Twilight had used so much energy that she couldn’t even stand on her own, so Sunset carried her across the bridge and away from the terrible cries. Twilight drifted in and out of a fitful malaise, the screams and hideous images floating through her mind so that at times she couldn’t tell when she was having a nightmare or hallucinating. Every now and then she’d jerk into awareness with a whimper, trembling at the sights and sounds that haunted her memory.

She lost track of an already tenuous grasp of time, Sunset carrying her farther and farther in the dark. Sometimes she’d find herself on the hard ground, Sunset resting close by. At times like this her companion would whisper soothing words to her and pet her mane, and Twilight would press in close just to savor a friendly presence.

She kept hearing screams; screams from her friends, screams from Blueblood, screams from Tartarus’ nameless victims. She would pale at the sight of ponies hanging from trees, their intestines dangling like some sort of hideous party décor. Her blood chilled as ponies struggled to escape the Acheron, bubbles floating out of their throats as they drowned. Her stomach churned as Ne’er-Do-Well ripped terrified, screeching ponies to bloody pieces with her magic.

Sometimes she was standing over that fiery pit, watching Bloodblood’s blackened body squirm. He would gaze up at her with her own eye and a hideous fear and shame would make her tremble. She did this, and the deed rocked her to her core. She would look away, guilt and contempt filling her, only to look back to see that it was actually her trapped in that cage, screaming and writhing and begging for mercy.

None of these were as terrible as watching her friends die over and over again. It was the worst and most recurring part of her waking nightmares, and every time it came back she broke out of the hallucination in a sobbing fit.

Gradually, Twilight’s mind seemed to ‘correct’ itself, as if she were coming out of a long, mindless stupor. At last the moment came when she found herself looking around at her dark surroundings with real clarity and no hallucinations, and she couldn’t help but think those stone walls were beautiful in their plainness.

Then her head started pounding.

Sunset was carrying her, her breathing labored and her hoofsteps heavy. She glanced back in concern when Twilight shifted and groaned. Sunset studied her for a few quiet seconds, coming to a slow stop. “You’re looking lucid for a change. How you feeling, Twi?”

Twilight rubbed her forehead in both hooves. “Like I just got bucked in the skull by Applejack. Can we stop, please?”

Sunset obligingly dropped to her belly, moving very slowly. Twilight slipped off, her legs screaming in protest even after she lay on her side. She could actually hear the blood vessels throbbing in her skull. She ground her teeth and tried to empty her head of any thoughts in the vain hope that it would help. “I haven’t had such a bad magic overdose since… I don’t think I’ve ever had one like this.”

Sunset’s chuckle was strained. “Well, you did kinda go into 'almighty' mode for a few minutes. I thought you were gonna rip Dis apart brick by brick.”

Twilight cringed and massaged her forehead, her hooves making slow circles on her temples. “Believe me, I would have if I’d had time.”

Sunset's smile didn’t last. She sank a little and eyed Twilight fretfully. “So… are you gonna be okay? I mean, it sounded like you were going… umm…”

The battered princess sighed and felt at her face, shivering as she noted the missing eye. “I… I don’t know. There’s so much pain in this place… I think it broke me for a while. Sunset, all the torture, all the blood and hate and misery... how can you take it?”

Sunset didn’t answer. Twilight’s lone eye gazed up at her and saw depression. “Sunset?”

Her companion heaved a long sigh. “I didn’t, Twilight. When you found me in Limbo, I had broken down. I was lost and hopeless. It felt like the whole universe had turned on me.” She moved in close, pressing against Twilight with a weak smile. “Thank you for saving me. Not just from Blueblood, but from Tartarus. I was so close to succumbing to this horrible prison…”

Twilight rested her chin on the ground and closed her eyes. “I was eager to help. I wanted to save you again.”

Sunset shifted. “Again?”

“But what has it cost me?” The princess shivered and covered her face. “What I did to Blueblood… I’ve never intentionally hurt somepony before, not like that. I feel like I’ve betrayed myself. I shouldn’t have done it. Why did I do it?”

It was several seconds before Sunset had an answer. “You did it because this is Tartarus. It wasn’t a bad thing, you know? Blueblood had it coming, surely you know that.”

Twilight tried to take a deep, calming breath. It didn’t help much. “I am the Princess of Friendship. I was taught by Princess Celestia, the most loving, generous pony in Equestria. I should have had a better solution!” She kept seeing her mentor’s face and feeling wretched.

Sunset petted Twilight’s mane once more, her voice quiet. “But this isn’t your Equestria.”

Though it stung horribly, Twilight lifted her head so that she could examine her friend. “You mean you believe what I told you?”

Sunset chewed her lip as she nodded. “There’s no way the Twilight who took my place could behave like you do and become a princess. Celestia – the Celestia of this world – would have never permitted it.”

Twilight wilted a little more. “I didn’t want to believe everything you’d told me about her. I didn’t want to think she was a bad pony in this world…” She let her head drop to the floor, groaning at the throbbing pain the act produced in her skull. “The Celestia I know would never condemn anypony to this foul place.”

It was like confessing to murder: acknowledging the fact just drove it home. Twilight closed her eyes and tried to recall that confusing, terrible moment when she’d been sent here. What had Celestia said at the time?

‘You’re nothing more than a changeling.’

Now Twilight understood. It hadn’t been a sign of Celestia’s confusion, but a declaration of worth. Thinking back on how this world’s Celestia had behaved upon meeting her, it was clear that she knew exactly who Twilight was and where she’d come from. She’d taken Twilight’s crown, probably aware that it was what had caused this whole mess to begin with and that Twilight was responsible.

She’d known, and she’d considered Twilight an enemy. What did that mean about Celestia? About the world?

“It’s okay.” Sunset whispered in Twilight’s ear, her voice soothing. “We’ll get out of Tartarus. You’ll get to see your kind princess again. You don’t deserve to be in this bucked up world, Twilight.”

Twilight felt that now-familiar sinking motion in her stomach. She felt like crying, but her eye was too dry to offer any tears. “How, Sunset? Celestia has my crown and the spell I used to travel through time is in Canterlot Castle… assuming it even exists in this timeline. How am I supposed to get back when she has everything I need? She’s my… she’s my…”

She couldn’t say it. Calling Celestia her enemy was just too much for her to manage. The thought alone made her whimper and cover her face. “W-what am I going to do? I’m a wreck in every way… I don’t even know if I can get out of Tartarus.”

Sunset nuzzled her shoulder. “We will, you’ll see.”

Twilight wished she could believe those words.

“Sunset?”

The pony was helping Twilight walk, their movement slow and shuffling. “Yeah?”

Twilight rubbed her throbbing head, the most obvious pain in her body at the moment. “Talk to me.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight looked around at the dark tunnel they were in, a tunnel just like every other they’d come across on this journey. “I just need a distraction.”

Her friend examined her face with visible concern. “Head still hurts?”

