Harriet squirmed in Black Thorn’s invisible grasp, trying to kick the unicorn climbing onto her away. Her legs moved as if through treacle, slowed by his magic to a crawl. His dagger dug into Harriet’s muzzle, ripping out scale after scale while her mouth treacherously remained quiet no matter how hard Harriet wanted to scream for help. Black Thorn laughed, and his telekinesis weakened, giving Harriet a chance to reach for the heavy cast iron pan lying next to her, and swing it at the unicorn’s head with all her semi-draconic might.
*Dongggggg!*
Harriet woke up, standing on her hind legs with the pan held in her forelegs.
Just a nightmare, just a nightmare. Wait… did I hit something?
Harriet must have still been half asleep, because what she was seeing couldn’t be real. She felt her muscles still tense after the swing, and yet, on the business end of the heavy pan was only a single yellow talon connected to a strange…
Not important. Apologize now!
She felt as if she’d smacked an immovable steel wall.
“I-I-I’m really sorry, I was having a nightmare and I must have grabbed this,” she quickly withdrew the pan and put it on the table where she’d fallen asleep, giving the creature floating in front of her a shy, apologetic smile. Harriet had never seen such being before, although that phrase was losing all its impact fast these days.
It… looked like a floating noodle in shape, about one and a half times Harriet’s length and as thick as her broad chest, ending in a long tail with a short duster on one end, and a strange head on the other. It had legs near the tail end, each different. One could possibly belong to a griffon, and the other one was draconic like Harriet’s hind leg. With scales still on, she couldn’t help noticing. The upper… or front pair of legs was mismatched as well, with one looking like it would be at home on a griffon, talons and everything, and the other one once again draconic ending in claws. How it was floating without wings was beyond Harriet’s knowledge, but after what she’d seen recently, she suspected magic. It’s face, though, was familiar and yet far off at the same time. It had a pony muzzle like she did, only longer and thinner, a single long fang protruding from one side. By now, Harriet could hazard a guess that there was no other fang mirroring that one on the strangely mismatched creature. She also noticed two horns on the back of the creature’s head, not like unicorn ones on their forehead, one being a jagged, long, thing, and the other a dull, cow-like stub. Its eyes were the most normal thing on the creature. While smaller than Harriet’s, they definitely were shaped like those of a normal pony, only without pupils, just pure, round emerald pools glowing in the dark. Aside from that and being the only thing common to the entirety of the creature, it was completely white from head to the tip of its tail.
It examined Harriet with a laser-focused stare before a soft smile appeared on its face, and in a pleasant and definitely male tone it- he said:
“You’re quite a strong lady, but no harm done,” he kept floating in the air as he gave Harriet a courteous bow, “My fault for approaching you in your sleep, miss, I was just curious what one of the amazons would be doing here. My name is Hastur,” he stretched out his taloned foreleg.
Harriet let out a sigh of relief. This time she wouldn’t get in trouble for attacking someone, even on accident. She shook Hastur’s leg. Were creatures like him common in Equestria? Would it be weird to ask about the whole floating thing?
“I’m Harriet,” she looked around at the observation deck lit by scarce lamps spread over it. She could see about ten ponies and griffons sleeping on the benches or under them just like she’d been doing. No one was paying her and Hastur any attention, “You called me ‘amazon’. What is that? I’m a dragonpony, or a dracon for short.”
Hastur tilted his head.
“I see. My bad,” his long body twisted in the air so that he was nose to nose with Harriet, examining her muzzle, “I assumed you were an amazon from your size and corruption, but you talk like a normal pony, and the corruption is very faint. To be honest, the black taint on red scales looks rather fetching on you.”
Harriet chewed through his words, then pawed at her nose.
“Wait! I’m turning into a mushroom? Oh no nonono...” she started examining her forelegs much to the growing amused smirk of Hastur.
“Been having some unusually dirty thoughts recently?” he asked playfully.
