The Breeding Grounds

“Hey there, sugarcube. You feeling better?”

The pink mare strained her eyes open under the blinding light of the day. “How did I get out here?”

“We figured you needed some fresh air, plus we wanted to get you away to somewhere private where we could talk.” The stalwart earth pony was looking out over the grassy knolls with her back to the party pony as she spoke.

Pinkie rubbed her eyes and blinked several times at the blurry yellow figure approaching her from the other side. “Fluttershy? What’s going on here?” Her voice was groggy and she began choking after she spoke, rolling over to spit up what she hoped was saliva on the green grass beside her.

“We don’t know what’s going on, that’s why you’re here.” The pegasus didn’t seem timid for the first time as she spoke. It was as if she was absolutely sure of something for the first time in her life.

“Can you tell us what happened when you went in?” Applejack frowned as she turned around and saw the dark puddle on the ground next to the pink earth pony’s head. A stream of black liquid still ran down the side of the mare’s mouth, her eyes slowly shifting back and forth as they struggled to focus.

“Pinkie?” Fluttershy looked down with concern at the unresponsive mare.

“Pinkie Pie?” the tan earth pony took a tentative step forward and nudged the mare who lay motionless on the ground with her eyes still open. Her face turned pale as she took a couple of unsteady paces backwards. Fluttershy moved forward without hesitation, tossing her long pink mane over her shoulder before bending down to place her ear on their friend’s chest.

“She’s still breathing.” She pulled her head up with a look of relief evident on her face.

“Let her sleep.” The concern had melted off of the earth pony’s face and was back to its stoic icon as she placed her hoof over the pink mare’s dull blue eyes and closed them.

“So it’s just us?” Fluttershy’s voice was dry as she already knew the answer.

“’Fraid so.” The earth pony turned from the gruesome scene on the ground to stare back out at the setting sun.

“What are you going to do?” A sense of urgency hung in the air as the two looked out at the diminishing red halo on the horizon.

“Chase the sunset.”

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The purple unicorn sat up with a heavy groan, her back arching as she struggled to hold up the weight of her own body. Her breathing was labored as she rubbed her hoof up and down the tender flesh that marked where the faint outline of her scars were. She winced as bolts of pain shot through her, every one of her joints cracking as her body gave a violent shudder.

“How are you today?” the baby dragon carried a tray full of her favorite snacks towards her bedside.

“Better – negh – I think.” She held her hoof against her head as her skull began to pulse agonizingly.

“It doesn’t look like it.” Spike tilted his head as he placed the tray in front of her.

“I’m fine, I just need to heal myself with my magic.” The unicorn’s horn glowed a radiant purple that filled the room. She closed her eyes tightly and bit her lower lip as she focused in on the scars at her side.

“SNAP OUT OF IT!” the baby dragon screamed suddenly, bringing an open-palmed hand swiftly across her face. The slap landed harshly against the unicorn’s cheek, completely shattering her concentration and sending a spark of loose magic flying through the room to burn a hole through one of her walls. Twilight sat dumbfounded staring at her assistant before her stomach began to bubble and churn. Spike watched on with confusion as the unicorn suddenly seemed to acquire a burst of strength and leapt off the bed past him to run out of the room. He heard the clop of her hooves on the wooden floorboards leading down the stairs and into the kitchen until the sound of heaving and retching resonated back. “Twilight? Are you okay?” he slowly walked down the stairs and peered around the corner of the kitchen at the figure that was panting over the sink. “Twilight?” he repeated as he took a step towards the unicorn. “Are you mad? I’m sorry I slapped you.” He craned his neck as he approached to see the black slime running down the corners of her mouth. Her eyes seemed duller as she twisted and stared through him blankly before turning back to vomit more of the dark liquid into the sink. “That’s disgusting.” Spike held his stomach as the unicorn finally collapsed before the sink. He stared down into her eyes as they slowly grew brighter and returned to normal.

Twilight blinked several times before looking up at her assistant sleepily. “Spike?” Her muddled body still lay disjoint on the ground as she looked around her questioningly. “What happened?” she asked pushing herself off of the floor.

“You went in for your appointment or whatever. You’ve been all loopy ever since.”

