The Goddess
“Have you ever heard of the Baskar ruins?”
Gilded Wind looked up from the amber-colored mead in his tankard and tilted his head at the stallion next to him. The question had been asked at random, without any primer or connection to an earlier conversation. Gilded knew that his friend was prone to ask strange questions, though this one was a curveball.
“No, I can’t say I have. The professor has never mentioned it, and I hardly think the magistrate would talk about it, considering the current state of affairs,” Gilded replied and grasped the tankard with his magic.
Gilded Wind was not a pegasus despite the rather fitting name. The young unicorn stallion was a member of the Neihmer university of magic, and an avid worshipper of the goddess of knowledge, Tiramat. His name came from his golden mane and his affinity for wind magic, specifically spells which involved flight or movement. His coat was a dark gray and his eyes carried the same golden shimmer as his mane. The blue and black robes of the university and his looks made him stand out in a crowd, and even more so in a mostly empty tavern. After all, not many students dared go to seedy places far away from campus. Though out of place, Gilded did not stand out nearly as much as his companion, Truth Seeker.
Truth Seeker was a green earth pony with a brown mane. He wore the same robes as Gilded, though they were accented by a thick pair of glasses which reminded Gilded more of a tool that belonged at an observatory than on a pony’s muzzle. Truth was a senior at the university and had studied there for two years in comparison to Gilded’s six months. The earth pony was Gilded’s roommate and the one who had shown him around campus. While they both attended the same classes in magical theory, demonology, and defense against black magic they differed in their application. Gilded took unicorn-centric combat classes where his theory and know-how could be put to the test. He also took part in survival classes and an extra module of geography. Gilded wished to join the army or the navy as a combat mage after his studies had concluded. Truth did not care for the military or navy, and so he had focused his studies on history, religion, and realm-bleeding. The two differed quite a bit, but they were still close friends.
“The ban on excavations and expeditions is only in effect up north until the senate and Garmain can agree on who has the right to what artifacts from the imperial days. The Baskar ruins are to the south, and they are just barely inside our borders, right where the great Hera jungle ends and where the Ki river is the widest. They are mostly uncharted and unexplored,” Truth said and took a sip of his own mead.
Gilded looked at his friend with interest and motioned for him to go on. “And pray tell, why are they mostly uncharted and unexplored?”
“Ghosts.”
Gilded blinked and looked at Truth like he had told a particularly bad joke. “I’m sorry?”
“They say the ruins are haunted. Ponies have seen strange figures in the distance, heard giggling from other rooms in the temples, and realm-bleeding is quite intense at some places. They have also found quite a few curses, all dispelled now of course, but it is cause for concern. The ruins are also located in a very dangerous area animal-wise, not to say politically. The Bask people, or whatever is left of their government, still holds a claim on them. Not that the Coseans care much about that, since they have been helping us explore it. Actually, I think it may have been the third Cosean queen which brought the downfall of that ancient city, plundered it for all its riches, had some Bask stallions brought back for… extensive study. It is a sordid but interesting place,” Truth said.
“So how come you brought it up? Are you planning a trip there? I don’t see why you would want to go, seeing as it is cursed, has ghosts, pompous Coseans, and weird realm-bleeding shit. You never run at something like that head-first. Especially not when the Coseans are involved.”
“I brought it up because of what that lost civilization used to worship. So you see, the Baskar were the ancestors to the Bask people, as the name implies, though this was long before they traveled down to the far south and adopted the deities and culture of that land. The Baskar worshipped gods named the ‘Akinaia’, not quite gods but not quite spirits either. Their chief deity was the goddess of fertility, good crops, rain, and lust,” Truth grinned at the last word.
Gilded’s eyes widened and he stared at the stallion before him. “...And what could this lust goddess do?”
“Well… From the many murals in the temples that had been translated by scholars and researchers alike, it seems each temple in the ancient city was desiccated to one god or goddess. And since the Baskar had hundreds of gods and goddesses it means the city is made up of hundreds of temples. In each of these temples, there was a shrine where ponies could sacrifice to the god and receive a blessing.”
