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The Mountain Gem

Twenty- two year old Jessica Winters jolted awake at the sound of her buzzing alarm clock. Nearly smashing the irritating piece of technology, she silenced the sound with her fist, failing to notice that she had woken up two hours late. She stretched her arms, yawning, and made to throw the covers off her body, but she was, however, feeling exceptionally lazy... She flopped down on her side once more and buried her head in her pillow. She felt like there was something she needed to do today but she just couldn't think of what it was...

Suddenly her phone rang, making her jump. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and gasped when she saw who it was. She quickly answered the phone.

"Oh Dave, I'm so sorry! I forgot about the hike today!" Jessica exclaimed, jumping out of bed.

"It's fine...At least you didn't sleep until noon again," Her boyfriend said from the other end of the phone.

"Do you still want to go? I know you wanted to leave before seven...and it's nine now," Jessica said, pulling on a pair of track pants.

"I've been looking forward to going with you on this hike for a few weeks now so of course I want to go! When do you think you will be ready?"

"Umm, give me... fifteen minutes? Then I will be on my way to the trail. Meet you there?" Jessica said as she pulled a t-shirt over her head.

"Okay then. Meet you there!" Dave said.

Jessica said her goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Stupid. Stupid. How could I forget?!" Jessica said to herself as she dashed about her room, doing this and preparing that.

Her and Dave had planned this trip weeks back. Fitting it in around hers and Dave's schedule wasn't easy but after some persuading, she was able to get someone to cover for her duties on the farm for a day. She had started working on her friend's ranch about two years back in order to get some money for college. That, however, fell through, mostly because she grew to love the farm far too much to leave it for a career that she would more than likely hate.

Jessica spent only about five minutes in the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and got control of her wild hair, then sped into the kitchen where she found her backpack sitting on the counter. She opened it and sighed in relief. She had remembered to pack the essentials last night. Still, she was kicking herself for forgetting so easily.

_No time for sulking..._Jessica thought to herself, going to the fridge.

She found what she was looking for. The food for the hike was sitting on the middle shelf. She grabbed it and stuffed it in her backpack.

"Alright, do I have everything? Got my keys... sunglasses, water..." Jessica said to herself, spouting out a list of potential things she may have forgotten.

After running back to her room for her phone she hurried out of the door and took off in her car.

Fortunately, the meeting spot that they decided on was only a five minute drive from Jessica's house. She would have walked if she weren't so pressed for time.

-*-

After pulling up next to Dave's car, Jessica turned off her car and got out to greet him.

"Well, well. Look who just rolled out of bed!" Dave said, exchanging a hug and kiss with Jessica.

"Yeah... I know... I'm really sorry about that... I really have no idea what happened. Last night I was so excited to go and this morning I just blanked!" Jessica exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it, you're here aren't you? That's all that matters," Dave said with a smile.

"Yeah... I suppose. So, you ready to go then?" Jessica said, tightening the straps on her backpack.

"Yes I am! Let's get a move on, it's a long hike," Dave said, leading the way.

They forged up the rugged path ahead, the morning air already growing warmer as it came closer and closer to the shift into the afternoon. Neither Jessica or Dave were bothered by the increasing heat as time wore on; they were too busy soaking in the serene landscape around them. They gazed at the lush, green mountainous region that surrounded them. Jessica sighed contentedly, thankful for being given the chance to live in such a peaceful place. It was sights like these that made her stick around the country-side, she couldn't find anything like this near the city and she wasn't interested in the stressful, overcrowded environments of those places anyway.

They walked and walked, further up the mountain side until they decided on a lunch break. They settled under a large tree overlooking the landscape, Jessica looked back toward the way they had come and marveled at the progress they had already made in the two hours of hiking.

"How much farther do you think it is until we get to this spot you were talking about?" Jessica asked in between bites of her sandwich.

Dave took a drink of his water and said, "Well, from the looks of it, we are maybe just under halfway there," Dave said. "And if you look hard enough you might be able to make out the top of the ridge we are on, but we need to go up past that as well. Not too far, maybe another hour or two," Dave said, pointing further up the steep, dirt path.

When Jessica squinted she could just barely make out in the distance where the incline began to level out. It looked slightly daunting and she was slightly tired, but the food was definitely helping; she had made several trips similar to this one before, so her body was used to this kind of strenuous activity.

Jessica finished up her sandwich, deposited the trash into her backpack then stood up, eager to continue on. Dave wasn't ready, however, he excused himself to the "bathroom" and disappeared behind some bushes. While he was gone, Jessica began to ponder her relationship with Dave. They had met at the grocery store in town, where he was working to gather some funds for school. It was the store that Jessica did all of her shopping at for the other workers at the farm and for herself, so she was a frequent visitor. He asked her on a date one day, seemingly on a whim, about three months ago and they had been dating ever since. Everything was great, Dave was a nice, compassionate guy, but she sensed there was something he had to say. Something had been on his mind now for the past few weeks and he wouldn't tell her. She had thought about pushing the subject, trying to force it out of him in some way but she hated fighting, it wasn't something they did often and she didn't want it to become a regular event. It was beginning to weigh on her though, so she resolved to ask him about it today, there should be no secrets between them.

Just after Jessica had finished her deep thought, Dave emerged from the bushes.

"Ready to go?" He asked, picking up his equipment from the ground and throwing the backpack on again.

"Yeah, let's go. Also, have I ever mentioned how unfair it is that you can just pee with such ease on these hikes?" Jessica said, nonchalantly.

Dave laughed and said, "Yes, you have mentioned that before. Having a dick has it's perks..."

Jessica crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Real classy Dave..." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Just a joke, just a joke," Dave said, climbing over a large boulder that blocked their progress.

Jessica almost asked him what had been on his mind the past few months but instead she evaded the question and moved on to something else.

"So you really aren't going to tell me where we are going exactly?" Jessica asked.

"Of course not! That would ruin the surprise! I can assure you that you will love it though, trust me," Dave responded.

"I will take your word for it then, you better not be lying," Jessica said with a smirk.

Dave chuckled.

"You will love it! Just you wait!" He said, waving his finger at her.

One hour later...

In only another hour, aided by the second wind their lunch break had given them, Dave and Jessica had climbed to the plateau that they had been aiming for.

"Wow..."

