Long, long ago in the heart of the distant land of Zebrica, there was a colossal mountain known to the locals as Mt. Mrefu, a peak that could be seen from many miles away.

In times far past, a trio of a brave equines approached the grand mountain, intending to be some of the first to reach the peak without the aid of teleportation or flight.

Leading this band was a yellow unicorn mare with a short red mane. She beamed merrily as this reached the base.

“Huzzah my friends! We have finished the first leg of our journey!”

“Aye, lassie.” The large green coated earth pony at her side gave her shoulder a tap. “Now we’ll have the most difficult part of the trek to conquer.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic, Verdant Range.” The unicorn stretched as she dropped her saddlebags to the ground. “Thou art one of Equestria's finest mountaineers. If there be any stallions who could make it to the top, thou art the one.”

“Thou flatters me, Compass Rose.” The stallion with a leafy mane gave a teasing bow and chuckled.

“It would be dangerous to climb at night,” the final member of the party spoke up. She was a slender zebra mare with a flowing mane and tail. “We should set camp and wait til dawn’s light.”

“Thou raises a good point, Laana.” Rose sighed before diving into her saddlebags, pulling out a variety of supplies. “We shall put up the tents and get some rest. Verdant, prepare a fire and get our meals ready.”

“Aye aye, Rose.” The emerald eyed pony saluted before pulling some firewood from his bulky bags. “Any particular things thou would like for dinner?”

The fire’s roar was like that of a wild beast as its light cut through the darkness. The trio sat closely around the flame and made quick work of their simple meal of beans and herbs.

Rising up and stretching, Compass Rose loudly yawned. “Have a good night, my compatriots. I shall see thee in the morning.”

“Have a good night’s rest, Rose.” Verdant waved to the unicorn as she slipped inside her tent. “Tell me, Laana; what dost thou know of Equestria?”

“Of Equestria, there’s not much I can say,” the zebra looked deeply into the large stallion’s emerald eyes with her sparkling citrines. “Only there are mares that command night and day.”

“Ohohoho,” Verdant chuckled as he scooted closer to her. “There’s much more to Equestria than that. It’s a land of peace and harmony. A land with plenty for all those who live under the alicorns’ rule. A place where a smart and beautiful mare such as yourself could have everything thy heart desires.” He slunk a foreleg around her back, leaning closely to her ear.

“Wouldst thou rather be there than in a land filled with deadly creatures and poisonous plants? A place where you could be so very much more than a guide for wouldbe adventure seekers?”

Laana looked down to her hooves, nervously fidgeting. “A land such as that is a great temptation…” With a hard swallow, she faced the comforting stallion once more. “But would I be welcomed in the pony nation?”

“They would with one of their own at your side.” Verdant’s hoof slid up and down along her back as he looked deeply into her eyes. “One who cares about you, respects you, and wishes the best for you.” He inched this snout closer, nearly touching the zebra’s.

Laana closed the gap as a single tear of joy came from her eye. The two held each other closely as their hooves roamed their bodies, groaning as their tongues clashed together. After an intense moment of passion, the two fell over with Laana atop the earth pony.

“Let us take this into thy tent,” she whispered between gasps. “We don’t want to cover the camp in our scent.”

As the zebra slid off Verdant and went into his tent, a dark smirk crossed his features.

“That wast amazing, Laana.” The sweaty stallion sighed as the mare fell onto his chest, breathing heavily and cuddling into him.

“That wast both kind and mighty,” Laana whispered into his ear between gasps. “I am glad to give my body to thee.”

“It was truly a pleasure, dear.” Verdant gave the top of her forehead a kiss and shifted away. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go water a tree. I’ll just be a moment.”

Quietly slipping out the tent, he passed the dying fire and came to a tree where a figure was emerging from behind it, the sight made him tense up. Fortunately for the startled stallion, what came from behind the tree wasn’t a hungry predator or a bandit, but merely Compass Rose.

“My, Verdant…” Rose softly chuckled as she came up to his side. “I did not take thee as a stallion who’d be so romantic.”

