uppity and self centered creature she once was. She no longer focuses on what is best for herself, but instead what is best for her owner. She understands that when he lashes a whip across her back, it is only to teach her the folly of her poor decisions, and that when he instructs her to give into her inherent and insatiable lust, it is to let her allow herself a chance at true happiness. She might be far away from an ‘ideal woman’, but she has made steps towards that end. So I, King Dainn, liberator of men, conqueror of female falsehoods, and rightful ruler of Equestria, have decided to grant this mare one of the greatest rewards that a woman could ever strive for.”

Reaching down beneath the breastplate covering his upper torso, the large caribou undid the front of his pants, and sent his hand inside. A distinct numbness grew over Applejack’s body, starting from her core before spreading out over the entirety of her body. She was unsure why she thought that all it would take was speech to allow her to go home, take a long snooze in her warm bed, and push this night to the darkest recesses of her mind. How did she ever believe that this night wouldn’t end at the end of dick?

The king took the time to carefully remove the entirety of his genitals from the protection of his pants, exposing his light brown, white splotched cock and scrotum for all to see in an almost ceremonial unveiling. The size of the organ gave the farm mare pause, the shaft already in a state of half erection, slowly growing and becoming rigid as it exited the confines of the fabric that kept it hidden. A series of throbs gave the meat rod an ever increasing girth, until finally it was at a size that would make the most session slut reconsider accepting Dainn’s offer. His sack alone, tightly wrapped around the two testicles it was guarding inside, appeared to be half the size of her head, which made her believe that such an dick entering her body in any way would only lead to agony and an unwelcome tearing of flesh.

“Are you intimidated?” Dainn asked the mare calmly, questioning her hesitation, “Fear not, you have earned this rare opportunity to pleasure the mightiest cock in the world. Now do your duty, and get to work.”

The solid rod of meat seemed weighed down by its out mass, as even at full mast it hung at a diagonal angle that pointed the head of it in the direction of her face, like it was declaring its intended destination. Her mouth was the only reasonable place it could go, though the size of it would make it impossible for it to go anywhere past her lips without grazing sensitive skin against hard, pointy teeth. She was going to have to lick the caribou to climax, since she didn’t believe giving him a firm hand job was going to cut it with a person who had as high expectations from women as Dainn.

Applejack took a step forward, closing the small gap between the sex organ and herself. This was unavoidable. It wasn't like this was an offer that she could just turn down. Doing that would be seen as an insult to his masculinity, and a faux pas like that, especially at an event like the gala, would not go unpunished. Best to take her licks and walk away with as little conflict as possible.

She opened her muzzle, and one last time she let out her tongue in order to do as a man told her to. The earth mare hadn’t really been paying that much attention to the king that night, but she believed that he hadn’t taken the time to relieve any of the pressure that undoubtedly had built up in his sack as he watched his subjects go at it. She hoped that would make this short, but with no assumptions that it would be sweet.

Tilting her head sideways, AJ looked out to the onlookers, wanting to put her focus on anything that would take her mind off the vile task ahead of her, with the scent wafting off the caribou king’s not giving her the best expectations of what awaited her tongue. At first, she directed her gaze to Mac, her port in the storm, the person she most found comfort in. He didn’t seem any more pleased with this sudden change of plans than she did, but he remained steadfast, refusing to turn his head away, no matter what disgusting things were being done. Ever the dependable and protective sibling, his presence alone gave her a feeling of strength that could carry her through this.

However, before the earth mare could place even one of her taste buds against the soft skin of the awaiting appendage, something else caught her eye. Movement, lots of it, coming from the VIP box at the other side of the room. She tried to ignore it, but whatever it was was disruptive, persistent, demanding her attention even more so than the giant penis about to poke her in the face.

The disturbance, to Applejack’s partial surprise, was Pinkie Pie. Her fidgeting was starting to get the better of her, with her body moving about with enough intensity that Anvari had to hold her down. The Apple mare hadn’t seen her fellow earth pony’s ominous twitches this bad since the time they faced off with a hydra in Foggy Bottom Bog. Whatever those wiggles and shudders were predicting, they were coming up fast. The last time something like this happened, it was for something as simple as Twilight’s opinion about something changing. With the sporadic and unpredictable nature of Pinkie’s ‘Pinkie Sense’ though, this could mean literally anything.

She did her best to push the thought out of her mind, to avoid thinking about what it could be, and if it had any implications on her, but that just caused her to notice the rest of her close friends up in that balcony. From one side to the other, they were all up there, kneeling next to their owners, or the council member that appropriated them for the small time that remained for the gala.

The first one in line was Prince Shining Armor, with his two red collar slave mares, Rarity and Cadence, doing their own rendition of AJ’s own upcoming performance. The enthusiasm of the fallen pink princess was noticeable, even at that far distance, by how fast and furiously her head pointed upwards and tilted downward, her tongue tracing the length of her beloved master’s dick while slurping away at it with each motion. Rarity did what she could to emulate her superior in servitude, but the slower movements of the white unicorn suggested she didn’t have near as much motivation as the alicorn.

Next down the row was Vestri and Ivangir, with Vestri’s own unicorn pet sitting in between the two of them, followed by Pinkie and Anvari, and then Hrathr, who had placed Fluttershy on his lap so he could give her a good stroking as reward for her obedience, both on her mane and in between her legs. Finally, after skimming over Nothri, Throtr, and Durnir, as well as ignoring the going ons of the caribou and stallions seated behind the front row, AJ landed on Rainbow Dash.

The multi-colored mare had found a moment where she could pull away from her master, a chose to utilize it by watching the stage. Applejack could tell, even with the distance that separated them, that Dash was peering into her with the same level of resentment as the pegasus had shown to her when they joined in the main hall. The intensity of that stare, boring into her, condemning the earth pony for daring to assume the name of one of her friends while preparing to wrap her lips around the cock of their most hated enemy. The amount of guilt AJ felt from those damning eyes added to the immense sense of self loathing she already had. It made her feel sick, her stomach turning from the rush of terrible emotions, combined with the salty flavor now floating in the air around the phallus in front of her.

“I understand that you might want to savor this moment,” said Dainn, his patience wearing thin, “But the time to perform your duty is now.”

AJ looked up to the caribou king. She was stalling. Though she knew what was expected from her, she was finding it hard to allow herself to take that final plunge. She had been a mere centimeter away from licking Dainn’s dick for a half a minute now, but so many things inside her was holding her back. It wasn’t the act itself that was the problem. At this point she had gulped down enough penis to put the most whorish of pre-fall sluts to shame. In fact, the idea of sexual shame wasn’t even present. What bothered her was what this all represented.

Should she cross this threshold now, at this moment, this would be it. Pinkie had warned her of this long ago. “If you give in, you can’t go back. You’ll be their plaything for the rest of your life, and eventually you’ll regret it.” The second she touched her tongue against the turgent caribou rod, she would be all but abandoning her old life. The word of how she ended the gala would spread like wildfire, and she would be committing herself to this facade.

The act itself would come to define her, become a part of who she was, no different than the terrible tattoos she had seen engraved on the bodies of the buffalo by the caribou. “It is a reminder… of my eternal shame.” The words Strongheart once spoke when to referring to the time she gave in to the caribou emerged, warning her of the fate that awaited her should she do the same.”

AJ tried to push these thoughts from her head, none of them any use for her in her current predicament. She had other things to worry about. Her brother, the mares at the farm; they all relied on her pretending to be an obedient sex slave to have a somewhat normal life. When she was rewarded, their lives likewise became easier, so it went without saying that if she were to be punished, they would likewise suffer. It would be that way for as long as the caribou were watching her movements, and they had bestowed upon her such importance as a mare that she might always be under scrutiny.

“But some things are just too important.” Another rebellious thought came to the surface, with Fiddly now being a reminder as to why she shouldn’t adhere to caribou demands. Why was everything so difficult all of a sudden? Why hadn’t Dainn made a move and ended this already. Take his satisfaction from her like every other male she had come across and rid her of the burden of forcing herself to do something she didn’t want to, of essentially being the instrument of her own rape.

“Come on and suck him off already!” One of the caribou in the back rows called out, the lack of action getting to him.

“What are you waiting for!?” Another added.

“She thinks the king’s dick is too much for her,” a stallion closer to the stage chimed in, “Stupid dirt bitch doesn’t have what it takes to be a red.”

“Get on with it!”

“Yes, get on with it!”

The crowd was becoming restless, the mare holding this up for far too long. They were telling her to just accept it, that she was a woman and this was her fate. They were all singing the same tiresome refrain that she had come to know well. Let lust take you, be a red collar, give up, doing anything else was foolishness. Those voices overwhelmed the others by sheer number, but their negative words were still being drowned out by the ones that told her they were wrong.

Through it all, she was becoming more and more curious as to why Dainn was still waiting for her to make a move while everyone else was demanding that the mare’s face be pressed against his dick. It would have been easy for him to place his hand on her head and press it forward, and she wouldn’t even stop him if he did. That didn’t seem the point for the king though. This was suppose to be his complete victory over her, where she would give him the one thing that he couldn’t take from her. She had to willingly hand over her submission, just as mares deemed greater than herself had done before her.

He was forcing her to be the one to do this perverse act. Showing her that there were no options in this matter. That she was a red collar, and as one she had to act as one would act. Perhaps he had noticed how she pussy footed around the issue, let the men take charge and never really pursued her carnal desires desires as she was expected to. Now she had to pony up, and display how loyal she was to the caribou she really was. To do otherwise would prove that she was not the mare she made herself out to be, and to the caribou not being worthy of a red collar meant you were deserving of a black one. She had always feared that it would come down to something like this, something that in a split second could ruin everything, in either one way or the other. A point where she would have to choose between herself, what she wanted her live to be, or for those she cared about, and their safety. As much as she hated the thought of it, perhaps it was time she accepted her fate.

---

The crowd quieted themselves as the farm mare made her move. She placed her hand on the massive meat rod in front of her, grasping it firmly in her palm, before pushing away from her face as she backed off from Dainn.

“A-Ah can’t…” she said, choking out the two words.

“Excuse me?” Dainn said, as if wanting clarification for the mare’s actions.

AJ clenched her fist, trembling, before finding the resolve to lift her head up and look the caribou king in the eye. “Ah won’t do it!”

The room filled with noise instantly. A combination of mutters, boos, and laughter at the stupid mare who had the audacity to tell the king, of all people, no. The noise would have no doubt went into rioting, if not for Dainn himself lifting his hand and lowering it to settle them down. As he stood, towering over AJ, with unflinching eyes, he spoke in an unimpressed tone as he addressed the insolent mare. “And why is it that you ‘won’t do it’? Has your worthless female pride finally gotten the better of you?”

The reasons why Applejack refused where not so petty as the caribou king made them out to be. While pride, or at least a sense of self worth, might have been a factor, she was doing this for those she loved.

If the earth pony were to do as she was told now and simply gave up, then nothing good would come from it. She had seen far too many times what happened to mares like herself that accepted a red collar. Sure, they would be treated fine for a while, led to believe that their lives could be ‘tolerable’ so long as they obeyed, but that only ever lasted so long. They would always be tested, pushed to their limits, and even when they fulfilled every requirement given, some reason would be created just to make them start over at square one. Rarity was a testament to that kind of treatment, having time and time again struggled to climb up the caribou’s ladder, only to be pushed off it at their fickle whim.

Even putting caribou treachery aside, AJ had to think of those still struggling to make it through each day experiencing another nightmare brought on by their oppressors. Women who had lives and purpose before the caribou, who watched it all turned to ash, and were clinging onto what little hope they had left in this world. Though she had never intended it, the caribou had made her into a symbol of that hope. ‘The most stubborn mare in Equestria’, always fighting against the monsters who had enslaved her, in spirit at least, if not in the literal sense. She had a nagging sense of responsibility towards those who looked to mares like her and Rainbow as a source of strength, one she had been trying, and failing, to ignore since she earned her red collar, for the most selfish reason that she had ever done anything.

Applejack was afraid of leaving Sweet Apple Acres. Afraid of being handed off to Ivangir, or someone just as terrible. She told herself that she had become a red collar for Mac, for the others on the farm, but deep down she always knew that was a lie. When Mac told her there was a possibility she would be taken away, she covered up that fear with anger, and clung to the only thing she could to keep that from happening. In doing so though, she put Mac through more pain than she ever thought she could. Leaving scars on his heart each time he watch her go down on a cock, or begged to have her pussy stuffed to amuse some asshole. By trying to keep herself away from harm, she had hurt Mac more times than she could count. Seeing that it was never going to stop, AJ couldn’t continue putting her brother through that time and time again.

The earth pony gave the VIP box one more glance. As she assumed, Pinkie’s twitches were going full force. By this time, she had a strong assumption of what they were trying to predict, and if she was right then there was no avoiding it. Pinkie’s senses were never wrong.

“You know exactly why Ah won’t do it,” Applejack declared to the caribou king, summoning up all the courage she could to overcome the sense of fright trying to tell her that it wasn’t too late to turn back, “Ah won’t do it because it’s wrong. I’m not gonna let you just push me around because ya are bigger an’ stronger than me, and I’m not gonna lick your dick just because ya say so neither.”

“Is that so?” Dainn said plainly as he crossed his arms, not yet making any attempt to stop the mare from continuing.

“You’re darn tootin ‘that’s so’,” AJ responded, “I’m tired of doin’ what ya want me too just because you want it to be that way. Ya come into Equestria, rape everyone in sight, brainwash the stallions into thinking the way you do, and just expect everyone to fall in line the way you want things. Ya even got mah brother’s head all muddled up with your nonsense. Ah hate how he goes along with everything ya tell him to do. Just thinking about how a member of mah own family makes me and the other mares fuck, how he even broke one of them by doing so, disgusts me.”

While AJ might have been willing to toss herself into the fires, she was not going to do the same to anyone else. She needed to make sure that sure that Mac couldn’t be implicated in this, and make it seem like he had control over the other mares in his care. If there was ever a lie worth telling, this was it. It probably hurt him to hear this coming from her mouth, with all the guilt he had been feeling as of late, and it would hurt him worse when she was taken from him, but in time Mac would get over this. He would move on, find happiness in rescuing those he could from their family, and be much better off doing so without her. She had been his burden far too long.

“So ‘your majesty’,” she said in the most arrogant tone she could fake, now going full swing into her defiant act, pacing about slightly and sashaying her hips in as she taunted the caribou king, “If ya want your dick sucked, Ah think ya better look somewhere else, cause you're not getting it from me.”

She had to admit, it felt good to be able to mock the person who ruined the world she lived in, to see him just stand there and take it. It reminded her a bit of the days where she fought creatures like him directly. When she and the rest of her friends stood triumphantly against any challenge that stood in their way. Of course, this wasn’t the same situation, and she in no way felt she would could out of this without severe punishment, but the feeling inside her matched, and maybe even overtook, anything she had ever felt during her time as the “Element of Honesty”. It might have been pure, unfounded bravado, but it gave her the courage she needed to let the fear slowly fade from her.

Dainn’s eyes traced the insolent mare’s movements, AJ sure that he was going to aggressively express his disapproval any moment. However, he seemed to have more restraint than she assumed a caribou was capable of, as he didn’t just snatch her up so he could make an example of her. He instead looked over to the seat he had been using all night, and the purple alicorn sitting in wait next to it.

Twilight, unlike the king, appeared perturbed at the behavior of the farm mare. Her eyes were wide, irises narrowed, and with the king now looking her way it was clear the alicorn felt she would be held responsible for the behavior of her friend. Instead, Dainn beckoned her over, rushing over on hand and knee to join the king at his side.

“Twilight,” said Dainn, returning his gaze to the defiant earth mare, “Since this one has turned down the reward I have so graciously offered her, why don’t you take it instead.”

“A-are you sure my king?” Twilight asked nervously, unsure if this was a test of some sort. The alicorn relished the mere notion that she could taste the salty and savory flavor of the king’s cock, but now didn’t seem like a good time to do so. Not when there was a mare blatantly questioning the king’s authority a foot away.

“This dirt pony should see the gift that she refused to accept. It will make it much easier for her to understand exactly what she lost when she is being punished for her insubordination.”

The added reasoning the king gave Twilight removed the small amount of doubt she had in following his command, and she allowed herself to partake of the privilege presented before her. Her motions were subdued at first, rising up from her crawling state, sitting on her knees so she could reach her lord’s still firm stallion-like cock with her muzzle.

Twilight gave nary another word as she began, placing her soft lips on Dainn’s dick, kissing it tenderly as one would lover. Slowly she traveled from the base of the caribou’s shaft up to the engorged head sitting atop it, showing her worship of the monstrous phallus by trailing its length with her affection, and once she made it to her destination she let loose her tongue from her muzzle so she could run it along the path she just travelled as she returned to her starting position at the bottom of the king’s cock.

With her oral organ released, she proceeded to pleasure Dainn with the utmost of care, lapping at every inch of exposed meat, making sure to hit every part of its surface, covering it with saliva while making sounds of elation akin to those one would make if they were being pleasured themselves. There was no doubt that the alicorn was enjoying herself, enraptured that she could serve one greater than herself, that alone being all she needed to create a flooding of sexual fluids from between her legs. The way her chest pushed out as she took in a breath, and with it the scent of the masculinity that emanated from the caribou king. The stiffness of her nipples as they poked out from her fur, the way the ends of her lips curved upwards, her eyes focused on object of her desire. She was completely absorbed in her task in a way seldom seen in other mares, with perhaps the former princess of love being the only mare to show equal devotion to affection being displayed.

As Twilight licked and rubbed her face against the penis, spreading the fluids she slathered across it back onto her person in a show of lewd, animalistic lust, the king paid her attention little mind. As he received the kind of stimulating attention that would have distracted the most focused of stallions, his eyes never strayed from the earth pony in front of him, his composure never wavered, with only the occasional twitch of his dick indicating that he acknowledged Twilight’s touches.

The scene repulsed Applejack, the disturbing image of one of her best friends adhering to the whims of a person so cruel and evil as Dainn, rubbing his cock across her face as she used only her muzzle to pleasure him, being more than a little unsettling. It did not deter her from what she was doing though, and actually gave her another idea altogether. The entire night she had been trying to reach Twilight, get some sign that she was still the mare she knew and maybe even get her to snap out of whatever turned her into the slutty, subservient mare that knelt before the caribou. If there was ever a time she was going to have a chance to do that, it was now.

“Twilight…” she said, a tinge of sadness in her voice as she spoke directly to the alicorn, “Don’tcha understand what’s going on here? Ya can’t be so out of touch that ya can’t see that what the caribou are doing is wrong.”

The alicorn ignored Applejack’s words, content to slurp her lips upon the king’s massive rod. The only response she appeared to give the farm mare was an increasingly loudening series of moans and other sexual sounds that were unnecessary for oral sex. No one could be getting that much of a rise out of an act that granted no physical pleasure.

“Answer me!” AJ finally yelled at Twilight in frustration, “Ah want to know if this is really how ya want things to be!”

“Go ahead and tell her,” said Dainn, patting the dutiful mare’s head, “I’m sure that we all would enjoy what you have to say.”

Twilight, at Dainn’s instruction, stopped her task and addressed AJ’s question. “Of course this is how I want things to be. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be wearing this.“ The alicorn raised a hand to her collar, lightly touching it, grazing its surface with the tips of her fingers. “You might not have understood this when you were given your own red collar, but when you bear this it means that you’ve accepted everything that it means to be a mare. That you are nothing but what your master thinks you are, and that your body and mind only exist to serve them. In return, you are to expect nothing, and anything that your master gives to you is to be seen as a gift. This is the only fulfilling life that a mare…. No, a woman can ever live.”

The words that Twilight gave sounded like it was spoken directly out of a book, and guessing on the amount of similar tripe that had been fed to the alicorn since becoming a red collar, AJ had no doubt that it was. These couldn’t be Twilight’s thoughts, and Applejack refused to believe otherwise.

“Ah don’t want your text book response. Ah want to know how you really feel about…. THIS!” AJ spread her arms out wide and looked around the room, not directing her attention to anything in particular, but more to everything on the whole. “Equestria is a mess!” she said, not having the vocabulary to express how thoroughly ruined things had become, “We didn’t accept any of this, we were forced into it. Your masters have turned us into slaves, raping and beating acceptance into anyone who tries to refuse. I don’t know if you understand this, but those black collars aren’t just some ‘symbol of reluctance’. They hurt, all the time. When one of ya red collars are laughing it up at ‘how stupid’ a black collar is for not liking sex, they are making fun of a suffering girl who hates being fucked because all they can relate it to is pain, which is drilled into their heads even more when they get punished for feeling the way they were essentially made to feel.”

AJ had to take a few deep breaths, her emotions starting to get the better of her. It was hard to tell if any of this was sinking in, as while Twilight was taken aback by all this, she didn’t yet show any real remorse at this confrontation. The farm mare had to keep going though. If there was any hope for her friend left, she would find it here.

“And while you're sitting there in that collar ya love so much, let me tell ya that being a red ain’t all clear skies and sunshine nether. Gettin’ to be one was a real pain in the keister to begin with, since they want to make it hard as all get out to let a black collar change even when they want to. Ever since then it never let up. Ah have to do so much work just to please a bunch of caribou… jerks!” AJ was doing what she could to hold off from spouting obscenities, for her own sake. She never did so before the caribou, and it was one of the few things that they actually changed in her with their influence. “Ah come home so worn out that ah can’t so much as lift a hoe, let alone get any real work done. It’s ridiculous!”

“Well if-”

“But ya know what!?” AJ cut Twilight off before she could try to reason out all she said with some caribou nonsense. She wasn’t about to let her say something like ‘she should be trying harder’ or ‘that was her problem’, not when it was very likely that she’d never be allowed to say so much as a word ever again after this. “Even if Ah believed that Ah could be happy living a life where all Ah do is screw mah brains out day in, day out, there is no way Ah’d be able to do it when Ah think about how many mares cry themselves to sleep each night! Or how many ponies have been fucked so silly that they can’t act like normal ponies anymore! Ah live in a world where Ah got to worry that a member of mah family could be blanked just because they wanted a better life for themselves, or worse, that they become like you and give up everything they ever hoped for!”

That last part was a bit harsh, but it had to be said. If Twilight was to understand the severity of the situation, then she had to see that she was part of the problem. It looked like it worked too, as Twilight finally stopped licking Dainn, and appeared to be genuinely stunned by this revelation. It might not mean anything in the long run, since the caribou still had a powerful stranglehold on Equestria whether Twilight had a change of heart or not, but perhaps this could open a long closed door for the alicorn.

However, as Twilight’s shock subsided, what replaced it wasn’t sorrow, guilt, or even despair at what she had help the caribou do with her capitulation. It was loathing. The way that Twilight sneered and creased her brow towards the farm mare matched the fiercest look that any black collar ever gave a rapist stallion or misogynistic caribou tyrant. The alicorn was glaring at her like she was some sort of revolting thing, like she was disgusted just having to share the same room with her. It was an expression AJ had never seen Twilight make before to anyone, and it hurt to know it was directed at her.

“Applejack, I can’t believe you,” the alicorn started, readily prepared to give her counter argument, “I had thought that after all this time you had learned something. That you were ready to accept your destiny and stop living the lie Celestia created to keep men from their rightful place as our masters. I had my doubts too, but then I learned what it was like doing things the way nature intended and I’ve never been happier. In fact, except for you, I’ve never met a red collar who didn’t feel the same way.”

If AJ ever needed indication that Twilight was trapped within her own delusions, that was it. It might not have shown on the surface, but Applejack’s experiences with both Pinkie and Rarity told a different story. They weren’t happy at all, they were downright miserable, and were just better at hiding it than AJ could ever accomplish, no matter how hard she tried. Their acts were good, but this was the sort of things close friends should be able to see through.

“As for the rest of what you said,” Twilight continued, going for hilt into a full blown rant, “Black collars bring their punishment on themselves. They are told endlessly that if they just do as they are told, and they accept their roles as mares, then they will be treated well. I’m sorry that you feel that your responsibilities are such a burden, but there are plenty of others who can handle things twice as hard as anything you’ve ever done. The purple collars? That’s not even a problem. Stallions have made a spell that cures them by removing the memories that made them that way, and I should know, my father has used it on his slave about a dozen times now. And the ponies that get blanked? They are dangerous AJ. They have gone out of their way to hurt people because they’ve been tricked into believing the same lies you do, and are willing to stop at nothing to keep them going. They get what they deserve, and I’m not going to be guilted over ponies being given a merciful punishment for their crimes. I’m not the problem here Applejack, it’s ponies like you.” With that, the mare returned to fellating Dain’s cock, finding that she had nothing more to say.

So that was it. That was how she felt about the suffering going on in and outside of Equestria - that everyone who went against the caribou’s will were to blame, and that she was not accountable for the consequences of her actions, or lack thereof. Applejack was beginning to understand how Dash could feel the way she did. If the mare in front of her was Twilight Sparkle, there was nothing that supported that claim save for her appearance. The Twilight she knew could never be so callous, and had a heightened sense of responsibility. A pony who always went out of her way to help people when she could, and felt deep remorse during the times that she made even the most minor of mistakes. Twilight could never be ‘happy’ knowing that so many were miserable.

If not for being an alicorn, Applejack would have denied completely that this was ever the mare she had called friend, but even that didn’t hold water when compared to the gross alterations in the mare’s personality. As far as she was concerned, this wasn’t Twilight. It was just some pale imitation, and thus, no longer worth AJ’s attempts to redeem her.

Whoever this mare was, imposter or fallen heroine, AJ had no more sympathy for her, and was so furious with herself for having any in the first place. She wanted to say something, something to sever any ties that they possibly had with one another, but the words wouldn’t come. Then she looked to Dainn, knowing that he was the one responsible for what had happened to Twilight, that he was the one that put those spiteful and uncaring words into her friend’s mouth. Twilight was his puppet, a mouthpiece for his thoughts. She could blame the caribou on the whole for the alicorn’s corruption, but the truth was that Dainn was solely responsible for Twilight’s behavior, just as he was responsible for what had become of the rest of Equestria.

Shaking with rage, lips curling downward, and having to wipe the start of tears from her eyes before they went into full flow, Applejack allowed the words she’d wanted to say to Dainn for some time to escape from her mouth.. “Ah don’t know how… Ah don’t know when… but one day you’re gonna get what’s comin’ to ya.” Those words were comforting, but didn’t appear to faze the caribou king one bit. For all Applejack’s bravado, there was nothing she could do to back her words. Even if she was the Element of Honesty, she didn’t have the ability to know if what she said would ever come true.

---

Another round of boos arose, the men watching getting to a point where they could no longer sit quietly as they watched the willful mare defy the king. Some resorted to tossing at the mare whatever small bits of trash or leftover food they had on hand, but she made little reaction as it made contact, shrugging off any that made connected with her body, anger seemingly making her oblivious to it all.

And sitting within the chaos, slinking down in his seat as much as a man of his stature could, was Mac. Applejack’s sudden and extensive outburst was a bit embarrassing for the clydesdale, seeing as he was suppose to be the one responsible for her. What she said was completely right, but no one here was going to see it that way. Aside for himself, the king had the support of every man here, and thus her words were just turning everyone against her. It didn’t matter if what Twilight said made little sense or was factually wrong, as long as she danced to the tune that the caribou played, she was ‘right’.

Even Gunne knew that the jig was up, and was currently placing his face into his own hand. All that time he spent to give Applejack a proper image in the eyes of his peers was put to waste in the matter of a split second. The caribou gave a low groan, one of several he had given since AJ had started mouthing off to Dainn. “I’m sorry Mac. I didn’t realize that your sister was this stupid.”

“It will be okay, right?” Mac said, trying to be as optimistic as the situation would allow him, “Ah mean she’s going back to a black collar for sure, but Ah can still be responsible for her, right? Ya can still vouch for me being a good master and being capable of keeping her in check, right?”

Gunne shook his head, lifting his head up out of his palm to give the stallion a look of sympathy. “I can vouch for you Mac, and trust me when I say that if any inquiry on your part comes I will, but what your sister has done is inexcusable.”

“What do ya mean?” Mac asked calmly, still looking to reason things out, “She’s lipped off to guys before, and we’ve fixed it with an appropriate punishment. Can’t we work out a public spanking session or some sort of community service?”

“It’s not the action, but whom she’s done it to,” Gunne explained, trying to get Mac to understand the problem, “She has disrespected the king, in his castle, in front of many respected guests. That sort of thing doesn’t get a woman a slap on the wrist like I’ve been allowing. It demands intense reeducation methods, to assure that things like this never happen again.”

“Then what’s gonna…” Mac stopped himself, not wanting to know the answer. He had a good idea of how far caribou punishment could go, and it didn’t stop at her simply being removed from her home.

“Looks like the ‘most stubborn mare in Equestria’ is back in action,” Mac heard muttered behind him, “And looks like that stupid dirt slut is in trouble now.”

“Do you think the king’s gonna make her into his personal whipping girl?”

“Why give her the honor? I bet he’ll put her ass out on the streets of Canterlot and let anyone have a go at her.”

“I hope so. I would love to see that girl broken by some real stallions.”

“Maybe she will go purple, that would be wonderful.”

“Or maybe the king will order her to be blanked for her insolence and put her on the market. Think a used cunt like that would be cheap?”

The comments on Applejack’s potential fate kept coming, each one worse than the one before it. Yet, each one plausible. If left alone with these kind of monsters, or with King Dainn himself, AJ would never last. She’d either be worn down physically, or destroyed mentally. Raped, tortured, and never given a moment's rest until nothing of the wonderful woman he knew was left. It was something that Mac couldn’t abide by. He couldn’t let that happen to his little sister.

Mac had only one idea that could save her, and little time to implement it. If he was to do anything, he had to do it now. Zipping his eyes over to the steps leading to the stage, he saw that the only thing standing in his path were two stallion guards, and they, like everyone else in the room, were too distracted by what was happening on the stage to pay attention to anything else. The clydesdale steeled his nerves, figuring that there would be backlash for what he was about to do, but did so while he got up from his from his seat. He didn’t have any time to stall or think things through, only time to act.

It happened so suddenly that Gunne couldn’t react, his eyes also glued to the farm mare and his king. He did notice that the stallion had risen from his seat, but from his peripherals he assumed that Mac was leaving the banquet hall to avoid seeing what was about to happen to Applejack. It was only when he torn his eyes away for a moment to make sure the stallion would be okay that he saw that Mac was making a beeline to the stage steps, and that he didn’t seem to care who or what was between him and his destination.

“Mac! Don’t!” Gunne said in hush panic. He didn’t know what was going through the head of his compainion, but if he could stop Mac, he wanted to do so without bringing attention to the clydesdale’s actions. If the stallion heard him at all, then he showed no signs of it as he pushed the distracted guardsmen to the floor, ascending the stairs to intervene with the events that were about to unfold.

Mac’s determination was unlike anything Gunne had seen in him before, and it stunned the seasoned caribou soldier to see how much effort the usually reserved stallion was putting into the well being of one mare. Frozen to his seat from his shock, he could only hope that Mac knew exactly what he was doing, and that he would not try anything foolish in a seemingly vain attempt to save an all but doomed woman from her fate.

---

Back on the stage, AJ stood on spot as she was pelted with whatever garbage the crowd below decided to toss her way. She wasn’t concerned about that though, her attention was on Dainn, who had yet to move from where he stood as well, content to let Twilight finish the task she was giving before taking any action. The farm mare watched in silence as the image of her friend slurped his shaft, still having a million things to say about how the caribou ran Equestria, but seeing that they would only fall on deaf ears.

That alone didn’t deter her from speaking, but what did was the conclusions she had come to with the caribou king, and why he was willing to let her prattle on for as long as he did. Dainn wanted to see how deep a hole she would dig herself into, how many excuses she was willing to give him to punish her. Applejack was not going to play into his game.

She had gotten her main point across, said what she needed to say, and learned what she needed to know about Twilight. Nothing else mattered. After that, all that she had to look forward to was what would happen to her once Dainn decided he had enough. It certainly wouldn’t be pretty, but AJ swore to herself that whatever he would do to her body, she would never let him, or anyone else, break her. If only to spite those who followed the ideals of the caribou, she would stay resolute, and be a mare that would never bend to their will.

The only other thought going through her mind as she waited for her punishment, having already come to term with her thoughts about Mac and the farm, was how Rainbow was taking all this. That she wasn’t the last one of their group to retain a sense of independence and dignity. It had to be reassuring for her to know she was not alone, that at least one of her friends was still willing to stand up for themselves. Applejack hoped that sentiment would keep the pegasus’ own will in tact for some time. It was unlikely that the farm mare would be able to give her any comforting words directly for a while, but if Rainbow lasted this long alone, then she should be fine on her own for a little longer at least.

Applejack had to push that to the back of her mind for now, as she knew that her time to dwell on anything but her own predicament had passed when Dainn finally released the white, hot contents of balls, a blast of semen erupting from his shaft. Twilight, being the target of the cum shot, hardly fliched as it met its mark, splashing a mess of viscous goop that covered her face, breasts, and collar to turn all visible parts of those bits a creamy white. The alicron wiped her eyes and licked around her mouth, more than pleased that she could bring Dainn to such an amazing climax.

Noticing that there was a string of ropey sperm attaching the king’s cock to the rest of the white mass, Twilight moved in to clean what remained, but the caribou ignored her advance and allowed the cum cord to snap of its own accord as he stepped away. “Stay there and wait for my return,” he said to the alicorn. It was not going to be Twilight’s duty to clean out his shaft, that chore was being left up to the defiant mare before him.

“You have caused quite a commotion with this act of rebellion,” Dainn stated, looking down at the mare turning her face away from the cum filled cock that aimed towards it, “But that doesn’t remove you from your responsibilities. You will service me, either by choice, or by force. Which will it be?”

Applejack didn’t respond, didn’t want to give Dainn the satisfaction. She just waited, preparing for the moment he made a move. She didn’t intend to make this easy, ready to put up as much a fight as she could against a person who defeated Celestia in a one-on-one battle. In the end she was sure she would not win out, but she would make him remember well the earth pony he picked a fight with this night.

“So be it,” Dainn said, giving a shrug, “Don’t let it be said that I didn’t give you a chance to redeem yourself.” Dainn lifted a hand from his side, the tension making it seem like time was slowing to a crawl for the mare, it was time to face the consequences of her actions, whatever that may be. “But now it is time you were put back in your pl-”

“Keep your fucking hands off mah sister!”

For perhaps the first time since he had become the ruler of Equestria, Dainn was cut off before he could finish his sentence. Not just by the booming voice of the clydesdale yelling behind him, but also by the arm of said clydesdale slipping under his chin, tightening its embrace around the king’s neck tighter than any collar had ever been around that of a mare. It took both Dainn and Applejack by complete surprise, leaving them both equally breathless.

Dainn flailed about the moment he realized what was going on, that he was under attack, and that his attacker had caught him at a moment when he was in between breathes, his words emptying his lungs of precious air that he needed at a time like this. It was a long time since he had be caught off guard, if he believed he ever had, and thus Dainn had little experience of what to do when it happened. He found that the tossing of his upper body made little headway, the mighty arm braced around his throat pressed solidly against his throat, compacting his windpipe and cutting off the circulation of blood to and from his head with an ever increasing, crushing force.

Mac put every bit of effort he had in restraining the stag he now held by the neck, not giving his captive any room to wriggle out of his grasp. When Dainn lurched forward to try to buck him off, Mac slipped his leg between Dainn’s to wrap it around one and gain better leverage. When the caribou tried to send the back of his head into Mac’s muzzle, the clydesdale used the opportunity to tighten his arms even further by flexing his arms harder. The only issue was when the king’s fists and elbows would shoot back occasionally, which hurt, but not as much as he assumed it would. The caribou’s position didn’t allow for him to get a solid hit in, at least that was Mac’s assumption.

Whatever the reason, so far this part of his ill conceived plan was working. It was the most foolish thing he had ever done, and at the same time, it was the first right thing he had done in a while. There was no way he was getting out of this, that was a certainty in his mind, but at the very least he could do what he had set out to.

“AJ!” he said, looking at the astonished mare from over Dainn’s shoulder, “Run! Get outta here!”

“But-” Applejack replied, not sure what to do.

“No buts, no arguments!” Mac answered back, knowing there was no time for AJ to try and makes sense of the situation if she was to escape, “For once just listen to me and go!”

---

As Dainn and Mac tossed about on stage, everyone else in the room watched on in shock and awe. No one had ever expected anyone to do anything so monumentally stupid. To attack the king, in his own home, surrounded by guardsmen, the highest ranking officials in the military, and the caribou council, it was hard for those witnessing it to believe it was really happening even as they witnessed it before their eyes. Not only that, but this brazen pony looked to be holding his own against the man who lead the unparalleled caribou army, who defeated the princesses, a man who was considered untouchable by pretty much anyone, be they part of the caribou regime, part of the resistance, or otherwise.

Some of the guests even started to assume that this was some kind of act, a spectacle to kick off the anniversary to the caribou’s takeover. Any moment now the king would effortlessly toss the stallion aside, and he would be lead off somewhere by a pair of guards so Dainn could proceed with the violation of this loudy defiant red collar. As things went on though, even they couldn’t deny how real this looked, and how if this was an act it seemed strange to have the pony antagonist of this show get so much of an upper hand on the king of all people. To those who temporarily deluded themselves that this was all part of the Gala’s festivities, their second realization of the situation was just as paralyzingly shocking as the first.

Of course, the more militarily trained members of the gathering recovered more quickly, and in a short amount of time they started reacting to this attack on the king’s person. Those in the VIP box got out of their seats first, with Soarin being the quickest to rise after knocking Spitfire’s bound body off his dick. The Wonderbolts were no strangers to danger, a squad of them capable of slicing through dragon scale with a well coordinated aerial strike, so a single one of them should have been enough to remove a single stallion from the king. While the caribou council were still glued to their seats, the pegasus had his wings at full spread and was preparing to launch himself at full speed to rescue the king.

Soarin was ready to take quick action to go to the aid of his sire, there was another in the private booth who did not want anyone to break up what was going on below. Before he could flap his wings even once, a sharp pain formed in the middle of one of his shins. He let out a yelp, and turned himself to find the source of his discomfort. What he found was a blue furred black collar with multi-colored hair sitting on her rump with her leg arched back, ready to send a kick in his direction.

“You little bitch!” Soarin raised his hand up to deliver the back of it across Dash’s face. The pegasus mare wasn’t having it though, sending her hoof forward. To her dismay though, the stallion gave his spread wings a flap, and lifted up his legs to get airborne. “Ha! You missed!” he said victoriously, seeing himself completely protected from any further attacks.

Unfortunately for the pegasus stallion, Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only mare in the VIP booth that didn’t want anyone to interfere with what Mac was doing, and a split second after he mocked Dash for her failed attack, he was rammed into harshly from behind. The floating stallion tumbled in midair, losing all control, crashing right into Durnir, hitting the large caribou in the side of his knee joint.

The muscular caribou had just gotten completely out of his seat, and with the full weight of a full grown stallion knocking his leg out from under him, was rapidly falling to the floor. Out of instinct, he latched onto the closest thing to stop his fall, that being Thortr. Not having near the body mass that Durnir did, Thortr found himself being pulled to the floor with him, his legs slipping out underneath him and siding directly in the path of the other caribou that sat aside him, Northri. Northri, not realizing what was happening next to him, tried to take a step, and tripped over the pair of legs now in his path, falling forward and onto the next caribou in line, Hrathr. Hrathr had already turned his body towards the exit, so the force of his fellow council member falling against his back affected him similarly to how Soarin was by the shove that started all of this, and thus he was sent tumbling forward, into both Anvari and Ivangir, likewise knocking them to the floor like those before them.

The only able bodied stag of the council that avoided all this was Vestri, who had yet to even move from his seat. If he had, then he would have been easily crushed by the body of his more massive brother, but his inaction allowed him to not join his brethren on the ground. Now, all he could do was wonder in panic as to who could have made the majority of the caribou council topple over like a row of dominos.

Dash, after watching the the near comedic tumbling of Dainn’s advisors and tacticians, looked at the person responsible for all this. To her surprise, it wasn’t Spitfire, who was still picking herself off the ground after being tossed off of Soarin’s cock, but Lightning Dust. The red collar mare dusted her hands off in satisfaction of her actions, and looked down at Rainbow with a smug grin as she watched her fellow pegasus mare’s dumbfounded expressions.

“What?” Lightning said, her arrogance from before the fall present in her voice, “Did you really think I li-” Lightning’s eyes suddenly darted to the side, and her eyes narrowed as she caught something in her vision. The next thing Dash knew, Lightning Dust was running to the balcony edge, leaping onto it and vaulting off to collide with Orestes just as he flew out of the booth, landing on top of him and sending them both crashing to the ground, right in the middle of a group of caribou officers seated below.

Dash, watching the red collared mare risk her own safety to stop two stallions from stopping Mac, became just as confused as the stallions and stags about just what the fuck was going on. She couldn’t let herself be distracted by that though, not when this disruption gave her a perfect opportunity to get a bit of payback for all she had endured. With an almost sadistic smirk growing over her muzzle, she looked over to the council members tripping over one another to get back on their feet. Her arms were bound, her wings trapped, but she was still one of the most athletic ponies in Equestria. Finding a target, she got to her hooves and leapt into the air, landing right on the head of Durnir, who gave her the most pleasing look of fear when he noticed the mare who was about to stomp down onto his face.

From below, the commotion going on at the back of the room was unignorable, one by one the guests were drawn to it, and became quickly aware that the council had all but vanished, with a black collar kicking, stomping, and yelling at something hidden just under the horizon of the balcony. Then there was the commotion in the seats near the back, where several caribou had been bombarded by a couple of pegasi, with other stags scrambling to help those of their ranks that were hit by them. With the king being assaulted, several caribou officers injured, and the council nowhere in sight, there was only one conclusion the aristocratic guests of the party could come to.

“We’re under attack!” One of the stallions screamed, assuming this was the resistance enacting a strike against the palace. Resistance attacks, while mostly unsuccessful, were not uncommon, and it looked as if this time they were being spectacularly effective with their attempt. While a lot of the guests were higher ranked officers of the Equestrian army, there were just as many rich snobs and celebrities there who had little to no experience in how to handle a fight, and when faced with the possibility that they might receive bodily harm by being in the middle of a coordinated assault lead by people who wouldn’t care about collateral damage, those who had no ability to defend themselves made a break for the doors.

From there only one thing could come from the hysteria that ensued, utter chaos. Stallions struggling over one another with only self preservation in mind, some leaving behind the slave mares they brought to the Gala, while others attempted to flee in vain with their prized possessions. Red collars left by their masters started screaming and running about in confusion, having heard terrible horror stories spread by the caribou of what happened to mares that the resistance got a hold of, and tried desperately to cling onto any male they could to be rescued from such a fate. The black collars, those that were not bound and had the courage to stand up against their oppressors, did what little they could to assist what seemed to be a chance at freedom by tripping any man that came their way, kicking things over to block pathways, or even directly attacking guardsmen and guests if they had the nerve to do so.

The guards themselves were at a loss of what to do. Everything was happening so fast. Not even a full minute had passed since the clydesdale started choking the king, and everything was in a state of pandemonium. Those not caught up in the black collar riot weren’t sure what to do first, and their delay only made things worse each passing second. With no chain of command present, the guards had to decide for themselves what course of action was most important in this situation.

A few of them went to guard and lock the exits, having heard Mac’s order to Applejack to flee while she could. If one of the Elements of Harmony managed to escape in the carnage, it would not reflect well on them, and the guard stallions enjoyed their cushy jobs at the palace and the perks that came with it. Others prioritized getting everything calmed down, since the longer this went out of control, the more likely it was that someone important was going to get hurt, and that too was not going to be a stellar mark on their records should their inaction lead to the injury of an important member of the Canterlot elite. Others were still trying to force their way up to the VIP box, hoping that if they got the council back in action, believing it would lead to the quick resolution of the problem.

However, of all the things to do, rushing to aid Dainn was the last thing on the minds of any of the pony guards. After all, Dainn was not someone who would need actual assistance dealing with a problem as minor as the one he was dealing with now. The tales told of Dainn painted him as being nearly invincible, and capable of overcoming any obstacle that he came across. He might have been caught unaware, but this was still a trifling matter for the ruler of Equestria. He had defeated and tamed the alicorn princesses, gotten the pony, zebra and griffon nations to follow the example of his people, and put every woman in their rightful place as whores and slaves, all without any effort at all. Dainn wasn’t about to be defeated by a single earth pony, so his safety was not of any concern. The king would be fine on his own.

---

Dainn was still putting up a fight, thrashing about, but he could not find a way out of Mac’s powerful hold. For the clydesdale, this was going better than he could ever hope for, but he was certain that something would stop him soon. If not Dainn himself, then the multitude of guards men undoubtedly coming to pull him away. It didn’t matter though, as long as Applejack got away. He could be switched and blanked and he wouldn’t care so long as his sister was safe.

His struggles had tossed him about so much that he and Dainn got turned completely around, and made it so he couldn’t watch as AJ made her getaway, but his sister was resourceful. Mac had no doubt in his mind that she had done as he had told her, and was already making her way out of Canterlot, to who knows where. Hopefully she would find some place to hide, to stay away from the caribou or others that would harm her. If he had to be honest with himself, he knew he could only assume that his would be a temporary solution, but he could hope that Applejack would find a way out of all this. He might never find how she would end up, but that hope would fuel his courage, at least for now.

His only regret was the mares that he would leave behind at Sweet Apple Acres. Daisy, Lily, Carrot Top, Fiddly even Roseluck. With him gone, they would be pulled back into the system, perhaps even punished for some absurd reason connected to his attack on Dainn. In his haste to save Applejack, they had slipped his mind up until he was already too far in. He hoped they too would be okay in a world where that possibility didn’t exist. Maybe Braeburn would find a way to take over the farm, and keep them there as workers. Roseluck might even like it that way, since she would be free to be the kind of red collar she wanted to be with the way he ran things. Another unrealistic thought, but Mac could dream.

Dainn, finding no other recourse, brought his arms up to latch onto Mac’s. He pulled and clawed, but to no avail. Any pain the clydesdale felt was being overridden by his determination to keep his arms locked tighter than a vice. Brute strength was not going to get Dainn out of this, the anti-magic armor that he wore to nullify the one thing he thought was a real threat to his person didn’t help in this situation, and his loyal caribou soldiers were caught up in the midst of a hundred ponies that acted like they were trying to do everything in their power to get in their way. All the things that he normally utilized to solve his problems were useless to him now when he needed them the most.

In a bit of desperation, Dainn did the last thing he could think of. He took hold of Mac’s arms, sunk his nails inside the stallion’s flesh, and pulled with all his might. As with before, this didn’t budge the clydesdale one bit, the stallion’s position and strength too overpowering. However, while muscle alone might not, Dainn felt that his own magic would be his salvation.

Mac’s irises narrowed as he saw Dainn’s antlers begin to glow, and his heart skipped a beat when an aura of magic encircled his wrists. The caribou king was using his telekinetic magic to double the power of his pull. Mac tried to squeeze tighter, but the combination of the caribou’s two strengths made it difficult to control his own. He could feel his grip slipping, with Dainn gaining ground in millimeters. This was it. This is where he would be overtaken and then he would be taken to receive the punishment he brought on himself. There was no avoiding it, but he could delay it a bit longer. He shifted his weight, directing Dainn’s body to turn, thinking that having to move would make the stag lose track of what he was doing. Instead, it made Mac freeze when saw the worst thing he could have at that moment.

Applejack was still there, on all fours with her backside turned towards them, hardly having moved at all from the spot she was standing in. What was she doing? Was she too scared to move? Did the guards block the way off stage? Was she just plain stupid? Mac was willing to give up everything for her, and she had just squandered the only chance she had. Any hope Mac had was quickly drained at the sight of the mare, and with it his resolve to hold on to the tyrant in his arms. It was over, they were both doomed.

Dainn, as he did with all that opposed him, took advantage of his assailant’s weakness, and managed to move Mac far enough to take his first breath in over a minute. The fresh air renewed his dimming senses, revitalizing him. With this came the ability to think clearly, and he knew exactly who was deserving of all of his thoughts. The stallion who attacking him would receive no mercy. He would be made an example of, and everyone would know what happened to those who dared to attack the king. This was going to be the last time something like this ever happened.

“RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” Dainn bellowed, flooding the gala hall with his voice. It echoed about the room, filling it completely, the sound forcing many to cover their ears in pain, while those who didn’t were simply stopped by to force of the king’s voice. It demanded everyone’s attention.

Yet, this was not something Dainn did intentionally. His intention was to remove the stallion behind him from his person, and then beat him into submission until he could no longer move. Instead a devastating sense of agony was consuming his being. One unlike any he had ever felt. This sensation sent the most intense sparks to his brain, making his entire body go numb in attempt to remove this overload of torment. Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes, and he could feel a strong compulsion to vomit as his body desperately tried to alleviate this excruciating agony by the only means it knew how. He could feeling himself quickly slipping into unconsciousness, his senses dimming faster than the lack of oxygen had caused them to do. As everything went to black, the last thing he perceived was where this unrelenting pain originated.

---

“Take that, ya sonovabitch!” Applejack said, her hoof planted deeply into Dainn’s crotch. She had gotten down to her hands and knees, braced herself against the floor, and waited for just the right moment to send the most solid bucking she could into the tyrant’s unprotected sack. She couldn’t just leave Mac to be switched and tortured by the caribou, and this had been a long time coming. With Dainn’s exposed dick flopping around in the air as Mac manhandled him, there was hardly any better target to attack. This seemed appropriate after all the hurt the king’s privates had caused, and not even Dainn could shrug off a kick that could topple trees and dent armor.

Taking a moment to grind her hoof against the bits of testicle that she had compacted against his crotch, AJ removed it as she watched the king’s body grow limp. When she got back to her hooves, Dainn dropped to his knees, being kept there only by the support of her brother’s arms around his throat. From where she stood, Dainn looked every bit a mess as any woman under the care of a caribou. Tears, mucus, and a bubbling mass of filmy saliva were flowing profusely from his eyes, nostrils and mouth. His body spasmed and convulsed as sensations too powerful for him to handle coursed throughout it. His dick, now as limp as the rest of him, releasing a mixture of red and yellow fluids onto the ground in front of him.

Applejack was quite pleased with what she had done, but Mac, holding onto Dainn’s head, was at a loss for words. If attacking the stag wasn’t enough to get them a permanent stay on someone’s whipping rack, then rendering him unconscious and utterly destroying his balls was. They were finished…

Mac looked out to the audience, expecting a flood of angry stallions and caribou to be on their way to do all but rip him and his sister limb from limb. What he saw, however, was a sea of stunned ponies and caribou. No one was moving, no one was making a sound, all were fixated on them with gawking mouths and wide eyes.

For a moment Mac wondered what was going on, but then it hit him. They were all in disbelief. This was unthinkable. Dainn was not supposed to ever be in a state of weakness. Dainn was never supposed to be defeated. As far as these people were concerned, what he and Applejack had done was impossible. Now no one knew what to say or do. Not the caribou, not the stallions, not the griffons watching from their tables at the side of the room, not the red collars or black collars, and not Gunne, who was right where Mac had left him, with a look of pure confusion and horror plastered over his face. It was all like they were waiting for someone to make the next move, to give proof that this wasn’t some terrible or glorious dream.

For some reason, that next move seemed to fall upon Mac. He was the one everyone was staring at, the one with Dainn’s head in his arms, so he was to one who had to act. What could he do though? Surrender? Place Dainn’s body on the ground and accept his and Applejack’s endless torment? What kind of choice was that? If that was his only option, then he wasn’t going to make it, but still the ball was in his court.

Then another idea dawned on him, one didn’t enjoy, but more favorable than the first option given to him. What if he… he shook his head slightly, not liking the idea entering his thoughts. This entire attack on Dainn was an act of desperation, a kneejerk response, and he wasn’t normally a violent pony. He didn’t let people push him around, at least not until his sister’s safety became an issue, but he was a fairly gentle person at heart. What he was thinking went against his moral code… but less so than what the caribou had put him through already.

This other option, the one that he didn’t want to think about, was based on one thing; Mac’s immense strength. While he tangled with Dainn, he could tell one thing for sure. He was physically much stronger than the stag. In fact, he had already kind of assumed that. While he believed Dainn was powerful, Mac knew he was capable of much more than what the rumors said the caribou king was. He had once effortly moved a house, foundation and all, with minimal effort through the streets of Ponyville, all on the notion of getting to someone he loved. If not for his gentle nature restricting him, he probably would have rung Dainn’s neck in an instance had he used his full strength.

Violence was not an answer that Mac liked to resort to, no matter how effective it was, but it looked like the only other thing he could do save for give up completely. He wished there was another choice, but caribou never did leave room for those. Mac took one last moment to think this through, to dwell on what he really should do in this situation…. And then he remembered what Braeburn told him not too long ago.

If it ever comes down to ya havin’ to do the right thing for the wrong reasons and the wrong thing for the right reasons… always do the wrong thing. Even if ya have to become a monster an’ do somethin’ unspeakable, do it if there are no other options. It’s the way this world works right now an’ somethin’ you’ll have to accept.

He was right. This was the way things worked in this world. Might was right, and it was the only thing the caribou understood. So if the choice was truly his to make, Mac was going to end this. Keeping an arm under Dainn’s chin, and using the other to grab the side of the king’s muzzle that was opposite of it, Mac took one final deep breath….. and pulled.

The Worst Night Ever: Part 7

The air in the room felt deathly cold to the stallion standing center stage.

“You idiots! Don’t help us! Go help Dainn!”

Mac didn’t know who said that, but they were too late. There was no helping Dainn, not after his head had been twisted around completely.

“Get the fuck out of the way!”

The room had turned to chaos again shortly after Mac had made his choice. There had been a small moment of celebration from those who were glad to see Dainn finally getting what he deserved, but that was incredibly short lived. Now Vestri was barking out commands to the disorganized guard ponies while doing what he could to stop Rainbow Dash from stomping on the prone members of the caribou council. The caribou on the ground floor were no longer trying to suppress the rioting mares, but instead had resorted to violently shoving any pony aside that had the misfortune of being in their path, and gave no lenience towards those who were keeping them from the stage intentionally or otherwise.

Not all of the guard ponies could hear what Vestri was yelling to them over all the screams and other forms of noise in the room. Instead they had to follow by the example given to them, and seeing that the caribou officers were taking out both mare and stallion alike, they decided to do the same. Anyone who didn’t calm down when they were instructed to were made to do so with the business ends of the guards’ stun batons.

As for Mac, he was still holding Dainn’s limp body up with his arm while looking down at the face of the man he had just killed. In less than two minutes, Mac had gone from a concerned brother to a murderer. The way the stag’s neck felt as it broke like a dry twig under the force of his strength was still a fresh sensation. The sickening sound produced by Dainn’s snapping spine echoed in his ears. He could feel the flow of warm blood seeping onto his arm from the ears of the convulsing corpse, and it made him want to throw up.

It wasn’t helped by the look Dainn was giving him with those staring, dead eyes. They were accusing, like the last thought he had was offence towards Mac for having the audacity to kill him. It was too much for the clydesdale. He let go the body and allowed the fallen king to collapse face down, or in this case face up, on the floor in front of him.

Whatever sentiments Mac held about this act of murder, Applejack didn’t share them in the least. As soon as Dainn’s body hit the ground the farm mare did the first thing that came to mind and spat right into his wide open eye. One final act of disrespect for the man who had no qualms in destroying the lives of every female citizen of Equestria, and of the entire world.

While Mac couldn’t really fault AJ for doing it, knowing well the kind of things she had been put through for the sake of Dainn’s vision of Equestria, he found it overall pointless. Having taken a small amount of time to think outside of the heat of the moment, Mac understood that what he did had changed nothing. The death of the king didn’t set Equestria free. This wasn’t a situation where defeating one man fixed everything. The caribou themselves were still a huge problem: powerful, in control, and above all else, numerous. Now that Dainn was dead, another would just take his place, and nothing would change except who was running the place. It could even change for the worse. What if the next king was a man like Invangir, a man who was overly delighted in the suffering of women? He could easily use the king’s death as an excuse to crack down on women, no, all ponies even more than ever before. Where Dainn was a tyrant, he at least tried to put on an air of being a reasonable person. The next leader of Equestria might not feel the need to display such formalities.

That was a problem for another day though. For now, Mac needed to get his own priorities straight, and the most important thing on he needed to take care of at the moment was ensuring the safety of his sister and, if possible, himself.

The clydesdale, stepping around the now still corpse, rushed to Applejack and took her by the arm. “We need to get out of here.” he said plainly, trying desperately to find some sort of way out of the mess he caused. Where would he find it though?

