Growing Village (CYOA) (Finished)

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It is dawn. You don’t know how long it’s been.

 

You’re walking in that forest, a seemingly endless number of trees and bushes along your path. You’ve got a bad feeling that many predators are lurking in the undergrowth, ready to attack. You have your sword ready and your press forward, even if there’s no road to follow.

 

Suddenly, the trees make way for a big clearing seemingly out of nowhere, with a couple of houses and a shabby watchtower. You feel much less in danger as you walk in here, but your mind still feels so hazy… Is this where you were supposed to go?

 

“You there!” You hear the stern voice of a mare come from the watchtower. “The earth pony stallion! Stay where you are, I’m coming!”

 

The mare with a bow and a quiver quickly climbs does from the tower to meet you.

 

“Hey, who are you how did you get here?”

Your mouth opens to reply, but it takes you a few second to realize there’s but one honest answer you can utter.

“… I have no idea.”

A fleeting wince of disappointment passes over the mare’s face, but still she keeps her seriousness.

“I guess you’re like the rest of us when we got here, then. Sorry to tell you that, but you’re in a bad place. I believe this whole forest is cursed somehow. None of us can barely remember anything about the world or ourselves, and we can’t seem to escape this clearing either… Anyway, my name’s Verdant. How should I call you? You look like a warrior from your garb and mark. If you’re like the rest of us, you should still be able to use most of the capacities you may have learned in the past.”

 

Indeed, while you’d be incapable to tell a single fact about your own past, your body keenly remember how to fight, the moves, the stances, and even the care needed to maintain your sword sharp.

 

 

“In that case…” As your mind remain blanks on the side of memories, you decide to come up with a name you know is fitting for a warrior. “…please call me Lustre Lance. So, how many ponies are in this place?”

“With you, there’s 4 of us here, Lustre Lance.” Verdant replies. “Let me introduce you to the rest of us. We’re about to have breakfast.”

 

You follow Verdant toward the houses, and soon another mare carefully comes out of one, but then she shows you an earnest smile as your gaze meets hers.

“Oh, hello. My name is Sand Carrot.” The earth mare says. “I… don’t know if I can say ‘welcome’ in this situation, but I hope we’ll get along.”

“So we got a new neighbour, huh?” Another mare approaches, one that sports a lively smirk. “Frog Chaser here!”

“I’m Lustre Lance.” You introduce yourself back.

 

“Mice to meet you.” The green mare nods. “So, what’s you deal? Why don’t you have a house?”

“Ehm… I don’t know. Why would I have one?” You reply in confusion. “Is that what happen when you get here? And by the way, how did the rest of you arrive?”

“One day, I woke up here on my own in this clearing.” Verdant starts to explain. “There was just this tower standing, and I was on my own. But a few days later Sand Carrot was just… there in the morning, and so was a new house, even if nopony apparently built it. The same thing happened for Frog Chaser a few days later. And now, there’s you.”

 

“Yeah! And actually, I saw him arrive.” Frog Chaser says. “He came From the forest. He didn’t appear right in the middle of the clearing like the rest of us! Maybe he can go back and explore it!”

Verdant smacks her lips in annoyance.

“I was gonna come to that part.” She sternly tells Frog Chaser, and then she turns to you. “Sorry, it must all sound very sudden and bizarre, but as I told you we’re trapped in here. And I mean, really. There’s a strange magic that prevents up from leaving the clearing. The second we go under the trees, we black out, and we wake up in this clearing the next morning with no memory of what happened. But you… there seem to be something different in your case. You have no house, you came from the forest, so… unlike the rest of us, perhaps you could actually look around the woods and find out what is happening to all of us.”

 

“Uhm… This is a lot to take in.” You reply. “I still have a lot of questions.”

“I understand.” Verdant nods slightly. “Again, I’m sorry to ask you this so suddenly, it’s no wonder you’d like to catch a break. I’ll answer all your questions as best as I can for now… but, yeah. Eventually, I wish you’d help us find a way to escape this hell. I mean, please. The situation is not good in here… At night, beasts from the forest attack this clearing, and there’s more of them every time. I don’t think even the two of us could keep them at bay forever, and I don’t really have any other idea of what we could do to get out of here.”

 

Verdant sighs after saying all that. In the meantime, Sand Carrot brought some rugs from her house and Frog Chaser is setting them in a rough circle before sitting on one of them. Next, Sand Carrot brings out some food. It’s mostly raw vegetables.

“It’s hard to process anything with the few tools we have.” She says. “But this is all fresh so help yourself Lustre Lance. Crops grow unnaturally fast around here, and it rains often too, so at least food and water shouldn’t be an issue.”

 

Already, Frog Chaser is digging in healthily.

“So a new victim appears here every three days in the morning?” You ask, while you sit down and help yourself on some carrots.

“That how it’s been going so far.” Verdant nods.

“And so, you say you all just back out if any of you tries to go in the forest?”

“Yes, we’ve all tried.” Verdant confirms.

“And you remember nothing at all?”

“Yeah, nothing at all. It’s super Spooky.” Frog Chaser says. “We can, like, even touch the first trees on the edge of the clearing an all, but when I tried to go a few dozen feet deeper it the woods, I just remember walking and then suddenly nothing. Verdant was watching me from the clearing too, and she say I just vanished in the blink of an eye. No scream, no sound, one second I was there and the next I wasn’t. And then I popped back in the clearing the next morning.”

Verdant nods to confirm the other mare’s words.

 

 

“Do you really remember nothing at all?” You ask. “I know you told me you don’t remember much like just like me, but every bit of information could help.”

“Well…” Sand Carrot starts. “I remember how to cook, and how to tend to crops. So I guess I was a farmer of some sort. It’s not really a memory, but planting seeds and harvesting plant feels familiar to me.”

“I believe I must have been a guard, for similar reasons.” Verdant says. “But I can’t tell much beyond that.”

“You girls are lucky!” Frog Chaser huffs dejectedly. “I don’t even have a clue on that. I’m starting to think I’m a bum or something…”

 

They do sounds about as lost as you are. If that’s the case, you can probably trust they’re just trying to escape this place, and you see no reason to refuse to help.

 

“Alright, I’ll explore the forest.” you say. Sand Carrot and Frog Chaser exchange a grin in reaction, and even Verdant lets out a little sigh of relief.

“Is there anything helpful that I could take with me?” You add. “Tools? Weapons?”

“I’m afraid we don’t have much at the moment.” Verdant shakes her head. “We can spare some food for you, but that’s about it.”

 

“Then I’ll take enough to last a few days if that’s possible.” You say. “I’ll have a better chance to find something if I can stay more than a day away.”

“Be careful.” Verdant urges you. “The beasts of the forest are dangerous, so don’t be afraid to come back if you feel like you’re in danger. If there’s something on your tail when you get here, I’ll make sure to shoot it with an arrow or two.”

 

“Hum.” You nod. “I’ll try not to overdo it. Now tell me, what kind of beasts can I expect to find in this forest?”

“Mostly wolves, but I’ve seen some large snakes too, and at time some sort of… goblins.” Verdant replies. “Anyway, they’re all wicked. It sems they’re afraid of nothing once they got their eyes on you, and they don’t stop fighting until they’re dead.”

“They don’t fear anything? Not even fire?”

“No.” Verdant shakes her head.

“That sounds dire indeed.” You reply. “At this rate, perhaps you should go into the forest at night instead of fighting? That way you’ll reappear in the morning and avoid the attacks, right?”

“I… don’t really like the idea.” Verdant shakes her head. “I suppose this has a chance to work, but I have a hunch whatever spell is trapping us here won’t allow us to protect ourselves with it. Let’s keep your idea in mind as a last resort, but as long as we can manage the creatures at night, I’d rather avoid that kind of jump into the unknown.”

 

“I guess that’s your choice. Also, can you get into that tower?” You ask, nodding toward the building. “Can the monsters get into it?”

“We can all use it, yes.” Verdant nods. “Nothing stops any of us from entering each other’s places. These are normal buildings… once they’ve appeared. At night, Sand Carrot and Frog Chaser get into the house under the tower while I keep watch on it. As for the monsters, they sure try to get in, but we could fend them off until now.”

“And from up here, can you see anything beyond the forest? Or any landmark at all?”

“Sorry, but there’s nothing.” Verdant shakes her head. “Just green as far as the eye can see. There’s no direction I could point you toward.”

 

It’s obvious these mares don’t have many ways to help you for now. You guess what’s left to do is walk into the unknown.

“Alright.” You stand back on your hooves. “Let me get prepared, and then I’ll go explore these woods.”

As asked, Sand Carrot provides you with some food. Again, it’s mostly raw vegetables, but that’ll keep hunger at bay.

 

“Good luck Lance!” Frog Chaser tells you with a grin when you’re at the edge of the forest.

“Please be careful…” Sand Carrot adds.

“Yeah, don’t die and stuff!” Frog Chaser adds!

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you realize it!” You reply, the mares’ enthusiasm making you feel a spark of confidence.

Under the eyes of the three mares, you walk into the forest in a random direction. For a minute everything seems quiet under the trees, but then the feeling that you’ve being watched by something hostile returns. By then, you’re far enough you don’t see the clearing any more behind, or hear any noise from the mares. The trees all seems similar around you, and already you only have a vague idea of the direction to where the clearing might be anymore.

 

As you were wondering if this aimless wandering you’re doing can be called exploring, something jumps out of the bushes in front of you.

 

It’s a wolf.

 

 

In a fight, you can only pick from these options for now.

One you begin a fight, you and your opponents each attack until one of you faints.

Your symbols and the one of your opponents all mean something. It’s up to you to figure what they do.

 

 

Verdant didn’t lie… that beast kept trying to hurt you no matter how many wounds you inflicted on them. Now they lie dead in front of you, but you took some hits too.

 

However, something particular happens in front of your eyes. The body of the creature starts to turn to dust, and as it vanishes, something strange remains. Without thinking, you get closer and reach out with your hoof.

 

It’s a ghostly ball of light that fits on your hoof. It feels weird. Weightless. Barely physical, like it could puff out of existence if you squeezed it. It looks like… a soul? An essence?

 

 

However, you have little time thinking about what to do with this. Suddenly, another creature jumps to attack you.

 

It’s a goblin!

 

 

 

 

As the creature lies down, the same thing happens as with the wolf. Its body disappears, and you get another of these balls of light. In fact, as you pick it up, this thing seems slowly attracted to the one you already have.

 

 

However, you don’t think you can keep fighting like that for much longer. You have to go back! But before you can make much progress, yet another creature appears in front of you.

 

It’s a snake!

 

 

 

Dashing among the trees, the snake goes after you while hissing aggressively. Fortunately it can’t keep up and after less than a minute you don’t hear it on your tail anymore.

 

However, you realise that the clearing is in view in front of you. You’re surprised to find it so soon, but since it’s for the best you returned there for now, you just walk to it.

You see Sand Carrot and Frog Chaser working on the field as you pass the lasts trees, and then…

“Lustre Lance!” You hear Verdant call from the tower. “You’re back!”

 

The two other mares perk up, and all three soon come to meet you.

“Goodness Lance, are you alright?” Sand Carrot says worriedly. “You look like you encountered a lot of trouble.”

“I suppose you ran into some beasts.” Verdant says bitterly. “I… Sorry. I wish I could lend you a hoof with this instead of having sent you on your own…”

“And… Did you find something, Lance?” Frog Chaser asks expectantly. “That was a pretty long expedition you did. Please tell me you didn’t just black out like us…”

 

And there a realization hits you… It’s the evening now.

You remember going into the forest, and very soon you were fighting creatures non-stop. That expedition can’t have lasted more than half an hour, but looking at the sky, the sun is about to set by now. From the look of the mares, you must have been away the whole day from their perspective.

 

You still carry the two essences

 

 

Looking around, there’s still no house for you. You remember Verdant telling you Sand Carrot and Frog Chaser spend the night in the house under the tower while she keeps watch, so you’ll probably be joining them. After fighting like you did, you do feel like you could go for a full night of sleep right now.

 

“It didn’t seem that long for me.” You shake your head. “All I could do was fight creatures the second I was a little deep in the woods, and then I turned back before I was overwhelmed. How long was I gone?”

“The whole day. About 10 hours from morning to evening.” Verdant replies, but then lets out a disappointed sigh. “Well, that’s different from what happens to us when we go in the woods, but it sounds like we just sent you take a beating for nothing if you didn’t have the peace to explore anything. Sorry about that, Lustre Lance…”

 

“At least we learnt some new stuff.” You try to reassure the guardsmare. “Time seems to pass a lot faster for me in the woods. Perhaps we could use that to preserve food or have it grow faster in some way.”

“I… I’m not sure that could work.” Verdant shakes her head. “We’re not that short on food for now, and you said you were harassed by beasts when you got into the woods, so it would be dangerous. I don’t think we need to resort to such tactics just now.”

“Alright…” You nod. “I still want to understand what’s happening. I’m sure we can use the magic at work at our advantage in some way. Anyway, I didn’t bring back nothing actually. When I defeated monsters, something strange happened. Their body disappeared, and they left this instead.”

There, you take out two balls of light and show these to the mares.

 

“Woah, what are those?” Frog Chaser looks at them curiously.

“That’s new.” Verdant comments. “After we defeat a creature in the night, we usually drag the corpse away to the edge of the woods in the morning, as far from our houses as possible. The bodies then disappear quite fast, but I figured this must have been other beasts taking it away. All that to say… I have no idea what this is.”

“Also, speaking of that, how should we prepare for the night?” You ask. “Tell me what I need to know.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Verdant states. “Look at yourself, Lustre Lance. You need to rest. We’ll wake you up if it gets so bad we need your help, but I’ll try to make sure it won’t happen.”

 

“Hey, can you give one to me?” Frog chaser asks, pointing at an essence. “I want to get a better look at it.”

 

 

“Hold on, I want to test something myself first…” You reply.

You take one of the essences, and bring it to your mouth. It’s too big to fit in whole, and when you try to take a bite, the ball just slips away from your teeth, refusing to be cut in any way.

“Well, those don’t look like they’re proper for eating.” The green mare chuckles.

“Alright. Let’s see what you can do with it, then.” You nod. And toss the other ball to the green mare.

 

As soon as it lands on her open hooves, the essence starts to glow brightly, and there’s a blinding flash of light after a few seconds.

When you can look again, Frog Chaser has some sturdy tools on her hooves instead of the essence, there’s a pickaxe, shovels, a lantern and a toolbox.

“What the…” Verdant exclaims.

“Woah, I didn’t expect that! But I gotta say…” Frog Chaser gives the pickaxe a tentative swing. “…These things do feel quite familiar to me!”

“So… What just happened?” Sand Carrot confusedly utters. “Did the essence Lance got from a dead beast just turn into tools for you? How does this make sense?”

 

“That…” Frog Chaser proudly hoists the tools over her back. “I have absolutely no idea! But I think I’m gonna start digging around starting tomorrow. Hey! Maybe we can escape the forest by digging a path under it?”

“This place makes no sense…” Verdant sighs, and then turn to you. “But something good came out of the expedition at least. Though, this thing turned into something useful for Frog Chaser the second she touched it, but I wonder why it didn’t work for you, Lustre Lance.”

“Give the other one to Sand Carrot, Lance!” Frog Chaser suggests. “Or give it to me again. Maybe we can get something nice again.”

“I think Lustre Lance should decide.” Verdant says. “After all, he’s the one that went through all the trouble for those.”

“Yeah, of course. But like Verdant said, Lance, you don’t seem to be able to use it yourself, so you might as well gift it to your favourite mare.” Frog Chaser gives you a wink while she sports a lively smirk.

 

“Anyway, I think that can wait.” Verdant states. “You should go get some rest, Lustre Lance. We’ve prepared some bedding for you. Tell us if you need anything.”

“Uhm. I can help you clean up your bruises if you want…” Sand Carrot offers.

 

 

“Please do, I’d appreciate that.” You nod back at Sand Carrot, and then turn to Frog Chaser. “Hey. Want another one?”

There, you toss the other essence you had to the green mare. She’s taken by surprised, but manages to catch the ball of light in her hoof.

 

And then… nothing happens.

“Huh…” Frog Chaser makes the ghostly ball bounce on her hoof a little, but it remains inert all the same. “Well, that’s a bit disappointing… This place really isn’t gonna let us have anything the way we want, will it? Well, maybe I need to wait, or maybe you just need to give it to somebody else, Lance. Your call.”

The mare throws the essence back at you. You think you can decide later what to do with that.

 

After that, you all make your way into Verdant’s house. There are 4 beddings ready here. It’s not much, just rugs on straw and some sheets on top of them, but you’re tired enough you won’t have any problem sleeping anyway. There’s a ladder and a trapdoor that Verdant uses to climb on top of the tower after closing the heavy door, and already Frog Chaser lies down on her bedding and turns to look at the wall.

 

After you stash away your equipment, Sand Carrot approaches with some clean pieces of cloth and a bucket of water. While you sit down, the mare takes care of cleaning your body, dutifully rubbing every sore spot and gently drying them. You feel you mind calm down as she does.

“I’m relieved.” Sand Carrot says. “It doesn’t look like you broke anything, or that you were cut too deeply. It’s a good that your body is very healthy, I mean, you really have the body of a fierce warrior, Lustre Lance.”

“Uh, thank you.” You reply a bit absently, and let the mare keep taking care of you. The feeling of fresh water dulls the soreness of your body, a pleasant shiver of relief running through your skin with every touch of the mare.

 

You’re feeling a lot better once she’s done. After that, you wish a good night to the two mares, and once you’ve lied down you think there’s less than a minute before sleep takes you.

 

 

You wake up to the sound of hooves and the creaking of old wood and find yourself in the house under the watchtower again. The memories of the day prior come flooding back. You arrived in that forest yesterday, and you and the three mares you met here do not know how to get out. It feels odd to awaken in this weird place you just discovered, but the eeriest part is that you still can’t remember any alternative.

“Sorry. I didn’t want to wake you up, Lustre Lance.” You hear Verdant that you see come down from the ladder. There’s daylight coming from under the door. The two other mares, Frog Chaser and Sand Carrot aren’t in this house anymore.

 

As you sit up, you realize you still feel a bit sore from yesterday. Even though you’re healing up fast, it looks like you didn’t recover entirely from the expedition.

“Are you alright?” You ask the mare with the bow. “It’s the morning, right? Did anything happen while I was sleeping?”

“Well… The night was oddly calm.” Verdant says. “There was no beast attack tonight. That’s the first time that happened.”

“Is that a good thing?” You tentatively ask while you get back on your hooves.

“I wouldn’t know…” She shakes her head. “Maybe the creatures are preparing something… or perhaps your attack of yesterday warded them off. I’ll remain on guard the next time. Anyway, let’s go eat something. After that I’m going to bed.”

 

You join Sand Carrot and Frog Chaser again. Like yesterday, they brough some raw vegetables for everypony to eat.

“Today I’m gonna start digging!” Frog Chaser announce enthusiastically. “I wonder what I’m gonna find with these new tools. Who knows? Perhaps we can escape the forest from under if we can’t go through it?”

“I hope you’re right.” Sand Carrot nods. “Though, I’m gonna miss your help with the field.”

“Eh, you don’t need me Sand.” The green mare shakes her head with a reassuring smile. “You got a green hoof if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Yeah, but it’s gonna be a bit lonely with nopony to chat with…” The other mare chuckles.

 

That reminds you.

Yesterday you fought monsters in the forest. You got two essences after defeating them. Giving one to Frog Chaser gave her some mining tools. You still have the other, and it didn’t do anything yesterday when you tried to give it to Frog Chaser again. You were wondering if you should try that again or to give it to another mare.

 

 

“Frog Chaser?” You pull out the essence you still had. “Wanna try this again?”

“Hmm?” She perks up, before nodding with a smile. “Sure, why not.”

 

You pass the ball of light to her, but again, it just remains inert in the hooves of your companion.

“Welp, I guess that really was a one-time thing.” Frog Chaser shrugs and extends her hood to give it back to you.

“Alright.” You nod as you take back the thing for now. There’s a part of you that wishes to try and break the essence in pieces. Somehow, you still want to try eating one in some way. Maybe you’ll check doing that once you have more, but for this one, you want to try something else first.

You turn to Sand Carrot. “What about you then. Do you want to give this a try?”

“If that’s okay with you Lustre Lance.” She bows slightly. “Then yes, please.”

 

Despite her politeness, you can see Sand Carrot’s tail wag slightly in excitement. The two other mares also take a break from munching to see if anything is going to happen.

As you give the essence to Sand Carrot, there’s a flash of white similar to the one from when Frog Chaser received her own yesterday. A second later, the mare finds herself with something new in her hooves.

 

Pots. Pans. Plain but sharp cutlery and other kitchen tools are where the essence was a second ago. Everything one would need to slice, mash, boil or roast any kind of ingredient.

“My!” Sand Carrot exclaims. “That’s gonna come in handy!”

“That’s amazing!” Frog Chaser says, spitting tiny bits of raw carrot that were still in her mouth in the process. “Now we can cook anything we want!”

“Well… not exactly anything yet, no.” Sand Carrot shakes her head a little. “We still have no salt, nor oil or butter, nor an oven… but this is already a good start. With that, I’ll try to make something a little more elaborate for lunch!”

“I can’t wait!” Frog Chaser comments with a big smile dotted with carrot bits.

 

You decide to rest and help the mares today. Now that you can cook, you gather some branches along the edge of the forest for a fire. You make sure to remain in view of the clearing at all times, and you don’t feel the presence of predators as long as you do so. You help the farmer mare prepare a rudimentary firepit after that.

Sand carrot manages to make a sauté of the ingredients she has with her new tools, and you’re all glad to have a meal that’s a bit more satisfying than just raw crops.

 

In the afternoon, you decide to help Frog Chaser instead. You start digging with her, not far from her house. The mare displays a fortitude you didn’t expect from her, and works heartily for what soon becomes hours. As you remove dirt and sediment, already several feet below the ground, there’s something that catches you eye…

 

 

As you dig around, you seem to hit something hard with your shovel. As you swat away the dirt with a hoof, you realise this is not a stone, but the corner of some wooden box.

“Frog Chaser?” You call “I think I found something!”

“Huh?” She approaches, and as she sees what you point at. “Hold on, let me help you get this out.”

 

Soon, your efforts allow you to uncover the box that’s about as wide as your chest. As you open it, you realise there’s a weapon inside. It’s in surprisingly good condition.

 

 

“Cool! Do you think this will be useful?” Frog Chaser asks.

“Hum.” You nod. “That definitely could help me fight off a monster.”

“Yay!” She smiles. “I don’t know who hid this thing here, but I’m not gonna question it. Also, I’m getting quite tired. We did some good progress already, so let’s stop here.”

 

Indeed, the sun is starting to set. Verdant has woken up in the middle of the afternoon, and you see her descend from the tower as you’re all about to have dinner.

 

 

“We did a good job today!” You recount while you enjoy some mashed potatoes. “It’s good to have some cooked meals now, and thanks to the the tools we could dig and find something useful. Thanks Frog Chaser!”

And before she can reply, you extend your hoof to boop the snout of the green mare. Her dumbfounded expression has Sand Carrot chuckle lightly.

“Heh, I don’t mind you getting familiar, Lance.” Frog Chaser gently pushes your hoof aside, a smirk on her face. “Just don’t get surprised if you get a little mud on yourself the next time you come to help me digging again.”

 

“Verdant.” You then turn to the guardsmare. “I want to help you keep watch tonight. Is that okay?”

“Are you sure?” She asks back. “You’ve been quite busy helping around already.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll manage.” You brush it off. “Also, I’m curious to see if the beasts will come today. Can we work on shifts maybe? That way you can spend a little more time awake tomorrow.”

 

“Please do tell me if I’m not working enough for your taste during the day.” Verdant frowns at your comment. “I can handle a little less sleep too if needed. Anyway, I plan to look over this place until dawn like I usually do. A second pair of eyes is always welcome, even if you go to bed at some point.”

You refrain a cringe, and you feel a wave of uneasiness on the two other mares. Sand Carrot and Frog Chaser’s eyes worriedly dart between the two of you, but the guardsmare remains focused on her plate from this point on. The dinner ends in silence.

 

Still, after washing yourselves, you and Verdant climb on the tower while Sand Carrot and Frog Chaser prepare themselves to spend the night in the house under it. The night is very clear, and a small fire in front of the house makes sure you see something if comes close.

“Let’s hope tonight is calm too.” Verdant states. “The beasts usual come out one by one at different hours. I had to deal with five of them the night before you came.”

“Understood.” You nod, and prepare yourself for the wait.

 

An hour passes. Then another without even the shadow of a creature entering the clearing. The place is eerily calm too. There’s a light wind occasionally rustling the leaves of the trees around, but you hear nearly no sign of anything alive around you. Not howl from wolves. No skittering of rodents or hooting of night birds can be heard. This makes the buzzing of the occasional bug near your face almost reassuring.

“Thank you for staying with me, Lustre Lance.” You jump a little as Verdant suddenly whippers. “I’m more at ease knowing there’s somepony else than me to fight if monsters come.”

Verdant didn’t move as she spoke, still dutifully looking into the distance toward the edge of the forest.

 

 

“It’s okay, really.” You reply. “Also… sorry about earlier. I didn’t want to question your abilities. I realize you take your role very seriously, as one should. Still, if you don’t mind, I’ll keep watch with you whenever I can, if I’m not too tired of injured.”

“Uhm.” Verdant nods, and in the dark, you almost see a little smile on the corner of her mouth. “I appreciate that. Just remember that I can take care of it if you need to preserve your strength.”

“You’re right. I have to keep exploring this forest too.” You nod. “I’m probably gonna go on another expedition tomorrow.”

“Thank you for doing this Lustre Lance.” Verdant says. “Even with the dangers in the woods.”

“Uhm.” You nod in the shadow.

 

After another hour where there’s no sign of an attack, you decide to go to sleep.

 

You wake up in good form the next day. You completely recovered from your previous expedition, so you’re at your best to take on the beasts of this word.

For now, you share another breakfast with the three mares. Sand Carrot plans to prepare some soup for the evening, and Frog Chaser is going to keep digging.

 

 

“I’m gonna go on an expedition again today.” You announce. Verdant nods in silent approval while the two other mares seem a bit worried about it.

 

But then you turn to the farmer mare. “Sand Carrot. There’s something I’d like to ask of you. Would you accept to try to accompany me this time?”

“What?!” The mare’s eyes go wide. “But… I’m no warrior Lustre Lance, I wouldn’t be able to help you, a-and I’ll disappear to return here tomorrow anyway!”

“That’s what I want to witness actually.” You state. “Since I don’t disappear when I enter in the woods, maybe there’s a chance I could see what happens when you do.”

 

There, you turn to Verdant who remained silent until now.

“What do you think Verdant? Of course, I’ll run back here if things get dangerous for any of us. But don’t you think it’s worth a try?”

“Well…” The guardsmare ponders. “It’s true the rules in these woods seem to be different for you, Lustre Lance, so…” She turns to Sand Carrot.

“Sand Carrot, would you accept? I think you understand how dangerous this is.”

 

Your companion fidgets with her hooves a little, but she eventually looks up to you with a shaky but earnest resolve in her eyes.

“Alright, I’ll come.” She says. “We have to learn what we can.”

“Thank you, Sand Carrot.” You say. “I promise I’ll protect you.”

 

You both prepare yourselves, taking enough food to last a long time. You also make sure to take along the throwing dagger you found yesterday.

 

“Don’t dig too much while I’m gone.” You tell Frog Chaser who followed you to the edge of the trees while Verdant is up the tower. “You still wanna have some mud left to throw on me when I return.”

“Heh.” She smirks. “Keep dreaming. I’m gonna go deeper and find even better things to throw at you! Loams, coal, or even fossilized dungs if I’m lucky. So you better return for that!”

“I certainly will.” You smile. “Wouldn’t wanna miss that.”

 

On that, you go under the trees again, but this time Sand Carrot walks in front of you.

“I believe it’s best I remain where you can see me” She says. “Or else you might miss what happens.”

 

You walk a good distance away, and Sand Carrot is still, well, there.

“This is already further than what I can remember when I went here on my own. So…” She utters a worried chuckle. “Butt-zucchini! If I disappear, ask me I remember saying that when I reappear.”

 

But as you expected, as soon as the clearing is too far away to be seen behind you, you start to hear many movements around. Sand Carrot feels it too, and you see the mare tremble in fear.

The hostility around is palpable, and soon enough a creature jumps out of the green to attack you. Sand Carrot shrieks in panic and backs away. And just there it happens. The moment the mare leaves your field of vision, there’s no trace of her around anymore. She vanished into thin air like she said, both her and what she carried.

 

Anyway, you have a hostile creature to deal with.

 

It’s a wolf!

 

 

 

 

 

Again, it’s an onslaught of creatures that you’re gonna face. No more than a dozen seconds after you defeat the wolf, another monster appears

 

It’s a snake!

 

 

 

 

You repeatedly missed the agile creature, and the snake was able to bite you several times. Worse, you still feel its venom coursing in your veins, and yet another creature arrives.

 

It’s a goblin!

 

 

 

You run back toward the clearing, the goblin on your tail. Fortunately, you manage to get some distance between them and you. As you see the village, you can feel presence of the monsters around disappear.

Once you make it out of the forest, you’re out of breath, in pain, but somehow you don’t feel the effect of venom anymore in you.

 

After this series of fights, it is the evening again.

“Lustre Lance!” You hear Verdant call as she sees you, and soon you see her run down from the tower to meet you. She also alerted Frog Chaser, who rushes out of her hole to come.

 

“Lance! You’re back! You look beat…” She says, looking scared. “And… what about Sand Carrot?”

“She disappeared… before I could fight anything.” You say, still catching your breath. “She told me she could go further than when she was alone, but the second I put my eyes away from her to face a beast, she vanished into thin air.”

 

“I see.” Verdant nods. “Well… Normally she should be there again tomorrow.”

“Yes, let’s hope that will happen.” Frog Chaser sulks

“It will.” Verdant states, and then she looks at your wounds. “You look like you pushed yourself hard. Again, if you find yourself in a pinch, don’t be afraid to bring the fight here so I can help you. I… really wish I could help more.”

 

 

 

Let’s hope Sand Carrot will be here again tomorrow indeed. Still, it seems you can bring your friends in the forest somehow, but keeping them in your field of vision at all times will be extremely hard when dangers arise. Facing anything else than your foe is rarely something one can afford, and that also means you’ll expose your friends to the dangers of the forest.

That fight with the snake might have gone poorly, but at least you learned some new things today.

 

“Is it the same time I came back last time?” You ask.

“Yes.” Verdant nods. “The sun’s about to set, just like two days ago.”

 

Without any kind of clock, you wouldn’t know exactly if you went to the forest earlier or spent a little more time in it, but it seems likely at this point that you’ll return from an expedition in the evening, no matter when you go for it.

 

Holding on that thought, there’s something you feel like you must do right now. Frog Chaser looks distressed about Sand Carrot not being here. While you can’t do much about the missing mare, you approach the one in front of you and gently takes her into a hug.

“Sorry, about worrying you, Frog Chaser.” You softly say to her.

“Hey, come on, Lance, l-look at yourself!” Her voice shakes a little, but she slowly wraps her front leg around your neck too. “You’re the one that needs a hug.”

The mare’s contact is soothing to you, and you feel that her too seems a little more at ease after that.

 

“Anyway, I managed to bring back some of these again.” You show the two essences to your friends after you let go of Frog Chaser. Like two days ago, you notice the two essences seems lightly attracted to the other, even if nothing special happens when the two ghostly balls of light touch each other.

You don’t see any more of a way to use those on yourself than the day prior, so instead you try giving the two at once to Frog Chaser, but get no result that way either.

 

Finally, you give one to Verdant. As the essence makes contact with her, there’s a familiar flash of light, and a few seconds later, you see that Verdant has one single arrow on her hoof. This one looks enchanted in some way. A slight red glow emanates from it, and red veins on the metal point make it look like barely solid magma.

“Ooh. Fancy.” The bowmare comments with a smirk. She seems able to manipulate the arrow without trouble. “I have a hunch that whatever gets hit by this is gonna have a bad day.”

“I hope that will help.” You nod. “Though… what do you think I should do with that last essence?”

 

“I’m not sure.” Verdant says. “Perhaps you should keep it. As it is right now, the only thing left to try would be that I take it, but maybe I’d just get another arrow. That doesn’t seem necessary right now.”

 

 

“I’m not gonna use that essence now, but out of curiosity there’s something I’d like to try.”

You walk toward the field, and there you dig a little hole where you plant the little ball of light before covering it up again.

“There. I want to see if something sprouts out of it. At worst, nothing will happen I guess.”

“Why not.” Verdant shrugs. “At least it’s stored somewhere that way.”

 

“Also, now that I think about digging. Did you find something useful today, Frog Chaser?”

“Actually, yes.” She nods. “I’m deep enough I’m gonna do a horizontal gallery now, but I also found another of those boxes today.”

The green mare trots to her house and brings it to you.

 

 

After that, you all enjoy your dinner in relative silence before preparing yourselves for the night.

“Frog Chaser.” You speak up once you’re done eating. “Could you help me clean my wounds, please? It would help me make sure everything recovers well.”

“Me? Uhm… Sure.” The mare accepts after a little hesitation.

 

Frog Chaser turns out to be a little… clumsy with this. This time you could heat the water for your comfort, and the warmth over your sore spots is usually pleasant, but you can’t refrain a few recoils when Frog Chaser pushes a little hard on a wound.

“Whoops! Sorry, Lance…” She would say with a cringe.

“It’s alright, don’t worry.” You’d reply, trying to stifle your wince.

 

Still, overall this helped you evacuate the tension of today’s fighting, and you feel more than ready to go to sleep after that.

As you lie on your bed, your thoughts turn to the mares you’ve met. Between everypony worrying for Sand Carrot and the damage you took in battle today, there was no room for getting too sentimental, but right now you find your mind thinking about the bodies of the companions you’re alone in the woods with.

 

Frog Chaser is a rather lithe mare, and always with a spring in her step. Her bright eyes and mane really suit her. As you remember your hug with her, it only confirmed there’s very little fat on that mare. She’s certainly an able-bodied one, strong yet light on her hooves. For a mare she’s rather tall, which is thanks to her legs that looks to be pleasantly longer than the ones of other mares.

Sand Carrot is a more average one, I the sense that she’s more of a traditionally feminine mare. Working in the fields made sure she’s no weakling, but she still has a bit of plumpness all around her body that goes well with her calm and caring attitude. There’s definitely something… motherly about her, and there you heart sinks a little as you reckon there might be some foals of hers out there that she would not remember.

Verdant, meanwhile, is a little… runtish. The guardsmare is definitely the smaller of your group in many ways. Though, you can recognize in her the demeanour of seasoned warriors. At all times she has the kind of moves that transpire a feeling of feline grace, with calculated and precise steps that won’t waste a silver of energy. You wonder if she might be a bit too extra about it actually. You don’t think you’re always on guard like this yourself. You wonder if you could help her unwind in some way…

 

These thoughts lull you to sleep, the images of your three admirable companions following you in your dreams.

 

A quest about finding a way out of a cursed forest and defeated wicked beasts to help your companions.

 

 

 

“Everypony, wake up!” Your eyes open as Verdant’s voice pierces the veil of your sleep. “Sand Carrot is back, and there’s a new mare and her house too!”

 

You and Frog Chaser both jump on your hooves, and after exchanging a glance you both rush outside.

 

It’s true. There are two mares that seemingly appeared out of thin air in the middle of the clearing, not far from the field, but now there’s also a house of sorts next to it. The two of them look unconscious right now. While Frog Chaser and then Verdant go check the newcomer, you approach Sand Carrot and try to wake her up.

 

“Hey, can you hear me?” You mutter, and after gently booping the mare you get some reaction. Her blue eyes groggily open in front on you.

“Lustre Lance?” She blurts. “I’m… back at the clearing, right?”

