Author's Notes:

I apologize for this taking so long! It was one thing after another. If it wasn't writer's block, I was beseiged by RL things. If it wasn't that, I had a million distractions. I had to keep pushing my deadline back until I forced myself to sit down and write write write.

EDIT: Changed a portion to more fall in line with common knowledge.

Sunrise Splendor started awake and shivered in the dark. A cold breeze blew through the room, and she could hear a heavy rain splashing against the cottage and ground outside. She pulled the blanket around herself tighter and groaned. Her asshole and nethers burned with soreness. Another breeze told Sunrise just how futile it was to huddle within her blanket; the cold cut right through it and sucked away her warmth.

Blinking open her eyes, she noticed the time was shortly after three in the morning and the two bedroom windows were both wide open. Two pressing needs took ahold of her and she curled up all the tighter within her pet bed, feeling the soft fabric of what was once a dress against her skin. He said not to leave the bed, she thought, pulling the blanket over her head. Would she chance wetting her bed? Or worse? Sunrise threw her blanket aside and involuntarily gasped as a blast of cold air slammed into her body. No, she would not.

She stood and stretched her legs, her body protesting from being curled up in her bed for so long. Traversing the cold wooden floors as quietly as possible, Sunrise glanced at the sleeping form of her Master. He snored lightly, his body barely covered by a blanket of his own while most of his lower legs hung over the edge of the bed.

Sunrise snuck away to the bathroom, a little while later coming back with all her aches re-inflamed just from the act. Nestling back into her bed, Sun tucked the blanket around her and ducked her head under the covers. Thoughts bubbling in her mind prevented her from quickly going back to sleep.

I doubt a simple caging and spanking was all that my punishment would be. A shudder ran through her body and her blanket rustled from another breezes passing through the room. Listening to the falling rain, Sunrise shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Vestri was angry, but he still listened to me. He gives me chance after chance…. Was he serious about giving me to Ivangir if I don’t go along with this? Sunrise swallowed. It was best not to test that.

She needed to get into his favor. If Sunrise could do that, then maybe her restrictions would lift and she’d be able to do far more. If I’m… Sunrise swallowed. If I’m good, then things will go better for me, right? They have to. Yesterday was a nightmare. If it’s always like that… Sunrise stopped that line of thought and bit her lip.

Being completely beneath the blanket helped, but it wasn’t enough. The mare still felt cold. She poked her head out from under the blanket and peered up at the bed. Maybe? It could help. She’d be warmer, and she’d be showing to Vestri that she was willing for the most part? She’d probably hate herself for it in the morning, but she needed to do it. If not for the warmth, than at least for the chance to gain some favor.

Sunrise stifled a groan and stood up enough to climb onto the bed and slip under the covers with Vestri. She nestled herself in against his side and laid her head upon his shoulder. He shifted a moment at her touch and he mumbled something in the ancient language of his people. While her hand shook, she slipped it down the front of Vestri’s pants and caressed along his flaccid length. This certainly grabbed his attention, as he snorted a couple times and his eyes shot open. His gaze locked down on her and narrowed somewhat.

Sunrise Splendor kept her voice low and focused on not withdrawing her hand in disgust at her actions. “I’m cold, Master. If I’m good, can I sleep with you tonight?”

A simple grunt was returned and she felt Vestri relax beside her. A breath that Sunrise hadn’t realized she’d been holding was released. She withdrew her hand from Vestri’s pants and pulled the blanket up over the two of them. It was far warmer now with the body heat of two people beneath the covers, and Sunrise sighed with something akin to content.

Vestri suddenly surprised her when he leaned his head over to nuzzle over her ears and mane, whispering, “It is good to see you accepting your place without a collar needing to push you along.”

Sunrise’s eyes whipped open. That nuzzle seemed affectionate, as did the tone of the words. Did Vestri actually care for her? Her eyes shut while she thought about that development. If he cares for me in some way, then perhaps… perhaps I have a good chance, then! What would happen if I pretended to show the same? She only had to pretend. That’s all she had to do. Sunrise lifted her head, then planted a delicate kiss upon Vestri’s cheek before setting her head back down.

“Good girl,” Vestri muttered.

Sunrise’s face flushed, and some small part of herself felt proud at being called such. A yawn broke broke her thoughts and she pressed herself tighter against Vestri’s body. If anything, he was at least warm and his fur soft.

His arm snaked out from between them and slipped behind Sunrise to settle along her back, with his hand over her rump. Right now, Sunrise was too focused on trying to fall asleep to care. She was warm, she wasn’t curled up, and she was sleeping in the first real bed she’s had in days. It didn’t take her long to fall into a deep sleep and dream of having tea in Canterlot.

The sound of birds chirping outside brought Sunrise out of sleep and into the waking world. She froze up when she felt an unfamiliar warmth next to her, and the feeling of being in a bed rather than on her clothes. The body next to her shifted and yawned.

Her eyes shot open, and she relaxed when she noticed it was only Vestri. Just outside, the sun was just cresting the horizon, sending streams of red light in through the windows. Sunrise Splendor yawned widely and pressed herself tighter against Vestri. He was warm and comfortable enough for her to ignore any other feelings she may have about him, plus, when was she going to get to next sleep in a bed?

It was all for naught when Vestri sat up and slipped off the bed. Sunrise grabbed the covers and tucked herself into them, curling beneath them and shutting her eyes tight. It was far too early.

“Sunny,” was all that Vestri said, in a tone that told her that she’d better be out of the bed in fewer than three seconds.

Sunrise groaned and threw the covers off herself, shivering momentarily from the chill morning air. She climbed out of the bed and immediately knelt before Vestri. There was no need to give Vestri any excuse to second-guess his choices. Sunrise stifled a yawn and said sleepily, “Morning, Master.”

Vestri reached down a hand and rubbed his thick fingers over Sunrise’s ear. To be honest with herself, it felt quite nice. “I have important matters I need to work on today. You will be on your own, and you have permission to leave the house,” Vestri spoke while Sunrise listened.

I get to do things on my own? She shifted her eyes to stare at the mess on the floor and sighed softly to herself. After I take care of this and assess the damages. I hope it’s not too much, some of those are irreplaceable.

“However.”

Sunrise folded her ears back, no longer enjoying the ear rubs. “You do not have permission to have any sex today unless I allow it, you will crawl everywhere, and when you go out, you will immediately check if anybody needs aid. I will not have you sitting indoors all day doing nothing,” Vestri revealed.

No sex? Oh thank the goddesses! Sunrise thought until a look of horror passed over her face. Crawling? After this heavy of a rain? The streets were packed dirt, but even they would be muddy after what she woke up to during the night. There were also plenty of places that weren’t packed and had grass. A whimper escaped her lips while she felt faint from the idea of having to wade through that muck.

A smile passed across Vestri’s face and knelt down to nuzzle between Sunrise’s ears, surprising her again. “Your breakfast will be ready soon. I want you to be good for me, my pet,” she heard him whisper into her ears.

When he stood and turned around, a thought passed through her mind and she looked up at him “Master?” she queried. “There’s more to it, isn’t there? About you choosing me instead of a caribou female?”

He looked over his shoulder and replied, “You’ll see soon enough once you meet one.” He walked out of the room, and she heard him slip into the bathroom.

Sunrise stayed in place for a moment, then set about the sad business of gathering all her jewelry and crafting materials together into a pile. She picked up the earring that Vestri had stepped on and looked it over. The gems had popped out of their settings and the working was twisted beyond recognition. A pang of sorrow stabbed through Sunrise’s heart at the thought that a long ago gift from one of her former love interests had been destroyed. A touch of irony, I suppose, now that I ‘belong’ to Vestri.”

She heard him pass down the stairs, and imagined just how terrible the place must look after that ‘celebration’ the previous night. If the caribou so far and the sounds last night were any indication, it’d look like a disaster zone.

She sat about sorting everything back into their respective compartments of her box when she heard Vestri call from downstairs. Biting her lip, Sunrise Splendor picked up everything and simply dumped it into her box to be sorted later. She gathered her legs under herself to stand, but thought better of it and crawled out of the room. The stairs gave her a major issue of getting down until the mare took her time and crawled down them backwards, taking each step meticulously.

Once she got down them, Sunrise’s mouth gaped open in shock. The entire living room was spic and span. Nothing was out of place, there were no dishes lying everywhere. In fact, it was left in better shape than how she’d left it. Everything was dusted and cleaned, leaving her quite impressed. Breakfast called to her, however, and she passed through into the kitchen to find Vestri standing over the counter making something she couldn’t see. Her eyes scanned the table, but she couldn’t see a bowl or plate of anything that could be her food. Her gaze roamed until Sunrise spotted something on the floor that hadn’t been there before.

It was a large, red food bowl, the same kind used to feed a dog. Within it were lettuce leaves and strange, brown granules. Next to the bowl was a second filled with water. “You can’t seriously be expecting me to-” Sunrise began, humiliated at thinking she’d be forced to eat from the bowl like a common dog. There was only so far her pride would let her go.

She was interrupted when Vestri countered, “Sunny, you can either eat what you’re given, how it’s given, or you can go hungry.”

