SPQR

Chapters

Et tu Gaius?
Via ad Recuperare
Mannis Vitam
Culturae Concussa
Regina et Militem
Duas Aquilas.
Sanguinem et Ignem
Gratia
Officium
Adventus
Timor(I)
Timor(II)
Primum Impressiones sunt Aspera.

Et tu Gaius?

Chapter 1

December 12, 171 C.E. Germania

Centurion Gaius Septimus stood with his troops along the front line. They were some of Rome’s finest soldiers. Each one was a battle hardened veteran, forged from half a decade of constant war against the barbarian tribes of Germania. Gaius rubbed his hands together trying to keep them from going numb in the chilly winter air. The rest of his men stood silent, ready to begin their slaughter anew. The only contrast of movement between them was the occasional puff of vapor from their mouths. The forest ahead only greeted them with silence, a sound that every soldier comes to dread.

The silence was shattered by the howls of thousands of bloodthirsty Germans, determined to drive the Roman intruders off of their land. Gaius blew a single shrill note from his wooden whistle and instantly the legionnaires began to hurl their pilum into the enemy ranks. Scores of barbarians fell as the projectiles pierced wooden shields, making a sickening crunch as they made contact. One unfortunate warrior was skewered right through the gut. He moaned in agony trying to gather his entrails as they spilled onto the ground. His death would not be quick, nor would it be unique. The barbarians that hadn’t been caught in the initial volley crashed upon the Roman line.

Gaius found himself face to face with a German berserker, charging at him wildly with a pair of iron axes. The centurion held up his shield to parry the oncoming blow and was knocked back a few inches from its sheer ferocity. As powerful as the blow was it had lodged one of the barbarian’s axes into the shield, rendering both of items useless. Gaius quickly dropped his shield and took advantage of the barbarian’s momentary confusion by kicking him in the knee. The barbarian grunted in pain and swung his remaining axe toward Gaius’s midsection. The blow connected with the harsh sound of metal scraping against metal, knocking Gaius to the ground.

The centurion coughed violently as he tried to catch his breath. His chest hurt like hell but at least he wasn’t dead. The barbarian grinned savagely as he brought down his axe to cleave the Roman’s face in half. Unfortunately for the barbarian, Gaius had other plans. With a quick thrust the Roman plunged his sword straight through the warrior’s throat. The barbarian let out a wet-sounding gurgle and collapsed to the ground.

Gaius pulled his sword from the barbarian’s neck and inspected the battlefield. A chorus of wails and moans resonated throughout the field, like some macabre symphony. Many Germans lie dead or dying along with a sizeable number of his own comrades. He found one of his legionnaires sitting on the ground, his chainmail armor caked with blood and grime. Gaius patted the soldier on the back and helped him to his feet.

“The barbarians put up one hell of a fight didn’t they?”

The soldier nodded. “Yes sir. I very nearly lost my arm when one of them swung at me with a long sword. Good thing I was quick and managed to smash his face in with my shield.”

Gaius laughed. “Ah well a lot us of forget that a shield can be just as deadly a weapon as a sword. You’re a quick thinker and I like that. If you keep that up, you might be a centurion yourself someday.”

The centurion made his way over to the command tent to receive his next orders from the legate. The tent was simply furnished despite the importance of the man who occupied it. Inside was a large wooden table with a map laid on top of it. A small bed covered in animal furs lay directly across from the table, where a very tired looking legate sat rubbing his temples. Gaius pounded his chest and gave the traditional Roman salute to his commander.

The legate returned the salute. “At ease Centurion, this isn’t the parade grounds.”

“Umm thank you sir. I was just wondering what we intend to do next, now that the barbarians have been routed.”

“The emperor has made it clear that he wants these savages completely broken. To do that we must burn down a few villages, to set an example as it were.”

Gaius frowned. “But sir that means…”

The legate held his hand up. “I know perfectly well what it means. The men need to vent some of their stress. Tell them they may take any spoils they deem necessary. And I do mean any spoils. Do I make myself clear?”

Gaius took fifty of his men to a nearby German village. Most of the houses were simple wooden structures with thatched roofs to provide some protection against the elements. The smell of smoke and animal dung purveyed the air as the soldiers began to fan out. A small detachment of five legionnaires approached one of the houses, kicking down the door so they could take everything of value. They were surprised to find that one of the warriors from the battle charged at them, burying his sword into one of the Roman’s skull. Two of the other soldiers held the German down, while another savagely beat him with the pommel of his sword.

Once the Romans had gotten their fill of revenge they noticed a middle aged woman and her teenage daughter were huddling in the corner. They shook violently at the unspoken prospect of being put in the slavery, raped, or worse yet both. Gaius moved onto the next house and was surprised to find an old woman sitting on a chair in front of a stone fire pit. Despite the woman’s calm demeanor she had a wild look to her. The woman’s grey hair was stringy and out of place and she wore various animal skins, including a hood made from a wolf’s head. The strangest part about her was the myriad of tattoos that adorned her face and arms; they seemed to glow from the dim light of the fire.

“I promise that no harm shall come to you if you do not resist.”

The old hag laughed. “Resist? I am an old woman, how much resistance could I possibly put up? Surely the legion has better things to do than slaughter defenseless old crones.”

Gaius’s eyes widened. “Wait…you actually speak Latin?”

“Indeed I do. Is that surprising to you, that some savage can learn your language?”

“In any case, your people have fallen and it would be in your best interest to let us go about our business.”

The old hag scoffed. “But of course, the business of raping and pillaging is such a strenuous task! Far be it for me to interrupt. You may take what you wish I have little of value.”

As if on cue, blood curdling screams could be heard from the house across from them. Gaius merely sighed, rubbing his temples. The old woman clicked her tongue and continued to stare into the fire.

“You don’t approve of comrades’ behavior do you?

“I…no I’m afraid I don’t.”

“And why might that be?”

Gaius pounded his fist against the wall. “I shouldn’t even be talking to you, much less telling you my personal issues.”

The old hag grinned. “I am but an old woman, who is not long for this world. Indulge me, young one. However, if I had to hazard a guess you have family no?”

“I had a family once, a loving wife and a beautiful daughter. They died in a fire about two years ago. I…was on campaign when it happened. It’s just that…every time I hear the screams of women being ravaged, I can’t help but picture their faces. It sickens me.”

“Hmm I hope that their spirits found peace. It would seem to me that very little holds you to this mortal existence. Tell me, do you seek death? Is that why you stay in the legion?”

Gaius sighed. “I don’t know. Some days I can still feel the fire of life burning in my belly, but other days I crave to join them in the fields of Elysium.”

“Come, sit next to me child.”

The old woman placed her wrinkly hand on top of his and gripped it as tightly as she could. She began to mutter something in her own language. Gaius was not a very religious man, but he swore he could feel something in the air…almost like a presence. The tattoos on the hag’s hands and face began to glow an eerie green color as she continued to chant.

“I cannot send you to Elysium, but I can offer you an alternative. By my rights as the village shaman, I shall use the last of my magic to help you find the redemption you seek.”

Gaius was enveloped in shroud of emerald light as the old woman’s eyes glowed white, with some other worldly power. The room began to fade away in a swirl of colors as he felt the very ground beneath him give way. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the old woman bursting into green colored flames.

Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville

Babs Seed stared up at the clouds, wishing that something exciting would happen. It was one of those lazy summer afternoons that made you want to sleep until supper time. The gentle rocking of the hammock wasn’t helping matters much as she found her eyelids becoming heavier…that was until Apple Bloom decided to show up. The energetic young mare poked her cousin’s side.

“C’mon Babs I’m bored! Ah wanna go do somethin’. Ya can’t stay here and laze about all day in that hammock.”

Babs blew a strand of her mane away as she rolled over. “I can if I wanna. It’s summer time Bloom, we don’t halfta go out and try ta find our cutie marks every day.”

“You don’t understand mah sister like ah do. If she finds out that we aren’t doin’ anythin’, she’ll make us do all kinds o’ chores. Ah can’t spend mah precious summer muckin’ the pig pens!”

Babs rolled her eyes. “Alright you win. Are Sweetie and Scoots gonna be in on the action?”

“Ah think Scootaloo is busy trainin’ with Rainbow Dash. We’ll have to drop by Carousel Boutique and see if Sweetie isn’t busy helpin’ her sister.”

“Aww it’s a real bummer that Scoots can’t come along.”

Apple Bloom’s ears flattened. “Ah know, but we’re not little fillies anymore Babs. You know important her big sister time is with Rainbow Dash and well…she might even be gettin’ a part time job with the weather team.”

“That makes me feel like a total shmuck! Sweetie’s learning how to make dresses, you work on the farm and here I am sitting on my plot doing nothing.”

“Don’t feel too bad, we’ve just got families that have a business ta run. I’m sure Granny will let you work if ya ask. Hay, she might even give ya a few bits!”

Babs ran her hoof through her mane. “I might take you up on that offer. But for now I still wanna do something. Do you have any ideas?”

“Ah was thinkin’ we could head on over ta Zecora’s place and learn about potion makin’. Ya never know what kinds of useful things potions can do.”

“Maybe I’m missing something but…isn’t her hut near the Everfree Forest?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Sure is! Oh but don’t worry ah know how ta get there without too much trouble.”

Carousel Boutique, Ponyville

Rarity cringed as she saw her little sister stab herself in the hoof with a needle once again. The fashonista had tried her best to teach Sweetie the basics of tailoring but the young mare was a clumsy as ever. At this rate it would take centuries for her sister to match the level skill she had and Sweetie was no alicorn. With a sigh she kissed Sweetie on the forehead.

“Let’s take a break for now darling. All of this work has given me quite an appetite! How about we get ourselves a little snack?”

Sweetie sucked on her injured hoof. “I guess so…”

“Look I know you’re upset about the whole dress making thing, but believe me when I tell you that such things take years of practice. You don’t think I was good at it right away did you?”

“Well no. But it seems like no matter how hard I try, I always mess everything up!”

“That’s to be expected darling; you’ve only just begun using your magic.”

Sweetie’s lip quivered. “B-but when Twilight was my age she could already hatch a dragon egg and turn ponies into plants.”

“Ah but Twilight isn’t just any unicorn. Her specialty is magic, so it’s only natural. You however are still a growing mare.”

“Everypony keeps telling me that. I’m tired of merely growing up! I just want to be good at something.”

Rarity wrapped her sister in a tight hug. “I promise you will Sweetie, give it some time. I want you to know that no matter how long it takes, I’ll support you one hundred percent of the way. Now how about I get you some ice cream? Surely that will cheer you up!”

Rarity levitated a peanut coated ice cream cone into her sister’s eager hooves. As Sweetie began to nibble on her dairy based treat, somepony rang the doorbell to the boutique. Rarity trotted over to the door as fast as her dainty legs could carry her. She opened the door to find two very familiar Apple family members grinning at her.

“Howdy Rarity! We were wonderin’ if Sweetie was available.”

“She most certainly is. I believe she’s still in the kitchen enjoying her ice cream cone. Both of you are welcome to see her if you like.”

As Apple Bloom and Babs entered the kitchen they were greeted by a messy faced Sweetie Belle, grinning ear to ear. “Hi girls! What’s up?”

Babs snickered. “Hey Sweets you got something on your mouth. You might wanna take care of it before we go.”

Sweetie blushed. “Oh hehehe…yeah I kind of a made a bit of a mess. But I can’t help it; the ice cream was soooo good!”

“Bloom and I are headed to Zecora’s place, you up for going along?”

“I’d like to…but I don’t think Rarity would like it very much.”

Apple Bloom grinned. “Don’t worry ah have this.”

Rarity trotted into the kitchen. “It’s so good to see that your visit has cheered my sister up. She was rather depressed earlier and it…”

Apple Bloom tapped Rarity on the shoulder. “Miss Rarity we were thinkin’ about goin’ ta Miss Zecora’s house later fer some potion makin’ lessons. Would it be alright if Sweetie came along?”

“Oh good heavens! As much as I enjoy Zecora’s company I simply cannot allow a group of young mares to go trotting about in the Everfree.”

Apple Bloom bombarded Rarity with her best puppy dog eyes. “Ah promise we’ll stay on the most traveled paths. Please Ms. Rarity…it might help yer sister out if we go.”

Rarity bit her lip, trying to fight the adorable onslaught. “I…well that’s not to say…OH FINE GO THEN! Just please be careful while you’re out there. If I so much as see a hair out of place on your manes, it will be THE…WORST…POSSIBLE…SPANKING for all of you!”

Sweetie Belle gulped nervously. “Don’t worry sis, we’ll be careful.”

The Everfree Forest, Equestria

Gaius felt like he had been stomped on by an elephant. He looked around trying to get his bearings in what appeared to be heavily wooded area, not unlike Germania. However it was clear to him that he was no longer there. For one, he was out in the open rather than in the old hag’s house. He also noticed that the air lacked the distinct smell of blood, shit, and smoke. At least he still had his armor and weapons with him in case the situation got hairy. Gaius knew that his first priority was to find water. He’d seen plenty of soldiers die of dehydration. It was a truly foolish way to perish, considering that it was easy to prevent.

After about fifteen minutes the centurion came across a small stream. He proceeded to fill up his animal skin canteen to the brim and then promptly dunked his head in the water. Sure, it wasn’t as nice as a hot bath but it felt nice to wash away some of the grime. Once he had a few gulps of water he noticed that a narrow path was worn through a small clearing a few feet away from the stream. It was far too worn to be an animal path, so Gaius took this as a sign that civilization might be near. He waited in the bushes to see if he could catch anyone passing by. And so he made himself comfortable, because this could be a very long wait.

Apparently the gods decided to favor him this day. Within minutes Gaius heard some voices approaching his position. He noted that they sounded very high pitched and almost…child-like. Why were a bunch of children running around in this gods-forsaken forest? Where their parents so addle-brained that they couldn’t see the danger in leaving children unattended in the wild? Despite this Gaius bided his time, waiting to observe the children. He was surprised to see that they weren’t humans but colorful little fillies. Was that really where the voices were coming from? He waited a few seconds and sure enough they spoke! It was a strange combination of high pitched noises that sounded similar to whinnying.

Babs snorted. “I don’t what’s the big deal about this place. We haven’t run into any trouble at all! Hay, I’d even go so far as to say it’s kind of beautiful.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Well that’s ‘cause we’re on a well-traveled path. You’d be real scared if we went deeper into the forest. Ah remember mah sister tellin’ me about how creepy it was when she went to the old castle ruins.”

Sweetie Belle’s ears flattened. “Umm girls I-I think I just heard something.”

“C’mon Sweetie don’t be such a scaredy-foal. Ah bet it was just a bird or somethin’.”

“No I’m serious you guys! I know I heard something. It sounded almost…like growling.”

The three young mares shrieked in surprise as a Timber wolf jumped in front of them. The wolf’s glowing green eyes tracked them as they began to back away, edging ever closer to them. Despite their fear, the ponies could smell the tell-tale odor of sulfur coming from his slobbering jaws. Huddling together they awaited their gruesome fate.

Gaius felt that now was the time for action. While they weren’t humans, he felt that it was his duty to protect children from harm. He burst out of the bushes with his sword drawn, yelling to try and get the creature’s attention. Luckily the centurion’s ploy worked. The Timber wolf pivoted his head towards the fool that dared interrupt his meal. The wolf charged at Gaius, trying to take a bite out of his midsection. The creature was surprised to find that instead of viscera, his mouth clamped on steel.

While the wolf’s bite did indeed hurt, but it only managed to break a few links in his chainmail armor. Gaius sighed, knowing that he’d have to find a decent smith to fix it at some point. With the wolf slightly distracted, he bashed it in the snout with his shield. The beast roared in pain as a few splinters of wood showered the ground. Wasting no time, Gaius kicked it in the ribs and climbed onto the creature’s back. Try as he might, the wolf couldn’t seem to shake off this annoying interloper. Once Gaius got close enough he plunged his blade into the wolf’s brain, instantly killing it.

The centurion collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. As he went to adjust the mail on his chest, he noticed that his hand was covered in blood. “I guess the bastard actually did puncture my armor. At least those fillies are safe…”

Apple Bloom rushed over to the strange armored creature. “Hey are you alright? My friends and ah just wanted ta thank you fer savin’ us.”

Sweetie nudged his arm. “Apple Bloom, he doesn’t look too good. I think he might be bleeding.”

Babs nodded. “Yeah that’s blood alright. The Timber wolf must have gotten through his armor. We better get him to a hospital.”

“Alright ah guess ya have a point. Oh mah sister’s gonna kill me when she finds out about this.”

Via ad Recuperare

Chapter 2

Puddinghead Memorial Hospital, Ponyville

Nurse Redheart continued to flip through the latest issue of The Canterlot Inquirer. Apparently it was rumored that Princess Celestia had recently gotten a horn extension. How scandalous! Horns, much like a certain other organ, were highly valued depending on their size. Longer horns were considered more desirable, even though horn length had nothing to do with magical ability.

Redheart herself believed that Celestia’s horn was all natural. This was certainly not the case with Prince Blueblood. It was blatantly obvious that he had gotten a horn-job. Sadly, Nurse Redheart’s musings were cut short when she noticed three fillies enter the room. They were dragging what appeared to be an armored Minotaur.

Redheart cleared her throat. “Excuse me girls but what seems to be the problem?”

Babs grinned sheepishly. “Uhh…it’s kind of a long story.”

“Oh I think you’ll find that I have plenty of time to hear it.”

“Well, we were on our way to Zecora’s hut when a Timber wolf attacked us outta nowhere! We thought we were goners for sure, but then this guy showed up and saved us. I think he musta gotten hurt ‘cause his chest is bleeding.”

“Very well, I’ll send for a stretcher. Why don’t the three of you go wait in the reception room?”

“I guess so, but we don’t have any bits…”

Redheart chuckled. “That’s fine dear. Equestrian medical care is paid for through taxes. Also, if you get hungry go ahead and feel free to get something from the cafeteria.”

The crusaders watched as their savior was wheeled away to the ER. The three of them plopped onto the soft cushioned chairs within the reception room, feeling completely exhausted. Initially they hadn’t felt too bad when they were dragging the strange creature around, but that was because they still had adrenaline coursing through their veins. Babs and Apple Bloom giggled when they heard Sweetie’s gut rumble from all the way across the room. The unicorn in question blushed heavily and got off the chair.

“Heh…I guess I must be hungry. I’m gonna get something to eat, do you guys want anything?”

Apple Bloom waved her hoof. “Oh oh! Ah want an apple turnover!”

Babs scoffed. “Bloom don’t you ever get tired of apples?”

“Fer your information ah happen to love apples! And how can you say that Babs? You’re an Apple too!”

“Yeah well I’m not on a farm surrounded by ‘em all the time.”

Sweetie cleared her throat. “Girls can we stop arguing and just get some food already?”

Babs blushed. “I’m sorry Bloom I got a bit carried away. I guess we’re all a little on edge from what happened in the forest.”

“Don’t worry Babs, ah forgive ya. I’m still worried what mah sister’s gonna say though.”

Sweetie frowned. “Oh yeah…Rarity will freak out when she hears about this. She’ll probably be like: Sweetie darling you look absolutely horrendous! Going out in nature is THE WORST POSSIBLE THING!”

Babs paled trying to get Sweetie’s attention. “Umm you might want to be careful what you say Sweetie.”

Sweetie turned around to see that her sister was glaring at her. “H-hey sis…what’s up?”

“Sweetie, I’ll tell you what’s up…MY BLOOD PRESSURE! I knew that it was a bad idea to have a bunch of fillies go gallivanting about in a dangerous forest. But I got distracted by Apple Bloom’s adorable routine.”

Apple Bloom blushed. “Sorry Ms. Rarity...”

“I’m sure you are, and you’re going to have to say it again once your sister arrives.”

“What? But how the hay did she find out we were in trouble so quick?”

“Why that’s simple darling, I received a magi-gram from the hospital. Nurse Redheart sent it. Naturally I alerted both Twilight and Applejack immediately afterwards.”

Sweetie nudged her sister’s side. “I don’t understand. Why would Twilight need to know about it?”

“Apparently the creature that saved your lives is not a minotaur. In fact, the doctors aren’t entirely sure what he is. So, I felt it was best to contact Twilight and see if she might be able to make sense of the situation.”

Babs rubbed her chin. “How do they know it was a he? I mean it was wearing some kind of armor so I couldn’t really tell.”

Rarity blushed. “Nurse Redheart said that when the doctors removed his clothing to treat him, they found certain…parts of the male anatomy. The creature is most definitely a male, I assure you.”

Gaius awoke to find that he was lying in a bed. One of the first things he noticed was that he no longer was wearing his armor. In fact, he was wearing nothing more than an ill-fitting green shirt that went all the way down to his ankles. He didn’t understand the point of wearing a shirt that opened up in the back. A shirt’s purpose was to keep the wearer warm and this one certainly did a poor job of it.

At least the blanket kept him warm. Gaius looked down the collar of his shirt to inspect his new injury. Apparently, while he was unconscious, someone had the decency to bandage him up. He’d have to thank whoever did that. Such kindness was rare these days.

The room wasn’t like any he had ever seen. It was sparsely furnished with only two chairs and what appeared to be paintings of various fruits, hanging on the walls. Most of the paintings he’d seen were all painted directly on the walls. These had some kind of wooden frame around them…how bizarre. When Gaius went to scratch his leg, he felt a tugging sensation in his right arm. Looking at his appendage he found that a long tube was attached to it. The tube itself had a bag on the end of it, which was suspended from a metal pole.

He hopped out of bed, feeling a jolt go up his legs as his feet hit the cold tiles. As Gaius walked a few paces, he noticed that annoying tube was still lodged in his arm. With a hearty yank he ripped it out, spraying a mixture of IV fluid and blood onto the floor. As soon as he did that, a strange glowing box next to the metal pole began making loud noises. Wanting to get away from all the commotion he ran out into the hall, only to find several garishly colored stallions in white coats running towards him.

Gaius kept running, trying to shake off his pursuers but is it was becoming an increasingly difficult task. With his injuries every breath he took felt like he was inhaling molten metal. The stallions had the distinct advantage of not only being healthy but they had an extra set of legs to propel them with increased efficiency. Gaius stood his ground. If he couldn’t outrun them, he would fight them.

The two stallions practically skidded into a wall, not expecting him to stop so abruptly. One of them smiled and approached him, speaking in what Gaius guessed was soft tones in their whinny language. The centurion noticed that the other stallion had a shiv-like device clasped in his mouth. So, the fools thought they could trick him? They would be sorely mistaken about that.

Nurse Steady Needle approached the strange bipedal creature with caution. Never in his entire career had he seen an individual act like this. Sure there were ponies that feared getting injections, but this was ridiculous. He hoped that his co-worker, Nurse First Aid, would be able to distract the creature long enough so he could apply the sedative.

Nurse First Aid held up his hoof. “Easy there fella, we’re not here to hurt you. You’re injured and need to rest. Any kind of movement will aggravate your injury, so just let us do our job ok?”

The creature gritted its teeth and growled. “Uhh…Steady you might want to hurry up with that sedative, it looks pretty angry.”

Just as Steady was about to apply the injection, the creature pivoted to the side and delivered a swift punch to the poor stallion’s snout. Crying in pain, Steady dropped the needle onto the floor. The creature grabbed the needle and used it to stab Steady in the neck. The stallion’s vision immediately began to blur as he felt the sedative kick in.

First Aid saw his friend collapse to the floor and decided to take action. He charged at the creature full-gallop, intending to incapacitate its legs. The creature yelled loudly as First Aid contacted its legs. A few seconds later, the nurse grinned when he saw the creature lying on the floor. While it was a shame that he had to treat a patient this way, sometimes nurses were left with little other choice. Hopefully he didn’t aggravate the creature’s injuries further.

Gaius waited until the stallion started to walk away. The insolent horse thought it had subdued him, well not quite. As one might expect, being tackled by a stallion was quite painful but Gaius had been through much worse. He slowly got up and grabbed the stallion by the mane and mounted him. In response the stallion thrashed and bucked, trying to kick Gaius off his back.

The Roman was used to riding horses but by Jupiter’s balls did this little guy put up a fight. He laughed realizing how comical it must look for a full grown man to be riding a miniature stallion. Due to his momentary amusement he wasn’t paying attention as well as he should have…and was promptly thrown against a wall. He grunted as a white-hot pain surged through his chest, and then blacked out.

Rarity had long since left the hospital with her sister, leaving Twilight and the three members of the Apple family to sort things out. All of them were sitting in the reception area, arrayed in a circle with Applejack glaring daggers at her sister and cousin.

“Ah can’t believe how irresponsible that was. Y’all could’ve been killed!”

Apple Bloom’s ears flattened. “I’m sorry sis, ah should’ve been more considerate. Ah promise it won’t happen again.”

“You’re darn right it won’t happen again. When we get back to the farm, you’ll eat supper and head straight ta bed. I’ll decide your punishment in the mornin’. And as for you Babs, you’ll be joinin’ your cousin in that same punishment. Do ah make mahself clear?”

Both fillies looked down at the ground. “Yes ma’am.”

Applejack eyes softened as she wrapped them both in a hug. “I’m just glad the both of ya are safe. Y’all should be thankful that creature was around ta save your hides. Ah reckon ah owe it a debt o’ gratitude.”

Twilight raised her eyebrow. “Umm Applejack, I believe Nurse Redheart said the creature was a male. I think it would be in our best interest to address him properly.”

“Ah suppose you’re right Twi. It’d be might rude of us to think of ‘im as a creature.”

