To Love a Hybrid: How It Started

by Applejack-fan

Rating: mature
Tags: Tragedy, Slice of Life, Romance
Length: 26199

Prequel to To Love a Hybrid. A unicorn guard finds a strange pony in a pitiful state during a patrol mission and secretly shelters and nurses her back to health.

This story is a prequel to To Love a Hybrid. It is not necessary to have read this beforehand to understand this one. Also, rated M for mature content in later chapters, though they won't be the main focus in the story.

The Badlands, which lie at the border of Equestria, have always been considered a hostile territory. When a squad of Royal Guards are sent past the border to patrol the area for safety measures, one of them discovers a strange and never before seen specimen, weak and famished by all means. Out of pity, he goes against the protocol and discreetly brings the creature back home to nurse it back to health.

As the days in the strange pony’s company pass, Thunderbolt will see that something sweet and fragile lies hidden under its hybridity, and will do whatever it takes to protect it, even at the risk of losing his status as a Royal Guard.

Cover art courtesy of Wave, a wonderful friend of mine. Thanks a lot for this, girl! =)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-05-19 01:58:11 UTC

Discovery in the Wild

The land of Equestria was home to the three different pony tribes. It stretched out from the San Palomino Desert to the southwest up to the northern frozen glaciers, with many cities founded all across its surface.

What lay beyond the country was for the most part unknown to most. All that was known was that the griffons’ kingdom was situated far to the east across the sea. Same thing went for the dragons’ land, only it was much farther and was south-east from Equestria.

And past the southern border lay a complete mystery. Very few was known about the Badlands, as ponies decided to call it. The soil was dry and devoid of any vegetation whatsoever, and one would be lucky to find water in this desolate place that seemed to stretch on without end. Also, nature acted wildly and all on its own, much like the Everfree Forest.

It was there that a small group of Royal Guards, dispatched by Princess Celestia herself, were scouting the area around the Equestrian border. There had been some reports that wild creatures had been wandering too close to the border. The sentinels already stationed there, by mere precaution. asked for more experienced units to investigate.

Life as a servant to her royal highness wasn’t restful at times. You’d always work hard and train to remain in shape everyday, and although you’d always have two days off a week, you never knew when Celestia would magically send a letter to your home to summon you for backup or emergencies.

Thunderbolt, a beige coated unicorn with a short brown mane and tail, was such a case. Wearing the uniform of the Royal Guards with pride, his sapphire eyes searched the area for anything suspicious, along with four other ponies. They’ve been patrolling the deserted plain for a bit more than an hour, occasionally checking on each other, yet they haven’t found anything.

Looking up briefly, Thunder spotted one of his teammates, a white pegasus, descending from his aerial search, apparently coming to terms that the area was clear of any kind of threat.

The five guards, acknowledging with each other that nothing was off, headed back for the stone wall that marked the border between Equestria and the Badlands, ready to give their report to Princess Celestia.

As they neared the wall, Thunderbolt spotted something to the right with the corner of his eye. A small burrow at the base of the rocky hill adjacent to the stone barrier, large enough for a pony to fit inside, that no one in the group had noticed yet.

“Hey guys, I’ll go check in there for a minute,” Thunderbolt said.

“I’ve got your back covered,” the white pegasus replied.

“Thanks, White Wind.”

White Wind was Thunder’s childhood friend. His coat was snow-white, and his piercing almond eyes could see miles away. His cutie mark, currently hidden under his armor, depicted waves of wind, showing his ability in taking advantage of the wind to help in while flying.

Having met in kindergarten in Rockville, he and Thunderbolt soon became best friends and decided to join the Royal Guards together. While the pegasus moved away to Canterlot when they got out from school, they still remained in touch with each other. Some ponies even said that they acted more like brothers than simple friends.

With his friend standing watch nearby in case he needed him, and the others watching from afar, the unicorn poked his head inside the dark hole. Effortlessly, he lit his horn to light his way, and found out that what he thought was a small burrow was more like a tunnel.

“It’s going to take a while,” he said to his friend as he turned back a second. “Strangely this looks like an underground passageway, large enough for only one pony at a time.”

White Wind nodded. “Be careful, Thunder. You know what to do to call us if you get in trouble.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” he assured before making his way down the hole.

As he progressed further, the stallion thought about what could have made this tunnel, but his mind only came up with some animal names. Still, if there IS something wandering around the border, then it might be likely that it’s hiding in here, he thought. If it ends up being a mere critter we’re after, then there won’t be any reason for the sentinels to freak out anymore.

The tunnel stretched on for a good two hundred meters. Walking with caution and alert, Thunderbolt reached the end of the path and found himself in a big alcove. His senses quickly gathered has much information as he could.

His nostrils caught on the smell of rotten fruits. His ears could hear something breathe less than five meters away. And as he dared take a step forward, he stomped on what he identified as a snake when he directed down the light of his horn, and he quickly tensed and held his breathing at the size of the scaly limb.

Mother of Celestia, hope I didn’t provoke it. With that kind of size… Yet, as he stood there, nothing happened. However, having cut his breathing temporarily, he got a better reception of the breathing sounds of the creature at his hooves. They felt ragged, and resembled a pony’s, now that he came to think of it.

Confused and curious, he pointed his light around the alcove, which quickly fell on a mare sleeping in the back and he froze at the discovery he just made.

The pony in front of him possessed a long, disheveled black mane. Her fur was of a greyish blue color. But that wasn’t what stunned him. What did was that the pony and the twenty foot-long snake tail he had stepped on joined together at her waist in one and single body.

He was standing in front of a creature only told in old mare’s tales.

And she wasn’t faring too good.

Shaking his head and regaining control of his senses, Thunderbolt analyzed with a critical eye what he was facing. First, he was dealing with something that was supposed to be a mere myth, which apparently wasn’t, unless this was just an illusion, but try as he may, he couldn’t detect any trace of magic except his own in the air.

Second, as he got a closer look at her form, his heart nearly stopped in his chest, finally finding the cause of the snakepony’s tired breathing. She was undernourished, as he could clearly see her ribs, and the more he stared at her, the more he felt sorry for her.

Third, if the rotten fruit cores lingering about were any indication, it must have been a while that she had been hiding here.

Poor thing… he thought. Thunder knew that he had to report such a creature to his superior. Yet, seeing her like this, he couldn’t bring himself to do his duty and deliver her to the commander.

Deciding it best to leave her there for now, his horn grew brighter as he charged a spell.

“I’ll be back soon,” he swore under his breath before teleporting out of the cave and reappearing outside, the other four members of the troop approaching him soon afterwards.

“Found anything in there, Sergeant?” his commander asked sternly.

“Nothing to worry about, Commander Gale,” Thunderbolt responded in a neutral tone. He didn’t like to lie, but he didn’t want anypony finding about the creature down there, especially Cyclone Gale, who was just waiting an opportunity to claim a promotion in his opinion. Of all the possible scenarios she could get into, it would just finish her.

“This underground tunnel leads to the lair of a large snake, Sir,” the unicorn continued his inconspicuous lie. “It had made its home down there.”

“I see. Well in that case, all is clear, then. Swift Slash and I will reassure the sentinels that there are no threats on the horizon. The rest of you, head back to Canterlot and report to the captain.” Gale then saluted them all and left with one of the other pegasus guards following him close by.

That left Thunderbolt, White Wind and another unicorn guard. Nodding in unison, they approached the beige stallion, and once they were close enough, he channelled magic through his horn, charging up a long distance travel spell.

For most unicorns, that kind of spell could easily be exhausting without the proper training. For Thunderbolt, it barely affected him, somehow having an uncommon ability to absorb magical energy that flowed in the air, using it to power up his spells while his body provided the balance.

With a bright flash of light, the trio reappeared on the outskirts of the capital, and didn’t waste time heading for their headquarters in the royal palace. Once there, they found the captain training some newcomers, after borrowing some of his time to tell him their report, they were quickly dismissed for the rest of the day, save for the other unicorn, who he kept with him a while longer for reasons nopony but him would know.

With another job well done, Thunder and White Wind headed for the barracks to store their equipment, the former doing so quicker than usual, which didn’t go unnoticed by his friend.

“What’s the rush, dude?” the pegasus asked.

“Nothing, White, just got some important things to do back home, that’s all,” he responded as he removed his armor, revealing his flanks, which bore a black storm cloud with crackling thunder bolts shooting out from it, representing his skills to anything related to lightning, whether it was foreseeing a thunderstorm or battling with lightning magic.

“You didn’t look in such of a hurry this morning,” White Wind pointed out as he hung his armor on the stand allowed to him. “What’s the big deal?”

“Personal business,” Thunder answered dryly. When his own armor was hanging from its stand, he quickly began channeling magic into his horn, readying another long distance teleport.

“I thought you were heading home?” the pegasus persisted, breaking the unicorn’s concentration.

“That’s what I’m doing, am I not?” Thunderbolt replied more aggressively than he intended to, but the more questions his friend asked the more he was going to find out that he was lying.

“No you’re not. Usual you barely blink an eye to get back to Rockville. Now, wherever you want to go must be a place you’ve newly been to if it asks for so much concentration.”

Damn it… he thought as he stopped the flow of magic and stomped the floor with a hoof, defeated.

“I know you all too well, Thunder. I knew from the beginning that you were hiding something since you got back from that tunnel back there.”

“Can we talk about this somewhere else, please?”

“Dude, you know that if the Commander finds out you lied to him-”

“Shh!” Thunder said as he quickly put a hoof on White Wind’s mouth. “I really don’t want anyone to hear about this, so can we discuss this at my place at least?”

There was an awkward pause before the white pegasus nodded, and a second and a flash of light later, they found themselves in Thunderbolt’s living room, which was bare of any decoration, except for a picture of himself and his parents above the fireplace in the corner of the room, and the only pieces of furniture were two middle-sized couches around the fireplace. And on the west wall, a window showed the world outside, which was quite quiet if one were to open the closed curtains and look through it.

“Alright,” White Wind said as he sat on one of the sofas, “what is this all about? What did you find in there?”

“Promise me you won’t tell anypony?” Thunderbolt demanded, looking at his friend in the eyes.

“That depends on what you’re going to tell me, dude. We may be best friends, but if what’s in that tunnel can be dangerous to anypony-”

“She can’t,” the unicorn abruptly cut in.

White gave his friend a quizzical look. “She? What in Tartarus is that supposed to mean?”

Thunder facehoofed. “Okay, that’s it!” he snapped. “I don’t have time to play fifty questions! Just wait here.” Without warning, he charged his spell once again and disappeared two seconds later, leaving a confused and perturbed pegasus alone in his wake.

* * *

Just like he had pictured it in his mind, Thunderbolt reappeared in the tunnel he had investigated earlier, though this time he began to feel weary from the multiple uses of his spell. Never before had he used it so many times in one day, and in a short period of time too nonetheless. The way back will leave him tired, but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

Focusing on the task at hoof, he lit his horn and walked down the tunnel. He hadn’t teleported outside so as to not alert the sentinels, nor did he teleport in the snakepony’s alcove to avoid scaring her.

When he reached his goal, his heart clenched. The mare was still asleep, but that was not what frightened him. He had barely left for two hours, but as he listened attentively, he was certain that the mare’s breathing was less rhythmic than it had been this afternoon.

“Oh no,” he said as he rushed by her side and checked her pulse, which was slower than it should be. “Oh please, no.”

Left with no better options, he teleported both he and the hybrid back home, startling his pegasus friend, who was walking aimlessly.

“W-what is that?!” White Wind exclaimed, having recoiled slightly at the sight of the odd creature.

“No time for that!” Thunderbolt yelled as he levitated the hybrid with his telekinesis, ignoring the strain of overusing his magic. “Bring me a big jug of water and prepare a soup. Now!”

The pegasus watched his friend go upstairs with his patient before heading for the kitchen, picking a jug from one of the cupboards and filling it with fresh, cold water from the sink. He didn’t know what was going on, but he sure wasn’t going to get any answers as long as Thunderbolt was stressed, so the only thing he could do was follow his orders until things had calmed down, which might not be until late evening.

White Wind then flew up the stairs with the jug in his hooves, and sure enough, he found Thunder in his room. Giving him the water, he quickly dashed back to the kitchen and fetched a canned vegetable soup, pouring it in a casserole and putting it on the stove to heat it.

Figuring it’d take fifteen to twenty minutes for the dish to be ready, he joined his friend, who was trying to make the hybrid drink the water. His friend had tucked her under the covers of his bed, and had apparently managed to awaken her. However, she was mostly disoriented than anything else, and White Wind guessed it might be because of dehydration.

Standing back, he watched his friend as he more or less succeeded in putting water in the mare’s mouth, who subconsciously swallowed it when he did manage to. The more he stared at the scene, the more he felt pity for the poor soul too. Now it all makes sense, he thought. She’s practically dying…

The pegasus remained sat in the doorway a little bit longer before he returned downstairs to check on the soup, which was ready another two minutes later. Gathering a bowl and a spoon, he served the dish and carefully flew back to Thunder’s room. Upon seeing him return, the unicorn grabbed the bowl in his magic.

Taking a spoonful of the tomato juice in which the vegetables dipped, he blew on it for a few seconds before moving it to the hybrid’s mouth, taking care as to not miss his target. Once he managed to feed it to her, the hotness of the liquid took effect, as she seemed to wake up, her eyes blinking tiredly.

Her mind wasn’t completely there, though, but it did register the smell of the soup, causing her clearly empty stomach to growl loudly. Without saying a word, Thunder continued feeding the half conscious snakepony. He had to ask White Wind to refill the bowl twice, as only one portion wouldn’t have been enough to calm her hunger.

When she was done eating, she almost instantly fell back asleep. With food and water in her organism this time, as well as being wrapped by Thunderbolt’s covers, her breathing and pulse had regained a more normal rhythm, much to the stallion’s relief.

Quietly tip-hoofing out of the room and silently closing the door, they headed back to the living room, dropping the used utensils in the sink on their way, and took a seat on the couches, releasing a heavy sigh at the same time, to which they lightly chuckled at.

“That was way too close,” the unicorn said as he looked up at the ceiling. “A few hours later and I may have found a corpse instead.”

“No kidding, dude,” White Wind replied. “No wonder you didn’t want the commander to find out about her; she’s practically dying.”

“It wouldn’t have felt right. Besides, isn’t our job to always help those in need?”

Silence settled in for a few minutes. After the stress from earlier, it felt good to bask in the calm atmosphere, so they remained there, unmoving, occasionally peeking towards the stairs with their ears perked up for any unusual sounds from that direction, and luckily, there weren’t.

“So, what are you going to do, Thunder?” the pegasus asked.

“Well, first of all, I’ll make sure she doesn’t starve, stabilizing her health condition and all. She mustn’t have eaten well for days, so it might take a while.”