She was rendered speechless by the gorgeous, expansive scenery. She had seen things like this many times before, hiking in the remote areas of California had awarded her that much, but she was always amazed by the magnificence that hid outside the bustling cities. Jessica looked at Dave, and he too was staring silent and unmoving. They stared for a few moments before Dave broke the silence.

"We should probably get moving to that spot I was talking about. It should be only another twenty minutes but I do want us to spend as much time as possible there," Dave explained, turning to walk down a narrow path that seemed to be fairly new.

"Did you create this path the last time you were up here?" Jessica asked, looking down at the trampled grass.

"Yup. I decided to do a bit of exploring and that's how I discovered the area we are going to," Dave said, hopping over a boulder.

Jessica was getting anxious, surprises always did this to her.

T_his place must really be something for him to make this sort of effort to keep it a secret,"_She though to herself.

With each minute that passed it felt like ten and this continued until finally, they came into a clearing that made Jessica's mouth gape in wonder. They were standing on a high ledge that overlooked an alcove of four large bodies of water that descended down the side of the mountain. Jessica could only describe the bodies of water as a collection of "bowls." Water cascaded down from each of them, and dropped into the next sparkling blue bowl below it. The final waterfall, however, flowed down into a stream running down the sloping mountain side. Jessica, all the while, wondered how she couldn't have seen this before.

"It's really something isn't it?" Dave said, wrapping his arm around her.

"This is incredible! I can't believe this is here and I didn't even know it. Let's go down there!" Jessica said with unrestrained excitement.

She pulled away from Dave and dashed for a safe looking incline to descend into the top most pool. Skidding slightly down the loose dirt, Jessica landed safely on the outer rim of the crater of clear water and peered inside of it. It was so clear she could see the bottom with no effort at all. Her giddiness almost got the best of her and sent her bounding off to see more, but something caught her eye. A green object rested at the bottom, glinting in the sunlight.

"What's that?" Jessica asked Dave, pointing, as he slid down to meet her.

Dave leaned in to look at what she was talking about.

"Oh that? You mean, you have never heard of them before?" Dave asked.

"What do you mean?" Jessica asked, looking up at Dave.

"That old folk tale? About the gems on the mountain?" Dave asked hopefully.

"Uh, nope. Doesn't ring any bells, sorry," She said, shrugging.

"Well, when I was a kid, my grandfather would always tell me these bizarre stories... well, more like tall tales, myths and folklore about the areas around here. One of them had to do with these gems that came from the mountains here. Nobody really knows how they are created but they come off this mountain and float down that stream over there," Dave said, pointing at the running water.

"Okay, so what's the whole story with these things?" Jessica asked.

"My grandfather told me that people started picking them up from the foot of the mountain and either kept them for themselves or grabbed many at a time to sell as trinkets of some sort. Anyway, after people had brought them home, strange things started to happen to them. When my grandfather told it, he would say it was only a few people but it's a myth anyway so stories get twisted after so many-"

"Okay, okay! I get it! Just get on with it please!" Jessica suddenly blurted out.

"Right. Sorry. So a few, not all, of the people that came into contact with the gems began to... change.

"Change?" Jessica asked, looking up at Dave.

"They transformed into strange, hybrid creatures. Part animal, part human," Dave said in a mockingly serious voice.

"You mean like a Centaur?" Jessica asked, clearly intrigued.

"Well yes and no. I mean, they were said to have retained some human traits such as walking on two legs and I think they were still capable of human speech, but they were much more animal than anything. Anyway, it's just a silly tale my grandfather told me all the time. He was oddly serious about it, swore up and down he had seen one of these imaginary beings but he got a little more loopy in his old age, so it was hard to tell what was fact and what was fiction," Dave said, idly throwing a rock into the pool of water.

Jessica said nothing and pondered what Dave had just told her. It was, of course, just a tall tale, but it was one she had never heard of before.

"Did your grandfather mention anything about what happened to these human-animal things?" Jessica asked.

"Why? It's a myth, like I said," Dave said, shrugging.

"I am just curious. It's a very interesting story," Jessica said, looking at the shining gem again.

"I think he said they just disappeared but I don't remember exactly. It was a long time ago since the last time he told me. It's also a rather popular myth around town so I am very surprised you haven't heard of it," Dave said.

"Huh. Well I only really go into town for groceries and supplies so I really only talk to the few people on the farm," Jessica said with a shrug.

"Ah well, now you know," Dave said, looking up at the sky. "We probably have another hour or two before we need to get going again so we can just hang out around here until then."

"Oh yes! I want to stay here as long as possible. Maybe we can even take a swim. It is quite hot outside..." Jessica suggested.

Before Dave could say anything, Jessica was stripped down to her undergarments and in the water.

"Wow, it feels great! You should join me!" Jessica said, swimming around the crystal clear water.

Dave smiled, stripped down to his boxers and jumped in.

After coming back up Dave said, "This really is nice! I expected it to be too cold in here!"

"Told ya," Jessica said, swimming around Dave, kicking water into his face playfully.

He smirked and caught her by the leg then pulled her close. He drew her into a passionate kiss as they bobbed in the warm water.

After sometime, Jessica pulled away from Dave. The question was eating away at the back of her mind and had been since she thought about it this morning.

"Hey Dave... Is there something you need to tell me?" Jessica asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dave asked, confused.

"Well for the past few weeks, you've seemed to be on edge about something. Like there's something you're afraid to say to me..."

Dave stared at her with an estranged look and after a few moments he said, "Jess, I really don't know what you are talking about... I mean, I am sorry if I have been giving off that sort of vibe but there's really nothing I am trying to hide."

Jessica took a long look at him, trying to detect any hint of a lie.

Either he's a great liar or he really has no idea... Jessica thought to herself.

"Well alright, but if there's anything you need to tell me. You know you can right?" Jessica said, frowning.

"Yes, yes, of course I know that! I am just confused about this..." Dave said.

"Alright then, I will just drop it, try not to worry about it. Okay?" Jessica said, kissing him again. She then looked below, into the depths of the water at the gem again. "How far down do you think that is?"

"What?" Dave asked.

"That gem!" Jessica said impatiently.

"Oh hell, that thing again? If you really want to get one, you can always wait till we go to the bottom of the mountain. There are tons of them there!"