“Yes.” You nod “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

“Uh, yeah.” She nods back. “I came with you in the forest. The last thing I remember is that a wolf came out of a bush.”

“Then we’re on the same page.” You tell her. “You disappeared when I stopped looking at you. Sorry, it happened so fast I didn’t realise.”

“Ah, it’ alright. Maybe it’s better that I didn’t fight this beast. Anyway, can you help me up please? I’m still feeling a little dizzy.”

 

You place yourself at Sand Carrot’s side and allow her to lean on you while she shakily rises on her hooves.

“Also, do you remember what you said when we entered the forest?”

“Mmh?” She looks a bit puzzled for a second, but then she shows you a little smile. “Oh, yeah, butt-zucchini, right? I guess my memory’s alright. Now, let’s see who’s the new pony.”

 

Frog Chaser and Verdant already helped the new pony on her hooves, until you realize that’s not exactly it. The pale and dainty-looking mare only has her front legs to stand on actually, and the rest of her is held by some wheeled contraption her behind rests on.

“Thank you.” The new mare softly tells to your friends. “I’m sorry, I’ve got a bit of trouble understanding. So you say this place is cursed? And all of us lost our memories?”

“None of us remember much when we arrive here, yes.” Verdant says. “Unfortunately, if you’re like the rest of us you won’t know anything about your past. But still, the learning of our trade usually remains.”

 

“I… I believe you are right.” The new mare calmly replies. “What I remember is the Light’s embrace. You said this place might be cursed, but I can feel Its radiance even here. I remember the words, the prayers and the rites. Nothing else remains in me, but blessed be the Light my faith is intact.”

“Your faith, huh.” Verdant sounds unconvinced. “Do you think faith is gonna help us get out of these woods?”

“Of course.” The new mare nods with an unwavering confidence. “The Light will guide us through the perils we face. In time it shall pierce the veil of evil that surrounds these lands, and we shall all be freed.”

“Okay…” Frog Chaser raises an eyebrow. “So you’re saying you can… conjure up a miracle and send us home?”

“I will pray to the Light, and the Light will help us. Through Its blessings, we shall triumph over the evils we face. Now, I realise there’s few of us here, and I shall do my best to help with the work that is certainly necessary here. The Light’s blessing shines by helping each other too.”

“Yeah, that sounded like a no…” But after that, Frog Chaser trades her doubtful frown for a smile again. “But anyway, welcome abroad! My name is Frog Chaser! Let’s work together to get out of here.”

“I’m Sand Carrot.” The mare nods.

“I’m Lustre Lance.” You say.

 

“Verdant.” The guardsmare says. “Most of us don’t remember our name when we arrive, so just tell what you want us to call you.”

“I see. Then… You can call me Graces if that is alright with you.” Graces bows slightly. “Thank you for welcoming me.”

 

You’re all about to share breakfast at this point. You reckon that will be the occasion to explain more in detail how things work around here to Graces.

After checking, the essence you planted in the field didn’t budge.

 

 

 

“Everypony, wake up!” Your eyes open as Verdant’s voice pierces the veil of your sleep. “Sand Carrot is back, and there’s a new mare and her house too!”

 

You and Frog Chaser both jump on your hooves, and after exchanging a glance you both rush outside.

 

It’s true. There are two mares that seemingly appeared out of thin air in the middle of the clearing, not far from the field, but now there’s also a house of sorts next to it. The two of them look unconscious right now. While Frog Chaser and then Verdant go check the newcomer, you approach Sand Carrot and try to wake her up.

 

“Hey, can you hear me?” You mutter, and after gently booping the mare you get some reaction. Her blue eyes groggily open in front on you.

“Lustre Lance?” She blurts. “I’m… back at the clearing, right?”

“Yes.” You nod “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

“Uh, yeah.” She nods back. “I came with you in the forest. The last thing I remember is that a wolf came out of a bush.”

“Then we’re on the same page.” You tell her. “You disappeared when I stopped looking at you. Sorry, it happened so fast I didn’t realise.”

“Ah, it’ alright. Maybe it’s better that I didn’t fight this beast. Anyway, can you help me up please? I’m still feeling a little dizzy.”

 

You place yourself at Sand Carrot’s side and allow her to lean on you while she shakily rises on her hooves.

“Also, do you remember what you said when we entered the forest?”

“Mmh?” She looks a bit puzzled for a second, but then she shows you a little smile. “Oh, yeah, butt-zucchini, right? I guess my memory’s alright. Now, let’s see who’s the new pony.”

 

Frog Chaser and Verdant already helped the new pony on her hooves, until you realize that’s not exactly it. The pale and dainty-looking mare only has her front legs to stand on actually, and the rest of her is held by some wheeled contraption her behind rests on.

“Thank you.” The new mare softly tells to your friends. “I’m sorry, I’ve got a bit of trouble understanding. So you say this place is cursed? And all of us lost our memories?”

“None of us remember much when we arrive here, yes.” Verdant says. “Unfortunately, if you’re like the rest of us you won’t know anything about your past. But still, the learning of our trade usually remains.”

 

“I… I believe you are right.” The new mare calmly replies. “What I remember is the Light’s embrace. You said this place might be cursed, but I can feel Its radiance even here. I remember the words, the prayers and the rites. Nothing else remains in me, but blessed be the Light my faith is intact.”

“Your faith, huh.” Verdant sounds unconvinced. “Do you think faith is gonna help us get out of these woods?”

“Of course.” The new mare nods with an unwavering confidence. “The Light will guide us through the perils we face. In time it shall pierce the veil of evil that surrounds these lands, and we shall all be freed.”

“Okay…” Frog Chaser raises an eyebrow. “So you’re saying you can… conjure up a miracle and send us home?”

“I will pray to the Light, and the Light will help us. Through Its blessings, we shall triumph over the evils we face. Now, I realise there’s few of us here, and I shall do my best to help with the work that is certainly necessary here. The Light’s blessing shines by helping each other too.”

“Yeah, that sounded like a no…” But after that, Frog Chaser trades her doubtful frown for a smile again. “But anyway, welcome abroad! My name is Frog Chaser! Let’s work together to get out of here.”

“I’m Sand Carrot.” The mare nods.

“I’m Lustre Lance.” You say.

 

“Verdant.” The guardsmare says. “Most of us don’t remember our name when we arrive, so just tell what you want us to call you.”

“I see. Then… You can call me Graces if that is alright with you.” Graces bows slightly. “Thank you for welcoming me.”

 

You’re all about to share breakfast at this point. You reckon that will be the occasion to explain more in detail how things work around here to Graces.

After checking, the essence you planted in the field didn’t budge.

 

 

 

You and Verdant finish to explain the situation to Graces. You talk about what will most likely happen if she tries to go in the woods, which she seems to understand. The topic of your expeditions is also brought up, then how you don’t seem to be affected by the same rules, and also these strange essences you get from monsters. Graces doesn’t recognise anything about it either, even when you say it seems to bring blessings to the mares present.

 

“Speaking of which, since I still have this one.” You say as you still show her the ball of light. “I’d like you to have it, Graces. That way we’ll know if it can help you.”

“Well, alright.” She nods a little confusedly.

 

You place the essence on her extended hoof, and immediately there’s a familiar flash of light. There, rather than to transform into something, the ball seems to melt on Graces’ hoof, coating it in a bright golden glow.

“Lustre Lance…” Graces looks up at you, and approaches to touch your chest with her hoof.

You feel a tingle and an electric heat as the golden light seem to imprint on you. You shudder, but it’s not painful, even as this feeling spreads to you whole body.

This lasts only for a couple seconds however, and then… You feel fine. More than fine actually. You realize you bear no more trace of the hurdles of the day prior.

The glow disappeared from you and from Graces’ hoof.

 

 

“I swear… I just heard a whisper of the Light.” Graces nervously explains herself, taking a couple steps back after that. “After you gave me this, I felt this is what I had to do.”

“I-It’s alight.” You bow slightly. “I think that just healed some of my injuries. Thank you.”

“Well, I’m glad I could be of us, then.” The pale mare nods with a serene smile.

“Anyway, why don’t we go see what your place is like?” You offer. “I mean, the house that appeared when you arrived.”

 

You all go beyond the field to inspect the new construction. There’s only a curtain instead of a door, and what is behind it indeed looks like a place of worship as you suspected. There’s a pony sized altar of wood at the other end of the room that is roughly shaped like the pendant on Graces’ neck. There’s no roof, allowing the sunlight to bathe the place from above, and two rows of small benches face the altar on a stone floor. Finally, there’s two closed alcoves on the sides. One contains a bedding with just enough space for a pony to lie down, and the other is empty.

 

“Yes… Many things here feel familiar.” Graces approach the altar with a calm smile before turning to the rest of you. “I understand why you’d call it my place, but please, if any of you wishes to pray the Light, you are all free to come whenever you want.”

“Yay… sounds like fun...” Frog Chaser can’t refrain an ironic comment.

“Can you tell me a little more about the Light you speak of?” You ask “Is that a natural force good? A god of sorts?

 

“You could call it both of these things, yes.” Graces nods. “Light is the primordial impulse of life and harmony of our universe. It is present everywhere, in equal nature in a sprout that strives to grow into a tree, in a mother that feeds her newborn foal, or in a wise king who works to ensure the ponies on its land prosper. Sometimes its power manifests more concretely, aiding its believers, or granting them a shimmer of insight.”

 

 

“Then let us hope Light will find a way to shine through this cursed forest, and support and save all of us through this endeavour.” You say toward the altar, and you can’t help but to note that Graces smiles just a bit more after hearing this.

You turn to the pale mare. “If you don’t mind, Graces, I’d like to pray here a little.”

“But of course!” The mare nods enthusiastically. “Like I said, you don’t even need to ask if you want to come.”

“Well… alright.” Frog Chaser shrugs. “I guess you can do that while I go dig my hole. You sure you don’t want to come?”

“With how particular our situation is, praying for insight doesn’t sound like the worst idea to me.” You reply. “We could use some help from above. Especially since we just witnessed that the Light could provide some tangible healing.”

“Mmh… yeah, we could use a miracle…” She sighs. “There’s no harm asking for one I guess.”

 

With that, Verdant and Frog Chaser leave the shrine while Sand Carrot decides to remain and pray too. You both sit down on the bench while Graces stands near the altar to deliver some sort of sermon. She talks about the presence of the Light in every little thing, and that It manifests as the unalterable will of all that live to flourish. The pale mare invites you to focus on your desires and let the sunlight steel your resolve to accomplish them.

While the allegories of Graces sounded a bit pompous at times, this meditation soothed your mind overall. Though, you don’t think any power from above is to thank for that.

 

“Excuse me, Graces?” You approach the mare while were about to leave. “How often does the Light answers a prayer… you know, by actually it manifesting a response?”

“Oh, but its power manifests already.” Graces replies. “In your resolve, in the strength in your hooves, and in the courage in your heart. I’m sorry if you expected more. If you wish, I may pray for you. I wield a form of magic that the Light grants me. I understand you’re the one in this place that faces the most dangers at the moment, so don’t hesitate to tell me how I may help you.”

 

 

“I see. I’ll tell you if I need something.” You nod. “I’ll see you later.”

While Graces decide to rest a little before lunch, you catch up on Sand Carrot.

“Hey! I’ll go on another expedition this afternoon.” You tell her. “So is it alright if I work with you in the meantime?”

“But of course, Lance!” She smiles. “I sure could use some help since I couldn’t tend to the field yesterday.”

“Yes, and about that… I really want to thank you for coming with me in the forest, Sand Carrot.”

And as the mare turns to you, you close in and take her in a hug.

“It was very brave of you to come with all the dangers ahead.” You whisper to her. “And sorry I couldn’t exactly protect you the way I said I would.”

 

“Ah, uhm i-it’s okay Lance!” She seems more than a little embarrassed by your sudden gesture, and you swear you can immediately feel her heart beating faster. “I mean, thanks. I’m just glad I could help. So, don’t feel obliged to anything…”

As you move away from the mare, you see that she has a deep blush on her face. For a few seconds, she just stares in your eyes in silence.

“L-let’s go see the field!” She suddenly walks away “Verdant must have watered it. I hope. Let’s check!”

 

Sand Carrot eventually calms down as you get to work. The hours pass without trouble, and then you cook lunch for everybody along the farmer mare.

When it’s time to call in everypony, you decide to fulfil the promise you made to Frog Chaser yesterday. When she comes out of her hole, she’s met with a barrage of mud from you, plus Verdant and Sand Carrot that you persuaded to participate in this. A chase with a playfully furious Frog Chaser ensues, where you do get a couple mud stains on your coat in return. Though, the green mare didn’t manage to ‘make you eat it’.

Yet.

 

You share lunch in a relative calm after that. Graces didn’t want to participate in your antics this time, but at least she seems to find those fun to watch.

“Also, sorry if that sounds insensitive.” You speak up. “But until now, I assumed that your wounds were probably because of the night attacks. I mean, your eye, Verdant, Sand carrot, your head, Frog Chaser there’s your ear. And Graces, well, your legs obviously. Did you all arrive like this?”

“Yes.” Verdant nods. “Fortunately, none of us suffered any more injuries than when we arrived, but we all had a scar of some sort from the beginning.”

“Except me.” You say. “I wonder if that means anything.”

“Another instance where the rules are different for you.” Verdant nods.

 

 

"Or maybe I have a scar somewhere it hasn't been noticed yet?" You reply with a smirk.

“The way you say this, I’m not sure I want to learn more.” Verdant chooses to stoically focus on her lunch again.

 

“Graces, we still don’t understand much about these essences I find in my expeditions.” You turn to the cleric mare next. “Could you ask the Light some insight about these? I feel like they’re important.”

“Very well.” She nods. “I will hear out what answer the light gives me.”

 

Frog Chaser didn’t dig out anything new yet, so once you’re done eating you prepare yourself to go into the forest again. Under the eyes of your friends, you walk under the trees.

The familiar feeling of hostility returns once you’re far. You’re not surprised anymore, but you better not let your guard down.

 

A creature soon comes out of the green to attack you.

 

It’s a goblin!

 

 

 

 

You collect another essence. You notice like before that the two ghostly balls of light seem to be slowly attracted to one another. Though, there’s little time to dwell much on it as another creature steps forth.

 

It’s YET another goblin!

 

 

 

 

You collect another essence, but as you bag it in with the others, something strange happens. The essences melt into one another as they touch. Soon you’re left with one single ball of light that’s roughly the same size as the others, but now looking clearer, and emitting a stronger light.

 

However, you know well that you won’t have much time to investigate in this forest, as a new adversary steps forth.

You’re surprised as this time it is another pony that comes from behind the trees.

 

“You… Submit… give it to me!” You hear the voice of a mare under the mask. “We must… so we can leave… Think! I can’t… you…”

While her speech is laborious and sounds deranged, the mare facing you seem perfectly capable of fighting you, and obviously intends to do so.

 

You face the witch.

 

 

 

“What happens if I submit?” You ask, and show the witch your loot. “Is it that essence you want?”

“Yes, give it back… submit…” The witch shakes her head. “He’s too strong, I can’t think… I must satisfy his will!”

 

 

Once you disengage, the witch doesn’t seem to chase you much as you run away. She looks like she was starting a pursuit at first, but soon stumbles and stops while holding her head in her hooves.

Again, you soon find the sight of the clearing after escaping, and it’s the evening already.

Verdant calls the others as she sees you return. The four mares approach you. As always, they’re glad to see you back, but look worried about the wounds you suffered.

First, they invite you to sit down and rest while dinner is served. Sand Carrot stuffed some eggplants with several mashed vegetables, and the taste is a wonderful surprise after this hard day.

 

“So… how did it go today?” Frog Chaser asks, forcing a smile on her face. “Saw anything new in the forest today?”

 

 

After making sure that you are indeed the same day that you left, you recount the struggles you went through today and show the glowing essence to your friends before talking about your encounter with the witch.

The existence of unicorns in itself is not a surprise. The fact there isn’t any of them or any pegasus in your camp might be a coincidence, but without any memory to corroborate anything, you can only guess. The rest of your friends take note of it too, but cannot think of anything else to add on the matter.

“That witch was hostile the moment I saw her.” You say. “She was after this essence, but she didn’t seem like herself and spoke about having to satisfy some guy’s will. I bet it’s that mask that was controlling her!”

 

“I’m surprised there are ponies in the forest at all.” Verdant comments. “But it’s a shame she attacked you right away. I don’t know if she’s controlled or anything, but if she’s just as wicked as the breasts of this place, don’t be afraid to strike first, Lustre Lance. You can take off her mask once she’s down.”

“Maybe…” You reply, somewhat hoping you won’t have to come to that. “For now, I don’t even know if I’ll encounter her again. Anyway, I still have that new fused essence. I wonder if it’s different from the one we had before.”

 

You bring it to your mouth. Like with a regular essence, it doesn’t seem possible to bite or eat that thing in any way, but you hear Frog Chaser chuckle as your try.

“Yep, just as inedible as the other ones.” You conclude before turning to the cleric mare. “Now for something that might actually help, did the Light give you some insight about this, Graces?”

 

“Yes.” She nods. “The Light heard my prayers, and this is what I learned. These… essences, are shreds of the intrinsic power from this dominion. In this form, they are absolved of the will of this place. I suppose this happens when you destroy a creature, Lustre Lance. Anyway, the essences can then be repurposed. When we make contact with it, they take the print of our own beings and add to it.”

“So why did it only work once for each of me and Sand Carrot?” Frog Chaser asks. “Or why doesn’t it work for Lance? And what’s this ‘dominion’ you’re talking about?”

“I didn’t learn much about place.” Graces slowly shakes her head. “I was curious too, but I couldn’t ask everything I had in mind. Interpreting the signs of the Light is a long task, and while it can help discern the nature of things, the very practical, mortal tidings are rarely part of the answer, so I wouldn’t know why exactly it worked just once for you. I could, however, ask about you Lustre Lance. It seems the reason you can’t interact with the essence is that your being is… shrouded in some way. Again, I do not know the details, but you don’t seem to be subject to certain influences, even if I don’t know why yet or how it works exactly.”

 

“Thank you, Graces.” You nod at the cleric mare, even though you’re a little disappointed by how cryptic the information is. Now, you still have your glowing essence, and at least you’re almost sure giving it to one of your companions will end up doing something overall good for them.

 

 

“About that mare in the woods.” You speak up. “I want to try and bring her back here to interrogate her. I don’t know if that’ll work, but I think we have a better chance to get information out of her that way. Verdant, do you think you could help me apprehend her? And even if I can’t bring her here, do you have some idea that could help me capture her rather than just kill her? I’d hate to see a pony that may hold answers just vanish after we fight to the bitter end.”

“Of course, I’ll help you subdue her if you can bring her here.” Verdant nods. “And to capture her, well, the best I can do is to give you some rope we have and show you how to tie a good knot if you don’t know one. Though, I’m not sure that’ll be enough to stop her. If she’s a unicorn and that she wields attack magic, nothing short of knocking her out will keep us completely safe.”

“Hum.” You nod. “Thank you Verdant. Also, I want you to have this.”

Verdant seems surprised as you offer her the orb of light.

“Are you sure?” She asks. “So far I feel like I couldn’t help much. I couldn’t assist in any fight, and there hasn’t even been any attack of beasts in the night since you arrived. I mean, that’s a good thing of course, but are you sure it wouldn’t be better to give that to somepony else?”

 

“No, I want you to take it.” You repeat. “I feel better knowing that you have my back, and that there’s somepony like you to protect everypony while I’m away.”

“I… Alright then.” Verdant nods. You swear you see a little smile on her face before she bites her lip to suppress it.

 

You give the mare the essence, and there’s a flash of light like the other times. This once however, the light engulfs Verdant whole, and her very form seems to change.

And when the light peters out, you’re facing a mare that’s definitely Verdant, except you have to look slightly up to meet her eyes. Her limbs also look a little more toned with muscle, and the shine of her coat looks healthier, her limbs more agile… she just seems better overall.

 

“Verdant!” Sand Carrot asks in amazement. “How do you feel? Are you alright?”

“I… Yes.” The mare looks at herself dumbfoundedly. “I feel… better than ever in fact.”

As she looks toward you, she does a slow blink as she realizes she has a couple inches of height over you.

“So, are these essences okay to use then?” You attempt to break the awkward silence.

“W-well, I didn’t expect that when Graces said the essence would add to me but…” The guardsmare shows around a confident smile. “I feel more battle-ready than ever now. You can all trust that I won’t let anything happen to any of you.”

 

Another thing you quickly notice it that the watchtower and Verdant’s house also changed a little. It’s a little bigger, and now there’s some furniture inside, with a couple chairs, a round table and also a real bed. While this is an odd surprise, you all end up agreeing that houses that appear magically out of nowhere may then transform just as magically.

Verdant also states that you will use the bed tonight so you may recover better.

 

 

Next post will be the last for this week.

 

“This bed is big enough for two ponies.” You state. “It’s better if we just share the little comfort we have as much as possible. Frog Chaser, are you interested?”

“Wow, just asking me to sleep in the same bed as you?” The green mare replies with a smirk, while Graces lets out a chuckle. “In front of everypony? Just like that?”

“Come on, we already share the same room anyway.” You argue. “But if you want you can keep sleeping on the floor. I can ask somepony else.”

“Alright, alright… Then I’ll even try not to move around too much.”

 

Before you turn in for the night, you’re gonna wash yourself a little. The mares already did so earlier, so you can rest easy that Frog Chaser won’t bring too much mud in the bed. You ask Sand Carrot if she can help you again, which she immediately accepts.

 

“Say, Sand Carrot.” You say as she dutifully washes your back. “You’re not so shy about feeling my body right now. How come you weren’t fine with it earlier when I hugged you?”

“Oh, uhm, I was just surprised Lance!” Sand Carrot hurriedly replies. “Yes, you just took me by surprise… And don’t worry, I’m not saying it was improper. In fact, I’m glad I could help in your adventure, even if just a little, so it was touching to me that you thanked me so earnestly.”

The mare doesn’t stop cleansing your wounds as she speaks, and despite the bits of embarrassment that could be heard in her voice, her moves remained just as dextrous and gentle.

 

By the time you’re done, Frog Chaser is already lying on the bed, but you decide to climb on the ladder to have a quick word with Verdant on the watchtower.

“Hey, are you alright?” You call as you finish to hoist yourself up. “Say, I was curious about something. Did you eye get any better with your transformation?”

Verdant raises a hoof to probe under her band, and then shakes her head.

“No, it didn’t change anything to that.” She says. “I have to admit, it has to be the only thing about my body that didn’t get better.”

“Tell me about it!” you smile. “I really have to figure out how to use one of those essences on myself. It won’t be so difficult to collect them if I can bulk up like you.”

“Yes, you’re the one that would need that kind of aid the most at the moment.” Verdant nods “But, didn’t Graces say you were ‘shrouded’ or something?”

“Yeah…” And a bit lower. “But has the Light considered I could turn an essence in a juice…”

 

Verdant smiles to that, and soon after you wish her a good night.

 

It’s nice to have a real bed and mattress to sleep on. You rest while facing away from Frog Chaser, but you feel her move under the cover at times, and her mane sometimes comes to tickle your ears slightly.

Nothing that could stop you from sleeping, though. In fact, you feel at ease right now…

 

You wake up the next day in a bit of a jump as Frog Chaser walks over you to get off the bed.

“Whoopsie.” She speaks. “Sorry Lance, ‘didn’t want to wake you up. You can sleep in a little more if you want.”

“It’s alright.” You reply, now able to take the whole bedspace to yourself. “Though, I might miss you being around. Did you know you’re one clingy cuddler at night?”

“Huh?” The mare blushes as her ears perk up. “Come on, you’re joking!”

“Well, it’s too bad you don’t remember it.” You reply, even though you slept like a log yourself. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t mind spending another night like this. Anyway, you’re right, I still want to get a little more sleep.”

 

After Frog Chaser exits the guardhouse while still red in the face, you drowse for a dozen more minutes util you hear Verdant get down from the tower. You still have trouble believing the petite mare just got herself a nearly amazonian body after you gave her the glowing essence yesterday.

Still, now’s probably a good time to get on your hooves so you go enjoy some breakfast with your four companions.

 

You’re not sure what you can do today. You’re still recovering from yesterday’s expedition, so even if you’re curious to see if you may encounter that witch today again, it might be a little careless to seek her out at the moment.

 

 

 

 

“The night was quiet again.” Verdant sighs after you ask. “You know what? I’m gonna use the afternoon to start building a palisade around our houses. With that layer of defence and if night attacks don’t start happening again, I believe it would be safe enough to use our own houses to sleep. It will be a little more comfortable for everypony to have some privacy I think.”

 

Since you haven’t fully recovered yet, you then decide to stay in the village to help around today. After asking Graces to pray for insight about the witch, you spend the day helping Frog Chaser in her tunnel. She’s digging a gallery that’s a dozen feet deep in the ground and then her gallery goes toward the forest. You must be starting to be digging under the trees at this point as you see the bottom of roots peek out on the top of the tunnel.

While you do not find any cave or significant landmarks, there’s a box containing a bear trap that you uncover. You should probably lay it somewhere around the camp.

 

Once you join everypony for dinner, the cleric mare tells you what she learned.

“This is what the Light revealed to me.” Graces starts. “Lustre Lance, this mare you met in the wood is trapped in here just like us, but in her case, she came here of her own volition somehow. Right now, the will of this dominion is imposed on her, but her soul is still dark in itself, and already wilfully refused to follow the path of Light in the past. She doesn’t merely want to escape the influence of this place, she wants to control it for herself to satisfy some destructive ambitions of her.”

“Sounds like this witch is bad news then.” Verdant states. “I say it would be safe to take her down if we get the chance.”

 

“The Light warned me.” Graces adds in response. “This dominion considers that mare its herald, and it will not allow her to be defeated easily, even if she wishes to take control over it. However, as I said her soul is full of ill intentions even without the influence of this place, so I don’t know if a peaceful resolution is possible.”

Verdant utter a little grumble with a nod in response.

 

 

“So why do you like digging so much, Frog Chaser?” You ask at some point. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a miner mare before.”

“Yeah, you’ve met, like, two mares in your life before me, go figure why…” Frog Chaser snickers. “But seriously, what I like in mining? Well, I just like the job! You don’t make progress if you half-ass it, so you have stay focussed and there you’ll hack away all the dirt and stone you want and see some real progress as a reward for your sweat. Plus, there’s some neat surprises hidden underground. We might not find any ore around here, but these little boxes with loot are funny to look for!”

You also talk about making a storage room underground. Frog Chaser seem to like the idea since her tunnel is still very far from having any hope of going out of the forest.

 

Once dinner is over, with some hay and strings you have lying around you craft a pony-dummy with the help of Frog Chaser and Sand Carrot, and then you hide the bear trap close to it with twigs and leaves. It’s… not a very good dummy. You don’t have any spare clothes or sewing tools to make it more convincing so it’s just a vaguely pony-shaped agglomerate of hay balls. At least the spot where the trap is laid out is unmistakeable…

 

Tonight, it’s Sand Carrot that will occupy the bed with you, and you catch a tiny hint of a frown on Frog Chaser’s face as you announce that. She quickly turns that into a smirk, though.

“Asking a SECOND mare to sleep in your bed?” Frog Chaser utters with exaggerated outrage in her voice. “Really, Lance, you’re hopeless, and you’ve got no limits it’s terrible…” And then to the other mare. “Sand Carrot, please be careful. This colt is VERY touchy when he’s asleep. A real serial cuddler, let me warn you!”

“Hey, that’s not true!” You protest. “It’s you who, I mean…”

“If he’s asleep I guess this can’t be helped.” Sand Carrot says, and just go lie on it. “I think I can endure that for a better bed.”

 

While Graces seemed to find the whole antic amusing, Frog Chaser looked somewhat disappointed that Sand Carrot accepted this so easily.

Anyway, any cuddling, while asleep or not, will have to wait as you decide to go with Verdant to keep her company during the beginning of her watch.

You settle at one side of the watchtower while Verdant stands at the other. The night is just as quiet as last time.

 

“Say, Verdant.” You speak. “Is it me, or have you been feeling less stressed out lately? I could swear there’s been a been a little smile on your face whenever I’ve been looking at you today.”

“Really?” She replies, shifting on her hooves a little. “Ehm… Maybe, I didn’t really try to smile more though. And… there’s still lots of stuff that bother me.”

“Really?” You turn to her. “Anything I could help you with?”

 

At first the mare doesn’t reply, but after a dozen seconds she suddenly turns to you.

 

“Lustre Lance.” Verdant speaks up. “There’s something I want tell you.”

“Yes?”

“I… I’m feeling useless.” She admits. “There wasn’t any fight I have been able to help with since you arrived, even though you’re getting in so much trouble for us. Meanwhile I’m just… losing my time at the top of this tower every night!”

“That’s not true at all.” You shake your head. “You said it yourself. We cannot trust this place to just leave us alone, so even if the nights have been quiet lately it’s vital there’s somepony like you to watch over us while we sleep.”

“I know. Rationally that makes sense, but since you came around there hasn’t been a single attack on our houses at night. And I’m glad about it of course! Feeling like I might not be able to protect everypony the next day was way worse, but now instead I feel like I’m not protecting anypony at all. So… Lustre Lance. I have something to ask you. I want to go in the forest with you the next time.”

 

There, Verdant walks up to you and stands very close, inches away from you. At this distance the bigger mare looks really imposing, with your eyes at the level of her snout.

“I’m different than Sand Carrot.” Verdant speaks, and you slightly feel her warm breath on your face. “I can stand in the front in a fight. Especially the way I am now. So please, let me accompany you. Since you’re the only one who can make it so I can go in the forest, I have to ask you, but please say yes. I’ve been thinking about it. Even if I disappear, you could probably make it back safely here before you get as beat up as usual, and then take care of the night watch. I… I hate to ask you to do my job for me, I’m sorry… but I’m sure I can help more that way! So please…”

 

 

“You know this lack of attack could also be a trick.” You say. “What if the beasts are gathering up somewhere, preparing a big one for tomorrow? What if you’re not there when that happens? Have you considered that, Verdant? How do you think you’d feel if that happened?”

The guardsmare sustains your gaze, but she cannot answer at first.

 

“I’d be devastated, and feel utterly foolish that my feelings of inadequacy ended up preventing me from protecting my friends.” She solemnly replies.

But then she continues.

“However, I’m ready to take the risk. I think the right thing to do is to push forward right now. I’ve been listening to Graces. I don’t believe the Light is ever going to come down from the sky and save us, but her words about a dominion, and this place having a will of sort, that makes sense to me. This is the only way this whole forest makes sense. And the power keeping us here is way, way beyond us. Since it’s making ponies and buildings appear and disappear arbitrarily, this place certainly has the power to kill us all instantly the second it decides so. So the only thing we can do is to tear up all the bits of its power we can and use those to get stronger. That’s the only way we can win in the end. That’s the only path I see right now.”

“Alright.” You nod, and gently put a hoof on the mare’s side. “I see you’ve made up your mind. Then tomorrow we’ll go on an expedition together.”

“Thanks, Lustre Lance.” She shows you a resolute smirk. “I’ll make sure to protect you.”

“I’m the one thanking you for that, Verdant.”

 

Not long after that, you go to sleep next to Sand Carrot, and after a restful night you feel completely ready to take on the forest again.

 

“I’m gonna go on an expedition today.” You announce while you all share breakfast. “And this time I’ll try to have Verdant come with me. If we can stick together, we shall easily take down all the beasts in our path.”

“Really?” Sand Carrot sounds worried. “Are you sure you’ll be okay, Lance? You’ll have to keep looking at Verdant even though you’re fighting beasts, and if you can’t she’ll go away until tomorrow.”

“I’m ready to trust Lustre Lance.” Verdant states. “For too long he’s been fighting alone and I want to help him. I’ll rest a little until noon, and then the two of us will enter the woods.”

“Then may the Light protect you.” Graces smiles at the two of you.

 

 

 

In the morning, you suggest to Frog Chaser you should build some pit traps around the camp, something the mare agree with. The two of you manage to make one 10’ deep, pony sized hole this morning and cover it with branches.

 

When it’s time for lunch and that Verdant is up, you make sure you have everything planned out. The worst scenario would be for you to both lose sight of Verdant and get hurt a lot. In that case, Frog Chaser will probably have to do the watch. She accepts that, and the rest of the mares feel ready to take that risk. Once you have that sorted out, you can talk about lighter topics.

 

“Still, I believe everything will be alright, and hopefully tonight I may just sleep under the covers with Sand Carrot.” You say. “After all, she’s a much better hugger once she’s asleep.”

“Oh? Am I?” The farmer mare giggles.

“What now?” Frog Chaser raises an eyebrow. “You know, maybe I do cuddle ponies when I sleep after all, and also I’m sure they’re the best hugs of all actually! You’ll figure it out for sure if I can sleep on the bed again.”

“Well, if you wanna prove yourself so bad, I may consent to give you another chance…”

“But what about me then?” Graces interjects with her usual soft smile. “I was hoping I could be the one to share the bed tonight. I’m sure you’ll find my presence to be satisfactory, Lustre Lance.”

“Aw, come on!” Frog exclaims “Not you too Graces! Aren’t church ponies supposed to be prudish or something?”

“There’s nothing wrong with a hug in the eyes of the Light.” Graces shakes her head. “On the contrary. Displays of harmony between ponies make the Light shine stronger in them, as long as it doesn’t trigger any feuds of course...”

 

The question of who is going to share the bed with you hasn’t been cleared yet, but thinking about it did evacuate a bit of stress before you set out. Once the lunch is over, you and Verdant prepare yourselves for the expedition. Graces will be praying for your health.

“Hey, Frog Chaser.” You turn to the green mare as they were all watching you depart, and close in for a hug. “Surprise cuddle test!”

“Oh, you sneaky little… take this!” The mare responds by squeezing you against her with her front legs as hard as she can, and nuzzling her cheek against you ear.

“What now?” She mutters in you ear. “Did I pass the test?”

“Mmh… There’s definitely some will to improve here.” You whisper back.

 

With that, it’s time you went into the forest. The bowmare marches in front of you, weapon at the ready. You took the usual supplies with you and some rope in case you have to tie somepony up.

Soon, you arrive far enough in the woods you don’t see the village behind anymore, and you feel a hostile presence in the bushes around you.

“So that’s where you’ve been hiding…” Verdant growls. “Now come out and get some!”

 

A creature drags itself out of the woods.

 

It’s a slime!

 

“Lance!” Verdant calls. “You didn’t talk about that kind of enemy!”

“Yeah, this one is new. Be careful!”

 

 

 

 

The slime adamantly chooses to target you, no matter how much Verdant attempt to direct its attacks to her.

 

…Then the 3 lines above 5 more times.

 

Defeated, the slime turns to dust… and a glowing essence remains!

 

“So that’s how you get those…” Verdant comments. “Hold on, that essence is like the one that made me grow right? Didn’t you need three of the same?”

“I did… but since this monster was tougher that what I’m used to…”

“Mmh. A stronger beast, a stronger shard of power perhaps.”

“Look out Verdant!” You get back in position. “Here come another one!”

 

It’s a goblin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hey, catch this!” You throw Verdant the glowing essence. There’s a flash of light, and then there’s a single arrow in her hooves. This one is glowing yellow, and you swear you can see little arcs of electricity run through it at times.

“Thanks. I’ll put it to good use.” Verdant says. “And let me now if you get tired. The best outcome is still that we both come back without me disappearing or you getting hurt.”

“Are you kidding?” You reply. “I could do this all day.”

“Same here.” Verdant smiles, before another bests comes out.

 

It’s a snake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Nice shot!” Verdant comments as you strike down the snake. “So that’s what happens in the forest? This is more intense that I thought. They just keep coming one after the other…”

“Yeah, that’s how it goes every time.” You reply. “I guess this must be hard to believe since it seems I’m away for hours to the rest of you.”

 

You’re interrupted as another monster comes out.

