Leviathan rising

Location: Unknown

In chamber within a cave was a large circle shaped stone hole. Inside this hole was a pool of endless darkness with wisps of dark blue energy flowing around. The hole covered most of the chamber, while on the walls there are lit torches lined up, providing some light. Before the black pool was a very unusual statue: it had the form of a malnourished humanoid, with claws on both the fingers and toes and with a lizard-like head and two pairs of horns on its head: one pair on top of its head and pointing up, and a second pair on the sides of its noggin and these ones undulated once and then coiled once towards the sides. The dragonoid statue was sitting in front of the black pool, its legs crossed and its hands placed on its legs – the right over the left – with an open palm upwards like it wanted to hold something.

And kneeling before the statue was the Mistress, who had her hands clasped together and her head bowed down as she prayed softly:

“Oh Great Slumbering One, prophetic one, he who shall bring great changes to our unworthy realm, as your humble servant, and herald of your return, I beseech you oh great one, watch over my daughters of Shadow in their quest. Please insure nothing goes wrong and they will succeed in their mission. Please watch over them so they do not come to harm…and please make the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to not force my daughters to harm them. Please insure that my daughters return to my loving embrace so that when the time comes they may bare witness to your glorious return and live in the glorious Eden you will gift to us.”

With that the Mistress stood up and with one last look at the statue and pool of blackness she turned around and left the chamber. As she began making her way back to her own bed chamber she was lost in her thoughts:

“I hope you are being successful in your mission my children. And I hope the Bearers will come to enjoy your presence sooner, rather than later.”

Location: Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville

While Twilight and Rainbow are about to be kidnapped

Among the many apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres – which honestly seem to form a forest of their own – a lone, orange colored earth pony mare was busy gathering fallen, broken and old branches and placing them into a cart. The mare was quite tall, a head taller than most ponies in fact, with a well built, muscular body and golden blond mane and tail, both tied by two red ribbons. She was wearing a pair of knee length brown boots with a pair of red apples sewn on each, a pair of jean shorts that hugged her firm bottom, a red and white checkerd button-down shirt, with the bottom being tied right under her D cup breasts, a pair of dark brown gloves and a brown Stetson hat on top of her head. Her eyes were forest green and she also had white freckles decorating her cheeks.

This mare was off course the town famous Applejack, the Element of Honesty.

She, just like the rest of her friends arrived this very morning and after the meeting in Twilight’s castle she went straight back to her family farm to get some of her chores done, plus the ones that her siblings couldn’t cover for her when she was away. And right now she was doing just that and was doing very good progress as well…however while she was physically doing her work, her mind however was elsewhere entirely. Something which from time to time may have slowed her movements down a bit and this didn’t go unnoticed by those who were of the observant type.

“Hey Applejack!”-see what I mean?

Applejack recognized the voice easily as it belonged to her younger sister, Applebloom. Applebloom was several years younger than AJ and had bright yellow fur and crimson red mane and tail, as well as a pair of orange eyes. She wore a simple light green short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of overalls. She wasn’t wearing any shoes at the moment, but she did wear a slightly oversized pink bow tied behind her head, which was also her most distinguishing clothing feature. Sighing at being interrupted, Applejack turned to address her sister:

“Applebloom Ah told ya not tuh bother me today. You know Ah have tuh catch up with mah chores.”

“Yeah Ah know sis, but uh…”-Applebloom fidgeted in place, trying to find the right words without offending her sibling-“…Ya kinda seem like ya had yer head in the clouds lately. Ah was just wonderin’ if there was somethin’ on yer mind.”

Applejack’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this. But that look quickly dissolved and became a gentle smile as she lightly patted the little filly’s head and said:

“It’s alright little sister. Ah can assure you that everythin’ is completely fine. It’s just that this last friendship mission me and the girls went out to was a bit on the crazy side and Ah guess mah mind just kept going back there sometimes. But Ah’m okay Applebloom, so you’ve got nothin’ to worry about.”

Having said her peace, Applejack turned back to continue her job, only for Applebloom to speak up again.

“Huh, I thought you were thinkin’ about Pinkie Pie again.”

And with that Applejack’s face went so red, it would be considered an apple.

“APPLEBLOOM!”-Applejack shouted, then took a deep breath to calm herself down and spoke again-“Ya know Ah have more importan’ things to think about than Pinkie Pie.”

After a raised eyebrow and a deadpanned look from Applebloom-“Really? Then what were ya thinkin’ about just now?”

“Uh, uhm, w-well uh…”-Applejack kept stuttering for a few more seconds until she gave an answer-“A-about the last friendship mission! Yeah, that’s what Ah was thinkin’ about. Ah certainly wasn’t thinkin’ about Pinkie and her cheerful personality, and her bouncin’ breasts and…her firm…behind and…”-upon turning to look at her sister Applejack only saw a smug grin which made her blush, but still have a deadpanned look-“Ah walked right into that one, didn’ Ah?”