Sunrise’s stomach growled at her and she held a hand against it. To be honest, I’m starving, but to reduce myself to…. that… She bit her lip and sat back, watching Vestri fix his own breakfast, which appeared to be hearty helpings of what was brought the night before. Her mouth salivated at the thought of mashed potatoes, and the many delicacies in Canterlot. She turned to the bowl of ‘food’ and squeezed her eyes shut. Just the lettuce. She made her way over to the bowl and reached in to grab one of the leaves of lettuce.

“With your mouth, Sunny.”

Sunrise froze and a blush of humiliation tinged her cheeks. She shut her eyes tightly and lowered herself down until her muzzle was nearly in the bowl. Amidst the scent of fresh lettuce, she could also smell the strange pellets. They had an unpleasant odor that nearly overwhelmed that of the greens. Gagging, Sunrise grasped one of the leaves in her mouth. She attempted to take a bite from it, but without something to hold it down, all the mare could do was pull the entire thing out of the bowl and stuff the leaf into her maw.

It didn’t take long for her to finish the lettuce and eat the second, then the third leaf. When Sun went back for another, she quickly discovered all that remained were the strange pellets. She wrinkled up her nose and sat back. She was still hungry, but she refused to touch whatever was in the bowl.

Vestri suddenly walked by and sat at the table with a heaping plate of food and a glass of wine that made Sunrise almost drool; her wine! She opened her mouth to protest, only to be interrupted by Vestri again. “All of it,” he simply said, but in a tone that said that would be all she’d get if she didn’t eat it.

Sunrise gagged and held a hand to her mouth. He can’t really expect her to keep down whatever swill those pellets were supposed to be. “Goddesses, what I wouldn’t give just to be back in Canterlot. I’d even take over Fine Line’s work,” she muttered under her breath.

Vestri had a fork halfway to his mouth when he suddenly rotated his ear and glanced strangely at Sunrise. “Care to repeat that, pet?” he said.

She laid her ears back and shook her head several times, “N-No, Master.”

“Repeat it,” he insisted.

Sunrise swallowed and lowered her head to avoid Vestri’s gaze. “I was merely wishing that I had something better than whatever’s in that bowl, say, actual food or my wine,” she lied, hoping to Celestia that he hadn’t heard right. Her Master grasped the wine glass and downed the entire thing in a single gulp. Sunset flinched and thought, He barely tasted it! It’s meant to be savored!

“You own nothing, Sunny. Everything that was mistakenly yours is mine now. As for your food…” Vestri shrugged and pointed at a brown burlap sack in one corner of the kitchen that Sunrise had missed. “The food we give our cows will have to do for you until we start producing something for you mares,” he mentioned matter-of-factly. He then raised his eyebrow and gave Sunrise a look that said what next came out of her mouth better be the right answer. “Unless you feel you deserve more?”

It’s a trap! a little voice exclaimed in the back of Sunrise’s head. She clenched her hands together and shook her head again, bowing her head further to show submissiveness. I can’t give him any reason to lose what progress I’ve made so far. “No, Master. I just haven’t eaten well the past few days,” Sunrise answered tentatively.

Vestri turned back to his own meal and waved his hand in the direction of Sunrise’s bowl, as if saying ‘now you are’. Her stomach grumbled as she stared at the bowl. All the while, she could smell Vestri’s far more appetizing breakfast. Grimacing, Sunrise leaned in and slipped her muzzle into the bowl. She grabbed a single pellet and pulled it into her mouth. It was very dry, and left an odd taste on her mouth. When she bit down upon it and crushed it, Sunrise nearly lost what little breakfast she’d had right there. By the goddesses, the taste was disgusting! It was worse than the hors d'oeuvres Honey Glimmer served at her garden party. At least those were edible, albeit unsavory.

She nearly quit right there and then, but Sunrise knew that if she didn’t eat them now, Vestri would make her eat them later. Sunrise Splendor buried her muzzle back in the dish and took a large mouthful of the pellets. It was better to get this over with than draw it out and have to choke down many mouthfuls of this ‘cow’ food. The unicorn forced herself to chew the offending food and keep her stomach from rebelling, even though she gagged several times with each mouthful. Even when she swallowed, the taste wouldn’t go away.

After three bites, Sunrise dove her muzzle into the water dish and took several large gulps of the water, more from the need to wash the taste from her mouth than from the dryness of the ‘food’ or thirst. Why would he feed me that shit!? Sunrise though, wiping water from her muzzle. That was utterly disgusting! Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably and she felt bile rising. Swallowing to keep it down, Sunrise glanced up at Vestri and muttered, “I’m done eating, Master.” She held her hand over her mouth and swallowed again, “Please feed me something else later? I don’t think it agrees with me…”

Though Vestri turned to answer Sunrise, she didn’t hear anything he said. Instead, she heaved, then jumped to her hooves and sprinted upstairs to the bathroom where she emptied everything she ate into the toilet. Whatever had been in that food hadn’t agreed with her in the least either from the taste and sensation, or something in the food itself. The clomping hooves of Vestri coming up the stairs only set Sunrise off again at the thought that she may be punished for not only losing breakfast, but also having stood up. He came into the bathroom and crossed his arms over his expansive chest.

Sunrise Splendor said nothing. She clung to the toilet bowl and breathed heavily with her mouth agape. Her nose was wrinkled in distaste. Another heave found her facedown once again, though nothing came up. Vestri walked over and knelt beside her, laying a gentle hand upon her shoulder. In one of his rare displays of caring, his face softened and he muttered, “I will make sure to feed you something else, but do not waste what I give you again.”

Sunrise swallowed and made a face. The smell and taste combined made her wish to vomit yet again. “Thank you… hurp… Master…” she gagged.

Vestri stood and brushed off some dust from his pants. “I must be off. You will behave for me, Sunny. I will find out if you haven’t,” he explained and walked back down the stairs. Even after the door closed, Sunrise hovered over the toilet just in case. After what seemed an hour, though may have only been several minutes, Sunrise cleaned up, not just the bathroom but also brushed her teeth several times in quick succession to rid her mouth of the taste of breakfast going down and coming back up.

Afterward, Sunrise set about the task of cleaning up, re-organizing, and assessing the damages to her jewelry collection, supplies, and case. Throughout the process, Sunrise came up with the ideas for several more designs. Something to try if I can get my hands on the necessary tools or ever get back to Canterlot. It’d been half a week and already Sunrise felt as if a year had gone by. Sooner or later the Princesses would find out, then either she’ll send the Elements or the Guard to deal with the caribou and free them all. And then what? What will happen to Vestri? What about the others. They’re all rapists! Sunrise clenched her backside in memory at the violations and held a hand over her mouth. No, now was not the time to break down. Especially not if Vestri returned. She had to be strong and behave. There were worse experiences waiting for her if she didn’t. To behave and get raped every day and night, or to rebel and get beaten, raped, and worse. Sunrise took several deep breaths and let them out slowly to calm herself. This was not the time and place. She’d ingratiate herself with Vestri and get treated well.

Packaging up her case, something on the dresser at the far wall of the room caught her eye. Avoiding her cage, she set the case on the dresser and stood up warily. There sat her silver collar and beside it a note. For some reason it was in Equestrian instead of caribou script. Am I meant to see this? Grasping the rough sheet of parchment anyway, she skimmed her eyes over it, then read through it fully. While most of it seemed to be gibberish of some sort that Sun didn’t understand, several things caught her eye. ‘Final test of the control rune deemed a failure.’ Something about marks and lines? ‘Rune works off behavior already present and amplifies it to better tame the subject. Effects not permanent, several clues pointed to longer lasting issues prevalent in previous tests. Even change to a metal collar did not affect the outcome. If test had continued much longer, serious neurological damage may have occurred, with a possibility of making Sunny comatose or worse. After removal, pet reverted and broke down. Strongly advise using normal techniques to tame females.’ Sorrow that both the test didn’t work, and that he had done it to me. ...I was a test? Mental issues!? Normal techniques! How did he even know any of that could happen!? The threats of being given to Ivangir, her punishments, everything was meant to tame her. And her previous collar had been an experiment on her. I-I thought it had just been other things! Hold it together Sunrise.

She wiped her eyes and set the sheet back on the dresser. As if things could get any worse. What about those previous tests? What happened to them. Better not to think on it. Probably other mares, or whatever their females looked like. In fact… Do they treat their own women the same way?

Another few deep breaths followed and she made her way down the stairs. Walking on hands and knees would take a good deal of getting used to. Reaching up to open the front door, Sunrise wrinkled her nose up. She didn’t want to know how raw and scratched up her hands and knees would be at the end of the day.

Opening the front door, she blinked several times and shielded her eyes from the sunlight. The day was bright and warm, a huge change from the wet and cold night before. A cool breeze blew through the buildings, and the sky was a delicious blue with puffs of clouds here and there. The streets were also greatly different. Now not only did caribou walk through them, but so did stallions and a good deal of mares. Many looked like they’d been crying at some point, though a happy Red occasionally passed on by. What mostly took Sunrise’s attention weren’t the ponies, but the streets. The grass around each house had puddles of water, and while the streets were mostly smooth and compact, enough rain had fallen to make them slick and muddy.

