"The first o' the Goo Ponies was actually Swamp Gas, the husband of Mage Meadowbrooke," Jamba began as he and Terra drifted along in the swamp. "Based on what I was told, Swamp Gas was kinda the local hero o' Hayseed village, and he liked t' go out an' explore the swamps. Supposedly, he had some adventures an' even a few close calls. However... one day, his explorin' landed him in a heap o' trouble an' his life changed forever!

"Nopony really knows whuddit was, but Swamp Gas fell into something... unusual. Whatever it was, it made him real sick! Lucky for Swamp Gas, his friends were wit' him when it happend, an' they rushed him home t' his wife, Meadowbrooke. She tried everything she could, but Meadowbrooke saw her hubby was dying, an' even scarier... his body was changing! Becoming... squishy an' see-through. Gooey even!

"Then, Meadowbrooke tried an elixir she'd been experimentin' with, an' almost immediately, Swamp Gas seemed t' get better! Only... his body din't change back t' flesh n' blood. He remained a sorta... livin' goo, an' tho they thoughta workin' t' get Swamp Gas back to his normal self, he decided it was too risky. Meadowbrooke saw that, though her stallion was different on th' outside he was still th' pony she loved inside. So... they learned t' live with it, an' that's how Swamp Gas became th' first Goo Pony."

"Wow..." Terra was intrigued by the story, though he knew there was more to it than that. "So then... how is it you're a goo pony? Did Swamp Gas and Meadowbrooke have foals together?"

"They did, but not right away," Jamba explained, "they waited t' make sure it was safe, an' while they were together at some point, Swamp Gas morphed into his Goo Pony form an' was seen by an outsider! This outsider meant well, but..."

Given the uncomfortable look Jamba had on his face, Terra got the message, "The outsider attacked, thinking Swamp Gas was a monster threatening Meadowbrooke, and things went downhill from there."

"Pretty much, yeah," Jamba shrugged, "As a result of what happened, Swamp Gas made it a rule that no Goo Ponies would ever reveal themselves to outsiders though they were allowed to be their gooey selves around their families, friends, and neighbors in Hayseed village. Ever since then, that's been our way. We've kept the Goo Ponies a secret known only to those born in Haysweed Swamps, and hid our true natures whenever outsiders came."

"Jamba... have you heard of the Geo Ponies, by any chance?" asked Terra as they continued to cruise down the river.

"...um, sorta?" Jamba rubbed the back of his head, "We... keep to ourselves in Hayseed an' don' always pay attention t' wha' goes on out th' rest o' Equestria. Geo Ponies are... a new kind o' pony, right?"

"The Geo Ponies... have an unhappy beginning as well," Terra took a deep breath and explained how the first Geo Ponies were Crystal Ponies experimented on by Sombra back when he was their mad king, turning them into a stronger force for labor and perhaps war. The Geo Ponies managed to escape before the Crystal Empire vanished, and due to their altered appearances and new powers, they were shunned, feared, and even attacked by other ponies. Supposedly, by the guidance of Stormbreaker, the Geo Ponies found refuge in the crystal caves beneath Mt. Canterhorn, where they stayed for a thousand years, hiding from the rest of Equestria. In time, their society down there gradually became unsustainable and, thanks to Terra and a good friend, the Geo Ponies were given a chance to be seen and heard and recognized as ponies, and finally given a place to start over and make a valley in the Macintosh Hills their new home.

"...and that's the story," Terra shrugged, "the Geo Ponies finally got the chance to truly live and are now seen and treated as fellow ponies, as they should always have been."

Terra took a moment to think about his special somepony as he gazed out at the Hayseed Swamps, finding the beauty in it all, and wishing Praetura could be here to share it with him.

"Is one o' them Geo Ponies special to you?" Terra gave Jamba a surprised look, and was even more surprised to see the knowing smirk on the Goo Pony's face.

Chuckling, Terra nodded, "Yes, and I consider myself the luckiest pony in the world for having somepony as special as him."

Jamba's smirk turned into a warm smile... before it became confused and then alert, and Jamba's ears perked and he looked in another direction. Terra was on alert too, but only because Jamba seemed to sense something that he didn't.

"What is it?" Terra asked in a cautious whisper.