“...You want to get a blessing from a pagan goddess so you can more easily seduce mares?”
Truth nodded vigorously. “Yes! Of course! This is our chance to become like dragons, just lure in mates with our scent alone! It will be great!”
Gilded shook his head in amusement and took a sip from his mead. “Should I assume that you are going to go no matter what I say?”
“I already signed up with the team going there in three days,” Truth said and downed the last of his mead.
“If I let you go there on your own you’re gonna get eaten by some giant snake or killed by an angry spirit. Fine… Tell them I am coming with you, but I am only staying a week at most. Classes start back up in three weeks, and I can’t miss them.”
“It will be fine! It’s not like it’s an actual goddess. It is probably just a powerful spirit they bound to the temple. Just remember what professor Void said about dismissing a demon or spirit and you’ll be fine. And if that doesn’t work then you can just use that fancy horn of yours to cast gales of wind on the thing until it leaves,” Truth said and got up from his seat.
Gilded nodded slowly, yet he felt like there was still cause for concern. “If you say so...”
The green stallion nodded with an excited smile and headed for the door. “Find me tomorrow and we’ll get you ready for the trip! This will be great, you’ll see!”
Gilded smiled back at Truth as the door opened and closed behind him. Though the unicorn could only sigh as the green stallion left. He looked at the mead in his magical grasp and frowned. “I am going to regret this, aren’t I?”
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The journey to the Baskar ruins took six days, four of which was spent on a ship, and two was spent in the jungle. By the time the expedition reached the Ki river and left the jungle the Baskar ruins were all around them. Stone temples and houses had been erected on the rich soil and only the wines and weeds spoke of their age. They still retained their colors which had been painted so long ago. The temples were akin to the pyramids in the far south, but they were the size of houses and lacked a pointed tip. Instead, there was a stone statue on top of each pyramid which depicted some kind of pony-animal hybrid. Some of the temples had damaged statues while others lacked one entirely.
“That is the Baskar people’s interpretations of their gods. As you can see some of the statues are damaged or missing, but most are still intact hundreds of years after their creations. Truly fascinating...” Truth Seeker said in awe.
“Yeah… Fascinating...” Gilded mumbled in response.
Gilded Wind looked around with a tired expression and yawned. His legs ached and his head felt like it would melt in the heat. The others from the university looked much the same, sweat clung to their fur, their eyes were half-lidded, and some swayed on their hooves as they would faint. An older unicorn mare dressed in a white hat and shirt pointed towards the largest temple in the middle of the ancient city. It was more akin to a palace than a temple, and likely where the ancient Baskar priesthood had ruled. Unlike the other temples, the one in the middle of the city had hundreds of stone statues on its roof, and Gilded imagined it was the central hub of the long-dead religion. From there they had been able to worship all the gods.
“The main temple serves as our base of operations. Professor Nyhma of the Cosean institute of science is already there with his own students and some students of our university. You will show him the same respect you have shown me, is that clear?” the older mare called.
A unison of mumbled agreements came from the students before they moved towards the temple. The ancient city of Baskar was a sight to behold. Regular stone houses were crammed between every temple. The houses could be three stories tall but not particularly wide, which they look like small towers, or they could be very wide but only one story tall, which reminded Gilded more of a storage area than a home. Yet as they passed more and more temples Truth seemed to grow annoyed.
“I can’t see the temple dedicated to the goddess. I know we have not searched through them all, but I can’t help but be worried… If her temple is one of many which has lost its statue, then it might take some time to find it. And we only have so many days we can be here...” the green stallion mumbled.
“We’ll be fine. Just pray to her or whatever you need to do in the main temple, I don’t think a dead goddess cares if you pray in the main temple or her own temple. She can’t exactly be picky,” Gilded mumbled.
Truth looked at Gilded with concern before he nodded at the temple. “You might be right, but let’s get you some water first. We leave our stuff at the base and then head to the river.”
“Sounds fine to me.”
