The moment seemed to stretch endlessly as Twilight stared at the collars wrapped around the throats of her two friends. She heard somepony whisper, “No....”, and it took her a moment to realize the voice was her own. Her hand held tightly to Fluttershy as another guard began approaching. A gleaming collar held in his hands was already open and he was lifting it towards Twilight's throat.

The threat of imminent chaining finally snapped Twilight out of her daze, and her horn erupted in violet fury as a stunning spell blasted the stallion backwards, toppling him to the ground. Magic poured from her horn as several more lanced outwards into the traitorous guards, and blurs at the edges of her vision signaled Applejack and Rainbow Dash joining in.

If the guard had been all that they had needed to contend with, Twilight would have easily been able to rescue her friends. The caribou had not been idle, though. While the ponies were distracted, they'd taken the time to surround the group. Two broke off, approaching Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, and then the males grabbed the dangling chains, pulling the mares close. Twilight heard the sound of rending cloth as the rest of Fluttershy's top was torn away, and then another crude yank destroyed her skirt and panties. The pegasus began shaking as she was exposed, and Twilight's eyes instinctively tracked the caribou's movement. She went red as she realized she was staring at her friend's groin, and Twilight quickly yanked her eyes back upwards.

Pinkie's dress joined the tatters of Fluttershy's clothing moments later, prompting Twilight to step forward. “LET THEM GO!” she cried out – only for her passage to be blocked by another caribou. She lashed out with a stun spell immediately, but it splashed against his armor and dissipated. Twilight took a step back, making space for Applejack to come to her aid. The Earth Pony wore grim determination as years of apple-bucking were put into a solid kick that smashed into his breastplate, denting the metal and sending him crumpling to the ground.

Applejack turned, giving Twilight a small smile. “Ain't no different than kickin a stubborn tree,” she began – but then another caribou between them, forcing Twilight away from Applejack. The farmpony dodged backwards, and stepped right into the waiting stun-prod of another caribou ambusher. Applejack convulsed, yet somehow remained on two hooves, at least until the first delivered a rough backhanded slap to her face that sent her sprawling. One of the black collars went around Applejack's throat, and beyond AJ, Twilight could see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie being dragged away.

Four caribou surrounded her, though, cutting her off from Applejack. One lunged at her, yet his fists met empty air as Twilight vanished in a flare of violet light, she reappearing some twenty feet away. Close by, she could see Rainbow Dash flowing from attacking to defending and back again. She danced between blows sent her way, easily dodging and riposting, though the caribou were weathering her counterattacks with ease. Without Applejack's raw strength, Rainbow wasn't having much effect beyond dishing out bruises to her opponents. Twilight hoped Rainbow could hold out, as Twilight found herself forced to contend with her own enemies. The four caribou spread out to flank the alicorn. She launched another stunning spell at the closest one, putting far more power into it than the first. It splashed against his armor, deflected, yet she saw him stagger for a moment.

Her horn's lavender light grew intense, dazzling each caribou before her and buying her the time to focus her magic. The third stunning spell soared forwards, overwhelming the protective enchantment, and the caribou hit the ground unconscious. Twilight needed a moment to recover; it was good to know she could call on that if need be, but it was far too inefficient to rely on, and the other three were still coming.

“What do I do, what do I do?” she murmured frantically, casting her eyes about. “Okay, can't use magic directly, too exhausting, have to improvise, I...” Her eyes fell on a rock nearby. She seized it with magic and sent it flying towards another caribou. He staggered as it crashed into his breastplate, distracted long enough for the next rock to crack him on the forehead, taking him out as well. Twilight didn't smile, however – she had to be fast if there was to be any hope of saving her friends.

A yelp from Rainbow Dash drew Twilight's attention to her friend. Rainbow's back was at the intersection of two walls. The caribou had been slowly herded her into a corner to contain her for capture, and now they were closing in. Twilight's eyes met Rainbow's own, and realizing there was no more her friend could do, she made a decision. “GO! Get to Ponyville! Find help!” Even with Twilight's order, Rainbow hesitated. Tears streaked down her cheeks, yet she dropped into a crouch, wordlessly mouthing an apology towards Twilight. The caribou prepared to attack, yet Rainbow was faster. She leapt into the air, her wings pumping as she streaked upwards, accelerating with every passing second. Bolas fell far short as the pegasus gained speed, and then Twilight found herself dazed by a sudden explosion of color. The now-familiar hues of the Sonic Rainboom washed through the air, and in the distance Twilight could see Rainbow's trail fleeing Canterlot in the direction of home.

