“We’ll push on to Ponyville. Starlight’s right; those monsters will keep searching for us. The faster we find somewhere in town to bunker down and set up a base, the safer we’ll be.” Starlight nodded with a small smile, but Flurry then turned to see Sweetie Belle looking down. “However, we’re no good to anypony else if we’re too hungry to save them. So we’ll take some apples with us.”

“Flurry, are you sure?” Starlight asked as Sweetie’s mood rose once more. “I don’t trust something hasn’t been done to these apples. We could find something safe to eat once we make it to Ponyville.”

“There’s no guarantee the food in town won’t be tampered with either.” Flurry countered. “Besides, if we have something now, our growling bellies won’t give away our position.”

"Alright," the older unicorn sighed. "I hope you're right, Flurry."

"Me too." The alicorn replied with a smile.

With that, she and Sweetie plucked a few apples from the trees with their magic and tucked them into their satchels before the three set off on foot. The ponies moved as quickly as they dared, darting underneath the denser canopy of foliage wherever possible and constantly scanning the skies above them. Occasionally they would see a monster fly overhead; forcing them to dart behind the trunks of the closest tree and waiting a good five minutes afterwards to ensure it was clear before moving on. There were also ground-bound patrols scouring the orchards from the north but, with deception and magical stealth, the three were able to give them the slip or wait for them to pass by.

On and on they traversed the seemingly endless farmland. Starlight used her magic to create a compass every now and then, double-checking that they were indeed heading the right direction. Despite helping out at Sweet Apple Acres many times in the past, she now internally groaned at the lack of notable landmarks. The rational part of her brain told her the Apple family would never need them given it was their farm, but it still didn't lighten her mood. As they walked, Flurry and Sweetie Belle both ate an apple on the go. The fruit banished the lavender-maned unicorns’ stomach pains, though there was something slightly off about the taste. Among the usual apple flavour was an almost creamy sensation; like that of a fresh pastry. Despite their assurances the fruit tasted alright, Starlight always politely refused; untrusting of anything down here.

“Are we sure this is the right way?” Flurry asked as they had stopped for a breather once more, having travelled for what felt like and could easily have been hours.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “I don’t remember the orchard being this big.”

“Perhaps it’s spread on its own in the last few decades. Although,” Starlight said with a smile as she looked back at the two, "You were a lot smaller back then." The pout on the alabaster unicorn's face drew a weary but genuine chuckle from Starlight and Flurry Heart, and soon from Sweetie herself as well. The mage focused back onto her magically-constructed compass, the south point leading straight ahead. “Anyway, we should still be heading the right way. Flurry, could you fly up and double-check for us please?”

Flurry nodded and flew up into the leaves above them, barely popping her head out of the treetops to make sure the coast was clear. The overcast sky was devoid of flying beasts in their area, though she noticed with a growing sorrow there were plenty taking off from where they started this trek. The silhouetted monsters were all flying in a staggered line up to a certain point in the cloud canopy before passing through it. But it was what they carried that scared Flurry.

For they were ferrying any survivors or prisoners from the train up into the clouds. Celestia only knew what was in store for those poor souls, but Flurry sent a small prayer for them all the same.

"Flurry? Everything okay up there?" Sweetie Belle's voice woke her from her distraction, and she popped her horned head back below the leaves.

"Yeah, sorry. I just..." She drifted off, but seeing the worried look in Starlight's eyes prompted her to push through. "I saw those monsters taking survivors into the clouds." Sweetie's hands moved to cover her mouth in shock, while Starlight's empathy was plain to see upon her face. "I just..."

"Flurry," Starlight spoke up, the matronly unicorn instantly gaining the princess' attention. "I know it hurts knowing we can't help them now. Believe me, I really do. But we need to stay focused on getting to Ponyville. Otherwise, their sacrifice will mean nothing. Now, was there anything else you could see up there?" Flurry took in her aunt's wisdom and nodded before returning to her lookout spot. Initially there was nothing but hills of trees all around, but something finally caught her eye. Off in the distance, veering slightly to the left of their current path, was a large boxy structure; slate grey walls with a slanted dark green roof. She also managed to spy an increased number of beasts over in that direction. Swiftly, Flurry clambered out of the tree and reported her findings.

