“Fluttershy?” Twilight peered into the small cottage and frowned. “I got your message.”
A soft voice could be heard upstairs. “I’m in my room.”
Twilight slowly made her way up the stairs. She knew she wasn’t actually sore, but boredom with her duties as a princess had made her almost constantly tired. Fluttershy did say I might like what she had found, so at least I have something to look forward to. A yawn escaped her mouth as she walked into the room.
Fluttershy beckoned her over and pointed to the small hammock she had setup. Within was a wounded starfish. “That’s it?”
“What?”
“When you said you had an interesting creature for me to see, I expected something a little more than what I can find at the beach.”
Fluttershy looked back at the creature and furiously shook her head. “Trust me, this is not a normal starfish, if of that family at all. It has too small of a base and.’ She peeled away one of the tentacles which caused the thing to let out a small squeal as the bandaged tentacle was moved. “Starfish don’t have a round base like this.” She stepped out of the way and held her breath as she waited for Twilight’s response.
“You’re right. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like this in my nature books.” She turned her head as Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. “What?”
“Oh! Nothing, I promise. But… are you sure? I don’t really know how to take care of it as it isn’t like anything I’ve seen before.” She crossed her forelegs and looked down at it. “I thought you might.”
Twilight bit into her cheek and then glanced at the beast as well. It was something new, something not even Fluttershy knew about. A long dormant part of her started to bubble and she smiled wide. “I could always examine it. Figure out how it ticks and how to take care of it.”
Fluttershy saw the grin and covered the hammock with her body. “Twilight, I am not allowing you to experiment on it.”
She scowled. “It isn’t like I was going to dissect it. I would just keep it in a cage and see how it reacts to different types of food and such. Maybe even raise it to see how it…” She stopped talking as her friend glared at her.
“No. If you want to raise it and evaluate it, that is fine. However, I have to know you won't harm it in the process. I've heard of what can happen to animals during testing, the dissecting, the torture, the...” Fluttershy became silent as she got lost in thought and fear.
Twilight closed her mouth and looked to her hooves. “I… I didn’t mean it like that.”
Fluttershy took a step forward. “Then how did you mean it?” She took a step back as she noted the anger in her voice. “I’m sorry Twilight. I didn’t mean to get rude.”
The princess glanced away before sitting on her hindquarters. “No, no you’re right. That is all I was thinking about. If you give me a chance though, I would like to study it and check to make sure I have no records of it. That way I can make sure it is no danger to anypony and keep a record for future generations.” She bit into her lip as the fact that it still sounded like an experiment dawned on her. “And I will do it as a diary, not a journal.”
Fluttershy sucked her lips back and frowned. “I don’t know Twilight. I know how busy you are and if Owliscious wasn’t so self sufficient or Spike wasn’t able to cook for himself…” It was now her turn to stop because of the glare.
“I promise to take care of it.” Twilight sighed and put her hoof to her head. “Look, I think I need this. Something to actually take care of and do could help me forget about my paperwork and such and let me be happy again. Please.”
Fluttershy thought back to all of the times she had seen Twilight as of late moping around town as she got chores and errands done. It had been a little pitiful. “You promise to take care of it.”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly.”
Fluttershy pushed the basket over to Twilight and nodded. “Its bandage will need redressing every twelve hours until the cut is healed. I don’t know how long that will take, so check often.”
Twilight nodded and levitated the basket into the air. “Thank you Fluttershy. If I need anything, I’ll make sure to come to you.”
“Good luck Twilight.”
Dear diary,
The beast has now moved in with me and has healed. From here on out I will record its behavior and growth when I deem fit or necessary. So far it has not done anything too unusual and seems to be able to eat most edible things given to it. Unfortunately, this includes small animals as Fluttershy found out when one of her mice came too close to it. It also now has a few scratches on what I must consider its face.
As for the creature, at the moment it is comprised of about eight short tentacle appendages that can wrap around a central circular core to protect it. This core appears to have a hard exoskeleton and only one hole where anything it grabs goes into. As well, minus the pink inside of its sharp maw, the whole creature is a dark black which would help it blend in with the shadows.
