Corrupted Lands

by Nameless Narrator

We Are the Land: Shainee poneez!

The negotiation between the ponies and the Breeder Queen ends with the ponies leaving and the Queen standing outside the bright, pink barrier. Hidden behind a house a fair distance away, Spring stops eavesdropping and gathers the courage to talk to the other Queen. She needs to be persuaded not to break the shield and corrupt every pony inside.

"Greetings," Spring sends a mental message to the Queen and feels her surprise, as if she had no idea Spring was ever there.

The Queen glares, examines, and her forces surround Spring who is quickly getting the idea that this might have been a poor choice.

"You look like a Queen, yet you have no hive or mind. What are you, a fake?"

Spring has no answer. She was born hours ago and since she got no real explanation from the voice she doesn't know what the Queen means. Her feeding the little colt gave her a look inside his mind, and that knowledge is slowly being processed, but is still far from understood. Perhaps the other Queen just doesn't know ponies are terrified of her.

"I am like you, and I want to ask you to stop your attack. The fragile creatures are afraid of you and pose only a minor threat."

The Queen gives her an amused stare and answers simply:

"No."

Spring doesn't understand. Is the Queen blind to the facts?

"Transforming them will not give you anything. You have enough land and subjects, and you can make more as needed. You can learn from them how to make those surface caves so that we don't get rained on and frozen. They are soft, warm, and colourful."

"And mouthwatering," the Queen approaches Spring, "It feels so good, so right to devour and transform one of them, to have them give in to their desires as they worship and please you. If you can't feel that burning need to deliciously taint them then you must be a defect. A weak one to be disassembled and reabsorbed."

Spring feels the Queen's will flow through the soil around and can dodge the tentacles breaking the ground and trying to grab her. The Queen screeches, and Spring knows the hunt is on. Narrowly avoiding the slashes from the Hunters around her, Spring bolts away from the laughing Queen, followed by a pack of feral Corrupted.

They are much faster than she is, but not even the Queen's will inside them can force them not to play with her a little, giving her precious seconds to adapt. The Hunters' talons on front legs allow them to maneuver better and run faster with torn grass shooting from their legs. Muscular behinds and overall strength of their hind legs give them much greater jumping capabilities. Spring can mimic the first one easily, but the latter contradicts her Breeder genes, and her wide hips tighten only a little. For the same reason she cannot transform her body into a super lean frame like they possess. Still, while she is not faster than her pursuers, the speed difference drops significantly as she transforms.

Spring cannot be like them, but she can be herself. The Breeder Queen's will is reinforced via close contact and pheromones, and the further the Hunters get away from their Queen, the stronger effect Spring's released scent is going to have on them. She just needs to survive long enough.

A pony-made surface cave -a house, her growing mind brings up the term- is nearby, one of the many scattered all around. There are too many empty holes for her plan to work, she needs an enclosed space. A small storage shed with no windows is in the distance, door barely hanging on its hinges. She needs to buy time, the Hunters are swiping at her from all sides and the blood flowing from the wounds is starting to exhaust her.

She buries her legs into the ground and stops on the spot. The Hunter behind her rams straight to her hindquarters, getting an unhealthy dose of Spring's controlling scent. The Queen's control over him breaks instantly when touched by Breeder's juices.

"I need seconds," her will flows through the Hunter who immediately jumps at another one and bites its neck. The survival instinct of the Hunters overrides the Queen's order to hunt Spring down, and all of them converge on the greater percieved threat - one of them. Spring whines in horror as they rip her Hunter to pieces, but in the meantime she manages to get into the shed and close the door.

Breathing heavily, she knows this is not a hiding place, nor a defendable one. She lies down and focuses on what makes her tick - the ecstatic pleasure when she breastfed the colt and when the Hunter's open muzzle licked her marehood, spelling the end of its free will. Her juices splatter the floor in seconds as rubs herself with her tail, making it thicker and ramming it into herself over and over.

One of the Hunters bashes the door open, ripping it off its hinges. He turns docile and his mouth drops, walking like a puppet towards Spring. All the others suffer the same fate as they barge one after the other into the shed. In this small space, her scent is overwhelming, and within moments the twelve Hunters are under her absolute control. Spring knows the Queen will send more as soon as she finds out the first group failed. However, the Queen apparently could not sense her, and a Breeder Queen has more tricks up her sexy sleeve.

The concrete floor of the shed turns into mossy ground, and wines shoot from it, growing through the mix of wood and stone the building is made of. With this many Corrupted around, Spring's influence changes the land into her territory. She tries to stop it, but this is what she is. The Hunters, now peaceful, lie down on the moss and rest. This wouldn't do, though. Spring needs to be devious.