All the doors were being blocked, with no pony being let out. He could try to ram through them, break them down under the force of his strength, but then he’d have to risk going through all the people who heading right for him. No matter how strong he was, if he got overwhelmed by sheer numbers, he wouldn’t be able to overcome that. It had happened once before already. What option did he have though? He and AJ couldn’t try to fight them all alone, and the number of rioting and confused ponies was dwindling fast. They would have to chance it if they didn’t want to be horribly tortured and raped for the rest of their lives. Pulling Applejack by the arm, threatening to pull her right off her hooves as she scuffled along behind him, Mac headed for the edge of the stage. He was determined to find some way out of this, even if it killed him in the process, and he wasn’t about to let a few dozen caribou prevent from him from doing so. However, it wouldn’t be one of the blood thirsty caribou to stop him, but a single pony.

Just as he was about to leap from the stage onto the banquet hall’s floor, a pink barrier appeared to block his path. Mac collided with it, head on, the translucent forcefield rising up from the floor too quickly for him to respond to it. The collision made him take a step back and hold his head from the impact, a lump already forming where he hit.

“What in Equest….” Mac’s words petered off when he saw what it was keeping him on the stage. Of all the ponies and stags to have gotten caught up in the wild sea of bodies, somehow it was Shining Armor who made it through to catch Mac before he got away.

The unicorn stallion’s face was grim; a mixture of loathing and betrayal for the clydesdale he held within his magic. Mac had assured him that he wasn’t going to cause trouble, and like a fool he believed the mentally deficient earth pony. His own naivety had brought this about on some level, but he would not allow a murderer to escape justice. His shielding bubble would make sure that he and his rebellious sister didn’t go anywhere.

Trapped, Mac did the only thing his could do, and attacked the bubble around him. Winding back his arm back, he delivered the most forceful punch he could muster. “OW!” To his dismay, the barrier didn’t break or give in the slightest. Maybe that was to be expected, seeing as this barrier spell once ward off a changeling invasion against Canterlot for an extended period of time. Being condensed down around two ponies focused the spell, made it incredibly sturdy and nearly unbreakable. That didn’t stop Mac and AJ from trying though, and soon they were both slamming their hooves and fists into the barrier, their combined power causing Shining to flinch in slight pain with each strike, but not getting him to lower his magic at all. They were stuck.

“Give it up, Macintosh,” said Shining, stepping up to his bubble, “It’s over, you’ve lost.”

Mac gave the wall of magic surrounding him a few more strikes, hearing the stallion’s words, but ignoring his request.

Shining cringed a few more times at this, before reiterating his command. “I said stop!” The unicorn focused his magic, and shrunk the barrier down till the farm ponies were given no room to punch or kick without bumping into one another, “Even if you could break out of my spell, you’d never make it out of here alive.”

The unicorn pointed behind himself, to the angry mob of caribou that had finally regrouped and congregated a few feet away from the stage. Any ponies that were not part of the royal guard had been corralled to the side walls, awaiting whatever the caribou would do with them after the pressing matter at hand was taken care of.

This included the Elements of Harmony, as well as Cadence, each relocated from the VIP box to separate areas away from one another to prevent any disturbances they could possibly cause, the fact that most were red collars no longer guaranteeing to the caribou that any one of them were trustworthy in the wake of this disaster. Dash herself was under the direct supervision of two guards, and was sporting a sizable bruise on her face, along with an even bigger grin, both earned by her assault on the council. The only three mares not within these small groups, pined between the guards and the walls, were Celestia, Luna, and Twilight; the first being locked in her cage next to Dainn’s seat, the second still dangling painfully from the ceiling by her arms and legs, and the last still fulfilling the last request the king gave her out of both faithful obedience and shock that Dainn had been killed before her eyes.

As for the caribou council, they had made their way to the front of the mob, most carrying their own hoof-shaped marks and bruises acquired from the rainbow mare. Not a one of them could hide how infuriated they were at the way things had developed. One of the greatest nights of their lives turned to ruins because a stupid dirt mare couldn’t do what she was told. The only way they would feel better after the humiliation they suffered was to get revenge on both her and her murderous brother.

“Good work, Shining Armor,” Vestri said, his anger seeping into his congratulatory words, “Now lower your barrier so we can take care of these two.”

“I can’t do that, Lord Vestri,” the stallion replied, giving a shake of his head to confirm his answer.

“What?!” Ivangir said, stepping right up to Shining Armor. At this point he had little problem grabbing the uncooperative unicorn by the collar of his shirt, and lifting him up to glare at him eye to eye. “How dare you try to protect the king’s killers?! We demand justice!”

“And that is what I’m trying to allow here.” said Shining, not intimidated in the slightest by the show of brute force from the caribou.

Vestri, curious about this insubordination from a stallion who should have been siding with them completely, went aside his brother to question the unicorn, “Shining Armor, you had better have a good explanation for this, cause from here this looks like treason.”

“I’m not trying to protect these two, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Shining assured, “Believe me, I would want nothing more than to see them both beaten within an inch of their life right now.”

“Then… drop…. your… barrier…. “ Ivangir commanded, stressing the sincerity of his order.

“If I did that, I’d be going against the king’s wishes.” Shining Armor said back, holding strongly to his position.

“You’re going to have to explain yourself,” said Vestri, “Because I don’t think the king would want one of his loyal subjects preventing his murderers from getting what they deserve.”

“I’m not protecting them,” Shining said again, becoming irritated at the two caribou grilling him over his actions, “My duty, invested to me by King Dainn, is to uphold the law and keep the peace, and so I can’t let you all take out some act of revenge on this stallion just because he deserves it. Unfortunately, he’s a man, so he has certain rights that can’t be ignored…. Even those resistance members get their day in court, and I think for the time being we shouldn’t go against how the king ran his kingdom just because of his untimely death.”

Vestri took a moment to think about what Shining was saying, and as much as he wanted to pull rank, he knew well that the unicorn would not betray the orders of the king. “Put him down, Ivangir. He’s right. We aren’t savages, and we have systems in place for these situations.”

Ivangir huffed, and released the pony, “Systems that are in need of revision, it seems.”

“Agreed,” replied Vestri, “But now is not the time nor the place.” The stag took a look around the room, accessing the situation. Everything was calm now, but that didn’t mean something couldn’t happen to stir up trouble again. He had to make sure that things went smoothly until Mac was properly placed in custody. After that… well Shining Armor didn’t need to know what happened after that. “Where is the captain of the guard? Someone bring him here!”

It took a short time to figure out what had happened to him, but shortly after the summons, Orestes was assisted by his subordinates to stand before Vestri and Ivangir.

“P-present... “ He said to his superior, having to speak through the pain he was feeling. When Lightning Dust had set him plummeting to the ground, he had crashed into several chairs and the caribou seated in them. The result was several lacerations across his body, a limp in his right leg, and what felt like a fracture of his left wing.

“How did all of this happen?” Ivangir asked, “Your men were suppose to prevent incidents like this, and all they did was stand around gawking when the king was being choked to death.”

“I don’t know…” said Orestes, legitimately unsure as to how his underlings could have thought it was a good idea to have the king fend for himself. Being the one in charge of them, he was going to get flak for their incompetence, unless he put the blame on someone else. He looked around the room, and picked one of his troops at random to take the fall. “You! What happened here!?”

With caution, the stallion stepped up to give as good of a report as he could to his commanding officer. “Captain Orestes… we didn’t… we didn’t realize that the clydesdale was strong enough to defeat Dainn, let alone kill him, and with everything that was happening, we thought that it was a full scale attack brought on by the resistance. With the council under attack, we thought that-”

“You thought wrong,” Orestes interrupted, “And now the king’s death is on your heads. Now tell me, what exactly did you all manage to do while leaving the king at the mercy of his assassin.”

“Well… we made sure that no one that could have been part of this attack on the kingdom could escape. A few fast acting guardsmen locked the doors, and we didn’t let anyone through in case they were involved.”

“No one got through?” Orestes said, wanting to make sure that the soldier wasn’t hiding anything.

“We did let a caribou officer through,” said the guard, amending his statement, “He said he was going to call in more guards to come and apprehend those involved.”

“I suppose there is nothing wrong with that,” Orestes stated, “A caribou is the most trustworthy person you can find.”

“Indeed,” said Vestri, looking over the room’s occupants, “And until that officer gets back with reinforcements, nobody's going anywhere. You,” Vestri pointed at the guard giving the report, “Start moving non-caribou in this room to separate places. Men in one spot, black collars in another, red and purples in another. And make sure to keep the heart slut and the former Elements of Harmony apart.”

“Lord Vestri, I promise you my slaves have nothing to do with this,” Shining said, referring to Cadence and Rarity.

“I’m not taking any chances,” Vestri responded, walking to the rest of the council to discuss what would happen from here. Ivangir gave Shining a snarl, still pissed that Shining had delayed the swift punishment of the two in his bubble, before following his brother.

Shining let out a sigh of frustration. He knew he had not won any popularity contests with his decision, but he really did think he was doing what the king would have wanted. After all, he considered Dainn a wise and just king, and such a person would clearly not have liked his people resorting to barbarism over his death.That didn’t mean he was exactly happy with his choice either though.

“So…” he heard from behind him, “I’m gonna be given a day in court then? Ah don’t suppose it’s gonna be a fair trial, is it.”

“As fair as a pony like you will ever get,” Shining said back, approaching the bubble to get a good look at Mac, “But believe me, you’re going to burn for this. There isn’t a jury in the world that would acquit you for killing the king.”

Mac had his own opinions about that statement, but Shining did have a point. Any trial in Equestria was going to end up with him either switched and blanked, or outright hanged. He didn’t care about that though. He had already assumed that was going to happen the moment he laid hands on Dainn. “And what about mah sister?”

“That depends…” announced Orestes, limping over to admire Shining Armor’s capture, “If the council doesn’t call first dibs on her, I might make her my own personal cum dump. I’m sure I’ll be able to break her better than Lord Ivangir did. Unlike him, I won’t hold anything back.”

“You’re disgusting,” Applejack said to the pegasus, not seeing a reason to be afraid of a stallion who was having trouble keeping himself upright.

“And the first thing I’ll take care of is that defiant mouth. A perma-gag wrapped snuggly around it should show you where you stand.”

“If ya think something like that outdoes what Ivangir has already done to me, then ya haven’t met a caribou in your life.”

“That’s just the beginning, dirt mare,” Orestes added, “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll beg for your mind to break like a purple collar so you won’t have to live with-”

“That’s enough,” said Shining Armor, “She’s just trying to annoy you. Let the council take care of things, and once this whole mess is cleaned up, then we can worry about what to do with this cunt.”

“And what about the rest of Equestria?” Mac asked, not yet resigning himself to the fate the caribou would prescribe for him. Sure, it looked hopeless, but he had already done something that he thought was impossible that evening. Perhaps he could do something else just as difficult, and change the opinions of one of the caribou’s most loyal pony followers. It was overly optimistic, but in the spot he was in, he couldn’t afford not to try. “What are ya gonna do when it crumbles around ya?”

“Shut it,” Shining Armor said, not in any mood to hear anymore of Mac’s nonsensical ramblings.

“Why?” Mac said while emulating as much smug as possible through his apparent nervousness, hoping he could get the unicorn to engage in conversation with him, “Afraid that I’ll outsmart ya again like earlier? You and Ah both know that I’m done for, so what’s the harm in listening to the last words of a dead man? Unless you’re afraid he might say something ya don’t want to hear.”

“Ignore him,” Orestes suggested, “He’s just rambling. You and I both know there is nothing wrong with the way Equestria is at the moment.”

Shining Armor wanted to to ignore the stallion, but he was having trouble doing so when his pride was under attack, and if there was one thing that Equestrian males who followed the caribou’s methods cared about, it was their pride. Mac had gotten the better of him earlier, if only briefly, and the idea that a mentally deficient stallion, a criminal, could outsmart him didn’t sit well. It really wouldn’t matter once the caribou were done with with Mac, but the deep seeded need to be a dominating example of male superiority made it incredibly difficult to let the comment slide.

“Actually….” said Shining Armor said to the man he let take his former role, “Why don’t we hear what this murderer has to say? We can pile his statements on top of the mountain of evidence we already have. Let him dig his hole, so we can pour dirt on him from above.”

“That doesn’t make any sense…” Orestes didn’t understand what Shining was trying to accomplish with this. They needed no further evidence against the stallion than what they already had.

“Ya heard him,” Mac said, doing what he could to hide that he was sweating bullets under the pressure of the moment. He managed to goad Shining Armor to listen to him, but now he had to be able do something with the opportunity given to him, “Let me say mah piece and then yah can do whatever ya want with it.”

The captain of the guard still had his reservations to this, but Shining Armor was a prince and outranked him. “Okay Macintosh, I’ll give you one minute to talk, but know that nothing you say is going to help you get out of this.”

That did seem to be the most likely result, but maybe if he could make the unicorn aware of the how terribly mismanaged Equestria was under caribou rule, it could somehow get Shining Armor to let him and his sister go. After all, if living under caribou rule had taught him one thing, it was how important talking was to get out of a bad situation. He didn’t know how it would work, or why it would work, but with this being his only option left open for him, he had to believe that it would work.

“Well…” Mac said, trying to think of where to begin, “Ya might recall that I’m a farm pony…”

“Fifty seconds,” said Orestes, letting Mac know that he had made a bad start.

“Ahem! Well as a farmer I’ve felt the effects of a lot of the caribou’s mistakes. Oh sure, Ah betcha have this image of how running a farm could be great. Having mares strapped into harnesses, sweat making their bodies glisten in the hot sun while ya just sit back, relax, and crack a whip every once in awhile to make them keep up their pace. Maybe have your favorite red collar suck ya off while the black collars do all the work. Then when they’ve done tuckered themselves out, ya got an easy to manage slave who too tired to fight back when ya want to rape them.”

“Wasn’t your goal to try and explain to me how the caribou made Equestria worse?” asked Shining Armor, seeing no problem with the picture Mac was painting.

“Well let me set the record straight and tell ya that that isn’t how it works. Every day working on a farm the way the caribou want it to be ran is terrible. When they took all the land away from the mares running their own farms in Ponyville, they pretty much handed it all over to me and said ‘make this work’. What use to be a small farm that grew apples for a small community became twelve times its size overnight. Ah had to beg the caribou to send me help, and even when Ah got it Ah was understaffed. After that, they added on demands like putting the help they sent me into bondage gear as they worked, or making them into the farm equipment, which defeated the purpose of sending me help to begin with since they couldn’t do the kind of work Ah needed them for. Then they all have scheduled days where they have to be taken into town to have sex for hours, which only makes them even less useful when it comes to maintaining a farm.”

“That sounds like a bunch of personal problems,” Shining Armor said, assuming that part of the problem was that Mac was being too kind to the mares in his care, “I bet if you followed the example of other farms, and cracked down on your mares, then there wouldn’t be any problem at all.”

“If that’s what ya think, then Ah hate to disappoint ya. I’ve been around to some other farms, and they aren’t faring any better. I’d even say they’re doing worse. I’ve managed to keep mah farm from sinking under by skirting the rules, but others have gone whole hog into doing stuff because they think it’s sexy, and not because it makes sense. A few months ago Ah bought a perfectly good, hard working mare from another farm owner for half the bits she was worth, and the only reason Ah reckon he took that low of an offer was because he desperately needed the money.”

“Do ya have any proof that’s the reason?” asked Shining Armor, knowing by the way Mac worded his statement. “Maybe he was just tired of her.”

“Ah don’t think so, because there’s more problems with running a farm now than too much land and workers that are unable to work.” Mac said, ready to get into an issue that could not just be dismissed as the ramblings of a female sympathizer, “It has been months since Ah’ve seen a decent rainfall. Ever since the weather team in Ponyville lost all the mares because of the caribou plucking all the feathers off their wings, they’ve been unable to keep up wit the demand for rain. I’ve seen one big storm in over half a year, and had to start carting water in from nearby lakes and rivers just to make sure Ah had enough for mah fields. So tell me, Prince, have you been waking up to your kingdom shimmering in the sun because of a lack of rain clouds in the sky?”

Shining growled a little, forgetting that Mac had asked about the condition of his own kingdom earlier, information that he had willingly given to the clydesdale in order to impress him. Now it was being turned against him, and he didn’t enjoy that one bit.

“And if Ah recall, you said that your kingdom threw parties near the size of the Gala frequently. Do Ah have to ask about how much food those kind of parties use up? Guess Ah can’t blame ya for wanting to keep up with the rest of Equestria though, since the caribou have made it a point to turn the simplest of holidays to grand festivals expressing how mares are suppose to live to be screwed in one way or another. It’s causing a demand that no one could possibly keep up for long, and this is just the problem with Equestria’s food supply. What else have they messed up during the time they’ve been in charge?”

That was it. Mac was finished making his point, and fired off the last bit of ammo he had. Hopefully, the unicorn would be completely defeated by the logic presented to him, and that would do…. something. Mac didn’t know what, maybe buy him some time as they tried to work out a solution that wasn’t there, or maybe miraculously convince Shining and his cohort that caribou had no right being in charge. With bated breath, Mac awaited Shining’s response, praying it would be in his favor.

Shining Armor looked to Orestes, who gave his superior an unimpressed look back. “This argument of yours would be pretty convincing, Macintosh,” said the unicorn, “But do you really think the caribou would really overlook problems that big? You’d have to be a complete imbecile to be throwing parties as extravagant as the Gala during a food crisis.”

Mac’s irises shrunk in panic, Shining Armor wasn’t getting it. It wasn’t that the caribou knew something about the status of Equestria’s food supply that the farm pony didn’t. They were either completely oblivious to the fact of the matter, or simply didn’t care. They wanted to prove that the way they ran Equestria was better than Celestia’s, and they were using the illusion of kingdom-wide opulence to act as that proof.

“You can’t ignore this, Shining Armor! Equestria is rotting from the inside out, and it’s the caribou that are the source of the problem!”

“Maybe there are a few problems,” said Shining dismissively, “But they were all issues the king was trying to work out. For all we know, he might have even come up with the solution, but now we’ll never know.”

“Are we done here?” asked Orestes, “This criminal’s minute has been up.”

“I believe so. Let’s go see if Lord Vestri has gotten everything sorted out, and if we can help punish the mares that helped this sorry excuse of a man kill the king.”

With that, the two stallion’s turned and started walking away. Mac never felt so defeated in his life. Everything he had ever done to keep what little he had left in the world was pointless. Trying to fight had gotten him in more trouble than he could have imagined, and obedience only made him and those closest to him miserable. The world itself had be put against him, with every choice he made resulting in making him lose something. The utter hopelessness of it was enough to finally make a grown stallion cry.

Applejack placed a hand on her brother’s arm. Through all of this, Mac had been the person who supported her, acted as her safe place when she thought there was nothing left. Now it was Mac that needed a shoulder to lean on, and she was going to be the one to give him it.

“It’s all mah fault…” Mac said, hardly noticing his sister’s gesture. “If Ah was just stronger…. smarter… if Ah had done something more… this wouldn’t be happening.”

“Hey…” she said, placing her hand in his and squeezing tightly, letting him know he could do the same if he needed to, “Ya did what ya could, and that’s all anyone can ask of ya. If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine. Ah thought Ah was doing the right thing by telling Dainn off, but Ah shoulda just kept mah mouth shut.” AJ did feel guilty. She should have known that Mac would have never let the caribou take her away, and it was selfish her to assume that he would have been happier without her around.

“No…Ya were only doing what… what ya felt was right. Ah can’t fault ya for that.” Mac replied, still trying his best to hold back his emotions. He couldn’t bring himself to let AJ take the blame for this, not when he felt so much was his fault. The stallion felt so much anger towards himself for not being able to do more, he slammed his head against the Shining’s magic barrier to punish the useless fool he had become, “It’s… it’s just not fair… all of this just isn’t fair.”

For as long as AJ could remember, Mac had always been the strongest pony she knew, both physically and mentally. He was never one to shed a tear at a scraped knee, and it took something huge to even get him upset. It as hard for the farm mare to recall a time that ever really cried over anything. However, the mental dams he had created couldn’t hold back the oncoming flood, and he let loose all the pain and sorrow he had been holding up inside for so long.

Tears started welling up in the bottom of the clydesdale’s eyes, until they could no longer contain them and the tears flowed out freely down his cheeks and onto the floor. Several times he attempted to wipe them away with his trembling arm, but they came back faster than he could remove them. Unable to hide what he was feeling, frustration joined his anguish, and the combination of overwhelming emotions was so powerful that he began hiccuping uncontrollably. The mixture of sobs, tremors and involuntary gasp of air made him a sight to behold. He could only remember one other time he had ever gotten this bad, long ago, at his parents’ funeral.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Mac heard from behind a veil of tears. Shining Armor must have heard him, returning with Orestes to gloat when the stallion was at his most vulnerable. “Looks like we finally broke him.”

“Haven’t ya done enough?” AJ said, stepping in when she knew her brother wasn’t up for anymore interactions with the corrupt unicorn, “Isn’t it enough that y’all are gonna get your way again?”

“Of course not,” Shining scoffed, “Even victory is nothing compared the satisfaction watching your enemies fall. To see them crumple before your superior strength and intellect. To have them know that they were wrong, and you were right. So tell me Macintosh, what does it feel like to know that you threw your life over one stubborn, stupid, useless, mare?”

“DAMMIT, SHINING ARMOR! SHE’S MAH SISTER!” Mac screamed through his sobs, a few small hiccups following before he could continue, “She’s the mare I’ve spent most of mah life with, the mare I’ve watched over and protected for longer than ah can remember. She’s not stupid... she’s not useless… and she’s done more good for Equestria than these caribou will do in a thousand years…. But that doesn’t matter. If all she ever was was the girl Ah grew up with, I’d still have given up anything for just the chance to save her. Can’t you understand that? Don’t you feel the same?!”

“Why would I ever feel that way about a mare like her?” Shining Armor said, finding the comment moronic.

“Not her… your own sister… Ya told me that ya thought we both wanted to see them happy. Don’t ya care about her more than any other mare in the world?”

The unicorn got a bit of a raised eyebrow from the pegasus standing aside him, but he knew how to dismiss his concerns. “Why would I care about any mare more than any other? I was lying, just trying to earn your trust while trying to show you the right-”

“Bullshit,” Mac said without hesitation, “Ah saw how ya looked when we talked about her. You were proud of her, ya wanted to see her safe, see her happy. It might have been muddled up in all that caribou crap, but it was there.” With a powerful snort, and one final attempt to wipe away his tears, Mac stared straight at Shining Armor with bloodshot eyes, and said, “Can you look at your sister now and tell me what she’s become is what ya wanted for the filly you grew up with?”

“Easily,” Shining said, looking towards the mare sitting not too far away, “She is a perfect, obedient slut, just… as… I…”

Twilight was still sitting where Dainn had instructed her to stay, covered in the dried remains of the king’s last climax, painting her purple fur of her muzzle and exposed breasts a pale white. He had seen her in a similar state so many times since the fall, but this time was different. This time she didn’t have a smile plastered over her face, instead she looked worried, nervous, eyes darting about like a frightened animal.

Occasionally she would fidget, bring her hand to her to her lips and bite her nails as far down as she could get them, or take a brief moment to tug at a strand of her mane until she pulled it from her head by its follicle. She was unsure of what to do, no one having given her a commands following the demise of the king. A million ideas were floating through her head, but all of them had yet to be approved or denied by a male, so she could act on none of them. She could only sit there, shaking in anticipation and fear of what was to come, with a heavy assumption that she would somehow be held accountable for all of this. Anything bad that ever happened was always the fault of the mares involved with it, even if they were only within proximity of the event.

Shining could say that this was perhaps the ideal image of a mare; one who was always troubled with how her actions, or lack thereof, would be judged by the men that lorded over her. One who knew that any action without permission, whether good or bad, could be held against her at the whims of any male that decided she was due for a punishement. To even yearn for a good spanking or to be placed in bondage designed to reinforce her lack of value by twisting her body to excruciating degrees for the amusement and easy access of the men handing out her punishment. Twilight, in her terrified and helpless appearance, was the very vision of a slave… but she no longer held any resemblance to the filly Shining once knew.

The girl he knew wasn’t one to simply sit at the sidelines and allow events to unfold around her. She was always the one to take some form of action, needing only a bit of time to evaluate the situation and formulate a plan before carrying it out, even at times when she didn’t have full confidence in herself. There had been times when his sister was frightened, times when she screwed up or hesitated momentarily, but never times where she was paralyzed by self-doubt or lack of command. In the caribou’s pursuit to make Twilight a shining example of female subservience, the person she use to be was sacrificed and replaced with a twisted caricature of her former self.

He could rationalize this all away with caribou logic, lay the blame of his weak sister being in this state on Mac’s murder of the king, but that wasn’t stopping the conflict of images appearing in his mind. Having this change pointed out to him in such a straightforward manner forced him to remember all the time he and Twilight had shared together. How he taught her to fly a kite on her own. How he would be the only pony she was willing to put down a book for. How they shared each other's dreams, and how none of them involved her to grow up to guzzle down cum or take it in the ass by the entirety of Equestria.

Something inside him tried to cover up these memories with thoughts of mares granting him pleasure, or bowing before him in gratitude for showing them their ‘proper place’, but this only made the situation worsen as the two different thoughts intermixed, creating disturbing imagery that Shining Armor never wanted to envision. Eventually, something had to give, and when put against Shining’s feelings towards his sister, it was that something inside him that broke.

“HRK!” Shining had to slap his hand over his muzzle to prevent himself from vomiting, a sudden sense of sickness filling him to the core. Something was wrong, seriously wrong. The sight of his sister nude, wearing a collar that marked her as a slave, no longer seemed normal to him. Repulsed, feeling like he had just stepped out of a dream into a nightmare, he turned away and choked down the fluids that had worked their way up his esophagus. The sensation of sickness would not go away though, and he wasn’t sure why. He needed something to cleanse his palate, to get these terrible images out of his mind. He could think of only one thing that always made him feel better every time he looked at it, and thus he scanned the room to find Cadence, certain that her image would be the cure he needed.

What the f… The stallion couldn’t believe what he was looking at. It was his wife, looking exactly how he had last left her, but yet different in a way he couldn’t explain. Her horn was cut down to a stump like those of all unicorn and alicorn mares, but now where he had always found some perverse form of satisfaction in looking at it that way, he instead felt disgusted at the act of mutilation that Cadence herself had willingly allowed to happen. His lips quivered as he his eyes set on the shrouds that covered her wings, remembering how he had personally plucked one of her most exquisite features down to nothing but bony protrusions of flesh that in no way matched the beauty of her lovely feathers. What topped it all off though was how she was currently kneeling before one of the stallion guests of the party who had seen this as a perfect opportunity to put the lustly alicorn’s eagerness to use, and was sucking him off with as much enthusiasm as she had ever shown her husband.

This staggered the unicorn, cutting him deeper than any physical injury he has ever suffered, literally bring him down on one knee from the mental impact. At his side was an increasingly confused Orestes, who had watched the prince’s reactions, though not understanding what could have upset his so thoroughly. “Are you alright?” he asked, placing a hand on the stallion’s shoulder. In return for his small act of concern, the pegasus received the most infuriated expression he had ever gotten from another person; stag, stallion or mare.

---

“So this is the one who helped that rainbow bitch,” said Vestri to two guards holding the arms of a scowling red collar pegasus. The palace banquet hall had settled down immensely after the havoc that took place. Once he was able to to gain his bearings and take command, it didn’t take long to get his brethren to do what they did best and suppress the physically weaker ponies that had incited the riot. Some were still fighting in the arms of their caribou captors, but the guard ponies were making short work the the few stragglers with their stun batons. Now all that was left was separating the trouble makers from the ‘loyal’ citizens of Equestria.

The defiant mare before him now was one of the ones that made the king’s death possible. If not for her and Rainbow Dash’s interference, then the caribou council would have surely been able to save Dainn, that Vestri was assured of. “You’re going to pay dearly for making foo…. For getting the bet… For-”

“What’s the matter?” Lightning Dust mocked, “Can’t admit that a mare beat you? Hard not to admit it when the proof is laying dead on the- AH!”

Vestri’s hand went across the mare’s face faster and harder than it had any mare before her, “We were not beaten.” he stated matter of factually, “This all proves nothing except that we have been far too lenient on you mares for too long.”

Lighting Dust gave a grin from behind her already swelling cheek, “You talk big for someone whose king is dead.” Her retort wasn’t at all witty or elegant, but she knew what to attack to do the most damage to the caribou’s ego.

“We’ll see how long you keep that attitude when you’re shoved into a blanking device.” Vestri replied, using the best counter argument he knew, “Put her with the rest of the ungrateful sluts and put her to use. Fuck her till she can’t stand or think straight.”

“Yes sir!” said the guards in unison, more than willing to execute their given command after a night of abstinence.

Vestri watched the mare get dragged away, LIghtning still putting up a fight even though there was no point to it. As far as any caribou was concerned, this whole ordeal was a pointless endeavor that would only further prove that nothing could be gained from resisting. The only issue was Dainn’s death, but there were ways to make that issue disappear. He was glad that no pony had left the room as of yet, because that meant that no news would be leaving it without the council’s permission. It’s not like the caribou hadn’t altered the minds of ponies before, and perhaps there was a way that Dainn being dead could be advantageous.

He would have to figure all that out later though. Right now, he was just waiting for that caribou officer that had left to get reinforcements. When he returned, the ponies would be detained and from there Vestri would have all the time in the world to figure out where to go from there. The only thing bothering him was why it was taking that officer so long to get back with more guards so they could wrap this problem up. That aside, Vestri believed that everything else was going along smoothly.

That assurance of order was broken though, as the sound of something heavy hitting the ground reached Vestri’s ears, followed by a series of gasps and murmurs from the those around him. “Oh what now?” This was starting to get annoying, and after a night of relentless sex Vestri didn’t have the energy to put up with another problem. “I swear if it’s this is another stupid mare acting up, I’ll…” Vestri’s threat never finished, and when he turned he saw that the problem wasn’t a mare, but a certain stallion that he thought was under control.

Shining Armor clutched his fist as he stood over the unconscious body of his second in command, rage quietly resonating off his being. Vestri had never seen the pony prince like this before, and for a moment, it gave the caribou pause while he tried to figure out what had happened. Then the pony sent his hateful glare in his direction, and all assumptions he had faded. “You… can’t have…” The conclusion Vestri came to was impossible, but it was the only one he could come up with on short notice.

“We’ve been tricked!” the unicorn shouted, catching the attention of everyone in earshot, “These bastards are not our allies. They’ve been using us from the start!”

The ponies in the room, or at least those that knew him, were instantly confused by the prince’s announcement. The prince had been approving of the caribou to the point of zealotry since the moment he met them, and now what he was saying was outright treason.

“Sir, what are you talking about?” asked one of the soldiers loyal to Shining Armor, hoping this was all just some mistake.

“He doesn’t mean anything!” Vestri piped up, knowing the truth, and wanting to silence Shining Armor in case he knew it too.

However, the quick reaction of the caribou only made the pony guard more suspicious. They had been part of the inner workings of the regime long enough to know how the caribou liked to suppress information they didn’t want getting out, even when that information was factually correct. Little by little, whispers filled the room, coming from the guardsmen as they talked amongst one another about what this odd exchange could have been about.

Not everyone was in a mood to deal with this issue with words though, and where his brother had made things worse, Ivangir felt he could fix this issue in his own special way. He stepped from the crowd of his brethren and approached Shining Armor like a lumbering behemoth and put his weight into each step to intimidate the out-of-line stallion. “So you’ve finally turned on us, have you?” questioned Ivangir, making no effort to watch his words. “Figures. Never get a pony to do a stag’s job. Dainn should’ve appointed you to serve as some deserving caribou’s errand boy, but I suppose having you be my new fuck mare will suffice.”

As the large caribou closed in, he arched his arm back to deliver the most powerful haymaker he could muster, intent on knocking the unicorn out in one shot without any question as to how or why Shining had a sudden change of heart. He didn’t care about any of that anyway, he just wanted to punch the pony in the face for his own sadistic desires.

To Ivangir’s dismay, he never got to throw that punch. Instead, the caribou was met full force by an expanding magical force field that rammed into him. Ivangir was knocked back with ease by the barrier and was forced to tumble along as it collided with him again and again. It pushed him back far enough to toss him back into the amassed group of caribou he had just separated from.

His ego injured by the attack more than his body, Ivangir got back up to his hooves with the aid of the men he landed on, “Dammit... of all the stallions to break free, it had to be the one with the fucking shield spell.”

“Quiet brother,” Vestri said, knowing that each thoughtless word Ivangir said just leaked more of the caribou’s little secret, “Let me think this through and come up with a plan of attack.”

“What’s there to think about?” Ivangir argued, “We just need to hit that shield until it breaks. Everyone knows that ponies have problems keeping it up.”

That little bit of innuendo got a small chuckle from the stags in the room, but not so much the pony guardsmen. Personally, they weren’t being too appreciative to this blatant disrespect for their former captain turned prince. The way Ivangir talked, the disrespect didn’t stop at just Shining Armor either, as he made is seem like all ponies were to be held at a lower regard compared to caribou men. This was pretty insulting since the pony guardsmen were usually the ones who had to do the caribou’s dirty work only to receive the same, or less, perks as a caribou officer. A caribou officer who only bothered to get off their ass when the promise of entertainment was involved.

“Men,” Shining said from behind his barrier, which now filled a fourth of the banquet hall, “I know this don’t make sense… Believe me, I’m still struggling to straighten out everything in my head… but I know that the caribou have been using us as lackies to further their own agenda. Since they’ve taken over, all they’ve done is bark orders and benefit from our hard work. They treat us like pawns and are slowly destroying the land we were sworn to protect. If you care about Equestria, or even if you just care about your own self-worth, then get into my shield and join me!”

The caribou scoffed at the idea of the guardsponies turning on them like Shining Armor. They were given so much for their service in the form of women and coin, and were under the influence of their cure on top of that. It was preposterous that their loyalty would fade because of some sappy speech. The guard, however, were not as loyal to the caribou as they assumed. Many had served under Shining Armor for years, and to them the unicorn was the authority figure here, not the caribou council. With Dainn gone there wasn’t anyone in the room who could appropriately challenge that authority.

Others had different reasons to betray the caribou though, even those under the effects of the caribou’s cure. The cure did many things to warp and attune a stallion’s ideals with that of a stag. It made stallions see women as lesser creatures, it made them see no issue with rape or torture. But with that came another shared trait: ambition. If Shining Armor was offering something better than the caribou, and he was displaying that his own magic was more than enough to repel one of the strongest soldiers the caribou had, then why not side with him? The unicorn hadn’t said anything that went against the ideals of male domination, just that the caribou had somehow tricked ponykind. And, of course, they assumed that Shining would be very grateful for their help. Grateful enough to shower them with rewards afterwards.

---

Before the caribou knew what was going on, several stallions slipped by them and into the barrier, passing through it as if it wasn’t there. The caribou hardly noticed at first. They assumed that Shining’s call for help would go unanswered, but within seconds many of the guards that had stood watch over the gala had worked their way into the safety of the unicorn’s spell. When numbers siding with Shining Armor became too large ignore, the caribou only had a few left who were either late to act or had only started moving towards the shield because everyone else had. The caribou tried to prevent these last few from joining their comrades, but were unsuccessful in stoping a single one, with one such chase ending with a stag smashing face first into the barrier.

Shining was pleased to see that his troops still chose him over the caribou. He was going to need all of their help to overcome the threat that the caribou represented. “Thank you, men… But to be honest… I don’t really know how we are going to get over all this…” Shining looked through his spell. He could see the caribou preparing to strike against the traitors they had before them. The council was at the lead, officers were in formation behind them, and the four runemasters in the back were preparing something that wasn’t going to be pleasant. The battle that was ahead was going to be tough, but he had faith in those who served under him.

“And they don’t have these,” an earth pony spoke up as he revealed his shock baton. Each of the guardsponies had one from being on duty that night, while all of the caribou officers were guests and didn’t feel the need to carry weapons to the party.

“And if we are going to take this kingdom back from the caribou, then maybe we could use the killer,” suggested a unicorn, pointing at the bewildered clydesdale and his sister with his thumb.

“What do you say, Big Macintosh?” Shining asked, willing to take whatever help he could get with his coup. “You’ve been through a lot tonight, but if we are going to beat these bastards, we might need you.”

Mac hadn’t yet gotten over his emotional outburst from earlier, nor this sudden change of events. He didn’t even realize that he was being spoken to until Applejack elbowed him in his side. “Mac, they are asking ya to fight with them.” Applejack said, making sure her brother knew what was going on.

“Uh… sure. Ah’d be glad to help.” Mac answered, not exactly sure how much help he could be at this point. He might have killed Dainn, but he really wasn’t a fighter, and he definitely wasn’t a soldier. However, he wasn’t about to let this miracle slip through his fingers.

“We’d both like to help,” AJ added, jumping off the stage to join in with the upcoming battle.

“What are you gonna do, distract them by waving your tits around?” one of the stallions jeered, “Mares can’t fight.”

“How about ya stop givin’ me sass so we can start planning on how to deal with that.” Applejack pointed to Vestri, who was facing the rest of the caribou and giving them the standard blowhard caribou speech to raise their morale. In return, the caribou gave several battle cries to declare that they were ready to fight. “Unless you like the idea of being switched for treason.”

The stallion gulped, now realizing that any additional help would be appreciated, “Fine, but we are going to need a plan. Shining Armor, any ideas?”

“Not great ones, but I think I know a few things that will give us a slight advantage. Huddle up, we don’t want them overhearing.”

---

Vestri tapped his fingers on his crossed arms, watching as one of his more bumbling brethren retreated back into their ranks after ramming himself face first into the solid magic wall. It was disgraceful to watch some of the best soldiers the caribou had at their disposal fail to catch a few ponies fleeing to the traitors, but it was also understandable. The officers had been partaking of the pleasures of the night’s festivities, they ceaselessly thrust their cocks into any woman in arm’s reach, relentlessly pushing the limits of their bodies to squeeze out every last drop of sperm within their bloated sacks. Some didn’t even stop after depleting themselves of every drop of cum. The whole lot of them were physically fatigued, energy exhausted from all the fucking, while the guard ponies had been ordered chaste to keep to their duties that night.

If the series of events that had transpired so far were any indication of what was to come, then retreat was a valid and sensible option. However, it was not a caribou option. Caribou didn’t run. They pushed themselves to victory. To allow the castle to be taken from under their noses by a bunch of equines would be an embarrassment that they could never live down, and every stag there knew it.

“So Vestri…” approached Hrathr to join his fellow council member with the rest of Dainn’s advisors. “What’s the plan?”

Being Dainn’s tactician, Vestri was a master of the principles of caribou combat; ‘surprise’, ‘suppression’, ‘intimidation’, and ‘domination’. Thus it fell upon him to think of something. The problem was that this was a situation that he, nor any other caribou for that matter, had ever encountered or conceived of. Up until now, anything they had come across had always been caught off guard, never given a chance to realize there was a threat looming over them until it was too late. That sneaky tactic had always given the caribou a massive advantage, and made it laughably easy for them to overwhelm and conquer all they laid eyes on. Now they had to defeat something organized that was fighting back, and Vestri was scratching his head for an answer that could resolve this quickly.

Using every bit of his expertise in the field when it came to ponies, Vestri formed a plan of action. Ivangir was right, Shining’s barrier could be broken with enough force, but he didn’t want the soldiers to be the ones to do it. They were already spent, and they would need what little energy they had left to fight. Tired as they might be, the average stag was still stronger than the average stallion, and they did have superior numbers. The stag smirked as the wheels turned in his head, pleased to no end at his own brilliance.

“Rune masters!” Vestri called out to the four sagely caribou awaiting orders at the back, “Prepare something to break down this pathetic pony shield!” At his command, the rune masters began inscribing runes in the floor that they believed would help with the task given. Vestri then pointed to ten of the stags that looked stronger than the rest. “You all, keep an eye on the slaves and the guests. Keep them all out of this, they’ve interfered enough already.” The stags nodded, and went to secure the detained guests and subdued slave mares in the absence of the guard, “Everyone else, be prepared to rush these weaklings the moment that spell breaks. They don’t stand a chance against us.”

Vestri turned to face his opponents as the stags behind him gave a round of thunderous yells and cheers to declare their readiness for battle. Vestri was certain that they would come out on top when all was said and done, caribou always did, but he did wish that the caribou officer that left to get reinforcements would come back. A battle where they didn’t have vast superiority over their opponents just didn’t feel right. He would just have to deal with what resources he had on hand, since the longer they waited, the more time the ponies had to assess the situation themselves.

As the caribou’s warcry died down, the air in the room grew quiet. Tension grew as the caribou watched the ponies get into formation, with Shining Armor in the front line. Vestri and Shining stared at one another, near perfectly still as they awaited for someone to make the first move. Assuming that the rune masters were about to finish crafting their runes, Vestri raised his hand slowly.

“At my signal,” he said, locking his sights on his foe, “Ready, and….”

“WAIT!”

The entirety of the caribou battalion all jumped at the surprise outburst and nearly began their assault prematurely in the process. The voice had come from somewhere within their ranks, and it didn’t take long for them to find the source.

Swiftly moving through the center of the caribou was Gunne. He headed straight for the council. Knowing of Gunne, and his supposed curse, the stags peered angrily him. As far as their superstitions were concerned, his presence at the gala was probably to blame for this incident.

He was met with no better reception from the council when he stood before them and was greeted by Ivangir upon his arrival with “If it isn’t the bastard stag himself.”

“Gunne…” Vestri spoke, thinking aloud for a moment, seeing that the accursed caribou was holding in his hands a pair of stun batons, “I see you’ve procured some weapons.”

Gunne nodded, “I’m sure by now you’ve been informed that I went to get reinforcements.”

The council gave a united groan, “And you have failed miserably I suppose,” Vestri added with this newfound information, noting that no new caribou soldiers or pony guards had entered the gala hall.

“There were complications,” Gunne hastily replied, “I tried to summon more guards the moment that I saw Dainn was killed-”

“Figures that this one was the coward that decided to run of instead of helping the king,” Durnir interrupted.

“And when I did, I was attacked.”

Throtr was about to chime in with his own insults, but Vestri silenced him, “You were attacked… by the guards?”

“Yes, they tried to stun me with these batons, but I disarmed them and then relieved them of their weaponry.” He leaned over a bit to look at the barrier and the ponies behind it. Gunne added, “It looks as if you had the same problem I did.”

This news was a bit shocking to the Vestri, “Are you trying to tell me… that this was all a set up?”

“I assumed that you figured that out by now, Lord Vestri,” replied Gunne. “It would be impossible to for an attack against us to be this effective unless it was organized. Every part of this, from the rioting slaves, to Dainn’s murder had to have been planned out ahead of time. I just can’t believe that I was tricked into playing some part in all this.”

The council seemed confused to the confession of guilt from Gunne. Visibly he did seem shaken from all this, he had trouble holding himself still, sweat formed on his brow, and his eyes darted around while his thoughts went wild. Stigma aside, none of them could think of a way to directly connect what Gunne had to do with all this - none of them except for Vestri.

“That’s right. The pony that killed Dainn was under your watch, wasn’t he?” accused Vestri.

“That’s true,” Gunne openly admitted. “Lord Dainn had entrusted me with the care and re-education of the stallion plotting against us in there now.” Gunne stepped past the council and glared through the barrier at Mac. “It’s my fault that all of this happened. I could’ve sent him in for switching a long time ago, but I didn’t.” He turned back to the group of his peers, and held up his arm presenting one of his stun rods to Vestri. “But hopefully I can rectify the problems I have caused.”

As much as Vestri despised Gunne, one more man in his ranks was an advantage he couldn’t pass up. Once this small rebellion was quelled though, he would no longer put up the cursed caribou’s existence. Dainn was gone, and the king was the only reason anyone tolerated him. Now they could be rid of him, one way or another.

“Fine, you can stay and help,” he said while reaching for the rod, “But don’t expect to be forgiven for this. Once things have settled down, you will be judged for your actions.”

Vestri wrapped his fingers around the shock stick, but before he could take firm grasp, Gunne ripped it from the other stag’s hand, “I know…” With those two solemn words, Gunne thrust the tip of the stun rod into the throat of his superior officer and turned it to its highest setting. Vestri’s body had barely enough time to spasm before crumpling to the floor.

For the second time that night, the caribou had been caught completely off guard. They always assumed that Gunne carried some sort of curse, but they had never anticipated that he would deliberately turn on them. Caribou didn’t fight one another, at least not like this, and for one to turn traitor was unthinkable.

“What the f-” was all Ivangir could get out before Gunne pressed his attack. Using the baton in his off hand, he delivered a shock to the larger stag’s gut. Unlike his brother, Ivangir was not brought down by a single shock, but he was forced to bend forward from the pain. This left him wide open as Gunne proceeded to strike Ivangir with the rod in his dominant hand which cracked him across the skull with another devastating jolt. The combination of the impact and the direct flow of electricity to the brain was enough to fell the stag, and Ivangir joined his brother on the floor in an unconscious heap.

With two of the council down, Gunne went for his next target, aiming for Durnir. The master smith was the next in line when it came to raw power, more of a threat than the others of the council currently represented. With another thrust of his offhand, Gunne sent his fully charged weapon in the direction of yet another caribou he had once respected.

His attack missed its mark as Durnir, despite all the disadvantages his large muscular form gave him in terms of dexterity, managed to dodge the crackling sparks at the business end of Gunne’s baton. Having failed to strike his target, Gunne understood his mistake. Instead of pushing his luck, he should have stepped back and prepared for the council member’s counter attack. He had gotten overzealous. He had thought that he could defeat eight caribou, that Dainn had appointed as his advisors, in the blink of an eye. Now all he could do was watch as Durnir retaliated with his massive fists, forged on caribou steel, and brace for pain.

Gunne brought his arms back to shield his body in hopes that he would be able to prevent some of the damage he was about to sustain, and in a moment of weakness shut his eyes tightly as he anticipated the impact of Durnir’s punch. He felt something wash over him, assuming it was his own sweat secreting from his pores in fright, before feeling the impact of Durnir’s fist making contact with something. He didn’t feel any pain though, nor the numbness that came when one was hit so hard their nerves couldn’t take it. He did hear something though, and that was Durnir’s own woeful cries of agony.

The caribou forced his eyes open, and found Durnir clutching his hand, looking at it as he cradled his bashed knuckles. He also couldn’t help but notice that the larger stag was now highlighted in a pink hue, as was everything else in front of him.

“You better be right about this,” Gunne heard from behind him, recognizing Shining Armor’s voice. He didn’t even have to look to know who he was speaking too. There was only one pony in the barrier that could possibly vouch for him. The thought of it made Gunne involuntarily tighten his grip on his stun batons as he lept into the barrier.

Gunne passed through it like it was a thin wall of water. Shining had complete control over who could enter or exit his spell and, thankfully, he hadn’t altered it to prevent Gunne’s escape. He had no time to waste on sentiments, not while Durnir was being distracted by the agony of punching a wall. It was just enough to give Gunne a second shot at putting the blacksmith down, and this time he would connect.

He planted his hooves on the floor and ducked down. The crouch narrowly allowed Gunne to avoid Durnir as he tried to backhand the smaller caribou away. With an opening presented to him, Gunne shoved both rods against the smith’s abs. The powerful current of the two stun robs coursed through Durnir’s being and forced him onto his knees where Gunne gave the final blow, a headbutt to his face.

The blow, coupled with the injuries Durnir had already sustained earlier from Rainbow Dash, caused the master smith to fall backwards to the floor. So far Gunne had accomplished more than any other caribou could ever hoped to accomplish. He toppled three of the council’s ranks by using their own tactics against them. Surprise, suppress… Disable an enemy’s strengths and leave them with only weakness. The remaining five council members consisted of a man with a fascination for breeding, someone in charge of keeping inventory of grain, a beastmaster without his beasts, an artisan, and a stag well past his prime. None of them compared to the combat prowess of the three on the floor, and it seemed that they too knew this as they backed away to a safe distance from Gunne.

The other stags backed off as well; none of them felt safe after Gunne’s display of combat prowess. Gunne looked over his brethren, gauging their reactions. What he saw was no different from what he normally got from them: disgust, loathing, and fear. The only change was the intensity. They didn’t merely look at him like some plagued thing. Now they were seeing him as a true monster. All his life Gunne had been unjustly scrutinized for something that was beyond his control. He was condemned from his very birth by the people that he never had intention of harming. Perhaps it was fate that it came to this, but now it was time for Gunne to live up to the destiny that his own people had burdened him with.

With a glare of cold indifference, he suppressed any emotion he had towards those he would have liked to call ‘brothers’. The stag pointed to the crowd before him. “I am Gunne the Cursed!” he yelled, while he postured menacingly in hopes that it would intimidate the group of superstitious warriors. He took a step forward to test if he had inspired fear in them, and watched as the other caribou likewise took a step away. When he saw this, he knew they were in his power. A small part of him hated that it came to this, but seeing the looks given to him by those who despised him for so long filled a bigger part of him with satisfaction. A toothy grin grew on his face. Gunne was unable to resist milking this moment for all it was worth. “I am the Destroyer of this kingdom… and the Harbinger of your end.””

“T-the runemasters!” Sindri called in desperation, showing a small amount of uncertainty the way he spoke, “Where are the runemasters!?” The elder caribou looked in the direction where the runemasters last were. The horde of stags scattered to give him a clear view and pulled their own eyes away from Gunne. What they found filled them with dread. The found rune masters were all laid out on the floor unconscious, with one drooling from the mouth. They had somehow been taken out already, stunned. Sindri knew who was to blame. “But when did...?”

“Unicorns!” The old stag heard from behind him and redirected his attention from from one major fiasco to another. Shining had lowered his barrier, and the unicorns at his disposal had formed a line in front of him. “Ready your horns!”

The unicorn guards charged their horns, each aiming directly at one of the five remaining council members. At first Sindri felt terrified at the sight the ten stallions posed to fire upon them, but then remembered there was nothing to be afraid of. Caribou had preventative measures for magic that made it pointless to even try casting an offensive spell.

“Heh.. heh.. heh... look at these fools,” mocked Sindri to the closest stag to him, which happened to be Throtr. “They think they can overpower us with magic.” The stupidity of the ponies restored a bit of his confidence, and so Sindri stepped forward while he kept an eye on Gunne so he could remain far from his reach. “Go ahead! See where it gets you!”

Shining Armor happily obliged the caribou’s request, and with declaration of “Fire!” the unicorn’s unleashed their magic in the form of destructive beams. Sindri grinned at this attempt to hurt them, certain that nothing would come of it.

“Sindri, get down!” Throtr yelled at the elder stag, just before taking a direct hit from several of the magic beams. The quartermaster’s body was staggered again and again as a rapid succession of magical blast impacted his body. This ended with the caribou being knocked right off his hooves, left to writhe in agony on the floor.

The others received similar treatment, their past experience of taking aggressive magic head on without flinching suddenly being extremely detrimental. One by one the council dropped, unable to endure the magical barrage pummeling them into submission. When the unicorns stopped, only Sindri was left standing from being considered less of a threat than the other younger bucks.

“B-but…” While not knocked to the floor or knocked unconscious like the rest of his comrades, Sindri had taken damage. He looked down in amazement, unable to do little else without intensifying the pain he was feeling. He examined his wound, the blasts had burned through his clothing and seared his flesh and charred his fur. The outfit was custom made for him to wear for the event by Shining’s personal slave, delivered to him only shortly before he entered the party. His mistake dawned on him as he shakily looked back up to see all the unicorns charging up for another volley, “You son of a bi-” The unicorns fired once more, focusing on Sindri alone as a target. Unable to effectively dodge from the damage he had already sustained, all he could do was close his eyes as he took the full force of it.

The beams literally blew him away, blasting him off his hooves, and sent flying backwards. A pair of caribou officers that were in the way caught Sindri mid flight, but the sight they had to behold was not pretty. Most of the front half of his clothing had been burned off and was unable to conceal a burn covering most of the elder caribou’s torso. They could see that Sindri was still breathing, having survived the devastating attack, but was in no condition to move or even be moved.

“You fools…” Gunne accused while showing no fear as he approached the overwhelming numbers before him. “Dainn is gone, the council is finished, and yet you stand around like you could still do something.” The two holding Sindri made their fear known as Gunne came closer. They trembled so hard that they could hardly stand. Having seen that sign of weakness, Gunne knew they were defeated, “Run.” The caribou, unable to speak as what they believed was the instrument of their destruction came near, gave a small nod of acceptance to Gunne’s demand and dropped the smoldering stag before they turned to run in sheer terror.

“Let me out of here!” one screamed as he pushed through his fellow caribou males like his life depended on it.

“Keep him away!” screamed the other as he joined his partner in doing everything he could to make it to an exit.

Seeing two of their own kind fleeing cowardly, compounded with the death of their king and the defeat of the council, demoralized the rest of the caribou present to the point that they no longer saw victory as possible. In the blink of an eye chaos broke out once more with stags fighting with one another to make it out of the banquet hall first. They weren’t concerned with getting reinforcements, or warning the caribou that were not present at the event. They were each only concerned with their own self-preservation from the belief that if they stayed any longer it would lead to their doom.

Unfortunately for them, someone else in the room didn’t want them to leave. Before a single one of them could touch the handle of the door, a pink barrier shot up from the floor and blocked all exits, trapping them. “Men!” Shining Armor yelled, “Attack!!”

The pony guard went after the cornered caribou. Pegasi took to the air, unicorns fired more destructive beams of magic at any stag stupid enough to not wear their anti-magic armor to the party, while the earth ponies charged head on into battle with Mac and AJ joining the fray alongside them. Around thirty energetic, determined, fully equipped guards against about one hundred tired, demoralized caribou dressed for a party. The civilians standing at the sidelines bore witness as the larger force of creatures, deemed all but unstoppable, fell one by one, completely at the mercy of the ponies they had once lorded over.

---

The battle, if one could call it that, didn’t last long. Not even a full hour had passed since Dainn’s death, and every caribou was subdued. The fury of the ponies was swifter than anyone could have imagined. Most of the stags had been rendered unconscious from repetitive shocks in the midst of combat, and those that were beaten down by magical attacks or brute force of the earth ponies were being forced to join them as the guards gave a liberal amount of shocks to their defeated enemies.

“I don’t want to see a single caribou moving. If you see so much as a twitch or a blink, give them another zap,” Shining ordered. He did not want to take any chances with some random stag making a surprise attack. His men were happy to follow the given order as it gave them an opportunity to act out the sadistic natures instilled in them by the caribou. “Break their antlers off while you’re at it. I don’t want any of them casting another rune or spell.”

“What about this one?” asked one of the earth pony guards as he escorted Gunne to Shining, a turned off stun stick shoved into the caribou’s back despite his apparent compliance.

Shining couldn’t look at Gunne without feeling disgust. He might have assisted with the coup, but he was still a caribou. He could imagine the number of atrocities the magistrate had done in the name of Dainn, or simply done for his own twisted desires. Every instinct told him that a caribou was not to be trusted, however there was one voice that took this stag’s side.

“Now just wait a minute,” Mac said, after seeing what was going on. The stallion had been put to task lining up the caribou soldiers unconscious forms against a wall, but quickly abandoned his job to come to Gunne’s defense. “Ah know that Gunne has done a lot of bad things, but-”

“I know he helped us by beating the council,” Shining said, assuming where Mac was heading with this, “And that’s great, but he is still a caribou. For all we know, he just wanted to get rid of his competition so he could take Dainn’s place as king.”

“Ah really don’t think that’s the case. You don’t know Gunne like Ah do. He might’ve done some bad things in his life, but he’s done a lot of good too… In his own fashion.”

Gunne gave a small huff at the remark, but otherwise said nothing in defense of that unintentional stab at his character.

“What I’m trying to say is that deep down Gunne’s a good guy, and Ah’m willing to vouch for him if Ah have to.”

“I don’t think you understand what you’re doing here,” Shining argued, “If he does anything to betray us, then it’s going to be because you stood up for him. Are you willing to accept that kind of responsibility?”

Mac wanted to say that he was, but it was hard to go all in on a person like Gunne. As much as he wanted to see the good side of the stag, the fact of the matter is that Gunne had always done what he did for the the good of the caribou regime. Even though the stag had given Mac the benefit of the doubt more times than he could count, it was still only because he thought the clydesdale could fit in as a citizen of the caribou’s world order. Mac wasn’t even sure what caused Gunne to turn on his people like he had.

“If I could speak for myself for a moment…” Gunne asked, not appreciating being talked about like he was a child whose hand would need to be held to keep him out of trouble. “I can assure you that my intentions were not because I want to make some power grab. My people would never accept me as their leader even if I tried.”

“Yeah,” Mac added, hoping that Gunne would see that he was willing to back up the stag’s statements and cast a better light on him in front of Shining, “They hate him. Think he’s cursed or something. They’d never let him be king.”

“I can do fine on my own… thank you... “ The caribou’s irritation was showed in his features as well as his voice, so Mac backed off to let him speak. “Shining Armor, I understand your position. Believe me, if I was in your shoes I wouldn’t trust me either. However, if you truly wish to rid Equestria of my people then you are going to need me.”