Twilight glowered and pressed a hoof over her empty eye socket. “I’ve got a hole in it and a magic migraine that would give even Celestia pause. Yes, it hurts. My hooves have holes in them, my wing will probably never be usable again, my entire—”

She began to cough, then to hack. Sunset paused to let her recover, but it took a long time. There were even a few seconds where Twilight couldn’t breathe. At last the fit passed, and she turned her head away to spit the phlegm out.

Sunset watched all this in silence, ears low as Twilight sucked in a few deep, recovering breaths. “That’s really getting bad.”

“I know…” Twilight pushed forward and they were walking once more. “Maybe if I didn’t keep going like this, but that’s not an option. If we get out of here—”

“When,” her companion corrected firmly.

Twilight frowned and looked away. “When we get out of here, the first thing I’ll do is find a place to rest and get over this… whatever it is.”

“Maybe it’s just a bad cold.” Sunset didn’t sound convinced, though.

Twilight massaged the area around her horn. “I need to stop thinking about… this place. That’s another thing. I don’t want to think about the ideas this place has put in my head, what Tazel made me see, or what I did to Blueblood. So please, distract me. I’ll listen.”

Her guide thought on this for a few seconds, eyes slowly roaming the bland tunnel for inspiration. “I… dunno what to talk about.”

Questions and ideas had been running through Twilight’s mind. “Tell me about Equestria’s history. I’d like to know what’s changed.”

“Seriously?” Sunset’s face twisted into something between disbelief and alarm. “That’s what you want to talk about? It’s not the most… engrossing topic. Not a happy one, either. Are you sure?”

“I need to know what I’m up against.” Twilight shot her companion a firm frown. “I want to know what I’m responsible for. I was there for Discord’s defeat, so everything in the 1200 years afterwards must have been different from what I learned. If I can—”

“Wait a minute.” Sunset stopped to examine her friend with wide eyes. “You mean you were there? You saw it? Is that why there are two Twilights, because you bucked up time?”

Twilight shifted, abruptly regretting her choice in topics. “Umm… well, yeah. I was tired of being surprised by things – enemies – from Equestria’s past, so I decided to write a history book that would include all Equestria’s most obscure important events. I thought that I could best do that by going back and witnessing them, but…” She looked away and scuffed the floor with a dour pout. “I underestimated how dangerous time travel could be.”

Sunset was peering at her, leaning in close to examine her face. Twilight shifted a bit more and couldn’t meet the pony’s gaze.

“I can’t believe it,” Sunset finally said. “You’re the Unknown Princess. Ponies have been wondering about her for… well, ever since Discord was killed.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “I’m… who?”

“Twilight, in the eyes of millions you are a bucking hero!” Sunset wouldn’t stop staring. It was like she’d never seen Twilight before. “You mean to say that the pony who rescued the princesses of Equestria, who ended Discord’s reign, who has a statue in the Royal Gardens, who is hailed all across Equestria as one of our great heroes just… just stumbled into the fight on accident? For a bucking history book?”

Twilight winced. “Umm… yes?”

Raucous laughter erupted from her companion, making Twilight jump. Sunset dropped to her haunches and threw her head back, body shaking from the unbridled amusement. “That is rich. The bucking Unknown Princess, an egghead! Wow, if my old history teacher could hear this…”

Her laughter faded to giggles as she noted Twilight’s miffed gaze. “I… I’m sorry. It’s just… everypony thinks you came swooping in like some holy goddess and slew the mighty beast in a righteous fury. There are novels written about you as a glorious and wise war hero and we all take it so seriously!” She grinned even as she struggled to stop chuckling.

Twilight thought on this, bowing her head and as her heart sank. “I… Maybe that’s why Celestia put me down here. Maybe I ruined the narrative.”

Sunset’s laugher came to an abrupt stop, her entire body going rigid. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

Twilight turned away. She gazed at the darkness of the tunnel ahead, looking for… she didn’t know what. For so long she’d thought about just why Celestia would view her as a threat. Was this it? Was she preserving the record? To what end?

The silence lingered between them. Sunset shifted and chewed her lip. She opened her mouth, paused… “Do you think Celestia knows?”

For a while, Twilight said nothing. She just stared at the darkness. Slowly, she reached up and felt at her head and imagined her crown. “Yes. I think she knew exactly who she was throwing away. I just don’t understand why.”

She turned to Sunset, a strange mixture of determination and fear swirling within her. “Tell me everything. Please. I have to know what happened to this world, what happened because of me. Tell me, Sunset.”

Her companion considered her for a long while, lips set in a sad frown. Twilight merely gazed back, silently imploring. At last Sunset nodded. “Alright, Twi. I get it. I’ll tell you all I know.”

Sunset’s lesson was long and detailed, proving beyond a doubt that she had been a very good student. It was also very depressing, at least in Twilight’s mind. She learned about how the princesses went into seclusion for two centuries after Discord’s demise, a self-imposed isolation from the world and one another to meditate on what they both considered the murder of Discord. When they at last returned they discovered an Equestria in chaos, divided by tribal warfare and mistrust.

Twilight learned how Celestia and Luna managed to unite the tribes and reforge the kingdom despite their very different views on the obligations of rule. Sunset told of how Princess Luna was driven to madness, both from the guilt of Discord’s death and envy of her sister; even in this alternate timeline, Celestia had been forced to banish her sister to the moon. But Celestia had not come out of the isolation without some damage of her own, and ruling Equestria alone was a constant struggle.

Twilight listened to this and realized that somehow, perhaps because of what she did, Celestia had been psychologically damaged. Equestria never became the land of peace and harmony and love she’d grown up in. Celestia had never been able to nurture those elements into her citizens’ lives. Equestria grew much more slowly, and though it was a single nation its citizens were divided by racism, centuries of mistrust, class warfare, poverty, hunger and a hundred other issues.

Sunset explained how Equestria’s rivals, such as The Griffon Dominion and the Changeling Hives, grew stronger. Wars broke out, other nations joined in. Celestia devoted nearly seven hundred years of her rule just to defending her subjects, all while dealing with attempted coups, civil unrest and a continuously struggling economy.

She triumphed, but at a steep cost. Most of the world had been subjugated, and some enemies had been literally eradicated down to the last citizen. The centuries of battle left no opportunity for Equestria to grow socially, so the tenets and values Twilight had learned and held dear were alien and untrustworthy. Celestia herself, though revered by her followers as the symbol of all that was good, had come out of the wars bitter, paranoid and scheming.

“But most ponies aren’t aware of that aspect of her anymore,” Sunset concluded, once more assisting Twilight. They’d been walking throughout the long lesson, ever pressing on in the dark. “To the public eye, she has recovered. Celestia is serene, kind and gentle. Only the ponies who have worked closely with her – ponies like me – know that everything Celestia does is coolly calculated to sustain her image and control the masses.”

Twilight had been carefully considering every word, fighting the whole time to not let her grief get the best of her. “But there’s been three hundred years of peace, right? Shouldn’t she have… I don’t know, mellowed out by now?”

“Peace.” Sunset spat the word. “That’s not how I’d describe it. Celestia gave up her ‘social reforms’ during the wars. She makes all these nice statements, creates these laws that on the surface seem to help everypony. All they really do is promote all the grief and division that Equestria’s suffered from since it was founded. As long as Equestria is divided, she can more easily control every aspect of our lives.”