“Hardly,” Verdant snorted with a roll of his eyes. “I’m a stallion who has a mare in every port. I was simply curious as to what a striped mare would be like in bed.” He moved a past her, going behind the tree.

“Honestly, I’m just surprised she fell for such a lie.” Rose giggled, making her way to her tent. “So much for zebras being smart.”

“Tell me, about it.” Verdant held back a laugh as he relieved himself. “At any rate, have a good night.”

After Verdant finished his business, he made his way back into his tent and cuddled Laana closely before falling asleep.

Unfortunately for the green stallion, Laana had exceptionally sharp hearing.

That no good, lying tribalist rat! He’s worth no more than wildebeest scat!

After Laana stewed for a moment, a wicked idea came to her.

Scat, of course! A sinister and quiet laugh came from the zebra and she grinned darkly. A great punishment for that son of a whorse!

Several minutes passed as she waited to ensure that both of the equestrians were soundly asleep before sneaking out of the tent.

When the pair hired Laana to be their guide, they simply took her as a smart zebra who knew several skills and her way around the land.

But in truth, Laana was much more than that; she was a powerful witch descended from a long line of magic practitioners.

Until now, the only ones who’d suffered from her terrible powers were wild predators, but now her wrath had been turned to the lying stallion.

Reigniting the fire, she took a small cauldron out of her bags and filled it with a collection of liquids and powders. When the cauldron was placed upon the fire, the brew changed from a sickly orange to a glowing green, purple smoke wisping up from the top.

“Spirits of vengeance, hear my command! Rise up from your tombs beneath the sand! I call upon your powers dark and strange to forever curse the name Verdant Range!”

A distant rumble of thunder responded to her call as the cauldron’s contents glowed brighter. The winds howled as the smoke billowed towards the skies.

“Let it forever follow this cretin, that his curse is to be eaten. Yet this affliction he will survive, for he cannot suffer if he’s not alive.”

Lightning streaked across the starless skies, the winds becoming more violent.

“This one request I beg of thee!” She closed her eyes and bowed before the bubbling cauldron. “Grant a tool of vengeance to me!”

The rumble of thunder slowed to a stop and the wind started to die down. Once the wind had settled, Laana felt a light tickle from something landing upon her snout. Opening her eyes, she saw it was a purple flower with dark streaks of yellow in the center.

“Thank you ancestors, for the shrinking violet.” An eerie chuckle emanated from her throat as she rose up, snatching the plant in her hoof. “A taste of revenge Verdant soon shall get.”

As the sun started the rise over the sprawling plains, Verdant laid alone in his tent. His nose twitched at a scent that wafted through the early morning air.

Raising up with a stretch, he made his way out of the tent, bumping into Rose as she too followed the scent. As their vision started to clear, the two saw Laana sitting before the campfire, filling a pair of bowls with a delicious looking stew.

“Ah, the two of you are awake at last!” She happily grinned as she gave a bowl to her companions. “Please, enjoy thy hearty breakfast.”

“Why thank you, Laana.” Verdant gave the zebra mare gentle nuzzle, at which Rose smirked before she dug in. “This breakfast smells most wonderful.”

“What a kind thing to say.” Laana leaned into the stallion, grinning as she watched him take a bite of his specially prepared meal. “I simply wanted a good start to the day.”

“Well this is definitely a grand way to start, Laana,” Compass Rose spoke up between wolfing down her meal. “Thou art an excellent chef, my good mare.”

If thou thinks my cooking is great, wait til thou sees magic driven by hate. Laana smiled before making her way to her saddlebags. “Well then, shall we be depart soon? I hope we can reach the peak before noon.”

“Agreed, my good guide!” Rose stood up proudly as she finished her food, pointing towards the peak in a manner that made her cohorts roll their eyes. “Let us away to complete our historic journey!”

Hours passed as the trio scaled their way up the mountainside, powering through the dangerous obstacles they faced. As the sun reached the highest point in the sky, the three had decided to take a quick rest upon an outcropping.

