Twilight couldn't find the strength to move. Simply breathing was hard enough; she made short, shuddering gasps as she stared at the sight on stage. The two caribou that had held Celestia down for that...abomination...were now binding her wrists behind her and forcing her to kneel while the leader ambled over and picked up the dangling horn.

“No more need for this,” he said as he plucked the nullification ring from the severed horn and pocketed it. “And you look much improved, Princess,” he added as he walked back and tapped the small nub on her forehead with the tip of her horn. He held the horn aloft like a scepter, displaying it to the arena while allowing the sunlight to glint off its pure surface. “Now hear this, ponies,” he said, his voice carrying through the stands. “Your Princess has fallen. Every mare is now property. Those of you who willingly submit will have a much more pleasurable existence than those who need to be tamed. It does not bother me whether you are collared willingly or by force. If you are a mare, you will wear a collar. Celestia was no match for me; what hope have you left?” He turned to look at the kneeling Princess. “You know, this wouldn't have been possible without you. Here you thought that 'friendship' was enough to tame chaos itself. Yet another foolish mistake. I made him a better offer.”

Twilight saw a murmur go through the crowd, and worse, she saw at least two mares rise up from their hiding places to make their way down towards the gathering below. Their body language left no doubts as to their intent, as with heads down and ears submissively back, it was clear Celestia's capture had broken what spirit they may have had.

Worse, she now understood the strange magic she had sensed upon the caribou. She did not know what game Discord was playing, but without the Elements of Harmony, she didn't know how he could be contained.

And Twilight...what was she to do? Her friends were captured. Celestia was worse than captured. The loyal guards had taken up a clear defensive position, expecting attack at any moment. Twilight's eyes flew about the stadium, then back to her friends. Perhaps she could teleport in, grab them, and then get out, except...

Her eyes went back to the sky. She would need to meet her brother first. Canterlot had fallen, his shield was merely inhibiting escape rather than protecting the city, and he must not know what had happened.

Or perhaps he does...Twilight thought – for she saw him enter, side by side with Princess Cadance, the pair walking towards the platform containing Celestia and the caribou leader. Cadance was carrying some sort of rod or staff, but the top was buried beneath a covered cloth. Together with Shining Armor, she walked to the platform. Twilight cast a spell to amplify her hearing as Cadance turned and regarded Celestia.

“Oh, Auntie...” the younger alicorn began, only to be interrupted by Celestia.

“Cadance, please!” the Princess began, “You and Shining – you need to stop him. As with Chrysalis, if the two of you -”

“Whyever would I want to do a silly thing like that?” Cadance replied, her voice radiating puzzlement. “Stop him? Oh, Auntie, no! You misunderstand. I think you look wonderful like that. I only wish I could have seen it, but Shiny and I were needed elsewhere to finish this...” Her hand yanked the cloth off with a flourish to reveal a shimmering azure crystal – though the Crystal Heart had changed considerably from when Twilight had seen it last.

The once-pure crystal had been carved and perverted, the 'point' of the heart having been rounded and smoothed into a cylindrical shaft, while the curved end of the heart had been shaved into a pair of plump spheres. “It looks much better as a Crystal Cock, does it not?” Cadance said gently.

“Cadance, what have you done?” demanded Celestia. Her voice was shaky at the clear betrayal, as her hope for salvation was diminished yet again.

“It is because of you, Celestia,” replied Shining Armor. “Because of how many times you have nearly led Equestria to ruin. Nightmare Moon. Discord. Chrysalis. Sombra. My sister. Each time you gambled everything. Each time we dangled on the precipice of ruin because of your incompetence. That we haven't fallen by now is due only to sheer luck. But your rule ends, Celestia. From this moment onward, Dainn rules Equestria, and he shall bring it forth into a new age, where Equestria shall remain safe because none dare challenge it! As for you...you need worry no more. Your place in the new order is one of servitude to your betters.” Shining' turned towards his wife. “It's time, Cadance. One last thing, and then you can have your reward.”

The pink alicorn smiled, and then her horn lit itself in hue that matched the faint glow of the crystal she held. She lifted the corrupted Heart, and touched her horn to it. The deep glow intensified, and then erupted outwards. It bathed the arena in light, then expanded beyond in a rush of energy that went all the way up to the shield over the city, only fading once it hit that barrier. Twilight felt a slight...tingling when it passed through her, yet other than that light buzz, nothing.

