> Fall of Equestria: Twilight falls
>  by RoyalUnicornJohn1994
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Festival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The spring planting festival’s afternoon was just short of perfect. The sun was already well over three fifths of its journey through the sky, and the ponies below knew there was still a lot of time before the festival ended. Groups of various ponies were out, enjoying the many activities provided by their friends.

Streets were adorned with greens, reds and even yellow banners, all of them a symbol of what spring had to offer to all of them. Contrary to most of Canterlot's celebrations, this one wasn’t only for the rich and powerful ponies, but also for the working class, that being the main reason of why the spring festival was so happy and colorful.

One group of ponies on the street, one of the most famous through all of Equestria, was out in the streets, also enjoying and partaking on the many entertainments.

The tallest, an orange mare with a muscular body, hardened by years of hard work at a farm, stood in front of the group. Her characteristic stetson hat resting on her blonde hair gave her a country beauty few could compare.

“Shucks, Twilight. It really is a nice carnival thingy, what with the whole working class here… hmm, ah feel like ah’m at home.”

“It sure does, right Jackie!?” Added a cheery voice next to her, belonging to the hyper energetic mare known as Pinkie Pie. “I don’t know how Rarity could miss this chance to have some fun!”

“You know why, Pinkie.” Another mare, one with a blue colored body and prismatic mane added from a few hooves above them. “It’s an once in a lifetime opportunity! I can’t miss something like this!” The mare said in a terrible impersonation of their friend.

“Rainbow, you shouldn’t be so mean with Rarity, if you don’t mind, that is.” Added the shyest of the group, who was looking at them with a soft yet firm gaze.

“Fluttershy is right, you know girls?” Added the final mare of the group, a lavender mare with a purple mane, which was adorned with a pink streak on it, much like her tail. Her comment made the rest of the mares in the group to fall silent, dropping the subject. That silence was replaced by more chatting as they looked at the various stands at the side of the road.

Twilight looked at her friends with care and love, yet to that day wondering how she had come to find so good friends In her life. Of course, there wad the thing with Rainbow’s first rainboom and such, but it was just so wonderful to her.

Add to that the fact that she had been recently given the title of princess of friendship, a pair of wings being evidence of that. While her workload had been huge in the last few weeks, she was actually happy. She couldn’t wait to tell her brother and her former foalsitter about her achievements.

Speaking of which, Twilight hadn’t seen them, or even heard of them in a long while. Reports confirmed a strong blizzard in the north that had isolated the Crystal empire, much like the first time Sombra had come back. However, Luna confirmed that nopony had died yet when she reported the ponies there still had dreams.

Yet, despite it being her field, Luna hadn’t been able to contact any of them clearly. They assumed the blizzard must have had some kind of magical properties to it. Not unheard of, but something uncommon.

Twilight sighed and prayed for her brother’s and sister-in-law well being.

“What’s the matter, Twilight? Turn that frown upside down and enjoy!” Pinkie said as she forced Twilight’s face to smile with her hands, forming an awkward grin on her face. Yet, it did help her smile. She realized that her friends were there for her.

A true happy smile formed as she realized that it would be the happiest day of her life.





The Caribou gazed down at the land before him. Most of the city was participating in some sort of festival, which he honestly didn’t care about. Yet, it also provided him with the distraction he needed.

“Haahhh!!” A loud moan sounded below him, courtesy of the fallen Changeling Queen, who was on all fours, runes glowing brightly all across her body, which served to have her under their absolute control, but also to make her do whatever they wanted her to do.

“Hmn.” The Caribou grunted lowly as he released his seed onto the changeling mare’s snatch. Yet, as satisfactory as the fucking had been, his face showed nothing but contempt. His ears perked as he heard a buzzing next to him. His face formed a pleased smile as he turned around.

“Ahh, Thorax. Welcome back. I assume you did your task?”

The changedling smiled at him with joy as he walked next to him. 

“Yes, my King. All sentries has been posted at their designated places. Your troops are already being moved into the city to their places, too.”

“Nicely done, Thorax.” The caribou said in a pleasant tone as he took a step back, freeing his cock from his slaves’ snatch. “You may have some fun with her before everything starts.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened as she struggled to fight back, the runes on her body preventing her from doing so. Thorax looked at her with a lecherous smile.

“Tell me, ‘my queen’… what is it gonna be today?” Thorax asked, looking at the former queen with lust filled eyes. When the queen turned to look at him with hatred on her eyes, it reminded him of their first time. “Ahh… the ‘rapevine’, huh? Nice choice.”

Thorax then was engulfed by green flames, transforming into a mass of tendrils and tentacles of various colors. Chrysalis’ mind started to fall into panic as her body was lifted into the air and impaled into a huge tendril below.

Dainn’s smile turned cruel as he watched one of his favorite subordinates enjoying a good bitch such as the changeling whore. He couldn’t wait for the time when he would have those so called “goddesses” of Equestria under him, begging for his cock.

In the meantime, he supposed he could go and pay a visit at another one of his favorite subordinates: the Crystal Emperor and his bitch, the princess of Lust.





Twilight laughed as she watched Rainbow and Applejack almost drowning on the pile of water, just to see who could hold their breath longer. It had started with a simple apple catching, then who could catch more apples underwater in a certain amount of time, and then to who could hold their breath longer.

Of course, their laughing increased as applejack’s fur changed to a tone similar to rainbow’s, while the later had started to turn a darker shade of blue. Both mares almost jumped out into the air as they took large gulps of air, both or them starting to bicker about their supposed victory over the other.

Twilight smiled at that, wondering when exactly they would stop. Her mind suddenly rushed as she remembered herself of the hour. 

Turning to look at the clock in the town, she realized it was an hour before the festival reached its climax, where Princess Celestia then would show up and give her blessings at the year’s harvests. She couldn’t afford to miss that moment!

“Girls! It’s almost time! Princess Celestia is about to make her blessings in an hour!” Twilight shouted, which caught her friends’ attention.

While some of them thought it would’ve far too soon, they knew better than to discuss something with Twilight. Finally, all of them decided to go for it.

Twilight and the others started to make her way, when they suddenly noticed their pink friend shivering in place, the shyest of her friends behind her also looking at her with curiosity and s little bit of fear.

“woah-oah-oah! DOOZY!!” Declared Pinkie as she looked at her friends. “This is the strongyhuggiest doozy I’ve ever had! Something big is coming!”

“What do ya’ mean with something big, Pinkie?”

“I don’t know! It’s the biggiest and strongiest I’ve ever felt. And I think it’s telling me it’s gonna be right here in Canterlot, during the festival’s blessings!” As she said the last part, while confused, her friends also smiled.

“Heck yeah! If Pinkie says it’s gonna be something huge, the I believe her! Let’s hurry, otherwise we might not be able to see it!” Shouted Rainbow as she pointed at the castle with her finger in a dramatic pose, earning nods from her friends.

Yet, before Fluttershy could follow them, she turned her head around, noticing a guard looking around, as if looking for something. With curiosity, and hopes of being able to help, she was about to call at the guard.

Yet, the guard suddenly motioned at something to move. Her eyes watched with fascination as several muscular, massive, with brown fur and antlers moved through the market. Though new, those beings were starting to build something. 

Her eyes widened as she realized it was some sort of carriage, like the ones made in parades. Her eyes lit up as she realized they were actually making some sort of parade. How exciting! Fluttershy sprinted away as fast as she could to tell her friends about it. However, after some steps, she thought that maybe the parade was actually a surprise, and if that was the case, the it would be ruined.

Her gentle smile widened slightly as she decided not to tell her friends about it, to let them enjoy the surprise it would bring them when they saw it… if they didn’t mind.





“glmmmhh!” The pink alicorn shouted, yet it was muffled by the huge cock on her mouth. But the lack of oxygen on her body was no excuse to stop herself from enjoying the heavenly bucking of her masters. It was just so good.

“Ohh, you’re a fuckin’ slut, Cadence! You’re always so amazing.”

“Ghank ou, maztah. Pleaf, ffuck me mog!”

The Caribou king stepped away from Cadence’s mouth, releasing her throat to take some gulps of air, which soon turned to moans of pleasure as her former husband, now her master, Shining Armor, started to fuck her again. The king patted gently the alicorn’s head, while showing a warm smile at the stallion.

“You two have done an excellent job, Shining Armor. With the intel you gave us of the city, it will be easy to take it.” The king said as he turned at a map of the city on the wall, which had several locations marked with red ink. Then, he turned around towards a pedestal, where a large object floated with a mysterious blue light. “And this bitch proved her loyalty when she transformed that idiotic thing into something much more useful.”

Cadence’s head was pulled back by her mane as Shining fucked her harder, making her to moan louder like the slut she had become.

“THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS, MASTAHHHH!!” Cadence shouted with all her might as Shining grunted loudly behind her.  Moments later, Cadence fell to the floor, her face stuck in ecstasy as her eyes rolled into her head and her tongue simply hung from her mouth.

Dainn’s smile turned cruel once more as he watched the slutty alicorn twitching in the floor, the throes of pleasure still running wild through her body. She definitely was a good bitch.

His smile vanished as he turned at a clock on the wall, where it indicated there was at least an hour before the festival’s climax.

“Shining Armor.” The stallion turned sharply at the voice of his leader, standing like a soldier. “Call your troops and secure the city. Once you’re done with that, meet me at the castle, and follow the plan.”

“It will be done, my King.” Shining said as he turned around, taking Cadence by her tail and dragging her with him.

The Caribou King smiled evilly as he watched the population of the city walking like a herd, all headed towards the plaza of the castle. They were making it too easy for him.





Once the group of friends arrived at the Castle’s doors, they noticed they weren’t the only ones. Almost all of the city’s inhabitants, and those who were visiting, were there, too. The plaza was full, and there was no way for them to even get near the stage in front of the castle.

Pinkie was still with her doozy disorder, and it seemed to be getting stronger the more time passed. At some point, she wasn’t even able to be still.

“The do-ozy i-is gettin-ing s-stronger!” Pinkie said as she tried to be still, ultimately having to get help from Applejack.

All of them were excited when the doors opened, announcing the arrival of the princess, causing excited murmurs to run across the ponies in the place.

Twilight’s excitement grew as she turned to look at the stage, eager for the moment where she would be able to see her mentor. However, that excitement died when she realized the ponies’ chatter had quietened, and she could clearly hear something else: steps.

When some ponies turned to look at certain direction, Twilight followed their gaze. Being a little too short, Twilight had to slap herself as she reminded herself that she had wings. Using them, she floated just high enough to be able to see over the crowd, just in time to see massive and muscular brown beings marching in a military fashion towards them.

All the ponies started to question exactly what kind of creatures were those, and Twilight was among them. The huge frame, the brown fur on them, equine form, but with antlers. Why did it sounded so familiar to her?

She started to think of all her books in exotic species known through the world. And then, one species came to her: Caribou.

“Girls?” Twilight asked in a cautious tone as she saw some of the Caribous taking a strange rod from their belts with a glowing crystal on it. “… we have to go.”

In Twilight’s books, Caribous were described as barbarians, compared to some ancient tribes that were well known for wiping out entire villages. Fear grew on her heart as she suddenly heard a feminine shout coming from the front of the crowd.

“RUN!!” Twilight heard somepony shout, to which the pandemonium broke, and ponies finally fled in terror.

Twilight was instantly pushed aside as the ponies in front of her ran away, causing her to fall to the ground. She could hear her friends shouting at her, and she was once more grateful for having them.

When she lifted her sight, she was waiting for the worst, to see several ponies’ corpses just laying on the ground, their blood staining the ground.

Hope filled Twilight’s heart as she realized the Caribous weren’t killing anypony. That hope was instantly erased when she realized they were now approaching her. With an almost athletic fashion, Twilight flapped her wings, pushing herself backwards.

She was caught by her friends, who were looking at the scenery with wide and fearful eyes.

“W-what do we do, Twilight?” Pinkie asked, her eyes wide with horror, something they weren’t used to see.

Twilight’s mind screeched to a halt. What could she do? What could they do? She didn’t know, she didn’t actually had an idea!  She started to panic as she saw around, trying to see anything of help, until her eyes landed on a flag with the sun on it.

“Celestia…” Twilight whispered to herself as she looked at her friends. “Celestia! We need to see Celestia!” Twilight was already turning around towards the castle when Rainbow took her by the shoulder.

“No, Twilight! We need to help those resisting, see?” Dash pointed with her hand at a small group of ponies already forming a small resistance against the caribous.

Twilight looked at a zone where several ponies had started a small resistance group, some of them carrying made-up weapons, one of them carrying a chair, and even another one carrying what once had been a flag pole. The group clashed against several caribous, hitting them with full force.

While some caribous were subdued almost instantly, there were several other caribous arriving at the scene, attracted by all the commotion. That was ultimately the end for the small group. Twilight watched in horror as the caribous drew out some batons with the strange yellow crystal.

Once the caribous increased in numbers, the ponies started to lose. One example was the pony with the pole. While it did hit the caribou, the caribous simply huffed in annoyance at that. With only a single hand, the caribou took the pole from the pony with relative ease and jammed the baton right at the pony’s neck.

Said stallion let out a short scream of pain before he fell at the ground, twitching. Yet, when Twilight observed closely, she noticed only the male ponies, the stallions, were subjected to such treatment. The mares were subdued in a very different way.

The caribous subdued them with their batons, but once they were in the ground, the caribous proceeded to tear their clothes away, their undergarments having a similar treatment, leaving them completely naked. Moments later, those mares were humiliated further as they suddenly found a black leather collar around their necks.

Once the collars were on them, Twilight saw some strange symbols, runes , she believed they were called, which started to shine brightly. The mares who were wearing them almost instantly screamed like if they were in pain, falling to their knees.

The girls horror was interrupted as they heard a panicked scream near them. A young mare was trying desperately to run away from a group of caribous, her dress already torn in some places. One of the Caribou stretched his hand, moments away of capturing her.

“Oh no, you won’t!!” Rainbow said as she stretched her wings and floated for a few seconds. Before she could impulse herself, a harsh yank on her tail prevented her from doing so. “Ow! What the buck, Applejack!?”

“Corsarn it, Dash! Just look, there’s too many of them, we’ll be surrounded!” Most of the girls looked around, confirming what Applejack was saying. "Twilight's right, we have to find the princess!"

"But Twilight's a princess, too! Can't she do something?" Rainbow said as she pointed at Twilight, almost like an insult.

"I AM doing something, Rainbow!" Twilight said as she pointed at the castle. "I am getting us to Celestia! She has the elements, and without the elements, what can we do against so many of them!?" Rainbow had to reluctantly agree, her arms crossing as she adopted a grumpy look. Twilight merely ignored her as she took a trembling Fluttershy's hand. "Come on, before they notice us!"

The group went forward at the castle, with Twilight and Rainbow leading, Applejack at the back, with Fluttershy and a shocked Pinkie in the middle of them.

Just as they started to exit the square, Twilight took a moment to look around, instantly feeling her stomach sink down as she watched several more of her subjects being submitted to such a treatment. She ached to help them, and she really wanted to. Yet, she knew the right thing to do was to search for Celestia in hopes she could help. If not, then the plan was to get the elements, search for Rarity, and then get rid of the menace the Caribou were.

As if Luck was on their side, the group reached a point the Caribou had ignored, and curiously, pony had, too. Taking a moment to relax, Twilight's magic flared as she felt what seemed like a beacon of pure magic. Definitely Celestia.

"Princess Twilight!" At the mention of her name, her ears perked as she turned around, seeing a small group of male guards. Yet, there was a detail that prevailed among them that made something deep within Twilight start to suspect.

Crystal ponies... What were they doing there? Had her brother fortunately arrived at the exact moment of the invasion? It that was so... then it was good news! He might be able to help!

“Oh, thank goodness you're here! Listen! You need to go back that way! We're being invaded by caribou and I-”

Twilight's words were cut short as she noticed some of the guards looking at them with malicious looks, and even one of them holding what looked like-

"Eeep!" Her ears perked as she heard her friend Fluttershy squeaking in fright. Twilight's eyes widened as she looked at a silver collar hanging from her friends' neck. Unable to believe it, Fluttershy lifted her hands towards it, touching it.

Moments later, another clack sounded, making Twilight to turn now at her friend Pinkie Pie, who also had a collar around her neck. Her eyes widened as she looked around in disbelief. Moments later, she looked at her tail curiously, noticing then a small detail.

“Oh,” Pinkie Pie said, and her voice was quiet, weak, yet filled with understanding. “So that was what the doozy meant.”
> Flight to Celestia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight had read of paralysis induced by shock, the effects it had on different individuals, and how it could be treated. Somehow, that knowledge seemed irrelevant at that moment, not being able to tear her eyes away from the silver collars put into her friends, who were just as, if not more shocked than her.

Finally finding some will to turn away from the sight, she turned at the guards, her mouth opening and closing, as if trying to say something, but not finding what. Her eyes widened when she noticed one of the guards with another collar in hand, looking directly at her with a lascivious smile.

"... No..." The guard kept its direction, the collar already at her neck's height. It was then that she finally found her will to move. "... NO!!"

Twilight's horn lit up brightly, almost to a blinding point, in which she let out a stunning beam towards the guard in front of her. Such force it had the spell the guard was pushed back several feet backwards, falling at the ground unconscious. Now with her senses fully awake, she soon noticed several of the other guards turning at her with an almost murderous intention.

As soon as she lit her horn again, from the corners of her vision, she noticed her two uncollared friends already joining her in the fight. Together, they made short the effort of the guards to subdue them. Yet, there wasn't a moment to rest, Twilight noticed, when she heard several hard and heavy steps coming at their direction.

Turning around, she lit up her horn, ready to fight back at whatever might dare to approach her. Yet, her eyes widened when she noticed they weren't ponies coming at her and her friends. They were Caribous.

Before they could reach for her, Twilight charged another stunning spell and launched it at the nearest one. Shock came back at full force at her when she saw the spell reach its intended target, but not making any effect. The spell just merely dissipated in the air once in contact with the caribou's armor, several of the runes on it starting to shine just a second before the spell arrived.

She fired another spell, and had the same effect, and then the next one and the next one. Twilight's fear grew as she realized her only talent, her one true summoning on life, was nothing against those brutes approaching her. 

Her fear hit a spike when she saw one of them taking out its stunning baton and pointed at her. In that situation, Twilight opened her wings and started to flap them to go backwards, getting as far as she could from her assailant. Of course, she immediately regretted her decision as she watched her trembling yellow friend being snatched by the very same caribou that was pursuing her.

Holding her by the collar, the Caribou wasted no time at all to torn away her clothes, revealing her rather large breasts. Yet, for the Caribou wasn't enough, as it then proceeded to torn away her skirt and panties, leaving her lower lips exposed.

Twilight blushed as she looked at the naked body of her friend, her eyes drifting all over the poor pegasus' usually hidden body. She suddenly saw the Caribou looking at her friend in a similar way, much more perverted as one of his hands slowly reached for her breasts. Something snapped in Twilight as she saw that.

"No... Let her go!!" Twilight said as she lit up her horn again and started to run towards them. Yet, her way was interrupted when another caribou stepped in front of her, another stun baton ready and pointing at her. Twilight took a step backwards, afraid of what the caribou might do to her.

In one swift move, an orange blur stepped in front of her, and gave a powerful kick at the armored foe. The caribou fell backwards, groaning in pain as Twilight also noticed its armor had a deep indent with the form of a hoof. Turning her head, her friend Applejack came into sight as she had a smug grin in her face.

“Ain't no different than kickin' a stubborn tree.” Her friend said confidently as she tipped her hat. While Twilight was still in shock, she realized that, while her spells didn't affect the caribous' armor, physical contact proved effective.

While Twilight was still pondering those facts, they heard a loud war cry. Both turned sharply, seeing another caribou lunging at them with ferocity , a baton held high above him, swinging it at the pair of mares. Twilight jumped back in shock upon seeing that, and Applejack barely had time to avoid the hit as she, too, jumped back.

Twilight turned at her friend just as the caribou passed through, seeing her friend landing safely away from the caribou... at least, that's what she thought.

Time seemed to slow down for her as she watched a huge brown figure behind her friend, getting closer to her. The figure raised an arm, causing Twilight's eyes to widen as she saw the spiral of a baton, ending with the bright crystal on it.

Twilight shouted at her friend, telling her to run. Yet, just before she could actually tell her anything, the caribou lowered the baton and struck Applejack, the mare letting out a cry of pain as she convulsed from the shock. Somehow, she found the will to remain on both hooves through her ordeal, the cry ending with an angry and pained expression as she tried to turn towards her assailant. In a swift move, Applejack lifted her leg as she delivered a powerful found hit at its side, enough force being imprinted onto it as the caribou fell to the ground, holding its side on pain.

Before she could make eye contact with the caribou, another one got closer and delivered a loud slap at her face, finally getting her down to the ground. Not unconscious though, Applejack turned at the caribou with a look of pure hatred, only for the anger to turn into fear as she saw another pair of caribou pointing at her with yet more batons. Applejack felt more pain as she felt her muscles contract erratically as the batons touched her, a pained shout leaving her mouth as three touched her, even another pair coming towards her.

Twilight's hands went to her mouth as she saw her friend's eyes closing as she finally fell unconscious. Moments later, another caribou came closer, holding a very familiar object on its hand.

Her stomach felt heavy as she saw her friend being collared, and then moments later dragged away while her clothes were ripped. Away in the distance, she could see another pair of caribou, one leading Fluttershy away like a passive, frightened sheep, and another one literally dragging away a statuesque Pinkie Pie whose eyes, still wide as dishes, merely stared stiffly around.

Yet, her shock was short lived as her ears perked when she heard another set of heavy steps approaching her. Turning around, her mind reacted quickly as she teleported away from another caribou trying to stun her, popping a couple feet away, watching with shock as she realized that not only the one that attacked her was there, but other three Caribous were at his side, each one of them carrying their own batons, ready to strike at her.

With three of her friends down on the count, her hopes lingered on her last friend, Rainbow Dash. Still wary of the caribous in front of her, she turned around, looking at her friend.

As always, in her athletic style, she flew around, delivering quick punches and kicks at her enemies. Yet, her actions proved to be futile and even useless, as the caribous she hit just groaned in pain, depending on which part they were hit, or not even blinking at the hit given.

Upon seeing that, Twilight turned once more at the foes in front of her, her rational mind starting to go in overdrive. A caribou had the guts to be the first one to go forward, surprising Twilight as he grabbed her by the neck. Her horn lit up in instinct, and fired off a stunning spell. The scare caused her to lose control temporarily, and more power sipped onto it.

When the beam hit the caribou's armor, the runes started glowing once more, but few moments later, the exceptional power of the spell became too much, the runes glowed brighter until they suddenly stopped working. The caribou let out a surprised yelp as the spell not only put him to sleep, but also sent him flying away.

While relieved it worked, Twilight panted in exhaustion as the spell took more than what she thought. As she turned back at her attackers, she saw the shine of her horn had been too much, and the remaining caribou were rubbing their eyes.

Twilight saw another opportunity when she saw a stone of a considerable size near her. Using her magic, she lifted it in the air and propelled it towards the first caribou to recover. While the stone didn't do considerable damage to its armor, it was enough to make him stagger back. Upon seeing it, Twilight retracted the stone with her magic and launched it again, this time at its head.

While not badly hurt, it was enough to put the second caribou to sleep, leaving only two caribous in front of her. Twilight got ready for another maneuver, summoning more magic. Her concentration was broken when she heard her last friend let out a cry of pain.

She turned just in time to see her friend colliding against a corner of a building. Rainbow immediately got up and got ready once more, but started to get nervous as she saw at least half a dozen caribous surrounding her, and another half ready to do something just in case they couldn't catch her. All of them carrying batons at the ready.

Twilight's mind once more went into overdrive as she turned around, looking for anything that could help them in their current situation.

Nothing.

They needed help.

She was too busy and wasn't quick enough to run... but as for Rainbow...

“GO! Get to Ponyville! Find help!” Twilight shouted at her friend, who turned to look at her with a surprised look. For a moment, Twilight saw refusal, her loyalty preventing her from just get up and flee. Yet, a single stare of Twilight convinced her of the contrary.

Rainbow's eyes filled with tears as she knelt on the ground and opened her full span. The caribous, instantly knowing what she was planning, sprung into action, all six of the caribous jumped at her.

Rainbow lifted her head to look at her friend, a single tear rolling down her cheek as their eyes met. Silently, she mouthed an apology as she flapped her wings.

The caribous met simple air as they all fell into a huge brown pile, many of them could simply watch as the blue blur in the sky sped up until suddenly, most of them were knocked down by an explosion of multiple colors.

Twilight herself was also dazed by the explosion, but already used by seeing it a couple times before, she was the first to recover. In front of her, several caribous were just starting to get up, yet still dazed.

Twilight gave herself a moment to turn to see the rainbow streak flying through Canterlot, but also noticed a pink beam rise from somewhere on the city into the sky, only for moments later, to let out another explosion as an spherical shield started to form around the city.

Twilight felt relieved as she saw the familiar shield starting to surround the city. She knew of no other pony that could do that spell so widely. Yet, doubt showed its ugly head as she watched in the distance the fainted crystal empire's guards, his guards.

No, Shining Armor could NOT be a traitor... it wasn't like him at all... right?

A groan caught her attention back as she saw one caribou standing up, but still dazed. She lit up her horn again and charged another spell. Yet, when she remembered the amount of magic needed just to put one of them to sleep, she stopped. She needed something else, something that didn't use as much magic but still could be effective.

The answer came when the caribou's baton slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Twilight saw it and her pupils dilated as she came to a realization.

Gripping the baton with her magic, Twilight levitated it towards the Caribou's chin. The caribou let out a trembling groan of pain, the first one she had heard from them, as whatever magic the baton had made its effect on him. Twilight felt relieved when she took away the baton from the caribou, only for him to fall to the ground unconscious, some twitches on his body the only sign he was still alive.

Twilight grinned triumphantly as she expanded her magic towards the batons of the rest of her enemies. Yet, just shy away from the start of her attack, she noticed the first baton she had snatched away, the crystal on top of it had stopped glowing.

Her mind reached back to the start of the battle, when she saw the caribous hitting ponies with their batons to paralyze them. For a pony, it required merely a single touch of not more than a second to stun them. When she put the baton at the caribou's chin, she had left it there for just a little over five seconds. That meant the batons could expend all their energy, and just stun one caribou each.

Twilight maneuvered the batons expertly, not allowing the caribous a moment to rest as she moved the batons as flies. One by one, all the caribous fell again to the ground stunned, causing Twilight to smile in satisfaction at her accomplishment.

That satisfaction was short-lived as she felt a harsh yank on her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw another caribou with is fist raised, ready to strike at her. Twilight was starting to panic as she suddenly saw a fountain not too far away from them. She smiled as she stretched her hand at an uncovered area of the caribou's body and lit her horn.

If the spell with the stone touching the armor worked, then maybe a teleportation would work, too. The caribou looked at her with confusion as she smiled, but that turned to shock as he felt his body as if it were sucked inside a tiny hole, only for that sensation to turn into that of cold air.

Turning to look down, the caribou let out a cry of fear as he saw they were floating several feet in the sky. Turning to look at the alicorn in front of him, he saw her smile as she lifted a hand towards his. With a simple flick, she pushed his hand away.

The caribou let out a shout of fear as he plummeted into the ground, the figure of the female alicorn becoming smaller.

Meanwhile, Twilight grinned as he saw the caribou going down, until he fell safely on the fountain she had seen before. They were monsters, but they wouldn't make HER a monster. She used her wings, still clumsily, as she flew away from that place.

Suddenly, her sense flared up as she felt two sources of power, one very familiar, and the other one unknown to her. She started to fly towards the source, her mind telling her to find Celestia, that she would know what to do, and then, she would tell her what to do.

While Twilight flew towards the castle, sounds of fight reached her ears. Turning to look down, she saw several guards fighting. Yet, there were no caribou in sight. They were fighting against each other, more notably, the crystal guards against the equestrian guards. Somehow, even when they were less in numbers, the crystal ponies were winning, several equestrian guards laying on the ground at their pace.

The answer came when she saw one of the crystal ponies carrying a stun baton, hitting with it at every guard, be it male of female that got near him. Yet, once again the same pattern repeated in front of her. Twilight saw several of the female guards being strip away from their armor, their clothes and other articles followed shortly. The clothes were put in a pile nearby, while the armors were taken away by naked mares in chain, all of them being watched closely by some caribou.

"THERE SHE IS!!" Twilight turned sharply as she heard a caribou shout. She barely had any time to fly away from a group of bolas heading towards her, and she even had to use her magic a couple times to knock some away. She sped up and flew away from them, finally losing sight of them.

"SOMEPONY, HELP ME!!" Twilight's eyes widened when she heard a mare just below her shout.

Turning towards the pony, Twilight saw a caribou tearing away her clothes. What shocked her the most was when she saw the caribou take off a piece of its armor, the one covering his crotch. His cock sprang out and slapped the mare's ass. Even in the distance, Twilight saw the caribou's cock was larger than many ponies, according to the registers she had read before.

The caribou then pushed her towards a wall, the mare letting out a cry of pain, which was repeated as the caribou pushed her head against the wall, while his other hand gripped almost effortlessly both her wrists together. Before the mare could say or do something, the caribou buried himself into her, causing the mare to let out a shout of pain and forced pleasure, looking into the sky.

It was then that Twilight saw her, her eyes, her mane, her cutie mark... It was Twinkleshine, an old friend and student alongside her in Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. While Twilight had wanted to see her again, she would've never in her life imagined it might be that way.

Twinkleshine's eyes focused for a moment on her, which started to fill with hope, and even a ghost of a smile formed on her face. That smile was erased moments later as a pained expression filled her, desperation filled it as she looked pleadingly at Twilight, the caribou behind her too entranced with its own pleasure to notice what the mare was staring at-

Tears formed in Twilight's eyes as the first thought on her mind was to rush in and help her. Yet, more caribou started to arrive to the zone, all of them giving the pair a lecherous look and some even already starting to masturbate. Much to Twilight's dismay, there were even more than what she and her friends had faced before. When she saw that, it became painfully clear that she just couldn't save her.

One single tear fell from her face, and Twinkleshine saw it. Instantly, all her hopes vanished as she saw Twilight move her mouth in a silent apology, her hopes falling and shattering as she saw Twilight turn around and fly away. A pained scream reached her ears moments later as feelings of shame, anger, sadness, all seemed to pile over moments later, making her feel as if she needed to throw up.

Holding her stomach in a feeling of dizziness, her natural magic took possession again and she felt herself attracted towards the center of what once had been a merry celebration: the stadium. Even in the distance, Twilight could clearly make out the magical signature of her former teacher, feeling to her like a pleasing warmth and making her feel better.

Said feeling was washed away by the second presence inside the stadium, very near the first one. That one was in complete contrast with Celestia's own one: this one felt cold. Only feeling it sent shivers down her spine. However, Twilight also felt something else in that presence, something very familiar, something she hadn't felt in a long time. Something... chaotic.

While Discord's presence was something she wasn't sure to declare a good or bad thing, she was sure he would react when she mentioned of Fluttershy's demise at the hands of the Caribou. Maybe with his help, the tides would turn at the ponies' favor.

"What are you doing, Hard Plate!?"

Twilight stopped abruptly as she heard someone shout. Looking down, she noticed a small group of guards, equestrian guards, in a small alley, consisting of around twenty guards. Yet, her fear grew as she noticed one of them holding a baton, behind him, several caribous starting to walk into the alley, frightening the civilian ponies the guards were watching.

The guard in command, Twilight realized by the design of its armor, stepped forward as he pointed at the guard with the baton.

"Y-You... no, you're not like this..."

Twilight's mind was shocked once again as she saw the guard's eyes shine a different color for a brief moment. Before her mind could grasp it, a burst of green flames shrouded the guard, revealing moments later what really lay beneath the facade.

"Changeling!" Another guard shouted as he pointed at it, the civilian ponies letting out shrieks of horror at the black insectoid creature. Yet, even before they could stop themselves, some guards in the group dropped their weapons as they turned at their comrades with evil smirks.

Twilight herself choked a scream of horror as at least half of the guards suddenly transformed into more Changelings, the remaining guards holding onto their spears or swords tightly as they did their best to protect the other ponies, eventually failing as they were subdued by the combined speed of the changelings and the brute strength of the caribous.

So that's how they got into the city...

Twilight's eyes widened in fear as she turned to look at the city, remembering the groups of guards fighting against other guards, her mind immediately shifting towards the 'crystal ponies'. Yet, it also went towards the other guards. Until a few moments before, those guards didn't knew there was a changeling between their ranks, even less that half their group were changelings.

If that was so, then how many guards were truly 'guards'? Who else could they have replaced? What business did Chrysalis had with the caribous, why were they helping them?

Her fear grew as she realized just how bad the situation was, and the danger they were really in. Her conviction of finding Celestia, and maybe even Discord, grew, and she pushed herself away from the group as she sped up towards Celestia's location.


As she finally arrived at the stadium, Twilight suddenly realized just how quiet it was inside. That silence was broken as she heard metal clashing, and her ears perked as she suddenly realized she heard the voice of her former mentor.

"You will fail, as all the others who dared to threaten my little ponies!"

Twilight immediately ran forward, few moments later being blinded by the change form the dark corridor to the lit rows of seats inside the stadium. Twilight immediately saw several ponies inside, though many of them weren't exactly hiding. Most ponies inside weren't even trying to run, and she saw why.

In the center of the stadium stood Celestia, dressed in a white silk gown, much like many times Twilight had seen her before. However, Twilight had never in her life seen Celestia angry. Bothered, annoyed, even concerned? Many times. Angry? Never. It was at that moment when she understood why.

Celestia's face was contorted in pure rage as she held a glowing sword into her hands, said blade being shrouded by golden flames. Yet, it wasn't the blade what caught most of the attention. It was Celestia herself. Gone away were the vibrant colors of her mane, instead replaced by vibrant tones of red, yellow and golden, almost as if resembling more the blazing anger of the sun than its pleasant warmth. Even her eyes were different, changing from their gentle purple color to reptilian-like eyes of a fiery orange color. Even her curvaceous figure, gentle and caring, was enveloped by fiery flames, scorching the ground right beneath her.

If that was Celestia angry, Twilight preferred to never be on her bad side. She almost felt pity when she saw the one whom Celestia's anger was directed to. A Caribou, taller than most of the other caribous she had seen before, stood right in front of Celestia. The armor of the caribou was very different from the others she had seen. While most used a silvery steel armor, this one's was completely pristine, far more worked than any other Twilight had seen, covered at its fullest by runes. Behind him, a green cape wavered in the wind as an image of a caribou's footprint was printed onto it.

While Celestia wielded a sword, the Caribou wielded a warhammer, and even though his presence was imposing, Twilight realized his presence was nothing compared to that of the furious alicorn right in front of him.

However, something that unnerved Twilight was the fact that, despite all the power Celestia emitted, all the heat in front of him, and seemingly, being in the worst situation any being alive would want to be... he wasn't showing much emotion. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't even showing a drop of worry.

Celestia moved first, faster than anything Twilight had seen before, even faster than Rainbow Dash, holding her sword in front of her for a deep thrust against the Caribou, intent of impaling him being written all over her face. Yet, that intent vanished, and even her eyes retracted to their former purple as her sword made contact with the caribou's weapon. Almost as if it was nothing, the Caribou had just pushed away the sword with a single push of his hammer.

Celestia, through surprised, simply spun around in her hoof as she swung the sword around, even the air seeming to be sliced by the fiery blade on her hands. The caribou merely used the head of his hammer as a shield, barely making any movement to counter the solar diarch's blow.

Both metals clashing, it became a struggle of brute strength, and Twilight was impressed when she saw just how strong Celestia was. Aside from the growth in the intensity of the flames both, in her body and her blade, the floor beneath her cracked under her hooves. Celestia was grunting just by the sheer strength she used to push away her opponent.

Twilight's fear escalated as she noticed Celestia's sword starting to back out, along with a worried face from her mentor. The caribou in front of her had just barely made a grunt as he started to push back, and much to the ponies' in the stadium surprise, he was winning. Despite the alicorn's strength, despite the heat exuding from her body, despite everything, Celestia was pushed away.

Twilight let out a gasp of surprise just as her mentor was pushed back several hooves away, and the caribou seemed as if he had just swatted away an annoying fly. Just how strong was that caribou?

Celestia got up on shaky legs, having been shocked either by the hit against the ground, or the push from the caribou, she didn't know. Yet, her blade was engulfed once more in flames as her horn lit up, throwing a look filled with anger and even hate against the caribou. Lifting her sword to point at him, her horn shone brighter, brighter than any other time Twilight had seen before.

Every being in the stadium let out a gasp of shock as they saw Celestia fly above the caribou, moments later, a beam shooting from the princess' horn. Twilight had seen her only once, when she fought against Chrysalis. Yet, that beam seemed like a mere needle in comparison to the one she was seeing.

The beam was like seeing the sun directly in front of them, but burning even more due to it being the incarnated fury of the sun. Twilight could only pity the caribou under her as she saw the beam hit dead center into his location, his figure even vanishing under the bright intensity of it.

Moments seemed to turn into years as every being had become witness of just how powerful their princess really was. When the beam stopped, everypony felt as if they had just seen their lives through their eyes.

Celestia's wings faltered, having spent far too much energy on one single attack, and she floated down to the floor. Her sword lost all the flames surrounding it, moments later falling to the ground. The flames around the princess' body also vanished and what had once been a vivid representation of the sky light's fury transformed into a panting mare.

Where the caribou stood, a thick column of smoke and ashes rose, cutting off any vision inside where the sun's fury had hit. Celestia let out a smirk of victory as her strength failed her, having to sit down on the floor. Her rest was cut short as she saw a big group of caribou entering the center of the arena, just short of where she was. Celestia merely motioned with her hand at another door, where several guards, equestrian guards started to pour into the arena, placing themselves between the caribous and the princess.

The guards immediately stood at attention, drawing out their weapons, the caribous doing the same moments later. The air was heavy, seemingly everypony just at the ready to defend themselves.

Suddenly, the caribous turned their attention at the center, just where Celestia was. In her infinite kindness, Celestia was about to offer them their lives spared, despite everything that had happened. Her blood froze as she saw them suddenly raise their weapons high, their free hand forming a fist that collided with their chest as they all chanted the same thing with a wide smile on their faces.

"All hail King Dainn!!"

A deep, cold and guttural chuckle sounded behind her. Her eyes widened in shock as she turned around, seeing the one she had just shot with everything she had, standing in there as if nothing had happened. His armor was charred in some parts, some runes on it blinking erratically, some other off, and even some parts of his fur had been blackened. Despite that, his voice, and even his face showed no pain at all.

Twilight almost jumped in fright as she heard the chuckle, almost as if it were right at her side. A mare in the distance even shouted as the form of the caribou emerged almost intact from the cloud of smoke behind him.

“Well struck, Celestia, but surely you can do better than that. I would have thought seeing your precious mares shown their place would...upset you more?” The caribou said in a mocking tone as he raised once more his hammer, which also seemed to be mostly intact. “Unless, that is, you're just putting on a show before giving in? Many of your fellow females have welcomed the new order with open arms, and it would be a pleasant surprise to see you acknowledge where you belong.”

Twilight watched as Celestia got up, panting from exertion, but in her eyes, the burning fury and conviction of the sun could still be seen.

"I will protect my subjects from you and your people. You are not the first one to threaten my little ponies, and as the others, you shall fall." Celestia's horn lit up once more, and the sword in the ground shot towards her hand, being enveloped once more in flames as the hand closed on its handle. "I don't understand what brought you and your people all the way from across the ocean... but i will make sure to send you back where you belong!"

Celestia flung herself against the enemy, her sword almost striking the caribou's head had he not blocked it with his own weapon. Celestia let out a scream as she used both hands on her sword to push down with all her might. Yet, Twilight was shocked when she saw that, while Celestia was using both hands, the caribou was only using one... and he was winning again.

"Oh, Celestia..." The caribou said in an amused tone, shocking Celestia when she found her sword being pushed back, despite using all her strength.“Did you really think you're an even match for me?”

Using his free hand, the caribou slapped Celestia across her face, sending her to the ground once more, her sword falling from her hands at the caribou's feet.

"It's been very amusing." He said as he started to walk towards her, Celestia lifting her head to look at him, her eyes also spotting her sword nearby. "... but as you can see..."

Using the last of her magic, she flung the sword towards herself, her eyes lighting up with hope as the blade was just within reach, only for the caribou to catch it in the air by the blade, shocking all the ponies inside. The horror truly set in on Celestia's face as the caribou, not even bothered by the blade, closed his whole hand against it, a loud cracking sound filled the stadium as the blade fell to the ground in two pieces, small shards of metal falling from the caribou's hand as he opened it, not a single cut being visible on it.

"...You were merely a tool to demonstrate these ponies the futility of resistance." The caribou added as he thrust a hand towards her neck, both her arms weakly grabbing at his wrist as he held her there.

Twilight's pupils contracted, some mares, and even some stallions, shouting in horror as they saw the caribou's free hand lifting, a black, thick object held on it, and being clasped moments later onto the princess' neck. A black collar, the same one she had seen plenty of times on the past hour on the neck of so many innocent and defenseless mares.

And now, there was one on the princess' neck.

"The game was fun, cunt..." the caribou declared as his hand left the collar, and she was lifted high above him, Celestia even trying to kick him to free herself. "... But now, it's time for your little ponies to see you the way you really are."

Just as he ended that phrase, his free hand took the neck of her dress, a harsh rippling sound filled the stadium as the princess' dress was reduced to rags with a single pull. Her breasts bouncing as they were freed from their restrain, and even her most sacred area was exposed as her lower labia became exposed. Celestia started to kick harder and push harder at the caribou's hand.

"You will serve the new order, whether you like it or not." The princess' kicks began to lose force, the familiar gasping by the lack of oxygen getting to their ears as the princess struggled not to escape anymore, but just to get some air. Finally, when she was at the edge of passing out, the caribou let go of her, her form falling to the ground as she coughed and took deep breaths of air.

Her hands immediately went to her neck, grasping the thick leather collar on her neck as she desperately tried to pull it out. The caribou chuckled darkly, earning the fallen princess' attention.

“Get used to your collar, Princess,” he murmured mockingly. “It will be the only thing you're allowed to wear from now on.” He said as his antlers lit up, and Celestia gasped in shock as what once had been her dress suddenly caught fire.

Her shock subsided, and rage once more set in as she turned at the caribou with a defiant look. “You may capture me,” she began. “But there are others. My sister. My niece. The Elements of Harmony. One of them will free me, and I will join them in stopping you.” She declared with a small smile. Yet, that smile vanished when the caribou, and even some of his troops started to laugh.

"Oh, you stupid cunt. How little you seem to understand. Your sister? Just a matter of time. Your niece? She's coming towards her as we speak. When she arrives, it will have been a long while after we've finished here. As for your precious Elements?" Dainn chuckled darkly, and even some Caribou as they stood aside, letting some caribous in, causing the ponies' eyes to widen in shock.

Two caribous entered, grunting and shuffling as the pony they were escorting thrashed harshly against them. Both casually kicked behind her knees, and even a third caribou had to push her in the stomach just so she could be put on her knees. Twilight had never seen Applejack so bad, not even when her attitude got herself in troubles. Her mane was very roughed up, she had multiple bruises on her body, and even an eye blackened and swollen. Despite that, her eyes still held a look of deep hatred and defiance. Twilight guessed she had had some things to say to them, judging by the gag she had on. Most sad of all was that her usual and loved stetson hat was missing.

In deep contrast to her first friend, another caribou entered with a leash, pulling harshly a very frightened Fluttershy. Her body, though naked, didn't seem to show any signs of physical mistreating. In fact, it almost seemed as if she hadn't even been touched, aside of her lack of clothes and the collar she wore. Her hands weakly tried to conceal her body, even to the grade of trembling, but a harsh grunt from the caribou made her think otherwise.

Yet another contrast was added when another caribou came in with an almost paralyzed Pinkie Pie. If not for the fact that her breasts moved with her own breathing, Twilight would have guessed she was dead. Her mouth seemed to move, but it was more like a fish's mouth, and her eyes widen, her pupils almost invisible between the sky blue of her iris.

Dainn chuckled again as he motioned at them.

"Three are already mine, a fourth one easily procurable, a fifth that will be eventually captured, and the sixth one..." Dainn stopped just short as he turned sharply at the princess once more, a cruel and dark smirk plastered on his face as he made a signal at some of his men.

Just in that moment, several guards started to enter the building, most of them escorting civilians inside. Twilight sighed in relief as she saw them, glad that reinforcements had arrived. That smile turned into a shocked and worried one as she saw one of the guards entering. She had seen him before, not too long before.

Her mind suddenly recalled the memory of the alley, and the secret weapon of the caribous.

A scream sounded on the arena, and Twilight turned just in time to see that some of the guards, shocked and stunned until a few moments before, had started to run towards the King of the caribou, Celestia even making them signs to stop, but ultimately being ignored by them. Said shout turned into a chain reaction, causing more and more guards to join the fight.

Twilight's fear escalated as she saw that, despite their bravery and strength, the guards had no chance against the Caribou. Once a small group of them was left conscious, they started to call for reinforcements to their comrades on the upper part. Screams of horror filled the stadium, furthering crushing any hopes Celestia had of winning that battle, when absolutely all of the guards on the seats were enveloped into green flames.

The guards had failed...  the elements had failed, SHE had failed. Celestia let out tears of sadness and desperation as she looked around. All of her guards had been subdued, the males being tied down and the females being stripped of their armor. The changelings stood on guard on the doors and even above the arena. There was no escape.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a wooden instrument was put harshly behind her. She barely had time to react as the king picked her up by the collar, giving her a dark smile.

“And as for you, Princess. Even if your ponies rescue you, it's laughable to think you'll help them."

She was thrown again, but instead of the harsh floor, she was picked up by two caribous, each one holding an arm of hers, one holding her by the mane, and the other holding her muzzle.

Celestia's eyes widened as she saw what seemed like a guillotine in front of her. She started to thrash against her captors as she was pulled against the machine. For a moment, she breathed in relief as she realized the hole of the artifact was too small for even her whole hand to fit, only to further increase as her muzzle was put roughly into the base. Her head was forced to the side as she was pushed further in, Celestia even letting out authentically terrified screams as they finally let the blade of the artifact to fall.

Celestia was suddenly freed from her captor's grip, and she pulled herself as far as she could from the accursed machine. Taking deep breaths to control herself, she turned at the pair of caribous that were laughing. Her eyes widened as the caribous picked up a small, slender, white, spiral object and handed it to the King, who showed it at her with a dark smile.


Twilight was shocked. Celestia was something she considered nothing but perfect. History books described her as a fearsome warrior on past battles, something she, along with several ponies, had witnessed that day. She had survived to everything, and she was thought as something little under a goddess. The mere idea of something hurting her was ridiculous to many, and even to her at some point.

She almost felt like throwing up as she saw her mentor hurt beyond cure. Something that was part of her own identity had just been taken away from her former mentor. The symbol of magic for all the ponies had been stripped away from her and used as a tool to mock her.

Celestia's scream of horror was heard through all the stadium, and Twilight was sure half of Canterlot might have heard it. The face she remembered so dearly as warming and comforting was stained with the image of pure horror plastered on it at that moment. And it was nothing but that.

Her means of using magic, one of her symbols of power, something that marked her true calling was dangling from the caribou king's hand. On it, her severed horn was shown to her.
> Betrayal.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The air felt like lead for Twilight, as the recent events had taken a toll on both, her mind and spirit. Short gasps started to exit her mouth as she started to hyperventilate.

"Not real... not real... not real..." Twilight chanted to herself as she fell to her knees, still being able to see the Caribou King down below holding the princess' severed horn in front of her. The Caribou, not satisfied with that, turned around and lifted his hand, displaying the horn above him as if it were a trophy.

It probably was, judging by the way the other Caribou cheered on, and even the Changelings started to buzz their wings with a certain rhythm. She almost felt again the acid sensation running through her throat as she barely avoided throwing out.

"Now hear this, ponies!" The caribou king's voice sounded again, startling her and even some ponies who had been stunned, too shocked and surprised by the recent events. "Your princess has fallen!" He said as he lifted the horn higher while motioning with his hand towards the princess, who was being forced by two caribou to her knees, even going as far as tying her hands behind her back. He suddenly turned sharply towards his 'audience', causing some ponies to shout in fear.

"Every mare... no, every female is property." Twilight gasped lowly as she heard that, terrified and curious at the same time. "You have no rights, no freedom, no possessions of any kind!" Every mare in the stadium gasped, and even some started to seem offended, but all of them seemed scared. Their fears increased as the caribou smiled as he eyed the crowd.

"But there IS hope for you. Those of you who submit willingly will have a much more pleasurable existence than those who resist. They will be tamed, sooner or later, by any means necessary." Murmurs started to sound across the crowd, fearful ones. Twilight overheard a mare asking just what meant any means.

The caribou's smile vanished as he looked at the mares with a cold stare.

"It does not bother me if you are collared willingly or by force. If you are a mare, you wear a collar. You don't believe me? Just look at your 'princess', who thought she was an even match for me." He said as he motioned to Celestia, who was trying her hardest to break the ropes holding her. "What hope do you have left?"

That question sent a chill down Twilight's spine and wings as she turned to see her former mentor trying to free herself. She remembered when Celestia was battling the king. She had even broken the floor with her strength! Why was she having troubles to free herself from something so trivial as a rope?

Her answer came when she saw Celestia's collar, which seemed to be engraved with runes, several of them shining, even changing its intensity with every forceful movement Celestia made. Her eyes widened when she realized the collar she had was somehow inhibiting her other capacities, aside from magic.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw the caribou King, Dainn, she believed he was called, as he turned once more towards Celestia, letting out an amused chuckle.

"You look much improved, 'princess'." He said in a mocking tone, which earned an angry glare from Celestia and some laughs from his own troops. “You know, this wouldn't have been possible without you." He said as he posed a hand on her head, just short of where the stump of her severed horn was, petting her like a dog. "Here you thought that 'friendship' was enough to tame chaos itself. Yet another foolish mistake. I made him a better offer.”