“Dirt-” Harriet stopped, realizing that the girl who thought of herself as an undesirable and ugly anomaly most of her life had spent far too much time recently thinking about the brothel, and the minotaur who had rammed her view out of her so hard and fast that-
“I’ll take that as a clear yes,” Hastur’s grin was completely wild now as he watched Harriet locked in her own little world blush harder and harder until her normally brown face was as red as her nose scales while her forelegs performed a nervous tapdance on the metal floor. He patted Harriet’s shoulder who let out a quiet ‘eep!’ at the touch, “Don’t worry, it’s just faint. Most ponies in Equestria these days are tainted to a certain degree,” he looked into the darkness surrounding the ship, “Just don’t let it consume your world. Corruption spreads from the mind giving up, not the body. It’s normal to be tempted... and to give in as long as you’re on top of it.”
“But mushrooms...” Harriet mumbled.
“Pony’s only natural predator,” Hastur chuckled before suddenly going completely quiet, his expression turning somber. After a moment, he shook his head, his smile returning, “Nevermind. If I’m not bothering you too much, is this your first time in Equestria?”
“Mhm,” Harriet nodded, still flustered and not daring to look at the friendly white noodle. Not only because she suddenly felt defenseless, even if she had no idea what she should be defending from, but because of the fact that despite his oddity, Hastur was very attractive.
And he’s talking to me, to ME!
“Then let me be the first one to welcome you here,” Hastur spun in the air, making a circle with his foreleg to encompass his surroundings, “I mean, not to the ferry, but to Equestria. Land of magic, ponies, wonders, tentacles, dripping trees, Corrupted, and the primary target of every unnatural evil force ever. I chalk it up to bad luck, personally.”
Harriet couldn’t help but giggle at his grandiose performance, genuinely charmed more and more with each word. He looked so sleek and fluffy at the same time, the white fur contrasting with the darkness, seemingly gently shining from the inside. Then she recalled he’d stopped her sleepy swing with a really heavy cast iron pan only by lifting a talon. On a closer look, he was muscular, but not heavily built, and-
Harriet realized she was staring again.
“Seeing something you like?” Hastur’s grin never left his muzzle.
Aaand, on cue, the blush returned.
“I- ehm- me- you- ifyoudon’tmindmeasking...” Harriet’s ears drooped as her mind finally caught up with the rest of her body, “I’m making an ass of myself, aren’t I?”
Hastur floated behind her, now openly staring at her sizable behind with an appraising expression.
“You don’t see me complaining,” he shrugged, giving Harriet a wink. Then he returned, patted her head, and said in a deeper, comforting tone, “I’m just messing with you, pretty lady. What did you want to ask?”
He called me prettttttyyyyyy...
STOP DROOLING AND GATHER YOURSELF!
After mentally chiding herself, she stood up to her full height, and took a deep breath before smiling at Hastur not to look hostile.
“If it’s not too rude… what are you, mister Hastur?”
He waved his foreleg, floating towards the railing on the front of the ferry. Sighing, he looked into the darkness surrounding the ship.
“Hard to say, really. I think the official term is a draconequus, but I think a pool noodle infested with chaos magic is more accurate,” lightning crackled through his form, “chaos and entropy magic, quite the combo...” he added quietly, growling. Then he shook his head, and his gentle smile returned again, “Sorry, got a bit carried away. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I’m unique, so the majority of who you’ll meet in Equestria will be ponies, Corrupted, and the worst kind - souvenir vendors. You here for fun?”
Harriet walked over, leaning against the railing. She couldn’t see the sea in the dark, but now that she thought of it, if she squinted hard enough she thought she caught a glimpse of faint shimmer in the far distance. Steadying herself, she showed Hastur her bandaged legs.
“I got hurt pretty bad by some ponies, and nopony knew how to heal me. A doctor in Griffonstone referred me to some… Silver Sun place in Manehattan. Ponies there might be able to tell me what’s wrong with my legs. My scales aren’t growing back.”
“Hurt…?” Hastur leaned close to Harriet’s muzzle, squinting, “I KNEW something was wrong with your muzzle, it’s not symmetrical,” he scowled suddenly, brows furrowing, “Some ponies flayed your scales because you’re part dragon, didn’t they? Recently as well, that’s why the nightmare, right? I’ve seen my fair of soldiers and civilians recovering from a trauma.”
Harriet lowered her head. He could see right through her.
“There’s more to it, but yes...” she mumbled, then squeaked as she felt Hastur run his claws through her mane. The draconequus didn’t say anything, only sat down with his back to the railing.