As they caught their breath, Compass Rose noticed something amiss.

“Verdant, hast thy bag always been that big upon thee?” She tilted her head as she drew closer, seeing how the straps upon his bag hung loosely.

“What art thou talking about?” the shamrock stallion stood up in confusion, seeing that the unicorn he once stood tall than was now at least an inch taller than him. His confusion turned to horror when he realized that not only was the mare now taller than him, but the whole world was bigger and still growing. “Faust above, what is going on?!” He screamed, backing into a wall as Laana rushed to his side.

“Oh dear ancestors, what an unfortunate fate stroke!” Laana panickingly said as she closely examined Verdant. “This must be shrinking violet or poison joke!”

“Poison joke? Shrinking violet? What in Zacherle’s name art thou speaking of?!” Verdant screeched as he continued to diminish, his head now reaching only the bottom of the mares’ bellies.

“Poison joke randomly changes its victims’ body,” Laana gently ran a hoof along his back, trying to calm him down, “while the violet shrinks one to the size of a pea.”

“Canst thou reverse his condition, Laana?” Rose shook as Verdant’s form grew smaller and smaller before her eyes.

“I know of the remedy you seek, but I cannot make it this close to the peak.” Laana picked the shrinking stallion in a single hoof, making her way to the tent. With a nervous sigh, she looked back the frightened unicorn. “Prepare at the top to plant your flag. I will carry Verdant in my bag.”

“But wha—” Rose was silenced by Laana’s hoof which had gently been placed on her shoulder, a reassuring smile upon her face.

“With your trek over, to my village we’ll go for curative supplies. Rest easy, Verdant will not meet his demise.”

Rose nodded in response to the comforting words of the zebra mare before turning her attention to the makeshift campsite and gathering up her things. While she was packing up, Laana quietly made her way into the tent with Verdant in toe.

“Oh thank you so much for this cure, Laana!” the pea-sized pony shouted from her frog. “Rest assured, when we arrive in Equestria, I sh-”

“Spare me your pathetic lies, oh little stallion that I despise,” Laana hissed as she glared at the minuscule pony, causing him to stumble back.

“Why Laana, I have no idea what you mean,” Verdant quivered as he looked into the giantess’ furious eyes, the trembling of his legs felt in her hoof. “I meant every word of what I said last night.”

“‘A mare in every port,’ to Rose you did say, after our little roll in the hay.” Laana’s words made the green stallion’s coat become white as a sheet. A dark grin appeared on her muzzle before she licked her lips. “In your breakfast, I put in shrinking violet. Now a fitting punishment you will get.”

“Laana, please, don’t hurt me!” Verdant begged as he fell to his knees. “I’ll do whatever you say, just don’t kill me!”

“Killing is not at all part of my plan,” Laana replied, giving Verdant a light toss. A mere two inches was a drop of over two meters for her verdant victim. “I’ve something much more delicious in store, little man.”

Laana chuckled as Verdant scrambled to his hooves and tried to run to her foreleg, only to be tossed into the air once more. He soon found himself hanging in mid-air, his tail being hung onto by her colossal hoof.

“My plot for revenge will have some irony.” Laana dangled the petite pony before her eyes, an evil grin spreading as she lifted him up higher. “I wish once more to have you inside me.” She suspended her prey above her face, her maw stretched wide to welcome its next meal.

“Laana, wait! I’m—” Verdant’s pleas were silenced by his screams as Laana let go, sending him tumbling downwards. With a hard splat, he landed belly first across her massive tongue before being pulled into her cavernous mouth.

“I’m sorry, Laana! I shouldn’t have treated you as—” The titaness’ tongue slammed the small stallion into her boulder sized teeth before whipping him around to the other side of her mouth. Before he could catch his breath, the tongue rose up, slamming him in the mouth’s moist roof.

“Laana, I beg of thee!” Verdant cried out, his voice echoing throughout the humid chamber as the tongue fell back down. “Let me out! I promise to make things up to you! I swear to thee on my honor!”

