New Sensations In Procreation

“Um, Fluttershy? Could I ask you something?”

“I, um, I guess.”

Twilight paused for a moment to assure herself that the sight before her was indeed real. “Why are there four now?” She asked as the quartet of slimes explored among the various stacks of books Twilight had strewn about.

“Well, um, you see-” She started, but was cut off by Twilight groaning loudly in frustration.

“I Pinkie Promised that nothing bad would happen,” She began, “and as you can see nothing particularly bad has happened. I am perfectly fine and those things you are so cautious of were very kind and sweet to me.”

Twilight looked back to the slimes. It was true that they hadn’t done anything truly malicious, but they still put her on edge. There was just something off about them that she couldn’t quite place.

“I’m sorry Fluttershy.” She began as she turned back to her friend. “Its just that there’s something about them that just bothers me. I stayed up late last night reading that book we found from the castle, and while fascinating as learning about new creatures can be, some of them are just down-right disturbing.” Twilight explained, a brief shudder running up her spine. “From what I can gather none of these creatures have been seen for a very long time. If these things are reappearing then others may not be far behind.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “Disturbing how?” she asked, prompting Twilight to levitate the book over from the reading stand it had been resting on. As it hovered in front of them Twilight opened it up and began flipping through the pages to find what she was looking for.

“Ah, like this one here.” Twilight announced, tapping her hoof against the page at a detailed sketch of what appeared to be a particularly large leech. “Apparently these things latch on to you and release a type of toxin that converts your body into more of them through some sort of biomass conversion process.” Fluttershy took one look at the next image and turned away quickly after seeing what looked like a pony’s body falling apart and forming into more of the creatures.

“Yeah. Not a pretty picture.” Twilight added.

“What's not a pretty picture?”

The two looked up from the book toward the front door and saw Rainbow Dash standing there with a quizzical look.

“Just some of the other creatures I found in this.” Twilight said, bobbing the book slightly. “Most of them don’t seem to be too kind or caring as the slimes seem to be.” Twilight explained, once again flipping through its pages.

“Oh.” Dash replied. “So what about the two I brought in yesterday anyway? Any idea on what to do with them?”

Twilight lowered the book to see over it while giving Dash an annoyed glance. “Kind of. Most of what I’ve found on them is that the creatures in this book seem to come from some other dimension, another world if you will. As for sending them back, I have an idea, but I need to work on it a bit. But Fluttershy apparently has taken quite a liking to them.” Twilight finished in a mock tone.

Dash turned to Fluttershy who now had a furious blush on her cheeks while behind her the now four slimes were running about through the forest of tomes chasing each other like children playing tag.

"There’s four of them now? But how…?” Dash stood there mouth agape as she looked back at the other pegasus. “Twice? In one night?”

The blush on Fluttershy’s cheeks grew darker still. “Well, um, more like at the same time.” She answered, hiding herself behind her hooves.

Dash’s eyes grew large at the thought of having all four of them inside her at once. To be honest she was a little jealous. Dash looked back at Twilight who had returned to flipping through the book, having placed it back on the reading stand. Dash made her way over to Fluttershy, sitting down right next to her. As she did she leaned in close and whispered.

“How did it feel?” She asked, a hint of excitement trailing off her tongue and her mouth pulling into a wry smile.

“Wh-what?”

“Come on Shy, level with me. How was it?” Dash asked impatiently, leaning in closer so Twilight wouldn't hear her.

“I...I…” Fluttershy was honestly not expecting such a question from one of her closest friends. On one hoof she wanted to berate Dash for asking such a personal question, but on the other the thought of telling her about it was making her a little excited.

“It was...strange...at first," she began, "but then it felt so good.” A brief shudder of pleasure ran through her as she remembered the events of the night before. “Especially after I woke up.” She added sheepishly.

The massive grin grew on Dash’s face. She looked back at the slimes playing about, they were playing catch now, only instead of a ball, they were using one of their own, taking turns every few tosses. Then she got an idea as she leaned back toward her friend.

“If Twi lets you keep these guys, do you mind if I come over tonight?” She asked.