Sunrise sat back with her eyes wide. There were many things wrong with the past week, but being forced to frolic in the mud was just another cherry on top of everything else. She nearly closed the door to stay inside when she saw a caribou across the street leaning up against the side of a house. He wasn’t watching the caribou and ponies walk around. He was looking straight at her. Vestri left a sentry?

With a deep sigh, Sunrise made her way out onto the steps and closed the door behind her. Shutting her eyes tight, the mare lowered herself down to the muddy street and whimpered at the feel of the cold mud soaking into her fur. With each squelching step Sunrise felt the water and mud soak into her ruined coat. At least the streets are…. soft and I won’t hurt hands and knees, she thought, attempting to look on the bright side of things. It wasn’t working too well. Sun wished to stand, vomit, and cry all at once. However, none of that would accomplish anything, so she swallowed and bucked up. One step was all it took before she found her mane grabbed roughly and a leash clipped to her collar.

Gritting her teeth, she turned her head to see the sentry towering above her. “Come, I’ve got a little chore for you, female,” he growled, immediately setting a stride that found Sunrise struggling to keep up and more often than not slipping and sliding in the slick streets.

After a short time of splattering herself with more mud than she’d ever had the misfortune of being covered with, Sunrise spotted the courtyard ahead with its flagstones. Oh goddesses don’t make me walk on those! she inwardly begged, only to slip and splat face-first into the mud. Gagging while the caribou laughed down at her, Sun wiped as much mud off her face as she could, though mostly she just smeared it.

Dragging her closer to the courtyard, Sunrise was relieved when the caribou turned down a side-street instead. The travel didn’t take long. She found herself outside a relatively nondescript house. When he dragged her inside, the first thing she noticed was it was completely empty of any furnishings, as was the second room when her caretaker opened another door. Before Sunrise could peer at anything else, she found herself tossed awkwardly into the room.

Yelping when she tumbled unceremoniously into a wall, Sunrise rubbed at her back and sat upright. The door quickly closed and she heard a lock click. Well, looks like wherever I am is where I’ll be for a while. Why am I he- Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard another mare from one side of the room call out, “Well, look who we have here. The caribou slut.”

Sunrise froze in place and turned her head with her hand still on her back. There on one side of the room near the windows were five mares. A unicorn, two pegasi, and two earth ponies. All wore black collars and were bound in some way. One of the pegasi had black sheaths on her wings, while the other’s wings were bare, looking like those of a feather-less chicken. They flexed every so often.

The unicorn rubbed her horn stub every few minutes, the mare’s legs curled up and bound to her chest to limit her movements. The pegasi mares had their arms bound behind their backs, one in a sheath, the other with her arms crossed and tied. The earth ponies themselves, however, wore padded boots to offset their strength and were bound by their wrists and ankles, then those tied together. Altogether, outside of the unicorn who worried more about her missing horn, the mares all glowered and glared at Sunrise.

Sunrise folded her ears back and rubbed her arms, keeping her gaze away in an attempt to avoid the heat of their glares. “Let me guess, you’re going to berate and call me filthy names just like everybody else?” she demanded, having dealt with it the past few days. The mare pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

The earth pony that had yelled at her before replied, “Fuck yes I am! You helped them do all this to us, you deserve everything you get!”

Sun twitched and ground her teeth. After everything she’d dealt with the past few days, Sunrise just snapped back at the offending mare, “Oh yes! I fucking deserved being grabbed out of the middle of the fucking street in the middle of the night and told that I now belong to Vestri! I deserved having a fucking collar shoved around my neck that had mind controlling magic in it! Oh yes, I got to find that out this fucking morning that everything I’d done was because of that collar!” She stood and continued yelling down at the earth pony, hers and the others’ eyes wide at the sudden outburst. “I fucking deserved getting raped while mind controlled, not knowing that I was under the influence of that collar. Oh yes, I deserve being treated like shit by everybody because they don’t fucking listen! And I deserve having the choice that if I don’t behave and follow Vestri’s rules, then I’ll be handed over to his brother and be made into a broken, mindless fuck slave!”

Immediately realizing she was standing, she dropped back down to curl her arms around herself. “And here I am,” Sunrise continued, “knowing everything that’s been done to me and I can’t cry, scream, or do much about it than expect more of the same, and I have to go along with it and enjoy it because if I don’t something far worse happens.”

A couple of the mares whispered to each other, but in the middle of it, the earth pony barked out, “Uh huh, and what was that all about in the warehouse, that we should just sit down, listen to them, and take it like a bitch, huh!?”

Sunrise wiped her nose and eyes, trying not to cry again. It wouldn’t help her situation at all, and though it’d make her feel a little better to let it out, she certainly didn’t want to cry in front of the five mares. “What do you think it was!? Tell me, how have they been treating you?” she demanded and pointed at each of them in return.

At this point the unicorn spoke up, “I-I keep trying to use my magic, to do something, to try to get my horn back. Anything that lets me have my magic back. And every time they tell me I’m not allowed to have such useless things.” The mare wrung her hands and again rubbed at her hornstump. “They say that I’m just some dumb female! The more I try, the harder they smack my hindquarters. They won’t even let me have food. I haven’t eaten since we were in the warehouses.”

“Hah! At least you have it lucky,” the same earth pony replied mockingly. “My sister and I got beaten yesterday for refusing to let any of those bastards fuck us in the ass. We were in cages far too small for us all night, and that was after they… Let’s just say I’m sitting rather sore now. At least it’s not like our pegasi friends here. They haven’t said a word since we were all shoved in here.” She flipped her mane and bit the end once before continuing. “They can’t even fly anymore, can you imagine what that does to a pony?”

“The same as what happens to a dehorned unicorn!?” the one unicorn shrieked back. “Except the winged ones get to have their feathers grow back. When we get out of here, I don’t even know if I’ll ever get my magic back! Sooner or later the rest of Equestria will notice. Then the Princesses will come, take care of the caribou, and we’ll all be free for extensive therapy!” She burst into tears and huddled in on herself.

Yes. When. How long will that take. And until then, we’re all their playthings. To be fucked and used in any way their minds wish. And worse if we don’t play along, Sunrise thought while her mood plummeted. “And that’s what I was trying to warn you all against. I’d rather play along with Vestri for the time being until that happens. The alternative is that I’m given over to his brother and I don’t know how much of myself will be left by the time the Princesses help us. That’s what I was trying to explain. As long as we behave and work with them, they’ll treat us a lot better than no beds, no food, and beatings whenever we twitch the wrong way.” A deep sigh overtook her, then Sunrise’s head whipped around to glare at them, “But I guess it’s easier to blame me rather than realize that we can make ourselves a little more comfortable until that point. Doesn’t mean we have to like it.”

“Yeah, fuck you too, bi-” the earth pony started when suddenly the unicorn spoke over her.

“Wait, I’ll get a real bed, food, and treated a lot better if I just let them do what they want!?” the unicorn mare demanded to know. “Will they let me have my magic back!?” The outburst drew the attention of both pegasi.

The one with the wing sheaths spoke, “I’ve had these on since they caught us in the forest. I just want them off, but no matter what I do they can’t be removed! They hurt so much, it’s like my wings are constantly cramping.” She burst into tears and buried her face against the other pegasus, who laid her head over the poor mare’s.

“You can’t be serious that you all want to be fucked by those assholes out there. I can’t beli-”

“Just shut the fuck up already! We’re trying to deal with this situation as best as we can, and it’s not being helped by a fucking loud-mouth mud pony who doesn’t know when to shut their fucking mouth,” Sunrise yelled at the earth pony, digging out the slur and throwing it at the mare. The earth pony shrank back and shut her mouth, then hmphed and scooched herself around to have her back toward the unicorn.

Sunrise took several deep breaths and stretched out her legs, crumbling off bits of clumped mud and dirt to clear them as much as she could. After a moment, she finally spoke, “I don’t think they’ll let us have our magic or flight back. But what I do know is this. If we’re willing to follow their orders and the life for now, we get red gear. I guess it’s all color coordinated, but black gear is extremely uncomfortable and painful.” Sunrise shivered at the knowledge of what her collar was supposed to be like. “But reds are comfortable. My guess is we’ll get red collars, and in the case of you,” she pointed at the pegasi, “sheaths that aren’t painful. I mean, as for the rest, Vestri gave me a pet bed, he feeds me, though if they give you caribou pellet food, don’t eat it, it’s disgusting. He said he would give me something better. And the best thing is if he knows I’m pretending now, or just trying to keep him happy, either he doesn’t care or actually doesn’t know.” Another deep breath, then Sun continued, “So our best choice for now is to follow along. We stay semi-comfortable, we get fed, and of course we’ll…”

Sunrise paused for a moment and collected her thoughts. It was hard having to say all this. Deep down, she wanted to bawl, panic, run away, but she knew it wouldn’t help, or even would be detrimental to her. “We’ll probably get fucked often enough, but we’re ponies. We have each other and we can all be strong! Sooner or later the Princesses will find out and they’ll come save us!” she exclaimed, kicking away a dirt clod. Now if only I believed that myself. It could be months before the Princesses hear anything. Then what? Could the entire town handle being under the caribous’ hoof for that long? Could the mares even last that long waiting for the Princesses before we all revolt? What about the stallions?

