Hands of Life, Hooves of Death

Chapters

1 - The Accident
2 - Finding Facts
4 - Waking Up
5 - Discharged
6 - New Magic
7 - Canterlot
8 - The Speed of Aura
8.5 - Interlude: The Carpet
9 - The Major and the Zombie
10 - A Forgotten Evil
11 - A Day in Ponyville
11.5 - Interlude: Cleaning Day
12 - A Chance Meeting
13 - Date Night
13.5 - [Clop] Sexy Exploration
14.5 - Interlude: Another Castle
15 - The New Captain
16 - The New Trainee
17 - Basic Training
18 - Commander's Challenge
19 - Date Night Take Two
20 - The Tickets
21 - Songs of the Heart
21.5 - [Clop] Royal Lovers
22 - The Second Encounter
23 - Dreams and Confessions
23.25 - [Clop] A Double Steam Shower
23.75 - Interlude: Uninvited Guests
24 - The Truth Behind the Rank
25 - Change of Command
26 - The Cost of Intel
27 - The Rift Between
29 - On the March
30 - The Knights of Light and Darkness
30.5 - Interlude: A Carpet POV
31 - Awakening
3 - Adventures in Music
14 - Nightmares and Empty Graves
28 - Call to Arms

1 - The Accident

It was a brilliant day in Yosemite National Park, the wind was soft and the clouds drifted by in the midmorning air like cotton balls. My breath was thick in my lungs and my fingers burned, yet I hadn’t felt this alive in months.

Ever since my discharge from the Rangers, I had been feeling like a lost soul, drifting from one job to another without ever really finding what it was I was trying to find. Finally, I moved into a small cabin in the western half of California, someplace where I could just get away from it all and find my own path in life. Yet even that didn’t last for long. By the end of the third month I was about to go stir crazy, my mind jumping from crazy idea to equally crazy idea. Then, I thought about something I hadn’t done since I had joined the Corps.

So, without much fanfare and without really thinking too much about what I was going to do, I packed up some camping gear, stuffed all I would need for several days in the woods alone into the back of my car, and drove out to the National Park with every intention of doing something stupid. The drive had been slow and by the time I had gotten to the parking area for the campground, the sun had already crested the pines and was well on its way towards noon. Yet I didn’t let that stop me, if anything the heat made me want to go out and climb the rocky cliffs that surrounded me even more.

Now I found myself clinging to a smooth rock face, my fingers buried into a crack no thicker than my wrist, hanging above the forest floor by a good two hundred feet. Far below, my backpack was resting against the cliff face, containing all the gear I would need once I set up camp for the night. My heart was pounding in my chest and my muscles burned with every movement, but I was having the time of my life. I had always gotten a kick out of the action every time my team went into an active combat zone, this was just one of the ways I had enjoyed the rush of adrenaline before I enlisted.

The metal pistons in my artificial left leg hissed with compressed air as I lifted it to the next foothold, the smooth steel and composite glinting in the sunlight as my shoe bit into the sandstone. It had taken several months to get the hang of my new limb after my real one got blown off by an IED in Afghanistan. Of course my best memory of that incident was the Taliban I blasted in the head from fifty yards while the medics worked on keeping me from bleeding to death on the side of the road. My lips curled into a grin as my fingers pulled me further up the cliff face, good times, good times.

Yet my mirth was short-lived as a sharp gust of wind hit me from my left, making my grip loosen for a split second before I could correct my momentum.

I hissed as my fingers twisted between the rocks before me, and I had to slip one hand completely free in order to get my grip straight. At that moment I was very aware of the distance to the ground, and the most certain doom that would meet me if I happened to fall.

“Come on Sarah,” I growled to myself as I got back into a comfortable position, “keep it together. Just a few more feet and then you can take a nice long rest at the top.”

Apparently life just likes to prove me wrong, because no sooner had the words left my lips then another huge gust of wind hit me from my right. I yelped as one foot slid off the rocks, and it had to hang from nothing more than my fingertips for several seconds before I could get my feet under me again. By that moment my heart was pounding in my chest and my breathing was ragged, but for a completely different reason than it had been a minute before.

I swallowed thickly as I tried to get my body back under control, “I think that’s enough climbing for one day. Time to get off this rock.”

That was the moment the first wet drop landed square on the crown of my head. I jerked my head up and saw that the sky had become overcast seemingly out of nowhere, and that the sound of heavy rainfall was getting far too close for comfort.

“Shit.” I hissed as I began to rapidly descend from the rock face. I knew that I wasn’t going to make it to the ground, but maybe I could get far enough down that if I slipped I wouldn’t end up a paint splatter on the rocks.

Only a few seconds later, the rain hit like a solid wall of water. My eyes were immediately shut against the whipping drops as they pelted me like a high-pressure hose. I could barely see the rock in front of me, and in the instant it happened, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold on. Like everything was moving in slow motion, I could feel my fingers losing their grip on the stone crevice before me, at the same instant my shoes lost their connection. Seconds seem to stretch like hours as I slowly began to fall backwards, yet I didn’t scream or flail. I had been trained to stay calm under stress far more powerful than this, so I let my body go limp as my vision slowly rotated until only the sky was visible.

All at once time seemed to resume at a normal pace, the pounding rain, the howling wind, the rush of air around my body as I fell. It seemed almost like a dream, yet when my body impacted the first spindly tree that jutted out from the rock face, I couldn’t keep the cry of pain from escaping my lips as my left shoulder popped clean out of its socket. I only had a second to register the pain before the tree gave way, dropping me onto the next obstacle as my body twisted in midair. Next came a jut of rock that managed to catch me under my right breast, breaking several ribs at least as I was spun the opposite direction before crashing into the ground flat on my back.

I lay there, gasping and trying not to move as lances of agony shot up and down my body in every direction. The rain had completely drenched me from head to toe, yet as fast as it had come, it was already letting up. Even as the rain pounded into the top of the cliff I had just been climbing, already shafts of sunlight were dotting the ground around me as the summer squall continued on its way.

Breathing hurt, trying to move hurt even more. I turned my head to one side and spotted my pack just beyond the reach of my mechanical leg, resting against the cliff base like it had every right to mock my current predicament. My chocolate brown hair was partially draped over my chest, and I watched as thick streams of red began to slowly trace each hair until it began to stain my dark blue tee a muddy brown.

I let my head fall back onto a rock that had conveniently placed itself for my use, my vision spinning as I tried to figure out what was broken and what wasn’t. My leg seemed to be fine, and as far as I could tell my prosthetic wasn’t damaged, yet from my hips up it just seemed like one big bag of ouch. I could feel my broken ribs shifting with each shallow breath I managed to get into my lungs, and I was certain my left arm wasn’t supposed to be hanging from my armpit like a limp noodle. My right arm was bent the wrong way in at least three places, both on my forearm and just above my elbow. I couldn’t get my eyes to focus properly, so add a head injury to the list of what fucked up Sarah’s body today. I tried to move something, anything to get at my phone. It was sitting in the outside pocket on my pack, right in my line of sight, and yet it might as well have been at the top of the cliff for all the good it would do me.

For several hours I lay there, fighting to breathe as my broken ribs jabbed at my lungs with every motion. The sun had made its way behind the cliffs, casting my sorry hide into shadow as the day wore on, and yet I had a feeling I wasn’t going to last the night. It was well known that mountain lion roamed these parts, and in my current state I wouldn’t be able to do much more than flip one the bird if I ended up on the menu. So, I closed my eyes, and contemplated what it would be like once I died, because if the mountain lions didn’t get me, dehydration certainly would. I had always imagined going down in a blaze of glory, shooting up terrorists with one hand while dragging a civilian out of the firefight with the other. To die out here, all alone, it just seemed to be kind of, sad.

“Well,” I whispered to myself, “at least I managed to do something before my time came.”

“While I would love to see you groveling in your own self-pity,” a male voice echoed around my little clearing, “I don’t think you’ll be dying just yet.”

In an instant hope flashed through my body, I would have turned to face the speaker, but my body screamed at me the moment I tried to shift my weight, “Who’s there? Can you help me? Please, call nine-one-one, I need help.”

My eyes were drawn to a figure as it materialized in front of me, his shadow somehow forming on the rock face even without direct sunlight. I squinted, trying to get my eyes to focus, but what I was seeing didn’t make any sense. Either this man was wearing the craziest clothes I had ever seen, or I had hit my head harder than I thought.

He stood at what I assumed to be six seven, his hair a wild mass of white with a long goatee to match. His eyes were either bloodshot or were naturally yellow in color, and he seemed to have one sharp fang poking out of his mouth on the left side. His suit was even more bizarre. The left sleeve was bright yellow with markings that resembled the leg of an eagle, while the right one was a golden brown in color. The twin coat tails were salmon red with scale designs running down each strip, and the torso was a deep mud brown.

His lower half was even more weird. The left pant leg was a fawn brown while the right was lime green, his left shoe black leather while the right was one of those toe shoes that you used for climbing. It too was a bright green in color.

I blinked several times, trying to get my brain to work properly, “Alright, I know I must have hit my head, because there is no way you are real right now.”

He chuckled, his impossible shadow doing a little tap dance on the rocks behind him, “Oh I assure you I’m real, although I understand why someone of your kind would have trouble believing it. You see, I’m not from around here, and I’ve searched countless realities for something that my home is in desperate need of. I’ve popped from universe to universe in search of something that even I didn’t even fully understand, and what do I find when I reach my destination?”

He walked closer to me, a magnifying glass appearing in one hand out of nowhere as his enlarged eye looked me up and down, “Some half-dead ape that has next to no magical potential and seemingly won’t make it another night. Curious, very curious.”

The magnifying glass disappeared with a pop, and I let a groan slip from my lips as I leaned back and closed my eyes, “Come on brain, if you’re going to make deathbed hallucinations, at least make them entertaining.” I hissed as pain raked up my spine, and the world swam in front of me as my sense of up and down took a momentary vacation.

“Oh dear,” the figure said as he leaned in and tapped me between the eyes, “it seems you really aren’t long for this world. Alright then, here’s the deal. I can take you to somewhere where you can get your wounds tended to. You’ll be fine in a matter of days with nary a care in the world.”

I coughed once, wincing as blood sputtered between my lips, “The old deal with the devil gag, eh?” I coughed again as more blood began running down my chin, “What will you get in return, my soul?”

He seemed to roll his eyes at me, “Oh nothing so trivial. I’ve tried playing around with souls before, dreadfully boring things really. All they’re really good for is looking pretty on my mantle, can’t really do anything with them other than that.” He shook his head, creating a rattling sound like a ball in a bucket, “No, all I ask is that when we meet again, and we will meet again, I will ask you one favor. It can be anything from a small token to some grand desire, but no matter what it is, you have to fulfill that request. That is my offer.”

I mulled it over in my mind for a moment, “Well, for a deal with the devil that will seemingly save my life and get me out of this terrible situation, it’s not a bad idea. Too bad this is all in my imagination.”

He chuckled again, “Whatever makes you happy. So, do we have a deal?”

I shrugged, wincing as my dislocated shoulder made itself known again, “Sure, why not? If I’m going to die, I might as well have some fun with it.”

I could see the grin that split his lips impossibly wide, his hand lifted with his fingers pressed together, “So be it then. Remember, I’ll see you again soon, so keep one thing as you put yourself back together.”

He snapped his fingers and the world began to shift around me, yet his smile remained crystal clear as the rest of my vision faded to black, “Discord will be watching you.”

My body felt weightless for a moment, and I struggled to breathe as a tight feeling encompassed my body. Then, with a bright flash and a loud popping sound, I found my body laid out on a flat surface, my head supported by the side of my backpack. A rapid string of gasps and high-pitched screams echoed around me, my eyes snapping shut as pain lanced through my brain.

“What is that thing?” A female voice asked in a very posh tone.

“Ah don’t rightly know,” a second voice replied, sounding like someone from the deep south, “but if’n it tries anything we’ll set ‘em straight before it can get very far.”

I forced my eyes open, only to realize that my vision was still blurry beyond belief. Other than blobs of color that were way to rich to be natural, I couldn’t really make out anything in my surroundings. I turned my head to look to my left as more voices chimed in, allowing my gaze to latch onto the set of bright teal eyes that came into view.

They were soft and filled with what looked like equal parts fear and curiosity, although it was hard to tell with all the bright pink and canary yellow that seemed to surround those eyes. I couldn’t make out if the person was male or female under all the clothing, but if I had to guess I would have to say it was a girl, if the colors were anything to go by.

“Please,” I croaked out, blood running from my mouth and onto the surface below me, “help me.”

The eyes widened in shock, followed in turn by a sharp gasp. I closed my eyes as the figure began nodding frantically, and I felt myself slipping away as her soft voice rose in volume to address the others in the room.

“Um, girls, I think this creature is injured. We should get it to the hospital before it gets any worse.” I could barely hear her over the din caused by the other girls, but her voice seemed to have an urgent edge to it that made the others pause and listen.

The rest of the conversation faded into the background, although I was put together enough to feel the warm blanket envelope my body, holding me gently but firmly as I was carried towards what I hoped was medical attention. I felt my lips curling into a smile as my mind faded away. Whoever these girls were, at least they were being nice about moving me. Would hate to have my already shattered body made even worse because some country bumpkin thought it would be a clever idea to set the bones back in place with a ball-peen hammer.

Author's Note

So here's the new book I've been working on!!! Hope you all enjoy it so far! In the meantime, please feel free to check out my other works if you have the time or desire, as this one is going to be slow on the updates until the summer starts. Both of my other stories are complete so they should at least keep you busy for a day or two. :twilightblush: Anyways, I hope to see you all later, sometime before the middle of season 7 hiatus I would hope. :rainbowwild:

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

2 - Finding Facts

NOTE OF IMPORTANCE!!! This chapter is from Twilight's perspective, given our lively human main character is currently out for the count. Just wanted to let you know to avoid any confusion. Sarah should be back in the next chapter or the one after that, depending on how the plot evolves. Anyway, carry on.

I traced a path in front of the doors leading from the waiting room of Ponyville General, my wings twitching with nervous energy as I worried at my bottom lip with my teeth.

“Calm down Twilight,” Rarity spoke up from one of the couches, “I’m sure Dr. Tenderhoof and his staff are doing the best they can to help the poor thing.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow added as she hovered overhead, “I bet he’ll have that thing patched back up and out of there in five seconds flat.”

“I can’t calm down,” I forced out as I spun around to continue my pacing, “for all we know Dr. Tenderhoof has never seen a creature like that. It’s not like we know anything about it. It just showed up and started bleeding out on the Cutie Map for Celestia’s sake!!”

I paused as Applejack placed a hoof over my withers, “Look Twi’. I know this is something we’ve never seen before, but I’m sure the doc is doin’ everything he can to fix that creature up. You’ll see,” she gave me an encouraging smile, “he’ll come out of those doors any second now with a barn’s worth of good news.”

I sucked in a deep breath, holding a hoof to my chest before pushing it away, letting out my air as I did so. “Thanks Applejack. I’m just so worried that we won’t be able to help it. So far as we know it’s the only creature of its kind in Equestria. It certainly doesn’t look like anything I’ve read about in any of my books.”

“I haven’t heard of anything like it either,” Fluttershy added from her seat next to Rarity, “at least not from any of the books I’ve read about exotic creatures.”

“Oh, does that mean I get to throw it a So-Glad-To-Meet-You-And-Welcome-To-Equestria Party?!” Pinkie squeaked from the couch on the other side of the room.

“We don’t even know if it speaks Equestrian.” I explained, “For all we know it could be some dangerous predator that would eat a pony just as much as talk to one.”

Fluttershy whimpered, hiding under Rarity’s tail with wide eyes, “Oh, I really hope not.”

“Don’t worry Flutters,” Rainbow said as she mimed punching imaginary foes, “if that thing so much as growls at somepony I’ll Rainboom it into next week.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.” I muttered to myself as my wings pulled tight against my sides, “I really hope it doesn’t come to that.”

At that moment, the doors leading into the treatment wing opened, revealing a light brown unicorn. He removed his surgical mask, revealing it to be none other than Dr. Tenderhoof.

I raced up to him, the girls following close behind as he slid off his mane net, “How is it doctor? Will it be alright?”

He smiled, “The creature will be fine Princess, we were able to set the broken bones and stop the internal bleeding. The head injury was a bit tougher, but we managed to stabilize it without too much trouble.”

We all let out a collective sigh, although it was short lived as his gaze hardened, settling squarely on me as he spoke, “Princess, there is something you should know. There are some very unusual things about this creature. I would like your opinion on something if you wouldn’t mind.”

I met the other girls’ gazes for a moment before turning back to the doctor, “What kind of unusual things?”

He tilted his head to indicate the doors behind him, “It would be simpler to show you.” His gaze fell onto my friends, “Would the rest of you mind waiting out here? The particulars of the patient should probably be addressed by a Princess before we let other ponies interact with the creature.”

That caused the others to cast worried glances my direction, “You don’t think the creature is dangerous, do you?” Fluttershy asked.

Tenderhoof shrugged, “It could be completely harmless, but until I know for sure, I’m keeping the patient as isolated from ponies as we can, just to be on the safe side.” He turned his gaze back to me, “Shall we go, Princess?”

I sent one more nervous glance over my shoulder before nodding, “Sure, let’s get this over with.”

Tenderhoof nodded, leading me through the double doors and down several hallways before coming to a stop at a lone recovery room.
“I should warn you,” he said carefully as his light blue magic gripped the knob, “what you are about to see might be a bit shocking.”

I bit my lip as he opened the door, preparing myself for something truly horrific. Yet when I stepped into the room, I was struck by how seemingly normal everything was. The room wasn’t coated in blood or filled to the brim with terrible fumes. Not even the sheets were out of the ordinary, other than the fact that the creature was so long its hind legs extended several inches off the end of the bed. Its body was covered almost completely by the bedspread, the only exception being its left front limb and its head. Its face was oddly flat, with two small eyes and a pair of equally small ears on the side of the head. Its mane was a dark brown and came down to rest softly over its shoulders, while the completely bare skin was a creamy white. Aside from the mane and a set of thin eyebrows, the rest of the creature’s body seemed to be devoid of fur. My eyes moved down it body to the visible limb, noting that the shoulder area still had some severe bruising. An I.V. was hooked up to said limb just above the wrist, although as I spotted what was below the tube I was struck with confusion.

Tenderhoof seemed to notice where my gaze had landed, “Yes, we noticed it too. The creature seems to share a similar bone structure to minotaurs, including a set of fingers on the end of each upper limb. Given how the creature is set up skeletal wise, it would be my opinion that it is bipedal in nature, leaving the upper extremities free to manipulate objects.”

“Fascinating,” A notepad materialized in my magic grip, along with a full inkwell and a quill, “did you notice any other similarities between it and the minotaur?”

He cleared his throat, his cheeks going a slight red in color, “Well, we did find one other thing, but you might want to brace yourself. It made one of the nurses faint when she saw them.”

“Saw what?” I asked.

He simply pulled the sheet towards the bottom of the bed, revealing the creature’s chest area. However, as what was hidden came into view, my quill froze mid-word, my mouth hanging open as my eyes widened in shock. Laid bare for all to see, with only a thin black piece of clothing to even hint at modesty, were a pair of the biggest teats I had ever seen. Mrs. Cake had only gotten about half that size when she was nursing the twins!

“A-Are those what I think they are,” I managed to croak out, my wings on full display as I tried to get my mind to stop short-circuiting.

Tenderhoof nodded, “While we conducted an examination to see if the creature was currently with a foal, we were shocked to discover that she in not currently lactating. Even more surprising, was the fact that she seems to have not yet had any offspring at all.”

My notepad and quill fell to the floor with a clatter, my magic maintaining just enough grip to set the inkwell on the countertop, “You mean those are what they look like normally?” I couldn’t wrap my head around it, how could a creature have such huge teats when there was absolutely no need for them? It didn’t make any logical or evolutionary sense!

Tenderhoof cleared his throat, “While the creature’s, ahem, assets were a bit of a shock, they aren’t the reason I brought you in here. You see there’s something strange about this creature’s magic signature.”

Now he was speaking my language. I picked up the quill and pad, readying them for use as I turned to him, “Alright, so what’s so unusual about it, stunted mana lines, inverted spell flow?”

He seemed to mull over his thoughts before he answered, “That’s just it, other than some residual chaos magic, which could be the cause of the creature’s sudden appearance in your castle, its magical signature, doesn’t exist.”

I froze for a second time, one eye twitching for a moment as I turned to face the doctor, “What?”

He seemed to be sweating under my scrutiny, “What I’m trying to say is that when the patient first arrived at the hospital, it had so little magic present in its body we were worried about it being mana starved. Yet the most incredible thing is that between the healing spells we used on it and the natural magic in the air, the creature has absorbed almost eighty kilothuams* in the last four hours.”

I openly gaped at him, “Eighty kilothuams? That’s more than the average unicorn has in their entire body! Is it still absorbing magic?”

He nodded, “My theory is that it will continue to absorb magic until its body reaches it natural capacity. If the current rate of absorption is anything to go by, I’d estimate that limit to be somewhere around three to five hundred kilothuams.”

I winced, unsure about how to process that. Most unicorns processed a natural reserve of magic between sixty and one hundred and twenty kilothuams, although exceedingly powerful mages had been known to get up to two hundred and fifty at their prime. Even after becoming an alicorn, my own magic topped out at four hundred and seventy-three kilothuams, and I was probably one of the most gifted magic users alive. If Tenderhoof was right, then this creature had the potential to be one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, for good or for bad.

“Do you have any idea why this creature was so drained of magic?” I asked, quill and pad forgotten on the bedside table, “Surely there must be some explanation as to how a creature with that much magic could be reduced to nearly nothing.”

He gave me a critical look, “Understand that this is only a theory, and is purely based on my own observations and opinions. I’ve taken a look at the creature’s belongings, and all of them, from the tiniest button to the pack itself, exhibit the same rapid mana absorption that the creature is. Therefore, it is safe to assume that whatever happened to it took all the magic from its belongings as well. But the magic field is present everywhere on Equis. You can’t find a single stone or twig that isn’t filled with magic, and removing the magic from that item would be nearly the same as ripping it apart on the molecular level. The only way I can think of that would explain how these things are completely void of magic, would either be because they have some unknown mana blocking ability, or they originated from a place that has next to no mana field, if any at all.

My eyes widened, “Are you suggesting that this creature isn’t from Equis?”

He shrugged, “That’s just my opinion. I have no proof other than what I see before me. I don’t expect you to believe me, but that is what I have observed.”

I shook my head to clear it, lest my brain explode from the possibilities, “Right, we’ll worry about that one later. Was there anything else you wanted to show me, doctor?”

“Yes, there was one other thing that I thought needed a second opinion.” He took hold of the sheets with his magic again, “I should warn you, the patient is wearing a set of clothing over her genitalia, similar to what she is wearing over her teats. Given her fully clothed status when you arrived, the nurses and I have concluded that it is meant for comfort and modesty, despite similar clothing being viewed in our society as lingerie.”

I blushed, nodding that I understood, “Proceed doctor.”

He nodded in return, pulling the sheets down past the creature’s hips, revealing said undergarments to the open air. However, my mind was rapidly diverted as its legs came into view. A small part of my mind wondered if I was going to need to see a dentist if things kept going like this, because my jaw once again dropped to the floor as I gaped at what I was seeing.

The creature’s left leg, from the mid-thigh down, had been completely replaced by an artificial substitute. Dark green material and polished metal met my dumbfounded gaze as I followed the impossibly smooth curves all the way down. As Tenderhoof moved the sheet completely off the creature, I saw that the fake limb even had a part that mimicked the creature’s remaining hind paw, oddly shaped as they were. There seemed to even be sections where the parts could move and bend like real joints, along with what looked like pistons and gears to absorb the shock caused by running or jumping.

“This is amazing,” I whispered, leaning in to examine the limb in closer detail, “I’ve never seen an artificial limb this advanced before.”

“That’s not the only thing,” Tenderhoof said, moving me to one side before igniting his horn, “take a look at this.”

A wide arc of magic shot out and highlighted the metallic limb, causing the section under the beam to become semi-transparent. I leaned in close as he moved the beam up towards the union were metal met flesh, trying to see what he was wanting to show me. I winced slightly as his beam moved into living tissue, revealing nerves, blood vessels and bone to my eyes. Yet as I looked closer, I realized what it was that had shaken the good doctor.

“You see what I mean?” He asked, pointing out the plate that connected the limb to the creature’s body, “The wires here run straight up and connect with the nerves that control the major muscle groups. Unless the designers had no idea what they were doing, this setup allows the creature to control this prosthetic just as easily as she can control her real leg. The mechanical parts are seamlessly melded into her natural systems until there is next to no difference between the two.”

“Could we remove the leg for further study?” I asked as he terminated his spell, “technology like this could revolutionize the medical industry.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” He cautioned, “You see, the limb is connected to her body by several complex locks, which would require a specific key to undo. While it might be possible to fabricate a key that would work, the real problem is the nerve connections. If not properly disconnected, or if we mess up when reconnecting the limb, the possibility is very high the patient could suffer permanent nerve damage, if the mistreatment of her nerves doesn’t throw her into shock.”

I winced, trying to avoid that mental image, “Understood. Thank you for showing me this Dr. Tenderhoof. I will take this into consideration going forward.” I turned, picking up my belongings as I opened the door, “keep her under surveillance, and let me know when she comes too. I want to be the first pony besides the medical staff to interact with her, just in case she’s dangerous.”

He nodded, “Oh, one more thing Princess. While we were repairing the fractures in her skull, we got a good look at the creature’s teeth. While I cannot say for sure, I feel I should warn you that the creature has canines.”

A thought nibbled at the back of my mind, trying to make itself into a full memory, “Meaning?”

He seemed truly uncomfortable now, like his job might be on the line for what he was about to say, “We believe the creature is an omnivore, Princess. It might not need to eat it all the time, but part of the creature’s diet seems to be,” he swallowed thickly, “meat.”

I felt a cold chill run down my spine, a thin sweat running down my brow before I could wipe it away, “T-Thank you doctor. I will keep that in mind. Um, I’ll speak with the town guard about keeping this room under security. We can’t assume anything yet, but I would rather be overcautious than let a dangerous creature run loose in Ponyville.”

“Thank you Princess,” Tenderhoof said with a sigh, “I’ll keep you posted on any new developments. Oh, right, take the creature’s belongings with you.” He levitated the large pack towards me with his magic, “they might prove useful in discovering more about what kind of place it came from.”

I took the pack in my own telekinetic grip, feeling the steady drain on my magic even as it floated next to my right ear, “Thank you. I’ll make sure that the guard knows about this so that you can go about your work without worry. Goodbye doctor.”

“Goodbye Princess.” He replied.

I walked back into the waiting room, where I was immediately stopped short by one rainbow pegasus.

“So, what’s the scoop Twilight?” Rainbow asked as she hovered right in my face, “Is there some crazy magic that’s going to turn that thing into a ten-story monster?”

I pushed her back a hoof or two with a gentle magic push, “No, at least not that I know of. There were just some unusual things concerning the creature and where it’s from.”

“Oh, did Dr. Tenderhoof have some idea as to where it came from?” Fluttershy asked as she and the others walked up.

“Well,” I rubbed my neck with one hoof as I tried to come up with an easy way to say it. It was only an unsupported theory after all, although given the complete lack of any kind of actual data concerning how and why the creature appeared in the castle, it was so far the only thing we had to go off of. “while we don’t really know where the creature is from exactly, Dr. Tenderhoof has a theory, given the strange magic absorption that the creature is exhibiting.”

“Magic absorption?” Applejack muttered, “You mean that things is drawing in magic like some kind of sponge?”

I nodded, “It’s already absorbed more magic than the average unicorn has in their entire body, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. The thing is, the only reason it seems to be doing so is because it originally came from a place with either a weak or none-existent magic field.”

“But I thought the magic field surrounded all of Equis,” Rarity inquired, “it’s imbued into every rock and blade of grass on the entire planet. How could the creature come from a place with no magic?”

It took all of about two seconds before Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock, “Wait a minute, are you telling us, that thing is an alien?!”

The other girls gasped, and only grew more surprised at my nod of agreement. “I’m not sure how else to explain it, but I’m hoping we can find out more about what kind of place this creature came from by studying the items in here.” I floated the pack into view, “Maybe if we can understand more about the creature, we can figure out if it will be a threat to Equestria or not.”

Rainbow pumped one hoof in the air, “Sweet, we get to mess around with a bunch of alien tech. I call test-firing the laser weapons!”

I yanked the pack out of her reach before she could open it, “We don’t have any idea if those even exist, Rainbow. And besides, even if there are weapons of some sort in here, they will be kept under very close watch until Princess Celestia says otherwise. Actually,” I turned my attention to Spike, who had been standing politely to my left since I walked back into the room, “Spike, take a letter, addressed to Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadence.”

He pulled out a triplicate of scrolls, his trademark quill at the ready, “Go ahead Twilight.”

I cleared my throat, “Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing to inform you that something very unusual has happened today. Well, more unusual than usual.” Rainbow snickered behind her hoof, “The girls and I were going over where the Cutie Map might send us next and how we would go about preparing for said friendship mission. However, our meeting was cut short when a creature of unknown origin appeared on top of the map table. It was gravely injured, to the point it only had the strength to look to Fluttershy for help before passing out. It is currently recovering at Ponyville General, and has been unconscious up to this point. The doctors have assured me that the creature will live, although there were some unforeseen developments. For one thing, it appears that the creature comes from a place that is devoid of magic, as evident by its rapid absorption of both natural magic and magic used in the healing spells administered by the hospital staff. One other note of importance, during the healing process, the doctors got a good look at the creature’s teeth, and have informed me that the creature is omnivorous in nature. In laypony’s terms, it eats both plant matter and meat.” I ignored the gasps that came from the others at those words, “Due to the inherent danger of keeping a predator around injured ponies, I will be posting a small contingent of the town guard at the hospital to keep everything secure. I will also be studying the creature’s belongings in order to try and discover more about how it came to be in Equestria and where it originated from. I will keep you and the other princesses informed of any new developments, please give the extra copy of this letter to Luna when you receive this one. Sincerely yours, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike signed the letter with a flourish, copying it down onto the other scrolls before rolling them up. A trio of green fire blasts, and the letters were on their way out the open window on the left wall.

“Um, Twilight dearie,” Rarity asked, “did I hear you correctly when you said that the creature ate,” she swallowed thickly, “meat?”

I nodded, “But that doesn’t mean the creature is any danger to us. Omnivores can eat plants just as well as meat. I’m sure something that can eat fruits and vegetables like us can be reasoned with. We just need to keep an open mind.”

“Lots of creatures are like that, Rarity,” Fluttershy added, “Harry the bear eats fish from time to time, but he can live off of berries and roots just fine if he has to.”

“So, you’re saying that thing in the next room isn’t going to wake up and start trying to eat any of us?” Applejack asked.

I shook my head, “Not to my knowledge, at least I hope not. But, that’s why I’ll have the guard keep an eye on things. Just in case I’m wrong and the creature is dangerous. The thing is, unless it’s a lot stronger than it looks, I don’t think she’s going to be much of a threat.”

“She? That thing’s a female?” Applejack seemed a bit dubious of my pronoun choice.

“Yep.” I perked up at the chance to share some of my findings, “the creature is definitely female. Once the doctor and I got a good look at some of its bodily features, it wasn’t hard to tell.”

“Features meaning what exactly?” Rainbow quipped.

I opened my mouth, only for my cheeks to heat up as a fresh image of what exactly came along with the creature being female. Rarity saw my flustered state in a heartbeat, walking up with a slightly worried expression, “Darling, is there something the matter, you’re blushing like a schoolfilly talking to her crush.”

“Well, um, you see,” I forced out through my embarrassment, “the creature is a mammal like us, so when she has young, she has a pair of things she uses to feed the foal.”

“Oh, you mean he has teats like a mare?” Fluttershy asked.

I nodded, “It was slightly shocking to see them, especially when we found out that she isn’t with any offspring at this time. Mostly I think it had to deal with their, umm, size.”

Rainbow snickered, “What, were they like lopsided on her body or something like that. Or were they just so small they looked like they belonged on a much smaller animal?”

I shook my head, “No, there were actually bigger than I expected,” my blush intensified as another mental image came to the fore, “much bigger.”

“So how big we talking here?” Rainbow pressed, “Pear-sized? Apple?”

I shook my head as I hid my face behind my hooves, unable to look at them as I answered, “They had to be at least the size of a melon, maybe a cantaloupe.”

Complete silence met my words. I slowly lowered my hooves, taking in the completely gob smacked expressions of everypony. Rarity was beet red from the neck up, her eyes reduced to pinpricks as her mouth hung open. Applejack just looked frozen in shock, her face twisted in confusion while her eyes stared at something a very long way away. Pinkie was humming to herself, completely oblivious to the bombshell I had just dropped, while Fluttershy and Rainbow were standing next to one another, wings flared and faces tinted pink as their jaws hung low.

“Hold on a minute,” Rainbow sputtered out, “you said she doesn’t have a foal. You mean she has teats that big on a daily basis?! How in the world does she even move with that much weight?!”

Pinkie walked up to Rarity’s side, tapping the stupefied fashionista once or twice to snap her out of it. Rarity sputtered for a moment before turning to Pinkie, “Oh thank you darling. I don’t know what came over me.”

“No problem,” Pinkie replied, walking up to Applejack, “just trying to help. I don’t like seeing my friends all confused. Surprises are fun and all, but if it’s so bad you break the one you’re supposed to be surprising, then it’s no fun for anypony.”

Applejack shook her head a few times before nodding to Pinkie. Pinkie winked in reply before everypony turned back to me. “So, what now Twi’? Are we just goin’ to wait until that thing wakes up before we do anything else?”

“No,” I replied, “I’m going to head down to the local guard office to get a security detail down here. I’m not going to let that thing go unguarded until we’re certain that it’s not a threat to anypony. Meanwhile,” I hefted the pack in my magic grip, “I’m going to study every inch and everything contained within this pack. It might give us some clues as to what we might expect from the creature when it wakes up.”

“Well, Ah guess Ah’ll head back to the farm until then,” Applejack said as she walked up to the front doors, “got a lot of chores to do and Ah’m not about to have Big Mac take all of it on himself. Ah’ll see you girls later on.”

With that the orange farm pony departed, followed quickly by Pinkie. “I’ve got some baking to do with the Cakes, but make sure to get me the moment the creature wakes up. I need to be there to throw her a Super-Special-Glad-You’re-Alright Party.”

Fluttershy caught Rainbow’s eyes, sharing some unspoken agreement between them before she turned to me, “I think Rainbow and I will stay here, just in case anything happens that needs your attention.”

“Yeah, Flutters can help the docs if there’s any medical stuff,” Rainbow added, “and I can be here in case anypony needs to get their flank kicked.”

I rolled my eyes, “You do that. Oh, Rarity, I was hoping you could help me with the creature’s clothing.” I undid the zipper of the pack and looked inside, using my magic to pull out the various articles of clothing that could be found within. “Would you mind taking a look at these while I focus on the other items?”

Her eyes lit up like fireworks, her magic nearly snatching the cloth from my own in her haste to look at them, “Oh I would be delighted darling. To be the first to look at clothing from another world,” she made a high squee sound, “oh the possibilities are making my head spin. Do keep in touch, dear. If you need me I will be at my boutique, going over these amazing articles.” Her lips pulled into a wide grin as she walked out the door, her eye already roaming over the various bits as they floated along in her magic.

Spike looked up at me expectantly, “So what now?”

“Now we go and get that guard detail taken care of.” I answered.

We made our way out the front doors, taking several streets through Ponyville proper until we came to a stop in front of a drab grey building. It was a nondescript rectangle in shape, with windows barred by metal grates on all sides but the front. While the Ponyville guard didn’t see much action, apart from the various disasters that seemed to roll through every week, they still had an established presence within the town.

We stepped into the main office, my eyes taking note of the haphazard filing system once again as a few guards dressed in silver armor walked past. I had asked several times if they would allow me to go through their files for them, but I had always been politely turned down for some strange reason. It took a moment or two, but one of the guard finally noticed my presence and raced up to me before throwing a sharp salute.

“Princess, is there something we can do to help you?” Unlike the Royal Guard, the armor for the Ponyville guard lacked the uniformity spell that made the members look alike, so I could see the stallion’s dark blue mane sticking out of his helmet, his maroon coat a stark contrast to the silver plate.

“Yes,” I said, “I need you to send a small group of guards to set up security at the hospital. There’s an unknown creature being treated there and I want to make sure nopony is in any danger until we can verify it’s not a threat.”

He snapped another salute, “At once Princess. Was there anything else you had to tell us?”

I paused for a moment, thinking about what could possibly happen at the hospital should the creature wake up, “Yes, actually. Have all the guards posted at the hospital know that if the creature wakes up, but shows no overt signs of threatening behavior, they are to let the creature be unless given reason to act. I would rather not scare the poor thing by having a bunch of stallions in armor tackle it the first time it moves.”

He seemed slightly confused, and maybe a bit embarrassed for some reason, but he quickly put those aside as he schooled his composure. “Very good Princess, I’ll let the captain know what you need us to do. If that is all, I need to inform my superiors about this assignment.”

I nodded my permission, and he dropped his salute before racing into the back rooms of the post. Spike dutifully followed me as we walked back through the streets of town, staying uncharacteristically silent until we got to the doors of my castle.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” He asked in a hesitant tone, “What if that thing can blast your brain with some kind of mind beam, or turn your body into goo with just a touch?”

I rolled my eyes, “That’s ridiculous Spike. Not even magic can do that kind of stuff unless you use some very powerful spells. And from what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think the creature even has the ability to use magic, at least not instinctively. After all, if it comes from a place devoid of magic, then there would be no biological mechanics to use magic even if it had access to it.”

My words seemed to placate him somewhat, “Um, sure, I guess. I’ll just keep my trusty magic testing gear handy, in case something goes wrong.”

I let out an exasperated sigh, but I let it go as I walked into my personal lab, hearing Spike walk further into the castle to do some of the basic chores. I couldn’t really fault him for worrying, but sometimes I wondered how much those comics of his effected his perceptions of the world. I shook my head to clear it as I closed the door behind me. After all, there was an entire pack full of items that needed to be cataloged, studied, re-cataloged and then sorted according to use, type and significance.

I carefully lifted each item from the pack, setting them neatly on the large tabletop in the center of the room. I arranged them according to size and seeming function until I had everything present and accounted for. All and all there were about two dozen items, some of which seemed to be different versions of the same item, along with several nondescript bags.

The first item I picked up in my magic was a bright green bag with some pictures on the outside. It was roughly the same length as my foreleg, with a rigid structure and a pair of drawstrings at one end. I pulled out a magnifying glass from one of my tool drawers, levitating it close to the label so I could examine the text. Yet to my surprise the text was completely readable. Either there was something strange going on here, or the native language of the creature’s people was common Equish. I made a note of it on one of my notepads, taking the time to actually read the block-like script.

“Astounding,” I muttered to myself as the meaning of the pictures and text became clear, “it’s a temporary structure, designed to hold four of the creature’s species at a time.” I eyed the drawstrings, contemplating pulling it out of its container and building the tent right then and there. I shook my head, placing the tent back on the table in its proper place, “I’ll get to that later. Right now I need to take a look at the other items before I can delve into details.”

The next item was an assortment of blue bags, made from some unknown material that was reflective, perfectly smooth, and seemingly waterproof. On the front was a depiction of a mountain, reflected in the waters of a lake. What I assumed to be a logo was emblazoned above it, along with the words, Mountain House. At the very bottom was a yellow rectangle with the words Macaroni and Cheese centered within, also in the blocky text that seemed to be commonplace on the items. I levitated the package over, flipping it so that I could read the back. As my eyes made their way down the lines of text, they began to grow larger, until I was openly staring at the image-style instructions printed along the bottom third.

“Either I’m reading this incorrectly, or these containers of food won’t spoil for the next several years!” I squinted as I re-read a section, “and all somepony has to do to make it edible is add hot water to the contents and mix it up! This is amazing! If we could make food like this we’d never have to worry about food shortages again!”

I wrote several lengthy notes on my notepads before placing the bag back where it came from. I debated about what to go over next, when something small and reflective caught my eye. It picked it up and levitated it up to my face, my eyes narrowing in concentration as I scrutinized the object. It was roughly rectangular in shape, about four inches long and about two and a half wide. One side was completely smooth and black, while the other side seemed to be covered by some kind of armored case. There were two sets of small holes on either end, with two larger holes on what I thought was the bottom edge. Two small buttons adorned the left edge, with another taking residence at the right limit of the top edge. Other than the highly reflective surface on the one side, it didn’t seem to be anything all that important. Yet when I pushed the button on the top of the device, the screen lit up with light and images.

I nearly dropped it in my surprise, although once I got over my shock I was able to get a closer look. Taking up the entirety of the screen was an image, one that seemed so exact it had to be a picture. There were five creatures in the photo, all dressed in dusty brown clothing, mottled with other shades of cream and brown in complex and seemingly random designs. They were also wearing helmets, along with what looked like body armor, although it was the strangest armor I had ever seen. Yet, as I looked closer, I saw that the middle creature had similar facial features to the creature at the hospital, until I realized that it was in fact the same being. Her eyes were a striking blue in color, and her lips were curled into a bright smile. She had a long tube-like thing in her arms, as did most of the other creatures, along with a backpack that covered most of her upper body on that side. I shifted my gaze from the photo to the little icons that were superimposed on the image, and I noticed that each one had a small set of words under it to define what it represented. One was a set of eighth notes on a purple background, underscore by the word music.

“Ooh, I wonder what kind of music in contained in here.” I mused as I wondered how to access the seeming storage device. Did you have to speak a special word or move it about in some specific way?

I was just about to put it back down when my magic brushed up against the screen. To my amazement, the screen shifted to the left, revealing more icons to my eyes as the others moved off the screen.

“Amazing.” I said as I used a small mote of magic to touch and slide across the screen, shifting the icons about with each movement. “An interactive surface that responds to physical contact. Simply astounding!!”

I moved the icons back to the right, and then pondered the music icon. “Maybe if the screen is designed to respond to touch, one must select the appropriate archive with physical contact.”

I ‘touched’ the music icon with my magic, and it expanded until it took up the whole screen. I was then presented with a string of words, separated by thin lines along the horizontal plane. The first spelled out, ‘playlists’, followed by ‘artists’, ‘albums’, ‘songs’, ‘genres’ and finally ‘composers’.

I wasn’t really sure what would happen, so I selected the ‘artists’ tab. The tab highlighted in blue before the screen shifted to the right, replacing the previous tabs with several new ones. I noticed that the words presented now could very well have been names, or maybe band titles if there was more than one artist. Also, much to my delight, they were all alphabetized, meaning that somepony had at least some idea on how to properly organize things around here.

I used a mote of magic to scroll down on the screen, looking through the various artists until one of the names caught my eye. I had seen the small image next to each name, but hadn’t really put much thought into it. Now I saw staring at what I assumed was a male of the creature’s species, with thin blonde fur around his mouth and under his chin along with a hat similar to what Applejack was so fond of wearing.

I selected the artist called Trace Adkins and watched as the screen skipped to the right again, revealing a blown-up version of the image I had seen already, along with three lines of text below the image. Without even thinking, I selected the first of the text lines, hoping to see sheet music or something like that. I was not expecting sound to suddenly come blaring out of the device, making me yelp in surprise and nearly make me drop it. Once I got my nerves under control, I lifted the device back up to eye level, listening to the music as it played out of the tiny holes at the base of the device.

My quill was going so fast I could almost smell the paper burning, but I didn’t care as I tried to write down every word as it materialized from this amazing device. I had no idea how it was doing all of this, but at the moment, I was too excited to care. The song came to an end far sooner than I would have liked, yet I knew that this was far from the end of that.

“I need to get some music professionals in here to see this,” I said to myself as I navigated back out to the main screen, “there’s so much here it could take weeks of study just to get through it all. Oh, I can’t wait to see where things go from here.”

Author's Note

Yay! We got through to the good stuff, at least for now. I hope you guys are enjoying the books so far, it wasn't easy writing it when I'm not in my writing mindset. A round of applause for all of you who put up with my BS in order to get your reading fix.

*round of applause*

* Also, little side note, a thuam is the standard measure of magic used in Equestria. I stated in the chapter what some of the upper limits of magic can be, but to give you a little more context I'll state it this way. For a standard levitation spell, it takes one thuam to lift one kilogram of material per second cast. Therefore, if you wanted to lift a metric ton of random stuff for ten seconds, it would take a total of ten kilothuams, or ten thousand thuams of magic energy to do so. Do keep in mind that even though unicorns might have natural reserves strong enough to lift an elephant with no trouble, that does not mean they have the knowledge or control to do so. After all, an out of control combustion reaction is nothing more than a big explosion. Raw power and the skill to control that energy are not the same thing.

Anyways, hope you all are enjoying the book so far, just don't expect any new posts for a while. I've got finals and other junk that will be taking up most of my time for the next month or so.

Until then, I'll see you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

4 - Waking Up

Hey there everypony!!! Well it's time we got back to the MC of this lovely story, so from this point on the main chapters will be from our lovely Sarah's POV. I'll let you know if there's any perspective shifts at the beginning of the chapter, but those should be few and far between. Other than that, HAPPY READING!!!

The first thing I became aware of was the soft breeze that rippled through my hair. That sensation was quickly followed by the soft sheets that were covering my body and the cloud-like mattress that I was resting on. My head was comfortably rested on a firm pillow and I could feel something connected to my left arm. I was also aware of a soft beeping coming from my right, most likely a heart monitor. I winced as pain echoed through my body, reminding me of the complete idiot I was before doing a nosedive off a cliff face. Smart idea there Sarah, real genius climbing a sheer rock wall in a rainstorm.

“Oh, my everything.” I groaned as I lifted my right arm to my face, blocking out the sunlight that was trying to drill its way through my eyelids, “hope the doc has some painkillers for all this, or else I’m going to kick someone’s teeth in for leaving me hanging.”

I lowered my arm and forced my eyes open, trying my best not to squint as my vision adjusted to the sunlight. My gaze took in the room in an instant, marking exit points and possible places to hide out of habit before the rest of my mind could catch up with my instincts. The window taking up the right wall was open, allowing the familiar breeze to flow into the room, ruffling the plain white curtains as they slowly danced in the gentle airflow. A single circle of light took up center stage in the ceiling, while a set of two doors took up the opposite corners of my little abode. One seemed to lead into the hallway, while the one across from me probably led to a bathroom. Yet, as I looked around and took in everything, I noticed that something seemed off. First off, my legs were hanging a good half a foot off the end of the bed, and the entirety of the furniture seemed to have been designed for kids. Everything was about a foot too short, save for the doorways. Also, the heart monitor I heard before wasn’t hooked up to any kind of wires or sensors. All it did was sit there on the desktop pulsing away like it didn’t have a care in the world.

“Alright, either some really funky shit is going on,” I muttered under my breath, “or I’m more looped up on painkillers than I thought.”

I winced as my formerly dislocated shoulder made itself known again, “Nope, definitely not the painkillers.” I tried to get my bearings as my mind struggled to put the pieces together. “Am I in the kiddy ward or something? Did they run out of space in the trauma center or something?”

My brain began thinking itself into circles as more and more questions tried to grab my attention. Why wasn’t the heart monitor connected to me? Why was everything so small?

“And who in the hell took my clothes?!” I yelled as I realized I had nothing on but my underwear and bra. I pulled my arms over my chest as I curled my knees up to my body, “Alright, I can understand taking stuff off for surgery, but why in the hell didn’t they put my clothes back on me when they were done?” A cold shiver ran up my spine at the thought of some kinky doctor getting off to my nearly naked body while I was unconscious, “Nope, that’s it. I’m getting out of here.”

I was just about to throw the sheets off my body when the doorknob began to rattle. I froze and tried to relax my muscles as the door began to open inward. First rule of unarmed combat, always keep loose to increase your speed and reaction time.

I was prepared for some nurse to step in with a clipboard or something like that. What I got was a tiny white horse with a ridiculous bubblegum pink mane and tail. My jaw dropped as it walked in, my gaze taking in its far too big eyes, red cross brand, and the tiny nurse’s cap that rested between its ears.

Its large pale blue eyes widened once our gazes met, and I was utterly baffled by the way the irises shrank along with the pupils as its ears folded back along its head. For a moment we simply stared at one another, before the horse creature made a sound that suspiciously resembled a clearing of the throat.

“U-Um, if you would be so kind as to sit still,” My jaw dropped as its mouth moved in conjunction with the decidedly female voice I was hearing, “I need to take a look at your vitals so we can make sure the treatment isn’t having any side effects.”

It took me a moment to get my brain out of the 404 error it had found itself stuck in, but I quickly grounded myself in reality as the little horse thing took a step towards me.

I rolled behind the bed, ripping the IV out of my arm as I took cover behind the furniture and peeking over it to lock gazes with my companion.

“I don’t know what kind of genetic experiment gone crazy cute you are,” I growled as the little horse thing flinched, “but if you try and come any closer and I’ll break my mechanical leg off in your teeth.”

Her already pale complexion managed to go a few shades whiter as she backed up a step or three, “P-Please, the doctors just want to make sure your bones are healing properly. You were in terrible shape when you arrived, and for a while there we weren’t sure you were going to make it. Please,” it lifted up a hoof in what looked like a placating manner, “we just want to help you.”

I tried to keep a level head as I stared the creature into complacency, “Yeah, not going to happen. No offence to you and whatever else might be walking around in this nuthouse, but I’m not going to stick around when I could end up on someone’s dissection table the moment I got to sleep.”

I stood to my full height and noted the fact that the little horse was only about three and a half feet tall, maybe four at most. Huh, probably should call it a pony then. I mused to myself as it took a couple more steps back. By this point its rump was resting against the door, and its tail was tucked so far between its hind legs it looked like a scared little puppy. It didn’t help matters that its overly expressive eyes were wide in terror with tears pooling at the edges.

I groaned inwardly at its petrified state, If it’s one thing I can’t stand it’s seeing cute things afraid of me. Might as well try and calm it down before it passes out from fright.

I took a few steps closer to the creature, feeling genuinely guilty when it sat down and covered its head with its forelegs. I paused for half a second to make a mental note that this thing had to have ball and socket joints in its shoulders to make that motion, but I cleared that aside for later review as I came up to tower over the creature.

The poor thing was shaking like a leaf, and I could swear it was whimpering as I knelt down in front of it, bringing me more or less to eye level with it. Without even meaning to, my eyes moved past its front legs and chest, catching a glimpse of the delicate folds that were nearly hidden between its hind legs. Another mental note, the creature is a female. Moving my eyes back up to the newly gendered creature’s head, I could clearly see the tears that ran down her cheeks, her nose beginning to run as her entire body shuddered in fear. I let out a sign, resigning myself to whatever horrible torture that might follow my actions, and wrapped my arms around the poor mare’s shoulders.
Her body locked up as my body came into contact with hers, and I allowed her to get comfortable with my contact before I adjusted our positions. Normally I wouldn’t do this with anything other than a kitten, but I felt it might be appropriate for the situation. I guided her head between my breasts, gently moving her legs out of the way as I rubbed the back of her neck with my other hand. She wriggled for a moment before settling into position, her shaking slowly coming to a stop as I hummed softly in the back of my throat.

Seemingly of their own accord, the mare’s forelegs wrapped around my ribs in a mirror of my hug, and she nuzzled between my breasts for a moment before she opened her eyes. Yet, as her watery gaze took in where she was and what position she was in, her eyes widened and her cheeks immediately turned a bright shade of red. She practically leaped out of my grip, her bun coming completely undone as she jumped to her hooves. One hoof found its way to her mouth, feeling around her muzzle like she was trying to find something that had been left there by her contact with my chest, and I felt my own cheeks heating up as I realized what I had just done.

I’ve never even let a man do that when I was having sex with them! I mentally screamed at myself, What the hell is wrong with me?! Then it hit me, I would do that with my dog when we would cuddle on the couch, and when I went over to my uncle’s place his cats would always try and snuggle into my chest. Is it because she’s a cute little animal? Did my brain not make the connection because she’s something similar to the cute animals I have back home?

I shook my head, trying to sort my mind out as the mare seemed to be doing the same. Our eyes met and I felt myself smiling as I rubbed the back of my neck, “Sorry about that, I do that with my dog when she gets all upset and it usually calms her right down.” I averted my gaze as my cheeks heated up again, “I forgot for a moment that you aren’t exactly the same as my dog.”

The mare’s blush faded slightly as she coughed into one foreleg, “Well I won’t fault you for doing what you thought was right. It’s not like that was the most compromising position I’ve ever been in with a patient.” She met my eyes as she stood up straight, “Alright, enough of that. I need to check your vitals and sitting on the floor isn’t going to help any. Now, back to bed with you,” she made a shooing motion with one hoof, “you shouldn’t even be moving around like that in your condition anyway.”

I rolled my eyes as I walked back to the bed. No matter where you were, doctors and nurses were all the same. I climbed back into the bed and pulled the sheet up to my chest, leaving my arms free as the nurse walked up to the bedside. She looked at the clipboard that was hanging off of the peg to my left, her eyes looking over some fine detail that was beyond me before turning back to face me.

“Now hold out your leg so I can check your pulse.” Her eyes were locked on my left arm so I let the misnomer slide for now.

I held out my arm for her and was surprised when she placed a hoof directly over my wrist. I felt a weird sensation, like someone was rubbing a mitten over my skin before a pressure made itself known over one of the arteries. She held that position for a moment before nodding to herself, pulling her hoof back and picking up the nearby pen in her teeth.

She wrote something down on the clipboard before turning back to me, “Alright, I need you to lose the sheet for just a minute dearie.”

I held the cloth a bit closer to my chest, “Why?” I wasn’t in the mood to play any games. This situation was weird enough as it was.

Her response was to roll her eyes, “I’m not going to be able to listen to your lungs properly with the sheets in the way, now move your limbs before I get impatient.”

I couldn’t help the snicker that rose unbidden from my throat. This little pony was threatening to get physical with me? The idea was absolutely absurd. However, my chortle was cut off by the hard glare she leveled at me. A chill ran up my spine and I was distinctly reminded of my drill sergeant when he really laid into us at basic training. Almost without my consent, my arms moved the sheets away from my chest, exposing my upper body to her once again.

She nodded once, “That’s better, now when I tell you to, I want you to breath in as deeply as you can, and then let it out nice and slow, understand?”

I nodded agreement, wondering how she was going to listen to my lungs without a stethoscope. Yet, without any warning, she leaned her head in and rested one of her large ears against my chest, right between my breasts. My breathing hitched for a moment, yet this time her cheeks remained completely clear of any blush or heat. Her fur was extremely soft against my skin, and I had to resist the urge to wrap my arms around her and hold her close like a living teddy bear.

“Deep breath now please.” She spoke up from her position leaning into me.

I complied, breathing in as long as I could, feeling some surprise when none of my ribs protested the action. I held it for a second before letting it out just as slowly, doing my best not to pay attention to the absolutely adorable creature leaning against me.

She nodded as she pulled back, her eyes firm as she locked gazes once again, “Now I’m going to inform the doctor that you’re awake. Do I need to remind you that you are still a patient and must refrain from doing anything strenuous until you are discharged?”

I shook my head, “No ma’am.”

She nodded in return, “Then I should be back before too long.”

As she turned to walk away I realized something, “Wait!” She looked over her shoulder at me, “Um, where would the other humans happen to be in this little setup you have going? I mean, you’re some kind of assistant to them right?”

Her eyes narrowed in confusion, before she turned back around to face me, “I’m not sure what you mean. I’ve never heard of these ‘humans’ before. Are you certain you’re alright?”

Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes, “But, that doesn’t make any sense. If you’re not some lab creation, then where the hell am I?”

At this her demeanor shifted to one of understanding, “I think it will be a lot clearer once we have the proper authorities come in and explain the situation. I’m not at liberty to say much other than speculation, but last I heard the princesses themselves were looking into your arrival here in Ponyville.”

“Ponyville?” I asked, “What kind of name for a town is that?”

She shrugged, “Don’t ask me, it was the name given to our town over three hundred years ago. I’m not privy to the thoughts our foremares had when they came up with it. Anyway,” she announced as she turned to the door once more, “I have other rounds to complete before the end of my shift. Do try and stay out of trouble until I get back with Dr. Tenderhoof.”

With that she closed the door behind her, leaving me all alone in my room, and with far more questions than I had answers to. Ponyville? Princesses? Did I crash land into some kind of fantasy-style coloring book when I fell of that cliff? I shook my head as I looked out the window again, this time taking in the sights instead of focusing on the drapery. What met my gaze was something straight out of the fifteenth century, with thatched roof houses and an open air market to boot. I rubbed my eyes as I spotted more and more of those little pony creatures, all decked out in every candy-coated hue and shade imaginable. I thought the nurse had been flamboyant, but she had nothing on some of the critters walking around outside. I thought I saw one that was bright pink from head to tail bouncing around, but I quickly lost it in the mass of eye-melting color that seemed to be the local populous.

I lay back on the bed and pulled the sheets up again to maintain what little modesty I had left, allowing my mind to process the new information it had been presented with. First off, those pony things could apparently talk and reason like a normal human being. Check one for the crazy shit list. Second, I was in some place called Ponyville, whatever that meant, and had been somehow treated for my multiple broken bones and other injuries. Double check. My clothes were missing for some stupid reason. Grr, check. And to top it all off, my crazy ass had somehow ended up in a place where the sentient pony population either had no idea what a human was, or they were hiding the info to keep me in the dark about where I really was. Check.

I rubbed my eyes and growled under my breath, “Looks like you really landed in the shit pile this time old girl.” I lowered my arms to the bed and stared up at the ceiling, “What’s next, a surprise party in honor of my not being a blood stain on the rocky cliff base?”

I don’t know how long I lay there, ruminating on what had happened to me, but it had to have been close to an hour or more before I heard voices from the other side of the hallway door. I sat up, holding the sheet to my chest as the voices got louder, although I was once again stopped cold by what came through the doorway once it opened.

My nurse was the first to enter, her unique coloration saw to my immediate recognition of her as she walked in. I noted that she had redone the bun her mane had been in during her last visit, although as her eyes landed on me I noticed the slight blush that adorned her cheeks. I cracked a slight smirk as I remembered her reaction to my impromptu hug earlier. Man or woman, human or otherwise, I still got it where it counts.

My moment of pride was shredded as I spotted the other beings entering my little space, my jaw dropping and my mind going completely blank as I tried to rationalize what it was I was seeing. Following the nurse into the room was a light brown stallion dressed in a doctor’s smock, his gender made obvious by the solid jawline and more muscular stature. Yet it was the little addition to his forehead that had me sputtering in shock. A five-inch horn protruded from his mane like some kind of flag pole, with a spiral groove winding its way from base to tip around the outside. My eyes moved from him to the other visitor, and my already fried brain threw in the towel and raised a white flag of surrender at what I saw.

The mare in question was almost every shade of purple imaginable, from the deep indigo of her mane and tail to the softer lavender of her coat. Even her eyes were purple, a bright and attentive violet that met my gaze pound for pound. She too had a horn sticking from her forehead, although it had to be a good seven inches and ended in a much sharper point than her companion. As she stepped further into the room I caught a glimpse of a set of wings folded against her sides, and at that point my frazzled mind had taken enough of a beating to call it quits. The last thing I remember was my eyes rolling into the back of my head and my body hitting the bed with a thump. The cries of shock might have been my imagination.

I groaned as my mind reconnected with the rest of my body, and I covered my eyes with one hand as I muttered under my breath, “If there’s a unicorn and bright purple pegacorn sitting in my room right now I’m going to see the nearest psychologist.”

“Actually the correct term is alicorn.” A young female voice answered, “But why would you need to see a psychologist if Dr. Tenderhoof and I are in the room?”

I grimaced as the voice confirmed my worst fears. I resigned myself to the inevitable and removed my hand from my eyes, looking around the room to address my audience. My nurse was sitting at my side, her face the textbook image of worry, while the doctor and pegacorn, er, alicorn, sat at the foot of the bed. Their expressions were mixed, although the doctor seemed to be thinking rather hard while the mare had a more curious gleam in her eyes. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, holding the sheets with my right hand while I reached out with my left. Without even thinking I started rubbing my nurse behind an ear with my fingers, although I immediately retracted my limb when she started humming in appreciation.

I winced as the other two’s eyes widened at my actions, “Sorry, force of habit.” I held my hand against my chest as I fought the urge to curl up into a ball, “When I’m nervous I’d rub my dog’s ears to calm down. I didn’t mean to do that to you. I’m sorry.”

Her eyes seemed to be out of focus for a second before she shook her head, “Oh think nothing of it, I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by it. It actually felt rather nice.”

I blushed as I realized I might have just felt up my caretaker by accident, “Yeah, my bad.” I turned my gaze to the other two members of our little party, my eyes landing on the doc as a thought occurred to me, “Would you mind explaining why in the heck you have a horn sticking out of your head?”

His eyes crossed as he looked up at his horn, “I’m a unicorn. I’ve had it since I was born. What exactly makes my horn so intriguing?”

“Maybe because unicorns are nothing but myths last time I checked?” I countered.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off as a loud pop sound echoed around the room. My eyes were drawn to the other mare as movement caught my attention, although I nearly jumped out of my skin as what I was seeing. Floating next to her head, enveloped in a purple aura, was an old-fashioned quill and scroll, scribbling away like the laws of physics didn’t matter in the slightest. I took note of the fact that the mare’s horn was also glowing with a purple aura, before I did my very best to hide under the too-small sheets.

“Gah!” I yelled, trying my best not to freak out any worse than I already was. “Okay, news flash, the laws of physics are taking a break for the day, no need to worry. I’ll just wait under here until the world goes back to being normal again.”

The skritch-scratch of the quill paused for a moment, before the purple mare’s voice sounded off again, “What do you mean, ‘the laws of physics have taken a break’? Nothing strange is going on that would even allude to that being the case.”

I poked my head out from under the sheets and pointed a shaking finger at the gravity-defying scroll and quill, “Then explain how those two items are currently doing their very best to laugh in the face of gravity.”

The mare’s eyes were drawn to the items floating next to her head for a moment, before they widened and she blushed a bright red through her already dark fur. The glow around her horn and the items faded, and seemingly out of nowhere gravity once again held sway over everything in the room. Both fluttered to the floor as the mare smacked herself in the face with one hoof, and I winced internally at the pain I figured would come from that action. What with hooves and all that.

“How could I have been so stupid?!” She growled as she lowered her leg back to the floor, “I knew your kind had never encountered magic before and what’s the first thing I do upon seeing you, start using a levitation spell like it’s absolutely nothing!” She groaned as she turned around and pressed her forehead against the wall, “I could have just destroyed any form of communication we might have established all because I was too lazy to hold the quill in my mouth!”

My eyes moved from the seemingly frustrated mare to the others, although if their tired rolling of the eyes were anything to go by, this was not the first time said mare had reacted like this to something not going as planned. Understandably, I was confused as all hell, but that didn’t change the fact that something had to be done to fix the situation. I’d get to the proverbial claymore of magic later on. Right now I needed to get some answers and I figured the purple mare in front of me might hold some of them. I turned my attention back to said sulking alicorn, and thought of what I might say to help smooth over the situation.

“Um, pardon me miss,” I managed to force out, “but what exactly are you so worried about? I was just surprised, that’s all. Why don’t we talk about something else and we’ll get back to the topic of this ‘magic’ later.”

She turned to face me with the most pitiful expression I had ever seen, “You really mean it? You aren’t mad at me?”

I forced myself not to ‘d’aww’ at the adorable pout she was making, and instead coughed into my fist to make it seem like I was clearing my throat, “Sure, yeah, whatever. No harm done other than scaring me out of my wits. It’ll take more than that to make me mad.” Whew, glad she’s the type that’s easy to cheer up.

Her lips pulled into a beaming smile, “Oh good, because I have so many questions for you!” She practically leaped to my bedside, her nearly manic expression making more than one shiver run up my spine as she leaned in close, “Oh there’s so much I want to ask, like what kind of meat do you eat if all the animals are sentient?” She didn’t even let me answer before she gasped, “What if the animals aren’t sentient? Oh this could be a breakthrough in the history of evolution! You need to tell me or else I’ll never be able to figure it out!”

For the first time in my life, I turned to a higher authority, namely my nurse, and used a line I never thought I would ever hear coming out of my mouth, “I think I need an adult.”

This brought the alicorn talking my ear off to a complete halt, at the same time my nurse and the doc cracked up laughing. The object of said laughter began turning beet red from the neck up, her wings ruffling several times as she averted her gaze to a very interesting spot on the floor.

Finally, after several minutes of chuckles and more than one cleared throat, my nurse turned to the mare next to her and said with utmost patience, “I think we can hold off on the questions until after the patient is discharged. Don’t you think so, Princess?”

Hold on, princess?! Did my nurse just say what I thought she said?! Said alicorn seemed oblivious to my mental backflips as she brushed some of her mane out of her face, “Yeah, that might be for the best, although I think I can answer some of our guest’s questions. I’m sure she has plenty of her own. At this point I’m pretty sure she’s not a threat, at least from what I can tell from our interactions thus far.”

I reengaged my brain as her eyes met mine, and I forced out the first question that came to mind, “You’re a princess?”

She reacted in a way that I was not expecting. Her ears folded against her head and she rubbed one foreleg against the other as she averted her gaze, “Yes, well, I’m technically the Princess of Friendship, but I hate it when ponies stand on ceremony around me. It makes me feel like I have too much power over them and I don’t like making my friends uncomfortable.”

Okay, local royalty doesn’t like being referred to as such, mental note, “So what do I call you if you don’t want to be called Princess?”

She immediately perked up, “Oh, my name is Twilight Sparkle, but my friends call me Twilight. What’s your name?”

I was taken aback for a moment by her rapid return, but I recovered enough to reply fairly easily, “It’s Sarah, Sarah Lovegood.”

She clapped her front hooves together in a very human manner, squeeing in a very cute way as she did a little happy dance, “Oh this is so exciting, we’re already exchanging cultural engagement!”

My nurse either ignored or simply didn’t care about the overreacting royalty in the room, smiling at me as she placed a hoof over her heart, “My name is Nurse Redheart, and the stallion who fixed most of your bone injuries is Dr. Tenderhoof.”

My gaze moved over to the unicorn stallion, who simply nodded with a kind smile. I returned it and mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ to him while Twilight continued her little nerd-fest. As my attention came back to the aforementioned alicorn, I got the distinct feeling that I’d be seeing a lot more of this excitable nature in the future, if my instincts had anything to say about it.

“So you said you were willing to answer my questions?” I asked, hoping to bring Twilight back to Earth, if that was even where I was anymore.

She paused in her motions, seemed to realize what she had been doing, and cleared her throat as a soft blush accented her cheeks, “Yes, well, I think it would only be fair, given you’re somewhat drastic arrival into our world.”

I noticed how she emphasized ‘world’ in her statement, and I had to ask the million dollar question, “I’m not on planet Earth anymore, am I?”

The silence that followed my question was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and for a moment I was worried I had offended my caretakers. However, my fears seemed unfounded as I noticed the tears building up in Twilight’s eyes. I knew her answer before she even moved, but the soft nod was all it took for my entire existence to come crashing down on top of my head. For a moment I simply sat there, my gaze leveling on my clasped hands, the sheet momentarily forgotten as the true weight of my situation hit me like a ten ton semi. I wasn’t on Earth anymore.

I turned my attention back to Twilight, the next question coming easily after that titanic revelation, “So if I’m not on Earth, then where am I?”

“Specifically you’re on the planet Equis,” she replied, “upon which you are within the country of Equestria, within which is the town of Ponyville. Here the dominant race is known as ponies, like me and the medical staff before you. There are five tribes of ponies within Equestria, sort of like subspecies if you will. Those would be earth pony, unicorn, pegasi, thestral and alicorn. Each has access to the natural magic field of Equis in different ways, but all of the tribes have access to magic in one form or another. Outside of Equestria there’s the Gryphon Empire, Minotaur Confederacy, Dragon Lands, Zebra Tribes and Changeling Hives. All of them are sapient races in their own right, and we live together in mostly peaceful interactions.”

I took a moment to go over the rather long list in my mind before replying, “Boy, that’s a lot of different races. And I thought having one sentient race was confusing enough.” I paused as a thought came to me, “Is it possible that you could use this magic of yours to get me back home?”

Her face immediately fell, and I knew I wasn’t going to like her answer, “We’re still looking into how you arrived on our world. Other than some magic residue that was too weak to read properly, there wasn’t any indication of how you came to be here. You simply appeared out of nowhere and began bleeding out in my castle.” Her ears folded as she met my gaze, “I’m sorry, but at this point I’m not sure if we’ll ever figure out how you got here, let alone sending you back.”

I nodded, at least something about this crazy world makes sense on some level, “Alright then, I guess there’s only so much you can do. I do have one more question, though. Would someone mind explaining what happened to my clothes! I’ve been sitting here in my underwear for hours and frankly I’m wondering what’s keeping them so long. Sure there must have been some blood on them but it can’t take all that much to clean off some stains.”

At this point I caught the most obvious guilty expression I had ever seen flash across Twilight’s face. I zeroed in on her in a heartbeat and leaned towards her, “Spill it Your Highness, before I try and do something we’re both going to regret.” Not like I was actually going to do anything, but she didn’t know that.

She swallowed thickly, sweat running down her face as she tried to hold my gaze, “Well you see, um, I gave them all to my friend Rarity because we’d never seen clothing like them before. We just wanted to know more about you so I didn’t think it would be all that important if we just borrowed them for a little while. I mean it’s not like they were all that interesting compared to the amazing technology you had in your pack.” Her eyes widened as the fatal words left her mouth, and she clapped a hoof over her lips as she tried in vain to cover up what she had said.

I narrowed my eyes in the most threatening way I could muster, and that was saying something given I had to stare down Marines that were a good two feet taller than me on more than one occasion, “You want to run that by me again?” My tone brokered absolutely no arguments, and I could actually see the moment her brain cracked under the pressure.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have taken them it was just so much I could study and now you’re mad at me and we’ll never become friends oh why did I have to be so stupid I should have just left things alone and now you’ll never forgive me please I just wanted to understand more about you I’m so very sorry!” She spewed out in one long sentence.

I don’t think she even came up for air during the entire gush of apology soup that somehow came tumbling out of her mouth. She flung her upper body onto the bed, hugging me around my waist as she nuzzled into my stomach. I was slightly worried about her horn but it seemed she was careful not to accidentally jab me with it. For a moment I simply sat there, listening to her continue to babble into my abs like a child that had been bad. I tried to ask for help from the med staff, but they simply rolled their eyes at her antics for the second time that day.
Uncertain on what I was supposed to do, I did the only thing I could think of. I reached up gently with my hands and began rubbing behind her ears and around the back of her head. Her babbling almost immediately came to a halt, and before long she was humming and groaning as she leaned into my touch. For Christ’s sake her tail started wagging like she was some kind of overgrown Labrador before she seemed to realize what was going on.

Much like Redheart before her, Twilight practically leaped backwards, her eyes wide and her wings flared as she took several steadying breaths. Redheart snickered behind her hoof as Dr. Tenderhoof watched with intense interest. Apparently the whole ear thing was new to him. Maybe the lack of fingers never brought up the idea of ear rubs to these ponies.

“It’s alright Twilight,” I managed to force out between my badly contained chuckles, “I forgive you. Just make sure that you tell this Rarity that I need them back before I leave here. I can’t very well go around in public in my underwear now can I?”

She nodded slowly as her wings folded back against her sides, “I’ll, um,” she cleared her throat before continuing in a stronger tone, “I’ll make sure she knows so that way you can have them once you’re cleared to leave. Well, um, it was nice meeting you Sarah, I’ll be back later once the doctors say you’re alright to leave. I know you didn’t come to our world by choice, but I want you to know we’ll do everything in our power to make your stay a happy one.”

“Goodbye Twilight.” I called as she walked over to the door, her horn glowing for a second as the door swung open. “Oh, and Twilight.” I called as she entered the opening.

She glanced over her shoulder at me, her expression expectant, “Yes?”

I couldn’t help the grin that covered my face as I spoke, “Make sure you give me back my gear when you’re done playing scientist.”

She blushed again as she nodded, “I’ll try and remember that. Good day to you, Sarah. Doctor, nurse.” She nodded to each of the staff, who returned the gesture as the door swung closed behind her.

As relative peace settled over my room once again, I was set upon by a sudden urge to flee. I didn’t understand it at first until Dr. Tenderhoof stepped up to my right side, Nurse Redheart taking my left and effectively cutting off any means of escape.

“Now don’t worry about a thing,” Redheart said gently as she picked up a truly massive needle in her teeth, “thith wiff onwy hurf ah bif.”

I made to get up but a tingling sensation suddenly covered my whole body. I looked down and saw my body was covered from head to toe in a soft blue aura. A quick look at Dr. Tenderhoof’s horn confirmed my suspicions. No matter how hard I struggled, there was no getting past the gentle but firm pressure that kept my body immobile as Redheart moved the needle into position next to my left shoulder.

As she turned her head to wind up for insertion, the only thing I could think to say was, “Mamma.”

Author's Note

Yay! Another chapter is done and ready to go!! I hope you all have enjoyed reading this story thus far. I certainly enjoyed writing it. :pinkiehappy: Anyways, let's have a round of applause for our MC, who managed to come up with a new form of foreplay completely by accident. Nah, I'm just kidding, I would never do something like that in a story, or would I? :pinkiecrazy:

Hold onto your hats, because this story is just getting warmed up. I can't wait to see how you all react to some of the surprises I have in store. Oh well, you'll just have to wait until I write them to find out what they are.

Until next time, I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

5 - Discharged

My eyes opened to the soft morning light the next day, and I marveled at the difference in pain levels from the day before. I sat up and rubbed my shoulder with my other hand, trying to see if there were any lingering aches or pains from the healing process or the injury itself.

“Wow,” I mused as I hand worked over the smooth flesh without raising any complaints from the joint, “I got to hand it to the doc and Redheart, that shot hurt like hell when they gave it to me but I can’t feel a thing now.”

My gaze roamed over the rest of the room with little rhyme or reason, as my mind tried to formulate what was going to happen to me now. Twilight had said she would come and get me when I was discharged, but after my nerve-breaking experiences yesterday I had simply passed out once I had gotten my shot. I didn’t even remember Redheart and Tenderhoof leaving my room after I fell asleep, but I had to believe they were laughing at my expense when it came to dropping like a stone after one shot. The med staff probably thought I had some kind of phobia against needles the way my luck was going lately.

I was pulled from my rumination by the sound of the door opening, revealing Redheart and Tenderhoof, followed closely by Twilight. I smiled as best as I could, although it became much more genuine when I spotted the bundle floating along next to Twilight’s head.

“Are those what I think they are?” I asked.

Her own lips mirrored my own as she set the neatly folded clothing onto the sheets next to me, “I picked them up from Rarity’s when I was on my way here. I know you wanted to have them once you were discharged, so I made sure to get everything you could possibly need.”

I riffled through the pile, pulling out a blue T-shirt with the insignia of my unit emblazoned across the front, along with a set of blue jeans and a pair of white socks. There was also my black blazer, which sported my former captain bars on the shoulder lapels and had my unit patch sewn into the left bicep. The right arm was similarly adorned with the old stars and stripes, and the brass zipper seemed to be in perfect order. Finally, my sneakers were cleaner than I had ever seen them before, with their laces folded neatly under the tongue in little bows. In fact, everything was so clean I swore I could eat off of them. Whoever this Rarity was, she was certainly fastidious.

I placed my shoes on the floor and made to pull the sheets off of my body, only to realize that all three equines were overtly staring at me.

“Do you mind?” I asked, trying to be subtle about it.

Three confused looks were my answer, “Do we mind what?” Twilight asked, her expression the picture of innocence.

I rolled my eyes, “I can’t get dressed with you all looking at me like that.” I make a circle gesture with one finger, “Turn around or else we’re going to be here all day.”

Now their eyes narrowed in even further confusion, although it was Redheart that spoke this time, “Why would it matter if we saw you getting dressed? We’ve all seen you in your underclothing and it’s not like we’re trying to peep on you or anything.”

Tenderhoof nodded, “Exactly, besides we need to make sure you can move about fully as part of your exit requirements. We can’t let you go if we don’t know for sure you’re fully healed.”

I groaned, doing my best not to facepalm, “Look, I’d be happy to do some movement exercises once I’m up and moving, but where I come from it’s very much socially taboo to watch someone getting dressed or undressed unless you are romantically involved with that person. I know it might be different for you all, but if you three watch me get dressed it would make me very uncomfortable. Now please,” I resorted to using the most pleading tone I could muster, “turn around until I say you can look.”

Redheart opened her mouth, most likely to argue further, but was stopped by Twilight’s hoof on her shoulder. She turned to the purple mare with a raised eyebrow and a glare that could melt steel. “What?”

“I understand that you have your procedures,” Twilight spoke in a placating manner, “but we’re mixing two different cultures here. I think we can afford a little leeway to ensure Sarah doesn’t have to do anything she’s not comfortable with. After all, you wouldn’t like it if she just up and lifted your tail to make sure you were a female now would you?”

Redheart sputtered as her cheeks blossomed in a vibrant pink, “That was uncalled for Ms. Sparkle! And I fail to see your reasoning when it comes to the two topics.”

Twilight pointed at me with her hoof, “For all we know that might be part of Sarah’s culture. I’m pretty sure it’s not the case, but right now we are forging new ground that nopony has ever had to walk. So, I’m asking you to keep an open mind, and try and see it from her perspective. How would you feel if you got transported to another world and suddenly had to follow a whole new list of rules and social behaviors?”

Redheart’s demeanor calmed as she nodded slowly, “Alright, I get the point.” She turned to me with an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry Sarah, I’ll try and be more conscious of your situation in the future.”

She caught Tenderhoof’s eye and shared a small nod with him. Then, she spun around to face the door while the good doctor faced the far wall. Twilight followed suit and I was finally comfortable enough to pull the sheets off of my body. It felt almost liberating to be able to move freely for the first time since I awoke, and I relished in the sensation of cloth against my skin as I pulled my shirt over my head. I flipped my hair free of the shirt with a quick toss of my head, moving on to the jeans and socks. It only took me a minute or two to get fully clothed, but it was one of the most fulfilling moments I had ever experienced. As the old saying went, ‘you don’t know how good you have it until it’s gone’. I never imagined simply getting dressed would feel this good. It was as if I was finally complete for the first time since I fell off that cliff, and all it took was a bunch of stuff I normally didn’t even think about.

Once I was sure everything was in order, I spoke to my companions, “You can look now.”

They turned around, and I saw Twilight and Tenderhoof’s eyes widen slightly as their eyes traveled up my body to my head. Redheart had already seen me standing up, so it wasn’t as big a shock for her, but even she still took a moment to look over my body now that I actually had something covering it.

“Wow.” Twilight said slowly as she walked around me, eyeing me up and down with a glint of wonder in her gaze, “I knew you were going to be tall from how long you were compared to the bed, but I never expected you to be this big.”

I felt a blush coming on as I rubbed the back of my neck, “Well I was always a big girl, but for a human I’m not that special.” I chuckled as a memory came to mind, “You should have seen some of the bruisers in my unit. They made me look like a shrimp when we stood together for pictures.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, her horn glowing for a second before the familiar quill and scroll materialized next to her with a pop, “Oh, tell me more, there’s so much to learn now that we can talk about your world.”

I had tried not to flinch at the seeming teleportation that had happened before my eyes, but I still flinched when my survival instincts screamed at me to duck and cover. Pop sounds like that meant someone was shooting at you on the battlefield, so my inner soldier was doing its best to find places to hide from enemy fire as Twilight rattled on about something.

Her little lecture was cut short as my hand came to rest over her mouth, her eyes going wide as her voice cut short. I shook my head to clear it before doing my best to smile at her, “While I would love to talk with you about stuff from my world, I think the doc wants to make sure I’m in one piece before they let me out of here. Do you mind holding off the third degree until we can talk in a more relaxed setting?”

She nodded through my hand, stepping back as a slight blush came to her cheeks, “Yes, well, I guess that would be the best idea.” Her ears folded as she sent a sheepish look to Tenderhoof, “Sorry for interrupting your examination doctor. I’ll try not to get in the way again.”

He smiled softly as he shook his head, “Far be it from me to criticize you for your natural curiosity, but thank you all the same for letting me do my job.” He nodded to Redheart before turning to me, “Now, Ms. Lovegood, I want you to sit on the floor for a moment so I can get a closer look at your shoulders. Your left one and your ribs are the main points of concern I have pertaining to your recovery.”

I complied by sitting cross legged on the smooth tile, and I noticed with a smirk that Twilight was taking notes again. However, my attention was once again focused on the doc as he walked up to me. With me sitting on the floor like this, we were now roughly eye level with each other, and I felt a slight hint of misgivings as he approached. With me in a compromised position, I wouldn’t be able to defend myself very well if he did something crazy, but I fought down those feelings as he stepped up to my left side. These ponies had done nothing to deserve those feelings, and I would keep a lid on my inner Ranger until they proved otherwise. After all, they took me in and saved my life when they had no reason to do so. That alone earned them the benefit of the doubt in my book.

Tenderhoof lowered his horn to my shoulder, and I felt a familiar tingling as his horn ignited with the same light blue I had seen before. I watched with wide eyes as my clothing and then flesh slowly turned invisible, revealing the muscles and blood vessels plain as day for everyone to see. The view slowly sifted from one layer to another, eventually going down until only the bone was still solid. After a moment or two he pulled back, my flesh and clothing going back to their normal visible state as the glow around his horn faded.

I reached up and touched my shoulder with a finger, as if afraid it would crumble under my touch, but everything seemed to be exactly as it should have been. The muscle was tight under my skin and the clothing was still the same cotton and fake leather mix it always had been.

I looked up at Tenderhoof to note the small smirk he had on his face, “I never get tired of seeing a patient’s face when I do that spell for the first time. It never fails to create the most hilarious expressions when they realize their skin and muscle is still exactly where it’s supposed to be.”

I rolled my eyes at me, “All right wise guy, you’ve had your fun. Can we get this over with so I can get out of this place? I’m starting to go a little stir crazy sitting in this room all day.”

He returned my eye roll with a raised eyebrow, “One day in the recovery room and you’re already itching to get out. Sounds like another mare we know quite well.”

I caught Twilight and Redheart groaning, performing a spectacular double facepalm, or I guess it would be facehoof. As they lowered their legs to the floor Twilight spoke up, “Don’t remind me, she’s been insisting on guarding the hospital from the waiting room, acting like the world’s going to fall apart if she so much as sleeps.” She let out a long-suffering sigh that I knew all too well from my days in the service, “thank Celestia Fluttershy is here to keep her in check or else she’d be driving the staff up a wall by this point.”

I lifted my right hand as Tenderhoof walked around behind me, the now familiar tingling spreading over my ribs as I asked, “Should I be worried about this mystery mare? She sounds like quite a handful.”

Twilight thought about it for a moment before answering, “I don’t think it’ll be a major problem. I would just be careful how you interact with Rainbow Dash when you first meet her. She can be a bit excitable when it comes to the safety of those she cares about.”

I nodded, “Sounds like someone I can relate to. I’ll try not to start an interstellar incident when we cross paths.”

Twilight let out another sigh, although this one seemed to be one of relief, “Thank you Sarah. You don’t know how much this moment has been bothering me. Oh, one quick thing,” she added with a raised hoof, “Fluttershy is very insecure around those she doesn’t know, particularly beings she thinks might be a threat to her. I would suggest slow movements and a soft voice when you talk with her, it’ll make it easier for her to adjust to your size. Better yet, you could sit down like you are now and it should make it even easier for her to find her confidence.”

“So, she’s super shy around those she doesn’t know.” I translated, “Got it.”

The tingling around my ribs faded and Tenderhoof walked back around in front of me, “Well your injuries seem to be healing nicely. If you refrain from doing any overly strenuous activity for a day or two you should be completely fine.” He turned to face Twilight and Redheart, “I am stating for the record that the patient is ready for discharge, nurse, do you agree with that assessment?”

Redheart nodded, “I do. I believe the patient is fully prepared to go about normal physical activity and is clear to discharge.”

Tenderhoof nodded in return, “Then you’re free to go Ms. Lovegood.” He smiled as he held out one hoof to me, “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, but try not to make visiting us a habit if you can help it.”

I chuckled as I shook his hoof gently with my right hand, “I’ll try to keep that in mind, doc.”

With that I stood up again and turned to Twilight, “So is that it, we just walk out of here?”

“We still need to check you out at the front desk,” she clarified, “but yes, we’re done here.”

I nodded, “Alright then.” I turned and gave the med staff a nice big smile, “It was nice to meet you both. I hope we can talk again when you’re not busy fixing bones.”

Tenderhoof chuckled as Redheart giggled behind her hoof, “We’ll do our best to make time.” Redheart replied. She made a shooing motion with her hoof, “Now go on, there’s a whole new world out there for you to discover, don’t waste the day sitting around in here.”

I laughed as I followed Twilight out the door, “See ya later you two. Hope to see you around.”

They waved goodbye as I turned the corner, although my attention was immediately captured by the two armored ponies that fell in step behind us. My instincts immediately started screaming at me this was an ambush, but Twilight’s words forestalled any action on my part.

“Pay them no mind,” she said without even turning her head, “they were stationed here because we had never encountered your kind before. We didn’t know if you were a threat to us or not, so I had the Ponyville Guard station a security detail here in case you proved to be hostile.” She turned her head to look up at me with a smile, “I’m glad to see they aren’t needed, although you should know that they are required to escort us out of the building. You might not be a threat now that we know a bit more about you, but the rest of Ponyville doesn’t know that. The detail is just as much for your protection as it is for us, at least until the townsfolk get used to seeing you around.”

I wasn’t really sure how I felt about having body guards, although I had a feeling if things got dicey I could handle most of these little ponies without too much trouble. Of course, so long as none of them use that special magic nonsense against me. I followed Twilight into what I assumed was the main lobby of the hospital, and before I could even blink my vision was completely overtaken by a pair of large magenta eyes.

“Alright you creepy alien thing,” a raspy female voice bellowed into my face, “you touch so much as one hair on my friends’ heads and I’ll kick your sorry flank so far into next week it’ll be next month by the time you get yourself back together.”

I took a few steps back, falling into a fighting stance before my brain could catch up with my body. In an instant I had taken in every detail of my foe, from her rainbow mane and tail to the sky-blue coat that covered her body. She was hovering at head level using a set of wings that sprouted from the shoulder region of her back, and she had her front hooves held up like a boxer would hold their arms. I realized that using flight in such a cramped space would put her at a disadvantage, so without thinking I rushed forward and grabbed her front hooves in my grip. Her eyes widened as I levered her body over my shoulder and pile-drived her into the floor shoulder first.

The air rushed out of her lungs and her eyes spun in their sockets for a second. In that time I used my knees to pin her wings against the floor and secured her front hooves above her head with my hands. Just as she seemed to be getting over the shock of hitting the floor, I leaned down and pressed my nose against the end of her snout.

Her eyes shrank to pinpricks as I growled through my teeth, “Now listen hear hotshot, I’m not looking to hurt anyone in this little town of yours, and I certainly won’t touch Twilight or her friends after she saved my life. So back off and give me some space before I show you how they teach us Army Rangers how to break all the joints in a limb at the same time.

Her eyes narrowed in a challenging way, and she was opening her mouth to retort when both of our bodies were enveloped in a purple aura. Before I could react I was yanked off of the prismatic mare, and I saw that Twilight had both of us in her magical grip as she levitated us over to face her. The look on her face was unamused at best and dangerously frustrated at worst, although as she opened her mouth to speak she was interrupted by the pink and yellow blob to her left.

“Um, excuse me,” good Lord that was the most adorable voice I had ever heard! “I really don’t like fighting, so if everypony could just calm down, we can talk this out without resorting to violence.”

The pink and yellow blob uncurled enough to reveal a large teal eye, and I realized that the blob wasn’t a blob at all, but a butter yellow pegasus that had been hiding behind her long pink mane. I assumed that this was the aforementioned Fluttershy, and that the rainbow hothead floating next to me was Rainbow Dash. I facepalmed as I realized what I had just done. I’d done the very thing Twilight had warned me not to do, and now I was pretty sure Rainbow would be after my blood the instant Twilight let us go.

Speaking of said prismatic headache, she snarled at me and struggled against Twilight’s magic, too little to no effect, “Why are you defending this thing Fluttershy? It attacked me and then threatened to break my wings when it had me pinned to the floor!”

I swore the temperature of the room went down a few degrees as the soft-spoken mare before us lifted one eyebrow at her companion, “And she did all of this because you threatened her the instant she walked into the room. How would you react if a creature you’ve only just met got in your face and started making threats against you?”

The trapped pegasus scoffed, waving a hoof slightly as she rolled her eyes, “That’s an easy one. I’d tell them to stuff it up their plots and then I’d kick them into, next, week.” I could actually see the moment her brain clicked into place, “Oh,” she seemed to curl in on herself as her haughty expression morphed into a sheepish one, “I get it.”

Fluttershy nodded once before turning to me, “Please forgive Rainbow for her outburst. She was just doing what she thought was right to protect Twilight and me.”

I nodded, feeling even worse now that the bundle of cute was turning her charm towards me, “Yeah, sorry about that. When you’ve been trained to react to threats on instinct, it’s hard to turn that kind of thing off when you’re not in a warzone.” I turned towards Rainbow and rubbed my neck with one hand, “Sorry about pounding you into the floor. I’ll try not to do it again.”

She huffed, “Yeah, whatever. I totally let you do that anyway.”

I rolled my eyes at her response, “Whatever you say.”

Twilight nodded before setting us down on the ground, and I took a moment to look around the waiting room while Twilight spoke to the receptionist. All and all it was your average waiting room, with benches and other seating for incoming patients and waiting friends or family. The typical potted plants were scattered around the periphery while a set of double doors led to what I assumed to be the street outside.

Meanwhile, the two guards that had been shadowing me the entire time simply stood at attention next to the doors leading outside, and for a moment I wondered why it was they hadn’t intervened when Rainbow and I had been going at it. I turned to Twilight, my mouth opening to ask that very question, when I caught sight of the way the guards were actually standing. What I had assumed to be attention was actually a relaxed combat stance, as given by the looseness in their legs and the alert glint in their eyes. Their gazes took in everything within the waiting room and by the looks of things they would react to anything in an instant if it was deemed necessary. My eyebrow rose in surprise and a fair amount of respect. These colts might have been dressed like cartoon knights in shining armor, but I could tell that they weren’t something to disregard because of appearances. These stallions meant business, so the only reason they hadn’t tackled me and Rainbow was either because they didn’t deem it enough of a situation to intervene, or because of some other factor.

My eyes moved back to Twilight, specifically the horn that resided on the top of her head, and I realized that the reason the guards hadn’t acted was the very reason Rainbow and I weren’t still on the floor. Twilight had both of us completely at her mercy with next to no effort, and had done so within moments of Rainbow and I going at it. My threat radar rapidly adjusted itself to now include the alicorn as one of the top things to keep track of, and as she approached me I found a new respect for the reluctant royal.

“Well that should be everything,” she said as she stepped up to the double doors leading outside, “I think we should go for a short walk around town and let the townsponies get a look at you before we get you settled.”

Fluttershy walked up and leaned into my right leg, looking up at me with that shy smile of hers on full display, “I wouldn’t mind tagging along for a while. I need to pick up some carrots for Angel Bunny anyway.”

I shrugged my acceptance, although my rainbow bodyguard seemed to think we were too close for her liking. Dash interposed herself between Fluttershy and me, her eyes narrowed in a glare as her wings flared wide, “Just don’t try and pull anything, or else I’ll pound you into the dirt in ten seconds flat.”

I rolled my eyes as I walked past her, winking to Fluttershy as our eyes met, “Like you pounded me into the tiles a few minutes ago. Forgive me if I’m not shaking in my shoes.”

Fluttershy tried and failed to hide her giggles behind a hoof, and I noticed the slight tinting of Rainbow’s cheeks as she raised her chin into the air and let out an indignant huff, “Well like I said, I was going easy on you. I’d kick your hairless flank from here to Canterlot if you so much as tried doing that again.”

I chose not to grace her attitude with a reply, instead following Twilight as she walked out of the building. What met my eyes seemed to be something out of a medieval kid’s coloring book, if the bright gold thatched roofing and the Pictionary-style storefront displays were any indication. To say nothing of the town’s inhabitants.

As we walked down the street I saw every color combination I could think of, and many that I hadn’t. Pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies milled about like candy-coated puppies, leaving me with the unique sensation of wanting to both hide in a corner while at the same time hugging them all like little plush toys. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with mixed feelings. Wherever we went, ponies stopped and stared at me, and after a while it was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. Most simply had expressions of confusion or wonder, while a few bordered on fear. What I was glad to see, or rather what I didn’t see, was any kind of hostility coming from the locals. They just seemed genuinely intrigued by the bipedal being that was walking through the middle of town.

Of course, being in the presence of royalty with a pair of guards on either heel probably boosted their confidence in there being nothing to worry about. After all, who would be crazy enough to take on two trained guards and an alicorn that could literally rip me limb from limb with her mind? No thank you.

Finally, we came upon what looked like an open-air market, perhaps even the same one I had seen from my hospital window. Ponies were selling and buying each other’s wares, using what looked like solid gold coins as payment. I had no idea what kind of proof those coins were, but if they were even a slight percent pure gold then this kingdom was absolutely rolling in cash. To say nothing of what it would mean if they were pure gold.

Twilight waded through the crowd like she owned the place, and for all I knew she did, before she paused and changed direction to head towards what looked like an apple farmer’s stall. Had I not been a good two feet taller than every other being in the crowd, I very well might have lost her due to her sudden course change. Luckily, her vibrant purple coat was rather easy to spot, so I followed her until we came up to the stand.

“Hi Applejack.” Twilight greeted the orange earth pony mare with a smile, “How’s business going?”

The mare had the southern style down to a tee, with her freckled face, ribbon-tied mane and tail, and the tan Stetson residing over her ears. The only thing she was missing was a Mississippi drawl.

“Well howdy there Twi’!” She replied with an equally bright smile, “What brings ya’ll ‘round these parts today?”

God damnit, these ponies are going to be the death of me, “She’s been showing me around town now that I’m back on my feet.” I answered before Twilight could reply, “It’s nice to meet you Applejack. Are you a friend of Twilight’s?”

AJ’s gaze met my waist before traveling up to my face. Her eyes shrunk for a moment and I saw her hind hoof take an instinctive step back. However, she corrected her wayward limb and stomped it back into place as she shook her head to clear it. When our gazes met again her eyes were lively and filled with the purest hospitality I had ever seen.

“Hooie you’re a tall one.” She said as she tilted her hat back with a hoof, “You’re nearly as big as that Iron Will feller we met a ways back. You wouldn’t happen to be related to the Minotaur by any chance, would you?”

“Um, no, not that I’m aware of,” I hesitantly replied, not quite sure how I felt about the comment on my height.

“Huh, fancy that.” Her gaze moved a bit lower from my face and her eyes widened in surprise, “Well I’ll be, Twilight wasn’t kidding when she said your teats were big.” Her gaze met mine again as she lifted one eyebrow, “You sure you don’t have a little one hiding away somewhere? I bet you could put some of our cows to shame with the milk you could make with those.”

I held my arms over my chest as my cheeks flushed, “No I’m not a mother and would someone please explain why it is everyone is commenting on my breasts?”

Twilight stepped in with an apologetic look on her face, “Well, you see, ponies only have teats like that when a mare has a feeding foal. Every other time they are pretty much flat against our stomachs with little to no mass present. For somepony like you to have, ahem, assets of that size and not be nursing a newborn is highly irregular. Even Minitour cows lose most of the mass on their teats when not caring for a newborn. So, seeing teats, or rather, breasts that size is going to give most ponies the wrong idea at first glance.”

I slowly lowered my arms, feeling slightly more self-conscious about my looks now that I knew my chest was going to draw a lot of attention, “So what can we do about it? I can’t exactly shrink my breasts down to nothing when they’ve been like this since my teens. Can’t you simply put out some kind of announcement or something to let the others know?”

Twilight shook her head, “I’m sorry, but that would only make ponies stare more. You see, ponies are a naturally inquisitive race by design, despite our prey animal origins, meaning putting out an announcement like that would only make the problem worse. Everypony would want to see them for themselves and they wouldn’t stop until they satisfied their curiosity. The best thing to do is to let things happen at their own pace and deal with any problems as they arise.”

I groaned, holding a hand over my eyes as I tried to fight my growing headache, “Fine, we’ll do it your way. But if anyone tries to take a picture of me through a window I’m going to kick in some teeth.”

Applejack chuckled as she picked up an apple with her hoof, “Well then, I’ve got to get back to work. Take this for the road, it’s on the house. I’m sure after what you’ve been through you could use the energy.”

I nodded my thanks as I took the apple from the cowmare, and I noticed the slight tingle of magic coming from her hoof as she ‘let go’ of the apple. I watched as she moved her leg back under her body, remembering the mitt-like feeling I had gotten whenever Nurse Redheart had taken my pulse. Apparently the whole glowing horns bit wasn’t the only form of magic these ponies could use.

I followed Twilight through the rest of the market, doing nothing more than walk and talk to ponies as we made our way through town. While it was nice meeting the townsfolk, and most of them were perfectly polite after the initial shock of my appearance, we came upon a building that resembled a carousel from back home, with the little horses on poles and everything around the exterior. The part that threw me off, was the windows and double doors that labeled the structure as a building. Fluttershy and Rainbow had caught up with us as we left the market, this time with a small brown sack resting on Fluttershy’s back between her wings. I assumed those were the carrots for her bunny.

It was said yellow pegasus that spoke first as we came up to the strange building, “What are we doing at Rarity’s boutique? Won’t she be busy with dress orders?”

So this was the workplace of the pony Twilight gave my clothes to. Sweet, now I could get back the stuff that I wasn’t wearing. “Are we here to pick up the rest of my clothes?”

“Partially,” Twilight replied, “we’re also here to see Rarity and maybe commission her skills in making more clothes for you. While what you’re wearing will do for now, and you have a few changes of clothing. I’m sure you’re going to get sick of wearing the same thing over and over again, not to mention when they need to be washed.”

I nodded, visions of an empty underwear drawer flashing through my mind before I could banish the nightmarish image, “That sounds like a good idea. So, do we just walk in?”

“While this is technically Rarity’s home,” Twilight stated simply, “the bottom floor also doubles as her store, so ponies are supposed to walk in if it’s during business hours.”

“Alright then, let’s get this show on the road.” I pushed the left door open, hearing a soft chime as the bell above the opening announced our arrival.

“Just a minute,” a prim voice called from the next room.

The guard apparently were content to wait outside, because they didn’t follow the other into the store and instead took up positions on either side of the doorway. As the others followed me in I was the first to see the alabaster mare walking through the archway on the other side of the room. Her mane and tail were a deep purple in color and were done up in elegant curls. A horn protruded from her head and a set of red reading glasses rested on the end of her muzzle.

“Oh so sorry to keep you waiting,” she said as she tossed her mane with one hoof, “I was given a flash of inspiration and you don’t know how hard it is to work when an idea flashes through your -”

She paused mid-sentence as her eyes landed on me. For a moment her mouth hung wide and I worried for a moment she might have fainted while standing up. However, my worries were put to rest as her eyes returned to their normal diameter and her mouth curled into a smile.

“Oh darling I’ve been waiting for you for ages!” Her horn ignited and I was lifted from the ground before I could make any movements otherwise.

I was carried to what looked like a dressing stage and was promptly dropped like a sack of potatoes. I only managed to keep my balance with a few rapid pinwheels of my arms. I watched as my newest acquaintance rushed about her shop like a chicken with her head cut off, bypassing the rest of my companions as she grabbed more and more items in her light blue magic. Before long I was in the proverbial eye of a fabric hurricane, with Rarity as the master of the storm.

“Oh this would look lovely on you,” she muttered to herself as a bolt of dark blue fabric swung by my head, “oh and this would look absolutely divine as an accent,” another bolt of fabric whizzed past my shoulder, this time a vibrant yellow, “oh, and this would be outstanding to tie into your mane.” My chocolate hair was suddenly gripped by the same aura as the items flying around me, and I winced as it was pulled slightly before feeling something being tied around it in an intricate knot. I pulled my hair into view as the grip on my head released, and I saw that my normally chaotic curls had been done into a stylish French braid with a gold ribbon intertwined between the strands.

“Oh, you don’t know how long I’ve waited to meet you.” Rarity squealed as the veritable fashion storm came to a sudden stop, “Ever since I first saw your clothing I just knew I had to know more about your kind’s fashion. But first,” her magic levitated a set of clothes that I knew for certain were not mine up for all to see, “what do you think of these?”

The request came so fast after the initial fabric onslaught that for a moment I was unable to process what was being asked of me. After taking a minute to collect my scattered thoughts, I realized that the clothing hovering in front of me was not mine, but certainly looked like it had been modeled after what was in my pack. A set of dark blue sweat pants floated next to a white blouse that had a ruffled hem and long flowing sleeves that ended in bell-style openings. Next to that were what looked like socks, but they were the most expensive-looking socks I had ever seen. Instead of being made out of cotton or some other material, these amazing things seemed to be made out of pure black silk, with nearly invisible stitching to reinforce the toe and heel where needed. To top it off, there was a zip-up jacket that was a deep purple in color, with what looked like three diamonds sewn into the right breast in an appealing design. I spotted those same diamonds on Rarity’s flanks, and I assumed it was her personal insignia, although there was no way those gems were real. The jacket alone would cost a fortune if that was the case. All and all they were some of the most well-made clothing I had ever seen, and from the way Rarity was waiting for my reply with baited breath, she made them herself.

“I, I don’t know what to say,” I managed to force out as I took the clothes into my arms, “these are amazing.” My eyes began to water slightly as I looked the seamstress in the eyes, “Thank you so much Rarity. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

She waved my words off with a laugh, “Oh think nothing of it darling. What are friends for after all? No, the only payment I require for those pieces is your promise that we can speak later about the fashion of your world. I’ve been absolutely bursting with inspiration and I need an outlet for all my new ideas. Who better to wear my newest line then the one who inspired it in the first place?”

“I could never take this amazing work and not pay for it.” I held them out with a slight pout, “I would never short change such a skilled seamstress.”

Rarity held a hoof to her mouth as a blush found its way to her cheeks, “Oh stop darling, you’re making me feel like I’ve won some great award or something. I’m just doing what anypony would do if they knew how dire your situation is. I mean just look at you, dressed in those rags when you could be looking absolutely fabulous.” She pushed the clothing back against my chest with her magic, “I won’t hear of it darling, now be a dear and change into those so we can see how stunning you look in my new designs.”

I blushed, once again noticing the difference between our worlds in terms of nudity, “Um, you mean right here, now?”

Rarity didn’t seem to notice my unease, “But of course darling, I simply won’t have it seeing you in those horrid clothes for another instant. Chop, chop now, we haven’t got all day.”

I hesitated again, looking to Twilight for help. However, my gaze must have signaled weakness to a certain cyan pegasus, because she jumped on it the moment I let my guard down.

“Oh what’s the matter, not willing to try on the clothes Rarity worked so hard to make for you?” Her haughty tone made my blood simmer as her expression took on a ‘holier-than-thou’ kind of light, “What, are we not good enough for you and your alien tastes?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight hissed as she cuffed the rowdy mare over the head with a hoof, “That is no way to speak to Sarah! She’s been through a lot and you have no right to say those things to her!”

I hardened my gaze, mustering all my courage for what I was about to do, “Screw you Rainbow, I was just thinking about how nice I would look in these.” I set the clothes down on the side of the stage as I pulled off my blazer, my shoes and socks quickly following it, “You want me to change, fine, I’ll change right now and I’ll look absolutely great doing it!”

Before I could think properly about what I was doing, I began taking off my shirt, yet instead of pulling it off normally, I felt a slight evil grin threatening to force its way past my lips as a thought crossed my mind. They wanted me to strip, fine, I’d give them a show they’d never forget.

My hands slowed their movements as my shirt began rising up my body, and I made sure to put on the most sultry expression I could muster as my hands trailed up my sides. My rock-hard abs came into view as my arms began to rise into my line of sight, yet they weren’t enough to make me miss the absolutely gob-smacked expressions of the four ponies present. I suppressed another grin as my arms pulled my shirt over my head, my breasts bouncing in my bra a couple times as they came free of their cloth prison. I heard one of the ponies gasp, most likely Rarity from the length and emphasis placed on it. I finally let my smile loose as I pulled my shirt completely over my head, letting it slide off my arms in a slow and deliberate manner as I pressed my breasts together with my upper arms. The effect was immediate as it was drastic. Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow’s wings flared to their fullest extent, while Rarity was doing her best impression of a tomato.