“W-what for?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“Well,” Dash started, “Do you remember that one time at flight camp?” She asked, rolling her forehooves over in the air. At first Fluttershy didn’t seem to remember, but a soft *pomf* and the sight of two fully flared yellow wings assured her that she did.

Fluttershy reached back to push the appendages back down. “Oh my. You don’t mean…?”

“Sooooo, see you at nine?” Dash suggested.

Fluttershy looked as frantic as she normally would when faced with an embarrassing decision, completely unsure of how to answer. Eventually she stopped fiddling with her hooves. “Uh..um. O-okay.”

“Awesome. See ya then.”

“Oh, this one isn’t so bad.” The two pegasi jumped slightly, both completely forgetting that Twilight was still in the room. She was still reading the book, and from the looks of it found something that wasn’t as terrible as most of the other entries she had found. They watched as she continued to read, the smile she had from finding something apparently good was quickly fading until she stopped and looked up from the book, her expression less than amused.

“What’s wrong? Dash asked, trotting over to the alicorn.

Twilight sighed heavily. “I found a creature in here that at first seemed really nice. That was until I found out what it did.”

“What was it?” Fluttershy asked, having put placed her conversation with Dash aside.

“Its a simple looking little flower that has a very strong scent that it uses to lure people to it. When someone get close enough to sniff it, it latches onto their face and forces a chemical into their body that makes them produce sperm for the plant. It also makes them go stir crazy and makes them want to mount the next mare they see.”

“Whoa. Better keep that thing away from the guys around here.” Dash joked, nudging Twilight in the side.

“It’s gender neutral Dash.”

“What do you mean it’s ‘gender neutral’.” Dash asked, waving her hooves to form air quotes.

“It means that it doesn’t matter if you’re a stallion or a mare, the same thing is going to happen to you.” She explained.

“Wait a second. How? Mares don’t produce sperm. Much less have a way to deliver it.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“It’ll make you grow a penis.” Twilight replied simply with a deadpan look while motioning back to the book where a diagram of a mare with an extra piece of anatomy was sketched on the page. There was a sound of the ruffling of feathers as she looked back to find two sets of wings straight up in the air.

“Wow. Um...okay.” Dash really couldn’t say much more. She really wasn’t expecting that. She didn’t even know something could do that.

“What happens when they um… ‘plant the seed’ so to speak?” Dash asked as she and Fluttershy fought to bring their wings back under control.

“Well the mare ends up becoming pregnant. Only instead of a foal, she ends up carrying a bunch of plant seeds.” Again she held up the book to the two. Only now there was an image of a pregnant mare with several small circles within her belly.

“Alright enough of that. So if you said that these things come from another world then how are you going to send them back?” Dash asked, waving a hoof back over to the slimes who were now chasing each other around Fluttershy’s legs.

Twilight sighed as she watched the little creatures. “Thats the difficult part. And unfortunately also very dangerous.”

“How so?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well,” Twilight began, “In order for me to send them back, I’m going to have to summon more.”

“More? I thought you wanted these things gone?” Dash questioned with a raised brow.

“I do. But for me to figure out how to send them back, I need to bring one here. Imagine two ponies playing catch, but between them is a huge wall.” Twilight began, conjuring up a crude visual out of her magic. “Neither of them knows where the other is on the other side. But when they throw the ball over, I can see where it came from and try to send the ball back on the same course, just in reverse.” As she continued her explanation, the magical display followed her narrative. “There’s a bit more to it than that, but that’s the basic premise.” Just as Twilight dispelled the visual aid a series of hard, fast knocks came from the front door.

“I wonder who that is.” Twilight said as she made her way toward the door. As she opened it she saw Applebloom standing on the doormat before her, panting up a storm. “Hi Applebloom. Is everything okay?” Twilight asked worriedly.

The filly breathed a few more deep breaths before answering. “AJs been attacked by somethin’.”

“Attacked?! By what? Where is she?” Twilight asked with concern, drawing the attention of both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t know what happened exactly, but she’s at the hospital right now. Rarity is already there. As is Pinkie Pie. I ran into them on the way here."