“My thoughts exactly! I mean he must have some measure of intelligence, if he saved the girls from a Timber wolf.”

Babs nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Bloom and I wanna thank him too! But…where is he?”

“Well last I heard he was…”

Nurse Redheart trotted over to Twilight looking rather distressed. “Ah there you are Ms. Sparkle! I’m afraid there’s been an incident and we urgently need your help.”

“How serious is it?”

“Apparently the creature got confused and decided to run out of his room. Two of our nurses were injured in the process. The creature passed out due to overexerting himself, no doubt due in part to his wound. Currently he’s in his room again, but has been strapped down and sedated.”

Twilight bit her lip. “Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme? Maybe he’s just frightened with his new surroundings.”

Redheart blushed. “Well…it may have been a bit extreme. I suppose we should have left a nurse in his room in case the situation got hairy, but mistakes happen. We simply didn’t anticipate him to be so violent.”

“We all make mistakes Redheart. Might I be able to visit him?”

“You certainly may, Ms. Sparkle. In fact, you’re the best chance we have at communicating with him. Follow me and I’ll show you to his room.”

Gaius found himself lying on a bed, yet again. Only this time his arms and legs had been strapped down to the bed, immobilizing him completely. He was pleasantly surprised to note that he could feel little, if any pain at all. Perhaps they had given him milk of the poppy. That would certainly explain the slight feeling of euphoria he had right now. Still, he wasn’t exactly happy with the current situation.

A pair of familiar looking fillies entered the room, distracting his musings. They were accompanied by two other ponies. By this point Gaius was used to the utterly ridiculous colorings that all of these miniature horses seemed to possess. But he wasn’t prepared for the fact that the purple pony standing in front of him had both a horn and wings. Worse yet, the other orange colored pony was wearing some kind of hat! Why would they even need to wear hats, or have horns for that matter?

The purple-horned pony cocked her head and spoke something to him. Gaius frowned and tried speaking as softly as he could. “Hello there, little one. My name is…oh what’s the use!? You obviously can’t understand me, you’re a damned horse!”

The pony backed away a few steps, obviously alarmed at this outburst. “Ok, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

The horned pony spoke again, this time scrunching her eyebrows. Gaius could tell it was a mare, because of the pitch and tone of her voice. Strangely enough, her mane seemed to be styled much like a woman’s hair. What amazed him even more was her facial expressions. He could tell exactly what she was feeling, it was almost comical.

Twilight let out a frustrated grunt. “I have no idea what he’s saying! He clearly is intelligent and can speak, but I’ve never come across such a complex-sounding language before.”

Applejack patted her on the back. “Hey now don’t beat yourself up too much sugarcube. Maybe you just aren’t approachin’ this in the right way.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Well instead of tryin’ ta talk to ‘im, why don’t you use pictures instead?”

Twilight got out a small writing pad and began to scribble some drawings on it. The creature seemed to look at them with interest at first but then he became frustrated, gesturing to the restraints on his wrists. The alicorn’s eyes widened as she realized what the source of his frustration was. The restraints on his wrists meant that he couldn’t point to anything or make any kind of drawings himself. Twilight immediately used her magic to unbind the leather straps.

Due to his previous experience with magic, Gaius felt uneasy when the unicorn used some kind of sorcery to unbind him. At least he could move his arms and legs again. The mare levitated a small, rectangular object into his lap. From what Gaius could tell, it was some type of papyrus.

She had drawn a picture of herself with an arrow leading to a set of letters. Gaius assumed it must have been her name, but the writing was just as foreign to him. It looked similar to Persian writing, in his opinion. He was still out of luck because even if it was Persian, he couldn’t understand that either. In the end Gaius merely shrugged.

Applejack smiled. “Heh even ah understand what that means. Funny how some things are universal.”

Twilight stomped her hoof. “I’ve done all I can as far as mundane forms of communication are concerned. Applejack…I don’t know what else to do!”

“Hmm ah seem to recall that there was some kind o’ mythical creature expert livin’ in Ponyville, maybe she could help us.”

“You mean a cryptozoologist?”

“Yeah that’s it! Ah knew it was one o’ them fancy words. The mare’s name was Lyra Heartstrings, if ah recall correctly.”

Twilight groaned. “Oh I’ve heard of her alright. She’s printed several books, all of which are a bit…out there. I’m not so sure we should get her involved in all of this.”

“Would you rather get Princess Celestia involved?”

“Honestly I’d rather she not even know about this. You know I’m a princess now too, and I’d like to start acting like one. This is my problem to take care of, since this creature showed up near Ponyville.”

“Alright, if you insist sugarcube. But don’t come cryin’ to me when things start to get complicated. It’s like mah pappy always said: Once you plant an apple tree, you gotta be the one to buck it.”

Bon Bon’s Candy shop, Ponyville

Bon Bon was busy trying to make a new batch of truffles, as per Princess Luna’s order. While her sister Celestia enjoyed cake, Luna was more partial to chocolates. The confectioner had only found this out by chance, when the moon princess had visited Ponyville during Nightmare Night.

In fact Luna had been so taken by Bon Bon’s chocolates, that she gave her a royal contract. She smiled at her newest creations, they were the perfect blend of dark chocolate and mint. The cream colored mare very nearly dropped them when she heard her roommate scream in excitement.

Bon Bon stormed upstairs. “Lyra what the hay is so important that you needed to scream!?”

“Bons you’ll never guess who I just got a letter from!”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Let me guess…it was a princess.”

Lyra squeed. “Yes actually! It’s from Princess Twilight, she wants me to help her do some research on a possible new species.”

“Lyra, sometimes I wonder if you don’t take this hobby of yours too seriously. When was the last time you had a performance?”

“Hey, I had one last month. It was in Stalliongrad remember?”

“Hmm I suppose so. Just remember that you need to keep up on your rent. I already went easy on you last month, so don’t expect me to keep doing so. But…I guess it’s alright, so long as you’re earning bits.”

Lyra waved her hoof. “Don’t I usually pay on time Bons?”

“You do most of the time. Anyway, what did the letter say?”

“The princess said that she might have found a new sapient species, but she’s having trouble communicating with it. Also, she says there’s quite a few bits in it for me if I succeed.”

“That sounds interesting to be sure, but where is this new creature?”

“Actually, that’s the funny part. It’s apparently staying at the hospital.”

“Good, then it isn’t too far away.”

Lyra nodded. “Mhmm. Just think Bons. What if it’s a…human?”

Mannis Vitam

Chapter 3

Puddinghead Memorial Hospital, Ponyville

It had been quite some time since Gaius last ate something, so as a consequence he was beginning to feel extremely lethargic. Oh what he wouldn’t give for a large goblet of mead and a roasted chicken! Sadly though, he couldn’t expect his vegetarian hosts to serve such a dish. Who ever heard of a horse eating meat? With a defeated sigh and rumbling stomach, he buried his face into the pillow.

Apple Bloom noticed his discomfort and nudged her sister. “He sure looks miserable, do ya think an apple might cheer ‘im up?”

“Well ah reckon it wouldn’t hurt none. Ah bet the poor fella is a might hungry anyway.”

Apple Bloom fished around inside her sister’s saddlebags and found a shiny red delicious apple. As gently as she could, the little filly grasped the apple with her teeth and set it next to Gaius’s leg. Just to make sure that he noticed, Apple Bloom nudged his leg with her muzzle. Immediately he perked up upon seeing the fruity treat and smiled at Apple Bloom.

Gaius petted her mane. “Thank you little one, I was getting hungry.”

The filly seemed to flinch ever so slightly at the physical contact but after a few seconds of Gaius scratching behind her ears, she let out a soft grunt and leaned towards his hand. The centurion laughed knowing that he would have gotten chewed out by his men for doting on a filly.

To make sure she understood, he grabbed the apple and held it in front of her before taking a big bite out of it. This was just what he needed. The apple had the perfect amount of sweetness to it, with just a hint of tart. Once he was done devouring the apple, he patted the filly’s head once more.

Applejack smiled. “Aww now ain’t that precious? Ah think he likes ya Bloom.”

Apple Bloom blushed. “H-he’s just thanking me fer that apple. And…well he knows where all the itchy spots are behind mah ears. Ah can’t help it!”

“Don’t worry none sugarcube, ah can tell that he means ya no harm. Come ta think of it, he did look kind o’ miserable earlier. Maybe he really was hungry?”

Babs nodded in agreement. “I know I would be, if I tried attacking a Timber wolf. But, you’d think the nurses would give him some food by now. How’s come they haven’t?”

“Ah ain’t a doctor but it’s likely that they didn’t know what he eats. That’s why they’ve got ‘im hooked up to an IV bag.”

Twilight trotted back into the room accompanied by Lyra. The minty unicorn’s saddle bags were laden with research materials and a myriad of different books. Her expression lightened considerably once she dropped her saddlebags onto the floor.

Twilight waved. “Hi girls, how’s our gest doing?”

Applejack clicked her tongue. “Hasn’t been any trouble at, in fact ah think he’s taken a likin’ ta Bloom.”

“Well that’s a relief. I was worried he might try to escape again.”

“Ya can hardly blame ‘im Twi. He’s clearly outta his element. Although he seems ta be feelin’ better now that we gave ‘im an apple.”

Twilight grimaced. “AJ we can’t just give him random food! We have no idea what his dietary needs are. For all you know, apples could be poisonous to him!”

Lyra held her hoof up. “Your highness, if I may interject?”

“Oh…yes please do Ms. Heartstrings. I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to yell at you AJ.”

“It’s alright; ah know you’re new at this sort o’ thing.”

Lyra cleared her throat. “Hmm this creature’s anatomy is remarkably similar to a minotaur’s. However, it seems that he has significantly less fur. Princess Twilight, you mentioned that he spoke in another language?”

“Umm yes, I can’t seem to understand anything he says. Oh and by the way you can just call me Twilight. I’m kind of…uncomfortable with using the same title as Princess Celestia.”

“Very well. I might have a temporary solution to our communication issues. It’s a spell that sets equine brainwaves to other species, so that way I can speak the native language without having to learn it.”

“That sounds almost too good to be true.”

“Well actually, it is. As I said, it’s only temporary so I’d have to keep re-casting about every three days. Eventually we’re going to have to teach him Equestrian.”

Twilight put her wing on Lyra’s back. “Just make sure to be extremely careful when casting your spell. He seems to get really nervous around spells. Honestly though, I can’t say that I blame him too much.”

Lyra nodded. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

Gaius gritted his teeth in annoyance. He felt like a curious child around a bunch of whispering adults. They would discuss things and he, of course, would have no idea what was going on. Just as he was about to punch the wall, he noticed the green pony enveloping his body in a strange golden aura. He squinted expecting the worst and was surprised that he merely felt a tingling sensation throughout his entire body.

The green pony smiled at him. “Hi! Can you understand me?”

Gaius nearly fell out of his bed. “W-what!? How is this possible? I can understand you!”

“Well, yes that’s the idea. Don’t be alarmed, the spell I casted lets us understand each other. It’s completely harmless.”

Gaius rubbed his temples. “I’m sorry for being so rude…it’s been a long day for me.”

“I understand. So I guess introductions are in order?”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Good afternoon, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I live in the town near where you saved those three fillies, it’s called Ponyville. Oh and…I’m also a princess.”

“Ah well it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Gaius Septimus, Centurion in the Emperor’s legion.”

“Centurion? Is that some kind of military title?”

“Indeed it is. You mentioned that you were a princess, is this correct?”

“Yes…why do you ask?”

Gaius rubbed his chin. “Forgive my insolence but if you are a princess, where are your royal trappings?”

Twilight blushed. “Oh…well I uhh…don’t really feel comfortable wearing my regalia.”

Applejack interjected. “The one thing ya gotta understand about Twi is that she’s real modest. That and she just recently got coronated, so she ain’t used ta wearing her fancy jewelry yet.”

“I see, well I’ll try my best to be respectful. My apologies your highness. Might I ask who you are Miss…?”

“The name’s Applejack, but ya can me AJ fer short. Ah run an apple farm near Ponyville.”

Apple Bloom jumped onto the bed. “And I’m Apple Bloom! I’m one o’ the fillies ya saved from the Timber wolf, along with mah cousin Babs. We’re real grateful that ya came when ya did, otherwise we’d be wolf chow.”

“Ah so you’re the one that gave me that wonderful apple. Thanks for that, I was beginning to get very hungry.”

Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck. “Aww shucks it was nothin’.”

Twilight pointed to Lyra. “And this is the unicorn that’s going to take care of you Mr. Septimus. Her name is Lyra Heartstrings and she’s what you would call our…exotic species expert.”

Gaius’s eyebrow rose. “Take care of me? What? Am I a pet now?”

“Oh I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to imply that you were! As you might have noticed, we ponies aren’t used to umm…creatures such as yourself. She’s going to give you a place to stay and teach you our language, customs, and how to write.”

Lyra smiled. “Mr. Septimus, I know this may come as a shock to you but in our culture you are considered a mythical creature. It is my duty to make sure that your stay in Equestria goes as smoothly as possible, for whatever duration that may be.”

“Very well then…Lyra, I shall accept your hospitality. Staying in a dwelling is preferable to setting up camp in the woods.”

Babs’s mouth dropped. “You were gonna stay in the Everfree? That’s totally bad ass!”

AJ scowled. “Ya best watch yer tongue young mare, ‘fore ah have ta wash it out with soap.”

“I’m not certain I understand what a donkey has to do with making camp. Perhaps they are used as pack animals here as well?”

Twilight cringed. “NO! I mean, they aren’t pack animals. They are intelligent like us but a lot of ponies don’t see them that way…”

Gaius held up his pointer finger. “Ah so they’re slaves! Any successful empire is founded on the muscle of manual labor. It seems that your Equestria is no different.”

“H-how could you even say something so horrible!? Slavery has been abolished for thousands of years. What kind of horrible society uses…”

AJ stuck her hoof in Twilight’s mouth. “Simmer down sugarcube, just take a deep breath. We can’t assume his customs are anythin’ like ours. Maybe his kind are like the Minotaurs and can’t use magic, so they gotta use muscle to do everythin’.”

Twilight took a few deep breaths. “You’re right…I just can’t believe his kind would enslave intelligent creatures to do their bidding. Nopony should be subjected to that.”

By the time Twilight had gathered her wits, Gaius had already donned his armor and weapons. Once he secured the leather strap on his helmet, he began to make his way out the door. Lyra, noticing his haste, was quick to follow lest there be any further incidents. Twilight’s wings flared out in frustration as she yelled at Gaius.

“We’re not done talking about slavery yet!”

Gaius shrugged. “I’m sorry your highness, but I’m not a big fan of discussing politics. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

Ponyville, en route to Lyra’s apartment

As Gaius and his unicorn companion walked the streets of Ponyville, they were gawked at by the town’s curious inhabitants. Lyra was thankful that the centurion’s presence hadn’t started a massive panic. Remembering what happened in Appleloosa with the buffalo, Lyra knew just how xenophobic ponies could be.

Lyra blew a strand of mane away from her face. “Princess Twilight seemed really upset with you. Don’t you feel bad about ignoring her?”

“Mmm not particularly, no. Like I said, I don’t enjoy discussing politics. I’m a soldier, not a senator.”

“Since when was slavery considered part of the legislative process?”

“Look, I don’t know how you little horses deal with free will but the Roman Empire needs slaves. They are property, and they are generally treated well…at least from the ones I’ve seen.”

Lyra huffed. “Fine, I’ll leave it at that. After all, we’ve got plenty of time to learn about each other’s prospective cultures.”

Just as Gaius was about to respond, a pink pony bounced in front of them. In all his years, he had never seen a horse bounce. How was that even physically possible? Judging from the pony’s garish coloring (and lack of a certain part), Gaius deduced it was a mare. His musings were cut short when she stretched her neck to look at him.

Pinkie grinned. “*Squee* Ooooooh my gosh what are you? You must be new here and that means I don’t know you. And if I don’t know you that means…YOU NEED A PARTY!”

Gaius stammered. “Whu…?”

Pinkie grabbed his hand and shook it violently. “I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name, Mr. Monkey Thing?”

“Monkey thing? Erm no, my name is Gaius Septimus and I’m part of…”

“Look at that shiny sword you have! Aaaand you’re wearing a helmet, just like the guards. Twilight’s brother is a guard too…or he was until he married Princess Cadence. Hmm I guess that makes him the Prince consort now. Oh well!”

Gaius frowned at Lyra. “Does she ever stop talking?”

“Not really…”

Gaius tried to respond but Pinkie suddenly appeared behind him, wearing his helmet. “Cool, I’ve always wanted to wear one of these! Although you should probably clean it out, it smells like sweat.”

Growling in frustration, Gaius grabbed his helmet. “Listen pink horse, I’m well aware of my state of uncleanliness. Gods know that I could use bath, but please could you be silent for just a few seconds?”

Pinkie giggled. “Silly Gaius, my name’s not pink horse! It’s Pinkie Pie!”

“Ok, fine Pinkie Pie. Just please be quiet so I can gather my thoughts.”

Pinkie gasped. “I DIDN’T KNOW YOU COULD GATHER THOUGHTS!”

Lyra face hoofed. “Pinkie it’s not literal, they aren’t…”

“I like happy thoughts the best; maybe I should gather them first. Oh and I bet I could put them in cupcakes. HAPPY CAKES…mmm yummy~”

While Pinkie continued to drone on about “Love Sprinkles”, Gaius unsheathed his sword and struck the back of Pinkie’s head with its pommel. The party mare immediately crumpled to the ground, drooling out of the corner of her mouth. Lyra stared at him, with her mouth agape.

Gaius shrugged. “What? It got her to be quiet didn’t it?”

“Mr. Septimus, we are not a violent species. You can’t just go around whacking ponies whenever they get on your nerves…even if it was Pinkie Pie.”

“I won’t, so long as they aren’t as annoying as she was.”

Lyra led Gaius to an average looking two story house, which sported a wooden sign displaying various pieces of candy. The unicorn was careful not to knock on the door too loudly, so as not to disturb her easily excitable earth pony landlord. With an amused snort, Lyra realized that Bon Bon would still freak out when she saw her new guest.

“Hey Bons I’m back from the hospital!”

Bon Bon trotted to the door, wearing a pink cooking apron. “Welcome back Lyra, I was just about to put the finishing touches on some pecan pralines.”

Lyra rubbed the back of her mane. “I’ll have to try some later. Hey can you promise me something?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“You have to promise me that you won’t freak out, no matter what you see.”

Bon Bon narrowed her eyes. “Lyra…you know I don’t like surprises.”

“I know, but this is kind of important. We’re going to have a guest staying here for a while.”

“Lyra what aren’t you telling me?”

Lyra bit her lip. “Umm well you see Bons…he’s a human. Mr. Septimus you can go ahead and come in now!”

Gaius nodded at the earthpony. “Greetings, I take it you are Lyra’s friend?”

Bon Bon fell straight on her rump. “BY CELESTIA’S SACRED SNATCH IT’S A REAL HUMAN!”

“Shhhh Bons don’t yell it so loud, you’ll create a scene.”

“A scene Lyra? Is that what you’re truly worried about? I can’t believe this! What could have possibly motivated you to bring such a dangerous creature into my shop?”

“Bons, think of the opportunity we have. We could learn so much from him. Besides, he doesn’t seem that dangerous to me.”

“There’s a sword on his belt, so of course he’s dangerous. The only kind of pony that needs to carry a weapon is one that knows how to kill.”

Lyra groveled at Bon Bon’s hooves. “Please just give him a chance. That’s all I’m asking. Everypony deserves at least one chance right?”

Bon Bon sighed. “I know I’m going to regret this, but fine he can stay. However, there shall be a few conditions.”

“Yeeeeesss! Ok, name them.”

“If the human is to stay here, he must pull his weight. That means he has to either get a job and pay me a predetermined sum of bits, or help me around the shop. Second, if you intend to perform any strange experiments with the human, you must do so with my consent. Are we clear?”

Lyra bounced up and down. “Crystal clear! Hey Mr. Septimus did you get all that?”

“Yes and I agree to the terms. I promise I shall pay you in coin or labor for your hospitality. Let’s just say that I’m not exactly a fan of freeloaders, and I refuse to become one myself.”

Bon Bon smiled. “Ah well that’s good. It seems that you and share a similar viewpoint, Mr. Septimus.”

Gaius nodded. “Indeed, for an idle body leads to an idle mind. Hmm…speaking of bodies, mine is in dire need of nourishment.”

“Well I did just get done cooking up some pralines.”

“I apologize, but I think it’s going to take a bit more than a few sweets to satisfy me. Some hot rabbit stew would do the trick.”

Bon Bon paled. “Oh, I didn’t realize humans ate meat.”

Lyra pointed to Gaius’s mouth. “Well duh! They have canines see!”

“Y-you humans don’t eat ponies…do you?”

Gaius shook his head. “Not unless we were desperate. Ponies are far too useful to eat.”

“Useful? I’m not sure I understand.”

“Ponies and horses are a mode of transport for my people as well as instruments of war. It is a partnership between man and beast. For the amount of effort it takes to train them, it would be counterproductive to eat them. We have other animals for that.”

Bon Bon groaned. “So we’re just beasts to you?”

Gaius rubbed his temples. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were brute beasts. It’s simply…difficult for me to accept that other creatures have intelligence equal to a man.”

Lyra rubbed Bon Bon’s back. “He’s new to Equestria Bons, it’ll take some time for him to get used to our culture is all. I’m sure he doesn’t think we’re dumb animals.”

Bon Bon noticed Gaius walking towards the door. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going out to find some saplings as well as some rope.”

“Why do you need those?”

“I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted rabbit stew. The only way to make rabbit stew is to catch some, and to catch them I need to make a few snares.”

Before either of the mares could protest, the Roman was already walking down the street. It seemed that he was headed towards the Everfree forest, which coincidently was the same direction as Fluttershy’s cottage. Lyra felt a knot in her stomach form, as she galloped towards her human guest. Poor Fluttershy was in for a rather unpleasant surprise.

Culturae Concussa

Chapter 5

Lyra’s Apartment, Ponyville

Gaius and Lyra were seated at a small desk trying to go over a few introductory books on Equestrian written script, while Chrysalis was busy lounging on a big red couch nearby. The changeling queen had opted to disguise herself as a charcoal coated unicorn filly with dark green eyes and a viridian tinted mane. This was so she could claim to be a visiting cousin of the minty unicorn without arousing too much suspicion among the citizens of Ponyville. The other reason was so she could use magic freely. Surely, it was an inconvenience not to be able to fly but it was downright impossible for her to live without magic. With a sigh the queen blew a strand of her mane away from her snout. Life was never without some form of sacrifice.

“Are you two finished studying yet? Because sitting around in abject boredom is at the very top of my to-do list right now.”

Lyra huffed in annoyance. “Listen up your majesty. The only reason Mr. Septimus can understand either of us right now is because of a temporary spell I cast on him. It takes quite a bit of energy out of me, so it’s in both of our best interest for him to learn Equestrian. You’re just going to have to find something to do on your own.”

“For your information, I was too busy trying to SURVIVE on a daily basis to even think about such trivial matters as entertainment. Do you even know what it’s like to be away from your cushy pony lifestyle? I highly doubt it. If anything, I deserve every right to be bored.”

“You know what? You’re lucky I even let you stay here. I could’ve just left you to rot in the Everfree but I didn’t because it was the right thing to do. You’re not anpony’s queen anymore, so quit being bossy and take care of your own problems!”

Gaius slammed his fist on the desk. “Lyra we’ve been at this for over an hour now and I believe it’s time we took a break. Chrysalis, there’s no reason for you to be acting like a spoiled child. Both of you stop your bickering and apologize to one another.”

Both pony and changeling crossed their fore-hooves and looked away from each other. Gaius started to rub his temples in annoyance, finding this situation not unlike some he encountered back home. It seemed that women did similar things, even in different realms. Naturally he would have to intervene in order to get them to stop, so he grabbed them both by the tail to get their attention. The eyes of both mares widened as they squealed with surprise.

“Now, I’m going to keep tugging on your tails until the both of you settle down.”

The two mares blushed heavily but eventually they grumbled a half-hearted apology to one another in order to be released from the human’s clutches. With a satisfied smirk, Gaius cracked his knuckles and went into the kitchen to get a drink. When he came back with a bottle of sports drink, he found a very angry Lyra glaring at him. Chrysalis, strangely enough, looked somewhat…amused?

“I swear these refrigerator devices are astounding. They keep food and drink as cold as the winter snow and…umm why are you so upset Miss Lyra?”

Lyra used her magic to hurl one of the pillows from the couch straight at the Centurion’s face. Having such quick reflexes, he managed to doge the fluffy projectile but was tackled to the floor by the enraged unicorn. She pummeled him with yet another pillow but this time she used her teeth to grip onto it. After about thirty seconds Gaius waved his hands in surrender and while Lyra stopped her assault, she continued to sit on top of his chest.

“What is the meaning of this? What wrongs have I committed?”

“You don’t know what you just did!?”

“Umm…should I?”

Lyra blushed. “Oh right, you’re not a pony so of course you wouldn’t know. Ehem…well you see when a mare and c-colt like each other…”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Oh for the love of Faust! What she means to say is: the fondling and or tugging of one’s tail is considered an act of intimacy. And yes, just in case you were wondering it does indeed cause sexual stimulation….particularly with mares.”

“Ah well, that would certainly explain both of your reactions. I honestly had no idea that such a thing was considered an act of foreplay. In the future I shall refrain from touching your tails.”

