Twilight tried not to choke as her tether was pulled back, causing the metal of the close fitting collar around her neck to dig into the front of her throat. The pressure kept up though, and she was forced to take a step backwards to relieve the pressure and allow her to breathe.

“Easy there, Flare,” Twilight heard Applejack call out to her companion, using the name the earth pony mare had given the unicorn. “Ya don’t have to stop so fast. Yer a good pony but ya dang near strangled Star there. Next time, come to a slow stop when Ah twitch your rein like that.”

“Aeeooah,” was Starlight Glimmer’s whinnied response. The hardened resin in her mouth having locked tongue and teeth into place as solidly as Twilight's were, and just as surely rendering speech into a distant fantasy.

“Sorry about that, Star,” Applejack said, using her name for Twilight and running what was probably meant to be a comforting hoof along Twilight’s back. “Flare’s a good pony. Couldn’t ask for better behaved. But she ain’t used to bein’ hooked up to another pony, is she?”

Twilight shook her head to confirm Applejack’s suspicion, the only response she could really make with her head and mouth encased in solid resin. Belly, womb and ass stuffed full of eggs that struggled violently inside of her anytime Twilight even made the slightest attempt to use magic.

“Didn’t think so. Down girls,” Applejack gently commanded, the stroking hoof translating into a soft earthward push. “We’ve been walking for a coupla of hours now and you two need a waterin’ and a bit of a break.”

Twilight obediently sank to her knees, the line connecting the back of her collar to the front of Starlight's going tight again for a moment, before slackening again as the mares obeyed the command of their… captor? Twilight thought about that for a moment as she listened to the ever present wind and the rustle of saddlebags.

After being driven from the lair of the land octopi, as Twilight had decided to call them, both herself and Starlight had been discovered by an exploring Applejack, who had wasted no time in getting her ropes onto both mares and bringing them down before either could continue their panic driven flight.

So while Applejack certainly had captured them, it had also been very much a rescue as well considering the state the tentacled creatures had left both of them in. Blinded and deafened by resin hoods, unable to expel their oviposited cargo of living eggs, the mares had been made into the perfect traveling incubators for the squid spawn. A pony in their state would have no choice but to aimlessly wander the land before collapsing of exhaustion or dehydration, their body providing both cover and a first meal for the eggs when they eventually hatched.

Of course, it didn’t help the captured feeling in that while AJ had indeed rescued them from a horrible fate, the former farmer had also hobbled both ponies, limiting their strides to a walking pace; and she had connected both implanted mares to each other via a tether, leading them around on a leash.

“Drink up, Star,” Applejack ordered, placing the mouth of a canteen in Twilight’s forced open maw, and dribbling in a small stream of water so she wouldn't choke on the life-giving substance.

As Twilight concentrated on keeping her throat relaxed, part of her clenched around the masses inside of her as she realized just how like an animal she was being treated like just now. Hobbled and on a leash, dependent on her owner for direction, being fed and watered as they wished her to be, even her name being at her owner’s discretion; it all fired up Twilight’s… no, Star’s, submissive side and made her womb roil and roll against the round masses filling her.

Who responded by rubbing and squirming against all of her sensitive nerves, reminding Star that not only was she a kept animal, but that she was also a broodmare who had been fully bred and was now being led along to whatever fate her owner had in mind for her. The thought made her insides spasm even more against the new lives inside of her, which made them roll and writhe even more, which in turn made Star respond all the harder.

The cycle built and built, with Star grinding her underside into the ground as the mental and physical stimulation threatened to throw her into a massive orgasmic release, right up until a massive spike of pain in her rump pinned the impending orgasm in place.

“NO!” shouted Applejack, landing a second sharp blow on Star’s other buttock. “You c’aint cum. Bad pony! No!”

Star whined in hurt frustration, looking toward where the voice had come from, her burning desire thoroughly quenched by the unexpected discipline.

