Upon exiting from her temporary sanctuary, Trixie was met with a line of the mares she had forced to wait on the bathroom because she had locked herself inside. An impatient row of her fellow house mates, the mares that she had to share a roof with. Many of them looked none too pleased with the unicorn’s antics, sending their annoyed glares at Trixie for having inconvenienced them. Trixie’s blue complexion turned a slight red hue as she rushed by, knowing that she was the one at fault here, and that this wasn’t the first time she had caused them trouble. She was just glad that none of them tried to confront her this time, letting her pass without saying a word.

Tensions in Equestria, in general, had been at an all time high in the aftermath of The Fall. Everyone who had endured the caribou occupation carried their own baggage from the ordeal, and had developed a variety of problems concerning their emotions and how to deal with them. It was uncharacteristic for ponies, who normally bounced back from anything with smile and a song, but this was no ordinary invasion of their lands or momentary incursion. Ponies had been defeated and conquered before, by invading forces or the occasional supervillain, for both short bursts and extended periods of time before finding some way to rid themselves of them, never having an issue with recouping their losses and returning to business as usual the following week. This time was different though.

This time the enemy didn’t just come from some outside source, but from within as well. The caribou might have been the ones who had plotted to destroy the harmonic balance preserved by the inhabitants of Equestria for a millennium, caused the suffering of thousands upon thousands, but they had also brought to light a cancer growing within. Corrupt ponies had joined sides with the tyrannical deer to help bring the nation to ruins, ponies who could have done something or warned someone about the impending doom they would bring, but chose not to in exchange for privilege, power, and the simple ability to dominate others due to their own perversions.

Red collars, traitors, stallions with no moral qualms keeping them from capturing and collaring their so called friends and family members. They sold the freedom and souls of their neighbors and peers to figurative demons just to get a cozy position in the caribou’s empire, or increased their wealth.

It should have been an easy task rounding up all of these malcontents, as evildoers and ne'er-do-wells within pony society were usually easy to discern amongst the common equine, generally being the ones who curved their brows more than others and took to cackling to themselves. However, the spell that was placed on the now destroyed Crystal Heart muddled the issue immensely. Because of it, no one could tell who had made a deal for their own comfort, or had been made to enslave others due to the powerful brainwashing done to them. With the exception of the few stallions that were immune to the Heart’s spell, the incurables as the caribou called them, every male in Equestria had been turned into sex-crazed fiends. Many of the former red collar mares claimed that it was the spell that turned them into insatiable sluts as well, since that was the excuse given publicly as to why Princess Celestia, Twilight, and Cadence had been red collars themselves.

It had become nearly impossible to tell if the pony standing beside you had been an active supporter, or was coerced into following the caribou’s ideal of civil structure. That was, unless one had been a black collar by the end of the fall, or had the misfortune to have been turned ‘purple’ or, worse still, blanked. Six months down the line, they still were holding trials for mares to determine who had been faking red collars, who had given in but could be rehabilitated, and who had been on the caribou’s side from the very beginning and deserved only imprisonment.

So even within the confines of a mare’s shelter, created to for the sole purpose of providing some sort of home to those who had none after the caribou’s defeat, Trixie understood why anyone would be irritated by her actions. Occasionally, her mind would try to fall back on old traits, make her believe that they were the problem. That wasn’t the case though, and deep down Trixie knew it. She was the one who was the burden, the one who was worthless, one of the few unicorns left in Equestria who still couldn’t cast something as easy as a levitation spell, even though her horn had been fully restored. To them, she was probably no better than any of the other mares there, and just took up a bed that could have gone to a more deserving pony. All she could do now was hope they would forgive her inadequacies, and put up with her until this was all over.

For now, she could only subvert their ire by doing her duties as a resident of the house. There were plenty of things Trixie and the other mares were responsible for during their stay at the halfway home of course. They had to do the normal chores of consideration, such as keep their living space clean and take turns cooking if they had any talent in it, which Trixie herself had none, but there were other more important things to take care of as well. Community services was something ‘heavily recommended’ for any able bodied pony, since the restoration of Equestria was one of the top priorities amongst the equine populous, and those who didn’t do their fair share of the work were not looked lightly upon.

It was what Miss Harshwhinny had come to remind her about, being that Trixie fit the bill as a pony capable of pulling her own weight. Then again, there really wasn’t anyone in the shelter that wasn’t. To Trixie’s understanding, the only ponies truly allowed to avoid such work without receiving a ton of ridicule were those who were either physically unable to do so, which only foals and the elderly truly qualified, or those who were too mentally distressed by the events of the fall to function, which consisted of those who were marked by the caribou as purple collars.