“Is that so? I think we did a pretty good job taking out most of the officers here while you decided to stand back and watch.” Shining crossed his arms, and awaited Gunne’s rebuttal to his claim.

“Yes, your small squad of soldiers made short work of the caribou here, but that work is far from done. You still have to deal with the rest of my brethren in Canterlot, and after that the ones taking residence in the other cities throughout Equestria, not to mention all of the ponies that betrayed your people to mine.”

Shinings eyes narrowed, “And you want to help us with this why?”

“I suppose you weren’t listening when I was speaking with the council before, but once word spreads of what happened tonight, I’m finished. Eventually the other caribou will figure out that Dainn died because of my mistake, and what they decide to do with me will be much worse than what you will.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” The guard behind Gunne declared, shoving his baton deeper into the stag’s spine.

“I’m not asking for anything in return for my surrender and assistance. After this is all over you can do with me as you wish.”

Shining begrudgingly gave the matter some thought. He was still fairly confused about what was going on. He still recalled that an hour earlier he was doing things that he now considered repulsive. Everything that he had done so far was a reaction to his shock and disgust, and as much as he resented it, his small band of ponies might not have won the fight if not for Gunne’s interference. He was also worried about what Gunne had said about ‘ponies that betrayed their people’.

Shining looked to the guard holding Gunne, and flicked his head up to dismiss the pony. The guard removed his rod from the caribou’s spine and went to aid his fellow guardsmen in making sure the other caribou stayed subdued, “Fine… I’ll give you a chance.” he said grudgingly, “Where do you think we should go from here?”

“You’ve already made a decent decision, making sure all of my people are disabled and disarmed of their magic, but we will have to secure the castle and detain the civilians. The slaves-”

“Don’t call them that,” Shining warned.

“The women and the other guests have already been separated into groups, so they will be fine for now, but eventually we will want to move them all to more secure locations. Many of them are traitors you will want to prosecute later.”

“Which ones?” Shining asked, wanting to take more of the hatred inside him out on those worthy of it, “I want to know exactly who and what they did.”

“All in due time,” Gunne assured, “But first things first. We still have guards scattered across the castle that we will need to gather here before we continue.”

Seeing Gunne’s advice as sound, Shining hailed over three of his men. “You, go round up all of the guards and tell them to come here now.”

“Yes sir!” the pony said with a salute, but before he could make it far Shining changed his order after seeing the problem with having clueless guards enter a room full of unconscious caribou.

“Have them gather in the main hall, but don’t tell them anything about what has happened. I’ll brief them on the situation myself.”

The pony gave Shining a nod of confirmation before making his way out of the room.

With his orders being carried out, Shining looked to the next stallion in line,“I want you to start taking the red collars to the dungeons. Bind them, gag them, take them one at a time,” Again, Shining had to think on the consequences of his command, and amended it immediately, “But leave the alicorns and the Elements of Harmony here. I… need time to think about what I’m going to do with them.”

“Sure thing,” the guard replied, “Can I fuck a few of the bitches once I get them down there?”

The question angered Shining. “Don’t you understand what is going on here? We are trying to take back the kingdom. Keep your dick in your pants and do what I tell you!”

The guard wasn’t appreciative towards being yelled at for his question, being a common question that any stallion would ask in a situation where they had several bound mares at their disposal.

“I’m sure what the prince is trying to say,” Gunne said, stepping in, “Is that there will be plenty of time for that later. For now, we need to get everything orderly. After that, you can have all the… bitches you want. I believe I speak for the prince, your future king, when I say you will all be heavily rewarded for your services today.”

Shining didn’t like any of what Gunne was saying, but he knew why he was saying it. He was trying to keep the men in line with empty promises, smooth talking them into obedience. “Right, so please, just do what I tell you for now, and later I will let you name your reward.” With a quickly growing smile, and a head full of devious thoughts, the soldier ran to fulfill his orders. “As for you,” Shining said to he last stallion, a pegasus. “Get Luna down from that fucking chain,” Shining pointed to the princess of the night, still suspended off the ground and having dangled in her binds during the entirety of the battle.

“Yes sir,” the pegasus said without question, assuming the rewards promised extended to all the guards present, and that the ones that asked the least questions would get greater compensation for their services.

With all his plans set into motion, Shining headed to one of the tables in the room. “Where are ya going?” Mac asked, noticing the grim expression the unicorn was wearing.

“I… I just need a moment to think,” Shining replied. He had so many memories of what he had done over the past year, and he needed some time to sort it all out before he did anything else.

Mac understood the feeling and didn’t stop Shining Armor. He would need some time to clear his head, but when he was needed again the clydesdale was sure Shining would step up and do what was necessary. After all, the two had much more in common than just being someone’s brother.

With Shining Armor excused for a while, Mac had to address the elephant in the room, Gunne. He was still unsure as to why the caribou had done what he did despite the reasons given, but he was very appreciative of the caribou for joining the right side in all this. With all the others still suspicious and sticking weapons into the stag’s back, a little gratitude from someone was in order.

“Hey Gunne,” Mac started, “Ah think ya deserve a thanks for this. Ah know it must’ve been hard to fight other caribou, and even if it’s for self-preservation, Ah want ya to know that ya did something good today.”

The caribou turned his head to Mac, glaring at the stallion in his professional, stoic manner. However, with all the time Gunne had spent opening up to the pony, giving his slight smirks and acting more comfortable around the clydesdale than he did his own people, Mac could tell this wasn’t him just trying to stay composed in the aftermath of chaos.

It took the stag a few seconds of silence to figure out how to address Mac, but then he finally found the words he felt best expressed his current ideas of the stallion. “Save it, you murderer.” Mac was shocked to hear Gunne call him that outright, but that didn’t compare to how he felt when Gunne went on to say, “Don’t think for a moment that you saying ‘this was the right thing to do’ is going to make me feel better. I worked my whole life to make a place for myself in the world, and in the blink of an eye you killed the only stag to ever see me for more than a curse. You ruined everything for me, and I can’t even blame you for it since I really could have stopped this a long time ago. I’m the one that gave you a chance, against the wisdom of my peers, so this is all my fault.”

“Gunne… Ah…”

“To be honest, I even felt like turning myself in for my part in all this. I would have too, if it wasn’t for…” Gunne stopped himself, not wanting to give Mac the privilege of knowing his motives, “From this day on, I’ll be rightfully branded a traitor to my people and, if you have things the way you want, a villain by yours.”

“I’m.. I’m sorry,” If it was Gunne’s intention to guilt the stallion, then he succeed. After all the stag had done for him, what he had done in return is cause him to be shunned even more so than ever before. In the caribou regime, a person with terrible ideals like Gunne at least had the ability to live a normal life, but now there seemed little hope for that in the future.

“Save your sorrys,” Gunne said as he turned his head toward someone other than the clydesdale, “The victors don’t need to apologize to the losers, and as much as it will probably kill me, I’m going to make sure you ponies win.” Gunne left the stallion, Mac staying right where he was, knowing better at this point than to follow.

The caribou went to a few of the gala guests that had no trouble keeping out of the commotion created when Dainn was killed. A band of griffons, the ambassadors from Griffinstone. When all hell broke loose, these avian creatures just kicked back and watched the show, and now Gunne needed to assure they wouldn’t interfere with his plans.

“You there,” Gunne addressed their leader, “You did nothing when Dainn was attacked, you did nothing when the ponies rebelled. Exactly whose side are you on?”

The lead griffon leaned back in his seat, his hind paws placed on the top of the table, “We are on the same side as we’ve always been: the side of gold.”

That statement made everything make a lot more sense to Gunne. The griffons were known for valuing coin and trinkets more than anything else, and were entirely lazy unless there was promise of compensation for their work. When it came to the attack on the king, there was no such agreement in place. For all they knew, they would have only received Dainn’s gratitude in return, and the greedy lot saw no value in that, even if any caribou could attest that it was worth more than any amount of treasure.

The disloyalty and complete uncaring viewpoint of the griffons brought Gunne to an all new level of disgust, but as much as he would have liked, he couldn’t act on it. He was going to need these despicable birds. “Then we have no reason to keep you here. I’ll get Shining Armor to release you as soon as possible on the condition that you go back to your nation and tell your leaders that the caribou are finished.”

“And why should we do that, caribou?” The arrogant griffon asked, closing his eyes and acting like he was about to take a nap on the spot.

“Because things are about to change immensely, and I feel that when they do you’re going to be in a much better bargaining position for your services than you have been with my brethren.”

The griffon wasn’t so conceited as to not to take Gunne’s advice into consideration. He knew what this renegade caribou was getting at. Should the ponies succeed in reclaiming their kingdom, there would be a long road ahead for the equines. All it took was a pair of functional eyes and a mind not addled with sex to realized that in the short span of a year the caribou had taken one of the most prosperous nations of the world and reduced it to a shambling mess that would take a lot of work to restore to its former glory. While the idea of being dragged into that work didn’t appeal to the griffons, having potential free reign to empty the caribou’s treasury of its ill gotten gains was a temptation they couldn’t pass up.

“If you can somehow arrange for the ponies to be more generous with the treasures they will be acquiring from this… revolution, then I suppose I could find it in my interest to inform those in charge back home that the caribou are no longer lucrative to our interests.”

“Then we have an agreement,” Gunne said, making another promise he wasn’t intending to fulfill. “I’ll see to your release then, but until then just stay out of the way.”

The griffon reached onto the table and grabbed a few grapes before he gobbled them down. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Gunne ignored the griffon’s rudeness, expecting nothing more from the creatures, and moved on to another part of the room while simultaneously avoiding and keeping his eye on Mac. As pissed off as he was at the clydesdale for killing the only male caribou he had ever been close too, Gunne knew that he wasn’t at all finished with him, not if he was going to give these ponies a fighting chance.

---

While the guards rushed around to complete their given tasks of relocating mares, amputating antlers, and gathering the rest of their ranks from around palace, there was a mare who was doing something she believed was of equal, if not greater importance.

Applejack, having separated from her brother, was on a mission. There was a certain purple mare sitting alone and frightened, muttering quietly to herself in the aftermath of the world that she accepted as an inescapable inevitability having crashed down around her. After all Twilight had said and done, after having shown no remorse for her actions, after having submitted to Equestria’s greatest enemy, most would have probably dissociated themselves completely with the alicorn. AJ couldn’t though. A true friend helped a friend in need, and underneath that pathetic looking exterior was a friend in more need than any other.

“This can’t be happening… this isn’t real… the council can’t be defeated…. Dainn can’t be dead… it’s all just a terrible dream… I’ll wake up in my pet bed and everything will be back to normal… oooohhhh why am I not waking up?!” The closer Applejack got, the more she could hear, and the more she understood the depths of the caribou’s brainwashing on Twilight, forcing her to be in complete denial of what had happened.

“Sugarcube… are ya okay?” AJ asked, stopping a foot away from the spot where Twilight was sitting.

“Of course I am,” Twilight replied, but her voice didn’t share the confidence her words had. “There is absolutely nothing wrong since this is all a dream… or an illusion… or something else that explains why any of this isn’t possible. Oh why am I telling you this. You have to be some sort of delusion too.”

AJ took a seat on the floor, bringing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. “Twilight… it’s over. The caribou lost.”

“They can’t!” Twilight interjected, desperate to cling onto the idea that the caribou couldn’t be defeated, “When the caribou invaded, nothing could stop them. Not Celestia, or Luna, or me! And if three alicorn princesses didn’t stand a chance, then how could two… DIRT PONIES make a difference! How can a group of pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns win out where the best of Equestria failed?”

Applejack had some small inkling that the circumstances of the gala were partially to be credited for that. The standard caribou incompetence collided with causality and random chance to set up a perfect storm that the caribou have had coming to them for some time, but there was something else that she wanted to attribute their victory to. “Twi… was that why ya gave up? Because ya saw Celestia and Luna get beaten by Dainn and his flunkies? Iffin’ that’s the case, then ya really can’t be the Twilight Ah know.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Twilight asked rhetorically, not really wanting to hear anything this rebellious mare had to say.

“Well… Ya never let Celestia’s disappearance stop ya from finding the Elements of Harmony, or saw her getting beaten by Chrysalis as a reason to give up and surrender to the changelings. Heck, there are plenty of times where me, you, Pinkie, Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy did stuff without the princesses being around, and that was before ya ever got those fancy wings. Ah’d say that you’ve put too much stock in alicorns when ya should’ve been looking to was other ponies. Ah mean, y’all were studying the power of friendship, weren’t ya?”

Twilight was taken aback, Applejack’s words somehow made sense to her while at the same time sounded like the ramblings of a complete idiot, like something inside her wanted to believe what the earth pony was saying while another more dominant presence refused to allow her to do so. “What would you know about ‘friendship’?” asked Twilight, the force inside winning against her logic, “You don’t care about your friends, or what they want. You just want everything to be the way you want it to be. Our friends are happy being red collared sluts.”

“Pardon me...” A voice said, coming from behind AJ, “Is there room for one more in this conversation?”

The farm mare turned around, but she knew that the person speaking was Rarity. She had somehow slipped by the guards and made her way on stage.

“Rarity,” said Twilight, “Thank Dainn you’re here. You can tell AJ about how she and her brother ruined everything for everyone.”

Applejack looked at the nervous unicorn that stood behind her and gave a soft smile. “Have a seat, Rarity. We were just having a bit of a heart to heart.”

Rarity did as she was told, and eased herself to the floor till she sat cross legged at equal distances away from either mare. Rarity’s irises drifted over to the body of the king. “Is… is this all real? Are the caribou really beaten?”

“I’m sorry Rarity, but it seems so…” Twilight said, coming to terms with reality, no matter how much she didn’t want to. “And if this bitch has her way, you won’t be allowed to be a slut anymore.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Rarity exclaimed, relaxing her body in relief.

“Wait... what?!”

“Did ya expect something different?” AJ asked, remembering how distraught Rarity was when they were in the dressing room. If any red collar was clearly not happy with how the regime had changed her life, it was her.

“Well… yes!” Twilight said in response, shooting a death glare to the white unicorn, “Rarity, I thought you helped the caribou get into power in the first place!?” The statement caught the ears of more than just the small group sitting on stage, as Applejack saw several black collared mares react to it by shooting several bad looks in Rarity’s direction. The way it happened, it was as if Twilight had done so on purpose, punishing the mare for failing to uphold her loyalty to the caribou.

Applejack herself was surprised at this revelation, as she hadn’t hear of Rarity being some vital part of the caribou’s plot before. She wondered where Twilight had even gotten that information, whether it be from the caribou, from some pony, or from Rarity herself. It almost didn’t matter, since Applejack wanted to assume it was a lie, but seeing how the unicorn didn’t deny it and became silent and sheepish when it was brought up there appeared to be some credibility behind it. “Rarity… is that true?”

Rarity hesitated. She tried at first to say something before she swallowed her words, and then tried again while tears began to form in her eyes. “It’s true!”, Rarity blurted out as a year’s worth of consuming guilt was released all at once. Her confession was even louder than Twilight’s accusation. “The caribou tricked me, and I fell for it like an idiot! If I hadn’t gone along with them, if I had gone to Canterlot with you all instead, then none of this would have ever happened! By the time I learned what I’d done, what I let happen, I was too far in!” The unicorns sniffles turned into sobs, and soon her face was flooded, “I.. I just didn’t see a way out, and I when I was offered a red collar for what I did... I took it out of cowardice… and acted like a horny bitch to make the caribou believe I was the kind of mare they wanted me to be… I know it sounds unbelievable… I would understand if you thought I was lying… but I swear I never wanted any of this to happen... I’m the absolute worst pony to walk the face of Equestria…”

Rarity’s confession had devolved into dramatics typical of the unicorn, but that didn’t make the confession any less real to Applejack. Rarity was many things; prissy, a snob, too concerned about her own appearance and social standing, but she wasn’t the kind of pony who would make life miserable for others to gain some sort of privilege or advantage. If she said that her act all this time was out of necessity and cowardice, and that her only act of participation in the caribou’s plot was something she was tricked into, then that was good enough for the farm mare.

“There, there… it’ll be okay,” AJ crawled over to her distraught friend, and brought Rarity into her arms, “It’s not your fault. Ya couldn’t have known.” AJ admitted she didn’t know the exact circumstances of how Rarity was tricked, but that didn’t matter right now. Right now her friend needed someone to depend on.

“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…”

The earth mare held Rarity tightly and comforted her to the irritation of the alicorn sitting nearby. Twilight was hoping that Rarity was what she seemed at first glance, but behind her augmented breasts, heavy makeup and selfish demeanor was a vulnerable mare who blamed herself for everything wrong in the world. To shoulder such a burden for so long must have been terrible, the worst psychological torment the caribou could have inflicted on a person.

“Hey girls, w-what’s going on?” Another familiar cheerful voice joined the group. Pinkie popped up at the side of the stage, her upper torso, breasts and all, being all that was visible as she dangled off its side. “A-are Rarity and AJ giving each other gropy hugs, or, oh, oh! I kn-know! You were all are planning out our n-next big orgy party and Rarity got so happy when she learned that she could be the centerpiece that she b-burst into tears. Or maybe, um… -y-you all don’t actually look t-that happy. Did something h-happen?”

Pinkie’s lasting enthusiasm was disturbing to AJ, but she was happy to see the party mare, though her foreboding fidgets and twitches were worse than ever. Her entire body had become one constantly vibrating mass, granting an odd reverb and a small stutter to her words. Her ears flopped around wildly as if they had a mind of their own. The sight would have forced a laugh from the farm mare, if not for how serious things were.

With Pinkie’s arrival, Twilight believed she had another chance to prove that Applejack didn’t have the interests of her supposed friends at heart. With a bit of smug satisfaction she told the fun loving pony, “Yes, something did happen. Applejack and Big Macintosh have just made it so there aren’t going to be any more orgies. No more kinky bondage, no more sex toys, no more fucking.”

“Oh, we did not,” said AJ, reacting to Twilight’s nonsensical exaggeration of the two ponies putting an end to sex, “Well we might have stopped the first two… or maybe not… What I mean to say is-”

The pink pony’s fur color darkened a bit, her poofy hair deflating slightly, “T-there aren’t going t-to be anymore warbeast c-cum-filled dildos?”

“No more dildos,” Twilight said, making sure AJ couldn’t back pedal on this.

“N-No more…. B-B-Ball gags?”

Knowing the joy of having one’s muzzle forced open by a thick ball, the excitement of tasting rubber at her lips, Twilight understood Pinkie’s disappointment. The rising sorrow from having learned that all her favorite things were being taken away and that she could only blame Applejack for them being taken away brought the alicorn just as much delight. Pinkie seemed seconds away from throwing a fit, kicking the stage’s wooden supports as she held herself off the ground, and the alicorn couldn’t be happier.

“A-a-and w-w-what ab-bout a-a-all t-t-the r-r-ra-a-ap-p-pe?” Pinkie’s jitters were getting to her, affecting her speech so much that it was starting to worry both Rarity and AJ as they watched her narrowly slip from her position several times.

Twilight had no such concerns though. To her this was all a natural, for Pinkie, reaction to the thought of losing the pleasures of being raped, or simply the pleasures being forced down and taken as a mare should be by a man. This was a clear sign of how Pinkie loved her role as a cum dump, Twilight sure she could count on her to be crushed by the news and to show Applejack what a selfish viewpoint she had for wanting the mares of Equestria to be forcibly freed from the bonds of slavery.

Twilight was about to seal the deal with another bit of slander, but AJ beat her to the punch, “I’m sorry Pinkie, but iffin’ Ah got anything to say about it, there won’t ever be another raped pony in Equestria ever.”

What AJ had to say about the topic appeared to hit home, and for a moment Pinkie’s shakes came to a halt. “Oh…” The pink mare said, having finally grasped everything that had happened and what it all meant. The three mares watched as their friend’s mane fully deflated until the poof was gone and replaced with a long strand that draped down past her shoulders. Her perpetual full toothed smile faded, transforming to a snarl and a furrowed brow, and her red collar darkened to crimson, and then purple.

“Pinkie… Ah didn’t mean to upset ya,” Applejack said, recognizing this form of her friend well with her previous encounters with it, “But-” AJ couldn’t utter another word, not before the pink mare snapped back into her poofy, bright pink appearance in the blink of an eye, the only part of her not reverting being the collar around her throat, remaining its violet hue.

The radical transformation from the darker Pinkie to the visage that the other mares were more familiar with jarred the party pony enough to cause her to fall from her suspended position. “Pinkie!!!” All three mares yelled in unison, each worried that the Pinkie Pie could have hurt herself. They rushed to the edge and looked over to find the mare spasming on the floor.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Twilight yelled, laying all of the blame for Pinkie’s accident squarely on AJ’s shoulders.

To some degree, AJ felt the alicorn wasn’t wrong. She might have come on too strongly. Pinkie was the most mentally disturbed of the group from what the caribou had done. Still, Applejack felt that lying to Pinkie or trying to soften the blow would have been a worse decision in the long run, and this wasn’t so much of a matter of hurting Pinkie’s feelings as much as it was her being in a precarious spot on the stage when the news was given to her.

AJ leapt down from the platform, ready to help Pinkie, but as her hooves hit the floor she noticed something. The way that Pinkie’s body convulsed. Her body moved in almost random ways, parts stretched, expanded, and compressed beyond the mare’s control - this was not brought on by a concussion, nor was it Pinkie writhing in agony. This was something more nostalgic, something that both AJ and Twilight had seen before when the three had went to find Fluttershy in Froggy Bottom Bog.

As quickly as they started, the spasms suddenly stopped. Pinkie, now relaxed, looked up to the other earth mare, a bit perplexed, and blinked once before giving the biggest smile AJ had ever seen on a pony.

“Well it’s about time!” Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully, like she had been relieved of some great burden.

“Are ya okay Pinkie?” AJ asked, still not sure of what exactly had just happened.

“I’m better than ok!” answer Pinkie pinkie with a giggle, “I’m super, duper excited! Everyone is gonna be able to be happy again!”

“Pinkie, no,” said Twilight, not understanding how another one of her friends could be so glad that the king was gone and the regime was ending, “You don’t understand. If the caribou are gone, then things are going to go back to the way they were.”

Pinkie sat up, her attention drawn to Twilight, with her smile somehow widening further at what the alicorn was saying. “Uh huh!”

“But if Equestria goes back to what they were before the caribou, then it’s going to be awful again.”

Pinkie’s happy expression turned to one of utter confusion and concern, “Awful? Twilight, are you feeling okay?”

“No, I’m not…” Twilight replied, legitimately felt worse at the discovery that another of her red collar friends was willing to abandon a life of servitude and sex at first notice. “How can you all be so willing to turn on everything we worked for? Did you both get brainwashed by Applejack and Rainbow’s black collar talk?”

Applejack gasped, “My stars, Ah forgot about Rainbow! Y’all stay here for a moment, I‘ll go get her.” AJ ran off as fast as her hooves could take her to find the pegasus, giving not a second thought as she left Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight alone with one another.

Twilight, however, felt that the earth pony’s absence might have her compatriots changing her tune. Peer pressure was a powerful thing, so the caribou had taught her, and they did just watch AJ and Mac murder the king. Perhaps they were frightened. It seemed like the only plausible answer for their behavior.

“Okay girls, time to cut the act,” she ordered, tired of this facade. “We can’t let AJ push us around if we’re gonna save the kingdom.”

Pinkie and Rarity exchanged a troubled glance, “Twilight,” Rarity said gently “You can’t believe that we actually enjoyed being slaves?”

“I don’t believe it, I know it,” Twilight said with conviction, “And you can’t deny it. We’ve had sex together plenty of times and I’ve made you cum. You can’t say you didn’t like it!”

“You can’t…” Rarity paused, taking a moment to build some courage before confronting Twilight’s supposed evidence against her, “You can’t try to use that as proof against me. I’ve been forced to cum more times than I could ever count, bearing it all with a smile because if I didn’t, I got punished for ‘not being enthusiastic enough’,” she said sarcastically.

Twilight was ready to give a rebuttal to press the point that all women who tried to deny they liked sex, no matter how it was given to them, were lying to themselves. But then Pinkie joined in Rarity’s defense, “Twilight, we don’t want to hurt your feelings, but you reeeaaalllllly need to get over this ‘letting everyone you know and love get raped’ thing you’ve been doing.” The pink mare said flatly, almost as if what Twilight’s stance on the topic was akin to drinking too much soda. That was until her smile weakened and her tear ducts welled up, “Cause it’s hurting me to see you like this. The Twilight I know would never want to make anypony feel bad about something like this.”

“You’re right…” said a male voice joining in on the three mares’ conversation. Shining Armor was not in the best of mind. His time alone had let him take in the full extent of what he had done in the name of the caribou’s order, and he did not agreeing with any part that he recalled. “My sister isn’t like this… This is… This is all my fault… I made her this way…”

Twilight turned away from her brother. After all, she saw him as nothing more than a traitor. It baffled her how such an upstanding stallion could turn against the very caribou that liberated Equestria, especially since he was on their side long before she was. His flip-flopping of sides wasn’t appreciated in the least, and as AJ returned with Rainbow Dash, the alicorn surrendered to the fact that none of the ponies with her were going to listen to common sense.

“Hey Shining, glad to see ya.” Applejack said, escorting Rainbow up the steps, “Do you have some sort of master key Ah can use to get these things off?”

Hearing the word ‘master’ put a cringe on Shining’s face, the word having so many terrible memories associated with it. He did have a key though, the status of being a prince granting many perks. “Yeah, just a second.”

The stallion went behind Dash, going to remove the bindings covering her arms first. “Don’t you have any respect for yourself?” he heard, the question coming from Twilight.

“Twily… I’m going to need you to be quiet for a minute.” replied the unicorn, still not sure how to deal with what his had been turned into.

“No,” Twilight said as she finally got up on her hooves to confront what she believed to be a problem, “I want you to see what you think you’re fighting for.” The alicorn began pacing around, her motions becoming erratic, her voice mocking, “Oh look, I’m a mare who doesn’t listen to my master. I’m annoying, needy, stubborn, self centered, and stupid. I’ll just do whatever pops in my head, which always leads to others getting hurt because of my mistakes, and just hope everything turns out fine in the end because something will come along to fix everything. Elements of Harmony, Crystal Hearts, princesses that sit on their asses all day and all night never lifting a finger to do anything useful. If we just believe in the power of friendship enough, then everything will just fall into place.”

“Twily…” Shining said in warning as he removed one of the locks off Rainbow’s armbinder. It was more difficult than it should have been with her wing binders in the way.

“But let me tell you this, we aren’t going to find some magical solution to all our problems at the bottom of some box! We can’t just go back in time and change things when they go bad, and we can’t just fix something in blink of an eye after it’s been shattered into a million pieces. The caribou were protection from our mistakes, and without them Equestria is going to fall into ruin, especially since the stallions won’t nut up and be the rulers they are suppose to be.”

“Twilight, SHUT UP!” The stallion’s yell caused the mares to flinch. Up until this point Shining had been fairly reserved.

However, as much as it was shocking for Twilight, it was the kind of reaction she wanted. “Make me,” she said turning her flank and flicked her tail to the side to fully expose her rump. “Or are you not man enough to show a mare her proper place?”

Shining had to admit, if there was ever a time that he thought his little sister deserved some sort of punishment, it was now. That was the other him talking though, the one that the caribou created. He had to ignore it for now, and figure out some way to fix the mistakes he had made later: the ones he made with his sister, with his wife, and with all of Equestria. Despite what Twilight was saying, there had to be a way.

“There, got it!” he said as he removed the arm binder from Dash. The pegasus pulled her arms forward the moment they were freed.

She gave the appendages a good rub, the muscles in them sore from having been tightly bound for hours. She looked to Shining, a person whom she had lumped up into a list of men she despised, and gave him a mumbled “thanks” from behind her open mouth gag.

“Don’t mention it…” Shining replied, being literal. He felt that he deserved no praise for doing the right thing. “Now let’s get that gag off.”

Shining tried to take the device in hand to remove it, but Rainbow walked away before he could get close. He would have thought that the first thing she would have wanted was to have all the devices limiting her freedom of movement removed, but the pegasus had something else on her mind, something presumably involving Twilight based on where she was walking.

“What?” The alicorn said, her tolerance for anything at this point completely drained, “Are you going to give me a lecture too? It’s going to be pretty hard with that thing in your-”

Dash didn’t care about Twilight’s insults, or anything else she had to said. She had a single thing on her mind, and she was going to do it no matter what anyone thought afterwards. With her arms tired and aching the pegasus still managed to throw a punch fast enough that Twilight had no chance of avoiding it, and strong enough that it knocked the purple pony flat on her ass.

AJ and Shining were on her in an instance, holding Dash by the arms and pulling her away to stop her from attacking Twilight again. “Dash, Ah know you’re angry at her,” Applejack said, “But that doesn’t mean ya have ta knock her block off.”

The pegasus did not resist, She didn’t try to pull against the two ponies, or yell obscenities to protest them laying hands on her. She just let them do what they felt they needed to. The result of her non-action had her yanked right off her hooves, her rump hit the floor as her body gave in to gravity. Rainbow was so passive about the whole affair that it seemed silly to keep hold of her. And so, with watchful eyes, the two ponies released her.

When things had settled, with Rainbow Dash quietly seated a few feet away from a now physically stunned alicorn rubbing her cheek as she laid on her side, the pegasus looked up to Shining and lifted her hand. Shining stared for a moment, unsure what she was doing, which then prompted her to roll her roll her eyes and point to his hand.

“Oh right, the key. Here.” The unicorn relinquished the key to Rainbow, seeing no point in keeping it from her. With the item in hand, Rainbow proceeded to remove the device, tossed it aside and ended what she was determined to make the last time she wore such a thing.

“So do ya mind telling me what the hay that was all about?” Applejack asked, thinking that anger wasn’t really as big a motivator in this as she had first assumed with how quickly Rainbow calmed down.

Shining didn’t feel the same and saw a need to come to his sister’s defense, “Rainbow, I know Twilight is saying some awful things, but she’s not thinking straight. The caribou have her brainwashed.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Rainbow responded, “After what happened with you and the caribou, only an idiot to not get what’s going on.”

“What’s… going on?” Shining asked, still a bit muddled on how he, his sister, or the entirety of Equestria could have slipped so far.

“Yeah, Twilight’s clearly being mind-controlled,” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. “I mean, this sort of happens to us all the time, and I sorta thought that was what happened anyways, but seeing you do what you did to those caribou proves it.”

Shining didn’t understand what Rainbow was saying. He understood the premise of her statement, that he had to have been under some sort of influence, but as far as he remembered things, that had never been the case. Could the caribou really have that much power? Could they make a stallion do such fiendish acts as enslave and rape other ponies, and make it seem like nothing had changed?

“It’s not as unbelievable as you make it appear,” Gunne said as he ascended the steps to join the group assembled there, “In fact, I find the confusion you wear odd, since you and your woman aided us in this presumed ‘mind control’.”

It didn’t take long for Shining to realize what the caribou was talking about. “Oh no…. The Crystal Heart…”

“Don’t believe for a minute that we didn’t test out its effects on your kind before you joined our side, or that you were exempt from those experiments. The enchantments we put on the artifact had outstanding effects on mares and stallions alike.” Gunne directed his gaze to Twilight, and then to Applejack, “Some less than others, for reasons we don’t really understand, I’m ashamed to admit.”

Shining rushed the caribou and grabbed his breastplate by the neck hole, “You used us!”

“If that’s how you wish to see it, yes.” Gunne said, brushing Shining’s hand away, “Though if I had told you this an hour ago you’d have congratulated us on our ingenuity. It is all about perspective, and from our side we were doing you all a favor.”

Shining growled at that response, knowing deep inside that it was true, “Fine then, if you’re being so forthcoming, why don’t you tell me what else you’ve been doing?”

“That’s a vague question,” Gunne replied, “But I assume you mean since you left my side. I’ve been taking care of a few things you have overlooked. Making sure certain guests are cooperative with your coup, and taking care of one of the more influential members of the ponies who had no issue handing your race over to us on a silver platter.” He reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a small crystal.

Shining Armor knew where this crystal came from. He had seen it a multitude of times in the possession of his second in command. “Orestes? He was a traitor?” Shining had given the stallion a good, solid punch earlier, but that wasn’t from any actual intent. He had just lashing out at the first thing he could after waking up from his nightmare. To learn that someone who would sell out the ponies of Equestria could slip into his ranks so easily sickened the unicorn, and he would eventually bring the pegasus to justice for daring to do so.

“You’ll have plenty of time to deal with him later, I assure you. For now though, me, you and… Macintosh need to put things in motion. That is, unless you would like to end up a blanked slave mare by the end of the week.”

“And what about us?” Applejack said, being too familiar with Gunne to be ignorant of what he was doing. “We can help with whatever it is ya got planned too.”

“You mares have your own problems to deal with,” Gunne answered.

“What? Twi? Ah appreciate the concern,” she said sarcastically, “But Ah think that she’s willing wait a little while longer while we sort out the mess y’all made.” Twilight gave a huff, but that only proved AJ’s point.

“Hmmm… I thought that being such close friends, you would have noticed that one of you isn’t here.”

Rarity, Dash, AJ, and Pinkie froze, instantly understanding what the caribou meant. “Fluttershy!” They said in unison, now worried about the missing mare.

“Don’t worry too much,” Gunne said and pointed to a far wall where the yellow pegasus was sitting and waiting. She held herself and fidgeted and made small yelps at anything that got close to her, “You can find her over there. I don’t think you’re gonna be happy though.”

“Why is she..? Did ya do something to-” AJ stopped herself. As much as she wanted to blame Gunne, it had to stop. It never got her anywhere and right now there were more important things at stake. “Nevermind, we’ll take care of her.”

“You might not like what you find when you get there,” Gunne warned. “When I got to her, she was already like that. The king’s death and the ensuing carnage afterwards must've been too traumatizing for the timid creature. I told her that if she felt frightened she could move over to your group, but just she shook her head and started sobbing. As much as I would rather have you all in a one secured spot, it might be best to keep your distance, for the sake of her sanity.”

“I think we know a little more about how to deal with our friends’ problems than you,” Dash said as she lept off stage to make her way to Fluttershy in the quickest way possible.

“Wait for me!” Pinkie Pie called out and followed in a close second in the race to get to Fluttershy, ready to give her the biggest ‘cheer up’ hug she had ever given a pony.

“Do… do you think it’s appropriate that I go see her?” Rarity asked, “I’ve done so much wrong, and it’s my fault that she’s like this. I don’t think I deserve to-”

AJ put a finger to Rarity’s lips, “Ah think right now all we should care about is making sure Fluttershy is okay.”

“You’re right…” said Rarity, the farm mare’s assurance was all the permission she needed to overcome her doubt, “I just hope she wants to see us after all this.”

Applejack looked to Twilight, who had not made an attempt to move from the spot Rainbow had knocked her onto, and understood that she had no intention to see Fluttershy. Perhaps she didn’t want to have the last of her friends turn against her, but it didn’t matter. Applejack was certain that given enough time, Twilight would turn herself around.

“Gunne,” AJ said as she approached the steps of the stage, “Ah know what you are doing with this, givin’ us busy work to get us out of the way… but thanks for checking in on Fluttershy.”

“I don’t know what you could be talking about,” said Gunne nonchalantly. “You shouldn’t just spout off some female nonsense and assume that any of it is true.”

“Heh, sure, Ah suppose ya might be telling the truth this time, but Ah still appreciate that you were looking out for her.”

Applejack left, running to join the others to comfort Fluttershy through this difficult time. That left only one of the Elements to deal with, the one that was the most receptive to the effects of the Crystal Heart, and thus the one that was more likely to ruin Gunne’s plans should she have the opportunity to do so. The caribou went over to Twilight, bent down over her, and snatched her up by the collar without so much of a word.

“What are you doing?!” yelled Shining, rushing over to stop the stag from harming his sister.

Gunne, pulling Twilight to her hooves, having no qualms in choking her by the strap around her throat to get her to obey, pushed the alicorn to her brother, who caught her in his arms. “Shining Armor, I don’t know why or how you broke free from the influence of our spell after being under it for so long, but with your assumed freedom comes a sentimental mind frame that will only hinder us should you submit to it.”

“Is it just your thing to talk in riddles?” asked Shining, holding his sister tightly, worried that Gunne might have hurt her.

“Then let me speak plainly. That mare you’re coddling there would turn you over to my people without batting an eye if it meant she could continue living as a slave. You can give her every chance to betray us, or you can deal with this problem here and now.”

Shining looked at his sister. He wanted to believe that Gunne was wrong, but he saw the near snarl on her face as she looked at him that told him it was true. As Twilight was, nothing was going to stop her from turning against him if she was allowed to. The same could probably be said about Cadence, since she was even more deeply enthralled than Twilight.

“What would you recommend…?” Shining asked, his head hanging in shame from needing the caribou’s advice in the matter. Gunne gave his head a brief twist. Shining followed the stag’s motion until he saw Celestia and the cage holding her. “Fine… I’ll do it…”

As much as it hurt him to do so, Shining took his sister by the wrist and lead her over to the other princess. “Hey! What are you doing?! Let me go!”

“This is for your own good, Twilight!” Shining said as he dragged his sister to the cage. The other princess made no effort to escape as her fellow alicorn was shoved into the cramped space with her. In fact, she seemed more than pleased to have Twilight with her, and had already done what she could to clear out as much room as she could for her so they could comfortably accommodate their cell together. The only thing the cage needed was a lock, which Gunne added himself.

“Good, now we need to do the same for your mare-”

“My wife…” Shining corrected.

“The pink alicorn before collecting Mac and addressing your troops. There is still a lot to do before the dawn comes.”

Shining sighed, but knew that the caribou was right. The mistakes of the past were not going to simply be glossed over, and it was going to take hard work and perseverance to get the kingdom to anything close to the glory it used to hold.

---

A short time later Shining stood atop the large staircase of the palace’s main hall, below him, the entirety of the pony guard stationed at the castle. To his left, Gunne had took the role of traitor to his very race just as Shining had done himself a year ago to the day. To his right, Big Macintosh, the pony who might have saved Equestria from a fate both physical and mental enslavement and of the slow decay brought upon them by the poor leadership of the caribou.

“It’s time Shining Armor,” announced Gunne, acting as the devil of the unicorn conscience, “Give your orders. Lead your men.”

Shining took a single step forward, both to move away from the caribou and to address the men at his disposal. “Men,” Shining started, “No, fellow ponies. For too long we have let the caribou control our lives, tell us how we should run our kingdom, and treat us like slaves while they acted like kings.” He knew that the stallions he was giving his speech to were still affected by the spell of the corrupted Crystal Heart, and that he needed to choose his words carefully lest he lose his troops by saying something their minds disagreed with. “No matter what you think of the time before our liberation, the truth is, the caribou didn’t build Equestria, ponies did. Celestia might have been a terrible leader, but that only means that we made Equestria strong in spite of it.

Many of the guard looked curiously on, not yet aware of current events, and it was something not ignored by Shining, “For those of you that don’t know, Dainn is dead.” He waited a moment for everyone to give their gasped and mutters to this news, but then went on to say, “Knowing that the caribou have been using us, and realizing that none of the council were capable leaders, I took it upon myself to take Dainn’s place by force, and as of now, the caribou attending the party tonight have been disabled and will be imprisoned so that we ponies can take back what is rightfully ours.”

The news of the king’s death and the caribou being defeated in combat was not well received at first, but the implication of stallions being able to get what they deserved for their hard work keeping the kingdom together got overwhelming support. Each one of them assumed that this meant they would be getting more of everything the caribou gave them: more gold, more women, and more authority. With no moral quandaries, loyalty, and hearing that the caribou’s best men were easily trumped in battle by Shining, the threat of being defeated by an overpowering force was gone. Nothing kept them from betraying their former leaders for the promise of power; everyone was easily persuaded to the prince’s side.

“Now that I have earned your approval, I’ll continue with my plan to reclaim the kingdom. I’ll be splitting you all into different squads, each given an assignment that I expect you to carry out swiftly, efficiently, and flawlessly. We are the Royal Guard, we were trained to be able to handle any situation.”

Shining was well aware that there were many times in the past where the Royal Guard had been overtaken, but the stallions could use every boost to their morale that they could get for the challenges ahead of them. Shining only wished that the former female guard could have been amongst their ranks, but he was neither sure the stallions would accept that, or if the mares were still capable of performing their duties. It was another mistake the unicorn would have to correct on his ever growing list of problems. He swore on his honor that he would fix everything in time.

“Red squad will be standing watch on the prisoners, moving the caribou to the dungeons with the red collars, and making sure they are kept in captivity by any means deemed necessary. Stun them every time they try to wake up if that’s what it takes, but I don’t want a single caribou to so much touch the bars of their cells.”

Gunne descended the steps with a rainbow of tattered scraps of cloth draping his arm, and started handing off improvised red armbands to the stallions that were assigned to be part of the first squad, which were made from the confiscated clothing of his brethren. Using his people’s affinity for color coordination as inspiration for the idea, he had come to the conclusion that this was the best way to determine who was part of what squad in a timely manner.

“Blue Squad will continue guarding the palace, and keeping an eye out for anyone out of the ordinary lurking about. No one enters or leaves the castle without my permission… Which leads me to Green Squad. You will be going out and rounding up the caribou currently in Canterlot. Seeing the kind of celebrations that were going on outside of the palace, they are expected to be drunk, tired, and unaware of what has happened. Try to be discrete with them, tell them that the king has requested their attendance at the castle, and take them out once you get them inside the walls of the palace.”

“Have you figured out what you’re going to do with them?” a pegasus asked, being handed a red armband, “They might vulnerable now, but how long will they stay that way?”

“I do have a plan with how to deal with them, which is why Yellow Squad will be assigned the task of securing the switching station and readying it for their arrival.” It was the most poetic justice that Shining could come up with. If the caribou thought that women were so inferior to men, then perhaps it was time they saw what it was like on the other side of the fence. He wouldn’t have them be abused but if the strength of a caribou was truly determined by gender, then some pleasantly beneficial results would come from them being stripped of their manhood.

“White Squad is up next, and while your job might sound easy, I assure you it is just as important as any of the other squads’. I need you to retrieve for me the horns of the four alicorns from Dainn’s throne, and find me any unicorns capable of casting mending spells and another who can cast a spell to reverse purpling. I need them for… an experiment.”

The guards of the White Squad didn’t know what to make of this request. They didnt’ jump to conclusions when it came to the implications. It just sounded like the easiest job so far, so why not accept it?

“And lastly… the Black Squad. I need you to keep watch over the guests of the party. Those stallions don’t know what’s going on and might do something stupid if left unchecked.” The Black Squad’s task was redundant since the guests could have been handed off to Red Squad, and Blue Squad would prevent most problems as they stood guard. However, the members that would make up Black Squad were all ponies that worked under Orestes directly, both before and after the fall, and this was to give them something to do until Shining could determine their true loyalties. If what Gunne’s information was true, then at best their allegiance was questionable.

“That’s everything. Let’s all do our jobs and put these caribou were they belong.” The soldiers began to move, heading off to form their groups and perform their given tasks, but before they left, Shining felt there was one last thing to add, something the caribou never said themselves to the ponies that they could care less about, “And hey… Be careful out there.”

The sentiment might have been lost on the lot of them, but most of these stallions were men that Shining had worked with side by side for years. As their commanding officer, and their de facto leader in these troubled times, he was responsible for whatever happened to them… and what had already happened to them.

As the guards dispersed Gunne ascended the steps to return to Shining Armor. “That appears to have done the trick. Now, it’s time for our part.”

“Speaking of,” said Mac, “Ya didn’t explain what ya wanted me for.”

“Your part in this will be made clear when we get to where we’re going.”

“No,” interjected Shining. “If we’re going to trust you, then we need to know what you’re thinking.”

Gunne got to the top of the steps, and then walked past the two stallions. “If you need to know what I’m thinking, doesn’t that mean you don’t really trust me?”

“Gunne…” Mac said, not understanding why the caribou was being so difficult. There were enough problems as it was without secrecy.

“Very well,” Gunne replied as he walked deeper into the palace, “We are going to destroy the Crystal Cock.”

The two ponies looked to one another and then followed after the caribou, “Is… that a good idea?” Mac queried. He had just learned what the Crystal Heart had been doing, and while the idea of getting rid of it was nice, he was worried that the Heart’s destruction might have unforeseen consequences.

“It is,” answered Shining. He didn’t have the same caution and agreed that the Heart had to go. His understanding of the corrupted nature of the relic told him that as long as it remained, there would be no fixing things. To the unicorn, breaking it meant breaking the grip it had on the citizens of Equestria.

The three males made their way through the castle and to the vault where the Heart had been relocated after Dainn saw it fit to take it away from the Crystal Empire. The caribou king assumed that Canterlot Castle was the safest place to keep the key to his absolute rule, in the heart of his capital, surrounded by guards, and within range of his own protection. On any other night, someone with plans of destroying the Crystal Heart would have found it impossible to stand before the vault that held the item, yet three with such intent found their way to it unopposed.

Shining inspected the vault door from a distance and saw that Dainn had not been so foolish as to make the guards of his castle the last line of defense against those who would bring an end to his people’s reign, nor did he leave it in the hands of a lock. Such things, in the caribou mind, could be overcome or circumvented. However, what was put in place couldn’t be trumped by mere pony magic, ingenuity, or brute force.

The vault door was completely covered in caribou runes. While their function was a mystery to those who weren’t familiar with the symbols, both Mac and Shining Armor could take a guess at what it was they did. They channeled magic to enhance the durability of the door, sealed it tightly so none could open it, and prevented magical ways of entry. For all they knew, it made the room housing the Crystal Heart impenetrable.

“So… how are we getting in?” Mac asked. He didn’t want to make wild assumptions, but the vault’s protective wards had to be something the Gunne knew about before they got here. If not from having inside knowledge from being a ranking officer that had a connection to Dainn, then from when they passed by earlier when Gunne gave Mac the tour of the castle. Gunne wasn’t the type to waste his time on a task he didn’t think he could handle.

Gunne gave the vault door his own personal inspection and observed the runes on it before he touched the magically charged engravings with his fingers. “Simply magnificent…” Gunne said sorrowfully. “These runes are expertly crafted, above and beyond that an average caribou is capable of. The Runemasters put a lot of time and effort into making sure this room remained sealed to a point that only a caribou could enter this room.”

“So that means you can get in there.” Shining stated, understanding what Gunne was implying.

“Heh...” Gunne scoffed, “These runes are very advanced. I’ve never even seen symbols like this up close before. An average caribou could never hope to surpass them.”

“Then… there is no way in then…” This was terrible news. As far as Shining knew, the unique way that the Crystal Heart was charged was to make its spell last forever. At least it would be longer than any pony could agreeably wait. As long as it existed in its corrupted state Equestria would remain corrupted as well. Even should they remove the caribou entirely, ponykind would still have to suffer through a long period where women would be treated as animals and slaves with the stallions mind controlled into sadistic misogynistic shadows of their true selves.

“I never said that,” Gunne responded grimly as he reached into his pouch to retrieve a chisel that was heavily decorated in small runes. He had commandeered it from the one of the runemasters during his preparations. His collection of items almost completely consisted of items pilfered off the still warm corpse of the regime.“As much as I hate to admit it, I am not a normal caribou. I am a caribou destined to ruin my brethren, and everything they have ever built.”

Gunne took his runed tool and started chipping at the edge of one of the engravings. The piece of metal magically enhanced so that it could dig into something even as dense as the rune covered vault door with relative ease. “I would never say that I was Dainn’s protege. I’m not even sure if anyone could honestly make that claim. He did try to make me see beyond my limitations though, helped me to become more than a superstition.”

Neither of the ponies spoke a word. They had nothing say about the tyrant, or at least not anything good, and while Gunne was helping them, it was obvious it was under duress. Saying something negative about the late king would undoubtedly lead to a negative reaction, and so both chose not to kick the hornet’s nest this time.

“In trying to have me see my potential,” Gunne continued and switched the spot that he was using his stolen tool on. “He informed me of something that most caribou don’t even understand. We use these ‘runes’ in our everyday lives, take them for granted that each symbol serves a specific role, just like men and women each have their unique roles. Often we forget that a rune is a word. A series of straight and curved lines that carry meaning and, in this form, carry power. That power, like any other, can be altered, changed into something other than intended at the fickle whims of whoever holds the proper pen. Add a line, you alter the meaning, turn it into something else.” With a glow of his antlers, Gunne filled a series of small indents he added to one of the runes with his caribou magic until his additions lit up with an intensity on par with the magic already in the symbol.

The two stallions watched as the altered rune began to form cracks in the solid metal it was engraved into and spread off to other runes, altering them in turn. The vault door was soon covered in a web of crevices that attempted to fill with magic the ever growing additional lines they themselves were forming. Eventually, for reasons beyond the ponies’ understanding, the heavy metal door gave way and shattered into so many pieces that the slab of metal could never hope to be whole again.

“In this case, something corrupted…” Gunne added and hung his head for a moment with a newfound understanding of what he was doing, what he would continue to do, “I’m sorry that I didn’t live up to your expectations.”

A deep sigh accompanied his words, and both ponies knew that the caribou was not talking to either of them. Gunne was legitimately heartbroken that he, for whatever reasons he was motivated to help the ponies, was directly going against Dainn’s will. Without saying anything else, the stag entered the vault and his guilt weighed heavily upon him.

Shining Armor followed right after, but Mac stood in place as something surfaced in his thoughts. A question was nagging at him; that question being ‘If Gunne hated betraying his king’s trust, then why was he going so far out of his way to do so?’. It just didn’t seem like something a person like Gunne would do. Of everything the stallion could possibly fault him for, disloyalty was not part of the list. What could make a man with such a strong personal code break it on a whim? Sure, Mac himself had stepped out of the bounds of what he felt was moral as well, but he had only ever done so to…

“Oh…” In his pursuit of understanding, Mac had stumbled across what he believed was the real reason Gunne was going against what he believed in. The caribou had said before that the two of them were more alike than the clydesdale would like to admit, and if that had any credibility, it was on display here. Mac entered the vault, ready to give Gunne his trust based solely on this assumption of a common bond; the bond of a brother and sister.

---

The inside of the vault was nothing short of spectacular. As impressive the rest of the castle was, this one room had been given the more of the caribou’s attention than anything else. The inner walls, just like the door, was lined with magical runes, though they were different from the ones whose purpose was to keep out intruders. If Mac was to hazard a guess, those runes were probably there to amplify the effects of the Crystal Heart, or increase the range of its enchantment over all of Equestria. He could be wrong, but it seemed the rational thing for the caribou to want to do.

Aside from the runes, the room’s walls were covered in grand murals that depicted the caribou in all their ‘glory’. They started as one might have expected, with figures like Luna and Celestia that were portrayed in a demonizing light as they sat atop their thrones of rulership within a ruined kingdom with a clear malevolence about them. They looked down at the stallions of Equestria with little more than contempt for their existence, said men were dressed in what appeared to be little more than rags as they bowed to their alicorn overlords in fear and dismay.

As the murals went on the caribou were shown arriving by sea in great ships with depictions of conquest displayed as a benevolent act of mercy as they captured the mares and liberated the oppressed stallions. Now freed from the shackles of the tyrannic females, the stallions were imparted wisdom by their saviors, taught how to live not as slaves but as true men. They were also shown the true purpose of a woman, that they were not worthy of being leaders, or even just treated as equals. The only status they were worthy of was that of cattle, or at best slaves that served the will of men completely; mind, body and soul. This lead to the removal ther horns and wing feathers that the female unicorn and pegasi bore, which were either useless or harmful to them.

This proved to be mutually beneficial as the mares, defeated by the caribou, accepted their new roles without qualm and became happier in them. They were glad that they were no longer burdened by their dangerous magic or their clumsy wings that were incapable of flight. No longer did they have to carry the burden of responsibility; it being lifted from their shoulders to be taken up by those more suited for it and replaced with the reward of endless sexual gratification for their unconditional surrender.

“This is disgusting…” Shining Armor almost vomited in repulsion, the caribou’s creative liberties with history catching up to his own part in it. Shining was shown to be a stallion ahead of the rest, already having a mare who knew her place in the form of Princess Cadence, who was nude, leashed, and on her knees as she slurped her master’s cock. Her backside was in full view with her ass stuffed to capacity, fluids nearly gushed from between her legs. Shining himself was shaking hands with Dainn, or at least Mac assumed it was suppose to be Dainn. It surely looked like him, though the lighter contrast of colors used on his depictions when compared to even the other caribou gave the caribou king a holy look about him that didn’t match up to the reality of the man. But what what was even more contradictory was a set of elaborate and majestic looking wings that had been added to Dainn’s appearance.

“Is this how Dainn saw himself?” asked Mac, believing that the image would be seen as an insult to anyone who actually knew the man, caribou included since it elevated him to a status far above anyone else shown in this farce of historical interpretation.

“The king was not so petty,” said Gunne in Dainn’s defense. “If anything, I would say that this was the work of the council, and I can understand why. This is a visual representation of our aspirations and goals. Where men everywhere would rise up and take their rightful place as lords over the weak and ignorant females that would try to change the natural order to better suit them. Females would come to comprehend that everything done to them was done for their benefit, and simply obey as they are supposed to. If future generations ever laid eyes on these images, with anyone who could possibly deny their accuracy long gone, then they would simply interpret them as a factual representation of events. Elevating Dainn to a position higher than any other turns him into a champion of the ideals that would have eventually enveloped this land, and thus cemented him as the benevolent liberator and leader he deserved to be revered as for all time.”

“Or you just didn’t want your king to be seen as being inferior to a woman at something,” commented Shining as he moved past his own vile image. With creatures such as alicorns in existence, what would history say about a king who couldn’t soar the skies like they could, or cast spells that surpassed their abilities? Every small thing that showed that a woman could possibly be better at something than a man detracted from the supposed superiority of said man. This crossed over to everything in this mural, sex included, as it was always shown that the women were enjoying their violation far more than the men violating them.

Mac didn’t linger on Shining’s image either, finding that the painting, however accurate it might have been, no longer matched up with how the stallion now carried himself. In this case, it was best to let the past stay in the past, especially since Shining was not of sound mind when the event happened.

However, what Mac couldn’t simply let pass by him was the part that showed what happened in Canterlot on the day Equestria was seized, not when his sister was part of this interpretation. She was with Ivangir, who was personally collaring Applejack as she was bent over a podium, her breasts hanging over the side as he thrust his dick inside her from behind. They had no issue displaying Applejack receiving a black collar, treated as some sort of criminal being given a punishment, along with others like Rainbow Dash, Luna, and Celestia. He supposed that this tale needed someone to be the villain, or else it would have fallen apart altogether if a supposedly tyrannical matriarchy had simply given up at the first opportunity.

From there, the mural stopped depicting the past and started depicting what the caribou must have felt the future would be like. Images of pony males being served graciously hand and hoof by grateful female slaves who adored their masters for their stern, but necessary discipline, visions of other races quickly joining this new movement to male supremacy with griffins, zebra, buffalo, changelings, and other non-pony races Mac was not familiar with, all joined together to remove a surprisingly willing female populous of any kind of power or status they once had, as if all it took to alter their concepts of equality towards women was the removal of the Equestrian princesses from power. While some of this had become truth, in a way, it was nowhere near as dignified as the caribou would like people to believe, since every race that had been converted to their will had been coerced into it with just as much force as they had used on Equestria.

With all the races of the world following the example of the caribou, they began to prosper, with abundant food, gold, and other luxuries. Eventually, even the black collars saw the error of their ways and were given mercy by the caribou to become red collars to join the paradise their masters had made as willing participants. Mac again couldn’t help but spot his sister once more. Applejack kneeled aside the caribou who had bestowed her collar to her, lustfully trailed her tongue up the length of his penis while her eyes showed she seemed to have fallen in love with the stag. It was a good thing that AJ didn’t see all this, since Mac could see her going back and breaking every bone in Ivangir’s body for the audacity of this painting. He felt he would do the same if he ever saw the caribou again.

Finally the mural came to its end with the mirrored images on the side walls converging on Dainn sitting on a golden throne looking down at his world, the council at his side, along with the enslaved female rulers of the world, of which included Celestia, Luna, Chrysalis, and a mare Mac recognized as one of the two Saddle Arabian ponies who once visited Ponyville, chained to his seat. He was given all the reverence of a god, the creatures he had enlightened gathered at the bottom of the image to worship at his feet and bask in his radiant glory, appreciative that the king had brought them to this golden age that would have never been possible if women were treated as equals.

“Still certain the king wasn’t full of himself?” Shining asked, seeing the distinct difference between how the caribou presented their “history” when compared to the similar, but relatively humble, way Celestia used to commission stained glass windows to commemorate important events.

While Shining wanted to make a point of Dainn’s ego, Mac didn’t see the point of it, not when the object that they were looking for was resting on a podium directly below the godly image of the stag. The Crystal Heart, rechristened the Crystal Cock when the caribou desecrated the object by carving it down into the shape of a fully erect dick. Before its carving the caribou had corrupted its original purpose and used it to bend the wills of the crystal ponies to their desires. Whatever the caribou had done to it, the alterations had taken its toll and looked worse for wear for having endured its corruption for a year.