Jamba responded by pointing his hoof in the direction he was looking, and stating, "We need to go that way."

Terra looked in that direction, and saw it was just more of the same. More water stretching further into the swamp, the trees standing above the murk, rings of water from the rise and fall of tides coming and going, mossy branches hanging over their heads, logs moving ever so slowly that they almost looked like alligators at first glance. Swishes along the water's surface indicated fish were a'swimming, or maybe they were snakes. Then Terra felt it. Though it looked like more of the same, there was a foreboding sense falling over him like a cobweb setting in with a chill as he gazed in the direction Jamba was pointing out.

The pony Terra was before meeting Praetura, before reuniting with his old friend Blueblood, before he became a knight... he didn't want to be that pony anymore. No, Terra had found a higher calling, a chance to be a better him, and his time had come. He steeled his nerve, furrowed his brows, and shook off the chill of fear though he couldn't get rid of the sense of dread weighing down in the pit of his stomach. But that was okay. He was scared, anypony with common sense would be. But some words echoed in his mind, a pearl of wisdom his dads used to share with him.

Clutching the raft pole, he declared, "Then that's the way we're gonna go."

Jamba felt the determination in Terra's words more than he felt them, and looked at the golden earth pony. Terra was clearly no stranger to hard work despite his paunchy gut and ample bottom. Before, Jamba had been impressed by Terra's words when he'd volunteered to go after the Swamp Monster in front of all of Hayseed village. Yet there had still been a sense of hesitation, fear, and anxiety in the earth pony who was noticeably smaller than the Goo Pony.

But now... I don't see that pony, Jamba thought as he looked at Terra, pushing their raft along via the pole. Terra's muscles bulged in his forelegs as he moved them along with the steady yet stalwart approach of a mighty ship. Terra's belly jiggled a bit while his sweat reflected the few rays of sunlight peering through the swamp canopy. His brown curly lock bounced over his eyes that looked straight and forward in the direction they were taking.

No. Jamba didn't see a nervous pony, burdened with responsibility. He saw... a hero!

The presence watching them from afar however... it saw prey, snarling softly as it sank beneath the water.

The sun was beginning to set before finally the two ponies arrived at their apparent destination. Ahead of them, having come deeper into the swamp than Jamba had ever been, was an island. Not a big one, but large enough for a community half Hayseed village's size to live upon. The island was surrounded with swamp water, its shores hidden by thick and dense foliage and trees save for a single pathway that started from the shore ahead of them and leading directly inward.

On that little beach, they pulled their raft out of the water and tied it down for good measure. Making sure they had their supplies, the both of them turned to the path that led further in, and Terra gave Jamba a curious look. Jamba gulped and nodded before pointing at the path, affirming they were on the right track. Taking a deep breath, Terra summoned his sword, preferring to have it at the ready (and to calm the fluttering moths in his stomach), before he said softly, "Let's go..."

The path they followed was beaten but seemed to be carpeted with old and drying plant matter. It stank a boggy stench, was thick with old moss, mud, and dead swamp plants, like cattails, peat moss, and even lily pads, all of it drying yet retaining a stubborn and smelly moistness that made every step "squelch". The trees and foliage lining both sides of this path were tall and thick, making it feel similar to a tunnel.

"Jamba," Terra whispered as he kept his sword raised and his eyes and ears alert, "know anything about this place?"

"Nope," Jamba replied with a shudder, "This island is so deep an' far into th' swamp, nopony I know's ever come here. The area `round it has always had this... feelin' about it, like it's forbidden!

"But earlier... I just felt like somethin'... drawin' me t' this place! I can't explain it, an' I don' like it."

"Hmm," Terra thought on what Jamba said, and considered what strange force might be haunting this island and what connection it had with the Swamp Monster. It seemed strange that such a frightening creature that none of the Hayseed Swamp locals had ever heard of would just appear from out of nowhere, and on a special day like their Swampi Gras of all days. Where had it come from? Why did it take the Goo Ponies only? Why not just anypony it could get its slimy clutches on? What did it want?
There's pieces to this puzzle that don't seem to fit, and I wager some are still missing...

"Jamba..." Jamba paused as Terra turned to give him a curious look. "The feeling you got that drew you here... can you describe it in anyway? How it feels, how it makes you feel, anything at all!"

