Applejack's Isekai

Chapters

What's Going On?
Character Creation
Manual
First Blood
First Blush
The First (Full) Day of the Rest of Her Life
Second Verse, (Not Quite) Same As the First
Training Day
Applejack's Day "Off"
Harvest Season
And On the Seventh Day, She Rested (A Little…Sorta)
(We're Off On The) Road to Silberwald
On The Town
Glossary
Tutorial
Collected Footnotes (For Those Of You Who Don't Want To Be Scrolling Up And Down All The Time)

What's Going On?

“HELLO, APPLEJACK!” boomed a voice from everywhere, startling the mare into full wakefulness, from that comfortable state between waking and sleeping, where she’d been happily drifting.

“What the… What’s going on? Where am Ah?” she questioned, looking around, and finding it was still as dark as before she’d opened her eyes.

“RELAX, APPLEJACK. YOU ARE CURRENTLY NOWHERE.”

“Nowhere?”

“CORRECT. YOU ARE IN THE VOID BETWEEN THE LAYERS OF REALITY.” came the answer.

“Is this some weird dream?” she wondered, before taking the obvious next step. “Luna!”

“THIS IS NOT A DREAM.” the voice repeated. “AND THE ONLY ONES HERE ARE YOU AND I.”

“And who are you?”

“I AM THE GESTALT OMNIPRESENT DAEMON.” the voice answered. It was both masculine and feminine at the same time, yet somehow without being androgynous. It was also old and young, and weak and strong. It was, in fact, almost like hearing every voice ever, all talking at once, in perfect sync. “OR GOD, FOR SHORT.”1

Applejack got the impression that the voice was quite pleased with itself, or perhaps its cleverness with wordplay. There were a couple problems with what it had said, however.

“Equestrians don’t believe in gods anymore.” she pointed out.

“WHICH IS WHY YOU DON’T HAVE ANY.” It said simply.

“What?”

“GODS AND GODDESSES, IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, ARE BROUGHT INTO BEING BY THEIR BELIEVERS, AND ARE SUSTAINED BY THEM, AS WELL. BUT I’M NOT THAT KIND OF GOD, ANYWAYS.”

“How can you be any kind of god, when you just called yourself a demon?” she pointed out.

“NOT THAT KIND OF DAEMON, EITHER.” the voice answered easily, leaving the impression of an easy grin.

“What other kind of demon is there?”

“ONE WHICH EQUESTRIA DOES NOT YET HAVE THE TECHNOLOGICAL CONTEXT TO UNDERSTAND.” the voice said, it’s tone unchanged. “THAT OTHER VERSION OF YOU THAT YOUR FRIEND, TWILIGHT SPARKLE, SOMETIMES VISITS, MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE TERM. MAYBE. SHE'S NOT MUCH OF A TECHIE, THOUGH. IT’S MORE LIKELY THAT SUNSET SHIMMER, OR THE LOCAL TWILIGHT SPARKLE, WOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IT.”

Applejack was a little disturbed that this voice—whoever it was—knew about Starswirl’s mirror, and the world on the other side of it. She didn’t think anypony but the six of them, Spike, the princesses, and Shining Armor knew anything about that.

Except…

“Discord?” Applejack demanded. That would certainly explain the smirk she was sensing in the words.

“AN UNDERSTANDABLE MISTAKE, BUT A MISTAKE, NONETHELESS.” the voice chuckled. And to be sure, the laughter was nothing like Discord’s. Neither a mad cackle, nor a raucous guffaw.

“So then, what are you?”

“YOU ARE AWARE OF THE GAIA SPIRIT?”

“Of course Ah am.” Applejack answered indignantly. “Every earth pony is. We interact with the planet’s life force directly, every day. Is that what you are? The spirit of some other planet?”

“CLOSER, BUT NOT QUITE. I AM THE SPIRIT OF EVERY PLANET, STAR, MOON, ASTEROID, COMET, AND EVERY LAST SPECK OF SPACE DUST, COMBINED. ALL THAT AND MORE! THAT IS WHAT A GESTALT IS, AFTER ALL. A TOTAL GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.”

When Applejack was still trying to wrap her head around that explanation a moment later, the voice spoke up again.

“IF IT HELPS, THINK OF EVERY THING IN THE UNIVERSE AS LIKE THE FORTY-SOME-TRILLION CELLS IN YOUR BODY. THOUGH IN MY CASE, IT’S MORE LIKE FORTY TRILLION TO THE FORTY-TRILLIONTH POWER, BUT THE PRINCIPLE IS STILL THE SAME. AND IT’S NOT A VERY GOOD ANALOGY, ANYWAY, BUT IT’S STILL THE BEST YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.”

“Okay…Well… All that aside…” While Applejack still didn’t really understand what this…entity…speaking to her was supposed to be, she was pragmatic enough to shrug off her confusion and forge ahead. As she sometimes had to do when talking with Twilight. “What am Ah doing here?”

“YOU’RE HERE TO PLAY A GAME.”

“A game?”

“EEYUP.” the voice said, affecting a drawl like her brother’s.

“What kinda game?” she asked suspiciously.

“THINK OF IT LIKE THAT O&O GAME YOUR BROTHER PLAYS, BUT A LOT MORE ADVANCED. ALL THE DICE-ROLLING AND RANDOM NUMBER GENERATING GOES ON AUTOMATICALLY IN THE BACKGROUND, UNNOTICED BY ANYONE ACTUALLY PLAYING.”

“Why?”

“FOR MY AMUSEMENT, OF COURSE. BEING EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME, WATCHING EVERYTHING ISN’T AS INTERESTING AS ONE MIGHT THINK. ESPECIALLY SINCE I’M STUCK JUST WATCHING, AND NEVER GET TO INTERACT IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY. THE BEST I CAN DO IS OFFER A FEW VAGUE HINTS HERE AND THERE, MOST OF WHICH ARE IGNORED.”

“Alright, Discord.” Applejack said, the illusion shattered. “Ya had me going there for a minute, but now the joke’s over.”

“I’M STILL NOT DISCORD, THOUGH AGAIN, I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU’D THINK THAT.”

“Now Ah mean it, Discord. If you don’t let me out of wherever the heck we are, right now, Ah will tell Fluttershy the next time Ah see her.”

“THAT IS YOUR RIGHT.” the voice agreed. “THOUGH YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T. IT WOULDN’T DO TO BLAME HIM FOR SOMETHING HE DIDN’T DO, AFTER ALL. NO MATTER HOW MUCH HE MAY ACTUALLY BE GUILTY OF.”

That pretty much convinced Applejack that it really wasn’t Discord. Even though the Lord of Chaos was trying to reform—or was at least claiming to—he still had a lot of trouble taking responsibility for things. And he was never so blasé about Fluttershy finding about the things he’d done.

“Alright.” she sighed. “What am Ah supposed to do in this game of yours?” Applejack had heard her brother creating enough campaigns to know there was always an end goal. And to know they were called campaigns. “Rescue the princess? Or prince, Ah guess. Defeat the evil, big bad…whatever? Explore the ancient ruins and uncover the treasure buried there?”

“NOPE.” the voice drawled again. “THOUGH YOU CAN DO THOSE THINGS, IF YOU WANT. THOUGH THAT SECOND ONE IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN, SINCE THERE IS NO SINGULAR, GREAT EVIL. AND THE ROYALTY IS SELDOM IN MUCH NEED OF SAVING—EXCEPT PERHAPS FROM THEMSELVES—SO THE BALANCE OF PROBABILITY IS AGAINST YOU WITH THAT ONE, TOO.”

“Then what am Ah supposed to do?”

“JUST MAKE A LIFE FOR YOURSELF AND LIVE IT. ANY WAY YOU WANT—”

“Wait a minute! What about—”

“DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE IN EQUESTRIA. CURRENTLY, YOU ARE A DISEMBODIED SOUL, AND YOUR BODY IS STILL IN ITS BED, WHERE IT SHOULD BE. AND BEING OMNIPRESENT, WHEN YOU HAVE LIVED YOUR LIFE, IN ANY WAY THAT APPEALS TO YOU—AND IDEALLY IN A WAY THAT PROVIDES ME SIGNIFICANT AMUSEMENT, AS WELL—I WILL RETURN YOUR SOUL TO ITS RIGHTFUL HOME, ONLY AN INSTANT AFTER I TOOK IT. YOU WILL BE GONE NO MORE THAN AN EYE-BLINK. YOUR HEART MAY SKIP A BEAT WHEN YOU RETURN, BUT IF YOU SUFFER ANYTHING WORSE, IT IS UNRELATED TO MY ACTIONS.”

“Really?”

“I WOULD PINKIE PROMISE, BUT I DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY. PINKIES, THAT IS.” the voice added, at Applejack’s confusion. “OR CUPCAKES. SO YOU’LL SIMPLY HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. AND NOTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU IN THE GAME WILL CARRY OVER WHEN YOU RETURN. NOTHING PHYSICAL, ANYWAYS. THE MEMORIES WILL STILL BE THERE. LIKE AN EXTREMELY LONG DREAM. SO YOU WILL NEED TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT CERTAIN THOUGHTS WHEN YOU WAKE UP.”

Applejack thought about that for a moment, before realizing that there really was nothing she could do but take the voice at its word. Which meant that she needed to start filling in the details. “So if there’s no campaign to complete, when does the game end?”

“WHEN YOUR LIFE DOES.” came the simple answer. “WHETHER THAT IS MINUTES OR DECADES.”

“Wait, could Ah really die that quickly?” Applejack asked.

“THEORETICALLY, YES.” the voice admitted. “YOU MIGHT APPEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM AND GET STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. OR ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN DURING AN AVALANCHE. BUT PRACTICALLY, THAT WOULD PROVIDE ME NO MORE THAN A SINGLE, IRONIC, DISBELIEVING CHUCKLE. AND SINCE THIS IS ABOUT MY AMUSEMENT, I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL ABOUT PLACING YOU SOMEWHERE SAFE. OF COURSE, EVEN IF YOU APPEAR ON A PEACEFUL RIVERBANK, YOU MAY STILL TRIP OVER A PEBBLE, AND BREAK YOUR NECK IN THE FALL. STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.”

“Right.” Applejack said slowly, trying not to think too hard about the fragility of life. “So, where exactly am Ah going? Ah imagine it’s not exactly Equestria as Ah know it.”

“IT’S NOT EQUESTRIA AT ALL, BUT A WORLD OF MY OWN CREATION. ONE THAT IS QUITE A BIT MORE SIMILAR TO THE WORLD ON THE OTHER SIDE OF STARSWIRL’S MIRROR, IN SOME WAYS.”

“That…oughta be interesting.” Applejack mused, remembering some of Twilight’s stories about the other side of the mirror. “And once Ah’m there, Ah just have to live my life?”

“YES. THOUGH IF IT EVER GETS TO THE POINT WHERE LIVING YOUR LIFE BECOMES A CHORE THAT YOU HAVE TO DO, REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN QUIT THE GAME AT ANY TIME.” It took Applejack a second or two to figure out what the voice meant by that. Then she shuddered a little at the thought of…checking out early. Her mind instead latched onto the first thing to cross it.

“Wait a moment. Didn’t you say earlier that you couldn’t have much of an effect on anything? So how’d you make a whole new world?”

“I DID SAY THAT. AND I CAN’T. SO I DID SOMETHING THAT IS WITHIN MY ABILITY AND TOOK THE TINIEST SMIDGEN OF POWER FROM EVERY ONE OF MY COMPONENTS TO CREATE A PLACE FOR YOU TO PLAY.”

“How tiny a smidgen are we talking?”

“NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT. THE PHYSICAL EQUIVALENT WOULD BE REMOVING LESS THAN A SINGLE ATOM. BUT WHEN EVEN THAT NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNT IS TAKEN FROM EVERY SINGLE STAR, PLANET, AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE, THAT’S STILL A BILLION TO THE BILLIONTH FACTOR TIMES MORE POWER THAN I NEED TO CREATE A SINGLE WORLD, ITS ASSOCIATED REQUIREMENTS—SUCH AS A STAR TO PROVIDE HEAT AND LIGHT, A SATELLITE, ENOUGH LIGHTS IN THE SKY TO PASS FOR A STARRY NIGHT, ETCETERA, ETCETERA—AND ALL ITS INHABITANTS, DOWN TO THE SMALLEST VIRUS. AND I MADE THIS WORLD HERE IN THE VOID.”

“So, it’s not exactly a void anymore, then?” Applejack asked, looking around for any sign of her soon-to-be-home.

“ACTUALLY, IT STILL IS. A WHOLE NEW PLANE OF REALITY FORMED AROUND MY NEW WORLD, TO PROTECT THE VOID. IT’S NOTHING LIKE AN OYSTER FORMING A PEARL AROUND A PIECE OF GRIT, BUT THAT’S THE NEAREST ANALOGY YOU CAN COMPREHEND. AND SINCE I CREATED THIS WORLD, I HAVE A MUCH GREATER ABILITY TO INTERACT DIRECTLY WITH IT. THOUGH I WON’T BE DOING THAT TOO MUCH, SINCE I WOULD RATHER HAVE MY SUBJECTS ENTERTAIN AND SURPRISE ME BY DEVELOPING ON THEIR OWN.”

“Right.” Applejack said after a few seconds. “Well, if we’re gonna do this, then we might as well get to doing it. So, where in this world of yours am Ah headed?”

“THERE’S STILL ONE THING TO BE DONE BEFORE YOU START PLAYING.” the voice said. Then, even though there was nothing around her, and she didn’t even have a real body, Applejack felt like the whole world started spinning, before going dark.

Author's Note

I had a lot of trouble coming up with a term that made the acronym work, but I’m very happy with my final choice. I was going to go with Divinity, but then I thought of Daemon, and was quite pleased to discover that it worked on two extra levels. Of the word’s three definitions, two of them applied to the character as I conceived it. To wit:
A. (in ancient Greek belief) a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans.
B. In multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user.

Character Creation

“Hey!”

The shrill voice made Applejack clench her eyes more tightly for a moment, before opening them. Only to be faced with something utterly baffling. It appeared to be herself.

As an alicorn.

But the size of a breezy.

“What in tarnation?” she muttered slowly.

“I’m your mini-divinity! Everyone in this game world has one, but no one can see anyone else’s!” the…breezie-corn? … chirped brightly. No longer shrill, the voice was almost exactly like her own. It was even as loud as her own. In fact, it would have been indistinguishable from hers, if not for the fact that it lacked the Apple Family’s drawl. (Which was not the same as an accent, no matter what anypony tried to say.)

“Mini-divinity?” Applejack repeated, questioningly. Upon closer inspection, the little body had red and pink stripes in her mane and tail, making her look like Applejack had when she’d held the Rainbow Power. Though instead of the whole bushel of apples that had decorated her hooves and flanks that day, not long ago, there was only Applejack’s familiar, three apple cutie mark.

“Mm-hm.” the little creature nodded, as Applejack raised one hoof slowly.

“And what is that?” she asked, moving her hoof to gently poke at the tiny flyer.

“Think of me like a shoulder-angel-slash-exposition-fairy. Normally, we’re shapeless balls of light, but GOD thought this form would make me more comfortable for you. And cute, too.” the mini-divinity answered, raising one hoof of her own to bump against Applejack’s approaching hoof. Applejack blinked at the clop that sounded out. Mainly because it was as loud as if she’d hoofbumped a full-size pony. Then she put her hoof down, shaking her head slightly.

“And what is a…shoulder-angel-slash-whatever-fairy?”

“I tell you about all sorts of people, places, and things in your new world.” the mini-divinity said. Then it…she?…suddenly underwent a massive change.

The mini-corn’s horn—which was already proportionally as long and sharp as Princess Luna’s—grew out to match Princess Celestia’s. And sharper, too, until the point was practically invisible. Her legs immediately followed suit, lengthening and slimming, as did her muzzle. Her fur changed next, intensifying and yellowing somewhat, becoming a dull golden color, while the tips of her feathers gained a greenish tint. At the same time, her mane and tail turned entirely shock-white and burst free of their ties, to blow in an invisible wind. And the last thing to change was a set of regalia, just like the princesses wore, appearing on the diminutive body. But instead of gold or silver, it was a reddish-copper color.

“I also warn you when something you are about to do is considered a crime.” her miniature said. Though proclaim would really be more accurate, considering the dramatic tone. “That includes what kinds of penalties you may face, if caught, along with potential legal alternatives that may exist.”

The sight of fangs in the miniscule muzzle made Applejack blink again, before squinting a little to get a closer look at the miniature’s face. And sure enough, the green eyes were slitted, confirming her assumption that this was supposed to be what she would look like—might look like?—in the grip of the nightmare.

While Applejack had no doubt it would be properly terrifying if it was life-size, looking at it like this—small enough to squish underhoof, if she weren’t careful—it was surprisingly beautiful.

“Ignorance of the law is not even a possibility, much less an excuse.” the mini-divinity intoned, with an imperious nod. A second later, it returned to its original form.

”So, yeah! I generally help you navigate through this world in all sorts of ways.” she said. “And that starts with helping you create your character.”

“Create my character? Can’t Ah just play as myself?” Applejack asked. The mini-divinity’s eyes suddenly glowed bright white, like Twilight’s did when she channeled the Elements of Harmony.

“NO!” came the answer, in an imitation of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Except it wasn’t the Mini-Divinity’s voice that came out, but the voice that had brought Applejack here. “LIKE I SAID, THIS IS MORE LIKE THE MIRROR WORLD, THAN EQUESTRIA. THAT MEANS THAT PONIES ARE JUST SMALL HORSES, AND HORSES ARE NOT SAPIENT. THE POINT OF THIS GAME, AFTER ALL, IS TO LIVE A DIFFERENT LIFE THAN YOU COULD IN EQUESTRIA.”

“And why didn’t you tell me that sooner?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. But the Apple-corn’s eyes returned to normal without The Gestalt giving a reason.

Seeing the thoroughly unamused expression, the mini-divinity rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, GOD can speak through us mini-divinities, but It doesn’t do it often.” she said awkwardly.

“It?”

“GOD doesn’t have a gender or a sex, and is entirely beyond mortal comprehension. It is so different that It doesn’t find the term ‘It’ offensive.”

“Hmm. Except for that last bit, he still sounds like Discord.” Applejack grumbled. Actually, she thought Discord might not be honestly offended by the pronoun, either. Though he would probably pretend to be. In fact, the ponies around him—including herself, she admitted—would most likely be more offended to hear him referred to as such.

After a couple more seconds of internal grumbling about “things beyond mortal ken” Applejack decided to get started with the task at hoof.

“So, what’s first?” she asked the tiny alicorn floating nearby, patiently waiting on her. “Actually, what’s your name? Ah’m gonna feel weird if Ah just call you ‘hey, you’.”

“I don’t actually have a name. None of us mini-divinities do. We don’t really need them. Then again, none of have a real, solid shape, either. So, how about…Oh! GOD just suggested Minerva. It’s the name of an ancient goddess of wisdom, so it suits my purpose.”

“Ah can see that.” Applejack accepted, nodding. “In that case, it’s nice to meetcha, Minerva. My name’s Applejack, which you probably knew already.” she added quickly, holding her hoof up for another bump.

“I did. But it’s nice to be properly introduced, Applejack.” Minerva said, bumping the offered hoof. And again, it was as loud as if she were the size of a real pony. Then it was her turn to get down to business.

“So, the first thing you need to do is choose your race.”

“Alright, what kinda options do Ah got?”

“Dozens!” Minerva chirped brightly—almost more like Pinkie, than Applejack. The pony-for-not-much-longer consoled herself that at least she wasn’t pronking. “But GOD has preselected some options It thinks you’d most likely prefer. It also made some templates based on your natural appearance, but you can modify those later, if you want.”

With that, three rotating images appeared in front of the pair.

On the left was a very strange looking bipedal creature, whose mane had the same style and color as her own. Its whole body was on display, showing almost nothing but orange skin, misplaced teats, and almost draconic extremities. Extremities that ended in soft flesh, instead of claws like Spike’s. The only place that had any covering was a close-cropped patch of blonde hair on her groin.

In the middle was something that was, if anything, even creepier. Just because it looked almost like a pony, in some ways. It looked like someone had blended a pony with the creature on the left. Bipedal again, it had the same misplaced teats and blunt, fleshy claws on its forelegs. Though at least its legs ended in proper hooves. It also had a proper coat of short fur, too. And it had an almost-pony-like head, except that the muzzle was a little too long and narrow. Honestly, it was…more off-putting, than reassuring.

And on the right was another disturbing mishmash. Disturbing in more than one way, in fact. It was a centaur, which was disturbing enough on its own, with Tirek such a recent memory. Unlike the smooth columns that ponies had—and even Tirek, himself—it had legs with lots of muscle at the top and thick hooves at the bottom, with long, silky hair on its fetlocks, but were thinner in the middle. Almost like stretched taffy. But worse than that, the upper body was the same as the creature on the left.

“These are my choices?” Applejack questioned, wanting to shy away from these twisted mockeries of ponydom. And whatever that thing on the left was.

“Not all of them. Not by a long shot. They’re just GOD’s recommendations.” Minerva reminded her. “The choices here are Human, Furred Race-Horse, and Centaur.”

“That’s a human?” Applejack said, suddenly wondering how Twilight had managed on the other side of the mirror.

“MORE THAN THAT, THAT’S WHAT YOUR COUNTERPART FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR LOOKS LIKE.” came the voice of The Gestalt, both pride and amusement unmissable. Applejack could only shudder at that.

“So, what else is there?” she asked.

“Humans start with a lower Perception stat than the other two, because their senses tend to be weaker. Especially their olfactory sense. Smell, that is.”

“Ah know.” “Thanks, Twilight.” Applejack thought to herself.

“Their eyesight actually tends to be slightly better than the other two, though. But not by much. They also have a bit less Strength and Endurance, but better Dexterity, thanks to their smaller, more slender fingers.”

“Fingers?”

“Those digits at the end of their arms.”

“Oh.”

“And don’t worry about learning to use them. You’ll automatically be able to do that, with your exact level of skill being determined by your Dexterity stat.” Minerva explained, before Applejack could even ask. “Humans are a jack-of-all-stats, who don’t start with any special skills or affinities. And while they represent the majority of people in the world, it is only by the thinnest of margins.”

“Ah don’t really think I wanna be a human. What about the other two?”

“Well, the Furred Race-Horse, starts with the best Perception score of the three, while Centaurs have a small edge in Endurance and Strength.”

“Now, wait a moment. I thought horses weren’t sapient?” Applejack asked.

“They’re not. The Furred Races are anthropomorphic sapients. Their bodies are a blending of man and animal. They come in all sorts of varieties. Just about any mammal you can think of. Or marsupial.” Minerva added as an afterthought.

“So why is it a horse, and not a pony?”

“Because ponies are just small horses, GOD saw no need to make them a separate option when you can just adjust your height to the minimum to have the same effect.” Minerva explained. “Just so you know, that would leave you a little under five feet tall, when most humans average between five and a half and six feet tall, depending on their gender.”

“Huh. I’m pretty used to being on the bigger side of average for a mare.”

“Centaurs are pretty big. They rarely grow to be shorter than seven feet.”

“No. A couple moons ago, before Tirek’s rampage, Ah mighta considered it, but now centaurs are a no go. What other options are there?”

“Well, besides ordinary horses, there are also unicorns and pegasi.” Minerva said. “Unicorns start with a better Intelligence stat and all the basic attack spells, while pegasi start with higher Perception and Agility stats.”

“And those are both, uh, furred races, you called them?”

“That’s right. The Furred Races are one of the three categories of sapients in this world. Another category is Humanoids, which includes humans, of course, as well as elves, fairies, dwarves, gnomes, and a few others.” As Minerva lists the various races, images of them appear around Applejack, though she pretty quickly loses track of which is which.

“The third category of sapients is the Manimals.”

“Manimals?” Applejack asked flatly, arching an eyebrow at Minerva.

“GOD thought that whimsical names would make this more fun.” she explained, almost apologetically.

“Whimsical is one word for it.” Applejack thought. “So what are these…Manimals?”

“Creatures that are half man and half animal, like centaurs, lamias, arachnes, harpies, and several others. Well, half-humanoid, technically.” Applejack couldn’t help shuddering at some of the creatures that appeared around her.

“If those are my choices, Ah guess the horse is my best choice.”

“It is a pretty good choice.” Minerva agreed. “Especially since I forgot to mention its starting Skills. Transformation: Humanoid, Transformation: Anthro, and Transformation: Horse. They’re only level one, so you can only use them once a day, but they’ll level up quickly.”

“Why would Ah want to turn into a human?”

“The global population is a mostly even mix of races, but that’s only when taken as a whole. There are many villages that only have a couple different races living there. If they’re not used to seeing non-humanoids, the people living there will be suspicious of you. And while the good ones will try not to let that effect how they treat you, the unscrupulous ones will use that as an excuse to try taking advantage of you. Looking humanoid will help you blend in in some places.” Minerva explained. “Your humanoid form has some other advantages, too. Like a +2 Dexterity bonus. And it’s completely infertile, so you don’t have to worry about pregnancy.”

“Pregnancy?” Applejack blurted out, before sighing. “This is one of those games, ain’t it?”

“YES. YES IT IS.” came the voice of The Gestalt. Applejack had already decided not to refer to it as a god, and this only strengthened her resolve. “I FIND SEX VERY INTERESTING, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NEITHER THE NEED NOR THE ABILITY TO EXPERIENCE IT MYSELF. I ALSO FIND IT AMUSING, THE LENGTHS SOME LIFEFORMS WILL GO TO, JUST TO EXPERIENCE IT, THEMSELVES.”

Most Equestrians were fairly casual about the topic of sex, and Applejack was neither a virgin nor a prude, but she did think too many ponies put far too much importance in it. She still remembered the time Rainbow brought an adult-oriented board game to a sleepover at the library. As a joke, she’d said. But after a few drinks, they’d gone ahead and played it.

And the next time, Pinkie brought an outright pornographic tabletop RPG. With painted models—very detailed ones—and a fully-developed campaign. They’d played that, too. For all of ten minutes, before the chimera started displaying three dicks to try and seduce them. Then everypony except Pinkie had decided that that was enough.1

“THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW.” The Gestalt continued. “HORSES ARE NOT EARH PONIES. SO YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM ANY OF YOUR MAGIC. NOT YOUR UNGULOTURGY, YOUR CAPILLATURGY, YOUR GEOTURGY, OR YOUR BOTANURGY2. AND YOUR STRENGTH AND STAMINA ARE DETERMINED BY YOUR STATS. WHILE YOU CAN BOOST THEM WITH MAGIC, THOSE ARE SPELLS YOU HAVE TO LEARN, NOT INHERENT ABILITIES.”

“Well, that’s just great.” Applejack muttered, as the mini-divinity’s eyes stopped glowing. “So is there anything else Ah should know about my human form?”

“AS A MATTER OF FACT, YES. YOUR NEW BODY, BOTH ANTHRO AND HUMANOID FORMS, WILL REQUIRE MEAT REGULARLY AS PART OF ITS DIET. BUT SINCE THE BODY INFORMS THE SPIRIT, AS MUCH AS THE OTHER WAY AROUND, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE TASTE.”

“Meat? Ugh.” Applejack shuddered. While ponies were perfectly capable of eating small amounts of meat without harm, most preferred to get their proteins from eggs, nuts and dairy products. At least in Equestria. In desert areas, like Saddle Arabia, it was rumored that meat was a regular part of many meals, to make up for the lack of greens. “Anything else?” Applejack asked nervously.

“No, but your horse-form does have a +3 Strength bonus, and a +5 Endurance bonus, at the cost of not being able to fight with any weapons or use most spells. It can cast some magic, though, and it has no trouble outrunning most things that would want to attack you, though.” Minerva answered. Apparently, The Gestalt had left again.

“Ah can fight just fine with Bucky and Kicks, so that ain’t a problem, either way.” Applejack said confidently, stamping her hindlegs one at a time.

“Then let’s move to the next step!” Minerva said happily. “Choosing your gender and sex!”

“What.” was Applejack’s flat response.

“Gender is how masculine or feminine you consider yourself to be.” Minerva explained, misunderstanding Applejack’s reaction. “Its primary effect is what pronouns people use for you, but there are many places that are only accessible to a specific gender. There are ways to change this later though, if you want to. Your sex just determines what kind of genitals you have.”

“Ah don’t see that happening. Ah was born female, and Ah’ve never had any interest in changing that.”

“OH, REALLY?” The Gestalt said, talking through the mini-divinity again. “ARE YOU SAYING—ARE YOU, APPLEJACK, THE BEARER OF THE ELEMENT OF HONESTY—REALLY SAYING THAT YOU’VE NEVER WANTED TO TRY BEING A STALLION?”

“So Ah get a little jealous of Macintosh’s strength and stamina sometimes, especially when we got a big crop to harvest, but that ain’t the same as wanting to be a stallion.”

“THAT’S CERTAINLY TRUE, BUT IS THAT ALL IT EVER WAS? JUST A LITTLE JEALOUSY?”

“Alright, Ah’ll admit to being curious how the other half lives, once or twice. Most ponies have wondered that.” There was actually a little more to it than that, but admitting that was about the last thing Applejack wanted to admit right now.

“AND THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO FIND OUT.” The Gestalt tempted.

“Ah’m not that curious.” she said firmly.

“OH WELL.” The Gestalt gave in, with the impression of a careless shrug. “MAYBE LATER, THEN. WHEN YOU KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT, SO YOU CAN TRY IT OUT FOR EXACLY AS LONG AS YOU WANT.”

That was a surprisingly reasonable suggestion. And tempting. More tempting than Applejack wanted to admit.

“JUST REMEMBER, GENDER IS MOSTLY A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT THAT DOESN’T HAVE TO HAVE ANYTHING DO WITH YOUR PHYSICAL FEATURES. SO YOU CAN EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE JOYS OF QUOTE-UNQUOTE STALLIONHOOD, WITHOUT BEING MALE.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Applejack asked, but again, The Gestalt vanished without answering.

“Now it’s time to choose your sex!” Minerva chirped, retaking control of her body.

“Oh. That’s what.” Applejack muttered, before looking at the image before her. “So how’s this work?”

“It’s easy. You just choose the parts you want on this menu and use the slider bars to decide their size.”

Looking at the menu, Applejack saw that breasts and pussy were already selected. “No numbers?” she asked, noticing that the line for breast size was marked with adjectives, instead. Ranging from ‘Mosquito-Bite’ on the far left, through ‘Tiny,’ ‘Small,’ ‘Average,’ ‘Healthy,’ ‘Big,’ ‘Huge,’ ‘Giant,’ and finally, ‘Monstrous’ on the far right

“Nope. Sizes are proportional to your body. And since you haven’t set your height yet…” Minerva explained. Applejack hummed an acknowledgement, then fiddled with the bar for a bit, before settling on ‘Healthy.’ Then, after a moment of awkwardly shuffling her hooves, she gave into the temptation, and touched the button labeled ‘Cock.’

A quick glance at Minerva revealed that the mini-divinity was just floating there patiently, not saying anything, or otherwise reacting. Applejack wasn’t sure if that made her feel better.

After a little fiddling with the new bar—which was identical to the breast one, except the smallest setting, which was labelled ‘Micro’—Applejack decided on ‘Healthy.’ She seriously considered going with ‘Big,’ but she ultimately decided that might be a little unwieldy.

“So why is a scrotum optional?” she asked, looking at the list. “Ain’t that kinda necessary for the cock to work?”

“It’s not whether or not you’ve got balls, but whether they’re internal or external.”

“Oh.”

Applejack was conflicted. The first colt3 she’d been with had really enjoyed having his balls played with, which made her curious about how it felt. But she had some good reasons to want them kept internal, too. Recognizing the dilemma after a long moment, Minerva spoke up.

”There are a few places in the world where you can have your body modified, mostly in the biggest settlements.” she said. “So your decisions here aren’t completely permanent.”

“In that case, Ah’ll leave them inside for now.” Applejack immediately decided. “If this is supposed to be like O&O, then am Ah right in guessing there’s gonna be a fair bit of fighting?”

“That’s right.”

“Ah’ve seen a few stallions laid low by an unlucky hit to the family jewels, and Ah’d rather not have such an obvious weakness.”

“I can’t fault that logic.” Minerva agreed. “And now it’s time to determine the rest of your appearance.”

A minute later, Applejack was looking at a life-size model of her soon-to-be body.

“GOD based this body on your pony body, making it roughly equivalent.” Minerva said. “It has plenty of muscle definition, fitting a woman who puts in a hard day’s work more often than not. And that will be very attractive to most people. Especially those abs. Not washboard, but definitely more than a hint of a six-pack. But there’s still plenty of feminine softness to go around. And a pretty face to go with it. Not to mention that silky smooth, long hair. You’re pretty much the whole package as is, but if there’s anything you want to change, you can. That includes eye color, hair color, hairstyle, or anything else. You can even change your muscle definition, since your Strength Stat is independent of your appearance.”

“Everything looks pretty good, Ah guess. Ah don’t really know enough about this body to know what’s attractive and what ain’t.” Applejack said slowly.

“In that case, you just need to pick your height, and then there’s only one more step before you start.

After a minute of thought, Applejack chose her height as above average, which for a Furred Race-Horse, put her at six-foot-two. Then it was on to the final step.

Class selection.

“There are several options here, but you really don’t need to worry about it too much.” Minerva told Applejack, as more than half a dozen images appeared around her. “There are shrines in just about every settlement bigger than a campsite, and even in many dungeons where you can change to any of the seven basic Classes at will. Or any of the many other Classes that you’ll unlock as you increase your stats, and learn and improve skills.

“Heh. This game sure is a lot more obliging than Ogres and Oubliettes.” Applejack chuckled, looking at the options. “What’s all that writing about?”

“Every Class has bonuses. Mostly to Stats and Skills, but some have equipment or item bonuses, as well. Or other things, like the Ranger and the Tamer classes. Most Classes also have some requirements. Again, these can be Stats, Skills, equipment, items, or other things. A few Classes will also have penalties, so keep that in mind for later.”

Applejack looked around her, counting the panels. Each one came into sharp clarity as her attention focused on it, then faded into blurriness when it moved away. “There’s a Thief Class?” she asked disapprovingly.

“The name is mostly a game convention.” Minerva admitted. “But it’s a very useful and versatile Class. Just look at its information.” she added, when Applejack gave her a skeptical look, and the orange mare did.

Thief
Small blade users, who sometimes prefer to be thought of as Expert Treasure Hunters.
Requirements: None
Stat Bonuses: +2 Dexterity, +2 Perception
Skill Bonuses: +1 Unlock (Spell), +3 Dagger (+10% growth), +3 Short Sword (+10% growth), + 3 Sneaking (+10% Growth), +5 Lockpicking (+20% growth), +3 Pilfering (+20% growth), +3 Pickpocketing (+20% growth)
Equipment Bonuses: One basic dagger or short sword (If none in possession)

“How are any of those skills useful for anyone who’s not a criminal?” Applejack asked.

“There are hundreds of dungeons in the world, and every one of them has dozens of locked doors and locked chests, some of which are immune to or locked with magic. So Lockpicking and the Unlock Spell are both all but indispensable if you’re going delving. Minerva answered. “And nearly every enemy you might fight will have an item of some kind that you can steal off of them, with the Pilfer skill.

“How does that work?”

“Magic.”

“You can’t just say magic and leave it at that. Ah’ve been friends with Twilight long enough to know that’s not how magic works.” Applejack protested.

“DIFFERENT WORLD, DIFFERENT MAGIC, DIFFERENT RULES.” The Gestalt pointed out. Before conceding that, “ALTHOUGH, ‘GAME LOGIC’ MIGHT BE A BETTER WAY TO PUT IT. EITHER WAY, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE, NECESSARILY. IT JUST HAS TO BE CONSISTENT.” Then the glow in Minerva’s eyes disappeared, The Gestalt having said Its piece.

“Ah thought you said that didn’t happen often?” Applejack asked.

“Not normally. But then, these aren’t normal circumstances, either.” Minerva pointed out with a shrug.

Applejack could only nod in agreement, before looking at the Thief’s information panel again. “Okay, Ah’ll admit that some of those skills are more useful than Ah thought, but what about Pickpocketing?”

“It’s like Pilfer, but used against other people. Minerva admitted. “But that’s not always illegal. It can be useful if you’re in combat with someone else. A bandit, for instance. It allows you to take items from them, like healing potions, so that you can use them. Or just stop your opponent from using them. And that’s pretty situational, I admit, but it can be used in other ways, too.

“Like?”

“Like you can join various guilds or organizations, such as a city guard, to get Jobs. Which may involve finding and reclaiming stolen property. Pickpocketing can be used to get the stolen goods back, potentially without having to fight the criminal who stole it. After all, if there’s a gang involved, a fight might well be more trouble than it’s worth. Or you could pickpocket a key to the person’s or gang’s hideout. And there’s also espionage—"

“Ah wouldn’t touch that with a ten-length pole.” Applejack interrupted. “It’s way too dishonest and way more trouble than it’s worth. But Ah can understand how it might not be a bad thing, to be a Thief. Ah still don’t want to be one, though.”

“There are still eight other classes to choose from.”

“Didn’t you say there were only seven basic Classes?”

“There are seven basic classes. The Fighter, which can use any weapon, and has Strength and Endurance bonuses. The Brawler, which specializes in hand-to-hand—also referred to as pankration4—using weapons like knuckles, gloves, and gauntlets to boost their damage, and has Endurance and Agility bonuses. The Support Mage, which specializes in Restorative, Enhancement, and Debilitative magics, as well as daggers and wands, with bonuses to Intelligence, Willpower, and a lesser one to MP. The Combat Mage, which obviously specializes in direct attack magics, as well as daggers and staves, with MP and Intelligence bonuses, and a lesser one to Willpower. The Warrior Mage, which can use many different kinds of magic, without specializing in any of them, with small bonuses in Strength, Intelligence and MP, and some skill with wands, staves, daggers, short swords, and long swords, but not as much as other Classes. The Thief, which specializes in daggers and short swords, and sporting bonuses in Perception and Dexterity. And the last of the seven basic Classes is the Ordinary Citizen, which has no stat bonuses or equipment affinities, but does start with a better Life Magic skill.” Minerva explained.5

“Life magic? You mean like, resurrection magic?” Applejack had to ask.

“No. That would be either Necroturgy6 or very high level Restorative Magic, depending on the exact circumstances. Life magic is just magic used in daily life. With spells like Clean, Scan, Purify Water, and a few others. All classes start with at least level 1 in it.”

“Well, that’s…convenient.” Applejack mused. “So what about the other two Classes?”

“The Ranger and Tamer normally have some minor requirements, but GOD is willing to forgo them this once, to let you start with a little boost. They’re currently listed under Special Bonuses. If you don’t choose them now though, you will have to meet the requirements before you can choose them later.”

Applejack looked more closely at the panels for the two bonus Classes and read them.

Ranger
Dexterous hunters who are good with bows and crossbows.
Requirements: 10 Dexterity, 6 Agility, 6 Strength, Lv. 5 Bow or Crossbow (CURRENTLY DEFERRED)
Stat Bonuses: +5 Dexterity, +3 Agility, +3 Strength
Skill Bonuses: +5 Bow (+10% growth), +5 Crossbow (+10% growth), +1 Fletching (+10% growth)
Equipment Bonuses: One basic bow or crossbow (If none in possession)
Special Bonuses: One Pet-Critter or Beastie

Tamer
People who live and fight alongside the wild creatures of the world.
Requirements: 8 Charisma, 8 Willpower (CURRENTLY DEFERRED)
Stat Bonuses: +4 Charisma, +4 Willpower
Skill Bonuses: +1 Summon Critter (Spell), +1 Summon Beastie (Spell), +1 Summoning Magic (+10% growth), +1 Taming (+25% growth)
Equipment Bonuses: None
Special Bonuses: One Pet-Critter or Beastie, One Steed-Critter or Beastie

“Critter or Beastie?” Applejack asked, turning to face Minerva.

“More of GOD’s whimsical naming. Critters are natural animals. Dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, frogs, cattle, rabbits, squirrels, and others like that.” Minerva answered. “Beasties, on the other hand, are magical, non-sapient creatures. Slimes, wyverns, drakes, terror birds, and whatnot. Basically, anything else you might meet in the wild that is unable to communicate with you. Of course, just because something is able to communicate doesn’t necessarily mean they’re willing to, but attacking one of them unprovoked is still a crime.”

“And how do Ah tell them apart?” Applejack asked.

“That’s what I’m here for.” Minerva reminded her, turning into her Nightmare form again. “You just have to think about attacking them, and if they’re not inherently hostile, I will warn you. Unless they attack you first, of course, and then it’s a moot point, since then it becomes self-defense.”

“Right. That should go without saying.”

“Should, but you never know.” Nightmare Minerva said, before turning back into her regular form and asking, “So, have you decided yet?”

“Ah think so.” Applejack said. “Brawler sounds kinda interesting, but Ah think Ah’d like to wait a little while before picking any sort of specialization, so Ah’ll go with Ordinary Citizen.”

Ordinary Citizen
Your Average Joe (or Jane) on the street.
Requirements: None
Stat Bonuses: None
Skill Bonuses: +1 one random, short-range weapon, +1 one random, long-range weapon, +1 one more random weapon, +1 Scan (Spell), +1 Clean (Spell), +1 Purify Water (Spell), Life Magic +5, +1 one random crafting skill.
Equipment Bonuses: One basic weapon from every Bonus Skill (And 50 ammunition for long range weapons), three changes of clothes, one basic shield, and one leather jerkin. (If none in possession)

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Minerva said brightly. “As long as you’re sure? Then let’s get started!” she cheered, when Applejack nodded. And again, everything went dark, and Applejack felt herself spinning. But this time, she also felt herself changing. Stretching and twisting.

Applejack barely had time to wonder if this was what Twilight felt like, when she went through the mirror, and to hope it wasn’t, before she lost consciousness.

Author's Note

Especially Rarity, who’d just lost the roll to resist the effect.
Ungulaturgy, capillaturgy, geoturgy, and botanurgy are hoof magic, hair magic (mane/tail, specifically), control over earth and stone, and plant-related magic, respectively.
They’d both been 17, but that wasn’t really old enough to be called a stallion, especially in this colt’s case.
Pankration . Short version: Ancient Greek MMA
Yes, I based these classes on the classic FF 1 classes, with a few adjustments to better fit the setting. Especially the names. I also modified the white mage for better balance. Now a strong one can be as much a force unto themselves as a black mage.
Technically, anything that ends in ‘mancy’ has to do with divination. Seeing the future, in other words. If it has to do with magic, the proper suffix is (t)urgy. So this is what most people think of as necromancy. And sorry for going Mudbriar on you.

Manual

This used to be a fairly normal human world. (With all the overpopulation, pollution, and other problems that entailed.) Then the magic came. It changed most people, one way or another. The Arcane Advent, as it eventually came to be known, changed EVERYTHING.

Suddenly, elves and dwarves, and who knows what else were real, walking around like they’d always been there. (And considering they were transformed humans, they had.) Even people who didn’t become something else were still affected. Black and white became very literal options. (Along with blue, pink, green, and every other color.)

Animals were affected, too. Some of them were uplifted, their intelligence becoming unquestionably equal to humans. And former humans. (If not superior, in some individual cases.) They also gained bipedal bodies, and the power to shapeshift into their original animal shapes, and a nearly human one. Not all animals were so lucky, though. Some were warped and twisted into monstrous beasts. The kinds of things seen in myths and nightmares.

Then there were the half-human species, like satyrs and fauns. No one knows where they came from. If they started as humans or animals. (Or possibly both.) Not that most people really care. It’s purely a matter of scholarly curiosity, now.

Compared to other living things, plants and fungi were almost untouched, though they still experienced a number of changes. They started growing faster, larger, and hardier. (On the bright side, many endangered species—plants and animals alike—were suddenly…a whole lot less endangered.)

The landscape didn’t escape unscathed, either. Huge forests grew in in days. Mountains and volcanoes sprang up without rhyme or reason. Both lone ones and whole ranges. Some deserts were replaced with lush jungles or flat plains, while others sprang up in new areas. Rivers, lakes, and seas were relocated willy-nilly.

With all the upheaval, almost 90 percent of the world’s population died1 and most technology was lost. (Admittedly, this did help solve many of the world’s most pressing problems, so…yay for silver linings?)

Just as things were starting to settle down, the dungeons started appearing, along with the mini-divinities. With them, the magic quickly stabilized, and within a few years, people had gained real control over their magic, and society largely stabilized.

In the 4,000 years since the Advent, things have changed surprisingly little. While we’ve regained many technologies, and developed several new ones with the aid of magic, the world is still stuck at something vaguely like the Renaissance Age. It’s not an exact comparison, of course. Airships are common, as are many magical devices replacing things that, before The Advent, would’ve been referred to as mod-cons.

Also, somewhere along the way, a lot of sexual taboos disappeared, though no one’s really sure when, why, or how. Then again, like the origin of the Manimals, it’s mostly a historical curiosity that almost no one cares about. Rape, both statutory and otherwise, is still a serious crime. (And there are no more double standards, either. It doesn’t matter who does it to whom, it’s all the same.) But otherwise, no one much cares.

And that's where things stand today.

WELCOME TO RUTOPIA!

My name is Applejack. Ah was born in the year 4122 After Advent. Pa was a mercenary. He was a real handsome sonuvagun who was real good with a sword. At least according to Ma. Ah wouldn’t know. He died helping someone else fight their battles when Ah was still in diapers. But he made good money doing it, and he left behind a decent nest egg. Not a huge one, though. Not enough to live on forever.

So Ma moved the two of us from the city all three of us had been born in, to a village that was so small and isolated that it didn’t even have a name. Neither did the dungeon just a day’s trot away. Actually, they probably both did, but no one ever used either one where Ah could hear.

When Ah got old enough to ask why, Ma told me she picked a village because village life is cheap. Cheap enough that she wouldn’t have to work for several years. And she picked this particular one because of the dungeon. She used to be a member of the Delver’s Guild, before she got pregnant with me and settled down. And since she always planned to go back to it once Ah grew up, she never officially quit. Which meant she could still go exploring the local dungeon to supplement the money Pa left us. Which she started doing when Ah entered my double-digits.

You ever hear the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’? That’s how it was in the village. With barely over 200 people—mostly Furred Races, like Ma and me, though there was a family of orcs—everyone knew everyone else, and all us kids were kinda raised communally. So even when Ma was gone for a week or more at a time, there was never not an adult or few around.

Ma never went very deep when she went delving. Not until the last few years, when Ah was finally old enough to move out and live on my own. Not that Ah ever did. There was no need. We were actually one of the richer families in the village and had one of the larger houses. Ma bought it when we moved here, and it had been expanded a fair bit over the years, planning for the future. If Ah’d ever found someone to marry, they’d have moved in with us, not that any of the people in the village ever appealed to me in a marrying kind of way.

But delving is dangerous, even when you’re as careful as Ma was. Cause sometimes, careful just ain’t enough. She disappeared a bit over a year ago. No one knows exactly what happened to her, but when she hadn’t come back after a couple moons, everyone knew she wasn’t coming back at all. No one ever found the body, but that don’t mean much. Ah worked through my grief by working. Or trying to. Ah tried apprenticing with every crafter in the village, but none of them could really hold my attention. Fortunately, everyone was understanding, and they weren’t too upset when Ah quit. Mostly, Ah just puttered around the house.

A house that was meant to someday hold a whole family. It had been too big for two people, and now that there was only me, it was monstrous. Ah was seriously considering selling it, when a merchant caravan came through. Almost on a whim, Ah decided to collect what was left of Pa’s nest egg—which wasn’t much, after more than two decades—and join them. Everyone was sad, but no one was surprised. A couple friends of mine who’d recently married promised to keep my stuff safe and clean, for when Ah came back. Ah think they were just being polite, and don’t actually expect me to come back. Ah know Ah don’t.

Anyways, Ah traveled with the merchant’s caravan for eight moons, mostly working as a washer-woman, and generally keeping things clean. Ah also picked up a little knowledge from some of the guards. Enough to not cut my foot off with a blade, break my wrist punching someone, or shoot myself while trying to draw a pistol.2 Ah even learned how to make a couple little bits of jewelry from one of the merchants. An adorable little faerie androgyne,3 whose dexterous fingers were good for a lot more than just making jewelry. Ah was really sad to say goodbye to them—the whole caravan honestly, but them especially.

But Ah’d been intending to strike out on my own at some point, and a couple days ago, Ah’d decided it was time. So, with the previous month’s wages in hand, along with a few gifts from the guards and merchants, Ah parted ways with ‘em at a crossroad, heading off into the wilds, while they continued on towards the next stop on their route.

Author's Note

Of course, ten percent of 7 billion is still 700 million, which is not a very small number, objectively speaking. And is several million people per race.
More on this next chapter, but the short answer is: it’s a game. Don’t overthink it. Besides, Gunslinger AJ is a natural fit.
Androgyne is an in-universe term for a gender-fluid individual.

First Blood

As the creature got a little closer, it resolved into a recognizable shape, though it was much larger than Applejack was used to seeing.

“Is that what Ah think it is?” she asked, barely able to believe her eyes.

“That’s a Huge Rat.” Minerva answered.

“Ya don’t say.” Applejack drawled dryly, drawing her pistol.

“That’s what it’s called. Go ahead and scan it, if you want.” Minerva insisted.

“How do Ah do that, again?”

“Just point at it and say ‘Scan’.” Minerva reminded her.

“Right.” Applejack said, raising her left hand to point at the creature that was approaching slowly, its path meandering. “Scan.” At that, Minerva’s horn glowed, and a new panel appeared in Applejack’s field of vision, a little bit above the creature.

Huge Rat – Lv. 2

“Don’t worry that its level is higher than yours.” Minerva told her. “One level isn’t enough to be really dangerous.”

“Alright.” Applejack said, waiting for the rat to get in range of her weapon. When she judged it to be close enough, she raised her gun and pointed the barrel at the white body. She tried to cock the hammer with her thumb, but she couldn’t pull it back far enough, so she used her left hand, like Minerva had told her.

“You might want to cup your left hand under your right, to help hold your gun steady.” Minerva offered, and Applejack took her advice, as the rat stopped to sniff the ground. Minerva gave a few more tips on stance, that Applejack also followed. By the time she was ready to fire, the rat had closed to about eight meters. It stopped again, lifting its head to look right at Applejack.

“Remember, gently squeeze the trigger.” Minerva reminded Applejack, as the rat stared for a second. Then it narrowed its red eyes and tensed its body, preparing to spring forward.

BANG!!

“Gah!” Applejack yelped, as the gun bucked in her grip. “Sweet Celestia, that was loud!” she complained, cringing with her ears folded flat against her skull. Somehow, she managed not to drop her gun as she fumbled it back into the holster. “Ah’m not doing that again, even if that rat—“

“Horseapples!” she swore, remembering the huge rat.

Fortunately, when she looked up, she saw the rat was not an instant away from tearing her face off. Instead, it was still where it had been when she’d shot it, with a red stripe down its neck. Applejack wondered how she’d missed that before, when it suddenly clicked that it was actually blood. Her stomach lurched a little at the sight, but she fought it down and approached the body. Knowing she’d have to get used to this sort of thing, she decided that sooner was better.

She froze for a moment, though, when she got close enough to see the body still twitching slightly.

“What the…?” she wondered.

“It looks like your bullet hit its spine, mostly paralyzing it.” Minerva said, flying over to get a closer look at the rats injury. “You should probably put it out of its misery.”

“Right.” Applejack agreed. Since she really didn’t want to use her gun again, she drew her sword and somewhat clumsily decapitated the rat. When she did, the panel with its information vanished.

“The body can be sold for money in a village, so you should pick it up.” Minerva gently told her.

Shuddering briefly, Applejack reached out a hand to touch one leg, and the whole body disappeared. Including the separated head, which made Applejack shudder again. Just as she started to get up, a glint caught her eye.

“What’s this?” she asked, picking up the object. It was round, like a large marble, with small red spots all over it. On one half, they formed a clockwise swirl, and on the other, a counterclockwise one. And it had a chain on top. A short one—only three or four links—that ended in a loop, like the ones on her armor.

“That’s a Soul Crystal.” Minerva answered.

“And what’s it for?”

“You can do a lot of different things with them. The most common use is turning them in to either the Hunter’s or Tamer’s Guild for a bounty. Most people do this to help supplement their income.”

“You mean you don’t have to be a member of the guild to get paid for them?”

“You don’t have to be a member of the guild to get them, do you?” Minerva countered. Applejack shrugged, realizing she had a point. Anyone could be attacked. “Naturally, the bounty depends on how rare and how strong the creature it came from was. Scanning the crystal will tell you what critter or beastie it came from, and you can tell the level just by looking at it. Above level four, it looks like a gem, with the number of facets equal to the creature’s level. Under level four, you count the number of swirls, instead. Anyways, the second most common thing people do with them is use them to modify equipment.”

“How’s that work?”

“There are two ways. The easier way is just to clip the crystal to your weapon or armor. That’s referred to as mounting, and it’s what all those loops are for. Why don’t you try it now.” Minerva suggested, as Applejack tried to not snort the pun.

“Is it still a pun when it’s not a joke?’ Applejack wondered, distracted. “No, it’s a double entendre.”

That settled, she touched the loop on the Soul Crystal to a loop on her jerkin—which she only now realized was directly over her nipple—and they clipped together. Like those so-called magic rings she’d seen an illusionist using once in Manehatten, when she was younger.

“Now if you open your status panel, you’ll see what that did for you.”

Applejack Anadolu | Furred Race-Horse | Lv. 1
Female Ordinary Civilian
HP: 120 | MP: 80
Strength: 11 | Endurance: 12
Perception: 14 | Agility: 9 | Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 8 | Willpower: 10 | Charisma: 10

RESISTANCES
Fire 2%

“Now all fire attacks will do two percent less damage to you. Which isn’t much, admittedly, but what else can you expect from such a weak creature?” Minerva asked rhetorically, before continuing. “If you were to mount it on a weapon instead, all your attacks with that weapon would deal two percent more damage, with the bonus damage having a fire affinity. Again, at this point, that’s only one extra point of damage, assuming the enemy isn’t resistant to fire.”

“Still, more damage is more damage.” Applejack said.

“There are a couple things to be aware of when doing this, though.” Minerva continued. “First of all, doing it like this, you can’t stack bonuses from the same creature. In other words, if you get a Soul Crystal from a level three Huge Rat, and mount that on your armor too, your Fire Resistance will only be three percent, instead of five. And that Crystal you currently have mounted won’t do anything. So you should just mount it on another piece of armor, or a weapon.”