“Just be careful with that. You’re dealing with something nopony had ever seen before, a creature that is thought to be from fantasy stories.” He directed a hoof at the stairs. “What you brought is a pony with the tail of a snake in the place of hind legs. Having been a common pony before joining the ranks of the royal army, you know as much as I do how the townsponies will react should they find out about her. Plus, if this was to be known by the captain or the princess that you’re hiding an unknown creature, you could get yourself in big trouble, dude.”

“I know,” Thunder sighed. “I know that, but I’m willing to take the risk if it means I can help her. Myth or not, no living being deserves such a fate.”

“So, would it have been, let’s say, an abandoned and injured baby manticore, or even a dragon, you would have done the same?”

“Undoubtedly. All lives should be preserved. That’s why I wanted to join the Royal Guards in the first place, remember?”

White Wind chuckled. “That I do, and I guess that’s what I like about you. Even if it can get you in trouble, you’ll always put others’ care and safety above everything else.”

“Thanks, I guess?”

“You’re welcome. Now I see why you wanna take care of her, but have you thought of what’s gonna happen when she does get better? Not that I don’t trust you to defend yourself if she ends up being dangerous, mind you, but-”

“I see what you mean,” the unicorn cut in, “and to be honest, I don’t know myself. Should it have been any other circumstances, I would have delivered to the commander right away, but after seeing her like that, I don’t think I could bring myself to do it at all.”

“So, what you are saying is that you’re going to keep her here?” White Wind asked, receiving no response from his friend. “Tsk, tsk, you’re playing with fire, dude. Still, that’s your decision. Whatever happens, watch out and good luck.”

“You’ll keep this a secret, won’t you?” Thunderbolt pleaded.

The pegasus looked pensive as he began formulating an answer. “That’s a big one you’re asking out of me, dude, but…” he smirked as he met the unicorn’s eyes, “we’re like brothers, so you can count on me to back you up with this.”

White Wind was then pulled into a hug from his friend, and he returned it kindly.

“Thanks a lot, White.”

“Hey, no worries,” he said as he pulled away and hoofed his friend on the shoulder. “Gonna head back home now, unless you need some more help?”

Thunderbolt looked back in the stairs’ direction for a while, then returned his gaze to the pegasus. “Nah, I’ll be fine by myself from here. Thanks a lot for the help back there. And not a word to anypony,” he reminded as they reached the front porch, White Wind quickly taking to the air as soon as he stepped outside. “Especially not the commander. Celestia forbids what he’d do just for a chance at being promoted.”

“Surprising we think the same way about him,” the pegasus chuckled. “Don’t worry, my mouth is sealed. If you need any help whatsoever, you know where to knock.” With that, he threw his friend a brief salute before flying in the direction of Canterlot.

Thunder watched as White flew home, closing the door when he was only but a mere dot in the now dark, star filled sky. Deciding to check on his guest one last time, he headed for his room, letting out a loud yawn on the way. Gosh, what a tiring and eventful day, he thought just as he reached his bedroom.

Grabbing the handle with his magic, he slowly opened it and took a look inside. There, the snakepony slept, snuggled deep under the bed’s covers. The unicorn heard her cough roughly, causing him to cringe a bit, before she returned to her more normal breathing, which was still a bit shallow a times.

Having done the best he could for today, he closed the door and descended the stairs. Once back in the living room, he fetched a spare blanket from the closet in the far back of the room. He then lay on one of the couches and draped the fabric over him. It wasn’t as comfortable as his own bed, but it was currently occupied by his guest, and he was more than glad to lend it if it meant she’d get better rest to recover.

Before he closed his eyes, he made sure to set his mental alarm in order to wake up early the next morning. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day, he thought before magically closing all the lights in the house at once and letting sleep claim him.

Getting Acquainted

The rays of Celestia’s blessing sun shed their bright and warm light on the landscape as the celestial body rose from the horizon, signaling the beginning of a new day. Morning dew covered the few patches of grass in the quiet town of Rockville.

As its name implied, the ground in and around the town was, for the most part, rocky. Because they lacked the proper soil to grow anything, the citizens had to resolve to other methods to acquire food. Fortunately for them, when the founders of the small town arrived there, they were quick to discover that the ground was rich in minerals, so they mined and excavated it and traded it with nearby towns for food and other materials they’d need.

The town’s economy depended mostly on the rock farming industry. Most of the minerals, along with some gemstones, that circulated in Equestria came from this rocky area. Some farms were built for the sole purpose of extracting what could be found in the surface’s rock floor and a few mines were being exploited of their resources on the outskirts of town.

It was in this isolated and hardworking town that Thunderbolt woke up every morning, soon after dawn. Creaking his eyes open, he was quick to blink the weariness out of them, stretching his four legs and letting out a loud yawn as he did. But as he flipped to the side, forgetting he had spent the night on the couch, his face soon met the carpeted floor.

Ow… What the…? Then his dazed mind caught up with yesterday’s events. Oh, right. Bed’s occupied. Standing up on all four, he rubbed his face to soothe the stinging sensation the fall had left it with. He then proceeded to check on his guest and see how she was doing.

Opening the door to his room slightly, he found that the snakepony was still snoozing in the bed, her chest moving in sync with her relaxed breathing. Relieved that nothing had happened during the night, he left her there while he went to the kitchen downstairs to prepare a good breakfast, along with his daily dose of coffee.

Figuring that last night’s soup had only calmed her hunger for the night, the unicorn aimed for the big guns. Digging in his recipe repertoire, he decided to make a healthy omelet, using the remaining vegetables he had in his fridge. He’d had to restock later, but that was the last thing on his mind right now.

Chopping mushrooms, bell peppers and celery in pieces and putting them aside in a bowl for the time being, he fetched six eggs, milk and butter from the fridge, along with a large skillet from the cupboard next to it.

Setting the stove on medium heat. he melted one and a half tablespoon of butter in the skillet, adding the chopped vegetables afterwards and stirring on occasion. While they cooked, he beat the eggs with three tablespoons of milk, then shred three ounces of cheese in a bowl and set it aside.

Removing the vegetables from the stove after five minutes of cooking and putting them in another bowl, he melted another tablespoon and a half of butter in the skillet, coating the dish with it. When it started getting bubbly, he added the egg mixture and let it cook for about two minutes.

As he added the last of the ingredients on the soon-to-be-ready omelet, a delicious smell began to spread in the kitchen. Magically using a spatula to fold one edge over the vegetables, he let the dish cook until the cheese was melted to his liking, then turned off the stove and slid it into a plate, putting one third of it in another and leaving the other two for the probably hungry hybrid. Carrying the food and two forks he fetched from the top drawer next to the fridge in his telekinesis, he made his way back to his patient.

* * *

Inside the bedroom upstairs, all was quiet. The only sounds disturbing the silence were the chirping of a few birds outside and the soft breathing of the bed’s occupant. The tan-colored curtains in front of the window were closed, yet some of the sun’s warm rays still managed to get through, giving the room enough light for one to see their surroundings.

It was in this peaceful atmosphere that the snakepony slowly opened her eyes, revealing emerald irises under her eyelids. The first thing her mind registered was the warmth she felt under the blankets, and it made her want to stay there and never get out.

Then, merely a few seconds later, a light in her head clicked.

She abruptly cast out the blankets and adopted a sitting position, slowly glancing around, utterly confused. She didn’t know where she was, nor how did she end here, but she was starting to feel anxious and a little worried, if not scared. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, from the sky blue walls to every piece of furniture. One thing was certain: she wasn’t in her cave anymore, and whoever brought her here must be nearby.

That last thought only made her worry even more, to the point of nearly having a breakdown. Somepony had found her, and who knew what they’d do to her. Her mind began formulating many scenarios, each one worse that the previous, and she eventually ended as a miserable weeping ball on the bed.

Amid her crying, her ears caught on the sounds of approaching hoofsteps. At the same time, her nostrils smelled a delectable odor, which made her empty stomach growl furiously. Still, that didn’t ease her worries a bit, since thoughts of poisoned food suddenly added themselves to her already perturbed mind.

The worst thing was that she felt helpless. She was too weak to even fight back, her strength lost with days of starvation. Sighing desperately, she sat up with her head hung low, ready to accept whatever cruel fate that was coming her way. And as if on cue, there were solid knocks on the closed door, signaling her captor’s arrival.

* * *

As the unicorn stallion neared his destination, his ears perked up at the sobs coming from inside the room. Relieved that his patient had at last awoken but worried that she did in such a state, he accelerated his steps to the door, keeping the plates balanced in his magic.

Knocking a few times to let her know of his presence, he opened the door and only made one step inside before stopping himself as his eyes settled on the hybrid.

She looked crestfallen. She didn’t even look up when Thunderbolt entered. Even from this angle, the unicorn could see the tear streaks on her cheeks. Her tail took much of the space around the bed, and she was currently stroking the tip of it anxiously with her hooves, and he might have a few ideas why.

Not wanting to leave her in such a state, he attempted to engage a conversation, but to his astonishment, she broke the ice before he could open his mouth.

“Poissoned food it iss, huh? Never thought it’d be the kind of end I’d get…” she said with a sad, yet melodic voice.

“W-what…?” Thunderbolt muttered. Luckily, he regained his focus on the food floating next to him. Of all the things that could have happened, this was something he never anticipated. The fact that the creature before him could speak Equestrian sure would ease communication. The fact that she thought he was going to be her executioner and that she was willing to accept this as her fate made him worry more about her wellbeing. He didn’t know what she’d been through, only having a mere idea, but seeing her like this, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out.

Figuring that nothing would be accomplished by standing idly in the doorway, he deposited the food and utensils on the reading desk in the corner of the room. He then walked over to the bed and sat down in front of it, staring at the hybrid, who lifted her own confused gaze to meet his.

They remained like that for a while, Thunderbolt scanning his target for any signs of treachery from her part. Instead, the longer the unicorn stared into her emerald eyes, the more it became apparent that what stood before him was a defeated mare that had long given up hope in her life. It was a sight he had only witnessed twice among his numerous patrols, and both times there was nothing he nor his comrades could have done. This time, he wouldn’t fail a third time.

“Nopony’s dying tonight or anytime soon, miss,” Thunder said, not bearing to see her miserable form any longer. “The reason you are here is because I found you in very bad shape on my patrolling mission yesterday.”

    hat seemed to surprise her slightly, but that only lasted a little moment, as she flattened her ears against her skull.

“Patrolling, huh? Ssso you’re sssome sssort of guard or whatever it iss you poniess call it.” Thunder nodded. “Then what do you want from me? I have nothing, ssso why are you keeping me alive, then?”

“Why would you want to die?” the stallion asked, seemingly catching the mare off-guard, but only for a small moment.

“At leassst I wouldn’t need to run away anymore if I wass dead. It iss only becausse of my sssurvival inssstinct that I’m ssstill alive, I guessss, but it’d be ssso much eassier if I didn’t even exissst,” she answered.

“Because of the fact that you are a snakepony?”

“A lamia,” she corrected, but nodded nonetheless.

“Never heard of those,” the unicorn commented.

“That doessn’t sssurprisse me. Lamias aren’t even from around here to begin with. Worssse, I don’t even know how I ended here, only that my ssspeciess iss from a far away place.

“As I wass sssaying, we’re not a normal sssight around here, ssso it’ss no wonder poniess freak out. Who wouldn’t at the sssight of thiss?” she said, waving the tip of her snake tail for emphasis.

“I see.” That helped clear things in Thunder’s mind. As sad as it was, he could totally picture the lamia fleeing for her life as she was being chased by ponies who came across her, taking her for a wild predator.

“I won’t claim to know what you’ve been through,” the stallion began, “but I can understand. I’ve been to many places on my assignments, sometimes places I wish I never had to deal with, and I know that there can be a lot of ponies who aren’t too keen with what’s too different from them, as shameful as it can be.

“But,” he continued with a stern tone, getting the mare’s attention, “I am a Royal Guard. I’ve been taught by my parents to not judge others by first appearances, and I’ve sworn an oath to always help those in need of assistance.”

“Now,” he picked the hybrid’s plate, casting a basic heat spell on it, since it had gotten a bit cold during their little conversation, and a fork and held them out to her, “if you want your stomach to stop protesting, I suggest you eat. I’d really like to avoid feeding an unconscious pony again.”

As if on cue, the hybrid’s belly growled violently. Unable to hold on any longer, she snatched the plate and fork instinctively from his magic and began devouring her meal. For each bite she took, she felt she was in heaven, and she regaled in the blissful feeling the mixture of fresh vegetables, cheese and eggs brought her. All the while, the unicorn watched as he munched his own portion at a much slower pace, glad that she fared better than last night.

Only when the lamia had eaten half of her omelet did she pause to ask the question that formed in her mind after the stallion’s last statement.

“What do you mean by feeding an unconsciousss pony again?”

“You were starving to death when I found you,” Thunderbolt said after swallowing his bite from his own omelet. “Not only that, you were dehydrated and cold. It’s a miracle we managed to bring you here and put some nutriment in your system, otherwise we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

“We?” she repeated, a hint of panic in her voice, but the unicorn was quick to quell it down.

“My friend was with me last evening. He swore to keep your presence a secret, and I trust him with my life, so there’s no need to worry about other ponies finding out.”

Nodding, she finished her meal, feeling full for the first time in months. Although she was a bit reassured that nopony would know she was here, she still had questions for her savior.

“I guessss I should thank you,” she said as she met his gaze once more. “But what are you going to do with me?”

Having finished his portion, he grabbed the utensils and put them back on the desk for the time being, and returned his attention to the mare watching him uncertainly.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “There’s no way I’m turning you in to my superior. We’re not supposed to mistreat prisoners, but that seems to go over his head, and being locked in a dungeon or whatever is the last thing you need.”

He heard her gulp nervously as her mind probably pictured such horrible scenes, but continued regardless. “And there’s no way you’re going back to that desolate place. I don’t know how you’ve managed to survive out there for who knows how long, but you’re mighty lucky to be standing here today.”

Her ears drooped and her gaze met the blanket of the bed she was still sitting on. She wasn’t willing to say it, but she was ashamed of the methods she had to resort to in order to survive. But what other choice did she have? She couldn’t simply beg for food or shelter when everypony would flee or want her hide if she’d show up in a pony town.

“So,” Thunder went on, “I thought that you could maybe stay here. There’s plenty of room available in this house, so I wouldn’t mind at all.”

She looked back into the stallion’s sapphire eyes, completely shocked by what she heard. Never did she think somepony would be willing to shelter her ever again.

“R-really?” she managed to say through her stupor, wanting to make sure her ears hadn’t tricked her.

“Sure,” he acquiesced.

Yet, there was still a little trace of doubt in the lamia’s mind. “But, won’t that causse you problemss? I mean, you live inssside of a village, don’t you?”

He approached the bed and sat on its edge, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She tensed at the contact, but didn’t pull or push him away.

“If you worry about ponies stumbling on you here, don’t. Everypony in this village cares only for themselves. The only ponies who even get near my place are the mailmare, yet all she does is put the mail in the mailbox in front of the house, and my friend White Wind. Plus, I kinda live on the edge of the village. Nopony even walks by these parts, so ease your worries, miss.”

