"YOU HAVE CHOSEN. THE STAR WILL RESPOND." Spoke the voice of the skeletal pony-abomination thing... Before turning it's green jack-o'-lantern glare back down to the three-leafed green sapling, while raising it's right forehoof up off of the ground, the hoof powdered with the dead dry dirt.

SHCLICK!

Suddenly, a small sharp bone spike shot out from his right forehoof, breaking through the bone and sending fragments of his bone flying from the hoof into the dirt, all around. He did not stop there with the self harm, bringing the spike up to his beating black heart and JAB-ing into it, the expression on his skeletal face unchanging as black blood leaked from the hole in the heart... He let the spike stay in his heart for a few moments, before YANK-ing it out, black blood splattering over his bones and into the dirt, his spike now stained a pure liquid black. After contemplating it for only a moment, he held his right forehoof up over the green sapling, a black drop forming at the tip of his stained bone-spike and-

Drip-drip-drip...

His black blood dripped from the tip of the bone spike down onto the sapling, even as the blood congealed in his heart and the black mass of his flesh began closing back over the wound, the blood on his spike remained fluid, draining up from the base to the tip as it continued to drip down onto the sapling. And as the spike turned from black back to it's original white, the sapling turned from it's original green to deepest black. With every drop of blood the color seemed to leak down through the sapling, changing it like coloring fluids mixed into milk, it dispersed itself through the plant until there was no blood on his spike... and no hint of green in the sapling.

It was only after the black blood had infested it down to it's roots that the aspirant to treehood began to grow, stretching out of the soil and up towards the storming sky, the three leaves morphing and twisting into black tendrils, curling up like branches from the growing sapling and then splitting at the ends. Two prongs emerged from each of the three tendrils, poking out sharp like thorns as the sapling stopped it's growth, several inches taller than it had been. Still young, still a sapling, still weak. But stronger, closer to it's goal, and as dark as dark could get.

From each of the splits in the three tendril branches, another leaf popped out. Two blue from the same tendril, then two green, one a darker shade than the other from another tendril. And then one red, and one purple, from the third tendril, each and every leaf seeming to only barely hold on to the branch, limping sickly from it's prong.

The eldritch creature, after observing it's hoofwork for a few moments, pulled the bone spike back into it's hoof with another-

SCHLICK!

The bone spike disappearing into the hole it had created on it's way out, before the abomination set it's hoof back down into the dirt. It's jaw clacked and tongue spasming as sound once more emanated from it's mouth.

"YOU HAVE CHOSEN. NOW REAP WHAT YOU HAVE SEWN." Spoke the abomination before turning and slowly away from the black sapling, serpentine bone tail weaving through the dirt, leaving the darkened sapling with it's six colored leaves to thrive...

STAGE TWO MUTATIONS GAINED:

DEVILISH TONGUE: Devilish Tongue continues from Charming Tongue. The Host's tongue and vocal structure have been empowered to emit an increased subsonic vocal resonance as he speaks. This resonance makes him appear more trustworthy, attractive, and honest. Ponies are more likely to believe what he says as he speaks, and the magic from his tongue also moves to eliminate and dull doubts as they appear in ponies brains. It also attempts to instill a crush on those who listen, making them feel charmed and in love with the Host, to a small degree. That effect accumulates and gains strength the longer they spend listening to the Host, though it does slowly start to fade away when they're no longer able to hear the Host's voice, over a period of days. The Host's tongue will still be, of course, purple as a purple murple.

BLOOD PRINCE'S FANGS: Blood Prince's Fangs continues from Vampony Fangs. The Blood Prince's Fangs are, unlike the Vampony Fangs, able to be retracted to the point of regular sized canines, albeit a little sharper than normal. So while the sharpness may still be off-putting they are not so obvious, and no longer interfere with the Host's speech. In addition, draining blood from unicorns more quickly replenishes the Host's magic, and now a slight intoxicant stored in the fangs is released during feeding, that causes the pony to feel a sense of elation and become a bit 'drugged up' and lessen the pain from the bite, essentially pain medication in fang form. While the fangs are not especially tougher than normal pony teeth, if broken they will regrow. Also, the medication in them takes about a day to refill, meaning that feedings after it's been used the first time will be significantly more painful for the pony being fed upon, and also disperse what medication there is.