“Eeeyup.”-Applebloom said, still looking smug-“Yer just too easy Applejack.”

Now getting annoyed, Applejack began speaking again-“Alright, well if ya think yer so smug, then you can take over this here chore Ah’m doing right now. And then you can go and do the rest of mah chores as well as yours.”

That garnered a shocked look from Applebloom and her whole body went as pale as sheet of paper.-“Uhhh…OH gosh darn it, look at the time! Ah have to go and uhhh, clean up the barn. So Ah guess I’ll see ya later sis! See ya!”

And with that the littlest Apple ran off so as to not suffer her sister’s unholy wrath. Applejack for her part was now the one with the smug look on her face as she watched her sister run away, while chuckling at her success.

“Hehehe, that’ll teach her not to tease me next time.”-Applejack thought outloud as she went back to her work.

However what she couldn’t deny, was that her little sister was right in that she was thinking about her fellow Earth Pony, but these thoughts were far more than just…friendly. While she did fall in love with the rest of her friends, just like how they did with each other, Applejack felt a particular attraction towards the pink party planner, which she found a bit unusual, since she figured that she would be more attracted towards either Rainbow Dash or Rarity.

‘Heh, well either way, Ah don’t regret havin’ these feelins one bit. ‘Cause distant cousin or not, Ah will always love Pinkie Pie, no matter what.’-Applejack silently thought, as she had a smile on her face as she remembered a particular meeting with Pinkie just before they left for their mission.

One day before departure to the friendship mission

Applejack was busy picking apples at the east field as she was mentally prepping herself for the quest ahead. She had already packed for the trip and was now trying to complete as many of her chores as she could, so she wouldn’t have so much to do when she gets back home.

She figured that this mission would probably have some kind of violent or crazy twist somewhere along the line, so she was preparing herself for what’s to come, since she figured either she and/or Rainbow Dash would have to be the muscle of the group once again.

However as she was sinking deeper into thought, she was suddenly jolted back into reality when something suddenly covered her eyes. Applejack was ready to fight back this mysterious assailant, but stopped upon hearing a familiar and VERY cheerful voice.

“Guess who Applejack?”-when she heard the voice Applejack relaxed and smiled as she answered the sudden question.

“Hmm, now that there’s a tough one. Now let me think Ah think it miiight beee…”-and as she trailed off, Applejack suddenly reached behind herself and pulled the familiar earth pony mare to her front, accompanied by a quick and surprised yelp. After that, Applejack held Pinkie Pie low, just a few meters off the ground, and suddenly kissed the pink pony on her lips before she could say anything else. After a few more seconds of kissing, Applejack pulled away and spoke softly-“The sweetest and pinkest sugar cube Ah ever tasted.”-and then Applejack kissed Pinkie once again.

Pinkie moaned in delight as she kissed back, but after their lips parted Applejack made sure she was standing straight. Appearance wise the pink party pony sported a pale yellow, short-sleeved t-shirt, which did a good job at hugging her D cup breasts. From the waist down was a knee-length skirt, with pink and white stripes and pink frills that covered her quite sizable ass. Finally her legs were covered by a pair of knee-length white socks with pink stripes, and on her feet were a pair of white tennis shoes meant for hooves, which bore miniature versions of her cutie mark. Her belly was also slightly chubby, although with how hyperactively she moves all the time, it can hardly be noticed. After Pinkie recovered from her blissful state she puffed her cheeks as she pouted.

“No fair Applejack! You always guess right whenever we play this game. You could at least get some guesses wrong on purpose to make it more exciting.”

Applejack could only chuckle at Pinkie’s childish behavior, although this was one of her many qualities that the farm pony loved.

‘She’s always so cute when she’s poutin’.’-Applejack thought, as she then answered Pinkie’s question-“Sorry Pinkie, but ya know Ah can’t lie. Even if it's just for fun. Ya remember what Ah told ya about what happened when Ah lied the last time?"

Pinkie looked to the side, not wanting to look her tall girlfriend in the eye, since it would be an admition from her part that AJ's right.

"Yeah, I remember."-Pinkie pouted, but then she got a mischevious grin as she added-"I also remember when we played spin the bottle at Twilight's birthday how you admitted your undying love for Rarity, and even swept her off her feet, like how you just did with me."

Now Applejack's face turned beat red upon hearing that-"Ah-Ah was drunk back then...a-a-and ya promised never tah talk about it."

"I promised not to tell otherponies about it."-Pinkie countered-"I never said I wasn't going to talk about it with yooouuu~."

Applejack could only chuckle and shake her head upon hearing this, as the blush faded away and she smiled softly at her pink girlfriend.

"You sly little imp you. Ah'd punish ya right now, but Ah won't."

"And why not?"-Pinkie asked innocently, hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on the heels of her shoes and looking adorably up at the amazon pony.

"Well..."-Applejack began-"We have to go on another friendship mission tomorrow, so Ah have tah make mahself enough time to get some chores done. Plus..."-Applejack continued, as she cupped her left hand on Pinkie's face-"...Ah just can't bring mahself tah punish somepony so cute and adorable."