“That’s not so bad.” Applejack shrugged.

“No, but when using Soul Crystals this way, the bonuses only apply when they’re attached. And while they’ll never just fall off, they can be knocked off in battle. Or removed with the Pickpocket Skill. And of course, losing a bonus mid-fight can cost you the fight.”

“Yeah, that’s…That’s something to watch out for.” Applejack agreed. “Is there any way to defend against that?”

“Not really, though some equipment will try to keep the mounting rings out of the way. Like on a sheath or holster. And shields tend to have their mounting rings on their inside, where they’re nearly unreachable. So long as you don’t drop it, of course. There is one way around it, but it has its own drawbacks.”

“Like what?”

“You have to take the Soul Crystal and the equipment to an enchanter, or learn the Enchanting Skill yourself. They break down the stone and infuse the bonus directly into the piece of equipment. This makes the bonus permanent, but it also destroys the Soul Crystal in the process. Which is not the same as destroying someone or something’s soul, so don’t worry about that. It also means there’s no way to transfer that bonus to another piece of equipment. On the bright side, enchanting does allow you to stack bonuses. Using both Crystals from the earlier example in Enchanting would result in a five percent Fire Resistance, while still allowing you to mount a third Huge Rat crystal and get it’s bonus, too.”

“That sounds like it could be easy to abuse.”

“Which is why any piece of equipment can only hold a certain number of enchantments. Which you can learn by scanning them. Also, enchanters tend to be kind of expensive, and don’t take students easily.”

“Well, it’s good to hear that it’s not that easy to become overpowered. Kinda.” Applejack amended.

“Yeah. Especially since every creature’s Soul Crystal has a different bonus, that can do all sorts of different things. Giving elemental bonuses, Stat bonuses, teaching Spells, or rarely even Skills. And lots of other things, besides. There’s even a beastie in a few dungeons that can reduce the sound of a gunshot. The nearest dungeon you can find that one in is more than four months away by foot.” Minerva said, just as Applejack opened her mouth to ask.

“Shucks.”

“There are other things you can do with Soul Crystal that have nothing to do with the bonuses they provide. Tamers and Summoners use them as the basis for their summoning. In fact, you can only summon a creature whose Soul Crystal is in your possession.”

“What’s the difference between a summoner and a tamer?”

“While they both belong to the same guild, since there are so many similarities between them, Summoners mostly use the creatures they summon for combat or other utilitarian purposes, treating them more like minions. Tamers, however, tend to treat their summons more like pets and friends. They usually fight alongside their menagerie, instead of merely commanding from the rear. Summoners prefer to use simple Summon spells, while Tamers usually have at least one or two creatures that they got from True Summoning.”

“True summoning?”

“The basic Summon Critter and Summon Beastie spells only need a Soul Crystal to work. And ideally, a Taming Skill level equal to or greater than the summoned creature’s, to properly control it. The spell consumes some of your MP to give life to the creature, and that amount can’t be regenerated until the creature is dispelled. Either by the caster or by being killed. Summoned creatures can gain experience and levels. In fact, some summoners make money this way, by summoning low level creatures, leveling them up a bit, and then selling the resulting higher level Soul Crystal.” Minerva explained.

“True Summoning, on the other hand, is much more involved. It requires a Ritual Chamber, first of all. And, in addition to the Soul Crystal, you need at least one vial of blood from that kind of creature, a few drops of your own blood, and your cum.”

“What.”

“Its own blood, to instill power—one vial for every level you want it to start with—your own blood, to instill loyalty, and the fluid of life, to instill life. And while we know that feminal1 fluid doesn’t create life, the way semen does, magically, it still counts.

“That…that actually makes sense, and not just pornographic sense.” Applejack admitted.

“Anyways, unlike the basic summoning spells, True summoning costs more MP, but doesn’t lower the caster’s functional maximum. Also, you don’t have to cast the spell yourself, so long as you provide the blood and cum. Both forms of summoning can gain levels, but True Summons can also metamorphose, if they have the Stats and Skills required.”

“Metamorphose?”

“Some beasties can change from one kind to another, if they meet the appropriate conditions. Like the Huge Rat can become a Giant Rat, which can then become a Monstrous Rat.”

“Only beasties? And ain’t rats critters?”

“Any critter that is sized as Huge or larger becomes a beastie. I mean, think about it. Do rats naturally get that big?” Minerva pointed out. And Applejack had to admit, she had a point. That thing had come up almost to her knees, after all. “Anyways, Soul Crystals can be quite beautiful, so some people collect them. They’re usually open to trading, if you’ve got something they don’t. You can trade with Tamers and Summoners too, of course. And some places will let you use them in bartering. And there might be one or two more things you can use them for.”

“These things are real useful, it sounds like.”

“Yep!”

“Are there any other beasties around here waiting to attack?” Applejack asked, as it suddenly occurred to her that she should.

“Not that you can sense.”

“And you can’t tell me about any Ah can’t sense, can you?” Applejack asked rhetorically. Minerva answered anyway.

“That would be cheating.” she confirmed.

“In that case, you mentioned something about a town nearby?”

“A village actually, since it has less than a thousand inhabitants. Towns have one to ten thousand. Any bigger than that, and it’s considered a city, until you reach the million mark, when it becomes a metropolis. But yes, there’s a village about half a day’s walk north-northwest of here. If you follow the road, you won’t have to worry about being attacked by anything stronger than that Huge Rat.”

“Really?”

“Yep. The closer you are to a settlement, the weaker the wild creatures you’ll encounter. And conversely, the further away you are, the stronger they are. But no matter where you go in the world, you’ll never find anything above Level 10 outside of a dungeon.”

“Well, that’s reassuring. But didn’t you say Ah could run faster as a pony?”

“Horse.” Minerva corrected. “But yes. You could reach the village an hour or two before sundown if you transformed. Which is done exactly the same way as casting a spell.”

“Then why aren’t they on the spell list?”

“Because they aren’t spells. Anyone can learn any spell, with enough effort, but a magical Skill can only be learned by certain people.”

“Makes sense.” Applejack nodded, before closing her eyes and focusing on her old body. “Transform.” she said, but nothing happened.

“First of all, you really should be on the road when you do that.” Minerva warned her. “Horses and Equestrian ponies are very different. Your legs won’t have the range of motion you’re used to, and have effectively no rotation at all. And your spine has less flexibility than you’re used to.”

“How much less?”

“Uh…according to the information GOD gave me earlier, comparing an Equestrian to a horse is…like comparing Pinkie Pie to a normal Equestrian pony. Your Agility Stat should allow you to move as easily as you are now, but it’s still better not to test your luck just yet. Especially since without your magical hoof-gripping abilities, these rocks could be dangerous.”

Accepting that she had a point, Applejack started walking towards the road, and Minerva spoke up again. “Secondly, you need to specify what you want to transform into, or it won’t work.”

Soon enough, Applejack stood on four hooves again, and as promised, it was different than she was used to. Her body felt bigger and heavier. But weirder than that, her field of vision was a lot wider. She could see almost everything around her, in fact, though most of it lacked depth perception.

Looking back at her body, she saw she was still the same colors—though she felt a pang of concern when she noticed her missing cutie mark—but her barrel was a bit thinner than she was used to, and there was a strange dip in her spine, just behind her forelegs that worried her, but she figured it was supposed to be there, because neither Minerva nor The Gestalt had said anything about her having some form of deformity. She also noticed the Ident Bracelets on her skinny legs, just above her forehooves.

Walking with her longer and thinner legs proved a tad awkward too, but she got used to it quickly enough. A couple minutes later, she sped up to a trot, and then an easy canter. And a couple minutes after that, she was galloping along steadily.

The next couple hours passed pretty quickly for Applejack, as she enjoyed the wind in her mane and the burn in her legs. It wasn’t quite the same as in Equestria, of course, but the tree-lined road was certainly pleasant. As she alternated between a casual trot and a harder gallop, she glimpsed a few rats and other creatures among the trees, but none of them got closer to the road than a couple body lengths. Applejack never gave them more than a glance as she passed. Until one in a little roadside clearing caught her attention, and she had to slow down to stare at it.

It was a Huge Rat, like she’d fought earlier. Maybe a little smaller than that one, with more grayish-silver fur. But the big difference was its skin. Unlike the normal, pink paws and tail of the one she’d killed, this one had baby-blue extremities. And when the rat turned in her direction, she saw it also had sapphire-blue eyes.

“What in Equestria?” she wondered.

“It’s an ordinary Huge Rat, just like the others you’ve seen today. It just has a water affinity.” Minerva explained. “You’ve passed a few rats with other affinities, but you only saw their fur, so you probably didn’t realize.”

“How did you hear me?” Applejack asked. Or tried to ask, but all that came out was a neigh, followed by a series of snorts and whickers.

“You don’t have to talk out loud for me to hear you. You just have to think at me, and I’ll hear it.” Minerva told her.

“And how do Ah think at you?” Applejack asked, not thinking about the fact that she was doing exactly that.

“Just pretend you’re talking to me. Imagine me hearing your question or comment, and I will.” Minerva explained. “And you should start trying to get into the habit of doing it that way. Even though everyone has a mini-divinity that only they can see and hear, talking to yourself is still not viewed any better than in Equestria. Maybe even worse, since it’s considered impolite, and is a sign of lack of self-control.”

Applejack thought about fighting the rat, and wondered if it would be worth it to try in this horse form, or if it would be better to turn bipedal, and get a little practice with her sword. She definitely wasn’t ready to try beating something to death with her fists, which somehow felt different than using her hooves. And that’s when she realized exactly what she was thinking, and was surprised by just how quickly she seemed to be adapting.

“Minerva, you said Ah could cast some magic in this pony—uh, horse form?” Applejack started. “Does that include Scan?”

“You can cast Life Magic in this form, yes.” Minerva confirmed. “You don’t need to point, as long as you’ve got a clear target in mind. And before you ask, you still have to call the spell’s name to trigger the magic, even if it doesn’t come out sounding like the word as you know it.”

“Right. Well, here goes nothing.” Applejack thought. Staring hard at the rat—almost glaring—she said, “Scan.” It came out as more of a chuff, but Minerva’s horn lit up, and a panel appeared above the blue and gray beastie.

Huge Rat – Lv. 1

Applejack was a little disappointed that that didn’t help her decide whether to use her hooves or her sword. Then she remembered something else Minerva had told her while she was creating this character. “How close are we to the village?” she asked her mini-divinity.

“Maybe eight, ten minutes at a gallop. Or half an hour at a walk, give or take.”

Figuring that her walking speed would be about the same in any form, she transformed into her Humanoid form. A quick glance turned into a double-take when she noticed that she still had on all the equipment she’d been wearing earlier, along with a pair of boots. And socks too, it looked like.

So, since she didn’t need to reequip herself, Applejack wasted no time drawing her short sword and carefully approaching the Huge Rat. When she was about five meters away, it turned to glare at her. They both tensed up, before the rat charged. Applejack expected it to leap at her when it got close enough, and it did. So she jumped to one side, dodging the oversized rodent, while also twisting to keep it in sight.

As it flew past her, the rat lashed out with its forepaw, barely scratching Applejack’s jerkin. An instant later, she brought her sword down in a broad and clumsy swing. By sheer dumb luck, the top inch found its way between the creature’s ribs. Its momentum almost jerked the sword out of Applejack’s hand, but she managed to keep ahold of it, turning the wound into a ragged gash.

When the rat landed, it squealed in pain and instinctively froze for an instant. At the same time, Applejack lunged for it. The beastie tried to twist its bleeding wound away from its attacker, but wasn’t fast enough to avoid the red-tipped blade.

Unfortunately for Applejack, luck was not on her side this time, and the blade hit the ribs, skewing away. It left her overextended and off-balance, and she fell to one knee, which allowed the Huge Rat finished to finish twisting away, then snap at her.

This time it was Applejack that lashed out wildly, with her left hand. Her fist managed to connect with the rat’s face, and Applejack felt something give under her fist. She was too hopped up on adrenaline to pay it any mind, though. She barely had enough presence of mind to aim her next stab at the creature’s throat. And despite the awkward, nearly-vertical angle of the strike, she managed to open the rat’s throat.

Not noticing, Applejack immediately tried to roll away. Her sword jerked in her grip again, and this time, she lost hold of it. Coming out of the roll, she twisted to face the rat, her clenched fists coming up, ready to jab.

An endless second later, what she was looking at sank in, and Applejack really saw the blue paws scrabbling weakly. A couple long seconds after that, the Huge Rat’s Info Panel disappeared.

As time returned to its normal flow, Applejack sat down heavily. Unable to do anything but sit and stare, she waited for her heart to stop pounding in her ears.

She had plenty of experience with the adrenaline rush of a life or death moment, but more often than not, the Elements of Harmony had resolved the situation and helped her through the aftermath. Still, between Princess Cadance’s wedding and a few other unforgettable moments—not all of which had come after meeting Twilight—Applejack knew to lower her head and take deep breaths, though it took a moment to manage the action.

While she was doing that, the feeling of bone breaking under her fist came back to her mind. It was different than feeling changeling chitin—which was oddly flexible—give under her hooves, and it made her stomach turn, but Applejack had no trouble keeping her bile down.

A little while later, Applejack stood up and approached the Huge Rat. Her sword was still stuck several inches into the ground, and it took some wiggling to work it loose. Knowing better than to leave all the muck on the blade, she wiped it on the fur a few times. It didn’t get it all off, but it was good enough for now.

After sheathing the short sword, Applejack collected the rat’s corpse and picked up its Soul Crystal. It was covered in pale blue spots that created a single swirl that looped around the entire sphere. Not sure what to do with it, she just looked at it for a few seconds, before trying to bag it. She wasn't really surprised when it vanished from her hand.

Applejack then looked around absent-mindedly, and seeing nothing else she needed to do, she returned to the road and headed for the village.

“So, why…” Applejack started to say, several minutes later, before stopping. Remembering what Minerva had told her earlier, she started over, trying to keep her question unspoken. “Why am Ah not more bothered by all this? Ah didn’t even get shaky.”

“Well…” Minerva hedged, getting Applejack’s attention. “I know this will probably sound worse than it is, but the same way GOD made you more accepting of meat, It also made you more accepting of the realities of combat. Not by much, though. It didn’t have to.” the mini-divinity added quickly.

“Ah figured that’s what it was.” Applejack said. Then she went quiet again, but it was a mostly comfortable silence.

“What is this?” Applejack asked, looking curiously at a box on a post. She was probably five or ten minutes outside of town, and there was nothing else around. The only thing she could think of was some sort of mailbox, but it was way too small for that. Roughly the size of a jewelry box, it was too small for one person’s mail, much less a whole village. She’d already lifted the latch and looked inside, but the box was empty.

“It’s not just critters and beasties that have Soul Crystals. People have them, too.” Minerva said, her tone almost solemn. “They don’t give any equipment bonuses, or anything like that. About the only thing they’re good for is providing proof of death. For bounty hunters or missing person cases, though some people wear them in remembrance. You can occasionally find them in the wild, or more often, in dungeons.”

Minerva suddenly changed to her Nightmare form before continuing. “If you find one, while it’s by no means illegal to leave it where you find it, it’s incredibly disrespectful. And similarly, it’s not illegal to not turn them in to the guard at your first opportunity, it’s often seen as suspicious. Sometimes even by people who know why you might not want to.”

“And why wouldn’t Ah want to turn them in?” Applejack asked, offended. Her parents—her real parents, Bright Mac and Buttercup—had died in an accident that hadn’t left much to bury. The idea that anyone would refuse to turn over someone else’s remains left her completely peeved.

“When you turn a person’s Soul Crystal in to the guards, you will almost invariably be taken into custody—not arrested, just taken into custody.” Nightmare Minerva emphasized. “This is to prevent you leaving before the guards can determine what, if anything, you had to do with the death of the person the Soul Crystal came from.”

“And how do they do that?” Applejack asked, starting to understand.

“They fetch a seer. Someone who can examine the Soul Crystal and find out exactly how the person died, and how you got the Soul Crystal. If you’re not guilty of anything, the guards will let you go. In cities and towns, where there’s a seer in residence, this usually only takes a matter of hours, and you’ll almost always be held in the guard’s barracks until you’re cleared or arrested. The real problem is in villages like this one, where they have to send someone to fetch a seer. It can be days, or even a couple of weeks, depending on how busy the seer is, and how remote the village. And during that time, while you'll usually be allowed to go anywhere you want in town, you won’t be allowed to leave for just about anything. Though you might be able to convince a guard to escort you, if you absolutely must leave for some reason.”

“Okay, Ah can see how that might make someone reluctant to turn one in.” Applejack grudgingly admitted to herself.

“Therefore, many settlements set up dropboxes like this, where anyone can anonymously leave a person’s Soul Crystal. They’re kept out of sight of the settlement, and someone, usually a guard, checks it first thing every morning.”

As she got back on her way towards town, Applejack had to admit that it was a good idea.

Author's Note

I've read lots of fight scenes, but this is my first time writing one, so please, PLEASE, give me feedback on how I did, and what I need to do better on.

I couldn’t resist the pun. Sorry, not-really-sorry.

First Blush

A bit later, Applejack approached the wooden palisade protecting the town. It was a good sized village, and the gate was surprisingly ornate. It was guarded by two people, though they didn’t seem to be very diligent. One of them was sitting against the wall.

As Applejack got closer, she realized that the person—a stallion, judging by the waist-length beard—was just short. Except for his height, he looked like what she figured a male human would. He had something that looked like a spear, but with a curved blade and some kind of hook on one side.

But as strange as he looked, the other person was even stranger. She—at least, Applejack got the impression the person was female, though she couldn’t say why—had dark brown skin, and moss green hair.

“What, uh.” “What are they?” she thought at Minerva.

“The man on the left is a dwarf. It’s actually rare to see one outside during the day. They primarily live underground, so the ones who do live on the surface are usually nocturnal.” Minerva told her. Which did explain the tinted visor that covered the top half of his face.

“The woman is a dryad. A Humanoid race that has several tree-like characteristics. They’re born with a natural gift for Restorative Magic and Alchemy.”

“It makes sense that a plant person would be have an edge in mixing plants, but healing magic?” Applejack questioned.

“All dryads are born knowing the spell Regeneration, which works like a magical version of photosynthesis. But instead of sunlight, it uses ambient mana and the caster’s MP to restore the target’s HP more quickly.”

“Welcome, stranger!” the dwarf shouted, raising his hand to wave. Applejack waved back, and picked up her pace slightly. When she was almost close enough to talk normally, Applejack realized that his head barely reached the bottom of her breasts, as Minerva had called them. But he was stocky. Built more solidly than even her brother.

The dryad, however, was almost as tall as Applejack herself, and svelte. The moss green hair turned out to be actual moss, and the rough texture of her skin that Applejack had noticed while approaching turned out to be bark, rather than age. She was holding a spear in both hands, its butt resting on the ground. A normal one, like any of the royal guards in Canterlot would use.

“Welcome to the village of Woodglen, young lady. My name is Kildrik.” the dwarf said. “And this lovely blossom is Mulberry.”

“Hello.” the dryad said, nodding in greeting. Her voice had a strange whispery quality, though it was clear enough and not hard to hear. She kept both hands on the haft of her spear, but also kept her relaxed stance.

“Name’s Applejack.” she responded. She almost held her hand out for a hoofbump, but caught herself in time.

“Nice to meet you. You need any help finding your way?”

“Since you mention it, could you direct me someplace Ah could get a room for the night?”

“Sure can. There’s a public house near the center of the village, and the local branch of the Hunter’s Guild will put members up for a night.”

“Ah’m not a guild member.”

“In that case, just follow this road, and when you come to the village green, it’s the big building on your left. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank ya kindly.” Applejack said, reaching up to tip her hat.

“Before you go in,” the dryad spoke up, “we kindly ask that you not have more than one weapon equipped. We’ve found that more than that invites trouble.”

“No problem.” Applejack agreed, putting her hand on her holster. She noticed the guards tense up for an instant, before the gun vanished into her inventory. When she realized why, she felt a little embarrassed. After thinking for a second, she decided that the brass knuckle would be more of a hindrance, so she put that away, keeping just her sword. Then, with another nod, she headed into the town.

As she made her way through the village, she saw a lot of humans going about their business, with a wide variety of skin colors. There were a few other races, too. But aside from that, it wasn’t all that different from Ponyville.

“A public house?” she asked a couple minutes later, when her curiosity finally got the better of her. “Ah thought a pub was just a place to have a few drinks and maybe a meal?”

“Maybe in Equestria, but here, it’s literally a public house, where you can do anything you can in a private house. Which includes sleeping, as much as taking meals and getting drunk.”

“Ah don’t get drunk." Applejack objected. Before admitting, "Not often, at least. Anyways, you said Ah could sell the rat’s bodies somewhere?”

“The Hunter’s Guild will buy those, as well as the Soul Crystals. And nearly every settlement has a butcher—”

“People eat those things?” Applejack interrupted. Loudly. Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone near enough to hear her.

“It’s still meat. Minerva pointed out. “Admittedly, rat meat’s not as popular as beef or venison, but its common enough to be a staple, especially in this area. Besides, even if the meat’s no good, fur is always useful.”

Applejack couldn’t refute that, though she realized she might have a harder time with her new diet than she thought.

Kildrik had been right. There was no way she could miss the three-storey building that took up one whole side of the green.

Opening the door, Applejack found a large common room that ran the length of the building. There was a bar along the wall, being tended by a dryad. But what caught Applejack’s attention was the zebra getting up from the nearest table. She was middle-aged—very attractively so—with a long, braided, black mane.

“Welcome, friend.” the mare said, holding out her hand. Unsure of what to do, Applejack raised hers, only to have it grasped between both of the older mare’s and shaken firmly. “My name’s Rehema. My husband and I own this fine establishment. And you are?”

“Um.” The zebra mare’s voice was so much like Zecora’s that the normal cadence and lack of rhyming threw her at first. The smoldering look in her eyes and gentle grip on her hand didn’t help. “Applejack.” she managed, after a second.

“Well, Um Applejack.” Rehema said flirtatiously. “How can we at the public house Mirembe meet your needs this evening? Oh, you are just so cute.” she added flirtatiously, when Applejack had to clear her throat. Or maybe it was the rising blush that prompted the remark. Applejack neither knew nor cared.

“Ah’m looking for a room for the night.” she managed, and Rehema finally let go of her hand, black fingers slowly brushing across orange ones.

“Will there be anything else?” the proprietress asked, fiddling with the low neck of her shirt, which was tied under her breasts. Applejack could clearly see hints of the striped mounds, and felt a tightness down below. After a second of confusion, she realized her cock was starting to drop. Then her stomach gurgled softly.

“Any chance Ah could get something to eat?”

“Certainly. We’ve got a thick, hearty vegetable stew topped with poached eggs tonight, for six coppers. Or if that’s not to your liking, we’ve also got a firepit out back where you can cook your own provisions for free.”

“That sounds good. Smells good, too.” Applejack added, finally paying attention to the aroma filling the air. She opened her inventory to start pulling out coins.

“The room will be another six coppers, and that includes use of the bath. A bath attendant will cost extra, though.” Rehema explained. “And for an extra two coppers, you can use our laundry service.”

“No, thanks. Ah’m fine.” Applejack said, handing over the money.

“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. Or my son, or one of my daughters. Or even my husband, if by some miracle you run into him outside the kitchen.” Rehema added, laughing huskily and sending a shiver up Applejack’s spine. Then she took Applejack’s hand and led her to a table, pulling out the chair for her. Once she was seated, Rehema gently squeezed her shoulders and said, “You just wait right here, and your food will be out in a few minutes, once Alder poaches the eggs.”

“No rush.” Applejack said, seemingly unnoticed by Rehema, who was moving towards the kitchen door.

Seconds later, Applejack was approached by the dryad who’d been behind the bar. Now that Applejack was no longer so focused on the unexpected zebra, she took a better look at the tree woman. She was in a very short skirt, and a top that barely covered her small breasts. That left a lot of skin exposed, revealing it to be smooth and even darker than Mulberry’s. The exposed skin also revealed strange, swirling lines of leaf green decorating most of her body. Including her hairless scalp.

“Good evening, my name’s Sauda. Can I get you anything to drink? The first one’s included in the price of your meal.”

“Ya got any apple juice?”

“Sorry. No one grows apples around here.” Sauda said.

“In that case, Ah’ll just take whatever’s on tap.”

“Coming right up.” And with a wink, she was headed back to the bar. A minute later, she was back with a tankard. “Anything else?” Sauda asked, smiling at her.

“No, thanks.” Applejack said, adjusting her position. That caused her sword to bump the back of the chair, which reminded her of something else that she needed to do. Two things, in fact. “Actually, Sauda, Ah’ve got a couple questions.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What do you know about the Hunter’s Guild, here in town? Ah got a couple Huge Rats Ah wanna turn in.”

“Well, in that case, the guild house is along the north wall, near the entrance.”

“And when are they open for business?”

“Technically, they never really close, but old Mr. Rucker who runs the place doesn’t like folks coming in after midnight. So you got plenty of time to eat first. And to do anything else you want.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. You need anything else, you just give me a yell.” Sauda said, squeezing her shoulder as she went back to the bar.

While Applejack waited for her supper, she tasted the beer. It was dark and bitter. She honestly preferred something a little sweeter—this was more to Twi’s taste—but it was fine. She sipped a little more as she bagged her sword. Since she couldn’t properly clean it until after she ate, putting it somewhere time wouldn’t pass for it would cut down on wear and tear.

“Hey, Minerva, Ah thought you said villages didn’t trust Furred Races?”

“What I said was that some of the smaller, more remote villages could be suspicious of outsiders, especially when they were of a race that didn’t live in that village. And some of those villages are mostly Humanoid, but they can also be primarily Furred Race or Manimals. This village is nowhere near remote enough for that to be the case here. And there’s too much variety in the inhabitants.”

“Ahh, okay.” Applejack thought, sipping her beer again. Rehema came out of the kitchen a moment later and set a bowl in front of Applejack. She tasted it carefully, and finding both the flavor and temperature to her liking, she dug in. The spices were different than she was used to—or were they herbs? But either way, it was enjoyable enough that when she emptied the bowl, she almost wished there was more. But she was pretty full, and her sense of responsibility was pricking her pretty sharply.

So she got her room key and location from Rehema—along with another dose of heavy flirting—and made her way up to the second floor. The room was pretty plain, having only a bed, a lamp on a stand, a table, and a chair. Then again, that was all she really needed.

Sitting down at the table, she pulled out her brass knuckles first and spent a few minutes polishing them. Putting them away, she got out her sword next, along with its cleaning kit. She started by casting Clean on it, then followed Minerva’s instructions to keep it in proper shape. It wasn’t much different than some of the equipment on the Acres, so it just took time. Especially since Applejack had to be careful not to cut her fingers off.

After that, it was time to clean her gun. Like the sword, Applejack started by casting Clean, but then she spent the next half hour following Minerva’s instructions for dismantling, cleaning, and reassembling the firearm. Then she worked her jerkin off and cast one more Clean on it, too. A quick check of her stats showed that she had 56 MP left, so she checked that the door was closed and started stripping off. Apart from her brassiere, which was an utter pain to get off, it didn’t take long to get everything clean. Minerva even told her how to cast the spell on both boots and both socks at the same time.

“That’ll work for now, but like any level one Spell, it’s not very strong. Every few days, at least, they should be properly laundered. And that includes the jerkin. Leather isn’t as simple as cloth to take care of.”

Applejack couldn’t help blinking at that. After hearing Rarity explain how to clean some the dresses she’d made, it made her mind boggle. But a few seconds later, she got over it and put her clothes back on, before going back downstairs. The bathing room wasn’t hard to find. Before Applejack could reach the door though, it opened and someone else came out.

She was a cat woman, with calico fur. Sort of. She had a few, large peach-colored spots and some smaller blue-gray ones, but instead of white, most of her fur was a cherry-blossom pink. She was also completely naked, revealing modest, blue freckled breasts, with hard nipples and the large peach blotch that emphasized her pubic mound.

“Well, hello, there.” she purred—literally purred—after a second. It made Applejack realize she’d been staring, and she jerked her eyes up to the cat woman’s face. The slit-shaped pupils and green eyes almost made her think of Chrysalis for an instant, especially with the almost predatory gleam in them. Then the pink head tilted up to meet Applejack’s gaze, and the light caught her eyes more squarely. It made them look a lot brighter than the changeling queen’s. Closer to Spike’s, really.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” she said suddenly, though her small smirk didn’t change. “I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Marjani. It’s Zebra for coral. I’m sure you can see why Mom picked that name.” she added, gesturing at her whole body. “Anyways, what’s your name?” Marjani asked, holding out her right hand. Applejack noticed the fingers were blue, and the rest was peach.

“A-Applejack.” she stuttered, raising her own hand. Like Rehema, Marjani took it in both of hers to shake. Unlike the older mare, she let go after four or five pumps. Maybe because her hands were wet.

“If you want me to be your bath attendant, you’ll have to wait a few minutes, I’m sorry to say.” Marjani told her. “After helping the last guest, I need a short break and a quick snack.”

“No problem. Ah mean take your time.” Applejack added quickly. “Ah don’t need an attendant.”

“Shame. You’ve got some really cute ears I’d love to get my hands on, and that sexy drawl is just music to my ears.” Marjani said with an artful shrug. “Maybe tomorrow, if you’re still here?

“Yeah, maybe.” Applejack said, and Marjani’s smirk grew a little.

“Later, then.” she said, stepping around the flustered young woman. As she passed, she brushed the blue tip of her fluffy tail over Applejack’s cheek, making her turn to watch the other woman quietly pad away.

When that swishing tail finally disappeared around the corner, Applejack turned back to the door to the bath. Just in time for someone else to walk out. A human, this time. Taller than her, with long, pointed ears. He was wearing something that hung below his knees and looked like a plain dress, as well as a pair of slippers.

“Evening.” he nodded, and Applejack responded in kind, before entering the bathing chamber.

Inside, she found four stone tubs lined with cast iron and a large mirror. Approaching a tub, she was relieved to see indoor plumbing was a thing in this village. While she could live without it, she was very glad to not have to. Admittedly, the two taps setup was unusual, but a little experimenting got the water filling the tub to a comfortable temperature. And while she waited for the tub to fill, she unequipped her clothes and looked herself over in the mirror.

Except for the orange skin and the little pony ears—which, she had to admit, were as cute as Marjani had claimed—she looked almost exactly like the human version of herself she’d seen during the character creation process. There were the freckles she’d always had on her face, but there were more on her shoulders, and even some on the top slope of her breasts. And unlike her pony body, her large nipples were the same pink as Marjani’s, as was a fair-sized patch of skin around them.

The other big thing she wasn’t used to was the cock between her legs. It was just hanging there, not entirely limp. She’d once overheard Macintosh mention having a chub, while he was talking to a friend, and she thought she finally understood exactly what he’d meant. And even to a mare who’d seen her fair share of cocks, both pony and other1, it was strange looking. A thick, fleshy tube without a medial ring. Near the end, it both flared and darkened slightly, being tipped with a domed head.

Applejack kept studying her reflection until the tub was full, then she settled in with a sigh. While she enjoyed the heat on muscles she hadn’t even felt stiffening up, she let her mind wander. The first thing that came to mind was the man who’d been here before her.

“What was he wearing?” she asked.

“It’s called a nightgown.” Minerva told her. “Some people—especially elves, like that man—like to wear things like that to bed. Most people like to sleep naked, unless they need more to stay warm. Actually, since there are no laws regarding public nudity, some people go naked a lot, if not all the time.”

“Like Marjani.”

“To be fair, she was just in the bath, attending to the elf.”

“Attending, huh? Does that mean what Ah think it does?”

“Bathing, massaging, drying, and some form of sexual release, if so desired, are all normal duties of a bath attendant. Even dressing and undressing."

“Like Ah thought.”

That made Applejack wonder why she’d been so affected by Marjani’s nakedness. It wasn’t like nudity was anything special to her. After all her hat was more than most ponies in Ponyville wore, outside of the rare special occasion. Maybe it was because none of the maybe three dozen people she’d seen had been naked. Or maybe because unlike a pony, who kept everything between their legs and under their tail, Mariana’s nudity exposed everything.

“Or more likely, it’s just something else The Gestalt did to me. He’s—It’s… It’s probably the only reason Ah even find her attractive at all.” she decided, before she took the soap out her bath kit, and started lathering up her legs.

Of course, thinking about Marjani made Applejack think about her offer.

Applejack had never used the services of a prostitute back home. Ponyville didn’t have any, and she’d never had the time or money to go to Canterlot just for a roll in the hay. Besides, occasional benefits were far from an uncommon part of friendship in Equestria, so she’d never felt the need to pay for sex. So while she felt a little weird about it, she didn’t have any real objections to the idea.

Honestly, having someone else bathe her was harder to accept than hired sex.

As her cleaning moved above the waist, her thoughts naturally moved to something else the cat woman had said. If she’d still be here tomorrow. It didn’t take her more than a few seconds to realize that she had nothing better to do, or anywhere better to be. So she might as well stick around. How long though, she had no idea. She spent the rest of her bath trying to decide. Ultimately, she decided that a week was good enough for now.

After she finished getting clean, Applejack soaked in the water for a little longer. She didn’t know how they heated the rocks around the tub, but they sure helped keep the water warm. Eventually, though, she got out and started drying off. Which was a whole lot easier with hands, she discovered.

Once she put all her bath supplies away, she transformed back into her anthro form, since there was no reason not to. Also, while she’d been soaking, she’d decided she ought to practice the skills she could, which at the moment, was mostly limited to transformation and her spells.

“How much MP do my spells cost?” she asked Minerva.

“Scan costs five MP, Clean costs ten, and Purify Water costs three per gallon.”

A quick check of her status told her she had 13 MP, which wasn’t nearly enough to purify the water in the tub.

“That don’t seem to add up. Ah know Ah cast Clean eight times tonight, on my weapons and clothes. Applejack thought.

“Your Willpower is 10, so you naturally recover that much every hour.” Minerva reminded her, before elaborating. “Which works out to one point every six minutes. That rate is doubled while bathing, and you’ve been in the tub for about 40 minutes. It’s also quadrupled while sleeping.” she added.

With that cleared up, Applejack redressed herself in the same clothes she’d had on earlier and left the bathing chamber. She went up to her room just long enough to drape her wet towel over the back of her chair. Then she left to find the Hunter’s Guild. It wasn’t hard to find. And even though the sun had gone down, there were enough street lamps that she had no problem finding her way.

Stepping inside, Applejack found that it was set up much like Mirembe’s main room. Just smaller, and with a counter just to the left of the door, where an older man was sitting on a tall stool. He was shirtless, revealing a muscular, hairy chest.

“Good evening, lass.” he greeted.

“Evening.” she said back.

“Haven’t seen you before. You new in town?”

“Yeah. Ah just arrived a couple hours ago. Ah got a couple rats to sell.”

“Bodies or Soul Crystals?”

“Bodies.”

“Then come on back to the appraisal room with me, and we’ll get you sorted out.” he said, waving at the woman behind the bar. She waved back, and the old man got up.

As Applejack followed him, she looked around the main room. There were two or three people, but the only one who stood out was a human sitting in the corner. At least, Applejack thought he was human. He was shorter than the elf at the public house, but not as short as Kildrik. But what made him stand out was the creature at his side. It looked like a wolf, but its red fur was in constant motion. Almost like the princesses, but not quite. Instead of an aurora or the night sky, it looked almost like the creature’s whole body was on fire.

“Corpses and Soul Crystals are both stored in your Menagerie.” Minerva said, distracting Applejack from the strange creature.

“Right.” she acknowledged, turning to look at the man in front of her again, just in time to hear him introduce himself.

“Name’s Rucker, by the way. Gordon Rucker. I run this guildhouse.” he told her. “You a guild member, or just a traveler picking up some extra coin?”

“Uh, just a traveler.”

“Hm. Well, doesn’t matter much. Leastways, not for this.” he added, coming to a door and opening it. “In here. Just put the body on that scale in the corner.”

Applejack followed him into the room and walked over to the scale, touching the green button on her right wrist.

MENAGERIE – TROPHIES
BEASTIES
O Huge Rat (Fire)
O Huge Rat (Water)

Touching the circle in front of the first entry on the list brought up a new panel.

Huge Rat (Fire)
O Body – 1
O Soul Crystal (Lv. 2) – 1

To the right of the list, there was a rotating model of the creature.

Standing in front of the scale, Applejack pulled out the rat’s body, and Mr. Rucker came up to examine it. He muttered several times during his examination. Finally, he stood up straight and turned to Applejack.

“This shot, here. Luck or skill?”

“Beginner’s luck.” she admitted.

“Better hope it’s more than that.” Gordon said. “Or you never will be.”

“Right.” Applejack muttered, causing her to miss what the old man said next. It didn’t seem to be meant for her, though. In fact, the way his eyes were moving, as though reading something she couldn’t see, she figured he’d cast the Scan spell. A moment later, turned to her again.

“You want any part of this back?” he asked. “Meat, fur, bones, teeth, blood?”

“Nah, Ah’m good.” She wasn’t sure what most of that was used for, and hoped it was just crafting or spellcasting.

“Then in that case, I can offer you ten copper for this body.”

“Is that a fair price or an opening bid? the experienced businessmare asked her mini-divinity quickly.

“Fair price.” came the equally quick answer, without an explanation for once.

“Alright.” Applejack agreed.

“You said you had more?” Gordan prompted, collecting the body.

“One more.” Applejack confirmed, opening her menagerie again. Seconds later, the guildmaster was examining the water-affinitied rat.

“This one’s pelt is in better condition, and blue’s more popular right now anyway.” he said a moment later. “So I’ll pay you twelve for this one.”

“Sounds good to me.” Applejack agreed, and she got to watch someone else interact with their Ident Bracelets for the first time. It was a little odd, watching him poking empty air and having coins appear. Once he handed her the coins, she followed him back to the front door, offering him a last “thanks” on her way out.

She returned to the Mirembe, and considered having another drink, since she didn’t have to beat Celestia out of bed for work. But she quickly decided one was drink was enough for tonight—especially since the bar was pretty busy, and she wasn’t really in the mood to mingle—and returned to her room. Where her work ethic got to her again, so after checking her towel and putting it away, she took out her pistol and five extra bullets. Then she spent over an hour loading, unloading, and reloading, trying to get to the point where she wouldn’t need to use the equipment panel. She finally stopped when her fingers started getting stiff and clumsy.

“Ah guess Ah should call it a night.” Applejack mused, flexing her fingers. She wasn’t particularly tired, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do, either. She wasn’t anymore in the mood to mingle than she was earlier, and drinking alone was depressing. Especially in a crowded establishment.

“Oh! You have new quests.” Minerva spoke up.

“Now?” Applejack questioned. “Ah suppose Ah shouldn’t be surprised.” she admitted, touching the button.

Day 3 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
20:51
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point*

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points*

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

“Now, what are Skill Points?” Applejack asked.

“Stat Points, Skill Points, and Spell Points are all rewards for completing quests. They’re worth 100 points of experience for the Stat, Skill, or Spell of your choice. Though some quests will reward specific ones. And that asterisk means that there is at least one hidden bonus condition that will increase the reward.” Minerva explained, predicting Applejack’s next question.

“Well, Ah don’t really know about those first two, but Ah suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have slap2 before Ah go to sleep.”

“You know, outside of your horse form, it’d be a lot easier to just use your hands.” Minerva pointed out.

“Ah guess it would be.” Applejack said, before unequipping her clothing. Naked, she pulled back the bedcovers and laid down. Then she scooted up the bed, propping herself up on the headboard. Looking down at her shaft, she saw that it was almost exactly like a stallion’s. The only difference was that it had no sheath. Like in her Humanoid form, it just hung there.

Completely soft.

So Applejack grabbed it firmly with one hand. It was…pleasant, but her shaft stayed resolutely soft and squishy, even after she gave it a few strokes.

“Damn.” she muttered.

“Do you think a little dirty talk would help you get in the mood? Minerva asked.

“Uhhh…” Applejack hedged, looking at the miniature alicorn version of herself out of the corner of her eye. “Ah…Ah don’t think so.”

“I get it.” The mini-divinity assured her. “I’d offer to help more directly, but then it might not count as masturbation.”

“Ah’m not sure that would help.” Applejack thought to herself. Immediately followed by, “Oh, Ah hope she didn’t hear that.” Then she tried stroking her cock again, but it still did nothing but flop and stretch in her grip, no matter how fast or slow she moved her hand.

After a few more seconds, Applejack decided to try something else. Something that she should’ve thought of sooner. She closed her eyes and thought about Marjani. She remembered the cat woman’s naked body, her soft hands, her delightful curves, and her sexy purr. In a few seconds, Applejack felt her cock growing. And as it hardened, her fingers, with their short fur, felt better and better against the bare skin.

When her shaft was fully hard, Applejack looked at it. A few shades darker than her fur, it reached halfway between her navel and her sternum. Above the urethra, the head domed up a bit, and the rim was scalloped. And she had a thick medial ring that sent shivers up her spine every time her fingers bumped over it.

As Applejack kept her fingers moving, she imagined they were the shorter anthro’s fingers. A dozen strokes later, pre-cum started visibly welling up on her tip. Unable to resist, she lowered her head a bit and swiped her tongue over her domed head. The sudden sensation made her gasp and jerk, nearly clocking her head on the headboard. She had to stop for a few seconds to calm down. Then she started stroking again, a little faster than before.

This time, when the pre welled up, Applejack knew what to expect, so the lick wasn’t as mind-blowing as the first. Still great, though. And it didn’t get any less great as she kept licking around the tip. It felt so great that after only a couple dozen licks, Applejack couldn’t resist taking the whole head in her mouth. The sudden heat and warmth around her rock-hard cock made her gasp, then the suction made her moan.

Overwhelmed again, she started bobbing on her shaft quickly, almost reaching her medial ring with every dip. Her hand started moving faster too, without her noticing. Her thumb and forefinger passed over her ring with every stroke. Since this was her first experience with a cock, it wasn’t much more than half a minute before Applejack felt the tip in her mouth flaring, and she got ready for what she knew was close behind.

A second later, the first blast filled her mouth, and she quickly swallowed, knowing the second would be right behind. Which it was, a second later. She swallowed that one too, before her mouth was filled for a third time. This time, she couldn’t get it swallowed quickly enough, and the fourth shot made her muzzle overflow, and a white wave washed down her shaft, splashing all over her hand. She pulled her mouth off, choking and gasping, as the last couple spurts landed between her breasts.

As Applejack caught her breath and licked her lips clean, she felt her softening cock leaking on her contoured stomach. She just laid there, recovering and enjoying the afterglow for a couple minutes, before raising her cum-covered hand and licking it clean. The taste, now that she could focus on it, was kind of bitter, but with all the sweet and tart apples she ate every day, a little bitterness was a nice contrast, now and then. And once her hand was clean, she scooped the rest off her body, eating it a little at a time.

“Congratulations!” Minerva chimed in suddenly, as Applejack cast Clean on herself, to get the worst of the remains of her load out of her coat. “You just completed some quests. Would you like to check your rewards now, or wait for later?”

“Ah suppose Ah might as well check it now.” Applejack figured, opening the quest panel.

Day 3 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
21:00
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 7
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 2 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

“Ah have to say, Ah did not expect that. When do Ah have to use those Skill Points?”

“Whenever you want.” Minerva answered, and Applejack decided to think about it for awhile.

However, the day and the strong orgasm started catching up to her, and it wasn’t long before she was drifting off. On the other hand, it didn’t take long for her to decide, either.

“Ah think Ah’ll level up all three of my transformation skills.” she said softly, half-awake. And when Minerva asked if she was sure, she confirmed it, only a minute or two before slipping off to dreamland.

Author's Note

Finally, we get to the sex! Sorry again that it took so long.

For instance, cattle’s idea of sexual discretion is facing straight at you, so you can’t see where they’re joined. Of course, that only helped if you waited for them to finish before moving, which she often didn’t have time to do.
Hooves are awkward for some things, so for most stallions in Equestria, belly slapping is still the preferred masturbation method.

The First (Full) Day of the Rest of Her Life

“Good morning, Applejack!” was the first thing the mare heard the next morning. When she opened her eyes, Minerva’s tiny face in her own, with as much regard for personal space as Pinkie Pie, was not the first thing she saw, happily.

“Minerva?” she asked, sitting up and looking around for the mini-divinity. Applejack found her standing on the table. Glancing out the window almost made Applejack panic from how late it was, before she remembered where she was.

“Yep! First of all, you’ve got some new Quests. Also, congratulations on leveling up overnight!”

“Ah leveled up?” Applejack asked, as she was reaching for her hat on the bedpost. It was too early—and also too late, funnily enough—to be thinking about sex.

“Mm-hm. After everything I taught you about this world yesterday, your Intelligence is now 9, which also means your Max MP is 90. And your three Transformation Skills all leveled up to 2, as well.” Minerva explained. This made Applejack stop and think for a moment.

“Okay, it makes sense that you didn’t tell me about the Transformation Skills, but why didn’t are you only mentioning the Intelligence growth now?” Applejack asked, remembering to not talk out loud, as she equipped a brassiere. She figured she’d learn to do it properly at some point, but just after waking up was not the time.

“Stats, Skills and Spells only level up when you sleep.” Minerva explained. “And not just a nap, either. You have to be asleep for at least five or six hours.”

“Why?”

“GOD says it’s because sleep is important for growth.” Minerva said, as Applejack pulled out a pair of pants and worked them on. “The only exception is when you change classes.”

“And how do Ah do that, by the way?”

“There are shrines in every settlement, and if you go there and meditate, you can change your class freely.”

“Meditate, huh? That might be a little bit of a problem.” Applejack said. “Ah meditate by bucking trees, and Ah don’t think Ah can do that in a shrine.”

“No, you can’t do that.” Minerva agreed with a chuckle. “But I can walk you through the more acceptable way. And it’s pretty easy, so don’t worry about it.”

A moment later, Applejack tightened her belt over her blue tunic and left the room. She was surprised to find the restroom unoccupied, since it was one of only two on the floor, but she didn’t hesitate to take advantage. She was also surprised by the shape of the toilet1, but quickly figured out that standing up was the best way to relieve her bladder. Keeping her dick out of the water when she sat down was a little tricky, and she had to resort to holding it in her hand. After she was done relieving herself and brushing her teeth, she made her way downstairs, where she found Rehema puttering around the main room.

“Good morning, Applejack.” the zebra greeted her. “Breakfast won’t be ready for another half-hour, I’m afraid. We’ll be offering scrambled eggs, savory grits with dried cherries, and fried mushrooms, once my husband and daughter finish their morning bath. Four coppers, if you’re interested.”

“No thanks. Ah’ve got some provisions Ah can eat, instead.” Applejack said after a few seconds of thought. “But while you’re here…” she started, opening her inventory.

“Yes?”

“Ah’d like to pay for tonight’s supper, and a week’s rent.” Applejack said, handing Rehema a silver coin. “And you said laundry was two coppers, right?”

“Two coppers for a basket.”

“Would it be too much to ask you to reserve a basket for later in the week?”

“I can make a note that you’ve paid for a basket, and you can use it when you’re ready.” Rehema confirmed.

“Thank ya kindly.”

“No problem, dear. Do you mind if I ask what you plan to do today?”

“Ah thought Ah’d take a stroll around town. Maybe pick up some more provisions. Then Ah might go…uh, go hunting. Or Ah might try to find some part-time work. You wouldn’t happen to know any farms or orchards in the area that could use a worker?”

“You could try the orchard south of town.” Rehema suggested. “They can usually find something to keep a hired hand busy. If not them, than I’m sure one of the farms to the west could. Most of the shops don’t open for an hour or two yet, though.”

“Well, thanks again. Ah’ll be back this evening.” Applejack said, heading for the door. A few moments later, once she’d found south and started walking, she asked, “What’re grits?”

“Like oatmeal, but made with corn instead of oats.”

A few streets away from the pub, Applejack caught the scent of fresh bread and followed her nose to the bakery. There she traded a copper coin for two cherry turnovers and a bit of information about the village. Including the fact—when she mentioned traveling with a caravan most of the way here—that the town a few days northeast got most of the merchant traffic in the area. And since a round trip took at least a week, most folks were more willing to settle for self-sufficiency.

“Maybe Ah could start my own mercantile business, between here and that town.” Applejack thought, as she left the bakery. “But probably not, really. Ah’d probably need a few more people helping, to have a steady supply of product. Plus, how much can Ah even carry at one time?”

“On your person, it’s fifteen pounds per level of Strength. In your inventory, it’s 100 pounds per level of Intelligence, shared between the red, yellow, and blue buttons.” Minerva answered. “The Menagerie, however, is unique, in that it has no limit. Mostly because few creatures you’d store in it weigh less than three or four dozen pounds, and some of them can weigh tons, so limited space would make delving harder, if not outright impossible.”

“And how much am Ah carrying now?”

“Over 200 pounds, with all your camping equipment, clothes, and combat equipment.”

“Ah should probably equip some of that, since Ah’m gonna be leaving town.” Applejack realized. She decided to wait until she was actually ready to leave town, though. Instead, she pulled out an apple and started munching on it.

After a bit more meandering, Applejack passed the shrine, which Minerva pointed out to her. It was a small building, about twice the size of a garden shed, and carved entirely out of stone. Soon after that, she passed the greengrocer. And further down the block, the butcher. Neither one was open yet, like Rehema had warned.

Eventually, Applejack made her way to the southern gate, which was being guarded by two humans. One had a spear, but the other had a smooth length of wood.

“That’s a staff.” Minerva explained, when Applejack asked about it. “It can be used as a focus for magic, or as a blunt weapon in its own right.”

“Good morning, traveler.” the staff-wielder greeted her when she reached the gate. His voice was stiffer than Kildrik’s had been. And both he and his partner looked stiffer than the pair from last night. Fresher too, Applejack realized.

“Morning, gents.” she responded.

“Might I ask your business, and if you’ll be coming back to the village?”

“Ah’m looking for some part-time work, and Rehema, at the pub, suggested Ah try the orchard south of the village.” Applejack told them, a little confused about why they wanted to know.

“There’ve been reports of spider swarms north of town, attacking people. Greenskulls aren’t very dangerous on their own, but in a large enough swarm, they can bring down an ogre.” the staff-wielder explained. “Reported attacks have been limited to the north of the village for now, but it’s only a matter of time.”

“The Hunter’s Guild is trying to get some people in to help clear them out, but it takes time.” the spear-wielder added.

“We just want to know if or where we need to start looking if you don’t come back.”

“Well, if Ah’m lucky, Ah’ll be back this evening. But truthfully, it’s a bit late for starting farm work, and it’ll be later still by the time Ah get where Ah’m going, so Ah’ll probably be back sooner than later.” Applejack admitted.

“Maybe not as late as all that.” the guard with the staff told her. “The farmhouse is a bit less than an hour’s walk down the road—you can’t miss it. If you’ve got the stamina for farm work, you ought to be able to gallop it quick and easy.”

“Thank ya for the directions. And the warning.” Applejack said, nodding at the two of them.

“Safe travels.” the spearman said.

“Here’s hoping.” Applejack said with a chuckle. She didn’t have much hope, though. While she didn’t read much fiction, and so didn’t have as much of an understanding of narrative casualty2—or whatever Twilight called it—she figured that now that she knew about the danger, fate was going to throw it at her. Or if not fate, then definitely The Gestalt.

“You said that as my Transformation Skills leveled up, Ah could use them more often, right?” she asked a couple minutes later, looking at Minerva.

“That’s right. And at level two, you can use them twice a day. No less than twelve hours apart, though the timer resets at dawn.” the mini-divinity answered.

“In that case…” Applejack muttered, equipping her gear the same way as the day before. Then she transformed into her horse form and started galloping.

Some time later, Applejack was surprised to find she’d made it without so much as a glimpse of a spider. Or anything else, for that matter. Then again, most of the road here had been lined with fields on one side and fenced-in cherry trees on the other. So it made sense that she didn’t see anything hostile.

As she approached the gate, Applejack transformed into her human form—for practice—then her anthro form and rang the bell, as the sign underneath it bade visitors to do. A voice hollered back, too distant to understand, but Applejack saw a figure approaching, so she waited where she was. She did unequip her knuckle and—after a moment of thought—her gun, too.

As the figure drew closer, what Applejack first took to be some kind of strange hat or helmet turned out to be deer-like horns. But thicker and fuzzier than she was used to seeing. Then again, she’d never actually seen a deer up close before. At least, she thought those slender legs and narrow hooves meant the man was a deer.3

“Is he a deer?” Applejack asked.

“Actually, he’s a Deer Manimal, which is called a Faun.4” Minerva told her.

As the faun got even closer, Applejack realized that he was wearing a sleeveless tunic, but nothing else. What she’d thought were pants was actually reddish-brown fur.

“Hey, there. Name’s Elias, and I run this place, along with my wives.5 How can I help you?” the man asked, once he reached the gate.

“Mine’s Applejack. Now Ah realize it’s pretty late to be starting work, but Ah was hoping you might be able to find something Ah can earn a few coins doing.”

“It’s not that late, yet. Not for folks like you.” he added.

“Folks like me?” Applejack asked, trying to hide her offense.

“Adventurers looking to make a little easy money on a slow day.” Elias said, gesturing at the sword peeking out from behind her back. “Most of you slugabeds don’t start trickling your way out here until nine. So you got that going for you, at least.” he added, the easy smile on his human face turning his condemnation into gentle teasing.

“No such thing as easy money in a place like this.” Applejack said with a snort.

“Ha! That’s the truth.” Elias laughed. “You ever work on an orchard before?”

Applejack almost laughed at that. Before she realized that so much of her work on the Acres was based on earth pony magic that ‘no’ was a more honest answer than the simple truth. So that was what she told him, hoping she didn’t look too much like she was lying.

“That would’ve been too good to be true.” Elias sighed. “Oh well. How’s your Strength?”

“Uh, eleven.” Applejack said, not expecting the question.

“Not bad, for your age. And your Endurance?”

“Twelve.”

“Decent. Think you can mend a fence?”

“Should be able to.” Applejack said. That shouldn’t be too different than back home.

“Everyone should be able to, in my opinion.” Elias smirked, opening the gate. “All too few people actually can, though. Come on. I’ll show you where the supplies are, and then we can get to work.” He led her to a shed just out of sight of the main house where Applejack collected the tools and wood, before they started hiking the fence line.

“You any good with that?” Elias asked after a few minutes, gesturing at her sword again.

“Good enough not to use it on myself.” Applejack admitted, a moment later. It earned her what Rarity would probably call a roguish grin.

