> Sweet Apples > by Libidinous Bard > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Damocles > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apple Fritter shivered under the cold winds rustling through the tree branches.  She hated the Everfree Forest; between the vicious beasts, the unnatural weather, and the creepy stories there were plenty of reasons to avoid it.  Despite this, she was still walking the old pathways in the forest towards the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.  Back in town there was a baking contest that had been announced as taking place next week and Apple Fritter intended to win.  A certain flower grew amidst the magically-infused stonework of the castle and nowhere else; the pale blue-grey petals formed a particularly tasty topping for her namesake baked good when properly prepared. Fritter carefully stepped along the route, sidestepping potholes and fallen obstacles that had long since fouled the trail.  Twigs snapped and crunched under her hooves, remnants of the trees that dotted the path alongside her.  After a few minutes she came up on a particularly thick trunk blocking her path, a rotting husk large enough to hide a filly or two in and maybe even a fully-grown unicorn mare. Fritter trotted off the path just far enough to make her way around the intrusion, the dead stump it had separated from sticking out of the ground horrifically.   She wrinkled her nose at the foul stench of decay wafting out of it, happy not to know the source of the smell.  Overhead, miniscule tendrils of light pierced the dense foliage and lit the area, the depressingly blue-green flora along the ground casting eerie shadows about. Had she not seen the sky earlier, Fritter wouldn't have known it was summer, the darkness and dreariness of the forest as oppressive as it was.  The forest's denizens were quieter than usual today, too; not even birds could be heard in the reaches of the shadows.  Fritter circled around the vines wrapping the stump and kept walking back to the well-worn path, the forest still not having reclaimed the gravelly trail.  Looking further down the way Fritter could see a larger gap in the treeline, a break in the canopy that the trail passed out into where she could see where she was.  Fritter smiled in anticipation and cantered towards it. Making her way out to the edge of the clearing behind a bush, Fritter gazed around.  The clearing was a bright, happy green in stark contrast to the forest encroaching on its edges.  The sky was a lovely blue with only a few clouds dotting it, though it looked that at least a couple of them in the distance were casting down a steady torrent of rain.  Apple Fritter could see her destination only a short trot's distance past the far treeline.  She was about to step out past the bushes that surrounded her when a loud whoomph, like the wing beat of a large pegasus, startled her and she shrank behind them instead.  She did so just in time as a massive green dragon landed in the clearing and began to look around.  She could see that the dragon was out looking for something and judging from its eyes it was hungry.  Blanching at the thought of her last act being that of constituting the dragon's next meal, Apple Fritter whimpered quietly and hoped the huge monster would not see her.  She had a good vantage point to observe it without being seen; the creature stood easily three stories tall with bright emerald-green scales.  It was almost unnaturally thin and serpentine, the massive tail curling around its legs with large menacing spikes at its tip. After a few minutes of the tall, lanky beast peering around the meadow it seemed to give up on finding food there and took off.  Hovering above the trees it paused for a moment before angling into a lazy expanding circle, scanning the area for anything it could find.  Thank Celestia it hadn't seen her already, but Fritter realized that travelling anywhere in sight of the sky would be almost assuredly suicidal so long as that dragon was around, looking for an easy meal.  Fritter, after ensuring she was safely hidden away, plotted out a path around the meadow.  By now she was already far closer to her destination than home, so it made more sense to camp out there until the dragon gave up on finding anything or until the guard came looking for her and ran the dragon off.  Fritter adjusted the bottles in her saddlebags to ensure they wouldn't make any noise and snuck out from the bushes she had been hiding behind into the underbrush, pleading to anypony that might be listening that she would survive to the morrow. Fritter advanced carefully, keeping herself hidden amongst the bushes and vines strung across the trees.  She hadn't appreciated them earlier but now that they were keeping the dragon's sight well clear of her she couldn't think of anything she appreciated more.  The tiny rivulets of light weren't her friends any more, potentially her death should she be in the wrong spot at the wrong time.  