“Ah’m sorry, girl. Ah know it feels good,” Applejack apologized, her thick accent getting even harder to understand. “But Ah c’aint let you cum. If’n you do, them eggs inside ya might crack an’ hatch an’ rip their way outta ya. Ah dun want that, an’ Ah’m sure Flare don’t neither.”

Knocked back to reality by the understanding that giving into her desires could literally kill her, Twilight nodded her head to show she understood and tried to make a comforting noise.

“You just rest another minute or two while Ah get some water into Flare,” Applejack told Twilight, who was more than happy to continue sitting and let the twin stings in her ass continue to fade. "An' no more rubbin' yerself."

It seemed only a moment later, but soon enough Twilight was being hauled back up to her hooves and the trio continued to make their way across the blasted landscape that had once been the wilds between Ponyville and Canterlot. Although Applejack did her best to guide both the blinded travellers,Twilight learned that she had to be quick to respond to the guiding tugs on her tether.

“That’s it Star, yer gettin’ it,” Applejack praised, after Twilight’s quick obedience guided her around another unseen obstacle. “Good girl.”

The praise threatened to drive the alicorn back into a potentially deadly submissive haze, and it was with some mental effort that Twilight remembered that she was Twilight Sparkle and not “Star,” nice as it was as a name. Which made Twilight wonder how Starlight was managing with the deep submissive tendencies she had.

“Almost there, girls,” Applejack said, breaking Twilight out of her reverie. “Another five or ten minutes and we’ll be outta this and safe.”

True to her word, a few minutes later the wind stopped its howling and Twilight felt a coolness wash over her as she was led under cover, into what the alicorn assumed was the actual entrance to the refuge that she and Starlight had been seeking.

“Whoa nelly, that’s relief,” Applejack declared. “Always good to get back home. Just follow mah lead for a bit more and we can get you two taken care of.”

Starlight gave a nicker of pleased acknowledgement as their hooves began to clank on an iron walkway and their route continued on in a downward path. The trio kept walking, pausing only long enough for Applejack to open several very solid sounding doors in their path and closing them behind the group.

“Hey Applejack,” an unknown male voice called out, at long last. “How’d it go?”

“Pretty good, Open Skies. Ah found a couple of survivors out there,” replied the earth pony, pride in her voice.

“You did?” asked Open Skies, his voice incredulous. “Sweet Celestia, you did! And… and are those wings? You found a pegasus mare?”

“Easy there, loverboy,” Applejack responded, her voice full of guarded humour. “Star here’s got a horn too, she ain’t a pegasus.”

“But she’s part pegasus, right?” was Open Skies response, with a note of hunger that sent a shiver down Twilight’s spine.

“Open Skies, you gonna let us in or what?” Applejack shot back, her voice turning sour. “The dang changelings got ahold of ‘em and you know what that means. Ah gotta get ‘em to the Mistress before they pop and we lose ‘em both. That what you want?”

“Shit, you’re right. You’re right,” swore the still unseen stallion. “Lemme just get the hatch open and we’ll get you in.”

As the hatch opened metallic booms echoed all around the trio of mares, allowing Applejack to discreetly whisper, “Sorry ‘bout that, Star. You best be careful after mah Mistress takes care of you. Don’t go wanderin’ off by yerself, anywhere. These days, a pair of wings on a mare are a liability.”

“Wow, she’s hot too,” observed Open Skies, as the trio walked through portal and into safety. The first thing Twilight noticed first was that there was actually moisture in the air, and that the air had a distinct lack of the sand and dust that had been ever present elsewhere.

The second thing Twilight noticed was the touch of a hoof on her flank.

“You’re soft too, and lavender, and your wings are gorgeous,” enthused the stallion. “Sweet Celestia, I could just nibble on your primaries all day lo—”

The removal of Open Skies hoof was simultaneous with the sound of a blow being stuck, and followed a moment later by the sound of a pony impacting a nearby wall.