So the great Celestia had become a tyrant dressed as a saint. The thought brought a vile taste to Twilight’s mouth. Her teacher and mentor had become a monster and it was all her fault. Maybe she really did deserve to be stuck in Tartarus…

A cool breeze seemed to tug them forward. Sunset’s head snapped up, eyes peering as she grew even more serious. “At last. I thought we’d never get here.”

Twilight scanned the tunnels but saw nothing different. “‘Here’ where?”

“The next Lord’s territory, of course.” Sunset’s ears lowered, but there was no hesitation in her pace. “This one gives me the creeps. It’s gonna be much harder to slip past this time.”

Though it made her shiver, Twilight thought back on everything she’d seen in the city of Dis. “So… this is the Lord – Lady? – Blueblood was gathering horns for?”

Sunset nodded, the wind whipping her mane across her ominous face. “Yeah, and she won’t hesitate to do it herself. She has some... 'followers,' but they shouldn’t be an issue.”

The winds picked up and Twilight thought she could see something up ahead. She squinted, trying to make out the sight, and gradually realized that the tunnel ended at a cliff. Slowly, bracing against the ever-increasing gusts, the mares approached the site.

It was like a canyon, stretching endlessly in the darkness; a massive crack in the solid rock, hundreds of feet across and so deep Twilight couldn’t see anything but darkness below. The sight made her woozy, and she pressed against Sunset for support.

What really caught her eye, however, was the tornado. It was massive, rising up from the dark depths and into the unfathomable heights. Twilight could make out tiny somethings swirling within the vortex, and her jaw dropped. “Is that… is that the Winds of Passion?”

“Yep.” Sunset turned, guiding Twilight to a narrow staircase inlaid in the rocky side of the canyon. “The last great landmark of Tartarus. It stretches all the way up from somewhere below Sombra’s lair.”

Twilight gazed at the twister, her mane and tail whipping in its direction as the winds tugged on her. She shivered, recalling her brief but frightening experience within those dark gusts, and pressed a little more tightly against her friend. “Part of me wonders why they don’t use it as a shortcut, but after having been inside it…”

“The Winds of Passion are considered the property of the sixth Lord,” Sunset explained. “Besides that, subjecting oneself to it can have lasting… side effects.” She blushed and averted her eyes from the tornado. "The tornado... it's like it's alive. Any attempt to fly through the cavern, even away from the Winds of Passion, leads to the transgressor getting sucked in."

They made their way up the stairwell. Between Twilight’s pained gait and the strong winds constantly trying to pull them from the wall, their pace was slow. It became even slower as they came upon the first bridge, a long and thin structure with no supports save for where the ends connected to the cliff sides. Twilight didn’t trust it, but Sunset assured her the bridge was more than capable of holding the two ponies’ weight. The real issue was the lack of guardrails; the two of them were at the mercy of the winds.

They crossed the bridge on their bellies, neither willing to risk a gust knocking them off. The passage was excruciatingly slow, especially for Twilight, whose legs stung as she struggled to pull herself along the stone floor.

Once on the other side, Sunset helped her up and they pressed against the wall. “One down,” she called over the winds.

“One down?” Twilight felt her heart sink as she eyed the steep drop. “Y-you mean there’s more bridges we have to cross?”

Her companion nodded, expression grim. “At least a dozen.”

Fear and just a hint of despair filled Twilight as she covered her good eye. “Sweet merciful Celestia… I don’t know if I’m strong enough to handle that many.”

“Don’t worry, Twi.” Sunset tugged her friend a little closer, eyes determined as she guided her to the next staircase. “I won’t let you fall. I promise.”

The stairs and bridges ran in a square about the Winds of Passion, climbing higher and higher up the walls of the canyon. Twilight was in a constant state of alarm, her eye locked on the path ahead and her mind focused on the task. The winds battered them in a ceaseless stream of pressure. Several times one of them would slip and they’d both be forced to brace and recover. It was an exhausting process that seemed to go on forever.

The figures weren’t obvious, not at first. Twilight was so focused on what she was doing that she didn’t even see them. It was the moaning that finally attracted her attention, a sound rising over the winds that didn’t seem to belong. Her ears twitched as she finally broke her concentration and looked up… and stopped to gape.

The cavern wall was covered in long black spikes, but it was what was on those sharp spears that had her trying to tuck her tail between her legs against the wind.

She stared right at a pony, a stallion who hung limply from the wall. He was impaled upon one of those spikes, the pointed tip just visible through his loose jaw. Twilight couldn’t see where the spike was going through his body, but judging by his position that was probably a good thing. Every now and then a leg would twitch and a low, pained moan would escape the pony’s stuffed throat.

And there were others, dozens of ponies similarly pierced and hanging. Twilight’s eyes became locked on one particular mare whose face was pressed against the wall, mouth and throat stretched about one of those spikes. The tip was clearly visible, sticking out from between the folds of her sex and covered in blood and fluids like a macabre sex toy.

“S-Sunset…”

Her companion refused to look up. She wrapped a leg about Twilight’s shoulder and gently tugged, her eyes locked firmly on the stairs. “I know. Just don’t look. We’ll be fine.”

It was too late. Twilight had seen and, though she tried hard not to, she kept looking up at the disgusting sights above her. She just couldn’t resist. There were more and more victims, not all of them ponies. Nor were they all impaled through their genitals, either, though those who weren’t were not spared carnal perversion. She saw a minotaur and a pegasus skewered on the same spike, their hips ceaselessly thrusting against one another. There were two stallions, also impaled together, who had their faces bobbing against one another’s crotches in a way that forced Twilight to avert her gaze in shame.

Sunset noticed her discomfort and tightened her grip. “I told you it was disturbing.”

They were at another bridge. Twilight crossed first, biting her lip as her legs screamed in protest. They were hurting far more than her head now, and she was almost desperate for some rest. Yet this new discovery had her skin crawling and her eagerness to escape the sexual wickedness surrounding her outweighed her weariness and pain.

She reached the opposite side and pressed herself against the wall, vehemently ignoring the two mares just over her head. She’d glanced up just long enough to see their heads working almost violently between one another's hips. She closed her eye and did her best not to listen to the moans. One of the mares let out a particularly vulgar sound just as Sunset reached the cliff, and Twilight thought she felt something drip onto her forehead. Stomach churning in disgust and horror, she hurried to get out from under the squirming ponies.

Sunset caught up, glancing at Twilight’s head with a disgusted look. Her horn glowed dimly for about a second as something white was flung from Twilight's forehead. “There. That’s just gross.”

Twilight whimpered; the only thing keeping her pressed against that wall was the abyss below. “T-tell me we’re almost at the top.”

With a hoof raised to keep her mane out of her face, Sunset gazed up at the darkness above them. “I don’t really know. We’ve crossed seven bridges so far, but I don’t know exactly how many there are.”

Twilight cringed and moved forward, almost desperate to get away from the incessant moaning that overpowered the gale. “What in Equestria is wrong with them?”