DREAMVOID: Dreamvoid continues from Dreamless Sleep. As an additional protection method, the Host's dreamlessness now extends to anypony nearby to him while they are sleeping. He and the ponies dreaming near to him will simply not show up on Princess Luna's dream radar when she searches for those who need guidance in the night. Thus any dreams containing him or influenced by him will not be detected.

EVERFREE GUIDE: Everfree Guide continues from Everfree Whispers. In addition to directing the Host to his requested destinations, the Everfree will now warn the Host of danger in his immediate area, as well as objects or creatures of importance, trying to impart knowledge that may serve useful to him. To do this, green tendrils now extend from the host's ears to beneath his skin, creating a small number of green vine bulges beneath the skin, back behind the ears.

NIGHTMARE SWORD: The Nightmare Sword continues from the Obsidian Blade, and now whenever it strikes down an enemy it will steal the enemy's magic to recharge the Host's own magical cache located beneath the horn. In addition, it is capable of 'cutting' through magical energy, including shields and spells. It's length and sharpness has also increased, as well as the blue mist that it emits. In addition, all those struck by it who survive the blow will experience terrible nightmares every time they sleep until the wound has been healed. As a result of the increased Nightmare influence, the Host's eyes are now blue, as well as his magic.

EVERFREE NECTAR: Everfree Nectar continues from Everfree Blood. The blood in the Host's veins becomes greener and more easily able to be seen where the Host has nothing but bare skin, making his scars now a pale greenish-white. And also considerably more toxic to ingest for other ponies who aren't the Host. Feeding a pony the Host's blood will cause massive hallucinations, some damage to internal organs, and possibly some damage to their mental faculties, increasing the likelihood of insanity. It's both a poison and a drug, taking too much will kill the imbiber, however it has addictive properties as well despite this. The Host is now immune to poisons and toxins with an increased chance of resisting diseases and infections, and suffers no hampering to reflexes, increasing overall speed. Health regeneration and healing of wounds occurs far more quickly, making the Host considerably harder to kill.

Author's Notes:

(Okay, here's the votes as they were tallied! Hopefully I got this right and didn't make any mistakes. the first five I used because they got the most votes. The last one, was decided by a dice roll between the three options left.)

CHARMING TONGUE: Eight Votes.

VAMPONY FANGS: Seven Votes.

EVERFREE WHISPERS: Six Votes.

DREAMLESS SLEEP: Four Votes.

OBSIDIAN BLADE: Four Votes.

EVERFREE BLOOD: Three Votes.

UNICORN HORN: Three Votes.

SOMNILOQUY: Three Votes.

POISONED CHEMISTRY: Two Votes.

UNICORN MAGIC PYROMANCY FOCUS: Two Votes.

LIGHTNING ROD: Two votes.

ANTI-PETRI STOMACH GROWTHS: One Vote.

TUNING FORKS: One Vote.

(NOW! These mutations are going to show up for the next Host chapter. I'm still not sure if I'll alter the Character Progress Tracker before, or after I make that chapter. For the moment however, I hope you enjoy admiring your new toys. Now, I'm about to share this below for two reasons. One, it kind of reminds me of what we're doing with the Host. And two, at this point, I need absolutely no excuses to spread the word of this game existing. I hope you like, and if you don't I am sorry that you do not like however I still like. Also, as usual, Host actions are to Host chapters, and brother Questions are to Brother chapters. There's actually nothing but commentary that goes in this one. Anyways, be well!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYzP7W5kfbM