The gondola fell into the ravine, spilling its human occupants about in random directions. Eventually, everyone landed... in some sort of dull-orange, gunky substance that broke all of their falls. They all struggled to pull themselves loose from it, since it adhered firmly to their skin and clothes.
"Ugh..." Clara groaned, pulling an arm loose from the stuff.
"What is this shit?" Mark said after getting his entire back free from the sticky stuff.
"Wait..." Marlene said, looking at the spot where she was partially-stuck, "...there's imprints of us in this stuff!"
Everyone saw she was correct; in the spots they had fallen, there were some shapes that made up their entire body, identical in color scheme as well.
"Oh, sweet!" Mark said, immediately slamming himself facedown into the gunk.
He did this over and over, creating multiple, flat duplicates of himself in the sticky substance. Everyone else stepped through the stuff onto dry soil some distance away.
"Mark!" Jon called back. "Dude, quit screwing around! We gotta keep moving!"
A groan of multiple voices sounded. Jon glanced back at the others.
"What's up with all of you?" Jon asked. "Don't get all whiny!"
"But..." Mark said, after catching back up, "...that wasn't us."
The groaning sounded again, and everyone turned back. Several figures were approaching them... and they were all comprised of their imprints in the gunky stuff. Mark's many copies were still "standing" from the rest of the stuff. These beings slowly and menacingly encroached on the six humans, who immediately became alert.
"Shit, zombies!" Mark said. "And most of them are of the best-looking guy on Earth!"
"C'mon!" Eric said, starting down the path. "Let's move!"
The six humans started rushing down the valley, hastily clearing the obstacles in their path, including falling branches and rocks. However, more of the gunky-beings began to appear in their path.
"Uh-oh, they're multiplying!" Clara said.
Mrs. Milton, panting, slowed down. "I-I... I can't keep going..."
Marlene slowed down, grabbing her arm. "C'mon! We gotta keep going!"
Eventually, they spotted something in the distance ahead of them ascending into the sky. They made it out to be some sort of circular platform, ascending from the pinnacle of a pyramid of stairs.
"Up there!" Eric said. "When it comes back down, we'll ride it out of here!"
Jon looked back at the army of strange, gummy clones of themselves approaching. "Uh... I don't think we have the time!"
The platform slowly descended from the top of the valley, the group anxiously and rapidly climbing the stairs up the pyramid.
"C'mon!" Mark shouted up at the platform. "Move faster! MOVE FASTER!"
"EXCELSIOR!" Came a familiar voice down below.
The group looked back down where they came, and saw the heroine from before, slashing at the gunk-beings with her sword. But it seemed almost fruitless; they kept repairing themselves, almost as if nothing happened.
"There's too many of them!" Clara said.
"We gotta go help her!" Marlene said, starting her way back down.
The heroine, however, held her hand back at them in a "stop" gesture. "NO! Go forth, adventurers! Save thyselves!" She sliced another creature about to creep up on her. "Save your beloved William! I shall hold back the monsters here!"
By this point, the platform came all the way back down. Eric grabbed Marlene's arm. "We gotta go, NOW!"
Everyone got onto the platform just before it started its ascent, and just before the gunk-zombies, coming up from the other sides, could get aboard. The heroine kept slashing and slicing, but was eventually overwhelmed by the sheer numbers alone, buried underneath them. Everyone looked over the edge of the rising platform, to see what had happened...
...And they happened to see a flash of green light from within the gaps of the pile of the weird beings, just before it imploded. Everyone narrowed their eyes.
"...What just happened?" Mrs. Milton asked.
No one could answer, however, since the platform rose directly into a sort of large pipe in the sky, the inner part of equal diameter to the platform itself. They ascended directly into it, and everything went pitch black. They stopped moving, and everything went silent.
"Uh..." Mark uttered, "...what happens now?"
Suddenly, they were all shot directly upward, like being blasted out of a cannon, into the open sky.
"AAAAAAAAAH...!" The group shrieked as they flew straight up.
They shot past a giant, floating gem. As this happened, it spun rapidly, making a twinkling sound. The group then fell back to the ground below, in a random spot of the open fields, and just like entering the tome's world, they slowed to almost a halt just short of the ground.
"Okay..." Mrs. Milton said, "...this is getting RIDICULOUS!"
"And why would that hero-girl help us... right after completely stabbing us in the back?" Clara asked.
At that moment, however, the large, sparkling gem they passed descended down to only a meter above the ground. Its flat polygons separated and dispersed... revealing a pony filly with lilac hide, a long, deep-purple mane and tail, and teal eyes, who hovered for a moment, before setting onto the ground. A big, ecstatic smile spread over her face.
"YAY!" She exclaimed. "I'm finally free!"
The filly then ran around, jumping up at the six humans, hugging all of them tightly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" She said repeatedly.
"Oh, heeheehee...!" Mrs. Milton giggled upon being hugged.
"Uh..." Eric uttered, "...and what are you thanking us for?"
"For rescuing me, silly!" The filly said. "I was imprisoned inside that floating gemstone by the Tyrant Queen for trying to rescue the human William!"