Pinkie giggled in delight as she nuzzled into AJ's hand.

"You know, I've just noticed something..."-Pinkie started, with the farm mare looking intently-"Whenever it's just the two of us, you always seem to sometimes talk all cutesy-like and treat me differently than when the others are around."

At this Applejack's hand went away from Pinkie's face, and she now sported a look of sadness as she asked while averting her gaze from the pink pony-"Well...is it a bad thing? 'Cause if-if it is, than Ah-Ah'll stop..."

Pinkie now looked distress as she quickly but gently grabbed AJ's arms and made the amazon pony look back into her direction.

"No! Oh nonononono, I didn't mean it like that Applejack! I didn't mean it like that AT. ALL. It was just something I thought I should point out and-"

"Well, Ah just can't help myself."-Applejack interrupted-"You're just so gosh darn cute and adorable and cute, that Ah just can't help but act the way Ah do. But if me actin' and talkin' all....cutesy-like is botherin' ya, or makin' ya feel uncomfortable, than...Ah...Ah understand, and Ah'll stop right now..."

Pinkie knew that, unlike previous times she'd have to choose her words carefully so as to not say anything that would make the situation worse. If there was one thing she hated more than a failed cupcake recipe, it was seeing those close to her being sad. That is when she truly gets her act together and does everything she could do to make things right.

That was when she figured out how to remedy the situation: she gently got a hold of Applejack's cheeks, turned her head so as to face her and then gently took hold of the amazon mare's lips using her own.

The surprise kiss only lasted for a few seconds, which was just enough for the party pony to gain the farm pony's full attention and that was when she started talking:

"Listen Applejack, I never meant to say something that would make you feel sad. I'm actually glad that you're acting differently towards me when we're alone. It makes me feel like I'm special in your eyes, and I don't want you to change that or stop being who you are...because...if you do than...I'll the one who'll be sad..."-at this point Pinkie's head and ears drooped down, her face showing sadness.

Applejack was silent for moment, before smiling softly and cupped Pinkie's cheek with her left hand and said:

"Hey none of that now. Ya know Ah don't like seein' ya all sad. Ah like seein' ya pouty, but not sad. So Ah guess this means, Ah'll have to keep treatin' ya like you're special."

Pinkie smiled softly upon hearing this, nuzzling into AJ's hand and saying-"Thanks Applejack. You're the best."

"Well, what can Ah say?"-Applejack said, placing her right hand on Pinkie's waist-"Ah'm willin' to do anything to keep ya from bein' sad. Even if Ah have tah act cutesy."

Pinkie continued smiling as she slowly put her hands on Applejack's shoulders and then said-"'Anything'? So if I were to, say get captured and kidnapped and turned into a damsel in distress by bad ponies, would you rescue me like a super hero pony to make me smile?"

Applejack chuckled in amuzament, thinking that this was another one of Pinkie's jokes, but she decided to play along, not noticing how Pinkie was subtly pushing her to a cluster of bushes.

"First off, Ah'd save ya anyway. Second of all if that were to somehow happen...You can bet yer bubbly butt Ah'd swoop in and rescue ya Pinkie. Ah'll always be the hero you and the girls can count on."

"Glad to hear that AJ."-Pinkie said cheerfully as she suddenly gave Applejack a strong shove, making her fall into the bushes, with the pink mare on top of her. Pinkie though simply kept smiling and said-"Because that means that, as the damsel in distress it is my solemn duty to give a proper reward for my strong, brave and sexy hero."

Applejack blushed at the last part, especially since Pinkie was now looking at her with bedroom eyes.

"Uhh...Pinkie? A-Ah get what yer sayin', but...Ah s-still have work tah do here, so, maybe..."

"But Applejaaaack!"-Pinkie interrupted her-"I have to practice my reward-giving right now. What if some mean pony kidnaps me during this very friendship quest?! Then I will be tied up and gagged and will be dangling over a lava pit with the rope holding me up ready to snap at any moment! And then suddenly YOU show up, looking brave and sexy as you rescue the helpless damsel in distress, holding her - who is me - in your big, strong arms. And just then I would have to give you a reward fit for a hero, no, a super hero! But then I won't because you wouldn't let me practice on tiiiime!"

For a moment Applejack was confused as to why Pinkie found it necessary to whine, but then she spoke with a flat voice-"Ya've been readin' Rarity's stories too much again, have ya?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"-Pinkie shouted, and then started going on a mile-a-minute rant about her reasons for this 'practice session', but, even without her Element of Harmony, Applejack already knew what this was all about.

"Ah ain't gettin' outta this, aren't Ah?"-Applejack innocently inquired, halting Pinkie's rant.

"Nnnope."-Pinkie cheerfully answered, unknowingly imitating AJ's brother, Big Macintosh.