As the troop made it up the stone steps and walked into the large temple they were greeted by an excited Cosean stallion. He looked to be in his early forties and his body was riddled with scars. It was likely he had been in the Cosean navy before he became an academic. His dolphin-like skin was a dark green and so was his gelatinous mane. His paws were covered in blisters and bandages, Gilded mused it had to be from the many weeks he explored the ruins. On closer inspection, it was clear that the Cosean was sunburnt as well, though his large white hat and shirt covered much of it. He looked much like the professor that had led Gilded and the rest of the students through the jungle, only he did not seem to see himself as an equal.
“Welcome, venerable professor Bones, to Bask ruins,” the Cosean said and bowed deeply.
The other male Coseans in the room did the same, which made Gilded grimace. The Coseans were much akin to the Silfies, only they discriminated against their stallions instead of their mares. Gilded had grown up to believe strongly in the convictions of the republic, and gender equality, while not yet perfectly achieved, was one of them. To see someone grovel before the hooves of another out of obligation more than respect irked him.
“Calm the snarl, Gilded. You aren't going to get to lay with a Cosean mare if they are scared of you,” Truth whispered to him.
“I didn’t come here to fuck some barely legal site assistants that were sent by the Cosean church, look at them, seashell pendants and all,” Gilded hissed back.
There were indeed many young mares among the Coseans. A few of them were dressed in the robes of the church, their small but extravagant headdresses all denoted them as priestess-in-training. One of them smiled a coy smile at Gilded, who looked away in return. Truth just lapped up the look, however.
“I am grateful for your diligent work here, professor Nyhma, no need to be so formal. Come, show me what you have found while my students unpack,” the professor said and walked off with the other professor.
As Gilded placed his belongings onto the stone floor he looked around the rectangular chamber. It had two openings, one which led north and one which led south. The two walls in the chamber had countless figures carved into them and many symbols of a language that no one longer understood. He looked up at the ceiling and saw that some statues had been placed like gargoyles above each door opening. Perhaps they had been seen as guardian gods?
“Haha! No, no, I can assure you we Silventians are not like that. We only bow for our wives when they drag us to the stores!”
Gilded looked back towards Truth and saw him surrounded by three Coseans mares. They laughed and joked with each other, and it was clear the three were smitten with, at least to them, the exotic look of Truth Seeker. Gilded sighed and walked over to his friend and poked his shoulder.
“Let’s go to get some water,” the unicorn muttered.
Truth smiled at the three mares before he turned to Gilded waved dismissively with his hoof. “I’ll catch up.”
Gilded quirked a brow at that and sighed. “Really?”
Truth glared at him and turned back to the mares with a smile. “Excuse us ladies, I’ll be right back.”
Truth pulled Gilded aside and raised his hooves in disbelief. “What are you doing? This could be a chance for us to get some tail! The entire reason we’re here is so we can improve our luck with the ladies, and you want to leave to get some water? You can certainly get something wet if you just play your cards right, but not by walking away and looking like an ass!”
Gilded rolled his eyes. “Are they even legal?”
The green stallion groaned and dragged his hoof down his face. “Yes, they are all three eighteen, I asked. And even then the age of consent is fifteen in Cosea!”
“And Coseans have saltwater for brains! Are you sure they haven’t just lied about their age? They can train to become a priestess at the age of fifteen, so you might be being lied to. And even then just ignore them. They’re just gonna use you and then throw you aside, they see stallions as tools, remember? Let’s just get this pagan blessing and then find some mares at the university that we know are legal and that we know won’t just use us,” the unicorn groaned.
“Why would they lie? What do they earn on lying about that? If you want to get water, then fine, but I am staying here until I can land at least one of them in bed. See you later, Gilded,” Truth stormed off and returned to the mares with a smile.