“Could that be Sweet Apple Acres?” She asked as Starlight held her chin in contemplation.

“If it wasn’t red and wooden, I doubt it’s anything the Apples would’ve built,” Sweetie Belle chimed in.

“We’ll avoid it for now,” Starlight determined, setting off once more with the two younger mares catching up swiftly. “We need to get to Ponyville before nightfall.”

“But...” Sweetie spoke up again. “But what if Applejack is there? And Apple Bloom? We can’t just leave them there.”

“Sweetie Belle,” Starlight stopped and turned to face her. “I know you want to save them. I do too, but the farm will likely be on high alert given news of the train will have most likely reached them by now. We’re not ready for a frontal assault on an established location yet. Once we find somewhere to rest and regroup, we’ll start working on our next move, okay?” The Cutiemark Crusader thought this over for a moment before solemnly nodding in agreement, but a hand and an empathetic look from Flurry Heart let her know she wasn’t alone in feeling this.

The three carried on, remaining hidden from any patrols they saw as they continued south. Soon they found what turned out to be the road leading north out of Ponyville. They followed it for a little while, but then went off the beaten path once more as the path began nearing the homestead of Sweet Apple Acres. Within half an hour of their deviation, the ponies looked down the hill from a secluded location to their destination.

Flurry Heart’s breath escaped her at the sight, like one of her nightmares had come to life.

The vibrant and colourful town she had seen pictures of was a shattered shell of its former splendour. Most houses were crumbling ruins if not outright destroyed. The few that stood were graffiti stained and decrepit-looking. Most plant life was withered and dead, and all the bright colours Starlight and Sweetie Belle remembered had dulled to depressing, dark shades. Then there were the inhabitants. What sparse foot traffic that could be seen from their position was primarily monstrous in nature. The few ponies they could see lived a very subservient existence; either paraded around like pets on leashes, or locked in pillories and rutted as if they were nothing more than breeding animals eternally in heat.

The sight was disheartening to the young alicorn, but a glance over to her companions made her realize it was even worse for them. Starlight stared in disbelief, her expression one of loss and sorrow. Her gaze was directed to the east of their position, where Flurry could see the remnants of a crystal castle not unlike that of her home; shaped somewhat like a tree and teeming with monstrous guards. The princess thought Starlight might break down as she had seen the unicorn do before whenever the subject of Equestria had come up, but she held back the tears by shutting her eyes and turning away. Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, was a wreck. Her eyes were wide with shock and horror, her hands covering her mouth again and shoulders shuddering as tears rolled unbidden down her cheeks at the sight of her former home.

A small patrol of flying beasts made all three mares duck for cover and, after ensuring they weren’t spotted, snapped Flurry back to the reality of their mission. “So, what now?”

“We... we need to find somewhere secure.” Starlight stammered, regaining control following the shock of seeing what Ponyville had become. “An abandoned building would be best. One that the monsters will have no interest in entering.”

Aunt and niece fell into silence, pondering this problem until their third meekly spoke up with a sniffle. “Well… w-we could try Carousel Boutique?”

“Carousel Boutique?” Flurry repeated in confusion.

“It was my sister’s home.” The crusader explained, wiping away the tears still escaping her green eyes. “As well as a fashion store. It’s on the other side of town but... if these guys are so obsessed with sex, then I imagine clothes wouldn’t be very high on their priorities.”

“That… could actually work.” Starlight said with a growing smile. “Good thinking, Sweetie Belle.” The praise helped lift the alabaster unicorn's spirits, if the small smile on her muzzle was any indication.

“Okay, so how do we get there then? Teleport?”

“No,” Starlight told her niece as she looked back at the town. “It won’t work. Whoever or whatever has done this to Equestria has inflicted some negative effect on long distance teleportation. It’s the reason why we didn’t just teleport in from the Empire. It messes with the spell and relocates you somewhere different. There’s no telling where we’d end up should we try teleporting to the boutique. For all we know, we could jump straight into the middle of an orgy.”