I giggled as my shirt finally came free of my arms, and I turned around to look over my shoulder at the ponies as I hooked my fingers into my belt loops. Before they could react further, I bent forward, presenting my rear to them in the most enticing way as I began to shimmy out of my jeans. I looked over my shoulder the entire time as my pants slowly lowered and began to reveal my black lace panties. I wiggled my hips for extra emphasis as my pants slipped fully free, revealing my tight glutes to the flabbergasted ponies as I slid the pants down one leg. I lifted my foot free and turned around, holding my pants against my hips in fake modesty as I slowly presented my free leg for them to enjoy. I let my pants slide off my other leg and stepped free of them with a little twirl, feeling my chest bounce several times as I turned to face my audience again.

Rarity’s mouth was hanging loose while Twilight was hiding her face behind her wings, although I could see one eye poking through the feathers. Fluttershy looked like she was in shock, if the rock-hard wings and pinprick pupils were any indication. Rainbow wasn’t much better, though her eyes were dilated to the point her iris and pupil took up almost all of her eye. Her mouth was also hanging open, and I noticed a thin stream of drool that was running from her lip to the floor as her gaze moved freely over my body. Now I was by no means an exhibitionist, but I couldn’t deny the rush stripping in front of these ponies had given me. Maybe I could use that to my advantage later if I looked that appealing to them.

Figuring that I had finished with my little prank, I stepped over to the clothing Rarity had made me and slipped it on without much fanfare. The pants fit perfectly and the blouse conformed to my body amazingly. The jacket was thick but not too heavy, and the socks were so soft I was almost tempted to take them off just to make sure they lasted. I turned around to face the ponies again and did a little twirl, the hem of the blouse forming a nice ring around me as I flashed my best smile.

“So, what do you think? How do I look?” I asked, knowing full well what kind of a reaction I was going to receive.

Twilight was the first to speak, her wings twitching several times as she struggled to fold them correctly, “Well, um, that was certainly, an, um, invigorating sight.” She cleared her throat loudly and turned to face Rarity, “I think she looks great in the new clothes Rarity, what do you think?”

Said mare shook her head a couple of times, her jaw closing with a click as she straightened out her mane, “Well I must say I never expected for you to strip like that.” She made it look like she hadn’t been affected by my show, but I could still see the tint on her cheeks as she spoke, “While the lines need a bit more work I am proud to say that you look ravishing in that outfit darling. I will be the first to say that if you ever need clothing, for any occasion and for any reason, I would be honored if you would come to me with your ideas.”

I nodded, feeling a heat coming into my own cheeks as what I did finally became clear in my mind, “I’ll keep that in mind Rarity, thank you.”

At this point Rainbow broke out of her daze, licking along her lips as she stepped closer to the stage, “If you can put on a show like that, I wouldn’t mind taking the show backstage for a couple rounds, if you know what I mean.”

Twilight openly gaped at the pegasus while Rarity blushed like a lobster, “Really darling, must you always be so graphic with your language?! And in my boutique no less!”

Rainbow smirked without breaking eye contact with me, “Oh believe me, I know exactly what I’m saying. And what I said is what I meant, I would love to take you for a spin on the Rainbow Express for a couple of stops and see how good you are without any clothes at all.”

At this point Fluttershy managed to get over her shock, just in time to hear Rainbow’s final statement. The butter-colored mare stuck out her lip in a very cute pout as her eyes smoldered with anger. It wasn’t even directed at me and I could feel the heat coming from her gaze as she spoke.

“What was that Rainbow?” Her tone was cold enough to freeze molten steel, and I could see the color drain from Rainbow’s face as she slowly turned to her shy companion.

“Oh, um, nothing Fluttershy, I was just complimenting Sarah on her good looks, ehehe.” There were now visible sweat droplets running down her face, and it only got worse as Fluttershy got a seemingly coy expression on her face.

“Is that so? Well then you won’t mind taking me with you when you ‘take her for a spin on the Rainbow Express’.” By this point there was no color remaining in Rainbow’s face, and she made no moves to resist as Fluttershy grabbed her around the shoulders with one wing.

Fluttershy sent the rest of us the most innocent and happy smile I have ever seen as she directed Rainbow out the door, “Don’t mind us everypony, we’ll just be out back going over some of the ground rules when it comes to hitting on other ponies.”

Rainbow mouthed ‘help me’ as the door closed behind them, and I could swear a shiver ran up everyone’s spine as the latch closed with a thunderous click.

“All in favor of never brining this up again with anyone?” I asked, raising my hand into the air.

“Aye!” Twilight and Rarity cried as they turned to face me. We tried not to wince as Rainbow’s panicked screams echoed through the building.

“Well it was nice talking with you Rarity,” I managed to force out, “I really love your designs and I can’t wait to go over some of your new ideas. Are you busy tomorrow?”

“Oh I’m sorry Sarah,” she replied as she straightened up some of the loose fabric and needles that had been left on the floor, “but I have a business meeting in Canterlot and won’t be back for a couple days. Terribly sorry about that darling.”

“Oh it’s no trouble. I can’t very well ask you to drop everything to spend time with me.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I picked up the rest of my clothes with the other hand, “I’ll just have to find someone else to talk to once I get settled.”

“Speaking of getting settled,” Twilight added as she levitated my clothing out of my grasp, folding them neatly and then giving them back to me, “Since you have no place else to go, why don’t you stay in my castle until you can afford your own place?”

My expression perked up at her words, “You mean it? It wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

She shook her head, “Not at all. You have no money to pay for food and housing, you have next to no clothes to wear, and you have little to no knowledge about Equestria and how it works. Face it Sarah,” she smirked as she met my gaze, “you’d be lost in the Everfree Forest or taking shelter in somepony’s barn inside of three days.”

I smiled sheepishly as Rarity levitated the rest of my clothing from the other room, “Yeah, you’re probably right. Even so, thank you.”

Twilight nodded as she opened the door, “Why don’t we head there now and get the rest of your things? I’d imagine being around town has worn you out.”

I nodded, suppressing a yawn as I followed her out of the boutique, “That sounds nice.” I waved over my shoulder to Rarity, “It was nice meeting you, let’s talk again once you get back from Canterlot.”

“It’s a date.” She said with a smile as she closed the door.

I took a look around and was suddenly hit by the sudden lack of ponies littering the streets. Just a few hours ago the whole place had been bustling with townsfolk, yet now I wouldn’t have been all that surprised to see a tumbleweed rolling across the street like in some old western film. The only ponies in sight besides Twilight were our two tagalongs, although they had been standing next to the door for the better part of an hour so I didn’t really count them. We made our way through the majority of town, but not a soul was in sight. It wasn’t until I spotted our destination that my mind was able to pull out of the funk that seemed to have fallen over this peaceful little town.

The castle itself looked like someone had taken a giant tree and made the whole thing out of purple crystal, then carved a building out of the trunk while constructing the rest between the branches. The whole thing looked like it was dreamed up by some cartoon designer at Disney studios, only with a bit less tact and more shock and awe in mind. Twilight walked up to the massive front doors and paused for a moment, letting me catch up to her. She indicated the doors with one hoof, and for a moment I paused, sensing something was off.

The empty town, the lights all being off in the castle, Twilight letting me go in first. This whole setup screamed it was a trap of some kind. Yet for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what it was and how I deserved it. Then again, my options were rather limited. As Twilight had so bluntly stated, I couldn’t survive in this world on my own, not yet at least, so I had no choice but to trust her and the other ponies.

I took a steadying breath, and pushed the doors open. The first couple steps were in complete darkness, until all the lights flashed to life and my vision was assaulted by a wall of color.

“SURPRISE!!!” Was the thundering cry that nearly flattened me against the doors I had just walked in through.

As my mind was still reeling from the shout that had to have come from several dozen mouths, my vision was once again overtaken with color, only this time it was a solid wall of pink.

“Hi there! My name is Pinkie Pie! You’re new around here so I just had to throw you a ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville’ Party like I do for everypony who comes to visit. Are you a Minotaur? If so then you’re the weirdest Minotaur I’ve ever seen, and I know Minotaur because I’ve met one before.”

I managed to take a step back, clarifying that this was not some talking blob of cotton candy come to life, but instead a pink earth pony mare that simply had a mane and tail shaped like the carnival candy. Her bright blue eyes were locked onto me with wild abandon, and I once again wondered if this place could get any weirder than it already was. The poor thing was talking so fast I was worried she might tie her own tongue in a knot, or worse, keep going until she passed out from lack of oxygen.

She finally stopped her run-on sentence and gasped like she hadn’t breathed in a year, “So what’s your name? I wanted to write your name on your welcome poster but you’ve been feeling down in the dumps up until today.” She interrupted me before I could answer, “Oh that’s alright, I’ll just fix it for the next party, after all, you can’t have a proper welcome party without the guest of honor’s name on the welcome poster. It’s rule number two hundred and fifty-three of the Pinkie Pie Party rules.”

So this crazy mare’s name was Pinkie Pie, good to know, “Um, pardon me, but why are you throwing me a party? I ended up in your town by complete accident.”

“It’s because you showed up out of nowhere that I have to throw you an even more special party than normal,” she said with complete conviction, “otherwise you’d be all alone with nopony to talk to and that would just be sad.” She bounced in place and hovered at eye level for longer than was physically possible, “So I threw this party so you can meet everypony and make lots of friends and then you won’t be all alone and then you’ll have a nice big smile on your face instead of a frown.” Gravity seemed to come into play once more as she landed on the floor again, “Anyway, I’ve got a pair of ponies who haven’t gotten punch yet, I’ll see you later Sarah, have a nice time at the party!”

With that she rushed off in a literal dust cloud, and I found myself at a complete loss for words and my mouth opened and closed like a fish. How did she know my name? I never told her what it was.

“I see you’ve met Ponyville’s premier party planner.” Twilight said through a giggle as she walked up beside me, “try not to think about it too hard. I tried to figure out what makes Pinkie Pie tick and the only findings I got were complete nonsense and migraines.”

I held the side of my head with one hand, trying to get my brain back in order, “I see what you mean. Is there anything we can do to stop her?”

Twilight shook her head, “Trying to stop her will only make her come after you with twice the crazy. Best advice, accept it how it is and enjoy the party.”

I glanced down at her, “So I get to mingle with several dozen strangers in the hopes that I’ll make a friend or two?”

She nodded, “Believe me, you might not think it would work, but you’d be amazed at some of the things Pinkie is capable of when she tries. Go on, enjoy the party, you may make more friends than you think if you don’t start acting like a wooden board.”

I grinned, straightening my back and putting on a brave face, “Well, wish me luck.”

She waved to me as she turned to talk to some other ponies that had walked up to her from the other side of the room. And with that I was lost in the void that was a Pinkie Pie party. I don’t really remember much of the night, but I do remember the townsfolk treating me with more than a little sympathy and multitudes of kind words. Twilight showed me to my room once the rest of the town had gone home for the night, and I was asleep on the bed before I could even take off my clothes.

Don’t judge me. You weren’t the one at the party who had to shake and bump hooves with dozens of mares and stallions while trying not to pass out from exhaustion. I might have been fully healed but I was still low on energy. If it hadn’t been for the cupcakes and punch I probably would have passed out in the middle of the party.

Author's Note

Whoo!! Three chapters in six days! I'm on a roll!! :pinkiehappy: Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it!! Whether this trend of a chapter every other day continues or not is questionable at best, but I'll do my best. After all, it's you guys that really benefit from all this, so why not keep the ball rolling for as long as we can?!

Anyways, see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill Messenger of the Moon.

6 - New Magic

I yawned widely as my arms stretched over my head, and I rubbed my eyes for a moment before forcing them open. My gaze traveled over the hardwood dresser under the window that took up most of the wall opposite the door, along with the walk-in closet that lay partially open on the wall opposite the bed. I shifted around, noticing that I still had on the clothing I was wearing last night, and grunted with the effort as I pushed into a sitting position.

“Wow, what a party.” I muttered to myself as I slipped my feet off the side of the bed, my metallic limb making a soft clank against the crystal flooring, “I can’t remember the last time I had that much punch in one sitting.”

A small detail presented itself to my tired mind, and I looked back on the bed that should have been too small for me. Yet from my perspective it looked more like a queen-sized mattress from back home instead of the tiny thing I had lain on in the hospital. My hand slid over the smooth sheets for a moment, marveling in their softness as my mind came to terms with what had happened to me.

“No going about it now,” I mused as I stood up fully, stretching my arms over my head again as my back popped in several places, “I really am on a different world ruled by candy-colored ponies.”

I walked across the room and into the bathroom, noticing that at least here there was something more akin to what the natives would use. Instead of a countertop and sink at hip level, they rested just below the middle of my thighs, meaning I would have to crouch slightly if I wanted to wash my hands. So too was the mirror hanging on the wall too short for me, only reaching to about my chest before stopping.
I rubbed a hand down my face, making a mental note to talk to Twilight about getting the furnishings in my room redone. I walked over to the toilet, which thankfully was just like the ones back home, only closer to the ground. I did my business before returning to the bedroom proper, looking around my new abode with a more critical eye.

The dresser was seemingly unneeded thanks to the large closet that held what little clothing I possessed, so I moved it over into the left corner so that I could look out the window without having to bend over the furniture. I looked through the pristine glass and saw that my window faced away from town, towards a rather dark and brooding forest that came up to the edge of town. All and all not a bad view, if you were into that wild and untamed sort of thing. I turned to look over my bed and saw that the wood seemed to have been freshly carved, if the still pristine varnish was anything to go by. That would explain why it was sized for me and not ponies, Twilight must have had it custom made so it would fit me. A warmth built in my heart at the consideration she had shown a stranger such as me, and I resolved to do something for her the first chance I got. Other than the useless dresser and the bed, the only other furniture in the room was a small table that resided next to the bed on the right side. It too was made of some kind of hardwood, and was beautifully carved with intricate vine and leaf designs along the legs and the edge of the top.

With my inspection of my space complete, I walked over to the door that led out into the castle proper and turned the brass knob with a hand. It opened without a sound and I found myself in a long hallway with many identical doorways along its entire length. I glanced at my own door and was glad to see it was labeled with a brass plaque that had my name on it. I was sure I’d never find it again if it hadn’t.

As I turned to my right, a pair of familiar shadows fell in behind me on either side. It would seem my companions were going to be sticking around for a while. I glanced at them as we made our way around the castle, getting a good look at them for the first time since the hospital.
The first of the pair was a unicorn stallion with bright red fur and steel grey for his mane and tail, highlighted by streaks of neon blue here and there. His eyes were a dark amber in color, and his armor was polished silver with dark green accents. His compatriot was a pegasus, as given by the wings folded along his flanks, with a stormy grey fur color reminisce of a cloudy sky. His mane and tail were black with a single line of darker blue running down the middle, while his eyes were the most vibrant green I had ever seen. His armor was thinner than the other guard’s, most likely to make flying easier, but still sported the silver plate and green highlights. Apparently they were part of the local guard if what Twilight said was to be believed.

“So, are you two going to introduce yourselves or am I going to have to guess?” I said without looking back, hoping to breathe some life into the non-existent conversation.

“We’re not required to interact with you,” the unicorn said, “only make sure you’re not getting into trouble and to protect you from other ponies should they get aggressive.”

“Phoo, that’s no fun.” I grumbled as I looked over my shoulder at his partner, “What about you? Going to keep the whole stoic guard persona up the entire time we’re together?”

I saw the hint of a smile grace his features as he replied, “To be honest, ma’am, you’re a bit hard to interact with. For one thing, you’re much bigger than most creatures we are familiar with, and your stunning beauty only makes it worse.”

His companion cuffed him over the head with a hoof as my eyebrow rose in interest, “Dolt! You’re not supposed to say things like that to her! We’re supposed to be unattached and observant for any threats, no more and no less.”

“Why isn’t he allowed to compliment me?” I asked, trying to drag this on a bit longer, “I happen to like having boys say I look good every once and a while.”

His face shifted to a deadpan as his amber gaze met mine, “Because we are guards, which means we aren’t allowed to let our emotions interplay with our mission, no matter what the circumstances.”

I rolled my eyes as I turned around again, “Whatever you say Sergeant Stiff. I was in the armed forces once upon a time, so don’t get on my case about regulations and all that crap. I know full well the kind of bull the CO’s feed you newbies when you first sign on.” I glanced over my shoulder at him with a hard expression, “Take a little advice from someone who’s been there, don’t let the regs get in the way of enjoying your job, because life will get old really quick if you can’t enjoy what you’re doing.”

With that I made my way down to what I hoped was the dining hall, if the smell of cooking food was anything to go by. I did as any army recruit did at boot camp and followed my nose until I walked into what had to be the mess. Twilight was sitting at the head of a long table with several books and scrolls piled onto the surface before her, nearly hiding her pancakes and eggs from view as she poured over the text she had in her magic grip.

“Morning Twilight!” I called as I walked up to her, “How’s it going?”

She lifted her gaze from the tome before her and smiled brightly, “Oh, Sarah, good morning. I’m doing well at the moment. I’ve been trying to get some research done on how to make dried food that can be rehydrated with hot water.”

I remembered her comment about the stuff in my pack, “You stole the idea from my camping rations, didn’t you?”

She blushed as she averted her gaze, “Well since your belongings come from a different world I thought it would be a waste not to try and learn from them if at all possible.” She turned back to me with an adorable pout and big shimmering eyes, “You won’t take them all away from me, will you?”

I groaned as I tried not to clutch my heart because of the diabetes-level cuteness in front of me, “No I guess it won’t hurt to let you have them for a while longer. I do have one condition though,” I held up a finger as I tried to muster up a determined expression, “you have to return my phone and solar charger so I can at least have something to do in my spare time.”

Her head tilted sideways in confusion, the tome momentarily forgotten, “Which items are those? I remember there being lots of things in your pack, but I don’t know what any of them are called other than the simple things like the tent.”

I held up my fingers in a rectangular shape, “My phone is a little device about this big, with a touch screen and several buttons around the outer edge. The solar charger is the rolled-up black mat with two rectangular ports on the right edge.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up in understanding, “Oh that amazing device!” She hopped out of her chair and lifted herself up onto her hind legs, placing her forehooves on my shoulders as she looked me in the eyes, “I simply must know how it works! Technology like that could revolutionize the scientific community overnight!”

I gently took her hooves in my hands and pushed her off of me, “Sorry Twilight, but I don’t know how it works other than on the most basic level. It was designed by a big corporation that produced millions of them for everyday use. I don’t know much more than you do at this point.” I chuckled softly as a thought crossed my mind, “In all honesty you probably know more than me given how much you’ve dived into studying my things.”

Twilight’s expression fell as her ears folded against her head, and I had to remind myself that this was a sapient creature and not a puppy I had just kicked. I forced my eyes to look elsewhere for a moment while Twilight mourned the loss of opportunity. She’d get over it, eventually.

“So, what’s for breakfast?” I asked, hoping to divert her attention from her lack of knowledge concerning Earth tech, “I’m so hungry I could eat a house.”

My stomach chose that moment to voice its rather loud agreement, and my guards joined Twilight in laughing at my expense, “I’m sure Spike would be happy to make more pancakes and eggs.” Her face shifted to a look of concern as she took her seat once again, “You can eat pancakes and eggs, right?”

I nodded, “Humans can eat just about anything, although we can’t digest fiber so stuff like grass and flowers don’t do a thing for us. Some can even be quite poisonous if we’re really unlucky.”

She nodded, turning her head towards a set of double doors leading out of the room, “Spike! Bring our guest some pancakes and eggs with a large glass of orange juice!”

“Coming right up!” A young voice called back through the closed doorway, although it was too muddled for me to make out the speaker’s gender.

I took a seat on Twilight’s right as my shadows took up positions along the wall behind me. I resolved to break those two out of the regulation shackles that prevented them from interacting with me, although my thoughts were summarily derailed as the doors to the kitchen swung open, revealing a sight I would not soon forget.

Carrying a large plate of pancakes, a tall glass of orange juice, and a pitcher of what I assumed was syrup, was a little purple lizard with large green spikes sprouting from its head all the way to its tail. Its large eyes were a sharp emerald green and slit like a cat, while a single tiny fang protruded out from behind its upper lip. I also noticed that it walked on two legs, using its front claws to hold the items as it walked around Twilight and presented the steaming food to me.

“Here you go.” Its voice was discernably male now, although a very young male at that, perhaps not even a teenager if voice timbre was anything similar to home.

For a moment I simply stared at him, and in the same instant his gaze met mine, I remembered what Twilight had said concerning the other races on this world. Either my mind was playing tricks on me, or this was a very small and very cute dragon serving me breakfast.

“What?” he asked, “Do I have something on my face?” He spun around a time or two, rubbing a claw against his cheeks to try and locate the presumed blemish.

“Um, not to seem rude or anything,” I managed to say, “but are by chance, a dragon?”

He nodded, puffing out his chest in the most adorable way and flexing his arms like a body builder, “Yep, I’m Twilight’s number one assistant, Owlowiscious is number two.”

“Owlowiscious?” I asked, momentarily distracted from the real-life dragon in front of me.

“My pet owl.” Twilight clarified as she took a bite of her eggs, “he helps me run the castle during the late hours of the night. Spike can’t help me keep this place running if he falls asleep on the job.”

I nodded, although I realized something about this whole castle setup. You’d think with a royal living in a castle, there’d at least be some staff to keep the place from falling apart.

“Don’t you have servants to help you keep this place running?” I asked, “I mean, you are a princess and all that, right?”

Twilight looked a bit sheepish, and I recognized the expression she used when I had first addressed her by her title, “While I know servants and maids are common in Canterlot noble manners, and certainly within Canterlot Castle itself, I’ve just never really seen the need to have ponies clean the place for me when Spike and I can do well enough on our own. And besides,” she ruffled her wings as she cast a glance over her shoulder at them, “I’m still new to this whole princess thing, so I don’t want to make a mistake when somepony’s livelihood is on the line.”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, “New to being a princess? But aren’t you, like, twenty something?”

She nodded, seemingly unsure about where I was going with this line of questions, “Yes, I’m twenty-three. What does that have to do with anything?”

I tried to find the proper words as I spoke, “I don’t know much about your world, that much is obvious, but where I come from you’re either born into a royal family or you marry into one. If you marry into a royal family then you take on the title of prince or princess, as you are now part of that family by marriage. And royal birth goes without saying. You’re not married, at least as far as I know, so that means you had to have been born a royal. You see what I mean?”

Her eyes widened in understanding, “Oh I see. No, no, I’m not married, although my brother did marry my old foalsitter and became a prince that way, although he’s still a unicorn, not an alicorn. I became a princess when I completed a great task, solving one of the greatest magical mysteries in our history.” She flared her wings and smiled back at them with a reminisce expression on her face, “After that Princess Celestia told me I had earned my place as a princess, through completing Starswirl the Bearded’s final spell, and by discovering the true power behind my connections with the other Elements.” Her gaze moved back to me as she folded her wings against her sides, “So you see, I was born a unicorn, but through great trials and with a little spark of magic, I earned my wings and title as the Princess of Friendship.”

I leaned back in my chair, taking a moment to think her words over, “So this Princess Celestia or whoever deemed you worthy of being royalty, and used her magic to change you into an alicorn so that you could better represent the skills you used to earn your title?”

Twilight’s face scrunched up slightly, “Well, more or less, I guess that’s one way you could put it. It’s a lot more complicated than that, but I think you got the important points.”

I rubbed my temples with my finger, before drowning my cooling pancakes in syrup and devouring my food in a matter of moments, “Do you mind if I grab my phone and head out for a while? I kind of need to clear my head and think about all this magic and royalty business for a while.”

She nodded, pointing towards the door at the back of the room, “My lab is the fifth door down the second right hallway on the left. Just give a yell if you get lost and Spike will show you the way.”

I nodded, “Thanks Twilight. I just need some time to get my head screwed on straight after all this craziness.”

She smiled as I walked away, “Have a nice time. I’ll see you around lunch?”

I waved over my shoulder, “You got it.”

My shadows fell into their usual places as I made my way through the castle, although as I pushed open the doors to what I thought was Twilight’s lab, the clinking of their armor suddenly stopped. I spun around, but they had simply taken up spots on either side of the opening. I thought about making a jab at their noisy hardware, but quickly thought better of it. I turned back around to look for my stuff, and was caught off guard by the sheer mass of mysterious machinery and other doodads that littered the entire room.

Table after table with beakers, tubes and masses of wire assaulted my vision as I worked my way through the jungle of science and magic. Finally, I popped out the other side and found myself standing in front of another large table, only this one contained items that were far more familiar to me. My camping gear had been set out and meticulously organized in terms of size and type, leaving my phone and the other electrical stuff all alone on the end. I powered up my phone and saw to my dismay that it was down to fifteen percent power.

I grumbled under my breath as I picked it up and clicked my earbuds into the port on the bottom, “Mental note, don’t let Twilight get ahold of my stuff without permission in the future.”

I slipped it into my pocket, grabbing the solar collector and power cable with my free hand as I made my way back out into the hallway. The Stoic Brothers fell in beside me as I made my way to my room, dropping off the solar charger and power cable before making my way out of the castle itself. This left us standing on the edge of town with a bright morning sun shining overhead.

I took a deep breath, “Ah, a wonderful day to take some time off.”

Without another thought I made my way through town, waving to some of the ponies who were out and about as I tried to find a place to myself. After a while I found myself standing alone on the top of a small hill just outside of town, taking in the sights under the single oak tree that called the peak home.

I nodded to myself, “This will do nicely.”

I pulled out my earbuds and plugged them into my ears, selecting my combat training playlist before spreading my feet shoulder width apart. As the music started playing I closed my eyes, envisioning myself standing in the middle of a large group of ninjas. I raised my hands in front of my chest and breathed in as my limbs climbed my body. Once my hands had reached my face, I turned my palms towards each other and pushed my arms outward, letting my breath go before I fell into a fighting stance. Keeping my eyes closed, I watched in my imagination as one of the ninjas rushed towards me from the left, and I kicked out with my leg as it came within range. I hooked my heel through where the ninja’s head would have been, transitioning into a right finger strike in front of me as I struck to my other side in a switch-kick.

As the beat of the song picked up my strikes and blocks began to flow together, the beat and rhythm dictating how and when I would move as my imaginary battle reached a fever pitch. I started throwing in stepping movements between my strikes as I moved around the hill summit, slowly adding more and more to the kata as I kept my eyes tightly shut. Before long I was leaping into rolls and backflips, throwing my legs out midair to strike opposite enemies with my feet.

All of a sudden, just as I was becoming lost in the battle dance, a rush of ice cold liquid dumped on me from above. I screamed in a high-pitched voice that I would deny ever making in public, and ripped my earbuds out as I spun to try and find my assailant. I didn’t have far to look, because a familiar cyan pegasus was hovering next to the small thundercloud that just so happened to be taking up the airspace above my head.

“What the hell, Rainbow?!” I yelled once I had gotten my voice back down where it belonged, “I was in the middle of something and you just up and decided to dump a raincloud on me?! Do you want me to kick your rainbow rump into next week?!”

Her expression morphed from her usual macho bravado into one that I didn’t immediately recognize, “Like you could even touch me. I was just trying to put out the fire that was covering your whole body!”

My eyes narrowed in a combination of suspicion and confusion, “What fire?! I’m pretty sure I would know if I was suddenly trying to turn into a flame broiled steak! You want to try and run by me something I’m going to believe?”

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to look incredulous, “I’m not lying! It was like your whole body was covered in this weird multi-colored fire. I saw you jumping and rolling around and thought you were trying to put it out!” She kicked the thunderhead and it dissipated into thin air, “I was trying to stop you from burning to death after we went through so much trouble to save you!”

I clenched my fists, feeling a heat rising up in my hands and forearms as I tried to drill holes into Rainbow’s head with my gaze, “I swear if you don’t start telling the truth I’m going to kick in your teeth and then feed you to whatever monsters you have roaming around on this crazy planet! Now tell. Me. The. TRUTH!”

Rainbow’s mouth opened as she presumably readied a retort, only for her face to freeze as her eyes traveled down from my face. She pointed with one hoof as her eyes widened in terror, “Oh crap, it’s back! Your hooves are on fire!”

I looked down and saw that my hands and lower forearms were indeed covered with what looked like ethereal red and yellow flames. I was about to start jumping and screaming for a medic when I realized that I wasn’t in pain. I took a moment as I slowly unclenched my fists, watching as the fire collected in my palms and formed twin orbs of fizzling energy. There was no pain, only a mild heat where the fire was present, and as I closed my fingers around the fire it once again enveloped my hands and lower arms in a vibrant red aura.

Rainbow flew in a bit closer, apparently also realizing that I wasn’t about to burn to a crisp. She hesitantly touched my left arm with a hoof, only to pull it back with wide eyes. Not a single hair on her hoof had been burnt, nor had there been any other indication that it had done anything except contact my shirt sleeve.

“Whoa.” She managed to say as she looked between me and her hoof, “That is beyond weird.”

“You’re telling me.” I said as I experimented with the energy flowing through my body, “I’ve never done anything like this before. Have you seen something like this from a unicorn?”

She shook her head, “The only thing that comes to mind is the aura that covers a unicorn’s horn when they use magic, or the glow that covers an object when they make it move around or something. This is different. For one thing, Twilight’s magic never looked like flames when she used it.”

As my heart began to calm down and my blood stopped pounding in my ears, I watched in fascination as the aura around my arms faded until there was nothing left. For a moment I was worried I had imagined the whole thing, but at that same instant I felt a heat rising up in my chest, a heat that reminded me of the feeling that had surrounded my arms when the flames had been present.

“So, are we cool about me dumping a rainstorm on your head?” Rainbow asked sheepishly, rubbing behind her head with a hoof.

I nodded, “Yeah, sorry about blowing up on you like that.” I looked down at my hands with wonder, “I think we might want to talk to Twilight about this. If this is some new power that I got by coming to Equestria, then I need to know what it does and how it works before I accidentally hurt someone.”

As Rainbow flew along next to my head, I noticed the guards that had been waiting on the side of the hill were no longer present. So, either they hadn’t seen my little ignition and decided to take the rest of the day off, or they had seen my little firework show and were running off to report it to their superiors. Oh joy, just what I need right now.

We managed to get back to Twilight’s castle without being ambushed by overexcited guards, but I was beginning to think that my luck wasn’t going to last. As we entered the main foyer of the castle my heart plummeted. There, standing with Twilight and bearing grim faces were my two bodyguards. The unicorn was talking adamantly with Twilight while his partner stood nearby. However, their conversation came to a grinding halt as they spotted me.

In an instant, they took up combat stances between me and Twilight, “Halt!” The pegasus yelled, “You are not to step one hoof closer to the Princess until you reveal the dark arts you have been keeping hidden from us.”

I raised one eyebrow as I looked over my shoulder at Rainbow, “Is he for real? Dark arts? What kind of nonsense is that?”

She shrugged, much to the irritation of the dynamic duo. “We gave you an order,” the unicorn called out, “now reveal to us what dark magic you were performing on the hilltop before we are forced to apprehend you.”

I rolled my eyes, “First off, you guys aren’t my commanding officer, and two, I wasn’t even aware of what I was doing until after Rainbow did her best to drown me with an instant rainstorm.”

Twilight gave Rainbow a reprimanding look, and the prismatic pegasus had enough tact to look sheepish as she rubbed the back of her neck, “Yeah, I kind of though she was on fire, so I tried to put her out with a little rain. Turns out it wasn’t fire, at least not the usual stuff.”

Twilight’s eyes immediately snapped to me, “What’s she talking about Sarah? What’s this all about fire that isn’t fire?”

I looked down at my hands, wondering if it was possible to bring the fire out of my chest and to my hands again. “Well, I can try and show you. It happened my accident last time so I’m not really sure how to control it.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember what it felt like when I was doing my kata. First off, I was exercising, so physical movement might have something to do with it. Then again, the heat seemed to come out when I got mad at Rainbow, so maybe my mood played a part as well. I settled for something in the middle, closing my hands into fists as I brought them up to my chest. I tried to channel as much anger and frustration into my movements as I threw out first one punch and then another. I felt the heat in my chest rise but it stubbornly remained in my core. I let my air out in a rush as I opened my eyes, seeing everyone was looking at with like I had grown a second head.

I felt a blush heating my cheeks, “Well don’t give me that look. I’m trying to do this with no past experience except for an accident earlier this morning! Give me a little credit for not knowing what to do!”

I huffed as I closed my eyes again, noting with some surprise that the fire in my chest had gotten a lot stronger. I wondered if my embarrassment had fueled this new power, so I focused on the most embarrassing moment in my entire life. As the image of my past self walking into the men’s bathroom at boot camp flashed through my mind, I could feel the fire in my chest and my cheeks growing stronger by the second. Finally, I let out an echoing yell, punching outward with all my strength. I opened my eyes as everyone gasped, only for my own eyes to widen in shock at what I was seeing. Instead of the cherry red flames that had been there before, my right hand and forearm were now covered in hot pink flames that danced and flashed with patches of white every so often.

I opened my hand and brought my arm back to my body, looking over my arm with fascination. I brought my other hand up to my arm and cupped my palm like I was catching water. The flames were slowly drawn off my arm and coalesced into a ball in my other hand, much like when I had concentrated on the red flames back on the hill.

At this point Twilight was standing directly in front of me, much to the shock of the two guards, “This is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this before!” She glanced up at me cautiously, “Can I touch it?”

I nodded, lowering my hand to her level with the ball of energy still floating above my palm, “Go ahead. Rainbow touched it before and it didn’t do a thing to her.”

Twilight slowly lifted her hoof off the floor, as if hesitant to trust my words. Ever so slowly she moved her hoof closer to the ball of softly flickering energy, until she couldn’t take it anymore. She shut her eyes tight and shoved her hoof into the ball, holding a cringe for several seconds until she seemed to realize there was no pain. She opened her eyes and looked back at her hoof, which was now resting within the ball of energy, causing it to distort around her leg like a mass of clay.

Her eyes widened in amazement as she slowly moved her hoof through my energy, “This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It feels kind of like magic, but at the same time different from any magic I’ve read about or interacted with in the past.” She looked up at me, her question of why present in her gaze even before she spoke, “What did you do to discover this ability?”

I closed my hand, actually feeling the heat of this energy flow back up my arm and into my core, “I don’t know. I was just performing some combat exercises and the next thing I know Rainbow’s soaking me with water, claiming I’m on fire. I have no idea what’s going on. I thought you might have the answer.”

Twilight spared her cyan friend a mild glare before turning back to me, “Well I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never seen anything like this before and I’m pretty sure there’s nothing on this in my books. Oh, I know!” Her eyes lit up with excitement as she spun around to face the interior of the castle, “We can ask Princess Celestia! She’s bound to have encountered something like this before. Spike! We need to send a letter to Princess Celestia!”

“Coming!” Was the reply that echoed from far away.

Twilight spun around and leveled her gaze with mine, “You’re absolutely sure you never had this ability before coming to Equestria?”

I nodded, “First time I’ve been able to spontaneously create flames from my body. As far as I know, no human has ever had this ability.”

Twilight nodded, “Then this has to be something to do with the magical energies of Equis. Your new ability must be some kind of reaction between your body and the natural energy in the atmosphere, food and water you’ve been exposed to after your arrival.”

“Princess,” Guard with Horn asked as he and his partner walked up, “are you certain it’s alright trusting her on her word alone? She could be hiding some dark powers from us that could pose a threat to you or Equestria at large.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as Spike came waddling out of the far corridor, “I’m sure Nova Burst. If Sarah had any kind of malicious intent, I’m sure she would have acted by now. Given her size and this new power, if she really wanted to take over Equestria, don’t you think she would have done so by now?”

He nodded begrudging agreement, cutting off Guard with Wings’ comment with a quick glow of his horn. The pegasus’ mouth snapped shut as his bottom jaw glowed the same amber as the newly named Nova Burst’s horn. He rubbed his mouth with one hoof as his partner released him, choosing instead to glower at me rather than speak.

“So, *huff*, what do you need, *huff*, to send to Princess Celestia, *huff*, with such urgency?” He managed to force out between gasps. Poor little guy, he works so hard to keep this place running and he also has to act as messenger boy. Talk about a rough childhood.

Twilight either didn’t notice her assistant’s state, or ignored it as she spoke, “Spike, take a letter please.” Spike nodded, pulling a scroll and quill from seemingly nowhere as he readied for Twilight to speak.

Twilight cleared her throat before beginning, “Dear Princess Celestia. Sarah has been settling in well here in Ponyville. Pinkie threw her a welcome party and everything. However, this morning she discovered a new power, one that I am unfamiliar with, and I was hoping you could shed your wisdom on the situation.” She paused for a moment so Spike could catch up, “This new power seems to be produced by Sarah’s body, and takes the form of ethereal flames when she conducts the energy through her body or when she manipulates it outside of her body. She had a slight scare with Rainbow Dash upon discovering this new ability, but other than some wet clothing there was no harm done. I eagerly await your reply, with the hopes that you can shed some light on this mystery. Your humble friend, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Twi-light, Spar-kle.” Spike echoed as he finished the letter with a flourish, “Is that everything Twilight?”

She nodded and he rolled the scroll up before holding it in front of his snout. For a moment I was confused until he took a deep breath and burned the scroll to ash with a gout of green flames. The ashes whipped through the air and out a nearby open window, vanishing into the sky in seconds. I turned back to Twilight, about to ask what that had been, when Spike got a weird expression on his face. He held his chest like he had heart burn before he let out a loud belch, the flames coalescing into a scroll much like the previous one, only this time secured with a red ribbon and golden seal.

“Wow, talk about instant messaging.” I joked as Twilight grabbed the scroll with her magic, bringing it up to her eyes as it unrolled.

“Dear Twilight,” she read aloud, “while it is good to hear that Sarah is getting along well in Ponyville, this new ability brings back memories of a lost art that has not been used by ponies for the last several centuries. I think it would be best if Sarah showed my sister and I this new ability in person, tomorrow if at all possible. I wish for you to make all due haste, but do not worry. While this power may be old and very powerful, it will not cause any harm to you or anypony else that comes into contact with it. Safe travels my once faithful student, and I will see you at the castle.”

She dropped the scroll with wide eyes, her gaze slightly unfocused as she looked at me. I got the feeling we were about to have a Twilight Freak Moment, and I saw Rainbow taking cover behind one of the doors leading out of the foyer. Even the guards, who probably didn’t know Twilight as well as Rainbow, ducked for cover behind the staircase that led to the second floor. I watched in slightly disturbed fascination as Twilight’s mane began to frazzle one hair at a time. Her grin grew bigger by the second and her eyes began to take on a slightly manic look as she began to giggle. At this point I figured it was now or never, so I did the unthinkable.

I walked up and slapped her in the face.

The silence that followed was so still you could hear a pin drop, and for a moment I thought I had just signed my own death warrant. Yet as Twilight lifted a hoof to touch the growing red spot on her cheek, she let out a sigh that sounded more like relief than anything else.

“Thank you, Sarah,” she said softly as she straightened her mane and cleared her throat, “I was getting a bit out of hoof when I was thinking about what this new power could mean for you, and for us. I’m sorry,” she hung her head and tucked her tail between her legs, “that was out of line for me to worry you like that.”

“Oh come on Twilight,” Rainbow said as she flew back into the room, “it wouldn’t be you if you didn’t freak out at least a little bit.”

I nodded, kneeling down to wrap the alicorn up in a firm hug, “It’s not a problem Twilight. We still like you even when you get a bit crazy.” I pulled back to look her in the face with a serious expression, “Just try and not blow us up if you freak out again, alright?”

She nodded, rubbing her forelegs together as she made yet another adorable face up at me, “I’ll try not to go too nuts when we talk about things like this in the future. Pinkie Promise.”

I glanced at my fingers, wondering how a creature with hooves could make a pinkie promise, before dismissing it as unimportant. We had a trip to plan, and from what little I knew of Equestria, visiting Princess Celestia was not going to be a simple little day trip. Twilight aside, visiting with royalty when you used to march with the grunts is a sure-fire way to make a mess of things. Royalty or not, I hoped this Celestia had a dry sense of humor, or else this was going to go south very quickly.

Author's Note

Okay, I am officially so far beyond on a roll that I'm drag racing through the Badlands with a rocket-powered sled that can break the sound barrier three times while still staying on the ground. FOUR CHAPTERS IN A WEEK?!?!?!? :pinkiegasp: What in the hay is going on with me?! Normally I get two or three chapters done in a two or three week period and then I go off cycle for a month or more. This is absolutely crazy!

Alright, *huff* mental freak moment over with and taken care of. Anyway, hope you guys are enjoying the book so far. I know I certainly am. Here is a little bonus material for all of my faithful readers, Sarah's Combat Playlist!!! Brought to you by yours truly.
Thunderstruck by AC/DC
Fallen Angels by Black Veil Brides
Get off My Back by Bryan Adams
Mz. Hyde by Halestorm (explicit)
War Child by Hollywood Undead (VERY explicit)
Danger Zone by Jonathan Young
Dangerous by Shaman's Harvest (explicit)
Superhero by Simon Curtis
Undefeated by Skillet
The Devil's Bleeding Crown by Volbeat

Hope you like my music choices, and I'll see you all next chapter
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

7 - Canterlot

I yawned widely as I stumbled along next to Twilight, the sun barely over the horizon as we made our way towards the train station, “Did we have to get up so early?” I moaned as my feet shuffled along the dirt road, “I mean really, don’t you think Princess Celestia would be fine with it if we came to visit at a more reasonable hour?”

Twilight shook her head, not even looking at me as she replied, “When you get a summons from Princess Celestia, it doesn’t matter if she would mind or not. We are going to get there bright and early and get this whole situation sorted out as soon as possible.”

I groaned as I shuffled along beside her, “Fine, just don’t mind me if I pass out on the train. How long is it going to take to get to this Canterlot anyway?”

“About three hours.” Was the clipped reply.

I just about gave up right then and there. Despite my military background, I was not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. The only way to get me up before nine was to shove a rifle in my hands and tell me to go shoot something, preferably something that yelled a lot and had a pension for strapping explosives to its chest.

We arrived at the train station to find the place completely deserted. Not even a ticket minder was present in the booth as a lonely gust of wind blew up a cloud of dust. I felt a shiver go up my spine at what I was seeing. Zombie horror flick much? I sat down on one of the benches near the rails and waited for our supposed train, my fingers fiddling with the plating on my mechanical leg through the fabric of my pants. I had chosen to wear my cargo shorts today, allowing me to carry my phone, fully charged, in one of the numerous pockets covering its surface. I had my blazer on over my unit T-shirt, although I had a feeling it would need to be washed before too long. It was starting to accumulate that ‘lived in’ smell, and I didn’t want to offend my hosts with my bad BO if I could help it.

The only thing that made me slightly self-conscious about my state of dress was the fact that my shorts left my artificial leg open to the air for anyone to see. While I had worn long pants since my departure from the hospital, it was getting a little too hot to wear them all the time. By my estimations, it was early summer here in Equestria, even though back home it had only just turned into spring. I just hoped no one started asking too many questions about my leg. That was a memory I would rather soon forget.

All of a sudden my instincts screamed at me, and I threw a spinning heel at my assailant as they came up behind me.

“Hey! It’s me you featherhead!” A familiar raspy voice called out.

I stopped my foot mid-spin, preventing my attack from hitting Rainbow in the side of the head by mere inches. Her eyes widened for a moment as I held my leg in its inclined position, before I slowly lowered it back to the ground.

“It’s a bad idea to sneak up on me.” I managed to say as my cheeks heated up, “I usually react to surprises with a preemptory attack. I’m sorry.”

She rubbed her hoof along her mane once or twice, “Yeah, I was trying to give you a jump scare anyway. Guess that’ll teach me to watch who I prank.”

“Hooie, that was a mighty fine kick ya got there Sarah,” Applejack’s voice called out from the other side of the platform. “Ah wouldn’t mind seein’ you try yer hoof at applebucking over on the farm.”

I turned and saw that it wasn’t just the cowpony that had joined us. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were there with her.

“What are you girls doing here?” Twilight asked as they joined up with RD and me.

“Well I heard from somepony that you were going to Canterlot to talk about some super crazy magic that Sarah had discovered and then I was like, ‘Oh! We can’t let them go all alone all the way to Canterlot and not come along to give them support!’ What kinds of friends would we be if we let you run off to meet the Princesses without doing our best to help you?” She paused only for a moment to take in a breath before continuing her monologue, “So then I went around and gathered up all our friends so we could go on the trip together. Rarity’s busy on her business trip so of course she can’t come but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t join you and do our very, very best to make sure it goes well.”

I opened my mouth to question how she knew all that, but a quick glance at Twilight showed her shaking her head at me. I closed my mouth and leaned down next to her ear, whispering behind my hand as the others talked, “How did she know all that?”

Twilight lowered her own voice into a whisper as she replied, “When it comes to Pinkie I’ve learned to just accept her the way she is. She’ll never make any sense, unless the situation really calls for it, but she’ll always do her best to help her friends in any way she deems necessary. The last time I tried to figure her out all I got for it was a monumental headache.”

I nodded my understanding, “Gotcha.”

I was thinking about how I might try and get a quick nap in on the train when my thoughts were derailed by a soft clinking noise. I looked down and saw Pinkie tapping her hoof against the plating of my prosthetic with wide eyes.

“Ooh, shiny.” She said as she pulled her hoof back and leaned in to peer between the servos, “I never knew you had a metal leg Sarah.” She looked up to meet my gaze, “What’d you do to get it?”

“Wait, Sarah’s got a what now?” Applejack asked, walking over to us with a confused expression. Her eyes widened as she caught a glance at my not-so-normal limb, “Well I’ll be a donkey’s aunt, you do have a metal leg.”

Fluttershy shied away from it slightly with a cringe, “Does that mean you,” she swallowed thickly before continuing, “lost your real one and had it replaced with that?”

At her soft words, the charm and curiosity seemed to get sucked out of the room, leaving all five of them looking at me with different degrees of pity. Even Rainbow was looking sheepish as her glance kept bouncing from my leg to anywhere else and back again.

I felt a heat rising in my cheeks, and I fought the urge to try and hide my limb from them, “Yes, I lost my leg in an accident. There was nothing the doctors could do so they made me this cool replacement so I could walk without needing some kind of aid.” I held my arm over my chest as I averted my gaze, “Can we not talk about it? It’s not exactly a day I like to think about.”

“I getcha sugarcube.” AJ said softly, removing her hat and holding it against her chest, “Some things are better left in the past, so long as we don’t let it hurt us in the present.”

Pinkie made a sad face as a puppy whimper escaped her mouth, “Oh this is no good at all. We’re on a mission to see the Princesses and nopony is happy about the exciting new things we’re going to learn.” She got up on her hind hooves and hugged me around my ribs, burying her face between my breasts, “Please feel better Sarah. I don’t like it when my friends are not feeling super-duper yeperific.”

I smiled at her words, hugging her shoulders as I rested my cheek on her mane, “Thank you Pinkie. I’ll try not to bring the mood down if I can help it.”

Some of the poof seemed to come back to the peppy mare, and she looked up from her position between my breasts with big puppy eyes, “You really mean it?”

God damnit! Why do these ponies have to be so gosh-darned adorable?! “Pinkie Promise.” I didn’t know what kind of social norms surrounded the oath that left my mouth, but for that moment it just seemed to fit right.

At that Pinkie’s smile returned in full force, and she bounced around like some kind of super bouncy ball before coming back down next to Applejack, “Goodie, now I don’t need to bring out my big guns.”

We all collectively chose not to question the pink wonder as she beamed like a child, and I felt a slight bit better about having them join us. All at once, I realized that I now had some energy in my system instead of dragging my heels from lack of sleep.

Clever girl. I mused to myself as the train pulled up to the station, although my thoughts were completely thrown out the proverbial window as I actually saw what the train looked like.

The whole engine looked like someone had taken a little girl’s coloring book, chewed it up and puked it all over the powerhouse of the train. I mean, pink and white hearts painted on every visible surface, with heart-shaped windows to boot?! It was just another reminder that the customs and tastes of my hosts were far from what any human would consider normal. At least the cars were mostly normal, save for the slight gingerbread theme they had going on the roofs.

We boarded the train and sat down on the long benches that ran the length of the car, Twilight choosing to sit across from me while the others took up seats around the barren car. The engine let out a high whistle before the train lurched out of the station, the soft clickity-clack of the wheels on the tracks adding a soft white noise to the space. I sat next to a window and rested my chin on one hand as I watched the scenery go by, choosing to ignore my companions as our journey to Canterlot began. I didn’t really have the energy for conversation, and I had some bad memories that were trying to bring themselves to the fore in my mind’s eye.

I was just about to sigh in relief as I was able to repress the dark memories, when I felt a soft wing settle over my shoulders. I looked to my left and saw Fluttershy sitting next to me, her lips curled into a small smile as she leaned her body against mine.

“You don’t have to say anything.” She said softly as she closed her eyes and rested her cheek against my shoulder, “Just relax and try to think happy thoughts. Everything will be alright if we just believe it will be.”

I smiled, moving my arm to pull her against me gently as I rubbed the base of her neck with my fingers. She hummed softly and snuggled a bit closer to me as her wing curled around my back in a sideways hug.

I glanced over at the others, who were watching with soft smiles on their faces, and felt a warmth in my chest not unlike my new power. The only difference was that I knew what this heat was. It was something I hadn’t felt since I had been discharged from the Corps. No, longer than that. This was a feeling that hadn’t been in my life since I moved out of my family’s house. As crazy as it was, I had found something I hadn’t even realized I had been missing until I nearly died and somehow got transported to another world. I returned my gaze to Fluttershy as she slept soundly against my shoulder, and gently ran my fingers through her mane.

This feeling in my heart, was contentment.

I must have dozed off at some point along the way, because the next thing I was aware of was the screech of the train’s brakes and the sudden pressure of the deceleration. I grunted as Fluttershy fell off my shoulder and landed in my lap, the impact waking the shy pegasus as the train came to a full stop.

Fluttershy looked around in bewilderment for a moment, before turning and looking up at me. Her eyes widened slightly as her cheeks colored, and she practically leaped off my lap as her wings flared to full span.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she sputtered out as she tried to get her wings under control, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

I couldn’t find it in my heart to get mad at her, she was just too sweet and apologetic for any angry thoughts to take root in my mind, “It’s fine Fluttershy. I fell asleep too so I guess we’re both at fault.”

She looked at me with her one visible eye, her expression apprehensive, “You’re not mad that I fell asleep on you?”

I shrugged, “Like I said, I technically fell asleep on you as well so I’m just as much to blame.” I stood up and offered my hand to her, “Shall we go? I believe this is our stop.”

She blushed even more before gingerly setting her hoof in my palm, allowing me to help her up and off the bench as the others stepped by to exit the car. Rainbow gave me and Fluttershy a confused look, but otherwise didn’t comment as we all filed out and onto the platform.
I turned my attention to our surroundings, and was surprised to see that we were in a rather large city. Cobblestone roads wound their way through large stone buildings, some three or four stories tall and all done up in brilliant white marble. The roofing used on most of the structures was a brilliant metallic gold, although it had to be brass or some other stronger metal to be usable as a building material. I took a single step beyond the platform, followed by Twilight and the others, as we began our journey through the bustling streets of Canterlot.

“Wow.” I muttered to myself as we passed by another high-end shop with lavish dresses on display, “Is this the home of, like, all the high society ponies that live in your kingdom?”

“Well not all of them,” Twilight answered as she fell in at my left side, “but Canterlot is the capitol of Equestria, so it’s only natural that a large majority of the nobility live here.”

My eyes caught another couple dressed in fancy clothing turning their noses up at me and my companions, “Yeah, really feeling the nobility from the locals. Is there any way we can get through this mess faster?”

“Not unless you can fly like me.” Rainbow said as she flew past me on her back, her forehooves folded behind her head as she glided along, “They don’t even allow taxi services here because too many nobles complained about the noise of the wheels on the road.”

I rolled my eyes, “Great, just another day in snob land. I’m sure I’m going to love it here.” The sarcasm in my tone was so heavy it could sink a battleship.

Applejack stepped up on my others side, giving a nearby stallion the stink eye before turning to me, “Yeah, most of these varmints wouldn’t give you the time of day unless your horseshoes were made of silver.” She spit onto the cobblestone in distaste, “Makes me want to buck some sense into their cotton-headed noggins.”

I chuckled at the mental image, “Yeah, I would almost pay to see that. Although the medical bills afterwards would be a bother.”

The girls giggled at my joke before we lapsed into a comfortable silence. The rest of our trip was mostly uneventful, although the whispers from the nobility we passed were nearly enough to make me lose my temper a couple times. I had to remind myself several times that beating foreign nobility about the head and neck with a street lamp was a diplomatic no-no, although the mental image of doing such a thing helped immensely with lifting my mood.

After about half an hour of walking, we came up to what had to be the Canterlot Castle’s gates, although they were wide open with only two guards to keep them secure. Instead of my dynamic duo, these guards were dressed in white and gold armor, with helmets reminisce of Roman centurions on their heads. They nodded to Twilight and the gang as we entered, although I caught them giving me long second looks as we made our way into the castle courtyard. We passed through what had to be the biggest front doors in history, and followed several hallways that I quickly lost track of as we progressed.

“How do you know this place so well?” I asked as we made yet another random turn down a hallway that looked the same as the one we had just left, “I’m getting dizzy from all these identical hallways and I have no idea where we are.”

Twilight smiled as she looked over her shoulder at me, “I practically grew up in these halls when I was Princess Celestia’s personal student. Plus, the girls and I have saved Equestria several times, so we get to visit the castle quite often.”

I lifted an eyebrow in suspicion, “You’ve saved Equestria several times? Now this I have got to hear.”

“Well there was the time we purified Princess Luna when she was still Nightmare Moon.” Twilight said, ticking off the different events with a tap of her hoof as we continued down the hall, “Then we defeated Discord, the embodiment of chaos,”

“Twice.” Rainbow added as she hovered on my right.

“Twice,” Twilight conceded, “although reforming him doesn’t really count as defeating him, I guess. Then there was the invasion of the changelings, although it was mostly my brother and Princess Cadence that stopped them from taking over. Then there was Tirek when he tried to steal all the pony magic in Equestria.”

She paused, glancing over her shoulder at the others, completely oblivious to my gob-smacked expression, “Am I forgetting anything girls?”

“Nope, Ah think that ‘bout covers it Twi’.” Applejack said as she glanced my way, although her face scrunched up with poorly contained laughter as our eyes met, “You should see your face right now, sugarcube. Ya’ll look like your metal leg got turned into cheese.”

I shook my head to get my thoughts in line, taking a deep breath to calm myself as I turned to face forward again, “So you’re national heroes. Way to drop that on me at the last minute.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said as she shifted her wings slightly in anxiety, “we didn’t know it would be that important to you.”

I shrugged, choosing to ignore the fact that my hosts had saved the nation several times for a moment, “Yeah, it’s not that big a deal, I just wasn’t expecting my new friends to be such influential members of society.”

“Oh, we don’t actually hold that much power,” Twilight said as we came up to a large set of doors emblazoned with gold designs in the shape of a sun, “I may be a princess, but my friends and I don’t really have any say in making laws or things like that. Even the nobility have to petition Princess Celestia or Princess Luna to have the laws changed.”

“So, your diarchy is more like a benevolent dictatorship,” I translated, “and you and your friends are more like military assets than nobility.” I rolled my eyes as the doors began to open, “Sounds legit.”

“Well, I guess you could put it that way,” Twilight mused as the doors opened fully, “but given Princess Celestia has ruled Equestria with her sister for over a thousand years, who better to lead our nation?”

My eye twitched at the number she had just uttered. A thousand years?! What are these Princesses, demigods or something?

My thoughts were brought to a halt as we stepped into what had to be the throne room, although the twin thrones at the other end of the long red carpet were currently empty. The doors closed behind us as we entered the room proper, and I got the distinct feeling we had just been locked in. One of the doors at the other end of the room opened, and my jaw dropped at what walked in through the opening.
I had been expecting Celestia to look more like Twilight, with a horn and a set of wings. Well I was partially correct, although the pony that walked into the throne room was far from ordinary. While the ponies I had come to know came up to about my stomach in height, Celestia was so tall my eyes were level with her chin, to say nothing of the two-foot horn that protruded from her head like a pike. Her mane and tail were absolutely massive, and they reminded me of the aroura with their shifting hues and the way they flowed in an absent breeze. Her coat was the purest white I had ever seen, while the golden regalia that adorned her body glinted in the sunlight. Her magenta eyes were kind yet ancient, and I could believe that this mare had lived for a thousand plus years. Her gaze seemed to stare into my very soul as she walked into the room, nearly making me miss the second individual as she entered behind Celestia.

This mare was a fair bit shorter than Celestia, her gaze level with my shoulders while her horn reached to just above my head. She was the exact opposite of Celestia, in that her body was a dark blue in color, while her mane and tail resembling the night sky as they too rippled in a non-present wind. Her teal eyes were a fair deal younger than her sister’s, and the bags under them did little to help her case as a large coffee mug floated along in a dark blue aura. The poor girl looked like she was half asleep, and she hung her head low as she trudged into the throne room behind Celestia. Given what little I knew, this must have been Princess Luna, Celestia’s younger sister.

I did the first thing that came to mind as the two royals came to a stop before us. I snapped to attention and threw out my most polished salute I could manage.

“Captain Sarah Lovegood of the United States 75th Ranger Corps reporting as requested, sir!” I kept my gaze level with Celestia’s as the two royals looked on in what looked like surprise.

“Well that was certainly a memorable introduction,” Celestia said smoothly as she stepped up to me, “You may rest at ease Sarah Lovegood. There is no need for such decorum here.”

I relaxed, dropping my arm as I rubbed my hands together nervously, “Well, I wasn’t really sure how you would react to me, so I thought a proper Ranger sign-in would be the best way to go.” I looked up and felt small for the first time since arriving on this crazy world, “You’re a lot bigger than I was expecting.”

Celestia chuckled as she glanced at the others behind me, “Knowing how my size compares to my subjects, I can understand why that would be the case.” Her gaze returned to me, and I straightened out of habit as she looked me up and down, “You are certainly a unique being. I would dare say you are a rare beauty in a world known for its amazing grandeur.”

I blushed under her praise, “Would you mind explaining to me why it is everyone’s commenting on me being beautiful? I’m not even from this world and yet I’ve had more than a dozen comments on my looks since I got here.”

She smiled softly, “While you may not be native to our land, that does not change the fact that you have a natural beauty that is rare in my subjects. Plus, your foreign nature only adds to your natural allure.”

I tried to find some way to brush off her words, but I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her. It was like trying to argue with my grandmother, you just couldn’t do it.

“Yet you seem to be flustered by this attention,” Luna added as she walked up, draining the last of her coffee, “is it not customary on your world to compliment one on their beauty?”

I shook my head, “Well, you see, back home I’m not all that special. I’m just your average woman who happens to have good hygiene and dresses in decent clothing. I was never seen as a real catch by most of the guys, and even then, most of them saw me as a fellow member of the Corps first and a woman second.”

At that Luna’s eyes lit up with interest, “That is the second time you have mentioned this Corps. Are you by chance a member of your home’s military?”

I nodded, to the apparent surprise of my companions, “I was a part of the United States Ranger Corps, and a captain to boot.” My face fell as my hand ran along the metal of my leg, “Well, at least I was.”

The sisters’ gazes followed my own, only to widen as they caught sight of my metallic leg. Luna leaning in closer, inspecting my limb with the utmost scrutiny as Celestia turned her gaze back to mine. The pity in those magenta orbs made me want to hit her, but I restrained myself in favor of a simple nod.

Luna looked up at me without moving her head from its lowered position, “What could cause such an injury to require replacing your entire leg with this automaton?”

I really wanted to hide the truth, if not for my sake then for the sake of my new friends. I didn’t want to burden them with the pains of my past. Yet as Luna and Celestia turned their combined weight behind their gazes, I crumbed under the pressure.

“Alright, I’ll tell you.” I sighed, rubbing my arm with my other hand, “It isn’t going to be easy to hear though.”

The ponies gathered around me in a semicircle, leaving me in the middle with Luna and Celestia. I took a deep breath, and was about to begin when I heard something coming from beyond the stained-glass windows that made up the left wall. All eyes turned to the shadow that was growing over the tinted design, and my eyes widened at what I knew was about to happen.

“Everybody duck!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, diving behind the thrones as the screaming object shattered the window.

Glass rained down onto the floor as a golden bubble formed around the ponies, and I saw something skid along the floor several times before impacting the far wall. I hid my head under my arms, bracing for the explosion, but was surprised by the lack of searing heat and deafening noise that should have followed. I peeked out from behind the thrones just in time to catch the object, no, creature right itself and dust itself off.

“Am I late?” The crazy mix and matched abomination asked in a gravelly voice, “I could have sworn I had my clock set for the instant my little protégé got into Canterlot,” I watch as a misshapen clock appeared in its mismatched claws, was given a rather nasty stink eye, and was then summarily tossed over one shoulder, “but sadly it seems my timekeeping skills are not all they’re cracked up to be.”

“Discord!” Twilight yelled as the bubble around them faded from existence, “You know better than to cause random destruction!”

“Oh psshh,” the newly named Discord said as he waved Twilight’s words away like flies, “I know that. I was just going for a grand entrance. I was going to put the window back anyway.” He snapped his lion paw, and I watched as the shards of glass floated back into position, although the image ended up upside down. “Whoops, force of habit.” Discord muttered as he snapped his fingers again, this time revealing the pane in its proper orientation.

The embodiment of chaos looked around the room, spying me as I openly stared from behind the thrones, “Ah there you are my dear. I was wondering where you had gotten off to.” He disappeared from view and I yelped in surprise as he somehow managed to pop out of my shirt collar to stare me in the face, “So nice to see you again.”

“Discord, state your business here at once.” I was nearly floored by the controlled anger that seemed to radiate off Celestia in waves, “Miss Sarah is none of your concern.”

“Oh but that’s where your wrong dear Celestia.” He mused as he ducked back into my shirt and then reappeared between me and the ponies, “If it wasn’t for me little Sarah here would be lying dead at the bottom of a cliff with nothing to look forward to but getting eaten by crows and other vermin.”

At that instant my mind flashed back to the last memories I had from Earth, “YOU! You were the one who I met when I fell off the cliff!”

Discord turned his mismatched eyes onto me, grinning like a madman, “Ah, and here I thought you had forgotten me when I brought you across the vast interdimensional void.” He tapped me on the top of the head with his eagle claw and I felt something appear where he had touched me. I pulled the hat off and saw it was a ballcap that had the words ‘Smarty-Pants’ written above the bill. “You are certainly more fun than anything I’ve run into in this realm in a long time.”

The ponies seemed to be confused beyond measure, including both princesses, “What does he mean, Sarah?” Celestia asked as her gaze traveled between me and Discord, “Is he speaking the truth?”

I glanced up at the god being that had apparently saved my life, “I guess he is. I thought it was all a hallucination caused by my blood loss. I never imagined that I was really saved by some being beyond the universe.”

Discord shifted until he was dressed in a fine suit, performing a sarcastic bow in my direction, “Oh you flatter me, do please go on.”

I rolled my eyes, “Now I see what Twilight meant when she called you the lord of chaos. Did you come up with that title yourself or did you pull it off of the back of a cereal box?”

Discord’s eyes snapped open with an audible popping noise, and I heard several of the others gasp at what I had said. Discord slowly turned to face me, and then did something even I wasn’t expecting.

He fell over and clutched his stomach as he bust a gut laughing.

I shared a confused look with the ponies as he got himself under control, pushing himself to his mismatched feet before turning to me, “Oh I knew there was something I liked about you. Call me crazy but nopony has ever had the gall to crack a joke at my expense before.” He slapped me on the back hard enough to nearly send me onto my face, “Oh we’re going to get along just fine you and I.”

“If thou were the one who brought young Lovegood to Equestria,” Luna asked as she slowly advanced on Discord with a narrowed gaze, “to what end were thou trying to exact upon her arrival? What is her purpose in this world?”

Discord rolled his eyes, literally off his face and around the perimeter of the room before picking them up and sticking them back where they belonged, “Oh so serious Lulu, and here I thought we were buddies now, what with my reformation and all that.”

I snickered at the nickname as Luna’s cheeks colored, “Thou whilst answer our question, rouge, or we shall be forced to take drastic measures to garner the truth!”

Celestia walked up and rested a wing over her fuming sister’s back, “Peace sister. You won’t get anywhere threatening him.” She turned her gaze onto the chaotic being before her, her eyes a level calm as she met his mismatched orbs, “Would you please tell us why you brought Sarah to our world?”

Luna sputtered as she gaped at her sister, “Sister! Do not belittle yourself to this creature! It will only fuel his ego!”

“And yet fueling his ego is the exact way to get a straight answer out of him,” Celestia countered as she sent a sidelong smirk at her sister, “you should know this after we’ve dealt with him for so long.”

“Yes, well I’m feeling generous today,” Discord mused as he levitated into the air and summoned a lounge chair to sit in, a pipe and bath robe appearing as he reclined until the back of the chair was facing the floor, “so I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He turned his upside-down body to face me, “Sarah Lovegood, as per our agreement, I am charging you with assisting the ponies in however you can with the coming battles. A darkness is coming, one that even our dear Luna does not know, and you are one of the only ones who can stop it. It has been nearly a thousand years since the days of the Shadow Wars, but the powers that be are choosing this as their time to make an encore performance.”

Celestia’s eyes widened as Luna’s face twisted in confusion, although it was Twilight who spoke first, “What darkness? What’s coming that Sarah has to fight?”

Discord wagged a finger at the lavender alicorn, “Ah, ah, ah, that would be spoilers. My omnipotence may be limited to the near future for anything other than general possibilities, but I know enough to understand that Equestria as it is will not be able to handle the coming threat by itself.” His gaze returned to me, and I felt a shiver run up my spine as he looked me over from his precarious perch, “So while all of you were going about your boring little lives, I traveled the vast void between universes to find someone who could fight this new enemy.” He indicated me with his lion paw as the chair disappeared and he landed on his feet again, “The one I went searching for it none other than the little human you see before you.”

All at once it all came back to me, the offer to save my life, the debt I had to pay when he would return to me, the whole thing. And I felt cheated by it in all honesty, “That’s it? All of that big talk about some debt I owed you for saving my life, and you use the request to tell me to save the lives of those I would protect anyway?!” I groaned as I facepalmed, “Only a lord of chaos would do something so stupid.”

“Not stupid,” he corrected me, “chaotic. I find there is a world of difference between the two. After all, stupidity isn’t random, it’s just lack of common sense. My brand of chaos is a cut above the rest, after all, it is the reason I exist in this world.”

“But how could you have known about the Shadow Wars?” Celestia asked, much to the confusion of the rest of those present, “You were encased in stone during that time.”

Discord chuckled as he pat Celestia on the head with his eagle claws, “Oh silly Celestia. Did you really think I was just an overgrown garden ornament for the thousand years you imprisoned me? Oh no, you simply contained my body within the borders of Equestria. My mind was free to go wherever it wished, so long as I didn’t cause any mischief within your borders. I even made a new body for myself and everything while I was exploring the rest of this wonderful world, although that old thing never did quite fit right.”

This seemed to take even Celestia aback, her eyes widening in shock as Discord pulled a limp copy of his body from out of a backpack that materialized out of nowhere, “I mean look at his thing,” he waved the limp husk around like it was an old dishtowel, “the scales are all wrong and my fur is not that scruffy.”

“But you look exactly the same.” Rainbow said with her usual lack of tact.

“Of course not!” Discord replied as he held up the copy to his face, “it’s not supposed to, oh,” he paused as he took a closer look at the husk, “it does look exactly like me.” He huffed as he held a paw to his forehead in dramatic fashion, “Oh woe is me to have such an ugly persona. Here, if you like it so much you can have it.” Rainbow yelped as he tossed the husk onto the floor next to the girls, “Turn it into a carpet for all I care. The blasted thing never was as good as old reliable anyway. We shall see each other again soon, Sarah Lovegood, but remember your promise. Do whatever you can to stop the coming evils, or else this world will be destroyed along with all those you care for.”

He snapped his claws and disappeared in a puff of pink smoke, his dark laughter echoing around the room as he departed.

“What was he talking about, sister?” Luna asked as the tension slowly drained from the room, “What are the Shadow Wars, and why have I not heard of them until just now?”

“We can worry about that later, Luna.” Celestia replied as I walked up to her and the rest of the girls, “I want to verify that what Discord said was true before we do anything rash. After all, it wouldn’t be beyond him to do all this as some titanic prank. He’s done far worse in the past just for kicks.”

While Luna seemed to accept her sister’s words, I still saw the light of suspicion in her eyes as Celestia turned to me, “In any case, we were going to try and understand this new power you’ve discovered, before we were so rudely interrupted.”

I nodded, casting a glance towards Twilight and the others, “Yeah, I never was able to do anything like it when I was home on Earth. Twilight thinks it might have something to do with the magic of this world reacting with my body.”

Celestia nodded, taking a seat in front of me as Luna fell in by her side, “Then please demonstrate this ability, and we shall see if we can discover the truth behind your new power.”

I nodded, closing my eyes and trying to feel out the heat that had formed in my chest the last time. I found it surprisingly fast, although now that I knew what to look for it wasn’t as hard as I imagined. Yet the energy seemed to be calmer now, more controlled than when I had used it last. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t feeling embarrassed or angry. I held up my hands and closed them into fists, trying to make the energy flow down my arms and into my fingers instead of simply throwing random punches. I’d rather not repeat the silly antics I had used when I first showed Twilight.

It took some doing and a little mental gymnastics, but after a minute or two I felt the heat move from my chest and into my hands. I didn’t even need to open my eyes to know it was happening again. The loud gasps that escaped from most of the others were proof enough that it had worked.

I opened my eyes and was slightly surprised to see the flames were a bright blue in color instead of the red or pink from before. I opened my hands and collected the energy into two spheres before pressing them together. The energy fused as the two orbs collided, and formed into one bigger ball as I held it aloft with one hand. I looked up to try and assess the reactions of the others, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Rainbow had seen me do this before, so she wasn’t all that impressed, although Twilight was paying avid attention to the flames as they hovered above my fingers. Apparently, she had also noticed the color change from our previous attempt, if the muttered notations she was making were anything to go by. Fluttershy was floating off the ground for the first time in my memory, moving so that she was looking directly into the flames as they slowly swirled and fizzed. She slowly reached out with a hoof and touched it, her eyes widening slightly as a small smile curled the corners of her mouth.

“It’s like a little heartbeat.” She said softly as AJ walked up next to me, her head tilted to the side in interest, “It’s warm and tender but not weak or timid.” She slowly landed and looked up at me, “What is it?”

“I don’t recon I’ve seen anything like that before,” Applejack said as she reached up to tap the flames herself, “It’s like somepony made a fire but forgot to add most of the heat.”

“Indeed,” Luna said as she walked up and inspected the energy, “I can sense very weak magic coming from this sphere, but it is unlike anything I have ever encountered.” She glanced back at Celestia, “Have you seen anything like this before, sister?”

Celestia nodded, although upon closer inspection I noticed that her movements had become slightly rigid, I would dare say even hesitant, “I have seen this magic before. It is a very old magic, and very powerful.” All eyes turned to her as she stepped up to me, her eyes locked with mine as she spoke, “I now understand why Discord brought you here, and if what he said is truly coming to pass, then we do not have much time. You are the first user of Auramancy in the last eight hundred and fifty years, and it bodes ill for the fate of Equestria if Discord brought you here to fight some forgotten evil.”

“Ooh, what’s Auramancy?” Pinkie asked as she popped out from under the discarded husk Discord left on the floor, one limb hanging off her head like a morbid hat, “I’ve never heard of that kind of magic before.”

“Nor have I.” Twilight said as she narrowed her eyes in confusion, “It’s not part of any of the eight schools we practice today, and I would know, I’ve studied all of them extensively.”

“You are not alone in your ignorance young Sparkle,” Luna said softly as she cast a suspicious glace at her sister, “for even I am not familiar with this, Auramancy. Please, enlighten us, dear sister, on what secrets you have been hiding from us.”

“It is a long and dark tale,” Celestia said slowly, “one too long for our meeting here today. What I will tell you, is that Auramancy is not known within the eight schools of magic, because it was never part of any of them to begin with.”

I closed my hands over the ball of energy, allowing it to flow back into my body as we payed rapt attention to Celestia’s words. “What do you mean Princess?” Twilight asked, “All magic falls under one of the eight schools. Every spell a unicorn or alicorn can cast either belongs to Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy or Transmutation. It’s always been that way, even back before the time of Starswirl the Bearded!”

Celestia slowly shook her head, “You are wrong my once faithful student. Auramancy doesn’t belong to any of the eight schools, because it is the lost ninth school of magic, one that has been forgotten to the sands of time because of its, unique, properties.”

Her words left everyone speechless, even Princess Luna, who was doing her best to catch flies in her hanging jaw. I wasn’t as effected as the others, given I had none of the backstory behind these schools of magic they were talking about. However, it was enough to make me rethink my new ability as the magical ponies before me tried and failed spectacularly to contain their shock.

“So, this means I’ve got some lost magic flowing through my body?” I asked, snapping the others out of their stupor, “What does that mean exactly?”

Celestia turned to me with a somber expression, “It means that if Discord was telling the truth, then you might be our only hope to stop the coming evil. Auramancy is a very unique form of magic, given that it does not rely on the same rules and limits of the other eight schools.”

The others sat in a semicircle as Celestia continued, hanging on her ever word. “You see, Auramancy derives its name from the way in which the practitioner uses their power. Instead of relying on the magic in their bodies or of their surroundings to cast their spells, an auramancer instead channels the energy of their soul.”

Twilight and Luna leapt to their hooves, bristling with a combination of anger and fear, “Sister! Thou knows that all forms of soul magic are forbidden by the most stringent laws! It is referred to as a dark art for the very same reasons mind magic is forbidden!”

“What kind of school would teach this to its students?!” Twilight agreed, “Soul magic is one of the most dangerous and powerful forms of spell-work in the world!”

“Be still, please” Celestia said slowly, raising one hoof in a placating gesture, “it is not as you think. Please, let me explain and hold your worries until after I am done speaking. Soul magic is indeed one of the darkest forms of magic we know of, but this is not the same thing.”

Luna and Twilight reluctantly sat back down, although I noticed the tension in their bodies as they cast nervous glances my direction.

Celestia cleared her throat before continuing, “As I was saying, an auramancer channels the energy of their soul in order to cast their spells. However, this is far from the dark and dangerous magic used in necromancy, as it is a magic of life rather than death. You see, Auramancy was a school created with the express purpose of combatting necromancers, long ago when Equestria was not as peaceful as it is today. Auramancy is the direct antithesis to necromancy, because the energy used by auramancers is tied to the energy of life. It cannot harm something that is living any more than a foal trying to fight a manticore. That is why it was used to fight the undead, as it was the only thing that could sever the connection between the corpse and the necromancer controlling it.

“So yer saying those flames Sarah makes are actually part of her soul?” Applejack asked, looking slightly squeamish, “I’m not sure Ah’m comfortable with that.”

Celestia shook her head, “Not exactly Applejack. The flames you see when Sarah uses her Auramancy abilities are not part of her soul, but rather the energy produced by her soul. Think of it as the heat you feel coming off of a flame. It would be far too hot to touch fire directly, yet we use it to heat our homes and cook our food. Why? Because the energy given off by the fire is useful to us. The same goes for Auramancy. It is not her soul that is being utilized, but the energy it produces as she goes about her daily life.”

“So would that explain why it changes color depending on my mood?” I asked, “Because it’s gone from red to pink and now to light blue each time I’ve used it.”

“Were you feeling a different mood during each casting?” Celestia asked. I nodded, “Then there is your answer. Auramancy is tied to our souls, and therefore is tied to our mind. As your mood changes, the amount of power and the color of your energy will change to match it. Stronger emotions will yield stronger energy, although different colors are more useful for different kinds of casting.”

“What do you mean, Princess?” Fluttershy asked with a raised hoof, “Can Sarah cast different kinds of spells?”

Celestia’s face turned thoughtful as she placed a hoof against her chin, “While they are not spells in the normal sense, different types of Auramancy energy can yield different effects. Auramancers are unique in another way, given the energy they wield can be used to mimic several of the other schools, with enough training and practice.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as her jaw hung open, “A school that can mimic other schools?! This is amazing!” She rounded on me and fell to her knees as she clasped her hooves in front of her chest, “Please teach me how to use Auramancy, Sarah. There’s a whole new area of magic that needs to be studied!”

“I’m afraid she’s not going to be able to teach you for some time yet.” Celestia intervened, “Sarah is still a novice at using Auramancy abilities, so she will be unable to do much more than conjure her energy until she goes through proper training.”

I turned to face her with a slightly hopeful expression, “And would you be the one to teach me?”

My face fell as she shook her head, “Even if I was able to use Auramancy magic, it has not been formally practiced in over eight centuries. I’m afraid I would be less than useless in teaching you. I was never even able to summon my aura, as you have just displayed.” Her eyes leveled with mine, and I felt the heat in my core rise as she continued, “Be proud of the fact that you carry such an honored craft within you. Many noble heroes once wielded the same power you do, so do their memory justice by learning all you can.”

She paused for a moment, her horn glowing brightly before a large tome appeared next to her head, “This is an Auramancy spell book passed down through the generations. It was given to me by the last grandmaster before he passed away, and I have kept it in my private collection to this very day.” The monstrous book floated over to me, and I grunted at its weight as it settled in my grasp, “Care for it well, and learn what you can from its contents over the coming months. All of the Auramancy craft is contained within those pages, and there exists no other copy. You are holding the sum knowledge of three generations of auramancer grandmasters, and the complete collection of all Auramancy literature. Be sure to safeguard it, and do your foremares honor by continuing their hallowed art.”

I looked down at the weathered book in my arms, my gaze roaming over the golden lock that held it closed and the intricate gold leaf engraving on the cover. I spun it around and saw that the design was mirrored on the back, as well as along the spine.

I looked up and nodded to Celestia, tucking it under one arm as I snapped into a salute, “I will guard it with my life and treat it as if it were made of solid gold.”

Celestia nodded, “When you wish to open the book, channel your aura into your hand and place it against the lock. It was built to only open if an auramancer was in possession of it.” She smiling softly as she turned to the others, “Now that we have that out of the way, I am afraid I must depart. Court matters must be attended to and I do not want to fall behind in my paperwork.”

“I shall accompany you, sister,” Luna said as she levered herself to her hooves, “my sleep schedule is already destroyed as it is, staying up to assist you will not make things any worse.”

As the royal sisters turned to go, I caught Luna’s whispered words as they walked away, “And you will tell me about these Shadow Wars that I seem to have missed. You have some explaining to do dear sister of mine.”

I didn’t hear Celestia’s reply, although the slight slump in her shoulders meant she had probably sighed. I turned to face the girls, and was immediately set upon by the pink wonder.

“Oh this is so exciting!” Pinkie yelled as she bounced around the room, “now I can throw you a ‘Congratulations-On-Discovering-A-Lost-Magic-School’ party, with lots of streamers and balloons and a huge triple-layer cake!”

I rolled my eyes as I tried to ignore the living sugar rush going bananas behind me, “So I guess we head back to Ponyville now?”

The girls shared glances before Twilight nodded, “I guess there’s nothing left for us to do here. Come on girls, let’s see if we can catch the two o’clock train before it leaves.”

“Heh,” Rainbow scoffed, “it wasn’t like we need to worry about anything right now. Discord was probably pulling our legs or something. I mean come on, I’ve never even heard of these Shadow Wars that he talked about. He must have made the whole thing up to scare us.”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy murmured as we made our way out of the castle, “Princess Celestia seemed to be awfully worried for something that was made up.”

“Yeah,” Applejack added, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Princess react like that. She looked like somepony had just stuck a lemon in her mouth with a pound of salt for good measure.”

I chose not to add my thoughts to the conversation between the ponies as we walked the city streets, instead reflecting on what I had learned in my own mind.

Was Discord really telling the truth? I asked myself as we came up to the train station, Am I some pawn in a cosmic game of chess that he’s playing against this forgotten evil? What is my purpose here in this crazy technicolored world of little ponies?

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I settled onto one of the seats, feeling a warm body resting against mine as I returned to the real world. Fluttershy was looking up at me as she rested her shoulder against mine, her wing pulling me into a sideways hug as she nuzzled against my cheek.

I felt my cheeks heating up as her lips grazed against my skin, “What was that for?” I asked as she pulled back, not sure if I wanted to run or push her away from me.

She smiled knowingly as she leaned into me, “You always get this hard look on your face when you’re thinking about something. I like it when you smile so I thought I would try and cheer you up.”

I thought about her words for a moment, looking deep into her big teal eyes before feeling a smile grace my lips, “Thanks Fluttershy, I appreciate your worrying about me. I’m used to being the one who has to worry about others when things get tough.”

She nodded, resting her cheek on my shoulder as her tail curled around my hips, “I can tell. I just want you to know that you can talk to us about your problems. We won’t judge you or think less of you for sharing your burdens.”

I nodded, leaning my head against the window as the train began to move, If only you knew how big a burden I have to bear. You wouldn’t be so keen to help me if you found out what kind of monster I really am.

I closed my eyes and tried to catch a nap on the way back to town, and I let the gentle rocking of the train lull my mind into calm as Fluttershy softly snored against my side. I smiled as her wing tugged me closer to her side, and I wrapped an arm around her body before allowing sleep to overtake me.

Maybe this crazy world wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

Author's Note

At this point I'm not even going to question how I'm writing this many chapters so quickly. I'm just going to accept it and move on.

So! How is everypony liking the story? Are you excited, upset, nervous, some crazy mixed-up combination of the three? Well if so, then that means I'm doing my job right! :rainbowwild:

Anyways, happy reading, and I look forward to seeing you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

8 - The Speed of Aura

Once we returned to Ponyville, I dove into the tome Celestia had given me like my life depended on it. I had a feeling I knew what was coming, given the rather specific enemy my new magic was created to fight, but that didn’t mean I was going to take it slow when it came to training. Rule number four of being a Ranger, always go in prepared for Hell and expect it to be worse when you get there.

It had taken me most of that day to figure out the style the book was formatted in, given it was more like a collection of personal journals than a textbook. What I was able to make out of the jumbled mess was that Auramancy is based on the control of one’s emotions. If you can shift from one emotion to another by choice, you can create any form of Auramancy casting without having to rely on outside influences. Thus, the first lesson an auramancer was required to learn was the ability to create any emotion on command.

It took me five more days, with near constant meditation, but I managed to get the first lesson down to reflexive speeds. Although my lack of sleep was probably reaching the same levels as my host. Poor Twilight was trying day and night to channel her own aura, even without the help of my texts. Yet all she was getting were variations on spells she already knew, not Auramancy. I felt sorry for her, but I had my own problems to deal with. It helped hugely that I could see what color my aura was when I was trying to find a certain emotion. Most students didn’t even have that when they first started training back in the day. At least that was what the grandmasters always seemed to be complaining about in their journals when they took on a new apprentice.

Finally, I was ready to move on to the next lesson, although I had to enlist Twilight’s help when I read what I was supposed to do. Each master had a different test for their students, but it all boiled down to roughly the same thing. The next step in my training was to enhance my body, using my aura, to push myself beyond my normal limits. Some masters focused on speed while others used strength, but it all revolved around making yourself more than you normally were.

We had collectively agreed to practice my training behind the castle, on the open field between the town and the Everfree Forest. Twilight had warned me about the nasty creatures that lived in the dark and foreboding woods, so I kept an ear trained on the deep shadows as we moved about the open country. I’d rather not have a pack of Timberwolves munching on my ribs thank you very much.

We had also decided to work outside because it would be less dangerous for me, should I lose control of one of my skills. I wasn’t strong enough to survive running into a wall at seventy miles per hour, nor was I fast enough to avoid a pillar falling on me if I broke something I wasn’t supposed to.

Twilight used her magic to carve out a quarter mile track in the grass, leaving just the loose dirt behind as she levitated the unneeded material out of the way. She had also managed to acquire several large boulders from the local quarry for me to practice my strength skills with. Spike was acting as data collector while Twilight was recording my results in a large blank tome she had made for her notes.

Apparently, she was going to be acting in the place of the grandmaster, marking down observations of my progress and other such things since there were no living masters to do so.

First off, we planned on doing some strength testing, given I wanted to save my legs for after we had beaten my noodle arms into little tiny pieces. I stood in front of one of the larger boulders Twilight had collected for our use, one that was about five feet around and came up to the bottom of my ribs in height. I ran a hand over its smooth surface as I tried to get a feel for what I was about to do. After all, it wasn’t every day you powderized a two-ton block of stone with your bare hands, at least according to the journals.

Twilight stood behind me as Spike watched at her side, although their attention seemed to be focused on me rather than the boulder I was going to try and break.

“Are you sure you can do this, Sarah?” Twilight asked as I rolled my shoulders and stretched my wrists, “Maybe you should start with a smaller rock.”

I shook my head as I brought my fists up into a combat stance, my feet sliding into position out of habit as I presented my body on a diagonal to the rock before me, “No can do Twilight. The book said I have to use a big boulder so all the force gets transferred into it on impact. I can’t let my energy go to waste sliding a smaller rock along the ground.”

“Yes, but still,” she muttered as I closed my eyes and clenched my fists.

The energy was ready and willing as I sensed more than saw the color shift to a deep blue. Calm was needed for this test rather than raw power, or else the energy wouldn’t protect my body from harm when I hit the boulder. I opened my eyes and saw the energy coating my arms in a deep sapphire aura, and I couldn’t help the grin that formed as I wound up for my first strike.

“Hah!” I cried as my fist flew forward, the impact with the boulder creating a small shockwave as the energy around my arm flared to compensate for the added force.

I pulled my hand back and was surprised to see a large spider web of cracks spreading out from where my fist had connected. Before Twilight could say anything I brought my arms up again and began punching the boulder over and over. The cracks spread rapidly with each strike, and I finally stopped when a large chunk fell off and nearly landed on my foot.

“Wow.” Spike said as he walked up and picked the slab off the ground, “You pounded that thing into submission like it was nothing.”

I shook out my hands as the energy faded from my arms, “Yeah, but the test is supposed to make me strong enough that I can shatter the boulder in one hit. I’ve got a long way to go if it takes over a dozen to break off one chunk.”

“At least your hands don’t seem to be taking any damage,” Twilight said as she scanned over my fingers and knuckles with her magic, “I’m not sensing any cracks or fractures in your bones, nor anything worse that some mild muscle bruising around the knuckles.” She smiled as she looked up at me, “Not bad for your first try.”

I snorted as I placed a hand on the severely damaged boulder, “‘Not bad’ isn’t good enough. I won’t be satisfied until I’ve cracked these boulders like eggshells, otherwise I won’t have the strength to take on some of the more advanced techniques.”

Twilight placed a hoof against my real leg, her eyes concerned but knowing, “You’ll get there someday, Sarah. You just need to practice some more.”

I nodded, “Alright, let’s try one more boulder before we move onto speed training.”

Twilight nodded as she and Spike took several steps back. I walked up to the next boulder and concentrated, feeling the power surge through my body as flashes of yellow sparked through the blue aura. I took a moment to calm myself, letting the yellow fade from the energy before I turned to the next rock. This one was a little bigger than the first, roughly as tall as I was and about seven feet around. I closed my eyes, focusing purely on the energy as I fell into my stance. I was going to break this boulder. My power is stronger than some random stone. I am the master of my body. I am the master of my mind. And I will not be held back by anything that gets in my way.

My eyes snapped open as the aura surged to cover my shoulders and upper body, “Break you damned pile of rubble!”

I poured everything I had into that one punch, my fist making a thunderous bang as it impacted the rock. A cloud of dust kicked up and made me cough into my hand as I pulled away from the boulder. Twilight coughed a few times before she used her magic to clear the dust. I opened my eyes as my lungs got themselves together, and saw that the boulder was still standing there, without a scratch on its pristine face.

My shoulders slumped as Twilight walked up to my side, “I really thought I had it that time.”

She nodded slowly, “It wasn’t like you didn’t try. That was more energy than I’ve ever seen you use before. I’m actually surprised that the rock isn’t marked in some way.”

“Maybe it’s just a harder rock to crack.” Spike added hopefully.

I ruffled his spines with one hand, “Thanks Spike, although I think I just don’t have enough strength yet. The masters wrote that it usually took students months to break a boulder this size.”

Twilight nodded, writing down a note in her book, “We’ll just have to keep trying until you get it. After all, practice makes perfect.”

I nodded, turning around to face the track, “Speed trial now?”

Twilight nodded, “Speed trial.”

We walked away from the boulder, leaving it standing alone in the grass. Yet what none of us had seen, was the hairline crack that ran through the boulder, splitting it from top to bottom into two perfect halves.

I walked up to the track that Twilight had made, stretching out my legs as Twilight sat down next to Spike. The tiny dragon had procured a lounge chair from somewhere and took his seat as he pulled out a stopwatch.

I took my place at the starting line, glancing over my shoulder at the duo as Twilight dipped her quill into a nearby inkpot, “I’m ready when you are Spike.” I called out to him.

He nodded, holding up three claws as he replied, “Baseline quarter mile time trial, starting in three, two, one, GO!”

I pumped my arms as my legs pounded through the loose dirt, and I fell into a semi-run that had been beaten into me from the instant I started basic training. It was a lope any Ranger could keep up for miles without tiring, and I knew it would be the best option to getting a fast time around the track. While it wasn’t an all-out sprint, it would keep me in shape so that I wasn’t exhausted upon finishing the lap. After all, I was going to be doing a lot of these today, I might as well save my energy for the long haul.

It felt good to run after being cooped up in the castle for far too long, and I let out a cheerful whoop as I poured a little more power into my strides. Energy saving be damned, I was going to smoke this baseline. My feet kicked up small clouds of dust as the servos in my leg hissed under the pressure. I came screaming around the final curve and practically tossed myself over the finish line, skidding to a halt as my shoes dug twin ruts in the soft earth.

Spike looked down at the stopwatch as I bent over and rested my hands on my knees. His eyes widened before he called out, “Baseline time for the quarter mile was one minute and forty-three seconds.”

Twilight nearly snapped the quill in her magic grip as her eyes snapped over to her assistant, “A minute forty-three?! Are you sure?”

Spike nodded as Twilight snatched the stopwatch from his claws, “I’m sure. The stopwatch was working fine the whole way.”

Twilight stared at the numbers before her as I walked up, having regained my breath enough for my chest to stop heaving, “But that’s within ten seconds of the quarter mile Equestrian record!” She looked up at me as I wiped the sweat from my brow, “How did you do that?”
I smiled as I pounded a fist against my biological thigh, “Basic training puts you through hell and back. Compared to that this is a walk in the park.”

Twilight seemed frozen for a moment before writing my score down in her book, “One minute forty-three seconds for baseline quarter mile. Estimated passing time limit is,” her eye twitched slightly as she ran the numbers in her head, “thirty-five seconds.”

I whistled as I leaned back and cracked my spine a couple times, “Wow, I knew magic was powerful, but dividing my time by three? Now that’s something I can look forward to.”

“And that’s just the basics!” Twilight fumed as her face reddened, “by the time you get through all of your training you’ll be able to cut your time six times over!” She growled as she closed the book with a resounding snap, “Oh this is so frustrating! All of these new magical skills and I can’t even learn the basics! Gah! Why can’t I do this? My special talent is magic for Celestia’s sake!”

I snickered for a moment at Twilight’s choice in oath, but collected myself before I walked up and rested a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, cheer up. Not even Celestia could use the most basic of Auramancy techniques, so it’s not the end of the world that you can’t either.”

Twilight sniffed as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek, “I know that, but it still bothers me that there’s a type of magic I’ll never be able to use. It’s not something I’ve ever had to deal with before.”

I smiled, feeling a pinch of sympathy for the mare as I rubbed her back gently between her wings. She hummed as her wings spread slightly, and I spoke softly as I added my other hand to my ministrations, “Like I said, it’s not the end of the world. You must really be good at magic to have mastered all eight schools of normal magic. I’m sure not even the other princesses would be able to boast as much. Why don’t we take a break for now and come back to this later?”

Twilight’s eyes had closed in pleasure as my hands worked their magic, and she seemed to not hear me at first as she leaned into my body to increase the pressure of my fingers, “Oh, um, what? What was that?” She opened her eyes a crack and looked over her shoulder at me, clearly out of it.

I rolled my eyes but said nothing, instead leaning into my work and really working my fingers into the rather tight muscles of her back and wing bases. Twilight let out a breathy moan as her wings extended to full span, and I blushed slightly at the noises she was making.

Thinking it was better to quit while I was ahead, I slowly let off the pressure before rubbing soft circles into her fur. Then, I let go of her completely and stood up.

For a moment Twilight simply sat there, a content expression on her face and her wings fully erect above her back. Then, she seemed to realize that I was no longer working her muscles, and opened her eyes to look back at me with a smile.

“Thank you Sarah.” She said as she stood up and stretched out her front legs like a cat, “I really needed that.”

“Anytime.” I replied as I picked up her tome and handed it back to her.

She glanced at the book and took it in her magic before moving over to stand next to Spike, “Ready to try adding some power into your run?”

I nodded, “Oh yeah. I can’t wait to shatter that speed record.”

Twilight chuckled as I walked up to the starting line, “Just don’t push yourself too hard. Remember that the book warned you about using too much energy at one time. We don’t want you passing out from overextending yourself.”

I threw her a sarcastic salute, “Yes ma’am.”

With that done I took my runner’s stance with my fingers pressed into the soft ground and my legs staggered behind me. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Spike held up his claws again. I closed my eyes and channeled my energy into my legs as the little dragon counted down, feeling the slight pressure and heat that accompanied the presence of my energy. I wasn’t sure how I could channel into my mechanical leg, but it worked anyway so long as I pumped a bit more power into it than my right leg.

“GO!” Spike yelled, and I surged out of the start in a cloud of dust.

Already I could feel my speed was higher than when I was running normally, and I smiled as my legs seemed to skate over the dirt and pebbles. I kept a sharp eye out for pits or large rocks, hoping to avoid landing on my face today, and poured a bit more power into my legs. My speed kicked up once again, and I couldn’t contain the excited cry that escaped my lips as I thundered around the second half of the course. If this was how fast I was running with only a little energy used, how fast would I be if I poured all of it in? The warnings of multiple masters echoed through my head as I blurred past the finish line, and I performed a perfect hockey stop as my shoes collected small piles of dirt under them.

I straightened as my breathing came under control, and was surprised to feel that my legs weren’t tired at all. If anything I felt like I could run some more and not feel the burn for a good hour. Spike and Twilight were staring at the stopwatch in his claws, their eyes wide as I walked up to them.

“So,” I asked as I leaned over Twilight’s shoulder to look at the watch, “How’d I do?”

Her gaze met mine as she smiled widely, “A minute even. Nicely done.”

I pumped a fist in the air as I hissed out a “Yes”, feeling like I deserved a little credit for my success, “Sweet, first day of training and I’m already halfway there.”

“It could be because of your physiology that you’re doing so well.” Twilight mused as she jotted down my time in the book, “Your legs are longer than the average pony’s, so when you put energy into your strides the difference is multiplied compared what it would be for us.” She glanced up at me as a glint reached her eyes, “It could be that the multiplier for you is not the same as a pony. After all, dragons and gryphons don’t have the same magical potential as ponies, so it’s safe to assume that it would be the same for you. It could be possible that you could surpass the limits ponies have if you work hard enough, although I would need to do some number crunching to determine if pushing your limits that far would be detrimental to your health.”

“Oh, come on Twilight,” I whined as I walked back to the starting line, “don’t you have any faith in me?”

Her sarcastic grin was all the answer I needed, “I have every faith in you, although your survival instincts seem to be a bit lacking.”

I chuckled as I got into my stance again, “Comes with being an Army Ranger. We don’t know the meaning of the words ‘half way’.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she turned her gaze to Spike, “Might as well get this over with.”

Spike nodded, holding up his claws again as he counted down, “Three, two, one, G-”

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!” A familiar rasp called out from above as a rainbow contrail streaked into the air above my head.

I instinctively ducked as my mind flashed to RPG attacks back in Afghanistan, although I managed to get myself under control once Rainbow came to a stop and became clearly visible.

“If you’re doing a race,” she said as she hovered above me, “then I’ll give you the honor of facing the fastest pony in Equestria.”

“Pinkie Pie on a caffeine high?” I called up with a grin.

Rainbow paused for a moment, then rolled her eyes as she came in for a landing, “No, I’m talking about me.” She puffed out her chest and tilted her chin into the air as she continued, “I am the only one who can perform the legendary Sonic Rainboom after all.”

“Yeah, don’t know and don’t really care,” I said as I waved off her comment, “I’m in the middle of training, not running a race. Now if you want to watch then I’d be more than happy to let you sit over by Twilight and Spike, but try not to be too loud. I need to concentrate to keep my aura flowing correctly.”

Rainbow sputtered as I turned around and got into my stance, “Ready when you are Spike!”

He glanced between me and Rainbow a few times before holding up his claws, “Alright then, three, two, one, GO!”

I poured a bit more power into my legs than I had before, spotting the thin yellow flames that began to ripple around my limbs as I kicked into the next gear. I smiled as I glanced behind me, seeing I was actually leaving a cloud of dust in my wake as my feet kicked up the loose dirt. Rainbow had taken a seat next to Twilight as I made my way around the second half of the course, her eyes narrowed like some kind of inspector as she watched my every move. Not really comfortable with the way she was scrutinizing me, I poured a bit more power into my legs, making the aura around them flare to about an inch thick as my speed increased again.

I didn’t even bother trying to stop as I crossed the finish line, instead running around the track again as my speed bled off on its own. By the time I came back I was walking at a normal pace, and I was starting to feel the burn in my thighs. I walked over to the others and sat down with a huff, rubbing my upper legs to try and get the energy to dissipate faster. It took a few seconds, but eventually the aura around my limbs faded away, leaving me feeling sore and worn out.

“Fifty-two point six seconds.” Spike called out before glancing over at me, “Are you feeling alright?”

I nodded as I pushed myself into a standing position again, “Yeah, just a little winded. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

Rainbow was glancing between the track and the stopwatch, her eyes narrowed as she tapped something out with her hoof. Her lips were moving as she muttered under her breath, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying.

Finally, after a moment or two of reflection, her eyes widened in shock as she rounded on me, “No way, you beat my personal best lap time by almost fifteen seconds!” She leaped to her hooves as she flared her wings and began doing stretches, “Alright, that’s it. Time to see how fast you really are.”

“Rainbow, what are you talking about?” Twilight asked as she finished her notations, “Are you challenging Sarah to a race?”

“You bet I am.” The prismatic pegasus snarled as she marched up to me, taking off so she could look me in the eyes as she pushed into my chest with a hoof, “I challenge you to a race to see who really is the fastest mare in Equestria, no, who’s the fastest mare in the universe.”

“Well technically Sarah is from a different world, but that doesn’t make the winner the best in the universe.” Twilight said to absolutely no effect.

“Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow replied as she pressed the end of her snout into my nose, “so you up for it two-legs, or are you just an overgrown chicken?”

My blood flared as heat rushed to my cheeks, “Oh you are so on.” I turned to face Spike and Twilight as a bright red aura began to snap and fizzle around my hands as I clenched them into fists, “Spike, make sure to keep that timer ready. I want to know how badly I beat this turkey into the ground when this is over.”

“Hah!” Rainbow snarked as she crossed her hooves in front of her chest, “You’ll be eating my cloud trail by the end of the first lap. However, I’m feeling like a good sport today. I won’t even use my wings and race you on my own four hooves, sound fair?”

I turned to face her with my best shit-eating grin, “Oh you’re going to regret those words when I pound you into the dirt. How about a little wager for this here competition? The winner gets to make the loser do one thing, no questions asked, and the loser can’t back out no matter what that request is.”

Rainbow held out her hoof with a matching grin, “Oh you are so on.”

I closed my hand into a fist and pounded it against hers, and I could practically feel the sparks flying between our eyes.

Spike cleared his throat as he walked up to the starting line, “Alright, I guess we’re going to do this after all. Take your marks on the starting line.”

I fell into position again as Rainbow walked up beside me, her lips curled into a confident smirk as she dug her hooves into the soft dirt. Spike glanced at Twilight, who shook her head in defeat, before turning back to us.

“One mile timed race between Rainbow Dash and Sarah Lovegood.” He announced like some kind of referee, “Starting in three, two, one, GO!”

We leaped out of the starting block like the world was standing still, and I felt my lips curl into a smile as I began to pull ahead of Rainbow. Yet my blood was up, and I wasn’t going to take wining by a little bit as a satisfactory way to beat her. Oh no, I was going to obliterate Rainbow, and she was going to feel the burn when I kicked her sorry flank into next week.

I glanced over my shoulder as I led Rainbow around the first turn, noticing the calm determination that was present on her face as she galloped along behind me. She was keeping her word, at least for now, and kept her wings pulled tight against her sides. She was right behind me as we came around the back stretch, but I felt like it was time to show how much better I really was.

I called over my shoulder as we rounded the next turn to head back towards the start, “It’s been real Rainbow, but I think it’s time I kicked this into the next gear.”

Her eyes widened as she met my gaze, “What do you mean? Aren’t you already going as fast as you can?”

The glee in my smile would have made Pinkie Pie take a step back, “Just watch me.”

I turned around as we thundered past the starting line, and in that instant I poured everything I had into my legs. My body from the hips down became enveloped in a red and yellow aura that had to be a good five inches thick, and I nearly cried out in surprise as my speed increased exponentially. I shot forward so fast it was like Rainbow was standing still, and I had to struggle for a moment so keep my upper body in line with my legs. It took a mighty effort of my core muscles, but I managed not to fall backwards because of my sudden speed upgrade, and I leaned into my strides as I zipped around the first bend. I glanced to my side as saw Rainbow was still going strong, although her eyes were wide open and openly staring at me as I gained almost half a lap on her.

The dust that I was kicking up was starting to cloud the air, and I coughed once as I came around to the start of the track again. I hoped it wouldn’t get too bad if I continued going at this pace, and did my very best to keep my energy stable as I began to catch up with Rainbow. The one thing the masters had stated was the absolute worst thing an auramancer could do was let their casting get away from them. At that point, running into a wall at high speed was the least of your concerns.

Rainbow saw me coming up on her tail and seemed to put everything she had into her strides, her head bowed low and her eyes narrowed in concentration as I gained on her. Yet it only delayed the inevitable. As I came up alongside her I reached out and pat her on the withers.

Her head snapped to look my way as she panted like a dog, “What, *pant*, was, *pant*, that, *pant*, for?”

I smiled as I began to pull ahead once more, “For trying your best and for keeping your word. Next time you should use your wings. It might make it an even fight.”

Her head slumped in defeat as I pulled ahead, and her speed noticeably dropped as I began my final lap. Now that I didn’t need to make a point anymore, I pulled a good portion of my energy back, hoping to avoid burning myself out. My speed dropped off as well as I finished the final lap, coming in around the bend at a light jog before walking to a stop after I crossed the finish.

Spike looked at the stopwatch and then back to me, his eyes wide in shock as he called out the times, “Lap times for Sarah Lovegood, one minute five seconds, forty point three seconds, thirty-eight point seven seconds and one minute twelve seconds. Overall time was three minutes and thirty-six seconds even.”

There was a loud snapping sound, and I turned to see Twilight had broken her quill tip against the page of the book, her left eye twitching slightly as she glanced over at Spike, “Did I hear you correctly? Sarah nearly beat a three-and-a-half-minute mile?”

Spike nodded, ducking behind the chair as Rainbow trotted up to us. The poor mare was sweating buckets and was panting so hard she couldn’t even speak. Her tongue hung out the front of her mouth as she hung her head, and I felt genuinely sorry for her as she flopped down on the grass and rolled onto her back, fanning her face with her wings as she stared up at the partly cloudy sky. Then again, I wasn’t much better. My shirt clung to my chest and back as sweat ran down my face in rivulets, dripping to the ground as I tried to calm my racing heart.

I walked up to her, feeling my own body protesting the movements as my muscles realized what kind of strain I had put them under. I sat down next to Rainbow and lay back with my hands behind my head, choosing to ignore the heated words flying between the princess and her aide.

“Nice work on that race.” I said as I watched a particularly fluffy cloud float by, “If I didn’t have the added power of this Auramancy stuff you wouldn’t smoked me.”

Rainbow chuckled as she got her breathing under control, “Yeah, well that doesn’t make losing any easier.” She rolled her head to the side to meet my gaze, “We are so having a rematch.”

I laughed as I ruffled her mane with one hand, “Yeah, I guess I owe you that much after pounding your flank into the track. Use your wings next time we do this, it’s make thing even between us.”

She smirked as she flipped her mane back into its normally scruffy appearance, “I’ll look forward to it.” Her expression fell as she glanced at me again, “So, I lost. What are you going to do to me for the bet?”

I tapped my chin with a finger, “Oh I’ll think of something. I think the best part about something like this is I don’t have to cash it in right now. I can save it for the perfect moment and then really let you have it.”