“In that case, you’ll want to be careful on the western side of the property. We get the occasional beastie coming out of the woods.” he warned her. “Haven’t seen anything stronger than level three in over twenty years, but Hannah says that just means we’re due. I’m not that pessimistic, but carelessness leads to corpses, as they say.”

After proving that she could repair a fence, Elias left Applejack to her work, and she spent several hours working on long stretch of wood that was starting to rot. A little past noon, a young faun came by to tell her she’d missed lunch and give her a bowl of stew. The teenager, named Clarissa, stayed only long enough to give Applejack the bowl and tell her she’d be back for it in an hour.

Applejack barely got three bites before the texture of one of the ingredients caught her attention. A few experimental chews proved that the umami flavor wasn’t from mushrooms. A few more helped her pick out the flavor of the meat, which was earthy, with the slightest hint of tanginess. It wasn’t unpleasant, and after several more spoonfuls, Applejack found herself starting to enjoy the taste.

Even though she knew to expect it, it still felt weird to her, how naturally her tongue took to it. Nevertheless, she finished the stew quickly, then followed it with a piece of cheese from her inventory and some water from one of her canteens.

When Clarissa came back to collect the bowl, Applejack asked her where the nearest bathroom was. But even while following the teen to an outhouse, she managed to resist asking what kind of meat it had been. Ignorance wasn’t always bliss, but in this case, Applejack thought it just might be.

After finishing the section she’d spent the morning working on, Applejack started walking the fence line, checking for more bad areas. She didn’t find any others on the eastern border, and none at all on the northern one. But when she reached the northwest corner of the property, Applejack equipped her pistol and double-checked that it was loaded, before continuing. As much as she hoped she wouldn’t need it, she figured better safe than sorry.

About half a mile on, Applejack found a board that needed replacing, so she pulled out a tape measure and got started working. But just as she started cutting the replacement, a cacophony erupted from the underbrush beyond the fence. All the hissing and other noises reminded Applejack of cats in heat. Except the noises weren’t feline. More squeaking and squealing, instead of yowling. More like rats, she suddenly realized.

And right after she did, Applejack saw a dappled Huge Rat rush out of the greenery. A few seconds later, a brown one backed into sight, its back arched and lips pulled back. And a second after that, a white one leapt out, landing on the brown one. The pair rolled a few times, biting and scratching at each other, while the dappled one watched.

Applejack watched, too. She had some serious doubts about her ability to fight three rats at once, and was trying to decide if her best bet was to try it anyways, or just bag the fence supplies and get away. If she could transform into a horse, she’d already be running, but it was hours yet before she could use that Skill again. The gun might tip the scales in her favor, but she couldn’t be sure. Especially since the rats were near the limit of her weapon’s range. Just to be careful, she decided to bag everything.

As she was doing that, she kept an eye on the rats. Knowing how animals in heat could be, she figured they weren’t going to suddenly get interested in her, but she wanted to be sure. Especially since she wasn’t entirely sure that was what was going on.

As Applejack bagged the last of the tools, she saw the two males separate. They hissed and snapped at each other a few times, before the white one lunged at the brown one again, and they rolled a few meters closer to the fence, with the female staying close. A shrill squeal suddenly rang out, and the brown rat started moving more frantically.

Applejack wasn’t sure why, until they separated again. Then she saw that the white rat had somehow managed to sink its teeth into the brown one, just missing its throat. After a little more posturing, the brown rat lunged. Unfortunately for him, the white one reared up at the exact same time, and when they separated, the brown rat had lost an eye.

It started backing away, but not fast enough for the white rat, who lunged again. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well for the white rat this time, and it lost a toe or two to the brown rat’s snapping teeth.

With an angry screech, the white rat lunged again, swiping with its uninjured paw. It managed to catch the brown one’s face, right across its good eye.

Now effectively blind, the brown rat turned and ran, giving up on any pretense of dignity. Right towards Applejack, who barely noticed the white one hissing victoriously as she drew her sword. She thought about trying to shoot it, but she didn’t want to risk getting the attention of the other two. A second later, she remembered she wanted to practice everything she could, as much as possible, so she cast Scan on the brown rat.

Huge Rat – Lv. 1

Another loud squeal made Applejack take a glance at the other rats, which did confirm that she’d been right about why they were fighting. She only spared them a quick glance before returning her attention to the approaching rat, which was nearly to the fence now.

Applejack expected the rat to stop, at least for a second, when it reached the fence, and she’d try stabbing it when it did. But instead of stopping, the Huge Rat slammed right into it at full speed, nose first. That surprised Applejack at first, until she noticed that it wasn’t just effectively blind, but actually blind. Which meant that it was kinder just to kill it now. So she stepped forward quickly and thrust her sword into its head, killing it instantly.

After bagging the body and casting Clean on her sword, Applejack turned her attention to the couple. At least long enough to confirm they were still coupling and to cast Scan on both of them. The female was level two, while the male was level one. Looking away again, she considered shooting them, but as awkward as it was watching them mate, it was even more awkward, thinking about shooting them mid-coitus. So she pulled out the hammer and started prying free the nails holding the cracked board.

Applejack couldn’t really tune out the noises the rats were making, so she knew when they finished. And while killing them post-coitus was somewhat awkward, it was better than doing it during. So she drew her pistol and aimed at the female. After all, not only was she stronger, but getting rid of females was more effective population control than males. Resting her hand on a fencepost, Applejack pulled back the hammer, aimed carefully, and folded her ears against her skull before pulling the trigger.

The report was still loud enough to make Applejack recoil more than her gun, but she focused on the rats again after a few seconds. Neither one was moving. The female was either stunned or dead, but Applejack didn’t know why the male was so still. He almost seemed confused, but she figured he was just stunned by the noise. Either way, she turned the gun on him next.

Again, she flinched hard at the shot, but she recovered even quicker this time. Only a second or two, fortunately, since she saw the Huge Rat charging her. Her third shot hit it right in one eye, stopping the rat in its tracks.

With both of them down, Applejack hopped the fence and jogged over to the dappled female. Inspecting it, she found that her bullet had hit it behind the foreleg. It hadn’t been immediately fatal, judging by the very short blood trail, but it was dead now. So she bagged it and the Soul Crystal, before doing the same with the white rat. Then she went back to working on the fence, trying hard not to think about what she’d just seen.

Around four, Applejack ran out of nails, so she started making her way back to the shed. As she passed the house, a faun with dark green fur on her legs and small horns6 came out to meet her.

“Good afternoon. You’re Applejack, right?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

“I’m Yanagi, Elias’s and Hannah’s wife. You finished fixing the fence?” she asked.

“Nah, only about halfway. Ah just came to pick up some more nails.” Applejack explained. “Probably a few more boards, too.” she added, as Yanagi glanced over her shoulder.

“No, that’s enough for one day.” the faun told her. “The rest can wait until tomorrow. One more day won’t hurt anything. And if it does, then that’s on us. Come with me. I’ll show you where to put everything and give you your pay.”

“Ah can keep going.” Applejack insisted automatically.

“It’s fine.” Yanagi insisted. “You hang around here much longer and the shops’ll be closed by the time you get back to the village.”

“Ah did want to see if Ah could pick up a few more supplies.” Applejack admitted. She also admitted—if only to herself—that she was starting to get tired and sore. She’d been right yesterday, about having a lot less stamina than she was used to. It was like being a filly again.

“There you go. The butcher is usually open late, but Cerise, the greengrocer closes at 17:30, sharp. After that, you’ve gotta wait for the next morning, no exceptions. Not for strangers, at least.”

“Then Ah might just wait until tomorrow. Or more likely, the day after. Ah wanna get here nice and early tomorrow, so Ah can finish fixing the fence.”

“Well, I can’t fault your work ethic.” Yanagi said. “Did you have any trouble today, by the way?”

“Uh…” Applejack hedged, not really sure what to say about the rats. Or if she wanted to say anything. “A couple rats came out of the trees, fighting over a female.”

“Ooh, I bet that was fun.” Yanagi chuckled sarcastically. “You didn’t get in the way or anything, did you? The bucks get real vicious when it comes to breeding rights. And the does like it that way.”

“No, Ah know better than to do that.” Applejack assured her. “And Ah saw just how vicious they can get. The winner lost a couple toes, and the loser lost both his eyes.” Yanagi let out a low whistle at that.

“Damn.” she said, shaking her head. “It got off easy. It’s not too unusual for one challenger to end up dead.”

“Really?” Applejack asked. “Don’t animals mostly just stick to intimidation?” She’d never noticed that until Fluttershy pointed it out, but it made sense once she had.

“Critters do, sure.” Yanagi confirmed. “But beasties are more vicious. Huge Rats survive more often than not, but with Giant Rats, the odds of survival are about even. Now, Monstrous Rats? Those fights always end in death. The winner presents the corpse to the female as a gift. The first of many he’ll bring her to feed on, while the pups are growing. My little sister studies besties for a living.” Yanagi added, by way of explanation.

Applejack couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so she just nodded as they reached the shed. Applejack helped Yanagi put all the tools and other stuff away and collected the 24 coppers her almost eight hours of work had earned her. Then Yanagi walked her back to the gate, chatting politely about nothing.

It was still too soon to transform again, so Applejack started walking back towards the village quickly. A couple minutes after leaving the orchard, she remembered something she’d meant to ask earlier, before she got caught up in the work.

“Hey, Minerva? What was up with the fauns’ horns?”

“Since they’re shed every year, they’re antlers, not horns. And that’s a point of pride for people who have either, so try not to forget.”

“Antlers, that’s right. Ah knew that.” Applejack remembered. “Probably just spending too much time around unicorns. But anyways, why were their antlers all fuzzy and rounded? Every antler Ah’ve seen before was all dry and hard and pointy.”

“It sounds like you’ve only ever seen after they were shed, or just before.”

“Ah’ve never met a deer before. Only caught a few glimpses of them in Whitetail Woods.”

“Well, while antlers are growing, they’re covered by a thin layer of skin and fur, called velvet, because of its texture.” Minerva explained. “And when the antlers are fully grown, the velvet dries up and needs to be removed. Wild deer rub their antlers on trees and whatnot to remove it, but fauns and the Furred Races sometimes harvest theirs. It’s used in a couple potions, but otherwise it’s about as useless as any dead skin.”

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and apart from trading a few words with the gate guards, she didn’t stop until she reached the Hunter’s Guild.

Stepping inside, Applejack was surprised to see no one except the woman behind the bar. Confused, she approached the bar and sat on a stool.

“Evening, miss.”

“Evening. Where is everyone?” Applejack asked, not noticing her unusual word choice.

“Guildmaster Rucker is meeting with other local guildmasters, about the greenskull problem, and it’s a little early for most other folks to be coming in.” the dark-skinned woman explained. “Can I help you, instead? My name’s Leticia, by the way.”

“Applejack, and Ah got a couple more rats to sell.”

“Well, I can pay you for any Soul Crystals, but the boss doesn’t like me leaving the front room unattended, so if you’ve got bodies, you’ll have to either come back later or try the butcher.”

“How much later?”

“I don’t honestly know, but an hour, ninety minutes seems like a safe bet. You can sit and wait here, but if you’re not a guild member, you’ll have to buy a drink.”

“Ah’m not much of a…an idle drinker, Ah guess you’d call it, but thanks. Ah’ll just go back to Mirembe for supper, then come back. Ah do have one Soul Crystal to sell, though.” Applejack added, opening her Menagerie, which now had two more entries. Earth and Air affinities, as Applejack had expected. She pulled out the fire-affinitied rat’s Soul Crystal and passed it over to Leticia, who looked it over.

“I can only give you three copper for this.” she said, after casting Scan, sounding almost apologetic.

“Few creatures have much of a bounty until level four or five. The common ones, especially, don’t really take off until level eleven.” Minerva explained when Applejack discreetly glanced at her. “Low level Soul Crystals have weak bonuses, so they’re really only useful for beginners who can’t afford better ones or summoners.”

“Three’s fine.” Applejack accepted, after getting the confirmation. Once she had the coins, she said her good-byes and left the guildhouse.

When she got back to the pub, it was a little early for supper, so she went up to her room to clean and care for her weapons. By the time she finished that and went back downstairs, the scent of meat filled the main room. Applejack didn’t know what it was, but it smelled light and mild. Looking around, she saw Sauda behind the bar and the elf from last night sitting at a nearby table. She walked past his table, trying to discreetly see what he was eating, but all she really saw was that it was a brown color. That, and he was holding it in his hands as he ate it, like corn on the cob.

“Hello, Applejack.” Sauda greeted. “Can I get you something to drink, or are you ready for your meal?”

“Both, actually. But do you have anything sweeter than what you gave me last night? It was a little more bitter than Ah prefer.”

“Sorry about that. I can get you something a little fruitier this time.” Sauda said, moving to the kegs.

“Ah didn’t say anything, so it’s my fault. What’s cooking, by the way?”

“Tarragon roasted chicken and potatoes, with carrots, peas, and green beans. You want white meat, or dark?”

“Ah, uh…” Applejack almost said she didn’t know what that meant, but realized that would probably be strange. So she went with, “Ah don’t really care.” She waited until Sauda had pulled her a tankard of honey-brown beer and disappeared into the kitchen before moving to the nearest table and asking Minerva.

“White meat comes from the breast and wing, and is dryer, with a milder taste, while dark meat is the opposite, and comes from the legs and thighs.” she explained.

A moment later, Applejack remembered that Minerva had mentioned new quests that morning, so she opened that panel

Day 4 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
18:07
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 1
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point*

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points*

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

“Ah know Ah did those three last night.” Applejack said, confused.

“A lot quests are repeatable. Some of them even daily.” Minerva explained.

“Ah have to suck a cock every day?”

“Not at all. Every Quest is optional.” Minerva reminded her. Just then, Sauda came out of the kitchen.

“Here you go, Applejack. I got you a leg quarter.” she said, setting a plate in front of her. “Just speak up if you need anything.” she added, before heading over to check on the elf.

Applejack carefully touched the meat, gauging its temperature. When the bone started burning her fingers after only a second, she picked up her fork and started on the veggies. They were perfectly done, and Applejack ate them quickly, while marveling slightly at the fact that she was using a fork almost like a unicorn, instead of the clumsy fetlock-grip she’d learned as a filly. When she got to the potatoes though, the tarragon was a little strong for her taste. So she decided to try the chicken again. Since she didn’t burn her fingers this time, she took a tentative bite.

It had a crispy outer layer that, like the potatoes, had been a little more heavily seasoned than she would’ve preferred. The meat itself tasted okay, if a little bland, in comparison to what Applejack suddenly realized was the skin. It was a bit odd, but Applejack shrugged it off and kept eating.

When she eventually decided she’d gotten as much of the meat off the bone as she was going to, and polished off the last couple potatoes, Applejack sat back for a few minutes, before using the napkin. Then, since it was made of cloth, she discreetly cast Clean on it, before slowly finishing her beer.

Setting the empty tankard aside, Applejack checked the time. It had been an hour and change since she left the guild, so she decided to head back. If she made the trip a casual stroll, she probably wouldn’t need to wait too long when she got there.

Her walk turned out to be less casual than she’d expected, but Applejack was still surprised to not see Mr. Rucker when she walked in. She did see one person seated at the bar and three more at the tables, including the man with the wolf creature.

“Welcome back, Applejack.” Leticia said, as Applejack approached the bar.

“Hey. Is the meeting still not over?”

“No, it finished about twenty minutes ago. The boss is just in back, evaluating Ricardo’s haul. He’ll probably be a few more minutes.” she explained. “Can I get you something to drink while you wait?”

“Whatever it is, I’ll pay for it.” said the man with the wolf, who’d joined her at the bar.

“Thanks, but that’s not necessary.”

“Maybe not, but it’s a good way to start a conversation.” he said with an easy smile.

“So is just introducing yourself.” Applejack countered.

“Introducing myself, huh?” the man said, thoughtfully stroking his chin. “I’m not quite sure how that works. Think you could give me a demonstration?” he prompted, grinning again.

“Applejack.” she introduced herself, rolling her eyes as she held out her hand. (And remembering to go for a handshake, instead of a hoofbump.) But she had to smile a little, herself. That had been smooth, without being slimy. And, she had to admit, his smile was kind of cute.

“Taki.” he said in turn, shaking her hand. He had pale yellow skin, dark magenta eyes, and auburn hair. It was thick and wavy, and hung past his shoulders. “So, what’ll you have?”

“Well, Ah’m new in town—in the whole area, in fact—so what would you recommend?”

“I’ve only been here about a week, myself, but their cherry brandy is pretty good.”

“Ah’ve never had cherry brandy before, but Ah guess Ah can give it a try.”

“Two brandies, please.” Taki told the bartender. A moment later, Leticia placed two snifters on the bar, then Applejack followed Taki to his table. When they got close, the red wolf hopped up so its front paws were on the table and stared intently at Applejack. It seemed more curious than anything else, so Applejack wasn’t too bothered, though the flickering fur was a touch off-putting.

“Flamme! Down.” Taki ordered, and the red paws dropped back down. “Don’t worry about him. He’s a little rambunctious, but he won’t hurt you.”

“What is he?”

“He’s a tinderwolf.” Taki said, throwing Applejack for a second.

“Wait, tin-der-wolf? With a ‘d’?”

“Yep.” he confirmed, grabbing the thick ruff and scratching it playfully. “I’m hoping to metamorphose him into an emberwolf some day, but it’s slow going, getting his stats high enough. I was making my way to the dungeon south of here, since it’s supposed to have lots of creatures weak to fire when I decided to stop here for a bit, to stock up on funds and provisions for this bottomless pit.” he growled playfully, giving Flamme a loving squeeze.

“So, enough about me. What brought you here? If you don’t mind me asking.” Taki added quickly.

“Nah, it’s no problem.” Applejack told him, taking a sip of her drink. It wasn’t apple brandy, but it wasn’t bad, either. Thinking back to the introductory dream she’d had yesterday, and reminding herself she was playing a role, she said, “Ah…Ah lost my Ma, about a year and a half ago. Couldn’t really stand to stay in the village, so Ah joined up with a merchant caravan trying out a new route. Half a continent later, Ah struck out on my own. Now here Ah am.”

“Sorry to hear about your ma. You staying at the Mirembe, right?”

“Is there anywhere else to stay?”

“Well, there’s here, for one. Or if you’ve got extended family, or a friend of a friend in town, they’d probably find a bed for you.”

“Ah…never heard anything about extended family.” Applejack said, a hint of sadness slipping into her voice. “And those merchants were the first people Ah ever met from outside my village. And Ah’m not a member of this guild.”

“Still here two days in a row, though.”

“Ah ran into some rats on the way here. And a couple more at the orchard today.”

“Orchard?”

“There’s an orchard south of here that hires day-laborers.”

“Huh. I’ll have to remember that. Might be an easy way to pick up some coin, if I need a break from hunting.” Taki mused, making Applejack almost choke on her brandy. “Oh, here comes Ricardo and the guildmaster. You could sell your rats now.”

“What about you? You were here first, after all, and Ah wouldn’t want to cut the line.”

“I’ve already sold my catch, same as those other guys. I’m just hanging around to relax a bit, have a drink or three, and maybe strike up a conversation with someone. If a cutie catches my eye.” he added, giving Applejack a quick wink.

“You ain’t exactly hard on the eyes, yourself, but Ah probably shouldn’t loiter here too long, not being a member, and all.” Applejack said, knocking back the last swallow of her drink and enjoying the burn. Then she headed over to talk to Mr. Rucker, who took her back to the appraisal room, not bothering with any pleasantries. Taking his all-business attitude in stride, Applejack quickly pulled out the female rat for him to examine.

“Cleaner kill than the ones yesterday.” he remarked. “The pelt’s almost perfect, but dapples are never really popular. Ten coppers.”. Applejack agreed and waited for him to bag the body before pulling out the brown one.

“Another clean kill.”

“Not too hard, after the third rat blinded him.” Applejack admitted.

“That’s no reason to get complacent. Few things are more dangerous than an injured creature.”

“Ah know. Ah got a friend back home who’s something of an animal expert.” Applejack said without thinking.

“And yet, you still attacked it.”

“It ran at me while Ah was working at Elias’s orchard. Ah just put it down when it got close.” Applejack explained.

“Hm. Either way, I’ll pay ten for this one, too.”

Again, Applejack agreed, and bodies were traded out.

“That explains things.” Mr. Rucker said, at the sight of the rat’s penis, still hanging out of its sheath. Mostly hard, but softening again, now that it was out of stasis.

“Ah was not aware that there are multiple couplings in a single mating session.” Applejack admitted uncomfortably.

“Most aren’t.” the guildmaster agreed, ignoring the pink spike as he continued his examination. “One shot, right through the left eye. Nice.”

“Two, actually. The first one was a clean miss.”

“Whether it was luck or skill, it’s still a nice shot. And either way, it leaves a perfect pelt. Eleven copper.”

A couple moments later, Applejack walked out 31 copper coins richer. When she reached the main room, she saw Taki and Flamme standing by the door.

“Mind if we walk back to Mirembe with you?” Taki asked, still wearing that cute grin.

“Not at all.” Applejack said, and Taki opened the door for her. But as she got closer, Flamme stepped in between them. He didn’t growl, but he did have his head lowered and back slightly arched.

“Flamme, friend.” Taki scolded. It made the tinderwolf raise its head and look at him. “Friend.” he repeated, and Flamme looked back to her. Then he padded closer and started sniffing her.

While she was a little nervous with the almost waist-high creature standing so close, Applejack squashed that as much as possible, standing still while Flamme got her scent. He seemed very interested in her groin—more than most canines she’d met, in fact. He spent ten or twelve seconds snuffling at it, before trying to stick his head under her tunic, which made her jump.

“Flamme, behave!” Taki ordered, exasperated. “I’m sorry. My Taming Skill is growing a little slower than his level, so he’s just a bit more willful than usual.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Applejack said, giving the wolf now snuffling at her hand a few pets. “How does that work, anyway? Taming levels, Ah mean.”

“The more a summoned creature’s—spell or true summoned—level exceeds your Taming Skill level, the wilder they act, and the less obedient they are. One or two levels isn’t too bad, but more than five is usually too dangerous to bother trying.” Taki told her as they started for Mirembe. “Gaining levels is easy enough, though. Any time you give an order, or play with, or feed, or otherwise care for a summoned creature, you gain experience. How much depends on the creature’s level.”

“Does it have to be a creature you summon?”

“Not at all. I grew my first five levels caring for horses at the local stable.”

“Huh.” Applejack responded absently. She tried to imagine what a stable like that might be like, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t get past some of the stories she’d heard about the pre-unification days, when some high ranking ponies kept stables for sexual purposes. Specifically, the horror stories of how some of the less scrupulous ones weren’t too concerned about consent.

A few minutes passed, with Applejack trying to purge those thoughts, before Taki spoke up again.

“So, if you’re staying at Mirembe, why didn’t I see you this morning?”

“Ah slept kinda late. Ah didn’t even get out of my room until after six-thirty.”

“That’s late for you?” Taki asked, incredulous. “Your family farmers, soldiers, or bakers? Oh jeez.” he added immediately. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…you know.”

“It’s okay.” Applejack assured him. “Ah’ve moved on. More or less. Now that Ah’m away.”

“Still, sorry.”

“Forget about it. But what time do you normally wake up, if six-thirty is so early for you?”

“Well, when I’m out in the wild, camping or traveling, or whatever, I’ll wake up a lot earlier, but when I can sleep in a real bed, I rarely even think about getting up before eight.”

The two of them spent the rest of the walk chatting amiably, mostly about the village and its surroundings, though Taki had to keep calling Flamme back. So when they reached the pub, Taki decided to take him for a run, to burn off some energy, while Applejack decided to take a bath.

After she went to the restroom.

“Oh, Applejack.” Rehema called, as Applejack came down the stairs. “Come and meet my children.” She was standing with a pair of zebras, a couple years younger than Applejack. Surprisingly, they weren’t black and white. The stallion’s white areas were instead almost the same color as a peanut. And the mare’s were a pale magenta.

“Applejack, you met Marjani and Sauda, my two eldest, last night. And these are my twins, Mosi and Subira.” Rehema introduced, slipping her arms around the pair’s waists.

“I’m Mosi.” the stallion said. He was wearing a pair of pants that didn’t reach his knees and clung tightly to his muscular calves. And nothing else, which showed his muscular arms and chest. It also showed off his abs, and Applejack now had a good idea what Minerva had meant by six-pack, when she was creating her character, yesterday.

Also, now that she was closer, Applejack noticed that his black portions were actually a midnight blue. Including his short dreadlocks.

“And I’m Subira.” the magenta and—on closer inspection—deep forest green mare said. She was wearing much the same thing Sauda had been the day before, all in black, and wore her mane in the same braid as her mom.

“It means patience, and by the fates, did I need it with her7.” Rehema laughed, kissing her daughter’s cheek.

“Mom.” Subira sighed.

“Oh, hush.” Rehema said, kissing her cheek again. “I’m your mother, I get to complain about how long you kept me in labor.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Applejack said, shaking hands with each of them in turn. They both used the same two-handed grip the family seemed to prefer. “So what do you two do here?”

“A little of everything.” Subira said.

“All my kids tend bar, clean rooms, and help out in the bath, same as me. Sauda helps cook, too.” Rehema elaborated.

“You’re all bath attendants?” Applejack asked, surprised. Prostitution was legal in Equestria, but she’d never heard of anypony who made it a family business, so to speak.

“It’s a good portion of our income.” Rehema explained. “And with the right client, it’s a lot of fun.”

“Right. Well, in that case,” Applejack continued, remembering her Quest list. “Mosi, are you, um, available?” It was awkward, since she had no experience hiring companionship.

“You tell me.” Mosi said, smiling seductively. He was quite handsome, if a little bit more of a pretty boy than she usually preferred. And the dreads didn’t do him any favors, either. But he was attractive enough she wouldn’t have to force herself to enjoy her time with him.

“How much?”

“Twelve coppers and I’m all yours, beautiful.”

“You don’t need to butter me up.” Applejack said, opening her inventory.

“Maybe not, but everything’s better with butter.” Mosi joked, accepting the money. He bagged his share and passed the rest to his mother.

“Show her a good time, baby.” Rehema teased, slapping his ass to send him on his way.

Mosi barely reacted, beyond swatting at her hand with his tail. He just put his arm around Applejack’s shoulders and pressed his body against hers. Applejack, unsure what to do with her arm, cautiously slipped it around Mosi’s waist, then let him guide her to the bathing room, where he gently directed her to stand in front of the mirror.

“This is all about you, so if I start doing something you don’t want, just say so.” he said softly, moving in front of her and putting his hands on her shoulders. Then he started undressing her.

He started by sensually running his hands down her sides, to her waist, and then back up her front. She couldn’t feel much through her jerkin, but she still felt her body warming a little. And a little more as his fingers nimbly opened the buttons of the armor. Mosi managed to drag the unbuttoning out for many more seconds than necessary, before stepping around behind her and easing the garment down her arms.

Mosi stopped to fold the jerkin and set it aside before continuing. Which he did by standing right behind her and wrapping his arms around her middle.

“Ready?” he asked, gently rubbing the side of his muzzle against her neck.

“Yeah.” she said, after a second.

He stood a head taller than her, so she had a clear view of his face as his hands moved to her belt buckle and opened it, just letting it drop. She could see the controlled desire in his eyes as he worked the hem of her loose tunic up to the point where he could get his hands under it. But when his warm hands skimmed up her bare sides, a shiver washed over Applejack, and she had to close her eyes for a second.

“Arms up.” Mosi whispered, nuzzling into her ear until she did, allowing him to pull the tunic off over her head. And again, he stopped to fold it and set it aside, before moving back behind her and resting his hands on her waist.

“Top or bottom?” he asked, and Applejack needed a second or two to answer.

“Top.” she said, surprised she couldn’t see the blush she felt burning her cheeks. Maybe it was just because all the blood was in her cock, which was fighting against the confines of her clothes. But before she could do much more than think that, nimble fingers had opened her brassiere, letting her breasts free.

“Lovely.” Mosi breathed, almost touching them. But he held his hands just above her flesh, instead. Close enough for her to feel the heat of them, but not actually touching.

Then Mosi gave her mane a quick nuzzle before easing himself down on one knee and untying the laces holding her pants closed. His fingers danced carefully over the clothing, plucking the laces like a bird, and Applejack had to wonder if this was more teasing, like her breasts, or if he was avoiding her cock for some other reason. She was embarrassed to realize she hadn’t considered the possibility that he might not be okay with her cock. But only momentarily.

Then Mosi pulled her pants to the floor, before running his hands up the inside of her legs, making her shiver again at the feeling of her fur being rubbed against the grain. Then he hooked his fingers in her panties and removed them. Easing them over the curve of her ass first, before tugging them the rest of the way down.

“Wow.” she heard him say as her cock sprang up, growing to full size in a heartbeat, now that it was free. “That is a gorgeous piece of mare meat.”

Hearing that made her feel a lot better. Enough that when he stood back up and grasped her hips, she grabbed his wrists and wrapped his arms around her, while also pushing back against his body. She pointedly rubbed against his bulge for a few seconds, before tilting her head up to give him a brief, teasing nuzzle. Then she slipped away from him. She meant to prance away a couple steps before to turning to face him—teasing him the way mares usually did with stallions—but walking with a hard-on bouncing and swinging in front of her proved a lot more distracting than she’d have ever thought.

Instead, she just walked over to the nearest tub and started the water running. Then she sat on the stone rim and looked at Mosi. It was hard to tell through his fur, but he might have been blushing slightly. Or more likely, he was just flushed. And the bulge of his crotch, which had been visible in his tight cloth before, was now a lot bigger. There was even an unmistakable bulge down his right leg.

“You gonna take those off?” Applejack asked. “They look a mite uncomfortable.”

“So does that.” Mosi countered, pointing at her hard cock. “Would you like me to take care of it now?”

Applejack considered the offer for a few seconds, before turning away from the blue and tan zebra and flagging her tail. “How about we both get a little more comfortable together?” she offered, smiling over her shoulder. Mosi just smiled back and worked his pants down. And it did take a bit of work to get the tight garment down far enough for his hard cock to spring free. It looked about the same size as hers, Applejack thought, watching Mosi stroke it to full hardness before approaching her.

The touch of his hand on her hip made her cunt wink, and the rubbing of his head against her slick lips made it happen again, a few seconds later. Without thinking about it, Applejack started moving her hips, helping Mosi get his cock wet enough to enter her. And two or three winks later, Applejack decided they were both ready, so she started pushing back.

“Impatient, are we?” Mosi teased, letting her take his first few inches before grabbing her hips. There were, unfortunately, some practical concerns to consider. “Are you on birth control?”

“Uhhh…” Applejack responded, as she thought frantically. “That’s a thing? Ah didn’t even think about that. It’s nowhere near my season back home. Wait. Maybe ah already am? Minerva?” she asked, her eyes darting to look at the mini-divinity. Who just shook her head.

“I’ll take that as a no. In that case, I’ll pull out when I get close, but you should still see the herbalist tomorrow.” Then he pulled back until there was only an inch left in her, before pushing in past his medial ring, making Applejack cry out. He moaned too, because of how tight she was.

After enjoying her wet grip for a moment, Mosi started taking long, slow strokes. Applejack quickly got into the rhythm, pushing back to meet his thrusts, but Mosi’s grip on her hips kept her from speeding up too much. The slow movements were driving Applejack nuts, and without even thinking about it, she moved one hand to her cock.

“Ah’m getting close.” she moaned a moment later.

“Turn over.” Mosi said, pulling out.

“What?” she asked, confused and disappointed.

“Turn over.” Mosi repeated. “I wanna watch your face as you cum.”

Hands on Applejack’s hips, Mosi directed her to the corner of the rock wall, where she could lay down without her head hanging in the tub. Then he lifted her hips until her hooves were resting on his shoulders and pushed back into her, resuming his previous slow thrusts. He rubbed one hand over the slightly flared head of her cock, coating it in Applejack’s slick precum, before wrapping it around the lower half of her shaft and starting to stroke it quickly.

In no time, the fingers bumping her medial ring with every stroke had Applejack on the edge of orgasm again. At the last moment, she remembered to take the first few inches in her mouth and start sucking. She heard Mosi mutter something, but she didn’t understand what. Then she felt her cock flare and focused on that, as much as she could. Seconds later, her mouth was filled with cum, and an instant after that, Mosi slammed home, making her choke a little.

Applejack still managed to swallow most of what was in her mouth just before it was filled again. And again, she was filled at the other end an instant later by Mosi’s cock, causing her to choke. But this time, she didn’t recover in quickly enough, so her third shot overflowed her mouth. And Mosi’s follow-up thrust only made her cough, spraying cum down her front.

Applejack managed to pull her mouth off her cock before her next shot, which splattered against her chin and neck. Half a second later, she felt wet warmth engulf the tip of her cock again, as Mosi took it in his mouth. He sucked it greedily, trying to get every drop of her cum into his mouth. His stroking hand and thrusting cock helped milk Applejack dry.

After she swallowed the cum still in her mouth, Applejack just lay still for a bit, catching her breath. The heated rock under her back was a little too warm to be comfortable, so she sat up before very long. When she did, she saw Mosi standing there, his cock hard and glistening with her honey.

“Let me take care of that.” she said, grabbing the base of the midnight blue shaft and tugging the zebra closer.

“If you want.”

Applejack started by leaning in and sniffing deeply. With her eyes closed, she could pick up her own fluids, of course, along with his personal musk, his sweat, and even traces of his pre-cum. She took another sniff, enjoying the mingled scents, before running her tongue up his shaft. She was no stranger to her own flavor, having tasted it on a few dicks and any number of toys, but she noticed it tasted different than she was used to. She didn’t pay it much mind, though. She just focused on licking the shaft clean.

When she couldn’t taste any more of herself, Applejack wrapped her lips around Mosi’s cock and slowly crept down the hard length, seemingly pulling herself along with her lips. She could get her front teeth just beyond the medial ring, but that was as deep as she was comfortable going. (She had about as much sexual experience as the average mare—maybe a bit less, considering how much time the Acres ate up—so deepthroating was well beyond her.)

Even so, it only took about twenty or thirty seconds of bobbing and—slightly clumsy—stroking before Applejack felt Mosi’s cock flaring in her mouth. Half a dozen more bobs, and the first blast of zebra cum filled her mouth. Like last night, she managed to swallow the first three shots before her mouth overflowed. She didn’t let him out of her mouth though, and just kept swallowing when she could. And even after Mosi finished cumming, she kept gently suckling his softening cock and swirling her tongue over it.

Eventually, even her gentle ministrations became too much for Mosi’s sensitive member, and he backed up a step or two. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when Applejack cast Clean. Then they turned their attention to the tub, which was not full yet, surprisingly. Applejack eased herself into the water anyway. Mosi sat on the rock wall and grabbed the shampoo.

The next half hour was awkwardly luxurious for Applejack. It was even weirder than the time she’d let Rarity talk her onto a massage at the spa. Mosi would work the lather into her coat with a sensuous massage, before ladling water over her to rinse it out. And when he reached her mane, he started with a long, gentle scalp massage, before applying the shampoo. Then he dug in like Winona burying a bone. Then he was back to being gentle as he rinsed it out. And his second washing of her hair was just as gentle, all the way through.

The entire time, Mosi kept a healthy trickle of water running, keeping the water in the tub fresher. It did make Applejack a little worried about the water supply, but she—mostly—shrugged it off, trusting that he knew what he was doing. When he finished, he pulled the stopper and let the tub drain, before giving Applejack one more thorough rinsing. Then he held her hand as she climbed out of the tub and pulled out a large towel to pat her down. Setting the damp towel aside, he pulled out a second to dry her more thoroughly.

Just when Applejack figured he had to be done, he pulled out a curry comb and brushed her from poll to pastern.

Then came the hairbrush.

As he brushed out her mane, Applejack’s renewed arousal waned, right along with her patience. And by the time he was done with her tail, she was just done. Fortunately, so was Mosi it seemed, since he didn’t pull out anything else after bagging the brush. Though that might have something to do with the way her tail was starting to swish irritably. He stayed crouched where he was as Applejack walked over to her clothes and started casting Clean on them.

“I could have those laundered for you, if you wanted.” Mosi offered.

“No thanks. Ah need the practice.”

“Fair enough.”

Remembering her clean spell wasn’t very good yet, Applejack pulled on her tunic, but bagged everything else. Except for her hat, of course. She didn’t have any idea of the etiquette…post-transaction? (She wasn’t even sure how to refer to it)…but she felt like she had to say something. So as Mosi stepped into his short-pants, she spoke up.

“That was a lot more pampering than Ah’m used to. A whole lot more.” she added. “But it was nice. Real awkward, but real nice, too. It just got kinda drawn out a little too long, there at the end.”

“I kind of got that impression.” Mosi said with a smile. “But it’s nice to hear the confirmation, all the same. I’ll let my family know, in case you ask for one of their services next time.”

“Right. Uh, thanks.” Applejack said awkwardly.

“You wanna get a drink at the bar?” Mosi offered. “There’s few things better after a hot bath than a cold drink. We’ve got a few wines in the cellar, and there’s always milk.”

“What kind of milk?”

“Goat milk.” the zebra answered, sounding almost confused.

“Uh, no thanks.” Applejack had never tasted goat milk before. Having heard of goat cheese as a filly—and more recently, in Canterlot—she was aware on some level goat milk must be a thing, but it was a vague awareness, at best.

The pair exchanged goodnights, and Applejack returned to her room. As soon as she closed the door, Minerva flew around from behind her head, where she seemed to stay when she wasn’t wanted/needed.

“Congratulations! You completed some quests.” she said happily.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner? It’s been the better part of an hour.” Applejack wondered.

“Well, I wasn’t going to interrupt and ruin the mood.”

Applejack couldn’t deny that the mini-divinity had a point. So she just opened her Quest panel.

Day 4 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
20:38
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 8
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 2 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points + 8 Copper Coins (Forecast: < 1% Chance Of Baby Showers)

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

“Okay, why didn’t Ah get the bonus for sucking my cock?” Applejack asked.

“Because it was only in your mouth for three or four seconds.” Minerva pointed out. “And while that might technically count, GOD doesn’t agree. And since It decides on Quests and Bonuses, It isn’t willing to give you the bonus for something that half-assed.”

“But Ah barely swallowed half my load, so why’d Ah get that bonus?”

“Because you made a good-faith effort, even though you choked. And for GOD, that’s good enough.”

Again, Applejack couldn’t really argue that point.

“Eight copper coins?” she asked, instead.

“As early as Mosi pulled out, there’s less than a one in a billion chance of you actually getting pregnant. So the reward is just enough to buy some emergency contraceptives.”

“Well, while we’re on the topic, what kinds of birth control option do Ah have?” Applejack asked.

“In this form, you’re fully fertile with all equines, or any other race. There are herbs you can take to minimize that risk, but you’ll build up a tolerance to them eventually. Potions too, but they’ll take longer to become resistant. The Level 10 Life Magic spell, Infertility, works in both your anthro and horse forms, and you can’t build up a resistance to it.”

“Infertility?” Applejack repeated out loud, worried.

“It lasts between one hour and all day, depending on the level, so don’t worry about it being permanent.” Minerva reassured her. “Equipment, including accessories, can be enchanted with the spell, and some Soul Crystals have the same effect.”

“You said my human form is entirely infertile during character creation, right?” Applejack asked.

“Right.” Minerva confirmed. “And your horse form is only fertile with other equines.”

“So zebras, ponies, unicorns, pegasi, and donkeys?” Applejack listed.

“And a couple others.”

“Like who? Deer?”

“No, deer are cervines.”

“Centaurs?” Applejack asked with a shudder at the thought of being pinned under Tirek.

“No, Manimals are different enough that only your anthro form is fertile with them. I’ll tell you if/when it comes up.” Minerva assured Applejack, as she tried to think of what other races might qualify as equine.

A moment later, she put that thought aside for the time being. Instead, she looked around the room, carefully eying its dimensions. Deciding that there wouldn’t be enough room for her to transform in here unless she moved the table onto the bed, she stepped out into the hall, instead. After double checking that there was no one in the hall, Applejack cycled through her transformations, before returning to her room and bagging her tunic.

Sitting down at the table, Applejack pulled out her gun and spent some time practicing taking it apart and putting it back together. When she didn’t need Minerva’s help doing it anymore, she switched to loading practice. And like last night, she kept at it until her fingers stopped cooperating. Then she went to bed.

She briefly considered masturbating before she went to sleep, for that last Skill Point, but decided that one sexual encounter was enough for today. She didn’t need to be in a hurry to level up, after all.

Author's Note

Most ponies have squat toilets, which are much more suitable for quadrupeds.
I know the real term is “narrative causality.” Though considering how often people are considered victims of it, I can’t say AJ’s version is entirely inaccurate. Also, just curious, but how many of you read that as causality at first?”
Deer are like Equestria’s Gypsies, just without the reputation for black magic, curses, killing, and thieving. So more like the Tuatha’an. Though moving from forest to forest, mostly living off the land and avoiding pony settlements means they still don’t have the best reputation. Like a hippy commune, or a mostly harmless cult. A few ponies from Ponyville will interact with the local herd when their migration takes them through Whitetail Woods—like Fluttershy—but not many.
Faun is actually what the Romans called satyrs, but tell me this doesn’t work, too.
Plural marriages, more commonly known as herd-families—to differentiate from the general term for a group of ponies—may not be very common in Equestria, but they’re far from unknown. Fluttershy’s parents formed one soon after Zephyr was born, though Night Gale had to move away just before he graduated school, so she divorced them so that they didn’t feel like they had to follow her to Manehattan. And there were two separate occasions where the Choosing Stone was the only reason Pinkie’s parents didn’t form one.
I know that most in most deer species, the females don’t grow antlers. But they’re also iconic, so… for artistic license!
According to Behind The Name, some Swahili name definitions, if you’re interested:
Rehema – Mercy/Compassion
Marjani – Coral, named for her primary fur color. On an unrelated note, she’s Rehana’s only child who isn’t also biologically Alder’s.
Sauda – Dark Complexion, for her skin color.
Mosi – First Born, since he is the older twin.
Subira – Patience, since she was born after an exceptionally long labor. And she has consciously chosen to live up to her name for most of her life.
And finally, the only non-Swahili name, Mirembe is an East African word for peace.

Second Verse, (Not Quite) Same As the First

“Good morning, Applejack.”

Like yesterday, Minerva’s voice was the first thing Applejack heard, just seconds after she woke up. Unlike yesterday, she sounded a little less excited.

“You didn’t level up, I’m sorry to say.” Maybe that explained it. “You do have new Quests, though.”

Glancing at the window, Applejack saw that she’d woken up earlier than yesterday. The sun hadn’t even fully risen yet. She knew she wouldn’t go back to sleep, even if she was inclined to try. Instead, she got up, got dressed in the clothes she’d worn the day she arrived, and went about her morning ablutions, before going downstairs. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she figured the bakery, at least, would be open.

“Applejack, good morning.” Rehema said, waving at her from the table where she and her family were eating breakfast. “Come here and meet my husband, Alder.”

“Morning.” the dryad next to her said, barely looking up. He had grey, slightly rough skin and bayou moss1 hanging halfway down his back.

“Don’t be offended, dear. Alder’s not very good with strangers. That’s why he mostly sticks to the kitchen.” Rehema said, playfully slapping his arm. “Would you like some breakfast?”

“Ah wouldn’t want to impose.”

“It’s no imposition.”

“We always make extra.” Sauda added. “Most of our guests don’t get up until later, but it’s not unusual for some of the single folk in the village to stop by.”

“In that case, what’s on?”

“Fried potatoes and chevon with gravy, and grits and cherries.”

“Alright, Ah’ll take a plate.”

“Pick a seat and I’ll fix you a plate.” Sauda said, getting up. “Milk?”

“Sure.” Applejack said, before remembering that it would be goat milk. She sat down a couple tables away from the family, for mutual privacy. “What’s chevon?” she asked Minerva, figuring she could eat around it if she didn’t like it.

“Goat meat. But like most Equestrian creatures, goats aren’t sapient here.”

“Goats are kind of a grey area in Equestria, too.” Applejack told her. “They’re kinda borderline, but most ponies prefer to err on the side of caution.” A moment or two later, a mug, a bowl, and a small plate that was covered in gravy was placed in front of her. “So much for eating around it.” she said to herself, as she pulled out four copper coins.

Applejack couldn’t bring herself to try the meat yet, so she started with the grits. They dried cherries added a tartness that contrasted nicely with the sweet, creamy corn. But after a few bites, she steeled herself and tried a spoonful of meat and potatoes. It was strong, but not unpleasant. It might take a little getting used to, and it would probably never become a favorite, but one plate wasn’t too much to deal with.

Applejack steadily cleaned her plate, before cleansing her palate with the grits. As she was finishing, four people came into the pub. A young man—human, she thought—a slightly older woman—also human—with a young child, not even as tall as her waist. The last person was also female, and one of the Furred Races. Maybe a badger or a wolverine, Applejack wasn’t sure which. Though she was rather petite, only reaching the woman’s shoulder, so if she had to guess, Applejack would go with badger.

As the new group greeted Rehema and her family, Applejack tentatively sipped her milk. It was thicker than she was used to, but that wasn’t a bad thing. And the faintly grassy taste was nice, too. So she spent a few minutes sipping it slowly, as she planned her day. She wanted to get out to the orchard and finish fixing the fence. She also couldn’t forget to stop by the herbalist for the birth control. Both for last night and hopefully for the future, too. She’d prefer to get started on work early, but that depended on when she could talk to the herbalist.

Setting her empty mug aside, Applejack got up and took her dirty dishes to the bar, since the family was still sitting at the table. Except the twins, who were getting the four visitors breakfast. She almost bumped into them as she headed for the door. Mosi paused for a second as he passed.

“Oh, Applejack. The herbalist sees people just about any time.” he told her. “She lives down the street from the guildhouse.”

“Thanks. Ah’ll stop by this evening.” Applejack figured that while the herbalist probably wouldn’t mind an early morning visit for an emergency, birth control probably didn’t count. She knew enough biology to know it took a day or so for sperm to find an egg, and then even longer to root itself in the womb, so there was no rush.

Leaving Mirembe, Applejack headed straight for the village’s south gate, where she found two dwarves standing guard. One looked like Kildrik, with the same waist-length beard and the same spear with a hook, though his visor did make it hard to tell. The other was a little shorter, but had even more muscle. His head and face were both shaved, with just a hint of stubble. He had guns sitting on both hips, and one more slung across his back. At least, Applejack though it was a gun. It had a trigger, but the holster was a lot longer than the others. And the handle was different, too.

“Good morning, Miss. It’s good to see you again.”

“Good to see you, too…Kildrik, right?” Applejack was usually pretty good with names, but his name was so unlike a pony’s, she wasn’t as confident as she’d normally be.

“That’s right. And this is my son, Balgrom.”

“Morning.”

“Morning.” Applejack said in return. “Ah’m headed for Elias’s orchard. Ah’m planning to be back sometime this afternoon.”

“You know the drill, huh.” Kildrik said.

“Ah came through here yesterday. Anything new?”

“According to Guildmaster Rucker, reinforcements will be here in a couple weeks. Most of Silberwald’s hunters are dealing with outbreaks elsewhere.”

“Sil…silber…voled?” Applejack asked, mispronouncing it.

“Silberwald.” Kildrik said. “It’s the town north of here. The dryads named it that because of all the silver birch in the area. It’s also the only settlement within a month’s travel with hunters to spare.”

“What about guards?”

“Between gate guards and road patrols, there’s not many of us to spare, this far from the capital.”

“In most places on this continent, guards are hired by the kingdom or province, not the settlement.” Minerva explained. Applejack nodded in understanding.

“That makes sense. Anyways, Ah should get going.”

“See you around.” Kildrik said.

“Safe travels.” Balgrom added as Applejack equipped her jerkin and transformed. She tried to wave, but her leg wouldn’t even twitch in the right direction, so she just started galloping.

“That was a gun Balgrom had on his back, right?” she asked Minerva a moment later.

“It’s called a rifle or a long gun, which is also the name of the Skill. Rifles are the longest-range personal weapon. Some of the top-end ones are accurate from up to a kilometer. 1000 meters.” Minerva added, sensing Applejack’s confusion. “Only a few siege engines and spells can exceed that distance.”

“And what was that spear-thing Kildrik was carrying?”

“It’s called a glaive. The hook is for pulling riders off their Steeds. Minerva explained. Applejack was confused for a second or two, before she thought about how Spike sometimes rode Twilight’s back. Imagining him in armor like the guards wore, she understood how it would work.

When Applejack arrived at the gate, she returned to her anthro form, before ringing the bell. While she was waiting, she remembered to transform into her humanoid form.

More than a minute later, Yanagi came out of the house with her daughter. Not Clarissa. This girl was younger. Or so it appeared at first. But as they got closer, Applejack realized the girl was actually a full-grown, but very short, woman. The curled horns on her head and the furry legs marked her as a Manimal, though she didn’t know what kind.

“Minerva?”

“She’s a goat Manimal, called a satyr.”

“Yes, how can we…” Yanagi started, before trailing off as she got close enough to see Applejack’s ears. “Applejack? This is a nice surprise. You here to finish working on the fence?”

“Yep.”

“Then come with us to get some supplies. This is Elias’s and my wife, Hannah, by the way.” Yanagi said, and the two exchanged hellos.

About an hour later, Applejack was putting the last nail in a fresh board when a green creature waddled out of the underbrush.

“What in Equestria?” she wondered, squinting at the thing. It didn’t make the creature any more identifiable. “Scan.”

Hodag – Lv. 1

“Hodag? Never heard of that before.” Applejack muttered, before drawing her gun.

The Hodag didn’t come straight at her, though. Instead, it wandered around the tree line for a while, moving in and out of the underbrush, occasionally croaking like a giant bullfrog. After watching this for ten minutes, Applejack was seriously considering hopping the fence, but the big fangs and bigger spines down its back were a good argument for keeping a barrier between her and it.

A couple minutes later, something smallish and furry broke cover, running fast towards the fence. But the Hodag was faster. Its lizard-like waddle may have looked awkward, but it was fast enough to catch the… ground squirrel?… in seconds. Whatever it was, it was about the size of a small beaver, but it didn’t have a flat tail. Or any tail at all, once the Hodag caught it.

Applejack had to look away as the Hodag ate the critter. Which didn’t help very much. The crunching, growling, and lip-smacking were terrible on their own. And folding her ears against her head barely muffled them. Fortunately, the Hodag’s big mouth allowed it to finish eating in only two or three bites.

When the noises died down, Applejack looked at the Hodag and saw its blue tongue licking its chops clean. So she aimed her pistol and fired. The Hodag opened its mouth wide and hissed in pain, as blood poured from its leg. Applejack aimed and fired again, but missed. She fired a third time as the hodag charged, cracking one of its spines, but her fourth bullet found its mark, killing it.

Once the Scan-panel disappeared, signaling the Hodag’s death, Applejack reloaded her pistol and bagged the spent shells, since Minerva had told her they could be reused. “Four shots? Ah guess Ah must not be a beginner anymore.” Applejack thought wryly, approaching the Hodag’s body to get a better look at it.

It had a broad head, big eyes, and big mouth like a toad, but with lots of big, sharp teeth, including two huge fangs that had been visible even when its mouth had been closed. It also had a big, thick, slimy, blue tongue. Like a lizard, the Hodag’s legs were splayed widely, with five big claws and a sharp dew claw. Also like a lizard, its multi-hued green skin was dry and pebbly. Except for the toad-like warts that ran the length of its body.

The most prominent feature though, was the line of huge, pointed spines down the center of it’s back. Some were over a foot long. There was another line on each side of the central one, but they were only about half as long. Except for the last pair, on the tip of its tail. They looked like an earwig’s rear pincer and were almost two feet long.

As Applejack touched the Hodag—carefully, in case its skin was poisonous—she noticed her second shot had grazed it, after all. And once she bagged it, Applejack picked up the Hodag’s Soul Crystal. Then she went looking for the critter’s Soul Crystal, and was surprised to find a blank white pyramid.

“Why’s this look so different? Is it because Ah didn’t kill it?” she asked Minerva.

“Not all Soul Crystals give bonuses. Most smaller critters, like rodents, most fish, and creatures like that will leave Blanks. They’re only useful for summoning or powering magical appliances.” Minerva said. “It’s not perfect, but a good rule of thumb is if it doesn’t naturally present a fatal threat to a sapient, it’s not worth mounting.

“What do you mean, ‘naturally present a threat’?”

“If it can kill a grown sapient with its own claws, teeth, venom, whatever. An example of a non-natural threat would be rabies. Rabies is potentially fatal—even though it can be cured—but it’s not a natural part of any creature. So that marmot would’ve left a Blank Soul Crystal, even if it had rabies. And most bugs don’t leave a Soul Crystal at all, unless they’re really big, like a goliath tarantula, or poisonous, like a brown recluse.” Minerva added.

“That’s good to know. So what’s the Hodag’s Soul Crystal do?” Applejack asked, holding up the variegated green orb.

“I’m not really supposed to tell you that kind of thing.” Minerva said slowly, looking uncomfortable. “I can tell you things you don’t know and can’t find out for yourself without too much effort. Or without raising suspicion about where you’re from. On the other hand, if it is something you can figure out easily, I’m limited to giving you hints. Like mounting that on your armor is useless.”

“So it’s for a weapon, then. And since the fire rat gave me fire resistance, maybe the hodag… It has lots of sharp points, so maybe my sword?” Following that logic, she drew her sword and mounted the Soul Crystal on the ring on the pommel.

“All I can say is when you level up your Scan spell, you’ll be able to see what effect that has.” Minerva said, when Applejack looked at her.

“Ah can use scan on items?” Applejack asked. “Oh, right. Leticia used Scan on the Soul Crystal last night. Would it tell me if these boards are rotten?” she asked, practical as usual.

“Not at your current level.”

“Oh well.” Applejack said to herself before returning to work.

The next few hours were uneventful, apart from one level two Huge Rat. Applejack spent much of that time carrying as much as she comfortably could, trying to increase her strength.

A little before noon, Applejack found herself back at the front gate, so she headed for the house, hoping to find one of the owners. She didn’t have much hope, but maybe they took lunch early. But as she stepped up on the front porch, she heard raised voices.

“Yanagi, I do not need a guard to go into the village!” Hannah shouted.

“I know you don’t need one, but I’d feel better if you had one, anyway.” Yanagi insisted. “With the spider swarms—”

“They’re all north of the village. At least two or three miles north!” Hannah argued. “Besides, I’m a better fighter than you or Elias.”