“You leave her the hell alone, you got that?” Applejack thundered. “She ain’t got no way to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ right now, and jes’ cause she c’aint say ‘no’ right now don’t mean you get ta feel up her flank.”

“Sorry, AJ,” came the shaking voice of the stallion. “Won’t happen again. It’s just been so long…”

“Ah know, so Ah won’t say anything… this time,” warned Applejack. “None of us want to be another ‘Fast Clip’, do we?”

“No ma’am,” replied Open Skies, and Twilight could hear the fear in his voice.

“Alright, Ah’ll let everypony else know it’s all clear up here,” stated Applejack. “Right?”

“Right,” Open Skies answered, voice firming up. “Maybe later… after she can talk?”

“Maybe later, after she can talk,” Applejack confirmed, before adding, “but that will be up to her, right?”

“Right,” agreed the stallion, confidence filling his voice as he formally added, “welcome to Bolthole One, ladies. We’re very glad you’re with us.”

Applejack led both mares away, deeper into the unseeable depths of the “Bolthole” and as they travelled it became clear that Applejack was something of a favorite of the ponies who lived there. Several times the little convoy was forced to stop as somepony noticed the newcomers, and wanted to chat with Applejack about them, and to express interest in Twilight’s wings.

“Ah wanted to explain once the Mistress got that gunk offa ya so we could have a proper talk,” Applejack began, after the ninth time a stallion had expressed an interest in Twilight, “but Ah guess it c’aint wait.”

“Ah ha,” mouthed Twilight, curiosity afire.

“Ya see,” continued the orange mare, drawing her charges along again, “it’s like this. We all had it bad when Sunfall hit, but pegasuses had it worst. Unless one of them were near the ground when it all went down, they didn’t have a chance. There weren’t a single pony that got out of either Cloudsdale or Las Pegasus. Not one.”

Starlight made a pitying sound of sympathy from her gagged muzzle.

“So yeah,” Applejack said, keeping on with her explanation. “There weren’t a whole lot of pegasus survivors, and even fewer pegasus mares. Which means a lot of stallions are going without, and when ya add on them feelin’ the need ta breed and bring their numbers up. Well, sometimes bad things happen.”

Twilight made a questioning sound that turned into a grunt as she bumped into a wall during a turn.

“Careful there, Star,” cautioned Applejack, taking a firmer hold on Twilight’s tether. “And yeah, that’s why Open Skies was gettin’ all hoovsie there with ya. An’ Ah had to smack him down ‘cause a what happened to Scootaloo.”

“Ooo A Ooo?” Twilight managed to garble out.

“Scoots is a little pegasus filly, cute as a button,” Applejack explained, not knowing it was needless. “Made it through cause the little darlin’ can barely get off the ground as it is, and took cover durin’ Sunfall. Anyhow, seems Fast Clip took a shine to her and didn’t care that Scoots wasn’t a mare grown. He jes’ had to have her.”

“Ooh, ‘hid,” Twilight and Starlight mouthed in chorus.

“Oh shit is right,” growled Applejack. “Son of a bitch got caught right in the middle of rapin’ her. After most of the mares here beat the asshole half death, they dragged him up in front of the Princess. What she did to him… well, Ah was as mad as the next mare, but what she did that day to that pony. Turned my blood cold, it did.”

“Lift your hooves a bit the next few steps,” Applejack warned, interrupting her own tale. The sound of hooves changed from a metallic clanking to rocky thuds as Twilight felt herself step over a lintel of some sort.

“There you are at last, my dear Applejack,” called a happy voice, in cultured tones that Twilight knew. “And wonderful, you’ve brought guests.”

“Yes Ma’am,” replied Applejack, warmth suffusing her voice. “Permission to finish up telling them what happened to Fast Clip.”

“Of course, my little pony,” Rarity commanded, approvingly. “Then let’s get that ghastly goop off of them. Lime green is such a poor colour combination with lavender.”