Just as he finished talking, he found himself wrapped in a hug from the mare next to him, blasting him with countless thank you. He returned the embrace, tapping her back comfortingly.

After a minute, when she finally realized what she had done, she quickly withdrew from the hug, earning herself a quizzical look from the beige coated unicorn.

“Sssorry!” she exclaimed, rubbing a forehoof with the other in embarrassment. “It’sss jussst-”

“Hush,” Thunderbolt cut her, never tearing his eyes away from her as he spoke. “I don’t mind. You’ve lived miserably on your own for so long, so it’s totally normal to be reacting this way,” he said with a genuine smile, which helped the lamia relax a bit. Turned out that bit caused her to let a loud yawn escape her lips, showing off two snake-like fangs and a forked tongue. “And how about you rest some more?” he added. “You can keep using my bed if you like.”

Nodding, she grabbed the blanket and draped it over her pony half. The snake tail trailed around the bed on the wooden floor, being too big to fit on the bed. As she settled comfortably, Thunder took the opportunity to grab the utensils from the desk and began making his way out of the room.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me,” he told her. “I’ll be doing some chores downstairs.”

“Thank you ssso much, missster… uh…” She blushed as she realized she didn’t know his name. “I didn’t get what your name wass,” she said sheepishly.

“I don’t think we’ve properly introduced ourselves in the first place. And you can drop the mister if you’d like. Name’s Thunderbolt, pleased to meet you, miss…?”

“Emerald Gleam,” she finished. “Thank you for letting me ssstay here, and everything. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay your kindnessss, but I owe you my life.”

The unicorn’s smile didn’t falter a bit. “Just getting better and regaining your lost weight will be enough. Have a good nap, Emerald Gleam.” And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Lossst weight?” she repeated as she looked down at herself, now noticing that she could see her ribs and how pitiful she must have looked. “Oh…”

Her self examination was interrupted by another yawn, and complied to her body’s needs. Laying her head down on the soft pillow, snuggled under the warm, thick blanket, she reminisced on this morning’s events.

This is too good to be true, yet it is. I don’t even remember exactly when was the last time I ate a proper meal and slept in a real, comfortable bed. She then flipped to face the ceiling, a frown slowly forming on her face. Stupid zebra. Why did you leave me and disappear? Because of you, my life became a nightmare! She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow, muffling the angry grunt she soon let out.

Her frustration was quickly replaced by tiredness, and it didn’t take long for the young lamia to join the world of dreams.

Forging Trust

The rays of the sun, now high up in the sky on this Summer afternoon, half pierced through the thick sheets of fabric that covered one of the windows on the upper floor of the two-story house, thus creating natural lighting that spread everywhere in the room behind the curtains, including on the snoozing hybrid on the bed. Not only did the rays shed light, but they also brought a refreshing heat that the lamia’s body kindly welcomed.

When Emerald Gleam finally woke up from her revigorating nap, she lazily pulled away the blanket and stretched herself, including the muscles in her scaly limb, which, like the rest of her body, lacked their usual daily exercise. They cracked and popped a few too many times that she would have liked, causing her to wince every time they did, but if she wanted to fully recover, she at least had to work them out somehow, right?

She didn’t remember having slept that well before, but she sure as hay didn’t complain. Although she had gotten used to it, it didn’t beat sleeping on a soft, springy mattress. After all, sleeping on a hard, rocky surface wasn’t what one would call total comfort.

Once she was done stretching, she ran her hooves through the dark hair of her mane in an attempt to untangle the knots and straighten them as best as one could manage without a comb and brush, more or less succeeding in her manual task. Only when she was done that her nostrils caught up on a quite unpleasant scent, and with horror, realized it came from her.

Looking down at herself, she noticed that there were beads of sweat covering her pony half. Even though she still felt weak, she didn’t feel ill, so she concluded that it was because of the intense heat outside added to the warmth the blanket had provided her as she rested.

Definitely needing to wash herself, she disembarked from the bed and began making her way out of the room to ask her host where the washroom was. She knew that zebras, if the only one she had known was any indication, filled what they called bathtubs with water to wash themselves, but surely ponies did the same thing.

As she began her way down the stairs, she looked over the ramp for any signs on Thunderbolt, but didn’t find him in her immediate sight. As she neared the bottom, she heard noise somewhere to her left, and she raised her head up with perked ears. Unfortunately, she roughly hit the ceiling which had somehow become lower with a thud, wincing and moaning loudly as she bent down and began rubbing the spot on her head that would certainly be home to a nice bump in a few minutes.

“Emerald Gleam? Are you alright? I thought I heard…” the beige unicorn started to say as he emerged from around a corner, but cut himself when he saw the lamia nearly on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, her moans of pain resonating in his ears.

Rushing to her side, he bent down next to her to meet her gaze.

“Hurtsss…” the hybrid lamented.

“What happened?” he queried, helping her stand up to her normal height.

“Hit my head on the ceiling. Ow…” Rubbing her hoof against her skull did nothing to soothe the pain. In fact, the burning sensation had only increased. She really didn’t miss her shot…

“Hold on,” Thunder said as he headed for the kitchen real quick, returning a moment later with an ice pack he had fetched from the freezer in his magic.

“Put it where it hurts and hold it there,” he ordered, and she complied without a word.

Taking it from his telekinesis, she applied it on the sore area atop her head. She tensed as she was overcome by a big chill as her skin under her hair came in contact with the frozen object, but relaxed when the pain began to fade little by little as the numbing cold did its job.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“Should I have known you’d come down by yourself, I would have warned you about the ceiling getting low at the bottom of the stairs.”

“It’ss okay,” she assured, though her tone wasn’t very convincing.

“If it is of any comfort, I got fooled like this many times when I first moved here. Once I hit my horn against the ceiling so hard I thought I broke it.”

“I’ll be fine. It’ss jussst going to be sssore for a while. Ugh…”

“The ice will help you feel better, so you shouldn’t feel any pain soon. Just don’t keep it more than fifteen minutes on your head, though,” Thunderbolt warned, and Emerald nodded in understanding.

“So, aside from that,” he said as he pointed at her head with a hoof, “how are you feeling? I just finished cleaning the kitchen and thought on making a salad for supper.”

“That’ss nice,” she agreed, “but firssst I wass wondering where your washroom wass. I kinda need to take a bath.” For some unknown reason, a small blush crept on her face as she said that last part, but if the stallion noticed, he didn’t say anything about it.

“It’s the door right in front of my room. Do you want me to show you how the tub works?”

“I think I’ll be fine, thanksss,” she told him, then hoofed him over the ice pack, which he grabbed in his magic. “Thanksss again for this.”

“You’re welcome.” He headed back in the kitchen to store the pack back in the freezer as the lamia made her way up the stairs.

“If you need any help, just tell me,” he called back. “There’s supposed to be a towel hanging behind the bathroom door. You can use it to dry yourself when you’re done.”

“Thank you!” she yelled back as she arrived in front of her destination, and went inside, making sure her whole tail had followed her in before closing and locking the door.

When she turned back to look around the room, she found it to be very well maintained. The mirror above the sink was spotless, and she could see her reflection on the lid of the porcelain toilet bowl. The tiled floor was smooth and a bit cold under the scales of her snake tail, but it was a good kind of cold. There also was the distinct smell of air freshener in the air.

When she approached the average-sized bathtub, she noticed a small shelf nailed to the wall above it on which four bottled lined up, two of them being shampoo and the other two being shower gel when she inspected them with a closer look. There was a soap bar that smelled like lilies next to them, and the hybrid couldn’t help but relish in the scent it emitted as she took a good sniff of it.

Snapping out of her small trance, she returned to the task at hoof. She didn’t have trouble figuring out how the tub’s faucet functioned. The left lever labeled with a H on it was for hot water, while the right one with a C was for cold, so she turned them both on, rotating the left one a bit more than the other to have relatively warm water.

However, there also seemed to be some kind of switch between both levers. Curious, she grasped it in her hoof and tried to press it down, but it didn’t even budge. She then attempted to pull it up, but when she did, the water flowing from the faucet stopped, and she was immediately assaulted by water from the shower head above, startling her. She reflexively pushed it back to its original position and held her hood there as if it would spring back up on its own, stopping the downpour and allowing the water to fall from the faucet again.

Her face and mane soaking wet not, she blew strands of hair off of her face and finished gauging the water’s temperature, blocking the draining pipe with the lid she took from the shelf when she was satisfied. When the water reached about one foot high, she stopped the flow.

She began by first lowering her pony half in the water, with about a foot of her tail following with it. With the step of wetting her mane already done because of her foolishness, she grabbed one of the shampoo bottles and poured some in a hoof and put it back on the shelf, then rubbed the liquid between her hooves until it mostly became foamy, to finally apply it everywhere in her black, silky mane, making sure not to miss a single spot.

When she wanted to rinse the shampoo off, she remarked that she didn’t have a washing cloth, but she quickly spotted them in a small basket next to the sink near the entrance to the bathroom. Luckily for her, she didn’t have to step out of the tub, as she simply fetched one with the tip of her snake tail. Now fully equipped, she proceeded with the next steps of washing herself.

When her mane was fresh clean and her fur smelled like lilies, she snatced with her tail the towel from the hook on the door and raised herself off of the tub and dried herself up, also getting rid of the water that had dropped on the floor when she activated the shower head. When she was done, she then plunged her scaly limb in the tub and began washing it, running the cloth everywhere, especially the underside.

Now feeling perfectly clean for the first time in ages, she unblocked the draining pipe and put the lid back on the shelf. She hung the towel back on its hook and twisted the washing cloth to free it of most of the water it had absorbed, then suspended it on the pole above the bathtub. Not wanting to rummage in the drawers beneath the sink without Thunderbolt’s permission by mere politeness, she manually brushed her mane with her hooves. It didn’t get as good results as it would have with a comb, but with her mane flowing down to her waist and her toupet placed to her liking, she stepped out of the room and returned downstairs, remembering the low ceiling this time. The smell of fresh vegetables soon overcame her senses. There was also the scent of something foreign to her, but she figured she’d find out in the kitchen. And her stomach seemed to agree with her too…

“Hey! Looks like you’re feeling better now,” the unicorn pointed out as he filled a bowl full of green lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots and mixed them all together with two large spoons held in his yellow aura. “Didn’t have any trouble with the faucet, I presume?”

“Well, not really,” Emerald told him. “Though I now know not to pull on that little ssswitch...”

That caused the stallion to snicker against his own will, receiving a indignant and hurt stare from the poor hybrid.

“Sorry,” he apologized, “but that just reminds me of when White Wing first used my shower. His was broken, so I let him borrow mine.”

The stallion couldn’t stop a chuckle to escape his throat as he recalled more of his anecdote.

“Poor guy insisted that he’d figure out how my tub’s faucet worked,” he continued, levitating the bowl of delicious-looking salad on the table. “Trust me, he did find out… with freezing cold water.” Now, he couldn’t stop snickering as he neared the end of his tale. “Came back down here, drenched in cold water and blaming me because I didn’t warn him and blah blah blah. Never wanted to borrow my shower again. Don’t know why.”

A smile crept on the lamia’s lips as she pictured a stallion getting caught like she had been and rushing down all wet to yell at Thunderbolt. At least she had set the temperature to something tolerable before pulling the switch.

“Are you hungry?” he asked his guest.

“Yeah. A lot, actually.”

“Thought so, so I made a bit more than two servings,” he told her as he served their meal in two separate bowls, handing one of them for the lamia to take, along with a fork. “Do you want anything to drink? I got some apple and orange juice. Or there’s also some milk if you prefer,” he listed as he deposited his own portion on the table.

“I’ll have sssome apple juice if you don’t mind.”

“No problem,” he said as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and fetched the requested beverage from the fridge. He hoofed the filled glass to the hybrid, who eagerly accepted it, and gulped it down as he put the juice carton on the table in case she’d want more.

“Thank you, Thunderbolt,” she said after swallowing her mouthful and releasing a satisfied sigh.

“My pleasure.” He then took a seat at the table as Emerald began eating, but instead of following her suit, he picked the ranch dressing that rested on the table and spread some over his salad, piquing the hybrid’s curiosity.

“What’ss that?” she queried, pointing a hoof at the bottle he was holding in his magic.

“Some salad dressing. Adds some more taste to it. Wanna try some?”

“Uh…” she hesitated. “I don’t know…”

“Here.” he picked a bite covered in the dressing with his fork and levitated it over to her, and she eyed it hesitantly. “Don’t worry, I’m not disdainful,” he asserted.

“A-alright.” If he doesn’t mind, then there’s no problem at all, right? she thought to herself. But why is a part of me feels uncomfortable? Stocking the last part of her internal monologue in the back of her mind for now, she grabbed the stallion’s utensil and stuffed the food it held in her mouth, hoofing it back to him as she slowly munched the vegetables, taking her time in savoring them, especially the extra sauce that had been added to them.

“It’ss good!” she acknowledged after gulping down her mouthful.

“Glad to hear that,” Thunder smiled. “Though I prefer that particular dressing for this kind of salad, there are other kinds I could get from the market if you’d like to try something else in the future.”

“You don’t have to, really,” the lamia said sheepishly as she continued eating her meal.

“Well, the offer’s there if you want to.”

“You don’t have to,” she repeated after another bite, meeting his gaze with hers. “You’ve already done ssso much more than I desserve, and-”

“Whoa whoa! Hold on!” he cut her abruptly and a bit more aggressively than he had wanted to, causing Emerald Gleam to flinch back with folded ears at his stern tone and gaze.

“Sorry,” he apologized as he softened his composure. “But what is it that you think you don’t deserve?” he asked, forgetting his dinner for the moment.

“I…” she dropped her fork in her bowl and eyed it with a downcast look. She actually didn’t know what she deserved, but certainly not all of this. This stallion was being too kind towards her, and she didn’t think she could repay him that kindness, least of all being worthy of it.

She was brought out of her internal conflict when she felt pressure on her shoulder, and when she cast a glance to her left, she was surprised to see Thunderbolt standing beside her, his hoof laying on her shoulder and a comforting smile on his face.

“Look, I don’t know what it is you think you deserve,” he told her, “but I know what you don’t. Wandering aimlessly, with no place to call home, in a barren territory with little to no food, and left to rot and die on your lonesome. Sorry if that sounded harsh,” he added as her crestfallen look only worsened, “but that’s how I see it, and you, and nopony for that matter, should deserve such a cruel fate.

“I don’t know what you’ve been through or the hardships you’ve faced, and it is not my place to pry on it. Although I can see how you look like from anypony’s point of view, I am not anypony.

“They haven’t seen you lying down pathetically in that small cave. They haven’t heard your ragged breaths as you had trouble breathing in your weakened state. They haven’t felt the coldness of your body as life slowly ebbed away from you. But I did, and because it is both part of a guard’s duty and because it is the right thing to do to help those who need it, I had to help you out.