It seemed that even the foul winds had quieted, hiding themselves away from from the threat of discovery by the dragon above.  Not a single creature amongst the forest made a sound, save the dragon's mighty wing flaps and the rustle of the flora around Apple Fritter as she progressed when the dragon was far from her.  She felt rather perturbed that the dragon was constantly remaining within her earshot, not bothering to search the rest of the forest for a meal.  It seemed that no matter how far from the clearing she crawled the dragon was still circling above her.  She sincerely hoped that the old tales of dragons being able to magically locate potential prey were merely that, otherwise the thought of having already been caught and just being the dragon's plaything for its enjoyment until it decided to end their game scared her like nothing else.  She gulped and pushed down the adrenaline trickling into her blood.  The trees were still thick enough to protect her from the dragon, and the castle would be even safer. Apple Fritter stopped when a warm wind blew across her nose.  Her heart plummeted as she looked up to see the source of her fear, fully expecting to see a very hungry dragon.  It was a partial relief for her to see that there was no awful smile in her face.  Instead, there was a manticore.  Fritter nearly yelped when she realized she was staring right at the violent beast, suppressing the noise for fear of discovery.  Unable to move without making a noise, Fritter looked on, frightened and expecting death at the beast's paws.  After no sound of movement from the monster, Fritter got a good look at it.  Only then did she realize the manticore was as afraid of her as she of it.  The beast was looking at her in fear, eyes wide and ears splayed back.  Of course!  The dragon was as much of a threat to the manticore as her, and if either of them made any noise, they might both be found and even a manticore knew the futility of trying to escape a hungry dragon.  Apple Fritter raised a hoof to her mouth in a shushing motion, puckering her lips and miming the noise.  The manticore nodded quietly, obviously understanding the significance of her motion.  Fritter nodded and waved a silent thanks to the feline, then looked for a way away from the creature that would protect them both from the dragon's hungry wrath.   Apple Fritter carefully backed away from the manticore, ensuring that she made no sounds as she did so.  The manticore remained where it was, hunkered down and nearly invisible.  Apple Fritter turned toward where the old spires were slowly cresting above the canopy, towering higher and higher above her as she approached the chasm surrounding the castle.  Fritter suppressed a quake of fear.  This would be the most nerve-wracking part; timing her gallop across the old bridge could make the difference between being caught in plain sight or passing undetected.  Apple Fritter waited for the dragon to make a few loops, the green beast lazily scanning the woods for any sign of prey.  As it flew over the castle and swooped down across the forest, Apple Fritter took off for the bridge at a gallop, crossing it multiple planks to a step and practically leaping her way to the other side. Reaching the other side she ducked into the shaded halls of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.  Sighing in relief at having evaded the dragon's sight, Apple Fritter looked out across the castle's inner courtyard.  A few sun-bleached foundations dotted the yard with a calm green field of grass spread between them.  Despite the danger in the skies Apple Fritter sat down, gazing out at the picturesque vista.  The sound of rushing air reminded her that the dragon was still around and she needed to remain hidden.  Fritter hid behind a fallen pillar, laying down on her stomach with her legs under her.  She wasn't the most athletic mare in Equestria, and was softly panting and trying to catch her breath without being noticed.  She ducked her head down as the dragon flew over the castle.  Apple fritter held her breath, waiting to hear the dragon fly away. Her heart skipped a beat as the dragon snorted, and nearly stopped altogether when she heard it touch down in the courtyard.  She teared up, sure at this point that it had been tracking her the entire time and playing with her.  Apple Fritter pressed herself into the ground harder, praying that the dragon would not find her behind the fallen column but fearing the very worst.  She could her the dragon milling around, not daring to move lest it hear her and cost her all hope of escape.  She jumped when the dragon's tail landed down past the pillar, sliding back and forth as the dragon played with something heavy in the courtyard.  Looking behind her Fritter could see that the pillar gave her adequate cover to back into a side hall and hide deeper in the castle until the dragon left.  Tentatively she began to crawl backwards, being careful not to make a single noise. "Leaving already?  I just got here."  The gravelly voice roared from on high, the dragon's tail retracting into the courtyard.  