As for containment, for its safety, my safety, and possibly Spike’s, it is kept within a wooden crate with an open top for the moment. I am currently ordering a larger box made of steel for if it grows much and gains strength. This box will also contain small holes in the sides and top with the top being comprised of hard plastic so that it may have light and air.
So far no sign of communication has been shown except rare squeals and yelps of pain. Otherwise it stays silent and usually simply lays down with its tentacles spread out. I am not sure if it has higher intelligent functions, but its curiosity and small sized tentacles but larger base suggest that it will grow, and grow a lot.
I will admit it is a little cute, but I am currently uncertain how to feel about it. It could try to kill all ponies it meets when grown but hopefull an environment of friendship of peace will make sure that does not happen. If only this had worked on the chimera, cockatrice, or hydra.
I suppose this is the end of this log as I don’t have much to say the the subject is asleep.
-Twilight
======+++++======
Dear diary.
It has been about a week since my last log. So far interactions with the beast have been short and mainly to give it food. I have been observing it from afar, and before today it had never seemed to want to move past what was required to eat. However, today I moved it to its new home within the steel box and it resisted violently. As a note for the future, I suspect it to be territorial and preferring one home until it is destroyed, even if the new one has blankets lining the bottom and is wider.
Next comes its diet. The creature seems to prefer meat, though fruits and vegetables will feed it fine so I will be trying to see how it progresses on a vegetarian diet. That way it is less likely to attack ponies if it has violent tendencies.
Fluttershy is disapproving of my current treatment of the subject. This is of no consequence as I am doing fine to make it live and prosper. It has what it needs and will do just fine. Besides, the bruise on my cheek is more than enough to have me annoyed at the moment.
-Twilight
======+++++======
Dear diary,
~~It~~ Tentle is growing. It is growing even further than I first had expected and now is half the size of me and shows no sign of slowing. Even though it scares me slightly, it also seems to have started to connect to me over these last few weeks. I know it wasn’t much, but it tugging on my hoof and that small whine when I closed his cell again hurt. Perhaps Tentle is growing more intelligent as it grows.
Also, two changes to original thoughts. My suspicion of it being young must have been correct as it seems to be growing at a rapid rate as it matures. I do not know what its end size will be, but if it keeps up this pass it will have to be moved out of the castle in approximately three months. Furthermore, I have decided it needed a name. Fluttershy laughed when I chose it. I still stand by the fact that it fits.
Tentle is also growing more aware. It seems to watch me and I can only guess that it has identified me as a sort of mother figure. I suppose as its owner I am such a person but it does feel awkward to be constantly watched. I will need to bring Fluttershy over to see how it reacts.
-Twilight
Further notes: It backed away from Fluttershy when I brought her in. It seemed less afraid though when it first became cognizant of others, but we will have to see if this is good or bad. I hope it is good.
======+++++======
Dear diary,
It has officially been two months since I first adopted Tentle. I am taking this rainy night as a chance to catch up as my work has kept me away from this journal. Tentle is doing well, though Spike doesn’t like it now being larger than I am. My guess of another two months seems to be fairly accurate, if not a little overshot for when it must be moved.
I have been allowing Tentle more time to stretch his tentacles and become more accustomed to the castle in its entirety when I can. I believe my guess on its territorial patterns are correct as he often ends up only leaving for a few minutes to explore a few feet before returning to his home. I am a bit afraid of being smacked when we have to move him, but it is a risk I will have to make.
I still have not made much progress on whether it is male or-
Boom!
Twilight glanced out the window when she heard the thundercrack but then looked behind her to Tentle’s steel box as it rattled. She flew up and over it before peering within. Tentle was backed away into one corner, a mass of eighteen tentacles that writhed about.
Boom!
