Running off the map

Twilight traveled outside, the rain was still pouring, her spell still on, Exlaa, and Starflight still with her, and the lights of the town on. The stallions slowly followed them slowly.

"Frickin, Stalliox..." Starflight muttered.

"What's Stalliox?" Twilight asked.

"The disease that made all the stallions go loopy, and zombie mode. Our doctors, and Nurses tried, and failed. Stalliox claimed all of the male genus. The creepy part is the fact it jumped species. Basically, only eat meat that was female." Exlaa replied.

"M-MEAT?! WHO EATS M-MEAT?!" Twilight said startled.

Her spell suddenly faltered. A young colt launched at the group. He bounced off with a fizz, and fell in front of the others who simply stepped on him, crushing him. Twilight shuttered. Starflight, and Exlaa didn't even bother to look.

"We eat meat. When you are starving, Twilight, you WILL eat anything. Besides, it put's some muscle on you. Which you could use..." Exlaa said glancing at Twilights thin legs, making Twilight blush slightly.

"Ex, hole up ahead." Starflight said nodding towards a large hole in the ground. Green ooze flowed in to it, a sudden scream was heard. Some mares...

"Here we are. Ooh, i'm excited just to be on the edge! I can't wait!" Exlaa said looking down.

The stallions behind them had stopped about twenty feet away from them, they seemed unsure of what to do.

"You sure it's not fear!?" Twilight said looking in the hole,it went about four feet down, and then sharply turned. A low moaning was heard.

"Positive! Let's go!" Exlaa said jumping in as she grabbed Twilight, and Starflight's legs.

Twilight shrieked a little at being dragged in. When she hit the ground, her magic suddenly felt incredibly weak. Her spell flickered.

"Just as I thought. They have a magic barrier up, to stop the unicorns and such. Twilight, don't stress out, and focus on that spell. Without it, we are dead, there are no re-do's." Starflight said grimly, as she touched her small hat lightly where she would have had a horn.

"I'll... I'll try... I feel... so tired..." Twilight replied. She focused all of her energy in to the spell.

Exlaa stood beside her, letting Twilight rest on her. The three walked forward. As they did they heard thumps behind them of the stallions coming in. An eerie green glow came from them.

"Ignore it. Look ahead, it's brighter." Starflight said keeping her head down.

"enough with the bits of wisdom! We- oh. Eh-heh, hey! It get's bigger, it looks like a large cavern..." Exlaa said, hurrying Twilight along.

Twilight did her best to comply. The spell was becoming very taxing for her. Wait... this wasn't a magic barrier... This was the work of a... Oh, Celestia! Why couldn't she remember the creatures name!?

They came to the end of the tunnel, and stepped in to a wide cavern. A large hole was in the middle, full of the strange green ooze. Green ooze was on the walls, floors, and ceiling dripping slowly down on to ponies. The mares! They were chained to the walls with metal chains, hopelessness in their eyes. Most looked as though they had given up. Stallions walked around in their zombie states.

"Hey Exlaa?" Twilight muttered.

"Yah?" Exlaa asked distractedly looking around.

"Why don't you use your magic? And what does Popper look like?"

"My magic is only good for healing, breaking, and lending. Speaking of which... this should help." Exlaa said as she pressed her odd horn against Twilights, a crackle of magic going between them, Twilight suddenly felt okay again. her magic seemed to have returned, because her spell suddenly brightened, and quit fading. She stood up, and looked at Exlaa strangely.

"What..." Twilight said in confusion. Magic lending was relatively unheard of, due to the problems it inflicted  on a magic creatures mind. Eventually driving them to insanity, but Exlaa seemed fine.

"Again, half-dragon, duh. Popper is red, with a white, and red mane, and tail. Her cutie mark is a box of theater popcorn. She's an earth pony."

Exlaa said raising a hoof to her eye.

Starflight numbly stared at the ground. Strange pony...

"THERE SHE IS!!" Exlaa yelled as she pointed a little to the left.

There was indeed a pony matching Poppers description, sitting on the floor. She was smiling as she played with her hooves, when a stallion came by she snarled ferociously, oddly so for a pony. The stallion would quickly back away, as mares around her only seemed mildly enthused.

