Flurry’s instincts kicked into gear as she saw the pegasus tumble uncontrollably towards the ground, her large wings snapping open while simultaneously baring her enlarged bust to the world. Before she could rocket into the sky, however, an aqua aura engulfed the falling pony and slowed her descent. Looking to her side, she saw Starlight Glimmer’s horn was alight, her staff guiding the newcomer’s path. Once her momentum had finally slowed, Starlight then levitated the unknown pony over to them.

The first surprise was this mare was unaltered. Flurry had almost expected every female in Equestria to be treated and modified into debauched slavery, yet this mare showed no signs of that at all. Apart from her orange coat and rainbow-coloured mane and tail, she also wore circular goggles over her closed eyes and a selection of black clothes; a plain boobtube over rather small breasts, a matching short vest that was left open and a pair of small, navy-blue panties beneath crotchless denim chaps. Beneath the straps of the chaps, Flurry spied the mare’s cutie mark; a rainbow-coloured apple with wings stretching out from either side.

“Is she…” Flurry asked as the unicorn lowered her softly onto the ground.

“She’s alright,” Starlight answered, lowering her staff. “I cast a sleep spell as I caught her. Let’s tie her up and take her back to the cave. Hopefully we can get some information out of her.”

“Wait, what?” Flurry asked, as Bonbon pulled out some rope from her own satchel. “We saved her only to kidnap her?”

“We can’t trust every pony we meet anymore,” Bonbon spoke up, keeping her eyes on her work as she tied up the mare. “You were right not to trust Zecora so quickly. Just because she doesn’t look corrupted, doesn’t automatically mean she’s an ally.”

Flurry could see the logic in her argument. It would be the safer option to assume this mare meant them harm, and she could provide valuable intel about Appleloosa and the threats therein. But somewhere, deep down within her soul, Flurry felt this was wrong. Regardless, Bonbon soon had the flier bound in ropes and Starlight helped levitate her back into the hidden cave. Their journey back inside was swift and uneventful, though once inside, Starlight strengthened the illusion and added protections against being detected by smell.

“There,” she said to herself. “Perfectly hidden for the time being.”

“Except from Rarity,” Bonbon countered as she sat the pegasus down against the cave wall. This drew the attention of her companions as she stood back up to face them. “If she’s working for the enemy like Starlight said, and appearing in all our dreams, it’s possible she’s tracking us. We won’t last long if she’s constantly aware of our location and passing it along.”

“Okay,” Flurry piped up. “So, what do we do about it?”

“Until we find her…” Starlight answered, a hand brought to her chin in thought, “we could ask Sunburst for help.”

“Uncle Sunburst?” Flurry asked as Starlight went rummaging through her bag and pulled out a quill and paper. With now smooth surface in the cave to write on, she took both items in her magic and began jotting something down. “I thought the teleportation crystals couldn’t track us unless we used one.”

“That’s right,” Starlight explained, not taking her eyes off the note she was penning. “But that’s primarily for teleporting living beings. When transporting inanimate objects, it’d be easier using Spike’s dragon fire. I’ve spent enough time around him to create a replica spell.” Satisfied with the note, she replaced her magical grip on it with a physical one and rolled up the note. She then concentrated, her normally aura-coloured aura turning a vibrant green before the note burned up in a flash of green flame. The smoke whisked away on an ethereal breeze, out of the cave and out of sight.

“And what about her?” Bonbon asked, jabbing a thumb at the slumbering pegasus.

“We wait for her to wake up, then we interrogate her for information.”

“I still don’t like this,” Flurry thought out loud, wrapping her arms and wings around herself as she simultaneously covered her exposed rack. “I know we shouldn’t trust everypony we meet, but something about this feels wrong.” Starlight walked over and placed a hand on the alicorn’s shoulder, prompting Flurry to look her in the eye.

“I know you don’t like this. I don’t like doing this either, but we don’t have a choice at this point. At the very least we’ll treat her better as our prisoner than what she and others would treat us.” Though her face portrayed just her disdainful this course of action was for her, Flurry still nodded. Starlight brought her into a gentle hug, then stood by the entrance of the cave and kept watch while they waited.

It turned out they had to wait most of the day for the mare to finally awaken, her magenta eyes finally fluttering open near midday. The moment she saw her surroundings and her captors, she immediately set about trying to free herself. Alas, Bonbon’s knots held fast, and her efforts were stalled when Starlight summoned an orb of bright light and shone it at her face.

“W-What’s goin’ on? Where am Ah…?” She asked in a similar accent to that of Applebloom, still fidgeting in her bindings. Her question trailed off, however, when she noticed the cave they were in.