Twilight scowled at the lightning. Ease up weather team. I know we’ve been needing a storm but this is rediculous. Looking back to the beast showed it having jumped and pushed to the other far corner of the box. She bit into her lip and levitated two apples from her kitchen over. A quick undoing of the lid and she hopped into the large box as she had times before.
“Don’t worry about that lighting. The castle absorbs it so nopony can be electrocuted within. That includes you. Also, food. I know you like that.” Twilight waited with a nervous smile as Tentle showed the most amount of movement it ever had before. She started to to straighten her neck before bumping the room with her horn and scowling. Looks like I have to find some other way to calm him.
The purple mare trotted closer and placed the apples between her and the beast. Tentle slowly started to calm as it smelled its master. Slowly the long tentacles moved forward and one coiled around and apple. It put the succulent fruit against its mouth and
Boom!
Twilight scowled as the fruit splashed on one of the walls and spread juices all over the box. She then sighed as she hoped that it would be comforted by her next action instead of sending her into the wall as well. Slowly she navigated through the whipping tentacles before she dashed the last part and hugged the core tight. One tentacle slammed into her shoulder and wrapped around the foreleg before giving it a tight squeeze, but the rest stayed put.
“There there. See? I won’t hurt you, and neither can the thunder. Now calm down, please.”
The creature slowly relaxed and moved its coils to the core rather than the spread out offensive position. The painfully tight grip on her foreleg eased up and slowly the smooth appendage moved away. Another tentacle moved around and gently gripped the base of her wing and Twilight let out a small grunt. “Careful. They’re strung tight and I swear could snap at any moment.”
Tentle moved its fifth tentacle a bit higher and felt how tight the muscles were. It didn’t like that and five more tentacles raised themselves to come closer to Twilight’s wings. She felt them start to coil over her fragile wings and almost had a stroke when she realized how vulnerable she was. That was stopped as a pained moan escaped her from the tough pressure on the base of her joints.
Slowly the coils moved around her wings, slowly sifting through her feathers and practically preening her. She knew she could still be in great danger as the core rolled onto her back, but the stress that was being released was well worth the risk. She started to groan in pain and immediately the tentacles slowed.
“You can tell when I’m in pain?” The tense tone must have made Tentle worry further because Twi felt the tentacles stop in response. “Do-don’t worry. I’m fine. In fact, I kind of wish you could do this to my whole body.”
She was slightly disappointed when the creature didn’t start using its other tentacles, but she was still quite happy to feel their soft pressure return to her wings. They only deepened their massage when they found a particularly sore joint and Twilight was thanking Celestia that they didn’t consider her whole back as one large problem spot.
Then the other tentacles joined in with a yelp from Twilight. She doubted it was because of her words earlier, but the slick arms pressed against her barrel and legs in a slight needing motion. Soon she found herself being given a full body hug as Tentle slowly tensed and contracted his muscles to massage hers. She gave a lightly pleasure moan and leaned to her side. Soon the soft warmth and comforting press of the appendages caused her eyes to droop and she slid to the ground.
In the morning she found him still wrapped around her and almost all the tension in her body gone. She slowly worked her way out and noted nothing to be off about her body. She flew over to the journal and added, Extremely affectionate to those it grows close too. Also, afraid of lightning.
Experiment change: Tentle is no longer forced within a box as he is not a viable danger to me or Spike.
======+++++======
Dear diary,
Tomorrow is when I will have to move Tentle. I still cannot judge age or gender on more basis than simply size, but I suspect that if one were to put it into phases of life, it is progressing to its second stage. I assume this because he has grown ten percent in forty-eight hours. Because of this he has pushed back my planned moving day three weeks and I am not looking forward to what I will have to do seeing as I can’t get other ponies’ help. They wouldn’t understand, and I was supposed to have more time to retrieve them and show Tentle to others.
That, or I know the truth, that until I have a final assessment of his danger that they won’t accept him. It saddens me as he truly seems to only want kindness and acceptance like any pony.
The growing process has also been tearing at my heart as he is almost always trying to get my attention. Most of the time it is for food, but other times it is to just have me there. I don’t know how it feels about me, but I suspect it can feel things like joy and love because it will put off food until I have left its side or only if I move directly next to its meal.