Mac wasn’t an expert of crystals or sedimentary rock, but even he could see that the heart wasn’t doing well, and he wasn’t even close to it yet. It was doing what it was suppose to, pulsating waves of brainwashing magic to release the inhibitions of the ponies of Equestria and fill them with devious, lustful thoughts, but it looked incredibly fragile. If Mac was to put it into words, the crystal looked… “glassy”, like it wasn’t as solid as the rock let on. It looked as if he could tap it and it would break, or that something as insignificant as the cry of a newborn foal could shatter it into a million pieces. The vault must have been sealed as tightly as it was to prevent more than just rebels from getting to the Heart, as all it would have taken was a single tremor to topple the caribou’s reign.

As the three men closed the gap, Shining suddenly stumbled. “Ya feeling okay?” Mac asked and stopped to check on Shining.

“Yeah,” he assured, “Just getting a headache.”

“Then you should stop here,” said Gunne. “The cock’s power might be getting stronger the closer you get to it, and the last thing we need is for you to fall back into its power.”

The stallions stopped, and even took a few steps back as a somewhat absurd measure to prevent their wills being consumed in the caribou’s magic. “So what now? Do we just smash it from here?”

“We could, but if we wanted to break it right now, I could go and do it myself. The Crystal Cock only affects ponies after all.”

Mac picked up fairly quickly on the key word of that sentence, “What do ya mean ‘if’? Why wouldn’t we want to break it after coming this far?”

“Because we have no idea what will happen once it’s broken, and it would be unwise to act rashly without testing something first. Shining Armor, could you put one of your bubbles around the Cock?”

“Sure,” the unicorn replied, firing his spell at the ground around the podium the heart sat upon. His shield sprouted upwards from where the beam hit, and encased the both the podium and the artifact it held.

The three men waited a moment, expecting something to happen, and they weren’t disappointed. It started slowly at first, but shortly after the barrier surrounded the Crystal Heart, a string of horrified screams started to sound from within the castle that leaked into the vault in volumes just loud enough to alert Mac, Gunne, and Shining Armor as to what was going on. The stallions in the castle, guests and guards alike, were waking up from the nightmare like Shining Armor had earlier, except they weren’t doing it on their own. The reality of their actions was crashing down on them hard and fast.

“I see…” said Shining, “You’re worried that being cut off from the enchantment could hurt the ponies of Equestria.” Being brainwashed into being a person who found joy in raping and torturing others, and then being suddenly freed from it to realize that you had unknowingly committed a countless amount of sins that only the most terrible person would even consider doing would test the mental constitution of anyone. When Shining himself had awoken, it had been a strain on his sanity that he was only able to overcome because of the pressing threat looming just a few feet away. Could he expect everyone to react the same as he did?

No, of course he couldn’t, but what was the alternative? Let the Crystal Heart keep them blissfully unaware of the cruelties they committed, while at the same time forcing them to commit more? Try to wean them off the enchantment over time? The former was not an option, and Equestria didn’t have the time or the means to try the latter.

“Thanks for the warning,” Shining said. “But as long as the heart is left alone, there will be no way we can repair the damage your people caused.” It was not going to be easy, but the stallions of Equestria would have to live with the terrible understanding of what the caribou had made them do. “As a prince of Equestria, and the only pony here with both the authority and sound mind to make this decision, we will break the Crystal Heart.”

“Destroying the object was never in question,” Gunne replied as he approached the barrier. “I just wanted to see if your shield was capable of containing the magic radiating from within it.”

“Why does that ma-URK!” The importance of Gunne’s inquiry hit him like a runaway cart in the form of an increase of pressure built up against his horn. He hadn’t noticed that his headache had not rescinded when he blocked the source of what was causing it, and now it was becoming a throbbing force that was causing him to reel back and hold his head.

“Shining, are ya okay?” Mac asked and aided the unicorn by holding him in place by his shoulders.

“I’m... fine,” Shining replied, cringing in pain, “It’s just… that…” The white stallion pointed to his magic bubble. The force field had become swelled like something was building up inside it. It growed rapidly inside the encasement to fill it like pus inside a cyst.

It was the Crystal Heart, or rather its magic. It constantly poured from the relic, and with no place to go, it swirled and bulged within its captivity.

“As you might know, Shining Armor, seeing your involvement with the takeover, the Crystal Cock was altered to emanate our cure endlessly,” Gunne explained. “Because try as we may have, we never produced a cure so much as a treatment for the mental deficiencies of stallions. The magic held within this piece of crystal was to flow forever from its vessel to prevent relapses, which is where we come to our dilemma.”

“And what’s that?” Mac asked, not up to speed with all this talk of magic.

“To put it simply, should we break the container of this force, anything could happen. In theory, the relic could just break and the energy it held could simply dissipate. That would be the best case scenario for your goals, but…”

“But?” Shining asked, bearing through the pain he was forced to endure for the sake of keeping the enchantment of the heart suppressed.

“Well there are a number of bad things that could happen as well. The first thing being that the heart could explode when broken, taking with it anyone present at the time of its destruction. Another possibility is that without the crystal as a container, the enchantment wouldn’t dissipate, but would endlessly spread, and should that happen, it could produce results worse than what the heart has done alone. Imagine an Equestria that was completely ruled by the desires of its people. The slightest thought would become an action, and each action would be expressed in the most extreme form it could be. A male with a piercing fetish could develop a need to stab others with more than just needles, with their desires never truly satisfied no matter how many times or what kind of sharp objects he used on others.”

Mac started imagining the world Gunne was explaining, and didn’t like what he came up with. The idea of some ponies becoming knife wielding maniacs who shuffled about stabbing anyone that got in their path until they no longer moved, turning a terrible act of torture into a tragic act of murder. That was just one example too. He could see others flaying the skin off the backs of mares until their bones would be exposed, or beat them to a bloody mess of ruptured organs and broken body parts. That took for granted that only stallions would be influenced by this potentially potent version of the enchantment. For all they knew, Equestria could become a wasteland of corpses and wandering shadows of former ponies that were eternally searching for their next victims.

“And those are just a few of the things I could come up with off the top of my head,” Gunne continued, “If the magic doesn’t fade away, literally anything could happen.”

“Okay, so it’s not a good idea to break the heart without a plan,” said the clydesdale as he shuddered at the images he produced in his mind. “So do we got a plan?

“I think I know what it is,” Shining answered, “He wants me to keep the magic trapped in my barrier. It's the only thing we have on hand that can keep it from doing anything harmful to Equestria. Fine, I’ll do it. You don’t have to ask me twice.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gunne retorted, “We both know that that would only be a temporary plan. You can keep your barrier up for a long time, but eventually you’ll get tired, or the pain will be too much, and we’ll have the same potential problems.” The caribou touched the bubble lightly, staring at the writhing mass of magic inside. “What we need is a new container for this spell, at least till we can figure out a permanent way to dispel it.”

“Like another Crystal Heart?” Mac asked, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“No, something like a replacement crystal would only leak out magic like the original. What we need is something that can suppress this spell for an indefinite amount of time, contain it completely so it couldn’t affect anyone.”

“And where are we going to find something like that?” Shining was tired of the caribou beating around the bush. If he had an answer, then he needed to spill it.

“Well…. It’s just a theory… something that I formulated when I when I was given time alone in the Gala hall… but what if we had a container that could store and suppress the magic inside it, that was able to shrug off its influence like it wasn’t there, that was immune to its ‘corrupting’ nature?”

“Well that would be amazing!” Mac exclaimed, figuring that the caribou already knew where they could find such an object, “Do ya know where that is? Will we have to leave Canterlot to get it?”

“No… we have something like that right here in the castle. In this very room in fact.” Gunne’s claim confused the two stallions. Aside from the Crystal Heart and themselves, there was nothing else in the vault. Gunne turned to face them both to finish explaining his plan to nullify the enchantment the heart held once and for all, “What we need to trump this cure is something incurable. Something that has been barraged by the spell constantly, but never succumbed to it. Mac... We need you.”

“That’s stupid.” Shining responded, “You can’t possibly believe that a stallion holding that spell inside them could be a good idea.”

Gunne took a deep breath, and stared directly at the clydesdale, “Mac, have you ever felt an overwhelming urge to rape or molest a female? Have you ever felt that you needed to physically harm a woman for the pure reason of your own amusment? Have you in any way, shape or form expressed your dominance over a woman?”

These questions, while well intentioned, seemed damning. Mac had never wanted to rape any woman, but he did break his own personal vow of celibacy to spend a moment of passion with Cheerilee, while she was drugged none the less, and then again with Daisy moments after to save his own skin. He didn’t harm a mare for personal gain or gratification, but he did beat Roseluck hard enough that she was afraid to do anything to bring up his ire again. Those examples alone would be enough to fit the last category, but he could also remember back at the pet show when he gagged his own sister without her consent, just so she couldn’t put up a fuss while she got fucked by a stadium of males.

“Gunne… Ah don’t think that I’m as ‘pure’ as ya think Ah am…” he said in shame, knowing he too had not gotten out of caribou’s rule with clean hands.

“This has nothing to do with ‘purity’,” Gunne stated as he tried to reiterate what he was getting at, “I only need to know that you had never been affected by the crystal. Aside from that, nothing else matters. Tell me this at least… did you get a headache when you entered the vault?”

Mac shook his head. Unlike Shining, Mac was able to stroll through the door with no problem. If not for the warning Gunne gave the ponies, he would have walked right up to the Crystal Heart unabated.

“Then I feel that you are exactly what we need. All you have to do is agree to be the new vassal for the enchantment.”

Shining Armor removed himself from Mac’s grip and stepped up. “I don’t like this. How are you even sure that this will work? Even if the energy doesn’t fade, what makes you think it would even go into Mac?”

“Nothing really,” Gunne admitted. “But from what I understand about this relic is that it wasn’t created to store power, it was made to distribute it. Yet, a year later the magic it holds is still held inside it. It makes me believe that the enchantment wants to be held, which is why it will go miles and miles to find a pony to inhabit. If we give it no place to go with your shield, and only one possible person to inhabit… well I did say it was just a theory.”

The room went silent, even the screams of the men outside had stopped. The only sounds Mac could hear were those produced by the Crystal Heart’s spell as it tried to escape from Shining Armor’s bubble. Since the caribou had arrested him so long ago, Mac hadn’t lifted a finger to do anything to solve the problems that plagued the kingdom he called home. One could say that killing the king was one such act, but he would deny that claim and call it what it was: a desperate and stupid attempt from a desperate and stupid stallion. Perhaps this was his chance to change all that. A trick of his own destiny to allow him to redeem himself for his cowardly and selfish actions.

“Okay Gunne,” he said with certainty. “I’ll do it. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“Good, then come over to the barrier. Shining will have to allow you entrance so that you can smash the Crystal Cock.”

“Mac, you can’t be serious.” Shining said incredulously. The whole thing sounding ridiculous. “What if he’s wrong? What if that thing just explodes in your face?”

“Then it will be worth the risk if it has even the slightest chance of preventing something worse from happening.” Mac was already making his way to the bubble, nothing would stop him now that his mind was made up. Nothing, save for one last request. “But…” he said as he touched the still solid globe of force. “If this thing does go into me… and Gunne is wrong. If it changes me into something like what it did to you… to most of the stallions… then promise me to keep me locked away somewhere. Ah don’t know what I’d do if Ah ended up hurting someone because of this.”

Shining reluctantly gave a nod. He had shown that he could hold Mac already that night, and the clydesdale was not nearly as difficult to entrap as the heart. He wanted to add to the gesture something like ‘but you know that’s not going to happen’, but he couldn’t make that kind of promise. There had already been far too many good men who had succumbed to a fraction of what Mac was about to take on. So, without another word, Shining respected the wishes of the other stallion, and allowed him entrance through his shield.

Mac pushed through it like water. His hand went in first to test if it would hurt. He felt nothing, but that didn’t mean something wasn’t happening. Still, there was no backing down now. He turned his head one last time towards the caribou who had brought him to this point, who unwittingly put him in the perfect position to destroy the caribou regime by accident, getting only got a cold glare in return.

“I know it doesn’t mean much… but Ah only ever did what Ah thought was right.”

Gunne turned on his heel to show his back to the stallion. Mac didn’t blame him. There was no reason for the caribou to give a response. He looked back at what was awaiting him, and took one last deep breath before plunging himself inside.

However… just before he managed to make it all the way through, he heard the stag utter four simple words. “As do we all.”

---

The other side of the barrier was not nearly as calm as outside of it, Shining’s shield held back a swirling hurricane of dark magic within it. Mac thought that he was going to be swept off his feet by the thick mass of… whatever it was magic was made up of, but it all went through him without so much as displacing a single strand of fur on his body. He was so relieved for that, as he had anticipated this to be one of those trials of ancient lore that required one to endure agony beyond that of mortal ponies for the sake of accomplishing some great task. If he was going to be corrupted, then at least it was going to be a painless process.

“Heh... “ Mac laughed aloud, “AJ is goin’ to kill me if Ah get outta this.” He didn’t know why, but until he entered the bubble, his sister and her opinions of the choice he had made had completely slipped his mind. It was the first time in a long time that he wasn’t worried about what would happen to her, or what she would think about what he did. He felt it was a good sign though. It meant that he finally felt that she was safe and that he no longer had a reason to worry about her all the time.

Unfortunately, it did make his task just a little bit more difficult. Approaching the heart, taking the phallic crystal in hand, thoughts of not only Applejack, but all of his family and friends started to form. If anything went wrong with this, he was never going to see them again. Either that, or he wouldn’t want to see them again if he could be a threat to their safety. There was a good chance that he would never get to share another picnic with Cheerilee. He would never be able to go to Sugarcube Corner and order a dozen of Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s best apple jelly donuts, or hang out with Caramel and Noteworthy after a day of work in the fields. He’d never go to another Running of the Leaves. He’d never pull another cart for the Nightmare Night festival. He’d never enjoy another Apple Family Reunion.

Then again, he had been unable to do all of that anyway. The caribou had robbed him of most of the joy in his life, and he knew he wasn’t the only one. For just as long, every pony he knew had everything taken from them or were forced to be something that they weren’t. It was time that ended.

While necessary, this was still more responsibility than a simple farm pony like Mac had ever expected to undertake in his life. His biggest problem use to be fruitbat infestations. There was a large disparity between that and saving Equestria. He needed a bit of levity, just to relieve some of the tension.

“Ahem,” he said after having lifted the phallic crystal to his mouth like a microphone, intent on making this serious situation as silly as possible. “Ah want to dedicate this to all the ponies out there who had to put up with being beaten down, manipulated, and treated like they were useless. If Ah can’t join ya in the world that comes from this, then make it a good one.”

That really didn’t ease things as much as he hoped it would, but they would have to do. With those last words, the clydesdale loosened his fingers and let the Crystal Heart fall to the ground. True to its appearance, it shattered like glass against the hard floor. A furious burst of energy poured from the remains of the object that rushed like a torrent to fill every bit of space it could before realizing it couldn’t escape. With nowhere else to go, the corrupting power that had resided within the tainted relic focused on the only other thing it could possibly corrupt.

Mac closed his eyes, finally feeling the force of the spell as it enveloped his body, and internally made one last wish before the dark power that corrupted an entire kingdom flooded his very being.

Explanation

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone, Schorl here. I’m sure you are all at least a bit curious as to what the heck is going on by now. Wondering why my “canon” Fall Of Equestria story had it’s sudden shift in tone, and why NCN is probably in the forums renouncing any claim to canon status it once had. Well I’m here to talk about that for a bit, or maybe for hours on end knowing how long winded I can be.

By now I’m sure you all have figured out that NCN didn’t exactly approve the ending that I posted, seeing that it ended with his kinda, sorta, not really, but totally is, self insert OC doing a rather impressive impression of Owlowiscious, and his undefeatable army getting… well… defeated. Even if you are a newcomer to FoE, you probably know the golden rule that “the caribou do not lose”. So yeah, my ending didn’t exactly get the go ahead from the guy in charge, at least not in a direct manner. In my opinion though, I feel that he did give me permission to do this by means of just being so oblivious to how I was writing my story, how I was acting in public forums, the fact that I was playing him like a fiddle by doing everything but telling him “Hey, turn around, cause I want to stab you in the back” to show him that there was more to me than an obedient word slave, ect, ect. For almost the entirety of the two years I’ve been writing this story, this ending has been the intended one, and I added a number of both subtle and unsubtle things in it to allude to that and set up the downfall of the main villains. Not my fault if he was too distracted by the tits and asses to see the not so hidden meaning.

Before I go on, I want to get a few things out of the way though, before we get to the point of all this. First, I would like to say that this explanation of my actions was written out in advance, so I really have no idea as of the making of it what the reaction to my story ending will be. I’m not expecting it to be considered some literary masterpiece that should be heralded from on high for its masterful use of... whatever anyone could say it was good at doing when it comes to storytelling, but I also don’t think that everyone is going to condemn it for being some peice of shit that “betrays the integrity” of the setting. I’m pretty much assuming at this point that I’m getting a mixed bag of replies, with the usual people giving the usual responses because after two years of writing for FoE, I think I can predict who out of our regulars are going to say what, while understanding that anyone that doesn’t follow set patterns will still fall in certain categories ranging from full support of what I’ve done to outright objection.

Secondly, this entire thing is pretty much being written out as I think it, with little to no editing involved, so it is probably going to be less elegant than my stories are (which arguably aren’t that elegant either). All I’m saying is that if you see something that sounds crazy or stupid, it’s probably because I’m crazy and stupid. If you see me drift off from one thing to another on a whim, it’s probably because that’s just the way I think and I didn’t go back to adjust it properly, and if you see me repeat words or phrases over and over, then that’s probably just an idiom of my own methods of communication. What I’m getting at is that this whole thing might read like crap, since it’s just me rambling about stuff I think only a few people will actually care about (though in this case I hope to be proven wrong).

Third, I’m going to assume that most people who are reading this have read Bruised Apples in its entirety, and are at least have general knowledge of the FoE setting (otherwise, why are you here?), so I’ll be using generic terms for the setting, talking about people involved with its production freely, and will bring up things presented in my story whenever I see fit. If you don’t know what the feck I’m talking about at some point, not my fault, not my problem. If you care enough then stop, go educate yourself on the intricate details of a silly smut setting, and then come back when you are ready to join the rest of the class. I’m sure the one other person I haven’t run off with my confrontational style of humor could use the company.

Lastly, while I’m going to try my best to make this as brief as possible, I do have a tendency to type for hours on end when motivated (a problem I wish my fellow FoE contributors had, but I will touch on that in a second). Being the case, I expect this to be longer than the time between a FoE story update (see, told ya), and will probably eat up a good portion of your day unless you read at a cheetah's pace. Heck, you’re looking at the full version. You can grab your scroll bar and zoom down to see what you’re in for, and I wouldn’t be offended if you said “fuck this” and refused to read what I have to say. That being said, please... please, please, please don’t comment on things on this page if you don’t.

I don’t care if you want to announce to the world that this was the worst work of fiction that you have ever read in your life and that I’m an idiot, you have every right to do so if that is how you feel, but I just don’t want people to make themselves look like jackasses by skimming through this wall of text, finding one thing that makes them feel like they have something that gives them some intellectual or moral opinion about me, only to find that if they misinterpreted what I meant because they didn’t read a piece of supplementary information that came a paragraph or two after. I want my detractors to be fully informed about the reasons they should hate me, and that goes for anyone who might support too, because I hate people who spout off nonsense without having all the details. And if you really don’t have the time or energy to read what I have to say, let me summarize it for you right here.

“Pissed off bitch rants about stupid shit that no one should really care about.”

That description might be doing myself a disservice, but I’m sure to some people it will be fairly accurate. That being said, I do understand that despite my assumptions that I really am the center of all realities that have ever been, will be, or that are currently being…. people do have lives outside of me. So for your reading convenience I am going to put a table of contents here:

[I.] ????
[II.] Reasons
[III.] Why the Caribou Should Lose
[IV.] Red Collars are Stupid
[V.] Caribou are fucking stupid
[VI.] Closing Statements

There, now you can just go to the parts that you feel concern you, and keep a few more moments of your time so you can go watch a movie, listen to music, or go on a romantic dinner with the girl or guy of your dreams. Now why don’t we get this thing started properly, shall we? So go grab a snack, stretch your legs, and get a set of playing cards for a nice game of solitaire, cause I feel that this is going to take a while.

[I.] Apologies.

Yes, I know. This seems like an odd start for something like this, but despite my apprehensive approach to all this I feel that there are a few people who do deserve some sort of apology, first and foremost being any and all fans of my work that ended up disappointed by my ending. You all came here to enjoy an FoE story, and while I feel I have delivered one of the “better” (and I’m using that specific word liberally in this case) FoE related fictions currently produced, I can fully agree that the ending might have not been satisfactory. For that, I’m sorry that I couldn’t live up to your expectations, because honestly I’d be pissed too. As much as it might seem otherwise, I like this kind of stuff. Themes of rape, submission, torture, violence, slavery, and above all else, villainy are my major turn ons, and I could see myself getting frustrated if someone started something, and chose not to finish it like they expressed they would, especially after so much time had been invested in a project.

That leads me to the next person I think deserves a bit of an apology, which is NCN himself. I know, sounds a bit silly seeing that I went well out of my way to give him what might be the biggest middle finger he will get in his life, but I am being sincere here. NCN approached me over two years ago and asked me if I would like to write for him, and I agreed to do so without stipulation or compensation, only to back out of it in the worst way imaginable short of meeting up with him in person so I could kick him in the crotch. I didn’t even do it for personal gain, because it’s not like I’m going to make money or something else of substance from screwing with some silly pony setting. So for breaking my promise to him, I’m truly sorry, even if I consider him to be one of the major causes for me wanting to take this overly dramatic route.

The last group of people who people who deserve an apology are the FoE contributors, or at least most of them. While I kinda think that most of them really won’t give two craps about this, and really they shouldn’t, I’m sure there will be one or two individuals who I might hurt as a by product of my rebellious attitude. Now I do want to specify on this, (since I feel this really, REALLY need to stress this so there is no confusion or delusions of grandeur) but this does not extend to all of the contributors. There are a few who should feel insulted by this, because they were, to some small degree, part of the reasons I decided to go with the ending I did to begin with, and thus they need to feel insulted by this and deserve none of my sympathy. While I’m not naming names at this time, one of these people should know darn well who they are, and the rest will just have to decide for themselves if they believe my apology was meant for them, if they even want to accept it in the first place.

You see, I do want to make it clear that I know what I have done is wrong. Hell, if I had a problem with FoE, the person in charge, and my fellow contributors, I could have just left and washed my hands of this a long time ago, but I didn’t. Instead I invented some scheme to tell NCN he can go fuck himself by ruining an ending to one of his, at the time, canon stories. I don’t feel that I have some sort of “moral superiority” because the setting was a rape setting, or that the caribou deserve to lose (which they certainly do, trust me, but not for the silly reason of being misogynistic, rapist pricks). I know that in all of this, I am the bad guy. I’m the one who went out of my way to try and make another person’ life ever so slightly worse, and only for my own personal satisfaction. If you are some FoE hating jackass that sees what I’ve done as some “great victory for the forces of good”, then shut up and shove off, because you’re just as full of shit as a guy who declares that all women should be treated like fuck toys in the real world, and I’ll tolerate you just as much.

So yes, I want no ambiguity as to who is in the wrong here. It’s me. NCN might have set himself up for this, but I am the one who took advantage of him. I used his trusting and naive nature against him just because I could. He is the victim in all of this, and I am the villain….. Buuuuttttttt…. I say with an ever growing smile on my face, this is Fall of Equestria we are talking about right?

I mean… this is a setting where the villains are supposed to win, am I right? Where the victims are supposed to feel shame, despair, humiliation, even if there was no way they could have prevented the antagonists from taking advantage of them. By NCN’s own rules, he not only has earned this, but should be treated like shit because he had the audacity to lose to something he could have never anticipated, even though in this case he could have. So if we are to honor his viewpoint, then the most vile and ruthless person in this should be celebrated and rewarded for their actions, and is perfectly in the right for simply utilizing their “superiority” over an “inferior” opponent. I’m, of course, being facetious as fuck, but for any long time fan of FoE, I would hope my reasoning for this is clear. Which leads us to our next topic.

[II.] Reasons

If you’ve made it this far, I suppose you are all wondering what exactly made me do this. What set me off to the point that I would spend two years on a scheme that, as I expressed already, is about as effective as telling a guy he can take a flying leap using a stadium loud speaker. I sure by now you might have come to the conclusion that this was always the plan, that when I joined him it was my intent to be a bitch and try to fuck things up. Well… sorry, no. That is not the case. When NCN first came to me about writing for him, I had been a fan of FoE already. I had learned about it through an image site, and found the art to be interesting, catching the post of the very first FoE image one day during my daily searches through BDSM picture, and found it amusing. At first I thought it was just a one time thing, something someone made and wouldn’t expand on, but then I saw more and more images pop up. I found them intriguing, how the pictures painted this dark world that adhered so much to so many of my favorite themes, using some of my favorite characters, and started following what else I could find for it. In fact, I learned of FIMficton through the now deleted FoE tumblr page, which is what lead me to writing my own little bondage/rape series, and eventually to NCN contacting me with his offer to write for him. Ah, how things come full circle.

I gave him my pitch for a story, which was a little one shot that involved Rarity and Applejack that I had been thinking about before he contacting me, and that eventually became the second chapter of Bruised Apples when my excitement of being appreciated for my talents made me go into creativity overdrive and come up with the overall synopsis for Bruised Apples, minus a few chapters I added in later because of a need for more information.

From there I wrote out my first three chapters in about 2 months’ time, and then… waited. And waited… and waited… You see, this was a time when NCN wanted covers for all of his canon stories, and thus I had to wait until he had one made. Even tried to make one myself, with poor results, but I scrapped it because I thought it was subpar. However, even I have a limit to my patience, and after three months I told NCN that either we do this, or I would post up the story as a non canon. I got my image the next day.

Everything seemed to go smoothly after that. Me and NCN edited the chapters I had and shortly after the story was posted, and I even had a short time on the front page. I was very excited, but then I hit my first real snag. You see, I was always in the idea that FoE wasn’t really supposed to be taken too seriously. That despite it’s dark tones and themes, it’s main purpose was just to have a sex based alternate universe that focused on an absurd concept, and thus treated it as such when I replied to commenters. This was my first mistake.

Not an hour after I replied to a person who didn’t really like FoE, agreeing with him on many points because, hey, he was right, NCN contacted me and told me that I shouldn’t be doing that. I was a bit confused, to be honest, but NCN was the guy in charge, so I promised not to do it again, now in the knowledge that we were taking the setting seriously. That was fine though. My other story was a somewhat serious take on MLP in a sexual setting involving rape, so I could do this. So I adjusted my thoughts and started focusing on what was logical, and how the world would be in a serious light. That was my second mistake.

You see, when you look at something in a serious light, and you focus on that thing like an obsession, you start picking out all the flaws and start seeing the problems. What was acceptable as a joke no longer works when you try to make sense of it, and things that attracted you to the setting in the first place suddenly became things that trouble you to the core. Eventually this lead to a bit of a discussion with NCN about something in the setting I was concerned about. We got into a debate, with me writing out an essay on the matter because I was so adamant that the subject of our discussion did not work.

What he told me in return was so offensive to me that I really didn’t believe that I could write for FoE anymore, since it went against my own moral code (yes I have one, just one that is a lot lower than most other people’s). From there I had expected him to give his condolences, tell me that if that is how I felt he was sorry, and then allow me to leave if I really had issues with the premise. What I got was a condescending half assed rebuttal that pretty much acted as an insult to my intelligence. Like I didn’t understand what I was saying, and that if I looked at things from his point of view, it would all make sense.

I was livid, and being the obsessive little thought engine I was at the time, my mind set fire. On the spot my goals changed, and I started developing my plan to give NCN the kind of ending I felt his opinion deserved, telling him I would be glad to continue my work on FoE, while listing off some changes I felt would be needed for the upcoming chapters in order to “expand” on the original premise. NCN bit so hard he could have chewed through steel.

Now this original scheme, it wasn’t truly a malicious one, not completely. I just wanted NCN to back up his words. Test him a bit, see if he could prove his claim by noticing that he had a spy in his ranks. All he had to do was identify a major problem forming right under his nose, and I would have been satisfied. As you can see from reading this, he never did, and that probably irks me more than anything. Be that as it may, NCN’s obliviousness and unintended insults were not my only reasons to do what I did at this point. They provided kindling for the fire, but the real issues are much deeper.

Believe it or not, I really do have a bit of an interest in FoE. I think that the images, for the most part, are very well drawn, with NCN having gotten several amazing artists interested in the setting. Regardless of what some people who hate FoE might say, many of the pictures the setting gives us could be seen as works of art within the BDSM genre, at least in my opinion, and I feel they are wonderful things that have been given to those who are both fans of bondage and MLP. However, I can hardly say the same when it comes to the stories we have been given. Let’s be frank, canon FoE stories are nothing to write home about. In a setting that could either make for delightfully sexual silliness, or a serious grimdark world, FoE decides to be a generic and overdone hentai plot of “Some assholes take over a kingdom and turn the women into slaves”.

This alone wouldn’t be a terrible thing, if the writers actually did something with it, but the problem is that they don’t. All of the stories tend to run the same issues of “good guys lose, bad guys win” and never go anywhere from there. I’m not saying that you have to have the caribou lose, but why is it that they seem to win so fucking hard that people are literally throwing themselves into the proverbial meat grinder? In a good story, or even just an “okay” story, the villains would have had at least some complications, some problems, something that could make the plotline more, something people could care about. However, it has been shown in every canon story ever made that it is not the villain’s cunning or ingenuity that lets them win, but the fact that everyone else is written to be idiots by default. Even Bruised Apples falls into this problem, because it takes Gunne, a caribou, to solve the problems Mac and AJ are facing, and likewise he is the one who puts them in a position to kill Dainn, with them only being able to do so because they chose to do the dumbest thing they could in the situation, which just so happens to works because they are arguably the most physically powerful things around. Kinda sounds familiar in a way, don’t you agree?

And you know what, I know what part of the problem is. It’s the same thing that started this mess (interpret that how you wish); NCN. I can attest to the fact that on more than one occasion I’ve tried to let Applejack get the upper hand in a situation, even if only momentarily, or have the caribou shown to be directly stupid, or even in an outright bad light, and he refused it and made me edit it to be more to his liking. There are plenty of taboos when it comes to being a canon writer, and unless you are slick about how you turn a phrase or try to point out the problems of the setting, there is never a point where the caribou are addressed as the idiots they are constantly shown to be. Instead, their stupidity is shown as some sort of example of how they are somehow, in some backwards logic, smarter, faster, stronger, and more capable than everything in existence, especially the characters that we know are better then these gary stu pieces of shit.

Now NCN is part of the problem, but that doesn’t excuse the writers themselves. They are just as responsible, if not more so, for shoveling garbage down the throats of people who might actually be interested in FoE, for whatever reasons they may have. You can only blame NCN so much until you realize that the writers agreed with what they wrote, and gave their consent on having it posted up for everyone to see. If not, then they wouldn’t have written it. I stand behind everything I have written for FoE, even if some of it had to be altered to fulfill a criteria set for me, and I think that should be obvious, since I used it to fuck NCN over in the end. Likewise, if a story itself has a poor premise, or is just shit, then it is because the writer didn’t bother taking the time to make something better.

This doesn’t apply to all canon stories, mind you, some aren’t “that bad”, but even the best FoE stories are filled with plotholes, leaps of logic, and points where they have to rush to get everything that could cause a problem, cause conflict, out of the way so they can get to the good stuff ASAP. Some might say that isn’t a bad thing, but then I would say why bother with the “story” part at all? Just focus on making sex scenes with no plot involved, or better yet, leave the stories to fans who have the potential to do a better job and have canon FoE focus on the art alone. It is the best part of the setting, and then people can use it to devise their own plots outside of NCN’s little box.

I don’t know, I guess when I joined in on this project, I expected more than what I got. I expected a group who would take the time to work together to make something awesome, even if lots of people didn’t agree with the content. I expected NCN to be a better leader and editor, instead of a person who focuses on the things he enjoys without considering all the other important stuff needed to make a proper story. Hell, I at least expected people to not take months to years to jot down an update to stories that probably should have been finished by now. I work two jobs and have a twice a week card game tournament, and I still make time to get my daily allotment of writing done. (and BTW, I wouldn’t really hold your breath on ever seeing updates for some of the older unfinished stories, FYI.)

So yeah, that’s my reasoning I suppose. As cliche and silly as it sound, I just care too much. So if people aren’t going to be arsed to do things right, or ever, then why not make a proper ending.

[III.] Why the Caribou Should Lose

Okay…. Time to get into the silly bits where I talk about the faults of the story concerning the villains and their methods. This is something I really wanted to address for a long time. If it is not clear by now that, allow me to explain (though if you are a person who really doesn’t care about the stories and the inherent flaws in them, I won’t be offended if you skip this part. It will probably get really boring and confusing)

I’m not the type who thinks good should always triumph, that at the end of the day people should have karma knocking on their door, because in all honesty the more realistic scenario is that bad people do get away with doing bad things. People get away with murder, rape, theft, abuse, manipulation, and other things that can be considered general mistreatments of one’s fellow man. Some might say that systems are in place to aid this process. “Zero Tolerance” policies in schools make it so the victims of bullying get punished for retaliating against jerks who harass them behind the backs of teachers. Freedom of speech in the constitution allows for legal congregations of groups who only want to persecute other people because they are different. VIP prisons have been built to provide comfortable stays for criminals with enough money and influence to be allowed to spend their sentences in them, treating their intended punishment as a vacation. It’s a shame, it really is, but it is the truth of reality that assholes very often get away with their crimes. So when looking at the caribou, we really can’t treat them any differently, that is if you want to make a good story.

So by that notion alone, I don’t really have the right to say that the caribou have to lose, and neither does anyone else, no matter how much this setting offends them. However, that doesn’t mean that the caribou should have the universe align with their every action. If a person pours gasoline on their house and then sparks a match, this shouldn’t somehow turn their house into into a fully furnished three story mansion, complete with loyal and lusty servants that dote on them like they are god’s gift to creation (at least not before having to trick the insurance company their scamming out for the money to buy said mansion and hire said servants). What I’m getting at is that it can be proven that your villains have earned their comeuppance, then by all means they should get it.

So we have to look at how people do get punished for their actions in real life, which is simple enough. When something bad happens to you, or anyone, I feel it is because of a few specific factors. The first factor is perhaps the most common, some external influence caused something bad to happen to you. These are usually people, everyday jerks who go out of their way to make you miserable, or to simply prevent you from having what you want in life. God knows we each have our own set of these, be they people who assume they know better than you (which they might, but you certainly don’t feel that way), or establishments that exist to corral your thoughts and prevent your desires (Because I sure would love to have people serve me hand and foot for no other reason than because I legally own them), or just the random jerk on the street who would like to make you angry because they think it’s funny (and it probably is, you loser).

Point is, people are going to cause people problems, good intentions or no, and these interferences are what turn life into “not what you desire”. As far as the caribou go, there is no shortage of people who would love to wreck their day. There are resistances, there are people who have no intention of playing their game, and there are certainly people who would rather the caribou just crawled in a hole somewhere and died. The problem is thought that the caribou are a dominating force in this setting, in that they are too numerous, too powerful, and have too many allies to cause any long lasting problems for them. A mare could piss in their coffee, but she can’t do anything to make a real difference, at least in how the setting presents itself.

This alone is fine, really. I have no issue with the idea that there is this overwhelming force that comes in, wrecks house, and then asserts itself cuase no one can adequately stand up to them. Heck, it’s a real world issue that many countries face. So we could say that even if the resistance was the most effective group of insurgents that ever existed, the problem is too much for them to handle because it’s just too big, and all they can do is minor things that only hinder the caribou in minor ways. No assassinations on the king, no blowing up Canterlot, no liberation of important figures that could turn the tide (Twilight, Celestia, ect).

Ignoring the resistances, or the parts of the population who would probably stick a knife into a caribou’s jugular the first time their hands were unbound, we could look at another external force, which is just random circumstance. Sometimes bad things just happen. One day you leave your house, go to work, fuck your secretary who you blackmailed into becoming your personal cock cleaner, and you leave the office to find that a meteor has fallen on your luxury sedan, localizing all damage it caused to only your car, on the day that your insurance ran out. Thems the breaks, and now you’re out that 200 grand you blew from your inheritance from your rich uncle who felt they owed you something after that unfortunate drunken night on your 18th birthday. Shit happens, and leads to increasing amounts of “having a bad time”.

But let’s ignore that for a moment (because the setting sure has). What if we can say that external forces are irrelevant, then what else is there? What else makes our lives terrible? Well if we can’t blame external factors, and trust me those are always the first things people blame, then we must blame internal factors. Fact of the matter is, we are usually the cause of our own problems. We tend to put ourselves in situations where we are bound to get shafted, or have personal problems that we chose to ignore because we don’t see them as problems, or we even just do stupid things because we want to do stupid things. This here is perhaps the real reason why the caribou should be defeated, because they are their own worst enemies.

When I started this project of mine, I had based my plan on this: That anything and everything that the caribou did was either dangerous, stupid, dangerously stupid, or stupidly dangerous. They pretty much started off as a group of wayward refugees looking for a new place to call home after a great disaster, settled with the first place they encountered, and then in a situation where they should have been under-equipped after a long voyage at sea with what should have been little supplies (because again, there was a disaster), they decided to attack the residents of this new land simply because the women were wearing clothes and acting like intelligent individuals.

This alone should have had the malnourished, scurvy ridden bastards curb stomped into the dirt, but I am willing to accept that somehow, despite any and all evidence and logic that states otherwise, the caribou took over Equestria because their dicks are just that fucking powerful. However, with the rewards of conquest came the burden of leadership, and now what should be a relatively small group of people, who have already shown that the extent of their cunning is “smash and grab”, have to actually manage a nation. It shouldn’t have been too hard, in fact this could have been easy. Just have everything continue as it was, since Equestria was already a thriving nation, and don’t do anything to the general populous to fuck things up, or do something stupid like intentionally crippling the very people who keep things running smoothly. You know, the everyday workers who run shops, make goods, and CONTROL THE FLIPPING WEATHER.

Mismanagement aside, there are plenty of other issues that are a problem here, and I had intended on going into things like “while a sex-based society is not a bad idea, one that practically mind controls you into blowing your life savings on lube and sex toys probably isn’t good for the common man”, or how “an army that only knows victory is the one most vulnerable to defeat”, but let's be straight here for a moment (I’ll try if you try). You’re an intelligent person, you know that the caribou are so stupid they make Fred Fredburger look like a college graduate with a masters in quantum physics. You don’t need me to sit here and list off every single problem that has ever come up in FoE that is now ingrained into the setting because “it’s sexy”. I read the forums, I look at the comments, I know most of you are reasonable individuals who can see why this shit doesn’t work. There are though two important things I think should be brought up though, because it merges the caribou’s internal problems with their external problems.

[IV.] Red Collars are Stupid

Oh I can hear it now. Don’t deny it, we know what some of you are thinking. The title of this section alone probably filled some of the more zealous FoE fans with rage. I know how protective people can get over their little red collars, how they like to defend the idea of women subjecting themselves to servitude, that being a slut doesn’t make you an idiot. I’m sure you’re already typing out your rebuttal, giving your piece on the matter, perhaps even going so far as to point out evidence in canon stories or canon images that show that red collars are smart, or maybe just slapping Twilight down as your prime example and calling it a day.

Well to that, let me just say that I don’t see the point of arguing this, for two reasons. First, it is an argument that is inherently and fundamentally flawed. If you want to say that a red collar is sexy, that’s fine, because the idea of a big breasted, submissive meat puppet is sexy, but by the definition of the setting alone, a red collared mare, or at least one who truly believes herself to be one, is a fucking idiot. Their masters think they are idiots, they treat their master’s word as truth so they think they are idiots, and they are written like ditzes or people who don’t seem to understand that raping and torturing people for sex is a bad thing that shouldn’t be supported, no matter how cock-hungry you are. The other reason I don’t see the point of arguing this is because it’s not just the mares in the collars I think are stupid, but the collars themselves.

God, if there ever was a problem in FoE, it was the collar system. I really don’t get it either. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the “concept”. It would be a great thing if I could just look at a person and automatically tell if they were an asshole or not. Heck, it would be great if there were people in the world that were marked with something that gave me permission to grab them by the hair, drag them to my home, and proceed to stick needles into their skin for the next several hours just because they don’t like what I like. The problem is… that this is a system built against itself.

The collar system, in its simplist of interpretations, is a system that lets everyone know what side a slave is on, whether the caribou deem them “good” (with a red collar), or “bad” (with a black collar). Before you nitpick that the collar system isn’t so “black and white”, let me say that yes, there are other collar colors, but they really don’t mean much when it comes down to it, and have zero implications on this argument. What matters is that caribou use this system to make an on the spot prejudgemental assumption about a person without knowing anything about them.

Now… as far as the “black collars being bad” part of this system goes, I would almost say that they no reason to not go by their assumptions, not being hurt by the fact that the collars are painful, and thus motivate a mare to continue hating the people responsible for putting it on them in the first place. That part of the system could even be considered perfect, and if it wasn’t, who cares? It just means that some mare that is a willing slut is being unjustly punished, and a caribou would really have no concern about that. Red collars though…. They don’t really have the liberty to have this inherent flaw. When it comes to a red collar, EVERY judgement call has to be perfect. When they put that little red piece of leather around a mare’s neck, they better be certain. “Why?” you might ask, since the answer might not be obvious enough, but here is my reasoning.

Red collars, no matter how you look at it, are privileged. They are treated differently, rewarded, given leniency, they are trusted. You could try to say that a red collar and a black collar are both treated exactly the same, but that would not only make the collar system pointless, but it has already been proven wrong in canon multiple times. The amount of sex a mare has is something that doesn’t change when a mare swaps collars, since they are still expected to fuck like crazy, but even AJ was granted the privilege of responsibility.

Perhaps you’re saying to yourself “so what”. A privileged mare can’t do anything a non-privileged mare couldn’t, and that is where I chuckle. Privileged mares are allowed to have positions of management. They are trusted to spread information the caribou want given to the public. They are trusted to inspect other mares to see if they are worthy of becoming red collars themselves. All that would be needed to break the entire system down is one mare to slip in undetected, and start causing trouble. It could take years to do successfully, but one mare and enough determination could crush Dainn and his regime like a grape if they had the right motivation.

Now let’s get to the other thing you might be thinking, that “that would never happen”, that “a woman could never get a red collar under false circumstances”. To that I have to ask… have you even read my story? Even before this little stunt of mine, the story has always been about AJ and her successful attempt to get a red collar, even though she didn’t even really want one. All she had to do was smile, fuck, and call herself a cunt every once a while, and even the caribou King was convinced enough that he personally approved her collar.

But I suppose that could have been a fluke. There is no way that could happen more than once.... I’m sure all of you see where this is going, so I’ll just say that Cheerilee, Little Strong Heart, and Ms. Cake are all other examples of red collars slipping under the radar. If I want to be technical, I could add in Pinkie, Rarity and Lightning Dust into the mix too, thus giving six examples of fake red collars in FoE canon before I did this, six false red collars that NCN approved. One could try to say that some of them don’t count, that that was not what NCN intended out of any of them, that I only slipped that into my ending and thus it doesn’t count, and to that I will say… go back and read the chapters again. They were displaying unwilling behaviors before this point, and I didn’t included anything that wasn’t already part of FoE canon when it came to personality traits or motivations. The only exception to this is Lightning Dust, but don’t worry about that too much. After all, I did ask NCN about her beforehand, and he did agree with what I did with her in what was given as a purely hypothetical scenario. Of course, if I want to nix those three from the equation (because I can just hear the complains already) How about we just replace them with the entirety of red collared Apple mares on Braeburn’s farm. That should be more than enough to prove that the caribou have no way of telling a willing mare from one who just puts on a show and would be happy to stick a knife in a caribou’s neck at the first convenient oppertunity.

To be direct, while the idea of the collars might be sexy and might sound like a smart idea on paper, it is pretty frickin’ stupid when implicated because it leaves you vulnerable to internal attacks, because you are giving those who would want to destroy you a free pass to fuck with you. Compound this with the fact that caribou think that it is a smart idea that they make their slaves dumber, reducing them to sex slaves, it leads to situations where the only smart women left are the ones that resist you, and thus your “loyal” slaves are all ditzes and bimbos who wouldn’t be able to identify if another red collar amongst them was trying to plot against them, even if they were being directly combative against them. All they would see is another woman being a complete bitch, which in FoE is a desirable trait so long as that bitchiness is directed solely to other women.

A particularly clever and cruel woman could very easily use her position to simultaneously rise in the ranks while sabotaging other red collars she finds problematic. All she would have to do is use her position of relative freedom to point out some of the inferiorities of this “lesser woman”, either by setting up their own falsified evidence against the girl, or simply allowing her to fuck up on her own (because no one is perfect). From there all it takes is a few off handed, snide remarks about the real red’s performance, perhaps some more direct confrontations about their behavior, followed up with some positive reinforcement from this deceptive mare in the form of sex and submissive acts. It wouldn’t hurt if the one you wanted to sabotage already displayed negative traits either; like being boastful, unreliable, lazy, untalented, or shallow, to list a few things that would put our poor little red collar slut in a position where she’d be soon swapping out her red collar for a purple one.

The utilization of red collars is like putting a sign on a dog that says “I don’t bite” and then letting it roam the streets without worry about what will happen. Sure, it is possible that the dog will never sink its teeth in the flesh of a human being, but odds are something is going to set it off and you’re stuck dealing with the consequences. So this is a point where the caribou are allowing external forces to mess up their plans because of their own internal flaws. There is absolutely no reason why people wouldn’t abuse this idiotic system, and I would go as far to say that the amount of “real” red collars pale in comparison to those who fake it for whatever reason. That doesn’t mean that everyone is some assassin ready to strike, but it does mean that the collars would be better off used as blindfolds for the men of this setting, since they are already providing that function for them.

[V.] Caribou are fucking stupid

Gosh… gosh… gosh, gosh, gossshhhhh, where to begin on this one. Or more so, where to begin that wouldn’t be retreading ground that other people have already figured out already. It really isn’t hard to see that the “canon” caribou, no matter how they are presented, are probably the most unintentionally stupid race to ever be invented by anyone. The number of things one could point out that show their overall incompetence is astounding, ranging from nitpicks to legit issues that the people who create content for the setting not only chose to ignore, but seem to be completely oblivious to. During my time as a contributor, there have been quite a few times where I’ve talked to other writers, pointed out some flaw, and then got a long line of dialog trying to explain their way out of this problem, which usually just made the problem worse since I could then see the problems with their excuses. Not to sound like a bitch, but if you can’t produce an excuse that doesn’t just produce more questions, then perhaps you shouldn’t bother making them to begin with.

Poor excuses aside, caribou, to put it simply, don’t appear to be able to act intelligently. Perhaps that isn’t the right way to phrase it though. They can act intelligent; they can pretend to have some level of manner sophistication, they can say their pleases and thank yous, they can request a cup of tea, but what they can’t do is backing up the act. Their casual behavior betray their incompetence, and I mean that in more than just their disregard to women. It might be hard to see for those who don’t look for it, but there are plenty of times when caribou do things “just because”, and ignore the implications of their actions.

I would think the most subtle of these slights would have to be how they treat their supposed allies. Let’s just get something out of the way right now, in case my story didn’t adequately express this. Any allies the caribou have are either mind controlled into thinking like the caribou, strong armed into acting the way the caribou want them to act, or are assholes who saw them as a convenient way to get the things they want out of life (since, like it or not, in this setting the caribou are suppose to be really powerful, especially against living things). Combine that with the the fact that they are intentionally trying to regress mares to simpletons, and that the ones that are most subjectable to this are the willing red collars, it leaves these dumbasses with no real allies, or at least not any they could depend on. Those they mind control could just as easily have the control removed with the destruction of the crystal heart, the people they coerced would turn on them in an instance if they believed the caribou lost power, as would those only using them as means to their own ends, and red collar mares are definitively useless to the caribou themselves (even the ones that would be incredibly beneficial to the caribou if they’d let them be). With things like this, their control on the world is tenuous at best, leaning more to unsustainable if we want to be serious.

Ignoring a lack of reliable allies, the caribou really don’t seem to understand exactly what they have tossed themselves into, or how their actions have consequences. If a person wanted to be completely unfair, utilizing every possible thing they could in both canon MLP and the setting, then the caribou would be in over their head in shit. Equestria, by week one, would be suffering from not only the Tantabus, creep vines, a magic stealing centaur who give no shits about taking over their kingdom, unending snowstorms caused by not only Windigos and removing the heart from the Crystal Empire, the inability to get rid of it all with the weather team workers cut in half, a food shortage, mass suicides, mass homicides (from resistance members who wouldn’t give two care about killing traitors to Equestria), a food shortage, probably a plethora of STDs that would turn the populous into a mass of rotting horse meat quicker than a red collar drops her non-existent panties, and the sun and the moon being completely uncontrollable, possibly never to rise ever again (and these are just the things I can come up with off hand. I’m certain that there are plenty more things people could, and have, come up with).

If the caribou were supposed to be an allegory for now badly an incompetent government could severely fuck over a nation’s natural resources and the people they govern over, I would be incredibly impressed at how good a job NCN had done conveying it in a clever and somewhat subtle manner, but unfortunately that is not the case. As I said before, these problems are not just ignored by the caribou, but by the setting and writers. However, let’s take a step back for a moment, if I may. I would like to be fair about this, at least a little bit just to make my later point that much stronger when I get to it.

FoE, for those who don’t know, was created a little before the end of season 2, and as such NCN has only really made the events up to Magical Mystery Cure official parts of the setting (Anthro ponies notwithstanding). Anything past that point can be considered non-applicable to the setting, since they couldn’t predict that stuff, and so I will not hold it against the writers or NCN for ignoring those bits if they want to. So the Tanabus and Tirek are out, the Crystal Heart can be removed from the Crystal Empire or even destroyed without consuming the city in ice, and I’ll even let slide the problems that cause mass deaths like the STDs for the sake of the setting (since the caribou should probably be wiped out long before ever stepping foot in Equestria if this wasn’t the case). I’m even willing to let go of what is probably the most severe issue, the sun and the moon’s lack of guidance in a world reliant for it, because honestly it’s not that big a deal and some concessions can be allowed. It’s fine, it’s ok, it’s not a big deal, and really I have several solutions that would kinda work in a way if one wanted to implement them (though NCN would never want to do what I would have in mind).

The problem is… that even ignoring all of those very, very, likely consequences of the rape of a kingdom and its resources, the caribou, or at the very least their king, still invite what is perhaps the most devastating natural disaster to plague their people to take up residence amongst them. I am of course referring to my favorite ticking time bomb, Gunne. To be honest, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to slip in the concept that he was “cursed”, to make it so everyone hated the man, save for the fucking king. Seriously though, you are the leader of what is left of your entire race, everyone you know tells you this guy in bad news, and you decide to not only ignore the warning, but give this walking cultural stigma a ranking position in your military, and then give him complete control over the city were four out of six of your biggest potential threats live. What are you, retarded? HE’S THE GODDAMNED CURSED ONE!

I suppose that this is perhaps a poor point of view though. If anything, Dainn was not “specifically” incorrect with how he treated Gunne, since as long as Dainn was around to treat him like an actual person, Gunne was fine, and would have continued to be fine. If anything, it was the fault of every other stag for making it obvious that if Dainn was ever removed from the picture, he would be given zero credit for an accomplishment he had performed. They were the ones who created this self-fulfilling prophecy, and if they hadn’t treated Gunne like an abomination of nature for having the gaw to be born at the same time as his sister, then perhaps this would have never happened. So I guess Dainn’s blame in such a scenario is completely exonerated. I mean there is no way that he could have foreseen this, right?

So… who here remembers what the plot of the first two episodes of MLP was based around? I bet everyone reading this is already catching on, but in case it is necessary, I’ll explain. You see, Dainn’s whole reason for trusting Gunne where every other caribou doesn’t is because he is supposed to be smart. He is supposed to not believe in things like superstitions because they are, as said a few times in Bruised Apples, a sign of ignorance. In the real world, if I were to claim that I could somehow tell something was going to fall from sky through my ass spasming, people would look at me like an idiot.

This isn’t the real world though…. This is the world of MLP. This is a world where things like Pinkie Sense exists. Where people can have foreboding dreams and know that they are something more than your mind creating images. It’s a world in which if you find a passage in a book saying that some ancient evil is coming to devour the souls of every mortal creature on the planet unless you play a specific tune on a silver fiddle at just the perfect time of celestial alignment, you had better be on spot ready to do your best rendition of “Devil Went Down to Georgia”. So I have to ask Dainn in this instance…. Why are you trusting the cursed guy…. In a world where prophecy is fact?

Dainn, for supposedly being so smart, is surprisingly ignorant of how the world he exists in works. The idea that anyone would go against such ominous foretellings is ridiculous. If Dainn was truly “smart”, he wouldn’t have touched Gunne with a mile long pole. That’s okay though, since when it comes down to it, the whole fucking race is stupid for not just strangling Gunne and Ginna in their crib. I can see where they would be against that though, with that “not killing people who could potentially destroy you if given the opportunity” thing they have going on. No, we’ll just keep around a woman who kicks harder than a caribou could ever hope to hit anything, unblanked, unrestrained, and give her one of those “there is no reason you shouldn’t be pissed off at us” collars to boot. Then again, why shouldn’t they? It’s not like something terrible has happened to the caribou because they were were too fucking arrogant to assume that bad things would ever happen to them, that is except for… well perhaps that is for another time. Spoilers and all.

The point is that caribou have a major problem with cultural stupidity, from the trusting nature of Gunne with a guy whose temper is on a hair trigger and who can toss aside the things you use as a tank, to Dainn believing the Hope Diamond’s mortal avatar would make a good soldier and drinking buddy, to their “best” tactician deciding that his day could be better spent sipping tea in some earth pony’s house when the caribou army is off in zebra country trying to make another race bend to their whims. I won’t go into every little thing that the caribou have done that make themselves look like idiots (not here at least, lest we risk turning this into it’s own story of how they can hardly open their mouths without choking on their own tongues), but I feel that I’ve given enough examples of things from the canon parts of my story to secure a Darwin Award for Dainn and his ilk.

[VI.] Closing Statements

After saying all that, taking the time explain myself, and my motivations for making my ending the end of the caribou’s reign over Equestria, I’m sure that you all have now developed your own opinions about me. As with my ending, I don’t expect everyone to suddenly see me as the patron saint of pony porn, nor do I think everyone will condemn me. In a sense, I only assume that this will strengthen their already established point of view, with my taken advantage of a situation being considered both a good and bad thing depending on what team you happen to be playing for, with very few of you swapping sides with this new found information of my creative process.

However, I do want to say that it doesn’t matter to me whether or not you, as the reader, hate me, love me, or anything in between. I never started writing to be part of a popularity contest, and if that was my intentions I probably shouldn’t have written for a setting based on some of the most reprehensible topics the human race has conceived. Rape, while sexually stimulating, is a horrific and disgusting thing that people hate hearing about. Misogyny, while an amusing and interesting character trait in the hands of the right people, is considered to be a backwards and moronic viewpoint by all but the people who practice it. Torture, while adding to the kink of BDSM, is a cruel and malicious use of force that only people that could be considered sadists enjoy reading about, with others finding the act cringe-worthy in most situations. Slavery, no matter how you look at it, is always going to be a touchy subject that most people don’t want to hear about and even fewer people want to be on the receiving end of. These are all things that I knew going into this we're going to touch a cluster of nerves, and yet I did it anyways.

I hold no high opinion on these topics, even though they are the things that I have based my writing around, but I still wrote about them because I feel that no topic is completely unapproachable, and in the end I am in the business of writing dark, but interesting stories. It is always a goal of mine to make something that can be considered “good” on a writing aspect, even if the subject is the most reprehensible thing imaginable, and while I’m hardly Hemingway, I don’t believe that the way I have written this story was “bad”, regardless of whether or not you got the ending you might have wanted.

So call me what you want. If you are mad, you have the right to be. If you are happy, you have that right too. Feel free to point out my supposed flaws, like how hypocritical it is that I told people to read everything in the introduction to this, and then told them they could “skip the boring story explanation” if they wanted to (since I’m curious as to how many people caught that, but also how many people did skip it when presented with the option). It makes no difference to me. I’m still going to keep writing, and what I write about is probably still going to equally despised and appreciated by those who chose to read what I put out.

