And First, Her Ring of Thorns
“Is it really that hard for you to remember to use a place mat when you're drinking something cold?” The little dragon rambled, poking his three page long chore-list into her sides.
Twilight forced herself to nod and smile, cringing of all the times she had.
“Who does that? Do you know how many rings I have to wipe off the tables because of you. And please finish your drinks, don't leave them around the house until they go bad and- ”
The sharp two-tone whistle of the arriving train interrupted the stream of words bubbling out of Spike's mouth. Startled, he glanced up into Twilight's bland smiling face and sighed, not liking what he saw there. “I don't know why I even bother. I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad how much of slob you are.” Twilight smiled harder, her left eye twitching.
She pursed her lips, not rising to the bait.
“What are your plans this week?” Spike switched tactics, moving his arms around to rest on his back as he gave her a sly look. Somehow, she resisted the urge to stoop to his level and roll her eyes. “I know my plans for next week is to start clearing out that pigsty you call a basement.”
“Spike, we've talked about this.” Twilight groaned, knowing that she played into his claws. “I don't want you down there. There's so much that needs to sort out what's been salvaged from the library. It could be volatile or react to the slightest stimuli before creating some cataclysmic explosion.”
“You say that like all of the time.”
“That's because it's true.” Twilight asserted, thinking how the bulk of her experiments had actually been lost and all that was left for her to do was to shuffle through what she sealed further into the tree. Before their home was destroyed. It should be fairly easy for her to sort but that didn't mean she wanted or had to do it now.
That's what this really was about. With Spike heading to Canterlot and Twilight left alone, he wanted bully her into cleaning.
If he couldn't clean, she had to clean it.
“I don't care.” He said, puffing out his chest. “When I walk around that section of the castle, it smells puke, brimstone and a freshly-baked cupcake that was ran over by a manure-hauling wagon three times. My nose can't handle the crazy. Clean. Start. Call the girls over and make a party of it but please do something.”
“But Spike, there are so many important things I- that I need to be working on-”
“I'm sure you do.” He snorted. “But promise me you'll try to do something. We live indoors so it shouldn't smell like outdoors.”
Twilight looked away, crossing her arms.
“Twilight.”
“Okay. I promise.”
Two hours after Spike's departure to Canterlot, Twilight sighed as she heard the bossy voice of his ringing into her ears. She rolled her eyes, pushing herself away from her desk. Mentally declaring that she was cleaning only because she felt like it.
The night was young as Twilight strolled her way downstairs, the lanterns flickering on and lighting her way as she crossed the castle.
Spike was ridiculous. Their castle was massive, not as wide and grand as Canterlot Castle, but with plenty of spare rooms where they could simply let things lie. If she left a book in a hall, it could take days before she came across it again. They even had more than one basement. If she really wanted to, she could spell the room to be scent-free and place a illusion over the furniture. Spike would never know if she actually cleaned or not. Especially, when she bans him from entering that particular room.
'But,' Twilight thought, 'I have been procrastinating. There's no reason why I shouldn't clean.'
Her light flats made a tinkling sound as she stepped into the basement where she stored the remains of experiments she was only tinkering with before. Nothing substantial had come out of them. As she walked to the pile of hastily stacked papers and charts, she noticed how her shoes seemed to sink into the ground.
“That's weird.” The crystal floor seemed thinner, muted, as she observed it. “Maybe, it's a quirk of the castle.” Twilight glanced at the rest of the large room, her eyes roaming the larger machines charred at the edges and the many beakers and connecting tubes reeking of burnt wood. A slumping mass of empty boxes took the corner. Iron cabinets bursting with yellowed paper were sprinkled around the place.
What had she been thinking when she dropped all this stuff off? Mixing everything up without making sure to set everything up properly. This place was a real dump. The stench took her breath away as she wiggled her nose. Okay, Spike was right. If only a little.
Twilight lit her horn, moving one of the larger cardboard boxes to the center of the floor. Taking a marker from a nearby table, she scribbled 'Trash' and got to work. The alicorn started off with removing flame-licked papers, test tubes burnt black, broken gadgets and other things she'd grown to love over the years.
A bit teary-eyed, she slowed in her efforts.
So much research had been lost.
So much work destroyed by a petty Tirek.
Shuffling through the garbage, Twilight came across a plant pot that was bundled under some dirty laundry. “I was wondering where those were.” She said, setting the pot aside as she thumbed through the clothing. Skirts. Shirts. A pair of polka-dotted pajama Pinkie had gotten for her eight slumber parties ago. They were pretty much ruined. “What am I going to tell, Pinkie?”
As Twilight made vocal notes over the state of her clothing, “Rarity's going to think I let them fry on purpose.” she said, holding up a pair of lavender velvet panties dyed black from the ash, the mare didn't noticed the plant pot moving closer until it- “Hey!”
A black vine with blue thorns wrapped around the underwear, snatching it out of her hands. The ruined pair was pulled into the soil, vanishing out of sight with a terrifying gulp from whatever was in the pot.
Twilight gripped the pot, shaking it. “What do you think you're doing?”
A blue bulb sprouted, rising to be at the same height of her face. Twilight dropped the pot, stepping back as she studied the plant-like creature. It sneezed, its pollen blowing everywhere. Twilight sniffed the air, finding the scent oddly fragrant and musky. The bulb tilted its head in her direction, bobbing in the air before roots bursted out of the bottom.
Now mobile, the plant slithered toward her.
“Stop. I said stop! Those colors, that speed. I've seen you before.” Twilight charged her horn, attempting to levitate it but the plant shook off her magic.
Instead, it scrambled faster.
Not willing to try her luck, Twilight took to the air. Flying towards the stairs as the plant followed, its vines growing bigger and bigger. At this rate, it would definitely catch up to her. To secure the castle, Twilight decided, unfortunately, that all of her research would have to go up in flames.
