The taint

by fearanger

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Adventure, Tragedy
Length: 1785

Twilight has a friend with a problem… he seem's to be transforming into a werepony! can fluttershy get the courage to help? can zecora find the remedy? and can twilight get luna to help collect stardust from the starry skies for the remedy before the taint corrupts his sanity?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2011-12-03 15:32:04 UTC

Chapter 4: Fluttershy

As Twilight and Dusk are going to collect water, the sun starts rising.

"Is that the well?" Dusk said, sounding confused.

"Yes, but those thorns are troubling and i don't know any magic to tear up the thorns! But why isn't the well glittering?"

"Grr... AHH!!!" Dusk seemed to be morphing back to his normal self, with beautiful cyan eyes.

"Wow! I forgot how beautiful you looked back in magic kindergarten!"

"Yeah... but let's collect water in the well." Dusk used a tiny magic flare that set the thorns on fire, and extinguished them.

"But it isn't- hey, It's glowing! It must only become holy at day."

"Lets get the water and return to Zecora." As they go to the hut, they meet up with fluttershy who is leading animals to their home and avoiding the danger's of it.

"Hey! Your the Pegasus who showed me to twilight's place."

"Your that scary unicorn! B-but you look a tad different..."

"Fluttershy, this is my friend Dusk and there is something I need to ask you... *whisper* *whisper* *mumble*"

"A-a werepony!? AAAAAHHH-" *BAM* she ran strait into a tree.

"So your name is Fluttershy? Nice name."

"T-t-thanks. So you won't eat me?"

"No, but we really need to get going, see ya later." They arrived at Zecora's hut and showed her the holy water.

"Excellent! I will mix it in a snap but you Dusk, must be looking for a nap." Dusk's eyes look weary.

"No I'm not, *yawn* I am fine..."

"Follow me Dusk, before you become a tired husk..."

"This attic will keep you and others safe, and was once used to seal a wraith. Rest here so we can get the ingredients, and so you cant make any interference."

"So... i can hide here until you make the potion?" Zecora nodded, and Dusk went in.

"Where's Dusk?"

"He is in the containment attic, just for when he becomes fanatic."

"Okay, let's check the next item on the list..." They had a long day, and it's starting to become dark, let's just hope they can get the ingredients in time...

Chapter 5: Desert of mists

The next ingredient is dew from the silver cactus, which is found in the desert of mists.

"The desert of mists is a dangerous place, with an evil monster making it's base." Zecora is pointing out a large desert on a map.

"What is the creature called?"

"the creep you refer to is a sand kraken, though it can hear it's other sense's are lacking. The kraken can hear hear a creatures voice akin, and will drag them down for it's midnight din." Twilight seems terrified.

"So, we make a sound and it chases us like some sorta cat on a mouse!?"

"Yes but only from voice doe's it give chase, for if you leave it's place, it will be in a daze. But going solo will draw it's attention, so bring two and it will be confused for the extraction"

"Then I'll bring fluttershy, she's quiet most of the time." She walked over to Fluttershy's cottage and asked her for help.

"NO! It's too dangerous and I have to take care of Angel, she is really sick."

"Come on! You are the most quietest pony I know! You don't expect me to take pinkie pie do you?"

"N-n-no, but it's a sand kraken! I'm scared of anything that is gigantic and if it is a large dragon, and sand krakens are HUGE!!!"

"I will get Rarity to help, so please! Let's go."

"*sigh* okay..."

"Thanks Fluttershy, let's go." Twilight is using the moon medal to extract some dew, and soon the head off. But as they head on, scream's of agony and pain come from the attic that Dusk is hiding in, let's hope that they can find the ingredients soon...

"Here it is, the desert of mists..." Said Twilight, anxious.

Chapter 6: The sacrifice

"Well, lets get going!" Twilight seemed eager to go, Fluttershy? Not so much...

"I... don't like this..."

"Let's go Fluttershy, for Dusk?"

"Hm... o-okay..." Fluttershy and Twilight walk on the sand, and hear rumbling.

'don't say anything twilight' Twilight said to herself. The rumbling stopped, and they continued. They hear nothing but rumbling of the creature below, and the desert winds blowing across they're face... Once they were near the cactus, a tentacle rose from the ground!

"Eep..." Fluttershy managed to not yell out, and twilight looks like a purple balloon about to burst! The tentacle retracted into the sand, and they continued on... they got some drop's of dew from the shiny cactus and ran for it, then another tentacle appeared! Fluttershy couldn't hold it in anymore.

"KRAKEN!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, and the tentacle slammed down between Twilight and Fluttershy, alerting them that the kraken knew of their arrival!

"Lets get out of her Fluttershy!" They bolted to the desert edge as fast as they could, but then twilight tripped on a rock! The tentacle rose for the very last time to catch it's fallen victim.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy shoves her out of the way, and gets crushed by the tentacle.

"Fluttershy! NOOOOOOOO!!!" As the dust cleared up, all that was left was fluttershy's mane being sucked into the sand...