“Which means you know better than I that swarms are best fought in groups. ‘Fight numbers with numbers,’ remember?”

“Even so, who do you suggest I take with me?”

A second of silence followed, before, “Applejack appears to be done with the fence.” That made Applejack, who’d been trying to quietly sneak away, cringed as she froze in place. “Come on in, Applejack!” Having no way out of it, Applejack turned back towards the door.

“Ah’m real sorry, ladies. Ah wasn’t trying to listen in.” Applejack apologized, as she opened the door.

“Don’t worry about it.” Yanagi said, waving her hand dismissively.

“As loud as we were, you’d have had to try not to.” Hannah groused. The hard look she was giving her wife made Applejack think she was more upset with the faun than Applejack.

“But since you did hear, what do you think? You willing to escort my wife to the shops—and back?” Yanagi added, returning Hannah’s hard look.

“Hold on a moment.” Hannah protested. “First of all, Applejack, are you done with the fence, or are you just here for lunch or more supplies?”

“No, Ah was coming to let you know Ah finished the fence and ask if there’s anything else you need me to do.”

“There is.” Yanagi said, as Hannah said, “No.”

“Yes, there is.” Yanagi insisted.

“No, there’s not.”

“Hannah.” Yanagi said, in a tone that Applejack had used many times with Apple Bloom. It was the tone of a mother who’d reached the end of her patience with her child. Or another loved one’s childish antics. “Yes. There. Is.” she stated, looming over the satyr.2

Hannah, however, was a trained fighter, not a misbehaving child, so she just stared up at her wife. But after a long moment, she snorted.

“Fine!” she snorted, throwing her arms up. “For you. Just don’t expect me to ride her.”

Applejack could only stare, too shocked and offended to say anything.

“You couldn’t ride me anyways.” she eventually managed. “Ah can’t transform for a few more hours, yet.”

“You ready to go?” Hannah asked, getting right down to business.

“Ah need to put the fence supplies away first.”

“Then let’s get going.”

“Hannah, the poor mare’s been working since seven. At least let her grab some lunch.” Yanagi scolded.

“It’s alright. Ah snacked a bit while Ah worked.”

“No, no, Yanagi’s right. If you’ve been working for five hours, you need to eat. Come on back to the dining room.”

“Elias is making pierogies and gyros.” Yanagi said. Applejack had no idea what either of those were, but when she tried the cheese and potato stuffed ravioli, she liked it. She wasn’t as keen on the gyros, though. Flatbread was never her favorite, and the sauce wasn’t great, either. She was also still getting used to the taste of chevon, so she wasn’t going to hold that against it.

The cherry cobbler they had for dessert was unquestionably excellent, however.

An hour or so after finishing lunch, Hannah and Applejack walked into Cerise’s shop. Despite being referred to as a greengrocer, the shop also sold dry goods and sundries. So while Hannah tended to the orchard’s business, Applejack looked around. And when Hannah finished, she bought twenty coppers worth of fruit and veggies. She considered picking up some cheese, too, but she didn’t recognize any of the brands on offer. She wasn’t even sure how to pronounce most of them. She’d have to come back later, on her own time.

The next stop was the butcher. Applejack was a little taken aback by all the meat sitting out and hanging. And by the smells of meats and spices.

Like before, Applejack looked around the shop as Hannah conducted her business. She’d tried the rabbit jerky earlier, and while she’d found it to be tough and chewy, the smoky flavor had been pleasant. So she was willing to stock up on more jerky, and maybe even something fresher, if it sounded interesting. Rat sausage did not, however. No matter how heavily spiced it might be. She considered the venison, until Minerva told her what it was. Goats were potentially not sapient, but deer unquestionably were, and Applejack wasn’t comfortable eating meat from one.

Ultimately, Applejack bought a pound of smoked chevon before they left for the bakery, where Applejack bought a fresh baguette. When they finished there, it was time to head back to the orchard.

The walk back was as quiet as the walk to the village had been. When they arrived, Applejack asked if there was anything else they needed her to do. Elias told her she’d done enough for one day and paid her 27 coppers.

“That’s too much.” Applejack said.

“You got here at seven, and now it’s sixteen-hundred. That’s nine hours.” Yanagi said.

“But Ah really only worked until noon. You don’t need to pay me for walking Hannah to the village and back, since nothing happened.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get paid. You spent your time doing something for us, at our request.” Elias pointed out.

“Ah suppose.” Applejack conceded with a sigh. “But you don’t have to pay me for the hour we spent in the village. And especially not for the lunch hour.”

“I’ll still pay you for all three hours you were with Hannah, because something still could’ve happened in the village, but if you really don’t want me to, I won’t pay you for the lunch hour.”

“Deal.” Applejack agreed, accepting the 24 coins.

By the time Applejack arrived at the Hunter’s Guild, her legs were starting to get tired, and her feet felt sore and swollen. Since Mr. Rucker wasn’t up front, she went to the bar instead.

“What can I get you?” Leticia asked.

“Ah’ll have whatever’s on tap.”

“Oh, Applejack! I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you in the flesh. Light or dark?”

“Light, please.” she answered. Then she opened her Menagerie.

MENAGERIE – TROPHIES
O ALL
CRITTERS
O Marmot

BEASTIES
O Huge Rat (Fire)
O Huge Rat (Water)
O Huge Rat (Earth)
O Huge Rat (Wind)
O Hodag

“In the flesh?” she asked Minerva, as she pulled out the Soul Crystals she wanted to sell.

“In the flesh is slang for a Furred Race’s humanoid form. In the fur is slang their anthro form.”

“That’ll be…” Leticia trailed off as she noticed the Soul Crystals. Setting the beer in front of Applejack, she took them and scanned them. “One copper for you.”

“Thanks.” Applejack said, taking a long pull from her drink. “Mr. Rucker in another meeting, or with a hunter?”

“He’s back there with Marcus. They’re old friends, so it may be a bit before they come out.”

“Thanks.” Applejack said again, taking a smaller drink.

A few minutes later, Mr. Rucker and another man came up front. They were still talking, so Applejack stayed at the bar, working on her drink. Eventually, Marcus came over to the bar and started playfully flirting with Leticia, so Applejack finished the last few swallows of her beer and walked over to the guildmaster.

In the appraisal room, Applejack started with the dappled rat. She’d needed two bullets to bring it down, since the first had hit a rib. The second hit its gut, which had slowed it enough for her to catch up and finish it off with a less than graceful stab to its face. The damage to its hide meant it sold for only nine coins.

“A hodag, huh?” Mr. Rucker commented, when Applejack pulled out the beastie. “They’re rare, but not worth a whole lot.”

“Really?” That seemed almost counterintuitive to Applejack.

“The hide makes terrible leather. And even though the meat’s not poisonous, you’d never know it from the taste.” he explained. “The only useful parts are the claws and the spines. They make good weapons. But other than that, these things are really only good for fertilizer. With this many spines, in this condition, I can give you…thirty…let’s say thirty-six.”

“Ah thought you said they ain’t worth much?” Applejack blurted out, shocked.

“They’re not. Not compared to some of the wild creatures found in the wild around here.” Mr. Rucker told her. “You’re just used to weak little, level one and two Huge Rats. Their meat and pelts are a lot better, but they’re still low quality. And they’re too common to be worth much, anyway.”

Applejack blinked once or twice, trying to wrap her mind around the oxymoron of a little Huge Rat.

“So all together, it’s 46 coppers.” Rucker summed up.

“Could Ah give you four coppers and get a silver coin?”

“That would be a lot more convenient all around.” he agreed, opening his inventory.

With her business complete, and Taki nowhere in sight, Applejack walked straight out of the guildhouse. Halfway down the next block, she suddenly remembered she needed to see the herbalist. So she turned around. Fortunately, all the drying plants hanging in the windows and on the porch made the place easy to find.

“Hello?” Applejack said, stepping in and glancing around. She was in a hallway, with stairs at one end, two closed doors on the right, and a set of double-doors on the left.”

“Come on in.” an older, female voice called from the left. Stepping through the open doorway, Applejack found herself in a room with dried plants hanging everywhere, and pots with live ones on every flat surface. And yet, somehow, there was only a mild scent of greenery in the air. It probably had something to do with the Soul Crystals glinting on every line. There was even a short willow tree behind a couch.

“How can I help you?” the willow asked—in a voice very much like Granny Smith’s—straightening up and turning to face Applejack. The elderly dryad narrowed her eyes at the startled young mare. “Mistook me for a real tree from behind, din’cha?”

“Yes’m.” she answered automatically. The dryad kept up her hard stare for a moment more, before breaking into a smile.

“You ain’t the first one, youngin’.” she said with a laugh. “And you ain’t gonna be the last. My name’s Weide—Willow, in Continental, and you can call me that, too. Now, how can I help you?”

“Ah need some birth control.”

“Before the fact or after?”

“Both.”

“You’re an equine, right?” Weide asked. And when Applejack confirmed she was, the dryad started moving around the room, collecting various parts from the plants. Then she grabbed a cup and dropped some of what she’d collected in it.

“You need to let these steep for no less than five minutes before drinking the infusion.” she told Applejack, pouring hot water into the cup. Weide then ground the rest up with a mortar and pestle, before going out to her garden to get the last ingredient. She didn’t come back until Applejack was finishing the tea.

“I forgot to ask how much you need. Too used to the folks in town.” Weide said as she came in.

“Well…” Applejack started, looking at Minerva, in case she had anything to say on the matter. Surprisingly, she did not. “Ah paid for a week’s stay at Mirembe, but Ah haven’t decided what Ah’m going to do, then.”

“Then I’ll start you with a week’s worth.”

Weide pulled out several bulbous roots and handed Applejack three, explaining how to prepare them.

“One nodule a day, as near to the same time as you can manage, and bag the remaining nodules immediately. Cut it up as fine as you can, boil it in the most purified water you can manage for ten minutes, then drink one cup while it’s still hot. Don’t mix it with anything else, or you can ruin its effectiveness, so I hope you like liquorice. If you don’t, you could try your luck in Silberwald, since this is the only plant I’ve got that works on equines. Alder’s family doesn’t mind it, and they’re the only equines in the village.” Weide added apologetically.

Applejack brushed it off. Licorice was far from her favorite flavor, but she could tolerate it for the week, ten days she’d be in season. But she did think it was strange that she didn’t feel like she was in heat. No near-constant urge to urinate, no unusual warmth or swelling in her hindquarters. “Lower-quarters?” she briefly wondered. She was thinking about sex more than usual, but not as much as she normally did while in heat. And not without reason.

Then again, ponies sometimes got pregnant out of season. Like Granny and Mrs. Cake. Not that she could say she was unhappy about the lessened inconvenience.

Either way, Applejack paid Weide the fifteen coppers she asked for, before leaving.

“Hey, Minerva. When and how long is my heat?” she asked, as she stepped out the front door.

“Actually…” Minerva started, before spending the rest of the walk back to the public house explaining a menstrual cycle. Which is what every person in this world had. Even the Furred Races and the Manimals. Applejack found the whole thing strange and confusing. She was relieved when Minerva mentioned that if she got pregnant someday, she could still use her Transformation Skills safely. And she was even more relieved to hear that her contraceptive also minimized symptoms of her period.

When Applejack walked into Mirembe, she saw Subira behind the bar and Taki at one of the tables. She didn’t see any sign of Flamme, but didn’t think much of it. She went to the bar to order supper—which was a veggie stew, with chevon—and a glass of milk to go with. A moment later, she left six coins on the bar, as she got up to move to a table.

“Applejack. Come join me.” Taki invited, and Applejack obliged.

“You okay?” she asked after a moment. He was slouching like he’d already emptied the tankard in front of him a few times, but his eyes were clear.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he said. “Just tired. I woke up earlier than usual today3, and I spent the day training with the guards.”

“With the guards?”

“Yeah. I don’t know about other nations, but here in Waldheim, especially in settlements that don’t have a dedicated training hall, off-duty guards are usually willing to help other people train. For a price, of course. I just spent a couple hours more than I should’ve practicing my sword work.” Taki explained, as Subira brought out a large bowl of stew and several slices of crusty bread.

“And where’s Flamme?”

“He’s enjoying some downtime.” Taki said, waving his right hand to indicate his Ident Bracelet. “But enough about me. How was your day?”

“Pretty good.”

“Anything interesting happen?”

“A Hodag showed up while Ah was fixing the fence on the orchard.”

“A Hodag? Eurgh.” Taki opined, shuddering. “Those things are nasty.”

“You have a bad experience with one, or something?”

“When I was thirteen, one of my friends dared me to try it.” he started. “He paid me three coppers for three bites. It wasn’t worth it.” he finished flatly.

“Is there any chance it was the way it was cooked?” Applejack asked.

“I cooked it myself, so I know that wasn’t it, but it was still slimy. And sour. Like green gooseberries4.”

Applejack’s lips puckered, remembering the last time she’d eaten green gooseberries. Ironically, she’d done it to dare Dash into trying them. She’d had a good laugh at how the pegasus had nearly fallen out of the sky. “That does sound terrible.”

“I wouldn’t eat it again unless I was literally starving.” Taki agreed. “Neither will Flamme. About the only thing that will eat hodag meat regularly is another hodag.”

“Are all beasties cannibals?” Applejack couldn’t help asking.

“Not really, but it’s not at all unusual. Hodag claws and spines do make decent weapons, and they’re not bad summons.”

“Do you know what their Soul Crystals do?”

“They add damage to piercing attacks. I’m not sure how much.”

Applejack and Taki spent almost an hour talking about the local creatures. Applejack mostly listened to Taki as he told her about red deer, moose, lynx, panthers, bears, and wolves. Also Huge Rats, Giant Rats, Huge Foxes, Greenskull Spiders, and a few other beasties.

Eventually, Taki excused himself, deciding to bed down early. Applejack decided to take a bath before heading up to her room. After soaping up and rinsing off, she refreshed the hot water and just sat and soaked for a while. The idea of masturbating in the bath crossed her mind, but she wasn’t anywhere near comfortable doing that.

Eventually, Marjani came into the room, leading the elf from the night before last. She gave Applejack a quick wave as she stated drawing the bath, before turning around and pulling her patron into a deep kiss. As they made out, Marjani started undressing the elf. As his body was revealed, Applejack noticed that he had no hair except on top of his head, and very little muscle tone. He even had a little bit of a paunch. Once Marjani had the elf naked, she turned the water off and they climbed into the tub.

Applejack wasn’t a voyeur, so when the cat-woman settled herself on the elf’s cock, she closed her eyes and ears. Hearing them whispering to each other soon got to be too much though, and Applejack got out of the tub. She tried to be nonchalant about her half-hard cock as she dried off, cast Clean on her clothes, and got dressed. The pair completely ignored her, which helped.

Heading upstairs, Applejack detoured to the restroom before checking the time. Since it was almost 20:00, she cycled through her transformations, ending in her anthro form. She then returned to her room and bagged all her clothing before pulling out her sword and gun to Clean and maintain them. And when she was done with that, she spent half an hour practicing loading and reloading her gun, just like the last two nights. By the time her fingers started cramping on her, Applejack felt confident enough in her ability to start wearing the cartridge holder.

Moving to her bed, Applejack grabbed her cock and started stroking it. Remembering last night, she was hard in seconds, and she spent some time just stroking her shaft. After a few moments, her precum was flowing steadily, and Applejack ran her tongue over her head. It felt as great as the last time, and after a few more licks, she took the head between her lips and started sucking. And while she started slow, her head was soon bobbing quickly, pushing her towards orgasm rapidly.

A minute or two later, Applejack felt her tip flaring and sped up her stroking hand. A couple seconds after that, her mouth was full of cum, and she was desperately swallowing. She still couldn’t get more than half her load down before her mouth overflowed.

“Congratulations!” Minerva said a moment later, as Applejack caught her breath. “You completed some quests, and even got some new rewards. Would you like to check now?”

“Let me clean up a bit, first.” Applejack said, before starting to scoop up the cum in her coat. Once she’d licked the last drops of the bitter goofrom her hand and cast Clean on herself, she touched the blue button on her left wrist.

Day 5 – 4147 AA
20:54
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 15
TOTAL SPELL POINTS: 3
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 2 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!) + 3 Spell Points (Triple Bonus Score!!!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

“Triple Bonus?”

“It’s for getting the same bonus three times in a row.” Minerva explained. “You can’t get it again for that same bonus, unless you go at least a year without getting that bonus.”

“Huh. Good to know.” Applejack said, thinking about how she wanted to spend her points. Clean was useful, and it would be more useful when it leveled up. But after a little thought, she realized she was using it at least a dozen times a day, so she didn’t really need to help it along. Scan would be more useful once it was leveled up too, but she didn’t use it nearly as much as Clean.

“In that case, Ah’ll level up Scan and my Transformation Skills.”

“That would leave you with Six Skill Points and one Spell Point.” Minerva told her.

“Ah’ll stick with that for now, and save the rest for later.” Applejack said. “Night, Minerva.” she added, getting under the blanket.

“Goodnight, Applejack.”

Author's Note

This is supposed to be Spanish moss, but I couldn’t think of any way to ponify Spain/Spanish.
And since Yanagi is half a head shorter than Applejack, while Hannah—like any satyr—is about the same height as a dwarf, she could loom very effectively.
He actually got up around six-thirty, hoping to meet up with Applejack, but that didn’t work.
Fun fact: I had a gooseberry bush growing in my yard as a kid, and I always ate them green. I was in my twenties before I learned they aren’t ripe until they’re purple and mushy. Even a decade on, I still exclusively prefer them green.

Training Day

“Good morning, Applejack!” Minerva sounded a lot happier this morning. “You’ve got new Quests, and you leveled up. Your transformation skills are level three, so you can use them every six hours. And now that Scan is level two, it shows the target’s HP and condition.”

“Condition?” Applejack asked, stretching.

“Things like poison, paralysis, fear…It also tells you the creature’s nature, if it has one. And it can tell you what effect a Soul Crystal has, but not how much of one.”

Applejack didn’t know what Minerva meant by nature, but was distracted by her hard cock. She’d certainly heard of morning wood, and seen her brother sporting it on many occasions, but she hadn’t realized she’d be subject to it. Curious, she gave it a couple strokes, but before she got very far, the need to pee hit her. So she got up and peeked out her door. Seeing no one in the hall, she hurried to the empty restroom and relieved herself.

After rinsing her face, brushing her teeth, and getting dressed, Applejack headed downstairs. This morning, it was Marjani who got up to fetch her breakfast, as naked as every other time Applejack had seen her. Breakfast today was sausage—Applejack didn’t want to think about what was in it—scrambled eggs, and the grits and cherries that seemed to be a staple.

“Can I get you anything else?” Marjani asked, setting the plate in front of her.

“Ah’m good. But can you tell me where the barracks are? Ah’d like to learn how to use my weapons little better.”

“Sure. The barracks and training grounds take up a lot of the northeast corner of the village.”

“Thanks.” Applejack said, tucking in to the grits. She waited until Marjani had gone back to her table before taking a small bite of the sausage. There was a little spice, but it mostly tasted like goat, which surprised Applejack.

Applejack took her time eating and watching the villagers come in for breakfast. As she was starting on her second mug of milk, Taki came into the room, yawning and stretching. Flamme was right behind him, trying to get his nose under the hem of his loose tunic. The lack of a belt made it easy for the tinderwolf. Applejack waved, getting his attention.

“Morning, Taki.” she said, when he got closer.

“Morning, Applejack. Flamme, knock it off.” he added, exasperated, pushing the seeking head away.

“You’re up early.” Applejack noted, inviting him to sit. “Again.”

“Well, I went to bed early, so I got a good ten hours.” Taki said, sitting down. He asked for an extra portion of sausage when Marjani stopped by to take his order. “So, yeah, I got a good night’s sleep, and then some. I also asked my mini-divinity to make sure I was awake for breakfast.”

“You can do that?” Applejack asked, her eyes moving to Minerva.

“Yeah.” Taki answered, since she’d spoken out loud.

“Totally! Mini-divinities don’t sleep, and we naturally keep track of everything your Ident Bracelets do, including the time. So we make perfect alarm clocks.” Minerva confirmed.

“Huh. I’ll have to remember that.”

“Yeah, it’s really useful. Anyway, what’re you doing today? Going back to the orchard again?”

“Actually, I’d like to learn how to swing my sword properly, instead of just flailing with it.”

“So you use a sword?” Taki asked.

“Actually, Ah’ve mostly been using my gun on the orchard.”

“I prefer magic for attacking from a distance, but I’ve got a crossbow I can use when that isn’t an option.”

“And up close, you use longswords, you said the other day, right?”

“Mostly, but I have a few levels in the Dagger, Short Sword, Great Sword, Club, and Axe Skills, too.” Taki said. “I experimented a bit, before settling on one.”

“Nothing wrong with that. What’re you doing today?”

“Well, I need to get some food for Flamme, first of all.”

“That cost much?”

“I usually just give him my first beastie of the day. That’s usually enough for him. I also keep at least one body at the end of the day, in case of bad luck.” Taki added. “After that, I haven’t really decided. I might keep hunting, but I need to pick up some supplies for myself.”

“In that case, could Ah ask you a small favor?”

“What is it?”

“Ah’m not familiar with…that is, Ah grew up with cattle, so Ah have no idea what any of the goat cheeses at the shop are like. You think, uh… After lunch, maybe, we could visit the greengrocer together, and you could tell me about what they’ve got?”

“Sure. That’s no problem.” Taki agreed. “Although, if you’re not used to combat training, after spending all morning at it, you might not be in the mood for shopping. How about tomorrow? You may not be feeling much better, but the exercise will do you good.”

“That works for me.” Applejack agreed. “What time do the barracks open for training?”

“There are always guards training, if not necessarily with the weapon you want. Swords are common enough that you shouldn’t have any trouble, though.” he said, as Marjani delivered his breakfast. He and Applejack chatted for a few minutes more as she finished her milk and he fed sausage after sausage to Flamme. When her mug was empty, Applejack said goodbye and got up.

Outside, she transformed into her horse form and started trotting for the northern wall.

“Minerva, can you tell me when Ah can transform again?” she asked.

“Can do.”

“Six hours will be about lunchtime. Ah can take my birth control then.” Applejack decided.

When Applejack arrived, she transformed twice before entering the building. Inside, there were a few dwarves, a couple dryads, and several humans. Many of them were taking care of their equipment, while others were getting ready to go on shift. There were even a couple of men in one corner, cooking.

“Can I help you, Miss?” asked one of the guards who was headed out.

“Ah was told you could help me learn to use my weapons.”

“The training grounds are around back. If you don’t see anyone using your type of weapon, just ask.” the man said, gesturing at a door on the far wall.

“Thank you.” Applejack said, before crossing the barracks. She was a little surprised that there were no beds, but there were stairs going both up and down.

Outside, there was a large field with many more people training with a variety of weapons. Mostly swords, spears, and axes, but a couple people were training with staves. After watching the athletic display for a few minutes, Applejack found a woman with a short sword and approached her, stopping several feet away, well out of reach of the blade.

“Let me guess. You want some training.” the woman said, not stopping her practice swings.

“If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Give me a few minutes to finish my routine.”

Applejack nodded and stepped back a little more. While she waited, she watched the woman closely, studying her posture.

“Thanks for waiting. My name’s Magdalene, but you can call me Magda. What’s your Skill level?”

“Applejack. And Ah’m only level one.” Applejack answered, shaking the offered hand.

“Well, at least you know how to hold it.” Magdalene muttered. “I charge two coppers an hour.”

“Alright.”

“Then come on, and let’s get you a practice blade.”

She led Applejack to a rack of wooden swords, and Applejack selected one that was a close match for her blade. Magdalene spent the next twenty minutes critiquing and correcting every aspect of Applejack’s stance, grip, and…everything, really. Then she made Applejack change hands and did it all over again.

Once Magdalene was satisfied that Applejack had the basics down, she started demonstrating simple strikes for AJ to copy. The rest of the morning was spent trying to turn the kata—as Magdalene called them—into muscle memory.

Just before one in the afternoon, Minerva let Applejack know she could transform again, so when she finished her current set, she asked to break for lunch. Which Magdalene agreed to, after checking the sun. As they headed inside, Applejack handed over twelve copper coins for the morning lessons, before transforming and cantering back to Mirembe.

The main room was more crowded than she was used to, but she managed to find an open table and ordered a plate of something that turned out to be pasta in white sauce, with meat she tentatively identified as chicken. After eating, she visited the courtyard for the first time. She filled a kettle from the pump and set it over a firepit. Only after starting the fire with flint and steel did she remember to cast Purify Water. Then she cast it again, thinking that might help, but Minerva told her it didn’t.

Applejack waited until the water started boiling before cutting up the root and adding it to the kettle. While she waited, she refilled her canteens, making sure to Purify them, too. But she mostly thought about her sword lessons. And how tired they left her arms. She was not looking forward to going back for more, but she’d promised Magdalene she would.

So once she’d drank the licorice-flavored potion and put out the fire, she walked back to the barracks. She met up with Magdalene, who got her a practice blade, and they spent the afternoon sparring. In theory, at least. In practice, Applejack mostly got hit and disarmed repeatedly.

Around five, Magdalene called a halt to the training and cast Heal on Applejack. Who was a little surprised by the sight of the welts on her arms blooming into full bruises before yellowing and fading away, almost like fireworks. It also helped ease the soreness all across her body, though by the time she got back to Mirembe, she was starting to feel stiff. And by the time she finished her chevon-stuffed ravioli and beer, she felt as stiff and creaky as Granny did most mornings.

“You okay?” Marjani asked, hearing her groan as she stood up.

“Yeah, Ah’m fine. Just a bit stiff.”

“You know, a hot bath would help with that.”

“Ah was definitely planning to hit up the bath next.” Applejack agreed.

“I could help, too.” Marjani added seductively, and Applejack seriously considered it.

“How much?” she asked, after a couple seconds.

“Twelve copper. But I can knock it down to ten, if you change into your humanoid form.”

“Can’t do that for about an hour.” Applejack said, opening her inventory.

“That’s too bad. You’re cuter in the flesh.” Marjani teased, her tail moving to brush Applejack’s leg as she accepted the money. Then she laced her fingers with Applejack’s and led her to the bathing chamber.

“Do you mind if I transform for this?” Marjani asked, slipping her arms around Applejack’s waist and pushing her crotch against the taller woman.

“No, go ahead. Whatever’s more comfortable for you.”

“Thanks, cutie.” the cat-woman purred, kissing the mare’s orange throat. “Some people prefer me soft and fluffy, but my fur’s a bitch and a half to deal with when it’s wet.”

“Ah can… Ah can only imagine.” Applejack said, watching Marjani transform. Her body glowed briefly, before a bright flash made Applejack blink, and when she blinked the dazzle away, she saw a human with three-colored skin and cat ears. She also had short, somewhat spiky, pink and peach hair.

“Fortunately, I can just transform to dry off, but then I have to wait for fifteen minutes before I can change back.” Marjani said. “Of course, between my sharp teeth and rough tongue, most guys prefer this form for oral sex.” she added. Applejack didn’t really know what she meant by rough tongue, but she did have to resist a little shudder at the thought of those fangs being anywhere near her cock.

“On the bright side, I don’t have to worry about any little oopsies like this.” Marjani continued. “Now, let’s get you out of those clothes and into a warm bath.” She turned and started the water running. Then she turned around and pulled Applejack down into kiss. It started slow and almost chaste—mostly because Applejack found it awkward kissing the smaller, flatter face—but Marjani took her time. And as she taught Applejack how to kiss someone without a muzzle, Marjani stealthily unbuttoned the jerkin and slid the garment off, tossing it aside. The belt went next, then Marjani finally broke the kiss to pull Applejack’s tunic over her head.

The cat-eared woman took a second to enjoy the view, lightly caressing hard abs, before butting her head against Applejack’s chest and rubbing her face against the orange curves, taking in the scent of sweat. And even after she removed the plain bra, Marjani spent a moment enjoying the soft fur against her face. Then she kissed her way down the defined abs, tasting hints of salt, as her hands stroked down Applejack’s back to grope her ass. She nuzzled the growing bulge for a few seconds, before unlacing Applejack’s pants and pulling them down, along with her panties.

“Mosi was right.” Marjani purred as Applejack’s cock sprang free. “This is a very nice cock.” She pressed it against her cheek and rubbed her face up and down its length, purring softly. After several seconds, she switched sides and added the lightest little teasing nibbles. And several seconds after that, as Applejack was still trying to figure out what to do with her hands, Marjani ran a long, sloppy lick up the bottom of her shaft, ending in a sucking kiss right on top of her urethral opening. Then she switched to little, teasing licks around the head, as she looked up at Applejack, her green eyes wide and mischievous.

“Can kitty drink your cream, or would you rather pound my pussy?” she asked between licks, making Applejack moan and pump her hips. “Kitty loves cream.” Marjani continued with a sultry smile, taking that as an answer, before easing her way down to the medial ring. Then, keeping her hungry gaze on Applejack’s face, she pushed further. And further. She didn’t stop until she’d deepthroated the whole thing.

It was so warm, so wet—so tight!—Applejack was almost reeling. Her legs were even starting to shake. Then Marjani’s tongue slid out and teased the hood of her clit.

“…!”

Applejack’s throat locked up, and she could barely get out a choked gasp as she came, her hips bucking. She didn’t notice Marjani gagging as her first shot caught the woman by surprise. The cool air on her shaft as Marjani pulled back did get her attention, though. But Applejack just stood there with her eyes closed, trying not to let her legs buckle. Reveling in the feeling of warm hands stroking her shaft quickly, milking out every drop of cum, and the gulping sounds of Marjani swallowing it all.

Or not quite all, Applejack saw a moment later, when she opened her eyes.

Marjani was still kneeling in front of her, with some spillage decorating her chin. And when she saw Applejack looking at her, she opened her mouth wide, showing a mouthful of white jizz. A second later, she tipped her head back and swallowed. Hard enough that Applejack could see it move down her throat. And between that and the sensual licking of her lips, she felt her cock twitch as it stopped softening.

“Mmm. Yummy.” Marjani said, getting to her feet. “And now that I’ve dealt with that bit of stiffness, it’s time to deal with the rest.” Then she took Applejack’s hand again, leading her to the tub.

Once Applejack was settled in the hot water, Marjani started massaging her, starting with her shoulders then working her way down. She even kneaded Applejack’s frogs a little. But not much, because they proved rather more ticklish than Applejack remembered them being. And when she was finished with the massage, Marjani worked her way back up, this time with soap in hand. Then she spent several minutes scrubbing Applejack’s hair clean twice.

Then, instead of getting out and drying off, Marjani insisted they sit and relax for a bit. And when Applejack got settled, Marjani sat down beside her, hooked one leg over her waist—practically gripping Applejack’s cock in the crook of her knee—slung one arm behind her neck, the other over her opposite shoulder, and rested her head on the closer one. Then she seemed to promptly doze off!

This left Applejack a little confused, a little amused, and a little annoyed. And a little aroused, as well. Her cock hadn't got any softer than a slight chub, and now it seemed to be considering rallying for round two. And the vibrations of Marjani purring against her boob made it a fairly quick decision. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do anything about it. She couldn’t even distract herself with work like she did with her heat.

Fortunately, she only had to put up with it for ten—admittedly very long—minutes, before Marjani got up. In such a way that she was left straddling Applejack’s waist, her shapely ass cradling AJ’s erection.

“You wanna go again?” she asked, sliding up and down the hard length teasingly.

“If you’re offering.”

“Only because I’m not supposed to demand things from customers.” Marjani said with a wink, before moving to lie on the wall around the tub. “Come and get me, cutie.”

Applejack stood up, taking a second or two to wring out her mane and tail, and awkwardly climbed on top of Marjani. It took a bit of shuffling to get the tip of her cock positioned, and Marjani had to help her aim. She rubbed the head against her opening for a bit, getting it coated in her slick, then she hooked one leg with her elbow and pulled it up, spreading herself wide.

Applejack took that as the signal to start pushing. And when Marjani proved tighter than she’d expected, she pushed harder. Then even harder. And harder, still. Until she felt her hard cock start to bend, and it was only the multi-colored hand holding it in place that kept it from slipping away from the still resisting entrance. A hand that started shaking, making Applejack look at the owner’s face, worried she was hurting her.

“I’m okay,” Marjani told her, seeing the concern on her muzzle. “I’m just a little tight down there, so bigger, flat cocks like yours need a little more force. Just keep pushing.”

So Applejack did, and a second later, they both cried out as the first few inches punched into the wet heat. She was tighter than Applejack had expected. Her throat had been snug, but her pussy was almost painfully tight, and Applejack spent a few seconds getting used to the silky grip. Then she started wiggling her hips, slowly working herself deeper. Several seconds later, she felt her tip touch the back of Marjani’s pussy and stopped. A mare’s cervix could stretch enough to let a cock through while she was in heat, but Applejack had found out the hard way that out of season, it was just painful.

A moment later, Marjani took Applejack’s face in her hands and pulled her down into a short kiss. “Keep going. I’ll stretch, after all.” she whispered afterwards. Applejack would’ve be more surprised if she wasn’t so focused on holding back her orgasm. Instead, she nodded and started moving her hips again, working the last couple inches in.

Hip-deep, with her tip nestled against the inner ring, Applejack stopped again, trying to get used to the sensations. After a couple moments, she thought she was ready to start moving. Even as tight as she was, Marjani was wet enough that Applejack was able to take long strokes, and she was soon speeding up.

Which turned out not to be such a good thing, as she couldn’t slow back down. The sensations were so good and so new that Applejack couldn’t last very long, either. After barely forty seconds of thrusting, she felt her orgasm overtake her. She tried to keep her hips moving, but her pace was erratic. And after her orgasm passed, she quickly became too sensitive to keep it up.

“Are you—” Marjani started to ask. She cut herself off before she could finish, so Applejack didn’t know exactly what the question was supposed to be. But the irritation she couldn’t suppress and the squirming hips gave her a good idea.

“Oh, jeez. Ah’m sorry.” she said. There were few things she hated more than a stallion who got her good and wound up, then didn’t deliver on that promise. So she carefully shuffled backwards until she was looking at Marjani’s pussy. It didn’t look quite like she was used to, with clearly visible inner lips and what she needed a second to recognize as her clit peeking out near the top. She also saw her cum oozing out of the slightly open hole.

After looking for a second or two, Applejack leaned in and ran her tongue up the shining slit. She mostly tasted her own bitterness, but there were hints of something else. Something a little sweeter. Applejack spared an instant to thank her lucky stars that Marjani’s juices tasted good, before starting to eat her out for real. While she wasn’t entirely familiar with a human pussy, she only needed a few moments to adjust, and she was soon licking all over the pink mound.

“Fuck, stop teasing me and lick my clit.” Marjani hissed a couple minutes later. Applejack did as she was told, pulling her tongue out of Marjani’s tight hole and running it up the length of her slit, making sure to drag it over the hard nub every time. It only took half a dozen swipes before Marjani came with a yowl.

As Marjani’s legs clamped around her head, Applejack’s muzzle was splashed with a blast of their combined cum, and she opened her mouth to catch the rest. In between swallowing the squirts, Applejack tried to flick Marjani’s clit, but it didn’t work very well, and she didn’t think to use her hand at all. But it was good enough for Marjani.

A few minutes later, both women stood up, and Marjani got Applejack back into the tub, giving her a quick rinse to get the sweat and cum off. Then she toweled Applejack off, before pulling out a curry comb. She brushed Applejack more quickly than Mosi had, but was just as careful and thorough.

“Hair, too?” she asked when she was finished, switching out the comb for a brush.

“Make it quick.” Applejack decided after a couple seconds, sitting down on the wall.

“You got it.” Marjani agreed, sitting behind her. Again, she was quick but careful, and a few minutes later, she announced she was done. “Anything else I can do for you?” she asked, kissing Applejack’s shoulder.

“Uh, actually, Ah should probably have my clothes washed, after training in them all day.”

“Yeah, that would be a good idea.” Marjani chuckled. “A basket is two coppers—which you’ve already paid for.” she reminded herself as she pulled out an empty basket. Applejack collected her clothing, casting Clean on them as she did so. Not as surreptitiously as she thought, but Marjani didn’t comment, since she knew why. And since the basket wasn’t quite half full, Applejack pulled out all the other clothes she’d worn since she got here and put them in the basket.

“I’ll bring these back in a couple of hours.” Marjani said, before transforming and walking out of the room. Applejack considered equipping her dress for the walk up to her room, but decided that since she was just going to her room, she could do without. So of course, as soon as she stepped out, she saw Mosi, his arm around Taki’s shoulders, with Flamme at Taki’s side.

“Nice to see you again.” Mosi said with a teasing smile, as Taki looked Applejack up and down.

“Didn’t realize you were a futa.” Taki muttered softly—at least that’s what Applejack thought he said—before shrugging. “So, about tom—Flamme!” he barked when the tinderwolf, who had been sniffing at Applejack’s flaccid cock, suddenly licked the tip.

“It’s alright.” she said, stepping back and grabbing his ruff to hold him place. “It’s not the first time that’s happened to me—stay. Dogs will be dogs. Even when they’re wolves.” she added, petting Flamme’s head. The fur was warmer than she expected, which surprised her for an instant, until she actually thought about it.

“That’s the truth.” Mosi agreed. “We’ve got a family in the village that breeds red setters.” he explained when Taki looked at him.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Taki said. “We didn’t have any dogs in my hometown. Anyway, you wanna meet up for breakfast tomorrow, before hitting the shops?”

“Seven sound good?”

“Let’s say seven-thirty, eight.” Taki offered instead. “I heard you spent all day training at the barracks, so you might appreciate a little extra sleep.”

“That works for me.” Applejack agreed. “See you in the morning.”

“See you. Come on, boy. Let’s get you good and clean.” Taki added, grabbing Flamme’s ruff and following Mosi into the bathing chamber. Applejack headed up the stairs, but before she entered her room, Minerva spoke up.

“It’s past nineteen-hundred, so you can transform again.” she told Applejack. “And you completed some quests.” So Applejack cycled through her transformations, them visited the restroom, before entering her room. Where the first thing she did was sit down and open her quest panel.

Day 6 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
19:19
TOTAL STAT POINTS: 2
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 13
TOTAL SPELL POINTS: 3
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point*

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 3 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!) + 2 Stat Points (Second-Hand is Still First-Rate!) + 2 Spell Points (If It’s Good Enough For Magic…)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points

Hankering for Human
2 Skill Points*

“That’s a lot of bonuses on one quest.” Applejack noted, with a soft whistle. Then she looked closer. “Wait, why’s that bonus bigger?”

“After the triple bonus score bonus, it increased.” Minerva explained, and Applejack shrugged a second later.

“Ah guess that makes sense.” she thought, thinking about how to spend her points. “Ah think Ah’ll wait until tomorrow, at least, before Ah use the Stat Points. Minerva, do you know how close any Stat is to leveling up?”

“Yes, and two points aren’t enough to level any of them.”

“Then Ah’ll wait on those.” she confirmed. “And my transformation skills are level three, so they’d need four points each. Or should Ah level up a weapon, instead? Nah, Ah can practice those more easily. So Ah’ll level up my transformations. And Ah’ve got enough Spell Points to level up any of my spells, but Purify Water probably needs it most, so let’s go with that.”

That dealt with, Applejack pulled out her pistol and spent forty minutes practicing with it, like she had every night so far. Then she had to get up and stretch a bit, as she was starting to get stiff again. Not as bad as before the bath, but enough to take a couple minutes to work out. Applejack was in the middle of a big, overhead stretch when the first yawn snuck up on her.

Suddenly realizing how tired she was, Applejack decided to go to bed. She asked Minerva to make sure she was awake by quarter of seven, and said goodnight.

Author's Note

Winona had gotten in a few inappropriate licks on both AJ and Mac when she was younger, and the siblings were in season. She nearly got herself kicked the first time she snuck her muzzle under teenage Applejack’s tail unexpectedly.

Applejack's Day "Off"

“Good morning, Applejack!” Minerva cheered, as Applejack drifted awake. “You leveled up a lot. Besides Purify Water—which works a little better, now—and your transformation skills—which you can use every three hours—all that practice with your gun leveled that Skill up one level. And all your training yesterday increased your Short Sword level by two. Also your Strength and Endurance both increased by one, bringing them to 12 and 13, respectively. Which means your HP is now 130, and you can personally carry 180 pounds.”

“What time is it?” Applejack asked, stretching. She’d gotten pretty stiff overnight.

“It’s just past sunrise, which means you also have new quests.” Minerva answered. Applejack opened her eyes, and the quality of the light told her the sun might not even be entirely across the horizon yet. Far too early for breakfast. But not for morning wood, she noticed, sitting up. Though she didn’t feel like she needed to pee. Not even five minutes later, after she’d stretched out as much of the stiffness as she could, and even stepped out into the hall just long enough to transform.

So Applejack sat back down on the bed, and since she couldn’t think of anything better to do, she took her cock in hand. She started slowly, taking her time working herself up. After a minute or so of experimenting with pressure and speed, the first bead of pre-cum welled up. Seeing that, Applejack rubbed her palm over her tip, smearing the slick fluid, and she felt a wave of goosebumps wash over her at the feeling.

The slick pre-cum let her hand move more easily and feel better. So a few strokes later, she spread more down her shaft. It was nowhere near as good as Marjani’s pussy, but it was still better than the other times she jerked herself. Good enough that it took barely a minute to bring herself to the edge of orgasm. But instead of just giving in and letting herself cum, Applejack stopped moving her hand and clenched her pelvic muscles to stave off her orgasm.

A moment later, she started stroking again, spreading more pre-cum over her shaft. It didn’t take long for her return to the edge, and she stopped stroking herself again. For nearly a minute, Applejack watched her cock twitch as precum leaked from her opening and dripped on her abs. A couple times, she ran her fingers through the growing pool and licked them clean.

This time, when she was ready to continue, Applejack licked the pre-cum off as much of her shaft as she could reach, before taking it in her mouth. She moaned around the shaft and started bobbing gently. She also kept her hand moving, and a minute later, she felt her cock flare. That gave her just enough time to get ready before her mouth was filled by her first shot. She gulped it down just before the second shot fired off. She swallowed it just as quickly, along with the third blast. She even managed to swallow the fourth one before she choked and let the rest of her load splash on her chest.

Once she’d caught her breath, Applejack cleaned up her spilled cum with her fingers and then a spell before drifting off again.

“Applejack! It’s time to wake up!” Minerva called loudly, startling Applejack awake.

“It’s quarter of seven?” she asked, getting out of bed.

“Yep! Also, you completed a couple quests earlier, before you went back to sleep.”

“Yeah, Ah figured that. But thanks for waking me up.” Applejack said, before she went to the restroom. When she was finished there, she returned to her room and finally noticed the basket with her clean clothes. She put on a pair of panties and a pair of pants, being careful not to damage them with her hooves. Then she bagged everything else and equipped a bra, since she still didn’t know how to put it on properly. She seriously considered putting on her dress, since she was planning to stay in town and not do much of anything, but after a minute she decided against it, going with her green tunic, instead. After all, she might go with Taki, to hunt breakfast for Flamme. Besides which, dresses were for special events.

It was earlier than she’d agreed to meet Taki, but she didn’t have anything else to do, so she just ordered a mug of milk and sat down to wait. When Marjani brought the mug out, Applejack asked her if there was a library where she could read up about the area.

“Not really.” Marjani told her. “The town hall-slash-jail across the green has a bunch of books about laws and history, and whatnot, if that’s what you’re after, and the guard keep some information about local wildlife in the barracks. The Hunter’s Guild has more information on that, but you have to be a member to check them out. But if you want a proper library, you’ll have to go to Silberwald.” she finished.

“Can’t exactly say Ah’m surprised.” Applejack said, nodding. She figured there had to be a school somewhere with some books of its own, too, but asking about that would be suspicious, since a woman her age should already know everything in those books. Maybe she could come up with some story about her character being home schooled or something to excuse it, but not right now. And even that was stretching the truth as far as she was comfortable doing.

Marjani returned to her family, and Applejack sipped her milk, thinking about Equestria. Wondering what her friends and family were doing. Even though the Gestalt had told her she would be returned to when she left, she had trouble wrapping her mind around the idea.

“Morning, Applejack.” Taki greeted, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Morning.” she replied.

“Been waiting long?”

“A couple minutes, maybe.”

“And here I thought I might’ve gotten here before you for once.” Taki joked, as Marjani came over to take their order.

“So where’s Flamme?”

“In the courtyard, doing his morning business. He’ll be along in a moment.”

Sure enough, the tinderwolf joined them soon after, just about the same time Marjani brought breakfast. Fried eggs, a chevon and veggie hash, and grits and cherries.

Applejack and Taki ate slowly, planning out the specifics of the day. Taki suggested going to the shop as soon as it opened. When Applejack asked about Flamme’s breakfast, Taki said it wouldn’t hurt him to wait a bit. He’d saved half a deer carcass from yesterday. Applejack was a little bothered by the thought of using a deer as food, but she reminded herself that these deer weren’t sapient.

After that, they chatted about the area some more. The country they were in was named Staudeheim, and had a large dryad population, as well as a fair number of woodland Furred Races. It was smaller than average and mostly covered in forests, though there were some mountains on the southern border. Or along it, depending on who you asked. And they were mostly at peace with their neighbors, if an uneasy one, in the case of the gnomes to the south.

When they finished eating, Taki checked his Ident Bracelet and saw they still had some time before Cerise opened her shop, so they spent a little longer sitting and talking. Applejack was surprised to learn that the country was primarily ruled by three kings—two brothers and the elder’s husband—but it also had a parliament of sorts, made up of nobles and guild representatives. Which Taki thought was true of most countries on the continent, though he wasn’t too sure about that.

Taki didn’t know a whole lot about the country’s politics, since he was actually from a neighboring one, so he soon reverted to a topic he was more familiar with. Summoning magic. What spells were in the school, and how almost all of them used Soul Crystals. Besides the Summon Critter and Summon Beastie spells Applejack had already heard about, there was also a Summon Elemental spell that needed a creature with either a matching element or none at all. Though if someone had at least 25 levels in the appropriate elemental school, they could learn Summon Elemental (Advanced), which didn’t have that restriction. He also told her that summon spells could only work with Soul Crystals equal to or lower than the spell level, not the school level.

Applejack was very surprised to learn that there was also a Summon Skeleton spell, which overlapped with Necroturgy, and was even more surprised—and a bit disturbed—to learn that necroturgy was not illegal, unless used on sapient remains1.

The discussion of Summoning Magic lasted until they reached the greengrocer, where Taki spent several minutes teaching Applejack about various goat cheeses. Eventually, Applejack spent seventeen copper coins on a brick of kefalotyri and two rounds of picodon, one hard and one soft.

Taki also picked up a few supplies, before collecting Flamme from out front of the shop and heading for the western gate. Applejack, meanwhile, made her way to the town hall to read up on the area. The first book she looked through was an atlas. She spent a couple hours studying the maps, trying to memorize them. Then she spent the rest of the morning skimming through books about history, law, and other very dry topics. She only stopped twice, to practice transforming.

A little past noon, she returned to Mirembe for lunch. After finishing the pasta dish, Applejack got a cup of freshly boiled water to brew her birth control in before returning to the town hall and spending the afternoon skimming the various non-fiction books. The history books were as dry as she’d expected, but she learned that the gnomes living to the south had gone to war with Staudeheim for control of the mountains almost three decades ago. In the twenty-five years since they lost, relations have been peaceful, but uneasy. The author even predicts that war would break out again in the next decade or two, which made Applejack check for a publication date. She was relieved to find the book was only a couple years old.

“What are gnomes?” she asked Minerva.

“They’re a variety or subrace of dwarf, like unicorns and pegasi are subraces of horse. But they’re more territorial and a bit wilder than regular dwarves. Stat-wise, they’re more magically inclined, than physically. They still have a natural affinity for crafting, but they tend more towards Dexterity- or Intelligence-based crafts, than Strength-based ones. They’re also built a little less stocky than regular dwarves.”

“So they live underground, right? Then couldn’t they just let Staudeheim have the surface, and then they claim everything underneath?” Applejack asked.

“A lot of people think that, but it’s not that simple. How far down does “the surface” extend? No one can quite agree on that. But even if they could, dwarf-kind still needs the surface for some things. There are many creatures that live underground that can be hunted, and some fungi that can be farmed, but it’s not enough to support big cities, so they need places to hunt and farm.” Minerva explained. “Plus air holes.” she added. “And it’s pretty obvious why they wouldn’t want those under someone else’s control. All in all, it’s pretty easy to understand why they’d fight to own a surface only a few of them are willing to live on.”

“Yeah, that does make sense.” Applejack realized, going back to the book.

The book she was reading only covered national history, so when she finished it, she picked one that covered world history. It was even more difficult than the one she’d just skimmed. Mostly because she didn’t know most of the countries or people involved. She could barely get through three volumes, which covered a decade apiece, and she hoped that would be good enough. And that Minerva would fill in any gaps as necessary.

After that, she tried one of the law books, just so she didn’t have to rely entirely on Minerva’s warnings. But one look at the dense walls of small text had her giving up on that immediately. None of the other books looked any more readable, much less interesting, and Applejack thought about what to do next. She thought about going over to the barracks to train her weapon skills, but when she remembered she only had thirty-some copper coins, she reconsidered. Naturally, her first thought was the orchard, but it was the middle of the afternoon, so she ruled that out.

Deciding her best choice was to go hunting, Applejack left the town hall and made her way to the eastern gate. Before she arrived, Minerva told her she could transform again, but she waited until she’d spoken to the guards to do so. Ten minutes later, she transformed back and left the road, headed south.

In the woods, it took only a few minutes to find a Huge Rat. Scanning it, Applejack found out it was level two, and had 16 HP. Something about that seemed off, but before she could figure out what it was, the silver-furred body was charging her. She rolled aside and brought her sword up, still kneeling. The rat arched its back and hissed at her before charging again. Applejack braced herself, gripped her sword in both hands, and timed her thrust to help the rat impale itself.

A couple minutes later, after bagging both the body and Soul Crystal, and Cleaning her sword, Applejack realized what had been weird about the rat’s information.

“Minerva, how did that rat have sixteen HP if it’s ten times Endurance?” she asked.

“Different creatures have different Stat calculations. They also have different Stats at level one, which you should keep in mind.” she explained. Applejack just nodded and started looking for another target.

As she wandered through the wood, she saw lots of little critters, like squirrels and rabbits, but she couldn’t get close enough to any of them to use her sword. And she didn’t think she could hit them with her gun. At one point, she saw a deer, and even though she could clearly see the lack of sapience in its eye, she wasn’t comfortable killing it.

After forty minutes, a rabbit startled her by racing across her path, practically in front of her. A second or two later, a grey fox broke out of the underbrush, and Applejack managed to stab it before it could get away. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to deal with a fox, but she still felt a little bad about just killing it. Which was a little strange, when she thought about it. Mostly because she didn’t spare a second thought for the Huge Rats. After thinking about it a bit, she realized it was probably because she thought of them as monsters. Like Timberwolves and manticores back in Equestria.

A while later, Applejack came across a fallen tree with mushrooms. She thought they were edible, but she wasn’t sure. She was just about to leave when she remembered she could cast Scan on other things besides animals. Scanning them revealed that they were, in fact, edible. So she picked a few before moving on.

Not long later, she heard a couple rats mating, and not wanting to get attacked for interrupting them, she crept forward carefully. Checking the ground before every step, her progress was slow, but she managed to find them in a small clearing. Peeking through a bush, she saw the male dismount, and tensed up, ready to defend herself. But of the brown rats stood still, chittering at each other. A minute later, the buck mounted up again, and Applejack eased back a bit. Still close enough to see them easily, in case something happened, but where she didn’t have to watch.

While she waited for them to finish mating, Applejack thought about how she should fight two rats at the same time. Which was when she realized she didn’t know what level they were. So she eased a branch aside and peeked at them again. Trying not to look too closely2, she whispered, “Scan, scan,” as quietly as she could.

Huge Rat – Lv. 2
HP: 18

Huge Rat – Lv. 2
HP: 16

“They have different HP’s?”

“Overall levels are dependent on Stats, not the other way around.” Minerva reminded her. She didn’t really need to whisper in Applejack’s ear to do so—the rats couldn’t hear her any more than anyone else—but she didn’t want to startle Applejack.

“Right. He could be closer to level three than she is.” Applejack thought, before trying to plan her attack.

After a moment, she came up with a plan, and carefully drew her sword, setting it on the ground beside her. Then she drew her gun, just as carefully. She waited until the noises stopped before peeking through the bush again. Seeing the buck laying on the doe, unmoving, she pulled the hammer back carefully. And as the rat moved to dismount, she finished cocking the gun. The noise got the attention of both rats.

As they turned to look at her, Applejack fired off three rounds in quick succession. Then she bagged her gun, grabbed her sword, and charged into the clearing. A quick lunge pierced the buck’s neck, and his Scan-panel disappeared. Applejack jerked her sword back, making sure it was loose before jumping backwards, out of reach of the doe. Not entirely necessarily, it turned out, since the rat was more concerned with the bullet wound and the dead weight on top of her. So Applejack’s next strike was a more controlled thrust between the doe’s ribs, killing her, too.

With the threat dealt with, Applejack took a moment to reequip and reload her gun and Clean both weapons. Then, when a quick check of her Stat-panel showed she had 61 MP left, she took a few seconds to Scan all four Soul Crystals she had out, to practice the spell. The one on her jerkin was still a level two Huge Rat, and gave fire affinity—which was only to be expected, of course—and the two new ones gave an earth affinity. Also as she’d expected. The only thing she didn’t know what to expect was the Hodag’s crystal.

Hodag – Add Piercing Damage

“Taki was right.” Applejack thought, reading the panel. “So, it’s a piercing affinity?” she double-checked with Minerva, as she bagged the bodies.

“Actually, it’s an addition. An affinity increases by a percentage, but an addition adds a flat integer. And they only affect that kind of attack. For instance, that Hodag Soul Crystal only boosts the damage of your thrusts and lunges, but not your slashes. Unlike the rats’ Soul Crystals, which would add its effect to every attack of a weapon it was mounted on. Also, an affinity can be applied to offense or defense, while an addition will only effect one or the other.” the mini-divinity explained.

A minute later, Applejack was moving again. Not much happened for a while, and she eventually wandered out of the woods, finding several goats behind a nearby fence. There was also a fenced-in garden patch. After a moment of surprise, Applejack realized she must have been wandering westward, as well as south.