"Hmm..." Jamba sat his gooey bottom down and gave it a think for a long moment, before finally he answered, "I... I'm not altogether sure. But... something about this feeling is... sad! I don't know why, but whatever this thing I felt is, it's sad or... lost?

"I can't really explain it, but it makes me feel... I dunno, like I gotta do something? Like I... gotta help someone?!" Jamba rubbed his head like he had a headache, starting to pant, like he was on the verge of panicking, "Urgh!! I'm just so confused, and- and everything else is making me anxious!"

"It's okay, Jamba," Terra assured, patting the larger pony on the withers, "I can't promise everything's gonna be okay. But I will do my best to help you and your community however I can, and that starts with getting to the bottom of this monster and what it's done with your grandfather and the others. Okay?"

Jamba took a moment to gather himself, his panting breaths slowing down, steadying, and then a deep, slow breath, before finally, he softly replied, "...okay."

Nodding, Terra turned to the path ahead of them and gestured with his head forward, "Come on. Let's go."

It took only a few moments for Terra to notice how quiet it was. No birds, no animals, not even insects with their annoying buzz. The air felt unnaturally still and hung heavy with the stink of marsh gas. It made him stifle a gag when he tried breathing through his mouth, forcing him to breathe through his nose, letting his olfactory sensor suffer. Finally, after what felt like half an hour of slurring through the moist and mucky path, the foliage parted fully before them, and they found themselves in a vast, open field, surrounded with the same trees and swampy underbrush.

The field was thick with grass, weeds, cattails bobbing in the breeze, but what caught the two ponies' eyes were actually several large mounds spread out around the field. Cautiously stepping out into the sunshine, its warmth bringing them a sense of relief, they carefully approached the nearest mound and saw it was made up of swamp plant matter stuck together by thick drying mud. The mounds were large, large enough to...

...to contain a pony! Terra suddenly thought in alarm.

Turning to Jamba, Terra asked, "Do you know how many ponies exactly were taken by the monster?"

"Uh, let's see..." Jamba took a moment to think, and then his eyes lit up as he realized what Terra was getting at, and then he looked around at the mounds, his lips muttering before he spoke out loud, "...eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen! When- When th' monster attacked th' village, it took fifteen o' th' Goo Ponies, including Papa Gumbo. They're all here... all o' th' abducted Goo Ponies are- are right here!"

"Hold on, let's make sure," Terra spoke calmly, not wanting Jamba to rile himself up, "Let's open one of these... things, and see what's inside."

"Okay," Jamba nodded and they rushed to the nearest mound and began digging in.

As they did so, neither of them noticed on the far side of the field, directly across from the entrance they had come in through, stood a towering Swamp Cypress. At its foot, surrounding its roots, was a large pond, its surface completely covered with peat moss, the edges of the pond lined with lilacs. At first glance, this would seem a pristine area of true beauty to be found in a swamp vast and rough. But then, the mossy surface of the pond surrounding this tree began to shudder with ripples, an eerie glow peering through the moss as whatever disturbed the water parted it, allowing the glow to breach before the surface began to bubble, an unnoticed warning to the two ponies that they were in trouble!

Finally, after digging and pulling away a considerable amount of muddy plant matter, Terra and Jamba found, what looked like, a hoof that was rubbery and squishy to the touch, but Jamba confirmed it.
"I knew it! They're in these mound things! An' they're alive."

"Are you sure?" Terra asked wit ha serious tone.

"I am, yeah," Jamba nodded, "When Goo Ponies are asleep or unconscious, th' membranes o' their bodies congeal to a rubbery consistency in order t' keep their goo contained so it doesn't leak out."

"Alright then, so let's get whoever this is out and then move onto-" Terra felt a tremor beneath his hooves that stopped him mid-sentence, and he looked around in alarm. "We're not alone...!"

"...oh no!" Jamba's briefly lost his nerve, causing his body to become transparent, his gooey form jiggling with fear as he looked around, trying to see whatever Terra had sensed.

Then they heard a loud splash as a great mass emerged and they looked to see it. Rising out of the pond at the foot of the Swamp Cypress, the Swamp Monster, wet, slimy, slick, filthy, its gargantuan size rivaling that of an Ursa Minor while its shape was distinctly quadrupedal like some kind of ungulate, its hollow eye sockets filled with burning bluish-green marsh light, glaring upon the intruders that had dared to enter and violate its sanctum!