This closeness has done two things for me and my research. First, I feel like a giant ball of mush and am currently trying to get used to daily full body massages. They feel amazing and I love his tentacles all over my body.
Note: Make sure to make a condensed version that only has observations for submission to wildlife journals. Otherwise, I might die of embarrassment.
The other thing is a new type of tentacle that is joining the rapidly multiplying amount on him to support the growth. These new ones are ones I suspect to clean itself and grab smaller prey. While the vines themselves are smaller, they have large bulbs at the end that can open and close shut. To allow you to know how well these might be at hunting or grabbing, one can pick up a nail while another grabs and pulls on my hoof. For now he only has a couple, but if his new thirty tentacles are any sign, I suspect he will grow many more.
I will make another entry after his move to a clearing near Fluttershy’s house that is on the edge of the Everfree. There he will be safe while I take care of him.
-Twilight Sparkle
P.S. I can’t believe I forgot this, but research will continue despite the amount of time it might take for trips to the new location. Fluttershy has promised to help.
======+++++======
Dear diary,
I hurt. I REALLY hurt. I feel like Rainbow Dash after she drank five shots of expresso and crashing after an instantaneous Sonic Rainboom. In other words, I HURT!
That felt good to let out. Now on to the emotional pain and worry.
Tentle took the move about as well as I had expected. I had caused him to coil around me like for a massage and then teleported so no one would see him. He had immediately tightened around me and stayed that way for almost thirty-nine hours. It had taken a good bit of talking down, but I’m happy that I let him get off on his own instead of Fluttershy using the stare to force his removal. It did come with some consequences.
Past the obvious physical pain of being squeezed for so long, I have finally decided to call Tentle a he. This is because of what he did as he calmed down. For about the last two hours his tentacles started to search me, trying to map me out like his normal homes. However, upon finding my ~~vag~~ ~~pu~~ private area, they had frozen back to staying there.
Then, and I shudder as I write this because my heart and mind are in a pitched combat on how to feel about this, he groped me for two hours. The whole time he never penetrated me, but a light pink and slick substance had started to emerge from him and contact to my skin It made me feel ashamed of myself, okay? That is all I’m saying to
Myself. I need help.
I allowed him to probe me in the desperate hope that it was just exploration and that he would sense the tension within me as he has in the past with his massages. When Tentle picked me up though and revealed its core to me, I fought. Tentle sits in the corner with bandages on himself and cream to help with the burns. But that scream, that dreadful scream.
This journal is finished. I’m having trouble keeping my head right now. I’ll discuss behavioral signs and such when I am coherent about Tentle again.
-Twilight Sparkle.
======+++++======
Dear diary,
This is Fluttershy this time. Twilight said I should try to make my own entry if I saw something. So this is my first attempt I guess.
Twilight made me swear to not read her entries and she did the same for me, so I’ll start with Twilight. She seems to be having problems. It’s been almost a week since Tentle has moved and she still won’t go into the grove. She says its because she’s busy with paperwork, but I suspect it is because she doesn’t know who to blame. I told her to blame no one other than instinct and that we both knew this was a possibility. I can’t deny her the fact that I wish we had been wrong.
Moving away from her though, Tentle is making a slow recovery from the magical burns, but other parts of him show wonderful signs of growth from him that I would not have expected. Unlike what I had feared, he does not rely on others for food. He still seems to only really eat leaves and such, but I’m not about to complain about that. I don’t want him munching on Angel.
The growth rate finally slowed from what Twilight tells me. His teenage state as we are calling it currently has over forty tentacles, with most being his normal vines. These are the ones that cuddle me. I try not to scream, but I am so happy that he hasn’t tried ‘massaging’ me. I don’t think I would have the strength to take what Twilight did.
I hope they both recover soon. I think Twilight needs Tentle to be okay before she can forgive herself for trying to kill him.
