Ch.11

[Middas, 14th of Sun’s Height, 4E: 221]

“Okay, so what exactly did I just start?” I sighed and rubbed my head, am I still wearing that Plague doctors mask? I didn’t notice and it was almost as if I wasn’t wearing it. Must be a design feature since people were expected to wear these things for long periods of time. It isn’t glowing though since the Fork of Horripilation robbed me of my magicka, which I can tell is still refilling even now. How big is my magicka pool anyway?

“Considering we’re stuck waiting for Twilight and the others to arrive while Mellow makes a mess of the kitchen, something fairly big.” Diane grumbled from where she sat on the counter after sending Marble to bed when the mare wasn’t sure if she should help keep the place clean or get the sleep she needed.

“So what should we do while we wait? Do you know any games?” I asked boredly, not used to having to find ways to pass time. In the Everfree, there was always something to be done, mostly repairs or moving things about besides hunting.

“Nothing that can be done in public or polite company.” Diane huffed and I felt my tail twitch behind me through the gap in the chair between the seat and the back. “That said, while still naughty, why don’t we talk about all the bodily fluids you produce?” Diane asked with a lecherous and amused grin while I crossed my arms protectively over my currently C-cup chest.

“Nope! My sap sacs are not up for discussion.” I huffed and the busty bricc mare snickered.

“Fine. Geez, sometimes moments like this make me miss the rock farm. At least there you could play with rocks all day.” Diane sighed and I had to roll my eyes at the idea of Pinkie Pie enjoying playing with rocks. “Hey, when you’ve got nothing else, your imagination works wonders. It also helps when you use the rocks to build forts and whatnot.”

“I’ll take a forest over a field of rocks. I can climb, jump, hunt and swing. There’s so much activity to do.” The swamp wasn’t a forest. It was too murky, too many things to kill you to have fun. I wonder if I can ever go to Valenwood, see the forests or even the moving trees.

“Meh, you can’t grow gems from trees besides jet or amber and those are fossilized plant matter and sap respectively. Speaking of sap, did you consider trying to get yours pressure treated into amber? I’m sure it’d look really cool.” Diane asked and I blinked in consideration.

“No, I hadn’t. It’s already gold and glowing, so seeing it in a solid form would be really neat.” I’ve gotta find out if there’s anyone who does stuff like that. I bet it’d make nice jewelry.

“We’re here! Where is he?” Twilight followed by her friends barged into the bakery and Diane thumbed at the kitchen behind her, so Twilight promptly swept past and into the back.

“To think, that little Mellow would become Twice-Marked. The last one to achieve that in recent memory is the merchant Davenport.” Rarity commented before I suddenly held up a bag of Septims. “Really dear? Now?” Rarity huffed and I jangled the bag before she rolled her eyes and dropped the coin purse into her actual purse. It may be a shoulder-slung satchel, but she had it dangling on one side instead of crossing her torso, so it’s a purse.

“So what caused him to further understand his Talents?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“It was suggested to him that he try to blend baking with his healing magic and alchemy to make treats that heal.” Neethsi said from the corner, reminding everyone, including me to my chagrin, that he was still present. Diane was being lewd and talking about girl-stuff with him in the same room? Yeesh, I know he’s sexy and Diane and the others clearly have a healthy appreciation for the male sex, but c’mon girl, why did you do this to me~?

“I commented on how both medicine and baking are both about chemical reactions that make people feel better after Diane suggested he try something like that.” I explained further.

“Sometimes that’s all it takes.” AJ placidly smiled and looked at Diane with an approving smile. “Good on you Pinkie, getting your cousin all passionate about something.”

“Well, isn’t that my Talent?” Diane snorted and rolled her eyes. Huh, I guess it is. Making people smile is to invigorate them, that tends to give them purpose and thus passion. Diane is more powerful than I’d already initially believed.

“Dang right. Good job Pinks.” Rainbow praised the larger mare and they fist-bumped. “But why did you call all of us here? Wouldn’t Twilight be enough since this is magic stuff?”

“Magic ‘stuff’ as you put it, that would allow Twilight to begin her plans.” Neethsi interjected again and everyone looked at him warily. “I spoke with her at length today, regarding the situation politically, economically and magically. She said she had some leads on the largest incoming problems, but they would require a master alchemist. Something I am sure has been a rather lacking field beyond Helstrom, where the old shamans keep their damn secrets from the rest of society like the traditionalist misers they are.” Neethsi hissed and Twilight squealed.

“You grasped an advanced alchemy concept within minutes! I’m sure if I throw my entire alchemical library at you, you’ll not only be able to do what I do, but better!” Twilight declared excitedly as she emerged from the kitchen. “Girls! It’s time!”

“Really? Darling, are you sure?” Rarity asked warily and I felt excitement build.