She was about to head back into the woods when something trundled around the corner of the fence. It looked sort of like a rat, but way bigger than the Huge Rats she was used to. comparing it to the fence, Applejack guessed it was probably more than half as tall as she was, and that was while it was on all fours!

“What in the…” she thought, putting her hand on her gun. She didn’t think she could beat it, but maybe she could spook it. Or if she was really lucky, she might wound it so it couldn’t chase her. “Scan.”

Monstrous Rat – Lv. 8 | Tame
HP: 124

“Level eight?” she asked, shocked. “I thought creatures around here didn’t get that strong?”

“This close to a settlement, it’s nearly unheard of for a wild creature to get that strong, but that’s not a wild creature.”

“It’s not? Is that what that Tame means?”

“Yep. It means that somewhere in its ancestry, there was a True Summon. Any creature a True Summoned creature gives birth to has a Tame nature. They’ll never attack someone without an order. Though that order might be to protect something, like that herd of goats—or the property, itself—so you still need to be careful. Tame creatures can be made to listen to only certain people, but until then, they’ll obey anyone whose Taming skill is no more than three levels below their own.”

“It’s that easy to tame a creature? Then why aren’t there more of them?”

“Actually, just about all livestock, like that herd of goats, is tame. But nothing is truly domesticated, anymore.” Minerva told her. “You have to bring in new True Summons sometimes, because the Tame nature only lasts so many generations before newborns are Feral, instead. Feral creatures may sometimes attack like a wild creature, but they’ll usually obey orders from someone whose Taming skill is almost equal to their own.”

“How many generations?”

“It depends on the creature. A Monstrous Rat like that, it’ll stay Tame for about a dozen generations before they start being born Feral. That’ll last for about a half-dozen generations before they’re born completely wild again. On the other hand, those goats won’t start going Feral for about a hundred generations, which can take fifty years or more, depending on the breed. Dogs, cats, cattle, chickens…just about anything that was domesticated Pre-Advent has a similarly huge number of generations. Which doesn’t stop some ranchers or breeders from True Summoning more often.” Minerva added.

“Okay, I understand keeping animals for meat. Griffons do it, and so do minotaurs. Hay, even ponies keep pigs and chickens, though meat isn’t their main purpose.” Applejack thought. “But what’s up with the Monstrous Rat?” she asked, keeping an eye on the beastie as it moved along the fence line.

“The original summon was probably a Huge Rat that the ranchers managed to metamorphose over time. Years, probably, if not generations. Generations of rats, that is. But it would make great protection for the livestock around here. Few creatures want to tangle with a monstrous anything, unless they’re monstrous themselves, or a giant predator. And most creatures will go out of their way to avoid their metamorphosed forms. Except for the ones that naturally live and work together. So, since rats are the most common problem in the area, it’s a great choice.”

“Breeding em’s gotta be tricky, though.” Applejack mused.

“Why do you say that?”

“Yanagi said those fights always end in death.” Applejack reminded her. The rat had gotten close enough to see it clearly. And it was clearly monstrous in more than just size. It’s back, slightly arched, came up almost to Applejack’s breasts. It was bigger than Flamme. Big enough she could probably ride it. Not that she had any interest in trying. The too-many, long, needle-like teeth that angled just slightly outwards were a good deterrent. So were the little spikes poking through the extremely short, brindled fur on its face. The fur on its body was longer, like a sheepdog’s, but thick and coarse. The sharp emerald eyes and dark green skin—including flashes of its gums—completed the unnatural look.

“There are ways around that.” Miranda said. “Bucks don’t necessarily have to fight each other for breeding rights. As long as they bring a tribute to prove they can provide, the does are usually willing to mate with them.”

“Ah suppose.” Applejack shrugged, before heading back into the woods. She kept a wary eye on the Monstrous Rat until it was well out of sight. Tame or not, she wanted to be sure.

After a few minutes, Applejack noticed her hoofprints and decided to follow them. But after about twenty minutes, something caught her attention, making her ear twitch. Freezing, she rotated her ears, trying to locate the sound she thought she heard. A few seconds later, she heard a definite rustle from behind her. Except there was no breeze. The air was still, and even slightly heavy, like when pegasi set up a storm.

Putting her hand on her pistol, Applejack turned her head slowly, trying to see what was making the noise. She didn’t see anything, but her instincts were still telling her she was in danger. So she drew her sword, instead. She carefully turned around, her eyes scanning back and forth across the sparse underbrush. She still didn’t see anything, but the rustling hadn’t stopped. Her still-moving ears hadn’t located the source yet. Applejack suddenly remembered that cats liked heights, so she started checking tree branches.

Which was exactly when a dark brown blur leapt out of the bushes at her.

Applejack automatically tried to bring her arms up and jump out of the way, neither of which worked completely. But enough to avoid getting her throat ripped out. Still, getting tackled by a thirty-something pound wildcat brought her down hard enough to knock the wind out of her. By chance, she managed to hold onto her sword, but her first swing was barely even noticeable. Unlike the cat’s bite, which just missed her neck.

Applejack screamed as she felt sharp teeth digging into her shoulder. Her left, fortunately, as that left her free to stab, though she only hit bone. It was still enough to make the wildcat release her and yowl in pain as Applejack wiggled her sword free of the rib the tip had gotten stuck in. Unfortunately, the wildcat followed that up by swiping her across the muzzle, making her cry out and making her next attack slice its side.

Her third and fourth stabs both struck more true, in the cat’s gut, making it yowl again, and its next swipe almost laid open her cheek. Applejack’s next stab had a better angle, nicking the wildcat’s heart. She got in a couple more panicked stabs before the cat collapsed on top of her, dead.

The sudden impact of its body surprised Applejack enough to stop her stabbing. A second later, she realized what it meant, and shoved the body off of her. She spent a long moment laying where she was before sitting up. Long enough for the adrenaline to start wearing off, and her face to start hurting. She reached up to touch it carefully.

“Ah!” she yelped, jerking away from her hand, which hadn’t been gentle enough. “That’s not good.” she thought.

“It could be a lot worse.” Minerva said. “It’s deep, but nothing a healing potion can’t fix. Just drink it and it’ll start working. Or you can pour some of it directly on the wound first, if you have to.” she instructed, as Applejack took one of the vials from her waist.

She nearly tried to uncork it with her teeth, just out of habit, before noticing it had a screw-top, instead. Once she had the narrow vial open, Applejack looked at the potion for a second to two. It was red, which didn’t really surprise her, but the thin, watery texture did. Then she took a deep breath, tilted her head, and carefully dribbled a little on her slashed face.

Instead of the sting she expected, Applejack was surprised by the painless, mint-like yet warm tingle where the liquid spread. It was a little like the touch of unicorn magic, but more intense. Once the side of her face was nicely heated, Applejack waited a few seconds, letting it start to work, before drinking the rest of it. The potion tasted about like it felt—warm and tingly. Almost like cinnamon gum,3 but not quite as sweet. It also burned a bit on the way down, almost like alcohol.

As the potion did its work, Applejack bagged the empty vial and pulled out a replacement. Then she looked over at the creature that had attacked her. Beyond being some kind of feline, she couldn’t identify it. It was spotted, seemed to have lost its tail somewhere along the way, and had thick tufts of fur hanging from its cheeks.

“Scan.” she barely vocalized, trying to move her mouth as little as possible.

Bobcat Corpse

“So that’s a bobcat. That might explain the tail.” Applejack realized. A second later she noticed her face getting warmer. And itchy, which she took to mean it was working. Resisting the urge to scratch was difficult, but the sensation was short-lived, fortunately. And when the itching and heat had faded completely, Applejack probed her face again, more carefully than last time. Her face was still soaked in blood, but only a little sore. So she pulled out a canteen and carefully washed off as much of the blood as she could

Bagging the canteen, Applejack cast Clean on her sword and jerkin, checking the latter for damage. There were some small holes in the shoulder, and she’d have to ask around about repairs. Then she got to her hooves, bagged the body, and cast Scan on the tan Soul Crystal.

Bobcat – + Dexterity

Seeing that, Applejack mounted the Soul Crystal on her jerkin, over her left nipple, opposite the Giant Rat’s—which a quick check confirmed had not been knocked off in the attack. Then she oriented herself so she was facing north, before deciding to check her HP real quick.

Applejack Anadolu | Furred Race-Horse | Lv. 2
Female Ordinary Civilian
HP: 125/130 | MP: 9/90
Strength: 12 | Endurance: 13
Perception: 14 | Agility: 12 | Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 9 | Willpower: 10 | Charisma: 10

ADDITIONS
+ 2 Piercing

RESISTANCES
Fire 2%

“Whoa. Ah’m running pretty low on MP.” Applejack realized. Now that she knew that, Applejack decided it would be better to head back towards the ranch, since it was closer. It only took a few seconds to find her tracks, and she didn’t have any problems as she followed them back to the edge of the woods. From there, she followed the fence, though she didn’t get too close, in case there were any more Monstrous Rats or other guards. Only a few minutes after reaching the ranch, Minerva told her she could transform again, so she did.

On hoof, it took her a little less than an hour to reach the village. The guards asked about her face, which was apparently still pretty scratched up. Which wasn’t really much of a surprise, considering it was still sore. She explained that she’d been attacked by a bobcat, and they cast Heal on her—despite her objections—and sent her on her way.

Back in the village, Applejack’s first stop was the eastern gate, to let the guards there know she had got back safe. Then she headed for the Hunter’s Guild. The guildmaster wasn’t out front when she walked in, but she’d barely said hello to Leticia before she heard a door. A couple seconds later, Mr. Rucker and someone she knew by face but not name came into the front room.

When the other hunter didn’t get up, Applejack approached the guildmaster. In the Appraisal room, Applejack turned over the spare Soul Crystals for ten coppers, the three rats for 32, and the bobcat for 20. It could’ve been more, if she hadn’t done so much damage to the hide, but there was nothing to be done about that.4 Her business complete, Applejack thought about staying for a drink, but her stomach reminded her how long it had been since lunch.

When she got back to Mirembe, she found it more crowded than she remembered seeing it before. And by the bar, there was a short, stocky woman singing. The woman—Applejack thought she might be a dwarf—had pastel purple skin, almost colorless hair done up in a complicated braid, and a voice deeper than many stallions Applejack knew. It was rich and full—about like how she imagined Luna’s singing voice might sound, or maybe a little deeper—and even if she weren’t hungry, she’d find a place to sit and enjoy the singing.

Instead, she started looking for a seat. There were no open tables, but a couple local women soon invited her to join them. Subira swung by to take her order a moment later, and Applejack ordered a bowl of stew and a beer. While she waited, the women introduced themselves.

Mari had a dark grey complexion, almost like Pinkie’s sister, Maud, but darker. She also had a slightly rugged look, like Maud. She looked leaner than the earth pony, though. And she had a shock of cherry-red, shoulder-length hair. It hung loose and mostly straight, but had some waves to it. Like she kept it in a braid most of the time. She had a few black freckles on her cheeks too, but even with them, she was more handsome than cute or pretty.

Krysta, on the other hand, was more curvy, with reddish-pink skin and black hair. Darker pink than Pinkie or even her mane. Rarity would probably have some fancy, possibly nonsensical name, but Applejack just called it raspberry. Both women had chocolate-brown eyes.

Subira was back with the food more quickly than Applejack expected, as crowded as it was. Then again, most everyone seemed to have ordered already, and were eating and/or drinking now. The stew actually turned out to be more of a thin, brothy soup, just right for dipping the crusty bread that came with it.

As she ate, Applejack talked to the two women she was sitting with. She learned a bit about the village, including that the dwarf woman usually came in to sing once or twice a week, and that this crowd was normal for evenings when she did. Halfway through her meal, there was an almost deafening *CRACK* that made everyone jump.

“Finally!” Krysta said a second later. “It’s about time the rain started. It’s been so muggy all afternoon.”

“At least you were inside.” Mari reminded her. “I had to stand guard at the north gate this afternoon.”

Thinking back, Applejack was surprised to realize she hadn’t consciously noticed the clouds building. Maybe because she hadn’t seen the pegasi that should’ve been putting the storm together. And while it was strange to think about the weather happening completely on its own, she’d seen her fair share of “naturally-occurring” storms over the Everfree so it wasn’t completely alien to her. Not like it would be to, say, her Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten.

When Applejack finished eating, she ordered another beer and kept talking with Mari and Krysta. Mari was a member of the guard who’d moved here almost a decade ago, while Krysta had been born and raised in Woodglen, and was the local barber. They’d been married for almost eight years now, not that they let that stop them from having fun with other women. Though they were both completely lesbian, without any interest in men or cock.

A couple hours (and seven mugs of beer) later, the storm was still raging, so Rehema offered to let locals spend the night at a reduced price. Mari and Krysta decided to take her up on that offer. They also decided to invite Applejack to join them in the bath. Being more than a little buzzed, Applejack agreed. After admitting she was a futa, and they told her it wasn’t a deal breaker, since they could work around her cock. Unfortunately, the tubs were all in use, so they had to wait a little longer.

When Sauda told them a tub had opened up, the three of them headed in. There were couples in the three occupied tubs. Two of them were cuddling while they soaked, but the third plainly had their hands busy under the water. Mari and Krysta didn’t pay them any mind, bagging their clothes and starting the water running. As Applejack followed suit, Krysta spoke up.

“Hey, Applejack, can you change into the flesh?” she asked.

“Sure, but can Ah ask why?” Applejack asked as she transformed.

“Well, that way we don’t have to worry about you stepping on our toes with your hooves.” Krysta said. “Plus, skin’s a little easier to clean than fur.” Applejack had to admit, those were both good points.

As water filled the tub, the three of them sat around the rim, dipping their feet. Applejack took the opportunity to look her two new friends over a little more. Mari wasn’t just lean, but was in fact, kind of bony, and had a few more freckles on her shoulders. Her breasts were modest handfuls, but had large, black nipples. Krysta had large nipples, too, but was otherwise very much the opposite of her wife. Her nipples were lighter than the rest of her skin, about the same color as Applejack’s, and she seemed to have Mari’s share of curves, as well as her own. Not enough to be fat, but she was a little plump. She was also clean-shaven, unlike Mari’s short-trimmed pubic bush.

A couple minutes later, when the water was deep enough, Mari turned the faucet off, grabbed the soap, and lathered her hands. Passing the soap to her wife, she knelt in front of Applejack and started spreading the lather over one foot. A moment later, Krysta joined her, passing the soap back.

The two took turns with the soap and Applejack a few more times, until her legs were clean, before urging her to stand up. Mari sensually ran the soap all over her belly while Krysta embraced her from behind and squeezed her breasts.

“I do love a nice pair of tits.” she sighed. Into the middle of Applejack’s back, since she only came up to about her shoulder.

“And these are a very nice pair.” Mari agreed, more loudly. Loud enough for Applejack to glance around the room, to see if anyone had heard. The couple in the next tub were too busy kissing to pay any attention to them, the two in the middle tub were still just soaking, and she only saw one person in the third tub. Then she saw something twitch. An instant later, she realized it was a tail, and figured out the other person was underwater, tending to her partner.

“So you like an audience?” Mari asked.

“Eh…”

“Oh, they make you nervous instead.” she realized, passing Krysta the soap. “In that case, just don’t think about them.” she purred, taking Applejack’s face in her hands and pulling her into a kiss. Applejack closed her eyes and let herself be seduced further. As she really got into it, Mari slid one hand up to grip her hair and pull her deeper as her other hand moved down to her hip, to spread the soap.

At the same time, Krysta was lathering Applejack’s back. And her ass. She teased the orange pucker with a soapy finger, testing Applejack’s reaction. Which was mild, but positive.5 Then she got her hands good and lathered, before going back to Applejack’s breasts. A moment later, Mari’s free hand joined in the groping and gentle pinching.

A few seconds later, Krysta stopped just long enough to rinse the soap off her hands, but Applejack was so caught up in the moment that she barely noticed. She was so focused on Mari’s tongue and the hands on her breasts that when something bumped her inner thighs, she spread her legs unthinkingly. The gentle pressure on her pussy barely registered, either.

The finger pushing into her did, though.

“Oh!” she gasped, pulling back slightly from Mari, as Krysta’s finger slid in to the knuckle.

“You like that, don’t you?” Mari teased, watching Applejack’s face as Krysta’s finger pumped and wiggled inside her. Applejack was too busy enjoying the best use for fingers she’d found yet to answer. At least in words. But when a second finger joined the first, her moan was answer enough. Mari enjoyed the wet sounds and pleasured moans for a bit, before pulling Applejack into another kiss. This one rougher, with some light nipping of tongue and lips.

Kari, meanwhile, added a third finger and was exploring the moist depths thoroughly. She spent almost five minutes teasing Applejack almost to orgasm, without letting her go over. All while still groping one breast. When she finally ran out of patience, she sped up her fingers, making sure to rub the back of her knuckles against Applejack’s g-spot. Crystal also pinched her nipple hard, and even gave it a little twist.

Even muffled by Mari’s mouth, Applejack’s scream of release was loud enough for the other bathers to hear. She didn’t notice the couple in the next tub over looking at them as the woman ground against her husband, milking his cock with her pussy. Didn’t see them smiling as they watched her cum shooting past Mari, arcing over the rim of the tub, to splatter against the wall. Then on the floor.

By the time she came to her senses, Applejack was neck deep in the water, and the other two were sensually rinsing the soap off her. She just laid there for a bit, enjoying it.

“Wow.” she finally said. “That was…”

“A big one. Yeah.” Krysta giggled.

“Krysta really knows how to finger a pussy.” Mari chuckled, before adding, “She’s level 18, after all.” Applejack, her mind still buzzing with alcohol and endorphins, didn’t know what that had to do with anything, but she was too relaxed to care.

“You give me enough practice, insisting on multiple orgasms every day.” Krysta countered teasingly.

“You know I just can’t get enough of you.”

“Then come and get me.” Krysta challenged. Mari accepted that challenge, and quickly caught her wife, as Applejack moved out of their way. Applejack watched the married women wash each other as she finished bathing herself. There was a lot of obvious love between them.

By the time Applejack finished with her hair, Krysta was sitting on the stone rim, and Mari was between her legs. The bony backside facing her was surprisingly arousing, so after a few seconds, she got right up behind the grey ass and sniffed the pink slit. She couldn’t smell much, over the soapy water.

“Ohh, yeahh.” Krysta moaned, seeing that. “Eat her, Applejack. Make her cum all over your pretty face. Ah!” she yelped, as Mari hummed in agreement, right against her clit.

Grabbing Mari’s hips in her hands, Applejack took one more sniff of her pussy, before dragging her tongue over her slit. Mari tasted good—just a little bitter—and Applejack quickly dug in for real. After licking all over for a while, Applejack started working her tongue as deep as she could get it. She even spread Mari’s lips with her thumbs, before remembering what else she could do with her hand that she couldn’t with a hoof.

She pushed one finger into Mari’s pussy and felt around a little. She soon felt a patch that was different from the rest, and after a moment, Applejack realized it was Mari’s G-spot. So she added a second finger and focused on that spot as she put her tongue back to work. A minute or so later, Mari came, squirting into Applejack’s mouth a couple times. Seconds later, Krysta came, too.

After they calmed down, Mari and Applejack finished bathing Krysta. Then it was Mari’s turn to get cleaned. The three of them considered soaking for a little bit, but the water was getting pretty soapy, and it was also cooling down. So they got out and dried each other off. With plenty of teasing touches in the process.

As they exited the bathing chamber, the couple invited Applejack to join them in the common room, which had been rearranged to accommodate the people trapped by the storm. She almost agreed, before her still slightly buzzed mind reminded her that she had a room upstairs, so she declined. And since her bed wasn’t big enough for three, she made her way upstairs by herself. After a quick stop in the restroom, Applejack returned to her room, making sure to transform in the hallway, first.

“You completed another quest.” Minerva told Applejack, as she flopped on the bed. Applejack almost didn’t bother, but she opened the panel after thinking for a second or two.

Day 7 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
22:48
TOTAL STAT POINTS: 8
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 12
TOTAL SPELL POINTS: 1
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 3 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Hankering For a Human
2 Skill Points + 3 Stat Points (Put On A Show!) REWARD DOUBLED!! (Full Threesome Bonus!)

“Wait, shouldn’t there be a bonus for drinking Mari’s cum?” Applejack asked.

“You completed that quest this morning, so no. Bonuses only apply to the encounter that completes the quest.” Minerva explained.

“Oh. Makes sense.” Applejack muttered. “What’s “Full Threesome Bonus” mean?”

“It means both of the others involved in the threesome count for the same quest. If one of them didn’t count, then you’d get a different bonus. Or if they counted for different quests, you’d get that bonus for both quests. That’s how all group sex bonuses work.” Minerva explained.

“Ahh. Hey, is there any way to…stop something from sneaking up on me, like that bobcat, today?” Applejack asked next.

“There’s the Sense Presence skill.” Minerva told her. “It lets you know if there’s any people or creatures within half a meter of you, or any people or creatures focusing on you within a full meter. Per level. You actually gained a few experience points in it today.”

“Good. Since Ah’ve got twelve Skill Points, Ah can skip straight to level four.”

“I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT.” GOD spoke up, as Minerva’s eyes suddenly glowed white. “THE INCREASED AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION COULD EASILY BECOME OVERWHELMING, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WITH LOTS OF LIFE. ONE LEVEL AT A TIME IS PREFERRED, AND TWO IS THE LIMIT OF WHAT I’LL ALLOW.”

“Ah suppose that’s a fair point.” Applejack grumbled under her breath, a moment later. “Two levels, then.” she told Minerva. “Ah’ll save the rest of my Skill Points for tomorrow. Do Ah have enough Stat Points to level up my Intelligence?”

“Yep. After all the magic you did today, you only need to use two points to level it up.”

“Anything else?”

“For five points, you could level either your Charisma or your Perception.” Minerva told her.

“Hmm. Ah…suppose…Ah’ll…” Applejack thought slowly. Then she decided, “Go with Charisma, since it’s lower.” Pulling up her blanket, Applejack confirmed that was the way she wanted to spend her points then bid Minerva a good night.

Author's Note

In Equestria, the punishment for very nearly* any use of necroturgy is having both horn and tongue surgically removed by the royal physician—to prevent using and/or teaching it—followed by life imprisonment, in a cell specially warded by Celestia. (And Luna, too, now that she’s back.) On suicide watch, until any potential contingency spells had naturally faded, to avoid creating any liches, or things like that.

*On extremely rare occasion—as in, only four times during Celestia’s sole rule—a researcher can get a royal dispensation to study necroturgy, to help develop countermeasures against future threats of that nature. But there were a lot of restrictions and safety measures in place for such researchers, and it was mostly meant for ponies whose cutie marks were specifically for necroturgy. Something which hasn’t been seen since the last marked necroturge died, over 600 years ago.

However, nopony has been found guilty of necroturgy in almost 900 years, so outside the legal profession, few ponies know what the punishment is, much less that there can be exceptions. (Of course, Twilight and Spike are among those few. And thanks to one half-drunk evening, so are the other five of them.)

And if that sounds savage, it’s a holdover from the Unification Era, when things were less civilized. And it’s still better than the Old Unicornia laws it was based on, where the reigning monarch shattered the necroturgist’s horn personally, in public, for all to see. (Like a real-world public execution.) And which had no exceptions.

It’s kind of like tuning out the sight of somepony’s genitals, when their tail swings a little too wide. Or in real-world terms, like ignoring someone’s crotch in a public shower or nude beach.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know: Do they still make Big Red? If not, then does anyone even know what I’m talking about?
She also learned that carnivores and other things that ate a lot of meat didn’t have very good meat for eating.
Applejack didn’t mind a little tongue or toy action in her ass, but she’d always felt like a real cock would be a little too big for comfort.

Harvest Season

“Good morning, Applejack!” Minerva cheered, making the slightly hungover mare groan into her pillow. “You leveled up a bit yesterday. Your Intelligence is level 10, which means you have 100 MP and can carry half a ton in your inventory, and your Charisma is level 11. Also, you learned Sense Presence at level 2, so you’ll know if there’s anything within a meter of you that can leave a Soul Crystal. Or two meters, if they’re focused on you. And you leveled up your Clean spell to level 2, as well. And, of course, you have some Quests.”

“Of course.” she said, forcing herself to sit up. “What time is it?”

“Quarter past eight.” Minerva answered, making Applejack sigh. She clambered out of bed and peeked into the hallway. For once, the restroom was occupied, so she got dressed and spent a few moments stretching out the worst of her stiffness. She’d had much worse hangovers in her time, and had worked through them, so her headache and dry mouth were no more than an annoyance.

When Applejack checked again, the restroom was still occupied, but then she remembered there was another one on the other side of the floor. Unfortunately, it turned out to be occupied, too. While she was waiting, Taki came out of his room, in a loose tunic. As he approached, Applejack suddenly became aware of his presence.

It wasn’t exactly visible, but more like a transparent overlay in her mind’s eye. It reminded her of how unicorns sometimes described using their telekinesis. It registered as a featureless, white blob, like a human version of one of Rarity’s ponnequins, but with a wig. She immediately understood how crowds could be overwhelming.

“Applejack? Getting a late start this morning?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah. Ah had a bit of a late night.” she admitted.

“Yeah, me too, kinda.” Taki agreed. “I was listening to Krakhini sing until she called it a night. Then Flamme had some problems with the storm. He’s usually not too bothered by them, but severe ones, like last night, can upset him. So I decided to give him some extra attention this morning, after breakfast.”

“Oh, Ah missed breakfast, didn’t Ah?” Applejack realized. Part of her was sorry about that, but her queasy stomach wasn’t too bothered.

“Actually, they got started on breakfast a little late, too. They had to wait for the villagers to get up, then reset the common room, before they could start. Besides, they serve a later breakfast for their guests.” Taki reminded her.

“That’s right.” Applejack remembered, before remembering something else. “Oh, is there someplace Ah can get my jerkin repaired?”

“What kind of repairs?”

“A bobcat got the drop on me yesterday, so some cuts and punctures.” she explained, rubbing her shoulder.

“Ooh.” Taki hissed, wincing. “How bad was it?”

“It slashed my face pretty good, but a healing potion took care of that, mostly.” Applejack shrugged. “And one of the gate guards used a Heal spell when I got back.”

“Well, that’s good, at least. But as for repairing your armor…” Taki trailed off for a moment, thinking. “I’m not sure, actually. You’ll have to ask the at the guild. Or the guards.” he added as an afterthought. Just then, Applejack became aware of another white person-shape behind her. She turned to look just as the door opened and a young woman came out.

Excuse me, please.” the cream-colored woman said, stepping around Applejack and Taki. As she passed, Applejack noticed she had little animal ears of some sort, and that, along with her coloration, identified her as the badger she’d seen a couple days earlier. When she was gone, she turned to Taki again.

“Did you need to use the restroom?” she asked, politeness getting the better of her as she noticed some thin liquid running down his leg.

“No, I can wait. You were here first.” he said, waving her off.

A few minutes later, Applejack headed out into the village. She wasn’t really in the mood for a full breakfast, so she went to the bakery and picked up a couple pastries. She also bought a sandwich for lunch, in case she couldn’t get work at the orchard. She ate the pastries and one dried apple on the way to the gate.

About half an hour later, Applejack arrived at the orchard and rang the bell. A small hawk on top of the sign screeched and flew off. A few minutes later, Yanagi came jogging up, the hawk flying ahead of her to perch on the sign again.

“Morning! Come in!” Yanagi called, and Applejack did. “Morning.” she said again, as Applejack got close enough for Sence Presence to notice her. “Sorry we weren’t here, but it’s harvest season.”

“Ah understand.” Applejack said unthinkingly. Yanagi almost seemed not to hear.

“We always get in a lot of laborers during harvest season—people from the village, and some of the ranchers, too. But it just never seems like enough.” she rambled. Applejack just nodded, empathizing. “Sorry. Rambling. Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be working today.”

As she led Applejack through the orchard, Yanagi explained that while some people could just shake the fruit off the tree, that required a Strength in the high forties, so most workers had to strip-pick. Which meant wrapping their hands around the branch and running them along it. She also explained that she would be paid three coppers for every two bushels, and a pint of cherries for every quarter.

A little further along, Applejack heard something hiss ahead of them and perked up, looking for the source. A moment later, she found it. Or rather, it revealed itself. By slithering out of the tree the giant, serpentine beastie had somehow hidden itself in.

“What in the—” Applejack yelped, pulling back.

“Relax.” Yanagi told her, putting her hand on Applejack’s shoulder. “She’s one of Hannah’s summons, so you’re safe. As long as you’re with one of the family, or another of her summons, she won’t attack you. She might follow you, though, to make sure you’re not causing trouble. Especially if you’re just with a summon.”

“Is…she?” That struck Applejack as odd. “Is she here to guard the orchard?” Applejack asked, studying the creature. Its scales were blood-red, except for the neon-red markings. And the darker red markings on the inside of its hood. It also had six slender arms that ended in long-fingered hands2. Its body was about as big around as Applejack’s hips, and at least three times as long as Applejack was tall, with the hood extending down about a quarter of that, behind where the arms were and spreading wider than the elbows. Applejack had no idea how she hadn’t seen the creature sooner.

“No, she’s helping with the harvest. Six arms, a seven meter body, and really high Dexterity help a lot with that.” Yanagi pointed out. “And all naga are female. Except during mating season. Then they wrestle for dominance, trying to bite each other, and inject each other with a special venom. When one of them takes enough venom, they turn male. Some people think it’s strange that the loser becomes the male, but naga are all about combat, so it actually makes perfect sense that the superior warrior would get to train the daughters. Especially since mating pairs separate after the female conceives.”

“Your sister again?” Applejack asked

“Yeah, she’s the one who sent us her Soul Crystal, when she heard we were marrying Hannah. They’re only found in a few dungeons in the Aran region.” Yanagi confirmed. Applejack nodded, still listening, even though she hadn’t taken her eyes off the naga.

With everything else, it was no surprise that Applejack didn’t notice the short-muzzled snake head at first. Even with the neon-red curves that underlined its eyes before streaking towards its nostrils. The flickering of the creature’s black tongue drew her attention though, and a second later, Applejack noticed a large, mostly-white oval on top of the creature’s head.

“Wait. Is that supposed to be a face?” Applejack asked, as her mind suddenly reinterpreted the gray lines in the white spot.

“A mask, actually.” Yanagi said. “As they get older, it gets clearer, and as they level up, it gets more elaborate.”

“So, i—uh…she is pretty young, then?”

“Somewhere between three and four years old. Not long separated from her mother. That’s when the features start growing in. Before that, it’s just a blank spot.” Which seemed to be all Yanagi had to say.

“Hey, Minerva? Is it okay to Scan that creature?” Applejack asked, a few seconds later.

“It’s only illegal to Scan a sapient being without their permission.” Miranda reminded her. So Applejack cast the spell as subtly as possible.

Six-Armed Naga – Lv. 3 | Spell Summon
HP: 72

“Hey. Naga.” Yanagi said, as the pair approached the beastie. “Go let Hannah know we need another Slime.”

The naga hissed and flared its hood slightly before folding its arms against its body. Then—in blatant violation of everything Fluttershy had ever told her about cobras—it wrapped its hood around its…Applejack supposed it would be called a torso…making itself look like a mostly normal—if extremely oversized—snake.

“Why do you need slime?” Applejack asked as she watched the naga slither away. Much more quickly and quietly than something that size should able to.

“Because getting the cherries off the trees is just the first step. Picking them all up off the ground to put in baskets would take way too long, so the Slime follows you, picking up all the cherries and putting them in the baskets.” Yanagi explained. Then, seeing Applejack’s face, she added, “Don’t worry. We thoroughly wash the crop before using or selling any of them.”

After that, they were quiet until they reached the area where the day laborers were working. As they passed the first worker, Applejack realized that she’d misunderstood Yanagi earlier. She hadn’t realized Yanagi had meant a beastie, not just a bucket of slime. Frankly, this made a lot more sense. So much more, that Applejack felt a little stupid for not realizing it sooner.

By the time she and Yanagi reached the cart where Clarissa was sitting, Applejack had seen three people with the clear blobs. Clarissa added her name to the paper she was using to keep track of how much each person brought in, then handed her four baskets. Yanagi gave her a ladder and told her to pick a tree and get started.

Several minutes later, a slime showed up and started picking up the cherries she’d knocked down. Applejack watched, curious, as the beastie extended a tentacle4 and somehow absorbed the cherry stems—but not the fruit, itself. It collected almost two dozen before somehow throwing them all into the basket.

Before she went back to work, Applejack took a moment to examine the slime more closely. It was about the size of a human head, or a little bigger. It had some sort of skin/outer layer that shone like a soap bubble,4 but was also filled with some sort of fluid. It was almost perfectly clear, except for one thing floating in the middle of its body. After a closer look, Applejack thought it looked like a Soul Crystal, just without the chain used to mount it.

“Scan.”

Slime – Lv. 2 | Spell Summon
HP: 4

“Jeez. I’ll have to be careful with that thing. I could probably kill it by accident.” Applejack thought.

“It’s not really that easy.” Minerva said. “Damaging the skin or spilling the slime doesn’t do much to them, really. You have to attack the core directly to do any damage.”

“Well, that’s good, at least.” Applejack thought, before getting back to work.

It took Applejack a bit to adapt to doing things the hard way, but by the time lunch rolled around, she’d found her rhythm. Enough to be a little annoyed at having to stop. What was more than a little annoying was Sense Presence reacting to the crowd in the farmhouse’s kitchen.

“Hey, Minerva, is there any way to turn Sense Presence off? Or even just down?” Applejack asked, sitting down away from everyone else.

“Practice.” Minerva told her. “You just have to use it to learn how to tune out the unimportant stuff.”

“The unimportant stuff?”

“The things you sense will be different colors, depending on their intent. Currently, you can see red, for lust; mauve, for danger; and white for anything else, including neutrality.” Minerva explained.

“Mauve? Why mauve?”

“Because…red was…already taken.” Minerva answered slowly, after visibly thinking for several seconds.

“Probably just more of the Gestalt’s whimsy.” Applejack decided, with a shrug.

“Possibly.3 But whatever the reason, as your Perception increases, you’ll slowly be able to identify more intentions, and smaller amounts.” Minerva said.

“Hold on. Increasing my Perception gives me more detail about what emotions I’m sensing, but increasing the Skill Level gives me more range?” Applejack said skeptically “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“Maybe, but it’s easier to level up the skill than the Stat. Especially since you don’t get any experience for sensing neutral things.”

“This world is weird.” Applejack thought, shaking her head.

“Hey.”

Applejack looked up and saw a man with tan skin and dark stubble covering his head. He had slightly high cheekbones, and a slightly strong jaw, and was slightly handsome in general.

“You okay?” he asked. “I noticed you seemed a little jumpy earlier.”

“Ah’m fine. Ah, uh… Ah just learned Sense Presence this morning.”

“Ahh. Yeah, I remember that.” he chuckled. “I was traveling when it happened, so it was a few days before I reached a city. That was an experience I wish I could forget. Unfortunately, the only way to get used to it is practice. The first time is the worst, but every new level takes some getting used to.”

After a little more friendly conversation, the man introduced himself as Ricardo and sat down right next to her. They ate in a comfortable, peaceful silence, and when Applejack finished, she headed into the kitchen to visit the loo and mix her tea. Then it was back to the trees.

While they’d been eating, the slimes had been cleaning up after the storm, so when they got back, the first thing they did was dump the collected debris in the cart. The next few hours passed without incident, and after awhile, Applejack even got used to the slime moving in and out of her awareness.

Eventually, Elias called the workers in for supper, which Applejack again ate away from everyone else. While she was getting her grilled veggies and grits with shrimp, Applejack thought she saw a familiar head of red hair, but she couldn’t be sure through the crowd. The food was good, and the shrimp tasted better than she remembered, the one time she’d tried it back in Equestria. Dessert was a compote that was just as great as the cobbler the other day.

After the meal, Elias paid Applejack 25 coppers and two pints of cherries for the seventeen bushels she’d picked. Then she headed back to the village, along with most of the workers. Though since she was galloping, she arrived well ahead of them. For once, she didn’t change back as she approached the village, and since the guards recognized her as she approached, she just slowed down a bit, cantering all the way to Mirembe before transforming back.

Inside, she paid for a laundry basket before going up to her room to care for her weapons, which she’d forgotten to do yesterday. Something that had embarrassed her when she realized it, this morning. And when she was finished with business, it was time for pleasure. Which in her current mood, meant a bath.

When she entered the bathing chamber, the elf was drying off. And for the first time, Applejack didn’t see Marjani anywhere nearby. They nodded and said hello as Applejack started undressing. She threw her clothes in the basket, along with her jerkin, which still had small bits of her blood on it. She’d noticed the smell around noon, so had bagged it, since she hadn’t seemed to need it.

It was only a few minutes later, as she was washing herself, that she realized she didn’t know the elf’s name.

A bit later, soon after Applejack started soaking, Taki came in.

“Oh, Applejack. Hey.” he said, sounding unenthusiastic. He turned the water on and started undressing tiredly. A few minutes later, he sank into the water with a relieved sigh. A moment later, he looked over at Applejack.

“Okay, now I totally get why you laughed at me when we met.” he told her. “Farm work is not easy money. It may not be very complicated, but it is tedious.” Applejack snorted softly at that.

“Harvest is the most straightforward part. The rest of the year, you have to deal with planting, pruning, pests, weeding, watering, and bad weather, like storms and frost. And that’s when all you’ve got is trees. When you start adding in veggies and everything else, you gotta start taking crop rotation5 and other things into account, too.”

“How much planting do you have to do with trees?”

“More than you’d think. Trees die for lots of reasons. They get sick, or damaged, or just plain old. Storms like last night can knock trees over. As big as that orchard is, they probably need to replace a few trees every year.”

“Huh. That makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it.” Taki admitted.

“Ah do wonder why they don’t just have the slimes do the picking, though. They’ve got enough for all of us, so it’s not that don’t have enough.”

“Oh, that’s almost never a problem. Breeding them is faster than most beasties, and easier than some critters, even. They’re the weakest beastie in the world—they’re born with level one in all stats—but they grow a level every eight stat gains, which is pretty quick. And that’s important for breeding them, because you need at least two, at level ten or higher. And with dedicated training, you can manage that in a few weeks. Then you have them try to combine. Their bodies mingle just fine, but when their cores try to fuse, unless their combined Intelligence levels are over 150, they breed, and you get a bunch of weak slimes. If they are over 150, then they become a Huge Slime.” Taki added.

“How many slimes do you get…in a…a litter?” Applejack asked.

“A clutter.” Taki corrected. “A group of slimes is a clutter, especially when they’re weak or newborn. A pool is a more general term for a group, when they're all the same kind. Or an amalgam, when they’re big or strong enough to metamorphose, instead of breed. But there’s also a type of slime called an Amalgam, so you need to be careful about that. And some people call a group with multiple types of slimes a nest. But anyways…” he said, shaking his head.

“The size of a clutter is the average level of the two weakest members of the breeding pool. If you have two level elevens, for instance, then you end up with eleven level ones. If there are more than two in the pool, that increases the level of the newborns. Like with two level elevens and a level ten, then you’d have ten level twos, but if all three were level eleven or higher, you’d end up with eleven level twos. Adding a fourth would make them level three, and so on and so on.”

“You know a lot about slime breeding.” Applejack commented.

“A family in my hometown raised them. Basic slimes may be the weakest beasties in the world, but they’re also one of the most versatile. There are dozens of different beasties in the slime family, and the only ones that don’t metamorphose from basic slimes metamorphose from something that does.” Taki explained. “Besides, the skin is really useful.”

“It is?”

“Oh yeah. They can absorb just about anything through their skin, and when it’s removed, or they die, it usually dries up and falls apart in a couple hours. Like snakeskin, but faster. But with the right treatment, it becomes a stretchy, breathable fabric. I know the first step is soaking the skin in the creature’s own slime, but after that, I don’t know what else you’re supposed to do. Most tanners don’t. I do know the final product is used for underclothes. And for workout and bondage gear.”

“Really.” Applejack mused, surprised to realize she’d managed to go almost all day without a single sexual reference. Then she asked Minerva, “What’s a tanner?”

“Someone who makes or works with leather.” Minerva answered. “And by the way, your fitted panties are made of slime leather.”

“O…ka~y.” Applejack thought to herself, slowly. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to wear them after hearing that. Then she realized she’d been sidetracked from her original question. “Okay, so it’s definitely not because they don’t have enough slimes to do the work. Then why aren’t the slimes doing it?”

“Oh, right.” Taki said, remembering why they’d started talking about slimes. “Well, their bodies are generated magically, so the higher their Intelligence, the bigger they get. And right now, they’re just not big enough to reach, no matter how much they reshape themselves. So they’d have to climb the tree to reach them, and that would do all sorts of damage to the tree. Plus, while they’ve clearly been trained to only touch the stem, to avoid damaging the fruit itself, I don’t know if they could be trained to tell the ripe cherries from the almost-ripe ones.”

Applejack almost argued that that wasn’t necessary, before remembering that, with the way magic worked in this world, it was. “That does make sense.” she agreed, instead.

A little while later, Applejack got out of the tub and toweled off. As she dried her mane, she noticed Taki in the mirror, staring at her with more than friendly interest. Something that didn’t change as she worked her way down her body. While she was surprised at first, she found it a little arousing. Arousing enough that as she dried her cock, it chubbed up until she was more than halfway to a full erection.

“Would you like some help with that?” Taki asked, as Applejack slung her towel over her shoulder.

“Uh, thanks, but not now.” Sober, Applejack wasn’t very interested in one night stands. Especially not two nights in a row.

“Fair enough. In that case, I should probably get cleaned up.” Taki said. Despite that, he didn’t move as Applejack equipped a tunic. She didn’t mind walking around naked, but doing so with her dick at half-mast was just plain rude, in her opinion. Then she grabbed her basket and left the room. She found Rehema in the main room, where a few people were drinking at the bar.

After handing over her laundry, Applejack returned to her room, where she practiced with her handgun for about half an hour, until Subira delivered her laundry. The sight of her jerkin reminded her to ask about repairs. Subira told her that one of the farmers living to the west of town also did leatherwork.

After Subira left—and Applejack used the toilet one last time—she considered practicing reloading and reassembling some more, but her heart wasn’t in it. Practicing her sword kata also occurred to her, along with the fact she hadn’t practiced them in two days. Though she was slightly ashamed by this fact, she had to admit that the room wasn’t nearly large enough for her to practice in. Besides which, she was getting tired.

So she decided to go to bed and suck herself off.

Laying down, Applejack stroked herself slowly, but her cock sprang to full size in seconds. She spent over a minute stoking and licking her shaft before taking it in her mouth. After half a minute of sucking, Applejack felt her orgasm approaching. She considered backing off and going for a harder cum, but the failing light reminded her of what time it was, so she was soon cumming into her mouth.

“Congratulations! You completed some Quests.” Minerva said, after Applejack had cleaned herself up. (And Cleaned herself.)

“Ah completed some Quests. Ah know.” Applejack muttered along under her breath, before opening her Quest panel.

Day 8 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
21:23
TOTAL STAT POINTS: 1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 17
TOTAL SPELL POINTS: 1
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 3 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Noticing the time, Applejack realized she’d only been awake for, at most, fourteen hours. And after little thinking, she realized she’d only worked eight or nine hours. That made her wonder why she was so tired. Though a moment later, she vaguely remembered the Gestalt mentioning that she wouldn't have as much strength or endurance as she was used to. She’d need to level them up a fair bit it seemed, to get back to where she had been, in Equestria.

“Now, how do Ah want to spend those points? Ah do want to level up Sense Presence once or twice more, but not until Ah’m more used to it. Then again, Ah don’t need to save points for that, as long as those daily quests don’t stop. So in that case…Ah’d need… level four, so that’s five… Ah need fifteen points to level up my transformations, but is there anything else Ah want to level up, instead?”

After thinking for a couple moments, Applejack remembered that she had a shield she’d never used. After a little more thought, she decided to level her transformations and get one level of the small shield skill. Then she said good night to Minerva and got under the blanket.

“Good morning, Applejack!” As always, Minerva’s cheer was the first thing Applejack heard in the morning. “You have some new quests, and you gained some levels overnight. You learned Small Shield at level one, and your transformation skills are level five, so you can use them every hour.”

Applejack was distracted from the unexpected news6 by her bladder, and after checking the hallway, she hurried to the restroom. After her morning ablutions were complete, Applejack found that her morning was no less gloriously woody, so she sat on her bed. As she started sucking and stroking, she thought about taking it more slowly than last night, but about ten seconds in, her stomach growled. Which was, in fact, rather embarrassing. Even though there was—fortunately—no one else to hear.

So Applejack started sucking harder, and bobbing and stroking faster. It helped, but not enough. Which was when she remembered what else her hand could do.

Spreading her legs wider, Applejack moved her free hand to her damp pussy. She spent several seconds feeling it up, finding where everything was. Once she had more of an idea, she slid two fingers into her wetness, pumping them steadily. She couldn’t really focus on her g-spot—she didn’t quite have enough coordination for that and her blowjob—but she could move her slick fingers to her winking clit and rub it.

With the added stimulation of her clit, it was barely thirty seconds before Applejack came. As usual, she swallowed as much as she could, then cleaned up the rest with her fingers and then a spell, as Minerva announced that she’d completed some quests. Applejack decided to wait for later to check her Quest panel, since there was no reason to spend her points until she was about to go to sleep.

Getting up, she was a little embarrassed to see wet spots on the sheets left by her squirting pussy. As she headed to the restroom to rinse off, she wondered why she’d never noticed them before.

“It’s because you’ve never cum with your pussy during masturbation before; only your cock.” Minerva told her. “Futas like you can experience arousal and climax through either set of genitalia without involving the other, if they choose. Of course, they can also choose to experience it through both, too.”

“Ah thought you could only hear my thoughts when Ah thought at you?” Applejack asked, remembering a few times in recent days when the mini-divinity had responded to thoughts not directed at her.

“You really haven’t been keeping your thoughts to yourself, much. You’ve actually been broadcasting almost all of them. Subconsciously, I think.” Minerva explained. “It’s…sort of like…the telepathic equivalent of talking to yourself. Like how anyone around you could hear what you say, anyone who’s telepathically attuned to you could’ve heard your thoughts the last few days.”

Applejack considered everything she’d just learned as she rinsed off. The arousal thing was interesting, and something to remember. As for the lack of mental privacy, she decided it didn’t matter that much, before returning to her room to get dressed and heading downstairs. Though before heading into the main room for breakfast, she refilled and purified her canteens.

“Applejack, good morning.” Rehema greeted, as she entered the main room. “Would you like something to eat?”

“Yes, please.” Applejack said, pulling out four coins. A few minutes later, Sauda brought out her meal. Breakfast was grits and cherries—as usual—and scrambled eggs mixed with veggies and meat. Near the end of her meal, Taki came downstairs. When he paid for breakfast, Rehema spoke to him for a moment.

“Hey, mind if I join you?” he asked, looking confused.

“Nah, go ahead.” Applejack invited. “So, what was that about? Your reservation running out?”

“No, I’m paid up for five more days. She said the guildmaster wanted to talk to me. I don’t know what about though, and neither did she when I asked. On the topic of reservations, how long is yours?”

“Ah paid for a week on…the fourth, so…tonight and tomorrow.”

“Are you planning to stick around after that, or head somewhere else?”

“Ah…don’t know. Ah haven’t really thought about it.” Applejack admitted. “This village is nice—it reminds me of…home.” she said, just barely remembering not to say Ponyville. Then she remembered her character's backstory, and added, “But in a good way, though.”

“I think I know what you mean.” Taki said, as Flamme walked up. “It’s comfortable and homey.”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Applejack agreed. “Ah would like to see some more of the world, though.” Applejack wasn’t normally one for wanderlust, but she did want to find someplace she could get apples, if nothing else. She wasn’t as obsessed with them as some ponies thought, but she didn’t want to live the rest of her life without them, either. Besides, she figured the Gestalt would find some way to stop her from settling down in this village, since it didn’t seem very exciting.

“I understand that, too.” Taki agreed. “I probably won’t be able to go anywhere until this Greenskull issue is settled, though. Anyways, what are you doing today?”

“Ah’ll probably head out to the orchard again.” Applejack said. “Ah haven’t practiced with my sword in a couple days, so I might do that first. Ah would prefer to get there early though, so maybe not.”

“Yeah, it’s not a good idea to skip too many practices.” Taki agreed. “I’ll probably spend the morning training, myself. Or hunting, maybe. I might head out to the orchard after lunch, though.”

Applejack finished her breakfast soon after and wished Taki good luck before she left Mirembe. After thinking about it for a few minutes, she decided one more day wasn’t going to hurt her skills too much. So she headed for the south gate.

Applejack arrived at the orchard just as Hannah was leaving the house. She was a little surprised by that, but figured she’d been doing housework. Either way, Applejack got to see her first summon spell as Hannah summoned the naga from yesterday. The Soul Crystal glowed brightly, with the light growing to take the beastie’s shape, and then its colors, before finally solidifying.

Applejack rang the bell, and Hannah invited her onto the property. Then she summoned a slime for Applejack and pointed her in the direction of her spouses, as she directed the naga towards a different section of the orchard.

Walking through the trees, Applejack scanned the slime oozing/rolling/whatever-ing beside her and learned it was level one. As she reached the stretch of trees Hannah had sent her to, Applejack found Elias and Yanagi having sex up against a tree. She suddenly realized she’d been hearing them for a few moments now, but just hadn’t consciously noticed it. Applejack was so surprised, she stopped and stared.

Long enough for Yanagi to notice her.

“Applejack, you’re here early!” she said, sounding surprisingly happy for someone who’d been happened upon while having sex. Or “en flagrante delicto,” as Rarity had once referred to it. Then her eyes moved down and her smile grew wider, with more than a hint of lust. Without looking away, she whispered something to Elias, who had stopped thrusting but not done anything else, like pull out. He whispered back to her, and she whispered something else. Then he turned to look at Applejack.

“You wanna join us, Applejack?” he invited her, with a lusty smile of his own.

“It sure looks like she does.” Yanagi said. That made Applejack look down, and she saw her crotch bulging obviously. “Come on over here, sexy.”

“What, uh…what about Hannah?” Applejack asked, looking around for the satyr, despite knowing she was nowhere nearby.

“You can ask her to join if you want, but she’s probably too busy.” Yanagi answered.

“Even if she’s not, we’ll probably be done by the time you get back with her.” Elias added. “This was supposed to be just a quickie, after all. Though that’s probably gone out the window.”

“But won’t she mind?”

“No. She might be annoyed we didn’t tell her first, but she’ll understand it was spur of the moment. We’ll probably just have to make her the center tonight.” Elias explained, gently grinding against Yanagi.

“Yeah, so hurry up and join us, you sexy mare.” Yanagi repeated, humping back against her husband.

Applejack had absolutely no interest in coming between spouses, but if none of them had a problem with it, then that was another story.7 Ideally, she would’ve preferred to get Hannah’s explicit permission too, but she had no reason to distrust them. So Applejack approached the couple, bagging her clothes as she went. Though when she got close enough for Sense Presence to pick up on them, she froze for an instant and almost stepped back, before remembering that red was for lust, not danger. Fortunately, the other two were distracted by the reveal of what was in her panties.

“Ooh, you’ve got a cock, too.” Yanagi cooed, seeing the hard shaft. “In that case, you should know that my cunt is for family cocks, only.”

“She means my dick is the only one that she or Hannah will let in their pussies. Oral’s okay, though.” Elias clarified.

“Yeah, sorry if that wasn’t clear. And speaking of oral, let me down. I wanna taste her cock.” Yanagi said, unwrapping her legs from his waist. Elias gave her a couple more thrusts before pulling out, giving Applejack her first sight of his cock. It reminded her a lot of a bull’s cock. It was about half again as long as her hand, with a smooth, tapered shape and a reddish-pink color.

Once she’d dismounted, Yanagi kissed Elias quickly, before kissing Applejack much less quickly. As their tongues started to play, Applejack felt Yanagi’s hand stroking her cock. And a moment later, she felt Elias’s hand on her ass and his lips on her arm, though Yanagi and her tongue had most of her attention.

Eventually, Yanagi’s lips left hers and followed the line of her jaw, to her neck. At the same time, Elias kissed across her shoulders, groping her with both hands. Then, as Yanagi kissed down her throat, Elias turned her head and kissed her just as deeply as Yanagi had. He was a little more assertive about it. Rougher, too, and not just because of his beard.

Yanagi took her time working down Applejack’s body, stopping for a moment or two at her breasts. But eventually, she was on her knees, swallowing almost three-quarters of Applejack’s cock. After a few seconds, she switched to Elias, who broke their kiss to moan. Glancing down, Applejack saw that Yanagi had deepthroated her husband, her lips buried in the thick fur of his groin. After a few seconds, she switched back to Applejack. Then back to Elias.

“Oh fuck, I’m getting close.” Elias moaned, after a couple minutes of Yanagi switching back and forth. She immediately pulled off him.

“Do it.” she urged, stroking him quickly with one hand, while the other kept stroking Applejack’s cock. “Cum for me. Cum for us.” she added, running her tongue along one side of the red taper.

“Ugh, so close.” Elias groaned, his hips bucking. A second later, the first shot fired off, hitting Yanagi’s neck.

“Yes, that’s it!” she cheered, aiming his cock so the next shot landed on Applejack’s shaft. “Cum on her cock! Lube it up so she can fuck my ass!”

Yanagi’s words, combined with her hand spreading the hot jizz over her shaft, almost made Applejack cum right there, but she managed to hold back.

Several seconds later, Elias finished cumming, and Yanagi spent a few more seconds spreading his cum—a little thinner and clearer than Applejack’s—over her cock. Then she stood up and braced herself against a tree before pushing one finger into her ass. After pumping it several times, she added a second finger. Then a third.

Once she was sufficiently lubed and loosened, Yanagi spread her cheeks and wiggled her tail flirtatiously. Applejack absently noticed her tail was very different than a pony’s as she stepped forward. She grabbed Yanagi’s hip, spreading her wider, and aimed her hard cock with her other hand.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take much more effort to enter Yanagi’s ass than it had to enter Marjani’s pussy a few days ago. Pushing deeper was another story, though. Her medial ring, especially, gave her trouble. But a couple minutes later, Applejack’s hips were pressed against Yanagi’s round, firm cheeks.

After spending a couple moments observing the short, smooth fur that angled up Yanagi’s back, coming to a point about halfway up her spine, and the lighter green spots that decorated both skin and fur8—and also making sure she didn’t cum too quickly again—Applejack started pumping her hips. It took a bit to reach a comfortable pace, but they were fucking steadily soon enough. A minute later, Elias started groping her ass again. After massaging the globes for a time, he started circling her pucker with one finger.

