Chapter 4

Ebonwood Forest, Wild Continent

Spike slowly opened his sleep crusted eyes and greeted the rising sun. If he was being honest with himself, sleeping in an impromptu hammock constructed from leaves, moss, and twigs had not granted him the most comfortable sleep of his life.

Let it not be said that he was ungrateful. Ember, being the survival expert, suggested that they sleep up in the trees to avoid predators and the host of insects that called the forest floor their home. Being able to sleep without worrying that a nasty critter might crawl up and bite him was a small price to pay for a lumpy moss mattress.

The young man suppressed a shudder. He was never very fond of insects. Fluttershy didn’t seem to have any issues with them, but she never expressed hatred towards any kind of animal no matter how creepy or crawly they were. Most people were scared of spiders, but Spike feared another insect far greater: the millipede.

He encountered them often when he used to clean the library and found the thousand legged creatures to be disgusting and able to scurry about far too fast. His hatred stemmed from the fact that one happened fall on his face while he was sleeping. After that point, he took it upon himself to kill any he could find.

His reverie was broken when he noticed something odd. He felt comfortably warm. Even though he was technically in a humid jungle, the mornings were still cool enough to chill the skin if one didn’t wear the proper attire. Furthermore, he wasn’t exactly wearing very much at the moment. So why did he feel this way?

Spike’s answer came a few seconds later when he felt Ember’s breasts squish against his back. In fact, now that he got the chance to take stock of his surroundings, he realized that she was cuddling him like a giant teddy bear.

Clearly, it was involuntary on her part. The two of them had tried to sleep as far away from one another as they could…but the moss hammock was only so big. It was only a matter of time until she awoke, and then all hell would break loose. He decided to take advantage of the situation while he still could.

Spike reveled in the softness of her breasts, and the warm tingly feeling where her flesh was pressed against his. He took a deep breath. She even smelled wonderful! Despite the fact that she had been hiking around in the jungle for the past day, Ember’s body exuded a delightfully floral aroma with only the barest hint of sweat. He grinned like an idiot and giggled.

That little sound was all it took to rouse Ember from her sleep. Spike felt a knot form in his chest. He desperately hoped that she wouldn’t do anything rash once she realized the intimate position they were locked in. He winced, preparing to be beat-up…but was surprised when the blows never came. Instead, all he felt was her disentangle her body from his own, accompanied by the tell-tale rustling of moss as she scooched away.

Spike glanced towards her and noticed that she was trying her damnedest to suppress the redness on her face, but was failing spectacularly. He wanted to do something to comfort her, but he decided it was for the best that he shouldn’t. After all, the two of them touching one another was what started this in the first place…even if it wasn’t on purpose.

Ember crossed her arms. “Just so you know, I move around a lot when I sleep. So…sorry if I caused you any discomfort or anything. Let’s just hurry up and bathe. I don’t want us to reek of sweat and mud when we reach the village. Then we can eat breakfast.”

“Yeah, that’s sounds good.”

Luckily, there happened to be a stream nearby where Ember had set up the hammock. Spike was fairly certain she had done so on purpose because she was already kneeling down to fill up a pair of water skins. The odd part was that she ground up some kind of plant and mixed it into both of the skins and shook them up. He assumed it must have been some kind of flavoring?

Spike scratched his head. “What exactly are you doing?”

“The plants I put in there will give it some flavor as well as kill off any parasites. You’re lucky I’m here with you, Outlander. Otherwise, you’d be shitting your guts out from drinking untreated water.”

“Oh. Wait…you guys know about that kind of stuff? I thought that—”

Ember scowled at him. “The Wyvertii are just a bunch of spear-chucking savages? Hardly! You have a lot to learn about your own people. We know just as much about germs as the Equestrians do. You should also be aware that we take cleanliness very seriously.”

“Really?”

“Yep. In fact, we have communal baths so that people can enjoy each other’s company and socialize…and get clean, of course. Those with higher status often have their own private baths as well. So, you’d better get used to the idea of bathing regularly!”

Spike waved his hand. “You don’t have to worry about that. I like taking baths. Although, I usually take them by myself.”