It hadn't been easy. For her to order the Element of Loyalty to abandon her friends to their fates meant things had become truly desperate – yet what other choice did she have? Rainbow couldn't fight this way and accomplish anything meaningful, and both mares had known it. Still, Twilight's chest throat tightened and she fought back a sob as she realized she was now alone. She could see Applejack's body bouncing over the ground as her nude form was dragged away, but too many caribou barred Twilight from her friend.

As the remnants of rainbow light began to fade away, a beam of pink energy rose into the sky, then rapidly spread outwards to form a shimmering dome over Canterlot. Twilight felt a faint surge of hope. Her brother must be have been blocking more invaders from getting inside. Her gaze turned to the downed royal guard, and for a moment fear gripped her, yet...No. Shining Armor can't be a traitor! She wouldn't let herself even consider that possibility.

Twilight still found herself left with a dozen caribou to deal with, and the wariness in their movement suggested throwing rocks wouldn't work again. She needed something else, something unexpected. She might be the Element of Magic, but the raw power necessary to stun even one caribou meant she'd exhaust herself simply using brute magical force. What do I do, need something new, if only I could access some other magical reserve... Her eyes went wide in sudden understanding.

Of course! It's right there! Twilight reached out with her telekinesis to the shock baton on the nearest caribou's belt. A faint purple glow surrounded it, and then she wrenched it upwards while spinning it so it jabbed him right beneath the chin. As he dropped, Twilight effortlessly expanded her focus, and the caribou failed to notice their own batons glowing moments before she stole their weapons from them. The Princess felt a deep sense of satisfaction fill her at finding the most efficient way to tackle her problem. That's what this was – a problem, a puzzle she had to solve. Pull baton from caribou – no, he's already reacting, zap his leg – quick, jolt that other one a second time – okay, first one in the chin now. The four batons danced from target to target, and the caribou began to drop. Motion in the corner of her eye resulted in a baton whirling end over end towards Twilight, passing just over her shoulder to strike the caribou trying to ambush her. Most of the attackers were down, yet Twilight ran into a new problem – the charges within the batons were depleting themselves, as caribou started taking three or four jolts to disable, instead of merely one or two. Likely the mana crystal is running out. Combined with the caribou's greater size and armor enchantments...takes more of a charge to disable them. Still, it was only two against one when she discarded the final baton and rose one arm above her head. One caribou stopped, and she snapped her fingers, channeling magic not at him, but into the ground beneath him. The cobblestones exploded upwards, flinging him off his hooves and then down onto the ground where his head smacked the pavement, enough to knock him out.

The last caribou took that moment to charge her. He was on her before she could stop him, one hand reaching out to grab her. Twilight ducked – then placed a finger on his shoulder and teleported. If the traitor guard could teleport them in earlier...well, I'll know if he's warded this way in a moment. She felt herself shift, and when she looked, the two were twenty feet in the air. Twilight used his shock to push away, and while her new wings snapped outwards to let her hover, the caribou plummeted downwards and splashed into a fountain. Twilight only wanted to disable, not seriously hurt, even if they were...What they are doing is monstrous, but I won't let them turn me into a different monster.

Her wings pumped through the air as she looked about the plaza, yet there was no sign of her friends. In the melee, they'd all been dragged off. She could still sense the swell of Celestia's power nearby, however, and that made her decision for her. She needed the Princess to tell her what to do. Celestia would know. Twilight banked to the side and flew straight towards that magical beacon, weaving her way past multiple pockets of fighting. Many of the royal guard were openly aiding the invaders. Most notable was a group of guardsmares being stripped of their armor by their male comrades, a pile of golden attire steadily growing as mare after mare found herself collared. Shortly after that, she witnessed a group of ponies in chains being led out of an alleyway towards one of the main thoroughfares of Canterlot.

Some on both sides of the conflict noticed her, and a few times she was forced to use her magic to knock bolas out of the air and avoid entanglement. Other times, ponies cried out for help, and it tore at her to ignore them – the absolute worst when she passed a mare bent against a wall, one of the invaders grunting hoarsely as he claimed her as a conquest. Twilight slowed, and the pony lifted her head, and Twilight felt another pang of grief as she saw her face. The white-beige coat wasn't uncommon, but combined with the pink mane and amber eyes – it was Twinkleshine, one of her former classmates at Celestia's school.

