//------------------------------// // Book 1 - Chapter VIII // Story: The Sunset Trilogy // by ocalhoun //------------------------------// Book 1: Equestria Burning Chapter 8 Twilight and her friends faced off against the draconequus, Pestilence, blocking their route to the elements of harmony. “Come on girls, we've got to get past her,” Twilight said, “As a team, we're unstoppable.” “Oh, yes, and about that...” Said Pestilence, looking directly into Twilight's eyes with a predatory look... Without warning, the draconequus sprung for Twilight, only to be blocked just as quickly by Applejack. This didn't faze Pestilence in the slightest though, who simply scooped up the brave earth pony, carrying her up into the sky. A strangely distorting magical shield went up around the two as the draconequus said, “Oh well, I had wanted the ringleader... but you'll do... as long as I have one...” She coiled her body tightly around Applejack, still floating in midair, and moved in close, face to face. * * * Applejack struggled fiercely against the draconequus's coiled body, but push as she might, even with all her considerable strength, she couldn't budge. She stared defiantly at the monster's face as it hovered in front of her, but her defiance began to wilt into confusion and fear as the face drew slowly closer and closer. She arched her neck back, trying to get further from that face – she could smell the thing's breath now... sickening sweet like rotten apples, but with an undertone of the stench of dead things... she did not want that face coming any closer! Closer it came though, forked tongue flicking out to lick its lips. Applejack felt her body trying to make panting breaths of fear, but she clamped down, holding her breath against the stink in front of her. That horrible face was only inches away now, and she found herself trapped, staring into its eyes, unable to look away as it closed the final distance. She could see flashes of light and color around her peripherally, she could hear muffled shouting... but she couldn't manage to look away from those eyes. Applejack shuddered and felt a little sick as noses made contact and she felt something flicking up against her own lips. She could still smell the awful stench of good things gone bad on the creature's breath, and she tried to recoil away, but she was already as far back as she could get. The tongue at her lips suddenly forced its way through, horribly strong. Applejack could taste it as it explored her own mouth... and she did not want to think about where those awful flavors had come from! In desperation, she bit down on it as hard as she could... but it didn't seem to have any effect at first; it was tough. Her bite did have an effect though... the horrible foreign organ responded by shoving in deeper... impossibly deeper. Her entire mouth was suddenly full of it, and she began to gag as she felt it in her throat, still sliding slowly deeper in. The draconequus's eyes in front of her grew half-lidded as the tongue shoved in deeply enough for the pain to start. Applejack's gagging intensified tenfold as she began to feel something writhing around, stirring her insides in a way that should never happen, but she stopped even noticing it as the pain started. That tongue was thrashing inside her, crushing things, tearing things, rearranging her organs and wrapping around them. Slowly the realization hit her... she wasn't going to survive this. And worse, she would be leaving her friends crippled, with only five elements. Still with her eyes fixated by the draconequus, Applejack's look of shock, fear, and pain gave way to sadness. She didn't want it to end this way... she didn't want to let her friends down... * * * Twilight looked into her friend's eyes as Pestilence planted a firm kiss on Applejack's mouth. Applejack's expression quickly changed to complete surprise, but then quickly to pain as she began to make gagging motions. Twilight could see Pestilence's tongue slide deeply – far too deeply – into Applejack's mouth, and she took action, sending a flurry of magical bolts against the draconequus... all of which curved around the shield, continuing on afterwards as if they had missed. Twilight sent every kind of magical attack she knew at the strange shield... but everything was bending around it, not even making contact. She wasn't the only one intent on saving Applejack, though, she saw. Rainbow Dash had flown up and was now smashing herself against the shield, futilely trying to break through to her friend. This made Twilight's task more difficult; she had to try and make sure her attacks wouldn't strike the brash pegasus. As she began to tire, sweat dripping down her face, Twilight looked back into Applejack's face. Her friend had lost her pleading look, and now just looked remorseful, as remorseful as possible while still gagging on a draconequus's tongue, anyway. Rainbow was now screaming Applejack's name, beating herself bloody against the infernal shield blocking her from rescuing her friend. Again and again she rammed herself as fast as she could against the shield, tears streaming, but the shield showed no signs of weakening. Twilight watched, despair growing, as the color faded out of Applejack, slowly turning her grey as she had been under the influence of Discord. As the last bit of color seeped out of her, she closed her eyes and finally stopped the sickening gagging motion she had been making since her unwanted kiss with Pestilence