That was quite the painful ordeal but things could have gone worse. Let's review quickly what has developed starting with the bad.

Save the Planimal for at least tomorrow, and just hope it enjoys its pond so much, with intelligence, that its waiting for you to come back to it, so it doesnt have to bother chasing you down. This also gives you a chance to work with Zecora and Trixie on powders, potions, illusion spells and anything else that you can think of to get near without detection, add to the water, and start its preferably slow transformation into a loyal servant, Planimal Hydra, with saps, seeds, pollens, venoms, and extremely agile tendrils. Dont forget, all the good litle harem minions love a pet tentacle monster. Escpecially one that can breed and seed, letting you spread your loyal planimal forest far away from Equestria and the Pricesses.

Hmmm...giant planimal. We're going to have to deal with that at some point, aren't we? Oh well, an issue for another time. Back to current events.

You need as much power as you can get blank. You need to solidify your rule over the everfree. First order of businesses is to handle the Planimal monster. Ignoring it is what lead to this problem in the first place and that pony town isn't going anywhere. By the end of the day you will be the undisputed RULER OF THE EVERFREE!

While you may dislike the creature, you do respect its tenacity and strength. While it would be a simple matter for you brilliance to destroy the beast with Holy light of fire, it would be far more benificial to control it. To control that beast is to have more power, more power means that your harem is safe, that you are safe, that the everfree itself is safe from those who wish to take it from you. Now the Planimal beast reacted to the sound of your blade, almost as if in a trance, just like how your mares when you sleepwalk to them. What's to say you can't control the beast when it's like this? Implant the idea of serving you into it, of how only through letting you live and obeying you can it hear your glorious sounds. If it works invest in a violin, it should be a more refined way of controlling the beast and as a bonus nothing says sexy to mares quite like a prince of the night playing a song for them.

Well, the tiny plant monster is now a GIANT plant monster. C'est la vie, I suppose. That'll probably come back to bite you in the ass at some point- hopefully metaphorically, but with your luck, who knows.

That said, if you can finagle some way to tame the damn thing, you've got yourself one hell of a guard dog for your eventual badass castle.

The plantimal has evolved into Plantimonster. There is a silver lining in this however. You've already had some experience against it already, and you know it hates you. This allows you to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with him. Zecora may have some ideas on this, however, shrinking it again probably wont be an option.

So let us see, on the positive side, we have our mares, threads, and the amulet. On the negative, the Planimal is now larger than it was in the first place. On the neutral side, you know were it will be if you ever have to deal with it again. We'll call this a moderate victory. Now onto matters at hoof.

So. Giant Planimal... Yep. That just happened. That was a thing now. Giant Planimonsters were a thing... ... ... if you woke up in an alley and realized that this had all been a really long, really weird dream, you honestly wouldn't be surprised. At all.

You fought the urge to sigh out in aggravation as you trotted through the Everfree. There was only so much of this weird shit you could take. At the moment things were more or less calm though. Trixie was a bit to the right and in front of you, and Zecora a fair distance in front of her, leading the group on a simple trot back home. Since she was the experienced Everfree hermit who could find her way through the forest with ease she was, of course, the one who got the lead the way back to her hut.

Now while it was true that you could find your way to, you figured that you should just let her take the front for the moment. For several reasons really. One, enough had happened to her without her Everfree pathfinding abilities being challenged today. Two, you weren't sure if you wanted to let her know that you could now find your way anywhere and everywhere in the forest yet. Three, your right foreleg was regenerating quickly but not THAT quickly, and it still hurt to put any pressure on it. As a result you were walking on three of your legs instead of four, necessitating a slower pace. And finally, if she was at the front, and you were at the back, then you could see her plot. All in all, a perfect set of reasons to hang at the back of the pack.

You'd wound up carrying very nearly the whole load for the trek back. Trixie's cloak draped across your back with Rarity's trenchcoat containing saddle-bags fastened over the draped cloak, mainly to prevent them from getting dirty on your coat, and then Trixie's hat on the top of your back, balanced over saddle-bags and cloak both. The only thing you hadn't wound up carrying was the box with the Alicorn Amulet inside, Zecora opting to carry that on HER back, a sign of some suspicion perhaps, or just basic caution. Regardless you hadn't contested that. Zecora had actually wanted to carry everything, what with your leg in it's current state, but you'd nixxed that idea and decided to take on the rest of the luggage by yourself. Why? Because Zecora'd been through enough shit today, you could handle this light load even with just three legs, and Trixie? Well... she wasn't exactly... ... okay she looked like bucking Tartarus. She was walking at a slow pace with her head hanging, eyes puffy and red, a despondent look to her, and still sniffling on occasion. Not exactly in a state where you'd trust the weight of your trenchcoat to her.

Seeing her like that, it occurred to you that you'd have to pay a great amount of care and attention to both Zecora and Trixie when you got home. But for the moment your mind was more focused on something recent. Like the fact that the Planimal evolved into the Planimonster. And that was bucking terrifying.

It was big, it was angry, and it hated your bucking guts. That alone was enough to send a chill up your spine. You were also PRETTY sure that Zecora's soap wouldn't work on it again, what with it seeming to grow out of some Everfree power-pool instead of normal water. A cause for major concern if ever there was one. Now, ignoring that sort of thing and just pretending that the scary monster that wanted you dead didn't exist was probably going to come back and bite you in the flank... but on the other hoof, you had had enough of this shit for one day. And it wasn't going to go anywhere. If the planimonster was capable of breaking out and following, it would have done that already, so it was at least tied to one place for the moment.

And a part of you, either the stupid or optimistic part you weren't entirely sure which, felt like this might actually turn out to be a good thing... You could still use your sound-rod-things on the monster, it obviously liked the noise and your banging made it go all loopy. And since it was held up in one place, you could potentially just play music for it until it came around to your way of thinking and became your pet and did your will and was your giant bucking guard dog! Yeah, that could happen. Maybe. Sorta... ... Well buck it weirder shit had gone down in this forest so why not!?

And also, maybe Zecora could whip up something, something from her books maybe... Something to make you invisible so you could approach it and hack parts off? Shit, whatever it was now that Planimal monster thing had to have some useful pieces inside of it. Even if you couldn't convince it to join you through musical manipulation, you could perhaps harvest something from it? And again, maybe Zecora could put something together to make it more pliable, who knew really?

But all of that would wait until later. As long as the Planimal was in one place, it wasn't an immediate problem and you had EARNED some bucking R and R. You'd deal with shit closer to home and relax before dealing with the problem of the Planimal.

You NEED to get all three of your mares under control. Use your love and your lust to control them, so you don't get problems like this.