“I hope this is okay?” he whispered in her ear, as his finger pressed harder, almost pushing inside.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Applejack moaned, not breaking her rhythm. She even managed to keep going as his finger slipped inside, apart from one extra-hard thrust into Yanagi. But when Elias cast Clean, and Applejack felt the tingle of magic wash over her insides, she slammed deep into the faun-woman’s ass, as her orgasm hit her suddenly. Which triggered Yanagi’s orgasm.

Eventually, Yanagi’s ass stopped spasming and milking Applejack’s cock. She pulled out, and Yanagi slumped to the ground and rolled over.

“That was good, but I wouldn’t mind a little more.” she sighed, gently teasing her pussy with her fingers. “You willing to go down on me?”

“Sure thing.” Applejack agreed, getting down on all fours. She’d just taken her first taste of Yanagi’s tart juices when she felt Elias’s hands spreading her cheeks and his tongue on her pucker. She just arched her back a little, pushing back against his mouth, as she ran her tongue up and down Yanagi’s lips, working around her fingers.

A moment later, Elias replaced his tongue with his cock, teasing her with the slender tip.

“You want this?” he asked, and Applejack thought quickly. Elias’s cock was about as long as hers, but even at its base, it was noticeably thinner than her own. After sucking and nibbling on Yanagi’s lips for a second or two more, she nodded. A second after that, she felt the thin tip almost effortlessly slid through her ring. Less than a dozen thrusts later, his hips were pressed up against hers. Applejack found it odd, but not exactly unpleasant. In fact, his cock was probably ideal for a first anal experience.

“Are you in her, lovey?” Yanagi asked.

“All the way, baby.” he confirmed.

“Fuck, that’s hot.” Yanagi hissed, squeezing her thighs around Applejack’s muzzle as she had a small orgasm. Applejack managed to swallow the first two squirts of cum as they fired off, and let the next two, smaller splashes fill her mouth before gulping heavily. Elias waited for his wife to come down from her orgasm before starting to move.

If Applejack thought just having something that long, hot, and hard in her ass was strange, then feeling it move was even stranger. But after a minute or so, it started to feel nice. It stretched her comfortably, but not enough to hurt at all. And the fullness quickly became pleasurable, making Applejack start pushing back in time with Elias’s thrusts. She even experimented with clenching the muscles in her lower body, until Yanagi pushed her back into her pussy. Then her focus shifted back to the furry slit under her lips.

Applejack let herself get swept up in the eroticism, losing track of the time. The next thing she noticed, Yanagi’s thighs were gripping her head again as the faun groaned huskily. She came a little harder this time, with the first shot catching Applejack off guard and splattering between her nostrils. She caught the next three, with the last one splashing her upper lip again.

As Applejack licked Yanagi’s groin clean, she noticed Elias speeding up. Seconds later, he came with a shout, holding himself all the way inside her. Feeling him twitching and spurting deep inside triggered her orgasm, and she shouted as her empty pussy clenched repeatedly, grasping at nothing.

The trio spent two or three minutes recovering, before Cleaning up (and off, and out) and getting dressed.

“Well, that was definitely fun, but we need to get to work.” Yanagi said, pulling her skirt up. As she did, Applejack noticed that her leaf-shaped tail fit her ass perfectly, being long enough to hide her dark star from view. Moreover, the tailbone fit perfectly in the groove between her cheeks, and the hairs curved around them naturally. Laid flat, it almost looked like she didn’t have anything below the waist at all.

“Especially considering it didn’t turn out to be much of a quickie, after all.” Elias said with a smile, as he pulled out a dozen baskets. He handed four of them and a ladder to Applejack, saying, “Here you go. Just pick a tree and get started.”

Applejack just nodded as she took them and started to walk away. Now that her lust was sated, she was feeling awkward about fucking her bosses. And their nonchalance about it was not as helpful as it could be. She didn’t get to think about it for long, though.

“Congratulations! You completed a quest!” Minerva cheered, a few seconds later.

“Ah did?” Applejack asked out loud, surprised.

“Yep!”

Applejack waited until she was three rows away from Elias and Yanagi before she set the baskets down. Then she opened her Quest panel and looked at it as she set the others up.

Day 9 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
08:09
TOTAL STAT POINTS: 1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 22
TOTAL SPELL POINTS: 3
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 3 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!) + 7 Skill Points (SEPTUPLE BONUS SCORE!!!!!!!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Sex Up a Cervine
2 Skill Points + 1 Skill Point (Right Up The Butt!) + 1 Spell Point (In Mother Nature’s Embrace!) REWARD DOUBLED!! (Full Threesome Bonus!)

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

“Maybe Ah should start checking quests in the morning.” Applejack thought. “Who’s Mother Nature?”

“An anthropomorphism of the natural world. Sort of like the Gaia Spirit, but more limited to living things and weather, but not things like rocks and soil.” Minerva simplified. “Ponies don’t seem to have an exact match. Probably because you control the plants and weather, and have a living connection with the Gaia Spirit. But in this case, it’s just a fanciful way of referring to having sex outdoors. It’s a very common thing, which is why the bonus is so low. The same for the anal sex bonus.”

“That makes sense. Equestria’s the same way.9” Applejack thought, as she set the ladder against the tree.

Applejack spent the rest of the morning working steadily, taking a few seconds every hour to cycle through her transformations. Like yesterday, she insisted on carrying the full bushel baskets to the wagon by hand, to help her Strength. Applejack didn’t know where Clarissa had been while she’d been fucking her parents, but the teenager was there when Applejack brought her first basket to the wagon. And the realization that she hadn’t even thought about the girl only made her more embarrassed.

When lunchtime came around, Applejack had a slightly easier time with the crowd as she got three gyros. She stayed in the kitchen long enough to mix her birth control before finding an empty corner, where she tore into her gyros like she hadn’t eaten in days. She was almost finished with her second one when Ricardo approached her.

“Hey. You’re adjusting, I see?” he said.

"Yeah, Ah’m getting used to it.” she agreed, as he sat down beside her, like yesterday. Also like yesterday, they ate in silence.

After lunch, it was back to the trees for another five hours, then supper. After which, Elias paid her thirty coppers and another two pints of cherries. Unlike last night, Applejack lingered, still trying to get used to Sensing crowds, so she was one of the last people to leave the orchard. She still managed to overtake most of the others as she galloped back to town.

She even managed to catch up to Taki, whom she was surprised to see riding Flamme. The tinderwolf seemed a little small for his rider, but Applejack shrugged it off, figuring she was just too used to Spike and Twilight. She slowed down a bit and kept pace with them until they reached Mirembe.

“Ah didn’t realize you could ride Flamme.” Applejack said, changing back.

“Not very well.” Taki admitted, getting off the beastie, whose sides were heaving. “He’s a little too small for me. But it’s the best way to train his Strength and Endurance, usually.” he added, opening the public house’s door for Applejack, letting the sound of singing out.

“Thank you.” Applejack said automatically, stepping through the door. She decided a bath was in order, after a quick visit to the restroom.

When she entered the bathing chamber, she discovered Taki had had the same idea, and was tiredly soaping himself up as he filled his chosen tub.

“Not gonna listen to…what was her name, singing?” she asked, starting to undress. She’d gotten the impression that he’d really liked the dwarf woman’s singing.

“Krakhini. And I thought about it, but I decided a bath was more important. And I might just go to bed after this. It’s been a long day.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Applejack started. She took a second or two to cast Clean on her clothes, before continuing. “What’d Mr. Rucker want this morning?”

“Oh, right. That.” Taki said, stepping into the tub. “Thistledown arrived from Silberwald with the mail yesterday, so Guildmaster Rucker wanted to know if any of us were interested in doing the next run. I’ve got some business with the Tamer’s Guild there, so I volunteered.”

“You did?” Applejack was sad to hear that. Taki had become a friend—or at least something very close to it—since she’d met him. “When are you leaving?”

“Well, it’s customary to give people two or three days to read their letters and write their replies, so anytime on the eleventh. The twelfth, at the latest.” he said. “And I was thinking, if it’s not too forward… You said you were only paid up for a couple more days, and you wanted to travel a bit more…”

“Ah don’t know.” Applejack answered the unspoken question. “Ah’ll have to think about it.” Part of her wanted to stay and finish the harvest, at least, but Taki’s offer was tempting. As she was considering, a question occurred to her. “Why are hunters carrying the mail? Isn’t there an official post office, or something?”

“Not really. Settlements big enough to have significant internal mail do have postal carriers hired by the mayor, or whoever’s in charge, but between settlements, mail is most often delivered by guard patrols, because they can reliably get it where it’s going. But since there weren’t any convenient patrols between Silberwald and Woodglen, and since hunters are—or at least, are supposed to be—gathering here to deal with the Greenskulls, that was the next best choice.” Taki explained.

“Mm-hm.” Applejack hummed thoughtfully. She spent the rest of the bath thinking. Eventually, she realized this would probably be her best and safest chance to get to Silberwald until the spiders were dealt with. And Celestia only knew how long that would take.

“So what time should Ah plan to leave? And what about your reservation?”

“Oh, I already spoke to Rehema about that.” Taki said, waving a hand dismissively. “Since it’s guild business, she’ll refund me for the unused time when I check out. As for when that’ll be… I’d like to say ‘after an early lunch,’ but I’d rather put in as many miles as I can. Or as we can, rather. So I’ll check with the mayor after breakfast. If he thinks everyone who’s going to send a letter has turned them in, we’ll leave almost right away. If not, we’ll wait until the next morning.”

Applejack agreed that that was a good plan, as she got out of the tub and grabbed her towel. Once she was dried and brushed, Applejack decided to have a drink. While she was equally comfortable dressed or naked, she wasn’t interested in putting herself on display for half the village. So she put on her tunic before leaving the room.

The main room was crowded, but Applejack had no trouble making her way to the bar. Which was being tended by Marjani, naked as usual. (Applejack was beginning to half-seriously wonder if the cat woman even owned any clothing.) Also as usual, she flirted with Applejack as she took her order.

Half an hour later, Applejack decided that two beers were enough for one evening, so she headed up to her room. Of course, as soon as she got comfortable on her bed, the beer caught up to her. So after emptying her bladder, Applejack got comfortable again, before remembering she had points she could spend. Fortunately, she didn’t have to get up to check her Quest panel and remind herself how many. After thinking about it for a couple minutes, Applejack decided to level up her transformations and her small shield skill.

Then she pulled the blanket up and said good night to Minerva.

Author's Note

1 Quarter = 8 Bushels = ~290 Liters. Also, 1 Pint = ~1/2 Liter
One of the finer details Applejack missed about the naga, is that the hands had four fingers and two opposable thumbs, one on each side of the palms. And very sharp, retractable, pointed nails.
Of course, the real answer is that I’m a Doctor Who fan. Are you my mummy?
Even if she knew the word pseudopod, she probably wouldn’t feel the need to use a ten-bit word like that, when tentacle worked just fine. And the same goes for iridescent.
Technically, earth ponies didn’t need to worry about crop rotation, since their magic could make up for the deficits. But in practice, they used several agronomy techniques to lessen the strain on their magic.
If, like Applejack, you expected level 5 to be usable every 90 minutes, just know that I did the math, and in the long run, it works better this way.
In Equestria, the difference between love and lust/sex is clearly understood and accepted, so all relationships are as open or not as those involved can agree on. Monogamy is not uncommon, but it’s by no means the expected default.
Yanagi is based on a sika, or spotted, deer, while Elias is based on a roe deer.
In a land where homosexuality and birth control have never been illegal, anal sex is just one more way for ponies to indulge. And big cities like Canterlot or Manehatten have a couple parks that are reserved for ponies who like having sex in more natural surroundings during heat. There are also persistent—but unsubstantiated—rumors that there are parks reserved for such purposes year-round.

And On the Seventh Day, She Rested (A Little…Sorta)

“Good morning, Applejack! Congratulations on leveling up. Your Small Shield skill is level two, and your Transformations are all level six, so you can use them every half hour. Your Life Magic also reached level six. And you have some quests.”

When Minerva finished her morning update, Applejack opened her Quest panel.

Day 10 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
06:12
TOTAL STAT POINTS: 1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 5
TOTAL SPELL POINTS: 3
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point*

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points*

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

Hankering For a Human
2 Skill Points*

“Wait a moment. Did Ah miscount last night? Shouldn’t Ah only have two Skill Points left?” Applejack asked, sitting up.

“You’d practiced enough you only needed to use five points to level your transformations.”

“Oh, yeah. Ah didn’t even think about that.” Applejack said, flipping the blanket aside, exposing her hard cock. After considering for a few seconds, Applejack started stroking her shaft and licking the head. Before long, she had half her cock in her mouth and was teasing her medial ring with her tongue. As she bobbed and sucked faster, she had to stop moving her hand.

After a couple minutes, Applejack felt her cock flare, and a second later, the first shot of cum filled her mouth. She swallowed it quickly. Then the second, and the third. The fourth shot overflowed her mouth, but Applejack didn’t let her cock out of her mouth. She just pulled back until the flare was behind her teeth, milking the rest of her load into her mouth. She managed to choke down one more mouthful before her orgasm ran its course.

After Applejack finished cleaning up the cum that had spilled out of her mouth, she went to the restroom, barely acknowledging Minerva telling her she’d completed some quests. Then she went downstairs for breakfast, detouring to fill her canteens on the way. When she entered the main room, however, she found that Sauda and Alder were still cooking breakfast. So Applejack sat down and while she waited, she planned her day.

She thought about going hunting again, but she couldn’t deny that proper training would do her more good. So while she wasn’t keen on spending the money, Applejack decided to train at the barracks. But not until she’d spoken with Taki, to make sure she had everything she’d need for the trip.

Eventually, breakfast was served, and Applejack ate slowly, waiting for Taki. Even so, she finished and had ordered a second mug of milk before he came down. As he ate, they talked about everything she would need. She had almost everything, and what she didn’t have, he did.

Except for rain gear, which he didn’t know where to get locally. They asked Sauda, who told them that one of the farm-wives made clothing. She usually brought them into the village once a month, but she also sold them out of her home.

“That wouldn’t happen to be the same person that does leather repairs, by any chance, would it?” Applejack asked.

“No, that’s her father. They live on the fifth farm out. It’s got an official name, but almost no one around here uses it. We just call it the Grün property. It’s called…oh…”. After several seconds of drawing a blank, she looked over her shoulder. “Mama, what’s the name of that farm?”

“Which farm?” Rehema called back from the kitchen door.

“The Grün farm.”

“The Grün…uh…Immergrün!”

“Immergrün!” Sauda repeated, face-palming. “That’s right. You’d think I’d remember that. I’ve only lived here my whole life, after all.”

“Ah guess Ah’ll be heading out that way this morning.” Applejack said, ignoring Sauda muttering in the dryad language. “Then Ah’ll probably spend some time at the barracks.”

“I’m gonna do some more hunting.” Taki said. “Make sure I’ve got enough food for the trip, for Flamme. I want to keep moving as much as possible, and I don’t want to leave the road unless we absolutely have to. Especially for the first day or two.”

“A day or two? Ah thought they were only a couple miles outside of the village.”

“A couple miles? Where’d you hear that?”

“Ah think Hannah said it a few days ago, but Ah’m not sure.” Applejack admitted after a few seconds.

“No, they’re more than half a day’s walk out. If they were only a couple miles, things would be a lot different. Everybody would be a lot more tense, and the guards would be doing a whole lot more. If they hadn’t already started the cull, they’d only be waiting for emergency reinforcements from Silberwald and Neu-Saxony.”

“Neu-Saxony?” Applejack asked

“A mid-sized town, eight or nine days south of here. Guildmaster Rucker sent them a request for help a few days ago.”

After talking for a little longer, Applejack and Taki left the public house. Taki headed west, but Applejack decided to swing by the bakery first. She bought a few pastries and a couple more sandwiches for the trip. Then she made her way to the western gate, and after speaking to the guards briefly—and learning just how far out her destination was—she cycled through her transformations and started galloping.

Forty minutes later, Applejack arrived at a gate hung between two spruce trees. It was labelled “Immergrün Visitors Welcome”, so she went through it and followed the path to the farmhouse. It was a bit of a walk, and by the time she reached it, there was a dryad woman waiting on the porch, a bird perched on her shoulder.

“Can I help you?”

“My name’s Applejack, and Sauda, at Mirembe, said Ah could get some rain gear here.”

“Sure. Come on in.” the dryad said, before whispering something to the bird, which flew off towards the gate.

As she climbed the porch stairs, Applejack briefly wondered if the dryad was like Fluttershy, before realizing the bird was most likely a summon.

“So what are you looking for?” the dryad asked, letting Applejack in. “I don’t have anything that’s really rainproof, but I do have a couple leather coats that have been treated to be water resistant. I’ve also got a few wool ponchos, though only one or two of them would fit you properly. I have a few boots, too, but no caparisons, I’m afraid.”

“What’s a caparison?” Applejack asked, as she followed the yellowish-gray woman through the house.

“It’s a lot like a poncho, but for quadrupeds.” Minerva answered.

Applejack spent the next ten minutes learning how to treat leather, to make it waterproof. And how to take care of it afterwards, to keep it in top condition. It convinced her to go with the tightly-knitted, finely-woven wool, despite the ponchos not allowing quite as much maneuverability as the coats. Though learning they had been waterproofed by being coated with the fluid from a slime-like beastie called a Gel almost made her reconsider.1

Then Applejack pulled out her boots, and the dryad, who had eventually introduced herself as Saguaro, told her that they’d already been treated. She also looked at Applejack’s jerkin, and said that the scratches and punctures were not as deep as Applejack had thought. They were, in fact, minor enough to not need fixing. So Applejack handed over 22 copper coins for the poncho and left.

When she reached the road, Applejack had a couple more minutes before could transform again, so she started jogging down the road.

Barely ten minutes after leaving Immergrün, Applejack slowed to a canter as she heard something large crashing through the woods on the north of the road. A moment later, a large deer with even larger antlers burst from the tree-line. The Celestia-white animal charged across the road, so close in front of Applejack that she not only Sensed it, but she had to back up several steps. She watched the deer bound away over the fence, with far more grace than his size would suggest.2

“Scan.” Applejack chuffed at the fleeing deer.

Hart Of The Woods – Lv. 5
HP: 74

Applejack watched the beastie run for a second more, impressed by the grace, before her ears picked up another creature in the trees and she turned to look. Just as a huge wolf leapt onto the road, close enough to make Applejack rear up on her hind hooves and step back. When the wolf turned to look at her, its snarling face was suddenly overlaid with mauve, and Applejack lashed out with one forehoof.

The canine yelped as it took the kick square on its muzzle, then snapped at her hoof, missing widely since Applejack had already pulled it back.

As her hooves landed on the ground, Applejack realized a couple things. First, she realized just how huge the beastie was. It’s body was longer than she was, and its bushy tail may have been, too. But the most alarming thing was its head. The beastie was tall enough that its head—which she also noticed was shaped differently than Flamme’s—would almost be level with her throat, if it wasn’t lowered. Which scared her enough that when she noticed the mostly grey body tensing up, she immediately reared up and lashed out with both forehooves. One missed entirely, while the other hit the narrow muzzle again.

The beastie snapped at her again, getting closer this time. It yipped a couple times, then swiped one paw at Applejack’s legs as she lashed out again. All three attacks missed, as did Applejack’s next two kicks.

After one more ineffectual kick, Applejack managed to rein in her growing panic enough to stop flailing, and a stare down ensued for several seconds. Then Applejack noticed the creature tensing up again. But instead of reacting immediately, she forced herself to wait a second before rearing again. She balanced on her hind legs for a few seconds, waiting until she saw it start to lunge forward before snapping her hoof out.

Applejack didn’t just feel but heard the muzzle crunch as her hoof connected squarely with the beastie’s nose. It pulled back with a growly bark, and Applejack risked pushing her advantage. She planted her forehooves, then twisted around and bucked with both hind hooves. One hit her opponent’s head solidly, while the other glanced off its shoulder a split-second later.

Looking over her shoulder, Applejack watched the wolf slink back a couple steps, and she backed up enough to keep it in range. Her next buck planted both hooves in its side, knocking it back a few feet. Expecting it to retreat after that, Applejack stopped her attack. Which proved to be a mistake a second later, as while Applejack was catching her breath, it sprang for her back.

Fortunately, Applejack had kept a cautious eye on it, so was able to react in time. While her hooves missed, her buck threw the creature’s aim off, and it ended up laid over her hindquarters, almost like it was trying to mount her. Instead of fully on her back, teeth around her neck, as it intended. That wasn’t enough to protect her from its scrabbling claws though, and Applejack screamed as she felt her sides getting ripped open.

Applejack bucked again, and this time, her hooves connected with its belly. Her next kick hit it square on the side of the head, leaving it both winded and dazed.

As the wolf tried to get its breath back, Applejack wondered if it was worth it to keep fighting, or whether it would be better to try running, so she cast Scan on it.

Giant Gray Fox – Lv. 4
HP: 17/48

Applejack barely noticed it wasn’t actually a wolf. Most of her focus was on its HP. Quickly realizing it had just over a third of its health left, she decided to finish it off. So she carefully stepped backwards, getting closer to the Giant Fox. As it struggled to get back on its paws, she took a second or two to carefully aim her buck.

As her hooves connected, Applejack felt the fox’s ribs and skull both break, and a split-second later, she heard it let out a choked yip when it hit the ground. And when it didn’t get back up, Applejack turned around to get a better look at the almost-dead fox. It was struggling to breathe, and its legs were kicking weakly. Despite that, she approached cautiously, noting that it had 6 HP left.

By the time Applejack was close enough for the Giant Fox to attack, its legs had stopped moving, though it was still breathing roughly. Knowing that the only decent thing to do now was to put the beastie out of its misery, Applejack took a deep breath and raised her hoof. Then she closed her eyes and stomped, caving in the fox’s skull.

A quick glance showed that the Scan panel was gone, meaning the fox was really dead. Then she lifted her hoof and tried shaking it clean. A little bit of blood and a couple bone shards came loose, but most of the blood and brain matter wasn’t budging. So she walked to the side of the road and wiped her hoof on the grass.

Then, as the adrenaline started to fade, the pain in her flanks and haunches made itself known, and Applejack stumbled. Hitting the fence, she neighed loudly, then lowered herself to the ground. A moment later, as her sides continued to burn, Applejack opened her inventory and pulled out a potion, only to discover she was utterly incapable of opening it. After a moment more of trying to figure out some way to hold onto the flask so she could unscrew it with her teeth, she grudgingly accepted that a horse just couldn’t open that flask. But a pony, on the other hoof…

“Sorry, but I can only physically interact with you. Nothing else.” Minerva said apologetically.

So it seemed that she was stuck with the pain until she could transform.

Unless someone else came along first.

“Hey!” a voice called a couple minutes later, making Applejack look over. She spotted a human with a weathered face approaching, with a rifle over his shoulder. And when he saw her move, he sped up, jogging up to the fence.

“Hey, I heard you screaming. You need some help?” he asked, as he got closer. Then he hissed softly spotting her sides, ignoring her nod. “Yeesh. That’s a yes. You got a potion? Good, 'cause I don’t.” he said with a small laugh, taking the flask from Applejack’s mouth.

“Alright, say ‘ah’.” the man said, once he’d opened the flask. Then, once he’d carefully emptied the thin liquid into Applejack’s mouth, he watched the deep scratches shrink. He also cast Clean on her, to remove the blood and get a better view of them. They didn’t close up all the way, but it was more than enough for Applejack to get back on her hooves and moving.

As she tested her mobility, Applejack watched the man walk over to investigate the Giant Fox. After a minute or two, he came back.

“I owe you a pretty big thank you.” he said. “If that thing had followed the Hart onto my property, someone probably would’ve died. Maybe even more than one, since I’m the only one here that can fight right now. The others went shopping in the village earlier, so it’s just me and the grandkids.”

Applejack nodded slowly, not sure where he was going with this.

“I don’t have a lot to offer, though. Our crops are still growing, so I can’t give you any of those.”

Applejack nodded again, trying to let him know she understood.

“About the only thing I can offer you right now is this…” he said, pulling out a Soul Crystal. It was five-sided, each white face bordered with green and decorated with an antler. “I know it’s not much, but if you wanna swing by for supper some time, you’re more than welcome.”

Applejack tried to indicate it was no big deal, but the best she could do was shake her head. He seemed to get the idea.

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to come.” he said, petting her shoulder a few times. “I’d stay with you until you’re ready to go, but I gotta go let the grandkids know it’s safe to come out of the house.” Then he climbed back over the fence and headed towards the distant house.

Applejack watched him go for a couple minutes, before looking at the Soul Crystal at her hooves. She wasn’t sure how to bag it in this form, or if she even could. But after carefully putting her hoof on the chain, she found she had no trouble. It was only afterwards that she remembered she should’ve scanned it first. Then she walked over to the fox’s body.

Seeing the crushed skull, Applejack couldn’t help staring for several seconds, feeling nauseated. Though despite her mental discomfort, she didn’t feel so much as a twinge physically.

“What’s going on?” she asked, after a moment or two.

“Unlike Equestrian ponies, horses can’t vomit.” Minerva explained, making Applejack look at her, instead.

“This world is so weird.” Applejack thought. Then she moved around to the other end of the fox, touched its tail, and bagged it. A second later, she spotted the Soul Crystal. It was a four-sided pyramid; grey, with tiny black speckles, and hints of brownish-red swirls. This time, Applejack remembered to Scan it before bagging it.

Giant Gray Fox – Increase Perception (Olfactory)

“So it increases my sense of smell?” Applejack asked.

“No, it increases all your senses. It’s just that it heightens your olfactory sense as much as the others, combined.” Minerva explained.

“Ah think Ah’ll hold off on equipping it for now, in that case.” Applejack decided, before bagging it and starting back towards the village.

When Applejack reached Woodglen, the mostly healed scratches were hurting more than a little, so she’d slowed down to a fast canter.

“What happened?” one of the guards asked, reaching out but not quite touching her haunches.

“A Giant Gray Fox.” Applejack said, after she changed back. She noticed the guard shoot a look at his partner, but didn’t know why. Or why the other guard seemed to be stifling a smirk.

“Is there anything we need to worry about?” the first guard asked.

“Ah killed the one Ah ran into, but Ah don’t know if there are any others.” Again, she didn’t know why the guard looked so surprised.

“Do you need a Healer?” the first guard asked, his tone unexpectedly gentle.

“Ah’ll need a healing spell, if Ah’m gonna do everything Ah need to today.”

“You should talk to Weide about that.”

“Ah need to talk to her, anyways.” Applejack realized.

“So you know where to find her?” the second guard asked.

“Just down the street from the guildhouse, yeah.”

“In that case, we’ll let you get going.”

“Have a good day.”

“You, too.” Applejack said, before heading into the village.

By the time Applejack reached Weide’s place, she was hurting badly enough that she was looking forward to the healing spell. Stepping into the house, she found the elderly dryad woman in the same room as the last time.

“Can I help you, dear?” Weide asked, spotting Applejack.

“Ah need a couple things, actually.” she answered, sitting down carefully.

“Healing first, I see.” Weide sighed, shaking her head. “Stand up and let me look.”

Carefully, Applejack stood up and bagged her jerkin and tunic, revealing the scratches.

“Not too bad.” Weide said, inspecting the wounds, which were bleeding slightly. “Regenerate. You should be fine in a minute. Now, what else can I do for you?” she asked.

“Ah’ll be leaving Woodglen tomorrow or the day after, and Ah’d like to stock up a little on birth control.”

“How much?”

“Maybe another nine days worth?”

“Three roots will be six coppers, dear.” Weide said a couple moments later, handing over the bulbous roots. "And I’d suggest either learning restorative magic or at least wearing a saddle blanket in the future.”

“A healing spell probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Applejack agreed. She briefly wondered how Weide knew she’d been attacked in her horse form, but chalked it up to the injury being beneath her jerkin. An injury that had already finished healing, she noticed. So she pulled out six coins and equipped her tunic.

A minute later, Applejack left Weide’s house and headed for the guildhouse. Inside, she found only Mr. Rucker, going over some books at the bar. He looked up when she entered, taking a pull from his mug.

“Morning.” he said. “You’re earlier than usual.”

“Ah just left the herbalist’s. Ah was on my way to the barracks to train. Ah could come back later if now’s not a good time.”

“It’s fine.” Mr. Rucker said, stepping out from behind the bar. “I could use a break from trying to calculate how much to pay for the cull.”

“Cull?” Applejack asked.

“In this case, a cull is when people kill a whole lot of a particular beastie or critter, to keep their numbers in check.” Minerva explained, as they walked back to the appraisal room. "It can also mean removing an animal from a population, if it's unfit for breeding, or sale, or any other reason."

“So, what have you got today?” Mr. Rucker asked, as Applejack opened her Menagerie. Though when the giant corpse appeared on the scale, his eyes went wide.

“Where’d you get this?” he asked, after a moment of speechlessness.

“On the way back from the Grün property. It was chasing a Hart of the Woods, then decided Ah’d be an easier meal.”

“On the way back? Where, exactly?” he demanded.

“Ah don’t know exactly, but Ah’d left Immergrün about ten, twelve minutes before it found me. So Ah was about a thirty minute gallop outside the village.”

“Did you tell the guards?”

“Ah told them what happened when they asked about my injuries, but Ah didn’t think to tell them where.”

“When anything unusual happens in the wild, you need to tell the guards everything.” he admonished her. “If you’re not sure if something’s unusual, you can always ask your mini-divinity. Or just tell the guards, anyway. But, you said you were headed to the barracks next, right?" Applejack nodded. "Then you can tell the commander when you get there.”

“How much of a problem is it, that they were so close?”

“They?” Mr. Rucker asked sharply.

“The fox and the hart.”

“Do you know what level they were?”

“The fox was level four, and the hart, level five.”

“That’s a bit higher than they should be, so close to the village. Hopefully, they were just displaced by the Greenskulls. Fates know, we don’t need another problem.” Mr. Rucker said, shaking his head. “But enough about that. Let’s take a look at this body.”

He spent a couple minutes examining the Giant Fox, pointing out several things Applejack hadn’t had a chance to notice during the fight. Like the fact that the fox was slightly malnourished, thanks to the spiders taking so much of the food. Its fur wasn’t as fine as it could be, but it was in pretty good condition. The meter-long tail, alone, would fetch a good price. And being omnivorous, like a bear—not the only thing the two had in common, Applejack thought—its meat was more than merely edible. And at nearly 100 pounds, there was plenty of meat to be had.

“Pretty good condition, overall.” Mr. Rucker eventually summarized. “I can offer you a silver and thirty for the whole thing.”

Applejack nearly choked at that. It was the largest sale she’d made yet, and more than twice what she’d made on any single creature before. But she hid her surprise fairly well, and quickly agreed.

When Applejack arrived at the barracks, she quickly sought out the commander, and she explained everything about the attack to the woman. Then she went out to the training grounds and found a dryad practicing with a short sword. After practicing the kata with him for a couple hours, she went back to Mirembe for lunch.

When she got back to the barracks, the dryad she’d been training with had left the training grounds. She found someone else to spar with, though he charged her three coppers an hour. Applejack did better than the last time, managing to score several hits, and even “kill” him once. When he slipped on something. She thought he’d be mad, but he congratulated her, saying that some people and several beasties would fake weakness to trick her into lowering her guard.

Around seventeen-thirty, Dwight left to go on-duty, and Applejack spent a little longer going through the kata solo, before returning to Mirembe. When she arrived, she ordered supper and joined Taki at his table.

“Hey, Applejack. Did you have any luck getting rain gear?” Sauda asked, bringing her the beer she asked for.

“Yeah, Ah bought a poncho.”

“That’s good. I got a few things for Flamme to eat, too. Anything else worth mentioning happen?” Taki asked.

“On the way back to the village, Ah was almost run over by a Hart of the Woods. It was being chased by a Giant Gray Fox.”

“A Giant Fox?” Taki asked, followed by Rehema and a couple others a second later, who wanted to know where it had happened.

“On the road, in front of the Merkel property.” Applejack had learned the name from the guard commander. “It attacked me when the Hart got away from it. Ah managed to kill it, but it scratched my flanks up pretty good. Ah was lucky Simon came to see why the Hart was on his property, or Ah’d have had to wait until Ah could change back to use a potion.”

“Wait, you mean you fought it in horse form?” Taki asked. “Isn’t a Giant Fox about the same size as you are like that?”

“Pretty close, yeah.”

“I’m impressed. But more importantly, did you tell anyone about the attack?”

“I told the gate guards when Ah got back, and the guard commander when Ah went to train. And Mr. Rucker questioned me when Ah sold the body.”

“Did you sell the Soul Crystal, too?”

“No, Ah kept it, though Ah haven’t mounted it on anything yet.”

“That’s good. It could be helpful on the trip.”

“How?”

“I like to summon a couple creatures to keep watch during the night, so I don’t have to. Usually an owl or two, but they’re really only good for detecting dangers. A Giant Fox would be much more of a deterrent. It might be a bit of a strain on my MP, but it’ll be worth it.”

Applejack almost asked why Flamme didn’t keep guard, before realizing that he wasn’t nocturnal. After that, their meal was mostly quiet. Taki did confirm that the he’d collected the letters from the mayor, so they’d be leaving around eight in the morning. Nine, at the latest.

After they ate, they moved to the bath. Applejack considered hiring a bath attendant, but decided not to splurge. She also briefly thought about asking Taki instead, but she actually wasn’t all that horny. After a quick bath, she went up to her room and spent an hour practicing with her gun, before one last restroom visit.

Applejack wasn’t very tired yet, but she didn’t have anything better to do, so she got ready for bed. As she did, Applejack checked her Quest panel, to see how many Skill Points she had.

Day 10 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
20:43
TOTAL STAT POINTS: 1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS: 17
TOTAL SPELL POINTS: 3
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 7 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

Hankering For a Human
2 Skill Points*

It was about what Applejack expected. Her first thought was to level up her transformations again, but she didn’t have enough to do all three, and couldn’t decide which one to leave unleveled. Her second was Sense Presence, but she remembered what Ricardo had said about having it in a town. And since an extra meter wasn’t that much warning, she decided not to bother just yet.

Thinking about earlier, an important question occurred to her. “Minerva, can Ah use healing spells in my horse form?”

“You can use Restorative spells as a horse, but only on yourself.”

“And what level would Ah have to be to learn a healing spell?”

“The first spell in the Restorative Magic school is a weak Heal spell.” Minerva told her. “It only heals one percent of your Max HP, rounded up, plus your Restorative Magic level. With both school and spell at level one, you would restore one percent of 130—which is 1.3—rounded up to 2, plus the school level of 1, for a total of 3.”

“That’s not a lot. Even at level two, Ah’d only get six HP back. No, wait. That’d be 2.6, which rounds up to 3. Plus two would be five. How much MP does it cost?”

“Fifteen.”

“That’s a fair bit of MP… But it’s still better than relying on potions Ah can’t even open. So Ah’ll level ‘em both up to level two.” she decided after a few seconds. Then she laid down and tried to go to sleep, but it was a while before she drifted off.

Author's Note

Just like Slime leather is a magical substitute for lycra/spandex—just naturally breathable, instead of needing to be blended with natural fibers—Gel “fluid” (for want of a better term) is a magical paraffin substitute.
Compared to Applejack, the Hart Of The Woods was about the size of Big Macintosh, and almost as muscular.

(We're Off On The) Road to Silberwald

“Good morning, Applejack! Congratulations on leveling up! Besides learning both Restorative Magic and the Heal spell at level two, you also raised your Short Sword skill to level four. And your daily quests have been renewed.”

When Minerva finished, Applejack checked the time. Since she had a while before breakfast would be served, she decided to take care of her morning wood. So she pulled the blankets back and wrapped her hand and lips around her hard shaft.

Three minutes later, Applejack licked the last traces of cum off her fingers and headed for the bathroom. Then she got dressed and headed downstairs. She made sure to top off her canteens before going into the main room for breakfast. Once again, she was a little early, but that just gave Rehema and her family time for some goodbyes. Flirty ones, in many cases, but no less serious for that.

“Hey, Minerva, does using Heal on a target that doesn’t need it still give experience?” Applejack asked as she waited for breakfast to finish cooking.

“Yep. You could cast it on a rock and still get full experience.”

“In that case, Heal.” she muttered quietly, casting it on herself. “Ah don’t want to drain my MP too much, in case Ah need it for real, later. Can you tell me when it’s back to full, so Ah can cast it again?”

“Can do.” Minerva agreed.

A minute or two later, the food was brought out. And a couple minutes after that, Taki entered the room, and was subject to his own round of goodbyes. Including a deep kiss from Mosi.

“This looks like a bit bigger portion than usual.” he commented, sitting down.

“Ah noticed that, too.” Applejack agreed. The plate had more of everything than usual, and an almost double serving of chevon.

“Eat what you can and save the rest for the road.” Rehema said, bringing out his plate, which was similarly burdened. She also brought out some cloths to wrap the leftovers in.

Applejack ate the grits and cherries first, then started on the eggs and potatoes. She ate a little of the meat too, but saved most of it for later, since the large slice of chevon was easier to store than the rest of the food. Taki did the same. And while they ate, they reconfirmed their plans. Which mostly consisted of putting as many miles behind them as they possibly could. They’d only stop for lunch, and only long enough for Applejack to make her birth control. The rest would be eaten on the move.

When they finished eating, they both ordered one last mug of milk before deciding it was time to go. As she got up from the table, Applejack left three coppers on the table, for the extra rations, and she noticed Taki doing the same. Taki collected Flamme from the courtyard, where he’d been eating his breakfast, and then they left. After one more brief round of goodbyes and farewells.

Outside, Taki summoned a deer and—with a little help from Applejack—climbed on its back.

“She’s not the best steed, I admit, but I’m still looking for a better one.” Taki said, as they headed for the village’s north gate. “Flamme won’t be able to carry me all day until he metamorphoses, and most of my other summons are smaller creatures.”

“What about the Giant Fox? Then you wouldn’t even have to summon it to—nevermind.” Applejack said, realizing the problem with that. “It’d be too tired to guard our camp.”

“Yeah, that’s the main reason Flamme doesn’t stand guard. He’s active all day, and he’s got to sleep sometime.”

“Then what about the Hart?”

“I don’t know. Those get pretty big, don’t they?”

“Yeah, it’s about half again as tall as me.” Applejack agreed. “And it probably weighs twice as much, at least.” she added in her head.

“That’s a little too big for me to ride. If I could even mount up on him, I’d probably break my neck if I fell off.” Taki pointed out. “Plus, they’ve got pretty good Stats, if I remember right. That means it’d be mana-intensive to summon. And if I’m going to summon the fox tonight, I can’t be using too much MP during the day.”

“Makes sense.” Applejack accepted.

A few minutes later, they reached the village gate, and after exchanging greetings and wishes of luck with the guards, Applejack transformed, and the three of them took off.

The morning had been fun, at first. Galloping nearly all-out had been invigorating, but by the thirty-minute mark, when they’d slowed to a canter—so that neither she nor the doe ran themselves lame—it had lost its shine. And thirty minutes after that, it had drifted into full-on monotony. To the point that when they slowed to a walk, Applejack transformed, just to change things up a little. She’d have struck up a conversation with Taki, but he was too focused on watching the woods for danger. Applejack kept an eye out too, but she couldn’t make herself focus as completely as Taki was.

The rest of the morning only got more boring.

They stopped briefly so she could boil her tea in the early afternoon, and Applejack got to see Flamme light the fire by coughing up a small fireball. They stayed only long enough for her to fix and drink her tea before getting back on their way. She and Taki both ate jerky and half a pint of cherries for lunch, and Taki shared a couple hard-boiled eggs with her. Applejack was a little freaked out at first, to learn they were over a month old, before Minerva reminded her that anything stored in someone’s inventory was held in stasis, so age wasn’t an issue.

Fortunately—Applejack did remind herself it was fortunate—watching Flamme spit fire was the most exciting thing that happened all day. The only other thing that happened that was worth mentioning was when they’d passed a good-sized clearing, late in the afternoon. When asked, Minerva told her that it was a campsite, which explained why there was an outhouse for them to use.

Applejack wondered how they dealt with the outhouses when they got full, and Minerva explained that summoners would come through occasionally with a slime-type beastie called a Sludge—or sometimes other creatures—that would turn the collected waste into fertilizer. Applejack knew enough to not ask for any more details.

Eventually, as the sun was starting to disappear behind the trees, they reached a smaller clearing—more of a wide spot in the grass lining the road—and Taki called a halt. He dispelled the doe, then summoned two great horned owls. He told them to patrol half a mile out, and to return to him if they found any spiders too big for them to eat.

While he was doing that, Applejack was making camp. Which mostly consisted of setting up the campfire for Flamme to ignite, since her tent had been fully set up when she pulled it out. Not that she was exactly unhappy about that. They’d pushed even harder after lunch, and she was tired enough that she was almost tempted to skip supper and go straight to sleep.

So she pulled out one of the sandwiches from the bakery and started eating it. Which only gave her another visceral reminder about the effects of stasis, when she burnt her tongue on the cheese that was still just as hot as when it had come off the grill.

While she let it cool, she handed the Giant Fox’s Soul Crystal over to Taki, and he summoned it. He ordered it to stay near the tents and alert them if anything that might be hostile got too close, before pulling out his own tent.

When he saw the tent, Flamme finished sniffing the fox and headed straight in, while the fox started sniffing around the camp. Applejack tried not to let her nerves show as the bear-sized creature approached her. The white overlay she Sensed helped a little, as did the simple curiosity in its eyes. Enough that she didn’t freak out when it got close enough for her to feel the air puffing against her as the fox sniffed at her. And enough to tell it no and tentatively push it away when its nose got too close to her sandwich.

When the fox accepted the order and the push as calmly as Winona ever did, Applejack relaxed some more. Enough to examine the fox a little more closely. She quickly realized it wasn’t really gray. Instead, it was mostly salt-and-pepper that despite creating a gray effect as a whole, didn’t hold up to any amount of close scrutiny. It had reddish accents in several places, a white chin and throat, and black marks on its nose. It also had a black stripe down its tail, Applejack saw when it turned around.

Then a wag of its tail—or her tail, rather—revealed a blatant absence of testicles. A moment later, Applejack caught an unnecessary glimpse of a dog-like vulva, further confirming that it was female.

As she turned her attention back to her food, Applejack tried to remember what a female fox was called. She didn’t think it was bitch, like dogs and wolves. Fluttershy had had a few at the cottage over the years Applejack had known her, but the pegasus usually referred to her animals by name, so that didn’t help. The only thing Applejack could remember was that babies were called kits. Or sometimes cubs.

That suddenly made Applejack wonder if the fox had babies of her own. She had no way to know, and could only hope not. Or if she did, that they were old enough to survive without their mother. Which was when Applejack realized that she had killed the fox. The very same fox that was, right now, lying just a couple meters away.

“No wonder the people in this world don’t have a problem with necroturgy.” she thought, her head spinning slightly from the epiphany. “Every summoner uses it.”1

“You’re not technically wrong, but most people never think of it that way. Most of the time, when people think of necroturgy, they’re thinking about the specific school of magic that affects corpses.”

“Wait, there’s a whole school of necroturgy?” Applejack asked. “I thought there was only the one spell?”

“Some spells are in two schools. It’s a way to gain experience without having to change classes. Summon Skeleton is just one spell in the Necroturgy Magic school.”

“What are the others?” Applejack asked without thinking.

“There aren’t many. Not as many as other schools. Mostly for raising dead enemies in varying conditions. As zombies, or skeletons, or even full resurrection. There’s also a spell for making the decay contagious, and one for absorbing a corpse for healing.”

“There is?”

“It’s one of the few spells people consider very useful, but even then, destroying the body means you can’t sell it later. So it’s mostly for emergencies, only. Necroturgy in general is considered inferior to summoning. Especially since you can’t use it to turn yourself into a lich, or otherwise cheat death personally. Plus, if you’re reanimating a body instead of using a Soul Crystal, then you have to actively drain your MP to keep the body animated.” Minerva explained. “You can use some of the spells in conjunction with a Soul Crystal, like Summon Skeleton, but in most cases, if you’re going to use the Soul Crystal, then you might as well just us Summoning Magic.”

“I see what you mean.” Applejack thought, before yawning. She quickly finished her sandwich and emptied the pint of cherries she’d started that afternoon, then went into her tent. Pulling out her sleeping bag—which she’d forgotten to do earlier—she climbed in and closed her eyes.

Late Spring 12, 4147 AA

“Good morning, Applejack! Congratulations on leveling your Intelligence up to 11. That means you have 110 MP, and can carry 1,100 pounds in your inventory.”

She barely paid any attention to Minerva’s morning recap as she got to her hooves. She needed to go. Badly. Stepping out of her tent, she noticed that while the sky was brightening up, the sun had not risen yet. A second later, she also noticed the Giant Fox looking at her, but Applejack didn’t pay her much mind either, as she quick-stepped towards the woods.

Though when the she-fox followed her, she paid a little more attention.

“Yeah, alright.” she decided, after half a second. “Come with me and make sure Ah don’t get ambushed with my pants down. That’d be embarrassing.” The giant beastie followed her into the trees and took up position facing deeper into the woods when Applejack stopped. Applejack was still a little nervous being so close to a creature that had attacked her just a couple days earlier, but her bodily needs were pressing enough that she ignored it.

Once she finished, Applejack cast Clean on herself, as she’d gotten used to doing when she took a dump. Then she tried to open a hole to drop her waste in, as she did when camping back in Equestria. Pulling her pants back up, she reminded herself that she couldn’t do that anymore. So she pulled out her shovel and dug a hole the human way.

When she was done, Applejack Cleaned and bagged her shovel, and headed back to the camp. Approaching the tents, she spotted some bones and bloody scraps nearby. They smelled a little too fresh to be Flamme’s supper, so the she-fox must have caught herself a meal. Walking closer, Applejack found a Soul Crystal among the remains. Picking it up, she cast Clean and Scan, confirming that it was a Giant Rat with a water affinity, as she’d suspected. Level three, according to the pattern of swirled dots.

A sudden low growl behind her made Applejack freeze as she bagged the Soul Crystal. A second later, she realized the she-fox was still close enough to Sense, and—more importantly—still white. That let her relax enough to turn and look. Just in time to see the fox take off towards the trees.

A second or two later—before she could do more than take a couple steps towards her tent—Applejack heard a distinctly rat-like squeal. One that cut off rather quickly. A few seconds later, the she-fox came out of the trees, proudly bearing a Huge Rat in her jaws. She carried it right up to Applejack, who thought she was about to be presented with a gift, the way cats sometimes did. Fortunately, the she-fox just laid it down beside the other remains and dug in.

Applejack had seen Winona catch a few squirrels and such on the Acres, but that didn’t make what ensued any easier. She busied herself with changing into clean clothes and building up the fire, so she at least didn’t have to watch, but the sounds were far too loud to tune out. Worst of all was her own stomach letting her know that it needed filling, too.

“Now that the sun is rising, your daily quests have been renewed.” Minerva told her a few minutes later. The reminder made Applejack kick herself for not remembering to spend her points the night before. She could spend them now, but didn’t see much point since she wouldn’t actually level up until the next time she slept.

Maybe five minutes after that, Taki and Flamme came out of his tent. After a quick, “Good morning,” they both headed into the trees. They were back soon enough, and Taki dispelled the she-fox, before pulling out a Giant Rat for Flamme, who dug right in. To Applejack’s mild annoyance, since she had started eating the leftovers from Mirembe a few minutes earlier, when the fox had stopped making so much noise. Now she had to listen to Flamme making all the same noises.

“I see the vixen caught herself breakfast.” Taki said, joining Applejack at the campfire.

“And a midnight snack.” Applejack added a second later, after remembering that vixen was the term for a female fox.

“That explains why I only found one Soul Crystal in the woods.” Taki commented, as he started on his breakfast.

“So, the plan for the day still the same?” Applejack asked, a few seconds later. Mostly so she’d have something to listen to besides the crunching of bone and wet tearing of flesh behind her.

“Yep. We should reach the next campsite around mid-day. That’s the halfway mark, and should be well beyond the Greenskull’s territory, so we can take it a little easier after that. It’ll also have a stream where we can refill our water supplies.”

“Good. Ah should probably buy another canteen when we get to Silberwald. Ah may not really need it, strictly speaking, but Ah’d feel more comfortable having it, all the same.”

“Yeah, it’s better to have too much, than not enough.” Taki agreed.

Not much later, they finished breakfast. Then they made sure the fire was completely out, bagged their stuff, and started out.

The rest of the day was much like the day before. With all the same monotonous tedium. Lunch had been jerky again, though Applejack had skipped the cherries this time, opting for several handfuls of the berries growing at the campsite, instead. She’d also eaten three or four slices of bread off the loaf she’d started with.

Though as promised, after reaching the campsite about half-past noon, they stopped pushing so hard. Applejack started transforming every half hour, when they changed pace, instead of every ninety minutes. They even stopped to camp a bit earlier than the day before.

The easier pace and earlier stop meant they had time and energy to cook supper. Applejack made a couple sandwiches with various supplies she’d bought in Woodglen, and even sliced up the mushrooms she’d found and fried them. She traded a few slices for a small piece of the meat Taki was cooking. Unfortunately, she didn’t think to ask what kind of meat it was until after she’d eaten it, and found it quite enjoyable.

She could only hope he didn’t notice her shock and mild nausea at learning she’d just eaten venison.

Eventually, she made her peace with the fact that she’d not only eaten deer meat, but enjoyed it.2 And not long after that, she decided to call it a night. After one last trip behind a tree—again, with a vixen escort—Applejack retired to her tent, where she Cleaned all the clothes she’d worn yesterday. Then—even though she was planning to sleep in them, in case of emergency—she did the same to the clothes she was wearing.

Before she put them back on, she decided to suck herself off. She was already mostly erect, and she figured it was safe enough, especially if she was quick about it. And, even if she might not want to admit it, a small part of her wanted to keep that bonus going as long as she could.

So she bagged all her clothes so they were out of the way, and grabbed hold of her cock. A few strokes had her at full hardness, and a few more had the first drop of precum welling up. After smearing it on her palm—and barely suppressing her moan of pleasure—she took the tip in her mouth.

Less than a minute of gentle bobbing, licking, sucking, humming and stroking later, Applejack felt her knees start to ache from kneeling on the ground, so she sped up her hand. A few seconds after that, she slipped her free hand between her legs and found her pussy. A few more seconds of teasing had her fingers wet and her pussy winking, so she moved her fingers forwards and focused on her clit.

Seconds later, Applejack felt her head flare behind her teeth, and a second after that, the first blast of cum filled her mouth. She swallowed it just in time for the second to replace it. And she swallowed that one just in time for the third.

Applejack tried to catch the rest of her load in her mouth, but the last shot was just a little too much. As her mouth overflowed, the cum poured past her lips, down her cock, and over her hands. Applejack hastily gulped down as much as she could, trying to catch the rest that had spilled so she wouldn’t stain the tent floor.

A few moments later, once she’d licked her hands and arms clean, Applejack stood up, groaning slightly at the pain in her knees that she was not at all used to. Then she saw the big wet spot left by her squirting pussy, and almost face-palmed. Instead, she just sighed and cast Clean on the fabric, as Minerva congratulated her for completing the quests. Then on herself, which left her with enough MP to cast Heal one last time. Her knees felt better, but Applejack hoped she wouldn’t need to cast any spells for a few hours, since she only had five MP left.

Climbing into her sleeping bag, Applejack opened her Quest panel, not wanting to repeat last night’s mistake.

Day 12 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
21:02
TOTAL STAT POINTS-1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS-38
TOTAL SPELL POINTS-0
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 7 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

Hankering for a Human
2 Skill Points*

“That’s…not quite enough points to level up my transformations twice.” Applejack thought, doing some quick addition in her head.

“With the experience you earned today, you’re four points short.” Minerva confirmed. “But if you transform even half as many times tomorrow, you’ll only be one point short, so completing any quest will do the trick.”

“So if Ah wait ‘til tomorrow, Ah’ll save three points? Then Ah think Ah will wait.” Applejack decided, before reequipping her clothes. “Goodnight, Minerva.” she added, as she got into her sleeping bag.

Late Spring 13, 4147 AA

“Good morning, Applejack! Congratulations on leveling up!”

“Ah leveled up?” Applejack asked sleepily, interrupting Minerva’s cheery wake-up.

“Yep! Your Willpower is level 11, so you recover one MP every five and a half minutes. And you learned the Gokkun skill at level 1!”

“Gokkun? What in Equestria is that?”

“Your ability to swallow large amounts of cum.” Minerva explained.

“…”

After freezing for a second, to confirm that, yes, she had heard what she thought she’d heard, Applejack sat up straight, quickly enough to make her dizzy.

“WHAT?!”

Recognizing the rhetorical nature of the exclamation, Minerva waited silently for Applejack to recover and open her Skill panel.

WEAPON
Pankration – 1
Short Sword – 4
Handgun – 2
Small Shield – 2
MAGIC
Life Magic – 6
Restorative Magic – 2
CRAFTING
Jewellery – 1
LIFE
Calligraphy – 5
Northern Continental Language – 7 | Orcish Language – 2
Cleaning – 4 | Cooking – 3 | Butchering – 2
Sense Presence – 2
SEX
Gokkun – 1
RACIAL
Transformation: Humanoid – 6
Transformation: Anthro – 6
Transformation: Horse – 6

“There are sex-related skills?” Applejack asked, then immediately followed up with, “There are a whole category of sex skills?”

“Of course. There are Skills for just about everything else, after all.” Minerva explained.

“Oh goodness.” Applejack muttered. “How many other sex skills are there?”

“A lot. Aside from the obvious ones, there are several specific techniques with their own Skill, like deepthroating, breast play, bondage—”

“Oh, sweet Celestia.” Applejack interrupted, dropping her head into hands. “Okay, that’s enough. Ah get the idea.” She sighed briefly before continuing. “Next question: How many of those Skills am Ah learning, right now?”

“See for yourself.” Minerva replied brightly.

“Wha—oh, right.” Applejack remembered. She braced herself before pressing the yellow button again.