“What are these?” she ran her hoof delicately over the red streaks that ran up either side of her body. Spike raised his hand, ready to strike out as the unicorn’s horn began to glow. “Wait, I can’t heal this.” The scribe lowered his hand in bewilderment as the glimmering of her horn faded away and she sighed.

“What do you mean you can’t heal it? How would you know if you never tried?” Spike raised an eyebrow as he tested the unicorn.

“These scars are unnatural, I’m not sure if they’ll ever heal completely.”

“How can that be? I thought magic could fix anything?” the baby dragon scratched his head.

“Magic isn’t perfect,” Twilight sighed, “but I would like to ask Celestia a few questions.”

“What does she have to do with this?” The unicorn ignored him as she strolled towards the door. “Twilight? What does she have to do with this?” he repeated chasing after her.

Twilight stopped suddenly in her tracks, gasping and clutching her head. Her eyes rolled back in her head as memories flooded back and visions of the stallion that had loved her in a way that she never thought possible flashed into her consciousness. The feelings and emotions she had experienced burned their way back into her senses. She felt reborn as she took a deep breath and the room came back into focus.

“Twilight? Are you okay?” Spike was at her side with a concerned hand on her shoulder.

“We have to save him.” She said suddenly.

“Save who? What’s going on? You have to tell me something!” the baby dragon’s brow wrinkled in frustration. Twilight didn’t answer as she set her eyes on the castles in the distance and cantered away.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The outline of the earth pony trudged across the rolling hilltops outside of Ponyville towards the soft amber glow that still hung above the horizon. The stars began to twinkle above her as a light wind picked up, rustling her braided blonde mane over her back and stirring her cowboy hat back over her hairline. Goosebumps dotted her legs as the night fell around her and the air grew colder with every passing minute. She kept her pace for as long as it took for the moon to hang above her in the sky before suddenly stopping and sighing. “You can’t follow me forever.”

The shadow that had been following her from a few yards back the entire time finally emerged from the bluff of the last hill she had crossed. “Oh… I’m sorry.”

“They’re after me. You don’t need to get caught up in all of this.”

“But they’ll be after me soon anyway. I may as well come along and keep you company.” The pegasus cast her eyes down and trudged her hoof against the soft earth.

“Well come along then, no sense getting together just to get caught anyway.” Applejack smiled as her friend came galloping over to walk by her side.

“What about our friends?” Fluttershy asked as she struggled to keep up with the strides of the earth pony.

“I’d rather not think about it.” Applejack kept her gaze straightforward.

“But what’s going to happen to them?” the pegasus began to gallop to keep up with her friend.

“I don’t know, now can we drop the subject?”

“We’re just going to leave them?” the yellow mare resorted to short hops while flapping her wings to keep the pace set by the farm pony.

Applejack suddenly stopped and turned on the pegasus. “Yes we are,” she hissed, “if you have a problem with that then just go back now, otherwise I don’t want to hear about it.”

The two mares continued on their way in silence the entire night, keeping a strict pace and never stopping until they came to an unfamiliar town just as the sun was starting to come up.

“Where are we?” Fluttershy asked tentatively breaking the silence.

“I don’t know,” Applejack scanned the small wooden buildings for any signs of life, “and I hope nopony else does either.” A sign posted on a large building on the other end of the town caught their attention as they continued listening for anything to stir. “’The Watering Hole’, sounds like as good a place as any to pick up a few drinks.”

“Oh good, I’m so thirsty.” The pegasus licked her lips and swallowed dryly. They stepped their way past the thick brown weeds that grew through the center of the town as they made their way towards the building.

“Hello? Is anypony here?” Applejack called pushing the front door open and striding into the dark room. The chairs and countertops were all coated in a layer of dust and cobwebs draped across the ceiling. “It doesn’t look like anypony has been here in ages.” The earth pony ran her hoof over the dust covered counter before cantering behind it and pulling out an old blue bottle from below. “At least we have something to drink.” The liquid inside sloshed about as she shook the bottle before pulling out the cork with her teeth. Fluttershy remained silent as she gazed around at the empty room.

“What happened here?” she frowned as she brushed some cobwebs out of the way.

“Heck if I know, now come have something to drink.” The tan mare dusted off a couple of old shot glasses and poured a small amount into them.

