Pilot: The Reign of Sunset Shimmer
It was a dark and stormy night...
“Hey! It’s bright and sunny you dodo!”
It was a bright and sunny day. Of course, in most of Equestria, six out of seven days were sunny. But today was especially sunny. Most ponies assumed Princess Celestia was just feeling extra generous with the sunlight. Those in Ponyville however knew that another sun-based source of magic was more lively than usual that day. In rapid succession, moans and screams of pleasure poured out from...
“Uh, don’t you think you’re skipping ahead? I mean sure, some may want to get right into the sex, but isn’t that a little boring? Where’s the build-up, where’s the backstory that really gets the reader interested?”
Night Light pressed his hoof against the door, breathing heavily. It was happening; it was finally happening. After all of those attempts, and then the months caring for her, the night had arrived. He drew another breath and pushed the door in. She was lying there, Twilight Velvet, radiant as ever. She was breathing heavily, but otherwise eagerly awaiting what was about to come, just as much as he was.
“Seriously? You jumped back to Twilight Sparkle’s birth? Or was that eleven months earlier? When I said backstory, I didn’t mean that backstory. Could you start at the point where it’s actually relevant?”
Twilight stood at one end of the hallway, Sunset at the other. The moment was tense. Students in between them slowly retreated to the safety of their lockers, eyes constantly switching from one girl to the other. The stare between both girls drew a line right down the middle of the hallway, to the point where a smoking black trail burned into the floor and ceiling. After a moment, they began the approach.
Each footstep brought a clack that echoed through the still hallway. One set was lighter, but wider, a large pair of shoes. The other was heavier, but smaller, boots with thin heels. The black line continued to smoulder, taking on a red glow as the two began to close in. The smoke alarms were at risk of triggering by the time they finally came face to face.
The silence grew thick. Asthmatics panicked. Even the burning line in the floor fell silent in terror of what was happening above. Twilight stared at Sunset with determination. Sunset glared back with intimidation. The moment held, and held, and held, right up until a smirk appeared on Sunset’s face.
“You must be new here...” There was a flurry of red, gold and purple, ending with Twilight pinned to the floor under Sunset’s intense embrace. The initial shock wore off, along with the intimidating stare between the two; phones were quickly drawn to begin filming. Towards the back of the growing crowd, a girl dressed in purple and black slipped her arm around another girl in cream, black and a beret. Both slipped away soon after.
On the cold, unforgiving floor, Twilight was helpless against the ever-so-passionate advances of Sunset as she pressed her warm body tightly into her with each kiss. When Sunset next went up for breath, she pulled a small slip of paper from the pocket of her jacket. With care, she slipped it down Twilight’s shirt, between her breasts. “We can catch up later, okay?”
“Ugh, this is pathetic! For one, this isn’t what happened; I was there after all. And for another, Twilight isn’t a lesbian! Well... not that I’d know, but she wouldn’t make out with Sunset on the floor. Look, why don’t you just start where the real story begins. I think Princess Celestia was giving some sort of speech...”
*
“By utilizing the lessons and skills that she gained over the years, our youngest Princess, Twilight Sparkle, was successful in her mission to retrieve her Element of Harmony from lands far beyond our own...” Twilight did her best not to drop the false smile she put on for the speech. It was growing almost as tired as the hoof she continued to wave at the crowds below. Celestia’s pretentious speech was doing nothing to ease her nerves about the whole story.
“While we have not been able to revisit this distant land since her return, rest assured we will try our best to find another way there. Eventually, we hope that we may one day open up relations with the inhabitants.” That line cut deep. Twilight could control herself no longer, backing away from the balcony where Celestia, Luna, and Cadance stood. She knew that was a lie. And it hurt all the more to hear Celestia say it. Purely so that the ponies of Equestria could continue to live with the idea that every single inhabitant should be happy.
There was one who wasn’t so happy though. Leaning back against one of the white pillars, ribbons of vibrant crimson and gold curled around the polished surface onto the shoulders of a crisp leather jacket. A few of the trailing ends found their way into the metal rings lining each lapel. Coupled with the fiery motif that made up her shirt, skirt, and boots, Sunset Shimmer was a striking image. As if to contrast the dazzling display her normal appearance brought, her expression was nothing short of contempt.
“She lied to them. I still don’t see what harm there would be in telling them the truth.” There was never going to be any attempt at opening up relations. And better still, they weren’t going to try and find a way back to the world she had come to call home. It was just a matter of waiting the two and a half years until the portal re-opened. But by then, what would be the point in going back anyway? After all, there was one very good reason she had to stay, right in front of her.
“Celestia doesn’t believe they’re ready to find out that there’s a world filled with duplicates of everypony, only in human form. And I’m sorry, but I have to agree with her on that...” Twilight couldn’t look at Sunset. Nopony liked lying. And nopony liked having to tell her that there wasn’t anything to be done. The portal was closed, and so long as she refused experimental transformation spells that could potentially turn back into a pony, or an orange-frog, she would just have to get used to her old surroundings again in a new body.