If the Queen can sense others but not her, then she cannot allow the land or the Hunters to reveal her. As she uses her body more, her understanding of herself grows further. A Breeder Queen does not have land and a hive, she IS the land and the hive. Spring takes a deep breath and focuses.

The moss turns back to concrete, the wines retract, and the Hunters melt into the ground, absorbed along with everything else into Spring's body. She feels the minds inside her, the exact unique shapes of bodies belonging to each one, and their simple thoughts. She is their world, and she can recreate them as she pleases.

What to do now, though? Where Spring has twelve Hunters, the other Queen has legions inside her. She has no idea. However, she is protected from the other Queen's senses as long as she does not get too close. It is time to observe and learn.

For two days Spring wanders around the pink bubble, rummages through empty houses, and examines everything she finds. The information drained from the colt's mind shines light on numerous finds, making her admire the wondrous creations of ponies, but there are far too many things she cannot identify. For two days the Queen's hive beats against the protective barrier, making cracks spread further and further through it until...

...the white, blue-maned unicorn arrives at the edge of the barrier again, this time only with soldiers. It takes a while, but the Queen arrives to meet him. Spring, having kept out of Queen's sight but not so far she herself couldn't observe, hides behind a nearby Protector completely ignoring her.

"You want to get inside..." the unicorn simply says.

"Indeed."

"If we let you, and ONLY you inside, will you stop breaking our shield?" he asks, audible defeat in his voice.

"Of course. Am I correct in assuming the barrier exists not only to keep us out, but for some other purpose as well?"

"Yes."

"I expect you to enlighten me during my... visit."

"As long as you do not endanger us, we are willing to answer any and all questions you might have and show you anything you want. You are the first sentient Corrupted we have ever met."

"Excellent," the Queen smiles in satisfaction. Her Corrupted stop damaging the barrier and retreat into the distance, disappearing from sight, "I merely wish to sate my curiosity, and possibly sate some of YOUR needs as well."

"I am not touching you with a spear covered by a block of concrete," the unicorn says coldly, "I know pretty well what would happen to me if I did."

"Awww, am I that scary?" she chuckles, pressing her hooves against the barrier, making it pulsate rapidly.

"Yes," is a straightforward answer which seems to surprise the Queen.

"I see. Well, let me show you I am not THAT terrifying," a tree grows next to her in mere seconds, dropping thick coccoons from its branches. They pop, and ponies fall out of them, drenched in black liquid, "Here are all your patrols sent to stop me, as per my promise," more and more trees grow, letting out armored ponies.

The unicorn orders his soldiers to pass the barrier and help the ponies inside. Since the shield does nothing to stop them, they assume no corruption is present.

"I-Is there a chance we could reclaim the edge of our Empire you took from us in past weeks?" the unicorn asks carefully, not wanting to push his unexpected luck.

"I am sure we can work something out if you do not mind our company. Perhaps if you are useful in growing my territory, I can return a part of yours."

There are no more Corrupted in sight, only the Queen talking carelessly to the group.

"Alright, I will let you inside, but you have to be escorted by our soldiers at all times."

"I am sure to enjoy their company."

"That didn't sound sinister at all..." the unicorn mutters, and his horn flickers, "Well, come in."

"Mee-steak!" Spring squeaks far away, sorting through noises she barely understands, "Haiv insaid!"

There is no way she can stop it from happening, however, so as the Queen is halfway through the barrier, Spring gallops towards the closes point of the bubble, and jumps through. The shield shifting once again with a flash of the unicorn's horn solidifies and cuts one Spring's hind leg off mid-jump. With a pained hiss, she regrows it.

She is inside and EVERYTHING IS ALL SPARKLY AND BRIGHT!

Now, she knows ponies would be scared of her, so she adjusts her shape a little, shrinking and peeking from behind a house at several ponies walking nearby. She can't adjust the color, but dark green looks fine. Four hooves seem to be the norm, and her tail has to be bushy, not a whipping tentacle one. There is no way she can sparkle like some of the ponies, but there are others who don't as well. From a distance she might just pass for one of them. With a satisfied smile, she sneaks through shadowy alleys, drinking in the smells and sights the endless sparkling streets offer.

A lingering worry of meeting the other Queen on accident makes her sort through the noises she learned to use and their meaning. Alley after alley, she peeks out and into the windows of shops, houses, and many many more buildings which don't smell in any particular way or which are not identified by any fragment of memory she absorbed from Weed Sickle. She does not linger too long anywhere, though. Ponies looking her way gasp from time to time, making her dart back into the shadows and hide between dumpsters and bags smelling of rotten food and other leftovers. Spring sniffs and tastes everything she finds lying around, but not many things seem edible or useful.