“I don’t know how many ponies you’ve seen, nor what they thought of you, but what I saw when I first saw you was a mare like any other getting closer to the gates of death.

“Like I said, I don’t know what you deserve, but it certainly wasn’t what would have happened if I had left you alone in that cave,” Thunder concluded, his hoof never having left its spot on the lamia’s shoulder and his sapphire eyes their stare into her emeralds.

Emerald was speechless as she stared at him, her savior, her brain analyzing what he just told her. All her life she hid and stayed away from everypony for fear of what they’d do to someone like her if she were to be spotted. Now, the stallion in front of her not only saved her life, a life she thought didn’t have any hopes or meaning at all, but he didn’t see her as a beast like anyone else would.

To him, she was anyone else, her nature being secondary to him.

I’m like anyone else? Can it really be? she asked herself as she momentarily tore her gaze away from his, and when she locked it back with his, he still had that comforting smile of his. But what really hit her was the sincere look in his eyes, a look that didn’t speak hatred and fear, instead showing care, belief and honesty.

Losing control of all her pent up emotions in her heart, she threw her hooves around him as if her life depended on it and cried herself out into the fur of his chest. She soon felt his own hooves wrap themselves around her torso and his head rest atop hers, and she tightened her grip around him as she emptied herself of all the pain, sorrow and loneliness she had accumulated all these years. She soon found herself being rocked left and right rhythmically, and she clung to the unicorn for dear life, not wanting to let go, at least not now, and let the tears flow of their own accord, unable to hold them back anymore even if she wanted to.

There had only been one pony, or should she say zebra, who had shown her kindness a long time ago. She learned to read, write, count and talk the modern language under her wing. The bicolore shaman had raised her since she was no older than a few months, or so she had told her, and over the years she had begun putting her trust in her.

But one morning, when Emerald had woken up, she had been alone. The zebra shaman and all her belongings had all vanished without a trace, and so did the trust, love and all other feelings she had felt towards her, and had to survive in a desolated world on her own,  feeling betrayed, outcast and broken, stealing whatever food she could from travelers and small camps whenever she’d find any.

When death had looked like such an easier path, for some reason she never could place, she kept fighting, every day feeling her demise approaching as her attempts at survival became more and more feeble, and every day she cursed the zebra for leaving her.

And now here she was, leaking tears in the chest of a stallion who not only pulled her away from the gates of death, but also was giving her a second chance in a world she always felt lonely and hopeless in. There was still the fear that he’d just disappear like that shaman and she’d have to live for herself once more, but whenever she looked into his sapphire blue eyes, even though she had just met him, there was a solace in them stronger than she had ever felt in the zebra’s, and because of this, that fear now seemed meaningless.

After what felt like hours, her crying had now become little sobs and all her tears had been shed. The unicorn gently pulled her away, and she raised her head to meet his gaze, more specifically his sapphire orbs, feeling all her worries wash away. He offered her another smile, and managed a small one in return. He wiped her cheeks of the moisture that had formed on them and snatched a handkerchief from somewhere with his magic, which she accepted, throwing it in the trash after emptying her nose.

“Better?” he asked her, a hoof still on her shoulder.

She nodded her head, sniffing once. Silence settled between them, but none of them wanted to break it. Instead, Thunder grabbed the mare’s unfinished salad bowl and presented it to her, and she took it in her hooves with a mute thank you. Picking his own bowl, they both finished their meal in utter silence.

Once done, the stallion put the dressing back in the fridge and headed for the sink to wash all the dishes. He was a bit surprised when the lamia joined him to dry the utensils.

“It’ss the leassst I can do,” she said quietly.

Smiling and wording a silent thanks, they worked together to clean what they had used for supper, the unicorn showing Emerald where everything was meant to be as they put the dishes away.

Right as they finished, Emerald let out a loud yawn, earning herself a light chuckle from the stallion.

“Tired already?” he teased.

“Yeah, sssorry. It jussst hass been… um…”

“Eventful?” he offered.

“Yeah. I kind of want to go sssleep, if that’ss alright?”

“You do know you don’t have to ask for permission to head to bed? I’m not your captor, if I recall,” he joked in an attempt to lift the mood up, with which he more or less succeeded.

“Right…”

“You remember where my room is, don’t you?”

She looked at him with wide eyes. “You’re going to sssleep on the couch again?”

“I don’t mind,” he shrugged. “Besides, you’re the guest, so it’s just normal that you take the bed.”

“Maybe ssso, but…” she began to argue, only to be interrupted swiftly.

“And you need all the comfort you can get if you wanna have a good rest.”

“I know, but what about your comfort?” she retorted. “Besssidess, I don’t want to feel like I’m impossing on you. Pleasse?”

He looked at her for a few seconds before replying. “Are you sure you want to sleep on the couch?”

“I insssissst. I won’t be able to repay your kindnessss, and I know you sssaid it doessn’t matter, but at leassst allow me to be consssiderate.”

Thunderbolt sighed, giving in to her demand. “Fine, you can take the couch.” He began making his way up the stairs, turning back to look at her halfway up. “But tomorrow, you take the bed, alright?”

“Deal!” the lamia agreed. “Goodnight, Thunderbolt.”

“See you tomorrow, Emerald.” With that, he walked the rest of the way to his room, using the little filly’s room on the way first. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. There’s another restroom next to the patio door in the kitchen, just beside the fridge,” he called from upstairs before going in his bedroom, closing the door behind him and picking a book from one of the shelves on the wall to read. Once comfortably settled in his bed, he used his magic to cut off the electricity that supplied all the lights in the house and opened his book.

For her part, the grey-blue coated lamia headed for the living room’s couch. She coiled her tail up beside it and lay her pony half on it, resting her head on the pillow, if a small cushion placed against the armchair could be called as such. She grabbed the blanket that hung atop the sofa and draped it over herself. She jumped when the remaining lights closed by themselves, but calmed down when she assumed that it must have been Thunder’s doing.

Well, it’s not as comfy as his bed, but it’ll do. I don’t want him to think I’m taking advantage of his kindness. He’s done for me more than I could have ever asked. She flipped to the side, offering herself a view of the staircase that lead to his room, and a little smile crept on her features.

When I thought I had lost it all, I’m being given a chance to start over. She closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take her, but not before a final thought reached her conscious mind.

Perhaps my life is still worth living, after all.

An Unexpected Visit

When the mare’s body forced her to rise from the couch after a long night, she groggily did so, taking the blanket off of her and sluggishly hanging it back on the sofa’s back. Even though she wanted to remain where she was, her system seemed to think she had had enough rest. Her mane must be a mess, but she didn’t care right now.

She made her way to the kitchen next door at a slow pace, her muzzle catching a faint, sweet smell in the air, though her half-asleep brain didn’t register it as she entered the room. Thunderbolt, who was already seated at the table and was preparing his lunch, looked up at her, an eyebrow raised, and he waited until she had sat down on the chair opposite of him before asking her if she had slept well.

“Body did, but my brain could have ussed sssome more,” she answered, letting her head drop on the table with a little thud.

“Even considering that you knocked out early last night and that it’s currently nearing noon?”

She said nothing, instead letting out a muffled, tired groan from her throat. The unicorn let her be, and sure enough, she slowly lifted her head, looking at him and the small setup on the table, her senses finally recognizing the scent of strawberries, which came from a small glass jar that Thunder was currently using, dipping a butter knife in it and spreading its contents on two slices of bread that lay in a plate before him.

“Ssstrawberry jam sssandwichess?” Emerald Gleam guessed, at which the stallion nodded.

“Sometimes I feel lazy, so I make something simple that does the job just fine instead of making something extravagant,” he explained, joining his slices together, and then looked at her. “I also went for some groceries while you were still asleep this morning, so if you want anything else to eat, be my guest.”

She shook her head. “That’ss fine. I’ll take the sssame thing as you.”

“Alright,” he said, but was stopped abruptly when he went to stand up.

“I can do it myssself,” the lamia insisted as she rose from her seat.

“Alright,” Thunderbolt nodded as he sat back down. “Plates are in the second cupboard to the left,” he added.

She grabbed the utensil on the bottom shelf from the mentioned cupboard and returned at the table. She borrowed the jar and the knife the stallion had been using, grabbed two slices of the spongy, fresh bread in front of her, and made her sandwich just like Thunder had earlier.

It didn’t beat last day’s homemade salad, but it was still good, and true to the unicorn’s word, very filling. Although, since she was pretty hungry, she prepared herself a second sandwich, one not being enough for her system that had lacked nutriments for a very long time.

Thunder went about storing back everything back to their rightful place as the lamia ate, and just as he was finished with that, a series of knocks - a rhythm that was all too familiar to him - resonated from the living room, and he headed to answer the door, but halted himself momentarily as he noticed the panic in Emerald’s eyes.

“There’s no need to be worried,” he told her with a smile.

“B-but whoever it iss will find out about me if I don’t hide!” she retorted, not understanding why Thunderbolt was smiling at her like that.

“True, but remember yesterday when I told you that my friend was with me when I brought you here?”

“How do you know it iss him?” Emerald asked skeptically.

“I’d recognize that knocking anywhere,” he answered simply.

She nodded in understanding and relaxed slightly but not completely, as her panicked look got replaced by a worried one, though the stallion didn’t see, having resumed his way to the door. The lamia knew that, according to Thunder, that his friend had promised him not to tell anypony about her, and she believed him. The reason she was worried was because she didn’t know what to expect from this new individual.

Her train of thoughts came to a halt when she heard the door open, soon followed by a foreign voice to her, and she looked anxiously at the empty space that made the kitchen’s entrance, waiting for them to come back.

“Hey there, Thunder!” the white pegasus cheered as he pulled his best friend into a quick, albeit tight, hug.

“You sure are picking a weird moment to visit. Didn’t you notice that they scheduled a downpour for this evening?” the unicorn said as he pulled away from his buddy’s death grip, pointing a hoof at the cloudy sky that covered the land in thin shadows.

“It’s not some measly rain that is going to kill me. Besides, it’ll give me a free shower,” White Wind joked. “But I wanted to see how you’ve been doing since... you know?” He waved his hoof airily for emphasis, the unicorn catching on the message.

“If you’re worried about my well being, don’t. If anything, you should be worried about her.” Then it just dawned on him that they were still in the doorway. “But what kind of friend am I to leave you standing there? Come in!” he said, stepping away to let White Wind enter the house, who closed the door behind him.

“Speaking of which, how is she? Got any troubles so far?” the pegasus queried.

“She’s getting better, but it’ll take more time before she’ll be back in relatively good health. As for your second question, things have been going relatively well so far.”

“Good to hear that, dude,” White Wind commented. “Have you found out what she is, anyway?” he asked soon after, curious.

“She says she’s from a species called lamias,” Thunder told him as he started leading him to the kitchen. “She didn’t go into details, but they are hybrids with the body of a pony and the tail of a snake.”

“I see.”

They entered the kitchen, and the pegasus’ eyes immediately locked on the mysterious lamia still sat at the table, who shied away from his gaze. He kept a neutral expression on his face as he stared at her, even as his friend went on with the presentations.

“White Wind, this is Emerald Gleam. Emerald, this is the bastard I grew up with, White Wind,” he said, motioning a hoof from the pegasus to the hybrid and back as he spoke, and the former let go of his neutral face at the last line.

“I’m no bastard!” he retorted in feigned anger.

“You’re my bastard,” the unicorn replied back.

“I’m no one’s bastard!”

“I believe your marefriend may want to disagree with that last claim.”

“Why, you…”

They stuck their tongue teasingly at each other as they ended their short verbal assault. Though this was normal behavior between them, it was a quite strange and confusing for the lamia, who had watched the exchange.

After sharing a small laugh, they returned their attention to the mare, only to be met with a blank look from her part. Thunderbolt approached her and waved a hoof in front of her face, bringing her back to the present.

“Sssorry,” she apologized sheepishly in her melodic voice.

“No worries,” the unicorn reassured. “We’ve received worse reactions than that before.”

“Iss thiss… Iss thiss sssomething that happenss regularly?” she dared to ask.

“Whenever we end up in the same room or next to each other,” White Wind responded. “We have a special relationship.”

“Depends on what you mean by special,” said the unicorn.

“What do you think I mean?” the pegasus asked his friend, a wily smirk stretching on his lips.

“Nope, we’re not going that low,” Thunder warned with a shake of his head.

“Party pooper,” White pouted, but readorned a more serious stance and a genuine smile as he addressed the hybrid.

“Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Emerald Gleam,” he declared with a small bow of his head. “It’s also nice to see you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled. She didn’t know why she was she around him. Maybe it was because he was more muscly than the unicorn was, not to mention a bit taller than him too. She knew she had no need to fear him, but she was still a bit unnerved by his solidly-built physique.

“So,” Thunder started again, “want anything while you’re here, White? Some coffee maybe?”

“Nah, thank you, I’m all good already. Had a nice little brunch with Sandy shortly before leaving for your place.” He spotted the half-eaten strawberry jam sandwich that lay in the lamia’s plate. “Unlike somepony who can’t make anything more than simple stuff,” he added maliciously.

“Well, I’ll have you know that my ‘simple stuff’, as you call it, is just as effective as anything you can come up with,” the beige coated stallion defended.

“Yeah, but it’s just so plain and dull-looking.”

“Actually, it’ss amazing,” the lamia said bluntly, causing the two arguing colts to stare at her, and her face got as red as a tomato at the sudden attention. Quite frankly, she didn’t know where the urge to make that comment came from, but unbeknown to her, her comment had made the unicorn smile.

“Sorry dude, it’s two against one this time!” Thunder said triumphantly to his friend.

“Not fair!” the pegasus whined. “You’ve got backup and I don’t!”

“Just too bad,” Thunderbolt declared as he went to wash the dishes that lay in the sink.

“Enjoy your little victory, Sunbutt,” White Wind called devilishly as a new plan suddenly formed in his head, causing the unicorn to stop dead in his tracks.

“I thought we agreed to never speak of this again,” the unicorn growled, turning back swiftly on his hooves to glare daggers at his friend.

“Oops! Did I let that slip out?” asked the pegasus in feigned ignorance.

“Who’ss Sssunbutt?” Emerald eventually asked, her curiosity towards the stallions’ antics getting the best of her.

“Oh, man, I’m glad you asked!” White Wind chirped, which only intensified Thunder’s death stare.

“White Wind, don’t you dare…” the unicorn warned, but it came on deaf ears, as his friend’s attention was focused on the hybrid as he told her his most embarrassing anecdote.

“It just so happened that one day, dear Thundy here,” White stuck his tongue out at him, “wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, and BANG! Head first in Princess Celestia’s butt! Oh, you should’ve seen him become beet red afterwards! And since then, the nickname Sunbutt became accepted among the other boys in the barracks.”