Trixie has lost it, her psyche is reduced to a thousand broken shards of pain. Well done. It's not quite Tabula Rasa, but it's as close as you're going to get. So now you can rebuild her, you have the magics. Just remember there is a difference between dependence and indebtedness.

Zecora, doesn't seem pissed at you anymore, score one for team Vampony Prince. Once you're home she's going to want to look at your leg, grin and bear it, that isn't a fight worth having. The fight worth having is her wanting to remove your powers after they just saved your collective lives. Again.

Trixie has finally bourn fruit. You've worn her to the point you want her to be. This is when she'll be the most susceptible to your manipulations, so now it the time to truly guide her into becoming one of your mares. However, Zecora was also privy to this event, so you're going to have to be a little sneaky going about it around her as to not raise suspicions.

Speaking of which, you've gotten some traction in convincing Zecora in seeing the sense of you keeping your abilities. She's probably still has some objection to their existence still, so you've got to remain vigilant on this front and convince her further. This is just your hoof in the door, now you've got to ease it open, bit by bit.

Trixie, it seems, has finally broken psychologically. With her mind in pieces, it's time to get to work. You need to reinforce upon her the idea that you are one of the few ponies that gives a flying buck what happens to her, you wouldn't have risked life and limb if you didn't care. Steer away from the concept that she owes you, keep that in reserve for difficult situations, instead project yourself as her companion/protector that acts for her benefit. Once she accepts your will, we will have a docile and willing servant in the days to come.

Zecora requires a...more subtle approach. The speech should go along these lines,"Zecora, I know that my abilities worry you, that you believe they are warping my mind, but look at what I've done with them. I defeated a mutated plant monster, drove off Diamond Dogs, cut down Cokatrices, and just recently killed a cragadile. On their own, these might not look the best examples of pony nature, but each time I have used my abilities has been in defense of myself and of others. I have saved lives with these powers Zecora, and I refuse to see them as a bad thing. My temper is not from gaining these powers, it comes from a lifetime of being seen as nothing, years of trying to be somepony and failing, countless attempts to aid others with what little I could only to be met with rejection. I might not be WISE Zecora, that's your specialty, but I possess years of experience of just how cruel life can be...is it wrong for me to be upset? *point at Trixie* She was digging through your things searching for this box, this Amulet, and rather than let her steal from you, I stopped her, punished her, and patched her back up. Yet when I inform you of this, with no prodding from anypony, I am met with suspicion and mistrust. I love you Zecora, but if what we have is going to work, I need you to trust me."

With all that dealt with, your future plans are quite straight forward now. Get the mares back home and placate whatever issues they have.

By Gog, Meghan, and Bigus Dickus, I believe our boy has survived another hour.

Back to Zecoras home, where one of the Elements eagerly awaits your arrival so you can demonstrate your Nosferatuness, while leading her further down the dark path she is already walking, of serving her noble bity vampire master in Everyway she can.

Finally to finish off, you're defininitly going to have to sleep talk the mares tonight. Lay the ground work for Trixie and prepare Zecora for the changes Trixie is sure to begin showing soon. Also, make sure they aren't going to be jealous of any mares you show "attention" too. While that wasn't the cause of this happening, it's still a problem you overlooked before. So you may still may have time to remedy it before it becomes one.

We must also make sure trixie knows that all she needs to be someone is to stay by our side as an obedient little pone.

And the shit closer to home was Zecora and Trixie. Both of them now needed further coaching from you, along with a bit of sleep-whispering to seal the deal, of that you were fairly certain. However, as much as a cluster-rut as this whole bucking thing had been, you got the general feeling that all this craziness might have worked out for the best... After all, it had kind of interrupted whatever heavy talk you were going to have with Zecora before all of this, the one after you shot her with lightning and tied her up. Whatever conversation you had now with her was probably going to go MUCH better for you. As for Trixie, well... she'd lost. Everything. Her will, her strength, her infuriatingly self-centered personality... You weren't sure how much of her was actually left in there, but whatever was left was malleable you were certain. If there was any time to bring her around to your way of thinking it was now.

And you could use the events of recent as a selling point to get Zecora off your back as well! After all, you'd just used your powers to SAVE the both of them. From a rock monster reptile thing, AND a giant Planimonster thing. A pretty good argument for keeping certain slightly disconcerting, but ultimately rather cool abilities. But the point was, that while you still had a good deal of work to do with your mares, things had progressed rather well. With yourself in position to get lauded with heroics. Possibly also get laid for said heroics. However now that you were in a good position you needed to be a bit subtle about it, a bit cautious, take things slowly and-

"AGH!"

AND REMEMBER TO STAY OFF YOUR RIGHT BUCKING FORELEG!!! BUCK! You winced, lifting your right foreleg back up from the ground, cringing painfully as you kept up with your remaining three legs.

"A-are you alright?" Came the query from, interestingly enough, Trixie instead of Zecora. Asking quietly, very quietly, and looking to you with her sulky, droopy, red-rimmed eyes.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, just guess walking with three legs and a load on my back is a little harder than I anticipated. Forgot about my right fore for a minute and tried to step with it." You spoke, wincing a bit as you kept moving. You weren't actually lying here, you'd never had the best physique and your stubborn decision to carry pretty much everything but a box with three of four legs WAS starting to take a bit of a toll on your muscles.... Trixie bit her bottom lip, and after a moment's hesitation, moved closer to you.

"H-here." She spoke quietly, and helped move your still healing foreleg to rest over her back. You winced a bit at the pain from the movement, after all as you had just recently been reminded your foreleg was still very much damaged. But mostly, you appreciated the now sudden proximity to the mare, even if she did smell a bit like wet pony mixed with sweat, and the move did allow you to put your weight on her and share the load. Really helped take the weight off of the rest.

You gave her a smile and a small nod of thanks, before looking forward to Zecora again, and noticing that she'd actually looked back with a bit of a smile herself. She kept that smile up, meeting your eyes with almost a sly look, before giving you a nod and turning her gaze back forward to focus on leading the way through the Everfree. Huh, so she actually kind of liked that Trixie helped you out, didn't mind that the mare got close to you... That was nice to note. Maybe her extreme jealousy wasn't quite as extreme as you thought? Maybe. Things were still very much up in the air on that. Still though, it was a good sign. And now you had a mare pressed right up against you, fur to fur, her warmth into yours. And you didn't really MIND having a somewhat sweaty formerly Everfree juices soaked body pressed up against you... true, you would have preferred it be a little less reminiscent of your recent near-death experience, and under more 'dick in vagina' related circumstances, but the physical contact was welcome regardless.