Twinkleshine's eyes widened with hope, her expression pleading for help. Twilight looked for a convenient object to throw, or a discarded baton, anything – but there was nothing she could see, and then the sound of marching took her ear as a squad of caribou rounded the corner. They froze as they spotted the hovering alicorn, and then began running towards her. Twilight looked again at Twinkleshine, and for a moment, time stood still. Even if she stunned the caribou, there wasn't enough time to get her classmate away, and that was ignoring the power she'd have to expend to stop the caribou. She tore her gaze from Twinkleshine, tried to block out the mare's despairing wail as Twilight abandoned her to her fate, tried to ignore the horrible guilt and feelings of powerlessness in her gut as she wove through streets and alleys to shake her pursuit. Finally, she arrived at the stadium serving as the centerpiece for the festival. She could sense Celestia inside, as well as another source of power, though this one felt...colder than the Princess. It had an echo of familiarity – some portion she recognized, though she couldn't place it.

The outer grounds were mostly deserted by now. Only a few ponies remained, either stallions just coming to, or the occasional mare who'd managed to hide herself peeking out before ducking back into refuge.

Twilight flew across the intervening space, alighting in one of the pegasi landing zones in an upper tier of the stadium. She ran inside and dropped into a hiding spot amongst the rows of seating – much of the area was full of ponies of both genders, though unlike the streets, the caribou had yet to begin rounding up the mares. Most had abandoned their seats for hiding places, yet very few were attempting to make their way towards the exits, as most eyes instead were on the field itself. It wasn't hard to see why, either – Twilight's gaze finally fell upon Celestia, and her mouth dropped open in awe.

Celestia was clad in a gown of shimmering white silk, finery appropriate to a festival – or, as Twilight was just now realizing, appropriate for the fury of the sun itself. Her hands held a sword of crackling solar energy, and her body was enveloped in the unleashed aura of her magic. Tongues of flame licked at the edges of her mane and tail, and a quick spell to amplify hearing and vision allowed Twilight to see the grim expression of determination on Celestia's face.

Opposite Celestia was a caribou, one larger than any of his fellows, slightly taller than even Celestia. His armor was gleaming polished silver of a quality greater than any Twilight had seen thus far. He wielded a large war hammer, and this close, she could tell he was the source of the strange magical aura, the one interwoven with that niggling grain of familiar power that Twilight just couldn't place.

Around the pair was a half-circle of caribou behind their leader, and a crescent of guardsponies around Celestia, and given each group faced the other with weapons bared, Twilight felt a moment of relief. These ponies, at least, seemed to still be loyal. How the others could have turned traitor...

Celestia moved, faster than Twilight would have expected, her sword striking a blow that was turned aside by a parry from the caribou. Celestia remained unfazed, her parried slash transformed into a thrust that the caribou sidestepped, his war hammer shoving the blade away. He then twisted the hammer into an overhanded smash that was intercepted by the sword. Flame flared from Celestia's sword as her strength challenged his, but she faltered first, and the Princess jumped back as the hammer smashed into empty air. Her blade was held before her as her horn grew brighter, her magic condensing into a point of light that lanced outwards to send the sun's fury roaring over her enemy. He was engulfed in incandescence, vanishing within the fiery torrent as Celestia poured more and more power into the assault, and when she ended it, she was panting from the exertion, though showing no less determination to win.

Twilight whimpered. Celestia had poured even more power into that attack than she'd used when Chrysalis had defeated her, and yet the caribou had only dropped to one knee. Some of the joints of his armor had melted, and he bore a few patches of blackened fur with smoke wafting upwards. He smirked as he rose back to his hooves. He opened his mouth, and his voice was a cold smoothness that revealed none of the pain he must have felt. Twilight recognized an amplification spell at work – despite being several hundred yards away, he sounded as if he were standing just across the room from her. “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?” His chuckle rolled throughout the arena, “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.”

Celestia's reply was cold as well, but hers the bone-cutting gale of winter's howling heart to his calm, ice-misted lake. “I will protect my subjects from you, as I have from countless threats before, and as I will continue to do so. I don't know what has brought your people across the seas to Equestria, but I intend to see you sent back to your islands, back to the cold wastes, back to where your backwards culture can fester in solitude!”

She flung herself forward once more, and her sword struck a hastily risen hammer. Celestia pressed her advantage; the caribou dug his hooves in, yet the hammer drew back once inch...two. Celestia's arms strained with effort, the Princess allowing herself a small smile as she forced his weapon down. And then he laughed. “Oh, Princess,” he mocked, “Did you really think you're an even match for me?” One hand released the hammer, yet the other continued to hold the weapon and keep Celestia's two-handed push at bay. “It's been very amusing,” he continued, and then the hammer began to push the sword back, “But as you can see....” His free hand cracked Celestia across the face, sending the Princess to the ground. Her sword went clattering across the floor, then vanished at being separated from its owner. “You were merely a tool to demonstrate to these ponies the futility of resistance.” Celestia went to her knees, and though she winced from the pain, her hands still rose to prepare to resummon her weapon.