The lamia turned her head to the now crimson faced unicorn, who was vainly trying to cover his whole face with his hooves. Although it appeared like it had been a funny scene, seeing how flustered in embarrassment he was, she couldn’t bring herself to laugh, unlike the white pegasus that was now lying on the floor and clutching at his sides as he replayed the moment in his head all over again.

“That’ss not… nice,” she commented, feeling it right to defend the pony who had saved her life.

The pegasus’ laughs died at that and Thunderbolt lowered his hooves to look at her, though the color didn’t fade from his visage.

“Oh please, Emerald, you can’t tell me that colliding with our ruler’s posterior isn’t funny,” White said. “It’s something that happens, like, once in a lifetime!”

“Maybe, but you could have been the one in that sssituation inssstead of him,” the lamia argued.

“Don’t fret about it,” the unicorn told her. “If he had been in my place, he,” he pointed a hoof at his friend, “would have got that nickname instead. Besides, being Sunbutt keeps the attention away from him,” he stated with a faint smirk.

“Ow, that hurts my ego…” White Wind falsely whined.

“Heh, just as it’s meant to be for you.”

“Um…” the hybrid mumbled, her brain unable to keep up with the silliness of the two stallions in the kitchen. “Excusse me…” She rose from her seat and headed out of the room and up the stairs, the two buddies watching her until she got out of view. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of a door closing, and they looked at each other with a bit of worry in their face.

“Think I fooled around too much?” White Wind asked.

“I believe we both went overboard. In fact, I think we may have traumatized her.”

“You think?”

“I don’t know, but I kinda feel bad now. She’s lived in exile for so long, so she’s not accustomed to pony society yet, nor will she be for a long while,” Thunderbolt reasoned.

“Nor is she accustomed to us,” White Wind said with a hint of playfulness in his tone, earning himself a serious stare from his friend. “Sorry.”

“It’s not to me you should apologize,” the unicorn pointed out. “Besides, I also owe her one.”

“Wanna give her mine for me?” White pleaded. “I’ve never been really good with these sorts of things.”

Thunder shut his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. “How does Sandy manage to handle you…?” He reopened his sapphire orbs to look at him. “Fine, I’ll pass the message.”

“Thanks,” White said with a small nod of his head in appreciation. “So, I guess you’ve got everything under control, so I’ll be on my way.”

“So, you were doubting me,” Thunderbolt accused.

“Not doubting you, just being worried about you,” the pegasus retorted, and they eyed each other before the unicorn sighed in defeat.

“Whatever. Just take care on your way back. And not a word to anypony, understood?”

“Hey! I promised, didn’t I? Since when have I broken one? Especially to my best pal?”

“Okay, I get it!” Thunder said as he accompanied his friend to the entrance of his home. “Say hi to Sandy for me, will ya?”

The pegasus made a salute motion. “Will do.” He then turned around and opened the door, and looked back briefly at the unicorn. “See you tomorrow at the palace!” With that, he took a powerful leap off the ground, and Thunder watched him as he headed back towards Equestria’s capital, closing the door ten seconds later and locking it afterwards.

He remained there unmoving, his hoof pressed on the door, his head slightly tilted downwards and his eyes shut. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh and turned back, slowly making his way to the stairs and climbing them after staring for a long minute at his room’s door from below, where Emerald had apparently locked herself in.

Sweet Celestia, I do hope we didn’t traumatize her, otherwise I’m never gonna live it down, he told himself internally. Reaching his destination, he tapped the wooden door twice and called to her from outside.

“Emerald, are you there?”

There was no immediate response, though he did hear the sound of a creaking mattress coming from inside.

“Emerald Gleam?” he called to her again.

“Come in,” a soft, yet lethargic voice said from inside.

Even though he could have just entered his room freely, he didn’t want to bother her should she did not want to talk to anyone. Having received her approval, he made his way in and gently closed the door behind him before allowing his eyes to take in the scene before him.

The young, grey-blue coated lamia sat on one side of the bed. She was staring blankly at the curtained window, and the only sound discernible was the breathing of the two ponies. Taking a breath, Thunderbolt decided to break the awkward silence.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

She simply gave a small nod, though it wasn’t at all convincing.

“You sure?”

Another less than believable nod, so he chose to directly go to the point of the matter.

“Sorry for our behavior.”

“It’ss fine,” she replied almost automatically. Even though it was clear for the unicorn that she was attempting to hide it, his exchange with his friend had definitely troubled her more than she wanted to let on.

“Well, your behavior says otherwise,” he commented.

“I sssaid I am fine!” Emerald repeated, never tearing her gaze away from the window, though the stallion shook his head, unwilling to have any of this nonsense.

“You left your lunch unfinished on the table when I know you weren’t done with it and darted back here without saying a word as White Wind and I spoke, and you expect me to believe that you are fine?”

She remained silent at that, and Thunder allowed himself to sit next to her on the bed, minding her coiled tail that rested in front of her.

“Look, we’re sorry for having made you uncomfortable. Though I can assure you this is normal between him and I, we should have noticed that we were being too childish and immature, especially around somepony like you who hasn’t interacted with ponykind at all. It’s just that the two of us have known each other for as long as we can remember, so we became very close and in the end began to playfully mess with one another.

“So, if we said or did something that made you uncomfortable, which I’m sure we did, we’re really sorry,” he finished, eying the hybrid in a concerned manner.

There wasn’t an immediate reaction from her part, but after a while, she slowly turned her head to look at him, her emerald eyes giving off a mysterious, glimmering spark.

“Also, being your first time interacting with ponies, we kinda gave you a bad first impression too, so…” Thunder added, trailing off at the end.

“It’ss okay,” she asserted. “If anything, it iss my fault for-”

“No hay no way you’re putting the blame on yourself,” he cut her sternly without raising his voice.

“But it’ss true! I’m the one who lived in exile, remember?”

“But it wasn’t your choice, was it?” Thunderbolt countered, and that sentence stopped whatever else Emerald would have wanted to say to slip off of her tongue. Once again, she found out herself speechless as she returned her gaze to the floor.

“Look,” he continued, wrapping his hoof around her and leaving it to rest on her shoulder, “we’re not going back through the whole ordeal for your sake, but you can’t blame yourself for anything. You just feel out of place, and probably will for a while, and it’s normal. Heck, I’d probably act the same way in your place.”

There was a short silence in the room before the lamia remade eye contact with him.

“Do you really mean all of thiss?” she asked, more to confirm what she heard than anything else.

“Why wouldn’t I? And besides,” he winked at her, “aren’t I allowed to be considerate of my friend?”

She couldn’t help but giggle lightly as the stallion returned the same words she had told him the previous day when she insisted about taking the couch for the night.

“That’ss my line,” she pointed out before his last words reverberated in her mind. “Ssso, am I really your… friend?” she queried hesitantly.

“I don’t see any reasons for you not to be. Do you?”

“I don’t know…”

“Ugh,” he raised his other hoof over to his forehead, “we really need to work on making you more comfortable around the place. All this anxiety can’t be good for you.”

“Sssorry.” She looked away, and the stallion immediately called back to her to regain her attention.

“Hey, don’t be. Remember, none of this is your fault. We’ll just have a lot of work ahead of us. Plus, White Wind will help too, and I’ll make sure to keep him in line next time he comes over.” He tapped her shoulder softly, and a sudden thought came to his mind. “Why didn’t you tell us that we were making you feel awkward? Ha we known sooner, we would have stopped.”

“Well… Quite frankly, I don’t know. It jussst never came to me?” She offered him her best sheepish look, and he had to admit to himself that made her look a bit cuter.

Wait, did I just really think that? He shook his head once to try and get rid of the thought. Sweet Celestia, she’s my guest for Pete’s sake!

“Are you alright?” a sweet, feminine voice asked from his right, revealing to be Emerald, who was watching him intently.

“Yeah, nothing to worry about.” Though he didn’t like lying much, he pretty much didn’t have a choice. The last thing he wanted was to freak her out because of some silly thoughts. Although, his answer seemed to have convinced her, as she nodded her head.

“So, wanna do anything?” he asked her, drifting away from the odd thought, for the time being at least. “We’ve got a few hours before dinner, so I thought we could kill some time until then.”

“Ssure,” she replied simply.

“I still have my old board games stored in the attic. They pretty much remained there gathering dust since I moved here, but now, they’re finally going to serve their purpose.”

With that, he rose from the bed and headed out of the room, and called back to the hybrid before entering the door at the end of the hallway. “You can wait in the kitchen! It might take a while for me to find them!”

“Okay!” she shouted, then made her way down to the meeting point.

She had no idea what board games were, but since there was the word ‘games’ in it, she assumed that it would be a fun distraction. So she sat at one of the chairs around the table and patiently waited the stallion to return from the attic.

And she was going to wait a long time, as Thunderbolt was faced with a huge problem. Having never been to the attic save for throwing old junks in every now and then, he never got around to actually cleaning it.

So it was with this fact that, horn aglow, he walked upon a huge dust reservoir filled with many boxes and other items he never put in the trash. Coughing and sneezing through his search, it took him a good twenty minutes of torture to find his old games.

Prize in tow, he quickly exited the attic, taking multiple breaths of fresh and clean air, letting it replace the dust he was certain had filled his lungs.

To do list: buy myself a gas mask, a lot of disinfectant, a big, new vacuum cleaner, and clean this infernal room, he thought as he made his way to the kitchen, where his guest waited for him. Also note to self: forbid Emerald from going in there at all costs!

Everyday Routine

Thunderbolt rose from the couch, shaking the blanket off of him. A quick, sharp-eyed glance at the grandfather’s clock on the far wall revealed it to be fifteen past five. The sun wouldn’t rise for another forty-five minutes, and with the sky still covered with clouds after a small peek outside, the room was plunged into darkness.

His shift at the palace wouldn’t begin for a good hour and a quarter, and being able to teleport there instantly, he was in no rush whatsoever. Shaking the remnants of sleep out of his mind, he headed for the kitchen to brew himself some coffee. While it was being percolated, he fetched the newspapers from the front porch and deposited it on the kitchen table.

Digging in his fridge, he grabbed two eggs to make scrambled eggs, along with a juicy apple to accompany them. Once his breakfast and coffee were ready, he sat at the table and opened the newspapers, eating slowly as he took his time reading it.

There wasn’t anything much interesting, he realized. Aside from Prince Blueblood for opening another debate at Princess Celestia’s court and losing it again, and the Weather Factory going through technical difficulties that they estimated would take up to three days to take care of, nothing caught his interest in today’s news.

Finishing both his cup of coffee and his breakfast, he proceeded to pack his lunch and then take a quick shower upstairs. After that, he combed his mane and tail and brushed his fur to look acceptable for work. You couldn’t expect a guard to arrive on duty uncleaned, after all.

With only having twenty minutes left before his shift began, and needing at least ten to get dressed up in his uniform and prepared in the castle’s barracks, he stepped out of the washroom. Deciding to check on the lamia before leaving, he cracked the door open.

Emerald was sleeping peacefully, a small, content smile splayed on her lips. Her long, black mane had apparently ended up covering most of her face sometime during the night. Her soft breathing was even more relaxed that the first night, which was a good sign of her recovery. Her tail was coiled up beside the bed, with its tip lying on top of the coil, and just when Thunder was about to head back downstairs, he saw it wag at whatever she was dreaming about, but luckily he managed to suppress his chuckles at how adorable that was, then slapped himself mentally.

Don’t start again, brain! he scolded himself, but as he turned back to look at her one last time before exiting the room, he allowed himself to unwind a bit. Oh, who am I kidding? She IS kinda adorable when she sleeps.

Back in the kitchen, he grabbed a piece of paper and a quill from atop the fridge and wrote a small note, which he left on the table for the lamia to read when she’d wake up. Putting everything down once he was done, he then channelled magic in his horn, and with a flash of light, teleported out of the house and headed to work.

* * *

It was nearing ten o’clock when the slumbering hybrid finally dared to open her eyes. Yawning loudly, she slowly moved to a sitting position on the bed. Amid her stirring, something slid off the side of the bed and hit the floor with a small thud, and as Emerald Gleam leaned over to see what it was, she noticed it was the book she had borrowed from the bookcase. Apparently she had fallen asleep reading it.

Getting out of bed, she trailed around it to pick up the fallen manuscript and put it back to its place on the top shelf of the bookcase. Even though there weren’t many books, probably thirty at most, it was still a lot for her.

Even though she had learned how to read, she barely had anything to read on hoof when she was living with that zebra shaman. All in all, her reading ability had gotten quite rusty over time, considering she hadn’t laid eyes on a single piece of literature in years, but she still managed and slowly regained the hang of it.

Now feeling more awake, yet not fully, she made her way down to the kitchen, and upon entering the room, she was fast to spot the small piece of paper lying on the table. As she peered down at it, she noticed that the text on it was short. Grabbing it in her hooves, she scanned its contents:

Feel free to grab whatever

you want if you’re hungry. I’ll be

on duty until dinner time. Until

then, make yourself at home.

Thunderbolt

Emerald slowly deposited the note back on the table. A single, stray tear found its way down her left cheek, and she subconsciously raised a hoof to wipe it away. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, the note, as short as it was, created a sensation of warmth and comfort. But what had struck her most was the last line on the paper.

“Make yourssself at home…” she whispered to herself.

Repeating that line caused a few more tears to trail down her face. She raised the tip of her snake tail in front of her at eye level and grabbed it with her hooves, hugging it for self-comfort. She had only met Thunder three days ago, and in that period of time, he had shown her as much kindness, if not more, than that shaman had in sixteen years.

She had trouble comprehending what was going on in her mind. All that had happened, along with all the accumulated emotions mingling together was too overwhelming for her, and were it not for her stomach suddenly growling and directing her attention away from her inner chaos, she might have fainted from all this weight on her shoulders.

Why do I feel like my mind is going to blow up? she asked herself as she searched the fridge and grabbed the first thing that caught her green eyes. Seating herself at the table with an apple and an orange, she attempted to make sense of what she was feeling, but came up with no decent conclusions.

Ugh, what’s wrong with me? she screamed mentally as she took a bite of the juicy red fruit, but little to no good it did to steer her away from her internal conflict. As she ate, her eyes dropped back on the note on the table. Possessed by a sudden and unexplainable urge, she grabbed it and reread it once more.

For reasons she couldn’t put her hoof on yet, her whole being felt warmer just by reading that simple note. After a few minutes of staring at it, she let out a long sigh and returned to finishing her fruits, subconsciously hugging the piece of paper tight against her chest with one hoof.

* * *

“Pick up the pace, slackers!” the authoritarian voice of Commander Gale yelled across the castle’s training grounds as he patrolled around the field, watching every stallion closely as he passed them by. “And no complaining, or else you’ll have to deal with me afterwards.” He eyed a pegasus a few feet away to his left as he said that, making the victim under his severe gaze to gulp nervously.