And yes, I intend to write more stories based in this setting. In fact, I have the general plot synopsis already mapped out for at least a dozen more stories that take place both in the “canon” world of FoE (Using everything that was canon at the time of me leaving, since I have no doubt that NCN is going to retcon the shit out of things in the aftermath of this) and in the world that comes of the choices made in my ending. I’ve even asked NCN ahead of time to for his “permission”, and got his approval, to make FoE stories using the characters I intend to use in these stories, characters like Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Gilda, Princess Ember, Queen Chrysalis, Maud Pie, and Braeburn, so if you happen to see a ton of images in the near future involving them as a part of his emergency measures to remove me from the setting entirely, feel free to send me a thank you message for getting you more porn via kicking his rear into gear. -_^

So yeah, you can expect more from me in the near future, and with more than just the characters listed above, which is more than I you can expect from any of the other long standing writers who have all but abandoned the series. So even if you hate me, you might want to stick around, because something is better than nothing right? Or if you want I could give you some links to some other stories with similar themes that might pad out your wait for new canon content from this setting, because I guarantee you’re not getting anything anytime soon (unless my actions give the other writers the motivation to get off their asses and do something for once). Either way, I think I’ll be shooting for bi-weekly posting, which I think I can pull off since the word count for my FoE contributions alone trump any of the others who have written for canon FoE…. put together. So I can’t promise you all the sexy images, which are probably the things that got you interested and are what keep you interested in the setting if you are a die-hard FoE fan, but I can at least promise you won’t have a lack of something to read.

Suppose that is about it, but before I go, I just want to set one last thing straight. While this can perhaps be seen as an attack against the setting, I don’t want anyone to think that I want to see FoE “end”. On the contrary, I want to see more artwork, I want to see more good stories. I find it a shame that people bring me up as the best writer (NCN included) because everyone else doesn’t give a crap about what they put out their or how frequently they do so. I see it as a terrible thing that there are more stories about the setting from people who hate everything about it than there are from people who actually enjoy it, and while I think that both sides of the FoE fandom are perfectly fine in their own way, I also see lots of problems that need to be dealt with. Hell, I’d even continue to work with NCN if he wanted me to, so long as he adjusted his way of thinking to something more productive to the setting and backed away from the whole “Caribou are the most fucking unstoppable things ever invented” thing, but I really don’t think that he will want me after this, and I’d call him an idiot if he did since I’m just as likely to do this again should he keep making the same mistakes.

And let me say this, just as one final topic to address. Just because FoE has an “ending”, doesn’t mean it has to “end”. As far as my timeline for my story goes, I gave them a year from the point they took over, and a lot can happen in a year’s time. You have enough characters and enough situations that you could write whatever story you wanted, and it would never have to leave that period of time. Even the canon stories are more focused on what happens around the time of the invasion or what happened beforehand, which are arguably the most interesting periods of time for the setting because stuff is actually happening, things are changing, and it hasn’t become some stagnant scenario where the people who can only be considered the heroes of the setting constantly get their faces shoved in the dirt.

So go on, make your own story about how the fall happens from your point of view. Draw art if you want, and even if your goal is to make a story where the caribou lose, at least put in the effort to make it interesting. Have both sides take a few punches, have the resistance do something clever only to have the caribou do something that damages their future plans. Have people be defeated, raped and tortured, only to have them be rescued or even have them find their own way out of the situation, and most of all do not let “Canon” dictate what can and cannot happen. A setting should never be one-sided, and that goes doubly so since we are working with fan fiction, where anything and everything can happen. Just do what feels right and go with it, and please for the love of whatever deity, deities, or lack thereof don’t bother with going to the contributors for advice, because they don’t have any clue what is going on.

I’ve been part of the group for two years now and we still haven’t planned out anything solid for some of the most important things people could ask about, or have a solid idea for any kind of direction for the setting aside “here’s some MLP character being raped and otherwise sexed up, enjoy”. The best that you could possibly get is an “answer” that will be made up on the spot, and is subject change at a moment’s notice if a “better” comes along, or someone raises a stink about something. It’s happened several times already, and I guarantee it will happen again.

But if you still think that that it would be a good idea to listen to anyone involved in what will be the canon, I have one small bit of advice. Don’t try to argue any detail with them, no matter how stupid it is. All you’ll get are more excuses and nonsense reasonings about how their way is right, and you’re an idiot for even trying to apply logic to their perfect ideas. Trust me, you will never win and they will just keep prattling on as they’ve always done. And NCN, I’d stay away from him at all costs. Of everyone, he is the absolute worst, and even if you expressively tell him you are working on something that probably goes against his wants for the setting, he will first try to get you to change your mind and write what he wants, and then dismiss you if you refuse to comply. Don’t let NCN, or any of the contributors for that matter, take your ideas and put them in a box just so they can benefit from their interference. Write what you want, create a story the way you like, but above anything else…. Make what you write worth reading.

Anyways, I guess that is everything for now. Thumbs down me if you want, or unsubscribe if you feel it necessary. I’ll understand, and support your decision, but I’ll also still be writing more things for FoE for those who are still interested. Expect an epilogue soon, to show how things end up in this version of FoE I’ve created. Hope to see you all soon, and I hope you all have a pleasant day.

Bruised Apples Epilogue

Mac let out a number of small, short pants as he took a moment to relax. His entire body ached, muscles and tendons burning, his very bones screaming at him. He was covered head to hoof in sweat, his clothing drenched and darkened by it. He felt tired, more so than ever before, like every last bit of energy had been drained from his body, and yet he knew he had to push past it. There were people depending on him, and he wasn’t about to fail them.

Focusing, putting all he could into his next action, Mac let out a low growl that slowly turned into a loud yell as he tensed up every muscle in his body. “GgggrrrrrrrraaaahhHHHHH!!!!”

The ground beneath him practically erupted, and from it came a large root that was entrenched within the body of Equestria. The mass of vegetation that had penetrated so deeply into the unwanting earth was still, but Mac could almost sense its unwillingness to leave the land it was violating with its presence. The tentacle pod it was attached to shook its leaves and vines, the vegetable matter acting both angry and afraid, as if it knew it wasn’t being harvested or relocated, but weeded. The pod was the toughest enemy Mac had faced since King Dainn, and it made him reflect on what had happened since that time.

Six months had passed since that fateful day in Canterlot, a year and a half from the day the caribou had stolen Equestria from the ponies who had inhabited it, and two and a half years from the moment Dainn and his ilk set foot in pony lands. In the time since Dainn’s death, things had been very busy, with Mac hardly able to keep up with everything.

From the moment he had destroyed the Crystal Heart and absorbed its power, things had been hectic, with ponies and caribou in near constant battles vying for control over the nation. Stallions everywhere, once released from the grip of the enchantment suppressing their morality and clouding their judgement, were not too happy with their “benevolent leaders” when they started to remember who they were, and recognized what they were doing. The caribou had been taken off guard by this sudden mass upheaval of stallions attacking them in bouts of confusion, rage, and insanity, with many of the deer being subdued and captured within the first few hours after the reclaiming of Canterlot.

A few smaller cities where the caribou could outnumber and overpower the pony citizens were held, but having only the faintest of hints about what was going on, many of the stags decided that going to the king to address the situation was the best idea. They saw no problem with the city being covered in Shining Armor’s protective barrier, assuming Dainn had enacted a state of emergency. Once they had made it inside, the didn’t find the warm welcome that they had expected, but instead vacant streets in a city that should have been bustling with life. By the time they figured out something was wrong, they were already trapped well within the barrier, and when the pony guard launched their attack, they were outnumbered and overpowered by men and women whose special talents and training made them more than capable of defending the kingdom against the lackies of a dead king.

Once rounded up, the caribou were sent to be switched immediately, transformed into the gender they so blatantly belittled and disrespected, rendering them weak, stupid, and magically disabled due to the biological differences that caribou cows had from the stags. Even the largest and most powerful of the lot, such as Durnir and Ivangir, were reduced to creatures less than half of their original sizes, who could hardly focus their minds on anything other than rubbing their newly formed pussies and tits on anything the could get close to. They were imprisoned, enfeebled, and stripped of any dignity and rank they had once had, but surprisingly the once proud stags seemed happy. Their lust filled minds made them blissfully unaware that their new wardens had done something to them they would have considered their worst nightmare as men.

Very few caribou had survived with their genders intact during this time, those that had being the ones left behind to watch over the cities they resided in as the higher ranked officers headed off to their doom. Mere weeks were given to the few remaining caribou controlled towns before Shining released upon one of the smaller settlements the fruits of the experiment he proposed to his troops in the castle’s main hall. Lacking many of the advantages they had when they invaded Canterlot, the sight of four alicorn princess descending upon the city, their wings unsheathed and fully feathered, and horns restored to their former glories filled them with fear.

Shining had gone to great lengths to restore the princesses of Equestria to their rightful stature, utilizing any form of magic he felt would help fix what had been broken. Their feathers were the easy part. Once their wing binders were removed, they simply grew back of their own accord, the caribou’s runes being the only thing that prevented them from doing so to start with. What wasn’t so easy was the restoration of their horns, but luckily he found a solution in the four severed horns Dainn kept as trophies on this throne, and an appropriate use of mending spells.

Before he fixed their bodies though, he felt there was one other thing that he needed to correct first, and that was the damage done to their minds. Again the caribou had provided the answer to this dilemma in advance. Using a spell created to cure purple collars, Shining Armor erased the memories they had of the time they spent as slaves, reverting them to how they were before the fall. Only Luna was spared this part of the process, as she had not succumbed to corruption like the others, though she was left in the dark of what Shining had planned to do until after the act was done, just like anyone else not directly involved in the process. He wasn’t about to let anyone prevent him from correcting the mistakes of his past, and with the four princesses regressed and restored to their uncorrupted forms and mindsets, he felt that Equestria had all it needed to rid itself of its invaders.

The caribou still had their anti-magic armor, but the ponies now understood the capabilities, and limitations of such defenses. The armor could dampen or stop the effects of a direct beam of magic, but that didn’t stop Celestia from using her offensive magic to blast the ground beneath them and send them flying. It didn’t stop Luna from lifting up massive objects and tossing them at creatures that had no hope of withstanding their impact. It didn’t let them bypass Cadence’s own protective bubble, which rivaled Shining Armor’s. It didn’t allow them to ignore indirect compulsion or illusions spells, such as the one Twilight placed on a rock which made the caribou that looked upon it forget completely that they were fighting for their lives, and instead had them fighting amongst one another for possession of the pebble.

Of all the caribou that resided in that city, only two managed to escape, more allowed to flee than anything. They were to let the other caribou know that their time was coming, to set fear into their hearts that the ponies were fighting back, and that they had on their side four mares that could devastate their forces without breaking a sweat. It made the caribou paranoid, confused, and on alert, but left them completely vulnerable for what happened next. One by one cities were infiltrated, caribou expecting the same kind of assault to besiege their fortifications instead met by Gunne, who was welcomed into many a town by the desperate stags as an ally, despite the superstitions around him.

Other towns had to face the problems of sleep deprivation, as Luna invaded their dreams and turned them into nightmarish visions of what would happen once they were captured and brought to justice, which also allowed the ponies to know how many caribou were vulnerable, and when would be the best time to strike the exhausted stags. Even more cities had to deal with other issues, like an armies of earth ponies storming the gates on mass, barrages of offensive magic from the horns of angry unicorns that hit them with enough force that it overwhelmed the defenses their armor gave them, or having to suffer through heavy localized droughts when pegasi pushed clouds away and allowed the sun to shine down on them with its blistering heat. When it came down to it, the caribou never stood a chance against an opponent that knew they were a threat.

After six months of pushing the caribou further and further back, and reclaiming territory, what little left of them that were not switched and imprisoned had been forced into corner. They were unable to fight back, left to take up refuge within what might have been a couple of cites left to them. The ponies didn’t just let them lie in wait though, and took measures to have the cities completely surrounded, setting up guard stations and around the clock surveillance to make sure that if a caribou so much as blinked, they would know about it. With these safety measures in place, it was finally time to rebuild, and that was exactly what Big Macintosh intended to do, starting with Ponyville.

Caramel, who was aiding in the removal of the rape plants that infested Sweet Apple Acres, came aside Mac, and gave a whistle at the sight of the uprooted botanical behemoth. "That one’s pretty huge."

“Yeah, it was the biggest one we had,” Mac said, still out of breath from having recently pulled the plant out with his bare hands. “How are you the rest of ya coming along?”

“We’re doing fine,” Caramel said, looking over to a bunch of Ponyville stallions digging up the countryside, shoveling dirt and rock aside to make sure that not a single root was left in the ground. The plants, while sexually hostile to any and all females, didn’t pay nary a mind to the presence of males, and thus it was up to the men to make sure they never threatened to violate a woman ever again.

It wasn’t that all the work was thrust upon the stallions though, as the mares had their own tasks to take up. Many were in town, fixing up the buildings, re-purposing anything that could be used to rebuild, while tossing away anything that could only be viewed as sexual or perverse. It was an extreme measure, but one that for the time being needed to be taken. Besides, almost every pony in Equestria could agree that for the time being, they’ve had their fill of sex.

There were a few women working on the farm too, doing odd jobs around here and there, and making sure the men toiling out in the fields had plenty of refreshments to get them through the day. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant situation, for either side. Many women were still wary of men, and so they tended to keep their distance, laying food and beverages in an area to be retrieved rather than take them directly to the hard working stallions. The stallions, on the other hand, found the whole thing to be unnerving. Some of the girls helping on the farm were ones that they remembered personally having raped, or having tormented in other ways that they wished they could take back. The ponies of Equestria were willing to see the whole event as what it was, and blamed the caribou for mutually raping both stallions and mares by turning the males into sex-crazed lunatics, but that didn’t take away from what had been their part in it all, willing or not. Mac could understand, since things weren’t all that easy for him either. He had his own troubles with having mares on his farm, and as two walked by with trays in their hands after having made a delivery of lemonade and sandwiches, he started to feel the effects of what was bothering him.

The two were fully clothed, reinstatement of proper female attire being a priority once the caribou were taken care of. One wore a pair of black, cotton pants and a heavy turtleneck sweater, despite it being rather warm. The other had on a pair of blue jeans and a white ruffled top. They indicated, in one way or another, exactly how comfortable the two mares were with their bodies after having them so thoroughly ravaged during The Fall.

However, for Mac the sight of them sparked something welled up inside him. He could slowly feel himself becoming aroused, the clothing turning him on more than constantly being surrounded by hoards of naked mares ever had. The concealment left plenty to the imagination, which then sparked even more creativity as his mind wandered from what lied beneath the fabric, to what he could do with it. He envisioned himself taking the articles of clothing off of each of them, starting with the slow, methodical removal of their tops, and whatever undergarments underneath, which Mac pictured as a pair of lacey, filled bras, to expose their breasts.

From there he would slide his hands down their bodies, caressing every curve of their partially nude bodies until he could slip a finger into their pants and remove them too with the same gentle care he had given their shirts. He would allow them to keep their panties on, the presence of them exciting him more than their absence ever could, and then with them nearly nude he would bring them both close, and sensually kiss at their bare, exposed necks, having no collars on them to impede his lips from touching what might be the most sexually alluring part of a woman to the clydesdale. Combining this with an ample application of caresses, rubs, and a few slips of his hands into their undergarments to plunge his fingers into their ever dampening privates, he would lay them down, on the ground if he had to, and move aside the crotch areas of the fabric to make way for himself. With his shaft fully erect, and himself already nude in his fantasy, all he had to do was line himself up with an entrance, choosing that of the shyer sweater-wearing mare first. She would give a little resistance, but he would take her arms and hold them down in a firm, but careful manner as to not hurt her, before tensing the muscles in his hips, and thrusting himself inside.

“MAC!” he heard someone yell, snapping him out of his fantasy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the loving cry of the mare in his dreams, but Caramel angrily scolding the clydesdale for having formed a noticeable and distinct bulge in his pants. While Mac had been able to overcome and suppress the effects of the caribou enchantment he absorbed from the Crystal Heart, it still resided within him, and influenced him from time to time when he was put into titillating situations, or sometimes when he just saw an attractive mare pass by. He was able to keep it in check, for the most part, enough that other ponies would not consider him dangerous, but it did fill his head with more perverse and occasionally kinky thoughts. It was worse than his first estrus season as a colt going through puberty.

"Sorry..." he said, a bit flustered at the enthusiasm of his reproductive organ, “I’ll take care of this right away.” With that brief apology, Mac awkwardly sprinted off to the barn house.

Along the way to his destination, Mac was able to see more of the work the other ponies were doing on the farm, catching a glimpse of the ponies that were carting away the rape pods to another location to be incinerated. Pegasus stallions that were hitched to several large carts were removing them from his family’s farm, being lead by two members of the Wonderbolts, Soarin and Rainbow Dash, who had been inducted into the team for her part in resisting the caribou, both during and after Dainn’s reign.

“Come on, we need to get these weeds to Flame Geyser Swamp in an hour so we can get back for the next load!” Rainbow Dash barked orders at the stallions below, more than happy to use the authority her title gave her to rid Equestria of another piece of corruption the caribou had brought to it. Flapping her wings to hover in place as she monitored the removal of the plants, she looked just as confident and determined as she had ever been before her enslavement.

At first glance, it would be easy to assume that the caribou invasion was nothing but some mass hallucination, as she seemed to show no signs of being affected by the fall. Mac knew a little better though, as from time to time he had noticed her wings give out briefly, not yet completely used to flying again. Even as he walked by, she fumbled a bit, to which Soarin quickly caught her and held her steady until she could regain her balance. It would take time for Dash to be able to fly like she used to, but she was still much better off than many other former black collar pegasi who had to be retaught how to properly move their wings from scratch.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only one on the Elements of Harmony on the farm that day either, as a certain pink mare was there as well, aiding with the creation and distribution of food and baked goods. Equestria was in a great need for food, having been left in a shortage because of the caribou’s constant celebrations in their attempt to display to the world that a male-dominated society was much more prosperous than one built on equality. Thus a few of the more functional farms in Equestria, those that didn’t go crazy with planting tentacle pods everywhere just to watch their slaves being ravaged by the plants, were doing their best to grow, prepare, and ship off food to the places that needed it the most.

Being one of the best bakers in town, and a mare that most were unafraid of despite being marked a red collar during the fall, Pinkie was part of a platoon of workers to help her produce enough delicious and nutritious food to the masses. For many mares, it had been a long time since they had eaten anything but the dirt- or cum-flavored kibble their masters provided for them, and it was time that they were given something less demeaning, and more palatable.

Amongst her group of cooks were several ponies Mac knew well, including Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who seemed happier than ever that they no longer had to put on their red collar charade, and Mac’s own grandmother, who had been returned to Sweet Apple Acres once things had settled down. Mac was so relieved to have her back, though she refused to say exactly what happened at the home she was sent to by the caribou - only that her “visit” there was the most miserably vacation that she had ever been on, and that Mac should demand that he got his money back for the terrible service they provided. Knowing Granny Smith, Mac felt that she was keeping something from him, but as long as she was safe and unharmed he’d let it go.

For Mac, it was just a blessing that he and his family were back together, and it appeared he wasn’t the only one with this sentiment either, as one of Pinkie’s sisters had joined to help rebuild Ponyville. At first Mac found it odd that she wouldn’t just join in on the reconstruction efforts in whatever city she lived in, but then he started to notice how the grey furred, purple maned mare tended not to stray too far from her happy go lucky sibling. While Maud, as Pinkie called her, never showed visible signs of attachment, to Mac she made clear of how important Pinkie was to her with her presence, helping the hard-working cooks by assisting with the clean up and never letting her eye stray too far from the little sister she must have thought was lost to the caribou. If Mac had to guess, the two had probably gone through their own ordeals, but he wasn’t the type to pry, so that could just remain their secret if they wanted to keep it that way.

But not every face he saw during his trek was a cheerful or friendly one, as while he stayed near the fence to keep his distance from everypony else on Sweet Apple Acres while he walked off his erection, it forced him to pass by a bunch of warbeasts traveling down the dirt path in front of the farm. They were being lead by a group of guards, heading to Canterlot. As much damage as the caribou had caused with them, those currently in charge of Equestria’s operations saw it more fit to retrain them as beast of burden instead of euthanizing the lot of them. That was a much more merciful fate for them than that of most of the creatures the caribou brought with them, where rape plants were being immolated and the hive creatures hunted down and eradicated. The warbeasts themselves didn’t have an opinion on the matter, as they just did as they always did and followed the orders of the males guiding them to their next destination, but the yellow pegasus with not fully regrown wings trailing behind them seemed very distraught over the matter.

“Could you please not tug that rope so hard?” Fluttershy pleaded to one of the guards who seemed more in a hurry to complete the duty given to him, “He’s very sensitive, and if you don’t stop he’ll...”

The guard stopped walking, and turned to the pegasus. “I’m sorry, but didn’t your master teach you that the words of a filthy red collar slut don’t count for shit?”

Those words hurt not only the mare they were directed to, but they also hurt Mac to some degree. Mac had learned after the events of the gala that unlike Pinkie and Rarity, Fluttershy, one of the sweetest, most innocent girls he knew, still harbored many of the thoughts implanted in her by the caribou.

Fluttershy, just like all other red collars, had to stand before a court of ponies that deemed whether or not she was a traitor to Equestria based on how forthcoming she was with information, whether she had committed heinous acts against other mares, and how she reacted when confronted with the evidence that had been piled against her. From what he had been told, the whole thing weighed heavily on her emotions, and by the end of it all, when those who were charged to determine her guilt or innocence presented their final test, she had only passed by falling into a state of unrelenting sobs as she curled up in a ball and begged for forgiveness. She was deemed not guilty by reason of insanity.

However, the sins she had committed could not be easily forgotten, and while they removed the caribou’s red collar from her neck, they quickly replaced it with a new one. This was to mark her as a mare who done terrible things to others of her own volition, and that, even if she confessed to her crimes and was truly sorry for what she did, it would take some time for her to be trusted again.

Unlike the old collars, which were still used to mark “True Reds”, these ones were not locked with magic, but with a heavy mechanical lock that was only enhanced with magic to prevent other spells from undoing the seal. They were not uncomfortable, perhaps less so than the originals, and were loose enough to move around to show that this was not just another form of enslavement, but because of the locks they bore a heavy load. The weight of them made it hard for one to forget about their existence, and reminded the wearer that they had wronged others in pursuit of their own desires. It was suppose to be a symbol of one who was sorry for their mistakes, and was working to make things right, but to most it was just a sign that the wearer betrayed them.

The proof of this was being shown here and now, a guard who should have known better was treating her like a second class citizen when he should have understood the situation. This kind of attitude was going to lead to nothing but problems in the future, Mac could tell, and thus he had to put a stop to it here and now.

“Hey!” Mac yelled, placing his hands on the fence so he could lean over it slightly, “Don’t ya have something better to do than pick on a traumatized girl?”

Mac’s works got the attention of every guard there, as well as that of Fluttershy. Her eyes narrowed the moment she laid eyes on the clydesdale, and she uttered the word “murderer” just loud enough for Mac to hear before hightailing it back to Ponyville at a pace that Rainbow Dash would have found impressive.

“Heh… Nice work Mac. You sure showed that red collar what’s what.” The guard snarked as he went about his business, choosing to ignore that the hero of Equestria came to the aid of a traitor.

Mac could only sigh as he resumed his walk to the barn house. He hadn’t intending to set Fluttershy off, but he understood why she would be afraid of the man who killed someone to set her free.

---

Upon arriving to the house, he didn’t stop at the front door to enter it, instead circling around it to get to the finished addition he had been working on since before the gala. He had intended it to house the members of his family that he was going to purchase under the guise of being his slaves, but with that plan no longer needed, he decided to put it to a better use. Now it had been transformed into a place where women who were still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt could stay in relative comfort. From his understanding, some mares had even relocated from other cities to stay on his farm just for the chance to be near their savior. It was a flattering gesture, but one he had to quelch as quickly as he learned of it. Besides, he had already promised himself to a certain mare.

Giving the door to the addition a knock, Mac waited patiently for that special someone to answer. He didn’t have to wait long for the door to open. It was just a crack at first, ponies believing that there was no such thing as being too careful after what the caribou had done to them, but then the door opened wide and a pink earth pony leapt out to wrap her arms around Mac’s large body.

“Hey there Daisy,” Mac said, finding this a bit normal by now. When he had finally made it back to his farm, after being tested, poked, and prodded by Equestria’s top unicorns to make sure he would be stable enough to re-enter normal pony society, he felt the first thing to do was to make everything right with the mares he had used as work horses.

For Lily, there was almost nothing to say, or at least nothing that she would allow him to say. For her, the time she spent on Sweet Apple Acres was the best experience she had had during the fall. If anything, she believed she owed Mac a bit of gratitude, seeing that she was kept safe and practically untouched when compared to other black collars, and thus she wanted to help out in any capacity she could to get the farm back in working order to repay his kindness and generosity. Needing the help, Mac offered her a job keeping track of the paperwork and filling out orders for supplies they would need to send to Canterlot, since she already knew how to do the job.

Carrot Top, however, didn’t have the same sentiments though. While she had been protected to the same degree, and did respect what Mac had done to liberate Equestria, she had become too jaded by it all to truly appreciate the gift that was her time under his care. She took the apology given to her, and then left with very few words in return. All she wanted to do was put the bad spot in her life behind her and move on. Mac had thought that she would return to the animal farm, which was hers before the fall and which she was fully entitled to, but he hadn’t seen hide nor hare of her since she had left. He later heard she joined up with some movement group that was trying to help mares get their lives back on track, and he wished that whatever that group did would be what she needed.

When it came to Daisy, Mac felt there was much more he hand to apologize for. He had used her, made her suck his dick just to escape a bad situation. He could never forgive himself for that moment of weakness, but it seemed that she would. Once he had said everything he felt needed to be said; how he would have never done that under any other circumstance, how he assumed she had only volunteered because she was protecting him, and how he wished he could take it all back, she poured her own heart out, professing her love for him. She admired everything about him, and didn’t intend to be with another man for as long as she lived. This revelation came as a surprise to the stallion, and he questioned if she just felt that way because he helped to defeat the caribou, but Daisy was adamant about her reasons.

After that, and a long time of Mac trying his best to change her mind, he finally gave in. He, or maybe the spell inside him, couldn’t bear the thought of a mare never again receiving the touch of man for as long as she lived. So, in compromise, he said that they could be a couple if she felt so strongly about him, secretly hoping that eventually the stars in her eyes would fade and she would see him as the incredibly flawed man he truly was.

For now though, she was getting her prince charming, and thus he used his immense strength to pick her up off her hooves and spin her around in his arms, likewise putting a romantic spin on an otherwise mundane act of affection. Such a small gesture brought out such a pleasant giggle from her lips, lips that she had no issue pressing against his own as she embraced him once more. It was the little things like this that helped treat his current condition, directing that sexual tension in a way that was healthy. Cuddling, kissing, perhaps the occasional slip of a hand under a shirt to get a good feel, feeding the beast inside him enough that it didn’t get ravenous, but not enough that it was engorged.

Mac set his marefriend on the ground, and snuck a peek through the door to look at the other reason he wanted to check on. Most of the mares that stayed on his farm were out doing work, doing their part and earning their stay with good, honest labor. Two of the mares that stayed in his home were not quite able to participate yet however, that being two of his own family members, Apple Dumpling and Apple Cider. Mac had been crushed when he learned of their situation, that they had been blanked, and how that had destroyed everything they use to be. Purple collars were lucky. They had a spell that could repair their sanity, but whatever magic was used to blank ponies was strong, and not so easily fixed.

It’s not that ponies didn’t try things. Even Mac consented to at least attempting the anti-purpling spell, but that only removed the memories of what happened to them after they had been blanked. Others attempted to reach them with pictures, or stories of life before the fall, but that showed little results as well. In the end, the best thing for them was putting them in the blanking device again, using it to at least restore them to their original forms, lower their libidos. and release the limitations put on their intelligence, but even that didn’t restore their personalities. What it did do was make them much more docile, like they had their wills stripped from them even more than before. They could respond, comprehend, make decision if they had to, but most of it came off as robotic. Even when they smiled or sounded happy, there was a sensation of unease that came with it, like they were just pretending to have emotions that they no longer remembered how to project.

Mac briefly watched the two, sitting quietly on their respective beds, occasionally shifting their eyes to look at another portion of the wall, before closing the door and looking back to Daisy. “Are they doin’ any better?” he asked, hoping to hear something good.

“I’ve been teaching them things, but they aren’t showing any signs of remembering anything since their re-blanking. We’ll have to give it time, hope that someday they’ll either snap out of it, or that someone finds a cure.” That answer was unfortunate, but hope wasn’t a bad thing to cling onto. Mac had held to hope for a year, and that bore results that no one could have predicted. He just wished that things did always have to turn into one long ordeal. “Oh, cheer up,” said Daisy, noticing that sadness was showing slightly through his smile, “When you finish your work, we’ll take them on a picnic and see if we can’t get them to remember something important. The caribou used to say they could get blanked mares to reveal the locations of rebel bases, so there has to be a way to reach them.”

“You’re right…” Mac agreed, “That sounds nice, and it will do us all a bit of good.”

“That’s more like it,” Daisy said, going to her tippy hooves to plant a kiss on his cheek, “Now get out there and show those rape plants what you’re made of.”

“Hey Mac!” The two were startled, as Noteworthy turned a corner and yelled, “Oh, there you are. You have a visitor at the gate.”

“A visitor?” Mac questioned, “Who is it?”

“You’ll see…” Noteworthy said with a lack of enthusiasm.

At this point it could have been literally anyone; Mayor Mare, having been put back in charge of Ponyville’s operations and perhaps needing some of the ponies on the farm to come back in town to help out there, or maybe it was Applejack, who had chosen to stay in Canterlot to help Twilight and Rarity take care of the problems that still existed there. Then again, neither of those made sense, since their arrival should have received a better reception than what Noteworthy gave.

“Ah guess Ah better check this out,” Mac said, going into a sprint, his desires sated for now by Daisy’s affection. “Just make sure everything’s set up for that picnic, I’m gonna be pretty hungry by this afternoon!”

Mac caught Daisy putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head playfully, finding the order from the stallion to be ironic when she was supposed to be a free mare, with Mac being the very stallion who freed her. Mac found it humorous too, and figured that if she decided to joke about it later he’d play along and blame his demands on the enchantment inside him.

Leaving Daisy, and rounding the barn to get back to the front of the farm, Mac tried to see who was waiting for him in the distance. At first he could only make out three canterlot guards standing at the gate, and then women among them when he got closer. At the halfway point he realized that one of the guards was actually Gunne, who had Equestrian armor instead of the caribou chestplate he normally wore. It was the first time he had seen Gunne in that kind of attire, and it looked so peculiar when seen on a caribou.

Mac didn’t really know the other two guards with Gunne. He was certain he had seen them before, maybe had even been around them a lot during the process of removing the caribou, but up until a few months back he didn’t really get to know anyone unless he really had to. The women with them, on the other hand, he already knew fairly well. One of them was Gunne’s sister Ginna, wearing some of the more revealing sets of clothing he had seen on a woman since the fall, a halter top that was cut so high that it exposed her midriff and a skirt that only went down to the top of her knees, while the other was Roseluck. Mac had his ideas as to why the small group was here, but he didn’t want to jump to any conclusions before things were explained to him, so he readied himself for what he felt might be a very awkward conversation.

“Hey there!” He said aloud as he got close, perhaps a bit too loudly, showing his nerves behind his otherwise calm demeanor.

“Hello Macintosh,” Gunne replied, being as professional ever, “I hope we aren’t disturbing your work.”

“No, Ah was taking a break anyways. What brings ya around these parts?” Mac answered, stopping about a foot away from Gunne. After six months working together to restore Equestria, the caribou still hadn’t ever seemed to get over his grudge with the stallion, averting direct eye contact and keeping his face frozen in an image that seemed to define stoicism. Mac wanted to do whatever he could to make any contact between the two of them as comfortable for the stag as he make possible.

“We’re here on official Canterlot business,” Gunne explained, “The release of a red collar back into the general populace.”

“Is that so?” Mac said, noticing that Roseluck was wearing one of the new style red collars.

“I’m sure you are aware by now, but as part of this process, I must inform you that red collar mares allowed back into society have to be given to a respectable citizen of Equestria to allow for both the rehabilitation of the mare and to make sure they are monitored to ensure they don’t attempt anything that would break their probation. This includes acts of public masturbation, indecent exposure, attempted rape of another pony, sabotage or attempts to sabotage the restoration of Equestria to it’s former glory, indecent sexual conduct with beasts-”

“Gunne, please,” Mac said, getting riled up again by the stags mentioning of so many lewd and forbidden acts, “Can we please get to the point?”

“Of course,” Gunne replied, “The Equestrian Committee of Ponies has evaluated Miss Roseluck here, and found her to be eligible for rehabilitation due to a substantial lack of evidence against her.”

“Lack of evidence?”

“It seems that for most of her time as a red collar, she had been unable to commit any actual crimes against her fellow mare, as her master at the time all but forbade her from sexual activity. It is a practically unheard of situation, but if she hadn’t committed a crime, they could find no reason to incarcerate her.”

Mac had to hold back a snort. What he was hearing was hilarious. Roseluck had been one of the most eager red collars he had ever met, but by being under his care she might have been spared a trip to Tartarus.

“And seeing as you were said master, the Committee decided that if you were willing to keep an eye on her again, you would be the perfect person to keep her in line.”

Mac looked at Roseluck, who turned her head away at his glance. She had to be harboring some of that fear of him, or hatred for what he had done to her. He didn’t deserve to be the one to watch over her, but in the same sense he didn’t want her handed off to someone who would treat her unjustly. He knew Roseluck from before the fall, knew that she was a good person deep down, and that her terrible attitude was something the caribou had put into her. She deserved to be in the care of someone who understood that.

“Ah suppose that depends…. If she would want me to do it,” He answered, allowing Roseluck the freedom of choice.

“Well?” Gunne asked, facing the earth mare. “It’s up to you then.”

Roseluck hesitated, and then lifted her head to look Mac in the eye. He had seen the fierceness she showed in many a mare since the caribou’s defeat, but never directed towards him. It made him recoil slightly, and then a little more when she came forward and closed the gap between them.

For a few seconds the two just looked at each other, neither of them sure what to say. There was so much that they had both done wrong to one another, and thus a lot of reasons they also felt wronged. Nothing was going to make them forget those terrible things, but if they were ever to find at least a place of understanding, someone had to make the first move. As always, Mac felt that the choice was being left up to him.

“Roseluck…” he started, “Ah know that Ah’ve done some terrible things to ya, and I’m not askin’ ya to forgive me. Just just for a chance to make things ri-IEE!”

Mac lifted his leg and clutched his shin, a sharp pain through it from the kick that he had just received. The action made him hunch over, and when he did, he felt a hand go across his face. Roseluck had a heck of a slap for being such a little thing compared to Mac, and it had been some time since he had received such discipline from a mare. It was refreshing, perhaps even a little arousing, to have a woman take charge instead of waiting for him to make the first move.

The guards didn’t think the same though, and were ready to apprehend the hostile red collar on the spot. The only thing stopping them was Mac himself, as he raised his hand and told them, “No, no, Ah deserved that.”

Roseluck crossed her arms, pleased to finally get a bit of payback for what happened in Mac’s barn. “I’ll give you your chance, but after what you did to me, you better treat me like a princess.”

“Now let’s not get too out of hand here,” Mac said as he straightened himself, “You weren’t exactly a bed of roses either.”

“Sure I was, you boys just forget that every rose has its thorns.”

“Is that supposed to be clever?”

“No,” Rose said, sticking out her tongue momentarily as she gave a wink, “It was suppose to be cute.”

Mac rolled his eyes at the mare, more happy than annoyed to see someone in such high spirits. Everything as of late was so sullen, but if there were more mares around like Roseluck to lighten the mood, it could make Ponyville become a lively and enjoyable town to live in once more.

“Ya know ponies around here aren’t going to forget what you were so easily.” Not that they could with that reminder around her neck.

“I know,” said the earth mare, her enthusiasm dying a little, “That won’t stop me from trying.”

Mac had heard enough. “Gunne, Ah would be honored to have Roseluck in mah home, and to help her rehabilitation in any way Ah can.”

Gunne sighed, but not in annoyance or disappointment. He seemed genuinely pleased to see that Mac was willing to finally take responsibility over a mare. “Then by the power invested to me by the Equestrian Committee, you are now the legal handler of this mare and are responsible for all her actions.”

“Rose,” Mac said, “Ah think Lily is inside the house right now. Why don’t ya go in there and let her know that you’re back and will be staying with us for a while.”

“While you’re at it,” Gunne butted in, “could you take my sister with you?”

Ginna gave her brother a timid expression, and gripped his arm firmly in her arms. “Master, I don’t want to leave you again. Please don’t make me go.”

Gunne gave the nervous caribou cow a pat on the head to reassure her. “It will be fine. I just want to talk to Mr. Macintosh, that’s all.”

Ginna pouted and groaned, but in the end she was still the woman she was raised to be, and her brother’s word was law. Releasing his arm, he went over to the red collar mare and took her hand.

“Don’t worry Ginna, I’m sure that a cute caribou and a red collar walking through the fields is sure to turn a few heads.” said Rose, knowing that ponies were going to flip at the sight of them.

“That’s what I’m afraid of….” Ginna replied, knowing the same thing.

“Come on, it will be fun.” Roseluck encouraged further, ready to run off, but stopping herself at the last second. “Oh…. and Mac?”

“Yeah Rose?” The clydesdale asked.

“Thanks for keeping me out of trouble.” With that, she was off like a bolt, dragging behind her a less than willing female deer.

“Okay Gunne, what was it ya wanted to talk about?” asked Mac, facing the stag and the two guards with him.

“Actually… I was hoping that we would be able to talk alone for a moment. It’s been so long since we had we had a private conversation.”

Mac had no qualms with being alone with Gunne. Even after all this time, the clydesdale still felt indebted to the stag. He was partially responsible for freeing Equestria, and if not for everything he had done, Mac would have never been placed in the perfect position to kill Dainn.

“You know you’re not allowed to do that,” said one of the guards accompanying Gunne, “You have to have an escort at all times.”

“But I will have an escort,” Gunne rebutted, “That is unless you think the savior of Equestria can’t handle an unarmed caribou.”

The two guards gave each other a suspicious gaze, but then one of them said, “Put your wrists together.” The caribou did what he was told, but not purely out of compliance. A pair of cuffs were forcing him to obey the command, the same kind Flim and Flam were peddling a while back. “You have twenty minutes, then we’re gathering up you and your sister and heading back to Canterlot.”

“Understood,” Gunne said with a bow of his head. “Mac, do you have a place that’s close so we can speak?”

“Uh sure, follow me.” Mac said, walking off, Gunne close behind him.

The two guards, not exactly trusting the caribou, stood at the post of the gate in wait for his return, keeping an eye of both him and Mac so they didn’t go too far out of sight.

---

The two found themselves a stump that Gunne could sit on, while Mac himself leaned up against a tree. It was far enough away from everyone else that they would not be heard, nor would anyone notice immediately that there was a caribou male amongst them. Most of the females had been taken from the stags when pushing them out of Equestria, many of the ones who fled leaving behind their “cherished” cows who would only slow them down, and thus in some places the site of them being escorted about was still commonplace. That was odd, but generally wasn’t unnerving, since they were made to remove their collars, put on clothing, and they were not really a threat when it came down to it. Too docile to endanger someone, and not considered clever enough by most to be plotting anything. A male caribou was something to cause a stir about though, and so Mac didn’t mind keeping this as private as possible.

“So…” Mac said breaking the ice, “how have ya been?”

“Horrible,” Gunne said jokingly, “I don’t know how you ponies ever did it.”

“Did what?”

“Tolerated the orders of a woman. Luna and Celestia are slave drivers. Every bit the tyrants that Dainn depicted them.”

Mac lifted an eyebrow, not sure where Gunne’s joke ended and the truth began.

“You know, I would much more appreciate it if I were under the direct orders of one of the male members of the Committee, like Shining or that cousin of yours. Even a murderer like yourself would be more acceptable, had you accepted the role.”

Mac scoffed at the idea. When things were getting back to normal, Shining had wanted to give Celestia back her rightful position as leader of Equestria, but to the unicorn’s surprise, she declined. She stated that this event had made her realize that it was time to change how Equestria was run, and that she should step down and let others take charge. Thus, she created the Equestrian Committee of Ponies to manage the kingdom's most important affairs, a group of pony representatives consisting of two unicorns, two pegasi, and two earth ponies, each group having a stallion and a mare to act on behalf of their respective race. Celestia had hand chosen them all from her understanding of how all the members had acted during the fall, and how they in their own ways prevented Equestria from falling into chaos.

Luna, being the only alicorn to resist the caribou, was also added to the committee to give her opinions on situations they would have to address, and act as a tie breaker should things become deadlocked. They dealt with matters such as deciding what parts of the caribou’s “advances” should be kept or destroyed, directing the rebuilding efforts, distributing food, and passing judgement on those deemed traitors to Equestria.

As Gunne had said, Mac was offered one of these positions, but that kind of work was not his forte, so he handed the responsibility off to a pony he felt was better suited for the role; his cousin Braeburn. He was the one who had evaded the caribou for so long undetected. He was the one trying to save the Apple mares from a life of misery. He was more suited to be a leader than Mac could ever be, and he was willing to take that role when given.

“Now come on,“ Mac said, “Give the princesses some credit. They can’t be the worst leaders you’ve ever seen.”

“They are no Dainn,” Gunne replied, “But I feel that’s where their merits come into play. As much as I would rather Dainn not died, and that he was still the king, it’s hard to deny the damage he was doing to these lands. Whether or not our ways worked in the old country, they most certainly didn’t work here in a land too stubborn to change.”

“So what do they have ya doing that’s so hard anyways?”

“You mean besides having me personally remove the rune locks from every collar and binder ever put on a woman.” He joked, though Mac knew this was not an extreme exaggeration, “I’ve had to help go through all the files my brethren had gathered on your race to pick out anything and everything that could be used as evidence against those who betrayed Equestria, which is a bit of a chore in and of itself.”

“Yeah, you told me that caribou kept good records.” Mac answered, though had learned that it wasn’t so much the caribou keeping track of things as much as delegating that work to ponies who were skilled at such tasks.

“At one point, they had me dealing with the zebra, too.”

“The zebra?” Shortly after Dainn’s death, the representatives from the zebra nation came with their usual tributes of gold and women to the caribou. They were ecstatic the hear the news that Dainn had been dethroned, and his men pushed back, and were happy to help the ponies in any way they could. The zebra had never wanted to obey the caribou, and just like the ponies and the griffons, they had been forced to obey more than anything else. In liberating themselves, the ponies brought freedom to so many others, and for that, the zebra were in their debt.

They offered many things to the ponies, to aid in the recovery of their and their people. They allowed them to take the gold they would have normally given to the caribou as tributes, so they could use it to fund whatever resources they needed to get Equestria back into working order. They also offered their services as alchemists, providing potions and cures to the number of things that the caribou had done to physically alter and maim women. Shining’s horn mending worked, but it was nowhere as effective and quick as a zebra potion that made the stumps grow back good as new. The only thing they asked in return was that the the zebra women that resided in Equestria during The Fall were returned to them, so they could rehabilitate them in their own manner. How could the Committee say no?

“For weeks, I was hounded about what was put into things like Mare-stims or the aphrodisiacs we used, but I’m not a potion maker, and proved little help to them. Not that they need help… I’ve seen them cook up several potions already that appear to undo everything in the blink of an eye.”

“Except for blanking…”

Gunne nodded. “Except for blanking.”

“Of course…” Mac said, slamming his fist against the tree he was leaning on enough to make it tremble, “The one thing that Ah need them to figure out.”

“Everyone’s trying everything they can, Mac.”

Mac let out a stream of air through his nostrils, letting off steam in an almost literal manner. “Ah know, but Ah was hoping that this was about something related to that.” The clydesdale took a moment to settle down, and then decided it was time to get to the point. “Why exactly are we here?”

“Well… I wanted to make sure you were caught up with the political climate. Knowing you, you’ve done nothing but hole up in here, confined in your own little world.” Gunne had Mac pegged. The clydesdale had been focusing on the things that actually applied to him, like the farm, his family, his friends, and Ponyville. “And… I suppose there is one other thing I want about.”

“And what’s that?” Mac inquired.

“Well… how to say this…” Gunne looked fairly troubled about what he was going to say, like what he wanted to say conflicted with the way he thought. “I suppose… what I want to say is… that in seeing this world you wanted to protect… I can understand why it is you did what you did. While I still believe that a woman’s role is to act as a servant to a man, I can also see how men and women working together can bring about its own enjoyable results.”

“So… you’re sayin’ ya forgive me?” Mac ask, scratching his head at how vague Gunne was being.

“No,” Gunne corrected. “It still fills me with anger every time I think about you on stage… with Dainn. I really think I might never forgive you for what you’ve done, but I understand your reasons, and I suppose that is enough for me to not to want to strangle you to death.”

“That’s good to hear… Ah guess.” said Mac nervously, it not being as clear as before if Gunne was just joking or not.

“Besides,” Gunne said, getting up from his stump, “If I ever tried to do something like that, your people would have me switched so fast my head would...” Gunne stopped himself before he said something he felt would be inappropriate, “They would never let any harm come to their beloved hero, and if I wasn't around who would take care of Ginna?”

“Gunne…” Mac said solemnly, “Ah’m not sure if ya realize this, but Ah don’t think I’m half the pony everyone else thinks Ah am. Ah killed a man, even though it went against every bit of moral fiber in mah body. Ah would have rather Dainn be brought to justice, or that their have been some other way it could have gone about, but Ah was weak and just took the easiest way out at the time. Ah’m no hero… Ah’m just a guy who was looking out for his sister.”

“Then that is at least one thing we can agree on.” Gunne said with a smirk, “Now then, let me tell you about what happened with the council just after you left. Seems things here, even after my brethren have been expelled, aren’t all rainbows and butterflies, and it’s been causing Celestia a great deal of stress.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Well you know that unicorn mare Celestia put in the committee? Well she-”

“Gunne!” Both men turned their head to the sound of Gunne’s name being called, and found that to two guards had kept to their promise. After the allotted time had gone to collect Ginna, and were now there to gather up Gunne.

“It would appear that my time is up. Perhaps next time I can get you more up to speed. I still need to tell you how I’ve been made ‘Director of Caribou Affairs’, and how they expect me to handle the remaining problems with my brethren.”

“That sounds like its own pile of problems,” Mac said, extending his hand towards the stag, “But I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it next time.”

“Yes, next time it is then.” Gunne took Mac’s hand, gave it a firm shake, but didn’t release immediately after like Mac had expected. Instead he drew the stallion closer, so that they were chest to chest, and only then released to bring his arms up and behind Mac in a swift motion. It all happened too fast for Mac to react to, so when Gunne pulled back towards him, the stallion could only follow along.

Mac found himself face to face the stag, lips pressed firmly together, with Gunne having closed his eyes and the two were joined in a kiss. The clydesdale was so shocked that he could hardly do anything but stare in disbelief, and repeat the words “Holy fuck” again and again in his head. What would Daisy say if she saw this, or Applejack? What was he thinking right now? He wanted to push Gunne away, but he simply couldn’t. It was only when the stag brought his arms back down, and broke the kiss himself, that Mac could even do so much as take another breath.

“Well then… at least I got that out of my system.” The stag said, turning away from the clydesdale. As he walked away, Gunne lifted an arm, moving his hand once to give a simple wave goodbye. “That should give you something to dwell on till next we meet.” he said, chuckling as he left, for reasons Mac didn’t understand.

As the caribou left, heading off to return to his duties in Canterlot, another approached Mac from behind. “Oh hey, there you are,” said Caramel, “We need some help moving that monster you pulled out earlier and was wondering if-” The earth stallion paused as Mac turned towards him, and let out a groan. “Still?!”

“Still what?” Mac asked, before noticing that his jeans felt a little tight around his waist again. Looking down, he spotted the bulge that had reformed down his pant leg. “Oh, for the love of…”

“For Equestria’s sake, get your dick in check and then help us then met us over in the field.”

Mac blushed and gave an embarrassed laugh as Caramel walked away shaking his head. If this kept up he was gonna have to keep a bottle of ice water around in case of emergencies. It was a small price to pay for what he had gotten in exchange for it though.

Mac, calming himself so his stiff dick would settle, went over to his fence and looked out to the rising sun. The sun was always considered the symbol of Equestria, and he knew why. As while the sun sets, and allows darkness to flow over the land, so too does it rise, to bring light back to the world. Celestia use to be the one who guided this pattern, but for now she allowed the sun, and in turn the people of Equestria, to take their own path. One day things might take another turn for the worse, one day a bigger threat than the caribou could arise, but that would be fine, for Mac knew that the wish that he made would always come true in the end.

That no matter how awful things got, no matter how bleak things looked, even if things had to get a whole lot worse before they got better, a day would come when light would chase away the darkness, and things would be good again. For right now, while Equestria was still in shambles, ponies were at the start of a new sunrise, a new beginning, and another chance to make the world they knew into a happy one.

Author's Notes:

With this, we bring a close to Bruised Apples. I thank everyone for sticking with me these two long years, and for putting up with my bit of craziness (or sanity depending on how you look at it). I've been keeping an eye on all the information going about during the last week, and let me say that senpai has noticed all of you, and I am pleased to see the near overwhelming support the last chapter got.

That said, I know that you all probably have a few questions, or maybe even complaints, about how I chose to close this tale. I bet some of you would have rather have seen this lead into a series where Mac, Shining, Gunne and the elements of harmony were shown unifying Equestria against the caribou, instead of getting a brief explanation of what happened. Well.... I guess what I have to say about that is that I don't really want to write about wars and sieges. There already exists plenty of Post Fall that tell of rebellions and bloody battles, and so I feel that the quota for such a thing has been met, at least enough for me to feel it's ok to skip it.

When it comes down to it I would rather write about how the ponies recover from here, at least when it comes down to things that happens after Dainn's death, especially since things are not as easy going as Mac would like to believe. There are still tons of problems to deal with that go beyond getting Equestria rebuilt.

Other issues you all might have is that everything stated here might have seemed too... easy. The caribou, for being such an "imposing force", have appeared to be swept away with little effort, or so it appeared. My only explanation to that is.... yeah, it was. The caribou have just lost their chain of command, many of their best men, and any kind of momentum and power they might have had. One of their biggest benefits during the invasion was that they somehow were able to get the element of surprise in every attack they did, so they really shouldn't be able to fight back at this point when they've been found out.

The last issues that might be brought up was how easy it was to fix issues like horns and how the princesses were just "reset". Personally, I don't really see the horn thing as a big deal myself. Ponies live in a magical world where there would be plenty of ways to fix a problem like this, and the only reason was ever an issue was because NCN didn't want horns to be able to grow back. At one point I wanted to write a story about a mare who would have escaped her master long enough for her horn to grow back, and it was turned down because horns where not suppose to ever grow back so he could just have another thing to keep the mares from being able to even have a fighting chance ever again.

Or maybe not, I guess, since info about this has always flip flopped depending on who you asked, and just the other day one of my former co-contributors said they grow back. At this point I'm going to just say again that no one knows what the heck is going on in this setting, and just says what they think feels right, with NCN never bothering to correct them. So take everything with a grain of salt.

And as for the princesses and their reset button... was it cheap, sure, but I want to write about how the characters from the show would handle this situation, not NCN's little fuck fantasies. Twilight, Celestia, and Cadence in no way represent anything from what they are suppose to be in this setting, and only can be considered them by how they look in the images, so fuck it. If people wish to complain, whatever, but I don't care and feel there is more to be had from Equestria princesses classic then these new flavorless formula produced by people who wouldn't understand an MLP character if they came into reality and explained the entirety of their psychology to them with excruciating detail.

As for any other questions, I am hoping to eventually get to them all in story, as I feel that is the best way to explain things anyways. I made sure to leave plenty of things here that should leave people wondering, or yelling at me in rage, but I promise that unless I die of some sudden cause, or everyone just loses interest, I will do all I can to get to everything I have planned. Heck, knowing me, even things that minor wouldn't stop me from completing this stuff.

So again, thanks for investing your time in my story, for better or worse, and I hope to see you all "After Fall of Equestria".

P.S. I do intend to eventually release the alternate ending to BA, for those wondering, and I would have to say that it is probably just as good as the real ending, if maybe just a bit stupid. Just give it some time, and maybe I'll put it out as an anniversary bonus, or sooner if you all are on your best behavior.

BA alternate ending

Author's Notes:

Happy April Fool's day everybody!

To be honest, I don't really celebrate this holiday, but I figured that since my next chapter for either of my stories has been delayed for so long, I might as well release the other half of the biggest prank I've ever pulled (if you want to see it as that. I really don't).

This is the ending I presented to NCN in order for him to approve of me posting the finale of my story. It is a full chapter, most of it being an exact copy of part 6 of "The Worst Night Ever". As such, if you have never read the intended ending of the story, you could read this from start to finish right after reading part 5 and have the "official", NCN approved version of the BA Finale, unedited. If you have read the chapter before, then search for the words (“So be it,” Dainn said, giving a shrug,), and you will be right at the start of where the changes happened.

To be honest, I really don't enjoy this ending, even if I was the one who wrote and decided everything for it. For starters, I don't really believe in the direction of this "bad end". The entire story was written to be geared into the direction of the "good ending", and this ending conflicts with it completely. However, I put just as much effort into this ending as I did the real ending, cutting no corners that NCN didn't make me cut, and I stand behind it as a literary work as much as I would anything else I've ever written. So perhaps my readers will find some worth into this and enjoy it for what it is. Then again, I know this is the ending that some of you wanted, and if it is the case that you like this BECAUSE it follows the ever unchanging FoE status quo that I feel is entirely unwarranted and dull, then I will be happy that you found entertainment in it, regardless of my own distaste for it.

Anyways, I wish you all a pleasant day, and I hope to see you all soon.

The Grand Galloping Gala was finally coming to a close. After what felt like an endless night of equally endless lust, everything was coming to a halt. Most of the guests that had attended the event were far too tired from being active and enthusiastic participants of the celebration, having held back nothing so they could squeeze out every last drop of euphoria they could from what was supposed to be the biggest event of the year. The very few that continued on, despite having experienced this party to the fullest, had been reduced to a snail’s pace, their thrusts losing the impact and energy they had earlier in the night when they were fresh. Men and mares alike were going to sleep well once they got home, this night having taken everything they could give.

However, not every male at the party was showing the signs of their exertion. As Applejack was tugged by her wrist thought the banquet hall, she could feel the caribou pulling her along with every ounce of strength, making sure she could neither get proper footing nor attempt to resist his might. It was completely unnecessary, since AJ was making little effort to fight back in the first place, but the caribou wanted to make it absolutely clear to the farm mare that he was the dominant force in this and she had no possible means of going against his will even if she wanted to. He was the one who would decide how she would act and what she would do, which would settle a certain matter between the two once and for all.

“Lord Ivangir,” said AJ as she found a pace that allowed her to keep up without stumbling about, “Ya don’t have to guide me by the arm. Ah can follow ya just fine.”

The caribou jerked his arm forward, knocking AJ out of her step pattern before increasing speed to keep her unable to maintain proper balance. “You’ll be led by me because I wish it. Even if I didn’t question your ability to follow simple instructions, I can’t trust a cunt like you to be competent enough to not get distracted. I would hate for you to get lost.”

Ivangir was so dismissive of the earth pony that he didn’t even look back when he spoke to her. He was trying to make it sound like she was the problem when they both knew that he was just doing this because he could. Ivangir wore his feelings towards women openly, and trying to justify his actions just served to prove further how little he thought of AJ herself. If nothing else at least, being behind him gave her a rare chance to openly roll her eyes at his sexist remark without fear of reprisal.

Applejack didn’t argue though; if he wanted to assume she was stupid enough to believe him, she would let him believe it. She was long past the point of caring what he thought of her, being that Ivangir was a creature who lacked basic concepts like respect, dignity, or conscience. He was just looking for a reaction anyways, so silence denied him that while shortening the time they interacted with one another. Should he chose to perceive that as capitulation, which he probably did since he liked to assume everything went the way he wanted, then so be it. It only secured her image of being a red collar.

It wasn’t like she had to put up with this treatment for too long anyways, as she could tell where they were heading. Ivangir was taking her to the stage, the one that Dainn had made his perch as he surveyed his subjects. It was the best place to show off one’s domination over a woman, a spot in which everyone at the party could see what was going on. Before long, everyone would watch Ivangir as he did as he pleased with her, which knowing him was going to be something humiliating, brutal, and mercifully swift.

Whatever the caribou had planned for her, it appeared she wasn’t going to have to endure it alone. Most of the other members of the caribou council were heading to the stage as well, and with them were the rest of the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie was being guided by Anvari, Fluttershy by Hrathr, Nothri had Rarity in tow, and Durnir had collected Rainbow Dash from wherever the stallions from earlier had taken her.