Silence held for a moment, only broken up by the sound of Laana’s breathing. Verdant soon received an answer to his pleas as the tongue slowly rose up, sliding the battered pony toward the back of Laana’s throat. Verdant nervously gulped as he saw her uvula dangling above him. Looking down, he saw the undulating muscles of the zebra’s throat, begging for a scrap of food to send to her belly.

With a hard swallow, Laana sent Verdant downwards. Her throat squeezed the puny pony like a grape as it sent him down into the sweltering chamber that was her stomach.

Verdant was harshly spat into a goop that had once been Laana’s stew, now an unrecognizable, bubbling concoction. Sputtering, he dragged himself through the sludge, pulling himself onto a chunk of undigested potato.

“You’ll pay for this, you witch!” His shout echoed throughout the pulsating chamber. The faint sound of his screeching reached Laana’s sensitive ears, making her roll her eyes.

“You should get used to stomachs, for that is your curse,” She said before giving her belly a light jab, sending Verdant flying into a wall and landing back in her food with a splash. “It will spread throughout the multiverse.”

“Multiverse? What in bloody tartarus are you—” Verdant coughed before he was drowned out by a muffled voice penetrating the stomach’s walls.

“Laana, art thou ready to head for the peak?” Rose stuck her head into the tent, seeing her zebra guide slipping on her saddlebags.

“Yes, now let’s reach the peak with great speed so we can help with Verdant’s need,” she melodramatically replied, giving her bags a gentle pat. “If only my village weren’t so far away. Travelling there will take more than a whole day.”

“Worry not, Laana.” Rose smiled reassuringly as she placed a hoof upon her shoulder. “Once we make history, we shall restore Verdant as quickly as our legs can carry us. Now, let us away!”

While the unicorn charged out of the tent, a dark grin stretched across Laana’s face.

“Once in my village, I’ll let you out, oh insufferable git,” she whispered to her belly before shaking her hips, the waves within the stomach pitching the stallion all around the chamber. “Then you’ll be what you truly are; a piece of shit.”

Hearing a whine from within, Laana trotted out, ready to finish her journey towards the heavens while Verdant Range explored the bowels of hell.

Within the confines of a dark tent, a mare was swirling her hooves around a crystal ball, giving the stallion across from her a glimpse of the distant past.

“And that’s the reason why you’re cursed.” The pink mare happily smiled and nodded, nearly knocking her head dress off.

“So my great-grandfather was a total flank hole to a zebra, so everypony with the same name as him is cursed to be eaten alive?” The green stallion sighed, bringing a hoof to his forehead.

“Yeppers. That’s why this keeps happening to you and every other version of you.” Pinkie energetically nodded, knocking the hat from her head onto the floor. “But hey, could be worse. You could end up getting partially digested each time since the curse only said you’d survive, not be unharmed. Guess the spirits decided to be nice to you since you’re not the intended target of Laana’s wrath.”

Verdant Range the Second groaned and slammed his face into the table. “Why did my parents have to name me after that creep? I would have gladly been named after Great-Great-Grandma Minty.”

“Well,” Pinkie nervously scratched her neck. “Since this reading didn’t turn out so good, how about I get you some desserts at Sugarcube Corner? My treat.”

A moment of silence passed before Verdant raised his head to face her. “Do you have anything with strawberries?”

“You bet your green flank we do!” Pinkie beamed as she leapt from the chair and over the stallion, reaching the lip of the tent. “C’mon! Let’s get you a strawberry smorgasbord!”

The tiniest of smiles came from Verdant as he slid out of his seat. He could take great solace in knowing that this day was much less crappy than the one his not so great-grandfather had had so very long ago.

Author's Notes:

Hey there, folks. Hope you enjoyed this new chapter starring Verdant's Great Grandfather. For this special chapter, I've made a pic of the cast we see here.

Also, for those who missed my blog post, I'm not sure which of two chapter ideas to go with first for chapter four. Because of this, I'm holding a poll on the blog for what will happen. The poll closes July 8th and can be found here. Until next time, see ya!