Yep, he’s having a bad day again, Thunder thought as he went on with his pushups, then situps, his best friend doing the same a small distance away from him. It wasn’t that he hated training sessions; on the contrary, he loved it. However, he didn’t like the commander being rougher on them because his day had been a living Tartarus. It wasn’t the first time that Cyclone was in a bad mood, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last either.

“Ugh, I hate this guy,” he mumbled under his breath, and nearly fell flat on his back in the middle of a situp at hearing the commander’s voice not too far behind him.

“What was that, Sergeant?” Gale asked, and his toned hinted that either he had heard his comment, or he misheard, and the beige unicorn dearly hoped that it was the latter.

“Nothing, Commander!” he answered back, hoping he’d buy his lie, and to his relief, he did, but not without receiving a venomous glare from his superior.

“It’d better be,” Gale warned before heading for the western side of the field reserved for sparring, where a dozen stallions were currently splitted in teams of two and exchanging blows, the sound of swords, spears and lances clashing against each other ringing all over the field.

Still wonder how that bastard got that position in the first place, Thunderbolt mulled as he switched to doing pushups. At least he’s not captain, so there’s that for consolation.

The sky above the group was covered in clouds, but rain wasn’t scheduled until midnight. It was still quite warm outside despite the sun being hidden behind the grey, puffy-looking barrier, so all things considered, the training session could have been much worse. It could have been better if not for the commander getting on everypony’s nerves, though they kept their comments to themselves, knowing full well that it’d only get them in trouble otherwise.

Thirty more minutes before Gale called for lunch. “I want to see you all at your respective post at one, and not a second later. Is that clear?” he advised as the group passed him by as everyone headed for the barracks to remove their armors for the break, those duelling putting back their borrowed weapons back in the armory adjacent to the quarters.

After storing his uniform in his locker and grabbing his lunch box, Thunder saluted his coworkers and headed for the castle’s garden, seating himself on a bench next to a patch of growing blue roses.

Withdrawing two egg salad sandwiches, a bottle of apple juice and a strawberry yogurt from his box and putting them next to him on the bench, he then obeyed his stomach’s order to feed it and began eating his meal. Halfway through his first sandwich, the unicorn heard the sounds of flapping wings coming his way, only to notice they belonged to White Wind as he made his way to his spot and took a seat on the other end of the bench, dropping his own lunch box he was carrying with his teeth on his lap.

“Hey!” the pegasus greeted as he unpacked his meal, which was composed of a bowl of noodles, grape juice and oatmeal biscuits. “Heat, please?” he asked his friend as he extended the bowl to him, and the unicorn complied, heating the pastas with a simple spell.

“You unicorns are so useful, you know that?” White commented as he grabbed a fork from the bottom of his box and took a first mouthful of noodles.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m your friend or just a mere tool,” Thunder retorted.

“I’d say both.” The unicorn then stared him dead in the eyes. “What? It’s true! This,” the pegasus tapped his friend’s horn for emphasis, “replaces every other conventional means.”

Thunder just rolled his eyes. He knew full well that the pegasus was trying to tease him, but so used to his jokes and antics, which had become oldschool, he simply didn’t bother with them anymore.

“So,” Thunderbolt began in an attempt to change the subject to something more interesting, “noticed Gale’s usual grumpy attitude being worse today?”

“I think everypony did, dude. Dunno which bug stung him. Bet that he’s having problems with that gal of his.”

“Celestia knows he’ll want your head if he hears you say things like that.”

“Fun to know I’d make a decoration worthy of his tastes.”

Thunder slapped his face with the sole of a hoof in discouragement while his friend smirked at his now unsettled expression.

“How low can you go…?” the beige coated stallion asked mostly to himself, though it was loud enough for White to hear, causing his smirk to widen tenfold.

“Dunno. But perhaps we could find out,” he singsonged.

“NO!” Thunder shouted as he removed his hoof from his face and stared at the sky, now disgusted at the dirty turn the conversation was taking. “No, no, nope! Just… no!”

“Hey now, I’m kidding, dude,” White Wind said, at which the unicorn huffed indignantly. “Okay, maybe I should slack off with this kind of humor, but it’s just so easy to make you react with it.”

Thunder still didn’t say anything, and the pegasus didn’t add anymore, choosing to return to his meal. The wingless stallion soon did the same, and they ate in a relatively awkward silence, which remained even a good while after they were done.

“How is she holding up?” White queried, putting an end to the quietness he had created.

“I’d rather we do not talk about this here during work.”

“It’s not like there was anyone else here,” the pegasus pointed. “No one else even cares about this garden save for Princess Celestia and the gardeners taking care of it, and our shifts are long over when they arrive.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“So…?” White pressed him. “And still sorry for the last time, by the way,” he added.

“Don’t worry, she got over it. And she’s getting a bit better every day.”

“She’s surely having a fast recovery,” the winged pony commented. “You’ve got talent for that kind of things.”

“I guess taking care of both a sister and a mother that were both very sick while I wasn’t even affected for a week paid off,” Thunder shrugged. “But yeah, I’ll agree with you, it’s progressing rather fast, which is an excellent thing.”

“I agree.”

“Also, though don’t mention it to her the next time you visit, but she kind of feels intimidated by your imposing build.”

“Ah man, really?” The unicorn gave a small nod. “Never meant to make the poor one feel uneasy. Should I had known she was already uncomfortable in the first place, I would have let go of jokes and all.” Then an idea struck him. “If I forget, remind me to bring her a little something next time I come over.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Thunder retorted. “As I said, she got over it. But I’m not gonna stop you if you want to apologize that way.”

“It won’t be something big, but it’ll be a great ‘I’m sorry’ gift.”

“You speak as if you already know what you’re going to bring her,” Thunderbolt said, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

“Yep, and I’m not spoiling anything,” White warned.

“Wasn’t planning to pry,” Thunder defended.

“Then it’s settled!” the pegasus concluded, then turned to check the time on the castle’s clock tower, which read ten to one. “Damn, lunch time’s nearly over. Better head back now if we wanna avoid having Mister Grumpy Pants on our tails.”

Thunder looked at the clock himself before agreeing with his friend. They headed back to the barracks and put their armor back on before going their separate ways, White Wind leaving to patrol the area around the royal archives with two other colleagues while the unicorn left for the training grounds to supervise the training of the newbies. Usually it was a fun task, but what ruined the fun was that he was going to be stuck with Cyclone Gale and his bad mood for the next four hours.

Emerald, I hope you’re having a better day than I am, he thought as he unwillingly made his way to his designated post for the afternoon.

* * *

“Ow…” yelped the snakepony as she rose from the floor, rubbing her muzzle to soothe the sting of pain coursing through it.

Standing up at her usual height, she glanced at the grandfather’s clock, which now read four thirty, which meant she had dozed off for at least two full hours apparently. It also meant that Thunderbolt would come back from work in about half an hour.

She had been spending a relatively good day so far. After breakfast, she had fetched a few books from her host’s room and had brought them down with her in the living room, and had laid down on the couch to read. However, halfway through the second book, she had begun getting bored to the point that she fell asleep with the book still open in her hooves. It also appeared she had wanted to flip over during her nap, causing her to fall off the couch and her face to meet the carpeted floor.

She took back her seat on the sofa and sighed in boredom. Without Thunder around the place, she felt as lonely as she did before he took her in. Without him to talk to, she found herself with barely anything left to do. The only thing there was to keep her occupied was a few books to read, and even though she liked reading, doing this nonstop all day and every day eventually got boring. She didn’t want to sound like a hypocrite, but she couldn’t deny that she wished the unicorn had stayed home.

Somehow, this train of thoughts unnerved her a bit. She had never felt like this when she was living with that zebra shaman in her youth. She would often leave her place to do… actually, the lamia never bothered to ask, but she knew that waiting for her to come back hadn’t been that painful. Why was it different with Thunderbolt then, when it was pretty much the same scenario? Try as she might, she couldn’t answer her question, and not being able to make sense of what she felt annoyed her.

Well aware that she wouldn’t be getting anywhere like this, she decided to let it go for now, letting herself fall on her back on the couch and staring aimlessly at the ceiling. How much she wished she could socialize with someone else, but with ponies freaking out in horror at the sight of her, it sadly was something that would never happen.

Eventually, the clock struck five, and about ten minutes later, the entrance door opened as the unicorn entered. Acting on impulse, she stood from the couch and threw herself in his arms and buried her face in his neck, catching him off-guard, but he soon warmed up and dropped his empty lunch box to return the hug.

It took Emerald Gleam a minute to realize what she was doing, and she forced herself out of the embrace, much to the stallion’s confusion.

“Sssorry!” she apologized frantically as she backed away two metres.

“Sorry for what?”

“For, well…” There returned that unexplainable, burning heat in her cheeks, making them feel like they’d melt.

“If it’s about the hug, I didn’t mind,” he reassured her, laying a hoof on her shoulder. “To be honest, I guess I kinda needed it.”

Huh? Emerald blurted mentally as she looked into his eyes with confusion, the blush on her face that would probably remain there for a while still as intense.

“I pretty much had a very rough day at work,” he continued, seemingly having read her mind. “Commander’s been in a bad mood all day, so everypony got a taste of it.”

“I… sssee…” the lamia said, not sure how else to respond to that.

“Besides, it seems like you needed that hug too.”

“W-what makess you sssay that?” she asked. At this rate, she was sure her cheeks would soon catch fire.

“Dunno,” he shrugged. “Maybe the fact that you jumped at me right as I got in?” he half offered, half teased, and the hybrid had to tear her gaze away from his because now she was sure her face was on fire. So she settled to fix the carpet, clopping her hooves together nervously.

What she didn’t expect was for him to grab her into another hug, this one more delicate than the one she had given him, her face buried in his neck again. She had long stopped wondering what was going in on, so she opted to let it play out.

“Sorry about the teasing,” he said.

“It’ss fine,” she whispered through the fur of his collar.

As the unicorn looked at her, try as he might, he couldn’t deny how cute the lamia looked right now, especially when she was blushing. Her soft coat brushing against his felt soothing. Subconsciously, he took a small sniff of her black mane, finding it smelled a bit like silk, which matched what her hair felt to the touch.

Realizing he was still holding her in his embrace, he pulled away and raised her chin with a hoof to make eye contact, then gave her a genuine smile, which she returned a few seconds later.

“So, how was your day?” Thunderbolt asked, changing the subject to something more casual.

“It’ss been… good,” she answered, though the lack of energy in her answer was clearly apparent.

“That didn’t sound very convincing,” Thunder pointed out matter-of-factly.

“Well…” as much as she wanted to be honest, she didn’t want to sound like she was being ungrateful and hypocrite.

“You got bored, right?” he guessed, giving the pile of books on the small table next to the couch a quick glance.

Crap... “I’m sssorry! It’ss jussst-”

“Emerald,” he said sternly, cutting what she was about to say in a second. He then raised his hoof to eye level, the lamia watching the stallion intently, confused and wondering what he was doing.

And then, without warning, he bonked her lightly on the forehead, causing her to blink from the little shock. As much as she wanted to ask what it was for, it was caught in her throat when her green eyes settled on his sapphire ones.

“Stop apologizing so much,” he told her, his tone having softened greatly, and she nodded.

“But I didn’t want to sssound like I was criticizing your home,” she defended.

“Once again, stop worrying,” he said before going to sit on the couch, motioning for her to follow, to which she complied, taking a seat next to him. Once she was sat, he grabbed her in a shoulder hug.

“Look, you can be honest with me. I wouldn’t have taken it badly whatsoever. I know there’s not much to do here, so that’s why I was thinking that you could suggest things I could get you to keep you occupied while I’m gone.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes I do. It is my home as much as it is now yours, so feel free to ask me what you’d like. I won’t mind.” Then he saw the tears that were starting to leak out of her eyes, filling him with concern. “Are you al-”

His question was interrupted by the lamia throwing herself again in his arms, crying her heart’s contents once more, and he wrapped both of his forelegs around her torso in comfort without hesitation. Thinking on it, he could guess her state was caused by something he had just said, and he knew exactly which part was responsible.

Poor girl… he thought as he rested his head atop hers as she sobbed and choked occasionally from the heavy crying. The unicorn began rocking her slowly back and forth, brushing her silky mane soothingly with a hoof. He didn’t know how many more times he’d have to do this, but he didn’t care. He was more than happy to be the shoulder the hybrid had always wanted to cry on.

It took Emerald Gleam as long as the previous time to calm down. She tried to apologize for her outburst once more, but the stallion lightly bumped her nose and cut whatever it was she wanted to say, not wanting to have any of it.

“If you need to cry, then cry,” he said. “Better let it all come out now than keeping it inside you any longer.”

“I-I know. It’ss jussst…” Whatever she wanted to say was cut short by her shyness.

“It’s just what?” Thunder queried.

“I, um…” Fool! her consciousness sermonized. Why don’t you just say it?

“Emerald…” The mare felt a hoof under her chin pushing her head upwards so that her face met the unicorn’s, which bore the biggest concerned look she had never seen. “Please stop hurting yourself anymore. I don’t know how long you’ve spent on your own in the wild, but I know it was a period of sadness and desperation for you. For your sake, please let it all out, on me if you have to, but don’t keep those thrashing emotions inside of you any longer.”

The dam couldn’t break, as it was now empty, but she tightened her grip around the stallion and dropped her head, her forehead resting on his shoulder.

“I am pathetic…” she lamented, and Thunderbolt said nothing for a while, waiting for her to be calmer before he spoke.

“That may be true,” he admitted, her ears drooping at his words, “but that’s why I’m here to change that, or rather we, since White Wind is in this too. No matter how long it’ll take, we’ll get you fixed, I promise.”

She didn’t budge for a moment, but soon enough, she loosened her grip, but kept her face pressed against his shoulder for a bit longer. When she lifted it up, she didn’t meet his eyes right away.

“You’re the kindessst living being I’ve ever encountered in my life,” she brought herself to say.

“What about that zebra shaman who raised you?” Thunder asked.

“She barely showed me any sssign of affection toward me,” the lamia harrumphed as she turned her head away. “She pretty much taught me the bassicss in life and that’ss all.”

“Sorry for bringing that up,” the stallion apologized, feeling bad for angering her even if it wasn’t directed at him. Speaking about her first caretaker was like walking in dangerous territory; it was best to avoid that topic.

A short silence settled in, giving Emerald time to calm down. It stretched on for a little while until the hybrid steadied her emotions, and only then did she allowed herself to continue.

“Thank you,” she said softly, finally pulling away and directing her green irises into his own blue. “Really, I mean it.”

“No problem,” the unicorn smiled.

“But it’ss not jussst for thiss,” she clarified, absentmindedly grabbing one of his forehooves with one of her own. “I’m talking about everything you’ve done for me thesse passst four dayss. I know I ssstill got a way to go before I have fully recovered my health, but I’ll be forever grateful for it.”

“Don’t mention it,” Thunder replied. “I couldn’t have left you to your miserable fate back there, and between taking you in and handing you over to my boss, the choice was pretty simple, even if I’m putting myself in trouble if he does find out, which I don’t intend to let happen.”