Ember didn’t waste any time bothering to reply. Instead, she tossed off what little clothing she was wearing and plunged into the stream. She dove under the water for a few seconds and resurfaced with a satisfied grin on her face. Spike just stood on the bank with a stupefied look on his face.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

Spike blushed. “I umm—I’ll just wait until you’re done.”

“Why? That’ll just waste time.”

“But you’re n-naked!”

Ember put her hands on her hips. “Well, you’ll have to get used to seeing everyone naked at some point. Like I told you before, pretty much everyone in the village doesn’t wear anything. Just get your scrawny ass in the stream or so help me, I’ll drag you in here!”

Spike gingerly removed his loincloth, knowing full well that she could easily follow through with her threat. Intellectually, he knew that she had already seen him naked…but that was when he was unconscious. This was an entirely different situation. He had never been very comfortable showing off his body around others.

The young man slowly waded into the water and found that it wasn’t nearly as cold as he was expecting. However, as even tepid water tends to do, he found that there was still some shrinkage involved. It did little to boost his confidence. With a resigned sigh, he began washing his hair.

Ember cocked her brow. “Why are you so tense? If you walk around like that all day, you’ll give yourself a bunch of cramps.”

“Look…I’m sorry, ok! This isn’t something I’m used to. It’s embarrassing for me to be naked in front of a girl. Especially when she’s naked too!”

“Because you think I’ll laugh at you?”

Spike bit his lip. “Something like that.”

“Uggh! That’s just stupid. Why would I laugh at you?”

Spike looked down at the water. “Ya know because my errm…thing isn’t like super big.”

“Do you really think that matters to me? Penises come in all shapes and sizes. Sure, yours isn’t very long but at least it’s thick. I happen to like how your—WAIT I DIDN’T MEAN TO SAY THAT!!”

Spike scrambled to cover his junk. “I knew it! You were checking out my dick!”

“T-That’s beside the point! You can see all of my body just the same. There’s no reason to feel embarrassed about it; I assure you that no one is going to make fun of your manhood. Although, I can’t say the same about your pitifully under-muscled body.”

Spike splashed some water towards her. “I’m not that scrawny!”

Ember, being the hothead she was, summoned a fireball and glared daggers at Spike. He was certain she was aiming for him…until she shot it far to the left. For a moment, he was going to harass her for having such poor aim when he saw something burning out of the corner of his eye. His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. That was where they had put their clothing.

Ember let out a haughty laugh. “There! Now you have no choice but to remain naked. Serves you right for splashing me! And to think, I was going to go easy on you during our first training session. Oh no, I’m going work you so hard that you’ll be chiseled as stone when the Gauntlet finally begins.”

It was no use anymore. Spike wasn’t going to be getting his modesty back anytime soon, so he decided to just accept the situation as it was. The more he thought about it, the less terrible it really seemed. The climate in this part of the world was incredibly mild, so it wasn’t as if he was going to be uncomfortable walking around in the buff.

And think of the convenience! No more worrying about what to wear. He could just roll out of bed and be ready for the day. No one would judge him for it, because they were all naked too! A more troubling train of thought creeped into his mind as he observed Ember lathering her (beautifully toned, he had to admit) behind. What if he got excited?

It was bound to happen. With the sheer amount of testosterone coursing through his teenage veins, it was impossible for him not to. At least if he had been wearing clothing, his erection could be hidden. What would he do now? Awkwardly walk around with his hands over his junk…or just act casual with a ragging hard-on? Neither option was very appealing to Spike.

As embarrassing as it was, he decided to swallow his manly pride and ask Ember about it. Surely, such a thing happened in her village, at least on an occasional basis. The last thing he wanted was to violate some social taboo the Wyvertii had and get kicked out. Maybe they were more understanding than he thought.

Spike’s voice cracked. “Ember, do you mind if I ask you a weird question?”

“I guess. What is it?”

“Since I’m kind of new to this whole ‘living in the nude’ thing, what do I do when I ermm—you know—get excited?”