“Not to worry human, not harm was done. However I should clarify that mere physical contact with our tails is not arousing, nor is it considered sexual. Stimulation only occurs when you pull on them. So, if you wish to pet our tails feel free to do so.”

“Speak for yourself changeling! Mr. Septimus just…ask before you pet alright? I’d rather we not have any more incidents.”

Luckily for Gaius the awkward situation was somewhat diffused by several knocks at the door. Lyra opened it to find both Rarity and her sister Sweetie waiting outside. The fashonista was sporting some rather flashy white saddle bags and a purple sun hat.

“Good afternoon Lyra! I do hope Sweetie and I aren’t interrupting anything?”

“Oh no, not all. Please come in.”

“Thank you darling. Now, I suppose you’re wondering why we’ve decided to visit.”

“Well yeah, I mean I don’t mind you coming over but it’s kind of sudden. You’re not really known for your spontaneity.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “I should certainly hope not. That is something Pinkie Pie is far better suited for. In any case, I was informed by my sister that her life was saved by a brave and noble creature. I would like to meet this creature and offer him a reward!”

“If you want to meet Mr. Septimus, he’s in the living room with my cousin.”

Rarity trotted over to the simian-like creature and found that he was enjoying one of those vile sports drinks that Rainbow Dash so thoroughly enjoyed drinking. No doubt it was loaded with sugar. Just seeing him sip on it made her almost cringe. But it wasn’t her place to question Sweetie’s savoir. She was here to thank him, not judge him. Next to him sat a bored looking unicorn filly, which Rarity assumed was the cousin Lyra mentioned. Taking a deep breath she put on her best lady-like smile.

“Greetings to you my good gentlecolt. My name is Rarity and am the older sibling of one of the fillies you saved from the Timber wolf. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Gaius simply nodded. “Likewise Ms. Rarity. You may call me Gaius. I take it your sister must be the little unicorn I saved?”

“That is indeed the case sir. I chose to visit today in order to offer you a reward for you act of heroism.”

“There is no need for that ma’am; I only did what was right.”

Rarity held her hoof up. “Don’t say another word. I simply must insist on rewarding you. Now, I couldn’t help but notice that you wear clothing. I just so happen to be a clothing designer by profession. You can be assured that at the very least, you shall be receiving a few more outfits free of charge.”

“I suppose I will eventually need some new clothing.”

“Yes, your current outfit looks a bit…worn. Furthermore, you and Lyra shall accompany me to the spa for a deluxe treatment. Judging by the stench you’re putting off, you are in serious need of a bath darling.”

Gaius grinned. “Oh thank the gods! I’m in dire need of a good cleansing. I haven’t been to a proper bathhouse in ages. I apologize if my odor offends you; I normally don’t smell this foul. Unfortunately I haven’t really gotten the chance to bathe since I arrived here.”

“How wonderful! Finally, I’ve found a stallion who appreciates a good spa treatment!”

Chrysalis’s ears perked up. “Did you just say spa treatment?”

“Why yes dear. Are you by chance interested in accompanying us?”

“YOU…HAVE….NO…IDEA!”

“Color me surprised then. I didn’t think fillies enjoyed the spa very much. Sweetie occasionally goes but her other friends aren’t too fond of it. Especially with Scootaloo, no doubt she’s just mirroring Rainbow Dash. It’s a shame really. Anyway, I don’t believe I caught your name darling.”

“It’s Chrys—Chrysanthemum. But you may call me Chrissy.”

“Hmm…I’m sorry but I just didn’t expect you to have a name associated with flowers. Your coat doesn’t seem to really match with it…as it were.”

Chrysalis chuckled nervously. “Oh well, that’s because my mother is a florist. She’s an earthpony and my dad is a unicorn. In the end they gave me a traditional earthpony name, despite my horn.”

“It is beautiful name darling. I was merely adding my two bits. Shall we be off then?”

The Lotus Petal Spa, Ponyville

Aloe lazily filed her left hoof, wondering why today was so dreadfully slow. It wasn’t as if ponies needed spa treatments, nor were they wildly popular but this was just ridiculous. She had opted to stay at the front desk while her sister, Lotus, cleaned the baths. The only other employee present was a pegasus stallion by the name of Gentle Breeze. Despite being a pegasus he was quite skilled with his hooves, thus he tended to the spa’s customers while Aloe and Lotus were busy.

At the moment, Gentle was busy reading a magazine on the latest massage techniques. It was printed and published in Tauros, the capital of the Minotaur Khanate. It made sense to Aloe that the minotaurs would be good at such a profession, considering that they were one of the few species that possessed hands.

It wasn’t the magazine she was interested in. Oh no, she was more interested in ogling Gentle Breeze. He was a bit on the muscular side for pegasus, no doubt due to the fact that he needed to keep his hooves in shape to able to perform his job properly. Aloe would never admit it, but she had been crushing on him ever since he started. She continued to stare even after he put down the magazine. The stallion merely raised his eyebrow.

“I had no idea you were so interested in massage magazines boss. If you wanted to read it that badly, you could have just asked.”

Aloe blushed. “Oh erm…sorry Breeze, I must have zoned out a bit. The monotony of the day is getting to me.”

Breeze popped his neck. “Aaaahhh yeah I hear ya on that one. It’s slower than maple syrup in the dead of winter around here. I wonder if your sister would mind closing up shop early.”

It was then that Rarity choose to burst through the doors of the spa. “Hello darlings I hope you’re ready to give a few deluxe treatments!”

“Ah a good day to you Ms. Rarity. What might we be able to do for our favorite customer?”

“While I always appreciate your work Breeze, I fear that my friends and I must first take a long, hot bath.”

Aloe grinned. “You have excellent timing then. My sister is cleaning the baths as we speak. I presume you shall want the works for all of your…guests?”

“Indeed darling, especially for the armored gentlecolt standing next to my sister.”

“Umm…not to be rude but he isn’t exactly a pony. In fact, what is he?”

“Lyra claims he is some kind of ape creature. A human I believe she called it.”

“He even has hands like the minotaurs do…very interesting. Perhaps my sister and I could instruct him how to give massages, if he doesn’t object of course. I know many ponies who would give their left leg for a professional Taurian treatment.”

“That is something you will have to discuss with him. I’m not entirely sure if he even did that sort of thing where he came from. I would assume not, judging from his style of dress.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I’m a dress maker darling, it’s my job to notice the little details. He’s clearly wearing chainmail armor. That’s not the type of attire somepony would wear, if they intended to work at a spa. No, I believe he is more the military type or maybe a guard.”

“Hmm yes he does look like the type. But I wonder how much mercenary work he will find in Equestria. We haven’t had a war in over a thousand years. If he desires to earn bits, then I’m willing to bet he’d try his hand at an alternative career.”

“We certainly shall see. Now, why don’t we get this treatment started? Nothing makes one’s coat shinier than a deep soak in mineral water!”

Gaius followed a maroon coated pegasus into one room, while the others followed a pink mare into another across the hall. This certainly wasn’t like any bathhouse he’d ever seen before. Most of the ones he’d been to were far smaller than this one but he had no doubt that some of the wealthier nobles could afford to build such a large and lavish complex.

The centurion had heard tales of the legendary deeds of debauchery that went on in those places. He sincerely hoped that was not the case at this establishment. It wasn’t exactly high within his priorities to witness an orgy involving miniature horses, although some back home would disagree. The stallion suddenly stopped, handing him a white towel.

“Excuse me, but why are you giving me a towel before I go into the bath?”

“You know…it’s for when you go into the bath sir.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Some of our patrons like to wear towels while walking around. In some cases, mares like to wrap up their manes with one.”

Gaius cocked his eyebrow. “Why on earth would I wear a towel while bathing? A towel is meant to be used to dry off. Getting it wet would defeat the purpose of using one in the first place.”

“I suppose it is used to preserve the modesty of our patrons.”

“Modesty has no place in the baths! One does not bathe while robed.”

Breeze frowned. “Well no but…”

“I fail to understand why this is an issue. You ponies prance about in the nude anyway, so why would it matter if you are doing so in a public bathhouse?”

“Ehh…you know I really have no idea.”

Gaius quickly disrobed and made his way out to the baths. In the meantime, a very confused Gentle Breeze was left to contemplate some of the more confusing aspects of Equestrian culture. With a disgruntled sigh he retrieved the human’s clothing, noting that it tasted like dirt and sweat.

All of the mares had already begun to soak in one of the larger Jacuzzi baths. Rarity was seated next to Lyra, while Sweetie and Chrysalis sat opposite of them. The fashionista was the only pony who had opted to wrap a towel around her mane, for fear of it getting frizzy later. Sweetie had already taken the liberty of submerging herself entirely; as a result her normally curly mane limply clung to her face. Chrysalis simply laid back and closed her eyes. This was the first time in ages that she had taken a proper bath and she was enjoying every blissful second of it. Sadly, her peaceful state was not to last as a certain filly poked her in the ribs.

“Hi I’m Sweetie Belle! What’s your name?”

“Chrysanthemum.”

“Oooh that’s a pretty name. Are you new in town ‘cause I’ve never seen you before.”

“No, I’m just visiting.”

“Visiting from where? And why are you hanging around Lyra?”

“Stalliongrad and she’s my cousin.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Lyra talk about you before. Although I guess that’s not so weird since Apple Bloom has tons of family that she never talks about. I get kinda confused sometimes, there are SO many Apples and then there’s the Oranges…”

Chrysalis’s eye twitched. “As fascinating as this conversation is, I’d really like to relax…IN SILENCE!”

Sweetie’s ears drooped. “Oh…sorry. So do you have your cutie mark yet?”

“Of course not. Now please be quiet.”

“*Squee* Oh my gosh neither do I! My friends and I go around trying to earn our cutie marks. We’re called the Cutie Mark Crusaders! If you wanted to…you could join us.”

“Ughh fine! I’ll join this little group of yours if it will get you to be quiet.”

“Yay! We’re meeting tomorrow after lunch at Sweet Apple Acres. That’s all I had to say, I’ll be quiet now.”

Rarity slid deeper into the pool. “It seems like those two are getting along rather well, don’t you think so Lyra?”

“I guess so. Chrissy isn’t really known for being sociable.”

“Sweetie loves making new friends, even if they’re a bit stand-offish at first. I can’t help but notice that your human guest has yet to join us. Do you think he got lost?”

“Aloe sent one of the staff ponies with him, so he shouldn’t be. Maybe humans just take longer to prepare for a bath.”

“Now that you mention it, he was wearing a lot of clothing. Oh dear, all of that complex armor must be so difficult to get out of.”

As soon as Rarity finished her sentence Gaius strode over to the pool in all of his natural glory. He knelt down to test the temperature of the water with his finger before sliding in next to Lyra. The cheeks of all three mares flushed with embarrassment as he dunked his head underneath the water. He let out a satisfied grunt when he surfaced.

“The hot water feels glorious. It has just the right amount of heat. Oh and is that lavender I smell? Miss Rarity…is there something wrong?”

“My word that was certainly a surprise. No wonder he wore so much clothing…” Rarity mumbled under her breath.

“I’m sorry I didn’t hear what you said.”

Rarity bit her lip. “Oh n-nothing darling. I was merely commenting on how long pen—nut butter can last after you open it. Yes, peanut butter! Isn’t that right Lyra?”

“Yeah hehe…sure is amazing isn’t it? I mean…it goes great on sandwiches and the best part is you don’t have to refrigerate it.”

“If you say so. I can’t say I’m familiar with this ‘peanut butter’ you speak of. Perhaps I shall have to try some later. By any chance do you ponies use scented oils?”

“We don’t use oils per say darling, but we do use shampoos. They work in a similar manner, although do be careful not to get any in your eyes.”

Sweetie, wanting to be helpful, decided to grab a bottle of some flowery scented shampoo. The filly gently nudged Gaius’s arm to get his attention and deposited the bottle in his hand.

“What manner of container is this?”

“It’s a shampoo bottle! All you have to do is unscrew the cap and pour some into your mane. Trust me; it’ll make you smell a whole lot better.”

Gaius squeezed the bottle, squirting a glob of viscous yellow gel into his hand. It had the consistency of honey but smelled of perfume. As per Sweetie Belle’s instructions he slowly rubbed the gel into his hair. It was an odd sensation, but not unpleasant.

“I fail to see how this gel is supposed to clean my hair. I have done as you instructed but now my hair is more of a mess than it was before!”

Sweetie giggled. “You’re supposed to wash it off silly. Just put your head underwater for little while.”

“Ah yes, now my hair is back to normal. Thank you little one. How about I return the favor? It must be difficult to wash your mane without any hands. Allow me to do it for you.”

Rarity watched with amusement as Gaius washed Sweetie’s mane. Such behavior was not unusual for her sister. Sweetie often made friends quickly but for what exact reason Rarity couldn’t be completely sure. Perhaps it was her disarming personality? Whatever the case, it was a welcome distraction from the incident earlier. The fashionista had found herself thinking some very un-lady like thoughts.

“Bipeds must have it rough, to be so…exposed like that. I can’t imagine how distracted humans must become during heat.”

Lyra nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and those muscles of his could put a minotaur to shame.”

“Certainly darling and…HOLD ON A MOMENT! I-I didn’t realize I was speaking aloud! Oh this won’t do. A lady shouldn’t talk about such vulgar things in public, especially with fillies present. You must think I’m a terrible pony.”

“Calm down Rarity, I was having some of the exact same thoughts. Although, I would keep it down so the big guy and your sister don’t overhear us.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Oh yes of course. I for one do not want to have ‘the talk’ with Sweetie just yet. In fact, I would much rather have mother deal with that particular situation instead.”

“Let’s just drop the subject entirely ok? It’s already gonna be awkward enough when he gets out of the bath. We need to play it cool.”

“Awkward would be an understatement darling. How do you expect me to play it cool when somepony’s…ermm thing is right in front of my face!?”

“It’s not like you haven’t seen a stallion’s privates before, so get over it.”

Rarity blushed. “But this is different! Stallions do NOT walk around with their genitalia on display. The worst part is that Mr. Gaius doesn’t even seem bothered by it.”

“Rarity, we can’t assume anything about his culture. These types of things are bound to happen and all we can do is learn from our blunders and laugh about it later. I know it’s extremely distracting but bear with it.”

“Merciful Celestia this shall be a long spa day…”

Regina et Militem

Chapter 6

The Lotus Petal Spa, Ponyville

Gaius had decided that his bath had gone on long enough. He had already lathered himself in the various “shampoos” his pony hosts had provided him and was satisfied that he didn’t smell like the arena after a beast match. The little unicorn, Sweetie Belle, seemed to have taken a liking to him for some reason. Gaius was rather fond of children so he took her friendly affection in stride.

For some odd reason the other mares seemed to clam up around him. Every time he looked over at them, they seemed to be blushing and darting their eyes. Perhaps the heat was getting to them? Back home some people just couldn’t tolerate hot water for very long. It was somewhat embarrassing for Romans to admit but it couldn’t be helped. With a shrug he exited the bath to find one of the attendants. Luckily a pink coated mare happened to be in the adjacent room, standing next to what appeared to be some kind of padded table.

Gaius put his hands on his hips. “Excuse me miss. I have finished my bath and I desire a massage. Would you happen to know who might be able to provide me with one?”

The mare stared at him for a few seconds before coughing violently. “Ah ehem…hello sir. You must be one of our guests today. My name is Aloe and I am the one who will be your masseuse today.”

“Excellent! I am unfamiliar with your customs, so is there anywhere specific you would like me to be while you perform your art?”

Aloe blushed. “Umm well normally you would just lay down on that table over there but there is a slight…problem.”

“Very well but what is the problem?”

“Forgive me for sounding rude sir, but won’t you be uncomfortable lying down like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know…your special parts.”

“Huh what nonsense are you mumbling about?”

“Please don’t make me say it out loud. It’s embarrassing.”

“By Jupiter’s beard! Why do all of you act so strangely around me?”

“It’s because your p-penis is right out in the open!”

Gaius scratched his head. “Really? That’s the reason all of you have been acting so odd? You’re embarrassed?”

“Sorry that was rather rude of me…”

“I honestly don’t understand. You ponies act as if you haven’t seen another creature’s loins before. What I find even stranger is that all of you don’t seem to wear clothing and yet you are embarrassed by my nudity!”

Aloe shuffled her hooves. “Yes, stallions do have a penis but they aren’t out in the open like yours is. Also, I should add that since you stand on two legs, your…thing is right at eye level.”

“Ah so the stallions have sheaths that allow them to retract their manhood. How strange. But surely not all creatures of this world have sheaths.”

“No, but they have either fur or tails to obscure it. We just aren’t used to seeing genitalia on full display like that. It’s…very distracting.”

Gaius rubbed his temples. “Would you be less distressed if I wore a towel around my waist?”

“I admit that it would certainly help.”

Aloe grabbed a towel from one racks nearby and Gaius quickly covered himself. Once robed, he swore he saw a quick flash of relief wash across the mare’s face. She pointed to the massage table, urging him to lie down. The table was a bit short for his body but was otherwise comfortable. He tensed up expecting the treatment to be painful, considering that hooves weren’t exactly as gentle as a woman’s fingers.

The mare was surprisingly delicate with her ministrations, easily ridding him of that nasty crick in his right shoulder blade. As a matter of fact, it was quite strange…her hooves were far more pliable than the horses he was used to dealing with. At some point he would have to ask Lyra why that was, but for now he simply wanted to relax. Gaius was just about to doze off, when he heard the mare gasp.

“Is there something wrong?”

Aloe replied hesitantly. “I’ve already been inconsiderate to you. I don’t wish to bother you further…it’s nothing.”

“Speak your mind pony. I promise you that I’m not easily offended. Besides, I’ve been around women enough times to know that when they say nothing is wrong, they really mean everything is wrong.”

“I noticed that you have a nasty scar near your right shoulder. You must have been in a horrible accident to receive such an injury. Does…it still bother you?”

Gaius chuckled. “Ah so that’s what was bothering you. It’s an old injury to be honest. I got that about three years ago during a skirmish. I was on patrol with a few of my men, when a band of barbarians ambushed us in the woods. My men were attacked by two berserkers and I rushed over to try and help them. Unfortunately, I turned my back and wasn’t paying attention to what was behind me.”

“W-what happened?”

“One of their comrades was hiding behind a tree. He shot me in the shoulder with an arrow. Luckily, the arrow failed to pierce my lung but by the gods did it hurt. If it had gone through, I surely would have died. To this day, I always give a prayer of thanks to Mars for sparing me. When I can, I also give him offerings.”

Aloe paled slightly but continued her massage. “No offence…but your kind seems rather violent. I’m glad that I live in Equestria and not your world, if that’s what you have to deal with.”

“None taken, we simply live in very different worlds. Mankind has always had a penchant for violence and we use it often to get what we want and resolve disputes. Honestly, I would be shocked if you weren’t appalled by it, since you seem to be a race of peaceful grass eaters.”

“Now you’re starting to sound like a griffon.”

“This world has griffons?”

Aloe nodded. “Yeah…and they’ve been rivals with us for centuries. They have a sizable empire to the east, called ‘The Eyrie’. It’s led by some kind of emperor. There’s a special word for it in Griftic but I can’t remember what it is…”

“I suppose that this world must be filled with mythical creatures. It shall take some adjustment on my part. And here I am still trying to get used to the concept of magic!”

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it in time. When Lotus and I first moved here, this was a rather quiet town until the element bearers started causing all kinds of bizarre occurrences. Trust me; stranger things will happen around here…you can be sure of it!”

Aloe finished up the massage with liberal application of scented oil, trotting off to check up on her sister. Gaius rose from the table to perform a few stretches, to test out his newly limbered muscles. Much to his satisfaction, the soreness he had been feeling in his right shoulder was now completely gone. As he wrapped another towel around his neck, he heard the telltale voices of a few chattering mares coming from just outside the doors. Sure enough, Rarity and the gang were all standing outside waiting for him.

“Hello darling, I do hope you enjoyed your massage.”

“Yes, the attendant was quite skilled. You have my thanks Ms. Rarity.”

Rarity waved her hoof. “Think nothing of it! The girls and I very much enjoyed ours, particularly Lyra. She let out some rather audible groans of satisfaction. The poor pegasus giving her the massage looked as if he was going to die of embarrassment. Hmm but I can’t say I blame her, that stallion was very sexy. The things I would have done to him…”

“What was that? I didn’t catch the last part.”

“Oh n-nothing darling, just a mare rambling to herself. I see that you’ve chosen to wear a towel this time around.”

“Yes…for some reason the attendant was bothered by my nudity. Can’t say I understand why but at least it made conversing with her easier. I’m curious, were you and the others bothered by it as well?”

Rarity bit her lip. “Well, I can’t say it wasn’t distracting. B-but please don’t take it the wrong way! Rest assured you have nothing to worry about.”

“Does that mean you were checking out my…”

“I’m terribly sorry to cut this conversation short, but I really must get Sweetie home. I need to feed Opal and make dinner and tidy up the shop a bit. Thank you once again for saving my sister and I hope you enjoyed the spa. Ta ta for now!”

Sweetie trotted up to Gaius and nuzzled his leg. “Thanks again for saving me. Maybe you could come over to the CMC clubhouse sometime and visit? I just know that Scootaloo would love you.”

Gaius patted her head. “You’re welcome little one. If I find some time away from my studies I shall visit you and your friends. Who knows, I might be willing to teach you a few things about living in the woods.”

“*Squee* Oh my gosh! We could be…CUTIE MARK CRUSADER FOREST RANGERS!!!”

Gaius waved to the rambunctious little filly as she and her sister made their way home. With his goodbyes complete, he decided to get dressed. Meanwhile, a very relaxed looking Lyra was sitting on her haunches next to Chrysalis. While the former queen didn’t look quite as satisfied as the mare next to her, she appeared far more pleasant than Gaius had ever seen her.

“I take it that the two of you enjoyed yourselves as well?”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “It was satisfactory, however I think Lyra enjoyed it a bit too much. She was practically a puddle on the floor after that massage. I’ll have you know that I had to drag her lazy carcass all the way here! A queen shouldn’t have to burden herself with such tasks.”

“Hey! It’s not like YOU didn’t enjoy it. I heard you letting out all those little sighs and giggles.”

“That may be so, but at least I didn’t moan like a stallion was rutting me into the ground.”

Lyra blushed. “I told you that I c-couldn’t help it!”

“Right...keep telling yourself that. Just think of that poor stallion and how hot and bothered you must have made him feel. He certainly had far more self-control than you did. I swear some mares have no shame.”

“No shame? Well you certainly have a lot of room to talk! At least I didn’t seduce a stallion by pretending to be his wife and raping him countless times.”

“Why you miserable little wretch! You are in no position to judge my actions. Nopony possibly could, since they have no idea what it’s like to be a species that lives off of emotions! Do you even know what it’s like to have an entire hive depending on you for their very survival!?” I highly doubt you. Choose your next words carefully pony, for I am sorely tempted to rip your insolent tongue out!”

Gaius slammed his boot onto the tile. “That is quite enough! I grow tired of the two you constantly bickering like old hags. Now if the both of you can’t get along, then I’ll be forced to drag you around by your tails…IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN! Do I make myself clear?”

Both mares shuffled their hooves and looked at the ground. “Y-yes…”

“I want you both to act like adults and apologize to each other. The three of us can then have a long talk about our respective cultures, to clear up any misconceptions.”

Lyra scrunched her nose. “But she started…”

“Ahhh no back talk! Apology now!”

Both mares grumbled a halfhearted apology to one another and started their trek back to Lyra’s apartment. While Gaius wasn’t completely convinced that they were truly sorry, it was better than the two of them being at each other’s throats. As they were walking past a flower stall, the Roman suddenly started to get a nasty headache. This was distressing to him, because he had been so relaxed earlier so there wasn’t any reason for him to have to one right now.

He paused for a moment to try and get his bearings, which alerted his companions that something was wrong. Lyra stopped as well and started asking him a few questions, but the odd thing was…he couldn’t understand a word she was saying. All that came out of her mouth was the familiar sound of short whinnies. He tried telling that his head hurt but she only stared at him with a confused look, then he blacked out.

Lyra’s Apartment, Ponyville

Lyra and Chrysalis had put their bickering aside when they noticed how pained their human friend looked. They had to carry him the rest of the way back after he collapsed. Her translation spell had finally worn off and came with some nasty side effects. She knew this would happen eventually but hadn’t expected it to cause her human tenant so much pain. Perhaps it was because his body was so unused to magic, that using such a potent spell caused a magical backlash of sorts. Unsure of what to do, the mare buried her face in her hooves.

“What do I do? I can’t very well use another translation spell that would hurt him. Plus I don’t think I have enough energy to cast it so soon anyway. Oooohh what if permanently damaged his brain? Damn it, I got overexcited to help and screwed everything up!”

Chrysalis awkwardly placed her hoof on Lyra’s back. “Ehh I’m sure you didn’t cause any serious damage. Besides, I have an idea that might be able to help him. But we need to heal his headache first; otherwise he might actually incur some brain damage.”

“Umm…ok. I think I have some pills in the medicine cabinet. They’re actually supposed to be for magic hangovers, but they should do the trick.”

Chrysalis gasped when she found the bottle. “By the creator! These are medical grade narcotics! Why in Equestria would you need such potent drugs for a mere magical hangover?”

“Well you see…I don’t really have a huge reservoir of magic so I get really bad headaches if I overexert myself. I used to take regular aspirin but it never really helped much, so I had to get the strong stuff.”

“We can’t possibly give the human any of these, there’s no telling what kind of havoc they might create to his physiology. You go get him some water and I’ll try and heal his headache with my magic.”