“If you want, I can show you the way to the Silver Sun tomorrow. I know Manehattan rather well. Bucket or someone there is sure to know enough about biology to heal your legs and that cute nose,” he booped her. To Harriet’s surprise, she wasn’t overwhelmed by Hastur’s presence anymore. He was in complete charge of the situation, definitely, but she felt comfortable now. Comfortable enough to sit down and lean against him.
The last time she felt like this was… was when she’d scared some traveller’s foal at the inn so hard it started crying and calling her monster. After she’d gone home, she’d curled up with her mom by the hearth who had hugged her with her wings until Harriet had stopped brooding.
“That would be nice, thank you. At this point, I just want to get some help and go back home. I hope I’ve got enough money to pay. Do they take griffon bills?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m sure Bucket will be glad to offer help in exchange for some measurements of you, considering you’re a rather unusual pony yourself. As far as I recall, we haven’t had a single dragonpony join the Order, so he’ll be curious, and satisfying Bucket’s curiosity is… difficult but rewarding.”
“Bucket?” Harriet finally wrapped her head around someone being called Bucket.
“The current Silver Sun leader. You’ll know him when you’ll see him. He’s hard to miss,” Hastur’s crooked smile returned.
“You seem to know a lot about them. I heard they hunted weird and evil creatures. Were they after you?”
“They don’t hunt weird creatures, Harriet. They mostly employ them to hunt the evil ones,” he chuckled.
“Do you work for them?”
“No.”
Harriet yawned, putting her head on Hastur’s shoulder despite its unusual position. His fur was really so soft, and yet she could clearly feel the steel muscles underneath. She recalled Hastur openly ogling her backside.
“Do ponies in these parts like fatties like me?”
Hastur coughed.
“Fatties?” he choked, twisting in the air before picking her up by her barrel as if she weighed absolutely nothing, “Harriet, I called you an amazon. Those are massive warrior mares who live in Pine Hills far south. On top of their muscular physiques and size, they also look irresistibly erotic because they survived centuries by interbreeding with Corrupted which gave them the good old wide hips, big, strong butts, hanging tit- all the fun stuff minus the tentacles. They aren’t too smart for the same reason, but you can’t have everything. You’re gorgeous, if you don’t mind me saying, and judging by the blush you don’t. I’d take you home as a pillow in a heartbeat if I could, but you’re busy, and I’ve got a place to visit in Manehattan too.”
“How about just for now?” she nodded towards the table on which her bag and pan were still lying.
EEP! When did I become this forward? He’s a total stranger...
...also a weird creature who knows how being different feels.
For some reason, Hastur’s stare felt incredibly sad for a second before returning to his jovial one. This seemed to happen a lot to him.
“Of course,” he escorted Harriet to her belongings, they both sat down on the bench with their heads on the table, and leaned against each other, “Good night, Harriet.”
“G’night...” the dragonpony was already asleep.
“Why does even this feel like a betrayal?” Hastur whispered to himself.
***
“Firefly lamps!”
“Crystal pony hair carpets!”
“Manehattan souvenirs!”
“Hair and feather loss treating creams!”
Aww, no scale loss.
Harrier was having serious trouble leaving the Manehattan docks, and only half of it were the salesponies swarming everywhere, mobs of tourists with glittering trinkets, local food, and various pieces of magic and technology. The second half were her own legs and eyes… and nose… drooling mouth… everything.
Everything was TALL! When she looked back, she could barely see the sea over the crowds, and when she looked forward she had to tilt her head backwards to see the sky between massive square houses Hastur had called skyscrapers when they had disembarked. There was no greenery anywhere, only blackery and concrete. To explain, there were quite a lot of massive trees lining the raised sidewalks, but they were all black and drippy like the ones in the corrupted forest near Windy. Come to think of it, all Equestria was supposed to be like this according to Hastur. The city, however, was… insane.
Too many ponies, too many smells, too much to see, SO MUCH NOISE that she could barely hear herself think, and it was late morning.
Thankfully, Hastur was floating just above the crowd, showing her way.