Ember blushed. “I-I suppose it can’t be helped because you aren’t used to it. We are more open-minded about our bodies than Outlanders are. If you become aroused, be humble about it. And for the love of Delmira, don’t go around flaunting your erection! It probably won’t stop some women from staring or giggling…but it isn’t an entirely uncommon occurrence.”

“So, I won’t get kicked out of the village or pelted with rotten vegetables?”

“Of course not! We would never punish someone for what amounts to a natural reaction. Just don’t make a habit of it or I’ll be sure to give you a swift kick to the ball sac.”

Spike winced. “Ehehe…I’ll try not to.”

Village of Brimstone, Wyver Valley

After all of the bathing drama, breakfast was a rather tepid affair by comparison. Ember had somehow managed to scrounge together some berries, a few bird eggs, and pine nuts from the forest. Since the both of them could conjure fire, it had been easy for them to fry eggs if one overlooked the fact that it was done so on some flat rocks found on the stream bed. Other than that, it was a satisfying meal.

Even though he tried his best to get used to the whole naked thing, Spike found it difficult not to admire the sight of Ember’s bare form. He could now appreciate just how muscular her body actually was. She didn’t have the exaggerated muscles of a bodybuilder, but more like those of a highly trained athlete. Sure, softer girls like Pinkie could be cute…but he’d always thought that girls with toned bodies were much sexier.

Her entire body was hairless, save for a thin tuft of sapphire colored pubic hair on her groin. It had always bothered Spike as to why he grew so little hair and now it made sense. The Wyvertii simply didn’t need it. He looked down at his own patch of emerald green pubic hair and wondered if any of the women would think it looked sexy. At least he didn’t have to trim it, considering that it had stopped growing by the time he was sixteen.

Ember’s breasts were a complete mystery to Spike. Despite how muscular she was, they were rather sizeable in comparison. That is not to say that she had the kind of volume that Fluttershy possessed, but they were certainly larger than Rarity’s. The biggest oddity was that they barely jiggled when she moved.

Spike’s eyes widened. “By Starswirl’s beard! Her boobs don’t jiggle much because that’s mostly muscle under there. Unnnnn…they’re just so beautifully shaped! It’s like they’re carved from marble or something. I know I already felt them against my back but they were covered then. I bet they feel even more amazing in the flesh…”

They were very close to the village now, if the tell-tale columns of smoke were anything to go by. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and practiced the breathing exercises that Aunt Cadence had taught him. His lecherous thoughts concerning Ember had stirred his loins to life and he didn’t want to have a full hard-on when they entered the village. That would NOT be the best way to make a good first impression.

When he finally opened his eyes, he was amazed to witness the impressive stockade hewn from large trees found in the forest before him. Two burly looking guards with bows stood atop the ramparts, looking out for any intruders. Ember made a strange whistling noise and they opened the gates. The inside was just as impressive.

Spike had been expecting to see a primitive village with a few huts sprinkled here and there, but what he got was practically a forest metropolis. It wasn’t a modern city like Canterlot, but it was far more advanced than he gave the Wyvertii credit for.

Most of the structures were made of wood and thatched moss roofs. They were all similar in size and resembled cabins rather than the primitive mud huts Spike was thinking of. There were even complex designs such as dragons and other forest creatures carved into the sides.

Ember hadn’t been kidding when she said that they took cleanliness seriously. Even though the streets were made of dirt, there wasn’t a spec of waste or refuse to be found. The only smells that pervaded the air were that of cooking food, earth, and wood smoke. All in all, it was a rather pleasant mixture of scents. It gave Spike an oddly nostalgic feeling in his chest…like he was finally home after taking a long journey.

When he cast his gaze around to soak in the majesty of Brimstone, he finally realized that everyone was completely nude. The full implications of what Ember said earlier hit him like a freight train. Men, women, and children of all ages were represented here. They went about their daily lives as if nothing was wrong. It truly didn’t matter to them.

Suddenly, he felt extremely self-conscious. Only by sheer willpower alone was he able to concentrate on staying casual. At least that’s what he thought. To any observer, he would have appeared to be very tense. A tiny voice in the back of his mind screamed at him to go hide in one of the wooden barrels he saw as they entered the village.