“We’re the ones asking the questions here,” Starlight responded, but her questions died in her throat at the sight of the young pegasus. Her eyes were wide with fear. Not of her, or the situation, but their surroundings. She was on the verge of hyperventilating, her panicked struggles escalating.

“No… No! Ah, Ah need ta get outta here!” She squirmed and fought against her bindings, but all this did was make her fall onto her side. She looked up and saw the cave entrance, but she couldn’t move any closer to the outside world. She looked back at the three other mares; the look of terror unmissable in her maroon eyes. “Please, let me out! Ah need ta see the sky. Please!”

Unable to take this, Flurry stepped forward, ignoring Bonbon’s call as she knelt before the scared prisoner. “Are you afraid of being underground?” She asked as delicately as she could, ensuring there was no malice in her tone. The mare nodded furiously, still struggling towards the exit. “How about this; if I put you in a spot where you can see the sky, then will you answer our questions honestly?”

“Yes! Ah promise! Now please let me see the sky, dangnabit!” The pegasus answered on the verge of tears, desperation impossible to miss in her voice. With her magic, Flurry encased and lifted the mare up off the ground and sat her back up against the wall, now a few feet from the cave entrance. With the pink clouds above visible once more, the young prisoner visibly relaxed with a long exhale. Her breathing slowing down and her nerves settling, the pegasus looked back up at her captors.

“T-Thank you.” She muttered, giving a genuinely grateful look to Flurry Heart before her features hardened. “Now let me go.”

“That wasn’t the deal,” Bonbon shot back, crossing her arms and scowling back at the bound mare. “You promised to answer our questions if you could see the sky. We held up our end, now you hold up yours.”

Flurry was about to speak up, but a sigh from the prisoner stopped her. “Alright, fine. Apples always honour their word.”

“Wait, you’re an Apple?” Starlight asked, the shock written across her features mirrored for an instant by Bonbon.

“Course Ah am. Name’s Zap Apple; fastest flier in all o’ southern Equestria.” Flurry noticed this Zap couldn’t help but smirk slightly with pride at that little title she gave herself.

The two older mares looked at one another before turning back. “So…” Starlight led in, “You’re related to Applejack, then?”

This caught Zap off guard for a moment. “Applejack…? Our family’s big, sure, but Ah’ve never known anypony named Applejack.”

“How?” Bonbon asked incredulously. “She’s the most famous Apple alive.”

“Maybe you’ve seen her before?” Starlight asked again. “Orange coat, blonde hair, green eyes, three red apples for her cutie mark?”

Zap’s eyes narrowed in confusion the more descriptors Starlight rattled off. “T-That sounds like my Ma, but… no, she don’t look like that. Her coat’s bronze, and she has gold tentacles instead o’ hair…. But… Her cutie mark’s three red apples. Then again, they’re under a glowin’ pink heart.”

Again, Starlight turned back to Bonbon and nodded before addressing Zap. “Okay, that’s all we need to know. Thank you for being honest with us. Bonbon, let’s move. I want to get a better look at the town, figure out what we’re facing. Flurry, you stay here. Keep our guest safe.” With the plan explained, the older mares gathered their equipment and headed out the cave entrance. Before they could get too far, however, Flurry grabbed onto Starlight’s hand. The look she gave her aunt nearly broke the unicorn’s heart, but she placed a gentle hand to the princess’ cheek.

“We’ll be back before sundown. I promise.” Flurry looked for something, anything to tell her this was a white lie, but when she couldn’t find it, she simply nodded and let them head off, walking back inside the cave and plopping herself down next to Zap Apple. For a few moments, the only sounds to be heard were the wind outside and the breathing of the two young mares sitting side by side.

“Ah don’t get y’all.”

The voice made Flurry jump a little, but she looked over to its owner in the bound pegasus, looking back at her with a confused expression.

“Ah mean, first you kidnap me, then you play nice, then interrogate me before havin’ a heartfelt farewell? Who are you three an’ what are y’all doing here?”

Flurry faced an internal crisis on whether to say anything, Bonbon having thrown her own words from the previous day back at her only a few hours ago. But Zap had been honest with them, as far as she could tell, and there was still that gut feeling she had that capturing her had been the wrong decision. Glancing back over at the pony awaiting an answer, Flurry used her mother’s old breathing technique to calm her nerves.

“Okay,” she began, “if I’m going to answer your questions, I think it’s only fair if you answer mine as well. We can take it in turns, but we both need to be completely honest with each other for this to work. That sound okay?”

“Ah already promised Ah’d tell the truth. Plus, my Ma would beat me black n’ blue if Ah lied. She’s mighty strict on bein’ honest.”

Flurry nodded at this, daring to show a small smile as she took another big breath. “Well, since you asked first, here goes. Starlight, Bonbon and I have come from up north.”