So with nary a word to anyone else, Trixie left the shelter’s confines, and exited out into the world outside. From the moment she stepped hoof outside those four walls, she could already tell it was going to be a terrible day. The sun in the sky was covered by a heavy patch of unattended clouds, casting everything into a slight grey that made everything appear dreary to her, the former weather teams of Equestria yet to have been officially re-established. All colors felt muted by this, mixing into hues of off greys, wherein even the shadows casted by what little light that penetrated the cloud seemed to be a little less than black. Trixie knew what was expected of her though, and took a second step from the safety of the shelter, and then a third and a fourth until she was walking, albeit slowly, towrds a crowd of ponies waiting by a gate that surrounded the building.

These ponies were more of her fellow shelter mares, all waiting for their daily assignments, which would be handed out to them by some nameless government official who was in charge of organizing the restoration efforts. Until that pony arrived, they were left to their own devices, and segregated themselves into their own cliques so they could pretend that life was somewhat normal. For a moment, Trixie considered joining some of them, any of the groups, but she couldn’t work up the nerve to do so. So instead, she went to the gate wall and stood a few dozen feet away from it’s door; far enough avoid conversation, but close enough to let people know she was suppose to be part of the group.

But of course, when she did her best to elude conversation and confrontation, it managed to find her instead, though not from any of her shelter mates. They had already experienced first hand how fruitless interactions with the blue unicorn was. This was someone not from the shelter, someone who had not experience the fall like they all had, and wasn’t even from Equestria.

“I know a mistake is all too risky,” the unicorn mare heard from just outside her peripherals, “But could it be that you are Trixie?”

At first she thought that whoever was speaking was addressing some other mare, and she was just picking up accidentally on it. The mention of her name left no doubt though, and so she shifted the direction of her head to see who was trying to get her attention. What she saw was another mare, but not a pony. It was instead a zebra, her mane cut down to an incredibly short length, and wearing a purple garb that covered most of her body, with a large pouch at her side that hung from the opposite shoulder by a strap.

“I know that we have never met, but you know who I am, I bet.” The zebra continued, speaking in a soft, youthful tone.

“I… do,” Trixie replied, having been informed ahead of time of the arrival of a group of zebra that would help with the recovery efforts, as had everyone else at the shelter. “You’re one of the medical mares from the zebra nation. They said you’d come to help fix what the caribou did to us.”

“Indeed, I’ve come to fix your ills,” the zebra opened her bag for Trixie to peer inside, revealing a bunch of flowers, leaves, and bottles held inside, “With my nations collections of potions and pills. What was done to you was far too much to bare, but perhaps your body we can repair. So please tell me what those beasts did to you, and I will try what I can in order to undo.”

“Well…” Trixie looked around, and noticed that others were being spoken to by their own zebras, all of which mares, and all of which seemed to carry the same kind demeanor as this one. From what she had been told during the announcement of their arrival, the zebra nation had volunteered the services of many such equines after the caribou had been dealt with, more than happy to do whatever they could to bring Equestria back to it’s former glory after such tragic events. From what she had heard, they were being sent all over the kingdom, and not only to shelters either. They were to be in every town to act as public physicians, and provide care to any pony in anyways they could.

This knowledge, along with the sight of all the others reacting so well to their presence, allowed Trixie to open up ever so slightly, and with a small series of slow inhales and exhales, she said to the zebra before her, “The caribou… did a lot... to my body.”

The blue mare paused for a second, believing that the zebra would say something in response to that. Perhaps something a bit condescending, since the same could be said of every mare in Equestria and didn’t apply to just her. The zebra didn’t say a word though, and instead waited patiently for Trixie to finish.

“They… made my breasts bigger. Much bigger than they are suppose to be. And they made my body really sensitive. And…” Trixie lowered her voice down to a whisper, “I’m having problems with with… getting wet… down there.”

Trixie once more stayed silent for a moment, expecting that such a statement would bring some sort of shock to the zebress, but if it did, there was nary a sign of it. No odd twitch or narrowing of irises to betray some hidden thoughts, just that same patient stance as she wore the gentlest of smiles. It was almost creepy in it’s own way, as most ponies in Equestria didn’t take well to acknowledgements of any form of sexuality, even acts that were involuntary, seeing only its direct connection to the fiendish creatures that had enslaved their race. It even bugged Trixie a little, but this must have been the benefits of having been far away from that disaster. How lucky of her.

“It’s more than just a little.” she declared, a little louder than before to express her seriousness, “Sometimes I get so wet that I have to change my underwear several times until it stops.”

The zebra woman nodded, reaching into her pouch, taking out a vial of reddish liquid. “I understand, and feel your plight. So let’s see if we can make this right. The potion here will shrink your breasts, and remove the weight placed on your chest. Just drink it down and you will see, things can be mended easily.”