Sunrise shook her head and went silent, instead brushing dirt off herself and constantly adjusting her collar. It was a heavy weight, but if what she heard was true, they’d all be getting leather soon. The thought made her shiver. Leather would certainly be more comfortable, but… leather.

The mares whispering in the corner brought Sunrise’s attention and she flicked her ears as she attempted to listen. She caught a few words here and there, such as ‘collar’, ‘food’, or ‘raped’, but otherwise couldn’t make it out. She even heard one of them mutter ‘dirt pony’ in disgust. Both earth ponies were also shuffling their way to the other corner away from the mares talking. Sun stayed right where she was, waiting as time ticked by. Why had I been put in here? Was this like a daycare for mares? If so, why aren’t there more? She groaned, unable to understand how the caribou did things.

Time passed slowly, the sunbeam barely moving across the floor. In that time, Sunrise scraped off as much of the dirt clinging to her body as she could. The door suddenly slammed open, startling all six mares, Sunrise herself letting out a rather shrill shriek. Standing in the doorway was the caribou from before, who crooked a finger at Sunrise.

Biting her lip and crawling toward her temporary caretaker, Sunrise stopped beside him and glanced back at the group of mares. Leveraging herself up to stand on her knees, Sunrise motioned at her caretaker. He lowered his head just enough for Sunrise to whisper, “I think those mares in the corner wish to behave for…” she paused and swallowed. “The masters.” I hope I’m doing the right thing. What was the term? ‘The road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions?’ Sunrise shivered uncontrollably at the thought.

The caribou merely nodded and replied, “You’re free to go for the time being, but I suggest you stay around the port.” The suggestion sounded more like a command than anything else.

Sunrise Splendor nodded meekly and turned around to crawl out of the house. Turning her head back to watch her caretaker, she saw him walk into the room and close the door behind him. I guess I won’t ever know why I was stuck in there in the first place. Making her way back out into the street, Sunrise wrinkled up her nose at the first splorch that greeted her ears and the feeling of mud back on her hands. Oh… yes… mud… Making a face, Sunrise slogged her way toward the town center, weaving her way in and out of ponies and caribou alike, half the time being bumped into by those who didn’t see her. In one case even being kicked in her ass by a caribou who found her in his way. All that managed to do was plant her face into the mud and reinflame the soreness from the night before.

Once Sunrise found herself upon the flagstones, she nearly flinched back. Bare hands and knees did little to help the impact against hard cobblestone. At least they’re not really muddy, Sunset thought, staring down at the muddy hoofprints that linger around the edges but dwindle and vanish the further in they go. For the most part, the stones were still wet, though drying in regions.

The town square itself was a bustle with activity. Everywhere caribou carried crates, boxes, and other assorted objects to and fro, mostly seeming to be from the ships themselves. Stallions, mares, and some other creatures she couldn’t see well were also interspersed throughout, many seeming to be there unwillingly. Sunrise cringed to herself and looked away. In the new direction her gaze followed, the warehouses were filled to the brim with activity to the point of over-spillage. Something was being built there, but what, the mare couldn’t tell from her vantage point.

It was at that moment that Sunrise found herself bumped into and a rather frail crate of naught but balsa wood was broken upon her head. Yelping and covering her head, Sunrise peeked around her arms to notice that what appeared to be junk and the remains of the crate were scattered around her. Crumpled up parchment, broken quills, even odds and ends that looked like they went to other things. Daring to look up, her eyes met with those of a small creature panicking. I guess this is a female caribou? Sunrise thought to herself, watching the female dancing in place and hold her hands to her mouth. To be honest, Sunrise Splendor was rather surprised. While rather curvy, the female caribou’s body was… small. Smaller than her by a head, it looked like. She was also clad in nothing except a red, leather collar

“No no no! Master will be so mad! Freea not mean to do this, but he will be mad!” the cow whined in a high-pitched tone that forced Sunrise to pin her ears back. Almost as if Sunrise wasn’t there, the cow dived forward, knocked her aside, and attempted to put the box together before filling it back up. When she lifted, it would only fall apart again and spread the useless junk all over. The panic began all over again. The process continued from there, leaving Sunrise flabbergasted.

She’s dumber than that bimbo I saw in lower Canterlot a few years back! she thought, scratching the area where the box hit. It stung, sure, but outside of a bit of pain Sunrise doubted it would even bruise. Backing away slowly, Sunrise wrinkled up her nose in thought. I guess that’s what Vestri meant. Are all caribou females like that? I mean it would probably explain things if they were all rather unintelligent, but this is the first I’ve met.

Making her way through the square as carefully as she could, Sunrise gingerly stepped to avoid hurting her knees. For the most part, both ponies and caribou ignored her, though the occasional one gave her a weird look or a raised eyebrow. Sunrise ignored them in return. For the most part, her attention was on the activity going on near the warehouses. At least it was until yet another caribou female bumped into her. What did I hear them be called? Cows? They didn’t look like cows. This one was also carrying yet another box of useless junk, and barely gave any notice to Sunrise even after the bump. Sunrise glanced about, noting the few cows about all seemed to be doing useless tasks. One was hammering pieces of scrap wood together into a nonsensical shape, and a second female seemed to be counting each and every flagstone. The poor girl kept shaking her head and starting over. A third was picking up stray leaves from the ground and placing them into a basket in her other hand. Make them feel like they’re helping? Get them out of the way? Whatever it was, Sun shook it from her head and edged her way around the various caribou walking about until she had a good view of the warehouses.

Whatever was going on inside was loud. Clanking, hammering, and plenty of metallic sounds. But the outside she could see aplenty. Stacks upon stacks of metal cages being set up, with one end of the warehouse set aside for building them out of parts from crates of supplies, and the other end was used to stack them three high. Already they were being filled by mares of all colors, each one having a brand new Black or Silver collar strapped around their neck, their previous ones removed if they wore one. The more Sunrise looked, the more she realized that these mares weren’t fighting their captors. Maybe they’re the ones who weren’t fighting? Or…. she swallowed. Or have had the fight beaten out of them. If that’s true, what about the ones that are still fighting this?

Luckily, something took her attention away from the depressing thoughts. A strange wailing distracted the mare. Turning her head in its direction, and yelping when she had to leap aside out of a caribou’s way, Sunrise watched as a herd of warbeasts were, well, herded from one of the docks. All she could guess was that they were being moved to the fields she knew lay outside the town. After they rather slowly passed, several trolleys with more crates were brought to another warehouse. What little Sunrise could see inside of the crates confused her. Are those… foxes? If they were, they were the strangest foxes she’d ever seen. They appeared bipedal, but with a fox’s coloration. They were about the size of a caribou female, and just as curvy. Though Sunrise couldn’t see them very well, by what she could see, their chests and hips would give some mares in Canterlot a fit of jealousy.

Shaking her head at the strange sight, Sunrise came close enough to the nearest warehouse to peek inside. While cages were lined up outside, the inside had been stripped down of all the supplies and boxes and instead already had several rows of yet more cages being built. Sunrise Splendor gaped at the spectacle. Doing a bit of not-so-quick math, as she wasn’t sure how much the warehouse could hold nor how high the cages would be stacked, Sunrise swallowed when she realized just how many cages there would be in there. Enough. Enough to hold a good many mares and spare plenty of housing space in the town for the caribou.

Just then, a cart with several chittering crates passed and stopped nearby while the caribou pulling it waited for some workers to pass. The noise caught her attention, bringing out Sunrise’s curiosity. Edging closer, the mare lifted herself to peek into one of the crates. She nearly leapt backwards when a tendril of… something poked through one of the holes. Looking through another, Sun wrinkled up her nose. While she could get a good look, whatever was in there looked like… Actually, I’m not sure what those are! They look like the rear half of a chameleon with a giant mouth filled with tentacles. Peering inside another, she shook her head. What was inside was even stranger, but before she could get a better look, the mare lost her balance and fell forward when the cart started moving again.

Wincing in pain, Sunrise rubbed her scuffed knees and grumbled. Sitting back and watching a bit more closely, the unicorn noticed something a bit more queer, and something she should have understood. The stallions aren’t here because they want to be. The tight knit eyebrows, frowns, and in some places near aggression towards the caribou. Most of them are here because they’re being forced. Well, least some of them are still good guys. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sunrise tried to avoid a single thought. Unlike father. Okay, deep breaths. Slowly in, slowly out, calm down, don’t let them see tears, aaand… Let’s get moving again.

Past the warehouses Sunrise crawled until she noticed another queer scene laid out next to them. Making her way nearer to the harbor rocks, the unicorn squinted her eyes, then gasped to herself. Is that? It is! A stockade! Where the docks merged with the cobblestone, sat a rough-looking stockade large enough to hold several ponies. Already it held two mares at opposite ends, both as nude as the day they were born and covered in… Best not to think about it. As she watched, one caribou approached from a ship and unbuckled his belt. Untying his pants, he opened them to pull out his rapidly hardening cock. Slipping in behind one of the mares, he just shoved himself into her, leaving Sunrise to cringe and look away. Curiosity got the best of her and she glanced back to see the caribou just jackhammering into the mare and the entire scaffold rocking with each thrust. That poor mare...