Sunset shook her head, still stalwartly refusing to examine their surroundings. “Remember those long-term side effects I mentioned? This is it.”

Twilight looked back at her with a wide eye, then stared at the tornado and all the creatures tumbling within. “So that’s why it’s called the Winds of Passion.”

“Not all of them are victims of the tornado, though,” Sunset added. “Some of them just got caught.”

Twilight didn’t understand her meaning until they crossed the next bridge. The new sight had her pausing, hooves locked painfully in place and mind numb. Ponies and other creatures were on their hind knees, backs pressed against the cliff wall and bound by thick shackles. They were all male, black bands covering their eyes. Each and every one of them were displaying erect penises that were nothing like the images from school textbooks that the fillies and colts in school giggled about. The big, swollen things pushed outwards like menacing parasites just waiting for fresh prey. They were fleshy spears, jutting in the air and swinging slowly from the force of the winds.

There were some ponies chained to the floor performing fellatio on some of them, similar black bands on their faces and their heads steadily bobbing back and forth as the stallions moaned. Chains on their necks prevented them from pulling far enough back to free their mouths. There were two mares who were chained leaning against the stallions, thrusting their hips rhythmically. One had her tongue lolled out and moaned in clear pleasure, the other was kissing her stallion in a manner that almost looked painful.

Twilight could only stare, her legs shaking. Sunset nudged her from behind, but she couldn’t move. At last she risked coming alongside Twilight, her expression grim but cheeks flushed. “I know, it’s… unpleasant. But it’s the only path, Twilight.”

“A-are you sure?” Twilight couldn’t tear her eyes away from the bobbing head of the closest mare. “Absolutely, really sure?”

Sunset shifted, chewed her lip. “If there were another route, believe me we’d be on it right now. Come on.” She moved forward, face turned away from the immobile stallions. Twilight’s heart cut flips; there wasn’t enough room on the stairs to avoid physical contact. The heat in her face intensified while she watched one of those firm members rub against Sunset’s side as she passed, bobbing innocuously when she moved on. Twilight thought she saw something white drip from one...

Twilight was as still as a statue for some time, eye locked on Sunset as she slowly ascended to the next bridge. At last she reached the top and turned, gesturing patiently to Twilight.

The princess' lips trembled. She eyed the obscene obstacle course before her.

She had to do this. She couldn’t escape if she didn’t, couldn’t right her mistake, couldn’t return home, couldn’t see her friends.

She had to do this.

She considered closing her eyes – eye – but a cursory glance at the pit and the narrow ledge forced her decision. Hooves trembling, Twilight began to approach. Her stomach churned, her heart pounded against her chest at the perverse display surrounding her. She moved as close to the edge as she dared, but it was no use; she felt the first penis rubbing against her coat, its tip slick, and had to fight to keep from leaping away. She moved as quickly as she could, a sinking feeling in her stomach and her breath coming in quick gasps.

Climbing over the mares on the ground was just as bad. Even if her hooves weren’t injured, she couldn’t jump over them for fear of falling, so she literally had to crawl over them. She could feel every thrust of the ponies’ heads, felt the intense heat and sickening sweat of their bodies. The sour scent of dried sex hit her nostrils and almost made her gag with its intensity. The shame and disgust almost overwhelmed her.

It seemed like an eternity, but at last she was across. She gagged and rubbed her side against the cliff wall in the vain hopes that she might scratch away the sensation of having touched such things. “Are we g-going to have to do that again? P-please say no.”

Sunset said nothing, and Twilight could only cover her burning face and pray it would be over quickly.

They crossed the bridge and encountered another pornographic wall of ponies. Twilight was so desperate to avoid this one that she attempted to use her magic to teleport across. It was no use; she was still recovering from her magic overdose. The attempt left her on her knees and in tears with a smoking horn. Sunset wasn’t much better, for she’d used too much magic in her struggle with Blueblood’s followers. In the end they had to go through the humiliation again, and a third time after crossing the next bridge.

Now they faced another bridge, and this time it too was populated. The entire thing was lined with creatures, all bound with their backs to the ground. The males among them all had erections, their swaying cocks in the air like the poles of a perverted fence. There was no room to move around; Twilight and Sunset had to walk over the blindfolded creatures.

Some of the creatures had others bound to them, bucking and sucking away like mindless golems. Climbing over those was a challenge, not only due to the humiliation, but also because there was no safe way to do so. The constant rocking motions coupled with the powerful gusts kept Twilight on alert as she struggled to climb over the couples. Twice she slipped and nearly fell into the abyss gaping below.

The worst part was a few bridges up. They encountered a stallion riding backwards atop a minotaur, sitting up straight and thrusting like an animal. There was no going around; the mares had to force the bound stallion onto his back and crawl over just like the others. The thrusting never stopped, and Twilight couldn’t help closing her eye as that erect member bounced against her face and rubbed against her belly. She moved quickly, terrified that it might find its way between her legs, and could have sworn she felt the perverted pony’s lips and tongue on her marehood. She was so eager to escape that unwholesome, moist sensation that she nearly fell off, avoiding an eternity in the Winds of Passion only by biting Sunset’s tail for balance.

Neither of them spoke during the degrading ordeal. They just kept going, moving through the hot bodies and ignoring the constant moaning. Twilight had never been a sexual pony, but this experience had her swearing over and over again to never, ever explore the experience for herself. She would rather die than be forced to recall this part of her journey, and if she escaped Tartarus she was determined that nopony would ever know what she was currently going through.

Though it seemed like an eternity had passed since they’d begun climbing, at last an end was within sight. The two mares paused at an intersection between a bridge and the stairs – a refuge from their sexual torment – and gazed high at the Winds of Passion. If Twilight hadn’t already seen so much, she’d have been astounded at the massive boulder that floated in the air. It looked as if the thing were being literally held aloft by the Winds of Passion… which, this being Tartarus, might have been the case. She could see that the bridges would take them directly to the stone.

“Let me guess,” she muttered with ears low. “That’s where the sixth Lord lives, right?”

Sunset’s face was set in a dark glower. “She won’t let us pass, not a chance. We won’t be able to sneak our way past, either – too open.”

Twilight chewed her lip, tasted something salty and promptly spat over the edge with a feeling of revulsion. “I am not turning back after having gone through all of that.”

“And we’ve got some more to go through on the way up,” her companion noted, her lips pulled back in a sneer.

Twilight sat and covered her burning face. Her head still throbbed, her hooves were on fire and there was a disturbing moisture between her legs. She’d been so focused on not falling, on not looking at her surroundings, on the sheer act of moving forward, that by now she was exhausted. It wouldn’t be wise to keep going, she knew that. If she didn’t take a break soon, she’d break. But the loathing she felt for her surroundings, her desperate desire to get away…

“How much farther before we get out of her territory?”

Sunset eyed her and thought on the question. “Not far. Another two or three bridges above the Nin-Imma Cloister and we’re out.”

Twilight could handle that much. She had to. She would rest when they were out. “So how are we going to get past the ‘cloister’?”

Her companion averted her gaze. “Well… we have to teleport.”