Twilight's eyes widened as she heard that. She definitely felt Discord's presence nearby, though she just couldn't pinpoint it, but even going so far as to betray his friends? Her ears flattened against her head, feeling sadness, anger and a deep feeling of betrayal as she thought of him. She truly believed he had changed.

Her ears perked as she heard a loud buzzing, making her eyes go towards the Changelings on the stadium. More questions filled her mind as she remembered what Dainn had said. 'Every female is property now'... if that was the case, then what had happened with Chrysalis?

Thousands of questions filled her mind at the moment, but they were discarded as her eyes suddenly spotted one mare getting up from her hiding spot between the rows of seats, her ears flat and her head down in shame as she walked down into the arena. Twilight didn't want believe it! But she did.

Seeing Celestia down and so broken had crushed her spirit harsher than anything else before. Her friends captured? She believed she could rescue them later, with Celestia's help. The changelings invading? The crystal guards...?

Even as more and more mares rose up and followed the first mare's example, Twilight looked away in deep thought as her eyes focused on the weak shade of pink above the city. They were HIS guards... but she knew him... she knew he wouldn't do something so wretched like that. The why the shield?

Twilight reasoned that, maybe Shining Armor and Cadence had been betrayed by their people, had arrived earlier that day to warn them, already being too late themselves. In a desperate move, Shining must have closed the city to avoid more caribou from entering the city. But if that was the case, where were they?

Her heart stopped beating for a moment as she recalled what Dainn had said, that she was already on her way there... they were going into a trap! She needed to find them! She needed to warn-

Just as she was about to open her wings, she saw several figures entering the arena. One filled her hearth with hope and dread upon seeing her brother entering the stadium. His clothes were dirty and he seemed somewhat exhausted as he walked forward. Twilight was about to shout at his brother, trying to warn him of the trap. Her mouth stopped short of making any noise as she saw another pair of hooves entering the arena. Pink hooves.

The figure entered the light, seeing a naked Cadence entering the arena, holding some sort of staff on her hand, although it was covered by a cloth, making it impossible to see just what it was exactly. Yet, the fact that Cadence was naked, very tired, and even disheveled concerned her. It wasn't like the time when Twilight had found her underneath Canterlot, during the Changeling invasion, Cadence seemed healthy, but tired. Twilight reasoned they must have had some action during the invasion.

The king's troops didn't make any movement, they just stared at the pair of ponies entering the arena in silence, something that gave Twilight a very bad feeling. Even the King was just silent, looking at them from the corner of his eyes.

Twilight used a spell to amplify the sound just as the pair reached the place where Celestia was kneeling, her mind rushing as she thought of a way of warning them that didn't reveal her location so easily. As far as she knew, no caribou or changeling knew of her.

"... Shining Armor..." Twilight ears perked as she heard the caribou king speaking in an unusually cheery tone. "... it is a pleasure to see you could make it in time."

The hairs on Twilight's head stood up, and she could feel a chill run down her spine as she heard that. Something was definitely wrong, VERY wrong. The trap might have been already triggered, then why didn't Cadence and Shining do anything? What were they waiting for?

"Oh, Auntie..." Twilight heard Cadence say, noticing that Cadence was looking at Celestia with a smile. On other times, that smile would have been reassuring, warming even. Then, why did that same smile gave her a bad feeling?

Celestia's ears perked as she lifted her head, revealing some tears on her face, combined with some eyeliner that stained her pretty face as she looked at her niece. Seeing her there, some of her defiance returned as she looked at the King with a harsh look.

"Cadence! You and Shining need to stop this villain! Please, use the power of your love, as you did with Chrysalis before! That will-"

"And why would I want to do something so silly?" Cadence interrupted Celestia with a cheerful tone, earning a surprised stare from both, the fallen princess and Twilight above.

Twilight couldn't believe her own ears! Cadence had NOT said that, she couldn't have! Maybe the Caribou were doing some sort of trickery! Turning her eyes, and even her ears forward, Twilight tried to listen carefully for any signs of trickery. However, once she was more focused on the pair, she could see some details she had missed... concerning details.

The last time she had seen Cadence, although clothed, she was very slim, but still having enough flesh on the right places to have a decent hourglass figure. That had changed, as Cadence's breasts had grown, at least two whole cups from her modest d-cup breasts, and even her hips had changed, too. Some sort of tattoo that Twilight discovered, resembled a vagina was imprinted onto her navel area. All in all, it seemed like a more... 'developed' version of the Cadence she knew. Even her voice resembled!

All in all, it was princess Cadence, the princess of love, her former foalsitter and very loved friend. It was very hard to believe that as she found one object that further crashed her spirit: a thick, silver collar around her neck.

At the same time Twilight noticed it, Celestia seemed to notice, too. Cadence let out a small cheery laugh as she knelt down next to Celestia.

"I think you misunderstand, Auntie... Stop this? As if! You look very good like that!" Cadence motioned at the way Celestia was forced to sit. Cadence's face formed a sad expression. "I really wish I could have seen it."

"... Cadence?... What are you saying? "Celestia's eyes widened in horror as she started at her niece, who simply turned back at her with her cheery smile back onto her face.

"I mean, I would've really liked to, but my master and I..." She said as she got up and walked towards Shining, hugging him in a loving way. "... well, let's say we were needed somewhere else to give the finishing touch to this."

Twilight's hearth skipped a beat. The way Cadence talked, how Dainn had received them, and even the way Shining was touching his wife on her flanks right in front of everypony in there! Her blood froze once more and she started to hyperventilate once more as she realized what they were REALLY doing there.

Her feelings of treason increased as Cadence extended her arm, putting the clothed instrument right in front of Celestia. The object stood afloat, even as Cadence let go of it. Shining smiled darkly, something Twilight had never seen him doing before, as he took the cloth and revealed a shining blue object that radiated light. Twilight gasped as she saw it.

It was the Crystal Heart. No other crystalline structure had that color and the magic properties that thing had. But the Hearth had changed from the last time she had seen it. It could hardly be called 'Hearth' anymore.

"I give you, the Crystal Heart." Cadence said as she motioned at the glowing object in front of her, though she stopped for a few moments as her smile adopted a lecherous look. "Although... I think it's more like... the Crystal Cock." She said, earning a loud cheer from the caribou forces on the stadium, and even more buzzing from the Changelings.

"Cadence... what have you done?" Celestia stared in disbelief as she stared at the object in front of her with an horrified expression.

The end of the heart that ended in a tip had been polished to become more like a cylindrical form, even the tip having been filed down to a round shape. The other end, the two round edges of the Heart had also been polished to become, instead of two semi circles, two round spheres. The Heart had been taken and turned into an horrific copy of a cock.

An angry huff took Celestia's attention away from the crystal. It was Shining Armor, who was looking at her with a stare full of despise.

"We did that because of you, Celestia." Celestia gasped in shock, never having seen Shining defying her. "Remember the many times you have led Equestria to the border or destruction? How many times innocents suffered because of your negligence as a leader?" Shining let go of Cadence as he walked forward, giving stomps out of pure anger. "How many times? Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, Sombra, Discord? How many others have you erased from the history books?"

Celestia's ears lowered as Shining stomped right in front of her, his words cutting deeper than anything else that had happened before.

"Each time Equestria is in danger, you treat it as if it were a gamble. You haven't even defeated the most dangerous threats in recent times. You just sat on your fat ass as you sent others to do your dirty job! I'm actually surprised we haven't been wiped out from existence."

Shining ended his rant with a spit to Celestia's face, something many Caribou cheered about and many ponies, even the ones who had submitted, gasped from. Celestia recoiled from the spit on her face, shaking her face to rid of it, turning to look at Shining with a pleading, if not desperate, look. Shining merely chuckled as he turned around and walked towards the Caribou King.

"Yours and your sister's rule ends now, Celestia. From now on, King Dainn is the new ruler of Equestria." Shining said as he bowed in front of the king, earning the first true smile from the King. "He will brings us to a new era, one where Equestria can be at peace, for its might will be heard all around the world, and none will dare to defy us because of it."

Dainn, still smiling, motioned with his hand for Shining to get up, command that Shining obeyed without a shade of doubt. Both males sharing a handshake as the other Caribou chanted once more for their King, something that Dainn seemed to enjoy, judging by the wide smile he was sporting.

Moments later, however, Dainn's smile vanished as he looked directly at Celestia, followed shortly by Shining, who smirked with a dark tone on his voice.

"You do not have to worry anymore, Celestia. Your job as a ruler is over... instead, your place in the new society is to simply serve your betters." Shining said as he walked away, heading towards where Cadence had been silently watching, a wide and pleased smile still etched onto her face, which seemed to brighten up as she saw her master approaching.

"It's time, Cadence. One last thing, and you can have your reward." Shining said as he scratched her behind her ear, earning a pleased sigh from the pink pony. Her horn lit up with blue energy as she turned towards the crystal cock, said energy transferring from her horn to her hand as she stretched her hand to touch it.

"YA'LL WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!!"

A southern accent stopped Cadence just inches from touching the Crystal cock, making everyone in the stadium to turn and look at Applejack, the gag on her mouth had been literally bit in half and spitted out of her mouth, the farmpony struggling once more against her captors as she looked at the pink alicorn with a look of pure hate.

"AH DON'T KNOW WHO YA ARE, BUT AH SWEAR ON MAH GRANMA'S NAME, I'LL BUCKING KILL YAH, YA CHANGELING BASTARD!!" Applejack shouted in rage as the caribou holding her tried their hardest to hold her down. Eventually, both got tired of her, and reached into their belts for their batons, giving her two powerful shocks.

Despite the energy poured into her, Applejack kept struggling weakly against the caribou, who forced her back to her knees. Upon seeing that, Celestia lifted her head to look around, too.

"Applejack is right." She said softly as she looked at the king with a defiant look. "Even if you somehow manage to capture the rest of us... there are others who will stand against you."

A sudden uproar of laughter sounded around the stadium as the caribou mocked her. Moments later, Dainn walked in front of her.

"You really think others will dare to defy ME? How stupid you are, cunt. Just look around." The king motioned around, but not just at the other caribou, nor the prince and princess of the crystal empire, but also at the rows of seats, where all the changelings were buzzing their wings and even laughing, too. "There were others who thought about it." He said as he pointed towards the entrance of the arena, where two figures were entering.

Twilight gasped as she saw yet more changelings entering. However, those two were different from the others, both in the physical way, and in the social way, judging by the way the other changelings stopped their buzzing. The first Changeling, if that could be called a changeling, was very different: instead of the black chitin like the others she had seen, this one had vibrant green tonalities, something resembling jewelry on his chest area, and a pair of antler-like formation on its head.

"I was wondering when we would be called." The new Changeling spoke with a distinctive male voice as he walked forward, allowing his insect-like wings to buzz softly. Twilight noticed that they were far more shinier than the others, maybe symbolizing social status in the Changeling society.

Those thoughts were put aside as she watched the new changeling holding what seemed like a string of sorts. Her nerves, already wrecked by the recent events, were forced once more to tremble as she realized it wasn't a simple string: it was a leash.

"Come, Bugwhorse. Your 'subjects' are waiting for you." The new changeling said as he pulled the leash harshly, causing the second figure to enter the stadium, which earned even more surprised gasps as the former queen of the changelings entered.

Twilight choked a sob of fright as she saw Chrysalis entering the arena. The ex-queen's legs were tied in a way that she was forced to move with her legs open, exposing her vagina to everyone in there. Her arms had also been tied, but unlike Celestia, her hands had been tied at the back of her head, making her chest to be exposed.

In areas where Cadence had changed in a moderated way, Chrysalis' body had been debased in a sickly way. Her hips, barely noticeable to the naked eye and due to the pose she was forced to adopt, had grown to an almost degenerated size, just the same way her breasts had been turned into humongous udders that jiggled with every 'step' she took. Worst of all was that her stomach seemed bloated, which sickened Twilight as she saw it and the endless flow of white fluid falling from between her legs.

While Twilight didn't want to feel pity for her (she had attacked her and her friends before), she realized just how cruel the caribou really were when she noticed the countless runes engraved onto her chitin. The gem on the crown was the rune encrusted collar she had on her neck. Though all the runes didn't seem to stop her from sending hate filled glares at the caribou and changelings who whistled at her.

Celestia gasped in shock as she saw what once had been a proud queen, one she had considered a dangerous rival not only to her but to all Equestria, being debased in such a way. It seemed as if the Caribou had no end to their lascivious ways.

"You see, Cunt?" Dainn's voice startled her as he looked at the changeling queen with a mocking smirk. "That one also claimed victory over you, and see her now. Collared, on her place, as EVERY female should be." Celestia felt a shiver down her spine as she couldn't take her eyes off of the ex-changeling queen. Was that the fate they had reserved for her?

"Please, carry on, Shining Armor." Dainn said in a very gentle tone, very different to what he used with others.

Cadence nodded, even before Shining ordered her anything and lit up her horn again. Her hand went under the crystal cock as she made it float in front of her. Closing her eyes, she leaned closer towards the Cock, her horn almost touching it. Even before contact, the Crystal Cock reacted to Cadence's magic, starting to blink with energy and starting to spin softly. However, that changed when her horn made actual contact with it.

The cock started to shine brighter, even starting to hum as it also spun faster by each moment Cadence imbued more magic onto it. After a few moments, the light of the Cock had become a sphere of light that grew constantly the more Cadence sent magic onto it. Suddenly, once the light touched Cadence's hands, the light suddenly shrunk to the size of a marble as the humming stopped, only for moments later to explode in a flash.

Several ponies shouted as they saw the sphere of light expanding quickly around the stadium, Pegasi shooting up as fast as they could, Unicorns trying their hardest to teleport away from the light, and Earth ponies using their inherent strength to try and outrun the barrier.

Twilight's eyes widened when she saw the barrier approaching at her at full speed, her reflexes doing their work as she formed a barrier of her own, a purple bubble forming around her as she extender her arms and even her wings. She opened her eyes just as the bubble finished forming, only to widen as she saw the barrier of light phase right through it, as if it didn't exist. She almost shouted in fright as she lost concentration, only being able to see the barrier inches away from her.

Just as it was to touch her, she closed her eyes as she prayed to whatever deities out there to protect her.

When the barrier finally touched her, a tingling feeling invaded her, which seemed to disperse as soon as the barrier touched the rest of her body. She felt as if years had passed when the tingling ended, Twilight opened her eyes in curiosity. The barrier had passed right through her, and even many of the ponies down in the seats. However, the barrier seemed to keep its constant growth, even going as far as passing over the stadium. Twilight watched as the barrier rose higher and higher until it reached the shield Shining had cast around the city.

Checking herself quickly, Twilight sighed in relief as she realized she had no second horn, no third eye, no extra set of limbs... no overdeveloped body either, to which she found herself disappointed. Before she could ponder where that thought had come from, she heard movement below.

Looking down, she saw the caribou releasing the male guards from their bindings, even doing the same thing to the female. The male guards groaned as they got up, ready to fight, shaking away any dizziness they could've had, while the females reached for the nearest weapon they could find and joining their male colleagues on guard.

The air felt heavy as the guards looked at each other, the female with caution, seeing as they didn't have any armor on. The male guards, however, were almost deadly silent as they all faced forward, Twilight noticed a small blue shine on the corner of his eyes, which gave her a very bad feeling.

A guard with the same armor her brother once had stepped forward, sword high and ready to engage in combat. Finally on the front, the guard turned to look at his fellow guards.

"For Equestria!" He shouted with conviction, followed shortly by the rest of the guards as they stood ready. The leading guard lifted his hand, silencing the troops. After a few moments, he closed his hand and moved his arm down, giving the signal the rest of the guards were waiting for: the signal to attack.

The male guards immediately started to tackle the female, shouts and grunts filling the arena as all the female were subdued again, only now, it was by the hands of their fellow guards.

Twilight watched in shock as she saw the fight below, if that could be called a battle. Outnumbered, the female guards were easily subdued in a short time, the male guards making a shout as the last female was captured again, shout the caribou soldiers mimicked shortly after.

Moments later, more movement caught her attention, which originated on the rows of seats. Twilight's horror grew as she saw some of the ponies who had been hiding moments before, those who hadn't managed to escape the stadium before the barrier hit, starting to get up. Many mares ran towards their husbands, sons, brothers, or other friends who where close to them, only for said ponies to also go for the caribou's way, subduing the mares and stripping them away of any clothes the female had.

Twilight couldn't help but wonder how that was happening. Had the changelings managed to replace such a big group of ponies in such a short period of time, like the expansion of the barrier had taken? Maybe they had been already replaced, to begin with? If that was so, then why hadn't they changed back to their insectoid forms?

Twilight wrecked her brain as she searched for an answer, ultimately reaching to the same conclusion: they weren't changing because they weren't changelings. Their violent behavior had started as the Barrier had hit them, both the guards and the other stallions. Just to confirm her theory, Twilight looked again down, and she noticed several things confirming her theory.

Chrysalis was down on the ground, twitching as more and more semen slid out of her pussy, her face stuck into an angry and forced pleasured expression as she couldn't even form a clear sentence, her body even seemed to be absorbing some of the blue energy around her as she let out a long moan out of her mouth.

Back onto the stage, Twilight saw as Cadence finally let go of the Cock, her eyes opening as she let out a pant of exhaustion. Looking around, she saw with a pleased smile as all the females were subdued and even already being forced to feel a forced orgasm, courtesy of their captors. She panted once again, not a tired pant, as one of her hands found its way towards her pussy, the other one already massaging her own breast.

She stopped as she felt a pair of hands over hers, discovering they were from her master, who was looking at her with a smile and openly groping and even fingering her in the open.

"Well done, Cady." He whispered as he turned her around, the King entering onto her view as he walked towards her.

Cadence reacted quickly, falling to her knees as she made sure to press her chest forward, presenting her breasts towards the King, who smirked softly as he reached down to pat her head.

"Indeed... well done, slut." He said as he took her muzzle into his hand and lifted her head to look at her. His eyes instantly fell onto the collar she was wearing. He chuckled as he moved his head softly in a disapproving way. "You must not wear this anymore."

Cadence's face turned to one of shock and fear as the King said that, even whimpering as the king moved down to take the collar on his hands. With a clicking sound, the collar was released and even discarded away as if it were simple garbage. She looked at the King with sadness, begging him with only a look to return it to her, almost as if her life depended on it.

The king actually smiled as he saw that, such a devotion and submission from a female was always too endearing.

"You must wear something more befitting a female like you." He crouched down again as he snapped his fingers, producing from thin air another collar, this one being a rich crimson color. Cadence's ears perked up as she saw the collar, her eyes lit up with happiness as she saw it.

Twilight frowned as she saw Cadence not only look pleased with the presence of yet another collar, but also even getting on her knees and flexing her arms so they were more resembling to paws instead of arms.

"ARF! ARF!" Twilight's eyes widened in shock as she saw Cadence literally behaving like a dog!

The King lifted the collar towards Cadence's neck, making a clicking sound as it was sealed shut around her neck. Cadence whimpered in pleasure, and even shook as a chill ran down her spine when the new collar was put around her. Looking up at the King, he motioned at her to get up, which she did just instants after.

She turned around, a wide and happy smile was present on her face, disturbing deeply Twilight and Celestia as they saw it. The later was spotted by Cadence as her smile diminished slightly. She walked quietly towards her, kneeling once more the moment she was right beside her aunt. Twilight shivered as Cadence spoke with a soft and sweet voice.

“It may take some time, Auntie, before you come to see the pleasure in submission. That is fine; a fresh cunt can hardly know her place if she's gone through a lifetime of foolishness, now can she? Things will be much better for you once you give in, once you accept that we will be happier on our knees than at any point when we stood above the stallions.” She said as she touched softly her aunt's shoulder in a supportive manner, like Celestia had done so many other times with her.

Celestia leaned back as much as she could without falling, trying to get away from her touch, her face frozen with a look of pure horror as she stared at her niece.

Cadence frowned softly as she saw her aunt's reaction, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she not only accepted her touch, but rather crave it as much as she craved hers. Her smile returned as she saw the small guillotine just short distance away. She got up to her hooves and walked towards it, her smile even widening as she knelt down on it and passed her horn through the hole on it.

Twilight was already in shock when she saw Cadence get onto that monstrosity by her own account. Yet, it wasn't done, she noticed, when her brother got closer towards the machine, even daring to slap Cadence's rear when he was near, earning a loud moan from her. Once at its side, Shining turned to the crowd on the seats.

“Do you see, mares? The Princess of Love comes to us willingly. She embraces her servitude, and she shall know endless pleasure for it. She knows that magic is an unnecessary burden for a female; look how eager she is to be rid of it!” He pointed at Cadence, who was almost shaking in anticipation for the act, her tail even waving like that of a dog as she shook her ass for everyone to see, a clear liquid trail could be seen travelling down her legs.

Shining tapped a button onto the machine as it came to life, the blade falling down with a clean sound as it smashed down onto the wood. Cadence shuddered as she clenched her thighs together when the sound of the button reached her ears. Once it made contact with the wood, Cadence not only shivered as she felt her horn being cut clean, but also emitting a loud moan of pleasure that could be heard by all the stadium. The fluid running down her legs increased suddenly, and even some of it shooting out of her pussy.

Cadence slid off the machine shakily, still shuddering from the pleasure she felt just by feeling the cut. Lifting her hand to her head, she shuddered once more as she felt in her hand the stump, and even feeling through the stump her own hand. Her eyes trailed down the machine as she recovered slightly until they fell onto her severed horn.

Twilight watched as Cadence leaned forward and took the horn in her hands. Getting up, she carried the horn as if it was a newborn, looking at it in an almost loving way. However, once she was before the King, she felt to her knees again, and Twilight lifted a hand to her mouth to choke a gasp of horror as she saw her former babysitter offering it willingly to the King, the pose she adopted reminding her of a sacrifice of the ancient cultures.

Dainn chuckled and Shining grinned as the King took the horn from her. He turned around and rose both hands, each containing a severed horn of the two princesses. The caribou let out a victory shout as they chanted again.

"ALL HAIL DAINN!!"
"ALL HAIL DAINN!!" Another set of shouts sounded as Thorax joined them, soon being followed by his fellow changelings.
"ALL HAIL DAINN!!" Yet another set joined the first two as the male guards started to say, standing at attention and saluting.
"ALL HAIL DAINN!!" The last set of voice was added when Twilight noticed the civilians also joined in, the males, at least.

Just as Twilight was beginning to think things couldn't go worse, seeing as literally EVERY male in the stadium, caribou, changeling, and pony alike, had suddenly proclaimed themselves followers of the new regime, but things definitely turned worse as she saw Cadence getting up and walking towards her aunt, still a wide and happy smile adorned disturbingly her face.

The stadium fell in silence as Cadence knelt right next to Celestia, a clear trail of fluid leaving her pussy and dropping to the floor as she walked. Once at her side, Cadence put a hand on Celestia's head, rubbing the clear stump on her head.

“Now, Auntie, just as a unicorn mare has no need for her magic, a pegasus has no need for her wings. You will have to wait a short time for that gift, but for me...”

Just as Cadence finished, the King motioned at some of his soldiers, which immediately started to move. Two caribou flanked her, Cadence getting to her hooves still with a smile. Celestia was afraid, already wondering what kind of monstrosity she was about to do. Shining entered into her field of vision as his horn lit up while two caribou also stepped closer, holding two objects with a clear and almost crystalline texture to it, a deep and rich red color very similar to the one in Cadence's actual collar.

Twilight and Celestia gasped as Shining's magic softly enveloped Cadence's wings, to which she let out a soft moan, which formed into a shriek of pain and pleasure as a primary feather was plucked away from her, continuing with another one, and the next one... all of Cadence's primary feathers were plucked away as Cadence kept moaning and shrieking with pleasure, the feathers being put into a bag as the caribou cheered them on.

"Cadence... H-How could you ask for such a thing!?" Celestia said still in disbelief as she watched the feathers being discarded away as if mere garbage they were. "It's barbaric!!"

Cadence let out a loud moan as the last primary feather was plucked, turning to her aunt with a blush on her face and panting. "Because, auntie... submission feels..." She shrieked once more as Shining's magic enveloped her wings once more, her secondary feathers already being plucked away too. "... WONDERFUL! SO AROUSING!" Cadence shouted as her hands, idle and at her sides, went straight to her pussy, playing with herself as her secondary feathers were done away with. Cadence panted, falling to her knees, as all of her feathers were plucked away, leaving only a fleshy appendage in the air, moving in what once had been a flapping motion. "... So right."

The caribou beside her laughed with amusement as they showed her the two objects, making Cadence to retract her former wings to her body. Her hands went again to her pussy, panting faster as she stared at the caribou. "These wing sheaths will be delightfully comfortable..." She said as she turned to Celestia, open her legs even further as she made sure to show Celestia her nethers. "Red ones can also be yours, auntie... if only you would just give in and embrace your new place in society..."

As she said that, Twilight gasped in shock as the caribou opened the... sheathes, allowing her to see some sort of fluffy material inside, but also some runes on it. Her breathing was cut short as she saw on the side of one of those monstrosities a single word written on it: "Cadence". The two caribou stepped closer, and while they blocked most of Twilight's sight, it was obvious by the loud moans coming from her what they were doing.

As they finally stepped aside, Twilight gasped, along with Celestia and several other mares as she saw the sheathes placed firmly onto her back, completely covering her featherless wings. Cadence panted as she tried to move her wings, the sheathes moving along weakly as if they were a butterfly's wings. Cadence's tired smile turned bright once more as she moved around slightly to show Celestia clearly her new... adornments.

"These ARE pretty comfortable... the black ones are... let's just say... uncomfortable." A caribou stepped forward, opening a black sheath like the ones Cadence described, Celestia letting out a shriek of fear as she saw a space designed for the wing's appendages, surrounded by what seemed like spikes and needles around it. Celestia could only stare in shock as the object wasn't only designed to keep the mare's wings from growing more feathers again, but to be extremely painful if they tried to move them a little.

Several caribou laughed in mockery as they saw Celestia's fearful expression, Shining joining them moments later as he stood at Cadence's side, softly petting her head.

Twilight was with both hands on her mouth as she tried to control her breathing, but also fighting against the urge to scream, both of her eyes filling with tears as she saw her former foalsitter being debased in such a disgusting way, but also enjoying it, even supporting what the caribou were doing!

Before she could do something, the King stood forward and placed a hand on Shining's shoulder, even allowing himself a smile and a chuckle as he looked at him.

"That was entertaining, Shining Armor... But let us hurry, the festivities are about to begin, the real festivities, and we wouldn't want to spoil the parade, right?" He said, earning a nod from Shining as he turned around and went to the center of the stadium, lighting up his horn again. "That, and it shall make rounding the spectators easier." He said as he looked first at the fallen sun princess, then at the three captives elements, the bug whorse, the equestrian soldiers, and finally the crowd around them, eventually his eyes falling on the purple pony staring from up above the stadium.

Twilight's eyes widened in shock as she saw the caribou king staring directly at her, sending shivers down her body as his blue eyes, cold and calculating found her scared ones. Her attention was thankfully taken away from the kind as a new beam shot up from her brother's horn, this one shooting only to the top of the stadium, and immediately starting to form another shield around it.

Twilight was forced to make another painful decision, as several ponies followed the king's gaze towards her, even her former teacher and her friends. Twilight turned to look at them and then at the shield, noticing how it was quickly closing around them. Her eyes finally spilled several tears as she mouthed a silent apology to all of her loved ones, noticing as her friends looked at her with a mix of feelings, her former teacher only nodding in understanding, and several mares shouting at her for help as she teleported away from the stadium with a loud crack.

She appeared outside the stadium, concealed only by a bush around her. instantly noticing the several group of caribou running around, some even entering the houses and subduing their owners. Her eyes focused as she saw a caribou exiting a house, denying with his head to his fellow caribou as they went to the next. Her magic flared up again as she saw them closing the door, instantly teleporting inside the recently emptied house. Looking around, and even asking softly, she made sure no one was inside.

As she saw she was completely alone, her whole body slumped down, falling on her rear as her hands took her own knees and curled down into a ball on the floor, the tears on her eyes multiplying as she finally allowed herself to cry. Her tears increased as she wished she could go back in time, to the time she was happier! That day had started so well! She had been enjoying with her friends as if it was any other day!

Sure, the stress from being a princess for the past few months wasn't a very happy experience, but she had been able to make several ponies' lives better, and that was a reward on itself! She had proved that she was indeed a good princess.

Those proves were nothing compared to her failure that day, and not only once, or twice, but several times!! She was a princess, she should be out helping as best as she could! Instead, there she was, curled into a ball, crying, inside an unknown pony's house whose fate would have been the same as the others she had seen, and there was nothing she could do!

"... Focus Twilight." She told to herself lowly, her voice barely over a whisper. "... focus... princess Celestia... oh, princess, how could i- no no no, Twily, focus! What do you need?"

She started to think as she sat up, her mind starting to function again as she tried to think on what to do next. If only she were like Rainbow, always rushing into action and... Rainbow! She had managed to escape, and she had gone back to ponyville for help! And that was exactly what she needed: help.

But that meant getting away from Canterlot, which meant she would need to disable the shield... which meant... she would need to confront her brother. Even thinking about him brought a deep feeling of sadness, anger and betrayal.

"Focus Twilight." She repeated to herself as she dared to peek from a nearby window, seeing the stadium still enveloped by the shield. She would have to wait, wait for her brother to get out, and then follow him until he was completely alone. Until then, all she could do was wait. And wait she did, for several hours.

Meanwhile, her mind kept repeating the plan several times as she started to think about what to do next. Yet, as much as she tried to, she couldn't think about anything, besides getting to ponyville, with Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike and the elements. Only then, she would be able to plan their next move.

Speaking of moves, her attention was drawn from the stadium as the caribou moved several ponies around, making two lines on the street. Her hopes fell harder as she saw several males with eager expressions... though some less enthusiastic than others. But the mares... oh, poor mares. Not a single mare in the street was dressed, all of them only being allowed to wear either a silver collar on their necks, or a black collar, those being the ones who kept resisting. Some were severely bruised, a swollen eye, a split lip, several hits on their bodies. Her eyes widened as she saw several known faces: Jet Set being pushed down again by her husband, Octavia quivering with anger between other members of her orchestra, Twinkleshine crying to herself. She saw one mare try to rise and break away, only for a pegasus guard patrolling the air to swoop down and shock her with a baton like Twilight had wielded earlier, at which point the mare was dragged back into the crowd.

However, there were a few of them she knew too, that made her hearth skip a beat, as a bright red collar hung from their necks. Some seemed reluctant and/or hesitant, but some others were actively eyeing the males with lust on their eyes, even making some not so subtle motions with their bodies to catch their attention.

She remembered Cadence's expression of pleasure as she saw those mares, and it unnerved her. Trumpets started to sound on the distance as the shield around the stadium vanished. She remembered the king's words, something about a parade. Knowing what the caribou were capable of, she felt a pit growing in her stomach.

She didn't need to see the parade, she did not want to see the parade... but Shining would be there, and she needed to follow him. She would have to watch the parade.
> The parade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first sign Twilight had to know the parade was beginning was the sound of trumpets and fanfare started from within the stadium, making her ears perk as she opened her eyes from her slumber. Memories instantly came back to her mind flooding like a broken dam, remembering the changelings, the crystal guards, the caribous... Celestia, the equestrian guards, Chrysalis, Dainn... the crystal heart, Cadence... Shining...

The mere memory of her brother's betrayal almost made her throw up, her body reacting as if she had just swallowed pure venom and prepared to expel it from her body, feeling as the fluids on her stomach started to move up her throat, barely avoiding opening her mouth.

More music started to sound, making Twilight get back to reality as she almost went with the impulse to almost jump from the window to see, had she not reminded herself of the caribou. Having that in mind, Twilight slowly peeked from the windowsill, making sure nopony could see her. She made a mental cheer as she saw several caribous, but none looking in her direction. Twilight was thankful that they seemed busy with other things, and hoped things would remain like that, having enough things to worry about already.

All Twilight could hear was a soft chattering coming from the crowd, most voices either confused, scared or even angry. But most of all, they were anxious to see what would happen next, mostly from the caribou standing between the crowd of ponies. At first, the chatter was lowering and even at one point, totally stopped, leaving behind a stunning silence.

Twilight realized the hearing enhancement spell had worn off, wasting no time to recast it, waiting and hoping to get some info of Shining's location. She almost let out a shriek of surprise when just having finished her spell, from the crowd emerged a cacophony of reactions, cheering from the caribou, and gasps from the majority of ponies as the doors of the stadium opened.

First came a caribou with a banner, one that shocked and gave her an idea of just who they were: a flag with a hoofstep in the form and shape of the caribou, the double, pointy forms of their feet surrounded by several runes similar to those they whore on their armors. Just below it, however, was engraved a name with equestrian writting. Stonehoof. Twilight felt chills just from reading that name.

Next came the actual army now ruling over Canterlot: Caribou, varying from different sizes and heights, but all having silvery iron armor, engraved with runes from antlers to hooves, or whatever they were called, all of them carrying barbaric weapons: hammers mostly, some more had spears, few of them carrying a crude sword, if it could be called that. Most of anything in their weaponry was made up by either small, apparently made for throwing, or huge axes made for brute force and direct combat. Twilight's memory tried to remember exactly every detail she could, if only to keep herself calm in that moment. Her attention was draw again to the caribou as they suddenly stopped, and stood in individual lines, with some space between them.

Her heart sank when another set of steps was heard. Contrasting the silvery armors of the caribou, Equestrian guards marched forward until they stood in linear formations among the caribou. From an order from a seemingly random caribou, all of them started to march at the same time, with the same tempo, as if a single army they were.

Caribou cheered on, and even some stallions, much to Twilight's dismay upon seeing some ponies not only accepting, but openly embracing the monstrosities the caribou made. The army stopped once more in front of the doors, suddenly turning to a central point between them as they stepped aside, making a clear way for another caribou, this one carrying a banner from the equestrian flag. But that one had been defiled cruelly, earning gasps from the ponies as they saw it: The union of moon and sun between the two sisters had been marked with black thick chains surrounding the two luminaries. As for the sisters, they, too, had been defiled with poorly drawn shapes of phallus entering their mouths and behinds, but even more angering for her were the two thick collars around their necks, and even red in color, reminding her about Cadence, even more the details of drawing them crosses over their wings and horns.

The caribou then turned to a guard, saluting him as the guard returned the motion. The caribou smiled as he made square motions to unstrap the flag from his chest and delivering it to the guard, who smiled back as he returned to the formation, side to side with the caribou with the stonehoof tribe banner.

Together as one, they started to march forward, the caribou on the crowd cheering again as the banners passed by them, some stallions openly cheering with them as they pointed to the vandalized banner of Equestria, shouting obscene things about the "whore sisters", some with words Twilight had never heard before. More anxiety reached her heart when she saw the stallions cheering not having scoop of regret on their faces. As for the guards, gone were their stoic faces as they smiled openly, seemingly glad to belong to such a barbaric culture.

The ponies gasped as they saw the next group... groups passing by, conformed mostly all by mares. Leading the groups were those with red collars, all having leashes attached to their collar as they were led by either a caribou or a stallion. Most of them were mares Twilight had seen in the coliseum, mostly those who had surrendered willingly after seeing Celestia fail. Twilight could see them having a face full of shame and embarrassment, except for a couple of mares who, much to her own surprise, had a wide and beaming smile as they walked, even swaying their hips seductively as they winked at almost every male they saw, be it stallion or caribou. Her heart sank as she saw not only some stallions were openly supporting the new regime, but also some females.

Next earned even more shocked gasps as several chains racked loudly, showing the females who openly defied the new system. Mares were lined up in rows that we connected by chains. The mares had their hands forced to their backs with cuffs, which served to connect with the chains to the mare behind her, directly to her collar. As if that wasn't enough, their ankles had been cuffed, too, forcing them to walk clumsily in a shuffling motion. Twilight guessed it might have been very painful and uncomfortable to walk like that, evidence of that being a mare who started to fall behind.

Behind them were a couple of caribou with their batons ready in case of any sign of the mares rebelling or not doing their jobs. Upon seeing the lagging mare, one of them made a quick slap with its baton to her rear, earning a pained yelp from the mare. The caribou opted to tell her something, which Twilight couldn't hear clearly, but based by the quick nodding and hurried "walking" of the mare, she supposed it was a warning of some sort.

Twilight noticed something strange when she saw the mare shuffling, which also extended to the faces of several mares. Upon closer inspection, most of the mares with such expressions were, or had been at some point, unicorns. More questions popped on her head as she tried to discern the reason of their discomfort, until her eyes fell on one of the red collars, an unicorn. Said mare was openly showing her body to all the males, which included shaking her breasts openly, sway her hips and lifting her tail to allow a better view. It was then when Twilight saw a strange hue of the same color of the mare's coat right in between her legs. Red flags shot into her head as she turned to see a row of only unicorns on it, seeing all of them walking the same way, but one having the unfortunate luck of having her tail lifted by a caribou behind her.

Twilight lifted her hands to her mouth to stifle a gasp of horror as she realized just what was happening to the poor mares as she fell onto her butt with a loud thump, barely feeling the hit when it hit her. Their horns had been chopped off of their heads, leaving only a stump to barely peek from their manes, but not happy with it, the caribou had taken the humiliation a step further by shoving their former horns right onto their anuses! Being shackled and paraded around naked was one thing, but being subjected to such a destiny was a monstrosity!

To her mind reached images of her being in a similar position, with her horn having been chopped off and having it forced upon her ass! So degrading, humiliating and shaming!

Next to the unicorns was a couple of rows formed only by earth ponies, which fared slightly better than the former, but not any less embarrassing. The earths had been forced into an humiliating bondage with bits and bridles forced onto their mouths, with thick blinders at their heads' sides, preventing them from seeing the crowd around them, only allowing them to see their fellow mares ahead. Twilight was shocked once more when she saw a mare suddenly squeaking as her legs started to tremble, which only earned her a harsh hit with a baton, but Twilight had already seen why that had happened.

Thick ropes had been wrapped around their bodies, connected to the bridles on their mouths, but passing right between and below their breasts, then circling their bodies as they went between their legs. Each step led to an amount of forced pleasure on her breasts and lower lips, reflected on the flushed faces of the earths as they walked by.

Once again, her imagination flared up as her mind was suddenly flooded with images of her being forced to have such "attire", if it could be called that, being forced to have pleasure with each step she took, being led as if she were only an animal! An animal who needed to be domesticated and tamed properly!

Before Twilight could ponder more on why she had started to receive such images, the next group of mares came, being conformed by a group of pegasi, which seemed to be the worse of all the mares. Almost half of the mars were wearing sheathes where their wings once had been, walking almost stiffly and rigid postures. The few reds seemed completely fine, but those with black collars had streaks upon their faces of tears. Twilight remembered when Cadence said about the blacks being uncomfortable, evidenced by a black collared mare that suddenly yelped in pain when her sheaths moved, almost seeming as if she had tried to flap the fleshy appendages inside them.

"Oh, Celestia... it must be so... so painful..." Twilight said in a low tone as she saw them, feeling nothing but shame and sadness for those poor mares. However, things didn't seem to end there for them, as they were forced to keep walking forward, some earning a harsh slap or hit with a baton.

As the last mare passed by, then another group entered, this one conformed by only stallions, most of them having been seen by twilight at the coliseum, once so protective of their mares, and now having a bag with them as they... laughed. Cheered and even shouted in joy, expressing their joy for the new regime as they threw to the air and to the crowds... sex toys, collars, leashes, beads, every sort of sexual toy or instrument Twilight had read about in the past. Some of them moving them in a teasing style right in front of the mares in the crowds, whispering them something that left them flushed or embarrassed, or even some giggling playfully.

Deciding to ignore them, she instead opted to watch behind them as a soft buzzing, a white noise came to her ears as she suddenly felt a soft tingling on her private parts, reminding her of when the Barrier had hit her before, flashing images of Cadence, Chrysalis, Celestia came back to her, each being degraded so badly, but being only the beginning to much crueler things. To her mind came images of her three friends, Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy. Speak of the draconequus...

Time seemed to stop when she finally saw a very familiar face on the parade, being "honored" by having the full space to themselves and the caribou leading them. First came Applejack, and Twilight couldn't help the blush that formed on her face when she saw her. Her farmer friend, as the previous Earths before her, had been forced to wear an equine like bondage, but this one being different. Her reigns were a pure gold, and her bridle had been replaced by a golden gag, having a shiny and otherwise beautiful ruby apple right in the middle of it. Said garment was tied to yet another denigrating piece of jewelry around her breasts that pushed them higher, making them more prominent. As all the others Earths before her, Applejack's "reigns" passed underneath her lower lips, giving her an unwanted amount of pleasure with each movement... if she could feel anything, of course.

Even in such position, her friend's stubbornness was showing as she mouthed, or tried to, a thousand things to her "handler", some of which seemed to actually anger the caribou. He just answered by taking his baton and delivering a harsh slap to her stomach with it, the combination of both the hit and the shock made her bend over in pure pain, making Twilight gasp and feel a sudden need to go and help her friend. Something in the back of her mind told her to stop, to just look at her from afar.

A sad and angry sob left her lips when she actually observed her friend, spotting numerous bruises along her body. Face, breasts, belly, her rump and even her legs sported such things, and a fresh new one had been added to that... all while the caribou and stallions in the crowd cheered when the caribou walked towards her and yanked her tail up, revealing yet another debasement made to her poor friend. A red, shiny and otherwise delicious looking apple was bulging from her lower lips, supported by a shiny golden ring connected to the chain around her nethers, and a second one being held like the former, but inserted up her asshole.

Tears swelled up the proud farmer's eyes as she felt the caribou lifting her tail, exposing the shiny apple in her pussy as it was revealed yet another shaming detail of her. Despite the humiliation, despite the rough handling she had been given, despite everything she was passing through... arousal was the last thing she wanted to feel, evidence of that the glistening wetness sliding down the apple on her nethers.

A sudden yank from her collar caught the once proud pony as her handler yanked once more with a firm order of getting up. His order was countered by a defiant look from the farmer and something whispered behind her gag. With a warning from him and his baton, Applejack had no other exit but to angrily comply and difficultly getting up, shuffling like the other earth mares as she was led away. Such behavior changed when the caribou and stallions gathered started to cheer on, making the apple farmer to turn to them with an angry look as she tried to say foul things to them.

Twilight's heart swelled with pride as she watched her friend's determination to stay strong, despite the bounds and gag she was in. Strong and unbroken. Yet... something in the depth of her mind told her that something was... off, telling her that her friend wouldn't be in such position if she had just... given in. To allow her captors to do to her anything they wanted and... enjoy.

Twilight looked down and gasped, looking at her hand in horror as it was just mere inches away from lifting her skirt as the tingling in her nethers became stronger. Where had such arousal come from and why? It was torture, there was nothing in there to be aroused for... but deep down... deep down, she knew there was an element of sexuality... of erotic arousal on it. For a moment, her mind drifted off to another image of her being subjected to such treatment. To get tied down as if she were an animal, a mere object for her master's arousal relief...

Her imagination was broken when her skirt suddenly fell to the ground, exposing her white panties as her hand was just inches away from touching herself...

A loud and collective gasp caught her attention as she watched once more to the parade, her friend Applejack starting to get out of sight in the distance as another pony was given the whole ground for herself... or something like that. If seeing Applejack being treated like dirt was saddening, what was happening to Pinkie Pie was something entirely on another level. For a moment, the wild eyed look and the straight and dark mane reminded her of that memorable party so long ago, bringing a soft level of fear for her friend's apparently depressed and hidden personality. As such, the caribou had also been witnesses of that, judging by the way she was being treated, having her face bound, making her remember more of a dangerous dog than a pony, said muzzle serving also as a gag as her tongue moved wildly around, much like her eyes.

Twilight remembered when she turned like that on that day, Rainbow whispering something to her about "talking to herself", and Twilight was able to confirm such suspicions on that day. Pinkie indeed was babbling about something to herself as she looked around, her eyes holding a crazed look that specifically focused when she saw a caribou, specially those "handling" her.

In a different fashion to Applejack, who only had one handler, Pinkie had three caribou with her. The first one was the one yanking her chain to force her to walk, while the second one had a chain that held her wrists and ankles, said bounds also having runes that shone constantly, blinking sometimes when Pinkie jerked her arms or hooves. The final one held a rope that was tied to her wrists and passed through her nethers, constantly teasing her as a soft amount of arousal shone on her legs.

Twilight watched with a feeling of nausea boiling in her stomach and throat as she watched her happiest friend like that, being bound and teased. However, there was a huge contrast to Applejack when she looked with attention. While Applejack's bounds and other things were different, there was also something that was similar to several other mares: her collar. Applejack's was a thick black collar, and upon a closer inspection, Pinkie's was purple.

Twilight wanted to know why it was different, she was curious and she wanted to know if it meant something else! Yet, the soft bouncing of Pinkie's breasts caught her attention, enthralled by such a sight, moaning softly when her hand started to rub softly through her panties, moistening with her own arousal as she started to think of her friend lewdly. A look of concern formed on her face as she pushed her hand away from her panties with a sheer amount of will to stay focused, gripping the windowsill tightly as she tried to focus, to remember that all of this was humiliating, perverse and otherwise sick!

...

But deep down... she knew she was finding all of this incredibly arousing, despite what it really was. One last look to her pink friend as she suddenly seized in shock as a small stream of arousal ran through her legs was enough to make her close her eyes and turn her head away. She didn't want to look anymore, she wanted nothing more than to just hide and wait till things got back to normal...

In reality, she didn't want to look because she knew who was next, which one of her friends would be "honored" next... but her mind started to burn as she thought about how she could have done something for her when they were captured... or before. "You owe it to her..." Her mind repeated constantly as her eyes remained closed. "... She deserves somepony to know what happened to her..."

She forced her eyes open, barely seeing her pink friend in the distance, getting out of sight. A gasp left her lips as she watched the next part of the parade. In contrast to the last two, Fluttershy wasn't forced to walk around naked with a handler "guiding" her, her eyes weren't looking wildly or cowering in fear as she expected her to be.

Fluttershy was on top of a small floating parade, a small cloud carpeted with a thick bed of cotton or a similar material on it as four pillars of wood stood out of it, connecting to a small tent on top of it to act as a ceiling of sorts, covering the pony and a tall and muscular caribou inside the float. Twilight would have thought it was actually made of clouds, if not for the wheels on the bottom of it and the dozen of collared mares pulling on it, all subjected to similar treatments as the former groups.

Twilight tried to see better her friend, instead focusing on the tall Caribou inside it, having been provided a rather well carved wooden chair that made him stand out from the others inside. Fluttershy was sitting quietly in the right-front of the caribou, on a thick plush pillow. Bringing a severe anger to Twilight, the caribou was softly petting her head in a comforting way, though that didn't stop the shy pegasus from trembling in fright at the situation she was in. It looked more as if he were comforting a very frightened animal.

"How dares he!" Twilight's anger peaked as she watched her poor and shy friend being treated that way. "How dares he treat her like an animal! Applejack and Pinkie were one thing, but actually treat such a cute and sweet pony like Fluttershy as an animal!? Why doesn't he go and get an actual animal to comfort it in that way!? Why doesn't he- oh, he DOES has an animal..."

Twilight's ears flattened against her head as she saw a very big dog, or more like a wolf sitting at the other side of the caribou, much like Fluttershy was. It was constantly surveying the area with its big eyes, panting as any other dog would do. She squeaked softly when the wolf looked directly at her, thinking she had been discovered. Instead, the wolf just looked at her silently as his panting stopped, even closing his muzzle to just stare at her.

The caribou noticed it, putting a hand on top of his head to catch his attention again, much like he had done to the mare besides him. Speaking of which, Twilight turned once more to her friend, putting even more attention to her as she wanted to make sure she was completely okay. That decision was the wrong choice, as she noticed something that brought her bad memories of the colliseum, specifically, Cadence. A thick, red collar and red binds were in Fluttershy's neck and wings, sign that her wings had also been plucked, devoid of any feather on them.

She almost screamed to her friend as she saw the Caribou slowly moving his hand to her constricted wings, gently flicking on one with a deep chuckle. Completely opposite to what she thought, Fluttershy squeaked in surprise, and while Twilight couldn't be exactly sure, she could hear same amounts of embarrassment and arousal on it.

"No... Not fluttershy... She can't be... she must've been forced, that's it! Fluttershy is so meek and innocent!" Twilight thought to herself as she watched her friend looking around nervously, much like she always did whenever she went out on ponyville. "But the red on her collar..."

Twilight's brain, already on overload as it tried to make hooves and muzzle of the situation, deduced that the collar's colors would have some kind of meaning. Cadence came back to her memory, and then the mares leading the groups of slaves before her friends. As far as she knew, Reds were those who openly accepted and supported the new government. But Fluttershy?

Twilight's fears of her timid friend supporting the caribou were vanished when the caribou acted, but causing some other to emerge with vengeance. The caribou suddenly snapped his fingers as the wolf's ears perked, turning sharply to him with an expectant look. The caribou used a finger to make a simple sign to the wolf, accompanied by a single order. "Shift. Roll. Present."

With every order, the wolf obeyed silently, turning around with the first, falling to the ground as its paws pointed up. Finally, the last order made the dog to open his hind paws as wide as it could, revealing to both ponies, earning a soft gasp from Twilight and a silent but lustful stare from Fluttershy as the wolf revealed his already erected red cock and swollen balls. Not content with it, the caribou leaned down to whisper to the shy pegasus.

"Now, Fluttershy..." The caribou spoke with a harsh and firm tone to her. "... As you can see, he's already getting excited. It'd be so cruel to leave him so pent up, don't you think? It would make him very uncomfortable if he stayed like that and isn't provided some relief." He chuckles as he sees the busty pegasus' face with a fierce blush, but already giving in slowly as her head slowly moves forward. He continues to talk as he puts a hand on the back of her head as he pushes her further down softly. "It's just you and him, now. There's no need to think of anybody else, just you and this animal. I know you don't want to see your new friend feeling sad and needy, do you?”

Fluttershy stopped for a moment when the canine cock softly throbbed, even starting to lean away from it. The caribou noticed it as he turned to his wolf. "Longtooth. Beg." The wolf immediately whined as his ears flattened against his head, his eyes opening wide with a pleading expression that Twilight otherwise would have classified as cute.