"Fluttershy... *sobs* Fluttershy! How could this have happened!? *cries*" She traveled back to Zecora's hut, still weepy eyed from the tragic sacrifice of Fluttershy...

"Twilight? where is Fluttershy? Did she leave and say bye?"

"You could say that... she let the kraken take her instead of me... And was sucked into the ground. If it wasn't for my clumsy self, she would have still been here! *sobs*" Zecora is lost for words, and dries a tear away from her eye's. It seems that helping one friend, could end up costing the lives of your other friends...

Chapter 1: assistance

A unicorn friend of twilight called dusk is walking through the everfree forest without a care in the world. Since he is new to ponyville and its surrounding area's, he has no idea of the dangers of the forest.

"So... twilight's place is in ponyville? Sounds appropriate for her to stay since Celestia sent her there." Suddenly, there is a rustle in the bush.

"Who's there!?" A blur zips past him, he then feels a stinging bite.

"AH! What the!?" A huge bite mark is found on his lower left leg.

"What is that? AHH!!! *groans* what the!? What was that?" But then, his horn snaps and his pupils start looking feline-like. With his magic growing weaker.

"OH HOLY CELESTIA! I need to get to twilight!" He arrives at ponyville, and meets a yellow fur and pink maned Pegasus called fluttershy.

"hey, excuse me? I'm looking for twilight" she looked at dusk, and backed away, frightened.

"u-u-um, your horn? it's-"

"broken, i know..."

"and your eyes look weird..."

"what? Look, i don't want delay's! my leg is aching and i need to find twilight, STAT!"

"eep! f-f-follow me..." As fluttershy led dusk to the library that twilight lives in, he starts to feel pain inside him.

"urgh! ah..."

"i-is something wrong?"

"just, keep going..."

Chapter 2: the taint

Fluttershy arrived at Twilight's library.

"Okay gotta go, BYE!" Fluttershy seemed to leave in an instant. Dusk knocked on the door a couple of times.

"Were closed, goodnight!"

"C'mon! I need to see twilight..."

"sorry, she isn't expecting anyone." Dusk was overcome with a great anger and punched through the door! Spike looked through the hole.

"your paying for that you kno- WOW! Dude what's with the looks?"

"Enough talk, let me in."

"uh... sure! Whatever you want! But why did you leave a hole in our door?"

"I... I have no idea." Spike showed Dusk to twilight, who was upstairs.

"Hey twi-star! are you up there?"

"Hey, arn't you twilight's friend Dusk?"

"How long did it take you to notice, scales?"

"I hate that name" Spike said clutching his teeth.

"Dusk? is that you?"

"The one and only! Sorta..."

"What do you mean, sorta- Uh... what's with your face?"

"That's what i said!"

"shush, spike."

"Well, I was going through the everfree forest and I was attacked by something, and i have a bite mark on my leg thats bleeding, and im looking really weird! I think your friend said that my eye's are weird as well."

"well they ar- uh-oh..." Twilight rush's upstairs with Spike and Dusk following her, she seems to be having trouble finding a book...

"where is it, where is it, WHERE IS IT!?"

"What are you trying to find?"

"A book with info on your state."

"Really? GAH!!! URGH!" Dusk's eyes became red and his ears were curved.

"uhh... what's going on?"

"what!?"

Chapter 3: Zecora's help

"Your starting to look alot like a werepony now..."

"werepony?"

"yes, read this" Twilight shows Dusk a page about werepony's. 'werepony's are creatures of the night that can infect other's through bite, which can transform pony's into more werepony's! They are deadly and can kill in one bite! So the one's that survive have a chance of transforming on the next night once they are bit. Werepony's seem to lose all kinds of sanity when they transform, but there are rumors that some keep there humanity when they transform, but I wouldn't risk it... the main cure for these are cleansing potion, made by holy water, silver cactus dew, a fire soul, stardust and a moonlight apple.'

"Zecora could help with these!"

"Zecora?"

"she is a good friend, lets go!"

"I think I'll stay..."

"ok, spike... Dusk, you may need to wear this robe..."

"that's a good idea..." Dusk put the robe on, and made sure he could see twilight while shrouded... They went on, and everything went well until they got to the everfree forest.

"So... she lives in the forest? oh, come on!"

"just follow me." They went on until they got to the hut.

"Zecora, open up!"

"hold on be patient Twilight, for I am gathering the graceful moonlight" Zecora seems to talk in rhymes.

"With what exactly?" a moon medal of course, for it seems to be the most useful source." They enter her hut.

"so, what is it my little pony? WHA!? Is that a legendary werepony?"

"Yes, we want to know where we can find the ingredient's for the cleansing potion." Twilight shows Zecora the list of ingredients.

"hmm... the holy water is simple, for it is the distance of a thimble."

"the water is found in the well near my hut, but the thorn's that surround it, can leave a nasty cut..."

"Thanks, but I'm gonna have to hurry before I go insane..."