“Any how, to make a grim story short, the Princess had the bastard castrated, blinded and banished,” Applejack concluded. “Hasn’t been any problems since.”

“You failed to mention the passive protections that have been implemented since then as well, forgetful pet,” Rarity gently corrected Applejack, as Twilight felt a harness of some sort being pulled around her body and tightened until they made her exhale with a whoosh.

“Sorry Mistress,” responded the chastened earth pony. “This here is ‘Star’ and ‘Flare’. Found ‘em near the changeling lair.”

“You are forgiven, darling,” Rarity soothed, before turning her attention to the two now bound ponies. Twilight realizing her new harness bound her to a rigid support of some sort. “Now, ‘Star’ and ‘Flare’ was it? Please do not panic. You are completely safe.”

“E hee oo ah!” whinnied Starlight, words destroyed but their meaning clear.

“We will free you as soon as we get those nasty larvae out of you,” Rarity stated, her voice velvet, but with an iron core. “The process can be very nasty and unpleasant, so you both have been harnessed to prevent accidents. You have my word that I will release you as soon as I am sure neither of you will spontaneously explode at some point in the next three days.”

“Ee ooha?” was Starlight’s whickered question.

“Indeed,” Rarity replied. “We will start by getting that resin off of your heads so that we can have a proper conversation. The solvent please, my Pet.”

“Yes Mistress!” shouted Applejack happily.

For what felt like hours Twilight and her companion endured a never ending chain of soaks, chippings, snippings, clippings and outright pushings. However, all the pulled ears and missing bits of fur were rewarded as at long last the resin helmets that had been stuck fast to both ponies were removed in a single large chunk.

“Oh my, you two are simply lovely,” Rarity purred, and Twilight blinked as she got her first real look at the ponies of this world.

Where Twilight called home, both Rarity and Applejack were both of middle weight and build. Despite a very large appetite, Applejack kept her weight down through a steady routine of farm chore exercise and while Rarity was not one for physical exertion, she watched her food intake like a hawk to prevent excess calories from “ruining her figure.”

In this world however, both mares were lean, with barely a spare ounce on either. In Rarity’s case she had chosen to accentuate this with black stockings and a richly tooled corset of black leather and had the effect of slimming down the sparse appearance of the already sinewy pony.

Applejack also wore black leather in the form of an equipment harness that was festooned with packs, pouches and rings which held a dizzying array of gear. The largest part of which was a large crystal which glowed a sullen red and lay along the earth pony’s spine just forward of the curve of her hips.

“Woo whee, you sure is a pretty one Flare,” Applejack commented, and as she turned her head toward Rarity, Twilight was treated to the sight of a green leather collar that was secured around the earth pony’s throat with a gleaming silver lock in the shape of a diamond. “Hey Mistress, I think we’re gonna need a size seven for Flare and a size nine for Star. Whatcha think?”

“Applejack, how many times have I asked you to watch your diction,” Rarity lobbed back, and Twilight got the feeling that it was an old and much loved battle between the two ponies. “Besides, we still have much to do. Be a dear, and get out the dental tools and work on the resin stuck in Flare’s mouth. I’ll work on Star’s.”

Another eternity later, and Rarity was easing the hollow plug out of Twilight's mouth. The alicorn took the opportunity to work her sore jaw muscles before trying to speak.

“Hello,” Twilight began. “My name is Twi—glurk!”

“Sorry darling,” Rarity apologized, as she held a soft flask in Twilight’s mouth and forced her to swallow the contents while the alicorn struggled ineffectively against the sudden assault. “It’s best to do this quickly and get it over with.”

“Ick,” declared Twilight half a minute later, the flask being removed after the last of the syrupy liquid had been slid down her gullet. “What is that stuff?”

“Poison,” Rarity said simply, and Twilight's imagination treated her to a host of terrible scenarios before the thin mare continued. “Not to you of course, but for what those nasty things put inside of you. Now brace yourself, darling. This is the unpleasant part.”