With a little hesitation, Trixie took the small glass container, popped its cork, and downed the concoction within. It tasted of rotten fruits and moldy bread, or at least it reminded her of the foul flavors two substances fed to her frequently by her former captors, but once in mouth she drank it with without issue. She had consumed worse than this, though the sludgy consistency did make it a chore to get down her gullet.

“I am surprised you didn’t waver. Most ponies don’t enjoy the flavor.”

Wiping off a small portion stuck to her lips, Trixie handed the empty vial back. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get the caribou out of my life for good.” If there was one thing that gave Trixie, and perhaps all ponies of Equestria, motivation to push forward, it was that.

It didn’t take long for the potion to take effect, as by the time she had finished her reply, she started feeling her engorged mammaries quiver underneath her dress. With the sensitivity of her body, and the intensity her flesh was trembling at, it had an unfortunate side effect of causing a bit of unwanted pleasure. Enough to have her brace herself against the wall she was standing at. It was a little embarrassing, and she worried if anypony aside from the zebra was watching this, thinking it was some strange, lewd act.

That worry only faded when the shaking of her breasts ceased, stopping just as quickly as it started, as any qualms she could have had was instantly replaced with the relief brought upon her by the results she felt. There was a notable change, as the chest of her clothing no longer hugged her as tightly, nor did she feel as much stress on her spine as her the weight her bosom held became lighter. She felt a momentary bout of joy at the feeling, believing that the damage done to her body had been reverted. So much so that she had to pull the collar of her shirt forward to get a good look at the changes.

What Trixie saw was underwhelming and disappointing. It looked like they hadn’t changed but perhaps a few centimeters in diameter. It felt like someone was playing a cruel joke on her, promising to relieve her of something that’s very existence brought her physical and mental pain, only to remove an incredibly small portion of it. It was enough to cause her well up a few tears in her eyes, assuming that this was all the zebra could do for her.

“Is there something wrong, young pony mare? You seem to be in such despair.”

Trixie wiped her eyes, becoming angry at the Zebra’s insensitivity at her situation. Sure, she sounded concerned, but the constant rhyming made it all seem disingenuous, mocking. Did she not understand the severity of what the caribou did to Equestria.

“This isn’t right…” Trixie said, keeping her voice look, her rising anger kept at bay by an aura of self consciousness. No matter how upset she was, no matter how much she wanted to yell at the zebra, she didn’t want to cause a scene and have the eyes of every pony there to be drawn to her. “They’re still too big! I can’t be stuck with these stupid blobs of meat for the rest of my life!” She exclaimed in a whisper, finding it hard to hide her emotions regardless.

The zebra gave the unicorn a sympathetic look, breaking her previous expression for the first time. “Then it is as I surmise. You’re not happy with their current size.”

“Current?” Trixie asked, picking up on the word and its vague implication that this was not the end of their transformation. “Is the potion going to do more to them?”

“It’s as I’ve heard a pony say, Equestria wasn’t built in a day. We’re making sure we get this right, so the dosage was kept light. If we made your breasts too too small, it would be as dreadful as the Fall.”

Trixie didn’t agree with that, seeing what big breast represented now. They were part of the caribou’s ideal image of a woman, and thus something that she didn’t want associated with her. Having a pair of watermelons dangling off her for the good part of a year didn’t hurt her opinion in the slightest either, and she wouldn’t have cared if she were a few sizes smaller than she use to be just to distance herself from that even further. Even becoming as flat chested as a filly felt like an appealing option.

The zebra had her own ideas though, expressing them by saying, “We’ll take this process week by week, until we get the results you seek. In time you’ll be rid of this awful gift, and back in a form you’re happy with.”

“But can’t you do it now?” Trixie asked. With a fix for this problem presenting itself, she wanted more than ever for this part of her nightmare to be over. “Can’t you whip up more of that potion? I’ll wait if I have to, no matter how long it takes you, and we can get them back to normal today.”

To Trixie’s disappointment, the zebra shook her head. “While I’ll say you are not wrong, and making potion does not take long, the problem is unfortunately, not with time, but quantity.”

Taking the unicorn by the shoulder, the zebra guided her to look at some of the other mares gathered in front of the shelter. To others like herself, fellow shelter mates who had massive breasts that were disproportionate to their bodies, with some worse off than even she had been. Like her, they were being given potion to rectify this problem, and some were likewise put off by the lackluster results. Others incredibly grateful for what little they got though, thanking and hugging their zebra attendants for the smallest of change in their lives, and the promise that one day soon they could wipe what the caribou did away completely. In the face of that, Trixie couldn’t help but feel a little sheepish about her own attitude.

“We’re working hard on this important task, of making brews and filling flasks. While we stir and mix for hours, the truth is that we lack the power, to make the amount of remedy that would clear up this problem instantly. I know you must despise delay, but there really is no other way.”

