Beware, Beware, The Flutter-Bat's Stare
Darkened branches and pitching shadows roiled about the mare as she ran through the foggy Acres in the middle of the night. Her hat jerked about atop her flopping mane as she galloped toward a floating shadow in the distance. Applejack hurtled faster than she had ever galloped, panting with each breath, all for her friend, Fluttershy. The poor mare had gotten herself caught in another of Twilight's spells, and was now traversing the Acres in search of apple nourishment. Applejack thundered to a stop as the shadows suddenly gave way to the bulwark of a tree trunk. Her hoof smacked against a root and she stumbled, falling to the ground just past the tree.
"Ow! Dagnabit! Ah knew Ah was runnin' too damn fast!" Applejack swore. She hated misjudging her tracks, especially on the land she grew up on. The fog was impairing more than just her vision, it seemed.
The farm mare sat up, pushing her hat back atop her head, making to run off again, but a shadow in the corner of her eye made her stay still. She swore she saw something move to her left. She sat for a moment and closed her eyes. Her night had been nothing but disappointment after disappointment. It seemed she would never save Fluttershy or Sweet Apple Acres at this point. Applejack felt tears prickle at her eyes, begging to flow down her freckled cheeks.
"Ah...Ah'm sorry. Fluttershy, Granny, Big Macintosh, little Apple Bloom...Ah've failed you!" Applejack let her sorrow flow free. As she heaved and sobbed, letting her tears soak into the moist soil beneath her, the shadows around her began to shift. The inklings of a face made their appearance in front of the disheveled mare. A face with pointed ears and glaring red eyes.
"HHHHHSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" the Flutter-Bat hissed out, spreading her wings and attracting Applejack's full attention.
"Fluttershy, Ah don't rightly know what took you away-" Applejack paused, and stared up toward Flutter-Bat, ceasing her train of thought and losing her mind in the intense Stare emanating from her friend. She felt her mind slipping away, thoughts of worry for her friend disappearing and thoughts of apples filling her mind. A bit of drool began to leak from Flutter-Bat's mouth, Applejack's reflection beginning to grow slightly red.
"Ah don't feel so good..." Applejack said softly, her eyes now fully at attention and lost in the Stare. She saw herself growing smaller in comparison to Flutter-Bat, as though the world itself was bending to the Stare's power. Her vision began to turn a tint of pink, her eyes starting to spread out across her face more. Applejack's prized applebucking hind legs were retracting in on themselves, as though retreating into her body, as her torso slowly expanded outward. Applejack could feel her insides churning, but her legs were numb, her addled mind unable to comprehend her limbs' sudden disappearance.
Applejack could feel her sides begin to stretch, and her chest balloon outward, engulfing most of her lower vision in a bright red field. "What...are...ya...doin'...to me?!" Applejack grunted, each breath coming shorter and shorter as her lungs were steadily consumed by the advancing juicy flesh that was filling her out. She realized, in that moment, that her nightmare was far from over, that her once-friend was now twisting her body into that of a snack! Her gaze settled on the lovely red color floating from Flutter-Bat's pupils as her legs disappeared completely, replaced by four small nubs and a stem bottom, not unlike the apples that adorned the trees around the pair.
Applejack was losing herself in the sensations of her insides being replaced by juicy apple flesh, and came to think back on her fate with a sick bout of humor. "Huh...Guess Ah really am...an Apple-" her lungs gave one final breath, "-to the core..." With a final sigh, her mouth sealed over with succulent Red Delicious apple skin. The mare was more fruit than pony, but still she could see the resignation in Flutter-Bat's eyes, as though Fluttershy were apologizing for her actions. Applejack realized, as her mane twisted into the stem of the apple she was becoming, that she forgave Fluttershy for everything. Her sides rounded out as her face's features faded to the shiny, smooth skin of a Red Delicious apple. Her hat, which had remained on her head, was now little more than a solitary green leaf on the apple's stem.
~~Beware...Beware...~~
The Flutter-Bat cooed happily. She had accomplished two of her goals in one! Her nighttime snack was going to be uninterrupted at last, due to her quick thinking and succulent Stare. Her prize sat before her: A luscious Red Delicious, with the cleanest skin she had ever seen on an apple. The only markings on the Apple were the three white spots on the top side of the skin, almost as if the apple were freckled. Flutter-Bat smiled. Her hunt had netted her a massive new apple, almost as large as her own body! But now, she had the quiet and a nice meal to enjoy.
Flutter-Bat lifted the massive apple in her wing-claws, moving it around to find the best spot to chow down. She settled for a shiny patch between her claws, raised her head, and swiftly brought it down, sinking her fangs into the succulent apple's flesh, its juices flowing across her tongue in a medley of ecstasy. The mare-turned-apple could no longer see or hear her fate, as her very existence had vanished to create the picture perfect crop before the bat's eyes. Flutter-Bat sucked down a wave of the apple's sweet bounty, savoring the glorious flavor and reached down for another bite.
Her massive fangs roared down on the apple, piercing its skin with ease, and relieving the fruit of more of its treasure. Flutter-Bat was in heaven. Her entire life, she had never graced her tongue with such delectable flavor, such wonderfully filling juice! Wave after wave of liquefied apple made their way to her stomach, providing her with the energy she needed to rid this orchard of its fruits, and draining away what little remained of Applejack. Flutter-Bat took one final slurp from the apple, and then tossed it midair. She angled her head up, and caught the apple's shriveled form in her mouth. There was no way she would just get rid of the rest of this amazing apple! Flutter-Bat tilted her head, and swallowed the rest of Applejack.
~~Beware...Beware...~~
The applepony could barely hear anything, the muffled world around her gave her no purchase as she reached for answers. She felt a searing hot pain in her...side? She couldn't tell where she hurt, only that it was a stinging unlike any she had ever felt! Applejack swore she felt part of her essence drift away with each searing stab of pain. She found herself wondering who her sister was, then questioning her name. The mare was being driven to insanity as her life drifted away from her. She could feel herself moving, tumbling down through a tunnel of sorts, and finally, what she could only register as a pool's waters splashing around her. She could not feel much anymore, besides the burning sensation that floated all over her essence as she faded into the nutrients churning about in Flutter-Bat's stomach.
Flutter-Bat let out a loud belch, and sat back, refreshed. She could hardly remember the last time she was this full. Flutter-Bat was satisfied she had gotten the upper hand, and had made out with a snack to boot! The bat-mare flew up to her perch on the tree above her, stomach grumbling in protest of the immense amount of apple she had consumed. The pony-turned-bat heard a collection of familiar voices calling through the mists and held her form still. Moments later, and the voices had drifted off into the distance. Silence had once again come to her little piece of the orchard, and she smiled. She never wanted to go back to the life she had before, she decided, before gathering her wings around herself. Flutter-Bat settled down on her tree branch, hung herself upside down, and drifted into the halls of slumber, resting up for her next victim...