“Ah figured that much.” Zap interrupted, putting a small dent in the alicorn’s enthusiasm before she continued.

“I mean, really far north. Our home’s the Crystal Empire; about as far north as you can go, and is one of the last-”

“Wait an apple picking minute!” Zap reacted suddenly, turning to stare at Flurry in shock like she’d grown a second head. “If y’all came from that far up, that’d mean… You passed through Ponyville, didn’t ‘cha?”

Flurry tilted her head slightly in confusion. “Uh, yeah. W-We did come through Ponyville to get here. Is that bad?”

“N-No,” Zap shook her head, almost blushing a little at her outburst before shaking it off. “It’s just… Ma told us she’s from there, and always wanted t’ go back. Show us the ol’ farm where she grew up, an’ maybe introduce us to the rest o’ the family if they’re still up there.” Her face lit up in excitement again. “Oh, did ya happen to pass by Sweet Apple Acres? That’s the family farm.”

As the pegasus prisoner went on about her family’s farm, sweat began building up on the back of Flurry’s neck with realisation. The memories of what she saw in that warehouse a few days ago surged back, especially the sight of Starlight being milked whilst trapped within Apple Bloom’s massive bosom. So ensnared by the vision, she didn’t snap out of it until she felt something nudge her. Looking back, she saw Zap staring at her in a mixture of confusion and perhaps the smallest amount of concern.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked, her maroon eyes locking onto Flurry’s blue ones. The scared gaze the alicorn gave back must have unnerved the Apple, as she leaned back a fraction at the look. After one more deep breath, Flurry faced her once more.

“Zap… I’m sorry you have to learn it this way, but… It’s… It’s about Sweet Apple Acres…”

Starlight Glimmer and Bonbon inched their way up to the edge of the rock they were using for cover. It had taken the two of them the better part of half an hour to reach the northern-most hills overlooking the town. Patrols were now encircling Appleloosa both on the ground and in the air, and Starlight considered them fortunate they hadn’t strayed too far into the hills just yet. Deciding their vantage point was good enough, Bonbon produced two sets of binoculars and they surveyed the town.

The perimeter of Appleloosa was macabre. Hung on the walls around the town were skeletons, the skulls having curved horns. If Starlight had to guess, and she prayed to Princess Celestia she was wrong, she assumed those bones belonged to the tribe of buffalo Applejack had once mentioned lived in harmony with the settler ponies. Further in, the dominant emotion morphed from dread to momentary confusion, then sorrow. At first glance the town seemed average; stallions going about their jobs as if Equestria never fell. But then the unicorn mage noticed the other inhabitants of the town. There was a plethora of bipedal monsters, mostly wolf men, that also walked the main road of town, as well as working in or around the town. As for the mares, the ones she could see were either dressed up and working as slaves, being led around on leashes like pets, or trapped in pillories where they became immobile sperm banks. A nudge from Bonbon caught Starlight’s attention, and she followed the pointing finger of the earth pony to the more concerning sight.

There, talking with a clearly frustrated expression to the gathered crowd around her outside a massive barn at the head of the main road, was, who Starlight assumed to be, Bad Apple.

Her size was concerning. Upon four centaur-like legs, she towered over her minions. This was aided by the two tall horns that had seemingly replaced the former farmer’s hat. Like Zap said, Bad Apple’s coat was bronze, and her golden hair was a path of tentacles that travelled down from her head, onto her back and down the top of her equine barrel before extending to act as her tail. But the sight that widened the void growing in Starlight’s core was the cutie mark. Again, Zap spoke the truth; upon the centaur’s flanks was the image of three red apples beneath a glowing heart emblem.

“Applejack…” Starlight murmured quietly, feeling her throat tighten and tears threatening to break through at the sight of the once proud mare.

“Starlight?” Bonbon’s question pulled the unicorn out of her trance, looking back up to see the earth pony nodding skywards. The search patterns of the monsters and stallions was getting wider. “We have to head back. If we don’t leave now, there’s a good chance they’ll spot us.”

A quick glance back down at the town revealed Bad Apple entering the doors of the massive barn and though she desperately wanted to save her friend, Starlight knew Bonbon was right. They couldn’t afford to leave Flurry as the only mare standing in this mission. So, the two began the process of sneaking back to their hidden cave. Unlike the trip down to the edge of the hills, it took over an hour on the return trip due to the increased frequency of aerial patrols. One would have spotted Starlight had Bonbon not pulled her back into hiding at the last moment. Finally, they slipped back through the veil into the cave. As they two mares had just managed to catch their breath, however, they saw a sight that almost stole it again.