“Hey, tall lady, would you like to sample this astonishingly aromatic cheese from Vanhoover?” some pony shoved a small plate of yellow squares into her face. Her eyes bulged as she dared to take a deeper breath, but she resisted the urge to retch out of fear of offending.
“N-ugh,” opening her mouth was a bad idea, “Nothankyousir!” she darted forward.
“Tainted rose?” a purple flower with black tentacles tickled her chin, “Only six bits. Not for eating, but will last forever in a pot.”
Harriet sniffed the strange plant the tentacles of which reached out for her nose.
“Eep!” she pushed past the vendor immediately.
“Light crystal?” a floating glowing dot was apparently talking to her now, making Harriet reconsider her sanity. She reached for it, and it floated around her claws, stopping just above her palm.
“You look useful,” Harriet cautiously answered.
“Down here!” a small elderly unicorn mare was trotting by her side, “I’ve got more- HEY!”
Hastur flicker the floating crystal back to the unicorn with his talon.
“She’s not interested!”
“But it was all glowy and floaty...” mumbled Harriet being pulled away.
Several minutes later, when they reached comparatively peaceful streets, Hastur slowed down.
“Everything's a tourist trap this close to the harbor. You can get the same stuff at tenth of the price and in higher quality. Anyway, there’s a gift shop at the Silver Sun mansion as well where you can get the light crystal. Now, do you still have all your things?”
Checking her bags, Harriet discovered that she indeed wasn’t missing anything.
“Good,” he nodded, “Pickpockets plague places overflowing with tourists. Must have been scared of you.”
For once, that was a good thing, apparently.
“How… big is this city?” just from the first sights, this place was larger than Griffonstone by a lot, “Do we walk?”
Hastur laughed, shaking his head.
“No, we’d take all day. I’ve been looking for a carriage for the past five minutes,” he suddenly waved his foreleg, “Ah, finally!”
“A carri-AAH?!” Harriet jumped backwards, immediately reaching for her pan. Her legs were shaking, eyes wide, and she was gasping for breath. The Corrupted who had stopped on the road next to her gave her curious look, two pairs of back tentacles waving in the air while the central one held a glowing sign reading ‘TAXI’.
“Blrblrlblbl?” he… said...
At this point, spurred by Hastur’s open laughter, Harriet noticed a metal carriage to which the Corrupted was harnessed. She lowered her pan, still on edge. The creature wasn’t a Separated - no veins of white hair or skin on its legs, and yet it wasn’t hostile. It looked… domesticated, or even… employed?
Those mushroom things are EVIL!
Hastur tossed a gold coin he’d gotten from who knows where into a bag around the Corrupted’s neck, upon which the Corrupted gave his nose a lick, and opened the carriage door.
Pure evil!
“Hop in,” he said to Harriet, corners of his mouth twitching. This wasn’t some elaborate trap to feed her to the Corrupted, was it? After only a moment of hesitation, Harriet shoved the pan back to her bag, pulled out a coin, and gave it to the Corrupted…
She wasn’t ready for his three tongues to bathe her entire face with black goo, immediately backing off and fleeing into the carriage, accompanied by Hastur’s laughter breaking into choking and gasping for breath.
She closed the door behind herself, and the carriage moved. It wasn’t as fast as the Griffonstone tram, but the motion was fluid and were it not for the rushing scenery outside the window, she wouldn’t even know she was moving.
Hastur’s wheezing gradually got quieter.
I wonder how big he is down there. What shape? He could wrap himself around me, his long tongue in my muzzle, and still be insi-
Her eyes shot open. The Corrupted’s saliva! As she reached to wipe her face, she discovered it had already seeped into her coat, skin, and even scales. What was worse, the foreleg she’d reached for her muzzle with smelled of something completely different. She looked down at the slightly damp seat.
Damn it, damn it, damn it! He didn’t notice, he didn’t notice, he didn’t-
“Ahhh, my bad, Harriet,” Hastur glanced down, pushed a button on the door, and the window opened, “Feeling yourself again?”
Her head hung as low as it would go, she gave him one solitary nod.
“Mmmm...”
“I’m sorry, I’m just so used to Equestria I forgot how Corrupted affect the first timers. If it helps, the black scales suit you.”
“B-Black?”