"William...?!" Clara said.
"So... you know about William, too?" Marlene asked.
The filly nodded. "Everyone knows about the Captive Prince to be wed to the Queen! I'm one of the rare sentient artificial beings, part of the uprising against the Tyrant Queen, and we're all trying to set her poor human prisoner free! I tried..." she then hung her head sadly, "...but the castle was just too heavily guarded."
"So," Marlene began, "what do we do from here? Do you know how to get to this castle?"
"Oh, yes!" The filly said. "But, before we make any move in favor of the uprising, you will all need to buildup your strength. I'll take you all back to one of our hideouts, where you can rest and have a meal. And we can come up with a plan to get past the Tyrant Queen's forces. And don't worry; we'll be safe there. The Queen doesn't know where this hideout is."
Mrs. Milton sighed in relief. "Good. I could really use something like that, right now. Nice that there are some kind, talking animals in this world."
(XXXX)
The group of humans, led by the filly, made it to a modest underground house in a forested region. By then, it had become late in the evening. The entrance to the hideout was obscured by surrounding vines and foliage, which they had to brush aside as they passed through to the front door. From there, they got themselves settled in for a rest.
Mark, meanwhile, was looking through the cabinets and cupboards around the place when the filly was preparing a meal for them.
"Where's all the weapons?" He asked. "Where's the sword, the maces, the bazookas?"
Clara cleared her throat at him. "Don't you know it's rude to snoop around in other people's cupboards without permission?"
Mark didn't listen, and ended up taking the fireplace poker.
"...I guess this'll have to do," he said, flourishing the tool like a one-handed weapon.
Mrs. Milton sighed impatiently. "...Just what do you think you're doing?"
"Well," Mark said, "if we're gonna be fighting some evil witch-queen, we're gotta get someone else to be the lead hero now, aren't we?"
"And just who said you could be hero?" Jon asked.
Mark narrowed his eyes. "Hey, it only makes sense, doesn't it? I was varsity captain! So, my natural leadership skills should be used here as well!"
Before this petty debate could continue any further, the filly appeared from the kitchen, pushing in a rolling cart with a tray on top.
"Okay, everypony!" She said. "The tea's ready!"
Mark rasped. "I don't even like tea!"
"Could we get some hard drinks?" Jon requested.
The filly, however, did not acknowledge what was just said. "And, you know what goes best with tea?"
No one said anything, so the filly removed the lid from an adjacent tray, revealing some pastries.
"Crumpets!" She said, happily. "And what does best with crumpets?"
She pulled a container off the lower part of the cart.
"Powdered sugar!" She said with the same optimism.
With that, the filly powdered the crumpets just before offering them, as well as the tea, to everyone.
"Oh, why thank you, little girl!" Mrs. Milton said.
"Hope they're to your liking!" The filly said. "They're EXCELSI—!"
She stopped herself, just as everyone stared at her with narrow eyes.
"Uh, I mean..." the filly collected herself, "...they're excellent."
Brushing aside the minor, random outburst from the filly, the six humans ate the crumpets... at least, most of them.
"Mmmm..." Marlene hummed while eating, "...these are really good!"
"Really nice to have some hospitality around here," Eric remarked.
"Yeah," Mark added, "especially since we're gonna be... going after..." he trailed off, swaying a bit with his eyes partially closing.
Jon did the same. "...Oh, man... feel kinda weird... my tongue's getting numb..."
"...I can't... feel..." Marlene chimed in, "...my arms..."
Everyone was quickly dozing off. It was becoming extremely difficult for them to remain standing, bringing them to their knees, and finally either their backs or fronts. Only the purple filly remained awake, and she giggled with a wicked expression across her face.
"Nitey-night... my rescuers..." she said, tauntingly.
Before any of the six humans could give any response, all of them fell asleep.
(XXXX)
William had fallen asleep a little earlier in the day after finishing his painting of Cocoon, and by the time he came to, the sun had already set.
"Ah, Willy!" Cocoon said as she stepped into the master recreation room. "Naptime's over, I take it?"
William stood from the sofa, stretching. "Yeah... bit longer than I would've preferred. But hey, leaves one refreshed."
"That's good," Cocoon said, grinning and narrowing her eyes, "because... I think it's time for your payment."
The young man froze, trying to process what he said, just before Cocoon left, heading into the adjacent bedroom. After he was able to collect himself, William entered the room after her, seeing that she had taken her anthropomorphic form yet again, and laying on the bed in a sexy pose.
"U-uh..." William began, "...so... about this 'payment' you're talking about... wh-what exactly do you... have in m-m-mind...?"
Cocoon narrowed her eyes, smiling warmly, as her horn glowed. William was enshrouded in the green halo as he felt all his weight vanish, slowly levitating a few feet above the floor.
"I care about you, Willy," Cocoon said. "And I'm going to show you how much I care..."
The changeling queen slowly began to bring him closer to her, and as she did this, she slipped off his shoes from his feet. William made no effort to protest this... as he was still trying to process what was happening. For someone like him, this was too much, too soon.