Zap Apple remained where she had been placed during their earlier interrogation, but she showed none of the stoicism displayed previously. She was crying, her soft sobs sounding deafening within the cave. Her head was bowed to touch her bent knees as Flurry Heart sat beside her, hugging her with a wing and softly stroking the prisoner’s chromatic mane. Upon seeing the new arrivals, Flurry slowly retracted her wing. She gave Zap a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before standing and meeting with the older mares.

“Flurry, what happened?” Starlight asked, her tone making it evident she was uncomfortable with the situation.

Flurry dithered a little under the gaze of her aunt, but one look back at the vulnerable pegasus steeled her resolve. “I continued questioning Zap while you two were away. We were being honest with each other, and when I got to telling her about Sweet Apple Acres…” The alicorn trailed off, though the other two ponies could easily gather it was not a pleasant conversation. Starlight turned and knelt before her prisoner, the movement drawing her attention. Zap’s eyes were red and puffy from the tears she had shed, but the unicorn noted the strength of character to not break eye contact even once.

“I-Is what she said true?” Zap asked, her voice choked up from the tears. “‘Bout the farm, an’ Auntie Apple Bloom an’ Sugar Belle?” Starlight’s expression softened as she wordlessly nodded. This elicited another choked sob from the young mare. “W-Why? Why would she stop us? Why keep us from our family?!”

“Who are you talking about?” Bonbon asked, her features still holding some slim slither of scepticism about Zap’s emotional display.

“Talvira.” Flurry answered, regaining the attention of her two companions. “She’s Equestria’s new ruler, and apparently a literal demon. She’s banned Bad Apple and all of Aunt Twilight’s friends from getting anywhere near Ponyville, though she never explained why. Then, when Bad Apple was threatening to take her whole family and march north, Talvira took one of Zap’s sisters as a hostage to make sure they followed orders. That was apparently ten years ago.” The eyes of Starlight and Bonbon widened as Flurry retold the story, shocked by the implications. The unicorn turned back to face the pegasus, sniffling as she met her gaze once more.

“Is this true?” She asked delicately, looking the young flier in the eye for any trace of deception. When none could be found, Starlight reached out her hand and, with it, gently took hold of Zap’s cheek. Zap jumped at the contact for an instant, but Starlight persisted and this combined with her compassionate gaze entranced the prisoner.

“I’m sorry.” Starlight spoke once more. “If you’ll let us, we can try to make things right. But in order to do that, we need to speak with your mother.” Zap was about to interrupt, but Starlight beat her to it. “We aren’t going to fight her. At least, we don’t want to fight. We just want to talk with her, and explain to her everything that Flurry did with you and more. But I get the feeling we’ll need your help to make that happen. So… do you want to help us?”

Zap was seemingly speechless for a few moments. Her jaw moved, but she seemed incapable of forming words until finally managing to cobble together a sentence. “A-Ah… A-Ah dunno…” Rather than the harsh rebuke or even the disappointed sigh that she expected, Zap was surprised once more as Starlight’s hand shifted position to pat her on the head as a soft little smile was beamed back at her.

“That’s alright. Whether you want to or not, we’ll take you back to her. If I were in her position, I’d be losing my mind trying to find my daughter. I don’t think everyone else in town is willing to let us through however. So,” she stood up, turning back to face Flurry and Bonbon, “We’ll wait until evening before sneaking into town, then we’ll return Zap to Applejack and plead our case.”

Another patrol passed overhead, the beams of their handheld search lights scanning the ground below as the light of day had vanished hours ago. As they flew off to investigate another area, the four mares emerged from the shadows to finally enter the orchard of apple trees surrounding the settlement. It had been a harrowing hour or two navigating their way down from the cave and out of the hills, constantly having to pause to let the stallions and beastmen both in the air and on foot pass them by before continuing. Before they left, Zap had suggested they just walk into town and the guards would listen to her. Starlight and Bonbon had shot that idea down quickly, stating that though Zap would be safe, the other three ponies might not be spared given how the situation would look to any party that found them.

Starlight had, however, allowed Zap to be freed from her rope bindings. Bonbon wasn’t sure about it, but Flurry insisted she wouldn’t betray them and so far, as the rainbow-maned flier expertly led them through the apple trees towards town, that faith was proving to be well placed. The patrols were becoming less frequent the closer they got, and Zap led them around the back of some of the buildings towards the massive barn that had served as her family home. Flurry had to force herself not to crash into these buildings to save the mares she could hear moaning within. They would be saved, but their priority was getting Bad Apple onside first.

Finally, the four ponies snuck around to a back door. Flurry found it curious there were no guards, but Zap countered that not only were strangers a rare thing here in Appleloosa, but the Apple family weren’t ones to suffer intruders lightly. A muting spell from Starlight helped them get in unheard, and they snuck past their way through a laundry and past the stairwell heading upwards to reach the wall that led into the main chamber of the barn.