Her eyes moved back to Sunset, though the difference in height meant that she was looking at her lower spine. It brought back memories of how long it had taken her to get used to walking upright. The whole experience was just so, different. Being almost twice the height, mostly thanks to the legs, didn’t make things any easier. Worse still was the extra weight on her chest, not to mention the other awkward weight at her rear.
She realized her eyes had drifted down to Sunset’s own rear by then. While she didn’t quite see the appeal of having to walk around with it herself, there was something about seeing it on Sunset that made her feel, warm, in a sheepish way. Every time Sunset took a step, the shift of her thighs made such an appealing movement. Deep down, there was such a strange urge to bury her face right between the beautiful cheeks in front of her.
Something warm began to run down Twilight’s back leg. At the very least, she had a dress to cover whatever was trailing down. It definitely wasn’t urine. She could smell it already; that definite scent of arousal. There wasn’t anything bad about being aroused by Sunset of course, and it was unlikely she’d smell it anyway. From experience, ponies had a much better sense of smell. By then, her nose had moved right up to Sunset’s skirt. The soft scent of human skin. Traces of perfume, the shampoo used to cleanse her vibrant hair, even a soft musk from her jacket. As she leaned in closer still, the faint aroma of something blissful caused her to reach out her tongue in anticipation...
“I’m pretty sure my skirt doesn’t taste like mango ice cream, despite what it looks like.” Twilight couldn’t move, only able to watch as Sunset turned around and knelt down. “Besides, you’re doing it wrong. If you haven’t noticed, coming from behind is a bit more awkward when it comes to the human form.” She slid a hand around Twilight’s horn. It had been growing slowly ever since she had become an alicorn. At that point, it was long enough for Sunset to wrap both hands around. It painted a very vivid picture for the owner.
“Uh... I didn’t really mean anything by it. I just... couldn’t help but notice.” A shuddering breath passed through her lips, already dripping with saliva. By then, both of Sunset’s hands were wrapped around her horn, slowly caressing it. Something wasn’t right about her change of mood, but Twilight couldn’t do much to protest. She had been caught red hoofed staring right at her butt, and instead of being upset, Sunset was giving her a hornjob.
She jerked when Sunset abruptly stood up again. With one hoof, she wiped away the trails of saliva right before turning to greet the approaching Celestia. “That’s the last time I mention opening a dialogue with other nations.” Twilight had trouble regaining her composure. The feeling of Sunset’s hand on her shoulder brought unexpected comfort however. From the way Luna slinked off, and Cadance peered out from the balcony doorway, Celestia’s bad mood had started outside.
“Uh, what exactly is wrong, Princess?” The words slurred in her mouth, excess saliva that she was struggling to swallow building up. Sunset’s hands had caused something quite weird to happen in her horn. Celestia was virtually oblivious to her question, continuing by with barely a passing glance. The look she gave Sunset on the other hand was far from pleased. Twilight glanced up at the human. “Does she know, Sunny?” She could hear Sunset choke back something. Neither of them had been expecting her sudden mood shift apparently.
“Who knows, I don’t recall her ever being in a bad mood.” Luna appeared from behind one of the nearby pillars. Sunset removed her hand from Twilight’s neck to leave a small space between them. “Let me guess, this is because she failed to negotiate with the griffons. And was it the Changelings that she also had a problem with, Twi?”
Twilight shrugged. There was a lot to catch her up on, since her previous visit had been shortly after they retrieved the Elements. The meeting with Discord was the best example yet of how far behind she was.
Luna took her time to look around the empty hall, carefully searching for any sign of her sister. “I do not know why my sister has been so, disagreeable as of late. I cannot discern what may be causing her quickness to frustration. But fear not, I shall do my best to work out why.” Both the young princess and the human could see just how real her concern was. “But, you need not concern yourselves with the matter for now. I’ve taken the time to arrange transport back to Ponyville, for you both.”
*
It was a nostalgic experience for Twilight. Yet again, she was travelling to Ponyville with a pair of pegasus guards pulling her chariot through the air. Only this time, Sunset was there beside her lying back and napping. There was the occasional attempt at fondling Twilight’s horn. “Sunny, for the last time, I didn’t mean to lick your butt. It was just a slip of concentration after all the stress I… I mean we’ve been under.” It didn’t stop the grabbing. The fact that Sunset had her eyes closed for the entire trip only annoyed Twilight more.
Ponyville came into view. It hadn’t changed one bit since she had left for the Crystal Empire, which was quite a relief. There was at least one disaster that caused some damage every month. More often than not, however, it was a weekly thing. “Hey, we’re almost there.” Sunset didn’t move. “Come on, nopony here has met you properly before. You can sleep in my bed while I sort stuff out, just not when we land.”