“No, something’s not right.” The pegasus continued to scan the room. “What are these hoofprints doing here?”

“Those are your hoofprints.” Applejack looked over the counter at the trail of circles that had been made in the dust.

“Not these ones.” She pointed to the single track trail that lead to the corner of the room.

“Those are probably old.” The earth pony threw back a shot and slammed the glass down on the counter. “See, there’s a layer of dust covering it.” Applejack pointed with her hoof as she scrunched her face and picked up the bottle again. “Wheww! This stuff burns on the way down!” she shook her head quickly back and forth.

Fluttershy frowned as she followed the tracks with her eyes. She could just barely make out the outline of a second, lighter set of tracks leading to the corner and a long streak leading back out through the back door. “Applejack! We have to get out of here!” the pegasus frantically screeched.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

The front door burst open with a crack of wood splintering as a black stallion rushed in and slammed the pegasus that had been in the center of the room against the wall. “Leave my friend alone!” Applejack threw herself over the counter at the stallion and darted in to deliver a quick kick to his abdomen. The stallion was unfazed and smashed her into the ground with his front hoof before giving a quick curb stomp to knock her out. Without any hesitation, he casually strolled across the room to the mare that had been groaning in agony against the wall before slamming his hoof against the side of her head. The yellow pegasus blacked out immediately and didn’t even feel as the stallion threw her and her friend’s limp bodies over each shoulder and strode out.

“Now where are we?” It seemed like only seconds had passed since they were in the strange town. Fluttershy woke and rolled over on the hard white floor to see her friend still lying motionlessly beside her. The walls and ceiling were completely white as she gazed about the small square room. Even the sheets and headboard of the bed were white and it was as if the lamp gave off a light that was whiter than normal, if that even made sense. The hair on the back of her neck rose as she spotted the semi-clear black window next to the door. There was nopony outside. There was no sound at all.

The pegasus slowly got to her hooves to get a better look out the window and try the door. No luck. It was locked just as she thought it would be. Why were they doing this? Why was it so important that they showed up? Her head throbbed as she scanned the room again. There weren’t even any shadows in the corners of the room, which was odd since the small lamp was the only light source.

“Ah Fluttershy,” the pegasus yelped as the door swung open on silent hinges to reveal a gray unicorn. “We’re going to have to ask you to leave. I’m sure your friend would like a bit of privacy.” The unicorn stepped to the side to allow the pegasus to pass by her. Fluttershy looked to the still unconscious earth pony on the ground before slowly stepping past the mare.

“What is this place?”

“All your questions will be answered soon enough, tomorrow I believe.” The unicorn levitated a brown clipboard out of nowhere and flipped the top sheet over before nodding. “Yep, we’ll see you tomorrow Fluttershy.”

The timid pegasus followed the mysterious unicorn through the double doors at the end of the hallway into the gray waiting room on the other side. “You can exit through those doors there.” The gray mare pointed with her clipboard at the door on the other side of the counter.

“Not over there where it says EXIT?” Fluttershy looked to the small sign with green glowing letters that hung above the other set of doors across the room.

“Not yet, you just need to check-out first. Don’t be shy, we’ll take good care of you tomorrow when you come in. Don’t be late.” The unicorn patted her on the back and gave a comforting smile before departing back through the double doors. The old mare behind the desk rolled her eyes as the pegasus uncertainly crossed the room before prodding the door open with one hoof. Fluttershy peered her head around the corner and gasped at the number of lab benches that were strewn about the enormous room. She squealed in surprise and then fright as somepony in a white hazmat suit grabbed her around the neck and she felt a sharp prick in her shoulder before the world went black.

Applejack groaned as she sat up and wiped the drool from her mouth and cheek. The strange white room was empty except for the white bed and white lamp at one end and the gray console and black window at the other. The door swung open out of the corner of her eye the second she shook herself out of her daze and a formal looking unicorn with a clipboard hastily stepped in.

“Applejack, I’m glad you made it.”

“Wha- What happened?” her head pulsed as if it had been bashed in.