They were quiet once more, ducking another patrol, before Flurry piped up with an idea. “What if you had a beacon to guide the spell?” Starlight looked at her, saying nothing but wearing an expression that encouraged the young princess to go on. “I fly ahead to the boutique, and light my horn. You can then use my magic as a signal to home in on.”

“No. It’s too risky going in there by yourself.”

“Then how about you cast an invisibility spell on me beforehand? That way the monsters won’t know where I am, and then you have a marker for where to teleport to.”

“It would be faster than sneaking around and hoping we aren’t spotted.” Sweetie Belle added.

“But…” Starlight protested again, but she stopped as she looked Flurry in the eyes, seeing the determination in the young mare.

“Starlight, please. I can do this. I just need you to trust me.” For a long moment, the two simply stared hard at one another. the mage searched for any reason to doubt, any reason to protect her niece and choose a safer option. Any safer option. When one failed to materialize in the face of the alicorn’s conviction, she finally relented with a sigh.

“Alright,” she said, placing her hands on Flurry’s shoulders. “But you avoid all combat. Just fly straight to the boutique, then light your horn. Once you do, I’ll try to teleport the two of us to you. However, I’ll need all of my magic to make this successful, so you’ll lose your invisibility once we're on our way. Make sure you’re well hidden before you give the signal, understand?” Flurry nodded, a small smile forming on her face. Taking a deep breath, Starlight placed one hand upon Flurry Heart’s forehead and began channelling her magic. The teal glow encompassed her horn and, in an instant, the princess vanished from sight.

“Head for the south east of town,” Sweetie Belle explained, burying the silly feeling of talking to the seemingly empty space where Flurry had just been. “It shouldn’t be too far once you’ve past the town hall. Look for a building that looks like a children’s ride.” Though her confused eyebrow raise went unseen, Flurry nonetheless answered this advice with a grateful pat on Sweetie’s shoulder. The unicorn still jumped despite quickly realising what that meant.

“Be careful,” Starlight finished, and she was surprised with a hug from the invisible alicorn before a gust of wind signalled Flurry’s take off.

The hidden alicorn soared over the occupied town, silently surveying the carnage as her wide wings carried her through the air. The damage created a pang in the alicorn’s heart as she saw the partially collapsed town hall come swiftly into view. Surrounding the building were a circle of pillories containing restrained mares, most of them currently being violated by the lustful monsters that now called the town home. The urge to save them, to swoop down there, free the mares and lay waste to the fiends responsible was strong. But the area appeared a mecca for all the bestial soldiers that now ruled the town. Any such rescue attempt would be akin to suicide. Besides, she had a job to do, and pushed onwards.

Looking back up, Flurry’s eyes widened and she swiftly banked out of the way as a trio of spherical monsters flew by. She treaded air as she waited from them to pass, remarking how they lacked eyes on their grey skin; their ball-like bodies only broken up by a mass of tentacles trailing their path, and an unsettlingly wide smile on their front. Once she was certain she hadn’t been noticed, she turned and rocketed off to the south east.

Soon enough, she saw what could only be the boutique. Like Sweetie Belle described, it resembled a festival ride. However, like the rest of the town, it had seen better days. The windows were either boarded up or broken, lewd and gaudy graffiti littered the outer walls, and a section of the second story roof had caved in. However, the streets surrounding it were clear for the moment, and Flurry darted through the hole and landed in what looked to be an abandoned bedroom. The floor was littered with debris from the ceiling, as well as eviscerated mannequins and stains the princess refused to approach. Fabrics of faded colours were strewn everywhere, including over the top of a queen-sized bed with red covers. Ducking behind the bed away from the hole, Flurry took a deep breath and lit her horn in a golden glow of magic.

Now all she could do was wait, and hope Starlight Glimmer and Sweetie Belle would be alright.

“There’s the signal.” Starlight stated out loud, the relief in her voice palpable. A look to her side revealed a small grin adorning Sweetie Belle’s face as the younger unicorn gave her the thumbs up. “Now comes the hard part. Ready?”