Hastur made a circle in the air with his talon, and Harriet suddenly saw herself as if in a mirror. Her coat was still brown, possibly a shade darker, but that could only be the due to the dim interior of the carriage. Her scales, though, were pitch black and shiny.
“No… no no, please no...” she felt tears welling in her eyes. This place was supposed to help her, not make things even worse. When Hastur pulled her into a hug, she only whimpered.
“Harriet,” his whisper cut clearly through the new haze of depression, and she faced him, which was only possible due to his impossibly flexible body. Lean, muscular, soft, flexible, and powerful-
“Meep!”
“You’re okay.”
“B-But-”
“You’re okay.”
“M-My scales are black now...”
“You’re okay.”
“B-But all I can think of now is...”
“I know, but you’re okay. That’s the first reaction… and also the reason why Equestria got destroyed almost completely over two hundred years ago.”
“Huh?” Harriet tried not to think about the body wrapped around her, and what unspeakable things she’d do to that body given the chance. Well, considering her lack of experience those fantasies were pretty tame, but they still made her hot.
“First, there’s no reason to be scared of Manehattan Corrupted. They have a special status, and are kinda… citizens. Manehattan is their territory, but they don’t have a leader like all other territories do. I mean, technically they answer to Queen Nightshade, however she’s too far to control them. They simply exist for the good of their territory, and generally follow the guidance of ponies. It’s a delicate balance, which neither side wants to break because they need each other. Without feeding the local Corrupted, they would run wild and devour the city, and without ponies to help feed them, Corrupted would go hungry, and… that’s not a nice thing even for them. It’s difficult to explain, but Corrupted have it extremely hard to feed themselves, since normal food isn’t much of a power source to them. I won’t bother you with details why. They are nearly immortal, but hunted by constant agony and insanity related to famine. Ponies have a solution to that problem. In short, Manehattan is built on mutually very comfortable agreement set up by Nightshade. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the main idea.”
“But my scales… and I keep thinking only about… you know what.”
“I said you didn’t have to be scared of them hunting you down. They are still Corrupted, and while they don’t… infest you willingly and forcibly, it simply happens. Fluids mostly, physical contact, but even the air here will change you a bit. Granted, your reaction is a little… stronger than usual, but you’ll be alright once you clear your head a bit. Don’t worry.”
“Really?” with her panic subsiding, Harriet still felt warm and tingly, but could control herself a lot better.
“Yeah, and sorry for the joke, paying Corrupted for transport is more a gift. They have no need for standard services or goods, but they’re paid in steady supply of special big berries they eat, which take a lot of effort to grow, and are nearly impossible to store. The best food, though, are the bigger ones which appear naturally on the corrupted trees. Unfortunately, the trees are tall, and the Corrupted can’t handle heights.”
“That makes no sense. Animals kinda evolve to survive in their territory. We DO have a school back home in Windy.”
“That, dear Harriet, is because Corrupted haven’t evolved, they were created, and their creator wanted them hungry, feral, and their mental influence contagious, hence the focus on base needs, but don’t go spreading it around. Ponies are still on edge around them, both for the right and the wrong reasons,” Hastur stopped, “Did you say Windy? Does the name Hazaren ring a bell by any chance?”
“You know my dad?” Harriet blinked, completely taken aback.
“Not in person, no,” Hastur shook his head, “Some time ago, I was involved in analyzing the trade route risks for the Bl- nevermind, and a red dragon so close to the far east border of the Empire was one. Heh, the world is a small place.”
They waited in silence for a while, if one doesn’t count natural Manehattan noise coming in through the carriage windows.
“You said Corrupted were created...”
“Harriet, will you trust me if I say there are things you shouldn’t know if you ever want to sleep soundly at night?”
He wasn’t kidding, not this time.
“I was just curious.”
“I know, but it’s a good thing that general knowledge of Corrupted is so shallow. Anyway, it’s not like it should matter to you. Corrupted these days aren’t controlled by anyone other than the four rulers, and their own instincts.”
“Four bad guys?”
“Nah, they’re alright. You’ve got Queen Spring up north around the Crystal Empire. Her Corrupted are the friendliest, and as long as you’re in their territory, you’re safe from everything but corruption itself. She’s the Breeder Queen, which means her Breeders are special. Unfortunately, considering that aside from Corruptors Breeders are the most mind-breaking and contagious kind of Corrupted, you’re in a lot of danger from yourself if you’re weak-willed. They’re genuinely nice, though.”