“You… what…?” she babbled, her pupils having expanded to maybe twice their original size. She never thought he had went that far just to save her from her predicament, and that statement left her speechless until both of their stomach screamed at them to feed them.

“Dinner?” the beige coated unicorn offered sheepishly.

“That’d be great, actually,” the snakepony answered, and they both stood up from the couch and went for the kitchen.

“But,” the lamia continued as they neared their destination, “to think that you’re risssking your job to help me, I… I jussst don’t know what to sssay.”

“Don’t think about it. I did what felt right and my duty to help someone in need. So, do sautéed vegetables sound good to you?”

“Whatever you cook iss fine, Thunderbolt,” she said with a faint smile.

They then got to work, the stallion accepting his companion’s offer to help out. In fact, ‘insisted’ was a better word for it, but he wasn’t about to refuse her that. Besides, showing her how to cook different meals would be a good thing for her in the long run.

Twenty minutes later, they were seated at the table with their plate filled with fried mushrooms, onions and red and green bell peppers in front of them. They didn’t wait to be asked before digging in, and soon enough were stuffed. They then went to wash the few dishes and utensils that had been used to prepare the meal, and as they worked through the small chore, a thought came to Thunder’s mind.

“You know, I should probably introduce you to my sister someday.”

The lamia tensed up a bit at the idea of someone else knowing about her presence here. “I-iss it really a good idea?” she asked him, clearly unsure about this.

“Sure, she might be shocked like I and White Wing were at first, but I’m sure you two would get along just fine. She’s not one to judge others in any way whatsoever.”

“Really?” she queried, regarding him intently as her doubt slowly gave way to hope.

“Yeah. When we were young, the ponies in the city we grew in were not all friendly,” he explained. “There were a few, but the majority only cared for themselves. I didn’t have any trouble on my side, but it was a different case with my sister.

“She’s always been very dedicated in her studies, but apparently she was the only one to have that much enthusiasm for that, so other kids began picking on and teasing her about it. She was often left out in most of the activities and sometimes was in tears when she got back home.” He paused for a while, reminiscing on the many times he and his parents had to comfort the baby of the family.

“And?” the lamia pressed, figuring there was more to the story and eager to hear it.

“And she graduated eventually, while most of the bullies had to start their year over. Our parents taught us to never let go of our hopes and dreams, and we both took these words with pride. And so she now teaches at a school in a town not too far from here, and I enrolled in the Royal Guards.”

“I sssee,” Emerald acknowledged. “But what’ss the link between that and me being a lamia?” she asked, reminding him of her special condition.

“In other words, my sister’s been picked on because she was acting differently than the majority, so she knows how difficult it can become to be different from the others. Technically, you’re going through something similar than she’s lived. You’re just kinda having it much rougher than she did.”

“I get it now,” the hybrid said, finally understanding where the stallion was going with his little anecdote. It was also now that she noticed that she was still rubbing the same plate with the towel for who knew how long and that Thunder had drained the water in the sink sometime during the conversation, and she blushed lightly as she put it in its place with the others and hung the towel on the stove’s handle, the unicorn managing to resist the urge to chuckle at the scene.

“Ssso, do you really think your sssissster will like me?” the lamia asked Thunderbolt as they returned in the living room and seated themselves on the sofa.

“I’m sure she will, but we can find out if you want. Summer’s a month away, as are her vacation, since schools are closed during Summer. I’ll write her a letter and ask her if she’d like to come visit for a week. It’s also been a long while since I last saw her, so it’d be a good opportunity to catch up with her.”

Emerald smiled faintly at the offer, nodding her head in consent. “That would be great, actually.” She was still nervous at the prospect of meeting somepony new, and that nervousness was tied with her excitement about having a possible new friend.

Trust and Bonds

WARNING: This is the chapter in which the ‘mature’ tag comes into play. However, as said in the story description, the upcoming sex scene won’t be an important factor later on, and it’ll be the only one in the story, but is necessary for what will come in the second half of the chapter.

The routine in Thunderbolt’s house was pretty much the same every day. The stallion would wake up and leave early for work and return at the end of the afternoon while the lamia remained at home on her own, doing whatever she could think of to pass the time while he was out. The only time she could spend the most time with it was during weekends when he was off duty.

The butterflies forming in her chest whenever she was near him both unnerved and scared her, but she dismissed them, instead aiming for a good time or conversation with him whenever he was home. She got to know more about him and his family, along with some anecdotes he was willing to throw in sometimes. She felt disappointed that she couldn’t reciprocate that, but he had quickly comforted her out of it, as expected of such a kind stallion like him.

However, when he was away, even after accepting Thunder’s offer to bring the hybrid things to occupy herself with, she occasionally found herself bored to death. So one day, she had begun some cleaning in the house both to feel useful and to kill some of her boredom. Thunder had let her know that she didn’t have to, but gave up when she insisted on doing it and thanked her for it anyway. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the help, but rather that he didn’t want to think of her as a housemaid. Still, he kept that to himself, letting his friend do whatever pleased her. Besides, he didn’t think there was any way he could change her mind about it.

She also tried her hoof at some cooking, using whatever knowledge and tricks she picked from watching Thunderbolt. It didn’t probably end up being as good as the meals he prepared, sometimes lightly overcooking stuff, but it was still edible. The stallion assured her that she was doing good. The lamia wasn’t sure if he said that just to be polite or if it was true - she knew she couldn’t match his cooking abilities. Either way, the compliment elicited a small blush to tint her cheeks.

All in all, her life in the unicorn’s company was a blessing to her. Aside from not being able to socialize outside, even though he promised to compensate by showing her ponies he trusted, she enjoyed her newfound life. Also, even though she tried to deny it, she couldn’t lie to herself that, just maybe, she might have fallen for the kind stallion. But she wasn’t about to tell him that. For one, she wasn’t sure if he might like her that way as well, and also, she hated to admit it, but she feared rejection if she were to confess that crush.

So she kept quiet about that and left things as they currently were, against her guts’ will. She didn’t mind the current routine, and so continued living through it, all the while feeling that nothing could go wrong by living with the kindest soul she had ever met.

Until she woke up one morning, after Thunder had left for the castle, with an itchy sensation somewhere at waist level, and her eyes went wide in horror. Oh no! Please let it not be! her mind begged as she dared lift up the blanket that covered her body, only to let it fall back in its resting position once her nose caught on the strong, musky smell that radiated from her midsection, where her snake and pony halves met.

A stray hoof crawled its way under the bed’s blanket, and Emerald shamefully and regretfully yanked it away when it caressed the skin around her flower. Of all the things that could have happened, she had to get in heat in his home. She knew it was impossible to avoid the work of nature, but she still wished to not have to deal with that here. Would she still be in that desolate cave, she wouldn’t have minded, but in her host’s home, it felt improper to masturbate herself to make the itchiness in her groin go away.

Yet, despite all her efforts to resist the temptation, she subconsciously moved her hoof back there, letting out a soft moan when it came in contact with the wet flesh. Tossing the blanket aside, the lamia noticed that the area around her marehood was coated in fluids.

Emerald found her resolve slowly and regretfully ebbing away with each passing second she played with herself on his bed. She couldn’t stop herself. She just had to, especially with the strong, male scent lingering in the room; it was just driving her crazy. Losing control over her rational mind and letting her lamia instincts kick in, she flipped her head and took a great sniff of the pillow, where the stallion’s odor was more concentrated, making her wilder as she frantically rubbed her clitoris, eliciting numerous moans of pleasure that she couldn’t stop from escaping.

It didn’t take long for her to reach her climax. Stiffening up, she arched her head backwards as all of her love juices spilled on the bed’s covers, letting out one loud moan as they flowed. Once it was over, she let her body drop limply on the bed, spent from her self pleasuring session, and fell asleep a short while afterwards.

* * *

Emerald Gleam woke up from her nap as the evening began, and scrunched her nose as she picked on the odor she had left on the blankets earlier. Able to think clearly now, she felt ashamed for her behavior and stupid for being unable to stop herself. No matter how hard she had tried, she couldn’t resist her lamia instincts, resulting with her making a huge mess on her host’s mattress.

She disembarked the bed with the intention of grabbing something to eat both to change her ideas and to calm her hunger. The light that managed to pass through the curtained windows were dimming noticeably, meaning that Thunderbolt would soon be back from work. Taking into account the short amount of time until his return, it didn’t give her long enough to clean the mess she had made, and her mind began racing at the only kind of scenario it could come up with.

He’s going to be mad, she thought as she grabbed an orange from the fridge and tore its peel off with her teeth. She could try to lie about what the scent really was, but she couldn’t come up with anything credible, and even if she did, she doubted he would buy it. She could always run away to avoid his anger, but she knew she’d be in bigger trouble is she did.

She didn’t have the time to think about that much longer as hoofsteps from outside and the door lock clicking open could be heard, signaling Thunder’s arrival. Once inside, the stallion greeted the lamia as usual and headed for his bedroom to put away his empty lunchbox, and the hybrid anxiously watched him climb up the stairs as she unenthusiastically ate her orange, even if she wasn’t hungry anymore.

There was a deadly silence in the house for a good two minutes, and on random timing, the clopping of hooves coming back down resonated in Emerald’s ears just as she swallowed down the last piece of her orange. Soon thereafter, although the unicorn called her name in a soft voice once he was back in the living room, her ears flattened against her head as she braced herself for a harsh scolding.

“Have you been feeling alright today?” Thunderbolt asked with concern, catching the lamia off-guard and making her look back at him, dumbfounded. Why isn’t he mad? she asked herself.

“Emerald?” he repeated after receiving no response. When she still said nothing, he made his way to the couch and sat down next to her, and with him standing mere inches away to her left, when she turned her head to catch a glimpse of his visage, she could now clearly see the worry and concern mingled together on it, confirming that he wasn’t angry at all. But why? Didn’t he notice the lewd mess I made in his bed…?

Her body jolted when she felt his hoof lightly press on her shoulder. Normally, she would have greatly appreciated the comforting gesture, but right now, realizing how close their bodies were to each other and how much his scent, now stronger than ever, overwhelmed her sinuses reminded her of her current condition. Also, karma seemed to have a tooth against her, the itchy sensation down her loins returned, and she could feel with horror wetness starting to form down there again.

“Emerald, you’re shaking. What’s wrong?” With each lack of answer, Thunder became more scared for his friend. Unbeknownst to him, she felt as, if not more, scared for herself than he was, as with each passing moment, the more she shook under his hoof, and the more she failed to resist the need to sate her sexual desires and the naughty thoughts crossing her mind, things involving that hot, sweet and cute stallion…

“N-no…” she moaned, shutting her eyes tight in hopes that it would help her fight her instincts, though it was, and had always been for naught.

“Emerald, wha-”

“SSSTAY AWAY!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” she screamed with the remainder of the willpower she possessed, and bolted for her favorite hiding spot; she locked herself in the washroom on the second floor.

Even though Thunderbolt knew about what was bothering her - he had recognized the smell before he had reached his room, and even caught a bit of it before the lamia fled - it was the last thing on his mind. He didn’t know why that bothered her so much - after all, it was just a natural occurrence in a mare’s life - he’d get all his answers and confirmations to his assumptions after he had calmed her down. If I can manage to calm her…

He let out a small sigh as he stood from the sofa and followed Emerald upstairs. For the umpteenth time he would have to bring her out of the washroom for a talk. He highly doubted it’d be the last time, but he didn’t care; he had started to learn how sensitive the mare could be, and although she may not have said it verbally, he could guess that she might fear to be rejected by him because of whatever mistake she believed she committed.

The stallion was met with the faint sounds of sobbing upon reaching his destination. He softly knocked on the door and called for the hybrid, but was rewarded with her yelling from the other side to go away. As harsh as it was, the unexplained pain and sadness that emanated from that shout only prompted him to try again, though he remained as calm as could be asked from a Royal Guard.

“I sssaid, go away!” the lamia repeated once again.

“Emerald, please,” he pleaded. “This isn’t the first time you’re locking yourself in there, so you know you can’t hide forever.”

This time, she didn’t answer back, though her sobs were still audible. He let the silence stretch for a bit longer, but when it became clear nothing would happen anytime soon, he continued:

“I just want us to talk this out, so please come on out.”

“I c-can’t…” she called back softly, and it was only thanks to his well trained ears that he managed to catch what she said.

“Either you come out, or I’m coming in,” he threatened while always keeping the same calm demeanor since the beginning, “and you know far too well that I’ll do it.”

Once again, nothing happened on the other side. Instead, he swore her crying had just gotten worse, and knowing that she hurt without knowing exactly why crushed his heart to the core.

“Emerald, please. I’m worried about you,” he said, and for the first time since she knew him, though it was brief, the snakepony clearly noticed the shift in his usual composure and voice tone, and it stabbed at her heart unbearably.

Putting aside her own troubles for a short while, she rose from her corner behind the toilet bowl and made way for the door, and opened it. Like every other times she had secluded herself, she was first met with her host’s concerned gaze, but this time, there was a bit of sadness in those eyes, sadness she had caused by hurting herself unnecessarily when all he was trying to do was help her. She still wondered why he wasn’t mad at her, but it seemed it wasn’t his main concern right now.

The unicorn silently motioned with a small movement of his head to follow him, and she gulped down nervously despite herself as he led her into his room. She watched him from the doorway take a seat on the mattress. When Thunder saw she wouldn’t come willingly, he patted the spot next to him, and it was with her head hung low that she sat next to him.

She didn’t have the courage to meet his eyes, though he didn’t wait for her to do so to speak up.

“What’s got you so worked up, Emerald?” he asked.

“You’re gonna hate me,” the lamia heard herself say.

“Beg pardon?” the unicorn said, baffled by that statement. “Why would I?”

“Becausse…” She couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth about why it was bothering her that much. The fear that he’d be disgusted at her, the very last thing she wanted from the one pony that gave her a chance, stopped her. I’m just a whore, a beast who can’t control her own urges, she lamented internally.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a hoof gently raising her head by the chin, but before her eyes met his, she turned away to avoid them.

“Emerald, look at me,” he commanded, but she didn’t obey. “Emerald,” he repeated more fervently but not angrily, and this time, she slowly turned back to plunge her gaze into those seas of sapphires she had gotten to admire over time.

“I want you to forget whatever you may be thinking right now and answer me truthfully,” he began. “Do I look like I am mad to you at this moment?”

Silence reigned between them for a few seconds as she just kept her green irises fixed on him, and the longer she stared, the more she felt his kind, generous soul reach inside of her, and the more the defenses she tried putting around herself crumbled. This pony had willingly given her shelter, had fed her. But, above all things, he had sincerely cared for her.

After everything that stallion had given her, a half-pony being, he at least deserved her trust, but found herself unable to do so for good reasons, or what she believed were good reasons. Still, for everything he did for her, what did she give in return? Nothing but a wreck to worry about who can’t even place her own thoughts and feelings in order and who refused his help for fear of the outcome if she told him the whole truth.