"I want that one. It's been shining in my face ever since I got down here and I can't take it anymore," Jessica said, already preparing to dive.

Dave sighed and said, "I guess it's maybe about eight feet deep? Nine? I really can't say exactly, but I'm sure you wouldn't have that much of a problem getting to it."

"Okay, thanks!" Jessica said quickly before diving under.

Dave watched from the surface, poised and ready to go after her if anything happened. He was sure she would be fine, she was in excellent shape, but he wasn't sure of just how far down she needed to go. His worries were for nothing however, as Jessica came to the surface just as quickly as she had reached the bottom.

Jessica came up, took a breath of air and said, "It was... not that far down. It was pretty deceiving, but this gem, however, was not."

Jessica stared at the gem in her hand, almost entranced by it.

"Wait... wasn't that thing green before?" Dave asked, referring to the fact that it had now changed colors to a glowing crimson.

Jessica nodded and said, "Isn't that cool?! It changed colors the closer it got to the surface!"

She swam to the rocks where she had placed her clothes and pulled herself up onto dry ground to examine the gem further. Now that she was in the shade, she could see that it was literally glowing in her hand. The pulsing light was oddly relaxing and she couldn't tear her eyes away from it.

"Obsessed much? I mean, it is pretty, but you look like Gollum over here," Dave said with a chuckle.

Jessica looked at Dave and stuck out her tongue.

"Very funny, leave me and my "precious" alone," Jessica said with a laugh.

"So are you done in here then?" Dave asked, already preparing to get out.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm done now," Jessica answered, still staring intently at the shining stone.

"Alright then," Dave said, climbing out and going over to his pack. "Good thing I packed some towels in case we went in."

Dave tossed a towel over to Jessica and it landed on her head. This seemed to break her out of her trance-like state because Jessica pocketed the gem and pulled the towel off of her head.

"Ah, thank you. Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me," She said, rubbing her hair on the towel.

"It's alright..." Dave responded with a sigh.

"You okay?" Jessica asked.

He hung his head.

"No. I'm not, I lied to you. There really has been something on my mind lately."

Jessica scowled and said, "So you were hiding something from me!"

Dave nodded. "Yes, and I am sorry. Look, please don't be angry but I got an offer for a job. A really good job. It-"

Jessica crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Just cut to the chase."

"Right, right. Well the job is in New York and... it was just too good of an offer to pass up..." Dave said, trailing off.

"You accepted it already didn't you?" Jessica said, gazing at the ground.

Dave sighed. "Yes... and I want you to know. If you want to, you're more than welcome to come with me. I think we can do really good there. I-"

Fighting back tears, Jessica said, "Dave... I- You know I just can't..."

Grasping Jessica's hands in his, Dave said, "I know, I know. Being here means too much to you..." He sighed. " I suppose I understand though. I don't blame you. You have a great thing going here and you are clearly passionate about what you do. I couldn't just pull you away from that... not if it meant you wouldn't be happy. I'm sorry I really should have told you sooner..."

The lump in her throat was becoming near impossible to ignore now and it was apparent how upset she was when she spoke, "Please don't let this make you think I resent you and... everything you have done for me."

"No, no. Never. Besides, we can still stay in contact right?" Dave said, smiling.

Managing to crack a smile herself, Jessica said, "Yeah, that would be great."

They stood together in silence, embracing.

After a few moments, Dave whispered, "We should probably get going. We still have a few hours to hike down and I don't want us to be walking down at night."

Jessica nodded, they packed their belongings, and made their way back down to their cars.

Now standing outside their vehicles, Jessica asked "So, when do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning..."

"Wow... that's, uh, so soon," Jessica said, casting her gaze toward the ground but then she had an idea. "Do you think you can come stay with me tonight then?"

"I'm was afraid you'd never ask," Dave said.

Jessica's eyes lit up and she flashed him a large grin.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" She said, jumping in her car.

Dave followed her lead and they drove onto the dirt road toward the farm. All the while, unbeknownst to Jessica, the gem inside her pocket whirred with newly awakened energy, charging for a purpose that was not yet known...

The next morning....

Jessica laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Dave had left already, around four in the morning and she was so torn between the decision she had made. She had wanted to go with him, she really did love him, but she was also positive she couldn't be happy away from this place, no matter how hypocritical that sounded. Jessica sighed and turned over to look at the time. The glowing digits on the alarm clock read_5:30 AM_.

Jessica sighed once more and rolled out of bed to get a start on her day. She had to go and muck out the stalls today. A sickening job, but it was her turn.

She decided to wait on a shower until after she had completed the most grueling jobs of the day and threw on an older shirt as well as jeans with a few small holes in them. At least she would get to groom Ebony, the new mare, today, that was always an enjoyable time. The horse had only showed up about two months ago, but she was already very attached, especially because she had nursed the mare back to health, after it had arrived in a frail, weakened state. The previous owners were quite abusive and did little to take care of her, but fortunately she was rescued before her condition was irreversible.

Jessica finished dressing, took a deep breath and walked down the hall to the front door. Once outside, she breathed in the cool, moist air and sighed. There was something about the early mornings that Jessica loved, it was always so peaceful, so relaxing. That is until she had to clean out the waste from the stalls.

Jessica stepped into the barn and was greeted by several bovine bellows_and _neighs from the animals that occupied the stalls she had come to clean out. One by one, she opened the stalls and allowed the animals to venture out into the pasture while she conducted her cleaning.

-*-

After two hours of this, she finally came to the last stall, which just so happened to house Ebony, and was most pleasantly surprised that her stall was practically spotless.

"Huh, that's strange..." Jessica said to herself, trying to think of how the stall had miraculously cleaned itself. Then realization hit her. "Leah must have done it yesterday."

Leah was one of her fellow farmhands and a good friend of hers. She had been the one to cover for her the previous day while she was out with Dave and she must have cleaned it then.

Jessica rubbed Ebony's muzzle. "Ah well, that was nice of her. Wasn't it girl?"

Ebony lowered her head to allow Jessica to scratch the spots she had missed, flicked her ears and snorted softly as if in response to her.

Jessica chuckled at the mare. "You're so spoiled, but that's okay. You deserve it," She said, grabbing a brush.

