M̸y̶ ̸L̴i̶t̸t̶l̴e̶ C̵o̸r̷r̴u̶p̶t̶e̷d̸-P̵o̴n̴y̷

by ScorchingFlamesInc

C̷h̶a̷p̶t̸e̶r̸ ̴2̸3̷:̷ ̶O̵l̷d̵ ̷F̴r̶i̶e̵n̷d̷s̶

Pinkie stirred, the surge of pain stinging all over her body, some places much worse, including her stump where her foreleg once was. Her memories briefly came up short before it all started flooding back to her. The hope Spike and Starlight had that rose, and the destruction of the very ground they stood on that caused them to fall.

Pinkie found that the surroundings in front of her was a small clearing, consisting only of grass. The clearing was surrounded by trees and thick bushes. From above, Pinkie couldn’t see any sky, only the blank, empty world that resided inside the rift.

When Pinkie recovered more, she at first could not see her friends, resulting in panic beginning to rise in her body. Then she heard a groan from behind her and turned. Rising from out of the bushes that concealed her was Starlight Glimmer, appearing more scratched and bruised than before.

“Starlight!” Pinkie croaked.

Another pained moan was heard, this time from above. Both Pinkie and Starlight found it fast. Spike was on a thick tree branch that grew over the clearing above them. Spike hung over the branch on his belly like a towel hung on a rack. Starlight levitated him off the branch, and back onto the ground.

“Are you okay?!” Starlight asked after a cough.

“My ribs feel broken, but… ugh… I’ll be okay… I don’t need a ride right now.”

“Are you sure?”

Spike nodded with a groan.

“Alright…” Starlight sighed. “Just let me know when you change your mind.”

“Where are we?…” Pinkie squeaked.

“I don’t know… we could be anywhere. I hope we still have time.”

“What’s the point…” Spike mumbled. “No matter what, every time we get close, something happens, and we keep losing our friends. And now we could be anywhere at this point. For all we know the structure could be somewhere else. Even if it’s closer, it’s going to be hard to find.”

“Spike, this whole world relies on us right now. We’re the only ones that we know of that are closer than ever to finally saving our friends and family. And now you’re going to quit? What about Equestria? Our friends? What about Twilight?”

“But maybe we just can’t go anymore… Look at us! Look at Pinkie!”

Starlight glanced at her, noticing Pinkie continuing to stare at her stump. She wasn’t going to let things end like this. Odds have been impossible before. Even though this is a new level of impossibility, there is still a fighting chance. Maybe Pinkie couldn’t go on anymore. Maybe now, all Pinkie had to do was stay safe and out of trouble. But Spike could continue onwards… if he had the right motivation.

“I get it, Spike…” Starlight finally began. “You’ve done so much. Made it so far. And yet things get more difficult every time. But that doesn’t mean we quit. That doesn’t mean we leave everything behind just because we feel unable to go on. Spike… look at me. Many times during your life, you’ve needed Twilight, and she’s stuck by your side, and the same also applies with so many others. Sometimes, you’ve had to be saved or you just weren’t there. Other times, you were with Twilight when she saved Equestria, occasionally even directly playing a part. For the past few years since you and Twilight first came to Ponyville, Equestria’s relied on her, your friends, and the Princesses. But now things are different. She’s not here anymore. Equestria’s always needed its Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, but now…” Starlight raised Spike’s chin with a hoof. “Equestria needs its Spike, the Brave and Glorious.”

Spike thought for a moment, before unsureness was replaced with determination, and he got back up.

“I needed that…” he said. “Now let’s finish what we started.”

Starlight nodded.

Both Spike and Starlight glanced at Pinkie Pie, her focus on them with an expression that combined exhaustion and pain.

“What about Pinkie?” Spike asked.

Starlight leaned over and whispered. “If we take her, it’s a risk. She lost a foreleg and… I can’t see her having an easy time defending herself. But if we leave her alone and hide her, it would be just as dangerous-”

“I’m going with you.” Pinkie proclaimed, her voice sounding more serious than usual. It was difficult to tell if her voice was dull by the pain and tiredness, or if she was finally out of patience with this apocalypse.

“But-…” Spike stuttered. “But Pinkie-“

“Even if I’m all by myself, I’m risking myself getting caught by that icky corruption anyways,” Pinkie said. “At least with you two, whether we encounter someone more dangerous or not, I have friends that would be there if I needed them.”

Starlight and Spike didn’t know what to do. Maybe she would be safer if they were all together. Maybe hiding would do little. They were unsure. It was a difficult decision that they didn’t have too much time to think about.

Then they heard it. The sound of aggressive galloping only muffled by the lush trees and bushes surrounding them. Pinkie and Starlight’s ears twitched, listening closely as the trio backed away further into the clearing, away from the foliage. They quickly realized that this wasn’t a friendly gallop. It sounded like the gallop of a pony about to attack.