There was no reply. Twilight groaned, slowly leaning over towards Sunset. “Just so you know, this is a one time thing. You’re not going to get me to do stuff like this in future by being lazy.” With an awkward glance at the guards, she rolled right onto the sleeper. In her slumberous state, Sunset actually looked quite cute, despite the fact she was goading Twilight into doing something inappropriate. Twilight sighed. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Her lips pressed down, embracing Sunset’s mouth. Her lips were smaller than those of a pony, but more delicate. Twilight held the contact for several seconds, hoping to see Sunset’s eyes flick open. Nothing. Twilight took a breath when she leaned back up. “Fine, time to step things up.” She leaned in again, this time with more sexual aggression. Her tongue forced it’s way through Sunset’s lips after several moments of passionate kissing. Not even a flickering eye. Twilight slid her tongue down further, threatening to block off Sunset’s throat with intense probing.The length of pony tongues was the one thing that made it possible.
“Ahum, Princess...” Twilight’s left eye froze over. It was fixated on the guard standing there, just a few hoofsteps in front of the entire Ponyville population. Sunset opened her eyes, casually removing the long tongue from her mouth. Twilight couldn’t pull it back in, leaving saliva to drip back down onto Sunset’s collarbones. Nopony moved for the next minute. Not even the fly buzzing in Rainbow Dash’s nose could bring itself to break the eternal stare generated between Twilight and Ponyville.
Sunset wasn’t affected by the mass paralysis, tapping Twilight’s chest lightly. “I think I’ll go visit Sugarcube Corner for an ice cream. You did say I could do what I liked while you handled things here after all.” In one fluid movement, she slid out from under Twilight and returned to her feet. The two patches of grass trampled underneath her boots sprung back after she departed in the direction of the aforementioned business. There was still no movement on the chariot.
“Oh oh oh! I get it! She’s learning how to be one of those living statues!” Pinkie Pie adopted a ballerina’s position; then froze. How she could remain so still while balancing on the very tip of her left hoof, nopony could work out an explanation for. Rarity broke out of the trance to vomit all over Fluttershy, who began to cry. Applejack was caught in the task of wiping Rarity’s bile off Fluttershy, and singing the most uplifting song she could come up with on a whim. Rainbow Dash’s wings threatened to poke eyes out as they unfurled with lightning speed.
Twilight slumped forward. There was a nasty, dark purple patch where her saliva had begun to soak into the chariot’s cushion lining. “Oh my, what a true embarrassment this has become. Might I ask, what has caused you to be glum?” She pushed herself back up to look at Zecora. The zebra deserved the respect of having her full attention. “There is no fear in telling me of your problem, I always listen with an ear that is solemn.”
Another tedious minute passed, during which Twilight got off the chariot to let the royal guards return to Canterlot. It also allowed her to face away from the judgemental gaze of Ponyville. “I... Sunset’s been acting weird ever since Celestia gave her speech. I don’t know if she actually likes me, or is just playing around because of some sick need to make my life as confusing and stressful as possible. I mean… She was ready to start sucking my horn off without a question. How am I meant to interpret something like that?” Zecora nodded in the way she often did, with a level of understanding that displayed years of wisdom.
“It is quite the problem you have here; maybe you just need to whisper in her ear. Otherwise, do not let things fester; lest you end up as a court jester.” Twilight at first was utterly stumped as to the meaning of what she had just heard. That wasn’t unusual when talking with Zecora of course. Part of her way of teaching was encouraging others to work things out for themselves. This time was no different.
“So, I should just talk to her about it, otherwise it’s going to drive me crazy?” Zecora nodded. The meaning was straightforward enough. And of course, she wouldn’t have thought of doing that herself until things had gotten really bad. “Alright, I’ll talk to her about it when she gets back from Sugarcube Corner or wherever.” Her wings shook, sending a few loose feathers floating to the ground. “Though I don’t know how she thinks she’ll actually get ice cream, since it looks like every single pony in Ponyville is right behind me. Including Pinkie Pie and the Cakes.”
An enormous pink flower burst out from the Everfree Forest on a mass of green tentacles. With quick swipes, it grabbed several mares from the crowd and swallowed them up before Twilight could even stand up. In the flurry, she watched Rarity disappear into the plant nightmare.
“We’re being attacked!”
“The horror, the horror!”
“My flowers never get that out of control...”
“Where’s mommy?”
“Where’s my prostitute wife?”
“That plant stole my candy!”
“So, this is what you meant by ‘weekly disaster’.” Twilight and Zecora had moved to defend the scattering crowd from the plant monster. Sunset arrived with a double choc, vanilla swirl ice cream cone, presumably handmade. She seemed completely oblivious to the events going on around her, not even flinching as large tentacle ripped right past her head. It yanked Nurse Redheart off her hooves to be swallowed. “I can see why, you’re not really doing much to stop this.”