 

It’s a giant spider!

 

 

 

 

 

“Curses! These fiends keep targeting you!” Verdant exclaims. “Lustre Lance, I know there’s still a lot of strength in you, but don’t wait to be at your limit this time. There’s still a chance I won’t be there all of a sudden.”

Before you can reply, another monster arrives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the last time you had 3, the essences are lightly attracted to each other, but they do not combine while they’re not touching. You should be able to combine those pretty much instantly if you want, so for not you keep those separate.

“We’re good I think.” You say. “This is a good haul we have already.”

“Then let’s go back.”

“Wait…” You keep your eyes peeled. “This place rarely lets us move without a monster on our tracks.”

 

As to answer you, you hear the leaves rustle close to you, and something… well, somepony comes out.

 

You face the witch.

 

“So this is the evil mare you met…” Verdant comments. “She definitely doesn’t look like she’ll help us in any way.”

“You… Submit, and give it back!” The mare snarls, her words disjointed. “Fools… Just… give it to me!”

 

 

 

 

 

“Urg… ah…” The mare moans in pain, falling to her knees in a pool of her blood. There’s… a lot of blood, it just keeps pouring out of her even though the puddle is five feet across already. By all logic she should be dead by now, exsanguinate several times over. But even if painfully so, she still breathes.

“So that’s how you want to play it…” The witch speaks with difficulty, but still more articulately than ever. “I don’t care, but stay away and get ready to run. For now, we can talk.”

“Talk? What do mean?” Verdant replies, another arrow ready. “What is there to discuss with an evildoer like you?”

“I can get us all out of here.” The witch states, unphased. “I just need more power. I need you to bring me more essences, all those you can get, and soon I’ll be strong enough to break us all out of this place. Now speak, you must have questions, but be quick about it. Know that unlike you, I still remember who I am and the real world out there.”

 

 

A part of you wants to just go remove that mask of hers, but her warning and the blood pouring everywhere makes you think twice about that.

 

“What’s your name?” You ask instead.

With difficulty she shows you a smirk. “Black Fang, if that’s what you wish to know of all things.”

“Alright Black Fang. Who’s behind this? What are they trying to accomplish?”

“Ah… Those are not exactly the right questions either, but I understand what you want to know. Very well. We are in the dream of the god of monsters.” Black Fang announces. “A god that was slain. And in death, he still dreams. He dreams of ferocious hunts, and he dreams of cornered preys. What is he trying to accomplish, you ask? Merely relive a past he fondly remembers, using your friends as toys.”

 

“What nonsense is this?” You blurt out. “Listen, there might be a way I could help you. Let us take you to our village. Maybe we can break the control he has over you.”

“If you do that, you might all die.” Black Fang retorts. “The shroud that is keeping you safe will be pierced, and you friends will be within reach of the beasts again.”

 

“But then… I don’t get it? Why would it help to bring you essences if you’re still controlled? And why can’t you find them yourself?”

“Because I must follow his will for now, and so do the other beasts, but his will is weak, unfocussed in regard of the immense power he holds. When I grow stronger, I will quickly regain agency over myself, and eventually over this whole place. Look, do you understand what’s happening right now? I cannot die in this place. I am being supplied his strength as we speak. The god of monsters is begging me to take his place. So either feed me more power directly, or force me to grow stronger by defeating me again. Eventually, I will get what I want regardless.”

 

“What you want… What happens after you control this place? What are you going to do once you escape?”

“What happens? Ah…AH!” The mare is suddenly taken by a set of retches. “Looks like we’re out of time...”

The blood under Black Fang seem to animate, seemingly flowing back into her wounds as she shakily gets up. Her body swells from it. Bigger. Taller, shifting and bulging with new muscles.

“The god of monsters… will stop dreaming.” Black Fang growls, now looming over you. “For it will be alive again. As a goddess.”

 

He eyes regain the ominous glow they had when you first met. All her wounds have closed up.

“NOW. YOU DIE.” Her voice booms.

 

You face the witch.

 

 

“Time to run!” You call, and Verdant has no objection to that.

Making sure you keep her in sight, your turn away and start running. Your bigger friend has no trouble staying in front of you of course. You do not look back, but this time again, and despite her threats and her ominous transformation, it doesn’t seem like the witch is chasing you much.

 

After a minute, the clearing is in view.

“Huh. And indeed it’s the evening now.” Verdant comments as she looks up. “I understand better what you’ve been through, Lustre Lance. Though… I suppose that last encounter is something pretty new. Now come on. Let’s meet the others. With everything we’re bringing back, I’d like to treat today as a big victory still.”

“Mmh.” You nod at Verdant. “You’re probably right.”

It seems like Frog Chaser took it on herself to watch out for your return. From the watchtower, she alerts everypony that you’re back. Soon, the three mares come to meet you.

 

“No way, you did it!” Frog Chaser exclaims with a grin. “You both made it back! And it even looks like you took a lot less damage than usual, Lance!”

“Yeah, we did it! And look at that loot!” You show all the essences you got. “We got all these in just one day thanks to Verdant!”

“My…” Graces’ eyes go wide.

“The two of you really outdid yourselves.” Sand Carrot too seems glad. “I’ve got to figure out a special menu to celebrate.”

“I’m glad I could help.” The guardsmare stands proud, and then turns to you. “And thank you so much Lustre Lance. I still can’t believe you managed to never advert your eyes through all the fights we’ve been through. You’re an even greater fighter than I thought.”

 

 

 

First, you just have to hug your sister in arms after this day.

“Thank you Verdant.” You feel the strong mare tense up slightly under your touch. “I couldn’t have gone this far without you.”

“Ah, i-it’s only natural!” She stutters. “I have to take my share of these fights. So if you want me to accompany you again, you just have to ask Lustre Lance.”

 

Later, you tell your friends more in detail about your adventure of the day while you share dinner, and end up mentioning the encounter with the witch. What she told you brought even more questions to your mind, but the fact you saw her grow in strength in front of your eyes and then how she implied you would help her get even more powerful really disturbed you.

“Of course she is trying to trick you.” Graces states after you speak. “She is not to be trusted, and through the Light we will find other ways to get out of this place. Don’t stop believing because of her.”

“I know.” You nod. “But still, there seem to be lots of things she knows that we don’t about this place.”

“Yes, and she will try to use that to trick you.” Graces adds. “Which is why you must believe in yourself and keep faith, Lustre Lance.”

 

After dinner, you combine the 3 essences into a glowing one. As you expected, the two glowing essences do seem attracted to each other, but they don’t combine yet.

Then, you guess you’re gonna distribute these two right away.

 

“Graces.” You turn to the cleric mare, and offer her a glowing essence. “Your prayer really helped us today. I believe you should have this.”

“Thank the Light for it.” Graces smiles to you. “But if you think my prayers can help you, I will accept your gift and be a better conduct, Lustre Lance.”

 

As the cleric mare takes the essence, there’s a familiar flash of light.

And then it fades away, and there’s still Graces in front of you, looking quite the same as before. Is she… a little bit taller? You’re not even sure. If she did grow, it’s barely noticeable.

“Graces? Are you okay?” Sand Carrot tentatively asks. “Do you feel any different?”

“Yes.” She vigorously nods with a smile. “My body may not have changed as much as the one of Verdant, but I feel that my connection with the Light has grown.”

“Well, good for you I guess?” Frog Chaser shrugs. “If your prayers can help Lance better than way…”

“They definitely will.” The cleric mare nods again.

 

You could swear something changed about Graces, but you can’t exactly pinpoint what.

 

Anyway, you have more of this in your bag. You give the second glowing essence to Frog Chaser.

Again a flash of light, but this time you see your friend grow even before the light completely fades away. Frog Chaser gets taller than you, taller than Verdant, and then keeps going!

When the light finally stops, you’re looking at one supernaturally big mare. You don’t think you’re a runt for a stallion, and yet she has more than a full head over you. Her body didn’t change in constitution though, at it just looks like the mare was sized up, instead of growing into a taller build.

 

“Woah!” The green mare’s eyes go wide as she looks around, before she shows everypony an ecstatic smile. “What happened to y’all? Why did you shrink that much all of a sudden?”

“We…we didn’t.” Verdant replies, in a shock than makes her obvious to Frog’s irony. “You grew!”

“Oh really? Yeah, I think you’re right kiddo!” Frog Chaser replies with a playful smirk. “Anyway, now that’s what I call an upgrade! And it looks like my tools grew along. I’ll be digging much faster like this!”

“That’s incredible!” You say. “From the looks of it, you really needed that essence to step up your cuddle game.”

“Yeah.” Her smirk accentuates. “Wanna see the level I’m at little colt?”

 

There, the bigger mare catches you between her hooves to smother you against her chest. She’s a bit forceful, but with her warmth all around you can’t muster any will to escape, and just end up meekly hugging her big body back.

“Hehe, looks like I’m crushing this challenge!” From Chaser ruffles your mane with a hoof before letting you go.

“Uhm… yeah…” Despite everything, you find yourself a bit flustered to have been embraced with such strength. You’re not very used to that yet.

 

After that, you prepare yourselves to go to bed. This time, it’s Graces that should share the bed with you. Frog Chaser might be a little too big to share a bed with anypony anyway...

 

Verdant will watch over you, and after a busy day everypony seem quick to fall asleep. After getting off her wheels, Graces dragged herself on the bed already when you lie down on it. And as soon as you’re resting on your side, the mare smoothly turns around to drape her hooves around your neck, and anchors her body against your back.

“Is it alright if I hold you like this, Lustre Lance?” Graces softly whispers.

“Uhm… yes.” You nod back, a bit taken aback to get the initiative on cuddling being taken by Graces. “That’s okay.”

“Thanks.” You feel her head settle down to rest against the back of your own. “I feel… at peace like this. It’s strange. It’s a bit nostalgic, like if I had been holding on somepony like that before. Many times…”

 

Graces’ embrace feels nice. Her body is warm, and you feel… two pleasant soft masses against your lower back. You must not have noticed those before, but you’re too tired to not simply enjoy these for how comfortable they are.

You can tell the mare is quickly falling asleep in that position, and in turn her slow, gentle breath is soothing you. With her body against yours, you too soon find respite after the trials of this day.

 

 

 

When you wake up after a full night of sleep, Graces’ front legs are still gently wrapped around your neck. You hear her calm breathing near your ear as her head rests next to yours, and lower than that you still feel those on your lower back.

 

You can’t resist looking back, and indeed, Graces has a pair of teats which must be big enough to go down to her thighs, and that are squished against you right now. You think you’d have noticed those before, so she must have grown those the day before when you gave her the glowing essence.

“Sorry if I was too forward.” You suddenly hear Graces whisper in you hear. She hadn’t moved until ow. “I needed to hold on somepony really bad yesterday. And… I hope my body didn’t make this too awkward. I don’t why I changed that way, but I’m feeling okay with it right now…”

 

The mare hugs you just a bit tighter, her warmth getting more noticeable on your back.

 

“Everyone!” You hear Verdant’s voice before you can say or do anything. “There’s a new house and another mare here!”

Graces quickly let go of you as everypony wakes up. After you her get on her wheels, you join the rest of you that went to check on the newcomer.

As you come out, you see you won’t have to guess the trade of the new mare, since the house that appeared next to Verdant’s is visibly a smithy.

 

As for the mare itself, you’re looking at a rather stout lady with a pink mane and purple body. She wears a blacksmith’s apron on her front, and a frown on her face right now.

 

“So you say we’re trapped in a dream of something?” The newcomer speaks when you arrive, sounding very sceptical. “That’s… really dumb.”

“Oh yeah?” Frog Chaser replies. “But do you got a better explanation being in this forest you don’t know? Or the fact you don’t remember anything? Or the fact you’re talking to a GIANT freaking lass?”

 

“Uhm…No…” The new mare reluctantly admits, looking away from your towering friend.

“It’s alright. Take your time.” Verdant speaks. “We’ve all been through this, so we can understand you may be confused or wary. For now, you can jut stay in your house if you need some time alone. Just don’t go in the forest like I told you. We can bring you food if you want. In the meantime, could you just tell us how we should we call you?”

“Eh. Call me… Scoria I guess.” Scoria replies

 

 

 

 

“Hello.” You hail Scoria as she starts walking away. “My name’s Lustre Lance. You’re a blacksmith, right?”

“Hum… yeah.” The mare nods meekly.

“Would you mind taking a look at my sword? I was wondering if you had some materials in here that could improve it.” And as Scoria looks at you suspiciously. “I mean, it’s alright if you don’t want to. I can just drop it in front of your place. I just thought that could help you get your mind off things…”

The mare seems to consider you for a moment, before giving you a little nod.

 

“Thanks!” You smile at her. “I’ll be sure to drop it later.”

There, you decide to give your new friend a little tap on the nose, but Scoria slaps your hoof away as soon as you connect.

“Hey, quit it!” She scrunches. “Don’t just poke on people’s scars, dude. That’s just rude!”

After that, the mare walks away to the smithy, where she goes in and shuts the door.

 

You guess you’re all gonna have to let her come to terms with the situation and visit her smithy later…

 

After breakfast, you ask Graces to pray for might as you intend to go in the woods later today. In the meantime, you decide to pick up Verdant’s work of building a palisade. Your big friend Frog Chaser soon joins you on that. She seems eager to flaunt what her body can do, and her size sure makes it easier for her to chop down trees and put the trunks up. You do feel a little more vigorous than usual, splitting and sawing the logs with more ease than you expected, but you don’t think Graces’ prayer made you bigger, and Frog Chaser does end up taking care of more work than you this time.

 

When it’s time for lunch, Scoria comes out of her house. As promised, Sand Carrot hands her a bowl of the broth she had prepared, and the blacksmith mare accepts it with a half-smile. She doesn’t look at ease yet, but at least she seems ready to cooperate with the rest of you.

“There are plenty of tools and facilities in that smithy, but no materials.” Scoria says as she gives you back your weapon. “And your sword is fine as it is. You’re taking good care of it. You’d better get a new one altogether if you want something more. I could make one, but again I have no materials for now.”

“Yeah, I didn’t find any ore in this area either.” Frog Chaser says. “Sorry0”

 

By now Verdant has woken up too.

Also, you’re fit to go on an expedition right now. Though, you’re still a bit curious about how time works in here. When you’d go out right after lunch like right now, you’d still return on the evening, same as when you’d depart in the morning. You wonder if you could make the most of your day if you went in the woods even later…

 

 

For now, you remain with your friends a little longer. At this point you’re curious to see what would happen if you went into the forest after sunset even. As Verdant is ready to continue working on the palisade, Frog Chaser keeps helping her for the rest of the day, and even Scoria decides to lend a hoof. Hopefully this’ll get your new companion to open up a little.

 

After swearing to Frog Chaser you’ll show her later who’s the better builder, you go check on Graces inside her church. You find her sitting motionless in front of the altar, snout pointing up to the sky. You notice the inside of this place is a little nicer since you gave the essence to Graces. There’s carpets on the stone ground, windows with stained glass, and the altar now has some golden lining on its edges.

You approach Graces, and when you’re a few feet away from her she seems to notice you.

 

“Oh. Hi.” Graces turns and smiles to you after the initial surprise. “Is there anything you need?”

“Actually, I wanted to see if you need any help.” You reply. “Are you alright, alone in here?”

“You are kind, Lustre Lance. So, do you want to pray with me?”

“Uhm… will it strengthen your prayer?” You ask.

“No. I don’t think it will.” She shakes her head. “But I don’t believe there’s anything else you can help me with, and it still feels better to have somepony nearby.”

 

 

“Say, why does is seem the Light favours your prayers above all else when it comes to assist me?” You ask.

“Oh, but you are blessed by the Light already, Lustre Lance.” Graces replies. “Your strength, your fortitude, but also the dedication you showed to acquire those are all manifestations of the Light’s impulse of life. And your actions to help everypony in this villages speak louder to the Light than a thousand prayers.”

“So you’re saying I got it all already, so that’s why you’re certain my prayers won’t have any result?”

“That’s not true.” Graces speaks with a serene smile. “If you find yourself doubting yourself. If you find yourself lost, then pray to the Light. Not so it may solve your problems for you, but so you may awaken the strength to do so within you. Remember. All that wills to live is born from the Light, so you too are Its manifestation in this world.”

 

But then the mare lets out a little sigh.

“Now, my prayers also involve what you could call a form of magic I suppose.” Graces explain. “Of course, a sincere prayer and faith is necessary, but there’s a great deal of study and know-how involved to then channel the power of the Light itself.”

“Ah, I see. So the Light doesn’t just speak words to you as an answer, right?”

“No, I have to interpret its signals, and channel its response. But anyway, I absolutely don’t want to make it sound like praying is useless. A prayer can give hope, resolve, and peace to everypony.”

 

There, Graces turns away.

“Oh Light.” Graces solemnly begs out loud to the sky. “Please grant us the might to strike down the darkness we face. May love be powerful so life may then thrive. Let our triumph be a ray of hope, and inspire all those who come next.”

 

“That’s the prayer I use for might, put into words.” Graces says, facing you again. “Even if you don’t know how to channel the energy of the Light, I think you should try reciting it when you’re feeling scared or overwhelmed.”

“Ah, well, maybe I’ll try when I’m in trouble.” You smile back. “Also, sorry if I sound pushy. It’s just that I want all the help I can find to fight the beasts of these woods. By the way, do you think there could be a way to transfer the power of an essence directly into me? With the help of your magic maybe?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think so.” Graces shakes her head. “I have no practical knowledge about it, and since merely touching the essence makes it affect me instantly I have no idea of how to even study the possibility.”

 

“Alright then.” You nod. “Anyway, I think I’ll stay praying with you a little. But hold on. Before that, I’ll go ask Sand Carrot if she has some tea.”

Unfortunately, Sand Carrot doesn’t anything suited for an infusion of any kind at the moment. Still, she offers you to warm up some left-over soup she has. It’s a bit atypical for just a drink, but the farmer mare’s cooking does warm the heart.

 

“Oh, Lustre Lance…” Graces whispers as she accepts the hot broth. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” You reply. “Now, I still wanna try to help you pray. So what should I do? Blow the prayer upward? Sing a song maybe? Would hugging help?”

 

“Well, actually…” On your offer, the mare slowly comes and embraces you again, resting her head under your chin. “Yes, a hug would help.”

“Really?” You close your own arms around the smaller mare. As she lets herself rest on you completely, you sit down and Graces slides off her wheels so you may hold her whole body. “I’m not breaking your concentration at least?”

“It helps very much, Lustre Lance.” Graces holds tight on you, closing her eyes. “There’s nothing like feeling another heartbeat to be fully conscious of the reality of life all around you.”

 

“Then, if you ever need somepony to hold or to hug you, you can come to me.” You whisper.

“Don’t be silly, Lustre Lance.” Graces whispers back. “If I took you up on that offer, I’d never-ever let go of you.”

 

Graces remain in your hooves for a while. You can tell she’s not sleeping, as you can feel her heart beat strongly the whole time. Not wanting to interrupt her focus, you start to pray too. Starting with the words Graces told you, and then inventing wishes you send to the sky. You feel your spirit being lifted, confident that you’ll overcome the trials to come, may it be Black Fang, monsters, or anything else.

But most of all you fall asleep.

 

You’re woken up only when Sand Carrot comes to announce that dinner is ready, at sunset. By that point you were lying on the carpet while Graces was sitting in front of the altar again.

 

 

“I’ll go on an expedition tonight.” You announce while you’re having dinner. “Since I usually come back around that time, I want to know what will happen if I go out now. My guess would be that I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

“You sound sure of yourself, even if you know it’s probably dangerous.” Verdant comments. “If you have trouble, please come back here.”

 

You’re glad Verdant trusts you enough to support your choices now. You reckon she doesn’t offer you to come with you since she knows she’ll have to keep watch tonight.

The rest of the ponies help you prepare. As always, you take some food, but this time you also prepare a torch to light your way when it gets dark. After that, you go out in the woods.

 

It’s the usual feeling at first. Calm while you still see the camp behind you, but then you feel the beasts lurking when you’re far enough.

Though, something very stage happens here. The light around you shifts, and in a few seconds it is again full daylight that lights your way. The night didn’t even have time to fall, and it’s as though it’s the morning already.

 

You don’t have much time to think about it, though, as something comes out to face you.

Something big…

 

“There you are...” The witch speaks. “Now, prepare to DIE!”

 

You face the witch

 

 

 

“Hahaha, just kidding.” Suddenly, the large mare drops her fighting stance and removes her mask. “Relax. I’m just here to talk.”

You find yourself stuck in place. This could be an opening to attack, but you don’t think that’ll stop her to crush you in an instant if she retaliates.

 

“Why are you so surprised?” Black Fang speaks, looking amused by your reaction. “I told you I’d regain some agency as I grew stronger. Now you can see I’m no longer a mere pawn like the rest of the predators of these woods. And since you haven’t gathered any essence from the beasts yet, I’m not forced to fight you right now. Though…”

She shows you a big, toothy grin.

“There’s a limit to how much I’ll be able to stand in front of a cute prey like yourself without pouncing on you.”

 

“Then what do you want with me?”

“I told you. I just want to talk.” Black Fang answers. “And to put it bluntly, I’d like to convince you that you should just stop struggling and help me. I can imagine our last encounter must have left a… mild impression on you. So let us fix that! I’ve already told you what I want, so let’s talk about you wish for in exchange.”

There, the mare lies down on her side in front of you. You can’t refrain from noticing her… assets as she does. Rivalling Graces’ in relative size, right now hers are being sightly pressed between the witch’s augmented thighs, accentuating their sheer mass. There’s no way this isn’t on purpose…

 

“Now tell me, warrior. Is there anything you wish for? I have many answers for you, and I can probably offer even more if you know what to ask.”

 

 

You set your sword aside for now.

“Yeah, seeing you bleed out an amount a pony shouldn’t even have… that was a bit disconcerting.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Black Fang smirks. “Would you have been more comfortable if I had just died normally?”

“No! I have no particular wish to see you dead!” You call to the mare. Lying on her side like she is, her head is at the same hight as yours. “But why are you doing this? Why do you want to become the… successor… or reincarnation of what trapped us here? Why not escape and let it die with its dreams?”

 

“A god doesn’t get any deader than this, warrior.” Black Fang replies. “Beasts still exist in the real world, and they still hunt for flesh. There WILL be a god of monsters eventually anyway, so why not me? Why not a goddess who also acknowledges the sensuality of a hunt, one that embraces the desire that comes with it.”

Black Fangs gives her teats another squeeze in front of you, and one of her front hooves caresses her flank.

“A goddess… that you, little warrior, can touch and feel. Trust me, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

 

“So… Is that wish of yours the reason a god of death and destruction empowered your teats so much? Or is there something about fertility I’m not aware of at play? Or… does it turn out that old rumour about magic power being stored in the teats is true after all?”

“Stored in the...” Black Fang chuckles. “Come on, what kind of rumour is that? But no, your first interpretation is right. This is my spin on monsters. What makes a monster, but a raw, unhinged desire? Freed from all pesky limits and rules, even ponies have the potential to become monsters. And I’ll make sure they will enjoy it.”

 

“Well, to speak frankly, when it comes to desire, I’ve spent the last few days surrounded by powerful and beautiful mares. You said wanted to hear what I wish, then I’ll ask you this. May I touch your… tail?”

Black Fang’s smile widened at your words, and her hind legs shifted slightly to call attention to her bosom again, but then you see the large mare do a slight double take upon hearing your last word.

“Oh, and, would you mind taking off your armour too?” You add.

“Ah, uhm, of course.” She chuckles. “Come closer now, little one.”

 

Black Fang removes her leg guards and bone plate, and then allows you to come around her rear. There, you realise her tail is covered in scales like the ones of a snake, safe from its top where tufts of red fur still grow. It looks entirely prehensile too. Under the eyes of Black Fang, the tail gently animates to nestle itself on your chest. The tip then treads over your jaw to come tickle your snout. The feeling is a bit alien, but not uncomfortable. The scales are a kind of smooth you’re not used to, but warm, and firm from the flesh under being all muscle.

 

“Are you sure you’ll remain in control, Black Fang?” You ask out loud. “Parts of you are becoming more bestial already, and more will certainly follow. What if you end up controlled by the will of the former god again at the end of this?”

“Well, ultimately, I don’t think one can become a goddess without some changes. But we’ve talked about it. My ideals manifested in my body too when I grew stronger, and I’m not giving up on this regardless. You don’t need to concern yourself over me, little colt.”

 

As you’ve watched her body, you didn’t see a scar of any kind on Black Fang

“Now, we can keep talking, or we could see if there’s another part of me you’d like to feel.” Black Fang grins at you. “Though, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from going all the way on you depending on the part you pick… But aside from that, perhaps we could go hunt together? That’s why you come into the woods in the first place, right? I’m sure the hunt will be more fun with a pony like me at your side.”

 

 

“Hunt with you?” you ponder. “Hold on, won't you just turn into a mindless killer the moment I finish hunting a single thing and its essence pops out?”

“You offend me, warrior!” Black Fang feigns outrage. “After all these times I’ve let you run away from me, you still doubt that I could hold myself enough to keep you safe. The nerve! Besides, now that I’m stronger, it’s not guaranteed to happen anymore. Probably…”

 

“Mmh… I’m not eager to find out.” You say. “More importantly, I wish I knew more about these essences. Why can’t I use them to power me up? Do you have an idea of how I could do that?”

“An essence is what you call the power you steal, right?” Black Fang replies. “Unfortunately, I don’t know much about these. You’re not supposed to be able the extract raw power from beasts so easily, you know? I have no idea why you’re able to do so in the first place.”

“Ah… So even that is anormal?” You think out loud. “That answers why you aren’t hunting by yourself to grow stronger. But anyway, I’m still in the dark about why things work so differently for me.”

 

“If I had to take a guess...” Black Fang starts, the tip of her tail forming a question mark in front of your face. “I’d say you’ve come here on your own, like me. You’re not the kind of pony that would get trapped here, after all. You see, usually the ponies that get pulled in this dream have been hurt by monsters in the past. It works a bit, like, a scent of blood on their very soul that attracts a predator. That isn’t your case, and there’s also this… shroud around you. I don’t know how to explain it, but it hides you from the sight of the former beast god itself somehow. That might also be the reason you can subtract a shard of its power when you defeat a beast. It must be a protective magic that has been cast on you. It’s too bad that whatever that shroud is, it didn’t allow you to keep your memories.”

 

“Mmh…” You ponder. “That sounds better that my theory about me actually being the old monster god.”

“It sure does.” Black Fang chuckles.

“But still, you seem to understand how the essences work, right?” You ask again. “I mean, last time you told me that either defeating you or giving you essences would yield the same result, and now you’ve told me that your body changes according to the goddess you wish to be. So these essences make us closer to our ideal self, right? Is that why the other ponies experience different changes?”

“Ah… So you have companions that could use those…” Black Fang notes. “Anyway, you’re right on one thing. Absorbing an essence probably works the same way as the influx of power I received. But, I… didn’t really plan for anypony else to receive such a power, so I wouldn’t know why or how it works for others. I don’t know why it doesn’t work on you either.”

You don’t really like that Black Fang is starting to consider the other mares right now. You better change the subject, so you let go of her tail and hop over her legs. There, you’re facing the larger pair of teats you’ve ever seen. Not only is Black Fang mightily endowed, but the whole size of herself makes her pair outclass everything you ever saw in the past.

You can’t resist just groping it, you hoof sinking deep in the warm and pliable mound of flesh.

 

“Oh…” Black Fang moans. “Took you long enough, you little tease!”

“I take it you don’t mind if I touch these.”

“Knock yourself out, warrior.” The big mare licks her lips. “This new body deserves some appreciation.”

 

After such an invitation, you can’t resist indulging your curiosity and use both your hooves to feel up Black Fang. Unlike her tail, this part of her is really soft to the touch, but still retains the shape of generous orbs even after you fondle them. You find yourself playing with them, lifting the top tit slightly to then drop it to hear the little meaty slap as it lands the bottom tit, and contemplate the two soft masses wobble sligtly onto the other. Black Fang makes sure to utter an enticing little moan when you push a little harder on her, or arch her back slightly to incite you to increase the pressure. Also, she can’t refrain a few giggles at the sight of you getting increasingly fascinated by her body.

 

At some point, you can’t resist and just push you whole head on Black Fang’s teat. The warmth on your face makes you whole body shiver in delight, and you barely register that the larger mare turns on her back, your head just absently following the movement of her teat. With her tail, Black Fang helps you over her thigh so you’re now between her legs, and now your head is sandwiched between her tits. The mare gently presses them together with her thighs, trapping everything up to you ears a hot pressure. Her scent is pleasantly musky there, and you fight yourself panting with need.

“Aww, look at yourself.” You see Black Fang grin from inside the valley of her cleavage “A perfect little worshipper. To think I will grow even stronger, bigger, and more beautiful thanks to you…” There, you can’t refrain a sharp groan as Black Fang’s tail suddenly coils around your erect shaft, and directs it to her awaiting entrance.

“…you seem as eager for it as I am.”

 

You don’t know how long it lasts after that, but you rut Black Fang with all the might you can muster. You feel yourself going feral, rational thoughts banished by the raw need to experience all of the mare’s magnified body. Black Fang knows how to move her big and strong body too, and you alternate between enjoying a ludicrous about of mare to then a part of you being held or squeezed tight by her powerful muscles.

Black Fang soon drops all pretence of civility too, and slams herself on you mercilessly, riding you fast and hard. Despite your eagerness, you find yourself outmatched. There’s just too much of Black Fang, and she’s ravenous, and tireless. Between the power of her body and how good her touch makes you feel, you’re soon little more than a living toy for her pleasure.

 

The last thing you remember is yourself, out of breath, lying on the ground. Every fibre of you screams in pain, but the pleasure of Black Fang’s body on yours silences all that.

“What a treat you are, warrior.” The sight of satisfied grin alone makes you feel like you’ve reached heaven. “See? I’m not as bad as you thought. And remember. You can make me more. More of me for you to enjoy.”

You welcome her mouth coming for yours with unbridled elation. Her kiss, and the weight of her on your body makes you experience the last of many climaxes of this session.

After that, it’s all dark.

 

“Hey, do you hear me?” There’s a familiar voice. “Hey, I think he’s waking up!”

Groggily opening your eyes, you realise you’re on the bed inside Verdant’s guardhouse. It’s Frog Chaser you were hearing, and after calling the others from the door she comes back to your side.

 

“Lance! Are you okay?” She asks. “Do you want food? Water?”

“Yes.” You reply, and immediately the larger mare gives you something to drink from a bowl while you hear other hoofsteps and the little clatter of wooden wheels coming closer. Soon all your companions are here.

 

“You look like you’re okay.” Verdant states while smiling in relief. “Do you feel pain somewhere?”

“Well, no actually.” And that’s true. Well, it’s not like you were attacked during your last encounter, but now your legs seem to be working properly…

“That’s good.” Verdant nods. “Alright. Let me tell you what happened from our perspective. Lustre Lance, you decided to go into the forest in the evening. You remember that part, yes?”

“Hum.” You nod.

“Good. That was two days ago.”

You do a double take and almost choke on the water you were drinking.

“You left in the evening.” Verdant continues “And as you didn’t come back, at night this place was attacked by beasts.”

“But we took care of those, don’t worry!” Frog Chaser immediately adds with a smirk. “A good swing from my pickaxe took are of that one wolf Verdant’s didn’t shoot already.”

“Yes, we held you without trouble thanks to everypony.” Verdant nods. “But there was still no sign of you until the next evening. Then, I saw… I think I saw her, right? I was keeping watch since it was again around the time you usually came back from your expeditions. I couldn’t see clearly, but something… somepony dropped you at the very edge of the woods. It was that witch we faced, right?”

 

“Let’s take it slowly.” Graces speaks up with a serene voice. “Lustre Lance, you were unconscious when you were brought back here. There were some bruises on you, but no serious injuries. So we took care of you and put you here. You were asleep all night, and now it’s the morning.”

“Oh, and, there wasn’t any creature to attack us last night.” Sand Carrot mentions. “I’m starting to think your presence might be protecting this place somehow, Lance.”

 

“And, so… Are you sure you’re okay?” Frog Chaser asks, badly hiding the worry in her voice. “What happened to you while you were away, Lance?”

 

“Yeah, I’m alright.” You nod. “Sorry for worrying you all. I was careless, and bit more than I could chew this time. I’ll be sure to ask for some help next time so I don’t scare you all like that.”

“Hmm.” Verdant nods resolutely. “If it’s the two of us out there, you should be alright.”

“And to tell you the truth… I faced the witch again.” You tell your friends. “She came out right away, but we could talk a little this time. She told me again that she was about to become a goddess, and wanted me to bring her essences. We fought after that, and I got knocked out…”

“That fiend…” Verdant seethes.

“But I guess she’s the one that returned me here, then.” You add. “I was already out by that point unfortunately, but she probably still thinks I could help her somehow.”

“So she hasn’t given up on trying to use you…” Verdant reacts.

“I think so too.” You nod. “By the way, when I entered the woods two days ago, I saw the sky go from the evening to daylight in seconds over me. It was really strange, but I think that is why I skipped a whole day.”

“Then it’s better you go out while it’s still the day.” Graces notes. “When you’re ready of course.”

 

“Yes. Also, thanks for the blessing of Might.” You turn to Graces. “I think it would have been way worst otherwise.”

“I’m glad I could be of help.” The cleric mare responds with a smile. “I prayed both days, awaiting your return.”

 

Your friends being reassured, you wake up and get examined by Verdant to make sure you’re healthy while the others prepare breakfast. The conclusion is clear. You’re in mint condition right now, so you join the other mares for the morning meal.

 

“Hey, check out this stuff I found!” Frog Chaser shows you a black stone as big as your hoof with a bright red symbol on it. “Scoria told me this is a fire rune. You can use it to make you sword burn stuff for a while. How cool is that?”

“Yeah.” The blacksmith mare nods. You note that Scoria seems more at ease around the others since the last time. “It’s nuts that this kinda stuff is buried out there, but I can show you how to use it. It’s easy you’ll see. Usually, the effect of runes lasts for about an hour.”

“And also, I found this spooky stuff!” The mare brings out a beast’s skull she cleaned. It’s got sharp fangs, and looks like the one of a big wolf or something.

But as she hands it to you, the skull suddenly starts crumbling on itself, and seconds later it’s an essence you have in your hooves instead.

 

“Whaaaat?” Frog Chaser’s surprise makes way for feigned offense. “Come on now, you just HAD to break it, Lance! That glowing ball is no good to decorate my room. Just keep it now I guess!”

She gives your side a little bump with her hoof while you all have a chuckle.

 

 

 

 

 

“Yeah, turns out my skill is extracting the essences of the monsters here.” You show around a toothy grin. “Don't give me and skeletons you want to keep!”

You give back Frog Chaser a bump with your rump that moves her about as much as her hoof did on you.

 

But then it hits you.

“Hold on, if a skull gave me an essence…” You think out loud, before turning to your friends. “You kept the bodies of the beasts that attacked somewhere, right?”

There’s a silence as the mares exchange some embarrassed glances.

“Uh… we didn’t.” Verdant admits. “Sorry, we threw them to the woods and they disappeared during the following day. We’ll make sure to keep them around if an occasion like that appears again.”

 

You guess that can’t be helped… though, you’re not sure it would be a good trade-off to have your friends get attacked at night just for a chance at more essences.

Anyway, you ask Graces to pray for Health, but you can still ask something else if you change your mind before leaving if you go on an expedition.

 

Next, you take on Scoria’s offer about the rune, and it does look simple. The mare shows you the stone shines brighter when you get it close to metal, and all you’ll have to do is cleanly slice through to get the magic on your whole blade. You believe that’s even quick enough you could do it at the start of a fight. The rune will turn inert after one use, Scoria tells you.

 

“Say, have the other mares been treating you alright?” You ask once Scoria’s done explaining. “Even the big ones?”