You looked over to Trixie, now so close that you could smell her mane. It didn't have much of a scent actually besides the already aforementioned sweat and Everfree water-mix, which was kind of funky and heavy and made you a bit hungry for grass... you guessed she hadn't exactly had time to shampoo it here recently, even before the dip in the Everfree. You guessed that YOU hadn't had the time to shampoo recently, or bathe, or do anything really hygienic period. You hated to think what your mane, fur, and entire being smelled like by now, what with all the sweat and blood and dirt... ugh.

After successfully suppressing a shudder, you looked back to Trixie's mane, then down to her neck, and pursed your lips. After discarding a thought about vampony nibbling as that might cause rather more harm than it was worth, a more pleasant idea flitted into your mind. You calmly leaned down to plant a light 'peck' on her neck, kissing her fur sweetly. That caused Trixie to tense just a bit and look up to you with slightly widened eyes. You gave her a grin in return.

"Just a little thank you." You spoke simply. Trixie blinked, looking into your eyes, before looking down with a soft but depressed expression.

"Trixie does not deserve to be thanked..." She spoke, her voice low and muttering.

"You do if I say you do." You retorted calmly, leaning down to give her neck a little nuzzle. Trixie blinked again and whimpered a bit, before looking back up to you and opening her mouth to start again-

"B-but-"

"Hush." You interrupted calmly, causing Trixie to lower her head again quickly, ears pressed to her skull... You smirked a bit before continuing.

"It's alright Trixie. You've made mistakes and been selfish, and you are going to need to make up for that sometime. But right now you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do. Helping me. And that shows that you're trying to be a good pony. So you get a kiss and a thank you. And also pleasant physical contact and probably snuggles at some point." You spoke, before leaning down again, and planting a light kiss on Trixie's forehead, just above her horn. She blushed a bit at that, causing you to grin a little more. She hung her head down even further and muttered something unintelligible as she kept blushing, before you looked up to Zecora again, watching her swinging plot with a smile as she led the way for the both of you. Yeah... yeah it was the little things that made life worth living.

That covers most of it, I leave what to do with Rarity to the other voices in your head.

Nomad

Maybe Rarity is wet, because she has assisted other friends with reaching Zecoras through the very dangerous Everfree, and so knows exactly what it most often means for a stallion to be in Zecoras hut.?

Poor Trixie, its been over a day since you spanked her into submission? She must be aching so much, needing your painful approval to acknowledge her existance. I wonder if Rarity would enjoy the show?

Rarity is such a gossip, maybe with enough intercourse, social or otherwise, she will mention that Pinkie loves to try all sorts of new things, and can stretch, swell, and inflate to the most amazing proportions, and that even Applejack has been known to inflate with enough effort. Maybe she will even mention about Fluttershys extremely powerful mothering instincts and animal training abilities, to see if she can help with the Planimal.

Also highly likely you will meet the princesses clean up crew the elements of harmony due to rarity is one also rainbow will get in a fight with you you need fluttershy also look out for applejack see can spot a lair a mile away.

Now on to the good.

And finally, you've gotten the Trench coat, but you've already done the appropriate reaction towards acquiring it. All that's left to do is put it on, after a nice bath of course... You know, the mares probbably need a bath as well after this whole event, and you've always considered yourself a good pony. Why not invite them to join you? Help them get the grime and dirt out of their coat and...tails. I mean, those things can't be easy to clean, being so hard to reach.

Flaunt your "heroics" to Rarity. You did bring back both mares, the trench coat, and Zecora's bedding completely unharmed. Sacrificing life and limb as apparent by the leg injury. This is sure to impress her and provide a good start in your plans to bedding her.

It didn't take very long to get back to the hut with Zecora leading the party. Thank bucking goodness. You'd had ENOUGH damn adventures in the Everfree for one day. Or for one week. Or for forever, you weren't exactly feeling charitable towards adventures at the moment. Zecora, you, and Trixie moved up towards the door, Trixie still supporting you as you climbed the few steps up to the door, Zecora already pushing it open as you walked inside and finally came to the end of the long, highly annoying, incredibly vexing, utterly agitating journey.

And the shine from inside vexed and agitated your eyes, practically glistening as you arrived. You actually had to raise your left forehoof over your eyes to shield them from the brilliant shine inside of the hut. As you blinked and adjusted your eyes slightly to the light, you saw that you weren't the only one. Zecora had pulled her left foreleg up to cover her eyes, much like you, and Trixie had just squeezed hers shut and turned her head off to the right. However after you blinked, and squinted, and generally just kept adjusting your eyes to a point of functionality, you could finally make out the figure of Rarity... With a dark blue cloth in her right forehoof, scrubbing the scarred table where you had your meals hard with her eyes narrowed and her fur glistening with sweat, intense focus present in her gaze.

You blinked. ... Okay... ... how was Rarity's Cutie Mark not for cleaning? You'd never seen things shine this impressively in bucking Manehatten, much less a wooden hut in the Everfree! You could see your damn FACE in these floors! And it wasn't just the floors and walls either, she'd picked up the shit that'd gotten knocked down when you hit the shelves and put it back, all organized and neat like it'd never fallen. Buck... and she did it all without her magic to. Which actually kind of showed, what with how messy her mane had gotten and all the sweat on her coat now. Not that you minded. Sweaty mares were good mares... though for a different reason that easily popped into your mind and made your best friend tingle in his sheath...

BUT! You knew well enough not to let your best friend do your thinking by now. And as Rarity turned towards you all, your thoughts moved instead to the impending conversations that were about to be had. Thankfully Rarity started things off, dropping the cloth onto the table, with her eyes going wide and sparkling with delight.

"Zecora! Mister Slate! Oh thank Celestia you're both safe!" Spoke Rarity happily, quickly trotting over towards Zecora and THROWING her forelegs around Zecora in a hug. You and Zecora both blinked at that, and you suddenly felt as though you might have gotten a little of Zecora's jealousy inside of you... not that she'd hugged Zecora, just that she hadn't hugged you first. Not that she had any reason to... at all. Because of how bucking bad you looked... Anyways, you watched as Zecora lifted her right forehoof up to gently pat Rarity on the back for a moment, before Rarity stepped back still with a light smile, and then turned her gaze over towards Trixie.

Her eyes narrowed immediately. Trixie gulped. The light blue unicorn mare started to open her mouth, but the formerly pristine and fabulous unicorn who had been forced to discover her bondage fetish by less than pleasant means, trotted up to Trixie before she could say anything. Rarity brought her right forehoof forward and POKED Trixie's chest, narrowed eyes glaring into Trixie's.

"Magic. Horn. Fix. NOW." She spoke, poking Trixie's chest with every word, her teeth gritted together, a scowl upon her face, and eyes flashing with rage and promises of pain. Trixie did more gulping.