Apple Fritter whimpered and looked up, her stomach twisting itself in knots.  Her eyes began to water as they met the dragon's hungry, victorious smirk.  Her jaw dropped in both fear and awe as she realized, again, just how incredibly large the dragon was in comparison to her.  There was no escape now; the dragon had already drawn up under the ceiling, its impressively muscled hands resting on the pillar should she attempt to flee.  Apple fritter winced and stiffened as the dragon extended a claw under her chin, half-expecting it to harm her.  Instead the dragon opted to softly —unexpectedly so— stroke her jaw and neck a few times.  "Don't cry, little one.  I'm not in the habit of making others suffer." Fritter couldn't summon the words to speak otherwise, the dragon's claw preventing her from opening her mouth far enough anyways.  The dragon removed its claw from under her neck, resting his entire paw on her back.  He deftly undid her saddlebags, sliding them gently to the floor beside her.  "What is your name, little pony?" he asked, his paw remaining relaxed on her back. "A-Apple F-Fritter, sir," she stuttered, unsure of where the dragon was going with this. "Well, my little Apple Fritter...  I am Damocles.  I must admit some curiosity.  What brings you to my territory, little one?" Apple Fritter quaked under his questions and shrank down with fear.  Damocles sighed and patted her, then started to stroke her back and hummed.  He smiled at her, his eyes relaxed in stark contrast to his glinting teeth and her own tenseness. "I mean only to ask you, little one." Apple Fritter sighed and swallowed her fear.  "I came looking for a flower for my baking." "A flower, to cook?  There are many flowers in the forest; why come here for one?" "It..  only grows in this castle." Damocles drew back, his eyes narrowing.  "Sillidmoon.  A rare flower of which no other specimens may be located in the world.  A flower which lies solely within my territory.  Tell me, pony.  Why should I allow you to take that which I lay claim to?" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!  I never—" "Dare I ask whether the last time some of my Sillidmoon disappeared, that you were involved then as well?" Damocles growled.  He was right; Fritter had taken the flower before, using it in a recipe for a family reunion.  She cowered under his glare, adrenaline bleeding into her veins at the thought of how he might react to the revelation.  Still, it would be far more foolish to lie to him than not. "I-It was for a family r-reunion, sir." "A REUNION?  You say that as if it excuses your actions!" Damocles cried, his eyes glimmering and his snarl widening.  Fritter resisted the urge to turn tail and run as his paw slid off her back, but the thought —and opportunity— was short-lived.  Damocles brought his great paw under her belly, his claws separating to hold her legs in place straight downwards.  He closed them around her, lifting Apple Fritter up off the ground and bringing her up to face him head on. Apple Fritter shuddered in fear, looking down at the ground from the great height Damocles had raised her to.  Before she could question his motives, Damocles took her attention by harrumphing noisily.  "So you took it upon yourself to come onto my territory and make off with a flower to which I had laid claim, merely for you to EAT!  Give me one reason I should not extract my compensation in kind, pony!" Apple Fritter whined in fear, unable to respond.  Damocles took the presented opportunity to lift Fritter to his muzzle and inhale, the pull of air ruffling her fur.  She was sure he could smell her adrenaline and fear and his grin confirmed her guess.  Damocles' tongue snaked out, the wet muscle sliding along her cheek leaving a wet, slimy trail along her fur.   She winced as his tongue passed by the corner of her mouth, his saliva clinging to her lip.  "Last chance to make an impression, pony.  Unless you want to fulfill my hunger, that is." Apple Fritter gasped at the nightmare of culminating as little more than a snack for the impressive beast and began to wriggle in a panic, trying and failing to escape the great lizard's claws.  Damocles grunted and lifted her up further to dissuade the hyperventilating pony from trying to escape, dangling her above his head.  He snaked his tongue through his toothy grin and around between his claws, trailing it through Apple Fritter's belly fur.  She froze in fear as his slimy tongue circled around her barrel and wrapped around her chest.  Damocles laughed, his claw unwrapping and pulling away to leave her suspended by his serpentine muscle. It was only as Damocles began to withdraw his tongue into his jaws and her along with it that Apple Fritter found her lungs and began to scream shrilly.  Damocles winced at the pitch her voice reached but his tongue remained solidly wrapped between her limbs and immune to her frantic struggles.  His jaws widened below her to reveal two sets of sharp white teeth and bright red flesh directly below her.  