It opened its mossy maw and roared angrily at them, tendrils of vines rising up like snakes from its withers and flanks, and they knew it was about to attack.

"Whaddo we do...?!" Jamba whispered as the cold fear began to freeze him, only for Terra to step forward as his sword appeared in hoof, the blade a deep metallic gold, the handle a deep purple like amethyst crystal.

"Jamba... you work on getting the abducted ponies out of these mounds, I'll keep the monster busy," Terra ordered.

"Wha- Terra! I-I know what you said before, but- but you can't face this thing-" Jamba protested, only for Terra to peer over his shoulder and give Jamba a look. Not an angry look, not a scared look, not even a courageous look.

It was the look of a pony who knew what he had to do.

The moment was brief, yet it felt like it stretched long into the day, with only the mucky stomps and snarls of the Swamp Monster reminding them of the now. Whatever doubts or fears Jamba had felt in concern for Terra suddenly vanished... and he nodded in understanding before uttering, "Meadowbrooke watch over you..."

Nodding back, Terra turned to face the monster and held his sword at his side. The golden blade suddenly burned with power, lighting up like heated metal. He raised it over his head... and then stabbed it into the ground in front of him, as a spark of inspiration lit up in his mind and he declared, "Forged in strength... GALLANT GEM!!!"

The ground where the sword had been stabbed into suddenly seemed to crack, burning heat rising from those cracks that suddenly turned into fire! The fire rose up and engulfed Terra, turning bluish-purple and glimmering with burning crystalline brilliance as the fire suddenly solidified into solid crystal.

Jamba and the monster both gawked in confusion at what they had just witnessed, and Jamba was afraid that Terra might have just perished, when...

"...what?" Jamba whispered in awe.

The large crystal mass seemed to slowly light up, the obscured figure of Terra inside becoming visible-

-and then suddenly there was a CRACK. The mass of crystal around Terra shook, webs of cracks spreading across it, heat steaming out, as the mass shook, and then...

The mass of crystal exploded, steam engulfing the area, along with flashing crystal dust... and then Jamba heard something move. He looked on at the screen of glittering steam, and a large figure made itself known as it stood up, the sound of a long and thick tail stretching out, and then something heavy was hefted up and then a loud WHOOSH blew the smoke away by the swing of something heavy, and Jamba was in awe!

It was Terra, but he was not the Terra he had been when he first arrived in Hayseed Swamp.

Terra now stood tall, heavy, and strong, a long and prehensile tail moving behind his glorious golden glutes, with a thick, curly brown tuft at the end that lined the top of said tail and rode up along his spine. Terra's barrel was now thick and paunchy, barely contained within knightly armor, colored mostly purple, as well as silver, and the golden-orange of heated metal, his forelegs and chest bulging with muscle, and on his head a helm that had holes for a pair of curling, light brown-ish tan, ram-like horns, and in his large hoof, he carried a massive war hammer composed of purple and white quartz crystal, the handle made of thick wood, wrapped with faux-leather for a better grip, and the pommel capped with burnished gold, and engraved with the anvil of Terra's cutie-mark, still displayed on his now-bigger-flanks! Terra's armor looked perhaps a size too small but somehow it just suited him perfectly.

Terra had become not only a fully-realized Knight of Harmony; he had become a Geo Pony!

He made no acknowledgment of his transformation however, as his eyes were fixed upon his foe, and raised his hammer, Gallant Gem, to it, before speaking in a rumbling voice deeper than it was but still distinctly his own, "Bring it..."

The Swamp Monster reared its head back and let out another fearsome roar, before it started to charge. Not hesitating, Terra charged as well, Gallant Gem at the ready, and as they quickly closed the distance between them, Jamba saw that though Terra was now much larger than before, he was still small compared to the monster, looking hardly bigger than a foal in comparison. That didn't stop Terra from spinning his whole body, bringing his hammer `round... and CLOBBERING the monster with an upwards swing of Gallant Gem right to its jaw! The force and power made a sound like a mighty sonic boom and the Swamp Monster was sent for a loop and fell hard onto its back, thankfully not hitting any of the mounds still imprisoning the captured goo ponies.

