//------------------------------// // New Hope: Strange company // Story: Corrupted Lands // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// The black, shiny tendrils of the Hunter above me reach out of his sheath, one clearly headed towards my mouth, one leaving a sticky trail on my belly, and one sliding down my inner thigh. Okay, okay, there's just four of them, and they are still only Hunters. After Drones, these are the weakest Corrupted, so if I play my cards right I might get out of this in one still thinking piece. All I need to do is not make them mad, have them enjoy their time with me, and keep remembering that I'm still a pony, rather than a more than willing pouch for their seed. Right? Easy! I only wish my body wouldn't make the last part so damn... inviting. Alright, focus! I carefully move my legs, and when the Hunter does nothing to stop me I pull the tendril closest to my muzzle inside my mouth and lick it. The Hunter lets out a low moan as an answer. Definitely not as bad as I thought. I keep going, and it seems my only half-fake eagerness surprised the Hunter. As long as I don't stop sucking he makes no moves to go for my hind parts, and his two other tentacles only keep slithering all over my body. Mmmm it tastes so good... strong... warm... GET A GRIP! I already am, and it's in my m- Right, right, I AM NOT, I repeat - AM NOT, enjoying this whatsoever. More approaching hoofsteps make me stop, but the Hunter does not press forward. In fact, he takes several steps away from me. Perhaps the Hunter who left to chase Lunar finally returned with him and the others want to plunder his ass first? That would be fun to watch. Free from the body atop me, I look in the direction of the newcomer. Newcomers. In the second I turn my head I know I'm dead. If I was really lucky I could have survived the Hunters and possibly returned to Ponyville, spent few days under observation for the spread of corruption, and then returned back to my duties. Hey, I'm not THAT weird for a pony, I know some others who have a thing for semi-corrupted mares. The dark and oily fur which is the first sign of corruption has some appeal to the adventurous, after all. Sadly, the one of the two approaching Corrupted assure me that the pony called Nightshade will not be returning anywhere, and will spend the rest of her existence being mindlessly rutted by anything and everything. Such is the life of a female Breeder. One of the incoming duo really is the Hunter who left to chase my unit, but the other one is a Corruptor, undoubtedly being the alpha of the wandering group. Corruptors are special in that they don't have to look like ponies, and the best way to describe them is like a corruption given solid form, rather than a corrupted pony. This one looks like a hybrid of a wolf and an equine, completely black and dripping inky liquid from his coat. As the name we gave them suggests, their main purpose is to infest faster and deeper than any other type we know of. Well, possibly a Queen, but nopony has ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Talons form from the Corruptor's front hooves and squeeze my neck. As I open my mouth to gasp for breath, he opens his and pushes some wriggling mass inside me. I choke, I cry, I struggle. The longer it lasts, the more I like it, though. I moan with the mass sliding down my throat, its twisting sending shivers down my spine. I stop resisting, and push myself up to get more of the living infestation into me. An ear-splitting screech wakes me up from my trance, and I start choking again as my throat resumes its natural function. Or perhaps being penetrated by a long, thick appendage is its true purpose. Filled and- Mental slap, right now! Through wet eyes I can't see what's going on, but the Corruptor's twisted tongues get ripped out of my abused throat. A quick wipe of my face lets me get a good look at the black body of my assaulter flying away and breaking several of the strange pale trees around. The Hunters are backing away from something else. The owner of this forest is my first thought. It has to be him. A light grey, almost white, Hunter with light blue hue similar to the frozen leaves on the trees flowing through his form. The Corruptor gurgles something, and the Hunters jump at the white one. I have no idea how a single Hunter can fight off five others AND a Corruptor. After about a minute I get a pretty good answer. The white one doesn't seem much stronger or faster than the others, but he does not stay down no matter how badly he is struck. It has to be something about the connection of the Corrupted with their surroundings, because right here, inside this cold forest, the white Hunter is slowly but methodically wiping the floor with the invaders. He has to be the reason the Ponyville scout thought this part of the forest to be empty. As I stare in utter shock at the ending fight, my body lurches to the side along with a spike of burning pain from my front leg. The Corruptor is clutching it in his mouth and dragging me away. "AAH!" My pained yelp brings the white Hunter's attention to us, and he starts chasing. The Corruptor is faster despite being hurt and having to drag me through the leaves, branches, and grass. I can't feel the leg in his mouth anymore. That's probably a good thing. Thank you, adrenaline overdose! You are a true friend, not like the living and breathing abortion survivor Lunar freaking Watch. I'm about to do something really dumb. Passing a thin enough tree, I wrap the three remaining legs I control around it. My leg twists and slips inside the Corruptor's mouth, and I gulp down the bile rising up my throat as he lets go and I see the shredded flesh with bone peeking through. The white one jumps over me and tackles the Corruptor in the second he takes to ponder whether losing me is worth it. Apparently, letting me go and running away would have been an amazing idea for his survival. Too bad he won't get a second chance at it. The white Hunter furiously stomps the Corruptor into the ground and bites his head off. The dead creature's flesh boils and melts, draining into the thirsty ground. Few moment later there is no trace that there ever was a Corruptor, or a fight at all. Only the white Hunter remains. Who walks cautiously to me. Look