Apple Fritter began to cry as her eyes pleaded with his that she not be made to suffer such an end.  Her efforts did not pay off; she slipped too low to preserve eye contact with her captor and was left to watch as his jaws closed around her.  His maw pressed in around her, the dragon's hot, slimy, humid mouth quickly slicking her down with the ample saliva surrounding her.  His tongue slowly uncurled around her body as she saw, with help from the thin beams of light that filtered down from his grinning teeth, the fleshy wet tunnel that would seal her doom should she fall into it. Fritter squealed in fear and tried to grab at Damocles' tongue to avoid falling deeper into the dragon's mouth.  She could hear him chortle, laughing as she scrambled inside his maw to avoid being swallowed.  Damocles lowered his mouth down, sparing her from the spectre of falling to oblivion.  Apple Fritter sighed in temporary relief, and gazed around the dim insides of Damocles' mouth wondering what the dragon intended to do next.  Her thoughts were quickly answered when his tongue drew up on top of her and slithered down her belly.  She squirmed in fearful discomfort as the muscles ran down her fur, tickling the light fur and skin between her flanks. Fritter whined and tried to get away from Damocles' tongue, butting up against his closed teeth.  His tongue followed her, coiling around her waist.  Fritter gasped as the tendril passed over her crotch, leaving a trail of his saliva across her labia.  Damocles hummed —the low tone resonating in Fritter's head— and flicked the tip of his tongue back across her lips, his saliva mixing in with the slight dampness making itself known from within her.  She groaned at herself; how could this, being toyed with while inside the dragon's mouth, be arousing to her?! She panted, beginning to buck against the tongue as it slithered back and forth against her. Damocles grinned, his entire mouth shifting around Fritter as she moaned and tried to stay towards the front of his maw.  His tongue slid up against her body, the tip poking against her muzzle.  Aquiescing, she opened her mouth and suppressed a shudder.  Damocles slid the thin tip of his tongue into her mouth, entangling it with her own muscle.  She tentatively closed her lips around his tongue, kissing the muscle and sucking lightly on it.  Damocles hummed around her, the vibrations coursing through her body, and pressed his tongue against her to pin the spit-slicked mare against his teeth.  Fritter's head rested on his gums, Damocles' saliva pooling around her dock and inundating her mane and tail.  His tongue rubbed along her, brushing against her slit every time.  Apple Fritter twitched and shook with every pass and groaned when he pulled his tongue back, the thin length slipping from her mouth with a thin arc of saliva between it and her drawing out and snapping. Apple Fritter panted to catch her breath, feeling the effects of the absent airflow in Damocles' maw.  His tongue prodded along her jaw and trailed down her chest.  It stopped above her chest, and pressed lightly against her skin as it rose and fell heavily in time with her pants.  He opened his jaw slightly and inhaled, the rush of fresh air drawing some heat from her as his tongue remained pressed down atop her, preventing her escape and yet holding her to the front of his maw.  Fritter never noticed him exhale, busying herself with the freshened air now available to her and gulping down lungfuls of oxygen as best she could.  His tongue trailed lazily down her belly, the hot muscle coating her cooled fur with a fresh, warm layer of the dragon's thick fluid. Apple Fritter drew herself back to the situation at hoof and rolled over, trying to work a hoof between Damocles' teeth in the vain hope of finding escape.  As if knowing her plan, his tongue wrapped around her rear hooves and constricted, pulling them together and yanking her away from his teeth towards the rear of the hot, slimy chamber.  Fritter yelped in fear and felt for any sort of hoofhold.  She felt mild relief for a moment when he stopped dragging her back, only to gasp in surprise as his tongue tip slid up between her labia.  Before Fritter could react Damocles' tongue speared up against her and thrust deeply into her pussy.  Fritter screamed in a mixture of surprise and pleasure, writhing against his tongue both within her and wrapped around her legs.  His tongue pressed up inside her, spreading her tunnel around it and making her feel as though her body was filled beyond capacity. Apple Fritter arched her back and moaned into Damocles' mouth, her muscular walls constricting rhythmically around his intruding spire.  She could feel him laugh around her as he began to withdraw his tongue from her vagina, coiling up between her stomach and his jaw but not releasing from around her legs.  The wet muscle snaked back up into her, spreading her walls and massaging the entirety of her tunnel.  