Standing on her toes, Jessica ran the brush through the bottom of Ebony's mane and down her back. She couldn't get the leverage she needed to brush her entire back, however, so she brought up a stool from the corner of the stall and stood on it. This was one thing she wasn't used to. She had previously only worked on smaller breeds of horses, so her five-foot-six stature was normally enough, but Ebony had a good three or four inches on her from her hooves to withers alone.

Brushing Ebony was always so therapeutic, no one ever bothered her, she didn't need to say anything, even though she couldn't help but talk to the complacent mare because it seemed like she was listening. Today was a bit different, however, Ebony was constantly moving and making disconcerting grunts, especially when the brush reached her flanks.

Jessica stopped and climbed off the stool to console the antsy horse.

"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" Jessica said, gripping Ebony's muzzle between her hands and rubbing it gently.

No matter the amount of consoling, the mare would not relax. She didn't seem so much upset as she did uncomfortable. Based on what she had just seen, Jessica took a stab at what could possibly be the problem. She walked beside Ebony's flanks and carefully peeked around her backside, whilst taking extra care not to touch her while she was back there, she didn't really feel like getting kicked today. In the dim light coming from the light bulb in the stall, Jessica could see Ebony's vulva open and close as the mare shuffled about.

"Just as I thought, you're in heat!" Jessica exclaimed, patting the side of the squirming horse. "Must have just started today..."

Jessica frowned then.

Unfortunately they didn't have any stallions around the farm. Ashley, one of the primary owners of the farm, was strapped for cash a few months back and sold their last stud to a wealthy businessman looking to make some money off of horse racing. That left all six of their mares without any breeding partners.

Jessica patted Ebony on the back as she spoke to her, "Hmph, I told her to purchase another stud for you gals, but she isn't very good at listening..."

Suddenly Jessica was aware of a strange buzzing sound. She stopped talking and looked around the stall, then the barn, but found nothing.

My phone maybe?

She checked her pockets, but she didn't find her phone. She found the gem.

Jessica examined the glowing, vibrating stone before her, "Hmm, I don't remember putting this in my pocket. What the hell is it doing?"

She turned it over in her hands and the gem started to shake violently. Startled, she dropped the thing onto the ground and the red glow faded, as did the vibrations, leaving the once colorful stone a transparent, unmoving rock.

Bending over to pick up the strange object Jessica said sadly, "Aw man, what happened to the color?"

"Color of what?"

Jessica yelped in surprise at the voice, stumbled backward and fell on her rear end. She looked up to see Leah standing in the entrance to the stall, grinning. Leah was about her height, if only an inch shorter, had an athletic figure somewhat similar to hers but only slightly more on the curvy side. Fiery, red hair reached to just down below her shoulders and contrasted with her light complexion nicely, while her green eyes were always so bright and piercing in a way that Jessica could not describe as bad or scary, just watchful, mysterious. She was a great judge of character and she showed that in her eyes alone. That was one thing that Jessica had always been jealous of on Leah, her eyes...

And those breasts... Jessica thought to herself as she rested her eyes on the orbs that strained the fabric of the t-shirt attempting to contain them, Jessica thought they must have been at least a D cup. They always commanded attention, regardless of whatever she wore, but she didn't flaunt them... at least not all the time.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to startle you," Leah apologized, helping Jessica to her feet.

"It's fine. You did still succeed in scaring the shit out of me though," Jessica said, brushing herself off.

Leah chuckled and said, "Oops, sorry about that. Just came to see how you were doing. What's that in your hand?"

"It _was_a rather pretty gem I collected from my hike yesterday, but now it's just boring. You should have seen the way it shined, it was this gorgeous red color that just drew you in, it changed colors too-"

"Alright, it was pretty. I get it. Sorry, but I really want to know the details about last night..." Leah interrupted excitedly.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw Dave leave early this morning. I'm an early riser, remember?" Leah said, nudging Jessica.

Jessica dropped her head and said "Oh..." almost too softly for Leah to hear.

"Jess? You alright?"

"No... I don't know. Did I make the right decision?" Jessica said, talking more to herself than Leah.

"What are you talking about? You can tell me what's wrong you know..."

Jessica looked up at Leah and sighed. She knew she had to explain herself now and so Jessica dove into explanation, telling Leah about the events leading up to Dave's departure.

"So he's just gone? Just like that?" Leah asked with slight irritation in her voice.

"No. This was something we discussed and agreed on. There's no hard feelings, no hate... Let's change the subject now. I'm tired of being depressed,"

Leah held her hands up and said, "Alright, alright. What do you want to talk about then?"

"Well I just found out Ebony is in heat," Jessica said, poking her thumb back at the squatting horse.

Leah looked on at the miserable horse with a frown. "You know I always feel bad them. They have an itch that needs scratching and they can't do it themselves. Now, though, it's even worse since there's no stud around to help them out," Leah said, as she eyed Jessica suggestively and poked her in the ribs with her elbow.

Laughing, Jessica pushed her friend's elbow away and responded, "Yeah, yeah. I get what you mean! But c'mon, you think because I love horses I like to watch them "get it on" ?"

"Well of course you like it! I've seen you get all hot and bothered around them when it's happening," Leah pointed out.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jessica retorted, trying not to blush. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to brushing Ms. Frisky over here."

"Mhm, you're just evading it, but have it your way! I have some things of my own to do so I will catch you later! Oh and before I forget, Ashley said something about a trip to the store and I know how much you like to do that so I kinda volunteered you... okay bye!" Leah said, hurrying out of the barn.

"Hmph, wish she would stop doing that, but at least it can help take my mind off of recent events..." Jessica said to herself as she climbed on top of the stool again.

Jessica hummed happily to herself as she gently stroked Ebony with the brush. A sudden dull pain in her calves made her pause several times to rub out the cramp until it became far too much to ignore.

"Augh, why do they hurt so much?" Jessica whimpered, rubbing at her aching calves.

The pain only seemed to spread the more she tried to alleviate it until the entirety of both of her legs throbbed and at that point she decided to take a break. Jessica walked outside to get some fresh air and to stretch her sore legs. She grabbed each leg, pulled it behind her and stretched out her quad muscles. Soft pops followed as her legs grew longer, however, Jessica failed to notice the change even after she dropped both legs, that she now stood at least three inches higher.

Jessica sighed as the pain subsided.

