The Pony in the Woods

I: A Voice Cries Out

The sun hung low in the sky over Ponyville. The warm light of dusk faded rapidly, quickly morphing into the dark blue of evening. Fluttershy watched the sun inch ever closer towards the horizon, basking in it's little remaining warmth. She'd been hard at work with young Sweetie Belle all afternoon, collecting berries and vegetables from the edge of the Everfree forest. The soil of the forest was surprisingly fertile, and the animals seemed to really enjoy the plants that grew here. Sweetie Belle was starting to slow, dropping her wicker basket to the floor as she threw her arms up to stretch. Fluttershy smiled over at her as she rubbed her eyes with her hoof.

"Hey Sweetie, are you getting tired? That's okay, we've had a really long day of work! You've done really well, by the way. Angel and the others will be so happy with your effort, as am I of course! Why don't you take that basket into the cottage and finish up for today? There's some fresh punch in the kitchen if you'd like some before you go!"

Fluttershy's smile widened as Sweetie Belle trotted past, wobbling slightly with exhaustion. She gave the filly a hearty wave before returning to her work. She bent down and carefully grabbed a bunch of cherries in her teeth.

"P-please... help me!"

Fluttershy jumped, bursting the cherries as she moved. Her head darted left and right, she searched for the voice's owner. Was it Sweetie Belle? No, it had sounded like a much older mare...

"I think I've broken my leg, and I can't walk!"

There the voice was again. Fluttershy stared at the thick cluster of trees before her. That was definitely where the voice was coming from. Somewhere within that cruel, dark forest. She looked around for someone, anyone else that could save the day. But no, she was all alone. Sweetie Belle was the only other pony nearby, and she had disappeared into the cottage. Fluttershy needed to act now. She'd just have to be brave.

Resting her basket down by her side, Fluttershy took a deep breath, gulping with nerves. She took a few nervous steps into the forest, watching as the world around her quickly grew darker and darker. As she moved deeper into the Everfree, the thick canopy quickly blotted out any of the feeble rays of twilight sunshine that still remained in the sky. Fluttershy could only stumble forwards as her eyes slowly adjusted.

"H-hello? Ms. Pony, where are you? I'm coming to help you, just, could you call out again, please?"

The voice echoed through the trees again, far clearer than before. She must of been close.

"P-please... I can hear you! You must be so close, keep going!"

Fluttershy's initial concern was all gone. Fueled now only by determination, her trot became a gallop. Approaching a clearing in the foliage, she could make out the silhouette of a figure. Small, shivering, hunched over, the pony clearly was in real distress.

"I see you Ms.! Just wait there, I'm coming to help!"

Fluttershy ran as fast as she could, quickly approaching the fallen pony. Damn, if only she'd brought some medicine or bandages from the cottage, that way she could have done something about the pain now, as opposed to forcing this poor pony to limp back home with her. Did she even have any bandages, for that matter? Racking her brains, she looked down for the figure.

But to her shock, the ground below her was completely empty. Nothing but the strange flowers and grasses of the Everfree, all slightly flattened, as if something had been there just shortly beforehand.

"Where in Equestria did she go?" Fluttershy thought to herself. "My mind was only distracted for a few seconds and she disappeared! Was she even here? Oh no..."

Spinning around on her hooves, Fluttershy looked around for where the pony could have gone. But wherever she looked, all she could see were the imposing husks of trees that surrounded her. Even the path she'd walked in by seemed to of vanished. She was lost.

"My, oh my. It seems like a silly young Pegasus has managed to get herself lost in my forest. How embarrassing, darling."

Fluttershy continued to desperately search for the pony. The voice was crystal clear, as if it was right on top of her. Wait...

Glancing up, Fluttershy laid her eyes upon the silhouette of the pony she'd chased down the rabbit hole. It was waiting for her, high in the branches of one of the largest trees around. The whole trunk seemed to have been buckled by something, with odd cracks and abrasions formed throughout the withered bark. Peering inside, the trees' interior was entirely black. If there was anything living in there, you'd never see it. Coiled around the branches and roots, meanwhile, were a multitude of green vines. Thick and putrid, they entwined the tree, crushing and distorting it under their weight and pressure.

Fluttershy was caught off guard when one of these vines, suspended high above her, slid free and plummeted down to the ground beside her. Fluttershy jumped when the vine crashed onto the ground, but it came as even more of a surprise when it began to snake towards her. The tip slithered along the ground like a putrid serpent, it's base still disappearing up into the canopy. With alien speed it struck, coiling around her belly and pulling itself taught. Fluttershy could feel the air escape her as her body was crushed slightly with each breath.

Suddenly being jolted up into the air, Fluttershy could only watch as the floor rapidly retreated away from her. She came to a halt amongst the dry, cracked branches of the tree, and watched a silhouette approaching her from above. A far cry from Fluttershy's fear, this creature lowered itself to her eyeline with a sultry demeanor, full of confidence. As the creature emerged from the darkness, Fluttershy could get a proper look.