The long string of words the zebra spewed out was confusing, but Trixie didn’t have to think hard to decipher the meaning. There was simply no way that enough of the potion could be made at once to satisfy every mare in Equestria that might need it. Those in charge of distributing it, most likely the Equestrian Committee of Ponies, must have decided it was better to hand it out evenly, than to have to pick individually who would have access to it first out of a long line of mares desperate for it. To have done the latter would have undoubtedly created animosity among those who had endure their physical changes longer than others, and create even more unease in throughout the nation. With tensions as high as they already were, to do such a thing would have terrible results.

As much as the potion shortage would suck for her, Trixie could only accept this decision. It wasn’t like she had the power or status to do anything about it. “Ok… I get it. I can wait.” said Trixie, trying hard to force a smile and not display her discontent to the zebra.

The zebra could sense things were not satisfactory for the mare though, as how could they be when she was just informed she would have to live with something she hated for who knows how much longer. She, along with all the ponies who had suffered at the hands of the caribou, had the zebra’s sympathy, and she was determined to do whatever it took to bring a real smile to her face.

“Don’t be sad, and do not fret. I have something that you want, I bet. Inside my pouch, I know there should, be something that will make things good.”

Trixie watched closely as the zebra shuffled through her things, the striped mare talking to herself the whole time. “A needle meant to dull out pain. A lotion that restores one’s mane. An ointment that makes muscles strong… Oh! Here’s the thing to right your wrong.”

A second vial was handed over to Trixie, this one filled with blue and yellow capsules. “Pills?” Trixie asked, bringing the container directly in front of her eyes.

“The are designed to cease your drips. Take one each time you need to skip, the times you begin feeling wet, and sense the sensations those monsters set.”

“So… this will stop me from getting turned on against my will?” Trixie asked, unwittingly letting slip a little more about details about why she was developing heavy bouts of moisture from between her legs than she had before.

“It doesn’t matter the reason why. Those pills will insure you stay dry. Please try to take them sparingly, but when they run out, do come see me.”

Trixie had a few more questions about the medication the zebra had to offer, like what exactly she had in there and how it helped out the other mares that were afflicted with conditions she was not. For as much as the caribou abused her, they did go out of their to make sure she could be abused in a consistent manner. Others were not maintained so rigorously, and thus had problems that surpassed mere bouts of onset arousal. However, here previous obligations finally rear its head, preventing her from asking about such matters.

“Attention! Would all the volunteers please gather outside the front gate so you can be given your assignments.”

The voice boomed out from a bullhorn held by a pegasus mare dressed in a ‘Pre-Fall’ version of the Wonderbolts uniform, before the symbol of Equestria’s flying elite had been bastardized by the caribou’s need to perverse everything they touched. Trixie recognized her instantly by attire as the work organizer for the reconstructions efforts. With her arrival, the shelter’s gates opened, and everypony else filed out into the world beyond the sturdy brick walls that surrounded it.

Regretful that she had run out of time, Trixie pocketed her pills, and excused herself by saying “I have to go. My group is leaving.”, before dashing off so not to miss her orders.

The zebra didn’t appear to mind at all that the unicorn had bolted off to join the other pony mares, and even gave a few pleasant parting words to the blue mare before she had made it out of earshot.

“I’ll be here when you finish your chore, so seek my help if you need more. Any problem, big or small, can be made less by your friend Amale.”

That was a large claim from the zebra, but Trixie didn’t have time to think of it as anymore than a friendly gesture. She had somewhere to be, and work to do, even if her abilities had been… limited by what she had been done to her during the Fall.

Author's Notes:

So.... I initially intended to have this chapter be longer. I meant to get it to a point where the real story would present itself, and we could get to some of the things that have been eluded to on the cover. However, after 3-4 months of not having posted anything new, and only having 4K words to show for my decline in writing, I felt it would be best if I cut it short and gave you all what I had.

This might be a good thing, as a fresh start on a new chapter my liberate my creativity a bit more, though I will admit that is not the only thing that has helped my procrastination. Now I know most of my fans are not the "Where's the next chapter" types, but I do feel personally let down when I delay for long stretches. I promised you all a story after all, and the longer it takes, the more I am breaking that promise. So let me torment myself a little bit. Suffering is one of my key motivators after all

My only worry is that while this new chapter does add a bit of lore and world building to my rendition of "Fall of Equestria", explaining what it is the zebra nation is doing in the aftermath of the destruction, I'm not exactly sure this alone is all that interesting, or makes enough progress in the story. Then again, I see people make 500 word chapter posts all the time on here, so what do I know about pacing. Just tell me in the comments what you think, as I might start resorting to smaller chapter post until I get my mojo back.

Anyways, see you all soon, and I hope you have a pleasant day.