"Oh man, that was strange, but-" Jessica paused and raised her arms over her head, stretching out her back. Her torso popped and lengthened, adding another two inches to her height. "-at least now I can get to the store and beat the crowds," She finished saying, oblivious to the fact that she was now almost six feet tall.

Even before she could notice the extra inches, her body shuddered violently and she dropped back to her normal size. She did notice something had happened then, but as she patted herself down there was no evidence that led her to believe anything was out of the ordinary.

"What the hell was that?"

"Hey Jess, you doing okay?" She heard Leah ask from behind her.

"Oh, eh, yeah. Fine. I was just going out to the store. What's up?"

"I was told to remind you that we need more chicken feed, you know how much to get right?"

"Yup, steel trap. I never forget what we need," Jessica said, tapping her head.

Leah laughed and said, "Alright then, human vault. See ya when you get back."

"Okay, cya then!"

Jessica climbed into her car, started it and sped off out of the dirt driveway.

-*-

Jessica walked into the store and was immediately glad she came when she did. There was practically nobody there yet, there usually weren't at 7 A.M. Which made her wonder why they opened so early. She gave the only clerk on duty at the moment, some young woman she had never seen before, a grin and a nod then grabbed a cart. Luckily she had come here so many times that she had the list of items for the animals memorized and she could easily throw some things in for everyone else to eat. As if on queue, her stomach started to growl loudly.

"Urgh, suppose I should have eaten this morning."

Thinking she could just wait till it passed, Jessica continued to shop, but with each second that passed, her hunger only became worse and she was becoming increasingly lightheaded, she needed something to replenish her energy soon. She traveled around a few of the aisles, picking up the essentials to bring back home and came to a stop when she reached the produce section of the store. She eyed the vegetables, then looked around. No one was watching.

I'm gonna buy them anyway...

With no hesitation, she grabbed a raw carrot off of one of the bundles and eagerly started to devour it.

Jessica sighed once she had polished off the first carrot and then proceeded to move onto another.

What she didn't know was that the nutrients from the food were soon being turned into fuel for her unstable body to begin altering her internally and, soon enough, externally as well.

A sudden tightening, twisting sensation gripped Jessica's abdomen, both inside and out, coaxing a surprised yelp out of her while she paused to investigate. She put a hand on her stomach just as the skin started to grow more taut across her flat belly. Lifting her shirt, Jessica coughed and almost choked when her eyes rested upon her abdominal muscles. Having already become quite toned from years of farm work, she still sometimes wished they could be stronger, but they had never looked like this. They puffed out, becoming larger and more defined. Her face turned to one of fear, but she was curious nonetheless, so she hesitantly ran a hand over the hardening muscles and felt their mass increase until she was sporting a rather impressive "six-pack" that still slowly grew. Again, her knotted stomach clenched and gurgled as the food she had consumed was absorbed then spread throughout her body's systems in an unnaturally swift manner.

Jessica, doubled over by the torment on her stomach, heard, as well as felt, several wet pops as her shoulders widened and torso lengthened, thickening with muscle much like her belly had. Hands still gripping her stomach tightly, she dropped to her knees and only managed to let out a disgruntled "oof" as a powerful surge of growth seized her entire body. Her hips were widening, her thighs and legs thickening, while her neck grew thicker as well as longer. Veins popped while tightly wound fibers of corded muscle bulged throughout her pulsing form; Jessica felt like she should be hating every second of it, but she couldn't deny how euphoric it felt to have her muscles and tendons writhe across her thickening, yet sensitive skin. With each intense throb of growth that rippled through her, she found herself loving the sensations more and more, so much in fact that they were becoming borderline orgasmic.

Dropping down even further to the floor, onto her hands and knees, Jessica let out a low moan as her plump, moistening nether lips pushed out tightly against her increasingly small pants and squished nicely against her satin panties. She thrust her ass into the air and groaned as it swelled in short, consistent bursts until it stretched the seams of her jeans, which were becoming more like a crushing vice upon her still expanding legs and hips as each surge of growth coursed through her. Her spine popped, cracked and pushed outward as if trying to escape from her under clothes while her tailbone attempted to do just that. It grew longer and longer until it was straining at the seat of her jeans painfully.

Jessica yelped and winced, the pain bringing her back to reality just in time for her to bear witness as her once lean arms continued to pump larger with extra bulk while her hands grew slightly whilst still preserving a surprising portion of their original slender appearance.

"I-I- hnnng- need to get out of here..." She tried to whisper to herself, however, she failed to conceal her sounds of distress, and attracted the attention of the Cashier.

"Miss?" Jessica heard the woman say. She couldn't see her, but she could hear her footsteps growing closer.

Struggling with her unresponsive body, she pulled herself up and peered over the low table that she had fallen behind. She saw the cashier, only about fifteen feet away now, and unfortunately. their eyes met.

Trying to think of a quick response was quite difficult, considering her body was still growing taller, wider and thicker just behind the table, and showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.

"I-I'm fine... Just dropped an eeeaar- augh!"

Jessica was cut off mid-sentence when her mouth suddenly extended a few inches away from the rest of her face with a loud crunch, her tongue becoming broader and longer, making speech borderline impossible.

The cashier stepped backward, a horrified look on her face.

Jessica laughed nervously and opened her mouth to say something only to have her mouth elongate again, forcing her face into a pained grimace. Her nose followed suit as it swelled and flattened, giving her nostrils a flared appearance.

The cashier stumbled backward awkwardly, the look of sheer terror only becoming worse the longer she stared at Jessica.

"I- huff** huff**... just- hunghh-"

The sounds of popping bones, shifting skin and clothing shredding filled the quiet interior of the store as Jessica's body heaved and billowed out of her clothing with a finality that made her think that her body was through with torturing her. There was really no saying.

Still holding onto the table with all her might, Jessica opened her teary eyes to look for the cashier, except she wasn't there anymore. She was sprinting frantically for the door, yelling and stumbling. Jessica almost tried to stop her, to ask her for help, but there was nothing she could have done, besides, the woman was probably going to find help for herself and she didn't want to be there when she came back with more people.

Jessica pulled herself to her feet, surprising herself with the strength she still had left and began to wobble towards the back of the store. If she couldn't leave she would at least hide herself until she could.