About twenty minutes later, Chrysalis had finally managed to get rid of Gaius’s crippling headache. While most of his needs could be understood through gestures, it was paramount that he be able to speak with them. With a heavy sigh, Chrysalis began to channel magic towards the Roman’s head. His unconscious form flinched slightly but didn’t resist otherwise.

“What are you doing to him?”

“I’m applying a more permanent solution to his communication problem. Essentially, I’m trying to establish a mind meld with the human so that he can gain all of my knowledge on the Equestrian language, amongst other things.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if it doesn’t work, I mean he certainly isn’t a changeling.”

“Trust me, it shall work. I’ve performed such melds with many different partners, some of whom weren’t changelings. Unfortunately, it’s very taxing on me because I also receive information from his mind as well.”

“Oh…so that’s why you’re blushing?”

Chrysalis chuckled. “That’s certainly part of it. However, I must add that this sort of thing is considered a VERY intimate act in my culture. Changeling couples generally do this to increase the intensity of their relationship both emotionally and…physically.”

“Whoa that’s actually pretty neat. I had no idea you guys could do that. But I’m more surprised you’d be willing to do that for him, since he isn’t exactly your stallion-friend or anything.”

“No he isn’t but that doesn’t change that fact that this is the most expedient solution to our problem. Urrghh some of his memories are quite violent, even for my own tastes. Wait a moment is that a human female? Those teats look like the udders of a cow! Their girth would only serve to get in the way with all that bouncing around. Why is she…oh…well that’s interesting. Hmm I’ll have to ask about that later.”

“What? What is it you’re seeing? I wanna know!”

“Some sort of human mating ritual. It certainly is entertaining to watch, if a bit odd.”

Lyra blushed. “Y-you shouldn’t be watching that. That’s supposed to be private.”

“As I told you before, this process is the exact opposite of private. It does not have filters of any kind. If it makes you feel any better, he can see all of the times I’ve mated.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?”

Chrysalis waved her hoof. “Not particularly. I live off of love my dear and part of love is lust. If we treated sex like you ponies do, we’d starve to death. I still don’t understand why you get so embarrassed, when it’s such a natural process.”

“But you treat it like it’s no big deal. It’s supposed to be something that you do with your special somepony and you make it sound so cheap and hollow…”

“Pfft such old fashioned notions! Sure, sex can be an act of affection but it’s also pretty damn fun. You put it such a high pedestal that…hold on a second. You’ve never had sex before have you?”

Lyra fiddled with her hooves. “….no.”

“Hmm you certainly aren’t that bad looking. So why no stallion? I suspect you simply lack the social skills, if your performance at the spa was any indication.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Sadly, yes. Luckily you have me around to teach you how to attract stallions, mares, or any other kind of creature you desire. Consider it an apology for my behavior earlier.”

“O-ok if there’s time, I might take you up on your offer.”

Chrysalis grinned. “Now there’s a good mare.”

Gaius awoke feeling much better than he had before. Although he had some rather strange dreams, mostly involving the changeling queen. Ironically, the very same mare was sitting next to the couch he was lying on with a huge grin on her face.

It was hard for him to admit but he felt really awkward around her right now, considering that parts of his dream involved her in some rather…compromising positions. Gaius shrugged mentally and passed it off as merely an odd dream.

“How long was I out?”

“Not terribly long.”

“Oh well that’s…wait, I can understand you again! How is this possible?”

Chrysalis nonchalantly blew on her hoof. “You and I shared a mind meld. It’s all very complicated changeling magic so I won’t bore you with the details, but rest assured you are now fluent in Equestrian.”

“A mind meld…that sounds so bizarre.”

“It’s simple; we shared all of our knowledge and memories with each other. I know of the human world now and you know of my past.”

“Huh…so when I saw you in those dreams, that was actually your memories?”

“Mhmm and I bet you saw some interesting things. Oh and by the way, I just so happened to see a few interesting things myself. You are a fascinating creature, Gaius Septimus.”

Duas Aquilas.

Chapter 7

Lyra’s apartment, Ponyville

Gaius sat on the couch trying to sort through all the memories he had just experienced during the mind meld with Chrysalis. While it was true that he had seen some of them as a sort of lucid dream while he was unconscious, he now was seeing them unravel in his mind in sporadic bursts. He hoped that this wasn’t something permanent because it was extraordinarily distracting. Fortunately for Gaius, someone was knocking at the door, allowing him to at least focus on something.

Lyra quickly opened the door and found several members of the Apple family standing outside. While she knew of Applejack and her filly relatives, she couldn’t say that she was friends with any of them. Try as she might, Lyra couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. After all, why would AJ want to visit her?

AJ smiled. “Howdy Lyra! Do ya mind if we come in for a bit?”

“Oh…yeah sure come on in. Sorry I’m not used to getting visitors, especially from the Apple family. What brings you by?”

“I’ll be honest with ya; it was all Bloom’s idea. She and her cousin wanted to visit the human so they could properly thank ‘im. Heh…they even went and baked an apple pie. As for me, I’m just along for the ride.”

“I’m sure Gaius will appreciate the pie but just be gentle around him. He’s not feeling too good right now.”

“Oh no, what’s wrong with ‘im? Is he sick or somethin’?”

“He’s experiencing some side effects from a spell. Hopefully a little rest will make them go away.”

AJ poked Lyra in the chest. “You unicorns and yer damned magic! Y’all don’t ever realize how dangerous that stuff might be to us plain folk.”

“Look…I know you deeply distrust magic but he’s ok for now. I promise that I’ll be more careful in the future. You know I wouldn’t intentionally hurt him.”

“Fine, just don’t be doin’ anythin’ rash sugarcube.”

Despite her trepidation with magic, AJ couldn’t help but chuckle as she saw her sister and Babs practically topple the poor human over with hugs. It bothered AJ that he looked like he was about to throw up, if his pale complexion was anything to go by. But he still managed to pat both of the fillies on the head despite himself. Once he gathered his bearings, the fillies presented him with a still steaming apple pie. Gaius merely stared at the pastry in confusion.

“I’m sorry but what is this?”

“It’s an apple pie silly! Babs and ah baked it ourselves with an old family recipe. C’mon go ahead and take a bite.”

“Apple pie? I can’t say I’m familiar with that particular dish. It certainly smells good.”

Babs grinned. “Nopony makes ‘em better! I’m sure you’ll like it.”

The pasty was already sliced into eight equal sections, making it easier to eat. Gaius picked up a slice, giving it an experimental nibble. It was unlike anything he had ever tasted. The crust was light and buttery, while the inside tasted of apples and a faint hint of cinnamon. How did these ponies afford such expensive spices to flavor their food? The cinnamon alone was worth its weight in gold, making it affordable to only the richest of Rome’s citizens.

Gaius eyed the rest of the pie with hungry eyes, wanting more but felt guilty for not sharing. As a soldier he often had to get by on meager portions of food. It really wasn’t a good idea to gorge one’s self before a battle or even during normal encampment routines. Such gluttony only led to severe vomiting and crippling stomach cramps. Besides, he truly enjoyed the fillies’ company and didn’t mind sharing.

AJ noticed his pensive look and frowned with concern. “What’s wrong sugarcube? Is the pie not to yer likin’?”

“Oh no…well it’s actually quite delicious. I just feel guilty having it all to myself, considering how much effort it must have taken to prepare it.”

“Effort? Ah don’t quite follow.”

“Surely such a fine pastry must have taken quite some time to prepare. Not only that, but the ingredients must have cost a small fortune! I am but a simple soldier, undeserving of such rare and expensive cuisine.”

All three of the Apples stared at each other and laughed. Babs had it the worst though, as she rolled around the floor trying not to suffocate herself. Of the three AJ regained her composure the quickest and once she did, the mare gave Gaius a reassuring pat on the arm.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Nah, it ain’t that. Ya don’t have to worry about puttin’ us in the poor house, ‘cause apple pies are easy to make. In fact, we make ‘em all the time and sell ‘em for profit.”

“You mean to tell me that such delicacies are commonplace in Equestria?”

“They most certainly are…well at least the apple pies anyway. Although ah reckon you might be able to get Pinkie to make ya some more sweets, if ya asked her nice enough.”

“No, I meant the spices you use. Apples were common in my world but the cinnamon; oh no that was quite a luxury. Why one libra of it would cost nearly ten month’s labor!”

AJ cocked her brow in confusion. “What in tarnation is a libra? And where did you get the notion that spices cost so much? Ah can go right into Ponyville and get ‘em at the market.”

“It is a form of measurement in my world, equivalent to your pound. But never mind that. Are you saying that ponykind cultivates so much cinnamon that even the common folk can afford it!?”

“Uhh well…yeah ah guess. From what ah understand it ain’t real hard to grow. In fact, mah cousins down south own a farm that has a few acres of cinnamon trees.”

“I know that my reaction must seem strange to you but cinnamon is a very expensive and difficult spice to obtain in my world. It is something that only the wealthy can afford in most cases. Despite its commonality here, I very much appreciate the pasty all of you made me. It was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted.”

“That’s good to hear and ah think you might have earned some brownie points with Bloom and Babs today. Heh…just be lucky you’re not a colt, otherwise they might’ve taken a fancy to you.”

Both of the fillies blushed heavily, rubbing their hooves together. Rather than feel awkward about the situation, Gaius found it endearing. They reminded him somewhat of his daughter. Once he finished another slice of pie, he scooped them both up in his arms and gave them a fatherly embrace.

“Thank you both. Now is there anyone else here who wants some pie?”

Chrysalis shifted her gaze over to Gaius and the two fillies. She noted with a smirk, that they were practically oozing affection towards the human. If she were in that position, they would have been sucked dry of every delicious little morsel of emotion. But she wasn’t really in a position to do so, it would reveal her secret. She decided to focus on the pie instead. While Chrysalis didn’t particularly enjoy pony cuisine, she had to admit that the pie certainly smelled good. Perhaps one slice wouldn’t hurt…

Apple Bloom scampered over to Chrysalis. “Ah don’t believe I’ve ever seen you before. Mah name’s Apple Bloom, are you new in town or somethin’?”

Oh how lovely, yet another rambunctious filly to deal with. "Yes, you could say that. I’m Lyra’s cousin, Chrysanthemum and I’m going to be staying here for a while. Call me Chrissy if you wish.”

Chrysalis was a bit annoyed when Apple Bloom didn’t immediately reply. The filly seemed to be intently staring at her flank for some reason. Didn’t her parents ever teach her that ogling another mare’s flank was rude? She certainly was old enough to know better. The changeling was about to retort, when Apple Blooms eyes sparkled with a mixture of excitement and giddiness.

“OH MAH GOSH! You don’t have your cutie mark yet do ya?”

“Ehh, well of course not. I’m just a filly, you know.”

“Babs, Sweetie and ah don’t either. Hey would you happen to wanna join our club? It’s all sorts o’ fun and we have our own clubhouse. We all help each other get our cutie marks. So what do ya say? Are ya interested?”

Chrysalis mentally sighed. “I’ve already met your friend Sweetie and she approached me with a similar offer. I suppose I’ll join, considering how bored I am right now. But before we do anything, I must have a piece of pie.”

Despite the lack of nutritional value she gained from it, Chrysalis had to admit that the pie was quite good. No wonder Gaius was so forthcoming with his compliments. Unfortunately this brought her mind to the current crisis she faced. At some point she would need emotions to feed on or else she’d face starvation. Certainly the ponies wouldn’t want to share any of theirs, not after the whole Canterlot fiasco.

After a few moments she found her thoughts gravitating towards the human and the interesting memories he had given her. Would he be willing to share some of his emotions with her? If so, then how would she go about extracting them? So far, she had detected only faint wisps of affection raiding off of him…but they were projected towards the fillies. Affection could be filling but only if it was concentrated, like when she brainwashed Shining Armor to give her what Cadence would have received.

Her other option was to make these supposed “Cutie Mark Crusaders” believe she was their friend in order to gain affection from them. While it wasn’t technically stealing, it was still deceptive and Chrysalis felt that she would not only provoke the pony’s ire but that of the human’s as well. She would have to earn their affection through genuine friendship...as much as it annoyed her. Sometimes doing the right thing was such a pain in the flank.

Babs smiled. “Don’t worry Chrissy, I think you’ll fit right in! Oh and we’ll make you a cool cape too so we can all have matching uniforms when we go crusading!”

“Hooray! I get to wear some ridiculous cape. I can hardly contain my excitement.”

Meanwhile, AJ took off her hat and began to grip its edges. It was a nervous habit she had developed when she had to ask for help or if she felt she was deceiving somepony. While it was true that she came over to help deliver the pie, she also wanted to ask Gaius for a favor. It felt wrong to her because she already owed him so much. During summer the apple trees needed to be trimmed in preparation for the fall harvest.

It was quite a daunting task for two ponies and under normal circumstances she would have asked some of her cousins to help out. Sadly most of them were busy with their own ventures at the moment, so that left her with the option of outsourcing. She noted that the human had a significant height advantage compared to ponies, which would allow him to reach branches that were higher up. Furthermore, he had hands as opposed to hooves. His increased dexterity would certainly help speed things up as well. And so with a nervous gulp she prodded the human’s shoulder with her hoof.

“Hey Gaius, ah was wonderin’ if ah might ask you somethin’.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“This ain’t real easy for me to say but…ah need some help back at the farm. Normally ah wouldn’t ask anypony but mah cousins to help, however they’re all busy right now. Granny’s too old to be of much help and Bloom doesn’t have the stamina yet. So, it’s just Mac and ah who do most of the field work. The apple trees need trimmed and ah was sorta hopin’ that you’d lend us a hand?”

“Hmm…I was never really much of a farmer but I suppose I could help. Of course, I’m going to need payment for my services.”

AJ’s ears flattened. “O-of course but I can’t really offer you too much in the way of bits right now, since it’s so early in the summer. We haven’t gotten much of our produce stock out to market yet. But ah guess ah could scrounge somethin’ up.”

Gaius chuckled. “I wasn’t talking about coin, silly mare! I’m more interested in sampling more of your fine cuisine. Tell you what, how about I come over and work today and you provide dinner. How’s that sound?”

“Oh well that sounds like a square deal to me. Ah reckon Granny wouldn’t mind cookin’ up some extra grub. Consider yourself hired!”

Apple Bloom trotted over to her sister. “Is he gonna be over for supper? Can ah invite Chrissy too? Oh and then we can all have a sleep over at the clubhouse!”

“Ah suppose that wouldn’t hurt anythin’ but y’all better not cause a ruckus with all o’ that crusader business. Otherwise, none of ya will be eatin’ supper.”

Both Babs and Bloom gave her their most innocent smiles. “Ok, we’ll be good.”

Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville

Gaius walked through the west orchard with Applejack trotting alongside. He had to admit that he was impressed by how large the farm actually was. Even more impressive was the fact that these ponies didn’t have the natural dexterity that humans did, but they did at least have farming tools. The two fillies (plus one changeling) had decided to come along and help with what they could. Bloom and Babs were more than happy to help but Chrysalis stared blankly at all the trees, letting out a dejected sigh. Clearly she was out of her element.

Apple Bloom nudged her shoulder. “What’s wrong Chrissy?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Ah bet ah can! Why? Don’t ya think I’m old enough or somethin’?”

“No…it isn’t that. It’s just that, I’m not really used to this whole manual labor thing.”

“You’re starting to sound like Rarity but ah guess it must be a unicorn thing. Look if ya aren’t comfortable with getting’ you’re hooves dirty, then you can just use your magic. Babs and ah don’t mind.”

“Ugghh I guess so. I can’t believe I’m being forced to do this. Such work is meant for dro—errm I mean dependable colts.”

“You ain’t bein’ forced to do anythin’ Chrissy and why would you think fillies can’t do this sort o’ thing?”

“Excuse me for having a more romantic view of the world!”

Babs stomped her hooves on the ground. “C’mon girls! There’s no reason for us to be arguing. If Chrissy doesn’t wanna do the dirty stuff, then we can do it. She can help us move the clippings basket with her magic instead.”

With a low grumble Chrysalis accepted her fate, levitating a small wicker basket as the group moved from tree to tree. Applejack had taken it upon herself to carry a small ladder so that Gaius could reach the topmost branches. Once they had completed an entire row of trees, Gaius noticed a burly, red stallion slowly make his way towards Applejack. He too was carrying a wicker basket full of clippings strapped onto his back. Upon seeing this new stallion, both Apple Bloom and AJ ran up to him and gave him affectionate nuzzles. Gaius climbed down the ladder and approached the stallion with caution.

“Hello my name is Gaius and who might you be?”

“Name’s Mac. I’m AJ and Bloom’s brother. Are you the fella who’s supposed to be helpin’ out ‘round the orchards?”

“That is correct. Have you been working on that entire row of trees all by yourself?”

“Eeyup.”

“I can’t even imagine how tiring that must be. Back in my world such work would take the combined effort of several farmers and a few hours labor. Aren’t you exhausted?”

“Mmnope. Used to it ah guess. Ah can tell you’re a hard worker just by your muscles. Ah don’t mean any offence to ya but we earthponies are known for our stamina, so ah reckon you’d never be able to do all that on your own.”

Gaius chuckled. “None taken. Even the horses from my world had far more stamina than any man. How many more rows of trees do all of you intend to complete?”

“Hmm, I’d say about two more. It’ll probably be dinner time by then. Eeyup I’m sure of it, judgin’ by the position o’ the sun.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re going to have to put your dinner plans on hold.”

The entire group fixed their attention towards the mysterious new speaker. On top of one of the apple trees sat a rather large griffon, busy filing his claws. His feathers were snow white and his lower half was also white, but covered in leopard spots. He was clad in a black colored leather coat, complete with a multitude of pouches. While griffons weren’t unheard of in Equestria, what made this one stand out were his eyes. One of them was slate grey, while the other was completely aquamarine and lacked any kind of pupil.

AJ dug her hooves into the ground. “Who are you and what is your business here?”

“Tsk tsk, there’s no need to be rude fräulein, I’m only here on business. Aaand that business doesn’t concern the Apple family.”

“Well would ya at least tell us your name?”

The griffon bowed. “But of course! My name is Siegfried von Messerschnabel, but you pony-folk may call me Sigs.”

“It’s not like griffons come ‘round these parts often, so what brings ya here?”

“As I said earlier, I’m not interested in ponies whatsoever. I’m what you would call a soldier of fortune. I hunt things for a living. My investigation has led me to Ponyville, where I believe a changeling might be lurking about.”

“There ain’t any changelings ‘round these parts. Princess Cadence and Twi’s brother kicked ‘em all out a couple o’ years ago.”

Sigs chuckled. “So you were led to believe. Do you see this special eye that I have? I obviously wasn’t born with it, I…obtained it a few years ago. It is a changeling’s eye that allows me to see through their illusions and track them. I won’t go into the details of how it was implanted, but suffice to say it was painful.”

“Ah don’t understand…who would put you up to huntin’ those varmints down?”

“Mostly the nobles in Canterlot, but I’ve had other clients. They fear another invasion and rightly so. Those shape-shifting cockroaches can’t be trusted, especially with their queen still on the loose.”

AJ’s eyes widened in shock. “Queen Chrysalis is s-still around!?”

“Ja, I’m afraid it’s true. In fact, I believe she is near…so very near. Tell me, what do you know of that little unicorn filly over there? She just recently came into town did she not?”

“Umm, well ah guess so. You’d have to ask Gaius, since he’s been with more than ah have.”

“Gaius? Oh you must be referring to the affenmensch, with the odd armor. Since that certainly isn’t any name I’ve ever heard used around this region. He certainly is an odd looking creature but I am not here to hunt him.”

Gaius unsheathed his gladius. “You’d best choose your words carefully hybrid. I’m not some lowly creature to be trifled with.”

“A feisty one eh? I like that. Tell me affenmensch, what do you know of the unicorn?”

“She is the cousin of the mare I’m currently staying with.”

“I’d like to believe you. I really would…but this eye of mine never lies. All I see is a changeling queen, not a little black filly. I have no quarrel with you, so long as you give her to me. If you choose to protect her, then I can assure you that my talons will receive an ample amount of exercise.”

Apple Bloom nudged Gaius’s leg. “Mr. Gaius, is all of that true? Is Chrissy really a changeling?”

“She is, but now isn’t the time to discuss this. Make sure that you stay behind your brother and sister, I don’t want this griffon to harm you or Chrissy.”

“O-ok but make sure ya don’t get hurt.”

Sigs cracked his talons. “So you have chosen the hard way? Very well then. I can’t promise that your death will be quick or painless. Who knows, maybe your hide will fetch a nice price on the market.”

Sanguinem et Ignem

Chapter 8

Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville

Gaius gripped the pommel of his gladius tightly, as he often did before battle. In barely a whisper he offered a prayer to Mars, to give him the strength to overcome his foes and to protect the innocent from harm. The Roman gnashed his teeth, thinking of how to best deal with a foe that had the ability of flight. While it was true that some men would hunt birds with a bow, he had never learned how. The only projectile weapon he was even remotely adept with was the pilum, which he lacked at the moment. This also reminded him that he was missing his shield. At some point he’d have to ask Lyra if there were any blacksmiths in town to rectify his situation.

The griffon’s wings would need to be disabled or at the very least, he needed to keep the creature close to the ground. But how would he go about doing that? Gaius looked around and remembered they were in an orchard. The trees of course! They would help him corner the hybrid. Birds could hop from branch to branch and would not be encumbered by them, but the griffon was far larger. Surely the branches and leaves would encumber his ability to take off. All Gaius had to do was make sure he stayed near the trees and avoid any open space. With a few flaps and feline-like pounce, the griffon positioned himself in a fighting stance.

Sigs licked the outside of his beak. “So you use ein Kurzschwert hmm? I can’t say I’m surprised. Those stubby fingers of yours could barely rip apart a piece of fruit, let alone rend flesh. Allow me to show how a true predator hunts!”

The griffon’s hind legs released like a coiled spring, as he lunged at Gaius with his extended talons. Gaius sidestepped in an attempt to doge the attack and managed to avoid any serious injury but a few seconds later he felt a stinging sensation along his left arm. The cut wasn’t very deep because he had only been grazed; however it was still too close for comfort in Gaius’s opinion. The griffon lunged at him again, but this time he was ready. He slid underneath Sigs and delivered a solid kick to the hybrid’s genitals. The griffon was so shocked that he ended up slamming himself, head-first into the trunk of a nearby apple tree.

Gaius smirked. “You forgot about my stubby feet.”

The griffon picked himself up and staggered a bit before regaining his composure. With a primal screech he flew at full speed, delivering a kick of his own to Gaius’s chest. The roman was knocked back a few feet, subsequently losing the grip on his gladius as well. While chainmail was good for deterring slash wounds, it did little to cushion against blunt force impacts. However, that didn’t mean Gaius wasn’t used to such trauma. He didn’t know where his gladius went, so he thought it best to lure the griffon to him and make it appear as if he was helpless. Once the griffon got close enough, he would attack with bare fists to disable the creature and then look for his gladius.

Sigs sauntered over to Gaius’s “helpless” form. “You certainly know how to fight dirty affenmensch! But such is the nature of weak creatures. They hide under layers of armor to protect their feeble bodies and resort to cowardly tactics, in order to achieve victory. I shall enjoy skinning you.”

Without warning Gaius slammed his elbow right into the griffon’s beak. Sigs screamed in pain and surprise as Gaius grabbed him by the neck and pinned him to the ground. The centurion was strong, but only by human standards. A griffon, on the other hand, had the muscle mass equivalent to that of a lion on earth. Once Sigs regained his composure he delivered a brutal head-butt, sending the human into a nearby tree trunk.

While Gaius was certainly dazed, he still had enough wherewithal to realize that his gladius was lying next to the tree. With the sword firmly in hand, he looked around to find his foe. Gaius swore under his breath, desperately searing for his winged foe but the griffon was nowhere to be found. When he heard a little filly scream at the top of her lungs, his blood froze.

Sigs had managed to fly all the way over to the barn, where the rest of the ponies were hiding. In his claws was none other than Apple Bloom, desperately trying to escape the griffon’s grasp. As soon as Gaius came charging at him with his sword, Sigs merely took off and landed on top of the barn waggling one of his talons.

“Ah ah, I wouldn’t be so hasty if I were you. If my concentration were to be interrupted for even a split second, I might accidently slit the poor Mädchen’s throat. You don’t want to get blood all over that beautiful yellow coat of hers, would you?”

Gaius lowered his gladius. “Leave her out of this! She has nothing to do with your bounty.”

“Perhaps not, but I don’t ever play fair. I’m a mercenary not some law abiding soldier. Honor is overrated in my opinion and rarely does it leave me with a full coin purse.”

Meanwhile, Big Mac struggled to keep AJ restrained as she tried to attack the griffon. “LET ME AT ‘EM! I’ll teach that lousy piece o’ bird shit not to mess with mah sister. You hear that! You’re lucky mah brother is here or I’d break every little bone in your scrawny hide and then fillet you alive!”

Sigs petted Apple Bloom. “It’s so touching to see family that cares for each other. Too bad my own childhood consisted of beatings from my worthless alcoholic father. Ah but do not fret, I made sure he suffered a painful death. There’s nothing like being buried up to your neck in sand and left to die in the hot, unforgiving desert. I often wonder. Did the vultures devour his carcass? HA! The irony of a bird of prey being devoured by a BIRD OF PREY! Hahahaha!”

AJ’s hot tears stained the ground. “You’re nothin’ but a monster.”

“But a monster that survives, dear fräulein. You have one last chance ponies, give me the changeling or the filly dies. You have thirty seconds to decide. Choose wisely.”