Apple Fritter moaned and bucked against the intrusion, squeezing along the length of it inside her.  Damocles responded by rubbing in and out of her vagina quickly, coaxing louder moans out of the equine.  She fell limp against the floor of his mouth, lost in the bliss shooting up her stomach. Damocles slowed down his thrusts, reaching further into Fritter's tunnel and rubbing his tongue against her clit roughly.  The rough, uneven texture of his muscle tormented Fritter with pleasure, driving her wild and prompting the mare to buck wildly around him.  She moaned and cried out, her entire body shuddering from the waves of bliss pounding through her. "I-I can't—" she managed, gasping.  Her back was almost painfully arched as Damocles' tongue thrust in and out, pushing her to the very limit of her endurance.  He grinned and let his teeth separate to allow light to shine in on the mare, then pulled his tongue out and quickly rubbed and massaged her clit as hard as he could. Apple Fritter screamed and bucked hard enough to knock all breath out of her lungs.  Her cries were loud enough to echo in the castle courtyard outside Damocles' maw, writhing around uncaring of where she was or how she had reached orgasm.  He grinned and slid his tongue across her crotch, lapping at the fluids pouring from her wet snatch. She slowly came back to Equestria from her peak, panting and moaning softly.  Her entire body was limp, completely spent from the experience.  She was dully aware of Damocles wrapping his tongue around her entire body, but was too tired to even acknowledge the action.  Slowly he drew her off the floor of his mouth, and leaned down to lay her spent, saliva-coated body on the soft grass of the courtyard.  She sighed contentedly as the sun began to warm her and dry her fur.  The massive dragon laid himself down, his head coming to rest alongside her. "I must say, my little Apple, that I do so enjoy our little role-plays" Fritter tried to giggle, the sound instead coming out as a stuttered sigh.  "Mmm...  You are a master with that tongue of yours.  Sorry I can't return the favour, hon."  She trailed off, closing her eyes and basking in the warm sun with her draconic lover alongside her.  He chuckled and blew a stream of heated air across her, prompting her to coo softly. "I can hardly expect you to do more considering your size.  Besides...  Your treats are more than enough, let alone your other delights", he finished, speaking lightheartedly.  Fritter really did wonder how she'd been so lucky as to get to know Damocles-- he was every example of how majestic and respectable the species could be. She giggled and opened her eyes to look into one of his.  "You might be glad to know that I do have a little something for you.  And...  I have a little surprise for next time too," she concluded with a wink.  Damocles just chuckled and used his tail to pick up her saddle-bags and lay them down beside her.  She lazily opened one side up, and dug out a package of her namesake good, but sprinkled with a small variety of gemstones as a topping.  "Here.  I know it's small, but I thought you'd like it." Damocles softly stuck out his tongue and wrapped it around her outstretched hoof.  He slid the treat off her hoof, slicking it further, and pulled it into his mouth.  Fritter smiled and watched the bob in his throat with a twinge of...  something in the pit of her stomach as he swallowed her little gift whole.  His sparkling eyes told her all she needed to know even before he spoke up. "Was that a hint of sapphire, Fritter?  You always did know how to make my day.  I thought you were out of that!" He accused jokingly.  Apple fritter just smiled and nodded. "Yeah.  A friend of mine ended up breaking a couple, and I was able to get them as a surprise for you."  She grinned, always happy to see her gifts brighten his mood.  Damocles just smiled and laid his head back down.   "And that surprise you mentioned?" Fritter giggled and blushed, putting her hoof to her mouth.  "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore would it?"  Damocles looked pensive for a moment, then smiled and hummed in agreement. "So, you needed Sillidmoon, right?  How many did you need?" "Three or four should do it, I think.  At the worst, I could come back and get one or two more if I need to." "That is true, you are always welcome to take as many as you'd like.  Let me know if you want me to fly you here or back; I wouldn't want you to risk an encounter with some of the forest's less...  agreeable denizens." Fritter nodded, thinking back to the manticore, and rose to her hooves smiling.  "I'll do that.  Still, I think I'll go pick a couple of those flowers.  Some of the ones I planted last time are growing nicely." Damocles grinned. "I'll give you a lift back.  I need to go hunting for gems after that... While I enjoy a little 'fun' with willing prey, I do need to eat."  Apple Fritter smiled and kissed her lover's chin before fishing out the jars from her saddlebags.  She had a contest to win, after all. Maybe she'd shower first though.