on the positive side, girl! The plan of surviving one Hunter's breeding attempt is back on the table. Too bad there's no way I can get to Ponyville before bleeding out on only three legs. Head low like a cat approaching a vacuum cleaner, he sniffs my hind hooves, and keeps going until he reaches my wrecked front leg. Heh, he doesn't look half bad. A bit bigger than an earthpony stallion, smells like freshly fallen snow and wet fur. I press my muzzle against his neck and take a deep whiff. Yep, definitely cleaner than the wandering Hunters. He recoils when I do that, leaning his head back, ears drooping, and eyes wide. Black sclera with beautiful white orbs of blue undertone watching me. I must be getting light-headed. Heh, at least I got to go without turning into a twisted image of myself. We never got to know whether the ponies who turned into Corrupted actually keep a little of themselves inside, desperately trying to escape the prison of their body's instincts, but at least I won't become THAT. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I scream. My hurt leg feels like being on fire and melting in acid at the same time. I scream and scream until I cough blood, but it does not stop. I thrash on the grass, but the freedom of a spasming body is taken from me as well as the Hunter's hoof pushes me down. In the end I just wheeze and pray to Twilight to make everything stop. It does, and my eyes roll back from wherever they ran away to escape reality. I can feel my leg again. It's as if pins were being repeatedly stabbed in it, but I can feel it, and move it. I'm not an anatomy expert, but that should not be possible without blood and with most muscles torn off. The leg disagrees with my assessment, and moves in front of my face. It's completely black and covered in matted, oily fur from the knee down, but there are no tears and no flapping flesh. One thing is certain - I am corrupted. To what extent, I have no clue. So, since the Hunter seems to be waiting for something let's start with the important things. My name is Nightshade and I need to be filled with seed. What? I shake my head. My name is Nightshade, and I serve princess Twilight Sparkle in the Hex Guard. I was sent on a mission to find the nearest stallion and spread! No no no. I can handle this. My name is Nightshade. I am a strong soldier. I can find a Breeder, transform further, and dominate my own hive, become a Queen, and spread! No! My head hurts. I can't focus. I have to get away, get back home to Ponyville and prostrate myself before my Queen, submit to her will, and transform the lesser ones. I- we- No, I am me, not us. One mind, one will, one desire, one purpose. Spread, breed, feed, serve. Spread, breed, feed, serve. Spread, breed, feed, serve. Spread, breed, feed, serve. Spread, breed- Complete silence. How long did it take for me to realize there is a "me" again? The pressure of voices all around me is gone. There is just me again. I am only one body, not many. I am complete just like this. I don't need seed flowing through me to feel right. I might WANT it, but that's because I'm a particularly kinky pegasus, not a tentacled monstrosity. Aaaah, it's good to be back. Now, what the hay happen- Something is touching my nose. Engaging optics, right noooow! The white Hunter's nose is touching mine and I stare into the glacier-bright eyes. "Umm..." I say. Smart and inquisitive, that's what I'm all about! He twitches back. My head explodes once again. The voices are back, but not screaming. They're just whispering on the edge of hearing. Is this what the partially corrupted have to deal with every day? Is this why they sometimes look like they are daydreaming despite other ponies talking to them? I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Headache goes away. Yep, the Hunter is touching my nose again. An empty forest, its owner blocking the influence of other Corrupted. One who is cautious around ponies instead of being hostile. Is the poor thing lonely? An ex-pony who retained some of his equinity despite being lost? He leans away as I pat his head, and the voices return. Third time's the charm, though, and I successfully fight the presence inside me off. Feeling this pressure all the time, fighting day after day to stay barely sane... is it worth it? Wouldn't it be better to just give in to lust? Easier, definitely. I hate Ponyville. I hate living underground. I hate eating the damn mushrooms all the time. I hate the artificial light. I hate that I can't use my wings. I hate this life! I HATE LUNAR WATCH! No, I'm not giving up. I will return to the enclave and I will make sure the bastard gets disciplined. Then... only then I just might give in to the corruption, grow some tentacles, and rip his anus so wide we'll have a new airship docking bay. My angry hissing makes the white Hunter back off, growling like a cat being given a bath against its will but grudgingly accepting the necessity. "Mrmmrmmrrmrmrm..." Well, at least he's not stopping me from looking for my lost saddlebag. Too bad it got trashed when the Corruptor smashed me into a tree after tree. "Most of the glassware is broken, the firebombs had NOT blown me to bits, which is gooood," I keep mumbling to myself while the Hunter sniffs the camping supplies soaked in chemicals I'm rummaging through. "Mrmrmrmrm!" he sneezes as I uncork a vial with some of the more acrid contents and splash it on my corrupted leg. I barely feel the desinfectant. My eyes water again as I recount the broken crumbs of hay biscuits in the bag which had not been ruined by the acids and other concoctions. Despite my stomach laying down some heavy resistance, I stand up, put the saddlebag back on, and take a deep breath. "Okay, I'm a day away from Ponyville. This part of the forest isn't too dangerous, and I'm in a pretty good shape." The last thing is a blatant lie. While I still have my leg, I'm bruised beyond any healthy measure, exhausted from the physical and mental struggle, and I am starving. "Mrmmmr?" the Hunter is looking at me, head tilted to the side. "Yes, and I have you, thank you for correcting me," I say absent-mindedly. He can't understand anything I'm saying, but it feels good to have somethi- somepony to talk to- talk at. "Well, Ponyville, here I come!" "Mrmr!" "Exactly."