Twilight glared at her. “I’m not doing much to stop this? You’re eating an ice cream, while I’m trying to keep Ponyville from throwing themselves at the plant!” Just as quickly as it had arrived, the plant disappeared into the forest again. There was a smack as Twilight’s hoof slammed into her face. “Okay, we need to start planning on how to get them back. Zecora, can you work on a way to fight the plant. I’ll do some research to see if there’s any spell that might work against it. Sunset, you scout ahead, try and find out where it went. It probably won’t recognize your scent, so you should be safe from being attacked.”
Sunset shrugged, taking another long lick of her ice cream. “Sure thing, once I’ve finished this ice cream.” Twilight rolled her eyes before going off to gather the others, who had all scattered in panic. Sunset watched her depart with a grin, a few traces of chocolate still on her lips.
*
The clearing in front of her was a mass of pink bulbs. In the middle, the giant plant that had attacked Ponyville remained still, pumping out something to the smaller flowers through a network of green tubes. In each flower, the figure of a pony was just barely visible through the petal surface. Sunset was rather impressed with the set up. “Not bad for a plant. This would be a great time for x-ray vision.” She tapped two fingers against her right ear. “Twi, I’ve found the plant. It looks like it’s got every pony taken in a separate holding chamber, and it’s pumping something to them. Got anything?”
“Sunny, you don’t have an earpiece.” Sunset turned to see Twilight by her side. “Besides, I’m here now anyway. You can play spies or whatever later.” Both ducked down behind the log laid between the rough path and the clearing. The plant didn’t stir. “Alright, it looks like I was wrong about it not smelling you from the research I did. It doesn’t care what it can get, so long as it’s female.” A giggle came from Sunset’s direction. “It’s not funny! Even though it does what I’m sure you’re thinking of, we need to be serious about this. Rarity’s in there somewhere!”
Both turned back to the clearing. Sunset quelled her giggling in favour of concentrating on the nearest plant. “I think that may be her, it’s a unicorn at the very least. Might as well see what kind of defences this thing has.” She climbed over the log to Twilight’s horror. Before standing up, Sunset looked back. “Quit whining Twilight. I’m not completely inept. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to set it on fire. Plants are supposed to like sunlight.”
She turned back around to find one of the tentacles hovering dangerously close to her face. The pink tip opened up in four petal-like slices, allowing the spiny orifice to screech at Sunset. “Hey, stop whining. I’m just here to do that ultrasound the doctor prescribed. No need to start shoving stuff down my throat.” Twilight poked her head out above the log. The tentacle moved away from Sunset’s face enough to let her step forward, quickly wrapping around as she did so to make a barrier between her and escape.
“Hold on Sunset, I’m gonna get Zecora and the others. Just don’t do anything stupid!” Twilight vanished in a big burst of purple magic. The tentacle curled around to hover beside Sunset’s left shoulder. She swore through clenched teeth, moving closer to the main plant. From the log, the thought of being surrounded by slimy tentacles was quite erotic. Being there in the thick of it was quite different. As if things weren’t creepy enough, the plant was making a distinct moaning sound every so often.
Another tentacle stopped her approach roughly two metres from the plant. It was over ten metres back to the log, too far to sprint without distracting the tentacles first. Her only choice was to delay until Twilight got back. “Alright, mind telling me why now of all times you’ve decided to kidnap several mares?” The plant moaned. “I can’t believe this; I’m talking to a plant!” From behind, the tentacle hissed. “A plant that can apparently tell when I’m not happy. Well, one out of two isn’t so bad.”
The tentacle in front moved towards her face again. This one had the flower bud firmly closed. “What, am I supposed to talk into this?” Several tentacles whipped up to hold her firmly in position, taking hold of her wrists, ankles, waist and neck. The slimy surfaces clenched tightly around her skin. The one in front pushed itself against her firmly closed lips. Her heart rate shot up. Twilight, you’d better get back here fast!
She could feel the bud push into her mouth. Inside, it began to stretch out, making itself thinner to slide down her throat presumably. Worse, the tentacle itself tasted like grass. As she had expected, it slid down into the start of her throat. While the bud had thinned out, it wasn’t enough to stop her airways from being pushed shut. And what little air the tentacle was seeping into her throat wasn’t making up for starving her lungs. Her vision began to blur as the onset of oxygen deprivation set in.
“What is it doing to her!?” Twilight’s voice barely got through the ringing in Sunset’s ears. With her hands tightly bound, there was no way for her to grab at the tentacle forced down her throat. And even if she could, there was a big risk of causing damage to her throat when yanking it out. “Sunset! When I burn it, you need to run!” As soon as the warning reached her ears, the tentacles released her body. In a sloppy mess of green slime, the one shoved down her throat whipped back out.