“Yes. It’s time for the Elements of Harmony to finally plant the seed of the Tree of Harmony here on Tamriel! With Mellow Cake working on the formula to fertilize the seed and Meen-Rei being a wellspring of raw magicka for me to siphon from if she offers, we have two of the key things we need to bring stability back to Nirn.” Twilight declared and the mares all nodded resolutely.

📜

Turns out that the Elements of Harmony were actually artifacts derived from the original Tree of Harmony before it was shattered in the Great Schism that started the Void Nights. Each of the mares were descendents of the original Bearers who fled Equestria’s continent for someplace safer. They got Black Marsh. I’m impressed that their grandparents or great-grandparents for a couple of them, had the foresight to plan for a new Tree of Harmony across the ocean from the ones who had destroyed the original.

Sadly, I think that’s another ‘Tower’ down for the Thalmor’s plan to prevent the Convention from ever happening. Julianos insisted that Time was still continuing onward though, so I hope that means the Thalmor are doomed to failure.

Anyway, said Towers are what maintain the barrier between Mundus and Oblivion, which is why with each one destroyed, the barrier grows weaker. Which is why, despite the Dragonfires supposedly locking Mehrunes Dagon and ‘Oblivion’ from invading Mundus ‘ever again’, we have Daedric Princes like Sheogorath and Sanguine popping in willy-nilly and doing what they please.

Oh, right. I’m also apparently a key part of the first stage of this plan to reestablish the Crystal Tower. Said Tower was originally believed to be the one in Summerset Isle ironically enough, but Twilight revealed that the Altmer, pretentious douchebags they tend to be when not living down-to-earth with everyone else, had assumed wrong. The Tree of Harmony was the Crystal Tower and it had still fallen, but by outside forces who wanted it gone for their own reasons.

Anyway, this is why I’m strapped to a padded and comfy lab table in a Frankenstein’s Monster style mad-scientist laboratory with a milker sucking the powerful sap from my tits to act as a catalyst to help the Tree of Harmony be fully adopted and awoken by the Hist, who through communion with the local Tree Minders, had already agreed with Twilight’s plans.

“Unf, not to complain, but can you please turn the pump off for a bit?” I mewled, feeling annoyed that the combination of my connection to the Hist, my pregnancy-activated sap-sacs and my powerful connection to Aetherius thanks to being turned into a living Sconce of Magnus has essentially turned me into the ultimate living magicka battery.

Neetthsi tensed a bit as he started sniffing the air. “Rei, did you have children before the pregnancy that was forcefully aborted?” Neethsi questioned me and I groaned through the pain/pleasure to wonder why he would ask.

“Not born from me. I’d adopted a little girl who was in a unique situation.” She’s dead too. Oh gods. She’s gone. She’s...no. Why did he have to ask? Why did I have to remember? The pain.

“Odd. Come on out Little Hunter. I can smell your joy and indignation.” Neethsi declared and thankfully he was the only one in the room right now since I requested some privacy while I was milked for my sap and pure magicka through a no-needle wrist manacle like an SE-Plug from Fairy Tail.

“Huh?” I moaned before the cups stopped pulsing and pulling my sap through my nipples. Said nips were at the moment the size of thimbles upon my K-cup basketball breasts. They were expanded externally for comfort since this is an industrial milker after all. “Oh thank Celestia.”

“She’s dead.” Commented a raspy but childish little girl’s voice and I looked to my left to see an argonian girl peering over the table at me. She had my scale colors, even the golden accents around her orifices and I bet her naughty bits under her clothes. She even shared my new deep green slit eyes and horns, even if they’re just stubs right now. “Don’t praise a dead person like that. It’s rude.”

“Who are you?” I asked, feeling odd. I wanted nothing more than to grasp her, hold her, nuzzle her and even nurse her if she’d let me.

“Mama, I know we’re both different, but it’s me, Shade.” The little girl said with sad eyes and I promptly exploded.

Uh, both literally and metaphorically. The surge of joy and relief caused me to assume my atronach form immediately, break free of the padded straps, then scoop my beautiful little girl into my arms. “Shade~! Oh thank the gods! I’d thought I’d-hic-lost everything~!” I cried as I nuzzled her.

“Wah~!” Shade yelled in panic and I felt horror, thinking I’d hurt her before she rapidly changed into an anthropomorphic crocodile that muscled out of my grasp and warily hid behind Neethsi, who still dwarfed the werecrocodile by a good foot in height and a couple hundred pounds in muscle.

“Pro-tips for the care of child werecreatures. One: do not startle them by any means. Two: keep plenty of red meat handy. Three: always ensure they understand who is the one bringing the bacon.” Neethsi commented as he pet the head of my currently monstrous little girl, who had instinctively seen him as the most powerful figure in the room besides me, which wasn’t a hard choice, we’re the only ones-.

“What’s happened?! The siphons are reading-Crocothrope!” Twilight shouted in surprise and magically boxed Shade in a magic barrier with Neethsi. “Neethsi, I thought we talked about you and your lycanthrope friends!”