There, Flurry got her first glimpse of the former Element of Honesty, as Starlight and Bonbon got a far better look at her than hours earlier. The centaur pony would’ve been double their height had she been standing, but she was currently laying down on a large pile of hay. Her tendril-like hair twitched erratically; a sign Zap informed them meant that Bad Apple was anxious, as if the look on her face couldn’t give that away already. She was holding her arms crossed tightly, squashing breasts that were larger than what Flurry’s, and larger than her own head. From those compressed melons trickled amber streams. Zap had also mentioned to Flurry how her mother lactated the Apple family traditional Sweet Apple Cider. The four saw Bad Apple wasn’t alone, however. Sitting next to the large monstress were two earth ponies; a mare and stallion that both looked Zap’s age. The mare had a vibrant red coat and curling blonde mane and tail. She her clothing was a little more conservative than Zaps.’ A black and blue flannel shirt buttoned up over a modest chest and denim short shorts that stretched over wide hips. The stallion had an orange coat and short, messy brown mane and tail with a gold streak running through it. He wore a simple open brown vest, denim jeans that had worn-out tears at the knees and the former Applejack’s iconic brown hat.

“Those two?” Bonbon asked quietly, though in her mind she and the others could easily guess.

“Mah brother n’ sister.” Zap answered in another whisper. Her hands clenched and unclenched nervously, given what was about to happen, but a hand on her shoulder belonging to Flurry Heart and a reassuring smile from the alicorn gave the shot of courage she needed. With a deep breath, she walked out and into the room to meet her family. “Hey everypony, I’m home.” The three whirled around and within seconds Zap was grabbed by tentacles and brought into a tight hug from her mother.

“Zap Apple, where in tarnation have you been?!” Bad Apple nearly yelled, tears of relief threatening to burst through. “You had us all worried somethin’ fierce.” Zap was unable to answer, given her mother’s tight embrace forced her face deep into the large cleavage of bronze breasts. A few smacks on one of her tits convinced the centaur to put her down and hear her excuse. As her arms were retracted, only now could the trio of mares see Bad Apple had not one, but four cider-leaking nipples upon each tit.

“Let me guess; you were out practicing that fancy Sonic Rainboom o’ yours, right?” The stallion asked in a somewhat smug way, one that earned a short glare from the pegasus.

“So what if Ah was? It ain’t none a’ your business, Jona.”

“But it is mine,” Bad Apple interrupted, nipping the growing argument in the bud. “Do you know how much trouble you’re in? Ah’ve had half the town tearin’ the countryside apart tryin’ to find ya, and you were off practicing that darn stupid trick?!” Flurry winced from the volume of the talking to. She could remember a few occasions where she’d earned Starlight’s parental ire in the past, but imagined it must’ve been a lot worse coming from a towering monster mare.

“Ah wasn’t practicing the whole time. Ah…” Zap faltered a little, rubbing her arm before looking her mother in the eye. “Ah met a few travellers from up north. They want to talk with you, Ma, and you really need to hear what they have to say.”

“Ah can talk with them later, but right now Ah need ta-”

“Ma, they’ve been to Sweet Apple Acres.”

The addition brought silence to the barn. Flurry could see the sister covering her mouth with her hands, while the brother, Jona she thought his name was, just let his hang open in shock. Bad Apple, meanwhile, turned and stared at her daughter. Shock widened her eyes and froze her limbs. Even her tendril-like mane and tail hung in place at the news. Zap took another deep breath before stepping forward.

“It’s hard to believe Ma, Ah know. Ah struggled hearin’ it too, but Ah could tell they were tellin’ the truth. If you’ll just listen, Ah’m sure you’ll believe it too.” The silence returned, all eyes of those hidden and otherwise turned to the matriarch of the family. Her eyes darted back and forth as she considered things, then glancing at each of her children. Flurry, Starlight and Bonbon all held their breath as the tension built before Bad Apple finally sighed.

“Alright. Ah’ll listen. But if they’re lyin,’ then they’ll join the stables, and you’re in even bigger trouble than before, young filly.” She explained, weariness evident as she calmed herself down. With the approval given, Zap looked back into the hiding place. Flurry looked at her two companions, getting nods of readiness from each before she took a calming breath and stepped out, Starlight and Bonbon flanking her. The two siblings tensed for action but a lone tendril blocked their path as Bad Apple stared down the three newcomers, Starlight the foremost target in her sights. Another tense silence filled the room as Zap shuffled over to the side.

“Well, well,” Bad Apple spoke up, breaking the quiet as her tendrils slowly started swaying like a cat’s tail when on the hunt. “‘Bout time you crawled out from hidin,’ Starlight.”