The amazon earth pony chuckled at this and figured she might as well paly along with Pinkie's little game.-'Plus, Ah've already done the majority of the chores Ah wanted to get done, so AH might as well take a brake.'-Applejack thought, then gave her party-planning girlfriend the same bedroom eyed look and said-"Well then, as the hero who will save your life in the future, how exactly do ya plan on rewardin' me, Ms. Damsel-in Distress?"

"Ohoho, I'm glad you asked Ms. Applejack. I think I should start by doing, this..."-Pinkie said before deeply kissing Applejack, her tongue now slipping into the other mare's mouth, as the two Earth Ponies made out in the bushes for the next hour or two.

Present

It took her a second, but Applejack was able to wake up from her daydreaming and resume her work, her face blushing.

'Good thing nopony found us like that that day. Otherwise that woulda been embarrassing.'-Applejack thought, her blush slowly subsiding-'Also, Ah guess Ah didn't need to be a hero in that friendship mission after all. Neither Pinkie nor any pony else from our team got kidnapped by some 'mean pony', as Pinkie puts it. Shouldn't be surprisin', that kinda stuff rarely happens in Equestria, and it sure as sugar never did and never will happen to us.'

While Applejack was confident that she was right about her and her friends never getting kidnapped, she was about to be proven wrong in a few minutes.

Up a hill outside Sweet Apple Acres, while Applejack was reminiscing

Just outside of Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville, stood a carriage drawn by a Terror Bird, and accompanied by two ponies, clad completely in black, one sitting on the carriage's driver seat, while the other stood next to the mode of transport, holding a spyglass over one of her eyes. What was she looking at through the instrument? Well, that would be a particular Earth Pony mare.

"Well, there she is. Right where we predicted she'd be."-Midnight Star said, lowering her spyglass, addressing the red eyed pony on the carriage.

"Great, so is she like we thought she'd be?"-the afore mentioned pony asked, her tone a strange mix of excited and dull.

"Lady Applejack is like a warrior goddess of strength. A notion I'm sure will be further confirmed once we approach her."-Midnight Star said, not turning to look at her friend just yet.

"Sheesh, why do you have to talk like everything's just poetry to you Star?"-the red-eyed, grey furred pony asked, with a small measure of amuzament in her voice.

Midnight Star looked towards her comrade with a flat look in her eyes and said-"It's just something I do. I believe Whimsy Wisp calls it a 'gimmick'. And anyway, I never make fun of your qualities Shadow Wing, so don't make fun of mine."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I guess being as bland as a rock and trying to get a laugh out of anything is my 'gimmick'."-Shadow Wing said, her eyes now distant, causing Midnight Star to sigh, before speaking again.

"Forgive me, sister. I didn't mean to offend you, I just-"

"No it's alright."-Shadow Wing suddenly interrupted-"I understand. I guess I should just be careful with what I say."

"It's not your fault Shadow Wing. Your condition simply demands you to be such."-Midnight Star said-"That's why I wanted you to come with my group. I figured being around Lady Pinkie Pie once we capture her, would help you reach your goal in your current life."

Although it wasn't obvious due to her mask, Shadow Wing was able to produce a small, but warm smile upon hearing her 'sister's' words. Then she looked to her comrade before saying-"Speaking of which, how do you think Whimsy Wisp is faring with Lady Pinkie Pie?"

Chuckled lightly upon hearing this Midnight answered-"Was that meant to be a serious question? I already know how those two are fairing, but let us check none the less."

And with that Midnight went up to the side of the carriage and opened the door, the sound of a high-pitched voice immediately flooding the air.

"So, we are both in agreement that triple vanilla coated chocolate cake with strawberry frosting and rainbow sprinkling is the ultimate best cake to have for an ultimate party."-said none other than Pinkie Pie herself, although her current predicament is a little...strange. For one she was completely tied up as she was sitting on the comfortable seats, ropes circling her ankles and legs, two sets of ropes going above and bellow her boobs and trapping her arms to her body. Her wrists weren't tied with ropes though, but were instead bound by a pair of silver shackles, each studded with a large blue sapphire and held in place by a short chain between them. And finally there was a white cloth covering Pinkie's eyes, though that didn't stop her from striking a conversation with the last ninja pony of this team.

"Yep, yep, yep. I agree, and I can't wait to taste it once you go around to make it Lady Pinkie Pie. Yum, yum, yum."-the afore mentioned ninja pony said, her voice as high pitched and excited as Pinkie's. Curiously there are a few things that can be readily noticed about this particular Sister of Shadow. For one she is very short-an exact head shorter than Pinkie-making her the shortest of her Sisters. Another thing to be noted are the fiery orange braided pigtails dropping out of her hood, as well as her bright pink eyes that radiated a level of happiness rivaled only by Pinkie's own aura.

Ahem

Midnight Star's throat clearing drew both excited ponies' attention to her as she spoke-"I apologies for interrupting your conversation, but..."

"Oooohhh, is it time big sis?"-the excited ninja pony asked, now bouncing on her seat.