Sweetie Belle nodded, summoning as much determination as she could. With the knowledge that Flurry was somewhere safe at or around Carousel Boutique, Starlight released the invisibility spell and began focussing. Despite teleportation being as easy as levitation for one as magically gifted as her, she didn’t want to take any chances and would rather have the full array of her magic in this attempt. Looking back to Sweetie Belle, she held out her hand; a hand the white mare took without hesitation. Summoning her courage and praying this would work, Starlight began channelling her magic; both through her horn and through the staff. She charged the spell a lot longer than what would be considered normal, as she was unaware of how much of an affect the miasma that prevented her previous attempts would disrupt this one. With a deep breath, Starlight opened her eyes and fired off the spell.

The next instant made her wish she hadn’t.

The time in-between teleportation was often instantaneous, depending on the magical ability and skill of the caster. But, with this spell, the moment seemed to last an eternity to Starlight. Her mind fell into agony as a searing pain exploded into being in her mind. It felt as if something was trying to dig its way out of her skull through her horn. Meanwhile, images flashed in-front of her eyes rapidly. Scenes of the most brutal, carnal nature the mage had ever seen. Monsters of every shape, size and description having their way with helpless mares. The many cities and towns of Equestria standing in ruins. But even with the pain crippling her mind and wounding her resolve, the final image she saw stabbed the largest jolt of fear into her heart. It stayed on a silhouetted throne, filled by a figure with long horns pointing out from a head of long hair. Leathery wings spread out in an intimidating fashion as a pair of glowing golden eyes stared seemingly into her soul.

After what may have been only a second but felt like an eternity, the spell ended and both unicorns were thrown onto the dusty ground. Starlight groaned as her head still ached, and she tried shaking away the pain as she groggily raised her head to witness the results of her spell. The teleport had failed. Catastrophically so. Rather than leap forward the distance between the edge of town and Carousel Boutique, instead they were thrown backwards; being spat back into reality in the front yard of Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle was on her hands and knees, the scrunching of her face a clear sign she was feeling the effects from the failed jump.

What filled the light-lavender unicorn with even more dread was they were out in the open, and suddenly the centre of attention for nearly a dozen stallions of significant size and stature. The few shreds of clothing on their muscular physics were open flannel shirts or grimy denim overalls that did nothing to hide the massive packages at their groins. The most concerning part about them, however, was their heads. While Starlight had been expecting stallions to have been brainwashed and assumed she could undo it given her regrettable experiences in casting such spells, these ponies seemed beyond her. Primarily because their heads had been morphed to resemble a near featureless dark-coated sphere. Some of them were adorned with small writhing tendrils at different points, but all bared a frightening smile as they turned to the mares as one.

Starlight struggled to her feet as the monsters slowly approached, only to stumble forward; her staff being the only thing keeping her upright. This weakness was all the invitation the beast ponies needed, as a tentacle shot out and firmly coiled around her wrist. The pain dulled her senses, and by the time she realized what was happening, Starlight was pulled forward at speed and into the tight grip of the stallion, her staff wrenched from her in the process.

“S-Starlight!” Sweetie Belle called out, on her feet with a green aura surrounding her horn. But her rescue attempt was thwarted as another colt tackled the unicorn to the ground, her arms pinned down and the beast sitting on her stomach.

“S-Sweetie B-Agh!” Starlight’s call was interrupted as the stallion holding her held her arms tightly against her back while another came forward and tore her and clothes from her body in one fell swoop. With the sound of tearing fabric, the child-bearing hips, slim belly and C-cup breasts of the unicorn were revealed for all to see. Starlight’s shock at this was soon replaced by unwanted pleasure as the stallion in-front of her began groping her breasts tightly, squeezing and rolling them around in its palms. She fought the growing pleasure within her, trying to focus her magic once more through this molestation and the headache she still suffered. But this was disrupted when she felt something poke at her lower lips. Looking down, she saw the horse cock of the pony behind her standing and full-mast, poking and rubbing against her pussy lips. The monster merely grinned, slowly swaying its hips to grind its stallionhood against her honeypot and enjoying the thighjob all the while. Starlight fought the urge to moan, to let these pleasurable sensations take hold. But that was eaiser said than done, especially when the monster before her brought a teat to its mouth and began suckling from her nipple.

Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, struggled as the monster stallion still sat atop her stomach; his dick resting over her clothed bosom. Another monster circled around and knelt behind the first, leaning down to view her exposed pussy up close. It's breath against her most sensitive body part made Sweetie Belle jump and squirm. Flashes of what happened on the train flickered through Sweetie Belle’s mind at great speed, her imagination racing to terrible ends against her wishes.

But, rather than cow her into submission, this lit a fire in her soul, evident in the defiant glare she shot at the beast straddling her. She was not going to be useless again. She quickly charged her magic, making use of the amplifier ring adorning her horn, to strengthen it as the crusader blasted the first stallion clean off of her. With the adrenaline now surging through her system, Sweetie sat up and slammed her shield into the misshapen face of the second stallion kneeling between her legs. She scrambled to a kneeling position before leaping forward and battering the would-be rapist shield again and again before turning her sights to the restrained Starlight. The elder unicorn, struggling to resist her captors, saw out of the corner of her eye another monster pony approaching; one holding two obsidian rings. Panic filled her widening eyes as she realized what they were for in an instant.

“RUN!” She yelled, stopping Sweetie Belle in her tracks. “SWEETIE BELLE, RUN-ARRGH-MNF!” Starlight’s warning was silenced first by a cock penetrating her folds, then by the monster groping her chest forcing its large tongue into her mouth in a non-consensual kiss.

With more of the monsters closing in, Sweetie Belle clenched her fists in frustration. She knew what she had to do, but it meant leaving one of her sister's friends at the mercy of these beasts. But if she didn't do as ordered, then she would share Starlight's fate. So, frustration forcing a tear from her green eyes, Sweetie Belle turned and ran. She ducked a right-handed swing from one corrupted stallion, and leapt over the tackle attempt of another as she made it out past the front gate and back onto the path towards town. But the unicorn got only five hurried steps before a third monstrous pony leapt over the fence and tackled Sweetie down again; pinning her to the ground with its body pressed tightly into her back.

Starlight was finally able to breathe as the beast pony before her pulled away from their kiss, but the one behind her was still pounding away within her pussy. As loath as she was to admit it, this thing was larger downstairs than Sunburst, and with each thrust the flared head of his dick kissed her cervix. As the pony in-front of her stepped back, she was brought down to her knees as the one holding the rings approached; one of them being extended to soon find a home upon her horn. Seeing this, Starlight quickly glanced over to where Sweetie Belle was being held down. The pony upon her was back up on its knees; one hand roughly holding her head to the ground, while the other pulled her tail to one side as it hotdogged its stallionhood against her bare bottom.

In that instant, Starlight Glimmer made her choice. She only prayed Flurry, Sunburst and Trixie would forgive her for such a dangerous choice. Summoning all the focus she could despite being rutted, she lit her horn and, pinpointing Flurry’s magical beacon, cast her spell. In an instant, Sweetie Belle disappeared from sight, much to the confusion of her assailant. As Starlight returned her focus back to the dire situation she faced, a calloused hand roughly grabbed her cheeks and faced her forward. The monster pony smiled gleefully as, with their other hand, slid the ring over and down onto Starlight’s horn. The instant it came to rest at its base, the dull pain of the teleport spells magnified tenfold. Starlight couldn’t control herself as it felt like a railroad spike had been driven in through her skull.

While the pain slowly ebbed, it also felt like something within her heart had been taken away. She could no longer feel any connection to her magic. This terrified Starlight Glimmer, far more than the rape she was currently suffering. For many years, her magic had been her greatest strength. Tartarus, it was her special talent, the very reason she gained her cutiemark. In a cruel irony, she imagined this was what it was like when she had stolen the special talents from the ponies of her town. For it to be stolen away from her like this now, when she needed it most...

A powerful thrust reminded Starlight there was still a dick thoroughly scraping against her insides, and the pain was being replaced with a rising combination of pleasure and dread. The corrupted stallion that had fondled her before was now laid down on his back before her, their dick standing rigid like a flagpole. As the one behind her shuffled the two of them forward, she looked down to see the one on the ground lining its schlong up with her already occupied vagina.