Near the stockades were another three mares with silver collars and a rather towering caribou standing before them. Though Sunrise couldn’t hear anything that was going on, each time the caribou barked, the mares would do something, though one usually slower than the others. Sit. Crawl. Kneel and bow. When the mare was too slow to turn around and part her rumpcheeks, she got a rather heavy smack from a switch on her bare ass. Her yelp carried enough for Sunrise to hear it plain as day even amidst the din and noise.

Slipping her way back through the crowd slowly and surely, Sunrise made her way toward the stage. Sitting upon the steps, and occasionally climbing higher until she sat upon the stage itself, Sun watched over the ponies, some of which appeared to just be trying to ignore the caribou and get some shopping done at the few stalls that were still open. The ones run by stallions, I guess.

Time ticked by, and first what felt like half an hour passed, then an hour. Out of nowhere, the caribou caretaker from earlier appeared in front of her. Sighing to herself, Sunrise pushed off the stage and dropped to the ground, immediately settling to her hands and knees. Except this time, instead of the click of a leash, Sunrise found herself roughly yanked up and thrown over his shoulder. Not this again! ...Of course. His free hand also found its way to her ass, patting and squeezing it with abandon, leaving a blush of embarrassment and annoyance to infuse her face. Just where am I going now? She thought while her handler waded through the crowds near one of the building walls.

The abrupt drop, and the even more sudden splash and instant soaking with rather cold water brought a shriek to Sunrise’s lips. If it weren’t for the caribou holding her in the water to shiver, the unicorn would have found herself leaping out and running halfway to Canterlot. The bath itself was rather sudsy and in a large, metal clothing washer.

“The Lieutenant wishes you clean and in presentable shape, slut,” her handler growled.

Shivering mostly from the shock of being dumped into the cold water, Sunrise nodded and didn’t say a word. At least, she didn’t complain verbally. Of all the… Goddesses, why can’t I catch a break!? The least he could have done was warm it up a tad! Dear Celestia it’s like it was pulled straight from the well! The moment the large bristle brush made its debut, Sunrise’s eyes widened and she froze in place. I’m going to be raw for days…

Of course, there wasn’t much Sunrise could do, especially once a bucket of even colder water was dumped over her head and before she could react the brush found its way into her mane. Not only did the caribou scrub her mane thoroughly, but he also tangled and, what felt to Sunrise, pulled half of it out with the ferocity of the tugs. All the mare could do was grit her teeth and ball up her hands. It’s going to take me hours just to get my mane back into order and repair all the damage. No way was she going to freak out and fuck things up. After what felt like ages, the ‘torture’ ceased.

Drawing a sigh of relief too soon, the unicorn involuntarily gasped in pain when her handler grabbed her by the mane and lifted her into the air. Scrabbling her hooves against the bottom of the tub, Sun claimed her footing and glared up at the caribou. In response, he growled, “Turn around, bend over, and lift your tail unless you want to find me doing it for you.”

Swallowing and lowering her eyes, Sunrise thought, It’s okay, it’s alright. I’m already nude, they see everything anyway and…. For pony’s sake I can do this! Slowly but surely, Sunrise turned around, taking several deep breaths until she bent down until her chest was parallel with the ground. Biting her lip, the mare lifted her tail partway. That should be enough, right? The strong hand on her back bending Sunrise down further proved her wrong. Down she went until all that was holding her back from springing back up was the hand, Sunrise grasped her ankles to prevent herself from doing so, even with her muscles stretched to their limits. Wrenching her tail high and eliciting another yelp, the caribou threw it over Sunrise’s back.

Parting her cheeks so that the mare’s anus and nethers were both on display, leaving Sunrise with a powerful blush on her face. While her handler washed her, Sunrise shivered in fear every time the brush even came close to her pussy. There was a massive difference between a light brush masterbation, and a rough outright scrubbing of her nethers.When the caribou stepped aside and lifted her tail to deal with it next, Sunrise flushed horrendously at what she could see from between her legs. Her ass on display for all to see, and more than a few ponies and caribou turning their heads to look, and even a couple caribou standing nearby to watch.

Shutting her eyes tight, the mare rocked with each stroke of the brush over her back, then down along her legs. While it was nice to be feeling clean, the humiliation of being washed in public sorely outweighed it.

Sunrise let out a breathe she didn’t realize she was holding when the caretaker ordered, “Stand, bitch.” However, she whimpered when he continued, “Turn around and spread your legs.”

Lifting herself back to a standing pose, Sunrise’s mane came out of the water soaking wet and plastered to her face when she stood. Turning around and allowing her mane to hide her blush, Sunrise did as she was told and crossed her arms over her breasts. When her handler, whatever his name was, knocked her arms back down, she merely clenched her hands against her sides. Even that wasn’t enough when he forced her legs to part further, placing Sunrise more on view for anyone looking. While the male took care of her belly and chest, Sunrise grumbled inwardly, Next he’ll probably dry me off like a dog and throw me over his shoulder again…

Brushing her mane briefly off her face, Sunrise watched her caretaker drop the brush to the ground and grab a large towel that had seen far better days. It wasn’t something she’d even use as a rag.

“Get out and dry off,” he growled impatiently, throwing the towel over Sunrise.

Well, at least I got one wrong, she thought, hurriedly pulling the towel off her head and holding it aside while she squeezed water out of her mane and tail. At least my spectators have moved on. Drying herself quickly, with ‘dry’ being as far from the truth as possible, Sunrise jerked to the side when the rag was yanked from her grasp and tossed aside. With no warning, the mare once again found herself flung over the caribou’s shoulder with his hand on her ass. This time, blushing furiously, Sunrise was fondled quite a bit more between the legs, leaving her to squirm futily.

Sunrise fiddled with her thumbs upon the stone steps of the Meeting House her ‘caretaker’ had set her down at. Already an hour had gone by, and the last activity she had seen was a stallion she didn’t know being escorted inside. He hadn’t returned yet. Sighing to herself, Sunrise Splendor shoved her thoughts to the rear of her mind and cursed silently. Having time to think was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She was teetering on a precipice, and it would be so easy for her to just break down where she sat. Vestri can’t see me do that. I can’t do that in front of everyone, not like other mares I’ve seen.

Reaching up and wringing her damp hair, the mare lamented the harsh way she’d been bathed. It’ll take forever for me to comb out my mane and tail and get them back into a semblance of any sort of civility, which is greatly lacking right now everywhere I go. The caribou are just turning everything on its head, and that’s after having to deal with a back country village. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that fish smell. Sunrise shook those thoughts out of her head and sighed, running her hand across her collar. With everything going on, here I am thinking of frivolous things. Guess you can never take Canterlot out of the girl. At least I don’t have to wade through the mud and muck anymore.

Though Sunrise couldn’t see him, she knew her watcher was still out there keeping an eye on her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was Vestri’s way of making sure that what the mare had promised would be true. One slipup is all it needs. I just don’t know why Ivangir scares me, he just has that aura around him.

As time ticked by, Sunrise grew more and more agitated, not to mention hungry. Her stomach growled every few seconds and gnawed at her spine, and the fact that a nearby eatery was in full swing around the street corner with Sunrise able to catch the wafting scents of the various foods annoyed her greatly. It all made for one perturbed unicorn. So she spent her time counting collars. It really was interesting in a morbid way to see all the various kinds, both metal and leather, of all colors. For the most part, the overwhelming number were Silver, with many mares looking defeated or still in shock. Then the Blacks, who were usually kept in some sort of bindings. Arm sleeves, gags, and even hobbles. The occasional Red even showed up, though like Sunrise, more than a couple looked unsure of themselves. I don’t blame them. I mean, am I even doing the right thing? Sudden yelling from a couple streets over broke through the ambience, though it was quickly cut off by a slap and yelp of pain. Pinning her ears back, Sunrise took in a slow breath to calm herself. It’s one thing for me to act this way, but should I really be telling other mares that our time under their rule will be better by going Red? Is is really the best-

Sunrise’s thoughts were abruptly cut off by the door next to her opening and a glowering stallion being led out by a caribou. Vestri followed behind him and crooked a finger at Sunrise. Well, whatever this is about, it’s about time that I see what it is. Crawling inside, the last thing Sunrise saw before the door closed was the stallion whirling about and sucker punching the caribou across the muzzle. Oh dear… Whatever else happened became muffled by the door. Even the windows were set at the wrong angle to see anything. Turning her head, Sun blinked at what she found. A restaurant space that was completely barren except for the fireplace, the order counter, and several of the tables arrayed into a semicircle in front of a lone armed-chair. The chair had various leather straps that appeared to have been hastily fastened into place. The rest of the Council sat at the semicircle of tables, with Dainn and his imposing presence smack dab at the center of the middle table. Behind them stood four robed figures. Those must be those strange caribou from the day of the invasion. I wonder who they are?

Vestri led Sunrise Splendor over to the chair and lifted her into it at the mare’s indignation. With a low voice, Vestri whispered, “The King has several questions for you, make sure you answer them, Sunny.” All the while, he wrapped the straps around Sunrise’s limbs and tied them into place, leaving the unicorn to bite her lip in uncertainty. One even went around her forehead, locking her into place. Though Sunrise tried to whisper back her confusion, Vestri ignored her and joined the others, taking his seat at Dainn’s right side.