"Here you are!" says a forceful voice, and something bumps into the metal dumpster Spring is sitting in after spending a little too much time around a deliciously sweet-smelling shop with various poofy and multicoloured treats. Her mind sorts through what little she knows and brings up the term - pastries, "Come out!"

The unlucky crystal pegasus guard who spotted Spring sneaking around believed he caught either one of the homeless ponies who lost their belongings during the shrinking of the protective barrier due to Corrupted attacks or a thief. He chokes on his saliva when a dark green head pops out of the dumpster, watching him with utmost curiosity, completely black eyes with beastly yellow orbs in the middle blinking.

He jumps backwards, twirls a spear in his front hooves, and assumes a combat stance, the butt of the weapon propped against his hind hoof and the tip aiming at the dumpster.

Spring has no clue what the pony is doing. To her, he is about as dangerous as a rock on the ground - she might accidentally stub her hoof, but that's about the extent of it. With no real threat presented, she succumbs to her curiosity and shows what she believes to be a friendly smile.

The guard nearly soils his armor when presented with mouth full of sharp teeth able to bite through all his protection.

"Hello, shiny pony!" the completely obvious Corrupted mare says.

He drops his spear.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-?" he fumbles for the spear, accidentally kicking it further away from him.

"Wuwuwuwuwuwuwu?" Spring imitates the noise her head can't translate. A moment of watching the panicking guard later, she finally gets the answer - 'who'. The pony was asking her name and repeated it because it took her too long to understand. She can't blow her cover now! "Spring," she points at her head and jumps out of the dumpster.

The guard watches the Corrupted quite unsuccessfully pretending to be a pony jump with one big leap out of a metal container two ponies tall and land without making a noise. He finally manages to pick the spear up and aim it at Spring again.

"I thought you were supposed to be escorted by the prince himself. The entire Empire was alerted to your visit."

Spring crunches the presented information really hard. She understands the common words and the meaning, but the connections are giving her issues. So does the result.

"Bad Queen!" she waves her hooves, "Eat ponies!"

"What?" the guard shakes his head, "You?"

"No! Bad Queen!" Spring looks for a solution, stomping her hooves over and over, "Mate blue white pony. Eat pink horn wing pony!"

"Wait... you mean you are NOT the visit the announcement spoke of?"

"Sneak through."

"And you aren't trying to trick me into lowering my guard so you can eat me..."

Tentacles break the crystalline ground underneath the guard, binding him in place. Spring walks towards him struggling and grunting in vain. She leans down, licks his face, and makes the tendrils retract back underground.

"You no food, you shiny. You bad Queen food."

The guard stands back up, looking at the dents in his armor easily squashed by the tentacles.

"So, you seem to understand me, even if you have to think about it, but you can't speak properly."

"Yes," Spring nods.

"So... why are YOU here?"

"Colors. Shiny. Smells. Movement," Spring sits down and waves her hooves around. She can't explain how all the overwhelming everything of this place makes her feel, but it is much better than the land outside livened up only by whistling wind, "Ponies!"

The guard can't help smiling a little at the foal-like wonder of the young Queen. Sadly, the moment fades instantly.

"You said the other Queen wants to attack us. How? She is alone, and the prince said she wanted to get to know us."

"No true. I know. Hive here," Spring shakes her head.

"How?" the guard repeats, "the barrier stops all Corrupted unless it is changed by the prince or princess."

"Breeder Queen. She hive. She land," Spring takes a deep breath, and the ground around her turns to black soil with grass quickly growing out of it. The entire alley turns dark, and finally the absorbed Hunters grow from it as well, surrounding the paralyzed guard. Several seconds later, the Hunters are gone again and the alley transform back.

"Th-That wasn't an illusion, right? They were really here. Can she do it as well?" the guard's eyes go wide as he realizes the implications, "How many Corrupted does she have with her?"

Numbers...

"Many."

"We need to warn the prince!"

"Secret. She attack prince. She attack me. Good ears."

"Hmmm... HAH! Got an idea. Stay here and hide!" the guard runs out of the alley, blowing a whistle sharply. He returns several minutes later. Rolling his eyes after seeing nothing and nopony, he bangs at the dumpster again.

"Hello!" Spring's head pokes out again, chewing on a piece of rotting carrot.

"You can come out. I sent a patrol to warn the prince and gave them instructions to do it covertly. If the other Queen is anything like you then she won't know our customs enough to see through it. The army should be moving in less than hour. What should I do with you for now?"

"Breed?" Spring shrugs. It's a tried and tested idea, after all.