Much to her own demise, Twilight watched incredulous as Fluttershy got up from her pillow, still eyeing the crowd silently and nervously. When her eyes returned to the wolf, an innocent smile came to her face as she reached with a hand to softly scratch him below his chin, earning a low groan of pleasure from the wolf. "Aww, you are a good boy, aren't you?" She whispered, though it could be heard by everyone in the parade. "So very big, yet so gentle and warm.” Once she was at his side, she knelt down as she kept scratching him. “And you've been so well-behaved, I don't want to see you deprived of your reward.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely understandable due to how low it was, although Twilight could hear it almost clearly. “Okay Fluttershy. You've, uhm, you've done this before. All that's different this time is there's ponies watching you… but the masters said those ponies need to learn how to make the animals happy too! You need to show them how it's done. Without a demonstration, how will they learn?” Her other hand began on his belly, providing a slow rub that set his tail wagging.

Twilight bit her lip, almost opening a wound as she watched in a morbid fascination as her friend's free hand was set on the wolf's belly, softly rubbing him warmly as she had done so many times before. Her hand slowly moved lower down the wolf's body as she softly grazed his sheath with a finger. She moved forward again as more of her hand started to rub more of his sac with every movement, changing only when her hand opened in a v shape as she softly toyed with his sheath and even his sac, slowly and actually seductively teasing the wolf. With a final movement, her hand traced once more first the sac as the wolf growled lowly, followed by actually posing her hand onto his hard cock.

"Good boy~" Fluttershy said softly as her hand closed around the wolf's cock, slowly starting to move her hand slowly up as she softly rubbed the tip with her thumb earning a heated pant from the wolf, and then moving it slowly down as she softly teased his sheath. As time passed, her movement grew bolder and quicker, making the wold's tongue to roll out of his mouth as his pants increased, all the while Fluttershy seemed to show a side of herself nopony knew about.

Twilight's eyes could barely believe what she was seeing as her shy friend continued to give the wolf a handjob as she continuously whispered "good boy" to him. A soft gasp coming from the crowd caught her attention as she turned to look at the ponies and caribou around. Most males were watching with smug expressions on their faces, staying quiet so they wouldn't break the pegasus' attention from doing her duty as a lowly female. As for the mares on the crowds, they watched quietly, too. Most in the same stunned silence Twilight was as several mares had fiery blushes on her faces, and even some openly rubbing themselves... even some black collars.

Her hand twitched softly as she looked at them, already moving to her panties as she barely touched the fabric. "... M-Maybe... it's okay... this time..." A soft whisper sounded deep inside Twilight's mind as her eyes returned to her shy friend. "She... She actually wants this... She's only being honest to herself... Showing us... sharing with us something she did before... in secret... and now she's sharing it... I-I'm... I-i'm enjoying... the show..." Her hand finally moved down, her fingers finally making contact with the fabric as she started to rub her puffy lips, her fingers feeling so good as her panties grew damp quickly with her own arousal, making them almost transparent. But Twilight didn't really care at the moment... it was her own pleasure, and only hers at the moment.

She watched with trembling breath as her usually shy friend kept stroking the fat canine cock in front of her face, her eyes glued to the red throbbing shaft in front of her with a look that could be described as hunger. In a sudden motion, she let go of the cock before leaning forward as her mouth opened, letting her tongue to slither out as it softly grazed the wolf's cock. Humming as she started to lick the cock even more, she lifted her hand again to grasp it in place as her tongue went back inside her mouth, only for it to open wider as she leaned even further into, slowly putting the cock inside her mouth, slowly closing it as she hummed. Loud slurping was heard from her as Fluttershy got into a more comfortable position. Namely, on all fours, as if she were nothing more than a bitch in heat, tending to her alpha wolf as a good, submissive pet should.

Twilight's rubbing became even faster and harder as she saw her friend behaving so lewdly and openly wanting it, judging by the shiny wet coat of arousal flowing from her pussy and the constant trembling of her whole body, mainly focused on her sheathed wings and legs. She wasn't the only one, as several other mares among the crowd were openly enjoying themselves, rubbing their pussies or some even allowing some males to grope, masturbate them, or openly fuck them right then and there, even some black collars.

Twilight moaned softly as her fingers kept rubbing on her panties, feeling as her pussy clenched in desire, wanting to have something in between her warm labia. Having that need, her panties were hastily lowered with a soft *plaf* as they fell to the ground. Her fingers were almost instantly inserted in her pussy, letting out a louder moan as her muscles clenched in desire, almost feeling as her clit peeked just as her hand grazed above it, feeling as a rush of desire ran through her body as she watched her friend performing such bold and scandalous acts.

Fluttershy kept moaning in desire as she slurped and sucked on the wolf's cock, using her hand to stroke what wasn't inside her hungry maw as the wolf panted in desire and lust. Twilight watched enraptured as her friend sped up her pace, moaning loudly as her head bobbed up and down the animal's cock, almost leaning out of the window as the float passed by, barely seeing her friend moaning and pulling out as a thick and white substance was shot from the wolf's shaft, falling down on her breasts as she let out a cute moan.

Her masturbation was interrupted as almost all the males shouted in approval of her friend's acts, letting her see as their eyes drifted away from the float, some of them almost falling on her. She squeaked as she moved back inside, falling hard onto her butt as she scorned herself. She had been so focused on her friend and her own pleasure that she had been careless. Anypony else who hadn't been watched Fluttershy would have been able to see her, and she'd been doomed.

She looked down to her pussy, taking a moment to groan in disappointment as she was feeling so close to getting to her climax. For a moment, she realized the situation she was in, pulling out her fingers of her pussy hastily as she moved to put her panties back on her place. Before she could do so, she heard the hard clopping of hooves hitting the ground right outside of her hiding place. Carefully peeking over the windowsill, sighing in relief as she saw nopony was looking towards her. The sounds of the march caught her attention again, making her look in the same direction several other ponies were looking to.

The sound was made by what she instantly recognized as former guardsmares. Contrary to the mares before them, they hadn't been stripped naked and collared. The cursed item was placed upon their necks too, but they weren't naked. Of course, their clothing left little to the mind. Twilight watched in morbid curiosity as the mare's armor had been modified horrendously. The plate covering their chest was more like a metallic corset, having a pair of cups to display her breasts, but leaving them completely exposed as their hard nipples were shown. Below their hips, their usual clothing consisting of separated plates on their legs and waist. The waist plate had been taken away from them, and the skirt protecting their modesty had been ripped away, leaving their pussies completely exposed.

Twilight watched a clear difference between some guards, aside from the fact there were the three kinds of ponies: earths, unicorns and pegasi. Yet, even among guardsmares, there were some red collars, worse yet, those of red collars were crystal ponies. Those were leading the formation of the former guardsmares, and were openly displaying their bare bodies to the males around, Twilight watched with wide eyes as she saw several profanities written all over their bodies with crudely drawn phallic shapes over their pussies and ass, slut, whore, useless female and more things of the sorts were put over them. Yet, despite what was on their bodies, they not only were unashamed of it, but were almost proud of having them, judging by the smiles they had.

Behind them were equestrian guards, most of the mares with black collars not only had a deep shame on their faces, but also several bruises on all their bodies, showing that, at least the guards hadn't gone down without a fight. Much like the others before them, they had been put in demeaning bondage covering their eyes, their hands having been shackled behind their backs with a string holding their tails high to expose their backsides to the world. They were all put in formation, and they all seemed to be pulling on another float, which immediately caused the crowd to let out more expressions of arousal, fear, shock and glee.

On top of said float, her eyes widened and her pupils turned into pinpricks at the same time the caribou shouted in unison, cheering for the "princess of lust". Her eyes instantly focused on the form of her former foalsitter, laying down on top of a red velvety pillow which had a wet splodge right where her hips were. Cadence suddenly moaned wantonly as wet slaps could be heard from behind her, making Twilight look, making a wave of lust and desire to run through her body as she saw her brother thrusting onto the pink alicorn with a cruel expression on his face, looking at his wife as if she were nothing more than an object for his pleasure.

Shining armor suddenly moaned louder as he fell on top of Cadence, his thrusts becoming short and faster as he shuddered in pleasure, making a blissful moan to emerge from Cadence's mouth as she was pushed onto the pillow, her breasts being softly flattened against the cushion. Mere moments passed before Shining's moans escalated in volume as his thrusts became even faster, making lewd clapping noises the audience could clearly hear, only being obscured in volume by Cadence's wanton moans, her eyes rolling onto their sockets while her tongue slowly slithered from her mouth, distorting from the pleasure from a regal look to a depraved cock addicted slut right in front of the crowd, making most males to laugh at her as the black collared mares among the crowd watched with shocked expressions the show, having mixed feeling on them, much like Twilight.

Twilight's fingers were already upon her dripping pussy, inserting a finger into her as she moaned softly at the taboo show she was watching. She grew even more aroused as she heard her brother's moans and grunts, feeling a strange kind of feeling she didn't had before. That arousal grew even more as she saw her brother shuddering even more, becoming even more rougher with his thrusts, his grunts becoming short pants of lust, which heavily contrasted the loud screams of pleasure Cadence made, both apparently getting close to their climax, much like Twilight as she rubbed and fingered herself. Shining finally moaned louder as he thrusted one final time, getting his cock as deep as he could, even pushing Cadence's hips onto the pillow as the alicorn let out a whorish moan, prolonging for as long as Shining pushed inside.

With another pant of exhaustion, Shining finally pulled out of her, a thick creamy substance falling from her used pussy as her legs shuddered, barely keeping her up if not for the cushion. Shining sighed as he fell heavily onto a built chair, looking at his "wife" with a dark smirk, reaching over to harshly slap her ass, earning a whorish moan from the lustful alicorn.

Twilight moaned in slight disappointment as the show finished way before she could reach her own climax. Her eyes soon noticed something she was way too distracted before to notice: several male guards were on top of the float with them, though most of them weren't even paying attention to their surroundings like their duties told them to. Instead, most were only focused on the pink alicorn being debased in front of the crowd. Their faces showed nothing but lust for the pink mare's body. Once Shining was done, he turned to look at a guard near of him, motioning with his hand to his "wife", who was moving her hips enticingly as her tail was raised high to expose her still dripping pussy to him, earning a lustful nod from the guard as he took off his crotch plate, exposing his already hard cock to the alicorn. 

Cadence's moans were back on full volume as the stallion wasted no time on mounting her, sinking his cock onto her depraved pussy and continuing to fuck her roughly, even slapping her ass as he fucked her, something the alicorn seemed to enjoy openly as her moans escalated in volume. Most males in the crowd let out a roar of approval upon such a depraved act, even demanding for more as the float passed by.

Once it was gone from sight, Twilight slowed down on her teasing upon seeing the float passing by, having recovered some semblance of control over her desires and lust. Once it passed by, she realized to some shame that watching her former foalsitter being fucked like a common whore was something like a sinful delight to her, even going so far as to say she enjoyed it.

Her mind focused once more as she realized she needed to move. Her objective was getting away, and she was going to lose him! Her horn immediately flared up as she prepared for a teleportation to another place, making her eyes to move quickly, scanning the nearby houses for another window. Once she spotted one, she prepared to jump with her magic, but a scream of terror from a mare in the crowd caught her attention, making her look back to the parade just in time to see another float entering the street, in front of it and standing proud and tall was a changeling.

The crowd had mixed reactions at first, some mares joining the first one with screams of terror, some others almost stunned in silence and even some males turning sharply at the float as it wheeled closer. As for the caribou in the crowd, their faces were stoic, completely calmed despite the situation the ponies believed they were in. Only in the moment the float completely entered into the street did the caribou react, letting out loud cheers resembling to shouts of victory as the jewel of the float was shown.

A mare in the crowd shouted again, but with even more terror as they saw exactly who was in there, which earned the instant attention of the males among the crowd. Their faces immediately lose their frightened expressions, only to be replaced by dark and perverse expressions as a loud moan was heard coming from the float.

Four changelings were placed on top of the float in the four cardinal directions, all having a black armor resembling more to obsidian than actual metal, having twisted spears as they faced towards the crowd. In the center of it stood a weird mass of slithering tentacles of different colors. Right in the middle of it, Twilight watched the different changeling's head protruding from among the mass as it had a lustful expression on it as it watched above him.

"Down with the female rule! Down with the bugwhorse!" Exclaimed the changeling as he looked up, making the crowd to follow his gaze, gasping as they saw a clearly female figure being debased by the mass of tentacles. Chrysalis had tears running down her face as she was forced to gag on a tentacle clearly too big for her mouth and throat as it made a noticeable bulge on her throat, making the collar on her throat to tingle softly with each thrust the tentacle made.

Chrysalis' nethers weren't safe, either. Twilight gasped in shock as she saw several tentacles holding her legs wide open, her hands being held behind her back as a thick tentacle was thrusting in and out of her tight ass, making Chrysalis to let out a muffled moan or shout of unwanted pleasure. A soft moan escaped from Twilight's mouth as she watched it, not denying it was a very arousing sight of such an evil mare from her past being debased and violated by the tentacles, making her lewdly big breasts to jiggle in front of the crowd as the changeling queen shouted in pleasure.

More tendrils emerged from the plant, though those were thinner and larger than the ones inside her mouth and pucker. Twilight watched in morbid curiosity as they moved upwards to the fallen queen, immediately going to her pussy. In one simple motion, they all pierced her lips, making the queen to let out a muffled moan on the tentacle thrusting in her mouth. The tendrils then started to move, separating into a hexagonal form as her lips slowly were peeled open, exposing her most private zone in her body to the crowd, just in time for the tentacle in her ass to speed up.

Twilight's hand once again had gone to her pussy, though she had forgone the teasing as she was actively fingering herself almost desperately at the sight of the ex-queen squirming in forced pleasure, even more of the runes in her body started to shine, more specifically, those near her navel and breasts, growing in brightness with every thrust of the tentacles inside her as a deep green blush formed in the queen's face as the males started to cheer on to her public debasing, shouting to fuck her more and more.

Tears fell from her eyes as her body betrayed her, suddenly arcing her body as a climax ran through her with the strength of a lightning, shouting loudly as her eyes rolled up into her skull as the blush intensified. The tentacle in her pucker thrusted as deep as it could, finally triggering her climax as her pussy convulsed madly, letting out a burst of her femcum as it was unimpeded, having her pussy wide open for everyone to see, provoking the males in the crowd to openly cheer at the show.

Twilight's movement became frenetic, making her to let out soft whimpers of desire and arousal as she found her climax getting closer with every rub, picturing herself in Chrysalis' place, trying to imagine how it would feel to have her private parts so openly teased and penetrated. To get fucked in public in such a demeaning and shameful way!

Chrysalis was dropped from the mass of tendrils unceremoniously, though that didn't stop the changeling from glaring openly at the  morphing changeling that had violated her mere moments before.

"I'll k-kill you... i'll fuckin kill everyone of you!" She shouted at the king of the changelings, and then at her own drones and to the crowd, having a fiery fire behind her eyes as she looked around. Her eyes suddenly fell on Twilight's making the small mare to yelp in fear and despair at the possibility of being found.

Just before she could react, Chrysalis' collar suddenly lit up with yellow runes, making her gasp as the light spread through the collar first, and then through her body, making seemingly random runes to shine up as her eyes widened, letting out what sounded like a fearful shout as she tried to pull off her collar.

"N-No! Not again! I won't fuckin be-agh! Beh! Guh!" Right in front of everyone in the crowd, Chrysalis started to convulse as the runes shone. In a moment, she stopped convulsing as her arm suddenly got up, though it seemed more like a mechanical movement due to how stiff it was.

Next was her next arm, pushing herself up until she was on her knees. Her hands moved once more with square motions towards her pussy and breasts, making Twilight to notice the runes shone constantly, blinked or plainly shut off with some of the movements of her body. Another rune shone on her horn, making Twilight to wonder why she seemed to be the only female whose horn was still in place. Her answer was answered as Chrysalis' head moved to show her face, having a pained and ashamed expression on her eyes, although her mouth was curled in a bright and almost seductive smile, suddenly opening as she shouted.

"Thanks for coming to my public raping! Please, use me more, fuck me more like the slut i am, debase me more! Make me your  bugwhorse!"

Said words only excited the males even more, even though the words were forced and strained. Twilight's fear suddenly rose as she saw a caribou near the float with both antlers lit as it watched the queen quite intensely, making her realize Caribou not only had a formidable military strength among them and seemingly a very cunning leader, but also the capacity to apparently control a mare's body!

The float finally moved away as Chrysalis, or at least Chrysalis' mouth shouted more obscenities about herself and the so called "male superiority". Some of the things she was forced to say, Twilight had already heard them at least once at the stadium, but that didn't make them less offensive to hear, or demeaning to the mare's rights. Though something deep inside Twilight's mind popped open, making some rather disturbing questions. What if they were...somehow... right? What if females weren't fit to rule?

She shook her head to clear her head, taking a moment to think deeply about why her head had made such conclusions so suddenly. She somehow suspected the caribou had something to do with it, and she might have had proves of it, but a sudden uproar from the crowd outside caught her attention, making her to see outside again. Her eyes widened once more as she saw yet another float with yet another mare on top of it.

Before she could see clearly who it was, her eyes widened as she saw what could be described as a throne sitting atop of the float, and sitting on it was nopony else but the king of the caribou, Dainn himself. Her anger flared up as she remembered who he was and what he had done so far, even letting out a low and menacing growl as she saw him playing with and even tapping softly his throne as if he was nothing but a bored child playing with a new toy. Said toy was what used to be Celestia's severed horn. On top of his throne sat a round wooden ornament with the Stonehoof's shield carved onto it, surrounded by several runes forming a circle around the symbol. She let out a low gasp as she saw it, firmly fixed on a side of the ornament: Cadence's horn.

She realized what he was doing, he was taking them as trophies! The bastard was taking the alicorns' horns and putting them on his "throne" as if they were nothing more than a hunting trophy, like those barbarians Gryphons had done in the past!

Her mind felt somewhat at ease when she noticed there was only one horn attached to it, and including Celestia's, that meant they hadn't yet reached Luna. There was still hope!

A moan caught her attention to the mare on top of the float, letting out a gut clenching gasp as she tried to tear her eyes away from  the last mare she wanted to see being abused. It took a lot of self control to just tear her eyes away from her, but they somehow strayed towards her over and over again. And now, the image of her mentor, almost like a second mother, the princess of Equestria, completely naked, on all fours like Cadence had done before but with her wrists and ankles shackled to the floor. Her black collar was still firmly shut around her neck, but they had attached a thick metallic chain to two points: one to a pole that ensured she could only see forward due to the height it held her collar at while the other end was attached to the ground, to ensure she couldn't rise her head more than necessary. Her tail was forced very much the same way, exposing her wet lips to the crowd, catching the attention and cheers from several males.

Twilight forced herself to look back onto her room, her ears twitching madly as they caught the sounds of several things, making her put her hands against them, trying to hold back all the noises out of her head. She closed her eyes to try and deny once more what she had just seen. Her mentor, her teacher, her second mother, her princess! Shackled down like an animal for an exposition! So barbaric, so cruel! The way they forced her tail, too! To expose her wet lips to all who saw her and-

"Wait, wet!?"

With great effort, Twilight peeked again from the windowsill, gasping once more as she realized what she saw was truth! Her ankles had been shackled to the ground but not happy with it, the caribou had forced her into an even more uncomfortable position when they put a spreader bar on her knees, as if the tail attachment wasn't enough, her wet pussy lips were forced to be exposed to the crowd.

Even when she couldn't see it directly, her magically enhanced eyes didn't lie as she observed small droplets of arousal falling onto the floor below where her nethers were. Looking at her face, she had a tired and somewhat distracted look on her eyes while her face had a deep and fiery crimson hue just below her eyes. Her mane was disheveled, contrary to the regal and composed look she always held, looking tired, sweaty and panting, clearly aroused against her will, evidence of it the moan that escaped from her lips. Those atop the cart grinned maliciously at the princess with the sounds that suddenly started to escape from her mouth.

"I think she's ready, your highness." A guard turn to the King upon hearing his voice, who smiles back at him, making the guard turn to the princess with an evil grin while the caribou proceeds. "What do you think of that toy, 'princess'? The runemasters made sure to make so it feels as if you were in... estrus. But magnified, stronger and more intense than ever, right?"

Celestia's glare might have been able to melt any kind of metal in any other situation, but in such position, it only earned a loud laugh from the guards around her. The King nods to the main guard, who nods back at him before turning to his men and making them a sign. As one, all of them take off their lower armor, making the princess' eyes to widen as she sees it, starting to thrash in her bounds while the king says with an evil tone.

"Feel free to take your reward, guards. You deserve it for the years of loyal service you've provided to this cunt." He says, earning an angry incomprehensible yell from the princess. He stops midway to his throne before saying in what could be described as a casual tone. "Oh, i was forgetting. Prepare her wings, as well. She doesn't deserves them."

"Her wings?" Twilight asked to herself, letting her eyes go to her mentor's extended wings, held open by a clamp attached to a bar, holding both poles in place and her wings extended. A guard approached the fallen princess, receiving a fearful and pleading look from the female, only fueling his desire if the twitch of his cock was a sign of anything.

Just at the moment the guard extended his hand, slowly and somewhat delicately taking a long primary feather from it when the memory struck's Twilight's brain like a thunder. She needed to do something, she had to! They were about to-

The princess let out a loud shout of pain while the feather was pulled harshly, plucking it free from her wing and then turned to the crowd. Much like the King before him, he held the feather high and proud as if it were a trophy, making the males on the crowd to let out a loud cheer or approval. Satisfied, the guard turned to the princess again while three more guards walked to her. Twilight saw two of the guards carrying boxes and putting them in front of the princess.

The first guard slowly lets the feather dangle in front of her mockingly before disposing of it as if it were mere garbage, letting it fall on one of the boxes, the princess' eyes slowly following its falling until it landed on the bottom of the box, just as peacefully as many other times her wings were groomed and tended to, letting the damaged or old feathers to fall into a bin and then disposed.

She didn't had time to ponder longer on it when the second guard took another feather tightly and plucking it, following the former one into the next box. One by one, each feather was carefully plucked from her wings, inspected by a critical eye before throwing them to the box, making the princess watch as her wings were stripped from them, making her eyes water not only by the pain, but also the shame and degradation she was suffering.

Of course, said degradation was not done anytime soon. The princess flinched when she suddenly felt a long, warm and throbbing object to start probing her pussy. She did not need to see to know what it was, making the princess to squirm in place while the guard behind her spoke with a quiet tone.

"I've wanted to do this for so long, Celestia, even before i enlisted! Perhaps... if you hadn't been such a prudish bitch... things might have ended differently for you..." His tone was soft, almost compassionate, as if he was trying to console her. Yet, the same look of lust and hunger returned while he pushed harder, sinking the tip of his cock into the princess' pussy, making her moan loudly while the toy in her asshole suddenly shone brighter with the thrust. "... Then again... you're still just a bitch... one put in her proper place."

The guard stood still for a few moments, just enjoying the feeling of the princess' tight cunt, letting out a long sigh of pleasure while the princess panted quickly in unwanted pleasure. In a short moment, the guard's eyes opened sharply as he moved forward with a strong push, making a loud clapping noise and sending those asscheeks jiggling with the impact, making the princess to groan, trying to stifle a moan.

Fortunately or unfortunately for her, the guard did not last long. Finally being able to fuck what was once thought to be out of reach for mere mortals like him was pure ecstasy, reflected on the expression of his face. With a final thrust, he suddenly stiffened while Celestia did the same, the guard letting out a groan while the princes' eyes turned to pinpricks, her breathing had suddenly stopped while she was still as a statue.

The toy inserted into her suddenly lit up, making the princess to produce a whorish moan, more like an ecstatic scream while her body trembled with what seemed like an intense orgasm. The guards plucking her feathers merely chuckled at that, continuing their work as if nothing was happening. Celestia's orgasm ended suddenly, her body stopped trembling as she slumped down, the chains still holding her head and tail in place and showing her shame filled face while she took big gulps of air. A clean trail of her own arousal ran down her legs, staining her white fur until it fell into a small puddle of her own shame below her.

Celestia did not had enough time to recover before a second guard took the first's place in her cunt, making the princess to let out another moan with her back arcing with the pleasure and her ass backing up against the guard before she could control her own urges, her traitorous body acting against her as it searched for more pleasure only the guard behind her could give her.

The view suddenly was interrupted for Twilight when the float got too far for her to see, barely being able to see as patches of naked skin on her wings started to show and the boxes half filled with her feathers. The last image she had at that moment was the guard enduring just as much as the first one, grunting with his cock firing yet another heavy load into the princess' womb, making the toy in her ass to shine brightly a moment before the alicorn moaned whorishly, arcing her back and her eyes almost rolling to the back of her head.

Twilight's vision was suddenly interrupted when her body seized, bright flashes of light shining right in front of her eyes with she moaned openly, her walls tightening and throbbing in a sudden orgasm around her own fingers, somehow only focusing on the sight of her former mentor being taken over and over and causing a sickening, a forbidden, but somehow more pleasurable sight for her. When it ended, she looked down almost in terror when she discovered her own wet fingers recently buried in her own pussy, masturbating so eagerly.

She had betrayed her own mentor by masturbating at the sight of her being debased and degraded over and over! And she... she had enjoyed it... quite too much.

The world moved slowly while she fell to the ground, her eyes big and disbelieving on what she had seen... and done. An intense blush formed in her face as the weight of just what she had done came to her, crashing like an anvil on the sea and splashing a sea of guilt and shame on her. Oh, by the stars, what had she done!?

Shamefully, she put her panties back in place, her own fluids moisturizing the cloth with easiness and making them almost transparent. But that was of no importance at the moment. She had screamed... a lot. And somepony... or something else might had heard her!

Peeking over the window again with more caution, she tried to see if her fears were true, that some caribou had heard her and were on the run for her. Fortunately for her, and unfortunately for the mares below, most males were still on a frenzy by the show the princess had given them unwillingly. Even more unsettling, almost the whole town was starting to move on the same direction than the last part of the parade, all going towards the castle.

She started to follow the parade, too, but more carefully. Small pops could be heard barely over the ongoing orgy on the streets while Twilight teleported from one house to another, peeking for a few moments before popping on the next house whose windows were open for her to get in. By the time she could get some advantage over the parade, Twilight was able to see once more her recently discovered guilty pleasure: seeing the princess get fucked hard by several guards.

By that moment, Celestia's pussy was a disaster, leaking her own arousal and cum from the guards that had fucked her, Twilight assumed there might have been five or six guards, while her face was starting to look permanently euphoric. The first guard was back on his hooves, like the ones after him who had already came inside the alicorn. Not content with just watching, they had decided to further degrade the fallen princess by openly masturbating at the sight, and then unloading even more cum on her pristine white coat, staining her back, ass, face and mane, all the while the princess still moaned, and seemed to enjoy getting fucked so intensely and non-stop.

Twilight's final hiding place was not a house, but a tree with thick leaves on it that Twilight used to conceal herself from the eyes of basically anypony from the crowd. From there, she could see as the parade finally stopped with the mares and carts forming a semicircle  around the stairs leading to the castle's entrance. Celestia's float stopped right in the middle of the formation, stopping right at the moment the last feather of her formerly beautiful and glorious wings was plucked away. Finally done, her wings were freed from the clamps holding them, making the alicorn to flex and fold the fleshy appendages to relieve the pressure of having them extended for far too long. Her movements were interrupted by the cold voice of the caribou King, making her turn to him with an equally cold stare.

"I hope you're enjoying moving them like that, Celestia..." He said with a flat tone as he rose from his "throne". "... because it will be the last time you'll be doing so. Sheathe her." At the order, four caribou came closer while holding a pair of sheathes very resembling to those Cadence had before her, save for the black color and the size. Twilight was able to see as they held her 'wings' open before putting the appendage on the base, both mares flinching at the sight of several spikes inside that restricted most, if not all movement before a second piece was put on top of it, the borders of the two pieces of the sheathe melding together magically while the borders all but dissapeared, sealing her wing inside the accursed contraption. Once her left wing was closed within, her other wing was done the same way, sealing both wings inside of them with no hopes of getting them out soon.

A caribou took something resembling to what Twilight denominated the stun rods, with an equally bright, yellow crystal on the end, and bringing it closer to a sheathe. The gem shone slightly brighter while small runes on the sheathes suddenly turned on with a tone similar to that of the crystal. Celestia suddenly stiffened, but not in orgasmic pleasure like before. Her face showed pain, pain like none other she had experienced before, barely containing her scream with her teeth gritting tightly, letting out a barely audible hiss.

"Unpleasant, it is not?" Dainn's cold voice sounded once more when the rod was taken away, giving the princess enough time to shoot at him a hateful glare that did not disturbed the king, who merely continued. "Agonizing, i would dare to say. But it doesn't have to stay that way forever, cunt. All you need to do... is crawl your way into your rightful place." Celestia's eyes widened at that. Not only they wanted to have her as a sex slave, but also wanted to make her fall even lower by making her crawl like an animal!? She started to open her mouth to refuse, being interrupted at the last moment by Dainn.

"Crawl, yes. Not walk. And i'd suggest to hurry up. The longer it takes, the longer the agony you'll suffer be." A smile forms on his face when he kneels at her side and putting a hand on her head, petting her like a mere pet while his voice adopts and almost comforting tone. "Once you obey, your discomfort will be appropriately lessened. So long as you are well-behaved, the worst of it will be stiff wings that crave stretching yet remained confined. Disobey, and... well, this is far from the rod’s highest setting.”

Celestia's shackles were removed, letting them fall loudly against the float's floor until the last was removed. Celestia moved softly her limbs and tail, much like her wings before, relieving the aching appendages, but not making any effort to get up, not wanting to repeat the pain she had endured on her wings. Before she could react, a caribou stepped forward with a leash, chaining it to her collar and giving it a firm tug, almost making the princess to fall forward. When she turned at the caribou, she received a cold stare and a simple order.

"Crawl, cunt."

Celestia turned her head with a dignified air on it, despite the situation she was in, not bothering with giving the caribou an ounce of her attention. She was strong and would remain so. Or so she thought until the king spoke again.

“You know, Celestia? If you insist on being so recalcitrant, several of your former guardsmares were pegasi, right?" He asked with a threatening tone, making the princess' eyes to widen in terror, not only succeeding on making her turn at the king, but giving her full attention to him while he continued. "You can either begin crawling now, or we shall see if you enjoy watching them experience the same pain you are.”

To further prove his point, a pair of caribous took a pegasus from the formation, having to punch her in the gut to make her kneel, taking her wings and extending them, in all their glory while another pair of caribou arrived with another set of boxes for the feathers, stopping for a short while and expecting the order of the king, who was waiting to see the former princess' movement.

Celestia was left with little to no choice. Either give up her pride or watch yet another one of her subjects suffer just as much, or even more than her. Her head looked down with her mane covering her eyes while she lifted a hand, slowly moving it forward and placing it in the ground. A knee followed closely before her other hand and then her knee, repeating the process as she started to crawl forward, led by the caribou holding her leash while a small trail of tears fell from her face.

An uproar from the caribou and then from all the males on the plaza shouted in victory as the princess finally surrendered, slowly crawling down a ramp and then up the stairs where Dainn took her leash, guiding her inside the castle while the princess reluctantly followed in a cold silence.

Twilight wanted to cry, to desperately release all of her sadness for seeing the princess like that... until her eyes caught her brother hurrying forward to another part of the castle. Usually used by the castle's staff, said entrance was well known for Twilight: the quickest route to the guard's captain's chambers and office.

She knew what she needed to do, and as such, one last look was given towards Celestia, looking at the princess with sadness and pity with her once pristine coat now cum soaked and crawling like a dog behind her master up the palace's stairs. Tears formed in her face and a sob escaped from her mouth while her horn lit up.

"*sob* Oh, Celestia... sorry... *sob*"

With a final pop, she teleported away to a known location inside the castle where she knew she'd find her brother, leaving the tree with a wet patch where she had been, a testament of her own shame and act of treason to her former mentor and princess.
> Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining walked through the corridors of the castle confidently, easily remembering its layout due to uncountable times of walking (and sometimes running) through them, turning corridors left and right almost mechanically while his mind wandered, satisfied with how things had gone. Everything according to the plan, just like how the King said... they had Canterlot under control by now, and soon, all of Equestria would be theirs. A grin spread on his face with that last thought while a soft pink hue shone on his eyes, vanishing a moment later while he continued to move.

A soft rustle from a nearby pot caught his attention, making him stand on guard when he heard a small yelp of horror. His horn lit up, preparing a stunning spell for the intruder as he got closer to the pot. He raised a hand to prepare and get whoever was behind the pot out, with force if needed, and take care of them. His horn shone brighter with the spell finished, taking a step forward and plunging his hand inside.

A sudden yelp of pain left his mouth as his hand was submitted to an intense pressure, instantly pulling his hand away and noticing a bite wound on it. A soft pink hue crossed through his eyes as his anger peaked, making him to glare intensely at the bush while his horn lit with a powerful beam.

Right before he could send the pot and its pesky inhabitant into oblivion, a small and panicked rat burst into a full run away from the furious menace.

"Of fucking course CUNTlestia had allowed such pests to roam freely in the castle!" The thought had always crossed his mind more than once, but he was blind... blinded by the bitch who had dared to impose herself not only over the whole pony population, but over the rightful male supremacy!

The hue in his eyes shone brighter, much like his horn's before he sent a beam towards the little pest who had dared to bite him! The fleeing rodent barely had time to dodge the beam, looking scared at the piece of charred tile as it flew over its head. Without much time to stare, the rodent sprang into action, fleeing towards his own home while dodging several more beams thrown at it by the furious pony.

Shining watched with a growing annoyance as the little pest managed to escape his beams, finally hiding behind the wall via a small hole not so cleverly hidden behind yet another pot. Yet another stupid decision made by fat ass Celestia.

He turned to the plot right besides him, barely controlling his rage before giving it a solid kick, sending the pot into a swinging motion, threatening to tumble over and send its vegetal inhabitant to the ground. After a few seconds, the pot returned to his original position, much to his own annoyance, the shine in his eyes returning once more as he lifted his hoof to deliver yet another hard hit to the pot.

But he stopped, taking a moment to breathe deeply, trying to control his emotions, just as his training of captain taught him. A good captain always remained calm and conscious, so he could see things clearly.

In his own mind, the word "captain" was suddenly replaced by "emperor". But of course! He was the ruler of the crystal empire, not a simple captain of the royal guard. He had surpassed the dreams of the colt who wanted to be a guard!

And it was all thanks to Dainn... King Dainn. No more standing at Celestia's, Luna's or even Cadence's shadow. No... he'd be the only character standing at the spotlight back home. The thought brought a smile to his lips, making him to forget about the plant and the little pest that bit him earlier.

Of course, he'd deal with them later, but for now... the King was waiting for him... though perhaps he'd take a quick detour first...





Twilight's face was slowly turning a deeper violet shade the longer she held her breathing, trying to avoid any kind of detection by her brother, who was standing barely a hoof away from her. Her eyes watched with intense attention as he finally started to walk away, leaving the place in a disturbing quietness.

At last, she allowed her lungs the sweet oxygen they had been denied for some time now, making her face to return to her natural shade of violet, still panting for a few moments before sighing in relief, thanking to whatever deities out there who were watching over her for not allowing the pot to fall, revealing her hiding place to her brother... or whatever that thing was.

That pony she had just seen could NOT be her brother! She knew him literally all her life, and not a single time had he reacted like that: so aggressive, so furious, so... so... so... dominating...

The thought sent chills down her back as memories of what she had just witnessed not only an hour before, how he so openly fucked his wife in public, treating her like a whore instead of a dignified princess... and how much she seemed to enjoy it...

And then Celestia came back to her memories, the mutilation she suffered, the torture she endured and the humiliation she had been submitted! It all reminded her of her own failure as a princess, as a friend and as a pony.

It should had been her! It definitely should had been her! She should be in any of her friends' place instead of them, they did not deserve it as much as her.

She hadn't been able to save anypony,.. and it should have been her who had been subjected into those perverted situations...

The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine as the foul memories came back to her mind, but somehow making her be on the same situations, under the same humiliating and degrading situations, Celestia and Cadence being replaced by her, always being in an embarrassing situation, in positions or events that she, never in her wildest and/or kinkiest dreams, would have thought to be in.

Her head shook as she suddenly realized she had been daydreaming for Celestia knew how long, only then realizing she had lost her "brother's" trace!

Almost immediately, she resumed her pursuing, silently thanking the little filly who had roamed those halls and corridors so many times before as a game of hide and seek, or also turning "bedtime" into "sneak silently and undetected through those halls to slip into the library to read to the candlelight, if possible, the whole night".

She didn't want to reveal her presence or position by using magic, be it by some being with enough magic power to feel her own, or even by the popping she made with each teleportation. Yet another silent thanking to filly Twilight.

She barely suppressed a surprised gasp of shock as she saw a pair of guards running past her hiding place. Her eyes widened when she realized what kind of guards they were: batponies!

It was only then when Twilight remembered the Caribou king's words about how Cadence had joined with them, how Celestia had fallen and of how Luna would be easily captured.

Her mind started to formulate a plan with the one she had already had, adding some objectives to it before making a visit to the captain's quarters:
-Find Luna and join forces.
-Find and rescue Celestia, if possible...
-Find and rescue her friends, if possible, too...
-Find Shining and convince him to lower the shield.
-Escape to Ponyville.

Fortunately for her, the guard Captain's quarters were close to the actual location of the princesses' bedrooms, so she could simply take a quick detour to Luna's chambers, or at least find out if she had escaped or barricaded herself either in her room or somewhere else, and then join forces with the most fearsome of the four princesses. It was such a brilliant plan!

With that plan in mind, she decided "Shining's" pursue would have to wait, instead deciding to go across the maids and butlers' rooms that were destined to be the princesses' personal attendants.

She started to move, trying to stay away from sight as much as she could, but also avoiding anything that could give her position again, like that pesky loose tile that had betrayed her so long ago, making a guard to discover her as she tried to sneak into the library to get that book she so badly desired to get, give it a quick read and then return to its place right before the sun rose. And she definitely wanted to return it!

The next Morning, Celestia had tried to confront her about it, trying to look stern and firm. But in the end, that little filly whose awkward social skills and desperate attempts over a mere book brought the princess some amusement in the castle she called home, and by such, brought some life back to the castle.

Twilight blinked away a tear produced by such a happy memory that seemed so distant to focus on her current task, least she wanted to get captured and raped mercilessly to the point where she lost herself to the pleasure.

"Oh, Master, YES! HARDER!"

Her ears perked and her eyes widened as she heard a voice from a room whose door was slightly ajar, allowing her to hear a repetitive creaking, heavy breathing and squeaks of pleasure, which were sometimes interrupted by a pleasured moan.

Curiosity once more took the best of Twilight, slowly peeking into the room to see if her suspicions were true. She knew and had seen how some mares had decided to join the "new regime", mostly out of resignation and without any other option, but her mind wanted to see which of those cases the mare in the room was... or worse, like some leading the parade, were openly accepting it.

"OH, YES! HARDER! DEEPER! FUCK ME, MASTER! FUCK ME LIKE THE USELESS SLUT I AM!!"

Oh my! Twilight's head turned away as quickly as she could, but the image was already burned into her mind. Just a second, or even less was enough to make her mind imprinted with the image of a maid, whose uniform had been ruined beyond repair, taking such a large object into a place that was clearly not designed to have something inside of it.

Slowly, she lifted her hands to her chest, almost as if she was shielding her heart from everything as she took deep inhales through her nose and then exhaling through her mouth. Once calmed enough, her mind quickly thanked Cadence. Even if she had betrayed them, her calming technique still worked for her.

The more distance she made between THAT room and her, the less noise there was, making her silent and slow walk into a confident stride, feeling with her magic and confirming that no pony... or creature was close.

Despite that, once she arrived at the royal bedrooms' zone, she slowed once more, taking extra cautions as she peeked around the corner.

Luna and Celestia's rooms were just in front of her. Celestia's door was closed, as expected. It wouldn't be touched for some time until the regime was firmly established, though Twilight desperately hoped that room would be opened again in just a couple days, when things had returned to what they were before.

Her eyes widened when she turned to a dark blue door next to the pristine white: Luna's room. In deep contrast to Celestia's white, Luna's room had been kept and preserved just like how it was before her banishment, though the night princess had quickly started to reform it to avoid and forget past and painful memories, suffering several redecorations from time to time.

The door was opened, or more like bursted open, with several of the princess' personal things thrown across the hall or near the door. Unless it was yet another one of Luna's "redecorations", Twilight started to panic when the word "battle" popped into her mind.

Barely avoiding the urge to barge into the room to make sure she was safe, she moved towards the room slowly and silently, just as she had been doing so far, with the exception of avoiding any of the objects lying around on the floor.

Using the almost broken down door, allowing her to take a peek inside, she immediately spotted the night princess. Her mouth opened to call out for her, having a wide smile on her lips with newfound hope.

That hope died when she saw a couple of guards... HER guards inside of the room with her.

Onlythos who proved themselves worthy of her, to be real batponies were allowed to be in her personal guard, resembling more a small army than actual guards. Even less had the honor of just barging into her room unannounced to warn her princess of an imminent threat.

The guards she saw inside had proven themselves unworthy of such honor, not only by what they were doing, but also for being in company of one of THEM... a caribou.

Luna, much like her sister before her, was being raped in her vagina by a large caribou, seemingly a high ranking one, judging by the more pristine armor he carried and the runes imprinted on it. Her anus and mouth were being abused by her two personal guards while the princess herself merely glared at them with a coldness that could as well freeze the very Tartarus itself.

But why isn't she doing something!? Twilight's mind rushed with a million questions as to why Luna was submitting herself to such treatment. The answer became clear moments later, as her eyes saw a small vial lying on the floor near of the bead and a large object resting pristinely in a royal pillow: Luna's horn. Not too far from them, a large sword and a shield laid lifeless on the floor, making Twilight realize the truth sadly as her last hope vanished.

Luna had been taken by surprise, and even if she managed to defend herself or a while, not even her was a solid match for the caribou's apparent upper strength. She had been given a paralyzing potion and then subjected to the same treatment as all the other mares so far, even noticing only then yet another couple of guards who were slowly and painfully plucking each feather from her elegant and powerful wings, making sure to apparently take their time to do so.

"I'm sure you all are enjoying it, but hurry up! The parade's already done, so the coronation will be soon! She needs to be ready for the ceremony." The caribou's rough voice sounded as he started to thrust harder, receiving a solid nod from the guards as they sped up in their ministrations, making the princess to release a muffled shout of unwanted pleasure. "You, slut! Bring the binders and her collar. But remember to bring the black ones!"

His shout was answered by a voice with a thick accent while yet another mare stepped forward. Twilight's pupils shrunk as she saw Equestria's top supermodel, Fleur de Lis, completely naked, without horn, and worse of all, carrying a thick collar around her neck of a rich crimson color.

"Oui monsieur, maître. Shall i also bring... the other object?" She asked with her voice carrying a seductive tone as she lifted with her hand yet another perverted object: an anal dildo with runes engraved on it, but still having its exterior completely smooth and pristine.

Twilight could watch no more, taking several steps back consequently faster before finding a place to hide. Only then her composure truly broke, starting as a soft sniffing while her eyes filled with tears, turning into an uncontrollable sobbing moments later. Not because of what she had seen, not because of how cruel the caribou were or how every stallion suddenly seemed to turn just as them, if not worse for betraying those they were close to.

No, those tears were because, yet again, she had been forced to abandon another pony in need. She had failed once more.

Yes, she could take on those guards by herself, but the caribou? And what about Fleur? What could she do to them? And even if she truly could do something, Luna would be of little help under that situation. With her whole body paralyzed, she'd only be dead weight, becoming a burden for her and threatening both ponies. She wouldn't even be able to help them until well several hours later, when the effects of the potion stopped at least.

All in all, with every possible justificative ideas her brain came up with, reasons she was actually right to have, the pain didn't decrease at all. Instead, it only made it heavier on her heart knowing there was little to nothing she could do for the rest of the ponies in there.

Her sobbing slowly was controlled, still having tears on her ears, matting the fur right beneath them to allow everypony who saw her to notice she had been crying... but it wasn't time to cry. It was time to do something, if anything at all to stop them.

A serious and decided look showed in her eyes as she turned yet another corner, her brother's former office and quarters were right ahead. It was time for her plan to take action. She didn't had Luna's help, so it'd be nearly impossible to rescue Celestia and the others until later. But for that, she needed help, so she needed to go to Ponyville, where 2 of her friends still were free... hopefully.

She charged a stunning spell, just in case somepony... or someone else was inside. Her hand slowly and trembling reached for the knob, slowly twisting it to not make any noise as she started to open the door. Her ears immediately tried to listen to anything inside to try and tell if somepony was inside. Not hearing anything at all, she pushed the door open with a hard push, pointing her horn forward for any assailants that were inside.

After a few moments, she let out a sigh of relief as she saw absolutely nopony in the office. There would be no fight at the moment, and that gave her a few moments of peace before continuing in her mission. Taking the chance, she took a look around at the office, softly mourning the lack of personal items her brother used to have there, reminding her of his departure to the crystal empire a couple years before.

Of course, with his quit, a new captain had been named, one she realized at the moment that she didn't even remember her name, and as such, that office had been given completely to her. The shelves were still mostly empty, barely any papers being stacked into the simple and humble desk sitting at the middle, and a golden chest armor silently hanging from a wall.

Memories of the times where she went there quite often to visit her brother at work came back, making her nose to softly sniff before a tear could fall, realizing such times like those would never repeat again... not with everything she had seen so far... and that might still be seen...

A muffled clopping sounded by the door, waking Twilight up from her remembrance as she realized something: with how sparsely decorated as the office was, she didn't have a place to hide in case somepony would enter, be it Shining or not. Before the steps got closer, Twilight backed into the only object that might conceal her for a few seconds: the very same door. Opened, and unless the intruder wouldn't actually enter the room, she wouldn't be seen.

Her brain tried to make a quick joke as she stood still, thinking if that was how Discord had felt both times he was imprisoned in stone, only being able to wait. And wait she did, listening intently as the hoofsteps slowly got closer and closer to the office... and then turning away and walking away.

She let out a sigh and allowed her lungs another ration of oxygen for who knew how many times she had repeated it, and then going back to listening intently for any signs of someone approaching... she wanted... no, she NEEDED answers... but for that, she would also have to wait for "him" to show up, so she waited patiently...

And she waited...

And she waited...





The door almost collided with her, barely managing on drowning a scared yelp, least she was noticed. Her nerves didn't have time to relax as she saw her "brother" confidently striding inside of the room, having a pleased and satisfied smile. Her cheeks immediately turned a bright crimson as she also noticed he was wearing no pants or any underwear.

Her eyes immediately turned to the door, trying to listen if anybody else was coming. Her hand slowly raised to the door once she was sure they were alone, slowly pushing it closed with a soft click that made her "brother's" ear to twitch. Quickly rising a silencing spell around the room, which definitely caught Shining's attention, she also prepared for the next part. Just as he turned around to throw at her a shocked look, her horn flared as he was instantly surrounded by her magic field, instantly holding him tightly.

She never imagined she'd have to do that to her brother, to restrain him, to interrogate him as if he was a simple criminal. Her voice slowly lost her nervousness while a bright fire of conviction shone in her eyes, turning into a serious and diplomatic tone.

"Now that you are here... we need to talk." Shining opened his mouth to shout something, her magic immediately closing it open as she raised a hand. "Don't bother asking for help, a silencing spell is around the room and nopony else can hear us."

Of course, using her magic right in the middle of the wolf's mouth also meant that HE would already notice... she was running out of time, she realized as she moved Shining to the chair and made him sit down.

By Celestia, was he always that... no Twilight, focus. She whispered to herself as she released Shining from her field, but also summoning a magic dampening ring around his horn to seal away his magic for a while, at least. Of course, the shield around the city wouldn't vanish unless he wished to... or he was unconscious.

"Twily... lovely to see you!" Shining's voice sounded, making her look towards him, her eyes widening as she saw a collar in his hands, though that collar, instead of the rich maroon or the dark black she had seen so far, that was a bright, silver color. "You see? I was kind of disappointed when you wasn't there with your friends when they were captured... but it makes sense now... you wanted to be collared by somepony close to you, didn't you? I suppose that is reasonable, though you've made it hard for us... but not like that sunbitch down there. Oh, you should see and hear how she moans like a whore in-"

"SHUT UP!" Twilight's voice flared, every word "Shining" was saying made her anger peak even more, though with how he had just talked about her former mentor. "And now... take off your disguise."

Shining's face showed a truly confused look for a moment, shrugging as he started to undo his gala jacket. "Well, if you want to be collared like that, i don't oppose-"

Her horn's shine was suddenly in front of his face while his sister held a look of pure anger, almost bordering on hatred towards him.

"Take. It. Off. Now!" Before "Shining" could say another foul phrase, her patience suddenly ran out as she fired an anti concealment spell, bent over on taking away the Changeling's disguise so he would stop shaming her brother's name.

"So... was that supposed to do something useful, Twily?" Shining asked with an amused tone, watching yet another example of female's "magic", just as useless as they were.

Twilight was almost at the verge of having a mental breakdown, yet again. Her magic hadn't revealed the Changeling or whatever that thing was. She tried the same spell over and over, trying to reveal the wretched being below her brother's loved visage, only succeeding on revealing the crushing truth to her: unless it was a really powerful changeling using some sort of unknown magic to conceal himself, another being that could use magic to disguise themselves... or the most logical but horrible conclusion... it was truly him.

The pony who had been her only true friend when a filly had somehow turned into a depraved monster in the time they hadn't seen each other. But what had changed? What had brought that change upon her loved brother? And his wife? And his people?

A tear threatened to fall down her face, obscured by her own mane while Shining smirked darkly. "Don't cry Twily. Just be a good female, put this collar on and submit, and you can have a happy life... just like Cadence and just like the others will do in the future! LIke your friends, like Celes-"

His speech was interrupted once more by the desk in front of him suddenly smashing with him against the wall, almost breaking a couple ribs while his sister turned to him with a cold glare.

"You... You've betrayed everything you swore to protect... But..." She finally lifted her eyes to look at him, a small pang of guilt tore in his heart as he saw those wide and teary eyes of hers, reminding him of the time when both were fillies, when he used to pamper her, made her smile. But also of the times he had to comfort her, feeling a great urge to run at her side to embrace her. "... but why? Why betray Celestia?"