Sunset collapsed to her knees while she heaved in air. The taste of thick grass was all through her mouth. “Don’t... burn it. Not yet.” She began crawling back towards the hiding place. Zecora, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash watched from the log in terror. Once she reached the halfway mark, the latter two dashed out to retrieve her. “Give it a moment. I’ll be alright.” A makeshift bed of leaves was laid out for her. Zecora soon had a few refreshing herbs waving in front of her nose.
Dash pounded the log with her hooves to get their attention. “Something’s happening. One of the flowers is opening.” Sunset pulled herself back up to peer over the log. A flower to the right of their position was opening at a slow rate. Tubes leading from the main plant to it began to grow in size, presumably pumping more fluid to it. “Is it sprouting? What happens to the pony trapped inside?”
A white horn poked out from the top of the budding flower. The faint shape stirred as it was slowly pushed up through the opening. Gasps passed through the group, Applejack and Fluttershy having caught up with the others. It was Pinkie Pie at the far left who finally spoke up. “Twilight, what are they doing with Rarity?” Twilight continued to stare at the emerging pony. She didn’t have a clue; such an occurrence wasn’t listed in the book she had done research from.
“I think... she’s the way the plant communicates with us.” All eyes turned to Sunset. She looked back at them, her expression serious. “Think about it. That tentacle down my throat could have been feeling around for the vocal chords, only it missed. So instead, it pushes out Rarity to be its voice.” She climbed back over the log, this time very carefully. Dash and Applejack were quick to move in an attempt to stop her, before being blocked by Twilight’s wing.
“Give her a chance. I know her better than you do, and she may be able to save Rarity. I don’t want anypony else getting swallowed and turned into a flower.” Sunset could feel the six pairs of eyes trained on her as she approached Rarity. The unicorn was still trapped in the flower to her waist. Both hooves were firmly planted by her sides. A layer of green slime coated her, tinting her in lime. She was terrified.
Sunset knelt down on her right knee to look at her directly. “Rarity, can you tell me what it’s doing to you?” Rarity blinked, her body above the restrictions of the flower trembling. There was a long pause. “Okay, you don’t have to go there. I’ll just assume it’s... doing stuff, to your privates. Is it telling you to say anything?” There was another pause. She cringed as Rarity let out a shuddering gasp. The tubes pumping into the flower swelled further.
“We require incubators to spread. These are suitable incubators. Abundant, sturdy, passive.” Sunset stood up, backing away from Rarity. “You bear the magic of the sun. You will help us.” Her head shook. This isn’t happening… She a quick glance at the others. They had no idea what the plant was saying through their friend, because of how faint Rarity’s voice had become. “There is no decision to be made. You will help us, or the incubators will not be returned when they have served their purpose.”
Sunset moved a few metres away. Her eyes locked onto Twilight’s face. Take hostages to grow babies in, and then when the rescue comes, threaten to kill the hostages when they’re no good anymore. Something wasn’t right. Flowers, by nature, were designed to draw attention, not for storage. “So, why keep the ponies in the flowers? They’re literally asking for somepony to try and cut them out...”
Sunset turned on her heel, digging a small hole into the soft ground as she did so. “Alright, do it. Dispose of Rarity. Cut off your only way of communicating with us. You can try and force more ponies to have your seedlings, but you’ll be in for a real fight.” She closed the distance. “So do it.” Several varied shouts of protest began to ring out from behind. Hard as they were to ignore, the panicked voice of Twilight hurt most.
“You’re supposed to save her Sunset! Not tell the plant to kill her!” Rarity groaned. The part of her body just above the petal’s grip began to swell. More fluid was rushing through the tube into the flower. Presumably, it was going to inflate her with green slime. A rather grim ending.
“Interesting. Keep going.” Sunset heard the distinctive sound of a teleport spell, feeling Twilight take hold of her left hand. She shoved the hoof away. “Twilight, haven’t you ever seen a pony inflate? I thought you more than any other would be the first to take an opportunity like this, to see how the body reacts to being swelled up to incredible proportions.”
The distance between them grew again, Twilight backing away in horror. Sunset was trying to justify making Rarity suffer a very horrible experience. Her previous doubts began to collect into a feeling of betrayal.
Rarity’s entire body began expanding. Her cheeks were puffed, a small fountain of green slime squirting from her mouth and nose at Sunset. She didn’t look fazed at all. “Do it. Keep filling her up until she’s so big that she can barely fit in the flower. Fill her up until her head just pops off!” Rarity’s eyes bulged outwards, threatening to pop out of her sockets. Her upper hooves tore free of the flower’s hold as the rest of her body pushed its mass outwards. A small grin formed on Sunset’s face as a high-pitched squeal escaped through the stream of slime.