began. Rainbow continued to bash herself against the shield, either unable to see what had happened through her tears or not caring. Twilight couldn't tell which. The draconequus set down on the inside of her own shield holding the now-dead Applejack (too) closely, and stared down at Twilight, “I do like her so much better this way, don't you dear?” She gave Applejack's face a lick with her horribly long, horribly stained tongue. “This one was so delicious... I can't wait to taste the rest.” Suddenly, the danger became apparent to Twilight. The shield must be time-based! Set for a given amount of time, it would stay there for that time, no matter what, but only for that time. She had to get her friends out of there before the spell ended! Turning, she screamed desperately, “RUN! Get away!” Pinkie Pie and Rarity needed no further encouragement, they dashed off together towards Canterlot. Fluttershy was already missing... she must have hidden or fled already. Rainbow Dash, though, was still doggedly smashing into the barrier. Twilight sent a burst of magic at the colorful pegasus, knocking her away from the shield, and followed it up with a magically boosted voice, with a touch of command spell, “GO!” Rainbow Dash had just recovered from the magical shove as she heard Twilight's voice, and despite the magical command within it, she hesitated, looking conflicted and glancing back and forth between Twilight and Applejack, whose body was now being obscenely abused by Pestilence. Disregarding Twilight's command – an impressive feat given the magic she had laced it with – Rainbow redoubled her futile pounding against the shield. Twilight urgently raced through her mind, trying to think of some way to save her pegasus friend. Time was running out, she was sure, and she couldn't afford for Rainbow to still be here when that shield went down... Finally, a plan came to her. Grabbing her rainbow-colored tail with a telekinetic grip, Twilight hauled her friend back to the ground next to her, pushing the pegasus to the ground and looking her right in the eyes, “Rainbow! Our other friends need your help, and I do not want to lose them, too. I need you to keep them safe for me!” Twilight scowled back at Pestilence and growled as menacingly as she could manage, “I'll handle her.” With a final glance at what used to be Applejack, a hoarse cry, and a renewed burst of tears, Rainbow flew off as quickly as possible, leaving Twilight alone with Pestilence. The draconequus looked at Twilight hungrily, still playing with Applejack's body... Twilight prepared to flee herself, but stopped as she caught a glance of gleaming white and gold armor. She turned back around, facing Pestilence, now resolute. She wouldn't let that monster abuse these bodies like the others. Worrying that the shield spell might end any moment, she began preparing a massive teleportation spell. She would need to teleport four ponies – two of them extra-large – an enormous distance... But where? Seeing Applejack's body made up her mind. Sweet Apple Acres. She would be safe there, able to regroup and form a plan... Twilight was almost finished preparing her teleportation spell, when a popping sound announced the end of Pestilence's shield. The draconequus came roaring down from above, terrifyingly fast. Straining with the effort, Twilight put the last pieces in place, and vanished just before the draconequus smashed into the ground where Twilight had been. * * * Pestilence picked herself up out of the draconequus-shaped hole she had just made, seething with anger. She looked around for the little purple unicorn. That impudent little filly would pay for this trickery! Already Pestilence's mind was working over the pleasant possibilities of just how to collect that payment, when as she looked around, she noticed the absence of a few of her favorite new toys... The two alicorns and her delicious little earth pony were missing! Nowhere to be seen! Now she howled with rage. Nopony can do this and get away with it! She began sniffing around the ground, finding Twilight's trail obviously ending where she had teleported away... but four others trailing off in different directions, yes... those she could follow. The draconequus stalked off on the trail of one of the ponies... the white one, she thought, getting a whiff of expensive perfume. She would follow these ponies, and she would find the purple one... and she would get her toys back, and more, many more. Rage now replaced with her accustomed predatory gleam, she pursued her quarry. * * * Twilight Sparkle struggled to remain standing in the field just in front of the Apple Family's home. She was trembling, her horn – and indeed all her bones – felt like they were on fire, and her insides felt upside down. Shakily, she looked around. Applejack's body was there, still grey. The now wingless body of Celestia was still there, in its glimmering armor, and nearly unrecognizable now, Luna's abused form could also be seen. Turning her head around left Twilight more than a little dizzy, and now a crushing headache was making itself felt. One slow, shaky step at a time, Twilight made her way towards the farmhouse door... she had to get help... Almost halfway there, her front leg gave way, sending her crashing to the ground. Oddly realistic stars spun in her eyes as she made a determined effort to stand again. She succeeded in standing, only to lose focus and fall again, this time totally unconscious. * * * End of Book One