A peak of anger arose on him yet again when that name was mentioned, making Twilight watch with suspiciousness as a small, pink shine glowed in his eyes before any resemblance of her brother's former look vanished, leaving behind the monster she had seen that day.

"Because, Twily... i haven't betrayed anything! Just how many times has she proven herself as an incompetent ruler? Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis. All those times, it wasn't even her who faced those evils that threatened ponydom, it was you and your friends! All those times she sent you to clean her own mess? She was arrogant, and that showed with her own incarceration in the moon when Nightmare returned, with the elements vanishing from her own vault with Discord! Nopony, not even her saw the Changelings coming, and she even fell to the clutches of Chrysalis! She couldn't stop Sombra's curse over MY people when she faced him! Take off that blindfold, Twilight! She's only false radiance, as Cadence showed me! Despite the look and the visage we have of alicorns like Celestia or Cadence, they are nothing but common ponies like us! They are even below us sometimes, below you!"

Twilight felt bile rise in her throat. Her brother spoke with the madness of the true believer, and she could not understand how he of all ponies could buy so wholeheartedly into something like this.

"... Shining... You swore... to protect her. You swore... an oath to Celestia, to Equestria!"

"No, i never made an oath to her. My oath was to protect Equestria and the throne. And so I will, now that its rightful owner is in it."

"... Shining... what happened to you?" Her voice broke down again, having to turn away from him to look through the window, having a clear sight of the stadium, the main street and part of the stairs where Celestia had fallen, and Cadence had revealed her true self, just like the pony in the room with her. Of course, she also noticed one of those cursed caribou in the plaza, chatting joyfully with a number of ponies and even some changelings.

The caribou... the shine in his eyes... they were controlling him... they were only using her beloved brother against all of them! 

"Shining... *sniff* ... I'm so sorry... for not noticing it before..." She whispered as she turned to him once more, looking at yet another victim of the caribou magic, being tainted like so many other mares and stallions she had seen in Canterlot that day. Much like them, he had merely fallen under the corrupting influence, and was being controlled by them... perhaps Cadence, too...

"So you've come to your senses now. Will you submit to us? You don't have to suffer like Celestia has... or will. You can just submit like Cadence and enjoy life, being pampered and comforted by your master." Shining said with what Twilight identified as a hopeful look in his eyes. He really wanted her to be at his side, just like the old times!

Yet...

"... No, Shining..." She turned fully to him, having a serious look she had never used before. It was a lifeless expression, as if a big part of her was torn apart, but she still had to go on. "... I will not. And i'm sorry to say it, but i need you to lower the shields..."

Shining didn't answer at that, only having a disappointed look in his eyes, which was the only answer Twilight needed.

“Very well. I will remember you as you were, BBBFF. And I promise, I will find a way to free you from your nightmare.” Twilight bowed her head down in silent mourning, and Shining started to rise to confront her, or as much as he could without his magic.

His sight suddenly turned black, falling unconscious as his body was sent backwards towards the wall, courtesy of an overloaded stunning spell from his own sister. Twilight's face was stained with tears as her magic flowed into her brother, forcing his mind to undo the shield around the town, watching its sickly pink shine slowly vanishing until Celestia's warm sunshine finally fell on the city, a silent promise of the nightmare's end in the future, promise Twilight herself would see accomplished, even if it brought her own death.

Her magic immediately advised her of several beings coming closer to her destination, having to leave her brother behind... and Celestia, Luna, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack behind. But she'd save them, just like they had saved her in the past.

With that, her wings opened, making a powerful flap as she started to fly away, seeing the caribou in a chaotic state as they tried to contain the situation.

More ponies, mostly pegasi, started to follow her, most of them carrying foals or other ponies, mostly all of them were mares with a few exceptions. Even a royal guard carrying a small filly in his hands, with parts of his armor destroyed or charred by different causes.

"Princess Twilight! It's good to see you! We started to believe all hope was lost!"

Twilight felt her heart swell with happiness and joy as she watched as even more ponies and guards, all of them helping somepony else, joined her. A small army of rebels to the "new regime" was starting to rise right then and there. They could fight back now.

"Where do we go, princess? We can't stay here!" A mare guard asked, having her armor destroyed in several parts and even a sore black eye.

All of them had resisted so far, but seeing her had brought their hopes back, and she'd be sent to tartarus by herself if she let them down... if she let anypony else down... not anymore.

"... to Ponyville."
> Arrival to Ponyville.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The flying had stopped a while ago, and while Twilight was glad she could have a moment to take a breath, it also allowed her to stop for a moment and think, to watch at the group of ponies who, much like her, had stopped to rest.

Reaching Ponyville flying would have taken a lot less time than going on hoof, but when her group had suddenly spotted yet another group, mostly formed by earth ponies and unicorns, they had merged together in hopes of reaching ponyville safe and sound.

There had been a few skirmishes with small groups of caribou who had given chase to the ground group since they left Canterlot, but were easily subdued by the numbers and strategy Twilight had shared with them.

The most difficult part was when the caribou were beaten, having to take a choice of what to do with them. Almost all the mares in the group (and even some stallions) had voted to right there and then kill them. Others had voted to tie them in a tree and leave them to rot in the forest.

Twilight was in a mixed feeling on such position, one where she had the final word. There wasn't a lack of reasons for why they should be killed, she had to admit, and there was a vast lack of reasons on why the shouldn't.

In the end, Twilight had taken a choice she had already done in the past. The caribou were monsters, but they wouldn't make her, and even less her subjects, like them. They were ponies, and they were the most honorable of races for a reason: Friendship.

While she felt happy and proud for her choice, there was a huge part of her group of refugees and rebels who weren't happy with her decision, but couldn't ultimately argue with a princess.

Later on, she had noticed with some sadness when her group suddenly was split into two smaller groups. The main one, the bigger one, was mostly conformed by females, the civilian had taken their place following closely their princess, while the female guards had taken on themselves to watch the other, smaller group: the males.

Treated like something shortly of criminals, the guards had been disarmed and put in a small circle constantly surveilled by the female guards.

Of course, Twilight couldn't blame them for being so cautious. She had to guiltily admit she had also watched them closely, having to suspect of them because of the changelings and the brainwashed stallions.

So far, none of the males of the group had done anything suspicious, and it made Twilight feel even more sad for them when she saw a stallion try to help a mare who had tripped and fell and receive a harsh slap to the face and being called "rapist". The stallion had gone back to the group with a sad face and his tail between his legs.

Just what had things turned into? Had they really turned into sexists so far, even judging innocent stallions who had done nothing to them? Judging those who had a truly good heart and wanted nothing jut to help them, but having a trauma so severe it clouded their perception?

Once again, with everything that had happened so far, Twilight couldn't blame them. But it didn't make it more correct.

She really wished things would go back to how they were as soon as possible, where everypony was friend of everypony.

Turning around, Twilight's hopes grew as she saw the weak lights that shone over Ponyville on such a dark night. The moon hadn't gone up and there wasn't a single star in view. It was almost as if a dark veil had fallen upon all ponies.

But she'd make sure that veil would be lifted from them, even if it was the last thing she did.





At the next morning, the group had moved quickly when the town of Ponyville was sighted. Hungry and tired as they were, they made haste for the town with the promise of food and a warm bed to sleep. Twilight knew the people... her people in ponyville would be generous and aid them in their time of need.

Finally reaching the small clearing separating them from the forest, with the train tracks at their side, the group would finally reach ponyville in a small time.

Just as Twilight hoped, the town ponies quickly received them, but the group of refugees quickly ruined such a warm welcome.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET THIS RAPIST AWAY FROM ME!!"

Twilight quickly turned to the source of the scream, product of a mare who had kicked a stallion in the crotch and fled behind a female guard, who had quickly threatened the poor, panicking stallion with the tip of her spear. Right in front of the frightened stallion, a blanked and a spilled bowl of some kind of soup laid.

"Wait! Stop!" Twilight rushed in front of the guard, casting a shield around her and the stallion before facing the guard. "What are you doing!?"

"Your highness! This stallion tried to assault this mare! I'm just making sure this scum doesn't try anything!"

Twilight turned once more to the stallion, who was literally shaking of fear and looking at her with a pleading look.

"Put that spear down!" Twilight turned to the mare once more, having a fierce and determined look on her face. "He is innocent!"

"How can we be sure!? For all we know, he could be with THEM! They ALL could already be sided with them!!"

A small spark of fear and nervousness filled Twilight. She had seen the day before several cases of stallions suddenly turning against their loved ones. What if the guard was right? What if the caribou's influence had already reached them?

"What is going on here!?" Twilight turned to a tomboyish voice approaching them, bringing a truly happy smile to her face as she saw her friend Rainbow Dash flying towards them.

"Rainbow!" Her shield was lowered as she proceeded to run towards her friend, catching her in a tight hug which Rainbow quickly returned.

"Twilight! I'm so happy to see you!" Rainbow's voice was softly broken for a moment, trying to drown a sob and a pair of happy tears threatening to fall from her face.

Rainbow broke the hug first, looking around at the group that had just arrived, suddenly concerned by the concerning distance between mares and stallions.

"Twi, what is going on? Wait, Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy? Applejack?"

Twilight's face filled with tears at that, opening her mouth to try and say something though not finding any words to say.

"Applejack!?" A rough, low tone was heard close of them, making her look at Applejack's family. The tallest member had quickly ran towards her, looking at her with a questioning look.

"Stop right there!" Big Mac was quickly stopped by a pair of lances pointing at his throat, belonging to a pair of guardsmares who had just arrived to Ponyville. "You won't get near princess Twilight, you wretched rap-"

"Let him pass." Both mares turned to their princess with a surprised look, though not having much choice when the princess herself took the spear in her hand and throwing it away.

Finally free to speak, Twilight turned to the red stallion. The resolve and hard look of royalty was instantly broken as their eyes met, a feeling of dread constantly growing on his gentle, big eyes.

"... Mah sister?"

"... there were too many... i couldn't do anything... *sniff*"

A few tears escaped from her eyes, and while clouded by said tears, she could still get a clear of view of Big Mac's face turning into one of uncertainty, slowly becoming more and more enraged, something almost not a single pony had seen before.

Big mac was actually more than angry. Enraged and furious would be better terms to describe him. Nopony said anything as the stallion suddenly turned around and left with a quick pace, stopping before a thick tree in the distance.

Big Mac was a calm and collected stallion, with a more leveled head than most of his family's members. That day, just as he shouted in despair as his punch literally tore a hole through the poor tree, all of ponyville was treated to the true meaning of a concerned brother, a vulnerable pony, unable to do anything for one of the ponies he loved the most.

Twilight and Rainbow looked at him with a mix of feeling, though Twilight was the one feeling the most guilt. It was her fault for being weak and powerless to help. Just what kind of torture was poor Applejack suffering at the moment? And her friends, and the princesses?

"Twilight, darling!"

All her worries were put aside for the moment as she looked at her last friend, Rarity. Still dressed as fashionably as always, she didn't care about her attire as she ran towards her friend, embracing her in a warm, welcoming hug.

Yet to that day, Twilight still wondered what had she done to deserve such wonderful friends.

"... Twilight?" Rarity's voice broke her thoughts as she broke the hug, looking at her with a concerned and almost afraid face, much like the rest of Ponyville. "... are the rumors true? Is Canterlot being attacked at the moment?"

A circle had quickly formed around her, all of Ponyville's habitants looking at her in concern, but still expecting her answer. Twilight sighed slowly before hardening her face and turning to them.

"... it is true. Canterlot... no... all of Equestria is under attack right now."

A gasp was heard from among all the ponies looking at her, followed by a soft murmur along them, though still waiting for Twilight to finish.

"I was there, and it was indeed terrible..." Memories came back to her mind again of all the ponies she had to abandon the day before, and the atrocities the caribou did. "... and worse of all... The princesses have been defeated and... incarcerated."

The word "enslave" was about to escape from her mouth, though she stopped herself just as she saw several foals out there, helping as much as they could. They wouldn't understand what she meant, and she didn't want to give them mental scars at the moment.

"... Three of the elements of harmony have been captured, too. Princesses Cadence, Celestia and Luna have been subjugated and several hundreds of Ponies have also been captured."

A tense atmosphere quickly formed among the town as they turned to the mountain, where Twilight noticed the large, pink bubble enclosing it again. Her brother was up again, which meant they would know she had escaped already... and they would come for her, first.

"... The beings that dared to attack our lands are called Caribou. We don't exactly know what brought them here from across the sea, but they are out to claim our lands as theirs. That's the why they attacked Canterlot and captured the princesses. They are trying to conquer us."

She was glad most of the ponies understood the severity of what she was saying. No panic had broken yet, even the scaredy flower ponies were quiet and giving her their full attention.

"And their next objective... is here, Ponyville. Because they are looking to capture the signs of strength of Equestria." And turn them into sex slaves, twilight thought. Though of course, she couldn't just tell that out loud. Not just yet. "... They are looking for me. The last free princess of Equestria."

"And we shall not allow them to capture her!" Rainbow's voice suddenly sounded before she landed at her side, putting a hand over her shoulders in a protective way. "We will defend our dear town and our dear princess from them!"

The guards who had come to the town, most notably the males, let out a shout of support to the idea, lifting their fists up in a firm salute to their princess.

"We won't allow them to just come and take the land we love for themselves! When they come, they will find just how tough us ponies are!"

Rainbow was clearly up for action, as always, and Twilight smiled once more as she felt truly secure for the first time. Taking a step ahead, she also rose her voice for everyone else to listen.

"Rainbow is right! We won't allow them to take our lands! We will face them here and drive them out of here. We will rescue our friends and the princesses in Canterlot! And then, we will truly defeat them! Like with Chrysalis, with Discord, with Sombra, with Nightmare Moon! We defeated them, and we shall defeat the Caribou, too!"

A loud cheer was heard across Ponyville, all of the ponies joining their princess in promising to recover what the Caribou had stole.

Her confidence wavered slightly when she turned to the group she had brought. Most of them were looking at her with an insecure expression, even some of them scared at the prospect of having to face the caribou again.

She, too, was afraid of facing them again. But what other option did she have? Just to run away from them as she had done so many times again? No, she wouldn't. She'd stay and face them until the end.





A short while later, having put the refugees in some free rooms offered kindly by the folks of Ponyville, Twilight had quickly gathered the ones she trusted the most in the town hall.

Mayor Mare, Big Mac and Granny Smith were present, as well as Rainbow Dash and Rarity. The rest were some of the guards who had come with Twilight, though more females than males.

"So... how bad is it really?"

Rainbow was the first one to actually break the heavy silence that had formed in the room. Twilight was actually glad she did, seeing as she was too afraid to actually say anything on her own.

"... very bad. Not only we are being attacked by Caribou... it's several other things i'm sure you must be made aware of."

Now within a closed circle of confidence, she could truly say openly what she had seen so far. The way the Caribou acted, the crystal ponies' betrayal and the Changelings' alliance.

And then came the heavy part. Twilight had to repeat word by word all of her failures to that moment, starting with Celestia's defeat at the hands of the Caribou King and the things she had seen during their celebration parade.

Most of the guards in the room hadn't actually seen the parade, just hearing it in the distance from their hiding place. For them who had already seen the effects of Cadence's barrier on the stallions, it finally made some sense why some stallions had suddenly turned against them even within their hideouts.

Though the part of mutilation was what definitely made everypony's face show a reasonable amount of fear. Big Mac had quickly pushed another hole on the table in front of them when he heard what had been done to Applejack, while Granny Smith stood silent and with a serious look. 

Rainbow's face had turned to one of extreme anger like Big Mac's, though also sorrow when she heard of what had happened to her dear friends. Much like Twilight, she had also been feeling guilty for just leaving her friends behind. But now? She just felt miserable for doing so, even when some ponies stood up for her.

Rarity's reaction was bizarre, to say the least. Her eyes constantly shifted to the table, having a lost look on her face. When Twilight mentioned of how the females were being collared, both hands were lifted to her own neck, rubbing on it as she had an almost panicked expression on her face.

Of course, Twilight understood their expressions. She had lived it herself, yet it all seemed so distant, as if she had lived it millenia ago. It also seemed so unreal, having to repeat to herself it had truly happened, least her already stressed mind took it as a bad dream or her own imagination.

"... so what do we do now?"

Granny Smith's elderly tone broke the silence once everypony had fallen into a quiet despair, making every pair of eyes to turn to the green mare.

"Ya' said they would come here first 'afore goin' somewhere else. What do we do 'bout it?"

Twilight was once more given the full responsibility when every pair of eyes turned to her once more. Of course, being a princess, the last free princess of Equestria, she was now their last hope of having a light to guide them when fighting back.

Twilight started to stammer, trying to find something within her brain to say. There hadn't been many wars in Equestria in centuries, so the info on battles, sieges and general wars had been scarce.

"I-i... i... i don't know... what can we do to-"

"We hafta lift a fence." Once more, Granny Smith's experience was shown, even rivalling Twilight's own leadership. Once everypony had turned to her, she looked at Twilight with a smirk before continuing. "That's how we keep varmints out of the farm, so they don't have the chance to take anything that isn't theirs."

"Eeyup."

"And that's how we'll stop them!" Twilight said with a smile as she finally understood what the elder pony was trying to say.
"We'll stop their armies here and force them to pull back!"

"And when they grow tired, we simply kick their flanks back to wherever it is they came from!"

"Simply brilliant, darling! A good plan, indeed!"

Every single pony had quickly voiced their opinions on the plan, some of them disagreeing with said plan with their whole being, but ultimately deciding it would be the best course of action.

"Then, it's settled!" Twilight said with more confidence as she stood up, finally feeling they could stand a chance against the caribou. "Send word to every stallion and mare who can work so they can start building a wall around Ponyville."

"But what do we make it with? We don't have enough stone or bricks!"

"We have plenty of wood."

Big Mac immediately turned to his grandmother with a surprised look on his face, letting out a grave "nope".

"We have enough apples to grow another harvest when all this is over, sonny. But right now, them trees might do more good on that wall than just restin' up there in the farm."

Big Mac sighed deeply for a moment before letting out a tired "eyup" in answer, turning around and leaving yhe hall, ready to set hands and hooves to work.

Being the strongest of the group, the guards immediately went with him to work, too. Granny Smith nodded silently before getting up and going away, too.

Mayor Mare had decided that most of the townsfolk, specially those that were parents should be informed of the gravity of the situation and left shortly. Rainbow had apparently left at some time to help with the construction without saying a word, leaving only Rarity and Twilight in the room, though the white unicorn still looked at the table with a distraught look and rubbing her neck.

"Rarity? Are you alright?" Twilight asked with concern before going to her friend's side.

"... i don't know, darling. What you just told us... it's not easy to process."

Twilight nodded with a sad frown, knowing that same feeling. She could only lift a hand to her friend's shoulder and posing it softly, rubbing in a comforting way that might as well been for herself, trying to assure both ponies that everything would be fine.

Rarity turned to her friend, smiling to her as she placed a hand over her friend's, showing her friend the very same support and appreciation she was showing.

It brought some calm to Twilight's mind, which also brought a sudden feeling of drowsiness and a large yawn escaping her mouth.

"I think you should take a rest, darling. You look as if you haven't slept at all!"

Twilight nodded at her friend, feeling absolutely tired. No pony said a word and instead just waved at each other as they started to leave the place. Twilight could allow herself a couple of hours of sleep now that they were safe, for the moment.

"Oh, before you leave, darling?" Twilight turned once more to her friend with a tired face, desiring to already fall on her bed. "I think you should know... Spike... he's not feeling too well."

The tired look on Twilight's face left immediately at that.

"Spike? Where is he? What happened?"

" i don't rightly know, Darling. He's on the library, but he didn't even open it yesterday at all. When i tried to visit him, he wouldn't even answer to me at all, which is actually concerning. He's always so willing to see me!"

Of course that was concerning. Twilight didn't even say anything before she had started to run towards the library, despite Rarity's protests and yelling.

She wouldn't fail yet again. If it was within her power to solve something, as small or big as it might have been, she'd do it. No more failure.





Though the library definitely was closed (clear evidence of that being the small sign hanging from the door), Twilight couldn't help but feel as if something was definitely wrong inside.

"Spike!? Spike, where are you!?"

Twilight slammed open the door, letting a small beam of sunlight to enter into her beloved home. The library had definitely seen better days, and Twilight made a mental note to give Spike a good lecturing when she found him.

Not only where books thrown across the floor, but shelves had been turned over and even some scrolls had been chewed off.

"Spike! I leave you alone for three days and you leave the library in such a mess!?"

Quickly storming upstairs to their bedroom, she noticed the library becoming even more disarranged and chaotic the closer she got to their space.

Her hand stopped mere inches from the door when she saw it. A claw slash on the door, though one bigger than any being living close to Ponyville.

A hissing sound caught her attention, quickly turning around with a stunning spell ready to fire, finding a pair of green, emerald and definitely huge eyes staring at her.

"S-spi-"

"MINE!"

Just when a large claw wrapped around her neck, lifting her from the wooden floor effortlessly, did she see who it was.

It was Spike, though seemingly passing through another growth spurt like the one they had seen before. Once again, the little dragon had let his own greed get out of his claws, but it seemed as if that time was different.

He was bigger indeed, though his body seemed more muscular, having a solid wall of flesh and scales in places where once had been childish chubbiness.

Twilight's eyes turned to pin pricks when her eyes strayed down his figure, seeing something that sparked something down her mind: his huge dragon cock, already hard and throbbing.

A slashing sound was heard right after his large claw lunged at her, not giving her time to react before it was right in front of her.

She watched in stunned silence as the front part of her clothes were shredded to small pieces, sending them flying away while her own modest breasts jiggled softly when released.

Spike's look had turned even more animalistic at the sight, even openly drooling at Twilight's private parts revealed. His claw slowly started to approach to one of her breasts, eager to openly fondle such a delicious piece of-

A loud crack sounded shortly of a flashing behind him, finding both claws empty of his prey while Twilight looked at him with fear.

She couldn't believe it. It couldn't be happening! Spike was showing the same effects of the Caribou's magic than the stallions in Canterlot. He had been also been tainted!

She teleported away once more when the large reptilian lunged at her, popping into the lower floor of the tree just in time to hear a loud thump in the upper floor.

Not much time passed as heavy steps and slashing where heard from above, quickly moving towards the stairs. His eyes narrowed when he saw her standing the middle of the room, having a frightened look on her face while she slowly backed away from him.

"Spike! Get a hold of yourself! This isn't you!"

"MINE! TWILIGHT MINE!!"

She barely had time to teleport away when Spike moved at a speed that could as well rival that of Rainbow's, making the reptile to crash head first into a wall of the library, sending so many precious books to the ground.

The bundle started to move before the dragon bursted out of it with a roar, though stumbling around with other objects in a daze due to the hit he had suffered.

Twilight slowly tried to get towards the stairs, having locked the front door with her magic so she could leave him inside while trying to figure what to do. Her ears flattened against her skull when a loose board sounded right below her hoof.

Fear arose into her when Spike's uproar stopped suddenly, slowly turning towards her with an angry and hungry look. Right before his prey could teleport away again, his claw quickly took a hold of a nearby book, lifting it over his head.

"Not that one! That's a first and special edition of- OOF!!"

Twilight's phrase was interrupted when the book collided with her stomach, taking out the air from her as she fell on her rump, holding her belly in pain and panting.

"... Mine..." Spike hissed lowly as he started to walk like a crocodile slowly towards her, sensing his prey down and easy to catch.

Twilight's breath was slowly returning while looking at her baby brother, more resembling a son as their time together flashed through her eyes, not believing for a moment those ferocious eyes belonged to the baby dragon she cared so much about.

"... i-i'm... so- hahh... sorry, Spike... you're... hah... not well..."

Her horn started to shine as the most powerful stunning spell she could muster started to load, making the dragon to lunge at her before she could recover.

Their eyes met one last time right before the spell was shot, giving Twilight barely a second to muster an apology to her baby brother before the beam sent the dragon flying back with a roar.

A loud crack sounded around the library when he fell, making Twilight wonder for a moment if anypony else outside the library had heard it. Panic grew on her when she noticed him not moving at all, making the worst ideas to come to her head.

Staggering towards him, still panting to recover her own breath, she turned him over with her magic just short of touching him with her hands, silently thanking Celestia when she saw his chest rising and falling softly. He was alive, just knocked out.

"... i-i'm so sorry spike... you're not well... and you might harm yourself if i don't do this!"

She said to the asleep dragon, though once more to comfort herself, to repeat to herself that it would be alright.

She had floated him down the basement, setting every cushion and pillow she could find to make that space comfortable for him. Tainted or not, he was still her number one assistant, and as such, she'd make sure to make him feel comfortable while she tried to figure how to fix him back.

Her whole afternoon was spent on securing all the important equipment she had downstairs so Spike wouldn't break it when he woke up, but also making a big enough supply of food for him so he wouldn't starve... for as long as he had to stay there.

Spells were set on the room so the ceiling and walls couldn't be broken or passed through by him, using every single spell she could remember to keep him (and the others, herself included) safe from himself.

When she was over, a last spell was cast on the door so it could only be opened from the outside, blowing a soft, good night kiss to the sleeping dragon before the door closed, leaving him trapped there for as long as it needed to be.

Drowsiness came back on full force to Twilight's mind when she was done, even feeling her body growing heavier with every moment that passed. Her horn started to ache due to all the magic she had to use without a rest, which shortly transmitted to her brain, giving her the biggest headache she had felt ever.

Arriving to her bedroom, her last space of peace and security, her hooves barely moved away from the floor as she almost fell over on the way to her bed.

Her dress still in pieces, her mane disheveled, her mind tired and overstressed and her whole body aching, Twilight immediately fell asleep even before her face touched the pillow.

Alone, afraid and uncertain of what would happen the day after, Twilight Sparkle slept through the whole night.
> Walls
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"... Twilight... Twilight... wake up..."
Twilight's mind slowly started to wake up at the sound of a voice calling out to her. Even in her barely awake state, she could tell it seemed to be a combination of two voices. A male one, powerful, dominating and commanding male voice, and a distant, weak and almost broken down female voice from far away.

"...Wake up... it's time..."
"...Wake up... it's time..."

Both voices seemed to be ordering her the same. Slowly opening her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the several baners hanging from the tall room, which was quickly identified by her mind as the throne room, if the two large seats with a sun and a moon engraved on each one was an indication of sorts.
She was back in Canterlot.

A spark of panic ignited in Twilight's mind, as memories started to return to her mind. But there was something wrong.
With every memory returning to her mind, a pony suddenly appeared behind her, almost as if every bad memory she had was being summoned to the place.

Fluttershy tending to the large hound materialyzed behind her, a pair of caribou leading Pinkie pie passed by right next to her as if she wasn't even there, and Applejack in the distance could be seen tied down to a wooden contraption of sorts while her asshole was being stretched to allow a large apple to be inserted on it, already taking a second one to insert next.

"... No... no, no, no..." Twilight started to hyperventilate, watching her friends being humilliated again, even when those were parts she hadn't actually seen.

"Twilight! Help us!"

Twilight turned around at the sound of a pair of familiar voices. Her eyes widened in terror at the sight of both Princesses of Equestria in yet another humilliating pose. Both had been tied down to something akin to a table, with their legs spread and hands tied behind their backs to expose their completely naked bodies for everyone to see.
"Twilight Sparkle! Please help us!"
Both alicorns repeated in almost the same tone and rhythm while the purple alicorn could simply stare in shock and horror at the visage.

"... you can't help them..."
"... you can't help them..."

The voices repeated all around her, making a powerful echo that seemed to repeat what it said several times, more akin to several voices saying the same over and over again.

"... and the same will happen to you..."
"... and the same will happen..."

The female voice was cut short by a gasp from Twilight when she tried to look away from all the things happening around her, making her look down in hopes of stopping it, only to then realize that she was completely naked, too.

Worse for her, she also noticed a large, thick object digging into the skin around her neck and collarbone. Lifting a pair of shaking hands, air seemed to leave her lungs when a choked scream escaped from her mouth at the sensation in her fingers and the few nanoseconds her mind took to make the connection: it was a collar.

"... you can't escape..."
"... you can't..."

Yet another shout or moan came from somewhere near of her. Lifting her sight to where Applejack's torture could be seen, another peak of fear rose in her mind as she saw not her orange friend in the wooden bench.

It was herself.

Twilight watched herself being submitted to such a torture, unable to look away for some reason. She soon identified that reason as she looked at her other self's face. It was full of pleasure, euphoria could be a better term.

"More! Insert another one into me, PLEAAAAASSEEE!!"

It was truly her own voice, and it was begging to the pair of faceless caribou behind her to insert yet another apple into her rectum, even shaking her apparently bigger than usual glutes to entice the brutes.

Finally finding in herself the will to look away from such a lewd scene, she was treated to yet another vision of debauchery.

Another herself had taken Fluttershy's place at tending at a wolf's large, red and swollen cock. Different to the one before, this self was also adorned with a pair of wing sheaths that completely covered her surely bald appendages, having the same body as the other one.

Trying to look away once more, she was treated to the sight of the same two caribou that had been leading pinkie to somewhere else, it was herself instead. Though with the addition of a shiny stump in her head where her horn once had been.

Her breathing was becoming heavier with each vision, even moreso when she lifted a hand to the sections of her body her other selves had modified. Her breasts and ass had become bigger, she already had her wings covered and even her horn was missing.

The last vision was by far the most frightening she had seen.

Instead of the princesses, where they once were was now yet another Twilight. Memories of the parade invaded her mind as she saw the last remaining change in herself. A thick, bright collar of a rich maroon tone. The sign of those who openly cooperated with them.

"You will become that."
"You will NOT become that."

As weak as it was, the female voice had stopped copying the male, suddenly taking another tone. One far more familiar.

"You cannot escape."
"You cannot surrender."

"You will submit."
"You will resist."

Trying to look away from her other selves, Twilight tried to cover her ears in vain as the voices seemed to grow heavier and louder, feeling as if they were driving her crazy.

Opening her eyes for a moment, they widened in fear as she saw none other than the caribou king walking quickly towards her, lifting a hand towards her neck and lifting her effortlessly from the vanishing ground.

"You will fail, as before!"
"You will not fail, as before!"

The room around her suddenly started to change slowly, revealing a large circle below them filled with runes, as well as a chained princess Luna kneeling near of them.

"You cannot fail, Twilight Sparkle."







Twilight woke up with a gasp, finding her whole bed covered in cold sweat, produced most likely when she was still asleep and having that... Nightmare.

Rested, but still feeling tired somehow, Twilight slowly got up from the small shelter her bed provided from the world around her. A very cold and actually uncomfortable shelter at the moment.

Looking down at herself, her mind slowly connected the dots as to why her dress was a mess, if it could still be called a mess. The front was completely destroyed, exposing her modest chest and somewhat damp panties for everypony to see.

Fortunately for her, there was nopony around to see the state the princess of Friendship awoke that morning.

... Or was it really morning?

Twilight's groggy mind looked towards the window, expecting to be blinded by the bright sun light flooding her room, like every morning when it peeked slowly from the mountains far away.

Yet, there was no sun to be seen, and the sky was starting to turn into a darker shade of blue and purples while the clouds held distinctive blades of gold, orange and even pink tonalities.

The afternoon was ending, and the evening was just short of being on them. Her mind almost turned off again when the idea of having just slept for a couple of hours since the incident with Spike came to her mind, telling her about taking in maybe some more hours of sleep to recover.

*Bang bang bang* "Twilight!? Are you alright!? Where are you!?"

Of course Rainbow Dash would somehow ruin her private moments. Though with how messed up the library was, she couldn't exactly blame her for thinking the worse.

Before she could be given the chance to do something, the door to her room was kicked open by the blue pegasus, who had rushed to her side upon seeing her state.

"Twilight! Are you alright!? What happened to you and your dress?"

Twilight groaned at the barrage of questions Rainbow kindly fired at her, but having to put a hand on her mouth to stop her from further interrogation unless her own headache became worse.

"Rainbow, i am fine. I had just a... Little incident with Spike a couple of hours ago." The memory of what had happened replayed in her mind before a red flag shot in her head. "Wait, the door to the basement. You didn't open it, right?"

"What? No! I came here first before checking anything else. But what did you mean with a little incident? With Spike? And where is him?"

Groaning once more, Twilight had to speak lowly to explain what had happened with Spike, and the reason of why the basement door should NOT be opened under any circumstances. Rainbow understood most of it with her own concerned look, making a question at the end that sent a shiver down Twilight's spine.

"But the Barrier you spoke about yesterday didn't come all the way towards here. Then how did Spike get tainted?"

Indeed, that was the question. How had he been tainted? The caribou's barrier had been held back by Shining Armor's shield, only corrupting the ponies INSIDE of Canterlot, or just near enough. But all the way to Ponyville?

Be it by the barrier or not, one thing was evident. The caribou's influence was already there, in Ponyville. But no Caribou had been sighted yet, so it only left one very worrying option.

"Rainbow... I think we have an infiltrated."

"... Oh buck." Rainbow cursed lowly, even kicking softly at the floor, making Twilight frown when a poor book was sent flying away by said kick. "As if we didn't have enough troubles already."

Twilight changed her dress to a more casual look, having adopted a more library-ish style at the time, with a white shirt hidden below a purple vest and a matching skirt of the same color.

"What do you mean? Wait, what has happened in the couple of hours i slept?"

Despite the situation they were in, Rainbow couldn't help but snort at that question.

"Hmfg, and they say it is me who sleeps the most. But you just beat my personal record for sleeping, Twi."

One of the phrases Rainbow had said before returned with what she had just said. Her mind registered the word "yesterday" as something passing by, more fo used at the time with Spike's situation. But when thought in deep detail, it made her feel very concerned when Rainbow confirmed what she was thinking.

"You've slept for a whole day straight, Twi."


A short while later, Twilight came out of the library in a rush, finding the situation Rainbow had just informed her of to be true: Most of the mares she had brought from Canterlot had gathered enough supplies to leave.

Fear had clearly clouded their sense of union, preferring to just run away from the Caribou instead of staying together and fight as one. At the head of the group, some of the ponies she considered to be truly loyal showed their true selves right in front of her: guardsmares.

The very same mares that had taken to themselves go watch over her closely were the ones that were fleeing with their tails between their thighs. Yet another sign of their cowardice was the fact none of them had their golden armor on, just dressed in a civilian attire they could've acquired somewhere within Ponyville, with their armors nowhere to be seen or discarded somewhere else.

"Look at those cowards! They want to flee!"

Rainbow said with a hurt and angry tone when she arrived at Twilight's side, watching the parting ponies with a glare in her eyes and her mouth contorted in a spiteful way.

"Be more considerate, darling. I'm not sure what they went through, but i'm sure they have their reasons for wanting to leave."

Rarity's elegant voice sounded from nearby, making Twilight turn in time to see her friend giving away some freshly made clothes to another mare, who thanked her before going away to do something else.

As for Twilight, it was enough to say she had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, she wanted to stay and fight, to take back what the caribou had claimed as theirs and return Equestria to normality.

Of course, on the other hand, she would be lying is she said she didn't want to go with them, to just escape from the monsters that plagued her dreams since they attacked and never turn back, to simply forget what had happened.

With some shame, she did had to admit she really wanted to go with them... But she was a princess of Equestria. It was her duty to not only be on the front during a war, but to also be an example to ponykind. What example would she give if she turned away from those who needed her the most?

The former guardsmares' eyes and hers crossed for a moment, telling each other whatever they needed to know in a swift and silent conversation, only for moments later for the mares to break the connection.

Only a half hearted wave was made towards her when they started their trek to flee. No salute like a true guard should do, not even a reverence or a nod. They had truly shown their own selfish desires that day. They had truly shown they never had been real guardsmares before.

Since she woke up that day, it seemed as if things had never been like how she saw them. Brave guards had turned to be nothing but cowards, and one of her loyal ponies had turned out to be nothing but a traitor.

For a moment, doubt filled her heart when she realized things would never truly be the same if they went back to being "normal".

The Caribou had truly shown her a side of the world she had never seen before, and not in the perverted and sick way they followed, no. They had also shown her the darker side of one's self, what ponies truly were under the façade of happiness and love they lived everyday into.

Deep down, everypony were monsters just as, if not even more vile than them.

"... Let them go. They are in their right to do whatever they please."

Rainbow turned to her friend, becoming concerned when she saw her friend with a serious look on her face, but looking as if something inside of her had grown old in just moments. As if some of that happy and nerdy pony she loved so much had withered.

Before anypony could say anything else, Twilight had turned away from them and started to walk.

"Come. I want to see how that wall is doing. They might come soon, so we have to be prepared."

Rarity and Rainbow shared a glance at each other, concerned for their friend's wellbeing before deciding to leave it for later, when it was all over.

Rainbow instantly flew at her friend's side while Rarity stood behind, watching at the parting group of ponies, then turning to the pink sphere surrounding Canterlot and then to her friends.

It was clear things were even worse of what she feared. Just what had she gotten herself into?
> Doubts and suspicions.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Though her mind was focused on doing her chores as a princess and ensure the wellbeing of her loyal subjects, many things clouded her vision with doubt, fear and even anger.

The things she had seen barely a few days before, coupled with the new revelations of ponies not being truly who she thought they were filled her mind with a newfound worry.

She knew she could trust her friends, she knew they were truly her best friends and would never betray her confidence. But what of the others?

Her eyes quickly scanned the multiple ponies running back and forth with materials for the wooden wall they were building around Ponyville to hold a siege and to protect their princess. Still, every time she looked at the wall, multiple points always surfaced of how fragile it looked, how easy it could be broken or even passed by, despite the residents' hard efforts to make it sturdy.

And her mind connected dots that shouldn't even be there!

What if those weak points of the wall were made on purpose? What if the traitor was among those building the wall, making it weak so the Caribou could quickly tore it down? What if the traitor had already contacted the Caribou to tell them of the wall? What if they were already on their way!? What if they all ended captured and then raped for days straight, possibly weeks or months, until they could no longer think by themselves, turning them into mindless animals just looking for pleasure and completely forgotten who they were before and the bonds their friendship had formed were broken and-

"Uhh Twi? Are you alright?"

Twilight almost jumped in fright at the voice which interrupted her thoughts, blinking at the voice of her dear friend Rainbow, who was looking at her with a concerned expression. The next voice who spoke to her was that of her unicorn friend.

"I must admit i share Rainbow's concern, darling. You're even sweating!"

Of course, Twilight hadn't yet noticed the liquid drops falling down her forehead, having to shake off the doubts clouding her own judgement to get back to the point at hand.

It was really nice to have friends who kept her mind from wandering too far and to keep focusing on what was important. It brought a truly happy smile to her face, despite the current situation.

"Y-Yes, i am fine." She even had to take a deep breath to steady her own body, finding it much to her surprise to be trembling. "I just... Had a lot on my mind, you know? With everything that's been going on so far."

Though Rainbow's and Rarity's faces softened at that, they all truly knew what she meant. Rainbow had seen what they were capable of, and Rarity had only heard about what had happened there, but it was enough to know and understand why Twilight was so worried.

"... Yeah... It's been crazy what's been happening. Canterlot... The princesses..."

"Not to mention our friends..." Rarity added with her own tone of worry, making Twilight to remember just how powerless she was. "Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie... Applejack. All of them captured by those brutes!"

Speaking of which, Twilight considered herself fortunate when she saw several of Fluttershy's animal friends actually helping them, as if they knew something bad was coming.

Beavers had taken upon themselves to help chopping off the trees and even transport them all the way from the woods to Ponyville. Even Harry the Bear was actively helping the ponies, be it by helping in the transport of wood, or serving as a sturdy wall to balance the construction.

The Cakes were helping too, in their own way, preparing food and even some sugary treats to help those who were busy building the wall to keep their energies up.

The cutie mark crusaders helped as much as they could, being led mostly by Applebloom, who was just as serious, if not even more, than her brother the day before. As eager as they were, they just didn't have the strength to help in the building. So they had taken upon themselves to act as messagers for anyone who needed help. More wood, more nails, more help... Anything needed, they quickly got the message, or even moved small objects to where they were needed.

Granny Smith was nowhere near of Ponyville, surprising Twilight when she had gone to visit the heavily changed Sweet Apple Acres some time before and seeing the elder pony working just as hard if not harder than most of the ponies  chopping down the trees. Just how strong could a pony like one of her age be?

And last of them all, Twilight looked at Applejack's brother, Big Mac, working the hardest he could. Rainbow had told her he hadn't even slept at all, being constantly busy with doing everything in his power to do.

Applejack's capture had turned the silent and serene pony into such a ferocious worker, Twilight assumed, to keep his mind from thinking of what was happening to his sister, keeping his hopes up that whatever she was passing through would end soon.

Each individual example of those worried for their loved ones was inspiring for her, making her remember the promise she had done to herself a few nights ago. Nopony else would fall in the Caribou's hands unless she could avoid it.

And she would ensure that promise to persist for as long as she lived!

Still...

The terrible images of what she had seen, the ways the Caribou acted like monsters and made the ponies they captured feel humiliated, coupled with that strange dream she had had the day before made her legs feel weak, even feeling her knees shaking at the thought.

Her eyes turned to the north, looking at the city she once called home, still surrounded by that pink bubble she once felt comforted by, and her thoughts became dark once more as doubt neared its ugly head again.

Her friends, the princesses, her parents, those she knew from school... Just what was going on with them? Were they safe? Were they hiding?

Or even worse... Had all of them been captured and subjected to the horrible tortures the Caribou had in mind? And just what such torture was? Was it horrible, life scarring? Would it forever be in their minds? Would it leave them with a mind blown by so much pleasure that they couldn't even think about it without having an orgasm-?

A sharp pain crossed her head suddenly, making her feel dizzy and terribly tired, despite having slept for a whole day. If not for her friends' quick reaction, her face would have fallen to the ground.

"Twilight, darling!"

"Woah, there! What's up? You okay?"

The moment of dizziness was broken for a moment, allowing her to look at her friends, to their concerned faces and how beautiful they looked, and even towards Rarity's modest cleavage.

A soft blush came her face when she noticed where she had been staring, trying to get up on her own to avoid staring further by looking around to everyone else.

That proved to be a bad choice, noticing instantly everyone working in the wall had stopped and were looking at her. Almost all of ponyville was looking at her, in a moment of weakness! What if the traitor had seen her in such way!?

"... I-i'm... I'm fine... Maybe just a bit hungry... I'll go to eat something..."

Every pony just stared at her as she walked away slowly, making her feel even worse when the dizziness came back, making her walk even slower than what she wanted.

"O-Oh, wait! Darling, allow me to help you. Perhaps we can share a nice lunch over at my home." Rarity came rushing to her aid, like ever the good and generous friend Twilight saw her as. Quickly taking her hand, she started to lead her with as much decorum as possible, given the circumstances they were in. Twilight risked a look behind to ensure nopony was following them.

Of course, everypony, while returning slowly to their work, still watched her closely, all of them having concerned looks on their faces, showing their devotion to their princess, as well as being concerned for their wellbeing. Although, how many of them were actually concerned for her? How many of them were actually taking note of her weakness!? How many were just waiting for the right chance to attack!? How many-?

"Twilight? Are you truly alright?" Rarity's voice snapped the young alicorn from her own questioning, finding some comfort in her sapphire eyes, which were filled with a constant worry for her, just like those she had seen before. But those, she knew they were real.

"... yes Rarity... i'm fine... thanks for asking." Twilight replied with her own smile, feeling herself getting calmed. She thanked once more to whatever deity who was listening to them for the friends she had.

That smile vanished as quickly as it came when memories of her other friends came back in full force, remembering all of her friends all the way back in Canterlot, even those who had recently been captured. Their faces when they were taken away were still firmly imprinted in her mind, replaying over and over. Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie... The princesses...

All of them captured... because of her.

The rest of the trip towards Rarity's house was spent in an uncomfortable silence, with Rarity growing even more concerned while Twilight felt herself sinking deeper into a pit she wished never had existed.





Once the door in Rarity's house closed off with a quiet click, Rarity took off a moment to take a deep breath and then face her alicorn friend.

Much like the moment at the Wall, Twilight was silent with her gaze fixed in a nonexistant point in the distance. Or perhaps it was something in her home?

Quickly dismissing the thought, Rarity rushed off to prepare some tea, taking a small pouch with some powder in it and poured some of it in a spoon with her magic and leading it to the kettle.

Midway to the kettle, she stopped. Much like Twilight, her gaze stood firm on the blue aura surrounding the spoon. A hand slowly rose to catch it from the air, only stopping her magic once the spoon was firmly taken by her right hand while her left slowly rose towards her horn.

In the distance, Twilight watched Rarity for a moment, finally being able to focus on other thing than her own, but finding her friend's attitude somehow strange.

Despite not being able to see for herself due to Rarity's mane, Twilight watched her friend slowly stroking her horn, as if her own life was in such a small and seemingly useless object. Twilight understood her reaction, having seen it by herself and having told her friends about it.

Unicorn mares losing their horns for being "inferior", according to the Caribou. She could definitely understand Rarity's reaction, also lifting a hand to rub at her own horn, the one object that had guided her to her true talent as a pony: magic.

With the prospect of possibly losing it if they fell to the Caribou... It was truly terrifying!

Rarity's hand stopped stroking her horn, slowly sliding down her face until her hand grasped her own neck, Twilight hearing a soft gulp of nervousness from the unicorn moments later, probably imagining the worst that could happen to mares like themselves: being collared.

How would it feel? Was the sensation truly as terrible as she had seen them?

...

... What if she truly were to wear one of those?

"It's simply... Worrysome, right?" Twilight's thoughts were once more interrupted by her friend, thankfully. Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself before turning once again towards Rarity, who had finally prepared the tea.

"I mean... The whole Equestria falling subject... It's nothing but... Worrysome."

"... Yes, it is." Twilight's reply was just as low and emotionless as her friend's, watching as the table was slowly adorned for a true meal, just as Rarity liked.

"But i think... The worst part of all... Is the future..." Rarity said suddenly, more musing to herself at that point, but still making Twilight stop everything else to listen. "... I'm scared, Twilight."

Watching her friend slowly go from composed to actually trying to hold back her own tears without success, even closing her hands to hold onto something that could not be seen while her voice trembled.

"L-Life as we know it... It's over! Even if we do manage to win against... T-Them... Things will n-never be the same!"

Twilight already knew it. She herself had thought about it just a couple hours ago, when seeing all those mares just ditching everything else, everypony else even, just for their own selves!

But upon hearing it from her friend... The wound opened even more. Canterlot would be freed, mares would be saved, the princesses would be restored and her friends would go back to Ponyville... But even then, the scars would remain for life. Pinkie and Fluttershy would forever be affected by it, and Applejack would surely shut herself from any form of sexual interaction... Or even social for a time.

Even herself, even when not having experienced any of those horrendous tortures... She now saw the world in a different light... A much more frightening light.

Of course her friend was right! Even if they did win (a big if), their former lives were over.

Yet another thing she had failed in. She was the princess of friendship, by the stars' sake!

"... I know, Rarity... It's over." Rarity stopped crying for a moment, looking at her friend now turned princess, who had a sad, empty and too dark for her liking look. "... It's over... A-And... I shouldn't even be an Alicorn!"

Rarity's tears were controlled, as if she had learned to control them... But Twilight's... Twilight wasn't only crying, she was loathing herself.

Twilight wanted to be left alone, slowly starting to rise from the table while even darker thoughts surfaced on her mind, doubts and self-blaming slowly trying to consume her with every memory of her failure as a princess. It felt as if she was alone, alone with all of her screw-ups and nothing else.

A soft clink before her managed to make her lift up her face from her arms, seeing the tea her friend had prepared already in front of her.

Even sniffling a little, Twilight slowly got up to thank her friend, being interrupted by said friend and a comforting and much needed hug.

None needed to say anything at the moment, just feeling the comfort in each other's presence for the time being. In that moment, the next tear that fell from their eyes was different. Yes, the sadness would remain there, then anxiety, the doubt, the fear and everything else would remain there, but they weren't alone.

"Thank you being here, Twilight. I truly don't know what would happen if those brutes would come here... And i didn't had my friends with me."

Twilight nodded silently, not wanting to say anything else to not break such a pacific moment. But good things must come to an end.

"W-Well, Twilight... *Sniff* The tea will cool down i-if *sniff* If we don't drink it."

Still having tears in her eyes, much like her friend, Twilight took the cup and brought it to her lips, moaning softly when the tea went down her throat. It felt relaxing, comforting even!

She turned to look at her friend, finally being able to speak without doubt in her voice.

"Thank you Rarity."





Rarity was definitely right, having consumed several pieces of bread for the past hour and some more of that delicious tea she had prepared, and Twilight was feeling a lot better.

"Hmm, Rarity, you have to tell me what blend this is! It's actually really relaxing! Did Zecora give you this?"

Rarity stopped her polite sucking (definitely looking better, too), to answer to her friend.

"Oh no, darling. This was a recipee suggested by somepony all the way back in Canterlot during a private party. I was... Stressed in the moment and... A foreign traveler was kind enough to give it to me."

Twilight nodded in understanding, though wondering what kind of foreign traveler was that, to assist to a private party nonetheless, and even bringing a blush to her friend's face!

Noticing her own stupor, Rarity chuckled nervously at that while trying to cover her face. Now that seemed unlady like!

"Anypony worth mentioning? I would like to see him by myself and ask for some of this blend for myself." Twilight asked with a smirk, actually having fun for once in the past few days, and seeing Rarity actually flustered for once!

Of course, said unicorn didn't wanted to continue or had something else to say (which was strange, considering how gossipping she was).

"Well... I'd really like to get him to meet you, too... But... He was in Canterlot... Sometime before... Well, you know what."

Twilight's playful smirk instantly vanished from her face, knowing what Rarity was referring to. Her face turned to a more serious tone when she took her friend's hand in hers, squeezing supportingly.

"Don't worry, Rarity... You'll see him again... When all of this is over. I promise."

Rarity nodded slowly at that, showing her friend a hopeful look in her face, but also one of another emotion she couldn't quite identify. But nonetheless, Twilight would make sure at least one thing positive would come out of this!

Rarity suddenly stood up, looking at her friend with an apologetic face.