At the moment where her skin began to tear, it happened. The sound was best described as a slimy pop. At the point where her body could cope no more, Rarity had exploded all over the clearing. Sunset lifted her slime-covered hand up to pull a large chunk of something fleshy from her face. “Well, I didn’t think that it would take the head popping literally.” Behind her, Twilight screamed in a weak tone. Sunset glanced back at her. Slime dripped from her face and wings as she stared back in horror.
“You... You killed Rarity. I can’t believe I trusted you to do this. You just murdered one of my friends!” Sunset turned around with the chunk in her hand. The sight made Twilight back away again. “You’re sick. This is why you’ve been teasing me with all those sexual advances, isn’t it?” The hand gripping the chunk tightened, causing more green liquid to pour out into the ground.
“As you’re about to find out, you’re wrong.” She skewered the chunk on Twilight’s horn with quite a bit of force. “Analyse it. That isn’t pony flesh. It’s plant matter.” The liquid dripping from her hand definitely wasn’t bright red blood. “What you saw wasn’t Rarity at all, it was a copy.” The silence was heavy. Zecora and Rainbow Dash both had slime on their faces to remove. The others couldn’t find words to voice what was burning in their minds. Twilight was torn. She had just accused Sunset of being a murderer, right before being handed the evidence that proved just the opposite.
“Sunset, I-”
“Shut up, I’m not done. It’s got the ponies down below, where we can’t reach them without a massive fight. These flower ponies were bait. We would come in, take them home, and they’d spread their tentacles and what not in the night.” Sunset turned away, approaching the main flower. “At least you didn’t shoot me in the back.” The plant moaned back in a threatening tone. No tentacles rose up to hiss at her though. The damage caused by Plant Rarity exploding had presumably taken a heavy toll on the plant.
She stepped back again. “I’m going in. You’re welcome to join me, Twilight. Try not to feel hurt if I don’t trust in your judgement. It’s not a nice feeling.” Her jacket fell to the ground, covered in so much green matter that what it picked up from the ground made little difference. Her skirt was next, leading to a sudden increase in warmth from behind.
Her favourite shirt followed. What used to be a nice purple had a green stripe right down the middle, where her jacket hadn’t covered it. “Alright girls, take a good look. Because there’s a good chance I won’t be coming out of this alive.” At least one of the ponies back at the log turned away, obvious enough by loud scuffling noises they made while doing it. Twilight hadn’t moved one bit.
Sunset’s turned to face all of them. “Yes, I wear frilly, sun themed underwear. Now, when you’re done sitting there in fake shock, let Celestia know that I’m going in with Twilight to try and get them out. Maybe she can do something to help from the outside.” She folded her arms under her breasts. Twilight had taken to looking in the opposite direction like everypony else. “Now’s your chance to see me almost fully naked before we go where nopony has gone before, namely plant vagina.”
It took a while for Twilight to turn back and face her. Far from being aroused, or at least curious, her face was plain. “I didn’t trust you, and that was a big mistake. It won’t happen again, no matter what goes down in there.” Sunset looked past her, avoiding eye contact deliberately. Even when she bent down to grab a small vine for tying her hair back, there was no look between them. “Be reasonable Sunset. Not that long ago, you were ready to kill me...”
“Not here. They can hear the whole story when you’ve heard mine. But not out here.” Sunset moved away to the tube leading to Rarity’s ruined flower. It had stopped oozing slime at last. With her hand, she traced it back to the base of the main flower. “Here.” With her finger, she traced a ring around the point where it widened out. “Cut it off, and we crawl in through the opening.” She moved out of the way as Twilight carefully cut through the plant tissue with her magic. The tube fell away to leave a slimy green orifice that looked just like what Sunset had described; plant vagina.
“Ladies first I guess.” She got down on her knees, cupping her hands together to press through into the green folds. It was tight enough to make her rethink the plan, just briefly. “I’ll see how long it is; I may have to pull you through. Fingers trump hooves when it comes to gripping slippery stuff.” Taking a breath, she shoved her arms in, pausing at her shoulders. With her face just a few centimetres from the surface, she breathed in. “I should’ve brought a camera. There are some who would pay good money to see this.”
The moment her head plunged into the tight folds, panic set in. An air pocket barely bigger than her hands up front was all that stood between her face, and suffocation. And it was running out quickly. More profanity came before she turned her hands around to start pulling herself through. Each advance into the plant required elbowing herself twice at the same time in the face, her feet getting no grip on the mud outside. When it came to pulling in past the waist, the true cold of the plant’s bloodless form hit her hard as slime soaked into her panties.
“Slimy green pussy, every sick jerk’s dream.” After several hot, struggling breaths, her hands felt cold air. The air of the open space inside the plant herself. By then, she was inside up to her thighs. Both hands struggled to get a grip on the edge until she pulled her head out. Breathing in deeply was hard against the constricting walls of the plant, but she was no longer in danger of suffocation. Once her shoulders were free, pulling the rest of her body through was a simple task.