As she walked a faint burning sensation came over her perspiring skin. Trying to ignore the sensations, Jessica forged on while she tried to keep her balance. She looked down to see where her feet were, but a wave of vertigo hit her and the store began to spin. She grabbed onto a display table and it collapsed under her weight, sending her to her hands and knees again. Jessica crawled, she was almost at the backdoor so she wasn't going to give up now. Finally reaching it, she grasped the doorknob and opened the door then dragged herself inside of the small room that she hoped would connect to a backdoor, if there even was one.

Unfortunately, her plans of escape were put on hold as it was soon interrupted by another snap from her face as it made one final push, her lips thickening slightly while her teeth grew into block-like molars. She felt around her alien face, trying to make sense of it, while her deep blue eyes grew a bit larger and repositioned on her proto-muzzle just as a pulling sensation gripped her ears.

Jessica noted that this feeling was different from before. There was no pain, no discomfort, it actually felt good. She closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of her ears developing distinctly equine points and took in the calm, euphoric sensations that this change had brought.

Oh... Why would I be afraid of something that feels so good? She asked herself, running her hands down her moist skin.

She was already growing more accustomed to the way her body was now, she couldn't explain her comfort, but she could sense something was telling her to think it was right. She was hiding in a grocery store, nude, touching her strange, reshaping body, but she didn't care. Her heart began to race, this time beating stronger than ever before as it too, grew in strength and size, pumping blood, filled with new, foreign hormones, at a much faster rate throughout her body. She felt so alive, so powerful, every muscle in her body tensing, she hated to admit just how much it was turning her on. She knew she probably looked like some muscled freak, but there was no denying how incredible it felt. She stood up so that she could watch the rest of her change unfold.

New desires began to well within her, visions of mares, tails lifted, their dark, glistening vulvas swollen with need. She shook her head, trying to dispel the images, but with these lewd visions came more changes. Her feet, still in tattered shoes, elongated, her toes cramping and fusing into one clump of flesh that was promptly coated in a thick layer of keratin that reformed her feet into the iconic shape of a horses hoof. Her heels rose upward, making her stand on her newly crafted hooves in a proper manner, and her legs snapped backward, reshaping into digitigrade replacements more suiting for her increasingly equine-like appearance.

Jessica had expected pain, but there was none, only pure pleasure. Something inside of her told her to enjoy it and so she welcomed it. With her acceptance came more changes, her skin tingling as black fur sprouted across it's moist surface. Jessica made a noise that could only be described as half-whinny, half moan once her small, hairless tail grew to its full size, the same jet black fur sprouting into a long fan of silken horse hair. Her long, golden brown hair grew even longer and flowed down her neck. She ran her fingers across her black coat as the fur reached her head, which became the same black hue as the rest of her, save for a white, diamond shaped splotch of fur that now graced the top of her head.

The tingling on her skin faded and she was left feeling unsatisfied.

Cupping her small breasts, Jessica sighed and frowned, with all the growing that she had experienced, she had still failed to receive an upgrade in the breast department. Just as the thought passed through her mind, however, her breasts pushed out against her hands, making her legs buckle and moistened sex twitch. Her nipples bulged, while the excess breast flesh spilled out between her fingers and in only seconds, her petite B-cups were approaching D's that still continued to balloon outward.

Jessica couldn't resist the desire to pleasure herself no longer and her hand dove for her dripping box, but what she experienced was far from expected once her hand made contact. She gasped in a mixture of shock and ecstasy as her quivering slit exploded in orgasm, soaking her hand as well as the linoleum floor below. Her labia bulged and she felt her entire feminine passage tighten, almost as if it was shrinking.

This doesn't feel right... something is-

Jessica bucked her hips uncontrollably, her clit stretching longer and wider as the pressure inside of her vaginal walls increased. Something inside of her shifted, more specifically, something inside of her womb, her ovaries had pulled into her uterus to begin their descent through her collapsing female tunnel. She bucked her hips again and her expanding clit surged in a massive bout of growth, becoming large enough to dangle heavily from her crotch.

Jessica stared at it, her jaw hanging open.

"No... it can't-" it extended a few more inches, making her brace herself with the wall in front of her. "Oooh god, it is..." She murmured to herself, gripping her cramping abdomen.

She looked away, closing her eyes, trying to shut out the sight of the thing growing between her legs. She could escape the visual, but she could not escape the pleasure, nor could she dispel the strange, sexual thoughts that were invading her consciousness. They were becoming more graphic, mares in heat being mated over and over, their bellies becoming swollen with seed and unborn foals. Her clit responded, a hole opening at the tip as it became erect, gaining even more girth and length until it bumped her elbow. The sheer tap of the organ against her hot skin was enough to paralyze her with agonizing pleasure, her face going slack while her tongue hung lazily outside of her mouth.

Her face suddenly changed from orgasmic to panicked as she felt the objects drop closer to her gushing slit. Jessica vocalized a strained grunt as she attempted to rebel against her convulsing female passage, which pushed and pushed, trying to expel the orbs that had once been her ovaries, but she was fighting a losing battle. She felt something crawl across her puckered nether lips, promptly sealing her feminine gash. In an act of desperation she felt around the area and found what she had feared most, a soft patch of furred skin in place of her vulva. Two spheres promptly pushed at her exploring fingers, stretching the skin into a leathery sac that Jessica could already identify as a scrotum.

Sickened, but aroused nonetheless, she pulled her hands away from her crotch, trying to make herself hate the sensitive shaft that was still enlarging and now growing pink, bestial splotches on the darkening skin. She was on the verge of giving into the lust, but she couldn't allow herself to let this thing win, whatever was doing this, so easily.

Could it really be that bad? I've never even tried anything adventurous in my life... it's not everyday someone just turns into a hung horse creature... Jessica thought to herself, whilst tracing her finger around the base of the lengthening, pulsing rod.

Jessica wrapped a hand around the thickening horse shaft and began to pump slowly, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as it rippled in another wave of growth. The thing was now long enough that it's flat, drooling head poked at the bottom of her soft breasts, only adding to the pleasure that her hand was already providing. Something warm began to envelop her maturing horse shaft, she looked down to see a dense layer of bunched up skin crawl about halfway up her arching tool, sliding across its underside in an almost sensual motion.

A shiver went up her spine as the organ reacted by adding a few more inches of the sensitive flesh, forcing it in between her warm cleavage and leaving her with a fully matured equine penis. She moaned loudly at the sheer thought of what she could do, no, what she was about to do.