“Applejack, I-” Starlight began, but got no further as one of the golden tendrils slammed into the ground before her like a whip, the crack reverberating throughout the room.

“That’s not mah name anymore! An’ the only reason Ah’m not breakin’ you three in right now is Zap sayin’ y’all have been to Sweet Apple Acres. So, tell me what Ah want to know. Now!” Starlight stood shocked and, truth be told, a little scared. Despite some of the signs that her old friend was in there, the fact that this newer version of her was willing to rape her without a second thought terrified her. She was so shocked she didn’t notice Flurry Heart has stepped forward until Bad Apple’s emerald eyes left her to focus on the young princess.

“Um, Miss Bad Apple…” A nervous shiver ran through Flurry, but another deep breath exercise and she regained her composure. “I’m sorry about Zap disappearing today. We all are. We didn’t know she was your daughter. If you’ll let me, I’ll tell you about Sweet Apple Acres. I’ll tell you what’s happened to Ponyville. I’ll tell you everything if that’s what you want to hear.” Remembering on how Zap had sworn to be honest throughout their time together, she summoned her courage for the last statement. “And I promise I will tell you the whole truth.”

Bad Apple knelt on her equine legs to lean in close to the alicorn, though Flurry stood her ground. “Good. Jus’ so we’re clear; Ah’ll know if you’re lying. If you do go n’ fib,” a tentacle slithered into view, “then Ah’ll use this t’ split Starlight in half.” With her threat delivered, she sat back up and crossed her arms, squashing her bosom and inadvertently drawing out more cider as she awaited the promised story.

After another deep breath, Flurry began her recounting of their quest. She told Bad Apple of the dream, the vision of her mother, that started all of this. She told of the assault on the train, and how they narrowly escaped into the orchards of the centaur’s former home. She explained the ruined orgy that Ponyville had become, and of her separation from Starlight and Sweetie Belle. Starlight timidly entered her submission to the story; explaining the horrors at the farm. How the Flim Flam brothers were in charge, and what they did not only to her and many other mares, but to Sugar Belle and Apple Bloom. This shocked all Apples in the barn, but Bad Apple most of all. She sat there, staring down at nothing in a state of growing frustration, dread and despair. Zap and her siblings came in for a hug, one the former element reciprocated. Flurry wanted to continue, but a hand on her shoulder from Starlight stopped her, and the three let the family have their moment. After a few minutes the four Apples disengaged, all of them with teary eyes as Bad Apple looked back up at Flurry.

“Jonagold,” She began, her voice still trembling slightly, though regaining the steel from earlier. “Ah need you to do somethin’ for me.”

“Whatever ya need, Ma.” The young stallion responded without hesitation.

“Ah need you to go out an’ find Cortland. Bring him back here, and tell everyone else we’re havin’ a town meetin’ right now. Let ‘em know we’ve found Zap as well.” Jonagold gave a stiff nod and hurried out of the barn. The governess then turned her attention back to the travelling party. “Y’all said you wanted to save Equestria, right?” Three heads nodded after an uncertain look between them. Bad Apple answered this with a confident grin. “Well, how can we help?”

“Ma?” Zap asked, sharing a confused glance with her sister. “You mean…?”

“Ah always knew Talvira was lyin’ to us about why she wasn’t lettin’ us back up t’ Ponyville, an’ taking Pink Lady from us was playin’ dirty. But this? She deserves a right ass whoopin,’ and if Ah can help in any way with that, then Ah’m onboard.”

“Ap-sorry… Bad Apple,” Starlight spoke up, catching herself before reaching into her bag. “If… if you want, we have a way to, well… to help return you back to normal.” She then pulled out one of her reformation gems. “This gem helps revert any form of corruption. I’m… not sure how well it would work on you, but if you want to return to what you were before…”

“Wait a minute,” the earth pony daughter spoke up. “Ma, what… if you do this, what if… what if you don’t want us anymore?” Zap didn’t speak up, but her looking away and rubbing her arm told Starlight she felt the same way. Bad Apple smiled softly, kneeling, and placing a gentle hand against her daughters’ cheek.

“Ambrosia… Ah admit Ah wasn’t a fan of how y’all came into the world, but no matter what happens to me, nothin’ will ever make me regret havin’ you and your siblin’s in mah life, and that’s the honest truth. Ah love all four o’ y’all, and Ah can only hope you’ll still love me after Ah change back to what Ah used to be.”

The young mare, Ambrosia, nuzzled into her mothers’ large palm as she wiped tears away from her trembling smile. “Course we will, Ma. Ah promise.”