"Y-yes maam!" She squeaked with wide eyes, her horn glowing purple, and a purple aura appearing around Rarity's own horn. Then, the purple aura seemed to 'streak' down her horn, and then down the front of her face to right between her eyes. The purple glowed through her fur, and then formed into a little circle. After a moment a kind of 'cracking' noise was heard and a visible crack seeming to appear on the glowing circle as well. Then, it shattered. The circle cracking all over and breaking apart, with a noise like glass fragments tinkling onto the floor. And then Trixie's horn stopped glowing, and the broken circle disappeared.

Almost immediately, Rarity's horn glowed blue, and the cloth she'd been using to polish the table SHOT up from it in a blue aura, and came to float in front of her face, slightly to the left. Rarity sighed out heavily, closing her eyes and smiling a relieved smile.

"Oh thank Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and yes Twilight! Thank ALL the Princesses, that was driving me crazy!" She spoke before breathing out heavily again, before affixing a calm and measured expression, stoic even, and opening her eyes again to give Trixie a half-lidded look.

"Well. I suppose it would only be ladylike to thank you for reversing your SABOTAGE of my magic..." She spoke, with an icy edge to her tone, as though it was only bare manners that required her to speak to Trixie. Trixie whimpered a bit and looked down, and it was at that point that you felt as though interjecting.

"Trixie, I believe you have something you'd like to say to Miss Rarity." You spoke, causing Trixie to look up at you, blinking a bit, before you nodded your head over towards Rarity, mouthing the words 'I'm sorry' as you did so. Trixie blinked a few times before her eyes widened a bit with understanding. Then she looked back to Rarity, licked her lips, and lowered her head again.

"I... T-Trixie is sorry for sealing your magic Miss Rarity... and tying you up..." She spoke before you, with a thought, leaned down and whispered in her ear. Trixie blinked again, before nodding a bit, and continuing on.

"And ruining your hat... Trixie apologizes." Finished Trixie, lowering her head a little more.

"... And also all that stuff I did in Ponyville, like turning your mane green, and making you sew Trixie's banners." She muttered, causing YOU to blink this time. ... sew Trixie's banners? ... That... sounded kind of cool actually. Banners were cool. You'd like banners. Vampony Princes got banners you were pretty sure.

Rarity actually blinked a bit at Trixie's apology, probably not expecting Trixie to go the extra mile. After a moment she closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, then breathed out slowly... before opening her eyes again, and looking to Trixie with her a still calm, but no longer half-lidded gaze.

"Do you promise to refrain from kidnapping my friends anymore and running off with them into the woods? Or from going on megalomaniacal conquests? And also from EVER messing with my mane, magic, or horn again?" She asked, surprisingly level-voiced for that kind of intense query..

"Y-yes. Trixie... I, promise." Spoke Trixie, nodding her head slightly. Rarity gave a little nod in return, then smiled ever-so-slightly, her eyes gaining a little warmth as she did so.

"Very well then. I accept your apology Miss Trixie." Spoke Rarity simply, then smiling a little more and looking over towards you with a glint in her eyes.

"And now that that's done with, you should really take a bath so you can get into your ne-" she started to go on, before blinking, GASPING with wide eyes, and practically RUSHING around to Trixie's side and leaning down to stare at your right forehoof.

"MISTER SLATE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LEG!?!?" She asked loudly, eyes wide with fear. You blinked at that then grinned sheepishly, blushing a bit because... well, a pretty mare was worried about you. Who knew?

"Oh, um, rock-crocodile, monster, thing got my leg in it's mouth... big tail, snapping jaws, made of stone... kind of munched down on it." You muttered, shaking your head a bit. Rarity looked to you with her eyes wide and her jaw open, absolutely flabbergasted.

"YOU MEAN A CRAGADILE MUNCHED ON YOUR LEG!?!?" She asked. Loudly. Making you and Trixie BOTH wince a bit before you replied.

"That... that sounds right. Is that what it's called?" You asked again.

Interjected Zecora simply, a bit aways from the group no longer carrying the box, looking through her shelves for something while you, Trixie, and Rarity all huddled near the door. Well, whatever she was looking for it probably wasn't your business. With the matter of the creature's name settled you nodded, and looked back to Rarity with a light smile.

"Okay yeah, that thing. Anyways don't worry about my leg too much, it hurts like a b- um, it hurts. But my 'condition's' healing me up. It was much worse than this at first. In a few hours, there'll be nothing but scar tissue." You spoke, nodding calmly as Rarity looked back down to your forehoof with a blink and a gulp, an entirely sympathetic grimace evident on her face.

"W-well, thank Celestia for that then. My word Mister Slate, that must have been..." Spoke Rarity softly, before shaking her head and stepping back, walking back around to in front of you and Trixie before bringing her left foreleg up over her mouth as she cleared her throat. Throat cleared, she placed it back down onto the ground before looking back up to your face.

"'Ahem'. Yes, well, right. Now, Mister Slate, I am aware that you have had a very trying time of things recently but I must insist that you-"

"Oh yeah, I need a bath. Before I try on my trenchcoat DEFINITELY." You interrupted calmly, having already come to that conclusion very easily on your own. Rarity blinked at your blunt and quick declaration before nodding a bit shakily.

"Y-yes that was what I was going to say. Now this may be a little awkward however judging from their appearance and mine I'd say that Zecora, Trixie and I need-"

"You all need a bath to. Everypony here needs a bath today." You continued, nodding calmly, looking to each of the mares in question. Zecora of which seemed to agree completely as she'd just pulled her basket of soap-rocks down from a shelf and placed it on her back. Trixie for her part just kept looking at the floor, and Rarity blinked, then frowned just a little.

"Well yes, yes that was what I was going to say Mister Slate, now on the matter of properly going about the task of bathing, I propose that we-"

"We should all bathe together. Get it done in one go." You interrupted again, nodding thoughtfully. Rartiy immediately gasped, took a few steps back, and brought her right forehoof over her chest, an absolutely appalled expression on her face.

"MISTER SLATE! That is NOT what I was going to suggest at all! You cannot seriously be proposing that we all bathe TOGETHER!?" She asked, aghast. ... You raised your right eyebrow.

"... Yes, yes that is what I was suggesting... what's wrong with that?"

"What is WRONG with it, Mister Slate, it is absolutely UNSEEMLY!!!" She replied, moving her right forehoof down to STOMP onto the ground.

"... Why?"

"Because you are a STALLION mister slate and WE are mares!!!" She continued, her voice inflection making it sound like not only was she offended, but that you obviously should have been aware of why she was offended.

"Yes... Yes I am aware of that. Very acutely aware of that actually. Now, WHY does that mean we can't bathe together?"

"You'll see us naked while bathing!" That one gave you pause. You blinked, raised your right eyebrow... and decided that she WASN'T playing a prank on you, before continuing.