Mashing her breasts together, Jessica hefted them up, then allowed them to rest on her chest heavily. She continued this motion, each time feeling better than the last, until her first fat globs of pre-cum poured from the tip of her bestial cock, lubricating her abundant valley of cleavage. The stimulation was doing more than simply bringing her pleasure, with each caress her comparatively small testicles bloated, becoming denser and heavier as their capacity for the semen they were quickly filling with increased.

Jessica picked up the pace, completely oblivious to the world around her as she became a slave to her own lust, but everything was not as it seemed. No matter how much touching, prodding or caressing she subjected her body to, she was always stopped on the edge of orgasm, but could go no further. It wasn't hard for her to understand when she was about to orgasm, even with a cock, but she just couldn't do it.

Defeated, she gave up, leaving her with a raging erection and no way to sate it.

Her ears swiveled toward the sounds of voices coming from the store. She had no more time to stand here and feel sorry for herself, she had to get out fast. The voices drew closer. Jessica opened the door to her left and stepped into what seemed to be a storage area. In a panic now, Jessica looked around the dimly lit place and spotted a glowing sign with the word EXIT. Her way out.

She made to run and tripped in her haste, her still erect member slipping out from between her breasts and bobbing violently as a result of the fall.

"Damn it! I can't walk!" She exclaimed pulling herself to her hooves and wobbling toward the door, using the walls for support.

After a few tries, she was able to maintain a steady walking speed and fled from the scene of the crime. She walked along the side of the store until she could peer around to the front parking lot which was where she had parked her car unfortunately. She had thought of just running back through some hidden paths, with this body she could probably make it with little effort involved, that is, if it weren't for the oversized equipment that swayed heavily and bounced around uncontrollably with each step. She couldn't even imagine what that would be like moving at a faster pace, not to mention, she was unstable on her legs even when she walked.

"Okay. Okay, just gotta make a dash for it, I can handle that. Just one simple dash..."

She was finished hesitating. She bolted toward the car, almost tripped, but she managed to reach it and literally stuffed herself inside. She raised the steering wheel and moved her seat back as far as it could go, still there was no comfort. The car was just too small, but that was least of her worries...

"Oh shit, my keys... Son of a- and my phone AND my wallet!"

Jessica cursed and looked at the store, people were walking inside now, even some employees were finally showing up and strangely nobody had noticed the enormous hybrid horse sitting in a car that was much too small for it. There was nothing she could do, she had to go inside.

5 agonizing minutes later...

Jessica climbed back into the cramped vehicle, her tattered clothes in hand, along with the rest of her belongings. She dared to steal a glance outside and winced when she saw all of the fleeing customers.

"Well, time to go!" She said, tucking the annoyance jutting out of her crotch between her breasts as if second nature before driving off.

Driving was not going to be easy with hooves, but she had the feeling she wouldn't exactly have to worry about using her car to get places now. She would, however, have to worry about what she was going to say to everyone at the farm.

Her train of thought was interrupted once again by the massive length that was still dripping clear fluid onto her already slick mammaries.

"Why won't you just go... down- *moan*" Jessica complained, trying to push her malehood into it's sheath, but instead was treated with another dose of clear fluid that gushed from the flared tip.

Suddenly, the shaft was tightening, growing thicker, longer as a wave of fiery pleasure burst through her, she could feel it, she was right on the cusp of the long-awaited orgasm, that had to be the cause of this. However, nothing happened, the sensations faded and her erection shrank back down to it's original size, but it did not go flaccid. Jessica was beyond aroused at this point, it was something more, more than it needed to be and it was making her frustrated, almost wildly so. The visions were returning, except this time, the mare was Ebony, eager to be filled to the brim, or at least that is what Jessica's dirty day dreams were telling her. She snapped back to reality, she knew what the problem was, she was rutting, just like a stallion would, and she knew what needed to be done...

-*-

"Wow, I-I'm... I can't believe this is me..."

After managing to sneak into her little bungalow on the farm, Jessica did not hesitate to view her new form in the full-size mirror leaning against the wall in her bedroom. She was very surprised by her reflection as she felt she should be. She was so accustomed to seeing a slender young woman looking back at her that she was literally stricken breathless when she instead saw a large bi-pedal horse standing before her. What amazed her most was just how feminine she had remained despite the copious amount of muscle and oversized horse meat between her legs, which had finally retreated back into it's protective sheath since her last encounter. Surprisingly she was even curvier than before, the tennis ball sized testicles had fortunately not flooded her body with nothing but testosterone and left her with a completely male appearance.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but I think I like this body..." Jessica admitted to herself. It was something she needed to vocalize to believe, even if she just said it to herself.

Without any particular reason, she thought of Ebony, the poor mare was in heat with nothing to sate her.

Speaking of which...

Jessica watched with wonder as the flared head of her equine penis peeked out from her sheath and grew until it was projecting outward at full mast.

This thing truly is a marvel no wonder guys love to play with them so much... I just wish I could have kept both.

She sighed and placed her hand on the underside of the shaft, the heat coming off of it was immense. She was beginning to envision what it would be like to sink herself into Ebony, she figured it was because of all the new hormones that were introduced into her body, but in all honesty it sounded appealing, she had yet to put this thing to use.

-*-

Moments later, Jessica found herself standing in front of Ebony's stall. Her male-hood throbbed in time with her racing heart, was she really going to do this?

Ebony whinnied at Jessica, both bewildered and eager to greet the creature that was producing the thick, musky scent of a stallion. She turned her rump toward Jessica and whipped her tail around, spreading her pheromones around the small interior of the stable. This was all the approval Jessica required.

Lining herself up, she felt thankful that her waist was now level with the mare's winking vulva, and then plunged deep inside of it. Her world all but collapsed around her as she entered the horny mare, leaving her with bliss and nothing more. Grabbing the muscular flanks in front of her, she thrust once, twice, three times until she found a rhythm that suited her and from the looks of it, also suited the mare just as well.

A very faint voice in the back of her mind was telling her that this wasn't right, but it would go unheard, as would the voice of Leah as she searched the farm for signs of her friend. Jessica cared only for the horse in front of her, she had already thrown caution to the wind and there was no point in trying to hide anything, she wanted to share it.