Gilded just sighed and walked out to the hot sun. The stallion made his way down the steps and into the dirt streets of Baskar. He turned right and began to walk towards the river. The unicorn eventually left the beaten path and slipped in-between two temples. As he walked he looked into the long abandoned houses and temples for any clue about the goddess. He could not read any inscriptions, and he did not know what her statue would look like, but he would let Truth figure that out after he stopped his idiocy. Though as he neared the river a side street suddenly called to him. Between temples and houses laid a small path that led to a small garden. It was concealed from the main road, but visible from the path Gilded had walked down.
“Hmm...” the stallion hummed and walked down the path.
As Gilded made his way into the garden he looked around at the various flowers and admired their beauty. Blue, purple, pink, yellow, blue, red, all were dotted about the garden. Though the wheat and rye which grew in patches did confuse him. It hardly seemed like a garden meant for food production, yet it grew freely. It was then he noticed it, and he licked his dry lips with need. A pond with clear water stood at the far side of the garden and he ran to it. As he craned his neck down and began to greedily drink from the pond he noticed the statue across from him on the other side of the water. It depicted a mare on her haunches, her tail long and fluffy, her front legs ended in paws while her back legs ended in hooves, a large thick patch of fur ran up along her spine from her tail and ended in a thick mane by her head. Yet it was her head and cutiemark which confused him the most. Her skull was more akin to that of a predator, but it was the top half that confused him. It looked like nothing but bone with teeth growing from it by her mouth. Yet her eyes still seemed fine, and it did not look like a horrible injury but a natural part of her body. Her cutie mark also interested him, a wreath of wheat which had been bent into the shape of a heart.
The unicorn stood up and looked at the statue as water dripped down his chin. He did not know what the goddess was supposed to look like, he did not know her name, but for some reason, he just knew that this statue had been the reason they had come all the way to Baskar ruins.
“I need to tell Truth about this.”
Yet as Gilded turned around he suddenly stood face to face with a pair of golden curious eyes. He yelped and took a step back only to fall into the water. He came up from the water with a cough and looked at the creature before him with fear and confusion. The upper part of her head resembled bone, her tail was long and bushy, her front legs ended in paws, and her cutiemark was that of a wreath of wheat in the shape of a heart. Her fur was black and brown, and two horns grew from her head with small flowers on them. He looked back at the statue and noted that everything was the same, with the exception of the horns. Until he looked closer, and realised that the horns on the statue were just missing. Gilded slowly turned back to the mare and looked her over.
“Hello?” he said meekly and cleared his throat.
The mare tilted her head at him like a dog and took a step towards him. Gilded immediately scrambled up from the water and took a few steps to the side. His chest rose rapidly as he watched the mare, and she simply looked at him with interests and curiosity.
“I am sorry if I have offended your… flowers? And water. I… I will leave now. My friend really wanted to get your blessing...” Gilded trailed off as a sweet scent spread through the air. It invaded his nostrils and it spread a calm through his bones. Before he even realized it he was seated on the ground and the mare stood before him.
“W-What?” he mumbled.
The mare leaned in close and sniffed his mane and face. She nuzzled his chest before she went lower and lower. The scent only grew in strength as she sniffed on his nethers and Gilded could only moan and grow hard. Black member throbbed and pre poured from his tip unlike anything he had ever seen before. The unicorn breathed deeply and shuddered a pleasant tingle rose through his spine. The mare nuzzled his cock and opened her maw wide. Gilded looked at her long slimy tongue and many teeth in fear, but he could only grunt out in pleasure as she swallowed his entire member in one gulp. He moaned as the mare skillfully moved her maw up and down his cock. Her golden eyes never left his, and they held an innocent glint which made his balls ache and his lip quiver. As she sped up he only breathed quicker and quicker, and he felt his stomach grow taut.
“I’m gonna cum! I’m gonna~ I’m gonna~” the stallion moaned out.