"THAT'S MY POPPER!! POPPER!! POPPER!! OVER HERE POPPER!!!" Exlaa yelled as she jumped up and down excitedly.

Poppers ears flicked up and she looked over, a broad smile on her face as she saw Exlaa.

"EXLAA!! OVER HERE, EXLAA!!" Popper said jumping up and down with equal enthusiasm, greatly annoying the mares around her.

Exlaa ran out of Twilights spell, and sprinted over to Popper. Knocking multiple stallions in to the giant hole. Their screams would haunt many forever.

"That fool! Is she trying to get herself killed! Exlaa! Free thy friend and get thy self back over here!" Starflight yelled, waving a hoof.

Thy? She sounded a lot like... Luna.

"Starflight?" Twilight asked, keeping her eyes trained on Exlaa.

"What do thy wish to speak to me... I mean, what?!" Starflight replied angrily.

"Were you close with Luna or something? You sounded a lot like her for a moment." Twilight inquired.

"Er... I mean, no! I've always lived out here in this town, with Exlaa and Popper! EXLAA!! GET YOURRUMP OVER HERE BEFORE I COME OVER THERE!" Starflight yelled as Exlaa broke Poppers chain and broke in to a run with Popper next to her, slashing mares chains along the way.

The mares just sat there, they didn't seem to care. What had happened? This was like when she had gone to The Crystal Empire with her friends. Twilight thought, everypony just seemed lifeless... Twilight quickly shook off thoughts of her friends, and  family. I wonder if Rainbow made it in to the Wonderbolts yet...

Exlaa skidded to a stop in front of them, Popper crashing in to her. Suddenly the ground shook, and the ooze in the hole bubbled.

A giant black bug-like head emerged. It's mouth made a sickening crunching noise as it opened. all shrunk back in fear, the cavern becoming disturbingly quiet.

"Run." Twilight said horrified as she looked towards the tunnel. The stallions from earlier sat there. Twilights magic began to ebb again, the shield forcefully shattered suddenly.

"Twilight!" Exlaa said running over.

"I couldn't hold it any longer, that thing... it's the drain. It's called..." Twilights brain strained for the name, when it suddenly clicked. "A Ractog. They are incredibly rare due to their size, diet and habitat. Their diet is... oh, good Celestia..." Twilights eyes widened.

Starflight continued for her. "Their diet is mares. No one knows why, but they love to eat female ponies. They take over the stallions, get them to bring the mares and WHAM. Mare eaten, then they set it up so that they have a constant food supply..."

"I'M GOOD, WITHOUT ALL THE DETAILS MAN!" Popper said suddenly. "In the meantime, those stallions are a little too close for comfort and there's a giant bug trying to eat us. Help?"

"Ractog. And I don't know what to do." Twilights fear grew greater as she realized the almost-certain possibility of death.

The three mares huddeled together. Starflight suddenly stood in front of them and faced the threatening creatures. Everything paused a moment as Starflight raised her head. A brave smile on her face, her eyes narrowed as she took a deep breath.

Her mouth began to move but... Twilight, and co. heard nothing. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

The Raptor came to eye level. Starflight calmly looked in it's beady eyes, her stare unmoving, unblinking. The bug queen suddenly screeched and flailed, taking down part of the wall, crushing many ponies. Screaming, and chaos reigned.

"GO! NOW!" Starflight said running past the stallions who seemed to be coming out of their daze. Twilight quickly followed behind with Popper, and Exlaa in tow. Starflight stood at the side of the hole. "Use me as a boost. Exlaa, fly out and be ready to help."

Popper bounced out without any help whatsoever. Who was she? Pinkie Pie? Twilight shook the thought off, not the time. She stepped on top of Starflights back and found incredibly sturdy. Exlaa pulled her out then flew in and grabbed Starflight.

The earth kept shaking, a sink hole suddenly formed where the cavern would be. They wordlessly ran away, Exlaa flying ahead as a guide.

They ran until they hit the woods, adrenaline carrying them. Collapsing in exhaustion they fell asleep for the night. The earth still shaking many miles away...