Sunrise’s nervousness grew and she shifted about in her seat, cringing from a twinge of discomfort in her backside. Questions? Of what kind? With all eyes on her, the mare only wished to melt out of her seat and hide. It was like they were a group of circling sharks and she a rather tasty morsel. With what happened the day before, it was all Sunrise could do to not quaver in fear. One small mare against several large caribou? They could easily take advantage of her in every fashion of the word.

Across from her, Dainn’s eyes drilled into her. Sunrise sweated arrows up until the King crossed his arms over his chest and announced, “You should be quite honored, female. If it weren’t for my Lieutenant, I would not have permitted you this chance to make him proud. It seems the males of this village know very little about this land they inhabit.” His entire voice dripped with a mixture of scorn and annoyance, though he quickly continued. “As he has vouched for your ‘knowledge’, tell us of those who rule this land.”

What? Why!? Sunrise wrinkled her nose up when he mind suddenly went blank. All the mare could think to say was, “Why do you want to know this?”

What she said, however, didn’t seem to make Dainn too happy, if he was in the first place. Almost imperceptibly, his eyebrow rose while the other Council members glanced at him. All except for Vestri, who’s face took on a more worrying glare. “That was not what I asked you. Etadys?” Dainn replied.

One of the robed figures in the back stepped forth and walked around the tables to approach Sunrise. The mare sunk down into her chair and clenched her hands once she got a good look at him. Etadys’ arms and face were riddled and crosscrossed with old scars, and every so often, a faint glow would emanate through his hide. When one of the glows was bright enough to be discerned, Sunrise quietly gasped. He’s carved runes into his bones. That immediately turned the ick factor up past ten and made her shudder. This must be one of the Runemasters I’d heard about.

When Etadys reached her, all he did was bend down, giving Sunrise enough of a whiff of him to wrinkle up her nose at the mustiness and slight decaying stench coming from him. Numerous runes up and down his arm began to glow, and he traced his finger down along Sun’s forearm. While nothing happened for a moment, Sunrise stared at him strangely and with more than a little disgust until a sudden and intense bout of crippling pain wracked her arm, and through it the rest of her body. A shrill shriek burst from her lungs and tears immediately trailed down her cheeks. The pain was so strong it banished any thought from her mind. It felt like her bones were shattering into a thousand pieces, bit by bit.

Each time Etadys dragged his finger down Sunrise’s arm, a fresh wave of pain coursed through her body, until such a point as Sunrise caught a glimpse of her arm. The glimpse alone directed the rest of her gaze to follow. To her, it looked less like her arm was broken, and more like the bones were shifting and rippling beneath her skin. Ridges raised and lowered constantly, forming all along her forearm’s length. The excruciating pain made her howl in anguish and jerk at her bindings. Just barely in her reddened sight, Sunrise Splendor could see Vestri balling up his fists and gritting his teeth. Calling out to him for any relief from her torture, Sunrise exclaimed between her shrieks, “Vestri! Vestriiiiiiii!” Sobs choked in her throat, and she shrilly shrieked again, “Masteeeeer!”

For a moment, Vestri sat there, then suddenly stood and smashed his fist against the table. “This is not how we treat mares who have accepted our way, and it is certainly not how we will treat my mare!” he bellowed.

Dainn took a slow look at Vestri, then waved his hand at the Runemaster, “Etadys, that is enough. More will not be needed.”

While Sunrise’s sobs echoed through the room, Etadys passed his hand over Sunrise’s arm one final time, all the changes and pain vanishing. He strolled away as if nothing happened, joining the other three caribou in the back. They quietly spoke to each other, though Sunrise could hear none of it.

Though the pain was gone, the memory of it remained, and Sunrise’s cheeks lay stained with tears having soaked into her coat. The unicorn flexed her hand constantly, and Vestri pushed out his chair and strode silently over to Sunrise. Ivangir called out after him, “She is just a mare, brother, there is no need for these theatrics.” Beside him, Throtr laughed and Anvari merely nodded his head.

Calling back to the others, Vestri replied, “And yet, she is my property, and my property is in distress, so I will handle this.”

“Be quick, Lieutenant. If she is unreliable for this, then we will merely find another to replace her for the deliberations,” Dainn ordered.

Vestri crouched in front of Sunrise and delicately undid all of her straps, making soothing ‘shhh’ noises the entire time. The moment Sun found herself completely unstrapped, she threw herself at Vestri, wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face into his chest to bawl her eyes out. All I did was ask why! “I only asked why!” Sunrise Splendor burst out, mirroring her thoughts.

The caribou hushed her a few more times and stroked his thick hand over her mane, lowering his head to whisper into her ears, “I did not expect that it would come to that, but you now see the seriousness of the situation, pet.” He paused and bit the tip of Sunrise’s ear to gain her attention, causing the mare to yelp and stare up at him with reddened eyes. “You will answer whatever questions we ask, fully and to the best of your knowledge. This is our King you’re talking to, act like it, Sunny. Do not stray, do not say anything else unless you are commanded to. Only answer the questions.”

Blinking tears from her eyes and burrowing her head back into Vestri’s chest, Sunrise sniffed several times and wiped her nose on her arm. All decorum was gone and just her face alone looked a mess. They’re just questions, Sunrise, you can answer them! Especially if it avoids that again! An involuntary shudder passed through her body. “Yes… master,” she said after a moment of silence. “Can I please not be tied up again?”

Vestri thought for a moment and settled Sunrise back into the chair. “As long as you behave and do what you are asked, you will remain unbound. Now, the quicker we are through this, the quicker we will break for dinner,” he replied, tantalizing her with the thought of food.

Sunrise Splendor sat back in the chair with more than a touch of trepidation, the entire time rubbing her forearm, squeezing it in places to be sure everything was right with it. I’ll do anything just to not have that happen again! Suck them all off, debase myself, even renounce the Princesses themselves! “Y-Yes, sir,” she replied. And the further away I get from Etadys the better, I think he gives Ivangir a run for his bits.

“I imagine you would be hungry, Sunny, so we shall make this quick,” Vestri whispered. Her master nodded once and stood, walking back over to take his place at the table while Ivangir kidded with him about his tear and snot-covered chest fluff. Dainn, however, was once again staring at her. Or more, at a spot above her head, like she wasn’t worth the attention otherwise.

“Let us continue. Who rules these lands, female?” Dainn asked… no, commanded.

This time, Sunrise didn’t ask anything back, nor did she hold back at all. “The Immortal Alicorn Princesses Celestia and Luna, who respectfully raise the Sun and Moon each day and nig-”

A bark of laughter from Sindri interrupted her, with Anvari joining in shortly after and followed by the others. Except for Dainn. “To think, it’s understandable for the females to believe such nonsense, but the males to do so as well? The female ‘rulers’ of this land really must have everyone under a spell for them to believe such nonsense. Raising the sun and moon. Hah!” Sindri guffawed, though went quiet when Dainn rose his palm into the air.

Dainn lowered his hand and crossed his arms back over his chest. “It is to be expected from weak females to allow their lies to infuse others. Either way, continue, female. Leave nothing out.”

Sunrise wringed her hands in worry, wracking her mind for anything that she thought would be useful. Better to give them everything than to leave any of it out. Better safe than sorry. “There is also the Alicorn Princess Cadance. She and Prince Shining Armor rule the Crystal Empire to the north. I am not sure why it is named such, it is more a protectorate I think. Princess Celestia has ruled Equestria for thousands of years, and her sister Princess Luna returned to the throne recently as well.” What else what else what else? “I heard rumors that she was the Mare in the Moon, or was held captive by the Mare in the Moon and was rescued by the Princess’ student when Nightmare Moon was defeate-”

The mare was cut off again when Dainn raised his hand a second time. She didn’t dare continue talking and went silent. “This Nightmare Moon,” the King started. “What do you know of them? Were they a threat to this land? What of other threats?”

Change of subject? “I’m… not too entirely sure. She was an Old Mare’s Tale.” Ivangir barked a laugh. Sun swallowed and continued, “On the Thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, when we are supposed to stay up all night and enjoy ourselves to see the Princess raise the Sun in the morning, I heard she was not there, and in her place a dark alicorn had appeared and refused to allow the sun to raise. She threatened ‘Night Eternal’ and for several hours it remained night. The sun then suddenly rose and the Princess Luna was returned to us.”

Sindri said aside to the others, “That would fit in with the longer night that baffled even our strongest minds.”

Waiting for Sindri to finish, Sunrise took a deep breath, “There was also Discord, the Spirit of Chaos.”

Whatever Sun was going to say next was drowned out by Sindri speaking up again. “Discord?” He immediately rose from his seat and strode over to Dainn, whispering into his King’s ear and listening to what the caribou had to whisper back. While the other Council members and Splendor looked on, the conversation seemed fairly private until Sindri returned to his seat.

“Continue, female.”