“What now?” The mare scoffs. “’Think I can’t fend for myself, Lustre Lance? Frog Chaser might be tall, but not so much one good ol’ hammer swing to the kneecap won’t make her go down. Same goes for you if you start acting funny, haha! I got no reason to do such a thing, tough. The miner filly is a jolly one, and I like you too so far.”

“Ah… It’s good to hear you’re fitting in.”

You take a mental note not to unnecessarily piss off Scoria.

 

Next, you offer the blacksmith mare the essence.

“Heh, the others told me about this.” The mare smirks. “Is this one gonna give me stuff or change my body?”

“Well, why don’t we find out?” You reply.

“Alright then.” The blacksmith mare readily takes it with her hoof.

 

And after a familiar flash of light, Scoria finds herself with a few metal ingots in her hooves.

 

“Neat!” Scoria smiles. “Finally something to light up the forge for!”

“Would this allow you to improve my sword?” You ask.

“Of course!” She nods. “I’ll need a day of work, and like I told you I’ll make a new piece altogether. The more swords in this place the better, I say! But still, perhaps you’d like some protection instead? I can also make you some armour pieces with that if you want, even if you don’t strike me as the type to fight in full plate. There isn’t that much metal, though, so I only got enough for one choice.”

 

 

 

“But what if you do a chainmail?” You suggest. “That should use less metal so the rest could be used to reinforce my sword and-“

“Hey, did I stutter?” Scoria cuts you, looking more than a little pissed. “Sword or protection. No ‘reinforcing’. I’m trying to keep it simple because smithing is my job and not yours. Unless you think you got stuff to teach me, maybe? Do you, now?”

As a matter of fact, you don’t have any knowledge about smithing.

“Ehm… Are throwing knives possible?” You reply while forcing a grin on your face.

 

Scoria squints at you in silence for a moment.

“Yeah, I can do throwing knives with that metal if that’s what you want.” She growls. “I think I could make 3 with the metal I have.”

 

 

 

 

 

You feel an urge to boop Scoria right here and now, but you need your knees to be intact for today.

“I mean… sorry Scoria…” You bow you head. “I won’t try to tell you how do your job again, promised. It’s just that… I’m always so impressed by craftsponies like you who can turn mere metal into anything. I definitely can’t do that.”

“Yeah, right.” Scoria is visibly unimpressed. “Don’t you try to mellow me out with empty compliments, Lustre Lance. At least keep those for when I’ve actually made you something.”

“Then can I ask you for a new blade then?” You ask. “Whatever kind you want. I know that you’ll chose the best weapon to make.”

“Sure.” She nods in response.

“Also… I’m still asking for a sword, but can you do other weapons?”

“Of course.” She glances at your rump and cutie mark. “I assumed you were a swordspony, but I can forge something different if you want.”

“Another time.” You shake you head. “Make the best blade you can for now.”

You know how to wield other melee weapons, but in stats they’ll be identical to a sword.

 

For the rest of the morning, first you help Frog Chaser a little. The big mare is digging more pitfalls around the camp since it’s now certain nightly beast attacks are still a possibility.

You then go help Sand Carrot prepare lunch when noon draws near. And when you gather for the meal, you announce that you’ll go on an expedition with Verdant today.

 

Once the preparations are good, you ready yourself and walk into the forest with the bowmare.

 

You wonder for a moment if Black Fang will appear again today, but when the feeling of danger returns, it’s a regular beast that shows up.

 

It’s a wolf!

 

 

 

 

 

“This isn’t the most ferocious we’ve seen.” Verdant comments. “Let’s keep going!”

 

It’s ANOTHER wolf!

 

 

 

 

 

“This isn’t the most ferocious we’ve seen.” Verdant comments. “Let’s keep going!”

 

It’s ANOTHER wolf!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I don’t mind small fry.” Verdant smiles to herself. “We can get stronger with little risks that way.”

And indeed, the same kind of creature you just defeated twice comes to you again

 

It’s YET ANOTHER wolf!

 

 

 

 

 

“Yeah, let’s take those while they’re still available.” You say as you pocket the ball of light.

“Mmh?” Verdant raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean, ‘available’?”

“Stronger monsters only started appearing after a while.” You explain. “I think it’s because we’ve beat up a number of them, or your presence with me, or it might be something else that happened over time. I’m not sure. Anyway, I believe beasts that will be stronger still will appear eventually, and small one like these will disappear.”

“I see. Then let’s make the most of them.” But as the next enemy comes forth… “Look out, Lance! Playtime’s over!”

 

It’s a spider!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Worry not, as long as I’m with you, we’ll overcome all dangers!” Verdant boasts as the creature falls.

“Thanks Verdant!” You reply with a smile as you fetch your prize. “It’s really easy with you. I wonder if we could throw essences at these monsters to make them more of a challenge.”

“Please…” Verdant really don’t seem to like the idea. “Don’t be a danger to yourself, Lustre Lance… We have enough troubles already.”

And already the next danger drags itself to you.

 

It’s a slime!

 

 

 

 

 

 

That fight was longer, but thankfully the poison of this creature had no effect on you.

Though, now you’re alone. And next is a familiar opponent that comes forth, and she doesn’t look like she’s here for a chat or for any kind of fun time this once.

 

“Return them to me.” Black Fang demands. But in the midst of her induced fury, she can almost crank up a smile for an instant. “You won’t… regret it. But run!”

 

You face the witch.

 

 

 

There’s little you can do against Black Fang without Verdant, so you obey the last words of the witch and make your way out of here.

Again, you make it back to the village, and sunset arrives as you do. The other mares notice you’re back and come to meet you.

 

“Lustre Lance!” Frog Chaser calls as she approaches. “You’re back! But… what about Verdant?”

“Sorry, I lost sight of her in the end.” You shake your head. “But she wasn’t hurt so we should find her again tomorrow. We could fight plenty of creatures before she left, though.”

“Then I see no reason why Verdant shouldn’t be okay.” Sand Carrot nods. “Tomorrow morning, we should see that both of you made it out alright.”

 

Aside from that, Scoria is done working on a new sword and passes it to you.

“Try this, Lance!” The blacksmith mare tells you with a proud little smile. “I’m sure you’ll see the difference.”

“A new weapon for you, Lance. Cool!” Frog Chaser reacts. “The fire sword is cooler, though.”

“You can apply runes to the new one too if you find some.” Scoria precises, giving Frog Chaser a little glare that the taller mare doesn’t notice.

[spoiler]You will do more damage in combat.[/spoiler]

 

“I also found something.” Frog Chaser starts. “I could use that for digging, but it’s probably better if you keep it as a trump card against some of the beasts. But… I’ll hold on it while your sword is burning. Just in case…”

 

 

 

 

“Thanks for the sword, Scoria.” You nod toward the blacksmith mare. “I’ll be sure to put it to good use. Anyway, I brought back some of these… and there’s something I want to confirm.” You say.

 

First, you combine the three essences, and turn those in a glowing essence.

But now with three of those, you bring the 3 glowing essences together. They seem to combine! The balls of light merge into one other, and swell into a much bigger one.

 

 

“Woah!” Frog Chaser’s eyes go wide. “That thing… you can make somepony grow even more with one of these?”

“I think so, yes.” Graces comments, eyes glued on the ball of light like everypony else.

 

Indeed, it’s likely that big essence is gonna grow and empower a mare further than a glowing one. You were telling yourself earlier that maybe your friends could also become goddesses instead, if they were given enough essences.

 

Should you share these thoughts?

And should you give the essence to somepony already?

 

 

You try to press and squeeze the big essence, but as you suspected you have no way to split it back.

“Well…Let’s deal with that tomorrow, once Verdant is back.” You say. You’ll probably expose your theories about them possibly becoming goddesses too at that time.

 

On that, the 5 of you have dinner together in a relative calm. Even if she’s supposed to reappear tomorrow, the absence of Verdant makes everypony a little gloomy.

Frog Chaser will take care of the first half of the watch tonight, while Scoria will take care of the second.

 

Sand Carrot offers to help you wash yourself again.

 

 

You ponder a little more on the big essence you made. Some mares didn’t even receive a glowing essence yet, so you wonder if you could skip that part by giving them this one right away. As always, you have no guarantee this is the way things will work out, though.

And sadly… this big essence is just as impenetrable to your teeth as the others, and just swallowing it is now even more out of reach.

 

Anyway, you accept Sand Carrot’s offer. As always, the mare diligently cleans your back, and helps you unwinding after the fights.

“I’m glad you’re not coming back as wounded as before, recently.” Sand Carrot comments. “I mean, even if you were unconscious yesterday, there were only some minor bruises on you.”

“Ah, yes.” You reply. “Really, it’s thanks to Verdant that I’m okay today. The two of us were strong enough to keep fighting for a long time. Graces’ blessing helped me a lot too!”

“I see.” Sand Carrot smiles. “It’s good that you and Verdant are making a good team. In fact, I’m glad everypony’s working together as one.”

 

You’re relieved that Sand Carrot doesn’t try to question you more about the day before. The only ‘wounds’ you must have had at the time were from intense sex with a larger mare. Your companions didn’t question you much about this so far, but you don’t know if really they suspect nothing.

 

Regardless, you thank Sand Carrot for the attention, and ask if she’s like to sleep on the guardhouse bed with you, which she accepts. Sand Carrot isn’t a mare that will hug you in the night on her own, and you sleep with your backs facing away from each other. Still, it’s comforting to have another being’s warmth near you.

 

“Everyone!” Scoria’s voice from the tower wakes you up. “Verdant is back, and there’s a new mare outside too!”

Both you and Sand Carrot quickly jump on your hooves to check outside.

 

Indeed, there’s two mares lying near the field, but also there’s a travelling cart next to Graces’ church.

While Sand Carrot and Graces go help the new mare, you and Frog Chaser wake Verdant up.

 

“Uhg.” She grunts, groggily opening her eyes. “Lustre Lance?”

“Yes, that’s me. How are you feeling?”

Quickly enough, the mare recomposes herself and stands on her hooves.

“I… I’m good.” She states, quickly examining herself before turning to you again. “And… what about you? What happened after I vanished?”

“I could get away safely, don’t worry.” You say. “That witch came to face me after I lost sight of you, but I was able to run away without trouble. I brought back all the essences the two of us could gather before that.”

“Good.” Verdant smiles. “Then our expedition was a success again. Anyway, let’s meet our new companion.”

 

“Hello.” The mare addresses you with a calm smile as you turn to her. “I’ve been told we’re all trapped in a bad dream of sorts, but still It’s a pleasure to meet new faces.”

“The pleasure is ours.” You bow slightly. “I’m Lustre Lance.”

“My name is Verdant.”

“I’m Scoria.”

“Frog Chaser here.” The big green mare says with a smile. “Pleased to meet you too! But say, did you really get ‘the trapped in a dream’ part? You’re looking quite… fine with it?”

“Would it change a thing if I cried?” She slowly chuckles. “If not, then I’d rather keep smiling, and maybe even sing a nice song at some point. Of course, please do tell me where I need to help before that. I understand we’re all surviving together in here, right?”

“We appreciate your cooperation.” Verdant nods. “Also, how should we call you? None of us remember our names when we arrive, so just make on up please.”

 

“Then… please call me Chord Care.” She replies after pondering for a few seconds.

 

 

 

 

You all decide to share some breakfast together while you explain the rest of the situation to your new companion. Chord Care seems immediately at ease with everypony, even as you tell her more about dangers of this forest. You don’t exactly bother her with the threat of a new monster god being born just yet, but you do tell her about your expeditions in the woods, your encounters with the witch, and the essences you use to empower your friends. You spell it as a way to increase you chances to find a way out, which isn’t a lie.

 

“I see.” Chord Care nods. “That’s quite the fantastic tale, but that explains why I’m facing a pony as large as you are, Frog Chaser.”

“Yeah!” The big green mare grins. “And the fun thing is that I’ve been able to dig up better stuff since I grew!”

“By any chance, would you be one of those bards whose music emboldens the spirit?” You ask Chord Care. “Or perhaps are you one that can heal?”

“Apologies, Lustre Lance.” Chord Care shakes her head. “But I play music for the beauty of it. Nothing more. I can provide first aid if needed, though. And a good massage can help one focus better.”

“Ah… O-of course.” You nod. “Also, you told us about singing, but do remember if you know how to play any instrument?”

“Well…I’m familiar with those with strings I believe.” She ponders, and closing her eyes, she mimics holding something long at the level of her midsection. “Yes… holding a luth would feel right.”

“Do you mind if we check your cart?” Sand Carrot asks. “I mean, it appeared with you this morning, and when a house appears with somepony usually there’s stuff they can use inside. Maybe there’s a luth in here.”

“Why, that would be some good news!” Chord Care nods. “Let’s go then.”

 

As the two mares start walking away, you turn to Verdant and bring out the big essence.

“Hey. I think you should have this.” You say. “Your help is invaluable against the beasts. Please help me gather even more essences, Verdant. I want to go on an expedition today again.”

Verdant nods, and she smiles as she approaches. “Thanks for trusting me, Lustre Lance. I won’t disappoint you.”

 

There, Verdant grabs the orb without hesitation.

Again, a bright flash of light prevents you from completely taking in what happens, but without a doubt Verdant grows.

This time, her size definitely exceeds what a regular pony would achieve. When you can open your eyes, Verdant ‘s body towers about you and your eyes are staring at the base of her neck.

 

“Woah…” Verdant seem amazed by the changes, she makes a little spin on herself as she observes the new her. You notice she seem to be packing even more muscles than before, especially in the back.

“Heh.” Frog Chaser comments with a smirk. “Still haven’t caught up with me!”

By a few inches at most, but it’s true.

Verdant’s bed should still have become large enough for you to share with Frog Chaser. Though, the guardmare said that everypony may sleep in their own house once the wall is complete. You haven’t checked everywhere, but everypony but you would have its own place to sleep if it wasn’t for the threat of attacks in the night. That’s the reason you all stay under the watchtower at night.

 

But hold on, what are you thinking about such trifling matters when a friend of your just got about twice as massive as before and probably packs the strength of a dozen ponies?

“Well, looks like you’re ready for another expedition!” You enthusiastically tell Verdant. “The way I see you, these beasts have run out of luck!”

“I sure feel like I could take them all on right now.” The huge warrior mare smiles back. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Then we’re going after lunch.”

 

 

“Goodness, Verdant!” You grin at the big and strong mare. “It feels like I could ride you into battle at this size! I’d be sure to never lose sight of you that way.”

“You could, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She replies. “I’m big, but not so much you could defend properly while on top of me if a monster were to target you.”

 

“My!” Chord Care exclaims as she returns. They did find a luth in her cart it seems. “So what you said about these essence is really true!”

“You bet it is!” Frog Chaser replies. “Thanks to those, we’re gonna get stronger and I’m confident we’ll eventually find a way out of here even!”

 

As much as you hate dousing the hopes of your friend, you have a few doubts about this. You’ve got to speak up at some point, and now is as good of a time as any other you guess.

“Everyone… I need to talk to you all about something.” You start. “There’s something bothering me about the essences. Just like Black Fang wants essences to become the goddess of monsters, isn’t there a chance that any of you could become that goddess if keep giving you essences?”

 

“Hey, are you sure now?” Frog Chaser replies, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not feeling any more… monsterly than before since I grew.”

“Me neither.” Graces adds. “And I doubt Verdant would say anything like that either. Also, remember the insight we got from the Light. When you turn a monster into an essence, you strip it of the will of this domain, so this power isn’t tied to the monster god anymore.”

“I don’t know anything for sure.” You shake your head. “But that still seems like a possibility to me. One of you could grow to the point you’d be chosen by the monster god to become his heir instead of the witch, or taking his power may end up being necessary if we want to escape this place at all. Or you could become another kind of goddess too. I mean, it wouldn’t be… ‘as bad’, but that’s not something I’d take lightly either. I… again, I’m not sure of anything. That’s probably something you could ask the Light about, Graces.”

 

“Hum.” The cleric mare nods. “I’ll try to learn more if I have the occasion. But I don’t think we have to worry about being suddenly possessed by ill intent for now. I have faith the Light will protect us while we tread its path.”

“I don’t know about the Light...” Verdant starts. “But I feel readier than ever to protect everyone. I think it would be good if we brought back more of these essences.”

“Well… The essence you gave me turned into some good ol’ ingots, so it doesn’t get any more neutral than that.” Scoria says. “And it seems the rest of you are fine with them. So I guess I’d be fine using some on myself.”

 

It’s true that if there’s any straight downside to using the essences, you haven’t seen those yet.

Hopefully some insight could help you see things more clearly.

Anyway, for now you ask Chord are about her massages. The mare insists on doing so in her cart. There are some drapes and sheets in there that you can lie down on. The mare then starts working her hooves on your back for an experience that turns out to be quite enjoyable. Her touch on you seem to strain you for only a split second at first before there’s a release of tension that sends a warm shiver through your whole limb or body area, often making you inadvertently utter a sigh of relief. Chord Care seem ready to apply that treatment on each and very join and muscle of your body, and relaxed like you are, you feel no drive to object on that.

 

“So Lustre Lance, you lucky stud.” Chord Care suddenly speaks. “How does it feels having that many mares interested in you? Surely that’s a colt’s dream come true for you, right?”

“Huh?” You blurt in surprise. Your body reflexively wants to turn back, but the mare’s gentle hoof holds you in position. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“Oh, come on. Are you really that oblivious? A young, strong and dependable warrior, surrounded by beautiful mares to be saved. Surely you realize there’s a couple of them that have feelings for you already.”

“Well… I… But, wait, how would you know that? You just arrived this morning.”

“Please, it’s all in the little glances, the smiles that last a second as a hoof touches yours, or the eagerness in handing you a mere bowl of grub.” Chord Care recounts. “Really, nopony should need more than a single meal together pick up all that.”

“I… don’t know what to say. Why are you telling me all this?”

“Why? Because I’m a hopelessly romantic mare, Lustre Lance!” Chord Care chuckles. “Seeing the love between two ponies blossom inspires me to write and sing new songs like nothing else! So don’t worry, I’m your ally here. And you’ll find out I’m quite good at figuring out ponies. If you’re feeling lost about how a mare feels about you, you can ask me for help. Trust me. Just give me a name, I’ll tell you what they feel about you without even raising any suspicion. I’ll need about a day to spend around them, but then I’ll answer about any question you might have about your current relationship with that pony. And of course, if you need somepony to play a serenade in the background while you confess your love, I’m the mare of the situation.”

 

As you take in what the mare says, she keeps massaging you. While her hooves on your back are enjoyable and relaxing, you don’t think you’ll be significantly more performant in fights.

 

 

“Tell you a name you say? Then what about you Chord Care?” You ask. “Wouldn’t it be fair that you started by telling me about how you feel about me before digging on the other mares?”

“Me?” She chuckles. “I think you’re interesting Lustre Lance, but not in a way that makes me want you for myself. That mix of… down to earth and cutesy attitudes of yours don’t really excite me so far. I’d rather see how you deal with the other mares. Though, I just arrived this morning, and even if I’m good at reading the mood, I have still a lot to discover. Maybe you have some surprises in you…”

 

“Fair enough.” You reply, resting your head on your hooves to better appreciate the massage. “Thanks for being honest. So, you sound confident you figured it all out, right? Who do you think has feelings for me?”

“In order of intensity, Frog Chaser, Verdant, Graces, and Sand Carrot.” Chord Care immediately replies. “These feelings are all of a different nature, though. Frog Chaser and Sand Carrot are the closest from having a regular… crush on you, I’d say, with the latter being a lot father to act upon it right now.”

“Huh.” You wouldn’t have included Sand Carrot, you think to yourself, but you suppose it’s believable there’s some attraction from her too. “Well, I guess Frog Chaser is rather obvious, and Verdant certainly seems like she has a good opinion of me. Though, I’m curious about Graces, and if you’d accept, I’d like to learn more about her. She seems to seek physical contact like her life depends on it, and I’m not sure what to make of that.”

“Mmh? That’s interesting.” Chord Care replies. “I’ll see what I can learn about her.”

“Also…” You chuckle to yourself. “To be honest, the mare whose intention I’d really need to know about is that witch in the woods, but I think that could be a bit too dangerous to have you interact with her.”

“I think so too.” Chord Care replies. “And that’s a real shame, honestly. A mare who’s both trying to kill and seduce a stallion is a romance one rarely gets to witness with their own eyes…”

 

“I guess so.” You say. “Also… would you have advice about how do balance several ponies having feelings for me?”

“Oh, Lustre Lance, there’s no balance that’ll last long for that.” You see Chord Care shake her head in the corner of your eye. “It’s been one tragedy about love that has been sung about since the beginning of ponykind.”

“I see…” You sulk a little. “I wish I could avoid hurting anypony’s feeling, but it’s becoming inevitable the way I see it.”

“Probably, yes.” Chord Care states. “For now, love is a potentiality. All hopes are permitted while no choice is made, and cementing a choice is bound to sweep away some desires by making them definably unrealisable. But not making one will eventually eat away at these hopes too, while acting up on love will make it a radiant reality.”

Chord Care sighs to herself.

“Oh, this bitter-sweet drama… I’ll never get tired of it.”

“Do you think I could… sort of, just befriend everypony?” You ask. “I don’t want jealousy to settle in this village. Somehow, I feel like our safety depends on all of us getting along.”

“Hmm? Do you mean, literally?” Chord Care sounds dubious. “Well, I don’t know about that, and I can’t say just yet if just being friends with everypony will work out either. I’d wager there are some mares out there whose feelings won’t accept remaining unanswered eternally, but this could work out for some others.”

 

Chord Care is probably right. Nothing is forcing you to make a definitive choice yourself, but it’s likely your mare friends will take the initiative if this drags on for too long, and you’ll have to reject them or all of the others.

As if fighting you way out of a dead god’s dream wasn’t complicated enough…

 

Once Chord Care is done taking care of you, you go visit Graces in the church, and ask her to pray for some insight about you, and why rules are so different for in in these woods. Chord Care follows you there, and will remain around Graces for now.

 

 

After Chord Care gave you a massage and that you accompanied her to keep company to Graces during her prayers, you spend the rest of the morning helping Sand Carrot in the field.

 

Chord Care told you that the famer mare had some feelings for you. While not entirely unconceivable, you realised you hadn’t bonded much with the mare that’s been doing most of the cooking for all of you villagers. The mare also spontaneously offered to take care of your injuries from the very first time you returned from an expedition. She’s hardworking and caring, but also has some courage into her. Even while she doesn’t know how to fight, she decided to accompany you in the forest once to experiment what would happen. It’s a bit strange. Even with all that, and even if she’s among those that have been here the longest, you feel like you don’t know much about Sand Carrot yet. All the more reason to catch up on that.

 

There’s more of you to feed since the last time you’ve helped around the field, but the mare’s been planting enough to keep up. And with how fast everything is growing, you’re not gonna have to fear hunger anytime soon.

“Say, Sand Carrot.” You start at some point. “Ehm… How have you been doing lately?” You start.

“Me? Oh, I’m fine of course!” She answers with a smile. “You don’t have to worry about me, Lustre Lance. I’m not the one who gets to fight monsters every other day.”

“That’s good to hear.” You nod. “But what I meant, is… do you have some passions? Hobbies you like practicing? It feels like you’re working all the time.”

“Ah, I see.” She chuckles. “You’re worried you’ve been letting me do all the chores, right? But it’s alright with me. I like taking care of other ponies, and I enjoy cooking for everypony. To be honest, I like that there’s more and more ponies around in the village, and I know the work I do is appreciated. I could even say I’d be fine to live in a place like this one, if only this place wasn’t so strange and dangerous.” She sighs. “Yeah, as much as I’d love to have some more ponies or even foals around this little village, this is certainly not a place for them.”

 

You help Sand Carrot prepare lunch after that, and then at noon everyone gathers to eat together.

Verdant used the morning to get some sleep since she reappeared this morning after disappearing during your last expedition, and now she looks ready for action. More that ever even, now that you gave her the big essence you brought from your last encounters and that she grew some more height and muscles.

 

 

“Verdant, are you ready to go out in the woods again?” you ask the amazon-sized mare.

“Of course.” She nods with a smirk. “I’m eager to see what I can do now that my body is this strong.”

“Great!” You smile back. “I have a new tool I must put try myself.”

You wink toward Scoria, and the blacksmith mare gives you an approving nod this time.

 

Not long after you’ve finished your meal, you set out to the trees with Verdant while the rest of your companions watch. With your big friend at your side, the woods don’t seem so threatening anymore. In fact, the first beast that soon comes out looks downright puny now.

 

 

“I’d almost feel bad for picking on an animal this small.” Verdant comments. “It looks like a small dog to me. Too bad these are so bloodthirsty.”

 

 

 

 

“I’d almost feel bad for picking on an animal this small.” Verdant comments. “It looks like a small dog to me. Too bad these are so bloodthirsty.”

 

Verdant’s arrow flies in an instant, and pins the wolf down in a single shot. You didn’t even need to move and your opponent is already dead.

However, this impressive display made you lose your focus right away, and you lost sight of your friends.

 

 

 

The beast turns into another essence after you defeat it, and already another comes from the bushes.

 

This one is… new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is now or never that the smoke bomb can save your ass. In the puff of smoke that quickly forms, you’re able to leave the monster behind you.

 

 

You felt a bit sluggish after that strange plant touched you, but as the clearing comes into view, that feeling disappears.

 

It’s the evening like every time you come back, and Frog Chaser calls everypony as she sees you return from the watchtower.

 

“Lustre Lance! You’re…” Chord Care seems to notice your state as the mares come close. “You’re hurt! Should we carry you too a house? Do you need treatment?”

“Come on, now.” Frog Chaser attempts to calm the singer mare. “Lance is a tough colt. He’s seen worst… right?”

“Yeah, I’ll manage. But the odds were not in my favour today.” You admit, forcing a meek smile on your face to calm Chord’s worry. “I even lost sight of Verdant right away. She wasn’t hurt fortunately, so she should be back in one piece tomorrow morning. I didn’t even bring back much this time…”

 

“It’s alright.” Sand Carrot smiles regardless. “What matters is that you’re alive. Everything is well now that you’re back, Lustre Lance. Now you can take your time to recover. Do you want to have dinner?”

“Uhm…” You nod. “Yes. Thanks, that would be great.”

 

A warm meal in the safety for the village indeed soothes you mind ad body already. You friends are mostly relieved that your back, and they’re not as stressed by Verdant’s absence this time since they saw her return once already. Chord Care seizes the occasion that you all sit together to start playing a calm ballad with her luth while you eat.

Also, this morning you asked Graces to pray for insight about you and your shroud, and the mare is ready to deliver the answer she interpreted from the Light.

 

“This is what I learned.” Graces speaks. “Lustre Lance. You wilfully entered this dominion with the purpose to put an end to it, and to save the ponies trapped in here. As for why the rules are different for you, it is thanks to help you received before arriving. The shroud that protects you, and now this village, is a spell that has been actively put up to help you resist the dominion’s influence.”

“Woah!” Frog Chaser shows you a smirk, and she seems genuinely excited. “Hey, Lance! Sounds like you’re actually some kind of hero on a rescue mission!”

“Hold on, so… All this stuff that’s different with me… it’s part of some kind of plan to get everypony out of this place?” You ask Graces. “But… If this shroud is protecting me, why is it I don’t have any memory? That sounds like something a protection should have been used for.”

“Well, the Light told me, you and your friends are ponies full of conviction and courage, and chose to take a leap of faith for this purpose. None of you knew exactly what you were getting into but chose to go through anyway. While the shroud aimed to protect you from this place’s influence, you didn’t know what you were gonna find in this dream exactly, so far from every possibility was covered by the spell when it was cast. Also, the Light told me that right now, your friends are watching over your body and are trying to find ways to help you.”

 

You’re taken aback by what Graces said. Without any memory or know-how, learning that you’ve supposedly taken it on yourself to put an end to the dream of a dead god is making you feel very unprepared. But there’s also the fact you have friends on the other side… which means there IS an other side! There’s definitely a reality you can escape to out there! Well, if the Light says the truth of course…

 

 

 

You attempt to give an essence to Sand Carrot and Chord Care. While nothing happens with Sand Carrot, for the musician mare the essence glows and transforms into a deck of cards.

“Huh. Would you look at that!” The mare smiles as she browses the cards. “I remember now! I have a way to see the future with these!”

“See the future?” Frog Chaser sounds unconvinced. “You mean, as part of some performance act, right?”

“And like any performance, it’s real if you believe in it Frog Chaser honey!” Chord Care replies with a giggle. “Do you want a reading?”

 

“Sure.” The big mare sits down in front of Chord Care, a slightly smug smirk on her face. “So tell me… am I gonna eat soup tomorrow?”

“Let us find out!” Chord Care starts dutifully shuffling her cards to answer the asinine question. She lays down the deck so Frog Chaser may touch it to ‘imbue it with her energy’, and after shuffling the deck again the musician mare reveals the one at the top for all to see.

“The Magician!” Chord Care announces. “The master manifestator! This card shows that you have all you need to make your dreams come true in your hooves already! It means that if you want to eat soup tomorrow, all you have to do is politely ask Sand Carrot to make some.”

“Ahahahaha!” Sand Carrot bursts out laughing. “It’s true! You ‘can’ see the future, Chord Care!”

 

“Alright, you got me there.” Frog chuckles at Chord Care’s display, and then turns to Sand Carrot. “So, yeah, the soup you made the other day tasted really great! Can you make it again please?”

“But of course, Frog Chaser!” Sand Carrot heartily replies. “It will be my pleasure.”

 

After that, you give the other essence to Scoria. It transforms into metal ingots again, and the blacksmith mare will make you some armour tomorrow.

 

Before you turn in for the night, Chord Care offers to help you wash and take care of your bruises. That way, you can also hear what she found out without being too suspicious.

“So, you wanted to know why Graces longs for physical contact so bad, Lustre Lance?” Chord Care starts whispering in your ear. “Well, it’s all tragically simple. While she puts up a stoic face, Graces actually feels dramatically inadequate about the state of her body. The wheels aren’t comfortable or practical, and the extra effort to move around wears on her. However, there are two things that alleviate her pain. The first, is to immerse herself in the world of the mind. She forgets her body and troubles while she prays, and finds the most genuine solace a believer can find in her faith. The second, well you can probably guess… feeling the body of a strong stallion like yourself against her! That’s the other way her body stops being a problem to her and that she can feel better.”

 

“But now… I have to tell you it gets a bit more complicated.” The musician mare continues.” You see, Graces has faith in the Light, and the way she sees it, the intense affection she has for you… is one she believes should be between every single being out here! I was shocked to tell you the truth. She is so obviously infatuated with you, but somehow convinced herself this is some holistic kind of love. I think she’s a bit delusional if you ask me, but you don’t have to take my word for it.”

 

 

“Hold on, what do you mean exactly by… some holistic kind of love?” You ask.

“Right now, Graces feels like the relationship she has with you should be the kind of love all ponies share with each other. Like I said, I believe she’s misinterpreting her own feelings, but for now she thinks there isn’t an ounce of romance in what she did with you.”

“That’s a lot to take in.” You tell Chord Care. “But… thanks for telling me all this. Really. You’re helping me a lot here, Chord Care.”

“You’re welcome, Lustre Lance.” You see the mare smile in the corner of your eyes. “Now I just wonder what you’re gonna do next.”

 

Next… is probably the time for you to go to bed. Your expedition was rather short-lived, but the wounds and the peak of adrenaline you suffered today wear on you as though you ran a marathon.

By now, Verdant’s bed does look like it could accommodate more than just two ponies of your size, but this once you only offer to share it with Graces. The mare is happy to accept.

 

You all prepare yourselves for the night while Frog Chaser keeps watch in the tower above. Like last time, Graces seems elated to be able to nuzzle herself against your back, a little purr of contentment escaping her lips as she does.

Once the lights are out, though, you decide to take this to another level. Still embraced by Graces, you turn around on the mattress, and pull her close enough your chests touch each other.

“Lustre Lance…” The mare softly exclaims in surprise.

“It’s okay.” You mutter. “I see how much it means to you when I hold you. We can stay like this tonight.”

“I… Thank you.” After a slight hesitation, the bright-eyed mare accepts the situation. Her face gets close to yours, and she places it to rest on your neck and cheek. The mare holds you tight, and you shiver slightly as the warmths of your coats seep into the other.

 

You don’t think you’re gonna be able to prevent yourself from getting an erection for long with Graces’ ample teats squished so close to your crotch, but in that position there’s also the stumps of her legs which feel a little eerie and somehow keep your arousal at bay.

But while you mind is aggravated by these contradictory feelings, Graces seem content to just hold on you. Her breath slows downs as she falls asleep, and somehow you feel a bit foolish yourself upon seeing how calm she is about this.

 

In the end, you make sure to hold the mare close, and in her gentle and steady heartbeat, you eventually find enough peace to drift away to sleep with her.

 

“Verdant’s back!” You’re woken up as you hear Scoria call from atop the guardhouse.

You barely have any time to process the message and your position that Graces rolls away from your arms. You’ve been holding her all night, and still feel her warmth on your coat. In this position, you could only wake up with a stiffy, but the pale mare acts as though she didn’t even notice, and only show her calm smile to you.

“Shall we go greet Verdant back?” She asks.

“Uhm, yes.” You nod, unsure what to make of this situation. “Of course.”

 

After helping Graces on her wheels, you all go out to help the big guardsmare back on her hooves. She is unharmed, which is a meagre comfort after you lost sight of her right away during your last adventure.

“I’m really sorry Verdant.” You bow apologetically at her. “I couldn’t look out for you yesterday, and the expedition didn’t turn out not so well in the end because of me.”

“Don’t worry about it, Lustre Lance.” Verdant shakes her head. “If anything, it’s strange that something like this didn’t happen sooner. To be honest, that’s more along the lines of what I expected about being one glance away from disappearing. So don’t feel too bad about it…”

There she shows you a little smirk.

“…But try not to make it an habit either! If that’s possible, I’d like to follow you for a whole expedition like the first one we went on. Anyway, did you come back alright?”

“Yes I did.” You nod. In fact, you recovered completely for yesterday’s expedition too.

“Then that’s the most important.” Verdant nods. “Just allow me to rest this morning, and then I’ll be ready to follow you when you decide to take on the forest again.”

 

 

 

“Say, Chord Care, can you read my future with your cards please?” You ask over the breakfast.

“But of course, Lance.” She smiles. “If you seek guidance, I’m sure you can find it the cards. Now, there’s two ways we can do this. You can may ask a question that can be answered by yes or no to the cards, or I can draw a card that will be your fortune for the day. Though, I’ll only do one reading for a pony each day, and only once on a particular question. Fate is a fickle mistress you see, and peering too much into it will only bring confusion.”

 

 

After breakfast, you decide to talk to Chord Care in private about this.

“I have one question.” You nod. “Are there any good endings for the witch if we won't take her side?”

“Her name is Black Fang, right?” Chord Care replies as she starts shuffling her cards. “We can ask the cards, yes.”

 

Chord Care has you lay your hoof on the deck of cards, enjoining you to focus your thoughts on it and ask your question in your mind. Despite having no idea if this is mere prestidigitation or not, the musician mare seems satisfied after a few seconds. She shuffles the cards again, and then reveals the one at the top.

 

It’s a red card.

 

“The cards point to yes, Lustre Lance.” Chord Care announces. “As for what to make of that answer, the choice is in your hooves.”

“Alright.” You nod. “But… we’re talking about a good ending from her point of view, right?”

“Ah, this one, only the cards know.” Chord Care chuckles. “Also, you asked about a possibility, Lustre Lance, so your actions might matter a lot in the outcome anyway.”

 

 

“Thanks for the answer.” You nod. “And speaking of answers, would you mind trying to see how I could bond better with Sand Carrot?”

“Of course.” Chord Care nods. “I’ll make sure to find out in what ways you and her and compatible.”