Twilight blinked. She didn't feel any different, and as she looked about, the mares didn't seem any different. It was sudden movement that drew her attention back below. The group of guardsponies had broken ranks. Almost all of the males were rubbing at their foreheads, as if shaking away a wave of seeming dizziness. One by one, they lifted their heads and looked at their commander, who quickly nodded at them. They turned, grabbing their female comrades as shrieks of surprise came from the mares. The women were outnumbered, though; there were three stallions to every mare, and with two holding each in place, the third was free to rob the mares of their weaponry and then begin stripping armor away, just as Twilight had seen them do to her friends.

She suddenly realized where the traitors had come from. Somehow, the Crystal Heart had been perverted, and worse, she saw that within those areas were mares and stallions had hidden together, the stallions were now subduing the mares by whatever means were on hand.

Cadance, meanwhile, had nonchalantly stripped away the gown she had on, revealing her nude body, and even smiling when Shining Armor wantonly reached between her legs to grope her in full view of everypony. She knelt before the caribou leader, the one Shining had called Dainn. He had produced a new collar, though unlike the black one wrapped around the neck of Celestia, this collar was a rich red. Shining Armor lifted Cadance's mane out of the way, while the alicorn bent her head forward and the collar was clasped around her neck to click closed.

Cadance slowly got back to her hooves. Her face held a gentle smile as she turned towards Celestia, and her voice was kind as she cooed, “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 then moved towards the padded bench and placed herself upon it, and then slid her horn through the waiting socket. Once it was firmly snugged in place, Cadance tensed with anticipation. Twilight stared dumbstruck as her brother walked over and gave his wife a firm slap on the rear, drawing a light moan from Cadance. Shining then rested his finger upon the button, and turned to gaze at Dainn.

Dainn spoke, letting his voice carry throughout the stadium once more. “Do you see, mares? The Crystal Princess comes to us willingly. She embraces her servitude, and she shall know pleasure for it. She knows that magic is an unnecessary burden; look how eager she is to be rid of it!”

Shining tapped the button, and the wooden platform echoed with the clatter of the pearl-pink horn dropping upon it. Cadance shuddered as she clenched her thighs together, and another moan rolled past her lips, a throaty spasm of desire as she slid off the bench, moved to take her fallen horn, and then knelt once more to offer it to Dainn. He took it in his other hand, then held both arms up to allow the gathered ponies to behold the horns of their Princesses.

Cadance lifted her head and smiled at Celestia. “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...” Cadance fanned her wings outwards, splaying their full length, each and every feather on display as Shining walked behind her. At a gesture from him, two caribou came bearing some sort of...glossy plastic object, red to match Cadance's collar. Twilight found herself confused once more, at least until Shining's horn lit up, and Cadance's feathers were enveloped in his magic.

A hand flew to Twilight's face while Cadance let out a rapturous groan. Feather after feather was plucked from her wings in a display of magical dexterity that would make Rarity proud. Each was placed into a waiting bag. Celestia stared at Cadance in disbelief. “How could you ask for this?” Celestia whispered. “It's barbaric!”

“Because, Auntie,” Cadance cooed amidst small grunts of discomfort, “The submission feels...wonderful. Right. Arousing like nothing I have ever felt.” Bared flesh was exposed to the open air, the primary feathers long gone and the secondary joining them, leaving the coverlets for last. They too were carefully plucked until bare, fleshy stubs of muscle and bone flapped uselessly in the open air. Cadance wiggled them a few times, feeling the warmth of summer heat upon her skin, and then slowly curled them back against her body.

From the hoarse groans she was making, it was clear she was drooling down below. Her hands strayed towards her pussy, and none stopped her as she began toying with herself while on either side, the caribou moved close. “These wing-sheaths will be delightfully comfortable,” Cadance murmured to Celestia. “Red ones can be yours too, Auntie, if you would just give in and embrace your place. The sheaths for black collars are, mm, rather uncomfortable.” The red plastic had been pulled into two-halves, and though bodies obscured her vision, Twilight could see flashes of them being fitted over Cadance's stubby wing muscles. The caribou stepped away, and the nude Princess spasmed as her fingers worked frantically about her sex, the twitching joined by a high-pitched cry of orgasm as her body trembled, while she proudly displayed the red wing-sheaths affixed to her back.