Twilight nodded and turned back to the other two. “Come on girls, Applejacks in trouble.”

“But what about the slimes?” Fluttershy asked. The slimes looked to Twilight as well, curious as to the mare's intentions.

“They can stay here in the library until we get back, now come on.”

Fluttershy leaned down toward the slimes as the others rushed out the door. “You guys stay put until we get back, okay? I have to go make sure my friend is safe." The slimes wobbled up and down in their confirmation.

“Fluttershy, lets go!” Rainbow Dash called from the door prompting the yellow mare to bolt out the door after her friends.

_______________

The four mares quickly made their way to Ponyville General Hospital, Applebloom riding on Rainbow Dash’s back as they flew to their destination. The entire time she, Twilight and Fluttershy constantly questioned their friends younger sister for more information. The only clear response that she could give however, was that something had done something terrible to their friend.

They bolted into the main lobby of the hospital, catching the attention of several nurses as well as the few patients in line with minor aches and illnesses waiting to be seen. Twilight quickly trotted up to the receptionist's desk, placing her front hooves on the counter and leaning forward toward the mare at the desk.

"We're here to see Applejack." Twilight stated, panting heavily from the aerial sprint she used to get there. The nurse looked at them a moment before shuffling through some papers.

"Ah yes, she is currently in the isolation ward with Dr. Marrow." The nurse explained as she waved a hoof out to another passing nurse, this one a stallion. "Nurse Splint will take you there." With that the four of them followed the stallion as he led them down the halls toward the isolation ward.

The isolation ward was where the hospital sent patients who showed signs of very contagious, violent, or in rare cases, unknown illnesses until they were medically cleared to leave the hospital. The only reason they were able to go here was because of the specially designed repulsor crystals that were given to any visitors to the ward. When charged with magic they create a thin shield around the individual wearing them, capable of blocking pathogens and bacteria. The fact that they had to enact such precaution did not settle well with the trio.

"Right in here." The stallion said, motioning with a hoof to one of the rooms in the hallway. As the ponies entered the room they saw Big Mac and Granny Smith, as well as Pinkie and Rarity all sitting next to a bed where Applejack was laying, the farm pony's stomach quite visibly distended by something and a very upset look on her face.

"Applejack!" The trio exclaimed as they quickly trotted over to the bedside, careful as not to overcrowd their friend.

"Hey ya'll." Came the grumbled reply as Applejack tried to sit up more before being gently pushed back down by her brother's hoof.

"Easy now. Doc said you shouldn't strain yerself." He cautioned as Applejack relented and lay back down.

"We heard you were attacked by something, but that's all Applebloom told us. What happened?" Twilight asked, looks of worry and concern plaguing her features as well as the faces of those around her, all curious to find out what left their friend in such a state.

Applejack sighed, looking toward Granny and Big Mac. "Ya mind takin' Bloom outta here whilst I explain things?" She asked. Her family nodded and turned toward the door to the hall, Big Mac hooking a foreleg around Applebloom and guiding her along.

"But I want know what happened to Applejack. I want to know what happened so I can make sure she's okay." The filly protested.

"That's very sweet of you deary," Granny Smith said reassuringly, "but what Applejack is about to talk about ain't for the ears of youngins such as yerself." With that they walked out the door, gently closing it behind them.

"It was a stupid tree!" Applejack nearly shouted as her friends turned back to her, the frustration in her voice startling them momentarily.

"A tree?" Pinkie asked, cocking her head in puzzlement. "Oh, was it some sorta Poison Oak? Like a big huge tree-like mass of that Poison Joke stuff? Although that stuff plays jokes on ponies, and you aren't itzy bitzy Appletini like last time. Instead this time your hu-". Pinkie's rambling was cut short by the presence of Rainbow's hoof pressed to the mare's lips.

When Pinkie stopped trying to talk, Twilight took a step forward. "What do mean 'a tree'? How did a tree do this to you? What did it do to you?" She asked, glancing back at her friends bloated form.