"You'll have to forgive me... But i think i drank too much tea." She slowly started to walk away from the table, but before she vanished completely from sight, she turned once more to Twilight. "Oh, and one more thing! If Sweetie Belle happens to come around here, don't let her enter into my studio, please?"

Before Twilight could answer, Rarity vanished from sight with only the soft slam of a door sounding moments after.

Twilight chuckled to herself, finally feeling like those days where the only worries she had were to send the princess a letter of her lessons on friendship, like the one she sent when Rarity helped all of them with their dresses to the Grand Galloping Gala. Such a stressful yet wonderful memory!

Speaking of which, Twilight had to admit she had grown curious at what Rarity was working on. She always made such wonderful clothing, always so elegant and beautiful!

With her friend sometimes being so busy doing complex or big orders, she sometimes didn't see her friend in days at most, sometimes not even getting to see the clothes she had been working on until the next fashion show (if she was in the mood to see it or had the time for it)!

Having that in mind, and assuming her friend wouldn't mind if she took a look, Twilight got up from the table and quickly went upstairs, almost giggling as if she was a filly again, hoping not to get caught, but secretly wanting to!

Her hoofsteps were heard, though, letting her hear her friend quickly exiting the bathroom.

"Is that you, Sweetie Belle!? I told you not to-"

"It's alright, Rarity, it's only me!" Twilight answered to calm her friend, reaching the end of the stairs up in the second floor.

"Oh, it's only you, then... Wait, what are you doing up there? The toilet is over here!"

At first, she was curious as to why Rarity sounded so concerned about, but Twilight was in a good mood! Besides, she wasn't one to gossip about dresses before they were out for the public, so a peek wouldn't hurt.

"Oh, you know... Just got curious as to what you were doing for the next fashion trend~!"

Twilight replied teasingly, relishing in the way Rarity seemed to panic over that. It must have been a good secret to tease her with!

"Wait, T-Twilight, please! Do not even dare to open that-"

The door opened with a soft creak, making Twilight grin mockingly at her friend and in small triumph over her. She wasn't as competitive as Rainbow was, but she did like to win sometimes, too.

Her voice died in the instant she stood inside the room, watching several mannequins around the room with several different outfits on them. But most notably on several of them were the obvious sexual connotation on them, even having seen several similar designs during that accursed Parade!

She even felt a panic attack rising on her when her eyes fell on top of a thick, shiny leather collar around the neck of one of them. Very similar to those accursed objects she had seen clasped around her friends and the princesses' throats!

The sound of magic was heard, and several thick blankets immediately floated and covered the mannequins, giving Twilight some relief at not having to see that object.

As for Rarity, Twilight could see in her face her friend knew the damage was done, quietly sitting in her own bed while giving her friend an apologetic frown, sometimes not even daring to look at her in the eye.

"... I assure you, Darling... This all has an explanation."
> Revelations (rewritten)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight's eyes hadn't strayed anywhere but the floor while Rarity explained everything to her, or as much as Twilight could hear without her mind going crazy with possibilities, simply sitting down against the door of the room and hugging her knees close to her body, almost as if she was forming a barrier with herself to protect herself from everything she had heard.

"... Twilight, darling? I know the question might be irrelevant but... Are you faring well?"

Twilight's breath trembled softly when she opened her mouth to speak, not even finding it within herself to mutter a single word with the storm raging on in her mind.

"... P-please, Rarity... Explain it to me... Once more... And slowly, if you could."

Rarity frowned at that, already being the third time she had told Twilight of what she had passed through for the past few weeks, possibly even a couple months prior to the events of the past three days. Though, of course, she herself had gotten barely any sleep when she realized what had happened, so she could understand poor Twilight.

"Alright, darling. It all started about two months ago..."

Rarity started to speak slowly, procuring to keep her eyes on Twilight for as much time as she could while she spoke about what she knew.





It all started about two months ago, when i was invited to Canterlot by Fleur de Lis herself to join an "exclusive" group recently founded. She didn't say exactly who they were, only mentioning they were from a country far away, one which almost no map had told about.

To say i was excited for the prospect of making business with foreign creatures, one which could possibly even promote my dresses and clothing outside of Equestria! Can you imagine it, Twilight? It sounded like an once in a lifetime opportunity! You could call it a "rarity" of an opportunity~

Without even considering, i accepted. Fleur had never done anything to harm me or anypony else, for the matter, so i didn't know what she was getting me into... Until i was too deep.

Even to this day, i still can't believe what i had been made to do, to take a part into all of this, even if i didn't know it.

I never got to see any of those Brutes you so vehemently describe as the Caribou, mostly being Canterlot's most prominent members of nobility, and some other who had somehow gotten inside, though the place consisted mostly on females submitting themselves to debaucherous acts or acting as pets for their "masters".

It was only a couple of times i entered in that place, each time with the sole objective and hope of seeing one of those famous "foreigners" Fleur had spoken about... But no such chance was given.

It was only when i returned to Ponyville after all that when i was finally finally able to relax and forget about everything and going back to being me in my dear home, as before, though not completely... Pure and innocent as i believed, as i once had been. My libido did increase, Twilight, even if i have somehow managed to keep it in check for the time being.

But then... About two weeks ago... I was contacted by Fleur again. Not to invite me to that place again, thank Celestia... But rather... To tell me an opportunity had been given to me! I grew excited when the letter said a foreigner had heard of me and wanted to make a large custom order with a very handsome payment!

Of course, at the start, said order was... Curious, by a lack of a better term to describe it. In itself, it looked more like a layout of an outfit made to surround a mare's body and secure it so it could not be removed so easily... And also, with what was once described to me at first as a choker, object now i know it's actually called "collar".

I was ordered to do about fifty of said outfits, all of them with a deadline of about six days ago... And i did them, Twilight. At first, i sent Fleur a picture of the outfit, having taken some... creative liberties with it.

But the next letter arrive just an hour later, telling me such an outfit would never please the commissioner. How could that be? The design was fabulous, and several mares would have really liked wearing that outfit! I myself tried it, and was delighted to see it fit, though a bit risque, but still looking good and respectable!

But the answer Fleur gave me got me thinking...

"It has too much fabric in it! It needs to show more skin!"

At first i couldn't believe it. I had heard of lingerie, some of it even still considered as dresses, even if they weren't... Very public.

But, you know what they say, "the client is always right". So, i did what Fleur asked.

I took the outfit and took some of the fabric away, leaving even more skin exposed for whoever wanted to use... That.

With the new design, i sent a new picture to Fleur, pretty sure i had done it right now.

But the next letter threw my hopes to the ground.

"Still too much fabric. It needs to be more revealing, more appealing, more... Sexy."

It went on a cycle for the next hours and even turning to a full day or work lost, having stripped almost every bit of fabric i had designed for it. Admittedly tired and annoyed, i sent one more letter to Fleur.

"Please, do try and help me understand better, Fleur. I have made several changes to the design i was sent, and yet you keep asking for it to be less concealing, and more revealing. Darling, if it were even more revealing that what it is already, the mare would be completely naked and leaving nothing to the imagination!"

That was what i thought at heart, believing Fleur would finally understand and even support me in that decision in front of the commissioner.

But the next letter she sent me was short and to the point.

"And that is the point, dearie~ That's exactly what our dear friend wants."

That was only when i understood i wasn't doing something only "risque", "sensual" or a new brand of night clothing, no. The commissioner had ordered me to do something... Erotic.

At first, i felt deeply conflicted at this, having not done anything like it before, and never, even in my wildest dreams had i thought i would be doing something like that!

And yet... I did what Fleur asked. I did that wretched leather outfit and sent a picture with it to Fleur. Even when i did it in the middle of the night, Fleur wasted little to no time answering to my letter.

She was pleased with how it looked, and said the commissioner was happy about it, too. And so, they ordered me a large order of that same outfit, but several more for an specific date.

With the prospect of having all that money to perhaps upgrade my materials, my sewing machines, or even maybe getting enough to open a new shop somewhere else, i got to work.

With only a couple days remaining for the arranged date, i finished the order and immediately sent it to Canterlot, finally believing i could take a well deserved rest and perhaps enjoy the coming festival with you and the girls...

...But i was ordered more outfits, with even a bigger payment if i completed it in the same time or less, with Fleur promising me to pay once i travelled to Canterlot in a future date.

I must admit the ambition consumed me, Twilight... remember why i told you i couldn't go with you this time? I assume you already know it, but... That was the order i had to complete and the reason by which i did not go with you to Canterlot...

Though, if only i had known of what would happen... I-If only... I h-had known...





Twilight finally looked up to her friend, who looked just as mortified as Twilight had felt several times in the past few days. She clearly understood how she felt... Unknowingly, Rarity had been used by the Caribou to help them achieve their goal.

She had been made an accomplice unknowingly, with her talent being used to create such monstrosities that caused so much pain and unwanted arousal in others, even to the point of torturing them.

She had been used. She was innocent and nothing like the monsters the Caribou were.

With that thought in mind, Twilight slowly lifted a hand towards her friend's thigh, right where her hand was laying to take it into hers, giving it a soft squeeze. Rarity lifted her eyes to look at her friend, finding a supportive smile on her face, as well as some tears forming up in her eyes, just like the ones forming in her own eyes.

"... Twilight, i-i'm... I'm so sorry... If i had known before-"

"I know, Rarity. I know. It's not your fault. It's theirs. They are the ones behind all of this."

As reassuring as those words could be, Rarity still felt a big weight of guilt in her shoulders, knowing she had been used as a mere puppet, and her friends were suffering because of it. Because of her. Because of everything she had done, because of her talent being used by those brutes!

While Rarity slowly felt a dark cloud forming above her Twilight slowly stood up and walked towards a mannequin. Almost as if fearing it could suddenly become alive and lash out at her, she slowly stretched a trembling hand to take the cloth covering it and move it aside.

Rarity sniffled very unlady like for a moment before she noticed her friend removing the sheet from the mannequin, feeling a repulsion in herself upon seeing her own handwork, that wretched and perverted outfit she had been paid to do.

She clearly wanted nothing more than to simply soak it into something flammable and burn it to ashes, and then never in her life speak of it again, ever!

But meanwhile, Twilight had fallen silent, watching the outfit with an ever growing feeling of concern within her.

Slowly unclasping the collar around the figure's neck, she watched it for a moment before several ideas started to merge in her head, some of those being quite concerning and worrisome.

"Rarity... The one who gave you this order... Did he asked you to... Add a charm, a spell, an enchantment of any sort to this?"

Thought the question seemed out of context to her, the noticeable fear and/or shock in her friend's voice compelled at her to answer, even getting up from the bed to be at her friend's side before answering.

"I'm afraid the answer is no, darling. The customer only asked for a very specific material for this... Thing to be made: leather. Somewhat difficult to get, considering its gruesome origin."

Twilight nodded at that. While not uncommon in itself, Leather was very difficult to come across in Equestria, unless you knew where to look for it. Most of the time, it was used to do very expensive clothing, or those designed for harsh environments.

But it was still sought after quite fervently for one specific characteristic: its easy capability to be enchanted, as well as a rather large time for the spell to weaken.

If Twilight had one thing to give the Caribou was their stubbornness in getting what they wanted and now realizing they also knew exactly what to ask for and how to do it.

The next question was one Twilight started to fear when Rarity spoke of her story.

"... I know you've already told me about this... But how much time ago was the last order asked for... And how many of these... Outfits did they ask from you."

Once again, Rarity took a moment to think about it, though not being able to tear her eyes away from the mannequin.

"... About two weeks ago, and i was ordered to do about fifty. I did a few more than what they asked out of generosity, in hopes of them appreciating my work and good will... And then the next order was of doing the same number in less time..."

While Rarity vociferated lowly about something else, Twilight kept repeating the numbers in her head. They just didn't match at all!

Canterlot had a population of several hundreds, if not thousands of ponies with a very balanced ratio of male-to-female, though having almost 2-5% more female population. And even so, she could swear she had seen more than fifty of those outfits during the parade. How had they managed to get that many outfits and other things if they had been planning it for only two weeks?

Of course, unless they hadn't been planning it for only two weeks. And unless Rarity's work wasn't the only one at play.

Seeing the outfit Rarity was doing, it was one of the darkest tonalities of Black she had seen, the same one they used on the rebel mares, or at least those who hadn't been subjugated, like Applejack. Meanwhile, there were also the red collars, which she had no doubts, also had outfits like those but in that sickly red color, much like the wing binds Cadence and Fluttershy had been given.

And then, there were also the purple collars. Did they also have an specific outfit for them? How many other wretched things the Caribou had in their arsenal to subdue ponies?

Once again, the numbers didn't match at all... And that concerned Twilight, making her consider the idea that Rarity might not had been the only pony they had toyed with!

"Rarity... Did anypony else you knew that could do dresses or generally just seam some materials together was in those... Meetings?"

"If there was anypony like that, i do not know. Things were more on the... Debaucherous side in there, and not a lot of talking was done."

To Twilight, it all started to fit in in some places. The Caribou had been planning the attack for several weeks, if not months, and had been preparing themselves for the invasion with the help of poor, unknowing and unsuspecting ponies, some of those, Twilight was sure, had already been captured by the moment!

In that look, it all made sense... But there was another part, a very huge part Twilight just couldn't make sense of.

She knew Cadence had turned to them at some moment, which explained the lack of communications from the crystal empire, though it did not explain how they had been able to make their way from the north without anypony noticing!

Even the princesses should have noticed something, anything that could have put them in evidence!

The crystal ponies, the changelings, the Caribou... Such an unlikely alliance... And yet, there they were, together, and working as an invading force the likes Equestria hadn't seen before.

Were they really that powerful, skilled and effective at invading? Had Cadence and Shining shown them routes and/or hiding places  they could use to slip undetected into Canterlot, as unlikely as it seemed?

And now, as she looked back at the several signs of an invasion, why had nopony done anything to prevent it?

Doubts kept filling Twilight's mind the more she kept thinking about it while the hands holding the collar started to shake in nervousness.

She could still see the memory vividly of how Celestia struggled and fought against their king, failing miserably, and even the defeated yet defiant look princess Luna had when she, too, was captured.

And then, the king's eyes came to her mind. Those blue, cold and frightening eyes staring directly into her soul! It sends shivers down her spine and wings when she thought about it!

Every thought she had suddenly focused in the King himself. If he had easily defeated one of the most powerful beings Twilight knew, what chances did she have? What chances did ponykind truly had against an enemy that could overpower so easily the avatar of the sun?

They would lose eventually, Twilight realized. They would all fall to their power and be collared with a collar very resembling to the one her hands were holding and her eyes stared so intensely and then they'd be turned into sex slaves, all of them, to be reduced into mindless, lustful animals, always craving for cock, always begging for more pleasure and–

"Twilight!"

The shout made the alicorn jump in fright and shock, sending the collar away from her while she took quick steps backwards, finally being able to focus back in the reality.

Rarity was looking at her with a concerned expression much like the one she had at the Wall, one of true worry for her friend.

"Oh, umm... Sorry, Rarity. I wasn't paying attention at all."

"I could notice. But Twilight, what were you thinking about so intensely that you didn't even blink?"

Twilight turned back to look at the collar, remembering every bit of information she had deduced before her... Trance, could she call it?

With a long sigh, Twilight got up before looking at her unicorn friend with a firm look, one that was already bad news even before she opened her mouth.

But it was necessary for her to know it. They all needed to know. The invasion hadn't started just three days ago... It had been going on for a very long time...

"TWILIGHT! RARITY! COME OUT, NOW!"

Rainbow's voice quickly broke the atmosphere, even making both mares flinch at the sudden interruption. Rarity quickly hid the outfit again under a blanket with her magic while Twilight opened a window to see Rainbow looking for them frantically from above a cloud.

"Rainbow Dash, don't you know it's rude to interrupt a private–"

"Yes, yes, i know, manners and all, but Rarity, talk to the hand!" Rainbow spoke rather quickly while she flew down from the cloud to float right in front of the window and facing Twilight with a serious and concerned face.

"Rainbow, what is happening? Is everything okay?"

"No, Twilight. It's them. We found some near the forest."
> Enemy of my enemy…?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight's mind was a mess when they finally found what they were looking for. She thought they'd have more time to rest or anything else, literally ANY thing else before she had not only to deal with them, but rather to see them with her very own eyes.

It didn't take long before the sounds of struggle, panting and grunting made the small group Twilight had taken with her to realize they had found a small group of the beings they all had learned to despise.

Always the mare of action, Rainbow had acted as scout, flying silently above the trees of the dense forest surrounding Ponyville to locate the enemy. Knowing just how grave situation was, she hadn't bothered with using her battle "camouflage" for the mission, instead just going as she was dressed.

At her sides, several of the royal guards who had come with her all the way from Canterlot, mostly being Unicorns and Earths, stood proudly with her, wearing their full armor and holding the few weapons they could find proudly. Spears, swords, shovels, pitchforks... Anything would do for those who still remained loyal to Equestria, anything to allow them to fight.

But one pony stood out from among all of them: the always gentle giant of Ponyville, but now having a guard's helmet on his head and the serene expression on his face completely gone, now showing pure determination in his eyes. He really looked like a true royal guard, despite not having the chestpiece due to how big he was... Big Mac, indeed.

She felt safe in their presence, she felt as if she could fall asleep and actually rest with them around to protect her, knowing all of them were there to give their lives away for her.

And the very same thought sent a shiver down her spine. How many ponies had already fallen because of her, for not being able to do something, anything for them? And if things went from bad to worse, how many more would fall to protect her?

As days passed, Twilight truly found herself wondering if she really deserved those wings she now carried in her back, as well as the gift of magic she possessed and had proven mostly useless against the menace ponykind was facing in that instant.

"Twilight! Over here!"

Her reflexion was interrupted by the hushed voice of Rainbow, knelt down next to a tree while the guards and Big Mac had taken a stealth position between the trees. Suddenly understanding what was happening, she quickly bent down and moved as quiet as possible towards her friend.

At first, Rainbow moved a finger to her mouth in the sign of "silence" before motioning at the other side of the tree and a small mound of dirt at its side.

"Se, brødre. Troféet vårt!" An unknown language came to Twilight's ears, as well as the others with her. Though she was no expert in different languages, she did know her way around magic. Right before the next being could say anything else, her horn lit up as she casted a new spell.

"Hva tror du denne tingen var? Kjempet hard, and it was indeed a good challenge… but never in our lives have we seen something like this."

Twilight had to resist the urge to clap when the words slowly turned to something not only she, but all of those along with her could understand.

Rainbow smirked at her friend, moving a finger towards her friend's forehead and tracing a small, oval shape on it. Twilight was not amused when she found the meaning of that sign, making Rainbow to stifle a laugh at that.

But every sense of laugh died when she saw her friend's face turn a lighter shade of purple. Hard steps sounded right next to the mound they were in, revealing two large and battle hardened Caribou walking away towards who knew where, carrying something large between the two of them.

All the ponies' eyes widened in shock when they saw a large, bloody, dead manticore being pulled as if it was a mere bag by the pair of brutes.

Twilight did know of the atrocities they made, but that was on another level, much worse than anything she had seen so far. Ponies generally had troubles just to route a manticore away from any pony settlement near of the forest, and yet those two Caribou had apparently killed it just by themselves.

The caribou were proving to be more dangerous the more time Twilight observed them.

"No matter what this creature was, it will make a great trophy in our tribe. Maybe we can even sell it to the 'king' by a good price!"

Selling it? Twilight wondered in her mind what was exactly that she was hearing. Why would a pair of Caribou want to sell something dangerous to the King?

"Oh, good idea. I bet Runemasters and 'magicians' from his court will go mad to see this."

"Eh, perhaps. I was merely joking, you know? What do you think they could see of useful in this? The King's clan already has control of their main city, so it seems they have no need for other things like this."

The king's clan? Was there more than one group of Caribou?

The group remained still and quiet as the Caribou passed by, chatting between themselves and adding even more doubts  and unanswered questions to Twilight.

Apparently, Caribou were divided in clans, or maybe families as Twilight knew them. And if what she heard was true, some clans actually did not follow the King's attitude towards the ponies.

"What now, princess Twilight?"

A guard's voice interrupted her own musings when everything was calm, making her realize when she relaxed that her joints and muscles were aching for being so tense during all that time, despite only being a few minutes.

Looking at her hands, she was even trembling slightly. She couldn't hide it at all… she was afraid of them.

"Twilight?" It was now Rainbow's voice that filled her ears once more, suddenly realizing the concerned eyes of everypony on her. None said anything, yet they knew exactly what their princess was thinking.

"Princess? If i may…?"

Twilight turned to yet another guard, not finding it in herself to move her hooves. Fear had once again paralyzed her, and she hated that feeling.

"Y-Yes? What do you want to say?" In a strained voice, Twilight tried to collect her thoughts once more, trying to put up her façade of good and strong princess up for them. She had to look strong to guide them.

"… Well… i was thinking we could maybe… follow them?"

"Follow them? Are you stupid or what?" Fortunately for Twilight, the highest ranking guard had taken the charge there, looking at the younger one with a glare. "What if they lead us to a trap? We could already be stalked at the moment for all we know!"

"Yes, sir, i know… but you all heard what they said, right? They don't like the King, so perhaps… we could get them to join us to take out the king?"

"And what makes you think it's a good idea?"

"Well… the enemy of my enemy is… my ally, or something like that?"

Twilight did have to admit it sounded like a good idea from from their perspective. Maybe the could help, or even point out other options as to how they could proceed! It was actually a really good idea, maybe they could even become friends in the future if they could defeat the king!

Again, doubt reared its ugly head when the word "friends" came to her mind, remembering once more what her own pony friends had passed through with them. Maybe not the ones she was seeing right there, but still…

During her time in Ponyville, she had found she could make good friends with anypony, and even other creatures, like dragons, that river serpent (whose name she had already forgotten), cows, mules, and others. But being friends with a Caribou?

She was the princess of friendship, and it was her duty to try and spread the magic of friendship all around Equestria! But them? She simply couldn't find it in herself to picture Ponies and Caribou coexisting as one.

But why couldn't she? Why did she believe so firmly they couldn't be friends? It was her duty as a princess–!

"Isn't that right, princess?"

Twilight blinked several times, truly confused when her thinking was interrupted by a guard, seemingly the most high ranking member of those following her. Once again, all of their eyes were turned towards her, leaving her in the spotlight once more.

She had found herself in that situation so many times lately, and yet, it brought the same level of discomfort as in the beggining. She would never get used to it.

And a small voice in her head told her that she actually hated to be in there.

"I–I do apologize, gentlecolts, but i wasn't paying attention at all. What was it you were talking about?"

Big mac surprised her by actually speaking instead of remaining quiet as always

"We were wondering if we should follow them to try and see if they truly are different than those in Canterlot."

"Yeah, i mean… those looked more… err… wanderers?"

"Nomadic, actually." Twilight huffed softly when Rainbow once more smirked at her, though bringing some relief to the whole situation by making her smile.

Of course, they did have a point. Against her better judgement, she thought it a good idea to go after them and see who they were and if they really could trust in them.

She made a quick nod at them, with all of them walking crouched and quietly following the road, but keeping themselves concealed by the thick foliage of the forest.

Rainbow had decided to fly up and try to track them, returning shortly later with news of a small column of smoke very near.

Twilight had to admire the way the guards acted. She had used a spell to mute her steps, but they didn't need to try and be stealth. They WERE stealth.

…

Just like how her brother had told her how they trained them.

Oh, Shining. How it still pained her when the memory of his betrayal came back over and over in her mind and dreams. 

She still believed firmly he was only being used, under the control and the corruption of the Caribou, always eager to do their will under a disguise of him still being in control and actually wanting it!

But she did know him. She knew he would never do something like that. She still knew her beloved brother was somewhere in the uncovered city, imprisoned somewhere over there in his own mind and doing things he never wanted to do.

Once more, she swore she would free all those who the Caribou had wronged and bring back things the way they were before THEY came.

…

Wait, uncovered?

Twilight suddenly stopped walking, even scratching the dirt below her hooves and drawing the attention of all those who were there with her.

"Twi? What's wrong? You heard something?"

Rainbow quickly asked in a hushed tone, voicing the concern of everypony looking at them, growing when they saw their princess with a shocked look, with her eyes wide open and even some color being drained from her face.

When they looked right where she was looking at, they all knew why she was that way.

Twilight had been remembering her brother, remembering that familiar pink sphere made of magic he was so skilled at casting. Sphere that now had vanished from over the city of Canterlot.

They didn't know exactly what that meant, secretly hoping somepony, somewhere had made something to disrupt the spell, or even things had turned against the Caribou in their own place!

Others couldn't shake that feeling of dread when they saw it, a feeling that told them something really bad would be happening sooner than later. Twilight included herself on that group.

She didn't know why or how, but a gut wrenching feeling came to her, making her want to do nothing else but to run home and hide from the world.
> Spirits
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once the shield had been lowered, Ponyville had gone into a frenzy state, with Twilight suddenly having a deep feeling of dread which wouldn't simply go away, despite the hours passing by.

There was something heavy in the air, and all of Ponyville could already feel it, much like their princess. That was the main reason for most if not all of Ponyville's stallions and young mares to work as hard and fast as they could to complete the wall in time.

Just in time to prevent the attack Twilight feared so much and hoped would never come. But again, it seemed the Caribou were simply taking their time to capture her.


Twilight simply stood over her treebrary, watching through her telescope all the progress on the wall within its range. While it was relieving to see mostly all of Ponyville protected by a thick, wooden wall (and at the same time, saddening), she still feared it would not be enough to stop them. But there was little they could do except prepare the best they could.

In just a few hours, the wall would be complete and Ponyville would be one step closer to being safe from the Caribou threat.

Or at least, more prepared to what was to come, of course. Twilight just couldn't shake off the feeling of dread within her, formed since the moment she saw Shining's shield vanished from Canterlot, only for it to reappear the next day.

There were no signs of the corruption around them, no male starting to behave irrationally, and no females wanting to become more… debaucherous. So, Twilight believed, it was a good sign for the moment.

Unless… the corruption was already within them? What happened with Spike? Was it maybe slowly worming its way up to their heads, to begin transforming them into lustful, mindless–

"Twilight, you're spacing out again."

Twilight blinked for a few moments to wipe away the fog from her mind, which seemed to happen a lot for the past several days. Once she recovered, she turned to see her friend Rainbow staring at her with a smirk. Right before she could say something, Rainbow smirked cheekily as she extended a hand towards her, closing her fist and opening it a few times.

Twilight huffed loudly before glaring at her friend, quickly finding herself reaching over with her magic to summon a bit and letting it fall in her friend's hand, earning a chuckle from the pegasus as she quickly stored it away in a bag in her shorts.

Rainbow's smirk quickly vanished when she saw her friend's glare turn into a concerned frown, quickly stashing the bit away before turning away.

"So... You gonna tell me what's on your head, or will i win another bit in a few minutes?"

Twilight quickly turned her head towards her friend, looking at her with a warmth swelling up in her heart. Of course, she had been left in the dark about what Rarity and herself had deduced before, just for the sake of keeping her focused in the present. Rarity and Twilight both had had several sleepless nights when they both understood the invasion was maybe several months in the making , more Twilight than Rarity, of course.

Yet, somehow, Rainbow had quickly noticed both mares were keeping something from her, and while at first she simply dismissed it as something related to the recent events, she had quickly grown suspicious when Twilight became more distracted as time went on. They were friends, and they should tell each other what concerned them!

"... I'm just nervous, Rainbow."

Despite the anger she had for the moment, Rainbow turned an ear towards her purple friend, watching her slowly lift her arms to hug herself as she looked at the pink bubble over Canterlot.

"... I know they are coming... And i know we're prepared the best we could do, considering the place we live... But…"

Of course, Rainbow did know what she meant. If only she wasn't so damned stubborn, she'd quickly turn to her friend and tell her she was maybe, just MAYBE, as scared as her.

In all her life, she had been a mare of action, never afraid of using her fists to fight, if she needed to. Heck, she had even taken several martial arts lessons, just to be sure she would be prepared when the time of fighting came!

But the Caribou had quickly demonstrated her that, no matter how prepared one was, or how strong one  believed they were, it just wasn't enough. If she was being honest with herself, she'd say she was ready to fight… but she also had to admit she wasn't really looking forward to it.

As for Twilight, it all came to a simple conclussion. They'd have to endure what could be compared to a flooding river, and try to stop it with their bare hands.

She knew it was short of an impossible task. She knew the chances of losing were huge, and she knew what losing entailed. But it was all they could do.

"Hey, i say, let them come! We'll make sure to kick their sorry asses so hard they remember it for life!"

Rainbow quickly said with her confident smile, even slapping softly Twilight's shoulder when she mentioned the kicking, earning a soft glare from her friend while she rubbed the same area a bit too painfully.

But Twilight did have to admit some of that confidence was contagious. And Rainbow was right. Better to fall fighting than living on their knees… right?

…
…

Discarding the idea for the moment, Twilight looked once more through her telescope to the last point of the Wall, watching several ponies working on it as if their life depended on it (which it kind of did, Twilight thought). It was just short of a few feet away from completion, and Ponyville would be finally as defended as it could be.

But then, there was the famous saying: no battle plan survives first contact.

To that end, Twilight had spend several nights on her own, making several plans and courses of action in favor of preventing a bad outcome. Typical Twilight, always having a checklist for everything.

All of it in favour and hopes of being able to escape and maybe fight another day. If she wasn't captured, of course.

Even then, she already had a plan for it, and a backup plan for that plan. And so on and so on. Rainbow had entered into her home that day to find the whole library changed, looking more akin to one of those "survivalist" bunkers she had heard about. But she couldn't blame her dear nerdy friend for doing that. In fact, the Library looked as awesome as ever.

At least one good thing had come from those difficult times, she thought with a smile.


Both suddenly fell silent when they heard the crowd of ponies cheering loudly, making Twilight sigh in relief when she saw through her telescope and saw the wall completely finished. Ponies and animals alike were cheering as one, letting her look at the power of friendship in its fullest, uniting beings of every species!

Yes, they could win that fight, if they stood together! Of that she had zero doubts at the moment. It was possible to stop a river with your bare hands, if there was enough hands!

"Come Rainbow, we better make sure everything's set."

Twilight said with a true smile, one showing a happiness she hadn't been able to feel for a week. But things were starting to look up! For once, she did feel they could win… no, that they WOULD win!

---

The air around Ponyville became heavy with worry, even moreso when all the town was conscious of a true war about to break out right there.

Getting foals closed in inside the city? Seemed like a bad idea. Getting all of Ponyville's population closed in? Seemed like a bad idea.

Preparing to hold a siege against the so powerful Caribou and actually believe they could win? Now that looked like the worst idea.

But as Twilight herself thought at the moment… what other choice did they have? That same idea drove the nervous ponies (and even several animals) to take everything they could carry and run towards the wall to ger into the relative safety inside the fortified town.

Just to ensure nopony, or creature, would be left behind Twilight had taken the mayor's records and made several lists to check who was already inside. Knowing full well she couldn't do it alone, Twilight had assigned some other ponies to help her with that while Rainbow and the Guards had taken to themselves to gather those who still weren't inside.

Twilight was busy crossing out names from her list with every face she view, already inside or those who were rushing in through the door, making sure to not forget a single one. Each one of her neighbors, of her friends, all of them were crossed out from her list.

Minutes seemed to stretch out into hours while she counted those ponies in her list, even counting twice and thrice to make sure nopony was missing! After three whole hours of wrecking her brain over and over, she let out a sigh of relief when she was sure nopony in her list was missing.

"Yo, Twilight!" Twilight opened her eyes to look towards her friend, who was returning from a quick fly through town along with a couple of pegasus guards, who she herself had comissioned to search for any leftover ponies. "We're done! I think that's the last pony!"

Twilight smiled at her friend and nodded quickly towardd the guards, who immediately began to close the door of the wall, making a harsh thudding sound when it was closed.

The whole town was silent for a few moments while the door closed, trying to take in the last moments of the scenery around the town, as if it was the last time they would see it.

If Twilight was being honest with herself, she wished deeply in her heart not to do that, to simply flee, much like the mares she had seen a couple days ago leaving.

But as she looked down at the list in her hand, all the lives counting on her, she steeled her resolve of not allowing another Canterlot. Not if she could help it.

She was the last princess of Equestria, and as such, she was beacon of hope for the rest of the land (no pressure there), and their guiding light to fight against the invaders.

Looking down at her list, it all resumed to how many could she free and how many she'd be able to guide to victory. But for that moment, all that mattered was to make sure she had all of ponyville safe.

"Princess Twilight! We've finished checking up. I think we have all of Ponyville in here!"

Twilight turned to the voices of some mares and several guards with the others lists in their hands, all of them with the names of all the ponies and already checked positive.

Upon looking down at them, she released a long sigh of relief when she noticed every name already checked. All of Ponyville was already safe.

She turned to yet another list and started to check the lists already delivered to her, just to be sure nothing else was missing. After all, what better way to make sure nothing was missing than a checklist?

"Wait… somepony's missing!" Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a mare suddenly shouting.

Said mare was looking frantically around while holding her list open in an specific spot. Right before Twilight could ask what she meant, the mare spoke once more.

"Has anypony seen Zecora the Zebra!? Is she here!?"

All color left Twilight's face when she realized they had made a huge mistake. Zecora was a ponyville resident, yet she didn't live in Ponyville! And she hadn't assigned anypony to go for her!

Rainbow immediately rushed in, taking the list from the mare's hand a flying up. Once at a good height, she squinted her eyes to look around, taking several seconds to make a good check on all of the citizens right before rushing back.

"She's right! Zecora isn't here! Allow me Twilight! I'll go and get… her?"

When she turned to where Twilight had been, her eyes widened when she saw some sparks floating in the air right next to Rarity, and Twilight nowhere to be seen! Peeking over the wall, she could barely see Twilight's tail waving in the air before it vanished in the entrance towards the Everfree.





Her breathing was heavy, and her legs hurt from running so much, and her wings simply wouldn't respond! Yet, she didn't surrender, and she continued to run as fast as she could towards Zecora's tree.

Trees seemed to rush around her, and even wild beasts seemed to stop in their tracks to allow her to pass, as if all of them knew something was going on.

Finally, her legs gave up for a moment, making her fall face first into the mud. Only when she tried to get up, finding she could simply lay there for a few moments to try and recover a little, did she found out some beasts lurking around the forest to be acting strange.

More than once she had faced some of those beasts, and she was sure all of them hadn't even winked before lunging at her. But at that moment?

All of the beasts were simply keeping their distance from her, eyeing her cautiously as if she had a sickness they all feared.

"… But why?" Twilight wondered to herself, looking down to herself to make sure no strange plants were attached to her skin or clothes, and even using a quick spell to check her body.

Yet, she found nothing. Maybe it was because she was an Alicorn? Or could it be something else?

The answer came when she saw a pack of timberwolves snarling at her, but merely doing so before moving away, followed closely by some other creatures, all of them going in the same direction.

Creatures like those didn't walked together like that, unless they were migrating to somewhere else, like some tribes and other animals she had read about in the vast continent of Zebrafrica…

…

…

Or unless they were fleeing from something akin to a natural disaster…

Her mind was filled with worry once she turned in the direction the beasts were fleeing from.

Canterlot.

The fauna was somehow aware of the Caribou threat, too. And they were doing the same the other mares had done a few days ago.

She slowly started to get up from the mud, having to lean against a tree to support herself. Her mind was being filled with those damned doubts once more, and they were worsening once she saw such powerful beasts simply turn around and try to leave.

If such powerful and destructive beasts were fleeing from the Caribou, what possibilities did she and the rest of Ponyville had? Shouldn't it be better to try and leave as soon as she could?

Her mind was starting to feel clouded from all those questions, making her feel tired and somewhat useless when she thought about it, with the memories of her failures once more flooding her mind!

All she wanted to do was to simply curl into a ball and wait for everything to pass, to wait for somepony to come and rescue her!

…

But Zecora was still out there.

…

Twilight's shaky breath slowly started to slow down with a practiced routine, all while Twilight kept getting up on her tired hooves, ready to go back to run.

Yes, the Caribou may pose a great threat to them… but neither she and her friends had fallen down without giving a good fight! Not with Nightmare Moon, not with Discord, not with Sombra, with no villain!

And at that moment, she had all of Ponyville behind her to help her… all of Ponyville except for one.

And she still had to go and get her.

That very same thought was the only thing that pushed her forward, ignoring all of the animals around her to get to her zebra friend. She would help her be safe, just like she did with all of Ponyville…

Even if that was the last thing she did as a princess…





As usual, Zecora kept that part of the forest, if not tidy due to the moss, leaves and everything else growing around there, at least with enough order to make it noticeable that somepony was actually living there.

In its own, creepy way, of course. Always the tribal zebra, she preferred to keep things natural, even if it made the tree look broody and dark. But Twilight had learned to accept that and even appreciate those little demonstrations of her culture, and in time, to even like them, if she was being honest.

But on that day, that dark and creepy atmosphere felt different. Instead of its usual warmth and balance, as Zecora liked to call it, the air felt heavy and cold around it, almost as if the whole picture was a bad omen.

Twilight's senses were constantly telling her that something inside was very bad, telling her to just turn around and, like a prey running from the hunter on pure instinct, just run from there as fast as possible.

But she still had to get Zecora! She whispered to herself to encourage her to go forward with her mission, ignoring that primal instinct and instead press forward.

The omen seemed to increase when she pushed Zecora's door open, slowly as she remembered how bothered Zecora was when she just barged in. And indeed, there was her friend, standing right in front of her large cauldron, which was shining with an eerie green glow to it, all while Zecora stood still and quiet.

Or quiet from where she was. Twilight noticed the zebra's mouth moving, as if she was talking, or more like mumbling, seeing as she simply couldn't hear a thing.

"Zecora? What are you doing?" As much as that base instinct was telling her to not even address her, she did speak, making one of the zebra's ears to turn to her sharply, making that pinch of fear on Twilight's heart to grow.

"Twilight Sparkle… ophunyukile… the imimoya are grateful that you are here." Zecora spoke quietly, but not turning to greet her friend as usual.

Everything about that situation felt abnormal. Why was Zecora acting like that? What was going on?

"T-the what? I-i mean, i'm glad they are glad, too. But listen to me Zecora, we need to go right now! Something terrible is coming towards us, and soon!"

"Indeed, my female friend. Something big is coming. The imimoya have already informed me of what is to come."

"… They have?" Twilight couldn't help but feel silly when she asked that. Over and over had she been proved that strange things happened on the world that simply couldn't be explained. Proof of that was her friend Pinkie.

But a shiver ran down when the words of the zebra repeated themselves in her mind over and over. Why did they felt… wrong?"

"Indeed. They have informed me of those powerful beings that you and the rest of the ponies know as 'Caribou'. They have shown me what they have in mind for us."

For the first time since the alicorn entered into her home, she moved aside from the cauldron, and finally revealed something that sent shivers down Twilight's spine.

Zecora's eyes were completely green, mich like whatever substance she had on her cauldron. When she looked into them, Twilight felt as if something entirely different was looking back at her, not Zecora. It felt… colder and almost as if it wanted to hurt her… no, not hurt her. But it did feel as if it wanted to do bad things to her.

Tearing her eyes away from those green, evil eyes staring back at her, she finally noticed her friend's striped hand pointing towards the cauldron, as if her very life depended of Twilight looking into it.

Taking cautious steps forward, and always keeping her possesed friend in sight, she advanced to the cauldron until she could finally see inside of it. It was only a peek at first, trying to keep both things into her sight, just in case.

But as soon as she noticed what the cauldron was "showing" her, she released a gasp while her hands covered her mouth in horror. The same, green glow seemed to invade her own eyes before a series of things played before her eyes.

Almost as if she herself was there, she was made a witness of what truly had happened to the princesses and her three captured friends. Days of horrible torture passed before her eyes, and she was forced to see her friends and mentor moan in unwanted pleasure while they were submitted to worse things as time passed!

They were being tied, they were being whipped, they were being beated, they were being forced to fuck in so many, submissive and humilliating ways!

Celestia was made to be still while the "king" raped her to his heart's content, all while her former babysitter sat by a corner and masturbated herself silly at the sight of her aunt moaning like a common whore!

Luna was tied to a wooden device, and several animals… ANIMALS were made to fuck her! All while the Caribou wrote demeaning things on her body! She was tied down in some sort of attire that made her look like a pig, even having her nose spread to make her look like one!

Fluttershy stared frightfully in a corner while the caribou forced the night princess to such demeaning acts, even sometimes having to participate herself when an animal crawled towards her, demanding or begging for her attention!

Pinkie Pie was still immobile with an almost frightened look on her eyes, all while the Caribou around her simply took turns with her body, laying still like a simple ragdoll.

And Applejack had the worst of it, being fucked by a Caribou from behind while her breasts, stomach and thighs were hit with whips, or even with their very fists, using her more like a punching bag than mare. And Applejack still seemed to get some pleasure out of it!

Twilight teared her eyes away from the cauldron with a shriek or panic, even falling back on her butt due to her own strength. She was back in Zecora's home.

Yet, Zecora was nowhere to be found for the moment. A chill of fright ran down her spine when she realized that. Where moments ago was her striped friend, now only an empty space stood there.

"You have seen it. And those are only the ponies you wanted to see the most."

Her voice sounded in the dark, making twilight jump to her hooves as she looked around, nervous and frightened deeply. Though when she finally met those green, shining eyes in the dark, her fear only rose.

Standing before her was her zebra friend, though much like the mares in Canterlot, she was completely naked, save for an specific item surrounding her neck.

"… No… Zecora… no…"

Twilight had started to back away slowly while more of the zebra's naked and curvier body, curvier than what she remembered her, showed up.

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle. The great spirits… no… the god of the Caribou contacted this humble mare… and made her his slave…"

Twilight stopped suddenly when she noticed her friend's pattern of talk change. Instead of the cold, empty voice from before, it sounded more… sad?

"Zecora? What are you-?"

"Listen to this mare, Twilight Sparkle. If you do not wish to share the same fate… get away from here with haste. That wretched being is on its way here."

Twilight wanted to say something to her. But when she looked at her friend once more, a chill ran down her spine when that same presence returned, making her friend to turn away from her before talking again in that empty tone.

"They are on their way, female. They know where you are."

No more words were needed to be exchanged between both equines. Twilight turned around and started to run back towards Ponyville, barely hearing her friend's voice beggining to desperately yell 
or beg about something.

Yet another victim the Caribou needed to answer for. Her wings snapped open as she took flight over the trees, eager to get as fast as she could to the rest of her friends.

Those images would forever be burned in her mind. But those same images were the fuel of that burning desire she had to make them pay for what they had done (and were doing) to her friends and her loved ones!

Even if she fell, she would make them pay.
> Siege
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow and Rarity were looking at their friend with deeply concerned expressions on their faces, but none of them actually saying anything due to the same hard look their friend turned princess had on her face.

Ever since she returned from the everfree, without Zecora, they noticed instantly, she had a heavy aura around her that dared anypony to break it, but also warned everypony of the consequences they'd have if they did so.

Instead of that, they all simply stood alert at her side on top of the Wall, on the lookout for what Twilight had described in only three words.

"They are coming."

Foals and most mares had been taken to the center of the town, inside Twilight's tree home and her neightbors' homes to protect them, while some of the brave mares and stallions stood on top of the walls with whatever weapons they had: shovels, pickaxes, pitchforks, somepony who had found Pinkie's cannon and pretty much every heavy object they could find to drop on top of the invaders' heads if they dared to get too close.

Again, it wasn't exactly the best when it came to war, and Twilight knew it. She had studied with her brother the armor and weapons a guard would be taught to fight with. Swords, spears, battle axes, bows and arrows, etcetera. All of those were good weapons… and the most she was counting with was Big Mac with a heavy hammer she had only seen him use to repair the fence of their home.

That, and she had a heavy suspicion they'd be heavily outnumbered, if the numbers of troops she had seen in Canterlot were correct. She didn't know how many they'd bring, but it seemed Caribou were wise enough to trust not only in their brute strength, but also on numeric advantage. She remembered how several of them lunged at her and her friends, even if a single one of them could easily best them in physical strength.

She had made sure to tell the rest of Ponyville how things would probably be. Dozens of battle plans were made, and it showed by the ponies on top of the wall having whatever they could think of. Stones, hot oil, coal, whatever they could find that could hurt when thrown or dropped onto somepony, it was something they'd use.


"… So… where are they?" Rainbow's voice finally broke the tension, making several ponies turn to her with a questioning look on their faces. The rainbow maned pegasus was almost laying on top of the upper section of the wall while her eyes, having a bored expression on them, lazily scanned the forest surrounding one of Ponyville's sides.


At least on that, Twilight had been precise and deducted they'd attack from the forest, seeing as it would be a best chance to get them by ambush, rather than facing them head on by rushing through the open fields of the other side of the town.

"Rainbow, I've told you i simply know they are coming. But i don't know exactly when... So, be prepared. They could be here either any minute now, or they could arrive at sunset, at night, or even tomorrow, or the day after."

Even if she seemed calmed and collected, the same words she was saying brought a deep anxiety into the young alicorn's mind. Every moment they waited was a moment she was left to remember all those horrible things she had seen so far, with the most recent ones, those she had seen of her friends and the princesses, being the ones she had the most in her mind.

Though there was a change. And she was afraid of that change. The more her mind brought those thoughts to her mind, the most she saw herself reflected on them. To say she was already getting used to the "nightmares", as she had begun calling them, was an understatement. Awake or asleep, it was pretty much everything she was seeing in her mind every passing moment, either the image of the princesses being raped in every imaginable way, or the image of her own, twisted self suffering that same raping... and liking it.

She had tried to busy herself with the preparations, finding those useless, seeing as the nightmares would return shortly. She had tried to go back to some meaningless studies she had before the invasion, but her mind always drifted back to those memories. She was even afraid of going to sleep because she knew she'd be having those same dreams.

But in that moment? It had become pretty much normal to her at that point. She found herself not caring at all if she had or not those dreams or memories. If anything, she had started to take them in as a reminder of what she was fighting for. To not end like that, to prevent anypony else from having such destiny, and to save those ponies who had fallen into those depraved practices.

She had seen so many ponies suffering the abuse over and over back in Canterlot. And she couldn't bear it in her mind to see her neighbors, her dear Ponyville, the same way Canterlot had fallen. It was enough seeing it almost destroyed by a Parasprite rampage, but seeing it as a mock of what it once was, corrupted endlessly and continuusly by the Caribou and their twisted ways? No.

"Well... seeing as it might take some time... how about we take turns at watching? After all, it's necessary a single pony to sound the alarm in case something were to happen." Rarity rose her voice once more, making the ponies turn to her and leaving aside Rainbow for a moment. "I mean, it would be a waste of energy to have us all here in the Wall, tired and without some rest, instead of having some of us well rested in case something really bad started to happen, am i wrong?"

Several of the ponies on the wall nodded at that, already several of them taking their "weapons" with them and walking towards the ramps and stairs to go down.

"... Stay in your place."

Almost every single pony stood still when the princess' voice sounded with a single order. Already some of them having concerned or even afraid expression on them when they turned to her. Their princess looked determined to stay awake and alert, and she definitely didn't want to stay alone, which could be noticed even from afar on her face.

"Hey, don't worry Twi. I'll stay with you to see if any of those fuckers dare to peek their ugly horns out of the forest!" Rainbow immediately chimed in, jamming a few punches against the air to "convince" the princess, though mostly to make the rest of the ponies a silent sign to leave and get some rest.

Several of the guards from Canterlot decided to stay, too, though each of them deciding to find a better and strategic point to watch. Soon, a single pony could be seen on every part of the wall, watching over the small town with a serious expression on their faces, ready to give their lives away if needed.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Rainbow were left alone for a little time, finally. Twilight realized only then, without counting the failed festival, the little time she had dedicated to her flying friend.

"... So... how have you been?"

She almost facepalmed hard at the first thought coming out of her mouth, even if it brought a chuckle out of her winged friend.

"Heh, well... considering we are about to fight an invasive enemy that almost got me the last time we faced them, not to mention the fact they conquered Canterlot in less than a day... I'd say pretty swell."

Smooth, Twilight thought. If anything, Rainbow's snarky answers seemed exactly what she needed at the moment, making her let out a short chuckle and a small smile to grace her face for a few moments.

"I know… not the best way to check on things. I'm sorry for that excuse of concern."

"Hey, no problem, Twi. If anything, you can always count on me to lift your mood a little… Well, while Pinkie isn't around, of course."

Of course, the memories of Pinkie being captured, as well as the memories of her torture resurfaced once more when her pink friend was mentioned. The small that adorned her face for mere moments vanished once more, turning again into the stone faced alicorn she was moments before. That did not go unnoticed by her rainbow maned friend, who started to float in front of her with a look as hard as her own.

"Hey! Don't go all sour on me, Twi! We'll get them and save our friends! I mean, you have me for that, don't cha!?"

Again, all that optimist was welcomed, making her close her eyes for a moment to let her friend's words drown out everything else that was happening, reliving the moments all of them had been living so far.

Discord, Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, Sombra… the bad moments they brought with them… yet the happy memories all came back once more, too.

"-So, let's make sure to kick them right where Celestia's sun doesn't shine and make them turn around with their tails in the same place we kick them, and then- AUUGHH!!"

Just as she opened her eyes, she was received with the image of Rainbow falling directly to the ground behind her, watching painfully slow as her friend's face slowly turning from shock to panic as she fell, releasing a shriek of terror as she fell. Rainbow's quick reflexes acted in the last moment, curling up on herself to try and diminish the damage of the landing, yet falling as loudly as she could, and twice as graceful as anyone falling.

Several of the ponies who were retreating had turned in shock at the sound, several of them turning around and running towards the downed pegasus to see if she was alright. Dazed, with a good concussion on her head and quite probably with a good bruising on the place she had hit the floor with.

Already, several ponies were asking what happened, wondering what could make the famous Rainbow Dash to fall from her element. The answer left all of the ponies looking in a shocked silence.
Tied around her wing and her midsection was a group of bolas, thrown from someplacenopony had noticed.

Few seconds passed before one of the guards on the wall suddenly released a choked gasp of surprise, lifting both hands to his neck to try and release himself from the set of bolas, similar to the ones tied on rainbow's wing, tied tightly around his neck, causing the poor guard to fall down from the wall while some ponies ran towards him to help.