-Fluttershy
======+++++======
Dear diary,
This is Twilight again. I know two weeks was longer than I should have taken but my duties really did pick up again. That is of course while not mentioning my own confliction. Confliction I have left behind as my back is being carefully taken care of by Tentle.
Oh, this by no means I just forgave him. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to speak for the next week because of how much I screamed and scolded him. However, I did forgive him and now he gets to try to make up for it. I think this proves that his species has some sort of higher intelligence as he seems to understand me, but has no way to properly communicate to me. Not that having a mouth over you heart and stomach would help with that.
Speaking of which, I got to see the dark red flesh within the black shell beneath his core. Unsurprisingly, the moment you can spot it on him, he’ll try to hide it. At least, for me. Fluttershy barely avoided being hurt by his writhing tentacles. Luckily that is all he has done to either of us. I don’t think he wants to hurt either of us and the pain of growing and the fear of leaving caused his actions. That, and instinct as Fluttershy has pointed out.
Finally, I must talk about what I suspect his mating processes are. This growth spurt brought along an expansion of his core and a molting neither of us had noticed because of fear for my health. Its core is now the size of a full grown stallion and I suspect contains its eggs.
I assume it mates through eggs and incubation by the fact that it tried ~~raping~~ mating with me at all. Only by having a system that only required a warm host with an inside, like a large mammal, would such a deed be possible unless this wasn’t an instinctive choice. If that is the case
No. The liquid supports this hypothesis as well. The aphrodisiac would be able to subdue the target to allow implantation. That is why it would have something like that. Yes, that is perfect reasoning.
Tentle, Fluttershy, I’m scared.
-Twilight Sparkle
======+++++======
Dear diary,
Fluttershy this time. I will keep this brief as Twilight felt some sort of status report was needed after a month. We haven’t seen much from him. He is simply acting kind and caring and I’ve even been convinced by Twi to let him give my wings a small massage. I can’t lie, they’re pretty nice.
The only thing I really have to say is that I assume he is normally more aggressive than he is now. I have made sure my creatures stay away from him just in case, but with his strength and ability to devour meat, I have to wonder if he normally is a predator. His vines don’t look normal, yes, but if anything roamed within his range they could easily be devoured by the now difficult amount of tentacles to count.
I don’t think we should worry though. Even when he seems to be, um, excited as Twilight puts it, he doesn’t harm us. Tentle must have taken her words to heart and I’m happy he isn’t just trying to let instinct take over.
As an animal expert, I think Tentle’s race, when faced with the possibility of living near ponies would be perfect, especially if taught to make other predators stay away from Ponyville. It would be nice to never lose another chicken to cockatrices.
-Fluttershy
======+++++======
Dear Tentle,
It’s me Twilight and my heart breaks as I listen to you outside. I know the bear wasn’t from near by. I know you were just trying to protect us, but Fluttershy could have taken care of it.
Crunch, snap, slurp.
Twilight looked outside into the dark night and the outline of Tentle. It had been about sunset when the bear had arrived. Tentle had just wanted to protect us, but to watch him devour such a beast part by part. Twilight swallowed hard to control her gag reflex. She trotted over to Fluttershy and sat on the couch next to her.
Fluttershy glanced over. “I don’t think he can stay. He was already starting to outgrow the clearing anyways.”
“Don’t say it like that.”
She glanced down. “I’m sorry Twilight. I’m just trying to tell you the truth. I was hoping it might help.”
Twilight glanced back out and rubbed her eyes. “You’re, you’re right. I’ll… I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” She levitated the book back over and wrote, I loved you as my pet Tentle, and I promise to find you somewhere safe to finish growing. Promise.
-Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight sat back as Fluttershy finally started to back away from Tentle. Sweat covered the yellow pegasus’s brow and at any moment the stare would break. It was the only way they could come up with though to not get either possibly killed, at least not while getting him there. When he woke up was a different case.