Fluttershy sprung out from the leaves, her new claws swiping and clawing up dirt and grass when the survivors jumped out of the way just in time, Starlight and Spike going one way, with Pinkie going the other. Fluttershy stopped when she missed, and turned around, pawing at the ground. Her head snapped in Starlight’s direction and then Pinkie’s. She charged Starlight’s way, prompting Starlight to prepare a stun spell once more, but Fluttershy’s wings opened and she took off above them, avoiding being caught.

At the same time, Pinkie rolled and stumbled onto her hooves, only to hear the familiar sound of rushing wings. She didn’t look. She didn’t take even a second. Instead, she once more dove out of the way as Rainbow Dash soared through where Pinkie formerly stood at an alarming rate. Rainbow Dash flew back up when Fluttershy did, both of them simultaneously reuniting together.

Starlight was quick to ignite her horn and teleport Pinkie back to where the three of them stood. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both swerved back down to attack, but that wasn’t all. Pinkie’s tail twitched, and a massive shadow formed above them. Starlight teleported her and her friends to another safe spot, right as Applejack landed where they formerly stood with a force so powerful it left a small crater in the ground.

Once more they stood close to the green trees and shrubs, ready to escape into the concealing forest before it was too late. But when they turned to run away, they were met face-to-face with Rarity. She sprung to attack, her mouth opened wider than the others. Starlight shoved Rarity aside, but her focus on the unicorn lead to her forgetting about the others.

“Look out!” Spike shrieked.

Starlight knew what that meant, and instantly manifested a dome-like shield over them. Rainbow Dash crashed into it, and she, along with the others, all backed away, circling the dome like hungry predators.

They were surrounded, with little ways to defend themselves.

“The song!” Spike realized. “Maybe the song could save them!”

Spike tried to sing the song that was once used to save Fluttershy from the darkness’ grasp. But she continued to circle around them with the others. Midway through the song, Spike gave up. And the attackers made their move, beginning to slam, blast, and claw at the shield.

“We can’t save them!” exclaimed Starlight. A powerful buck from Applejack cracked the dome, and Starlight began to express pain towards an increasing migraine. “UGH! We really need to get out of here! Maybe I can take all of us directly to the structure now that I saw it!”

Starlight prepared to do so. What transpired next was another sound from past the clearing, the familiar sound of Chrysalis’ sick, twisted laughter. The four attackers stopped where they were, ears perking up in curiosity, and even Starlight paused.

Chrysalis appeared from behind Rainbow Dash, instantly grabbing the corrupted mare by the neck with her massive darkness-manifested claws. Crushing Rainbow Dash’s neck, corruption proceeded to leak up and down her body. Rainbow began to fold in half, and it appeared as if she was assimilating into Chrysalis’ arm.

The other three changed focus from the survivors to Chrysalis and charged at her. Chrysalis instantly overpowered them, long tendrils sprouting from her back and impaling the other three. They too began to contort and undergo consumption.

None of the survivors wanted to see what transpired. Starlight finally managed to recover from the shock and charge up her horn enough to teleport them away quick.

As Chrysalis continued assimilating the four of Twilight’s friends, her senses tingled, continuing to feel the presence of survivors even though it felt as though they were different ones. Her head twisted 180 degrees to see the large cluster of leaves moving behind her, confirming the suspicions that lingered.

Twilight’s friends were at this point fully assimilated into the darkness that held them, having moved as massive bumps along Chrysalis’ tendrils and arm, all the way to the center of her body.

She began to fizzle.

She began to change.

She began to grow.

With no hesitation, she pounced at whatever resided behind those bushes. Whether they were corrupted like her or survivors like the others, it didn’t matter.

They were her victims either way.

***

The trio reappeared, but the structure was nowhere nearby. They were instead on a much smaller floating island about half a mile wide. They were still surrounded by leafage, but instead of a circular clearing, they were on a trail.

“What? No!…” in frustration, Starlight tapped her horn. “I wanted to be where we needed to go!”

“What’s going on?…” Spike asked.

“I don’t know…” Starlight mumbled. “Either my magic’s just not working right… or someone is interfering with it again.”

A roar echoed throughout the skylands. The roar sounded like multiple shrieks in one, and it made sense when the others glanced up. Deeper in the rift and further in this infinite-like dimension flew a hydra. A hydra that while it couldn’t be made out, felt familiar somehow.

It was far, but it was of clear massive proportions.

“What… what is that?!” Spike screeched, pointing at the behemoth above them.

Starlight squinted her eyes at the four-headed monster, trying to see even the tiniest details. “Is… is that-“

Starlight didn’t get to make it out. From out of the blue, something else of massive proportions landed near the group, causing the small floating island to shake. Pinkie lost her balance and fell.

Spike, Pinkie, and Starlight faced the creature that landed behind them, the hissing sound of the corruption lingering louder than ever.

And right then and there, they got a good look at one of the most gut-wrenching beasts that have ever walked the land.

Author's Note:

Who was in the bushes? YOU’LL FIND OUT…

… IN MLP: CORRUPTED, TALES FROM THE GLITCH! And the next chapter too, I guess, but Tales from the Glitch will explain why they’re there.

Comments

[Ditzy Doo - Mailmare]

Another banger chapter

[Josh1988]

Great one!