“N-No…” She pleaded quietly, shaking her head as realization set in. “You can’t! It won’t fit! I won’t fiiiiiIIIIIIIITTT! A-AAARGH!” Starlight screamed as the second cock began squeezing inside her stuffed muff. The stretching of her lower lips hurt more than the pain of the ring cancelling her magic, wiping out almost all other sensations as inch after inch of cock disappeared inside her. After a minute or so, the second intruder finally hilted, and the feeling of two massive dicks stretching her passage was enough to push Starlight over the edge. She wailed once more as her orgasm crashed over her, her restrained limbs twitching and eyes losing focus as her pussy walls clamped down around the two lengths.

As soon as it seemed her orgasm had subsided, the monsters began moving again. Their dicks ground against one another as they pumped Starlight in tandem; one in, the other out. The assault drew loud moans from the unicorn, her resistance slowly crumbling with the beasts spreading her hole open with each thrust. The beast pony that had placed the ring upon her horn then stepped forward, its own hard-on taking up a large portion of her vision. Helpless as she was, Starlight merely shook her head as she panted from the combined pounding she was taking. The monster would not show mercy, though, and grasped her head by the mane before ramming its cock into her mouth.

Starlight was struggling to stay conscious. She was rapidly approaching another orgasm as both sets of lips were stretched by the three large intruders. As the two lower dicks knocked on the gates of her womb, the third in her mouth was tapping the back of her throat. She was finding it hard to breathe and, whenever she could, the only thing she was inhaling was the musk of this monster pony's stallionhood. Her growing pleasure was further heightened as the ones pounding below put their hands to use as well. The stallion behind her used two tentacles from his head to hold her wrists up out of the way, while his arms came forward to squeeze her boobs and pinch her rock-hard nipples. The monster below reached up and grabbed a handful of her light-lavender flanks, pulling on them as he thrusted harder. The one fucking Starlight’s face roughly pulled at her mane and began picking up the pace. Her concern heightened when she felt the other two accelerating as well. Despite her waning endurance and struggles to stay conscious, romantic nights spent with Sunburst meant she knew what was about to happen. And she was powerless to stop it.

All too quickly, Starlight was thrust over the edge and into another all-encompassing climax. The beasts pulled back one last time before each delivered one almighty thrust and came inside as well. Rope after rope of foal batter flooded down Starlight’s throat and up into her womb. The semen just didn’t stop, overflowing from both sets of lips as Starlight’s eyes rolled upwards. Eventually, the flow finally stopped and, one by one, the monster ponies pulled themselves out of her. Starlight fell onto the ground in an unconscious heap, sperm spilling out of her mouth and pussy as the three rapists rubbed out the last drops of cum onto her exhausted body. A glow from her pelvis shone as the contraception spell activated. The shimmering glyph on her coat appeared and then shattered, followed by all the semen injected into her pussy being violently shot right back out until not a drop of their seed remained within.

“Nicely done, boys,” a classy male voice sounded out from within the factory, stopping the others that had surrounded the erotic display in their tracks. “Now bring her inside. After all, it’s not every day new livestock delivers itself.”

“Oh, come on. Where are they?” Flurry quietly asked herself, pacing back and forth as the sky was beginning to darken outside. At least, she thought it was darkening. The pink glow on the cloud’s undersides made it very hard to tell what time of day it was. She had eaten another of the apples in her satchel while she waited, and had remained hidden in the large upstairs bedroom; ensuring no monsters outside could spot her. Even so, she was worried. It shouldn't have taken this long. Other than herself, Starlight Glimmer was the most magically gifted pony Flurry Heart knew. Even with the supposed miasma affecting teleportation, it shouldn't have taken the pai of unicorns this long... right?

So, it took Flurry by surprise when, in a flash of teal magic, Sweetie Belle materialized into the room. In an instant, the princess saw multiple problems; the first being the state Sweetie Belle had arrived in. The crusader's expression was one of fear, her breathing was rapid, and she backed up until her shoulders hit one of the walls and she couldn’t retreat further. With each passing second, however, Sweetie's green eyes took in where she was; childhood memories clashing with the current reality and what just happened. But Flurry's concern for the former Cutiemark Crusader was swiftly overshadowed by a far more pressing concern.

“Sweetie Belle?” Flurry asked, moving slowly so as not to scare the unicorn further than she already had been. “Sweetie Belle, what happened? Where’s Starlight?”