Twilight stared at her, a hoof absentmindedly moving to rub her horn. She wanted to protest, but by now she knew that Sunset wouldn’t suggest it if there was a better way. Maybe a brief rest would be beneficial, after all.

“You want to wait?” Sunset sat and observed Twilight, who studied her in turn. Her guide’s shoulders were slumped and her eyes gloomy, but there was still a distinct focus in her. She was probably better off than Twilight right now, all things considered.

Twilight wondered about her own state, but realized that a brief wait wasn’t going to make the spell any easier. There was no telling how long she’d have to linger before she could use her magic safely again, and she wanted out of this place now.

“I can put up with the pain,” she grumbled, "and staying here risks getting caught." She stood, making a very determined effort to ignore the buckle in her knees. “If you’re up for it, I’d like to move now. We can rest once we’re away from this…” She swallowed and gestured at the wall behind them, with its ponies on spikes and perpetually bucking bodies.

Sunset gazed at the wall, then at Twilight, then at the floating boulder over their heads. She shifted from hoof to hoof, chewed her lip, bowed her head. At last she stood. “Okay, we’ll try it. If you’re really, really sure you’re ready.”

Twilight winced and massaged her forehead. “Sunset, Celestia herself couldn’t make me more ready.”

The Nin-Imma Cloister, as Sunset insisted upon calling the floating boulder, really was situated on top of the Winds of Passion. It floated before the mares, its surface bobbing just off the edge of the blessedly bare bridge. Twilight studied the rock, particularly the large colorful mounds that stood like a wall encircling the interior of the cloister. She came to recognize what she was seeing as she approached: horns. The walls were made completely of unicorn horns, piled haphazardly as if they’d been tossed aside.

The sight made Twilight hesitate. “My goddess, there must be thousands. How long has she been collecting them?”

“Not as long as you’d think,” Sunset muttered, her voice just audible over the winds. “Along with Blueblood, she’s actually the newest of the Lords.”

The winds weren’t so strong here, for the Winds of Passion didn’t rise above the boulder. Though it was easier to approach, the mares moved slowly for fear of drawing any attention. The wall of horns stopped right where the bridge ended, leaving an opening just wide enough for a pony to get through. Twilight could see another opening on the other side of the cloister, where a second bridge led to the other side of the canyon.

Lustful moaning caught Twilight’s lowered ears. She realized quickly that it was coming from within the cloister, but she couldn’t see the source. If she had to guess, she imagined the ‘Lord’ was enjoying one of her ‘followers’, but Twilight didn’t want to imagine what that might entail.

They came to a stop at the end of the bridge. The gap between it and the cloister’s edge seemed a little too far for comfort, and Twilight was glad they wouldn’t be trying to jump across. She didn’t think her legs could take it.

Sunset peered back at her. “One at a time, okay? Don’t want to risk bumping one another off.”

Twilight nodded her acceptance. “You first.”

Her companion shifted, once again eyeing Twilight. “I was going to suggest you go first. You’re gonna have a lot more trouble.”

“That’s why you need to be there already,” Twilight replied, trying to make her voice reassuring even as a fresh burst of pain made her wince. “If I mess up, I’d like to know you’re already there and can help.”

Sunset hesitated, but finally nodded. “I don’t know what good I can do, but okay.” She turned and focused her attention on the opposite bridge. There was a long pause as she concentrated, body shaking from the effort and her horn emitting a small sliver of smoke at the tip. At last there was a flash of opal light… and Sunset was on the other side.

Twilight moved closer to the edge, watching with worry as her guide dropped to her knees. But after a few seconds of recuperation Sunset stood and turned back, waving for Twilight to follow.

Twilight closed her eye and mentally braced herself. She knew this was going to hurt a lot. She focused on clearing her mind, hoping it would alleviate the pounding in her skull. It was hard to do with those erotic groans in her ears. Just one spell, one simple, small spell. She set a hoof to her chest, sucked in a long breath and brought it back out as she exhaled. Calm…

She opened her eye, locked it with Sunset’s. She began to focus…

The pain was instant, and it was intense. Twilight locked her hooves, refusing to let herself collapse as metaphorical sledgehammers pounded her skull. Her jaw went rigid, her horn shined and sparked. Buck, did it hurt! Tears fell down her cheeks as she maintained her focus and kept her gaze locked on Sunset’s face. She could do this… just one tiny insignificant spell!

The flash came. With it was a jolt of intense pain that left Twilight seeing red and a high-pitched ringing in her ears. It was so much worse than the steady headache and the burning in her hooves. She couldn’t resist shouting even as the light faded. Her legs failed and she toppled, prompting a cry from Sunset.

Twilight didn’t feel the ground…

Something caught her forelegs just as the red began to fade from her vision. She was dangling over the edge of the bridge, looking into the frantic eyes of Sunset. Her companion grimaced and began to pull Twilight back up. Twilight wanted to help, but her legs wouldn’t work. She could feel the heat radiating from her horn, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her skull. What if she’d caused real damage? Frequent overdoses were known to do that…

At last Twilight was atop the bridge, both her and her savior gasping for breath as the intense ringing finally started to fade. She wanted to thank Sunset, but couldn’t conjure up any words through her labored breathing. She tried to work her legs, but they ignored her commands and remained limp. She just needed rest, that was all. Just a little–

“What do we have here?”

Sunset’s eyes widened, her pupils shrank. She jumped to her hooves and grabbed Twilight’s forelegs, dragging her away from the cloister. “T-Twilight, come on,” she heaved between sharp breaths. “Get up!”

Twilight fought to control her legs, but they continued to stubbornly ignore her. An icy fear arose as she realized the predicament they were in. Why hadn’t she waited, why? “I… I c-c… I…” It was no use, she couldn’t even speak properly yet.

Something caught her hind legs and tugged. Her heart leapt into her throat as she felt herself being pulled backwards. She wanted to shout, to encourage Sunset, to fight for her life! Instead she just hung there, jerked back and forth in a humiliating game of tug-of-war.

At last Sunset was able to speak properly again, and she wasted no time. “Let her go, you bastard!”

Her opponent only pulled that much harder. He was clearly very strong, and the already weakened Sunset was no match. If she didn’t let go they’d both be captured… and Twilight couldn’t let that happen.

“Go.”

“No. I won’t!”

Twilight looked into Sunset’s desperate face, though even that small motion left her seeing stars. “G-go. Sunset…” She sucked in a gasp as she felt Sunset dragged a little more. “P-please… let me go…”

“I won’t!” Her companion had tears in her eyes as she struggled to hold on. “You don’t belong here, Twilight! We’re supposed to get out together, you and me, understand? Together!”

“Nopony’s going anywhere,” a female voice called, and Twilight thought she heard the flapping of wings.

Twilight gazed imploringly into her friend’s eyes, desperation and terror filling her. “S-Sunset, please. Don’t let them take you, too. Go.”

But Sunset was relentless. She shook her head, she pulled with all her remaining strength, she sobbed. Twilight watched as her friend fought vainly, desperately to save her. Twilight should have been touched.