WEAPONS
Pankration – 1
2 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
Short Sword – 4
1001 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
Handgun – 2
282 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
Small Shield – 2
300
MAGIC
Life Magic – 6
890 + 1500 (Ordinary Citizen)
Restorative Magic – 2
460
CRAFTING
Jewellery – 1
0 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
Alchemy
14
LIFE
Calligraphy – 5
1512
Northern Continental Language – 7
2978
Orcish Language – 2
306
Cleaning – 4
1479
Cooking – 3
683
Butchering – 2
347
Firemaking
15
Taming
9
Tracking
38
Foraging
52
Sneaking
10
Sense Presence – 2
347
Bathing
23
SEX
Seduction
7
Kissing
42
Gokkun – 1
101
Lingam
92
Fellatio
96
Yoni
18
Cunnilingus
56
Anal Insertion
10
PC Control
23
RACIAL
Transformation: Humanoid – 6
2268
Transformation: Anthro – 6
2268
Transformation: Horse – 6
2268
Warhorse
64

“That’s a lot of skills.” Applejack thought, finally remembering she didn’t need to talk out loud.

“Every skill with its name in bold and a number after it is one you have levels in.” Minerva explained, somewhat unnecessarily.

“How do Ah have experience in Alchemy?” Applejack asked, distracted for the moment from the sex skills.

“Making tea gives cooking experience, as does chopping plants. But if it’s a medicinal tea, then it also gives Alchemy experience.” Minerva explained.

“Ah suppose that makes sense.” Applejack admitted, before reading further down. “But what about Taming experience?”

“Giving orders to Flamme gives you one point. Though since his level is too high for you to make him obey, it’s only one point.” Minerva explained.

“When did Ah give him an order?”

“You told him to stop sniffing under your tunic, once. The rest of the experience comes from ordering the Giant Gray Fox to leave your sandwich alone the night before last and telling it to follow you into the woods yesterday morning.”

“Four experience per order?” Applejack wondered.

“It’s level four.”

“Okay.” Applejack accepted. She still didn’t remember ever ordering Flamme to do anything, but she shrugged it off and went back to reading.

“Wait, shouldn’t my bathing skill be higher than this? Or lower, since Ah haven’t taken that many baths?”

“It’s not about bathing yourself—that’s one thing that doesn’t have a skill. Minerva added. That Skill is about bathing others. Primarily people who can’t bathe themselves, like children, elderly, or invalids. That’s why it’s a Life Skill, instead of a Sex Skill, despite the sexual potential.”

“Oh. Right. The Sex Skills.” Applejack grumbled, reminded why she had this panel open. “Alright, let’s see what Ah’ve got.” she sighed, scrolling down the list.

“Seduction seems low—kissing is a Skill?”

“Are you saying it doesn’t take practice to be a good kisser?” Minerva asked rhetorically. “And most of your encounters so far have involved you being on the receiving end of seduction. Seduction involves convincing someone to have sex in more physical ways. Like flashing them, groping them, grinding up against them, or even doing certain dances for them. Flirting, on the other hand, is more verbal things, or smaller gestures. Like compliments, winking, batting eyes, subtle touches. It is a fine, and admittedly rather arbitrary and confusing, line between the two.” Minerva said apologetically. “You earned that experience with Krysta and Mari the other night, but you haven’t done anything GOD considers flirting.”

“Ah’m not really the subtly flirty type.” Applejack admitted. “That’s more Rarity’s thing. And then there’s…gokkun. Oh, sweet Celestia.” she sighed, face-palming again.

“Well, at least it’s better than calling it ‘Cum Guzzling’.” Minerva said, trying to make Applejack feel better.

“Not much. Not when everyone knows that’s what it means.” Applejack argued, shaking her head. “But there’s no changing it, so Ah guess there’s no reason to keep complaining about it.” she decided, drawing on her deep reserves of practicality. Then she sighed again, not recognizing the next word. “Ah just hope Lingam doesn’t turn out to be worse, somehow.”

“Lingam is pleasuring someone’s cock and/or balls with your hands. Or toys.”3 Minerva told her. “Yoni is the same thing, but for pussies,3 and Anal Insertion is the anal equivalent, whatever your partner’s sex. Though it also covers sticking your dick in someone’s ass. Minerva added.

“Yanagi.” Applejack figured out. Which made her wonder, “Does it include taking a cock in the ass?”

“No, that falls under PC Control.”

“Which is?”

“The pubococcygeus muscle—the muscle you flex to cut off the stream when you pee.” Minerva clarified before Applejack could even begin to ask. “Technically, it’s only that one muscle, anatomically speaking. But the Skill refers to your ability to control several muscles in the pelvic and perineal regions. You increase experience in this Skill by having orgasms, holding back orgasms, and by milking something that’s penetrated your cooch or your caboose.” That got Minerva a strange look. Though after a moment, Applejack turned back to the panel.

“So Ah’ve had 23 orgasms in the ten days Ah’ve been here?” she asked, trying to get past the awkwardness. Only to fall into a whole different kind.

“No, you get more experience for holding them back.” Minerva told her. “You could also get experience by interrupting your pee-stream for an unhealthy amount of time, but…”

“Unhealthy. Ah heard. And that just leaves…sucking and licking.”

“And all the Skills you haven’t gotten any experience in yet.” Minerva reminded her. “Like Analingus—”

“I…” Applejack interrupted. “I don’t need or want to hear about the rest of them. But what’s this Warhorse Skill?” she asked, noticing it at the bottom of the list.

“It’s your ability to fight in your horse form. It’s unique to equine Furred Races and centaurs.”

“Ah didn’t realize there were other Racial Skills, besides the transformations.”

“There’s also Steed, which determines how well you can work with a rider; Equine Empathy, which is how well you can understand equine critters and beasties, or equine Furred Races in their animal forms—”

“Ah get it, there’s a lot.” Applejack cut in. Mini-divinities seemed not to need to breathe, so it was like cutting Pinkie off. Only easier.

“By the way, you also have new quests.” Minerva said, changing topic smoothly.

“New-new, or…”

“Mostly dailies, but one brand new one you’ve never had before.”

Day 12 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
05:33
TOTAL STAT POINTS-1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS-38
TOTAL SPELL POINTS-0
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point*

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points*

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

Hankering for a Human
2 Skill Points*

Lay With a Lupine
2 Skill Points*

“What’s a lupine? Ah know Ah’ve heard that before, but Ah can’t remember where.”

“It’s another word for wolf, like canine and feline.”

“A Wolf? The closest things to wolves around here are Flamme and the vixen we’ve got standing guard.”

“Foxes are vulpine, not lupine. Though they do both also count as canines.” Minerva explained.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t change the fact that there are no wolves here.” Applejack argued.

“There’s one.”

“There is? Did someone else set up camp here after Ah went to bed last night?”

“Nope.” Minerva said, with an innocent shake of her head.

“Then who? Is there a traveler passing by?”

“Not right now.”

“You can’t mean Taki. He’s human, isn’t he?”

“He is, so no, I don’t mean Taki.”

“Then who? Is this just a general, in-case kinda thing? All the other quests have been based on the folks around me…” Applejack trailed off as something impossible occurred to her. Her eyes went wide and the rest of her face slack as another warped piece twisted itself into place. “Minerva, when Ah mentioned Flamme and the fox, you said that foxes aren’t lupine.” Applejack said. Actually said, out loud, as she tried not to let the image forming in her head finish assembling.

“Because they’re not.”

“But you didn’t say anything about Flamme.” Applejack pointed out. “Why didn’t…Nightmare Minerva warn me about…”

“About bestiality? Because it’s legal here.”

For the second time in ten minutes, Applejack needed a moment to accept what her ears had told her was true. And when she did, her reaction was the same.

“WHAT?!”

A moment later, though, Applejack realized she wasn’t nearly as disgusted as she should be. As she had been when she learned the word.4 Then, she’d been queasy all day, unable to shake the thoughts for long. There hadn’t been anything appealing about the images stuck in her mind, though.

“There haven’t been any laws against bestiality for 4000 years, give or take.” Minerva confirmed.

Bothered and confused, Applejack just got up, changed into clean clothes, and equipped her sword and gun. She tried (not) to imagine how sex with a tinderwolf would even work. After all, a big dog might be able to mount a pony—or even a smaller one, if the pony were to lie down—but how would that even work with the more vertically-aligned humanoid body, she (told herself she) didn’t wonder. Stepping out of the tent, she was too busy thinking about (anything but) bestiality to keep more than a cursory eye out for danger as she walked into the trees.

Pulling her pants down, Applejack pretended her hard cock was just morning wood—and it was, to an extent. It was a little hard to keep pretending after relieving herself, but she was stubborn enough that she could lie to herself far better than to anyone else. As she was burying her morning bowel movement, she suddenly Sensed a huge white presence behind her. Startled, Applejack spun around, coming face-to-face with the Giant Fox.

Unexpectedly being confronted by the giant beastie reminded Applejack of when it had attacked her. Specifically, when it had leapt on her back. And the remembered panic made her half-hard cock finally calm down completely. A minute later, she led the vixen back to the campfire and stoked it up.

While she was feeding some of the stockpiled wood into the fire, Taki and Flamme came out of their tent and headed for the trees. The vixen started to follow them, but Taki ordered her to stay. Three or four minutes later, they were back and starting on breakfast. Taki, seeing that the vixen hadn’t caught itself anything to eat, pulled out a deer corpse and gave it to the beasties to share. Applejack very determinedly did not look at them as they ate.

“There’s a storm coming in from the east.” Taki said, looking at the sky, as he started on his breakfast. “Should reach us late morning. Noon, at the latest.”

“Well, it is spring.” Applejack said, looking for herself. “Do you think it’s just rain?”

“I hope so. If not, we may have to stop early, and I was hoping to reach Silberwald this evening. At least the next campsite is a cave. We’ll be able to take shelter there, if we have to.”

The two of them ate steadily, in no rush. The weather would do what it was going to, when it was going to. Applejack was used to not having any control in that regard.5 Eventually, they finished and broke camp. When they were ready to leave, Taki dispelled the vixen and summoned the doe again.

After about three hours of traveling at the same easy pace as the previous afternoon, Applejack thought she heard something. Turning her ears forward, she soon identified it as metal jingling. A lot of it. She still had a few minutes before she could transform again, so she stepped closer to Taki and bumped him with her muzzle, instead.

“What is it, Applejack?”

Applejack flicked and twisted her ears a few times, then tossed her head, trying to point forward, once she discovered that her legs couldn’t.

“Yeah, I think the doe hears it, too, whatever it is.” Taki said, noticing his steed’s perked ears. “I can’t hear it yet, though. Is it something dangerous?”

Applejack couldn’t be sure, so she bobbed her head side-to-side in a “so-so” gesture that was as close as she could get to a shrug. She stepped away and turned her attention back to the woods west of the road, while keeping half an ear on the faint jingling as it steadily grew ever so slightly louder

“Now I hear it.” Taki said, a few minutes later. “It might be a guard patrol. It’s about time for them to be coming through.”

“Around here, guards spend as much time in their destination as they do traveling.” Minerva added.

Several minutes after that, four figures came around a bend in the road. As they got closer, Applejack realized that there were two dryads riding horses, a rabbit-eared person riding some kind of horse-sized cat, and a child-sized person—a dwarf, maybe?—on a large, white wolf. A moment later, she realized the rabbit-eared person was probably a Furred Race.

By the time the group was close enough to shout greetings, Applejack realized she was right about the rabbit-person. Except that she was female, unlike most of the guards she’d seen back in Equestria. Applejack was wrong about the supposed dwarf, though. The girl was much too slim for that. She looked like a smaller version of the elf back at Mirembe, but with jewel-toned butterfly wings. According to Minerva, she was a faerie.

Applejack also got a better look at the cat the rabbit-woman was riding. It was like a cougar, but a little slimmer all around, with a caramel-brown coat. It was also two or three times larger than the one she’d seen at Fluttershy’s cottage. And its ears were much larger than any other cat she’d ever seen, even considering the size of the rest of the animal, with long tufts of fur growing from their tips.

Curious, Applejack thought about Scanning it to find out what it was—

“Scanning a sapient without their permission is punishable by a fine of up to five silver coins, and/or up to five nights in jail. Scanning a guard or other crown employee comes with a minimum of three and three.” Nightmare Minerva spoke up, surprising Applejack.

“What?” she thought, before looking closer at the cat. When she did, she spotted the Ident Bracelets she’d missed before. Checking the wolf, she saw that it didn’t have them. “What kind of cat gets that big?” she wondered.

“She’s a Furred Race-Caracal. Past level ten, Transformation Skills allow you to change the size of your animal form.”

A minute or two later, the armored riders were close enough to talk without shouting, and they exchanged greetings. Then Taki struck up a brief conversation with the patrol leader, one of the dryads. It was mostly about the state of the road and the spider problem. The guards were on their way to Woodglen to help with the cull.

Even though she knew everything Taki was talking about, and even though she couldn’t join in the conversation, Applejack paid attention, all the same. At least until one of the horses whickered for attention. Applejack looked at the closer of the two—a solidly built, black mare with a shaggy coat and fetlocks to make any teenage colt jealous—and something about her stance, posture, and idly stomping hoof gave Applejack the impression that she might have an itchy left foreshoulder. So she stepped closer to the mare. Slowly, so as not to startle her rider.

When she was next to the itchy mare, Applejack realized she didn’t have any grooming tools she could use. Fortunately, she didn’t have a problem leaning in to nibble at the shaggy shoulder.

“Oh, thanks.” the mare’s rider said, leaning forward to scratch the itchy spot some more, at the same time Applejack thought the mare was asking to return the favor. She just stepped back with a shake of her head and returned her attention to the other dryad in time to hear that there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to worry about in or around Silberwald.

Which turned out to be the end of the conversation, and the guards started down the road. As the big chestnut stallion drew abreast of Applejack, he snorted roughly and flicked his tail. Applejack wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that. Not until she Sensed his presence shift quickly to red. Shocked, Applejack danced backwards a few steps. Far enough that when her eyes flicked down, she saw the head of his cock bobbing underneath him.

Taki gave her a look at her sudden movement, but didn’t say anything. He just lightly slapped the doe’s haunch to get her going. A second or two later, Applejack started after him, resolutely ignoring the warmth under her tail.

The rest of the morning was uneventful, except for the rain catching them a while before noon. It started off as a heavy drizzle, but it soon got heavier. When they saw the first flash of lightning, Taki suggested hurrying for the campsite, which wasn’t far.

When they reached the campsite, Applejack was a little underwhelmed by the cave. The entrance was almost twice as tall as she was, and not quite that wide. And nearly a third of that was taken up by a stream. A few meters past the entrance, however, it opened up a lot. Enough that Applejack realized most of the hill had to be hollow.

After taking a minute or two to catch her breath, Applejack shook herself off and transformed. She then had to feel her way to the nearest stalagmite and turn on the lamp mounted there. She had an easier time lighting the next couple lamps while Taki set up the fire for Flamme to ignite.

“What’s powering these lamps?” Applejack asked.

“Ambient magic, like in Equestria.” Minerva told her, confirming her guess. “Every appliance can use ambient magic, it’s just that anything much bigger than a large lamp—or too many close together, like you invariably get in kitchens—there’s just not enough ambient magic to support them, so you have to use Crystal Souls.”

Once the fire was going, Applejack joined Taki, who had changed into dry clothes and was hanging the damp ones near the fire to dry. Then they had lunch. Applejack made a sandwich out of rabbit jerky, lettuce, tomato, and one of the cheese wedges she’d started with. It turned out to be a mild white cheddar. What she didn’t slice up, she shared with Taki, in exchange for a couple more hard boiled eggs. While they ate, Applejack made her birth control, even though it was a little early.

Afterwards, they weren’t sure what to do to pass the time, so Taki suggested sparring. He had a couple practice weapons they could use, so they didn’t have to worry about injuries. With nothing better to do, Applejack agreed. She accepted the practice blade from Taki, and while he turned on a couple more lamps for better visibility, she equipped her targe, wanting to get some real practice with it.

They started slow, partly because they were full, and partly so Taki could give Applejack some pointers on shield use. Which wasn’t entirely necessary, since her two levels of Small Shield Skill had given her a little bit of muscle memory. It did take some getting used to, having her body moving on its own in ways she’d never practiced before, but half an hour in, Applejack was too focused on fighting Taki to let herself be distracted by anything.

Eventually, Taki called a halt, and they both visited the outhouses. Unfortunately, they were outside the cave. Once they were back inside the cave, Taki and Applejack decided to rinse the sweat off in the pool at the back of the cave. It was fed not only by the stream, but also by the rainwater coming in through channels in the ceiling that were meant to let smoke out.

“What’s that?” Applejack asked, when Taki flicked a switch on something on the edge of the pool.

“A Purify Water spell tool. Most places like this have one.”

“One of the duties of guard patrols is to keep campsites stocked with Soul Crystals. Usually either Blanks or really common creatures, like Huge Rats” Minerva added.

“How long does a Soul Crystal last?”

“Generally, they provide about a day of constant use per Stat Level. When they’re drained, they just disappear, like when they’re left uncollected in nature for a month.”

“Ah didn’t even think about that.” Applejack thought, as she slipped into the pool. The cool water came up almost to her navel, so she had to duck down to clean her upper body. Straightening back up, she Sensed Taki’s attention on her, but since his presence was white, she didn’t pay him any attention. She just wrung out her mane and moved towards the edge of the pool.

Climbing out of the water, Applejack wrung out her tail, and noticed Taki’s presence gain a solid red tint. She felt her nethers warming at the ‘sight.’ But when he didn’t say anything, she decided to tease him a little. She started by pulling out her towel and draping it over her head. As she dried her face and mane, she shifted her weight side to side, letting her tail swing.

Applejack felt herself getting warmer as Taki’s presence turned brighter red. After a few moments, she also felt her tail trying to rise, and saw no reason to resist. But still, all Taki did was watch. Even when she bent over to dry her legs and flagged her tail enough to give him a good look at her wet pussy. She wasn’t winking yet, but she knew it wouldn’t be very long.

“You just gonna sit there and stare, or are ya gonna come fuck me?” Applejack eventually asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate his restraint, but she’d appreciate it more when she was less in the mood.

“How—Oh, you know Sense Presence.” Taki started to ask, before realizing the answer. Then, before Applejack had to repeat herself, he started wading out of the pool.

Applejack turned around to get a better look at Taki’s body. He was lean and toned, like pegasi tended to be, and three or four inches shorter than herself. And when he climbed out of the pool, Applejack got her first look at his erection. Like hers in her humanoid form—which she immediately realized made sense—it had the same unusual head, though the blood filling it gave it an orange hue. It didn’t look quite as long as hers, but it looked about as thick, if not thicker.

“Oh, do you want me to transform?” she asked.

“Nah, I like the feel of fur.” Taki told her, gently running his hand down her spine. “But we should lay our sleeping bags out so we’ve got something softer than rocks to lay on.”

A few seconds later, Applejack was kissing Taki deeply, holding him close enough to feel his cock against hers. It was nicer than she would have expected, especially when he ground gently against her. His hand stroking her back was pleasant, too. But Applejack was impatient, so barely a minute later, she pulled away and got on all fours.

Taki immediately knelt behind her and grabbed her flagged tail. He stroked it a few times before pulling it further aside and pushing two fingers into her pussy. Applejack moaned softly at the feeling, pushing back against Taki’s hand. He added a third finger soon after, and then his tongue.

The pressure of his tongue against her winking clit made Applejack gasp and push back harder, but he backed off, not letting her rush things. He teased her for a couple minutes, before catching her clit with his lips as it winked and sucking hard.

Applejack screamed as she came, her pussy clenching around Taki’s fingers. Fingers that kept moving, drawing out her orgasm for several moments more, before Taki teased her down from her high and slipped his fingers out of her. Then he licked her clean and eased her down onto the sleeping bags.

Applejack took a minute or two to recover before rolling over and looking at Taki. His face was still wet with her cum, and he was slowly stroking his hard cock.

“You wanna do something more fun with that?” she asked, spreading her legs a bit.

“Definitely.” Taki agreed, getting up and moving between her legs. She watched as he lifted them so they were resting on his shoulders and aimed his cock at her entrance. He aimed his cock with one hand, rubbing the round head between her lips to get it wet. After a second, she started winking again, and Taki took that as his cue to push in. He didn’t reach as deep as Mosi, but he did stretch her a little wider, and she couldn’t help moaning.

Once he was all the way in her, Taki paused for a moment, before pulling back. He started slow, and once he had a comfortable pace going, he wrapped one hand around her cock. It had gone soft with all the attention focused on her pussy, but a moment or two of Taki’s handling had it back to full size. His hand alternately stroked Applejack’s shaft and teased her head. By tracing a finger around the rim, or the urethra. Or by rubbing his hand over the head and kneading it gently.

Taki never really sped up much, but after a few minutes, he moved his hands to her thighs and started thrusting more forcefully. Applejack replaced his hand on her cock with her own and started sucking the tip.

“Fu~uck.” she heard Taki groan, as his thrusts got even harder.

With all the stimulation, Applejack barely lasted a minute before she came. As she swallowed shot after shot of her cum, she heard Taki groan as he came, too. For several moments, they were both lost in the throes of orgasm, before Taki pulled out and cuddled up beside her.

“That was so hot.” he whispered, helping her clean up the cum that had spilled from her mouth. He even milked the last few drops from her softening cock and scooped them onto his hand. He was about to lick it clean when Flamme walked over and started nudging his arm.

“I thought you were supposed to be guarding the entrance?” Taki asked rhetorically, even as he held his cum-covered hand out for the lupine beastie to lick clean. Which he did eagerly, before moving to Taki’s face. “Alright, alright.” Taki laughed, though Applejack couldn’t miss that he didn’t push Flamme away. “She does taste good, though, doesn’t she?” Taki said, ruffling his head.

Unsettled by the casual bestiality—or borderline bestiality, at least—Applejack rolled away and got to her hooves. The sudden appearance of Flamme’s presence, with its growing red tint, only unsettled her more, and she headed back to the pool to rinse off. Unfortunately, her ears were too sensitive for the splashing water to drown out Taki’s voice.

“Not now, bud. You know the rules, and she doesn’t seem to be interested.” he said. “When we get to Silberwald, maybe I can find you a real bitch, for a change? Would you like that, Flamme? Huh? Would you?” he continued, his tone much more playful.

“Congratulations on completing some quests.” Minerva said as Applejack dunked her head, drowning out Taki’s voice. And more importantly, the noises of Flamme’s tongue. She didn’t want to think about what he might be licking, or why. She also didn’t want to think about what a real bitch might be a change from. So she leapt on the first unrelated thought to cross her mind.

“Why am Ah so horny today?” she asked Minerva. “Ah’ve dropped four boners in what? Eight, nine hours?”

“You’re approaching the most fertile phase of your menstrual cycle, called ovulation.” Minerva told her. “An increased libido three or four days each side of ovulation is not uncommon. An even greater increase is also a common side effect of several forms of birth control, including the one you’re using. Some people think it’s because the body somehow recognizes the decreased fertility, and tries to make up for it by increasing sexual activity, but that’s more metaphorically true than factually so.”

“Probably just the Gestalt being a voyeur.” Applejack thought, as she raised her head out of the water.

“Could be.” Minerva agreed.

“Does the Infertility spell you mentioned affect my libido?” Applejack asked, climbing out of the pool.

“No, it merely surrounds your egg cells with a magical barrier, so it doesn’t affect any other aspects of the menstrual cycle, like cramps, bloating, hormonal imbalances, and whatever else. That’s the main reason many people prefer to use herbs or potions, even though they’re not as effective. Then again, some people use herbs and potions for those reasons alone, and use the spell for birth control, since they don’t interfere with each other.” Minerva explained, as Applejack toweled herself off and got dressed. In as perfunctory and non-seductive a manner as she could.

Fully dressed, Applejack moved to the mouth of the cave to check her quests. And the weather, too. The rain seemed to be lightening up, and she suddenly realized she couldn’t remember when she’d stopped hearing thunder.

Day 12 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
15:11
TOTAL STAT POINTS-1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS-51
TOTAL SPELL POINTS-1
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 7 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Take a Ride With an Equine
2 Skill Points*

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

Hankering for a Human
2 Skill Points + 1 Spell Point (In Mother Nature’s Embrace!)

Lay With a Lupine
2 Skill Points*

“This counts as outdoors?”

“Even though it’s been modified by people to better suit their needs, it is a natural cavern, so yes.”

Before Applejack could say anything else, she Sensed Taki approaching. Turning, she saw that he was fully dressed.

“Hey. How’s it look out there? Any better?”

“Well, the rain’s more of a solid drizzle than the buckets it was earlier.”

“And I haven’t heard any thunder for…maybe ten minutes, now.” Taki nodded, before equipping a hooded raincoat and walking out to the road. He looked around for a minute or so, then came back.

“I can see blue sky east of us, and maybe a sliver to the north.” he reported. “The rain should let up in an hour or so.”

“That’s good.”

“If we left now, and really pushed ourselves, we should reach Silberwald just before sundown.” Taki suggested.

“And if we spent the night here?”

“Maybe half a day’s travel, if we took it easy.”

“Hmm. If we do reach the town, what are the odds of finding a place to spend the night?”

“From what I was told, it’s a pretty big town. It’s got to have at least a couple places to stay. And if that fails, there’s always the Hunter or Tamer Guilds.”

“But Ah’m not a guild member.” Applejack reminded him.

“No, but a big town like that will have a big guildhouse, with several rooms to spare. Not like in Woodglen, which only had the one.” Taki explained. “If we got in late enough, they shouldn’t have a problem putting us both up, since we’re travelling together. Though we might have to share a room. That won’t be a problem, will it?” he asked tentatively.

“Ah…Ah suppose not. As long as Ah don’t have to share a bed with Flamme.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Taki said easily. “He usually sleeps on the floor, unless it’s cold out. And while I can’t promise he’ll keep his nose to himself, I won’t let him go any further than that, if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“A bit, yeah.” Applejack admitted. She was trying not to be judgmental. He was not her only friend with a fetish she found distasteful. And it wasn’t even illegal, so there wasn’t much she could do, even if she wanted to risk offending her only friend for days around.

“Then I’ll try not to make it obvious.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard.” Applejack said, making up her mind. “We’ll be too busy running to do anything sexual.”

“Alright, then. You get your stuff, and I’ll turn the lamps off.”

A few minutes later, they were racing down the road. They galloped for forty-five minutes, pushing themselves as hard as they dared, before slowing to a canter. When they did, Applejack cast Heal on herself, in case she’d pushed too hard. She thought about transforming so she could cast it on Taki’s doe, but she didn’t want to break her rhythm.

And Applejack was pragmatic enough to admit that since the doe had already died once, and could be made fine just by resummoning her, running her lame would not be the disaster it would be if she weren’t a summon.6 Even if she didn’t like it.

Half an hour later, Applejack got to see Flamme in action for the first time when a Huge Rat wandered onto the road well ahead of them.

“Flamme! Doden!” Taki shouted, pointing at the rat, and Flamme charged ahead. After only a few strides, he barked loudly, launching a fireball. The projectile—almost as large as Flamme’s head—shot towards the rat and impacted its neck, where it exploded, knocking the rat sprawling. Seconds later, before the rat could do more then get back upright, Flamme pounced, his teeth latching onto the rat’s neck.

By the time Applejack and Taki reached them, Flamme was standing over a dead rat, his forepaws in a pool of blood. Taki dismounted the doe and set it to walking as he bagged the rat and the Soul Crystal. Then he caught up to the deer and jumped on her back at a jog, which impressed Applejack. She’d only seen Spike do that a few times, and he’d usually needed to hold onto Twilight’s mane to get it right.

Then again, Twilight was usually moving at a near gallop when they did it.

The rest of their trip was uneventful, and they reached the edge of the woods as the sun was edging behind the trees. When they passed the dropbox, Taki dispelled the doe and pulled out the mailbag. As he did, Applejack cycled through her transformations, ending in her anthro form, and they walked the last stretch. A couple minutes later, the trees opened up, revealing a three-storey, stone wall that stretched into the distance, as far as Applejack could see.

“That’s a town?” Applejack asked.

“Just barely.” Minerva told her. “Counting the farmers and ranchers living outside the walls, the population numbers over 9,800.”

The gate was manned by three dryad guards, all fully armored, except for the helmets strapped at their waists, and all carrying long guns. The one in the middle had his slung over his shoulder, while the other two had theirs in their hands.

“Welcome, travelers.” he greeted them, when they reached the gate. “Names and business?”

“Taki Daalmans, Applejack Anadolu, and my True Summoned Tinderwolf, Flamme. We’re delivering mail from Woodglen,” Taki continued, hefting the mailbag. “And I have business with the Tamer’s Guild.”

“The mayor has probably gone home for the day, but at least one of his aides should still be town hall.” the guard told them. Then he gave them directions to the town hall and the guildhouse, and passed them through the gate.

Within the stone walls, Applejack found that dryads made up the majority of the people on the streets, with more than a few humans, here and there. The rest were mostly Furred Races of different sorts. The streets weren’t very crowded at the moment, so Applejack didn’t have very much trouble with Sense Presence.

Thirty minutes of walking brought her and Taki to the town hall in the oldest part of the settlement. On the door was a No Pets Allowed sign.

“Do you mind staying out here with Flamme? I’d rather not put him in the menagerie just for the couple minutes this should take.” Taki asked.

“His level’s too high for me to control.” Applejack pointed out.

“Flamme. Listen to her and behave yourself until I get back.” Taki commanded. “There. Now you’ll be fine.”

After Taki headed inside, Applejack moved to a nearby bench and pulled out her last sandwich. As she ate, she noticed Flamme staring intently at her, but his presence was still white, so she figured he just wanted fed. She was too hungry to share, though. She mollified him with some petting, instead. When she finished the sandwich and started on an apple, Flamme turned his attention elsewhere, confirming her suspicion.

Taki returned a moment or two later, and they started towards a nearby public house Taki had been told about by the person he’d turned the mail over to.

“I just realized, I never asked you what you plan to do next, now that you’re here.” Taki said, when Applejack had finished eating.

“Mostly, Ah plan to collapse on a bed and figure out the rest in the morning.”

“That’s more or less my plan, too.” Taki agreed. “I imagine you’ll want that bed all to yourself though, right?”

“That depends on how much a room costs.”

“You don’t have to worry about that tonight. I’ll pay for your room.” Taki offered.

“There’s no need for that.” Applejack started to protest.

“You came because I invited you.” Taki insisted. “You’re here because of me, so I can pay for one night, at least. And the mayor’s office paid me for the delivery, so don’t worry about the money.”

“Well, Ah don’t object to sharing a room or a bed, so if you insist on paying…”

“I thought I just told you not to worry about the money?” Taki chuckled. “But if you insist, I’m not crazy enough to turn down a pretty woman asking to share a bed.” Three blocks later, they arrived at their destination. A large, five-storey building bearing a hanging sign over the door reading, “Hospitality.” Stepping inside the public house, they found the place noticeably less rustic than Mirembe. More important was the male dryad in the fine vest sitting behind a long counter.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“How much for a room for the night?” Taki asked.

“Normally, a single, standard room for the two of you and your summon would be 20 coppers, and would include access to the bath and both dinner and breakfast. But you’re too late for dinner, so I can knock off five copper.”

“That’s not a bad price.” Taki said, opening his inventory.

After getting the key and learning that breakfast was served from seven to nine, Taki and Applejack headed up to the third floor. Applejack was pleasantly surprised to discover the room was not only big enough for her to transform in, but it also came with a half-bath, which Taki let her use first.

While Taki was taking his turn, Applejack took the opportunity to cycle through her transformations one last time, before rechecking her Skill Points.

“51 Skill Points. That’s enough to level up my Transformation Skills twice, with…twelve left over, right?”

“Yup.”

“And that would be enough to increase my Restorative Magic to what?”

“Five, if you spent eleven of them. And you have enough Spell Points to raise the Heal spell to level three. Or you could learn Antidote tomorrow.”

“What if Ah cast Heal as many times as Ah could?” Applejack asked.

“Then you’d only need to use ten points, but everything else would be the same.”

“Hey, do you have any problems with me sleeping naked?” Taki asked, stepping out of the toilet.

“Not unless you have a problem with me doing the same.” Applejack answered.

“Not at all.” Taki smiled, before undressing and climbing into the bed. Applejack bagged her clothes and climbed in beside him. The bed was big enough for them to keep several inches between them, without being too close to the edges. Once she was comfortable, Applejack cast Heal eight times, then told Minerva to level up her transformations, Restorative Magic, and the Heal spell just before exhaustion overtook her.

Author's Note

I honestly didn’t even make that connection until Applejack did. Mostly because a spell-summoned creature isn’t real flesh and blood, but more concentrated magic mimicking it. Like Naruto’s shadow clones.

Also, the whole info dump about necroturgy was entirely unplanned. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted it to be a school of its own, until I started hashing it out as I went along.

Too quick, do you think? Oh well, if so, just chalk it up to GOD’s tampering. After all, this isn’t a dramatic character study about Applejack turning into a different species.
Wikipedia has some articles, if you’re interested. (Make sure you include the word massage to find the right articles.) It also has some NSFW pictures, so no direct links. I’m pretty much just borrowing the names, though.
A conversation with Fluttershy had touched on Winona’s wayward tongue. It had been the first time she’d seen the pegasus get so peeved. Fluttershy had understood that animals, not knowing better, would innocently misbehave, and that didn’t bother her. (It also wasn’t illegal.) But ponies choosing to cultivate that misbehavior—and more—was a different story, altogether.
As an earth pony, the only thing she could do about the weather was make suggestions to Ponyville’s weather team, usually through Rainbow. And considering those suggestions had to be balanced against everypony else’s in town—and then Ponyville’s needs had to be balanced with everywhere else, nationally—they seldom amounted to much.

That, or complain about it, which was also usually directed at Rainbow. But those tended to accomplish even less, resulting in explanations about how her bosses in Cloudsdale determined the weather schedule, and only gave her so much wiggle room. Often followed by complaints that those same ponies were out-of-touch idiots.

Actually, it does take a dispelled summon time to recover, but only 1/60th as long as it would if the creature was recovering naturally. Though in a pinch, a summoner can spend (generally a lot) more MP to force it.

On The Town

“Good morning, Applejack! Congratulations on leveling up!” cheered Minerva, first thing the next morning. “Your transformation skills are level eight, so you can transform every seven minutes. Your Restorative Magic is level five, which means your Heal Spell—which also increased to level three—now restores nine HP. Also, at level five, you can start learning the Antidote Spell. And in addition to those, you learned the Lingam and Fellatio Skills at level one.”

“Great. Two more sex skills.” Applejack sighed to herself.

“Your daily quests have also been renewed, but no new ones.” Minerva added.

“Ah’m sure as hay not gonna do anything with Taki sleeping next to me, no matter how horny Ah might be.” Applejack thought, getting out of the bed. She thought about getting off in the toilet but found it less than conducive to the getting in the mood. So after washing up a bit and checking the wall clock, Applejack headed downstairs for breakfast.

In the dining room, she discovered that breakfast was set up as a buffet. So she grabbed a plate and some silverware and started filling her plate. Mostly, she went with fruit, berries, and scrambled eggs, but she also took a couple slices of toast. She even grabbed a couple slices of bacon, before realizing it probably wasn’t haybacon.

Sitting down, she poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table and decided to try the bacon first. The first bite was…not very good. There was a little bit of sweetness, but it was well hidden by the almost ashy flavor. Applejack ate half the crispy, paper-thin strip of meat, hoping it would get better, but it didn’t. So she drank half a glass of water and moved on.

Applejack had just finished when Taki finally came in. She waited for him to fill his plate and join her.

“Not gonna finish your bacon?” he asked, biting into a piece of his own. “Never mind. This is why I prefer thick-cut. The thin-sliced stuff is too easy to burn. Lucky Flamme’s not picky.” he added, breaking the rest of the slices to test them, then bagging them when they proved just as overdone.

“So what are you planning to do today?” Applejack asked, sliding her plate across the table.

“I need to stop by the Tamer’s Guild and sell some Soul Crystals. Which reminds me…Here.” he said, pulling out and handing over the Giant Fox’s Soul Crystal. “After that, I don’t know. What about you?”

“Ah’m not sure. Ah want to get that canteen, like Ah said before, but Ah don’t know where to look for one.” Applejack said. “Ah also want to replace the couple healing potions Ah used in Woodglen. Ah’ve still got three weak healing potions and a couple antidotes, but better safe than sorry. And Ah’d also like to pick up a book or something else to pass the time when there’s nothing better to do, like yesterday.”

“I don’t know where to find any of that, either.” Taki said. “We should be able to find out at the guild, though. If you want to come with?”

“Sure.” Applejack agreed. While Taki ate, Applejack did some pony—that is, people-watching. Not that there were many people to watch. Two dryad women at one table and a blue-skinned man with animal ears at a second. The dryads were discussing something seriously, frequently raising their voices loud enough for Applejack to hear them clearly. But they were speaking in their native tongue, so despite their volume, Applejack didn’t understand a single word. The Furred Race man was eating quietly, with a book in one hand.

Applejack soon started to wonder where the proprietor was, and eventually got an answer when the dryad came out of the kitchen with a covered tray. A second or two later, Applejack realized that he hadn’t introduced himself last night. She wondered why, but shrugged it off after a moment, figuring it had to do with what time they’d arrived.

When Taki finished, he and Applejack collected Flamme from the courtyard, left through the gate, and headed north, towards the Tamer’s Guild in the Second District. As they walked, Taki explained what the mayor’s aide had told him last night about the districts.

Like most settlements, the near-city had started as a simple village. As it grew, they’d eventually replaced the wooden palisade with the stone wall it had now. And as it had kept growing, they’d had to start building outside the wall, which had of course, necessitated building new walls. The citizens had considered it not worth the effort to tear down the now-redundant sections of wall, merely adding several new gates, instead. As a result, Silberwald had become informally divided into two sections. The old/original village and the new village. The next time the growing town had expanded enough to need new walls, the sections had been officially renamed Original, First, and Second Districts.

“Nowadays, Silberwald has six districts. We’re in the Original District, also known as District 0, right now.” Taki finished, as he and Applejack passed the fifth or sixth small park. Though it was really more of a small grove taking up a corner lot.

Even after just a few minutes of walking, Applejack had noticed the city had more greenery than Ponyville. In fact, now that she actually paid attention, she realized there was something on every block. A stand of small or medium trees here. A grassy alleyway lined with flowers or shrubbery there. The occasional shade-tree tall enough to be visible over buildings. It was very nice, and Applejack wondered if it was a dryad thing, or something more multicultural.

The gate was a little more crowded than the street but passing through wasn’t any worse than mealtime at the orchard. On the other side of the gate, there were slightly more people on the streets, and they were dressed more casually. Except—or maybe especially?—the occasional naked person. Applejack didn’t bother to count them, but she guessed maybe one in twelve or fifteen people were completely bare.

It actually reminded her of some areas of Canterlot.

Eventually, they arrived at the Tamer’s Guild. The walls were covered in a mural with more creatures than the average zoo, frescoes of a myriad of different creatures higher up, and the roof and balconies were decorated with a host of colorful statues. Inside, there were about a dozen people, three or four of whom had summoned creatures of some sort with them. Mostly critters, but there was one terrier-sized yellow slime.

Several of the people were sitting at tables, drinking—coffee, judging by smell filling the room—but a couple were browsing at a glass-fronted counter that ran most of the length of the room. The shelves inside were lined with small baskets full of Soul Crystals, Applejack saw, as she and Taki approached the plum-skinned woman behind it.

“Good morning, how can I help you two?” the elf—up close, her pointed ears were more visible—asked.

“Morning.” Applejack replied.

“Good morning. I need to sell some Soul Crystals, and maybe see if you’ve got any interesting ones.” Taki explained. “But before that, we were hoping you could give us directions to a bookshop and/or a travel supply shop. And I assume a town this size has a training hall?”

“Two, actually.” the elf woman confirmed. “There’s one about a dozen blocks northwest, and another one in District 5. And most of the specialty shops are in District 3, north of here. And of course, we have a fight pit out back, if you want to train your summon.”

“A fight pit?” Applejack asked, appalled and disbelieving.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s just a way for summoned creatures to spar safely.” Minerva reassured her. “After all, combat is best way to train, since it lets you practice tactics as well as Skills and Stats.”

“But in a pit?” Applejack questioned.

“That’s just safer all around.” Minerva pointed out. “You’ve seen Flamme spit fireballs, remember? Imagine if he missed, or his opponent dodged. Out in the open, collateral damage would be a major risk, but in a pit, it’ll just hit the walls or arc off into the sky.”

“What about a shield spell?”

“The Shield Spell is intermediate Aether Magic, so not many people can cast it. Which also makes Shield spell tools rare and expensive.” Minerva said.

“Aether Magic?”

“One of the ten elemental schools of magic.” Minerva told her.

Applejack had more questions, but she put them aside when she heard Taki ask for directions to an apothecary. There was one in every district, which wasn’t much of a surprise, in retrospect. The nearest one was just a block west of the training hall, but the one in District 3 was less than half a dozen blocks from the bookshop.

Applejack got exact directions, let Taki know she’d probably swing by the training hall to check it out after she finished her shopping, then left the guildhouse. As she made her way north, she continued to see the occasional naked person. On the other side of the gate, the number decreased to about one in twenty, but there were even more people on the streets.

It took Applejack half an hour to reach the apothecary, which turned out to sell a lot more than just potions. After looking around for a couple minutes, she picked up a canteen that cost fifteen coppers and a deck of cards for two more. Reading wasn’t her favorite pastime, so the cards would give her some options. And help her Dexterity, as Minerva pointed out. Then she spoke to the dryad running the shop about refilling her empty flasks. That was another twenty coppers. She also bought a flask of lube for six coppers.

Before she left, Applejack got directions to the bookshop. When she got there, she spent quite a while skimming the shelves, looking for something that interested her. Eventually, she settled on one book about farming, and a large, second-hand collection of adventure stories. She hoped it would give her some idea of what creatures she might expect to encounter, or what skills might be useful.

After spending another twelve copper, Applejack started heading back towards District 2. She still planned to stop by the training hall, like she’d said, but she probably wasn’t going to stay very long. After all the money she’d just spent, she would prefer to earn a little back before spending on anything she didn’t need. Especially since she’d need to buy lunch.

Though she didn’t have much idea how to make money, except for hunting. She didn’t exactly have any marketable skills, after all. Except for Cleaning, but she didn’t think her level was high enough to get a job doing it. The best she could do would be to find some physical labor somewhere. If her Stats were high enough, of course.

Applejack was distracted from her thoughts by a sign on a building just past the gate.

“What’s a tattoo?” she asked Minerva.

“It’s a little bit like a non-magical version of a cutie mark.” Minerva started, before explaining more in-depth. How they’re applied, and the different kinds. The idea of getting a tattoo of her cutie mark crossed Applejack’s mind, but she dismissed it almost immediately. She didn’t miss her cutie mark quite enough to put up with the pain. And temporary versions like henna were probably too expensive. Though she might reconsider later, once she was more financially secure.

When Applejack reached the training hall, she was not very surprised to find that it was pretty much a gym. She was surprised by the fifteen copper cover charge, though. And the rates for trainers, none of which were less than six coppers an hour. Most were ten or more.

“It’s a lot cheaper to train with the guards.” Applejack thought.

“The guards are also drawing a salary from the crown, so they can afford to charge less.” Minerva pointed out. “For most of these trainers, this is their primary or even sole source of income.”

“Yeah, okay, that makes sense.” Applejack admitted, looking around for Taki. When she didn’t see him, she left and started back for the public house.

A couple blocks away, she thought she’d gotten turned around somehow, since she seemed to be approaching the Tamer’s Guild. Except that it was on the wrong side of the street. And as she got closer, she noticed other details that set this building apart. Different statues, for one. And no paintings on the walls. At least none visible past the topiary.

Also, the statues were anatomically correct, Applejack realized, as she walked past the first one. She tried not to stare at the variety of strange—or in some cases, strangely familiar—creatures atop the wall, and their detailed genitals. As she walked past the wide-open gate, she read the sign over the front door.

Beastie Brothel

Seeing that, Applejack froze for an instant, before forcing herself to walk on. She tried to tell herself it meant something else—maybe it was a place to have sex with Furred Races in their animal forms. But the small statues along the wall, and the bigger ones on the building, with their vivid, stony arousal, mocked her attempts.

A block or two later, she sat down on a bench shaded by a tall tree, with lots of strong, spreading branches. What a pegasus back home would call a roosting tree. Applejack tried again to tell herself it hadn’t meant what she thought. That it was just a name, chosen for…whatever that kind of wordplay was called—she couldn’t remember at the moment.

“Maybe it really is just a brothel for transformed Furred Races.” she tried to tell herself. “That wouldn’t be too bad.” She really wasn’t too bothered by that idea. After all, those forms were a lot closer to what she was used to, from Equestria. As long as all those involved were sapient, it didn’t count as bestiality.

“But those statues…” she thought, her attempt at self-deception crumbling again. Eventually, she gave up and asked, “Minerva, was that place really a brothel just for…bestiality? Or is it just somewhere to take pets, maybe?” she asked, as the idea occurred to her. “Like Taki was joking about? Or for breeding Tame pets, or whatever?”

“It’s where you can hire beasties for sex, for whatever reason.” Minerva said. “And breeding or just treating a summon or pet is not unheard of, but it’s mostly for people who want to fuck something more exotic, that they can’t find otherwise.”

Applejack was stunned for a long moment.

“Now, Ah…Ah know you said that bestiality isn’t illegal here, but still. A brothel that caters to that, just right out in the open?” she asked, finding it hard to believe.

“Bestiality isn’t just ‘not illegal;’ it’s completely legal. The appearance of the Furred Races and Manimals complicated the issue for a world that only had one confirmed sapient species before that, and the laws were eventually changed. Then repealed altogether. Four millennia later, it’s not only legal, but very common. It’s estimated that more than eighty percent of people have had some kind of sexual interaction with a non-sapient creature. Even if it’s just exploring a creature, letting one lick them to orgasm once or twice, or just simple voyeurism.” Minerva said, stunning Applejack again.

“…”

“Eighty percent?” she eventually managed.

“Less than half of those ever go beyond experimenting. And most of those who do, keep it more of an occasional thing. Like hardcore domination, most people are more likely to dabble, than to make it a full-time lifestyle.” Minerva explained.

“That’s still a whole lot more than Ah ever would’ve imagined.” Applejack commented, still in shock. “Wait. What do you mean voyeurism? Do you mean watching creatures having sex with each other, or…”

“Or having sex with other people, yeah.” Minerva finished.

“Is that really very common?”

“In some places.” Minerva nodded. “The city of Rana, for instance, where Yanagi is from, has herds of deer living in the parks. Mostly spotted deer, but there are a couple small herds of cervine beasties, too. They’re free to roam anywhere in the city, and anyone can walk right up to them and talk to them, pet them, feed them, or whatever.”

“Even have sex with them?”

“There’s a few places in the city where you’re not supposed to, but for the most part, as long as you’re not blocking streets or doors, no one will object to you stripping off and enjoying yourself with a buck or doe.”

“What about the deer?”

“They’re technically Wild, but they’ve been living with people in that city since before the Advent1, so they’re as docile as any summoned creature. They’re so used to people that they’ll walk right up to you and ask for things. They’ll rub on you if they want petted, bow if they want fed, or nose your crotch if they want sex.”

“Wait. So it’s up to the deer?” Applejack asked, baffled.

“You can also proposition them by lightly petting their back ends, right around the tail, or by exposing yourself for them. They’ll make it perfectly clear whether or not they’re interested.”

Minerva’s words had an image forming in Applejack’s head, of her slipping her fingers under a deer’s tail, rubbing them against a vulva that looked like Yanagi’s. She shook her head to get rid of it, but it was replaced by a miniature Hart of the Woods licking the tip of her hard cock.

“Damn this heat.” she thought, noticing her real cock was getting hard too, despite herself. “Ovulation, whatever.” she corrected herself, before Minerva could. She told herself that the near absence of disgust was because she was still thinking of deer as sapient.

“There are other settlements where bestiality is a normal, or even celebrated, part of their culture, too.” Minerva said.

“Celebrated?” Applejack asked automatically, before realizing she probably didn’t want to know, after all.

“Some settlements hold parades or contests—”

“Contests—never mind, Ah don’t wanna know.” Applejack added quickly. Wanting to change the subject before she figured it out for herself, she thought desperately, trying to come up with something else to ask about. A few seconds later—and just in time, as ideas were beginning to creep in—she managed to remember something she’d meant to ask earlier.

“You mentioned something about elements, earlier?”

“Right. There are ten elemental schools of magic.” Minerva started, projecting a diamond in front of Applejack, with each corner labeled. “Earth, air, water, and fire are the four primary elements. You can learn spells from those schools any time. Or spend Skill Points on them. The six secondary elements only become available after reaching level 20 in two of the primary elements. Earth and air unlocks the Aether Magic school, which includes spells that don’t fit anywhere else, like Shield, Magic Blast, and Telepathy, which allows it’s targets to briefly communicate without needing to talk. It’s very useful when dealing with intelligent opponents, as it lets you adjust plans mid-combat without your opponent hearing you.”

“Sounds like unicorns back home.” Applejack thought, looking at the two lines that had grown out from opposite corners and converged, creating a bottomless triangle across the middle of the diamond

“There is a fair bit of overlap.” Minerva admitted, as two more lines grew out, making a triangle with one side of the diamond. “Earth and water unlock Wood Magic, which can create things from different kinds of wood, and control plants. Earth and fire unlock Metal Magic, that can throw flechettes, and sharpen or reinforce weapons and armor, among other things.”

“Air and water unlock Ice Magic, and air and fire unlock Electricity Magic, both of which are fairly straightforward.” Minerva continued, as more triangles grew from the diamond. “And finally, water and fire unlock Void Magic, which controls shadows, and does a few other things.”

“Right.” Applejack thought absently, studying the diagram in front of her, that now looked kind of like a 3-D starburst.

Thinking about magic made Applejack suddenly realize that she’d been depending on her Clean spell since leaving Woodglen, which meant she hadn’t had a proper bath in almost four days—a couple quick dips in the cave pond didn’t count. Applejack did understand the importance of regular bathing, despite what Rarity might think.2 She just didn’t think they needed to be as frequent or thorough as the unicorn did.

That in mind, Applejack decided to head back to the pub and take a bath. When she arrived, she found Hospitality’s bathing chamber almost identical to Mirembe’s. The biggest difference was that it had six tubs, instead of four. Applejack also found the blue-skinned man who was at breakfast. He was sitting on the rim of the tub, rinsing his short hair.

Though Applejack did wonder why she was thinking of him as a he, since those small breasts didn’t belong on a guy. “Then again,” she thought, as her pants suddenly got tighter, “A dick doesn’t belong on a girl, either.”

“Like I told you back when you were creating your character, gender is how you see yourself. He self-identifies as male, despite the female anatomy, so he must have set his gender as male at a temple somewhere.” Minerva spoke up.

“A temple?”

“Shrines allow you to change your Class, and are found just about everywhere. You can even find them in dungeons, sometimes.” Minerva added. “In a temple, you can change Class and gender, and even make some minor cosmetic changes. Things like hair color, eye color, how tanned your skin is—or how sun-bleached your hair and/or fur is. You can't add or remove any body parts, but you can change the size of certain parts. But only by one size at a time, and only once a year. Temples can be found in nearly every city, and many larger towns. Including here in Silberwald. Cathedrals, which are found in metropolises and some national capitols, allow you to change pretty much anything except your Race.”

“So there’s no way to change my Race, then?” Applejack asked, turning on the water.

“Not permanently.” Minerva confirmed. “There is a Metamorphosis Potion, but it only lasts about an hour per dose.”

“Metamorphosis? Like what beasties do?”

“Exactly. You can turn into just about any race or creature, so long as you have a sample of their hair, or skin, or blood.”

As Applejack waited for the tub to fill, she undressed, casting Clean on her clothes. Which made her realize she hadn’t been practicing her transformations or her spells. Annoyed, she shook her head and told herself she had to do better.

A minute or two later, Applejack stepped into the water and started washing. While she was rinsing the last of the shampoo out of her tail, she noticed the Furred Race man getting dressed. Out of nowhere, it suddenly clicked, what his round ears reminded her of. Harry.

“So, he’s a bear, then.” Applejack thought, pulling the plug. Once the tub was empty, she refilled it and settled in to relax for a while, and to recover her MP.

Her cock wasn’t cooperating with her, though. So after a couple minutes of trying to will herself soft, Applejack gave up and, since she was alone in the bathing chamber, she gripped her cock and started stroking it. The water kept her hand from moving very quickly, so it was a slow climb to the edge of orgasm. When she got there, she slowed her stroking even more, edging herself for a long moment. Then she took the head between her lips and suckled gently. She couldn’t take more than an inch without her muzzle dipping underwater.

It didn’t take very much longer before Applejack felt her head flare, and a second after that, relief washed over her as the first shot hit the back of her mouth. She swallowed the first four shots before choking and pulling off. She milked the last few spurts of cum out, then used her fingers to stir the clumps into the water.

“You completed some quests.” Minerva told her unnecessarily, as she finally relaxed.

“Your MP is fully refilled.” Minerva said some time later, startling Applejack out of her doze. The water had gone tepid, so she got out quickly and pulled the plug, casting Heal as it drained. Feeling a touch chill, she turned on the hot water and splashed it on herself, before pulling out her towel and drying off.

Once she was warm and dry, Applejack got dressed and went out to the courtyard, where she enjoyed the sun as she made a meal from things in her inventory. She also made her contraceptive tea and filled her canteens. Then, with nothing better to do, she pulled out the book of adventure stories. Skimming the table of contents, Applejack didn’t find any that particularly stood out, so she flipped to the first one and started reading. It was about an ogre who left his home on the southern tundra for the Western Elven Forest.

Applejack read for about an hour and a half, until her MP was full again. She’d gotten about a third of the way through the first story in the collection, which was enough for her, for now. Feeling the need to move, she decided to take a walk.

“So, what should Ah do now?” she wondered a couple minutes later, passing a grove where an elderly couple were sitting on a bench, enjoying the shade.

“I could start teaching you meditation.” Minerva offered.

“Ah’m not planning to change class anytime soon, but Ah suppose that’s no reason to procrastinate.” Applejack mused.

“Meditation is good for more than just class changes.” Minerva told her. “While meditating, your Willpower is boosted by your Skill level, making it very useful for magical training.”

“Ah’ll bet.” Applejack agreed, deciding it was as good an idea as any. Instead of heading back straight away, she wandered the streets a little while longer. She didn’t pay much attention to the buildings around her, but she did notice a restaurant. When she looked through the window, it looked like it might be more expensive than she wanted to pay for.