“Equestria, namely the area surrounding Ponyville was turned into a chaotic wasteland where there was little rhyme and reason. He too was defeated by the Princess’ student,” Sunrise explained, bringing a real reaction from Dainn this time. A very noticeable raised eyebrow and what appeared to be him muttering ‘Interesting’ beneath his breath. “There was the changeling invasion during the Royal Wedding, led by Queen Chrysalis. I was in the midst of that and nearly became a meal. From my understanding, Princess Celestia’s student as well as Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were involved in her defeat that rid Canterlot of the entire invasion force.”

This time, she watched Vestri lean over and whisper something to Dainn, who nodded and mumbled something in return. Whatever mocking laughter the Council had was now replaced by knitted brows and serious expressions.

Clenching her hands and hoping she was doing the right thing, but after this past day, Sunrise barely knew. She explained, “There was also King Sombra. I’m going on knowledge from the circles I belong to, but after a thousand years, the Crystal Empire returned, along with the Tyrant Sombra. The Princess’ student was dispatched and once again with the aid of Shining Armor and Cadance, he too was defeated and the Crystal Ponies freed. Er, well, more the student’s pet dragon freed them. They rule there now.” Sunrise afterward went quiet and shuffled her hooves in place. She doubted drama amidst the aristocracy could be counted as terrible events, and thus had nothing left to add.

“Intriguing. Dainn, I do suggest we learn more about this student,” Sindri rubbed his chin in thought. “He sounds like a mighty warrior that could come quite in handy. Or at worst case, we should know enough to remove him from the equation.”

“Agreed,” remarked the King. “Female, tell us of this student.”

Folding her hands in her lap and fidgeting, Sunrise exhaled a slow sigh. Here goes nothing, hopefully I remember enough about them. “The Princess’ student is named Twilight Sparkle. She is a Canterlot unicorn, and from my understanding proved herself so powerful during her Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns entrance exam that the Princess took her as a personal student. The Princess had a student before her, but nopony knows what happened to her.”

Ivangir groaned and rolled his eyes, “Another female. Pathetic.”

“She and her five friends are something called The Elements of Harmony. It has something to do with magical items. The others are Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and, erm…. Applejack.” Sunrise strove ahead even with the looks being given. “Rarity is also a unicorn and is fairly known for being a fashionista and her work with clothing and dresses. The others I don’t know much about. Fluttershy I heard likes animals, Applejack is a farmer, Pinkie Pie is a chef, or a baker, something of that nature, and Rainbow Dash is a weather pegasus who strives to become one of the Wonderbolts, our Aerial elite team of flyers.” Prodding her fingers together, Sunrise flashed an uncertain smile, but quickly lost it at the glances of the Council. Oh please be doing well please be doing well!

Sindri walked back over to Dainn and began another whispering session, this time Vestri joining in at times along with Ivangir. For several long moments, Sunrise shifted and inspected her arm, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. After deliberating, Sindri stood up and commanded, “Tell us of these ‘Elements of Harmony’ and of other magical artifacts this land has.”

Her face flushing at her lack of knowledge on the matter, Sunrise began what little she did know. “The Elements are gems, or were. I don’t know much about them other than what I’ve read. They’re supposed to be the strongest magic known to ponykind, able to defeat any foe. Now they’re jewelry. I haven’t seen anything except for Twilight Sparkle’s crown, so I assume they’re all crowns as well. They were used for all but King Sombra.” Well, at least I know more about the Crystal Heart.

“And what was used to defeat this ‘King’,” Sindri inquired, leaving Sunrise to finish with the rest of what she knew.

“The Crystal Heart, the centerpiece of the Crystal Empire. It’s exactly that, a giant gemstone heart that powers the kingdom. When I was last there, I was told that it also empowered emotion, too. The ponies who live there keep it charged with love for their nation,” Sunrise explained, remembering her trip. She was there to visit a potential client to sell some of her stock to, and pick up rare gems that could only be found that far north after the Empire’s reappearance. Quite the fruitful venture, both with knowledge and bits.

Sindri seemed about to respond, when Dainn raised his hand a third time and cut him off. “Tell me, female. What are the capabilities of these ‘Princesses’?” His gaze turned predatory and he hissed. “I would like to know why such weak females have permitted this land to nearly come to destruction time and time again, and leave it to their subjects to fix these issues instead of dealing with it themselves.” The other Council members nodded their agreement, with mutters spread about.

Oh dear… She suddenly felt like there was more to this than some simple knowledge gathering. “Well, uh, I don’t know much, outside they are extremely powerful and wield enough magic to manipulate the sun and moon. Princess Celestia seems to radiant warmth, light, and love wherever she goes. It is rumored that Princess Luna can walk the dreams of her subjects. I have not been personally visited by her, but a few ponies I knew who were having trouble have admitted that she came to them. She seems to be able to sense trouble and aid the one in fixing it?” Sunrise gave her best shrug and apologetically shrugged. “I am only going off rumor and what I’ve been told. These are dre-”

Dainn stood, leaving Sunrise to trail off. He turned to the Runemasters and with an air of authority commanded, “Modify the stones. I want to see that it is impossible for ranged scrying to discover us, both here and with dreams.”

One of the Runemasters nodded and walked past the tables, followed by the other three, Etadys taking the rear with his eyes fixed on Sunrise. She gave an involuntary shiver and lowered her eyes. What did I just do? That was probably one of the only ways for the Princesses to find out, and that’s if it was true! The unicorn mare kicked herself inwardly and cursed silently. To think she would just blurt something like that out! The Council members stood one by one and followed Dainn to the rear of the restaurant, where they made a circle and discussed quietly things of which the unicorn could not hear or understand except for bits and pieces. Things such as ‘dragon pet’, ‘Crystal Heart’, and ‘Elements’ drifted over to her.

Straining her ears, Sunrise managed to catch one of them say, “Even if we believe a quarter of what the bitch said, that leaves a good deal of information that could prove dire to our efforts.” Maybe I was meant to hear that? It did sound louder than the rest. Her belly growled and took her mind off everything for a moment. Sniffling to herself, Sunrise rubbed her stomach and flicked her tail. I just want to be done with this, eat, and get back home before I have another breakdown… Sun pulled her legs up onto the seat and hugged them to her chest while trying her best not to appear like she eavesdropped.

For a good twenty minutes the caribou discussed and debated all the while Sunrise grew more bored and hungry. Her mind was filled with static, the mare trying not to recall what just happened to her no more than an hour ago. With each passing minute, Sun stared down at her arm and rubbed her coat. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she sniffled again. It wasn’t until she felt a hand beneath her chin did she open her eyes and look up into Vestri’s face.

“Cease the tears, pet. We’re almost done. Your bowl is ready, and our food is nearly done as well. You will be sitting on the floor next to me, so be on your best behavior near the King,” he explained, arching his brow at the sudden rumble from Sunrise’s belly.

Wiping her eyes, the mare nodded and snuffled, forcing the memories of earlier deep inside her. Just a little bit more now, then I can eat. Watching Vestri retreat back to his seat, Sunrise willed some of her Canterlot poise to bring some calm back to her. Once the Council were all seated again, Sunrise placed her hands in her lap, ready to field whatever else the King asked her.

“This dragon you spoke of,” Dainn mentioned. “What do you know of it?”

Swallowing, Sunrise said, “He is a hatchling. He is almost always with Twilight Sparkle.” Squeezing her eyes shut, she took in a deep breath. She had to know. Turning her head toward Vestri, Sun inquired, “Master, am I doing well?”

Vestri crossed his arms over his chest and merely nodded once, bringing Sunrise to release her breath in a sigh of relief. At least I have that going for me.

It was Vestri who asked the next question, drawing the eyes of his brother. “Now, mare, tell us of your stature within this city you call ‘Canterlot’. Tell us of who you know.”

W-What? What does that have to do with any of this!? “I-I-I…” Her eyes widening and her gaze passing from member to member like a deer blinded by the lantern on a cart traveling at night. “I-I’m a jeweler and part of the aristocracy, the Elite. I craft everything from piercings to necklaces, bracelets, and everything in between,” she forced out, hearing a mutter of very slight approval from Durnir.

“She may prove to be useful if provided the materials. It would also give her something to do than whine at home while her Master is away,” Durnir offered, tapping a meaty finger against the table. “Even a female’s clumsy craftsmanship will be better with the amount of new females under our thumbs taking up precious resources.”

Sunrise shrunk down on herself, not just from the attention of the caribou who nearly split her in two, but also having her work being called ‘clumsy’. A heated tinge spread across her cheeks, both from embarrassment and a bit of unspoken anger at the insult.

“Perhaps if something could have been done with all that metal you discarded as worthless, we wouldn’t have had to delve into our dwindling stores of leather and collars to create more. Even as temporary as they were supposed to be, they were needed,” Throtr grumbled from the other end of the table.

“Enough,” the caribou at the center of it all barked. “We need not be at each other’s throats while we have not only this information to digest, but also the upcoming meal.”

Durnir grunted and settled back into his seat, Throtr joining him shortly afterward. Vestri shook his head and stared over at Sunrise. “Sunny, go to the kitchen and tell them we’re ready. They’ll also bring out your dinner.”