As the Swamp Monster lay dizzy and in pain, Terra looked back at Jamba and said, "I'll push it back so you can help the captured. Hurry!"

"I- I'm on it!" Jamba nodded and he dove into his task like a mad mane.

The Swamp Monster was just starting to shake off the dizziness and about to get back up, when it felt a startling impact, and was alarmed to see Terra pushing it with all his might, snorting like a bull as he pushed! Thankfully, the open field was grassy and muddy, so despite the monster's efforts it couldn't brace itself against Terra's newfound strength. Terra seemed to have no trouble with his footing, his hooves finding traction, enabling his pushing back his adversary.

Barely able to peer back as he held his foe, Terra was glad to see he'd put some distance between them and Jamba, as the goo pony was thankfully already freeing a third of the abducted ponies. Grunting with exertion, Terra pushed the monster off of himself and span `round, lashing out with his tail to whip the creature in the face, stunning it, and then raising Gallant Gem up above his head as he uttered, "Prism Flash!"

Gallant Gem's crystalline hammer suddenly radiated an intense flash of glittering light, the Swamp Monster snarling as it closed its eyes and stumbled back. Terra seized the opportunity and curled up into the Geo Pony Ball Form, the mane hair along his spine hardening and taking on sharp shard-like texture, and began to accelerate like a wheel as he yelled, "Meteor Rush!!"

And his Geo Magic launched himself like a wrecking ball, striking the Swamp Monster dead center of its chest, just below it's neck, causing the beast's form to break up somewhat, the swampish muck that composed its body parting and getting sprayed around while Terra, still in his Ball Form, came back around, but he let out his tail and thumped the ground, which launched him into the air.

As the Swamp Monster began to put itself back together, Terra, now airborne, unrolled himself and held out Gallant Gem. He eyed his target and began to somersault as gravity took effect, and he hurtled downwards, shouting, "CRATER STRIKE!!!!"

Jamba had just gotten out the fifth of the abductees and was pulling the pony towards the others he'd released. they were all still unconscious, but he sensed they were alive-

- and he 'whoa'd in alarm as he felt the earth shake beneath his hooves. But immediately afterwards, a strange feeling overcame Jamba. Something he did not hear so much as he felt, echoing into his being, an acknowledgement that something was in utter agony.It resonated with something inside Jamba, the feelings he'd felt but couldn't quite understand as he and Terra had made their way to this forbidden place.

Jamba stopped what he was doing and turned to watch the battle. Terra was smaller compared to the Swamp Monster, but he was holding his own surprisingly well. Jamba was in awe of Terra's transformation, but that same painful sensation hounded his being yet again, and he took a more careful look of what was going on. The pain flared every time Terra managed to score a blow against the monster. Jamba didn't feel the pain like it was actually hurting him, it was more like... the pain one felt when they acknowledged someone else they saw was in pain. But Jamba was confused, Terra didn't seem to be in any kind of turmoil other than the monster he was facing.

Wait, the monster... Jamba thought as he continued to watch. He shifted his focus to it, and though the Swamp Monster was still on the attack, ferocious, relentless... there was something about it that seemed afraid and confused. Jamba couldn't quite put his hoof on it, but then he began to wonder, where had this monster come from? Why did it attack and take all the goo ponies? Was this place its home? It's where it'd taken the Goo Ponies it captured, and it seemed to have emerged from the pond at the foot of the nearby Swamp Cypress.

The Swamp Cypress...!!! It was then Jamba remembered, the story of how Swamp Gas was found in a remote area of Hayseed Swamp. He recalled in the story that Samp Gas had fallen into a pond... that had been at the foot of a Swamp Cypresss! Gazing around, Jamba realized, This is it... this is the place Swamp Gas experienced whatever got him sick and caused Meadowbrooke to give him the elixir. This is the birthplace of the Goo Ponies!

"Diamond Storm!!" Terra shouted as he took a mighty swing of Gallant Gem, the crystal composing the hammer suddenly fragmenting and shooting out as crystal shards like missiles, zeroing in onto the Swamp Monster, the shards either striking with impact or slicing through the body. The Swamp Monster stumbled back in angry agony and Terra held out the handle of his weapon, the top end glowing and the shards that had launched out all glowed in response as they flew back to the handle, coming together and reforming the hammerhead of Gallant Gem.