 

For the rest of the morning, you decide to go help Frog Chaser dig her hole. The gallery is now about fifty feet long, and for obvious reasons its height has been significantly raised since the last time you’ve been in there. A lot of dirt has been piled behind Frog’s house, against the wall.

Frog Chaser is happy to welcome some help. Since her tools grew with her, you find yourself wielding an oversized pickaxe whose head is as long as you’re tall. Despite the bigger mare showing off how much faster she can dig, the toil helps you empty you mind and warm you up for a potential expedition this afternoon.

 

Lunch time comes, and Verdant wakes up after resting this morning, ready for action.

 

 

“Scoria, are you done making the armour?”

“Nope.” The blacksmith mare shakes her head. “I think I told you I needed the whole day, Lance. Not half the day. Or maybe you want some half-baked armour to make sure you come back half-alive, Hmm?”

“Alright, I get it Scoria.” You bow slightly. “Sorry about being impatient. It’s just that this sword you made already helped me a lot, so I can’t wait to see another piece of your work.”

“You’ll get to see it in time.” This time, you see a little smirk on the abrasive mare’s face as she nods to herself. It seems your compliments are getting to her after all.

 

Anyway, once you’re done with lunch, and after asking Graces to pray for might, you and Verdant go on an expedition.

 

“Let’s hunt these beasts down, Lustre Lance!” The big guardsmare gives you a friendly jab on the side while you both walk under the trees. “By the time we’ll be back to the clearing, the last hunt will be nothing more than a bad memory!”

“Yeah, you’re right!” You nod with enthusiasm. “We’ll make sure to bring a better haul than last time, and I’ll do my best to keep you with me all the way through!”

 

As you advance, you start to feel the presence of beasts nearby. In fact, the first on that comes turns out to be quite the big game.

“Holy… Looks like we’ve got a challenge this time!” Verdant bellows as she prepares an arrow.

 

 

 

 

“Verdant!” You call. “This one looks like enough game for today! Let’s drive him back to the clearing and fight there!”

“I’ll follow your lead!” Verdant replies

 

The rocky saurian on your tail, you and Verdant make it back to the clearing. You hear a panicked cry of alarm from Frog Chaser, who was keeping watch, as she call everypony.

The beast is too big for the traps and pitfalls your prepared, so now you’re fighting it on your own.

 

 

The beast recoils one last time as you deal the final blow before going limp. You took some serious hits, and you’re left panting heavily as the creature disappears, leaving behind a big essence.

 

 

“Verdant! Lance!” Frog Chaser calls, as the rest of your friends arrive. “Are you alright? S-sorry, we didn’t know how to help without getting in the way.”

“Are the two of you alright?” Sand Carrot immediately start to inspect your wounds. “Goodness… do you always fight that kind of enemies in the forest?”

“It’s the first time we encountered something so big actually.” Verdant replies, and then to you. “We owe this victory to you Lustre Lance. I’m glad I could assist you, but you’re the real hero of this fight after taking all the heat on yourself.”

 

 

 

“It’s you I’ve got to thank for this win.” You reply to Verdant. “I definitely couldn’t have done this without you. I’m glad we could fight this foe together.”

“Don’t mention it.” She shakes her head, but still shows a half-smile to you. “You’re the one who keeps getting hurt over this, and I’m glad we fought here and not in the forest. I could at least help a little with the takedown that way.”

“Also, we’re gonna need better traps for next time.” You add.

“Y-yeah!” Frog Chase nods stiffly. “I’ll make sure to make a pitfall big enough for that kind of monster tomorrow.”

 

For now, you’re gonna have your wounds cleaned by Chord Care while Sand Carrot prepares dinner. That way, the musician mare can tell you what she learned toady.

“So, I’ve spending the day around Sand Carrot.” Chord Care starts whispering in your ear while she works. “And to put is simply, she’s got a crush on you. She thinks you’re brave, considerate, dependable and good-looking. You’re close to being her dream-colt, Lustre Lance!”

 

“However, there are two things in the way of such feelings, and they’re both matters of fidelity. The first is that Sand Carrot believes Frog Chaser is going for you already, and she doesn’t see herself competing with another mare for a stallion. This one could be easy to crack by you just taking the initiative, but there’s something else that’s going to be a lot more complicated. You see, Sand Carrot hopes that our real lives are waiting for us out there, and she has faith you and Vedant will bring us all out of here alive. I think so too by the way! But for Sand Carrot, she also strongly considers the possibility she has a family waiting for her in the real world, and maybe a husband she won’t risk cheating on with anypony else. Even if this place is a world apart, she just doesn’t think it would be right, and intends to keep herself in check while we’re here.”

 

“So from here, how can you better get along with her?” Chord Care continues. “Well, just keep doing what you’ve been at already. Working with Sand Carrot will keep showing her your gentle side, while the fights you triumph over will make her melt over at how much a strong stallion you are. Eventually, you might just overcome her fear of infidelity that way. Will you corrupt this gentle soul and make her renounce her chastity? I’d like to see that honestly…”

“I see.” You nod. “Thank you for the information, Chord Care.”

 

Aside from romantic pursuit, you’ve also been thinking about giving the big essence you just got to Sand Carrot. You’ve got a little doubt about this one, though. What if skipping the glowing essence has you miss out on something? Maybe you could get some insight first to be sure…

 

 

 

You’re gonna wait a little to use this essence, just to be sure. Besides, growing the mares might be what’s bringing bigger monsters into the forest, so there’s no harm in playing it slow, you guess.

 

“You’re a really kind mare, Chord Care.” You tell her once she’s done treating you. “I mean it. I’ve been a huge help since you’ve arrived.”

“Aw, that’s sweet of you to say, Lustre Lance.” Chord Care smiles back “It always feel good to have your work recognised.”

 

The two of you find out that dinner is served when you come out of the guardhouse. As always, Sand Carrot has been making wonders with what she has, and you can all enjoy a recomforting warm meal.

Verdant is gonna keep watch tonight.

 

 

After dinner, and while everypony prepares themselves to go to sleep, you decide to join Verdant for her watch tonight.

 

“Hey.” You greet the amazonian mare as she sees you climb the tower. Now there’s stairs instead of a ladder. “Do you mind if I keep you company for tonight?

“Are you sure?” Verdant asks back “You got hit rather heavily today. Shouldn’t you go to bed early?”

“I’ll be fine.” You reply. “Besides, I really feel like I should keep you company tonight.”

“Oh, uhm…” Verdant seems a little surprised. “Alright then.”

 

 

 

“That reminds me.” You speak up. “I don’t think we’ve told you what Graces found out after I asked why things work differently for me. It turns out I didn’t get trapped here. I came on my own to get everypony out of this bad dream, or so the Light told her. The reason I can go into these woods is a spell that’s protecting me from the influence of this place, sort of, but its magic couldn’t prevent me from losing my memories. So, unfortunately, I don’t know what I need to do exactly.”

“I see.” Verdant nods, and you see her smile to you. “Well, looks to me like you’ve started fighting back against the powers of this place alright, memories or not. You’re definitely an amazing stallion, Lustre Lance. Anyway, could that magic be the reason why there hasn’t been any beast attack since you arrived?”

 

“Well… probably, yeah.” You nod. “I think the one time there was an attack, it was the night I wasn’t able to return her after an expedition.”

“Mmh.” Verdant seems to relax a little, sitting down and leaning on the crenelations of the tower. “That makes sense to me. These nights have been quiet indeed. If we can finish that wall, I was thinking we could try sleeping in our own houses as long as you’re here. That’ll give everypony a bit of privacy. I’m sure they’ll appreciate.”

 

It’s true you’ve yet to witness a night attack of your own. If Verdant thinks it’s safe, then you have to wonder why she’s still so dutifully keeping watch. Looking at her, she’s looking quite serene right now, her eyes looking toward the endless sea of trees around. But then she glances at you.

“If you still want to stay with me, you should make yourself comfortable, Lustre Lance.” The large mare smiles toward you. “The night’s probably going to be quiet.”

 

 

“Alright.” You nod. “Let me get something first, then.”

You make a quick trip down the stairs to fetch the blanket and pillow on Verdant’s bed before coming back up.

 

“Oh. Those are mine.” Verdant notes.

“I guess I’m getting a little too used to borrowing your bed.” You chuckle. “But you did say I should get comfortable, so we’re gonna need these.”

“We’re…?” Verdant jumps slightly as you come to lean against her and throw the blanket over the two of you.

 

“There!” You put down the pillow to rest your legs on, leaving space on Verdant’s side for her to do the same. “I think it doesn’t get any more comfortable than this.”

“Uhm…” You see the big guardsmare blush, and advert her gaze to look at the horizon when you smile up to her. “I guess. Yeah…”

 

You’re sitting down right now, your side against the belly of the larger mare. You feel her warmth on contact, but she hasn’t budged a single of her powerful muscle since you’ve approached her.

“Is it me…” You start, preventing an awkward silent to settle in. “…or have you been smiling and relaxing a lot more nowadays. Out of curiosity, did something change?”

“Well… I dare say things have been looking up lately.” Verdant replies. “Like I told you, before you arrived the situation looked quite hopeless to me with the attacks at night. But then you arrived. You’ve been able to fight back, the attacks stopped, and, well…” You feel the mare shuffle slightly next to you. She lies on her belly to make the most of the blanket and pillow, and soon you do the same. “I’d be lying if I said turning into a physically stronger version of myself didn’t make me feel safer, and now I’m even able to fight back too. And there’s everypony else also. From a hoofful of survivors, we’re starting to look like a proper hamlet of sorts. This clearing is livelier now, and with everypony around, the danger of this place feels a little further away.”

 

“That’s good to hear.” You nod, your ear brushing against the mare’s mane. “That you’re able to feel some serenity I mean. Hopefully I’m gonna be able to see you like that again when we’re out of here.”

“Lustre Lance… I…” Verdant seems taken aback at first, but then the blushing mare shows you an earnest smile. “Y-yes, of course. I still don’t know what kind of life I have out of this place, but if you’re an adventurer of some sort, you could certainly visit. Who knows. Maybe I’m a traveller too, and maybe we’ve even journeyed together before. We have a… good fighting synergy, I’d say.”

 

You feel the mare’s body get a tiny bit less tense, and just a little she leans back on your side.

 

 

“Merely talking about fighting synergy is underselling yourself.” You chuckle. “Come on Verdant, you’re growing into a one mare army by yourself. By now you’d beat me everytime if we were to spar against each other, and when we fight in the forest, often I feel like I should just keep my eyes on you and let you do your thing.”

“But you don’t.” Verdant replies, and she lightly nuzzles her chin on the top of your head. “You keep giving it your all whenever we face danger, and you keep pressing on even as the beasts seem to focus their attacks on you.”

 

“Heh. It feels a bit strange.” You comment. “Seeing everypony else grow stronger around me, I mean. I don’t think I could wrestle down Frog Chaser any more than I could you, and if things keep up, that might become the case for every other mare in the village. And yet, there are so much stakes that remain tied specifically to me…”

“Yeah, and I wish I could take more of that burden.” Verdant says. “Things are that way because of the anomaly you brought here, but it’s thanks to it that we have a fighting chance at all. I’ll make sure to do everything I can to help you, Lustre Lance, and I’m sure everypony else will do the same.”

“Thanks. I know you mean it Verdant.” You smile at the larger mare. “And I’m glad for every other friend we have on our side. Honestly, I think we’re lucky with how well we’re all going along. It’s very peaceful, here, in our growing village, isn’t it?”

“It sure is.” She nods. “We’re a brave little community.”

 

“Also, maybe you’re right about us having met before.” You say next. “Who knows? Maybe it’s to help you that I entered this dream in the first place.”

“Ahahaha…” Even in the dim light, you see a heavy blush on Verdant’s face. “C-come on now, do I look like a damsel in distress to you Lustre Lance? I mean, not that I wouldn’t like it if a stallion came to help me out of this place, but, uhm… I mean…”

“You’re right, scratch that.” You cut short the bigger mare’s embarrassed chattering. “Actually, I’m the one who feels safer around you Verdant.”

On that, you shift a bit closer to the big mare. You can feel the strong pumps of her heart even just touching her side like you are.

“As long as you’re here with me I have a feeling things will work out in the end.” You add, looking up at her face.

“Lustre Lance… I…” The mare allows herself another genuinely moved smile. “I guess I feel the same about you.”

 

There, you wrap your legs around the mare’s strong neck. You’re barely able to fully go around it, but you squeeze Verdant into a much-needed hug anyway. In response, she drapes her hooves around you to hold you close, and between that and you head under her chin, you feel completely surrounded by her warmth.

You can’t resist nuzzling yourself against her, and then crane you neck up to place a little peck on the mare’s cheek. She recoils slightly in reaction, locking eyes with you while you’re still in her embrace. Slowly, unsurely, her head gets closer to yours, until finally she finds the courage to go in and share a kiss with you.

 

You wake up next to Verdant. You’re alone with her on the big bed in her guardhouse. After you spent the night keeping watch together, you settled to sleep until noon.

 

Last night was… interesting. Your watch was quiet and again there was no trace of any monster attack, but after you and Verdant opened up to each other, you ended up sharing a sweet moment hurdled together in the night. To keep the sleepiness at bay, you and the runt-turned-amazon mare would give the other a nuzzle, mutter a little something sweet in their ear, or even go for a quick smooch. You’re pretty sure Verdant took advantage of that last part after you started it, pretending to have fallen heavily asleep until you would give her a long, drawn-out kiss.

 

Now, with both of you lying on your sides, you’re facing the bigger mare as you share her bed. She’s sleeping soundly, her breathing calm and steady, and you see the hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

“Hey, sleepyheads!” Frog Chaser’s voice wakes up Verdant before you can do anything more. “You can come over. Lunch’s ready!”

The two of you soon stand up and join the rest of your friends. Verdant doesn’t say anything about yesterday to the others, nor does she act in any different way in front of them. She merely looks in a particularly good mood right now.

 

“Lance.” Graces speaks. “I could obtain some insight this morning already since the matter was rather simple. About that big essence you collected yesterday, well, the Light encourages that we use it without worry.”

“Thank you, Grace.” You nod. “I guess that means we won’t lose any effect even if the pony using it never received another essence before this one… right?”

“I think so, yes.” The cleric mare nods. “As I told you before, the answers of the Light are rarely precise mechanically speaking, but I received an undoubtedly good omen about using the essence you collected yesterday.”

 

 

 

 

“Chord Care?” You ask the mare once you’re done with breakfast. “I’d like you to read my fortune please. Is that okay?”

“But of course, Lance!” The mare replies.

 

After you follow her to her cart so you may have a little privacy, the mare brings out her deck of cards, and this time she takes the tarot arcanas to draw from.

 

“Your day is going to be under the sign of The Empress, Lustre Lance.” Chord Care announces as she reveals the tarot card. “It symbolizes the protecting powers of femineity, and it means those will have a particularly strong influence on your day.”

“Alright…” You react, a bit sceptical about her explanation. “But honestly… wouldn’t that match with, like, every day since I’ve started giving essences to everypony around?”

“I get what you mean.” Chord Care giggles. “But who knows? Perhaps that’s just an incentive to keep doing it. Or it could be that even then it’s going to be particularly strong today. Or perhaps all your days here have been under the influence of The Empress so far.”

 

“Right… I’m not really sure what to think of this yet, but thank you anyway Chord Care.”

“You’re welcome!”

“Also…” You look around to make sure nopony’s eavesdropping. “Could you check what Frog Chaser is thinking about our relation? I’m wondering if she might want to make a move on me soon…”

“Why, sure!” The mare’s smile turns a little bit mischievous. “Could you be worried things might get complicated after what happened last night with Verdant?”

“Sort of…” You feel a bit jumpy suddenly. “And speaking of that, I guess you’d like to hear what happened exactly.”

“And you better not forget any detail…” The musician mare grins.

 

You tell Chord Care about your night with the guardsmare, and how you ended up getting her to reveal some of her feelings for you. Chord Care greatly enjoys your tale, asking for the smallest details about it, and grinning for all the time you’re speaking.

“Ah, the love between warriors is always so precious.” The mare seems all giddy as she speaks. “In a hard world, it’s only timidly and carefully that the fierce ponies allow themselves to show the weakness they have for each other. Oh, this love is such a delicate flower Lustre Lance. I can’t wait to discover if you’re going to nurture this bloom, or turn this into a tragedy...”

 

Next, you go retrieve the armour Scoria prepared for you. You got new greaves, pauldrons, and some protection for your back and flanks.

“You’re gonna like these.” The blacksmith mare proudly states as you try them on. “These pieces are light and effective. You won’t feel any more encumbered than you were before, but you’re certainly gonna take less damage.”

You see what she means. The fit is just tight enough to not wobble around when you move, and none of your movements are impaired by Scoria’s work at all. You don’t believe you’re experienced in fighting with gear heavier than this anyway, so right now it is a net plus to have this additional protection.

 

After thanking Scoria for her work, you go meet Sand Carrot who went back to work in the field by now.

“Hello!” She perks up as you hail her. “You got a minute?”

“Sure! What is it, Lance?” The mare stands up from clearing the weeds from the field.

“I think you should have this.” You announce as you bring out the essence.

 

“Huh?” She seems surprised. “Really? Are you sure? I mean, don’t you think it would be more useful if somepony else had it?”

“Not at all.” You shake you head. “You’re the backbone of our village, Sand Carrot. It’s thanks to you we’re all fed and healthy. Just take it, really, you deserve to have your work made easier if possible. And you’re gonna need it if everypony else keeps growing and that more ponies arrive.”

“Well…” The mare blushes slightly. “It’s true that preparing meals for ponies as big as Verdant and Frog Chaser is a lot of work. Alright. If you think I should have it Lustre Lance, I’ll take it.”

 

Sand Carrot approaches, her eyes on the glowing ball of energy. She raises her hoof, and after a moment of hesitation she grabs it.

There’s a familiar flash of blinding light, but you can still discern the mare growing bigger. Much Bigger. Her torso climbs over you head, and when the light fades, you’re facing legs that are each as thick as your waist.

“Goodness…” Up here, Sand Carrot’s face looks utterly bewildered. “Lustre, you… You didn’t shrink, right? Did I just… How big am I even?”

“Wow, what the heck?” Frog Chaser exclaims, coming out of her hole. The flash of light seems to have alerted everpony in the village, and now they come around to inspect the new biggest mare in town. Even Frog Chaser is a head shorted that Sand Carrot now.

 

The house of Sand Carrot also transformed. Not only did it grow big enough to accommodate a mare of her size, but now there’s a small windmill at the side of it.

 

 

“Sand Carrot, you’re… big! Ehm, Hecking big even!” You stutter. “I didn’t expect to be talking to your chest fluff already. Are you feeling alright?”

“Well…” Sand Carrot inspects herself. “I-I guess so? It doesn’t hurt or anything at least. But…” Her eyes meet yours again, and she shows you an amused smile this time. “You’re looking a bit like a foal all of a sudden, Lance, it’s really weird.”

“Yeah, I mean…” Frog Chaser approaches. Measuring herself next to the farmer mare, she could rest her chin on the bigger mare’s back while barely bending her neck. “Everypony else is gonna look a bit like kids to you for a while I think.”

“If that’s fine with you, perhaps we can check inside your new house.” You offer. “I see we’ve got a mill, so perhaps you have grain inside here too.”

 

Instantly after pushing her new door, Sand Carrot marvels at the new cooking station that occupes a corner of her place. Aside from that, there are whole new bags of seeds, including grain, and powdered spices like pepper, sage or rosemary in addition to salt and vegetable oil. There’s even a basement that’s Sand Carrot-sized, where you find bins to grow mushrooms.

“This is all incredible!” Sand Carrot exclaims while you climb back to her house. “I’m gonna expand the field a little to plant more stuff, and soon we’re going to have a lot more choice for what to eat!”

“I can’t wait.” You smile back to the enthusiastic mare. “Do you think you could prepare a cake for when we come back from our next adventure?”

“A cake? Well… I saw beet seeds so I could make sugar eventually, and I’ve got yeast too… but we still have no milk or eggs, mmh… Give me a coupe day to figure something, alright?” The mare looks down toward you with an excited smile. It seems she already got used to her new size actually. “You can bet it’s going to be a huge step up from what I’ve been baking until now.”

 

 

You hold off going on an expedition this day.

Instead, you decide to make sure this palisade is done by tonight. Working until the sun sets, you and your friends manage to finish this line of protection for the village in time.

 

You can already perceive the reward you’ll get during the last few minutes of your efforts, as a delicious smell starts tickling your nostrils and that you hear the sizzling of hot oil from Sand Carrot’s home. Then you can congratulate each other for the work done with a hearty serving of fries for dinner.

“Luster Lance.” Graces speaks up. “About what you asked, how to counter the witch from having the powers of the god of monsters help her…” She seems a bit troubled. “The answer I got, I’m not sure I’m interpreting it right. First, the Light mostly invites us to flourish in response, as there’s little hope to cut the witch off the favour of the god of monsters.”

“So, little hope?” You repeat. “Or no hope?”

“Well… it’s not impossible, but the Light hinted at a path that is uncertain, both in that it will be hard to achieve, and that even in a success the result may not be good. Mostly, the Light told me the god of monster would have to favour another being over the witch. But… then I was a bit confused. This being, it isn’t supposed to be a pony, but a part of the God itself. And one that isn’t the witch either. I don’t understand what it could mean exactly, but with the help of peace, such a being could take over as a recipient of the god’s power.”

“What I get from this is that there will be a recipient of the god’s power no matter what.” Verdant comments. “I can imagine why it might not help us, even if the witch isn’t it.”

“Thank you anyway, Graces.” You nod toward the cleric mare. “I’ll try to keep what you said in mind.”

 

“Anyway, congrats on finishing that wall, y’all!” Frog Chaser exclaims. “Verdant, you said we wouldn’t all need to sleep in the guardhouse anymore, right?”

“Well, yes.” She nods. “As long as there’s no sign of imminent attack, I think we have enough protection to allow ourselves a little more comfort at night and to use our own houses and beds.”

“Gald to hear that!” And then Frog Chaser turns to you with a big grin. “But you don’t have a bed of your own, right Lance? You can share mind. It’s as large as the one in the guard house, don’t worry!”

“Well…” Sand Carrot sheepishly adds. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I also have some nice furniture in my new house. There’s even more room on my bed, and the pillows must be as big as you are, Lance. At my size, I don’t think you’ll bother me at all while I sleep.”

“What are you two talking about?” It’s Verdant’s turn, and she sounds a bit annoyed. “Since I won’t use my bed while I keep watch, Lustre Lance can just keep using it like before.”

 

 

“I think we’re gonna keep things the way they are, at least for today.” You reply to the mares that want you in their beds. Frog Chaser seems to be the most disappointed about your decision to not sleep with her. “But also, now that we have a wall, perhaps we could share the burden of the night watch. I mean, it was best to have Verdant and her bow ready at any second until now, but with this new line of defence, she can relax a little.”

“Good idea.” Scoria nods, and Sand Carrot, Chord Care and Frog Chaser seem to agree. “I don’t mind taking care of that, especially when there’s nothing to smith for me on that day.”

“You don’t have to!” Verdant vigorously shakes her head. “You all already have a day-job to take care of. The night watch is mine. There’s no reason for me to stay idle like that.”

“Are you kidding?” Scoria retorts to the big mare. “Between building the palisade and going on expeditions with Lustre Lance, you’re working to help everypony non-stop! Don’t start giving us some false modesty, and don’t be shy about taking a break whenever you can, Verdant.”

“I…” Verdant, seem to hesitate for a second, but after a defeated sigh she shows a little smirk. “Yes, you’re right Scoria. I guess I should allow myself an actual night of sleep once in a while. And I’ll be close anyway, so wake me up the second any of you sees something suspicious.”

 

“That’s great.” You nod toward the guardsmare. “Any you know, now that we’re better protected, perhaps I could even start going on expeditions at night to gather essences, while you shoot down attacking monsters to get even more.”

“No, that’s not a good idea.” Verdant sternly retorts. “What if there were suddenly several monsters as big as the cragodile we fought? Wall or not, I’d rather avoid that.”

“Hum…” You nod. “I have no doubt you would put them down easily with you bow, Verdant, but I understand that you don’t want to take any chance, yeah.”

 

After dinner, you find some time to chat with Chord Care, and first she tells you about Frog Chaser since she spent the afternoon near her.

“Well if you hadn’t realised already, Frog Chaser is out to get you!” Chord Care tells you. “If you had followed her to her house, I’m about certain you’d have got a straight up confession from her, and then she’d have been down for more than just smooches if you ended up sharing a bad with her. She hoped you would make the first step actually, but if you didn’t, she gave herself until the wall was finished and then she’d take the matter in her own hooves.”

“Ah… But what about the others?” You ask. “Did something happen with Sand Carrot and Verdant right now?”

“Well, as I told you, Frog Chaser was waiting for this.” Chord Care explains. “I’m a bit more surprised about Sand Carrot too, but I’d say that maybe tripling in size might have given her a sudden boost of confidence. As for Verdant, after what you did together last night, she probably feels like you’re… well, together! Or going to be. She’d probably be incapable to spell it out herself, but she’s going to be protective of you from now on.”

“Alright.” You nod. “Now, what can I do to take care of this situation?”

“I believe I told you already…” Chord Care shakes her head. “The only safe option is to choose one partner. Other than that, well, things are gonna be messy, and both you and other mares will suffer for a longer time. If you want several partners so much, are you ready to force these mares to deal with it? Are you gonna convince them that we’re in a dream so commitment shouldn’t matter, against their own views if you need to? Are you gonna lie and act as though the other mares don’t exist when you’re with one of them?” The musician mare shows you an excited, but slightly devilish grin. “I can’t wait for this tragedy to unfold.”

 

You find yourself a little restless after this conversation with Chord Care.

Lying on Verdant’s bed, you wonder how you could deal wit this situation. You’ve enjoyed your time with about every mare of this settlement, and four of them have feelings for you in some way. And the thing is, you have to admit you wished you could explore each of these relationship to their fullest.

 

But as Chord are said, that probably won’t fly with them, unless you either hide it, or try to convince them somehow…

 

From one conundrum to another, you also ruminate on the insight Graces delivered about the witch and the god of monsters.

This answer of the Light did feel a bit more convoluted than usual. So the god of monsters could be reviving itself from a bit of itself… as itself? And didn’t Graces say that it could happen with the help of ‘peace’? There’s something amiss here, and you have no idea what it is.

 

You’re also thinking about trying to capture Black Fang and bring her back to the village to make sure she can’t be powered up again. However, you remember inviting her once, but she said something about the shroud being pierced, and that the settlement would find itself in danger if she came.

Still, perhaps it’ll be necessary at some point to cut her off from the god’s influence. Anyway, you’d better figure out some practical way to do that before counting on it. You don’t believe this big witch will calmly let herself be tied up, and right now you and Verdant don’t have what it takes to capture her without triggering another fit of growth from the damage.

 

You keep staring at the ceiling with these thoughts simmering in your brain. It’s a lot calmer inside of Vedant’s big guardhouse now that you don’t hear the breaths of your sleeping companions around, but this isn’t helping you find any rest. It’s a bit too calm for your tastes in fact. Technically, this is the first time you’re sleeping alone that you remember of…

But you’re a big colt. You’ll fall asleep eventually.

 

 

In the end, you couldn’t find sleep, mostly because there are questions in your mind that you can’t leave unanswered.

 

It’s been a couple weeks you’ve arrived in this place. Times have been hard, you’ve faced many foes, and you’re yet to fully understand how to even get out of this cursed place. But you’ve held fast. You, and of course, all the mares that are in this village with you. You’re even starting to have some comfort in this little place, and coming back from a day of slaying monsters feels a bit like coming home by now.

But… it’s mostly the presence of your friends that make this place home. Frog Chaser’s cheerfulness, Sand carrot’s gentle smile… and her wonderful cooking! There’s also Graces’s serene voice that soothes you whenever you hear it, and Chord Care’s tunes and gossips that are livening up the town. Hell, you’re even warming up to Scoria’s abrasive attitude.

 

You’d definelty call all those mares your friends, but at this point you’re wondering if there could be more than just friendship between you and them.

If that wasn’t clear enough, Chord Care spelled it out for you. In several ways, some of these mares have feelings for you, but what the musician mare left out for you to figure out is how to deal with the feelings you have and those directed at you.

 

Right now, it’s Verdant that’s on your mind in particular. The guardsmare has been fighting alongside you lately, while you went out in the woods to hunt beasts, and you feel a very strong bond with your sister-in-arms. As you’ve been entrusting one’s lives to each other, it’s an understatement to say you’ve become close. Movover, last night you spent the night along Verdant during her watch, and the kiss you shared wasn’t one between mere friends anymore. According to Chord Care, the guardsmare will not let her feelings show out of her sense of duty, but she’d be likely to let your relationship blossom should you take the first step.

 

If you want to reveal her your feelings, Verdant is keeping watch in the tower just above you, two little ladders away. However, Verdant is not the only mare’s you’ve had ideas about. There’s Frog Chaser that you’ve shared a lot of good times with, and Chord Care told you the miner was ready to try to get you, and Graces intrigues you a little too. You’re not so sure about the others, but it’s absolutely certain that Verdant will be deeply hurt if you confess to her but then show interest in other mares.

 

 

No, you have to be talk with Verdant. You can’t repress of your feelings, and you can’t keep her in the dark either after the time you shared with her yesterday.

In the quiet of the night, you climb off the too-big bed, and start going up the ladder toward the watchtower. As you head emerges from the floor, Verdant turns to you slightly and gives you a little smile.

 

“Hey.” You reply with a smile of your own. “Mind if I keep you company a little, Verdant?”

“I don’t mind at all.” She replies. “Just make sure you get enough rest, though.”

 

Like the day prior, you motion to sit next to the guard mare. She raises the blanket that she uses to keep herself warm so you too may stave off the cold, and share the heat of her body in the process.

As always in this place, the night is quiet, only the occasional bug and the crackling of the fire bellow breaking the silence at times.

 

“I’m really glad that we took the time to finish that wall.” Verdant says after a minute, and you feel the larger mare lean against you a little more. “Now that we have that line of defence between us and the forest, I feel a lot more at ease during the night.”

“Then this wall is doing its job well.” You can’t help but to lean back on her, your side touching her warm coat, and you head against the muscular neck of the mare-at-arms. “Say, Verdant, I need to talk to you. What do you think about the other villagers?”

“Huh?” She seems a bit surprised. “Well, I really appreciate them. Ven if we got stuck into this hell, we somehow ended up facing it along some respectable ponies. None of them let the situation get to them either, and everypony’s doing their best to help. I could certainly call them all my friends at this point, and I’m proud that they trust me to protect them all.”

 

“Any reason you’re asking me this?” Verdant calmly asks after a little pause

 

The truth is, you’re buying time right now. You’re still a bit undecided about whether telling Verdant you want to make the two of you official to your friends, or on the contrary admit that you’re still attracted to other mares I addition to her.

Maybe you could ask Verdant some other stuff to figure it out and test the grounds?

 

 

“The thing is… I feel like I should be honest to you about something.” You start, feeling a bit apprehensive about Verdant’s reaction to what comes next. “There are other mares in the village that have feelings for me at the moment. Namely, there’s Frog Chaser, Sand Carrot and Graces.”

Verdant recoils slightly at your words so she may look at you in the eyes, but at the same time she seems troubled, and her own eye is darting away anxiously at times.

 

“Well… I had it figured about Frog Chaser, but… Why are you telling me this? Do you mean… I’m… one mare among these four?”

“No.” You immediately reply. “We’re together, Verdant. You and me. What I wanted to do is be honest about this situation, and just like you trust me to keep you in view in the forest, I’d like to trust you with another situation of my own. My problem is that I’m not sure how to deal with the affection of our friends.”

Again, the guardsmare blinks in confusion in reaction, but this time it ends with a little chuckle and a smile blooming on her face.

“Y-you… you should work on your confessions Lustre Lance…” Verdant is relieved now, but what you said before was visibly worrying her. “I mean, I’m happy that you said it out loud, but… in that case we have to make it clear to everypony! That’s the only way to go, right? If other mares have feelings for you, then we have to tell them first thing tomorrow that we’re, erm…” You see the mare blush in the dim light. “…like you said, so there’s no more ambiguity, right?”

 

 

“Of course.” You nod. “But you know, I don’t like the idea of hurting their feelings….”

“Come on, now. We’ll tell them together tomorrow. They’re our friends. They’ll understand.” Verdant chuckles. “I’m not good at talking about this kind of stuff either, but this is something we must do. It’ll just be one short awkward moment.”

“Mmh, you’re probably right.” You nod. “We have to say it. But that’s for tomorrow. Right now, I’d rather enjoy what we’re getting worked up about.”

 

Gently, you place your hooves on the side of the mare’s head. Verdant jumps ever so slightly under your touch, raising one of her own hooves to cover yours. She lets herself be gently pulled toward you, and as she gets close her smile puckers up for a kiss.

Verdant lets out a pleased whimper as your heads meet. Through her lips, you feel her warmth and just a hint of wetness that carries the mare’s musky taste. You don’t get any naughtier than this at this moment, but the mare closes her eye to savour the instant anyway.

 

“Lustre Lance…” Verdant whispers, an enamoured smile on her face after breaking the kiss. “If we keep this up, I might not be able to keep watch at night anymore.”

 

 

“Oh? Is that so?” You chuckle, and leave a quick peck on the larger mare’s snout. “A good thing we finished that wall then.”

There, you attempt to pounce on Verdant and put her on her back, but the mass of muscles you hit doesn’t give way to you despite the owner’s confusion.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” The mare chuckles as her reflexes of a warrior kick in. Not only does she push you away, but with a swift movement she wraps a hoof around your neck and pins you under her heavy body.

“What now, Lustre Lance?” The mare over you says with a smirk, her cheeks still burning red. “Is this where you planned to end up?”

 

“Mgh…! That’s not too bad…” You manage to articulate while showing a smile, despite having twice your own weight of mare atop you. “But just you wait until I get you off me!”

You attempt to wrestle you your way out her grip, but the guardsmare has you firmly under her custody right now.

“Mmh… I don’t really feel like it.” Verdant comments. And from the serene look on her face, you’re gonna need a look more force to make her budge, but you’re a stallion that likes a challenge.

With great effort, you start to wiggle and eventually achieve a twist in Verdant’s grip, but the mare still has you tightly under her, and you just managed to make yourself face the ground. That gets a little giggle out of the mare that tries to lock one of your hooves behind your back, but you manage to turn and this time roll over and throw Verdant off balance. For a second you find yourself atop her, straddling her toned midsection while her hooves are pushing yours away, her face sporting a determined look. After that, with a giggle she rolls to get you under her grasp again, moving your weight around like it is barely anything.

 

You keep resisting Verdant’s holds, thrashing around whenever you’re close to being completely immobilized and regaining some room to breathe, but the mare is always quick to get you in the ropes again. You can only momentarily escape her before your leg is caught by her hoof again, or that your neck gets smothered against the mare’s chest. The advantage of size is just too significant in the kind of wrestling you’re doing. How can you expect to overcome a body lock when Verdant’s muscular thighs around it are each as thick as your chest? The few times in these twenty minutes of endurance fighting when you get the advantage are short, and then completely countered by the bigger mare. In retrospect, she might have let you have your fun at these moments, only so she could then impeccably remind you of the physical gap between you and her and throw you under her in an instant.

 

Regardless, after a while you and Verdant are both left panting, drenched in a mix of both your sweats, and a big smile on each of your faces, enthralled from the thrill of a friendly tussle. Even with the few bruises from wrestling on an uneven wooden floor. And of course, it’s still Verdant that’s on top of you, her face over yours while she holds you on your back, one hoof gripping your leg, while the other imposes most of her weight on your chest.

“You should learn when to give up, Lustre Lance.” Verdant breathes out. “You deserve some praise for giving me a good workout, though.”

“Alright, strength won’t work, I get it.” You concede. “But I can still persuade you. You know, your big bed is a lot more comfortable than this old tower. How about you let me go and we take it to there for another kind of wrestling?”