Gaius threw his gladius into the ground, growling in frustration. He had underestimated the depths of depravity Sigs was willing to go, to achieve his goals. Now he was equal parts conflicted and angry. Two lives were in the balance: Both Chrysalis and Apple Bloom. On the one hand he felt that it was wrong to let this monster capture Chrysalis, even if she had a tumultuous past. She deserved a second chance, just like anyone else. Then there was Apple Bloom. She was only a filly, an innocent that had her whole life ahead of her. He couldn’t live with himself if he lost another child…one was enough. Before he could contemplate any further, a little black unicorn filly stepped out of the barn.

“Release the filly and I will subject myself to your custody.”

Sigs grinned. “An intelligent decision on your part. My patron will be very pleased to see your carcass at his hooves. Although…there is one other matter I must attend to.”

Sigs rummaged through one of the many pockets of his jacket and fished out a long tube, along with two feathered darts. He inserted them both into the tube and fired a dart at Chrysalis’s neck. Immediately, the world around her began to swirl and her body felt as though it were made of stone. She stumbled forward, shoving her muzzle straight into the dirt. The changeling frantically tried to summon her magic but her horn only fizzled. She could still feel her mouth but when she spoke, a small strand of saliva oozed down her neck.

“W-what….have….y-you done…t-to me?”

“I have merely incapacitated you for the moment. The dart I fired into your neck is made from the ground roots of the Tongo Tree. It is a type of tree native to Zebrica and is a powerful paralyzing agent. But the most curious thing about is that it also seems to restrict the flow of magic, particularly in unicorns. It works just as well on changelings.”

“Do…you…intended…to…k-kill me?”

Sigs landed next to Chrysalis. “No, my employer specifically wanted you alive for some reason. A far more difficult task but not impossible. As to what he wants to do with you…well that’s anyone’s guess.”

“Fine…but…let…the filly…g-go.”

“Oh yes, how rude of me! You may have her back if…YOU CAN CATCH HER!”

Sigs threw Apple Bloom against a nearby tree. The impact was strong enough to break one of her legs, as evident by her heavy sobs. Applejack galloped towards Apple Bloom as fast as her hooves could carry her, while Gaius grabbed his gladius and charged at the griffon. Gaius rammed Sigs into a tree, which broke one of his wings with a sickening snap. While the hybrid was momentarily stunned by the pain, Gaius plunged his sword straight into the meat of the griffon’s shoulder. In response, Sigs jammed his remaining dart into Gaius’s leg and gave the human a quick punch to the chest for good measure.

Gaius, like Chrysalis, began to feel the poison’s effects almost immediately. But the one thing that he had going for that Chrysalis didn’t was the sheer amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins. This served to only slow the poison’s effects, but it was enough to keep him on his feet.

Sigs clutched his injured shoulder. “You certainly are a persistent little bastard, I’ll give you that. However, it won’t be long until the Tongo root starts to affect your body. Then and only then, will I kill you.”

“You coward…”

“Again, what’s with everyone being obsessed with honor? I am injured and you are a strong and skilled opponent. It would be suicide for me to attack you as I am. Don’t despair though; at least your precious ponies are still alive.”

With on final burst of fury, Gaius plunged his gladius into the griffon’s neck. Sigs’s eyes widened in surprise as he let out a final, gurgling croak. As soon as body hit the ground, Gaius picked up his sword once more and began to savagely mutilate the corpse. The ponies watched in horror as their human friend worked himself into a frenzy, coating himself and the grass in blood. Gaius screamed at the top of lungs as he slashed the desecrated corpse one final time. After that, the poison guided him into sweet, unconscious bliss.

Arretium, The Roman Empire

Gaius awoke to the smell of lilacs and the feel a midsummer’s gentle breeze. He rose out of bed and slipped on a white tunic and began to pour himself a goblet of wine. As he was enjoying his wine, he heard the sound of the sheets rustling behind him. Gaius smiled when he felt his wife’s arms wrap around his chest.

“Ah good morning Florentia, I trust you slept well?”

“Mhmm and you knew I would too. Especially after all the things we did last night.”

Gaius gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I do what I can.”

“Well I guess I better put something on before Alcmene walks in on us.”

“Do you really have to? I was beginning to enjoy the view…”

“We’ll have plenty of time for that tonight. Today is when she starts her tutoring; you know how important that is.”

“Oh right, I nearly forgot about that. Sorry.”

“It’s alright; I know you’ve been busy training recruits for the new campaign.”

Gaius rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes and they’re all going to excellent legionnaires but…it always saddens me knowing that some of them will die. I can’t imagine what you two would go through if something happened to me.”

Florentia took his and gripped it tightly. “Don’t think that way my love. Even if you die out there, in the frontier, you have provided us a bounty to live off of. You are a wonderful husband and a loving father and I will always carry that in my heart, even if you are no longer with me.”

“Thank you Florentia I…”

Gaius was interrupted when a six year old girl padded her way across the tile floor. He knelt to one knee and wrapped the girl in a bone crushing hug.

“Papa!”

“How’s my little sunflower doing?”

“Good. Did you know that I start my tutoring today?”

Gaius chuckled. “Yes, your mother told me. I hear that your teacher is all the way from Athens. You should consider yourself lucky; Athens has some of the brightest minds in the world.”

“Papa…are you going away again? I remember the last time you left and Momma got really sad. I don’t want you to leave, ‘cause I get really sad too.”

“Alcmene, I know it makes the both of you sad but it’s my duty. When the emperor calls, I must answer.”

Alcmene crossed her arms. “I don’t care about duty…or whatever that is. I just want you here, with us!”

“Think of it this way: I’m a big, strong, soldier that protects you right?”

“Umm…yeah.”

“Well I get to be a big, strong, soldier to everybody else in the empire too. Don’t you want everyone else to be safe too?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s not so bad. But promise me you’ll come back soon?”

Gaius patted her head. “I’ll try my best sunflower. Now why don’t you scamper off to the kitchen and get some breakfast. You can’t study on an empty stomach, after all.”

Once Alcmene went into the kitchen, Gaius turned his back to his wife. She was sitting on the bed gently brushing her long, curly brown hair. He went to place his hand on her shoulder and noticed that her skin was hotter than coals in a fire. It was very strange because her skin didn’t appear abnormal whatsoever. All of the sudden, the entire room began to feel like he was inside an oven.

Gaius looked around frantically to find to source of his discomfort but everything in the villa seemed normal. That is, until everything began to catch on fire. Within seconds the entire villa was engulfed in a hellacious inferno that threatened to burn everyone alive. He turned to his wife to grab her arm and found that her entire body was consumed by flames. She merely turned around and stared at him with horrible, semi-molten eyes.

“What’s wrong my love?”

Gaius stumbled to the floor with a scream of panic, only to see his wife continue to comb her nearly non-existent hair, as if nothing was wrong. He nearly broke into hysterical sobbing when he saw Alcmene come out of the kitchen, flashing him a toothy grin from her burning skull. Why was everything like this? Was this his punishment for not being there when they perished in that terrible fire? The blaze around him held no answers, as he sank to his knees and let the flames consume him.

Lyra’s apartment, Ponyville

Gaius awoke with a scream, finding himself drenched in sweat. At some point, somebody had put him in a bed and bandaged his left arm. He also noticed that he was completely naked underneath the bed sheets. The dream had felt so real and some small part of him had wished that he had finally gone to Elysium to reunite with his wife and child. But he was back in Equestria now, apparently alive…and not so well. He took in a deep breath to try and calm himself, only to realize how dry his throat was. As luck would have it, a very tired looking Chrysalis stood in the doorway levitating a glass of water.

“You really should drink this. It isn’t very healthy to stay dehydrated.”

Gaius greedily chugged the water. “What happened?”

“You passed out from the poison, much like I did. Although it took you far longer to recover from it. I suspect that is because you metabolized it faster than I did.”

“How long have I been out?”

Chrysalis rubbed her chin. “About two days, give or take a few hours.”

“T-that long!? By the gods. What of Apple Bloom, how is she?”

“She has a broken leg but is otherwise ok.”

Gaius breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the little filly was ok. It still galled him that the mercenary had the nerve to treat her like she was nothing but a sack of trash. In the end, the griffon got his just desserts. Scum like him didn’t deserve to live.

“Where are all the other ponies?”

Chrysalis chuckled. “They’re probably all asleep, considering it’s the middle of the night. But you should probably thank that minty unicorn mare first, since she’s the one that bathed you and cleaned you up.”

“What about you? I know from our mind meld that you don’t need much sleep, but that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“Well I…wanted to thank you for saving my life. Nobody has ever cared about me like that before and…I-I feel as if I owe you some gratitude. If I had to stay here and look after you for another week, then I would’ve done it. So…ermm, thank you.”

“You’re welcome but there is no need to thank me. I was simply…”

Chrysalis placed the tip of her hoof on his mouth. “I don’t care. I’m going to be thankful and reward you, whether you like it or not. Just accept it, Gaius Septimus.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?”

“Oh I think you’ll like what I have to offer.”

Gaius looked in fascination as the changeling’s body was enveloped in green flames. As the flames dissipated, Chrysalis took on a completely new form. Before him stood a slender human female with shoulder length aquamarine hair. Her eyes were a deep emerald and her skin was a pale as the snow. To say that she was beautiful would have been like saying that Rome was a mere city. Chrysalis slowly climbed into the bed and positioned herself behind Gaius, pushing her soft breasts into his back while laying her head on his shoulder.

Gaius swallowed hard. “W-what are you doing?”

The queen giggled and drew lazy circles in his chest with her fingers. “I’m letting you fuck me. I thought that was obvious at this point. You haven’t had a female companion in some time right? I know you don’t want to lay those silly little ponies, so I’m offering you an alternative.”

“I mean, are you sure this is what you want? I’m not even a pony myself so…”

“Oh please! I’m a changeling. I’ve fucked far stranger creatures than you. It’s not as if I’ve restricted myself to being attracted to any single species. You might be some monkey creature but you’re not hard on the eyes…at least in my opinion.”

“That’s honestly…a bit surprising. I didn’t think you were attracted to me at all.”

Chrysalis kissed his neck. “Oh I wasn’t, at least not initially. But saving a mare’s life earns you quite a few points on the affection scale.”

“I’m not really sure how I feel about this.”

“You don’t have to feel anything about it. Just accept and enjoy. You get laid and I get some lust energy, everybody wins!”

Gratia

Chapter 9

Lyra’s Apartment, Ponyville

Chrysalis had to admit that her human form felt strange. It wasn’t because she now walked on two legs; she had done so before while masquerading as a minotaur. No, what felt odd was the fact that her lack of fur increased her sense of touch dramatically. Under normal circumstances, she would have a layer of chitin covering her entire body. It was true that chitin was tactile, much like fur, but it was far duller than her new human skin. She marveled at every little sensation: the feel of the sheets, the subtle flow of air in the room and the warmth of Gaius’s skin against her own. But she wanted more. Hoping that Gaius would respond, she planted a gentle kiss along the side of his neck.

Gaius sighed. “Chrysalis, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but…I’m not sure I’m in the mood right now.”

“What’s wrong? Am I not attractive enough? Judging by your memories, I thought this form was appealing to your tastes…”

“It’s not that. You are, quite possibly, one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, then what’s wrong?”

“The nightmare I had…it disturbed me a great deal. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Chrysalis rubbed his shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it? I might not be able to help you very much, but at least I’ll listen.”

Gaius clenched his fists in frustration. Any red-blooded man would have ravished Chrysalis by now and yet…here he was thinking about that past, instead of letting this beautiful woman pleasure him. But the dream had been so vivid, so unnerving, and so very heart breaking. It reminded him once more that he had failed to be there for them. He had failed his duty as a husband and as a father, to protect his most treasured possessions from harm. Sympathy was often easy to come by but did those well-wishers truly comprehend what he had been through?

He was about to brush off the idea when he remembered that behind him was a woman (at least for the moment) who had suffered through incredible loss as well. Did she mourn the death of her children, as he did? Was it right to open up his heart to her?

“Yes, I do…eventually. But is that a responsibility you truly wish to bear?”

Chrysalis padded over to the window and placed her hand on it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, apparently lost in her own thoughts. Gaius himself was short of breath; as he witnessed a single beam of moonlight reflect off of her pale form. He felt a knot form in his stomach as he realized how agonizingly beautiful she was at that moment. She turned around slowly and smiled.

“I-I…think, no I am ready. For ill or better, I shall bear it. I owe you my life Gaius Septimus. Whatever pleasure I grant you this night is only but a small part of that debt. On my honor as a queen I swear I will offer you my shoulder to lean on, if ever you grow weary of this world or the last.”

Gaius also felt a warm smile spread across his lips. A few moments later he gently wrapped his arms around Chrysalis’s waist and rested his head upon her shoulder. The queen let out a surprised yelp but she eventually regained her senses and entwined her fingers with Gaius’s.

“Thank you Chrysalis, it means a great deal to me hearing you say that. Forgive me, but it has been some time since I’ve…been intimate with another woman. I will try my best to make this a pleasurable experience for you as well.”

Chrysalis used her free hand to stoke Gaius’s hair. “It’s been an eternity since I last sought genuine companionship. I had almost forgotten what it feels like…to be loved. True, I may have tricked others to love me in the past but that’s all it was…just a convenient trick. They never truly loved me for being me.”

Instead of answering with words, Gaius cupped his hand underneath her chin and guided her lips to his own. The queen hungrily accepted his kiss, immediately plunging her own tongue into his mouth, eager to explore its depths. After a minute of passionate tongue wrestling, Chrysalis broke off, leaving a thin strand of saliva between them. As she caught her breath the changeling noticed that Gaius had finally started to warm up to her. And so with a throaty chuckle she levitated a surprised Gaius onto the edge of the bed.

“Well now, it seems like somebody’s excited to see me. Whatever shall I do?”

He was about to answer but his reply came out as more of a grunt. Chrysalis held the middle of his shaft up with two fingers and began to slowly lick it from the base all the way to the tip. After feeling him shudder she gently lapped the head for time, until a small bead of pre-cum formed at the tip. With a satisfied giggle she grabbed the base with one hand as she took his length into her mouth. She started off slowly, working her way up to a faster pace until she made very audible slurping noises.

Gaius felt the familiar tension build up in his loins, until he could bear it no longer. He gripped the sheets beneath him tightly and gave a short gasp of release. Chrysalis immediately stopped bobbing her head and released him with a wet pop. She brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, giving Gaius a few moments to recover. She squeaked in surprise when he immediately began to fondle her left breast, which was accompanied by his tongue swirling around her nipple.

As a changeling, she didn’t have teats but she did experience the feeling of being played with while transformed as a mare. But nothing could have prepared her for the sensations she was feeling with her new human breasts. They were larger and had more nerve endings, making them much more sensitive to the touch. All the while she began to feel a familiar warmth build between her lips, driving her mad with desire. She waited until Gaius was finished suckling her and then she pushed him onto his back. Without preamble, she slowly lowered herself onto his throbbing cock. Chrysalis ground her hips at an ever increasing pace, going as fast she dared.

After a few minutes Gaius climaxed again, followed by her own a few seconds later. Both of them collapsed into a sweaty heap of jumbled limbs, tired but otherwise satisfied. Chrysalis laid her head on top of his chest as Gaius gently stroked her hair. He paused briefly to plant a kiss her on the forehead.

“Did you enjoy that, your majesty?”

Chrysalis giggled. “That was wonderful. It certainly bears repeating. But for now, let us snuggle….I’m exhausted.”

Gaius resumed stroking her hair and sure enough he heard light snoring. He was amazed how serene she looked while asleep; it was a stark contrast to what she looked like in her natural form. A thought occurred to him. He wasn’t really attracted to her changeling form at all. It was a rather shallow thought, but true none the less. Maybe, just maybe, she would be willing to stay in this form for him. Gaius frowned at how utterly selfish that was. But he couldn’t deny that it made him feel a little less lonely having another human around. Pushing such thoughts aside, he kissed her on the cheek one final time.

“Pleasant dreams, Chrysalis.”

Lyra awoke to the annoying chimes of her alarm clock. She slowly emerged from her warm cocoon of bed sheets, wishing she could sleep all day long. Sadly, she could not. A week from now she was due to perform a harp solo, as part of the Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra. And as with any official performances, she needed to dress professionally. Luckily, Ponyville had a resident fashonista who could whip up a ravishing ensemble on short notice. Lyra was never really one to leave things to the last minute, so she commissioned Rarity to make her dress a week ago. Today was the day the dress was supposed to be ready.

With a loud yawn she trotted into the bathroom to prepare for her eventual trip. She frowned at the mare that greeted her in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and had darkened bags underneath them. Lyra’s condition had much to do with her constantly fretting over the condition of her human roommate. She very nearly had a panic attack when Chrysalis showed up at her door, with Gaius slumped over her back. He had apparently fought some griffon and ended up not only getting poisoned but had a myriad of different injuries.

Chrysalis herself looked like she had been hit by a steam train and promptly collapsed as soon as Gaius was tended to. With nopony else around, Lyra took it upon herself to look after the two...much to her chagrin. Despite the difficulty with tending to their wounds, Lyra was grateful that they were both ok.

Casting her worries aside, the unicorn focused on brushing her teeth. Once she was satisfied that her mouth didn’t smell like rancid onions, she filled the sink with a bit of water and splashed it on her face in order to freshen up a bit. She checked herself in the mirror once more and realized that she still had horrible bed-mane.

Lyra rummaged through the cabinet, desperately trying to find her favorite mane brush but couldn’t find it. The brush was always in the bathroom, right next to the sink. So why wasn’t it there? After a few minutes of frustrated pacing, a thought occurred to her. She had used the brush while taking care of Gaius, so of course it wasn’t in the bathroom! It had been left in his room instead. She opened the door to Gaius’s room, quietly shuffling her hooves across the carpet.

It was rather dark in the room because the shades had been drawn so Lyra took it upon herself to open them just a bit, to let some light in. She was definitely not prepared for the sight that greeted her. Sprawled upon the bed was a very naked Gaius with an equally naked…human female? Lyra could only really assume it was a female, since she had never actually seen one before. Her assumptions were confirmed when it shifted its legs, revealing a very female portion of anatomy. Lyra felt like she had walked in on something she wasn’t supposed to see and all she wanted to do now was retrieve her brush and bolt out the door.

Sadly, fate had other plans for Lyra Heartstrings. Due to her state of haste, one of her hooves snagged on the carpet…which naturally resulted in a loud face plant straight into the floor. The disturbance was loud enough to rouse the pair of humans from their slumber.

Gaius yawned. “Lyra…what are you doing in here?”

“I-I…errrr…was getting my brush. The real question is what were YOU doing in here?”

“Sleeping, amongst other things.”

“More of the later than the former I presume.”

Rather than respond, Gaius walked over to the window and rolled his shoulder a few times. After popping his neck, he stood in front of Lyra with his arms crossed. The unicorn assumed that under normal circumstances his posture was intended to convey annoyance or maybe even some intimidation…but it achieved neither of those. The only purpose it served was to give Lyra an unobstructed view of his morning erection, which promptly turned the poor mare into a blushing, stuttering wreck.

“H-how can you even walk around l-like that!?”

Gaius raised his eyebrow. “I’m not sure what you mean…”

“Please don’t make me say it out loud. It’s too embarrassing. J-just…look down for a second.”

“I don’t see…oh. Well, I guess I better throw on a tunic.”

Lyra let out a frustrated growl as she levitated Gaius’s tunic straight at this face. “I’m going to Rarity’s place later today to get a dress and I think it would be in both of our best interests to get you some more clothes.”

“Ah yes, that sounds like a practical idea.”

Chrysalis in the meanwhile, had decided to get out of bed as well. As quietly as she could, she snuck up behind Lyra and pinched her cheeks. “Aww you’re no fun Lyra. I definitely prefer him naked, myself.”

“I should have known it was you Chrysalis. I expected to come in here and find Gaius resting but instead I found you two all over each other! He very nearly died and the first thing you thought to do when he woke up was to have sex with him? Ugghh! I don’t even know what to say…”

Chrysalis crossed her arms. “For your information, I asked his permission before I did ANYTHING…not that it’s any of YOUR business. What? Do you think I’m so terrible that I would rape a stallion in his sleep, just to get what I want!?”

“Well yeah. You did that with Shining Armor didn’t you? Who’s to say you wouldn’t do that to Gaius?”

“That’s…that was in the past. I admit that I’ve done some things I’m not proud of but I’m trying to change. I’m a different mare now. A-and…for the first time in ages I’ve actually come to care about someone…someone that cares for me in return. Your narrow minded judgment means nothing to me.”

“C’mon Gaius, let’s go to the boutique where a certain changeling won’t bother us.”

Chrysalis stomped over to the bathroom and slammed the door. “Go ahead and enjoy yourselves, I needed to take a bath anyway!”

The Equestrian Parliament Building, Canterlot

Blueblood idly tapped his hoof against the mahogany chair he was seated in. Once again he was bored out of his skull listening to yet another tax proposal. At least in the old days Princess Celestia had presided over such issues, but now Princess Sparkle was the one in charge. Yes, it was still boring when Celestia gave proposals but at least she would get to the point without having to go over all the excruciating little details. Princess Sparkle had been going on for two hours (with complete legal jargon) about how beneficial it was to offer tax breaks to farming operations.

Blueblood honestly didn’t care if some farmers got a few extra bits at the end of the day, he would still be wealthy regardless. Just as he was about to doze off, he heard something tapping on the window above. The stallion looked up to find a crow was tapping on the glass. The winged beast stared back at him and cocked its head towards the exit. Blueblood looked at the crow again, pointing his hoof in the direction of the exit and sure enough the crow nodded its head in confirmation. He snuck out of the parliament building as quietly as he could but was stopped by Fancy Pants, whom had been sitting next to him.

“Excuse me chap, but where are you headed off to?”

Blueblood rubbed his stomach. “I’m afraid that my lunch isn’t quite agreeing with me at the moment. I’ll try and return as soon as possible.”

“Hmm, I knew that dandelion pate was no good. I’m glad I didn’t eat it! Oh and I do hope you feel better.”

Blueblood nodded and made his way out to the courtyard. He found the crow perched on a small oak tree, preening its wings. After casting a few glances back and forth, he concluded that there was nopony else around to disturb him. He trotted up to the crow and cleared his throat.

“The coast is clear; you may assume your normal form.”

The crow’s body burst into green flames, revealing a changeling drone. “Oh thank you milord, I was growing quite anxious that somepony had begun to suspect me.”

“Never mind that. This had better be important Thorax; you interrupted me during a session of parliament.”

Thorax twiddled his hooves. “I-I’m afraid I have some potentially upsetting news.”

“And what, pray tell, would that be?”

“There’s really no easy way to put this…”

“C’mon out with it already! I don’t have all day to sit around watching you fumble about like some nervous school-filly.”

“R-right. Well you see milord; the griffon mercenary has been killed. I witnessed it myself.”

Blueblood grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. “WHAT!? Uggghh…I spent a mountain of bits paying that deranged mongrel to track down a simple changeling, just because he was supposed to be the best tracker in the Griffon Empire. And the fool got himself killed? Why is it so hard to find competent employees these days!?”

“Umm…it wasn’t a changeling that killed him milord. It was some strange armored monkey creature.”

“That sounds utterly ridiculous but I suppose that stranger things have happened. Thorax, please tell me that he AT LEAST found a changeling. That way I can feel like I spent those bits on something practical.”

“The griffon did indeed find a changeling. In fact, it appears to have been a queen. She could quite possibly be the one the empress was seeking.”

Blueblood cocked his eyebrow. “A queen you say? Her majesty did say one might be in the vicinity. Where did the mercenary happen to find her?”

“It was at Sweet Apple Acres, milord. However, I do not know if she is staying with Apple family or not.”

“Those damnable element bearers are always trying to meddle in my affairs. I already had to brush off that gorgeous unicorn at the Gala a few years ago. It took all of my willpower Thorax; she was a rather fetching piece of flank! But…I can’t risk having any of Celestia’s pets getting too close to me. Under no circumstances can they get wind of what we’re trying to achieve.”

“Of course milord. Shall I continue my surveillance of Ponyville?”

“Yes, that’s probably for the best. Notify me if you find either the queen or this monkey creature. As for now, I need to get back to my seat before I’m missed.”

Officium

Chapter 10

Carousel Boutique, Ponyville

Gaius accompanied a very irate Lyra as they stood in front of Rarity’s home and workshop. After knocking on the door, he noticed just how many strange noises were coming from the boutique. There was the usual clattering of hooves but also a strange clattering noise, as if someone was tapping a pebble against a wall. A few moments later Rarity swung open the door and gave Lyra a quick peck on the cheek.

“So nice to see you again Lyra, please come in. I’ve been expecting you. Oh…and you brought Mr. Septimus with you as well. I’ll be sure to make an extra cup of tea.”

Both Lyra and Gaius took a seat on a large maroon colored couch that looked like it belonged on a noble’s estate. The Roman couldn’t help but note how ridiculous the entire room looked. All of the garish colors and fabrics made it look the one of the emperor’s summer villas after a wild party. If this was how Rarity decorated her home, then did he really want her making clothes for him? Even if he wasn’t wild about her sense of home décor, the point still remained that if he wanted clothes, she was the only seamstress in the entire town.

Rarity trotted out a few moments later, levitating a silver tray with three porcelain cups and a varied assortment of cookies. Gaius looked at his cup in confusion, not really sure what exactly “tea” was. The steaming amber liquid smelled pleasant enough, almost like flowers. Perhaps it was some kind of mead he wasn’t aware of. Lyra had already started drinking out of her cup but Rarity paused and cocked her eyebrow.