Her eyes widened in fear as she rolled over onto her stomach, “Oh please, just get it over with. It was bad enough losing to you, now you’re going to keep this bet hanging over my head until you think I deserve whatever it is?”

I smirked as I jabbed her gently in the shoulder, “Ah come on, you’re the legendary Rainbow Dash. I thought you could handle anything?”

She blushed as she averted her gaze, “Well, sure, I mean, obviously. I just don’t like the idea of doing something, you know, uncool.”

I smiled, knowing the feeling of wanting to be accepted as the tomboy I was, “I’ll try to make it manageable Rainbow. Just don’t expect me to go too easy on you. A bet’s a bet after all.”

She giggled as she stood up, “I guess that’s all I can ask for.” She held out her hoof to me as I sat up, “Friends?”

I glanced at her hoof for only a second before I pounded it with my fist, “Friends.” I acted before she could move and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her chest into mine as I rested my cheek against the side of her neck.

“Hey! What’s with the hug all of a sudden?!” She yelled as her wings flared and her body stiffened, “I don’t do the mushy stuff, alright?”

“Oh shut up and hug me back you moron.” I retorted, pulling her tighter against me as my fingers began to rub circles over her wing bases, “It’s alright for friends to give each other hugs now and again isn’t it?”

She hesitated for a second, as if unsure if she wanted to break her code of cool. Yet as my deft fingers started working her wings and back muscles, she let out a murr of pleasure before wrapping her hooves around my ribcage.

“I guess I can let this one slide,” she muttered into my hair as her muscles began to relax under my care, “just this once.”

I caught Twilight smiling in our direction through Rainbow’s mane, and I felt my own lips curling into a smile as Rainbow began to hum in contentment, going so far as to extend her wings to let me get at all the muscle groups as we sat there on the grass. Rainbow might be a hothead, but she was the type of hothead that you could depend on to do the right thing when things got sticky.

As we sat there under the midday sun, I couldn’t help but feel like I was getting along with these ponies better than even my old squad-mates. It was a new feeling to have so many people caring about me and doing their best to make my life a happy and productive one. I just couldn’t really come to terms with how that made me feel. Was I happier here than back on Earth? No, not happier per say, just a different kind of happy. I liked my life while I was in the Corps, and even when I was growing up I had a loving family that supported me in my life choices. So, what was it about these tiny colorful ponies that made my chest tighten and my heart skip a beat?

As Rainbow leaned into me I lay back in the grass, allowing her to rest on my body as the ground pressed into my back. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, given she must have weighed seventy pounds or more, but I couldn’t bring myself to question her as she curled up on my stomach like an oversized cat. Her wings were spread wide and her hooves tucked under her body as her muzzle nestled between the valley of my cleavage. She was the absolute image of contentment and was so adorable that I wished I had my phone on me. She would have made the best screensaver ever, although she would probably be mortified at the very idea of being cute.

Twilight and Spike made their exit, leaving me and Rainbow to relax in the sunshine, or in her case, sleep in the sunshine. I wrapped my arms around her body and leaned my head back, allowing my eyes to drift closed as the activities of the day caught up with me.

“Maybe just a short nap.” I muttered to myself as my head came to rest on the soft grass, a gentle breeze washing over us as we fell asleep together.

Author's Note

A little shorter chapter than the last couple, but one that several of you have been asking for. Finally, the race between Rainbow Dash and Sarah has come to pass, and it was a blowout! Well, Rainbow had a huge handicap, so I guess the final jury is out on who's the fastest being in Equestria.

Anyways, hope you guys are liking the book as it is so far. The next post is going to be the first in a little side story that I cooked up with one of my friends. You don't have to read it, but it'll be a barrel of laughs and will be sporting Easter Eggs later in the book for those with a keen eye. The chapters pertaining to this little side story will be marked with a .5 on the chapter number and will have the word Interlude as the first part of the chapter title. The only other chapters that will be marked with a .5 will be the clop chapters, also completely skip-able for those who don't want to read it.

Alright, now that we have that out of the way, the usual altro.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

8.5 - Interlude: The Carpet

IMPORTANT NOTE!! PLEASE READ!!!
So this chapter, as well as all of the following Interludes will be written in the 3rd Person POV. This is to simplify the character interactions and to make my job a bit easier when it comes to writing the darn things. The main chapters of the book with still be from Sarah's POV and in 1st Person, so just keep that it mind. I'm not trying to make this jarring moving from one to the other, but it was the easiest way to write them all things considered.

Alright, now that we have that out of the way, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!

It was a rather uneventful day in Canterlot Castle, and Celestia was doing what she normally did after raising the sun, paperwork. While normally she preferred to have some breakfast with Luna, this time she couldn’t take the time. There were more and more reports of mysterious happenings across the nation, and they were beginning to paint a very dark image. Missing ponies, defiled graves, even sightings of passed loved ones walking again in the middle of the night.

Celestia’s quill swiftly signed another scroll before it was rolled and sealed with a black ribbon. She sent it off in a burst of magic, and moved on to the next report. Things were starting to look very grim, and still there was no indication of where this new threat might be hiding.
All of a sudden, a loud pop sound echoed through Celestia’s chambers, followed by a flash of light as a familiar chaotic being appeared in the middle of the room.

“Ah my dear Celestia.” Discord said smoothly as he reclined onto her bed, “how is my favorite pony doing as of late.”

“I have little time for your games Discord,” Celestia replied as her magic sent off another scroll, “there are dark times ahead of us. But then again, you already knew that, didn’t you?” She cast a penetrating glance over her shoulder at the draconequus.
Discord placed a clawed hand over his chest, a hurt look coming to his face as he floated above the bed, “Me? What could I have anything to do with these mysterious happenings? I’m hurt that you would suspect me of such a thing.”

“Yet you said so yourself that you traveled across the multiverse the find young Sarah in the hopes that she could stop the foes that now hide within our nation’s shadows.” Celestia countered, “Do not take me for a fool, Discord, I am well aware of the source of the dark magics that Sarah’s powers were created to fight. It is the hiding place of these sorcerers that I am seemingly unable to locate.” Her gaze returned to the desk before her and the multitudes of paperwork that had to be personally read and signed by her, “I just wish there was more I could do.”

Discord seemed take pity on the worried princess, touching down and walking over to her before resting his lion paw on her shoulder, “You have done well ruling your kingdom, even after all the trials you have faced, both before and after my imprisonment.” He tilted her head up with one finger, showing rare gentleness as he smiled down at her, “Fret not. Of the futures that I can see, the ones that do not have Sarah in them, are futures that we would rather not see come to pass.”

Celestia turned her head to the side, her eyes still worried as she stood from her desk, “Yet the enemy could strike her down before she is ready to face them. Twilight Sparkle has placed a pair of Ponyville guards as her protectors, but I fear that will not be enough.”

“Why don’t you just train her to defend herself until she has mastered her new magic?” Discord asked.

Celestia’s eyebrow rose as she glanced sidelong at the spirit of chaos, “That’s surprisingly straightforward, coming from you.”

“Don’t look at me,” Discord said as he held up his hands, “I didn’t say anything.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed in confusion, “Then who else could have spoken? Nopony but us is present within these chambers.”

“Ahem,” the voice that was Discord but not Discord said simply, “down here.”

Both parties turned their attention to the floor, where the discarded husk Discord had left in the throne room lay spread out like a prize pelt. As they glanced at each other, to verify they weren’t imagining things, the head of the carpet rose up and smiled at them in a polite way.

“It’s so hard to get ponies to listen when you’re being tread upon all day.” The seemingly alive carpet said, waving its eagle claws in the air for emphasis, “Ah but such is the life of a carpet.”

The real Discord was the target of a very irate Celestia’s gaze, and he held up his hands in a placating manner as he backed up a step, “Now I assure you Celestia, this isn’t what it looks like. You know my magic can’t bring inanimate things to life.”

Celestia’s horn ignited as she advanced on Discord, her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she spoke, “Then explain how your husk is talking like it has a mind of its own. Answer me now, Discord, before I force the secret from you.”

“If you all could refrain from violence,” Discord Carpet said smoothly as it waved a paw through the air, “I believe I can answer your question. I would rather not turn this room into a warzone. I may be nearly indestructible, but a battle between you two would put even my near invulnerability to the test.”

Celestia thought for a moment before turning to face the carpet, her horn returning to normal as she lowered her head to be level with the carpet’s gaze, “Then speak, and be sure to tell the truth. I do not care for dishonesty when I am in unfamiliar territory.”

Discord Carpet nodded, “As you wish. You see, when Discord was using me as his body, it was not created to be the same as his old one. After all, there can’t be two Lords of Chaos within the same realm, or else the very fabric or reality would rip apart, at least more so than when he’s normally around.”

Discord rubbed his neck with a sheepish grin as the carpet continued, “So, rather than being the Lord of Chaos reborn, I was created from his opposite, logic and reason.”

“No wonder you never fit right,” Discord said as he leaned down and tapped the rug on the head, “I was never able to figure out why it was I seemed to be fighting my own body whenever I would cast my magic. Well,” he created a calendar that had the dates all mixed up and scrutinized it before dissolving the object, “you learn something new every day.”

Celestia spared the spirit of chaos a glance before returning her attention to the carpet, “So what happened when Discord was freed and returned to his own body? What became of you?”

“Well I don’t really know what happened to me per say,” it replied, “all I know is that I woke up the moment you placed me on your floor, and I’ve come to realize that I am a carpet. Therefore, a carpet is what I will be from this moment forth.”

“It could be that this husk carried some of my magic within it but had no outlet for that magic,” Discord said as he rubbed his chin, “that is, until you turned it into a carpet. Now the magic within him is working off the task that you assigned to it once he came under your care.” He chuckled slightly before leaning in close to Celestia’s head, “You know, when I said you could turn it into a carpet, I didn’t think you would actually do it.”

Celestia’s eyes lidded partially as she turned to her old rival, “Oh but that is the real trick, my dear Discord. You’re not the only one who can pull surprises around here.”

Discord reeled back as he roared with laughter, “Oh Celestia, you crack me up. I mean, you of all ponies pulling one over on me, the Lord of Chaos?! I swear I never imagined I would see the day.” He wiped his eye free of the single tear that had accumulate there, giving Celestia a wide smile before bringing his fingers together, “Ah well, I’ll let you get acquainted with your newest furniture piece. Ta ta!”

With that, he snapped his fingers a disappeared the same way in which he had arrived. Celestia spared the absent draconequus a thought before shrugging her shoulders. Discord was going to be Discord, so who was she to stop him from having fun? Within reason of course.
She exited her chambers and began her trip through the castle halls, hoping to snag a bit of lunch before getting back to her work. Yet something felt off as she walked along the empty hallway. The floor beneath her didn’t feel the same way it usually did.

“If you wouldn’t mind stepping a bit to the left,” she paused as her eyes widened in shock at the familiar voice, “my back has been a bit bunched there and I would like to avoid tripping somepony.”

Celestia leaped off the now recognizable Discord Carpet, who was laid out along the corridor like he owned the place, “What are you doing here? Didn’t I just leave you in my chambers?”

Discord Carpet rolled his eyes as he lifted his head off the ground, “I am a carpet. Therefor I am designed to be used to cover the floor in rooms and hallways. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Celestia sputtered for a minute before letting out a resigned sigh, “Please refrain from startling my castle staff or the guards. I would hate for somepony to drop something on you in distress or slash you with a sword.”

“A little sword won’t do much to me, but I will try and not startle the maids.” Discord Carpet replied, “Stains are so hard to get out of fur.”

With the matter seemingly settled, Celestia moved on to the kitchens, finding a plate of eggs and toast were already laid out at the head of the table with the appropriate silverware. Celestia smiled at the diligence of the castle staff, and took her seat at the table before spooning a mound of eggs into her mouth. Her taste buds lit up with the rich flavors of the food, although her peaceful moment was interrupted by a now familiar voice.

“If you could please try to not spill food on me, I would greatly appreciate it.” The words were coming from below her.

Celestia nearly choked on her food as she forced it down her throat, taking a long pull on her orange juice before looking under the table.
Sure enough, Discord Carpet was lying there like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“What did I say about startling ponies?” Celestia managed to croak out as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“You told me to not startle the staff or guards.” The rug retorted, “You never said anything about startling you. On top of that, you knew about me already, why are you surprised that I am here?”

Celestia sputtered for a moment before she simply gave up trying to out-logic a piece of furniture, “Very well, I concede the point. Just, warn me when I enter a room if you are there so I don’t stumble upon you by accident.”

Discord Carpet nodded once, “Will do.”

Celestia sighed as she straightened, her appetite summarily lost after her jump-scare. Instead, she stood from the table and returned to her rooms, hoping to finish the last of the paperwork before dinner so she could spend some time with Luna. Discord Carpet was in every hallway and present in every room she could see into on the way, and she imagined it wouldn’t be long until the sentient floor covering had taken over every room in the castle. Thank the Maker it was limited to the indoors, or else nopony would be safe from it.

The doors to her room closed with a click as she walked into her space, stepping over Discord Carpet rather than walking over him in a show of courtesy. She sat down at her desk and picked up the next file, rolling her eyes at the rather unimpressive account of a scarecrow haunting the fields near Dodge Junction. She wrote a quick reply and rolled up the scroll before sending it off, wishing to no avail that her ponies would someday grow some greater level of common sense or backbone. The general populous had become a rather skittish group in the long years of her reign, and to some extent she missed the less peaceful times of old, if for no other reason than the competency of her information network at the time.

She was just finishing another report when Discord Carpet spoke up, “You misspelled ‘complacent’.”

Celestia paused before looking over her work, “No I didn’t.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s spelled with a ‘C’ instead of an ‘S’.” The carpet continued, “Would you like me to check and make sure?”

She looked over her shoulder at the rug with confusion, “How would you check it?”

Without missing a beat, it replied, “I’m in the Archives right now. I can look in the dictionary if you want.”

Celestia fought the urge to facehoof, “Of course you are. Very well, if you think it will help.”

There was a pause before Discord Carpet replied, “I was right, it is spelled with a ‘C’.”

Celestia’s eyebrow rose as she checked over her spelling, “Well I’ll be. I did misspell it. Have I always misspelled it?”

“Would you like me to check?” Discord Carpet asked calmly.

Genuinely interested now, Celestia nodded, “Yes please. I would like to know just how long I have been making this error.”

There was a longer pause before he replied, “It would seem that you have always misspelled it, Princess. I looked at the records all the way back to when you and little Luna were first keeping track of things in this kingdom. Every instance of you using the word complacent, you have used the ‘S’ instead of the ‘C’.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed in confusion, “But I have messengers and aides that go over my documents before sending them off. How come nopony ever corrected me and let the mistakes continue?”

Discord Carpet gave her a long look, “You are the Princess of the Day, and an immortal alicorn as well. Who in their right mind would correct you on something that didn’t effect some greater problem?”

“But how can I work at my best when nopony will tell me anything?” She asked, her eyes widening slightly at the implications, “What else have they not been telling me?”

Discord Carpet glanced from one side to another in a slightly guilty manner, “Well….”

Meanwhile, in Luna’s private study, the lunar princess was sitting in front of a table, a chess board resting on its surface, with yet another Discord Carpet hanging over the back of a lounge chair so he could see the pieces. Luna moved a pawn forward, her tongue peeking out from the side of her mouth as sweat ran down the sides of her face.

“You are a worthy foe, Carpet.” She said as the piece landed firmly on the wooden surface, “I have not faced such an opponent in many years. It has been a pleasure to face you on the proverbial field of battle.”

“While I’m happy with my lot as a carpet,” Discord Carpet said as he looked over the board, “I will admit that this is rather engaging. Maybe I can play with the castle staff once they get used to me.”

“Verily,” Luna agreed as she considered her next move.

However, she was distracted by a flurry of movement as something raced by the doorway to her study. She got to her hooves and walked up to the opening, looking out to see a rather frazzled Celestia racing down the hall with wide eyes and lacking any form of regalia.

Luna’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she closed the door to her study, walking back into the room before taking her place at the table, “Celestia is acting rather strange as of late. I hope she’s not keeping secrets from me.”

“It’s nothing much,” Discord Carpet said as he gestured to the board with its eagle claw, “just some talk about court that you needn’t be worried about.” It reached out and moved the black bishop to a space deep within Luna’s territory, “Checkmate.”

“Blast!” Was the echoing cry that startled more than one maid as a seemingly out of sort Celestia made her way through the halls. To say nothing of the castle rumor mill and what would be said about the newest castle acquisition or the recent actions of a certain princess.

Author's Note

And so begins the tale of Discord Carpet!! How do you guys like this little number? Did I surprise you? Well, if you guys like this little addition to my little story, keep any eye out. There are going to be Easter Eggs as well as more Interludes as the story progresses. So keep an ear to the ground and your comment box ready, because this is going to be a riot by the second half!

Anyways, short little update for you as a bonus for the usual chapter, and I hope to see you all later.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

9 - The Major and the Zombie

Sweat ran down my face as my lungs heaved with air. My muscles burned and my vision swam as I forced my body to go further. I could feel my arms shaking as my real leg twitched every other second, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to hold out for much longer. I bent my arms and touched the tip of my nose to the grass below me, grunting with the effort as I pushed back into a plank.

“One hundred.” I hissed out through clenched teeth.

With that final count I flopped onto my stomach, groaning as my body reminded me in multiple painful ways that I hadn’t done this kind of PT since I had been discharged. Fifty sets of burpies followed by one hundred sit-ups and one hundred push-ups. My entire body was one big ball of ouch, and I could barely get my breathing under control as I pushed into a sitting position. And that was without going for a three-mile run afterwards.

“Man,” I managed to say between pants, “I need to do this more often. I’m getting soft.”

I glanced over my shoulder at my two shadows, who had followed me into the field behind Twilight’s castle because I wasn’t under ‘princess escort’ or some nonsense. I could believe with Twilight being the magical powerhouse she was that they weren’t required to guard me when I was with her, but the least they could do was do something other than stand around looking like morons. I mean, fresh recruits at boot camp had more interesting duties that these two. Might as well put a locater collar on me and keep track of my movements that way. At least then I wouldn’t have to try and fail to interact with a pair of stallions with a stick shoved up their respective plots.

I pushed myself into a standing position, feeling my back and legs protest as I stretched out muscles that would rather spend the rest of the morning cramping. I winced as a muscle group in my forearm seized, and I rubbed it with my other hand in a futile attempt to make the pain go away.

“Boy I wish I could use those healing spells I read about,” I muttered under my breath as I walked back towards the castle, still rubbing my arm as it called a strike on my brain’s orders, “these cramps are going to be the death of me if I don’t stretch my muscles out.”

“Maybe you’re just not cut out for this stuff,” one of my pinhead followers muttered under his breath.

I didn’t have to look to know it was Nova Burst. The crimson unicorn was nothing but a pain in my ass that I would gladly get rid of, but Twilight said that with the crazy stuff going on I needed a guard escort for my own safety. Not like I had enough to deal with already.
I was just about to push the doors to the castle open when they opened inwards by themselves. I paused in surprise as Twilight walked out with another pony following behind her. I stepped back as Twilight spotted me, her eyes widening slightly before she smiled.

“Ah, Sarah, just the mare, er, woman I was looking for.” She indicated the mare in a dusty brown travel cloak behind her with a hoof, “This is Major Swift Blade of the Canterlot Guard. She’s here to teach you how to fight so that way you can protect yourself if somepony attacks you.”

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, sorry, but I’ve already been trained to kill. No offence to Celestia, but I don’t think a member of what you ponies call a military would be able to do much against me.”

The mare stepped forward, forestalling Twilight’s reply as she met my gaze with her own sapphire orbs, “I heard that you’re some kind of military mare from another world. Why don’t you put your bits where your mouth is and try me on for size?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “What’s the game? Unarmed? Ranged? Close-quarters? You got to be a little more specific.”

She didn’t react other than to keep staring at me, “Given you don’t have a weapon that limits our options to bare-hoofed close-quarters combat. So, are you willing to take me on or is your military full of chickens?”

That made me bristle, “Oh you are so going down you walking fertilizer dispenser.”

Twilight gasped while the mare simply smirked, “You got a brain under that mane of yours. And a comedian to boot. This ought to be fun.”

I turned to the side and held out my arm, “Ladies first.”

Her smirk disappeared as her head tilted in confusion, “But aren’t we both mares?”

My smirk remained strong as I replied, “True, but at least I’ve been around the bend with a boy before. You look about as experienced with the opposite sex as a nun with a dick phobia.”

That made her eyes narrow, her nostrils flaring as she lowered her head and pawed the steps with a hoof, “Watch it ape. I might have been sent by Celestia to train you, but with the Princess as my witness, I will pound you into the dirt for that little remark.”

I walked around the back of the castle, glancing over my shoulder at her with my smirk still firmly in place, “I’d like to see you try.”

Nova Burst and his companion were watching all of this with wide eyes, the first true reaction I had managed to get out of them since we had met. Yet nothing was more hilarious that Twilight’s face. Her mouth was hanging loose and her eyes were so wide I thought they were going to fall out of her head. Her cheeks were a bright red as she sat down at the edge of the field, shaking her head before regaining control of herself. My would-be instructor stood opposite me as Dumb and Dumber sat down next to Twilight, and I noticed that her stance was perfectly balanced as she turned her head to grip the cloak around her shoulders.

She ripped it off with a flourish, revealing the gold and white armor that all Canterlot Guards wore, although she was missing the rather flamboyant helmet. Her coat was a dark brown while her mane and tail were a light aquamarine. Both were cut short in typical military style, and she cracked her neck once before turning to me. I noticed a distinct lack of wings or horn, so that made her an earth pony, a rarity within the Guard if I wasn’t mistaken.

“You ready to take me on?” She called out, her stance wide and her head held high.

I fell into a fighting stance and raised my arms, “Yup, just be prepared to lose.”

Her lips curled into a confident grin, “I could say the same to you.”

For a moment we stood there, waiting for the other to make a move. Then, almost too fast for me to see, Swift Blade leaped from her stance and thundered towards me. By the time I realized she had moved, she was already spinning around with her hooves pulled back to buck me. Rather than try and dodge, I leaped into her strike, wrapping my arms and torso around her legs as she tried to kick, absorbing most of the impact before she could get any power. Her eyes widened as I forced her forward, her front hooves struggling to gain purchase as I put my whole body into the tackle. Her hooves were not able to keep up with me, and her jaw hit the ground hard as I forced her into a submission hold. I wrapped my arms around her neck and my legs around her barrel, trying to get the head lock to hold as she struggled against my grip. Her breath wheezed as she tried to pry my arms apart with her hooves, but was unable to get a purchase against my locked joints. Finally, she tilted her head forward, and swung it back in an attempt to headbutt me in reverse.

Unfortunately, I had been trained to prevent that sort of thing, so I tilted my head to the side and let her overextend her neck before I released my choke hold. Before she could capitalize on my release my hands grabbed the front of her mane and the underside of her jaw, forcing her to keep her head swung back at a crazy angle with no leverage to work with.

Her eye was perfectly in line with mine, and I could see the panic in her pinprick pupil as she flailed about in my grip. I leaned in and whispered in her ear, taking my time because I knew she wasn’t going anywhere, “Want to insult my brothers in arms again?” She shook her head the tiniest amount in my grip, “Then I suggest you learn to respect those of the armed forces. You might be a prim and proper royal guard, but I was a member of one of the most skilled special forces on my home planet. Now, I’m going to let you go. We’re not going to have any hard feelings about his little scuffle and you’re going to respect me as a fellow soldier from now on. I understand you have a mission from Celestia, Lord knows I understand having orders from higher powers hanging over my head. But from this moment on, we’re going to treat each other as equals, clear?”

Her eyes returned to a normal size, and her lips straightened into a straight line as she nodded a fraction of an inch. I nodded in return and released my grip, stepping back as Swift Blade gasped for air. She held a hoof against her throat for a moment as she got her hooves under her, before straightening and turning to face me.

Without any warning, she saluted me and said in a proper officer address, “Forgive my lack of respect, Captain Lovegood, I was informed of your military background but was too proud to admit you might be trained better than the Royal Guard. It was foolish of me to disregard your skills because you come from a place we are not familiar with. For that I am sorry.”

I nodded, snapping a return salute before dropping it, Blade following suite, “It’s fine. I was hassled all the time for being a woman in a man’s profession the entire time I was in the force anyway. I’m used to it.” I walked up and kneeled down in front of her, holding out my fist, “Care to start over? And please, leave off the honorifics, I was discharged from the force so I’m no longer active duty.”

She nodded, bumping her hoof against my hand before smiling, “Then you can call me Swift. Only my subordinates call me by my rank.”

I returned her smile, “Sounds great. Care to join us for lunch? I was just finishing up my morning PT when you and Twilight showed up.”

Her eyes widened slightly as she fell in on my left side, “You were out of energy from PT and you could still fight like that?” I nodded and she whistled, “I’m actually starting to feel scared for the enemy rather than for you. Are all soldiers on your world trained like you?”

I smirked, “Only those who fight for my home country. Everyone else might as well be chump change compared to us.”

She lifted an eyebrow at me as we walked up to Twilight and the others, “Laying it on a bit thick aren’t we?”

I smiled as I ruffled her mane, much to her annoyance and the humor of the others, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She shook her head to straighten out her mane, turning to face Twilight and the goon squad, “I’m ready to begin my assignment, Your Highness. Will you assent to my teaching of your ward in the art of combat?”

Twilight nodded, “Permission granted, Major. See to it that Sarah is prepared for the challenges ahead. We might have a good idea of what the enemy is, but we have no idea where they might be hiding or when they might attack.”

Swift nodded, her face stern as she turned to the dynamic duo, “Alright ladies. You’re working under my house rules now, so all that namby-pamby crap you learned in the guard post ends now. As of this moment, you are officially reserve members of the Canterlot Royal Guard, and that means you have to be ready to protect Sarah at a moment’s notice. No more time off for lunch breaks, no more days free if Sarah is spending time with Princess Twilight, nothing!”

Both stallions wilted under the command aura Swift was exuding, and I felt a spark of pride for the slightly smaller mare. When she wanted something done, she got it done. No questions asked, no if’s and’s or but’s if this was what we were going to be working with. I smiled as I walked past the group, tuning out the Major as she chewed the boys a new one, falling in with Twilight as we entered the castle.

“I think that went rather well, don’t you think?” I asked casually.

Twilight rolled her eyes, letting out a long-suffering sigh, “I have a feeling Swift Blade is going to make her stay a very memorable experience for all of us. I just hope she doesn’t kill Nova Burst and Wind Clipper if they don’t follow her orders, they’re not used to this kind of rigid command structure.”

I pumped a fist when Twilight wasn’t looking, Yes! I finally learned the names of those two blockheads! I don’t have to keep coming up with nicknames anymore! I paused as I thought that last bit over in my head, “On second thought, I’ll keep the nicknames.”

“What was that?” Twilight asked as she looked over her shoulder at me.

“Nothing.” I replied, concealing the grin that threatened to break out on my face. Swift is going to bust a gut when I tell her some of the stuff I came up with for those two.

Twilight and I managed to find our way into the dining room, although how she finds her way around this place I still have trouble believing. I mean, it took me three hours after Rainbow left to find my room and get ready for bed. This place is only a few thousand square feet, how can I get lost in a place that has less square footage than two football fields?! I’m a highly-trained Army Ranger with mastery in wilderness survival and urban combat tactics. Why is this so difficult?!

My train of thought was properly derailed in a massive and fiery explosion as Spike walked in with two large plates in his claws. My stomach reminded me that I hadn’t had breakfast this morning and I wasted no time in sitting down at my place on Twilight’s right. Rule number six of being a Ranger, never mess around when it comes to food.

“Thought you guys would be hungry after that royal guard got through with you,” he said with a chuckle, placing the platters in front of us as said royal guard walked into the room, “I was beginning to think she’d beaten you into a pulp and we’d need to take you to the hospital again.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Swift said as she walked up and sat down on my other side, “Sarah has some major skills that put me to shame when it comes to close-quarters combat.” She smiled up at me as my two companions wandered in to stand at attention against the wall, looking a great deal worse for wear, “She’ll do just fine if the enemy is stupid enough to get into close range with her, although we still need to go over your skills with a sword before I can fully clear you for close range combat proficiency.”

I nodded, rubbing my hands together as Spike pulled off the cover of my food, revealing a steaming grilled trout with a side salad and dressing. Fluttershy had explained to me that while no animals could actually speak, most were some degree of sentient, so hunting wildlife was illegal in the highest degree within Equestria’s borders. The only exception was fish, so that was what we had agreed would be the meat I required in my diet.

Apparently, no one had bothered to tell Swift about my dietary habits, because she took one look at my food and held a hoof against her mouth, her cheeks turning a rather unhealthy shade of green as she jumped out of her seat and backed away.

“What is,” she forced out before having to swallow the obviously threatening bile in her throat, “that?”

I felt a bit sorry for her as I slid my plate away from her, “It’s my lunch. Did Celestia not tell you that I’m an omnivore?”

Swift’s hoof managed to make it back to the ground, although she still looked rather ill as she firmly refused to let her eyes land on my plate, “N-No, I was n-not informed that you ate,” she swallowed thickly as her ears folded against her head, “meat. This isn’t going to be a regular thing, is it?”

I was saved from answering by Twilight, who was showing great restraint at having a cooked fish practically under her nose, “Sarah’s diet requires her to eat the proteins that are found in meat at least twice a week. We figured it would be easier on her if she could cut back on the meat so that ponies don’t get uncomfortable around her, but if she goes too long without it then her body will start to cannibalize itself in order to get the nutrients it needs. Her muscles will weaken, her organs won’t operate properly, even her brain will start to deteriorate if she goes long enough.” Twilight smiled reassuringly at the still queasy mare, “Don’t worry, I can warn you when Spike is cooking Sarah’s less than appetizing meals. We don’t want you to get sick because of her food needs.”

Swift nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself as she cleared her throat, “Then I will have my lunch later. Celestia knows I’ve lost my appetite after seeing what remained of that fish.”

Twilight nodded, and Swift beat a rather hasty retreat, closing the doors to the dining hall with a clang as the alicorn turned back to me, “I’m surprised she didn’t puke. She must be a strong one to have the fortitude to hold her stomach like that. Most ponies wouldn’t even be able to be in the same room with meat, the smell alone would make them sick.”

“Said the mare who’s two feet from a grilled trout.” I retorted as I slid the plate back to me, digging in while it was still hot enough to enjoy as Twilight blushed.

“Well, I’ve been around dead animals before in the lab, so it’s not so bad for me.” She said as she dug into her own food, a large salad with a certified Sweet Apple Acres apple on the side, “It’s the same with Fluttershy. Some of the animals she cares for are carnivores, so she has a special shed where she keeps the meat they require for food. She might not look like it, but she’s got the strongest stomach of anypony I know. And that includes Pinkie Pie.”

I chuckled as I finished off my fillet, “I swear that pony is made of sugar from how much she eats. You would think she’d have some kind of diabetes from how many sweets she intakes on a daily basis.”

“I think she simply burns through it all before it can get too concentrated in her blood,” Twilight mused as she picked up her apple in her magic, “the only other explanation is that her body makes far more insulin than the average pony to compensate for the sugar intake.”

“Imagine a cutie mark for that,” I said with a giggle, “immunity to sugar overdose and completely unable to become overweight.”

That got a laugh out of her, “It would certainly be unique, even for our world.” She bit into the apple and hummed in pleasure as a drip of juice ran down her chin.

I lifted an eyebrow, it was just too easy, “Are you eating that, or are you eating that?”

Twilight coughed, spitting pulped apple all over the table and all over me as she pounded her chest with a hoof. She gulped her water before gasping for air, glaring at me with flushed cheeks as I held my stomach in laughter.

“Really Sarah?” She growled, clearly not amused, “I was enjoying that apple before you made that little joke.”

That only made me laugh more, the guards now joining in as I pounded the table, “Oh you were enjoying it all right.” I sputtered as I gasped for air, “I swear if someone was walking by in the hallway they would be having some very different ideas about what kind of lunch we were having right now.”

Nova Burst and Wind Clipper couldn’t take it anymore and fell over themselves, pounding the floor with their hooves as they gasped for air. Meanwhile, I had managed to get myself under control enough to grin suggestively at Twilight, who was beet red from the shoulders up with fully flared wings. Her eyes were narrowed in anger, and before I knew what was happening, her horn ignited and I was yanked off the ground.

“Yah!” I yelled as I flailed around in her magic grip, feeling my limbs being directed against my will until I was ram-rod straight.

Twilight lowered me until I was floating parallel to the table, my face inches from hers as her lips pulled into a sadistic grin, “Oh, you thought that was funny, did you? Well, listen up missy, because I’m not going to repeat myself.” Her nose touched my own as my eyes widened in fear, “I’m going to warn you once, only once, to not make jokes like those about me or my friends. They aren’t funny, they can hurt ponies, and they are downright childish in their usage. Now, either you knock it off, or I’m going to practice my combat magic spells on you without the use of protective gear.” She pressed her muzzle into my face enough to make my nose hurt, “Are we clear?”

I nodded slowly, “Yes ma’am.” My voice may or may not have been a few octaves higher than normal.

She nodded, her horn powering down and dropping me onto the table like a sack of potatoes, “Good, then I will see you after you finish your training with Major Swift Blade.”

With that she walked out of the room, leaving me to pry myself off the table with several new bruises. Damn that girl had some powerful magic. I was going to have marks on my arms and legs for days after the rough handling she gave me. I turned and walked past the Doobie Brothers, who had somehow managed to get themselves under control before exiting the room. I chose to ignore their shell-shocked expressions. First rule of living with Twilight Sparkle, you don’t question who has the most power in the room. Any answer other than the previously mentioned alicorn will always be wrong, unless overruled by another princess.

I found my way through the halls and stumbled upon Swift in what constituted as the castle armory, meaning it had a whopping three swords, a long and short bow with three quivers of arrows, and a single set of guard armor that had yet to be stylized for a particular unit. Swift was holding one of the swords in her hooves, moving her gaze along its edge before nodding to herself. She slid the blade into a scabbard that was hung over her shoulder and connected to her armor by several straps. It was in that moment that she spotted me standing in the doorway.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d show up.” She said as she walked up to me, “Know anything about how to use a blade?”

I shrugged, “My people use projectile weapons that can kill an enemy soldier at half a mile. We moved on from swords almost three hundred years ago to more efficient ways of killing.”

Swift’s eyes widened slightly before she cleared her throat, “Well I don’t know anything about the weapons where you come from, but here in Equestria we use either swords, magic or crossbows to hurt enemy soldiers. Do you have any experience using a bladed weapon at all?”

I nodded, “All Rangers are required to know how to use improvised weapons or standard issue combat knives in case our rifles become inoperable, although our training focused on dagger-sized blades instead of actual swords.”

Swift shook her head as she turned around, picking up the second sword in her teeth before tossing it to me, “Knife fighting and sword fighting are two completely different things. Trying to fight with a sword the way you fight with a knife will get you killed, if you don’t destroy half your squad before running yourself through.”

She walked past me and I followed her out to the field behind the castle, her gaze firmly locked on the central space within the track Twilight had made for me. She stopped and spun around to face me, her eyes firm as she locked her gaze with mine.

“If you’re going to defend yourself from these dark sorcerers, then you’re going to need to know how to use more than just fancy grappling moves and slashing with a butter knife.” She pulled the sword from her scabbard with her mouth before planning it into the ground in front of her, “I will teach you how to use a sword, and how to defend yourself from a magic user. Your unique power might be all well and good in breaking the spells of a necromancer, but it won’t do anything to a living pony. You’ll need to rely on your wits and the skills I’m about to teach you if you want to be able to make it in a fight. Do you have a problem with that?”

I shook my head, sliding my own blade from its scabbard and putting it through some practice swings to feel out its balance. I hummed in satisfaction as the blade responded to my input with little effort, although the fact that it was only about the size of a meter stick made swinging it around feel a bit weird. “This should do nicely. It’s not as long as a sword from my world, so it’s a bit closer to what I’m used to using.”

Swift nodded, “Then we shall start your training immediately. Before I teach you anything about fighting a mage, you’re going to need to learn the proper forms for using that thing. This isn’t like sticking a knife in somepony’s ribcage. That blade has a lot more reach that you think it does, and in the proper hooves it could be as deadly as any combat spell.”

“Said the earth pony.” I countered, cracking a smile as she faltered for a moment.

She cleared her throat, giving me the stink eye as she waved a hoof around to emphasize her points, “The point is, a sword is an extension of the pony wielding it, not some hunk of metal that you bludgeon the enemy into submission with. Mastering swordsmanship can take years of careful study and daily practice, but given your situation we don’t have that luxury. So, I’m going to teach you the only way I can think of that will be fast enough.”

“Oh, and what is that?” I asked as she picked up the blade in her teeth.

Her eyes narrowed as she widened her stance, the blade of the sword sticking out sideways from her mouth as her teeth bit into the soft bindings, “Wive sfarring.”

With no warning Swift leapt at me, rearing onto her hind legs as she swung her blade in a cross arc that would remove my left arm from my body. Instinctively I brought my own blade up and locked it against her own, but I was unable to contend with her strength as she slowly pushed my blade back at me. My arms strained as I tried to figure out a way past her monstrous power, and I pushed my foot against her exposed stomach in an attempt to get her off me.

My tactic might have worked against a human, but I neglected to take into account a pony’s different center of gravity. Swift used my now unstable base to wrap her front hooves around my arms, locking us together even more before suddenly throwing her weight to one side. I yelped as I was dragged down with her, my blade clattering to one side as my grip on the hilt was lost. Swift pulled me up and over her body, pressing all four of her legs into my stomach before kicking me into a flip over her head. I yelled as I went flying through the air, and grunted as my back impacted the ground. I struggled to get back on my feet, but only got half my upper body off the ground before I felt the tickle of cold metal against my neck.

I looked up and saw Swift standing over me with her front hooves planted on either side of my waist. The tip of her sword was resting with perfect stillness against the side of my neck, and I could feel the razor sharpness threatening to break my skin as she stared into my eyes.
After a moment or two, Swift pulled her head back and sheathed the sword in one smooth movement, looking back at me with a calm expression as she spoke, “So what did you learn?”

I gingerly reached up and rubbed my throat with one hand, “Don’t get into a strength contest with an earth pony?”

Swift smiled as she nodded, “Exactly. You tried to turn my strike into a weakness by locking my blade with yours. Yet when you were unable to repel me you tried to throw me off balance. Earth ponies are stronger than the other tribes by basic nature, and trained fighters are even more so. You would have had an easier time unbalancing a boulder my size than throwing me off my game.” She offered her hoof and I graciously took it as she pulled me to my feet, “Each pony race has strengths and weaknesses that must be avoided or exploited if you want to win in a fight. Look for the openings each race’s combat style will present, and try to avoid letting the enemy get the upper hoof if you can help it.”

“So, depending on what race my enemy is, I’m going to have to change my fighting style to match that in order to stand a chance?” I asked, to which Swift nodded. I performed a spectacular facepalm as I muttered into my hand, “Fuck me sideways with a paddle.”

Swift chuckled as I slowly removed my hand from my face, “Don’t quite know the meaning of that phrase, but if it’s anything like the stuff I learned in boot camp it’s not something you would want the general civilians to hear. Am I right?”

I smirked as I ruffled her mane, much to her annoyance, “You’re learning quick. There might be hope for you yet.”

She rolled her eyes as she adjusted her mane, “Who’s teaching who here?”

I grinned as I walked over to my sword, falling into a combat stance as I raised the blade to hip height, “Oh believe me Peppermint, you’ll be learning a few things too by the time we get through with all this.”

One eyebrow lifted as she stared me down, “Peppermint? Haven’t heard that one before. There might be hope for you yet if you can back up your smack-talk.” She smiled as she fell into her own combat stance and drew her blade, “Wefs wo thiths.”

With that we leapt at one another, our blades flashing in the sunlight as they impacted each other with a resounding clang.

For the rest of the afternoon, Swift Blade and I went over non-stop drills and sparring matches, and I eventually picked up some tricks to keep up with the talented mare. I still got my ass handed to me more often than not, but at least now I could last a few minutes before Swift had her sword against my neck or some other equally important body part.

I lay down in the grass, my blade once again sheathed as I wiped the sweat off my brow, “Wow, who knew swords could take so much out of you.”

“That’s why you need to practice every day,” Swift said as she laid back next to me, equally as sweaty as her mane stuck to her face and neck, “it keeps the important muscles strong and ready to go at any time.”

I looked sideways as the mare next to me, my lips curling into a grin as I poked her in the ribs with a finger, “So how did you like that little trick I pulled a few rounds ago?”

She grinned in return as she stared up at the sky, “You mean when you blocked my strike with your metal leg and used my moment of distraction to take a few inches off my mane?” She chuckled as she turned to look at me, “Definitely a tactic to remember. Ponies won’t ever see something like that coming if they don’t know about your leg, and even if they did, nopony would expect you to take a hit with it in order to tangle up your opponent’s weapon.” Her expression turned worried for a moment as she continued, “It’s not damaged in any way, is it?”

I shook my head, “The levels of tech between your world and mine are literally several ages apart.” I wrapped my knuckles against the metal in my leg, making a nice clank sound as I smiled, “You could hit this thing with a sword a hundred times and the most you would do is scratch it. The level of metalworking makes the alloys in my leg far stronger than anything your blacksmiths could create, at least without some kind of magical boost.”

Swift hummed in thought as she turned her gaze skyward again, “While enchantments for weapons do exists, they are costly to maintain and are very difficult to cast. Most weapons you would come across on the battlefield would be like the blade you’re holding, plain old steel.”

“What about mages?” I asked, “Can’t they create blades out of their magic?”

Swift nodded, “It’s a very high-level spell, one that most of the guard can’t even use, but if you come across a spellcaster that is powerful enough to use them, then you need to be very careful. Most will only use one large weapon or a pair of smaller weapons, but they have no limit to their range and can attack you from any direction, to say nothing if you run into a multi-caster.”

“Multi-caster?” I asked, raising one eyebrow as I glanced at Swift again.

She nodded, “Multi-casters are unicorns that use multiple weapons that are usually very small. Think like the size of a dagger, only they can use up to a dozen of them at once like a swarm of hornets.”

I winced at the mental image that created, “Not a good idea to face something like that without backup.”

Swift nodded, turning to face me as she rolled onto her side, “I would tell you that with enough training you could face a multi-caster by yourself, but it would take years before you would even stand a chance against a seasoned combat specialist.”

“Well that’s reassuring.” The sarcasm was thick in my voice, “What happens if I run into a multi-caster and can’t get support from my squad?”

“You run,” was the simple reply, “or you try and work the caster into a situation where the number of blades becomes a hindrance, like inside a narrow hallway or a small room. If you can manage that then I’d give you a fifty-fifty chance of winning once you finish training.”

I grunted as I pushed up into a sitting position, Swift rolling onto her stomach before sitting up on her haunches, “So the bottom line is don’t mess with a multi-caster unless I can even the playing field to my advantage.”

Swift nodded as she got to her hooves and stretched like a cat, “Mmmhh, that about sums it up.” She glanced at the sun as it began its journey towards the horizon, “What’s say we go and get some food before we call it a day?”

My stomach rumbled its accent, and I placed a hand over my gut as Swift chuckled, “I wouldn’t say no to that.”

As Swift fell in at my side, she seemed to remember something, “Um, not that it’s a problem or anything, but you won’t be having any of that, um, meat, again tonight, would you?”

I smiled as I pat her on the head, “Don’t worry, Twilight is trying to make it so I don’t have to eat more meat than I need to, although being stuck with fish for the rest of my life is going to get old real quick. Back home none of the animal life was sentient, so we had a lot more options when it came to what we could eat to get our protein requirements.”

Swift shivered, her face turning a slight shade of green before returning to normal, “I’ll never get over the fact that you eat other animals. It’s just so, horrifying to think that what you’re eating used to be alive.”

“You eat plants and they’re alive,” I countered, “the only difference is that animals can move around and have to eat either plants or other animals to survive. Fluttershy has birds of prey and a bear at her cottage, you don’t see her getting all bent out of shape giving them meat to eat.”

Swift still looked a bit green around the gills as we neared the castle, “I still would rather you warn me next time Spike cooks your food like that. I nearly lost my lunch when I smelled that fish he had on your plate.”

I rolled my eyes, “Sure thing Swift, I’ll be sure to have Spike warn you next time he makes me my trout fillet.”

Swift sighed in relief as we walked up to the front doors, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

We were just about to push the doors open when a high-pitched screaming sounded off behind us. I spun around and saw a pink mare with a blonde mane and tail racing towards us, her head thrown back as her voice echoed off the nearby buildings. Swift and I raced towards her as she barreled down the street towards the castle, catching her midway as she tackled the royal guard and began weeping into her chest plate.

“What’s the matter miss?” Swift asked in a no-nonsense tone, “Is there some kind of threat to the town?”

The poor mare could barely speak, and she couldn’t even open her eyes as she clung to the guard like her life depended on it, “I-It w-w-was horrifying! L-Like something out o-of a nightm-mare.”

Swift gently pried the poor thing off of her chest and sat down in front of her, while I stayed off to one side, my head on a swivel for threats. “It’s alright, you’re safe now. Tell me your name and what it was you saw.”

The mare sniffed, wiping her eyes with a hoof as she struggled to contain her hitched breathing, “L-Lily. M-My name is L-Lily Valley. I own a flower shop with my f-friends Roseluck and Daisy.”

Swift nodded, placing a gently hoof on Lily’s shoulder, “And what was it that you saw that was so frightening?”

Her eyes narrowed into pinpricks, seeing something over the guard’s shoulder as her face drained of color, “It was terrifying. I was walking along the edge of town, hoping to find some daisy seeds for the shop, when I saw it, shuffling along through the fields like a pony sleepwalking. Only, it wasn’t a pony, not anymore.”

I glanced at the pair as I kept an eye out for anything, not liking where this train of conversation was going.

“If it wasn’t a pony, then what was it?” Swift pressed, leaning in towards Lily as she spoke.

Lily swallowed, her voice breaking twice before she managed to force the word out, “Zombie.”

Swift’s ears drooped as her face drained of color, and I felt a cold shiver run up my spine at what the poor mare had just said. I gave up looking for danger and walked up to the duo, kneeling down next to the traumatized mare with a calm expression, “Where did you see the zombie, Lily? We need to know right away so we can take care of it.”

She whimpered and pointed down the street behind her, but was otherwise unable to talk.

I turned to Swift and channeled my inner drill sergeant, “Major, take miss Lily to the castle and inform Twilight of what is happening. I’m going to go and investigate this before that horror can get too far.”

Swift saluted, “You can count on me.” She turned to Lily and gently helped her to her hooves, “Come on now Lily, we’re going to go visit the Princess and get you a nice hot cup of tea. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Lily was so out of it she simply nodded, her eyes staring at nothing as Swift gently guided her back the way we had come. I nodded, seeing Swift had things under control, and ran the direction Lily had pointed. If the dark mages were already on the move, then time was of the essence.

My feet pounded against the dirt road, my breathing swift and my heart thundering in my ribcage as my eyes flickered from one shadow to the next. I was officially in a battlefield, and the enemy could be hiding anywhere. I clamped my hand onto my sword hilt, ready to draw it the instant I spotted trouble.

Before long I had reached the edge of town, and in a matter of seconds I spotted the dark, shambling figure that was the only thing visible for miles in the open grassland. It was definitely pony-shaped, but the way it moved was all wrong. Instead of walking with all four hooves at once, it shambled along in staggering movements that reminded me of the stereotypical zombie flicks from back home. I drew my sword in a hiss of metal on what I assumed was fake leather, and I cautiously approached the zombie as it moved along in a straight line.

It looked like it had used to be a unicorn mare, if the partially decaying horn and the slender body type were any indication, although the body had definitely seen better days. Bone and muscle were blatantly visible from gaping holes in the corpse’s body, as well as the odd bit of organ that threatened to spill from its body cavity as worms wiggled around in its left eye socket. Most of the fur was completely unrecognizable, while the mane and tail were mostly bleached white from age and rot. I had to swallow the bile that rose in my throat as the smell hit me, and I gagged as I covered my mouth with my sleeve to try and block out the scent of decay and rot.

I walked up, hoping to hack off its head before it knew I was there, but just as I was winding up to swing it turning its head towards me. For some strange reason, I paused as it seemed to look me over, before turning its head away and continuing on its merry way. I was momentarily stumped as to why it had seemingly chosen to ignore me, even though I had been about to remove its head.

My curiosity peaked, I lowered my sword slowly, walking along next to the zombie as it continued to make a straight line for the dark woods of the Everfree. I was thinking about following this thing to its masters, but I tossed that idea out before it had even taken root. I wasn’t ready to face a full mage, not by a long shot, but I couldn’t just let this thing go free without doing something about it. As I pondered my options, a lightbulb went off in my mind.

“I’ll see if my Auramancy can do anything to stop it.” I said to myself, walking out in front of the zombie and stepping into its path.

I turned around and stood in the zombie’s way, igniting my hands with a red aura as it shambled towards me. I sent a quick prayer to whatever deity watched over this world, and grabbed the zombie by the head with my hands. I had to forced back my gag reflex as my hands sunk into the rotting flesh, and I was about to let go when something began to happen.

First off, the zombie stopped walking forward, before it slowly began to glow with the same color as my hands along its entire body. For a moment the zombie simply stood there, glowing a soft red along its entire length, and I was beginning to think nothing was happening. However, my thoughts were immediately derailed as the corpse fell over, the glow in its body intensifying for a moment before turning a pure white.

I shaded my eyes as a bright ethereal mass rose up from the body, and as my eyes adjusted they widened in shock at what I was seeing. Floating just above the body, was a deep lavender mare with silver and light blue fur for her mane and tail. She opened her vermillion eyes and smiled at me, while my own jaw dropped in shock and wonder.

“Thank you for freeing me.” Her voice was aged but strong as she bowed her head, “I was trapped within my body and unable to do anything to save myself. I thank you for your actions today strange one.”

“W-Who are you?” I managed to force out, “What are you?”

The mare’s eyes faded with sadness as she glanced down at the corpse below her, “My name is, or rather was, Sealed Scroll. To answer your question properly, well.” She indicated the body beneath her, “This is what used to be my body.”

All at once Celestia’s words came back to me about how necromancer magic worked, “Your spirit was trapped in your body in order to give it life again, under the control of a necromancer.”

Sealed Scroll nodded, “And yet I am free once again thanks to you. While I do not know what manner of creature you are, I can tell by your actions and the energy you used to free me that you have a good heart. Help the others that are being used by these dark mages, and free them just as you have done for me.”

“But what about you?” I asked, wishing I could get my brain to work properly as I spoke, “What happens to you now that you’re free?”

Scroll smiled softly, placing a hoof over her heart as her form began to fade, “I can once again join my friends and family in the Golden Fields, where I was meant to be. Farewell my hero, I wish you well in the challenges ahead.”

With that she faded completely from sight, leaving me alone in the field once again with a now inanimate corpse. I simply stood there for a moment, unable to truly comprehend what had happened. Yet as the sound of approaching hoofbeats met my ears, I shook my head to get my mind back on track. I turned to face the incoming ponies as Twilight, Swift Blade and the others came to a skidding halt in front of me, their eyes wide and their jaws hanging as they took in the scene before them.

“Is that what I think it is?” Twilight asked, her horn igniting as she took a step closer.

I glanced down at the body of Sealed Scroll, before answering the alicorn, “It used to be a zombie, but I took care of it.”

All eyes turned to me as Swift asked, “What did you do? There’s nothing missing from the corpse other than what you would expect from being already dead.”

I smiled as I lifted my hands up and closed them into fists, igniting them with my aura as I turned to face the ponies, “I used my Auramancy to free Sealed Scroll from the necromancer’s control.”

The others tilted their heads in confusion, although it was Rarity that asked the question, “Sealed Scroll? But darling, how could you possibly know her name?”

I smiled as I lowered my arms, letting the energy fade as I looked down at the body, “She told me, right before she passed on to the Golden Fields.”

“WHAT!?!?!?!?” Was the thunderous reply that met my simple yet unbelievable statement.

I rubbed the back of my neck with a hand as I tried to not laugh at the gob-smacked faces in front of me, “Maybe I should start from the beginning?”

Twilight managed to get herself under control, summoning a quill and notepad in her magic as she advanced on me, “Details, now. And don’t you dare leave anything out!”

I sighed, glancing down at the body before turning back to Twilight, “Shouldn’t we at least get Sealed to a morgue or something?”

“NO!” Was the second thunderous reply.

Author's Note

WARNING!!! HIGHLY PERSONAL INFORMATION WITHIN!!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

Well, chalk up another chapter for the list. Unfortunately, this will be the last chapter I can post for a good while. I know, hold you’re flame mail for a minute and hear me out. I’ve been wanting to explain my erratic update style for a while, but I never had the courage to say the true reason behind it. Well today that all changes. You might want to buckle up, this gets pretty heavy.

See, the thing is, I have Bipolar Disorder, which comes with challenges that plague me on a daily basis, like even when my mind isn’t thinking itself into the ground, most of my life is split into very specific cycles that I simply cannot escape. Now that does not mean I’m crazy, most people with mental imbalances are completely normal people with just a little extra running under the hood. The point is that I have some unique quirks that make writing books a royal pain in the plot.

Imagine a car’s transmission, with all the different gears that control how fast the car goes given a certain amount of power. That is a pretty good idea of what my writing cycle looks like. 1st gear is when the only things I can focus on are YouTube, Netflix, and other multimedia. The usual ‘brain drain’ type of activities that our parents used to tell us would make us idiots if we watched them for too long. 2nd gear is when I get so obsessed with reading books that I finished Fallout: Equestria and Project Horizons in the span of two and a half weeks, while I was taking full-time college classes!! And finally, we come to 3rd gear, which is where I do all my writing. As you can probably tell by the frenzied pace I’ve been going at for the last week and a half, it’s got a whole metric buck-ton of horsepower, no pun intended.

The problem with this cycle is that the higher up in gears I go, the more energy it takes to maintain that specific gear. That is why my 1st gear can last for over a month, while I’m lucky if I can get 3rd gear to last longer than two weeks. And the worst part of it all is that I have absolutely no say when it comes to controlling when I shift from gear to gear. I can usually tell about a day or two in advance, but there is nothing I can do to speed things up or halt the shift once it starts.

So, long story short, my writing gear is running on fumes, so this will be the last post for a good while, and I’m sorry that I can’t be more consistent. I wish I could write for all of you on a more regular basis, Celestia knows I’ve tried to write out of cycle often enough with abysmal results, but that simply isn’t going to happen. Thank you all for being so understanding, as that is one of my favorite things about the members of this fandom. It’s also why I feel comfortable enough sharing with all of you, because I care enough about my fans and readers that I feel I should give you the full story behind why my posts come in seemingly random waves. For all the comments you write that help me to improve my work, to the following that has sprouted over the last year around this little back-woods author, thank you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

So, once again, and for a good long while, I’ll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

10 - A Forgotten Evil

Twilight didn’t let me get more than ten sentences into my explanation of the situation before her horn lit up with magic. To the utter surprise of everyone(pony) present, we were snatched up in a maelstrom of power that made my stomach threaten to spill my dinner in spectacular fashion. I managed to keep my food where it belonged as the world came back into focus, revealing the inside of Twilight’s castle as she snatched up a quill and scroll from somewhere.

“Take a letter Spike,” she ordered, her face a mask of determination and cold calculating reason as she practically shoved the quill and paper into his grip.

Either Spike knew better than to argue with his foster sister or simply fell into habit, but readied his tools anyway as Twilight began to pace back and forth with her gaze locked on the floor. The others still seemed to be a bit woozy from the mass teleport and didn’t bother to comment on Twilight’s rather rude behavior.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight narrated, Spike’s quill moving rapidly to dictate her words, “Just moments ago Sarah and Major Swift Blade responded to a sighting of a zombie roaming around the edge of Ponyville. The mare who spotted the monster was cared for by the Major while Sarah went to investigate. The initial report was accurate, and after a brief interaction Sarah was able to subdue the creature with her Auramancy. I will be sending Shallow Grave, Ponyville’s mortician, to recover the remains once all available magic evidence can be obtained from the corpse. In the meantime, I request that more immediate effort be placed on finding the location of the necromancers controlling these undead, because I fear we will not be ready for them if we wait for these dark mages to reveal themselves. Please reply with as much information as possible concerning this matter as soon as possible. Your former student, Princess Twilight.”

Spike finished the letter with a flourish, rolling it up and sealing the scroll with a red ribbon before igniting it with his breath. The ashes flew out a nearby window, gone with the fading light just as the sun began to fully set.

By that point everyone seemed to be back to normal, the rather jarring sensation of teleportation wearing off for most of those present. Fluttershy still seemed a bit out of it, although it was predictably Rainbow who had recovered first.

“So what do we do now Twilight?” The prismatic mare asked as she hovered next to Applejack’s head, “I don’t like the idea of just waiting around for instructions when there’s zombie flank we could be kicking.”

“Now hold on there sugarcube,” Applejack said calmly as she tugged Rainbow to the ground by her tail, “we don’t know if there are any more of those things out there, and frankly, Ah’d just as rather stay put until Princess Celestia tells us what we can do about this here undead issue.” She shivered rather violently, the fur on her neck and spine rising like a scared cat’s, “If it’s all the same to you all, Ah would rather not deal with something like that without a plan of action.”

Rainbow resumed her hovering, crossing her hooves over her chest as she made an indignant pout, “Totally uncool to sit and do nothing.”

“Personally I agree with Applejack,” Rarity said as she finished brushing the teleportation frizz out of her mane, “dealing with those ghastly things is going to be bad enough in it of itself. Let’s not borrow trouble by rushing headlong into things without thinking it through.”

“We need to know what kind of numbers we’re dealing with and general locations before we can do anything more than react.” Swift added, “From what I saw in the fields outside Ponyville, the zombie Sarah took care of was the only one nearby, meaning trying to come up with combat strategies would be next to pointless unless more happened to stumble into town.” She turned towards Twilight, who had stopped her pacing to listen to the others, “Until we hear back from Princess Celestia, my orders come from you Princess Twilight. What do you want us to do?”

Twilight held a hoof to her chin for a moment, her eyes clouded in thought before she spoke, “I think we should sit and wait for more information. Running around like chickens being chased by a fox is going to get us nowhere. My orders for you and the other members of the Ponyville Guard are the remain on alert but to do nothing else unless given immediate reason.”

Swift nodded, turning to my shadows with a hard commander’s glare, “You heard the Princess, get your lazy rumps in gear and inform the local guard post of recent events. Make sure to include Princess Twilight’s orders or I’ll personally see to it you don’t get out of latrine duty for the next year. Now MOVE OUT!!”

The two stallions were off so fast I could have sworn they left behind afterimages, although I attributed that to the low light in the castle foyer. I turned to face Twilight just as she met my gaze, only for my words to be interrupted by a loud belching sound. Spike’s flames condensed into another scroll, this time secured with blue ribbon and a golden seal.

Twilight unrolled the letter in her magic grip and cleared her throat before speaking, “Dear Princess Twilight, I am happy to know that the problem in Ponyville has been taken care of with no major harm to its citizens, but a confirmed sighting of undead only strengthens the worry I have centered around these dark mages. In light of this, Luna and I believe it is best if you all come to Canterlot in the morning, to learn what kind of foe we are truly facing. I cannot state more in this letter, for I fear the enemy might have some way to intercept our communications if we are not careful. Know this my little ponies, the darkness we are about to face is unlike anything you have encountered before. I pray that your strength will be enough, but for now I wish for you all to be on guard, in case the shadows begin to move before we are ready. Take care my friends, and I will see you in the morning.”

The scroll fluttered to the ground as Twilight released her magic hold upon it, her eyes wide in shock as she stared at the innocent paper like it held the plague. She wasn’t the only one who looked surprised by the Princess’s words. Everyone else, even the normally stoic Swift Blade, was staring at the letter like it had just proclaimed the doom of their world.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and cleared my throat, “I understand that this might sound callous of me, but right now we need to do as Celestia says and focus on the here and now. We can worry about these sorcerers if and when they reveal themselves. Until then, we need to prepare for when they do come, so that way we can give them a good pounding for their trouble.”

Swift turned to me with a slight smile, nodding once before turning back to the others, “Alright, you heard what Princess Celestia wanted. Head on off to bed before you lot get any more riled up about this. Can’t do anything more tonight and we all need to be rested for the trip to Canterlot in the morning.”

When no one seemed to hear her, Swift growled softly under her breath before sucking in a large lungful of air. Knowing full well what was about to happen, I covered the ear facing her direction with one hand, smirking to myself as I waited for the fireworks.

“ATTENTION IN THE RANKS!! GET THE ROAD APPLES OUT OF YOUR EARS AND ANSWER ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!!”

I had to stifle my laughter with my other hand as all six mares, and dragon, jumped about six feet in the air. Spike let out a yell that was accompanied by a small burst of flames, but what nearly had me rolling in stitches was the fact that every, single, mare, present, made the most adorable high-pitched whinny upon being blasted by Swift’s command voice.

Those with wings had them flared wide in surprise while Pinkie looked like someone had stuck her tail in an electrical socket. Applejack was holding a hoof to her chest while trying to remember how to breathe, while Rarity had materialized a couch out of nowhere and had promptly fainted upon its red velvet surface. Fluttershy looked ready to join the alabaster unicorn but had instead chosen to hide under one of Rainbow’s wings after pulling it over her head and shoulders.

Satisfied that she had everyone’s attention, Swift let out a very horse-like snort before turning her attention to Twilight, “Right, now that we are actually paying attention instead of sitting around like torn saddlebags, maybe you lot will listen when I have something to say.”

Applejack growled softly under her breath as she placed her hoof back on the floor, but otherwise didn’t comment. Fluttershy peaked out from under Rainbow’s wing while the prismatic pegasus glared daggers at the Major. Pinkie was giggling like a schoolgirl and bouncing around without a care in the world, but I had sort of gotten used to some of that crazy mare’s antics by now. Rarity was still out cold while Twilight was running a brush through her mane.

“Was that really necessary Major Swift Blade?” Twilight asked as she teleported the brush away.

Swift nodded, “You lot were so wrapped up in your own heads that it was the only way I could think of to snap you out of it.” She bowed her head towards Twilight, “Forgive me Princess, I didn’t mean to startle anypony. I was simply doing what I thought was best at the time.”

“Well next time don’t yell at us like you’re trying to crack a thunderhead,” Rainbow retorted as she reclaimed her wing from Fluttershy, “you about gave Fluttershy a heart attack.”

Said canary pegasus simply nodded while hiding her face behind her mane.

Swift’s face softened as she walked up to Fluttershy, placing a gentle hoof on her shoulder as she lowered her head to her level, “I apologize Fluttershy, it was not my intention to scare you. Can you forgive me?”

One teal eye poked out from behind the pink mass that was her mane, followed by a small nod and the corner of a smile.

Swift nodded in return, “Right then, back to business.” She spun around to take the rest of us in, “As I was saying before, there isn’t anything we can do right now until we have more information. The best thing to do is to get some sleep and be well rested for the trip to Canterlot in the morning. Without a plan we have no hope of dealing with further incidents, be they undead related or not, so I suggest we all get to bed and try to rest up for tomorrow.”

General nods of accent were shared between all present, although as Rarity came around she had to be filled in by Pinkie.

“Then I think we can call it a night for now,” Twilight said as she incinerated the scroll in her magic, “if Princess Celestia is calling us to the castle for this, then it has to be important. Go home girls, and we’ll meet up with you at the train station first thing in the morning.”

Murmurs of agreement met her statement, and the others slowly filed out of the castle in pairs. Fluttershy was still clinging to Rainbow Dash, so I imagined they would be traveling back to her cottage before Rainbow headed home. Once the doors to the foyer closed with a loud bang, Twilight turned to face me and Swift, her eyes alight with worry as she glanced at the closed doors.

“Are you sure it was alright sending them home after all that?” She asked, “I feel like it would be better if they stayed here at the castle for tonight, given the situation.”

“You’d only make them more uncomfortable,” I said calmly, “they’re already wound up and tired after a day like today. Making them sleep in an unfamiliar building when their minds are already bound to be playing tricks on them is just asking for disaster.”

“Sarah is right,” Swift added as she stepped up to my side, “the comforts of home will help to ease their fears better than anything you could provide in the castle. Let them get over the shock in their own time and they will come out of it stronger than if you let the fear fester in their minds.”

I recognized the flyaway hairs in Twilight’s mane as she started to pace back and forth, leaving Spike to simply roll his eyes. “But what if the zombie you faced wasn’t the only one? What if the dark mages behind them attack in the night and I can’t protect my friends?” More and more hairs began to spring loose of her mane and tail as her speech picked up speed.

Hoping to avoid a Twilight freak-out, I stepped into her path and lifted both hands to her head. She didn’t even notice until my fingers pressed into the fur just behind her ears. Immediately, her rambling ground to a halt as a deep moan escaped her lips. I fought back a blush as I worked my fingers into her head and over the backside of each ear, trying to ignore the sounds of pleasure that were escaping her mouth every other second. The coloring of my cheeks grew several shades darker as I heard Swift snickering off to the side, and I spotted Spike staring at his own claws with a look of wonder. I smiled at the idea of Spike turning Twilight into a puddle with his claws, and slowly let off the pressure as I moved my hands away from Twilight’s head.

Her wings were on full display and her eyes were lidded as she sat on the floor, her breathing slightly labored as she swayed from side to side. Slowly, her eyes opened up again and she looked up at me with a smoldering gaze that made my blush return full force. A half second later, she seemed to realize what had happened, shaking her head several times as she fought to get her wings under control. Her own cheeks were aflame as her eyes locked onto anything but me, and I chuckled to myself at her adorable behavior. Princess or not, Twilight was still a single, young mare who I imagined had never had someone touch her in that manner before. Immediately upon that thought crossing my mind I shook my own head to clear it, hoping to banish whatever crazy debauchery my mind had concocted.

“Well, um,” I cleared my throat, “should we head to bed for now and try to get some sleep?”

Twilight nodded, her cheeks still alight as she stumbled past me and down the hall, “Yeah, right, sleep, need sleep before we get train in morning.” Spike raced to follow her down the hall, disappearing around a corner and leaving me alone with Swift.

Said mare walked up next to me and elbowed me softly against my fleshy leg, “You trying to get into a royal engagement?”

I glanced down at her and scowled at the knowing smirk that had found its way to her lips, “No, just trying to keep Twilight from going nuts over things she can’t control. I wasn’t trying to cause that kind of a reaction, just calm her down.”

“Mmhmm.” Her tone told me she didn’t believe a word of what I had just said, “Whatever you say. Just remember that if you want to date the princess, you should probably keep an eye out for her brother, what with him being Captain of the Guard and all that.”

I groaned as I performed a spectacular facepalm, “You’re not going to let me live this down anytime soon, are you?”

Her lips split into a wide grin, a slight bounce in her step as she followed me down the hall, “Nope!”

I rolled my eyes as I pushed the door to my room open, “Just try and leave off the jokes when it’s not just us. I would rather not have the others getting the wrong idea.”

The smirk was back in full force, “Oh I think you do plenty of that on your own, but I get the idea. Got to keep up the ‘stoic soldier’ motif in front of the civvies.”

I nodded, glad that at least someone around here knew what it was like being military around the general population, “Thanks Swift. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you tomorrow,” she replied, throwing me a quick salute before making her way down the hall.

I closed the door and stripped down to my underwear and bra, making a mental note to have Rarity make some more for me before the two sets I had wore out. Without any fanfare I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin, taking a moment to gaze out at the moon before closing my eyes. It only took me a moment to fall asleep, an art I had perfected when trying to get a nap in during a mission could be a nigh impossible task. If only I had known what awaited me in the dream world, I might have taken my time instead of jumping in with both feet.

Gunfire rattled through the plaza as my squad moved from one of the decrepit buildings to the next. Dust was thick in the air from explosives and the heavy thrum of attack helicopters rose and fell as they did aerial sweeps of the village. My team had been sent in with a company Army grunts to clean out the Taliban agents that had been using the little backwater town as a base of operations. Now we were in a constant firefight that threatened to send any of us to an early grave with each passing moment.

“Get that sniper nest under control Freeze!” I yelled over the din as another high-caliber bullet ricocheted off the stones above my head, “We need to have clear line of sight to take out that pocket of Talis on the next block!”

“I’d like to see you take a three hundred yard shot in these conditions, Pepper!” First Lieutenant Connor Litman, a.k.a. ‘Freeze’, yelled at me from across the road as he hefted his M24 onto his shoulder in favor of his M16, “How about you give me some cover fire so I can find a better shooting position so I don’t get my head blown off?!”

“How about both of you can it and start shooting at the Talis instead of firing off at each other!” Major Robert Williams, a.k.a. ‘Smokey’, yelled over our comms system, “You two argue like an old married couple and seem to find the absolute worst times to do it. Now move two blocks west of your current location, I’ve called in some help from our flyboys with the big toys.”

I grinned as Freeze shot me a matching smile, “Rodger that Smokey, we’ll be ready for the fireworks.”

After the line cut off, Freeze and I ducked through another building, moving inside to avoid getting spotted by the sniper or any of his friends. Seconds later, the thrum of the choppers became nearly deafening, and the dust floating in the air became a miniature sandstorm as the rotor blades kicked up a powerful downdraft. Freeze and I were just in time to look out one of the building’s side windows, our eyes locked onto the two Apache attack helicopters as they unloaded several rockets into a nearby plaza storefront. The explosions reduced the building to rubble in seconds, the fire and smoke making it hard to see until the downdraft cleared it away.

There was a small buzz of static before Smokey came over the comms again, “Looks like your sniper problem has been taken care of. Move on to the next quadrant and meet up with Echo before you clear the rest of the town. The grunts are finishing up the south side so the last little bunch is all on you. I’ll meet you back at base once I finish up here with this bunker. Over and out.”

Freeze chuckled under his breath as he followed me through another empty street, “Smokey’s a real barrel of laughs isn’t he?”

I rolled my eyes, popping off a couple shots into a Tali before moving out of cover and behind a burned out car, “He’s the commander, it’s not his job to be funny. Although I guess making fun of our misfortune is about as close to a joke as you’re going to get.”

The snort I heard was his only reply, although we were cut short as a familiar face popped out from behind a building half a block down the road.

The figure held a hand to his helmet and smiled at us as he spoke, “Nice to see you made it. I was wondering if I was going to get all these Taliban all to myself.”

I rolled my eyes as Freeze and I moved up to Echo’s position, “Not on your life you little shit. I’d sooner toss your ass in a Tali base with nothing but your skivvies before I let you have all the glory.”

Sergeant Paul Rivera, a.k.a. ‘Echo’, laughed as we fell in beside him, “You love me and you know it.”

Freeze pulled out his M24 again before moving up next to Echo. He slid the rifle around the edge of the building and took a glance through his scope before speaking, “Looks like we got six, no, eight Talis milling around in the middle of the next plaza. Not much cover for them or us, and I have no way of knowing if there’s more hidden inside the buildings.”

“Then we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way,” I said as I pulled a pair of grenades from my pack, “we’ll pop these little boys into the middle of their party and then smoke the rest of their asses while they can’t see straight.”

Freeze and Echo nodded before pulling out a set of their own grenades. “Let’s do this right,” Freeze said as he switched back to his 16, “we only get one chance at this.”

As one, we moved through the buildings leading up to the plaza, thankfully not running into any enemy troops on the way. Something itched at the back of my mind that we were being watched, but I disregarded it as my imagination. If we were being watched then we’d already be full of holes.

It took several minutes, but we made it to the storefront leading into the main plaza. Sure enough, eight Talis were milling about in the open like a bunch of idiots. I signaled Freeze and Echo with hand gestures that we should throw our little surprise in a double cascading arc, that way no place in open ground would be safe from the explosions. They nodded, pilling the pins on their first grenade as I did the same.

It was a spectacular show when the grenades went off like firecrackers, the Talis flying through the air and the thunderous report of the explosive devices. Three more ran out as the group before us perished, but were quickly taken down by Echo’s rifle.

After clearing the last of the buildings to make sure there weren’t any surprises for us, I held my hand to my radio and called it in to Smokey, “North side is secure, Smokes. Anything else you need us to clean up?”

“That will be all for now Delta Team,” he replied, “the grunts can take it from here. Head back to base and I’ll buy the first round of drinks.”

We let out a string of whoops, “All right! I’m going to drink you under the table Freeze!” Echo and Freeze had a long-standing tradition to see who could out-drink the other when coming back from a mission. So far the bets for this round were 10-to-3 Freeze, but with Echo getting better every day it wasn’t a complete washout. Many hundreds of dollars had been lost on the rare occasion Echo would win.

“You can try little man,” Freeze retorted, “you’re going to have to try a bit harder than last time if you want to stand a chance against me.”

I chuckled as they began to bicker, moving into the plaza to check the bodies for anything useful. Yet, as my eyes roamed over the torn figures, something began to happen. The bodies began to shimmer and change, gaining vibrant colors as the dusty rags and worn rifles were replaced by short fur and hanging feathers.

My eyes widened as the dead Taliban changed into my new friends from Equestria, and I felt my knees weaken as I stumbled up to the first body. It was Fluttershy, although not much was left of her by this point. The right side of her body had been mostly blown off by one of the grenades, leaving her bones and organs open to the air. I forced myself to move on, to check the other bodies for signs of life. But one by one, they all came back negative. Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, all dead because of various causes. Finally, I came upon the last body, Twilight’s.

I knelt down next to her, my ears ringing and my eyes misty with tears. One gloved hand slowly reached out and ran through her mane, but she made no sign that she could feel me anymore. One of her legs was missing, almost exactly the same way my own had been lost, and a large pool of blood was slowly growing under her body. The tears began to stream down my face as I wrapped my arms around her barrel, holding her cheek to my own as I sobbed.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” I cried as I held her. “I should have been here to protect you. I should have been faster.”

I slowly pulled back, wiping my eyes with a hand as I gazed upon Twilight’s still face. At that moment, I felt that sensation of being watched once more, and I turned my eyes to look over my shoulder. Standing there, her eyes full of sorrow, was Princess Luna. I didn’t know what was going on, but my mind apparently wasn’t done killing me just yet. Before I could do anything, Twilight’s eyes shot open, and in an instant she was wrapping her rotting teeth around my throat. The flesh on her body began to rot at hyper speed, leaving just flaps of skin and a few rotten feathers on her corpse as her undead eyes bore into mine. I let out a gurgling scream as her canines tore my windpipe to shreds, and the last thing I remembered was Luna’s horn flashing impossibly bright. Then, it all fell apart.

I jerked as my senses came rushing back to me all at once, the light of the moon softly shining over my body as I lay in my bed. I slowly got my breathing under control, feeling the cold sweat that had covered my entire body. I swallowed thickly, taking a moment to get my mind centered after that terrible nightmare. I hadn’t had one of those in a while, but they never seemed to get any less horrifying when they did invade my sleep. The ponies were a new one, but given my current living arrangement, I couldn’t be that surprised. The only part that I couldn’t figure out was Princess Luna. I knew she ruled over the night while her sister ruled the day, but that did nothing to explain my dream. The Luna in my dream hadn’t been a corpse like the others, in fact, she had seemed so life-like that it was almost possible to believe she was there.

Yet, I knew that couldn’t be possible. Magical pony princess or not, no one could look into someone’s dreams like that, at least not without me kicking their ass afterwards for invading my mind without permission. I rolled to my feet and walked over to the bathroom, smiling to myself now that Twilight had switched the pony-sized sink and mirror for one a bit more my speed. I filled up the glass with cold water and downed the entire thing in one go. After that I took some of the refreshing liquid and splashed it over my face, hoping to banish the last of that dream from my mind.
With that taken care of, I walked back and climbed into bed, taking one last look at the moon with a smile before rolling over. Sleep came just as easily as it always did, even after what I had seen, and I slipped into a dreamless darkness for the rest of the night. I just hoped tomorrow would go a bit easier than today had gone.

The next thing I was aware of was the early morning sunlight hitting me directly in the face. I growled under my breath but rolled to my feet anyway, knowing that we had to get an early start today. I pulled on my cargo shorts and slipped my phone into one of the many pockets, then slid into one of the amazing blouses that Rarity had made for me. This one was a dark blue in color with accents of gold and silver along the hem and shoulders. It was a beautiful piece, and I almost felt bad for wearing it. I smiled to myself as I walked out of my room, following my nose back to the dining hall where I found Spike placing three stacks of pancakes with two large vats of syrup upon the table.

“Morning Spike.” I said as I took a seat, “How’s life treating you as Twilight’s butler?”

He chuckled as he slid the second vat of syrup onto the table next to the third setting, “I’m not Twilight’s butler, I’m her number one assistant. There’s a huge difference.”

I smirked as I poured a river of golden goodness onto my pancakes, “Sure there is.”

I was just about to take my first bite when the doors at the end of the hall opened, revealing a prim and proper Swift Blade in full dress armor.

I set my food down for a moment to admire her as she walked up and took a seat across from me, “Nice regs there Swift. Trying to look your best for someone?”

She rolled her eyes as she began devouring her pancakes without even touching the syrup, “No it’s not for somepony special, unless you count reporting to your commander in chief as somepony special. We’re going to see the Princesses today, the least I can do is make sure I look the part of a Royal Guard.”

“Twilight’s a princess and you’re not getting bent out of shape every time you talk with her.” I countered.

Swift paused mid-bite, a thoughtful expression on her face, “Huh, I never thought of that. I guess it’s easier to be causal around Princess Twilight because she does everything she can to avoid throwing her royal weight around.”

“I hope that wasn’t a comment about me being fat.” Twilight said with a grin as she walked into the room. “It would reflect very poorly on my next report to Princess Celestia if that were the case.”

Swift’s face blanched as she stumbled over her reply, “N-No, that’s not what I… if you’ll let me explain… I didn’t mean for it to come out like…”

Twilight giggled as she held up a hoof to stop the poor Major’s rambling, “That was a joke Swift Blade, I’m not mad at you. Besides, I’ve heard a joke or two about my former mentor and ‘throwing her royal weight around’ from several of your comrades while I was living in Canterlot. It’s not the first time I’ve heard it and it most certainly won’t be the last.” Twilight took her seat before a cheeky grin came over her muzzle. She leaned between us and held a hoof to her mouth before adding in a stage whisper, “Between you and me, I think my mentor could use without those extra cakes she keeps in the bottom drawer of her dresser in her private chambers.”

I roared with laughter as Swift’s expression took on a look of mortified curiosity, “How exactly do you know that Princess Celestia keeps cake in her dresser?”

“Because she shared it with me several times when I was a filly and we were doing late night studying in her room.” Was Twilight’s candid reply, “She told me she has them for special occasions, but given how fresh they were, either she had all eight of those cakes prepared for me, or she goes through them at a rather alarming rate.”

Swift’s cheeks were now a vibrant red, and she averted her gaze as she attempted to continue eating. I shoveled my food away in a matter of seconds, patting my stomach a time or two before turning back to Twilight, “So what’s the plan today Your Highness?”

Twilight’s expression turned sour as she bit into her own food, “Please refrain from calling me that. It makes me feel like I’m too important for somepony to use my name.” She sighed as her fork clattered to the table, “Seems like the more I come into my title as a princess, the less and less I get to be a normal pony.”

I nodded sagely, “Such is the burden of command. But don’t worry about it too much. The only ones you ever need to use that title against are probably stuck-up nobles with sticks so far up their behinds they need to clear their throat in order to let sunlight hit the leaves.”

Swift Sputtered in laughter as Twilight openly stared at me. Swift pounded the table a couple times before she could get her laughter under control, though the tear that threatened to escape her eye was the true tell of her mirth, “Oh Celestia, I haven’t heard one that funny in a while. Where do you come up with that stuff?”

I shrugged, “Comes with the territory of being a Ranger. If you can’t make fun of the morons then you’ll never survive in the Corps. You’ll just end up being the brunt of the jokes instead of the comedian behind them.”

Swift nodded as she finished off her food, “True enough. The stallions back in Canterlot could use a good dose of humor now and then. It might get them to loosen up a bit instead of being the stoic blockheads I remember.”

Twilight cleared her throat, pushing her plate away from her, “Well girls, I think it’s about time we head to the station. Our train should be leaving within the hour, so we need to get going if we want to be on time.”

Swift glanced up and I followed her gaze until I spotted the crystal clock that I had somehow missed. Its hands marked the time as seven forty-three, meaning we had just over fifteen minutes to get to the station.

“Well then,” I said as I stood up, “I think we should make like a banana and split.”

Both mares groaned as we headed out the door, “That pun was bad and you should feel bad for saying it.” Swift said while Twilight performed a spectacular facehoof.

Before too long we were at the station, followed quickly by Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Rainbow Dash arrived soon after with Fluttershy in tow. Tickets were bought and a train was caught, and in mere minutes we were on our way to Canterlot. Hey, not a bad rhyme if I do say so myself. Anyway, we arrived at the capital after a few hours on the train, in which time Rainbow Dash and Pinkie had come up with about a hundred reasons why Celestia would want us to come and see her on such short notice. However, as we walked through the castle’s front gates, I noticed something off about the duo that were ‘guarding’ the front door. First off, they didn’t wave to us like they had before, although I couldn’t be sure it was the same pair of stallions. What really tipped me off was that they had a tight grip on their weapons, and were watching the crowds outside the castle grounds like a pair of hawks. Either something else was going on, or we might actually have a reason to be worried coming into this meeting.

We were directed into one of the main dining halls, and the instant the doors opened I knew why the guards were so on edge. Celestia was seated at the head of the table, no surprise there, but what did surprise me was the two creatures seated on her left. I recognized them from myths and legends, but never in all my life would I ever imagine seeing two real-life gryphons right in front of me.

The first was seated next to Celestia, meaning he was a very important bird for some reason or other, and had deep chocolate brown feathers covering his upper half. There were also twin black streaks coming from the corners of his eyes and running down past the base of his beak, much like the designs of a cheetah. The fur on his lower half was a rich golden color, with streaks of silver that shined in the overhead lights and the sunlight coming in through the windows. His eyes were a deep forest green and a silver circlet rested upon his head, meaning he was probably a noble or something like that.

His companion was a bit more ordinary by every meaning of the word. His feathers were a dusty grey in coloration while the fur on his lower half was an equally boring tan. The only thing that really caught my eyes were his own, which were a vibrant crimson that seemed to smolder like a young flame.

All eyes turned to us as we entered, and were then summarily redirected to me alone as both of the gryphons stood from their seats. The younger of the two gripped what looked like a sword handle with one talon, while the older simply lifted an interested eyebrow in my direction.

“It would seem that you have been keeping secrets from us, Celestia.” His voice was rich and spoke of long, hard-earned years, “I see before me a unique creature that bears resemblance to the apes of the southern jungles.” He turned to face Celestia with the same lifted eyebrow, “Taking in stray pets to add to your zoo?”

The ponies bristled, but paused as I took several steps forward. All eyes returned to me as I stepped up to the end of the table and rested my hands on its smooth surface, “How about I take you through a couple rounds in a sparring ring and then we’ll see who belongs in a zoo.”

I heard several gasps from behind me while Celestia hid a smile behind a hoof. The younger gryphon, an assistant or guard by the look of him, bristled before drawing his sword, “Watch your tongue, creature. You speak to King Edward Brightwing, and you will give him the respect he and his station deserves.”

I smirked as I stood up to my full height, the gryphon faltering for a second as he realized I was a good half a foot taller than him, “I give respect to those who have earned my respect. I bow to those who prove their mettle on the field of battle and preserve the honor of a soldier. Princess Celestia has shown me kindness in allowing me to stay in her kingdom, even when she had no reason to do so other than because she could. Your king, mighty he may be, has not earned that respect, at least, not yet.”

The guard growled and made to lunge for me, only to be stopped by a talon on his shoulder. He turned to see the calm eyes of his king, and lowered his blade at the subtle shake of Edward’s head.

“While young Dusty is my personal guard,” Edward spoke calmly and clearly as he turned to face me, “he can still be prone to hotheadedness when it comes to matters of honor. You are a creature of rare spirit, challenging me as you did. What is your name?”

I stood at attention and snapped a crisp salute, “Captain Sarah Lovegood on the United States Ranger Corps, retired.”

His eyes widened slightly at my words, “Captain? Then you were a part of your nation’s military?”

I nodded, “Although I’m no longer active duty. I was discharged after being wounded in battle.”

Now I had both their attention, “Wounded?” Dusty asked, “But you look completely whole to me.”

I rapped my knuckles against my leg, creating a loud clanking noise, “Don’t believe everything you see on first glance, hotshot.”

Their eyes latched onto my fake leg, widening to almost comical levels as they took it in with greater detail.
“Truly you must have been a mighty warrior,” King Edward said as he took a step closer to inspect my leg, “to have lost an entire limb and still survive.” His gaze met my own and I saw a growing respect in those emerald orbs, “Please, forgive any offence, but may I ask how it was you lost your leg?”

I felt an uneasy sensation in my gut, my eyes roaming over everyone present. All were waiting to hear my story, even Celestia looked like she was interested in hearing the tale.

After a moment’s pause I shook my head, “I’m sorry Your Highness, but I would rather let old wounds remain that way. I lost some close friends along with my leg that day. It still hurts when I remember them.”

Edward nodded once, a glimmer of pity in his gaze as he moved back to his seat, “Ah, the sorrow of a survivor. I know that pain all too well.” He indicated the seat across from him with a talon, “Come, sit with us. I would like to know one who has seen the darker sides of this world and lived to tell about it.”

I smiled as I walked around and sat, “Not this world, exactly, but I understand what you mean.”

As my friends took the seats on my left, I noticed that the gryphons and Celestia had plates of food in front of them. Celestia had the same pancakes that Twilight, Swift and I had eaten for breakfast, but what caught my eye was the well-done steaks lying before the gryphons.

King Edward noticed my gaze and seemed almost apologetic as he spoke, “I know what you’re thinking, but you have nothing to fear. Cattle in our home country are nothing more than beasts, as they cannot gain sapience without the overabundance of magic that saturates the land of Equestria. Pigs and other farm animals share this trait, so you need not worry about the loss of sentient life.”

I smiled at his words, comforted even though that wasn’t the reason I was staring at his food. The pancakes I had for breakfast were great, but I hadn’t had a good steak since I had arrived on this planet. Fish was all well and good, but if I was going to be stuck eating that for meat for the rest of my life, I’d got nuts by the end of the third year.

“Actually, you wouldn’t happen to have any more of that, would you?” I asked, pointing at the slab of meat resting only feet across from me.

This seemed to take both gryphons by surprise, going so far as to make their feathers ruffle before the king could compose himself, “You’re serious? You wish to dine on the flesh of another creature?”

I nodded, flashing my teeth at him in a wide smile, “I’m an omnivore, so that means I need meat in my diet to stay healthy. Sure the ponies can provide me with fish, but I haven’t had a good steak in years. If you don’t mind, do you have another sitting around somewhere that I could have?”

Edward’s gaze landed on Celestia, who was doing an absolutely terrible job of hiding her smile, “It would seem the surprises keep coming.” He turned back to me, “Very well, it would be my pleasure to provide for a fellow meat eater. I can assure you that the cut is of the finest quality.” He stage whispered behind one of his talons, “One of the perks of being the king, you know.”

I smiled as I rubbed my hands together, “Well then bring on the meat!”

King Edward nodded, signaling a servant with one claw before turning back to me, “While we wait, why don’t we talk a little about our respective cultures? I’m sure that stories of your homeland would be welcome conversation over the trade agreement we had been broaching earlier.” He sent Celestia a raised eyebrow, “Wouldn’t you agree Your Highness?”

Celestia nodded, “Absolutely. I have yet to hear all that much about Sarah’s homeland myself, so this will be a treat for both of us.”

I heard Twilight and the others quiet their own conversation as all eyes once again landed on me. I was a little flustered for a moment before I got myself under control, clearing my throat to make sure my voice didn’t crack.

“Well, first off there’s something you need to know.” I began carefully, “The ponies already know this, given they saved my life when I arrived in Equestria, but I’m not native to this world. I can explain the how and why later, but the simple fact is that my home world is called Earth, not Equis.”

Both gryphons’ eyes widened at my revelation, although it was the king who broke the silence first, “Are you speaking true? Are you really from another world?”

I nodded, “My home planet is home to almost seven billion humans. That’s what my species is called by the way. As far as we know we are the only sapient race on the planet, which means we have long been searching for someplace that might hold sentient life. It also means that we are very much a divided people, with several hundred countries scattered across the globe.”

It was Celestia who spoke next, much to my surprise, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you were part of your nation’s military, that would mean you had to be fighting your fellow humans, given the lack of any other races on your world.”

The mood of the room fell out of the bottom of the barrel as the implications of her statement sunk in, and I was forced to nod as I replied, “It’s true. For as long as mankind has been keeping recorded history, we have been at war with ourselves. Time would pass for parts of the planet with barely anything to speak of, but on the other side of the world we were ripping each other apart. I hate to say this about my own kind, but we were, and still are, a hateful and vengeful people that have created absolutely monstrous means of killing each other.”

“But you’re all nice and happy and caring about others.” Pinkie said from her place midway down the line, “You’re a superific friend that protects her friends. You’re not a meanie-pants that hurts other ponies like that.”

“I wish that were true, Pinkie,” I said as the pink mare deflated slightly, “but I’m no stranger to the cruel side of my species. I myself have taken the lives of hundreds of humans.”

The temperature of the room dropped several degrees, and I heard the scooting of several chairs as Twilight and the others slid away from me. “H-Hundreds?” Twilight’s voice was barely a whisper, “H-How could you possibly be responsible for that many deaths?”

I kept my eyes firmly planted on the table in front of me, “Because my people have invented weapons that can kill hundreds of thousands in the blink of an eye, the common foot soldier can wipe out a small town with the munitions he can carry in his backpack. I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but it was for the right reasons.”

I forced my gaze upwards so I could look Twilight and the others in the eye, “I killed all of those people so that they wouldn’t kill thousands of innocent lives. The sad truth is that all of those people, were evil beings who would kill women and children just because they believed it would please their god. I killed to protect the freedom of my countrymen, and I killed to protect the lives of my fellow soldiers. I hate myself for every life I have ended, and the only comfort I can give myself is the number of lives I saved in doing so. So you can hate me for what I’ve done, you’d be doing the same thing I do to myself every day, but don’t think for a second that I did it because I liked it or because I blindly followed orders. I am a protector, first and foremost, and that is what I tell myself so I can sleep at night amidst the ghosts of those I killed.”
Silence hung over the table like a blanket for several minutes, only to be broken by a rapidly moving yellow blur. Before I knew what was going on, Fluttershy had latched onto me and buried her face in my cleavage. Her wings wrapped around my body as her hooves gripped my shirt, and I could feel her shaking slightly as she spoke.

“You don’t need to hate yourself.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the power behind it nearly knocked me out of the chair, “You are strong and kind and caring and would never do those kinds of things if you didn’t have to.” She lifted her head until her eyes bore into mine with the force of a freight train, “You are not like those monsters that you k-killed. Don’t ever think like that again. We are your friends, and we know that you would never hurt another unless you absolutely had to. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I’ve seen the good in your heart.” She seemed to realize what she was doing and blushed bright red as she pulled back slightly, “So, um, don’t think we don’t like you because of what you did. We want you to be happy, and that means we’re here to support you, even if you did some unpleasant things in the past.”

I felt tears coming to my eyes as I hugged her close, eliciting an adorable ‘eep!’ from her as I did so. “Thank you Fluttershy, I needed to hear that.”

“You’re, um, welcome.” She replied, pulling away before flying back to her seat.

I wiped my eyes before turning back to the gryphons and Celestia, “Sorry about that, the history of my kind is long and dark, but it also has some of the greatest acts of kindness and bravery you could ever imagine.”

“Such as?” Dusty inquired.

I smiled at the memory that came to mind, “Did you know that my planet has a moon just like Equis?”

Murmurs of confusion met my words until Celestia asked, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“The point is that even though our moon is almost two hundred and fifty thousand miles from the surface of our planet, we advanced our technology to the point that we’ve been able to set foot on the moon, six separate times.” I sat back and crossed my arms as I watched the bombshell I just dropped detonate.

Shocked silence met my words, and I was delighted to see that even Celestia was completely gob-smacked. Her jaw hung low in a most undignified manner, although I don’t think anyone else was paying enough attention to notice.

Finally, it was Twilight who got herself under control enough to think straight, and the first things she did was teleport a quill and scroll into her magic grip. “Tell. Me. Everything.”

I rubbed her head with my hand, messing up her mane and disrupting her magic, “Sorry Twilight, all that stuff happened before I was born. We’ve moved on from that era so far that the technology required is practically obsolete.”

Her jaw dropped again as the quill and scroll settled onto the table, “What kind of technology could make space travel obsolete?”

I grinned again as I said the one word that could break her brain, “Internet.”

Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she mouthed the word to herself, “What’s the internet?”

“Think of it as a communication and information system.” I said smoothly, “It started out by connecting two electronic devices together, so that way they could share information over great distances. Then more and more machines were connected to that collective until it became a global network. Imagine, the ability to search any digitized information from anywhere on the planet, with translation between different languages and near instant access to almost every bit of history, science or literature humans have discovered since the dawn of our history. Thousands of years worth of scientific discoveries at the touch of a button, or trillions of pages of books that you can read anywhere on the planet. Now imagine that you can write a letter to someone on the opposite side of the planet, send it to them, and get a reply within minutes of sending the original. Even better, we have tech that lets us talk to one another in real time with the same distances in mind. We even used it to keep in touch with the astronauts when they were walking on the moon.”

I paused as I caught a glance of Twilight’s face, and I couldn’t help the laughter that escaped as I took in her expression. Her eyes were pinpricks and her jaw was hanging on the floor. Her wings had flared to their fullest capacity and she was frozen in that position like she had been stuck in a block of ice. I reached out and tapped her in the center of her chest with one finger, but she didn’t react to my touch in any way.

I glanced over my shoulder at Celestia with a grin, “I think I broke her.”

Celestia cleared her throat before smiling at me, “Given what you just told us, I can’t say I’m surprised. Perhaps we could try waving a book under her nose. The smell of paper might bring my former student to her senses.”

I was about to nod when a servant placed a plate before me, a large, steaming steak with just the right amount of pink in the middle. The ponies to my left, apart from Fluttershy and Twilight, immediately covered their noses with their hooves, turning numerous shades of green as they openly stared at my food. I glanced from the steak to Twilight and back again, a devious thought coming to mind as my lips pulled back into a grin.

Without saying anything, I took the knife and cut off a small piece of the steak, spearing it with my fork and lifting it into the air. With careful precision, I moved the slice of beef into the open space between Twilight’s hanging jaws, then used my free hand to close her mouth over the food. I pulled the fork free as she began to reflexively chew the meat, and I heard the others gasp as Twilight’s eyes slowly returned to normal size.

“Hmm,” she moved the meat around in her mouth for a moment, a look of confusion replacing the shock from a moment before, “I’ve never tasted something like this before.” She turned to Celestia and asked, “What is this stuff?”

No one made any moves to answer her, and as Twilight continued to chew the food her eyes landed on my plate. It was like watching a slow-motion car crash in the seconds before it happened. Her eyes moved across the steak, took in the portion that had been cut off, then landed on the fork in my grip, followed by the intent stare I was giving her.

It took a second or two, and I could have sworn I saw the gears turning in her head as she swallowed the meat. Yet as soon as the steak had begun its trip to her stomach, she realized what it was that had just been in her mouth. Her eyes instantly returned to pinpricks, and her entire face turned a vibrant shade of green. Her cheeks puffed up and she held a hoof to her mouth as she gagged, although she was able to keep her breakfast where it belonged after some careful breathing through the nose. After a minute or two she calmed down enough to remove her hoof from her lips, although the smoldering glare I received could have melted solid titanium.

“What. Was. That?” It wasn’t a question of what she had just eaten, but rather, how I planned on explaining myself to a very irate alicorn before she did unspeakable things to me.

I could feel a cold sweat running down the side of my head as a shaky grin worked its way onto my face, “Oh come on Twilight, you aren’t mad at me for a little harmless prank, are you?”

The glare turned into a sadistic grin paired with a raised eyebrow, and I felt a chill run up my spine as she leaned forward me, “Remember who owns the roof over your head. I can do all kinds of things to you and nopony would ever know the difference. Choose your next words very carefully, or I’ll make your Auramancy training from before look like a leisurely walk in the park.”

I swallowed thickly, looking to the others for assistance, only to find they all had the same devious grins on their face. Well, no help from the peanut gallery, so I turned to face Celestia in the hopes that she might intervene. Nope, she had the same sadistic smirk Twilight had on her face and was doing a very poor job of hiding it. Ruler of the nation my ass, this mare was a troll and she knew it. I grinned as I came up with a nickname for her off the top of my head.

“Hey Trollestia, did you teach your pupil all the tricks of the trade when it comes to messing with others?” I just had to see her reaction to that.

Instead of being taken aback, she simply tilted her chin upward and put on the fakest aloof expression I had ever seen, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never do something so unladylike as to pull a prank on somepony.”

That caused me and the other ponies to chuckle, and I pumped my fist in my mind when I realized my distraction had worked. Although, as I looked back at Twilight, her expression let me know I wasn’t off the hook just yet.

King Edward cleared his throat, “If we can move on from this conversation, there is something that has caught my interest after hearing all of that. Captain, I am intrigued by your stories of your home world, and I would be lying if I didn’t have some measure of curiosity concerning how your skills match up with those of my own people. Would you be interested in having a short sparring match to see whose combat style is greater?”

I set about to demolishing the steak before it could cool, replying between bites as the others tried to ignore what it was I was doing, “I think that’s a cool idea. I’ve never fought a gryphon before, so it will give me a chance to break new ground in my combat skills.” I pushed the plate away before turning my full attention to the king, “When and where would you like to do this?”

“How about in the castle parade grounds?” Celestia offered, “It’s wide open and should give everypony plenty of room to move even with an audience.”

Twilight turned to her teacher with a slightly surprised look, “Audience? Isn’t it going to be just us watching this match?”

A shake of her head was Celestia’s reply, “I think the commanders of my guard would learn a great deal from seeing new combat forms, so I will be inviting them to watch the match with us.” She turned to face King Edward, “If that is alright with you, Edward.”

He shrugged, “Our combat techniques are not a national secret, I see no issue with having some spectators.” He sent Celestia a knowing side glance, “No tricks now, we don’t want what happened last time to happen again.”

Confused looks were commonplace as a pained expression fell over Celestia’s regal mask, “Yes, quite.” She cleared her throat before turning to face me, “Very well, Captain Sarah, your match with King Edward shall take place in half an hour. Do you need anything to prepare before the match?”

I shook my head, “No Princess, I should be fine with just the clothes on my back.”

Dusty tapped King Edward on the shoulder, a concerned look on his face as he spoke, “My liege, are you certain about this? We know next to nothing about this, human. Is it wise to face it yourself instead of letting me fight in your stead?”

The king chuckled as he pat his companion on the shoulder, “Fear not my friend, this is a battle for sport more than anything else. There will be no harm done other than the wounds of one’s pride.” He turned to face me and narrowed his gaze with a challenging smile, “I look forward to facing you at the allotted hour, Captain.”

I stood up and placed my hands on the table, returning his grin as I leaned over the space between us, “I’ll mop the parade grounds with your face and use you for a feather duster.”

He roared with laughter as the ponies shared nervous looks, “You have spirit, I’ll give you that, but don’t let your confidence get the best of you. Many a warrior was undone by their overzealous pride.”

“Why hello pot, I’m kettle.” I replied, although the blank stares I received made me realize I had blundered a bit, “Sorry, human expression. The whole thing goes something like, ‘the pot calling the kettle black’. I was sending your advice right back at you as a warning to heed your own words.”

He nodded understanding, choosing to ignore the frantic scribbling as Twilight wrote down everything I had just said. “Very well, I shall see you at the parade grounds. Come, Dusty, we have some preparations to make.”

With a nod to Celestia, the pair of gryphons made their exit, leaving me alone with the ponies for the time being.
The first thing I felt was a hoof whacking me upside the head, and I spun around to see Swift Blade glaring at me as her hoof came back to the floor. I hadn’t even seen her move from her position against the wall, so I was a little surprised she had managed to get right behind me without making a sound.

“Next time you think about challenging a national leader to a dual, remember what that feels like,” she said in a clipped tone as she reared up and rested her front legs on my shoulders. “You are not invincible, if that metal leg is anything to go by, and the gryphons are some of the most combat-ready people on the planet. You might only be in for a friendly duel, but I can guarantee that you’re not going to get out of this without some bruised bones and torn ligaments.”

I snorted as I gripped her hooves in my hands, “Is that all? I thought for a second you were actually warning me about something. If that’s all these overgrown turkeys can do to me I’d count myself lucky.” I pushed her off of me and turned to face Celestia, throwing a crisp salute while maintaining my sarcastic grin, “Permission to leave in preparation for the match, Your Highness?”

Her smile was small but the light in her eyes showed she appreciated the gesture, “Permission granted. Major Swift Blade can show you the way. Go on, we’ll be there in time for the match to start. I think I have some words to share with my student and her friends before we go.”

I nodded, turning to face Swift, “Then lead on, oh valiant commander of mine.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t comment, choosing instead to spin on the spot and lead me out of the room. Everyone’s eyes followed me as we moved past them, all the way up to when the great doors closed behind us. I had a feeling I knew what Celestia wanted to talk about with the others, but it wasn’t my place to pry. If Celestia wanted to explain the complex reasoning behind warrior honor to a bunch of civilians then I wished her the best of luck. I had enough trouble explaining it to my squad during my time in the Corps, and they had the same experiences as me to go off of.

The walk through the castle was a leisurely one, although I could tell Swift was still a bit ticked at me for my behavior in the dining hall. She kept sending me glares over her shoulder, although I saw a bit of worry that managed to show through on the fifth and following glances. I smiled to myself, feeling a bit of warmth in my heart that Swift cared about me enough to worry for my safety. Of course she would probably never admit that to my face, but it was the gesture that mattered.
We exited the castle through a side door and found ourselves on the edge of a large open courtyard. What I assumed was the barracks sat opposite the castle, with a smaller field along one side filled to the brim with straw training dummies and obstacle equipment. Given the courtyard before us was a good half kilometer square, I had to imagine that the royal guard was a bit more numerous than I first believed. However, I wasn’t able to take in the scenery for too long, because I heard the steady thump of paws coming up from behind us.

I turned around and spied the gryphons walking out a door just a bit down the wall from our own exit point, with Dusty leading his king into the open. The guard was carrying a pair of swords in his talons, while King Edward walked along at a casual stroll. He nodded to Swift and I before passing us, allowing both of us to get a good look at his leather armor before coming to a stop several steps further into the courtyard.

“It would seem our hosts have not yet arrived,” the king mused as he stretched out his arms, legs and back, “a pity, I was hoping to show off a bit before pounding your hide into the dirt.”

I grinned as I walked up to the king and made a show of inspecting his armor, “Not going to be much of a show if all you’re going to use is that thin leather. Last I checked, swords cut through that stuff like butter on a hot day.”

He chuckled before nodding to Dusty, the silver gryphon unsheathing one of the blades before passing it to his king, “Ah, but that would be far too much risk for a simple duel.” He gripped the sword by the blade and held it aloft for me to examine, “the blades may be metal, but the edges have been dulled to avoid causing too much harm. This is a friendly match of skill, after all.”

I ran my fingers over the edge of the blade, nodding as I felt the rounded cuff instead of a razor’s edge, “Then I guess I won’t have to hold back against you.”

Dusty snorted, a look of disbelief in his eyes as he looked me up and down, “Like a scrawny thing your size could do anything to His Highness. You’d be lucky to last five seconds before he beat you into a pulp.”

I lifted one eyebrow, and was about to retort when Edward beat me to it, “Now, now, Dusty. We must not judge a book by its cover. After all, a Cockatrice looks like a mixed-up and confused creature upon first glance, yet many have met their end facing such a foe.” He turned to face me with a confidant grin on his beak, “I will not make the same mistake when I face young Sarah. She is an unknown in this world, and that means she could very well prove to be a worthy challenger.”

I felt a glow of pride in my chest, choosing to ignore Dusty’s rolled eyes. Swift was watching our exchange with rapt attention, taking in everything while remaining aloof. I ruffled her mane with my hand in an attempt to loosen her up, and managed to make her stick her tongue out at me before her stoic expression returned.

I walked up to Dusty and nodded to him, sliding the other blade free of its scabbard before turning to face King Edward, “You don’t mind if I practice a bit with this, do you?”

He gestured for me to proceed with a sweep of a talon, “Please, feel free to familiarize yourself with the weapon. It will only make the duel more exciting for me if my opponent knows her limits.”

I nodded, feeling the heat of excitement burning in my blood as I took several steps back. The blade in my hands was about five pounds and roughly four feet long. Much more suited to my size than the short little toothpicks the ponies used. It had a single edge along the bottom side, with a slight curve at the end for extra slicing power. The hilt was wrapped in simple leather while the crosspiece consisted of an unvarnished bar of steel. All and all, a well-made weapon that was simple enough to be created for the rank and file. Had the edge been sharpened I could actually imagine carrying something like this into battle in lieu of a combat knife.