“I was once attacked by a Corrupted my friends called a Hunter.”
“Hunters are the most common Corrupted, but the most varied as well. Some are stupid and completely instinct-driven. Some are highly intelligent. Contrary to popular belief, pony Corrupted can often understand speech, they just can’t speak themselves due to the tongues making it so hard they don’t bother learning. The rare cases of ponies who turn into Corrupted and retain majority of their mind can talk.”
“I met a Separated on my way here. He saved me… from the ponies who took my scales.”
“Which smoothly brings me to the Hunter King Chilly whose territory is a beautiful white crystalline forest northwest of Canterlot, and reaches north almost to Spring’s. Chilly used to be a soldier in princess Celestia’s army during the original Corrupted spread. Separated are his kind. They are Corrupted who had the loyalty part of their mind changed into individuality. He doesn’t rule the Separated like the Queens do, but he’s the big boss anyway, and Queen Nightshade’s partner. That story is too long to recount on the way.”
“You know a lot.”
“I am… old, Harriet, and I’ve lived through far too much. I’ve seen Corrupted rise and destroy Equestria two hundred and fifty years ago. I’ve been there when Nightshade reclaimed their freedom, and I’ve also been there when Twilight and Nightshade liberated Manehattan from the Griffon Empire. At this point, I’m not sure whether to consider myself lucky or not.”
Harriet curled deeper into his embrace, as much as it was possible with two creatures as large as them in a small carriage.
“So this Nightshade, you’re making her sound important.”
“The Protector Queen Nightshade. As you can guess, Protectors are another kind of Corrupted - the biggest, the toughest, the strongest, the most territorial, and aside from Corruptors, the rarest. Nightshade used to be a pony from old Ponyville enclave back when ponies still couldn’t walk on the surface. She got tainted, but with the help of Chilly and princess Twilight she retained enough of will to be able to control herself and eventually weak Corrupted. After the big battle for Ponyville enclave, she absorbed the old Queen of the territory, and took it for her own. Under her protection, ponies managed to reclaim the surface, and she had her tentacles in the rise of the Separated, Spring’s takeover of the Crystal Empire from the evil Queen who had been sieging it, and the freedom of the Corrupted.”
“You said there were four rulers. Is the last one the Queen of those… Corruptors?”
“No. Thankfully, a Corruptor-type ruler doesn’t exist, or nopony has heard of him or her yet. Corruptors are… nasty and weird. Very little is known about them, and even Nightshade tends not to spawn them. There are no Corruptor Separated either. I think one or two more tame Corruptors work in some seedy brothels around here, but no. Avoid those. The final Queen is the ruler of the wild Corrupted. In contrast to others, she doesn’t actually rule them. Wild Corrupted are wild, and they’re the reason why no one walks alone outside the cities or controlled territories. They have their own packs and problems just like wild animals. The Queen in The Barrier, as far as I know, is a Hunter kind, but isn’t involved in any business. Her Corrupted avoid everyone unless approached, and her territory is far far west beyond Whitetail Woods. I recall Twilight and Nightshade having some business with her, but there’s not much to do there, to be honest.”
The carriage slowed down, then stopped. Hastur peeked outside.
“Well, we’re here, and this is where we part ways.”
When they both left the carriage, Harriet waved at the leaving Corrupted who wobbled his back tentacle in response.
Hastur pointed at a large metal gate, through the bars of which Harriet could see a long road leading to a fancy looking mansion. An earthpony and a Corrupted were standing on one side of the gate each, watching them.
“Order of the Silver Sun, the new mansion. Gotta admit, Bucket chose a good spot, overlooking the sea and everything.”
“Will you come with me?” Harriet looked at the friendly white noodle.
Hastur shook his head.
“Nah, too many bad memories, and I’ve got an errand to run. You’re a smart girl, Harriet, you can handle yourself. Plus, they’re not bad guys, no matter how weird they look. It’s been nice meeting you.”
“You too, Hastur.”
The two shook talons, and Harriet took her first step towards the Silver Sun gate.