Giving his weapon a twirl and looking at it, Terra thought, I love this thing!

"Terra!" The nascent Geo Pony turned to see Jamba rush near, and he pointed Gallant Gem at him.

"Jamba, stay back! This thing's still kicking!" he warned.

"Terra! You have to stop fighting it!" Jamba shouted, stopping a distance but not going back. "We were wrong! This creature isn't evil!"

"What're you saying?" Terra asked but shifted his focus to the monster. It was gathering itself again, growling menacingly, showing it was far from defeated.

"This place! I figured out where we are, it's the place where Swamp Gas was exposed to something and eventually became the first Goo Pony!" Jamba explained. "The feelings I've felt since we got here, what led us here! It's the creature! I can't really explain it, but I think we're not supposed to fight it, we have to help it!"

"Help it? How?!" Terra raised Gallant Gem, the monster having finally got itself together and was pawing the ground like a bull about to charge.

"Uh... how, how...?!" Jamba fretted, looking around, when he looked back at the pond beneath the Swamp Cypress, and then he had an idea. "I've got it! Terra, can you get it back into the pond?"

"The pond?" Terra echoed, not understanding.

"Yeah! The pond! Can you get it back in there!?" Jamba urged.

"Er- Yeah, I think so! But why?" Terra asked, the Swamp Monster charging.

"JUST DO IT!!" Jamba shouted in response and he rushed towards the pond.

The Swamp Monster collided with Terra, who'd thankfully raised Gallant Gem between them to take the brunt of the tackle. Now it was the monster's turn to get pushy. Thankfully, Terra was a smart one, and instead of holding his ground, he let the monster push him back while making a show of resistance.

Urgh... that's right, ya big oaf... bring us closer and closer... Terra gritted his teeth. In spite of his newfound Geo Pony strength, he was getting tired, having exerted himself by no small amount all day, in addition to suddenly putting on a lot of weight, and then going hoof to muck with this thing.

He peered over his shoulder again and saw Jamba standing a safe distance from the pond but still close to do... whatever it was he had planned. Thankfully, none of the mounds near them still had their goo pony prisoners contained, so Terra didn't have to concern himself with their safety. Once they had got to a near-enough distance, Terra made his move.

He grunted with unyielding effort as he pushed his hooves in, finding a foundation, and roared with surprising ferocity as he pushed the Swamp Monster off of himself. The beast growled, startled, but moved to attack again. However, in spite of the extra weight he'd suddenly put on, Terra retained a sense of agility, and managed to maneuver himself around the monster as it had moved in to attack him. The monster kept its eyes on the knight, and Terra smirked when he saw for certain the monster was now between him and the pond, within throwing distance though Terra didn't think he actually could pick up and throw the monster.

But the magic that flowed through his veins, empowering his body, and had guided him thus far, it spoke to Terra without him realizing it, and he knew what to do.

He set Gallant Gem aside and lowered his front half while making sure his rear end was raised behind him, including his tail.

Terra felt his magic flow through him... and concentrate into his plot! He felt a bold playfulness and shuddered as his bottom began to grow heavier and heavier! Terra didn't need to look to know that his glorious golden glutes were growing in size and firmness, the sight of it actually baffling the monster before Terra snorted and took a breath before roaring, "ROCK BOTTOM!!!!"

Using his tail to help balance him, Terra swung `round and struck the monster with his titanic tooshy, the monster stumbling backwards from the sheer force of it all, and then...

"NOW, JAMBA!!" Terra shouted as his plot shrank down to normal.

Jamba hurried, carrying a canteen, and quickly poured its contents into the pond. Once the last drops had fallen, Jamba rushed over to Terra's side, and they watched in suspense. The pond soon calmed, the ripples vanishing, and finally its surface became as smooth as glass. For a long, pregnant moment, nothing happened, and the both of them feared the monster would rise out at any second and they'd be right back where they started. But then...

The surface of the pond began to gently ripple from bubbles rising up, almost like a soft and gentle boil. Then, deeper within, there was a glow of green, like spring or mint. The stink of marsh gas that had pervaded the area suddenly began to fade and instead a fragrant smell made itself known. Both ponies smelled it and felt a shuddering in their flanks and in their loins... it smelled good! They couldn't exactly place it, but it had a sort of musky appeal, along with an oddly flowery scent mixed in with it.