Cocoon then removed William's socks, exposing his bare feet. This was when he began to feel the heat rising in his face. Given what society's been pressuring on everyone his age for years now... he had a good idea about what she had in mind.
As he continued to slowly float closer to Cocoon, she forced his arms upward, and pulled his shirt off, leaving the sleeveless undershirt for now. She then undid William's belt, unzipped his jeans, and pulled them down, the trousers falling to the floor.
"You've got a very nice build, Willy," Cocoon remarked, seductively.
William glanced down at himself. "W-well... I'm kinda lacking in the 'build' department..."
"That's okay," Cocoon said, "I like thin males more so than over-bulked barbarians..."
Cocoon then removed William's undershirt, leaving the young man in nothing but his boxers.
Holy shit...! William thought. Never, not by the longest shot, did I EVER think I'd be levitated by a sexy, female horse-bug, being stripped in the process... and getting what I now KNOW will happen next!
Finally, Cocoon slipped his boxers down his legs, exposing his standing manhood. William's face was now redder than he was sure it had ever been in his life. Even the middle of his chest was flushed as well. He was finally set down directly beside the anthropomorphic changeling queen, who wasted no time pressing herself directly against him.
Though they had been intimate many times before... direct, skin-on-chitin contact, while nude, was completely new to both of them.
Cocoon placed a hoof on William's chest, gently rubbing as she brought her muzzle closer to his person. Closing her eyes, the changeling queen slowly ran the tip of her tongue over his nipple. In response, William laid back completely, his eyes closing and his mouth falling agape.
"...Aah..." he moaned, "...f-fuck..."
After a bit of teasing, she moved directly on top of him, her face right over his.
"After much hardship throughout your life, Willy..." she said, leaning closer, "...it's only fair you get your break."
Then Cocoon pulled him into a deep kiss, making William completely lose touch with reality... up to a point. She used this distraction to position herself correctly... and enveloped his upright member with her pussy. William moaned in surprise, breaking the kiss as this happened. From there, she started thrusting up and down, taking his cock in and out in a steady motion.
William began to pant and sweat as he wrapping his arms around Cocoon, and he started doing the same with the changeling queen. He continued to thrust in and out of her in a steady rhythm, making her moan in absolute bliss.
"A-aah!" Cocoon uttered. "Oh, Willy... yes! K-keep going... aah!"
She was rather tight, but that only stimulated him even more, inclining him to continue. Unbeknownst to him, Cocoon was using her magic right around both their crotch regions, giving them a more intense experience through nerve stimulation. The sensation of his long, firm cock stretching the inside of her vagina was unlike anything she had ever felt before... and not did it feel truly extraordinary, but extremely relieving, as well.
The same could very much be said for William as well, who was becoming fairly fatigued from taking the lead. Cocoon struggled to keep herself held up, falling right on top of her boyfriend. He paid no mind to this, though, and continued pleasuring her. Eventually he was so pent up, his seed begging to be released, up until he eventually climaxed with a howl. Cocoon, already having had multiple successive orgasms, was more than satisfied with what he did for her.
The two separated, laying and panting, soaked in each other's sweat, and cum splattered across both of their groins.
"...O-oooh..." William moaned, his eyesight blurring and crossing, "...f-feeling dizzy... can't... h-hold... aah..."
He could no longer maintain his consciousness, passing out.
"Willy...?" Cocoon asked, gently tapping his shoulder. "...Willy, are you okay? Sweetie, are you alright?"
(XXXX)
James eventually returned to the castle following his exploration. He immediately made his way up to the master quarters.
"Hello, you two!" He called as he entered. "Sorry I'm later than usual!"
"Shhh!" Cocoon shushed him, emerging from the bedroom. "Keep your voice down!"
"Oh, sorry! My bad!" James said, quickly.
He glanced around as Cocoon shut the door behind her.
"So... where's William?" James asked.
"Willy's resting right now," Cocoon spoke softly.
"Resting?" James asked, checking his pocketwatch. "Seems a bit earlier for him to fall asleep than usual. Did he do anything really... strenuous?"
"W-well..." Cocoon began, "...let's just say that... he's had a very exerting night with me. And we were quite... connected..."
James pursed his lips. "...I won't ask."
Cocoon blushed. "...What I did for him... may have been a little too intense for a human like him."
"I can understand why he would require some recuperation, in that case," James said, nonchalant.
From there, he went to the room Cocoon arranged for him, to get settled in for the night, as he decided to spend the night in her world. The changeling queen herself got into bed, after cleaning up the mess they made with some new bedsheets, and laid alongside William under the covers. As the night went on, all she could do was stare at her lover, well and truly connected with him following what transpired that evening.
"Of course..." Cocoon said to herself, "...now that I've had a bit of fun with him, I think I'm just getting started with Willy!"
Yeah, I know it was kind of a lame lemon, but that's the idea; this is just a warm-up for something more interesting later in the story... be sure to stay posted! Keep holding on...