Instead she was scared, because she knew that this was it. This was the moment when it ended. She had failed, and now she was going to spend the rest of her existence trapped in Tartarus.

Something pink appeared, slamming right into Sunset.

“No!” Sunset screamed her frustration as she was knocked away, unable to hold on to her charge. Twilight had tears of her own as she saw her friend hit the ground. With no opposition, her captor dragged her back, lifted her up and threw her like a rag doll back into the cloister.

Twilight hit the ground, whimpering in pain as she rolled on top of her broken wing. She shifted her head and gazed out between white legs to see Sunset climbing to her hooves. Tears streaked Sunset’s face as she ran for the cloister, only to be dive-bombed by that pink pegasus. She tried again and was nearly knocked over the edge.

Twilight watched with a building sense of loss and desperation. Her lips worked silently, begging her friend to stop, to flee, to save herself. At last, after so many failed attempts, Sunset began to back off. The pegasus kept coming, but Sunset was learning how to dodge the attacks. Twilight watched… and prayed.

At last Sunset stopped coming entirely. Her frustrated scream filled the canyon, a shriek that let out all her misery and anger and guilt in a long, piercing syllable. She turned and fled, the pegasus still going after her.

Sunset’s voice just barely reached Twilight’s ears.

“I’ll be back for you, Twilight. I swear on my soul, I will be back!”

She was gone. Twilight closed her eye and whispered a prayer to any deity that might listen; let Sunset escape. Maybe then this sacrifice would be worth it.

“Twily?”

That voice. She knew that voice! Twilight’s eye gradually opened. She shifted her head just enough to look up.

The bulky body, the white coat, the blue mane… “Sh… Shining?”

“Holy Goddess,” Shining Armor whispered, his eyes going wide. “It is you! What the buck happened to you?”

She tried to move her legs; they responded. Slowly, ignoring the fire in her knees, she reached up and touched his legs. No, he was not an illusion. She wasn’t having a hallucination brought on by the pain and distress and a magic overdose. It was him, her brother, right there.

Of all the ponies she could meet… Twilight wrapped his legs up in a clutching embrace and sobbed. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. All she knew was that her dear, loving brother was here.

She was safe. At long last, she was safe!

He dropped down and held her close, rubbing her back affectionately. “Twily… what are you doing in Tartarus? You look like you slugged your way through hell.”

She hardly heard him. She was too busy feeling the joy of his presence. With what little strength she had left, she pulled herself up and buried her head into his chest. “I w-want to go home. I don’t want to be here anymore! P-please, Shining, t-tell me I can go home…”

He nuzzled her neck with all the tenderness and affection she longed for. “Oh, Twily. I’m so sorry you had to end up down here, too. I never thought I’d see you again.”

She wept against him for a long time, not bothering to wipe the tears away. Her brother… her dear, loving BBBFF. He would protect her, help her. With his stalwart presence, she would escape. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world, a feeling of love and devotion and sheer, unadulterated happiness!

Her ears twitched to the sound of flapping wings.

“She got away.”

Another familiar voice. Twilight slowly turned her head as a pegasus landed nearby. She was so familiar, with a pink coat and violet mane… “C… Cadance?”

Cadance’s scornful expression faded to surprise upon hearing her name. She leaned forward to study Twilight up close. “Have we met?”

It was her. Twilight reached a trembling hoof to touch the pony’s face. “Cadance… it’s me, Twilight. D-don’t you remember?”

“Twilight?” The pegasus’ eyes widened. She looked from Twilight to Shining Armor, then back. “Of course… Twilight Sparkle! You’re Shining’s sister.” She blinked and scanned their surroundings with a miffed frown. “What are you doing here?”

“F-forget that,” Twilight whispered. “What happened to your horn?”

The – princess? – blinked and felt at her forehead. She sighed with a pretty pout. “Oh, I must have lost it in the chase. That other pony can really run.”

Shining winced. “Sorry, Cadance.”

Cadance offered him a soothing smile and rubbed his cheek. “That’s okay, Shiny.” The hoof lowered to touch Twilight’s cheek. It was such a soft touch; Twilight pressed against it with a feeling of love and appreciation like she couldn’t remember having ever felt before.

“We’ll just take this one.”

What?

“Are you… sure?”

Twilight’s eye jerked open. She looked up to see her former foalsitter smiling wickedly. “I want a horn! You’re not going to choose your sister over me—” her voice became as soft as velvet, “—are you, Shiny?”

The reply came without hesitation: “Not a chance.”

Before Twilight could fathom what they meant, she was on her back. Her joy became fear as she looked up to find Shining standing over her, a dark glint in his eye and a grin on his lips. “B-brother… w-what are you doing?”

Then she realized; he had no horn. Instead, just above and between the eyes, there was a hideous recession in his skull.

Her world erupted in pain, stars filling her vision as her dear brother bashed his hoof against the side of her horn. Her face jerked sideways, then looked up at him with tears swelling in her eyes as comprehension dawned upon her. “Sh-Shining, wai—”

He struck her again, this time from the other side.

“Not so eager, my love.” Twilight’s stomach churned as Cadance cooed in her ear. “We don’t want to damage the goods, do we?” She grabbed the sides of Twilight’s head, held it steady as Shining hit her horn again. Twilight sobbed with the pain, her vision going white for a split second.

“P-please, Shining!”

Whack.

“I’m your sister!”

Whack.

“Stop.”

Whack.

“P… P-please…”

Whack.

“D… d… don’t…”

Whack.

“Shi… ning…”

With the last hit there was a resounding crack that left Twilight screeching in agony. She sucked in sharp breaths, eye shut tight against the reality of her situation. Her brother, her own brother! How could this be happening? What had she done to deserve this?

She barely registered the voices.

“Sounds like it’s loose.”

“Well done, my love! You’ve truly mastered the art.”

“Now all we have to do is…”

Something grabbed Twilight’s horn. It began to move around unnaturally on her head. She sobbed and tried to speak, but her throat couldn’t form the words.

The pain was incomprehensible. Twilight screeched, squirming in futility as her horn was pulled up and away. She could feel something ripping, something pouring down her face. She screamed and screamed, her world nothing but agony, her mind ablaze with terror.

The tugging stopped. Twilight fell back, not aware that she’d been lifted up by the pulling. Her body convulsed, the world seemed to spin even with her eye closed. She gasped, shook, had just a fragile second to think of Sunset…

Darkness.

Awareness came gradually to the sound of moaning. Twilight was on her back, something thick covering her face. She felt like she had been immersed in fire! Her trembling hoof rose, pressed against her closed eyes, rubbed. Slowly, her eyelids parted. Her hoof was blurry. She blinked a few times, sucking down slow gasps as the pain ran up and down her body. Her vision cleared, and she saw her hoof covered in something red.

Blood. Her face was covered in blood.