And another one. And another one!

Twilight's reflexes made her cast a bubble around her just in time for not one set but several to fly at her and bounce harmlessly off her bubble, making her realize one thing.

"… They're here…"

As soon as she turned to the forest, she noticed several lights had begun to turn on, evidence of torches being formed to help the enemy see in the dark they were into. And much to Twilight dismay as she realized it, some of the lights turning on were being aligned towards them.

Seeing what was happening, one of the guards quickly brought up a "shield" to cover himself before yelling. "Cover yourselves! They are trying to torch the wall!"

Before the guard could finish his shouting, several loud hits sounded among the wall, followed by the red, bright light of the fire beggining to burn down the arrows before it began to spread towards the wall.

Several ponies began to run towards the wall with bowls and cubes of water, trying to put out the fire before they were met with a set of bolas stunning them for several moments before they could try and get themselves free.

For Twilight, things were beggining to happen too fast. The enemy was still out of sight and the wall was already beginning to fail! That wasn't at all what she had predicted!
Meanwhile the bolas were still being thrown at her every few moments, bouncing off harmlessly on her shield while the princess could merely look around in shock at what was happening.

Another volley of lit arrows hit the wall, spreading even more the fire on it while the caribou began to prepare their next strike. And only until then did they begin to show up.

Rows of caribou wielding large and crude bows with lit arrows began to advance, leaving the closest section of the wall alone, seeing as it was already beggining to fall down under its own weight and the fire, and had begun to spread the fire to other sides of the wall.

Behind them were more enemies, this time having a mix of ponies and caribou, who were swinging their sets of bolas, ready to fire some at the stunned princess, and some at the other ponies who had started to climb up.

A larger caribou appeared next, along with a group of more enemy troops, but composed only of caribou. Twilight recognized that structure: it was the leader of the army assaulting them, and those at his side were his personal guard. What rank would he be?

"Princess!!" A random shout brought her attention back, making her turn to a guard who was carrying a bowl of water, which ended soaking their side of the wall and managing to slow down a bit the work the fire was doing on the wall. "The wall will not hold for long! We have to do something else!"

All around the sections of the wall burning, ponies had started to run back and forth with buckets of water, splashing the wall as much as they could to slow down the fire. For the moment, it seemed to work… At least until Twilight began to hear loud roaring coming from the forest.

Slowly, Twilight began to turn her head towards the roaring, noticing instantly the calm and serene, if not mocking expression the leader had on its ugly face, and making the realization that whatever had produced that sound was unfortunately on the Caribou's side.

From the forest, with loud stomping and a trace of smoke in the air, a creature began to crawl out. Something the likes Twilight had never seen before, something resembling both, a boar and a bull, with two, ram like horns at its head's sides, and small legs seemingly barely able to hold the creature's weight. A chill ran down her spine when she saw the creature open its mouth, but not producing a roar at all. Instead, something much more frightening happened: it began to spew out fire.

And worse of all, it wasn't alone! Several others of those creatures had begun to follow forth, crawling out of the forest and beggining its march towards the city.

Seemingly satisfied with the way the ponies were behaving, the rest of the troops began to make its way towards the city, marching right behind the wall the creatures formed before them. And none of the ponies were able to see them except for Twilight.

That was something she hadn't foreseen! She wasn't expecting the caribou to have such a good plan to counter hers! It was all done for! They were done for! They'd breach into the city, and take them all as slaves, to fuck them incessantly until they were mindbroken, a mere shell of their former selves! And-

"You cannot fail, Twilight Sparkle."

The memory of princess Luna talking to her in her dreams came back, and she could also feel something within her heart warming her up. Almost as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes, and a weight had been lifted from her heart, Twilight suddenly recovered.

If one were to look closer at her, some kind of shine would be noticed in her cutie mark, and one similar could be seen on Rainbow's, too.


The caribou were walking confidently towards the city, convinced the fight was already won. The leader couldn't help but smile dreamily at the kind of rewards the King himself would give to him when he brought back to Canterlot the lost princess, along with the rest of the so called "elements of harmony". Maybe he'd let him have a go with them and the princesses? Oh well, a male could dream.

All they'd need to do was to crush down a single part of the wall, and they'd simply stroll inside and-
*Ping!*

The caribou let out a yell of pain when something solid suddenly hit him in the head, thanking their superior gods by whoever had suggested him to wear a helmet.

"Who did that!? Was it one of you, fools back there!?" Almost instantly, he turned to the mixed force of ponies and caribou behind, some of them turning to look at him with a questioning look. "Some of you, morons, threw something at my head! So you better tell me who it was before i- gack!!"

Almost as one, all of the soldiers turned to look at where the stone had come from, finding something none of them believed would happen that day. The vision of a determined alicorn, preparing her magic for a powerful attack, made some of them flinch back and even take a step back.

Their leader watched with a frown at his men as they took a step back, making him growl lowly before pointing at her.

"She's just a lowly female! What are you waiting for!? She's not better than any of you! She's just standing there, prepared to be raped!" The leader started to scream, trying to keep his troops motivated.

Slowly, some of them started to advance, followed closely by those who were doubtful at first, but following the crowd after some moments.

Satisfied for the moment, the leader even took it to himself to get on top of one of their warbeasts, lifting a hammer and pointing it at the city, followed by a warcry from his men. He was even smiling mockingly at the princess while their eyes met, silently telling her she was about to lose.

For the moment, everything remained calmed, with only the sounds of the troops marching on, getting closer with every moment that passed whole the princess continued to deflect the projectiles sent towards her with her own shield.
It didn't matter at the end. They'd capture her one way or another.

Once at the wall, the leader stopped for a moment, watching around on top of the wall in case any of those ponies wanted to get bold and tried to attack them. But as moments passed, no ponies dared to peek their heads out if only to watch the invading army.

Another triumph for the caribou, it seemed. The caribou confidently rose its hammer towards the princess, finally noticing the strange and quick movements she was making with a hand. What was she doing?

However, once the female noticed they were looking at her, stopped making the movement with her hand, opting to instead glare at the leader with fire burning behind her eyes. Of course, that glare was met with the smug smirk of the caribou, who only then turned to his army.

"Once we destroy this wall, you go in and stun every being inside. The males shall join us, and the females will submit, wether they want it or not! Riches await to us when we are done with this town and the remaining princess!"

Another warcry followed shortly after, to ehich the caribou pulled on the reigns of its warbeast, making it take some steps back before it opened its mouth to spew fire at the wooden wall. Not happy with it, he slapped the beast with a cry, making the beast run awkwardly forward with the intent of pushing down the wall.

The cracking sound was heard all around the city, and the smoke and debris sent forward clouded the enemy troops' vision for a few moments. The leader was a bit dizzy due to some wooden plank hitting him in his head before, right when he bursted through the wall, and even his hearing seemed to have a soft buzz to it.

Once his vision and hearing returned, he could clearly hear and see his troops cheering behind him, making him smirk before he lifted his hammer.

"Now… go and capture them! For the male superiority! For king-!"

The last thing the leader saw on that day was a huge, red pony running at him, and moments later, his vision was cut short by a crude hammer held by the pony crashing directly onto his face, leaving a deep indent on his helmet on the side he was hit, and most probably, another indent where his head hit the ground when he fell.

Moments of tense silence filled the air as the caribou and ponies alike looked the limp body of their leader fall from its beast, laying cold on the ground before the large, red stallion took its place on top of the beast.

"… Eeenope."

"For Equestria!"
> Battle for Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The caribou's side were surprised to see their commander fall so quickly. Yes, they had known for some time their commander was reckless, but to see him fall right at the start of the battle? That was something none of them were expecting to happen at all. As such, a tense silence filled the place while they saw the large, red stallion climb on top of the warbeast and made it turn to them, with the large warbeast grunting and releasing soft grumbles as it turned around from the hole its previous master had just made.

Slowly, all of Ponyville's forces began to show up from atop the wall, with some of the golden clad guards of Canterlot taking their place right next to Big Mac while the rest of the Earth ponies followed their example. Above, Unicorns prepared their magic for their attack, but not preparing a beam or anything fancy. They would comply with the function of throwers, as all  of them were levitating rocks or other blunt objects to throw to the enemy. As for the pegasus, Twilight had assigned them the labor of coating the enemy with different liquids from above, hopefully to hold the enemy down without the need of violence.

Still, it seemed despite the show of the previously thought "weak" ponyville, most of the Caribou stood on their place, merely watching as the ponies showed their "might". Yes, it seemed like they weren't as disorganized as they first thought. Still, none of them took a step back or forward.

"How dare thee!?" A voice from behind the enemy lines brought the attention of everyone. The caribou turned around and started to spread, finally breaking their formation, as a figure started to walk from the forest. Or more like stagger out of the forest. Dressed in a large, ragged robe and helping himself with a staff of sorts, the figure extended a bony hand towards the city, shouting with a hoarse voice. "How dare thee deny thy destiny!? Embrace what grand King Dainn has bestowed upon thee! Embrace male superiority!"

Twilight had to use a quick spell to summon her telescope to see the figure closer. A chill ran down her body when she recognized that, despite its looks, it was indeed a Caribou. But one very different to what she had seen so far. Unlike the buff, brutish and though looks of the Caribou right before her, that one was lanky, seemingly weak, but there was still a threatening aura around him. Only when she saw the area before his hooves did she finally notice what was wrong with him. Before him, almost as if he was doing it automatically, a large rune was being drawn on the ground with the bottom of his staff. One that closely resembled those she had seen on the Caribou's armors.

"... a rune master..." Twilight muttered to herself, feeling a chill running down on her spine as she finally knew what the backbone of the Caribou's army was. Much like the unicorns used in the guards, every army had some sort of spellcaster, and they had just discovered who the spellcasters of the Caribou were.

Her hands curled into fists while her horn lit up with a powerful spell the more she watched him, or rather the chain the rune master had in one hand leading to an object behind him. At the same time runes were still being drawn on the ground, the Caribou was still pulling along a slave, one mare whose body now seemed to have some runes drawn on it. The mare's eyes, which could be hardly seen from behind a tight latex like mask, seemed to be unfocused as well, as if she was under some kind of trance.

At the moment, even if they had just taken out the commander of the army, it wasn't the most powerful piece in the board they had. Only by looking at him, Twilight did know he'd be the most dangerous one.

"Our destiny!? Hah! Don't make us laugh, you decrepit old!" The voice of Rainbow Dash sounded from behind Twilight, making the rune master turn to her with a sneer of anger. Even when the cloak covered most of its face, one could still feel its cold eyes turning to see every female with a stare full of disdain.

"YES!! It IS your destiny... as females, you are to kneel before us and let males guide you! It is the destiny of EVERY female to be led by a male. You shouldn't have any rights, as it is only fit for you to be led like cattle! You are only fit to reproduce your species! You are mere breeders, and your only duty is to relieve your superiors, be it your mate, your father,  your son, your- GAH!!"

The rune master was interrupted by a small rock suddenly hitting him in the chest. As one, every head turned to see Rainbow with a slingshot in one hand, still in the pose in which she had shot the small pebble. Finally noticing the stares of everyone on her, Rainbow simply shrugged before throwing the slingshot to somepony else. "What? I was getting tired of his yada yada."

A fiery scream came from the rune master, who was holding his chest in pain before turning to the city.

"You will realize your mistake soon enough, bitch. Your punishment will be severe when we capture you!" The more daring its tone of voice was, it only seemed to fuel the Caribou's will to act, making all of them turn to the city with their shields raised and weapons ready. Upon seeing it, all of the ponies inside got in guard, even Big Mac seemed to shrink over the warbeast, preparing himself for whatever the enemy was about to send towards them.

"GO, CAPTURE EVERY MALE THAT RESISTS!! MAKE EVERY FEMALE FEEL YOUR POWER! THEY ARE INFERIOR! GO FORTH, LIBERATORS OF EQUESTRIA"

As one, fueled by the words of their "king", the Caribou began to charge towards the city. Even if it was a small force when compared to the quantity of ponies inside the city, their shout and marching only demonstrated the savage warriors they were. 

The ponies inside the wall began to tremble slightly at the sight, knowing the moment they had all been waiting (but didn't want to come) had finally arrived. Even Twilight stopped flying before going to cover on top of the wall. Every pony braced for the impact that would come from the force. Their stomping could be heard clearly, and it was growing in volume at every moment, even making the ground begin to tremble slightly under their force.

Twlight was only waiting for the right moment to give the order for the first part of their defense plan. But first, the Caribou would have to be real close so they weren't expecting their answer. Several ponies were already sticking to the plan, even if most were shaking uncontrollably, and more of them were curled up so tight they looked more like a ball the foals played with. 

The tension was suddenly cut short when the wall shook violently with the impact, with several of the wooden beams supporting the structure either falling down or even beginning to crack due to the pressure. As she thought, the Caribou didn't immediately went for a second strike, instead they all seemed to look up for a moment to see if either the wall came down or if the ponies had the guts to throw something at them.

Under an order of the rune master, the Caribou prepared for their second tackle, taking several steps back as one before stopping suddenly. Several moments passed before any movement was made, though when they started, it started again with a fear inducing shout from the Caribou who rushed forward, ready to hit the wall once more the make it fall. They were already so convinced the ponies were just cowering behind the wall, none of them turned towards the upper part of the wall in time to see several ponies pulling heavy rocks over their heads before throwing them towards the Caribou, who had barely any time to react before the rocks clashed against their heads, chests and arms, with several of them falling unconscious immediately while the others shouted in pain, starting to walk back to put some safe distance before them and the range of the rocks.

About one tenth of the force had been knocked down, and several others had dents in their shoulder plates, and even one caribou had one of his antlers broken due to the force of a rock hitting him. The caribou were now looking at the ponies on top of the wall with mixed expressions, some having shock on their faces due to what they had done, not believing for a moment some of them would have the will to do so. Some others were looking at them with anger boiling in their faces, turning quickly to look at their unconscious comrades before turning again to the ponies.

"ARRGGGHHHH!! CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING!? THIS IS ALL A TRAVESTY! WARBEASTS! CHARGE!"

To show they were ready, the riders of the warbeasts pulled on their reigns, making the beasts rise their heads to exhale an impressive amount of a burning, bright red flame from their mouths. They had started to advance towards them, letting out fire constantly towards the city in a sign of warning not to mess with them.

Meanwhile, several ponies were still staring in shock at what they had done, some of them staring at their own hands with horror pasted on their faces, as if they had done something unforgivable. Twilight was one of them. Fighting with her magic? She had done so several times, as it had been her main resource and talent for as long as she could remember. But on that moment, she had thrown something heavy with her own hands towards a living being, most probably not killing them, but indeed giving them something really bad on their heads, confirmed by a soft trickle of blood seen pouring from one of the enemy warrior's head.

Never in her life did she believe she'd hurt somepony... or something, that badly. Stunning spells, sleep inducing enchantments, kinetic and even energy beams and shields. But she hadn't been taught anything to kill, so she never intended to do so. Yet, there she was, mere moments after hurling a heavy object towards a living being with the danger of actually killing it.

She had read several books of wars of the past, reading every chronicle she could and making it dig deeply in her mind. In every book, those wars had been described as heroic and worthy, an evil needed for a good purpose. But that was in the novels and foals stories. She never understood why the grown up books were so different. It was only until that moment where she understood why foal stories were so different to the actual stories behind it.

"Look out! Here they come again!"

Rainbow's voice finally shook the princess out of her thoughts, turning to see the wall of warbeasts slowly getting close to the wall, still releasing their fiery breath every so often. The wall shook softly when something underneath moved, showing yet another warbeast coming from the wall, led by big Mac.

"... Eenope..." He turned to the wall to see twilight before making a movement with his hand, as if he was pouring something. Even in her shocked state, Twilight did understand what he was talking about. Before anypony else could say something else, Big mac began to lead his new warbeast forward, followed shortly by Harry the Bear behind, who let out a loud roar before trotting next to Big Mac.

Twilight turned as soon as she could to the other ponies, missing much of the initial encounter between the Caribou and her friends. Instead, she turned to the ponies who had prepared as much as they could of a surprise Granny Smith had suggested for the newcomers. Using all of the tar available (commonly used to seal their roof's leakages), they had started to boil it and several pegasi were ready to pick it up, with some of them using comically huge kitchen gloves.

"Alright, let's use that!" Twilight quickly ordered, making the several pegasi waiting to pick the pot with tar get to action.





The enemy was heavily focused on the bear currently tackling the troops off of their beasts and the large misled male making the troops have a hard time by making its beast ram against another, jumping from atop the best to slam yet another Caribou's head with its hammer, sending it to the ground unconscious and with a bit of blood leaking from its muzzle.

As soon as the runemaster noticed the large red stallion fighting on the females' side, he knew this would not be an easy task. No one had told them they would have an unfair advantage by having a prime example of a male on their side. Still, he knew chances were on their side. Turning to the stupefied ponies on their own side, he rose his staff in the air before pointing it to the city.

"GOOOO, AND MAKE KING DAINN PROUD! MAKE US PROUD! FOR MALE SUPREMACY!"

A soft shine on their eyes begins to form before they began to march towards the city, all hailing the king while carrying pristine, silvery weapons and golden armor, all of them with the sun engraved on it scratched away and replaced by some shining runes amidst the pieces and . Their hoof steps had begun to sound even before they exited the forest. The ones holding their large shields up had taken their place in the front of the formation while the ones with spears had taken the place behind them, pushing the sharp tips of their weapons between the shields and making it a lethal wall of death.

If anything, it seemed like the princess' training had made them ready to catch yet another princess. The training of a female had made them ready to face female! What an irony!

The runemaster grinned triumphantly while the troops marched onward, noticing them to be much more organized than the troops of the lesser tribes King Dainn had so graciously given him. Surely, they would do nicely on trapping the useless females inside the-

"GAHHHH, IT'S HOTT!!!"

The runemaster's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he saw several of the ponies of his former group having split, some of them covered with a thick, black substance while screaming in pain while others had only droplets or small patches of the same fluid in different places of their bodies, though being enough to make them flinch and scream in pain and break off their formation.

"... hmph..." The runemaster merely huffed loudly as he watched them beginning to break off their formation so easily, with some of them beginning to let out grunts and small shouts of pain while loud thuds started to sound when small rocks began to hit them from a safe distance, some of them being thrown with slingshots and some being thrown by the very same princess. Already, more than half of his "army" had been knocked out and the other half was well on its way to being defeated as well. What a pity.

"... Freyr... Give me strength for this..."

Still until that moment, the runemaster began to slowly move forward, shuffling between his good leg and the staff he leaned on with his hands.





Twilight watched with a bit of worry when the ponies began to shout in pain. She wanted to go with them an try to help them, as it was something a true princess would do. Or was it? Would Celestia go and help them, even if she knew they would betray her eventually and do those horrible things? It was all so confusing!

Eventually, she gathered the courage to start using her wings to try and fly towards the group of stallions.

"Redheart! Gather some other nurses and doctors to tend to the wounds of everypony."

"... umm... everypony, princess?" Said pony asked warily when looking at the group of ponies and most of the knocked out Caribou laying around the ground. If anything, Twilight did understand her caution, making her stop for a moment and consider several ideas that might work on getting them... disabled forever. But again, it wasn't what Celestia had taught her...

"... yes... everypony, Redheart. We aren't monsters like them." Twilight spoke with authority for once, making several ponies to turn to her with a surprised expression on their faces. While several of them still had looks of concern at the decision of their princess, most of the ponies simply nodded with a serious face before starting to go down the wall to do as the princess ordered.

Of course, some of them had the foresight to fetch some rope for the Caribou and the rest of the army, which Twilight thanked. Some were even already tied tightly by the time Twilight started to fly higher to inspect the former field of battle. She had to admit things had gone better than what she had thought before. In fact... it had been far too easy, even if she said it herself. Memories of the time at Canterlot came back to her memory. The Caribou had been brutal and quick, sneaking from every corner to trap the most ponies they could. They were far stronger than most ponies, even most of the earth ponies she knew. And of course, they also had the element of surprise on their side that day. At that moment? They did attack by surprise, but their prey weren't as careless and unprepared as before. In fact, it seemed as if the surprised ones were them. And that was why they were winning, if not completely victorious over this... skirmish.

But why did it feel as if the battle wasn't completely over?

Twilight wrecked her brain as if trying to find the answer she was looking for. Every time, the caribou always had a hidden weapon that could disrupt completely whatever the ponies could come up with. Their magic? Armors engraved with runes in every crevice for protection and absorption of magic. Their strength? Their electric batons which they always seemed to have ready. Their bolas, with which some of them showed their impressive aim, probably due to doing it for all their lives...

Not to mention the Changelings as their secret means of infiltrating, as well as the forced/misguided cooperation of the crystal ponies. What else was she missing!?

"HERETICS!! INFIDELS!!"

Twilight turned in mid air to look at the last enemy standing on the field... or more like stumbling onto the field while shouting what seemed to be incoherencies for most ponies.

"Hey! Who the buck are you calling infidels!?" Rainbow's harsh voice sounded while she flapped as close to her royal friend as she could, glaring as coldly as she could to the decrepit mess at the other side of the field.

"YEE WHO DO NOT VOW TO THE GODS' WILL, YE WHO DO NOT GET ON YOUR KNEES AND BE GOOD FEMALES!"

Twilight found the answer to what she was trying to figure out... that was the Caribou's weapon. It was the same that powered their king. Some kind of twisted magic guiding them. And that same Caribou seemed like a beacon shining brightly with that same, twisted magic that guided them. How had she forgotten about the rune master!?

"Aw, buck it. I'm pummeling him back into whatever place they came from." Rainbow muttered mostly to herself before she began to crack her knuckles, preparing to give him something he wouldn't forget anytime soon. Deciding to better be safe than sorry, she flapped her wings as hard as she could, circling quickly the Caribou before trying to get him from behind.

"RAINBOW DASH, WAIT!"

As fast as her friend had been, Twilight could only watch as her friend began to dive head first into that living well of foul magic. She began to cast a spell to teleport her friend back at her side, trying to get her to safety before she could even interact with that magic. Her horn shone brightly with uncontrolled magic, sending sparks in the air and making her grunt in pain.

Time seemed to slow down once more as the spell began to make its way towards her friend, almost as if she was looking at those shots of powerful lightning in slow motion. Still, when the spell was almost at the mid way of its route, Twlight realized it would be too late!


Rainbow knew it would only be needed another flap to reach her objective, and as such, she'd only need to deliver a good punch against the back of his head, making him go night night and freeing them of listening to every stupid thing he was saying. And just as she was just a few hooves away did she finally noticed something was terribly wrong. The geezer looked too calm... way too calm, almost like those times Twilight began to do something with her horn.

... oh, buck... he was doing some kind of magic!

Her reflexes, honed after years of practicing dodging obstacles in mid fly, began to act and she twisted her body to an almost painfully degree to flap away from him... only to find her wings suddenly failing as she felt herself passing through something she could only describe as a spiderweb, only not physical. As soon as her body made contact with that, a sudden heat began to expand onto her body, almost as if a lightning was passing through her, or even worse!

While having no control of her body, the pegasus fell miserably to the ground in a ball of dust and feathers flying around, followed by grunts and small screams of pain as she rolled onto the ground.

Finally, she could stop and sit up to assess whatever damage she could have gotten with that fall. Aside of the several bruises a harsh landing always brought with it, nothing seemed bad. No broken bones, no deep lacerations or abrasions into her body, and no blood was pooling around her. Everything seemed to be fine...

She suddenly began to pant when she felt her body beginning to sweat as if she had done dozens upon dozens of laps around of Ponyville... with wind against her! Still... It didn't feel like the bad kind of warmth... it felt like.... the uncomfortable type, the type not even a good cold bath could help her.

It was as if she was in heat! And an uncontrollable one! Before she knew what was happening, she released a soft moan of pleasure, having to do a double look to confirm her hand had moved, almost on its own, towards her crotch. And she was even already fingering herself off! In the middle of a bucking war field!

Just what had that freak done to her!?

"YEES!! EMBRACE THE PLEASURE! EMBRACE SUBMISSION! EMBRACE MALE SUPERIORITY!"

Her nerves and her body were telling her to open her wings and fly away from him, or at least to try to run! It was with the first thought that made her spread her wings to try and fly... only to suddenly notice the large quantity of feathers spread all over the place where she had crashed... feathers that belonged to her.... feathers that were no longer in her wings!

As she did the motion she had done for so many times before to do almost anything, she suddenly found her wings to be nothing more than two meaty appendages devoid of most of the feathers they once had.

With Discord she at least had been left with nothing when he tricked them. But that? That was way worse! She had been left with the same appendages she used to fly with, but instead looking like something out of her scariest nightmares. The more she looked at them, the more it seemed to burn into her mind, at the same time that bucking heat was spreading through her body and making her feel embarrassed, aroused and scared, all at the same time.


Twilight watched scared at what had happened to her friend, seeing how her face suddenly morphed into one showing all the trauma she was going through at the moment until she began to curl into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest at the same time she began to shiver, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Her cutiemark began to glow again as she turned to the rune master with a face full of fury, fury impulsed by all of her magic and something else powering her, making her flap her wings in the same powerful way Rainbow had doe before her, forming a bubble around her to stand the shock whatever spell the rune master was doing and making her look like a bullet going through the air.

What seemed like mere air between the two of them suddenly bursted out in a bright flash with a sudden release of energy produced of the shock between the two magical energies colliding.

"YEE WHO DARE TO DEFY KING DAINN AND THE GODS' WISHES! YEE SHALL GIVE IN, FOR FEMALE PONY MAGIC IS NO MATCH FOR OUR KING'S POWER!"

Even if the caribou was showing just how much energy he had, he didn't seem to be moving an inch away while Twilight could feel her strength and magic already diminishing. She had felt that before, as when the Caribou used their armors engraved with runes to absorb their magic.

Her eyes quickly detected something irregular with the rune master's staff, seeing it had several runes engraved, some of which seemed to be shining with the same color her own magic was. That was what they had planned for the unicorns... always having something to nullify magic.

Before he could have time to seep out everything from her, Twilight used a quick spell to teleport her out of range, finding herself panting from a bit of magical exhaustion and just a short distance from her trembling friend. The runemaster was definitely more dangerous than what she had thought before. He couldn't be taken down by magic... so...

She quickly magicked a pebble at her side, using her magic as a slingshot before pointing it quickly at the Caribou's head, which was so busy talking, or more like yelling like a mad preacher, that he didn't notice what was happening until it was too late.

As soon as she released the pebble as hard as her magic could allow her, it projected quickly against the caribou's head and hitting him straight at where the base of his head, right where it connected with his head, making him suddenly stiffen with a quiet grunt of pain. Before the terrified ponies' gaze, he began to lean to a side, just like a tree before falling. And as such, he began to quietly fall to his side, still as stiff as when the pebble hit him, before he formed a small cloud of dust where he fell.

Still carrying the mallet on his hands, the gentle giant of Ponyville began to get closer to the intruder, quickly taking the staff away from the immobile figure with a simple kick, and only then daring to poke at him first with the wooden handle of his mallet, quickly confirming he was indeed unconscious. Putting the mallet away, he leaned down to look at the old geezer, as if checking if he had anything else on him.

Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding back until that moment, looking at the big red stallion walking around as if he wasn't even fazed in the least about it while her dear pegasus friend had been deeply affected by the old caribou's foul magic. But upon seeing him calmed and collected, she quickly called for some pegasi who quickly took her traumatized friend towards the city while she began to approach cautiously at the fallen foe.

As soon as she was in reach, she first checked the red stallion, in case something had happened to him due to the foul magic, much to her relief finding her friend alright and seemingly unnafected, and then checking to see the unconscious enemy.

"... What else does he has?" Twilight asked cautiously before leaning down to inspect by herself. Aside of some ragged and dirty clothes that could very well belong to a homeless pony rather than a powerful mage, he didn't seem to have anything else on him... aside of his staff, which was just a short distance away.

"... enope... he didn't have anything else..."

At first, Twilight was relieved to hear such a thing. If anything, she was afraid he had something else on him that he could use to harm anypony else, be it physically or mentally. Her eyes turned to the staff once more, starting to get up to get closer to it, curious about all the runes and just how they were used. How did the Caribou even began to use their foul magic in the first place, and how did they canalize it into their runes, and as such, into their elected objects? If she could get some answers from that object, then maybe she could finish all the matter faster than what she expected before that day.

Suddenly, like a lightning, something struck Twilight's mind when she was at the midway towards the staff, making her eyes widen and a gasp to be released from her mouth. Slowly, she began to turn towards the fallen Caribou, just at the same time a few of the other knocked out Caribou began to wake up.

Both, the new princess and the Caribou were received with the vision of the large red stallion slowly reaching for the runemaster's eyes to close them, before standing up from said position, and looking ready to give the other, awakening caribou a good piece of his mind.

"... is he...?"

The princess couldn't mutter the end of her question, simply staring at the body in front of the red stallion in shock and quickly realizing what she had done.

For the enemy, it was just a testament of something horrible they had missed completely, but could still manage to realize on their own. Their enemy had won, and in one of the most horrible ways for one of their own species!

"... eyup... he ain't no more."

Slowly, the Caribou that could get up began to do so, turning around to run away from what they believed to be the fiercest warrior they had ever faced. They had even left their weapons and beasts behind, simply running away for their lives as they began to vanish inside the forest again.


The battle was over, and they had won. As such, several of the ponies began to cheer at their victory. Several of them, feeling motivated, began to go towards the farm to get more wood to repair the wall where it had been crushed, and other group had begun to fall over the injured and still unconscious Caribou with ropes to get them secured, and then given a good treatment for their wounds, as well as the ponies still trapped in the hot tar.

But as much as a victory as it seemed, to Twilight, it felt empty. She had done something horrible!

It hadn't even been more than a few minutes before she proudly declared they wouldn't become monsters like their enemies... and there she was...

Her mind tried to rationalize it as what it had truly been: an accident. But deep beneath her, she knew the truth... even if it hadn't been her intention... she had killed somepony... she had murdered a living being...

She had become a murderer...

She had become a monster.
> Consequences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life at ponyville had taken a turn nopony had foreseen before. The poor foals and fillies had been secluded to a home in the center of the city, doing the most they could to entertain them while the events outside were poorly kept in secret for them. More than once, they had seen several of those "caribou" their parents and/or teacher had taught them about in the last days... and while most seemed to be hurt or in pain, they were being led to another location away from the city by the guards of the princess. Not to mention those horrible and ugly beasts that had apparently shown up out of nowhere in the town. Fire breathing beasts nonetheless!

And then, there were those other ponies with clearer fur on them, all of them having some nasty injuries on their bodies, as they were led away to the hospital on improvised hammocks, though all of them being led with company of some mares and stallions who had a fearful or angry look on their faces.

"... What is going to happen now, ms Cherilee? Will more of those monsters come for us?"

Said mare's attention was caught when a filly peeking on a window suddenly asked, making everything in the house become uncomfortably silent, as all the eyes were posed on the filly at the window, who could only turn to the teacher with a fearful look on her face, followed closely by the stares of all the fillies.

Cherilee opened her mouth to say no, and even to assure them everything would be okay. But more than once, those foals and fillies, even those she had taught before, had surprised her in more ways than one when one of them said a thoughtful thing to her, making her realize that, even in the cases where something had been tried to be concealed from them, some foals had already discovered what was happening before their parents realized they already knew about what they were trying to hide away from them, and even accepted  it whole heartedly and understood why such a thing had to happen.

"... yes... more of them will come." Cherilee said after a few moments of contemplation, instantly regretting her choice when she heard more than one fearful gasp from the foals and fillies on her care before a smile formed on her face. "But do not be afraid, foals and fillies! We have princess Twilight with us! She even managed to defeat the leader of these monsters. She has done it once, and she can do it twice!"

The conviction she showed before her dear students brought them a hopeful smile, as even some began to say that maybe their princess could defeat them thrice, other saying ten times, other saying a thousand times, and eventually all of them began to cheer and even pretend some of the fillies were princesses, "teaching" their caribou enemies (the foals) what would happen if they messed around with a princess like them.

Cherilee turned to the window, feeling the hope of the foals and fillies renewing her own; the laughter and cheers of kids always seemed so contagious to her, bringing her a smile even when things weren't going so well for her. But as soon as she saw the mare the caribou had brought with them being led away to some other place, she couldn't help but feel a shiver running down her spine, feeling it all the way down to the very end of her tail. Silently, she began to pray to whatever entity she could think of to help them... so her dear students wouldn't have to see the terrible things Twilight had told them about.

The last thing she saw before closing the window was the princess' treebrary on the distance, hoping the princess would somehow be closer to ending this once and for all.





Twilight was standing in front of a table with the staff of the caribou in front of her. With the damned thing being able to absorb her magic and canalize it to who knew where, she couldn't simply levitate it and was forced to use her hands to inspect it closer, more than once reminding herself to let go of it once she noticed something on it to take notes with her magic, leave the quill and paper on the table before taking it again on her hands to inspect it closer once more.

So far, she had discovered dozens upon dozens of different runes on the staff, all of them having a different effect on her magic or her surroundings when she tried to interact with them, only to notice all of the effects were focused on just one thing.

"Spike, take note! The magic contained on this staff is very similar to that of everypony, but in an opposite way. Every single attempt to interact with the runes that drain the magic of every unicorn i've tried so far is nullified... but instead of redirecting it to another part, like the shields of the royal guard do, the magic is instead... cancelled. Could perhaps this be of what Starswirl spoke about when he planted his theory of magic and anti-magic? Have the caribou discovered something only the most brilliants minds of Equestria could only theorize, and dare i say, even dream about?" Twilight stopped herself to think for a moment that maybe all of it had been too much for her young assistant? "Spike, did you get all of it, or do i have to-"

Her ears flattened against her head when she turned to the space her dear, and "little" assistant used to be. The space where she somehow could swear she had seen him just a few moments ago... only to realize he wasn't there, instantly remembering where he was... trapped beneath of her, corrupted by the same foul magic she was investigating and transforming him into something her baby dragon would never be!

And there she was! Acting as if she was back to being a simple student under the tutelage of princess Celestia, as if nothing was wrong, and wasting her time on stupid things like magic! Her mind acted on reflex, lifting a hoof and slamming it onto the floor as hard as she could from all the anger contained within her. They were in war, and she was hidden in her home trying to distract herself from reality as if she was a mere filly!

The stomp she made had consequences immediately, making her listen to a sudden, angry roar from below her, product of a grumpy spike being woken up from his large morning nap, and making him go feral all of sudden to try and escape once more. Twilight had to use her magic once more to maintain several things that she considered "delicate" in place (namely her books) so they wouldn't fall down to the floor and make Spike angrier.

"It'll pass... it'll pass... go back to sleep... it'll pass..."

Twilight muttered, more to herself, as she waited for the angry dragon beneath her house to calm down, and maybe go back to sleep serenely once more until she could find the solution to his current state.

Finally, the large dragon finally calmed down, and the whole place stopped moving finally, making twilight release a sigh, finally allowing  her breathing to go back to normal, and noticing instantly she had somehow been holding back her breathing for the past few moments. The only thing that did fall to the floor was the staff she had been studying, slowly rolling on the floor thanks to all the rumbling until it was almost touching her hooves.

When Twilight noticed it, she felt a shiver reach down her spine, swearing the staff had moved towards her as if it was looking for her... or at least, the nearest source of magic in the whole place... which was, once more, herself.

Slowly, she reached down to take it cautiously on a hand, almost as if she was hoping that it would bite her or do something else to her, as if it was a sentient and dangerous object. Almost instantly, she let out a huff of annoyance while she berated to herself as she remembered her studies. Magic could not be sentient. Dangerous? Definitely. But sentient? Of course not!

She placed it back on the table to inspect it once more, even using a magnifying glass to check the runes closer, and discovered yet another rune to study, turning back to a board nearby to write it down, paying close attention to the details, to make it as accurate as possible.

Once more, she reminded herself that this was to gain an advantage over the Caribou. If she could somehow find a way to nullify the runes' effects, just like they did with the ponies' magic, then they'd have a more even terrain between them. And of course, she could find a solution to Spike's issue... and maybe even help Rainbow Dash, and then the ponies she had secured on the Apples' barn.

...

Rainbow...

The chalk she was using to write on the board slowly stopped,, mere inches from finishing the rune she was drawing before floating down, with the magic around it finally disappearing from around it until it was left as motionless as the staff before Twilight. She let out a quiet sob as she remembered how her friend had been in the following hours after her encounter with the rune master. She had been in an almost catatonic state the whole time, and she hadn't said a single word in the whole time, merely embracing her knees and hugging them as close to her body as she could, rocking back and forth and shivering in shock while her eyes seemed focused only on the wall in front of her.

The only times she did react were when a nurse or a doctor tried to check on her now featherless wings, which only made a jerking motion, and even making Rainbow jump at the touch, quickly backing away an inch in a small, fearful jump, before she returned to the same state she was in, leaving the diagnose of the doctors to mere speculation and guessing about the state of her wings and what had exactly happened to make them lose their feathers, even the tertiary feathers had been completely stripped away! But how? Nopony could exactly explain why, leaving it to Twilight to guess, as she was one of the best magic researchers in the place, maybe even the only one, considering the rest of the unicorns in Ponyville were into menial and insignificant things compared to what she did.

And Twilight had to agree with them... It was the effect of a mysterious and evil kind of magic. And even the same nullifying effect that foul magic had in the unicorns' magic seemed to also influence the magic of other ponies as well. Pegasi had their own kind of magic, making them able to do amazing things, like dragging clouds away as if they were made of cotton... and the Caribou had somehow found a way to interrupt even that process!

And finally, the strength of the earth ponies... Twilight began to wonder if the Caribou were as tough as they looked or if the runes' effects also affected the strength of the earth ponies, allowing even the weakest of the Caribou to overpower the strongest of the earth ponies... just like how the King had done with Celestia...

Slowly, it all seemed to become logical to Twilight, and she felt as if she was close to making the terrain more even between her and the beings that had done so many horrible things to the ones she loved the most. Spike, Rainbow... Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy... the princesses... so much evil... so many things...

Twilight let out a yawn, only then noticing that her eyes were almost completely closed. She had been so lost in studying the Caribou' runes and overthinking things that she hadn't noticed how tired she truly was. She looked down only to finally see she was almost stumbling.

"... I need some sleep..." She finally said before turning away from her research, but finding herself so tired to walk that she simply teleported to her bed. She didn't even bother to try and change her clothes, simply sitting down and letting gravity do the rest to make her lay comfortably on her bed.

Only until then did she allow her eyelids to finally close, releasing another yawn before sleep took her. She could almost feel Luna's reign embracing her as she fell on a dream.





""YEE WHO DARE TO DEFY KING DAINN AND THE GODS' WISHES! YEE SHALL GIVE IN, FOR FEMALE PONY MAGIC IS NO MATCH FOR OUR KING'S POWER!""

Twilight suddenly opened her eyes as she heard the words of the rune master once more. Her eyes quickly realized she was laying down on some grass from the outskirts of ponyville, where she had enjoyed more than one good picnic with her friends... but at that moment... it brought her a really bad memory. Turning to the city, she finally saw that horrid Caribou shouting its obscenities towards the city, making her hair stand up as she realized what that was.

A horrible sensation welled up in her stomach as she noticed the small projectile flying towards the Caribou, unable to do anything but watch as the memory of her first kill played itself once more before her eyes. She almost felt like throwing up when she saw the rock hitting in the mark, and then making the Caribou fall slowly on its side.

"... Oh, Celestia..." Twilight muttered to herself before tears filled her eyes, and the feeling swelling on her stomach only made it worse as the world around her seemed to twist, not helping the feeling of nausea filling her. She tried looking to another place, only to find the same scene playing before her, not mattering where she looked to, and finding the same moment reflected on her memory over and over.

"... I do remember the first time i took a life, Twilight Sparkle... It still haunts me at this day..."

Twilight's eyes snapped open when she heard a feminine voice right next to her, making her look up. She gasped when she saw none other than princess Luna, standing before her as royal and elegant as ever.

"... A dream after all..." Twilight said, more to herself while still fighting the urge to puke, while trying to stand up in her hooves, before she turned to the night princess, who suddenly seemed to be very quiet. "P-Princess? Are you alright?"

Luna's image seemed to shift for a few moments, and Twilight could have sworn she could see the regal look of the princess being replaced only for a moment with the image of the enslaved princess, only to then return to her regal self, finally opening her eyes to regard the smaller princess.

"I apologize, Twilight Sparkle... Things on the physical world aren't going so well... Namely, my body is suffering more torture from those brutes... But do not pay attention to that now..." The princess said with a mixed look, one that screamed unwanted pain/pleasure and anger, but still looking collected, and even cold.

"T-Then... what are you doing here, princess? Wait, how is princess Celestia, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack and Fluttershy? Have you seen my parents, my brother, my- hmpph!!"

Twilight's series of questions were interrupted by the night princess, who had slapped a hand against the mouth her mouth. Although she did not say anything, seemingly trying to control her breathing while her visage turned once more to the enslaved Luna, before turning once more to her royal self, only to open her eyes once more to look at Twilight with a very annoyed look before speaking once more in a strained tone.

"D-do not fret your mind... Sparkle... I have not been able to see them...but i did hear of the victory you and your fellow ponies had over the small group Dainn sent to capture you... and that is why i-hmmfff..." Luna's image shifted once more, with Luna releasing a very heavy breathing once more before she seemed to control it once more, continuing once more. "... T-that is why... i have... contacted you... to prevent you of something..."

The lush and green plains of Ponyville were replaced with a black, empty void while Luna tried to focus. A moan escaped from the princess' mouth, while her image shifted once more, but the enslaved image remained a couple of seconds more at the moment, only to shift back to the princess' image once more, but the strain was already showing on the princess' face.

"Princess!? Are you al-"

"Be quiet, Twilight Sparkle, and pay attention... our time is coming to an end soon, so i need you to listen!"

Twilight watched as the princess' visage slowly began to vanish, while the void around her began to form black, unrecognizable shapes around her... or more namely... a shape of Luna in an embarrassing position, completely exposed as the black shapes passed by and groped her body or even spanked her ass.

Twilight finally noticed the shapes only seemed to become more defined when they got closer to the princess, even forming well defined shapes of hands, when they touched her, only to deform and lose their shapes as they got far from her. Other shape in the distance formed, followed by more moaning and laughter. The shape took a white color with the moaning, and even having Celestia's mark on it.

That continued for some moments, with the mocking of males at Luna's shape, more moans from Celestia's direction, only for the noise to end suddenly when another shape formed in some point in the distance, followed by the sound of doors opening suddenly, with several shapes "stumbling" into the room while breathing heavy.

Another shape formed in the distance and that one spoke with a voice that sends shivers down Twilight's back. She knew that voice... it was HIS.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Dainn's voice boomed through the place as the shadows stumbled towards his throne, instantly falling down on their knees, at least by the sound of heavy thuds and then hearing their breathing almost muffled, possibly due to how they had bowed the heads down.

"May the gods watch over you, King Dainn, rescuer of the Caribou, liberator of Equestria, Chosen one of the-"

"Save the chatter for later, Wooden Antlers! What is the meaning of your return, battered and so injured... and with no traces of the last worthless princess, as i so vehemently requested of you?" Dainn's voice was firm, even though he still held the calmed tone she had heard at the stadium a week ago. Cold, calculating, and almost emotionless.

"Oh, my lord... we went to that small settlement you described, and we even found the female, as you said... But something horrible happened! The other shadow began to say with an almost fearful tone, even stopping for a moment for a reason unknown for Twilight. But as she noticed it, several of the shadows once present in the room had begun to vanish, indicating Luna could no longer hear them, and even less know where they exactly were, and instead focusing all their attention on the figures now present in front of the King.

"Oh, King dainn... We found the settlement, right where you said it would be... and the princess was in there... that coward female... They rose a wooden wall around the settlement, and they began to throw us huge boulders... they even used hot tar to trap those ponies you so kindly assigned to us, oh great King!"

The shape of the king began to move forward, followed by the sounds of steps that formed his hooves with every step he took, making the breathing of the shape kneeling before him become more agitated. Soon enough the little noise that was on the room was non existent, with the king's steps soon becoming the only sound in the room.

"You mean to tell me... that a lowly female... managed to defeat a mixed force of Caribou and our most treasured allies, cristal ponies... all by herself? A lowly Female?" The king's tone was increasingly becoming colder the closer he got to the caribou, making Twilight feel yet another shiver of fear running down her back and tail.

"N-No, my lord! It wasn't her! I-I didn't exactly see the whole battle, as a boulder they threw hit me in my head and i fell unconscious... b-but when i woke up... your servant... the rune master... He was laying on the ground! Dead! At the hooves of a stallion! A very large stallion! One of the largest stallions we have ever seen!"

The room finally fell on a deep silence, making everything go back to an empty, black void, which remained like that for several moments until the king's voice could finally be heard once more.

"A... Stallion... you said?" King's Dainn sounded, with the coldness finally escaping from his voice while a tone of uncertainty, and maybe even confusion filled his voice. "You mean the princess didn't beat you all, but rather... a large, manly stallion managed to overpower a mighty force of Caribou?"

Silence filled once more the room, even passing several moments before a single sound could be heard. And that sound was a gentle, amused chuckle, that soon evolved into a full, mocking laugh.

"You mean the princess didn't beat you all, but rather... a large, manly stallion managed to overpower a mighty force of Caribou?" Dainn repeated the question, but more as if to receive confirmation from the caribou before him. After a few moments and even more laughter, he turned around and began to walk back to the throne, but not before stopping right in front of Luna and, Twilight assumed, Celestia. "You see the reality, princesses?" He sneered at their titles, but ultimately using them them as mere mocking.

The shape of a hand rubbing Luna's head formed while Dainn was still talking, vanishing for a few moments until a loud, female moan sounded in the distance, most certainly, of Celestia.

"Even the last of the mighty 'princesses' isn't a match for the liberators of Equestria... She has to rely on the help... of a male, nonetheless."

The moaning stopped, and the steps of the king kept going away, most probably to the throne or the honor site inside the room, all while his laughter eventually died down, being replaced once more with his cold, soulless tone.

"It doesn't matter. Let them celebrate their small victory. And tell the clan of the Black Pelts that their King is summoning them. They'll have the precious battle they have been oh so eager to have. As for the clan of the Wooden Antlers? Confiscate their females and treasures and keep them locked. We'll decide later if you help the other clan with their victory or better yet... help the other runemasters with their... projects."

The whole void collapsed sharply, and a heavy breathing began to be heard from behind of Twilight. Turning around, she noticed the princess had been reverted to her enslaved visage, with her horn cut off and her wings encased, all while a bright blush formed in her face and she tried not to look at Twilight to her eyes.

"... I am deeply sorry, Twilight Sparkle... but it seems our time is up... Remember this... King Dainn is going back for another assault. When? I do not know... i'll try to contact you if i find anything... but for now... i wish you luck, Twilight Spar-"

The dream was suddenly interrupted with a loud buzzing suddenly being heard all around her, while the dream itself began to form waves around Twilight. She knew what was happening... the dream was ending... and she was about to wake up.





"Twilight!? Are you alright!? Please, wake up, Twilight!"

Twilight opened her eyes to finally see a very concerned Rarity looking down at her, waiting for a few moments to finally allow her mind to react before she could finally make a question.

"How much did i sleep?"

"You've been asleep for almost 12 hours straight, darling. And i was even beginning to worry. No matter what i did, i just simply could not wake you up. You looked as if you were under some kind of spell!"

"Well... You wouldn't be totally wrong, Rarity... Would you please be so kind to bring the Apples, the mayor and the other ponies we met up with when we arrived? Princess Luna just sent me a message... and i think you all need to hear it."
> Foreshadowing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A heavy silence hung in the room and around the ponies sitting in the table. It almost looked like a deja'vu from when Twilight had arrived to Ponyville just a few days back. Save for Rainbow, almost the same group of ponies had been gathered there. And much like the first time, every pony had understood perfectly every single word Twilight had told them in the past moments. Of course, it was all too much for all of them to take in at once, as Twilight herself perfectly understood. If not for the fact Luna personally had told her (and shown her) what the king himself had said, she wouldn't believe it either.

"... So... what do we do now?" The concerned voice of a Cherilee filled the place, making everyone turn to the teacher as she continued to talk. "If what you say is true... then the wooden wall might not be the best strategy right now. We are still repairing the damage the last attack made, and we might not have enough wood to raise another wall if this one gets destroyed!"

"Nonsense my child, there IS plenty of wood." Granny Smith's voice sounded above the concerned murmurs of the group of ponies, gaining once more the attention of every pony in there. Instead of the laid back mare they usually saw in the house, they were looking at the mare with her eyes heavily fixated on the table before them, as if she was trying to see something the rest of them could not. "... But that is not the issue. We know the Caribou are coming back, but we don't know when and even less how. So the issue here is more about how we can prepare better for the next attack."

Twilight couldn't agree more. Ever since the last attack, she had personally taught some unicorns to cast a spell on some of the wood to make inmune (or at least less flammable), and they had almost finished with the repairs of the wall... but with the division they had to make, with half of Ponyville's available "forces" having to stay on the farm, near the barn, to take care of the injured ponies and Caribou, they were very shorthanded on other things. Of course, the few loyal guards she had at her disposal were helping as hard as they could. But between rebuilding and keeping a constant watch, it was a constant struggle.

"The next attack... but what about the next? And then the next one and then the next one and so on?" Another concerned pony asked, quickly rising a point Twilight had not think about yet. They were in war, and wars generally did not last only one battle. There had been the historical battle of the hundred days, and that had been because it was a massive battle. But the last they had? Twilight found her hopes sinking slightly when she found the word "skirmish" more similar to what had happened.

"... It does not matter how many attacks come. We need to hold on." Twilight started to say, holding her own hands together as if to reassure herself of what she was saying. "... This is what Celestia has taught me during all this time. Until a couple months ago, i was just a simple unicorn... and yet, with the help of my friends, we were able to overpower Nightmare moon, Discord and the Changeling invasion. We have bested entire armies, and literal gods... if we stick together... we can win this."

Her speech seemed to have the desired effect, as several of the ponies in the room seemed to become quiet all of the sudden after her speech. However, that also caused the tense atmosphere to return to the room until someone spoke once more.

"... then... we just repel all their attacks until they decide to give us a chance?"