“You were late for your appointment so we sent one of our best retrievers to bring you back. It seems you were lost in a town on the outskirts of Equestria. We wouldn’t want anything happening to you now, would we?” the unicorn shook her head back and forth before scribbling some notes down on the clipboard.

“Where am I? What is this white room?”

“Why you’re here for your appointment, silly!” It was obvious that some of Pinkie’s charm had worn off on the unicorn.

“Well what do I have to do?” Applejack glared at the unicorn.

“Oh nothing really; just pick out your dream stallion, have some fun, and you’ll be back in your bed by tomorrow morning.”

“And how will I feel tomorrow morning? Will I be as sick and messed up as Pinkie was?” Her glare turned into a scowl as she stared down the unicorn for answers.

“Probably.” The unicorn replied simply.

“Probably? How can you do this to everypony?”

“Have you ever had a booster shot, Applejack?” the unicorn tilted her head.

“Uh… yeah I’ve had a few actually but I don’t know what that has to do with –“

“And did it hurt?” the gray mare cut her off.

“I guess so…”

“This is the same idea as getting a booster shot. We’re doing this to make your life easier and even though there might be a few unpleasant side-effects, it’s all for the greater good.”

“But what exactly are you doing? I guess that’s the part I don’t get.” Applejack shrugged as her mind raced over all the possible uses for being bred.

“We’re simply continuing the pony race and keeping the population under control.”

“What is this all some kind of big experiment to you? Are we just bacteria growing in your petri dish?”

“That’s one way to describe it, but I wouldn’t use those exact words.” The unicorn took a step back as the earth pony took a hostile step forward.

“Then how would you describe it? Please tell me.” Applejack hissed between her teeth, taking another step towards the gray mare.

“Listen,” the curator took a deep breath before rising up and taking a step forward, “what goes on here is none of your business and it’s my responsibility to make sure everything goes smoothly, that’s it.”

“It’s my body. I think I should have the right to know what’s happening to it and where the parts of me are going.”

The unicorn snorted, almost as if she were laughing. “You have no more rights than the stallions we keep frozen here. Now pick a stallion before I pick one for you, and believe me – you don’t want me to pick for you.”

Applejack sighed, her head drooping as she followed the unicorn out of the room and down the corridor to the double doors at the end. The air rushed past her as the doors swung open and the immensity of the room took her breath away. She couldn’t help but let her jaw drop as she gazed out at the number of white pods that coated the cylindrical wall.

“Don’t be alarmed, whatever you’re feeling is a normal reaction and you’re certainly not the first.” The words sounded rehearsed but Applejack wasn’t listening anyway.

“This is where you keep all the frozen stallions?”

“All twenty-two thousand and forty-eight.” The unicorn smiled at the number.

“Why don’t you let some go? I’m sure you could spare a few.”

“These stallions aren’t exactly what you’d call stable.” The curator chose her words carefully this time.

“Well then send them out to work the fields. I know that the Apple family could sure use their help.” Applejack waited expectantly for what excuse the unicorn would come up with next.

“They’re not that type of pony, now let’s get down to business.” The curator marched across the metal platform to the console while beckoning the earth pony to follow. “This is what we have in stock, take your pick.”

“Have in stock? What are they, tractor parts?” Applejack looked at the unicorn uncertainly.

“They’re parts of some kind,” the gray mare grumbled quietly under her breath.

Applejack sighed and looked at the flashing screen before scrolling down a short ways. Her eyes studied every stallion intently as she searched for the perfect one. Minutes passed and the curator began to tap her hoof impatiently as she waited for the tan mare to pick a stallion. Time kept on passing as the earth pony diligently went through every figure on the console before finally letting out a heavy breath and sitting back on her haunches. “Nope, I don’t see one that I like.” She said defiantly.

“Just pick one!” the gray unicorn exploded. She was a very patient mare but she had never been forced to wait so long for somepony to pick their dream stallion.

“I didn’t see my dream stallion.”

“Why don’t you try the filters this time?” the curator hissed storming up to the console and pointing at the bars at the top of the screen.

“But I already saw them all.” Applejack shrugged.

“You looked through all twenty-two thousand and forty-eight?” the gray mare’s eye twitched as she tried to control her temper.

“Eeyup.”

“Well look again.” The unicorn ground her teeth as she glared at the earth pony.