The horrible, mind-crushing memory came flooding back. She reached up and felt at her forehead… nothing but piercing agony. Her stomach imploded as the air left her. A moment of sheer, horrible clarity filled her. She gazed at her red hooves, panic and alarm mixing within her mind. Her greatest asset, the one thing that she could always depend upon…

Tears mixed with the blood on her cheeks as she covered her face. She was sobbing and hyperventilating at once, a horrible combination that had her choking and coughing. She lost her breath, she gagged, she clutched at her throat. She couldn’t breathe… her eyes rolled back in her head…

Abruptly, her lungs obeyed and she sucked in a desperate breath. This was followed by uncontrollable hacking that had her struggling to breathe once more, phlegm and blood mixing in a nasty mess on her muzzle. She hardly noticed.

At last, she had control of her breathing again… and she could only lay there, staring up at the black nothingness above her. Her mind was empty; no thoughts, no hope or prayers or plans. Just a heavy, all-encompassing despair.

This really was where it ended. After all that time, all the struggles and hopes and promises… this was it. Why had she even bothered? She should have just stayed in Limbo with Sunset.

Sunset.

Maybe she got out. There was only one Lord left, wasn’t there? Maybe… just maybe…

The moaning caught her ears again. Slowly, painfully, she turned her head.

Shining Armor – her brother – was behind Cadance, thrusting into her with a savage eagerness. The pegasus had her face to the floor, a rapturous smile on her lips as she pushed back against his eager bucking.

Twilight didn’t want to watch. The scene was repulsive. They were repulsive. Her foalsitter, who had once been so dear to her, and her doting, protective brother. What had happened to them? How could they do this to her? She wanted to look away… but her eye remained glued to that sickening sight.

Shining leaned forward and caught Cadance’s mane in his teeth. He pulled her head back, eliciting a delighted groan from his wife.

Twilight saw it, and the sight filled her with dread and disgust: her horn, mounted and secured on Cadance’s head by the pegasus’ own mane wrapped about her head. Dried rivulets of blood covered Cadance’s head, a macabre sight that put a revolting taste in Twilight’s mouth.

Twilight stared at the horn, watched it bob back and forth loosely, and felt the panic begin to come back. She closed her eye and vomited before turning her head away with a sob.

She wanted to get away. She was desperate, but any attempt at real motion rewarded her with indescribable pain. She couldn’t walk, couldn’t stand… she could barely conjure up the strength to roll over, and even that nearly rendered her unconscious. So she just lay on her belly, face set away from the fornicating bastards of this world she’d made, and tried not to think.

At some point the hideous couple stopped, the end punctuated by an excited scream. Twilight hoped she was forgotten, that they would ignore her and go about their wicked business. Maybe if she just lay still long enough, she could regain the strength she needed to crawl to the edge…

“Oh… look,” Cadance breathed. “She… survived…”

“Of course she did,” Shining declared with pride. “My sister’s a lot… a lot tougher than she looks.”

A hoof touched Twilight’s cheek. It made her look up into Cadance’s flushed, blood-streaked face. The abominable pegasus was taking long, recovering breaths as she studied her victim. All Twilight could see was her own horn sticking out precariously from that pink head. The sight of it made her stomach churn…

“I wanted to thank you for the horn,” Cadance whispered. “It looks wonderful on me, doesn’t it, Shiny?”

Shining was at her side, nuzzling her cheek. “Beautiful.” Twilight wanted to look away, but her face was held firm.

Cadance petted Twilight’s mane, her expression adoring. “I don’t know how I could ever repay you for something so precious.” She set a hoof to Twilight’s lips, as if to stop her from speaking. “But, I know one very nice thing I can give you, something that you’ll love.”

She leaned back, letting Twilight’s chin fall back to the floor. “Shiny, my love… you would do anything for me, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course, princess.”

Twilight turned her face away, letting her cheek rest on the cool stone. She didn’t care what Cadance was thinking. The pony was clearly mad. Maybe Twilight was going to be, too.

“Really?”

“Whatever you desire! Name it.”

“Good.”

Cadance’s voice turned wicked:

“Rut her.”

Twilight sucked in a gasp. Her body grew cold.

“Is something the matter, Shiny?”

Twilight winced at the pain of moving her head so quickly. She gazed imploringly up at her brother, who returned the look with wide, startled eyes. His lips moved slowly for a few seconds before he managed to answer. “N-no… I just… Rut my sister? I thought…”

Please let him say no. Please let him show a scrap of pony decency. Please let there be something of Twilight’s big brother in there!

Cadance turned away, a scowl on her lips. “Is that too much for you? I bet Blueblood would have done it if it were his sister.”

“No, he wouldn’t!” Shining embraced his wife from behind, eyes alarmed as his chin rested on her shoulder. “I’m your stallion, princess. You know it!”

Cadance’s sweet smile returned. She reached back and petted Shining’s cheek. “Then do this for me, love. Your cock is my gift to her for the horn. Rut her like a beast, just like you do me.”

A hideous shudder ran through Twilight at those words. Please say no, please say no, please say—

Shining’s voice was dripping with adoration. “As you wish, my princess.”

Terror filled Twilight to the point of panic. Adrenaline mixed with her dread as she struggled against the agony and her own feeble strength to crawl away. She focused everything on the edge of the cloister. If she could reach it, she could fall, and if she fell…

Her hind legs were caught, she was dragged backwards. Twilight tried to scream, to plead, but her voice came out hoarse. There was a weight on her hind legs, pinning them down. She looked over her shoulder and saw her own brother’s erection. Her tear-streaked face shook frantically, ignoring the pounding pain the motion caused. She fought to work her voice, to get something, anything out.

“P-please… M-mercy…”

He entered.

Twilight’s scream came out a throaty, pathetic whimper as he broke through her virginal layers and filled her marehood. She bit her lip so hard it bled, her back arching as she tried to push away… but it was no use. She collapsed to her belly as he began to thrust, tears streaming down her cheeks and a pathetic yelp slipping out her throat with every painful hit.

Her brother.

Sweet merciful Celestia, her own brother...

“There, there.” Cadance was at her side, nuzzling the back of her neck. “That feels nice, doesn’t it?”

“P-please…” It came out as little more than a desperate whisper. “Sp… Spare me…”

Shining kept pushing inside her, every thrust a fresh indignity. Twilight closed her eye and sobbed, her legs slowly pulling at the ground in what she knew was a vain effort.

“Bite her mane, Shiny.”

Twilight’s head was jerked backwards, the motion causing an explosion of pain in her broken skull. Her moist eye went to the wall of the canyon, where she could see more creatures suffering similar fates. Her head bobbed back and forth with her brother’s, a sick slap sounding with each hit as an unwelcome moisture began to build up between her thighs.

“Sh-Shining… big brother… don’t… don’t d-do this…”

“Oh, that is such a sexy look!” Cadance moved before Twilight, leaning back and spreading her legs wide. Twilight fought to avert her gaze as the pegasus ran a hoof over her own slit. “Keep it up, Shiny, but not too fast. I want to enjoy this as much as you do.”

Shining obliged, his thrusts slowing gradually. Twilight tried not to think about what was happening, about how her body was reacting, about what her precious brother was doing to her. Her eyes swam out to the opening between the walls, to the ridge, to the ledge. Sunset… where was Sunset?

Cadance began to moan, her hoof moving even faster against her moistened sex. “Yes… So good. You should see her face, Shiny, it’s amazing!”