"That is out of the question, sonny." Granny Smith's voice sounded once more, sending a bad feeling on Twilight's spine. She had contemplated that possibility, too. But hearing it from somepony else's mouth was somehow terrifying. "When we deal with pests back at the farm, we do not simply chase them away over and over. At least until dear Fluttershy took charge of the animals, we had to deal with them on another way. Namely, we had to go to their hideout and make them run away."

Everypony in the room looked at each other with a wide and shocked look, truly understanding what Granny Smith was talking about.

"You mean... that we have to go to Canterlot and fight them... there!? Are you bucking nuts or are you that senile, you old- gah!"

The pony that was talking as quickly silenced by a harsh punch from the big red stallion Mac, who had taken several steps in what seemed like an instant just to give the pony a good hammer like punch to the head of the other pony.

"Do not call my grandma crazy, ya hear? Or else, i will punch you so hard the only one crazy is you!" The stallion threatened with a harsh glare, one that Twilight had only seen a couple times. One of such was during the battle some days ago.

Quickly some of the other ponies stood between the red titan and the now angry looking stallion who simply rubbed his head in pain. Seeing that he had overstepped a line, his fists opened before tapping softly his pants and releasing a sigh. After a few moments, the red stallion simply turned to the elder pony with an apologetic expression.

"Still... he made a valid point Ma."

"Yes, Yes, i know. Not enough ponies, not enough weapons, i understand sonny. Heck, even with all them critters out there, like harry the bear, it might not be enough."

"Then, what are you proposing, Granny?"

"... I propose to do what we Apples do when we need to do something big: call for help."

"Call for help? And who can we call? The Guard is with the Caribou, according to the princess here! That leaves us with little to no option!"

"Oh, nonsense sonny. You are counting the most common option when dealing with something. But you are forgetting... that there might be more ponies out there."

Twilight hummed softly when Granny said that. Yes, there were other ponies out there. Cities, large towns, even the smaller settlements scattered all around Equestria. Yes, Canterlot was the capital of the country, but its population only made up 10-15% of Equestria population... and considering most of its population was female, which the caribou surely wouldn't make them fight, then they could clearly have a good advantage if they gathered the whole population against the invaders.

"Besides... if we only drive them away, it is like cutting a weed from the field: It will grow again. To truly get rid of a weed... you have to pull it out from its roots."

A chill ran down Twilight's back as she heard that, and she was sure she caught some more ponies gulping at what Granny Smith was implying.

"S-Surely... you do not talk seriously... you want us t-to-"

"For now, let us try to focus on getting help. I believe the princess might already have a plan for that, so check with her on that matter."

Granny looked definitely tired at the moment, and almost at the verge of falling asleep on her chair. Twilight did understand her, she had been feeling very tired lately, and sometimes wanted to do nothing else than to fall asleep. Still, the memories of her friends and her loved ones returned with each sleep she took, making her remember just why she would keep on fighting.

"... indeed... For this, i am going to need the help of all the pegasi available. I am going to write some letters that you will need to deliver to the mayor of each place you visit, so they know what we are currently dealing with as well as request for their help in any way they can. I'll let you know when i am done with the letters." Most of the pegasi in the room nodded valiantly at that, ready to do their work, specially ones that already worked as mailmares before.  "Then... if nothing else needs to be addressed, we can close this meeting."

Twilight gave the table a soft tap with small hammer, making almost everypony in the room turn around and begin to walk away from the table and out of the building. The only ones left behind would be Twilight, big Mac, Cherilee, and Granny Smith.

"A word before you leave, princess Twilight?"

Twilight turned to the elder mare with a surprised expression. For all the time she had been there, Granny Smith always insisted on calling her Twilight, or just Twi, just like Applejack did sometimes. Very few times had she called her "princess", just like in that moment. It definitely carried the same power her own mother had when calling her by her full name when she was about to discipline her.

"Yes, Granny Smith?" Twilight's ears flattened against her skull, almost as if she was waiting for a berating.

"... i understand you... believe me, i do. But having such attitude will not do you any good, princess. I remember when i was left in charge of the farm... It was also overwhelming. And i definitely did some questionable things to keep it afloat." Every word that was released from her mouth only served to make her look older by the minute, as if remembering all the things in her life brought back all the years onto her. "... but do not take this wrong... i do not regret what i did when i look at my family and the farm we've managed to make. During the years, it has taken one or two beatings... or more like several... but we have managed to stay afloat... And i am sure this very kingdom that Celestia and Luna have formed also has one or two stains in history that cannot be forgotten. Still... those stains are what formed this land that we live in... Do not forget the first life you took... but do remember why you took it."

With that, Granny Smith began to stand up with the help of both, her trusty cane and her grandson before making her way slowly towards the exit, leaving Twilight with a concerned face.

What Granny Smith had told her made sense. After all, she had read dozens, if not hundreds of book detailing Equestria's history... and some of its past. She had read of the several wars the princesses had to fight in order to gain territory, or to release it from the grip of tyraniccal or evil landlords. Wars in which ponies had died.

Suddenly, the memory and words of what Luna had told her just the night before came back.

"... I do remember the first time i took a life, Twilight Sparkle... It still haunts me at this day..."

"Princess Twilight, if i may?"

Twilight's thoughts were interrupted when Cherilee's voice sounded once more.

"Of course, miss Cherilee. What can i help you with?" Cherilee seemed to be taking her time to answer back, almost as if she was thinking of the correct words to say.

"Well... i have been thinking... and i want your permission to take a leave..."

"What? A leave? Why?"

"Well, let's be honest here, princess... as far as i can tell... there seems to be no end in the close time... and i have been thinking about my dear students... and i was thinking that maybe... it is not a good idea to have them this close to the... battlefield."

Twilight nodded at that, truly understanding what she was talking about. War zones were not good places for foals to be in.

"I understand Cherilee... just let us know what might be your plan, where would you be going, and make sure to notify the parents of the foals you want to take, or whoever might be in charge of them. If they have no problem, then neither i do."

"Thank you, princess. I will make sure to ask them for permission." Cherilee even bowed slightly before going away from the building, leaving Twilight alone for the moment.

Alone... and with her thoughts.





And there she was, once more, with her nose buried in a book. Twilight had to hold the urge to slap herself as the thought came back to her mind, that she was doing the same thing she did as a filly. Still... when she turned the book in her hands, she reminded herself of why she was reading that specific book. Equestrian History.

She needed to learn. More about the old stories and how Equestria came to be. And overall... more about the great conquerors of the ancient age. They were al geniuses, hardened in combat, and above all, great military leaders. That made her think... she was a genius, modesty aside, she... did not have that much experience in combat... but she did know one or two things about combat spells... spells that she had applied to her several encounters with the Caribou recently... as for great leader?

She sighed. What a great leader she had proved to be, having to abandon her people and her fellow princesses behind. What a great leader indeed.

Still... something nagged at the back of her head. She was one thing... but what about the other side? Was the Caribou king... all the three traits? She did have to admit that the planning of the invasion seemed to be a very smart move... and the ponies hadn't seen it until it was too late... Hardened in combat? He did seem very tough... as for a great military leader?

Twilight couldn't help but remember how all the other Caribou respected him... and almost worshipped him back at the stadium when he was fighting against Celestia. And later on... how the other Caribou talked to him, as if he was some sort of powerful savior of their kind.

It seemed like it was the ponies who were at a severe disadvantage after all. Twilight's mind began to fill with worry as she thought about it, constantly filling with thoughts of her being somehow inferior to him... that she couldn't win against someone like him... that she'd end up losing and-

"Twilight, darling? Are you here?" A soft knocking on her door made her jump on her seat, even having to shake her head to clear the thoughts away, as if they were a cloud floating on her head.

"Rarity? Yes, come on in. The door's unlocked."

Twilight said quickly, beginning to get up from her couch where she was reading, only to suddenly feel a damp spot where she was sitting. Her eyes widened when she felt the space between her legs moist... when and how had that happened!?

"Thank you Twilight. I wanted to discuss with you Cherilee's plans."

Twilight quickly threw a small pillow on the space where she had been, trying to cover the space where she had stained the couch.

"Oh? Cherilee's plans? What are you thinking?"

"Well... i simply wanted your advice, Twilight. Since i know that the situation will be... bad, for a lack of a better term... Do you really think it will be that bad?"

Twilight turned to her friend with a curious look. Once again, it seemed like the fear had gripped her friend's heart. Not only was she scared for what might happen to her... but also to her sister. Of course, if she was in the same situation, she'd think the same think. What would be the safest... or at least... the least dangerous situation? Have your sister there with you so you could keep an eye on her, but with the chances of failing... and then getting both captured?

Twilight's mind drifted once more to her elder brother... or at least... before he was corrupted. Twilight couldn't help but wonder... what would Shining do at the moment? Cadence was an alicorn, yes... but would he send her away to a safe place, even if it meant that he couldn't look out for her?

"... Rarity..." Twilight said calmly enough to her friend, earning the other unicorn's attention. "... I don't think applejack would like it if i lied... she taught us to always speak with the truth."

Twilight's heart broke down a bit when she watched a bit of light vanish from her friend's eyes... right before a single tear fell from her eyes.

"... i-i... i understand Twilight... You were there, not me... so i trust you enough to know... when things are really bad."

Twilight could only watch in silence as he friend let out some more tears from her eyes, and even take out a small napkin from a bag in her dress and do a very unlady like noise as she cleaned her nose.

"... alright Twilight... i better leave you... i have so much to prepare... so much to plan... so little Sweetie Belle is ready..."

Though Rarity showed a confident smile, though unnatural, it was very noticeable the nervousness and tension on her voice. Before she could go out Twilight lifted a hand and carefully placed it on top of her friend's shoulder, earning her attention.

"Do not worry Rarity... you will not stay away from your sister for too long... it will be only until we can end this conflict."

Rarity didn't seem to be less tense at that, but at least Twilight did get a reaction out from her. Rarity appeared to be still for several moments, not saying anything and not doing anything... but as the moments passed by, a hand was placed on top of Twilight's own, before her friend turned around and smiled weakly at her.

"... thank you, Twilight darling... You have a way with words, i'll tell you that... no question is left as to why Celestia decided to make you a princess."

Unconsciously, Rarity had hit a nerve on Twilight, who remained as still as the other unicorn had been a couple moments ago, staying like that for several moments until her friend left the building. Only until there was nobody around to see her... did she close her hands into tight fists and let out some tears of her own. What a princess she turned out to be.





"HNNNNGHHHH!!!"
"YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!"
"HMMFFFFFNGG!!!"

Twilight's eyes opened suddenly when she heard that muffled moan, lifting her head from the ethereal world she was in. She looked up from the place she was laying on before she looked at something that made her eyes widen in shock.

There, before her, were the three princesses, hanging upside down with only a strap holding their bodies from their waist, and with chains and shackles holding their legs in place so they would always be wide open, with another strap holding their knees tightly closed, keeping her legs tightly bent with no chances of breaking such bonds. Their hands had been tied behind their heads, tightened to their collars with a small chain so they could not interrupt anything happening at the moment.

Of course, each princess was in a different state, with Cadence holding a bright, cheerful smile on her face as she enjoyed the "torture" the caribou were putting them in. She wasn't with a blindfold or a gag, and the bright red collar around her neck only served to further prove her cooperation with the actual regime... Over her, a huge, black and white wolf was standing in a very uncomfortable position, with its hind legs standing over the pedestal in which the princesses were tied, with only its fronts paws holding his weight so he wouldn't fell muzzle first into the ground. But such position allowed the wolf an easy access to the current activity showing before the terrified princess of friendship... The wolf was fucking her former babysitter, and all Cadence was showing was true pleasure as the beast had its way with her... and apparently not for the first time, or not being the first one, at least. Her navel, belly, breasts, and almost her whole face was covered with thick semen, apparently coming from her overflowing pussy, slowly falling towards the ground, which seemed to be at a lower height than the rest of the floor.

Besides her, Princess Celestia was suffering a similar fate, but she had a gag on her muzzle that did not allow her mouth to be closed. Twilight did feel a bit of relief at seeing that the princess still had a thick, black collar surrounding her neck, sign that she was still resisting. But as she looked at her mentor's eyes... said resistance seemed to be failing miserably, as her eyes held a lost look, almost too lost as her pupils had almost gone lost in the back of her skull... and that was because she was being fucked brutally by two wolves at the same time! None had taken her asshole yet, as it still seemed to be occupied by some sort of object that shone brightly with each thrust from the wolves, and as such, both wolves were occupying her pussy! Much like Cadence before her, it seemed like the "fun" had been going on for some time, as there was a lot of semen falling down her body... Even more than Cadence. It seemed like the princess was trying to close her legs, to give herself a bit of modesty, but that was when twilight saw the dirty trick the Caribou had done with all three of them.

Chains had been tied to each strap holding their legs closed, and each one was just the right length so it would pull, or be pulled by the other princess' actions. Of course, Cadence didn't seem to mind at all the fact that anyone could see her being fucked by a beast, but her eyes held an evil intent as she tried to close her legs around the best, if only to be able to pull each princess' leg so they could not close them either. Celestia, unknowingly perhaps, was trying to close her legs, and that made the final princess' legs to be pulled open as well.

And speaking of which... Princess Luna seemed to be the one faring the worst, as she seemed to be the one tortured the worst, since she had both, a gag and a blindfold over her eyes as yet another beast was mounting her in the same way as the other two... but still, if she could not see, that meant she was forced to feel more. And worse yet... Princess Luna seemed to have undergone yet another torture over the other two princesses. Her nipples had already been pierced, and "adorned" with thick, silvery hoof like figures that held small weights that pulled on her nipples all the time. The same could be said about her clit, which seemed to sport another figure on it, but the wolf did not allow Twilight to see it clearly.

But finally, Twilight noticed the worst detail of all... It all seemed to be a mock for the princesses... or at least for Celestia and Luna, since all the cum overflowing from them seemed to be falling down to the lower level of the floor beneath them... and making a puddle that only seemed to grow with each eyaculation the beasts made... and there was still plenty of beasts surrounding them with hungry eyes!

Twilight did recognize that place suddenly... it was a small fountain inside Celestia's palace. More than once she had gone there to read about the water and realize her own studies about it... but now... the Caribou had turned the fountain into a wretched work of their own "art"... or more like, turned the princesses into "art".

"Impressive, isn't it?"

Twilight's nerves were racked when she heard that voice... HIS voice. King Dainn.

Turning around, she finally noticed the king sitting on Celestia's former throne, which now had a bright, round circle engraved at the top with the princesses' severed horns now displayed in full view of everyone in three straight angles, almost as if forming a perfect 90 degrees between them... except between two of them. Twilight's own heart seemed to beat harder with each minute as he mind finally guessed what was missing. She gripped her own horn while starting to hyperventilate when she realized they were holding one last place empty for their last "trophy"... her own severed horn.

"It seems like the princess have always been doing the same thing... just a mere show for their subjects."

King Dainn said still with a mocking tone, quickly earning a loud laughing from everyone around him. Caribou, ponies, changelings, all of them were laughing at three of the most powerful beings in the world... while they were used as mere entertainment... as mere decorations...

All of the eyes seemed to be glued to the three princesses in the middle of the room, watching the lewd show with hungry eyes while some even had a female of their own either sucking or bouncing on their cocks... all except a pair.

King Dainn's eyes were not paying attention to the princesses... but rather at her... Twilight's heart was just about to explode out of her chest, being able to hear it in her own ears at the moment... but the moment she realized the king was looking at her... it all stopped. Almost as if it was a nightmare, nothing else seemed to matter except those two.

Hoping it was just an illusion of sorts, Twilight took a step to the side to tear herself away from his sight... but she let out a scream of pure terror when she noticed the King's eyes followed her at the same time she moved.

She did not know how much time passed as she kept screaming, even turning around  to try and run, but finding out that as much as she moved her hooves, or even her wings, she could not move from the same spot, and all the time, Dainn's cold eyes kept following her own.

"ENOUGH!"

Twilight's ears almost exploded as a loud voice sounded right at her side, followed by a noise similar to that of broken glass as the room around her seemed shift again from Celestia's palace to an ethereal, empty place, all while the king suddenly let out a scream of pain before covering his eyes and turning away.

"You can breathe now, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight turned to her side with hope growing in her heart as she recognized that voice. It was Princess Luna! She turned to her with a wide smile, deciding to ignore the basic rules of nobility as she almost jumped towards the princess to hug her... At least until she looked at the princess.

Instead of the regal look she had days before, her hair seemed messy and disheveled, and her eyes held a tired look, almost as if she was at her last effort.

"Princess Luna! What is going on!?" Twilight immediately asked, wanting to have an answer to that, but all she received was an open hand lifted in her direction. Understanding, Twilight remained shut as Luna seemed to be doing something to the King... or was it... dream version of the King?

As if to answer her question, Luna frowned at the king before she made a gesture with her hand, and the hunched vision of the king screamed in agony before being turned to stone in a flash. Only until then, did the princess turned to her.

"Twilight Sparkle... we are... i am... glad to see you... again." Princess luna said still with a small smile, but lasting only a couple seconds before she suddenly fell back on her butt. Seeing this, Twilight rushed to her with a fearful look.

"Princess! Are you okay? What is going on?"

"Do not... fret... Twilight... Sparkle..." Princess Luna said while panting heavily, and all the while, her eyes were threatening to get closed. "It has been... a really long night..."

Twilight helped her to sit back, if only to be able to help her recover a bit of the dignity the princess might have left.

"I suppose you have... already guessed it... but this is a dream, Sparkle..." Twilight was about to proudly admit she did know of it the instant she saw her... but the tired look of the princess made her think about it, instead deciding to remain silent and instead nod at her. "... the night... has been long... because Dainn is trying to abuse the power... OUR power..."

Luna looked back at the king's throne, and specifically, at the horns hanging over the king's petrified head.

"They are savages... they are using our magic... to try and spread their influence over Equestria by other means than conquer..."

"Then... this dream..." The frightened pony was about to try and make her own guess before she was interrupted by the night princess.

"Not a dream Sparkle... a memory..." Luna said with a frown as she turned to look at her own dream version, making twilight frown as well when she realized what she meant.

"... Still... Are they showing... this... to all the other ponies in Equestria?"

"Not yet Sparkle... They are showing this... only to those who they believe should see it... I have seen this same memory... dozens of times... all over Canterlot... but only you... you are the only one whom they have shown this outside of Canterlot..."

Could it be... because of the corruption? Twilight immediately thought about it...she had been there... and there had been plenty of times where she saw small signs of the corruption within her... and that set an alarm on her mind that would not leave her alone.

"Be on your guard Sparkle… he will be using your dreams against you… and he will- GAHH!"

The princess suddenly let out a loud scream while clutching her head, all while another noise began to sound, one that made Twilight's heart sink to the bottom.

Dainn's statue seemed to be breaking, revealing once more the thick, brown fur below it. With each crack that formed and fell down, Luna released a pant of exhaustion.

One of the King's eyes finally was freed, turning to both ponies with a hateful look.

"Our time is running short… be aware… but for the moment…"

Luna released one last pant before lifting a hand, starting to make a pattern in the air with her finger. Said pattern remained in the air for a few moments before it floated quickly towards Twilight wrist.

"… This will protect you… Sparkle… be well."

Suddenly, an invisible force began pull Twilight away from Luna, with the last things she would be able to see being princess Luna looking at her seriously with her hand extended and a soft glow surrounding it… and Dainn's "statue" finally breaking away and releasing its prisoner with a shout full of fury and anger.

The world became a dark void as Twilight pondered on what had happened… and as she looked down at her wrist, she could only mutter a silent "thank you" to the void, hoping the princess would be able to hear it.


Still… it was time to wake up… there was plenty to be done.
> Messages
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once again, ponyville was completely transformed into, if not a true fortress, then yes a little more than respectable fort. To Twilight, it was so sad to see her dear and beloved little town being transformed in such a way… and still undergoing transformations.

Seeing as only one wall hadn't been that effective the last time, they had decided to make several sections inside the city with different means of crossing to each section. The whole town had been divided in four main sections, resembling a compass, and each one encased by a smaller, inner circle that reached several feet away from her treebrary.

Four sections and one inner circle as a last mean of protection… it didn't sound specially appealing for Twilight… but the same strategy seemed to work several times in the past. Upon reading about one of the most famous generals of old, she devised a new strategy, one that could buy them some much needed time… and a good way to escape in case they city was overrun.

"… Hahhh…"

Twilight sighed softly at the thought. It wasn't particularly appealing the idea of having to abandon her beloved town… and more than a good part of the local population did agree with her, some more vehemently than herself.

But of course, after making a simple but effective presentation of what they had seen so far, like the fire breathing warbeasts the Caribou would surely bring with them on the next assault, the population had no other remedy than to accept the plan, but keeping it in mind as a last plan of action.

The "sinking boat", Twilight had named the plan. How fitting…

Still, she thought to herself, things would definitely improve if they- WHEN they defeated the Caribou. Once everything was over, they would be able to tear down those ugly wooden walls… and restore ponyville to its former and peaceful way.

…

Oh well… She could always dream about it, and then hope for those dreams to become true.


Twilight released another sigh, but that time with the intense urge to slap herself… she was thinking once again as a foal. Dreams coming true…

She shivered with that thought in mind. She still remembered what she had seen almost a week before… the way they treated the princesses… and it did not help that her mind somehow began to fill the void between those memories she had seen… and what she had not seen… yet.

More and more often, she found herself wondering if the princesses would be alright, if they would still be struggling against the Caribou (at least Celestia and Luna for the time being), and if they would be able to resist all the horrendous tortures the Caribou had planned for them… and for her friends.

It had been a whole week without said dreams, and each time she closed her eyes in the night, it was with a deep dread of suddenly opening her eyes and finding the princesses being submitted to another horrible torture… or even worse… to find herself reflected in those same tortures she had seen in those nights…

And somehow… awake in the morning with a wet spot in her bed.

It filled her with worry and despair… to find herself getting excited at the idea of getting herself in said situations… and possibly even liking it.

"… Hrrng… stupid corruption…"

Twilight muttered to herself while leaning against the railing of her "observatory" (namely, her terrace). Yes, she had been sleeping rather peacefully the last couple of nights, with her dreams being pretty much the same things she had been dreaming so far. Sweet dreams where she would remember the good times when she was a foal, whenever she would go out with her friends to play or just have a nice picnic… and in just one occasion, a nightmare that somehow reminded her of her fear for quesadillas…

But there was that one dream she could remember quite clearly… one where she found herself naked, without wings and without horns… and with a bright, red collar attached to her neck.

When she woke up that evening, it had been a dream of no more than 15 minutes… but it was enough to scar her for life. And that was because it hadn't been an "inserted" dream or memory… that one had been her own subconscious…

It was already enough to have a pleasant dream, but with a deep feeling of dread as she could feel something else, like a presence scratching and banging at the door that would lead to her subconscious. She could not see it, or hear the "scratchings" whenever she slept… but she could somehow feel it.

Another chill ran down her body as she remembered it, instantly clutching the wrist in which Princess Luna had cast the spell that night. During day, no one would be able to notice it, not even herself… but each time she dreamed, the band would be as clear as the day. And still… the band was very much present when she had THAT dream…

"Princess Twilight!"

Her ear perked when she heard the voice of one of the royal guards shouting at her from the ground, making her turn to him immediately.

"What is it!? Are they here already!? Is everypony on their post!? What about the defenses!? Are they-"

"It's the mailmares… some of them have  returned with the answers of the other towns and cities." The guards had spent more than enough time around her to know when they needed to interrupt the almost never ending barrage of questions when she was nervous.

Twilight blushed at the answer, clearly embarrassed at what had just happened. Old customs were not easily forgotten.

"Oh… i see… thank you very much for the news, gentlecolt. Have everyopony gather here in the central section… let them know we have received answer from the other ponies."

At that, the guard nodded firmly before turning around and running away. Even in the distance, Twilight could clearly hear how they all quickly organized to spread the word around Ponyville.

It was fortunate that the foals weren't in town anymore… they would not have to hear the quite possibly bad way in which the other towns and cities would answer when receiving a notice about how they were being invaded.

She was already afraid of what the response would be.

As she turned around to go downstairs, completely forgetting she had fully functional wings, she suddenly stopped. There was a feeling nagging at the back of her mind, telling her that she was being observed… and as she turned around to check on any of the neighboring homes, or the "guards" at the walls, she could not find a single soul that was actually watching her.

Instead, she focused her sights on the forest beyond the town, even approaching her telescope cautiously, as if expecting to gaze through it and find a giant eye watching back at her. Still, when she looked through the telescope, she wasn't able to see anything out there… save for a small group of rabbits jumping through the fields.

She would have let out a sigh of relief upon watching that… but there was still the feeling… and even when she closed the doors behind her, allowing her a moment of peace inside her own home… that feeling would still not leave at all.





After a few moments, almost all of the town was gathered in front of the mayor's home. She already had 3 letters in hand, and they were expecting a couple more to arrive in the next hours, according to Twilight's calculations. The first one she had in her hand was from the ponies at Cloudsdale, and she was eager to finally open it. She just wanted to make sure everypony (or at least, those that weren't required at the wall to serve as guards) to hear the news inside. It would only be a couple minutes, and then, she would be able to give the good news to everypony.

And they did require good news...

After the short encounter she had with princess Luna a couple night before, she had taken a cautious step forward... and started to gather the ponies that had gone with her to Ponyville, one by one, and started to analyze then via interrogation, magic, and a bit of psychology to determine if they had undergone something similar. She had tried to keep the process as a secret, unless panic began to spread among her fellow ponies because of the newfound method to expand the corruption. And of course, she had to make the other ponies that visited her to swear secrecy as to what they were talking. Only those who were interrogated by Twilight would know, for the moment.

And yet, as she saw some of the guards standing between or around the crowd, Twilight could swear she looked at them with a strange aura surrounding them, as if they were big, walking red lights among the unpolluted crowd. At that moment, pretty much all of the guards already knew of the corruption Twilight was telling them, despite the fact that none of them seemed to be under any effect of sorts... Which only served to elevate Twilight's worry more.

What was the difference between them and her? Why had the Corruption seemingly affected only her and nopony else? Of course, she lacked important data, and that was because most of the other ponies who had fled with her had gone away just days after their arrival... and there was no way of getting in touch with the other mares, to see if they had been experiencing the effects in some form as well... or worse, if the corruption had already started to spread because of them.

"Your majesty!" Twilight almost jumped in fright when a harsh voice sounded next to her, but accomplishing the effect of making her release a surprised gasp. "Oh... I apologize, my princess. It wasn't my intention to startle you."

Twilight had to compose for a moment before looking back at the guard with a sheepish smile. "Don't worry. It wasn't your fault."

Despite the royal status, Twilight still blushed like a filly. And in deep contrast, the guard before her had remained stoic all the time, simply letting a small smile when she apologized before returning to his stoic look and then extending his hand.

"The responses we received today, princess."

Twilight immediately accepted them with gusto, quickly sending a prayer to whatever deity out there that could listen to her for this to be the answer she was waiting for. Once that was done, she turned to the rest of the ponies standing in the plaza before her princess, who all were staring at her with wide, curious and almost anxious eyes.

"... citizens of Ponyville... These are the first three letters we've received from other towns across Equestria... I will open them right now and let you know what they say."

Twilight placed two of the three letters next to her before using her magic to delicately open the first letter, and carefully unfold it before her before starting to read loudly so everyone could hear.




Dear Princess Twilight.

The news you bring to us are indeed dire news, and we find it unusual that such an event can happen so swiftly and sudden. To ensure this is not just a prank of sorts, we have decided to send another letter to Canterlot and wait for the Princess' answer. If no answer is given us in the next three days, we will consider it enough evidence to support your claim and will vow to help you out.

Until then, as we haven't received any news from Canterlot, we will stand ready to jump into action if needed to, but will continue with our lives as usual.






Most of Ponyville seemed to be shocked at the news from the other town, not being able to understand what they were talking about. Of course, Ponies had always had the tendency to be cautious with some things, and in some ways, too scared to do anything without a protector standing before them. Twilight did understand that, since she also looked up to Celestia in many ways, and as such, would expect for her answer in several things, even the most trivial ones.

Still... This was war, and there was no time to doubt. Twilight simply took her eyes away from the letter she was reading, turning to address the population of her dear town with her own concerned expression... before she formed a forced smile, trying to instill some calm into her subjects (and failing miserably) 

"Ehhhrm... hehehe... Uhmm... Well, when they see Celestia isn't answering, they'll surely come, so don't worry! We'll get some help... and if not from them... we have more letters!"

Her hopes once more went up when she used her magic to open the second letter they had received.

...

And such hopes went down again when the second letter said pretty much the same thing as the first one, even implying that, if she wanted to try a coup, then they wouldn't offer any assistance at all.

"Well, now! Such a nerve, to imply our darling Twilight is planning a coup against Celestia herself. Can't they see we are trying to save her?" Rarity's voice began to sound from the front of the crowd, earning some approving comments from some other ponies, who agreed wholeheartedly with her. While it did cheer Twilight a bit, since it showed her friend was still giving her her unconditional support.

though that did not change the fact that she was still disappointed by the second answer. What else was about to happen? The third letter saying something similar? 
...
Better not hope for the worst after all.  If anything, it would be better to be prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. With that in mind, she turned to the final letter (at least for the moment) and reached for it with her own hands. She didn't use her magic to open that letter, since she sensed it would be... wrong if she opened it like the other two.

Even before unfolding the paper inside, she took in a deep breath. In and out, before lookin over the crowd with a concerned look in her eyes... Yet, she did not dare to say anything for the moment. With that in mind, she unfolded the letter and cleared her throat, right before beginning to read in loud voice once more.



Dear princess Twilight Sparkle.

It has come to our attention your... amusing story of what is currently happening in Equestria. Under normal circumstances, we would have never believed such a... bold and horrific tale, and we would have discarded this as a feeble attempt of getting some attention towards yourself... 

But as a matter of facts... we did receive a group of... shall we say... travelers from Ponyville. Some of them who showed clear signs of post traumatic stress... and they talked of events very much like what you describe on your letter. As a matter of fact, i have already investigated myself, and have found several interesting things, such as a complete lack of communication from Canterlot, the sudden stop of schedules from Canterlot via railroad... all of them meeting almost the exact same date the travelers and you describe.  As such, we have already agreed to prepare outselves in the event of an attack, such as the one Ponyville has already suffered, from what i read before.

In the meantime, i'm afraid we cannot really offer you any back up, since we'd be needing our full strength should something happen over here. But do know we all offer our whole support to you. If you truly are the last free princess of Equestria, then we'll be behind you 100 percent

Long live the Diarchy and the new princess of Friendship.


There was silence once Twilight finished reading the letter... too much silence. And Twilight did understand the reasons behind that. There were mixed feelings inside her as well. On one hand, she was feeling relief to find somepony else out there did believe her, despite how crazy her tale was. And they were supporting her! Well... they did support her and the other princesses.

But of course, there was the other matter, too. They did support her, but not in the way there were all expecting. They would not be receiving any back up from them... at least not for the moment. They would be on their guard, yes... but they would not be sending help as they expected. The thought alone was discouraging enough... They were still at zero... alone.

"... Now what?"

A random voice sounded among the crowd, finally making Twilight snap out of her own thoughts, turning to the crowd. Her eyes quickly passed over the crowd, looking for whoever shouted. But it seemed like, whoever had thrown the rock had gone back to hiding.

"... We keep resisting... We sent more letters. Some are still on their way, and some may already be on their way back. Until then, all we can do is simply resist as long as we can. And that is exactly what we will do."

"Hoorah!" The response of the guards that had assisted, including those close to Twilight, made some of the other ponies cheer up as well, releasing some "Yeah"s as well.

"Now we are talking... And we better get back to work, fillies and colts." The elderly voice of Granny Smith sounded while she began to move away, making the other ponies to turn around and walk away to continue with their respective tasks and labors. Granny smith simply took a look back at the princess, sending her a gentle smirk before nodding her head in her direction.

Twilight had seen that look several times before. It was something Celestia would constantly do when approving the works she did back when she was a filly. Bringing back some of those memories made her react on impulse, making her return the nod with a reverence of her own, making her blush when she realized what she had just done.

Of course, Granny smith let out a knowing smirk before continuing her way. It seemed like old customs did not die easily. 





Twilight was back on her library, once more inspecting the runes on the staff and writing them in a board next to her, inspecting the property of each rune with different spells. Twilight groaned softly after a few moments, taking several steps back before conjuring a kinesis spell to attract an ink and quill and another scroll to begin writing on it again.

"Twilight sparkles notes on Caribou magic... So far, i have already identified all of the runes concerning the magical cancelation of pony spells, and i think i might be able to make some runes of my own... Once i know the full extent of these runes and how they are conjured."

Twilight stopped herself for a moment before thinking once more, looking at the runes on the staff, then to those she had written on the board... and then remembering those she had seen in the armors of several Caribou during Canterlot... and even those on Dainn's armor... and also those runes engraved over the collars of the mares... and all over Chrysalis.

She did not pity Chrysalis since she was evil, and more than once the Changelings had clashed with Ponies... but she had suffered something she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy. She was conscious, and yet, her body was forced to do things she did not want. That brought her thoughts of the other mares who wore a red collar... and what would happen to the other mares.

Was the the future of all the mares who would fall under the Caribou's hooves? Be forced to have such destinies forced onto them, having to enjoy such tortures while not being able to do anything about it?

...


Had she really thought about a torture being... enjoyable? She somehow began to have very vivid thoughts about how Chrysalis would be being forced to do really lewd poses just to satisfy her conquerors... and then, what about Celestia and Luna? Were they being forced in the same way to be shamelessly exposed and fucked by those brutes?

And what about Cadence? Was she really enjoying it, or was she being forced? And if it was the first... how could she enjoy doing things so lewd... and watch as others were forced in the same way?

Twilight stopped her own thoughts when she let out a soft moan, releasing a sharp gasp when she noticed her hand had wandered down her body and under her skirt... and had started to rub herself.

She almost jumped out when she saw that, tearing her hand apart from herself... and looked at it almost trembling. She was feeling the corruption once more... Quickly she got up, and ran to her bathroom, finding the tub already filled with water. She had left it that way since she suspected she might have another... "episode", keeping it constantly filled with cold water.

She did not know if it really worked, but it did seem to keep her "awake" and aware of what was happening to her. Keeping a "cold head", she said. She did not care that her mane was a mess when she got out of the bathroom, she did not care some parts of her clothing were damp because of said actions... and she did not care she was leaving a trail of water where she was walking.

At the moment, she found herself convinced that she needed to find a way to counter the effects of the caribou magic... and to do that, she needed to find some more... experiments to run. She looked at the staff, and then at the board again... she needed to gather more of those items to study them.

And then, she remembered the Caribou locked in the barn of the Apple's family.

"... I need and armor of them."
> Opposites
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things seemed awfully quiet as Twilight flew from her home to the Apples' farm. Everywhere she looked, she could see groups of ponies talking to themselves or busy with several tasks. Food gathering and storing would be important, since the recent lessons of her history books had proven to be quite helpful when planning a siege... or so she hoped to, at least. Would it really become a long siege, like those she had read about?  She had seen about one siege that lasted almost all the way to the decade.

Looking around, her heart sunk when she saw they were definitely not ready for a siege, much less one that had the potential to last that long. They were still expecting more letters and, with a bit of hope, more help would eventually arrive to them.

Even Fluttershy's animals had begun to roam the land, trying to  get the most help they could from the other critters who, just like them, had been helped by the local pony population. Still, Twilight had several concerns about it, since she had only seen Futtershy with a handful of beasts that could be considered... wild. She did hope they could at least have some more bears on their side... and not only butterflies and such.

Shaking the thought away from her mind, she instead focused on the task at hand. The runes in the cane of the rune master still had her intrigued, since they somehow absorbed all the magic directed towards them and instead of storing it, it simply... vanished. Or it was sent somewhere else...

To prove her theory, she needed more evidence, and that was why she was pretty much about to stand in front of one of the currently worst enemies of ponykind. A Caribou. And the thought of it was already sending chills down her spine, even causing her to shiver slightly.

Still, she needed more evidence and things for her studies, which might help in finishing that conflict faster...

"Conflict"... Twilight silently scorned herself as she found herself using that word again instead of calling it what it truly was... war. They were at war. Possibly the first one in centuries. But she needed to be strong... she needed to... for her friends.

She cleared her head out of such thoughts for the moment, as she almost flew straight into a tree. She needed to be strong, but she also needed to stay focused... otherwise, she'd end up crashing against a figurative tree down the road. Such an ironic thought...

Shaking her head away from such thoughts, she instead looked forward, finally seeing the barn of the Apples'... which had been turned into a temporal... prison of sorts. The main door had been secured with a large wooden bar to prevent it to be easily opened... at least from the inside. and all the windows had been closed with strong wooden planks.

A pair of loyal guards stood by the doors, standing firm as ever,  making twilight remember fondly the times where she'd be free to roam the castle's seemingly endless corridors and watch at least one of them every now and then, making her feel safe. Who would have known there would be a time where they'd be watching, instead of the pristine and immaculate white walls of Celestia's castle, and old, disheveled barn in a little quaint village. Of course, they still made her feel safe, so that was a plus.

At least if the corruption hadn't reached them yet. Almost immediately, that same feeling they brought to young Twilight was shattered when present twilight suddenly remembered the situation they were in. So far, none of them had shown yet any signs of corruption... but what if they were faking it? What if they had already fallen and they were just faking their support for her, acting as spies for the Caribou?

"Princess Twilight, milady?" One of the guards spoke up, making her get out of the trance she was in, suddenly realizing she had stood still... and quiet. She berated herself once more while using a small spell on herself to... calm herself.

"My apologies, gentlecolts... there is too much to ponder right now. Please forgive for being... distraught."

Twilight's answer only served to worry the stallions, as it was too much of a vague answer for them. Still, they nodded at her... after all, she was the princess, who was leading the effort of resistance against the Caribou. And quite understandably, she'd surely have a lot to think about.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand..." Twilight quickly said with a firmer tone of voice, making both guards stand firm before her. "... I need to enter."

Both guards turned to each other before one of them nodded, asking for the secret word. Since the enemy had changelings on their files, they made sure to share a secret word among the population of ponyville so they could be sure. Of course, Twilight answered correctly, since she had been the one to create such word every morning.

Nodding firmly, both stallions turned to face each other before removing the wooden bar blocking the door, unsheathing their swords and telling the princess to stand in there for a moment just in case one of the Caribou had gotten out. After a few moments, the two guards declared loudly "clear", letting Twilight know they were secured and would cause no troubles... at least not physically.

As soon as she set a single hoof inside the barn, she was received with a... colorful language from the Caribou, some of them merely sticking with "pathetic, coward female, hiding behind a pair of strong males", and all the way to swearing to her that she'd die while choking on their cocks for such an offense against the Caribou King and his new kingdom.

Twilight merely dedicated herself to ignore such insults, instead focusing on scanning the room, looking for any set of weapons, armor, or other things that could have runes engraved onto them. And sure enough, even if their armor was... scarce, there were still pieces of crudely made armor on some of them. Shoulder pads, chest plates, some crude helmets on some of them (some of which actually did a poor job at concealing their faces or even their heads, looking more like a ritualistic or ornamental pieces than actual armor.

But much to her delight, all the pieces she gathered were engraved with at least a couple of runes on them. Of course, more than once, one of the guards had to intervene when twilight tried to remove the pieces or armor, since some of the caribou not only spit foul words of phrases at her, some actually tried to bite her, or hit her with their antlers.

But in the end, twilight had well over a dozen of pieces to study. And that was enough for her... she already had enough of the Caribou at that moment. But just when she began to pick them up, did she realize one problem... there were too many for her alone. They would interrupt her magic, and as such, if she began to fly, she'd only be able to carry one piece on each hand, a couple of pieces if they were small enough... or just one with both hands if she lifted a chest plate.

Such thoughts began to fill her head when one of the guards proposed a better solution (surprising twilight, causing her to think of why hadn't she thought of it sooner). He'd go and fetch a cart, allowing him, or another guard to simply put all the pieces on it and then pull it towards her home. Twilight smiled sheepishly at that, giving the guard the permission to do so.

Twilight was left alone with only one guard... but the Caribou were secured, and there was no way nothing bad would happen, right? Famous last words...

Twilight shook those thoughts out of her head. Everything was calmed, and no reports of any other Caribou groups had been given to her so far, so she could be calm for the moment. Of course, instead of being "calm", she picked up a random piece of armor and began to inspect it with her hands, walking towards some wooden logs the Apples had left as "chairs" and sitting down.

Quickly, she identified some runes she had seen in the staff, specially those that absorbed... or nullified the unicorns' magic. Soon enough, the world around her seemed to vanish away while she focused only on the runes, trying to identify those she did know and those she hadn't seen so far, taking a mental note to study them later.





Some time had seemingly passed before Twilight opened her eyes, realizing she somehow had fallen asleep while inspecting a chesplate, long enough to act as a table of sorts for the comparatively smaller alicorn. Setting it aside, Twilight had to take several steps away before conjuring a small notepad and a quill so the runes did not cancel her magic. Almost instantly, she began to make crude drawings of the runes she needed to study, as well as to guess exactly what they did, also making sure to write below the runes a small list of things she needed to investigate.

As always, Twilight could not stand still while pondering about the things she needed to do, starting at first with tapping a hoof against the ground, and then starting to shift from one hoof to another, soon enough turning into a full circling walk, all while she was making a brainstorm as to what each rune made.

In one specific moment, she seemed to wander too close to one of the pieces while submerged into her own thoughts, suddenly hearing two soft thuds behind her. Turning around, she almost slapped herself when she noticed both objects, quill and notebook, laid on the ground behind her... and all of her magic had seemingly vanished away. She leaned down to take both objects with her hands, sighing softly while calling herself stupid over and over for such a small thing as walking too close to a magic nullifing object.

Though as soon as she got up, grabbing both objects with her hands, she also noticed something out of the corner of her eye... the door to the barn was open... and the other guard who had stayed with her was nowhere to be seen!

She began to panic, quickly using her magic to lift a small quantity of stones in the air, ready to sent them flying directly at the face of the first caribou she saw... of course, taking the caution of stepping at the "safe" distance from the runes. Slowly, she began to get closer to the barn trying to look inside as clearly as possible. Too bad she was in the sun, making the darker interior of the barn difficult to make out. If she wanted to look clearly, she'd have to step inside.

Feeling in the back of her head that it'd be a pretty bad idea to do so, and with every instinct on her telling her to set a shield on the door (the only way in and out), and then fly away to get reinforcements. Instead, she steeled herself to go inside, even more so when a soft, golden shine caught her attention inside the barn.

Just a short distance away from the door was the other guard, seemingly passed out... or even lifelessly in the middle of the barn. Twilight had to help him! If she could help him, then she'd definitely make sure to do her best to do so. Never again would she flee while others suffered because of her ineptitude.

As soon as she set a hoof inside the barn, she instantly noticed, and then confirmed her fears had become true... the Caribou had escaped! They were nowhere to be seen!

Almost instantly, she leaned down and used her magic to check on the guard before her hooves, confirming to her deep relief that he was indeed awake. But with a nasty gash on the side of his head. She'd definitely need to take him to the hospital as soon as possible.

She was already preparing a spell to teleport both of them away from them when she suddenly heard something else... clapping... but not like the clapping of hands... that one was different. It sounded... distant... way too distant... but at the same time, it sounded inside the barn.

Preparing her stones, she immediately got ready for any attack that could come at her. After several moments that could have as well lasted an eternity for her, no traps were set and no caribou appeared before her. Instead, that strange clapping continued, making her curious as to what it was.

Curiosity seemed to take the best out of her as she got up and cautiously began to move forward, deeper into the barn. Before she could notice, the clapping began to grow in volume, letting her know she was getting close to the source of the sound... until  she finally heard something else... moaning. A female moaning, to be precise.

Twilight quickly located the source, which was behind some bales near of her. As soon as she noticed it, she quickly hid behind another stack when she saw a figure moving behind the stacks from which the noise could be heard. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw it... one of the captured caribou... and he was masturbating!

Twilight thanked whatever deity that could be out there, because the Caribou seemed to be deeply distracted by something at the other side of the bales, something that she could not see at all... at least not from her current angle.

She somehow felt a deep wish to look, to see what had that caribou, and seemingly another one behind him so interested... her horn lit with magic as she made the bale before her float only a short distance from the floor as to not make any noise, and then begin to move it slowly around, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Once she was sure she was at a good angle, did she finally dare to peek out from her hiding place. Her eyes widened in shock, and she had to make a good effort at not gasping loudly when she saw what was happening...

The mare that the rune master had brought with him was in the middle of a group of Caribou, getting brutally slammed from everywhere. One of them was laying on his back with the mare laying on top of him in the same way, all while the Caribou held the mare's ass while he thrusted up, while another one was directly behind her, thrusting into her as well. Thought it seemed like that wasn't enough for the others, as one was raping her mouth and another one seemed to be thrusting his huge, brown cock between her breasts. Even her hands were being used by the brutes, with a pair of Caribou holding her hands and making her jerk them off.

The lewd clapping had now turned into a loud slapping, as each one of them was using her as hard as they could. Twilight had to hold a hand against her mouth as to not let a hot pant escape her mouth as she watched such scene. Was that what they all did to every female they captured?

The memory of the dream... or more like induced nightmare about what they did to Celestia, Luna and Cadence came back to her mind... that was definitely not the worst thing they could do to a female, of course... but it was still barbaric, horrific and cruel!

And she suddenly noticed something else... something that filled with both, anger and fear. She was soaked! How could something so terrible make her wet and excited!?

She had only taken her eyes off of the caribou for a moment, to inspect if what she was feeling was true... but it was enough to notice all the caribou were going even harder on the poor mare, with all of them starting to pant quicker and louder, until two of them let out a loud grunt of lust before the poor mare in the middle of them let out a loud yet muffled moan due to the cock she had in her mouth. Though that same moan turned into a gurgled scream when the one in her mouth also grunted. twilight instantly noticed some of that thick, and seemingly heavy sperm escaping from the corners of the mare's mouth.

Twilight panted hotly behind her hand, almost crying when she saw that...

"Poor mare..." She whispered softly, gritting her teeth after a few moments when she saw it, having to lean back and hide once more behind the bale while sobbing softly to herself, with a tear threatening to escape from her eyes when she heard some of the caribou rushing towards the made, almost pushing the other caribou away in order to "have their turn".

Twilight was at the verge of crying at such a scene. Obviously due to what she had just seen... such a terrible, obscene and cruel act... but in reality, she was also at the verge of crying because deep inside her, a heat was rising. One that seemed to burn hotter and hotter with every moment she replayed the scene in her mind... she was getting turned on by such acts!

Hating herself, she slowly began to move a hand down to her clothed breasts, having to cover her mouth when only a mere rub on her breasts sent her moaning... Slowly, she moved her hand down her body until it was at the hem of her skirt. She was absolutely loathing herself when she slid her fingers softly down her skirt... and then began to pull on it until her panties were revealed... and also revealing her already soaked pussy and dripping arousal.

Another grunt could be heard from one of the caribou, earning a cheer from the other caribou before another one said that it was his turn with her puppies.

Twilight did not want to look again... she hated the idea of only peeking around to watch the poor mare suffering yet another raping... and she hated the moment when she had to get into an awkward position to peek from behind the bale, and leaving her buttocks completely exposed... all while rubbing softly a finger against her clothed pussy.

As she peeked from her hiding place, she had a clear view of the mare's stuffed and semen leaking pussy before it was covered by another one of the caribou. Most of the mare's body was covered by a wall of brown fur only leaving the mare's leg visible, which dangled almost lifelessly at the same rhythm as the one thrusting into her pussy, making it look as if she was having a seizure of sorts.

The thought sent a deep tingle of pleasure down twilight's spine... making her wonder quickly why such a thought made her insides tingle with desire. Did she really enjoy watching a mare almost having a stroke due to so much pleasure!?

She tried to look away from the mare, which proved to be fruitless, as her eyes were instead focused on the thick, cum stained cocks of the other caribou around the mare. Her eyes seemed to follow the movement of their hands, and even the soft bouncing of the tips in the air, making yet another tingle of pleasure to run down her body. She found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the cock she was looking at the moment, making her pants become hotter behind her mouth, all while her finger began to rub faster and harder against her panties.

Twilight was truly unable to tear her eyes away from their cocks, with every successful attempt instantly turning into a failure as she looked at yet another cock. Everywhere she looked there was another cock bobbing, some already spewing the foul and thick cum onto the floor before them, and others becoming soft for a few moments before coming back to life only a few moments later right before her eyes. They were still taking turns with the poor mare between them, constantly flooding her insides or coating her in their foul semen... and Twilight was rubbing her pussy even harder through her panties!

At one moment, she finally felt herself going off, using all of her will to not moan loudly when her climax came, simply releasing a muffled whimper of pleasure and then everything went silent... she was seeing stars... and her ears had a soft buzzing on them... almost as if she had been hit with stunning spell... and then reality came back with a heavy thud when her face hit the floor. She had made a mistake... and one that she immediately regretted when she heard all of the caribou stopping abruptly their debauchery and finally going silent for several moments.

She knew it... she had screwed up... they had seen her... She turned her head weakly towards their direction, needing confirmation as if what she was thinking was true... and instantly wished she hadn't done so... all of them had stopped, and all of them were looking in her direction... all of them were staring directly into her eyes.

And instantly, she prepared for the worst when she heard one single command from one of them before all the chaos started.

"... GET HER!!"





Twilight's mind was already a mess, suddenly finding herself in such a horrible situation... her clothes had been taken away from her, and then tore apart before her eyes as one of the caribou mockingly said "clothes aren't for females". Not only that, but she had been put in a similar situation as the mare from before.

Her eyes turned to the mare, who was laying on her side. What little could be seen from her face was obscured by her mane... and she wasn't moving. And now... Twilight was in the same position!

She could have used her pony strength to kick or punch them away... she could have used her pegasus wings to fly away from their reach... she could have used her unicorn magic to stun them and run away! Then, why was she in such a position!?

Somehow, in the back of her mind, she already knew the answer... it was what she wanted from the beginning... and she hated such thoughts.

"Just look at her! She's a moaning mess already!"