“Lustre Lance…” Verdant chuckles, her blush returning. “You… you’re really gonna make we miss a watch…”

Again, the guardsmare goes for a kiss. Slowly, Verdant and you then make your way toward the bed. You’re still having a mockery of your friendly wrestling match on the way, pinning the other against a wall or the floor whenever you can, but this time with more giggles, and with the one that is caught getting showered with smooches and nuzzles from the other. Verdant is much less resistant to let herself fall into your embrace with such a prize.

 

You eventually make it to the bed, where you’re able to test how robust it is. Verdant bounces up and down on it with you in between, which makes a few worrying creaks from the wood, but not enough to get you to stop. Then, your own pushes aren’t as likely to break the furniture, but it is righteously enrapturing to be able to slam yourself into a big body than can take all the thrusting strength you can muster and then some.

You’re not sure how close to dawn you are at this point, but after such a workout you’re finally ready to sleep.

 

While you drift into a repairing slumber between the arms of Verdant, you wake up by a nudge of her from next to the bed. The guardsmare still finish her night of watch after your ordeal it seems.

“Hey. The sun’s up.” Verdant says. Her usual serious demeanour has taken root again, but not without a certain tenderness in her eyes when she looks at you. “Sand Carrot is done preparing breakfast already, and then we better get some rest if we want to attempt an expedition in the afternoon again. Also… I think we have something to tell our friends, right?”

 

 

“Of course.” Standing up on the bed, for once you don’t have to crane your neck up to kiss Verdant on the lips. She’s only slightly surprised and responds with an appreciative hum while pressing her lips on your snout.

 

“So how do you wanna do it?” You ask after the shared gesture of love. “I think we should do it while holding hooves and resting on each other’s side. That should drive the point across, don’t you think?”

“Haha… Maybe, but I’m not sure I could talk without sounding like a mess if we did it like that.”

“Is that a no? I though we could have our tails entwined too.” You add with a smirk.

“Come on, are you stalling here?” The mare huffs in response. “I… kinda want to get done with it.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to our next wrestling match a lot more than this conversation with our friends.” You nod. “Then… let me just say, I really want to never hurt you, in any way, a-and I think we’ve got something special going that I really don’t want to break, and that’s why we’re gonna have this conversation with our friends, and…” You feel yourself getting a little confused in your own thoughrs here. “So… in short, I guess that what I mean is… I’m glad we’re finally together. I love you, Verdant.”

“Lustre Lance, I… Ah…” The flustered guardsmare that had been listening a bit quizzically until now can’t help but to shy away once before spelling it out. “I love you too Lustre Lance.”

 

Finding courage in each other’s presence, you come out together of the guard house and ask your friends to listen to for a moment. There, you start to explain that the two have developed feelings for each other over the fights and the nights watching over the hamlet that you shared, and thus you have decided to announce that you and Verdant were together, as marefriend and coltfriend. You didn’t go as far as entwine your tails, but you ended holding each other’s hoof for all the time you talked.

 

“Aw, what wonderful news!” Chord Care is the first to giddily gush over you once you’re done talking. “What a beautiful thing, for love to bloom even in this forsaken place. Truly the Light hasn’t abandoned us!”

“Yes.” Graces nods. “That we can still love each other in all forms is another proof that life will thrive through the hardships on its path. Lance, Verdant, I’ll give you my blessings how many times as you want!”

“And I’ll cook you something special if you want to have a date sometime!” Sand Carrot adds with an enthusiastic nod. “I mean, I have a lot of new recipes to try out right now, but I’ll figure out something even MORE special for the two of you if you want!”

“Hey, can I have an extra special dish too even I’m not dating anypony?” Frog Chaser had remained silent and was looking a bit gloom before, but by now she managed to put a smile on your face. “Because you’re being totally unfair with the rest of us, Sand!”

“Yeah!” Scoria adds with a cocky smirk. “What’s the big idea about special treats for couples? I’ll get in a couple with Frog Chaser if that’s what it takes to get some good grub!”

 

You all share a laugh at the blacksmith mare’s claim, and the breakfast carries on almost like normal from here on. There are just a few questions about your relationship about how it came to be from Graces and Sand Carrot mostly, but it’s with Chord Care that you share the most details, once the meal is over and that you can talk one-on-one with her.

 

“So… how do you think it went?” You ask the musician mare at some point. “Our declaration I mean. Is everyone okay?”

“Oh, it went as well as it was possible.” Chord Care smiles to you. “The two of you were very cute, and you both look very happy together, so it would be hard for anypony to go against your love without feeling like a terrible pony. Which means that even if some of our friends were disappointed, they’ll do their best to get over it in silence.”

“Really? You’re telling me even Frog Chaser is alright?”

“Well, of course Frog Chaser saw some of her hopes being shattered back there.” Chord Care pensively tilts her head to the side. “That speech was painful for her to hear for sure, but she’s not a foal, and she’s got her pride too. I don’t think she’ll show anything to you unless you somehow rub it in in front of her. My guess is that she’ll act as though she always intended the two of you to be platonic friends from now on. I’d advise you left her alone for today, though, so she can weather the blow on her feelings. Aside from her, Graces and Sand Carrot are gladder to see you happy with somepony than they’re disappointed about missing their chance with you. And finally, Scoria just doesn’t care much about romantic stuff.”

 

 

 

“What does Scoria even care about?” You ponder out loud. “I mean, besides her craftmareship and good food.”

“Some ponies don’t need anything more than this, you know?” Chord Care shrugs. “The struggle itself toward a finely crafted blade is enough to fill a mare’s heart. But if you want an opener to talk to her, now that you’ve used her weapons and amor she could accept to hear some comments about that.”

 

“Mmmh…” You ponder. “Erm, I have another matter I need answers about, a very different matter. I’ve been thinking, what would happen if I ended up losing a fight in the forest. Do you think I would… actually die? For good I mean?”

“Well… that already happened once, didn’t it?” Chord Care raises an eyebrow. “I wasn’t there already, but I’ve been told that the witch in the forest knocked you out in a fight once.”

You do your best to not show anything, but then you remember that it is what you said happened at the time Black Fang fucked you silly. The wild mare did make you pass out after riding you, and you’re not sure what she did to you that time.

 

“When that happened, you reappeared the next day into the village.” Chord Care adds. “But some beasts attacked during the night while you were missing.”

“Ah, yes…” You pretend to think deeply about this. “That’s how it went that time, but I still wonder if that witch threw me back to the camp maybe, unlike a beast that could have finished me off.”

“Regardless, the best way is probably to play it safe during your expeditions if you ask me.” Chord Care advises. “Just make sure to come back alive, please…”

 

That encounter with the witch aside, you think about asking Graces about this matter. That, and whether anypony here isn’t single in the outside world are your main concerns right now, but you’ve asked her a blessing of peace already. You can’t have both, so you’d have to change your plans.

 

“A-anyway, enough with the grim stuff.” You change the subject. “Let me reveal you a little more about last night with Verdant. I didn’t tell you how me and her had a bit of a wrestling contest, did I?”

“Oh, do tell me please!” The musician mare eagerly asks. “I want to hear every detail!”

 

You decide to give all the saucy bits to the musician mare. Chord Care giggles madly at each new development you narrate, and utters some longing sighs whenever you recount the kind words you exchanged. To your surprise, the actual intercourse is probably the part that invests her the least, and on the contrary reciting the conversation you had this morning feels like the real climax of your time with Verdant to her.

 

“…and you heard how it went at breakfast.” You conclude your story. “And now, since Verdant is fine with me sorting my feelings out, I think I’m gonna try to have the others involved in a harem of sorts.”

“Wait, what?” Chord Care does a double take and her eyes go wide at your words. “You better be joking, Lance! I can tell you for sure that this is the exact opposite of what Verdant wants. Going public this morning was precisely so you could not do that, because now everypony else know that they’d be hurting Verdant if they flirted with you. Listen, even if she likes you a lot, at this moment if you tried to hit on Frog Chaser, I’d say there’s… a fifty percent chance she’d give you a well-deserved slap to the face. Because that would be a horrible thing to do to Verdant, and she’s her friend. We’re all friends here. We don’t want to hurt our friends!”

 

“Ah, yeah, b-but of course I was joking! Haha…” You attempt to salvage this, but Chord Care still look appalled by your previous words.

“No. No you were not.” She frowns. “Not entirely at least, I can tell this kind of stuff. I can perceive, from the way you speak about it, that you’re still fond of the possibility. I told you loud and clear in the past already I believe. Going after several makes will beget suffering for all of them. And after what you said this morning, even ‘attempts’, would be betraying the trust Verdant has in you, and everypony in this village will realize that, except maybe...” But instead of finishing her sentence, Chord Care shakes her head. “No. You know, maybe I’ve given you enough advice for today if you’re gonna just disregard the most basic stuff. See you around, Lance.”

 

Chord Care walks away to go help Sand Carrot after that, leaving you speechless. Curses. You didn’t have the time to offer Care to get into your harem…

 

 

You’re not sure what you could do if Chord Care is around Sand Carrot and that you’d better stay clear of Frog Chaser for a little while. Since you don’t feel like trying to woo Scoria right now, the best thing you can do is probably to go take a nap with Verdant since you didn’t exactly have the most restful night either.

 

On the tip on your hooves, you get into the guardhouse again where there’s only the low sound of Verdant’s calm breathing. You carefully approach and then climb on the bed next to the bigger mare. She’s originally facing away from you, but as your weight makes her sink slightly toward you, she soon rolls around so she can face you.

“Hey there little colt.” She groggily mutters. “You need a bit of rest after last night too?”

“Ah, yes, sorry.” You whisper back. “I didn’t mean to wake you up Verdant.”

“Mmh…Don’t worry.” Slowly, the big warrior mare takes you between her arms to hold you closer to her, nestling your head under her chin while uttering a satisfied purr. “You’ll be a very good pillow.”

 

You’re a bit sceptical at first, but the large mare’s warm embrace turns out to be comfortable enough. Verdant returns to sleep in a minute, now hugging you a little more loosely, and you follow her in the dreamscape shortly after.

 

You’re woken up in time for lunch by your friends. From everypony’s attitude, Chord Care didn’t speak any ill about you, and the musician mare is even as polite to you as ever.

 

 

You have 2 bombs and 1 smoke-bomb left to use on your expedition.

You ponder about going alone on this once, but you think Verdant will want come along from now on.

 

“Alright. I’m ready to go on another expedition this afternoon.” You announce over lunch.

“Then I’m going with you.” Verdant immediately adds.

“Out in the woods to kill monsters?” Frog Chaser comments. “Sounds like you two are gonna have a fun date.”

 

“Fun, yeah…” You chuckle a bit unsurely. You encountered some scarily big beast last time. “I just hope I’m doing the right thing overall. Even if we were to kill every hostile thing in these woods, would that even bring us home? I fear that destroying this place might not necessarily mean that we could return to our world…”

“Have faith, Lustre Lance.” It’s Graces that speaks with conviction. “The Light shines upon your path, so what you’re doing is definitely going toward our salvation. As for our return, I trust that the Light won’t leave our beings trapped out of our real body once the grasp the grasp of this place on us is cut loose.”

“Don’t think about metaphysics too much, Lance.” Scoria adds. “It’s not like we can do much else but fight. Nopony here’s a genius wizard that could tackle that issue for sure anyway. So just focus on striking down them beasts, champ!”

 

“Heh.” You can’t help but to smile at the encouragements of your friends. “Alright, I get it. Sorry to bother you all with that. It’s just… I’d hate to fail you all.”

“Do not worry.” It’s Verdant that places a reassuring hoof on your back. “You’ve been a stallion we could all count on so far. I see no reason why that would change.”

“Yeah, moping around like that is not like you, Lance.” Frog Chaser adds. “You can do it! You’ve done it before!”

 

“Okay, okay, I’m fine.” You say with a chuckle. “Sorry for being a bit of stick in the mud, but now I’m ready to go on an expedition.”

“If you say so, I will believe it.” Verdant says. “But don’t be ashamed to rest for a day if you’re not feeling well about it. These expeditions are hard for you, and we all know it.”

“No, really, I’m okay. Want me to prove it?” You stand up, strike a heroic pose and declaim in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic tone. “I, the hero Lustre Lance, am ready to go kill some monsters! I won’t let this false god keep us as his puppets forever! May Our Hearts be Our Guiding Key!”

 

The rest of the mares all laugh at your faux-grandiloquent declaration, but indeed the doubts about your readiness to fight are dispelled by now.

Not long after, with Verdant slightly in front of you, you go out of the gates in the wooden wall you finished building the other day.

 

“Wouldn’t it be nice if this could just be a peaceful walk in a peaceful forest between the two of us?” Verdant comments with a smile while you walk. Only a dozen seconds later however, you’re far enough from the village that the ominous feeling of danger settles in, and soon a first creature comes out of the woodwork.

 

 

“Small fry again…” Verdant comments. “Not exactly peaceful, but we can quickly get rid of this one.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost immediately, another creature attempts to attack you.

 

 

“Again, this won’t be long.” Verdant says, readying another arrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next threat appears from behind the trees.

 

 

“This one looks tougher, but we got this!” Verdant encourages you.

 

 

 

 

“Look out Verdant, I’m gonna use a bomb!”

You light up the wick of the hoof-sized sphere, and hurl it toward the threatening plant.

 

 

The blast was loud enough to destroy your enemy in a single blow this time. You didn’t expect something so powerful, and you couldn’t keep your eyes on Verdant as a result.

 

 

Soon, it’s a mare you know all too well that advances to fight you.

 

 

“It’s power…” Black Fang hisses absently. “Give it back to me!”

 

 

 

 

“Hey, is this what you want?” You hold one of the essences in front of you. “I’m giving this one out to you!”

However, it is evident immediately that this won’t stop the witch’s aggression, so you substitute the little ball of energy for a more time-appropriate bomb.

 

 

“Uhg… Oh…” The witch moans in pain as she falls to the grow. The red glow in her eyes weakens, and her mask falls to the side. “Ah… sorry… about refusing your gift, Lance.” She forces a smile on her face. “Really, you should have tried… the bigger one. It would have been a less painful way than this…”

 

An eerily familiar scene unfolds in front of you, as an unnaturally large pool of her own blood seems to pour out of the already big mare.

“But… thank you…” The wild mare utters laboriously. “You will have to run for now… but I’ll find you again. I promise.”

 

Despite her words, if it’s anything like last time, she’s still gonna lie defeated one the ground for a short while.

 

 

You approach the defeated witch, kneeling in front of her so you may talk more or less face-to-face with the bigger mare.

 

“Sorry about that.” You whisper to her. “From my point of view, it didn’t look like there was another way. Now, say, it sounds better than ‘Little Colt” or ‘Warrior’, but I don’t recall telling you my name.”

“Your companion… I recall hearing her call you that way.” Black Fang laboriously replies. “Has a nice ring to it… Fit for a warrior like you.”

 

“Mmh…” You‘re still not exactly sure when that was, but you could have missed Verdant saying that. Or does Black Fang hear everything in the forest, even when she’s not here?

“Anyway, there’s a lot I would like to discuss with you.” You continue. “I want to understand why you’re doing all this. Why did you go so far as to trap yourself in this nightmare to become a goddess of monsters?”

“Please, now…” The witch chuckles, and coughs a bit blood in the process. “Don’t you think it’s cruel of you… to ask such lengthy questions while I am in this state? Come back later with this, will you? Next time, I promise… I shall lavish you with philosophy, warrior.”

 

“Then can you just reply to this one?” You start. “Will you be in control? You say I have to run, but won’t you be able to resist the old god’s influence with the strength you’ll acquire now?”

“I cannot refuse its will when I am being empowered… lest I would lose all the benefits.” Black Fang explains with some difficulty. “There’s even a chance I could die for good if I resisted. Sorry… but this once, I will let its will take me over.”

 

“In that case, let me just say this.” You start. “If you transform again, I’d still like to recognize you. But I recall you wanted to incarnate a more sensual aspect of the wild, so I’ll be direct about something. If you mean to rouse the desire of ponies like me, thicker flanks, wider hips and larger milky teats would help. Do you think you could transform toward that?”

 

You have trouble believing you could say that sentence out loud without flinching. Lecherous thoughts seem to be worryingly well-established in your mind, but that doesn’t faze Black Fang, and her toothy smile only grows in reaction.

“Ha… Ha… Ha…” The mare laughs, spitting a bit more blood. “Now that’s a prayer I’d love to indulge. Come closer. Help me conceive… this raw pleasure we both long for.”

Carefully, you hug the cultist mare, and close in for a kiss. After your hooves were are dipped in the pool of her blood, you feel its taste in your mouth as Black Fang greedily invades your mouth to wrestle your tongue with hers. The metallic flavour feels both slightly sickening and insanely arousing at the same time. And most importantly, overwhelming, just like Black Fang who holds you tightly against her despite her wounds.

 

The moment is cut short as the mare’s body suddenly jerks up, and a moan of pain escapes her lips as she releases you.

“We’re out of time!” Black Fang calls. “Go. Now!”

 

You step back, but can’t advert your eyes from the writhing body of the witch. The excessive amount of life fluid is flowing back into Black Fang’s body, including droplets that fly away from your hooves and maw. This makes her body swell with new muscles, with new size. As Black Fang stands up, and up, she seems almost twice as large as she was before, and now also sports a pair of dark, bat-like wings.

 

You’re not sure how much it comes from Black Fang’s will, but your wishes were also granted. The giantess now carries teats that are each larger than your head, and you could use her ample flanks as a bed.

However, right now this killer bod seems geared toward pounding you to your death, without any euphemism for anything pleasurable in that.

 

You didn’t really have any time to offer an essence of any kind.

 

 

 

 

After you defeated her, Black Fang came back stronger still, and at the moment she seems ready to crush you to dust. You don’t think you have much hope to fight back here, so you run away from the mare that’s over twice your size.

 

By the time you make it back to the settlement, the sky has turned to the colours of dusk. Your companions left the gate open as they awaited your return, and Chord Care is the first to notice you from the guard tower as you arrive through the wall. Soon, the mares of varying sizes gather around you, relieved to find you alive, but a little angsty that Verdant isn’t with you. If it goes the same way it did before, the guardsmare should reappear the next day in the village.

 

“How did it go today, Lance?” Frog Chaser is the first to ask. “You’re looking rather fine. But Verdant, she’s not with you because of… the usual, right?”

“Yes. I merely lost sight of her. We’ll see her again tomorrow.” You reply with a nod. “Now, on the bright side, I could bring some more essences back.” You show your loot to your friends. “But however… I encountered that witch again. I could beat her this time, but she didn’t stay down and she, well, became a bigger problem than before.” You look toward Sand Carrot. “About as big as you at this point.”

“Oh, geez…” Frog Chaser frowns. “That’s gonna be an issue if beating her doesn’t keep her down.”

“I’m sorry.” Graces adds. “I’ve yet to understand from the light how we can get through this mare.”

“Now, now, I don’t think that’s a problem we’ll solve by beating yourselves down.” Sand Carrot attempts to show a big smile to the rest of the group. “Lustre came back alright, and that’s what matters. I’m gonna prepare dinner for everypony so we can all calm down.” And then the large mare turns to you. “I can help you get clean up too if you want, Lance, now or later. You still got yourself a couple bruises today.”

 

 

 

“I could use a bit of care for my wounds, thanks Sand Carrot.” You nod toward the larger mare. A tiny part of you feels a bit weird about a mare the size of Black Fang putting her hooves on you, but your tan friend is gentleness incarnate, and another glance at her motherly smile dissipates those fleeting worries.

“But first, did you dig up anything today, Frog Chaser?” You ask your friend.

“Yup. Hold on a second.” Frog Chaser trots back to her house and swiftly comes back with the skull of a beast. As you take it, it turns into an essence.

 

 

“And next…” After stashing the new essence you bring out the big one and present it to Scoria. “… I think it’s better if you have his one.”

“Okay!” The blacksmith mare doesn’t need to be told twice and grabs the orb without any more ceremony. The evening is illuminated by a flash of magic as the energy of the essence is absorbed by Scoria’s body. In front of you, the mare soon doubles in size, growing a bit taller than Frog Chaser, yet still quite far from reaching the size of Sand Carrot. The blacksmith mare’s limbs, neck and everything else also get thicker, and as the light subsides you can see that it’s mostly a lot of muscle she gained.

 

“Oh, wow! What a rush!” The now large and muscular mare exclaims, while she marvels at her new self. As her eyes fall on you again, the smile she can’t refrain looks a little smug. “Well, hello there little guy! You’re looking a bit puny all of a sudden, Lance.”

“And you sure look like you’re enjoying this.” You comment. “But how about we talk business a little? Do you think you could make even better weapons now?”

“You bet I could! I feel like I could mold a chunk of steel with my bare hooves right now. But still…” The blacksmith mare looks at her house which sized up in proportion to her owner. “Give me a few minutes to look around this little gem of a workshop, I’ll tell you if I have the tools and materials I need for some new blades and armour.”

 

“Sure. While you’re at it, I’ll take you up on your offer for a scrub, Sand Carrot.”

“Of course!” The mare nods. “It’ll be easier if you come to my house. The guardshouse might be a little small for me, and I’ll be able to heat some water on the stove while I put the food to cook too.”

There’s no reason for you to refuse, so you follow Sand Carrot into her home. The place has a pleasant smell of aromatic herbs, and the neatly cleaned but oversized equipment awakens a blurry nostalgic feeling in you. This is what a family home must have looked like to the colt you once were. The house is just one huge room, with all the cooking equipment on one side, shelves full of sacks and jars of food and herb one the other with the bed of the big mare in an alcove next to a window in the back.

Sand Carrot brings out a wooden washbasin from under the shelves, and it’s big enough you could take a bath in it. For now, you just step inside and let Sand Carrot pour hot water on you, and then scrub your back with a piece of cloth imbued with soap. Despite her prodigious size, Sand Carrot’s touch is as gentle as always, and the hoof she drapes around to hold you in place is enough to feel like a hug already.

 

“I’m going to make my signature soup again.” Sand Carrot starts chatting while she washes you. From the way she’s going, she won’t stop at just the unreachable parts of your back and scrub you entirely clean. “Frog Chaser loves that one! Verdant likes it too, I mean, I believe so… she’s a bit hard to read. I’m happy that you’re a couple with her, Lance! The two of you really look like you go along, well, when she’s here. Oh! I know, I’ll save her portion for tomorrow…”

 

 

“I’m sure she’ll love that.” You say with a chuckle while you enjoy the hot water and soothing touch of Sand Carrot’s hoof. “She’s more caring than she lets on, you know?”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that.” Sand Carrot nods. “She’s always looking out for everpony else. A bit like you do, Lance.”

 

You remain silent as Sand Carrot finishes to wash you. You want to ask the big and soft mare if you could sleep and snuggle with her tonight, or even tell her you want to love her just as much as Verdant, but you keep these thoughts locked in your mind for now. It’s only this morning that you announced you were in a couple with Verdant, so you’re not sure it’s a good idea to let your desires for other mares run wild so soon.

Well… The part about loving her, you’re about sure this is off limit at the time, but shouldn’t platonic friends be able to share a bed and some body warmth without shame in such difficult times?

 

The farmer mare is done cleaning you by the time you can figure out a definitive answer to that. Your body relieved from the stress of the day, you and Sand Carrot join the rest of your friends for dinner. You had a hint the soup would be good from the smell you experienced earlier, and the dish indeed lives up to your culinary expectations.

 

“Sorry, Lance.” Scoria soon speaks up. “I got all the tools I need in the smithy, they’re even at a proper size for me to use, but I got no material at all. That’s a real shame, but I can’t make anything at the moment. But you know… at this point I feel like I should come with you in the forest if I don’t have anything to work on during a day. Just with the tools I have I feel like I could probably break a beast’s kneecap or two.”

 

 

 

“More of us to fight those beasts can only be a good thing.” You nod at the blacksmith mare. “When we have a good occasion, I’d be happy to count on you out there. Maybe our foes will finally stop targeting me only with you in the way.”

“Heh. You can count on me, Lance!” Scoria smiles back. “And I’m glad to hear you’re not going to treat me like a damsel to protect. You can stand behind me all you want! Together, we’ll crush them beasts before they can give a scratch to anypony at all!”

 

After the fights of the day, the time is soon ripe to go to bed.

But in the dim light of Verdant’s room, you attempt to get some power out of the essences for yourself, but don’t get any more results than the other times you tried. You can’t eat them, you can’t cut them in pieces, and trying to press them against yourself or between your hooves doesn’t yield any kind of result. The essences remain completely inert under your touch.

 

After half an hour of this, the rest of the hamlet has fallen silent as everypony else went to sleep.

There’s still some dim lights coming from the places of Sand Carrot and Graces, so this could be your last chance if you want to try and interact with them today. You could even do so with quite discretely now that you have the cover of the night…

 

 

Before anything else, you try a couple more things with the essences, but those don’t help you improve your weapons either. Neither the one for slashing, nor the one for thrusting.

 

As much as you feel that remaining in your own bed would be the wisest option, your curiosity gets the better of you. Quietly, you exit the guardhouse and sneak your way toward Graces’ place. There’s definitely some light coming through the stained glass. You can’t see clearly through those, but since there’s only a curtain instead of a door, you can stealthily take a peek through here.

You see Grace sitting in front of the altar, probably praying. You observe her for a while. She took her wheels off, and remain motionless for the time you look. However, about a minute in, Graces suddenly perks up and turns around to face you.

 

“Oh, hello Lance.” She speaks as softly as she always does. She recognized you instantly even through the curtain. “Did you need anything?”

“I… Uh, Sorry.” You stammer. “It’s just that I saw some light, and I was wondering if everything was okay.”

“Don’t worry. I’m just praying.” Graces turns back to the altar and lets out a little sigh. “…or more like… meditating I suppose. The signs of the Light are much harder to hear at night, so I feel like I’m on my ow right now.”

 

 

“Would you like some company?” You ask, keeping your voice low.

“Oh, sure.” Graces smiles shines just a little brighter in the night.

 

You walk up to Graces and sit close to her. You’re still not particularly receptive to the mare’s beliefs, but her obvious faith is enough to comfort you.

 

“So, what were you praying… or meditating about?”

“I was trying to get more answers from the Light, on how we can get out of here or defeat the witch of the forest.” Graces says. “But I should know that’s too complex of an answer to figure out straight away. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve tried this, so just another evening session surely wasn’t gonna solve everything… At this point, I think the best I can do is pray that everypony will be okay for another day.”

“Then we can pray for it together.” You offer. “That’ll have more chance our wish is heard by the light, right?”

“I think so.” Graces smiles, before letting out a little sigh. “Faith in the Light and dedication will make prayers come true. Well… That’s how it’s supposed to go. I prayed for peace the whole day, but from what you say it feels like it didn’t help at all. Maybe with your help this prayer will turn out better.”

 

Her voice and body remain steady as she talks, and Graces looks absolutely serene as she closes her eyes and brings her forehooves against her chest to pray. Still, her words did betray some degree of malaise.

 

 

“What do you mean, it didn’t work?” You ask “I’m not sure what it was supposed to do anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean.” The cleric mare gives you a slightly sad look. “You told me my prayers helped in the past, and peace is one of the aspects of the Light that I adhere to the most. But today, it didn’t help at all so I’m… let’s say, I’m disappointed. Whether it is because my prayers weren’t good enough, or because peace can’t help us much in here, I’m a bit frustrated that it didn’t work out.”

 

You don’t have an answer about the specifics of her worries, but still you don’t want to just let Graces in her distress, so to her surprise you decide to take her in a hug.

“We’ll get out of here, Graces.” You say as you gently hold the mare close. “Until then, you don’t have to fight or pray alone. If you need to talk about your problems, you can always come to me. You’re important to me, okay?”

“Lance… I…” You feel her hesitate, but then she softly hugs you back “Thank you.”

“Mmh.” You nod. “So… tell me when you want to go back to your prayer.”

“Ah, don’t worry. We can pray like this, if it’s not too much trouble for you.”

 

You certainly don’t feel like pushing Graces away, so you pick your prayer where you left it.

Following the mare’s advice from earlier, you wish for everypony to be safe. And to whoever’s watching over you, the Light, the stars, companions from the real world, you’re glad they’re here.

After a while like this, you realise that Graces is no longer praying, and instead fell asleep in your arms.

 

At this point, all that’s left to do is to bring the pious mare to her bed, and after putting out the candles, you get back to the guardhouse while trying not to wake up anybody.

 

The next morning, you’re all first woken up by Sand Carrot’s call.

As expected, Verdant popped back into existence in the middle of the village. Sand Carrot’s helping her back on her hooves when you arrive. However, that’s the only mare you find. Unlike what you expected, no other new pony appeared today.

 

While you prepare breakfast, you tell Verdant what happened after she disappeared. The guardsmare frows at the idea that Black Fang became a bigger threat, but doesn’t let that get to her.

“We’ll defeat her.” She says. “I say It’s best we run away if we encounter her for now, but we’ll definitely find something against her and we’ll beat her.”

 

 

 

You gave 2 regular essences to Scoria so she could smith some armour and a sword for you a few days ago, so you suppose that if you want something better, you’ll have to give her a stronger essence. You combine the 3 essences, and give the resulting glowing essence to Scoria. Upon making contact with her hooves, the ball of light turns into a couple of metal ingots. As she starts examining them, Scoria’s eyes soon go wide with excitement.

“Ooh, Lance!” She says with a smile. “I… I think that stuff is mithril! Might be the first time I see som, but I’ll be able to make some pretty awesome pieces with this!”

“That’s good to hear.” You nod. “Would you mind starting with a sword for me?”

“With pleasure!” The blacksmith mare enthusiastically nods, and then lifts the two ingots up so the sun may reveal the blue-hued reflection on those. “I’ll need to work on it for a day, though. It would be a crime to half-ass a job on these beauties, and I wanna get started as soon as I can!”

 

 

You guess that means she won’t be accompanying you should you go on an expedition today.

 

Next, you decide to go talk to Graces. You believe it could mean something that there isn’t any new mare in the village today, so you decide to ask Graces to pray for insight about it. And should she have an answer easily enough, you ask Graces to get more insight about how the village works in general.

 

 

Another thing you meant to do is have a word with Chord Care. After that conversation you had with her the other day, you’re not sure what she thinks of you anymore, and feel that you should try to smooth things over. You hail her after breakfast.

 

“Hey, Chord Card.” You start, and then to get things rolling not too awkwardly. “Would you mind drawing a card for me? I’d like to see what future holds for me today.”

“Oh, but of course.” Chord Care gives you a polite smile in return, and you follow her as she goes fetch her deck in her cart.

“Also… I suppose I should apologize. I mean, no, I’m sorry Chord Care.” You force yourself to say while the musician mare shuffles the cards, impassible. “I know I said some… bad stuff to you the other day. Sorry about that.”

“Mmh… I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for, Lance.” The mare calmly replies. “Or is it that you’ve changed your mind about what you want?”

“I…” You know that’s the issue, but you can’t lie to Chord Care about this. As in, she’ll almost certainly see through it right away. “No. I still can’t help but to be tempted to give affection to all the mares here. That’s just how I feel toward everypony.”

 

“Strength!” Chord Care announces as she reveals the card. “Being honest to me is a good first step I’d say, and the stars shine upon you so you may go forward.”

“That’s good fortune, right?” You force a smile on your face. “Does that mean we could… maybe set aside that talk of the other day, and that you could help me figure stuff out again about our friends again?”

“Oh, but of course!” Chord Care smiles. “Here’s the best advice I can give you. Stick to Verdant, Lance. Really. You know, in another time and place, I could have entertained myself with your attempts at being hated by several mares at once. But as much as I like romantic drama, we’re at a point where your lust could end up breaking the confidence everypony has to each other, in this little camp, in the middle of a forest, full of evil beasts. I think this could be -actually- dangerous for us given the situation we’re in, so… sorry, but you’ve made me re-evaluate my offer to you. And… I’d rather not help you hear Verdant. She’s a good girl, you know…”

 

“Ah, but… Please, I really could use your help.” You ask. “I don’t even know if everybody here is single.”

“Oh, come on now.” Chord Care rolls her eyes. “None of us have our memories, so we can’t know for sure, but I believe whatever happens here will be forgivable... Unless you meant to ask whether there are any couples in our little community? No, there isn’t. Unless you satisfy yourself with Verdant of course.”

 

 

 

“I… Thanks for the talk, Chord Care.” You nod slightly. “Just, please, I guess you don’t think much of me at the moment, but I ask you to believe I really don’t plan to hurt anypony, Verdant or another mare.”

“Let’s hope you act up on that thought, then.” Chord Care says before walking away.

 

At this moment, you feel foolish. This whole idea of every mare you meet becoming your marefriend just seems like a teen’s lewd dream you should have outgrown long ago. The time feels right to get a hold on yourself, and wholeheartedly commit to loving Verdant… but the issue is, you don’t know how long you resolve will last. Now, you believe you’re done just telling Chord Care about such plans, and you probably won’t try to hit on another member of the camp, but you don’t know how you would react if, let’s say, Graces, Sand Carrot, or Frog Chaser made a move on you. You fear that you may not have the heart to refuse.

 

And let’s not even talk about the most devilishly lusty of all the mares of this reality, Black Fang. Not only does the witch probably have the means to force herself on you at this point, but her sensuality is so overwhelming, you fear that you could give in to her entirely should she show the tiniest hint of being something else than an evil nutjob.

 

For now you have to cast these thoughts away, and you show go see Verdant. After helping Sand Carrot with the dishes, you see she’s heading for the guardhouse.

Unless you can catch her before that.

 

You dash at the warrior mare, and you’re already going for a tackle when she finally notices you with a little gasp. However, the stalwart Verdant is only slightly staggered by your charge, and instead she catches you and you find yourself between the mare’s strong legs. You might as well not let this surprise hug go unreciprocated, and wrap your own front legs around your lovely marefriend.

 

“Hey, what’s the big idea little colt?!” Verdant says after a satisfied chuckle. “Can’t a mare catch a break after reappearing from the aether?!”

“Sorry, I’m just too glad to have you back.” You reply with a smirk. “I know you’ll come back the next day if I lose sight of you in the forest, but I’m still worried when you’re not there. I’m happy we’re together again.”

“You don’t have to worry that much.” Verdant shakes her head. “I’m getting used to this, and I know there’ll be times you won’t be able to keep your eyes on me in a fight. Really, it’s almost a routine to me at this point.”

“Well, sorry again, but I can’t help worrying anyway because I love you so much.”

“C-come on now, you’re embarrassing, Lance…” The guardsmare says. She looks away after the cheesy declaration, but grins while a big blush glows on her face.

 

“Then let’s talk about something more concrete.” You start, finally letting go of the mare’s muscular neck. “There’s something I’d like to ask you. I believe Graces is feeling a little down at the moment. Would you mind spending some time with her, and accompanying her prayer maybe? I believe some company would really help her feel better.”

“Oh, uhm…” Verdant seems a bit bothered. “I can try talking to her, but… I’m not sure I can help much. Plus, I don’t think she’ll appreciate if I were to fall asleep while praying. I am rather tired right now…”

“Trust me, she won’t mind.” You smile to the big mare. “I saw it first hoof that Graces is not above getting drowsy during prayer herself. I’m sure she’ll appreciate your presence regardless.”

“Well, if you say so…” Verdant smirks, and places a little kiss on your forehead. “We could have gone to bed together, but I’ll try to cheer Graces up if you think she needs it more.”

 

After that, you decide to go ask Scoria if she could use some help at the forge. Maybe you could speed the smithing process with the two of you, but…

“Haha! Not a chance, Lance!” Scoria heartily laughs in response. She’s already heating up the forge. “I mean, you could be useful after I showed you the ropes, but I want to put the due diligence this metal deserves and commit to it myself. I’m not in the mood for looking after an apprentice while I do that. Maybe next time if you bring me more of that metal, ok?”