“Hurk!” cried Starlight a moment later, as she violently vomited into a large bucket being held by a waiting Applejack.

A moment later a tidal wave of gastric reversal struck Twilight as she too began to heave up the contents of her stomach into a container that a helpful Rarity held in place for her. Spasm after spasm rocked both mares, until Twilight was sure she was trying to regurgitate her hooves from the inside out.

“There, there,” Rarity soothed, holding a soft damp cloth against Twilight’s face when the last of the wretched convulsions had finally passed, leaving the alicorn weak as a kitten and grateful for the foresight of having something to hold her up. “How much did we get, Applejack?”

“Them dang changelings musta pumped poor Flare near ta burstin’,” Applejack declared, wiping off Starlight’s face. “Filled two whole buckets.”

“Wha… what is that stuff?” Twilight managed to croak out, curiosity giving her the strength to speak.

“It’s an enzyme that helps the larvae digest the flesh of their host once their hatching kills the poor pony that’s been incubating them,” Rarity answered, then adding as she saw Twilight’s harnessed body instinctively begin to try to flee. “Easy Star. My Applejack found you in plenty of time to get those beastly things out of you. You are safe with us.”

“So why are we still harnessed up like livestock?” demanded Starlight, rocking back and forth ineffectually.

“Because you’ve just had a very draining experience and the next part, while very pleasant, is even more so,” Rarity explained. “Plus, Star’s reaction a moment ago is by no means unique. We ponies run from danger out of pure instinct, and that flight instinct cost us a few well-loved friends before we realized that this is the best way to help an implanted pony and successfully harvest the larvae inside of them.”

“Harvest?” Twilight asked, confused. “What in Celestia’s name would you be harvesting them for?”

“A question for a question,” Rarity said with a smile, pulling Twilight’s head forward with a light tug on her silver control collar. “Tell me who your owner is, the one who placed these lovely collars around your necks. Simple, unadorned silver. Plain, yet bold. Unassuming, but utterly inescapable with neither hinge, lock or key, and obviously custom made for the both of you.”

“Um, Mistress?” Applejack asked deferentially, a pair of mugs with straws sticking out of them balanced on her back. “Hadn’t we outta, ya know, get some apples in ‘em first?”

“What? Oh, right you are my Apple,” Rarity agreed, before Twilight even had a chance to frame her answer to the dominatrix pony that Rarity was in this world. “Calories first, then harvesting. We can swap questions and answers later.”

“But I—” the lavender alicorn began only to be silenced by a delicate hoof.

“Drink, darling,” Rarity ordered, her tone brooking no disobedience. “I may not be your mistress, and I may not have my shop anymore, but I am more than capable of muzzling you and forcing you to drink this fine apple juice. Understood?”

Both harnessed mares responded by taking long pulls of sweet apple cider into their mouths. Twilight had to suppress a sigh of contentment as the flavours of the blended juice exploded across her tongue even as the fruit sugars began to deliver a near immediate spike of energy to the enervated pony.

“Good girls,” praised Rarity, stroking Twilight’s mane. “Somepony trained both of you well.”

“Thank you,” Starlight replied, finishing off her mug. “My name is Starlight, by the way. Starlight Glimmer.”

“Dang it, weren’t even close,” Applejack complained, “How about you, Star? Did Ah even get it in the buckball field with you?”

“A little bit,” Twilight said, after slurping the last dregs of her mug. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Rarity stated, eyes twinkling over a broad smile as some new things floated into view on her magic, including a pair of solid looking bridles that were complete with broad bits and inhibitor rings. “Brace yourselves darlings, I simply relish this part of the process.”

So, going forward this story will be updated at the whims of my patrons on Patreon. Every month my patrons get to vote on which story they would like to see me work on following my commissioned story of the month.

If you want a vote, join my Patreon for as little as a dollar a month and cast your ballot for whichever story you would like to have me update.

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