Zap gave her sister a hug as well, nodding her agreement up to her mother. With the guarantees from her daughters, Bad Apple turned back to the three newcomers. Both Flurry Heart and Bonbon had also pulled out a gem each and all three stood ready as the centaur shuffled herself closer. She took a deep breath, pulled all her tentacles away from the three ponies before her, and held out her palm. As one, Flurry, Starlight and Bonbon all touched their gems to her hand.

And with that, the interior of the barn was flooded in a radiant light.

“What in Tartarus is taking so long?”

Olgra grumbled as she stood at the head of the crowd, an annoyed scowl adorning her tusked features.

She had been enjoying a nice fuck session with some new life stock carted over from Dodge Junction when one of her minions had informed the orc shemale of the news. Jonagold had told everyone Zap had been found, and that a snap town meeting had been called. Attendance was mandatory and, considering her brutish attitude had ruffled the longstanding enmity between her and Bad Apple, she probably couldn’t get away with skipping out on this one.

So, there she stood at the head of the massive crowd of monsters, ‘enlightened’ stallions and all their pet whores formerly known as mares that had filled the main road of town. Her muscular form stood out amongst the rest as she rested her large spiked mace over her shoulder in one hand, while the other tightly gripped the red mane of the same mare she was fucking earlier; sliding her head back and forth as her cock penetrated her mouth.

“Dunno, but it should be important if only the core family members are in the know.”

Olgra turned and looked down at the sand-coated earth pony known as Braeburn. He kept his gaze focused on the barn, knowing looking at the towering brute could spell trouble. She was surprised he’d answered her at all given, in the weeks following Empress Talvira’s ascension, she was about to kill the then injured stallion before Bad Apple stopped her and asserted herself as the new governess, kickstarting their animosity. Olgra chose not to respond, and instead threw the mare giving her head to the ground, her interest in the slut lost and adding to her annoyance. Said mare lapped up the precum on her muzzle and thanked she-orc before crawling into the crowd to find another cock to suck.

Finally, the doors opened and out came a surprising group. First were the four Apple siblings; Jonagold, Ambrosia, the black-furred wolfman Cortland and the recently recovered Zap. Then out came three mares the orc didn’t recognise; an earth pony, unicorn and, shockingly, an alicorn.

But the biggest surprise of all was the last pony to step out. Instead of the imposingly tall centaur that had stymied her wanton desires, out stepped a tall orange mare with a blonde mane and tail wearing Jonagold’s hat, though there was a pair of small horns that curved forward beneath its brim. An unbuttoned red and black flannel shirt only just covered large breasts; somewhere around H cups. She also wore long denim jeans that hugged her thick thighs and stood on hooves rather than feet. Olgra was struggling to remember where she’d seen this mare before until the two locked eyes. Those emerald eyes bore into her darkened soul, and in an instant the orc realised who this was.

“Slumber: Last Rodeo!”

With this shout from Bad Apple, every single pony, mare and stallion alike, took on a dizzied expression and fell to the ground in short order. All the monsters seemed unfazed, though this did make Olgra notice many of those left standing were members of Cortland’s wolf pack, as opposed to members of her original horde that captured the town decades ago.

“What do you think you’re doing, Bad Apple?” The orc growled, stomping over the seemingly drowsy ponies at her feet as she lowered her mace off her shoulder and stared daggers at the orange centaur-turned-pony.

“Sorry Olgra,” she replied, mirroring the orc’s scowl. “Things’ve changed. Ah go by Applejack now. An’ you’re pickin’ a fight you won’t win.”

Olgra chuckled confidently. “And why is that?”

Bad Apple, no, Applejack looked to her taller wolf child, who simply nodded stepped forward. “Boys, form up!” Instantly, the wolfmen ran past the remaining horde and formed a wall between the family and the horde, weapons and fangs bared. The other monsters, seeing what was happening, moved up to flank Olgra, though the warrior noticed some had already turned to slink away from the impending fight.

“Y’all have two choices,” Applejack called out to the monsters opposing her as she cracked her knuckles. “Either stand down and follow mah orders, or leave Appleloosa an’ never come back! Make yer choice now!” A quick glance told Olgra that there were some within her horde looked hesitant. If something didn’t change, she could lose a big enough chunk of her warriors and defeat would be ensured. So, to pre-empt this, Olgra bellowed out a roar in challenge and charged the furry lines of wolfmen.

Two barks had the dogs parting before her. Ahead, she saw Cortland, Zap and Applejack rushing towards her and her tusk-filled grin turned sadistic. Adrenaline flooding her system, she raised her mace and swung to take the wolf’s head clean off. Cortland ducked, the black-furred Apple slashing at her exposed shins with his claws. Despite the pain, Olgra pushed herself onward. The claws cut deep, however, and her legs couldn’t support her weight. As she fell forward, Zap dashed into view and backflipped; her foot catching the orc square underneath the chin with a kick and knocking her head up. This left her midriff exposed, which Applejack attacked with a spinning kick at full speed. The impact of the steel-capped hoof knocked the air out of Olgra’s body, followed by knocking her back at least fifteen feet in the air and rolling another five on the ground.