“If you say so, I’ll just look through them all again.”

“Not so fast!” the curator slammer her hoof down on the console in front of her. “Why don’t you just tell me what your dream stallion looks like and I’ll find him for you.”

“I don’t know what he looks like.” Applejack shrugged again as she looked at the unicorn.

“You don’t even know what your own dream stallion looks like?”

“Nope, but I’ll know him when I see him.”

The unicorn ground her teeth even more as she pointed to the first stallion on the screen. “How about this one?” she said slowly through her teeth.

“Nope.”

“This one?”

“Nope.”

“This one?”

“Nope.”

The curator’s head collapsed onto the console, her face scrolling through the pictures of stallions on the screen.

“Oh I like that one.” The earth pony pointed at one of the stallions on the screen. “Don’t know how I could’ve missed that one.” She scratched her head.

The unicorn shook as she forced a smile. “Very good, I’m glad you found your dream stallion.”

“Well he’s not my dream stallion…”

“I don’t care,” the curator hissed through her forced smile. “Go into one of the rooms and enter his specifications into the console.”

“Will do.” Applejack tipped her hat and departed through the double doors into the white hallway. The unicorn stayed on the platform, fuming in her own anger. “Now which door did she say it was?” the earth pony knocked on the first door. “Somepony’s in here.” A bored voice sounded from inside. ‘I hope the wait isn’t too long.’ She thought as she went to knock on the second door. No answer, but it was locked. She didn’t get an answer from the next three doors either but they were all locked as well. “Shoot it’s just not my day, is it?” she tried the next door which was also locked. ‘How many ponies could they possibly have in here at the same time?’ The very last door clicked just as she was walking up to it. She tried pushing it open but it didn’t budge. “Really?” she raised a curious eyebrow at each of the doors spanning the hallway. “Not a single room for me? What happened to the one I was in?” she strolled back to the white double doors at the end of the hallway looking for the curator. “Hey ma’am.” She found the unicorn stroking her temples in small circles with her hooves at the edge of the platform.

The curator let out an exhausted breath as she turned to find the earth pony addressing her. “What is it? What could it possibly be that you had to come back?”

“Hey you’re the one that dragged me here.”

“I won’t be making that mistake again,” the gray unicorn grumbled. “Now what can I help you with?”

“All the rooms are being used.” Applejack pointed with her hoof back towards the hallway.

The curator’s brow furrowed as she quickly cantered past the earth pony and through the double doors. “This shouldn’t be. Why would they all be – you were late.” The unicorn sighed as the realization struck her. “Well then go wait… over there or something, away from me.”

“Wait this one works. Don’t know how I could’ve missed it.” The tan mare laughed softly as she pushed the door open and let it slam back behind her. The curator growled deep in the back of her throat, this earth pony was beginning to try her patience like no other pony could. “Now what did that stallion look like again?” Applejack mused to herself while gently rubbing her chin with her hoof. She entered whatever she could remember into the console and the stallion she had seen popped up immediately. “Well that’s a lucky break.” She pressed enter and jumped back as the wall behind her broke away, revealing the cavernous cylindrical room she had been in before. A glint of polished metal flashed past the room and down into the depths of the shadows below before returning with one of the space-age pods clutched in its claws. The floor shook as the metallic hand dropped the white pod roughly in the center of the room and took off again as the wall slid back into a place with the sound of locks clicking together. The pod opened immediately with the thunderous hiss of pressurized gas escaping and the room grew cold almost instantly. Applejack shivered as she approached the pod to get a glimpse inside. The stallion she had picked certainly looked handsome. His full, toned muscles rippled as he came to life with a gasp of air and collapsed onto the shoulders of the mare that had been expecting to catch him. Her legs wobbled beneath the weight of the massive stallion, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. She’d carried loads of apples heavier than this big fella.