"Yes Whimsy, it is time..."-Midnight Star answered cryptically, but Whimsy Wisp knew exactly what that meant.

"YES! YES! YES! FINALLY!"-Whimsy exclaimed, jumping right out of the carriage, with Shadow Wing doing her best to quiet her down.

"YAY, IT'S TIME!"-Pinkie exclaimed too, but then her happiness gave way to confusion as she looked to where Midnight Star would be standing since she's still blindfolded-"Uh, time for what?"

Midnight Star shook her head in amusement and took a seat in front of Pinkie and said-"Before I answer that question, please allow me to remove your blindfold Lady Pinkie Pie."

And the mysterious Earth Pony did so, letting Pinkie get a full view of her captor, although instead of looking angry or scared, she was still smiling as per usual.

"Oh so this is how you guys look like. You look like a ninja pony, like from those comic books my friend, Spike, reads. Although, now that I think about it, you look waaaay better in that outfit."-Pinkie pointed out, as Midnight Star chuckled at the party-pony's words.

"Thank you Lady Pinkie Pie. I will take your words as high praise."-Midnight Star said.

"By the way, how come you haven't gagged me?"-Pinkie asked, her face the picture of innocent curiosity, and upon Midnight Star's confused-'Huh?'-the pink Earth Pony elaborated-"Well, when you kidnap somepony, you're supposed to gag them to make sure they don't call for help and make them a full-on damsel in distress. Eeeeverypony knows that, especially my friend Rarity, since she always emphasizes that part in her stories. So why did you just blindfold me and not gag me."

"'Cause she likes to make things more dramatic."-Shadow Wing suddenly said, while firmly holding a wiggling Whimsy Wisp tightly to her chest and keeping her hand over the smaller pony's masked mouth.

Shaking her head at being interrupted, Midnight Star said-"Actually the REAL reason why I decided against gagging you, is because I wished to test out the new silencing runes that Shadow Wing over there, carved into our carriage. And it appears that, unless I open at least one door, you can scream as loudly as you wish Lady Pinkie Pie, and the carriage itself would still be as quiet as a mouse."

"...And because you like to make things dramatic, riiiiight?"-Pinkie asked with an innocent smile, while Midnight Star suddenly lowered her head. The Sister of Shadows was also immensely grateful for her mask, since it now serves to hide her blush."

"I...uh...y-yes..."-then Midnight shook her head and looked Pinkie dead in the eye, her tone now serious-"Back to your previous question, Lady Pinkie Pie. Allow me to ask you this first: do you remember what we told you, after we captured you?"

"Sure."-Pinkie casually said-"You girls want me and my friends' help with something big, but you were ordered by your boss lady to kidnap us and you want us to come willingly 'cause you like us so much."

Midnight Star was slightly surprised by this, since she didn't think Pinkie's wit would be this sharp.

"Y-yes, exactly...and you're still not upset at all about us kidnapping you or even tying you up like this?"

"Hmmmm, nope."-Pinkie said, looking like she was considering her answer for a moment there-"This is kinda like a game and Pinkie Pie loves games. I think Rarity called this kind of game 'role-play-ing', whatever that means, teheheh. Although, you guys can stop calling me 'Lady' all the time though."

"That I'm afraid I cannot do, Lady Pinkie Pie. It would be a stain to our honor if we refered to you as if you were our equal."-Midnight Star said, before casting a dejected look to the floor of the carriage-"And I'm afraid that, while you may have liked this 'experience' so far Lady Pinkie Pie...what we are about to do next may change your mind, as well as your opinion of us..."

"Hmm?"-Pinkie simply looked confusedly at Midnight Star, even cutely tilting her head.

Sweet Apple Acres

Some time later

"There! That should do it."-Applejack said with satisfaction, dumping the last of the fallen branches onto the now-full cart.

Whipping the layer of sweat off her brow, Applejack couldn't help but be proud of what she had accomplished, even with the slight hiccup with Applebloom from earlier.

"Well, can't stop now, not when Ah'm so close to the finish line."-Applejack then proceeded to wheel the cart back to the family barn to finish this part of her work schedule.

However, the orange amazon mare noticed a fancy looking cart coming up the path leading up to her home. She figured it must be some super rich noble pony here to either buy a shipload of apples from her, or simply make fun of the 'commoner ponies'.

'Well either way, Ah better go and see who that is.'-Applejack thought as she made her way to the mysterious carriage.

Getting closer to it, she noticed a few things that starting raising some alarm bells in her head. One was the very tall and very intimidating looking Terror Bird that was pulling the vehicle. She was no stranger to these kinds of mounts, but given that grounded avians' carnivorous nature she never quite felt very comfortable around them. The next thing to put her on edge were the two dark clad ninja-like ponies standing next to the cart. The first one looked towards Applejack in a calculated way, as if she was sizing her up, while the second one seemed like a shorter version of Pinkie Pie, given her excited attitude and the fact that she was bouncing up and down.