“Mr. Septimus, is there something wrong?”

Gaius stared at the cup. “What exactly is this substance? Is it some kind of spiced mead?”

“Wait…you mean to tell me that you’ve NEVER had tea before?!”

“No, I haven’t. Is that a bad thing?”

“I suppose not. However, I am a bit shocked that you’ve never heard of tea. What a dreary place your world must be. Luckily for you it’s never too late to start enjoying the nectar of the gods!”

“I’m not sure what gods you worship Ms. Rarity, but this tea is no nectar of mine. Now if we’re talking about wine, then that’s different story.”

Rarity grinned. “I completely agree. Life without wine is like seeing the world without color! There’s nothing like cuddling up on the couch with a trashy romance novel and sipping a glass of Château de Fleur.”

Gaius had no idea what Rarity was talking about but he assumed it must have been some kind of fancy wine. It seemed that some things don’t change, even when you find yourself in a land run by little horses. People would fight. People would argue. But at the end of the day, they always enjoyed their spirits. With a half-hearted shrug he took a sip from his porcelain cup. It certainly was strong whatever it was, but it had a nice flowery aftertaste.

The oddest thing happened though. He felt a jolt of energy surge though his veins. Gaius took another sip and found that he felt even more alive. His mind felt sharper than ever, better than if he had gotten a full day’s rest. With a slightly manic grin he stared at Rarity, practically shaking in his seat. The alabaster unicorn looked even more confused than before, almost to the point of being frightened.

“By the gods…this tea is AMAZING! I’ve never felt so alive before! Pray tell, why does this strange phenomenon occur?”

Rarity giggled. “Oh that’s just the caffeine darling. It’s a type of natural stimulant found in the tea leaves. Coffee has a similar effect but it’s terribly bitter. My father loves to guzzle that horrible liquid like water. Honestly, I don’t see how he can stand it.”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “I don’t mean to interrupt but I’d really like to see my dress.”

“Oh right. Sorry Lyra, I got a bit carried away. Your dress is still in the workshop upstairs. If you’d be so kind as to follow me, I’ll show it to you. Oh and Mr. Septimus, you’re more than welcome to accompany us.”

“No thanks, I’m not really interested in dresses.”

Gaius continued to sip his tea, watching the two mares ascend the staircase. He hoped that they wouldn’t take too long because he wanted to be fitted for his own set of clothing as soon as possible. With nothing better to do, the Roman pondered exactly how to spend the rest of his day. The combination of living on a strictly regimented schedule and the chaos of the last few days meant that he hadn’t really given much thought towards his downtime.

A part of him wanted to simply relax and enjoy this momentary peace while it lasted. But there was another part of him that screamed for action, it begged him to find some purpose. Back home he owned a modest villa and would sometimes tend to the gardens. It was nothing more than a mere hobby, a way to pass the time or relieve stress. Gaius let out a wry chuckle, imagining himself as one of the worst farmers in Equestria. He was meant to wield a blade, not a plowshare.

His musings were tragically cut short when a certain purple alicorn materialized in the room. Gaius was no expert when it came to beautification, but even he noticed how frazzled the princess’s mane was compared to when he met her earlier. Her severely bloodshot eyes darted around the room until she spotted Gaius.

“Oh no this is bad! What am I going to do?”

“Excuse me your highness, but what seems to be the problem?”

Twilight blushed. “Mr. Septimus, I’m sorry…I was just thinking out loud.”

“Alright, but that still doesn’t answer my question.”

“I guess it’s not really YOUR problem so much as it is mine. But it does concern you. News of your little bout with that griffon mercenary has reached Princess Celestia’s ears. Don’t you realize what that means!?”

Gaius cocked his eyebrow. “Umm...I don’t quite follow.”

“Urrgghhhh! I really wanted to keep your presence here a secret, at least until we could set up a proper welcoming ceremony. AJ told a few of the staff members at the hospital what happened to Apple Bloom and by now practically all of Equestria knows what you did!”

“I fail to see why that’s…”

Twilight pressed her muzzle into his face. “IT’S A REALLY BIG DEAL! You are an alien species that we’ve never encountered before. That’s the kind of thing that ponies tend to freak out over. I was supposed to be able to handle this situation on my own but…it just got out of hoof before I could do anything. Princess Celestia’s going to be furious with me for keeping your presence a secret…”

Twilight’s ears perked up when she heard a knock at the door. The knock was loud enough to gain Rarity’s attention as she trotted down the stairs. She scrunched her muzzle in confusion as she saw Twilight cowering behind the couch where Gaius was sitting. The fashionista also noticed how frayed the alicorn’s mane was and knew that it was never a good omen.

She would have some choice words with Twilight later, oh yes. But for now she put on her best smile and answered the door. Outside stood Princess Celestia herself, flanked by two pegasus guards. Rarity, despite her familiarity with the princess, hastily dipped her head in respect.

“P-princess Celestia, what a pleasant surprise! Please do come in.”

Celestia trotted over to the couch and sat next to Gaius, as Rarity hurried into the kitchen to fetch another cup of tea. She smiled at the human and politely cleared her throat, noticing how dumbfounded he looked. A slightly frazzled Rarity reappeared a few moments later with a whole tray of cookies and a cup of tea.

“I’m terribly sorry if I startled you with my sudden arrival Rarity, but there are a few important matters I must discuss with Princess Twilight.”

“You’re always welcome to my boutique your highness! I don’t mean to be rude but Lyra is still waiting upstairs, so umm…ta ta for now.”

Celestia gave Twilight a stern look. “Twilight, I know that you want to take your new duties as princess seriously but there is no shame in coming to either Luna or I for assistance. This is especially important, considering that we’re dealing with an alien species.”

“Princess I thought I could…”

“It’s fine Twilight. I’ve already forgiven you. Let this serve as a lesson to you, should anything like this occur in the future. Now that that’s settled, I’d like to speak with the human.”

Gaius rubbed his neck. “Excuse me, but exactly how many rulers does this nation have?”

“Technically there are three if you count Twilight. My sister, Luna, controls the moon and is in charge of the night court. I control the sun and am in charge of the day court. As for Twilight…she was only recently coronated, so she has yet to assume any major responsibilities.”

“Hah! Such an arrangement would never work in Rome.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow Mr…?”

“Call me Gaius, your majesty. What I’m saying is that my people are driven by an unquenchable lust for power. Some of them would find the idea of sharing a throne intolerable…offensive even! Rival houses would take up arms against each other until only one stands above the rest. Violence and conquest has always been our way and I doubt that’s ever going to change.”

Celestia nodded grimly. “Sadly, I know where you’re coming from Mr. Gaius. Our nation is peaceful now but it was not always that way. So many ponies forget just how much blood and turmoil Equestria was built on. But enough about the past, I’m here on behalf of our future. Should you be interested, I have a proposition that might suit your skillset.”

“Oh? And what exactly have you heard about my supposed skills?”

“I’m referring to your prowess in combat, Mr. Gaius. Admittedly, I have not seen your skills firsthoof but I have heard various accounts from several of my subjects. I am simply offering you a chance to use those skills. You will be compensated for your efforts, of course.”

“Hmm…well I am in need of coin. I’d also like to purchase my own home at some point as well. What exactly do you have in mind, your majesty?”

“You will serve as Twilight’s personal guard, following her wherever she goes and protecting her from harm."

“Ah so you intend to make a sell-sword of me?”

Celestia smiled. “You certainly don’t miss a beat do you? Yes, that is indeed the case. I could not possibly ask you to join the guard, for that would require an oath of loyalty. However, that does not mean that you are free to do whatever you want. Any major decisions you make must be approved by either my sister or I. Please give yourself some time to think this over for it is not a decision to be taken lightly.”

Gaius finally finished his tea and set the cup down on the floor. It was all strangely fitting in some cosmic sense. Not but an hour ago was he musing over his potential employment and now he was being offered a chance to use his skills as a soldier. Everything fit too well for it to be coincidence…but the gods worked in mysterious ways, even in this strange land.

He took a deep breath and looked over at Twilight, expecting her to give him some kind of signal. Instead, she only returned his stare with a look that was equal parts uncertainty and embarrassment. There wasn’t any uncertainty in his heart, not after he saved those little fillies from harm. He would continue to protect anyone who deserved it. Whether they had fur or not was irrelevant. Gaius stood up and formed his hand into a fist. He knelt in front of Celestia and pounded his fist against his shoulder.

“I offer you my blade.”

Celestia’s magic enveloped Gaius’s entire body, lifting him a few inches above the ground. A brilliant yellow burst of light flooded the room, causing Twilight to shield her eyes. Once the light started to dim, Gaius appeared once again but was now sporting an entirely new set of armor. Unlike his previous set it was segmented plate armor, not unlike the style the royal guards wore.

The armor itself was a dull silvery grey color. It included a helmet similar to the one he wore in battle but without any decorations. The whole set fit him like a glove and protected a lot more of his body than any Roman armor ever had. It left him wondering how the princess knew his exact measurements.

Celestia placed her hoof on his shoulder. “Consider this your down payment. You will receive a standardized amount of bits later, when your first task has been completed.”

“I truly am grateful but I must ask: Why is it that you trust me so much? We've only just met.”

“Because you’ve already proven that you’re willing put your life on the line to protect the lives my precious ponies. That, Gaius Septimus, goes a long way in earning my trust."

“Thank you, your highness.”

“You’re quite welcome. Before I send you off on your first assignment, there are a few things about your new armor I have to explain. The armor you wear is special; it is made from a very rare metal called orichalcum. This metal is not only several times stronger than steel, but is also resistant to magic.”

“I have but one request. Is it possible for you to place a crest upon this armor?"

"Yes, that shouldn't be too difficult. What type of crest do you desire?"

"An eagle. It is a very important symbol to my people."

With a quick flash of magic, Celestia emblazoned a flying eagle onto Gaius's breastplate. It reminded him more of a griffon, rather than the true imperial eagle but it would suffice. He nodded to Celestia in thanks.

“Your first assignment will be to accompany Princess Twilight to the Crystal Empire. Some of the archeologists up there have unearthed a series of ancient catacombs underneath the capital. I feel that Twilight is more than qualified to act as both a liaison and scholar for the excavation. I don’t expect too much trouble, but one can never be too careful.”

Twilight squealed in delight. “Oooh this going to be so exciting!”

Luxury Train Car, en route to the Crystal Empire

Gaius sat in his seat, hands clenched tightly around the edges as he looked around the car nervously. Twilight sat next to him, brushing her wing against his arm in an attempt to calm him down. To call the human’s first experience riding train ride a disaster was like describing a tsunami as an oversized wave. In her excitement to visit the Crystal Empire, Twilight completely forgot that Gaius wasn’t used to some of Equestria’s technological advancements.

They were already an hour into the journey and he was still nervous. Twilight had very nearly needed to knock him out with a spell just so he would get on the train. Back at the station in Ponyville he kept screaming and hollering that there was some smoking metal beast bent on devouring their flesh.

“Gaius, I’m really sorry about earlier. I should have explained what a train was. Sometimes I get a bit overexcited with anything that has to do with history or science and I tend to forget the rest of the world exists. Are…you feeling a little better now?”

“Somewhat, I suppose. I still don’t trust this smoking monstrosity. That whistle, as you called it, sounded like the unholy screams of a demon from Tartarus. But I appreciate your concern, milady.”

Twilight blushed. “O-oh it’s no problem. But umm…you can just call me Twilight. I’m not really used to all of these fancy titles.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You are a princess and I am your guardian. It is below my station to refer to you in such a familiar fashion. At some point you will need to become accustomed to such titles, so consider this practice.”

“I guess so. But…can you at least call me Twilight in private?”

“If that is what you desire, I shall oblige. However, in public we must follow proper etiquette. The people of Equestria are your subjects and they need to respect your authority. Letting them or myself call you by your given name, undermines that authority. Half of holding power is retaining the image of power. Do you understand?”

“Intellectually, I knew that all this royal etiquette stuff came with the crown but I guess it’s just taken this long for the reality of it to sink in. I’ve lived my whole life as a normal pony…well almost normal if you don’t count that fact that I’m an element bearer and Princess Celestia’s personal student. It’s going to take a while for me to feel comfortable with all of this.”

Gaius grinned. “Not to worry Twilight, humility has its own merits. That type of attitude will make you popular with the common pony-folk. I’m confident that you’ll grow into your role, even if it takes some time.”

“How do you know so much about all of this?”

“It comes from living in the most powerful empire in the world. You tend to pick up a few things.”

“Speaking of your world, we never did continue that conversation about slavery.”

“We didn’t and we never will. But I have an interesting story that might spark your interest. Luckily for you, it has to do with ponies!”

Twilight’s eyes twinkled. “Go on…”

“First of all, they don’t talk like you do and they aren’t nearly so colorful. In fact, I owned a mare named Fausta. She had the most beautiful, silky brown coat. I could ride her for days and she wouldn’t even complain a bit. Of course, that’s because I bought a really nice Spanish saddle. By Neptune, I really do miss her…”

Gaius noticed that Twilight had gone silent. He glanced at the alicorn, only to find that she was blushing furiously. With a gentle nudge to the shoulder he tried to get to respond, but was met with a hoof to face instead. Luckily her blow glanced off of his helmet and protected him from any serious injury. Once Gaius regained his composure, he stared at her in confusion.

“Why in the seven hells did you do that for?”

“You deserved it, that’s why! I can’t believe you used that poor mare as a…s-sex slave!”

“What are you talking about? I never fucked her.”

Twilight crossed her hooves. “How can say such a blatant lie? You just told me how pretty she was and how you ‘rode her for days’ and with a saddle no less!”

“OH! You thought I meant…hahaha! No, I didn’t mean that I mounted her. Horses in my world are considered traveling companions; they help us get from place to place faster than on foot.”

“Well, I guess I’m somewhat relieved to hear that. You have to understand that saddles are ehem…considered intimate wear in Equestria. So I assumed you were using Fausta as a sex slave. But I’m still not too happy that you use horses as a mode of transport.”

“Look on the bright side your highness. Now that I’m guarding you, we’ll have plenty more opportunities to have these awkward cultural clashes!”

Twilight merely face hoofed. This was going to be a long train ride.

Adventus

Chapter 11

Lyra’s Apartment, Ponyville

Chrysalis stepped out the shower, reverting back to her changeling form. It was an interesting experience bathing as a human. She was hesitant to admit it but it was quite a bit more pleasurable than in her natural form. While it was true that changelings had a sense of touch throughout their chitin, it was dull, bearing towards non-existent. The feeling of hot water cascading against bare skin was just so much more…intense.

Despite longing for an extended showering session, she levitated a towel around her body and quickly dried off. Chrysalis may have been a queen but she was a practical mare at heart. Thus, she refused to give into her petty desire, electing instead to get on with her day.

Due to the mind meld she shared with Gaius, she always had an idea of his whereabouts. It wasn’t extremely precise or invasive, just more like a general idea of where he was and what his emotional state was at the moment. With a slight huff of annoyance, she realized that he was on his way north…almost as far as the Crystal Empire. If this human was going to have a relationship with her, then he was going to have to understand a few things.

It didn’t bother her that Gaius wanted to make a living. His desire to support himself and (possibly her) build a home was not at all uncommon. She could live with that. What bothered her was his abrupt departure from the apartment, without so much as uttering a word to where he was going. Did he think that she couldn’t handle herself just because she was female? What a preposterous notion! She nearly conquered the capital of Equestia and bested Princess Celestia in single combat. Oh yes, she certainly could handle herself.

The former queen tossed her used towel into a hamper and trotted out to the living room. Her horn lit up with its signature emerald hue as she scanned the room for any traces of magic or left over emotion. Much to her disgust she noted two very familiar magical residues. One belonged to Princess Celestia and the other was from her pet bookworm.

What business could Gaius possibly have with those two? A sickening thought crept into the back of her mind. Does he…lust for Twilight Sparkle? No, it can’t possibly be that! He even admitted that he has no attraction to ponies. Besides, it’s best not to jump to conclusions…but he’ll still have some explaining to do.

Chrysalis’s thoughts were momentarily interrupted when she sensed another presence. It was something she hadn’t felt in quite some time. It was the aura of another changeling. From what she could tell, it was far more intelligent than the average drone, suggesting that it was likely a high ranking scout of some kind. Such a thing was odd, since she wasn’t aware of any other queens or hives in the immediate area. Erring on the side of caution, she resumed her filly disguise and pretended to go for a little stroll.

Chrysalis carefully observed her surroundings as she trotted down the street, trying to determine if anything or anyone was out of place. Most of the ponies she passed by were ones that she was at least vaguely familiar with and none seemed to be doing anything out of the ordinary. She bit her lip in frustration. Whoever this scout was, he was damn good at disguising himself. She knew he was there somewhere but couldn’t exactly pinpoint his aura’s exact location. Just as she was about to panic, she noticed the leaves of a nearby tree rustle.

In the tree was a sizable bird, sitting on one of the higher branches. Now, a bird in of itself was not unusual, Equestria hosted many species. What did catch Chrysalis’s attention was the type of bird that chose to perch in this particular tree. It was a large scruffy feathered raven. Such a bird was not native to this part of Equestria and they certainly didn’t migrate.

Feeling confident that she found her stalker, Chrysalis galloped towards Sugarcube corner where there were no trees. If this bird was just an animal, it would stay in the tree. If it landed on top of the building, it was probably a changeling.

Sure enough the raven followed her and landed on top of the roof of Sugarcube Corner. Chrysalis was about to fire a bolt of magic at the offending avian, until Pinkie decided to burst out of the door with a tray of brownies. The entrance of the pink party planer was so sudden that Chrysalis fell on her rump, instantly dissipating her spell. A look of concern spread across Pinkie’s muzzle as she offered a hoof to help Chrysalis up.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t realize there was anypony near the door. Oooh but I know what will make you feel better! How about a nice, warm Maple Brown Brownie? I just took ‘em out of the oven.”

“It’s alright, I’m sure this was all just an accident. Look I’m rather busy right now and…”

Pinkie stuffed a brownie into Chrissy’s mouth. “They’re good aren’t they? But ummm…just remember to chew or you’ll end up choking. Trust me, I’ve choked on baked goods more times than I can count.”

“Mmmm yuuu dern’t seeyyy.”

“Yeepers, I sure do say!”

Once she swallowed the admittedly delicious brownie, Chrysalis levitated Pinkie into a nearby bush and stuck a hoof to the mare’s lips to get her to be quiet. Rather than get upset, Pinkie’s eyes seemed to sparkle with foal-like glee.

“Are we playing hide and seek? I LOVE HIDE AND SEEK!”

“Sshhh! Shut up or the raven on the roof will notice us.”

“Oh. So we aren’t playing hide and seek?”

“No, now be quiet.”

“Ah ha! I get it. We’re…what does Twilight call it again? Oh yeah! We’re ornithologists!”

Chrysalis groaned in frustration. This mare’s ability to annoy her truly knew no bounds. With a quick jab of her hoof, the changeling struck Pinkie in the neck, rendering her unconscious. Now that the pink menace was finally silenced, she continued her observation of the raven. The bird was still sitting on top of the roof but was darting its head back and forth, searching for something. After a few moments the raven took off towards the Everfree, while Chrysalis prepared a teleportation spell.

She rematerialized near a particularly dense section of thorny underbrush, which caused her to wince in pain as the barbs tugged against her fur. Despite her unpleasant circumstances, she caught sight of the raven once more. Her suspicion was confirmed when the raven became engulfed in emerald flames, revealing a lithely built scout.

Before the changeling could react, she hopped out of the underbrush and fired an energy bolt straight at its barrel. The force of the impact sent it tumbling into to tree, stunning it momentarily. Not wanting to take any chances, Chrysalis seized a few feet of vine growing off of a nearby tree and bound the scout with it.

The scout groaned in pain, feeling like his head had been hit by a boulder. He tried to move but found that his entire carapace was wrapped in a bundle of tree-vines, preventing him from doing anything more than wiggle. His blood ran cold when he felt a hoof stroke his cheek. When he turned around, Chrysalis herself was staring into his eyes. The former queen smiled sweetly before levitating a sharpened stick towards his soft underbelly.

“Well, well it seems that the predator has now become the prey. Do you care to explain why you were following me?”

“Do your worst hiveless one!”

Chrysalis bucked him in the underbelly. “Watch your tongue worm! Why were you following me?”

“You may have lost your hive, but you are still a threat. That is why my master commanded me to observe you. It…is possible that you could interfere with his plans!”

“I have no desire to conquer anymore. In fact, I don’t even know who your master is or why I should even care what he’s doing.”

Thorax let out a raspy chuckle. “Y-you carry the royal blood. As the empress’s descendant, you have inherited some of her power. There is still a chance that you will pose a threat to her return!”

“What utter nonsense! Give me one reason why I shouldn’t fry your sorry carcass on the spot.”

“You truly don’t know. Ha ha!”

Chrysalis struck him across the cheek. “TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON!”

“My master funded an expedition to the Crystal Empire to uncover an artifact that will aid in the empress’s return to this world. I believe he even invited one of the Equestrian princesses as well and…wait your human lover is with her. Yes…there’s no mistaking it. I can sense his presence.”

“How do you even know all of this?”

“Why that’s simple. I have a psychic link with my master. In fact, I believe he is meeting with them right now. And they have no idea who they are truly dealing with…”

Chrysalis began to get increasingly nervous. Whoever this mysterious master was, there was no way to tell how dangerous he was. Her gut instinct told her that this whole excavation was one massive trap. Both the bookworm and Gaius could be in serious danger. Ignoring her captive, Chrysalis transformed into a snowy owl and flew north as fast as her wings could carry her.

En route to the Excavation Site, Five miles from the Imperial City

Gaius and Twilight were escorted via carriage from the Imperial City to the excavation site. While it was only an hour long ride, they were accompanied by the Crystal Empire’s newest captain of the guard, Flash Sentry. Originally the first captain had been Shining Armor, but once he assumed the title of Prince Consort, the duty had to be taken up by a member of the imperial army.

The plucky young captain gawked at the Centurion, even though he had been informed that Princess Twilight’s guard was special. Gaius was used to such stares by this point and took it in stride, opting to give the captain a friendly grin in return. Realizing his mistake, Flash blushed and offered his hoof.

“I’m sorry Mr. Septimus. I didn’t mean to stare. You’re just so…different from anything I’ve ever seen! I hope you aren’t offended…”

Gaius shook his hoof. “No need to worry captain. I was just as shocked when I found out that little colorful ponies could talk.”

Twilight, sitting next to Gaius, had a strange expression on her face. It was somewhere in between nervous and excited. The roman was slightly confused because in the short time he had known the alicorn; she struck him as an avid conversationalist. It was strange to him that she hadn’t said a single word, other than a muttered greeting since they boarded the carriage.

Her only activity consisted of staring out the window and occasionally staring at the captain. When he would look back at her, she would blush slightly and stare at her hooves or back out the window. After a few seconds of pondering, Gaius finally realized what was going on. The bookish little princess displayed the tell-tale signs of a blushing maiden smitten with a potential suitor. After finishing a bit more small talk with the captain, a wicked grin formed upon his lips.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Gaius scooped Twilight into his arms and began to carry her. The alicorn squeaked in surprise and immediately began to fidget in his grasp. Even after she began cursing and pounding her hooves against his chest, Gaius just smirked and held her even tighter. After a few moments she began to calm down but her entire face was now flushed with embarrassment. When they reached the encampment, he gingerly set her down and kissed one of her hooves.

“We have reached our destination your highness.”

Twilight huffed. “Gaius, what was all that for?!”

“I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t strain yourself, milady.”

“I-I’m fine with walking, you don’t have to carry me. In fact, I order you not to carry me anymore.”

Gaius chuckled. “Oh? Sorry to disappoint you princess, but I’m only obligated to protect you.”

“Horsefeathers! I don’t really like throwing my title around b-but you’re supposed to do what I say. As a princess…”

“You are a princess and if I were an Equestrian, I would obey your orders. But…I’m not an Equestrian and you’re not my princess.”

“Uggghhh! You’re just so…incorrigible sometimes!”

As Twilight stomped off towards one of the tents, Gaius walked over to Flash and patted him on the back. He then crouched onto one knee and whispered into the captain’s ear.

“I’m willing to bet that she wouldn’t have been nearly so upset if you had been the one to carry her instead.”

Flash’s ears perked up. “W-what are you t-talking about?”

“Our intrepid princess is smitten with a certain captain of the imperial guard.”

“Umm…you mean me?”

“Of course I mean you! Don’t tell me you didn’t notice her catching a few glimpses of your fine form.”

Flash twiddled his hooves. “Ermm…well I did notice but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure. And to be completely fair, I think she’s gorgeous but…is it appropriate to like a-a princess?”

“Hmm. I don’t really know to be honest. It depends on if your culture places any importance on political marriage. I suppose if you couldn’t legally marry her, you could just be her male concubine.”

“There hasn’t been a political marriage in Equestria for a long time...at least that I know of. But it’s a bit too soon to be talking about marriage, when I…uhhm…haven’t even asked her out yet.”

“Well then, it seems you now have a goal. Work your charm, little stud!”

Gaius and Captain Flash walked over to the tent Twilight currently occupied. She was standing in front of a small metal table, pouring over what appeared to be a map of some kind. Gaius was content just to stand in the doorway while he gently nudged Flash in the flank with his boot. The poor stallion was so flustered that he ended up falling muzzle first onto the floor…which happened to be right in front of a certain purple princess.