 

 

“Alright Scoria.” You nod. “I’ll go make myself useful somewhere else, then. Can’t wait to try out the result of your work!”

“Yeah, this time I’m about certain you won’t be disappointed.” The blacksmith mare replies, going back to her craft.

 

If you won’t be helping Scoria, you suppose Frog Chaser could maybe use a hoof instead. The green mare already climbed into her hole again, and you use the ladder to join her.

Her galleries have expanded quite a bit since the last time you saw them. There’s at least 5 ways you could go, and only 2 of those that you se the end of. The tunnels are also more than roomy enough for you, given that the mare who dug them is more than a bit taller than you are.

 

Probably hearing you coming, a mud-covered Frog Chaser is quick to come and see you.

 

“Oh. Lance?” She seems taken by surprised. “Did you need anything?”

“Nothing in particular.” You reply. “I just though I could help you dig something up today again before we prepare an expedition. Is that okay with you?”

“Uhm, sure.” The mare nods a bit nervously. “Grabe a shovel and, uh… pick any path you want. You know the drill, right?”

 

You can’t help but to feel a bit sad about Frog Chaser’s attitude. After the mud battles you waged down here, her sober greeting feels very out of place. You guess she hasn’t figured yet how to deal with you and Verdant coming out as a couple.

Maybe she needs more time, or perhaps there something you could do to cheer her up.

 

 

You take up a shovel and go inside one of the galleries.

“Hey! You’ve carved a whole cavern, Frog Chaser!” You call, the green mare having returned to work in another path. “With a little luck, we might find a hot spring a little deeper! How cool would that be?”

“Yeah. It would be nice.” You hear the mare succinctly reply.

 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Frog Chaser is in the mood for chit chat. The work will keep both of you busy through the morning though.

 

 

When noon draws near, you come out of Frog’s hole to lend a hoof to Sand Carrot with lunch. Once you’re done eating, you can ask Verdant how it went with Graces.

 

“I hope I helped a little.” The guardsmare recounts. “Graces didn’t tell me there was anything wrong when I asked, and… Well, those benches aren’t so bad for taking a nap. But you were right, I think she was a little glad I took some rest there regardless. Oh, and Chord Care came around to chat with Graces too at some point. I think Graces feels okay, at least for now.”

 

Soon enough it is time you wandered into the forest with Verdant. Since you had a god night of sleep the day prior and that Verdant could get a nap this morning, you’re both ready for the task even if you worked this morning.

“Listen, Verdant.” You whisper once the gate of the settlement has been closed behind you. “Keep your cool if we encounter the witch. I want to make it seem like we’re gonna fight her at first.”

“Huh?” Verdant gives you a frown. “I don’t get your plan. It won’t do us any good even if we can trick her and defeat her. What’s the point of doing anything else than running away?”

 

But before you can explain your idea, your first opponent emerges from the cover of the trees, and you feel a shiver as it’s the imposing form of the witch that you immediately encounter.

 

“Oh yes, you can run away!” Black Fang nonchalantly says as a greeting, her eyes darting toward Verdant… “But only you, little huntress.” … and then to you. “I have business with Lustre Lance, so he’s gonna stay with me.”

“Tsk… It’s a shame but we have no choice but to leave!” Verdant calls before readying an arrow. “I’ll cover for you, Lance! Get some distance with her, don’t worry about me. I trust that I’ll be gone before the worst can happen to me.”

“Hey now, do you really think you can afford to ignore me?” The witch shows the two of you a toothy grin. “I said, only one of you will be leaving today.”

 

You face the witch.

 

 

 

“Alright Verdant, let’s live to fight another day.” You say as you start backing away, but you make sure to meet Black Fang’s gaze as you do and give her a wink.

“Oh, you won’t be getting away…” The witch says, but then focusses of Verdant. “And I won’t let you get in my way!”

The giant mare gaudily performs a stomp that Verdant can evade, and as you friend is entirely focussed on Black Fang, you can advert your eyes so only you and the witch remain.

 

“Ah… I take it your friend doesn’t like the idea of us getting along.” The giant mare banters as she takes a more relaxed stance. “Such a shame. We don’t have to be enemies you know?”

“We’ll see about that.” You try to make sure not to let your eyes wander too much on the curves under and behind Black Fang while you talk. Can’t let her believe you’ll be an easy catch. “You told me to come back to you last time, when we defeated you. So what do you have to say?”

 

“It’s rather simple.” The witch smirks. “I am getting closer to my goal, and now I’m strong enough to have much more agency than before. We are close to the end, Lustre Lance. Let us hunt together. Be the one to help me ascend to goddesshood, and you’ll discover all the perks that come with it. I’ll share my power with you, Lance, and together we’ll make both our dreams come true.”

 

As you remain rather stoic despite her promises of greatness, Black Fang let out a nonchalant sigh.

“But we can start small if you want.” The mare lies down in front of you. On her leg, you see an arrow stuck around the top, droplets of blood running down from it. “It looks like this little gift from your friend didn’t disappear with her. Funny how that works. Anyway, would you mind pulling this off for me?”

 

 

“I’ll pull this out. But I came here for answers first. Why are you doing all this?”

“Oh, that’s right…” Black Fang rolls her eyes. “You and your questions… But I did promise I’d talk as much as you want, and… you can take care of the arrow while I do so.”

There’s no reason to refuse that. You bring your head around the big mare’s leg, and after placing your hoof there you carefully take the projectile between your teeth.

“So, why do I wish to become a goddess you say?” Black Fang chuckles. “Well, who wouldn’t! I am not afraid to say I long for power, to be unstoppable and… hnng…” Black Fang winces as you extract the arrow from her flesh. “And… to be able to do whatever I want, and reshape the world to my whims.”

 

“That’s it? Really?” You say after setting the arrow aside. “You wouldn’t be the first pony to have such wishes, yet they don’t all try to become gods. There’s a big change of scale between doing whatever you want and, well, reshaping the whole world like you say.”

“It’s true that I have much more ambition than the common thug.” The witch continues. “Say, you must still have some dim memories about the outside, right? About what life is like, back in the real world. Of ponies living in their little houses, going to their little jobs, and always following the rules to stay as far from trouble as they can. And that, every day until they die.”

Black Fang lets out a sigh.

“The way I see it, the rules of pony society are smothering the souls of all individuals. So many desires, even needs must be stifled for ponies to live without conflict together, to the point that the unfortunates would sometimes rather let themselves starve than to defy order in the slightest bit. Long ago already, I came to loathe those arrogant societies. Unable to bear such limitations over myself, I turned to a world made of absolute freedom, where desires do not need an authorization to be satisfied. But still, these societies, these counties, these towns… they still occupied the land, extending their grasp everywhere and far around. In an unending fear-driven frenzy, they’d pacify all things that weren’t them, as much as their forces allowed, until only what they could bend to their laws was left. For years, I’ve been disgusted by ponies neutering the world to fit their liking. My presence in this dream, it is the culmination of my attempt to put an end to their domination on the world.”

 

It’s up to you to judge whether the values Black Fang evoked in her tirade are sensible, or the raving of a delirious mind, but you feel that the witch is at least sincere in her words.

 

“Alright…” You nod. “I’ll probably have more questions about your motives, but I have to think about what you said first. Now, what did you mean, that I could share your power? I don’t remember hearing that from you before. I thought all you had to offer was the two of us having fun with your body.”

“And that’s a prize many would already kill for, Lustre Lance.” She smirks, and gives a slap to her flank that exhibits just a bit of jiggle from the muscle under the skin. The soft teats a bit lower wobble a few more seconds, though. “But to answer your question, I wasn’t sure I would be able to do that. Before today, I was barely able to control what I did with the power I had. Now, I’m fairly certain I can pull it off. Again, all you have to down is hunt with me, and you’ll see we can BOTH benefit from the power you extract from the beasts.”

“You say you weren’t in control, so what were your days like before today? What were you doing when I wasn’t here?”

 

“It was like a dream I was barely conscious in. Aside from our encounters, the rest of my memories here are a blur of endlessly running through the woods, following a lead, guided by the remains of the former God’s wills. To be honest, I have no idea how long I’ve been here.”

“Then how did you find me all these times we fought?”

“Precisely, I was guided by the wrath of the former God.” The witch says, before showing you a happy little smile. “Except today! I wasn’t sure it would work out, but I managed to feel your presence without being controlled.”

“You also learned my name.” You point out. “Was that also from that…guidance?”

“Yes.” She nods. “There’s a low, simmering anger of the God about you. I have images of you in my mind, slaying beasts, which is not what is supposed to happen in this dream. And among these fragments of memories, there was your name being called by a mare. Lustre Lance.”

 

“But you can do more than that, now, right? What other abilities do you have now?”

“I am still trying to get a hold of it, but I can feel that I have a bit of pull on the fabric of this dream. I could find you myself…” She smirks. “And I could influence my transformation last time to give myself more curves. I need to figure out more, but I feel like I must remain cautious. I fear that if I were to make mistakes while experimenting, I could lose enough power to fall under the former God’s control again, which is why I wish for us to hunt together before further testing…”

“And your wings…” You do no follow up on her new requests for a hunt yet. “Can you fly with them?”

“I can!” The mare enthusiastically unfurls her dark, bat-like wings in front of you. “There isn’t much up here unfortunately. This forest is as infinitely samey over than under its canopy. But the rush of air on one’s body feels amazing! I’ve never been able to fly, so it’s really exciting. I can give you a ride if you want.”

 

“So, wait… Wings or not, you’ve been on your own all that time? That seems… lonely.”

“Well, I don’t have to be anymore, right?” The mare smiles to you. “You’re here with me, now.”

“We’ll see about that.” You reply. “Back in our village, my friends are miles from being ready to welcome you. Also, you should know that I and Verdant are in a relationship.”

“Oh, who cares about these folks. What I’m interested in is you, and what you just said…” Black Fang shows you a devilish smile. “So not only are you betraying the trust of all your friends to fraternize with me, but you asked me to make my body sexier even while you were in a couple? Lustre Lance, this is what I’m talking about! You’re the kind of stallion that listens to his desires and doesn’t let petty loyalty hold him down. You and I are RIPE for working together!”

 

“Again, we’ll see about that!” You try to remember not to make it sound like you’re giving in too easily. “Until now, you’ve mostly been a foe of mine in this forest, and I couldn’t reasonably tell my friends you may become an ally. This is also what I need to hear from you. For starters, what will happen to them if you achieve your goals?”

“We’ll all wake up, because the dream will be over.” The mare says. “And at that moment, the power we accumulated here will also flow into our bodies, changing them to match what we witness here.”

“Hold on…” You ponder aloud. “Wouldn’t that mean that any mare in this place could actually achieve what you want to do if they were given enough essences?”

 

Black Fang shows you a frown for a second, before presenting a toothy grin again.

“That could happen.” She admits, letting out a little sigh. “But if you or anypony else wants to make it a competition, be warned that I will do everything to come out on top.”

“But is that even safe?” You ask. “I mean, if you end up getting all the power of this place for yourself, will you still be yourself? Would anypony still be themselves?”

“You’ve seen me, right?” The mare’s tail comes to snake between her head-sized teats, squeezing on of them slightly. “The more I grow, the more I’m in control. Aren’t these proof enough for you?”

 

“Yes, those suit you well. Just like your wings, and you flank too. I love them…” You can’t refrain yourself from voicing you fascination with the mare’s salacious appearance at this point. “And I wish your teats would swell even bigger with milk, to the point you’d be leaking all over the place.”

“HahahaHa!” Black Fang gets a laugh out of this. “You know what, I feel like giving this a try you naughty stud, but you’ll have to do a little work for it. Offer me an essence, and I promise I’ll turn it into milky goodness for you.”

It always comes back to this, huh? But by the Light, the things you could do to these massive udders if they were leaking… You could even ask Fang to make herself more sensitive and…

 

You shake your head, getting a hold of yourself. You still aren’t done getting information from her.

 

“A-anyway, do you have any idea why there wasn’t any new mare at our village today?”

“Huh?” Black Fang sounds taken aback, her tail retreating from between her supple orbs. “Ehm, I wouldn’t know the details. Did you expect somepony in particular?”

“No, but every three days, a new mare would appear in the settlement.” You explain. “This is the first time it hasn’t happened.”

“I wasn’t aware of that pace.” Black Fang shakes her head. “Sorry, I can’t help you with that question.”

 

“Next question, then! I still got a whole lot of them.”

“Then throw them all at me.” Black Fang rolls her eyes. “And once you’re done maybe we can do something interesting for a change.”

You sigh at the big mare’s annoyance.

“Well, we can at least get more comfortable while doing so I suppose.” You offer. “May I take off your armour? I’ll let you take mine off.”

“Mmh… that’s a start.” She nods, and presents her hoof to you.

“Alright, why is it that you don’t use magic?” You ask, while undoing the laces of her leather leg guard.

“I know rituals, but I never trained to use my spells for a fight.” You see the mare’s horn light up, and you feel a slight tug on one of your greaves, but not enough to pull it off.

“See? This is NOT what I’m good at.” She adds, as she resorts to delicately use her hooves to undo your straps.

 

“Also, what’s with the mask?” You start to take off the mare’s second leg guard. “Why is it gone now?”

“An old ritual bauble, and a tiny bit of protection.” Black Fang dismisses the question. “It was part of an apparel I wore to strengthen my connexion with the former God of monsters, but at this point I prefer feeling some air on my face. Anyway, I just ditched it.”

 

“Of all these times I encountered you in the forest...” You walk around Black Fang to detach her chest piece. “…why didn’t you chase me?”

“So you wouldn’t die of course!” The witch chuckles, her big body almost taking yours in a hug as she too removes your pauldron. “I felt the former God’s anger at you taking some of its power, which isn’t something that’s supposed to be possible. I realized you could be the key to break out of this unending dream, and that we may eventually become allies. I must say, following that hunch turned out rather well so far.”

 

“Uhm-huh.” You nod, turning around so Black Fang can get rid of you back leg protections. “Next, you called Verdant a hunter a little earlier. Isn’t this place supposed to only drag in ponies that are prey-like?”

“Oh, you’re reading a bit much into this.” Black Fang shakes her head. “I called her that because I just thought she was cute, looking all fierce with that little bow of her. Besides, hunting critters as a day job is not gonna make sure you never end up as a prey. Your friend, even if she were an actual hunter, she has been a prey at last once. She even bears a mark of it, and the former God fondly remembers that time.”

 

“Do you think there’s a way to restore the memories of my friends?” You ask. Both you and Black Fang are completely naked at this point. “Those of the real world I mean. Or can you restore mine?”

“Mmmh… I can’t tell that for sure yet.” The witch ponders aloud. “I would need to try on them, but I’d rather not try it on you. I wouldn’t want to damage your shroud.”

 

“Also, let’s say you become strong enough to be a goddess, will the former God just take it? Or will there be a fight?”

“No, the former God is dead.” Black Fang shakes her head. “There won’t be that kind of showdown. We’re drawing powers from its remains.”

“So, you say we’re close to the end.” You ask next. “Does that mean you only need a few more essences, or could you take more and grow even more?”

“Oh, yes.” The witch smiles. “Finally, being in control of myself is a big milestone, but I still need to grow much, MUCH bigger, Lustre Lance. In fact, growing bigger and stronger is all that’s left to do for me. This is what I meant when I said we’re close. It’s a straight from here on. We hunt, we grow, and we satisfy all of our desires until this dream is completely ours.”

 

“I hear you, but…” You sigh. “Is this just an arrangement until you ascend godhood, or do you… do you actually like me, Fang?”

The giantess slightly tils her head to the side as she considers you. Without standing up, she drags herself closer to you.

 

“So you wish to know how I feel about you?”

There, Black Fang kisses you. Her full lips come to meet yours, and as you do not oppose the contact, her hoof comes around your head so she may properly smother you face with hers. You both moan as her tongue, even more overwhelming than last time, makes its way inside your maw. Without the warning posed by the taste of blood this time, you feel like you could lose yourself in her embrace for days. However, it’s sadly after mere seconds that Black Fang frees your mouth with a wet ‘pop’ from your joined saliva, leaving both of you panting and flustered.

“I’ll be a goddess, and I want you to be my champion, Lustre Lance.” Black Fang whispers. “You have what it takes to be worthy of me, you’ve proved it today again. Together we’ll be on top of the world, the REAL world, and nothing will be able to oppose our wills. And among those wills…” Her smile widens, and you feel her hot and wet breath on your face. “You made it clear that you desire me, and I want to make your desires a reality.”

 

Despite her grand declarations about freedom and the ills of society, you’re about certain Black doesn’t plan to help the starving ponies she mentioned. If anything, it’s the existence of societies as a whole that irks her. It’s safe to believe the fate of any old, weak or diseased pony will be the same under her rule than that of a wounded beast in the wild.

 

However, right now at least, the temptation to listen to Black Fang makes these considerations seem pointless, especially since you feel no precise memories of the outside. If anything, the only things you wish to protect at the moment are the mares back at the village.

 

“Before I accept to help you, I have a few conditions.” You start. “Basically, I’d like to keep our alliance a secret from the rest of my friends.”

“Mmh, alright.” Black Fang smirks. “I suppose I can accept that. How do you want to play it exactly?”

“First, I need to keep spending my nights at the village.” You say. “Then, I will need to keep hunting with Verdant too. I’d like for you to come only once she or anypony else accompanying me is gone.”

“I suppose that’s for the best. I don’t think they’ll appreciate witnessing me growing bigger with each encounter.” The big mare nods. “However, if you find yourself in a pinch against a beast, don’t be afraid to make your friends go away. I’ll be looking out for you even when you don’t see me, and I will arrive as soon as you’re on your own.”

“Thanks.” You nod. “But anyway, that’ll also mean I’ll have to bring back at least some essences to the village.”

“Mmmh… I guess that’s necessary if you want to keep your charade up.” Black Fang sighs. “But you don’t need to overdo it I say. After a couple fights, maybe you could let go of your partners on purpose so you and I can be together? I’m sure they won’t suspect a thing.”

 

“I’ll think about it.” You reply, not yet sure this is a good idea. “But are you okay with these conditions, Black Fang?”

“Yes, yes, I am.” She rolls her eyes. “For now I’ll go by your rules, stupid as they are…”

 

“Tell me now, if your plan works out, what are you actually going to do once you’re out in the real world and with the powers of a goddess?” You ask the witch.

“For starters, I’ll come and find you.” Black Fang delicately boops your nose when she replies. “I wonder what kind of pony you actually are out there, and I hope you’ll still accept my offer then. After that, I’ll let the world know there’s a new goddess to be worshipped… and feared. I’ll gather my followers, and assess the forces that will want to oppose me. What’s next will depend of that, but I’ll pick whatever option feels the more exiting to go through.”

“Nothing more extravagant?” You ask. “No chocolate fountain? No acquiring all magical secrets of the world? A long night of actual sleep maybe?”

“From what you’re telling me, I’ll have a fair bit of time to myself while you frolic around your other friends.” She smiles. “So I’ll get some time to take a few nap alright. Last night was a pleasant start indeed. About more extravagant stuff in the real world, there’s one thing. I do wish to assemble a menagerie of sorts. There are many creatures out there that are awe-inspiringly powerful, and I am thrilled at the idea of gathering them together. Of course, they won’t be trapped in any cage. How they react to each other, and to the world around them is precisely what I wish to witness.”

 

“I see…” You nod. “On my side, it’s hard to say what I’ll go after since I don’t know much about the world out there. But right now, there’s some desires I have…” You step to the side and eye the bountiful tanks of the mare that’s lying on her side. “…that I can barely resist anymore.”

“Not yet, you spoiled brat.” Black Fang stops you from going for her teats with an unwavering hoof across your chest. “You bore me with questions, demand that I abide to some silly rules, and now you want to play with my hard-earned assets before giving me a single essence? I think I should teach you a thing about the obligations of a champion to her goddess!” And then she whispers in your ear. “You should at least have offered to eat me out first… but now it’s too late so you’ll have to wait.”

 

“Well… would you mind taking me for a flight instead?” You offer. “At least our talk will be less boring to you that way, and… after walking under the trees for so long, I gotta say I really like the idea of getting some air too.”

“Mmh…” Black Fang ponders for a second before showing you a nod. “Alright. You can climb on my back, but remember which parts you’ve not earned to touch.”

 

You obey, and walk around the larger mare. As your eyes inevitably wander to her flanks, you can’t help but to let out a longing sigh. Still, for now you hop on the back of the giantess, taking her neck in a hug while you straddle her with you lower legs.

“It’s a real shame you were too eager.” Black Fang comments as she stands up. “I sure would like to play with what I’m feeling on my back right now, but you’ve got to learn a smidgen of discipline first.”

 

Before you can muster a reply, Black Fang leaps into the air and follows with a powerful beat of wing that lifts you both upward. A second one, and already you’re over the canopy, and can now gaze upon a seemingly endless expense of forest. The ocean of green under you only seem to get more infinite as you fly higher. At the altitude you’re soon at, the flat and perfectly uniform terrain looks as unreal as it actually is. In contrast, the muscles of Black Fang you feel flexing in rhythm under your hold, the sound of air on her wings, and her slight musk feel intoxicatingly alive.

At this point, the pace of Black Fang stabilizes a little as she stops ascending. You can ease up a little and appreciate the view a bit more now that you don’t have to clamp your body on hers.

 

“This is really something!” You have to shout to hear yourself in the wind. “Do you think we could, like, do a swooping attack on the beasts during a hunt?”

“I wish.” Your big ride replies. “But the beasts have to come back from the undergrowth while we’re on the ground. At this instant there is none under those trees.”

 

“That sucks.” You react. And after a second. “Hey, do you know who or what killed the old god?” You ask. “Aren’t you worried the same could happen to you when you least expect it?”

“It was long ago that the former god died, actually.” Black Fang explains. “Defeated during an age that belongs to legends. The heroes that were capable of such a feat are no more. And besides, I am confident that I could sway a number of such heroes to follow my own cause.”

 

This is all you have to ask at this moment, as you feel mostly drawn to enjoying this flight with Black Fang. It is certainly not as refreshing as you hoped, as the contact with the mare’s powerful body during her effort is filling your mind with even more lustful thoughts than before.

 

“Here’s what’s in the air around here.” Black Fang states at some point. “Sorry, but there won’t be much more to admire. Shall we get back down to earth?”

“Yes, let’s go.” Let’s cut the teasing for now, you think to yourself.

 

While slower than the climb, flying down to the ground feels a lot more vertiginous. The sensation of your body weight shifting upward leaves you light-headed when it’s time to dismount the larger mare.

The hold you have on her neck remains even after your back hooves are on the ground, and when she looks at you, the larger mare finds you staring back at her face. Being both slightly winded, you exchange your breaths without even thinking about it, and without a word follow through with another wet and passionate kiss, your moans resonating in the mouth of the other.

“I’m not sure which of us burns with more desire at this point.” Black Fang whispers with a smile after freeing your mouth. “Well then, Lustre Lance. Shall we hunt?”

 

 

“You said you could share the power with me, so surely I can expect my body to change and get bigger just like yours. How’s it going to go?” You ask. “Are you going going to absorb the essences and then transfer some of its power to me?”

“Something like this, yes.” The witch nods. “I’m sure you’re going to appreciate the practical way of doing it… if we ever stop talking and get on the job of course.”

 

“Just one last question then.” You smile. “A fun one, promised. I told you what I desired for your body, so is there any kind of change you’d appreciate for me in particular? Some bigger equipment perhaps?”

“This one is obvious, yes.” Black Fang chuckles. “And make sure you have more stamina than you have now. Fucking you senseless was fun once, but I’d rather keep you with me from now on.”

“I’ll make sure of it.” Your smile widens. “And would you be interested in me being more… productive maybe? In case you wish to milk me as much as I want to milk you.”

“Mmh…” The mare ponders. “I wouldn’t mind, but if I can’t have both, I’d rather have you get off many times in a row rather than to exhaust you after one big flood.”

“Alright then.” You nod. “Let’s get going!”

 

You put on your armour again, and…

“So… where do we go?” You ask Black Fang. Until now, all you had to do was run into the forest to encounter enemies, but you’re already in so you’re not sure how to trigger something from here.

“Follow me.” The mare walks toward the trees. “Like I said, I have a bit of sway in how things go in here now, I think I can make it so we find a target if we move around.”

 

You follow the witch as she apparently chooses a path at random through the trees. After a minute of running after the longer strides of the mare, the familiar feeling of danger awakens in you again, although… somehow a little dimmer than what you’re used to. That, or perhaps having a 10-feet-plus beast-mare accompanying you makes everything feel less dangerous.

Regardless, an enemy emerges from the bushes.

 

It’s a slime!

 

“There we go!” Black Fang reacts, sounding satisfied with herself. “And unlike what you’ve experienced until now, we can have a break once we’re done with this measly foe. So just tell me if you want to consume our spoils right away, otherwise I’ll keep our preys coming. More prey means more essences after all…”

 

 

 

 

 

“Hey, didn’t we agree that you could try to protect me from these attacks?” You call toward the bigger mare.

“Come on, Lance.” The mare giggles after enthusiastically stomping the slime into a puddle. “I can crush these beasts in a matter of seconds. How about I kiss you better once we’re done instead?”

After she says that, another monster appears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’ll take you up on that offer for a kiss, yeah!” You call after this victory.

“Good. Now that’s a way to fight fit for a champion.”

 

A new opponent approaches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Nice little gadgets you have!” Black Fang comments. “Glad you didn’t use this one on me.”

A new creature soon approaches. You don’t think you’ve seen this one before, but it looks manageable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“YES!” Black Fang exults. “At this rate, I’ll be a goddess today!”

 

Another critter appears for the slaughter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Yes, and you’ll have curves beyond any stallion’s fantasy!” You respond to the mare’s excitement with your own.

“You’re really fixated on this.” The witch chuckles. “But that’s no reproach, and I don’t plan to disappoint.”

 

A new monster gets to you.

 

 

 

 

 

“I don’t think I can completely take on this one alone without getting knocked out.” You call. “I’ll need you to protect me, Fang! Let’s have a break after this one too!”

“Don’t worry, you’re not going down!” Black Fang replies. “Not with all the power you’re carrying!”

 

 

 

You fall on your knees, on the very brink or exhaustion. Thankfully, as the beast turns into an essence, the fire of the toxins in your veins seems to leave your body. You feel weak and dizzy, but your condition is stable.

While not as badly beat up as you are, Black Fang still had to work for this fight.

 

“Curses, there’s still a lot of strength in these woods.” The mare laments. “This fight was embarrassedly hard on us! We need to get much stronger, and fast!”

“You’re in luck, then.” You slowly turn to the witch. “This is the most essences I’ve ever obtained in a single day. You were right, there’s a lot to gain when we work together.”

“Of course.” She smiles. “Now, let me see those. Once we infuse ourselves with all this power, the hardships of today’s fights will soon be a bad memory.”

While more than ready to accept the witch’s offer, at this point you realise something.

 

It is the evening.

 

“Wait… Black Fang, did you… make the day advance?”

The mare frowns at the words, but then the realization hits her too.

“Oh, I… didn’t plan to.” She seems surprised too. For a while she seems to focus, closing her eyes as though trying to hear a faint noise. “I merely, well, to put it simply, got us out of the space where beasts can face us. I didn’t think it would bring us back into a state where times flows normally again. Because I can tell you this, at this moment, time passes normally for us. And I believe it passes at the same speed for your friends too.”

 

That means your friends in the village will probably notice that you’re late if you don’t come back now. You have about 30 minutes until the sun set completely.

 

 

 

For a second you thought Black Fang was a little smaller than before, but looking at her she’s still as imposing as ever. This must have been a poor display of perspective in your depiction of the situation.

Anyway…

 

“Then the village will have to do without me for tonight.” You shakily get back on your hooves. “We didn’t fight all these beasts for me to bail out on you so soon.”

“That’s very good to hear.” Black Fang’s smile returns. “I can guarantee you won’t regret it.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to miss out on you. But let’s start with me.” You take one of the big essences and present it to the witch. “I’ve always wanted to know how it feels to get stronger with these. Use it on me.”

 

The mare carefully takes the orb with a satisfied grin. She brings it against her chest, and after she focusses for a few seconds, the orb seems to sip into her body.

“Mmh! Yes!” The mare lets out a loud moan as an apparent jolt of pleasure courses through her. Her rump hits the ground with loud plap as she sits down while she stretches her front hooves upwards, putting her imposing teats on full display for you. A second later, Black Fang utters another moan as her body surges a little larger all at once, her back hooves and rack coming slightly closer to you. Then there’s a second surge and another moan, but this time, rather than growing taller altogether, it’s only Black Fang’s curves that receive a prodigious boost. Her flanks widen yet again with more meat, but it’s her already prodigious teats that seem to double in girth before your eyes, swelling with milk that you see bead at the end of her now turgid nipples. At this point, each boob of the mare is larger than her head.

 

“Now, Lustre Lance.” The mare coos as she squeezes her teats between her thighs, triggering a rivulet of milk to come out of each of them. “The power you desire is right here. Come and take it.”

 

Once more, this isn’t an invitation you feel like refusing.

 

You lunge at the right teat of Black Fang, electing a sharp moan from her as you eagerly take her thick nipple into your mouth. Your mind is immediately flooded with pleasure. While your tastebuds are elated by the sweet and thick milk of the mare, hugging her warm and soft breast makes the aches of today’s fights vanish, and the like cries of pleasure from Black Fang as you work your teeth on her nipple make your gluttony feel validated. You soon rest your weight completely on the massive teat that is taut with milk, only increasing the flow of it spurting out in your mouth.

 

You feel like you could keep drinking like this forever. The milk of the giantess fills more than your stomach, and soon it’s your whole body that feels like it’s directly bulking up from the nutritious secretion. Your bruises and cuts soon disappear in a light tingle, and then it’s you as a whole that makes more room to take in more of the elixir. Your skin burns with pleasure, expanding to contain the muscle mass swelling underneath. Your bones lengthen, your limbs thicken with power while an intoxicating sensation of growing potency compels you to suck even harder on the comparatively shrinking tit, all while the pleasured moans of Black Fang mount in intensity.

 

And as you wished, there are a few parts of you that fills up and grow faster than the rest, and the impulse to gorge yourself on Black Fang’s teats gets some concurrence by your urge to fuck her cleavage, or to slam your length into her rump, or to flood her throat with your seed for hours on end. Your shaft pulses bigger with each beat of your heart as you drink more and grow more, those fantasies getting more vivid in your mind as your equipment is readier than ever to breed the giant and over-voluptuous mare.

These delightful thoughts magnified by the succulent taste of Black Fang’s milk, you spontaneously climax against the mare’s breast you were suckling on, a groan huskier than what you’ve even produced escaping your throat as you glaze the expensive orb of flesh with your cum.

 

“Oh, so hot…” Black Fang comments as you cover a part of her with your goop. “Looks like you’re finally ready Luster Lance. You’ve become a champion of mine in body and mind now.”

Barely phased by her words, it’s still Black Fang’s body that concentrate the attention of your lust-crazed mind. While still more than a head taller than you are, the witch in front of you doesn’t look so big anymore with how you’ve grown. And even though you just climaxed, you do not feel even a hint of fatigue about it. Your breath is steady after not even 10 seconds, and your shaft is still as hard as before, pulsating with a formidable need to fuck the mare in front of you.

 

“I am yours to take now, but tell me …” Black Fang shows you a devious smile. “Are you gonna be satisfied with just this? Or are you going to give me the rest of those essences, and get your first taste of what the body of a goddess could be like?”

 

 

The sun is setting on the forest, and yet you haven’t returned to the village yet. Instead, you decided to spend the night here at the side of Black Fang. After you hunted together, the witch mare grew stronger and more voluptuous from the power of the essences you collected, but she also granted you some of that strength, in a very pleasurable way.

 

You’ve already given up on going back to your friends tonight, but Black Fang wishes for more. You still have some essences, some of which you planned to share with the mares at the village, but the one in front of out just requested you give them all to her so she may give you a taste of true goddesshood.

 

“Do you… really need those?” You ask.

“Need them?” Her smile widens. “I WANT them, Lustre Lance. Ardently so! Is that not enough of a reason?”

 

Not in itself, but you have some desire of your own to grant the essences to her. Even setting aside all this talk about being Black Fang’s consort, the mare in front of you only got sexier the more of those she got, and right now your mind and body are throbbing at the idea of making her a deity of pleasure.

The three glowing orbs immediately merge into a bigger one as you bring them together, now literally pulsing with power like a living heart.

 

And thus, you offer the pulsating source of power to the giant witch in front of you.

“Thank you, my champion.” Black Fang eyes the orb with hunger in her eyes, which she then turns toward you to lunge at your mouth for a heated kiss. You immediately push back with ardour, your new vigour and body demanding that your take control of this kiss and conquer this mare.

 

Grunting, you push yourself against the big and curvy witch, eager to taste more of her. You hoof comes around her neck, forcing her to bend herself down for your comfort.

Soon enough you desire more than her lips on yours. Wrestling her down while you rear on your hooves, you’re pleased to feel the witch obediently take your length into her mouth. You don’t let her settle her pace though, and near-immediately thrust into her mouth. Despite the tightness of her throat and the protests melded into her lustful moans, Black Fang can take it. That, or she’ll have demonstrated how unfit her claim for goddesshood is. Right now, her maw on your cock feels divine by all rights, and after a hump that makes the mare’s neck bulge from the girth of your flare in there, you unleash a first couple waves of your seed into her.

You have no reason to hold yourself back. There’s more of that where it comes from after all. This climax barely halts your pace, and after slamming yourself a dozen more times in her, you feed Black Fang another serving of your liquid virility. The mare is putty in your hooves at this point. Her body is going limper as you keep using her, her muffled cries interspersed with wet gags whose contractions only serve your pleasure further.

 

And then, the witch absorbs the pulsing essence you gave her.

 

You lose a bit of balance as Black Fang’s head suddenly pushes back on your body. The growing’s mare’s ecstatic moans resonate through your whole body, prompting another climax from you. The hold of your front legs has to widen to accommodate the increasing form of Black Fang, and very soon you’re less holding her head against your crotch than you’re leaning on her.

A hoof as wide as your body steadies itself next to you while another comes to hold your back in place for Black Fang to regain the initiative. Looking down, you see a massive smile on her face before she starts bobbing her head back and forth on you. Rather than the tightness of your massive member inside the mare’s throat, now it’s the movement of her jaw and the expert slides of her all-encompassing tongue that makes your mind go wild with pleasure. Black Fang extracts one climax after the other from you, each one encouraging her to go faster and harder on you, and thus forcing the next one to come even sooner than the last. You’re eventually forced down on your back for the witch to frenziedly pump her head up and down atop you, and perpetually uttering a concert of rapturous growls and moans as your shaft is shooting more cum for Black Fang to gluttonously drink. On reflex, your powerful body humps up to accompany the movement, but Black Fang is just so much larger than you that it barely amounts to anything.

 

After a deep suck on your dick and crotch that makes your vision blur with pleasure, the mare lets go of your fifth leg for a second. You’re left panting and dizzy, and yet your prick stays undefeatably hard, pointing to the sky and shooting ropes of cream that land on yourself. The waning light of dusk doesn’t comfort you for long, though, as Black Fang positions herself over you. The giggle of the luscious giantess echoes in the forest before her full weight falls of you, the plump roundness of her buttocks probably being your only lifesaver as the mare impales herself roughly on your length, and then repeatedly slams herself down on you with earth-shattering force.

What follow is a mist of pain drowned by ungodly amounts of pleasure. Black Fang uses you for her entertainment in all manners possible, dipping, plunging, licking, squishing and smothering any part of you that fancies her, or sometimes the whole lot of you as her domineering size allows. Among others in the haze, you remember the musky taste of sweat on her coat, the sound of her moans and giggles ringing in your ears, the impossible heft of her teats against the whole on you, the taste of her milk on your tongue, the warmth of her marehood around you shaft, and legs, and body, or… was that her mouth? Maybe. Both in succession most likely.