The first couple swings were rough and unbalanced, but as I got a feel for it I actually started to flow with the weapon instead of fighting against it. The hum of metal sounded in my ears as the blade cut through the air, and I felt my lips curling into a grin as I began adding kicks and strikes to the battle dance I had just made up. It was completely unplanned and mostly came to me on the spot as I moved from strike to block and back again, and I couldn’t help but feel more alive swinging this hunk of metal around instead of trying to pop off a round into some terrorist’s chest. This felt, real, like I was actually getting ready to fight someone instead of going to a target range with my squad.

I slowly wound down my movements, bringing the blade up in front of me as I slowed my breathing. After closing my eyes for a second and letting my muscles loosen, I turned back to Swift and the others, hoping I hadn’t given too much away in that little performance.

Swift’s eyes were wide in wonder, while Dusty simply let his jaw hang loose in shock. I noticed their reactions, but it was the king’s eyes that I had the most interest in. One eyebrow was lifted while a talon rested against this chin. His head bobbed in a slow nod as he lowered his hand back to the ground.

I stood straight as he approached me, taking note that he was no longer using his casual stance. This was the stance of a warrior, perfectly balanced and ready to move at a moment’s notice.

“You move with grace and power unlike anything I have seen before,” he said slowly as he circled me, “your upright posture and thin build belie the speed and agility you seem to possess, and the skill in which you carry yourself speaks of years of combat experience.” He paused as he came around my left side and met my gaze, “You were not exaggerating when you said you had taken the lives of hundreds, were you?”

I nodded, lowering the tip of the blade to the ground and resting my hands on the pommel, “I am a seasoned soldier with three years of combat experience under my belt. I’ve fought in open deserts and I’ve fought in the crowded streets of the city. I’ve seen friends die and I’ve killed those responsible with my own two hands. While there are those who have seen more than me and have killed many times my count, you will not find anyone who can say they wanted those numbers and memories on their mind. War is a cruel and unforgiving monster that will do everything it can to break the will of a person. No one comes out the same as they went in. We all just try and pick up the pieces and live a normal life once we make it back home.”

He nodded, a light of pity and understanding in his eyes as he offered his talon to me, “Then it will be an honor to share the field of battle with you this day, even though it will not be a battle to the death.”

I paused for only a moment before taking his hand with my own, “It’s an honor to be here, Your Highness. I can tell you have your own stories to tell, but I think now is not the time for that.”

This made the old bird crack a smile as he reclaimed his limb, “Indeed, today is a day of merriment and competition. Let us not muddy the mood by bringing up old wounds.” He glanced over my shoulder and his eyes grew a bit brighter, “Ah, it would seem the peanut gallery has arrived.”

I laughed as I spun around, spying Celestia immediately as she walked out of the castle, closely followed by Twilight and her friends. The last three ponies to exit were unknown to me, although if the different colored armor they wore was any indication, these were the guard commanders Celestia had spoken about.

The first was a white unicorn stallion with a two-tone blue mane and tail, dressed in white and purple armor but lacking the trademark helmet. The second was a maroon pegasus mare with a neon yellow mane and tail. If her grumpy expression was anything to go by, it seemed like she needed to have the stick in her ass removed before anyone could get along with her. Her armor was silver with gold trim, also lacking the helmet of the grunts. The final stallion was unique from what I had seen of the ponies thus far. He looked like a pegasus, but instead of the trademark feathers he sported a set of leathery bat wings. He also had what looked like fangs poking out from under his top lip, and his golden eyes were slit like a snake instead of round. His fur was a near-black grey, while his mane and tail were a reflective silver. The armor on his body was black with navy blue highlights, and he had a set of sunglasses hooked onto the top of the chest plate. He squinted for a moment as he walked into the sunlight, before flipping the shades open with a hoof and slipping them over his eyes. I had no idea what kind of pony he was, but it looked like his kind were more of the nocturnal type.

“I apologize we took so long,” Celestia said calmly as she and the other ponies came into hearing range, “I was discussing some private matters with my commanders prior to your little bout. We weren’t holding you up by any chance, were we?”

King Edward shook his head with a smile, “Far from it Celestia.” He indicated me with a talon, “Captain Sarah and I were just getting to know one another a little better.”

I nodded, “Yeah, reminiscing about the past and sharing some stories from the battlefield.”

Celestia’s expression turned sour for a split second before she mastered herself, “Very well, I hope you don’t mind if my guard watch the match. I believe they are more than interested in seeing some new combat techniques.” She turned her head to indicate the three newcomers, “Let me introduce you. The unicorn stallion on the right is Captain Shining Armor, leader of the 21st Unicorn Battalion and head of the Royal Guard in Canterlot.”

He nodded his head once, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked me up and down. I nodded in return, keeping my expression neutral.

Celestia continued without missing a beat, “The pegasus is Commander Jetstream, First Wingleader of the 73rd Royal Air Scouts and the direct supervisor of the Wonderbolts Squadron.”

“A pleasure.” was her clipped salutations. I snapped a two-finger salute which made one of her eyebrows lift in interest.

“And finally,” Celestia said as she turned to the mystery stallion, “we have Colonel Shadow Fury, commanding officer of the Thestral Night Guard and my sister’s most trusted military advisor.”

He flashed us a fang-filled grin as he walked up to me, extending his hoof as his eyes glinted behind his shades, “A pleasure to meet you at last. I’ve heard some interesting things about you Captain.”

I shook the offered hoof and returned his smile, “I could say the same about you, except I had no idea ponies like you existed until a few seconds ago. What are you called again, thestrals?”

He nodded as he pulled his leg back, “Aye, we’re the ponies that live for the night, unlike most of the others you’ll run into. We serve Princess Luna in guarding the country while the regulars sleep away their long and boring days. If you ever need to spice up your night life, give me a call.”

One of my eyebrows rose, and I heard a few of the ponies gasp, “Why Colonel, are you actually flirting while on duty? And in front of your commanding officer no less. For shame you rascal, for shame.”

Shadow Fury simply grinned like a fool before turning away, “Princess Luna is my commanding officer, and my shift doesn’t start until the sun goes down.” He flashed me another grin over his shoulder, “My offer stands, if you ever feel like having an adventure.”

Celestia cleared her throat, her cheeks showing just the slightest hint of red, “That is enough Colonel. We are here for a training exercise, not to flirt with a foreign officer.”

The look Shadow Fury sent Celestia was anything but apologetic, but he refrained from digging himself any deeper before returning to his place in line. Jetstream made to cuff him upside the head, but the thestral was quick enough to duck under the blow and stick his tongue out at her for good measure. It looked like there was about to be a fight between them, but a sharp look from Celestia stifled any hostilities until a later date.

I turned to face king Edward, noting that Dusty had moved off to stand with the ponies instead of next to his king, “So, how exactly do we go about with this duel?”

He smiled and waved me further into the courtyard with his sword, “We start by standing ten paces apart.”

I walked away from him until I was in position, raising my voice so he could hear me, “Okay, now what?”

“Now we salute the referee.” He raised his sword in Celestia’s direction, waiting for me to do the same before nodding to the Princess. Celestia nodded and we brought our blades back to center, facing off against each other, “The match will be decided by either submission or knockout. Do you accept these terms?”

I nodded, falling into a combat stance, “Ready when you are you old turkey.”

He cracked a grin as he held his blade on an angle, “Then prepare yourself. This will not be an easy battle.”

For a minute we simply stood there, waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, I leapt forward and sprinted towards the king, my blade held in a cross guard as I closed the distance. Edward waited for me to get within range before striking out with his own blade, the metal flashing as he tried to get inside my guard before I could counter. I let the blade slip past my own before I locked our cross guards together, pushing into him with all of my momentum as I tried to drive him off balance. His paws slid in the dirt for a foot or two before he steadied himself, his eyes flashing with delight as he pushed back into me.

“You are stronger than you look.” He said as we battled over our locked blades.

I replied with a sarcastic grin, “Said the overgrown feather duster with the strength of a lion.”

His eyes flashed with pride as he poured more power into his upper body, slowly pushing the swords back at me, “Then you won’t be surprised if you lose this battle of strength.”

“Who said anything about a battle of strength?” I retorted as I locked my feet into the ground, “I was just getting your weapon out of my way so I could do this.”

“Do wha –,” his reply was cut short as I twisted the blades in a circle, breaking his grip on his own sword before both blades went sailing over my shoulder.

The dulled metal clattered and slid over the ground behind me, and I followed up on my disarming movement with a precision knife-hand to the side of his neck. The king grunted as he stumbled to one side, and I was just about to follow up with another strike when he flared his wings and leaped into the air.

I coughed as the dust of his liftoff irritated my lungs, “Hey, no fair! I can’t fly!”

He chuckled as he circled above with lazy strokes of his wings, “Ah but why would I limit myself to the ground when every gryphon is taught to battle on both land and in the sky? It would be a disservice to you if I didn’t come at you with everything I had.”

I growled as he came in low and swiped at me with his talons, shredding the side of my blouse but not breaking the skin. I knew full well he could have gutted me with that move, but it seemed he was sticking to his word about not trying to kill me. I spun around, hoping to catch his next attack with one of my own, but I was unprepared for the body tackle he used to knock me off my feet. We tumbled for a couple yards before he pinned me to the ground, his full body locking my legs and hips to the dirt while his talons held my arms to my sides.

He leaned down and let his beak gently run across the underside of my jaw, his eyes locked with mine as he spoke, “I could rip your throat out right now if I wanted to, and there would be nothing you could do to stop me. Yield.”
I struggled, trying to break free of his grip, but his body had to weigh a good three hundred pounds, and his talons were like vices against my upper arms. He waited for me to wear myself out, a confidant gleam in his eyes as he watched my futile efforts. Finally, I let my body go limp, grinning to myself as his grip loosened slightly.

Gotcha.

“So, do you conce – OOF!” His breath rushed out of his body as I slipped one of my arms free and delivered a drilling three-inch punch to his solar plexus. As his grip on me released completely, I used my legs and hips to roll us over, slipping my knees over his wings as my body came to rest on his stomach. I grabbed onto his talons with my hands and pinned them above his head, my face a mere inch from his own as I gasped for breath.

“You were saying?” I retorted, failing to hide the grin on my face as he regained his breath.

His chuckle was warm and rich, “It would seem I underestimated you. Yet you seem to have stuck yourself into an unwinnable situation. I can’t move, but you can’t attack me without giving me free reign to counter.”
I smiled, shifting my face from confident to devious, “Oh really? I bet I could knock you out before you could stop me.”

One eyebrow rose, “Oh? Then this I have to see. Just be warned,” his gaze hardened as he smiled devilishly at me, “I won’t promise such a painless end to this battle if you fail.”

I matched his smile, shifting my weight just the slightest bit before attacking. My metal leg extended and struck right between his hind legs, causing the king to make a very undignified squeak before his eyes narrowed into pinpricks. His arms immediately tried to protect his jewels, and I let his arms go as I jumped off of his body. He curled into a ball, holding his privates with one talon while struggling to stay standing with the other. I stepped back, allowing him to regain his composure, and I watched as the kind and confidant king devolved into his more primal instincts. He let out a noise that was halfway between an eagle’s screech and a lion’s roar, and leaped at me with both talons outstretched in an attempt to pin me again.

I let him come at me, waiting in a combat stance as he flew closer and closer at ever increasing speeds. Finally, just as he was about to reach me, I spun around on my foot, picking up my metal leg as I rotated and striking out in a perfectly executed three-sixty roundhouse. My metallic foot impacted the side of his head with all the force of my spin behind it, going so far as to knock him off to one side and spinning him on his axis like a top. He soared past me and landed in a heap on the ground, groaning as he tried and failed to get his claws under him. I turned around and picked up the swords I had removed from the fight earlier, and walked over to the king’s side before resting one of the blades under his chin.
He looked up at me with hazy eyes, and I gave him a genuine smile as I tapped his beak with the tip of the sword, “Not quite a knockout, but I’ll take it.”

He chuckled as he shook his head to clear it, “Well fought Captain. I yield the battle to you.”

I pulled the blade back and let both of them fall to the ground. I offered my hand to the king and felt slightly better about ringing his bell when he waved me off and pushed himself to his paws. He rubbed the side of his head with a talon and shook his head one more time before turning to look at me.

“You are a warrior through and through.” The admiration in his voice couldn’t have been faked, “I would be honored if you would do this again with me some time, it has been far too long since I could enjoy a battle like that without someone losing their life.”

I nodded, offering my hand to him and smiling when he took it in his own grip, “Anytime you old turkey.”

He chuckled as we walked back to the ponies, Dusty rushing past us to pick up the swords as we came to a stop in front of Celestia.

“Well Celestia,” King Edward asked as he rested a talon over my shoulders, “Has Captain Sarah proven to be a competent warrior?”

Celestia nodded, “I believe she has. It has been quite some time since I have seen you lose a duel, old friend. I believe this should be a learning experience for all of us.” She turned to her commanders, “What do you think of that battle, my trusted guard?”

Jetstream simply huffed as she tossed her nose in the air, “Any of my pegasi could beat her in a fight. She has no long-range capabilities to counter our flight and seems to resort to grappling as her primary means of attack. Not to mention she’d be char-broiled by lightning before she could even get close enough to do that.”

“Give me a projectile weapon and we’ll see who’s the winner of that fight.” I countered. “I’ve killed targets at almost half a mile with my rifle. How far away was your longest kill?”

She seemed to falter for a moment, “K-Kill? The Equestrian military doesn’t kill enemy soldiers. We haven’t needed to do that in almost a thousand years.”

“Then I guess I’ve got your entire military beat a hundred times over.” I continued, “I’ve personally ended the lives of over a hundred enemy combatants, along with saving the lives of thousands of civilians. What does that say about our two Corps?”

Jetstream bristled, but couldn’t seem to come up with a retort, although her companion, Shining Armor, seemed to have some things to say, “So you’re a murderer then? Is that the kind of example your species sets, bloodlust and destruction?”

“No, Shiny,” Twilight said as she tried to step between us, “you’ve got it all wrong. Sarah fights to protect her people from those who would destroy the lives of innocents. She would never –,”

“Step away from the creature, Twilight.” He interrupted the purple princess with a boldness I did not expect to see. His horn ignited as he pushed the smaller mare out of the way, “I’m going to deal with this threat here and now so we don’t have to worry about it later.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “So I’ve been reduced to an ‘it’, have I? Well what exactly do you plan to do to me? Your fellow commander just said that your kind hasn’t killed another in almost a thousand years.”

His eyes narrowed, a pink bubble forming around me as his lips pulled into a grin, “Who said anything about killing you?”
I rapped my knuckles against the bubble, receiving a couple dull chunk sounds for my efforts. “Hmm, not bad. I bet you can keep this up for a while, can’t you?” His overconfident grin was all the answer I needed, “Well, guess it’s time to pull out the secret weapon.”

His grin vanished in an instant, while the interest of the others was immediately focused on me, “Secret weapon, what secret weapon?”

I snapped my fingers and felt the now familiar pulse of my Auramancy as my hands were engulfed in orange flames, “Just a little trick I picked up since coming to Equestria.”

His eyes widened as I pushed my fingers into the bubble, the magic holding me in flaring for a moment before my hand slipped through like it wasn’t even there. Shining Armor’s eyes widened in shock as more of my arm made its way through his shield, and he ground his teeth as the glow of his horn grew brighter. My arm felt like it was being pinched in a press, but I ignored the slight discomfort as I pushed more and more of my body through the barrier. Finally, as my upper body came free, Shining lost the will to keep trying the same spell when it was obviously failing, and dropped the shield completely as I stumbled to a standing position.

His horn flared again, but he was interrupted by Shadow Fury as the thestral rested a hoof on his shoulder. “Let it go Shining. It’s obvious she’s got more tricks than you can handle. She could have attacked you once she got her limb free of the shield, but chose instead to free the rest of her body instead of taking it out at the source. I don’t know about you, but that speaks volumes about what kind of being she is.”

Shining growled, but didn’t honor the thestral’s words with a reply. However, his hard gaze locked onto me as he spoke his next words in a barely veiled threat, “Fine, but I’m warning you, creature. If you hurt anypony, especially my sister, then there is not a place on Equis where you can hide from me. Do I make myself clear?”

“Your sister?” I asked, “Who’s your sister?”

My attention was redirected by someone clearing their throat, and I turned to see Twilight lifting a hoof in the air with a sheepish expression, “That would be me. Shining Armor is my older brother.”

My eyes widened for a moment, before my gaze locked back onto the white stallion in front of me, “You don’t have to worry about that, Captain. I would protect Twilight and her friends with my life if I had to. You have nothing to fear in that regard.”

His nod was crisp but at least it wasn’t outright hostile anymore, “I’ll be holding you to your word, Captain. See to it that I don’t regret it.”

I snapped a sharp salute, and he returned in with equal vigor. We dropped our limbs at the same time, and I thought I saw the slightest hint of respect in his eyes. It was gone before I could be sure, but I hoped that at least buried the proverbial hatchet without one of us having to pound the other into oblivion. I turned to face Celestia, and was reassured by the simple nod she gave me, her eyes giving off an almost motherly glow as she turned to face the rest of our group.

“Well, my little ponies, I believe it is time for us to bid King Edward and his guard farewell.” She nodded to the gryphon ruler with a smile, “I believe we can finish the trade talks tomorrow afternoon?”

He nodded, “I believe I could use a bit of a break after that thrilling match.” He sent me a grin as he bowed his head in my direction, “I would be delighted if we could do this again at a later date, Captain Sarah. It was a match I will remember for years to come.”

I smiled, “I’ll be waiting to kick your behind into the dust anytime you want.”

Dusty bristled but let it go as King Edward returned my smile, “Don’t get cocky now. I may have lost the first duel, but it will not be so easy the next time we face each other.”

I held out my hand to him, “Then until next time.”

He took my hand in a tight grip and shook it once, “Until next time.”

With that the duo walked back into the castle, leaving the ponies and me alone in the setting sunlight. Celestia turned to the commanders and spoke with the regal tone of her station, “I want a full report on what you all witnessed here today by the end of the week. While it was unconventional, there were several things in that duel that could be useful to the guard if applied appropriately. I want each of you to figure out what it was I saw and come back to me with practical applications for our own troops.”

The three commanders snapped a salute at the same time, “Yes Ma’am!”

Celestia nodded, “Then you are dismissed.”

They nodded before returning to the castle, although Shadow Fury sent me one last cheeky grin over his shoulder before
the door closed behind him. I rolled my eyes and chuckled as Celestia turned to address the rest of us, although my jovial mood was summarily crushed when I caught Celestia’s serious expression.

Twilight was the first to speak, although it looked like she didn’t beat Rainbow or Pinkie by much, “What is it Princess? Is there something wrong?”

Celestia nodded, “In all the excitement I forgot that we were supposed to speak about the incident in Ponyville. I must contact my sister immediately, for if I am going to share this story with you, then it would be best if she were here to add her own insights.”

That brought the temperature of the air down by several degrees, and I heard Applejack gulp as Celestia turned her calculating gaze onto me, “There is a long and dark story behind the sorcerers we now face, and it will be a tale that must not leave this group for any reason. I have taken great lengths to keep this knowledge from the general population, as it would terrify most ponies into never leaving their homes after dark.” She moved her gaze from me to each pony in turn, “Swear that you will keep what you are about to hear a secret, for as long as you live. Nopony must know what I am about to tell you, even if the worst comes to pass and we fall into battle with these necromancers.”

All seven ponies nodded in turn, although Swift threw in a salute for good measure. She had remained off to the side during most of the conversation, but I had a feeling she was going to be getting a bit more than she bargained for once Celestia and Luna started talking about this forbidden history. If the slight widening of her gaze was anything to go by, she was outright flabbergasted that she was going to be privy to a secret her superiors were not, and in all honesty I couldn’t blame her. Being in on a national secret would throw anyone for a loop, be they a civilian or high-ranking official.

Celestia met each of our gazes one more time before nodding, leading us back into the castle without a word. We filed in behind her and followed her back to the throne room, and for the very first time I saw what it was that Celestia did. Her horn ignited with a bright golden glow, and I watched as she hovered off the ground, the sun rapidly sinking below the horizon as she came back to the marble tiles.

My jaw must have been hanging on the floor, because there was no way what I had just seen had really happened, “Did she just do what I think she did?”

Twilight glanced up at me and giggled, “Oh, that’s right, I don’t think anypony told you yet. One of Princess Celestia’s duties is to raise and lower the sun, while Princess Luna raises and lowers the moon at night.”

I took a moment and got my racing mind under control, filing that new information into the ‘Nope!’ file in the back of my mind. I could deal with magical ponies that could teleport and lift things with their minds, but I could not suspend my disbelief to really consider two immortal sisters that literally moved the sun and moon. I could pull that little nugget of crazy out once I was alone and I could have a proper freak-out, but now was not the time.

I watched as the moon rose above the horizon in the east, followed soon after by the entrance of Princess Luna. She took one look at us and then turned to her sister, “Is it time?”

Celestia nodded, “It is. If they are going to be fighting necromancers at some point in the near future, then they need to know the whole story.”

Luna sighed, “Even after you shared this history with me, I still have trouble believing that I caused you all that suffering, even after I had been banished to the moon.”

Celestia draped a wing over her sister’s back, shushing the smaller alicorn as she looked her sister in the eye, “It wasn’t your fault Lulu. You had no way of controlling what happened after you left, and I was too stubborn to realize how important you were until it was far too late. The blame for those dark years rests on me and me alone. You were the one protecting us. I just never understood how much we needed you because I was too blinded by the adoration of the citizens to notice. For that, I am so, so sorry.”

Luna smiled, even though there were tears threatening to escape her eyes, “Thank you sister. Even now you help me to overcome the guilt of my transgressions.” She let out a gusty sigh before straightening, “Very well, let us begin this sorry tale before the night grows too late.”

Celestia nodded, turning to face us as her expression shifted to a more somber one, “You might want to take a seat, this is not a short tale, nor is it an easy one to hear.”

I sat down and crossed my legs as the girls did the same. Swift rested on her stomach while Twilight and Fluttershy leaned against my shoulders. Rainbow chose to hover over my head instead of landing, and somehow Celestia’s tone had even managed to make Pinkie Pie sit still. Rarity sat on Twilight’s other side, although she seemed to be distracted by the damage King Edward had made to my clothing. I made a mental note to have her fix it once we got back to Ponyville. It just didn’t quite feel right wearing such a well-crafted article when it was damaged like it was.

Celestia lay down on her stomach and smiled when Luna did the same, keeping her wing draped over her sister’s back as she turned to face us. “I guess the best place to start would be the beginning. It all started one thousand years ago, right after I banished Nightmare Moon to the moon with the Elements of Harmony. As you know, it was at that point that our connection to the Elements was lost, and I made the choice to move the capital of Equestria to Canterlot. The pain of seeing the same hallways where my sister and I had once played as foals was too much to bear. The Castle of the Two Sisters, better known as Everfree Castle in those days, was left to ruin in favor of the more popular location I had come to call my new home. The ponies were happy, and I knew that in time, my sister would return. It would be a long and painful journey, but one day we could be a family again. Yet, it was not to last. At the time, I had no idea the responsibilities my sister carried along with tending the moon. You all know that my sister cares for the dreams of ponies and other creatures that call Equestria home, but even that ability was unknown to me, so blinded as I was by the praise of the citizens.”

Luna nuzzled her sister’s neck with her head, and Celestia paused to take a deep breath before continuing, “It was only after Luna left that mysterious incidents began to occur. Ponies went missing after dark, and strange magic seemed to pop up at random locations across the country. It was only after an entire village went missing that I realize something was terribly wrong.”

“What was it?” Twilight asked, her eyes wide in wonder.

Celestia’s eyes seemed to age by several centuries as she watched things only she could see, “Dark magic. The most foul and poisonous sorcery a pony could imagine. What none of us realized, even compared to her dream-walking, was that Luna was, is, the protector of the night. She cares for the citizens while they sleep, and keeps the darkness in check until the sun rises at dawn. I never could have imagined what it was my sister kept at bay all those years, but with Luna gone, well.”

For a moment, silence hung in the air around us, until I filled in the rest of her sentence, “The things that Luna protected the citizens from, found out they no longer had someone holding their leash. The things that go bump in the night, no longer had to hide under beds and in the shadows beyond the torchlight. The darkness that feeds on fear and death, could now roam about the country as it saw fit.”

Fluttershy made a soft squeak and hid her face against my chest, and I wrapped an arm around her body as she shivered against my ribcage.

Celestia nodded as the other ponies stared at Luna, a new light of understanding and awe taking up almost every face. Even Swift was not immune, her fidgeting forehooves and fluffed neck fur a testament to her frazzled nerves.

“It is as Sarah says,” Luna’s voice was little more than a whisper, “the darkness is home to many horrors that would more than enjoy snuffing the life of an innocent. Waking nightmares that escaped from the dream realm, monstrous horrors that skulk about after dark and foul magic that can twist the purest soul into a murdering demon.”

A shiver ran up our collective spines, and I chose to ask the question that I assumed was on everyone’s mind, “So when Discord spoke about the Shadow Wars, he was talking about those things, wasn’t he?”

Celestia nodded, “It took almost one hundred and fifty years before I had contained or destroyed the darkness that had appeared. Without Luna to keep them at bay, the horrors that hunted at night would take anypony caught out alone. Sometimes ponies would disappear for several days, only to come back as twisted versions of themselves, corrupted by black magic into monsters that would just as easily eat a pony as speak to one. But that wasn’t the worst of it. There were a select few who were not driving completely insane by the dark magic coursing through their veins. In fact, some even grew smarter and more cunning the more power they acquired. This was the origin story of the necromancy school of magic, along with a few other sub-schools that twisted the normally peaceful and benevolent schools into mockeries of their true selves. Raising the dead, controlling the minds of others, even the ability to take any inanimate object and imbue it with dark magic so that anypony who came into contact with it would become as corrupted as the caster. All came to be during this time of darkness and suffering. There is a reason I have stricken its existence from the history pages. It was a time where not even I could sleep peacefully at night, for fear I would wake to find my entire castle staff had been turned into undead monsters.”

For a moment, no one could even speak. The idea of the ponies living through something like that almost made me think of the war back home. Except this wasn’t some far-off land where only the strong went to fight. This was in their backyards, in their homes and in their nightmares. It must have been terrifying to be alive during that time.

“It wasn’t until nearly sixty years had passed that we finally caught a break.” Celestia continued, “It was at that point that the first Auramancer was discovered, and the ability was quickly taught to anypony who could wield the power at any level. Schools sprang up like weeds, and soon Auramancers were a regular part of the Equestrian Army. We finally had something to fight back with that worked, and I took the chance to strike back at the darkness that had engulfed my nation.”

“When I first heard of Auramancy,” Luna added, “it was like I had seen the darkest of magics given a place in the light. No longer would a pony lose their soul if they became lost in the darkness. Instead, ponies could use the light within their souls to push back against the shadows that hide in the forgotten realms of fear and pain. It was almost too good to believe.”

Celestia nodded, “Indeed, that was what I felt like when I first heard of Auramancy as well. It was like a raft thrown to a drowning foal in the middle of a raging sea. I took every chance I had and battled the darkness to the last. And after another ninety years of hard fighting, we finally did it. We pushed the horrors beyond Equestria’s borders, and eradicated the black magic users wherever we could find them. The next eight hundred and fifty years were peaceful and beautiful, and over time, ponies forgot what it was like during the early years of Luna’s banishment. I didn’t have the heart to make them remember something so frightening and horrible, so I wiped the history books clean of any mention of the Shadow Wars, hoping that we would never have to remember those terrifying years.”

“And now the darkness is back,” I said slowly, “after all this time, it’s finally grown strong enough to try again, even with Princess Luna here to protect the ponies during the night.” I shared a concerned look with the others before turning to Celestia and Luna, “Why now, and where did it come from?”

“The darkness is always there,” Luna said with a calmer tone than I thought was possible, “waiting just beyond the reach of our vision and within the more fearful expanses of our minds. Just because my sister destroyed the living manifestations of it, does not mean she eradicated it entirely. I would imagine that the remnants she did not destroy, but rather banished beyond our borders, waited and grew in strength while Equestria grew soft and peaceful. Now that they are back to full strength, and with Equestria so used to the comforts of harmony, we are ill-prepared to challenge them when they do make themselves known.”

“So we’re going to have to fight them, underprepared and under armed, with next to no hope of taking them on with equal terms.” I said, “Is that what I’m hearing you say right now?”

Celestia nodded, “You are the only living Auramancer in Equestria. We cannot send out word for trainees without alerting the public that something is wrong. If the general population knew what kind of danger they were in, the panic that would ensue would tear the country apart. No, we cannot let news get out, not without some kind of cover story to keep the masses comfortable.”

“But that’s lyin’ to the entire country ‘bout something that could kill them!” Applejack yelled as she leaped to her hooves, “Ah know we need to try and stay calm about this, but you can’t expect me to not tell my family about all this when any one of them could be next! Mah sister goes out almost every weekend with her friends and camps with them in the Whitetail Woods! What if one of those monsters gets her because Ah didn’t warn her about the dangers of going out after dark?! What if my brother needs to tend to the chickens and some undead thing gets him when he’s too far from the house to call for help?! What if –,”

“ENOUGH!!” Celestia’s thundering cry immediately silenced the irate farm mare, and I felt my heart skip a beat at the smoldering look Celestia now sported.

She mastered herself with some difficulty, but her tone was still hard as she spoke, “I understand you worries Applejack, but let’s say we did let you tell your family about the dangers of going out after dark. Would you expect them to keep the secret from their friends? What of their friend’s friends? Where does it stop? The simple fact is that if even one pony is told about the dangers that are brewing on the horizon, it would be a matter of days until the entire country knows. The panic that would envelope the country would make protecting the ponies even harder than if they had no idea what was going on. False accusations would fly like parasprites in every town and village from Manehatten to Vanhoover. Not to mention what would happen if some ponies got it into their heads to hunt these dark creatures on their own. I saw it happen many times during the Shadow Wars. Ponies would create hunting parties and march off into the night with next to no gear and no plan of attack.” Celestia’s ears folded against her head as her gaze lowered to the floor, “Most of them never came back, and even if they did return, most of those were the same horrors they had gone out to fight.”

Applejack slowly sat down again, thoroughly cowed by the reason in Celestia’s voice. The solar princess looked to the others one by one, as if asking for any other complaints or opinions. No one said a thing.

With another sigh, Celestia stood up, stretching her back as Luna did the same, “Now that you all know the story, I ask that you trust my sister and I. We will come up with a plan for fighting these dark sorcerers, without causing nation-wide panic. Until then, try and go about your days as normal, and enjoy the peace while it still lasts.”

With that, the sisters walked out of the throne room, leaving me, Swift and the element bearers alone with about a million questions between us.

“Well this stinks,” Rainbow said as she crossed her hooves with a huff, “do they really expect us to sit on our flanks and do nothing while these monsters are getting ready to attack?”

“I don’t know Rainbow,” I said as I stood up and popped my back, “but do you really want to try and argue with them after what we just heard?”

Rainbow’s combative expression softened a tad, “Well, no, but it still bites that we have to wait for instructions when we could be doing something about it.” She groaned as she landed and paced back and forth, “How are we supposed to be the protectors of Equestria, if we can’t even protect the ones who live next door to us?”

“While it is a trying dilemma,” Rarity said as she got to her hooves, “We don’t really have a choice in the matter. We all gave our word that we would keep this a secret. I know it wasn’t a Pinkie Promise, but I would think your word to Princes Celestia and Princess Luna would mean something.”

Twilight growled as she ruffled her wings, “I’m a princess of Equestria too. Don’t I get a say in all this? I mean, sure Celestia and Luna are over a thousand years old and have a lot more experience than me, but even Luna was just as much in dark as we were until Celestia told her the story.” She stomped a hoof in frustration, “AARRRGGGG! How am I supposed to be the Princess of Friendship if Celestia and Luna don’t even let me have any say in the big decisions? Am I not royal enough to have the same responsibilities as they do?”

She marched around the room for several minutes while the others talked about what they were going to do next. Meanwhile, I simply stood there like a dunce, hoping that we could get out of here and back to Ponyville so I could get some sleep. Big reveal or not, Celestia and Luna had made their choice very clear, so arguing about it was going to get us nowhere. In the meantime, I was losing sleep after an already short night and I was about ready to drop. I glanced down as I felt a weight rest against my leg, and noticed Fluttershy was about ready to nod off standing up. I reached down and picked her up bridal style, her level of fatigue so high she hardly reacted to being picked up. Her eyes met mine for about half a second before she fell asleep against my chest. I glanced down at Swift, who gave me a single raised eyebrow in reply, before I shrugged and settled Fluttershy into a more comfortable position. If she was going to sleep in my arms, I might as well make it as nice for her as possible.

In the end, the others came to the same conclusion I had, as we caught the last train back to Ponyville. Once we got back we all returned to our homes for the night, Fluttershy being given a guest room in Twilight’s castle instead of me having to take her all the way to her cottage. I somehow managed to get my clothes off my body and collapsed into my bed, immediately passing clean out almost before my head hit the pillow. I slept until well past noon the next day, and I felt like a new woman when I opened my eyes to the bright sunshine. Now if only I could get my mind to stop screaming about the fact that Luna really was in my dreams the other night I’d be doing just great.

Author's Note

Holy Mother of Celestia!! This is the biggest chapter I've ever written by almost double my previous record!! :pinkiegasp: Anyway, it's nice to see all of you after almost of a month of nothing. No, I'm not dead, just taking a much-needed break after the huge marathon of chapters I put out last time. Do you have any idea the amount of energy it takes to put out a chapter every other day for two weeks?! Not easy, let me tell you.

Anyways, I hope to get another two or three chapters done this time around before my mind goes off cycle, but don't expect anything like what you all got last time. My brain is still ringing after the number of times I rang my own bell trying to get chapters out fast enough to keep up with my imagination.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed my little after-hiatus present. I should be getting the next chapter out sometime after the holiday. It's great to finally be back and I'm ready to make some chapters for you all.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon. (Oh it feels great to say that again)

11 - A Day in Ponyville

The day after our trip to Canterlot was slow. So much so that I didn’t really do anything other than hang around the castle and play cards with Swift. I had managed to get my playing deck back from Twilight’s lab when she wasn’t looking, although that wasn’t all that hard when she was still working on making her own dehydrated food. She was adamant that figuring out how to store produce like that could revolutionize the way ponies kept their food from spoiling. It might even remove the risk to small villages if a crop went bad and they ran out of fresh produce during the winter. I let her be and tried to teach Swift how to play poker, and she did a pretty good job once she got the different hands memorized. It didn’t help my case that she had the best poker face I had ever seen since leaving the Corps.

The next morning I woke up to the bright morning light like always, although without anything to do I was tempted to roll over and go back to sleep. As far as I knew, I didn’t have to do anything for my training other than memorize the next ‘spell’ and try to get my aura up to strength to perform it. The only way to make my reserves larger and my casting stronger was to channel my energy for long periods of time, which I could do at any time during the day while doing anything else. Needless to say, it was shaping up to be a very long and dull day.

I forced myself up and tossed on a random set of clothes with little rhyme or reason, pausing for only a minute to brush out my hair in the bathroom and slip my phone into my pocket before making my way down to the dining hall. Swift was already there, although she looked about as run-down as I felt, with faint bags under her eyes and a lack of focus in her gaze. I sat down across from her and watched Spike deliver our breakfast, pancakes with a side of over-medium eggs. I got a slight kick out of the idea the first time I saw a pony eat eggs, when they got sick at the very smell of cooked meat, but apparently even they needed some protein in their diets. It just so happened that eggs were used in most pony baked goods like back on Earth, or could be eaten plain like Swift was doing now. The logic of that still made my head hurt when I thought about it too much, so I simply adopted one of the age-old quotes from literature back home.

“It's magic, I ain’t got to explain shit.”

I devoured my food with some mustered fervor, hoping to eat it while it was still hot and delicious, although once I cleared my plate it left me with nothing to do but watch Swift finish off her own food. Spike cleared our settings and walked back into what I assumed was the kitchen, leaving Swift and I in a comfortable silence for several moments.

Swift was the first to lift the blanket of quiet that had settled over the room, clearing her throat before speaking, “So, any plans today other than working on your Auramancy stuff?”

I shook my head, “Not really. The more advanced ‘spells’ require more skill and raw power than I have at my disposal right now, so I’ll have to get stronger before I can tackle any new ones.” I cast a hopeful look her way, lifting an eyebrow, “I don’t suppose you’d be up for some sparring with the swords while the sun’s out?”

To my disappointment, Swift shook her head, “I pulled one of my legs yesterday whipping those poor excuses for guards into shape.” She rolled her left shoulder and winced as the joint popped, “I’ll be out of commission for a day or two until it heals up.”

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, “But can’t you have a unicorn use a quick healing spell to fix that in a few seconds?”
She gave me a look like I had grown a second head, “Would you go to the doctor if you had a sprained leg? I would hope that a soldier would take a little more pride in her station than that.”

I conceded the point with a wave of my hand, “Point taken. So if you’re out of hard duty until that leg heals up, there isn’t anything you could have me do in the meantime?”

She pondered that for a moment, taping her chin with a hoof, “Not really, other than the usual runs and physical exercise that you do everyday anyway. Anything more complex would need both of us, and I don’t trust those two idiots to do any kind of proper training with you anyway. You’d pound them into the dirt faster than Princess Celestia demolishes a cake.”

I snickered as my lips pulled into a grin, “So is it true that old sun-butt can’t control herself around sweets?”

Swift’s expression hardened for a moment, “Watch what you call Princess Celestia. She might be an immortal, but it’s for that very reason that she deserves your respect.” Her serious look immediately fell apart as she glanced over her shoulder at the door, “In all seriousness, I saw the Princess eat an entire triple-layer cake in under a minute.”

“Shut up.” I replied, “There’s no way that’s possible.”

“It’s the truth!” Swift countered, “I was on duty in the dining hall when it happened. Some noble thought he could bribe Her Highness with a monster of a cake, and I watched as she ate the entire thing before thanking the noble and sending him on his way.” She struggled to continue as she tried to contain her chuckles, “You should have seen the look on his face when Celestia sent him off in the middle of a formal dinner. If I had a camera with me I would’ve framed it and hung it on my wall for every time I needed something to laugh about.”

I joined her in her laughter as my mind conjured up the image of some stuck-up noble getting his ass snubbed by Celestia right after she finished destroying a triple-layer cake. I winced as a cramp started forming in my ribs, and forced myself to calm down as Swift did the same.

“Ah, thanks for that, Swift,” I said after taking a breath, “I needed that to get my blood pumping.”

Swift threw me a sarcastic salute, wincing as her shoulder reminded her it didn’t want to be moved right now, “Anytime. So, what’s your plans for the rest of today, now that you know there’s not any homework coming from me?”

I rubbed the back of my neck with a hand, staring at the table in front of me, “Well, I haven’t really had a chance to see the rest of Ponyville since I arrived on this planet. I mean, I walked through it to get to Rarity’s house, but other than stopping off at the market along the way I never saw much else.” I glanced back at Swift, trying to gauge her reaction as I spoke, “Maybe I’ll just wander around and explore? Maybe stop by Rarity’s to commission some more clothes? Heaven knowns I need more before my current set gets too dirty.”

Swift nodded, “Then I’ll join you. Need to keep this leg moving or else the joint’s going to get stiffer than a rusted armor set.” She hopped out of her seat as I stood up, “Well, shall we?”

I nodded, sweeping my hand to indicate the door, “After you. You are my escort after all.”

Her lips pulled into a smirk as she walked in front of me, glancing over her shoulder with a lidded gaze, “Careful with that word there, you wouldn’t want ponies to get the wrong idea about us.”

I lifted an eyebrow as we walked into the castle foyer and approached the front doors, “What word?”

Her eyes took on a smoldering light, one I recognized from having other soldiers checking me out on base, “Escort. We ponies like to use that word when somepony takes another out on the town for a date. Usually it’s the stallion who gets called that, but it can be used for mares too.”

Her grin grew into a full smile as I stopped mid-step to stare at her, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn’t mean it like that. No offence, but I’m not really into that whole xenophilia thing.”

Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow, “And why not? I’ve seen several stallions looking you over while you were doing your training behind the castle, mares too. Interspecies relationships aren’t all that common, but they do happen from time to time. I can think of several ponies that we might meet today that wouldn’t think twice about getting to know you better, at least so far as asking you to a first date.”

I crossed my arms under my chest, pushing my breasts together in a deliberate play on my companion’s emotions as I lifted a matching eyebrow, “And would one of those ponies be you?”

Her eyes were drawn to my chest like a fly to an electric zapper, and I grinned as a soft flush came over her cheeks as she visibly forced her gaze back to my face, “W-Well I don’t think it would ever work out if I tried to ask you on a date. You’re beautiful and skilled in combat, but I don’t think we would mix too well. Two alphas in one pack and all that. Besides, I like my mares a bit more on the submissive side.”

“Like Fluttershy?” I asked as I walked past her and up to the doors.

Now her blush was raging at full power and she tried and failed to hide her reaction, “Yes,” she swallowed thickly as she mustered her self-control, “like Fluttershy. If she wasn’t ten miles out of my league and I wouldn’t have to fight Rainbow Dash to get close to her, then I might think of asking her out. The only problem is that crippling shyness of hers. I like them submissive, not doormats. If she had a few more bones in her spine then I might think about it, fame and such be damned, but unless she learns to stand up for herself a bit more, then I’m not going to waste my time on something that will never work.”

I smiled as I opened the doors and led her out into the morning sunlight, “I wouldn’t be so sure. I’ve seen Fluttershy do some brave things in the time I’ve known her. You just need to know where to look.”

Swift rolled her eyes as she fell in on my left side, “I’ll take your word for it.”

We entered the town proper and I was immediately taken aback by the number and variety of ponies milling about. Every color under the rainbow assaulted my eyes as we made our way down a random street, and I had to blink a few times when I spotted a couple sitting at what looked like a table made from an oversized mushroom.

For a while I simply let the sights come in and didn’t really do much other than gaze about in wonder. I noticed that the locals were aware of my presence, although the fear and mistrust I was expecting was surprisingly absent. I hesitantly waved to a wall-eyed pegasus mare as she somehow flew by overhead, a big smile on her face as her waving hoof threatened to cause a crash. Now that I was looking for it, I saw that a lot of ponies were waving friendly hellos, even though I had never seen them up until this point.

I leaned down next to Swift as we rounded a corner and entered what looked like a public park, “Why is everyone being so friendly to me? Shouldn’t they, I don’t know, be suspicious or maybe frightened of something like me walking through the middle of town?”

Swift kept her eyes roaming as she replied, her expression calm with a hint of a smile behind her eyes, “Word travels fast around here. Most ponies have heard about the brave creature that saved Lilly Valley from a horrible monster.” She snorted once in amusement as said mare waved to us as she and two others walked by going the other direction, “Not many believe the whole idea of a zombie walking around, which is good for us, but they do know that you helped her even though she’s a bit prone to overreacting to things.” We paused as we came up to a park bench, and I took the opportunity to sit as Swift climbed up onto the bench with me, “You’re a bit of a celebrity around here now, so don’t be surprised if ponies act a bit more friendly towards you on first meeting.”

“Huh,” I replied as I crossed my metal leg over my real one, “learn something new every day.”

I leaned back and rested my hands behind my head as I lazily watched the clouds roll by. I could see the odd pegasus working on the weather every other minute, but for the most part the sky was devoid of life save for the occasional bird.

My quiet contemplation was rather abruptly interrupted when a loud gasp emanated from the walkway to our right, and I turned my head to see what the problem was. Standing there, her mouth agape and her eyes wide, was an aquamarine unicorn with a minty mane and tail. Here golden eyes were locked on me, and I felt a slight shiver of foreboding run up my spine as our impromptu staring contest continued. I broke my gaze from the mare and glanced at her companion, who seemed more exasperated by her friend’s antics more than anything else. This mare was a soft beige in color, with a two-tone pink and navy mane that fell in soft curls over one shoulder. Her tail was the same and looked almost like spun taffy if one saw it from the right angle.

Swift shifted from her stomach into a sitting position and glanced around me at the pair, “Ah, this aught to be good. Seems you’ve attracted the interest of the local head case and her marefriend.”

I turned around to raise an eyebrow at Swift, “Head case? That’s a bit more insulting than what I’m used to hearing from you ponies. What’s so weird about her?”

Swift indicated for me to lean closer, so I did with slight hesitation. She whispered into my ear with one eye trained on our guests, “For years now Lyra has been spouting nonsense about how ponies used to live with bipedal creatures that taught us how to make all the modern tools we use. I never met her in person before, but I’ve read some of the reports from our two bumbling idiots and their friends about some of the, ahem, ‘research’ she’s tried to do over the years to prove that these creatures really existed. She’s a bit of a local legend, and not in the good way.”

I glanced over my shoulder at the pair, noticing that Lyra’s friend was trying to snap her out of her shock by waving her hoof in front of her face. When that didn’t work she began shaking the unicorn about the shoulders with both forehooves. Yet the mint mare remained frozen as she continued to stare at me, and I began to feel slightly sorry for the poor thing.

I turned back to Swift, “But I’m sitting right here. I know I’m not from this world, but if creatures like me exist elsewhere, then could it be possible for them to have existed here?”

Swift shook her head, “Most ponies don’t know you’re not from this world, part of the whole secret dealing with why you’re here. As far as the general populous knows, you’re just a creature from a far-off land that just recently arrived in Equestria. Anything beyond that would be simple rumor, no matter how accurate it might be.” Swift glanced over at the duo, where the beige mare was now tapping her friend on the tip of her nose in yet another attempt to snap her out of her funk. “Seeing you sitting here has just validated every crazy theory Lyra has ever made, and I think you might be in for a bit of a rude welcome once Bon-Bon manages to snap her out of her shock.”

“So that’s the other mare’s name.” I mused, noticing the trio of wrapped candies on the mare’s flank for the first time, “I was just about to ask who her friend was. You said she’s Lyra’s marefriend, is that like a friend-friend or romantically involved kind of friend?”

Swift smiled as she stood up and jumped off the bench, “Why don’t you ask her? I’m pretty sure she’s not going to snap Lyra out of it unless we go over there and force the issue.”

I nodded, following her lead as we walked over to the now slightly nervous Bon-Bon. She turned to face us as we walked up and sighed in what looked like relief, “Thank goodness. I was running out of ideas on how to bring Lyra back from whatever shock-induced place she got herself into.” She smiled brightly and offered her hoof, “Hello, my name’s Bon-Bon, and the frozen unicorn at my side is Lyra Heartstrings. Pleased to meet you.”

I knelt down and shook the offered hoof with my hand, returning her smile with one of my own, “A pleasure to meet you as well, Bon-Bon. I’ve heard a thing or two about your friend, but I don’t know much about you. What do you do around here?”

She retraced her limb and lit up a bit as she spoke, “I run Bon-Bon’s Sweet Delights just down the road. My special talent is making candies so I’m one of the most popular stops for the little fillies and colts. Can’t compete with Sugarcube Corner in the baked goods department but I’ll never let anypony out-sell me in candy.” Her expression shifted to one of interest, “I’ve never seen a creature like you before. What are you? Where did you come from?”

I glanced at Swift, who gave me a subtle shake of her head, and I turned back to face Bon-Bon with slight trepidation. I never was the best liar, so I hoped I could pull something out of my ass that she would believe. I was just about to answer her when I noticed that Lyra was still frozen in place. An idea came to me and I indicated the unicorn with one hand, “Do you think we could unfreeze your friend so I don’t have to give introductions twice?”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes before turning to face her minty friend, “I don’t know what to do about her. I’ve tried everything I can think of and she’s still frozen like that. I just don’t know what to do.”

I felt a bit of my devilish side come to the forefront as I walked up to the duo, “Let me take a crack at it. I think I know what might snap her out of it.”

Bon-Bon and Swift watched as I knelt down in front of Lyra, taking a moment to crack my knuckles before gently wrapping my fingers around the bases of her ears. Her left eye twitched slightly at my contact, but otherwise she remained in her shocked state. Seeing that I had no other choice, I began to run my fingers through her fur and mane, massaging the base of her ears before working my way up and down her neck and jawline.

The effect was immediate. Her eyes grew from their pinprick size until they were almost all pupil, her lids dropping halfway as a deep and throaty moan escaped her lips. Her eyes only hung on for a few moments before she closed them completely, leaning into my ministrations as her hind legs folded like origami, dropping her hindquarters onto the ground with no resistance. I could hear Swift snickering as I worked my fingers over Lyra’s head, enjoying the smooth texture of her fur and mane for a moment before pulling away. She swayed in place for a moment more with a blissful expression glowing on her face. Bon-Bon took that moment to walk up and tap Lyra on the shoulder with a hoof, her expression one of intense interest mixed with slight concern.

“Lyra, are you alright,” she asked as her friend began to come around.

“Oh Bonnie,” Lyra hummed as she turned to face Bon-Bon with a lidded gaze, “where did you learn to do that? It was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”

Bon-Bon cleared her throat as a slight blush took up residence on her cheeks, “It wasn’t me Lyra, it was her.” She pointed at me with a hoof as her expression morphed into one of trepidation.

Lyra’s gaze followed Bon-Bon’s hoof and settled on me. For a moment I thought she was frozen again, but I was quickly proven wrong when a loud gasp escaped her mouth. Her front hooves rose to cover her muzzle as she looked me up and down, her eyes wild with pure, unadulterated joy.

Her mind seemed to go into overdrive, because she couldn’t seem to process what was going one around her other than me kneeling two feet from her face. Finally, she managed to get her little spaz moment under control, spinning to face Bon-Bon and taking her by the face with both hooves.

“Bon-Bon, please tell me that there is a human sitting right in front of me. Please tell me I’m not seeing things.” Her near-panic tone nearly had me in stitches, although I was barely able to contain myself as Bon-Bon extracted herself from the unicorn’s grip.

“While she does resemble your theories on what humans look like,” the restrained patient expression on the mare’s face could have put my commander to shame if he were here, “don’t get your hopes up for something that probably isn’t true.”

“Actually,” I interjected, much to Bon-Bon’s surprise, “I’m human. I just arrived in Equestria a little while ago, and my homeland is very far away, so it’s not all that surprising no one has ever heard of us until now.”

Bon-Bon looked like she had been slapped with a fish while Lyra simply squealed like a little girl and leapt to her hooves. Bon-Bon remained rooted to the spot as Lyra began circling around me, her face lit up like the fourth of July as she inspected every inch of me.

“Oh my goodness,” she managed to say as she made her third circuit around me, “I can’t believe I’m really meeting a human for the very first time.” She gasped as she came to a stop in front of me, understanding igniting in her eyes as she seemed to piece something together. “You wouldn’t happen to own the items Princess Twilight has in her castle, would you?”

My brow furrowed in slight confusion, “Umm, yeah, she’s been going over my stuff while I was in the hospital, I just haven’t asked for it back yet. How did you know?”

“Yes, do tell Lyra,” Bon-Bon added as she stepped up to Lyra’s side, “what exactly are you talking about?”

“It’s her music!” Lyra spit out with a manic grin, turning to face Bon-Bon as she bounced up and down, “Remember when I came home from visiting Princess Twilight after getting called in for a super-secret assignment?”

One eyebrow rose on the beige mare’s face, “Yes, I also remember you telling me that it was so secret that you couldn’t tell me anything about it other than it had to do with the mysterious arrival at Ponyville General.” It took a moment for her to put it together as well, but as it hit her she turned to face me with wide eyes, “Wait, you said you were in the hospital after your arrival in Equestria?” I nodded, “So the super-secret mission Lyra was given, had to do with you?”

I rubbed the back of my neck with one hand, “Well, given how I showed up in your kingdom, I guess it might make sense that Twilight called in experts to look over my things. After all, none of you had ever seen a human before, save for Lyra’s theories I guess, so it would be the logical thing to have a foreign being’s belongings looked at before allowing it to run free.” I turned to face Lyra, who was managing to contain her excitement to some extent, “What exactly did Princess Twilight call you in for?”

Lyra bounced once more before making a physical effort to restrain herself, “Well, my special talent is all about harmonics, plus I can play the lyre like nopony else, so Princess Twilight called me in to listen to some new music. She got Octavia and Vinyl Scratch to come in as well to give differing opinions. I never imagined I’d hear something so new and yet so familiar coming from that tiny little box.” She turned to face Bon-Bon again as she spoke, “Oh you should have seen it Bonnie, it was only a little bigger than my hoof, but it could hold over sixteen hundred songs and play them all without having to plug into a speaker. It was unbelievable.” She spun back to face me with an even more manic grin, her gaze hopeful as she did her best puppy-eyes at me, “You wouldn’t happen to have that little box with you, would you?”

My mind immediately went to the phone resting in my pocket, but given who I was talking to, I wasn’t fully convinced she wouldn’t steal it from me if she got her hooves on it. So, I opted to perform another time-honored Ranger tradition.

Redirect the civilian.

“I do know what you’re talking about,” I drawled, “but how do I know you aren’t some government agent sent to keep tabs on me?” I chose to ignore Swift’s indignant huff behind me as I continued, “Give me one good reason not to just walk away and pretend this meeting never happened.”

Lyra’s joy quickly morphed into outright horror, as if the idea of us simply parting ways was like a threat to her family, “Please, don’t go! I’ll prove I’m not a government agent, I-I-I’ll take a lie detection spell, I’ll do anything, just don’t leave me after finally meeting you!”

I glanced over at Bon-Bon, who was rolling her eyes at her friend’s melodrama, “Do I really have to sit through this?”

She just shrugged as Lyra continued her pathetic rambling, “Best to just give her what she wants or she’ll never leave you alone.” She spared a glance at Swift, nodding respectfully with a sincere smile, “Major.”

Swift nodded back, a matching smile on her face as she tipped her head at me, “Just trying to keep this one out of trouble. Don’t mind me.”

We all chose to ignore Lyra as she continued to spout sentence after random sentence in the hopes of making me stay.

Bon-Bon tilted her head slightly as she inspected Swift, “An earth pony in the Royal Guard, and a Major no less, you must be quite skilled.”

Swift nodded, a hint of pride shining in her eyes as she stood a bit taller, “Well, not to brag or anything, but I’m third in command of the 85th Royal Battalion and I’ve trained most of the current rabble that pass for military these days.”

Bon-Bon’s eyebrows rose in admiration, “You’re quite skilled then, it is a pleasure to meet you. Would I dare ask for your name?”

Swift nodded, “Major Swift Blade, at your service, although my friends call me Swift.”

Bon-Bon chuckled behind a hoof, “I think I’ll call you by your rank. A pony of your regard must be given the respect they deserve, after all.”

While Swift and Bon-Bon engaged in small-talk, I turned my attention back to Lyra, who had just finished her spiel and was sucking in a breath to start anew. Not wanting a continuation of the one-mare-word-mill, I interrupted her by placing a hand over her muzzle. Her eyes widened in shock as my fingers clamped her mouth shut, and I heard the others stop their conversation as I looked Lyra in the eyes.

“Now,” I said slowly as I matched Lyra’s gaze with my own, “I’m going to let you listen to my music. If you want to talk about it then that’s fine with me. We can head back to the castle or we can head to a little café if you like. When I let go of your mouth, I expect you to talk like a normal pers – er, pony. If you can’t do that, then I’m going to have Major Swift Blade knock you out, let Bon-Bon carry you back home, and you’ll never get to speak with me again. Is that understood?”

Her eyes widened, followed by as much of a nod as she could manage with my hand holding her face.

I nodded in return, “Good. Now, remember what I said. No freaking out or I’m never going to speak with you again.”

I slowly removed my hand from her mouth, taking a step back and standing up to my full height. I fixed her with my most stern commander’s glare as she opened her mouth to speak, causing her to close it again, take a deep breath, and then look up at me with the most normal expression I had seen from her yet.

“I would be honored if you would play your music for us.” She said with a slight bow of her head, “Please, would you like to join Bon-Bon and I at our place so we can listen to it without interruptions?”

I glanced back at Swift, who nodded her consent, before turning back to face the duo. “I think that will work. Lead the way Ms. Heartstrings.”

Lyra nodded, keeping her face completely calm as she turned around and began walking. Swift fell in step next to her, leaving Bon-Bon to walk at my side as we made our way through the western side of town.

I noticed the look Bon-Bon was giving me, and decided to answer the obvious question, “I shut her up by making it impossible for her to argue with me or to do anything other than what I asked. It’s an old trick from the Corps we use to keep unruly cadets in line.”

She nodded dumbly, her gaze moving to Lyra’s hindquarters as she mulled over my words, “I need to learn how to do that. I’ve been trying to get her to calm down for years and it’s gone nowhere.”

I smirked as Lyra led us up to a quaint little cottage next to the aptly-named Bon-Bon’s Sweet Delights. Must have been nice to live directly next door to her place of business. Then again, I’d seen a couple of other businesses that had a second floor where I assumed the owners lived. I guess she chose to live in a separate building because she didn’t live alone.

Lyra led us into the little hovel, revealing a tidy living room complete with a large sofa and a wooden coffee table. A pair of high-back chairs took up the space between the sofa and the wall behind us, leaving just enough room for the table between them. A fireplace took up space on the left wall while an opening in the rear led to what looked like the kitchen and dining room. A hallway exited on the right side and led to several doors, most of which I could guess what resided behind by simple common sense. At least one had to be a bedroom, another was the bathroom, and the last was probably a storage room of some kind.

Lyra plopped down onto the couch while Swift took up a chair. I sat in the second while Bon-Bon walked past us towards the kitchen.

“Anypony want some tea?” She asked, glancing over her shoulder at us.

Swift nodded, “Chamomile if you have it, please, with cream and sugar.”

Lyra poked her head over the back of the couch, grinning at Bon-Bon as her tail wagged back and forth like a dog, “Could you make me that special blend that you made for me on my birthday?”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the grin that spread her lips, “I’ll see if I can find any left. It is a special day after all.” With that she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the three of us in a comfortable silence.

Too bad it didn’t last all that long. Lyra spun around to face me with that all-too familiar gleam in her eyes, “So did you bring you little magic box so we can listen to some of that cool music?”

Swift let out a long-suffering sigh but didn’t comment, letting me handle the excitable mare as she did her best to look like a kid in a candy store, “I have it with me, but I need you to promise you’ll behave or I won’t let you listen to it.” I swore it was like talking to a six-year-old the way I had to simplify things around this mare. “Can you do that? Can you be a good mare for me?”

Either she didn’t notice the way I was talking down to her, or didn’t care, because she nodded, schooling her expression into a more neutral one as she crossed her forehooves over each other in a more dignified pose, “I’m ready when you are.”

It was a at that moment that Bon-Bon returned, a silver platter resting on her back with a teapot and several cups. She gripped the edge of the platter in her teeth and slid it onto the table before climbing onto the couch next to Lyra.

Swift reached over and grabbed her cup, taking a moment to smell the rose-colored liquid before taking a small sip, “Ah, just how I like it.” She tipped the glass in Bon-Bob’s direction, “My compliments to the server.”

Bon-Bon’s cheeks flushed as she ducked her head, “Oh it’s nothing, just some tea I got at the market the other day. It’s really no big deal.”

Swift nodded but chose to say nothing as she drank a larger sip. I decided that now was as good a time as any to get things rolling, so I slipped my phone from my pocket and turned it on. All eyes turned to face me as the screen lit up, bathing my face in its soft glow as I selected the music app. Lyra looked excited, but that was nothing unusual. The real kicker was seeing the looks of complete awe and wonder on Bon-Bon and Swift’s faces. Bon-Bon I expected to react that way, but to see Swift breaking her normal cool and collected manner was a bit surprising. It was also quite funny, and I had to stifle a laugh as I caught her face out of the corner of my eye. I’d make sure to let her have it later for her priceless face, but right now I had more important things to worry about.

I slid through my playlists for a moment before looking up at the others, “So, what would you like to hear?”

Lyra opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Bon-Bon, who seemed a bit more eager than she had been a moment before, “Umm, you wouldn’t happen to have anything that reminds you of me, would you?”

My eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, “Reminds me of you in what way?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I know we just met and everything, but I was thinking there might be something related to who I am or what I do. I know it might be a bit much to ask for that right away, but if you really have sixteen hundred songs on that little thing, then surely you must have something.”

I was a bit taken aback by her words, but in all honesty, I couldn’t really blame her. Still, it left me in a bit of a tight spot finding the perfect song to go with her personality or occupation. Then, as my gaze moved over her cutie mark, I realized I knew the perfect song.

Before I could think about it too much, I selected the song at the very top of my playlist, the rhythmic drums bouncing along right out of the gate. All three mares’ eyes widened as the sound echoed around the room, and I spotted Swift catching her cup as it slipped from her grasp as the first lyrics rang out.

As the song worked its way through, Lyra turned to face Bon-Bon with lidded eyes, “I’d like to have some of your candy too, if you want to sample some of mine after dinner.”

Bon-Bon was so wrapped up in the music it seemed like she hadn’t heard the aquamarine mare, but the vibrant blush that arose on her cheeks told a different story, “Lyra, I will deal with you once our guests have gone. Now kindly butt out so I can listen.”

With the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen, Lyra simply nodded before settling back in to listen. We sat in silence as the music slowly wound down, leaving us once again in a comfortable silence. Once the song came to an end, Bon-Bon pounded her hooves against the couch, Lyra and Swift following suite soon after. I smiled as I flipped through to another playlist, hoping my next selection hit just as well as the first.

“Glad you liked it. I hope it fit well enough.” I turned to face Lyra, “Lyra, this one’s for you.” I hit play, allowing the swing beat to mosey on its way into the room as the mare in question’s ears perked to attention.

As the jazz and swing moved and swam through the house, I saw both Lyra and Bon-Bon swaying to the beat, even going so far as to join in with the chorus in the latter half. Swift simply grinned as she hummed along, her tea forgotten on the table in favor of the music.

Once the song came to an end, Lyra wasted no time in jumping up and wrapping her hooves around me in a tight hug. “It’s perfect. I don’t know how you did it, but you found the perfect song to match me in every single way.”

Bon-Bon smiled but thankfully remained seated, “Indeed. You’ve matched both of us with wonderful songs, although I still have trouble believing that little box can make all that wonderful music all by itself.” She fixed me with a questioning gaze, “Is that kind of magic available to all of your people, or just a select few?”

I shrugged, disengaging from the mare wrapped around my middle with some difficulty, “It’s a tool that most everyone has access to, although I used mine for mostly music storage. Not really all that much more it can do unless you have the right infrastructure.”

She nodded, scooting over to one side to let Lyra climb back onto the couch, “Well then, what else do you have for us?”

I was just about to answer when a series of knocks sounded off from the front door. All eyes turned to the disturbance as Bon-Bon climbed off the sofa, “Now who could be calling? I don’t remember anypony saying they were visiting today.”

I heard the door open, and a distinctly British-sounding voice managed to reach my ears, “So sorry to bother you, Bon-Bon, but Vinyl used up all the sugar again and I was hoping you could spare a bag or two? I know you have lots on hoof for your shop, so I was hoping you might have some extra we could use?”

“Of course, Octavia,” Bon-Bon replied, “I can go and get some right now. Do please come in. Lyra and I were just listening to some rather interesting music. You can stay for a little bit if you would like.”

I glanced around the back of the chair, spotting Bon-Bon talking with a dark grey earth pony mare with a black mane and tail. She seemed to be of a more proper sort, with a white collar and pink bowtie around her neck. Her gaze leveled with mine as Bon-Bon walked into the kitchen to presumably get the sugar, and I saw the mare’s eyes widen as our gazes met.

“Um, Bon-Bon,” her voice had taken on the most slight of shakes, “you are aware that there is a strange creature sitting in your living room, right?”

Bon-Bon glanced over her shoulder at us, taking note of Octavia’s gaze, “Oh, I forgot to mention, we have guests over right now.” She turned to face me and Swift, “This is Major Swift Blade, and, oh, how silly of me, in all the excitement I forgot to ask your name.”

I grinned, waving off her concern with one hand, “It’s alright. I forgot to tell you. My name is Sarah Lovegood, but just Sarah is fine.”

“Sarah,” she seemed to roll it around in her mouth for a moment, “An unusual name, but not unpleasant to the ears.” She turned back to face Octavia, “You can take my seat if you like Octavia, I’ll be a minute getting the sugar from the back room.”

With that she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving us in a rather awkward situation. Lyra was oblivious to the tension it seemed, humming the last song under her breath as she tapped her hoof to the beat. Octavia seemed frozen in the doorway, unsure if it was safe to come any closer.

Finally, Swift glanced around her chair and addressed the poor mare, “I can assure you that Sarah is quite safe to be around. You have my word as an officer in the Royal Guard.”

Her words seemed to take the fight right out of Octavia, the poor thing’s shoulders slumping in relief before she collected herself, “Well, if a Royal Guard says it’s alright, then I guess I have nothing to worry about.” She walked up and sat down on the couch facing Swift and I, her poise straight and mannered as she looked me up and down, “Well, you certainly are an interesting creature. What exactly are you?”

Lyra beat me to the punch, “She’s a human! I knew they were real but nopony would believe me. She even brought her little music box so we could listen to more songs!”

Now she had captured Octavia’s interest, “The same music box that Princess Twilight asked us to come over and listen to a while back?”

Lyra nodded, “The same. She’s already showed Bon-Bon and I two songs that fit our personalities exactly. It was amazing, it was like listening to myself put to music.”

Octavia turned back to face me with a raised eyebrow, “If that is true then I would be delighted to hear whatever you think fits me. I understand that we just met, but I would like for you to go off first impressions only. It might make for an interesting look into how others see me on first meeting.”

I nodded, feeling like this was going to become a regular thing if ponies kept asking for theme songs. I took a moment to inspect her from head to tail, taking in her straight posture and her confident demeanor. I had a pretty good idea what song I wanted to play, but like she had said, this was based off first impressions. I hoped I didn’t offend her on accident if I got the song wrong.

The somber piano started off the song, and I noticed that Octavia’s ears were erect and alert while Lyra and Swift seemed a bit disinterested. That all changed when the vocalist’s first words came into being. All ears and eyes were fixed on my phone, and I held back a grin as the look of wonder and awe once again graced the faces of those present.

The song picked up more and more, coming to a climax just as Bon-Bon got back with a bag of sugar over her back. She stopped dead in the doorway to the kitchen and stood in rapt wonder as the music began to wind down. Finally, as the song ended, she managed to snap herself out of her surprise and make her way back to the couch. She dropped the bag next to the door and then climbed onto the sofa between Octavia and Lyra, her eyes locked on me as silence fell over us.

Octavia was the first to speak, although she had to clear her throat before she could get it out, “Well, I must say I make a good first impression if that is what you think of me. How did you ever come up with a song like that to describe me?”

I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand, “Well, I thought you might be one of those more sophisticated mares that liked to do things over talk. I might be completely off the mark, but I also thought you might like to listen to more classical-style music.”

She nodded, “I rather enjoy listening to classical music, I used to play with the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra before I moved to Ponyville. Do you happen to have any more like that? I listened to some of your music when Princess Twilight called us in to give our opinions, and I would be lying if I hadn’t thought about asking to hear more since then.”

I smiled, “Well then I have something you might enjoy. It’s a theme to one of my favorite shows growing up, done in an orchestral style.” I moved through my music and found the song I had been looking for.

Octavia’s eyes widened as the racing violins immediately captured the attentions of everyone present, although she quickly schooled her expression as she closed her eyes and began waving her hoof like a conductor. Lyra and Bon-Bon were resting against each other, simply enjoying the music as it played. Swift looked like she was slightly bored, and I began to understand how she might feel. Sure, I enjoyed music as much as the next girl, but if I didn’t like the song then it could quickly kill my mood.

As the song ended, Octavia sucked in a deep breath before letting it out in a slow gust, her eyes closed and her lips curled into a small smile. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, “That was beautiful, yet powerful and driving at the same time. You said it was the theme for one of your favorite shows growing up?” I nodded, “Then I approve of whatever show it happened to be on basic principle. Anything with an opening theme this grand must have been a sight to behold.”

I smiled, “I’m glad you liked it. That song holds a lot of sentimental value for me, so hearing that you enjoyed it means a lot to me.”

Bon-Bon opened her mouth to add something of her own, only to be interrupted by another loud string of knocks on the front door.

“Tavi,” a raspy voice called through the wood, “you’ve been gone for almost an hour. It doesn’t take that long to get a bag of sugar.”

Octavia groaned as a hoof impacted her face, “For Celestia’s sake.” She got up and opened the door, revealing a white unicorn mare with a two-tone blue mane and tail wearing purple shades. “Vinyl, what have I told you about manners?”

Vinyl tilted her head to one side, seemingly disinterested in the subject, “Yeah, yeah, be polite and all that junk. So, what’s the hold up, Tavi? You get lost in Bon-Bon’s place looking for a bag of sugar?”

I could tell that Octavia was managing to restrain her frustration, if only just, “No, Vinyl, I was taking some time to listen to music with my new acquaintance Sarah.” She indicated me with one hoof, “She was kind enough to share some of her music with us now that she’s no longer confined to the hospital.”

The shades slid down Vinyl’s muzzle, revealing a pair of violet eyes as she inspected me from top to bottom, “Sweet bod. Mind if we do the two-pony shuffle back at my place?”

“Vinyl!” Octavia cried, cuffing the other mare over the head with her hoof, “Really?! You’re faced with a new creature that is the source of the amazing music we listened to earlier, and the first thing you do is ask her to sleep with you?!”

The shit-eating grin that was flashed back at her was all the answer she needed, “Can’t argue with what I like, Tavi. If she’s got half the skill as her bod’s got looks, then I’d tap that for half a million bits.”

For the first time in a long while, I actually felt myself getting flustered by this crude and crass mare. No one in the Corps had said such about my body before, and even less so in that way. I was a little flattered that Vinyl had the balls to say something like that after just meeting me, although I stood by my earlier words about not getting involved with the local populous. Right now I had a mission, so relationships would have to be put on hold until after the dark sorcerers had been destroyed.

Vinyl walked right past Octavia and plopped down on the couch, effectively taking Octavia’s seat before propping her shades above her horn. “Well, if you got music, then I want to hear it. I am the famous DJ Pon-3 and I will not stand for silence when jams are to be had.”

Octavia rolled her eyes and sat down next to the sofa, “Oh brother.”

I smirked as I locked my gaze with Vinyl, “So you’re a DJ are you, well then, I got a song that will blow your freakin mind.”

Her grin grew wider as she leaned forward, “Now you’re speaking my language. Lay it on me hot stuff.”

Octavia facehoofed as I struggled to hide my blush, and I managed to click the right song after a moment of fumbling. The shuffling drum line immediately caught everyone’s attention, and I chuckled as Vinyl began taking notes with a pad and quill that she pulled out from somewhere. I chose not to question how he got them and simply listened to the song as the pounding beat reverberated around the house. All too soon, the song came to a halt, and I laughed out loud as Vinyl leapt to her hooves and raced out the front door.

Octavia gave me a long-suffering look, “You do realize she’s going to be locked in her music room for the next week after all that, right?”

I shrugged, “Well, not like it was all that hard to find something she liked. DJ’s are all the same when it comes to beats, the louder the bass and the faster the song, the better.”

She conceded the point with a nod, “Well, it was a pleasure to see you all, both old and new friends included, but I really need to get back before Vinyl tears the house apart.” She picked up the sugar in her teeth and slipped it onto her back, “Goodbye everypony. I hope to see you all again soon.”

We waved farewell as she walked out the front door, leaving Bon-Bon, Lyra, Swift and I in the living room.

I stretched my arms over my head, “Well, I think that’s enough for one day. I need to get back for dinner or else Spike’s going to kick my rear into next week.”

Swift nodded agreement as she climbed out of her seat, “Yeah, I’d better check back in with the post to see if any new information has come up concerning my mission. Never know if we might catch a break.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon stood up, cracking their backs in cat-like stretches. Lyra let out a large yawn as Bon-Bon hid hers behind a hoof, turning to face me with a smile in her golden orbs, “We should hang out again sometime. You doing anything this weekend?”

I glanced at Swift, but she simply shook her head, “I think I’m free. What did you have in mind?”

Bon-Bon shared a glance with her partner before answering, “Well, we were thinking of going out to have dinner together at the Goût de Plaisir. It’s a Prench place just down the street from Berry’s Punch.” She leaned into Lyra and nuzzled against her neck, “We haven’t been out to a fancy dinner in a while, so we planned on going this Saturday evening.” She returned her gaze to me with hope gleaming in her eyes, “Would you like to join us, as a token of our appreciation for sharing your music with us?”

Now I felt slightly uncomfortable. This was obviously an expensive place if they had a name that sounded about a grand higher than my last paycheck, and it was going to be a special night for Bon-Bon and Lyra if their interactions were anything to go by. I was reminded once again about my choice to avoid dating the civilians until after we dealt with the necromancers, but there was nothing I could say that wouldn’t come off as either rude or an excuse. I glanced at Swift but was quickly given the patented ‘you’re-on-your-own’ look. I let out a sigh before turning back to face the duo, who were waiting with expectant gazes that made my heart twist in my chest.

I let out another gusty sign, “Fine, I’ll go with you.” I interrupted Lyra’s cheering with a raised hand, “I just need to know one thing.”

Their expressions shifted to slight worry, “What is it?” Bon-Bon asked.

I fidgeted in my seat slightly, “Am I going to need a dress?”

The nods mixed with Swift’s chuckles were all the answer I needed, and I felt like I had just taken a step into the ocean without a life jacket as my guard and I left the mares’ cottage. We made our way back to the castle with little difficulty, and I managed to eat Spike’s wonderful baked salmon without making a fool of myself. Swift’s gaze never left me for long, and I figured she knew I was unsure about this whole thing, but other than some encouraging smiles and a nod or two, she kept her muzzle out of it.

I went to bed that night knowing that I had basically been asked on a date by two mares, and I was troubled by the rather chaotic muddle of thoughts that were running through my mind. Should I cancel the date? Should I go and simply make it clear that I wasn’t interested? Was I willing to try dating, and with two mares no less?

I shook my head to clear that last thought out of my head, “You’re not a lesbian, Sarah. And you’re especially not a xenophile who would get involved with something that looks like a little girl’s coloring book character.”

Now if only I could get my heart to believe it.

I fell asleep that night with troubled thoughts, and it wasn’t such a surprise that I had another flashback. Thankfully, it was over quickly, leaving me in that familiar cold sweat at three in the morning that I had come to know quite well. Now if only I could get my mind off of those two mares.

Author's Note

Hello everypony!! I'm not dead!! :pinkiegasp: I know, I've been bogged down with work and terrible hay fever for the last several weeks and I haven't had time nor energy to do any writing. Well now the wait is over!! I got this lovely chapter for you all and I can tell you right now things are going to start picking up here pretty quick.

Also, the next Interlude is coming up next! :pinkiehappy: I hope you guys are ready for more of our newest Canterlot Castle furniture cast. Also, Discord Carpet has a new name!! Not going to spoil it here, but for those of you that are interested, my good friend Josh came up with the perfect name for him. Keep an eye out for the next Interlude, because things are about to get interesting.

So, without further ado, I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

11.5 - Interlude: Cleaning Day

Author's Note: Alright just in case nopony was paying attention the last time I said this, here's a reminder. Interludes are in 3rd person so I can write the character interactions easier. Main chapters will continue to be in 1st person and from Sarah's POV until further notice. Just checking in so nopony gets confused. Alright, with that out of the way, ON WITH THE BOOK!!!!

The sun was shining over the royal palace of Canterlot, making the gilded structure gleam in the afternoon light. All was quiet, save for the rhythmic thumping sound that emanated from one of the inner courtyards. Many a maid or guard would walk by and see a most unusual event taking place. Nopony said a word and for the most part went about their work like nothing was wrong. After all, it was best to avoid interacting with the once-body of Discord unless absolutely necessary.

Resting over a wire in the middle of said courtyard, was the newest furniture piece of the castle, getting the dust literally beaten out of him by a light brown pegasus mare in a maid’s uniform. As the beater impacted his body over and over again with practiced ease, one could hear dull groans and grunts if one paused to listen closely enough. Yet these were not cries of pain that escaped the living carpet’s mouth, but of relief.

Feather Duster was no stranger to the living carpet’s unusual behavior, given she regularly interacted with him while doing her rounds of the castle, but she was beginning to wonder how she might have displeased the Princesses to be saddled with the task of cleaning him. Her cheeks were hot with mortified embarrassment as the carpet’s grunts and hums of pleasure echoed around the courtyard for anypony to hear, and she paused in her work for a moment to spit out the beating wand as she wiped her blonde and rose mane out of her emerald eyes.

“Do you really have to make all that noise while I’m beating you with a rod?” She asked, looking down at his face with an incredulous expression, “It’s bad enough I have to clean your sorry hide, I don’t have to suffer through the indignity of hearing you voice your pleasure about it every other second.”

He looked up at her and lifted one eyebrow, “You do realize that I only get to experience this once a week? Think of it like a deep-tissue massage mixed with a warm bath and then talk to me about what noises I can make.” He huffed before indicating the discarded beater wand with one limp forelimb, “Are you going to continue or do I have to find somepony else who will do it?”

Feather Duster growled in frustration but didn’t reply as she picked up the wand in her teeth. She resumed her previous actions as dust clouds erupted from the floor covering’s form. She managed to clean the rest of his upper body while trying to ignore his vocalizations. Finally, with the front half of his body free of dust and dirt, she spit out the rod to inspect her work.

As her gaze roamed over his body for anything she had missed, a though occurred to her, “Hey, Discord Carpet, how exactly is it that you can be in every room and hall of the castle at once, but I only need to clean one of you out here?”

He cleared his throat before speaking, “First off, my name is Carpet Sense now, although I never will understand Princess Luna’s obsession with bad puns. I was fine being referred to as Discord Carpet but she was adamant that my name matched my personality so that ponies wouldn’t get confused. Common sense mixed with carpet indeed. I could come up with better material than that in my sleep.”

“Do you even need to sleep?” Feather Duster inquired as she ran a hoof through his body fur.

A slight pause, “I don’t know if you ponies are just thickheaded or partly deaf, because I keep having to repeat myself to almost everypony I meet. I am a carpet, it’s what I do. I need sleep like a rock needs wings. In fact, that ties into your other question. I am a carpet, so naturally I need to cover the floors of interior spaces. Out here,” he waved a claw to indicate the courtyard they were in, “I have about the same power as a common towel, loath as I am to compare myself to one of those revolting things.”

“Do you have a problem with towels?” Feather asked as she moved around to inspect his lower body, hoping to get a good idea on where to start hitting for best results.

Carpet Sense snorted in a completely unamused way, “Towels, drapes, sheets, all cheap little things that can’t do the proper job of a good solid carpet. I one time saw a maid trying to cover up the floor of a storage room with a ragged set of sheets that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a century!” A puff of hot air escaped his nostrils as he glowered at the far wall, “I set that set of dirty cotton rags straight before taking my rightful place on the floor. It’s what I was made for after all.”

Feather picked up the wand and began to swing at Carpet Sense’s lower half as she contemplated his answer. It didn’t make all that much sense for a rug to get all bent out of shape over a set of sheets, but then again, what did she know about the mindset of a piece of furniture, sapience notwithstanding. She glanced down at his head between swings, noticing that he was glaring at something against the far wall. Her gaze followed his, and spotted the drapes blowing out of an open window. She was about to ask what was wrong, but a quick double-check of his expression told her to mind her own business. She continued to swing at his lower body as more clouds of dust billowed into the air. Carpet Sense let his pleasure be known rather vocally, even going so far as to ask her to hit him harder in some spots.

Cheeks flushed bright red, she did as instructed and hit him harder with the wooden rod, doing her best to try and ignore his rather sinful verbiage as she finished up her work. With that done, she flipped him over the wire and let him crumple into a heap at her hooves, getting a slight hint of pleasure at his indignant muttering as his body buried his head under its entire length.

She flipped his body over her back, making sure that his head was free as she walked back into the castle. Yet as she was walking back towards the main hall, she was forced to jump to the side as a rather distraught-looking Princess Celestia came barreling down the hall in the opposite direction. She watched as her Princess passed by and disappeared down another hall, leaving a soft breeze in her passing that ruffled her mane and tail.

“I wonder if something’s wrong with Her Highness.” Feather mused to herself as she continued on her way. “Perhaps she might need help with something.”

“I wouldn’t mention it if I were you,” Carpet Sense spoke up from between her wings, “If she’s this stressed out already, then bringing other ponies in on it might only make the problem worse. Best not to bring it up.”

Feather nodded her agreement as she entered the dining hall, letting Carpet Sense slip from her back before she began unrolling him into proper position between the door and the main table. “I guess, but it still worries me that Her Highness is so stressed out and there is nothing we can do to help her. Sometimes I feel next to useless around here.”

Carpet Sense smiled up at her as his head rolled into place, “I wouldn’t worry about it. If nothing else, you did a wonderful job of cleaning me. I can only hope your tender care is half as good as the work you put into tending the castle. It is my home after all, and I’ve seen how much you do to keep this place running.”

Feather blushed as her ears folded against her head, “Oh you’re just saying that because I beat the dust and dirt out of you.”

“Maybe I am,” he replied, “or maybe you forgot that I am literally everywhere in this castle. There is not a room in this palace that I can’t keep an eye on you.” He seemed to notice her mortified expression, “Ah, you misunderstand me. You are a resident of the castle, and a caretaker of the grounds. I would never do anything to harm you or any other members of the staff. Besides, Princess Celestia threatened me with every possible form of torture if I did anything more than play the odd prank on anypony here.”

One eyebrow rose in a questioning manner, “Oh, and what kind of torture would that be?”

A visible shiver ran up his length, making it look like somepony had just flicked his body into a wave, “Hung out to dry with the sheets and drapes on laundry day.” Another, larger shiver caused his whole form to ripple like a disturbed lake surface, “I couldn’t imagine anything more horrifying.”

Feather began to rethink her assessment of Carpet Sense’s opinion of other furniture. It wasn’t just a dislike for drapes, sheets and other such things, he outright hated them with a burning passion.

In short, Carpet Sense was a furniture racist, a furnicist if one would like to get technical.

Feather Duster left Carpet Sense to his rumination as she entered the hall, passing over yet another Carpet Sense as startled yelps emanated from around the castle. She assumed that he was once again taking his ‘rightful place’ in every room of the castle, much to the surprise of anypony who happened to be in the room at the time. Life had certainly gotten more interesting since the living husk of Discord had taken up residence, but in all honesty, Feather Duster liked things as they were. At least now she had somepony to talk to while she did her otherwise routine tasks about the castle. Somepony who wouldn’t judge her or make fun of her ideas when she needed to vent about her coworkers.

All and all, things were looking up around Canterlot Castle.

“Oh, one last thing,” Carpet Sense said from below her as she entered yet another room, “Your uniform has been hiking up ever since you got back from cleaning me.”

Feather froze mid-step and glanced behind her, noticing for the first time that her dress had ridden up on her flanks and was showing off her rear end for everypony to see like some kind of show-mare. Her face erupted in a vibrant blush as she quickly pulled her skirt down, taking notice of the two guards that were just a few paces back, doing a very bad job of hiding their wandering eyes.

Carpet Sense chose that moment to make yet another side comment, “If I were you, I’d take the next couple days off, or else you might not like it when your coworkers hear about this.”

There were only three words to describe her situation, and Feather Duster used them in the most loud and frustrated voice she could muster, “BUCK MY LIFE!!”

Author's Note

Woohoo! Interlude #2 is out there for all of you to enjoy!! Just a quick question for all of my lovely readers out there, who likes Discord Carpet's new name? It was a creation of my good friend Josh so if you don't like it you can go complain about it to him. :rainbowwild:

Anyways, this is going to be my last chapter for a while, given my mind is pretty burned out between work and trying to survive my hay fever. I might get the first chapter of a new story written before I go back on break, but I don't know it I'll get to that before my brain completely shuts down.

Either way, hope you are all enjoying the book. I certainly enjoy writing it for all of you.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill ,Messenger of the Moon.

12 - A Chance Meeting

The following morning started off much as the last two had. Swift and I had breakfast in the dining hall with Spike, although Twilight was there for a brief moment to scarf down some eggs and toast before disappearing again. When asked, Spike simply stated that the purple princess had been doing her best to study up on combat spells and other such things in preparation for the worst.

“Not like anything will happen around here we can’t handle,” he had said nonchalantly as he cleared our places, “Twilight and the others have been through the worst stuff possible and come out fine. I’m sure they can get through whatever this new threat is without any trouble.”

Swift and I had shared a knowing look as the dragon had left, knowing full well that this time, Twilight and her friends might not be strong enough to carry the day.

Swift had departed soon after, leaving me on my own with nothing to do as I wandered through the halls of the castle. I debated about grabbing some of my stuff from Twilight’s lab and doing something fun, but quickly discarded the idea. I was certain Twilight’s friends were just as busy preparing for the inevitable showdown with the necromancers as Twilight was, meaning they wouldn’t have any time to do anything with me.

It was at times like these that I felt next to useless, given the only prep I could do at the moment was strengthen my aura and practice my control for the more powerful skills in the book. This left me with no real goal other than to do as I pleased for the foreseeable future. And yet, as I walked past one of the many windows of the castle, my eyes were drawn out and towards the dark forest that lay behind the castle. Twilight hadn't said much about the land behind her home, other than it was filled with monsters and other dangerous things, and I was suddenly very curious as to why no one bothered to explore. It certainly looked mysterious enough to have a hidden treasure or two if one looked hard enough.

My mind set and my resolve clear, I turned back the way I had come and stopped at the armory for my sword. Mysterious forest or not, I wasn’t going to take any chances when I knew the zombies had been spotted walking in the direction of that very same forest not too long ago. I clipped my blade to my belt and exited the castle, walking around the base of the structure until I was facing the shadows of the forest.

I took a steadying breath before walking forward and into the unknown, feeling a chill run up my spine as the heat of the sun was blocked by the thick canopy. The trail I was walking on was well-trodden and wide enough for two people if they walked abreast, yet it wasn’t straight like one would expect of a man, er, pony-made trail. It wandered from left to right and even doubled back on itself several times to go around thicker vegetation. This led me to believe that this was a game trail, which meant I might run into wildlife if I was quiet and careful.

Further and further I walked, taking into account of the fact that I could no longer see the sun through the thick branches above me. Yet I wasn’t worried, given I had a reliable timepiece in my pocket with a full battery charge. It would be my guide when it came to keeping time.

As I made my way through the forest I was captivated by its wild and rustic beauty, so different from the ordered and tended flora I had seen within the pony civilization. In a way it reminded me of the forest back on Earth, where things grew according to their own design and whim. I stopped as I spied a patch of wildflowers off the left side of the trail, their bright blue coloration a stark contrast to the darker greens and browns of the surrounding plant life. I was tempted to pick one for Twilight as a gift, but decided against it. By the time I got back to the village it would have probably wilted, so I decided to pick one on the way back. It wasn’t like the field was going anywhere in any case.

Continuing on down the trail, I began to hear the sounds of water, along with the soft sound of someone singing. Curious as to who would be out here, I followed the noise until I came upon a clearing. Before me was a small waterfall that cascaded into a pool roughly the size of a basketball court. The water fell upon two massive rocks that jutted up from the pool, but otherwise the surface was unmarred by any visible obstructions. I looked left, seeing another patch of those blue flowers along the northern side of the pond, only for my attention to be drawn right by the soft singing I had heard earlier.

My gaze fell upon a figure wearing a grey cloak, her body covered from head to tail by the dull fabric. I could tell now it was a her by the tone of her voice, and I noticed the grey horn poking out from under her hood a she continued her humming. This meant that the figure was most likely a unicorn, and with the memory of the zombies fresh in my mind, I gripped the hilt of my sword and drew the blade.

The hiss of metal on fake leather must have been loud enough for the figure to hear, because she stopped her singing and chuckled softly, “You have no reason to fear me, young warrior. I am no threat to you.”

Taking a careful step to the side, keeping my blade at the ready, I replied, “And how do I know that you aren’t one of those necromancers summoning the undead to this forest?”

The mare chuckled, “Because I am a keeper of the faith, strange one.” She turned towards me and flipped back her hood revealing a set of lime green eyes and a straight white mane, “I guard the night with the blessing of Princess Luna and care for the innocent of this land with prayer.”

Still slightly wary, I took another step forward, making sure I had a clear line of action of I needed to attack or retreat, “Really, I didn’t know Princess Luna had a religious following. Care to tell me more?”

The mare nodded, “As you wish. My sect was created not long before Her Highness was banished from our world and imprisoned in the moon, yet we carried on her work as best we could in her absence. Yet it was not enough. Without our dear mother to keep the night at bay, the darkness began to encroach upon the light, spreading the horrors and suffering of black magic throughout the land. My sisters and I fought beside Princess Celestia and her followers and did our best to help, but we were turned away. The fear of Nightmare Moon was still too fresh, so we were forced into hiding for fear of being ostracized for embracing the night like the terrors we battled.”

I slowly lowered my blade, but didn’t sheath it just yet, “So now you’ve returned, to take part in the battle for good as your people did so long ago. Why not come to the castle and proclaim yourselves followers of Princess Luna? I’m sure she would accept you with open arms, or rather, hooves.”

She shook her head, “I am afraid that is not possible. The religious faiths of old are no longer relevant to the common pony in this day and age, such has Princess Celestia acted to push aside worship of herself and her sister. I wish it could be so, but I believe that we would be turned away just as we were before, if for different reasons.”

I figured that if this mare was a threat, she would have done something by now, so I sheathed my sword and walked up to her, sitting down at her side and gazing out over the water, “So now what? Are you going to fight the coming darkness by yourself, or are there more of you?”

If she was taken aback by my form or proximity, she gave no sign of it as she too gazed over the water, “My sisters and I are few in number, but what we lack in size we make up for in strength. We carry old magics within our bloodlines, passed down through the generations that allow us to battle the darkness on even terms, even though much of our history has been lost to the sands of time.”

I glanced at her sidelong, “Are your people Auramancers?”

She smiled but shook her head, “Oh how I wish we were. To have an ability such as that would surely turn the tide in this coming war, but sadly, we must resort to using more, unsavory methods to battle the terrors of the night.”

Slightly wary now, I leaned slightly back and rested my hand on my sword hilt, “Such as?”

She glanced at my hand and smiled softly, “As I said before, you have no need to fear me. If I was one of those you seek to fight, you would not be sitting here right now without at least a dozen corpses trying to rip you apart. But, to answer your question, we do practice necromancy, if for no other reason than to fight fire with proverbial fire.”

I kept my hand ready just in case, but relaxed my stance just slightly at her words, “I’m not sure I believe you.”

She chuckled softly, “It matters not if you believe me. We do what we all must to protect the innocent of this land, even if our views on how differ from one another.” She stood slowly, stretching her back, “It was a pleasant surprise to speak with a unique being such as you. Yet I have never heard of a creature such as yourself in this world. Tell me, where do you hail from?”

I stood slowly, stretching my back before turning to face the grey mare, “I’m from a land very far away. It’s not surprising that no pony has heard of us before, we didn’t even know you existed until I was magically transported into the castle of Princess Twilight. Suffice to say I was just as surprised as she and her friends were.”

She chuckled again behind a hoof, “I imagine that would be quite the shock for all of you.” She glanced up at the sky and nodded to herself, “It is getting on in the day, we should part ways for now and return to our homes. The Everfree Forest is calm in the day, but at night the monsters come out to hunt.” She reached into her cloak and pulled out what looked like a jade neckless, “Here, wear this to ward off the creatures that lurk in the brush, it will see you safely out of the forest.”

I accepted the carved stone, noting that it was hung from a thin piece of black twine and cut into the shape of a strange glyph. I slipped it over my neck and smiled at the mare in thanks, “I appreciate the gesture. Will I ever see you again?”

She smiled, “We might cross paths in the future. Take care, and good luck in the coming battles.”

As she turned to go I held up my free hand, “Wait!”

She paused, glancing over her shoulder at me, “Yes?”

I gave her a two-finger salute, “The name’s Sarah, Captain Lovegood to my friends in the Corps.”

The mare nodded, “A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Captain. You may call me Moon Song.”

I nodded, “Until next time then, Moon Song.”

She smiled before turning away, “Until next time.” She began humming her song again as she vanished into the undergrowth, leaving me alone in the clearing as the soft gurgle of the waterfall bubbled through the air.

I glanced up at the sky and saw that I still had a few hours left before it really started to get dark, so I simply walked through the brush instead of running. Besides, it would only make things worse if I got turned around in this forest, knowing now that there were things best avoided at night. As I made my way back to Ponyville, I came across the patch of flowers again. Thinking they might be a good gift for Twilight and Swift, I walked up to the edge of the field and reached out to pick a few.

“Beware, beware the flowers of blue,” a voice called out from my left, “they have been the bane of more than a few.”

I turned and saw what had to be the most bizarre thing I had seen yet in this world. Standing on the trail was an honest-to-goodness zebra, with gold loops around her neck and foreleg with a large pair of earrings of the same metal. Over her back was a brown cloak, and in one hoof was a carved walking stick with a few more rings of gold at either end.

My hand left the hilt of my sword, if slowly as the zebra mare walked up, “Who are you?”

She smiled as she approached, “I am Zecora, maker of potions, the arts of healing and fortunes are my devotions.” Her gaze traveled up and down my body, “You are a strange one, this is true, perhaps you could tell me about yourself over a hot brew?”

Slightly taken aback by the sudden offer of food, I stood up to my full height and raised one eyebrow, “Why would you offer me food, shouldn’t we be getting out of this forest before nightfall?”

Zecora smiled and shook her head, “You do not need to worry about the frightening dark, my home will protect us with its strength and its bark. The creatures of the night, do not tread where we go. Come, let me show you to my little grotto.”

Slightly hesitant, and more so confused by the apparent rhyming zebra in front of me, I did what any slightly adventurous person would do. I followed her back down another path and into a clearing that reminded me of some African voodoo shaman. The tree itself looked like it was carved out into a building, while masks of all shapes and sizes littered the trees and bushes surrounding the clearing. Vails of glowing liquid hung from nearly every branch, and I had to duck slightly to fit as she led me through what looked to be her front door.

Inside was what looked like a complete home, with a cot off to one side and several shelves along the walls. A firepit was placed directly in the center of the room, with a massive cast-iron cauldron filled to near bursting with a bubbling green fluid on top of it. If the masks and vials outside hadn’t sold the shaman idea, the inside of Zecora’s home certainly did.

The zebra removed her cloak and walked into the main room, tossing her staff to one side with practiced ease as it came to rest perfectly against the wall. I smiled at the display of skill, knowing it must have taken months or even years to master even that little trick. However, I was pulled from my musing when Zecora dipped a pair of clay cups into the brew and then passed one to me.

She lifted hers in what I could only call a toast before sipping it gently, “To friends we make, old and new, and to the lessons we learn, tried and true.”

I chuckled softly and sipped my own drink, my eyes widening in slight surprise at the flavor, “This is really good. What did you put in this?”

She smiled as she sipped her own tea, “The leaf of the Pomboya makes a potent brew, it carries the strength of a meal without needing to chew.” She took another sip before leveling her gaze upon mine, “You know my name, yet I do not know yours, the mark of a stranger is often best left outdoors.”

Taking the not-so-subtle hint, I smiled before speaking, “My name is Sarah Lovegood, although my friends call me Sarah.” I indicated the pot with one hand, “Did you make all that for just yourself. Or were you somehow expecting company?”

Zecora shook her head, “Brews can have many uses, if one knows how. Yet this one cannot see the future, just taste good right now. My skills as a shaman are vast but raw. I am in training abroad to master my craft, according to zebra law.”

I sipped my tea again, taking in all of this with wide eyes, “So new shamans must go to other countries to continue their training once they get to a certain level?”

She nodded, “The Zebra Tribes are far away, although the ponies have made me welcome during my stay. The friends I’ve made are true and strong, it is no wonder why I feel that I belong.”

I got flashbacks to the support and help I had received since my own entrance into pony culture, “I know what you mean.” I sipped my tea again, enjoying the smooth flavor as it rolled over my tongue, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s with the whole rhyming thing? I’m sure no one expects you to talk like that all the time.”

Zecora thought about it for a few moments, “It is hard to explain right off hoof, although it might be easier to give visual proof.”

She stood up and walked over to the pot, setting her cup on the rim as I stood to follow her. She waved her hooves over the brew several times, sprinkling in powders of various colors before a thick fog began to rise from the liquid. I watched as shapes began to form in the mist, taking on the likeness of several zebras gathered around what looked like a cauldron similar to Zecora’s.

“My people are connected to the land by a sacred bond,” Zecora narrated as the mist changed to follow her words, “a magic that flows through our words, rather than horn or wand. We speak our desires and the land provides, giving its gifts to the powerful and wise.”

The mist shifted to show an aged zebra with a younger by her side, “Knowledge is passed from mother to foal, to teach the next generation with one simple goal. Heal those who are ill, and protect from dark magic, and to warn of the fates that fall most tragic.”

I was left in awe as the smoke twisted and turned to narrate her story, showing zebras battling monsters while others battled disease. Yet it all came back to one simple thing. They were there to help, without anyone having ever asked them to do so. They were like the Peace Corps back home, volunteering for costly and sometimes dangerous missions for no other reason than because they could. My respect for the zebra next to me skyrocketed, and I rested a hand over her shoulder as she lowered her forelegs to the ground.

I smiled at her, hoping to convey my respect, “That was a wonderful tale, and I want you to know that I’m glad to have met you. Perhaps we could speak again once this crazy stuff with the necromancers passes over.”

Her face darkened as she glared at her brew, “Ah yes, the magics of the forgotten past, the forces of darkness are gathering and approaching fast.” She looked up at me, “What role do you play in this deadly game? I cannot imagine it would be for the glory or fame.”

I shook my head, “I’m in it because Discord wanted me to fight for the ponies. Apparently I’m the only living Auramancer in this world because Discord decided to snatch me from the jaws of death on my own world. If it weren’t for him I’d be dead, although given what he dragged me into I might end up dead again anyway.”

Zecora’s eyes widened at my words, “You possess the power of molding your soul?! Please, share with me this power, for it has been a dream of mine since I was a foal.”

I nodded, holding up my hand, “Alright, but only because you asked nicely.”

I flared up my aura, creating a wash of blue flames over my hand and wrist as I held it out for her to see. Zecora’s eyes widened even further, and she slowly reached out to touch my hand with her hoof, as if afraid it would vanish if she made contact. As soon as she touched the azure flames, she gasped and pulled away. I immediately snuffed the aura and reached out to help her, but she waved me away with her other hoof.

“I am alright, do not worry about me.” She said, slowly lowering her hoof to the floor while taking several deep breaths, “It was simply a rush of power, to feel and to see.” She smiled as she walked up and hugged me, taking me by slight surprise, “Thank you for sharing your gift, it was a true treat. I could not imagine a better pressent, or a better friend I could meet.”

I gently returned to hug, “You’re welcome. If you want you could stop by Twilight’s castle at some point. I’m staying with her until I can think of a way to get my own place. I’d be delighted if you would come over for tea sometime. Maybe I’ll make some for you next time around.”

She stepped back and nodded, “That would be nice, to visit a new friend. But the hour draws late, and the day is at its end. You must make haste, if you wish to leave. The forest is dangerous, and the trails’ twists can easily deceive.”

I stood and walked over to her door, “Thanks for the tea Zecora, it was nice to meet you.”

She waved as I closed the door, leaving me alone in her clearing as I tried to remember the trail we had used to get here. Picking the one that was thickest, I made my way through the dimming light, keeping a tight grip on my sword in case any of the monsters I had heard about decided to show up. Yet the amulet around my neck glowed with a soft green light, indicating it was doing as Moon Song had said, keeping the monsters at bay.

I made it out of the forest without any issues, although as I walked into the front doors of the castle I was met by a more frightening creature. It was brown, had an ice-blue mane, and was currently staring me down with the fiercest glare I had ever seen coming from a pony. The monster was none other than Major Swift Blade, with a pacing Twilight behind her who had yet to notice my entrance.

“Would you mind explaining to me where it was you were all day?” Swift asked in a complete no-nonsense tone, “We were worried sick about you and now you just show up like nothing happened? I’d expect better from a member of the military than to simply go AWOL without telling anypony where she had gone. Now, where did you go?”

I straightened my back and walked right up to her, “I was going for a walk in the Everfree Forest. Thought it might be important to know the lay of the land right behind the most important building of the entire city. Given that was where the zombies were headed, it was safe to assume that we might have to face them coming from that direction. Therefore, I was doing recon to get lay of the land.”

“And you didn’t think to tell anypony you were leaving because?” Swift asked as Twilight turned to face us, “You have everypony worried sick that something had happened to you. What if one of the necromancers had attacked you? You would have been all alone with no backup and no way of calling for help.” She reared up and smacked me on the side of the head with a hoof, “Think before you act, or I’ll be forced to put you under constant surveillance to make sure you stay safe.”

I rubbed my head with a hand, returning the favor to the mare with an open palm to the ear. She yelped before growling, bending her legs like she was about to pounce on me. I bent my legs in preparation of a fight, only to have my body engulfed in a familiar magenta aura.

“Both of you stop it.” Twilight said as she held us up with her magic, “This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves. Now, Sarah, while it was a good idea to scout out the terrain, it was foolish to go running off without telling anypony. Now say you’re sorry for hitting the Major.”

“But – ” I froze as Twilight fixed me with an icy glare. I sighed before tuning my head towards Swift, “Sorry for hitting you in the head. I should have thought things through before running off.”

Twilight nodded, turning towards the earth pony with an expectant expression.

Swift grumbled under her breath before speaking, “And I’m sorry for hitting you in the head, even if you deserved it.” Her body shook as Twilight jerked her around a bit, “Alright! Alright! I’m sorry! It wasn’t necessary to hit you over the head when you clearly understood the errors of your actions.” She turned a narrowed gaze to Twilight, “Happy now?”

She nodded, “Very.” She released us from her grip, turning towards me, “Now, mind explaining why you were gone the entire day? It couldn’t have just been exploring that kept you inside the Everfree Forest.” Her eyes widened as she seemed to think of something, “You weren’t attacked by Timberwolves or a manticore, were you?”

I shook my head, much to their collective relief, “I just ran into a couple of new friends along the way. We talked for a while before I came back here. Not much else to it.”

Twilight’s expression brightened, “So you met Zecora? How was it meeting a non-pony for the first time?”

I shrugged, “The rhyming thing kind of threw me for a loop at first, but it wasn’t all that bad. She made me some nice tea and we talked a bit about her home before I left. Although, she wasn’t the first pony, er, zebra I came across in the forest.”

Now I had both mare’s attentions, “Who else did you meet?” Twilight asked, “Nopony else lives in the Everfree but Zecora.”
“Apparently someone else does, because I ran into a mare by the name of Moon Song before I ended up running into Zecora.” I pulled out the amulet that she had given me, “She even gave me this neckless to ward off the monsters until I could get home.”

Twilight leaned in to inspect the amulet, only to suddenly gasp and rip it from my neck with her magic. Before I could react, she blasted it with a beam from her horn, reducing the jade totem to rubble on the floor. A puff of sickly green smoke escaped from the shards before their glow faded, leaving behind nothing but gravel.

Twilight began frantically scanning me with her magic, and I held up my hands as she jumped up and inspected my neck at very close proximity, “Whoa, where’s the fire Twilight, and why did you destroy the amulet?”

“Because that amulet was trying to corrupt your body with death magic!” Twilight cried as she ripped my shirt off and began inspecting every inch of my upper body, much to my embarrassment, “That thing was pumping you full of necromantic energy in an attempt to turn you into a death knight. The only reason I can think of that it wasn’t working was because your Auramancy was canceling it out before it could take root.” She seemed satisfied with her inspection and jumped off of my body, leaving me to slip my shirt back on with beet red cheeks, “If I hadn’t taken it off, then I don’t know what would have happened to you. Your powers seemed to be holding it off, but I don’t know for how long.”

“Wait a minute,” I said slowly, “you mean to tell me that Moon Song gave me that amulet in order to turn me into some kind of half-dead soldier?” Twilight nodded ad I growled under my breath, “I knew there was something fishy about that mare. I just couldn’t figure out why I thought there was something wrong about her.” I stomped my foot against the crystalline floor, “And I could have destroyed one of the necromancers before the war even began if I had only listened to my instincts! AARRGG!”

Twilight walked up as Swift stepped in on my other side, both resting their hooves against my legs as I shook with controlled rage, “Sarah, it’s not your fault.” Twilight said slowly, “Anypony could have made the same mistake.”

“Yeah,” Swift added, “nopony’s perfect. At least now we know that they’re in the Everfree. All we need to do is wait them out and they’ll come to us.”