Each mare was exhibiting varying levels of fatigue from their cum-covered bodies. Rarity and Fluttershy looked to be the worst of the bunch, near the same state of exhaustion that Twilight had earlier, emitting labored gasps for air as their tired forms struggled to keep them upright. While they might not have put everything they had into their tasks like Twilight did, they still did their best to provide pleasure to the males they serviced. By the looks of it, they didn’t have the same motivations for doing so though, and while Fluttershy’s wavering smile had the appearance of one pleased with her accomplishments, Rarity’s sorry appearance conveyed the opposite. The unicorn didn’t even bother to pretend that she was anything but miserable from the whole ordeal, with streams of dried up tears staining the fur around her cheeks and a jaded expression that announced to the world that she had nothing more to give that evening.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie looked much more lively than the others, Rainbow thrashing about in a ripped and tattered Wondersluts uniform, marks and bruises covering her from head to hoof, with as much force as much as she had at the start of the party. Dash always did have more endurance than the average pegasus, but AJ figured that this was more bravado than anything else. She might not have shown any signs of exhaustion, but no one could have gone through the things that had been done to her without it draining them.

As for Pinkie, she appeared to be more legitimately unaffected by her evening. Her beaming, white smile was only occasionally broken by a need to lick off the cum that was dripping down to her muzzle from higher up on her head, or to give one of the twitches she had been making all night, which had strengthened and come more frequently as the night went on. AJ wished she knew what Pinkie’s senses were telling her, as right now it could be anything from someone stubbing their hoof to the end of Equestria, and the anticipation of outcome was becoming an ever growing source of anxiety for her. She wished that whatever happened would happen, and that it would have no effect on her and those she held dear.

---

“Ah, looks like the main event’s about to start,” said Shining Armor as he looked down from the VIP booth, keeping a close eye on his sister as Throtr escorted her to the stage to join the others.

Mac was relieved to hear that he and Applejack would be able to leave soon. While he hardly interacted with anyone or anything at the gala, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his presence at the event was causing a stain on his soul that might never leave, and that each passing second was making that stain darker.

“Then Ah think I’m gonna head on back to mah sister,” said the clydesdale, getting up from his seat so he could go back to the main area of the banquet hall.

“Hey Big Macintosh,” Shining called out just before Mac made it to the steps, “You’ll think about what I said, won’t you?”

“Yeah, Ah will…” How could he not? If what Shining said was in any way true, then it meant that all this time he had been doing the wrong thing, making things harder for Applejack than they needed to be.

“Good,” Shining replied, “and one more thing. Just because you got a bunch of stupid ideas floating around in your head, doesn’t mean that you can’t be one of the guys from time to time. Let loose, live a little, indulge yourself in what this kingdom has to offer.”

The unicorn’s new bit of advice didn’t have as much sway as the last one did. While Mac was questioning AJs motives, he was still had a good grasp on his own. He still had no desire to take advantage of the perks that came with caribou’s way of life, since it meant directly taking advantage of another person. He gave Shining a nod, his country mannerisms telling him that it would not be polite if he completely ignored the suggestion, and left the stallion.

The guards at the bottom of the steps gave him no trouble this time, and Mac entered back into the main hall without issue, heading straight for the stage where Applejack was taken. He wished to be there for her when she was raped once again by Ivangir, since anyone could tell that was what would happen next. Whether or not she had given in to the changes that befell Equestria, he was certain that she still despised the caribou with all her heart. To be forced into a position where she would have to fuck one, willingly, without showing her disgust for the situation, would be one of the hardest things she would ever have to do, and she would need all the support she could get.

If he could, Mac would have stood right next to the stage to let his sister know that he was there, that someone that cared for her was close by, but a large formation of ponies and caribou had already amassed around it before he made his way out of the VIP box. Even more got to it as he made his went to join the crowd, and by the time he did, he was one of the last people to become a part of it. He made a few attempts to find a way deeper into the cluster of males and their slaves, but no one wanted to give up their spot to someone else. With a heavy sigh, he grumbled to himself about letting Shining Armor drag him so far away, and resigned himself to the back, hoping that AJ would still see him, so she knew she didn’t have to suffer through this alone.

The view wasn’t too bad from where he stood. He could easily see each of the six mares and the six caribou with them, his height letting him see over the sea of ponies and caribou in front of him. It wasn’t perfect though, as Mac couldn’t see farther towards the back of the structure, where Celestia’s cage and Dainn’s seat had been set, and because of that he wasn’t able to see the king himself until the caribou got up from the chair and approached the front of the stage.

Dainn looked over his guests, his people, with a pleased expression. The night must have gone as he had hoped, with everything falling into place as he had expected. Not a single incident, disturbance, or hiccup in what he had planned for this evening. For one such as Dainn, there must have been no better satisfaction than to see his kingdom running smoothly, incomparable to even the pleasures of the flesh.

“Gentlemen, scholars, soldiers of the Equestrian guard, esteemed caribou brethren, and honored guests,” he began, just as he had when introducing the Elements of Harmony to the celebration, “Before this evening comes to a close, my council of advisors, tacticians, and powerful warriors wish to give a final demonstration of male dominance over the submissive and ignorant females. These mares will now provide their bodies to six of the esteemed leaders of the kingdom of Equestria, submitting themselves to their every want in order to satisfy their sexual desires.” Dainn took a moment to turn his gaze slightly towards Rainbow Dash, who was ineffectually struggling to keep a rather frisky Durnir from fondling her breasts and plunging his fingers into her snatch, “Whether they like it or not.”

The king’s statement got a laugh out of the crowd at Rainbow’s expense, Mac believing that he was the only guy there not adding his voice to the pegasus’ ridicule. It wasn’t even a joke, so much as statement that had been driven into the dirt at this point, so even in context the humor was lost on the clydesdale.

“There you are,” Mac heard in a hushed tone as Dainn continued his explanation of the things to come, “I was wondering when you would rejoin us.”

“Hey Gunne,” said Mac casually. Gunne appearing when something important was about to happen had become such a common occurrence in Mac’s life that he hardly turned an eye his way. A somewhat predictable behavior that was both annoying and comforting at the same time. If anything, he could depend on the caribou to show up and make things a bit more awkward with his presence. “How did your talk with that griffon guy go?”

“Hmm? Oh, it went well enough,” Gunne said with little concern, “More importantly, how did your conversation with Shining Armor turn out? I noticed that you walked off with him shortly after I left your side.”

“It was fine, Ah suppose,” Mac said, not really wanting to go into detail.

“Come on, there is no reason to hide something like that from me. You didn’t insult with your usual political criticisms, did you?”

“Maybe a little,” Mac said honestly, figuring it was something Gunne would be able to find out about later if he really wanted.

“Typical…” said Gunne, “I leave you alone with another stallion and you immediately start tossing about accusations of them being mare-raping monsters with no sense of morality.”

Mac raised an eyebrow to the caribou, “Didn’t every black collar here get raped about a hundred times tonight?”

“Yes, but you putting a negative connotation on it is the problem.” Gunne replied, “Besides, they bring it on themselves. If they would just enjoy themselves and accept their roles, it wouldn’t be rape.”

Mac refused to justify that one with a response, and instead focused his attention back to the stage. It was good timing too, as it seemed like the king was about done with his speech.

---

“And so, with great pride I present my men and the false heroes of Equestria.” Having said everything that he wanted to, Dainn returned to his seat at the back of the stage with Celestia. It was going to be quite the show and he wanted to watch it from the comfort of his royal chair.

For a moment, AJ watched the caribou king as he sent his eyes over all the participants of the scene that was about to play out. The mildly satisfied expression he gave to the crowd vanished in an instant, and was replaced with what appeared to be cold, unfeeling indifference towards each of them. He had none of the evident joy or anticipation that the stallions or other stags had, and it felt like he was observing to the event for entirely different reasons altogether, taking it in as part of some grand calculation. What was actually going through the head of a man like Dainn would forever be a mystery to the farm mare, as she could never comprehend the thoughts of a person who could conquer nations, enslave people, force them to do the bidding of him and his people, and all for the abominable goal of turning the women of all races into sex slaves.

Dainn had caught her gazing at him though, and when he returned it she had to look away. No need to make this night any worse by giving the caribou king some vague excuse to punish her for staring impolitely or some nonsense like that. If this part went off without incident, she was home free, but of course that meant she’d have to do something she loathed.

Taking one final deep breath, doing what she could to bury every ounce of anger she had someplace where it wouldn’t surface, she turned to Ivangir and bowed her head so her eyes and muzzle pointed towards the part of the caribou’s anatomy that she was about to get reacquainted with.

“Lord Ivangir,” AJ spoke, trying her darndest to emulate the kind of respect she had only exhibited towards Princess Celestia in the past, “If it would please you, Ah would lo… lik…”

“Come on little dirt mare, spit it out,” Ivangir mocked, putting his hand atop her head and directing her face closer to his crotch, “And make sure that everyone can hear you so they know how much of a slut you are.”

How was it that of everyone in all of Equestria, Ivangir was the one that could piss AJ off with anything he said? Almost any other guy, save for maybe Dainn or one of the other council members, could have said the same thing and she would have brushed it off like it was nothing, but when it came from the mouth of her original rapist it sent her from calm to enraged in a matter of seconds. She couldn’t let that show though. She needed to remain composed and do as she was told, but Ivangir just made her want to scream.

“Can Ah please lick your dick, please!” she yelled loud enough that it echoed back to her ears. It got the point across, that was for sure, and fulfilled what the large caribou wanted from her.

The somewhat desperate sounding plea did get a smirk out of Ivangir at least, and without delay he reached down to remove his codpiece and revealed his meaty cock to all present to the event. It immediately made her feel intimidated, as while it was only semi-erect as it stuck out right in front of her, she still had to say that his dick was the largest one that she had ever encountered from a stag or a stallion, and it would soon be stretching her holes to their limits.

The entire night had been leading up to this inevitability for AJ, but she still wasn’t truly prepared for it. She couldn’t bypass her own inner qualms about sucking the very dick that had stolen her freedom. It couldn’t be held off much longer though, as the other red collars amongst her friends were already following the farm mare’s lead, offering their own bodies to the caribou that had brought them to the stage. With each additional penis released from the confines of the council members’ pants, greeted by the waiting lips of eager mares, the more conspicuous Applejack’s own reluctance became.

When every other red collar on stage had placed the rod of the respective caribou into their muzzle, with Pinkie being the first to gulp down the solid rod presented to her and Rarity being last as she primed her penis with an liberal message of her ample bosom, AJ relented and opened her own mouth as wide as possible to make way for the man she despised.

Just get him off as quick as ya can, AJ thought to herself, They might even congratulate ya for being the first one to finish. She instantly regretted adding on that extra bit, finding what was supposed to be motivating to have the exact opposite effect. If she was to be praised for anything, the last thing she would want it to be for was how well she fellated someone, especially if the one praising her was a stag.

However, this ill thought didn’t stop her from proceeding, and taking Ivangir’s dick in hand, she rubbed and caressed it until any softness it had vanished and all that was left was a rigid, throbbing shaft that pointed directly at her. The heat coming off it made her arms sweat, and radiated into her mouth as the farm mare strained to get her muzzle around the cock.

Before Applejack could close her lips around the rod, a massive hand fell upon her head. Giving a snort in response, she prepared for the soon to come push from Ivangir and the pressure that would come from having her throat completely stuffed. The caribou’s impatience was exasperating. He had always been this way, needing to feel that he was in control of the situation, never letting a mare go at her own pace. Of course, when it came to their interactions in the past, that was the only way he got anything out of her, but it was never any different with other reds either. There was never a time when a mare could just pleasure him without the caribou needing to push them beyond their limits. It was his routine to treat women more like sex dolls than living beings.

So when Ivangir pushed away instead of towards him, she was reasonably confused. “Not so fast, you stupid slut,” said Ivangir with a grin, “I’m not letting you put your filthy mouth on my dick. I’ve seen what you’ve been doing with it. Even I won’t fuck your throat after all that.”

Sonava-! This was bullshit, and AJ knew it. Ivangir was not the kind to refuse sex, no matter how ‘filthy’ the hole. He had casually sent Applejack into the hands of scores of other caribou, and had very easily joined in after watching them fuck her in every way imaginable. He had let her get so close, letting get to the point right before she actually started, and pulled her away at the last second so he could add another insult to her character.

“No, I kept your other holes off limits for a reason. Your country cunt and apple ass will have to be enough to satisfy me.” Ivangir gave another push, twisting his hand before releasing, spinning Applejack around on her hooves until her back was turned towards him. “Now be a good bitch and bend over.”

Applejack shot the caribou a sideways glare, but went on to do as she was told. “Like this?” she asked, placing her hands on her knees to balance herself as she bent forward as far as she could without falling over.

A firm, unrestrained smack across her ass was the reply she received for daring to confirm that her actions were according to his whims, “What kind of stupid question is that?” the stag shouted, adding insult to the burning sting on her flank. “Either you know how to bend over or you don’t.”

Ivangir circled the mare, his eyes closely and ruthlessly scrutinizing her exposed form. As far as he cared, it was just him and her on the stage. During the night he'd already had his merry and merciless way with each of the other mares up there in a variety of ways, but he had saved his favorite for last. This mare had dared to scorn him not once, but time and time again with her defiant attitude and seemingly unshakable resilience, never once showing the superior stag the respect he felt he deserved. Tonight would be different though. Tonight she would scream for him, beg him to leave her holes a sopping wet, cum filled mess, and everyone would watch as he put her in her place once and for all.

“Spread your legs,” he commanded sternly. The mare obeyed instantly, parting them as wide as she could while standing. This was rich; he had never gotten such instant results from Applejack in the past. Before now, the stag always needed to apply an ample amount of pain and other punishments to her to get the slightest bit of obedience from her, if he had gotten any at all. “Say you’re my cock warmer.”

“I’m your cock warmer,” she repeated, monotoned and parrot-like, yet still as convincing as she could muster.

Stopping at her flank, Ivangir grabbed her tail and lifted it to remove the only thing concealing her backside. “Shake your ass for me slut.” Again, the mare complied, wiggling her rump without a second thought. It was a perfect representation of female obedience; performing an action at a moment’s notice without any hint of refusal or reluctance. It was the sign of a true red collar: of a perfect sex slave, or of a very good liar. It didn't matter which to them. Not right now.

Ivangir gave one of his fingers a lick, moisting his index finger before pressing it tauntingly against the earth pony’s anus. It twitched reflexively as it felt the tip of the finger, anticipating its entry. “Has my little penis puppet developed a love for anal in her time away from her master?”

“No…” AJ replied, his absurd and degrading question evoking a tiny sneer from the mare. Ivangir always knew just how to grate on her nerves, and that didn’t appear to change even as she attempted to mindlessly follow commands.

With tail gripped firmly in one hand, the caribou drove his digit into her sphincter. A low and restrained moan slipped past her lips. It was music to the stag's ears. “You always were an avid liar. You love it when I stick things in here. You love it so much you lie just to get me to punish you with bigger and bigger things.” Ivangir curled his finger into a curve as it poked into the mare’s hole, and proceeded to pump her pucker with it, scraping the walls of her intestines with the point of his nail.

The sharp tip going against her fleshy insides incited a series of equally sharp gasps, her nerves shooting jolts of pain through her with each pass. The careless pokes and pushes of the caribou were difficult to resist, but Applejack gritted her teeth. “Ah do not” she managed to mumble out under her breath.

“But how about we bring your string of lies to an end?” Ivangir went on to assert coyly, hushing his tone slightly as he continued to slip his finger in and out of the mare, “Let’s let everyone know how much of a slut you are. I order you to announce to everyone here that you are a whore who likes getting it in your ass. Better yet, why don’t you tell them all that you're a pain slut who likes to get punished. Tell them all how paddles and whips excite you, and you can’t get off unless a guy gets rough with you.”

AJ didn’t respond to Ivangir’s ridiculous order. As much as she wanted to keep up appearances, she wasn’t stupid enough to mark herself as a masochist. If she did, everyone in Equestria would hear about it by the end of the week, and then there would be no end to the men who would use it as an excuse to hurt her. She had seen it far too many times before, stallions stringing up mares, exposing their sensitive spots, and striking them over and over to see if they could get a mare to climax from pain alone. It was not something she was willing to put herself through, nor Mac for that matter.

“What’s the matter?” Ivangir asked, pulling his finger out of the now lubricated o-ring so he could deliver another hard, stinging smack across her ass, “You were being so good before.”

“Nothin’,” AJ answered, her doing what she could to conceal her shimmering anger, “Ah just don’t like those things.”

A powerful tug on her braided mane was the response given for her backtalk, Ivangir yanking her whole body upright by her head, “And I still say you are a liar. You always gave your best reactions when I beat you. I can still remember how well you howled when I sent a crop across your pussy, or how you would moan as I twisted and tugged at your nipple rings.”

Applejack gripped her braid in attempt to ease the pain, the caribou testing the tolerance of her follicles with the way he pulled the strands of hair. Of course he use to get a reaction out of her when he did that to her. Being bound with your legs spread beyond their normal limits while your privates were assaulted or invaded with devices created for to sole purpose of inflicting pain would get a response from anyone. Then again, she had a good feeling that the caribou was being facetious, and that even he was aware that she derived no amount of satisfaction from their old torture sessions.

“Fine then,” Ivangir released the braid he held and instead wrapped his hand around Applejack’s collar, “If you don’t want to admit that you enjoyed our time together, perhaps we should talk about another one of your lies.”

“And what would that be?” AJ asked, expecting it to be something like how she didn’t praise his penis as much as she truly wanted to.

“Let’s talk about this lie you’ve had wrapped around your neck for some time now,” The caribou’s finger went between the earth mare’s chin and collar, stroking the piece of leather repeatedly as he continued. “We both know you don’t deserve this.”

Applejack felt her heart skip a beat, Ivangir’s words hinting that he somehow knew her secret. He couldn’t actually know that though, she had accepted most of what had been done to her that night with little sign of apprehension. If anything, the only reason he would be able to say such a thing was the incident earlier that Mac had to step in for. That was hardly evidence that she was faking her collar, but perhaps the stag somehow knew more that she assumed. If he did have some sort of information on her, then she knew one way to figure out what it was.

“And why do ya say that, Lord Ivangir?” she asked plainly. There was no reason for Ivangir to withhold any information he had on her. In fact it was in the caribou’s favor to share it with her. Anything he knew could be used as blackmail to make her more compliant, and a mere bluff would be easy to see though if he didn’t give any details.

The stag’s smirk held, which in itself wasn’t a good sign. Whatever he had was solid enough to him that he had no worries about its validity. “You simple minded creature, so blind to the obvious,” with his one hand still wrapped tightly around her collar, and the other grasping her by leg, Ivangir lifted the farm mare off the ground, wrenching her leg upwards while bringing her ear level with his lips, using the proximity to whisper to her, “You’re not a red collar because I didn’t break you.”

“W-what?” AJ replied, both shocked from having the ground removed from beneath her and dumbfounded by Ivangir’s statement.

“I did everything I could to tear your stubborn will from you. Raped you, beat you, put you at the mercy of my best men, rubbed your face in the dirt, and nothing worked,” Ivangir’s disdain for the mare’s past transgressions filled his words, “And then I heard you somehow wormed your way into a red collar because you won some stupid contest. Do you know how offended I was that a liar like you got away with that?”

While Ivangir’s hold on her was contorting her body in an painful manner, what he had to say was comforting. The only thing pointing to her collar being false was his own ego. As far as her secret was concerned, she was safe. Her body, on the other hand, was still in for a bit of punishment, as Ivangir reminded her by rubbing his penis across her pussy.

“There is no way that a stallion could correct your defiant behavior when I couldn’t. The only reason I agreed to hand you off to him was because I knew you would end up back in my hands when it became clear that you couldn’t be taught.”

“So what ya are sayin’ is that you’re pissed that mah brother is mah master instead of you.” AJ said, happy to see Ivangir upset about not having things go the way he wanted for once. If his hands weren’t pre-occupied, she would have received a well deserved strike to the head, and would have been entirely satisfied with herself that it would have been his only response.

“It’s a shame, I’ve actually missed that impertinent attitude of yours. Used to get me all hot and bothered. It was a pleasant, if futile, difference from the other mares who become sobbing messes the moment I lay eyes on them. None of them are a real challenge like you.” Ivangir, clenching the earth mare’s leg, pulled it to the side and placed his massive rod at her vaginal entrance, “But I suppose all good things must come to an end, and tonight the challenge is over.”

“What do ya-” The next thing to come from AJ’s mouth was a powerful gasp as pain entered her consciousness. She had been given little warning as the caribou pushed down on her shoulders, and forced his shaft halfway into her unprepared tunnel. His cock was as large and invading as she remembered, filling her so much that it felt that her insides might tear if he so much as moved.

“Tonight, I’m gonna break you. Ravage your body, and leave you wishing that you were my fucktoy again. Every night when you finger yourself to sleep, you’ll think of how you’re stuck digging up soil on a farm in the middle of nowhere when you could be straddling my stiff dick. It is the perfect way to end the relationship we’ve built together.”

AJ felt another push downwards on her shoulders, along with a mighty thrust from the caribou’s hips. The meaty penis inside her traveled deeper through the passage of her pussy, her tight tunnels in no way preventing its journey towards her womb. If Ivangir was planning to make her crave his cock above all others, this was not the way to do so. There was no sense of pleasure in this, no elation or ecstasy. The burning of her muscles as they were stretched far beyond a point of comfort combined with the pressure of other internal organs having to move and shift to accommodate the stag was pure agony. Every nerve in her crotch felt ablaze with the sensation of suffering.

At least with a stallion it felt good. As much as it made her feel dirty and used, there was something there that could distract her if she wanted. But here there was nothing of the sort; only the pain and misery that she had come to expect every time she had to copulate with the cruel caribou. And yet, while she was panting for breath and tearing up from the sudden internal trauma, she had to admit that it wasn’t nearly as bad as she remembered.

It was torturous, but tolerable. Strenuous, but sufferable. Agonizing, but only to a degree that it was acceptable. As Ivangir rammed his way into her womb, it wasn’t even a thought on her mind that it could have been because he was taking it easy on her. The caribou didn’t know the word ‘restraint’ except as something applied to a woman to keep them still. Something had changed though, and if it wasn’t him, it was her.

With another punishing push, the bulbous bulk of Ivangir’s cock head pressing and grinding against the walls of her sexual organs, AJ came to a conclusion that disgusted her. It wasn’t that Ivangir was showing mercy or was giving his best attempt to bring her pleasure, it was that her body had grown used to the violation. All that time she spent pleasuring the stallions in Ponyville on a bi-weekly, and sometimes tri-weekly, basis had ‘paid off’ in some way. She could now bear the pain of this sexual torment, her vaginal muscles having adapted to its frequency. She still loathed it, perhap now more than ever since it had actually changed her in some way she never wanted, but thanks to this it seemed like she would be able to withstand whatever the caribou might do to her without being left a wreck afterwards.

Seeing that she was now properly impaled on his most sensitive of organs, Ivangir took his hand off of Applejack’s neck and shoulder and grabbed the leg opposite of the one he was holding, pulling it and her other leg upwards. With her thighs firmly cupped in his grasp, the mare’s back pressed against his muscular chest, her tail draping over and around his balls and what little of his penis that still remained outside of her penetrated pussy. What pleasure and pain she would experience was now, quite literally, in his hands.

It started with a gentle lift upwards, her body rising off the shaft inside her. AJ could feel her insides becomes void once again, each centimeter removed causing more terrible sensations as her muscles tried to constrict in order to get back to a normal size, only to find that the solid mass of male meat was still obstructing the way. The only relief she gained was when the caribou’s dick exited her womb, and allowed her cervix a brief chance to vainly clench closed.

This was not to last though, and the caribou slammed himself back inside with a force that allow him to barge right past the half tightened flesh ring and back into the depths of the mare’s vagina. The stress on such a small section of her innards sent searing sensations through her, and as much as she wanted to hold back, to give Ivangir nothing for his effort, the pain got to her. She let out a scream, brought short as she was lifted to be shoved down again. Each plunge started her howling anew, with the caribou quickly gathering speed as the entrance to her womb had less and less time to make an attempt shut out the thing constantly barraging it’s barrier.

Out of pure reflex, Applejack’s hands reached for something to clench around in order to help tone out the pain. The only thing within reach though was Ivangir himself, and thus they clamped onto his biceps.

“Hehe, you’re starting to like this already huh?” Invagir mocked, never relenting as her drove the mare he held on his dick again, mistaking her reaction to her torture as an act of participation, “I can feel the dampness of your dirt mare cunt as I take it. The contorting of your insides as they lovingly squeeze around me. You missed this as much as I did… No, you missed it even more. You just can’t admit it to yourself that I was the best thing you ever had, isn’t that right?”

The question came with another strong thrust that hit the back of her womb with the force of a fist, and elicited a loud moan from her throat. The caribou took the cry of pain as sign that he was right, and pushed his dick in a few more times at the same strength. With the way Ivangir was recklessly thrusting, her insides felt like they would become thoroughly bruised.

The other members of the caribou council on stage, noticing how far Ivangir had gotten with his own mare, pulled the mouths of the mares sucking on them away from their dicks. None of them wanted to be outdone by their associate, even though Ivangir was bigger and arguably the most powerful of the bunch, save for maybe Durnir.

“It’s about time you rode a real dick, you black collared cunt.” Durnir told Rainbow Dash as he slowly pulled out, cum leaking from the seam between the caribou’s cock and the mare’s mouth until it came out in one final burst, shooting out from the orifice as Dash refused to swallow any of it that wasn’t forced down her throat.

Durnir looked at the mess she made; his seed not only spilled on the floor, but covering the mare’s breasts and his own legs. “You’re gonna regret that.” he announced as he pulled the pegasus up by her rainbow mane. Not stopping at her getting her to her hooves, Durnir kept raising his arm up until the pegasus could no longer follow her close-cut hair of her own volition, her body only proceeding to do so because the strands were attached firmly to the mare’s scalp.

The distance between Rainbow’s hooves and the floor grew rapidly. Her first instinct was to flap her wings to remove the stress on on her follicles, but the slightest extension of her plucked appendages reminded her of the pointy, pain-inducing spurs that covered the inside of their encasement. Her next thought was to reach her for the ground with her hoof, but flailing for it with her legs proved fruitless. She had but one option left to stop her pain, and that was to get the caribou hurting her to stop.

With a twist of her body, Dash sent a hoof into Durnir’s side. What she made contact with was solid muscle, the abs of the caribou having no give to them. The caribou gave the lightest of grunts in reply to the swift strike, but that was enough for Rainbow to think she could get him to release her. She went for another kick to the same spot, and hit her mark with ease. However, Durnir wasn’t about to let her get in a third hit. His free hand clutched around Rainbow’s ankle before it could retreat again, having prepared for the second blow. “Gotcha, bitch,” he said before pulling the leg up, his strength and the pegasus mare’s limberness allowing him to keep going until his hands could join with one another.

Limber as the mare might have been, the stretching of leg tendons added to her agony, which greatly increased her desire to be free of the caribou man handling her. With her other leg, she continued her flails, but wasn’t allowed to keep it up for too long as Durnir removed his hold on her hair and wrapped his arm around her body. His massive strength allowed him to compress her body against his own, and pin her legs between their two torsos.

Thus trapped, Rainbow had little room left to struggle. It didn’t stop her from trying though, and with all of her remaining strength she did what she could to escape the fate Durnir had in store for her. With her arms bound, body held, and the stag’s erect dick, slick with her own saliva, pressed against her lower lips, all it took was a simple thrust to take away any chance that would happen. Lubricated as it was, the caribou’s cock slipped between her legs and inside Dash’s tight slit with ease, and with it shoved inside so easily, Dash could do nothing but let out a low, throaty moan at her defeat.

The others didn’t nearly give the same resistance that Rainbow Dash did, and the caribou saw no reason to put in the effort to use excessive force on women who would obey what they were told. Simple commands got the remaining mares into positions preferable to the men. Getting on all fours, moving to their back, straddling the hips of their caribou, or letting their legs wrap around the waist of the one who would take them, each of the red collars obeyed the instructions given to them, and one by one was penetrated by the men who craved the warmth of their willing pussies.

---

From Mac’s spot in the audience, the scene on stage was becoming one big mass of bodies pushing into one another. The group was too crowded to really see what was going on, but it didn’t take much imagination to figure out what was happening. The six mares, with the exception of AJ, had finished fellating the members in the council, so the next logical step was to stick it in their other holes. No gimmicks or odd sexual devices to aid them, just six mares getting fucked by six men who felt they had to press a point through the use of a carnal act.

In any normal circumstance, this is where Mac might have gone out for a breath of fresh air, since watching others having sex really didn’t appeal to him, and watching Applejack as she was violated appealed to him even less. This time just felt different though, and there were plenty of reasons why. He didn’t want to leave his sister alone while the person who raped her first proceeded to do so again, nor did he want Ivangir to hit Applejack like he had done earlier in his absence. Above everything else though, he wanted to watch his sister’s reactions to what was done to her, and gauge if she truly did take some form of enjoyment from it.

He wasn’t sure why, but something about what Shining Armor had said had stuck with him. The unicorn had made at least a little sense in his theory of why a mare would choose to suffer as a black collar. Peer pressure was a very powerful thing in the right hands, and could easily influence those of weak will. The issue with that was that he never considered Applejack to be a person of weak will, but for all he knew that could have changed the moment a caribou dick defiled her.

If AJ had any tells though, she wasn’t showing them as Ivangir slammed her down that very cock. Most of the time her teeth were gritted, her eyes wide in agony, and the sounds coming from her were labored and forced. Then again, with the way Ivangir was going at it, there was no wonder why AJ was doing so. Being a stallion who had seen his fair share of action, Mac had a general idea of what women liked, and Ivangir certainly wasn’t bothering to do any of it. It actually looked like he was doing his best to deny pleasure to Applejack; sadistically thrusting his penis inside her with reckless abandon while he squeezed her breasts until they looked like they were about to pop.

The only indication that she was enjoying her time with the caribou was the visible wetness of her pussy. She wasn’t gushing in the throes of climax, but Mac could see a thin layer of her sexual fluid coating Ivangir’s rod. That was normal, as she had always produced a bit when she had sex, but the presence of the substance bothered him with his new perspective on things. How many times had she told him it was just a natural reaction she couldn’t control? AJ couldn’t have been lying all this time about it, could she?

Mac shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Why was he even questioning if she was enjoying herself? Before he just wondered if she was being defiant because he motivated her. When did that lead to her actually wanting to be a sex slave? His imagination was getting away with him, taking him down a thought path that he didn’t wish to explore.

When the clydesdale gave his head a few shakes to remove the things appearing in his mind, the caribou standing right next to him quickly took notice. “Mac, is something the matter?” asked Gunne, noticing that the stallion’s complexion was looking a bit paler than usual, “You’re looking a bit ill. Is your stomach upset? If so, I’ll make sure that the mare that prepared the food for the gala receives a proper punishment for serving something unfit for consumption.”

“No,” Mac replied while giving his skull a few more shakes for good measure, “It’s not mah stomach bothering me.”

“Hmmm….” Gunne pondered aloud, not convinced that his compatriot was ok, “Then what’s the problem? You didn’t do anything tonight, so it’s not sexual fatigue. Well… unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Well unless you’ve been trying to suppress your desires all night. All those pent up urges aren’t good for a stallion, not even one such as yourself.”

“The problem isn’t that I’m not getting mah rocks off,” Mac said with a bit of anger at the assumption. Didn’t he understand that what the caribou council was doing up on that stage would turn the stomach of anyone who didn’t follow the caribou ideals?

The sickening sight of having those that had been so close to you that you could deem them family fucked before your eyes, the rhythmic thrusting of flesh into flesh, bodies conjoining in an act of pleasure. Mares who had once acted as Equestria’s protectors being used as sex slaves by the one group of villains they were unable to stop. Each, in Mac’s mind at least, either having been brainwashed into enjoying this treatment that an otherwise sane pony would despise, or being humiliated and tortured because they managed to resist the caribou’s mental conditioning. It was all very, very, taxing.

Then again, perhaps that really wasn’t the case for Mac, at least not anymore. He had seen enough of this kind of thing first hand over the past year that it almost didn’t faze him. After all, he wasn’t exactly averting his gaze as he tried to read Applejack’s body language, and if anything that bothered him most of all. The moment that this all became nothing to him, or even normal, was the moment he lost a part of himself.

Maybe it really was time he stepped out for some fresh air. He wasn’t helping his sister by just standing here, and this whole thing was filling him with thoughts that refused to be forced from his head. AJ would understand, if she even noticed at all. This was their usual pattern after all.

“I’m gonna go outside,” Mac said to Gunne as he turned for the door, “This is all too much for me right now.”

“Well if you want, I’ll come and get you after the council are done having their fun. Where will I be able to find you?”

“I’m just going out the front door. I’ll try not to get too far away from-” There had been many things in Mac’s life that had made the clydesdale cut short a sentence. The sound of a crashing apple cart, a flocking swarm of fruit bats, a surprise kiss from a mare who liked him. However, never before had one been trumped by a mere smile, at least until now.

He didn’t know how long she had been there, observing him from a safe distance as she waited to be noticed, but a pure white alicorn with hair of the many colors of an aurora in the night sky had been sitting on her knees, hands on the floor behind him for some time.

“Princess…” The word escaped his mouth, as if it were the most natural response one could ever have in the presence of this woman. Her image, even with her horn cut to a stump and her wings covered by those atrocious binders, was the very image of regality. Her body was, for lack of a better word, perfect, and almost seemed to cast a light in the dimly lit room.

“I didn’t catch that last part Mac, where did you say you would… be?” Gunne, turning to catch Mac before he had gotten too far, laid eyes on Celestia as well. Her presence there vexed him as much as the clydesdale, but for different reasons. “What are you doing here, mare? Why are you not seated at your master’s side like a proper pet?”

Celestia bowed her head, sliding her hands forward on the ground while bending her upper torso forward till her breasts pressed into the floor and her mane draped over her face. “I am here on behalf of my master,” she said, “He couldn’t help but notice that one of the attendees of his party was having a bad time, not joining in with any of the other stallions in conversation, or partaking of any of the many mares present tonight. With the night growing short, he didn’t want to let a guest leave the party unpleased, and so he sent me to ensure that your night didn’t end with you leaving unhappy.”

“And by that ya mean?” asked Mac, hoping that she didn’t mean what he thought she meant.

“If you wish it, sir, my body is yours to enjoy for the remainder of the night.” Celestia declared as she rose back up, that smile still on her muzzle, disturbing Mac by how innocent and, for lack of a better word, ‘real’ it looked.

It was like she didn’t understand what had been going on all night – that the mares of her kingdom had had their lives utterly decimated, that the stallions had been corrupted into fiendish creatures consumed by desire, that her own cherished sister was mere feet away and dangled in agony from her bonds. Red collar or no, it was impossible for the princess that he knew to ever be happy knowing that this was the destiny that her people had been forced into. How in Equestria could the wise and benevolent alicorn princess simply sit there and smile when so many were suffering?

But... as he actually stopped to take a look at the former ruler of Equestria, an explanation finally dawned on him. Somehow, he had failed to notice something that was different from his mental image of the alicorn aside from her severed horn, plucked wings, and a branding of black chains that overlapped her cutiemark. Her collar, which he assumed was red, was instead purple.

It was something so terrible that Mac had to take some time to process this new revelation. How could the caribou do such a thing, and when? When he walked into the the gala and saw Celestia at a distance, he could have sworn she was still wearing a red collar. Had it been a trick of the light, or of his own mind denying the possibility that of all ponies, Celestia, a pony older than any other, who had faced the trials and seen tribulations that spanned the entirety of pony history, could be so broken?

Only when faced directly with the truth did Mac have to accept it, and he knew that he was not mistaken since the large shrouds entrapping her wings were also of that same purple hue. The caribou had mentally destroyed the best ponykind had to offer, and if they could do that, they could do anything. He could feel another part of his heart chipping off as he stared into Celestia’s face, that smile of hers never wavering. The princess he knew was not here, she was miles away in what he hoped was a better place than the hell she had left behind.

At his side, he heard what sounded like suppressed snickering coming from his caribou associate. Mac had already been pushed to his limit several times that night, tested to see exactly how much he could take, and it appeared that Gunne wished to test that limit as well. This was one line crossed too many though, and Mac’s tolerance was low. Still, he restrained his urge to take Gunne by the armor to express the seriousness of the matter, and instead said to the stag, “What the heck do you find funny about this?”

“I’m sorry, Mac, but you must admit the situation is a bit humorous,” Gunne answered, doing what he could to wipe the smirk off his face for the sake of the stallion he considered his friend, “I mean you and I both know quite well why you’ve been avoiding things that any other man would jump at the opportunity to do, but your abstinence has been rewarded by the opportunity with one of the most sought after mares in Equestria.”

The caribou was, yet again, aggravatingly correct about the situation. Celestia, save for what the caribou had done to mar her, was the very image of beauty. Her voluptuous body haunted the hormone-filled minds of many a colt, and Mac would be lying if he said he never had an impure thought about the kind and beloved alicorn princess. With the former princess being nothing more than a sex slave, and stallions as open as they were with their perverted thoughts nowadays, there was no denying that most would trade in every mare they owned, and then some, just for a single night to do as they pleased with her heavenly body.

“So, Mac, I don’t suppose you’re actually going to take advantage of this rare situation, are you?” Gunne asked rhetorically, assuming that the stallion’s predictable moral qualms would rear their head once more.

A bit of worry appeared on Celestia’s face, “Does my body not please you?”

“It’s not like that.” Mac said in knee jerk reaction to the statement, “Ah think you’re a lovely woman, and that any stallion should feel lucky just being able to see you…” Mac gulped, taking in the every part of Celestia’s nude form, “As ya are.”

“Be careful Mac,” Gunne warned, “You don’t want to give this one a big head.”

“Can’t Ah even give a mare a compliment without ya-” For a second time, Celestia cut Mac off mid-sentence, but it wasn’t her smile that did it this time, it was her body.

Without warning, the alicorn rubbed up against the clydesdale while he was was distracted by his caribou companion, shoulder and ass raised as her back curved downward, starting with her face before running the entirety of her body had made one solid pass against Mac’s leg. That action felt similar to a cat seeking attention, with Celestia making a series of delighted sounds to further complete the connection. “Then I’ll be happy to fulfill your every desire, no matter how humiliating or strenuous it would be on my person. If it pleases you, I’ll take your cock into all my holes, no matter how much it stretches me. I’d love for you to spank me till my ass turns red, or you may tie me up and handle my vulnerable body as roughly as you see fit, if slapping my flank isn’t enough to sate your desires. My only wish is your enjoyment and happiness, and as a sex slave the only way I can provide it is through my body.”

Taking a second pass, the alicorn took a chance to press the side of her face against the crotch of Mac’s suit pants. Fight as he might, biology took over, and an uncomfortable erection took shape from this, with his penis and embarrassment rising at even rates. Watching his sister being violated was too much for him to stand by idly and watch, so seeing the mare he still mentally saw as the rightful ruler of Equestria, despite her current state of mind, acting in this less than flattering manner in the hopes that she would be bedded by him was in a whole different league. Celestia, regardless of what the caribou felt, represented the best aspects of ponies everywhere; and to Mac, seeing her turned into a purple collar and shaped into some kind of a sex pet in her mentally fragmented state felt like an insult.

And yet, he didn’t simply push the brain-damaged princess aside so he could walk out of the banquet hall as he had intended. Amidst the atrocity of it all, there was a part of Mac that acknowledged the fantastical aspect of this situation. Celestia was on her hands and knees before him, all but pleading for him to allow her the privilege of pleasuring him. His repulsion was in contest with a shameful side that he thought he had put away in the light of the caribou invasion. A side of himself that actually did enjoy the absurd display happening before him.

Celestia was such a charming person in her rule that she could have had anyone if she wanted, yet seldom held a suitor for whatever reasons she had. The idea of being the one to reintroduce her to the pleasures of the flesh was an often thought of, but never spoken dream that entered the minds of all stallions, or perhaps even all ponies, from time to time. It was a thought that took many shapes; ranging from a simple romantic affair, to more ambitious fantasies of becoming king and ruling Equestria together, to more caribou-esque concepts of having the princess at one’s mercy to do with as one pleased, if only for a short time. Mac’s own imagination usually led him towards the former, since he enjoyed what his simple farm life was at one point and wasn’t really deep into the bondage stuff himself, only having ever done some very light rope play if his partner requested they do something outside the norm.

So, as much as he hated to admit it, he felt a slight temptation to act on Celestia’s offer, one akin with wanting to take a piece of candy from a store. What would it hurt if Mac took the Alicorn somewhere private and pleasured her like a mare should be? As a purpled mare, Celestia might not even remember it beyond that night, seeing him as just another stallion from the hundreds, maybe thousands, that she had already been made to fuck and would be made to fuck down the line. The only men that would know about this would be Gunne and the king, as everyone else was so fixated on what was happening on stage that they didn’t even notice the alicorn had left it herself, so he didn’t really think rumors would spread if he did decide to indulge himself for once.

Gunne would applaud him for coming out of his shell for once, but he didn’t seem the type to go out of his way to repeat another man’s business, especially if he felt it would offend the person. As for the king, while Mac had no clue on what he was really like, enough stallions and stags had done so much to his pet by this point that this wouldn’t mean anything to him, and thus wouldn’t even be worth talking about in the first place. So really, what would it mean if just this once Mac said ‘fuck it’ and took a moment to fulfil a personal fantasy? Like Gunne had said, this was a rare thing for a stallion like Mac, since the pleasure of screwing the former princess was a privilege usually reserved only for the highest members of Equestrian society and the loyal guardsmen of Canterlot. A farm pony like himself got only one shot at a body like hers, if they ever got a shot at all.

“Ah! Ugh! ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!!” Lamented sounds of a mare in the midst of an unwanted and unsatisfying climax hit his ears. He had heard this far too many times not to know it’s source, and his brotherly instincts took over. Immediately he turned away from the once-proud matriarch treating his leg like a rubbing post, sending his attention back towards the stage.

In the time that had passed since he last laid eyes on his sister, her position had changed dramatically. Instead of having Ivangir hold her up off the ground by her thighs, her hooves were now planted well on the ground, upper body bent forward into a near perfect right angle as Ivangir pummeled her ass from behind. It would have been hard for her keep balanced in such a position, but the caribou was helping her with that in characteristic fashion. He had taken her neatly braided mane and knotted it around her wrists, holding onto the end of it so he held up AJ’s weight using the roped length of hair and the arms they were tied to.

AJ assisted in the matter the best she could, pulling with her bound arms to keep her body from dipping down too low, but not doing much else except holler and struggle. From the moment this started, Ivangir had taken any control AJ could have had away from her, making his actions be what moved her body. As she was, even if she wanted to escape the caribou’s aggressive invasion of her ass, he would just pull her back painfully by her hair. With the way Applejack’s head was angled, her back curving in a sharp arc, it looked like Ivangir was doing that regardless, just so she would have the worst possible experience he could grant her.

It showed too, as AJ alternated from clenching everything in an attempt to ease or block out the agony she felt, to yelling at the top of her lungs wide eyed as she let her misery out. Of all the times Mac watched someone rape his sister, this was certainly the most brutal sexual assault he had seen yet, which was in its own way amazing seeing as the caribou was just using his body and not something like a whip or a crop or some other device created for the sheer purpose of inflicting pain. Each thrust of his hips pushed his Applejack’s whole body forward, making her breasts sway and her hooves nearly leave the ground from the force.

The reckless, uncaring treatment of his sister horrified Mac, but also gave him the perspective he needed. Witnessing AJ in what had to be one of the absolute worst moments in her life, he didn’t even know what he had been thinking just a few moments before. If he was to compromise his moral values by having sex with Celestia, it could end up leading to him looking at mares as the caribou did. It could start out as mere curiosity, and have all the good intentions in the world as he worked to give Celestia what the caribou conditioned her to want, but that was a slippery slope. One time where he reasoned to himself that ‘it would be okay to try’ could easily turn to him thinking ‘no one would stop me if I did’, and then where would he go from there?

That logic might have been an exaggeration, and perhaps for him it could have been a one and done, but why risk damning himself. If he could resist such thoughts further down the line, what would that mean? He would still have to live with the mistake he made, eating away at him as he attempted to keep it a secret from his loved ones. It was just not worth it.

His silent revelation didn’t stop temptation from giving it another try though, and soon her felt another rub against his thigh as Celestia once more gave him a show of affection. “Are you sure you don’t wish to use my eager and willing body? Yours would be the first real dick I’ve had all night, and I would make sure to satisfy you in every way imaginable. It would be something you would never forget.”

“Yeah… That’s what I’m afraid of...” Mac said, knowing that it wouldn’t be hard for the alicorn to back up her claim.

“But sir, I promise you that my cunt it the greatest in all of Equestria,” Celestia went on to say in the most sultry voice she could muster, not quite done trying to convince the stallion, “And if it is not what you desire, then my whorish ass would graciously accept your cum. Should it fail to entice, my skills with my mouth and tongue are sure to suffice, as well as my massive tits as I use them to stroke you to climax.”

Mac shook his head. He could swear that something in the universe was trying to test him, but he would not fail in this instance. Even so, he didn’t have it in him to lay a hand on Celestia, even to guide her away. However, Gunne had no qualms in doing that for him.

“You’ve overestimate your abilities of seduction,” said the stag as he snatched up her multicolored mane and directed her head away from Mac’s leg, “He said he didn’t want to fuck you.”

Celestia hardly flinched as she was torn away from the male she was sent to pleasure. In fact, she looked elated as her beautiful hair was painfully tugged at. “Yes sir, I understand. I was only trying to do as my master instructed me.”

“And you failed,” Gunne scolded her, though he knew well enough that the only reason she did was because Mac wasn’t interested. “Now be a good alicorn whore and return to the king. If he is feeling merciful he’ll give you another opportunity to redeem yourself later.”

“That is a wonderful thought,” the alicorn said showing delight, the continued tugs on her hair seeming to thrill her as her cheeks blushed and she let her tongue hang from her mouth in a lewd expression.

Gunne aimed Celestia around the crowd and back towards the steps of the stage so she could rejoin with her master. He sent her along her way with his hoof by giving her a firm push against her posterior, and when he felt he had made sure the purple mare knew where she was going he returned to Mac.

“Well that was something,” he said, “And I think it has let me learn just a little bit more about you.”

“What more could ya possibly know about me now that ya didn’t before?” Mac asked, believing that his nature wasn’t really that hard to read. He had been an open book about everything up to now, so what more was there for the caribou to read into.

“I’m beginning to think you might actually be incurable.” Gunne replied, though not with the kind of apprehension Mac would expect from such a statement when coming from a caribou. If anything, it looked like the idea amused Gunne.

“Ya get that just from me turning down an offer from sex from th- I mean from her?”

“Not exactly,” Gunne said, taking his place at the back of the crowd so he could continue watching the show on stage, “But one has to admit that the king’s pet one of the more attractive females of your race. Yet, you’ve built up this seemingly impervious wall in your mind that prevents you from acting on your natural urges, no matter how tempting. You simply refuse to succumb to it.”

“And that makes me mentally ill to you?” Mac was feeling like this was leading another one of Gunne’s unintentional insults.

“I think that it makes you a rather silly stallion,” Gunne said, doing all he could to refrain from smirking, “It will be interesting to see how long you latch to this ‘moral code’ you have formed from growing up in the terrible environment you did, and believe me when I say that I still don’t truly believe in such things as ‘incurable stallions’, but you might be the closest thing to the concept as there could be.”

“And what does that mean between us?” Perhaps the previous encounter with Shining Armor still had his nerves wound up too tightly, but he just wanted to make sure that he hadn’t crossed over some line that made Gunne perceive him as a threat.

“Nothing at all,” Gunne reassured, “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, but you’re illness means nothing to me so long as you abide by the laws the king has set in place. As far as I’ve seen, you’ve done nothing wrong, and I could even say that you act more like a man should than all of the other mentally deficient males I have met. So unless you’re feeling guilty over something you’ve done, you should really stop worrying.”

“Ah guess you’re right…” Mac said, realizing that he had asked this same question, or variations of it, far too many times, “I’ll try not to bring that up again.”

“I would appreciate that. Now then, it looks like the counsel is almost done. It would be a wasted trip if you decided to leave now.”

Looking at the stage, it did appear that the council was coming to a climax, in more ways than one. Their faces were covered in signs of blissful pleasure, and they were thrusting into their selected mare with a lack of control as they rushed towards their own building orgasms. With the end coming so soon, there was no point in not sticking around and seeing what would happen.

He joined with the rest of the ponies watching, locking his eye on the horrid display on stage. It enveloped his attention so much that he didn’t feel the touch of two gentle hands setting down on his shoulders, nor did he sense the muzzle going up to his ear. He didn’t even realize anything odd was happening until he heard the words “I’m sorry Macintosh” whispered into his ear by the sweetest, most sympathetic voice he had ever heard.

He knew this voice, as he had just heard it not moments ago. It was Celestia’s, though it in no way reflected the tone the purple collared alicorn had before. She sounded less like a cock hungry whore, and more like the princess he remembered. It stunned him, more than anything else had in the past year, just to hear those three words spoken by that kind and caring voice.

He stood there for a moment, frozen in place, as the hands slipped off his shoulders. Mac suddenly felt very alone, the presence of the noises and people around him becoming very distant. All he could think about was those three words, and what Celestia could have been apologizing for. Was she just trained to be apologetic in general, and thus was saying sorry that she couldn’t satisfy him? Did she understand that he wasn’t like every other male at the party, and was giving her condolences for the way things had become? For all he knew, it could be an apology for something completely obscure, and unrelated to the fall or her duties as a slave all together.

He needed answers, but as he turned to see if the alicorn was still there, he caught only the glimpse of her tail disappearing behind the congregation of ponies and stags. With the question of what she meant burning in his thoughts, he of course gave chase, but by the time he got around the bend himself, Celestia had gotten to the steps of the stage. He knew well enough that going on the stage was a bad idea, and the two guards stationed at the step reinforced that notion. As much as it bothered him, it looked like he would never know the reason Celestia decided he deserved some sort of apology.

---

The world was a blur; a mixture of pain, misery, and a constant reminder that there was a person who was the cause of both. Applejack could feel Ivangir so far inside her ass that the first bend in her intestines had to reshape itself just to accommodate him. It felt like Ivangir was doing everything in his power to test the limits of her endurance, and unfortunately she was passing with flying colors. An average mare might’ve blacked out, unable to handle the intensity of the caribou’s lust, but the farm mare didn’t have such liberties.

“What’s the matter?” The caribou said as he pulled back on the braid he held, having tied it so loosely around her wrists that he could use it to yank her head backwards. “I heard you did this to yourself when you got that red collar of yours. You should be loving this.”

AJ didn’t know if Ivangir was legitimately asking her a question or whether he was just mocking her, but she didn’t really have the ability to care let alone answer. The violent thrusting was was making her head spin, filling her with a horrid concoction of sensations every time he shoved into her depths, as well as physically propelling her whole body so she couldn’t focus her vision on anything as her head was constantly bobbing up and down.

The only thing she could concentrate on was the damage that Ivangir had done to her. Her inner womanhood was essentially one giant cramp, strained to its limit when it was made to stretch around the massive fleshy rod that now inhabited her ass, still dripping out the thick, white batter that the caribou left behind when switching holes. There were plenty of bruises forming under her fur from where Ivangir would deliver the occasional slap or grope a spot far too roughly, and she was beginning to feel rope burn on her wrists from all the rubbing her braid was doing against it. There was nothing pleasant about this, as even when her biology took over and an orgasm came it only intensified the pain as tired muscles tried to perform a function they had already been pushed too far to accomplish.

As images whirled about her in blotches of brown surrounded by a sea of black, she occasionally spotted a blur of color in the mix. AJ knew that these splotches of pink, white, blue, yellow and purple were her friends, each only a few feet away from her and in a similar position as herself. When Ivangir decided he had spent enough time in what he considered foreplay, the others followed by his example and gathered to bring this night to a close. As they stood, the six caribou and six mares stood in pairs, forming a circle with their bodies. The council, each gripping their selected mare by either their arms or mane, were all faced inward so they could watch the others as they piston fucked the pony impaled on their penis, each doing everything in their power to outdo the others in an impromptu competition of masculinity.

Because of their positions, the six female ponies were likewise face to face, their heads bobbing in and out of the center of the circle as they were pounded, filling the space with moans, grunts and gasps. Rainbow Dash added her own enraged howls to this, as even now she struggled to fight a through a situation beyond her control, but no one outside of the circle could here them over the sounds of passionate lust, and Twilight’s own shameful declarations of being “The Pony Princess of Pussy” as she let herself blurt out whatever lewd thoughts would come to mind, which was answered by Pinkie locking lips with the alicorn in between thrusts.

There had already been a few times that AJ had to endure something like this, where she and her friends were brought together to serve as some sort of an example, to validate the supremacy of men and act as a symbol of female weakness. When they surrendered the Elements of Harmony to the Tree of Harmony, the caribou’s revised Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant, the Gala, it was all different ways of expressing the same point.

So as she was having her backside pounded by the guy she hated worst in the world, she couldn’t help but have her thoughts wander to the future that was ahead of her. She and Mac had followed Gunne’s plan to a T, acquired the red collar that he promised would make things better, but what did it really improve? Even if someday Mac was able to keep her on the farm and away from the men of Ponyville, as unlikely as that was, events like these would still be a constant problem in her life.

Days where she would be paraded like some prize before hundreds. Where she wouldn’t be under Ivangir’s “protection”, and would she would have to fuck any man or mare that came before her like a red collar was expected to do. She would have to fuck, suck, and slurp on her own accord, with each action adding another regret to the pile. What would that do to her over time, to her will, to her sense of self?

The blurred streaks of color around her showed many possible futures for the farm mare, many points where this lie could lead. She could end up like Rarity; a mare who seemed to only play her part out of sheer hopelessness; stripped of any power and standing she had as a free mare, cowed into a corner she had no ability of getting herself out of, and living day by day in a lie so she could pretend that she was living the life she wanted. It was a sad, underserved destiny for anyone who had what she could to put the wants and needs of others before her own.

She could become like Pinkie Pie; partially, or perhaps fully, succumbing to base lust and desire, her true self all but lost in an ocean of euphoria. It seemed less likely an outcome for AJ, since she wasn’t a brothel mare, but over time the despair and remorse of the life that was stolen from her could take it’s toll, and maybe that would be enough to break even her if she allowed it. How long would it be when the act stopped being an act? How long would it be until the persona she invented to get her through these situations took over, her anger and disgust buried beneath a facade.

Even if her personality persisted, she could turn out to be like Fluttershy. Submitting to the caribou, adhering to their ways, and becoming a mockery of what she really was. It was horrific to lose one’s self because of abuse or an onslaught of sex, but to lose all sense of will while your mind was still intact was a different, yet equally frightening, horror altogether. A shiver flowed over her as scenarios formed in her head. She could see herself doing some mundane task one day, something like delivering a cart of vegetables to Ponyville, and finding herself on her knees before a stallion because he told her to abandon her work to suck down his dick, simply because he told her to.

The unsettling thought of having another’s word dictate her actions blocked out the sensation of another orgasm being forced into her by Ivangir’s savage thrusts, her fear of such a life overpowering even biology. The fluids of her climax seeped out of her pussy and down her leg did remind her that there was one more option left however, that of Twilight. The others might have been transformed into something far from what they were in their lives before the caribou, the alicorn’s own changes were by far the most extreme. It still dumbfounded her how one of the nicest, smartest, and heroic mares she ever had the pleasure of being friends with could become approve of an evil concept such as slavery, and comply with the desires of villains who would casually destroy everything she use to stand for.

It begged the question ‘if a pony like Twilight could turn so easily, could the same happen to anyone else’? Could AJ one day become what she despised; a true red collar, tossing away all sense of morality, taking joy in her enslavement, defend it as the only destiny a woman could have in this caribou ruled world? Could she turn a blind eye to the suffering of others, or go as far as to join in? The earth pony had seen mares in the past gleefully entrap others struggling for freedom and escape in painfully tight bondage, the near crushing embrace of the rope and leather squeezing tears from their bodies as they screamed to deaf ears for mercy. She had watched women guide an unwilling mare’s mouth down on a dick to till they choked on the engorged stallionhood. She had experienced first hand how someone who she used to buy flowers from tried to betray ponies she was close to, with only the promise of more sex as a reward. What would it take for the farm mare to become like them, and was she already unknowingly walking down that road?

These were the four examples of what awaited her in her future as a red collar: loss of hope, loss of sanity, loss of will, loss of self. Each one of these fates were equally terrible, and led to an end that was against everything she stood for. She would rather die than turn out that way, where she could no longer even pretend that there would be a day where things would be better. Without that hope, she might as well just lay down, give up completely, and refuse to allow the caribou anymore satisfaction from her by becoming unresponsive to everything. Would be better to do that than to live a lie.