It was obviously the pony she had seen lying on the floor earlier, but this creature looked strange. She had the body of a normal earth pony, but in place of a mane and tail, several large, pulsating tentacles hung limply, occasionally twitching as they appeared to look around. The tentacle in place of her tail vanished into the canopy above, suspending her in front of Fluttershy.

"Hello there, young one. My name is Lythe, and you must be Fluttershy. I hear the things you say to one another, out there in society. But now your civility made you fall into my trap, silly creature. You really shouldn't be too trusting." As she spoke the pegasus began to desperately kick her hooves, causing her to spin slowly as she hung limply in place. Fluttershy continued to spin on the spot, finding herself facing away from her captor. Now presented with Fluttershy's rear pointed straight at her, Lythe grabbed her thighs in her powerful hooves. "Urgh, honestly, you should look at ponies when they are talking to you. But, you clearly have better ideas."

As Lythe spoke, tentacles began to creep from within the trunk of the tree, wrapping themselves around the branches. As they choked the life from the tree with their grip, they slithered towards the pegasus that dangled uselessly before them.

Suspended in place, Fluttershy watched helplessly from the corner of her eye as those writhing vines inched ever closer towards her. No matter how much she shook and kicked she couldn't break free, forced only to accept her fate as she felt a single large appendage smack down onto her rear.

What she could not see, however, was that it had grown not from the tree, but from Lythe herself. Sprouting from the space between her legs, inch after inch of plant-cock had forced its way free of her body. By the time the length had ceased growing, it easily matched the thickest of tree branches around her, both in length and girth.

As it pressed against her, Fluttershy noticed how this alien 'vine' felt heavy, thick. As if one of the branches themselves had plummeted down onto her body from above. But no, this creature moved with purpose, dragging its lumbering form towards Fluttershy's pussy. As it moved it secreted a foul, thick liquid, like the saliva of a dog. Fluttershy shuddered as it clung to her fur, soaking through to her skin, leaving an oddly pleasant warming sensation.

Lythe smiled with inane glee as she watched her tentacle brood begin to work on the body of her latest prey. She couldn't remember how long ago she'd been a normal pony like this one. One day she'd been wandering through the forest, the next she'd woken up, changed. She'd woken up with a dependency for the Hivemind, driven by desire for nothing but to breed and spread the eggs of the beast.

And soon she would.

The tip pressed inquisitively against the damp lips of Fluttershy's privates, exploring her folds as it inched its way inside at a surprisingly gentle pace. The last thing Lythe wanted to do was break a potential breeder. Still hanging in place, Lythe gritted her teeth as her 'alien' cock continued to push into Fluttershy, lubricating itself with the strange expulsions as it went.

"W-why are you doing this to me?" Fluttershy begged, her voice beginning to waiver slightly. "And why does that thing feel so hot inside me?"

Lythe stopped staring at Fluttershy's rear as her appendage began to hammer in and out of it, and looked up at the mare's face. She licked her lips as she spoke.

"I'm doing this because you are special, silly. You were wasting your life out there, picking berries, waiting on those animal's every whim. You shouldn't be a working for them, you should be here, bonding with me. You're destined for greater things, you and that body of yours. You just need to open your eyes... and that hot sensation you are feeling? That's going to help you do it. You see, since we began our little ritual my body has been pumping out some special juices that will help you really get going. Did you not wonder why your body was so accommodating of my length, even without any warm-up? Your body needs this, and your mind will accept that too, soon enough."

To echo her words Lythe slammed her tentacle shaft deep into Fluttershy again, the momentum rocking the two ponies back and forth as they hung in place from the groaning tree branch above. Fluttershy had never felt anything like this inside her body before. Angel Bunny, Zephyr Breeze, even her dear bear couldn't compare to this. But at the same time, this was disgusting, and she felt like she should hate every second of it. So why did it have to feel so good?

"Fluttershy? Is that you?"

Sweetie Belle's voice pierced the trees, echoing hauntingly through the forest. Lythe froze, her thrusting tentacle coming to a sudden halt inside Fluttershy. Her ears pricked and she looked around cautiously, searching for the source of the voice. It was then she saw several pairs of eyes appearing through the undergrowth, growing in size as they approached. With a sharp hiss, Lythe quickly retracted her member from her victim, pulling herself free with an audible slosh as vast quantities of the aphrodisiac spilled to the floor below them. With the intruders almost upon them, Lythe found herself with no other choice. She catapulted herself skywards, disappearing into the canopy as her tail reeled her upwards. As she moved, the other tentacles were a blur, winding themselves away as they retreated back into the hollowed out tree. As the final appendage loosened it's grip on the pegasus, Fluttershy screamed as she felt herself falling. She caught only a glimpse of Sweetie Belle and Twilight Sparkle as they emerged through the thicket as she hit the dirt below her. As the two dashed over she felt her eyelids growing heavy. Two bright eyes blinked down at her, watching intently before everything faded to black.

"Flutters? Fluttershy? Come on now, can you hear me? Wake up."