The plant moaned, vibrating the pink air around her. “Yeah, I didn’t like crawling up yours myself.” She turned back and shoved her hand down the tube she had entered through. Her fingertips felt the solid surface of a hoof. “Hold on Twilight!” She reached her second hand in, grabbing hold of the hooves attempting to grip the slimy walls. With some effort, Twilight finally pulled through the sticky mess. Her mane had been turned into an utter wreck, but the ordeal in general had been easier on her.
“Well, if that’s what birth feels like, I’m glad I don’t remember it.” Sunset tried to giggle; the taste of grass in her mouth turning every attempt into a splutter. Twilight didn’t seem to mind the overwhelming taste of plant. “So, we’re in. Now what?” Looking around their surroundings was a challenge. Above, several dormant rows of buds lay in waiting. The translucent floor below felt solid enough to support their weight, but not impervious to being cut open. “If the missing ponies are below, it’s going to be really hard to get them out safely.”
Sunset leaned back against the wall. Several times, she had to wipe her face clear of slime to avoid it getting in her eyes and mouth. The tie keeping her hair back was quickly proving to be a brilliant decision. “We’ll work something out.” Her hands rested on her stomach again. “So, here we are. Away from everyone else, with no chance of being disturbed. I’m almost completely naked, and soaked in enough lubricant to slide down a gravel hill without a scratch. And so far, I haven’t seen one sign that you’ve noticed.”
Twilight glared at her. “We’re in the middle of a giant plant that wants to use my friends as breeding stock, and all you care about is if I want to rut you? Is this your side of the story you were complaining about out there? The sex deprived unicorn who loves watching ponies explode?” Her horn flared purple with the outburst. Seeing Sunset wave it all off with an eye roll only fuelled her frustration. “For Celestia’s sake! You weren’t like this back at the human world, what’s going on?”
“I’m not Luna! And I am not Discord!” She had pushed herself away from the wall to stare right back at Twilight. The pony backed away. “I’m not thousands of years old, with a lot of exposure to powerful magic. I only had the Element of Magic for a few minutes before you went and blasted me with the most potentially devastating spell ever. A pony who hadn’t been exposed to magic for years. Did you ever think about what that friendship blast could do?”
There was a strong silence. Twilight’s mouth hung open, barely inhaling the grassy air. She hadn’t actually stopped to think about what the effects apart from cleansing evil from her mind could be. Confronted with the thought however... “No, I didn’t think about it. I just, acted. You were ready to destroy the school, kill me and my friends, and take over Equestria by force. I had to do something.” Sunset sneered, looking away while she leaned back again.
“Yeah well... I regret doing what I did. But it doesn’t mean warping my brain into seeking friendship was a good idea either. So, excuse me if I’m ‘sex crazed’, because I don’t know how else to express just how messed up I’ve felt these past few days.” Another moan rocked the air inside. As it did, a small hole in the centre of the floor opened up. “Well, that looks like our way down. How’s your magic doing underneath the slime?”
Twilight sparked her horn a couple of times before pointing it at the hole and blasting it open. The resulting bellow left Sunset’s ears ringing in pain. “Pretty good actually. Let’s get down there before it tries something bad!” Slime began to pour in from the walls, causing both to slide down through the hole. Below, through a thick layer of slime that went deep into the ground, and another translucent surface, they could barely see the outlines of ponies.
Sunset felt her grip slipping from the floor above. Staying above the slimy surface was harder for her than it seemed to be for Twilight. “Well, we found them. The slime may be too deep for magic though, and I don’t have anything to cut through with manually.” Tentacles began to enter the chamber above, hissing at Sunset’s hands. Her grip faltered, plunging her into the thick gunk. For a moment, she struggled against the slime in desperation. It was quite different to treading water, in that every movement required far more effort.
Twilight’s wing firmly pulling her back up barely saved her from suffocating yet again. “Thanks Twi.” The alicorn was struggling to stay above the surface herself, using intense magic to do so. One of the tentacles entered the air pocket with them. The attention was quickly set on Sunset. “I don’t think it’s happy. And it probably knows I can’t teleport out of here.” She pushed off Twilight’s wing gently. “Start getting the others out of here, I’ll distract the plant.”
The tentacle shot forward as Sunset sank down into the slime, barely missing her hair as it slammed into the wall behind. In the slime itself, her vision was reduced to rapid blinking, made worse by how murky the surroundings were. Only the bright purple light of Twilight’s horn as she dove down penetrated through the dark green. Sunset grabbed hold of the tentacle as it rushed by again to pull herself back up.
A second tentacle entered the space. She had trouble enough keeping hold of the first one. “Fine, make making this unfair on me. Sure, why not.?” The new arrival lunged, stopping short of her face. A spray of pungent air accompanied the screech it made. Her grip on the tentacle below slipped, just as Twilight resurfaced. The one below grabbed Sunset’s angle to drag her down again. There was barely any time to scream before slime began to pour into her open mouth.