I took several steadying breaths to calm down, looking at my two closest companions with gratitude, “Thanks guys. I hope you know that I’m not mad at you. I’m just frustrated that I let that bitch get away.”

They nodded in return, “We’ll get them next time.” Swift replied, “Just you wait. I’ll bet she’s quaking in her horseshoes knowing that you’re out there waiting to take her down.”

I smirked, “Better, she doesn’t even know I’m an Auramancer. She’s probably standing in some clearing, waiting for me to show up at her beck and call, only to realize hours later that something went wrong.”

Swift burst out laughing at the image I had created, “Oh that’s priceless. Oh, how I wish I could see the look on her face.”

Twilight shook her head in amusement, “I think it’s been a long enough day for all of us. If you girls don’t mind, I’m going to head to bed. I was up for most of last night and I don’t think skipping another night’s sleep is a good idea.” She walked up the steps towards what I assumed was her room, calling a quick goodnight over her shoulder as she left.

Swift glanced up at me and smiled, “Shall we retire for the night as the Princess suggested?”

I nodded, hiding a yawn behind a hand, “Yeah, after all that adventuring I could use a good night’s sleep.”

Swift bumped my hip with her own, “So was she good looking?”

I glanced down at her in confusion, “Who?”

Swift smirked, “Moon Song. Was she good looking?”

I rolled my eyes, “Grey fur with white mane and lime green eyes.”

Swift recoiled like I had hit her, “Ouch, not what I would hope for in color palette.”

I chuckled as I opened the door to my room, “Not exactly easy on the eyes for me either. Well, see you in the morning Swift.”

She tossed me a quick salute, “See you in the morning.”

With that I closed the door and got undressed, climbing into bed after turning off the magical lights. I slept like a rock through the entire night, and I woke the next morning feeling more rested than ever. I had a feeling it might have something to do with the tea Zecora gave me, but until I got some more I couldn’t be sure. Until then, I had some preparations to make. After all, my little gettogether with Lyra and Bon-Bon was the next day, and I wanted to make sure I looked my best for the, um, date. I shivered as I climbed out of bed, but not from the cold morning air.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

Author's Note

Hello everypony, I'm back with another chapter for all of you lovely ponies!! :pinkiehappy: Now, just so you all know, I've been horrendously busy with work up until the end of last week, so I haven't had time to post chapters like I would want to and I've been bogged down trying to get ready for collage at the end of the month. So sue me, I'm too busy to make chapters for all of you!!

But not anymore! More chapters shall be on the way once I can get my brain in gear!! Celebratory cider from Sweet Apple Acres will be in supply!

Now that we have that out of the way, what did you think of our villain? Was she good, bad, or somewhere in between? Also, how well did I do Zecora? Be honest with me because I know my rhyming can be half-baked at the best of times.

Comment, leave a like, follow if you wish, and as always, I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

13 - Date Night

To say Rarity was excited about making a dress for me would be like saying Twilight ‘liked’ books. Suffice to say, after nearly deafening me with a squeal that would rival Twilight getting a new scroll, I was quickly stripped down to my underwear and carried by her aqua magic over to the design platform. Now I stood in the middle of a slightly familiar fabric hurricane while Rarity muttered to herself as bolts of fabric spun in and out of my vision like windblown paper.

“Aha!” She cried as a ream of dark purple fabric came to rest next to my right hand, “Perfect. This will look absolutely marvelous on you, darling. Now what to use for the trim – Ooh!” Another ream of fabric, this time a dusty gold in color floated into view, “This will compliment your complexion perfectly! Oh, I do believe I’ve got it!”

In an instant, the storm of inspiration that had surrounded me was gone, leaving only the reams Rarity had selected and a veritable hailstorm of needles and bobbins of thread.

I gulped as the cloud of sharp metal pointed my way, “Um, Rarity, you do know how many needles are pointing at me right now, right?”

She either didn’t hear me or didn’t care to reply, because the next instant I was covered from neck to toes in swaths of fabric, holding my breath as the needles plunged in and out of the cloth around me in seemingly effortless motion.
Rarity hummed to herself as she walked around me, taking in my form and the soon-to-be dress from every angle, “Yes, a little shorter on the hem, oh, and a bit more around the chest.”

This continued to the point I was starting to get sore, but I dared not move lest I interrupt Rarity’s work, or more importantly, get stuck by the swarm of needles that were flying about my body like hornets. Finally, after what had to be almost half an hour of solid work, Rarity let out a huff and wiped a hoof over her brow. The needles holding the cloth in place were thankfully turned away from my body as she lifted the mess of fabric over my head. I grunted in pain as my arms let me know how they disliked staying lifted for long periods of time, but other than that I wasn’t feeling too bad.
I glanced towards the alabaster mare as she carried the beginnings of my dress and her supplies into the next room, leaving me to get dressed in my jeans and jacket before she reappeared.

“So how much am I going to owe you for this one, Rarity?” I asked, hoping it wouldn’t be too outrageous for one dress.

She waved off my words with a hoof, tutting me like I had said something silly, “Oh, you needn’t pay me, darling. The simple fact of the matter is that I don’t even know fully what this dress is going to look like. Call it, an expanse into the art of fashion, if you will. I couldn’t possibly ask you to pay for something when I don’t even know if you will like it. Why, it would be like asking a patron to pay for an undercooked meal at a fancy restaurant.” She shook her head as she directed me out the door, “No, I simply won’t have it. This dress is on the house until I say otherwise. After all, you have no way of paying for the dress even if I did ask for bits, let alone for all of the clothing I’ve made for you already.”

I lowered my gaze as I opened her front door, “Don’t remind me. The fact I’m having to freeload off of you and the others is a huge pain in the rear. Not to mention a huge blow to my pride on top of that.” I rubbed my eyes as I groaned, “Oh I just wish I could figure something out so I could pay for things without having to take time off from my training. It’s hard enough getting this Auramancy stuff to work without having to worry about working odd jobs on the side to pay for food and the like.” I glanced over my shoulder at the mare and saw her worried expression, “Don’t worry about me, just venting my frustrations is all.” A sigh escaped my lips as I pondered my next step, “Maybe I could ask Princess Celestia or Princess Luna for a stipend or something because I’m working under them to protect Equestria.”

“You know,” Rarity mused as she walked up, levitating her working glasses over to a side table, “that might not be all that hard to do. Why don’t you ask Twilight to send a letter to Princess Celestia about your troubles? The worst they could say is no, after all.”

I thought over her words for a second, finding that for the most part there wasn’t anything that could go wrong, save for Celestia or Luna giving me a very confused or slightly miffed letter.

I smiled at the thought of the royal sisters writing a letter to me about why they couldn’t afford to pay me for my services to the country.

Dear Sarah Lovegood, we regret to inform you that at this time we cannot pay you in any fashion, as our treasury is currently under too much strain for any additional expenses.

Yours truly, Princesses Celestia and Luna

Fuck that, they had to have enough gold to sink a battleship if they wanted to throw money away. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure that I was getting the short end of the stick. Sure, Twilight had been kind enough to let me stay in her home and to feed me for no charge, but how exactly were Celestia and Luna expecting Twilight and the others to pay for all of that stuff if I had no money to pay them with to cover the overhead?

Feeling a bit more energetic now that my mind was going at full speed, I turned to Rarity and gave her a smile, “Thanks for the advice Rarity, I think I’ll check with Twilight once I get back to the castle.”

“Think nothing of it, darling,” she said with her own smile as I opened the door, “come back any time if you need more clothing, I would be more than happy to make you additional sets. Also, your dress should be done by this afternoon, so come pick it up some time before dinner, alright?”

I nodded, “See you then, Rarity, and thanks.”

“Oh, go already,” she waved me off with a hoof, her cheeks showing a slight blush, “you’re going to make me blush if you keep buttering me up like that.”

Given she was already blushing, I decided not to correct her and walked out the door. The walk back to the castle was short, but it seemed to be ten times longer with Swift Blade sticking to my hips like glue. She’d been extra attentive ever since my little run-in with Moon Song in the Everfree, and had been determined not to leave me alone unless I was sleeping or somewhere inside Twilight’s castle. At first it wasn’t so bad, but after I had to stop her from following me into the bathroom for the third time it was starting to get old.

I groaned under my breath as she jumped in front of me for the second time to check an intersection for threats, “Really Swift? I’m a highly-trained, combat-tested soldier who can kill just about anything with my bare hands or a weapon. Do you really think Moon Song would be dumb enough to attack me in the middle of town?”

The guardsmare kept her silent vigil as her gaze moved from one street to the other, only answering me after giving the all clear, “Like I’m going to risk your life on something that might not happen. We nearly lost you to that witch once, I’m not taking chances this time around. Besides,” she added as she fell in beside me again, “we saw a zombie right outside the town limits right after you got released from the hospital.”

“That thing was headed towards the Everfree and had no interest in fighting us,” I countered, “it didn’t even react other than to try and walk around me when I confronted it. Don’t try to twist the situation to fit your ideas when you know you’re wrong.”

Swift huffed in frustration before sending a glare at me over her shoulder, “You’re lucky we need you healthy so bad, or I’d have you running laps for a week for taking that kind of tone with me.”

I flicked her ear with one hand, making the mare stop and hold her head with both hooves as she glared at me, “Keep in mind that I’m not under your command, even if you do outrank me. I could just walk out of this little village and never come back if I wanted, but I don’t because I know what’s at stake if I did leave. So don’t presume to lecture me about respect and honor if you aren’t willing to offer me the same thing. We used to be able to talk to one another without biting each other’s heads off. What happened to the calm and cool Swift Blade I knew from before?”

Swift’s expression remained neutral as she turned away from me, her head and tail hanging a bit lower than before as she walked ahead of me, “She left when her friend was in danger and she wasn’t there to protect her. Now the only thing left is the hard commander who will do anything to protect those she cares about,” she glanced at me over her shoulder, “even if they might hate her for it.”

I was a bit taken aback by her admission, although it still didn’t completely excuse her overprotectiveness. I decided to let things slide for now as we came up to Twilight’s castle, entering the grand foyer as the doors slid closed behind us. Swift followed my lead as I walked up to my room, although I mostly ignored the earth pony as I fumbled through my mind about what was happening that evening. Sure, I had agreed to go on a date with Lyra and Bon-Bon, but I had no idea what that entailed. Were we going out for a girl’s night or was there more romantic themes involved? As the door to my room came into view I paused mid-stride, feeling Swift bump into my legs from behind.

She let out a startled yelp as she backed up, rubbing her muzzle with a hoof as she looked up at me, “Something wrong, Sarah?”

I shook my head, “No, not really at least. I’m just thinking about what I’m going to do with this whole date thing tonight.”

“What’s there to be worried about?” She asked as she stepped in front of me, “It’s just a date with two mares who liked your music. What could be bothering you about that?”

“But do they like me as a friend or do they want to be more than that?” I replied, trying to keep my voice level as my nerves rose, “Are there special rules I need to be aware of or traditions that only ponies use? It’s all just making me crazy not knowing what to do about this whole thing.”

Swift rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips, “Come on, I think you need to talk to the Princess about this. If nothing else, she’ll be able to tell you what you don’t want to do on a first date.”

Swift led me down the halls until we stumbled across the library. Seated upon a couch with several book piles surrounding her, was Princess Twilight. She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice our presence until Swift cleared her throat. She jumped slightly before turning to face us, her eyes lighting up with interest as her magic flipped the book closed.

“Oh, Major Blade, Sarah, what can I do for you?” The stacks of books were enveloped in her magic grip before being levitated over to the shelves in perfect order.

“Well,” I forced out, trying to muster up the courage to speak, “you see I’m having a bit of nervousness concerning your social norms. I got asked out by a pair of mares the other day and I’m not sure if it’s friendly or romantic in nature. Not to mention I have no idea what to do if it is a romantic date because I have no idea what your rules are for that type of thing.”

Twilight’s face lit up at the prospect of teaching, “Oh, this is so exciting! I can’t believe you’ve become integrated into pony society that well!” She picked up a scroll and quill in her magic before indicating the couch with a hoof, “Take a seat, and tell me all about what they said when they asked you out and what kind of date it is. This is going to be important because it will have a huge impact on how involved your date is going to be and whether it has romantic context or not.”

I glanced towards Swift, only to get the ‘you’re-on-your-own’ look from the mare. I rolled my eyes as she grinned at me, taking a seat next to the purple princess as my guard stood next to the doorway. I braced for the inevitable storm of questions and took a deep breath before speaking.

“Well, it started out as just a little get-together between friends,” I said slowly, “Lyra and Bon-Bon were interested in hearing some of my music and I let them listen to it at their house. Swift was with me, as she normally is, so she tagged along while we took turns picking songs. Octavia and Vinyl dropped in a bit later and picked a few songs as well before having to head back to their house.”

“Is that when Bon-Bon and Lyra asked you on a date?” Twilight asked as she finished notating my words.

I nodded, “They said it was something they had been planning for themselves for a while, but wanted me to join in as a way of thanking me for the music show.”

“And what kind of date were they planning before inviting you?” She prompted with a raised eyebrow.

“They were going to a restaurant called the,” I paused as I tried to remember the exact name of the place, “Goût de Plaisir, I think. They said it was a real high-class place and that I would need a dress if I was going to join them.”

Twilight nearly dropped her quill and scroll as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, “The Goût de Plaisir?! Most mares only dream of being invited on a date to that kind of place. It costs more than most of Ponyville can afford on a regular basis, and that’s not even considering the wait time for reservations.”

She took a moment to clear her throat and set her utensils aside, “I can tell you right now that this date is of the romantic sort. Nopony would take a friend out for a casual dinner to a fancy restaurant like that, not unless they had a lot more bits than most of the townsponies have to spare. Did either Lyra or Bon-Bon say anything about it when they asked you?”

I shook my head, “Nope, they kind of just dropped it on me as we were getting ready to leave. I had no idea what kind of date this was until you explained it to me. For all I knew we were just going out for drinks and dinner as friends, not some kind of three-way romantic dinner date.” I paused as I thought about that for a moment, “Wait a minute, if Lyra and Bon-Bon are already a couple, then why are they asking me out on a date?”

Twilight tilted her head slightly in confusion, “What do you mean? Is there something the matter with them asking you out?”

I shook my head, “No, it’s not that, it’s just that where I’m from, couples don’t usual let other people into their relationships. It’s usually illegal, in fact, to have more than one spouse in most modern countries back home.”

Twilight’s eyes widened slightly, “Then how do you deal with all the uncoupled mares? Surely you must have something in place to care for all of the mares in your world that can’t find a mate if monogamy is so strictly enforced?”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, “What do you mean? There’s plenty of men to go around back home. Other than the odd homosexual couple, most women actually have trouble finding the right guy because there’s too many to choose from.”

Now Twilight lifted an eyebrow, “What’s the ratio between males and females in your world?”

I glanced at her like she had a screw loose, “One to one last time I checked, although it might have shifted to more like one and a half to one in favor of males. I never was that up to date on statistics.”

Twilight’s wings flared as she gasped, “One to one?! No wonder your people support monogamy so strictly, anything less and you’d risk gender infighting.”

“So, what’s the ration here in Equestria?” I asked, “I’m assuming it’s not the same as back home?”

Twilight shook her head forcefully, “Not even close. The gender ratio is more like five to one in favor of females, although in smaller villages like this one you can get upwards of ten to one. It’s why we support polygamy, or herds, as we usually call them. The norm for a herd would be one stallion with three or four mares, although some larger herds have been recorded up to two stallions and ten mares in one family group. It’s largely dependent on the nature of the herd, but there have been all-female herds more recently, although they’re still not as common as the usual formula.”

I felt like my brain was about to short-circuit, “So you’re saying that ponies form these herds because otherwise most of the female population would go without a mate? What about the all-female herds? What do they do if they want to have kids?”

Twilight blushed as she averted her gaze, “Well, there’s a spell most unicorns can cast that will alter the genitalia of an individual to that of a stallion, although adoption is also very common among those groups as well. Sometimes a single stallion will offer himself to an all-female herd as a donor for a sum of bits, although that’s fallen by the wayside as more stallions choose to join the herd instead of simply impregnating the mares.”

I nodded, processing the information as Swift spoke up from behind us, “Most stallions wouldn’t pull the whole ‘bang and bit’ unless they were in desperate need of the money, although there have been stallions that have made quite the living doing just that. I even heard of single mares asking for their services when they couldn’t find a stallion who would form a herd with them.”

“So, what about my date with Lyra and Bon-Bon?” I asked, hoping to direct the conversation back to the topic at hand, “What exactly am I getting myself into with this date?”

“Well,” Twilight mused, “I think they’re looking to add you to their herd, although I might be wrong. From what I can tell they want to take you on a date to see if you’re the kind of mare they want to add to the herd, and depending on how you perform at the dinner will help them decide how they want to go forward.”

“So, they’re testing the waters with me?” I asked. “Well, then I guess I don’t have a problem with it. I’m actually quite flattered that they would have that kind of interest in me, although I’m not sure I should be looking at relationships right now.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes in confusion, “Why not? You’re a single mare with great looks, a wonderful personality, and you’re fighting to protect Equestria from dark sorcerers with just your magic and combat skills to aid you. Seems like you’d be great dating material for any herd.”

“Exactly,” I said, “I’m fighting to protect the ponies with next to no help available to me other than the rank and file guards. No offence, Swift.”

She shrugged, “None taken.”

I turned back to Twilight, “The point is that I don’t have time to date. I’m doing everything I can to make myself stronger and the only thing I can afford to do is keep training in the hopes I can stop these necromancers when they make their move.” I leaned forward until I was nearly nose to muzzle with Twilight, “I could be putting Equestria in danger by not taking every second seriously.”

To my utter astonishment, the purple alicorn placed a hoof against my nose and pushed me away, keeping her gaze level as she forestalled my next sentence with a hoof over my mouth, “Sarah, I know you want to do your best to protect the ponies of Equestria, but be honest with yourself. You’ve been lazing about the castle for almost an entire week with next to nothing to do. Other than the strengthening training you’ve been doing for your aura abilities, you’ve had almost nothing to keep yourself occupied. That means you have more than enough time to date ponies if they show an interest in you. So, what’s the real reason that you don’t want to go on this date with Lyra and Bon-Bon?”

I pushed her hoof away from my face, but struggled to make a comeback. In my heart I knew she was right, and I couldn’t bring myself to lie to the alicorn in front of me. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a gusty sigh, “Alright I’ll tell you.” Another sigh escaped my mouth as Twilight sat patiently, “I guess the reason I’m not too keen on this whole date thing is because those two aren’t my species.”

“So?” Twilight asked, “What does that have to do with anything? Inter-species relationships aren’t all that common but they do happen. It’s not something you need to worry about if you think ponies are going to be put off by you dating a couple of mares.”

“But not from my point of view,” I countered, “where I come from humans are the only sapient species, which means dating or having sex with other creatures is considered wrong and highly illegal in most countries.” I tried to keep my face level as I looked her in the eye, “You wouldn’t have sex with a dog, would you?”

Twilight’s face twisted in disgust, “Eew, Celestia no!” She managed to school her features as she returned her gaze to me, “Alright, I see your point, but can I ask you this? If Lyra and Bon-Bon were human, would you at least give them a chance?”

I opened my mouth to retort, but paused as I actually thought about it. Lyra was a bit eccentric, but she was fun and had great taste in music when she wasn’t acting crazy. Bon-Bon was more like the older sister I never had, always trying to keep her marefriend under control while still being fun and caring. All and all, they were both wonderful ponies, and if they were human I wouldn’t hesitate to call them close friends. And yet, the whole dating thing was still throwing me for a loop. Never mind the polygamy thing, it was the simple fact that they weren’t human that hung over my head like a dark cloud.

And yet, Twilight’s words kept hitting home in my mind, what if they were human? Would I be willing to date them if they were human women instead of mares? After thinking about it for several minutes, I finally came up with an answer. I turned to Twilight, who was watching me with an expectant expression.

I smiled, “Yes, if they were human I would be okay dating them. I guess I’m just going to have to get my mind around the fact they aren’t human at some point, but I’ll try and follow your advice.” I stood up and walked over to the doorway, Swift falling in at my side as I opened the crystal slab, “Thanks for the words of wisdom, Princess, it really helped me get things right in my mind. Oh, before I forget, could you send a letter to Princess Celestia about maybe getting a stipend for me so I can pay for things? Getting free stuff is all well and good, but not being able to pay ponies for things is starting to get annoying for everyone.”

Twilight waved to us as she pulled out her reading materials from earlier, “Sure thing, Sarah. I’ll send it off once I finish with my studies. Let me know how the date goes when you get back.”

I nodded, closing the door behind us as Swift fell in at my side. We walked through the castle, taking our time as I thought over what Twilight had said, finding more and more reasons to support her arguments and to push aside my own insecurities. We came back to my room and I slipped inside while Swift left to go do something on her own time. I never really saw the mare all that much when she was off duty, but I did know that she somehow knew exactly when it was I left the castle and where I was going. The reason I knew this was because she always managed to find me right as I was leaving the castle, or right as I proposed a plan to Twilight or Spike that didn’t involve staying on the castle grounds. It was uncanny, but I chalked it up to her knowing my habits from guarding my behind day in and day out.

The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly, although I did manage to find Swift again and challenge her to a game of Admirals and Aces. It was a game of my own design that resembled the board game Stratigo, although it was played using a single deck of cards for simplicity. Given no one had ever played the game before, even back home, it wasn’t surprising when I kicked her flank the first time around. What shocked me was the speed at which she learned the different strategies of the game, and before long she was kicking me to the curb four out of five times.

I grumbled under my breath as her two diffused my bomb for the second time in a row, “I swear you must have an IQ of two hundred or something with how fast you learn these games.”

Swift smirked as she destroyed my ace with her own bomb, “You just need to learn to think outside the box. It saved me a lot of headaches when I was facing the other cadets back in basic training.”

I nodded as I moved my remaining ace back into my formation, “I can guess, but that doesn’t make me feel all that better about losing nine times in a row.”

Swift smiled as she destroyed my king with one of her aces, moving deeper into my territory, “Well we can’t be the best at everything. Maybe this will help you to overcome some of those pride issues you’ve been having when it comes to training.”

I narrowed my eyes at the mare as I destroyed her king with my ace, only to then watch as she used her own ace to wipe me out, “I don’t have a pride issue. I’m just better than you at hand-to-hoof combat. It’s not something I brag about.”

“But you still need to learn restraint,” she replied as she slid another card into my formation, “otherwise you’ll get in over your head and somepony is going to knock you for a loop.”

I glanced at the sun as I moved my own card, noting that it was getting to be later in the afternoon. Rarity’s reminder flashed through my mind, and I felt a devilish grin forming on my face as I began collecting the cards.

“Well it looks like this game’s a draw.” I said with a perfectly straight face, “Better luck next time Swift.”

“Hay!” She yelled as I pulled her own cards into the pile, “I was winning that round you flat-faced traitor!” She made a swipe for the cards but I slid them out of reach. She pouted at me and grumbled under her breath as she crossed her hooves over her chest, “You’re lucky I like you or you’d be eating my hoof for that.”

I rolled my eyes as I slipped the cards back into the deck, “Yeah, yeah, they always say that. Maybe next time I’ll kick your flank for that little stunt you pulled two games ago.”

Her grin returned as I slid the deck into my pocket, “Never underestimate your opponent. It almost always gets you in trouble.”

I waved to her as I walked down the hall, “See you later then, I’ll be back once I finish up at Rarity’s and then I’m off to my date with the girls.”

Swift hurried from her seat and fell in at my side, much to my annoyance, “You didn’t think I’d let you go anywhere without escorting you, did you?”

I rolled my eyes, “Oh how I wish you would. It’s getting a little old having a babysitter every time I leave the castle. Are you going to be with me during the date too?”

She returned my eye roll with one of her own, “No I’m not going to interrupt your date, just stand guard at the door to make sure nothing messes it up.” She used her foreleg to elbow my hip, “I’m not that heartless as to mess up your first romantic night out with a set of hot mares.”

I groaned, running my hand down my face as we exited the castle, “I swear you’re going to be the death of me before those necromancers even get a crack at me.”

She sent a wide grin my way, “But you love it all just the same.”

I declined the opportunity to answer, mostly because I didn’t have a quick comeback to her words, and instead ignored her soft chuckling as Rarity’s shop came into view. I knocked out of courtesy before opening the door, Swift taking up her usual spot outside the entrance as I continued inside.

“Just a minute!” Rarity called from the back room as I closed the door behind me. It was only a few minutes before she walked out of her creation room, her working glasses resting naturally upon her muzzle as she spoke, “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and – Oh, it’s you, darling.” She paused mid-step as she spotted me in the doorway, “I presume that you have come for the dress you wanted made for tonight’s date?”

I nodded, “I figured if I was going to be on time for this thing I needed to have everything ready beforehand or else I’d show up looking terrible.”

“Oh, trust me, darling, first impressions on a first date are the most important thing, apart from the actual date itself, of course.” She walked back into her sewing room, casting a quick glance over her shoulder at me as she went, “I’ll be but a moment. Don’t go anywhere.”

I smiled to myself as I walked around, taking a look at some of Rarity’s other designs as I heard her rummaging through fabrics in the next room. Most of the designs were so frilly or blindingly colorful that I couldn’t look at them too long for risk of getting a headache, although some of the more basic dresses were actually very appealing to look at. The only thing that struck me as odd was the fact that a fashion designer could stay in business when most of the population went in the nude during a regular day. I mentally shrugged, feeling it was a mystery that would remain unsolved as long as this world stayed the way it was. I turned around as I heard Rarity returning, carrying a purple and matte gold bundle in her magic as she beamed with pride.

“Well I am happy to report that your dress came out beautifully.” She said as she passed the dress over to me, “Try it on please. I need to make the final adjustments to your body so it fits just right.”

Not feeling like being stripped for the second time that day, I pulled off my own clothing and stepped onto the platform, sliding the dress over my legs as Rarity provided a mobile privacy screen for me to use. Feeling slightly less self-conscious, I pulled the dress up and over my body, feeling it form perfectly to my torso and hips as the strapless bust supported my chest despite the removal of my bra. All and all it was a splendid show of tailorship, and I was enthralled by the colors and design as I turned around to inspect myself in the bank of mirrors.

The dress was beautiful in the most basic meaning of the word, with subtle curves that accentuated my figure like nothing I had ever seen. The deep near-black purple of the body complimented my chocolate locks while the matte gold detailing made my skin seem to glow in the overhead lights. The strapless bust left my shoulders and arms open to the air, the smooth fabric of the torso hugging my body from my chest all the way to my hips. The hem was straight, although it was cut along the sides to let my legs move freely. However, despite the openings in the train, it did a wonderful job of hiding my mechanical limb unless I chose to push it into view. All and all, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the dress, and I even did a pose or two for fun as I winked to myself in my reflection.

“Well don’t keep me waiting, darling,” Rarity said with a slightly impatient tone, “I still need to do the detailing so that it fits just right.”

I decided to play the tease and slipped one leg free of the hem to stick into the open around the edge of the screen. I heard Rarity gasp as I sashayed into full view, noticing the deep blush that covered her face as I walked around and did some more poses for her.

She cleared her throat as she adjusted her glasses, “Yes, very nice, darling, but we still have to do the final adjustments. I won’t have it until this dress fits you perfectly.”

I pouted as another storm of needles surrounded my body, forcing me to stay still as she made small nudges with her magic before holding the fabric in place with a pin.

This continued for a minute or two until Rarity nodded to herself in satisfaction, “There, all done. Now I just need to sew it and you can be on your way.”

With no warning whatsoever, Rarity ripped the entire dress up and over my head in a smooth motion, leaving me completely topless with nothing covering my lower half but my panties. I raced to cover my chest with my arms as Rarity walked back into her sewing room, my cheeks flushed bright red as I practically leapt behind the divider to reclaim my bra. I quickly slipped it back on and then pulled my shirt over my torso before stepping out from behind cover. Luckily, it seemed Rarity hadn’t seen my assets in her haste to finish my dress, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I pulled my jeans back on before tying on my boots.

Moments later, the seamstress returned with a beaming smile, “All finished.” She passed me the dress once more before winking at me, “Be sure to give those girls a good time for me, alright?”

I nodded, still feeling a bit flustered after that close call with my wardrobe, “I-I’ll be sure to make it worth their while.”
Rarity nodded, making a shooing motion with her hoof, “Off you go then. Wouldn’t want you to be late because you dilly-dallied around here, now would we?”

I nodded, fumbling with the knob for a moment before walking out into the afternoon light. Swift cast me a slightly concerned glance, but made no comment as we returned to Twilight’s castle.

“So, I guess now you just need to get ready for the date and then we head out again?” She asked as I made my way back into my room. She paused in the doorway, but entered after me once I waved her in. “That was the plan as far as I know from your talk with Princess Twilight.”

I nodded, slipping into the bathroom to take a quick shower before I got my hair straight. Swift was polite enough not to walk in while the water was running, although she nearly gave me a heart attack when she opened the door and all I had on was a towel wrapped around my body. The brush that smacked her on the muzzle should have taught her not to peep, but there she was again a second later, sporting a rather nasty expression as she opened her mouth to retort. My reply was to throw the shampoo bottle at her head, forcing her to duck out again, and thankfully for the last time.
I managed to get my hair in its natural hanging curls as I slipped the dress on over my body, taking care not to rip the thin fabric as it slid over my squeaky-clean skin. After that was done, I opened the door to find Swift was sulking over in the corner, although her ears turned to face me as I closed the door behind me.

“Oh, come on Swift,” I said as I walked up behind the guardsmare, “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just considered an invasion of privacy to peep on someone when they aren’t dressed where I come from.”

She snorted in contempt, turning around to look at me as she replied, “Yeah, well, next time I’m going to make you run laps if you throw another bottle at my heeeeeaaaaad – Whoa!” Her eyes bugged slightly as a vibrant blush came over her face as she looked me up and down. “Sweet Celestia, what are you wearing?!”

I turned to one side to inspect myself along the hem, “It’s not too much, is it? I thought Rarity would know that this was just a dinner date, but I think she might have confused date with a formal dinner.”

Swift’s jaw hung as she tried and failed to speak, “Um, uh, you look, um, great! Just not exactly, um, what I was, uh, expecting.”

I smirked as I did a little pose I had done for Rarity, “Like what you see?”

Swift’s blush got even darker, although how she hadn’t passed out from blood rush yet I couldn’t guess, and she hid her eyes with a hoof as she waved me off with the other, “Go on, get out of her before I get a bucking nosebleed, you succubus.”

I chuckled as I rubbed her behind the ear, making her moan rather loudly before turning away, “Sure thing boss, just remember that you got to keep me company on the way there and back.”

Swift groaned as she followed me out of the room, mumbling under her breath as she fell in on my side. She made it a point to keep her gaze leveled on anything besides me, and I couldn’t help the smile that graced my lips as we made our way out of the castle.

The trip to the restaurant was a smooth one, with nary a soul to be seen on the streets save for us two. I followed Bon-Bon’s directions past Berry’s Punch and found the fancy building just a ways down the block. The front was done up in the typical French style, or Prench, as the case may be, with wide arches over the tall windows and smooth white siding for the walls and door. The roof was steep and covered with blue tiles instead of the usual thatch of the rest of the town, marking the building as something of a more high-grade design. A doorman, er, door-stallion was waiting beside the main entrance, his black mane slicked back and his dark blue coat mostly covered by a white dress shirt and black tie.

I swallowed thickly, hoping for the best as I walked up to the stallion, “Um hi, my name is Sarah Lovegood. I believe I have a reservation under Lyra and Bon-Bon?”

He glanced at me for a moment, one eye widening slightly before he coughed into his fetlock, “Right this way Miss Lovegood, Miss Heartstrings and her companion are already inside. They arrived just before you did.”

I glanced at Swift for a bit of courage before I took a deep breath, “Well, here goes nothing.”

I stepped through the doorway and into the dining room proper, leaving Swift at the door as she took up position next to the stallion. I was on my own from here, and I couldn’t help the thin sheen of sweat that covered my body as I spotted my dates seated to one side of the room. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I walked up to their table, feeling my heart beginning to race with nerves as they spotted my approach.

Lyra’s jaw dropped as a vibrant blush overcame her features, although Bon-Bon wasn’t far behind her. To make matters worse, I could see the other patrons giving me wide-eyed looks as I walked by, making my own cheeks flush with both embarrassment and flattery at the attention. Sure, back home I wasn’t a slouch in the beauty department, but never in my life had I captured the complete attention of a room before. Even the couples that looked to be here on dates were openly staring at me, paying their own significant others no mind as all eyes followed my every move.

I finally came up to the table and gave a hesitant wave to the duo, “Um, good afternoon. How are you today?”

My words seemed to pull them out of their shock, although it was Lyra who spoke first, “Oh! Please, sit. We were just wondering if you were going to show up late.”

Bon-Bon cuffed the aquamarine mare over the head with a hoof, “Lyra! That is no way to speak to our date when she first arrives.” She turned an apologetic look my way, “I’m sorry if anything she said was rude, but sometimes she likes to speak first and think second.”

I chuckled as I took a seat opposite the pair in the booth, thankfully losing the majority of my audience as they went back to their own business, “It’s alright, I do the same thing more times than I would like. So how have you girls been the last couple days? Anything interesting come up at the shop?”

Bon-Bon shook her head, “Oh it was the same old thing day after day.” She leaned over and nuzzled against Lyra’s cheek, “Although Lyra was very helpful with the taffy puller when I couldn’t fix the motor.”

For some reason Lyra’s face turned a vibrant shade of red and I couldn’t help but think something else had happened with the taffy puller that Bon-Bon wasn’t saying, “Anything interesting happen while she was fixing it?”

Lyra looked over at me with a slightly mortified expression, although Bon-Bon seemed to delight in her marefriend’s discomfort, “Oh it was the funniest thing. Poor Lyra got stuck in the puller arms and got absolutely covered in taffy when the machine started going by mistake. I had to pull the mana crystal out to get the thing to stop, by which time she was well and truly stuck.”

“So how did you get her out?” I asked, some part of my mind thinking of rather naughty situations that could have come about from that little accident.

Bon-Bon leaned over and gave Lyra a long lick up her jawline to the base of her ear, making the unicorn squeak in the most adorable way, “Why I ate her out of course,” she hummed as she nuzzled against the other mare’s ear, “in every sense of the word.”

Now it was my turn to blush a bright red, my mind going nuts with images of Lyra trussed up like a spring chicken, covered in taffy with Bon-Bon slowly working her out one bite at a time. I shook my head to clear it, coughing into my hand once to try and hide my embarrassment as I replied, “Well, um, that certainly sounds, tasty.”

Bon-Bon gave me a lidded glance, “Oh it was.” She leaned in towards me, motioning me to lean closer with a hoof as she cupped it against her mouth, “The taffy wasn’t bad either.”

At that point I think Lyra had had enough, because she pulled Bon-Bon back and spoke in a slightly too loud voice, “Okay, moving on. So, Sarah, how has your week been so far? Read any good books lately?”

I chuckled with Bon-Bon at Lyra’s terrible attempt at changing the subject, but decided to take pity on the poor mare, “No I haven’t read any new books. I haven’t had time what with all the training I’ve been doing.”

Both mare’s eyes lit up with interest, “Training? You mean like physical training?” Lyra’s eyes were almost glistening with as she looked me up and down, “If it’s to trim up your figure it certainly worked. I could bounce a bit off those flanks.”

I blushed again as Bon-Bon swung for Lyra’s head, only to come up short as Lyra blocked the blow and snatched a quick kiss from her marefriend, “Not today Bonnie. Besides, you know I’m right.”

Bon-Bon blushed as she retrieved her hoof from Lyra’s grip, “Yes, well, it’s still not polite to point something like that out in public.” I caught her gaze roaming over my body, “No matter how accurate.”

Feeling like we were getting way off topic, I decided to bring things back around to a more neutral subject, “So do you girls do any kind of exercise to keep fit?”

Lyra nodded, “Yep, I go for runs daily to burn off all the sweets I get from Bonnie.” She elbowed the other mare gently with one leg, “Although I like you with a bit of bounce to that flank. Makes it so much more entertaining to look at.”

Bon-Bon shook her head as she turned her gaze to me, “What Lyra is trying to say is that I don’t really get out much. Mostly because I’m too busy running the shop to do anything else on weekdays. I do enjoy going for walks in the Whitetail Woods on occasion though, helps me to clear my head after a long day at work, and dealing with Lyra’s antics of course.”

I stifled my laughter behind a hand as Lyra turned an indignant glare towards the other mare, “Hay! I just like to keep life interesting is all. How would you ever live from day to day if I didn’t liven things up for you?”

“Probably with several dozen more bits a week because of all the painkillers I wouldn’t need anymore.” Was the barbed reply, although the teasing glint in her eyes told me she didn’t really mean it.

Lyra was about to retort, but was interrupted by the arrival of our waiter. He was a handsome fellow, as far as ponies went, with a light grey coat and bright green eyes shining from under his combed over blonde mane. The horn on his head marked him as a unicorn, although from what I could see of the other wait staff, he was more the exception than the rule when it came to which tribe was most common. He was dressed in the same white dress shirt as the stallion by the door, although instead of a black tie he had a dark blue bow under his collar. He also had three menus floating along in his green magic, which he distributed to each of us as a notepad and quill floated in front of his chest.

“Welcome to the Goût de Plaisir, mademoiselles.” His accent was minor but still distinct as he spoke, although his small smile did wonders to help his image as he turned to each of us and gave a small bow, “My name is Gilded Platter and I will be your server today. Tonight’s special is an eggplant salad with roasted pecans and an original Prench dressing. If you wish to make a special order, then I will speak with our head chief and we will do all we can to accommodate your tastes.” He bowed again to all of us and then held up his pad, quill at the ready, “What can I get you lovely mares to drink?”

I glanced at the others, not quite sure what was acceptable or available, but it seemed that Bon-Bon was on top of things. “I think we would like the Viné d'or, bottled before 1950 if you have it.”

Gilded nodded, “A fine choice of wine. I will see if we have any in stock at the moment.” He glanced my way, “Anything in particular for you, miss?”

I shook my head, “Wine is alright for me. I would like some water to go with that though.”

He nodded once more, taking a note on his pad before speaking, “I will be right out with that. Anything for an appetizer or would you like to order now?”

I opened my menu and looked at the options available to me. Most of the food I couldn’t eat, given the various flowers and other non-edibles that were staples in pony diet, although as I made my way to the back of the menu I was shocked to find that they had a small section of meats for the more carnivorous species. Given I hadn’t had any meat since Spike had cooked me a Brook trout last week, I was more than itching for something meaty to eat, not to mention the fact that they served more than just fish. I cast a quick glance towards the girls, but was thankful that they were too engrossed in their own reading to notice me.

I leaned in close to the waiter, cupping my hand to muffle my words as I spoke to him, “What would you say if I asked for one of the meat dishes?”

Without missing a beat he whispered back to me, “We have served all kinds here at the Goût de Plaisir. You aren’t the first meat eater to grace these walls, and you won’t be the last. Our head chief is actually a gryphon, so you won’t have to worry about your food being improperly cooked. If you wish, I could wait until the others are done ordering and then you could simply point to your desired dish.”

I shook my head, “It’s alright, I was just curious.” My mind flashed with inspiration, “Have you ever mixed dishes before?”
One eyebrow rose slightly, “A new recipe? Well, I’m certain Aile d'Argent will be delighted to try something new. What did you have in mind?”

I pulled up the menu, keeping it pointed away from the girls as they looked over their own selections, “How about you make the fettuccini alfredo as you normally would, but then put grilled chicken pieces on top?”
Now both eyebrows rose until they hid in his mane, “That certainly is a new one.” He made several notes with his quill before turning to me again, “Would you like the chicken partly cooked or more well-done? Forgive the distinction, but some meat eaters prefer raw meat over cooked.”

I nodded in understanding, “Fully cooked please. Raw chicken can make humans very sick if we eat it uncooked.”

Gilded nodded in turn, making another note, “Fully cooked, got it.” He turned to the girls as they looked up from their menus, “Are you ladies also ready to order?”

Bon-Bon nodded, “I’d like the Rosetta salad with a side of garlic bread and butter.”

“And I’d like the Risotto with the tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, please.” Lyra added.

Gilded nodded as he wrote down their orders, “Alright then, your food should be ready momentarily. I shall fetch your drinks while you wait, so give me a moment to place your order with the cooks.”

With that he was gone, leaving us to ourselves for a few minutes. No one really had much to say, such as we were thinking about our food, although it seemed Lyra was curious about my culinary selection.

“So, what did you get, Sarah?” She asked as she leaned over the table, “I never heard what you wanted when you ordered.”

I decided to keep the meat part of my dinner out of the conversation, lest I scare or sicken my dates, “Oh, I got the fettuccini alfredo. It’s something that we have back home on Earth so I’m curious to see how it tastes here in Equestria.”

Bon-Bon smiled, “Well it’s nice to see that a piece of home managed to follow you here. I understand it’s more of an Neightallian dish, but I’m not one to nitpick when it comes to food.”

Gilded returned a moment after that, levitating three glasses and a large bottle of wine in his magic before pouring us each a generous portion, “Please enjoy your drinks, the food should be out momentarily.”

We thanked him as he walked away, leaving us to drink our wine in peace. I took a careful sip from the glass, being careful not to spill as the liquid passed over my tongue. It was rich and had a rather unique taste that I couldn’t quite figure out. Part of me wanted to say it had an earthen aftertaste, while the other half of me said it had more fruity hints. All and all, a very tasty drink, and very strong in alcohol if the burn that followed was anything to go by. I figured I had to be careful not to get drunk on our date, lest I ruin any good graces I had with the locals by making a fool of myself.

A few minutes later, Gilded returned with three large platters in his magic, placing them before each of us as he removed the domed lids. A waft of steam erupted form the dishes before Lyra and I, leaving Bon-Bon’s to simply sit as the vibrant greens and reds of her salad came into view.

“Bon appétit, mademoiselles. Please let me know if you need anything else.” With a bow of his head, he turned and vanished from view into the kitchen, leaving us with our food and more than subtle stomach rumblings.

Lyra immediately dug into her pasta, leaving Bon-Bon to roll her eyes before taking some more dainty bites of her salad. I picked up a fork and rolled some of my own noodles into a ball, sticking the block into my mouth before humming in delight at the rich creamy flavor. I bit into one of the chicken chunks next, and nearly moaned at the flavor. Oh God it had been so long since I had something other than fish to satisfy my meat cravings.

“What’s that you got on your pasta?” Lyra asked between bites of her own dish, “it doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before.”

Bon-Bon turned to look, an expression of curiosity on her own face as she inspected my food with a critical eye, “Doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen either.” She glanced up at me, “What is that stuff on your plate, Sarah?”

Oh shit, I was a terrible liar and I knew there was no way they were just going to drop it now that they had both seen the chicken bits on my pasta, “It’s, um, something I asked the chef to add as a special request. It’s a recipe from back on Earth that I thought he might like to try.”

“Sweet, I want to try some Earth food.” Lyra said in eager glee as she speared a chunk of chicken with her own fork. Before I could stop her, she lifted it and several strands of pasta into her mouth, closing her muzzle around the meat before chewing with a thoughtful expression. “Hmm, not too bad. Not exactly what I was expecting though.” She swallowed the food and turned back to me, “Alright, now I have to know. What was that stuff, Sarah?”

Seeing no way out of it, I took a long draft of my wine and sucked in a gasp before setting the glass on the table, “That wasn’t something ponies usually eat, Lyra. It was bits of food that usually make ponies sick to their stomachs at the very thought of eating it, let alone what you just did.”

Lyra clutched at her stomach with her hooves, “It wasn’t poisonous, was it?”

I waved her off with both hands, “No, no, no, nothing like that. It’s just that, well, you just ate a bit of chicken.”

“You mean like an egg?” Bon-Bon asked, “Those don’t look like any kind of eggs I’ve ever seen.”

I shook my head, “No, not eggs, actual chicken.” I paused to brace myself, “Lyra, you just ate meat. Cooked chicken meat to be exact.”

Bon-Bon gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves before turning to look at Lyra in horror. The aquamarine mare was looking several shades darker green around the cheeks as she swayed slightly on her seat, yet she managed to keep her stomach under control and not faint at my revelation.

Finally, she locked her gaze on the nearly full glass of wine before her, snatching it up and draining the whole thing in one go before turning to look at me, “So you’re a meat eater, are you?” I nodded slowly, “Then I’ve just got one question for you, are you going to hurt Bonnie in any way because of that fact?”

I recoiled at the very thought, “Of course not! I’m not some mindless beast that will kill sentient creatures for food! I care for all of you little ponies, most of you I would even call friends if I had the time to get to know you.”

Lyra’s gaze bore into mine, as if searching for any sign of falsehood. When she seemed to find nothing to prove my statement wrong, her face brightened and she slid around the bench to sit next to me, “Well then, I guess I don’t have a problem with it, so long as you warn me next time.”

Feeling a great weight come off my chest at her words, I let out a sigh before ruffling her mane, “Sure thing, short stack. I’ll make sure you don’t go blundering into any steak dinners or fish grills.”

Bon-Bon sighed as she pushed her food away from her, “And there goes my appetite. Please refrain from speaking about such things if I’m present, I’d rather keep what food I managed to eat prior to Lyra’s little stunt.”

We ducked our heads apologetically, “Sorry Bon-Bon.” We chorused.

“So what else is there about you that might be cool?” Lyra asked as she leaned into me with big eyes, “Are you like some secret agent that can kick major flank?”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes, “Really Lyra, must you come up with such ridiculous ideas every time you meet somepony new?”

“Actually, she’s not too far off.” I corrected the candymare, “I’m actually retired from a special forces unit called the Rangers. We are the best of the best of our nation’s army, although there aren’t all that many of us at any one time. Maybe three battalions at the most worldwide.”

Bon-Bon’s eyes widened to match Lyra’s as they both openly stared at me, although it was Lyra who broke the silence, “You’re a military mare? No wonder I thought you were so cool when we first met.”

Bon-Bon scoffed, “I seem to recall you freezing like a filly in front of her coltfriend when you first laid eyes on Sarah. Not exactly a winning first impression.”

Lyra stuck her tongue out at the other mare, “Oh who asked you? Anyway,” she turned back to me with a curious expression, “why are you retired? From how old you look I’d think you’d have lots more years of service before they would let you out.” She gasped as she covered her mouth with her hooves, “You weren’t kicked out, were you?”

I forestalled her line of thinking with a raised hand, although I was hesitant to correct her. My lost leg was still a sore spot in my mind and it wasn’t something I was particularly proud of. Even still, I knew I couldn’t lie to them about it, so I simply stood from the bench and pulled my dress to one side. The slit in the hem slid over my leg, revealing the metal and composite to their sight as I spoke, “I was discharged from service when I lost my leg in a battle. They were kind enough to pay for this replacement, although it wasn’t my leg that makes the memory a hard one to bring up.”

Lyra was too engrossed in my metal limb to reply, but that didn’t stop Bon-Bon from looking up with a worried glint in her gaze, “Then what was it that makes the memory so painful? What could possibly be worse than losing a leg?”

I swallowed as I sat back down, running my fingers through Lyra’s mane out of habit as I gathered my thoughts, “I lost a lot of friends that day. It’s a long and painful story, but the short answer is that I’m the last member of my squad. The rest were either killed in the explosion that took my leg, or taken out by the ensuing ambush.” I averted my gaze to my lap as the memories tried to force themselves to the surface, “It’s not a day I like to remember.”

Lyra placed a hoof over my hands in a comforting gesture, and was quickly joined by Bon-Bon as she sat on my other side and hugged me around my shoulders.

The cream mare rested her head against my neck and nuzzled into my hair as she whispered in my ear, “I’m so sorry about what happened to your friends. I know it must be hard, but you have friends here in Ponyville that can help you if you ask for it.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added as she joined in on the hug, “Bonnie and I will be there to support you as long as you need us.” She leaned around me to meet her marefriend’s eyes, “Isn’t that right, Bonnie?”

Bon-Bon nodded, pulling back so she could meet my gaze, “In fact, we would like to be there for you from now on, in a closer setting than simple friends. Lyra and I have been looking for another member to add to our herd, and we both think you would make a fine addition to our group. We’re not asking for you to give us an answer tonight, but we would love it if you would at least think about it.”

I thought over her words as my mind battled with my heart over how to reply. My mind was screaming at me that this was a bad idea, that I needed to focus on the mission above all else. Yet my heart was yelling back just as loud that I hadn’t had someone close in my life since I got back from the war. I had a hole in my chest where my family used to be, and an even bigger one left behind by my squad. If these mares were willing to look past my alien appearance and accept me as I was, meat diet and all, then I figured I had to at least give them the benefit of the doubt. If for no other reason than I needed this as much as they did, maybe more so.

“Yes.” I answered and I turned to smile at Bon-Bon, “I would love to join your herd.”

Lyra squealed as Bon-Bon hugged me tight to her chest, “Oh this is wonderful,” the earth pony said as she nuzzled into my hair, “I wasn’t sure you’d accept, but thank you so much for choosing to join our herd.”

“Yeah!” Lyra cheered as she pulled my head around to look at her, “This is going to be the best thing since I first met Bonnie and asked her out on our first date!”

Without any warning, the unicorn lunged in and pressed her lips against mine, making my eyes widen in shock as she pressed into the kiss. For a moment my brain short-circuited, and all I could do was sit there as she worked her lips against mine. However, my brain caught up with my body fairly quickly, and I lifted a hand to cup her cheek as I closed my eyes. It wasn’t my first kiss, but it was defiantly one of the better ones I had partaken in, although when I teased Lyra’s lips with the tip of my tongue she squeaked and pulled back in surprise.

“What was that?” She asked as she held a hoof to her lips, her eyes wide with surprise.

I tilted my head to the side in confusion, “Do you not know how to French – or rather – Prench kiss?”

This seemed to catch both of the mare’s attention, “What kind of kiss is that?” Bon-Bon asked as I turned to look at her, “Could you show us?”

Feeling a bit of my devilish side coming out to play, I flashed a sultry grin her way as I lifted one eyebrow, “Are you sure you want to know? Kissing back home seems to be a bit more advanced that the stuff you do here in Equestria. I wouldn’t want to overwhelm you girls on the first date. Besides,” I added with a pointed glance behind her at the rest of the restaurant, “we’re in a public setting. It’s not exactly the type of thing you do in front of others.”

Bon-Bon’s cheeks flushed as she caught onto my meaning, “Oh, well then I guess you’ll have to show us when we have some time to ourselves.” She cleared her throat as she sat back on her haunches, “So, would you care to join Lyra and I for a quick trip to our house before you return to Princess Twilight’s castle? I’d like to at least get to know you a bit better before we part ways for the night.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Lyra, who nodded with a big grin plastered over her face as she leaned forward to give me another peck on the cheek. I couldn’t help the blush that roared to life on my own face at her brash actions, although I managed to get myself under control as I turned back to Bon-Bon, “I would be delighted to join you for some time alone. Although I’m not sure how my bodyguard is going to like the idea of hanging around outside your house all evening.”

“Bodyguard?” Bon-Bon asked, her eyes widening in surprise, “I didn’t know you needed one. Are you in some kind of danger?”

“It’s more of a precaution,” I half-lied, “in case some ponies think I’m some kind of monster of something and try to run me out of town. I’m not too worried about it, but Princess Celestia was adamant that I take Swift Blade along with me whenever I leave Twilight’s castle.”

Lyra blew a raspberry, “That’s silly. Like anypony around here would think you’re a monster. From what I hear you’re more like a monster hunter, saving poor Lilly from whatever it was that scared the poor mare to death the other day.”
Bon-Bon nodded her agreement, “Indeed, you were very brave scaring whatever that thing was off, although I find it strange nopony knows what it was that scared Lilly so badly. Usually the rumor mill is buzzing when something like that happens.”

I chuckled, knowing that Twilight and the others had done everything they could to keep the whole zombie thing under wraps, “Who knows? I only saw a shadow of the thing before it ran off into the Everfree. Probably a rouge Timberwolf or something like that. Nothing to worry about.”

My explanation seemed to satisfy the mares, and we paid for our food with a large tip for Gilded as he came to clear away our places. With that taken care of, I followed Lyra and Bon-Bon out of the building, picking up Swift along the way as we made our way back to the mares’ house. As we passed by Berry’s Punch, Lyra struck up a conversation with Swift about life as a guard, leaving Bon-Bon and I to walk in comfortable silence in the rear as their house came into view.

I sped up to open the door for them as we arrived, flashing a grin their way as I bowed like a butler, “After you, miss.”
Bon-Bon blushed and giggled behind a hoof as she walked past me, “Keep that up and you might just be spending the night.”

Lyra smirked as she followed the cream mare, “She’s right you know. We like you a lot already, don’t make us do something out of character because you keep buttering us up with those little tricks of yours.”
She flicked me in the face with her tail, flashing her rear at me in a very obvious manner as she grinned over her shoulder at me. I glanced at Swift for an explanation, only to find the guardsmare averting her gaze with the brightest blush I had ever seen her make. I was just about to ask her what was wrong, when I was suddenly grabbed by a golden glow of magic and dragged into the house. The lights were off and the door slammed shut behind me with a resounding thud. I heard the click of a lock being thrown and I fumbled around for a moment before I spotted the soft glow of Lyra’s horn. I managed to make my way over to her, only for the overhead lights to suddenly flash on, blinding me for a second as my retinas screamed at my brain it was too bright.

Once my eyes had finally adjusted, I spotted Lyra and Bon-Bon sitting on the couch, their eyes lidded and their tails flagging up and over their backs, leaving nothing to the imagination as to what they were doing. Both ponies were already dripping on the couch material, and I could swear I could smell them in the air as they slowly got up and walked over to me.

“We know you just joined the herd, but we’ve been itching for somepony to join us in bed for ages now.” Bon-Bon’s voice had taken on a sexy undertone as she walked around me and began pushing me up the stairs, “If you don’t want to do this, then just say so, but know that if you stop us now, it’s only going to make it ten times worse when we do get ahold of you for real.”

I tried to appeal to Lyra, but the unicorn was already eyeing me up and down like a present to unwrap, and I realized I had just jumped into a shark tank by joining the girls’ herd. Seeing no way out of this situation without upsetting them, I allowed Bon-Bon to push me up and into the bedroom, stepping in and sitting down on the bed of my own volition as Lyra followed us and locked the door behind her.

Finally realizing what I was about to do, my mind went to all of the crazy things I had always wished of trying with a girl but never had the chance to. My lips pulled back into a sinister grin a I saw the two mares before me in a new light, “Oh this is going to be fun.”

Needless to say, I was glad Swift was going to be outside for this one. I’d never hear the end of it otherwise if she knew what kind of crazy stuff I had planned for these two mares.

Author's Note

Well that was longer than expected. :trixieshiftright: Anyways, welcome back to all my favorite readers, and I hope you all enjoyed Sarah's first steps into the romance part of our little story. Of course, given the ending, you all know what happens next. The first Clop chapter is up next in line, and will be skippable for those who don't want to read it. For those of you that don't give a damn, feel free to read to your little heart's desires.

Also, I'm heading back to collage at the end of the week, so updates might be slowed down a bit from the usual pace. I hope to keep updating for you guys, but don't hold your breath or you might pass out before the next one drops.

Anyways, hope you all liked the story so far. Leave a thumb's up, follow if you like, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill Messenger of the Moon.

13.5 - [Clop] Sexy Exploration

Alright, so this is my first attempt at clop, so don't bite my head off if it's not what you expected. Anyways, now that we have that out of the way, on with the book!!

The girls climbed onto the bed and lay down on either side of me, their tails wagging like puppies as they eyed me up and down. Feeling like things might be going a bit faster than I would like, I turned to face Lyra and gave her my most winning grin, "So how about I teach you girls how to Prench kiss?"

One eyebrow rose on the aquamarine mare's face in interest as she leaned towards me, "I'm listening."

I decided that talking would be a waste of time with these two, so instead I leaned in and captured her lips with my own, feeling the soft fur around her muzzle tickle me slightly as we moved against each other. I let her have her way for a moment before I teased her lips with my tongue, asking for entrance. At first she didn't seem to understand what I wanted, because all she did was tap my lips with her tongue before pulling back with a confused expression.

"I'm not sure I get it." Lyra said as she ran her tongue over her own lips, "It's not all that different from a normal kiss."

I chuckled at her naiveté, "That wasn't the full thing. I was simply being polite and asking for you to open your mouth."

Both of her ears perked in interest, "Open my mouth? What would that accomplish?"

I pulled her in and kissed her again, taking advantage of her gasp and pushing my tongue into her mouth while she had it open. She let out a muffled squeak of surprise, her eyes wide open as she froze in place. Thinking it would be best to let her come to terms with what I had just done, I removed my muscle from her mouth and returned to kissing her in the normal fashion, although I teased her lips again as she seemed to compose herself.

Lyra's lips curled into a smile as she teased my own with her tongue, and I allowed her entrance as her own licker made a tentative advance into my mouth. I let her get used to the idea as she slowly moved her tongue around my mouth, taking great interest once she found my canines. Feeling it was about time to bring things up to full speed, I ran my tongue along the side of hers, feeling the differences in length and width as I slowly worked us into Lyra's first true Prench kiss.

She moaned into my mouth as a hoof came to rest on my cheek, and I placed a hand around the back of her head as I pulled us closer together. Already I could feel my core heating up from her ministrations, and this was only just the first kiss! Finally, I pulled away with a gasp as Lyra did the same, her cheeks flushed a vibrant red under her fur as she opened her eyes.

We took a moment to catch our breath, although I didn't get a chance to rest much before Bon-Bon turned my head around and smashed her own lips into my own. She didn't even wait nor did she ask for permission before she rammed her tongue into my mouth, nearly making me gag as she worked it all the way in. Regaining my wits after the initial assault, I brought my own weapon to bear and began the real battle as our tongues warred over whose mouth belonged to whom. I felt more than heard Bon-Bon moaning as she wrapped both hooves around my neck, pulling me as close as she could as my own hands ran down her sides to her hips. I gave the slightly bouncy flanks a firm squeeze, exciting a louder moan from the creamy mare as she pulled away from me to catch her breath. Her face was just as heated as Lyra's and I could practically feel the heat coming from both mares as they cuddled against me.

Grinning like a fool, I gave them my most seductive expression and asked, "So, I take it you like the new style of kissing?"

"Oh buck yes!" Lyra exclaimed as she ran a long and slow lick up my jawline to my ear, causing a shiver to run up my spine as she whispered into said ear, "I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us in that sexy mind of yours."

Bon-Bon nodded, kissing my cheek before planting another on my lips, "If that was anything like what else you have to offer, then I'm thinking it's time to get that dress off of you. Don't you think?"

Nodding my agreement, I slowly stood up and turned my back to the girls. They remained on the bed as I slowly gripped my dress around my chest area, sliding it down my body in one long, slow motion as I worked my hips and torso like a belly dancer. The girls' eyes were wide and I could practically smell their arousal as my breasts popped free. Already my nipples were perky and stiff from my own emotions, and I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my mouth at their dumbfounded expressions. Feeling like being a tease, I slid my dress the rest of the way off, but left my panties where they were as I stepped out of the pooled fabric. My chest gave a slight bounce as I stepped forward, and both mares' eyes followed them like they had been hypnotized by my generous bust.

I sat down on the bed and pulled both of them to me, causing their lips to meet as their cheeks rubbed over my nipples. I hummed in pleasure as they began kissing each other, their tongues running against my own flesh every once and awhile as they worked each other over. Both moaned loudly as they wrapped their hooves around me and each other, forming a triangle out of our bodies as they kissed. Feeling like trying something extra, I ran my fingers up their spines, causing both of them to shiver at my touch before I wrapped my fingers around their ears. As my fingertips pressed into the fur along the edges of their manes, both mares broke their kiss as deep and throaty moans escaped their mouths. I kept them in a state of near bliss for several moments, before pulling my hands back to let them breathe, although by the way they both leaned towards my retreating digits, neither had wanted me to stop.

"Celestia's teats that felt good." Lyra managed to gasp out as she opened her eyes, "What else can those amazing things do?"

"I'm not sure I can take much more of this." Bon-Bon added as she flopped onto my lap and rubbed her cheek against my firm abs, "I'm feeling so relaxed and happy right now. I'm about to fall asleep."

Thinking fast, I slid my hand down Bon-Bon's back like she was my dog, eliciting a near-purr from the mare, although it quickly turned into a yelp of surprise and pleasure as my fingers ran over the curve of her rear and dipped under her body. Her eyes shot open as my fingers found her delicate folds, grunting and moaning as I worked my fingertips over the soft petals. She was already soaking wet, and I could actually feel more liquid running down her lips as I continued to rub her flower.

Lyra, apparently unsure as to what I was doing, stood up and walked over to look under her marefriend's tail, her own eyes widening as she spotted what my fingers were doing. "I never thought about doing that. Usually it's just us using our hooves or rubbing against one another." She turned to face me with a puppy stare as Bon-Bon continued to moan and pant under my ministrations, "Could you do that for me too?"

I pulled my hand away from Bon-Bon's core, much to her dismay, although I quickly remedied that as I flipped the mare over and slid her along the bed to rest against the pillows on her back. She curled her back legs up against her stomach for a moment, her expression unsure as I motioned for Lyra to do the same. The unicorn hesitated for a moment before rolling over on her back next to Bon-Bon, leaving both mares nearly exposed before me.

I grinned as I rested my hands on their flanks, "Now I know this might be weird, but I need you both to trust me for a little bit and let me at your beautiful bodies. I promise it will be worth it once I get going."

Bon-Bon cast Lyra a nervous glance, although after receiving a comforting nod, both mares turned to face me as they uncurled their legs, leaving both of their sopping marehoods open to the air as liquid arousal ran over their fur and onto the sheets. Both were more than ready to go, so I didn't waste any more time as I moved up to them on my hands and knees, pressing my chest against their sides as I rested my weight on the bed between them. Now that my head was level with theirs, I planted a quick kiss on each of their lips as my fingers worked their way down their stomachs. Both mares moaned and squirmed under my touch, and I felt Lyra kick in reflex as my fingers found their mark. Bon-Bon released a breathy moan while Lyra's breathing hitched in her throat as I worked my hands over each and every fold I could find. I soon felt their love buttons come out to play, and I held in a devilish chuckle as I rubbed my thumbs over their clits while working my fingers over the rest of their flowers.

Both mares cried out and wrapped their hooves around my body, planting kiss after kiss against my cheeks, neck and lips as they rambled nonstop to keep going. I did just that and pinched their clits between my fingers, being careful not to apply too much pressure as their both screamed out in bliss. Apparently, they had never done something like that before, because they both jerked and bucked against my fingers as a veritable river of love juice ran over my hands and onto the mattress. I could almost feel my ears ringing from the volume, but I pushed through it as their powerful climaxes began to subside. I kept up a gentle pressure as my fingers rubbed over their folds, prolonging their bliss as they slowly came down from their high.

Both mares fell limp on the bed as they tried to regain their breath, and I kissed them both before pushing off the bed and working my way down to their lower halves. Lyra was the first to recover enough to look my way, although she seemed confused as I lay down with my face next to her marehood.

"What are you doing now?" She asked as Bon-Bon started to come around.

"Just sit back and relax." I said, as I inspected her flower up close for the first time, "Let me take care of you."

I took a moment to actually inspect Lyra's opening as I leaned over her hips, seeing that for all intents and purposes it wasn't all that different from mine. Sure, the labia were a bit more pronounced and her clit looked like an actual button, but other than the green fur that covered the skin around her opening, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary when compared to a human's flower. There was one major thing I noticed though, which immediately caught my attention once I noticed it. Her scent wasn't what I had expected. In fact, I could swear I could smell a strong mint perfume coming from her opening. Not one to pass up an opportunity to experiment, I slowly lowered my head and took a tentative lick over her folds, collecting some of her nectar on my tongue before pulling back.

Lyra stiffened and let out another moan as her hind legs jerked beside my head, although she was quick to turn back with a questioning gaze, "What in Celestia's name was that?"

I licked my lips to get the rest of the minty ice cream that I had discovered within Lyra's folds, and grinned up at the unicorn before replying, "Oh I'm just sampling the local cuisine. In fact, I think I want to go back for seconds."

Lyra opened her mouth to protest, but quickly changed her tune to a guttural gasp as my lips came into contact with her own. I ran my tongue over each and every fold I could find, trying to get as much of her sweet nectar as I could. I gripped her hips with my hands as she began to buck into my mouth, and I held her in place as she screamed to the heavens when my tongue found the opening to her inner depths. Having found the proverbial jackpot, I pressed my tongue into her as deep as it could go, having to fight her hips as they thrust against my grip with every motion of my mouth. Then, all of a sudden, her screams and moans were muffled, and I cast a quick glance up to see what was going on.

Bon-Bon had captured her marefriend's mouth with her own, their tongues a flurry in each other's mouths as Lyra continued to moan. Feeling like I couldn't leave Bon-Bon out of the picture, I slid my mouth off of Lyra, giving her only a second to recover before I stuffed two fingers into her opening. She screamed into Bon-Bon's mouth, although the cream mare had other things to worry about as I moved my mouth over to her delicate folds. Her own opening was already pulsating with the need to be filled, and I supplied that need with my tongue as she returned Lyra's muffled scream.

Bon-Bon's flavor was more akin to a caramel candy, making me want to taste her all the more as I worked both mares over. Lyra was nearly gasping for breath as her hips rocked against my hand, while I had to hold Bon-Bon as best I could with my other hand to keep from getting bucked in the face. I licked deeper into Bon-Bon as I pumped my fingers in and out of Lyra's opening, curling my fingers upward to rub against that one special spot I knew had to be there. As my fingers rubbed over a slightly rougher patch of flesh inside her vagina, Lyra bucked hard against my hand and kicked out with her legs like she had been hit with electricity. I could feel her inner muscles twitching as she built up towards a climax, and I felt Bon-Bon's doing the same as they began to clamp onto my invading tongue. Finally, as a last push to shove them over the edge, I ran my thumb over Lyra's clit while moving my hand off of Bon-Bon's flank to pinch her own between two fingers.

Both mares broke the kiss they had shared as their love tunnels clamped down on my fingers and tongue like vices, their combined screams of bliss making my ears ring as Bon-Bon's juices flooded my mouth. They stayed like that for almost a minute, their lungs long running dry of air but their mouths still gaping as they came down from their mind-numbing orgasms. Finally, I was able to pull my mouth away from Bon-Bon, while my fingers made a wet slurping sound as they slid from Lyra's twitching opening.

I sat up and looked down upon my herdmates, feeling a warmth in my chest that I hadn't experienced in a long time. Lyra was trying and failing to sit up, while Bon-Bon simply lay where she was, trying to regain her breath. Both had the most satisfied expressions on their faces I had ever seen, and I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my throat as I noticed Lyra's goofy grin.

"What's got you grinning like the cat that caught the mouse?" I asked her as I turned around and lay down between them.

She managed to turn her head to look at me as she replied, "Best. Herdmate. Ever."

Feeling a vibrant blush come over my cheeks, I ducked my head against my chest and tried to hide the smile that graced my lips, "You think so?"

Bon-Bon rolled over onto her side so she could face me, pulling me into a soft kiss before speaking, "Definitely the best herdmate I could have dreamed of." Her eyes widened slightly as her gaze traveled down my body to land on my panties, "Wait, you didn't get to experience any pleasure after doing all that for us?"

"What?!" Lyra cried, jolting into an upright position as her eyes locked onto my decidedly wet but still present undergarments, "Oh buck no am I going to let my herdmate give me that kind of high and leave her high and dry."

I smirked as I felt how wet my panties were against my skin, "Maybe high, but definitely not dry. You two were really hot when you kissed while I was working you over."

Lyra preened at the praise, "I know, we're smoking when we want to be. Still," she leaned over to pass a grin Bon-Bon's way, "think you got enough energy to give our new herdmate some love of her own?"

Bon-Bon nodded, pushing herself into a sitting position as she sent a smoldering glance my way, "Oh yes, I feel more than ready to fully instate our newest herd member." She turned to face Lyra with a devious grin, "Shall we, my love?"

The unicorn mare returned the nod, climbing over me until she was nestled between my legs. With a flash of amber magic, my panties were removed and appeared with a pop on the other side of the room. My own honeypot was now open to the air, and I could actually see Lyra's nose flare as she inhaled my scent.

Her eyes fluttered as she wobbled slightly in place, "Oh buck that's hot." She turned to Bon-Bon with a pleading expression, "Can I have first dibs down here? You can have your turn once she climaxes."

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes but didn't argue, "Fine, I guess I'll have to settle for something a little more," her gaze landed on my chest as a grin crossed her lips, "subtle."

She climbed onto my body, resting her belly against mine as her head came to a stop over my chest. She flicked Lyra's nose with her tail once before letting her folds press against mine, making me hum in pleasure as my sensitive flower dribbled a few droplets of arousal. Lyra didn't waste a second and licked them up, making both Bon-Bon and I moan as her thick tongue ran over both of our openings. Bon-Bon's tail flagged over her back to allow her marefriend better access, and she grinned up at me before she inspected my breasts up close.

Lyra dove in fast and hard, driving her tongue between our bodies as she licked furiously at our joined folds, causing both Bon-Bon and I to jump as sparks of pleasure raced up our bodies.

I hummed as I reached down to rub Lyra's ears with one hand, "Keep that up and you might just get a second go with me."

Lyra didn't even stop to acknowledge me words as she continued her task, leaving Bon-Bon and I to moan softly every other lick. Said earth pony turned her full attention to my chest, and pressed against one of them with a hoof like it was a bouncy ball. I giggled as it wobbled back and forth before coming to a stop, the shift in weight feeling strange and yet not unwelcome.

"You know," I said between moans as Lyra continued to lick over my folds, "they feel good if you press into them, or maybe even suck on them."

One eyebrow rose in surprise, "You mean suck on them like a foal? But you're not lactating."

I grinned as I pressed her lips to my left nipple, "Remind me to do the same for you next time we do this."

Taking a moment to inhale my scent, her lips slowly opened and clamped down on my nipple, her tongue softly running over it as she suckled like a baby would. My head rolled back as I moaned louder, spurring her into taking more of my breast into her muzzle as she sucked harder. Lyra, apparently feeling left out, took that moment to drive her tongue all the way into my opening, making me gasp and jump under Bon-Bon as I grabbed both of their heads with my hands. I pressed them as far into me as they would allow, moaning in bliss as the double assault drove me to new heights. Bon-Bon switched breasts and used her forehooves to kneed and press into the one her mouth wasn't occupied by, while Lyra's horn began to glow as I felt a tingling sensation run over my clit. I screamed as Lyra's magic pinched my clit, while Bon-Bon moaned into my breast as she rubbed her own flower against mine.

Faster and faster we moved, my fingernails nearly digging into their heads from how hard I was pressing. Bon-Bon let go of my breast with a gasp as she met my gaze with a lidded one of her own, her hips bucking against mine as Lyra worked us both over.

"Sarah, I think I'm gonna, gonna," she never finished as she screamed, muffling her own bliss with my breast as she clamped down and sucked for all her worth.

I could feel her juices running over me and Lyra as the unicorn sped up her licks to catch the dripping nectar. I could feel my own climax barreling down on me fast, and as the truckload of pleasure crashed over me, I pulled Bon-Bon off of my breast with a pop and pressed her lips to mine. I drove my tongue into her mouth and kissed her for all my worth as I screamed out my climax, my tunnel clamping down so hard Lyra couldn't pull out until I came down from my high.

I released Bon-Bon with a gasp as my head fell limp on the pillow, my body tingly and hot as my muscles twitched with the afterglow. Lyra grinned up at me over Bon-Bon's back, standing up and walking over to lie down on my right side as she rested her head against my neck. Her horn pressed gently under my chin, but it was the smooth side instead of the sharp point, so I wasn't worried. Bon-Bon flopped onto my other side, curling up to mirror Lyra as she kissed my cheeks gently.

"So, was that better that being left out?" She asked softly, her breath washing over my neck like a warm breeze.

I nodded, too tired to reply.

Lyra chuckled, "Welcome to the herd, Sarah. I can tell it's going to be the best thing ever having you as part of our group."

Without another word, she levitated the sheets over our joined bodies, nuzzling against my neck and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek before wrapping her hooves around my body. Bon-Bon did the same as they pulled themselves flush against my sides, and my arms instinctively wrapped around their own bodies as I held them close. Both mares fell asleep quickly as their bodies realized how much work I had put them through, and I felt myself drifting off as well as my lips curled into a smile.

"Goodnight girls." I whispered. "And thank you."

Author's Note

Well here you go. First clop chapter for this book and most certainly not the last. What did you all think? Was it hot? Was it not? Do keep in mind this is my first attempt at clop so constructive criticism is most welcome, although I would prefer not to have the flame mail if nopony is going to tell me how to make it better.

Anyways, just wanted to say hi to all of my faithful readers and to let you all know that this is a one-off chapter that will not be the beginning of a new chapter storm. This is a single thing I just so happened to have time to right, so don't expect any new chapters anytime soon.

Alright, now that we have all of that out of the way, I hope to see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

14.5 - Interlude: Another Castle

Twilight Sparkle was busy in her library, going over more ancient books that had been given to her by Princess Celestia. Within their yellowed pages, she was finding more and more of the secret history that had been hidden from the populous for centuries after the Shadow Wars ended. Her eyes were locked to every word, her magic inscribing details and relevant information on scroll after scroll. Her mind was racing at breakneck speeds as she tried to fathom all that could be learned from this forgotten record of how Equestria came to be what it was today.

So engrossed was she, that at first she didn't notice the voice calling out her name. Yet upon the third utterance, she was finally dragged back into the real world as she turned to look over her shoulder.

"Yes?" She asked, "Can I help you?"

Twilight's expression shifted from a friendly smile to a confused frown when she found the room behind her empty of anypony. Yet she knew she had heard a voice calling her name for the past few minutes.

"Down here Ms. Sparkle." A vaguely familiar voice called out from below her chair.

Twilight looked down and yelped in shock as her wings flared wide. Resting under her chair, was none other than Discord, although the calm expression on the chaotic being's face was highly unusual, given his pention for enjoying a good prank scare.

"Discord?!" Twilight yelled as she hopped off the chair and turned to face the draconequus, "What are you doing here?"

The limp Lord of Chaos raised his head off the ground a few inches, a miffed expression on his long muzzle as he replied, "Firstly, I would kindly ask you to refrain from comparing me to that overblown buffoon. My name, as given to me by Princess Luna, is Carpet Sense, and as for why I am here, I am a carpet, it's what I do."

Twilight's eye twitched slightly as she stared at the apparent living carpet, "Carpet Sense, was it? Why are you in my castle, and what even are you?"

Carpet Sense rolled his eyes, "To answer your second question, I am the former body of Discord, given purpose by Princess Celestia to act as a carpet to the best of my ability. I am currently looking over the whole of Canterlot Castle, and have apparently moved into your castle as well. I do not know fully what it is that caused my sudden appearance in your home, but as a carpet it is my duty to cover the floors of any building I find myself in. Thus, I shall look out for your abode as well." He sighed in a way that made his body flutter like it was in a breeze, "As for why I am in your castle specifically, I already told you. I am a carpet, it"s what I do."

Twing!

A strand of Twilight's mane sprang out at an odd angle as a slightly frustrated look came over her features, "But, that's, you, AARRGG!"

She turned around and stormed from the room, choosing to remove herself from the presence of the aggravating yet undeniably logical piece of furniture. She marched into the hallway and made her way up to her bedroom, thinking that it might be best to get a quick nap in before she got back to reading.

Yet as she was opening the door to her personal chambers, she was assaulted by a very familiar voice from below, "Would you mind opening the door the other way? My tail is getting crimped from the door sliding over it."

Twilight looked down and screamed as she took to the air, her wings beating frantically as she tried to calm her racing heart, "Carpet Sense! What are you doing in the hall? I thought you were in the library?"

The animated carpet gave her a long-suffering look, "I think you ponies must have some form of brain damage, because I find I keep having to repeat myself to everyone I meet. I am a carpet, therefor I am meant to cover the floor inside of a building. It's what I do. How exactly is that hard to understand?"

Twing! Twang!

Twilight's mane and tail were starting to look rather frazzled as she took a deep breath and let it out in a slow movement, "Alright, fair enough. Just don't go looking through anything you shouldn't alright?" She landed and pushed the door open the other way, letting his tail uncurl as she stepped over him and into the chamber proper, "Now I'm going to get some sleep, and I'd better not hear anything coming from you or else I'm going to see how much magic I can hit you with before you tear."

Carpet Sense nodded, "I shall be here if you need me, although I don't think it will matter much."

"Why's that?" Twilight asked over her shoulder as she walked into the room, only to trip and fall on her face as her hoof caught against something that hadn't been there the last time she had been in the room.

Twilight's gaze was locked onto the wide and mismatched eyes of Carpet Sense as he lay upon her bedroom floor, "Because I will be in here as well if the need to talk should arise."

Twilight looked from the Carpet Sense on her bedroom floor, and then back through the open doorway to see another Carpet Sense resting out in the hallway. Two Carpet Senses, and if the one back in the library was still there, that meant he could end up in every room in the castle in no time at all!

Twing! Twang! Twing! Twing! Twang!

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Twilight screamed, echoing through the halls as her mane and tail turned into rather good impressions of a bird's nest, her hooves carrying her down the halls as more and more Carpet Senses popped into being.

Twilight raced into the one location she knew would be safe, and locked the door behind her as she locked the magic seals that were normally used to keep her experiments contained. Now, she was doing everything she could think off to keep that living floor cover out of her hair.

Twilight stepped back from her lab's locked doors, taking a breath to try and calm her heart as she sighed in relief. Yet, something seemed off. The normally hard floor wasn't the same smooth tile she was used to. Instead it was soft and had a slight give to it as she pressed down with one hoof.

"Ooh, yes," the one voice she dreaded hearing cooed, "just a little to the left please."

Freezing in place, Twilight's eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she refused to look down, "No, it can't be. I have level ten containment spells protecting this room. There's no way he could have gotten in."

A gentle prodding against her fetlock made her close her eyes in the hopes that she was wrong, "Oh but I must be in here, after all, this is a room with nothing covering the floor. Therefore, I am needed to keep things orderly by doing my duty as a carpet. Why else would I be in here?"

Twilight's eyes opened as she sighed in defeat, "That's it. I give up." She glanced down at the calm carpet below her, her own expression one of complete resignation, "You can stay if you like, but please try and avoid scaring my friends by talking to them out of nowhere."

Carpet Sense held a claw to his chin as he pondered something, "You know, Princess Celestia told me roughly the same thing. I wonder why ponies seem to have trouble with carpets talking to them if they know I'm in the room. Where's the surprise in all that?"

Twilight let out a sigh as she unlocked the lab doors, making her way back to her room before climbed into bed. Once she pulled the covers over her body, she rolled over so she faced away from the new furniture, "Good night Carpet Sense. If you must, let me know when Swift Blade and Sarah return from their training."

"You do realize it's only midafternoon, right?" He replied.

Twilight levitated a pillow over her head and groaned. It was going to be a long time before she got used to her new house guest.

Author's Note

So now we get to see Carpet Sense drive two princesses up a wall!! Oh joy! :rainbowlaugh:

Anyways, hope you like the little break from the main story, given we haven't seen Carpet Sense for a while. I just love writing his lines because I can easily imagine the torment he causes others. It's just plain hilarious to see Twilight or Celestia losing their minds from the perfect logic of a carpet version of Discord.

Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoyed that little detour down crazy street, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

15 - The New Captain

I'm back everypony, and I can't wait for you all to read my latest chapter! Last time we kind of left off on a cliffhanger, so here's to hoping you don't throw me in the dungeon for making you wait this long. *Throws chapter out of bunker like a grenade* Here, have this one on the house and I'll get to working on the next one as soon as I can. ON WITH THE BOOK!!!

The clash of metal against metal rang out over the fields behind Twilight’s castle, and I could feel the shockwaves as Swift’s earth pony strength hit me with the force of a small train. My own arms and legs were enveloped in my dark blue aura to equal the playing field, although my muscles were still getting sore from the beating they were enduring.

I swung for Swift’s head, making sure to aim a bit high in case she was unable to block, but was thwarted once more as her own sword caught mine and redirected it into the ground. Before I could react, one of her hind legs bent close to her barrel and pounded into the ground, driving her body up and over my blade in a forward flip that leveled her blade against my neck while her forelegs held my arms near the ground. I grunted as her weight settled onto my already tired limbs, bending me at the waist until my body was level with the ground and my head was pressed against her chest.

I grinned as she smirked around the hilt of her blade, “Having fun making me look like a fool?”

She pushed back and drove the tip of her blade into the ground so she could speak, “Yes, but it’s getting harder and harder to beat you each time we do this. Color me impressed, but you’re taking to swordsponyship like a duck to water.”

I straightened my aching back and grunted as one of the joints popped, “Well I’d feel a little better if you weren’t coloring me black and blue in the process.” Another loud pop echoed around the clearing, causing Swift to wince as I let out a sigh of relief, “I know this is the fastest way to train me, but do you think you could lay off the acrobatics until I get a bit better at fighting you on the ground?”

Swift rolled her eyes but retained her smile, “If I did that then I’m pretty sure you’d win more often than not. Don’t sell yourself short, you’ve already surpassed pretty much every member of the regular rank and file. The only ones who would have a chance against you now would be the commanders, and even then I think it would be a pretty close fight depending on who you fought.”

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, and I’m pretty sure they’d be clobbering me just as much as you are right now if I tried anything like that. I’m not a fool, Swift, I know my limits.”

She waved a hoof for emphasis as she replied, “That’s because you’re going about this whole combat thing all wrong. Think about it. You’re trying to match my strength with your own and you’re losing. What can you use that I would never be able to do in a million moons?”

I raised one eyebrow in confusion, “Not sure what you mean. What can I do that you can’t? We’re both ground-bound, and I know you don’t have any magic that you can use against me other than your strength.”

Swift’s expression darkened as she took a step towards me, “You’re thinking in straight lines, Sarah, you need to think outside the box in order to beat me. Think, what can your Auramancy abilities do that I can’t?”

I held my hand against my chin for a moment, thinking on what she had said. Sure, I could increase my strength but that was getting me nowhere, so what else could I use to get the upper hand? Then, it hit me.

I snapped my fingers in realization, “I can increase my speed to outmaneuver you.” I performed a spectacular facepalm as I growled under my breath, “How could I have missed that?”

Swift smiled and picked up her sword before sheathing it, “That’s the kind of thinking that will allow you to beat the commanders in a fight. They’ll be so stuck in their ways that they won’t see stuff like that coming if you pull something out of the blue. Use that to your advantage, and you’ll be surprised what you can achieve.” She glanced up at the sun and nodded once, “Alright, I’d say we can have one more fight and then we can call it a day. We’ve been at this for almost four hours.”

I nodded, keenly aware of how my body was starting to have that ‘lived-in’ smell I hated, “Agreed. I could use some dinner if Spike has gotten things going in the kitchen.”

Swift returned my nod, “Then once more, come at me with everything you have, or this time I won’t pull my strikes.”

She drew her blade and fell into a combat crouch, allowing me to lift my blade into a guard stance as we squared off against one another. For a moment neither of us moved, as if we had been frozen in that one moment before the battle. Then, a gust of wind picked up some of the dust from the track and blew it between us, creating a split second where neither of us could see the other.

I took that moment as my chance to strike. My legs ignited in a blue and yellow glow as I sprinted to the left, taking Swift’s momentary surprise as a chance to flank her before she could counter. I came in from her right and slammed my blade against hers, ringing both our ears as the metal screeched in protest. Swift made a move to overpower me using her strength, but I disengaged and spun around behind her, causing her blade to swing through open air as the flat of my own slapped against her hindquarters.

Swift yelped in pain and shock as her tail tucked between her legs in reflex, and I laughed at the indignant blush that overcame her features as she rounded on me. She couldn’t speak with the blade in her mouth, but the murderous look she sent my way spoke volumes of how much she disliked my little trick.

I lifted my blade between us once more and grinned, “What’s the matter, Swift, don’t like it when the shoe in on the other hoof?”

She growled and charged at me, swinging in an overhead arc as she reared onto her hind legs to slam her blade into my shoulder. The blade was turned so that the flat would impact my flesh instead of the deadly edge, but it would still hurt like hell, as the various bruises on my legs, arms and back could attest.

I dodged to the side as her blade whistled past my arm, smiling to myself as her weight overextended her strike and buried the metal a good five inches into the dirt. Before she could react, I swung my blade at her own shoulder and clubbed her right leg just below the joint. Swift hissed in pain but refused to let go of her sword, shutting her eyes in concentration as she heaved back and yanked the blade free of the ground. She parried my next strike and swung back around at my real leg, forcing me to jump back or risk getting bashed upside the shin.

By this point we were both panting hard, and I could feel the sweat running down my cheeks and neck as several drops fell from Swift’s chin. We squared off for a second or two before we both lunged at one another, swinging our blades for all our worth at one another as I channeled as much power into my arms and legs as I could stand. We clashed swords and I could feel the impact in my bones as Swift grunted from the strain. We battled for supremacy for a good ten seconds before I rotated my wrist and hooked my blade under Swift’s. Her eyes widened as I jerked her head at an odd angle, forcing her to release the hilt or risk getting flipped onto her back from the rotation. I flung her sword away and leveled the edge against her neck, a triumphant smile on my lips as Swift tilted her head back to avoid the cold steel.

“Had enough yet?” I asked.

Swift smiled in return, “Alright, you got me.” She stepped back as I removed my blade from her flesh and sheathed it at my hip, “Just don’t get cocky or else somepony is going to pound you into the dirt for your trouble.”

I nodded, feeling the chill in my arms and legs that accompanied the retreat of my energy as it returned to my core, “I’ll keep that in mind. Good match all the same. I’m pretty sure I haven’t had to work that hard in a fight in years.”

Swift inclined her head and smirked, “Worked you over better than those chumps you call the army back home?”

I rolled my eyes, “Nah, just trying not to pound your behind too hard into the dirt so that way Celestia doesn’t roast my ass for beating the snot out of one of her guards.”

Swift chuckled as she walked up, bumping my hip with her own as she picked up her own sword and sheathed it, “Don’t let the commanders hear you say that. You might be getting better, but you’ve still got a long way to go before you can say you’re the best.”

I rolled my eyes, “Yes mom.” My next comment was interrupted by my stomach growling, “Now about that dinner. We were going to get something to eat once we finished, right?”

Swift nodded her agreement, even as her own stomach rumbled its accession, “I think a good meal is in order after all of that. Come on, let’s get inside and cleaned up so that way you don’t stink up the dining hall with your body odor.”

I smacked her upside the head with one hand as I fell in at her side, “Said the walking salt lick. I’m positive your fur is going to be a good deal harder to clean than my skin. Plus, I’m pretty sure you were sweating a bit more than me by the end there, Major Misstep.”

Swift tried and failed to contain the sarcasm that laced her voice, “And here we go, trash talking my skills because you managed to get one over on me for a change.” She gave me a half-hearted kick in the shin with her hind hoof, “Spare me the commentary until we finish eating, I’m too worn out to give you a good verbal thrashing right now.”

I let the kick slide, given I kind of deserved it for my little dig, and followed Swift into the castle as the smell of cooked fruits and vegetables washed over us. We both stopped dead in the doorway to smell the air, and made the unanimous decision to take a faster shower than usual as we made our way through the halls. Rule number nine in the Ranger Corps, cleanliness is godliness, but only if the CO hasn’t used up all the hot water.

As we were making our way through the castle, I began to notice something odd. My eyes had taken note of the carpet on the floor that looked an awful lot like Discord, only it seemed to be more of a prank than anything else. Yet as we walked along, I began to see more and more of them, even inside rooms that had no real business having a rug of that size. Finally, after seeing the fifth carpet in one of the side rooms, I tapped Swift on the shoulder and jerked a thumb over my shoulder to indicate the previous decoration.

“Is it just me or did Twilight put a bunch of Discord carpets all over the castle to mess with us once we got back?” I asked once she turned to face me.

The color drained from Swift’s face faster then I could blink, and a look of pure horror came over her expression as she glanced behind us and spotted the aforementioned décor.

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as her pupils shrank to pinpricks, “Sweet Celestia, no. It can’t be him.”

“Him?” I inquired.

Swift shushed me and pushed against my back with her head as she directed me further down the hall, “Don’t say anything, don’t look at him, don’t engage with him. If he’s here then I’m sure Princess Twilight already knows, but until we can get a read on the situation, don’t interact with that carpet in any way.”

I lifted one eyebrow at her strange behavior, “You do realize you’re talking about holding a conversation with a piece of furniture, right?”

Swift apparently wasn’t paying attention to me as she bodily shoved me into my room, “Take your shower and get to the dining hall. I’ll explain once we get there. And whatever you do, don’t do anything to engage with that carpet.”

With that she sprinted off down the hall in the direction of Twilight’s library, leaving me standing in the doorway of my room with a very confused expression.

“What the hell was that all about?” I muttered to myself as I walked into my room, noting that once again, a Discord carpet was hanging out center stage on my floor.

I rolled my eyes as I walked into my bathroom, “At least Twilight’s thorough, although I don’t get why Swift was so bent out of shape. It’s just a carpet.”

“Pardon me, madam,” an all-too-familiar voice called out from behind me as I opened the door to my bathroom, “but I’ll have you know I am the best carpet in all of Equestria. Do give me some credit where it is due for diligence and commitment.”

I froze mid-step in the doorway and spun around, my eyes locking onto the carpet as it lifted its head and waved one lion paw at me, “Salutations, and welcome back.”

I growled under my breath as my mind put two and two together, “Did Sun-Butt put you up to this? Did she make you come here and act like a carpet just to mess with me and my friends?”

One eyebrow rose on the carpet’s face, “Whatever do you mean? I am a carpet, covering floors is what I do.” A look of realization seemed to cross his mismatched expression as his eyes widened, “Oh how silly of me, you must think I’m that buffoon Discord. Allow me to correct that misconception.” The carpet rose up slightly and bent one limp leg under its form in a facsimile of a bow, “Carpet Sense, at your service.”

Now it was my turn to lift and eyebrow, “Carpet Sense? Who in their right mind would come up with a name like that?”

The newly dubbed Carpet Sense shrugged, “Ask Princess Luna. She’s the one who seems to have some crazy notion that my name had to have some semblance of meaning pertaining to my purpose and personality. Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is. I am a carpet, it’s what I do, regardless of what ponies call me.”

I relaxed slightly, feeling a little less on edge now that I had at least some idea of what was going on, “So what are you doing in Twilight’s castle? Are you some kind of crazy gift Celestia gave to her for kicks?”

Carpet Sense growled slightly, “Gift my furry behind. I’ll have you know that I am taking good care of this place, just as I am for Canterlot Castle. You would do well to remember that next time you need something done around here.”

My eyes narrowed in confusion, my shower mostly forgotten as I stepped up and knelt down next to the apparently living furniture, “So what exactly do you mean by that? Are you some kind of caretaker or something?”

He opened his mouth to reply, paused, opened his mouth again, and then closed it again as he held a claw to his chin, “You know, I never thought about it like that. I guess that’s one way you could look at it.” He seemed to come to a decision as he nodded to himself, “Yes, I like that idea. I believe you are correct, miss Sarah, I am a caretaker of sorts, although what I do exactly inside this castle isn’t much of your concern. Mostly it’s just covering the floors and keeping an eye on the place while you and the ponies go about your days.”

I nodded, starting to feel a bit more at ease around the sentient rug, “Well then I guess I’ll be seeing you around the castle. Is there anything else I need to know about you, or are you just going to lie there all day?”

One eyebrow rose as he gave me a long-suffering look, “Not you too. I thought for a moment that you wouldn’t be as dense as the ponies seem to be, but I guess I was wrong. To answer your question,” he cleared his throat like he was giving a speech, “I am a carpet, it’s what I do.”

I snickered as I stood up and turned around, calling out one last line as I walked to the bathroom once more, “Whatever you say, just don’t let me catch you lying down on the job or else I’ll have to replace you with something that can tell better jokes.”

A sigh was my answer as I closed the door, although I thought I could hear him muttering to himself as I got the water running. I smirked, knowing that messing with Carpet Sense would be a good way to keep my wits sharp, if the previous conversation was anything to go by. I almost felt sorry for my friends, but I quickly got over the feeling as I washed my hair. If they couldn’t take a little sarcasm or dry humor now and again, then getting along with me would be next to impossible compared to Carpet Sense’s little quips.

Once I was clean and fresh, I dressed in a more casual pair of jeans and a navy-blue T-shirt, hoping against hope that Swift would loosen up enough to forego her armor for once. I liked the mare better than most, but even she could get a little clingy when it came to her armor. I had yet to see her without it, and it was really starting to drive me crazy that she couldn’t be more casual around me and my friends. Then again, she was acting as my guard detail while I trained in Auramancy, so I guess she was technically required to wear it while on duty. The only problem was, she never seemed to be off duty when she was around me. I liked to have a closer relationship with my comrades in arms, such as back home when I would go out with the guys for drinks or have a poker night while at the FOB*. It was a good way to strengthen relations between members of the squad and not being able to do that with Swift was starting to rub me the wrong way.

I let out a sigh as I walked into the dining room, noting yet another Carpet Sense on the floor under the center table as I took my seat on Twilight’s right. Said alicorn was engrossed in a book, as usual, and paid me no mind as she filed through page after page. She only looked up after I cleared my throat, and even then she didn’t seem to recognize me until I lifted an eyebrow at her.

“Oh!” She seemed to pull herself out of her daze as a beaming smile crossed her lips, “Hi, Sarah. I wasn’t expecting you until later. I thought you’d be outside training with Major Blade until after sunset.”

I returned her smile, writing off her absentmindedness as just Twilight being Twilight, “Yeah, we were going at it pretty hard, so we worked up an appetite after a few hours of pounding each other into the ground.” My stomach once again made itself known, causing me to blush while Twilight hid a giggle behind her hoof, “See what I mean?”

She nodded in agreement as the door on the left side of the room opened, revealing Spike carrying a trio of plates in his claws and tail as Swift walked in through the main entrance. She was still dressed in her armor, much to my annoyance, but smiled none the less for both Twilight and myself as she took her seat on my right.

“So, what’s for dinner tonight?” Swift asked as she sat down.

Spike slid the platters onto the table in front of us and grinned widely, “It’s a special recipe of mine. Dragon-fire greens with roasted apples and a rich chili sauce for extra body.” He pulled the lids off the plates and my nose was assaulted by a blast of spices and smoky after scents as a puff of steam rose from the table.

I stared in open wonder at the food before me, feeling my mouth water as the smell permeated my mind with pure bliss. The food looked as good as it smelled, and that was saying something. Peppers that looked like they had been cooked over an open flame accompanied by sliced apples that were a rich golden brown. Top all of that off with thick bean chili and mounds of melted cheese, and I was threatening to drool on the table if I hadn’t swallowed first.

Swift and Twilight were faring no better than me, and I could see the raw pride on Spike’s face as we slowly dug into the food. The first bite sent spikes of joy straight from my mouth to my brain, and I couldn’t help the hum of enjoyment that escaped my lips as I started shoveling the food into my mouth. Swift was doing the same while Twilight watched us with wide eyes, her own food taking a subtler journey into her mouth as she tried to contain her mirth at the pair of us demolishing our dishes.

“Somepony was certainly hungry,” she said through a smirk as she took a bite of her own food, “you weren’t kidding when you said you worked up an appetite.”

Swift nodded as she swallowed her food, “You try going five hours straight pounding somepony’s flank and then talk to me about being hungry.” She jerked her head in my direction, “This one needed help getting her brain out of the rut she stuck herself into, so it took longer than I expected.”

I ignored the jab sent my direction in favor of the food in front of me, pausing mid-bite to cover my mouth as I let out a huge yawn. “Oh, ‘xcuse me. I must be more worn out than I thought.”

Twilight nodded, “Combining your physical workout with your Auramancy training has put a strain on your body that it isn’t used to. I’m shocked you lasted as long as you did before wearing out.” She smiled softly as she closed her book and set it down next to her plate, “Why don’t you head to bed and get some sleep? I’m sure you’ll feel much better in the morning if you get a full night’s rest.”

I nodded my agreement, spying Spike as he walked out with another plate of chili for himself, “That sounds great. Well,” I stood up and walked over to the door, “I’ll see you in the morning.” I tossed a two-finger salute Swift’s direction, which she returned before I walked out into the hallway and shut the door.

The journey to my room was becoming more familiar to me as time went on, and I got the feeling I was beginning to learn the layout of Twilight’s castle. I found my room with relative ease and got undressed before my mind could even process the action. My face hit the pillow and the covers seemed to fold over my body on their own as I curled up into a ball. The funny thing was, I remembered that Swift was going to warn me about Carpet Sense at dinner, but had apparently forgotten to do so. I smirked at her short-term memory and cuddled against my pillow, letting myself fall into dreamland as the soft light of Luna’s moon washed over me through the open window. The last thing I remembered before passing out was Carpet Sense wishing me a good night.

Gunfire rained down on our position while dust and sand blew through the small town like hail, narrowing visibility to nearly nothing as Sergeant Clyde “Kipper” Simmons hunkered behind a wall on my left. The wind howling around us and the machinegun storm that surrounded our position made it nearly impossible to hear the rest of my squad over the radio, and to make matters worse, we had lost contact with home base because of the damn weather. Now we had no idea where the enemy was, and without air support we were completely at the mercy of mother nature and the deadly shadows that she hid.

Kipper tapped me on the shoulder and yelled something over the wind, but I couldn’t make it out with my helmet in the way. I shook my head and signaled with my hands that verbal communication was a no-go, so he held his hand to his headset and used the radio to talk instead.

“I don’t think we can take much more of this,” his barely audible voice said into my ear, “I can’t raise the rest of the squad on the short-wave and these Talis are making it a pain in my ass to shoot them.”

I nodded, although my agreement was interrupted as more gunfire peppered our position, throwing up chunks of dirt and dust from the bricks we had taken shelter behind. I ducked down and hid as a bullet pinged off my helmet, and I watched in horror as Kipper was blasted dead center in the chest as a quartet of bullets tore his uniform to shreds. I screamed his name, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me, and I watched as he clutched his chest with both hands, his rifle falling to the ground as he fell backwards and landed flat in the dirt.

I forgot about my own safety as I raced from cover and dragged his body back into the safety of the brick wall, pressing my hands to his chest in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. Tears of hate and pain ran down my cheeks as he gripped my hands with his own as his fingers shook from impending shock. He looked me in the eyes and smiled, even though the light was already fading from his green orbs. His last act was to pick up his rifle, sling it over my shoulder, and cup my cheek with his free hand as he mouthed out a single sentence.

“Make them bleed.”

With that, his arms fell limp and his sightless eyes stared off into the sky above my right shoulder, leaving me clutching his chest as his blood stained my gloves and sleeves red. With no time to waste, and with no way to secure his body, I did the only thing I could. I pulled his dog tags off and slipped them into my pocket, racking a round in my rifle as I stood up and saluted my fallen squad mate. With that done, I slipped away into the dust, hoping beyond hope that nobody had killed the bastard that had shot Kipper, because that slimy asshole was mine now.

Ducking through alleys and slipped behind brick walls made my movements slow going, but at least I could start to see more than ten feet in any direction. The storm was beginning to fade, and with it came visibility. Finally, I managed to find a spot where I could shoot from with relative ease, and slipped Kipper’s rifle off my shoulder so I could move a bit easier. With my sights set on the muzzle flashes ahead of me, I sighted in my scope and started taking pot shots at the Taliban that were peppering the Marines that had been sent into the town with us. I downed man after man as my rifle kicked back with each shot, the thrill of the hunt making my blood boil as I remembered Kipper’s final words.

All of a sudden, I heard screaming from my left, coming towards me at a rapid pace. I spun around and sighted in my rifle without even thinking, squeezing off the round as it pounded into the robed figure that was charging me with an AK-74 in his grip. He went down like a ton of bricks, and I was about to start shooting the other position again when something caught my eye.

I slowly stood up and walked over to the corpse, noticing for the first time that the rifle seemed to be a lot bigger compared to the body than I was used to. I knelt down and slowly lifted the headcloth off of the man, only to freeze in shock at what lay before me.

His youthful features marked him as maybe ten or eleven years old, his open mouth missing a few baby teeth as his eyes stared at the rock next to his head in abject terror. I stumbled back, falling onto my butt as I tried and failed to look away from the person, no, child, that I had just killed.

“No,” the word escaped my mouth before I could even think it, “no, no, no, no.”

My legs moved of their own volition and carried me back to the body, my arms flipping his scrawny frame with ease as my fingers pressed into his neck, searching in vain for a pulse. When it was clear that the child was dead, my mind snapped into a clarity I had never felt before. I had just murdered a child in cold blood. I had just killed a boy who couldn’t have been older than my nephew back in the states.

I turned my head to the side as my stomach heaved, my army rations making a return appearance as my puke painted the rocks on the building floor. I gagged as my gut tried and failed to keep things coming, but there was nothing left to purge, leaving me dry heaving for several minutes as my mind flashed back to the instant I shot him over and over again.

My brain was going in loops, and I could feel my mind started to shut down as the face of my nephew appeared over the face of the child. I screamed at the top of my lungs as sobs wracked my body from head to toe, and I buried my face in my hands as his blood stained my cheeks and hair. Red tears poured over my fingers, staining my pants with dots of blood as they dripped from my chin and onto my thighs. At that moment, I could have died at the hands of a bullet or knife, and nothing could have compared to the pure agony that my mind was undergoing as I cried out like I had lost my own son.

“ENOUGH!” The echoing cry shattered the dream around me, shocking me out of my frazzled state of mind and bringing me back to reality as the dream solidified into a familiar candle-lit room.

I turned to face the speaker who had intruded on my mindscape, and returned to weeping as Princess Luna walked up to me and wrapped her wings around my shaking body. I pulled her as close to me as I could, burying my face in her neck fur as tears of relief streamed down my cheeks.

She shushed me gently as she wrapped her forehooves around my shoulders, rubbing my hair gently with her cheek as we slowly rocked back and forth. “It’s alright now. That memory is gone and you have no reason to fear its return this night. We art here to ensure your pain ends, at least for tonight.”

I sniffed thickly, taking note that Luna wasn’t offended by me staining her coat with tears, “But it will be back, just as it always does.” I pushed away from Luna and turned my head in shame, “I murdered a child, Luna, you saw it. How can I ever forgive myself for doing such a horrible thing?”

She tilted my head up with her hoof and smiled softly at me, “The same way my subjects forgave me for my sins as Nightmare Moon, and how I forgave myself. Time will not erase the pain of your misdeeds, but time can help to make the pain bearable, especially with the help of those you care for, and who care for you.”

Her horn ignited and a pair of ponies formed out of the darkness at the edge of the room, taking on features that I was all too familiar with as Lyra and Bon-Bon stepped into the light.

“There are those who love you as a friend,” Luna said softly as Twilight, Swift and the other girls stepped into the light next to Lyra and Bon-Bon, “and those who love you as much more than a friend. Let them carry your burden with you, lest you fall to madness and despair as I once did so long ago. Let them support you in your times of need and do not forget that there is always strength in the love of those we hold dear.”

I wiped my eyes and nodded, even though the pain of my actions still burned in my chest like a knife, “I-I’ll try Princess.”

Luna shook her head slowly, “Nay, child, to thee, we shall always be just Luna. Unless you are uncomfortable because of this, I would like to call you a friend.”

I felt my lips curling into a smile as I hugged her again, “I think I would like that, Luna.”

Her hooves rubbed over my shoulders as her mane tickled my cheek, and I felt her hum in appreciation as the images of my friends began to fade, “Then I wish thee a good night. No more dreams of the past will haunt thee this night, and I will be sure to send a little something to remind you of how much we appreciate all you are doing for us.” The touch of her body against mine began to fade as her voice took on an echoing quality, “Pleasant slumber Sarah Lovegood, and good tidings for when thee awakens upon the morrow.”

With that, my mind slipped into the true darkness of deep sleep, and it wasn’t until my eyes opened the next morning that I realized what had happened. Luna knew my darkest secret, and she hadn’t cast me out for what I had done. I rolled onto my feet and slipped into my clothing for the day, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn’t share what she had seen with anyone. I prayed that she was right, and that my friends would accept me as I was, even after everything I had done, but I still wasn’t comfortable sharing that particular memory with anyone just yet. Maybe in the future, once all this crazy stuff with the necromancers was finished, but not now.

I walked out of my room and into the dining hall, hoping that Spike was an early riser like I was, and was surprised to see Twilight, and Swift waiting with him at the table with concerned looks on their faces.

I swallowed thickly, thinking my worst fears were about to come true, and cleared my throat to announce my presence, “Um, hi everyone, what’s going on?”

All three beings turned to face me, and I saw the unopened scrolls sitting before Twilight, tied off with a blue ribbon and sealed with Luna’s mark on the silver wax.