Yet, despite all her fears and worries, Thunder had always been honest towards her while she just kept hiding under her shell whenever something embarrassing happened, and she couldn’t believe it was only then that she realized that her behavior was hurting him. If she were to be truly honest with herself, he had more of a reason to be worried and scared than she was. I’m the cause of his worries… she sadly admitted as the realization stabbed her.

She hadn’t noticed that he had retracted his hoof from under her chin. Also, he hadn’t said a single word as she internal turmoil went on, letting her have all the time she needed to collect her thoughts. These were two more things she grew fond of about him: his patience and his wisdom. Never had he lost his temper with her despite all the trouble she had brought him when she entered his life, and never did he say something for no particular reason.

It was clear in her mind that she was falling for the young Royal Guard, and that may be why she was so unwilling to talk about her issues. She didn’t know if she should feel happy or scared of that fact. Right now, all she knew was that her host was still expecting an answer from her part, a worried but calm expression still adorning his visage.

She was sick of hiding. Not only was it destroying her, but it pained him as well, and for everything he had done for her, she did not want him to be hurt because of her. He had put his trust in her and had always been honest. It was time she reciprocated that.

Tears started to form in her eyes, she wrapped her forelegs around the unicorn and buried her face in his neck, screaming apologies about how stupid she was, and each insult she threw at herself made him cringe to the point where he forcefully but harmlessly pulled her away.

“ENOUGH!” he yelled, and she froze at his outburst. “You are NOT any of those things!”

“But-”

“No buts!” he cut her before taking a big breather to calm himself. His temper rarely got the better of him, but listening to his friend act like this was too much for him to handle. Way to add more trouble on her list, he thought.

He pulled her back into a tender hug and offered her soft apologies for yelling at her the way he did, and let her cry freely into the fur of his collarbone. He let her dry herself up completely before trying once more what he wanted to do from the beginning.

“You’re really a total wreck, you know that? I think it’s high time we fix you up, don’t you agree?”

She nodded into his neck and backed away, though the stallion still kept a comforting hoof around her shoulders. The lamia sniffed a few more times, and rubbed her sore eyes. When she reopened them, there was a handkerchief enveloped into the unicorn’s white magical aura, and gratefully blew her nose in it before he threw it into the small trash can under his reading desk.

“Better?” he asked her.

“Could be better I guessss.”

“Mind telling me what the fuss is all about now? Or would you rather drop it for now?”

“NO!” she shouted, and quickly covered her mouth with both hooves when she realized what she did.

“I mean, no, I don’t want to drop it. I’ve been hiding for ssso long it’ss ssstarting to eat me from the inssside,” she admitted. “You’ve alwayss been honessst with me, Thunder, and it’ss not fair that all I give in return iss more trouble. After everything you’ve given me, I owe you that.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Emerald. I was glad to help you when you needed it.”

“Ssstill, that doessn’t make it lessss of a reasson to keep hiding… not from you…”

The grip on her shoulders tightened a tiny bit as a little, reassuring smile formed on the stallion’s lips. “Then if that’s how you feel, do tell me what’s got you so worked up. Surely it’s not only because you’re in… uh…”

“In heat?” she completed, and she was surprised when a faint blush appeared on his cheeks at how embarrassing this might be to talk about. I never saw him blush before, she couldn’t help but remark.

“Well, y-yeah. Sorry if that seems blunt.”

“It’ss fine. No way of hiding now. Ssstill, you’re right, it’ss not only about that.” Emerald then took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “What do you know about lamias?”

“Nothing,” Thunderbolt replied. “To my knowledge, there have been no records of someone like you in any document, even in Canterlot, so you’re pretty much the first one.”

“I sssee,” she said as she mulled that over. Even she didn’t know if there were lamias other than her somewhere in the world. I might be the only one that’s left…

“Ssso, as you know, lamias are half pony, half snake hybrids who, as far as I can remember, lived in small villages far away from this country. We share the sssame diet as ponies do, our homes ussed to be made sssimilarly to yours, though not as decorative and much sssmaller, sssome being only mere huts to inhabit a family. All in all, assside from the physsical difference, ponies and lamias are a lot alike,” she explained.

“But that changes when a lamia turns in heat. While female ponies can manage to control their urges, lamias can’t. Only a very few could. Those that made the majority that couldn’t, however, are quickly filled with lussstful thoughts and have an urgent urge to mate. Ssso, it was common for pony or zebra travelers that wandered too close to a lamia sssettlement to be abducted and become a…” she gulped as she trailed off, though Thunder, seeing where this was going, completed for her.

“Sex slaves?”

“More or lessss. As much as I sssaw before I got ssseparated from my own village, mossst of the abducted ssstallions were released when the lamia’s periods were over. But thosse who liked the… experience ssstayed in the village and formed a couple with the one who ponynapped them after sssome time.”

“And this is because of such a situation that you were born I presume?” Thunder guessed quite accurately.

“Yes, it is…” There was a bit of sadness in her reply, and the stallion had a vague idea why, though he wished it wasn’t for the reason he thought it was.

“Were…” he hesitated, “were this kind of relationships well received in lamia villages?”

The hybrid lowered her head, and the answer she gave confirmed his fear: “That depended…”

Another hug was needed, so he gladly gave her to her relief. It may sound stupid, but she was glad she was dying in that cave weeks ago, otherwise she may not have met this wonderful, caring pony.

“You and your family were exiled or something?”

“Worssse,” Emerald choked as she regained some of her composure. “The village’s chieftain hated ponies for sssome reasons. If a lamia became pregnant after mating, they would quickly be aborted.”

“And yet you were born,” the unicorn commented, to which she nodded.

“My parents had managed to keep their relation a sssecret from the whole village. My father was a unicorn who was talented in illusion magic, ssso he could turn himssself invisible at will, and even to hide my mother’s pregnancy and my pressence from everyone else with a ssspell. It worked well for a couple of year, then…”

“Then?”

She sniffed as she retold her troublesome memory. “My father had a very ssstrong metabolissm, ssso he never got sssick. All he got at mossst were tiny colds every now and then and that was it.

“But sssomeday when I was ssseven, he caught an unknown, sssevere illnessss, ssso he was ssstuck in bed, and because of this, he couldn’t use his magic. Eventually, a neighbor lamia found out and told the chieftain, and executed him in front of the whole village. After that, they beat my mother up and left her frighteningly wounded at home until her own execution the next day. Luckily she was very sssmart, becausse she managed to sssneak us both out and away from the village without anypony noticing. I don’t remember how long we traveled with the few rations we had, but she died from her wounds on the road. And as for the ressst, I already told you about the zebra shaman, didn’t I?”

“You did.” He gently grasped her hooves in his in compassion. “Sorry to hear that, and to have brought that up.”

“It’s fine. It may have been a horrible moment in my life, but sssomehow, it feels good to be able to tell sssomeone elssse about it. If anything, thank you for being there for me. I needed it, I think.”

“No problem, Emerald,” he asserted with another quick, yet still as comforting hug. He was happy that she had decided to break out of her shell and confide to him. He would have never dared to force her to spill everything out, so that brought him a huge relief to both his heart and mind to finally see her open her heart. I knew she had had it rough, but I never imagined it would be that tragic.

“Though it doesn’t fully explain what was the matter with you earlier,” he pointed out as they reluctantly broke the embrace a few minutes later, having given her the time to recover from her little tale.

“Uh, well…” she clapped her hooves together in nervousness, “promise you won’t be mad?” she begged, still doubting if she should really tell him even though it would be for the best.

“On my honor as a Royal Guard and on my good name, I swear I won’t,” he said, putting a hoof against his heart and bowing slightly just like he was taught to do whenever an oath was required to be sworn.

Even though it didn’t ease her worries completely, she had gotten to know him well enough to know he wouldn’t break the promise. It’s still embarrassing to say. Letting out a sigh, she explained with closed eyes:

“I had fantassies about you.” There, I said it! She awaited a response, anything, and when nothing happened, she dared to crack an eye open, only to be met with the stallion briefly staring wide-eyed at her, his senses lost for a few seconds. “I’m sssorry! I sh-” she was cut by a hoof in her mouth, stopping both tears that were threatening to come out again and her blabbering. Once more their eyes met, and what she saw in his wasn’t anger or disgust. Rather, it seemed like he was more surprised than anything.

“I see why you were so reluctant to tell me now.” He retracted his hoof, allowing her to close her lips to reconnect.

“You’re not mad? Or disssgusssted?” She was finding it hard to believe that he was taking this so well while she was fretting to death about it.

“Mad at you for being honest? No. Disgusted at you? Why would I? Sure, it’s quite surprising, but according to what you’ve told me about lamias, it is just natural for you, isn’t it?”

“B-but, aren’t you afraid that, becausse of that, I might… hurt you if I lose control?”

“Intentionally, no,” he simply answered.

“How can you sssay that ssso eassily?” she questioned

“Because I trust you. If you had wanted to hurt me you would have done so a while ago, but you haven’t. Even when you could have after you started feeling better, you never grabbed the opportunity.”

“It’s normal! After all you’ve done for me, it wouldn’t have felt right!” she snapped, unable to believe the unicorn was saying that kind of things.

“And why is that?” he asked. “Your lamia instincts could have kicked in at any time, yet they never did.”

“BECAUSSE… because…” she winded down as Thunder’s lips turned into a small smirk, her mind failing to give an answer. Once again, he completed for her.

“Different?” he offered, at which she finally nodded. “I may still not know much about your species, but from what I have learned, you seem to have more control over yourself than the majority. Also, being the only child born in your old village, you haven’t been raised like the other lamias. Am I right?”

He’s very clever, she found herself admitting. “You know, the ssspeed at which you manage to put the pieces together is impressssive,” she commented with a light blush.

“I guess it’s another talent of mine,” he said nonchalantly. “Thus, this is why I trust you, Emerald.”

“Geez…” Her blush intensified at the comment, much to her embarrassment, even if it warmed her up inside. “Ssso, you don’t mind that I… fantassssized about you?”

“Not really, and even if I wanted, I don’t think I could stop you. After all, I’m kinda the first stallion you’ve seen in years. Also…”

There was a shift in his tone and posture as he became a bit… Uncomfortable? Why would he be? thought the young lamia.

“Well, it is kind of sudden, but do you mind if I share a little secret with you?”

“Um, sure?” she agreed, clearly confused about Thunderbolt’s unusual unusual behavior.

“Well, since you’ve told me that you’re having fantasies about me, I believe it is safe to come out with it.”

Without warning, he grabbed Emerald’s hooves in his and pressed his lips against hers for a second before retreating, instantly causing her to stare at him, stupefied.

“Emerald, I don’t really know what it is about you that’s got me, But I believe I am falling for you, and have for some time, probably for the past week or so. Even if on the outside you look like what others would call a monster, I’ve got the chance to know more about what’s in here.” He pressed a hoof in the middle of her chest where her heart was, making her flinch slightly and fully come back to her senses.

“I’m not sure whether it’s your charm, your sweet voice or your kind soul, maybe even all of them, that has reached into me, but I know one thing. I’ve known since the day I found you, with everything that happened that led you into that cave back there, that you were fragile, and it was only today that I truly realized the level of that fragility. I want to protect that, but only if you allow me to. The world may see you as a wild beast, but me, all I see is a mare who’s lost in it.”

Right as he finished talking, the lamia pounced on him, unable to control the flow of emotions that stallion was causing inside her, and locked her lips on his, her forked tongue hastily seeking entrance. I think I’ll take that as a yes, thought the unicorn as he made an opening for her tongue, and the lamia didn’t hesitate to taste every corner of the new area with it. Once satisfied, she wrapped it around the stallion’s, both of them letting out moans of pleasure.

Thunder felt something contract around him, and opened his eyes to see that Emerald had begun wrapping her snake tail around him. She was wrapping him tight enough to restrict movement, but not enough to break him, and strangely, he found that enticing, to the point that he felt the tip of his rod make contact with the scales of the tail, causing the hybrid to shiver at the touch.

The lamia broke the kiss and looked down at her prey, now trapped in her scaly limb, and licked her lips seductively. So far, he seemed to be liking her treatments, and she shivered once more in anticipation at was she was going to do next. For his part, even though he had to admit it felt quite nice so far, second thoughts crept into his mind, but he ignored them. If this’ll stop torturing her afterwards, then so be it. Besides I kinda looked for-

“Oh!” he gasped as his thoughts were interrupted by the tip of Emerald Gleam’s tail coiling itself around his snake and slowly starting to rub it along the length, each stroke eliciting a moan out of his throat. Screw everything else. This is incredible!

“Liking it, aren’t we?” the snakepony asked sultrily, earning herself a vigorous nod from the trapped unicorn. “Perfect! Jussst relax and let me handle everything, hun!”

He didn’t know what caused the change in her attitude, but at this very moment, he couldn’t care less. Besides, the ministrations the lamia was giving him prevented him from thinking straight. All that currently mattered to him was the sweet pleasure she was offering him, and contrary to what he had imagined in his mind, the activity wasn’t as rough as he expected it to be, though it still was much rougher than when he had done it with a normal pony.

It took the hybrid less than a minute of soft tail strokes to make him fully erect, and once that was done, she licked her lips again as she went to the next step. Shifting her body so that she was at eye level with him, she slowly led his shaft towards her wet cavern with her tail, both of them anticipating that moment for a different reason. For Thunder, it would be the first time since his prom at high school that he would have sex with a mare, while for Emerald, she just wanted him badly, to the point where he could swear she was drooling whenever she looked at his bound form.

Finally, it happened. Both of them slightly shivered and moaned in pleasure as the tip of his dick made contact with her moist pussy. However, she didn’t stop there, as she quickly shoved it deep down her hole and pumped her hips back and forth - the stallion would have taken care of that part was he not restricted by her huge tail - as soon as it had fully penetrated her womb, with her eyes shut and her tongue hanging out of her mouth, clearly in pure ecstasy.

The room was mainly filled with the sounds of moaning, panting, cries of bliss on occasion, and the smell of sweat and sex fluids mixed together. The nearer they got to their climax, the louder they cried, especially the lamia, whose were mostly demands for Thunder to ejaculate inside of her. Eventually, her wish was granted. As her fluids coated her scales and the blanket underneath them, his filled every corner of her vagina, the excess trickling down and mixing with hers, and she sighed in ultimate contentment while the unicorn unwound within her grasp, exhausted.

He wasn’t the only one. As he found himself falling asleep, his energy drained, the lamia laid them both comfortably on the mattress, removing his penis from her pussy, though never loosening her grip around him, though he was too tired to care. She’ll keep warm, he convinced himself as he closed the room’s light with a quick flick of his horn and let his mind wander into dreamland, his lover joining him after dropping a loving kiss on his forehead and wishing him good dreams. Warm and cozy…