Applejack sighed and looked away dejectedly. She took another deep breath and hesitantly recounted her tale starting with chasing the rabbits into the forest, being caught by the strange entity and how it had proceeded to violate her, forcing things into her body which were the reason for her deformed state. Her friends listened on, Pinkie and Rarity were quite visibly disturbed, Rarity for her part almost fainted, and Pinkie's almost ever-present smile gave way to a frown that made her look like she too was about to be sick.

Twilight, along with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were less so, the latter of the two having had similar, if not so extreme experiences within the last several hours.

"Do you remember what the tree looked like?" Twilight asked once Applejack finished, placing a hoof on her friends foreleg in a comforting manner.

"It was big." Applejack recalled. "And it had these long vine like branches. It also had this large purple flower sitting between the main limbs." As Applejack recalled more details about the vile plant, Twilight cast a quick spell, a book appearing in her aura a moment later. She began flipping through the pages as the orange pony continued.

"Twilight? What is that book you're reading?" Rarity asked, leaning in to read over her friend's shoulder.

Twilight flipped through several more pages. "This book has information on rare and strange creatures. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both 'discovered' a similar, if not more docile creature that was found in here." At the mention of their names and their connection to the contents of the book, both pegasi tensed up and averted their gaze from the others in the room.

“Similar? You mean there are more of these things out there?” Rarity asked with a shocked expression.

“Yes, and if I’m right then more will start showing up as time goes on.” Twilight stopped as she leaned in to read a particular page. “AJ? You said the flower in the center was a purple-ish color?”

“Yeah. And it was really big too.” The farm pony replied. “That book say what it is?”

“Its called a Wandering Willow.” Twilight’s reply answering Applejack’s question. The others circled in closer as Twilight continued to read from the entry.

“This seemingly harmless tree gets its namesake from its ability to willingly uproot itself to relocate and feed on new soils and its similarity in structure to willow trees. Despite the flower like structure resting within its boughs, this creature is unable to reproduce with others of its kind. Instead it reproduces asexually. Growing and germinating its own seeds.”

“Then why did it attack me and do this?” Applejack asked, pointing at her stomach for emphasis. “If it can make and fertilize its own kin then why did it do this to me?”

“Hold on.” Twilight replied as she read ahead a few lines. “Ah, here.”

“The Wandering Willow does require a host however. When a creature of large enough size passes within reach of its network of branches, it places its seeds within the creature’s digestive tract where the seeds feed off the nutrients that the host consumes, but will not go so far as to consume the host itself. After a minimum of five to six days the seeds grow their first vines and leave the host in the same manner in which they were placed.”

“Alright, I want these things out of me. Now!” Applejack shouted.

“I’m afraid that might not be possible.” A new voice said, this one from a gray unicorn stallion in a lab coat and glasses who was closing the door behind him. The name tag on his coat said ‘Dr.Marrow.’

“Why not?” Applejack asked, glaring daggers at the doctor, obviously not happy with the stallion’s remark. He pulled out a small envelope as he trotted over to a light board next to the bed.

“Because of what we found in your x-rays.” He said, pulling out several black sheets of plastic and placing them on the board, the images lighting up once he flicked the switch. The images showed what was obviously a pony’s skeleton, but amassing in the center of the familiar white structure were several large, round spheres.

“And what did you find?” Twilight asked, as she too examined the images.

The doctor pulled out one last sheet and positioned it with the others, this one was zoomed in much closer and provided some sharper detail. “This.” He said as he pointed to the rim of one of the spheres. “We were considering surgery to remove the objects-”

“Well then do it! What’s holding ya back?” Applejack shouted, cutting off the doctor’s explanation.

“Like I was saying,” he continued, “this right here is what is stopping us.” Twilight leaned closer and saw several small hair-thin extensions on the edge of the object that curled at the ends.

“Are those hooks?” Twilight asked curiously.

The doctor looked at Twilight, then Applejack, who suddenly looked shocked, and nodded before going back to the image. “We believe that the objects are anchoring themselves in place to prevent them from being removed. With the size of the hooks and how many there are it could likely do more harm than good if we were to remove them surgically. Even with magic the amount of focus and precision we would need would make it too risky.”