'Somethin' ain't right here...'-Applejack thought, though she decided to greet these ponies and and be civil with them, since they may not be the threat her gut is telling her they are.

"Howdy strangers. I'm Applejack and welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, home of the best homegrown apples in all of Equestria."-Applejack greeted them casually with a smile, the same way she greeted almost every other stranger that came by her home before. However she still remained cautious and kept a safe distance away from the two strangers-"How what can I do for ya?"

"Oooohhh, ever her sales pitch is awesome, yep, yep, yep."-the short pony whispered to her friend, but Applejack was still able to hear it.

"Lady Applejack, first allow us to introduce ourselves."-the taller pony said-"My name is Midnight Star, and this is my comrade, Whimsy Wisp. We are part of a...well I suppose you could call it a sisterhood, known as the Sisters of Shadow."

Applejack did her best to hold back a chuckle.-"Well that explains the outfits Ah guess. Still, and no offence, but you sisterhood's got a pretty creepy name to it."

"No offence taken, Lady Applejack."-Midnight Star said-"Now, back to your previous question, I'm afraid you may not like what you are about to hear next *inhales deeply before exhaling*: Lady Applejack...we are here to kidnap you."

There was a moment of silence, until Applejack broke it with a nervous chuckle and said-"Ooookaaay...uhm, if this is supposed to be some kind of prank, then it ain't funny. Ah mean, who put ya up to this? Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie? Wait, Ah know, it's Strawberry Sunrise, isn't it?"

Whimsy giggled upon hearing Applejack's reaction, whilst Midnight Star spoke:

"I'm afraid this is no prank Lady Applejack. This is very real and happening right now."

"Oh come one now."-Applejack said suddenly-"Ya expect me tah believe that ya'll are here to kidnap me? Just like that?"

"Well...yeah!"-Whimsy said-"I mean, why is it so hard to believe?"

"Because ya'll just up and showed yerselves, and just told me you were gonna do it."-Applejack answered-"Ah'm no expert, but shouldn't a kidnappin' suppose tah happen without the victim knowin' about it?"

"Indeed."-Midnight Star answered-"However, we would prefer that you come with us willingly Lady Applejack. While you will be secured, as in a usual kidnapping scenario, we would prefer that you surrender to us by your own volition."

Applejack was silent for a moment, until she sighed and shook her head-"Look, Ah don't know what this, but ya'll are just wastin' mah time here. Ah've got about a dozen things tah do before the day ends, so Ah'm gonna have tah ask ya tah leave mah farm right now."

Midnight sighed upon hearing this and spoke in a grave tone-"I was hopping we could do this swiftly, but it looks like I was wrong. Shadow Wing!"

Applejack stopped when she heard the ninja pony speak and looked to the back of the carriage, where she saw movement. Stepping out from behind the carriage was a third ninja pony, but there was another pony with her, and it was this pony what made Applejack freeze up.

"PINKIE PIE!"-Applejack screamed.

"Mmmppff, Hhhmmppff Mmmppljmmck."-Pinkie Pie mumbled, as she now had the previously-used blindfold tied over her mouth and nose. The pink party pony was still tied up and was now held by Shadow Wing by her shoulders, and even though was now the ninja pony's hostage, she still simply smiled underneath her gag.

Despite her girlfriend's happy attitude, Applejack still directed a fiery gaze towards Midnight Star, who said-"Please do not perform any reckless actions Lady Applejack, we truly do not wish to harm Lady Pinkie Pie."

"Oh yeah?"-Applejack asked, her voice seethed in rage-"Then how come yer holdin' her hostage in front of me. And while yer at it, how 'bout ya tell me why Ah shouldn't just buck yer skulls off right now."

"Because, while I did say that we would harm Lady Pinkie Pie, should you not cooperate with us,"-Midnight Star began-"We would still prefer that you come with us willingly. Harming either of you, or any of the other Elements of Harmony for that matter, would go against every vow my sisters and I have pledged to, and would only stain our honor."

The fact that this pony mentioned her friends, immediately set off some major alarm bells in the cow-pony's head, however, she decided to shelf that question for later, and decided to instead ask-"Why are ya tellin' me all of this anyway?"

"Because,"-Midnight Star answered without hesitation-"While you may view us as villains, I know that there is no way for me to lie to you. I know you can sense that I am telling the truth, and that is something that frightens you, Lady Applejack."

Applejack's eyes widened upon hearing those words, since they were true. From the moment she began talking, Applejack could sense no lie coming out of Midnight's covered mouth, which was why she was hopping that this was all some sort of elaborate joke, perpetrated by one of her friends. However, at this point she was starting to loose sight of that hope. Applejack was still silent, even as she looked towards Pinkie, who was now humming a little song underneath her gag, while still smiling. If what Midnight Star told her really was the truth, then that means that this whole 'hostage situation' was nothing more than a charade. However, these are ponies Applejack has never seen or dealt with before, and for all she knew, they could still go through with their threat. So, with a sigh of defeat, the orange mare said:

"Alright. If ya promise not tah hurt Pinkie, then...Ah'll go with ya..."