Jessica's tongue fell out of her mouth and her half equine face contorted into a look of contentment as the heavy, squirming testicles below her mottled horse shaft, swelled larger still, filling with a seemingly endless supply of seed.

From the entrance of the stables, Leah called out to Jessica, but again, it fell upon deaf ears since Jessica had already become a slave to her lust, not that it bothered her any, she was loving every second of it. Leah listened to the whinnies and grunts coming from the stalls, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, until she heard a decidedly feminine groan come from one of the back stalls that led her search down the long row of stables.

Jessica half-listened to the sound of footsteps grow closer as the base of her leaking cock distended and spurted another thick globule of clear fluid before the pressure building behind it became almost too much to take.

Leah peered around the edge of the stall and screamed suddenly, making Jessica jump then squeal in delight as she erupted inside Ebony's burning womb. She painted Ebony's insides with her virile spunk, her swaying balls heaving upward with each weighty load that she delivered, each one seemingly thicker than the last. It was several more times that she repeated this action until the flow finally waned, leaving the mare with a visibly bloated belly that now teemed with potent seed and left Jessica a twitching, whinnying mess.

"U-u-uh, h-hello?" Leah said in a small voice.

Jessica whipped around to see Leah shivering on the floor, she shuddered as her half-hard member exited Ebony with an audible _ schliiiick, _and dripped excess fluid onto the hay covered floor.

"Don't you know any manners?" Jessica said with her hands on her wide hips.

"J-jessica?!"

Although it was slightly deeper and more sultry than usual, Leah recognized the voice as well as her eyes, there was no mistaking that blue.

Jessica blushed under fur. "Umm, hi..."

"Hi? You-you're an enormous-horse-creature-thing! With a massive dick sticking out of your crotch and all you can say is 'hi' ?" Leah exclaimed, waving her arms in an exaggerated fashion.

"Hey, hey. Chill out! You're freaking out Ebony," Jessica said, patting the nervous mare on the flanks. "Besides, if anyone should be freaking out it's me. It was me that changed, and I can honestly say I have never felt more alive."

"Bu-"

"Oh is that a towel? Can I see it?" Jessica interrupted.

"Uh- y-yeah, here. Can you at least explain how this even happened? This is just... insane!" Leah went on to say, handing over the towel she had in her hands.

Wiping off her breasts, and slick, flaccid member, Jessica dove into an explanation about the hike, the gem and what had happened in the store.

"...And now here I am in all my equine/humanish body," She finished, holding the messy towel in front of her.

"I am not taking that, you do what you have to with it..."

"Alright, fair enough. But hey, look on the bright side, all those mares have the stud they need now!" Jessica said, placing her hands on her hips and puffing her chest out.

Leah rolled her eyes.

"Is having massive junk already giving you a superiority complex?"

"Oh, c'mon you know you- oh shit! I'm sorry!"

In the middle of speaking, Jessica had playfully shoved Leah, only to send her onto her backside. Jessica helped Leah to her feet.

"Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength..."

"Yeah, you should probably get used to..." Leah stopped speaking and looked down to see that her hand was flush against Jessica's furred sheath. Leah pulled her hand away. "I, uh, I need to process this... I will talk to you later," She said, backing away and hurrying out of the stables.

Jessica smirked and watched her go.

"Yeah... she wants it, she just won't admit it," Jessica joked, giving Ebony a soft pat on her left flank. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I think it's time to, err, get some clothes on... maybe... after a shower, BUT then a little trip to the boss. I've got some ideas..."

1 month later...

Surprisingly her conversation with Ashley had gone quite well, she wasn't thrown off the farm as some freakish outcast, but instead Ashley found that Jessica could be of great use on the farm in more ways than one. She now did most of the heavy lifting as her strength and endurance easily beat out any of the male farmhands, but they had their uses when she required extra hands, it was hard work but she had to admit it felt nice to be so helpful. Aside from the increased productivity on the farm, Jessica found that her job could also be quite enjoyable in other ways, specifically when the rest of the mares on the farm went into heat, one after another. Needless to say, by the end of that first month there wasn't a single mare left barren, a fact that Jessica was rather proud of, but she had to admit she may indulge in the mares more than need be. She did feel a bit guilty about that, but there was no denying how erotic it was being on the giving rather than the receiving end.

Jessica became rather accepting of the fact that she technically wasn't considered a full female anymore, biologically at least, but she was grateful that she at least looked female,so she would identify herself as such.

Jessica was standing before her mirror, just thinking. It was something she had done often in the past month and it had helped her accept the way she was now. She didn't have any hatred for what had been done to her, she welcomed it, in a way, it introduced her to a new side of life at a surprisingly perfect moment, if it hadn't happened she would probably still be moping around the farm, second guessing her decision to stay behind while Dave left for New York. She didn't regret her decision now. In fact, there was one more thing that had changed after her transformation that she had only recently come to notice, she was attracted to women now. This was definitely new for her, she had never had any sexual thoughts about women, but she supposed it came with the territory...

She wasn't sure why she so readily accepted it, but at this point it didn't matter much to her, she was who she was and she was happy with it.

"Hey! Slowpoke! Get up here already!" Jessica yelled down to Leah from the top of a familiar plateau.

Leah came up behind Jessica, huffing from the exertion.

"Hey, not everyone is a muscled beast like you! You gotta give me time to-"

"Leah, quiet. Just look..."

Leah did as she was told and was rendered speechless.

"Incredible isn't it? Here, follow me, I have something else to show you..."

Leah followed behind Jessica through a narrow path until Jessica stopped abruptly.

"Here it is, I found the gem in that pool of water right there," Jessica said, pointing into the topmost bowl of water.

"This is incredible Jess! Thank you for making me come up here with you... So how's the water?"

Before Jessica could answer, Leah was already sliding down the dirt hill toward the bowl of water. Jessica followed.

"It's real nice, we should get in," Jessica said, taking off her specially tailored clothes.

"Way ahead of you!"

Leah undressed in a flash, jumped into the water, and disappeared under the water. Jessica joined her and kicked around until Leah came back up moments later.

"Hey Jess! Is this what you were talking about?"

Jessica looked at the glowing blue gem in Leah's hand. She watched with wide eyes as the gem became transparent and a blue vaporous cloud entered Leah.

A mischievous grin formed on Jessica's face when Leah failed to notice any of this.

"Why yes... yes it is..."