 

Regardless, by the time you regain your full consciousness, you’re left panting in the dark, resting on Black Fang’s tummy, who’s lying on her back herself. The night has fallen at this point, but as you look up, you still see the curvature of the giantess’ impossibly round teats obscuring the sky at the top of your vision. The mix of the many of your fluids covering both of you has only started to dry, your breath is finally steadying, and the pain of the intercourse in your bones has finally subsided, thanks to another serving of milk you got from the tap. Black Fang didn’t allow you to grow again, though. She kept all the might of the pulsating essence to herself, and is now many times your own size, despite how much you grew earlier. She’s a true giantess, physically unstoppable. She’s so big she could probably just walk over the palisade at the village and destroy all the buildings with her bare hooves. The monsters on the forest wouldn’t be any more of a challenge. While a couple may require a mountain-shattering buck to stay down, most would simply end up crushed under Black Fang’s hoof.

 

“Oh, Lustre Lance… We’re almost there, I can FEEL it!” You hear the giant mare jubilate, while one of her hooves gently caresses your side. “With my last growth spurt, I can now feel the confines of this space, the shell I need to outgrow. I am sure of it. We merely need one more hunt. With the strength I have now, I’ll overcome the creatures we meet easily, and soon I’ll have the power to drain the rest of the old god’s power. And once that is done, you and your friends will be able to return home… And the next time we meet shall be in the real world.”

 

“So want do you say, Lustre Lance?” The mattress of mare shifts under you as Black Fang sits up so you may discern the silhouette of her face and smile, the poor tree she rests against creaking painfully in the process. “The success of you quest is within reach, now. You and the mares of the village will come home safely, you have my word. And if you just go with me, this will happen before the end of the night.”

 

 

“Are we in a rush?” You say, sitting up with a smile. “Wasn’t the plan for both of us to grow more before we get out of here?”

“Those objectives are one and the same.” Black Fang replies. “I need more power to get everypony out of here. And power manifests as size. It’s straightforward, really.”

 

“Hm.” You nod. “Nice smile by the way. You got yourself some new munchers I see.”

“Oh, you like them?” The mare opens her mouth to give her sharp fangs an ostensible lick. “You told me you’d rather not see me become more beastly than I already am, but… I figured the fangs were aesthetic enough. And I am Black Fang for fuck’s sake!”

“They suit you.” You nod. “Just like the rest of your body. That makes me wonder, since you’ve came to your senses, how often did you masturbate?”

“Hahahah!” The giantess laughs “What a question! Now, believe it or not, but I was more interested in seeing if I could find a way to increase my power at that moment. So… Only one time! I wanted to find out if I could get myself off with my tail. Turns out I can!”

 

“That’s way too few times if you ask me. How about we enjoy ourselves a little more now before anything else? Also, you told me your body was mine to do as I pleased, but I’m the one that ended up having my body played with back there.”

“Mmmh… You’ll have to forgive me for that.” You see the giantess smirk in the dark. “This new body is just SO full of power, and growing so much bigger and stronger felt so exhilarating I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, now’s your chance, champion. While I’m just lying here, you can take me in whatever way you please. Don’t waste your chance. I’ll try my best, but I can’t promise I won’t have the urge to take the lead again…”

 

You stand up on the belly of the witch while she eyes you expectantly. The luscious expression on her face makes her mouth and plump lips even more inviting, but it’s toward the titanic udders of the mare that your gaze lingers on. You want to suckle on them again, but how should you even climb these now that their bulk is higher than you’re tall?

 

“Aren’t these amazing?” Black Fang comments, and the mare squeezes her twin mounds with her thighs, causing a small geyser of milk to erupt from each of her thick black nipples. “And yet they’re going to be even bigger when we hunt again. Can you imagine, Lance? Don’t you want to see those grow even fatter? Even fuller, to the point proper rivers of milk can spring from my -ah!”

The mare gasps slightly as you get on the right teat with a swift jump and take the leaking bug of flesh between your teeth. Knowing Black Fang, she’ll just keep raving about growing bigger if you don’t start something, and grinding her nipple between your jaws is a good way to make her utter moans that are much sweeter to your ear than her power-thirsty rambling.

 

Her milk is as sweet and delicious as ever. Even if doesn’t fill you with more power right now, you greedily drink all you can, rhythmically pulling and pushing on the tip of the giant orb of mare flesh with your head. The nipple is nearly too big for your bite, but you don’t care and draw milk from it as ruthlessly as you can. Black Fang visibly has an infinite supply of the stuff, and making it spill everywhere and drip all over the mound of flesh only makes this situation more erotic for you. You’re otherwise lying flat on the giant teat, taking it in a hug that allows you feel the huge mare’s warmth, and the excited beat of her heart.

 

After a short while, you feel the giantess shift under you, and soon witness her head come and take the other nipple in the mouth of the witch. She utters a loud, satisfied purr as she draws some white goodness out of herself. While you keep suckling in her, her giant mirror of an eye opens, and she shows you a smile that lets some milk drip on her teat.

“Mmmmh… You’re right Lance, I taste amazing.” The giantess comments, licking her lips once before going back to eagerly squeezing herself out.

Your rest now wobbles at the pace of the giantess drinking from herself, but the sight and sound of it only makes the milk taste better. To the milk spilling down in the mare’s cleavage, you allow your shaft to add your own white liquid to the mix, and soon Black Fang utters an orgasmic cry of her own from the stimulation of her teats.

 

With a full belly, you decide to get to do some actual work on Black Fang. As she advised you in the past, you start by using your mouth on her soaked marehood while hugging the base of her reptilian tail, electing delighted cries from the witch. The titanic mare spreads her pillar-legs wide, and looking up while you’re muzzle-deep into her cooch, behind her peach-sized clit, between her mammoth mammries that only leave a small canyon open, over the great expense of her belly and chest, you see her enraptured expression, smiling blissfully while biting on of her forehooves as you pleasure her.

“Yes, my champion!” Black Fang coos. “Keep going! You’re making me feel the godly pleasures I deserve!”

 

Encouraged by the voice of your goddess, your mouth and tongue bring her to a climax that splashes your face and body with her fluids. You cock is throbbing madly with anticipation after this, and it’s the next tool you use to give Black Fang a proper pounding. You do her again and again, filling her with your seed until her hole gushing out like a fountain. You do her until your thirst for pleasure is quenched, and tonight the strength you stole from the old god made you both insatiable.

The spilling of fluid makes the dirt around you turn into a swamp, and the ecstatic kicks and tail whips of Black Fang during her many climaxes take down the trees that had the misfortune of being in the range of her limbs. By the time you’re done, after several hours, you’ve turned this patch of forest in a swampy clearing, from which the lust-filled wheezing of a satisfied giantess can be heard.

 

After resting in a puddle of your joined fluids, you shakily climb down from the mare’s tail and walk to her head. The mare looks exhausted, but satisfied, and when her eyes fall on you as you approach, a giant smile illuminates the night.

“Oh, Lustre Lance…” Black Fang purrs. “This was amazing. Truly, truly amazing, yet… I can’t help but to imagine how much better it would be if I was EVEN bigger, or…” she chuckles. “If we weren’t in some dull and fake forest. In the real world, we could find ourselves a nice waterfall to frolic in between our romps, or an audience to spice up our deeds. Maybe… you could even plant the seed of a demi-god inside me. There are so much possibilities, Luster Lance, come on...”

 

The mare gets on her belly so she can come and whisper in your ear.

“Once. More. Hunt.”

 

 

“I believe leaving this dream is premature.” You reply. “There’s still more to be done out here.”

“Huh?” The mare straightens her neck, taking some height over you. “What could you possibly still want to do in this prison that can’t be achieved in the real world?”

 

“I… I need to make sure of some stuff first.” You say. “If you absorb more essence, will the dream just end all of a sudden or will you need to perform some spell to put an end to it?”

“Mmmh… It’ll be more like your first idea. As I absorb its power, this world will become less tangible when on its last legs, before disappearing entirely, but I can’t say for sure at what point or how it’ll manifest exactly. If I had to guess, I believe some of the ‘rules’ of this place will stop working properly, and stuff will get messy. If we get to that point, I believe it would be better to end things quickly.”

 

“Then… I must admit I’m a bit worried about the mares back at the village.” You explain. “I don’t think I’ll ever see them again once this dream ends, and I still want to help them. In particular, there’s this one that misses her back legs, and as the power of the orbs reinforces the body, I hoped I could give her enough to heal her before leaving this dream.”

Black Fang glares at you as you talk about the mares at the village, clearly unhappy that you’re still so attached to them. But a few seconds later she utters a sigh, and shows you a soft smile again.

 

“Oh, Luster Lance…” Her face comes down again. She gently grabs you and covers your snout with the softest kiss she’s given you so far. Somehow, the smoothness of her lips appeases you more than it riles your up.

“I get it.” Black Fang whispers softly. “You still have no memory of the outside, so leaving this place must feel like the end of the world to you. But you don’t have to worry about that. We can find your friends once we’re out of here, and I’m sure there’s a way to help them in the real world too. With our power, we will be able to persuade the best healer wizards to take care of the one without legs, or even afford a whole bunch of servants to carry her around.”

 

She smiles.

“You know, I could even be convinced to share some of my power with her just like I did with you. That way we can change her body for the better. How about this, huh? We can even still do that in the dream if that’s what it takes to put you at ease. If you promise me we’ll go one this last hunt once we’re done with this mare, I’ll give her the legs she needs. Just this once…”

 

“But really, this all seems superfluous to me.” Black fang adds. “I’m not sure you realise all the possibilities we have once in the real world, when I’m a proper goddess there. Besides...” The giant mare shows you a predatory smile. “I’m starting to wonder if it’s proper for a deity of monsters to indulge in your petty sentimentality so much, my champion…”

 

 

“But… what would happen if the mares at the village agreed to be your allies rather than merely ponies that I want to help?”

“Mmh? Well, as you’ve experienced yourself, I can be quite generous with my worshippers.” Black Fang replies. “But I have way more followers to gain in the real world, so I don’t particularly desire them to adore me right away. Now, if you wish so, we could eventually make this bunch of mares into your personal cohort. I could grant them the strength and size so they may assist you in your quests… and also huge teats ands glutes to warm your nights when I’m not available. Once I’m a full-fledged goddess, gifting my champion a party of strong and sexy amazons is the least I’ll be able to do.”

 

 

Your mind is in a mess, split between the craving to make Black Fang even bigger, and the desire to help your friends at the village. But how would you hide to them how much you conspired with the witch already? It’s written all over your body at this point. And what kind of help could you bring them at this point? Black Fang is too strong to be defeated now. And who are you trying to kid about her needing to make allies? Your plan to split the power you collect in the forest has fallen apart before it even started when you were impeccably swayed by the witch’s primal seduction. Besides, from now on, she’ll just know where to find you whenever you get into the forest. How would you explain that to your friends if you went back? And what kind of course of action could you offer them? You’d have to lie to them again about a solution that may not even exist anymore.

As much as coming back to your friends feels like the morally right thing to do, at this moment you can’t find in yourself the will go through that slog. Why should you, when you have a much more desirable path for you to take? One that is free of lies, free of burden, and that’ll put an end to this cursed dream once for all.

 

You look up at Black Fang again. The wild, impossibly tall and buxom mare that towers over you. All the gained, she can thank you for it. Through the hardships of this place, you build a goddess out of this mare.

And now it’s time you made her a real masterpiece for the world to gaze upon.

 

“Alright, let’s have another hunt together, Black Fang.” You tell the giantess, who welcomes your decision with a predatory and victorious smile.

“I’m glad you’re finally ready to embrace the only possible outcome.” She chimes, and then blesses you with another very eager kiss.

“Let’s do this.” She adds, the hunger in her eyes shining brighter than ever before. “Let’s strip this world from all the power it has left. Tonight, we shall hunt, and tonight we shall feast.”

 

You ready your sword and armour in the dark, even if Black Fang is very likely to make short work of any foe that could appear. The familiar feeling of danger return, but tonight you feel ecstatic about it, ready to revel in the fights to come, and so does Black F ang, laughing sinisterly as the first creature steps fourth.

The confrontations that follow are so one-sided they barely qualify as fights.

 

Black Fang steps on the first snake that appears, turning it to red paste as she twists her hoof on the ground. She the crushes the wolf that comes next with her side, and you mercy-kill the beast whose bones where in shambles from the weight of the giantess. The poor goblin gets his head bitten off, its remains turning into an essence as its skull is crunched between the teeth of Black Fang. She can hold the giant spider down with a hoof, and tear its legs apart with her mouth while you plunge your blade through its eyes. The slime is splattered on the bushes by a thunderous whip from the dragon tail of the giantess. With her fangs, she catches the lamia by the tail and slams it against a tree so you may easily slit its throat. To avoid any problem with the carnivorous plant, the witch beats it to death with a tree-trunk she could easily uproot. And to get rid of the cragodile that was such a piece of work earlier today, Black Fang jumps high in the air, and then dives hooves forward with a mighty beat of her wings, bashing in the skull of the rocky creature.

 

The beasts of the forests are utterly dominated, and even more so as times goes on. Rather than saving the essences, Black Fang absorbs those as soon as they appear, crying out a moan of pleasure that resonates in the woods as she adds a couple inches to a couple feet to her frame with each victory. For more and more creatures, the last bit of effort you needed to defeat them dwindles as Black Fang grows, and more of them can simply be trampled under the hooves of the ascending goddess.

 

When she’s so huge the trees only come up to her knees, Black Fang starts to kiss you again, all while still crushing under her the measly creatures that still foolishly come to the slaughter. The witch’s lips cover your whole face at this point. Her head alone fills you whole vision, and you gladly worship any part of her the giantess offers you. All while her hooves, buttocks and tail still butcher the monsters, you find yourself suckling on one of Black Fang tiny planet of a teat, her milk this time again sharing with you some of the thrill of growing bigger and more powerful. You climax on the mare’s teat while another cragodile’s head is crushed by a single slam of the giant mare’s hoof.

 

 

“Luster Lance, this is it!” Black Fang exults, as she grows gains several feet of height every second from the last of this dream’s energy. “I’ll see you soon, and in the flesh.”

 

Your vision blurs, the form of Black Fangs starts to distort as her coat of ebony seems to take over the whole sky and ground. You too are engulfed by her darkness, and even the lasts of your thoughts are eventually smothered into nothingness.

 

And then you wake up.

 

You dramatically gasp for air as though it was the first breath you had takes in for weeks, making the three ponies around you jump in shock. The rush of air in your lungs feel divine despite the confused state of your mind, and your chest doesn’t go down after sweeling with air. Instead, you feel power course through you, taking in more and more, and your body strengthen and grow with each time you inhale under the baffled gaze of your companions.

 

“Blade! What is…” Little Rune is the first to speak. “What’s happening? Did you succeed?”

Blade. Balde Thruster is your name. Your brain tries to assert this fact despite the two existences that now coexist in it, and pieces together how the two should be articulated with each other.

 

You’re an adventurer. A pony for hire that will take odd and dangerous jobs in search for fame and riches. Little Rune is one of your companions. He’s a mage that was too talented for bureaucracy and too unruly for academics. Next to you are Skeleton Quill, a pegasus versed in the arts of stealth and deceivery, and Iron Tale, the biggest and sturdiest earth pony than you had ever met at the time.

 

As you groggily stand up in the tent, you realize you’re now twice the height of this hunk who has a whole head over the average stallion.

“Let him breathe!” Squelton Quill hisses. “It’s been two weeks! Take your time, Blade.”

“I’m not sure we have the time.” Iron Tale sounds worried. “Something’s happening out there.”

 

You reckon he might be talking about the ominous rumbling and little shake in the earth, but you can’t find any importance in that while your mind is still piecing together how you came into this situation.

 

There was a quest about a curse that had befallen on a mare. Wait, no. You called it a quest, but it wasn’t a job. This one was personal. You were even ready to enter this strange planescape Little Rune had discovered, because there was this mare…

And then you see her, lying behind your companions. Little Rune turns to her too as he hears her shift awake.

 

 

Verdant wakes up, and just like you she’s shaken by a number of gasps during which her body grows to the proportions she had gained in the dream.

 

“Woodshot!” Little Rune exclaims. “You’re awake! Y-you’re alive.” On the verge of tears, he takes the now much larger mare in a hug. Visibly just as confused as you are, at first her eyes glance at the rest of you, lingering a little more on your imposing form, but then a smile slowly blooms on her face as she embraces back the little stallion.

 

Verdant, well… Woodshot is a friend of you, and more than that for Little Rune. You met her about 2 years ago, during a job of yours. Some bandits had stolen a noblemare’s prized jewellery during her travels, and in addition to the adventurers she hired, she used her position to leverage the local town guards to help, and Woodshot was their captain.

The guardsmare was quite hostile at first, convinced that adventurers were nothing more than lawless troublemakers, but after a shared adventure during which you investigated and fought at the side of each other, the strict mare eventually mellowed out to your bunch. And… a little more than that in the case of Little Rune. The magical antics of your friend annoyed the down-to-earth mare at first, and her rigid demeanour irked your wizard friend, but quickly their confrontations turned to exchanges of quips, and then to playful banter between them. He barely convinced Woodshot to accompany you for your celebration at the tavern once the job had been cleared, and with a little help from the spirits, the guardsmare took the unicorn into a public kiss in front of the merry crowd of drunkards.

 

After this quest, Woodshot’s forest town became your base of operations so to speak, mostly on the impulse of Little Rune that insisted you took all your breaks there between your jobs. His relationship with Woodshot only grew with time, and Little Rune would often spend his nights at her place, remaining politely silent but blushing heavily when the rest of you would then ask about his feats the morning after.

Six months ago, Woodshot and Little Rune asked you, Iron Tale and Squeleton Quill if the guardsmare could join your little group. He had convinced her to take up the life of an adventurer, and after your approval, since that meant they could live their life together, Little Rune asked the hoof of Woodshot in marriage. Surprised and moved to tears, Woodshot accepted.

 

However, tragedy befell on Woodshot and your friend. Woodshot couldn’t join you right away as she needed to wait for another captain to take her position in the town, and Little Rune planned to save up enough money for a beautiful ceremony on the seafront in the meantime. But two months ago, when you came back to visit her in her town, the guardsmare had fallen to a mysterious curse. After a heroic defence of her town against a wild manticore that cost the mare an eye, Woodshot wouldn’t wake up anymore, plunged in a coma that seemed without end.

Rather than being devastated, Little Rune solemnly swore to find a way to heal her. As the rest of you accepted to lend your companion a hoof, you embarked in a long quest that brought you to the most ancient libraries of the realm, in the huts of half-equine forest witch-doctors, and finally in this cave in the middle of the wilds.

 

Your group arrived here with the certitude that Woodshot’s soul had been captured by an ancestral monstruous entity, and you were following in the hoofsteps of a nearly-as-ancient shaman whose writings indicated that thanks to an unholy place of worship they could supposedly project their selves into the personal hunting grounds of this monstrosity.

And in the cave, you found…

 

Suddenly, you feel a cold sweat run down your spine. In a rush, you exit the tent and pretty much get the confirmation that your fears are justified.

The shakes in the earth are going crescendo, and their epicentre is indeed the altar in the cave where you found the long-dead body of the shaman. Now you start to see blood erupt from the dry bones, and an otherworldly force is making the old body shift as life is breathed in it again through unholy means.

“We have to run outside!” You shout to your friends. “This place is about to get crushed. QUICK!”

 

While still confused by your awakenings, after exchanging a glance and seeing the urgency in your eyes, everypony jumps on their hooves and makes a run for it. You leave behind a blooming mass of flesh erupting from the altar, threatening to swell big enough to smother everything in the cave.

“Don’t stop!” You shout as you exit the cave while the shakes in the earth are gaining in intensity. With your eye at ground level this time, it’s hard to tell how far you need to go. “We’re still way too close!”

 

You sprint down the slope in the woods outside of the cave, and eventually just chaotically slide and tumble down it as the ground shakes so much you can’t properly keep your balance.

The earthquake eventually culminates in the mountain you were on exploding, a monolith of a mare exuviating herself from the earth with a moan of lust that can be heard for miles around. Dust and debris of wood and plant fall everywhere around, but even before they settle down, there’s no doubt about what you see in front of you.

 

Black Fang made it into this reality, as big and as powerful as she was in the dream. She’s the size of mountains, and her mere presence is already reshaping the earth by her sheer weight and volume. The rivers of milk she promised back then are well within the realm of possibles too, and probably an understatement even.

 

“Ooooooh…” The goddess mare coos, stretching herself in delish, as though after a long and restful night of sleep. Smiling, and slowly opening her eyes to look around, this takes an interest in the five bug-sized ponies at her hooves. Her head descends to gaze on your group, blotting out the sun behind two eyes as big as lakes. “Well, who do we have here…? Isn’t it my little champion, Luster Lance? I hope waking up wasn’t too hard on you. How very convenient to find you here! Now, come. You can take your place at my side.”

 

And then it’s her hoof that descends to invite you on it, embedding itself in the ground so you may climb on the plain of skin and nail, but faced with this dream-like vision that you’ve made into a reality, you can only remain paralysed at first.

“Ah, yes, you must have got back your memories.” Black Fang rolls her titanic eyes. “This must be a lot for your little head to process. But you know, I don’t even mind. I’m in such a good mood at the moment, now that I’m alive and free, that there isn’t anything you could do that would possibly anger me. If you don’t claim your place now, you can always find me later. Or never, really. I have a whole world to discover out there.”

 

[spoiler]You are now entering epilogue territory. Your choices here will affect the future of the world and the ones of the characters in broad ways for the years to come.[/spoiler]

 

 

 

Looking at the giantess in front of you, your doubts dissipate quickly. Yes. This is what you must do.

“Let’s go, Black Fang.” You do not feel the need to correct the goddess about your name. Since you’re leaving your old life behind, Lustre Lance might as well become your new tittle.

You former companions can’t do anything as they see you ascend to the sky on the hoof of the titanic mare, and then she starts to walk away, leaving craters behind with each step.

“Perfect.” Black Fang purrs. “Now, I believe you’re a little more up to date that I am about the state of this world. Would you mind showing me around?”

 

And so, with you on her ear as a guide, the titanic goddess walked the land to discover what ponies had made of it. She was disappointed to hear about the lack of legendary beasts or furious dragons roaming the land, and as a result, decided to crush under her butt the first village surrounded by fields that you found. She was more merciful with the second, where she ordered the terrified peasants to compete against each other in bloody fights so she may spare them. After the savage pummelling, she blessed the winner with a fraction of her power… and of her savagery, and then left.

For a few days you walked at random, either rampaging in the countryside or frolicking in the wild. You had a very good time on the seashore, where Black Fang grew you to nearly half her size so you may properly please her on this sunny beach that your romp turned into a swampy lagoon. At the of this, she literally sucked the power out of you, though, and you returned to being about three times as tall as the average stallion. While at times she would make you bigger or smaller for her needs of the moment, this is at this size that she’d keep you most of the time.

 

Nevertheless, ostensibly showing herself led the local realm to assemble a force to fight Black Fang. On the fourth day, a sizeable army of tiny ponies had come to put an end to the massacres of Black Fang.

They were no match for the goddess of course. These meek forces were torn apart as easily as paper by you and Black Fang, and now you marched toward the capital, crushing anything that had the misfortune of being in the way. Once there, the goddess demanded for the head of the lord that dared to defy her to be brought to her, promising her blessing of power to the one that would make the kill, and to slaughter the whole city should she have to get it herself.

 

Her demand was met in less than an hour, another noble having done the deed, and Black Fang rewarded the noble stallion with a small taste of true strength.

But Black Fang didn’t stop there, and then made use of a bit of subtlety. While Black Fang wished for a more violent and wild pony to take the lead of this realm, the noble that had taken the lord’s head was not ready to obey her and was merely forced by necessity to act. But through dreams, whispers in the wind and visions, she inspired the more power-hungry nobles to use the chaos she created to seize the throne. Kindling their ambition, weakening their moral inhibitions, and finally whispering her name to them. Soon she got another head of a king, without even showing her true self this time.

Four moons and five bloody coups later, the realm was at the hooves of a battle-crazed general who chanted Black Fang’s name in delirium.

 

Aided by you, Black Fang would repeat this process to destroy all organised opposition to her. First by getting rid of its rulers, promise power to the next one, and then encourage increasingly ruthless and devoted ponies to take the place at the top.

Some cities that where the home of thousands crumbled to ruins through this process, now the home of a bunch of miscreants and scavengers. The rest had become governed by fanatics of Black Fang. As a result, many smaller settlements tried to detach themselves from their now ruthless rulers, which in turn attempted to enforce their domination with a hoof of steel whenever they could, and often got into lawless wars with other powers. For those who didn’t embrace savagery in Black Fang’s name, the new order of the world left them with little choice.

 

Now two years later, all the remotely plausible threats to Black Fang’s existence have been neutralized one way or another. There’s still the occasional wannabe hero that would attempt to challenge her every few weeks, but you or Black Fang could easily dispose of these weaklings, their overinflated ego at least making it satisfying to send them home crying or to splatter their brains on the ground after demonstrating the gap of power, depending on your mood of the day. The continent had become free from all laws, safe from the one of the strongest.

In other words, Black Fang’s rule had begun.

 

Now that the matter of ponies had been taken care off, it was time for her to repopulate the world with wonderfully powerful predators. At this point, Black Fang had established herself a sanctuary to her own glory, right where she had burst out of the earth into this world. About a thousand pony fanatics that have returned to a wilder way of life now live here and worship you and Black Fang day and night with ritual hunts, meaty feasts, orgies and fights to the death.

 

At this point, you decide to go look for the mares that you once met in the former god’s dream. Being at ease with her powers as a deity, Black Fang easily tells you where to look for them. While she offers to bring you where you need to be with her magic, you decide that you’ll travel on your own to meet them. In the eyes of the world, you’re known by all as the herald of the living goddess Black Fang, and you have more than enough raw power yourself to crush any kind of opposition. Before you leave, Black Fang whispers to you that should any of these mares not react to you in a satisfactory way, she could always use her powers to reshape their minds into something more agreeable. And of course, she can make them physically more to your liking too.

 

 

Graces, who now calls herself Pale Light again, has become a traveling priest. Black Fang kept her word of healing the legs of the devout mare, and did so right when she came out of the dream. The titaness did way more than that in fact, and also grew the pious mare’s body, and gave her features similar to her own. Three times the height of an average pony, with a scaly tail, bat wings and ridiculously large teats, the monastery she was in banished her after looking after her inanimate body for months, as they believed she had conspired with Black Fang somehow. That monastery has since then been ransacked by pillagers. Regardless, Pale Light has been traveling around the continent since then, trying to perform little acts of goodness and spread crumbs of peace wherever she goes. The now huge mare readily uses her body to physically overpower violent ponies when it is needed, or even pretends that opposing her could anger Black Fang when it is useful to de-escalate conflicts. In reality, she still has an unwavering faith in the Light, even if right now she has no real plan to defeat the rule of Black Fang. She merely hopes that through prayer, one day the Light might show her a way for peace to return to this world. While she has made many friends among those she helped, Pale Light prefers to travel alone, as she fears her way of life or her resemblance with Black Fang could put any long-term companions of hers in danger.

 

Frog Chaser was a mare named Flycatcher. She woke up from the dream by crawling out of her own shoddy tomb. She was a part of a band of lowly drifters at the time. Scavengers who either begged, or searched for scraps worthy of some coin in dumps, abandoned mines or old ruins. She had spent years into the dream, and since her companions couldn’t afford to take care of her inert body after an encounter with beasts, they considered her dead.

The shock of having lost everything in her previous life and witnessing the fall of society under the hooves of Black Fang sent her into a great depression for a time, and when she eventually accepted the new state of her life, there was little left of any kind of hope or dignity in her. After the village she was staying in was attacked by a group of bandits, the imposing mare convinced the rogues to let her in their clique. She chose to keep going by the name of Frog Chaser, and climbed the ranks among this violent bunch. They didn’t suffer any huge loss since then, and Frog Chaser currently enjoys the life of a mildly successful thug, full of violence and debauchery.

 

Sand Carrot was in reality named Harvest. To the other ponies in her little town, she woke up after a coma of several months, and the three foals she had left behind could once again get a big hug from their mother. Despite the grief from learning her husband had died to the wolves that had attacked them, the mare could resume her life as a farmer. Her new body allowed her to do the work of two ponies alright, but even without that the tightly-knit community of this town was more than ready to help their fellow villager get back on her hooves.

The news of the world going awry reached this town, but thanks to its remote location near the eastern sea, trouble has yet to impact the peaceful life of this place. For now, all that changed is that the few guards and the mayor decided that all the villagers should learn how to wield a weapon, but these exercises did not need to come into practice for now. Harvest prays every day that it stays that way. She pretends than she remembers nothing of the dream, eager to leave this all behind her.

 

 

One night, Graces was resting alone in the forest. In the dim light of her campfire, you approach her from the road. The mare jumps on her hooves at the sound, all too aware that a bad encounter is a likely thing in this new world.

“You…” As she recognises your face. The mare doesn’t look afraid or angry, but saddened by your appearance.

“Hello Graces.” You slowly walk closer with a smile. “How is it going?”

“I’d you to call me Pale Light, thank you.” She sternly retorts. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, nothing special.” You do your best to ignore the mare giving you the cold shoulder. “I just figured that after all this time, it would be nice to catch up with you, so I decided to go look around for my old companions of misfortune.”

“I’m afraid I’m up to date with the trail of destruction you and Black Fang have been leaving in this world.” She replies, sadness in her eyes. “Luster Lance… Unless you’re here to tell me you plan to repent for your deeds and help this world get rid of Black Fang’s tyranny, I don’t think I want to talk with you.”

 

“Come on, now. Can’t we put that stuff aside for an evening?” You say. “I know how you hate being alone, Graces. I’m sure we could keep each other warm in this cool night, like in the good old times.”

“I’m afraid I can’t ignore the extent of your sins, so please leave me alone.” She shakes her head. “I’ll keep you in my prayers. Maybe one day the Light will reach your heart, and maybe you can have a role in making the world a better place again.”

The mare doesn’t try to physically get rid of you, but instead closes her eyes and ostensibly starts praying to the Light in silence.

 

“Really now? I thought we were friends.” You say. “Can’t we at least talk a little about this?”

But Graces remains silent and immobile. You sigh dejectedly.

“Well, isn’t that a shame…” You grumble as you walk back into the darkness of the night.

 

Next, you decide to pay a visit to Frog Chaser. The mare and her new companions are currently staying in a small countryside town. They’re drinking to their heart’s content in the tavern, their inebriated laughter and the occasional sound of glass breaking could be heard from the outside. You’re sure they won’t mind if you butt in.

 

Your crawl through the too-small door, the ponies nearby freezing in a terrified silence as they realise who’s the giant in front of them. You eventually get close to Frog Chaser, who spits the rest of her drink as she recognizes who’s visiting.

“Oh, shit, Lustre Lance!?” She blurts out, droplets of her drink being projected everywhere around.

“Hello there.” You say as you sit in front of the smaller mare. “Looks like you and your friends are having fun.”

“Hum… yeah, we didn’t expect you there. HEY!” She calls toward the counter. “Give the big guy a beer or something! Do you want our heads to be chopped of what?!”

And as the scared owner hurries to fill you a mug. “…so, you’re not here to pick up a fight, right?” She worriedly whispers toward you.

“Why, no!” You chuckle. “Why would you think that? I’m just here to catch up with you.”

“Ah.” She eases up a little. “Sorry then. But I had to check because of the… you know, destroyer of civilisation reputation and stuff.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” You nod. “So, how are you doing? I see you’ve taken up a new activity.”

“Eh. We’re managing.” She shrugs. “’Got a few beatings now and then, but I’ve been on the giving end of it more often, and we can have some nice evenings like this one from time to time. So, it’s ok, even if we’re certainly not on your level, Lance. You’re the top dog out there. Like, the toppest of the doggy dog world even.”

 

“I guess I am.” It’s your turn to take a swig of beer. “But you know, you could come with me. Things will be even better for me with you at my side.”

“Hahahah! Dude!” Frog Chaser shows you a playful grin, but with a glimmer of cruelty in her eye that you didn’t know her. “I’d kill for that. Do I need to?”

“No, not exactly.” You chuckle. “You just had to say yes.”

“Well that was easy!” She smiles and gulps another glass of mead. “So… it’s for real, right? You’re not gonna reveal it’s a big joke at my expanse, right?”

“Nope. It’s all real!” You nod. “You have my word.”

 

“Alright then!” The mare stands up with a wicked smile on her face. Walking up to another bandit that had gone back to drinking, she gives the stallion a buck in the head that sends him flying off his chair.

“Gold Rush you fucking snake!” Frog Chaser hisses as she starts to pummel the smaller pony on the ground. “Did you think nopony noticed that you’re rigging the shares? What are you gonna now that the boss can’t protect your cheap, dirty ass, huh!?”

The other thugs look horrified, but after a glance at you, none dare to intervene. And so Frog Chaser spends the rest of the evening with you, getting back at every single little grief the other bandits had done to her, and then walks out in the night at your side.

 

“Dude, thanks for allowing me in your cult or whatever it is.” She chuckles drunkenly, wiping a trail of blood that’s not hers from her leg.

“Looks to me like you’ll feel right at home.” You smile back at her. “I think you’re going to like being around Black Fang.”

“Oh, her…” The mare seems dejected for a second, but then shrugs it off. “Eh, who am I kidding? I’m probably as bad as she is. Anyway, do you think she’d accept making me a powerhouse like you? I’m gonna need it if you and I are gonna get THAT kind of wild together...”

“That, and I’d also ask Black Fang to give you wings and a pair of massive milky teats.”

“Haha! You freaking horndog!” The mare jumps to place a little kiss on your cheek. “And ask her to give me a nice fucking ass too while you’re at it!”

“With pleasure.” You reply with a grin.

 

You had some doubts for Graces, but you’re about certain Sand Carrot won’t appreciate you visiting her out of the blue. At least, as long as she’s in her current state of mind.

Looking up some whereabout about the other mares you met in the dream, you learn that Woodshot and your former party kept living their lives as adventurers. After all, the state of the world has created plenty of job opportunities for mercenaries. Similarly, Scoria found herself a place as the blacksmith of a local lord. Being physically impossible to push around by most helped her make her hole in this new economy, and even in this violent new order she’s as abrasive as ever to those that don’t respect her work. Chord Care and her caravan of fellow gipsies desperately try to flee Black Fang’s influence on the land, and are currently preparing a travel across the ocean to hopefully start anew on another continent, at least until Black Fang takes an interest in the rest of the planet.

You’re gonna have some fun with Frog Chaser for now, but you ask Black Fang to make sure the two other mares you had your eyes on will eventually be as cooperative as this one. All these mares are rightfully yours after all.

 

Over the next few weeks, Graces and Sand Carrot would experience mounting sexual appetite to the point of often eclipsing the rest of any coherent thoughts they may have, highlighted by a body who’s curves and assets would grow in size and sensitivity. It takes less than a month for both of them to be desperately longing for a big and strong stallion to come and take care of their needs.

 

Once these mares are ripe with carnal desire, you merely have to show yourself for them to fall into your arms. Without even exchanging any words, you fuck Graces the next time you see her, and then she only nods absently, eyes clouded with pleasure when you assert it is time she took her place as your side.

It goes similarly easily with Sand Carrot that you pick up with her foals one day. Two of the three little ponies weren’t cut to live at your side and died within the year, but the third colt is shaping up to become a warrior you could almost be proud of. Anyway, you’ve put some more kids into your mares that’ll hopefully turn out to be more adequate. You’re still filling up Black Fang very often too, but she only laughs sinisterly when you ask her if she’s ever going to get pregnant.

This is only a minor disappointment, though. And for the rest your very long life, you would satisfy each and every of your desires.

 

Life is good.

 

THE END.