Upon hearing this, Whimsy Wisp started jumping up and down in joy, Shadow Wing sighed loudly in relief and Midnight Star nodded her head in relief.-"Very well then. Thank you, for cooperating with us, Lady Applejack." *turns to Whimsy Wisp and nods*

Upon receiving the silent message, Whimsy excitedly opened the carriage door and produced an entire bundle of ropes and ran excitedly to Applejack, who had an angry and displeased look on her face.

"Okay, okay, now just put those big hands of yours behind your back, and I'll do the rest Lady Applejack, okey dokey?."-Whimsy excitedly instructed, to which Applejack sighed in frustration and did as she was told.

As Whimsy was tending to her task, Shadow Wing gently guided a skipping Pinkie Pie back into the carriage, however she decided to address her fellow sister first with a concerning question:

"Do you think it's wise to let Whimsy secure Lady Applejack. You how she gets when-"

"I am well aware of the risks, Shadow Wing."-Midnight Star immediately answered-"I simply thought it fair for her to take care of the Element of Harmony she looks up to the most, same as it was with you. And on the off chance that she does get...carried away, then I will personally interfere."

Shadow Wing simply nodded her head wordlessly and trusted her sister's judgement, seeing as she is the brains of this team. She then continued to guide her bouncy captive to the carriage. Once there Shadow Wing made sure to carefully guide Pinkie inside, and help her sit down. She also made sure to keep herself calm, even while she was holding onto Pinkie's soft sides and especially when one of her hands brushed up against one of Pinkie's breasts by accident.

"Ymmpphff hmmphhvppff smmmpphhfftt hmmmpphhnds."

Shadow Wing looked up confusedly at Pinkie's gagged and smiling face after hearing her mumbling.

"Ymmpphff hmmphhvppff smmmpphhfftt hmmmpphhnds."-Pinkie repeated.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Shadow Wing made sure to check that Midnight Star was still focusing on her excited comrade and afterwards, she looked at Pinkie, placing a finger over her covered mouth as sign for the pink mare to be quiet. Then the ninja pony pulled down Pinkie's gag, letting it hang around her neck, after which the party pony leaned forward and whispered into Shadow Wings' ear.

"I said, you have soft hands."

Shadow's red eyes widened upon hearing this, looking in shock and surprise at the smiling pink pony before her. Then she wordlessly pulled Pinkie's gag back into place and re-secured it. Then she sat back down in front of her captive and looked away, praying to every god out there that her mask was hiding her intense blush. Although Pinkie's giggling wasn't helping at all.

Back with Whimsy and Applejack.

With Applejack's arms and torso now secured - the ropework making her boobs pop out a bit - Whimsy was now busy securing the amazon mare's legs above her knees. However, as she did so, the ninja pony couldn't stop herself from admiring a certain part of AJ's body that was right in front of her face.

"Did anypony ever tell you, you have a nice, firm tushy Lady Applejack?"-Whimsy Wisp asked in innocent way, but with a hint of perversion lacing her tone. This only made Applejack tense up and blush intensely, then direct a heated, indignant glare at the pony behind her.

"H-HEY! S-stop starrin' at mah butt, ya creep! What are ya, a pervert or somethin'?"

"Meh, I've been called that before, yep, yep, yep."-Whimsy answered whimsically (eh? eeeehhhh?)

Once Whimsy was done tying up AJ's legs, she stood up and produced a white cloth from behind her, making sure the orange mare didn't see it.

"Alright Lady Applejack, I'm just about done giftwrapping ya. Do you have any last words before we go?"-Whimsy asked innocently, and Applejack answered without turning around to look at her.

"Yeah, Ah do actually. If ya'll think yer gonna get away with whatever yer plannin' with us, then you've got another thing c-MMMPPHHFF!"

Applejack couldn't finish her defiant speech because Whimsy chose to wrap the white cloth she had with her around Applejack's nose and mouth. The tall Earth Pony had to lean back slightly though, since Whimsy was so short, as the ninja pony tied the gag off tightly.

"Another, what? I'm sorry but could you repeat that last part please, Lady Applejack?"-Whimsy asked in her sweet and innocent voice again once she was done gagging her captive.

This time Applejack did turn around to look at her captor with a fiery glare-"Mmmppphhhfff mmmmpppfff mmpphhff! Mmmmpphhff!"-Applejack said, her mumbles deeper due to a combination of her gag and the usual tone of her voice.

Whimsy though wasn't intimidated at all by the amazon mare's glare or muffled yelling. In fact she simply stood, smiled and seemed to be getting more excited the more she heard AJ's muffled voice.

"I'm sorry Lady Applejack, but could you please say that again? I'm not sure I fully understood that bit."-Whimsy said, only angering Applejack further.

The orange mare was about to yell at her again, until-

"Whimsy!"-Midnight Star's voice drew both of mares' attention-"We have to go, or we'll fall behind schedule."