As those thoughts passed, a warm feeling became more and more noticeable to the mare. The feeling formed inside her, building in her core, accompanied with a certain familiar pressure. Ivangir’s elongated groan of pleasure, as well as his strengthened pull on her mane, let her know that the caribou had finally came. His jism was flooding her intestine, pouring out of Ivangir’s cock in such volume that she felt it might find its way to her stomach.

She gritted her teeth as her ravaged body was held in painful pose; legs together, ass spread wide from the cock in it, her body bent awkwardly with Ivangir pushing down at the bottom of her spine, while at the same time pulling her head back. Her back curved to it’s limit, while her chest pushed outward. The longer she was held there, the more her muscles cramped and stiffened, intensifying her agony. Ivangir, reaching the end of his climax, pulled out his cum covered cock out to near removal from the apple mare’s ass, and gave two finale powerful thrusts to finish his victim off.

The first one forced AJ to break what little composure she had retained, her muzzle unclenching as sparks in her body sent jolts through her, compelling her to let out one last moan as she was made to cum one final time against her will. The second jab into her innards cut her cry short though, as the caribou simultaneously pushed his rod in as hard as he could and pulled back oh her mane with the same intensity. For a small moment, Applejack’s body was lifted completely off the ground by the meat mast inside her. The narrowness of her irises, as well as her silence, expressing the combined horror and misery she felt, but even the mighty caribou dick couldn’t hold up a full sized earth pony body for long, and after a few brief moments of suspension, Ivangir released her hair and allowed her to slide off his still spurting sex organ.

AJ hit the wooden floor of the stage hard, the force of the impact staying with her as she felt the remaining wads of cum rained down on her from the caribou standing over her. The hot, white spunk felt like it was everywhere, covering both her insides and outsides. It was a nasty feeling, but one she had gone through countless times as a slave. Yet, somehow the caribou’s cum made it all the worse, like the substance was more filthy… grimier. She would rather be covered head to hoof in muck from a pig pen than to have a drop of caribou sperm on her, but right now half of her body was covered in the substance.

Still, through her disgust, embarrassment, and full body aches, she managed to make a smile. AJ had been violated in a way that no other male had ever done to her before on their own, but she had made her way through it all. It was reminiscent of pulling a triple shift in the fields, working herself till she had no energy left. Applejack would be feeling the effects of it for a few days after, but she had push herself through it all the same. She was done, having fulfilled the physical part of her obligations. Her muscles could now relax, she could at last put this night behind her. The feeling of her pain fading away was more enjoyable than any of the orgasms brought on by her rape, the relief more comforting that the undesired pleasure ever was.

“See,” she heard the caribou standing above her body announce, “This red collar bitch loves riding my cock! Look at how pleased she looks! Pushed past her limits, and still she grins like a stupid cunt getting a new sex toy!” The crowd gave a round of applause and cheers to Ivangir’s statement, and with their admiration, the caribou directed his attention back to AJ, “And now you can consider yourself a red collar. Be appreciative that I spent all this time to drill your true purpose into that thick skull of yours, as you won’t get the privilege of being impaled by my cock again. You were more interesting as a stupid and stubborn black collar, and as a red you’re just another dime-a-dicking dirt mare that’ll turn tricks for any guy who wants to stick it in you. Completely, and utterly, worthless.”

Ivangir made his way off stage, passing by Applejack to deliver one last small kick to her gut before leaving her to lay in a pool of his semen. AJ didn’t even bother to react to the hit, she was past the point of caring about both his petty attempts to insult her, and his physical abuse of her being. If what Ivangir said was the truth, then he would never be a problem for her ever again. He had achieved his glorious triumph in his mind, believing he had finally broken her. After that, she was no longer any fun. She was just another red collar in an ever increasing population of mares turning into cum sluts, and with no particularly interesting traits on top of that, she had become boring to the caribou who derived pleasure from taming those who resisted his will. For her, his disinterest was one of the greatest rewards her otherwise repugnant red collar could ever grant.

With the pain in her ass gone, and the soreness in her rear receding, Applejack took a moment to relax and allow the world around her to stop wobbling after the harsh thrusting her body been put through. The blurred colors were once more resembling her friends, and the brown backgrounds they were splashed against reshaped into the caribou fucking them. The other red collars certainly looked as if they were enjoying themselves more than she had, each being consumed in a constant string of orgasm. Fluttershy’s was wincing ever so slightly, the caribou pounding her pussy perhaps being too aggressive, but she was still going along with not so much as a ‘no’ to what was being done to her.

Rarity seemed to have changed her tune as well from her earlier attitude, with nothing but lustful moans escaping her exhuasted lungs. Her head was so clouded with pleasure that she had trouble controlling her body, having to be supported by the one taking her from behind, the cruel caribou holding the top half of the unicorn’s body up by her once lovely mane alone, while keeping the back half upright with her tail. The parts of her body that could, that being her arms and jaw, hung limply as her pupils tried their best to vanish behind her upper eyelids. Her tongue popped out on occasion from the rhythmic pumping of her pussy, and its retreat back into her muzzle was the only sign that she wasn’t completely out of it. Rarity would certainly sleep soundly once the gala was over, that was unless Shining Armor felt that she somehow didn’t deserve it after all she was put through.

AJ watched the other reds for only a short time as she caught her breath, catching a second wind right as she heard the remaining council members reach their own limits. One by one, they sounded off their last grunts and poured what little cum they managed to preserve throughout the gala’s festivities into their respective mare. Each of the girls announced their acknowledgement that they pleased the caribou inside them, heralding the arrival of their sperm with a few final sounds of shock, excitement or, in Rainbow’s case, outrage and dismay before being released and allowed to join the apple mare on the floor. The group became a quivering, gasping mass of cum spewing bodies, on the verge of passing out from the physical stress they had received over the course of the night, with Applejack, being the only one to avoid the gauntlet of sexual activities, the only one who still felt capable of moving of her own accord. All the others were devastated, writhing on the ground in punishing pleasure that resonated through their beings. Twitches, shuddered gasps, and small squeaks were all any of the other ponies could create after such an exasperating ordeal.

For a while, the caribou surveyed the six mares they destroyed with their dicks, basking in their own masculine glory as they listened to the cheers directed towards them from the other guests of the gala. The council members had little doubt that they were amongst the most virile of the men there, and no one there would deny it seeing how they had outlasted everyone else. However, even the best the caribou had to offer had its limits, and for the first time in a long time each one of them could say that they were spent, but in the end they still were not satisfied. They knew they could obtain gratification through means other than sexual dominance, and that they could show these mares where they stood without the use of their emptied dicks.

“Get your stupid cunts in gear,” Hrathr said, bending over so he could place a finger into the rings of both Applejack and Fluttershy’s collars. Feeling a tug, the two mares looked inside for whatever reserves they managed to hold onto during their intense session of climaxes. They allowed Hrathr to lead them, as a pet would allow its master, and were brought to the edge of the stage. The other council member brought the other four over as well, exerting their power over the mares through their exhaustion to line them all up side by side, fronts forward to the audience so they could get a good long look at their sweat-covered bodies, their breasts that tremored with every labored breath, and gaping, violated holes, stretched by the council members’ dicks till one could easily see the inner walls of their vaginas if not for all the jism held within.

With most of them almost too tired to hold themselves upright, the caribou assisted them by gripping the back of their collars. The six former elements of harmony, put on display as their cum-filled orifices spilled their contents all over the floor, showed just exactly how thoroughly a caribou could devastate a woman with their dicks. The way they struggled to keep from succumbing to their weariness, or slipping into euphoric bliss after countless orgasms, reinforced the notion that no man could quite match up to the sexual prowess of the caribou council. Everything about these mares made that more than clear, from their cum drowned, spasming pussies, to their glazed over eyes, to their messy manes and the smiling, but drained expressions. AJ herself joined in on flashing her pearly whites, not wanting to be the only red not to be showing her expected enthusiasm, having reason to smile now that she assumed that she had completely her womanly duties, at least for the night.

With the council’s masculinity firmly established, all that was left was to clean up after the mess that was these mares. A wave of beckoning from one of the their ranks was all that was needed, and a group of pony guardsmen made their way on stage carrying several large buckets. Encircling the tired mares, they unceremoniously dumped the contents out, and the weary women suddenly found a new source of energy as gallons over ice cold water poured over them. Not one was spared the terrible, yet exhilarating, sensation of frigid fluids passing over their hot skin, cleaning them of spunk as their body temperatures rapidly lowered a few degrees. Shrill shrieks and shivers were shared by all, and when the guards were done it was only Twilight who had any ability of keeping a pleasant appearance plastered on her face.

Applejack made no effort to restrain the sour look that had grown on her face, angered at not only her own irritation, but the discomfort of her friends as well. It probably would have been picked up easily by the guards, but a clear view was obscured by the head of a certain pink pony as she latched onto the farm mare for warmth. The suddering and squeezing, accompanied by incidental rubbing of body parts, as Pinkie’s pointed nipples pressed into AJ’s fur, didn’t make her feel any warmer, nor made the elated laughter of the guards any more tolerable, but it did keep her from expressing her distaste for such treatment in a way that surely would not be appreciated.

“That’s enough,” said an unmistakably imposing voice. The pony guards, along with the caribou council, made way for their king. Dainn seemed very pleased, or at least that was what Applejack took from that half smirk of his, and seeing how his party had gone off without a hitch there was no reason for him to be upset. Perhaps his only disappointment was that it had to end.

“Return these two back to their masters,” said the king, pointing to Rainbow Dash and Rarity, “After such a hard day of service, I’m certain that they long for the comforting embrace of their rightful owners.”

“Yes, my king,” replied one of the guards as he took a leash from his belt and clipped it to the ring on Rainbow’s collar. Another guard went to Rarity, this one not bothering to get the leash on his own belt or grab her by the collar, but instead showed a particular interest in treating her as cruelly as possible as he went right for her mane to wrench her up to her hooves. Rarity, either out of exhaustion, fear, or willing capitulation, didn’t fight against this ill-spirited method of directing her to her next destination, and did her best to follow where her head was being yanked. Every time she matched the force applied to her though, the guard just increased his pull that much harder till she couldn’t keep up anymore.

“As for these two,” Dainn went on to say, pointing to Pinkie and Fluttershy as he looked to his council, “Do what you will with them until the closing ceremonies are finished.”

“With pleasure, my king,” replied Anvari as he and Hrathr collected the ponies they had picked to be their personal cock sleeves. Anvari had to practically pry the pink mare off of AJ, her grip on her friend as tight as a vice, but with a bit of effort he managed to remove the two mares from one another. Pinkie, once she realized that she had made the caribou exert himself in order to retrieve her, gave a worried giggle through a series of nervous twitches. Hrathr expressed that he was not amused by her antics, giving a cold glare back to her, before pointing her to the stage’s steps.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity were each escorted off stage, each being taken to the back of the room, heading to the VIP box where they would be handed back to their owners, or utilized by the caribou they had been given to. None of the drenched mares were even allowed to say goodbye to the two they were leaving behind, and could only give one last parting glance to both AJ and Twilight as they left the platform, some of the looks given less pleasant than others. The caribou council members remaining on stage soon followed, heading to the same destination as the four mares. They wished to end this night in their private seats, surveying the last portions of the gala from their perch as they amused themselves with the prizes they had claimed long ago for what little time remained for them.

“And what of these two?” a unicorn guardsman asked, inquiring about the farm mare and the former alicorn princess.

“The dirt mare has one more duty to her kingdom to fulfill,” said Dainn, “So she will stay here. As for the alicorn, she has done an… adequate job fulfilling her role, so she may take a place at my side with her former mentor for the remainder of the gala.”

AJ had never seen such joy as the kind that appeared on Twilight’s face upon hearing what the reward for her efforts were. The way she showed off her pearly whites rivaled any smile Pinkie had ever produced, and Applejack couldn’t help but see a twinkle in the eyes of fallen heroine right before she leapt forward and hugged the leg of the caribou king.

“Oh thank you my king!” the alicorn said in earnest, before noticing what she had done in her excitement. She hastily removed herself from Dainn’s person, and bowed her head to the floor. “I mean, Thank you my king. You honor me with your kind words.”

Dainn didn’t seem to be put off by Twilight’s actions. If anything, her fanatical behavior was welcomed. Women were suppose to enjoy a life of sexual slavery after all, and praise was amongst the greatest rewards one could hope to receive, and to get it from the king no less. Her reaction was warranted, if not demanded.

Dainn tapped his upper thigh a few times, and like a good pet Twilight answered his silent command by crawling over to that side. When Dainn turned back to his throne, Twilight scurried on her hands and knees to make sure she stayed close to the spot she had earned, paying close attention to the movements of the king so she didn’t stray too far. Many a caribou would have exploited such behavior, seeing how far they could manipulate the alicorn for sport, going back and forth in seemingly indecisive movements until she tripped over her own appendages. Dainn did not play such games with his prized pony though, more concerned with returning to his chair than pointlessly testing a mare who had already proved herself to be loyal, obedient, and subservient.

Returning to his sitting area, where Celestia awaited locked in her decorative cage, the pair left Applejack where she sat on the floor. “There will be a brief intermission,” Dainn declared while easing back into his luxurious chair, “After which we will begin the closing ceremonies, and will be entertained by a speech given by a most humble dirt mare who, after much time in denial, has come to understand that she had always been meant for a life of servitude under men.”

At those words, the pony guardsmen left to attend to setting up the room for the final activities of the night. The room was being hastily rearranged to allow the guests to be seated in the center, instead of near the walls, and all objects were removed to make way for rows of folding chairs spaced far enough apart that each guest could have a slave mare sit aside them for a bit of last minute entertainment. The only thing left behind in all this was the party’s centerpiece, Luna, still held suspended above the ground and barely conscious after everything she was put through, jism seeping out of every orifice from her near constant violation over the course of the gala. Whichever lucky stallions or stags that claimed the seats placed under her would have quite a sight dangling above them, and perhaps the chance to make the poor princess’s night a little bit worse with their attentions, though they would have to watch out for the cum she had collected over the course of the night dripping onto their expensive party outfits.

During this short moment of reprieve, AJ was at a loss at what she was supposed to do. She wasn’t exactly told to wait there until she was needed, but she wasn’t given permission to relax. All the guards, the council members and the audience had left, and she felt almost alone despite the banquet hall still being packed well beyond the recommended capacity. So far no one had come over to correct her for just sitting there, but from the moment Dainn sat down he locked his eyes on her, and didn’t look away as he started to stroke Twilight’s hair like she was a common animal.

That could have meant anything though, or nothing at all, so AJ ignored the glare and decided that as long as she wasn’t being bothered, taking the time to recuperate from the brutal fucking Ivangir gave her wasn’t a problem. Still, she didn’t go so far as to lay down for this, as she had a good inclination that the moment she tried something would happen to prevent her from doing so, since that seemed to be an ongoing theme for her during the gala. Her expectations were not disappointed either, as mere seconds after choosing to do nothing, she felt something take hold of her tail and give it a few light tugs.

Applejack, checking who was trying to get her attention, found that her tail was held within a magical aura. Someone was using their telekinetic magic, and that meant all she had to do to figure out who was bothering was look for a glowing horn. She couldn’t find a glowing horn though, at least not one within normal range for an average unicorn to be able to grab her. What she did find though was a pair of glowing antlers at the edge of the stage.

At first she was infuriated that there was a caribou that still wanted to mess with her, but that frustration dissipated slightly when she figured out that the caribou in question was Gunne. He was trying to get her attention, and her brother was standing next to him. Seeing Mac alone was enough to make her much better, a friendly face doing her wonders.

Gunne beckoned the mare over, AJ finding this to be the first order she was given by the stag that she was happy to abide. She crawled over, hoping that she and Macintosh could have a moment to speak with one another, no matter how brief, and while the situation might not have warranted it, she gave the clydesdale a powerful hug the moment she got close enough.

“Well… ummm… it’s nice to see ya too.” Applejack knew that Macintosh wasn’t exactly comfortable with the way she was hugging him, with her having to bend down from her elevated position to wrap her arms around his neck, her breasts draping down on his chest.

For once though, Applejack didn’t care. She needed some sort of emotional connection after the pain, disgrace and humiliation brought to her by the man who she could have called her greatest enemy. She could hold back tears, she bite her tongue and keep her opinions locked inside, but she couldn’t stop herself from embracing the last person she felt she could still trust completely.

“Excuse me,” said Gunne, having no problem ruining the moment, “But we don’t have time for this.”

“Gunne….” Mac said, returning his sister’s embrace, “Give her a minute.”

At the clydesdale's request, the caribou backed off for a minute to allow AJ a little respite. Mac brought up his arms to embrace his sister, as awkward as their hug was from his angle, and rocked his sister slowly back and forth to calm her nerves. AJ, enjoying this tender exchange, wished that she could stay in this moment forever. However, Gunne knew that time was of the essence, and if they missed this window of opportunity then it would cause problems that the caribou rather avoid. “I hate to pull punctuality, but your minute is up. Mac give her the speech I had you hold onto earlier.”

Mac reached into the pocket of his tux, and pulled out the folded up piece of paper. The mare, knowing that Gunne was right, removed herself from Mac and put out her hand so Mac could place in it the words she would have to say in front of everyone.

“Don’t lose that,” Gunne said as if to a child, not trusting her competence though she would be giving the speech in mere minutes, “I don’t have a replacement if you do.”

AJ scoffed, but gripped the paper tightly in her hand. If she could agree with Gunne on one thing, it was the importance that she keep hold of what the caribou had written.

“Now, get back into place and do what you're supposed to,” Gunne grabbed Mac by the arm, and started leading him away from the stage, hoping that what the two ponies had done was only seen as an affectionate display between slave and master.

“Wait!” AJ called out, much to Gunne’s disapproval, “Where are you two going?”

“If you need to be told, your master and I will be doing our best to reserve seats at the front as soon as they are set up. The other participants are busy getting some last minute refreshments, so that will give us a little time to claim a good spot.”

Mac looked back to his sibling with reassurance reflecting in his eyes, “Don’t worry AJ, I’ll be close if ya need me.”

Applejack’s lips went tightly shut, and her face crinkled a bit. She didn’t want to part with Mac so soon, but she understood he couldn’t stick around and disrupt the closing ceremonies by standing at the edge of the stage. She was reluctant, but with her pre-written speech in hand she crawled back to where she had been before being lured over by Gunne. She would just have to be patient, and have the courage to get through the speech without Mac by her side.

---

Time passed, and before long everything was in its proper place. A pedestal of glass had been brought up to the stage, made with the line of sight between the guests and any mare up there in mind. The stages and stallions were also seated with that as a priority, the larger caribou sitting in the back rows while allowing the ponies to sit up front, with a few of the males deciding that the sitting near the walls was still the best choice of seating arrangement.

Then of course there was the VIP box, which occupied the entirety of the caribou council, the runemasters, important ponies such as Soarin, Fancy Pants, Shining Armor, the commandeered members of the Elements of Harmony, and whatever personal female slaves and pets they had decided to bring that night. Soarin himself was enjoying his gaggle of girls, having placed Spitfire on his lap, her legs going over and being spread apart by his own, his dick stuck inside her vagina as his two other pegasi, Dash and Lightning Dust, knelt on either side of him. They were given the task of licking his sack and what parts of his cock were left outside the former Wonderbolts captain’s cunt as he thus pumped his penis inside her, Dash of course having to have her face pushed into the stallion’s crotch, while her red collar compatriot had the liberty of pleasuring the pony unbound and at her own pace while caressing her womanly features.

Very few alterations were made to the stage itself. A few cum-covered maid mares, which AJ recognized as the ones that had helped her earlier that night, had come to mop up the various fluids that had spilled over its wooden surface during the orgy. They had to do so several times since the fluids that covered them would drip off as they worked, but now the stage floor was spotless, and a pedestal of glass stood upon it.

Dainn, finding everything to his liking, rose from his seat, and approached the pedestal. “And so, in this late hour, we bring this glorious event to a close,” he announced loudly, his voice booming throughout the silent banquet hall, “We will return to our domiciles, every man fully confirmed in their dominance over their domain and every woman having a reinforced idea of what their proper place in the world is, with memories of the festivities of this night to act as a reminder of both of these things for all who attended.”

A round of loud claps arose from the king’s words, but the caribou king was quick to lift his hand and lower it slowly to silence the sounds of approval, “But before you go, we have a mare who wishes to say a few words of her own. To show her gratitude for all we men have done to guide her in the past year, and how much happier she is following the order brought by the caribou, made possible by the hard work of the men of this great nation of Equestria.” Dainn looked over to AJ, and that was all she needed to know it was time. Giving herself one more silent gulp, she went to face her fate.

Each step was like walking a mile, knowing that everyone in the room was now watching her, scrutinizing her every movement, or perhaps just fantasizing about her toned and endowed body. It was like their gazes had weight, bogging her down. Friends, relatives, the former leaders of the nation, red collars, black collars, the richest and most powerful stallions Equestria had to offer, the collection of rapists that destroyed her world, and of course the man who ruled of them all that she going towards.

Applejack didn’t waver though. She didn’t show so much as a quiver of her lip as she took her place standing behind that podium, keeping her head bowed while walking past Dainn. Her heart pounded in her chest, but any visible signs of her fear were near unnoticeable, with only a deep breath to calm her nerves taking precedence over the unfolding of the pre-written speech.

“Ah-he-hem,” she said, clearing her throat as she spread out the piece of paper across the smooth glass. She reviewed what Gunne had written, and looking to memorize a bit on the fly so she could try to keep a steady flow of speech without pausing or tripping over her own words. She hardly got off the first sentence when the paper was torn away from her, lifted off from the pedestal by an act of telekinesis.

“What do we have here?” said Dainn, having floated the piece of paper to himself. His eyes roamed over the paper, skimming to get a quick understanding of what the mare had kept on her person.

“It’s the speech I’m gonna to give,” AJ answered, being direct.

“Did your master give you this?” Dainn questioned, finding what he read to be far above what he believed a mare of Applejack’s background would be capable of. AJ gave him a nod in response. With his personal prejudices about her confirmed, the earth pony assumed that she would be handed back the speech so she could continue, but to her shock the king crumpled it up and tossed it aside. “It was very well written, and would have been a joy to hear, but I think that it would be better if you told us how you felt about your new life with your own words.”

“But…”

“Is there a problem with that?”

There were plenty. She could give a speech on the fly if need be, having done so on several occasions in Ponyville when asked, but what the king wanted to hear from her was not her forte. Even as she frantically tried to recall what was on the speech from what she had read earlier that night, she was having extreme difficulty piecing together the words that would have declared that she found the enforced servitude, along with the ceaseless sexual, and physical and verbal abuse to be some great honor to suffer through. The worst part of all was that whatever she said at this point would be an outright lie that she would have to fabricate herself.

Dainn smirked, seeing the how immediately unnerved the mare was without her cheat sheet. “Don’t worry, we aren’t expecting much from a pony like you, just that you put in your best effort to amuse us with you most humble and self-abasing words. If they come out poorly without the aid of your master, then that is just the nature of a mare.”

Dainn placed his hand on her shoulder, and turned her back towards the waiting crowd. Whatever she was going to say, she was going to need to say it soon, as she doubted that Dainn was as patient or understanding a person as he was making himself out to be, and she knew that many of the men looking at her didn’t even pretend to carry such virtuous traits.

“Umm… Well… hello y’all… Nice party we’re having, isn’t it.” The earth pony fumbled for things to say, feeling a nervous sweat form on her brow. She could already hear the snickering of some of her observers, their faith in her dropping drastically with each hesitated word.

“Ah am here before you a cha… a changed… mare. Mah master has taught me so many-”

“Play with your tits!” called out a random stallion from the sea of judging eyes, their tolerance for this poor display already wearing thin.

“He has taught me a lot since I’ve become a slave and…” There was little more that AJ could think to say, her introduction being from the small part of Gunne’s speech she managed to read to before it was taken from her. She was put on the spot, and drawing a blank. She really hadn’t learned anything about being a red collar, a ‘proper slave’. All she really had learned was how to hide her feelings, and not very well if she had to be truthful. She was in over her head, up the creek, and every other metaphor that meant that she was in a situation she couldn’t handle.

Looking for any kind of help, she looked for her brother amongst the crowd. She needed his support, or at least his presence, to help her through this. As he had promised, he had found himself a seat in the first row, one at the very end of the row, seated close to the stage steps. Gunne was seated directly aside him, his palm covering his face at how terribly Applejack messed up something that should have been simple.

However, Mac didn’t seem to share Gunne’s aggravation. As AJ was embarrassing herself with her silence, he was patiently waiting and watching for her to continue. Where everyone else in the room was already disregarding AJ as a ignorant dirt mare who had no business on the stage as anything more than eye candy, Mac didn’t show a single sign of doubt in her. No expressions of embarrassment, or attempt to slink away sheepishly to leave Applejack to whatever punishments she would receive for her failure. He just sat there, his attention directed only to her in wait for her to get her act together. He had complete faith in her, knowing that she could accomplish nearly anything if she put her mind to it.

AJ couldn’t help but smile at the thought, and calmed her nerves as she focused on the one thing that she felt she had learned from this terrible situation. Though perhaps learned was too strong a word, for what she had in mind she had always known.

“Ahem!” she said loudly, getting her previously meek voice to a volume loud enough to regain the attention of the dismissive crowd. “Ah know that all of you think that ah have nothing important to say. Ah bet that most of y’all feel that mah lips are put to better use wrapped around your privates than up here talking about something as unimportant as why Ah accepted being a sex slave. You’ve already heard the same stories hundreds of times before. A red collar was broken by their master, or they were sent on a trip to a training facility and set straight, or just maybe just gave in when presented with no other options or the ability to screw as much as they wanted to. Well, in mah case it was a bit different.”

Little by little, the interest of the males listening to her began to peak, and soon there were few that were ignoring her completely. They wanted to know what this supposedly unique reason for a mare to become a red collar was, and perhaps if they could use it in the future to tame their own stubborn black collars.

“After I was collared, and shown how Ah would be treated as a woman, Ah felt had a strong resentment towards every man Ah saw. Ah thought that all any guy would want of me from then on was to make mah life miserable. That was until Ah was handed over to the stallion that would be mah master. He helped me see that Ah could still be happy, that there was still a way that Ah could live in Equestria and do mah part, and not hate everything that Ah was being forced to do. We took everything one day at a time, and every time Ah came back with drenched in cum, threatening to break out in tears, he would do everything he could to make me feel good again. There were still times that Ah lashed out at stallions, and he was sure to tan mah hide when Ah went too far, but Ah always understood that he did it with the best of intentions, that he was just trying to keep me out of trouble. Ah would wish that every mare could have a master like mine, one that gets more respect from the women he is in charge of than any other man in all of Equestria. If not for such a stallion, Ah would not be up here now, wearing this red collar around mah neck.”

The speech was not at all elegant, or what she would call ‘good’, but it got the point she was trying to make across. Macintosh, her brother, the stallion she was forced to call master when he would rather she not, was the greatest stallion, no, greatest man she knew. He had done so much for her and the other girls on the farm, suffered the mental stress of a normal stallion having to live in an abnormal world, and all for the sake of those he cared for. If there was ever a man that deserved praise, admiration and devotion, it was him. He earned the respect he was given, through his compassion and good nature, where others had to demand it because they had power over those with no ability to fight back. Neither of the two farm ponies truly believed that Mac owned Applejack, but if she had to have a master then she couldn’t ask for a better one.

Those listening were not so impressed though, their groans announcing their overall disappointment. The stallions and stags were expecting some grand secret of how to turn any mare they wanted into a cock-hungry slut, and instead they got that. It was already a known strategy to torment a woman to their lowest point and then feign some sense of compassion for them, and it didn’t even work all the time. Now it just seemed like her master got lucky with his approach, which was good for him but did nothing for them.

As for the women who sat through the speech, their enjoyment of it was a bit more varied. There were some who took her words to heart. While not well spoken, the way she spoke sounded sincere, and made them think that if they truly had masters that cared about them as Applejack’s did for her, then perhaps their own enslavement wouldn’t be so terrible. Still, others felt it was all just a ruse. There were a ton of reasons that a mare would take the stand and propose what benefits there were to submitting. Blackmail, brainwashing, threats of torture. To mares whose suspicion were high, the pure and honest declarations were nothing but lies that couldn’t be trusted.

“Ah guess all Ah trying to say is that mah master is what makes this all worthwhile.” Applejack added, trying to leave off on a note that had some sort of message, even if it only really applied to her. “And as long as you can find something that can keep ya going, nothing else matters.”

There was little more AJ could say that was positive about being a slave. She had come to equating the feeling of climax to feeling sick, and everyone she knew outside of the shelter of Sweet Apple Acres was changed for the worse, with those who refused to change being treated like prisoners in their own bodies. What more could she really talk about when only the terrible parts were left.

After a brief moment of silence, the audience took the hint. Her words were hardly worth their time in this late hour, but they did show that she was properly indoctrinated into the caribou way of life. Such obedience and dedication to her master meant that if he commanded it, she would do it, and that meant they could get her to do anything if they could talk the stallion who owned her into it. That thought, and the want to head home and rest after a long nice of sexual exertion, allowed the males to give a half hearted clap to wrap things up.

“That could have been better,” said Dainn from behind the farm mare, not sharing even the mild enthusiasm for AJ’s attempt, “You could have put more effort into explaining why women are inherently inferior, or done something to provide us with a bit of visual stimulation.”

“Well beg your pardon King Dainn,” AJ said with a grin, somewhat enjoying the tyrant’s annoyance with her, “Ah suppose Ah just wasn’t thinking. Can ya forgive me for making my marely mistakes.”

“Indeed...” Dainn said giving the mare a glare of mild tolerance, “We can’t expect a mare to think for herself, and perhaps my instructions were too vague for you to understand. Still, you did as you were told and showed you are worthy of the comfortable collar around your neck, and that does deserve some sort of a reward.”

“A… reward?” Applejack asked with caution. There was never anything rewarding about a gift given by a caribou.

The king didn’t respond to her, instead turning to his loyal subjects. “This mare, while showing an aptitude with words expected of her kind, has shown how far she has progressed from the arrogant, uppity and self-centered creature she once was. She no longer focuses on what is best for herself, but instead what is best for her owner. She understands that when he lashes a whip across her back, it is only to teach her the folly of her poor decisions, and that when he instructs her to give into her inherent and insatiable lust, it is to let her allow herself a chance at true happiness. She might be far away from an ‘ideal woman’, but she has made steps towards that end. So I, King Dainn, liberator of men, conqueror of female falsehoods, and rightful ruler of Equestria, have decided to grant this mare one of the greatest rewards that a woman could ever strive for.”

Reaching down beneath the chestplate covering his upper torso, the large caribou undid the front of his pants, and sent his hand inside. A distinct numbness grew over Applejack’s body, starting from her core before spreading out over the entirety of her body. She was unsure why she thought that all it would take was speech to allow her to go home, take a long snooze in her warm bed, and push this night to the darkest recesses of her mind. How did she ever believe that this night wouldn’t end at the end of dick?

The king took the time to carefully remove the entirety of his genitals from the protection of his pants, exposing his light brown, white splotched cock and scrotum for all to see in an almost ceremonial unveiling. The size of the organ gave the farm mare pause, the shaft already in a state of half erection, slowly growing and becoming rigid as it exited the confines of the fabric that kept it hidden. A series of throbs gave the meat rod an ever increasing girth, until finally it was at a size that would make the most session slut reconsider accepting Dainn’s offer. His sack alone, tightly wrapped around the two testicles it was guarding inside, appeared to be half the size of her head, which made her believe that such an dick entering her body in any way would only lead to agony and an unwelcome tearing of flesh.

“Are you intimidated?” Dainn asked the mare calmly, questioning her hesitation, “Fear not, you have earned an opportunity given to few of your kind. Now do your duty, and get to work.”

The solid rod of meat seemed weighed down by its own mass, as even at full mast it hung at a diagonal angle that pointed the head of it in the direction of her face, like it was declaring its intended destination. Her mouth was the only reasonable place it could go, though the size of it would make it impossible for it to go anywhere past her lips without grazing sensitive skin against hard, pointy teeth. She was going to have to lick the caribou to climax, since she didn’t believe giving him a firm handjob was going to cut it with a person who had as high expectations from women as Dainn.

Applejack took a step forward, closing the small gap between the sex organ and herself. This was unavoidable. It wasn't like this was an offer that she could just turn down. Doing that would be seen as an insult to his masculinity, and a faux pas like that, especially at an event like the gala, would not go unpunished. Best to take her licks and walk away with as little conflict as possible.

She opened her muzzle, and one last time she let out her tongue in order to do as a man told her to. The earth mare hadn’t really been paying that much attention to the king that night, but she believed that he hadn’t taken the time to relieve any of the pressure that undoubtedly had built up in his sack as he watched his subjects go at it. She hoped that would make this short, but with no assumptions that it would be sweet.

Tilting her head sideways, AJ looked out to the audience, wanting to put her focus on anything that would take her mind off the vile task ahead of her, with the scent wafting off the caribou king’s not giving her the best expectations of what awaited her tongue. At first, she directed her gaze to Mac, her port in the storm, the person she most found comfort in. He didn’t seem any more pleased with this sudden change of plans than she did, but he remained steadfast, refusing to turn his head away, no matter what disgusting things were being done. Ever the dependable and protective sibling, his presence alone gave her a feeling of strength that could carry her through this.

However, before the earth mare could place even one of her taste buds against the soft skin of the awaiting appendage, something else caught her eye. Movement, lots of it, coming from the VIP box at the other side of the room. She tried to ignore it, but whatever it was was disruptive, persistent, demanding her attention even more so than the giant penis about to poke her in the face.

The disturbance, to Applejack’s partial surprise, was Pinkie Pie. Her fidgeting was starting to get the better of her, with her body moving about with enough intensity that Anvari had to hold her down. The Apple mare hadn’t seen her fellow earth pony’s ominous twitches this bad since the time they faced off with a hydra in Foggy Bottom Bog. Whatever those wiggles and shudders were predicting, they were coming up fast. The last time something like this happened, it was for something as simple as Twilight’s opinion about something changing. With the sporadic and unpredictable nature of Pinkie’s ‘Pinkie Sense’ though, this could mean literally anything.

She did her best to push the thought out of her mind, to avoid thinking about what it could be, and if it had any implications on her, but that just caused her to notice the rest of her close friends up in that balcony. From one side to the other, they were all up there, kneeling next to their owners, or the council member that appropriated them for the small time that remained for the gala.

The first one in line was Prince Shining Armor, with his two red collar slave mares, Rarity and Cadance, doing their own rendition of AJ’s own upcoming performance. The enthusiasm of the fallen pink princess was noticeable, even at that far distance, by how fast and furiously her head pointed upwards and tilted downward, her tongue tracing the length of her beloved master’s dick while slurping away at it with each motion. Rarity did what she could to emulate her superior in servitude, but the slower movements of the white unicorn suggested she didn’t have near as much motivation as the alicorn.

Next down the row was Vestri and Ivangir, with Vestri’s own unicorn pet sitting between the two of them, followed by Pinkie and Anvari, and then Hrathr, who had placed Fluttershy on his lap so he could give her a good stroking as reward for her obedience, both on her mane and in between her legs. Finally, after skimming over Nothri, Throtr, and Durnir, as well as ignoring the going ons of the caribou and stallions seated behind the front row, AJ landed on Rainbow Dash.

The multi-colored mare had found a moment where she could pull away from her master, and chose to utilize it by watching the stage. Applejack could tell, even with the distance that separated them, that Dash was peering into her with the same level of resentment as the pegasus had shown to her when they joined in the main hall. The intensity of that stare, boring into her, condemning the earth pony for daring to assume the name of one of her friends while preparing to wrap her lips around the cock of their most hated enemy. The amount of guilt AJ felt from those damning eyes added to the immense sense of self loathing she already had. It made her feel sick, her stomach turning from the rush of terrible emotions, combined with the salty flavor now floating in the air around the phallus in front of her.

“I understand that you might want to savor this moment,” said Dainn, his patience wearing thin, “But the time to perform your duty is now.”

AJ looked up to the caribou king. She was stalling. Though she knew what was expected from her, she was finding it hard to allow herself to take that final plunge. She had been a mere centimeter away from licking Dainn’s dick for a half a minute now, but so many things inside her were holding her back. It wasn’t the act itself that was the problem. At this point she had gulped down enough penis to put the most whorish of pre-fall sluts to shame. In fact, the idea of sexual shame wasn’t even present. What bothered her was what this all represented.

Should she cross this threshold now, at this moment, this would be it. Pinkie had warned her of this long ago. “If you give in, you can’t go back. You’ll be their plaything for the rest of your life, and eventually you’ll regret it.” The second she touched her tongue against the turgent caribou rod, she would be all but abandoning her old life. Word of how she ended the gala would spread like wildfire, and she would be committing herself to this facade.

The act itself would come to define her, become a part of who she was, no different than the terrible tattoos she had seen engraved on the bodies of the buffalo by the caribou. “It is a reminder… of my eternal shame.” The words Strongheart once spoke when to referring to the time she gave in to the caribou emerged, warning her of the fate that awaited her should she do the same.”

AJ tried to push these thoughts from her head, none of them any use for her in her current predicament. She had other things to worry about. Her brother, the mares at the farm; they all relied on her pretending to be an obedient sex slave to have a somewhat normal life. When she was rewarded, their lives likewise became easier, so it went without saying that if she were to be punished, they would likewise suffer. It would be that way for as long as the caribou were watching her movements, and they had bestowed upon her such importance as a mare that she might always be under scrutiny.

“But some things are just too important.” Another rebellious thought came to the surface, with Fiddly now being a reminder as to why she shouldn’t adhere to caribou demands. Why was everything so difficult all of a sudden? Why hadn’t Dainn made a move and ended this already? Take his satisfaction from her like every other male she had come across and rid her of the burden of forcing herself to do something she didn’t want to, of essentially being the instrument of her own rape.

“Come on and suck him off already!” One of the caribou in the back rows called out, the lack of action getting to him.

“What are you waiting for!?” Another added.

“She thinks the king’s dick is too much for her,” a stallion closer to the stage chimed in, “Stupid dirt bitch doesn’t have what it takes to be a red.”

“Get on with it!”

“Yes, get on with it!”

The crowd was becoming restless, the mare holding this up for far too long. They were telling her to just accept it, that she was a woman and this was her fate. They were all singing the same tiresome refrain that she had come to know well. Let lust take you, be a red collar, give up, doing anything else was foolishness. Those voices overwhelmed the others by sheer number, but their negative words were still being drowned out by the ones that told her they were wrong.

Through it all, she was becoming more and more curious as to why Dainn was still waiting for her to make a move while everyone else was demanding that the mare’s face be pressed against his dick. It would have been easy for him to place his hand on her head and press it forward, and she wouldn’t even stop him if he did. That didn’t seem the point for the king though. This was supposed to be his complete victory over her, where she would give him the one thing that he couldn’t take from her. She had to willingly hand over her submission, just as mares deemed greater than herself had done before her.

He was forcing her to be the one to do this perverse act. Showing her that there were no options in this matter. That she was a red collar, and as one she had to act as one would act. Perhaps he had noticed how she pussy footed around the issue, let the men take charge and never really pursued her carnal desires desires as she was expected to. Now she had to pony up, and display how loyal she was to the caribou she really was. To do otherwise would prove that she was not the mare she made herself out to be, and to the caribou not being worthy of a red collar meant you were deserving of a black one. She had always feared that it would come down to something like this, something that in a split second could ruin everything, in either one way or the other. A point where she would have to choose between herself, what she wanted her live to be, or for those she cared about, and their safety. As much as she hated the thought of it, perhaps it was time she accepted her fate.

---

The crowd quieted themselves as the farm mare made her move. She placed her hand on the massive meat rod in front of her, grasping it firmly in her palm, before pushing away from her face as she backed off from Dainn.

“A-Ah can’t…” she said, choking out the two words.

“Excuse me?” Dainn said, though the evenness of his voice suggested he just wanted the mare to clarify what she was saying for the audience’s sake.

AJ clenched her fist, trembling, before finding the resolve to lift her head up and look the caribou king in the eye. “Ah won’t do it!”

The room filled with noise instantly. A combination of mutters, boos, and laughter at the stupid mare who had the audacity to tell the king, of all people, no. The noise would have no doubt went into rioting, if not for Dainn himself lifting his hand and lowering it to settle them down. As he stood, towering over AJ, with unflinching eyes, he spoke in an unimpressed tone as he addressed the insolent mare. “And why is it that you ‘won’t do it’? Has your worthless female pride finally gotten the better of you?”

The reasons why Applejack refused where not so petty as the caribou king made them out to be. While pride, or at least a sense of self worth, might have been a factor, she was doing this for those she loved.

If the earth pony were to do as she was told now and simply gave up, then nothing good would come from it. She had seen far too many times what happened to mares like herself that accepted a red collar. Sure, they would be treated fine for a while, led to believe that their lives could be ‘tolerable’ so long as they obeyed, but that only ever lasted so long. They would always be tested, pushed to their limits, and even when they fulfilled every requirement given, some reason would be created just to make them start over at square one. Rarity was a testament to that kind of treatment, having time and time again struggled to climb up the caribou’s ladder, only to be pushed off it at their fickle whim.

Even putting caribou treachery aside, AJ had to think of those still struggling to make it through each day experiencing another nightmare brought on by their oppressors. Women who had lives and purpose before the caribou, who watched it all turned to ash, and were clinging onto what little hope they had left in this world. Though she had never intended it, the caribou had made her into a symbol of that hope. ‘The most stubborn mare in Equestria’, always fighting against the monsters who had enslaved her, in spirit at least, if not in the literal sense. She had a nagging sense of responsibility towards those who looked to mares like her and Rainbow as a source of strength, one she had been trying, and failing, to ignore since she earned her red collar, for the most selfish reason that she had ever done anything.

Applejack was afraid of leaving Sweet Apple Acres. Afraid of being handed off to Ivangir, or someone just as terrible. She told herself that she had become a red collar for Mac, for the others on the farm, but deep down she always knew that was a lie. When Mac told her there was a possibility she would be taken away, she covered up that fear with anger, and clung to the only thing she could to keep that from happening. In doing so though, she put Mac through more pain than she ever thought she could. Leaving scars on his heart each time he watch her go down on a cock, or begged to have her pussy stuffed to amuse some asshole. By trying to keep herself away from harm, she had hurt Mac more times than she could count. Seeing that it was never going to stop, AJ couldn’t continue putting her brother through that time and time again.

The earth pony gave the VIP box one more glance. As she assumed, Pinkie’s twitches were going full force. By this time, she had a good idea of what they were trying to predict, and if she was right then there was no avoiding it. Pinkie’s senses were never wrong.

“You know exactly why Ah won’t do it,” Applejack declared to the caribou king, summoning up all the courage she could to overcome the sense of fright trying to tell her that it wasn’t too late to turn back, “Ah won’t do it because it’s wrong. I’m not gonna let you just push me around because ya are bigger an’ stronger than me, and I’m not gonna lick your dick just because ya say so neither.”

“Is that so?” Dainn said plainly as he crossed his arms, not yet making any attempt to stop the mare from continuing.

“You’re darn tootin ‘that’s so’,” AJ responded, “I’m tired of doin’ what ya want me too just because you want it to be that way. Ya come into Equestria, rape everyone in sight, brainwash the stallions into thinking the way you do, and just expect everyone to fall in line the way you want things. Ya even got mah brother’s head all muddled up with your nonsense. Ah hate how he goes along with everything ya tell him to do. Just thinking about how a member of mah own family makes me and the other mares fuck, how he even broke one of them by doing so, disgusts me.”

While AJ might have been willing to toss herself into the fires, she was not going to do the same to anyone else. She needed to make sure that sure that Mac couldn’t be implicated in this, and make it seem like he had control over the other mares in his care. If there was ever a lie worth telling, this was it. It probably hurt him to hear this coming from her mouth, with all the guilt he had been feeling as of late, and it would hurt him worse when she was taken from him, but in time Mac would get over this. He would move on, find happiness in rescuing those he could from their family, and be much better off doing so without her. She had been his burden far too long.

“So ‘your majesty’,” she said in the most arrogant tone she could fake, now going full swing into her defiant act, pacing about slightly and sashaying her hips in as she taunted the caribou king, “If ya want your dick sucked, Ah think ya better look somewhere else, cause you're not getting it from me.”

She had to admit, it felt good to be able to mock the person who ruined the world she lived in, to see him just stand there and take it. It reminded her a bit of the days where she fought creatures like him directly. When she and the rest of her friends stood triumphantly against any challenge that stood in their way. Of course, this wasn’t the same situation, and she in no way felt she would could out of this without severe punishment, but the feeling inside her matched, and maybe even overtook, anything she had ever felt during her time as the “Element of Honesty”. It might have been pure, unfounded bravado, but it gave her the courage she needed to let the fear slowly fade from her.

Dainn’s eyes traced the insolent mare’s movements; AJ was sure that he was going to aggressively express his disapproval any moment. However, he seemed to have more restraint than she assumed a caribou was capable of, as he didn’t just snatch her up so he could make an example of her. He instead looked over to the seat he had been using all night, and the purple alicorn sitting in wait next to it.

Twilight, unlike the king, appeared perturbed at the behavior of the farm mare. Her eyes were wide, irises narrowed, and with the king now looking her way it was clear the alicorn felt she would be held responsible for the behavior of her friend. Instead, Dainn beckoned her over, rushing over on hand and knee to join the king at his side.

“Twilight,” said Dainn, returning his gaze to the defiant earth mare, “Since this one has turned down the reward I have so graciously offered her, why don’t you take it instead.”

“A-are you sure my king?” Twilight asked nervously, unsure if this was a test of some sort. The alicorn relished the mere notion that she could taste the salty and savory flavor of the king’s cock, but now didn’t seem like a good time to do so. Not when there was a mare blatantly questioning the king’s authority a foot away.

“This dirt pony should see the gift that she refused to accept. It will make it much easier for her to understand exactly what she lost when she is being punished for her insubordination.”

The added reasoning the king gave Twilight removed the small amount of doubt she had in following his command, and she allowed herself to partake of the privilege presented before her. Her motions were subdued at first, rising up from her crawling state, sitting on her knees so she could reach her lord’s still firm stallion-like cock with her muzzle.

Twilight gave nary another word as she began, placing her soft lips on Dainn’s dick, kissing it tenderly as one would lover. Slowly she traveled from the base of the caribou’s shaft up to the engorged head sitting atop it, showing her worship of the monstrous phallus by trailing its length with her affection, and once she made it to her destination she let loose her tongue from her muzzle so she could run it along the path she just travelled as she returned to her starting position at the bottom of the king’s cock.

With her oral organ released, she proceeded to pleasure Dainn with the utmost of care, lapping at every inch of exposed meat, making sure to hit every part of its surface, covering it with saliva while making sounds of elation akin to those one would make if they were being pleasured themselves. There was no doubt that the alicorn was enjoying herself, enraptured that she could serve one greater than herself, that alone being all she needed to create a flooding of sexual fluids from between her legs. The way her chest pushed out as she took in a breath, and with it the scent of the masculinity that emanated from the caribou king. The stiffness of her nipples as they poked out from her fur, the way the ends of her lips curved upwards, her eyes focused on object of her desire. She was completely absorbed in her task in a way seldom seen in other mares, with perhaps the former princess of love being the only mare to show equal devotion to affection being displayed.

As Twilight licked and rubbed her face against the penis, spreading the fluids she slathered across it back onto her person in a show of lewd, animalistic lust, the king paid her attention little mind. As he received the kind of stimulating attention that would have distracted the most focused of stallions, his eyes never strayed from the earth pony in front of him, his composure never wavered, with only the occasional twitch of his dick indicating that he acknowledged Twilight’s touches.

The scene repulsed Applejack, the disturbing image of one of her best friends adhering to the whims of a person so cruel and evil as Dainn, rubbing his cock across her face as she used only her muzzle to pleasure him, being more than a little unsettling. It did not deter her from what she was doing though, and actually gave her another idea altogether. The entire night she had been trying to reach Twilight, get some sign that she was still the mare she knew and maybe even get her to snap out of whatever turned her into the slutty, subservient mare that knelt before the caribou. If there was ever a time she was going to have a chance to do that, it was now.

“Twilight…” she said, a tinge of sadness in her voice as she spoke directly to the alicorn, “Don’tcha understand what’s going on here? Ya can’t be so out of touch that ya can’t see that what the caribou are doing is wrong.”

The alicorn ignored Applejack’s words, content to slurp her lips upon the king’s massive rod. The only response she appeared to give the farm mare was an increasingly loudening series of moans and other sexual sounds that were unnecessary for oral sex. No one could be getting that much of a rise out of an act that granted no physical pleasure.

“Answer me!” AJ finally yelled at Twilight in frustration, “Ah want to know if this is really how ya want things to be!”

“Go ahead and tell her,” said Dainn, patting the dutiful mare’s head, “I’m sure that we all would enjoy what you have to say.”

Twilight, at Dainn’s instruction, stopped her task and addressed AJ’s question. “Of course this is how I want things to be. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be wearing this.“ The alicorn raised a hand to her collar, lightly touching it, grazing its surface with the tips of her fingers. “You might not have understood this when you were given your own red collar, but when you bear this it means that you’ve accepted everything that it means to be a mare. That you are nothing but what your master thinks you are, and that your body and mind only exist to serve them. In return, you are to expect nothing, and anything that your master gives to you is to be seen as a gift. This is the only fulfilling life that a mare… No, a woman can ever live.”

The words that Twilight gave sounded like it was spoken directly out of a book, and guessing on the amount of similar tripe that had been fed to the alicorn since becoming a red collar, AJ had no doubt that it was. These couldn’t be Twilight’s thoughts, and Applejack refused to believe otherwise.

“Ah don’t want your textbook response. Ah want to know how you really feel about… THIS!” AJ spread her arms out wide and looked around the room, not directing her attention to anything in particular, but more to everything on the whole. “Equestria is a mess!” she said, not having the vocabulary to express how thoroughly ruined things had become, “We didn’t accept any of this, we were forced into it. You’re masters have turned us into slaves, raping and beating acceptance into anyone who tries to refuse. I don’t know if you understand this, but those black collars aren’t just some ‘symbol of reluctance’. They hurt, all the time. When one of ya red collars are laughing it up at ‘how stupid’ a black collar is for not liking sex, they are making fun of a suffering girl who hates being fucked because all they can relate it to is pain, which is drilled into their heads even more when they get punished for feeling the way they were essentially made to feel.”

AJ had to take a few deep breaths, her emotions starting to get the better of her. It was hard to tell if any of this was sinking in, as while Twilight was taken aback by all this, she didn’t yet show any real remorse at this confrontation. The farm mare had to keep going though. If there was any hope for her friend left, she would find it here.

“And while you're sitting there in that collar ya love so much, let me tell ya that being a red ain’t all clear skies and sunshine nether. Gettin’ to be one was a real pain in the keister to begin with, since they want to make it hard as all get out to let a black collar change even when they want to. Ever since then it never let up. Ah have to do so much work just to please a bunch of caribou… jerks!” AJ was doing what she could to hold off from spouting obscenities, for her own sake. She never did so before the caribou, and it was one of the few things that they actually changed in her with their influence. “Ah come home so worn out that ah can’t so much as lift a hoe, let alone get any real work done. It’s ridiculous!”

“Well if-”

“But ya know what!?” AJ cut Twilight off before she could try to reason out all she said with some caribou nonsense. She wasn’t about to let her say something like ‘she should be trying harder’ or ‘that was her problem’, not when it was very likely that she’d never be allowed to say so much as a word ever again after this. “Even if Ah believed that Ah could be happy living a life where all Ah do is screw mah brains out day in, day out, there is no way Ah’d be able to do it when Ah think about how many mares cry themselves to sleep each night! Or how many ponies have been fucked so silly that they can’t act like normal ponies anymore! Ah live in a world where Ah got to worry that a member of mah family could be blanked just because they wanted a better life for themselves, or worse, that they become like you and give up everything they ever hoped for!”

That last part was a bit harsh, but it had to be said. If Twilight was to understand the severity of the situation, then she had to see that she was part of the problem. It looked like it worked too, as Twilight finally stopped licking Dainn, and appeared to be genuinely stunned by this revelation. It might not mean anything in the long run, since the caribou still had a powerful stranglehold on Equestria whether Twilight had a change of heart or not, but perhaps this could open a long-closed door for the alicorn.

However, as Twilight’s shock subsided, what replaced it wasn’t sorrow, guilt, or even despair at what she had help the caribou do with her capitulation. It was loathing. The way that Twilight sneered and creased her brow towards the farm mare matched the fiercest look that any black collar ever gave a rapist stallion or misogynistic caribou tyrant. The alicorn was glaring at her like she was some sort of revolting thing, like she was disgusted just having to share the same room with her. It was an expression AJ had never seen Twilight make before to anyone, and it hurt to know it was directed at her.

“Applejack, I can’t believe you,” the alicorn started, readily prepared to give her counter argument, “I had thought that after all this time you had learned something. That you were ready to accept your destiny and stop living the lie Celestia created to keep men from their rightful place as our masters. I had my doubts too, but then I learned what it was like doing things the way nature intended and I’ve never been happier. In fact, except for you, I’ve never met a red collar who didn’t feel the same way.”

If AJ ever needed indication that Twilight was trapped within her own delusions, that was it. It might not have shown on the surface, but Applejack’s experiences with both Pinkie and Rarity told a different story. They weren’t happy at all, they were downright miserable, and were just better at hiding it than AJ could ever accomplish, no matter how hard she tried. Their acts were good, but this was the sort of things close friends should be able to see through.

“As for the rest of what you said,” Twilight continued, going for hilt into a full blown rant, “Black collars bring their punishment on themselves. They are told endlessly that if they just do as they are told, and they accept their roles as mares, then they will be treated well. I’m sorry that you feel that your responsibilities are such a burden, but there are plenty of others who can handle things twice as hard as anything you’ve ever done. The purple collars? That’s not even a problem. Stallions have made a spell that cures them by removing the memories that made them that way, and I should know, my father has used it on his slave about a dozen times now. And the ponies that get blanked? They are dangerous AJ. They have gone out of their way to hurt people because they’ve been tricked into believing the same lies you do, and are willing to stop at nothing to keep them going. They get what they deserve, and I’m not going to be guilted over ponies being given a merciful punishment for their crimes. I’m not the problem here Applejack, it’s ponies like you.” With that, the mare returned to fellating Dain’s cock, finding that she had nothing more to say.

So that was it. That was how she felt about the suffering going on in and outside of Equestria. That everyone who went against the caribou’s will were to blame, and that she was not accountable for the consequences of her actions, or lack thereof. Applejack was beginning to understand how Dash could feel the way she did. If the mare in front of her was Twilight Sparkle, there was nothing that supported that claim save for her appearance. The Twilight she knew could never be so callous, and had a heightened sense of responsibility. A pony who always went out of her way to help people when she could, and felt deep remorse during the times that she made even the most minor of mistakes. Twilight could never be ‘happy’ knowing that so many were miserable.

If not for being an alicorn, Applejack would have denied completely that this was ever the mare she had called friend, but even that didn’t hold water when compared to the gross alterations in the mare’s personality. As far as she was concerned, this wasn’t Twilight. It was just some pale imitation, and thus, no longer worth AJ’s attempts to redeem her.

Whoever this mare was, imposter or fallen heroine, AJ had no more sympathy for her, and was so furious with herself for having any in the first place. She wanted to say something, something to sever any ties that they possibly had with one another, but the words wouldn’t come. Then she looked to Dainn, knowing that he was the one responsible for what had happened to Twilight, that he was the one that put those spiteful and uncaring words into her friend’s mouth. Twilight was his puppet, a mouthpiece for his thoughts. She could blame the caribou on the whole for the alicorn’s corruption, but the truth was that Dainn was solely responsible for Twilight’s behavior, just as he was responsible for what had become of the rest of Equestria.

Shaking with rage, lips curling downward, and having to wipe the start of tears from her eyes before they went into full flow, Applejack allowed the words she’d wanted to say to Dainn for some time to escape from her mouth.. “Ah don’t know how… Ah don’t know when… but one day you’re gonna get what’s comin’ to ya.” Those words were comforting, but didn’t appear to faze the caribou king one bit. For all Applejack’s bravado, there was nothing she could do to back her words. Even if she was the Element of Honesty, she didn’t have the ability to know if what she said would ever come true.

---

Another round of boos arose, the men watching getting to a point where they could no longer sit quietly as they watched the willful mare defy the king. Some resorted to tossing at the mare whatever small bits of trash or leftover food they had on hand, but she made little reaction as it made contact, shrugging off any that made connected with her body, anger seemingly making her oblivious to it all.

And sitting within the chaos, slinking down in his seat as much as a man of his stature could, was Mac. Applejack’s sudden and extensive outburst was a bit embarrassing for the clydesdale, seeing as he was supposed to be the one responsible for her. What she said was completely right, but no one here was going to see it that way. The king had the support of every man here, aside from Mac himself, and thus her words were just turning everyone against her. It didn’t matter if what Twilight said made little sense or was factually wrong, as long as she danced to the tune that the caribou played, she was ‘right’.