Tentatively lifting herself out of the seat, she crawled past the side of the restaurant’s counters to the double doors and pushed them open. They must have been enchanted not to let noise out, or in, because the moment Sunrise did, a cacophony of noise hit her. Dishes banging, sizzling from the stoves and grills, mares talking to each other, and the sound of washing dishes. The cornucopia of savory scents also hit her nostrils, immediately causing Sunrise to salivate at the idea of a full dinner. Once the momentary sensation passed, the mare cast her eye across the kitchen from her lowered viewpoint, trying to ignore the bowls of mashed potatoes, fruit salads, braised vegetables of all kinds, and even a few kinds of pastas. There was even a carrot cake! So much for ignoring them. ….Huh, they’re all wearing Silver collars. Each mare in the kitchen had a collar of silver, and standing at the far end was a caribou watching over them. Outside of the usual nudity, all the mares wore aprons and hairnets. When they turned, their bare asses showed that even with kitchen protection, it wasn’t meant for much more than safety. Wandering through the ever changing maze of mares and kitchen without getting bumped too roughly, Sunrise bowed her head toward him and said, “The Council is ready to eat and desire the food be brought out to them, Sir.” Hopefully that is formal enough.

The male clapping his hands startled Sunrise into jumping, and she sheepishly turned her head to watch the mares standing in place and staring back at him. “Hop to it, mares. Your masters are hungry. I want those dishes out on their tables pronto or each and every one of you gets to sleep in a pillory tonight and spend all the next day being fucked until you can barely crawl!” he barked. Sunrise flattened and rubbed her ears at the volume of his voice and retreated through the mares before the kitchen became a no passing zone.

Heading back out through the double doors, Sunrise made her way back to the tables to find they had been moved into a triangle shape. Sitting beside Vestri and flicking her ears at the minor conversation involving mares and the housing of such, Sunrise tapped her hand to her master’s leg. Her stomach growled angrily and the mare rubbed her hand over it. Nearly dinner. I can just taste it all now.

The doors at the far corner clacked open and mares began filing out with each of the dishes and plenty of dishes as well as the silverware to go with them. Behind them, their watcher crossed his arms and kept a close eye. It took two trips for each of the mares to bring everything out and place it over the three wide tables. Once they were finished, Sunrise lifted herself up while still on her knees to eye the literal smorgasborg. I think I’ll try the four cheese pasta first, then some of the mashed potatoes. I definitely have to get a slice of that cake at the end if Durnir doesn’t eat it all first. There looks to be enough there for me to even have seconds!

Out of the corner of her eye, Sunrise saw the servers shuffle back to the kitchen one by one to clean up. All except for two which the caribou overwatcher pointed out and gestured nearby. The two mares nodded solemnly and made their way out of the line to take up positions near the table, but far enough to not be immediately noticeable and an issue. Merely decorations for the occasional glance. The earth ponies then posed themselves, for what Sunrise guessed was to be eye candy. One turned around and bent down nearly double with her tail lifted high and her nethers in full bloom for all the world to see. The second, which Sunrise couldn’t see very well past the tables, parted her legs wide and bit her lip while she set her fingers to slowly work over her labia and clit, a heated expression overtaking her almost immediately.

Occasionally glancing over at Vestri, who was still talking to Durnir opposite him, the front doors suddenly opened and a gruff, scarred caribou entered, laying his eyes on the tables before them. Throtr moved over and pointed to a bunch of chairs near the wall. “Apologies for being late, my King. The animals have not been off that boat since we made landfall, but they are all properly secured now.”

Dainn chuckled and pointed to the new room, “Come, sit Hrathr, it’s good to see you finally join us. We will catch you up on the various news later. For now, sit, eat!”

At that, Hrathr grasped one of the chairs as he passed by and dragged it over to the table, plunking himself down. The moment Dainn reached for one of the dishes, all the other Council members did. Whining to herself, Sunrise watched Vestri with intense interest. Sooner or later he’d pass her a plate, right? Halfway through reaching up to tap his leg, a mare stooped beside her and lowered a wooden bowl down to the floor next to the unicorn. “This must be for you, then,” she muttered and walked back to the kitchen.

Staring down in confusion, Sunrise wrinkled up her nose. Tomato soup? That’s it? Ivangir’s raucous roar of laughter startled her and she looked up at Vestri. The mare tugged at his arm.

Turning his head mid-bite, Vestri glanced at her in confusion, then down at Sunrise’s dish. He chuckled beneath his breath and muttered, “You were sick earlier, pet, I’m not taking chances that you still are. Finish your dinner, then perhaps I’ll give you some table scraps.”

Lowering her head, Sunrise cursed to herself. What I think I need is just some real food instead of that dog food shit and some soup. Still, it’s something. Lifting the bowl, Sunrise brought her lips to the rim and drank the insubstantial, if rather tasty soup. Within seconds, she’d drained the entire bowl, and the pit in her stomach felt no more full than before. Her stomach still rumbling, Sunrise licked the remaining liquid from her lips and thought, Time to see if I can get more. Grasping her bowl in her hands, Sunrise folded her ears back and tugged on Vestri’s pants. Oh please let this work. Eyeing her for a second, then the bowl, he sighed and lifted his plate over it, scraping the amalgam of food upon it into her bowl.

Once it heaped, he reached over and scratched between her ears, “Consider it a reward for behaving, Sunny. Hm, one moment.” While Sunrise sat back drooling over the food in her bowl, Vestri reached over, then returned with something in his hands. Upon placing it in the bowl, he sat back and patted her upon the head again, “And that’s for what Etadys did.”

Right there on top of all the mish-mash of food was a morsel of carrot cake. Not more than a couple bites, but to Sunrise, it was ambrosia. With all decorum lost, Sunrise immediately snatched it up and stuffed it into her mouth. Nothing tasted sweeter, more savory. It was as if she’d been without it for years rather than a few days. The cake and frosting melted on her tongue, leaving Sunrise with shivers down her spine, but just as fast as the taste came, it went. Sighing momentarily, she dug into the rest of her food and reached the bottom of her bowl all too soon. The bite of hunger was gone, however, leaving a pleasant fullness in her belly. Setting her bowl aside and leaning against the table leg, Sunrise blinked when Vestri spoke down to her.

“Sunny, slip under the tables and stand in the middle. Keep your eyes lowered,” he commanded, leaving Sunrise to swallow.

Nodding slowly, the mare did as she was told, careful not to hit her head on the underside of the table or against legs. Once she stood, Sunrise immediately downcast her eyes and trembled while this close to Dainn. All he has to do is give an order. And right now I’m trapped. Memories flooded back about her Red collaring.

Dainn seemed to smile at her discomfort, or maybe it was about something else, as he said while looking over the bountiful feast, “Female. Tell us more about this ‘Crystal Heart’.”

Below the sunset skies, Sunrise’s crawl back home was slow, albeit dry. The paths had already dried for the most part, though the poor mare’s hands and knees were dusted with a good amount of drying dirt by the time she got into the door. Blehing to herself, Sunrise took a quick trip to the bathroom to wash and dry herself off, then strolled into her bedroom. Lying where she left it was the unicorn’s jewelry box. Including the jumbled up mess of jewelry and tools inside.

Might as well, until Vestri returns. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Sunrise opened her box and removed the jewelry and tools she’d simply dumped inside. Let’s see if I can remember where everything goes. Sort the tools from the materials and jewelry. Put these here and this there... While she sorted, thoughts of earlier events rushed to the forefront of her mind. And not just of the day, but also the days past.

Squeezing her eyes shut and taking a deep breath, Sunrise worked through the horrid memories, occasionally reaching up to brush tears from her eyes or pausing to sniffle. I can hold it together, I can’t let Vestri see me like this, he’ll think I regressed. Press onwards. Piece by piece Sunrise’s tool and jewelry came back together, but with each piece put into place, a mental piece of her broke off. By the end, Sunrise was reduced to a sniffling mess. Shutting the case, she held on for several last seconds, then burst outright into tears and buried her face in her arms and knees, curling up by the wall.

Long after the sun set, Sunrise bawled her eyes out until the tears would no longer come and her body ached from being in a single position for so long. Even when the tears stopped, the mare kept her face hidden in her arms all the while the images of everything that happened to her went through her mind, and all the choices she’d made.

When she heard the front door open and clomping hoofsteps enter, the mare gasped and panicked. Oh nonono! He can’t see me like this! Dashing over to her blanket, Sunrise wiped her face and cheeks, then her arms and legs, trying to not look too bad. When she heard Vestri call for her, Sun yelled back, “Coming Master!” Her voice almost choked, but she still crawled out of the room and down the stairs to kneel before her master.

Vestri studied her for a few seconds, then commanded, “Sunny, stand up.”

Oh no, he knows! Obeying, Sunrise stood and smiled as much as she could at her master. It was as fake as a zirconia and bronze earring. My face looks like a mess.

Grasping her chin, the caribou moved her head back and forth. He snorted, “Have you been crying again, pet?”

Quaking on the inside, Sunrise nodded and stuttered, “I-I was crying over a f-f-favorite piece of jewelry being broken, M-Master.” Please buy it, please oh please!

For a long moment, Vestri studied Sunrise, before he nodded and patted her breast. “Hm, perhaps you can make more sometime. Come, let’s get upstairs and you can service your Master.”

Following behind with trepidation, Sunrise Splendor could only think, I don’t know how much more I can take of this.