“So Ah’m stuck with these things in me for the next week?” The amount of frustration Applejack felt was quickly rising and it showed. She had remained as calm as she could despite the circumstances ever since she hobbled her way through the orchard until Big Mac found her. She figured that the doctors, or someone, would know what to do and be able to fix her up in a jiffy. Now she was essentially being told to just sit, wait, and deal with it. An option she was less than thrilled about.

“I caught the tail end of what the Princess was reading. What this ‘tree’ did to you is unlike anything we have seen or heard of. If these ‘seeds’ so to speak will voluntarily ‘leave the host’ then yes. It would be best to wait and let nature run its course.”

Twilight looked to her friend in the bed, Applejack looking like she was about scream. Just as she looked about to blow however, the farm pony let out a heavy sigh and let her head fall back to the pillows.

“Fine.” She relented, pulling her hat down and holding it against her face with her hooves.

_______________

Outside in the hall the rest of the Apple family sat waiting. Applebloom however was restless, and kept pacing back and forth in front of the door. She wanted to know what happened to her sister and so far she had been left pretty much in the dark. The only details she had were her sister was attacked by something and that something had done something awful to her as well.

“Youngin, get over here and take a rest.” Granny said. “Yer gonna pace a hole in the floor if you keep it up.” The older mare patted a spot on the chair beside her. “Applejack ain’t goin’ anywhere anytime soon.” Applebloom stopped and stared at the ground. Granny Smith got out of her chair and stood next to the filly, draping a foreleg around the youngster. “Its gonna be alright deary. Applejacks somewhere safe and surrounded by family and friends. Nothin else bad is gonna happen to her.” She reassured, pulling the filly close in a gentle, comforting hug.

“I know Granny, but I just want to know what happened. I don’t like knowing she got hurt and not knowing how it happened. If I was there I could have done something to help.”

Granny Smith sighed, pulling the filly in front of her, wiping a tear that was slowly forming at the edge of the filly’s eye. “Now you listen here,” she said soothingly, “From what Applejack told me there was nothing you could have done. It was just bad luck that led to this and nothing else. Don’t go beating yerself up for not doing something you couldn’t have prevented anyway. Applejack will be fine. We just have to be there for her, okay?” She gave Applebloom a gentle smile.

“Okay.” Applebloom replied, casting her gaze back to the ground again.

“Now come on and take a seat up here with us.” Granny Smith climbed back into the seat she was sitting in earlier with Applebloom hopping up to the one beside her. As Applebloom got turned around into a good sitting position, a gray coated unicorn pony in a white coat came by carrying a large envelope and moved to open the door.

Applebloom watched as he did, the sounds of Twilight Sparkle talking pouring out of the room. She heard words like ‘host’ and ‘consume’, she even heard something that sounded like ‘willow’. She tried leaning over to get a view into the room, but saw the door slowly closing in front of her.

She turned back around and stared at the floor again when she noticed something. She could still hear the ponies talking. She looked back at the door and saw that it had failed to fully shut, a small gap between the door and the frame was allowing the conversation inside to quietly spill into the hall. She was barely able to hear the words though. Pressing her hoof gently against the door she was able to very slowly start inching it open a little more.

The talk going on inside was still faint, but she was close enough to the door to hear what was going on. Granny Smith wouldn’t have heard it due to her age and Big Mac was far enough away to not notice. As she listened in she heard them talking about ‘trees’ and ‘seeds’ of all things along with Applejack saying something like ‘stuck with these things inside me’. Is that why she looked like she did? Applebloom wondered. There were tree seeds inside her? The thought confused the filly. Growing up on an orchard she knew how trees pollinated, but she never heard of something like this.

Granny had said that there was nothing she could have done to stop what had happened. But maybe she could cheer Applejack up by making sure it never happened again.

“Theres a lot a’ herbicide stuff in the main barn. Wonder how much it would take to kill a tree.” She mumbled to herself, a plan already forming in her mind. But one thing was certain. She was going to need help finding this so called tree that had caused her family so much grief.

The Crusaders were going on a hunt.