The darkness expired as Fluttershy drew her eyes open. She was lying on the table in Twilight's castle. As she stared up at the tree roots lodged in the ceiling, Twilight appeared into her field of view.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake. Come on now, can you sit up for me?"

Twilight made reassuring noises, holding on to Fluttershy's shoulders as she perched herself upright. Fluttershy looked around to see the rest of her friends surrounding her, looking equally nervous. Wobbly at first, Fluttershy slid down from the table's edge and took her place in one of the empty chairs. As she settled, the questions began in force.

"Are you okay sugar-cube?"

"What happened out there? We were all so nervous but especially me ever since you came in here I've just been pacing around I haven't even been able to think of any jokes to tell, I know right?"

"What in Equestria were you doing in those woods all alone, darling? Honestly, you've had some daft ideas in your time, but this? At least you're back home safe now..."

Twilight interrupted. "Okay everyone, let her relax a little. I need to ask her some questions, just so we can work out exactly what we are dealing with here. Now, Fluttershy, that plant that had you snared, how did it catch you? And what were you doing in the woods in the first place?"

Fluttershy spoke slowly, her mouth dry and her body still bruised from the fall.

"Well, I was picking berries on the edge of the forest with Sweetie. Angel Bunny gets ever so angry if he doesn't have his favorite fruits in his food, so I have to go and get the good stuff. But anyway, I was picking when I heard a voice crying out from the forest. It wasn't a voice I recognized, but I could tell they were in pain. I looked around for anyone that could help, but there was nobody else around. I'd sent Sweetie back home, so I had to go in alone. Eventually I found the pony, but it seemed to be a part of this big..."

Her voice trailed off as her mind suddenly flooded with confusion. Some part of her memory didn't seem right. She was sure she'd felt scared when it had happened, so why was her mind filled with such lustful imagery? Vivid scene after vivid scene of a beautiful creature emerging from above, caressing her in its strong limbs, before making love to her? Making love to her, and then being interrupted by two of those cruel ponies she called friends.

"Snap out of it there Flutters! You were tellin' us a story?"

Fluttershy shook her head violently, smiling awkwardly. Her mind must of drifted, because now her whole body felt hot. Hot and sticky. How awkward. She just hoped no one noticed as she crossed her legs to hide the shame dripping from between her legs.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Well, I found the pony, and I, er, helped her up, and carried her back to my cottage. Once she felt better I sent her on her way, but she'd dropped her bag in the woods. So I, um, I said I'd go back in and get it for her, and I accidentally got tangled up in some sort of vine. That was all..."

Why was she so desperate to cover up the truth? Why was her mind flooding with desire to go and find that mare again, to see exactly what she had wanted with her? Fluttershy couldn't understand it, but she knew she had to defend her new friend's identity, or else what matter of monstrous thing might Twilight try to do to her?

Twilight looked doubtful, as a single eyebrow rose on her forehead.

"Really now? Well, we can discuss just what happened to this pony you found later. First, we need to establish just what creature had a hold of you. Making physical contact with some plants can cause infection. This book might be able to help us."

Looking round to a trolley by her side, Twilight grabbed a hold of an especially large tome that rested atop the others. With her telekinesis she floated the book to her side, before inadvertently slamming it down against the table. Clouds of dust danced through the air.

As the mess settled the books titled became clear:

Hostility within Equestrian Nature

Book VII: The Hostile Flora of Equestria.

Concentrating intently she flicked through the pages, before settling on one in particular. It was headed:

'The Hivemind Phenomenon: Mutations in the Equestrian vīnea Family'.

"Now everyone, this is very interesting. If these vines were the ones that caught her - which I am almost certain they are from my studies - then we have a lot of work to do. You see, this particular family of vine uses a combination of spores and eggs to spread through an environment. However, this plant has been known to infect ponies. These infected ponies, if left untreated, become fully 'bound' to the Hivemind, as if hypnotized. Infected ponies can, and will, work to infect others and spread the seed out even further from the source. They develop a variety of tools to directly influence their victims, including potent, mind altering chemicals that can warp the mind and memory. And they will do everything in their power to convince you to trust them. From an evolutionary standing this is an incredible specimen. But from a moral standing, well now..."

She looked around the room, gauging the fearful reactions of her friends. The fearful reactions of all but Fluttershy, who still stared somewhat vacantly into the middle distance.

"I have reason to believe," Twilight leant in close, staring deep into Fluttershy's eyes, "that this friend you claim to have rescued is actually one of these unfortunate carriers. And considering that you claim to have taken her home despite Sweetie Belle waiting there for you and seeing nobody come back, I think it's clearly gotten to you somehow.

The group looked around, panicked. Voices raised as questions and fears were thrown between them, before Twilight interrupted with the clearing of her throat.

"I propose, ladies, that we need to keep Fluttershy away from this creature at all costs, until its influence has worn off of her. Until that point, however, she does not leave her home, and she does not leave our sight. Do you all understand me? Good. In that case, it's time to take you home Fluttershy."