The guard recoils. While Spring, and Corrupted mares in general, definitely outshines most ponies, the creepiness factor for him still hits eleven out of ten even with everything telling him that this one might be different.

"No, thanks. Got a marefriend already, and getting it on with one of you isn't really healthy."

Spring sniffs the air.

"Sweet."

"Right, you were lurking under the windows. Are you hungry?"

That is one thing Spring is certain about. She might not be physically hampered by it, but she could definitely go for something to eat. She nods, all three tongues licking her muzzle. The guard recoils.

"Yeeeeeah. I'd keep those things hidden. We don't want ponies throwing stuff at you... too soon. Stick to just one."

The tongues retract.

"Good. Now come with me and DO NOT, under literally any circumstances unless you are about to die, do anything more than looking. Wait for me to tell you what to do and don't make me regret not setting fire to you."

"Curious," Spring nods.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go..."

"LESGO!" Spring jumps enthusiastically.

"Oh dear," the guard steps out of the alley, dreading the immediate future, and leads the Corrupted Queen into the bakery.

"Hey, miss-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" is the reaction of a chubby yellow mare at the counter jumping behind it with the speed her corpulent figure should not allow.

"Miss Glitterdust, I implore you to stop -OUCH!- stop screaming and -OWWW!- throwing things at me!"

"Th-th-th-th-th-" the mare points her shaking hoof at Spring watching her with utter fascination.

"Dudududududu-" the Queen joins in.

"Stop it!" the guard facehoofs, fighting off a growing headache, "Both of you, please," he dodges a pie thrown at him which smacks Spring straight in the face, "Well, great. Now we both die. Good job, Glitterdust..."

*NOM NOM NOM!*

Spring's jaw is hanging so wide open she resembles a passable Nightmare Night costume. Luckily, the sharp teeth and three tentacles are busy chewing and gobbling down the thrown pie.

"Umm..." Glitterdust stops going berserk and watches Spring licking the floor in search for lost crumbs. When it is done both mares look at the guard, waiting for something, "What is going on, Mirage?"

"Well, that was what I was trying to tell you at first, Glitter," the guard finally gets a word in, "It's a tad complicated, but you know the announcement a while ago?"

Glitterdust nods.

"This is, ehm, another visitor, yeah, wanting to see out beautiful Empire. Right..." Mirage doesn't look as if he could persuade even himself that it is true.

"Now tell me the one about the red trotting hood," the mare gives him a skeptic stare, "HEY!" she turns to Spring sniffing a cake at the window, tentacle tongues poking it carefully, "You gotta pay for it first!"

"Pay?" Spring tilts her head.

"I hate life, I hate life, I hate life, I hate life," Mirage reaches for a money pouch hidden under his wing, "Glitter, how much is that cake?"

"Twenty-five bits, the entire thing. So... about the pie she-"

"DON'T even go there!" Mirage raises his hoof, making the mare chuckle.

"So... what's the real story? You caught one of the horny ones outside and want sexy times later?"

"I am in a happy relationship, Glitter," Mirage rolls his eyes, "No, this one seems to have snuck inside while the one visiting the prince was let in. She says the other one is evil and wants to apparently fuck and eat prince Shining if I understood her correctly."

"Hey, we need to warn-"

"Already taken care of. I'm not THAT stupid. The army should be moving soon, they take these warnings seriously. Now, though, it looks like I have to show this one around because letting her wander through the Empire on her own sounds REALLY dumb. It's mostly because I don't want to fill any more forms regarding corrupted or killed ponies than for her sake, but who knows..."

"So..."

"I caught her sniffing around and peeking into your windows. She seems to enjoy pastry."

They look at drooling Spring making a small puddle on the floor in front of the cake.

"You can eat it now, he paid for it," Glitter nods towards the cake. Spring looks at Mirage.

"Go for it. Just don't make too much mess- oh for Cadance's sake..."

Spring raises a sticky head from the pile of cake on the floor.

"Owww, I can't bill you for the cleanup, Mirage," Glitter grins, watching Spring lick the floor clean.

The Crystal Guard's eye twitches in sync with his mouth. He has no idea how much worse his day is going to get.

Comments

[Anonymous Critic]

She is inside and EVERYTHING IS ALL SPARKLY AND BRIGHT!

IT'S THE SHROOMS! SHROOMS I TELL YA!

[Two_Madmans]

I was thinking she will cooperate with Chilly

[Two_Madmans]

"What is going on, Mirage?"

I'm starting to regret about choosing names of my OCs...

[Teraunce]

Well good Spring managed to get inside and warn the Crystal Empire. And she talks very very well for someone only a few days old.