//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 - And For My Third And Final Act... // Story: Facing Consequences, Making Choices // by 1Bit //------------------------------// The sun's ever changing position in the sky made it clear to the trio that they'd been searching the forest for some hours now. The chaotic fighting had ceased, leaving the area in an eerily peaceful state which did little to calm their nerves while they searched for their lost friends. Rainbow grimaced as they passed by a small bog filled with a nasty, green liquid that bubbled and frothed at the surface. Dead roots and thorns emerged from the bog and latched on to the trunks of nearby trees as if they were desperately trying to drag themselves out of the putrid water. "Bleh." Rainbow made a gagging nose when the smell rising from the bogs pit reached her. "Smells like something's been dead in there for a long time." Every now and then, sunlight would crack through the canopy and the group would find themselves in another clearing. However, it did little to aid in their predicament, as every clearing led on to more dark and gloomy undergrowth. Twilight's eyes flicked to every vine or bush she saw. She enjoyed knowing things. Being able to predict what was to come, staying organised and prepared, and understanding the situation. Here though, she couldn't fathom why the attacks had stopped. If anything, they were easily susceptible to attack with only the three of them remaining. But the forest lay still in the murky fog, little more than a stir coming from it. Twilight's mouth curled upwards when the confetti trail stopped right at the mouth of a huge cave before them. Craggy rocks cascaded down from the cave's roof, mimicking the look of a massive set of teeth; rather befitting for the mouth of a cave, Twilight thought to herself. Darkness seemed to spill out from the cave and create harsh shadows on every surface it touched. It did not seem natural by Equestrian standards. The unicorn twisted her head round and looked at her two friends. Fluttershy and Rainbow both shared a look before offering Twilight an encouraging smile. She smiled back, swallowing whatever fear remained and taking her first tentative hoofstep into the gargantuan jaws of the cave. If it wasn't for the soft glow of her horn, they would most likely have been trying to manoeuvre in total darkness. The cave walls were dripping with water, creating a shiny metallic effect on its surface. Once every so often, they'd find themselves having to crawl through tiny spaces where the ceiling had collapsed inwards. All that was left was thin passageways just large enough for a pony to squeeze through. Rainbow had to forcefully grab Fluttershy's hooves and squeeze her through, because the shy pegasus refused to go through such tight spaces alone. Eventually, the cave opened up to a much larger system, with tunnels sporadically opening up all over the place, some high and some low. Twilight found her eyes drawn to one particularly wide tunnel where an ominous green glow seemed to emanate from it, flickering intensely. "I think that ones are best shot, girls." She squinted in the hopes she could get a better look. "it definitely looks like there's something down there, and with any luck, our friends will be down there too." Fluttershy hid behind her shaking tail. "D-do we really have to go d-down there...?" She whimpered. "W-what if there's something dark and scary down there..." "Uh, Flutters, hate to tell ya, but that's kind of what we're hoping for." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Come on, girl, we've been through plenty of adventures together and totally kicked evil butt! We'll do the same again here!" She had an air of confidence about her, spreading her wings defiantly with a smug grin. Which was surprising when she had as little confidence in their chances as Fluttershy did. "Plus, we've got to save everyone still, right?" Twilight stood next to Rainbow and extended a hoof to Fluttershy. "Rainbow Dash is right. We haven't got much of a choice in this situation. We need to head down there and see if we can find anything." She smiled and led Fluttershy to the tunnel and the three ponies proceeded further down into the rocky labyrinth. The deeper they travelled, the more prevalent the green glow became. It seemed to lick at the walls, seeping into every crevice it could as if it had liquid properties to it. Just watching it made chills run down Twilight's spine. The thin tunnel soon opened up yet again, this time into a large chamber. The source of the glow lay directly in the centre of the room. Green energy cascaded off of a mysterious black figure stood in the very middle of the chamber. Twilight sneaked into the chamber, twisting to the left to dive behind some small rocks for cover. Her head peeked out over the top of them and she carefully watched the pony from afar. The black pony seemed oddly tall in figure, the green that emanated from its horn seeming unnatural and volatile; poisonous even. "Well, well. If it isn't the three little ponies, finally coming to save the day!" A feminine voice broke Twilight's concentration as it echoed around the room. The black figure turned, a sharp row of teeth glistening and a pair of beady eyes scanning the chamber entrance. "I was beginning to think that you had decided to abandon your poor, little friends. But then again, you ponies are made of nothing but love and friendship!" Twilight recognised there was something slightly off about her voice. The tiniest bit of distortion that her ears kept picking up, scrambling her brain even more. "What have you done with our friends?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, lifting off into the air and throwing a few punches at the figure's direction. "Don't make me buck your head off!" The glistening toothy smile only widened more. The pony wasn't even slightly phased by Rainbow's hollow threats. "Why don't you ask them yourself?" Into the green hue came another figure. Twilight could clearly see the robust figure of the pony coupled with a stetson hat that resided neatly atop her head: Applejack. "Uh, howdy sugarcube." Applejack mumbled as she trotted up next to the black pony. Her mane was slightly ruffled and a few scrapes and bruises kept appearing as the green glow flickered more. "A-applejack?" Rainbow's voice cracked. "You're alive! Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're alive! I got so worried when I saw you get grabbed. My mind's been running in circles ever since! I just couldn't imagine-" "It's alright, Rainbow Dash. I know." Applejack replied in a monotone voice. "I suppose I'm still fine and all." "You 'suppose'-?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow, staring blankly at Applejack, who stared blankly back. A giggle escaped the black pony, who looked between Rainbow and Applejack intently. "Oh I'd say she's more than just fine..." The pony slithered around Applejack like a snake with a creepy smile permanently engraved on her face. "Applejack's done a great service for her hive. Greater than I could have possibly expected." She reached out a hoof and stroked Applejack's chin. Applejack smiled happily, her eyes following the black pony's every move. "Oh thank you, my queen! It was an honour through and through." She bowed her head. "I even impressed myself being able to feed off two ponies, but honestly, they were easy bait. Rainbow Dash here was practically eating out of my hooves." She flicked a malicious grin at Rainbow before turning her attention back to the queen. "Aw look at the little pony. All confused and alone." The queen stepped slowly over to the cyan pegasus, who did nothing but continue staring at Applejack in pure horror. "She never loved you." The queen spat out the words with venom. "All that time you blindly followed your heart, not once realising what was really going on. Oh, such a tragic tale!" She giggled again, rearing up in excitement. "And such a delicious one as well!" The queens horn lit up as more magic channelled through it. Out of the darkness, her magic levitated two small cocoons made out of a weird, glossy material. Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy all gasped in equal terror as they saw their friends nestled away inside of the makeshift prisons. They were completely frozen, with looks of shock covering their faces and hooves desperately trying to protect themselves. Twilight could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. In front of the cocoons, 'Applejack' inspected all of them, licking her lips. An emerald glow swarmed over her and once her whole body was encased in it, the fur began to fall away from her, being torn from her body to reveal a black, scaley surface beneath it. Transparent wings sprang from their hiding place and her two gentle eyes faded away just to be replaced by giant, lifeless blue ones. The transformation was soon complete, and a small insect-like creature turned to Rainbow Dash and smiled. The kind of smile that makes your heart stop.