Magic filled the air around Fluttershy and when she simply couldn’t take it anymore, she blinked. Immediately she was ten feet away from the clearing and could hear the roar that their pet gave out to the change in environment. Trees let out loud smacks, branches let out a cacophony of crashes, all while tentacles flew about in a wild frenzy of fear. Fluttershy backed away while Twilight stood resolute.
“You don’t actually expect him to be able to listen to you anytime soon, right Twilight?”
Twilight only watched the chaos instead of looking back as she answered. “I hope he will and if he can’t, I will face the dangers. He was and still is my responsibility and I’m not just about to abandon him without saying goodbye. You may go if you wish Fluttershy. In fact,” she paused as she mulled over the idea in her head, “I think I would actually prefer it if you left.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Are… are you sure.” She watched as Twilight nodded and saw the a solitary tear fall from her face. Fluttershy gave her friend a soft smile as she turned away. She herself had experienced such pains before, but knew Twilight was more than strong enough to take it.
Tentle let out another roar and Twilight swallowed hard as she watched him dig up the hard earth beneath him. He had already grown to be so big so fast. This also meant he had become quite deadly, at least in theory. Her horn flickered to life as a scent she could barely trace filled the air about her.
The beast froze in place as it picked up the scent and let out a low pitched whine. Twilight almost felt her heart break as the tentacles became more frantic as he now grabbed whatever was in reach. She sent her magic out again and placed a calming auric hoof near his base. The creature slowed its movement, though the earth in front of it still almost exploded with about ten tentacles.
Twilight stepped forward and ducked underneath one of the black vines as she came closer. One blow would probably knock her out and she couldn’t risk it. The magical hoof disappeared momentarily and appeared on the other side of the core. She slammed herself to the ground the free tentacles whipped about to now try to reach for its mother again.
At this point loud echoing whines filled the clearing. Twilight’s eyes filled with tears as she hopped over the last obstacle and she was finally next to the core of her pet. Her wonderful, little pet. She nuzzled against it before sitting down, unable to control the few more tears that fell from her muzzle.
Two tentacles snaked around her hind hooves tentatively to make sure it was the real thing and not another fake and felt her shake. One of the bulbed vines came around to in front of her face before nuzzling her. A slight giggle escaped from the princess as the sucker took one of the tears.
“I’m sorry Tentle. We should have at least warned you you were moving, but then we would have had to tell you why.”
A low growl came from Tentle. Twilight guessed it was because she thought she was hurt, and the few more tentacles that came over and started to prod her body for injury proved it to her. “I’m fine, I promise.”
Tentle retracted his limbs as he tried to figure out what it was. He had only heard his mother and beloved Twilight be like this about one time and then that had been after he had tried mating with her. Twilight heard the growl become a roar as she was pulled into the air.
“Tentle, I’m okay. Nopony hurt me.” Even with that said she couldn’t stop crying.
The beast kept Twilight in his coils as he continued to check her and more and more of his tentacles decided to join. None of them found what caused her pain though. She had tension, but no where near the levels she had had in the past. Tentle let out small whine as he brought her closer.
Twilight extended her one free hoof and stroked against the core of the beast. For a moment the tentacles squeezed her tighter. They let go though and it only broke Twilight’s heart further. He trusted her so much, but now she had to betray him. You have to. Just keep telling yourself that Twilight.
“Tentle, after today, I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again. I… I can’t keep taking care of you. Other ponies wouldn’t understand and-” Fear raced through her as a tentacle closed her muzzle. Another came around wrapped over her throat. Finally her eyes were covered and she was a mummified pony within his coils.
Heat was all around her, and soon Twilight realized she had nothing to fear. None of the tentacles were touching her inappropriately, and they barely moved. She was simply being held by the creature she had grown so fond of and would enjoy it for all she could. After what she had hoped was hours, the tentacles moved away.
She could hear its whine. Hear the crashing of the tentacles as it moved away of its own volition. Twilight never opened her eyes though. She would want one more hug, on more nuzzle, one more massage, and she couldn’t. Instead she turned around and did as the beast did: cry until she found her way ‘home’.