The mare seemed to understand and immediately pulled off his member. Gilded groaned in frustration as his member flared and widened, but he dug his hooves into the ground and did not go over the edge. He panted and looked up at the mare, only to realize she had turned around. His eyes widened as he looked at the large soft flank which stood before him, and he swallowed thickly as the mare pulled apart her nether lips with magic. The scent flowed out of her and he groaned in pleasure as a pleasant warmth spread through his limbs. His chest heaved as he looked into her love core and he realized she was as wet as the pond he had drunk from. Her juices pooled down her hind legs and she whimpered in need. Some of her juices poured out and landed on his member, and Gilded moaned. Much like her maw, her juices were slimy and cold, but only after a second, they left behind a burning need for more.
Gilded stood up on wobbly legs and noticed that the mare looked at him over her shoulder. She whined for him, whimpered for his touch, for his seed. The stallion gulped and slowly mounted her. He placed his forelegs onto her shoulders and pushed his member between her folds. Gilded groaned in pleasure as the tight pussy wrapped around his member and with a single thrust he bottomed himself out inside her love canal. The mare’s tongue lolled outside her mouth and she moaned as he began to thrust inside her. Each time he pulled back and thrust back into her his balls smacked into her flank, which echoed across the gardens. The wet sloppy sounds of their lovemaking only grew in intesity from the juices which poured from the mare’s pussy. Gilded could only whimper and thrust faster and faster.
“I’m gonna cum, I need to pull out,” the unicorn grunted.
The mare whined in response and pressed her flank back against him. Gilded’s eyes rolled back up into his skull and he could pant in pleasure. As he tried to pull out the mare just pressed back against him. Her pussy also worked to massage his member, each time making him moan. Gilded’s breaths became erratic and the mare moaned in victory as a loud whiny escaped his lips. The cum erupted from his member like a fountain and coated the slimy pussy of the goddess. Gilded could only moan and groan as rope after rope of seed filled her love core. The mare shook and moaned as well, her juices exploding around his member. As they both came down from their orgasm they collapsed next to each other on the grass.
“Are you… Are you a goddess?” Gilded asked with a mumble.
The mare purred and buried her face in his chest. Gilded grunted as pain spread across his chest and he looked down to see a symbol had been burnt into his skin. It had completely removed the fur and exposed the black skin underneath. The symbol was her cutiemark, and it glowed as the mare licked it. A shudder ran through his body as she did and the unicorn smiled awkwardly at her.
“I guess this means we’re a pair?”
The mare just purred and nuzzled his cheek.
“I would like to get you know you a bit better before doing declarations like that though… I suppose I will have to teach you the language and stuff… Heh… Truth is going to be pretty jealous I think. I almost pity the bastard. Hope he scores a mare at least,” Gilded mumbled.
The mare tilted her head at him and a wind drifted over the garden. It picked up the intoxicating scent and it drifted away over the city. Eventually Gilded managed to wash in the pond and his new companion happily joined him. As he walked back he soon heard moans and groans from one of the smaller temples. He looked to the goddess who grinned and he walked up the steps and peeked inside.
Inside the temple were the three Cosean mares and Truth Seeker. Two of the mares laid on the floor. They panted and moaned as cum poured from their feathers and their eyes were glazed over from the pleasure. Truth was busy pounding into the last mare. Sweat coated his body and he growled like an animal. The mare underneath him screamed his name and came around his member, which prompted him to unload inside her as well. Gilded watched with wide eyes as Truth slowly pulled out and the mare collapsed to the floor. The stallion’s chest heaved and he laid down next to her. Much like Gilded and the goddess they had not used protection.
“There’s no way they aren’t pregnant after that...” Gilded mumbled and hurried down the steps.
The goddess looked at him with a tilted head and he swallowed thickly. “Can a goddess get pregnant?”
The mare just smiled and walked past him towards the main temple. Gilded followed and swallowed nervously, to which the goddess grinned and blew an air kiss at him.
His intuition had been correct, it had been a bad idea to come to the Baskar ruins. Though as the goddess swayed her hips and her tail playfully revealed and concealed her wet nethers that notion quickly disappeared. Now he just wondered how he was going to explain this to the professor.
“I hope they won’t freak out...”
The mare craned her head back and gave a deep chorle in response.
“Yeah… This was a mistake...” the stallion mumbled and followed the goddess to the temple.