"... ... Miss Rarity... I see you naked right now... You see me naked right now... I see Trixie, and Zecora, both naked, right now. We are all very naked, right at this moment... I fail to see the source of your reluctance on this."

"W-well, yes, admittedly my reasoning may seem a bit strange on the surface, but the rules of decency clearly call fo-"

Spoke Zecora plainly, having acquired another basket, one with several sponges inside, while moving about her shelves. She was now walking back towards you all, though stopping on the way to pick up a wooden bamboo staff, and put it onto her back to balance as well, before walking forward once again.

She continued on, rather bluntly really just walking straight towards the door and stepping past you, Rarity, and Trixie, on the way out, headed for the river that she used to bathe. You blinked a bit, then looked back to Rarity, who was staring after Zecora wide-eyed, and shrugged a bit.

"You heard the mare." You stated simply, then calmly separated from Trixie for a moment and shrugged down your load, moving the cloak, saddle-bags, and hat off your shoulders to the left of the door, arranging them nice and neat, paying special care to Rarity's saddle-bags because... well, trenchcoat, and Rarity was right there to see how you treated them. Then, you looked back to Trixie and brought your right foreleg around her body again, resting it over her back. You were pleased to note that Trixie did NOT tense up at that, but simply accepted your foreleg. You looked down to Trixie as you once again enjoyed the benefits of being close to her, and spoke pleasantly.

"Come on Trixie, let's go get clean!" You proclaimed, Trixie nodding softly at that.

"O-okay." She stated quietly, before turning with you, and moving to trot out the door. Rarity stood still, her mouth opening and closing for a moment, before she blinked, hung her head, and sighed... then started to trot out the door.

"Oh very well. I suppose I shall just have to trust you to act as a gentlecolt Mister Slate." She muttered as she trotted out after you and Trixie, closing the door behind her as you all followed Zecora, down to get a much needed, highly required bath.

... ... ...

And that was that really... with Zecora's approval, Rarity's protests dried up. Mostly. When you all actually got to the river, she insisted that she, Zecora, and Trixie, bathe in a seperate spot from you. You were a bit too tired to complain, and wound up bathing down-river from them. It was fine, because... well, Zecora's soap-wall covered you all anyways when it came crashing with the waves, and you were the messiest of them all by FAR. There was way less unpleasant bits that could come from them towards you than you to them. Better to keep your mares clear of your dried blood, just as one example.

Zecora, true to her word, was helping Rarity wash her mane, seemingly making the water in it clear out the soap with her hoof instead of using a sponge, and seemed to be explaining how the soap-rocks worked. Rarity had seemed honestly quite flabbergasted that all that Zecora needed to do to get a full body-scrub worth of soap was toss a rock into water. She was likely the sort of mare to have a veritable army of beauty products, shampoos, soaps, lotions, and cleansing goods for her available whenever she took a bath. That such an efficient cleaning tool existed was likely a challenge to everything she'd ever heard of or read in advertisements.

Trixie for her part seemed rather lackluster, and so Rarity and Zecora were also helping her, in addition to trying to bathe themselves. At the moment, that meant Rarity mainly working on Trixie's back while Zecora worked on her own mane. Trixie was half-heartedly scrubbing her front while the other mares kept it up. You had to say, you were interested in Rarity's generosity towards Trixie. That mare had tied her up, locked her magic away, kidnapped one of her friends, and apparently done other things before. And now, Rarity was helping her clean up after an accepted apology. Hard to fathom... perhaps she saw the weakness of Trixie like you did and simply could not remain angry at her. Perhaps...

In any case, you were left to bathe yourself, somewhat to your disappointment. You would have LOVED to both bathe, and be bathed by the mares. And also, it was just a bit difficult to do this whole bathing thing with one of your forelegs out of commission for the moment, the running water still making it hurt a little. However, it was mostly fine. You just used your left, scrubbed HARD where you saw the blood and dirt, and tried to treat your actual hoof a little more gently. And luckily, while you weren't all bathing together, you were all pretty close, and you listened in on the conversation between Rarity as she spoke with Zecora. There were various topics concerned but one segment in particular caught your attention, when they began to discuss their mutual friends...

"Oh Fluttershy was quite worried about the poor dear, but that otter's back and swimming again just like new! Honestly, the poor dear was so relieved, she LOVES taking care of those darling animals of hers after all! She's like a mother to the sweet little dears!" Spoke Rarity conversationally, you pursing your lips as you listened. So this 'Fluttershy' liked taking care of animals and nurturing them? That was interesting you supposed... for some reason... maybe?

Asked Zecora simply, as she continued to clean soap from Rarity's mane, the foam now almost entirely gone and the hair looking shiny and luxurious.

"Oh she's doing quite well actually! Apparently this next harvest is going to be the largest ever, and after she's done with her apple-bucking, she's expecting to sell enough to make a HUGE profit when cider season comes around. Might even be able to convince her to take a vacation, the poor dear, she does work so hard out in those fields, I am rather impressed with her stamina! Not to mention her fitness, oh I am envious sometimes of how very in-shape she is." Spoke Rarity, sounding almost wistful for a moment as you raised your right eyebrow. So this Applejack was some sort of farm-pony? And in excellent shape with good stamina? Might be a pretty good rut. Probably better than you to be fair.

"Oh! Dear me, with everything happening I COMPLETELY forgot! Zecora, Pinkie Pie's planning one of her 'Make Everypony Happy In A Twenty Mile Radius' parties. She was wondering if you could get her a batch of the 'special secret wink wink nudge-nudge' potions. Her exact words darling, and I'm not sure what she needs them for but says that you're also invited, in addition to the potion request." Spoke Rarity happily, continuing to focus on Trixie's back and thus COMPLETELY missing a slow blush that formed on Zecora's cheeks. You raised your right eyebrow a bit at that. Pinkie Pie... was she asking for some kind of sex potions from Zecora? Something for body-alteration or stamina or something? You couldn't think of many other reasons that Zecora would blush at that... or that it'd be asked for in that way... ... were there sex freaks in Ponyville? Could you FIND them?

Asked Zecora, perhaps trying to change the conversation. Rarity actually sighed at that, and bowed her head forward a little.

"Oh Sweetie Belle is well enough, but mother and father are spending less and less time with either of us as of recent. I've had to practically become a second mother to her and most of the time she's living at the boutique. Oh, and recently she came home with a note from Cheerilee, apparently she had gotten the GHASTLY idea to push Diamond Tiara into the mud and rub it into her mane... I understand that Sweetie Belle and her friends have problems with the little Diamond Tiara, but that was still wholly inappropriate! I don't know why she thought otherwise, or where such rowdy behavior came from... I was forced to paddle Sweetie Belle and make her apologize. Fortunately Filthy Rich was quite understanding of the whole thing, and said that he would discuss Diamond Tiara's 'conversation choices' with her." Spoke Rarity simply, sighing out again... before Trixie spoke quietly.