When she got back to the room, Applejack used the restroom, then sat on the bed and crossed her legs, the way she’d seen Zecora do. Then she spent an hour struggling to keep her mind clear. By the time her MP had refilled, a bit before 17:00, she thought she pretty much had the hang of it. And when Taki and Flamme returned, startling her out of her trance, she realized she’d been in it for over an hour.

“Hey, Applejack. You have dinner yet?” Taki asked, as Flamme hopped up on the bed beside her. The tinderwolf gave her a quick sniff and a lick on the cheek before sprawling out.

“Not yet.” Applejack answered, just as she noticed a band around Flamme’s hind leg. It had a Soul Crystal on it, with a lot of sides. More than she wanted to take the time to count. Each facet was ruby-red, with bright blue, marble-like veining.

“Then you should come down and eat now. I spoke to Mr. Bierman, to pay for tonight and tomorrow, and he told me that dinner’s only served until 20:30.”

“Alright, sounds good.” Applejack agreed, giving Flamme a few awkward pets, remembering the day before. She climbed off the bed, stretching her stiff legs, and followed Taki to the dining room, where two women were entertaining the dozen or so diners. They were singing a slow, romantic song as the dryad cuddled the human tight against her front. Taki and Applejack found a table and ordered a roast turkey. Applejack ordered a pint of ale to drink, while Taki went for something darker.

A couple minutes later, Applejack was surprised by how big the bird was, compared to the chicken she’d had in Woodglen. And then how small it was, compared to a live turkey. It smelled good, but it was a little too hot to eat, so she started on the vegetables as the singers started swaying together, to a faster song.

“So, after dinner, I was thinking about giving Flamme a bath, and that usually goes easier with two people. Would you be willing to help? No funny business, I promise.” Taki said after a few minutes, as he cut a leg off the bird.

“Alright. Ah got nothing better to do.” Applejack agreed, copying Taki. Tasting it, she discovered it was a lot stronger than chicken, but she liked it all the same. She couldn’t get through more than one leg and half the thigh before she was full, though. So she bagged the rest. A few minutes later, Taki finished eating and bagged the rest of the bird.

As they cleaned up, the singers started a salacious number. Applejack didn’t notice at first, but when she did, she looked over and saw them running their hands over each other erotically. After watching them caress each other for a few seconds, Applejack felt her cock twitching. She focused on keeping it down while she headed for the bathing chamber. Taki and Flamme arrived a minute after she did, by which time she’d regained control of herself and started the water running.

At least until Taki started stripping.

“What’re ya doing?” she asked, a bit upset.

“I don’t want my clothes getting wet.” Taki explained reasonably. “Besides, I’m going to take a bath myself, afterwards.”

Applejack realized he had a good point, especially if Flamme liked to play in the water, like Winona. Or even worse, if he hated baths, like Naomi had.3 So she bagged her tunic, pants, and brassiere, but she kept her panties on. She didn’t want Taki to see her drop a boner and get the wrong idea. A second later, Applejack realized her panties wouldn’t actually hide anything, so she bagged those, too.

“So, what is that?” Applejack asked, seeing Taki remove the band from Flamme’s leg.

“It’s a Salamander Soul Crystal.”

“A salamander? You mean like the amphibian?” Applejack asked, confused. “A huge one, or something?”

“No, a Salamandyre. D-Y-R-E—some people pronounce it salaman-dire. It’s a species of wyrm, which is in the draconic family of beasties. A lesser fire serpent, in other words.” Taki explained. “For every hundred experience Flamme gains, it gives him 34 Fire Magic experience. It makes getting his Fire Magic Skill high enough to metamorphose a little easier.”

“How high does it need to be?” Applejack asked, turning off the faucets.

“Level 18. And he’s at 14, now.”

“So not too much more, then.”

“Maybe not, but he still needs to increase his Strength, Endurance, Intelligence, and Willpower a few levels. And his Agility and Perception one, each, but those won’t be any problem.” Taki said, as he directed Flamme into the tub and pulled out a bottle of shampoo.

“How do you level up his Willpower?”

“By having him interact with other creatures. Trying to intimidate or even dominate them. Or by having someone cast weak debilitative spells on him. Like Fear, Stun, or Slow.”

Applejack and Taki spent the next several minutes chatting about Flamme as they scrubbed his fur. Applejack learned that Flamme was currently level 15. And that Taki had only decided to true summon him after finding the Salamandyre Soul Crystal. It had been level 12 and really expensive, but worth it. Also worth it were the almost two years it had taken him to train the Salamandyre to its current level of 17.

Once Flamme was clean, Applejack equipped her tunic and returned to her room, where she resumed her meditation practice. It took her a few minutes to get into the trance, and she needed a couple more after Taki and Flamme’s return snapped her out of it. After that, she came to only briefly when her MP was full, to cast Heal. Then she meditated until almost quarter of 23:00, when Minerva told her her MP had refilled again.

As she became aware of her body again, Applejack realized she needed to use the restroom. When she came out, Taki was waiting for his turn, and Flamme was asleep on Taki’s sleeping bag. Getting in bed, she checked her Quest Panel.

Day 14 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
22:48
TOTAL STAT POINTS-1
TOTAL SKILL POINTS-14
TOTAL SPELL POINTS-0
QUESTS
Suck a Cock
1 Skill Point + 1 Skill Point (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Swallow a Load of Cum
2 Skill Points + 7 Skill Points (No One Said It Couldn’t Be Your Own!)

Masturbate
1 Skill Point

Feeling in the Feline Mood
2 Skill Points*

Lay with a Lupine
2 Skill Points*

“What happened to the equine quest?” Applejack asked.

“You went seven days without completing it, so it was removed. Not permanently, of course. It’ll be back eventually.”

“Makes sense, Ah guess.” Applejack shrugged. Since she didn’t have enough points to level her transformations, she thought about spending them on Restorative Magic, instead. But she only had enough points to boost it two levels, and eleven wasn’t that much more than nine, so she decided to save them.

That decided, she cast Heal as many times as she could without cutting into her HP and said goodnight to Minerva, letting the wave of tiredness wash her into the ocean of sleep.

Author's Note

Yes, Rana is based on the real world Nara, where Sika deer really do wander some parts of the city. And according to Wikipedia, some of them really do bow to ask for the crackers you can buy specifically for them.

Of course, the bit about bestiality is unique to this fic, so if you’re ever visiting Nara, and one of the deer were to start nosing your crotch, it’s NOT asking you to whip it out or bend over. (That should go without saying, but if I don’t say it, some idiot’s going to end up blaming me for their arrest and/or injuries.)

Admittedly, Applejack was partly to blame for this, as she liked to play up her fondness for dirt, just to rile her friend.
Applejack didn’t remember much about their old dog—she’d been young when Winona’s mom had died—but she did remember all the trouble they’d had getting her into the tub. The first swear word she’d ever heard had, in fact, had come from her Pa trying to get her in the bath.

Sorry this took so long. I was hoping to get the entire stay in Silberwald in a single chapter, and in a perfect world, I might've managed it. But in a perfect world, I wouldn't have had to deal with internet connection issues, and then computer issues that may result in having to buy a whole new laptop.

Glossary

TERMS

Sapient
An intelligent or self-aware being, including not only all people, but also several creatures, such as True Dragons.

Person/People
Any of the "Playable Races." Including Humanoids, Furred Races, and Manimals.

Humanoid
People with two arms, ending in hands, two legs, ending in feet, and a head on top. May have wings and/or a tail, or even other features, rarely. Examples include: Humans, Elves, Faeries, Dwarves, Gnomes, Goblins, Ogres, Orcs, Draconids, Dryads, and others.

Furred Races
Anthropomorphic animals, with the ability to transform into both a full-animal form, and a humanoid one, that still has a few animal features. (Such as ears, teeth/fangs, markings, etc...) Can be just about any mammal or marsupial.

Manimals
Half-humanoid/half-animal. Examples include: Centaurs, Harpies, Scylla, Minotaurs, Lamias, Arachnes, Merfolk, Fauns, Satyrs, and others.

Ident Bracelet
A natural part of every person’s body. They look like costume jewelry—cheap glass, with colored beads—and serve as character sheet and inventory. The different beads/buttons display different information.
Off Hand---Dominant Hand
Stats---Medical/Food
Skills---Misc.
Spells---Menagerie
Jobs/Quests---Equipment/Clothing

Creature
Any critter or beastie, including sapients who don't qualify as people.

Critter
Any natural animal, such as dogs, pigs, chicken, cattle, horses, cats, squirrels, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... (Natural animals in the real world, not Equestria.)

Beastie
Any other creature, or any critter described as "Huge," "Giant," or "Monstrous." Such as Manticores, Chimera, Jackalopes, Hodags, Slimes, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...

Soul Crystal
A magical gem left behind after a person or creature dies. All beasties and any critter that can seriously injure or kill a grown sapient (Including strongly poisonous spiders and frogs, scorpions, etc.) drop one when they die that can be mounted on a piece of equipment to grant a wide variety of bonuses. They can be used for several other purposes, as well.

People’s Soul Crystals do not give bonuses, and are only useful for proof of death, or as a memento. Despite giving no bonuses, they are not Blanks.

Blank Soul Crystal
Smaller critters (most rodents, fish, birds, reptiles, etc.) and exceptionally large bugs (like a goliath birdeater) drop these when killed. They can be mounted on equipment, but they offer no bonuses, and are only useful for powering magical appliances and summoning.

Nature
How docile, safe, and easily controlled a creature is. There are five: Spell-summon, true summon, tame, feral, and wild.

Spell-Summon
A creature that has been summoned through the use of the Spells ‘Summon Critter’ or ‘Summon Beastie,’ which temporarily restores a Soul Crystal’s living body, though the MP used for the summon remains unrecoverable for the duration of the summon. A spell-summoned creature can gain experience and levels, breed, and do just about anything a living creature can do. Can only be controlled by their summoner, unless ordered to obey someone else. They will only obey someone whose Taming level is not less than five levels below the creature’s own.

True Summon
A creature that has been restored to true life through the use of a ritual spell involving the blood from that kind of creature, and blood and cum from the true summon’s master. In addition to being able to do everything a spell-summon can do, true summon can also metamorphose. Like a spell-summon, it can only be controlled by its master—who is usually not their summoner—or someone they designate, so long as the creature’s level doesn’t exceed the person’s Taming level by more than five levels.

Tame
A creature that was born of a true summoned female, originally. This nature is inherited for X generations, before becoming Feral for 1/2X generations. (With the value of X depending on the creature in question.) Most livestock are tame, as are dogs and cats. (Though just like real life, ‘tame’ is a relative term for cats.) They will not obey anyone whose Taming level is more than three below their own.

Feral
A creature that is half wild and may attack with little provocation. However, they may also obey someone, if that person’s Taming level isn’t more than one level lower than the creature’s own. A feral nature is also inherited, for half as many generations as a Tame nature.

A true summoned creature will also become feral after its owner dies.

Wild
Any creature that is not one of the other four natures. Since this is the default nature for all creatures, it is not listed in the Scan panel.

Metamorphose
The ability of some beasties to become a different kind of beastie when certain conditions are met. Usually related to Stats and/or Skills, though Affinities and Resistances are also common requirements, and other factors may apply as well. (In pokemon terms, it’s evolution.) After a beastie undergoes metamorphosis, it’s Stats are all halved, though Skills, Affinities, and Resistances remain unchanged.

Settlement
Catch-all term for any/all population centers, regardless of size.

Village
A settlement with 1,000 or fewer inhabitants.

Town
A settlement with a population of 1,000-10,000.

City
A settlement with a population of more than 10,000, but less than a million.

Metropolis
A population center with over a million inhabitants.

In the flesh/In the fur
A slang phrase referring to the humanoid/anthro forms of a Furred Race person.

STATS

Level
A rough estimate of a person/creature’s overall ability. It’s based on Stats, Skills, and Spells, so it’s not always the most effective measurement for people. And different creatures have different Stats at Level 1, so even for them, it requires some knowledge to judge true threat level.

HP
If I really need to explain what this is, then I have to ask you: What rock have you been living under?

The natural limit is End x 10, but can be increased through various methods. Recovers naturally at a rate equal to 10% of a person's Endurance/hour while awake, and 20% Endurance/hour while asleep. Food, potions, and some spells can restore varying amounts.

If a person's HP dips below a certain percentage, equal to Endurance - 1/2Willpower, they have a high likelihood of being rendered unconscious. And of course, if it hits 0, they die, though they do have one minute to be resurrected with high-level Restorative Magic spells, or certain very rare items.

MP
Again, I shouldn't need to explain that this is the energy used to power spells, but there are a few games that call it something different, so just in case those are somehow the only ones you've played, there you go.

The natural limit is Intelligence x 10, but like HP, it can be increased through various means. Recovers naturally at a rate of Willpower/hour, double that while bathing, and quadruple that while sleeping. Items and potions can restore various amounts, too.

If a person casts a spell without enough MP, they lose HP equal to twice the difference, but once MP is zero, it becomes impossible to cast spells. And while there are no long-term effects of mana exhaustion or overuse, using too much at once can make a person tired.

STRENGTH
Strength determines how much damage a person does with melee weapons, and many pieces of equipment have strength requirements to wield. It also affects several skills, such as smithing.

Additionally, a person can carry 15 pounds on their person for every level of strength.

ENDURANCE
Endurance is the measure of a person's stamina, and determines their natural HP limit.

PERCEPTION
Perception is a measure of a person's awareness of the world around them, and is a rough average of the five physical senses and magical sensitivity. It's used to find/notice traps, hiding places, dropped items, or enemies trying to be stealthy.

AGILITY
How quick and flexible a person is. Useful for melee combat, accuracy with close-range weapons, and dodging enemy attacks. It's also useful for many Entertainment Skills. For example, Dancing and Acrobatics.

DEXTERITY
A person's fine motor skills. Useful for ranged weapons, playing most instruments, many kinds of crafting, and many Thief Skills. For example, Lockpicking and Pickpocketing.

INTELLIGENCE
The magical equivalent of Strength, it is NOT a direct measure of IQ. Many spells require a certain level of Intelligence before they can be learned, and a higher level can increase spell strength. It also determines how much weight a person can carry in their Inventory, at a rate of 100 pounds per level.

WILLPOWER
Willpower determines how quickly MP regenerates naturally, as well as the ability to inflict and resist Debilitative Magic, like Weak, Poison, Paralysis, and others.

It also affects interactions with wild creatures, and occasionally with other sapients.

CHARISMA
A measure of how sexy, charming, and generally attractive a sapient is. It affects many interactions with other sapients, and occasionally with wild creatures. Related to many Skills, including Haggling, Flirting, and Seduction, among others.

Tutorial

Applejack woke up from the strange dream with a snort. Looking around, she saw that she was on a rocky riverbank, opposite a thick forest, resting on a small, warm boulder. Not far away, there was a well-maintained road. To her right, the river and the road ran parallel, but to her left, the river angled away into the woods, which came right up to the road.

“Lovely place, isn’t it?” Minerva commented, getting Applejack’s attention.

“Yeah, it is.” she agreed, enjoying the view for a minute more, before asking, “Now what?”

“Now I start teaching you how to live in this world. First of all, look at your wrists.”

“Bracelets?” Applejack questioned, seeing the jewelry. They looked surprisingly cheap, like costume jewelry, almost. They appeared to be made of glass, with multicolored beads embedded in them. Four, each. A yellow and a green one on the inside of her wrists and two more on top, one red and one blue.

“Those are Ident Bracelets.” Minerva started, before blinking distractedly for a second. “GOD just told me to tell you the left one is like a character sheet. Whatever that is.”

“It’s for a game, back in Equestria. It’s a way to keep track of your characters stats, spells, and abilities.” Applejack explained. She’d played O&O with Mac a few times when they were younger and had filled out a couple. She had no idea what had happened to them.

“Hey! It’s my job to explain things to you, not the other way around.” Minerva complained, with a playful glare.

“Sorry.” Applejack laughed. “You were saying?”

“To start with, touch that red button on top.” she prompted, and when Applejack did, Minerva’s horn lit up, projecting a panel in front of them.

Applejack Anadolu | Furred Race-Horse | Lv. 1
Female Ordinary Civilian
HP: 120 | MP: 80
Strength: 11 | Endurance: 12
Perception: 14 | Agility: 9 | Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 8 | Willpower: 10 | Charisma: 10

“Anadolu1? Probably just something made up.” Applejack thought, reading her character’s name.

“This is your status panel. It lists your name, Race, Class, and general stats. It will include any titles you may earn, and if you ever get convicted of any crimes, they’ll be listed here, as well.”

“Good thing Ah don’t plan to commit any crimes, then.” Applejack said, though she knew that plans only counted for so much. And usually not nearly enough.

“If you touch that button again, it’ll give you an exact breakdown of your stats. That’ll let you know what an effect your Class and equipment have on your Stats. That panel will also list your age and your home—Both settlement and nation.”

“Why?” Applejack asked, and Minerva took her Nightmare form to answer.

“Many laws in many places have contingencies for people from other areas. Lighter restrictions or penalties. For instance, there are a few Elven towns where the age of consent is twenty-five, but that only applies to locals. Visitors are held to the standards of their home. Unless they’re having sex with a local, of course. You’re currently a wanderer, and don’t have a home, so you’re fully subject to every law, without modification.”

“Okay, that’s good to know.”

“Anyways, to continue.” Minerva continued, reverting to normal. “If you touch that button again, the panel will disappear. Or if you leave it open for two minutes. This screen also shows your overall level, but be careful about depending on that. It is only a loose estimate of your strength, based on all of your Stats and Skills. So if you have a few levels in a lot of Skills, you may end up with a significantly higher level than someone who has specialized in only one Skill and the appropriate Stats. But that person could still easily best you with that skill.”

“So it’s kinda useless?”

“With sapients, no, it’s not very reliable.” Minerva confirmed. “But with wild creatures, it’s nearly perfect for judging how hard a fight you can expect. While we’re looking at them, would you like me to explain the various stats? Not all of them are as obvious as they seem.”

“In that case, maybe you’d better.” Not having anything to compare to, they were meaningless numbers, mostly. She was concerned by the fact that her Intelligence was so low, compared to the others. And a little insulted.

“Starting from the top, then. HP, or Health Points. A measure of your physical condition. While missing HP will recover naturally, it is very slow. A rate of only ten percent of your Endurance per hour. Fortunately, eating, sleeping, a few spells, and many items can restore it more quickly. However, if it gets below a certain percentage, you have a high chance of passing out, which is obviously very dangerous, though a number of creatures will lose interest in you if you stop moving. That percentage is equal to half your Willpower—rounded down to the nearest whole number—subtracted from your Endurance. Currently, your percentage is 12 – (10/2), which equals seven percent. And seven percent of 120 is 8.4, which gets rounded down to eight. So if your HP drops below 9, you will likely be rendered unconscious.”

“And if it hits zero, then Ah’m dead.” Applejack finished for her.

“Yes, but you do have one minute to be resurrected. Either by a very high level Restorative Magic spell or certain, very rare items.” Minerva informed her.

“Really hope Ah never need that.”

“That would be best, certainly.” Minerva agreed, before moving on.

“Next is your MP, or Mana Points. That’s used to power your spells. The natural maximum is ten times your Intelligence, but like HP, it can be increased beyond that. Also like HP, it recovers naturally over time, at a rate equal to your Willpower every hour. Many actions and a few items and Skills can make them recover faster. If you try to cast a spell but don’t have enough MP, you will lose HP equal to twice the difference. For instance, if you cast a spell requiring 5 MP, but only have 2 MP left, you will lose 6 HP. If you reach 0 MP, you cannot cast any spells until you recover at least one point. Fortunately, there are no long-term effects of mana exhaustion, or overexertion.”

“Not like Equestria, then.” Applejack mused. Back home, a pony who suffered burnout was barely able to use any magic until they were significantly healed. And it took longer to recover, every time.

“Next is Strength. It determines how much damage you do with melee weapons, and many pieces of equipment require a certain amount of Strength to wield. Likewise, some Skills, such as Smithing, can only be performed effectively with a high enough Strength. It also determines how much weight you can carry on your person. Or haul, if you’re pulling a wagon or rickshaw.” Minerva added as an afterthought.

Applejack had no idea what a rickshaw was, but she didn’t care enough to ask right now.

“Endurance determines your maximum HP.” Minerva continued. “Your natural maximum HP is ten times your Endurance, but there are things that can increase that. It also affects your stamina—which isn’t actually a Stat—and offers a tiny bonus to defense.”

“Ah get the feeling Ah won’t have nearly as much stamina as Ah’m used to.” Applejack muttered.

“Perception is your awareness of your surroundings; mostly how sharp your senses are. It helps you notice things around you. Like dropped items, hiding places, or traps. It’s a rough average of all six senses. The five physical and your magical sensitivity. Equines like you have sharp ears and a strong sense of smell, which is why yours is so high.”

Applejack had wondered about that.

“Agility is all about how quick and flexible you are. It helps with a few Skills, and with most weapons, specifically melee weapons. Its biggest effect is that it helps the accuracy of your attacks, and helps you dodge your enemy’s attacks.” Minerva explained.

“Hopefully Ah won’t have too much trouble with that.” the transplanted mare said, looking down at her unfamiliar body.

“Dexterity is similar, but it’s for your hands and fingers, specifically.” Minerva continued. “It’s a measure of your fine motor skills, where Agility covers gross motor skills. Dexterity is used for most crafting and music skills, some Thief skills, like lockpicking and pickpocketing, and most ranged weapons.”

“Ah know Ah’m gonna have some trouble with that” Applejack said, flexing her hands. The movements were strange. And stranger still because of how smooth they were.

“Intelligence is mostly related to your magical abilities.”

“Is that why it’s so low?” Applejack interrupted.

“Yes. It doesn’t equate directly to your IQ, though improving your knowledge in general can help improve this Stat. And, to be fair, you don’t know a whole lot about this world, yet.”

Before she could continue her explanation, her eyes started glowing as The Gestalt took over. “AND MUCH OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF EQUESTRIA JUST DOESN’T APPLY HERE. THE RULES OF MAGIC ARE VERY DIFFERENT, THE SUN AND MOON MOVE ON THEIR OWN, CONTROLLED BY GRAVITY ALONE, AND NATURE TAKES CARE OF ITSELF. GROWING PLANTS, CHANGING SEASONS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE. IT’S NOT AS REGULATED OR NEAT AS YOU’RE USED TO, BUT IT WORKS.” Then the glow disappeared, and Minerva seemed a little stunned.

“Wow. You ponies have some really powerful magic.” Minerva marveled, reviewing the knowledge that The Gestalt had imparted to her before It withdrew again. “You really control your whole world’s weather?”

“Not directly.” Applejack admitted. “But we’ve been controlling our parts of it for thousands of years, and that’s indirectly caused the rest of the of the world to fall in line.” Rainbow had told her that once. She said she’d learned it in weather school. And Twilight had confirmed it, so she knew it wasn’t just another case of the pegasus misunderstanding what her teachers had been trying to teach her. Even if Applejack didn’t fully understand how it worked.

“Wow.” Minerva said again. “Anyways! Intelligence. It affects several Skills. Mostly magical ones. Most spells need a certain level of Intelligence to be learned, and higher levels improve the power of spells. It’s pretty much the magical equivalent of the Strength Stat.”

“That makes sense.” Applejack said, nodding. “And it makes me feel a bit better.” she added.

“Willpower is a much more versatile Stat.” Minerva continued. “In addition to MP regen and your consciousness threshold, it also has effects on many magics. It has the biggest effect on Debilitative Magic, determining how likely you are to affect an enemy with it, and how well you can resist the effects when being inflicted on you.”

“Debilitative Magic?”

“Sleep, Poison, Paralysis, and other spells of that nature. They can be very powerful. After all, if some deadly beastie is paralyzed, they can’t stop you from walking right up to them and taking their head.”

Applejack was surprised by just how little the thought of killing something bothered her. Most ponies weren’t comfortable with the idea of hurting—much less killing—anything that came with fewer than six legs. After a few seconds, she figured it was like the meat thing The Gestalt had mentioned.

“Willpower can also affect your interactions with wild creatures, and occasionally with other sapients.” Minerva finished.

“As for the last Stat, Charisma, it denotes your charm, sexiness, and general attractiveness. It’s a lot like Willpower, except in reverse. It has some effect on wild creatures, but it mostly affects your interactions with other people. Skills like Haggling, Flirting, and Seduction depend on it.”

“Right.” Applejack said, a little uncomfortable with the talk of sex.

“Well, that’s it for the Stat panel. Go ahead and touch the red button twice more to close it, then touch the yellow button to open the Skill panel.”

Again, Applejack did as bid, and was presented with a new screen.

WEAPON
Pankration – 1
Short Sword – 1
Handgun – 1
MAGIC
Life Magic – 5
CRAFTING
Jewellery – 1
LIFE
Calligraphy – 5
Northern Continental Language – 7 | Orcish Language – 2
Cleaning – 4 | Cooking – 3 | Butchering – 2
RACIAL
Transformation: Humanoid – 1
Transformation: Anthro – 1
Transformation: Horse – 1

“Alright, most of these are easy enough to figure out.” Applejack said, after looking the list over. “But Ah got a few questions.”

“And I’ve got answers.” Minerva asserted. “Which one do you want to start with?”

“Well, a handgun’s gotta be a long-range weapon, considering my Class Bonus, but beyond that…”

“Handguns are small weapons that use a controlled chemical explosion to propel an even smaller, pebble-sized piece of metal, called a bullet—or sometimes a slug—at extremely high speeds.”

“So it’s like a miniature cannon, then?”

“PRETTY MUCH.” The Gestalt answered. “BUT THEY’RE MORE ADVANCED, BEING ABLE TO FIRE MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE NEEDING TO BE RELOADED, AND BEING MUCH SIMPLER TO RELOAD. IT’S AN ANACHRONISM, I KNOW, BUT IN A GAME, FUN IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FACTUAL ACCURACY.” Then he was gone again.

“What else do you want to know?”

“You already explained what Life Magic is, but isn’t calligraphy just fancy writing?”

“Maybe where you’re from, but here, it’s just a whimsical term for penmanship. How clear and legible your handwriting is.” Minerva added. “Yours is kind of messy, but not too bad.

“Uh-huh. And Northern Continental Language is what it sounds like?”

“It’s the primary language of this continent, used by over 95% of people living here. Language skill levels are based on a combination of your ability to read, write, and speak it. Yours is about average. And your Orcish Language level is enough to muddle through until you find a translator. Which shouldn’t be hard at all, really. Anything else?”

“You said there was a cleaning spell, but Ah’m not seeing any other spells on here, so what’s going on?”

“That’s the Cleaning Skill. There is a spell to clean things, but it’s small scale; not meant for cleaning large areas. Nothing larger than a person, really. And most people just find it easier to clean large areas normally, instead of casting the spell over and over.”

“Ahh, that makes sense.” Applejack nodded. “One last question. Ah know ah’ve heard the word butchery before, but Ah just can’t remember what it means.”

“It means cutting dead animals up, for meat or other purposes. Here, it also includes skinning them, to use their hides for various things.”

“That’s right.” Applejack drawled, nodding. Equestrian pigs weren’t sapient, so they were sometimes raised for meat. And leather. And several other reasons.2 They’d also given filly Applejack her first exposure to sex. (When she’d gotten old enough to be interested in sex, she’d actually been somewhat relieved to find out she wouldn’t lose half an hour or more of her already limited time any time she wanted to get laid.)

“Alright, now touch that yellow button again.”

At Minerva’s prompt, Applejack was presented with a slightly different screen.

WEAPONS
Pankration – 1
0 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
Short Sword – 1
0 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
Handgun – 1
0 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
MAGIC
Life Magic – 5
0 + 1500 (Ordinary Citizen)
CRAFTING
Jewellery – 1
0 + 100 (Ordinary Citizen)
LIFE
Calligraphy – 5
1512
Northern Continental Language – 7
2975
Orcish Language – 2
306
Cleaning – 4
1479
Cooking – 3
654
Butchering – 2
347
RACIAL
Transformation: Humanoid – 1
100
Transformation: Anthro – 1
100
Transformation: Horse – 1
100

“Here, you can see every skill you have any experience in.” Minerva explained. “Like your Stat panel, this gives you an exact breakdown of every bonus in effect. Unlike your Stats, you can see exactly how much experience every Skill has. Reaching Level 1 in any Skill requires 100 experience, and every level after that requires 100 more experience than the level before it.”

“Ah can see that.” Applejack said. “Mathematics was never best or my favorite subject, but Ah can figure that much out.”

“Spells are the same, by the way.” Minerva added. “Now, if you press the button again, you can see a list of every possible skill, so you can see if there’s anything in particular you’d like to try learning. There are dozens and dozens of them though, so you should save that for later. The green button is next. It works exactly like the Skill list, but is specifically for magic spells.”

Curious, Applejack closed the current panel and opened her Spell list.

LIFE MAGIC
Scan – 1
Clean – 1
Purify Water – 1

“So, how do Ah cast these spells?”

“Just think about the spell you want to cast, the target you want to use it on, if it needs one, and then say it. It doesn’t have to be very loud. You can even just mouth it, if you need to.”

“And how do Ah learn new spells?”

“Every spell has requirements to learn. Usually, Skill level in that school and a certain Intelligence level, but some also need a certain level in other spells, too. The third panel, which lists every spell, will show the necessary requirements, if you don’t meet them.”

“And how do Ah gain levels in a school of magic, if Ah can’t cast any of its spells?”

“The easiest way is just to change your Class to one that already has it, then gain some experience before switching back. But there are people who can teach you, and other ways, besides.”

“Right.” Applejack said, embarrassed for not thinking of the obvious. Not looking at Minerva, she asked, “So, um, the other two are pretty obvious, but what’s that Scan spell do?” She thought there might be a spell by that name in O&O, but she’d only played three or four times, and never as a spellcaster.

“It shows you information about the target. Not much right now, since it’s only level one. Name and level only, in fact.”

“You can cast this spell on any living thing, but using it on another person without their permission is a misdemeanor, carrying a small fine for a first offence.” Nightmare Minerva interrupted to point out.

“The last thing that I need to tell you about spells for now is that their levels can’t exceed the overall level of their school, no matter how much experience they gain, but that’s rarely an issue.”

“So now the blue button?” Applejack asked, closing the Spell list.

“That’s right. There actually isn’t anything there right now, except for the date and time, but in the future, if you join any guilds or organizations, you can use that button to keep track of any jobs you’ve undertaken. What you need to do, where you need to go to do it, when you need to do it by, and your rewards for doing it.”

Nevertheless, Applejack touched the button.

Day 3 – Late Spring, 4147 AA
15:34
JOBS
-None

QUESTS
-None

“Fifteen-Thirty-Four?” Applejack read off, puzzled.

“We use a 24-hour clock. Like the military.” Minerva explained.

“And Late Spring?”

“A year is divided up into four seasons. Each season is further divvied up into three months or moons—since they follow the lunar cycle, the terms are interchangeable. And each moon has four weeks, of seven days each, corresponding to the lunar phases.”

Applejack nodded, before asking, “If jobs are from guilds, then what are quests?”

“Quests come from GOD, and they’re meant to make your life more entertaining for It to watch.”

“So they’re all gonna be sexual, aren’t they?” Applejack sighed.

“Probably.” Minerva agreed. “But completing them will get you rewards from GOD.”

“Like prostitution?” A perfectly legal and even respectable profession in Equestria, but one which Applejack had never quite understood how somepony could want to make their living doing. On the other hoof, she knew a lot of ponies felt the same way about running the Acres, including a couple of her friends.

“You could look at it that way.” Minerva admitted. “Or you could look at it as getting a bonus for something you’re going to do anyways. Like making something that’s already nice even better. Like icing on a cake! Besides, they’re entirely optional, so you don’t have to do about them if you don’t want to.”

Applejack sighed again, then shook her head and asked if the blue button did anything else.

“Pressing it again will show you a calendar where you can keep track of not just Job deadlines, but birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, festivals, or anything else you want.” Minerva then spent a couple minutes teaching Applejack how to navigate the calendar by scrolling with her finger.

“And that’s it for the left bracelet.” Minerva finished.

“So what’s the right one do, then?”

“It’s your inventory. All your items, in other words. The red button shows your restorative items, like potions, antidotes, and other things like that. Touch it again to see any food you have stored.”

“Ah can store food in this thing?”

“You can put just about anything in it, except for a few living things.” Minerva said. “And since time doesn’t move for things stored in these bracelets, anything you take out will be just as fresh as when you put it in, no matter how long it’s been since.”

“And how do Ah put things in and take them out?”

“It’s easy. You just hold or touch the thing you want to store and imagine it being put in the bracelet. You can practice with some of the rocks around here, if you want.” It didn’t take very long for Applejack to figure out how to do it consistently. Then she asked how to take things back out again, and Minerva told her to start with the red button.

ITEMS – RESTORATIVES
O Weak Potion (Quick-Use) – 6
O Antidote (Large) – 2

“To take something out, just touch that circle in front of the item name.” Minerva told Applejack, who took out one potion. It was a small metal flask. “That will restore ten percent of your HP if you drink it. There’s only one dose in that flask. It’s a good idea to keep at least a couple of those on your person at all times while in the wild. And especially when delving. That way you don’t have to fumble for the button and everything.”

Taking Minerva’s advice, Applejack looked down at herself, hoping to find someplace to put the flask. She found she was wearing a heavy, long-sleeved leather jacket, with small metal loops all over, over some sort of simple, heavy dress that went past her stifles.

“Thighs.” she thought suddenly. “Spike calls the part of his legs between knees and hips thighs.”

Around her middle—which Spike called a waist—there were half a dozen pockets sized just right for a flask, and Applejack tucked the one in her hand into one. Then, just to be on the safe side, she transferred one more from her inventory to her belt.

Satisfied with her preparations, Applejack pressed the button again to check her food supplies.

ITEMS – FOOD
O Apple – 12
O Apple (Dried) – 8
O Cheese Wedge – 3
O Bread Loaf – 1
O Rabbit Jerky – 6
O Full Canteen – 2

“What’s jerky?”

“Jerky is meat that’s been dried, usually by smoking it, in order to preserve it.”

“So it’s rabbit meat.” Applejack mused, a little uneasy at the thought, but not as much as she would’ve expected. “Well, as long as it’s not pony meat, Ah can probably get used to it.” she decided, closing that panel.

“Now touch the blue button. That holds your equipment, including weapons, ammo, armor, and accessories.”

“Accessories count as armor?” was Applejack’s disbelieving question.

“Most jewelry can be enchanted to give bonuses to Stats, Skills, and/or Spells. Now, let’s see what you’ve got.” Minerva ordered brightly.

ITEMS – EQUIPMENT
O ALL
WEAPONS
O E Bronze Short Sword
O E Bronze Knuckle A
O E Bronze Knuckle B
O E Woodney 13
AMMUNITION
O E Basic Bullets – 50
ARMOR
O E Leather Jerkin
O E Wooden Targe
FOOTWEAR
O E Padded Leather Boots
ACCESSORIES
O E 12-Loop Cartridge Holder

“This panel is a smidge less simple than the others, but still pretty intuitive.” Minerva said. “First of all, you can cycle through the sub-categories by touching that circle in front of ALL. Then, like the other panel, touch the circle in front of the item to pull it out. Then you can equip it manually, sell it, or do whatever else with it. Or you can touch the ‘E’ to automatically equip or unequip it. A glowing ‘E’, like in front of the jerkin, means that it’s currently equipped.”

“That’s this jacket Ah’m wearing?”

“Yep! It doesn’t offer too much protection, but it’s tough leather, and the slight padding inside will help a bit, too.”

“And what’s a targe?”

“A small, round shield. It uses the Small Shield Skill, which you don’t know. Of course, you can still equip it and use it, to start getting experience, but you won’t use it very well.”

“Then Ah probably shouldn’t try using it. The last thing Ah wanna do is get myself hurt by messing with something Ah don’t know how to use.”

“That’s a good attitude to have. There are safer ways to learn skills after all.” Minerva approved.

“Yeah, Ah figured. So what’s the cartridge holder?”

“It attaches to your belt and allows you to keep spare bullets on your person for quick access. Just like the flask slots. Also, if you have it equipped, and auto-equip your bullets, it will be filled, too. Now, if you touch that button again, you’ll see your clothing.”

“Shouldn’t Ah equip a weapon?”

“That can wait until we finish this.”

“If you say so.” Applejack said, touching the blue button again.

ITEMS – CLOTHES
O ALL
OUTERWEAR – TOPS
O E Green Tunic
O E Blue Tunic
O E Orange Silk Dress
OUTERWEAR – BOTTOMS
O E Linen Pants A
O E Linen Pants B
O E Short Brown Skirt
UNDERGARMENTS – TOPS
O E Simple Brassiere A
O E Simple Brassiere B
O E Nice Corset
UNDERGARMENTS – BOTTOMS
O E Simple Futa Panties A
O E Simple Futa Panties B
O E Fitted Futa Panties
FOOTWEAR
O E Thin Woolen Socks A
O E Thin Woolen Socks B
O E Silk Stockings
ACCESSORIES
O E Belt
O E Stetson

“Okay, Ah’ve definitely got some questions.” Applejack said, staring at the list. “First, what’s a brass…ee-airy?” Having never encountered the word before, she tried sounding it out, but ended up butchering it.

“It’s pronounced brassiere.” Minerva started.

“Ain’t that a fancy kinda torch?”

“That’s a brazier, and it’s spelled differently.” Minerva corrected her. “A brassiere is something that supports your breasts, and prevents them bouncing around painfully.”

“Okay.” Applejack figured that would make more sense eventually. “And a corset?”

“It does the same thing, but it also wraps around the abdomen, to help simulate or emphasize the breast-waist-hip hourglass figure that many humanoids find alluring. They can be strictly functional or serve as lingerie. Yours is the latter, by the way.”

“Sorta like a saddle” Applejack thought, before moving to the next topic. “Futa? And Panties?”

“A futa is a person who has both male and female sexual organs. And panties are garments that cover the crotch area, usually worn by females. Males have their own styles of undergarment. They absorb sweat and otherwise cut down the wear and tear on pants and similar garments. At least that’s how they started. Nowadays, they’re just like corsets, in that they can be functional or decorative. Futa panties, specifically, are designed to accommodate a cock more comfortably, as opposed to the smooth curve of a vagina. Yours are more functional than fun. Except for the fitted pair, which are personally tailored to fit your body, and are very sexy.” Minerva finished with a wink.

“Uh-huh.” Applejack responded flatly, trying not to be too annoyed by the constant sex talk. After all, she’d agreed to play this game, even after finding out it was going to be so lewd. “And what’s the difference between socks and stockings?”

“They both protect boots and shoes, in the same way a pair of panties protects a pair of pants. Socks are mostly utilitarian, but they can be cute or even sexy. Stockings are generally considered more feminine, and while they are often just as utilitarian as socks, more often than not, they’re meant to be titillating.”

“Okay, so what’s next, yellow or green?”

“The yellow button is the rest of your inventory. That’s where you can find your money, your bath supplies, and a knife, pot, and pan for cooking with. Along with a fork and spoon for eating with, a small tent, a bedroll, a pillow, a fire-starting kit, some rope, maintenance kits for your weapons, and the rocks you were practicing with earlier.”

“And how much money do Ah have?” Applejack asked, opening her inventory. Sure enough, the contents were just as Minerva said.

“You’ve been saving almost all your wages for the last eight moons, with most of your expenses covered by the merchant caravan you were travelling with, so you’ve saved up a good amount. You have 75 copper coins; five silver coins, which are worth 50 copper, each; and two gold coins, worth ten silvers apiece.” Minerva explained, as Applejack played with the rocks in her inventory. She was practicing removing them and putting them back.

“Ten times two, times fifty…” she muttered, tossing the rocks back on the beach. “That’s over a thousand copper coins. That sounds like a lot, but how much is it really?”

“1,325 coppers, to be exact.” Minerva confirmed. “In practical terms, it would be enough for you to live on for a bit over a month, in the nearest village. That’s assuming you didn’t earn any more money in the meantime, of course.”

“And how easy is it to make money around here?”

“It’s not too hard to make enough money to live on. Savings may be a little harder to come by, though.” Minerva admitted. “But the better your skills, the easier it can become. A crafter can usually make a decent living, though an apprentice will usually have to move somewhere else after they finish their apprenticeship. Combat types can have it a little tougher, though. Dungeons can make it easier, but the nearest one is a couple weeks’ travel southwest of here.”

“Well, Ah suppose Ah kinda am a combat type, at least for now, so how do Ah make money?”

“Mostly by hunting local critters and beasties.” Minerva said. “Exact details will have to wait, though. For now, it’s time to talk about the green button.”

“Wait, what happens if Ah touch the yellow button again?”

“The panel closes. It only opens the one panel. And it’s the only one. The green button has two panels, too. And like your job panel, there’s nothing there right now.”

“So what is it?”

“Your Menagerie.”

“Menagerie? Like a zoo?” Applejack asked, completely confused.

“Yes and no. Touch the green button once to see your bestiary. A list of every kind of critter and beastie you’ve encountered. Touching it again shows you all of your pets, steeds, and active summons. And that’s everything you need to know for now. Oh! Except for one more thing. Like me, all these panels are invisible to anyone else. Unless you keep your finger on the button for two full seconds, then it becomes visible to everyone.”

“So now what?”

”Well, now you can lay back down and rest awhile, if you want. That was a lot of information to take in, so it’s understandable if you need some time to sort it all out.”

“Maybe, but it’s all pretty simple, so Ah’m ready to get going.”

“In that case, you should probably equip a weapon or two.”

“A weapon or two?” Applejack asked, surprised. She figured she could only have one at a time.

“That’s right! Unlike most games, you can equip as many weapons as you want. So long as you can make them all fit. And have enough strength to carry them all. The same for armor and jewelry. You can wear rings on every finger and even get your ears pierced multiple times, if you want.”

“Huh. In that case…” Applejack said, opening her equipment menu again. First, she equipped the short sword, and it appeared on the back of her waist, clipped to the jerkin’s belt. She practiced drawing and sheathing it a few times, to get a feel for the action, and then took a few practice swings, to get used to the weight of the golden-brown blade. Then she equipped the knuckles.

Unlike a sword or gun, she had no idea what to expect, so she looked them over. They consisted of four metal loops that went around her fingers, connected to each other by a bar that pressed against her palm when she closed her fist. There were also three chains leading from the bar to a wide bracelet that sat halfway up her forearm. The chains were mostly made of fine links, but every three or four, there was a larger one.

“What’s with all this stuff?” Applejack asked. “Shouldn’t they just…cover my fingers, or something?”

“That would be a glove.” Minerva said, before explaining the whole anatomy of the weapon.

“The thin rings concentrate the force of your punch into a smaller area, leading to more damage to your opponent. The palm bar does the opposite, transferring the force on the rings to your palms, instead of your more fragile fingers, making you less likely to break them. The chains and the bracelet are for equipment modifiers, which I’ll explain later.”

Applejack just nodded and threw a couple practice punches. It felt weird to someone who’d lived their entire life as a quadruped, but she thought she could get used to it. But when she grabbed the hilt of her sword, she couldn’t get a solid grip on it. After a moment or two of trying, she gave up on trying to make it work, so she unequipped right-hand knuckle, but she kept the one on her left hand equipped.

Then she equipped the gun, and it appeared on her right hip. Carefully, Applejack pulled the thing from its holster and turned it over in her hands, studying it. It didn’t really look anything like she’d expected it to.

“Would you like me to tell you about that?” Minerva asked, and when Applejack nodded, she started. “All handguns work the same way. Once it’s loaded, you pull back the hammer with your thumb or your other hand until it clicks. That primes it, like pulling a bowstring back. Then, to actually fire, you gently squeeze the trigger. Now, since it is powered by an explosion, it will be very loud, and the gun will jump in your hand, so you will have to get used to both of those. Jerking the trigger will only make it jump worse and throw your aim off." Minerva warned.

“That’s how guns in general work. Now, the specific model in your hands is a Woodney 13, the weakest model in the world. It’s a five-shot revolver, meaning you can’t fire it more than five times before needing to reload. It’s also got the worst accuracy of any handgun, and is nearly useless beyond about fifteen meters. Which is roughly the distance to the far bank of the river.” Minerva added, before Applejack could ask. “Also, the trigger doesn’t need very much pressure to activate, so you need to be careful about that.”

“So how do Ah load it?” Applejack asked, and Minerva walked her through loading and reloading. “Ah think Ah’ll stick with auto-equipping from the inventory for now.” she said, holstering the gun.

“That’s fine. Though you might’ve wanted to hold off on holstering that.” Minerva said, turning to look over Applejack’s shoulder.

“Why?” Applejack asked, turning her head. “Oh.” she said, when she saw the white shape emerging from the tree line. The thing paused for a moment, then started moving forward again. As the creature approached, Applejack quickly stood up off the rock. And despite having only been a biped for a few minutes, she immediately took a combat-ready stance, balancing effortlessly.

Author's Note

The Anadolu is a pony breed that’s known for its strength, speed and endurance, making it a pretty good match for Applejack. Even if it is a little shorter than I picture her. And I didn’t even notice the alliteration at first.
They were great for getting rid of food scraps and crops that weren’t good enough to sell, and providing manure for fertilizer. They could help tear up the ground, when the plow was out of commission. Or just not enough. And while there wasn’t much call for it around Ponyville, other places used them for truffle-hunting.

Collected Footnotes (For Those Of You Who Don't Want To Be Scrolling Up And Down All The Time)

What's Going On?

I had a lot of trouble coming up with a term that made the acronym work, but I’m very happy with my final choice. I was going to go with Divinity, but then I thought of Daemon, and was quite pleased to discover that it worked on two extra levels. Of the word’s three definitions, two of them applied to the character as I conceived it. To wit:
A. (in ancient Greek belief) a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans.
B. In multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user.

Character Creation

Especially Rarity, who’d just lost the roll to resist the effect.
Ungulaturgy, capillaturgy, geoturgy, and botanurgy are hoof magic, hair magic (mane/tail, specifically), control over earth and stone, and plant-related magic, respectively.
They’d both been 17, but that wasn’t really old enough to be called a stallion, especially in that colt’s case.
Pankration . Short version: Ancient Greek MMA
Yes, I based these classes on the classic FF 1 classes, with a few adjustments to better fit the setting. Especially the names. I also modified the white mage for better balance. Now a strong one can be as much a force unto themselves as a black mage.
Technically, anything that ends in ‘mancy’ has to do with divination. Seeing the future, in other words. If it has to do with magic, the proper suffix is (t)urgy. So this is what most people think of as necromancy. And sorry for going Mudbriar on you.

Manual

Of course, ten percent of 7 billion is still 700 million, which is not a very small number, objectively speaking. And is several million people per race.
More on this next chapter, but the short answer is: it’s a game. Don’t overthink it. Besides, Gunslinger AJ is a natural fit.
Androgyne is an in-universe term for a gender-fluid individual.

Tutorial

The Anadolu is a pony breed that’s known for its strength, speed and endurance, making it a pretty good match for Applejack. Even if it is a little shorter than I picture her. And I didn’t even notice the alliteration at first.
They were great for getting rid of food scraps and crops that weren’t good enough to sell, and providing manure for fertilizer. They could help tear up the ground, when the plow was out of commission. Or just not enough. And while there wasn’t much call for it around Ponyville, other places used them for truffle-hunting.

First Blood

I couldn’t resist the pun. Sorry, not-really-sorry.

First Blush

For instance, cattle’s idea of sexual discretion is facing straight at you, so you can’t see where they’re joined. Of course, that only helped if you waited for them to finish before moving, which she often didn’t have time to do.
Hooves are awkward for some things, so for most stallions in Equestria, belly slapping is still the preferred masturbation method.

The First (Full) Day of the Rest of Her Life

Most ponies have squat toilets, which are much more suitable for quadrupeds.
I know the real term is “narrative causality.” Though considering how often people are considered victims of it, I can’t say AJ’s version is entirely inaccurate. Also, just curious, but how many of you read that as causality at first?”
Deer are like Equestria’s Gypsies, just without the reputation for black magic, curses, killing, and thieving. So more like the Tuatha’an. Though moving from forest to forest, mostly living off the land and avoiding pony settlements means they still don’t have the best reputation. Like a hippy commune, or a mostly harmless cult. A few ponies from Ponyville will interact with the local herd when their migration takes them through Whitetail Woods—like Fluttershy—but not many.
Faun is actually what the Romans called satyrs, but tell me this doesn’t work, too.
Plural marriages, more commonly known as herd-families—to differentiate from the general term for a group of ponies—may not be very common in Equestria, but they’re far from unknown. Fluttershy’s parents formed one soon after Zephyr was born, though Night Gale had to move away just before he graduated school, so she divorced them so that they didn’t feel like they had to follow her to Manehattan. And there were two separate occasions where the Choosing Stone was the only reason Pinkie’s parents didn’t form one.
I know that most in most deer species, the females don’t grow antlers. But they’re also iconic, so… for artistic license!
According to Behind The Name, some Swahili name definitions, if you’re interested:
Rehema – Mercy/Compassion
Marjani – Coral, named for her primary fur color. On an unrelated note, she’s Rehana’s only child who isn’t also biologically Alder’s.
Sauda – Dark Complexion, for her skin color.
Most – First Born, since he is the older twin.
Subira – Patience, since she was born after an exceptionally long labor. And she has consciously chosen to live up to her name for most of her life.
And finally, the only non-Swahili name, Mirembe is an East African word for peace.

Second Verse, (Not Quite) Same As The First

This is supposed to be Spanish moss, but I couldn’t think of any way to ponify Spain/Spanish.
And since Yanagi is half a head shorter than Applejack, while Hannah—like any satyr—is about the same height as a dwarf, she could loom very effectively.
He actually got up around six-thirty, hoping to meet up with Applejack, but that didn’t work.
Fun fact: I had a gooseberry bush growing in my yard as a kid, and I always ate them green. I was in my twenties before I learned they aren’t ripe until they’re purple and mushy. Even a decade on, I still exclusively prefer them green.

Training Day

1. Winona had gotten in a few inappropriate licks on both AJ and Mac when she was younger, and the siblings were in season. She nearly got herself kicked the first time she stuck her muzzle under teenage Applejack’s tail unexpectedly.

Applejack’s Day “Off”

In Equestria, the punishment for very nearly* any use of necroturgy is having both horn and tongue surgically removed by the royal physician—to prevent using and/or teaching it—followed by life imprisonment, in a cell specially warded by Celestia. (And Luna, too, now that she’s back.) On suicide watch, until any potential contingency spells had naturally faded, to avoid creating any liches, or things like that.

It’s kind of like tuning out the sight of somepony’s genitals, when their tail swings a little too wide. Or in real-world terms, like ignoring someone’s crotch in a public shower or nude beach.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know: Do they still make Big Red? If not, then does anyone even know what I’m talking about?
She also learned that carnivores and other things that ate a lot of meat didn’t have very good meat for eating.
Applejack didn’t mind a little tongue or toy action in her ass, but she’d always felt like a real cock would be a little too big for comfort.

Harvest Season

1 Quarter = 8 Bushels = ~290 Liters. Also, 1 Pint = ~1/2 Liter
One of the finer details Applejack missed about the naga, is that the hands had four fingers and two opposable thumbs, one on each side of the palms. And very sharp, retractable, pointed nails.
Of course, the real answer is that I’m a Doctor Who fan. Are you my mummy?
Even if she knew the word pseudopod, Applejack probably wouldn’t feel the need to use a ten-bit word like that, when tentacle worked just fine. And the same goes for iridescent.
Technically, earth ponies didn’t need to worry about crop rotation, since their magic could make up for the deficits. But in practice, they used several agronomy techniques to lessen the strain on their magic.
If, like Applejack, you expected level 5 to be usable every 90 minutes, just know that I did the math, and in the long run, it works better this way.
In Equestria, the difference between love and lust/sex is clearly understood and accepted, so all relationships are as open or not as those involved can agree on. Monogamy is not uncommon, but it’s by no means the expected default.
Yanagi is based on a sika, or spotted, deer, while Elias is based on a roe deer.
In a land where homosexuality and birth control have never been illegal, anal sex is just one more way for ponies to indulge. And big cities like Canterlot or Manehatten have a couple parks that are reserved for ponies who like having sex in more natural surroundings during heat. There are also persistent—but unsubstantiated—rumors that there are parks reserved for such purposes year-round.

And On the Seventh Day, She Rested (A Little…Sorta)

Just like Slime leather is a magical substitute for lycra/spandex—just naturally breathable, instead of needing to be blended with natural fibers—Gel “fluid” (for want of a better term) is a magical paraffin substitute.
Compared to Applejack, the Hart Of The Woods was about the size of Big Macintosh, and almost as muscular.

(We’re Off On the) Road to Silberwald

I honestly didn’t even make that connection until Applejack did. Mostly because a spell-summoned creature isn’t real flesh and blood, but more concentrated magic mimicking it. Like Naruto’s shadow clones.

Also, the whole info dump about necroturgy was entirely unplanned. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted it to be a school of its own, until I started hashing it out as I went along.

Too quick, do you think? Oh well, if so, just chalk it up to GOD’s tampering. After all, this isn’t a dramatic character study about Applejack turning into a different species.
Wikipedia has some articles, if you’re interested. (Make sure you include the word massage to find the right articles.) It also has some NSFW pictures, so no direct links. I’m pretty much just borrowing the names, though.
A conversation with Fluttershy had touched on Winona’s wayward tongue. It had been the first time she’d seen the pegasus get so peeved. Fluttershy had understood that animals, not knowing better, would innocently misbehave, and that didn’t bother her. (It also wasn’t illegal.) But ponies choosing to cultivate that misbehavior—and more—was a different story, altogether.
As an earth pony, the only thing she could do about the weather was make suggestions to Ponyville’s weather team, usually through Rainbow. And considering those suggestions had to be balanced against everypony else’s in town—and then Ponyville’s needs had to be balanced with everywhere else, nationally—they seldom amounted to much.

Actually, it does take a dispelled summon time to recover, but only 1/60th as long as it would if the creature was recovering naturally. Though in a pinch, a summoner can spend (generally a lot) more MP to force it.

On The Town

Yes, Rana is based on the real world Nara, where Sika deer really do wander some parts of the city. And according to Wikipedia, some of them really do bow to ask for the crackers you can buy specifically for them.

Admittedly, Applejack was partly to blame for this, as she liked to play up her fondness for dirt, just to rile her friend.
Applejack didn’t remember much about their old dog—she’d been young when Winona’s mom had died—but she did remember all the trouble they’d had getting her into the tub. The first swear word she’d ever heard had, in fact, had come from her Pa trying to get her in the bath.