Her eyes were glued open by panic. Every attempt to kick the tentacle dragging her down was met with a sharp incision into her ankle, presumably biting. For a moment, she lost sight of the other. This isn’t good... Something threw her against the plant wall, at the same time as a burning pain appeared in her chest. A bright flash of light at that moment transformed the slime into a much clearer fluid, allowing Sunset to see the tentacle buried deep into her chest. Droplets of gold-tinted red blood began to seep from the wound.
“Sunset!” She could see Twilight struggling towards her as she grabbed hold of the tentacle in her chest. Already, her arms felt weak. Her fingers couldn’t take a firm grip. Lungs filled with slime, heart stabbed by the piercing bud. She barely felt her feet touch the thick surface that sat between the slime and the trapped ponies as she sank down. The tentacle still firmly in her chest kept her from falling forward, until it was blasted off by Twilight’s magic.
Tears had already started by the time she pulled Sunset back up to the air pocket. “Sunset! Don’t you die! I’m sorry about before, just don’t die!” A hand grabbed onto her shoulder weakly. It was stained in red-gold. The mixture of human and unicorn blood. Just like her hair. One barely functioning eye flickered at Twilight. “The others... down there...” Twilight choked on the next breath. “You deserve a second chance. I don’t want it to end like this, not after what happened before. I’m sorry.”
*
Princess Luna’s arrival was met with several voices of worry. Applejack took the lead in explaining. “Twi and Sunset Shimmer crawled into that big flower. Apparently, the missing ponies are somewhere down there, but we haven’t heard anything from them since they went inside. Anything you can do Princess?” Luna looked at each of them, glancing at the flower before finally turning to Zecora.
“Did Twilight inform you of anything we may use against this plant? If she has not already used her magic to defeat it, we may require something more practical.” Zecora was about to speak when a bright flash of light drew everypony’s attention to the plant again, or at least where it had been. The smaller flowers were screeching as they withered away, cut off from their host plant by a huge column of golden light. Luna was the only one not awestruck by the sight. “Perhaps my sister has enacted a plan of her own after all.”
One by one, ponies floated down from the huge column in beams of light. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all leapt from the cover of the log as Rarity floated down in front of them. “Rarity!” The unicorn found herself wrapped up in four pairs of hooves before she had even touched the ground. Overwhelming amounts of hugging and questions about her wellbeing made her cheeks flush bright red.
Twilight floated down shortly after the last of the taken ponies. Her mane and tail were entwined with ribbons of red and gold, matching the tiara now perched on her head. Everypony turned their attention to her as she touched down on the ground. A tear rolled down into the sun-scorched clearing. “Sunset...” The words stifled in her mouth. “She’s, gone. She saved everypony, but, she’s gone.”
A single look of despair spread through the gathering. Pinkie Pie had to turn away from everypony else. Luna lowered her head in deep mourning. Twilight looked up at the sky, blinking at the sun above. “At least Celestia will keep her safe from now on.” There was no holding back the tears from there. Her hoof stomped the ground as she choked back sobs. She had only just come to realize the mistakes she had made, and now the chance to fix them was gone.
“Oh come on, you’re all acting like I’m actually dead.” Twilight flicked her head around. The pillar of light had vanished, unveiling the charred remains of the plant. It was the figure standing on the remains that drew her breath away. Red-trimmed gold armour adorned her figure. From beautifully gilded boots, to the chain-and-plate skirt, right up to the breastplate that looked a little generous, Twilight’s eyes moved. They stopped at Sunset’s face, bordered by rich locks of hair, and a pair of brightly glowing golden wings.
Sunset was almost thrown off balance by the force of Twilight rushing to embrace her. The wings proved their worth in keeping her upright. “Don’t scare me like that again. Ever.” Sunset’s armour transformed back into her usual attire, making the embrace more comfortable. It came as a wonderful sign to Twilight. “You’ve got your magic back! Oh Sunny.” She rested her head against Sunset’s chest, taking the moment to listen to her heartbeat.
“Yeah, who knew I just had to die to be part unicorn again. As for the wings...” She waved her fingers, causing them to fold back down into her body, out of sight. “They’re nice and all, but I think I’m fine without using them for now.” Twilight released her, stepping back onto all four hooves. Sunset ran her hand down one of the braids in her mane. “I like the new style, not to be vain or anything mind you.”
Twilight giggled. For that moment, she had forgotten everything that had happened previously. Sunset was alive, and now not only had her unicorn powers back, but had potentially become a sort of alicorn in the process. “So, how does it feel to be a human alicorn? You’ve got the wings and the magic, I’d say that counts.” Sunset looked over her shoulder, as if the wings had regrown by themselves.
“What am I the Princess of? Sex?”