Needless to say, he beat that tiny voice with a rusty shovel and threw the body into a ditch. This was his life now and he needed to get used to it, no matter how bizarre it seemed to him. Besides, just because they chose not to wear clothing didn’t necessarily imply that they were doing anything obscene. Of course, the cute female vendor openly hawking wooden dildos didn’t really help much to dissuade such notions…

Ember chuckled awkwardly. “Like I said: we’re far more open about our bodies than Outlanders. Pay her no mind. Masturbation is a c-completely healthy and NORMAL way to relieve stress! Nothing unusual about that!”

“What? I didn’t say anything.”

Ember’s cheeks turned red. “I know that look. You were THINKING ABOUT IT!!”

“Sure. And I agree with you. It’s not like I have a problem with you masturbating.”

“SHUT UP! I have no desire to discuss the specific benefits of masturbation in the middle of the market. Especially with a man!”

Spike waved his hands. “Ok, ok. Calm down, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I was just agreeing with what you said. I promise I won’t say anything more about it.”

“Good. I don’t need people starting any rumors. They tend to spread quickly around here. Especially since you’re a newcomer and no one’s seen you before.”

Whether intentional or not, the universe was determined to make Ember’s life more difficult. And by extension, Spike’s as well. For only a few moments after she uttered those words, a woman came running towards them with an excited expression on her face.

She appeared to be about a decade older than Ember and possessed a far more slender physique. The woman didn’t really have much in the way of breasts, but they were quite perky and well-shaped. However, that was not her most distinguishable feature. What set her apart from the rest of the crowd was her pale flesh, pink eyes, and ghostly white hair. She stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the normally bronze-skinned populace of the Wyvertii.

Spike almost mistook her for a woman hailing from the cold reaches of Griffonia but she had the same pointed ears, fangs, and reptilian eyes as he did. She had to have been Wyvertii then. It took him a while to remember, but he recalled seeing something similar to this in one of Fluttershy’s bird books.

This woman had to have been an albino. It was an incredibly rare genetic mutation that was almost unheard of amongst the human races. He was immediately captivated by her exotic appearance. And…she was also quite beautiful too. That certainly helped.

The woman bowed to Ember. “Greetings, Mistress Ember! Your father told me to escort you to the Hall of Flames as soon as you retrieved our guest.”

“Wait. Father knew about him?”

“Mhmm. He sensed the connection to our guest’s summoning crest. Is there something wrong?”

“No…I simply forgot that Father could do that. I suppose it’s fortuitous that I guided him here then.”

Rather than reply, the woman simply nodded. And then, as if someone had flipped a switch, the woman darted behind Ember and began to gently fondle her breasts. It was such a surreal scene that Spike didn’t think it was actually happening…until he heard Ember’s soft moans and shouts of protest.

“WINNY, STOP IT! You’re annhh—embarrassing me!”

The woman grinned like a dirty old man. “Oh ho~ You have such wonderful breasts, Mistress Ember. I can tell that you’ve been working on your abdominal exercises. That’s the best way to make sure they don’t get saggy.”

“YOU’D BETTER STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT!”

“Or what? You’ll punch me? You know that won’t work. I’m too agile for that. Just admit it, Mistress. You like it when I play with them.”

Ember let out a soft whimper. “I-I mean it, Winny! I don’t want to practically broadcast to everyone in the Hall of Flames that I’m excited! Father would never let me live that down. A-And…you’re embarrassing me in front of Spike.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t want you to lose face in front our esteemed guest. I’ll head back to the Hall of Flames. You can follow me if you wish, or you can cool off for a few minutes. The choice is yours.”

Spike watched as the albino woman merrily skipped down the market place. Whoever she was, it was obvious that Ember knew her on a personal level. As to exactly what kind of relationship the two of them had, Spike could only hazard a guess. He was about to suggest that they follow, until he noticed how flustered Ember was.

“Don’t you dare utter a single word.” Ember growled. “We are going to wait here for a few minutes so I can collect myself. Understood?”

“I needed a break from all that walking anyway.”