“We were hoping you could tell us.” Twilight replied as she picked up the scrolls in her magic and floated them over to me, “These arrived first thing this morning, and they’re addressed to you.”

“Really?” I asked, taking note of the flowing hand, er, hornwriting that seemed to dance across the note attached to the first scroll.

Please give this address to Captain Sarah Lovegood upon her awakening. It contains important information concerning her station as a royal guard instructor as well as the concerns stated previously about her need for Equestrian currency.

Taking a moment to glance at my friends, I broke the seal on the first scroll and unrolled it so I could get a look inside. I cleared my throat before reading it out loud for the benefit on the others, hoping that it wasn’t something about what had happened last night.

“To the human known as Captain Sarah Lovegood,” I narrated, “this is a formal declaration and commission upon which thou canst agree or decline the position of Captain within the Equestrian military.” My eyes widened as I heard one of the girls gasp, “Thou will be compensated for thoust time and efforts training the Equestrian army with a total of six hundred bits per week, as is standard for thoust assumed pay grade. Also included, is a hazard bonus awarded for thoust service and the risks involved concerning the enemy thou will face in the future. Should thou wish to accept this commission into the Equestrian ranks, simply sign thy name at the bottom of this scroll, and it will return to Us for proper filing. If thou dost not wish to accept this position, then simply have Princess Twilight Sparkle return this scroll unsigned and We shall look for another means to repay your service. We understand if thou needs time to take this in and think upon thy decision, but please reply within the earliest convenience so that the proper actions can be taken depending on thy choice. Happy tidings and a good morning, Princess Luna.”

I looked up from the scroll and saw that all three of my companions were staring at me with gob-smacked expressions. Luckily, they snapped out of it pretty fast as Twilight’s wings sprang open in excitement.

“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it!” She flew over to me and enveloped me in a wing and forehoof hug, “I’m so happy for you! If you do this then you can be part of the army like my brother, maybe even serve with him when the battle against the necromancers comes around!”

I rolled my eyes but accepted the hug anyway, “I hope you realize that I haven’t decided to join up yet.” I didn’t bother telling her that I had already kind of accepted back when the princesses had visited, given she was there for that little bit too. She was a smart mare, she’d figure it out.

“So how much did you get in hazard pay?” Spike asked with wide eyes, “A few dozen bits, a hundred?”

I undid the second scroll once Twilight climbed off of me and flew back to her seat, “Let’s see, it says here that I can redeem this deposit note at any Equestrian bank for a total of,” I sputtered as I got a look at the grand total, “FIVE THOUSAND BITS?!!”

Swift performed a spectacular spit-take as she tried not to choke on her morning tea, “Say what?! The Princesses are paying you how much?!”

I flipped the note over so they could read it, “It’s all right here, with Princess Luna’s signature and everything!” I turned it back around to stare at it in disbelief, “Five thousand bits to my name and it’s all on this little piece of paper.”

We sat in silence for a moment, taking it all in as my mind tried to comprehend the sheer mass of gold I had just accumulated from the royal treasury. Then, I realized that I could use this money to by my own place. I wouldn’t have to live with Twilight anymore and I could pay for my own food instead of having to rely on my friends to get by. And that wasn’t even counting the pay from accepting the commission, if that was what I chose. Then again, it wasn’t that hard of a decision. I had already agreed to train the grunts for the royals, accepting the commission would just be icing on the cake and would give me more authority over the ponies I would be training.

Without even thinking, I plucked a feather from Twilight’s wing, earning a yelp and a dirty look for my trouble, although I found myself at a dilemma when I realized that there wasn’t any ink to be had nearby.

Twilight rolled her eyes as her horn lit up, “Fine, just remember to return that feather once you’re done with it, I don’t usually let other ponies have my feathers unless they’re really close to me.”

I nodded, dipping the quill into the inkwell before signing my name with a flourish on the commission papers. As soon as my quill left the paper, the scroll began to glow with a dark blue magic, and before our eyes it rolled itself up and disappeared with a teleportation pop. I nodded to myself, knowing that I had done what was in my own best interests, and stood up from the table.

“I’ve got something I need to do today, so I’ll see you later this afternoon.” I turned and walked out of the castle, hearing Swift gallop to catch up with me as I exited the front doors.

“So where are we going?” She asked as she fell in at my side.

“To see a pair of mares about an apology.” Was my reply.

Her eyes widened in understanding as we walked through the main streets of Ponyville, both of us waving to passerby as the inhabitants of the village went about their daily business. I had a feeling Lyra and Bon-Bon would be at Bon-Bon’s shop since it was fairly early in the day, so I led Swift up to Bon-Bon’s Sweet Delights instead of their house. I just hoped that they were willing to forgive me for what I said about them the last time we saw each other.

I paused at the front door, glancing over my shoulder at Swift for a moment as she paused in my shadow. She nodded in understanding and stepped up to the doorway, taking her post at one side while I walked through the entrance and into the shop proper. This was going to be bad enough as it was, I didn’t need the added awkwardness of having Swift standing next to me the whole time.

Bon-Bon was working the counter as I had hoped she would be, although I didn’t see Lyra at first glance. The shop was laid out much like some of the candy stores back home, with jars and glass bowls filled to the brim with sweets covering nearly every available surface. Everything from chocolate to taffy met my searching gaze, until a clearing of the throat caught my attention. I turned to face Bon-Bon, who was watching me with a narrowed gaze and a nearly invisible frown on her muzzle.

“Can I help you with something?” Her tone was warm and inviting, but the look she was giving me could have frozen molten steel if she so wished.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as her eyes bore into me, and I cleared my own throat before replying, “Um, is Lyra here at the moment? There’s something I need to talk to you both about.”

She scrutinized me for a moment, as if trying to gage what I was up to. Apparently, she wasn’t adverse to the idea of talking with me, as she ducked into the back of the shop for a moment before returning with a very floury Lyra with a chef’s hat perched upon her head.

“So, the high and mighty human has come back to tell us something after accusing us of letting our heats get the best of us. Gee, I wonder what it could be about.” Lyra’s voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, although it did earn her an elbow to the ribs from Bon-Bon.

I sat down at the counter and placed my hands together in front of me, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves before speaking, “First of all, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for assuming the worst of you two. It was wrong of me to think that you couldn’t control yourselves when I had every reason to think otherwise. I know that I messed up, and I’m willing to do almost anything to make it up to you for what I said. So as a sign of my sincerity, and as the first step to my apology, I would like to take you two out for dinner again, my treat, at any place you wish.”

Their expressions morphed from anger to uncertainty, and they shared a look before turning back to me, “Bu how will you pay for all of that?” Lyra asked, “Don’t you have to live with Twilight and Spike because you don’t have any money of your own?”

I smiled, feeling some pride in the fact that I was on the way to being self sufficient once again, “Nope. I’ve got a job now, so I can afford to pay for the meal and a whole lot more if that’s what it takes. I just want you to know that this isn’t some kind of bribery in order to buy back your trust. I just want us to put this mess behind us and work on being a trio again like we were that first night.”

Bon-Bon blushed at the memories while Lyra grinned, “Well I’m not one to shy away from free food, but I’m not going to let you off the hook just yet.” Her expression became serious as she stepped up and looked me in the eye, “You really hurt Bonnie and I when you said those things to us, so be prepared for a long, uphill climb before we completely forgive you.”

I nodded, feeling some of the weight on my chest lift as I knelt down in front of the aquamarine mare, “Think I can kick that climb off with a hug?”

She rolled her eyes but nodded all the same, “Alright, but just for a little bit.”

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders while her hooves gripped me around my ribs, and I glanced through her mane at Bon-Bon with a pleading look in my eyes. She let out a sigh and smiled as she walked up and joined our hug, and as we sat there I realized that this was something I wasn’t willing to let go of again. I cared for these mares just as they cared for me, and even though we had a rocky start, I was willing to do everything in my power to make this relationship work. Besides, who else would I have any chance with in this crazy world? I’m pretty sure a gryphon would try to dominate me, and I wouldn’t be able to stand something as hyper masculine as a minotaur. That left me with these cute ponies as possible dating partners in my new home, and frankly, I was happy with that arrangement. Sure, it was crazy to think of being in a romantic relationship with a talking equine, or multiple in this case, but compared to the other races I knew of, they were the least crazy out of all of them when it came to behavior quirks. Well, save for a few special cases like Pinkie Pie.

We broke off from the hug and sat there on the floor for a moment, just enjoying each other’s company for a while as we looked one another over for what felt like the first time. As I gazed into the eyes of the mares before me, I could swear I could feel a spark between us as we peered into each other’s hearts, and I felt my lips curling into a grin as I leaned forward. Lyra took the initiative and met me in the middle, her lips gently caressing mine as our eyes slid closed. It wasn’t a deep kiss or a truly passionate one, but it was full of emotion that something heavier wouldn’t have been able to express. We pulled away from each other, and Bon-Bon took her marefriend’s place as her own mouth connected with mine. Hers was a bit more forceful, though still tender in the right ways as she hummed in the back of her throat. I smiled as I teased the corner of her mouth with my tongue, only to start in surprise as she suddenly pulled back and pressed her hoof against my mouth.

“Ah, ah, ah,” she admonished me as a coy grin took up residence on her muzzle, “you’re still in the dog house right now, so no tongue for you until you prove yourself as our herdmate.”

I gave her an indignant pout, although the laughter in my eyes probably gave me away as I cried out in a pathetic whine, “But Bon-Bon, I wanted to kiss you like those Prench mares in the movies.”

Lyra chuckled as Bon-Bon removed her hoof from my face, “Oh don’t worry about that, Sarah. We want to do that kind of stuff just as much as you do, but a lesson must be learned about respecting the head mares of a herd, so no fun and games for you until we say you’ve earned it.”

I nodded, conceding the point as I stood back up, “Understood, then I guess I should be going. I need to get my things in order and come up with a date for our dinner. I’ve got to work around my job now, so I’ll need to figure out when I’ll be available to take you girls out for an evening.”

Bon-Bon nodded in reply, “We’ll be waiting for the news, but don’t keep us too long or we might think you’re stringing us along.”

I shook my head vehemently, “Not a chance in the world. I would never string you two along after the stunt I pulled. You have my word that I will take you two out on the town for dinner, and I will be paying for the entire meal myself as a show of my commitment to this herd.”

Lyra smiled as she tapped me on the hip with her own, “Well then you’d better get going. Wouldn’t want to lose your new job because you were bragging to us all afternoon about it.”

I rolled my eyes but took the hint, “Alright, I guess I’ll see you girls around at some point later. Until next time.”

“Until next time.” They chorused.

I walked back out of the shop and met up with Swift as she fell in on my left, her pace matching mine as we walked back towards Twilight’s castle.

“So how did it go?” Swift asked as she glanced up at me, “I assume by the grin on your face it went pretty well?”

I nodded, “I’m planning on taking them out to dinner as my apology, and they’ve got me on a short leash until I prove to them that I’m not going to betray their trust again. It’s not going to be easy or fast, but I think it’s worth it to see them happy.”

Swift chuckled, “You’re totally flank-whipped, you know that?”

I met her chuckle and raised it with a beaming grin, “If that has the same meaning as what I think it has, then you’re totally right. I’m not sure how, but those two managed to make me care for them unlike any girl I’ve ever met before. I never even knew I could feel this way about my own sex, but somehow they managed to pull it off.”

Swift gave me a lopsided grin as she bumped her rump against my thigh, “Would that night of passionate sex you had after your first date have anything to do with it?”

I could feel my cheeks burning as I kept my gaze firmly locked on the road ahead of me, “Maybe, just a little.”

Swift apparently decided she was done roasting my behind for the moment and let my comment slide, although she slid sly looks my way every once and a while as we came up to the castle entrance once more. By that time, the sun had reached its peak, and my gut was telling me it was time for lunch before we got back to training.

Needless to say, Twilight was overjoyed when I told her that I was making up with Bon-Bon and Lyra, even though I had never really told her why we had our falling out in the first place. I chose to omit exactly why we got into a fight because Spike was sitting at the table with us, so all Twilight got was the abridged version and the fact that we were now working to fix the issue. She let it go after I sent a few pointed looks Spike’s direction, but the knowing gaze she leveled on me told me I was going to share the whole story at a later date when young and impressionable ears were not around. I was fine with that, but part of me wondered why it was that Twilight was taking such an interest in my love life. Sure, she was the Princess of Friendship and all, but I thought her sister-in-law would be more up that alley, being the patron of love for all of Equestria and the Crystal Empire combined.

I let it slip from my mind as Swift and I returned to my training, and we pounded each other into the dirt until the sun was well past set. Somehow, even after learning my speed boost could outpace Swift, she was still skilled enough to keep up with me once she got my rhythm down. We parted ways and I took another shower to rid myself of the clinging dirt and sweat, falling asleep on my bed the instant my head hit the pillow, completely forgoing the sheets as my mind flipped off like a light. It was a very restful night, given I was too tired to dream, but when I woke up the next morning, I was in for a very shocking surprise. It was partly because I wasn’t going to be taking up my mantle as Captain immediately like I had thought, and because there was going to be a new addition to my training regimen that I had never imagined coming to pass.

Let me put it like this, I wasn’t the only Auramancer in Equestria anymore, and I was never going to see my new training partner coming from a million miles away. I only hoped she wouldn’t pound me into the dirt like Swift did on a regular basis, or else I’d never survive basic training, let alone the fight with the necromancers.

Author's Note

* FOB stands for Forward Operating Base in military lingo.

Sweet Celestia it's been a while since I updated this thing! I hope you guys aren't sore with me for making you wait this long for the next chapter. Anyways, I am planning on getting the next chapter for this book out and rolling in the next week or so, so keep an eye out for that because it's going to be a doosy. Also, finally, Sarah made up with Lyra and Bon-Bon! Now we just need to see how well or poorly things go from here. *Evil chuckle as I rub my hands together* Oh the things I could do to those three.

Anyways, enough out of me. Leave a like, follow if you want, and comment to your heart's content. It's nice to see all of you again after being gone so long, and I look forward to seeing you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

16 - The New Trainee

Swift and I got up early the next morning to continue my training, given Princess Luna had sent another message saying that the paperwork for my commission should be fully processed by the end of the week. So, that meant I had six days to train my own skills before I had to go and kick some butt into gear in what these ponies called a military.

Today, we were training my red, orange and yellow energies, given I had already gotten a pretty good handle on my blue energy. The only problem was that in order to use my red and orange energy, I had to get mad. That normally wasn’t such a problem, given I could control my emotions with a great deal of skill after my basic training, but it was still hard for me to get truly upset if I had nothing to be mad about. So, I had Swift provide that reason, mainly by insulting my abilities like my old drill instructor use to do back in boot camp.

An explosion rocked the grass behind the castle as my fist impacted the ground where Swift had been just a moment before, creating a crater as the orange energy around my arm created a massive detonation upon the impact sight. Warmer color energies were a lot more direct than the cooler colors, so the effects were much more outward in definition when it came to casting. Red heated my flesh to temperatures hot enough to burn an opponent’s flesh, while orange created controlled explosions that could tear armor to ribbons. Finally, yellow energy could direct and even generate powerful lightning that could overpower even a pegasus’ resistances. All and all, very powerful and very flashy abilities, but only if I could keep my emotions under control so that I didn’t burn myself out with my own energy. It was a fine balancing act between being upset and losing myself to my rage, which made today’s training all the more difficult because of who was pressing all of my buttons.

“Come on!” Swift taunted me as she raced in and slapped me on the behind with a hoof before speeding off again, “I’ve seen my grandmare hit things harder than that! Show me your true power!”

I could feel a vein in my forehead pulsing as I channeled yellow energy into my arms, feeling the sparks flying between my fingers as I brought my hands together and pointed my first two fingers like the barrel of a gun at the retreating Swift. I took a steadying breath to calm myself, hoping to avoid barbequing my trainer with lightning, and sent the energy down range.

Swift looked over her shoulder and I saw her eyes widen in fear as an arc of pure white lightning shot from my fingers and zeroed in on her armor like a magnet. Before she could move out of the way, the bolt of electricity hit her right at the base of the spine and traveled through her armor in a spectacular lightshow, causing her muscles to seize as she jerked about uncontrollably.

I cut off the flow and watched as Swift dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and I raced up to her as smoke trails traveled up and into the air from her charred fur.

“Swift!” I cried as I knelt down next to her, my fingers finding an artery in her neck in the hopes that she wasn’t hurt too badly. I breathed a sigh of relief as her strong heartbeat met my gentle touch, and I pulled back slightly as she coughed and forced her eyes open.

“Remind me not to ever piss you off.” She croaked as I helped her into a sitting position, “That hurt like a motherbucker.”

I chuckled, “Well at least I know now not to pump too much energy into my lightning unless I’m trying to hurt someone. I pulled back some of my power and I still nearly barbequed your ass. I would be impressed if I hadn’t nearly cooked you.”

Swift grunted as she stood up fully, wobbling slightly as she got her hooves under her, “Yeah, I think I’m done for today. I’ve got to go wash the soot out of my fur and I need to make sure you didn’t weld any of my armor together.” She cracked her neck before looking up at me with a grin, “Keep this up and you’ll be taking names like nopony else once you get ahold of the cadets.”

I grinned in return, “Yeah, probably best not to use any of this stuff on them, though. I’d rather not have Celestia breathing down my neck because I cooked some of the stallions in basic training.”

Swift nodded her agreement, “Definitely. Anyways, let’s head in and get some lunch. I’m starving.”

My own stomach grumbled its accession as we made our way back towards the castle, although we only got a few steps before I heard someone calling out to us from above and behind. I halfway expected Rainbow Dash to by trying something in order to challenge me to another race, but when Swift and I turned around we got something much different than the prismatic speedster we knew.

Flying in on a pair of massive red and white wings, was a gryphon, more specifically a young gryphon hen by the looks of things. Her upper body was covered in deep crimson feathers, spotted with white feathers here and there like snowflakes, while her wings were the same red on top and a pure white on the undersides. Her hindquarters were a deep golden brown in color and I noted that her flanks were adorned by a pair of basic saddlebags, although fitted for a larger creature than the ones I was used to seeing on the ponies. As she came in for a landing, I noted that here eyes were a bright ice blue, and that her hesitant smile was very quickly being overcome by what looked like nerves.

“Umm, hi,” she managed to squeak out as she touched down, waving a claw at us in greeting, “I know you don’t know me, but I’ve come here to ask a favor of the human called Sarah Lovegood.”

I glanced at Swift, only to get a shrug in response. I turned back to the hen and asked, “I’m the human called Sarah Lovegood, what do you need?”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment before riffling around in her saddlebags for a moment. A few seconds later she pulled out a scroll that was sealed with a crimson ribbon and a golden seal I was unfamiliar with. “My name is Rosie Brightwing, and I have come here on behalf of the Gryphon Empire to ask for your tutelage in the art of combat.” Her wings fluffed as she redirected her gaze to the ground in front of her claws, “I came here because my father came back from a diplomatic meeting and told me stories about this strange new being who could best even him in single combat.” Her gaze rose once more to look me in the eyes, “I asked him if I could come and train under that being so that I could be a better successor once the time comes for me to be queen.”

I took the scroll as she offered it to me, and unrolled it in order to see what it said. My eyes roamed over the page for several minutes, in which time no one spoke, until I got to the royal seal embedded in crimson wax at the bottom of the page. It was also signed by the king, and I was beginning to think that this hen might be a little side project that King Edward wanted me to take care of while I trained the Equestrian military. Why else would he send his apparent daughter all the way to Equestria in order to learn combat skills from me?

Rosie Brightwing was fidgeting on her claws as she waited for my answer, although her face rapidly brightened into a smile as I nodded several times, “Yep, things seem to be pretty cut and dried. I train you in the art of combat and then you go back to the Gryphon Empire while I get a fat sum of gold for my trouble.” I rolled up the scroll and slipped it into my back pocket, turning my full attention to the young hen in front of me, “I don’t see a problem with training you, although I need to know what kind of combat skills, if any, you have already. It will make my job a lot easier if I know how much you know.”

Rosie let out an absolutely adorable chirping noise as she bounced on her hind paws and clapped her claws together, “Oh I’m so happy you agreed. Daddy will be so proud of me once I get back.” She fell back onto all fours and walked up to me, shocking both Swift and I as she wrapped my waist in a hug, “Thank you so much for taking me on as your student. I won’t disappoint you, I promise.”

Feeling slightly awkward now, I pat her on the back of the head with one hand as I slowly pulled her off of me, “Well, like I said, I need to know what you can do before we begin training. So, what exactly do you know how to do already?”

Her smile faltered slightly before brightening again, “I know some basic sword craft from my self-defense lessons, and I can shoot a clay target from fifty lengths away with a crossbow.” She tapped her beak with a claw as she rolled her eyes skywards, “My father taught me some basic grapples and throws so I could defend myself without a weapon, although I never really was all that good with the throws.”

I stopped her with a raised hand, “I think that’s good enough, Rosie. I can tell you have the enthusiasm and some basic understanding of how to fight, but for my purposes, that means next to nothing. So, I’m going to start out at the very beginning and build you up from the ground so that way I know you’ve been trained properly. Once we get this going, I want you to pay attention to everything I say and listen to every order I give you. It might not sound all that important right now, but something like this could save your life in the future if you pay attention. Are we clear?”

She performed a perfect salute and cried out, “Yes Ma’am!”

I nodded in agreement, turning to face Swift, “Swift, why don’t you head inside and grab some food for all three of us? I’m sure Rosie is hungry after flying all the way here, and I could use a bite before we get going with her training.”

She nodded and spun around before walking back into the castle, leaving me alone with the young hen as she bounced back and forth on her paws.

I turned to face her and asked, “So how old are you, Rosie? You don’t look to be more than sixteen if I’m any judge of a gryphon’s age.”

She bristled slightly, “I’ll have you know I’m twenty-two! I just look younger than I really am is all.”

I scrutinized her expression, searching for any falsehood in her statement, but thankfully found none as I settled in to wait for Swift’s return. Before too long I heard Swift walking back up to us from behind, although from the amount of time it had taken her I assumed she had showered and checked her armor as well. I turned around and saw the earth pony walking up with a trio of platters on her back, stacked on top of one another with a flat cover over each plate.

“Spike wasn’t sure what to make for you, Rosie,” she stated as she set each platter on the ground between us, “so he just threw together a quick fruit salad with some almonds and pecans instead of making anything special.” She pulled the lid off of her own plate to reveal a large salad with tomato slices and bell peppers, “Hope you like it.”

“It’s fine,” Rosie replied as she pulled the cover off her own plate and began picking the fruit bits out with her claws, “in all honesty it’s better fare than what I normally get at the palace, even though I’m the king’s daughter.”

“Why would that be?” I asked, genuinely curious as to why that was the case, “Shouldn’t you be rolling in all the fancy food you can stomach because you’re royalty?”

Rosie shook her head, “My father made it a law that no gryphon can own anything that is not available to the rest of the citizens in order to make the noble families more humble. It also made it so that the common gryphon has access to more quality goods because it’s the only way the nobility gets to have anything for themselves. Although,” she shuddered as she seemed to remember something unpleasant, “sometimes the food gets a bit old because no one bothers to come up with new recipes because they don’t want to have to share their ideas with the rest of us. So, we end up eating the same thing over and over again with little in the means of new dishes.” She bit into a piece of strawberry and hummed in pleasure, “Now this is something I could get used to.”

Swift and I shared an uncertain glance, not truly knowing what to say in reply to Rosie’s admission. I turned back to face the gryphoness and offered her a sincere smile, “Well then I hope you learn to like it here in Equestria. You’ll be training under me for a while if things go well for you.”

Rosie smiled and burped softly, covering her beak with a claw as she blushed, “Excuse me.”

“You’re excused,” Swift replied without hesitating, although I managed to spot the little blush that had crept into the mare’s cheeks as she looked Rosie up and down, and I realized that my faithful guardian might be forming a little crush for our newest companion.

I chose to keep my opinions to myself, for now at least, just so I wouldn’t scare off Rosie with talks of romance right out of the gate. Although I made sure to file that little tidbit in the back of my mind for later, because I was going to let Swift have it about what I believed to be the case once we were alone. I was going to enjoy getting back at her for all the times she made fun of me for my own feelings, and I wasn’t going to pull punches either.

We finished our meal and piled the plates together so that we could take them back inside once we were finished with training. Even though I still wasn’t finished with my own workout, I decided to put that on hold for a moment so I could measure Rosie’s skills with and without a weapon. The hen might have been eager, but all the enthusiasm in the world wouldn’t help her if she had no talent for combat.

“Alright,” I said as I clapped my hands together, “let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

I led Rosie into the middle of the track and faced off against her with about ten paces between us. She looked uncertain at first but took a moment to breathe before settling into a combat crouch. I had seen her father take a similar stance with his sword during our duel, so I had a feeling she knew at least some basic combat tactics. One of those rules being to keep one’s center of mass low to make it harder for the enemy to knock you over.

“Good thinking,” I said as I bent my knees and turned my body to one side as my legs spread further apart, “lowering your body to make unbalancing you more difficult. I see your father taught you that much at least.”

Rosie smiled with a soft blush but didn’t comment, so I chose to make the first move by sprinting at her with my hands curled into fists and ready to strike at her head and shoulders. She used her wings to make a gliding leap to my left and I slid to a stop in the space she had just been in, raising my arms just barely fast enough to block her claw swipe with my shirt sleeve. Her claws dug in and slashed my forearm with several shallow cuts, and I heard her gasp as she fell onto all fours and stared at me with wide eyes.

“I’m so sorry!” She cried as tears sprang forth from her pinprick orbs, “I didn’t mean to, I – oof!”

She staggered back and clutched at her ribs where my fist had made contact, squeezing her eyes shut as she struggled to take in air as her three remaining legs shook in an effort to stay standing.

“Never apologize for hitting the enemy.” I said in a cold tone as I walked up and kicked her other from leg out from under her, forcing her to hit the dirt with her front half as her body curled into a ball to protect her stomach, “You are a warrior, so blood and gore are going to be a common thing on the battlefield that you will have to deal with. I’ll give you credit for drawing blood on me, although you immediately botched it by letting your guard down. Now get up. We’re not finished here just yet.”

She managed to force one eye open and let out a strangled hissing noise as she pushed herself into a sitting position, holding her ribs with one claw as she managed to get her paws under her body once again.

“I’m not done yet.” She growled out, stomping the claws that had been holding her ribs into the dirt as she squared her gaze with mine, “I’m going to get stronger if it’s the last thing I do.”

I nodded, feeling more confident in my new trainee as she leaped at me, letting out something halfway between an eagle’s screech and a lion’s roar as her outstretched claws impacted my chest. My eyes widened as her forelimbs became enveloped in a bright red flame that I was all too familiar with, and I realized that this little gryphon had something far more to learn than just basic fighting techniques. I snapped myself out of the shock as she plowed into me, and I rolled back while hooking my feet under her stomach. I ignored the burning sensation that threatened to break through my own natural defenses, and grabbed onto her front legs as I kicked her body over my head. I forced her into an uncontrolled flip as her back impacted with ground with all the force of her lunge and my legs propelling her body over mine. The air in her lungs left in a whoosh, and I heard her gasping for breath as I rolled over and pinned her wings to the ground with my knees. The glow around her paws vanished as I reached down and held her claws over her head with one hand as I secured the other to her neck. I wasn’t quite choking her, but firm enough to let her know what I could do if I wanted.

She took several moments to get her wind back, and by that point I was smiling down at her as her eyes opened and she realized the position she was in. Her expression turned sheepish, and I almost felt sorry for her as she turned her head to the side, “I’m a terrible student, aren’t I?”

I shook my head, my expression becoming firm as I released her neck and foreclaws, “There is a difference between a bad student and a new student. You are only a bad student if you aren’t willing to learn from your mistakes. However, you just did something that was very interesting. Do you remember how you felt when you lunged at me, like what kind of emotions were running through your mind?”

I climbed off of her and she flipped over onto her stomach with a confused expression, “Frustration and anger, I guess. Why? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Can you think about those emotions again, like imagine if I was yelling at you for something you didn’t do.” I wanted to see if my mind had been playing tricks on me or if I had really seen what I thought I had seen.

She gave me a raised eyebrow, “Okay, I guess I can try.”

She closed her eyes and her expression became angry as she clenched her beak and closed her claws into fists. At first nothing happened, but then, ever so slowly, the red flames began to form around her forelegs in little spirts and snaps.

“Good,” I encouraged, “keep that up. Now slowly open your eyes without losing that emotion.”

She did as I instructed, and her eyes shot wide open as she screamed like a little kid. She leaped to her paws and waved her forelegs about like they were on fire, even though there was no pain coming from the ethereal flames. As soon as her mind switched from anger to fear, the flames sputtered out, leaving her with a confused expression as she turned her claws over and back again, searching for the flames she knew had been there.

She looked up at me with wonder in her gaze once she realized she wasn’t hurt, “What was that?”

My smile widened as I walked up to her and snapped my fingers, my own blue flames igniting around my fingers as I spoke, “That, was something very special, Rosie. You just did something that is a very rare and powerful skill.” Her wide eyes followed the fire in my grip as it condensed into a ball the size of an apple, “It’s called Auramancy, and it is a very ancient form of magic that has been lost to the sands of time for almost nine hundred years. I can teach you if you want me to, along with your regular combat skills, if that is what you want. Right now, I’m learning how to control my own Auramancy abilities, so working with you will help me to get stronger as well.”

Her gaze snapped back and forth between my face and the ball of blue fire in my hand, her expression one of wonder and awe as she held up her own claws and clenched them into fists. She smiled as a hard look filled her eyes, and for a brief second, a few flickers of red fire danced around her claws before fading to nothing once more.

She looked up at me with a new determination in her gaze, “Teach me, please. I want to lean everything I can.”

I nodded, extinguishing my own flames as the energy returned to my core, “Then welcome aboard, Rosie. I think this is going to be the start of a wonderful relationship between you and me. Just don’t let this go to your head, or I’ll smack your face so hard your head will end up facing your rump. Understand?”

She snapped into a salute, “Yes Ma’am!”

I smiled, turning to face Swift as the shocked mare managed to get her brain back under control, “Well, shall we see if Twilight is willing to spare another room?”

Swift nodded dumbly, apparently still a bit overwhelmed by the new developments she had just been witness to. She turned around and led us back into the castle, picking up the platters and settling them over her shoulders as she pushed the front doors open with a hoof.

I pat Rosie on the back as her wings ruffled in nervous twitches, “Don’t worry. Princess Twilight is a very calm and collected pony. She won’t get bent out of shape because you need a place to stay. And besides, if absolutely necessary, I can rent a place in town for you, me and Swift if the need should arise.”

My words seemed to have a calming effect on the hen, her head lifting a bit higher and her shoulders squaring as she fell in on my left side. It was definitely an improvement to the shy and apologetic gryphon I had seen so far, but we were a long way from turning her into a hard and cold-blooded warrior.

Twilight was, as usual, in her library reading a large collection of books, although this time she seemed to be focusing on some of the items that belonged to me before she waylaid my stuff for her own personal uses. Which reminded me, I still needed to get the rest of my stuff back from her if she wasn’t going to bother with returning them of her own free will.

In any case, Twilight was too wrapped up in her notes to pay our entrance any attention, although she did look up when I cleared my throat.

“Oh, what’s going on, Sarah?” She asked as she levitated the stack of books and one of my tent poles to the other side of the table, “I wasn’t expecting you until later this afternoon.” Her gaze settled onto Rosie and her eyes widened slightly, “Who’s your friend?”

I indicated Rosie with one hand, “Twilight, meet Princess Rosie Brightwing. Rosie, meet Princess Twilight Sparkle.” I smiled as their eyes widened in almost perfect unison, “You should see your faces right now. It’s adorable.”

Rosie blushed deeply as Twilight sent me a mild glare, although the purple alicorn rapidly returned her attention to my gryphon companion with interest brimming in her gaze, “So what are you doing here in Equestria? I would think your father would have at least sent a guard contingent if his only daughter was visiting another country, or sent some kind of advance notice so that we could properly receive you.”

Rosie rubbed her foreleg with her other claw, her expression sheepish as she ducked her head, “Well, you see, I’m here on personal business, not for a royal duty. My father wanted me to train under the human that bested him in personal combat, so I asked him if we could skip the guards and ceremony so that way it wouldn’t turn into a big event with the nobility. I like you ponies all right,” she shuddered as her eyes lit up with disgust, “but those nobles of yours are about as polite as an eel when it comes to foreigners.”

Twilight nodded her agreement while Swift simply rolled her eyes. I hadn’t had the displeasure of running into any of the nobility yet, so that was a small blessing if ever there was one, although with my new position as a captain in the guard that might not hold true for every long.

“So, will you be needing a place to stay while you train with Captain Lovegood?” Twilight asked.

Rosie nodded again, her cheeks flushing as she gave her fellow princess an apologetic smile, “I really don’t like having to beg for a room, but without any bits to my name I don’t have any other options.”

Twilight nodded, “I understand completely. The exchange rate for gryphon talons to Equestrian bits is a fairly large number, so you’d need a large amount of your own money just to have spending change here. I don’t blame you in the slightest for asking to stay here, the rent on a small cottage would take several hundred talons per month in equivalent bits. Did you bring any sort of meat broker with you or will you be eating like we do during your stay in Equestria?”

Rosie’s stomach grumbled at the mention of meat, “I hadn’t thought of that in all honesty. I was hoping you would have some fish that I could use for my own needs while I was here.”

“Oh, trust me,” I said with an eye roll, “they’ve got plenty of fish. It’s practically all I live off of when it comes to getting my protein requirements.”

Rosie nodded, “Alright, I guess that will do.” She turned back to Twilight, “Would you mind if I settled in and got my things unpacked? It’s been a long journey and my wings are aching from all the flying I’ve been doing.”

Twilight smiled and indicated the door on the left side of the room, “The guest wing is two halls down that way and the third door on the right.” Upon seeing Rosie’s confused expression, she turned to Swift with a pleading look, “Major Blade, would you mind showing our guest to one of the spare rooms? I think it’s going to take a little bit before she knows her way around the castle.”

Swift saluted her with a smile, “It would be my pleasure.” She turned to face a decidedly tired looking Rosie with a kind smile, “Come along Your Highness, your chambers await.”

“Just Rosie is fine,” she replied as they walked out of the room, “I prefer my name to my title even during court. It makes it easier to relate to the common gryphon if we speak using our names.”

Swift nodded her agreement as they closed the door behind them, leaving me alone with Twilight for a moment before she cleared her throat pointedly.

“So,” she began as she leveled a hard glare my direction, “there’s something that you told me about earlier that you refused to go into detail with, and I understand your reasons for withholding information. However, as your host and as your friend, I ask that you fill me in on what truly happened that led up to your fight with Lyra and Bon-Bon.”

I rolled my eyes with a groan, “Do I have to? It’s already awkward enough as it is trying to make up for my mistake to those two. I don’t need you breathing down my neck about it as well.”

“Who said anything about breathing down your neck?” She replied, “All I ask is that you share what happened so that way I can understand why you were upset with each other. It’s also so I can help you avoid things like that in the future if you run into similar trouble.”

I slid a hand down my face, “You’re not going to let this go until I tell you, are you?”

She shook her head and crossed her forehooves in an expectant manner as she tilted her head to one side. I had to resist the urge to rub her ears as the mental image of a cat overlaid her body in my mind, and I shook my head to focus it as I sat down on the couch facing Twilight.

“This isn’t going to be a pretty story,” I warned her, “just so you know.”

“Friendships can be messy,” Twilight said calmly, “I understand that better than most given my own circle of friends and the antics we get into on a regular basis. I’m sure your own problem wasn’t all that much different.”

I snorted in amusement at the idea of Twilight getting into a fight with one of her friends after having hot sex the night before, but quickly snuffed that thought like a candle. I didn’t need to add to my problems by coming up with crazy ideas when I was already in hot water as it was.

“Well, the whole thing started when Lyra and Bon-Bon took me out on that date I told you about. Things went pretty well, all things considered, and they invited me back to their place to hang out once we were done with our food.” Twilight’s sharp intake of breath made me chuckle, “Yeah, don’t get ahead of me here, Princess. I’m not at that point yet, although now that I think about it, it should have been obvious what they had in mind for us once we got to their house.”

Twilight’s cheeks were a dark red all the way from her jaw to her ears, “So, does that mean you, you know, did that thing with Lyra and Bon-Bon?”

I laughed at her word choice, “If by ‘that thing’ you mean we had hot lesbian sex together, then yes, we did.” Twilight sputtered for a moment, and I couldn’t help the giggles that escaped my mouth as she gaped at me like a fish, “What’s the matter, Twilight, never imagined me with a pony in that kind of situation?”

She shook her head slowly from side to side, “No, I hadn’t.” She shook her head with more force to get her mind back on track from what I assumed were some very dirty places. “Anyway,” she cleared her throat, “I assume that something happened after you three, um, did it, that caused the fight between you?”

I nodded, “Well, you see, I woke up the next morning and had a little run-in with Vinyl while I wasn’t dressed. One thing led to another and I found out not only was she in heat, but so were Lyra and Bon-Bon. I made some assumptions, words were exchanged that we all regret, and now I’m making up for my big mouth by taking Lyra and Bon-Bon out on another dinner date to try and smooth things over.”

Twilight’s expression shifted to one of confusion as she scrutinized me, “Assumptions? What did you think was going on that made you say whatever it was you said?”

I blushed in shame as my hand ran through my hair in nervous movements, “Promise you won’t get mad?”

Twilight nodded, “I promise.”

I took in a deep breath and then forced out my words before I could think about it too hard, “I accused Lyra and Bon-Bon of taking advantage of me because they couldn’t control themselves during their heat.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she gasped, “No wonder you had a fight after that! Saying that a mare can’t control herself is like saying she’d sleep with anypony she liked with no regard to who it was.” She let out a gusty breath a she stared at the coffee table between us, “I’m actually surprised you managed to get them to forgive you for saying that. Most mares wouldn’t even talk to you after insulting them with that kind of implication.”

I rubbed the back of my neck with my hand, “Yeah, I kind of learned that the hard way. At least now I know not to mess around when it comes to mares and heat. I have enough problems dealing with this relationship as it is. I don’t need to throw sex therapy into the mix.”

“What’s it like being in a herd, apart from the sex and social misunderstandings, of course.” I started at Twilight’s sudden change of topic, and I looked over at her with a raised eyebrow as she shuffled her forelegs against each other and diverted her gaze from me, “I mean, what’s it like having close relations with another mare as compared to being friends?”

“Where did this come from?” I asked as I sat back against the couch, “Two seconds ago you were asking me to tell you how I messed up and now you want to know what I think of being in a herd?” Twilight nodded with a nervous expression, and I took a moment to scrutinize her before letting out a sigh, “Fine. I guess it couldn’t hurt. Let’s see, where to start.”

Twilight leaned forward as I pondered what to say, “I guess it would be easier to explain how relationships are like friendships. It would make it a bit easier to understand for you.” I ticked off one finger, “The first major difference is that intimate relationships are far more delicate than normal friendship. You have to be careful what you say and do because hurting those you are dating will be much worse than simply saying something stupid around your friends. As you now know from my own mistakes, that can have disastrous results if not handled properly.” I ticked off a second finger, “However, there is a lot to say about romantic relationships and friendships being similar. The only thing I can think of that changes from one to the next on a personal level is the fact that you are open to much more, ahem, intimate actions between those involved.”

Twilight blushed again but managed to keep her composure, “So what would you say if I told you that I had never been in a herd?” Her expression was expectant, like she was hoping I would guess wrong to her question.

I smirked, “I’d say you have the same innocence as a newborn foal.” Her expression darkened slightly as I chuckled, “Oh don’t look at me like that. I wasn’t in my first intimate relationship until after I got my Captain’s bars. It’s not all that uncommon for a girl to wait for that special someone.”

Twilight puffed her cheeks in annoyance, “You didn’t have to make it sound like I was still a child because I haven’t, well, done that special thing with anypony.” She sighed, looking down at her forehooves with a slightly dejected expression, “I envy you, Sarah, at least because you’ve managed to find somepony special to have that connection with. I’ve just never had the confidence to put myself out there like that.”

I smiled as I sat up and reached over the table to hold her hoof, “It’s alright, Twilight. No one is going to force you into a relationship if you don’t want to. These things take time, and they usually have a way of sorting themselves out if you just have patience.”

Twilight chuckled softly, “You sound like Cadence right now.” She sighed as she reclaimed her hoof and stood up, stretching like a cat before hopping off the couch, “Thank you for sharing your personal life with me, it makes me feel better knowing that the level of trust you have in me goes that far.” She hugged me and surprised me with a soft nuzzle against my cheek, “I hope you’ll be willing to share more of your personal life with me in the future, if you’re willing to keep an open mind.”

My eyes widened slightly at what I thought she was implying, although as she pulled back from the hug there were no lidded eyes or sultry smile like I had been expecting. Instead, there was only a kind grin and a happy gaze that met my own. “I’ll see you later, Sarah. Maybe you can talk with Princess Rosie about what you’ll be doing for her training once she gets settled in.”

With that, she turned and walked out of the library, leaving me feeling rather confused and slightly aroused. Either Twilight was a master manipulator, or she had done that little bit without even realizing how it could be construed. I held a hand to my cheek where her fur had rubbed against my skin, and I realized that, aware of the fact or not, Twilight Sparkle most likely had a crush on me.

I shook my head to clear it as I stood up, “No time to think crazy thoughts. I’ve got a gryphon auramancer to train and only a week to get things going before my first assignment from Princess Luna. I’ll deal with that little bombshell later, but right now I’d better go see how Rosie is settling in.”

I found Rosie and Swift in the room directly across the hall from mine, and was thankful that Swift had apparently chosen that spot on purpose. It would make getting my new student up in the morning so much easier if I didn’t have to search the castle for her furry behind. She was in the middle of unpacking her things, what little she had with her, although I noticed that she didn’t have any weapons with her.

“Were you going to train without weapons or did you just forget to bring a sword of your own?” I asked as I walked into the room.

Rosie jumped slightly, her face and neck darkening with a blush as she stammered out a reply, “W-Well, I wasn’t sure what I needed to bring, given you only fought my father with a sword until you managed to disarm him. After that you used your hands and body to finish the fight.” She ducked her head like I was about to yell at her, “Did I do something wrong?”

I shook my head, “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just thinking about what we’ll need to do in order to have a sword made for someone of your size. A pony word is a little short for creatures like you and me, so I imagine both of us are going to need custom blades before too long.”

Her eyes brightened in excitement, “You’d do that for me?! Oh, I can’t believe it, I’m going to have a sword all for myself for the first time!”

I chuckled, “Now hold on there for just a moment. I still use pony swords for my own training, so don’t expect anything fancy until after you master the basics. You’re a long way off from getting a sword of your own, so don’t hold your breath for something that is some ways down the road.”

Rosie had the grace to look admonished, although it quickly morphed back to her usual upbeat attitude, “So what do we start training? I want to learn everything I can as soon as possible.”

I felt some measure of pride in the little hen, for one so young she was doing a great job of rolling with the punches, at least for now, “We’ll starting things off fresh in the morning. I think you could use the rest after flying all the way here. Get some sleep and I’ll wake you up in the morning for your first lesson.”

Rosie nodded before climbing into the bed, nodding to Swift and I as we walked out and closed the door behind us. I had only made it two steps before I heard the soft rumble of Rosie snoring, and I chuckled to myself as I walked back into the castle foyer. Swift tagged along behind me with a big grin on her face, and I could imagine what was running through her mind as I walked into the castle armory once again.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” I asked as I searched for another scabbard that would be useful for Rosie, given her different stature compared to a pony.

Swift rolled her eyes, “Don’t give me that innocent act. You’re coming up with a hundred and one ways to make that girl’s life miserable, aren’t you?”

I laughed as I picked up a scabbard with adjustable straps that might work for my new student, “What gave me away?”

Swift smiled as she walked up and bumped my hip with her own, “I’m a member of the armed forces too, remember? I know what goes through that crazy head of yours when you get into drill sergeant mode. Just please go easy on the poor girl at first. She’s not going to be used to having her ears blown off by a commanding officer like the grunts are.”

I turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, “Trying to mosey into her good graces by making me go easy on her, eh? Why Swift Blade, I never knew you had a heart under all that cold steel plating.”

Swift surprised me and blushed a vibrant red, even through her dark coat. She surprised me even more when she stuttered upon her reply, “S-So what if I want to go easy on her? Isn’t it a bit early to be pounding her into the dirt?”

My grin took on a devilish quality as I placed my hands on my hips, “Swift, do you have a crush on the Princess?”

She reared back like I had struck her, the blush only growing stronger as she tried and failed to look intimidating, “N-No, of course not! It wouldn’t be proper to have such feelings for foreign royalty! Where in Equestria did you get such a crazy idea?”

My knowing smirk was all the answer I needed in order to get my message across, and she scoffed at me before marching out of the armory with her head held high in indignation. I resisted the urge to yell after her that her tail was flagging like Lyra was on our first date, although I filed it away for future reference that Swift definitely had the hots for my new apprentice.

With my little bit of fun out of the way, I went back to searching what limited weaponry we had for useful items, making another mental note to have Twilight stock the armory with actual equipment if we were going to be doing any more training outside of bare hands and hooves. Swords we had, but once we got to the really big stuff with Auramancy, I had a feeling these blades were going to wear out pretty fast.

With my inventory done, I returned to my room and plugged in my earbuds, feeling that a little relaxation was in order after a hard day’s work. My mind was numbed by the calming tones of Celtic string instruments as I closed my eyes, and before I knew it I was falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon. I didn’t wake up until the next morning, and by morning I meant about three hours before sunrise. I smirked to myself as I imagined all the crazy ways I could wake up my new recruit, and rubbed my hands together like come cheesy cartoon villain as my mind began concocting various ways to make Rosie’s life a living hell.

“Better watch out, little Rosie,” I muttered under my breath as I got dressed, “because Captain Lovegood has just come out to play.”

Author's Note

Well here's another one for all of you raving fans out there. Hope you enjoy two chapters in so many days, because I am on a hot streak at the moment. :pinkiehappy: Anyways, were any of you surprised by the newest member of our cast? Did any of you have a clue that I was going to stick in a non-pony? If so, yell at me in the towel section for being predictable, because I'm clearly losing my edge. :rainbowwild:

Hope you all are liking the story thus far, and I look forward to hearing from everypony as the book continues,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

17 - Basic Training

I stood over the slumbering Rosie as a sadistic grin took its place on my lips, my hands gripping the handles of two iron skillets that I had borrowed from the kitchen. It was about ten minutes to sunrise, give or take a few, and I was going to give my new apprentice the traditional Ranger wake-up call at six in the morning. I couldn’t help the glee that filled my body to the brim as I hovered next to the bed, given I hadn’t had a chance to do this since my days at basic training back on Earth. You only get to experience a cadet’s first wake-up call once, and it becomes an addiction from the very first time. I was scratching an itch that had been left alone for years, and it was going to feel so good using my commander’s voice again after so long.

Just as the sun began to climb into the sky, I clashed the skillets together multiple times, causing Rosie to jerk and cry out like a chickadee as she floundered out of the bed and fell onto the floor. She struggled against the sheets for several minutes before managing to free herself, jerking her head around the room before settling her gaze on me.

“Rise and shine maggot!” I yelled in my best drill voice, “The sun’s up and so are we, so I don’t want to hear any bellyaching out of you unless I say so!” She lay there frozen for a moment, so I decided to get her rear in gear. “When I ask you a question the first and last things out of your beak should be Ma’am, am I understood?!”

Rosie nodded dumbly, although she quickly corrected herself as I lifted one eyebrow, “Ma’am, yes ma’am!”

I nodded approval, “Then get the lead out of your feathers and get your rear in gear. We’ve got a long day ahead of us and I don’t remember lying down on the floor being on that list. Move it, Private, or I’ll shove my boot so far up your ass you’ll be picking the gravel from my treads out of your beak!”

That got her moving, and I followed close behind her as we exited the castle and made our way over to the track, “Now give me twenty laps of the track, and make sure to sound off when you finish each one or else I’ll make you start over!”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am!” Rosie answered as she began her first lap, falling into a loping trot as she made her way around the first bend. I watched as she kept her wings tight against her body, and I nodded in approval as she completed the first half of the loop. So far, she wasn’t doing so bad, but she still had nineteen more laps to finish.

“Let’s see how much energy you’ve got left after all twenty laps.” I muttered to myself as she powered into the second lap, her face narrowed in determination as she called out loudly, “One!”

For nearly half an hour she kept at it, working off each lap with little difficulty as she counted up to twelve with next to no issues. However, by the time she got to lap fifteen, she was starting to flag in her top speed, and by the time she got to eighteen, her steps had slowed to a crawl. She was barely doing better than a walk as she completed her nineteenth lap, and I watched as she began to stumble around the first bend, her steps wildly erratic and her path wavering as she struggled to stay standing. Her breaths were coming in ragged gasps, and her beak was frothing at the corners as she struggled to keep her head from hitting the dirt. I almost felt sorry for her as she slowly made her way back around to the finish line. She stumbled over the mark and halted her steps, her legs held wide to keep her failing balance as she lifted her head to look at me.

“Twenty.” She managed to croak out between gasps.

I nodded, “Not bad, Private, but you’ve still got a long way to go before you’re in top shape. Now, since we got your legs all warmed up, we’re going to see if you can use some of that Auramancy stuff you exhibited yesterday. Show me what you can do.”

She looked at me like I had grown a second head, “Now?! After doing all that you want me to try and use that energy stuff?! Are you crazy?!”

My gaze remained level, although I hardened my eyes as I stared her into submission, “Did I ask for your opinion?” I pointed to the ground with one hand as I barked out the commands, “Drop and give me fifty push-ups for mouthing off, and you know what, why not add another twenty for making me waste valuable time teaching you discipline instead of working on your training.”

She grumbled under her breath but didn’t argue, dropping into a plank position as I began to count off the pushups, “Down, and up. That’s one Private, let’s see if you can count to ten before you need to ask your mother for help. Down, and up.”

“Two!” Rosie cried out as her forelegs shook with the effort of keeping her body off the ground.

“Two, what?” I asked as she struggled to keep herself aloft, “I don’t remember saying you could leave off the rest while working out!”

“Two, hrr, ma’am!” She forced out as she began shaking from head to tail.

I nodded, “That’s better. Let’s see if you can keep that up till you finish.”

I worked that poor hen to the ground for the next three hours, using pushups, sprints and other grueling physical labor to break her down to the bone. It was only after she was barely able to stand up straight that I called a break.

“Alright sunshine, that’s good enough for now. Take five to catch your breath and then we’ll get back to Auramancy training.”

Rosie didn’t need to be told twice. She flopped onto her stomach and groaned in discomfort as her legs curled up against her belly. Her eyes were shut tight as her muscles spasmed from time to time, and I was genuinely concerning I had pushed her too hard for the first day.

I knelt down next to her and enveloped my hands in warm green energy, placing them over her shoulder and flank as I worked my energy into her body. She hummed in relief as the cramps in her muscles began to subside, and she managed to look up at me with one eye as she lay there like a limp noodle.

“What are you doing?” She asked as I finished up and pulled my hands off of her body.

“Healing you so that way you don’t tear a muscle or pull a joint once you get up.” I replied. “I may be a hard-ass, but I’m not going to leave you in a state where you could seriously injure yourself. What kind of teacher would I be if I beat my student into a pulp and then let her body fall apart afterwards? That wouldn’t help you get stronger, that would just break you like a twig.”

Her head flopped against the dirt as her gaze traveled to stare off into space in front of her, “If this is the basics, then I shudder to think of what will happen later in my training. Maybe I’m not cut out for this kind of thing after all.”

“Now there will be none of that,” I said with some measure of force as I picked up her head and turned it so she was facing me, “you’ve done well for your first day. In fact, I’d say you’ve done better then most of the recruits I’ve trained over the years. You just need to keep at it and the rest will fall into place on its own. Don’t give up so easily. Use that frustration to drive you further, so that way once you become a warrior you will have the knowledge that you got back up and kept going, right here, right now.”

For a moment she simply stared at me, as if she hadn’t heard what I had said, then a light of determination lit up in her eyes, and she ground her beak together as she rolled onto her stomach. I stood up and stepped back as she slowly got her legs under her, pushing into a sitting position before forcing her hind legs to straighten. She shook like a leaf and she threatened to fall to either side several times, but with each wobble she grunted and held firm, forcing her body into a fully standing position before turning to face me once again.

I nodded my approval, “Very good. You’ve passed the first test.”

“Test?” She inquired, adding in a “ma’am” when I gave her another raised eyebrow.

I smirked as I realized I was pulling some kind of Shaolin mind game with this next bit, “Yes, you’ve passed the first test in mastering yourself. You have proven that your mind is stronger than your body, which is the first thing you must do before you can become a true warrior.” I tapped her on the forehead and then the center of the chest, “The mind and the heart are powerful things. A warrior knows that as long as both are stronger than the limits her body puts on itself, there is nothing she can’t overcome.”

I let Rosie ponder that for a moment before turning around, spying Swift as she walked up to our little training session with an unhappy expression. “What took you so long. Whatever happened to being my personal guard?”

“Shut up,” was the clipped reply. “I’m not in the mood right now. I had to search the entire castle for your hairless behind and I finally managed to find you out here in the open with nopony keeping an eye on you.” She growled at me as she walked up and jumped onto her hind legs, placing her forehooves on my shoulders as she glared at me, “What would have happened if the necromancers tried to take care of you while you were all on your own? Who would have been here to help you fight them off or to run for help?”

I rolled my eyes, “Relax, Swift. Rosie was here with me the entire time, so I had someone who could run for help if anything happened. You need to take a chill pill and let some of that stress go before you say something you’ll regret.”

Swift continued to glare at me for several more seconds before letting out a gusty sigh, “Fine, I’ll play it your way, but from now on you need to wake me up if you’re going to be taking the Princess out here to kick her flank into next week.” She glanced at Rosie with a worried expression, “Speaking of which, this one hasn’t been pounding you too hard into the dirt, has she?”

Rosie shook her head, much to my delight, “No ma’am. She’s been making me tougher so that way I can handle more advanced training down the road.” She looked up at me with a wide grin, “Isn’t that right, Lehrer?”

“Lehrer?” I echoed, “Want to run that by me again in English?”

Rosie seemed to realize what she had done, blushing bright red as she averted her gaze, “Oh, sorry, it’s just that Lehrer means teacher in my native language. It’s a sign of respect to be referred to as such by one’s students.” She glanced up at me with a dejected expression, “You aren’t mad at me for calling you that, are you?”

I waved off her worries, “Don’t think too much about it. I don’t care if you call me that. Just remember to use ma’am during training, or I’ll kick your sorry flank into next week for forgetting proper form of address.”

She snapped into a salute, “Yes ma’am!”

Swift whistled, “You got her trained to do that after only one morning?” She glanced up at me with awe in her gaze, “How did you manage that?”

I grinned as I walked up and ruffled Rosie’s head feathers with one hand, “Trade secret, Swift, trade secret.”

Rosie purred under my touch before stepping back, a bright blush on her face as she stammered out, “S-Sorry, it’s just that felt really nice and I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable with my purring.”

I rolled my eyes as I waved off her comment, “Don’t worry about it. Between you and the ponies I’m used to it by now. What is it with you guys and ear rubs anyways?”

Swift shrugged, “I guess our ears are more sensitive than most of us thought. I have no idea why that is, but at least it seems ponies aren’t the only ones who have that weakness.” She glanced over at Rosie and gave the hen a flirtatious wink.

Rosie averted her gaze as she hid behind one wing, “Please don’t look at me like that. It makes me feel like I’m being put on display.”

Swift’s expression quickly morphed into one of concern as she walked up to the younger gryphon, “I’m sorry Rosie. I only made that little joke because I felt like teasing you a bit.” She gently lowered her wing with one hoof to look into the gryphon’s eyes, “How about this, I promise not to make jokes about you anymore, if you forgive me for hurting your feelings, deal?”

The blush around her beak spread down Rosie’s neck and up her face as she and Swift realized that they were nearly touching each other’s faces, and they sprang apart as they averted their gazes from one another. I nearly fell over in stitches as I struggled to hold in my laughter, because it was painfully obvious that these two were going to hit if off at some point. The only question was when Swift would muster up the courage to ask Rosie out, and if the hen had the confidence at that time to accept the proposal. Of course, there was no way I was going to let either of them get away with pulling that shit in front of me. Oh no, it was all just too easy.

I clapped my hands a few times to get their attention, “Alright ladies, you can kiss and make up later. Right now we’ve got more important things to do.”

I ignored their indignant sputtering and vibrant blushes as I turned to face Rosie once again. Apparently, my firm gaze was enough to pull her out of whatever was going through her head, because she immediately snapped to attention under my scrutiny.

“Now,” I said calmly, “last time I asked you if you were willing to attempt using aura, you questioned my methods and paid the price for mouthing off. Are we going to have any problems like that in the future?”

She shook her head forcefully, “No ma’am!”

I held back a smile, “Then I suggest you have faith in my judgement, as well as in yourself. You are capable of more than you realize. You just need to believe you can do it. Now, try to use those emotions you were feeling earlier, and push them from your chest into your claws. If you do it right, you should end up with colored flames around your forelegs.

She nodded, closing her eyes while Swift and I watched on. She sat back on her haunches and clenched her claws into fists, her expression growing firmer as her eyes pressed shut. For a moment I was worried she wasn’t going about it the right way, but then I saw the telltale glint of red around her claws. It wasn’t much, and it was threatening to go out with each passing moment, but it was aura, channeled on purpose for the very first time.

Rosie didn’t even need me to tell her to open her eyes. She did that all by herself once the minute flames stabilized around her claws. Her eyes widened in shock, causing the flames to sputter for a moment, before she mastered herself and returned the flames to their original size. Each one was only about the thickness of my fingernail, and only covered about half of each fist, but it was there, and a vibrant orange-red in color.

“I, I did it.” She managed to say in awe as she unclenched her fists, allowing the small flames to form into twin balls of energy about the size of a grape. She looked up at me and Swift with wonder in her eyes, “I really did it.”

I smiled, feeling a measure of pride that she had gotten so far on only the first day. Then again, she had already been manifesting the energy, she just needed a push in the right direction to get it out on command, “Indeed, and to think you doubted me when I asked you to do this earlier.”

Rosie looked down at her claws, watching as the flames slowly absorbed back into her body, leaving her legs bare after a few moments. She returned her gaze to me and smiled, “Ma’am, can we get back to training? I want to learn more about what I can do.”

I chuckled as Swift rolled her eyes, “That was your training for today.” I forestalled her question with a raised hand, “Listen to me when I say that I want to push you further, but when it comes to Auramancy you can’t rush things like physical training. I can pound you into the dirt six ways from Sunday and you’ll be fine after a day of rest. If I overextend your abilities with aura, well, we could be looking at life-long damage to your body that no magic in the world would be able to heal. Not even my own aura abilities would be able to help you if you went into burnout from overuse of your power.”

Rosie’s expression shifted into one of uncertainty, and for good reason. Auramancy could be very dangerous if not handled properly, as the masters from my journals had stated dozens of times in their rants about overzealous students trying things they weren’t ready to do. However, I didn’t want to scare her off using her powers, so I walked up and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t be afraid of your new abilities,” I reassured her, “just remember that you need to take things one step at a time and you’ll be fine. Listen to what I ask of you and you’ll be using your power in no time at all, just have patience.”

She nodded in understanding, “I understand, Lehrer.” She bowed her head to me, “Please, can we continue with my training in the art of combat if my Auramancy training is finished for the day,” she glanced up at me with a sideways grin, “ma’am?”

I felt a grin forming on my own lips as I gave her a playful glare, “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”

In an instant, my demeanor shifted as I slipped back into ‘drill mode’, “Alright Private, since you seem so eager to get back to being pummeled into a fine paste, how about we put you through some actual combat training?” When she hesitated to reply, I barked at her in an even louder voice, “Damn it all, when I ask you a question you had better answer me or I’ll unscrew your head and turn your skull into a drinking mug!”

That snapped her out of it, casing her to snap into a salute as she stared straight ahead, “Ma’am, yes ma’am!”

“Bullshit, Private.” I countered, “You think you can handle going toe to toe with me in the ring? I bet I could take you out with one hand tied behind my back because all I see in front of me is a big, fat turkey!”

Her gaze narrowed but she didn’t rise to my bait, “Ma’am, I can handle it ma’am!”

I got right up in her face and bore my gaze directly into her own, “Look me in the eyes and tell me that you can beat me in the ring. I want to see the grit in your eyes when you tell me how much of a pussy you think I really am.” She refused to move her gaze from mine but didn’t reply, “I said look me in the eyes and tell me how badly you can beat me in the ring. What happened to all that gumption from a second ago? Did it all just up and fly away once you realized that I could kick your beak in without even breaking a sweat?”

Her eyes twitched, and I could feel the heat coming from her gaze as she replied in a tense tone, “Ma’am, no ma’am.”

A devilish grin formed on my lips as I glanced over my shoulder at Swift, “Oh, I get it, not wanting to look like a fool in front of your new marefriend, is that it?” I returned my gaze to Rosie as her cheeks flushed bright red, “Is that it? Are you so scared of looking like a little tool that you’d refuse to fight me?” I got right up in her face again and screamed, “Answer me when I am talking to you, Private!”

The corner of her beak creaked slightly as she ground her beak against itself, “Permission to speak freely, ma’am?”

I felt like this was the turning point. If she did what I thought she was going to do, then we were one step closer to seeing Rosie as a full-fledged warrior. “Granted.”

She turned her gaze to meet my own and growled out, “Buck you.”

My grin shifted from devilish to straight-up sadistic, “Oh, so you think you’ve got a pair of balls under all that soft pigeon fluff.” I fell into a combat stance as I squared off against her, “Then come at me, little bird, and let’s see what you’ve got.”

She let out a screech and charged at me, her claws igniting once again with aura as she pounded across the grass. She swiped at me and I was forced to duck as her claws sailed through the space my head had occupied just a moment before, the force of her strike waving my hair in the breeze as I planted my fist in her gut.

She wheezed as I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Channel that anger into power, but don’t let it control you. Remember, you are the master of your own body, not the other way around.”

She grunted in the affirmative before shoving me back with one claw, crouching as she began circling me like a predatory cat. I followed her with my gaze by remained in one place as she came around behind me. She paused for just a hair too long before striking, allowing me to counter with a spinning heel to the side of her head as my shoe drove her off course. She sailed by me and grunted as she landed flat on her stomach, although she quickly got back up and fell into a proper stance almost as soon as she hit the ground. There was a growing bruise under her cheek feathers where my foot had hit her, but otherwise she seemed to be handling things just fine.

“That’s it,” I egged her on, “use those emotions to keep yourself going. Remember that I’m more experienced than you, so you’re going to have to think outside the box in order to beat me.”

Her beak curled into a smile as she began circling me again, “I’ll keep that in mind, Lehrer. I won’t let you down.”

I glanced over at Swift, who gave me a nod of approval along with a nearly invisible smile. Apparently, things were going better than expected, although I knew I was probably going to pay for my little side jokes later once Swift got ahold of me for my own training.

We broke for lunch a couple hours later, nearly eating Twilight out of house and home as we packed away the food. Swift managed not to gag this time when Rosie and I had our cooked trout, although she still looked a little green around the gills as she picked away at her own salad. We moved on to armed combat after lunch, although Rosie quickly demonstrated that she had next to no actual combat experience with a blade. Forms and stances were all fine and dandy, but in a real fight one needed to be able to go with the flow of battle instead of being a brick wall.

My blade rang out as it clashed against Rosie’s, the gryphon stumbling back under my assault as I mercilessly pounded at her defenses. We had already gone over basic blocks and counterstrikes, so now it was time for her to put the things she had learned from me and Swift into practice. The only problem she seemed to be having was getting her wings under her, so to speak, and actually trying to hit me with the sword. We were using actual blades, so the edges were sharp, and she lacked the skill to hit me with the flat of the blade, so the risk of injury was very real if she managed to score a contact. Of course, I could heal myself using my aura abilities, but she was still hesitating to actually swing to injure.

“Come on, Private!” I yelled at her as I managed to break her defenses and press the edge of my sword against the side of her neck, “My grandmother could do better than this. Imagine if you were protecting your chicks or something, would you go easy on me then?”

“I’m trying ma’am.” She replied as she stepped back and hung her head in shame, “It’s just that I’ve never actually tried to hurt someone before.”

“Then you need to grow a pair and learn how to,” I countered, “the enemies you face with be going for the kill nine times out of ten, so it’s either you or them. Frankly, I’d rather have my student live through her first fight if I’m going to take my time to train you. So,” I threw my blade to one side and spread my arms wide, “hit me.”

Her eyes widened in shock, “What?!”

“Are you deaf as well as a coward,” I retorted, “I said hit me, or are you still too scared of seeing blood that you can’t do it?”

Rosie looked at her blade like it was already soaked in blood, her eyes wide with horror, “I, I can’t.”

“Bullshit, Private.” I yelled, “You’re more than the little kitten I met yesterday. I’ve seen the fire in you. Now do us both a favor and swing that sword like you mean it, or you can consider your training under me at an end.”

Her gaze snapped to me, “You mean I can’t be your student anymore?”

I shook my head, “Not unless you can prove you can swing that thing to actually hit something other than a target. A warrior who can’t hurt his opponent is a dead one, and I won’t train you if you aren’t willing to go all the way. Now hit. Me. With. That. Sword!”

Rosie clenched her eyes shut, letting out a warbling cry as she lunged at me, swinging her blade in an overhead arc that was perfectly aimed for my collarbone. She had her eyes firmly shut, and I could tell she still wasn’t putting everything behind her strike.

I sidestepped, allowing her to sail through the space I had just been in, and stuck my foot in between her hind legs as she passed, causing her to stumble and fall as her sword clattered to the ground next to her body.

“You’re still holding back,” I said slowly as I stood over her, “I want you to come at me with everything you have, and I want you to watch as the blade hits me, or else you can pack up your things and fly on home, because you will never be a warrior if you can’t overcome this.”

Rosie panted as she forced herself to her paws, gripping her sword as she turned to face me. The hard glint in her eyes nearly caught me off guard, but I felt a measure of pride in my student as she fell into a combat stance and squared off against me. I nodded to myself as she prepared to strike, and I readied my energy as she let out another cry and lunged for my midsection. She kept her eyes open through the whole way, watching as the blade in her claws arced around towards my ribs.

At the last second, I charged my arm with blue energy and placed my flat hand in the path of the blade. It impacted my palm and I closed my fingers around the blade as I slid to one side slightly. I held firm as Rosie powered through the strike, eventually making me skid a good two feet to my left as she finally let off the pressure.

She seemed to realize what had happened as she came back to herself, and her eyes widened as she spotted my hand holding her blade just inches from my ribs. She dropped the hilt as she stumbled back from me, looking down at her claws as she sat back on her haunches and held them before her like she couldn’t believe what she had just done. I dropped the sword, shaking out my hand to relieve the sting from the force of the impact as I walked up to the seemingly distraught hen.

“Hey,” I said carefully as I walked up and sat down next to her, “it’s alright. You didn’t hurt me other than a bruised palm, so no harm done. You did very well getting over your fear, and I can tell you’ll only get better from this point forward, now that you can put everything you have into your training.”

“I wanted to hurt you,” Rosie said almost too softly to hear, “I actually wanted to see you bleed.” She looked up at me like she was scared to even move from her seated position, “Why do I feel so good when I could have killed you?”

I placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort, “It’s alright, the thrill of battle can feel amazing in the heat of the moment. It’ll get better with time. The one big thing I have to ask you is, now that you know you can harm others, will you do so again if you have to?”

Rosie looked away for a moment, her expression marked by a furrowed brow and a slight frown. She didn’t answer me right away, but when she did she turned to look at me with a light of determination in her eyes. “Yes, I will be willing to hurt others if I am forced to, but if and only if there are no other options at my disposal.”

I smiled, ruffling the feathers on her head, causing her to giggle as I stood up, “Congratulations, you’ve passed your second test.”

Rosie leaped to her paws and yelled in triumph, “Woohoo! I did it!” She performed a little victory dance as I walked over and picked up the swords, lost in her own little world as Swift walked up to me.

“You know she’s only going to get worse the longer she hangs around with us, right?” The mare asked as she glanced behind me at the giddy Rosie.

I chuckled as I slid the blades into their scabbards, “I know, but it’s fun to see the joy she gets from a job well done instead of a blank wall of stone like in basic training. I kind of like this more informal way of teaching cadets, maybe I’ll do something similar once Luna gets me my own command.”

Swift rolled her eyes, “Faust help them if that ever happens.”

I bumped her in the shoulder with my hip as Rosie calmed down and walked up to us, a beaming smile on her beak as she spoke, “So what’s next, Lehrer? More combat training?”

I shook my head, “No, I think we’ve done enough of that for one day. I think as your final lesson, I’m going to teach you how to sense your energy. That way it will be easier to get it to go where you want it to instead of blindly floundering about.”

Rosie tilted her head slightly as her expression shifted to a confused frown, “Sense my energy, isn’t it just my feelings given physical form?”

I chuckled at her naivete, “Not quite. You see, Auramancy is the magic of our soul, allowing us to manipulate the energy given off by our spirit and form it into different ‘spells’. The color of that energy is dependent on our mood, so feeling different things can cause different effects. However, this is useless if you can’t tell where the energy is in your body, so that’s why I’m going to show you how to sense the heart of your being, or core, as the old masters liked to phrase it.”

“Core?” Rosie asked, still looking confused.

I tapped my chin with a finger as I thought of a different way to put it, “Think of your core as the source of all your aura energy, kind of like the power plant that feeds a city with electricity. If you can find out where that core is, and can tell how much power if being put off and where it is going, then it will make channeling your energy a thousand times easier.”

Her eyes lit up with understanding as she nodded, “I get it. It’s like the fire that feeds the forge. Without knowing how much fuel is in the flame you can’t tell if it’s hot enough to melt the metal or not.”

I lifted one eyebrow at her sideways perspective, and she blushed as she averted her gaze, “My uncle works in the palace armory, so I hang out with the smiths more often than not if I don’t have any duties to perform as princess.”

Swift and I nodded, “I see,” I replied, “then I guess if that works for you, then so be it. Now,” I channeled a small ball of blue energy into my hand, holding it up to Rosie’s chest as I knelt down in front of her. “I’m going to put this energy into your body, and I’m going to move it around inside you until I find something of interest. I want you to try and sense the energy and if it interacts with anything inside you while I do that. The one place that my energy can’t go should be your core, so try and feel for any gaps in my own aura before feeling out your own.”

Rosie nodded and closed her eyes, allowing me to place my palm against her chest and sucking in a gasp as my energy began to flow into her, “I can feel it.” Her voice had taken on a breathless quality as her beak hung open in wonder, “It’s like a cool wave of water moving through my chest.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me, “Now I’m going to move it around, so try and feel for any gaps in my energy. The biggest hole should be your core.”

She nodded again, taking a deep breath as I began to move my energy around inside her body. I moved it along her shoulders and over her back first, thinking it might be closer to her wings given her avian breeding. However, I came up with nothing. So, I moved my energy through her body and into her gut, although once again I came up empty. Feeling a flash of inspiration, I moved my energy up towards her heart, and it was at that moment that I encountered true resistance. Rosie gasped and I could tell she was feeling the same thing I was, although as my own energy interacted with hers I could feel her core trying to push my energy out.

“I can feel it.” Rosie whispered, “It’s like a little heartbeat, only it doesn’t keep pace with my real one.”

I smiled, knowing that she had finally sensed her own energy, “Good, now I’m going to pull my own energy out of you, so I want you to keep focusing on your core and the energy its producing as I move my own out of your body.”

I focused and retracted my aura from her chest, feeling her core send out waves of her own energy to fill the gaps as my own retreated. I moved my hand away from her breast as she hummed in what almost sounded like pleasure, and I smiled as she held up one claw.

Before I could even ask what she was doing, Rosie sucked in a deep breath and then let it out in a slow gust, her claws forming a cup shape as soft yellow flames began to dance over her foreleg. She smiled without opening her eyes, and closed her claws into a fist as the flames condensed over the outside of her leg like a gauntlet. She took a moment as the flames stabilized, and then opened her eyes to stare in wonder at the fire that slowly danced and flowed over her limb.

I clapped my hands in unadulterated pride, “Well done, Rosie, well done indeed.”

Swift nodded, staring at the flames as they slowly dissipated, “Amazing. To think after only two days you could get that level of control.”

Rosie blushed as she rubbed the back of her neck with one claw, “It was a lot easier once Sarah showed me where to look.” She turned to face me with a wide smile, “I couldn’t have gotten it so fast if she wasn’t such a great teacher.” She bowed her head to me with a smile stretching across her beak, “Thank you so much, Lehrer, for teaching me this truly amazing technique when I only came to you originally for combat training.”

Now it was my turn to blush as I tried to roll with this sudden praise, “Oh it wasn’t much. I’m still a novice when it comes to Auramancy, so teaching you the basics was half guesswork and half luck. I’m just glad my idea actually worked instead of making you feel like a fool if you couldn’t sense your energy.”

Rosie walked up and jumped onto her hind legs, wrapping her forelegs and wings around me in a hug, “Even though it was a shot in the dark, you still managed to teach me, and for that I am truly grateful. You didn’t have to show me how to use Auramancy, and yet you still took the time to teach me as well as train my combat skills.” She pulled back and rested her paws on my shoulders, “I know I’ve said it already, but thank you for doing this for me. It means the world to me that someone would take so much time and effort just for my sake.”

I gently pushed her off of me, feeling my face heating up as I tried to keep my cool, “Yes, well,” I cleared my throat to get rid of the sudden crack in my voice, “I’m doing this because your father asked me to and is paying me for my services. The Auramancy stuff is a bonus because you showed a rare talent. You managed to manifest your aura without any training, and that means a lot coming from the only other living auramancer in the world.”

I noticed the slight expression of guilt that flashed over her face, but it was gone before I could be sure it was there. “Anyways, I think that’s enough for one day’s work. Let’s go get some dinner and then rest up for the rest of the evening. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I got run over by a train and then pounded with a meat tenderizer.”

Swift chuckled as Rosie nodded her agreement, “I don’t know about you, but I could go for a few rounds in the ring. Remember, you still need to train your own sword skills if you want to ever stand a chance of properly training young Rosie here.”

I groaned but relented, knowing that trying to get out of this would only make the beating worse, “Just take it a bit easy on me, my energy has been worked over as it is, and my body feels like a pounded pile of bread dough.”

Swift smirked as she drew her own sword, taking up position opposite me as she grinned around the hilt, “No Pomishiz.”

Rosie sat down on the edge of the track, watching us with wide eyes as Swift and I squared off against each other. This would be the first time she got to witness Swift and I sparring, so I made a silent promise to myself not to take it easy. I had to put on a good show for my apprentice, after all.

For a moment we simply sized each other up. I knew I couldn’t use my super speed with my energy reserves so low, and I knew that Swift knew that I couldn’t use my energy to my advantage, so I had to step up my game or risk getting pounded into the dirt by her superior strength. In an instant it all came down to who moved first, and Swift was the one to take that initiative. She pounded up to me and swung for my real leg in a low sweep, forcing me to jump back or risk losing the limb. I brought my own blade down in an arc aimed at her neck, the flat turned so that it would pound instead of slice. Swift parried it with her own blade and locked the cross guards together, driving me back with her strength as I struggled to stay standing. This was one of the worse positions I could get into, because I knew she wasn’t going to let up until I either got pushed out of the ring, or fell on my back and lost my grip on my sword. I could have dropped the sword and capitalized on her overcorrection, but that wasn’t the point of this exercise. The entire point was to use my blade to defeat her, not my close quarters combat training.

I twisted the blade in an attempt to break the lock, but Swift quickly disengaged and swung for my head while my grip was changing, forcing me to make a half-baked block that only took half the force. The rest of the strike ended up in my collarbone as the flat of the blade smashed into my shoulder, and I grunted as shots of pain lanced up and down my arm. I nearly lost my grip on my sword as my fingers went numb, and I was forced to take several steps back to let my body recover from the impact. Smaller and cuter they might be, but these ponies packed a wallop.

Swift grinned around her hilt, not bothering to trash talk me when we both knew what she’d be saying. Instead, she rushed me and swung for my arm again, this time aiming for the elbow as I tried to bring my blade to bear. I managed to block the strike, although I felt like I had stopped a truck with my bare hands, and took the moment of recovery to make my own swing at Swift’s face.

Her eyes widened as she ducked, and I used that instant to slam my blade down on top of her own, driving the tip into the ground as her head bent to the side at an awkward angle. Before she could react, I used my left hand to grip her own blade around the cross guard, locking her in place as I pulled my own blade from the dirt. Given her odd angle, she couldn’t overpower my arm as I brought the other limb up and around to smash the flat of my blade against the side of her head.

Swift cried out, releasing the hilt of her sword as she ducked back and wobbled on her hooves. Her eyes rolled around in her head several times before she shook it to clear her vision. However, by that time I had picked up both blades and pressed them against her throat in a scissor cross, effectively locking her head in place for risk of cutting her own neck against the cold steel.

Swift looked down her muzzle at the two blades crossed under her chin, and then up at me with a surprised expression, “Well, this is unexpected.”

I chuckled as I removed the blades from her neck, handing her back one of them as I sheathed my own, “Rosie isn’t the only one with a good teacher. You’ve been doing an amazing job teaching me to think outside the box, and I managed to use that during our duel to my advantage. I will admit, though,” I swung my right arm around to try and get the blood flowing again, “you managed to get me pretty good with that shoulder hit. I’m sure it’ll be bruised for a week the way you swing.”

Swift laughed, “Yeah, had I been using the edge you’d probably be needing a doctor, so I guess the fight could be called a draw.” She walked up and offered her hoof, “Good match. Let’s make sure to have another tomorrow once you get feather brains over there up and running.”

“Hey!” Rosie fluffed up like a cat as she blushed with a murderous expression, “I can hear you, you know!”

“You were supposed to.” Swift and I chorused as we laughed. I took the offered hoof and shook it once, acknowledging Swift’s respect with a nod before turning back to Rosie.

“Don’t worry about it too much,” I said as we walked up to the sulking gryphon, “We’re just having some fun. We know you’re new to all this, so we like to make fun of you every once and a while. As my old drill instructor used to say, ‘you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, or in your case shattering a few egos’.”

Swift giggled behind a hoof as we walked back into the castle, “I’ve got to remember that one. That’s pretty good.”

I smiled as the smell of roasted vegetables met my nose as we walked into the castle foyer, “Well, I could share some more of my old boot camp stories over dinner. I imagine we’d all get a laugh out of that.”

Swift shared a look with Rosie, who nodded her approval, “Sounds like a plan. Lead on to the food, Sarah.”

I nodded, following my nose to the dining room, where Twilight and Spike were already setting the table. We sat down and enjoyed the sautéed vegie fry that Spike had cooked up, and I shared a few of my stories from basic training. Half of them had us in stitches, while the other half got me some horrified looks from the peanut gallery. Swift and Rosie took the darker humor in stride, although I toned it down a bit for Spike because I didn’t want to scare the little guy. Meanwhile, Twilight was taking notes like a madmare, and I could have sworn that I could smell smoke coming from her quill because it was moving so fast.

After dinner we packed it in and I took some time to myself in my room, showering with nice hot water to help get rid of some of the aches and pains I had accumulated over the day. My shoulder was a vibrant purple and yellow from the base of my neck all the way out to the curve of my arm, and I had a feeling it was going to be like that for at least a week. Meanwhile, the cuts Rosie had made on my forearm were already healing, although they would still mark my flesh with a quartet of pink lines for a couple more days at least.

Once I was finished with my shower, I plopped down on my bed, listening to the birds chirping outside as the sun began to set. All and all, it had been a productive day, and I was actually looking forward to getting up the next morning. Of course, waking up Rosie was only part of the fun, given she’d probably be expecting something like that from now on. I’d have to stagger my surprise wake-up calls so that way she’d stay on her toes, er, claws as the case may be.

“Goodnight Carpet Sense.” I said softly, knowing that the living floor covering was listening.

“Goodnight Sarah,” he replied, “although if you wouldn’t mind, please refrain from using water to wake up miss Brightwing, it takes forever to dry out if I get my fur wet.”

I nodded, chuckling at the mental image of a soaking wet Carpet Sense giving me the stink eye, “Will do, buddy, will do.”

Author's Note

Woohoo! Three chapters in three days, I am on a roll! :pinkiehappy: Also, I finally cracked 150,00 words!! This is amazing!! Anyways, hope you guys are liking all the fast updates. I know I certainly am. What do you think of our newest cast member? Is she someone you could learn to like, or do you think there's something else going on? Either way, I'm not saying anything because that would be spoilers, so have fun arguing in the towel section below. :rainbowwild:

As always, I enjoy hearing from you all. Leave a like, follow and comment if you so desire, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

18 - Commander's Challenge

Little over a week had passed since my first training session with Rosie, and to say she had improved a lot would be an understatement. Not only could she hold her own against me in a sword fight for almost two minutes, she could also use every color of her aura, albeit weakly in everything but red and yellow. Swift had been running both of us into the ground with our physical training, and I could say with the utmost certainty that I was in the best shape of my life, even compared to the time I spent in the Corps. My stomach was a flat plate of steel and my limbs were braided cable wound tighter than a guitar string. All and all I was feeling absolutely amazing, and that wasn’t counting the best news of all.

Luna had gotten my paperwork filed and I was officially a member of the Equestrian military, previous rank and all. That included the bonus I had been promised along with my first month’s pay, which I carefully secured in Ponyville’s bank to keep my money from getting away from me. It wouldn’t do to spend it all in one place when I needed to live off of that money for the foreseeable future. That, and I had promised Lyra and Bon-Bon a date night on the town that I was paying for. We had decided on going out once I got back from my trip to Fort Reinwright*, where I’d be introduced to my new subordinates within the Equestrian Army by Twilight and the other princesses. Of course, I had let Rarity make me another dress for my date, this time a deep red satin number that had long flowing sleeves and a shorter hem that only went down to my shins instead of my ankles. She had made me a set of slippers and stockings that were the same red as the dress to hide my prosthetic from random glance, although it did little to hide the plating and servos if one took a closer look. I was fine with that, so long as no one was openly staring at my leg I’d be fine.

Speaking of the purple wonder, Twilight was dropping more hints that she was interested in herd life, and specifically a herd that had me in it. I was getting the feeling that Twilight’s crush was becoming more than that, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it since I was already in a herd with Lyra and Bon-Bon. So, that was on the list for our date once I got back, along with setting some clear boundaries about when and where we could jump each other. I liked getting it on as much as the next girl, but I didn’t like having the thought of the girls’ heats messing things up again because I was clueless about how a mare’s body worked.

So, I filed that away as the second topic for the evening, and focused myself back on the present. Twilight, Swift, Rosie and I were seated on the candy-colored wonder that was the Ponyville Express, and were currently on our way to the fort as the sun began to climb over the horizon. I had dragged Rosie out of bed to join us, given she still needed to learn more about how command structure worked between an officer and enlisted, although she wasn’t technically part of the military proper. Even so, I still treated her like my subordinate, so seeing how the other grunts acted would be a good learning experience for her. That and it might help to boost her still growing confidence in herself to see what she could be in a few months’ time.

Swift was joining us because Luna had thought it would be funny to have her act as my direct CO, although my unit would technically be under a special command that reported directly to the Princesses for our orders. Swift would act more as my go-between for the regular army so that way we could coordinate our efforts instead of working against each other. Other than that, her title as my bodyguard and trainer still stood and wouldn’t be changed for the foreseeable future.

We pulled up to the stop about an hour into the ride, the train stopping at a small, nondescript station in the middle of nowhere that had only a single dirt road leading away from it. We were roughly halfway between Ponyville and Mount Canterhorn, so that placed us in the smack-dab center of the plains that resided to the south of Canterlot. Not a thing for miles around other than the rolling grass and small hills, which meant it was hot as balls in the rising light, causing all of us to start sweating as we disembarked, the train letting out a mournful whistle before leaving us behind.

“Well now what?” I asked, turning to face Twilight as she consulted a map that floated along in her magic grip, “Where do we go from here?”

“It says on the map that Fort Reinwright is exactly one mile down the road leading from the station,” she replied as she lowered the map and folded it into her saddlebags, “all we have to do is walk straight and we’ll see the gates in no time.”

I chuckled as I felt a drop of sweat run down the back of my neck, “Treats the cadets like cattle and makes them march a mile in the blazing heat to soften them up for the real battle ahead, I’m liking this already.”

“Speak for yourself,” Rosie hissed as she fanned her face with one wing, “gryphons are made for the cold mountains of the north, we don’t do well in heat.”

I pat her on the back in mock sympathy, “Well I guess we’d better ask Celestia to cool off he sun for our little walk. I’m sure she’d love to set aside some of her massive power to make your discomfort a little more manageable.”

Rosie rolled her eyes as we walked along the road, her wings going full blast to keep her head cool, “Real funny, Sarah. I can just feel the sincerity rolling off of you right now.”

I gave her a sidelong smirk, “Hey, anything for my favorite student.”

“I’m your only student,” she replied with a frown.

“So there’s no competition for the title, congrats.” I said while trying to keep a straight face. I managed to hold in my laughter as the hen sent me a murderous look, although her gaze was pulled forward before she could come up with a retort.

Looming over us and the winding road, was a set of stone walls that were marked by ballista embankments and the shining points of spearheads as we came up to the fort itself. The large, wooden gate was lowered and inviting like the jaws of a massive predator, and I saw Rosie shiver out of the corner of my eye as we walked into the hulking complex. The gates remained open behind us, for which I was grateful, although the contingent of guards that met us was a little less welcome.

The leader, a unicorn stallion with the traditional Royal Guard armor, led the group of ten up to us and stopped our advance with a raised hoof, “Halt, state your business within the fort.”

Twilight walked up and passed him a scroll in her magic, “We are here for the indoctrination of the Special Arms Unit, as decreed by Princess Luna and validated by Princess Celestia and myself.” She indicated me with a hoof, “Captain Sarah Lovegood is here to oversee the passing of command of the troops to her unit along with her commanding officer, Major Swift Blade.”

The unicorn nodded, although his lips curled down as he spied Rosie at my side, “And the gryphon? What business does she have here?”

Twilight replied without missing a beat, “Princess Rosie Brightwing is here to undergo combat training with Captain Lovegood. She is here on behalf of the king as a personal favor to the crown. Pay her no mind.”

The Lieutenant nodded, passing the scroll back to Twilight, “Then everything seems to be in order. Enjoy your stay at Fort Reinwright, Princess.” He glanced at me as he snapped a crisp salute, “Ma’am.” I nodded in reply as he turned before marching his soldiers back the way he had come, leaving us in the open space next to the gate while troops marched past us in different directions.

Before we could think about what to do next, one of the officers called out in a loud voice, “Commanders on deck! Aten-hut!”

We turned around as a quartet of ponies walked up behind us, the troops snapping into salutes as the commanders met us in the center of the courtyard.

Shining Armor nodded to the soldiers as they dropped their salutes, “As you were.” The ponies around us returned to their duties as he turned to face us, “Welcome to Fort Reinwright, everypony, and gryphon,” he added as he nodded to Rosie. “I hope your trip wasn’t too long.”

“It wasn’t bad,” Twilight replied as she walked up and hugged her brother, “It’s good to see you again, Shiny. I haven’t seen you since Sarah’s duel with King Edward.”

He nodded, turning to look at me as his eyes narrowed slightly, “I’ll be looking forward to seeing your command in action, Captain. You might not be my subordinate, but I promise you’ll regret it if you let anything happen to my colts.”

I nodded, “I’ll see to it they come back in one piece, Captain.”

His reply was cut short as Commander Jetstream rolled her eyes and spoke, “I’m still shocked the Princesses let you join up, and with your past rank too. Personally, I’d have made you do some kind of test before giving you command over your own troops.”

“She kind of did that on her own when she faced off against King Edward,” Night Fury said as he sent me a flashy grin. “Hey there hot stuff, you still looking for somepony to show you a good time?”

I smirked in reply as I crossed my arms under my chest, “Sorry buddy, I’m not on the market anymore. I’m in a herd with two of the Ponyville mares, now.”

His eyes widened slightly but his grin never faltered as he slid his shades down his muzzle to look me in the eyes, “Sounds like my prospects just got better, not worse. You ever need a stallion to spice things up, let me know.”

Jetstream cuffed him over the head with one wing, nearly knocking his shades completely off before the thestral could catch them with a wing claw, “You moron. That’s completely inappropriate for the occasion. Wherever you learned discipline I’ll never know.”

“Ask Princess Luna,” the fourth commander added, “She’s the one who trained Night Fury and the other Night Guard Elite in the first place.”

I turned to face the earth pony stallion with a raised eyebrow as I inspected the newcomer in closer detail. He wasn’t like the others, given he was a dirt brown in color with a silver mane and tail that reflected the light of the sun into his nearly pitch-black eyes. His expression was cool and collected, as compared to the others and their rather animated personalities. I stared into his gaze for a moment, trying to get a read on him, but came up with nothing as he lifted a solitary eyebrow in my direction.

“Something on your mind?” He asked in a calm tone.

I shook my head, breaking eye contact as I turned to look at the other commanders, “No, just interested in a new face.”

Night Fury rolled his eyes as he placed a hoof over the stallion’s shoulders, “Yeah, Iron Wall here can be a bit stiff around those who don’t know him all that well. ‘Course I’m his best friend, so we know each other better than anypony.”

The newly named Iron Wall glanced over at the thestral with the same raised eyebrow he had given me, “Best friends? We barely ever see each other when the Princesses don’t need something from us. If you call that being best friends I shudder to think what your sex life must be like.”

As Night Fury sputtered in indignation, Jetstream cracked a smile and added, “What sex life? He’s so busy chasing tail he never manages to catch anything between each race.”

I chuckled as they roasted the poor thestral, and I glanced over at Shining in the hopes that he was going to add in his two bits. However, I was disappointed when he did nothing more than shake his head in disappointment. Apparently the only one who could get Sir Stick-up-his-plot to open up was his sister and his wife. Speaking of the pink wonder, I hadn’t seen her around, even though she and the Captain were normally joined at the hip.

“I don’t suppose your wife will be joining us, eh Shining?” I asked.

He turned to look up at me and shook his head, “Cadence stayed behind to oversee the Empire while I made sure things went smoothly here. I may not be just the Captain of the Guard anymore, but I still have my rank and I plan on using it to make sure ponies don’t start slacking off in my absence.”

Jetstream snorted in a very horse-like manner, “In the Royal Guard maybe, but I’d never allow something like that in the Scouts or the Wonderbolts.” She glanced up at me with a narrowed gaze, “Don’t make me regret agreeing to come and supervise this little experiment of yours. We know the reason why you asked the Princesses for this commission. You just want to have your command back after getting your flank kicked back wherever it is you came from.”

I bristled as I clenched my fists at my side, “Want to go a round in the ring and see how much better a human soldier is than a pony?”

She scoffed as the others took a step back from the pegasus, “I could fry your hairless flank with lightning from a hundred lengths away. Without a crossbow you’d never be able to touch me.”

“Break it up you two,” Iron wall said in his usual blank tone, “the Princesses are here, present company pardoned, Your Highness.” He added with a glance at Twilight.

“No offence taken,” she replied as we all turned to face the main gates, spotting the two regal forms of the royal sisters in an instant as they walked into the fort.

The soldiers went through the usual ‘officer on deck’ routine once more, and I was starting to feel a bit out of place not saluting to the Princesses like the rest. Then again, neither were the commanders, so there was that.

Celestia nodded to her little ponies, although as she walked up with her sister, I noticed that she seemed to be a bit out of sorts. Her mane and tail were just slightly frazzled, and her regalia lacked some of the polish that it usually held. Her eyes, which were normally bright and alive with energy, were dull and slightly downcast as she walked up to us. I very much wanted to ask why she looked like that, but decided against it in present company. It wouldn’t do to question my new commander in chief about her appearance in front of the troops.

Luna smiled as she stepped up to me and enveloped me in a short wing hug, “Truly it is wonderful to see thee once more, Sarah. How have you been fairing as of late?”

“Well enough I suppose,” I replied as she pulled away, “I got a new apprentice to train on top of my new command.”

Her eyes lit up with interest, “Truly? Thou have undertaken training another in the art of combat?” She glanced behind me and spotted Rosie trying unsuccessfully to hide behind the much smaller Twilight, “And would that be the young Rose I have heard so much about from our dear friend Edward?”

Rosie froze under the scrutiny of both royal sisters as Celestia turned her attention to the gryphon, “Um, y-yes, Your Highness, although my name is Rosie, not Rose.”

Luna nodded, “I shall remember that, although your presence is an unexpected surprise. We had thought that Edward would never let you leave the Empire, for fear of losing you to some unknown threat outside of his care.”

Rosie rubbed her foreleg with one claw, taking great interest in the ground before her, “Well, you see, I wanted to train under Captain Sarah after hearing about her skills in combat against my father, so I had daddy write up a request to hire her as a teacher.” She glanced up at me and smiled, “I couldn’t be happier with how things are going. She’s taught me so much already. Oh!” She snapped to as she turned to face the Princesses fully, “I even found out something new about myself! Watch this!”

She held up one claw and closed it into a fist. After a moment’s hesitation, it lit up with bright red flames, causing everyone in the area except for Twilight and Swift to gasp in wonder.

Luna’s jaw was hanging loose as she walked up and inspected the fire dancing around the young gryphon’s claws, “Thou art an auramancer?! Truly this is a wonderful surprise. We had thought that young Lovegood was the only one who possessed such abilities.”

I chuckled as I walked up and placed a hand on Rosie’s shoulder, “Turns out she was able to manifest her aura on instinct when we sparred for the first time. I thought it would be best if I trained her in Auramancy as well as basic combat in order to help her grow into an even greater warrior.” I looked down at my protégé as she beamed at me, “Turns out she’s been teaching me almost as much as I’ve been teaching her.”

Rosie blushed and averted her gaze, although our little moment was cut short as Jetstream cleared her throat, “Not to be a killjoy, but shouldn’t we get to the presentation instead of lollygagging around here?”

Celestia seemed to regain some of her fire as she raised her head and nodded, “Yes, let us continue with the changing of the colors. We haven’t initiated a new unit for several hundred years, so I would think it best if we got it out of the way before any mishaps can occur.”

“Careful, sister.” Luna warned, “Fate loves to play tricks on those who garner its attention with statements like that.”

Celestia either didn’t hear her sister or chose to ignore the little side comment, “Come, let us be off. The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can get back to our normal plans.”

I fell in beside Swift as the royal duo led the rest of us further into the fort, leaning down to whisper into her ear as my gaze fell onto Celestia, “She seems a bit out of sorts lately. Do you think we should ask what’s wrong?”

She quickly shook her head, “Whatever it is, if she’s not saying anything about then it’s best to leave it alone. We don’t want to add to her problems by mistake if it has to do with something we can’t help her with. Best to just ignore what she looks like and let it go.”

I nodded, although I was a little thrown by her logic. It wasn’t everyday you saw someone choosing to ignore another’s apparent stress, even if it was an immortal goddess that could move the sun. I filed that away as ponies being ponies as we came to what looked like the parade grounds, where I could see several dozen stallions all formed up in perfect rank and file. They were dressed in a new set of armor that reminded me of the regs from home, although instead of a bulletproof vest they were still covered in metal plating. The metal itself had been painted a dull green in color, while the trim was a reflective obsidian black. All and all it was a very nice reminder of my old dress uniform, although the shine would definitely have to go. I’d rather be able to look at my troops without risking going blind, thank you.

One of the commanders, Shining by the sound of his voice, called out as we came to a stop before the troops, “Aten-hut!”

There was a resounding stomp as the stallions moved from parade rest to attention, their gazes locked forwards and their bodies still as Shining turned to face Celestia. He nodded to the solar princess and stepped to one side, allowing the larger mare to step forward to address the troops.

“My little ponies,” Celestia’s voice projected over the crowd without even the need of an amplification spell, “it fills me with pride to see so many of you willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to take part in this new undertaking. Never before has a non-pony been given command within the Equestrian military, and yet we are here to indoctrinate that very notion into our service today. For so long, the land we call home has been peaceful and it does my heart good to see that the hard work of your foremares has not been in vain.” Her gaze hardened as she continued, “But those times are coming to an end. An enemy is amassing within our borders with plans to take our peaceful way of life and tear it down around our ears. That is why I have called for the best of the best from my most trusted units. You are going to be trained in the combat tactics and skills of a foreign military, one that has the experience and knowhow to teach us the ways of war once again after a thousand years of peace.” She glanced over her shoulder and indicated for me to step up with a wing gesture, “I present to you, your new commanding officer, Captain Sarah Lovegood.”

I nodded my thanks to her as I walked up and crossed my arms behind my back in front of my new subordinates. There was a complete company’s worth as my eyes roamed over the ranks and file before me, and I felt a thrill run down my spine as my old command presence began to surface once more. Sure, I went hard on Rosie in order to make her improve, and I might have channeled some of my inner drill sergeant to get her moving, but these were actual military ponies, so that meant I could go all out with no hesitation what so ever.

I let my hands fall to my sides and I marched up to the first platoon commander, the insignia on the unicorn’s shoulder marking him as a first lieutenant, “What is your name soldier?”

He saluted and replied in a crisp tenor, “Lieutenant Quick Shot, Ma’am!”

I chuckled as I walked around him, inspecting him from top to bottom as I made a complete circuit, “Is that what the mares call you when you try and give them a good time in bed? How about One-shot Willie or Half-cock Charley? Any of those sound familiar?”

I rounded on the troops as they failed to contain their laughter, “Did I say any of you could make a comment?” I chose to leave poor Quick Shot alone as his cheeks tinted a vibrant red in favor of fresh meat. I marched up to the corporal behind Quick Shot and got right up in the pegasus’ face, “What about you, do you have something to say about your commander’s bed habits?”

The young stallion was sweating bullets as he met my gaze, shaking like a leaf as I stared him down, “N-No ma’am.”

“Road apples corporal,” I replied, using some of the more Equestrian swears I had picked up from Swift, “I bet you could come up with at least something, but you’re not because if you did then I’d have to kick your sorry flank into next week for mouthing off about your superior officer.” I pat him on the head once and moved on, leaving a very terrified and also slightly confused pony.

I walked down the line, looking for my next victim, when I heard someone behind me spout this little line, “Bet you I could tap that by the end of the week. Let her see what a real stallion can do.”

I spun around mid-step and yelled out, “Who said that? Who in the name of Celestia’s mother said that?” I walked back down the line and got right in the same corporal’s face, “Was it you?”

He rapidly shook his head, “N-No ma’am.”

My gaze moved on to the next stallion in line, a bruiser with legs the same thickness as my thigh and a neck that could crack solid rock, “How about you big boy, got something to say about my looks? Maybe even about what you’d do to me if you got half the balls your mother seemed to have brining your fat ass into this world?”

His gaze stayed perfectly straight as he replied in a deep baritone, “No ma’am, I don’t have anything to say, ma’am.”

“Tell me sergeant,” I asked as I slowly walked around the earth pony, “would you sell out your fellow soldier in order to save your own skin?”

He kept his gaze forward, but it shifted into one of indignation at my words, “Never, ma’am.”

I paused as I came around behind him, “Even if that soldier disrespected your commanding officer?”

He hesitated for a split second too long, and I lifted my boot up right between his hind legs. His face contorted in pain as his tail tucked in reflex, his hind legs curling up around his jewels as his forehooves cradled the bruised flesh. His face hit the ground as he fell over, the other stallions wincing in sympathy as I walked back around and knelt down in front of the hissing pony.

He looked up at me and managed to force out, “What was that for?”

My gaze was as hard as stone as I picked him up by his jaw and held his muzzle against my nose, “Don’t try to play games with me. There’s no way I’d mistake your voice for someone else’s. You want to try and show me what a real stallion can do in bed, then you’d best unscrew your cock and shove it up your plot because I don’t think you have the guts to even touch me.” I dropped his head and let him cradle his bruised ego along with his smashed balls, turning my attention to the rest of the troops as they quickly returned to attention, “Anyone else think they can say something smart without getting punished?”

No one said a word.

I nodded, feeling a bit more secure now that some of the uncertainty concerning my command had been taken care of. I walked back to the front of the formation and stood at parade rest, crossing my hands behind my back as I forced the troops, “So, now that we have the usual plot-kicking out of the way, let’s get down to business. You all have been brought here because you represent the best Equestria has to offer. Well I’m here to tell you that your skills as an Equestrian mean absolute shit when it comes to what I need in a soldier. You think you’re tough, bullshit, I bet I could take the lot of you with one hand tied behind my back.” There was a collection of murmurs from the group as I locked my gaze onto one disgruntled trooper, “You, the private in the third row of the second platoon,” his head jerked up and fear ignited in his eyes as I marched right up in front of him, “you got something to say about what I just said?”

The unicorn’s eyes flickered from side to side, although he received no help from his fellow soldier as I glared him into submission, “Well, um, you see,”

“Speak to me like you got a pair, Private!” I yelled out, causing him to jump to full attention as he replied in a stronger voice.

“Ma’am, it’s impossible for one soldier to take on two platoons of Equestrian Royal Guard! We’ve been taught the best combat tactics and have the best magic users in the entire nation. There isn’t any way you could beat all of us by yourself, ma’am!” He stood rigid as a board, probably expecting me to blow up in his face, yet I did the unexpected. I did absolutely nothing to the poor soul.

“Finally, someone with something intelligent to say.” I nodded to him before taking my place before the formation once again, “For those of you that couldn’t hear Private Pansy over here, he basically said that there’s no way I could beat all of you by myself because you have the best training and the most powerful magic available to your nation. Are you all in agreement with that statement?” There was another round of murmurs from the peanut gallery, “I asked you lot a question, you should know that if the first and last words out of your mouth aren’t ma’am then I’m going to make you march circles around this fort until your legs fall off, now sound off like you mean it!”

A stomp sound was heard as every stallion stood at attention, “Ma’am, yes ma’am!”

“That’s better,” I said as I began walking up and down the line, “now to answer the question that’s on everyone’s mind, I’m going to explain why your military doesn’t have a chance as you are now. I’ve looked through your regulations and training guidebooks, and what I’ve seen in pathetic. I could bring in a squad of trained Rangers and we could single-handedly take on the entire Equestrian military. It would take forever, but I can say with absolute certainty that there is no way under Celestia’s sun that you would stand a chance. You want to know why?”

Nopony said a thing.

I was about to bark at them again when Sergeant Blueballs managed to add his opinion to the mix, “Why would a pathetic group of creatures like you even bother facing off against the best army in the world? You’d be guaranteed to lose even if you brought the entirety of your forces against us. We have magic, and from what I can see, you don’t. Therefore, you wouldn’t stand a chance against the combined might of the Equestrian Armed Forces.”

The other troops gaped at him like he had lost his mind, and I was inclined to agree with them. However, something he had said sparked an idea in my mind. One I bet not even that blowhard could dispute if I managed to pull it off.

I walked up to the offending stallion and looked him dead in the eyes, “You think Equestria is pretty hot stuff, don’t you?”

He met my gaze and nodded, “I know so.”

My lips split into a sadistic grin, “Think you’re stallion enough to take on the commanders by yourself?”

His composure faltered as he glanced behind me at the COs, “Um, no, I don’t think anypony could take them on by themselves and win. They truly are the best of the best.”

I nodded, that was exactly what I needed to hear, “Then I guess I’ll just have to be the first.”

I spun around and walked back to the Princesses, popping a salute as I stood at attention, “Permission to speak freely, Your Highness?”

Celestia nodded, “Granted, Captain.”

I dropped my salute and turned my attention to Shining Armor and the others, “I challenge the lot of you to a duel, four on one with no holds barred. I plan on proving to these jokers that a Ranger isn’t something to be messed with, so I need you guys to fight me as a group in order to give my claim credit.”

Shining Armor snorted in laughter as the other commanders looked at me like I had grown a second head, although it was much more subdued in the case of Iron Wall. Jetstream was holding her stomach as she tried to remain standing and it was several seconds before they got their composure back.

“You want us to fight you,” Jetstream forced out between giggles, “all at the same time, with no holds barred?” I nodded, keeping my face neutral as I stared her down. Slowly, her expression morphed into one of shock, “Luna’s mane, you’re serious.”

“I can hardly see what my mane has to do with this,” Luna said as she turned to face me, “but I must inquire, is this really a good idea? You would be facing off against the four most powerful ponies in the entire Equestrian military, and at the same time no less. Do you really want to risk the respect of your troops on such a gamble?”

I snorted in contempt, letting my voice carry back to the soldiers behind me as I replied, “What respect? They listen to me because of what you have told them to do. They don’t respect my command because of my own skills and merit, they obey because their immortal goddess told them too. Well I’m not going to sit by and let my own soldiers undermine my authority when I know they can be better. I just need to prove to these jokers that I’m more than just a woman. I am a soldier and I will have the respect that my station deserves.”