Then, the pond began to bubble even more, the surface roiling, and they knew something was coming out. Terra picked up Gallant Gem, just incase, and they weren't kept waiting long as something breached the pond and made itself known.

It looked like the Swamp Monster, but... now it was smaller. Still big, bigger than Terra was now, yet something was clearly different. The head now sported what looked like antlers, the body no longer looked like it was made of swamp matter. In fact, the swamp matter seemed to be sliding off the form of whatever this creature now was. Before long, they saw a body that reminded them of a goo pony, except instead of being transparent goo it looked like a membrane containing the mossy peat water of the swamp.

Then, the creature shook itself free of the remaining swamp matter and they saw it now. It had large deer-like ears, large bewildered eyes, a falcon-like beak for a mouth, it raised its legs, showing the front legs had talons like a falcon while the hind legs had the paws of a large cat, and it shook its tail, long and and tufted at the end like a lion's. Its back however retained some kind of fur that looked like it was made of moss, including the moss around its neck, like a mane, and the tuft tipping its tail. The creature reminded them of the Swamp Monster, but now... it didn't seem like a monster yet it still looked like a creature of the swamp. It sort of reminded Terra of a griffon, but with no wings and with stag-like characteristics from those ears and antlers. Its body was similar to that of a Goo Pony, but instead of being made of goo, it was made of the swamp!

It opened its beak, uttering grunts and moans, and regarded them with what seemed to be confusion, gratitude, and... shame?

"What's it doing...?" Terra whispered to Jamba.
"I think it- I think... he's trying to... find his voice, to speak," Jamba whispered back.

"I... no... pain!" the creature spoke in a deep baritone voice, rumbly and sounding a little congested. It, or rather 'he' as Jamba said, seemed to cough and then hock a loogie before spitting to the side, and then he took a deep breath.
"I... I feel... no more... pain!"

"Uh- That's... good!" Jamba responded, nervous but trying to sound friendly. "You... were acting kinda cranky before. But you feel better now?"

"Better..." the creature echoed, his eyes lighting up and, to the stallions' surprise, tearing up as what could only be joy trailed down his tears, his eyes unable to contain them, as he smiled, "Better! I feel... better! The pain is gone!"

"Hmm, Jamba," Terra looked to Jamba beside him, and for a moment Terra was discombobulated because now he was bigger than the Goo Pony instead of the opposite. The realization that he had become a Geo Pony was finally starting to sink in, but now was not the time.
"What did you pour into the pond after... he went in?"

"It was the same elixir Meadowbrooke used to help her husband, Swamp Gas, when he was sick from whatever he'd come into contact with," Jamba explained, "It stabilized Swamp Gas's condition and caused him to become the first Goo Pony. She kept the recipe just in case, and it turned out the elixir is a nifty little pick-me-up that's good for practically whatever's ailing you. It doesn't cure anything, but it helps a lot! Mama Roux packed a canteen in the supplies they gave us before we left, and..."

Jamba looked around at the clearing and then the pond and Swamp Cypress behind the creature, "I realized... this is the place! This is where Swamp Gas came into contact with whatever got him sick, and I believe it's in... or maybe was in that pond over there. Not to mention, I'd been feeling like something was crying out in pain, and that somehow I had to help, even though I didn't really get it before. But once I put it all together, it became clear!"

Jamba gazed up at the creature, who stood there, uncertain but listening, and Jamba smiled, "You were the one in pain, the one who needed help! Once I understood that, and everything else here, I figured, if the elixir helped my ancestor, perhaps it could help you too!"

The creature's eyes softened with understanding, and he bowed, "You saved me... thank you... I am sorry... for the trouble... I've caused. I... I couldn't..."

"Um, if you don't mind my asking," Terra spoke up, "Why did you take all the goo ponies before? Can you remember that?"

"Yes... like... a nightmare," the creature spoke, sounding ashamed, "Pain... anger... I didn't... really think. Only felt... acted... I sensed them... the... goo ponies? They... Being close... to them... the pain... hurt less... but not by much... So I took them... brought them here... to this place... feels like home."