Once Sweetie’s green eyes locked onto Flurry, her shoulders sagged and tears formed. For the second time that day, she embraced the princess in a tearful hug, nuzzling into the alicorns’ neck as the dam burst. Sweetie was unaware how long she sobbed, nor did she care at that moment, but she was silently grateful for Flurry returning the hug and stroking her back and lavender mane. After a couple of minutes, Flurry pulled back and saw the wet eyes of Sweetie avoiding contact with hers.

“Sweetie Belle,” Flurry repeated, gently placing her hands upon the unicorn's shoulders. “Please, tell me. Where’s Starlight Glimmer?”

Sweetie Belle sniffed, trying multiple times to speak only for a sob to escape her lips. Eventually, she finally took a deep breath and looked the princess in the eye. “She… S-She told me to run… I wanted to save her, but…”

“Sweetie…?” The alicorn's concern grew, Sweetie's stilted explanation thus far heightening her worst fears.

Another deep breath. “The teleport backfired... I-I think. S-She’s back at Sweet Apple Acres. She was… She was being…” Sweetie couldn’t finish and buried her face in her hands as the tears broke through again, whimpers sounding out of her repeatedly saying “I’m sorry.” Flurry released her hold on Sweetie as the shock hit her, followed rapidly by guilt. The mission was barely a day old and already in shambles. Worse, she was the one who convinced Starlight to join her. Now she was captured by these monsters, who were doing who knew what to her.

It was beyond obvious to Flurry Heart launching a rescue for her aunt was her next course of action, but she had to be careful. Starlight would undoubtedly be heavily guarded, so the alicorn would need to be smart to avoid any more disasters befalling this already ailing campaign. Then there was Sweetie Belle. This rescue effort was going to take everything that she had to pull off, but Sweetie Belle could help her chances at rescuing her aunt. The real question was should she help? With the train earlier this morning, and now this, the unicorn’s confidence was in tatters. She clearly needed a breather soon or she might break under the pressure.

Flurry practiced the breathing exercise that Starlight had shown her as a filly, then, with all options on the table, made her decision.

Author's Note

Flurry Heart Stats:
Purity: 3/3*
Will: +3
Strength: +4*
Defence: +4*
Speed: +5
Magic: +4
Items:
Crystal Sword: +1 to Strength
Crystal Armor: +1 to Defense
Chastity Glyph: Sacrifice this instead of a Purity point upon losing it in vaginal sex
Reformation Gems x3
Teleportation Crystals x3
Apple x1
Corruptions:
None

Starlight Glimmer Stats:
Purity: 3/3
Will: +2
Strength: +2
Defense: +2
Speed: +2
Magic: +0*
Items:
Anti-Magic Ring: Reduces Magic to 0, unable to cast spells
Reformation Gems x3
Teleportation Crystals x3
Corruptions:
None

Sweetie Belle Stats:
Purity: 3/3*
Will: +3
Strength: +1
Defense: +3*
Speed: +2
Magic: +3*
Items:
Light Crystal Armor: +1 to Defense
Crystal Buckler Shield: Advantage on Strength rolls
Crystal Horn Ring: +1 to Magic
Contraception Glyph: Sacrifice this instead of a Purity point upon losing it in vaginal sex
Reformation Gems x3
Teleportation Crystals x3
Apples x2
Corruptions:
Incubated Asshole (Will trigger in one chapter)

Well, this took a little longer than expected.
You know, I was fully expecting another late-voting surge to add to/swing the votes the other way, but it never materialised this time. That meant the result was pretty set in stone from a fair distance out.
Action:
Press on towards Ponyville: 17
Find somewhere to rest: 7
Item:
Take some apples: 16
Leave the apples alone: 8
As there were a few late votes that came in after the polls closed, I'd like to remind everyone you now only have five days from when the newest chapter is posted to vote. After that, expect the next chapter to be uploaded anytime within a week afterwards.

Anyhow, things are picking up in the plot already. Here's the new batch of options.
Action:
Full Frontal Assault
Sneaky Strategic Rescue
Character:
Have Sweetie Belle stay behind
Have Sweetie Belle join the rescue

I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far and, as always, happy voting!