And it was true, much to her own disgrace. She had never felt such pleasure... unwanted, filthy and horrible as the act was... but she was experiencing so much... her own thoughts were difficult to make, only being able to feel how every cock was pushed inside her, or against her hands and breasts. In fact, they all had taken it one step further, and while her mouth was left free for the moment, several cocks were being slapped, rubbed and pushed against her face!

Once again, everything she could see was their cocks... and not only that... she could also smell them, sometimes taste them, all while her lower holes were being raped by a pair of caribou, then filled to the brim with their filthy semen... and then quickly be replaced by another two caribou.

And all the while... she was moaning so loud... there was no doubt... she was enjoying it... perhaps a bit too much.

"Yeah! This slut was born to take cock! She isn't even resisting!" Another one, probable one pounding her holes, said with a mocking laugh at the end... and Twilight shamefully admitted it was true.

She wasn't tired... she wasn't strained... she could fully resist and fight back... but she did not want to. Instead, she found herself slowly moving her hands in time with the caribou's movements, and even her tongue shyly began to get out of her mouth to finally take in a taste of one of those obscenely big cocks...

Twilight let out a single tear fall from her eyes when she realized it... and found herself hating herself for it... she was liking it... she was liking the fact that she was being raped... and she loved the feeling! Not only the intense, not to say brutal pounding they were giving her... but also all the humilliating comments they were constantly sending her, making her feel even hotter and hotter, as if every insult they sent was clouding her head...

And then, another one came into her, making her release not a moan, but actually a scream of pleasure, feeling as if her eyes and ears stopped working for a few moments, and leaving her legs a shaking, trembling mess...

And then, when she finally recovered, she noticed she had been laid in the middle of all the caribou, who were instead jerking off all around her... Twilight knew what was about to happen... and she did nothing to stop them as they all began to shoot what was left of their seed all over her body. Instead, she simply stared onto the infinite, wondering exactly what was wrong with her. How had she gotten herself into such a mess?

Suddenly, she recovered a bit of clarity when she looked at her hands, finally noticing a bright, glowing ring around it of a bright, deep blue energy... it had been Luna's spell to protect her dreams... But why was she able to see it?

Twilight's brilliant mind instantly made the connections, sending a tingle or pure fear down her whole body while the world around her began to crack and then get sucked into some sort of void in the distance.

That was a dream... or more like a nightmare... but if her dreams were still protected from any influence of Dainn... then why did she have such dreams in the first place?

There was only one explanation...

The spell protected her from any outside influence... but what about the inner influence? That dream... that nightmare hadn't been caused by anypony else... but her. Her own subconscious mind...

Still in puddle caused by the copious amount of semen, both deposited inside her or plastered into her body, she curled herself into a tight ball... all while screams in the distance began to sound. Screams that seemed to get closer and closer, and all the while calling out for her.

"Princess Twilight!"
"Princess Twilight! Are you okay!?"





"Princess Twilight!"

Twilight gasped when she opened her eyes once more, finding the faces of three guards who were looking at her with a concerned expression. Looking down, she noticed she had fallen asleep and had fallen off of the log. Just a short distance away from her, the chest plate she had been investigating laid on the floor.

Almost instantly, she got up quickly, almost bumping her head against one of the guards', panting as if she had just run a marathon.

"The Caribou! They got loose!" She began to scream before running towards the barn, leaving three very concerned guards behind. Just before she could throw herself at the doors of the barn, she stopped when she noticed the bar was back in its place, securing everything inside once more.

"Princess? Are you truly sure you are alright?"

Twilight looked around in a panic, trying to gather her thoughts while she looked around... and then she remembered Luna's band around her wrist. Looking down, she was glad it wasn't visible. That was not a dream.

"Y-Yes... i-i... I think i just fell asleep and... had a nightmare..."

Twilight tried to explain quickly, suddenly starting to feel dizzy and already feeling the urge to throw up building up inside her. One of the guards was already reaching out to her before Twilight felt herself at her limit. She simply turned away from him and ran as fast as she could, trying to find a place where she could hide, as to not be seen like that.

And yet, even after she was done, feeling her stomach empty, dizzy, and completely weak... she was still feeling nauseous. The memory of what she had just dreamed kept repeating over and over, making her feel even worse as the moments passed by.

Finally, she began to feel the world's gravity take a hold of her, feeling how she was falling on her side slowly, like a recently cut tree leaning on its side until it fell flatly on the world.

She could see on the distance how the guards were running towards her, knowing full well they would not be able to catch her... and yet, the only thought on her mind, as she remembered once more the dream, was:

"I am... so disgusting..."
> Injuries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Twilight would have expected to see when her eyes opened would have been the leaves shaking under the warm sun and the fresh wind, at least according to the last thing she remembered. Or even so, when the memory of what had happened reached her mind, she expected to find herself on her home, the place where almost everything important regarding the matter at hand had to be discussed.

With that in mind, the last thing she was expecting to see when she was waking up was the bothersome, plain white lights of the hospital, the soft buzzing they made, and the annoying white bright they emitted in front of her eyes. Weakly, she lifted a hand up to cover her eyes from the same shine. Unfortunately for her, it seemed like it did little to nothing to alleviate the pain coursing through her head, as there were other lights in the same room causing the same effect. To try and help herself a bit, she turned in her bed to avoid direct sight into those lights.

And by doing so, the sight of her dear friend, Rainbow Dash, sitting right next to her bed while holding a book in her hands, though said book slowly fell from the pegasus' hands when both ponies made eye contact. Several moments passed while both ponies stared at each other in complete silence. Twilight even lifted her hand again to watch her wrist, believing it was a dream... but Luna's arcane band was nowhere to be seen... she was awake.

Twilight almost jumped in shock when Rainbow's hand suddenly reached up to hers, grasping it firmly and even pressing it caringly.

"Twilight, oh for Celestia... I thought you wouldn't wake up! The doctors... they couldn't find anything wrong with you, but you weren't waking up!"

Rainbow slowly reached out and brought her friend in for a hug. Twilight accepted said hug with a quiet attitude all the while, with her mind already wrecking itself apart while trying to understand what was happening. How much time had passed since she passed out, considering Rainbow had been catatonic for a while, and now she was back to her hooves?

"Twi? You okay?"

Twilight weakly opened her mouth while clutching her friend's robe firmly, as if she was fearing her dear friend would vanish in the moment she let go of her.

"... how long have i been out, Rainbow?"

Rainbow slowly moved her hands down to her friend's arms, slowly pushing her back to the bed, but still keeping her tightly held while she pulled back to sit back again, making a small wince as she laid back.

"Frankly, Twilight? A couple days at the most... at least, since they brought you here... as far as i know, you've been out for several days."

Twilight was shocked to hear that... days? How could that be?

"Days!? Oh, by Celestia... i've been asleep for days..." Twilight almost shot up out of her bed, if not for her dear friend grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her softly but firmly down. "I need to go and check the city, make sure everything is fine and-"

"Twilight! Calm down!" Rainbow suddenly insisted, which seemed to shake twilight off of her worries for the moment as she turned to her friend. "... okay, that's better...  now, before you have another one of your crazy nerd episodes... you just have to know that things are going... well enough, considering the situation. The Caribou haven't shown their ugly heads around here so far, so everything is fine."

Twilight sighed softly at that news, even letting herself sink back on the uncomfortable hospital bed. At least, the caribou hadn't arrived yet...

Still, as she opened her eyes once more when he "brilliant" mind suddenly realized something, making her slowly get up again and turn to her friend again.

"... Rainbow... you are..."

"Awake? Aware? Everything else starting with 'awa'? Yes, i am..." Rainbow added with her own smirk, laughing softly at her own joke before leaning back... though after a few moments, her mocking grin slowly began to turn into a small frown while slowly reaching for her knees and hugging them again. "... yes, i am... i am awake..."

Twilight immediately was concerned at that, having to sit on the edge of her bed to try and reach out Rainbow with her hand.

"Rainbow?"

"I'm fine, Twi, don't think too much about it... after all, i am sure your nerd brain is already pretty scrambled with everything going on... the last thing you need is... another burden on you after all."

Twilight almost let out a sob at that, immediately launching herself at her friend to hug her tightly, causing Rainbow to let out a sudden gasp.

"Rainbow Dash, you listen to me... you aren't a burden... you are my friend... and my friends aren't a burden at all." Twilight hugged her friend even tight as she let out those words, even with tears spilling from her eyes.

After a few moments, she felt as Rainbow shifted softly on her place, and then felt her friend's hands reaching up to her body and slowly embracing her in the same way Twilight was holding her.

"... thank you for the kind words, Twi... but... i am a burden... i couldn't help you in Canterlot... nor could i help you at the battle before... all i did was... rush in, get myself beaten up in the process... and then having to abandon you... I am of no help, Twi... i am just a burden."

Twilight made sure to hold he dear friend tightly while she talked, paying close attention to every word she was saying. After all... it was the same for her. Much like Rainbow, she had tried to fight, she had tried to defend some others... but as things turned out, it only looked more as if she had been fleeing... and failing to the rest of her pony friends. In several ways... they both felt the same way about themselves.

"... and there is... another thing..." Rainbow added after a few moments, and suddenly going quiet for several moments... too quiet, considering it was her athletic friend... when Twilight got worried and pulled back, she finally noticed her friend having a sorry expression on her face, with her teeth gritted to hold back her own sobbing, but with tears falling from her eyes... and finally, behind her, extending behind her were the two appendages that once had been her proud and strong wings.

Twilight let out her own tears away after seeing that. In no way was Rainbow a burden to her... but the Caribou had taken away something very treasured for her dear friend: her wings. She was no stranger to shedding, a process in which some pegasi had to pluck some feathers away, specially those that were beyond repair, to make way for new feathers to grow. But in Rainbow's case... no feathers were growing back, and nothing in them seemed to indicate they'd be back soon...

"... t-they... they took my wings away, twilight... MY WINGS!!!" Rainbow suddenly shouted up, almost leaving a buzzing on Twilight's ears... and then just as she threw her head back to shout, her mouth opened again to release a pain filled cry while she hugged her knees even tighter.

Twilight was trying her best to say anything, but no words got out of her mouth... as much as she wanted to say something... she couldn't find anything to say. Instead, she could only stand there in front of her broken friend with an awkward expression... but then, she remembered some words somepony had told her once.

With that, she threw herself at her friend once more, hugging her firmly and pushing her face against her shoulder, letting out her own tears as well... Rainbow kept crying loudly for several minutes, with Twilight merely being there for her in her most darkest moment. And finally, while Rainbow's cries slowly began to die down, Twilight spoke up as well.

"... i know how you feel in some ways... i was in Canterlot, too, Rainbow... and after you left for help... it was a nightmare... so many poor, innocent mares being raped or degraded... and i was powerless to help them... and the Caribou have also taken away something really precious to me, Rainbow. They took my friends, my family, and the princesses as well... i was powerless when they cut off Celestia's horn... when they raped Luna in front of me... when they made that horrible parade in which so many mares suffered... I understand you, Rainbow... I know the feeling..."

Rainbow's cries did not cease... but at least seemed to slow down as Twilight spoke...

"... and then... when that battle happened... i wasn't fast enough to help you... and even now... i am powerless to help you... it is I who is a burden, Rainbow... what a princess i turned out to be, didn't I?"

Twilight had repeated those same words over and over in her head for the past weeks, sometimes even finding herself pondering on who to name a leader above her, as more than once she doubted she had the power, much less the will to lead a group of ponies against a mighty enemy as the Caribou. They needed a strong leader... and Twilight more than once thought of herself as everything but strong.

But at that moment? As she finally let out those words, she somehow felt as if a great burden had been lifted from her chest... as if she could finally breathe again.

"... well... i suppose that makes us a pair of losers, huh?"

Twilight blinked softly at that, having to pull back to look at Rainbow who was wiping away some of the tears falling away from her eyes with her arm, all while having a small smile on her face.

"I mean... that is good, right? After all, is it not on geometry where negative and negative make a positive?"

Twilight blinked a couple of times in confusion at that. Not only for the incoherence Rainbow had said... but also because such a dumb phrase had somehow brought a smile to her face.

"That's on algebra, Rainbow."

"Whatever, Nerd."

And then, laughter. Twilight was still confused. Why were they laughing? She did understand that they were simply laughing at a very bad joke... but then again... they were on war with a mighty force whose eyes were set on conquering all of Equestria... and there they were, laughing like a pair of fillies.

They should be making plans for countering the enemy when the time came... but there they were... laughing.

And yet... it was as if it was the happiest moment in her life, and probably Rainbow's as well. And that was making the laughter much more enjoyable. At that moment, there was no war, there was no Caribou, there was nothing else... just Twilight and her own friend.





"So... anything yet?"

Twilight let out a soft groan when that same question was made for... was it the seventh or eight time? Oh, by Celestia, she had already lost count.

"I'm still checking, so please, stay still Rainbow. Or do you not want your wings back?"

Rainbow's answer was an annoyed huff, and then crossing her arms over her chest as if she was a brat whose parents had just berated at her for having fun. Twilight let out a soft chuckle of that.

"So...?"

Twilight, kept inspecting her friend's "wings" for a few moments, even using a magnifying glass to look closer.

"Once again, i've found nothing yet Rainbow. I am still not sure how Caribou magic works at all, and i am not really sure what i am seeing here. So far, I know the Caribou use runes to invoke some kind of 'anti magic', which completely nullifies every kind of magic us Ponies have..."

Twilight kept pondering to herself for a few more moments, before noticing her friend had gone silent again. Turning to her, she was received with a flat stare of her friend who simply pulled her wing back, turned to her and then delivered a couple of soft knocks on Twilight's forehead.

"And am i supposed to understand all that nerdy stuff you just said, Twilight?"

Twilight's cheeks puffed in mild annoyance at that, turning away from her friend and adopting the very same pose Rainbow had taken just moments ago, to which Rainbow let out a soft laughter as well.

"Sorry, i know i can be annoying sometimes, Twilight... but hey, when it comes to scientific, egghead stuff, i prefer to leave it to you." Rainbow quickly jumped from the bed she was in and adopting a "brave" pose, letting out a few jabs at the air in front of her. "I prefer to get more... physical, if you know what i mean."

Twilight let out a soft huffing after Rainbow said that. But internally, she was smiling. Rainbow might not have been the shiniest tool in the shed, as Applejack declared more than once... but she was indeed loyal.

"Alright, Rainbow... then, i'll let you know when the Egghead comes up with something else for your wings." Twilight said with a small smile as she began to levitate some bandages and a variety of items to wrap around Rainbow's wings. "Meanwhile, this'll have to do so they don't get infected. We'll have to check again in a couple days."

Twilight said with a smile, receiving a nod from Rainbow as she covered again with her robe.  "Okay, Doc Twi."

Twilight smirked at that comment... if only she knew she had a Ph D. on magic studies. "Okay, patient Dash... anything else that ails you, or should we go back to town so they stop worrying about us?"

Twilight said while beginning to look for her things in the nearby drawers for her clothes... hopefully they wouldn't be... stained from her incident before. She sighed when she saw her clothes not only had been folded neatly, but also had been washed. She was beginning to undo the bag holding them when Rainbow spoke once more.

"Actually... there is... something else." Twilight turned to her friend, who was looking away from her. This immediately made twilight concerned. Until that moment, Rainbow had been relaxed and even happy... but she had returned to the closed attitude... "You see... there is another issue with me..."

Twilight softly put her hand on top of Rainbow's shoulder, making her look back at her. Rainbow turned to her friend, showing an embarrassed and blushing expression.

"Rainbow, what is wrong?"

"... I-I... this is... something strange, you know... but..."

"Rainbow, what is going on?"

".. I-I... I'm in heat..."

Twilight's face blushed in the same way as he friend's. "O-Oh... well... maybe you can ask for the doctors to provide you with some medicine to lower your hormone levels and such..." Twilight was already detailing in her mind every medicine she could remember that would help them, but that was suddenly stopped by Rainbow.

"N-No... not like that... I mean, it kind of is... but it's not... natural, you know? Not like the usual cycle... and i feel like it is wrong."

Twilight immediately remembered some of the runes she had seen, how some of those had an specific effect on females and males...

"When did it start, Rainbow?"

"Since... well... since i face the crazy geezer outside the wall, you know?" Rainbow stopped for a few moments while she crossed her arms over her chest once more, rubbing her arms, as if comforting herself... or encouraging. "... And since then... I-I... I've been having these... dreams whenever i close my eyes..."

A chill suddenly ran down Twilight's spine when she heard that... it was the Corruption... the symptoms were clear for her. But somehow... it seemed like the effects on here were... greater, considering Twilight hadn't lost her wings' feathers, neither the pegasi who had come with her... and yet...

"... every time i try to sleep... i see them... and i see myself... begging for them to fuck me, to enslave me... And even when my eyes are open... i still feel that desire, you know? As to just... get down on my knees and..."

Rainbow seemed to want to continue... but it seemed like either her will or her energies were running out, and no more words would come out of her. Twilight quickly reached out to her friend's shoulder to rub it softly, encouraging her friend to trust her. At first, Rainbow flinched and her shoulders got tense...

Still, after a few moments, Rainbow relaxed for a few moments, and then turned to her friend with a few tears on her eyes.

"Still... when i heard you had been taken into the hospital... something... i don't know how to describe it... but something inside me told me to... take care of you. I suppose you could say... something gave me a push..."

Twilight nodded softly at that. Somehow, she had felt the same several times... including the time where she ran to face the runemaster just to help her friend. And she knew enough about magic to know what it was. It was pure friendship...

"... something told you that you needed to help... a friend." Twilight said quietly, more than a mere whisper, but enough to be heard by her dear friend, who turned to her with a smile.

"Yeah... Something like that..."

Rainbow embraced her friend once more, spending some more moments like that... at least until she felt things were too... awkward. Had Twilight ever been that... beautiful? As if to recover some semblance of "coolness", she suddenly reached up to her face, holding her head firmly with one arm hooked around it before ruffling her mane, earning an annoyed look from her friend, who now had her mane with a more... cool look, if she said it herself.

Twilight, on the other hand, while having an annoyed frown on her face, was glad to see her friend (mostly) back in good health, both physical and psychological... at least for the time being. After all...

She looked outside of the window towards Canterlot, which strangely enough, seemed to have no shield at the moment. Her face steeled at that, knowing full the next assault might come at any moment.

"Come on, Rainbow... we have to prepare. They might come at any moment now..."

Twilight began to get her clothes on again, all the while pondering to herself while she continued to look at the city in the mountain. Her own psyche was at the verge of breaking down... but she'd have to hold on for the moment...

After all...

They were at war.

But they'd face it...together, as friends.
> The Black Pelts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

More letters... more hope...

Or at least, that's what twilight tried to tell to herself as she picked up yet another letter into her grasp and started to open it with the hopes that at least one more town or village, or even a city would answer her plea of assistance... she even closed her eyes and let out a sigh, as if preparing herself for the quite possibly bad news on the next letter.

At least until a rolled up ball of paper suddenly hit her on the side of the face, making her turn away from the letter to send a glare towards a bored Rainbow, whose hooves were on top of a desk while lazily making another envelope a paper ball and then throwing it up and down on her own hand. Twilight immediately took it away from her with her magic, earning an equally annoyed glare from the pegasus.

"... you know, it's fun writing and reading letters... but this is becoming bothersome, you know?" Rainbow declared before turning to a pile of letters Twilight had neatly arranged in "positive" and "negative" answers. "... I mean, the whole reading negative answers and such... I mean, we do know some of these are positive answers and such... but why bother opening them? If they are actually sending help, then we'll have little to do other than wait, right?"

Twilight sighed at that. On that regards, Rainbow was right. She could only read them and make a mental calculation (and a very inaccurate calculation) of how many ponies would actually be sent to help them. And yet...

Twilight tried to shake away the nasty doubts beginning to cloud her mind. In fact, that was the exact same reason about why she was reading those letters. The wall had been completely repaired while she was out, thanks to the guidance of Granny Smith and Big Mac, and the guards had taken it upon themselves to coordinate the patrols, defenses and such. And in other regards, there was always Mayor Mare and her "council" who had taken to do the usual tasks to keep the city running while on siege.

Even Rarity had been taking it on herself to do some clothing for the guards, specially some of which that could be used as camouflage. Though that had stopped as soon as she found out Twilight was awake... not to mention Rainbow as well.

And speaking of which, Twilight turned away from the pegasus at the desk to look at her unicorn friend, who was almost as focused on her work as her... though with a more... delicate way. While Rainbow simply ripped the top of the envelope, and Twilight used her magic to open the envelope, Rarity was using a small knife to open the envelope, putting the knife down, taking the letter out of the envelope, and then setting it down before reading the letter.

In several regards, even Rarity seemed to be even more organized than herself... and that made Twilight's doubts begin to arise anew. Just by looking at what the other ponies had done in her absence... It made her feel not useless per se... but unneeded? Definitely.

She couldn't blame the rest of the other ponies... they had done it in good faith towards her, thinking she might be feeling not too well after everything. And she really appreciated the gesture... but that left her with too much free time in her hands... time that she had been using to verify almost everything around Ponyville, if only to keep her mind busy to not think too much about the corruption growing inside of her... or rather, THEM, Twilight reminded herself.

One way or another, Twilight knew that the three of them had been exposed in one way or another to the Corruption, Rarity during her time in Canterlot and that shady club Fleur had been... Rainbow for doing direct contact with the Caribou magic... and herself?

Her mind was drifting once more, and once more the doubts were growing once more. Twilight let out a tired groan before getting up from her chair and setting the letter she had hold in her hands for several minutes, still unopened, onto the little table at her side, where several other unopened letters were laying.

"Girls... i really appreciate your help... but i think i'll take a bath, alright?"

"Do you need company?" Both Twilight and Rarity stopped what they were doing sharply, turning almost at the same time to stare at their pegasus friend with a shocked and confused stare. Realizing what she had said, Rainbow let out a nervous chuckle while rubbing the back of her head. "Heh heh... i mean... we are all worried about you Twilight... What would happen if you suddenly passed out while in the tub?"

Twilight smiled at that, followed shortly by Rarity who had placed her hand on top of Twilight's shoulder.

Among the three of them, they had talked about what had exactly happened with them. It was a particularly awkward conversation, to say the least... but even if what they had done and what they were feeling was strange, they were still friends. If anything, the three of them seemed to be... more quiet after coming out like that. While some things had been... strange to confess and hear, they all had opened up in ways they hadn't thought about before... and they were closer like that, despite what they thought.

"Don't worry, Rainbow, i'll be alright. i'm not feeling that dizzy or tired... i'll be fine."

Rainbow nodded at that, slowly getting up on her hooves and starting to walk towards the door, turning once more to her friend and showing an apologetic smile before rushing out. Though at the last moment, Twilight herself called out to her.

"Rainbow? Will YOU be okay?"

Rainbow stopped in her tracks once more, suddenly realizing something... she lived on a cloud... and without wings?

"Ahh, yeeeeah... about that... Granny Smith offered me a room to stay. So... yeah... i'll be fine. Don't worry Twilight."

Twilight smiled at that. If anything, Granny Smith has been a huge support for everyone on those moments, despite always looking tired and, for a lack of a better term, old. Twilight truly wished she could be like that... and yet, she couldn't. By the time she was about to offer her friend to stay at her place, she was already too far away, at least from her perspective...

She frowned before going back into her home, silently closing the door behind her and turning off the lights, going back into her own room. As she looked through her windows, she realized she could still see the lights of the guards (and even some civilians) patrolling the wall.

A single tear fell from her eyes before she fell on her butt, hugging her knees against herself and starting to sniffle softly. She wanted to help so badly... but she couldn't....

Why couldn't she? She began to wonder. Because of the Corruption, she told to herself. It was slowly starting to make her behave differently, as if she was back to being a filly. Clumsy and a fool.

Twilight's sobbings stopped for a moment when she heard a loud snore. A loud and feral snore, which was coming from below her...

Spike...

Twilight's sobbing seemed to stop, thought it was still threatening to continue as she looked at the floor, as if she could see Spike sleeping peacefully below her. Her hands turned into fists, pressing them too hard to the point she was almost cutting herself with her nails and drawing blood.

She was an alicorn, one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, with two of its main members defeating the very incarnation of chaos itself! Then, why was she unable to do anything!? Twilight pressed her knees against her body once more, but she couldn't sob anymore... instead, all she could feel was anger... anger at herself.





When she opened her eyes, she suddenly found herself back at the stadium, looking directly into the eyes of the King. Twilight shuddered. It never ceased sending chills down her body, not even when it was a dream. Twilight almost immediately knew where she was... it was pretty much the same nightmare she had been having so many times in the last days. Before and after entering the hospital.

By the time, she was... almost used to having said nightmares... but she still felt that chill running down her body when she saw HIM. She had read psychology books, and she knew the signs of trauma... and she couldn't lie to herself. That had been downright terrifying... and traumatizing for her.

And still, no matter how much she tried, she always saw the same dream, replaying like a memory. Celestia, how she fought valiantly, how she fell... and how she was crippled for life... then, Cadence's treason, Luna's capture...

Twilight covered her ears in a vain attempt to cover the next part, one she hated so much... Every rape she had seen on that day, every humiliation, everything she had seen... in a sudden twist, she was seeing herself suffering all those things... and she was smiling all the while, seemingly enjoying being raped by those stupid Caribou.

She was covering her ears, and her eyes were closed tightly, desperate to get rid of that nightmare. She couldn't help a quick glance at  her wrist, confirming Luna's spell was still working... and still, she was still having Nightmares. She wished dearly for Luna to be there, to help her with at least something.

But she knew better than that. The last time she had seen her, she had made sure to secure her mind and dreams... and that had been several days ago. And they hadn't gotten any news from Canterlot lately. She turned towards the dream version of Luna, who was once more in the same pose she had seen her before.

"... A pleasure... to see you again... Twilight Sparkle..."

Twilight gasped when the dream version of Luna turned to her... and actually spoke to her!

"P-Princess Luna? I-is that-?"

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle... it is I... but i cannot manifest myself fully on your dream... i'll have to use this for now." Luna spoke once more, letting Twilight know she'd have to speak with her like that... while the dream version of luna was still being fucked by the big wolf.

"I understand Princess... speak to me..."

Twilight had to admit it was a pretty disturbing sight... Luna was being fucked by the wolf, but instead of the pain/pleasure filled moans... normal words where getting out of her mouth.

"... Twilight Sparkle... I have come to see... how the war is faring. We have not seen any of our subjects for several days... and our... handlers don't tell us much. Are you winning against Caribou?"

Twilight was immediately taken back by that question... the Caribou hadn't attacked yet.

"... we heard... another tribe would be given the chance to capture you... but it has been several days..."

Twilight was about to answer when she suddenly felt something wrong... Luna was... distressed?

"Princess Luna... what is wrong?"

"... Twilight..." 

Twilight stopped when she heard another voice around her. One that seemed to come out from... outside?

""... Twilight... wake up...

The dream was beginning to wave and fade, giving Twilight one last chance to turn back to the dream version of Luna to wish her luck, only to see the dream version of Luna to fade before her eyes, giving her no chance to even speak. The last thing she saw before the dream finally collapsed was the vision of the spell on her wrist shining brighter than before.

She didn't know exactly how it worked... but she did know something when she saw that: Somepony... or rather something had tried to sneak into her dreams.





Twilight gasped when she opened her eyes, finding herself in the same position she had fallen asleep the night before... and with both, Rainbow and Rarity looking at her with concerned expressions on her faces. Twilight immediately began to get up, trying to pretend nothing had happened, when in reality she was once again in conflict. Should she ask her friends if they had been having... strange dreams like her?

"Uhhh... Twi? You alright?"

Rainbow's voice brought her back from her thoughts, making her turn back to her friend while holding herself against the wall. Still drowsy and getting up really fast? Bad combination.

"Yes, Rainbow... sorry if i worried you... Well, i mean, yes, considering the situation."

A heavy silence fell between the three ponies, who seemed like they wanted to say something, but none could start. The silence was broken by Rarity, who politely cleared her throat before looking over at Rainbow, as if expecting her to say something. Rainbow looked at her with a confused face for several moments, before her eyes widened with clarity as she released a long "oh"

"Right, sorry.... Twilight... we are... under attack? Maybe? I don't know, it's just... uhh..."

Rarity huffed loudly before stepping forward, showing a serious face, one Twilight had only seen a couple times, being really different to the one she had when working and "inspired".

"What she means to say is... The caribou are here... but they are waiting for you, darling. They are at the doors of the wall, and they are requesting to see you... and they are also threatening to attack if you don't show up."

Twilight was shocked, to say the least. At first, she was expecting it to be one of Rainbow's twisted sense of joking... but when Rarity joined, it was obvious things were serious. As such, she had only one thing to say:

"Then, let us go."





She didn't need to arrive at the wall at all to notice Rainbow and Rarity were telling the truth, as all the guards seemed to be ready to defend, and all gathered and looking at the same place behind the wall. Around them, a crowd of nervous, muttering ponies were gathered, but none of them seemed bold enough to even peek around the wall. Or perhaps they had done it already and were too afraid to look again? Twilight wouldn't blame them if the later was the case.

"What is the matter, ponies!? Is your so called princess too afraid to show herself!?" A rough, heavily accented voice sounded from the other side of the wall. Twilight did recognize that accent. It was almost the same the King and the rest of the Caribou had when they spoke... but even so, that voice sounded... rougher.

Twilight immediately used her wings to leap onto the wall, finally allowing herself a quick look at the army outside. What she saw took out a gasp out of her:

The last army they had faced was a mix of both, Caribou and crystal ponies, along with some formerly Celestia's royal guards... but what she was seeing at that moment was very different: Well organized rows of Caribou before her, with the most obvious difference that almost all of them had a much darker tone of fur on them, a very dark brown easily confused with black, and all of them wearing full armor, with the main difference that the armor of the ones before looked like a novice's work in comparison to the ones before her.

Along with the same runes she had seen on the armor of the ones before them, she did also noticed something else, something that sent shivers down her spine. While the armors of the last ones were crude, they still had a silvery tone to it. A more ornamental design, it seemed... but those armors... They did not have a silvery tone on them. Instead, they had a more grey or blackish tonalities on them. Those weren't armors designed for mere show.

Even the one standing proudly in front of the army had a complete set of armor, but what really sent a deep feeling of fear on her very soul was the fact the leader didn't have a baton on his hands, not even a hammer like the one before him. No, he had a halberd.

They were facing a true warlord among the Caribou.

"YOU!" Twilight almost leaped in fright when the rough tone of the leader sounded once more, making her turn to him and finding him pointing directly at her. "Is it really you the one who is the leader of this... excuse of a militia!?" Some of the caribou behind him even laughed at that, as if they found the idea funny.

In reality, Twilight knew they were little more than militia of sorts. But they were all the hope Equestria had... she couldn't allow herself to show any kind of distress before any of them, her subjects and her enemies. She frowned at them before putting up a serious expression before she opened her wings and lit up her horn.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am the princess of Friendship. I am the proud leader of this army before you, the same army that will defeat you AND your king!"

Twilight was still holding a serious expression on her face at the time, trying to look like Celestia before her. That same pose always made her respect her tutor, not only because said pose seemed majestic, but it also reflected her power. If anything, she was hoping she could reflect the same thing.

And that was received with laughter from the Caribou before her.

"Please, do not mock us, your highness!" The leader said before doing an exaggerated reverence towards her direction. "You are pretty, and we can't deny you'd make an excellent slave... but we know you'd give us little to no fight."

Several of the ponies behind her gasped at such a bold statement from the Caribou before them. Even the guards held their weapons tighter. Said things being told to the princess was an insult to them, as if the insult had been directed to them.

"Please... we know it wasn't you the one who won the battle over those useless Wooden Antlers... we heard there was a stallion among you... one bigger than any other seen on this land. He is rumored to be a beast in battle, and he was even able to defeat one of those Rune masters, as the Stone Hooves call them. HE is the one we are truly interested in."

Twilight's memories immediately brought back Luna's message. They didn't know the Rune Master's death had been by her own... an accident, of course, but still her own. And yet... they were blaming it on Big Mac.

"It is him who sounds like a worthy opponent! Bring him forth, and let us battle! If he, your mightiest, wins against OUR mightiest... then, we will give your... village... a fighting chance. Otherwise... we will lay waste on your ponies. After all... the king is only requesting YOU to be brought to him."

Twilight had to land on the floor beneath her before she passed out. One thing were the Caribou who were looking to enslave her and the rest of her ponies... but those Caribou? They were posing another threat.

"Twilight." She could only turn around quietly, coming face to face with the red stallion himself, who was looking at her with burning fire behind his eyes. She felt conflict rising up on her when she saw him not only close to the Caribou who wanted to fight with him... but she also saw him holding tightly the hammer he had taken from the past caribou leader.

None had said a word, but none needed to be said. Twilight wanted to say something to stop him from going outside, anything... but Big Mac's expression said everything. She had nothing to say at the moment.

The silent stallion simply turned to the rest of the ponies before turning once more towards his friend, leaving a clear message: To care for them. If she could prepare them better or think of something while he fought, then maybe they'd have a chance. They had been lucky last time, mainly due to how disorganized the other army was... but the one behind the wall...

Twilight knew they were in trouble. And it was the moment the rest of her ponies prepared... the true battle would begin soon.

Twilight remembered those letters she had read so intensely before. If the rest of her ponies would send help, she sure hoped it'd be soon enough.
> First loss
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight wanted so badly to stand in front of Big Mac, to tell him there was another option, and indeed, there were, but she soon realized few of those options were actual good ideas. The Caribou just outside the wall had threatened to lay waste on all of Ponyville if they did not comply. And even if they tried to defend themselves, she found the idea to not be very good. She had taken a good look at the actual army just outside, and it was a very formidable force. But something that somehow sent chills down her spine was the fact they were all warriors. Unlike the "Wooden antlers", as they had referred to the past force, they did not have any spell caster with them, or at least not on sight.

And just the mere fact she could not see a spell caster among them, not to mention the actual armor and sharp weapons most of them wielded, what scared Twilight. If not for the fact Rainbow was helping her stay on her hooves, she would've fallen to her knees.

Her eyes just couldn't stay away from Big Mac's, but there seemed to be no need, as even without words, a full conversation was made between them, in which Twilight asked, PLEADED, for Mac to not go out there.

But a simple stare from Mac simply told her there was no other choice... and they both knew it. They didn't know what would happen if they dared to defy the Caribou by not complying to their threats... but Twilight knew they were brutal in the way they handled mares. How would they handle males that were "traitors to the cause", as they surely called them?

But in the end, a tear threatened to escape from her eyes when she remembered one of the most important lessons of being a princess she had read before about the great conquerors. Making the harshest decisions for the well being of the most, even if the cost would be of sacrificing lives... innocent lives.

Twilight found herself quiet. She wanted to say something so badly... but as she finally moved her eyes away from Big Mac's, she couldn't say something. Big Mac merely nodded silently before gripping tightly the hammer in his hands. Turning his head to look at Granny Smith, he suddenly found himself on the same position as Twilight.

Big Mac had always been a stallion of few words... but the moment where he wanted the most to really say something meaningful, Granny Smith simply lifted a hand to her mouth, sending him a sweet smile and then sending him a nod.

Twilight had the suspicion something bad might happen, and she was already getting up to try and go with him. If there was no way to stop him from going, then she could try to go along.

And yet, Twilight suddenly grew furious when a pair of guards stopped her from advancing further.

"No, princess. Allow us to go. You and the rest of the elements should stay safe. It is important for Equestria that you stay out of danger."

Twilight was furious... not at her guards, because they were right... no, not at them, but mostly at herself. She was a princess, and alicorn, one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, or probably the whole word... and yet, she was powerless to at least make a struggle. And as she looked at her two friends, she found they shared at least some of those feelings. Rainbow was noticeably uncomfortable with the whole setting. She wanted to fight, but without her wings, she was severely crippled. Indeed, she knew several fighting styles... but there was a huge difference between competitions, where she could brag and show off as many movements as she wanted against wooden dummies and hay filled bags... and a real war, just like the one they were facing.

As for Rarity? She didn't seem as eager as Rainbow Dash or even Twilight herself, surely because she didn't want to get her hooves dirty, twilight thought with a quick mental smirk... but there was still a very noticeable discomfort from not being able to do anything other than stand aside and pray to whatever deities that were out there for them to listen to her plight for the protection and well being of her friend's brother and those brave guards. For Celestia's mane, she had seen how Rarity had valiantly fought with her own hands and magic several of the changelings all by herself when the Changeling invasion occurred some time back. She wasn't a mare in distress in the slightest!

Twilight could simply let out a soft moan of frustration before simply stepping back and crossing her arms. She knew they were right. She was the last free princess of Equestria... and she needed to stay back, where it was "safe" if she wanted to keep not only Ponyville's, but pretty much the rest of Equestria's hopes of being freed and drive back the invading force back and fleeing from wherever they had come from.

She didn't like it... in fact, she hated the idea. She was now little more than a symbol, something akin to an idol to keep on a pedestal to look up to... and something belonging to a temple rather than the battlefield.

Her own presence was already enough to keep the morale high, or as high as the circumstances allowed it. And she knew it should be kept as such... But that more than often meant she'd have to stay back like the beacon of hope, rather than the flag at the hands of the vanguard. And she hated that.

As such... Twilight sighed sadly as she simply let her eyes follow the royal guards, some of the few still loyal to her... no, to Equestria, as they passed by towards the door.

In comparison to the rest of the ponies, and without including Big Mac, of course, those ponies were the only ones with real armor and weapons reserved for combat. Even if their once pristine armor had been stained with tar, mud or several of the other materials used for the construction of the wall, they still held the prestige of a royal guard fulfilling their duty.

As soon as the door was opened and the group of ponies passed through it, Twilight spread her wings to fly onto the upper part of the wall where she could see more clearly. If anything, perhaps to calm herself instead of just staying on the blind and wait... no, pray for the better. Perhaps she could even be of help herself!

She looked patiently as Big Macintosh walked forward, followed closely by the small group of guards behind him. Every step seemed to be sounding loudly on the field, as if the ground was made out of marble rather than dirt. And yet, perhaps it was by the burning conviction behind their eyes, but Twilight could see no fear at all behind the eyes of her friend and her guards. That could easily be because of their training.

Of course, aside of the Changeling invasion, none of them had been in an actual war, but the constant training they had been under was showing as they marched. Her ears lowered against her head as she knew what that meant. They were ready and willing to give up their lives for her and the other ponies.

After several tension filled minutes, the big red stallion she called friend was finally standing before the Caribou warlord. While the distance made it difficult, Twilight could still see something concerning. Big Mac, one of the biggest ponies, without counting Celestia and Luna themselves, could barely reach to the Caribou's neck, with the tip of its ears barely reaching the chin of the Caribou in front of him.

The caribou on the other hand, was looking at him with... a smile?

Twilight had to blink several times to make sure her eyes weren't betraying her. The caribou was actually smiling at Big Mac! After a few moments, the Caribou let out a laugh so loud she could hear it clearly. But it wasn't the kind of mocking, cruel laugh she had heard moments before. It seemed... genuine laugh.

When she saw the Caribou's mouth begin to move, she quickly used a spell to enhance her hearing. What the caribou was saying could barely be heard at the moment, since he wasn't shouting. Her horn shone for a few moments, ensuring the spell was up before she began to listen closely.

"-must say... you are definitely more... closer to an actual warrior than the rest of ponies we have seen. You, and your little group of... lackeys here." The caribou made a gesture with his hand towards the other guards behind Big Mac. "... and to be honest... it would be a very great shame to destroy you."

Big Mac merely stared at the Caribou, holding tightly the hammer in his hand.

"You see... that 'strong' and 'powerful' kind... he only cares for the so called 'male superiority'..." Twilight was surprised to hear as some of the other Caribou behind him began to laugh softly, as if mocking the idea of "male superiority" their own King was enforcing! "... but we... we have a different view of things."

Both, Twilight and Big mac suddenly tensed up when the Caribou lifted its halberd, almost as if he was about to attack. Big Mac even held the hammed up to block the incoming attack... but said attack never came. Instead, the Caribou simply dropped the halberd, letting the edge get embedded into the ground and letting the handle in the air, confusing both ponies. Slowly, the Caribou warlord began to walk back and forth as he spoke.

"That stupid trash of superiority and conquest and such? Blegh." He added with a dismissive wave of his hand towards the ground. "He is too blinded by his new slaves and pleasure of life he and his followers have managed to acquire that he has lost the true purpose of what being a Caribou means."

"... which is?" One of the guards asked lowly, but still keeping his guard up, much like the rest of the ponies before the menacing Caribou.

"Being warriors, of course. Ages before this... superiority thing began, we, the Caribou, were a proud race of warriors. We didn't live in a single place. We were always on the move, waging war, taking spoils... but that changed when the bloodline of Dainn arrived. Things changed... some tribes began to settle and leave the ways of war behind... and that made them weak and fools..."

Some far memory seemed to pass through the Caribou's eyes as he suddenly took his halberd from the ground, making the ponies flinch again. But instead of attacking, the Caribou let out a scream of anger before plunging his halberd down onto the ground again.

"... and now... our lands... the lands were countless of our ancestors rest... is gone... because one single Caribou was foolish enough to try and become a god..."

Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. What did he mean by "trying to become a god"!?

"... but that is in the past... if anything, our tribe learned to not stay on the past and instead keep moving. If anything... perhaps it was for the best, since most of the weaker tribes have diminished. Yes, they have powerful magic and their deity on their side... but we are more, and stronger."

Twilight's mind began to race with possibilities... were they truly planning to form a truce, if not an alliance with them to take out Dainn?

"However... the Stonehoof clan and the Black Pelts aren't... that close as you ponies are... he even decided to trust a mere pony, no offense..." Twilight could hear one of her guards scoff at that. She honestly shared the feeling. "... But Dainn... he isn't looking for the wellbeing of his own people. He only wants to conquer, to claim, and to show everything as if it was a prize on a wall..."

Twilight remembered the image Luna had shown her, of the throne Dainn sat on, which had  the severed horns of the princesses attached to it. The Caribou was honest on that part.

"And what are you suggesting, Caribou? Surely you do not propose a truce?" One of the guards asked with an aggressive tone, something Twilight could easily share her feelings with.

"No, no, no... nothing of the sorts." The caribou quickly replied back with a smile, one that sent shivers down Twilight's back. "What we are proposing is... a reward for our services..."

Twilight's mind seemed to stop for a few moments as she tried to think about what the Caribou had said. But before any of them could ask, the Caribou simply chuckled at the confused expression of the ponies before continuing.

"What we suggest is... we get rid of Dainn, with a little of your help of course. We'll be needing for you to handle over your last precious pony princess, and she instantly becomes the key to get us close to Dainn himself! Only those who are inside the very small circle of confidence of Dainn can come close to him at the moment. The pony prince from the frozen wasteland at the north? That disgusting shapeshifting bug? His council, formed only by members of his own tribe? Aside of that, nobody else. As such, we cannot get rid of that disgusting bastard, as we will not be able to get close without the mixed force of caribou, pony and bugs falling down upon us..."

Twilight couldn't believe what her ears were picking. Were they truly saying they could destroy Dainn if they helped them!?

"... what's the catch?"

Even the Caribou seemed surprised as the words came from the big red stallion himself. But after a few moments, he simply shrugged before walking towards them, alone and with no other caribou behind him.

"... the catch is... we are on unknown lands... with little to no knowledge. Yes, we could return to that frozen wasteland at the north those transparent ponies used to live at... but aside of that, we'd be without food, resources, housing. We'd endure, but it'd be a harsh way to live... instead..."

Twilight gulped, fully knowing what the Caribou was about to say: they wanted a land for themselves. One where they could thrive and prosper... but then what? Would it be worth it if that meant they could go back to their barbaric ways of waging war, or worse, to have Equestria as a slave kingdom, just for saving them, and paying tributes to them?

"... and what about the ponies the caribou have captured so far?"

Another guard asked, willing to see where this was going.

"Ahh, yes... you can have most of the enslaved mares. we have no use for weak ponies within our ranks."

Twilight almost let out a smile of happiness at that. Her friends, they would be free! But her smile vanished as soon as the Caribou spoke again.

"We'll just keep the strongest ones to ourselves. After all, the next generations need to be stronger and better than the past one... as such, we will keep those you call 'alicorns' for ourselves. The rest of the ponies can return to their families and live their silly little and useless lives as usual."

Twilight's ears flattened when she heard that proposal. of course, she wasn't expecting the caribou to go for free... but that price was too much! They were basically planning to have her, Cadence, Luna and Celestia become full time breeders!

"... eeenope."

Twilight's ear flicked when she had that single word. it had come from Big Mac, but she could see by the way the guards stood, ready, and eager to battle the Caribou, they shared the same thought.

"... and here i thought you ponies were so much more 'civilized' and 'smarter' than other species... so illuminated by prosperous and peaceful times that you'd manage to see the advantages of this offer." The caribou began to speak in an agitated tone, showing he was bothered by Big Mac's answer. "Don't you see it is a good plan, one that will not include the deaths of several of your ponies? It almost seems as if you prefer a life of misery under the hoof of a tyrant rather than be free!"

"... what you describe isn't liberty." Big Mac spoke firmly, taking a step forward, and even going so far as to stand in front of the caribou with a cold glare. "It's sacrificing what we believe in... what we are..."

"Yes... princess Twilight has taught us the value of friendship..."

"And friends don't give up each other for their own hide."

Twilight felt a certain warmth inside of her, one she hadn't felt recently... pride. Was this what Celestia felt everyday when seeing her and her friends... and the kingdom she and her sister had lifted?

"So... what is going on?"

Twilight let out a loud shriek of surprise and terror when her thoughts were broken by the voice next to her. It was Rainbow, who had somehow managed to get a pair of binoculars and was staring in the distance at the caribou, right next to her. Twilight had to resist the urge to slap Rainbow on the back of the head for that scare, if only because she seemed to be just as, if not more interested than herself.

"... they are talking." Twilight answered simply, 

"Well, duh. But i mean, what are they saying?"

"I was listening until somepony interrupted." Twilight answered back in an annoyed tone as she began to redo the spell.

But at that moment, both, Rainbow and Twilight let out a gasp of horror when they noticed it: Big Macintosh had been pushed aside by a guard, who could only watch in silence when the halberd carried by the big Caribou suddenly fell onto him, cleaving cleanly between his head and his right shoulder.

Twilight's mind instantly became clouded with fear. Her worst fears had indeed come to pass. These Caribou, the Black Pelts... they did not hesitate to kill. The Caribou she had seen back at Canterlot did not kill, they only seemed eager to capture and conquer, but that did not imply killing.

And now, even as she tried to force herself to fly towards the fallen guard to try anything she could to save him, her body just did not answer. It was as if a huge weight had been put on top of her body, immobilizing her and incapacitating her from doing anything at all.

And of course, she wasn't the only one. Not a single soul said anything for what felt like years, simply staring at something none of them expected to ever see. Yes, they had been told of the horrors done back in Canterlot, and they had seen it themselves when the first group of Caribou arrived...

... But at that moment?

Twilight suddenly noticed somepony close to her hyperventilating. Her neck felt as if it hadn't moved in years, almost giving her a pain from the strain it took from simply tearing her eyes away from the scene before her to look in the direction the heavy breathing was coming from.

There, one of the flower ponies, was with a look that held a huge amount of not fear, but pure, unadulterated terror behind them. And yet, she didn't move much like what they used to do in the past, where they would simply jump and run in a random direction while screaming as loud and for as long as their lungs would allow them...

Instead, she was paralyzed, unable to, like Twilight, tear her eyes away from the horrid scene before them, especially now when a small puddle of blood began to form around the dead guard's body. After a few moments, the flower pony finally opened her mouth, as if she was about to say something, or more like yell at the top of her lungs.

But no sound came out... instead, the hyperventilating continued... until suddenly, her eyes suddenly widened... and she simply fell back, completely unconscious when her body touched the ground. It was as if someone had simply flipped a button off!

Twilight understood the feeling... as she almost felt like throwing up, much like Rainbow had done moments before right next to her, when such a horrid scene came to be.

"OPEN THE WALL!"

Twilight suddenly heard, making her feel as if she had just woken up from a very bad dream. Even the deafening buzzing that had invaded her mind seemed to disappear when the voice of one of her guards came to her ears. Her head turned immediately in the direction of the voice. And then, she saw it:

3 of the four original guards that had gone with Big Mac were running back as fast as they could towards the fortified town, with two of them barely able to carry and run with an unconscious Big Macintosh between them. Twilight was just about to yell the order to open, though her mind stopped working once more when she saw it.

Despite the color, twilight could easily see it: a small, red trail of liquid running down from a heavily bruised, and possibly badly injured side of his head. Twilight was stuck in shock, unable to do anything other than watch until the small group of ponies vanished from her sight right below her, having finally entered the town.

But the terror didn't end there: her eyes immediately went back to the now lifeless body of the guard on the other side of the field, whose blood had made a small trail down the ground, which led to the Caribou's hooves. Twilight stared in horror at the murderous Caribou as he simply leaned down to pick up both, the hammer Big Macintosh had been holding onto when he got out of the town, and the dead guard's sword.

After a few moments of inspecting both weapons, the Caribou simply threw the hammer down to the ground, as if it was a mere piece of garbage, before turning to look at the shiny, silvery sword on his other hand. Somehow, he seemed more pleased with the sword, even if it was a bit bloodied.

For a moment, their eyes crossed, and Twilight felt a chill run down her spine, all the way to the tip of her tail when she saw his eyes. Cold, murderous, but with a burning conviction behind them. It told her everything she needed to know:

They would not stop at anything to achieve what they wanted. In a way, it was similar to Dainn, but the stare of the Black Pelt had something different written on it. Twilight could only stare in terror as the caribou lifted the bloodied sword, and closed his free hand through it to collect the spilled blood.

Slowly, the Caribou lifted his blood coated hand towards his face, staining it with a hand shaped blood stain before pointing forward.

Twilight's spell wasn't up, so she wasn't able to hear what he said when his mouth moved in the distance. She didn't know either if the gesture was to the town, or directly at her (both sent a terror filled chill down her back)...

But she did know one thing. And such thing was only confirmed when, as one, the rest of the Caribou took a loud step forward, rising their weapons in the air and letting out a menacing war cry.

She was NOT ready for this.