Luna nodded, even though Celestia still looked uncertain. Twilight was nearly hyperventilating as she turned from me to her brother and back again, although a calming wing over her back from Celestia went a long way to containing the purple mare’s nerves.

“I see no problem with going through with this duel,” Iron Wall said calmly as he walked up to me, “if you need to face us on the field of battle in order to earn your stripes as a commander, then who are we to stop you. I jut have one condition to this little match.”

I nodded to the older stallion, “And that would be?”

“No weapons,” he replied, “this will be a pure test of physical skill and power. No direct attempts to kill the other duelists should be made in an attempt to win the battle. This is meant to be a test of strength, not a battle to the death.”

Celestia nodded her agreement, as did Luna, “Verily, we shalt not allow for any loss of life over a matter of pride.” The Lunar Princess stepped up to the commanders and I, spreading her wings as she called out in a parade voice, “Listen well, for your Princess speaks. In two hours’ time, the duel between Captain Sarah Lovegood and the combined might of the four Equestrian commanders will take place. The battlefield will be the open plains to the east of the fort, and will be an unarmed test of strength and skill. No direct attempts on any competitors’ life shall be made or tolerated, and the match shall end when one side is unable to continue.” Her gaze leveled on me and the others, “Are these terms acceptable to everypony involved?”

I nodded, as did the others, “Then We will take this time to mark out the battlefield with our magic.” She turned to face Celestia, “Please assist me with this, sister, I might need some help putting together a shield strong enough to contain what is about to happen.”

This caused a murmur to spread through the ranks, given Princes Luna was asking for help to contain what was about to happen. Needless to say, the anticipation concerning the duel had just spiked to a new level.

I turned to face the commanders as Luna and Celestia flew off to do whatever it was they needed to do, “I hope there won’t be any hard feelings when you lose.”

Jetstream scoffed, her wings rustling in excitement as she stared me down, “Don’t think you’re hot stuff just because you can talk a big game. I’ll make sure to pound your sorry flank into the ground for challenging us like this.”

Without another word, she flew off to do whatever it was she planned to do before the duel, leaving me alone with the stallions. Of course, Night Fury had to butt his big head into the mix.

“Well, I’m going to have fun with this,” he smirked up at me as Shining Armor and Iron Wall turned to face the thestral colonel, “who else is having trouble remembering the last time we had somepony challenge us to a duel?”

Shining Armor nodded, “Indeed, although I have a feeling this won’t go for very long.” He glanced my way with a raised eyebrow, “You do realize you don’t stand a chance against all four of us, don’t you?”

I lifted one of my own eyebrows and smirked, “Who said I didn’t? I plan on taking you all out within the first ten minutes of the duel.” I cast a sour look in the direction Jetstream had flown off, “And I’m going to really enjoy taking that turkey down a peg or two.”

“Don’t mind her temper,” Iron Wall said as he followed my gaze, “Jetstream can be hotheaded at times but she’s the best flier we’ve got. Don’t underestimate her unless you want to get your flank pounded into the ground.”

“Shouldn’t that be your job, Iron?” Night Fury asked as he cast a knowing smirk the other stallion’s direction, “After all, isn’t one of your nicknames ‘The Living Avalanche’?”

Iron Wall simply turned to face the thestral with a neutral expression, “I don’t make it a habit to underestimate my opponents, and neither should you.” He turned his attention to me, “I have a feeling our new captain has a few surprises in store for us. Unless she’s a compete fool, she wouldn’t have challenged all four of us to a duel unless she had some kind of plan.”

His calm gaze seemed to penetrate me like a laser cutter, and I did some quick reevaluating in my mind. Jetstream, I was pretty sure I could handle. Shining Armor’s shields would be bothersome but manageable, and I wasn’t really sure what Night Fury could get me with, given his night-based abilities. That meant that my greatest threat was most likely the stallion staring me down, and I felt a shiver run up my spine at the thought of facing him in battle. One way or another, this was going to be a duel for the ages.

The hour of battle had come and gone, and the air was thick with the tension of over a hundred ponies as the combatants took their places in the middle of the dueling arena. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia had constructed the circular area with spells that would contain the powers that they knew were going to be unleashed so as to avoid any collateral damage. Nopony else save for Princess Twilight truly knew what the combatants were capable of, and so it was with much chattering and excitement that the troops of Fort Reinwright gathered to watch the spectacle.

I took my place in the center of the arena, watching with contempt in my gaze as the four commanders took up their own positions on either side, in front and behind me. Each was dressed in their respective armor or outfits, leaving my skinny ass as the only unarmored individual. I turned my attention to the princesses, who had taken up seats in a shaded pavilion that had been set up for them in the center of the spectators. I couldn’t help the smile that graced my lips as I spotted the attentive, if slightly nervous expression that the princesses seemed to sport, although from this distance it was hard to see them clearly. Rosie was watching from her position next to Twilight, although she looked very uncomfortable sitting next to three of the most powerful ponies on the planet, although she hid it well for being so new to the situation.

Jetstream flared her wings a few times to stretch them out, her body positioned to my left while Night Fury stood to my right. Iron Wall was standing in a relaxed stance behind me while Shining Armor was in front, leaving me smack-dab in the middle of the proverbial kill zone. However, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. This was a test of skill and power and I was determined to pound my opponents into the dirt, no matter what kind of advantages they had.

Princess Celestia stood p from her seat, the murmurs of the crowd falling silent as she called out to those assembled, “Combatants, are you prepared?”

I nodded, as did the commanders. Celestia nodded in turn and replied, “The first team to disable all the members of the opposing side will be declared the victor. No lethal spellcasting or techniques will be permitted, but anything else is fair game. Good luck to you all, and may the best team win.”

As she sat down, the troops called out to their favorite commander, shouting for them to pound me into the dirt ten ways from Sunday. Of course, I took this in stride and simply prepared myself for what was to come. I had a feeling that Jetstream would attack first, most likely with a straight charge. Shining Armor would probably throw up a shield or try to grab me in his telekinesis, while Night Fury would simply watch. Iron Wall was the wild card, but I couldn’t see him attacking without a plan, so I prioritized my strategy into taking out Jetstream and Shining Armor before moving on to the other stallions.

I saw Celestia’s horn light up out of the corner of my eye, and I watched as a flare of light shot into the air. I bent my legs and charged my aura as the flare flew higher and higher, until at long last it burst into a shower of golden sparks with a thunderous boom.

Jetstream was off like a shot, charging at me full speed like a bullet, leaving me with little time to react as she closed in. I surged blue aura into my legs and jumped up, allowing her to sail under me as I sailed clear of her initial attack. Jetstream veered off to the right to avoid hitting Night Fury, her head tilting up to look at me with wide eyes as I came back down. I kept the charge of blue energy in my legs to absorb the impact as I landed, my arms held up in a combat stance as I turned to face Shining Armor. His horn was already ignited with his magic and he sent out a solid beam my way that I was forced to dodge. I switched my aura from blue to blue and yellow, pouring on the speed as I raced around behind the stallion and jabbed at the side of his neck with my fingertips. He grunted as his body seized, and he dropped like a stone as his horn’s glow faded to nothing.

The crowd roared as Shining Armor hit the ground like a ton of bricks, although I wasn’t allowed to celebrate my victory for long as Jetstream came charging in from my left. Rather than dodge her again, I secured my legs into the ground and charged my arms as well, leaving my body glowing a soft blue as I prepared for the impact.

Jetstream grinned as she plowed into me, although her grin faded as I grabbed onto her body and held her to my chest, absorbing the impact as I slid backwards in the dirt. Before she could react, I swung her up and over, driving her head into the ground with all of the force of her charge and with the added strength of my upper body.

Her body fell limp as her face plowed a shallow channel into the dirt, leaving me standing alone as Night Fury and Iron Wall looked on with wide eyes. The crowd roared again, this time in amazement as I stepped over the unconscious pegasus and raised my hands into a combat stance once more.

Night Fury glanced at Iron Wall, who nodded in return, and before I could react, Night Fury charged at the earth pony like a madman. My eyes narrowed in confusion as the thestral jumped up and dove at the ground behind the stallion, although they widened in shock as the pony seemed to disappear into his shadow. Before I could react, I felt a pair of hooves plow into me from behind, and I spun around in the air as Night Fury came flying out of my own shadow and drove me into the ground.

I grunted as I landed flat on my back, Night Fury pressing me into the ground as he grinned down at me, “Had enough sweetheart?”

I grinned, “Not a chance. Nice trick though.”

Before he could reply, I charged up my arms with yellow energy and grabbed onto his forehooves. His eyes widened a split second before he got hit by the electricity going through my arms, his jaw opening in a silent scream as his body jerked back and forth like a ragdoll. I released him after a few seconds, remembering Celestia’s words about lethal measures. Of course, Night Fury was out like a light, leaving me on my own as I stood up and turned to face Iron Wall. The stallion hadn’t moved from his position since the beginning of the duel, and in all honesty, that made me very nervous. He had seen my abilities as I defeated his fellow commanders, which meant he had a good read on what I could do. The problem was that I had nothing on him other than his strength as an earth pony.

I could tell from the get go that this wasn’t going to be over fast like the other battles. This was a war of the titans, and I had just stepped in without any idea what my opponent was going to use against me. I charged my legs with blue energy as I prepared for his attack, although it was several second before he began to move. He did something I was not expecting, and closed his eyes as he began to slowly walk towards me. However, I knew it had to be something more than what it seemed. I used my aura speed to charge around behind him, although as I came within striking distance, one of his hind legs came up and pounded into the ground between us.

I was thrown off balance as the very ground beneath me rocked and rolled under the force of the strike, leaving me open for his second attack as his hind legs impacted the center of the chest. I grunted as the wind was knocked out of my lungs, and felt my body flying back as I slid against the ground. I lay there for a moment before pushing myself into a sitting position, taking a moment to regain my wits as Iron Wall started walking my direction with his eyes still closed.

“‘Living Avalanche’ my ass,” I muttered under my breath as I pushed myself into a standing position, “he’s like a freaking seismic detector or something.”

I stepped back as the earth pony approached me, and tried to keep some distance between us as I tried to think of something I could do. Then, it hit me. If I couldn’t get close, then I’d just hit him from a distance with my other aura techniques.

I charged my legs with blue energy as I charged my arms with yellow, the sparks of electricity flying between my fingers as I began racing around the stallion in a circle. My feet kicked up dust and dirt until it was beginning to become hard to see, and I chose that moment to strike. My fingers arced with power as I pointed my hands towards the slowly marching stallion, the arcs of lightning bouncing off the dust and sand in the air in white-hot flashes as they closed in on his position.

Yet, once again, at the last minute, he stomped into the ground, this time kicking up a large hunk of rock that took the brunt of my electric attack, exploding into tiny little pieces as he kicked another boulder into the air between us. I cursed under my breath as he kicked the second rock like a kickball, causing it to sail at me at near blinding speeds. I grounded my feet and slid to a stop, feeling the wind of the rock’s passage as it flew by only inches in front of my face.

I turned to face the stallion as he did the same for me, his eyes finally opening as the dust around us began to settle, revealing a now conscious Shining Armor, Jetstream and Night Fury as they watched on with wide eyes.

I panted as I charged up my hands with blue energy in preparation of another strike, “Not too bad, Iron Wall, it’s been a while since I’ve fought an opponent of your skill.”

“Likewise,” he replied with a nod, “however, you haven’t seen my full power just yet.” He crouched into a combat stance for the first time, his eyes narrowed as he pawed at the ground like the pony he was, “Come at me with everything you have, or else you won’t stand a chance at what’s coming.”

I grinned as I felt my core soaring to new levels of power as my excitement supercharged my aura, “Then let’s see who’s got the best skills out of the two of us.”

Without a word, we charged at each other, my aura flaring to cover my entire body as his own body began kicking up chunks of stone with each step. We closed the gap in a matter of seconds, and I went in with everything as I swung for his head with my right fist. He stomped the ground again and a spire of rock formed between my hand and his head, causing me to shatter the boulder instead of cracking his skull. His response was to kick what remained of the boulder at my face, causing me to jerk my head to the side as I threw a kick at his ribs.

For the first time, he blocked my leg with his own, and I could feel the shockwave as the impact scattered the remaining dust and dirt floating in the air around us. My leg tingled like it was numb even with the added boost from my aura, and I was caught off guard as he grabbed my leg and flipped me over his back like a sack of potatoes. I landed square over his shoulders, and I felt my arm being gripped with one of his forehooves as he grabbed my metal leg with the other. Before I could do anything to stop him, he flipped onto his back and drove both of our bodies into the dirt, with his entire weight landing flat on my torso like the rocks he had been slinging at me.

My vision swam as I tried to remain conscious, and I gasped as he drove his elbow into my gut, further driving the ring of black into the center of my vision. I could barely feel him move as he got up and off of me, my vision slowly returning as I gasped for air.

He turned around and looked down at me, his gaze calm like before as his eyes met mine, “Had enough?”

I felt like I had been put through a fruit press and turned into jelly, but I wasn’t about to admit defeat, not until he knocked me out or I punched his lights out. I grunted and hissed as I pushed myself up, noting that the other commanders had walked up with worried expressions on their faces.

“I’m not done yet,” I managed to force out as I stood up straight, “I’ll prove that I’m just as qualified to lead as you are.” I stumbled slightly but regained my footing as I stared Iron Wall down, “I don’t care if I’ve already earned their respect, this is a personal matter now and I won’t back down until this duel is finished.”

Iron nodded, the other commanders backing up with fearful expressions as the old stallion fell into his combat stance one more, “Then let us finish this. One final strike, winner take all?”

I nodded, feeling my aura spike again as my entire body was enveloped in blue and yellow fire, “Let’s end this.”

We charged at one another, crying out like the warriors we were as we both swung back our arm/foreleg and drove a punch aimed at the other’s face. My fist made first contact, but instead of stopping him, he used the momentum of my punch to roll around and use his other hoof to crack me on the back of the neck. I cried out as his hoof impacted me at the base of my skull, my vision igniting with sparks and black spots as my legs fell out from under me. I was just able to see the small grin on his face as my body crumpled to the ground, my vision fading to black as he landed on his hooves and began walking away.

“Son of a bitch.” I managed to croak out, my hand grasping after him even though he was too far away as my vision faded out completely. The last thing I remembered was Twilight and Rosie calling my name, and then the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

Author's Note

*Reinwright is a pun of Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Today's little battle scene brought to you by this song.....

Well then, here's another one for all of you to enjoy. Sorry about this but I'm not going to be able to update until later this week because of finals. :fluttercry: Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying the book so far, and I hope to see you all in later chapters.

Leave a like, comment in the towel section below, and follow me if you wish. Oher than that, have a happy evening, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

19 - Date Night Take Two

As my scattered mind came back to my body, I was acutely aware of the incessant beeping of a heart monitor as my body rested on a soft surface. I could feel the warmth of something pressed against my left side, and I groaned as a dull ache made itself known in the back of my skull.

I opened m eyes with some difficulty, taking a moment to look around at the now obvious hospital room, along with the seemingly asleep forms of Lyra and Bon-Bon. The aquamarine unicorn was lying on the bed with me, having curled up against my side and resting her chin in the valley of my breasts. Bon-Bon was sitting next to the bed with her front half draped over the edge and her hindquarters rested on one of the chairs that dotted the room. All and all, it was an absolutely adorable sight, although it did beg the question of how I ended up in the medical wing yet again.

I lifted my free arm and rubbed Lyra’s ears with my fingers, causing the mare to hum in pleasure before cracking her eyes open. As her eyes met mine they widened in what seemed to be joy, and before I could react I was enveloped in a crushing hug as her forehooves wrapped around my neck and shoulders.

“You’re awake!” She cried, causing Bon-Bon to start and jerk upright as her sleep-addled mind tried to catch up with her marefriend’s exclamation.

“Whozawhatzit?” She muttered as she looked around the room for signs of the loud voice that had pulled her from her slumber. Her gaze landed on me as Lyra continued to hug what little air was left from my lungs, and her eyes widened in a similar reaction as she leapt to her hooves and climbed onto the bed with us, “You’re awake! We were so worried about you!”

Before I could say anything, Bon-Bon joined Lyra in her firm hug and I was forced to take it as both mares tried their best to strangle the living daylights out of me. Luckily, I wasn’t forced back into unconsciousness by their forceful welcome as they pulled back and laid down on either side of me.I struggled to take calm breaths as I got my heart back under control, and I was just opening my mouth to reply when Lyra cuffed me over the head with one hoof.

“Ow!” I yelped, shocked by the sudden blow, “What was that for?” I held my aching temple with one hand as I turned my full attention to the unicorn at my left side, halfway expecting another strike from the furious expression on her face.

“That was for making us worry about you when you did something stupid for no good reason.” She replied, “We only knew you were here because Swift Blade came by to tell us on the way to drop you off in the emergency room.” She wound up to hit me again, but Bon-Bon stopped her with a raised hoof.

“I think she gets it, Lyra. You don’t need to make her concussion any worse.” She rounded on me as I let out a sigh of relief, “Don’t think that means you’re off the hook. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, starting with why exactly you were at a fort getting you flank pounded in by four of the most powerful officers in the Equestrian military.”

I growled under my breath as I tried my best to not climb out of the bed and go kick Swift’s plot for blabbing to my herdmates about my little skirmish with the commanders. Adding them to my already growing problems was not what I needed right now.

“Well, the thing is girls,” I said slowly, hoping they would buy my deflection, “I can’t exactly say why I’m working with the Equestrian military, other than I’m acting as a consultant to help modernize your tactics and weaponry as a favor to the princesses. Other than that, I’m sworn to secrecy by Princess Celestia, so I can’t tell you anything else.”

Neither mare seemed amused by my lack of detail, although Bon-Bon seemed more irritated than her marefriend for some strange reason. However, my thoughts were redirected back to Lyra as she leaned forward to stare into my eyes.

“So, the princesses have sworn you to secrecy, eh?” I nodded, hoping that she wasn’t about to hit me again. She held my gaze for a moment or two before letting out a gusty sigh and pulling back, “Just great, we finally find somepony who can fit well with us as a herd and she’s part of some top-secret government conspiracy.” She flopped onto her side and growled, meeting my gaze from her lopsided angle as she asked, “Just answer this one thing for me, are you going to be gone for long periods of time while doing whatever it is you need to do for the princesses?”

I shook my head, “Not that I know of. As far as I’m aware my only responsibilities are to teach the troops at Fort Reinwright during the weekdays. Other than that, I should be here in Ponyville during the afternoons and weekends with no issue.”

Lyra’s hard expression softened as she sat up, a look of relief on her face as she smiled, “Well that’s a relief, I was worried we’d have to let you go if you couldn’t be a part of our herd anymore.” She leaned close and pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss, “Glad to hear you can still be a part of our little club.”

I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my own lips as she pulled back and sat down on my stomach, “I wasn’t planning on leaving our herd last time I checked. I just have things I need to do in order to earn my keep. Where did you think I was getting the money to take you on our date tonight?”

The two mares shared an uncertain look, and I picked up on their darkened moods as I glanced at the clock next to the bed. It read a solid nine thirty in the morning, and I realized I had been unconscious for at least several hours.

I slapped my hand over my eyes as I groaned, “I missed our date, didn’t I?”

Bon-Bon rested her hoof over my other hand as her expression took on an understanding light, “We know it’s not really your fault, although getting into a fight with some of the most powerful ponies around might not have been the best idea.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added, “how exactly did you end up in a fight with those four anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be answering to them for orders or something?”

I nodded, “Technically that’s true, although I wasn’t doing it to beat them per say.” I glanced at the wall as the memories started coming back, doing my best to ignore the burning of shame in my cheeks as I spoke, “I was sick and tired of the grunts giving my shit about being a girl and not being able to supposedly give competent orders. I was given a lot of grief in basic training back when I was going through Ranger School, and having those stallions objectifying me like some kind of prize dragged a lot of those memories back to the surface.”

Both mares growled as the fur over their shoulders fluffed like a cat, “Those idiotic, senseless, ignorant,” Bon-Bon couldn’t even continue before Lyra finished for her.

“The word you’re looking for is plot-holes.” The unicorn was far from pleased, if the murderous light in her eyes was any indication, although I was glad it wasn’t directed at me.

I placed my hands on their shoulders, rubbing in slow circles in an attempt to calm them down. It seemed to work, given both started to hum in appreciation as my fingers worked out the knots I could feel under their fur. For a moment I thought they might roll over and let me rub their stomachs like a pair of dogs, although my suspicions were smashed into tiny pieces when Lyra pulled back and pressed my hand into the sheets.

“Wait a minute,” I grinned as I felt and heard her ragged breathing against my stomach, my hand pausing its work on Bon-Bon as the earth pony separated herself from my grip as well, “I know you need to rest, but I need to get a straight answer from you about one more thing. Why exactly were you fighting the commanders if the grunts were the ones who were giving you grief?”

I let my hands rest on the bed as I rolled my eyes towards the ceiling, “Because I thought beating the commanders in a duel might earn me some respect with the basic rank and file instead of having to bark at them like I did with that one stallion. I was hoping to beat them into a pulp and then demand respect from the grunts, although given my current location I can guess it didn’t go exactly all that well.”

Lyra snorted, leaning in to peck me on the lips again as she grinned, “From what Swift told us, you beat three of them before fighting the fourth to a near standstill. I’d say you did pretty good for taking on some of the most powerful ponies in Equestria.”

I placed my hand on the back of her head and pulled her into a longer kiss before letting her go, smiling at the blush that had taken residence on her cheeks, “Well pretty good isn’t good enough, at least from my point of view. But thanks for saying so anyway.”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes before leaning into a kiss of her own, her tongue teasing my lips for a moment before I opened up to allow her access. Her tongue forced its way into my mouth and battled with my own for a moment or two in a heated exchange, leaving us both out of breath and with burning cheeks as she pulled away.

“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that since we parted ways.” She managed to gasp out, “We’ve both missed you terribly the whole time you’ve been working out your feelings.” She glanced over at Lyra, who was grinning like an idiot, “Lyra and I want you back in the herd, completely and permanently. We realize that mistakes were made by all of us, but we want you to know that we understand your feelings and know that you’re doing your best to make up for your part of things. We don’t care about the missed date, at least not right now, because we were too worried about you getting hurt to care about it.”

She leaned in and gripped me in another hug, although it was softer than the first. Lyra joined in a second later, and I realized that I had to be the luckiest girl in the world to have such understanding herdmates. They were willing to overlook my idiotic choices and mistakes because they cared about me enough to work past them. Now I really felt terrible for missing our date, and I knew just how to make it up to them.

“Listen girls,” I said softly as I held them with an arm over each of their haunches, “I hope it’s not too much to ask, but could we have a do-over on that date? I really was looking forward to taking you two out on the town as an apology for my idiotic actions before, so would you be willing to go out with me once I get discharged?”

Both mares pulled back and nodded, pressing their lips to my cheeks in a double kiss before taking turns kissing me on my mouth.

“We’d be honored,” Bon-Bon said softly as she sat back and rested her hooves on my stomach, “at least once you get out of here and find something to wear.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added as she stood and shifted her entire body onto mine, resting her chin between my breasts as she nuzzled against my chin, “I like seeing you dress up for us. It makes you look even better than when you wear your usual clothing.”

I could feel a blush coming over my cheeks again as I averted my gaze, “Well now you just had to go and say something like that. Now I feel like I have to dress up for you girls.” I glanced at them with a grin to let them know I was joking, although it was secretly very glad I had Rarity make my dress before I went to the fort. Now I didn’t have to worry about getting something done at the last minute. “I think I have something that you’ll like, although it’s going to be a surprise for when I pick you up for our dinner. I have this place in mind that I’m pretty sure you’ve never gone to, and I want to see your faces when we get there.”

The girls shared a look of glee before turning back to me, “When will you come to pick us up for the date?” Lyra asked.

“How does seven sound?” I replied, hoping that things would work out to let me make that deadline.

Bon-Bon nodded, “That sounds fine. From what the nurse said you should be cleared to go once they make sure you aren’t in any further danger from your head injury. You really got the stuffing kicked out of you when that stallion hit you in the head.”

I rubbed the bandage that I just realized was wrapped around my head with one hand, “Well he was a pretty good fighter for being an earth pony. I’ll never underestimate Swift again after seeing what that old coot could do.”

Bon-Bon chuckled as she nuzzled against my nose, “Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover. Maybe next time you won’t underestimate your opponent because of his tribe.”

I nodded in agreement, although I noticed that something was a bit off about how my herdmates were acting, “You girls are acting oddly cuddly right now, are you sure you aren’t in your heat anymore?”

Lyra giggled as Bon-Bon nodded in return, “Yes, I’m sure. We just haven’t done anything with each other because of you being off on your own. You could say we’re a bit heated now that you’re finally going to be a part of our herd once again and the thought of those amazing fingers of yours has us a bit excited.”

I smirked as I worked my hands over the curve of their flanks and under their tails, causing both mares to gasp as their tails flagged in reflex. “A bit excited, eh? Looks to me like you two haven’t had a good roll in the hay since that night we spent together.”

I kept my fingers away from their heated cores, even though I could tell they both certainly wanted me to continue. Instead, I rubbed my fingers deep into the tissue of their rears and molded the firm flesh in my grip as a means of apology for not pressing the issue like they wanted.

Bon-Bon let out a frustrated growl as she worked her flanks deeper into my hand, Lyra following similar actions as she spoke, “Oh buck me that is making me so want to jump you right now.” Both mares opened their eyes as I removed my hands from their bodies, their gazes lidded and their lips curled into matching grins. “Oh, you are so going to get it once we get you back home.”

Any further actions of the carnal variety were interrupted as the door opened, revealing the familiar form of Nurse Redheart with a clipboard in her grip. She walked into the room without looking up from the chart, only to pause as she sniffed the air twice. Her eyes rose until she spotted both of my herdmates in the bed with me, and she rolled her eyes as she walked up and unceremoniously dumped both mares onto the floor.

“No roughhousing with the patient until she’s been cleared of any lasting injuries,” the irate nurse stated as she pinned Lyra and Bon-Bon in place with a firm glare. “Any actions that don’t follow hospital guidelines will result in the both of you getting kicked out for the duration of Ms. Lovegood’s stay. Am I making myself clear?”

Both mares blushed as they tucked their tails between their hind legs and nodded, “Yes ma’am.” They chorused.

Redheart nodded in return and turned to face me as she placed the clipboard on the peg that was sticking out of the wall on my left. She moved up and placed her front half on the bed so she could reach me, taking my vitals much like she had in my first visit. As she conducted her tests I detected a distinct level of jealousy coming from Lyra and Bon-Bon as the white mare placed her ear between my breasts to listen to my heart and lungs.

“Well, you seem to be doing fine all things considered,” Redheart muttered as she pulled back and made a note on my chart. “Once I have Dr. Tenderhoof look at your head we should be done here.” She fixed me with a withering glare as I sat back against the wall, “Just try not to get beaten into a pulp for at least a week or I just might put something nasty in your food the next time you have to stay for an extended time.”

I lifted one eyebrow in an inquisitive manner, “And what would you put in my food that wouldn’t get you in trouble for harassing a patient?”

She winked with a dark gleam in her eyes, “Oh you’d be surprised how stress can cause a patient to lose control of their facilities, such as, oh, I don’t know,” her lips curled into a devious smile as she leaned in and whispered in my ear, “their bowel muscles.”

My eyes widened as I imagined having to deal with laxatives lacing everything I ate next time I ended up in the hospital. I’d been tricked into eating the gum in MRE’s one time and ended up sitting in the bathroom for the next three hours while my guts tried their best to vacate my body. Not an experience I was looking to repeat, although it would be ten times worse if Redheart was lacing my food with it for every meal.

I nodded nervously as she pulled back and looked me in the eye, “I understand. I’ll do my best not to end up in your care for a good while. No promises if someone pisses me off, though.”

Redheart rolled her eyes but relented as she climbed off the bed and made another note on my chart, “Fair enough I guess, much as I loath conflict between ponies, I know with a personality like yours something is bound to happen sooner or later. Just try not to get your skull caved in or break half your ribs next time we see each other, alright?”

I smiled as she walked back to the door, brushing past Lyra and Bon-Bon without looking at either of them, “I’ll try to keep that in mind, Nurse.”

Redheart nodded over her shoulder as she opened the door, “Dr. Tenderhoof will be here in a minute,” she cast a withering glare over the other mares as she paused in the doorway, “try to control yourselves until he arrives, please.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon hung their heads, their ears folding against their heads sheepishly as they returned Redheart’s gaze with hesitant grins. Redheart stayed in that position for a moment more before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her as my herdmates let out shared sighs of relief.

“I don’t know about you,” Lyra said softly as she walked up and climbed onto the chair next to the bed, “but that mare scares me.”

Bon-Bon shivered in agreement as she sat down next to Lyra and rested her hooves on the bedside, “She’s under a lot of stress because of her job. I can only imagine what she must go through seeing injured ponies all the time. I would think seeing a returning patient would be painful for her because of what she does for a living and the work she puts into making them feel better.”

I rested my head against the headboard as my body relaxed into the mattress, “Well she must be under a lot of pressure, given she has to deal with ponies like Rainbow Dash on a fairly regular basis. It must drive her to her wit’s end trying to keep up with that mare alone, not to mention all the other patients she has to take care of on a more scattered schedule.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon agreed, stepping to the side as the door swung open to reveal the light brown form of Dr. Tenderhoof. The unicorn smiled as he walked in, nodding to Lyra and Bon-Bon as he stepped up to the bedside.

“Seems you have a pension for trouble, Ms. Lovegood,” he said with a hint of mirth in his voice, “It was only a few months ago we were saving your life after you crashed into the Princess’s castle. Now here you are again getting you head cracked in by a commanding officer of the military.” He ignited his horn and scanned my head with a thin beam of magic, continuing with his monologue as he performed his spell, “One would think you liked getting hurt if this pattern keeps going as it is.”

I couldn’t keep my grin hidden as his magic finished moving through my head, “Well I guess I just have a thing for pretty nurses,” I ignored the indignant intake of breath coming from my herdmates, getting a little kick from riling them up, “then again, Redheart is a bit too much of a stick in the mud for my tastes.”

Tenderhoof either ignored or decided not to comment on my opinion of his coworker, stepping back so he could go over my chart before turning back to me, “Well Ms. Lovegood, the good news is that you aren’t going to suffer any permanent damage to your brain or any other parts of you body, although the concussion you sustained is going to limit what kind of activity you can do for the next week or so. I am going to have you refrain from any contact sports or hard impact activities for the next ten days so that your head can heal properly, but other than that, you are free to go.” He glanced over his shoulder at Lyra and Bon-Bon, “Please see to it that she follows my instructions, we don’t want to have Ms. Lovegood returning with brain damage added to her record because of her own recklessness.”

Lyra snapped a sarcastic salute while Bon-Bon simply nodded, “We’ll make sure she doesn’t do anything too strenuous, doctor.”

Tenderhoof grunted in agreement before turning to the door, “See the receptionist at the front when you leave, she has some paperwork for you to sign before you go.”

With that we were left alone in the room, giving me time to climb out of the bed and pull my clothing off of the bedside table while Lyra and Bon-Bon talked about something near the door. I slipped into my jeans and T-shirt before turning around, although I was taken aback when I saw that both mares were staring at me.

“What?”I asked, glancing down at myself, “Is there something on my shirt?”

Lyra shook her head, “No, it’s just we’ve never seen you get dressed before. It’s kind of hot for some reason.”

My eyes narrowed in confusion as Bon-Bon clarified for her marefriend, “What Lyra is trying to say, is that it’s common for stallions to put on things like chaps when they want to show off their availability to interested mares. That and,” her cheeks flushed as she averted her gaze, “there are other pieces of clothing that are commonly used in the bedroom to entice either partner when things get heated. It’s not any fault of yours, but your undergarments look a lot like the clothing warn by mares in bed, so you can understand why it might make us a bit heated seeing you put them on in front of us.”

I could feel my own cheeks flushing as I realized I had essentially done a reverse strip tease for my herdmates, although a large part of me was actually okay with knowing how I affected them. It made me feel like I was appreciated for my body instead of being an object for the boys back home.I walked past them, rubbing their ears with my fingers before opening the door so we could get out of the hospital.

“Shall we go?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at them.

Both mares fell in on either side of me, rubbing their flanks against my legs as we walked through the hallways and into the main entrance. All and all it wasn’t so bad to do the paperwork, although the bill was a bit larger than I was expecting, leaving me feeling a bit light on bits after I had to pay the charges. I hoped I still had enough on me to pay for the meal tonight, or else I’d have to go and pull some of my savings from the bank to make sure I had enough to foot the bill.

I was just turning around to lead Lyra and Bon-Bon out of the hospital when I spotted Swift leaning against the doorway. The earth pony was flanked by none other than Princess Celestia and Twilight, both of which looked less than pleased with me. Most of the ponies in the waiting room had already hit the deck at the entrance of the two royals, although I declined to bow because of the level gaze Celestia had locked onto me.

The solar alicorn stepped into the waiting room, Swift and Twilight flanking the larger pony as she walked up to me. She came to a stop before me as Lyra and Bon-Bon watched from their bowed positions, their eyes wide in wonder as their diarch looked me up and down.

“I take it there were no lasting injuries from your duel with the commanders?” Celestia’s tone was cool and lacked the normal motherly warmth that she seemed to have in spades for her subjects. Lyra and Bon-Bon seemed to pick up on this, along with Swift and Twilight, causing everypony present to take a step back as Celestia’s gaze hardened.

I nodded, doing my best to stand up under her scrutiny, “Just a minor head case. Doc says I can’t do any strenuous physical activity for ten days. Other than that, I’m fine.”

Celestia nodded, “Very good. It is nice to know that there won’t be any lingering effects from your little stunt. However,” her gaze smoldered as she lowered her head to stare directly into my own eyes, “any further acts of insubordination will not be condoned or tolerated. You are a part of the Equestrian military and must follow the chain of command just like everypony else. Do not let your special position delude you into thinking you are above your commanders. We are here to protect the common pony, and we cannot do that if we are constantly fighting amongst ourselves. Am I making myself clear?”

I snapped into a salute, “Crystal, ma’am.”

Celestia nodded, turning to face Lyra and Bon-Bon as her gaze softened back to the motherly light she was known for, “And these are your herdmates that Twilight spoke about, are they not?” Lyra and Bon-Bon nodded, their gazes uncertain for a moment before Celestia lowered her head to their level, “It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am happy to see that Sarah has found ponies that care for her in that way. Ah,” her eyes lit up as she turned her full attention to Lyra, “I recognize you. You were one of my students at the School for Gifted Unicorns, were you not?”

Lyra seemed a bit flustered by the direct attention of Celestia, although she managed to reply without stuttering, “Um, yes Your Highness, I was in the same class as Twilight. We grew up together in Canterlot before I moved to Ponyville.”

Celestia’s smile widened as she lifted her head back to its normal level, “Well then I am doubly pleased to meet you both. For a unicorn of your talent to have found love in not one but two beings, you must truly be a very lucky mare to have found something so precious.”

Lyra’s cheeks flushed a dark red as she averted her gaze and rubbed her mane with a hoof, “Oh I’m nothing special, I just ran into Bonnie in the market one day and we sort of clicked. Nothing real romantic about it.”

Bon-Bon smiled as she leaned in and nuzzled Lyra on the side of her neck, “Well I like you just as you are, crazy ideas and all.” She turned to face Celestia and bowed her head, “If you would please excuse us, Princess, I think Lyra and I have some things to take care of before Sarah takes us on our date.”

Celestia’s gaze flickered to me for a moment with a raised eyebrow before turning back to the duo, “Well then don’t let me keep you. Please, take care of your errands and I wish you the best this evening.”

Bon-Bon and Lyra glanced at me with matching grins, Bon-Bon replying as she and Lyra walked towards the doors, “I plan on it, Your Highness. Good day.”

With that, the general sense of tension in the room left, leaving the hospital staff to work through the patients as usual while Swift and Twilight stepped back up to flank Celestia. Said mare turned to face me with a raised eyebrow as she smirked.

“It would seem you have been busy in the time we have been apart, Sarah.” She said with a hint of mirth as she fluffed her wings, “Two herdmates to your name and a dinner date this evening to top it off. You must be either very lucky or the most skilled romantic I have ever met.”

Swift stepped up and rolled her eyes as she stood between Celestia and I, “Not really, she just happens to have some good looks and a silver tongue to match. Not really romance when the mares flock to you like birds going after seed.”

I gently cuffed the mare over the back of her head, although I softened the blow with an ear rub as I turned to give Celestia an apologetic smile, “Pay no attention to her, she’s just jealous that I have someone in my love life and she doesn’t.”

Swift sputtered for a moment while Celestia hid a giggle behind a hoof, although I noticed the longing that was glistening in Twilight’s eyes as she averted her gaze. I had a feeling that I was going to have to address the lavender mare’s feelings at some point, but without knowing how relationships worked on a fine level in this world, I felt it would be best to bring it up at my date so I could ask Lyra and Bon-Bon about it. Better that than to make some huge mistake and shatter the poor girl’s heart.

Celestia seemed to also notice her former student’s mood, although she didn’t make a comment about it as she turned to face me once again, “Well, I guess that is all that needs to be said on the matter. I leave you in Swift Blade’s capable hooves, and wish you luck on your date this evening.”

I nodded my respects as the solar diarch made her exit, glancing down as I realized my hand was still rubbing over Swift’s ears, making the normally stoic mare hum in pleasure as she leaned into my touch.

I removed my hand and smirked as she leaned into the open air between us for a split second before coming back to her senses. She glanced up at me with a glare, only to realize what I was smirking about. She blushed hotly as she averted her gaze and grumbled under her breath about my ‘Celestia-damned fingers’. I decided to let her little comment slide as I walked over to the doors of the hospital, allowing the two mares to walk through before me before joining them on the main street. It was just coming into the noon hour from the angle of the sun, and I knew I had to get my things in order for my date with the girls that afternoon, so I set a quick pace back to the castle so I could get ready in time.

Swift followed me up to my room as Twilight went off to do her own thing in some other part of the castle, and I ruffled through my closet for a moment to find the dress I had commissioned Rarity to make for the occasion. It was a deep satin red with long bell-bottom sleeves and a shorter hem that came to a stop just above my shins. Swift was kind enough to turn her head as I slipped the dress over my head and then rolled the matching stockings up my legs. The smooth fabric did wonders to keep my fake leg hidden from direct view, although the little slippers that Rarity had spent painstaking hours working on were a little thin to be walking on Ponyville’s dirt roads. They wouldn’t stop a rock from poking me in the foot if I happened to step wrong, so I seriously contemplated wearing my shoes instead. However, the idea of coming to a dinner date in sneakers was not very appealing to me, so I slid the slippers over my feet anyway before turning to face Swift.

“So, how do I look?” I asked her as I smoothed out the hem of the dress with my hands.

She looked up and grinned as her gaze roamed over my body, “Like a million bits.” She walked around me in a slow circle before smirking as she came around behind me, “The way the fabric hugs your flanks leaves very little to the imagination. Are you sure you’re just going to a dinner date dressed like that?”

I rolled my eyes as I tugged the fabric to make it lay a little further off my ass, “Yes I’m sure it’s just a dinner date, although now that you mention it, I should probably talk with Lyra and Bon-Bon about setting up boundaries concerning our more, ah, intimate relations.”

“You mean you need to come up with ways to stop them if they try and jump your curvy plot.” Swift translated. “Not a bad idea, although you might want to leave some openings or else you’re going to drive those mares up a wall with your dashing good looks.”

I ruffled her mane with a hand as I walked past her, the earth pony grumbling under her breath as she followed me out and into the castle proper. As usual, she was going to follow me to the restaurant but would remain outside for the duration of the date. Now if I could only find some way to get to and from the girls’ house without drawing too much attention. The streets of Ponyville might have been familiar territory by now, but that didn’t mean I was going to just strut up the main avenue for everypony to stare at on my way to see Lyra and Bon-Bon.

Feeling a little self-conscious, I opened the door to the castle foyer and walked into the afternoon light as ponies went about their daily business. Trying to avoid blushing like a schoolgirl, I held my head high and walked through the main square towards Bon-Bon’s shop. This late in the day the girls should have been finished at the store, although I hoped they were at least going to be ready by the time I got there. If it was one thing the military woman in me hated, it was being late for a mission. Sure this wasn’t a mission in the usual sense of the word, but in my mind things were always the same when it came to being punctual. As the old saying went, ‘fifteen minutes early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable’.

I could feel the eyes of nearly the entire town on me as I made my way to the girls’ house, and I felt my cheeks burning despite my best efforts as several stallions and mares whistled in my direction. Swift made sure they kept their distance, although from the poorly muffled snickering coming from behind me, she was getting an almighty kick out of seeing me turn into a tomato from the neck up.

By the time we arrived at our destination, I could swear the entire town knew what I was doing, and it was only made worse by the rumors I could already hear making their circulation behind us as ponies started commenting about me to each other.

I knocked on the door to the girls’ house and stepped back, trying my best to ignore the sound of cameras clicking behind us and the muttered comments about my state of dress. Lyra was the one to answer the door, although as her eyes landed on me her jaw dropped and her eyes shrank into pinpricks.

“S-Sarah?” She stuttered as she looked me up and down, “What are you wearing?”

I glanced down at my dress and suddenly felt far overdressed for a little dinner date, “Is it too much? I wasn’t really sure what to wear so I had Rarity throw something together for me.”

Lyra worked over her surprise and beamed a wide smile my way, “Not at all! You look great! One minute, I’ll go get Bonnie and we can get ready while you wait in the living room.”

She darted up the steps of the house and I could hear her talking rapidly with Bon-Bon as I turned to glance at Swift. The guard pony shrugged before gesturing to the open door with a hoof. I nodded in silent agreement and walked into the house, closing the door behind us as I took a seat in one of the armchairs. The living room looked much like it had the last time, although there were now pictures of me resting on the walls in several places, although I didn’t remember ever having my picture taken while I was doing my training with Swift.

Apparently Swift had noticed the pictures as well, because she walked over and inspected one of me and her trading blows with our swords that hung on the wall near the fireplace. Her expression was one of intense interest, although the mystery of the pictures was left as such as we heard hoofsteps on the stairs coming down from the second floor.

I turned around and watched as Lyra and Bon-Bon walked down the steps, although my jaw dropped as I saw what they were wearing. Lyra was decked out in a smooth gold dress that hugged her frame like a second coat of fur, leaving her shoulders bare as a set of matching stockings covered her forehooves and a silver set of shoes covered each hoof. Her mane was done up in an elegant bun with golden pins in the shape of lyres holding the silver locks in place. A single lock of her mane hung down next to her left eye as she turned to face me, her lips curled into a smile as she did a little twirl for us. Bon-Bon was dressed up in a similar outfit, although instead of gold, her dress was a dark navy blue with rose pink trim along the leading hem and over her back. A saddle-like accessory rested over her back with the same pink trim around the edge while the main body was a soft cream the same color as her coat.Her mane was in its signature curls, although she had done them up into a duo of braids that rested over each of her shoulders while the curls of her bangs had been swept to one side to partly hide her right eye from view. All and all, they were downright stunning, and any thoughts of being overdressed quickly left my mind.

“Well,” Lyra said as she walked up to me and hopped up to rest her front hooves on m shoulders, “how do we look?”

I did the only thing I could think of with her in that position. I reached around behind her and rested one hand on her haunches while the other pulled her head into a heated kiss between us. She hummed in pleasure as her lips pressed against mine, and I pulled back only after taking a moment to trade a little tongue with her.

I panted softly as I grinned like an idiot, “You look absolutely stunning. I only hope we don’t give the town a collective nosebleed when we walk over to the restaurant.”

Bon-Bon laughed as Lyra leaned in to nuzzle my neck with her lips and cheek, “If that were the case then we’d just have to have your beautiful bodyguard drive them off with her sword while we made our grand escape.”

Swift rolled her eyes but grinned none the less, “Yeah, yeah, just don’t make too big a scene or I might just leave you three on your own to go get smashed at Berry’s bar while you get mobbed.”

I set Lyra down again and ruffled Swift’s mane, much to her annoyance, before turning to the girls, “Well, the night is still young, and I’m starving after being locked up in the hospital since yesterday. What do you girls say to heading out and enjoying ourselves?”

Both mares nodded in agreement and followed me as I held the front door open for them, although I had to hide my laughter as the duo was assaulted by a group of ponies that were openly staring as I led our little group down the road. Swift ran interference as reporters from the local newspaper tried to get pictures of us, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Lyra and Bon-Bon had hired one of those ponies to get pictures of me for their own use. It would explain how those framed photos ended up on their wall without my knowing.

The restaurant that I had selected for our little outing tonight was a little place downtown called Shirubafeza, or Shiru’s as the locals had come to call it, that seemed like a direct reference to Japanese culture back home. However, instead of short Asiatic humans running the joint, it was owned by a family of pegasi that had moved from their native land of Neighpan, ugh, the puns in this world were getting worse by the day, to come and live in a more culturally diverse country. Given the similarities to the food we had back on Earth, I was pretty sure I knew what to expect, with some variation for the more vegetarian diet of the ponies.Apparently pegasi could eat fish, especially if there was little to eat in the way of greens, as it seemed to be for this Neighpan country, so I knew that meat wasn’t going to be an issue. Although, last time I ordered something more human from the menu I nearly made my dates sick, so I wasn’t sure doing so was a good idea this time around.

Lyra and Bon-Bon looked on with wide eyes as I led them into the front doors of Shiru’s, their heads spinning on a swivel as they took in the bamboo and paper decorations leading into the main floor. The pony who met us at the entrance was a pegasus with bright blue fur and a mint green mane, although his striking brown eyes captured our attention as he walked up and bowed while flaring his wings wide. Slightly taken aback, I bowed with my hands spread to my sides, Lyra and Bon-Bon following suite as Swift nodded to the stallion.

“Welcome to Shirubafeza,” he said with a high and tinny voice, “where the best tastes of Neighpan are presented in the most appetizing and aesthetically pleasing way.” He stood up from his bow and nodded to his left, “Please, allow me to show you ladies to your seats.”

I nodded to Swift as she walked back out and took up post on the side of the door, leaving me with the girls as the waiter led us to a set of seats off to one side of the main floor. I noticed that only a pair of pegasi were currently in attendance on the other side of the restaurant, too engrossed in each other’s eyes to notice us as we walked by and took up station on the far wall.

The stallion pulled a trio of menus from under his wing as I pulled out the seats for Lyra and Bon-Bon, placing them before us as I took my own seat with a soft smile on his lips. “Let me know if you require anything to drink before you place your orders, and I will get them for you immediately.”

Bon-Bon glanced at the menu while Lyra looked around at the décor, “I’ll have a cup of your best tea if that would be alright.” She glanced at the still distracted unicorn with a bemused expression, “What would you like Lyra?”

“Huh?” Lyra jumped before noticing the expectant look the waiter was giving her, “Oh, I would just like some water please.”

“Make that two.” I added as I raised one of my hands to get the pegasus’ attention.

He nodded, “A ginseng tea with two waters, coming right up.”

As he made his exit, both mares turned to look at me with expectant eyes, although I had no idea what it was they wanted.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, “Do I have something on my face?”

“We want to know what you’re going to order.” Lyra aid simply as she tapped my menu with a hoof, “We’ve never been here before, so we want to know what you think is good.”

“Well,” I paused, taking a moment to look over the menu to make sure I knew what I was getting into. From what I could see, the majority of the dishes were things I was familiar with, although there were a couple that I assumed were for pony tastes due to the more flowery ingredients in them, “from what I can see, the noodles would be a good thing to start with, although you might not like the toppings. Some of the dishes have crab and other seafood on top of them as extra, so you could stick to the salads. They’re different from the usual salads you’d get from a hayburger joint or one of the Prench places, so you might find them new and interesting. As for me, I’m going to have some of the sushi.”

“What’s sushi?” Lyra asked, though from the sound of her voice she knew it might be something more carnivorous in taste.

“Fish cut into little pieces and wrapped up with vegies and rice inside a roll of seaweed.” I replied.

Bon-Bon looked slightly green, although Lyra seemed more interested instead of being grossed out, “So is that stuff good tasting?”

I shrugged, “It all depends on your tastes. I’ve seen people love sushi and I’ve seen people hate it from the very first bite. I guess you’ll just have to try it for yourself to see.”

We had only a moment to look over our menus after that before the waiter came back, his wings supporting a platter with our drinks resting on the wooden disc. He placed them in front of us and folded the platter under his left wing before turning back to face us.

“Do you ladies know what you want to eat this evening?” His voice was a hint faster, although I passed it off as nerves as he glanced at me out of the corner of this eyes. From the way his gaze kept bouncing over my chest, I had a feeling this was the first time he’s seen anything like breasts, so I did him a favor and crossed my arms over my chest to hide them from view.

Lyra waved it over to Bon-Bon while she flipped through the menu, leaving the earth pony to fend for herself as she read through the selection, “I think I’ll have the miso soup with a side salad and an appetizer of egg rolls.”

He nodded as he wrote down her selection on a notepad with a quill. Lyra glanced at me and I took that as my cue to order, so I took a quick glance at the sushi before speaking, “I’ll take an order of the salmon and tuna sushi platter with a side of white rice please.”

Lyra didn’t even hesitate before adding in, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

The waiter nodded again, “Two orders of the platter with sides of white rice.” He flipped the notebook closed and smiled to us, “Your order should be ready in about fifteen minutes. Please feel free to peruse our desert menu while you wait.”

With that he flipped around and walked back into what I assumed was the kitchen, leaving us on our own as I turned to face Lyra with a confused expression.

“You know very well that I ordered fish for dinner,” I stated in a blank tone, “why did you get that when you nearly got sick the last time you ate meat?”

“Because you are a part of this herd and I’m not going to make you feel like you need to change yourself in order to fit in with us. So, either you have to give up meat, which I know you can’t, or we learn to adjust so we don’t get sick around it.” She sent a wide grin my way as she flipped the menu closed with a click, “I figured the best way to get over my unease was to face it head on and eat meat myself.”

Bon-Bon looked a bit green around the gills as she placed her menu down on the table before her, “If you two are going to be eating meat then I might as well forget having dinner. I don’t know how you can stomach the idea of eating something that used to be alive.”

“You know that fish aren’t sentient, Bonnie.” I stated plainly, “so it’s not like we’re eating something that can think for itself or reason with people. What’s got you so bent out of shape when it’s just fish?”

She turned away and held a hoof to her mouth as her cheeks puffed out, “Let’s just say I had a bad encounter with a gryphon couple in my youth and ended up eating something I wasn’t supposed to. I’ve never been able to look at pot stew the same way since I accidentally ate beef bits while my family was having dinner with our new neighbors.” She shivered as she turned away and walked towards the bathroom, “I’ll be back in a minute, I just need to get some cold water for my face.”

Lyra and I shared an uncertain look as the obviously green mare walked around the corner and out of sight, leaving the both of us feeling a little worse for wear.

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Lyra asked, glancing after her herdmate with a worried expression.

“I think she’ll get over it eventually, although now I think I understand why she feels ill whenever I eat meat.” I replied.

Lyra nodded, “Yeah, I never knew she had such a bad experience with food before. It must have really scared her to think she was eating something that could have very well been her neighbor before ending up in her stew. I know gryphons don’t have sentient animals in their land, so they can use them for food without the same problems we have, but at that young of an age she probably wouldn’t have understood that.”

I hummed in agreement, “Yeah, guess we know not to have meat dishes around her if we want her to keep her lunch where it belongs.”

Lyra giggled, although it was a rather hollow sound in the empty restaurant, “I guess we can just enjoy our food while she gets to stick with the vegie dishes. I’m sure she can get over it if she sees we’re not eating something that was once a sentient creature.”

“I don’t know. That kind of mental scaring can really effect a person, although I think if she gets used to seeing us eating it, then it might at least stop making her sick to her stomach.”

Bon-Bon returned a moment later with the waiter right behind her, his wings loaded down with a set of even bigger platters and a folding stand held in one hoof. As he set our plates before us I was hit right in the nose with one of the most appetizing smells I had ever experienced, although the scent was different than anything I had smelled before, so I wasn’t really sure how exactly it seemed so appealing. The food looked amazing in its presentation, even going so far as to bring back memories from my time stationed in the Imperial Islands from the way the food was organized on the elegantly designed china. The meat looked like it had been cooked to perfection, while the seaweed wrap was firm and crisp to the touch.

I glanced over at Lyra, who was inspecting her own food like it was some kind of science experiment, while Bon-Bon was simply sipping the liquid from her miso soup while the rest of it cooled to a more edible temperature. Finally, I couldn’t deny my growling stomach any longer and tucked into the first of the rolls. The salmon bits were soft and flavorful while the vegies were fresh and crunchy between my teeth. All and all it was some of the best sushi I had ever had, and that was comparing to the usual fare from Japan back home.

Emboldened by my own actions, Lyra picked up one of the tuna rolls in her magic and sniffed it once before popping it into her mouth. For a moment she chewed it back and forth, her face scrunching up in thought before swallowing.

“Hey,” she exclaimed in awe, “that wasn’t that bad.”

She popped a salmon roll in her mouth next and hummed as she closed her eyes in enjoyment. Bon-Bon was looking at her marefriend like she had grown a second head, although the unicorn was too engrossed in her food to notice. I smiled as Lyra devoured more and more of her food, completely forgetting about her rice as she demolished her sushi. All and all I was glad she was enjoying her food as much as I was, if not more, although the look Bon-Bon was sending her way was making me worry a bit. I hoped we weren’t ruining her appetite with all the meat we were consuming in front of her. However, it seemed to be a moot point as she snorted in contempt before going back to sipping her soup.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, glad we had moved past that little hurdle. Now if we could get through the rest of dinner without something going, nope, not even going to finish that thought inside my head. I am not tempting fate by saying that fabled line, given how much like a cartoon world this planet seemed to function.

While Bon-Bon and Lyra worked through their food, I nibbled on some of my rice, trying to come up with a tactful way of starting the topic I had in mind. Although, given my herdmates’ personalities, I could very well just spit it out and they might not mind.

“Hey girls,” I said with some hesitation, “got an important thing that I want to talk with you about.”

Lyra paused with a roll halfway in her mouth, her eyes locked with mine as she set the sushi back on her plate and turned her full attention to me. Bon-Bon did the same as she lifted her head up from her soup and tilted her head to one side.

“We’re listening Sarah.” Bon-Bon said as she cast a quick glance Lyra’s way, “What’s on your mind?”

“Well,” I hesitated again, not really sure how to begin, “I guess the best way to put it is that I think we need to talk about how this whole mess started. I know you girls weren’t taking advantage of me like I thought you were, but part of the problem was caused by us not communicating between each other about what was happening to the other members of our herd. So, I guess the simplest way to put this, is that we need to set up boundaries so that we can’t simply jump each other if one of us is in the mood.”

Both mares looked between each other with a confused expression before turning back to me, “What exactly are you talking about?” Lyra asked, “It sounds like you’re telling us you don’t want to have sex, like at all.”

I shook my head, “Not even close. I just want to put up limits so that way we can be certain all of us are on board with doing something like that so that way none of us get the wrong idea. Like, say I wanted to have some fun with you girls but one of you isn’t in the mood. We would have some kind of signal or code so that way everyone is on the same page.” I ducked my head as my cheeks began to heat up, “I just don’t want a misunderstanding like last time to happen again.”

Bon-Bon placed a hoof over my hand as she smiled, “Then all you need to do is ask us if we’re in the mood. We’ll do the same for you and respect your decision if you’re not feeling up to it. We understand that you were confused and hurt because Lyra and I were on our heats and that caused all of us undo stress because we didn’t communicate that to you.”

“And for that we’re sorry,” Lyra added, “we just wanted to show you how much we cared for you in the best way we could think of. We didn’t even consider what you would think about the whole heat issue until after Vinyl nearly jumped you.”

I shivered at the very mention of the DJ, “Don’t even bring that bit up in the future, please. I don’t think I can ever look at that mare the same way again, at least not if we’re alone in a room together.”

Lyra grinned as she scooted over and wrapped a hoof around my shoulders, “You won’t have to worry about that with us around. Besides, she knows now not to mess with our herdmate unless she wants to get a swift kick in the plot from your trusty bodyguard.”

I chuckled at the idea of Swift delivering a double kick to the backside of anyone who tried to mess with me, although my thought was derailed as I felt Lyra’s lips nuzzling against the base of my jaw. I turned to look at her and noticed that she had her eyes closed and was breathing in deeply as she buried her muzzle in my neck. It was weird, but it actually felt kind of good, especially when her lips planted a soft kiss along the curve of my neck.

“Oh.” I gasped as she slipped into my lap and began kissing up and down the side of my neck, working her mouth along one of the tendons and sending shivers up and down my spine. Bon-Bon was watching with wide eyes, although the blush on her cheeks belied the mortified expression she was sporting.

Not to be outdone, I slipped my own lips over the tip of Lyra’s ear and began to nibble on the tender flesh, causing the minty unicorn to pull off of my neck to let out a breathy moan as she leaned into my touch. I only continued my little treatment for a moment, given our current public presence, although I saved that little trick in the back of my mind for later when we had a more private setting.

Lyra hummed as she opened her eyes and grinned up at me, “You keep doing things like that and I might just jump you anyway once we finish up here.”

I playfully booped her on the tip of her nose, causing her tongue to poke out for a moment as her eyes crossed in an absolutely adorable way. She shook her head and growled playfully at me as she climbed off my lap, flicking me under the chin with her tail as she walked back to her own seat, leaving Bon-Bon a blushing mess as she flipped her gaze from Lyra to me and back.

“You two are incorrigible,” she muttered as she went back to sipping her now cooled soup, although the smile that curled the corner of her lips let us know that she wasn’t being serious.

“Anyway,” I said as I cleared my throat, “there was one other thing I wanted to talk about before we head home. I’ve been noticing Twilight is sending very strong signals that she wants to be a part of this herd, or at least she’s been showing interest in me and would like to join to be closer to us as a whole. I wasn’t sure what to do because I’m still new to the whole herd thing, so I wanted to check with you two before I did anything that might cause a problem.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon shared a surprised look, the unicorn turning to face me as Bon-Bon held a hoof to her chin in thought, “Really? Because we didn’t even know she was interested in joining. What kind of things has she been saying to you?”

I rubbed the back of my neck with one hand as I thought back to some of the conversations I had had with Twilight, “Well, she’s never directly asked me either, although she’s driven home enough hints to sink a battleship. She’s asked me what it’s like to be in a herd, she’s also let other hints drop that she has an interest in me, although she’s never overtly said that either.” I paused as I thought about it further, “I guess it comes down to a gut feeling that she wants to be with me, and by extension you two, in a romantic sense but doesn’t know how to express those interests.”

“Well I don’t really have a problem with it.” Lyra said as she smiled, “Twilight and I were close friends growing up in Canterlot, although we kind of went our separate ways when I moved to Ponyville. If she wants to join our herd then the proper way to do things would be to ask the head mare and her partner, that’s me and Bon-Bon, for permission to join the herd. Because she hasn’t come to either of us to talk about her feelings yet, then technically she hasn’t made a formal declaration of her interest. We understand if she’s been dropping hints, but if she never speaks with us then it’s most likely a crush on you specifically instead of a true wish to join our herd. Does that make sense?”

I nodded, “That’s exactly why I came to talk to you both. I don’t know all of the little nuances that go into something like a herd, so I needed to defer to you for advice so that way I didn’t mess things up because of another miscommunication.” I smiled at Bon-Bon as she seemed to come to a realization, “Something on your mind Bonnie?”

“I just realized that if Princess Twilight came to us with interest to join our herd, we’d be part of the first royal herd in modern history. Princess Cadence is happily married to Prince Shining Armor so the chances of them forming a herd is slim to none, and the very thought of Princess Celestia or Luna forming a herd would probably shake the country to pieces from the shock.” Her eyes widened as her lips curled into a grin, “We could be related to royalty if something like that happens.”

Lyra rolled her eyes as she cuffed her marefriend over the head with one of her hooves, “Get your head out of the clouds, Bonnie. If Twilight wants to join our herd then she needs to do things by the book. I know it’s an exciting idea, but I’m putting my hoof down when it comes to this. My mother asked to join her herd before I was born, so I’m going to ask that we respect the tradition and have Twilight do the same thing for us.”

Bon-Bon nodded, rubbing her head with a hoof as she sent Lyra a pointed glare, “You didn’t have to hit me over the head to make your point, Lyra, although I can see why you would want that. My mother did the same thing with her herd before having me, so I can understand the sentiment.”

“That’s just it though,” I added, “I don’t think Twilight knows how to do all that. She might be well-read, but when it comes to social norms she can be downright clueless. It might be common sense that she needs to ask you two in order to join the herd, but she might not have the confidence in herself to do that if she’s never been in a relationship before.”

“So, what would you suggest?” Bon-Bon asked as she accepted a nuzzle to the cheek from Lyra, “If she doesn’t ask Lyra and I to join the herd what would you have her do instead?”

I shook my head, “I wasn’t planning on having Twilight do anything. I was thinking of having you two ask her to join the herd if she works up the courage to express her feelings to any of us in a definite manner. It wouldn’t have to be much, but it would allow her to build up some of her confidence in order to make a formal request if we let her know that we also have an interest in her.

The girls shared a look of slight surprise, although I was glad they hadn’t immediately shot me down. “It’s not how things are usually done,” Bon-Bon said slowly, “although we technically did the same thing for you, so we can’t really say it isn’t possible to do that for Twilight as well. However, we will need you to at least vouch for her if she expresses a true interest in you and us instead of just dropping hints. If she can do that, then we’ll think about asking her to join the herd, but not a moment before.”

I nodded, “That’s all I needed to hear. Thanks for letting me bounce my ideas off of you so I won’t make any more mistakes. I would rather avoid another issue like what happened with us if I can help it.”

Lyra chuckled as she bit into her last wrap, “No problem, it’s part of what being a herd is all about. If we can’t talk to each other about our problems, then how can we ever get anything done?”

My lips curled into a smile as I finished off the rest of my food, “Then I guess we have a game plan. I’ll keep an ear to the ground for a more concrete confession from Twilight, and we’ll figure out what to do with her if and/or when she makes up her mind.”

The girls nodded, “We’ll also keep an eye out for anything on our end.” Lyra said as she stood up and stretched her back like a cat, “Truthfully I would like the idea of having Twilight in our herd, although she needs to grow a bit of a backbone and ask us already if she’s sending out signals as hard as you were implying.”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes but smiled none the less, “Not likely. Knowing Princess Twilight, she’ll look up a dozen things in a book before she’ll think to ask one of us to join the herd. She’ll come up with some kind of crazy formula for the best way to express her feelings and then try and make some kind chart for the proper steps of a first date.”

I laughed as we walked out of the restaurant, leaving a sizable tip for our waiter as I fished out the necessary bits to pay the bill. “You have no idea how accurate that is. If you lived with the mare you’d know exactly how crazy things can get when she doesn’t know how to handle a problem. She’s been working on a pet project for months now ever since she got the idea from some of my camping gear, and she’s barely had any time to eat or sleep since then.”

The mares giggled as we walked out of the restaurant, taking a moment to breathe in the cool evening air as the sun began to set on the western horizon. Lyra and Bon-Bon shared a knowing look before beckoning me closer with their hooves. I stood on the balls of my feet and crouched down to their level, although I was taken by surprise as they took turns pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. I couldn’t help the goofy grin that formed on my face as they pulled back, surprising them both as I reach out and rubbed their ears with my hands.

Lyra hummed while Bon-Bon’s tail wagged behind her like a dog, and I leaned in to hug them around their necks before pulling back so I could look them in the eyes, “I’m really happy I met you girls.I haven’t felt this way about someone in years and it’s made living in this crazy world just a little more manageable.”

They smiled as they leaned in to nuzzle my cheeks again, “We feel the same way,” Lyra said in a heated whisper as she nibbled the curve of my jaw again, “you’ve added some spice to our lives that we never knew we were missing, and it’s made us the happiest mares on Equis to have you as part of our herd.”

“Indeed,” Bon-Bon added as she pressed a tender kiss to my other cheek, “you are a wonderful mare and an even better friend, so we have a little surprise for you if and when you decide to join us at our house again.”

I smiled as they pulled back, “I would like that, although I think it would be best if we take a little time to get to know each other before we get heated in the bedroom again.” I glanced behind me and spied Swift standing at the side of the doorway with her gaze firmly planed on the store across the road, “Besides, it’s past Swift’s bedtime, so we need to get back so she can get some sleep.”

“Keep up the wisecracks and I’ll have you running laps till your legs fall off.” The earth pony retorted without looking at us, “just hurry up with the mush so we can go.I’m pretty sure Princess Twilight is expecting us back at the castle at some point before midnight.”

I rolled my eyes at her grumpy behavior, although I had a feeling it was more to do with my recent hospital stay than anything else. I turned back to face my herdmates and pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks before standing up, “I’ll see you guys later, alright? Maybe we can go for a walk in the park later this week or have a picnic at the lake.”

“That sounds great.” Bon-Bon said as she turned to leave, “We’ll see you around later, then.Come along Lyra,” she tugged the other mare with one hoof over her shoulders, “we have some chores to do at the house that need to be done before I can open up the shop tomorrow.”

Lyra mouthed out a silent ‘help me’ as Bon-Bon dragged her along the street, leaving me with Swift as the military mare fell out of parade rest and walked up to my side.

“So I take it things went well?” She asked as she watched my herdmates make their exit, “No world-ending crisis to avert and no death threats from your incensed marefriends?”

I rolled my eyes at Swift’s antics, “For your information, it was a very pleasant dinner and we talked about some very important things that you need not concern yourself with.” I sent her a sidelong grin to let her know I wasn’t being nasty, although the stuck out tongue I received in response made me laugh as we walked back towards Twilight’s castle.

Once again, I was acutely aware of how most of the townsfolk were staring at me, although at least this time most of them were sending me knowing winks or friendly waves instead of simply gawking. I managed to get back to the castle without losing my composure, and we closed the main doors behind us as we let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, that was certainly an experience that I haven’t had before.” Swift muttered as she led me further into the main hall, “I don’t think I’ve ever been the center of attention for that many ponies at the same time in all my life.” She sent me a glance over her shoulder as she grinned up at me, “Oh course your dress probably had the most attention from the very start. And I mean that in a good way, just in case you were wondering.”

I nodded, “I know, it’s just that I’m not used to having that many people staring at me. I never used to have this kind of attention back home, and that was even factoring in being a woman in the military.”

“Is it not that common for mares to be a part of the armed forces where you come from?” Swift asked, her interest peaked.

I shrugged, “In the general rank and file, not really, but I was a part of a special forces unit, so that skewed the numbers much more into the men’s favor. I was the only woman in an entire company of soldiers and I knew of maybe four or five others that were members of the Corps as a whole. All and all it was a very rare thing, so we gathered some extra attention because of our position. Although compared to that, having an entire town looking at me like I was something out of an adult magazine was definitely worse.”

She chuckled as she led me into the library, although we were drawn up short as we spotted Twilight sitting on a couch on the other side of the room, her expression cold and her back ram-rod straight as she stared us into submission.

“Oh boy,” Swift said softly as we came to a stop in the doorway, “looks like the welcoming committee has something to say to you. I’ll just, um, be out here if you need me. Bye.” She took several steps back before beating a hasty retreat as Twilight and I stared each other down, leaving us alone as the fire crackled softly in the background.

For a moment neither of us said anything, although the silence didn’t last long before Twilight indicated an open chair next to her with a hoof, “Please, have a seat, Sarah. I have something important to speak with you about.”

Oh shit, she’s using her Celestia impression. I thought to myself as I walked up and carefully took a seat on the couch next to Twilight.

I tried to keep as much distance as I could between us so that way if she lashed out at me I might have enough time to react, although as Twilight’s gaze pierced me like a laser, I got the distinct feeling that if she really wanted to hurt me, she could do just about anything and I wouldn’t be able to stop her.

Twilight cleared her throat before speaking, her gaze locked with mine as she laid into me with a firm but cold tone, “I understand that you had your reasons for doing what you did, but I have to ask you, what exactly were you thinking when you challenged my brother and the other commanders to a four-on-one duel?”

I sucked in a breath to answer, but Twilight interrupted me before I could even get the first word out, “No, I don’t want to hear it right now. I’m trying my best not to bash your head into the wall for doing something so stupid, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t stop you from doing something boneheaded in the future.”

I growled as I once again opened my mouth to reply, this time getting in a few words before Twilight could cut me off again, “I’ll have you know I learned my lesson when Celestia gave me that dressing down in the hospital lobby. I don’t need to hear it from you as well after getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter by the mare who can literally move the sun.” I leaned in and poked a finger in her face, causing her to lean back before my hand could make contact with her nose, “I don’t have to answer to you for a mistake I’ve already repented for. So, get off your soap box and tell me why you’re so upset before we both lose our cool and say something we’ll regret.”

This time it was Twilight who growled, somehow making the noise sound downright dangerous as she leaned in and pushed my hand out of the way with one hoof. She stuck her muzzle directly in my face and stared into my eyes as she replied, “I was worried sick about you after Colonel Iron Wall knocked you out. Not only could he have killed you with that blow, but you were too reckless to realize you were in over your head until you were face down in the dirt. Do you have any idea how nervous I’ve been since yesterday, hoping that you’d wake up and wouldn’t have some kind of brain damage from the blow you took?!”

“So what?”I fired back, feeling my blood rise as I pressed my nose into the tip of her muzzle, “What’s it to you? I would think you’d be more worried about your brother after I laid him out like a rug with one hit.”

“He might be my brother but he can take care of himself.” She replied, “The issue is that I care for you just as much I care for him and you’re under a much higher threat level, given your responsibilities as an auramancer. You have no idea how hard it was not to teleport you to the hospital when Iron Wall knocked you out and you didn’t get back up. I was terrified. It was worse than the time I had to watch my brother stumble around under the spell of the changeling queen, Chrysalis.”

“But he’s your brother,” I retorted, “why would you care more about me then your own flesh and blood?”

“BECAUSE I DON’T LOVE HIM LIKE I LOVE YOU!” She cried at the top of her lungs.

For several seconds, both of us sat frozen as her declaration echoed around the room, and I could swear I could hear Swift stumble over her hooves outside the door, although it might have been my imagination. Twilight’s eyes were pinpricks as she covered her mouth with her hooves, and I could literally see the blood rush to her face before her horn ignited and she disappeared in a pop of teleportation. For several more moments I simply sat there, my mind replaying her words over and over in my head. It wasn’t until I felt a hoof rest on my knee that I snapped out of my stupor and looked down.

“You alright?” Swift asked, her eyes lit up with worry as she met my gaze, “I heard what Twilight said through the door, so I understand if you don’t want to talk about it right now, although I think you need to work this out before one of you does something crazy.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I felt my heart slowing down, “You’re right. I need to think about this clearly, but I’ve had a long day already and I don’t have the brain power to deal with this right now.” I stood up and walked over to the door, heading to my room as Swift followed me, “I’ll get some sleep and then talk with Twilight in the morning. Until then, I need you to keep quiet about this. Don’t tell anyone about what you heard. Not even the other princesses. Understood?”

Swift nodded, making a zipping motion over her mouth, “My lips are sealed. I’ll let you handle this mess yourself. Celestia knows I don’t have a clue how to deal with it.”

I nodded as I walked into my room, waving a nonchalant hand to Carpet Sense as he waved back, “I’ll see you in the morning, Swift. Hopefully by then I’ll have some idea of how to deal with this whole mess.”

She nodded, closing the door behind her as I climbed into bed, stripping down to my undies as Carpet Sense added in his two bits.

“You do realize Twilight is pacing around her room while talking herself in circles, right?” His tone was flat, but I thought I could detect a hint of worry under his calm attitude.

“Yeah, I just don’t have the energy to deal with this right now.” I replied as I pulled the covers up and over my body, “Let me know in the morning if she gets any sleep. I don’t want to have our little talk if she ends up staying up all night worrying about this. Knock her out if you have to, but don’t let her agonize about her admission if you can help it.”

He nodded, although he neglected to answer verbally as I lay down and rested my head on the pillow. My eyes roamed over to the window, where I could see Luna raising the moon into the sky as its silver glow settled over my body like a cool embrace. I closed my eyes and sent a quick prayer to whatever gods were listening in this crazy world, hoping that I could fix this whole mess with Twilight before it got out of hand. I had a feeling things were going to get worse before they got better, but I dearly wished that it wouldn’t ruin the friendship we had been building between us after all this time.

Author's Note

Woohoo, Happy Belated New Years to all of my fans!! :pinkiehappy: Also a happy birthday to me as of yesterday, so there's that to celebrate as well. :rainbowwild: I'm now 22 years old, and boy do I feel like an old mare even though I'm just barely past drinking age.

Anyways, it's so nice to post for all of you guys again, and I hope you enjoy the extra long chapter after waiting for almost a month for an update. Took me almost two whole days of constant work to write this thing and edit it, so I hope it makes the cut.

Wishing you all a happy 2018, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

20 - The Tickets

Over the next several weeks, things were relatively normal in Ponyville, no huge monsters rampaging down main street and no overpowered spells turning the populous into random mix-and-mash concoctions. All and all, things were pretty calm all things considered, and I even managed to master a new trick with my Auramancy while training Rosie. The young gryphoness was coming along rapidly with her own training, although she still struggled to use any color other than red or yellow. Even so, she was quickly catching up to me when it came to raw power, along with her skills with a sword, although I attributed that to Swift’s expert training. To top it off, I managed to even get in a few more dates with Lyra and Bon-Bon, although they were more low key than the dinner dates we had gone on before. A walk in the park together and watching the sunset at the lakeside were just a few examples of what we did together, although I was still getting very strong vibes from Twilight that she wanted to be a part of our herd.

After her little confession in the castle, I talked with Lyra and Bon-Bon about what we were going to do with her, and they decided it would be best if I came up with a plan, given Twilight seemed to be the most interested in me when compared to the group as a whole. So, I wracked my brain trying to come up with something that would work, but ended up with nothing. I just didn’t know enough about this whole herd thing to make an educated guess at what would be a proper way to invite Twilight into the herd. Lyra had some ideas, but I quickly threw them out because of how over the top they were, while Bon-Bon’s suggestions were just not quite my speed. I knew I was brushing their ideas to the side, but I just had this feeling that something was going to come along that would be absolutely perfect, and a few days later, my feeling finally became a reality.

The morning started out much like the ones before it, however, the calm light of the sun was interrupted by a flash of green flames as a loud belch echoed through the halls of Twilight’s castle.

I waved a hand in front of my face to clear away the excess smoke as the letter formed from the mass of fire that had erupted from Spike’s mouth, “Wow, Spike, I didn’t know you could act as a portable flamethrower.”

Spike coughed a time or two as secondary puffs of smoke escaped his lips, “Ugh, don’t joke about this. I felt like I was going to add my lung to the letter from how big it was.” He glanced over at Twilight, who was reading the missive as it hovered in front of her face, “What does the Princess want this time, Twilight?”

Twilight’s face lit up as her magic pulled a cluster of golden tickets from the scroll, her voice rising a few octaves as she squealed like a little filly, “Princess Celestia sent the tickets for this year’s Grand Galloping Gala! And look,” she passed a trio of tickets to me as she folded a septuplet of her own into her saddlebags, “she even sent enough for Sarah and her herdmates to join us.”

I took the tickets from Twilight’s magic, inspecting the gold leaf like a jeweler before turning back to the excited alicorn, “So what exactly is this Grand Galloping Gala? Is it some kind of big party or something?”

Twilight danced around on the tips of her hooves for a moment, her wings fluttering in her excitement as she gushed over the letter, “Only the most prestigious event of the entire year! Everypony who’s anypony gets invited to the Gala, and this year we even get to see my sister-in-law instead of having to go all the way to the Crystal Empire.”

“Princess Cadence is going to be there?” Spike asked, thankfully clarifying who it was we were talking about. I had forgotten for a moment that Twilight’s brother was married to the Alicorn of Love.

Twilight nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, and even better, Princess Luna has scheduled a meteor shower for the evening as a special treat for the event! It’s been over a thousand years since she’s done anything like that and I’m not going to miss it for the world!”

I rolled my eyes as a grin worked its way over my lips. Some things just never changed. “I guess I’d better go over and tell Lyra and Bon-Bon the good news.” I glanced over my shoulder, spying Swift walking into the room with Rosie hot on her tail, “Hey, Swift, need you to cover my behind while I head over to the girls’ place.”

Swift rolled her eyes but declined the opportunity to comment as she turned her attention back to the gryphoness behind her, “Just remember what I told you about your low guard and you should be able to block those right sweeps without any trouble from now on.”

Rosie nodded in understanding, “I get you. Focus on redirecting the blow instead of taking the full hit. I’ll try to remember that.”

Swift turned back to me and tossed her head to indicate the door, “Well, if we’re going to visit your marefriends then we might as well get going.”

I smiled as I walked out of the room, leaving Rosie to talk with Twilight as we made our way through the rest of the castle. The twisting halls were now familiar to the point that I could trace the layout of the building from memory, although I still found Rosie wandering the castle on occasion when she got turned around. The young hen was progressing far faster than I could have imagined, although her lacking ability to use more than two colors of aura was starting to become a topic of frustration for everyone. Rosie even tried taking classes from Twilight in meditation in the hopes of unlocking her other emotions, but even in the depths of a trance she still was unable to use anything other than red and yellow energy for more than a few seconds. Hopefully it was a mental block that was halting her training, but I was beginning to wonder if it might simply be a limit that her species placed upon her. After all, the masters of old had found other students that couldn’t use every color, but that had seemed to be a more individual issue than one belonging to species.

Swift followed behind me as we made our way through town, taking up her usual spot at the side of the girls’ front door as I knocked on the wooden surface. There was a momentary pause before the door was enveloped in a golden aura and swung open to reveal the inquisitive expression of Lyra. Her face lit up as she looked up and spotted me standing in her doorstep, and before I could react she leaped up and wrapped all four hooves around my body in a tackle hug.

“Sarah!” She yelled as I struggled to stay standing and keep my herdmate from falling to the ground at the same time. “It’s so good to see you. What brings you around here this early?”

I pulled the enthusiastic mare off of me enough to look her in the face, although I noticed that her tail had secured a firm grip around my left leg as her hind legs hooked onto the curve of my hips in a possessive hold, “It’s good to see you too, although I wasn’t expecting such an excited welcome. Is Bonnie around? I have something to talk with you both about.”

Lyra glanced over her shoulder into the house, “Bonnie should be coming down in a minute. She was just about to head next door and open up the shop for the day when you showed up.” She turned back to me and grinned, “Although I’m pretty sure she’ll take a minute if it’s important enough.”

I nodded, “It’s pretty important, although I can come back later if you need me too.It’s not the end of the world if I pass on the news later.”

Lyra waved off my comment with a hoof, although she had to quickly grab onto my shoulder again as she started to lose her balance, “It’s no biggie, Bonnie will understand if you have something important to talk with us about.” She glanced down and seemed to realize her current position, a vibrant blush taking over her cheeks as she glanced up at me through her lashes, “Um, would you mind putting me down? This is starting to get a bit embarrassing.”

I rolled my eyes, “Said the mare who jumped on me like a dog not two minutes ago.” I glanced over at Swift and asked, “Mind holding down the fort while I talk with my mares?”

Swift matched my eye roll with one of her own, although the smirk curling her lips belied her annoyance, “Just get going before I have to arrest you both for indecent public behavior.”

Lyra and I stuck out our tongues out at the earth pony before I walked into the house, Lyra’s magic taking care of the door as I sat down on the couch with her in my lap. Lyra blushed a bit harder as she sat back and looked me up and down, her breath tickling my nose as she smiled.

“So, now that we’re alone, what do you want to do until Bonnie gets down here?” The smoldering glint in her gaze made my heart flutter for a moment, and I took the initiative by leaning into her as my arms pulled her to my chest.

Her lips were just as soft as I remembered as her mouth found mine, and I heard her moan softly as her tongue tapped against my lips, asking for entrance. I replied with a tease of my own and then opened my mouth, allowing her muscle to coil around mine as we deepened the kiss. Her taste was just as addictive as the first time I had experienced it, and I felt my core starting to heat as Lyra’s hooves pulled against my shoulders as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss even further.

We could have stayed like that for a while longer, had the sound of hooves stumbling down the steps not interrupted us and drawn our attention to the open doorway leading into the hall.

Bon-Bon’s expression was both upset and flustered as she walked into the room, her tail flicking from side to side several times as she playfully glared at us, “If you two were going to trade spit in the living room, I would have appreciated it if you would have invited me to join you. I feel a little bit left out now that the moment’s over.”

Lyra and I shared a look before turning back to Bon-Bon, “My bad, Bonnie,” I said as I rubbed the back of my head with one hand, “I just got caught up in the moment and let my body get ahead of my mind. I’ll be sure to let you know next time we get in the mood, although right now I have something I need to talk with you about.”

Lyra slid off my lap and curled up against my side with her head resting on my left shoulder, allowing Bon-Bon to climb up on my other side as the earth pony met my gaze with keen interest.

“So, what’s so important that you had to show up first thing in the morning?” She asked as she rested a hoof on my lap, “It’s not something serious, is it?”

I shook my head, “Nothing bad, in fact, quite the opposite, although I need to ask you some questions before I get to the main point.” I cleared my throat, all too aware of the tickets currently sitting in my pocket, just out of sight, “First off, have you two heard of the Grand Galloping Gala?”

For a moment, I was afraid I had given myself away, but that was quickly dashed as Lyra and Bon-Bon started laughing.

Bon-Bon wiped her eye with one hoof as she spoke, “Oh, I forgot for a moment that you’re not from this world. Everypony knows about the Gala. It’s only the most prestigious event of the entire year.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added, “it’s every mare’s dream to get to go to the Gala and meet the Princesses. Sure, they come to little towns like Ponyville every once and a while, but it’s one of the only times that regular ponies get to talk to them face to face without some kind of special event going on.”

I nodded, glad that I hadn’t given away my little surprise too soon, “Well, Twilight just got a letter from Princess Celestia and got her tickets for her and the girls, although I was wondering why she has to get a ticket when she’s also a princess. Shouldn’t she automatically be invited because of her title?”

Lyra shrugged, “No clue. It might just be formality because of the fact that she lives here instead of in Canterlot. Other than that, I haven’t a clue why she needs a ticket.”

Bon-Bon nodded, “Frankly I think all the Element Bearers should be given free passes every year. They have saved Equestria several times after all.”

I nodded, familiar with some of the girls’ exploits after learning what exactly the Elements of Harmony were, “Yeah, although I think Lyra was on to something about them living in Ponyville. I guess Celestia sends the tickets to all of them as a way of formally recognizing them instead of just assuming they would come to the party.”

The duo nodded, although Lyra seemed to pick up on the fact that I was hiding something, “So what’s on your mind, Sarah? Why come ask us about the Gala if Twilight and the other Bearers are going?” She gasped as she covered her mouth with her hooves, “Don’t tell me you got invited too?!”

Both mares fixed me with expectant stares, and I sighed as I realized the jig was up.I smiled at them both before reaching into my pocket, “Well, I was going to try and pull something sneaky and surprise you two, but you’re just too clever for your own good.” I pulled out the tickets and held them up for everyone to see, “I just happen to have a trio of tickets to the Gala with me, and I was wondering if you knew a pair of beautiful mares that would like to join me at the festivities?”

Both of them squealed and tackled me, wrapping me in the tightest hug I had ever been a part of before breaking away and bouncing around the room like jumping beans. I smiled at their antics as they acted like little girls going to see their first boy band concert, and I realized that these two mares had well and truly stolen my heart. Now I just had to figure out if I could fit in one more. After all, I liked Twilight as a friend, I just needed to figure out if we could be more than that. Oh well, that was a problem for a later date, and I had two excited mares to hug before they gave me diabetes from cuteness overload.

I stood up and picked up both of them by the barrel, their surprised squeals making me laugh as I plopped them down on the couch and then sat down between them and wrapped them in a double hug. “Alright you two. I understand that you’re excited, but I have something else I need to talk to you about. I need you to be serious for a moment and listen, because this has to do with Twilight and what we’re going to do with her.”

In an instant, the duo calmed down, although the ecstatic grins that lit up their faces refused to fade as I spoke, “Alright, so we all know that Twilight wants to be a part of our herd, specifically she has an interest in me. So, I was thinking that we could ask her at the Gala to join the herd. It would be a place that she would never see coming, and it would allow us to get permission from the other princesses while also providing a romantic atmosphere for our uses. That, and I have a little surprise in store that I think would make the entire Gala a huge success, on top of making Twilight fall over herself with happiness.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon glanced at each other before turning back to me, “Are you sure, Sarah?” Lyra asked, “We don’t have to include Twilight in the herd if you don’t feel comfortable with it.”

“Yeah,” Bon-Bon added, “her feelings seem to be more like a crush than true love, although if you’re sure about this, then we’ll follow your lead and try to make this as smooth as possible.” She rested a hoof on my shoulder and smiled at me, “You have shown sound judgement so far in our relationship, despite some misunderstandings, so if you’re sure adding Princess Twilight to the herd is a good idea, then we’ll support your decision.”

I smiled back at them both, planting a quick kiss on their foreheads before replying, “Thanks girls, you don’t know how much it means to me that you trust my judgement in something this important. I promise it will be worth it once we get to the Gala, but I’m not going to tell you anything more because I want it to be a surprise for you as well.”

Lyra groaned as she playfully slugged my shoulder, “Oh you tease, why can’t you just tell us and not keep us hanging in suspense?”

I grinned as I ruffled her mane with my free hand, “Oh just you wait. It’ll be so awesome you’ll be glad you waited to see what I had in store. Just don’t think about it and focus on getting prepared for the Gala. Let me worry about the surprise and Twilight’s induction to the herd.”

“You do realize that she might not be comfortable being asked at the Gala, right?” Bon-Bon said carefully, “What if she gets stage fright in front of all those ponies?”

I smiled, “Oh don’t you worry, I’ve got that covered. She’ll be so engrossed in the surprise that she won’t even know what hit her until after I’ve finished.”

Lyra rubbed her hooves together and chuckled darkly under her breath, “Oh this is sounding better and better the more I hear. I’m not sure I can wait for the Gala to see the surprise.”

I stood up and walked over to the door, “Well I’m not telling, so you’ll just have to wait until then to see it. In the meantime, I think we all need to take a trip to Rarity’s so we can get some dresses made for the Gala.” I lifted an eyebrow as I glanced over my shoulder at them, “You were going to have dresses made for the Gala, weren’t you?”

That galvanized them into action, nearly causing them to run me over as I jumped to the side to allow them past me. The door swung open with such force it slammed into the wall, causing Swift to yelp as both mares bolted down the street like they had a platoon of Marines on their tails. I chuckled as I walked out of the house and glanced down at the startled Swift, getting a kick out of her flustered expression as I leaned against the doorframe.

“So, still think I don’t have a way with mares?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Swift scoffed, “Like you need me to answer that for you. With your smoking looks and silver tongue I’m surprised you don’t have a line of suiters lined up around the block to try their luck at being your herdmate.” She rolled her eyes at me as she fell in on my side, “Just don’t go overboard or you might end up scaring them away instead of drawing them in.”

I laughed, “I don’t think I need to worry about that, Swift. I’m happy with the mares I have, and if things go well at the Gala, I just might end up adding a little royal blood to our little family.”

She glanced up at me and smirked, “You’ll have to get past her brother and the other Princesses. I know you can kick Captain Armor’s plot into the dirt, but I wouldn’t try to stand against his wife if things don’t go your way.”

I nodded, “Yeah, getting kicked to the curb by an alicorn is something I would rather avoid adding to my resumé if I can help it.” I paused for a moment as we stepped up to the front doors of Rarity’s shop, hearing the excite chatter of several mares coming from inside, “Ready to face the storm?”

Swift nodded, “Let’s get this over with. Just don’t expect me to bail you out when they drag you into a dress-making hurricane.”

I rolled my eyes before pushing open the doors, leading the way into what was sure to be a moment that would be remembered for quite some time.Now if I could just get my little plan to go off without a hitch, this was sure to be the most legendary Grand Galloping Gala in Equestrian history.After all, it wasn’t every day that someone from another world asked out one of the ruling class to join a relationship.

It took several hours just for Rarity to take our measurements, even though I could have sworn I was the same size as the last time she had done it. Even so, with all of the girls there for their own dresses, it was near sunset by the time we all got out of the boutique, and I could have sworn that I had a crick in my neck from standing in one position for so long. Lyra looked dead on her hooves and Bon-Bon wasn’t much better, although the excited gleam in their eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest throughout the whole process. Rosie had even showed up at one point to see what was going on, although when she found out we were getting fitted for the Gala she immediately beat a hasty retreat and told us that under no uncertain terms would she been attending the festivities.

“I would rather avoid any more high-society functions until I have to return to my home country if you don’t mind,” she had said as she walked out the door, “I’ve been to enough formal balls to know they aren’t my cup of cider. Check you later.”

Rarity had been near hysterics at the hen’s rather crass attitude, although she had been fairly easy to liven up when I started telling her about some of the dress designs I had enjoyed from my days in the Corps. She had listened to my ideas like they were the words of a saint, and I got the feeling that I would be seeing her later after giving her a taste of my world’s fashion.

In the meantime, Swift was guiding us back to Lyra and Bon-Bon’s place with a knowing smirk on her face. I had asked her why she looked so smug, but she had simply replied with a chuckle and a shake of her head. Apparently, I wasn’t going to pry the answer from her anytime soon, so I focused on keeping my mares from faceplanting in the dirt road as we made our way through town. Finally, we made it back to the girls’ house, although by that point I had picked up Lyra and was carrying her in my arms with her head over my left shoulder. Bon-Bon was leaning against my right leg to keep herself upright, and I could feel a yawn splitting my mouth open as I pushed the front door out of the way.

Swift waited by the front as I carried Lyra up to the bedroom and tucked her in, allowing Bon-Bon to climb in next to her herdmate before I pulled the covers up to their chins. I leaned down and gave Bon-Bon a chaste kiss before smiling down at her drooping eyes.

“I love you.” I whispered, trying not to wake up Lyra.

“I love you too,” she replied before rolling over and pulling Lyra against her body with her forehooves. I felt my chest flutter from the cuteness overload in front of me, and I couldn’t help but tuck a stray strand of Bon-Bon’s mane behind her ear before walking out of the room.

I walked back to the front door and leaned out to address Swift, “Hey, can you tell Twilight that I’m going to spend the night here? I think the girls don’t want me to leave just yet.”

Swift nodded, her lips curling as she gave me a sarcastic salute, “Sure thing chief, just let me head over and tell the princess before you head to bed. I’ll crash on the couch if it’s not too much trouble.”

I shook my head, “It’s not a problem. You’re my friend, Swift. I’m not going to make your job harder just for my own benefit.”

I ruffled her mane with a hand before stepping back into the house. Her hoofsteps faded into the distance as she galloped back the way we had come, leaving me alone in the living room with nothing to do until she returned. Thankfully, I only had to wait for a few minutes before the pounding of her hooves echoed through the silent night, and I opened the door for her as she walked back into the house.

She panted as she nodded her thanks, taking only a moment to climb onto the couch before promptly passing out while still dressed in her armor. I chuckled at the adorable sight but decided to save the ribbing for later. I made my way back up the steps and walked into the bedroom, once again taking in the diabetes-inducing cuteness that was my marefriends as they cuddled in the bed.

I tiptoed over to the bed and stripped down to my underwear and bra, climbing into the bed and squeezing between them as Bon-Bon glanced up at me through cracked eyelids.

“You’re staying the night?” She asked in a whisper.

I smiled as I laid back and curled an arm around each mare, “I think it’s about time we started sleeping together, so once we figure out what to do with Twilight I think it might be time to entertain the idea of moving in with you guys. If that’s alright with you of course.”

She nodded, smiling as she closed her eyes and nuzzled against the crook of my neck, “I would like that, and I’m sure Lyra would too if she could say so.” She wrapped her forehooves around my upper arm and rested her tail over my lap as she pulled herself up against my side, “Goodnight Sarah.”

I turned my head and gave her a soft kiss on the tip of her muzzle, “Goodnight Bonnie. See you in the morning.”

Her soft snoring was my only answer, and I felt my own eyes drifting closed as I listened to the soft breathing of my marefriends. I thought back to the words I had said earlier, and I realized that I was truly in love with these mares. I smiled as I pulled them closer to me and settled into the soft mattress a little more, taking in their scents like my own personal perfume as my breathing slowed. All and all I couldn’t imagine things being any better than what I was doing right now, although my mind gave a passing thought for Twilight as my brain began to slow. Maybe she could add a little flare to our budding herd if she decided to join us, although that depended on her answer to my proposal at the Gala. It all hinged on how she took my surprise, and I felt a little bout of butterflies in my stomach at what I had in mind.

Here’s to hoping things went according to plan.

Author's Note

Here's a short little chapter for you all, and I hope it leaves you wanting more, because the next one is going to be a doozy. Keep an eye out for the next update and I'll be waiting for your thoughts in the towel section below. Anyways, hope you all are enjoying the story thus far, and I'll see you at the Gala.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

21 - Songs of the Heart

Author's Note: Alright, just a little side note for you all, as you can probably guess by the title of this chapter, there are going to be some songs in store for you all. However, the music isn't going to be in link format like last time. Instead, our lovely MC will be doing the singing herself, so there are a few things you need to know. First off, the text for the songs will be colored based on who is singing at that time, so pay attention to what color you're reading.

Words that are this color are Sarah's voice,
words that are this color belong to Lyra,
words that are this color come from Bon-Bon,
and words that are this color are everyone singing in chorus.

Also, the credit for the original songs will be in the altro, so take a look there if you want to know the original versions. Alright, now that we have that out of the way, let's get this show on the road. On with the book!!

Our arrival at the Gala was a bit more high-society than I was used to, and that was even taking into account the limo ride I had gotten to one of the officer’s dinners back home. Twilight and the girls had gotten to ride in one of the two pegasus carriages that had been waiting for us at the front doors to her castle, leaving the second for Swift, Lyra, Bon-Bon and myself. However, the part I really wasn’t expecting was the fact that we got to ride them all the way up to the castle gates without having to wait in line like the rest of the nobles. We climbed out of the carriages and I could feel the dirty looks that the nobility were throwing our way, but at that moment I couldn’t care less what they thought.

Rarity had completely outdone herself with the dresses she had made for me and my herdmates, and I was almost feeling overdressed when compared to some of the other nobility I saw walking in before us. However, compared to our ensemble, the Bearers were decked out like it was a royal wedding or some such thing.

Coming back to our dresses, I couldn’t have been prouder of my herdmates as I led them into the castle, one to each side. Lyra was decked out in a shimmering gold dress that hugged her body like a second skin, topped with a lime green saddle that was trimmed with amber lace. Bon-Bon was dressed in a similar outfit, although her dress was ruffled along them hem and was cut low to show off the majority of her chest and shoulders. The fabric was a deep navy blue with rose pink trim, along with a deep auburn saddle that was lined with turquoise that matched her eyes perfectly. As for myself, Rarity had taken some of the designs from my world and had combined them with the fashion themes popular in Equestria.

The dress itself was a soft burgundy color with a hemline that rose up to my thighs in front but hung down to my ankles in the back. She had made me matching stockings that hid the majority of my legs from view, along with the same slipper design she had made for me before. On my right shoulder, she had made a miniature saddle that rested almost like a pauldron would with a muted gold sash that hung over my chest and ended in a bow on my left hip. The left shoulder remained bare save for what little of it was covered by my hair, done up in a perfect French, er, Prench braid.

All and all I thought we looked amazing, although the Bearers certainly stole the show with their outlandish outfits. I could never understand how Rarity could get stars and candy popper designs to work in formal wear, but she somehow got it to work and the girls looked great. Then again, we were in a world populated by candy-colored ponies that could perform magic like it was nothing. Shows what I know about this crazy planet.

We entered the castle foyer and I immediately spotted the Royal Sisters standing at the entrance, greeting the ponies as they came in. What I didn’t expect to see, was Princess Cadence and Shining Armor standing next to the Solar and Lunar alicorns. That is, until I remembered Twilight’s comment the other day about her sister-in-law attending the Gala as well. Oops. I figured they wouldn’t have a problem with me asking Twilight to join our herd, but that was assuming they were alright with Twilight dating a creature from another world. Not exactly the normal fair you get when you ask to date someone. Given I didn’t know Twilight’s parents, and the fact that the rest of the royalty were technically her family, I figured that asking them for permission would be the best way to go. After all, one does not snub the literal embodiment of love when it comes to asking someone to join a relationship.

Putting that aside for the moment, I nodded in greeting as we came up to the royal family, feeling Lyra and Bon-Bon bowing beside me as Swift saluted on my left. The military mare had been invited by default due to her position as my bodyguard, although she had made it abundantly clear that she was not going to enjoy the evening in the slightest. Much like the rest of the guard, the Gala was one huge boring night listening to nobles talk about unimportant things for hours on end. Luckily, I planned on changing that if the princesses would let me.

“Good evening, Captain,” Celestia smiled as she spoke, “it is wonderful to see you again. I take it things are going smoothly in Ponyville?”

I nodded, returning the smile as Lyra and Bon-Bon straightened from their bows, “I’m doing fine, Your Highness. Nothing too interesting to report, although the training of the guard members at Fort Reinwright is like pulling teeth.”

Luna chuckled as she looked me up and down, “Training old dogs new tricks is quite a difficult task, although I think you will be more than up to the challenge. To change the topic, you look absolutely stunning in that gown, is it one of Dame Rarity’s designs?”

I nodded, “Indeed, although if you want to see something amazing, you should have seen the dresses she made for herself and the other Bearers. I don’t know how she does it, but she could make a toad look like a literal prince if she tried.”

We all shared a laugh at that mental image, although it was carefully set aside as Cadence walked up and grinned at me with a knowing gleam in her eye.

“I see you have been busy since we last met.” She pointedly indicated Lyra and Bon-Bon with a wing while matching my gaze, “Joining a herd after only a few months on our world? I must say I’m impressed.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon blushed as I pulled them against me with a hand against each of their necks, “I couldn’t be happier, although you might want to hold your congratulations until later. I have another pony in mind that you might want to pester once I ask her to join our herd.”

That caused all four pony’s eyes to widen, although I noticed the slight glint in Celestia’s gaze before she managed to hide it. Cadence and Shining Armor, however, were completely floored.

“You mean you plan on asking another mare to join your herd here at the Gala?!” Cadence squealed as she covered her mouth with her forehooves, “Oh I can’t wait to see the look on her face. Who is it, who is it?”

I shook my head, “You’ll just have to wait until I ask her out.” I glanced down at my mares and smiled, “We’ve already discussed it and we think it would be a good idea to save the surprise until after we get her answer.”

All four ponies nodded, although I noticed that Celestia was trying to hide a smirk behind a hoof as we walked past them and into the Gala itself. I had a feeling she knew what I had planned, although I bet even she wasn’t going to expect my little surprise when I pulled it out of my pocket. I ran my fingers over the little package in my hip pocket and thought about how I was going to do this, hoping against hope that my little stunt was going to pay off.

For the first couple hours of the Gala, Lyra was off talking to some of the Bearers, while Bon-Bon stuck with me and Swift as we made ourselves available for those who wanted to talk. The number of ponies that actually wanted to converse with the alien, however, were woefully few. Save for a couple of the more upstanding members of the nobility, like Fancy Pants and his fiancé Flur de Lis, there weren’t many ponies that seemed to have much interest in talking to me or my companions. However, as we made our way across the floor to the royal table, we were run afoul by a very familiar gryphon.

“Ah, so good to see you again, Captain,” King Edward said as he walked up to us and offered his talons, “it’s been a while since we had our little sparring match, hasn’t it?”

Bon-Bon gaped at the royal gryphon while Swift simply smiled up at me. I wasn’t affected as much and took the offered talon in my own hand, giving it a firm shake before returning his leg to him, “It’s nice to see you as well, Your Highness. What brings you to Equestria?”

His face fell, and he looked over his shoulder before leaning in to whisper, “My daughter has gone missing. I was hoping to speak with Celestia and her sister about sending out search parties to find her. She’s been gone for almost a month now and I’m starting to lose hope that she’s still in Gryphonia.” He fixed me with a hopeful look, “She was fascinated with the stories I told her about you and your combat skills. She hasn’t shown up looking for you, has she?”

It took all of my military bearing not to lose my cool at his admission. Rosie, missing? According to her she had been sent by her father to train under me in order to better herself as a warrior. She even had a signed scroll and everything. So, either she was lying about having her father’s blessing, or there was something more sinister going on.

Bon-Bon opened her mouth, presumably to blurt out something that would blow Rosie’s over, so I did the only thing I could think of. I covered her mouth with my hand and interjected before she could speak, “Nope, haven’t seen her anywhere around Ponyville.” I sent Swift and Bon-Bon a pointed glare before turning back to the king, “However, we’ll let you know first thing if she shows up in town looking for me. I can’t imagine what it must be like not knowing where she is.”

The aging gryphon nodded, his eyes downcast as he turned to face the royal table, “Thank you anyway, Captain. I guess I’ll just have to ask Celestia if she can do anything to help me.”

“Actually,” I interrupted him as he started to walk away, “I can ask them for you. I have some personal business with the Royal Sisters so I can add your request for aid on top of my own if you would like.”

He smiled tiredly but shook his head, “Thank you, but I think this is something I have to do myself. There isn’t anything more important to me than my daughter, as you could well imagine, so it would not be proper for me to burden you with my problems.” He turned to face the princesses and nodded to himself with a sigh, “I might as well get this over with.It’s not going to get any easier the longer I wait.”

As he walked away, Bon-Bon shoved my hand away from her mouth and glared up at me, “What did you do that for?You heard him, Rosie is missing and you know exactly where she is. Why are you hiding the truth from him?”

“Because she showed up with a scroll signed by him and asking formal permission for my skills in training Rosie in combat.” I countered. “So, either Rosie forged her own father’s signature and ran away from home to seek me out, or something else is going on here. I think I know what’s going on, but just to be sure, I’m going to keep my cards hidden until I can get a better read of the situation.”

“Well then you better do something fast,” Swift interjected, “because he’s just about to talk with the Princesses.”

I followed her pointed hoof and saw King Edward stepping up to the royal table, and I made a quick decision in my head. I was going to cover for Rosie, but the instant we got home I was going to have a long talk with that hen.

Leaving Bon-Bon and Swift behind, I took long but measured steps until I walked up behind the king. He was just opening his mouth to speak when I stepped up beside him, although I refrained from interrupting him. It wouldn’t due to have my actions questioned when I had to do this perfectly.

“Well met Your Highnesses,” Edward said with a formal dip of his head, one that was matched by Celestia and the others, “I was grateful for the invitation to this prestigious event, although I wish I had come with better news.”

Celestia’s face showed level concern as she leaned forward, “What has happened? Did something go wrong with your plans to placate the northern clans?”

Hew shook his head, “Far worse I’m afraid. My daughter, Rosie, has gone missing, and I have no idea where she might have gone. She seemed to have taken a shine to Ms. Lovegood after I told her about our duel, but she tells me that my daughter hasn’t been seen around Ponyville as of late. I fear that the longer she remains on her own, the more likely the chance that something terrible could happen to her. Please, can you help me find my daughter?”

Celestia’s eyes had widened slightly as she cast a discreet glance my way. I shook my head slightly in the hopes that she would understand my meaning, and I saw the slight nod that followed my request as she turned her attention back to the king.

“While I regret to hear that your daughter has gone missing,” She said in a measured tone, cutting off Cadence and Luna as they openly gawked at her, “I am afraid that I cannot help you as of right now. Our guard is getting overhauled right now and will not be able to perform the majority of its duties until the units under Captain Lovegood’s command have completed their training.” She bowed her head in apology and cast a pointed look my way as she finished, “Please accept my most heartfelt apologies and hopeful wishes for Rosie’s safe return.”

The king nodded his acceptance, and then turned to leave with a heavy sigh. Luna and Cadence both opened their mouths to call him back, but Celestia stuck her wings into both of their mouths to silence them. By the time they got untangled from Celestia’s feathers, the king was gone, leaving us alone at the head of the dining hall.

“What in the name of Tartarus were you thinking, sister?!” Luna hissed out as she shoved Celestia’s wing out of her face, “We all know fully well that young Rosie is currently residing in your former student’s castle and is receiving training in Auramancy from young Sarah. Why in Equestria would you hide that from our old friend?”

“Because she showed up with a scroll signed with his name asking me to train her.” I countered, “So either she lied about getting her father’s permission for my training, or something else is going on here that we can’t see. I don’t like unknowns, so I thought it would be best to get a clear picture of the situation before revealing our hand, er, so to speak.”

“But why would he lie about his daughter being missing?” Cadence asked as Shining nodded his agreement, “What could he possibly hope to gain from doing so?”