“That’s my daughter!” I huffed at Twilight, then looked at myself, noticing that unlike when I was under the sign of the Thief, this form wasn’t painful or seemingly dangerous to me. Heh, I’m an atronach with a temporary Atronach Sign. It’s so fitting I kinda want to smack someone for it.

“But I thought...that would elicit the intense emotional response needed for you to shift into your atronach form...well, I need to fix the siphons and get you back to work ASAP. Take a break to spend time with your daughter and rest while I fix this. Mellow is already on his way to making the correct mixture to prepare the soil for the Seed, so we need your sap and magicka sooner rather than later.” Twilight announced as she began to magically go about repairing equipment.

“Sorry.” I chuckled before I calmed down and watched my scales settle, then knit back together as my flesh returned. It was so surreal, to be either flesh or metaphysical magic given physical form almost at-will. I’m seriously OP considering I have no clue how to use all this power I’ve had thrust unto me. “Shade sweetie, is your ‘beast’ form on a timer or at-will?” I asked while I used my nipple studs to shrink my bosom down to C-cups for comfort.

“Timer. I should tell you though, that the Hist messed with my head a bit. I remember you, the castle we lived in, Celestia, hunting in the Everfree, Zecora and other things. I remember you told me once I used to be a bad Bandit man. Hircine also said the same, but the Hist said I could just be me now.” Shade informed me as she warily left the safety of being behind the towering hulk of an argonian.

That’s right, Shade was once a bandit leader that tried to...right. I’m happy she won’t remember that now though. I knew she had nightmares of it back in the Everfree. I wonder why the Hist helped her though? Did they bring her back?

“Did the Hist bring you back?” I asked Shade as I pulled her into a cuddle and nuzzled her. She was even younger than when Valis altered her and saved me from her. Of course, if I’m remembering correctly, then Shade was already losing her old memories.

“I don’t know.” Shade hiccuped when she hugged me as she started to shiver in fear. “I was so scared. Everything went scary and dark. The sun turned red, then white, then black bubbly sludge started rising from the ground and the dead started attacking everyone. Berserker tried to fight them off. You wouldn’t wake up. Then these creeps with silver masks stole you away and the ground disappeared.” The crocothrope shivered in my arms and I nuzzled her.

“You’re safe now sweetie.” I crooned and held her as she clutched me with her incredibly powerful enormous hands, but oddly I wasn’t feeling pain from it. Really, how much tougher am I from my Bark Scales and being stabbed by the Nail of Magnus?

“Berserker found me not long after explaining how he couldn’t leave and what happened to you as more and more of the world just fell away. We tried finding a place to hide, but the Undead caught up. He kept fighting until the ground swallowed him up in the Dark. I was stabbed by a sword and found myself in Hircine’s Hunting Grounds.” Shade hiccuped and welcomed my hug and nuzzles.

“I’m sorry Sweetie, my little Shade.” I hated my inability to express tears right now as I rocked her back and forth. Curse argonians and their lack of tear ducts. The closest I have are my nictitating membranes.

“I-I don’t know if he’s alive or dead for good. Berserker did all that he could to protect and keep me safe.” Shade mewled as she pressed her elongated face into my chest and I pet her neck.

“I know, I know.” I assured her as I soothed her. If I see Berserker again I’ll thank him, if I could reveal who I was. I’m surprised Shade can speak her real name, but then again she seemed to be delivered to the Hist by a different source than I was. “I’m here now, don’t worry.”

“Who is this Berserker you mention? He sounds like a fierce warrior.” Neethsi asked quietly in a suitably respectful tone.

“A friend of mine. We were quite close.” I told him as I caressed Shade.

“In the event that he is gone, I am sorry for your loss, but for some reason, simply hearing about him unsettles me.” The Naga brought up with his brows wrinkled in the way I came to understand meant he was concentrating on an issue.

“How? You’ve never met him, is there something to do with berserkers here in Tamriel I’m unaware of? Besides Nord or Orc Berserkers.” I questioned while Shade shrunk. It had been several minutes since her transformation, so from what I understand, she has a fairly short-lived beast-mode. Maybe when she’s older she can be in it longer or as long as she wishes even.

“No. I’ve met many Nord and Orc Berserkers during my travels in Skyrim. I believe their grandchildren and great-grandchildren have all been poached by the Empire or the failed Stormcloak Rebellion twenty years ago. Despite this, I feel wary about this man, as if he is a vile Daedra with no redeeming qualities.” Neethsi muttered in confusion and I wondered why Neethsi, perhaps one of the most worldly and rational people on Nirn, would feel this way.

“They hate him too.” Shade whispered before she nosed my clothed chest and sniffed. “Mama, you smell so sweet…”

“I’m lactating Hist Sap.” I told her and her tummy rumbled, which made her mewl and nuzzle my naked bosom. “Let’s go take care of that sweetie.”

Next Chapter: Ch.12 Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 52 Minutes