"I understand that you weren't in your right mind and that you were suffering," Jamba said kindly, "but I hope you understand that you can't keep them. These are my friends, neighbors, and some of them are my family."

"I understand... the pain is gone... only relief, I am thankful... and sorry..." the creature bowed his head, sounding thankful but also ashamed and sad. "I will... never bother you again..."

Then the creature turned and started to walk away, and Terra and Jamba both realized that he was leaving. They shared a look and nodded before Jamba called out, "Wait! Don't go."

The creature paused and looked back, confused.

"I know you didn't truly mean any harm, and I'm glad you understand your actions," Jamba assured, "but as long as you're sorry and do no more harm, then you don't have to leave. You don't have to be alone. In fact, I would like to be your friend!"

"Friend...?" the creature echoed back, and a hopefulness washed over him.

"Yes, let's be friends! And I bet, once we get everyone home and explain everything, then the ponies of Hayseed would be your friends too!" Jamba came over and held out his hoof to the creature, looking small in comparison, like a baby foal next to a full-grown, above-average sized stallion.

"We can be... friends?" the creature was humbled, and began to shed more tears of joy again, before he gently reached out with his talon and touched it to Jamba's hoof. "I will apologize, I will amend, and... I would be happy to be your friend."

"Then that settles it! My name is Jambalaya, but you can call me Jamba for short," Jamba smiled happily.

"Which brings up an important detail," Terra spoke up, as he touched Gallant Gem, and the hammer reverted back to its sword form, now bigger to match Terra's own increase in size, and then his armor and helm vanished, freeing his big belly and muscles (to his relief, the armor fit but it got snug after a while), and Gallant Gem was absorbed back into his body, no longer needed.
"We gotta give you a name!"

"Oh right! Let's see..." Jamba gave it a thought, as did Terra, and the creature waited, suddenly feeling a little anxious.

Jamba regarded the creature and everything else around them. Then he eyed the pond, the weeds and plants growing around it, like a marsh.

A marsh... Jamba looked back at the creature and noted the moss growing on his back, forming a mane around his neck, and tipping his tail. Smiling, Jamba asked, "Whattya think of Marsh Moss? Marsh for short!"

"Marsh Moss... Marsh..." the creature tasted the words in his mouth, a feeling of joy warming him up from his belly, and then smiled, "Yes. My name... is Marsh Moss."

The Swamp Monster is no longer a monster. He is, shall we say... a being of Hayseed Swamp, now named Marsh Moss by his new friend.

Marsh Moss's... birth is tied to the origin of the Goo Ponies.

The first Goo Pony, Swamp Gas, was a regular earth pony who liked to explore the swamp. One day, he stumbled into the area here, on a small island in the swamp where there's a mighty swamp cypress growing out of a pond. Inside that pond was an unknown supernatural substance relating somehow to the swamp itself.

It caused Swamp Gas to become sick with something and made his body amorphous. Luckily, his wife, Mage Meadowbrooke, was able to save him with an experimental elixir, which stabilized his condition, rendering him the first Goo Pony!

Now, the Swamp Monster (before he became Marsh moss at the end of this chapter) was born of the pond and the substance inside it too. His form resembles a falcon, stag, and lion, becuz those three animals found and died in that pond long ago (don't ask how, when, or why), and their remains became one with the substance. Overtime, the substance in the pond... fermented? Something like that, and it was disturbed by Swamp Gas long ago, though it still took a very long time before it became alive and aware.

Like Swamp Gas was, however, the life form that came to be from these strange circumstances was born unstable, confused, in pain, unable to truly think, only feel. It formed a body out of swamp matter and soon targeted the Goo Ponies that descended from Swamp Gas, becuz being near them alleviated its pain but did not cure it, so it abducted them.

When Terra, now a Geo Pony as well as a true Knight of Harmony, got the Swamp Monster back into the pond, Jamba, figuring it all out, poured the same elixir that Meadowbrooke helped Swamp Gas with, and this brought balance, clarity, and relief to the swamp monster, allowing it to become stable and assume a form akin to the Goo Ponies' amorphous bodies yet reflecting the falcon, stag, and lion that died in the pond long ago.

Marsh Moss is now a unique, thinking and feeling being