“No,” he said firmly as he snapped his fingers. There was a shimmer around her neck that rapidly coalesced into a black collar, and another into a ring upon the base of her horn, one Twilight recognized as a magic nullifier. Twilight felt her throat go tight – she wanted to cry out, but she could only watch in stunned silence as he bent forward and wrapped thick fingers around Celestia's neck to haul her up and hold her above his head. Celestia grabbed at his wrist, trying to pry his grip away, fighting the pressure at her throat as her hooves kicked at the air.

“The game was fun, cunt,” he continued smoothly, “But now it's time for ponies to see you for what you are.” His free hand dug into the front of her dress, and then he pulled it back, tearing the silken garment free. Two more crude tugs ripped away the filmy coverings over her intimate areas, though he left her dangling from his grip. “You will serve the new order, willingly or not.” Celestia's struggles began to weaken, her kicks losing force as the pressure continued to choke her, and only then did he drop her to the ground. “Get used to your collar, Princess,” he murmured mockingly. “It will be the only thing you're allowed to wear from now on.”

Celestia caught herself with her hands as she dropped to the ground, the Princess coughing as she pulled in lungfuls of air to blink away the black spots that had crowded out the edges of her vision. She tried to get back to her hooves, tried to beat her wings, yet the muscles wouldn't respond. Still, her gaze was defiant as she turned to meet his own. “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.”

He began to laugh – cold, dry, and without a hint of fear. “Oh, you stupid cunt. How little you understand. Your sister? A trifle. Your niece? I can sense her approaching as we speak. But by the time she gets here, well, we'll be done with our little game. Your precious Elements of Harmony?” He gestured with his free hand, and a group of caribou stepped apart. Applejack had been forced to her knees, with her arms bound securely at her back, yet she was still thrashing and fighting – two caribou each had a hand on her shoulder to keep her secure, the one on the left also holding the chain attached to her collar. She was clearly somewhat worse for the wear as her mane was tangled, her beloved hat was missing, and one eye was slightly swollen from some unknown impact. Fluttershy just trembled on her hooves as her hands attempted to conceal her nudity. Pinkie was almost catatonic, the party pony staring straight ahead in seeming shock at her current state. “Three of them are mine already. And a fourth should be...easily procurable.”

Twilight hissed. If he thinks I'm going to be an easy capture, he has another thing coming. I know I can't overpower him, but maybe I can teleport in, grab my friends, grab the Princess...wait, what's he doing?

“And as for you, Princess. Even if your ponies rescue you, it's laughable to think you'll help them.” Two caribou had been busy setting something up while their leader spoke, what looked like a padded bench of some kind, and as Twilight watched, Celestia was rudely grabbed and dragged by her hair towards it. Celestia laid eyes on it for but a moment before a full-throated shriek tore free from her throat. The Princess clawed at the wrist pulling her, but her attempts to break the grip were futile. Her hooves pounded the ground as she sought purchase, arms grabbing onto the bench and fighting to push herself away. Even with her frantic struggle, the caribou still forced her onto the bench, one holding her shoulders in place while another gripped her beneath the chin and behind the head to force her flat. Her head thrashed back and forth until her jaw was firmly secured in the caribou's grip and she was forced forwards, head bent to allow her horn to slide through a hole in the smooth metal plate. Celestia still struggled - her fists pounded at the thighs of the caribou holding her, yet inexorably she was pushed forwards until the greater length of her horn stuck out the other side and her forehead was braced against the cool metal. The leader stepped close, and murmured, “No, Princess. It's time for you to show your subjects where your sex belongs. On their knees without any delusions of equality.” His finger hovered over a button on the device's side, and then he nonchalantly pressed it, and Twilight heard a sudden echoing thump in tandem with a shriek of disbelieving rage from Celestia.

What she saw next turned her stomach to ice. What was before her couldn't be happening. Her disbelieving expression was echoed across the face of every mare in the stadium – including Celestia herself, who'd scrambled back from the bench when the caribou released her. The Princess's eyes remained fixed upon the ground before her. There, laying on the platform for all to see, was the majestic, slender spiral of Princess Celestia's newly severed horn.

Author's Notes:

So, this is where one begins to see how far down the rabbit hole the story will go! Questions/Comments/Whatever are encouraged, I will do my best to answer nigh-everything!

Chapter 3 and 4 are already written and just need a final editing pass before they are ready to upload.