Even Gunne knew that the jig was up, and was currently placing his face into his own hand. All that time he spent to give Applejack a proper image in the eyes of his peers was put to waste in a matter of seconds. The caribou gave a low groan, one of several he had given since AJ had started mouthing off to Dainn. “I’m sorry Mac. I didn’t realize that your sister was this stupid.”

“It will be okay, right?” Mac said, trying to be as optimistic as the situation would allow him, “Ah mean she’s going back to a black collar for sure, but Ah can still be responsible for her, right? Ya can still vouch for me being a good master and being capable of keeping her in check, right?”

Gunne shook his head, lifting his head up out of his palm to give the stallion a look of sympathy. “I can vouch for you Mac, and trust me when I say that if any inquiry on your part comes I will, but what your sister has done is inexcusable.”

“What do ya mean?” Mac asked calmly, still looking to reason things out, “She’s lipped off to guys before, and we’ve fixed it with an appropriate punishment. Can’t we work out a public spanking session or some sort of community service?”

“It’s not the action, but who she’s done it to,” Gunne explained, trying to get Mac to understand the problem, “She has disrespected the king, in his castle, in front of many respected guests. That sort of thing doesn’t get a woman a slap on the wrist like I’ve been allowing. It demands intense reeducation methods, to assure that things like this never happen again.”

“Then what’s gonna…” Mac stopped himself, not wanting to know the answer. He had a good idea of how far caribou punishment could go, and it didn’t stop at her simply being removed from her home.

“Looks like the ‘most stubborn mare in Equestria’ is back in action,” Mac heard muttered behind him, “And looks like that stupid dirt slut is in trouble now.”

“Do you think the king’s gonna make her into his personal whipping girl?”

“Why give her the honor? I bet he’ll put her ass out on the streets of Canterlot and let anyone have a go at her.”

“I hope so. I would love to see that girl broken by some real stallions.”

“Maybe she will go purple, that would be wonderful.”

“Or maybe the king will order her to be blanked for her insolence and put her on the market. Think a used cunt like that would be cheap?”

The comments on Applejack’s potential fate kept coming, each one worse than the one before it. Yet, each one plausible. If left alone with these kind of monsters, or with King Dainn himself, AJ would never last. She’d either be worn down physically, or destroyed mentally. Raped, tortured, and never given a moment's rest until nothing of the wonderful woman he knew was left. It was something that Mac couldn’t abide by. He couldn’t let that happen to his little sister.

Mac had only one idea that could save her, and little time to implement it. If he was to do anything, he had to do it now. Zipping his eyes over to the steps leading to the stage, he saw that the only thing standing in his path were two stallion guards, and they, like everyone else in the room, were too distracted by what was happening on the stage to pay attention to anything else. The clydesdale steeled his nerves, figuring that there would be backlash for what he was about to do, but did so while he got up from his from his seat. He didn’t have any time to stall or think things through, only time to act.

It happened so suddenly that Gunne couldn’t react, his eyes also glued to the farm mare and his king. He did notice that the stallion had risen from his seat, but from his peripherals he assumed that Mac was leaving the banquet hall to avoid seeing what was about to happen to Applejack. It was only when he torn his eyes away for a moment to make sure the stallion would be okay that he saw that Mac was making a beeline to the stage steps, and that he didn’t seem to care who or what was between him and his destination.

“Mac! Don’t!” Gunne said in hushed panic. He didn’t know what was going through the head of his companion, but if he could stop Mac, he wanted to do so without bringing attention to the clydesdale’s actions. If the stallion heard him at all, then he showed no signs of it as he pushed the distracted guardsmen to the floor, ascending the stairs to intervene with the events that were about to unfold.

Mac’s determination was unlike anything Gunne had seen in him before, and it stunned the seasoned caribou soldier to see how much effort the usually reserved stallion was putting into the wellbeing of one mare. Frozen to his seat from his shock, he could only hope that Mac knew exactly what he was doing, and that he would not try anything foolish in a vain attempt to save a doomed woman from her fate.

---

Back on the stage, AJ stood on spot as she was pelted with whatever garbage the crowd below decided to toss her way. She wasn’t concerned about that though, her attention was on Dainn, who had yet to move from where he stood as well, content to let Twilight finish the task she was giving before taking any action. The farm mare watched in silence as the image of her friend slurped his shaft, still having a million things to say about how the caribou ran Equestria, but seeing that they would only fall on deaf ears.

That alone didn’t deter her from speaking, but what did was the conclusions she had come to with the caribou king, and why he was willing to let her prattle on for as long as he did. Dainn wanted to see how deep a hole she would dig herself into, how many excuses she was willing to give him to punish her. Applejack was not going to play into his game.

She had gotten her main point across, said what she needed to say, and learned what she needed to know about Twilight. Nothing else mattered. After that, all that she had to look forward to was what would happen to her once Dainn decided he had enough. It certainly wouldn’t be pretty, but AJ swore to herself that whatever he would do to her body, she would never let him, or anyone else, break her. If only to spite those who followed the ideals of the caribou, she would stay resolute, and be a mare that would never bend to their will.

The only other thought going through her mind as she waited for her punishment, having already come to term with her thoughts about Mac and the farm, was how Rainbow was taking all this. That she wasn’t the last one of their group to retain a sense of independence and dignity. It had to be reassuring for her to know she was not alone, that at least one of her friends was still willing to stand up for themselves. Applejack hoped that sentiment would keep the pegasus’ own will intact for some time. It was unlikely that the farm mare would be able to give her any comforting words directly for a while, but if Rainbow lasted this long alone, then she should be fine on her own for a little longer at least.

Applejack had to push that to the back of her mind for now, as she knew that her time to dwell on anything but her own predicament had passed when Dainn finally released the white, hot contents of balls, a blast of semen erupting from his shaft. Twilight, being the target of the cum shot, hardly fliched as it met its mark, splashing a mess of viscous goop that covered her face, breasts, and collar to turn all visible parts of those bits a creamy white. The alicorn wiped her eyes and licked around her mouth, more than pleased that she could bring Dainn to such an amazing climax.

Noticing that there was a string of ropey sperm attaching the king’s cock to the rest of the white mass, Twilight moved in to clean what remained, but the caribou ignored her advance and allowed the cum cord to snap of its own accord as he stepped away. “Stay there and wait for my return,” he said to the alicorn. It was not going to be Twilight’s duty to clean out his shaft, that chore was being left up to the defiant mare before him.

“You have caused quite a commotion with this act of rebellion,” Dainn stated, looking down at the mare turning her face away from the cum filled cock that aimed towards it, “But that doesn’t remove you from your responsibilities. You will service me, either by choice, or by force. Which will it be?”

Applejack didn’t respond, didn’t want to give Dainn the satisfaction. She just waited, preparing for the moment he made a move. She didn’t intend to make this easy, ready to put up as much a fight as she could against a person who defeated Celestia in a one-on-one battle. In the end she was sure she would not win out, but she would make him remember well the earth pony he picked a fight with this night.

“So be it,” Dainn said, giving a shrug, “Don’t let it be said that I didn’t give you a chance to redeem yourself.” Dainn lifted a hand from his side, the tension making it seem like time was slowing to a crawl for the mare, it was time to face the consequences of her actions, whatever that may be. “But now it is time you were put back in your pl-”

“Shut your mouth you bitch!”

Dainn’s advance on Applejack was brought to a halt as loud, angry words came to his ears. A large red blur zipped past his peripherals, and delivered a well-deserved backhand to the insolent mare who had openly defied his will. The strike was heavy, and created a noise so loud that it had mares as far back as the opposite side of the gala hall cringing from the impact.

Applejack herself reeled back, having to catch her balance to keep from falling on her ass. She didn’t get a good look at who had hit her, but whoever it knew how give a smack. The whole right side of her face had a stinging imprint of knuckles and fingers. However, she managed to stay on her hooves, allowing her to one more chance to defy a male who wished to silence and suppress her. Until the caribou forced her down with an overwhelming show of power that even she would have to succumb to, she intended to show any the misogynistic males that came for her exactly how strong a mare could be in the face of adversity, and whoever this was would be no different. That was just how the farm mare felt, that was until she lifted her face back up to confront the man who assaulted her, and saw that her own brother was standing between her and the caribou king.

Mac had to watch as AJ’s expressions changed rapidly from determined, to confusion, to that of a person who had just been betrayed. It hurt him to see that, to be the cause of that, but he stood his ground, and glared at his sister with a stern gaze. He couldn’t show any weakness, not in front of this audience, as the only thing he knew the only thing that would get them both out of this situation that Applejack had caused was to rely on a trick he had come up with himself without Gunne’s aid. In order to save the mare he loved, he was going to have to personally punish her for her actions, do to her something that showed that he could handle her just as good as anyone else. He wasn’t even sure if it would work at this point, but it was the only chance they had.

He already believed he had given it a good start, as he had managed to crack Applejack’s lip open with that one shot, blood streaming down her jaw from the wound he had caused. He hadn’t intend to strike her that hard, but this served to aid his objective. If this was going to work, he had to make it look good, and unfortunately for AJ that meant he couldn’t pull any punches.

Mac wanted to make sure that this was going to be ok though. For all he knew, he had just made a huge faux pas by interrupting the king’s own punishment of the mare. So he turned back towards Dainn, and said, “Forgive me King Dainn. Ah know how upset ya must be that this mare has ruined your plans for the party, and that is partially mah fault. Ah thought Ah had gotten through to her, ah should have disciplined her more, but that isn’t any reason you should dirty your hands on a woman as worthless as she is. Iffin’ ya will, please let me correct that mistake. Ah am the one responsible for her.”

The king gave the clydesdale’s request some consideration, and agreed that it would more appropriate if the mare’s master punished her for her misdeeds. It would also be an opportunity to see just how well the rehabilitation program for mentally deficient stallons was going along. “Very well, a woman’s master has the responsibility to discipline them when they act up.” He said, stepping back to Twilight with his cock in hand, “Just be sure that she learns her lesson.”

“Oh Ah will,” Mac promised while approaching AJ for that very task.

AJ couldn’t believe what she was seeing as her brother came towards her with bearing an expression strikingly close to anger. He couldn’t seriously be mad at her for what she was trying to do, could he? Perhaps she was being selfish, outing herself just because she felt that she could no longer uphold the charade, but she had only good intentions in doing so. Even if he was pissed off at her, AJ wanted to believe that Mac wasn’t the type to express his anger with violence, except she knew that wasn’t true. He had already proven that when he took Roseluck to the barn and gave her so many lashes that she couldn’t move on her own afterwards. Surely she could trust Mac not to release his temper on her in that way though, but the imposing visage she was being given by him made her question the validity of that thought.

Mac was angry, furious even, but not entirely at Applejack. She was part of it, there was no denying that. AJ had casually tossed aside any and all protection her red collar had given her for what appeared to be a foolish act of pride, and that felt like a slap in the face after all Mac had put himself through to get it for her in the first place, but there were many other things fueling his rage. He was angry at the caribou for making him have to punish Applejack, he was angry at Gunne for meddling in his affairs and leading him to this terrible outcome, mostly though he was angry at himself. He was about to hurt his little sister in ways that he was certainly going to regret later, and leave a lasting mental scar of the event in her memories because of it. Any man who did that to a member of his family deserved all of Mac’s anger, and none of his sympathy, no matter who it was or the reasons as to why.

When he got to his sister, there was a short moment when he just stood there, looking down at the mare. AJ looked back meekly, like a foal who knew she had done something wrong, filling Mac with even more guilt over what he had to do. Eventually though, the stallion moved, lifting his hand high up into the air. AJ flinched, expecting another backhand from her brother, but what she got instead was a firm hand laid softly atop her head. Her muscles relaxed, the touch comforting, giving her a slight reprieve from the tension of the moment. That was until he whispered two ominous words to her, “I’m sorry…”

Immediately after, the hand resting on Applejack’s mane gripped it tightly. In the blink of an eye, the clydesdale went from being incredibly gentle to excessively harsh, yanking Applejack’s head back by her hair with a force that pulled her right up off the ground for a split second. “How dare you embarrass me in public like this?!” he yelled, allowing her hooves to touch the floor once more before granting her another slap across the face, allowing himself enough restraint to keep the damage done to light bruising this time.

Mac’s self control went unnoticed by the farm mare, who could only perceive the impact as another undeserved strike from the most unlikely of sources. She had seen her brother’s temper get the better of him, but this was the first time that he had taken it out against her. She struggled mentally to make sense of the situation, but having one of her closest relatives assault her was making that very difficult. “Stop! Please! Ma-!” Applejack felt her muzzle forced shut, Mac’s powerful hand encircling it and squeezing it so tightly that she found herself biting down on her own tongue, it having been caught between a row of her molars as she was trying to speak.

“No ya don’t,” Mac said, making the gap between his fingers smaller as he made sure his sister couldn’t utter the word she was about to say, completely unaware that the reason her eyes were watering was not because of the hits she took from before. “You don’t have the privilege to call me master after pulling a stunt like this!” The stallion didn’t really believe that AJ was going to address him that way, if anything she was going to call him by his name, and that would have complicated matters. He wanted to appear to the caribou as a dominant male who could tame even the fiercest of mares, and having a mare that had been in his care for as long as AJ had call him by his name instead of his title would be a blemish against that image.

However, standing there with AJ’s muzzle clasped shut in his hand didn’t make for an visually stimulating display of this alleged authority, so he soon released her to resume her punishment. “Ah just don’t get it.” Mac said, turning AJ around hair, presenting her rump to the stags and stallions acting as spectators to Mac’s discipline of the earth mare, “Ah thought we were past all this stupid shit!” With a raise of his hand, he dropped it down hard on her behind, creating a loud clap of skin connecting with skin, “But ya just had to go and mouth off to the king of all people!”

Mac gave his sister another spank of her flank, making Applejack yell in pain as she moved her legs to get away from her brother’s anger guided hand. Held as she was though, she couldn’t get far enough away to avoid receiving blow after blow as her brother scolded her for standing up for herself.

“Wasn’t Ah nice to ya?!” “Slap!” “Didn’t ah let ya fuck as much as ya wanted!?” “Slap!!” “Don’t ya understand that Ah did everything for your sake?!” “Slap!!!” “Do ya even care!? Or are ya so got dang stubborn that you’re determined to sabotage all the progress we made just to satisfy your little ego?!” “SLAP!!!!”

Mac spouted off line after line of what he felt the men attending the gala would like to hear, with perhaps just a little bit of his own feelings mixed in. How could she have thought that badmouthing the king could have a positive outcome? Was she so stupid as to think that she could get away with it? What could possess her to so casually treat the hard work they had done to get this far like it was nothing? These thoughts rushed around in Mac’s mind while he turned AJ’s backside into a shade of red that was gradually matching his own fur color. Now he knew how Granny Smith felt when she gave them similar punishments when they acted out of line as foals, for as pissed as he was, having to hurt AJ just to get a point across was hurting him more than he could ever imagine.

It wasn’t helped that the onlookers had to toss in their own thoughts on the matter, telling him to “Make her apple ass shudder” or to “Spank her flank until it’s pink”. Some, or even most, went for lewder requests, suggesting he stick his fingers inside her asshole, or that he grope her breasts and suck them till they had a shade of dark red on them as well. These monsters probably wouldn’t have been satisfied unless Mac ended up sticking his dick inside Applejack, but he wasn’t about to go to that length just for their amusement. If he did, it would completely destroy and trust that AJ had in him, as well as any he had in himself, and would render this attempt getting the king to spare her moot. Discipline should be enough, showing that she could be bent to his will would prove the point.

Mac wrapped up his sister’s spanking by using her hops to guide her back to Dainn. The caribou was watching both the ponies closely as he allowed Twilight the pleasure to once more taste of his penis, taking in all the details of Applejack’s punishment, evaluating how well Mac taking control of his slave compared to how she was reacting to his command. It was hard to tell if he was pleased or not, his expressions not wavering in the slightest, but he hadn’t tried to interrupt what he was doing yet. That had to be a positive sign, or at least he hoped it was.

“Tell the king you’re sorry.” said Mac sternly, knowing an apology was in order. AJ wasn’t in a proper mindset to give one though, she was still trying to make sense of all that was happening to her. She hesitated, stumbled with her words, not even sure she wanted to give Dainn an apology. Under the circumstances, this was not something that Mac could let go. “Ah said apologize!” he yelled in her ear as loud as he could.

“Ah’m sorry!” Applejack said instinctively, fear of what might happen if she dared to test Big Mac while he was like this guiding her words.

“On your knees,” Mac said, applying a bit of pressure down on her head, “Do it right so he knows you’re really sorry.”

AJ could have attempted to resist her brother like she did Ivangir, but after the flank beating she received she found it painful to try. So she submitted to her brother’s demand, and bent her knee in order to fall down on her shins, and when she did as she was told she found her mane being released.

“Now what do we say?” asked Mac, playing up a condescending tone for the sake of the crowd.

Applejack, knowing that she had yet again been pushed into a corner, allowed her head to hang as limply as it could in the confines of her collar. She felt defeated, all the buck she had within her had been taken away, and by someone she cared about and thought cared about her. She wouldn’t cause any more trouble for her brother than she already did. She would behave, so not to bring out the side of him that chilled her to the bone.

“Ah’m sorry.” She said, the passion and energy from before gone, Ah really don’t know what got into me. Ah didn’t mean all those things ah said before. They were all lies.” The farm mare could feel a small bit of herself die inside when having to deny the truth, the act crushing her spirit more than anything the caribou had ever done to her. Fear gave way to despair, having one of her major moral qualities turned against her in such a way.

“Is that all?” replied Dainn, not impressed by AJ’s display, “You caused a scene like that and all you can give is a halfhearted apology like that? I’m sure you can do better.”

Mac wasn’t as certain that she could, as the look in AJ’s eyes made it seem that what little will she had to go on was petering to an end. Physically, she was mostly fine, but mentally she was at the end of rope. The way she glared at the floor, apologizing in near monotone, made him believe that she was trying to distance herself from what was happening in the only way she thought she could. If she would have to collapse on the spot, he couldn’t have blamed her,

But as much as he would have understood, he could not allow it to happen. The king was not pleased, and his approval is what his plan hinged on. The clydesdale needed to press the issue to Applejack of making the apology seem as sincere as possible, So against his every moral qualm, he placed a hoof in between her shoulder blades, and pushed her torso forward till her face was nearly pushed against the floor.

This provoked AJ’s deadening fear back to life, as she simultaneously refused to believe that Mac would ever degrade her in such a manner, but he had to be the one doing it. “What do ya want from me?!” she asked in desperation, wishing that this would all end. That it could just be a nightmare and she could wake up at home.

“Give the king the apology he deserves from…” Mac stopped for a second, in no delusions about what AJ was going through. She wasn’t simply playing along like he was, to her this was all terribly real. Everything that he did was leaving a mark on her that would not easily heal, no matter how many ‘I’m sorry’s he gave. The only thing that pushed him to continue was the fact that the caribou would do worse still if she were taken away from him, so with a heart filled with regret, he finished his sentence, “Give him an apology he deserves from a cum-sucking slut like you.”

Applejack’s irises narrowed. In all her life, she had never heard Mac resort to vulgarities when he spoke. She had always thought he considered the use of obscenities beneath him, and to her this confirmed one thing that she had worried about for a while. The fall had changed her brother; made him more irritable, made him resort to violence to solve his problems, made him more like the other stallions. She didn’t want to believe it, but the proof was pressing down on her spine, and the only way to remove it was to comply with what Mac commanded of her.

“Ah’m sorry Ah was being such a stupid bitch,” she said through soft sobs, “Ah should have been grateful for the chance to taste your dick. Ah let mah… mah pride to get the better of me, and Ah’m being rightfully punished for it. Please forgive this mare for disrespecting ya.”

She gave the her apology with as much false sincerity as she could muster, using mannerisms with her words that she knew the caribou enjoyed hearing from women. She even went so far as to lift her rear up as much as she could, exposing it to everyone so they could watch her send a pair of fingers to the lips of her pussy so she could rub them vigorously. Anything to make Mac remove his hoof from her body. When that failed to give immediate results, she drove her said fingers deep inside, while proceeding with her pleas.

“Give me another chance to prove mahself,” being mere inches away, AJ moved her face forward and gave the king’s hoof a kiss as a sign of submission, “Ah can obey. Ah can be the kind of cunt slut ya want me to be, Just… just...”

She was cut off by a scoffing sound, an arrogant noise of “I told you so” that came from the alicorn suckling the king’s cock head. The sound silenced Applejack, reminding her of what she already knew. There was no way out of this situation. She could pretend to be the horniest whore that ever lived, but that would grant her no mercy for what she had done. This was her punishment for rejecting Dainn, to have her brother pitted against her, and fray the bonds they had forged over the course of another life. She would have been able to bear any kind of torment the caribou would have given her for her defiance, save for this. The weight of her sorrow, assuming that Mac was no longer the stallion he once was, was more than any amount of pressure her brother could physically apply to her body, and it crushed her courageous spirit under its mass.

The king looked at the broken mare on the floor, and then raised his eyes to the pony male that acted as her master, impressed of some degree of his control over a mare that proved difficult to even his most skilled men. His investment in the stallion’s rehabilitation appeared to be a success, and one that he found much greater than his expectations from the experiment.

The king’s attention didn’t go unnoticed by Mac, who had been making sure his every move met the caribou’s approval. With a hint of respect showing, Mac saw this as the time to make his own plea. Not for AJ’s forgiveness though, but for his own right to keep his sister under his care where she belonged.

“King Dainn,” he said, starting off as formally as knew how, “Ah am aware that this stubborn bitch has ruined what’cha had planned, and I agree that she deserves to be punished for it, but… please don’t take her away from me. Ah’m the only man that know how to handle her. She listens to me, does what ah say, and knows not to give me any sass while doing so. If ya do, Ah promise that she’ll straighten up and fly right.”

Dainn considered the proposal. The earth mare did seem more receptive to this stallion. Under his guidance, she hard made it through most of the gala without so much as neigh to all the things done to her. If he did remove her from her handler, who would he hand her off to who could make the same kind of progress? Ivangir? He had tried that before, and the mare left his care in with the same attitude she had going into it. In fact, it seemed that the only time the mare caused problems was after she was around his third in command, which could mean that Ivangir had a negative effect on her re-education.

“I have no intentions of taking a woman away from a man who has done nothing wrong,” said the king, flooding Mac with a sense of relief unlike any other he had ever felt before, “However…”

“However?” Mac answered, having just removed his hoof from his sister’s back.

“This woman still needs to be properly punished for refusing my gift to her.” stated the king, “You did say yourself that she deserves it.”

“She does,” Mac said, knowing he couldn’t go back on what he said, “And Ah guarantee that once we get back home I’ll tan her ass so badly that she won’t be able to sit for months without feeling the sting.”

“That’s all well and good, but that isn’t what I had in mind.”

“Right, right, she’ll need a sexual punishment as well. I’ll stake her out front of mah farm and force her mouth open with a gag, head facing the sky so stallions can shot sperm in there. I’ll even make her hold it in there and spank her more if she swallows without permission.”

“Delightful, but I believe what she really needs is a proper punishment before she leaves the castle.”

Mac couldn’t say that he didn’t see this coming, as much as he tried to sidestep the issue. At home he could have faked the punishment, or at the very least shown some kind of leniency that the king would not. The king wasn’t having it though. Mac could have sat there and listed off a million different punishments, and Dainn still would have wanted to add one more to the lot simply because he could.

“Well Ah’d love to release her to the other men so they could fuck her brains out, but…” Mac bent down to take Applejack by her collar, pulling her back up to her knees for the king’s sake while he stalled for excuses, “It’s really late, everyone is tired, and Ah got a really busy schedule tomorrow, with this one is doing most of the work.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can come up with something that won’t take long,” Dainn assured as he took AJ’s collar in his own hands, pulling at it until Mac relinquished his hold on her to the king, “Something that will leave a lasting impression on the girl.”

---

Despite what the king had promised, it did take some time to get everything set up for this impromptu main event. With the Gala already going on late into the night, daybreak was showing just over the horizon.

The party had been taken outside, out to the castle courtyard and into the cool morning air. A small brazier was placed within the encirclement of men and women, providing warmth for those who who needed it while it heated up several metal rods within it. When the king said “we” when referring to coming up with a suitable punishment for Applejack, he hardly gave Mac any say in the matter, and instead went to his council to come up with something they felt would send a message to both her and any mare who ever had thoughts of acting out against their superiors ever again. What they decided on was a branding, a permanent marking that would act as a reminder to the bearer, and those who looked upon it, that she was a slave and would never rise to be anything else.

Of course Applejack didn’t take well to the news of her fate, but she had not the will to put up a decent struggle against the council as they dragged her to the castle gates and strapped her down to await her brand. Using what they had on hand, which was a lot seeing how the slaves of Canterlot Castle were often, the caribou had the palace guards bring out something they called a ‘bondage block’ to bind the mare. The object was visually simplistic in design; a heavy block of wood with portions of it carved out and lined with padding to perfectly fit the form of a shapely woman when bent over it. The chiseled out curves hugged tightly against the body of a normal mare, and even tighter against AJ’s muscular form.

To keep an unwilling mare from simply removing herself contours of the block, two large cylinders were cut out from the top of it, lined with the same padded material as the rest, but with an added trick to it. A thick strand of fabric stuck out from a bit of the exposed padding at the entrance of these holes, one that was woven into its inner lining, traveling through its entirety, crossing with itself several dozen times in the process. Applejack’s arms had been placed roughly three quarters of their length inside, and with a tug and buckling of the strap, the appendaged were encased in tight tubes of leather and fluff, making them impossible to retrieve from their holdings until someone undid the tie that bound her.

For a pony of Applejack’s strength, that might not have been a problem. She could have lifted the block off the ground with the power of her lower body alone. Those were also dealt with though, as the block had slots for them as well, indents in its side that cradled her legs and spread them apart to form an upside-down V. Her legs were kept this way with leather straps that went over her upper and lower thighs, preventing them from moving together or even bending at the knee, which made them completely unusable for any attempt of escape.

Lastly, her upper torso was kept pressed against the top half of the wood with its own heavy leather strap that dug into the fur on her back, right above where the crack of her round bottom ended. All of these precautions prevented her from shifting around too much, and had little means of obscuring the clear view of her chest from the front, or that of her ass and pussy from the back. If anyone wanted to use her body to pleasure themselves, they would receive much objection from the earth mare, but little resistance.

Unfortunately for her, worse things were in store for her than being raped, and unfortunately for Big Macintosh, he had to bear witness to what was to come. “This feels… a bit excessive…” he declared to the king as Ivangir took grabbed the branding iron out of the pot, placing it back in after seeing that end of it wasn’t yet hot enough for his liking.

“Sometimes ‘excessive’ becomes necessary when a mare steps too far out of line,” Dainn answer, watching the preparations with Celestia at his side, “Isn’t that right my pet?”

“Yes master,” Celestia answered, pushing the side of her head into Dainn’s hand, wagging her own branded rump happily at its mention.

Dainn stroked her multicolored mane, his eyes not straying from Applejack, “For some mares, it takes a liberal dose of both humiliation, discipline, and pain for them to understand their place. Then, they can become the proper females they were destined to be.”

Or they end up going crazy. Mac though to himself, recognizing that the pony the king was petting, who likewise had been branded, was a purple collar.

Ivangir drew out another of the irons from the brazier, and found that its end had a lovely light red glow to it. “Pot’s done!” He announced, strutting over into Applejack’s line of sight. “See what we have here bitch?” He presented the heated part of the rod to the mare, putting it dangerously close to her face, “It’s a pair of chains crossing to form an X. This is going over each of those apples on that stupid pony mark of yours.”

Having a heat of that intensity so close to her, easily able to hit her in the face should the caribou make one mistaken movement, filled the mare with terror. She recoiled away from it best she could given her predicament, and gave a short string of small screams from behind a bit gag they had placed in her mouth. Any morale she had while berating Dainn and Twilight was gone, and she understood that this wasn’t mere threat. She was completely at the caribou’s mercy, and they were going to give her none.

Ivangir was glad to see his former cum dump in this rare form. That he was the one who brought out this fear bolstered his ego, and appeased his sadistic nature. He was going to take great joy from torturing this woman and breaking her once and for all. “Just try not to pass out too quickly. I want to enjoy your suffering.” With that, he strolled to the side of the trapped mare, slapping her ass as he took his position.

“King Dainn…. Ah have a request…” Mac said, seeing that the branding was about to begin, “Can Ah… be at mah sister’s side during this?”

The caribou king raised an eyebrow, unaware that the mare’s handler was her brother. There was nothing wrong with that, but it was just a detail that had flew under his radar. “As your sister’s keeper, you have the right to do as you please with her. If you wish to provide her a bit of comfort during this, then you don’t need my permission to do so.”

The king said that, but Mac felt that if he would have walked over without permission he would have been stopped. Nevertheless, with permission granted he went to Applejack and stood on the opposite side of her from Ivangir.

“Well, if it isn’t the cunt’s second rate handler,” Invangir said in revulsion of his presence, “Here to coddle the bitch again?”

“Just shut up and do what you’re gonna do.” Mac couldn’t stop Ivangir, but he didn’t have to put up with his gloating.

“Touch a nerve did I?” Ivangir said, amused by Mac’s irritation. “Then just hold the bitch tight and I’ll make this short and sweet.”

Mac ignored the caribou, and gave his attention instead to his sister. Here AJ was, being watched like she was some sort of animal on display, about to be scarred for life, with anyone else present that she could call a friend forced to stand at the sidelines. Having to take on this horrific experience alone, his sister’s body was shaking like a leaf in the middle of a tornado, and her breathing had become rapid and uncontrollable, trying to keep pace with the demand for oxygen her pounding heart needed. She deserved for someone to be with her when it the man she despised pressed that hot iron against her cutiemark, defiling the thing that represented everything she was.

As well intended his considerations were, Mac was the last person Applejack wanted to see during her branding. While she most likely would have ended up even worse had he not interfered earlier, the way he hurt her was still fresh in her mind. Of all the people to betray her, he had been last on the list, and now that he had the sight of the stallion filled her with dark feelings. She would rather she be left alone with Ivangir than have him patronizing her with reassuring words her that everything was going to be fine, as she knew well that it wasn’t going to be.

She glared at the stallion to get him to go away, made grunts through her gag, and shook her head in objection to him staying near her. Mac didn’t take the hint though, seeing everything she did as a fright-filled reaction to what was going on. It added frustration on top of feelings of betrayal, and made her hate Mac even more for not taking a hint. She just wanted to yell at him, or lash out at him physically, but she couldn’t, and that just pissed her off more. Her hatred was building inside her like a raging fire, and was only suppressed when a much more real fire came into her reality.

An animalistic howl came from the farm pony as searing metal touched her flank, her eyes instantly going bloodshot from a pain unlike anything else she had ever felt. The burning was like the sensation of nicking her arm against the inside of a hot oven, but sustained and increased tenfold. She wanted nothing more than to get it to stop, so she thrusted her hips forward to do so, unintentionally curving her back and sticking out her breasts in a sexually appealing manner in her attempt.

Since her waist already pressed up against the block her upper half rested upon, her motions didn’t move her rump far, nor did it prevent Ivangir from keeping his implement of burning torment in constant contact with its mark. For many an agonizing second, Applejack had to endure the heat, experiencing in vivid feeling of flesh sizzling, until the nerves in that spot of her backside cauterized, creating a sensation of intense cold that joined with the phantom of fire burned into her memory.

The whole ordeal exhausted the mare more than a full days work in the fields. With her mind and body weak and weary, she slumped forward, collapsing her upright torso as much as her bonds would allow. The humiliation and degradation of the moment no longer mattered, all that did was the pain, which she believed would never leave her. In a way, she was right, as when Ivangir removed the brand a charred black pair of chains embraced one of the once pristine apples that made up her cutiemark.

“See, didn’t hurt one bit, now did it?” Ivangir mocked, the marred mare unable to respond while she took deep, shuddering gasps of air around the bit in her mouth, strings of spittle seeping out of the corner of her lips as she tried to stay coherent. The caribou chuckled at the sight of it. He should have done this a long time ago, and then he might not have had so much trouble with Applejack in the first place. Filled with sadistic glee, he gave the farm mare a reminder of his progress, “One down, five more to go.”

The caribou felt light on his hooves and he made his way back to the brazier, jamming his used brand into the burning coals within the pot, while taking a fresh duplicate of the object to act in its stead. He was so swift that he gave Applejack little time to notice his absence, though she became very aware of his return once he started work on the next red piece of fruit featured on her orange flank.

Once more, Applejack screeched out noises that curdled the blood of those not sadistic or masochistic enough to enjoy the earth pony’s suffering. She had managed to hold back her tears the first time, but a second go opened the floodgates wide. Drop after drop of salty tears fell from her face, tapping the bondage box before erupting into hundreds of little droplets and scattering to the winds.

The mare could no longer stand to hold still, her instincts telling her to run away. She couldn’t move much, but she used what little room she was given to trash about. This made it increasingly difficult for the caribou to keep the brand in place, forcing him to remove it every time she made a violent jerk, and carefully put it back in place it back to keep the brand untarnished.

This became an annoying factor in the process, and when Ivangir became too impatient to wait for the mare to settle down again, he grabbed her by the mane with his free hand. “You had better hold that ass of yours still, you stupid bitch.” he threatened, his words not truly reaching the mare as she wriggled and writhed, “I would hate to have to heal your ass and start over just because you made me fuck up your pretty chains.”

Mac didn’t like that Ivangir felt he could just lay his hands on AJ whenever he wanted, but what he disliked even more was the implication that his sister’s punishment could be started over from scratch if she didn’t co-operate. It wasn’t like she could just stop reacting to being burnt, that kind of thing would have all but the most resilient of wills try to escape it with all their might. He didn’t doubt for one second that Ivangir wouldn’t back up the threat either, and make Applejack go through this as many times as it took for her to be still enough to allow him to get the branding perfect.

Seeing no other recourse, Mac laid his own hands upon AJ’s body, placing them down on her butt and back. “Here,” he said, being no more pleased by what he was doing than AJ would have been knowing that he was doing it. For now though, she appeared too far out of it to realize that her brother was using her flank as a hand hold. “I’ll hold her down, just do what ya need to and be done with it.”

Ivangir, while not appreciative of the stallion’s tone, didn’t mind that the problem that hindered him had been solved. While he would have been more than happy to start over if need be, he had better things things to do than rebrand a woman half a dozen times in this early hour. “Don’t move your hand,” spoke the caribou, resuming his sadistic activity, “We don’t want any accidents to happen.”

“Are ya gonna stand there and yap, or are we doing this?”

“You ungrateful piece of shit…” Ivangir, took his position once more, and carefully aligned the brand with the mark her was working on. It still wasn’t the right shade of charcoal black to match up with the the first one, and it wouldn’t look right if he left it unfinished.

AJ’s body tried to recoil away, but Mac was there this time to make sure it stayed in spot. As strong as Applejack was, there was no denying that Mac was much stronger. It took very little of his effort to prevent her squirming, and the only difficulty to it all was having to feel her muscles tense up and uselessly struggle against him.

“That’s two,” Ivangir declared as he went to replace his iron once more, leaving the siblings alone for a brief moment.

“It’s ok,” Mac said softly, unable to come up with any other way to console Applejack. “It’s going to be fine. Once this is done you’ll be able to go back to Sweet Apple Acres. We’ll be able to go back to the way things were, and this will all blow over.” The clydesdale wished that was true, but he could see what the future was really going to bring. More requests for Applejack’s use, more stringent rules on how he was suppose to keep her in check, and a return to him being mandated to treat her less like a pony and more like an animal.

A normal, unindoctrinated stallion would have broke down under the weight of it all, but Mac didn't have the luxury to do so, not when AJ was already bawling like a filly. He could hear her mutter something through both the tears and the bit in her muzzle, something that she was repeating in a trance-like pattern. The slurred words came out as "Nu ma", but make could tell that she was begging anyone who would listen "No more."

"Just a little more," Mac whispered into her ear, petting her head a few times, "Then ya can have all the apple cider you can drink. Ya won't have to work for a week, and we can go on a trip someplace nice to get away from all this mess." He was lying. The caribou would never allow him to spoil a woman as disobedient as she was like that, but he wanted so much to make Applejack find some kind of security in him that there was nothing that he wouldn't resort to.

"Nu ma..." she said again, shaking her head in refusal. What he was offering did not remotely compare to the pain she'd have to endure for it. Maybe she even understood the falsehood behind it, and knew that his promises were just an empty fantasy. Whichever it was, Mac felt AJ weakly push against him once more, hoping against hope that she could manage the impossible and avoid another kiss from a red hot piece of metal.

Of course, that was not to be. Either Mac or the bondage block would have been enough to hold her by themselves, and together they became an immovable object. One that kept AJ in place for Ivangir's inevitable return, and continued to do so as he pressed a third brand into the flesh of the mare.

"STTTAAAAAA!!!" yelled Applejack, new life entering her body as a fresh patch of skin felt the agony of being brunt. Mac used all the power in his upper body to pin his sister down, to prevent her from moving or harming herself with her violent jerks. It was a wonderfully tragic metaphor for what he had always done since the start of the fall, enabling others to hurt his sister while trying his best to guard her from hurting herself.

It was something that he was unfortunately good at though, so with his assistance Ivangir had no problem completing the branding procedure. Removing the iron, he stepped away, and allowed everyone to that the three apples of her cutiemark were now wrapping tightly in confining chains, just like the former princess of Equestria’s own sun cutiemark. It was an interesting sight to behold, as these types of brandings were not ones used excessively even amongst the caribou, but it was met with less fanfare as many of the other activities that happened beforehand.

It couldn’t be helped really. Most of the guests, as well as their servile escorts and unwilling slaves, were tired. They had been up all night, worn out from exploring the many, many perverse experiences that a the Gala gave them access to. As exciting as a public branding might have been, they literally didn’t have the energy for it. Most only stuck around for it because they felt obligated to the king, being his invited guests, but there were a few who were heading for their carriages despite that.

It was time to bring this to a close, but there was still another side of Applejack’s ass to mark with symbols of enslavement. Ivangir himself was beginning to lose interest in this, the initial thrill having lost its spark when repetition and lack of difficulty became factors in it. “Okay, I’m bored,” he said, sticking his brand back into the pot, “Anyone else want to take a crack at this?”

None of the males volunteered for the task, not only because they were exhausted, but because the caribou had just made it should like more of a chore than something entertaining. There were people whose nature was to perform chores that men didn’t want to do, and sensing that this was the case, one such person stepped up.

“Can I give it a try?” asked a purple alicorn who had been watching the entire spectacle with great satisfaction. “I would be proud to help give a slut mare like her the punishment she deserves.”

As the mare stepped out into the clearing, she was meet by more than a caribou patiently waiting next to the burning brazier, as two mares spoke up at the same time to question her actions.

“Twilight, you can’t be serious!”

“She’s your friend!”

The mares speaking out of turn were Rarity and Pinkie respectively. The two red collars could not stand idly by while one member of their group of friends was about the add to the misery of another.

“Excuse me?” Shining Armor questioned, his slave’s outspokenness going against the training he had given her. “Does one of my bitches feel she has something to say?”

Understanding that her words were not amongst those approved by her owner, and that she had gone against his wishes in public. The unicorn, in fear of what he might do if displeased, amended herself on the spot. “W-what I meant to say was that this is a delicate procedure… A-and a stupid mare like Twilight would probably mess it- URP!”

Shining clamped down on Rarity’s muzzle, “We’ll be having a talk about this disruption when we get home.” Rarity, knowing that her master prefered to ‘talk’ with a whip, gave a low whine, which in return received a smirk from her master and a mischievous giggle from Cadance, who assumed she would be a part of the their servants remedial lesson in how to hold one’s tongue.

Rarity might have been easily cowed into backpedaling her statements, but Pinkie, or at least a more resilient part of her, would not be deterred. Those more closely familiar with the pink mare could identify that her physical features had changed to that of her less stable half, with her fur pigment darkening, her mane losing all poof, and her red collar turned purple, “How could you even think of hurting Applejack?! Doesn’t your friendship together mean anything to you anymore?!” The pink mare was visibly unhinged, giving full body spasms as she approached Twilight with malicious intent.

This did not go unnoticed, and before the crazed purple could get close enough to harm one of their prized alicorn red collars, a pair of stags were upon her. They took her by the arms, wrenched them behind her back, and then kicked her legs out from under her to send her face first into the dirt, pinning her to the ground.

That didn’t stop her from speaking what came to her broken mind. Almost like she didn’t comprehend that she was being assaulted, she spat more venomous words at Twilight this time, “You’re suppose to be the fucking princess of friendship, but you don’t give a shit about any of us! If you did, you’d see that none of us want you to do this!”

Twilight gave a quick glance to the other red collars in her band of friends. While Rarity had stepped back from her earlier objection, she didn’t seem too pleased with this the alicorn’s willingness to serve in this instance. Fluttershy had refrained vocally expressing and disapproval, but her weak constitution had forced her to hide away in the arms of the closest stag she could find, burying her face into his muscle while covering her ears and muttering comforting words to herself to drown out and sounds that were unpleasing to her.

“You’re just a tool for the caribou, you filthy cu-!”

After positioning himself so his knee was on Pinkie’s spine, one of the stags slammed his hand down on her muzzle to prevent anymore slanderous speech from her. The words of a purple collar were only slightly more valid than that of a black collar, so then had no problem silencing her ramblings as not to bring further disruption.

This left an opening for Twilight, who felt a need to correct and clarify Pinkie’s assumptions. “You’re right Pinkie, I am a tool for my masters.” She said as she took a hot iron from the burning pot, “And I would want it no other way. They have shown me pleasure and purpose more than I could have ever had as a ‘princess’, and for that I have given them my everything. Things like friendship don’t matter when it comes to their will. Nothing matters to me more than the will of my masters. If it ever came to a decision between your friendship and their command, then there would be no choice at all. I would cast you all aside without a second thought.”

“Spoken like a true red collar slut.” Ivangir said while guiding the alicorn over to the bound farm mare. “And speaking of, I think it’s time this liar stopped wearing colors unfit for her.”

Ushering the purple alicorn to AJ’s rear, Ivangir halted at her front, remembering that Applejack needed her collar swapped out for one that was more fitting. With his horns aglow, he took hold of the red one, and disabled the runes that made the collar one seamless mass. Once undone, he tossed the piece of leather and metal to the ground, then moved to grab a black replacement from his belt.

Applejack’s head hung from her shoulders, the collar she was wearing the only thing that was providing her neck any support, but didn’t have to wait long for a new collar she could rest her chin upon. The familiar sting of the black collar once more came to her senses, only she could swear that it was more painful and irritating than the first time she bore such an item. It might have been that she had become use to the more pleasurable feeling of the red collar, but she didn’t put it past the caribou to make her suffering worse for having defied their leader.

“Let it be known!” Ivagir announced while sealing the mare’s collar, “That from this moment forward, this mare is a black collar! By decree of the king, she is never to rise to the ranks of a red collar, and will live out the rest of her days feeling the pain deserving of those who do not follow the laws set in place to protect mares from their own stupidity! This is the price for any mare who can’t overcome their arrogance and pride.”

So this was the caribou’s final judgement on her. For refusing Dainn and trying to point out the problems she saw in their regime, she was to never be allowed a chance at a red collar again. That was fine with her, as she never intended to try again anyways, but now she knew that her life would never be anything more than misery. The best she could hope for is that this example the caribou were trying to set had the opposite effect than what they wanted, that her agony would not go on in vain, that others would stand up to fight against this mistreatment, lest they suffer the same. That might of been asking too much from mares who would see this as a good reason to comply with the orders given to them, but hope was all the mare had to cling to anymore.

“Lord Ivangir, could you show me how to position this brand?” Twilight asked, ready to do her part in showing AJ the errors of her ways. “I don’t want to make a mistake, and as a mare I’m prone to doing so.”

With Applejack’s collar in place, the large caribou joined with the mare, happy to educate her in how to torture another dumb cunt like herself. AJ felt her brother’s heavy hands brace her down, and with another sound of sizzling flesh, fire became her world once more.

---

Time passed, and in the end Applejack had brands on both sides of her rump. By the end of it, she no longer had any energy left in her, and all she could do was whimper as her cutiemark’s alterations were finished. Now she was being removed from the block, having blacked out immediately after the last part of her punishments were given.

Mac watched a close distance away, ready to take AJ away from the castle as soon as the caribou released her to him. He had already had someone fetch his carriage, and he was glad that he would be able to leave this nightmare behind him.

“It’s good that your mare slipped up when she did,” The king said, coming aside the clydesdale to watch AJ’s unbinding, “I can see on your face that you see this as a personal failure, but you shouldn’t. She is the one who decided to regress, and she is the one who had to accept the consequences for her actions.”

The king was trying to comfort Mac, but all the stallion heard was the standard caribou propaganda. Men can’t be wrong. If they could be considered wrong there was probably a woman who could be blamed for it. Women are the cause of not only their own problems, but all problems that arise. It was shit, but shit that Mac had to agree with for the sake of convenience. He gave the king a nod, letting the king know that he wasn’t going to disagree with him, but nothing more.

“I’m glad you understand this,” the king went on to say, “It further increases my confidence that I am putting the care of this mare in the right hands. Take her, and make her obey you like the slave she is.”

“Thank you.” Mac said, being given the permission he needed. He wasted no time going to his unconscious sister, so he could pick her up and take her away from this foul place.

He headed straight for his ride, having to wait in line as it made its way to the courtyard through a swarm of other carriages, but eventually he was able to secure Applejack inside, foregoing the cart in hitched to the back of it that she was suppose to ride in, so he could keep a close eye on her.

“Mac!” he heard as he laid his sister across a seat. After a long period of separation, Gunne had finally decided to rejoin the stallion. Mac didn’t know what he had been doing all this time, and frankly he didn’t care. Right now his only priority was getting Applejack home where she belong. “Oh good, I’m glad I caught you before you left.”

“Ah wasn’t going to leave without ya,” Mac partially lied, not having intent to leave without Gunne, only that the stag’s very existence had slipped his mind with the more pressing matters at hand.

“I didn’t mean to imply that. It just seemed like you might need someone to talk to after what you had to do. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you.”

Leave it to Gunne to be the one guy to even remotely understand what Mac was going through. Instead of telling him that he shouldn’t feel bad, or that AJ brought this upon herself, he could see that this was a problem for the stallion, and that it needed to be addressed.

“Thanks,” he said, making sure AJ was strapped into the stage couch’s seat before turning to face the stag, “I really could use someone to talk this-”

Mac had expected that only Gunne would be behind him, but the stag had others with him. The three mares that they had delivered to the gala; Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight, each standing behind Gunne with a leash leading from their collars to his hand. He knew why they were there of course, being that they needed transportation back to Ponyville, but looking at them set him off more than anything else that night.

It wasn’t the whole group that irritated him. Pinkie had stood up for his sister, and because of her objections now was fitted with a harness that bound her arms behind her, shackles on her ankles to keep her from running, and had a muzzle wrapped around her mouth to prevent her from saying anything else that the caribou found harmful. It was actually a bit relieving to see that there was still a line that Pinkie refused to cross, and she had all the gratitude Mac had to offer for standing up for Applejack when he could not.

Fluttershy didn’t bother him either. Though she didn’t do anything to try and stop AJ’s punishment, she didn’t go to leaps and bounds to make it worse. She didn’t even appear to agree with it to some extent, and there were streaks under her eyes that showed that she had been crying. While being too timid to help AJ, she at least had complications understanding why the caribou had to go this far.

No, the only person there that was pissing him off was the alicorn standing right behind Gunne. While the other two expressed anger or sadness over the branding, she was wearing the most pleasant smile a mare could ever give. She felt no guilt from her actions, no pity for his sister, no empathy for how her friends felt. In her mind she was justified, and that made Mac madder that he had been in some time. He could see himself wringing her neck for what she did, if not for that collar she wore that prevented it, and he wasn’t going to tolerate her presence any further.

“Pinkie, Fluttershy,” he said, managing to speak calmly despite his rage, “Get in back.”

For whatever reason, neither mare had any issue following Mac’s command, and both went to their cart without so much as a word, Gunne releasing their leashes so they could go unhindered.

“And what about me?” Twilight asked, blissfully unaware of Mac’s hate, “Are you wanting to reward me with a ride in the carriage? Will I be given the honor of pleasuring you on the ride home? Speaking of which, forgive me for questioning you, but is it a good idea to let her sit up front too? A bad mare like her should be tied up front with the warb-”

“She’s not coming with us,” Mac said plainly.

This caught the alicorn off guard, not quite sure what she had done to get such a response. Gunne, however, was not so ignorant as to why Mac was refusing to let the mare ride with them. “Mac, I know you can’t be happy about what this mare did to your sister, but she needs to be returned to the dragon.”

“Then let her walk for all Ah care,” Mac said, crossing his arms, “if she starts now she could make it in a few hours.”

“I can’t make a female travel that far by herself. There are far too many things in the wild that could snatch her and turn her into a broodmare.”

“Like she wouldn’t enjoy that.” Mac rebutted.

“It’s not about what she would enjoy, it’s about me being responsible and getting her back to her master when I said I would. You’re being unreasonable.”

“I’m being unreasonable!?” Gunne’s claim would have be laughable if it wasn’t so insulting. Gunne’s entire culture was based on slavery and misogyny, never straying from that ideology no matter how many times they were shown their were other ways, better ways, and he was the one being unreasonable. “What’s wrong Gunne? I’m trying to punish a mare for her actions, and all of a sudden you’re saying Ah can’t!”

Gunne let loose a sigh, really not wanting to have this argument with the irate stallion. He also didn’t want Mac to cause a scene, not after showing to the king that he could be an upstanding citizen of Equestria. “Fine, I’ll figure out another means of getting the alicorn where she belongs. Just give me some time to make arrangements.”

Mac stood there as the stag took Twilight by the arm, the alicorn confused as to what she could have done to make Mac mad at her, so he could lead her back inside the castle. Mac was glad that he wasn’t going to have to put up with Twilight on the ride back, and if he had any say in it he would never have anything to do with her ever again, but as the purple mare walked away he couldn’t help but hear a bit of grumbling come from his caribou companion.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked with a heavy layer of sarcasm.

“It’s nothing,” Gunne replied, “Just drop it.”

“Now that doesn’t sound like nothing to me.” Mac taunted, not caring in the slightest if his goading set the stag off. “If ya got somethin that ya want to get off your chest, the feel free to tell me.”

Gunne thought about it for a moment, and then faced the stallion. “Okay then… I just find it a bit aggravating that my duty as magistrate has to be put aside for someone who I see as my friend, who should understand that there are things I have to do regardless if it's uncomfortable.”

“Oh right, cause if there is anything we don’t want to do, it’s make a man feel uncomfortable.”

“That’s not what I’m saying Mac. Look, I’m sorry your sister was an idiot about all this, but that doesn’t mean you have to turn into a complete jackass over something she could have easily avoided.”

Mac didn’t reply to that, how could he really. Gunne was right, this whole thing could have been avoided, and that probably pissed him off more than anything. None of this was necessary, and was all the results of overreacting and the inability to adapt from all sides. It was an endless cycle of push and shove where the one who pushed the hardest was right, and while Applejack didn’t want to concede in this contest, her opposition looked to be the clear victor. Mac could see this, but unfortunately that didn’t matter to him. When it came down to it, he would rather stand with AJ, and be wrong, than to compromise his morals, and be right.

“Gunne, Ah have to go. Applejack need her rest, and Ah… Ah can’t stand to be here anymore.”

Hearing what Mac was saying, and the way he was saying it, Gunne knew that if he went inside the castle, there would be no carriage for him when he returned. That might have been for the best. They were both in a foul mood, and a long cart ride together would only serve to exacerbate their contempt for one another at the moment.

“Then I suppose it can’t be helped…” Gunne relented, “I’ll stay here to make sure the alicorn returns to Ponyville safely, and we can take some time apart to cool both our heads.”

“Ah think that would be a good idea,” Mac agreed, stepping into the carriage, adding “I’m gonna need a few days at least to sort all this stuff out,”

“That’s fine… I understand… but since you’ll be returning to Ponyville first could you do me a few favors?”

Mac was about to close the door and buckle in, but pissed as he was, he couldn’t deny Gunne his requests. “Okay… what do ya need?”

---

Gunne saw the carriage off with Twilight at his side, Mac having promised he would drop Pinkie Pie off at the bordello, return Fluttershy at to her farm on the way home, and to take care of Ginna until Gunne could retrieve her. The stallion was going to have a lot to think about on the trip back, and he hoped that Mac would finally see that he needed to tighten his grip on Applejack’s leash, both metaphorically and literally, if he was to prevent her from causing problems in the future. The earth mare had already ruined her chances at a peaceful life, and Gunne hated to think that the mare his pony friend so desperately clung to would only bring his stress.

Still, he believed in Mac, and had faith that he would do the right thing. As stubborn as he might be, Gunne had faith in the clydesdale, and believed that one day he would understand that mares like AJ needed a firm hand and a stern voice to keep them from bringing harm to themselves. If there was any incurable stallion that showed promise, it was him.

But his belief in Mac’s ability to change and consideration towards his confused emotions didn’t come without personal cost. While Mac got his alone time, Gunne was stuck in Canterlot. Not so much stranded, but he was going to suffer a substantial delay as he procured a new means of transportation, and that meant...

“What’s the matter, cursed one?” Gunne heard in a mocking, Lord Ivangir’s disdain for him all too familiar, “Did you get abandoned again? Guess that stallion isn’t completely stupid if he knows good enough to ditch you before you wreck his life like everything else you touch.”

Gunne deadened his emotions. Dainn, being the wise caribou he was, had taught him well to ignore the taunts and ridicule of his brethren, as they came from a long standing cultural misunderstanding about curses and their existence. With such a hollow and uneducated source, the words were not worth the effort it would take to give a rebuttal. Besides, there was one stag in Canterlot abide by such prejudice and superstition.

“Ivangir,” Dainn uttered from behind his advisor, “Don’t you have more important things to do?”

“Not right now.” Ivangir stated without pause, having no duties on his mental agenda except pestering a stag he felt was inferior to himself.

“Then perhaps you could make arrangements for the purple alicorn’s return to Ponyville.” Dainn said, pushing to the mare over to the large caribou. “Her master is waiting on her swift return, and I expect you to find her transport immediately.”

“That’s the abomination’s job.” Ivangir argued, getting a cold, dominating glare in return from the king that shook even the sadistic stag to his core. Ivangir didn’t like the idea of having Gunne’s dirty work pawned off on him, but an order from the king was something he couldn’t refuse. ”Come on fuck slut, let’s find some pegasi to hand you off to.” To the alicorn’s glee, she was snatched away from Gunne by her leash, and dragged inside the castle by the massive caribou, high expectations in her mind as to what would happen before he found her transportation.

Ivangir left, dragging Twilight off by the arm. Gunne couldn’t help but be amused that in some way, Mac was probably going to get his wish for Twilight to be punished after all, since Ivangir was certain to take a bit of his aggression out on the mare once out of sight.

“Now that he is out of the way,” Dainn said, getting close to Gunne so their conversation could be private, “I saw what happened between you and your guest. Are there any problems?”

“None that I can’t handle,” Gunne assured, “The stallion was just overstimulated is all. An event like the one this past night might be a too much excitement for an incurable to tolerate in one go.”

“Nonetheless, I think progress was made. You’re doing fine work in managing that quaint town, and the ponies that inhabit it.”

“Thank you my king. Your approval is welcomed in amongst the slander and detestment of the others.”

“Think nothing of it. You are an admirable officer and citizen of my kingdom, and you deserve acknowledgement for your deeds. In fact, I would like give you another task that would be suited for you, seeing that you have the most contact with those ‘Elements of Harmony’ than any other of my men.”

“Anything to help our people, King Dainn.” Gunne said without hesitation, his duty to his king having no bounds.

“Then let's go to my chambers, and I’ll tell you all about your new assignment,” as the two caribou headed up the castle steps, Dainn revealed an object he had been holding, “I have made a discovery that might aid us in fully mastering this new land, and if you play a major role in achieving it, then our brethren could no longer claim that you are cursed.”

Excited by the idea of no longer having a stigma held over him, Gunne looked at what Dainn wished to show him. At first he was confused, as all he held was a red collar, one exactly the same as any other the caribou had produced. Then a realization dawned on him that this must have been Applejack’s red collar.

“I don’t understand, how will this-?”

“Just be silent… and watch.”

Gunne turned his head back to the piece of leather, staring at it with unflinching diligence. For quite a while nothing happened, but his patience was eventually rewarded when he saw for a split second something flash across the item. It was hard to make out, but unless he was mistaken, he could swear that what he saw was the slight glimpse of a dim rainbow.