With that, Shining moved over to stroke his wife upon the head, and then nodded to the caribou leader.

“Now then,” Dainn rumbled, “It is time for the actual festivities to begin. Shining Armor, if you would do the honors? We don't want to spoil the parade until it's ready to begin, do we? That, and it shall make rounding up the spectators far easier.” A motion from him brought another caribou forward, he bearing something smooth and silvery which was guided towards Princess Celestia's rear, but Twilight's attention was turned towards her brother, and she did not see exactly what happened to her teacher.

Shining grinned as he nodded his head, and a new beam of magic rose upwards, centering itself over the stadium. It began to expand outwards, and Twilight was forced to make another painful decision. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes as she vanished, a faint 'pop' the only hint that she had teleported away. Abandoning her friends, abandoning ponies who had asked for her help, none of that compared to the pain of abandoning Princess Celestia. Twilight reappeared in a bush outside the stadium, and from there, she teleported into a nearby house. She looked about to ensure she was alone, and when she saw no movement, she collapsed onto her rear, wrapped her arms around her knees, and started crying.

Today had started out so well! These past few months had been so wonderful! Yes, she didn't enjoy the new stress that came with being a Princess, yet she'd had all sorts of ideas on how to improve life in Equestria. And then, when the burden suddenly fell to her to stand up and truly lead, she'd failed. Not just once, not twice, but again, and again, and again.

And now? Now she was hiding inside somepony's home. Twilight had no idea whose it was; she was in a filly's bedroom, but the house was quiet and she had no intention of exploring. Not with everything...out there.

She needed time to think. Time to come up with a plan, time to...Princess Celestia, how...oh, Princess...no! I can't. I have to focus. Focus, Twilight! How do I get out of here?

Time. That was what she needed. Time. That meant getting away from Canterlot. And that meant that she needed to disable that shield. I'll have to confront my brother. Oh, Shining, how could you? Right now would not work; even if she were able to get back into the stadium, he was surrounded by others. She would have to follow him, catch him alone, and that meant the parade.

Her refuge let her spy upon the stadium. Twilight spent the next hour worrying to herself while she tried to figure out what to do. The Elements, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow...with all of them, she was sure she could think of something. Step 1, get Shining Armor alone. Step 2, disable his shield – by force if need be. I'll apologize later. Step 3, rescue my friends if possible, but if not, get back to Ponyville. It was simple enough. A checklist. She could handle a checklist. For now, she needed to follow her brother while avoiding capture. Hence the parade, hence why she had chosen her current hiding place, as it overlooked the main roadway leading from the arena towards the castle. It only made sense that that would be the parade's endpoint.

While Twilight was planning, the commotion outside steadily grew louder, and the next time she poked her head out the window, she realized the invaders had been busy. A large crowd of ponies lined both sides of the road. Before, it had only been caribou and the rebellious guards, and now...now it was more. There wasn't a mare in sight who wasn't naked, collared, and on her knees. Most mares wore black collars, and many bore signs of struggle – a swollen eye, a split lip, hesitant breathing where somepony had been struck in a tender location. It wasn't pretty; most of the collared mares were leashed, either lashed to posts, or leashes held in the hands of stallions of all stripes. There were faces she recognized: 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.

The mood of the crowd was easy to read. Almost all males were eager, although Twilight did see faces in the crowd that were less than enthusiastic. For mares...just the opposite. Most still wore silver collars and sported varying expressions of shock, rage, fear, denial, entirely understandable as Twilight had experienced all herself in the past two hours. A few black-collared mares were being actively held on their knees, with shackles around wrists and ankles to prevent them from fleeing. The scattered reds, though... most looked resigned and hesitant. It was clear to them the choice had been one of taking the path of least resistance. But there were a few who were clearly eager, with heads tilted to rub against offered hands, and others clearly eyeing the males with lust in their eyes.

There was little left for her to do but wait. She could feel a pit growing in her stomach. She didn't want to see what was coming, yet she had no choice. She needed to find her brother if she was to escape Canterlot.

Author's Notes:

Well. I can't say I am surprised by the polarized response the story has received so far. Chapter 3 should answer a few questions, raise a few more. This chapter should clarify why Celestia lost the fight.

At any rate : Please, if people express their disapproval, that's fine. There's no need to attack them for it. I'm a big girl and can handle criticism; I knew this would be polarizing, and I'm okay with people expressing their opinions for good or for ill!