"I've been spanked once." She stated simply causing Rarity to blink... and Zecora to blink... and you to blink... and silence to descend down the entire river as the bathing experience stopped for a moment... Then Rarity blinked, and shook her head, and formed a somewhat forced smile on her face.

"Ah, mm, ah yes, dear, most foals have been spanked at one point or another, myself included. Let's just, ah, get this spot out of your coat shall we? Heh, yes, mm, ahum." She spoke, mixing throat-clearing with somewhat hasty words, before resuming the washing. Zecora, for her part, resumed cleaning Rarity's mane quietly, not revealing the details of said spanking. Trixie, for her part, simply nodded mutely and continued her half-hearted self bathing. You, in the meantime, felt your heart start pumping again, and the breath that you hadn't realized you were holding move out through your mouth in a relieved sigh. Satisfied that that wouldn't go any further, you quit eavesdropping for a bit and thought to yourself while slowly making thick streaks in your fur with the sponge...

Ponyville. It sounded like it was a very interesting place. With very interesting mares. And by that, you meant ruttable. But also probably interesting for other reasons... reasons that didn't involve a dick entering into a slit. A cock making it's way to the henhouse. A snake slithering into the hole. A shaft being put through a chasm. A rod getting put in the honeypot. A hay-sausage sliding in the bun. A-

PS. MAKE A NOTE TO YOURSELF TO STOP BEING SUCH A BUCKING PERVERT! LAST THING YOU NEED IS THE GUARD THROWING YOUR SORRY FLANK IN A CELL BECAUSE YOU COULDNT KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS! BESIDES YOU HAVE BIGGER SHIT TO WORRY ABOUT THAN GETTING TAIL.

-PYRO THE RED

A best friend popping out of your sheathe into the cold water of the river along with your balls as you thought about rutting and DIDN'T notice your increasing arousal.

"GAH!" You hissed, then quickly turned around in the water away from the bathing mares.

Came a query from Zecora. You looked back and saw that Zecora, Trixie, and Rarity, all looked at you with expressions of basic concern at your outburst. You gave them what you hoped was a comforting grin... and hoped they didn't see the desperate panic in your eyes.

"Ah, yeah, yeah everything's fine, just rubbed my wound a bit harder than I should've!" You spoke out, a little louder than was strictly necessary, before looking back down to your cock.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" You muttered to yourself as you glared at your best friend in the world. BUCK! Buck you had to calm this guy down and get it back in it's sheathe! But you could already tell that you couldn't do that in the river. The stream wafting by felt too good and was kind of working you up. You needed to finish bathing and get out. FAST.

With renewed determination you began to scrub. HARD. QUICK. And THOROUGH. You needed to get clean with MINIMUM SUSPICION if you wanted to preserve your image. You didn't want three mares knowing that you had gotten so caught up in thinking about rutting that you'd let your dick get out! Nudity in public was one thing, everypony did that and buck, most of the time they actually did wear something it didn't cover the flank. But a MODICUM of control was expected, and letting your stallionhood get out in public was CROSSING THE DAMN LINE!!! If this shit happened in Ponyville, you'd probably get jailed, arrested, and tried! ... Not in that order BUT THE POINT WAS CLEAR!!! BUCK!!!

You glared at your junk, eyes narrowed as you scrubbed the foam away with your left forehoof and glowered at your perfectly average equine penis through the water. That damn idiot friend of yours caused you so many problems! And yes helped you have a good time once, but still! Some bucking restraint was necessary! Buck it you needed to keep this sort of shit under control... Damn bucker was twitching. Like it was laughing at you. Bucking bastard.

With your rapid scrubbing brought upon by the massive panic, and the three mares mixing in conversation with their bathing, mainly Zecora and Rarity... okay, mainly Rarity while Zecora asked questions to be polite, you finished up much faster than them. You were a little worried that you might have missed something but with how hard you'd scrubbed, you were pretty sure that you were clean of filth now. And actually, you felt it. It felt like an entire LAYER had left your coat and the skin beneath, like your mane and tail were fresh for once, that you actually felt... clean. And now that you felt clean, you needed to feel not bucking awkward and get out of the water before the gentle caresses of the water made you spurt right into it!

Quickly, yourself cleaned, you started getting out of the water.

"Oh, Mister Slate, you're all done?" Came Rarity's voice, and you looked back to see the three mares looking at you. And YOU, making sure your right hind leg was back and your tail was down and body turned away from them, looked back to them with flushed cheeks. You could FEEL it on your face BUCK you wish you could make it go away.

"Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and head back. Don't worry, I know the way, see you all back there!" You spoke, before turning and continuing on, quickly, before questions could be asked and your dick's emergence could be revealed. Buck you hated that things sometimes, BUCK IT!!!

Well good to see you survived all thanks too our (my) advice. Doesn't feel great when a plan comes together and you get to set some shit on fire? Feels great now don't it? Well now that we've established how much you like plans let's make a plan!

You have already seen and used some of Zecoras potions, such as the one used to subdue her. But, how could she possibly use that on herself, as her healing potions work far better for the time. Maybe she uses it when Big Mac comes round for his fertility tratments, so she cant flail round and strike him when he reacts with usual excessivness to the first temporary side effect of the treatment, maybe that of loosing control to Mr Nutz and breed mare now.

just what would Zecora do, with enough gilded tongue, to get hold of dragon eggs, an unlimited Trixie supply maybe, so she can have access to all those rare and difficult to get ingredients, and further loyal members? Maybe that Everfree dragon, mentally young, but bodily mature, can instead of being fought, be teased, manipulated, corrupted, lost in the bliss of breeding instead of consuming offerings?

Conflicts are because minions are trying to do their best, induvidually, for you, claiming the right to call themself better than the others. This is what evil might use against the hero, with difficulty, but its also what the heros frends use with extreme ease against evil. If you want to be truely evil, you have to take the heros own abilities, and corrupt them, preferably subtly, to your side. Far better to have loyal minions who will throw themselves in the way of a blade, than minions who not only let the blade through because they are arguing as to who should tke it, but are just as likely to grab the blade as it misses, then help it to its origional target. Carrot and Stick. If they please you, they get the carrot vibrator. If they dont please you, then they get to sit in the corner, looking at the stick, and bemoaning that you are not flogging them to orgasm with it.

Then we have to read zecoras books on potions. We could fined something's that could improve us or make it easier to controls are mares.