How was she going to explain this to Spike? That little clean-freak would never let her hear the end of it now.
If only she had come here earlier and, ugh, cleaned.
She released a few fire spells and shot past the plant, watching as the small embers erupted into a magical inferno. The alicorn magicked the doors shut and hoped the plunder-plant would die in the flames.
The doors behind her thudded and thudded, the plant banging against it until she smelled the cracking stench of burning wood rise in the air. Then the doors were silent. At least, all she needed now was a fire hose to clear the place out. A chore she could save for tomorrow.
Twilight leaned onto the railing, catching her breath. “Now I must write the princesses a letter. I'm not looking forward to that. Celestia will be so disappointed in me if she knew I was terrible at-”
Something thin and hollow sunk itself into the back of her neck, twisting inside before something cloying and sweet went down her throat. Twilight went limp, consumed by the strange toxins she swallowed. She gurked, words turning into babble as she tried to talk, to shout for help. There was no point. She was all by herself in an empty castle. Nobody would come for her. The alicorn slid to the step on all fours, her body shivering and needing relief.
'Now wasn't', she rocked her hips, feeling her panties cling to her dampening cunt, 'the time for this'.
Why was she so horny? Twilight leaned forward, spreading her legs as she humped the air. The fabric of her panties rubbed into her clit, easing some of the pressure. The alicorn pulled up her shirt, pressing her bare breasts into the cold stone, relishing in the pain and pleasure. If she got the angle right, she could probably ride her way to-
'Wait. Wait! The letter first, masturbation later!'
Still, she rubbed one thigh, her finger wandering down to under her skirt before realizing something else was rubbing the other. The vines. They got out? Twilight closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. Her skirt was lifted up as her panties were tugged off. Twilight panted, her mind growing blank as she felt air on her bottom.
Escape. She had to escape now.
The alicorn teleported, reaching her bedroom before she passed out.
Twilight woke up in her bed, gasping as she held her neck.
It was only a dream, right?
The alicorn climbed out of her sheets, quickly walking to the bathroom. Peering inside of the mirror, she saw herself with a curving ivy-blue tattoo that stretched around her neck like a wreathe of thorns. She rubbed her fingers on it, feeling the tattoo hum with magic.
It was strange how she chose to sleep in yesterday's clothes but not completely out of the ordinary.
A tight black tank top for working in the late hour and a purple skirt that was nice to wear around the house. Her perky C-cups breasts stared back at her in the mirror and Twilight gave them a wink, considering taking a shower before something else caught her attention. She rubbed her thighs together, feeling something trickle from between them. And the lack of panties between them.
'When did I take off my underwear?' And then another thought overrode the first one, 'Why did it matter? The underwear would have gotten in the way.'
She lifted her skirt, her pussy tingling as drops of arousal dripped down her legs. The alicorn felt so horny, she stroked her clit. Enjoying the sensation and the filthy noise of her fingers covered in her juices.
There was nothing on her check-lists today so why not have a little time to herself?
She rocked her hips, spreading them as she stuck a digit into her hole. Then two as she stretched herself, her fingers pleasuring her tender tunnel. The alicorn moaned, feeling the tattoo pulsate as she grew hornier. Before she could slip in another finger, something took a hold of her wrist and pulled out her fingers. Twilight yelped, turning her head and seeing the potted plant from before.
Twilight's mind went blank. She reflexively tried to think of a spell, to freeze it in its tracks, but couldn't bring herself to fire. The back of her neck hurt. Why was she trying to resist? It was such a pretty plant. It was her plant. Hers. And she was so hot and it wanted to help her cool down.
The vines, smaller now, wrapped around her hips as they lifted her to hang above the blue bulb in the center of the pot. Her legs were cocked open as the bulb rubbed against her clit, spreading its pollen. The dust made her body shiver, growing more and more sensitive as it was applied to her pussy. Twilight wiggled her hips, grinding against it as she played with her breasts, squeezing them through her tank top. Her mouth hung open, moaning and sighing, saliva dripping down her body as she sweated. Everything on her body felt so sticky and tight. She threw back her head and accidentally bumped into the wall. Knocking her out of her lust-filled daze.
'The plant. Why didn't I realize it before?' Twilight's mind supplied, 'Discord's plunder seeds. It eats magic and I'm the element of magic. The two do not mix! Shake out of it!' The alicorn flapped her wings, lifting her and the potted plant off the floor. The vines increased their grip before she felt the bulb pushed itself inside of her pussy. The tattoo on her neck burned and her thoughts melted away.
The alicorn cried out, the bulb going further inside her as she flailed in the air. Its entire body climbed inside of her, making a slight pudge in her belly. The pot cracked, soil spilling out on the tile. Twilight fell to the floor, gasping as she climaxed. She howled, her legs shuddering as she flipped on her back, stroking her clit as her orgasms came after another. Her mind cleared, all resistance fading as the plunder-plant made itself comfortable inside of her. It stroked her walls incessantly, making her moan and plead for more.
With one more orgasm, the plunder plant re-adjusted inside of her. The pudge in her belly gone as it shuddered, releasing something else inside of her system. Her breasts jiggled, nipples hard as they pushed against her top. Then they expanded, rippling as her mounds swelled. Making the shrinking shirt tighter and tighter. Twilight reached to take it off but her straps broke, the top tearing into two.
Her new assets took half of her chest as they floated in the air. Round and soft, she rubbed her face in them, knowing exactly how she was to use them. The plunder-plant wiggled inside of her, sending commands straight through her nerves to her brain.
It needed sustenance. It needed her to find food.
Twilight chirped in response, she was a good pet.