Twilight, now distracted by the loud thump, looked up to see Flash sprawled on the floor. The look of confusion in her eyes immediately turned to concern, when she noticed a small rivulet of blood drip from his nose. Luckily, she brought a small satchel full of books and other supplies, just in case the site lacked anything she might need.

After fishing around in the bag for a few seconds, she levitated a lavender colored handkerchief over to Flash’s muzzle and wiped it clean. The stallion cleared his throat and gave Twilight an awkward bow.

“Thanks you highness. Some captain I am huh? Tripping in front a princess and letting her clean me up…talk about embarrassing.”

Twilight blushed. “Oh well, accidents happen to the best of us! And you’re welcome by the way.”

“I-I’ll just let you get back to your maps. So if you’ll excuse me…”

“WAIT! I mean…hold on a second. Gaius and I are going to be having lunch two hours from now and I was wondering if maybe, you’d like to join us?”

Flash’s ears perked up. “Really? I’d love to! You guys probably get way better food than they serve in the mess tent. So…I guess I’ll see you there?”

“Good, I…errr…we look forward to seeing you there!”

Gaius silently watched as Flash exited the tent towards a group of diggers, feeling yet another grin spread across his lips. Twilight couldn’t help but notice this, so she took it upon herself to poke the human’s chest with her hoof.

“I can’t believe it! You did that on purpose!”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Twilight crossed her forehooves. “Don’t play dumb with me. You knew that I thought he was cute, so you set all of that up to get me to talk to him!”

“It’s nice to see you finally admit your honest feelings, milady.”

“I…well ok, maybe I didn’t make the best first impression with Flash.”

Gaius patted her mane. “Perhaps, and that is precisely the reason why I decided to lighten the mood by teasing you. I understand that not everyone is fond of socializing. Mars knows there were days when I would have given my left arm to get away from everyone. But I realized that you weren’t going to get anywhere with that stallion by giving him the silent treatment.”

“I wasn’t trying to give him the silent treatment, I was just really nervous! B-besides, he should’ve noticed that I was checking him out.”

“Let me offer you a nugget of wisdom concerning the male psyche. Men take serious interest in a woman when she makes her intentions plain. You can make the most intricate and subtle gestures professing your affections but if you don’t make it clear, he will hesitate or even ignore you.”

Twilight sighed. “But I can’t just trot up and kiss him on the lips. He’d think I was some kind of…l-loose mare!”

“I’m not suggesting that. There will come a time when action is needed, but words are important as well. You’re an intelligent mare, so use them.”

Twilight held up her hoof to respond but was interrupted when one of the last ponies she expected to see, made his entrance into the tent. Before them stood Prince Blueblood, clad in a tan vest lined with a myriad of pockets. His typically coiffured mane was pulled back into a simple ponytail, fastened by a brass ring. He offered a slight bow to Twilight.

“Excuse me your highness; I do hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Nothing we can’t talk about later. I don’t mean to be rude but why in Celestia’s name are you even here Prince Blueblood?”

Blueblood chuckled. “Oh dear, it seems that a few details were left out of your briefing. To put it bluntly, your highness, I am the one who funded this little excavation.”

“Ok, I’ll admit that I’m grateful that you decided to show some interest in history but what’s in it for you?”

“You wound me princess! Believing that I would have an ulterior motive. Why, I’m just a noble stallion who wants to share the joy of discovery with the fine citizens of the Crystal Empire and Equestria at large.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Uh huh.”

“Oh fine, it seems that you don’t share my taste for melodramatic humor. If you must know, these ruins might contain artifacts that date back to pre-Sombrian times. There could be an entire treasure trove of lost, ancient knowledge lost to pony-kind for ages. Not to mention all the prestige that will come to the one who discovered it.”

“Hmm…it’s true that very little information has survived from those times. Maybe I could even publish my own findings, assuming that there’s any validity to your claim. Gaius and I will gladly assist you, so long as you provide a guide of some kind.”

“Not to worry your highness, I shall personally escort you through the ruins myself.”

Timor(I)

Chapter 12

Excavation Site, Crystal Empire

Twilight and Gaius followed Blueblood as he led them to the main area of the excavation site. Before them was the entrance to what appeared to be an ordinary mineshaft. To the untrained eye, such a discovery would have seemed utterly unremarkable. Upon closer inspection, one crucial detail stood out about the mine’s entrance. The timbers used to create the entrance were petrified, indicating that the site was positively ancient. Twilight, ever the scholar, couldn’t resist rubbing her hoof against the ancient lumber.

“Remarkable. The fact that these trees are petrified indicates that this site could possibly be thousands of years old…”

Blueblood chuckled. “Come along Princess, the really interesting stuff is inside.”

Gaius had no idea what in the seven hells “petrification” was, nor did he particularly care. However, he did find it a bit odd that any creature would go out of their way to caress a piece of timber. He shrugged his shoulders, deciding that such strange behavior from the princess was merely a quirk of her personality he’d have to get used to.

As they ventured deeper into the mine, they witnessed fewer and fewer workers to the point where the three of them were completely on their own. Twilight, who was already feeling nervous due to a slight case of claustrophobia, was now on the brink of a full-blown panic attack. There should’ve been at least a few workers down here and clearly, not a single one was present. She was about to question Blueblood about it, when she felt a strange sensation wash over her.

Immediately she felt the air become significantly colder, sending a shiver down her spine. But it wasn’t so much the cold that bothered her. What truly made the hair on her mane stand on end was the oppressive feeling in the air. It was almost as if it had malicious intent behind it, daring her to continue, lest she suffer its wrath.

The rational part of her mind scolded her for fearing something as intangible as a bad feeling. After a few moments of mental tug of war, the more primitive parts of her brain emerged victorious when she decided to completely ignore rationality and huddle against Gaius’s leg.

The centurion was slightly surprised when he felt the trembling alicorn brush up against his leg, but knew better than to protest. It was his job to keep her safe, even if that meant lending her emotional rather than physical support. His thoughts immediately drifted back to Fausta when she had been spooked by a wolf. Whenever she was frightened or needed to calm down, he would whisper to her in a hushed tone and gently stroke her mane. Even though it might be a bit awkward, he decided to do the same with Twilight.

“It’s alright princess, I’m here.”

Twilight whimpered. “S-sorry I don’t normally freak out in situations like this but…something is horribly wrong with this place.”

“Hmm, there is something off about this place. It feels as if we’re being…watched.”

Blueblood cleared his throat. “Ah, so both of you feel it too? I’m afraid that’s why there isn’t anypony else down here. They all started freaking out, claiming that they started hearing voices or that somepony was staring at them the whole time. But I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse.”

Twilight’s ears flattened. “How could it p-possibly be any worse than this?!”

Rather than verbally reply, the Canterlotian noble gestured his hoof towards a large, circular stone slab at the end of the mineshaft. Both Gaius and Twilight gaped in awe, reveling in just how massive the door truly was. It encompassed the entirety of the mineshaft from floor to ceiling, which dwarfed the gates to the palace in Canterlot.

The entire door was comprised of black granite, a very expensive but extremely durable stone that could last for ages without eroding. But what really took Twilight’s breath away was the myriad of runes etched into the door, suggesting that it was magically sealed in place. One thing was for certain: whoever created this didn’t want anything getting in or out of the area beyond that door.

“Here is the main attraction my dear friends. This is the door which neither I nor my workers could open. As you may well have guessed, it is positively covered in runes, preventing anypony but the most powerful spell caster to unseal it. And that…is where you come in Princess Sparkle.”

“What do expect me to do about it? I don’t even recognize what these runes even mean. If I’m even off one hair from the magic frequency of that door, it could collapse the entire mineshaft.”

Blueblood waved his hoof. “Not to worry, I’ll simply summon a barrier to protect us should the worst come to pass. Please, all I ask is that you at least try. I mean, aren’t you the least bit curious as to what’s on the other side? I know I am.”

“Alright, I’ll try. But you’d better be ready with that spell because I’d never forgive myself if either of you got hurt or killed.”

Twilight braced herself as she concentrated a fair amount of magic in her horn. Within seconds her lavender aura enveloped the door as she desperately tried to move it. Try as she might, the door didn’t even so much as budge. She grunted in frustration and decided to apply as much power as she could, short of obliterating the door. As magic continued to pour out of her horn, the alicorn’s body began to levitate while her eyes glowed white.

The whole entire room became filled with lavender light as a massive beam of magic surged through her horn, unsealing the slab with a thunderous roar. One the door opened, a blast of fetid air rushed out, a result of having been trapped in the room for countless centuries. Meanwhile, Twilight stopped levitating and collapsed onto the floor, utterly exhausted from expending so much magical energy. Gaius immediately rushed over to the fallen princess, checking to see if she was ok.

“Princess, are you feeling well? Do you have the strength to walk?”

Twilight weakly shook her head. “I’m…so tired. Sorry Gaius, but I barely have the strength to talk…let alone walk. You’ll probably have to carry me.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Gaius gingerly hoisted her onto his back and carried her piggy-back style, to avoid injuring her wings. Even though she knew it was necessary, Twilight still blushed furiously. It embarrassed her because she felt like a helpless little filly. While her human protector couldn’t see her blush in the dim lighting of the mine, he did notice how warm her muzzle felt against his neck.

“Don’t worry milady, I won’t mention this to anyone.”

“Oh…umm good. I already feel bad enough for making you…”

“Stop speaking so you can conserve your strength. And before you protest any further, know that I don’t mind doing this for you. I gave Princess Celestia my word that I would protect you and that’s precisely what I aim to do.”

Twilight didn’t say anything in response; instead she chose to relax her head against Gaius’s shoulder. With his new passenger in tow, he slowly made his way into the chamber and nearly dropped Twilight from the utter shock of what was contained within. The entire floor was littered with the skeletons of hundreds of earthponies, along with what appeared to be the carapaces of dead changelings.

Many of the ancient corpses were still clad in rusted armor, clutching equally brittle weapons. It all suddenly made sense to him as to why the air in this place felt so oppressive. A great battle had taken place here and the agony of those who perished still lingered. He heard Twilight gasp and felt her tense up as they continued further into the chamber. Strangely enough, Blueblood didn’t seem bothered by any of this at all. In fact, it was almost as if he was expecting to find all of this carnage.

Gaius was careful not to step on any of the remains or injure himself on any of the degraded weaponry. He had heard tales of people who had injured themselves on rusted blades and ended up feverish for days. It was simply not a risk he was willing to take. As they continued towards the center of the chamber, Gaius noticed something strange.

While the rest of the chamber was littered with remains, the center was completely devoid of them, save for two sets of remains. One was a heavily armored unicorn, which was unusual, considering that the rest of the skeletons were earthponies. Even more bizarre was the hulking changeling carapace underneath it. It was wildly different from the standard drone, sporting two curved horns, a segmented tail with a barb on the end, and a full set of blade-like teeth.

Twilight gasped. “T-that’s impossible! Changelings can’t grow to the size of fully matured dragons. Whatever that monstrous changeling was, I’m glad it isn’t alive anymore.”

Gaius merely nodded in agreement. While he would admit that taking down such a large creature would have been difficult, the unicorn on top of it had clearly done so. As to how he (Gaius assumed it was a male unicorn) slew the massive changeling was fairly obvious. The hilt of a sword was sticking out from a section of the beast’s chest plate. Without any shred of decency or common sense, Blueblood galloped over to the remains of the giant changeling carapace and broke off a chunk of its horn.

“After all this time, I’ve finally found the remains of Empress Arachnia! Now, I have the most important piece needed to summon her back to this realm.”

Blueblood barely took one step away from the remains, when the entire room became bathed in eerie green light. Hundreds of changeling carapaces began forming together, creating an army of the undead willing to punish the fool who dared desecrate their empress’s sacred remains. The fleshless horde produced a high pitched screeching noise as their chitinous hooves scrapped across the stone floor.

Gaius carefully placed Twilight on the floor, simply because her weight would encumber him if he needed to fight. To her credit, the princess tried to stand up and summon a bolt of magic but instead she slumped to the ground clutching her temples. She was just too exhausted to fight right now. Gaius unsheathed his gladius and took a defensive stance in front of her as the changelings made their advance.

Blueblood, in a state of pure panic, dropped the chunk of horn in a pathetic attempt to appease his undead assailants. As one might expect, it did absolutely nothing. While he was generally a very vain stallion, even he would admit that his magic skills weren’t exactly the best in Equestria. But he had to at least try to fend off these horrible creatures because…well his life pretty much depended on it. He began to fire golden hued bolts of magic at a few of the changelings, which seemed to shatter their weakly bound bodies. Unfortunately, they just reformed and continued their advance.

Gaius was having an equally difficult time trying to destroy the abominations. One of them lunged at him and started gnawing on his arm. In response, he drove his blade into the creature’s throat but it still continued to chew on him as if nothing had happened. He withdrew his blade and decided to switch tactics. The roman lifted his arm and charged headlong into a nearby wall, hoping to crush the creature against it. When he impacted against the wall, there was a satisfying crunch, breaking off a few chunks of the changeling’s chitin. Feeling encouraged, he repeatedly smashed the creature’s skull against the wall until it practically disintegrated, making the rest of its body follow suit. Although he had figured out how to destroy them, his feeling of accomplishment quickly evaporated when dozens more came charging at him.

As the changelings began to encircle him, Blueblood felt a familiar presence creep into the back of his skull. It reminded him that he was not entirely in control of either his mind or body and this was one of the worst possible times it could occur. He tried to resist but his master’s will was just too strong. The stallion whimpered in pain as he curled into a ball on the floor.

“Please m-master, not now! I…have…the situation under control. J-just give…me time to escape.”

“How utterly pathetic! I gave you the opportunity to take care of this little errand on your own, and yet again you fail me. To this day, I have yet to understand why my mother ever struck a contract with your family.”

“B-but I retrieved a piece of the horn like you asked! How…could I have….p-possibly foreseen an army of the undead attacking me?!”

“Silence! Your whining means nothing to me. Due to your weakness, I must intervene directly.”

Blueblood howled in pain as his entire body was consumed by crimson flames, similar to how a changeling would transform. A few seconds later, a human male replaced his equine form. He stood a foot taller than Gaius with olive tinted skin positively rippling with lean muscle. The man chose to wear hoplite style bronze armor, complimented by chains and studs and a flowing red cape with gold accents.

Behind his plumed helmet a pair of blood red eyes glowed, surveying the situation before him. The bronzed warrior grasped his spear, enveloping the tip in a crimson aura. With a thunderous echo, he slammed the blunt end against the floor, causing all of the surrounding changelings to become trapped in his aura. His eyes flashed and immediately afterwards the changelings were consumed in crimson flames.

Now that Gaius wasn’t fighting for his life, he took notice of the hulking warrior across the room. He blinked several times, just to confirm that he was seeing another man. A strange mixture of emotions washed over him as he observed the warrior stride towards him. Surprise was at the forefront simply because he hadn’t anticipated seeing another person ever again. But he was also somewhat wary, only because this man looked incredibly dangerous and intimidating. With his gladius still drawn, Gaius cleared his throat.

“Greetings stranger! I am Gaius Septimus, Centurion of Rome and guardian of Princess Sparkle. What business do you have here?”

The warrior slowly turned his head. “Greetings son of Rome. My business is none of your concern and you would be wise to stay out of my way.”

“Please sir, I meant no offense. I am merely curious.”

“As insignificant as you are, I will sate your curiosity. Only because it amuses me.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Phobos, son of Arachnia.”

Twilight scrunched her eyebrows. “Wait a minute. I heard Blueblood mention that name before and come to think of it, where is he?”

“The stallion is merely my vessel to this realm. My spirit has inhabited the first born son of every Blueblood for countless generations. It was part of the pact they made with my mother before she was vanquished in this very chamber.”

“So…that giant changeling over there was your mother? B-but how is that even possible? There aren’t any other humans in Equestria!”

Phobos chuckled. “Correct, little mare. I wasn’t born in Equestria; I was born in the world of men.”

“How can that be? She’s clearly dead.”

“Only her physical form. Thousands of years ago, she nearly conquered all of the lands in this world but a lone unicorn king vanquished her by splitting her spirit in two. This was the only way to ensure she couldn’t return. One half was banished to the bowels of Tartarus, while the other was sent to the realm of men. Even though her spirit was weak, she managed to inhabit the body of a beautiful young maiden, who caught the eye of a great conqueror.”

Gaius held up his hand. “Who was this conqueror?”

“Iskandar of Macedon. My mother claimed that she sensed great strength in him, so she felt he was worthy of her affection. For as level-minded and ambitious as my mother is, she very much enjoys pleasures of the flesh. And so, after a night of heated passion, I was conceived.”

“That was ages ago! How are you still alive?”

“Fortunately, I am a human/changeling hybrid, which has granted me the boon of my mother’s abilities. Let’s just say that mortality has never been a concern of mine.”

Twilight struggled to her hooves. “Wait…you’re trying to resurrect your mother, aren’t you? That’s why Blueblood funded this entire excavation. He needed a piece of her original form as a bonding agent for the two halves of her spirit!”

“It seems my slave was correct when he claimed you were a smart mare. Rest assured, my mother will rise again and claim what is rightfully hers. Neither you, nor any other being in this realm can do anything to stop it.”

“My friends and I will stop you! The elements are the most powerful…”

Phobos chuckled. “Do you truly believe that those little trinkets will stop me? The magic that courses through my body is so ancient it is beyond your comprehension. I AM FEAR ENCARNATE!! And fear is not something you can simply purify.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“Perhaps not, but you should be.”

Phobos’s eyes flashed once more as he encased Twilight’s head in his signature crimson aura. Twilight screamed as she felt herself get dragged headfirst across the floor towards the powerful hybrid. Once she was close enough, he grabbed her by the neck, suspending her in front of his helmeted visage.

Twilight was so exhausted by this point that she only had the strength to croak out Gaius’s name for help. In response, the centurion charged across the room and drove his gladius straight through the flesh of Phobos’s bicep, causing him to drop Twilight. Luckily, he managed to catch her before she hit the floor. Rather than howl in pain or rage, the demigod slowly pulled out the blade and tossed it across the room. The deep cut in his bicep immediately began to heal as turned his attention to Gaius.

“Very brave but very foolish, Centurion. I’m afraid that ordinary weapons have little effect on me. Commendable effort though.”

With his sword well out of reach, Gaius frantically searched for something to defend himself with. He eventually found an old spear. The thing was so old that he didn’t trust the wood to hold, so he broke off the tip and fashioned a makeshift dagger. He grit his teeth and prepared for the worst.

[Phobos Concept Picture ]

Timor(II)

Chapter 13

Inner Chamber of the Excavation Site, Crystal Empire

The tips of Gaius’s knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip around the make-shift dagger he had fashioned just moments before. Admittedly, he wasn’t quite sure if attacking this Phobos creature was such a good idea. The thing barely flinched when he drove his gladius straight into its bicep. Such a blow would have left a normal man howling in pain and severely debilitated.

And to make matters even worse, the creature seemed able to cast magic. Even with his limited understanding of the arcane, Gaius knew that such ability left him at a severe disadvantage because it gave the creature the means to strike him at a distance. He would have to fight the abomination in close quarters. It was his only chance.

Phobos was clearly taller than Gaius but not by an extreme margin. This gave the Roman an idea. While the demigod was armored, there were areas on his body that weren’t covered. These areas were left bare to allow the solider a greater range of motion. This was particularly important for the wearer’s joints. Gaius purposely shifted his stance, making it appear as if he was relaxing his guard.

Sensing the Centurion’s moment of perceived weakness, Phobos lunged his spear straight at the Roman’s leg, only to grunt in surprise as the weapon lodged itself into the ground instead. This was the opening Gaius was looking for. As the creature tried to dislodge his weapon, Gaius plunged the spear tip into the back of Phobos’s exposed knee, causing him to collapse like a sack of bricks.

With Phobos momentarily distracted, Gaius desperately searched for his discarded blade. Luckily, he managed to find it close by since the demigod hadn’t bothered to actually throw it. That is where the Roman’s luck ran out. Despite having a spear tip jammed in his knee a mere fifteen seconds prior, Phobos was already barreling towards Gaius at full speed. The Centurion pivoted to the side and parried Phobos’s spear strike with his sword. Phobos growled in frustration and struck Gaius in the face with the blunt end of his spear.

It was fortunate that Gaius’s helmet included a nose guard; otherwise his nose would have been shattered to pieces. Still, the blow was more than powerful enough to disorient him. He stumbled backwards a few steps and felt a sharp pain vibrate through his skull. While he was distracted, Phobos used his armored forearm to deliver a savage blow to the side of Gaius’s head. Needless to say, if Gaius wasn’t lying on the ground before, he certainly was now.

Phobos chuckled. “Get up mortal. I’m not done with you yet. Actually, don’t get up. Allow me to do it for you.”

The demigod’s eyes flashed as he extended his hand towards Gaius. As with any type of casting, magic required a conduit in order to form spells. Changelings, Unicorns and Alicorns all had horns for such a task. Phobos, however, did not. But he did possess fingers and they made an excellent substitute for a horn. For a brief moment, Gaius felt the familiar tingling sensation associated with a levitation spell but then it suddenly stopped. Phobos furrowed his brow in confusion and attempted his spell once more. When he failed to accomplish anything a second time, the demigod slammed his fist into the wall out of frustration.

“What sorcery is this?! Humans are incapable of casting magic and…ah of course. You don’t have any magic, do you? It’s the armor. Why didn’t I notice it before? Very clever, but it’s a trick that will only work once.”

Gaius coughed. “Why makes you think that?”

“As I’m sure your pony master told you, orichalcum does indeed resist magic…direct magic that is. Sure, if I try to levitate you or blast you into oblivion, the armor will protect you. In order for my magic to even have the slightest effect on you, I’d have to channel an absurd amount of power. But…I’m not going to do that.”

“Then you intend to fight me in single combat?”

“No. That would be tedious and time consuming. What I intend, dear Roman, is to smash your weak mortal body into nothing more than a bloody smear. And I’m going to do it with that lovely ceiling column over there. You see…my magic might not be able to affect you directly but you armor won’t stop objects controlled by magic.”

Phobos cackled with glee as he proceeded to rip an entire column of ancient stone right from its foundation. When it comes to levitation, the amount of magic required to lift anything is directly proportional to the weight, size and quantity of an object. The pillar Phobos was currently manipulating had to have weighed at least several tons. Such a task required so much magic and skill that only an expert sorcerer or an alicorn could possibly hope to achieve it.

Princess Twilight watched in horror as the hybrid monstrosity prepared to smash Gaius like an insect. She felt so utterly useless right now. The mare was so spent, both physically and magically that she barely had the strength to lift her own hooves, let alone cast a spell. Hot tears poured from her bloodshot eyes, out of both frustration and despair.

She knew that Gaius had volunteered to protect her, to put his life on the line for her well-being…but she didn’t want to be responsible for his death. But…it was naïve of her to think that way, perhaps even foolish. She was a princess now and that meant that she had to accept the heavy burden of responsibly the title entailed, even if it included having others sacrifice their lives to spare hers.

Twilight screwed her eyes shut, unable to work up the courage or the stomach to witness her guardian being ground into a bloody pulp. When she heard the aged monolith of stone smash into the ground, she curled up into a ball and let out a ragged sob. Something was odd though. She didn’t hear the screams of agony she was expecting.

The mare slowly opened her eyes to find that there was no bloody smear where Gaius had once been. In fact, the battle hardened Roman had managed to hop onto Phobos’s back and was currently plunging his gladius underneath the hybrid’s armpit. The enraged demigod howled in pain and with his uninjured arm, he grabbed Gaius by the leg and tossed him against the wall. Unsurprisingly, the poor man groaned in pain as he slowly rose to his feet. Armor only protected you from so much. Metal just wasn’t very good at absorbing blunt-force trauma like cushioning was…go figure.

Phobos’s eyes glowed. “I’ve had just about enough of you! It is time to end this little game.”

The very air around Phobos’s body began to distort wildly, due to the massive amount of magical energy he was building up. His glowing eyes, already intimidating in their own right, now looked like molten spheres of bloody metal as they focused their attention on Gaius. The Centurion was expecting to have his flesh melted like a candle, but gasped in surprise when he felt a strong hand grip his windpipe instead. He was being hoisted several inches off the ground by the neck which essentially forced him to stare into Phobos’s eyes.

“My mother’s people, the changelings, are creatures who thrive off of emotion. Love is the most potent and nourishing variety…but some have adapted themselves to feed upon other emotions. Anger, hatred, jealousy, sadness…there are just so many to choose from! But I thrive on fear. Oh yes, the most primal emotion of them all! I daresay it is the very emotion that drives living creatures to survive. The question is: Will you conquer your own fears…or will they consume you?”

Gaius felt himself oddly drawn to the demigod’s gaze, as crimson tendrils of magic wormed their way into his eyes. He flinched, expecting the magic to tear out his eyes from their very sockets…but there wasn’t any pain. He could still see. In a mere instant the situation changed, and the entire chamber became shrouded in darkness. Gaius looked down at his hands and found that he could still seem them. In fact, the strangest part of this whole situation was that he was now alone.

The entire room…no, the entire world around him began to change in a turbulent swirl of color and sound. Gone was the soundless, shapeless void of darkness. A beautiful Mediterranean beach in the middle of summer replaced it. He could feel the gentle breeze blowing through his hair, the gritty sand underneath his now bare feet. It was odd…he wasn’t naked but he wasn’t wearing his armor either. As of now, he only wore a simple red tunic, tied at the waist by a brown belt.