All that aside, you're now left with a few things to decide upon and where to go from here.

Also train your bucking abilities you bucking moron. Famous saying to know thy self and enemy you will win almost every battle.

On the way back you calmed down. In BOTH meanings of the word. Without the water constantly running against your junk it started to relax, and without a bunch of mares nearby to possibly see, you started to get less worried about it. Soon enough your cock and balls moved back in between your sheathe, and you were fine... if feeling a little frustrated. Sighing, you lowered your head and kept the trot up through the forest back towards Zecora's hut... and now isolated, alone, and walking, you started to think on things.

Things like dicks, virility potions, and what had seemed to be suggested with Pinkie Pie's order... Did Zecora MAKE sex potions? Well, she could... it was perfectly legitimate after all, wasn't it? Some stallions had performance problems or just needed a little boost sometimes... and you were sure that there was a whole bunch of biological shit with mares that you just didn't understand. Probably stuff to make them go into heat or snap them out of it. Sex was fun after all even when everypony wasn't in heat, but you did know that it was a problem for mares sometimes. After all, the decency of the age required a modicum of decorum... there were potions to keep the need to breed under control, and Zecora probably made some.

Which kind of made you wonder, were there potions that increased the feeling of sensation? Like, pain. If pain got you horny normally, then were there potions to make them even MORE horny. How about potions that just plain made you want to rut in the first place? Or love potions that made you obsessed with somepony and absolutely devoted to them, to the point of putting their life on the line and doing everything possibly to serve them? And then there was all that stuff from before about invisibility, harvesting, etc...

The more you thought about it, the more you thought you could learn some REALLY useful shit from Zecora. After all, you'd been thrown from one emergency to another without getting the time to practice really with your abilities. Maybe it was time to sit down and read a bit, learn some things, look over her books and journals and figure shit out? You could mix that with practice and like, sword-fighting or something. You bet that Zecora was really good with that stick of hers, she was certainly athletic and sexy enough to be a martial artist, and she could help you practice! Yeah, really, the first thing that you needed to do when you got back to the hut was crack open a book, start reading, figure shit out, all that jazz.

After all, you wanted to figure your mares out. Know what they wanted. Know what they needed. And how to get what you wanted through them. Zecora's books would have most of the answers you felt... enough answers to get things started at least.

I have noticed you are poor young blank, due to your past so you need money because moutching is not a good thing there are three things that can get you money

Good way: help ponies in the everfree as a guide due to it tells you things and you have the firepower to defend yourself and/or scavenge the everfree for valuables from the places of less lucky folks and who knows you might get brownie points if you return it or a missing loved on(closure)/(if you can find no use sell it some where else or return it to owner's friends

Neutral: "convince" diamond dogs to give you a few gems or metal to sell, pawn, or gift to your mares and pay your minions or at least get interest and become independent money wise.

Evil: steal from poor fools in the everfree and kill them to cover your tracks

I say go neutral then good then evil in order. Try to avoid evil path for the time unless some poor moron goes in here. Try to use good and neutral path combined but don't let people know about dimonad dogs at all they are your secret income say you go dig for them people do it all the time and there could be untapped veins in the everfree that dragons have not touched yet.

Which was fortunate for you, because it didn't take you too long to get back to the hut. You were now clean, dried from the walk, and pretty much kissable you were fairly sure. You felt good, though you still had to keep your right foreleg up from the ground for the most part. You walked up the steps with a smile and a thoughtful gaze as you looked to the hut. Home sweet home... ... well, no actually, not your home. The place you were mooching off of.

That thought kind of downed you a bit, making your lower your head for a moment, standing on the steps in thought. You... didn't want to live off of Zecora's kindness forever. She shouldn't have to support you. And you shouldn't have to steal shit or anything to pay her back... like, from ponies. Stealing shit from Diamond Dogs was fine though! In fact, you'd already given her that Diamond Dog collar hadn't you, the one with the diamonds in it? Yeah, yeah you were pretty sure you had. Come to think of it, those Diamond Dogs probably had a lot more useful shit like that. If you could find out where they lived, like, in a bestiary or something, you might be able to extort them for bits and gems! Make them give over the bounties of the Earth and pay like that.

The thought also crossed your mind that you could be a guide in the Everfree with your newfound abilities, but... well, ponies that came in here were most likely to be lost and without bits anyways. It didn't seem like many came to the Everfree Forest in general, though apparently they were willing to visit Zecora's hut. But anyways, that'd probably be a side-gig at best, and everypony who was likely to come in probably already knew the path to Zecora's hut. Yeah... yeah robbing Diamond Dogs was probably the best way. You thought, nodding yourself before stepping up the rest of the steps, and pushing open the door with your left forehoof, half-stumbling in but catching yourself as you entered the shining hut.

seriously get Zecora to give Trixie something that Amulet has a deep hold on her your the master not that infernal amulet.

You nearly die out there because you weren't powerful enough, those you care for nearly die because you weren't powerful enough, Zecora nearly die because you weren't powerful enough. If only you had enough power to destroy that beast that attacked you, you could of used your GLORIOUS FIRE to BURN that beast from the inside out and you'd never have to worry about the animal that's now loose in the evergreen. Your weakness is why it's on the loose. Well enough is enough. It is time for you to be strong. It is time for the everfree to know it's master it is time to open the box and seize its power.

DOESN'T THAT POWER FEEL AMAZING!?!

While your subjects may complain once you absorb the power of the necklace pay them no mind. Let them know that it was because you were weak that they all most died. That you all most died. You need that power to save the world from its evil. To watch over and control the world,to protect it from evil. To rule it and crush all resistance to your rule witch will bring about a golden age! Ahem! Sorry getting ahead of myself here. Anyway don't mention the world domination bit to them, they aren't ready for it yet.

So go forth blank, seize the power you need of the box and the Planimal monster. If you followed our (MY) advice you should be well on your way to ruling this tiny rock, and as all ways if all else fails SET WHATEVER IS VEXING YOU ON FIRE! UNLESS ITS THE PLANIMAL! YOU WANT TO CONTROL THAT REMEMBER!

Hugs and kisses,

PYRO THE RED

Agreed...sort of. Most of your misfortune has come from a mix of simle lack of experience and a lack of pure power. The Amulet, from what you can gather, is a source of incredible power. Once your mares are asleep, it's time to gain an extra excessory. From what we have gathered, the Amulet will try to corrupt your mind...hah, that's nothing. You have kept your head and sense of self no matter what life has thrown at you, AND WE'LL BE DAMNED BEFORE WE LET SOME PIECE OF JEWLERY TELL US WHAT TO DO!!!