Shining responded with a grunt and picked up speed again, Twilight’s entire body jerking to his rhythmic pounding.

“I have a wonderful idea.” Cadance lifted her moistened hoof so it was just under Twilight’s muzzle. “Have you ever given a hornjob, Twilight?”

The foul stench of Cadance's arousal assaulted Twilight’s nostrils. She tried to turn her head away, but Shining’s hold on her mane kept her neck taught. She sobbed as Cadance rubbed her hoof against Twilight’s face, sticky precum making a mess.

“Let’s try… this.” Cadance untied Twilight’s horn from her head, took a moment to lick the tip with a wicked smile… and then set the thick lower portion to her own clit. She emitted a carnal moan as she pressed it inside, then moved closer to the captive Twilight.

“Set her down, Shiny,” she ordered. “Slowly.”

“N-no…”

Shining loosened his grip. Twilight’s face began to lower.

“S-Sunset… where are you…?”

Twilight's eye locked on her own horn, raised up like a hideous tower. She pressed her forehooves to the floor, tired knees shaking in agony as she struggled to hold her own weight.

“Help… h-help me…”

“Oh, Twilight, don’t tease.” Cadance pressed down on the prostrate pony’s head, forcing it further down.

“Somepony… he-help…”

She was too weak to keep fighting; her face dropped and her mouth opened to accept the horn lest she be pierced. She kept her jaw wide, refusing to do what she knew they wanted. They’d violated her in so many ways… let her resist this!

“Oh, Goddess.” Shining let out a rough moan, his hips slapping even faster against Twilight’s rump. She could feel the intense heat of his cock swelling within her…

“Yes…” Cadance used her forehooves to force Twilight’s head up and down. “That’s a good filly…”

Twilight's jaw grew sore. She couldn’t hold it open forever. She could feel the horn – her horn! – bouncing against her teeth as her body rocked with increasing force.

Teeth.

She clamped down on the horn, a last act of resistance. The thing began to wobble back and forth with her motions, digging a little deeper into Cadance’s exposed marehood.

“Hey! That…” A shiver ran through Cadance’s body. “Th-that’s nice… Oh Goddess, that’s wonderful!”

Twilight didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything. She just wanted it to end. She closed her eye and prayed it would be over soon…

“C-Cadance… She’s… She’s so…” Shining’s thrusts became wild.

“I know… I know! Do it, Shiny!”

Twilight’s eye flew open in understanding. She wanted to scream, to beg, to do something!

“Fill her, fill your kid sister!” Cadance’s words were impassioned with the obsession of an impending climax.

It was all Twilight had left: she thrust her head back, pulling the horn out of Cadance, who let out a shuddering cry at the motion and began to convulse. Twilight spit the horn out and screamed.

“Shining, please! It’s me, you’re sister! I’m Twilight! Twiley! Don’t do this!”

“Sweet Goddess!” Shining’s hips only worked harder. “I love it when they beg!”

She clawed at the floor, she sobbed, she pleaded. “No! No no no no no! Sunset help me! Celestia Luna Rainbow Applejack Discord somepony!”

Her face hit the floor, Shining’s forehooves pressed against her upper back. She squirmed, mind filled with an indescribable terror.

“Somepony! Anypony! Help m—!”

Her words cut off in a final, primal shriek as her brother’s thrusts came to an abrupt stop. Her eye stared wide and unseeing as something hot began to fill her, Shining’s body convulsing tight against her rump as his thick member throbbed.

She didn’t notice when he pulled out. She just lay there, too weak in body and mind to offer a response other than an occasional sob. Her brother… How had it come to this? The pure, wretched indignity…

No more. She silently mouthed the words, over and over again. No more…

“That was astounding!” Cadance patted the enfeebled Twilight’s head. “Sexual skill must run in your family, love.”

“We… We can’t be done.” All hesitation had gone from Shining's voice. “I… I want to do her again!”

No…

“Yes, she’ll make a nice toy for the time being. Why don’t you enjoy that delightful mouth of hers?”

Twilight closed her lips on instinct and slowly shook her head. Please, no more…

“Yes… Yes, my princess. I want to fill her throat next!”

Oh Goddess, it wasn’t going to end. Had they no sense of mercy?

“Oh… but she did bite down on the horn…”

Sunset… Twilight’s head shifted slowly to the exit, to the bridge, to the wall. Her friend, her only chance, was nowhere to be seen.

“Break her muzzle. That’ll make things easier, won’t it, love?”

She tried to call out, to plead: ‘come back...’ She had no voice.

“It’ll do.”

Come back…

Twilight’s head rose. Hooves were holding her muzzle. She reached up with feeble legs, tried to push them away as she felt her brother’s strength.

The hooves pressed in with an audible crunch. Twilight opened her mouth to scream but could manage no more than a faint wind.

Sunset… please…

Twilight was on her back. Something long and pale hovered over her face, dripping a salty gunk in her open mouth. She tried to close it, but the pain kept her from applying any pressure; a hoof reached down and easily forced her jaw open.

Please…

A tongue flicked over Twilight's marehood, accompanied by an eager groan.

Twilight’s mind began to retreat just as she felt something being pushed between her lips. She closed her eye and let the anguish seep over her.

She didn’t pay attention to the fresh humiliation.

Better to hide in her tormented mind.

She was in the library, Spike helping her practice magic. He was so helpful, even when he would rather be reading his stupid comics or visiting Rarity. He was always at Twilight’s side…

She was in Canterlot with Rarity, putting up with the her friend’s gushing over her royal gown. So eager to help Twilight practice her royal poise.

She was in the sky, Rainbow Dash laughing raucously as Twilight clumsily flew into a big cloud. She never would have learned to fly without Rainbow’s help.

She was at Sugarcube Corner, wiping icing from her face after Pinkie Pie had burst from a cake as part of the surprise. Dear Pinkie, always there to cheer her up.

She was at Sweet Apple Acres, helping Applejack prepare for a bake sale. AJ was always making sure Twilight was honest with herself.

She was in the park, enjoying tea with Fluttershy and her animals. Kind, caring Fluttershy, always showing by example how to be the gentlest, most serene pony Twilight could be.

She was at home, with her mother and father. They always supported her, were always so proud.

She was at Canterlot Castle, alone with her beloved mentor. Celestia… Twilight missed her so much…

They were all gone. Every last one of them. She’d never see them again.

But for now she would remain here in her memories of them, where they would stay and be cherished for the rest of her life.

…however long that might be.

Author's Notes:

This chapter broke new ground for me. I've never written anything so blatantly sexual, and I'm still rather anxious about how it came out. My great fear was that it would come off as too cloppy – a term I never want associated with my name. Yet I knew that this had to be the worst ordeal yet, and to do it justice I had to go the detailed route. There was really no other way.

The editing for this one was a beast. My editor and I had a number of debates over when I was taking things too far or not far enough. Then we had to postpone for a day or two because he ended up having a nightmare from the chapter's content and needed to recover. I think we finally managed to reach a happy medium (so to speak).

One Lord left. I think we all know who that is.