The rational part of his mind screamed that none of this could possibly be real and he needed to be on his guard. The less rational part, softly whispered to him saying: “Welcome home, relax and rest. You deserve it.” As he traversed along the beach, he noticed an orange robed woman in the distance. She seemed to be staring forlornly at the sea for some reason. He chose to approach her carefully, out of fear that he might startle her. When he came within a few paces of the woman, Gaius couldn’t help but let out a nervous cough. For whatever reason, she chose to discard her robe, giving Gaius an unobstructed view of her body in all of its natural glory.

She turned around and giggled, giving the Roman a come hither look as if she’d been expecting him the whole time. Gaius was too dumbfounded to respond verbally, so he simply stared at her. Taking his as a good sign, the woman walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Welcome home, husband. Allow me to…help you relax.”

It took him a few seconds to realize it, but this woman was Florentia…his Florentia. The only difference was that she didn’t look exactly the same as he’d last seen her. She was far younger…in fact; she was just about the age when they first met. This realization was made all the more apparent when she tightened her embrace. Even through his tunic he could feel her soft, shapely breasts pressing against his chest. It left him feeling a conflicting combination of vexation and intense arousal.

“Florentia? What are you doing here?”

The woman placed her finger on his lips. “Well, I felt like going for a little swim. Of course, we can always do that later. It wouldn’t make any sense to get all sweaty after we bathe ourselves.”

“I…suppose not. But you still didn’t answer my question. How can you be here? For that matter, how can I be here? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“What ails you, dear husband? You speak like a madman. Unless…yes, of course! Your stress is so great that you aren’t thinking clearly. Come, join me, it is more important than ever that I help you relax.”

Gaius let out a frustrated snort. “I’m not mad! I’m not supposed to be here, neither are you! The last I remember, I was in the central chamber, trying to defend Princess Twilight. Not here…in Arretium.”

“Let us not worry ourselves over this supposed Princess Twilight. Worry about me, my love and think of how we may pleasure each other. Just…take off your tunic and lay with me.”

“By the gods, I desire nothing more! But this isn’t real. It can’t be…b-because YOU’RE DEAD Florentia! Nothing will change that…not even my wildest imaginings.”

“Are you certain?”

It was almost too much for Gaius to bear. Florentia looked so real! Down to the very last detail. He could even hear the lustful intent in her query and if that weren’t enough he felt her hand gently stroking his hardening member, as it made its way underneath his tunic. With a heavy heart, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed his wife away.

“I’m sorry Florentia. I can’t do this.”

Florentia’s eyes narrowed. “Am I so repulsive that you would refuse to bed me?”

“No, my wife would never ask me that. The real Florentia was beautiful enough to make Venus herself weep. And even if she hadn’t been…I would have loved her still. You are merely a siren, a witch sent to tempt me. I will not give in!”

The instant he finished his sentence, the sea around them began to boil and the sky became the color of burning coals. Florentia’s once beautiful doppelgänger morphed as well. Her skin began to crack and blister as she burst into flames, creating a retched burning wraith that screamed for blood. Gaius stumbled onto the ground and backed away as fast as he could, desperate to flee the apparition. He felt a sharp pain blossom across his cheek as the creature’s nails raked against his skin.

The fiery wraith growled. “I knew it! You have forsaken your own kind to bed one of those disgusting… insect horse creatures. Such a heinous crime must be punished with death…there can be no other way.”

“Chrysalis isn’t disgusting! She’s just…different. I know that she cares for me but I don’t—I’m not entirely sure that I can return her feelings for…me.”

“Then is she a plaything to you? A mere toy when your manhood begs you to sate your lust? You know what she truly is underneath the illusion. Yet…you still pretend.”

Gaius punched the sand. “I-I don’t know! It isn’t that simple. I do care for her, but not as much as she cares for me. I hate to admit it, but I still can’t completely bring myself to appreciate her true form. Perhaps I should stop seeing her. It might be for the best before she gets hurt…”

Sensing his growing doubt, the wraith moved closer to him and began to lick his neck. It was a stark contrast from when she lashed out earlier and if Gaius hadn’t been so despondent he would have recoiled in disgust. Once she had her fill, the creature traced a flame-tipped finger across his chest which caused a hideous burn to form. Gaius gasped as the pain caught up with his mind, finally breaking him out of his stupor. In that moment of pain-induced clarity, he kicked the apparition as hard as he could.

Gaius ran as fast as could in the opposite direction of the screaming apparition. Eventually, the searing pain of his chest injury forced him to stop after only a few minutes. It wasn’t particularly deep…but it radiated waves of pain that made him feel like his heart was going to explode out of his chest at the slightest provocation. Despite the pain, he knew that he was terribly exposed at the moment and needed to find shelter in order to rest.

As luck would have it, he stumbled upon a craggy outcropping of rock that formed a shallow cave only a short distance from where he currently stood. Once inside the cave, Gaius immediately collapsed onto the floor, grasping his chest. Interlaced with the pain, countless questions buzzed inside his brain like a swarm of angry hornets. How did he get here? Why did his heart ache so intensely? Was Twilight still alive? Would he…ever see Chrysalis again?

The Roman began to laugh as the pain induced a state of delirium that no wine or drug could ever hope to match. He stopped laughing for a moment when he saw a blurry figure approach the mouth of the cave. Whatever it was, the thing wasn’t very tall and it certainly didn’t walk like a man.

When he squinted to get a better look at it, he was surprised to find that it was actually a unicorn. In fact, it was a rather garish looking unicorn at that. It looked quite similar to Lyra, except that it had a curved horn as opposed to a spiraled one. The unicorn was also oddly colored. Its coat was nearly translucent but had a slightly milky tone to it…similar to a crystal. While all of these features were certainly unusual, compared to what Gaius had seen, the creature’s most striking attribute were its eyes. No pupils or irises, just orbs of golden light.

Gaius wheezed. “What…do…you…want?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want. I only exist to serve.”

“Serve…who?”

“I serve my master.”

“Who is your…master?”

“My former master perished long ago; therefore I currently do not possess one.”

“A-alright…so why are you here?”

The unicorn cocked its head. “I sensed that you were in grave danger, so I entered your mind to offer my assistance.”

“My…mind?”

“Correct. We are currently inside of your subconscious. However, do not presume that we aren’t in danger. I sense another being here; he is exerting his own magic to…influence the mindscape. If we do not eliminate this interloper, I fear that you may perish.”

“So…this wound I have: Is it real?”

“Yes and no. In the physical world, you do not possess such a wound. But…your mind believes that you do, so your body experiences excruciating pain. Such levels of stress to the body are not healthy and can cause death…if left unrelieved.”

Gaius rubbed his temples. “Errm…Right. But I’m still confused. The wraith attacked me and caused this injury, but since you claim this is all in my mind how am I still wounded?”

“You are still wounded because your mind is plagued by indecision, perhaps fear as well. If I had to speculate, I would say it is a matter of the heart, seeing as that is where the wound has manifested.”

“By the gods…you’re right! It’s because of Chrysalis isn’t it?”

The unicorn frowned. “I am unfamiliar with this ‘Chrysalis’, therefore I cannot answer your query.”

“Oh…of course not! What I mean is that I haven’t resolved how I feel about her. This whole time I feared that I’d be giving up a part of my humanity, if I decided to return her affections. Yes, I realize that she can take the form a woman but…such an ability is merely superficial. What really matters is if I can love her for what she truly is. But…I don’t know if I can.”

“Forgive my ignorance, but I do not understand what you are giving up.”

“I am the only one of my kind…back in the physical world that is. I feel that if I returned her feelings, it would be tantamount to admitting that I shall never return to my world. Furthermore, I…can’t say that I’m…hmm…attracted to her equine form. Yes, I know it sounds superficial, but it’s the truth!”

“Perhaps you only need to spend more time with her, so that you may become acclimated to her form.”

Gaius sighed. “Maybe…it’s worth a try at any rate. She deserves that much.”

Almost immediately, the wound on Gaius’s chest began to dissipate and within seconds it was gone. His eyes widened in disbelief as he ran his fingers over the now, unblemished flesh. Was it really that simple? Even though he still had a tiny sliver of trepidation concerning his relationship with Chrysalis, he was no longer consumed by the fear of indecision. An even tinier part of his mind hoped that their relationship would work out because if it didn’t…the feeling of utter loneliness would eventually destroy him.

“Excellent! You have finally cleared your mind. However, we are still in danger.”

“I…well, how exactly do we return to the real world?”

“That is a simple matter. Just place one of your hands upon my back. I fear that…I don’t have very much magic left but I have enough to help guide you from this place.”

“Thank you my friend, I am indebted to you. Should our paths cross in the real world, might I know your name, so that I may thank you in person?”

The unicorn smiled. “I am far closer than you think, Gaius Septimus. Simply utter the name Sentinel when you exit this place, and I shall contact you again.”

Primum Impressiones sunt Aspera.

Chapter 4

The edge of the Everfree Forest, Near Fluttershy’s Cottage

Gaius was pleased when he found a few saplings near the edge of the forest. Normally he would have used a bow to hunt larger game, such as deer but unfortunately he did not bring one with him. Perhaps later he would investigate if the ponies had any fletchers. At the moment he wasn’t hungry due to the meal he had at the hospital, so the rabbits and small game he would catch today would serve to feed him later as either a stew or jerky. Once the snares were set, Gaius waited behind a tree and was shortly joined by a minty green unicorn.

Lyra nudged his arm. “I can’t believe you’re doing this! We shouldn’t even be out here, the forest is dangerous.”

Gaius put his hand over her mouth. “Be silent mare! If you make any more noise, you’ll scare away the rabbits. They’re very sensitive to sound and movement.”

“Fine, but it still doesn’t change the fact that we might be in danger.”

“I can handle anything that comes our way.”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Oh come on! You just got out of the hospital. You’re in no condition to be running around, killing woodland creatures. What if you hurt yourself even worse?”

“I’ll be careful. I normally would have avoided the larger predators if I was by myself, but those fillies needed rescuing.”

Gaius shushed her once more as he heard a few leaves rustling. Much to his surprise a plump looking white rabbit was casually walking towards one of his snares already. Gaius would have laughed at the creature if his dinner didn’t depend on complete silence. The furry rodent seemed to have an arrogant air about him, as he nibbled on the end of a carrot.

Where had the rabbit gotten a carrot? And why wasn’t it more cautious in a forest filled with predators? If the creature wanted to be stupid, that was fine with Gaius. That would make it all the easier to catch. Finally the rabbit’s leg caught on one of the snares, making it flail angrily in a vain attempt to escape. Donning a triumphant grin, Gaius walked over to the hapless rodent with Lyra in tow.

“Ha Ha! You shall make a fine stew.”

The rabbit crossed its arms and blew a raspberry at Gaius.

“You’re a feisty one aren’t you?”

Lyra’s brow furrowed. “Hmm I swear I’ve seen that rabbit before somewhere.”

“That shouldn’t come as any surprise considering most rabbits look the same, although I rarely see any white rabbits. Actually come to think of it, why is he white? That’s a poor color for living in the woods.”

Lyra gasped. “Oh no.”

“What’s the problem? I know you horses are vegetarians but I have needs and…”

Gaius was interrupted by a yellow blur tackling him to the ground. Since he was wearing armor he barely felt the impact. Once the Roman regained his composure, he noted that a particularly agitated pony was staring at him with a pair of aquamarine eyes.

“HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ANGEL!”

“Angel? What, you mean that rabbit?”

“Of course I mean the rabbit. I don’t know what you are, but I won’t stand for you teasing and torturing him.”

Gaius raised his brow. “Why do you care?”

“I care because he’s my pet!”

Gaius couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard. A pony having a pet…HAHAHAHA.”

The yellow mare puffed her cheeks out. “I-it’s not stupid. Some poor, defenseless creatures need to be taken care of.”

“Yeah, and the only way I’m taking care of this rabbit is by putting in my belly.”

Gaius pushed the mare away and cut the rabbit from the snare, dangling it by the legs. He went only a few paces, when he felt something latch onto his leg. The stubborn yellow mare was actually trying to stop him. How utterly absurd. Was some silly rabbit really worth that much to her? Much to centurion’s dismay, the horse actually began to wail like a newborn child after he took a few more steps.

“*Sniff* P-please Mr. Monkey creature, let Angel go! H-he *hic* means so much to me. I r-raised him since he was a b-baby! I’ll give you all the bits I have, just please…let him go.”

Gaius winced. “Oh…alright. If the little whelp means that much to you, I’ll let him go.”

Once Gaius cut the snare with his sword the little rabbit lunged at the mare, hugging her neck. The mare herself nuzzled the rodent with equal fervor, wiping a few tears with her hoof. As soon as she calmed down, the mare trotted over to Gaius and wrapped his leg in a tight hug.

“Oh thank you so much!”

“Ermm…you’re welcome I guess. However, I’m right back where I started.”

The mare squeaked. “I’m so sorry, I got so wrapped up with Angel being safe again that I forgot to pay you. Just follow me back to my cottage and all give you some bits…if that’s ok with you.”

Gaius put his hand on her back. “Look, you don’t have to give me any coin. I was just hungry is all. You have to understand that I have certain needs. One of which includes meat. So I would appreciate if…”

“Oh but of course! Most monkeys I’ve seen are omnivores and they usually get their protein from bugs. But…you’re a bit bigger than they are so it stands to reason you’d want a more substantial source than bugs.”

“Right, well I really could use some so if you don’t mind…”

“Since you’ve been such a nice monkey, how about I get you some tasty fish? I’m sure I still have some from when Harry the Bear was visiting.”

Gaius groaned. “Look it’s not that I’m ungrateful that you’re offering me meat but…I’m not some damned monkey!”

The mare’s ears drooped. “Oh my…I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you. I’ve never really seen anything like you before so…umm all I could think of was a monkey.”

Gaius patted her on the head. “No need to worry yourself, such has been the case with most of the ponies I’ve met so far. Might you tell me your name, so that I that I may thank my benefactor?”

“I-I’m F-fluttershy. And could you tell me your name too…if you want to that is.”

Gaius held out his hand. “Certainly, you may call me Gaius. It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy gently placed her hoof in his palm. “Nice to meet you as well Mr. Gaius, but I wish it had been under more pleasant circumstances. B-but don’t feel bad though! I know you didn’t have any idea that Angel was my pet bunny.”

Lyra trotted up to Gaius. “So can we get on with this whole food ordeal? I’d really like to be back in Ponyville before dark.”

“Ah yes but of course! Ponies have so many things they need to do, like munching on grass. Forgive me for delaying you from your important task.”

Lyra huffed. “We do not just munch on grass all day! I’m only hurrying this along so that we can focus on more important tasks, such as you learning our language and writing.”

“How insolent of me! I had nearly forgotten that horses also need time to frolic in the meadow. Miss Fluttershy let us make haste, lest we upset Ms. Lyra further.”

Lyra grumbled. “This human is going to drive me insane.”

Fluttershy shuffled her hooves. “Umm…I don’t really want to upset anypony, so I guess we should hurry. But I really do like frolicking in the meadow it’s…nice.”

Lyra face hoofed. “Shy please don’t encourage him!”

“Oh I’m sorry…was I doing something wrong?”

“You know what? Just forget I said anything; let’s go find his stupid fish.”

Fluttershy’s Cottage, Ponyville

Gaius sat on an old log next to Lyra while Fluttershy went inside a small shack to retrieve some fish. He still found it odd that a mare would be taking care of animals, as pets or otherwise. Even stranger was the fact that Fluttershy was a pegasus, yet she seemed content to stay on the ground. But that wasn’t even the strangest thing.

What really got the Roman thinking was: How in Tartarus did horses go fishing? Did they use nets, or did they just dive into a river and use some kind of spear? Being familiar with spears himself, Gaius didn’t think that these tiny horses would have an easy time using a spear with their mouth. His musings were cut short when he saw Fluttershy trot out of the shack with a bag full of beautifully colored trout.

The buttery pegasus sighed. “I hope that you like trout, because I’m all out of salmon. Harry ate all of them when he visited last time. I’m sorry…”

Gaius rubbed his hands together. “No need to worry, I love trout. These shall make a fine meal. Do you happen to have a table I could use to gut and fillet them?”

“I don’t have one in the shack but I do have a small table inside the cottage. If you give me a few minutes I should be able to get it for you.”

After about ten minutes Fluttershy came back with a small, folding table. Gaius had never seen such a thing and was impressed by its clever design. Without missing a beat, the Roman unsheathed a dagger from his belt and began to slice open a few trout. Fluttershy in the meantime, decided to sit next to Lyra. She smiled at the minty unicorn as if she didn’t have a care in the world, while Lyra looked ill.

“Umm Lyra what’s wrong? You look really sick. Are you feeling ok?”

“I really wish he would hurry up and finish gutting those fish. It’s disgusting. Doesn’t it bother you?”

Shy shook her head. “No, I’m used to seeing plenty of animals eat meat.”

“I guess that comes with the territory huh?”

“At least you should be thankful that he isn’t eating red meat. Why when I was visiting Marty the Manticore, he was eating a deer just before I arrived. There was so much blood. Maybe I can teach him to have better manners.”

Lyra dry heaved. “By Luna’s fetlocks do you have to talk about blood!?”

“Oh sorry, I forgot you aren’t used to seeing that kind of stuff.”

“I’ve never been very good with blood. It makes me feel queasy just thinking about it and don’t even get me started with hospitals.”

Fluttershy giggled. “You remind me of Rainbow Dash. She won’t ever admit it, but she’s deathly afraid of needles. One time when she had to get a shot, she hid underneath a bed for two hours. She only came out when I promised to buy her a Spitfire doll.”

Lyra shuddered. “Normally I’d laugh my flank off…but I hate needles too.”

Meanwhile Gaius was busy cooking the fish over a makeshift fire pit he had made out of some rocks. Both ponies were amazed at how little time it had taken him to construct it. As Lyra continued to stare slack-jawed at the human’s efforts, the smells of cooking flesh filled the air. Being near the Everfree Forest, this was not the best way to detract some of its carnivorous predators.

Lyra stared at the fire. “How did you set that up so quickly?”

“It’s an old camping trick, taught to every recruit in the legion.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “You must not be able to handle raw meat very well.”

“Fish can be eaten raw, but some men get sick from consuming it that way. The sickness applies to other meats, particularly any kind of foul. I don’t like to take any chances so I always cook any kind of meat that I come across.”

“A lot of ponies eat cooked food too. But I think it’s more for the taste than anything else.”

Gaius chewed on a piece of trout, swallowing it faster than he would have liked. He could have sworn that he saw something stirring in the bushes nearby. With practiced ease he unsheathed his gladius, using his other hand to signal the ponies to move closer to him.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened with worry. “I-is something wrong?”

“I thought I saw something in the bushes over there. Make sure that you stay behind me, it could be something dangerous.”

Lyra looked over at Fluttershy. “Do you think it’s a manticore?”

“No, I don’t think so. We’re too far away from their hunting grounds. However, it’s not unheard of for Timber wolves to hunt around here…but it is rare.”

Gaius grimaced. “I’m sorry; I should have been more careful where I cooked my food. The smell of roasting flesh tends to attract wild animals.”

Fluttershy placed her hoof on his back. “It’s ok, I should have let you cook inside my cottage but I thought we were far enough away from most of the larger predators. I’m sorry if you…”

The mare was interrupted when an ungainly creature leaped out of the bushes. It was, quite possibly, one of the strangest animals Gaius had ever seen (not counting present company). The thing was shaped like a horse as well, but that’s where the similarities ended. Its entire body was encased in black shell-like armor, along with a pair of insect wings. Like some of the other horses he’d seen, it too had a horn but was jagged and came to a point at the end. Its mane (if you could call it that) was a greenish-blue color that had random holes throughout. The thing snarled at him, bearing a pair of tiny fangs.

Fluttershy squeaked. “Wait I know who that is!”

Gaius kept his sword pointed at the abomination. “Do you mean to tell me this creature is intelligent?”

“Umm…yes she is. I think that’s Queen Chrysalis b-but I haven’t seen her in a long time.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “It seems at least somepony recognizes me.”

“What do you want, if you don’t mind me asking…that is.”

“As much as it pains me to admit this, I am in dire need of food. The smell of the monkey creature’s cooking led me here. As you can see by my abysmal condition, I haven’t been eating as regularly as I should.”

Lyra cocked her eyebrow. “Wait, I thought changelings only fed on love.”

“Foolish pony, how little you know of our kind! We do indeed feed upon emotions such as love, and it is our primary means of sustenance. Changelings can also eat meat for nutrition but it does not fill us up as much as love.”

“If you’re starving, then why didn’t you just take some love from nearby ponies?”

Chrysalis laughed. “Don’t you think I would’ve tried that, if it were so easy? Ever since my failed invasion you ponies have been relentless with trying to weed out any remaining changelings. It has made feeding…rather difficult to say the least. My energy is so low right now that even if I wanted to transform, I could only maintain it for a matter of minutes.”

Gaius placed the tip of his sword at the Queen’s throat. “If all you require is food, then I am more than willing to share. However, if I so much as see you try anything violent I will not hesitate to slice your throat.”

“You would be willing to share with likes of me? HA!”

“I fail to see what is so humorous in this situation.”

“Most of Ponykind despises changelings and would sooner run a spear through our chest than share. It amuses me that you would even be willing to share food, monkey creature. Very well, you have my word. No harm shall come to the ponies or yourself. I may be destitute but at least I still have my honor as a queen to uphold.”

As the changeling queen greedily gobbled down several trout fillets, Lyra scooted closer to Fluttershy. “What are we going to do? We can’t just like her go, she’s dangerous!”

The element of kindness shook her head. “If Gaius wants to help her, then we have no right to tell him not to. Maybe Chrysalis will be nice to us, if we are nice to her.”

“Yeah and she’ll just put us under her spell and turn us into zombies, just like I was at the wedding!”

“We don’t know that for sure. Besides, she isn’t in any condition to be doing things like that. She doesn’t even have any other changelings following her. Are you suggesting that we let her out here to die?”

“Well I…but, she’s a changeling!”

Fluttershy frowned. “Even if she used to be our enemy, everypony deserves a second chance. I’m disappointed that you even thought about leaving her to die, that’s horrible. What if we had found a little filly starving out here instead of Chrysalis hmm? I bet you wouldn’t have hesitated one second to help, if that was the case.”

Lyra’s ears flattened. “Look, I have a really hard time trusting her after what she did to me. Is that so difficult to understand?”

“No but that doesn’t excuse your attitude. If you can befriend and look after somepony like Gaius, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to see Chrysalis as more than just a heartless monster.”

“Alright…you win, I might be holding a bit of a grudge. But what must I do to change that?”

“Maybe you could offer to look after her, like you did with Gaius.”

Lyra gasped. “What!? T-that’s too much to ask. I’m already going to have my hooves full with him, let alone a changeling queen. And what about Bon Bon, she’ll freak out if she hears about this!”

“You have Chrysalis do what changelings do best…change of course.”

“Oh...yeah. I guess I could have her turn into a filly or something.”

Shy smiled. “See, that wasn’t so hard was it? Now go over there and make your peace.”

Gaius busied himself by smoking a few trout fillets in order to make jerky. Fish jerky wasn’t the tastiest but at least it gave you energy when you needed it. Thankfully the pegasus had given him enough so that not only he could enjoy a hearty meal, but the bug-horse as well. She hadn’t really said much, choosing to wolf down some fish instead. The mare moved a little bit closer to the fire, appearing lost in her own thoughts. Gaius was about to start cleaning his sword, when he felt one of her hooves touch his leg. He swore that she was blushing as she looked at him.

“I…just wanted to thank you, for the food. But don’t get used to my gratitude for it is not very often that I indebt myself to other creatures.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad that you were more reasonable than I first presumed. For a moment, I thought you were going to devour those ponies.”

Chrysalis laughed. “I look this way for a reason you know. Predators cannot look cute and cuddly after all. Ah but me, eating a pony? How utterly absurd! They would probably have too much fat from all that comfortable living.”

“Are you well enough to move about now?”

“I suppose so. At least I don’t feel as if I’m at the verge of death anymore.”

Gaius sheathed his gladius. “Good. That being said, I’m afraid I don’t have much more to offer you. I presume you seek shelter as well but sadly, my own living arrangements are dependent upon Ms. Lyra.”

“I shall simply have to make due with sleeping in the forest. It’s not glamorous, but it shall have to do for now.”

Lyra trotted over to the queen. “You don’t have to do that.”

“And why is that?”

“Because…I’m going to let you stay at my house, along with Gaius.”

“You crazy mare, who addled your brains today?”

Lyra bit her lip. “Nopony did, look don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be.”

“On the contrary, I’m not trying to be difficult. I am merely confused as to why you would wish to show me any form of kindness, especially after what I did to you.”

“About that…I felt really bad for judging you so harshly so, I’d like us to start over.”

Chrysalis smirked. “Very well, if that is what you wish. I suppose you’ll want some kind of apology from me in return hmm?”

“That would be a nice start.”

“I’m already indebted to some monkey thing. My pride as queen has already hit rock bottom, what is one more debt? I apologize for causing you any form of mental and or physical trauma caused by my mind control. There, are you happy now?”

Lyra was about to make a snide remark, but Fluttershy stared at her. “That didn’t sound very sincere but at least you apologized. The only rule I have if you decide to stay with me is that you must remain disguised as a filly while we’re out in public. I don’t want everypony freaking out that the queen of the changelings is living in Ponyville.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Naturally. Well then Ms. Heartstrings, I am in your care. As you ponies say: This may prove to be the start of a beautiful friendship!”