The first thing that requires attention is the Amulet. You nearly sacrificed a leg for this thing and still need to come to a decision on what to do with it. You can't keep it on your person or close by, as that risks Trixie attempting to steal it away, and Zecora will surely raise some objections as well. You can't just give it to Zecora again either, as that risks this whole fiasco happening again. Nor can you give it to Trixie, as it would corrupt her towards it's own goals and make your own manipulations upon her for naught. The best option would be to hide it away yourself. Someplace you'll be able to retrieve it later if the situation calls, or as a distant contingency plan.

Now that your safe, we must use the power of the amulet to strengthen our self so we can Handel anything.

You totally intended to go straight for the bestiaries to find the Diamond Dogs in whatever compendiums Zecora possessed. Or the potion books to look into all those freaky sex-based potion ideas you'd had while trotting up here. Or even something that explained more about your powers or abilities, probably none like that but you had a more specific research-venue now that you could run with. You planned on going straight up to the newly reorganized shelves, and pulling down books until you found shit that could help you. You TOTALLY intended to do that. Until you saw the box.

Perhaps it was the relief of just getting back home. Perhaps it was the absent-mindedness and distraction as she got ready to bathe. Perhaps it was tiredness, or thoughtlessness, or even some kind of test. Perhaps a lot of things. But for whatever reason Zecora had left the box out in the open, right on the shining table. It was an ugly and battered thing now, standing clear against the table so shiny that it looked new, sans a scar your actions had left. And as you looked at the box, something became apparent, something as clear as the very table it sat on. The lock was broken.

You weren't sure how she didn't notice that. And you weren't entirely sure when it happened. There were numerous times it could have you supposed. But the steel grey lock had split from the left side all the way up to the slot for the key, and opened wide enough that you were fairly sure it was no longer locking anything. You just stood there for a moment, looking at the box, your eyes on the hunk of wood that you'd nearly lost a leg over... ... The Alicorn Amulet was supposed to be in there... the amulet that was supposed to have driven Trixie to madness with immense and raging power, power that was great, power that was impressive, power that was all-consuming. Power to enforce will and dominion, power to perform acts beyond the skills of any other, power to dominate, power to control, power to RULE, THAT KIND OF POWER!!! ... And it was resting inside that box... and the lock on that box was broken.

You bit your bottom lip, staring at that box for several moments... before shuffling in, and slowly closing the door behind you... If the lock was broken, then there was no telling what had happened to the amulet inside... It could have fallen out, anywhere really. Would anypony have noticed in all the commotion? No, of course they wouldn't have. It... it was something that you needed to check on, wasn't it? Of course! After all that trouble, you had to make sure that Zecora hadn't just come back with an empty box. You had to make sure that YOU hadn't come back with an empty box. It wasn't about the power, the delicious, all-consuming, RAGING power that was supposed to be inside of it, of course not! It was just you, being a conscientious and thoughtful guest in Zecora's home, a good lover, a good friend... yeah...

With a gulp, you slowly moved forward over towards the table on three of your legs. You tentatively laid your right foreleg on the table, the thing still hurting though it had obviously improved, even more from last time... and then you leaned forward over the table, and 'nudged' the lid open with your nose. The lid fell back and 'clunk'-ed lightly against the wood of the table, the lock not even noticing the movement, thoroughly deprived of purpose... And there it was, nestled in the bottom of the box. A grey metal triangle pointed down, with a sharpened outcropping up at the center. A dark metal alicorn head with horn, and PIERCING red eyes locked in an eternal glare. A pair of black wings spreading out, with the inner edges coated a deep ruby red. And a red diamond-shaped gem, glistening and powerful, wondrous and enticing, glinting in the light...

This... this thing, this Alicorn Amulet, was BEAUTIFUL... The red gem in it's center shined in that box, shined like fire... like TARTAREAN FIRE!!! A FIRE IN YOUR SKIN! A burning, desire... that was turning you to STEAL... And it wasn't your fault. You weren't to blame. It was the amulet, the jewel that set this flame! It wasn't your fault! If in their plan, the crafter'd made this jewel so much stronger than a stallion!

You blinked... You felt as though those thoughts should have been set to music for some reason... and better written. Maybe rhyme a bit, some proper tones and musical numbers? It was Equestria it could happen easy enough, ponies broke out into song and dance all the time. But, well, you didn't want to steal the amulet from Zecora, she'd be mad... unless... unless you proved that the amulet was nothing! Nothing special at all. It was probably just Trixie using it as an excuse when she took over an entire town! Yes, that's it, it was an excuse! It probably didn't corrupt anypony at all. And it was your solemn duty as a friend to prove that...

With a smile, and a spark in your eyes that you would have been absolutely terrified to see in the mirror, you reached down with your left forehoof to grasp the amulet. Slowly you lifted it out, noticing for the first time a pair of dark, practically black metal bands hanging from below it that would let it clasp about your neck. Slowly, you moved it up to your neck, and bringing your chin down to hold it in place, used your left forehoof to clasp the metal bits behind your neck, holding the amulet there, said amulet fitting perfectly... like it was made for you.

You breathed in deep, then out slowly, feeling the cold of the amulet against your coat. See? Nothing at al-

"AAAGGGHHH!!!" The pain came. The pain came HARD and FAST and without mercy. It was burning and raging in you and it CONSUMED your mind and body and soul, ripping through you like a thousand hot prongs! The amulet crackled, glistening red, and red filled your mind and your eyes and you couldn't see anything but the burning.

WHUMP...

You fell onto the floor, twitching with your eyes rolling back into your head, and then you saw nothing, as you slipped into the depths of darkness... and as your mind slipped into the black, you swore you could hear somepony, some slightly effeminate sounding stallion, laughing.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Ooohhh... oooooohhhhh... this is gonna be FUN!"

Author's Notes:

I would just like to say thank you to everyone for your kind words and support. I don't talk in the comments section due to both a degree of social anxiety, and more firmly my belief that it should be a place for your suggestions and discussion with minimum influence from myself. I'm writing the actual story, so that's a good amount of power already, and I also am already aware of what I think and I love as cool things. This story has developed in such an interesting way because of all of you, and I would nigh change that for a hundred likes... though if I wind up with a hundred likes anyways I'm super-awesome with that.

However, my point is, that although I don't do direct speaking in most cases I do appreciate your support, thanks, positive commentary, and of course your participation. It fills my heart with joy to see positive reception, and to see you talking with one another and plotting and scheming, and coming up with ever more intricate ideas for the Host. I'm very grateful for you all, and would just like to make that clear. Thank you.

Also, the next question is going to be a Question and Answer. As a reminder, questions for the Brothers are to be put in Question and Answer #3, know that it's been a while but that's where they go please.

And now, just because I feel like it, here's one of my favorite villain songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqGL9B_TPTI