As pain flared throughout her body, Olgra’s vision blinked in and out. She saw two of her goons hook their arms under hers and drag her away. She saw much of her horde being thrown hither and yaw in glowing fields of aqua and gold magic. She saw others being torn to shreds by the wolf pack.

Finally, before the darkness took her, Olgra looked up and saw an orange trail of light shoot into the sky. Once it disappeared in the perpetual cloud cover, a bright light flashed into existence; clearing away the pink clouds of Equestrian Empire of Lust and revealing a star-filled sky over Appleloosa for the first time in decades.

Author's Note

Flurry Heart Stats:
Purity: 3/3*
Will: +3
Strength: +5*
Defense: +3
Speed: +3*
Magic: +4
Items:
Crystal Sword: +1 to Strength
- Element of Honesty: +1 to Strength, removes one stage of corruption upon equipping
Crystal Buckler Shield: Advantage on Strength Checks
Chastity Glyph: Sacrifice this instead of a Purity point upon losing it in vaginal sex
Stealth Suit: Can reroll a Speed Check once per chapter
Reformation Gems x2
Teleportation Crystals x2
Food Rations x3
Corruptions:
Expanded Breasts (G cup): -2 on Speed Checks
Lactation (1/3)

Starlight Glimmer Stats:
Purity: 3/3
Will: +2
Strength: +2
Defense: +2
Speed: +2*
Magic: +5*
Items:
Crystal Staff: +1 to Magic
Stealth Suit: Can reroll one Speed Check per chapter
Reformation Gems x2
Teleportation Crystals x2
Food Rations x3
Corruptions:
Expanded Breasts (E cup): Disadvantage on Speed Checks
Lactation (1/3)

Bonbon Stats:
Purity: 2/3*
Will: +3
Strength: +3*
Defense: +2*
Speed: +3*
Magic: +0
Items:
Monster Agency Duster Coat: Can reroll one Defense Check per chapter
Crystal Short Sword: +1 to Strength
Grappling Hook: Advantage on Strength and Speed Checks
Contraception Spell: Sacrifice this instead of a Purity point upon losing it in vaginal sex
Reformation Gems x2
Teleportation Crystals x2
Food Rations x3
Corruptions:
None

Apologies for the super long delay. Life has decided to be exceptionally rough this past month. Outside of IRL issues, I also hit a wall of writers block on this one. I knew what I wanted to write down, but it took forever for it to feel right. Finally, apologies if this one feels rushed. Like many of you, I just wanted this chapter to be done, so I'm willing to forgo my perfectionist tendencies this time.
Hopefully the wait was worth it though, as they did it! Applejack is restored! One Element down, five to go!
This was once again a pretty close polling round, with save and befriend getting out to an early lead before capture and interrogate overtook it. We also had a tie for the items, though a coin toss gave it to the dream item, which might take a chapter or two to be ready.

Action:
Save and befriend: 7
Capture and interrogate: 14
Leave and relocate: 6
Item:
Request additional Reformation Gems: 7
Ask if something can be crafted to stop the nightmares: 10
Leave it be for now: 10

Before we get to the new options, I would like to get serious and address something. During the voting period this time, I was made aware of someone using separate accounts to vote multiple times (I won't name them because they've already been outed). I had my suspicions but didn't want to push it without solid evidence. That evidence came when, after getting called out, two of the accounts deleted their votes.
Now I don't want to be heavy-handed when it comes to the voting for this story. I don't want to kill the fun you guys have when commenting and voting. But on the other hand, I would like the voting process to be as fair as possible.
Now I had wanted to start using Strawpoll from here on out as this would definitely help eliminate people double-voting, but for whatever reason it doesn't want to work for me. So, with that said, we'll continue voting in the comments for now until the site decides it wants to let me make polls there. But I'll now be far more observant when it comes to whether commenters are cheating the system.

With that serious talk out of the way, here's the options for the next chapter;

Action:
Head towards the Abandoned Farm
Head towards Manehatten
Head towards Cloudsdale
Head back towards the Everfree Forest
Character:
Allow Zap Apple to join the party
Convince Zap to remain with her family
Item 1:
Use the Element's power on Flurry's breasts
Use the Element's power on Flurry's lactation
Item 2:
Give the Dream Amulet to Flurry
Give the Dream Amulet to Starlight
Give the Dream Amulet to Bonbon
Give the Dream Amulet to Zap (should she join the party)

As always, thank you for reading and happy voting!