Author's Note

Chapter title is from "Control" by Broken Bells.

12. Using pleasure, using pain

"Isn't this great?" Gurgle asked.

Misty could hardly even see his apartment walls; it was so full of creatures, dancing in time to the music.

It brought her back to the wild parties Pearl would throw sometimes and how creatures would show up, getting drunker and drunker as they danced the night away.

Bottles smashed somewhere, and some of the partiers were starting to cheer.

"You know a lot of people," Misty shouted over the music.

"Do you want another beer? Come on, don't be a party pooper."

The warm bodies brought a sheen of sweat prickling through her fur, clinging underneath her mane where it rested on her neck.

She knew what Gurgle was trying to do. She had pretended to drink each beer before dumping it into a plant- Mom had told her never to trust some creature, giving her a drink unless she had watched it being made.

"Come on," he said. "One more."

Misty nodded, and Gurgle was lost in the crowd.

Misty shivered, crumpling up her cup and tossing it into the trash. She stepped outside.

The chilling air was refreshing, and around Manebourne shimmered and glittered like a star.

Elsewhere, she could hear other parties and things happening, combined with deafening music.

Something tacked to a nearby lampost caught her eye. She walked toward it.

A wanted poster was tacked to the lamp post, portraying her likeness.

WANTED ALIVE, MISTY FLARE.

Posters were tacked to each lamppost down the street.

Blue magic flowed down the lampposts, grabbing each Wanted poster and crumpling it into a ball. She tossed the crumpled lump into a garbage can.

Easy.

"What are you doing?"

Misty turned around, facing Gurgle. "Getting some fresh air. Where's my beer?"

Gurgle wrapped her in a hug, stroking a claw down her back and along her tail to the fluffy part.

Misty tried to pull away, but Gurgle's arms were wrapping closer around her, and he was too strong. This wasn't part of the plan. She turned into a nirik, fire burning, pressing her fangs against Gurgle's neck.

Her fangs tinged off scales, and she turned back into a kirin.

"I'm a dragon. That won't work on me," Gurgle said.

He wrapped his paw around her arm, dragging her haphazardly toward the house, up the stairs through the crowds of people and into a bedroom.

He closed the door, flinging her onto the bed.

"You look so young." Gurgle licked his lips. "How old did you say you were?"

"I'm eighteen," Misty lied. She had a feeling if she said her actual age -fifteen- he still wouldn't stop.

He crept to the bottom of the bed, inching across the comforter, his tail swiping back and forth. "There's no way you're eighteen."

Misty smiled, leaning back on the pillow, spreading her limbs to show her privates.

Gurgle drooled and inserted his dick into her vagina forcefully, pounding into her until the bedsprings squeaked.

Even Misty's tail wriggling with the waves of pleasure and the feeling of the fullness spreading through her.

It was bitter.

"I love you, I love you," he chanted.

She grappled for anything with her telekinesis until he stopped to wrap his claws around her horn.

"No," he said firmly. "Or else."

Misty looked up at the ceiling and waited until her vagina stopped burning.

She quit her job the next day.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Another week passed, with a new restaurant job. In a month, Misty had enough bits to take a train trip.

She had to be careful about booking a ticket. She talked to Savarin extensively until it was the day, and she arrived at Manebourne train station.

Her ticket was scanned no problem, and she sat in her seat, looking out at the enormous train station itself.

The station was quieter than she thought it would be, but no less glorious, with a high ceiling and huge windows.

Somecreature entered, closing the door and taking a seat opposite her. It was Nettle.

"Hello, Misty Flare," Nettle said. "Surprised I'm here?"

"Hello," Misty replied slowly. "How are you? You're looking well."

There was a blur, and a stake in a crossbow was jammed into the seat between Misty's legs. "I heard Luster and her friends talking about what you did to Kirin Grove, and I wanted to help. I'm friends with them now."

"Good for you."

The crossbow weaved up, along Misty's belly and up into Misty's face. "The others believe you can be redeemed, but they aren't here right now. They're off still looking for you. I lied to them that I didn't see you, and now I'm here. Ha." She grinned. "You're going to pay for what you did to your Mom and to me."

"And what did I do?"

Silence.

Nettle snorted and huffed, leaning back in her seat. She still had the crossbow aimed at Misty.

"You know what you did!" she said. "You bucking dyke rapist."

Misty leaned closer, the stake pressing into her chest. Her ears twitched slightly at the pain, but she pressed closer and closer, leaning over to peer at Nettle.

"You liked it," she whispered. "Don't tell me you didn't. I bet you'll fall in love with me and ask for more and more." She imitated Nettle's voice: "buck me, Misty, buck me good."

Nettle pressed down on the trigger, but Misty had already moved, the stake landing in the wall with a twang.

Nettle scuttled back from Misty. "I have sp-spells."

Misty smiled. Nettle she could deal with. Gurgle was too strong, but Nettle... She pressed her hoof against her wound and pressed her hoof into Nettle's face, smearing blood into her fur.