“Well come along then, let’s get you over to this bed and warm you up.” The earth pony dragged the stallion over her shoulders across the room and threw him onto the bed before hopping up and cuddling in close to share her warmth. “Now how’s that feel, better?” she rubbed her hoof up and down his body as he continued to shake and shiver. His lips were still a pale blue and clumps of frost hung in his mane. She leaned in close to plant a sensual kiss on his frozen lips as his body continued to refuse to warm up. The stallion closed his eyes and tilted his head as the mare’s breath warmed him and filled his entire body with sensation. His shivering finally stopped as her tongue danced inside of his mouth, fighting with his own over this newfound territory. It was an uphill battle until he decided to take the fight to her mouth, thrusting his tongue past both of their lips and causing the mare to gasp and pull away. He smiled triumphantly as the mare gave him a curious look before driving her lips straight into his again. Her cowboy hat tipped up and fell to her back, held on by the thin leather strap around her neck, as they drew closer together and pressed their bodies against one another. The cold of the stallion’s skin sent shivers down her spine while the heat of her skin drove him on. Her breath fell hot and heavy around his face as he began to lean her down onto the bed only to find that she was resisting him. He struggled to push her down with all of his weight but the mare was easily holding him off and began flipping him over to his back.

He fell like a rock onto the bed as the mare finally forced him over. The bed groaned and creaked beneath him as the springs bounced his body what little amount they could. Applejack felt the erection growing across the toughened skin of her stomach as she held the stallion down with one hoof and pulled her cowboy hat back over her head with the other. The bed sagged even more as she leaned in close to the stallion, sandwiching his throbbing cock between them while gently kissing his neck and stepping onto the bed with her back legs. She rubbed her hoof across his chest as she pulled back again with her legs spread across his crotch. The stallion groaned at the warm sensation of her juices flowing from her snatch and down his leg. He gasped as the mare began to move her hips and the lips of her dripping slit slid over the length of his member over and over again. His cock pulsed as she wiggled like a snake on top of him. She continued to ride him, her juices collecting on his stomach before suddenly going a little bit further on one of the passes with her slit and tilting her hips down so that she would be impaled by him.

The stallion gasped louder than she did as the length of him disappeared inside of her and he began to thrust his hips uncontrollably. “Not so fast, big fella.” She rode him like a bucking bronco up and down, refusing to let his shaft slide one inch inside of her. The stallion looked up at her with a confused expression as she settled herself in and got comfortable. After a few moments she began to slowly bounce up and down, already beginning to breathe harder at the pleasure that was coursing through her body. As soon as the stallion began to thrust his hips to the rhythm of the earth pony on top of him, she stopped. He looked up at her again with a confused expression, the frustration already starting to sink in. Applejack smiled at the stallion before putting her hoof down firmly on his chest again and gradually moving her hips up and down again. The stallion sat back and relaxed as the mare continued to torture him with her slow movements. He tried grabbing her hips but she just pulled his hooved away and continued on. Even when he tried to get up, she forced him down and kept up her leisurely bouncing. The stallion ground his teeth as the mare showed no signs of speeding up.

Applejack smiled as she looked at the frustrated expression on the stallion’s face. ‘I didn’t think he’d be this easy to break.’ Her body shook as she continued her snail-like pace of riding him. ‘That’s probably enough. Even I’m getting tired of this.’ She put the weight of her hooves down on his outstretched front legs to hold him down as she began to bounce up and down harder against his crotch. The bedsprings squeaked as she increased her speed and rode him with everything she had, twisting her hips back and forth and pulling one hoof up to hold her cowboy hat against her head. She looked down and grinned at the stallion not grabbing her hips or thrusting back. ‘Good boy, you learn fast.’ She thought throwing her head back again. Her body bobbed up and down on top of him, her mane flying wildly around her, before the stallion finally let out a massive groan before losing all self-control and thrusting up with all of his might. Applejack climaxed along with him as the sensation of his cock exploding inside of her flooded through her body and she eventually found herself collapsed on the stallion’s chest gasping and panting for air.

“I’d give that a solid ten.” She turned her head to rest her cheek on the stallion’s shoulder and grin slyly. The stallion smiled back, his member going soft inside of her as he felt their combined fluids rush out of the mare who was just beginning to sit up. “Maybe next time we could –“ she didn’t even hear the silent hoofsteps of the ponies that had darted into the room and forced the needle with green sludge into her back. Her body collapsed on top of him heavily, her eyes already closed. The stallion struggled against the mare on top of him who was still pinning him down as the black visor of the hazmat pony came into view behind her.