"Awww, but I wanted to play with Lady Applejack some more, and-"-Whimsy said, but then stopped when, not only Midnight, but Shadow too glared intensely at her, making her groan in annoyance and defeat.-"Ugh, fine. party poopers."-then she looked at a still glaring Applejack and said-"Don't worry Lady Applejack, we'll have plenty of more time to play. Now let's get going then."

Although she didn't want to go, especially after this pervert pony eyed her up, made fun of her and even slapped her but just now to get her walking, Applejack figured she didn't really have much of a choice, especially lest these ponies decide to hurt Pinkie or the rest of her friends.

As Applejack marched past Midnight Star and was helped into the carriage by Shadow Wing, Whimsy was stopped by the leader of their little team.

"You will be driving Whimsy."-Midnight Star said, making her sister's eyes widen in shock.

"What!? But why?! I thought that was supposed to be Shadow Wing's job."-Whimsy wondered, her sister's gaze not faulting in the slightest.

"It is."-Midnight Star elaborated-"However, I cannot trust you to be in the same enclosed space with Lady Applejack right now."

"But big sis, you promised-"

"I promised that you could secure Lady Applejack, nothing more."-Midnight Star cut her saddened comrade off-"I don't want to have to spend the rest of the journey holding you down Whimsy, simply because you cannot control yourself. Once we reach the rendezvous point, we will discuss this matter in further detail. Until then, grab the reigns and let us proceed onwards."

Whimsy wanted to protest further since she was looking forward to spending more time with the Element of Honesty, but she knew that once big sis Star had the final say in the matter, neither she nor anyone else from their sisterhood could say anything to the contrary.

"Uuuggghhh, fine."-Whimsy said in frustration, before directing a glare at her team leader and spoke lowly to her after getting into Midnight's personal space-"But just for this, I want to snuggle with Lady Applejack once we get to the city."

"...very well. Now let's go."-Midnight Star said, as she wordlessly got in the carriage, closing the door, leaving Whimsy to get up on the driver seat and start driving.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was tense, obviously, with the two Sisters of Shadow sitting on one side, and the two kidnapped Elements of Harmony on the other. The two ninja ponies remained silent and stoic while the Element bearers had differing reactions: Applejack glared continuously at her captors, while Pinkie simply sat smiling, without a care in the world.

"I realize the unpleasantness of the situation,"-Midnight Star said, more addressing Applejack then Pinkie Pie-"But I can assure you, once we arrive at our home, our Mistress will tell you everything you will need to know."

Applejack merely grunted, not liking the fact that they're being kept in the dark. Midnight Star then summoned a cyan colored flame in her left palm and spoke into it:

"This is Team Beta reporting. Honesty and Laughter have been secured and are being transported."-Midnight Star remained silent as whoever she was speaking to from the other end of the communication magic spoke. After a moment of silence, Midnight Star spoke into the flame once more-"Understood, we will arrive momentarily. Midnight Star out."

The masked pony the dispelled the flame and spoke to the two Earth Ponies, who were looking at her with curiosity-"Good news: my sisters were able to succesfully kidnap the rest of your friends, and they did so without harming them. So you two may now rest easy, knowing that your friends will be safe with us."

While she was relieved to hear that her friends were okay, Applejack still felt disgruntled about the fact that her friends willingly let themselves be kidnapped, especially Rainbow Dash. However, she herself felt a great deal of shame for not being able to keep to her promise of being the hero her friends could rely on. Knowing this, she forced her eyes shut and looked away in shame.

'Some hero Ah turned out to be.'-Applejack thought bitterly-'Couldn' even help mahself, let alone save the pony gal I love.'

However, Applejack's bitter thoughts were interrupted by Pinkie nudging her left side. Looking to her fellow kidnapee, Applejack saw Pinkie's eyes go from happy to worried, looking like a child who senses that something is wrong with their parent.

"Wmmmpppfffhhht's wrmmmmpppffng Mmmmpppfffpljkkk?"-Pinkie asked, but due to her gag, her question ended up as a mess of muffled mewls.

Applejack knew that she was worried about her. Despite her ditzy, carefree and free-spirited nature Pinkie Pie could still feel worried about those closest to her, especially in a situation like this. AJ knew that her pink girlfriend was also worried about their friends and what is going to happen to them. The orange farm pony wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around Pinkie, and whisper to her that everything is going to be fine.

Unfortunately their current situation prevented her from doing so, therefore she resorted to do the one thing she knew would comfort her girlfriend. Applejack slowly closed her eyes and leaned forward, gently pressing her lips into Pinkie's. The pink mare was surprised at first, but then quickly melted into the kiss. Even though their gags were preventing them from fully enjoying this moment, they still felt reassured by this gesture that they will be alright.

While Midnight Star gazed out the covered window, thinking about the next step in their plan, Shadow Wing looked on at the two ponies gag-kissing and only one thought crossed her mind at that moment:

'Lucky...'

To be continued...