Nettle's horn glowed, and a beam of light shooting out.

It hit Misty square in the chest, and she flew through the door and landed in the aisle of the train.

Shit.

She had pushed Nettle too far.

Nettle stalked across the broken glass, bits crunching under her hooves.

Misty galloped down the train toward the front, running faster and faster, with her blood dripping down onto the carpet.

She stepped to the right, missing a green geyser of magic shooting past her. Nettle shot magic again but misaimed.

But, the next one Nettle misaimed, and the right side of the train's windows shattered.

Creatures screamed.

"I went to the Magic school, and you didn't!" shouted Nettle. "I'm better than you; I'm better-"

"Nettle, stop!"

Misty galloped through dining areas and couches.

She reached the front of the train, only to see a shivering pony conductor and a ruined control board. It fizzled and spat where Nettle's magic had hit it.

Nettle stepped into the room with a crunch as she walked across broken glass.

The conductor let out a squeak.

Nettle's horn had started to glow a bright green again, the point touching Misty's throat.

Misty swallowed and said: "now you're the one being a baddie right now! Look at how you're scaring the conductor!"

Nettle let out a shuddering sigh, her eyes going between Misty and the conductor before her horn stopped glowing. She sagged against Misty.

"That's my mare," Misty said, brushing her lips by Nettle's ear. "My Nettle."

Nettle shivered, her big green eyes boring into Misty's.

Something green hit Misty like a truck. She sailed, nose over tail, tail over nose, out of the window and rolled along the train track.

She groaned and limped to her hooves. Her ribs ached.

"Whoa," said a familiar voice. Something hulking and green walked along the train track toward Misty. "I wasn't expecting this to be strong! Isn't this cool, Misty? Isn't it?"

"Leafy..."

He was enormous and shaped vaguely like an ape. His body layers upon layers of leaves, but he had the same cartoony face and white petals framing it.

"I'm so mad at you, Misty," said Leafy. "You killed Mom. How could you?" He didn't leave her a chance to answer. "But, I found a better way than using the Fire Flower to get a new body. Isn't it great? Princess Twilight gave it to me using a spell."

"What are you going to do to me, Leafy?" Misty asked, taking a step backwards.

"I'm sorry about Nettle attacking you, but you hurt her something bad, Misty." He kept walking toward her, cracking his knuckles. The leaves in his body kept on shifting and writhing as he walked. His steps were heavy. "You can come with us, and-and we'll figure something out."

"Yes, Leafy. I can do that."

Leafy frowned. "You're lying. You always lie."

Nettle hopped out of the window of the train, landing on the train tracks. She looked at Leafy, and Leafy looked at her, a moment of understanding running between them.

Misty reached out with her telekinesis. She didn't have long.

There had to be something.

Anything.

Her magic wrapped around the wheels of a train next to the one she had sailed out of.

"You're going to kill me," she said. "I thought you were the good guys."

Nettle sniffled. "I- Leafy..."

"I'll take care of her," Leafy said happily. "Just call for backup. Maybe the others are already coming."

There was no warning, and he ran at Misty.

She ducked, but he kicked her in the chest, and she couldn't breathe for all the pain.

Some creature was laughing; Nettle.

Another punch and another, and Misty tried to dodge them, but punches cracked over her face more often than not.

She pushed at the train wheel, and Leafy's attention turned away from her when the train screeched. It toppled into the next train and the next, and they went down like dominos.

Fire exploded outward from the trains with a loud BANG!

Misty sailed through the air as if she were a rag doll. She hit the ground hard and rolled a few metres.

Fire and rubble rained down. She got up. She was outside the train station, and it was burning.

She ran.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The lights blurred from the restaurants. Misty kept on staggering along the streets as if everycreature was after her.

She ducked down one alleyway, passing a hidden restaurant, and then down another street and another and another until she couldn't gallop anymore.

She sagged against the wall of an alleyway, coughing. Coughing made everything hurt.

She checked herself over. She had a few other scrapes and scratches, one big scrape on her chest, but otherwise- only her ribs were broken.

She hissed through her teeth, banging her right hoof on the wall.

It made her feel slightly better.

A voice whispered in Misty's ear: "Misty."

Misty jumped, hitting her head against the wall. "Savarin? I missed the damn train. I almost died."

"If you die, I'll be disappointed I didn't get my kiss."

"You'll get it."

"I have to kill a rat for dinner. I'm in Neigh York," Savarin said. "Did you know you can make pancakes out of blood? I love the city life."

Misty laughed but stopped when her ribs hurt even more.

Savarin let out a sigh. "It's time for us to disappear."

Misty looked up at the sliver of sky. She could hear voices far off. If she couldn't take a train out of Manebourne, she'd have to walk.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Misty travelled from city to city, backtracking and heading across forests and marshes, deserts and through old castles, always running and messaging Savarin when she could.

In this way, Misty turned seventeen, and she made her way to Ponyville to wait for the asteroid.