“That is what I am hoping to find out,” Celestia replied as she looked towards me with a firm glare, “But know this, Sarah, I do not enjoy lying to one of my oldest friends, so if you cannot find evidence that Rosie’s location must remain a secret, then I will be sending a letter to King Edward myself to tell him exactly where his daughter is. Am I making myself clear?”

I nodded, throwing a salute for good measure, “Crystal, ma’am. I won’t wait any longer than necessary to inform you of my findings. I only ask that you wait until I can get a good read of the situation before you send that letter.”

Celestia returned my nod, although she looked less than thrilled about having to keep such a secret, “See that you do. I will wait for no longer than a week to hear from you. After that I will be sending the letter anyway, regardless of the circumstances.”

I clapped my hands together and tried to pull us out of the somber mood we had fallen into, “Anyways, enough with the depressing stuff. I have something to ask the four of you, and I would like to get your blessing before I go any further.”

The four royals locked their gazes onto me, and I smiled as I continued, “I have with me some of the music from my home world. I would like to share some of it with the ponies of Equestria, and I thought what better way to do so then at one of the most important events of the year?”

All of them showed great interest in my proposal, although it was Luna that was struggling to hold in her excitement as she replied, “Thou hath music from thy home world? How doth thou plan on sharing it with our ponies?”

“You’re slipping into Old Equish again, sister.” Celestia muttered out of the side of her mouth, causing Luna to blush as her ears folded against her head. Never the less, they quickly sprang up again as she turned her attention back to me.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and showed them the little device, “This may not look like much, but it holds almost sixteen hundred songs from my world inside it. The only thing I need is your permission to play them for your ponies.”

Celestia looked skeptical, but with Luna and Cadence giving her the most adorable puppy eyes I had ever seen, she quickly folded under their duel assault, “Oh very well, but you must get permission from the musicians as well. They might not like the idea of having to share the stage with somepony else.”

I nodded my thanks, “Thank you, Princess. I promise it won’t disappoint.”

As I made my way back through the crowd, I noticed that Twilight and the other Bearers had taken up positions around the royal table to talk with the other princesses. I knew that if they started talking with the princesses it would keep them preoccupied for a while, so I sped up my steps in the hopes of catching them while they were all in one place. It would make my little plan all the easier to pull off. I also spotted Lyra walking up and sitting next to Bon-Bon and Swift as they ate some of the hors d’oeuvres.

However, my steps were ground to a halt as I overheard some of the nobility talking, and what they said had my blood threatening to boil over after only a few seconds.

“To think that the best of the Royal Guard got beaten by that overgrown ape in a four-on-one duel,” one of the more flippant mares said to her little cluster, “and I thought the members of the Guard were incompetent before. Now I know just how worthless they truly are as a fighting force.”

“Mmhm, indeed,” a dark grey unicorn stallion added as he sipped his wine, “after the abysmal skills they showed during the changeling invasion, I’d nearly lost hope that we could rely on a sit-still-and-look-pretty fighting force. Now it’s been proven without a doubt that they are completely useless in a fight. I only hope the next time a crisis comes around that they can be more than simple meat shields for the rest of us.”

I ground my teeth as I continued my walk towards the stage. They wanted to disrespect the stallions and mares in uniform? Not on my watch, buster. I changed my plan slightly as I walked up and took notice of the orchestral quartet that were currently taking a break. If I was going to impress these ponies, then why not start by giving them something to remember about their own military. As I stepped up and onto the stage, I also noticed the two-tone blue mane and signature shades of Vinyl Scratch as she lounged against the side of the stage while talking with Octavia. I cast a glance over my shoulder and saw that Twilight was still siting next to Celestia and the others, while the Bearers settled in on a table to their left. I knew now was the best time to pull my little surprise, so I pulled out my phone and walked over to Vinyl and Octavia.

“Hey,” I said as they looked up at me, “Princess Celestia has allowed me to play some of the music from my homeland, but I need your permission as well before I can borrow the stage. Do I have it?”

Octavia glanced at the other members of the quartet, who simply shrugged in reply, “I guess it would be alright. What would you plan on playing for us?”

“Oh, is it some of those sick beats we heard from you the other day?” Vinyl asked as she levitated her shades up and over her horn to look me in the eyes.

I shook my head, much to her disappointment, “Not really. I have something special planned, but I’m going to need your help to do it.”

Her face brightened again as she hopped onto the stage, “What do you need me to do, chief?”

I handed her the phone, which she carefully picked up in her magic and levitated next to her head, “I want you to increase the volume of the music coming from the speakers so that everyone can hear it. I’m going to be singing some songs and I need the music to be loud enough to be heard.”

Vinyl nodded, “You got it. Just tell me which song to play and I’ll make sure that everypony can hear it.”

I turned to Octavia and asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have a microphone that I could use, do you?”

She nodded, indicating the mic stand that was resting at the back corner of the stage, “You can use that, although you might want to just hold the microphone, given the stand is far too short for somepony like you.”

I nodded, “Thanks, I’ll be right back.”

I made my way around the other quartet members, getting a few second looks as I bent down and grabbed the mic. It wasn’t much different from the ones back home, but I could see where a magic gem was infused into the system instead of an electric cable. I flipped the switch and walked over to the edge of the stage, pausing to whisper in Vinyl’s ear what I wanted her to play. She nodded and used her magic to select the song, although she refrained from playing for the moment.

I took a moment to look out over the ponies below, seeing that several had already noticed my presence on the stage. The royal family, the Bearers and my own herd were paying rapt attention as I lifted the mic to my face, and I took a moment to still my racing heart before speaking.

“Hello everyone,” my voice rang out across the room in clear tones as I spoke, “my name is Sarah Lovegood, and I’m here to share with you some of the music from my homeland. Most of you don’t know this about me, but I can sing pretty well, and it would be my honor if you would all listen to me tonight. I’ve noticed that some of the ponies around here are taking the Royal Guard as a joke, especially after my duel with some of the commanders. However, I am going to tell you right now that they deserve your respect and your praise, because I was part of the military back home before I was discharged.”

I slid the stocking down my leg enough so that everyone could see my fake limb, causing several ponies to gasp before I slid the cloth back into place, “I lost my leg in a war, and it is because of that loss that I was removed from active service. I haven’t seen any ponies missing limbs, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have problems of their own that you don’t understand. How do you think the guards felt after the changeling invasion? Who could they go to when they woke up at night screaming because of the ponies they failed to protect? Who could they talk to about their own insecurities when they get called incompetent by everyone they meet? Why are they so disrespected when you have no idea the hardships they have gone through in the line of duty?”

I paused, taking a moment to let my words sink in, “Think about them, and the hardships they have faced as I sing this song for you, because there is always something more to a soldier than what you see on the surface.”

I nodded to Vinyl, and she started the song as the music began to resonate through the room.I waited for the intro to finish before I lifted the mic to my mouth, taking in a deep breath before I let the words go.

I've been home about six months now

And I still have my doubts

I'm not sure how I got here

Or how I'm gonna get out

My mama says I look the same

As I did before I left

But if she could see inside of me

It would, scare her to death

From the very first word, every pony in the room was enraptured with my voice, and although I had no idea how, I was singing far better than I ever had back home. Maybe it had something to do with the magic of this world, but in any case, I could see eyes already tearing up as I powered into the main chorus.

I can still taste the powder, from the barrel of my gun

And I can hear my sergeant screamin' "Run soldier run"

I can feel the backpack on my shoulder, God it weighted a ton

And I can see death in every single thought

They taught me how to put that uniform on

But I just can't get it off

I noticed that Luna was openly crying as she watched me, and I had a feeling that she was doing so because of the dreams she had seen about my time at war. Even Celestia was struggling to keep her composure, although compared to the rest of her ponies, she probably wasn’t going to last very long.

Last Saturday they honored us

In a small parade downtown

And when they set off those fireworks

I nearly hit the ground

While they smiled and cheered for us

All I could do was stare

Cause part of me was here at home

And part of me’s back there

I can still taste the powder, from the barrel of my gun

And I can hear my sergeant screamin' "Run soldier run"

I can feel the backpack on my shoulder, God it weighted a ton

And I can see death in every single thought

They taught me how to put that uniform on

But I just can't get it off

By this point, there was not a dry eye in the room, and I could see Cadence wiping her eyes as she wrapped her wings around Shining Armor. The unicorn stallion was watching me with eyes the size of dinner plates, and I could swear he was mouthing the words along with me as I went into the bridge.

Yeah there's no end in sight

Cause' even though I'm home now

I'm still fighting for my life

I let my voice taper off slightly as I went into the final chorus, taking my time to put my every memory and emotion into my words as I felt tears run down my own cheeks. I forced the lump in my throat back where it belonged and continued on, managing to keep my composure until the end of the song.

I can still taste the powder, from the barrel of my gun

And I can hear my sergeant screamin' "Run soldier run"

I can feel the backpack on my shoulder, God it weighted a ton

And I can see death in every single thought

They taught me how to put that uniform on

But I just can't get it off

Well the Devil’s won some battles

And he may win some more

But don’t he know, the American soldier

Will always win the war

As the music faded into nothing, I lowered the mic and took a moment to wipe my eyes. However, I was not prepared for the thunderous ovation that I received as ponies wiped their eyes. I stood there for a moment as they pounded their hooves against the floor in applause, and I saw that even the princesses were joining in. Lyra and Bon-Bon were up on their hind legs waving their hooves in the air like a couple of morons, and even Swift was smiling as she tapped her hoof on the edge of the table. All and all, it was a much warmer reception than I had imagined, and I felt new tears forming in my eyes before I quickly wiped them away.

“Thank you everyone.” I said as I looked around the room, “That song is near and dear to my heart and will always mean the world to me as a former member of the military. If it’s alright with all of you, I have a couple more songs that I would like to share with you, if the Princesses would allow it?”

All eyes turned to Celestia and the others, and I could see the sad smile that graced her and Luna’s lips as they nodded.

I bowed my head in thanks and then turned to Vinyl, “Hey Vinyl, let’s get something a bit happier going for these ponies, don’t you think?”

She nodded, lifting up my phone as she readied a mote of magic, “Ready when you are, chief.”

“How about,” I paused for dramatic effect, “Fever?”

She scrolled through the music for a moment before waving to me, “Ready!”

I nodded, swaying my hips as the slow bass began its distinct strumming. I put on my most sexy expression and did a little pose for the audience as the words began to flow from my mouth in a sultry tone.

Never know how much I love you

Never know how much I care

When you put your arms around me

I get a fever that's so hard to bear

You give me fever - when you kiss me

Fever when you hold me tight

Fever - in the morning

Fever all through the night.

From the stiff wings all around the room, and the wide eyes from most of the stallions and mares alike, I had a feeling I was sinking my hooks into them a little better than I had planned. I stepped off of the stage and made my way through the crowd, letting my hips swing in a gentle circle as I stepped through the masses.

Sun lights up the daytime

Moon lights up the night

I light up when you call my name

And you know I'm gonna treat you right

You give me fever - when you kiss me

Fever when you hold me tight

Fever - in the morning

Fever all through the night.

I continued until I got up to Lyra and Bon-Bon’s table leaning over the far side so that my cleavage was distinctly visible to the pair, as well as to Swift. Their eyes widened to almost comical levels, and I could practically feel the heat rising off their faces as all three of them blushed like cherries.

Everybody's got the fever

That is something you all know

Fever isn't such a new thing

Fever started long ago.

I decided to let my herdmates be for a bit and turned my attention to the royal table. Taking measured steps their direction, I sang a little louder and locked my eyes on Princess Luna as I entered the next verse.

Romeo loved Juliet

Juliet she felt the same

When he put his arms around her

He said "Julie baby you're my flame"

Thou givest fever, when we kisseth

Fever with thy flaming youth

Fever - I'm afire

Fever yea I burn forsooth.

To my utter amazement, Luna’s wings sprang open with an audible “Pomph!” much to the shock and awe of everyone else in the room. However, my next victims weren’t going to be so lucky. I had changed the lyrics for the next stanza, and it was going to turn some heads for sure.

Captain Armor and Princess Cadence

Had a very mad affair

When her auntie tried to stop him

She said "Auntie-O don't you dare"

He gives me fever - with his kisses

Fever when he holds me tight

Fever - I'm his Missus

Oh auntie won't you treat him right.

At that point, both Cadence and Shining Armor were blushing beet red from the neck up, leaving most of the nobles to stare openly at Celestia as she gaped in my direction. I laughed under my breath as she fumbled over her words and tried to come up with a retort, but by that time I was already into the final chorus.

Now you've listened to my story

Here's the point I have made:

Mares were born to give you fever

Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade

They give you fever - when you kiss them

Fever if you live and learn

As I entered the final lines, I turned back to the stage and swayed my hips at the royal table, hearing a cluster of “Pomphs” as the pegasi and alicorns lost control of their wings. I glanced at them over my shoulder and winked at them as I sang the final lines, taking steps in time with my words as I worked back through the crowd.

Fever - till you sizzle

What a lovely way to burn.

The silence that followed my last words was thicker than pea soup, although from the shocked expressions and stiff wings from nearly everyone present, I figured I had completed the desired effect. Even Celestia was struggling to keep her wings under control, and that was saying something when everyone with wings had locked them completely at my last little trick.

“Thank you again for letting me share my country’s music with you all,” I said calmly as I grinned, “and although I understand your reaction, just know that I’m not going to be accepting any marriage proposals anytime soon, alright?”

That earned me a chuckle from several ponies as the royal table got themselves under control, although this was going to be the most trying test yet. I had warmed them up to the idea of my singing with some more influential numbers. Now I needed to pull my little surprise out of my hat and see if my little ploy worked.

“Hey, Lyra, Bon-Bon, could you join me up on stage for a bit?” I asked.

All eyes turned to follow my gaze as both mares shared an uncertain look, “Us?” Lyra asked, “What do you need us for?”

I waved them up, feeling a chuckle work its way out of my mouth as I spoke, “Just get up here you two.”

Both of them reluctantly got up and made their way up onto the stage, waving sheepishly to the gathered nobles before glancing up at me.

I indicated both of them with one hand as I turned to face the crowd, “These two mares were the first ones to show me what love in this world is like. Both invited me to join their herd a couple months ago, and I accepted. Together we are happy, and I would like to think we could be even happier. To further that goal, I have a special surprise in store for one very special mare.” I turned to Vinyl and said, “Would you mind playing ‘That’s the Way it is’ for us, Vinyl?”

The disc jockey gave me a salute, and as the opening music began, I turned to Lyra and Bon-Bon, “Would you mind helping me by being the backup vocals?”

“But we don’t know the words.” Lyra said nervously as she glanced at the gathered ponies, “What are we supposed to do?”

I pat her on the head and turned to face the crowd once more, “Just do what you think is right. This is meant to be from all of us, after all.”

I hummed the opening lines as the music began to swell, and I couldn’t help the grin that grew on my face as Twilight held a hoof over her mouth in realization.

That’s right, Twilight, I thought to myself, this one’s for you.

I can read your mind and I know your story

I see what you're going through, yeah

It's an uphill climb, and I'm feeling sorry

But I know it will come to you, yeah

Don't surrender 'cause you can win

In this thing called love

Lyra and Bon-Bon began swaying to the beat as they hummed along, and I could feel the magic in the air as they began mouth the words with me. I could swear they were reading my mind as they joined in with the chorus, although it knew it was probably just my imagination.

When you want it the most, there's no easy way out

When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt

Don't give up on your faith

Love comes to those who believe it

And that's the way it is

To my utter amazement, Lyra stepped up next to me and began singing the next verse, taking over my place as lead while she and Bon-Bon traded off lines. I smiled as they added their own flare to the song and added in my own voice as the chorus came around again.

When you question me for a simple answer

I don't know what to say, no

But it's plain to see, if we stick together

You're gonna find a way, yeah

So don't surrender 'cause you can win

In this thing called love

When you want it the most there's no easy way out

When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt

Don't give up on your faith

Love comes to those who believe it

And that's the way it is

I turned my attention to Twilight as I took over the bridge, allowing Lyra and Bon-Bon to echo me as we sang our hearts out. The purple alicorn was tearing up as she grinned from ear to ear, and I could see Cadence sending her confused glances that were slowly turning into a surprised stare. Shining Armor was simply sitting there, while Luna and Celestia were casting knowing looks between themselves as they hid smiles behind their hooves.

When life is empty with no tomorrow

And loneliness starts to call

(loneliness starts to call)

Baby, don't worry, forget your sorrow

'Cause love's gonna conquer it all, all

When you want it the most there's no easy way out

When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt

Don't give up on your faith

Love comes to those who believe it

And that's the way it is

(when you want it the most there's no easy way out)

(when you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt)

Don't give up on your faith

Love comes to those who believe it

And that's the way it is

That's the way it is

(that's the way it is)

That's the way it is, babe

(that's the way it is)

All three of us joined together to sing the final verse, and I could feel the magic leave the room once again as the music drew to a close.

Don't give up on your faith

Love comes to those who believe it

And that's the way it is.

For a moment there was silence, although this time it was baited breath that seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Taking the initiative, I walked off the stage, followed closely by Lyra and Bon-Bon as I walked up to the royal table. I stopped right in front of Twilight, who was wiping her eyes with her wings as I spoke.

“Princess Twilight,” I said calmly and with more confidence then I knew I had, “you have expressed interest several times in joining our herd. We have talked about it as a group, and we think you would make a great addition to our little family. You have a spark in you that we love and admire, as well as a drive to see this new change through to the end without letting your fears consume you. You’re a charming, funny, dedicated and responsible mare, Twilight, and we know how much it means to you and to us that you want to join our herd. So, it is my honor to formally invite you into a relationship with Lyra, Bon-Bon and myself, if you wish to do so.”

A collective gasp erupted from most of the ponies present, including most of the Bearers. Shining Armor was so floored he nearly fell out of his seat, while Cadence simply squealed and failed miserably to hide her glee behind her hooves. Celestia and Luna smiled while the Bearers kept turning from me to Twilight and back again with looks of complete bewilderment. The entire hall waited on baited breath as Twilight composed herself, waiting for her answer.

Just as it seemed she had herself under control, tears started running down her cheeks once again, although they did nothing to dissuade the smile that graced her lips, “Yes. A thousand times, yes. I would love to join your herd.”

Immediately following her words, the entire ballroom erupted into bedlam. Nobles cried their outrage while Cadence enveloped her sister-in-law in a crushing hug using both her wings and forehooves. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity were gushing over the news between themselves, while Rainbow Dash was busy forking over a small cluster of bits to Applejack. Shining Armor looked completely lost, as if the entire world had just come crashing down around him and he had no idea how or why, leaving Celestia and Luna to watch in awe as the Gala devolved into a circus. For a moment, I was worried that the nobles might attack me and my herdmates, given the fact that several were closing in from multiple sides. Swift jumped from her seat and got between me and the approaching nobles in an attempt to dissuade them from doing something stupid, but with the sheer numbers running against her, I pulled Lyra and Bon-Bon to my sides in preparation for a fight. I wasn’t above harming nobility, but I dearly hoped Celestia forgave me if things came to the worst.

Finally, as her left eye twitched once in frustration, Celestia raised her head high and called out in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “ENOUGH!”

Immediately, the room fell into silence, some of the nobles pausing mid-rant as they took several steps back from me and the girls. Swift let out a sigh of relief as she lowered her guard slightly, although she kept up her stance at my side in case someone tried anything.

Celestia’s gaze travelled around the room, a look of contempt on her face as she pinned the nobility to the floor with her glare, “I am shocked that my little ponies would react in such a way to this kind of news. To think that you hold us in such low regard that you would speak out against the wishes of one of your princesses when it is absolutely none of your concern.”

“But Your Highness,” one of the nobles on my left called out, “Princess Twilight deserves better than these commoners.” The dusty brown unicorn mare turned her glare my direction as she continued, “To think that a creature such as this would even dare to try and court one of our princesses is beyond unthinkable. Why I have half a mind to ̶ ”

“Finish that sentence at your own peril,” Luna growled as she stood from her seat and glared the mare into submission. “You will show a Captain of our guard the respect she deserves, and you will refrain from insulting the members of the royal family in such a manner or I swear I will make your life as miserable as the law allows. Do I make myself clear?”

The mare’s ears folded as she bowed her head and backed away, her tail between her legs, “Yes Princess.”

Celestia nodded, gently pushing Luna back into her seat with a wing as she added, “Let me make myself perfectly clear as well. Princess Twilight is allowed to choose those that she loves without any impunity from you or anypony else. She is free to choose those in her life that she wishes to live with and those that she chooses to befriend. We have no say in the matter other than to voice our opinions, and only if those opinions are shared within the spirit of love and tolerance that I have fostered as Equestria’s motto for the last thousand years. I will not tolerate any hate or angst targeting any of the members of Princess Twilight’s new herd, or there will be legal consequences."

A round of nods and murmured agreement went around the room, allowing me and my mares to finally relax as the majority of the nobility went back to their own business. At that moment, Cadence couldn’t keep her excitement in any longer and squealed at the top of her lungs, wrapping Twilight in a second crushing hug, much to the purple alicorn’s chagrin.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you!” Cadence gushed as she pulled back and turned to face me and my herdmates with a beaming smile. “I thought there might be something going on between you two, but I never imagined that you would be asked to join a herd. This is so exciting!”

“Indeed,” Celestia said through a smile as she turned her attention to me, “and to think this all came about after you asked to share some of your home world’s music with us. Clever, my little human, very clever.”

I blushed as I rubbed the back of my head with one hand, “Oh it wasn’t much, I just wasn’t completely clear as to why I wanted to share my music with you. It was meant to be a surprise for all of you, not just Twilight.”

“Shining Armor,” Luna said with a chuckle as she turned to face the shell-shocked stallion, “do you have something to say to your sister and her new herdmates?”

The Lunar Alicorn’s words seemed to pull the unicorn from his shocked state, his head shaking a time or two before his eyes came back into focus, “Who? What? What just happened?”

Cadence giggled as she nuzzled under his chin with her muzzle, “Your sister just got asked to join a herd. Were you not paying attention?”

Shining’s eyes widened as he looked around the room with murderous intent, “Where’s the stallion that dared to ask her out? I’ll pulverize him if he thinks he can take advantage of my sister.”

Cadence and the other princesses shared a chuckle while Twilight fumed to herself and blushed like a strawberry, “Oh you silly stallion, there isn’t a stallion in the herd that asked Twilight to join.”

Shining’s gaze leveled on his wife and with a confused expression, “Come again?”

The pink alicorn gestured to me and the girls with one of her wings, “Captain Sarah and her herdmates were the ones who asked Twilight to join. I think you might want to reassess your opinions about your sister joining a herd if you want to avoid sleeping on the couch for the next month.”

Shining’s gaze immediately locked with mine, and I saw a flash of fury cross his face before he took a deep breath and let it go. He opened his eyes and met my gaze with his own as he spoke, his tone level and controlled as he stood up and walked towards me.

“So, you think you can just walk in and ask my sister to join your little herd and not have to deal with me?” He asked as Swift stepped into his path. He gave the earth pony a passing glance but did not try to get past her, instead looking over her head at me as he continued, “Well I have some words to say about that.”

“Shining,” Twilight said in a warning tone, one that was matched by the glare that his wife was pressing into the back of his head.

Shining either ignored them or did not hear them as he continued to speak, “First of all, can you protect my sister if she needs it?”

I nodded, “With my life if necessary.”

He didn’t miss a beat before firing off the next question, “Can you provide for her as a member of her herd if the task of brining in income becomes necessary?”

I nodded again, “My salary as a member of the guard as well as a foreign advisor more than covers any living expenses.”

“Finally,” he stepped around Swift and got right up in my face as he delivered the last line, “do you truly care for my sister, or is this just some ploy for power amongst the royal family?”

Before I could answer, Cadence walked up and grabbed her husband’s ear in her magic, making the stallion wince as she dragged him away from me, “That is enough Shining Armor. Celestia just said that we have no right to interfere with Twilight’s love life, and here you are throwing out accusations like one of those foals in noble’s clothing. Come along, dear husband of mine, we have some things to talk about.”

We watched as the alabaster unicorn was dragged out by his ear, leaving the rest of us to breathe a sigh of relief once they had vanished from sight.

“I don’t know about you,” Lyra muttered as she shivered from ears to tail, “but that mare scares me.”

Bon-Bon murmured her agreement as she pressed herself against my side, although she was forced to move over a bit when Twilight flew over and wrapped all four legs around my torso in a full-body hug. I could feel the tears of happiness running down her face as she nuzzled into my neck, her lips pressing to my cheek once before she pulled back to look me in my eyes. Her lips were pulled back in the biggest grin I had ever seen her make, and I could practically feel the emotion flowing off of her as she wiped her eyes with her wings.

“You have no idea how happy you’ve made me tonight.” She said with a crack in her voice, “That song was beautiful, and I just wanted to say that I love you for doing this for me,” she glanced down at Lyra and Bon-Bon, “all of you. It was the most romantic thing anypony has done for me in my entire life, and I can’t imagine this night being any better than what I feel right now.”

I grinned as I wrapped my arms around her back, supporting her rump with one hand while pressing between her wings with the other. She gasped as her wings flared wide, and I heard Rarity swoon as Twilight’s face melted into one of bliss.

“Oh, I think I could imagine something that would make tonight even better.” I turned my attention to Celestia and Luna, “With your permission, Your Highnesses, I think it’s about time we take our leave for the evening.”

Luna indicated one of the hallways to the left of the table, “The guest wing is down that hall and to the left. The rooms should be unoccupied, so you can use them at your own leisure. However,” she made us pause as I carried Twilight out of the room, Lyra and Bon-Bon at my sides, “if you wish to see the shooting stars I have planned for this night, then I would suggest staying up until midnight so that you can enjoy them.”

I cast a knowing look down at my mares before winking at Twilight, “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble staying up tonight.” I bowed my head to them with a smile, “With your leave, Princesses.”

The Bearers simply sat in shock as I walked out of the room, a blushing Twilight held securely in my arms as we made our way through the halls and into the guest wing. We picked the first door that we came across and found a large room containing a dresser and a single king-sized bed. Given how large the furniture was compared to the ponies accompanying me, I figured this was one of the rooms designed for the larger species of this world. Perhaps the gryphons or minotaur would be comfortable here. In any case, the room was more than enough for our uses, so I walked over to the bed and set Twilight down, hearing Lyra lock the door behind us as she and Bon-Bon walked in after me.

Twilight looked around and blushed when she realized that we were all alone in the room, “Um, what exactly as we supposed to do now?”

I slipped the dress off of my shoulder and began to slide it down my body, noticing how Twilight’s eyes widened as she followed my movements with her gaze.

“Now,” I said in a sultry tone, “we get to make you a part of our herd in a more private manner.”

“Yep,” Lyra added as she climbed onto the bed, her own dress already discarded to the floor, “because a night like this wouldn’t be complete without making you a part of our herd in every way possible.”

“You can say no if you aren’t comfortable with this right now,” Bon-Bon said as she climbed onto the bed on Twilight’s other side, also sans her dress, “just know that we will respect your decision, whatever you choose to do.”

Twilight’s gaze had only left my own body for a moment as each mare spoke, although from the blush on her cheeks it was apparent that she knew exactly what was going on. “I, I think I would like to try this. Just, please be gentle. I’ve never done this with anypony before.”

She ducked her head and hid her face behind her wings as she squeaked in an absolutely adorable way, so I sat down next to her and lifted her chin with one finger. Her eyes widened and her blush traveled down to the base of her neck as she gazed upon my completely naked body for the first time, and I smiled as her gaze locked with mine.

“You have no need o be scared or embarrassed, Twilight.” I said softly as I leaned closer to her face, “We all get nervous when we try new things. Trust us and let us show you that we care for you just as much as you care for us.”

My lips met hers and she melted under my touch as her own mouth opened in a moan. Her wings flared wide and I couldn’t hold in the chuckle that escaped my own mouth as Lyra and Bon-Bon moved up to either side of the alicorn. I could tell already that this was going to be a fun night, the only limit was how long we had before the sun came up.

Author's Note

Alrighty then, as promised, the names and authors for the origional versions of the songs are presented just below. If you want to look them up feel free to check them out on Youtube or something like that. They are all amazing songs and I would recommend giving them a listen if you have the time.

Song one: A Soldier's Memoir by Mitch Rossell
Song two: Fever by Michael Buble
Song three: That's the Way it is by Celine Dion

Anyways, as you can probably tell by the ending, the next chapter is going to be centered around the not-so-Y7 bedroom activities between the main characters. If you wish to skip the clop feel free to do so, just know that you won't be missing anything important.

Other than that, I hope you are all enjoying the book thus far, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

21.5 - [Clop] Royal Lovers

My lips separated from Twilight’s with a wet smack sound, a trail of saliva connecting our mouths for a moment as I pulled back. The alicorn hummed in pleasure as Lyra and Bon-Bon nuzzled against the sides of her neck, making my already heated core run just a bit hotter at her vocalizations. If it was one thing that seemed to get me going, it was the noises that my loves made when we got down and kinky.

“Hey Sarah,” Lyra said softly as she pulled back and looked up at me, “do you think we could teach Twilight how to Prench kiss?”

I smiled as Twilight cast the unicorn a confused look, but instead of answering, I leaned in and connected my lips with Lyra’s, cutting off her next words as I rammed my tongue into her mouth. She chirped in an adorable way in surprise but quickly got over it, returning as good as she got as her larger muscle overpowered mine and worked back into my own mouth. We both moaned as I placed a hand on the back of her head, tilting my own sideways to deepen the connection as Lyra’s tongue roamed over my teeth, paying extra attention to the canines as we worked each other over.

I peaked to the side with one eye and saw Bon-Bon had captured Twilight’s mouth with her own, although from the looks of things she was letting Twilight explore the idea of using tongue at her own pace, only moving into the alicorn’s mouth after Twilight had done the same for her. I focused back on Lyra as the aquamarine mare ignited her horn, causing me to gasp in shock and pleasure as I felt a pinch on my left nipple. I pulled back and saw the telltale glow hovering over my breast, my other nipple stiffening in arousal as she continued to tease my left side with her magic.

“Oh, you little tease,” I muttered through a grin, reaching under her body and running my fingertips over the already soaking folds of her cunny.

She gasped and the glow around her horn dissipated as she lost her concentration, although by the playful grin she sent my way, I had a feeling I was going to regret my actions later.

“Who’s a tease now?” she retorted, glancing over at Bon-Bon and Twilight as they got fully into their own kiss.

Twilight’s wings were fully erect and I could hear her moaning softly into Bon-Bon’s mouth as they worked each other over, their forehooves running through each other’s manes as Bon-Bon slowly pushed Twilight onto her back.

I let them continue for a moment longer before I tapped Bon-Bon on the shoulder, “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we make this special for Twilight, given this is her first time?”

Both mares turned to face me and then glanced at each other. “What did you have in mind?” Bon-Bon asked as she stood up and backed off of Twilight.

I held up a hand to stop the alicorn from moving as she lay on her back, a devious smile coming to my lips as I scooched over and positioned myself between her hind legs. “Just a little something that I did for both of you when we first became intimate.”

Both Lyra and Bon-Bon’s eyes lit up with understanding and moved to either side of Twilight as the purple mare glanced between us in confusion.

“What exactly are you going to do?” She asked, a slight tinge of nervousness making her voice rise in pitch.

I got down on my stomach and wrapped my arms around Twilight’s hips, causing her to gasp as my fingers dug into the soft flesh of her rump, “I’m going to show you how girls pleasure each other where I come from.”

Just as she opened her mouth to reply, I leaned down and ran my tongue over the entire length of her outer lips, taking my time to tease each and every fold as I made my way up to her clit. Twilight gasped, and her body stiffened as her head fell back on the pillows, causing Bon-Bon and Lyra to chuckle at her reaction. Just as my tongue reached the top of her flower, I circled around her clit with the tip of my tongue and then used my teeth to gently bite down on the already hard button.

Twilight screamed as her hind legs kicked in my grip, forcing me to back off slightly lest I get hit in the nose with her hips. However, I didn’t let that stop me, and I tightened my hold on her as I dove back in, carving out the alphabet with my tongue as Twilight writhed and moaned in bliss.

Of course, Lyra and Bon-Bon weren’t going to simply sit there and watch as I did all the work. I glanced up as I ran another circle around Twilight’s clit and saw that Lyra had leaned in and was sucking at the tendons in Twilight’s neck, leaving Bon-Bon to do something I hadn’t seen before. The cream earth pony was holding Twilight’s head still with one hoof while her tongue ran up and down the alicorn’s horn, causing Twilight’s moans to double in volume and her horn to ignite in a soft glow of magic. I filed that away for later when we did this again and got back to work making Twilight scream.

For several minutes we triple-teamed Twilight, and by the third minute Twilight was barely breathing, her mouth open in a silent scream as her mind was overloaded with stimulus. How she hadn’t cum already I could only guess, but I planned on taking care of that with my next move. While I sucked on her clit, making circles with my tongue when I wasn’t pinching it with my teeth, I slowly moved two of my fingers into position, pulling back like a cobra that was ready to strike. I watched and waited for the right moment, and I got my wish when Bon-Bon forwent with licking Twilight’s horn and instead took the entire thing deep into her mouth.

Twilight’s eyes rolled up in the back of her head, and in that instant, I drove both of my fingers straight into her sopping entrance. Because of how wet she was, I encountered zero resistance as my digits spread her tunnel like a hot knife through butter, and I curled my fingers up in search of that one magical spot. As my fingertips rubbed over a slightly rougher section, Twilight sucked in a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs, a veritable flood of love juice gushing out of her body as her horn shot sparks directly into Bon-Bon’s throat.

Bon-Bon pulled back with a gasp, wisps of magic lingering on her lips as she smiled down at Twilight, leaving me to wipe my face as I sat up and grinned through the mare cum soaking my chin and lips. I reached up and sucked the juice off of my fingers, taking in the lavender-like scent as the more berry-like flavor flooded my mouth. Oh yes, I could get used to tasting that if the girls continued to taste like candy and ice cream flavors. I returned my attention to the gasping alicorn before us, and I couldn’t contain the soft chuckle as I shared a glance with Lyra and Bon-Bon.

“I think we might have broke her.” I joked, earning a giggle from both mares as Twilight came down from her high. Her breathing was still ragged, but she managed to open her eyes and smile before speaking.

“That, was bucking amazing.” She managed to force out, “I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire life.”

I rubbed my knuckles against my chest like I was shining my nails, “I try, although I’m kind of regretting the fact that none of us are male. It would make this so much better to have some cock to ride.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up as she pushed herself into a sitting position, “What if I could turn you into a stallion?”

My eyes narrowed in confusion as Lyra and Bon-Bon’s eyes lit up in excitement, “Come again?”

Twilight smiled and ignited her horn, “It’s a simple spell, one that most unicorns can perform. It changes the genitalia of whatever the target has into that of the opposite gender. It technically could turn a stallion into a mare, but it’s never used that way. Like I told you before, it allows all-mare herds to have foals if they can’t find a suitable stallion to join.”

“So, let me get this straight,” I replied, “you want to turn my cunt into a cock and then have me fuck all three of you?”

Twilight shared a nervous glance with Lyra and Bon-Bon, “Um, yes?”

I thought about it for a moment, my mind going over the possibilities as I weighed my options. Either I could stay a woman and please all three mares like I had done for Lyra and Bon-Bon the last time, or I could change into a man and have some fun fucking them over like a real lover would.

I felt my lips curling into a grin as I turned back to Twilight, voicing my only concern about the whole idea, “It’s not permanent, is it?”

The expressions of all three mares brightened as Twilight replied, “Oh no, it only lasts a few hours before your body reverts to its original form. There is nothing to worry about.” She paused, a sheepish look overcoming her face as she leaned in and gave me her best puppy eyes, “So will you do it?”

At first, I still wasn’t sure, but then Lyra and Bon-Bon added their own puppy eyes to the firing line, and I relented under their combined assault, “Alright, you win. I’ll take the spell.”

Twilight squealed as her horn glowed brighter, a beam of magenta magic erupting from her horn and hitting me in the chest before I could react. At first, I thought nothing had happened, but then I felt a tingling in my private area, causing me to look down and gasp at what I saw. Hanging between me legs, was a new pair of balls and a fully erect cock that had to be at least seven inches long. It stuck out from my body like a flagpole, the veins in the flesh pulsing with every beat of my heart as the spire twitched in the space between us.

All three mares gasped as they leaned in close, and for the first time I felt subconscious about my body. I mean, was it big enough, was it going to be too long for their bodies to handle? Did they not like what it looked like?

“Wow,” Lyra murmured as she took in every inch with her gaze, “it’s so different from a stallion’s. I mean, look at the tip,” she pointed at my new head with a hoof, “it looks almost like it’s wearing a little helmet.”

Bon-Bon chuckled as she leaned in and rested her nose against my new flesh, taking a deep breath and then moaning as her eyes fluttered, “Oh Lyra, you have got to smell this. It’s like somepony took the scent of a stud and bottled it just for us.”

All three mares leaned in and rested their noses against my crotch, causing me to gasp as their soft fur and lips brushed against my highly sensitive flesh. I felt a slight tingle in my balls and then felt a slight dribble of pre flow down the underside of my cock, the slightly stronger scent capturing the attention of all three mares.

Twilight was the first to act as she spotted the pre flowing down my cock, leaning in and licking along the underside from base to tip, collecting the pre in her mouth as my own body exploded in pleasure. A breathy moan escaped my lips before I could stop it, and Lyra giggled as Twilight pulled back with a contemplative expression.

“It tastes like herbs,” Twilight mused as she smacked her lips, “I can’t really place it, but it has a very earthy flavor that I definitely like.”

Lyra’s eyes lit up as she turned her attention back to me, “Really? Then I need to try some for myself.”

Before I could react, the unicorn leaned down and licked along the underside of my cock, making me moan once more as another dribble of pre escaped my tip. In an instant, Lyra was there to collect it with her tongue, running it in circles over the head before taking the tip in her mouth and sucking up the apparently tasty liquid. My hips bucked as she closed her eyes and moaned, although she wasn’t able to do much before I gently pried her off of me and sucked in a shaky breath.

“You keep that up for much longer and I’m gong to cum.” I managed to force out between ragged breaths.

“That’s the idea.” Lyra retorted, “I want to taste the main course after all, not just the appetizer.”

I felt a blush coming over my cheeks at her words, but I managed to keep my composure as I turned my attention to Twilight, “I’m not sure how many I’ve got in me, but I think we should take care of our newest member before we start working over each other.”

Lyra groaned in disappointment but relented as she turned her gaze to the alicorn. Bon-Bon did the same and I grinned as Twilight’s ears folded against her head, “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

I wrapped my arms around the mare and spun her around, lifting her hindquarters as my other hand pushed her upper body into the bed, leaving her tail flagged and inviting as her wings sprang to attention once more. She gasped as I moved up and ran my hands over her haunches and back, shifting forward until my new equipment was teasing against her entrance.

“Bon-Bon,” I said, “why don’t you come over here and lie down on your back in front of Twilight? I’m sure she can give her new herdmate some pleasure while I take care of her own needs.”

She nodded, moving over until she was in front of Twilight, lying down on her back and spreading her hind legs to reveal her soaked snatch. Twilight’s eyes widened before she lowered her head and gave Bon-Bon’s slit a gentle lick. The earth pony hummed in pleasure, bolstering Twilight’s confidence as she set to her task with abandon.

Meanwhile, I lined up my new hardware with Twilight’s own dripping love tunnel and slowly pushed forward. There was some resistance at first, but then the head slipped into her body and I felt her body tense like she had been struck by lightning. Her muzzle was forced further into Bon-Bon’s crotch, making both mares moan as a splash of love juice coated the fur around Twilight’s mouth.

Taking my time, I forced my way further into Twilight’s body, reveling in the velvety softness as her tunnel pulsed and rippled around my shaft. I could feel every inch as I sank deeper and deeper into her body, only coming to a stop when my hips came into contact with her own. Bottomed out within my newest herdmate, I slowly began to pull back out, listening to the moans of both mares as Twilight worked Bon-Bon over. I stopped just before the tip exited Twilight’s snatch, and then tightened my grip on her hips before ramming back into her with all the force I could muster. Twilight screamed into Bon-Bon’s own flower, making the earth pony cry out as the vibrations ran their course through her lips and over her clit. Barely taking a moment to readjust my grip once again, I pulled back and pounded back into Twilight, picking up a steady rhythm as I pistoned my hips back and forth. It was a new sensation, and I could already feel my legs and stomach muscles beginning to tighten, but it was worth it to hear both of my mares screaming out in bliss as my own body sparked with pleasure.

Then, just as I was getting used to the sensations, I felt something long and wet run along the underside of my cock and over Twilight’s clit, causing both of us to yelp in surprise before I looked down to see what was happening. What I saw was unexpected, but I smiled anyway when I saw Lyra pulling her head out from under Twilight’s body, her muzzle dripping with our combined juices as she grinned up at us.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” she said with a cocky smirk, “I’m just taking a sample of the goods before I have the main course.”

I rolled my eyes, noticing that Twilight hadn’t stopped in her ministrations of Bon-Bon even through Lyra’s little trick. So, I shook my head and got back to work, feeling Lyra run her tongue over our joining every other second as she stuck her head back under Twilight’s body.

For a couple of minutes, we kept up the pace, me shoving my new cock in and out of Twilight’s snatch while Twilight took care of Bon-Bon, leaving Lyra to add her own little flare to the mix with that damned amazing tongue of hers. Finally, I could feel Twilight’s tunnel tightening around me, to the point it was almost hard to keep moving, and I could feel my own muscles tightening as my own orgasm began to rise. Bon-Bon had already cum three times and had simply fallen limp as Twilight continued her diligent work licking and sucking against her herdmate’s flower. Lyra had taken one of her hooves and was running circles around her own clit as she licked up every drop from our joining, humming as she slurped and sucked like a foal at the teat.

Then, it all came crashing down as Twilight flung her head back and screamed, her wings flaring wide as her tunnel clamped down around me, milking my shaft for all its worth as I was forced to halt my own movements. Lyra made sure that not a single drop of Twilight’s mare cum reached the sheets, and I felt my own orgasm wash over me as the pleasure peaked in my loins. My hands locked around Twilight's hips and I instinctively pounded my own against hers as my cock erupted inside her, painting her walls white as the thick cream filled her to the brim. Some of it even leaked out around our joining, only to be licked up by Lyra, who hummed in pleasure at the presumed taste.

Spent and worn out, Twilight fell limp on the bed, her head coming to rest on Bon-Bon’s stomach as she slid off of my cock, her snatch leaking some of my cum on the bed before Lyra moved in to lick it up. I panted for a moment as the aquamarine mare cleaned Twilight of every last drop she could find, and then turned to look at me with a half-lidded expression.

“Still got some left over for me?” She asked as she moved up and licked along the underside of my now hypersensitive shaft, causing me to jump as she took the first half in her mouth and ran her tongue over every inch to collect the leftover cum. She closed her eyes and hummed around my shaft, quickly causing it to harden as she sucked and licked, removing her mouth just long enough to clean up the lower half and my balls before reclaiming my cock with her muzzle.

She opened her eyes and looked up at me, and the sheer sexiness of that look combined with that pose nearly caused me to cum again. With her eyes locked with mine and her mouth holding the first half of my cock, it was just mind blowing how hot that looked. Apparently, she knew that, because the next thing she did was curl her lips in a grin before taking in a deep breath through her nose. Before I knew what was going on, she took the entire length into her mouth and sucked as hard as she could, causing the opening to her throat to clench and pull at the head of my cock. I threw my head back and moaned as she kept that up for several seconds, before pulling back and bobbing her head like a cork in water along the entire length.

My hands moved to the sides of her head on reflex, working the base of her ears with my fingers in appreciation as she sucked and bobbed, making her hum in pleasure around my shaft as her eyes fluttered closed. I clenched my teeth as her vocalizations sent vibrations up and down my rod, and I began to take the pace away from her as I pulled her head back and forth on my length. She didn’t seem to mind, and the slight gagging sounds that she made combined with her swallowing around my head made me see stars with every thrust.

Finally, she pulled back and gasped, looking up at me with such a lust-filled gaze that I could swear she was fucking me with her mind, “Buck me, right now.”

I nodded, although as she turned around, I had a thought. Instead of letting her raise her hindquarters, I pushed her into a lying position and then rolled her over so she was on her back next to Bon-Bon. I shifted Twilight to one side so as not to bump into her, and then crawled up until I was face to face with Lyra. She looked down between us and her eyes widened as my cock rubbed against her lower lips and over her clit, making her gasp before her gaze met mine.

“Belly to belly, eh?" She asked as she reached up and held my shoulders with her forehooves, “Kinky.”

I smiled as I slowly slid my shaft forward, encountering the same resistance I had felt with Twilight before my head popped into her tunnel. Lyra gasped as I leaned down and nuzzled into the side of her neck, tilting her head to the side to allow me better access as I began sucking and licking against the tendons I found there. She moaned as I slid into her body further, pulling me closer with her hind legs as they wrapped around my hips, her tail thrashing under my legs as she buried her muzzle into the side of my neck.

“Harder, please.”She panted as I began moving in and out, and I followed her wishes as best as I could as the bed began to rock and squeak under our bodies.

I built up a rhythm once more, shoving in and out like a machine as Lyra moaned into my ear, spurring me on with each thrust with a clench of her tunnel around my shaft. Each time I pulled out, it was like she was trying to suck me back in using her vaginal muscles, and it was driving me crazy. As I moved faster, our hips began to make loud clapping sounds as our flesh met with every thrust, and I could feel Lyra nearing the edge as her tunnel tightened around me.

She pulled her head back and looked up at me, her eyes lidded and her lips curled into a smile as she spoke, “Kiss me when you cum. Make me your mare in every way you can.”

I nodded, panting too hard to answer as my legs and hips burned from the exertion. Finally, Lyra threw her head back and screamed, her tunnel clamping down around me like a vice as a flood of mare cum ran down her crotch and onto the sheets. I only lasted a few more thrusts before I felt my own orgasm hit, and as asked, I pulled Lyra into a deep kiss as our tongues battled for supremacy. My cum painted her inner walls just as it had for Twilight, and I could feel her stomach swell just a bit from the sheer volume as a torrent of extra ran down from our joining and onto the sheets.

I pulled back, feeling my hardware finally calling it quits as I pulled out of Lyra’s sopping tunnel, another large dribble of cum following my exit as I sat back on my heels. I swore that I would never get tired of that spell if it meant I could do this with my mares every time we had sex, especially if I could see them like Lyra was right at that moment. She was lying on her back with her hind legs spread, a stream of cum running down her crotch as her stomach heaved with each breath. Her mouth was split in a wide grin as her tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth, and her eyes were lidded in bliss as she basked in the afterglow.

Thinking quickly, I leaned down and licked at her entrance, making sure to pick up as much of our combined juices as I could as Lyra stiffened under my touch.

She looked down at me and asked, “What are you doing?”

I chose to ignore her question and simply show her what I had planned, so I sat up once I had collected as much as my mouth could carry and then leaned forward until we were face to face again. I pressed my mouth to Lyra’s and as she opened her mouth I let the collected cum flow into her mouth like a waterfall of love. She hummed in pleasure as her tongue reached into my own mouth to collect as much as she could, my own playing with her like a soccer player trying to keep the ball from her reach. We played that little game for a minute or two before I let her have all of the cum I had taken from her own snatch and pulled back from her mouth as she looked up at me.

Then she did something I would never forget. She opened her mouth to show me the cum she had taken from my own, closed it, and swallowed. She must have made it as loud and as guttural as she could, because I could swear someone outside the room could have heard it if they tried. As she opened her eyes she did the same for her mouth, showing me that it was completely clean. It was the single most sexy thing I had ever seen, and I knew that it was something I would have to do for them at some point down the line.

Lyra grinned at my slack-jawed expression, “Was it really that hot watching me swallow all your delicious cum?”

I nodded dumbly, “Very. Think we can get Twilight to cast that spell on you or Bon-Bon next time? I would like to see how you guys react to having your cock sucked, because you were amazing.”

She blushed, pulling me into a hug as she pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss, “You were amazing too, Sarah. I never would have thought to try sex belly to belly before meeting you. I think we can come up with plenty of new things to try once we get more settled in with one another.”

I nodded, glancing over at the passed-out Bon-Bon and Twilight. “I guess we just pull them over here and call it a night?”

Lyra chuckled but nodded all the same, “That sounds lovely right now. I want to fall asleep with you every night from now on. Will you finally move in with us over at Bon-Bon’s place?”

I turned my attention to the sleeping alicorn resting her head on Bon-Bon’s stomach, “I think Twilight might want us to move in with her once this is all over. She did join the herd after all, and I don’t think she’s going to want to move out of the castle if she can help it.”

Lyra smiled at the sleeping duo, “Yeah, I guess that would make sense.” She let out a gusty sigh as I rolled onto my side between her and the other girls, “So what now? Are we members of the royal family or what?”

I shrugged, “Doesn’t really matter to me. I love you girls and that’s all that matters from my point of view.” I booped her playfully on the nose, making her go cross-eyed and her tongue to stick out of her mouth before she shook her head. “Besides, who would ever take you seriously as a Princess?”

She smirked and rolled her eyes, “Ha, ha, very funny. Although the same could be said for you. You’re not exactly the most princess-like being I’ve ever met.”

I conceded the point, although I figured it would be addressed at a later date by ponies that had more important things to worry about than titles. “True.”

I let out a wide yawn, Lyra following suite as I pulled Bon-Bon and Twilight up to my other side with my free arm. I nestled Bon-Bon under my right arm and pulled Twilight up and onto my stomach as Lyra snuggled in on my left, leaving me in the middle of a pony pile as all three mares settled in for the night. I felt a warmth in my chest as I looked at them all, and I felt a familiar tingle in my groin as the spell wore off, leaving me a woman once again as I drifted off to sleep. I wouldn’t know it, but this would be the start of a new chapter in my life and would signal the first of many great changes in the land of Equestria.

Author's Note

Holy mother of Celestia that was hot! I'm all hot and bothered and I was the one writing the Tartarus-damned thing! *takes deep breath before letting it out slowly* Alright, I'm good.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this little number, and what did you think of the gender-swap spell? Were the reasons solid and the execution satisfactory? If so then let me know in the towel section below, or yell at me if I did something wrong, although I would appreciate it if you gave a good reason why something was wrong instead of simply ranting about something you didn't like. Love and tolerate and all that, remember?

Anyway, hope to hear from you all soon, and look out for that next update, because it will officially mark the 200K word count for the book. Woohoo, I can't wait!

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

22 - The Second Encounter

The train ride back from the capital was mostly uneventful, save for a few boisterous comments from the pink meness about my singing skills. In all honesty I had no real idea how I had sung so well the previous night, or how Bon-Bon an Lyra had known the words to a song they had never heard before. Then again, this was a land of magical talking ponies, so I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe in some musical magic that could turn anyone into a world-class singer.

On another note, Twilight couldn’t stop smiling after the night Bon-Bon, Lyra and I gave her, and I had a feeling things were going to be a bit hotter in the bedroom if last night was anything to go by. Being turned into a man for a few hours was definitely not on my bucket list before I came to Equestria, but now that I had experienced it with the three mares I loved, I wasn’t about to refuse the spell if the girls wanted to do it again.

Swift was off to one side of the train car while the girls all talked about this and that, leaving me to my own thoughts as we made our way back to Ponyville. And boy was there a lot to think about. Not only had Rosie lied to me and the others, but apparently her father had no idea she was here in Equestria, even though the scroll asking for my training had been signed by him. So, either Rosie forged his signature and ran away from home, or there was something darker going on. I didn’t want to think that Rosie might be a traitor, but with the necromancers hiding somewhere in the Everfree, and the fact that Rosie just happened to be an auramancer, led my mind down a path that I would rather not see come to fruition. However, that would all have to wait until I got some answers from Rosie herself, because I wasn’t about to accuse her of anything until I got her side of the issue.

We pulled into the train station and exited the car as the sun rose higher into the sky, bathing the town in its warm glow as we walked out and onto the platform.

Lyra stretched like a cat and smiled, “Oh it’s good to be home. I don’t know about you, but I could really use a nap after all the excitement yesterday.”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes, although the grin she failed to hide belied her irritation, “Since when do you need an excuse to take a nap in the middle of the day? I remember a time I had to pull you out of the cabinet because you climbed in to grab a snack and fell asleep with your plot sticking out for all of my customers to see.” She chuckled along with the rest of us as Lyra blushed, “Oh don’t worry about it too much sweetie, it was certainly a lovely view for me while it lasted.”

Lyra huffed in annoyance but smiled none the less, “You know I’m going to get you back for that little comment at some point later, right?”

Bon-Bon bumped her herdmate’s flank with her own, “I look forward to it.”

“If you two are done teasing each other,” I said through a cheeky grin, “how about you head home and join up with Twilight and me this evening at the castle? I could make you guys dinner and we could go over some of our plans now that we’re all a herd.”

The duo shared a look before turning to me and nodding, “We’ll be there,” Lyra replied, “just make sure to cook something from your homeland. I want to try some human food instead of the usual stuff we’ve tried.”

I nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.” I waved to them as we parted ways, leading Twilight and Swift back to the castle as the rest of our friends returned to their homes.

As we walked in through the front doors, we were stopped by the excited form of Rosie as she danced around on her paws like an excited child, “Oh, I’ve been waiting all morning for you to show up,” she managed to say as she walked up to me and Swift before enveloping us in a hug, “I was looking through some of the journal entries and I think I found a way to use the other colors of my aura without having to force it out.”

“Really?” I replied, honestly surprised, “What did you find out?”

She danced around a bit more before calming herself, “You see, it’s kind of like this. Instead of using the color I need directly, I can channel my aura into an object that can manipulate the power into a form that I can use.”

My eyes narrowed, “And where did you see that?It wasn’t in any of the beginning or intermediate chapters that I’ve read through.”

“Because it was all the way in the back in the advanced section,” Rosie replied, a prideful grin on her beak as she lifted her chin high, “I found it just after the section detailing how to make such items, so I went ahead and got the materials needed to make me an aura staff.” She pointed over her shoulder towards the back of the castle, “I even found out where I can make it without putting the castle or the town at risk. Come on, I’ll show you!”

Just as she spun around to race away, my hand came down on her shoulder and stopped her from going anywhere. She turned to look at me and her expression morphed from excitement to uncertainty as her gaze leveled with mine.

“We need to talk, and right now I’m trying my best not to drag you by your ear into Twilight’s lab and sealing you in there so you can’t get away. However,” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment to bring my frustration under control, “right now we have somewhere we need to be.” I turned to Swift and jerked my head towards the main doors, “We’ll meet you outside in a moment, Swift. Rosie and I are going to go over the game plan of our day’s training. We’ll catch up with you once I’m done speaking with her.”

Swift nodded, although by the nervous glance she sent Rosie’s way, she must have had an idea what I was going to talk with the crimson hen about. The doors closed behind the earth pony, leaving the three of us in the foyer as Twilight glanced between me and the young gryphoness.

“What’s going on here?” She asked, “Is Rosie in some kind of trouble?”

I nodded without taking my eyes off of Rosie, “Our little trainee has been keeping a secret from us, and I want to know why she decided to lie to everyone about how and why she came to Ponyville.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to Rosie, whose eyes had widened in fear and shock as she jerked her head in search of an escape route. Without even needing my request, Twilight’s horn ignited and created a bubble around the three of us, cutting off Rosie’s plans of running before she could act on them. The hen looked around for a few moments in a desperate search for a way out, but upon finding none she lowered her head and let out a gusty sigh of defeat.

“Alright,” she muttered as she stared at her front paws with a dejected expression, “you caught me. I lied to you about why I came to Ponyville and I lied about getting my father’s permission to come here.”

“So, you forged his signature on that scroll you showed us,” I stated, “and you came here without telling him where you were going or why you were leaving.” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, waiting for her to continue.

Her head hung even lower and her tail tucked between her legs as she rubbed one paw over her other foreleg, “I thought that if I asked my father for permission to leave then he would forbid it. He’s never let me leave the castle before and I just wanted to do something for myself for once in my life.” Her head jerked up and her eyes widened in fear, “He doesn’t know where I am, does he?”

I shook my head, although her relief was short-lived as I replied, “But he did come to the Gala to request the Princess’s help in locating you. He’s really worried that you’re lost and alone somewhere between Gryphonia and Equestria, possibly hurt and unable to help yourself. I asked Celestia not to tell him until I got your side of the story, but if the only reason you left is because you were afraid of rejection, then I am starting to believe that you are not worthy of being my apprentice.” I pressed my finger into the center of her chest and got right in her face, “A master and apprentice need to be able to trust each other, especially with the enemies we will be facing in the near future. If I can’t trust you then I am tempted to send you home in shame, so you can tell you father why exactly you ran away from home. I would like to see how your father would react when he finds out your own lies destroyed your only chance at getting stronger, and it was all caused by the simple fact you couldn’t ask permission before running off like an impulsive child.”

Rosie’s eyes were tearing up as she looked between me and Twilight. However, she got no reprieve from the alicorn, given she was sporting a disappointed expression that nearly matched my own. Finally, the realization that her journey was coming to an end came crashing down on the young gryphon, and she openly began to weep as she sat down and covered her face with her claws.

“I’m sorry,” she blubbered as she tried to wipe her face, only for more tears to take their place, “I’m so sorry. I just wanted to prove to my father that I’m not some helpless chick that needs to be taken care of all the time. I wanted to do something for myself, to prove that I have what it takes to lead my people when the time comes for me to be queen.” Her eyes narrowed in sudden anger as she pounded her fists into the crystal floor, her heated gaze locked on the crystal before her as she continued to cry, “It’s not fair. All I wanted was to get stronger. Was that really such a bad thing?” Her eyes closed once more as she lowered herself to the floor and curled into a ball, her wings covering her face and neck as she broke down completely.

I shared a look with Twilight, nodding once to the mare as she dispelled the barrier keeping us contained. I walked up and knelt down in front of Rosie, gently placing a hand on her shoulder as her body shook with sobs. She stiffened under my contact but didn’t resist as I slowly moved her wings out of the way, so I could see her face.

“There, there,” I said softly, wiping her tears with one of my thumbs as I lifted her head up so she could look me in the eyes, “it wouldn’t do for a princess to cry in front of others. You are stronger than that so take a deep breath and calm yourself.”

Her intake of air shook as she tried to get her emotions under control, her eyes still shining with unshed tears as she folded her wings against her sides, “What will you do with me?”

I glanced at Twilight before turning back to face the hen, “What do you think I should do?”

Her beak opened for a moment and she sucked in a breath of air to speak, only to pause and close it once again as she lowered her gaze to her front paws.An expression of contemplation overcame her face as she truly thought about what was to become of her, and I let her think things through as I stood up once again.

“I’ll tell you what,” I interrupted her thoughts as her head jerked up to meet my gaze, “from this point onward you will be on a probationary period, where any actions you take that are suspect will be taken as an act of insubordination and will result in your immediate expulsion from my teachings. Furthermore, you will send a letter to your father detailing exactly where you are, why you left, and what you did to fool us into teaching you combat skills. That includes the forged signature you put on that scroll asking for permission to train under me.” I paused for a moment to let that sink in, and from the look of utter defeat on her face, Rosie knew she was far from out of the frying pan. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to simply kick her out, so I thought of something to help boost her spirits.

“However,” Rosie’s expression shifted to confusion as I held a hand to my chin, “it would be a shame to let all of that training go to waste, so here’s what I’m going to do for right now. You may continue your training under me and Swift Blade while your probation period runs its course, but if your father wishes for you to return home, then you will abide by his desires and return to your kingdom without question or fuss. Is that clear?”

Immediately, Rosie’s face lit up like a firework, and she leaped to her paws before wrapping my waist in a crushing hug. Tears of joy were now running down her face and soaking the front of my shirt as she repeated, “Thank you.” over and over again into my stomach. I turned my attention to Twilight and saw that my herdmate was trying not to let her own emotions show, although I could still see a measure of relief glowing from within her eyes. I smiled and wrapped my hands around my student’s shoulders, holding her as she ran herself out. She held me for a good two minutes, even after she had stopped repeating her thanks, before she stepped back and wiped her face with a claw. Her gaze met mine, and the determination I saw in those orbs was enough to get my own blood pumping as her back straightened and her tail thrashed behind her in excitement.

She held a fist against her chest and lowered her head in a bow, “What do you wish for me to do, Lehrer?”

Hearing her native honorific made me smile with pride, knowing that she at least hadn’t lost her sense of duty, to both herself and to my teachings.

“Today we’re going to do something a little different.” I replied, “We’re going to take a little hike through the Everfree in the hopes of finding something worth fighting.”

Both sets of eyes widened in shock at my words, although it was Twilight who voiced her concerns, “The Everfree?! What in Celestia’s name could you be thinking going into a place like that, especially with the necromancers hiding somewhere inside those dark woods?!”

I placed my hands on my hips as I turned my attention to my herdmate, “I’m thinking that Swift and I can only teach Rosie so much about combat working as instructors. We can go over drills and do simulated combat all day long, week after week, but in the end it will mean nothing if she can’t hold herself in a real fight. So, I’m taking her into the one place I know that has things that she can battle with for real. Nothing holding her back, and nothing between her and death except her wits and skill. Think of it as practical application of everything I’ve taught her so far.”

Twilight’s eye was starting to twitch, but she was interrupted by Rosie before she could say anything further, “So it’s kind of like the hunts my father and I used to do back home? Are we going to kill whatever it is that we come across in the forest?”

I turned back to Rosie and nodded, “Indeed, although this is going to be harder than hunting a deer or something like that. The creatures of the Everfree are mostly predatory in nature, which means whatever we find will most likely be trying to kill you as well.”

I saw the fear starting to creep into her eyes, so I placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, “Don’t worry. Swift and I will be right there the whole time to help you. This isn’t a solo lesson, but rather a training exercise that will test all three of us on both our individual skills as well as our ability to work as a team. This will be a huge step into regaining my trust, because we will be holding each other’s lives in our hands, er, paws, hooves, whatever it is we have on the end of our limbs. If you can prove that you are willing to trust us with your life, as we will be doing with you, then I will be more then happy to reduce your probation period as a reward for your commitment.” I removed my hand and stood up straight, “Sound like a plan?”

Rosie nodded fiercely, “I understand. I won’t let you down, Lehrer. I’ll prove that you can trust me just as you used to before.”

I nodded my acceptance and turned to leave, only to stop as Twilight levitated a pair of swords into my path.

“You might want to have these,” she said with a raised eyebrow, “or were you planning on fighting the monsters of the Everfree with your bare hands and claws?”

Rosie and I blushed as we took the blades from her magical grasp, and I managed to cough out a sheepish thank you before strapping the scabbard to my belt. Rosie strapped her own blade onto her shoulders, just before her wing bases, and followed me as we once again attempted to leave the castle. Twilight sighed in defeat as she walked back the way we had come, allowing Rosie and I to exit the front doors as Swift paced back and forth on the road below.

The earth pony looked up at us and smiled nervously, “So, how did it go?”

“Rosie is on a probationary period until she can prove her trustworthiness to us once again.” I explained, “Right now we’re going to head into the Everfree on a monster hunt in order to give our student a more practical combat experience, along with working on our teamwork as a whole unit.”

Swift’s eyes widened much as Rosie and Twilight’s had back in the foyer, “You mean we’re going after things like manticores and hydras? Are you out of your mind?! What if we run into something we can’t handle? What if one of you gets hurt and we can’t signal for help? What if ̶ "

I cut her off with a finger against her lips, “We’ll be fine. I’m not planning on going too far into the forest. If anything, I was thinking we’d find a small pack of Timberwolves or maybe a single manticore. Nothing more than that. I’m not going to just run into the unknown and try to fight the first thing we come across. We’re doing this the smart way, not charging into danger like a bunch of idiots.”

Swift sighed as I removed my finger, “We’re really doing this?”

I nodded, “We’re really doing this. Now come on, we haven’t got all day and the more time we spend talking the less daylight we have to walk by.”

Swift shivered as she fell in on my left side, Rosie taking up the right as we walked around the castle and towards the dark forest, “Point taken. The last thing we need is to get caught out there at night. You think the monsters in the daylight are bad, then you won’t believe the kinds of things that come out in the dark.”

“All the more reason to get moving,” I replied, picking up the pace to a swift jog, “come along you two, the last one into the forest has to run ten laps when we get home.”

We charged into the forest in a wedge formation, leaving the brightly lit land of ponies behind us as we ventured further into the dark and foreboding wood. After a moment or two, we slowed to a walk as the trail leading through the brush thinned down to almost nothing, leaving us no choice but to forge our own way through the thick foliage. I used my sword to cut through the thick vines while Swift and Rosie simply used their bodies to shove the more stubborn plant life to the side. Before long we reached a clearing of somewhat decent size, and I figured that this would be a good place to set up our base of operations. The clearing was a good hundred yards circle, with shin-high grass that was a deep green in color.The plant life encircled the glade like a wall of dark matter but allowed sunlight to enter from the open canopy above us.

“This should be a good place to start.” I stated aloud for the benefit of my companions, “Let’s set up here and see what comes along. From the size of this clearing I’d bet there are more than one trail that lead to and from here, meaning we should have something come wandering along before the day gets too far ahead of us.”

“So, we hide in the plants and wait for something to come along?” Rosie asked with a raised eyebrow, “Doesn’t seem much like a hunt.”

“That’s because we’re using my hunting style,” I clarified, “it’s called stand hunting, although instead of using a shelter we’re going to use the natural environment to hide our presence from anything that might come along.” I turned to look at the duo, “Any questions as to what we’re going to do once something come along that we can fight?”

Rosie raised a claw in the air, “Um yeah, how exactly are we going to know if something is weak enough for us to fight and win against? I mean, there are some things in this wood that could eat a small village and not even lose their appetites.”

“Then we know not to attack anything that is bigger than a carriage.” I amended, “Just listen for my signal, and I’ll let you know if whatever we find is going to be a possible target. Trust in your teacher, and trust in yourself. You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, you just need to believe in your skills and the skill of your instructors. We won’t let anything happen to you, so long as we are alive we will fight as a team, and that means we need to trust each other to do whatever it takes to protect each other. I trust you two with my life, will you do the same for me?”

Rosie nodded immediately, her eyes lit up with a fire of willpower and determination. Swift was a little slower on the uptake but nodded none the less.

“I know I’m going to regret saying this,” Swift said slowly, “but what do we do if something comes along that we can’t beat and it decides to make us into lunch meat?”

I tapped my leg with one hand and smirked, “Then we use the oldest trick in the book, we turn around and run like the fires of Hell are burning our heels.”

Swift rolled her eyes, “Yeah, that doesn’t exactly make me feel all that confident in our ability to survive. But, if you want to get us into trouble for the sake of training, then I might as well try to keep you two idiots from getting yourselves killed.”

I slapped her over the shoulders with one hand, “That’s the spirit, Swift. Now we just need to find a good place to hide.”

“Um, girls,” Rosie said behind us as her voice took on a sudden tinge of fear, “I think it’s a little late to hide. We’ve got company.”

Swift and I turned our attention towards Rosie and immediately followed her outstretched claw with our gazes, our eyes widening as we spotted what she was pointing at.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, were a collection of at least twenty undead, led by a familiar mare wearing a dark grey cloak. My eyes narrowed as the figure stepped forward, removing her hood to reveal the lime green eyes and white mane of Moon Song. Swift and I unsheathed our swords, Rosie doing so as well after a moment’s hesitation. I placed myself between my companions and the unicorn as she walked into the clearing, although she stopped well out of our reach as she smiled to me.

“Welcome, dear Captain.” Her voice was just as smooth and calm as I remembered, “it has been a while since our last meeting. Tell me, how did you manage to avoid falling under my control? That amulet I gave you should have been more than enough to start the transformation into a death knight before you even left the forest.”

“Take your magic and blow it out your plot.” I growled, “I’m not interested in anything you have to say. All I care about right now is removing your head from your body so we have one less necromancer to deal with. You got away last time because I didn’t know who you were. Now you’ve made the mistake of revealing yourself to me, and with only a few dozen zombies to protect you. You’re either really stupid or just that arrogant.”

Her lips never faltered from her calm smile, “And yet you come into my domain with friends this time. An earth pony of the Celestia Guard and a gryphon hen barely out of chickhood. You seem to hold very strange company, Captain Lovegood. Would you care to enlighten me as to why you have entered the forest once again?”

I fell into a combat stance and leveled my blade at the pale unicorn, “Well, we were here to do some monster hunting, but I guess taking you and your horde out will be just as good.” I glanced over my shoulder at the others, “Get ready. As soon as she makes a move, I’m going to take her out. Keep the zombies off my back until I can kill her, alright?”

Swift and Rosie nodded, although as I turned around I noticed that Moon Song’s expression had shifted from one of calm to one of contemplation.

“You intrigue me, Sarah, and yet I cannot fathom how it is that you were able to resist my magic. Is it a natural resistance of your kind, or is it something more?” Her lips returned to her calm smile as she closed her eyes and chuckled, “Ah such a mystery you are.” Her eyes snapped open and a predatory gleam began shining within her emerald depths as she stared me down, “I will enjoy discovering your secrets once you are under my control.”

Without any warning, the zombies charged at us with more speed than I knew they possessed, leaving us no choice but to engage them as the horde began encircling us. The first zombie I decapitated fell to the ground and did not get up, and I was slightly surprised how easy it was to defeat it. Yet as the first body grew still, the others began to press inward, leaving me little room to move as the un-living wall of flesh closed in from every side.

“Crazy bitch has us surrounded,” I growled out as I slashed through another zombie’s leg, leaving it to stumble for a moment as I lopped off the head of another, “I can’t get a clear angle to go after her.”

Swift grunted as she spun around and kicked another undead in the jaw, causing the rotting flesh to come apart under the blow’s force as the head literally exploded under the pressure, “You really think it would be that easy? She’s probably got hundreds of these things at her disposal, and we can’t keep fighting like this forever.”

Rosie hissed in pain as one of the corpses bit down on her shoulder, leaving her no choice but to use her claws to pry the undead off of her body and rip its head from its shoulders, “Yeah, I’m not sure how long I can keep this up. Your endurance training was something out of a nightmare, but this is even worse.”

I growled as I spotted Moon Song simply standing off to one side, observing our struggle against her undead with that same infuriating smile of hers. Finally, I had had enough, so I used a flash of my Auramancy to jump over the zombies in front of me, allowing me to flip over their heads and land behind the horde. For a moment I thought I saw Moon Song’s eyes widen in surprise, but it was gone before I could be sure.

“Very good, young one,” she said as the zombies behind me refocused their attention on my friends, “but you must be either foolish or the bravest being in the world to challenge me to a contest of combat skill. And yet,” she held a hoof to her chin as she looked me up and down, “you might prove to be of use to me. So, I think I shall test you.” I raised my sword to block as her horn ignited, but all it did was leave a glowing trail of magic on the ground, leading into the forest where she had first appeared. “Follow the trail until you come to the next clearing. I will be waiting for you there.”

I lunged forward, my sword aimed at her neck, but she disappeared in a flash of light before I could even get close. I slid to a stop and yelled in frustration as I spun around in search of her, “I hate it when they teleport like that. Cheating bitch.”

I glanced over at Swift and Rosie, who were doing a remarkable job of cutting the zombies apart. Rosie had started using her Auramancy to blast the zombies with fire and lightning, even though her skills were still too weak to do any permanent damage. Yet it did give her and Swift enough room to move about as they cut the remaining corpses to pieces, and I realized that if I helped them, our true enemy could very well get away again. Taking one last look over my shoulder, I charged off into the forest, following the glowing trail through the plant life until I came upon the second clearing. This one was only about fifty feet square, although the lack of size made it much easier to spot my enemy.

Moon Song was standing at the opposite side with her back to me, and I was just about to charge at her again when my eyes detected movement on my right side. I raised my blade and blocked the downward strike of the broadsword that would have cleaved me from shoulder to groin and redirected the blow to drive the tip into the ground as my assailant grunted from the surprise movement. I barely took the time to look at my new opponent before I raised my booted foot and kicked it in the gut, sending the dark form flying over by Moon Song as the now ownerless sword clattered to the ground.

Moon Song barely passed a glance at the fallen warrior, who I now recognized as a dark blue earth pony wearing some kind of jet black armor. His head was covered in a visored helm that blocked off the top half of his face, while the rest of his body was encased in what almost looked like obsidian that had been molded to his flesh like a second skin. The fallen soldier pushed himself to his hooves and stood next to Moon Song, towering over her form by at least half a head as he glanced at the unicorn.

“Mistress,” his deep voice seemed to have an unearthly echo to it as he spoke, “this one is far more skilled than the members of the Royal Guard. I suggest you take care to avoid direct conflict.”

Moon Song nodded once without taking her eyes off of me, “Indeed, Cobalt, she seems to have a measure of skill far beyond that of the rank and file. She will make an excellent addition to our ranks if she can be turned to our fold.”

I fell into a proper combat stance once again as I sized up my new opponent, watching as his blade lifted off the ground and flew through the air, returning to its scabbard on his left side like some kind of boomerang.

“Quite a nifty trick you got there,” I called out to the stallion as he drew his blade and drove the tip into the ground at his side, “what’s next, going to pull a rabbit out of your helmet?”

He growled at me but stopped short as Moon Song held up a leg in his path.He backed down and bowed his head as the unicorn stepped forward, her gaze locked with mine as she spoke, “You challenge a necromancer and her death knight alone, with no magical assistance and no way to call for help. You must be a fool to think you stand a chance against our combined might.”

I figured it would be better to go down at full power then to allow this bitch to take me out like a chump, so I subtly began charging my aura in my legs and arms as I began walking forward.

“You don’t know a thing about me, Moon Song.”I stated confidently as I marched towards her, “I hold powers that you could not comprehend at my fingertips, making your own powers over death completely meaningless.”

Her smile faltered into a scowl for a brief moment before her grin returned, “Then I guess we shall have to test those so-called powers of yours. Cobalt,” she called over her shoulder to her death knight, “why don’t you show our friend what a warrior of the ancient bloodlines is capable of?”

The earth pony smiled from beneath his helm, “I though you would never ask, Mistress.”

Moon Song teleported to the far side of the clearing, leaving me alone with Cobalt in the center of the glade as the stallion stared me down.

“You will find that you cannot defeat me as easily as you would those undead you faced before.” He called out, “I am infused with raw death magic, making me impervious to physical harm. You cannot kill me, but I can certainly kill you. Surrender now and my Mistress might allow you some measure of free will when she turns you into one of her servants.”

“You can take your surrender and choke on it,” I said, stopping about fifteen feet in front of the stallion, “but I’ll gladly accept yours if you don’t want to die.”

His deep chuckle reverberated around the clearing as he threw his head back in mirth, “Did you not hear me before? I am impervious to physical harm. You cannot kill me. However, that does not mean anything concerning your own survival.” He drew his blade from the ground and turned to face me with the blade in his mouth, “Haff ath thee.”

He closed the distance much faster than I had planned for, forcing me to block low as he swung his blade at my legs. He followed up his first strike with a rearing overhead blow, aimed at removing my head by splitting it in two. I stopped his blade and quickly disengaged, remembering Swift’s lessons concerning the tribe’s power in physical strength. We exchanged several more blows, each one more powerful than the last, until the ringing of our blades echoed around the clearing like thunderclaps.

Finally, I decided that playing the fool wasn’t getting me anywhere. If the enemy was going to find out about my abilities, then I would rather use them to take out one of their ranks then to die with the secret unbroken. I jumped back as Cobalt swung at my legs again, putting a good eight feet between us as we paused to catch our breath.

He sheathed his blade and smirked at me, “Running away so soon? You should know that once you entered this clearing, you set off a seal spell that will not allow anypony to leave until my Mistress wills it. You are trapped, and there is nowhere for you to run.”

“Who said anything about running?” I retorted as I fell into a wider stance, my legs spread wide and my arms held at my sides at an angle, “I’m just getting warmed up, and I mean that literally.”

I saw Moon Song’s eyes narrow in interest as Cobalt drew his blade once again, although I was more focused on drawing up my power to the full extent of my ability without letting it show on the outside of my body. If I could keep the secret for just a little longer, then maybe I could get out of this without the rest of the necromancers finding out about my power.

Cobalt apparently wasn’t interested in waiting for me, because he charged straight at me with his blade aimed at my left leg, probably in the hopes of removing it or at least forcing me to dodge. However, what he didn’t know was that my mechanical leg was far stronger than this puny sword, and I used that to my advantage as he swung at my artificial limb. Instead of using my own blade to block, I lifted my leg and caught the edge of his sword between two of the plates, a loud clang echoing around the clearing as a large chip came flying off of his sword. His eyes were probably wide with surprise under his helm, even though I couldn’t see them, and he lost his grip on the hilt as his power overcompensated for the complete stop of his forward momentum. He spun around a good quarter turn, leaving his blade embedded in my leg as I used my own sword to slash at his shoulder.

The sword bit into the metal of his armor and cut deep into his flesh, only instead of blood a deep black mist began seeping from the wound. I only had a spilt second to react as he spun around on his forehooves and bucked at my midsection, forcing me to jump out of the way as his blade came loose from my leg and clattered to the ground. Like before, it flew back to his scabbard and he drew the blade as he spun around to face me again, the chip in the metal reforming as his wound slowly sealed itself.

“Fucking regeneration.” I growled as I blocked his next strike and countered with another of my own, “I hate it when magic cheats.”

We returned to our back and forth, and by that point I was getting the impression that Moon Song was starting to get bored, if the lack of interest in our battle and the complete disregard for her own soldier had anything to say about it. However, I could tell she was still paying attention to us, lackluster that interest might have been, so I knew the instant I revealed my Auramancy, she would see it.

However, as Cobalt pounded away at my defenses, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get out of this alive if I didn’t use my abilities, because I could feel the sting of several cuts along my arms and torso that had managed to slip past my guard. I didn’t know how he kept going, other than the possibility of his death magic keeping him from tiring, but I was starting to run out of steam and I knew the instant I dropped my guard I was a goner.

“Screw this,” I muttered under my breath as I charged my power to its maximum, “I’m not going to die in some forgotten forest when I have more important things I need to do.”

I allowed my aura to show as I roared out a challenge, pounding away at Cobalt as my strength and speed increased to outmatch his own. I even added some of my energy to the blade, using a trick I had learned just the week before while going over some of the more advanced techniques in the journal.

Cobalt staggered under my assault, and I could feel his guard breaking as I slashed and cut at his body with my sword. The amazing thing was that the cuts I made with my blade now refused to heal, bleeding black blood instead of the healing mist from before. Cobalt apparently was aware of this fact, because he jumped out of my reach and then retreated to Moon Song’s side. Said unicorn was watching me with wide eyes as her knight fell in on her left, her mouth hanging open as she took in the flickering flames that covered most of my body.

“You’re an auramancer.” She said, almost too softly for me to hear, “That explains how you were able to resist my amulet and how you have managed to wound my death knight.” Her face darkened in anger for the very first time as her horn ignited with sickly green magic, “You’ve won this round, Sarah Lovegood, but know this. Just because you hold the power of the ancients in your grasp, doesn’t mean you are invincible. I will find a way to defeat you, and then your power shall be mine to command.”

With that, she and Cobalt disappeared in a flash of light, leaving me alone in the clearing as the dust from our battle settled to the ground. I slowly lowered my blade and then let my aura dissipate as my breathing came back to a normal pace. Rustling in the bushes behind me caught my attention, and I spun around in preparation for a surprise attack. However, all I saw was Swift and Rosie running into the clearing as the two of them looked around for new enemies.

“You just missed them.” I said as I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, “Moon Song and her pal Cobalt left a few seconds ago through some kind of teleportation spell. No idea where they went, but I have a feeling we won’t be seeing them for a while.”

“Who’s Cobalt?” Rosie asked, her eyes still scanning the area around us for more enemies.

I walked up and lowered her blade with one hand, “Cobalt was the name of Moon Song’s death knight. I managed to wound him a couple times, but I imagine with Moon Song at his side he’ll be ready for round two before too long.” I glanced over my shoulder at the spot the duo had previously occupied, “They were a lot stronger than those zombies, I can tell you that much. I had to use my Auramancy just to stay on par with that death knight, and it was only by infusing my blade with aura that I was able to even wound him.”

“So, you’re saying that only an auramancer can wound a death knight?” Swift asked, “How exactly is that supposed to make us feel better?”

I shook my head as I began walking back towards the castle, “It’s not. Knowing that death knights are impervious to physical harm is a valuable piece of information, but right now we need to get back to the castle. We need to let Twilight and the other princesses know what we found out, and what the enemy found out about us.”

“What did the enemy find out?” Rosie asked, her eyes wide with both fear and wonder as we came back through the first clearing.

“They found out that I’m an auramancer.” I stated bluntly as I glanced over at the now re-dead bodies. “I had no choice against someone as strong as Cobalt. I would be dead if I hadn’t used my abilities to level the playing field.”

“So now the element of surprise has been lost,” Swift added as we continued through the forest and out onto the rolling plains, “the enemy knows about your abilities and will be planning for them when the final battle comes. What do you plan to do about it?”

“At the moment,” I replied, “nothing. I know that letting the enemy see my power was a risk, but we still have an ace up our sleeves, so to speak.” I placed a hand on Rosie’s shoulder as we walked up to the entrance to Twilight’s castle, “Rosie here is also an auramancer, and Moon Song doesn’t know that she also has the power to destroy the undead. That is our new secret weapon.”

Rosie’s eyes widened as we pushed the doors to the castle open, “Me?! What do you mean I’m the new secret weapon? I thought I was still just a student learning to control my abilities.”

I nodded, “While your training is far from complete, we can’t afford to let this opportunity to slip from our grip. Moon Song will most likely make some kind of move now that she knows about my abilities, so we must keep your own powers a secret as long as possible, or else our enemies will know everything about us before we even begin to fight.”

Rosie nodded but otherwise did not reply, following Swift and me into the castle proper as I called out for Twilight. The purple alicorn appeared in a flash of magic before us as we came into one of the meeting rooms, her expression filled with worry as she looked us up and down.

“What happened?” She asked, “You were only gone for an hour.” Her eyes widened as she spotted the blood leaking from our numerous wounds, “You’re hurt! Wait there, let me get my first-aid kit.” She disappeared once more in another flash of light before returning with a large med-kit in her magical grip.

As she fussed over our wounds, Twilight bombarded us with questions at such a break-neck pace that we were left unable to answer any of them.It was only by silencing her with a finger against her lips that I was able to get a word in edgewise.

“Calm down Twilight.” I said slowly, trying my best to keep my lips from curling into a grin, “We’re all fine. We had a run-in with some trouble while we were in the Everfree. We got a little banged up but we all made it out fine. Now, before we get too ahead of ourselves, I need to send a letter to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna right away. Can you get Spike for me so he can send it?”

Twilight nodded, although confusion was plainly evident on her face as she packed up what remained of the med-kit, “I-I’ll see if I can find him. He should be in the upper floors going over the arcane reference section of the library.” She cast a worried glance over her shoulder as she turned and spread her wings, “You’re sure you’re alright? I could do a scan to make sure there aren’t any other injuries that I missed.”

I waved her off with one hand, “Go get Spike, Twilight, and I’ll make sure to let you know if anything comes up while you were gone.”

Twilight nodded once more, flying into the deeper sections of the castle and leaving Swift, Rosie and I alone for the time being. I turned to my companions and felt my calm façade dissolve as I looked them over. They were covered in bandages to the point both looked little better than mummies. Even though I had managed to hold my own against Cobalt and Moon Song, I was fairing no better than my friends. We had gotten lucky, and it was a miracle the only wounds we suffered were scrapes and cuts, although the most crushing blow was the loss of one of our biggest trump cards. Moon Song, and thus the necromancer coven as a whole, knew about my Auramancy, and that meant that unless we could keep them from finding out about Rosie, there was nothing we had that we could use against them that they wouldn’t see coming. My own life was now most likely at the top of their hit list, along with everyone who I held close to my heart. My mind quickly shifted to Bon-Bon and Lyra, who still lived in their house on the other side of town, and I realized that if they continued to live apart from Twilight and I, it could very well spell doom and destruction for all involved. As soon as they came over for dinner, I was going to ask them if they could join us here at the castle, and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I didn’t care if I had to explain the entire truth to the two of them, Celestia’s wishes be damned. These mares were a part of my family now and I wasn’t going to let them get hurt because of some stupid secret.

My inner musings were interrupted as Twilight returned with Spike on her back, both of them looking worried and uncertain as to why I had summoned them. Spike hopped off of Twilight’s withers and walked up to me, a scroll and quill in his grip ready to go as he looked up at me.

“What do you need to send to the Princesses?” He asked.

“Just write down what I say and you’ll get the general idea from that.” I replied, “It’s not going to be good news, but the Princesses need to know what happened to us in the Everfree.”

I explained the entire encounter to Spike, who dutifully recorded the events on parchment, even as his claws shook with fear as the story unfolded. Twilight’s eyes were the size of dinner plates, and as I got to the anticlimactic result of my battle with Cobalt, she rushed up to my side and leapt onto her hind hooves. Her forelegs wrapped around my shoulders and her face buried itself in the crook of my neck as she shivered in fear, her wings wrapping around me in a tight embrace as she looked up and met my gaze.

“Why didn’t you tell me from the start you got in a fight with Moon Song?” She asked, her voice cracking in fear as she held onto me even tighter, “I could have come to help you, I could have gotten my friends and we could have tried to stop her from getting away.” She paused, her breath hitching as tears started rolling down her face, “I could have protected you, like a good herdmate should. I could have gotten you out of there so you wouldn’t have had to fight at all.”

She shuddered as her shoulders shook with silent sobs, her face finding my neck once more as she held me like her life depended on it, “I’ve finally found somepony I can care for with all of my heart. You, Lyra, Bon-Bon, I couldn’t bear to lose any of you after only being together for a few days.” She pulled her head back and met my gaze, her eyes firm as they shimmered with unshed tears, “Promise me you won’t do anything like that ever again. Promise me you won’t do anything rash until we can confront this enemy together.”

I couldn’t say no to the hard resolve in her eyes, “I promise, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to take this lying down. If they know about my skills, they I’m going to give them something to worry about.” I turned to look at my friends, “We’re going to ramp up our training, and this time, we’re going to make sure we push ourselves to the very limit, because I’m not going to lose any of you to those dead-raising lunatics.” I turned my attention to Spike, “Send the letter if you would. I’m certain Celestia and Luna will want to know what happened.”

He saluted me before torching the letter, the scroll whisking away on a cloud of smoke through one of the open windows. I nodded to him before turning to Twilight, finding our current position somewhat compromising.

“Um, Twilight, would you mind getting off of me?” I tapped her side with a finger to demonstrate the fact that my arms were pinned, “I can’t really move that well with you holding me like this.”

Twilight glanced down at our bodies, her cheeks flushing red as she jumped off of me and stepped back a few paces. “Oh, sorry, I guess I just got caught up in the heat of the moment.”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her, “it’s not like it was a bad thing. I just like being able to use my arms.”

Smiles flashed at my small joke, and I could feel the mood lightening slightly as I turned back to Rosie, “By the way, you have a letter to send as well, do you not?”

Rosie’s expression immediately turned into one of dejection as she hung her head and shuffled her paws, “Do I really have to?”

I rolled my eyes, “Oh course you have to.I’m not going to have your father wait on baited breath with worry about your safety when you can tell him yourself that you are alive and well. Have some respect for your family’s feelings. The least you can do is own up to your mistake and tell him the truth. I sure as Hell don’t want to find out what would happen if he discovered you were alive and training under me when I told him myself that I hadn’t seen you.” I pointed a finger directly at her chest, my gaze hardening as I narrowed my eyes, “You must own up to your mistakes and take responsibility for your actions. Is that not what a princess should do in order to best serve her people?”

Her head hung even lower, if that was possible, and she glanced up at me before sighing in defeat, “Come on Spike, I need you to send a message to Princess Celestia so she can pass it on to my father.”

The duo left, leaving Twilight, Swift and I in the foyer as the sun began its journey back towards the horizon. It was only early afternoon, and yet it felt like a lifetime had passed since the morning light of dawn.

“I don’t know about you girls,” I said as I covered up a yawn, “but I feel like I could really use a nap.” I turned to Twilight, my gaze warm and hopeful, “I don’t suppose you could join me for a little midday siesta?”

Twilight’s wings flared for a moment before she nodded with a wide grin, “I would love to. After all the stress of this whole event I think we could all use some rest.”

I nodded in agreement before turning back to Swift, “Well, I guess you’re off duty for the next couple hours. Why don’t you get some early dinner or something once Spike finishes up with Rosie?”

Swift’s stomach rumbled, and the earth pony blushed as she held her gut with one hoof, “That would probably be for the best. Have a good rest you two.” Her lips curled as she cast us both a seductive look, “Try to keep the noise down if you get frisky, there are impressionable young minds here that would be traumatized by the experience if somepony happened to hear you.”

I swatted her playfully in the back of the head, “I’ll remember that little joke when you finally get up the courage to ask out Rosie. I’m sure she’d love to hear about how you were pining after her flank for weeks after seeing her for the first time.”

Swift’s expression immediately morphed into a look of horror, “You wouldn’t dare.”

I shared a knowing look with Twilight, who matched my mischievous smile as I turned back to Swift, “Try me.”

Twilight and I laughed as Swift marched off in a huff, her cheeks flushed bright red as she turned a corner and disappeared from view. I followed Twilight through the castle and up to the top of one of the towers, finding her own chambers behind a set of double doors as she opened them with her magic. I felt a sense of nerves overcome me as I realized that I was in Twilight’s room for the very first time, although my thoughts were interrupted as I felt a gentle shove from behind.

I glanced down and saw that Twilight was pushing me towards the bed, her horn igniting as she stripped my clothes off of me, leaving me in just my underwear and bra as she folded back the sheets and climbed into the mattress. She beckoned me with one hoof as she tapped the bed beside her, her eyes lidded and sultry as I walked up and climbed onto the bed with her. No words were spoken, not that we needed them, as I pulled the sheets up and over our bodies and settled into the feather-soft mattress. Twilight rolled over and slid back so her withers were flush with my hips, her wings tickling my stomach slightly as her head came to rest just under my chin. My arms wrapped around her form as I pulled her close to me, her breathing catching slightly as my fingers ran over her soft stomach fur and up over her chest.

I curled my chin and breathed into one of her ears, barely louder than a whisper, “I love you Twilight.” I opened my mouth and nibbled on the tip of her ear, feeling my lips curl into a smile as she stiffened under my touch.

She hummed in pleasure and turned her head to look up at me, “I love you too, even though you’re a terrible tease.”

I chuckled as she rested her head on the pillow once more, our breathing slowing as she pulled the blinds shut and plunged the room into darkness. The last thing I remembered was Twilight wrapping her tail around my hips, and the soft brush of her wings as they shifted slightly between our bodies.

Author's Note

Finally, I'm past the 200K word mark! Free punch and cookies for everypony!! :pinkiehappy:

But seriously, I never imagined that I would end up saying that about one of my books. It has truly been an amazing ride up till this point, and the story is only just beginning. From this point on the action is going to get better, the characters will face trials they never could imagine, and all the while Carpet Sense is still going to be driving Celestia up a wall. :rainbowwild:

Love to hear from you all, so leave a like, comment in the towel section below, and give me a follow if you have enjoyed the book thus far.

Hope to see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

23 - Dreams and Confessions

The rattle of gunfire echoed in my helmet as bullets ricocheted off of the mortar wall behind me. My feet were sluggish as my heavy gear weighed me down, forcing me to make dodges and jerks that I would have otherwise been able to avoid. Then, right in front of me, was the same small figure that haunted my nightmares every time my mind was drawn back to this battlefield. Against my silent screams of protest, my rifle rose until my sights were level with the young boy’s chest, firing off a trio of bullets into his midsection as my mind shuddered in mortified terror.

His body hit the ground in a puff of dirt and dust, and in an instant the background shifted to the now familiar streets of Ponyville. My dream self rounded on her heel and fired off another set of bullets, right into the approaching forms of three zombie-ponies. My cries of anguish shifted to cries of pride and glory as I butchered the zombie hoard, decimating their ranks as I worked my way through the streets of the small town. Finally, there were no more ponies to kill, and my dream self dropped the rifle into the bloody dirt at her feet.

Yet it wasn’t over. Before my eyes, a sickly green mist began to seep out of the ground, infusing itself into the bodies around me as they slowly began to rise. Rotting flesh that belonged on much older corpses fell from bones and revealed rancid organs as the shuffling bodies began to converge on my position. My dream self tried to reach for the rifle she had dropped, but it was no longer there. Left with no weapon to defend myself with, I tried to turn and run, but the horns of the unicorns around me glowed with sickly green magic as they pinned my feet to the dirt. I turned to look at the nearest unicorn corpse, and my eyes widened in terror as its form shifted to resemble Twilight as an undead. My gaze moved from body to body, and one by one they shifted into the rotting visages of the ponies I knew and loved. Bon-Bon, Lyra, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, all undead and sporting fresh bullet holes in their chests and heads from my missing rifle.

“You killed us.” Zombie-Twilight hissed in an unearthly voice that echoed with hate, “You failed to protect us when we needed you most.”

“No,” I found my voice as I tried to scramble back, only to be stopped by the magic holding me still, “I did everything I could to save you, I destroyed the undead like I was supposed too!”

“WE ARE THE UNDEAD!!” The collective cried as they converged on my position.And yet my mind was focused on a single form as it shuffled through the crowd until it stood next to Zombie-Twilight.

The rotting form of the child soldier stood almost as tall as the alicorn next to him, and his glowing green eyes burned with fury as he pointed a skeletal finger at me.

“Murderer.” He hissed.

My eyes widened as I shook my head, “No, I’m not a murderer. I-I did what I had to do. It was a combat situation. I had no other choice.”

“There is always a choice,” Zombie-Lyra growled out as a flap of skin disconnected from her neck and flopped to the ground at her hooves, “and you chose to kill an innocent child instead of finding another way.”

I curled up into a ball as the zombies around me began to chant a single word over and over again, rising in volume as tears streamed down my face.

“Murderer.”

“Murderer!”

“MURDERER!”

“ENOUGH!” The echoing voice stilled the corpses around me, and my eyes watched in rapt attention as the undead slowly faded into nothing, leaving only the empty streets behind as I felt a familiar presence come to a halt behind me.

Without even thinking, I spun around and flung my body at the large form behind me, wrapping my arms around its neck as my face buried itself into the soft navy-blue fur of her chest. To her credit, Luna only stiffened for a split second before she settled, wrapping her wings around my shaking body as I sobbed into her chest.

“There, there,” she murmured, “there is nothing to fear any longer. You are safe now.”

It took a few more minutes for me to get myself under control, and by the time I did I had soaked Luna’s fur and covered my own face in tears. To say nothing of my disastrously runny nose. Luna smiled down at me and wiped my face with a wing, materializing a tissue for me as she cleaned her fur with a burst of magic. I blew my nose and she vaporized the tissue with another small flare of magic, leaving me kneeling before the Lunar Princess after having one of the worst nightmares I had ever experienced.

“So,” I asked hesitantly, knowing fully well that Luna had seen everything, “what happens now?”

Luna shook her head slowly, a sigh escaping her lips as she leveled her gaze with me, “You feel as if this is the worst I have seen in the Dream Realm. I can assure you that is not the case. However, what is important is that you are facing very powerful ghosts from your past, and you are not doing yourself any favors by running from them.”

“I am not running from them!” I retorted, “I’m not scared of anything, especially not some crazy undead things trying to eat me alive. I’ve been shot and blown up more times than I can count, you think something like seeing everyone I love and know being turned into those horrors would frighten me?”

Luna’s raised eyebrow was all the answer I needed to know her opinion of my claims, although she refrained from replying in the same way I had yelled at her. Instead, she simply created an image of Twilight, bound by ropes of green magic, alongside Lyra and Bon-Bon. The sneering form of Moon Song stood over them, along with the stoic bulk of Cobalt. I tried to get to them, but Luna’s magic stopped me before I could get two feet.

I turned to her with an expression of confusion, only to see her face mere inches from mine, “Do you truly feel no emotion when you see your loved ones held captive and helpless? Do you truly feel like you are a being worthy of being called a protector if all you can do is languish in your own past mistakes?” I opened my mouth to spit back a reply, but she shushed me with a hoof over my lips, “Take a good long look at yourself, Sarah Lovegood, and tell me what it is you see.”

She stepped to the side, revealing a single full-body mirror instead of the struggling forms of my herdmates. I glanced at Luna for confirmation, and she nodded once as I slowly stepped up to the mirror. What met me was an image that I immediately wanted to erase, but as my fist connected with the glass it simply bounced off. I turned away and hid my face from the horrible image that the mirror held within, but a guiding wing from Luna slowly turned me back around.

“You see now what you truly fear, and it is not something that comes from without.” Luna said slowly as I was forced to look upon the mirror once again, “It is your fear of yourself and the reactions of those around you that drive these night terrors into being.”

My hands shook as I slowly lowered them to my hips, trying with all my might to look away, and yet the mirror held an image that locked me in place with terror, not because of the cringing ponies, but because of the blood-soaked, uniformed, rifle-wielding monster that stood in front of them.

My double was barely recognizable as me, but with the flowing brown hair and the same bright blue eyes, it was unmistakably me that held the rifle to a quivering child’s head, pulling the trigger and spattering everyone present with crimson dots and patches. The ponies cried out in silent anguish and fear, trying to flee from the monster among them, while my herdmates tried to get me to stop by any means necessary. The monster in the mirror simply gunned them down, one by one, until there was nothing left but fresh bodies and growing pools of blood.

Luna waved her wing and the mirror disappeared, taking the horrific images with it. My knees felt weak, and I sunk to my hands and knees as Luna slowly walked around and sat before me, her voice tinged with regret as she gently ran a wing under my chin to catch the falling tears.

“I am sorry I had to show you such things,” I could hear the regret in her words as she spoke, although it did little to make me feel better, “but you must realize that unless you let go of the past, it will continue to haunt you in the present until it drives you mad.”

She lifted my chin with her wingtip and smiled down at me, “I know the pain of having wronged beings in the past and the guilt that comes from such actions,” her smile shifted into a frown as she pulled her wing back, “but your actions were those of a life and death situation. You are not to blame for the death of a child that was fully willing to kill you in the same manner as you did to him. War is terrible, and it can bring out the worst in even the most gentle of creatures, but you must not continue to blame yourself for something that was out of your control.” She stood to her full height and looked down at me with a commanding aura that immediately grabbed my attention, “I am telling you this now, not as a friend but as your Princess, that if you wish for these dreams to stop, you must let go of your guilt and tell those you love what you have done.”

My eyes widened as I shrank away from her, “Y-You can’t be serious! How could they ever forgive me for murdering a child in cold blood?! How could I ever show my face around them if I told them I ended the life of an innocent?”

“WE ENDED THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS DURING THE WARS THAT LED TO EQUESTRIA’S FOUNDING!!” Luna roared, nearly bowling me over from the sheer force of her voice. Her wings had flared and her expression had turned murderous for just an instant, and in that moment, I could easily believe what she had said was the absolute truth.

“B-But how many of those lives were of innocent children?!” I retorted, somehow finding my voice even as my heart beat in my chest like a wild animal, “How many lives did you end that were not enemy soldiers?”

Luna slowly lowered her wings and walked up to me, her expression unreadable as she stood over my sitting form, “You should ask yourself the same question, Sarah. How many lives have you taken that were not enemy soldiers?”

Immediately, my mouth opened to reply with the child I had shot, but Luna preempted me with an image of that very child, holding a rifle far too big for his small body at my chest. The weapon discharged, throwing the child on his back as the bullets ripped through my armor and into my body, my lifeless husk falling over into the dirt as the child slowly crawled to his feet and then moved on to other members of my unit.

“You claim that the child was an innocent, but warriors can be born from the earliest of ages. This child knew what he was doing, and yet he chose to fight anyway, knowing it could lead to his doom.” Luna’s eyes leveled with mine as the image faded, “You are deluding yourself into thinking the child was not capable and willing to take a life, your life, as well as the lives of your comrades. Was it a terrible thing to be forced upon a soldier, to kill a child in the heat of battle? Yes. Was it wrong for you to protect your fellow soldiers when that very same child could have killed several more had you not acted? No.” She placed a feather upon my chest and stared into my eyes, “You are taking the blame for a crime you did not commit, Sarah, and it has been eating you alive ever since you pulled the trigger. If you cannot let this pain go, if you cannot accept the burden of your actions, then you will never know peace. You will rot from the inside until you are alike to the undead in your dreams in all but form. Tell the ponies you love about your mistake but know that it is not your fault that you had to take that child’s life. Own who you are and what you have become and let the pain of your past finally go free.”

I sniffed once, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand as I felt a shiver run up my spine, “But what if they reject me? What if they see the same monster that I saw in that mirror?”

Luna smiled as she lay down on her stomach, holding my chin with one hoof as she looked me in the eyes, “They will forgive you, as I have, because there is nothing you need to be ashamed of. You are a good person, Sarah, perhaps a bit too good for your own peace of mind. But you are not perfect. No being in this world or any other is perfect, especially those who have seen the battlefield and taken the blood of others. We are all flawed, and that is why Twilight and the others will forgive you for your actions. If nothing else, show them the trust they deserve as your herdmates by telling them the truth. They deserve to know the full story behind what has made you into the person you are today.”

It took me a moment or two, but slowly, the words Luna had spoken managed to work their way into my mind and take root. And you know what, she was right. I had been holding onto the past, but as I thought about it more and more, the truth finally began to settle within my mind. The pain of my mistake would never truly go away, but as I met Luna’s determined gaze, I realized that maybe I could forgive myself, if only to move forward with my life and to protect those I loved from facing the same choice.

I nodded to her, taking a deep breath before standing up, “Thank you, Luna. I’m not sure I could have gotten through this without you giving me the kick in the pants that I needed.”

She nodded in reply as she stood, flaring her wings as she flew into the air, fading into the mist as darkness closed in around me. For a moment I was scared that the nightmare would return, but a quick flash of light dispelled the creeping shadows and left me in a sun-lit field with my herdmates lying in the grass around me. I curled up with them as their warm bodies lulled me back into true slumber, and I fell into a dreamless sleep that lasted until the blaring of my alarm pulled me from the soft darkness.

My hand searched for my phone, grasping at nothing for a moment before gripping the echoing machine with a tight hold. I flipped it over and shut off the alarm, feeling Twilight shift against my stomach as her wings stretched out from her back. Unfortunately, this pushed them directly into my face, making me sputter and sneeze as her feathers tickled my cheeks and nose.

Twilight rolled her head over to look at me, her cheeks flushing bright red as she realized what she had done, “Oh, sorry Sarah. I’m not used to sharing a bed with somepony else.”

I pressed her wings back to her sides, albeit gently, “It’s fine, Twilight. I can imagine some habits would have to change due to our new sleeping habits.” I glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after five in the afternoon, meaning Lyra and Bon-Bon would most likely be coming over before too long. “Think we should get dinner started before the girls show up?”

Twilight flopped down on the bed and curled up into a little ball, “But it’s so warm and comfortable in here with you.” She whined like a little filly, “I don’t wanna get up.”

I smirked as I wrapped her in my arms and rolled us over until she was hanging over the edge of the bed, “Time to get up, Twilight. Now either you get up yourself or I’m going to drop you on the floor like an old rug.”

“I hope you don’t mean me in that statement,” Carpet Sense stated as he glanced up at us from the middle of the room, “I am a carpet, not some lowly rug to be tossed around like garbage.”

I rolled my eyes, “Not talking to you, Sense. Just trying to wake up my lazy herdmate.”

Twilight stiffened slightly in my grip, “Hey! I’m not lazy, I just like lying in bed with you. It’s warm and makes me feel safe.”

I felt my cheeks heating at her words as I carefully set her down on the floor, “Charmer. I have half a mind to keep you here in bed and do unspeakable things to you until the girls arrive.”

Twilight’s eyes lidded as she stood up and turned to face me, “Is that a promise?”

I facepalmed and rolled onto my back, rubbing my hand down my face in exasperation, “You’re too much sometimes, you know that, right?”

Twilight giggled and placed her front hooves on the bed as she nuzzled into the side of my neck, “I had a good teacher. I never knew teasing somepony could be so much fun, even if it does take a little getting used to.”

I smiled, rolling out of the bed and standing up with several cracks along my spine. Twilight winced but relaxed as I sighed in relief, “Anyway, we might as well make sure Spike and Rosie haven’t burned down the castle while we were asleep.”

“I can assure you that nothing of the sort has transpired,” Carpet Sense said as I slipped on a fresh set of clothes, “We would not be having this conversation if such an event had occurred.”

I paused in slipping my shirt over my head to give him an incredulous look, turning back to share an eye roll with Twilight before I continued getting dressed, “Just an expression, Sense. Just an expression.”

We left the bedroom once I had made myself presentable, following the corridors until we found Rosie and Spike sitting in one of the numerous libraries on the main floor. Rosie looked nervous while Spike was simply reading a comic book in one of the recliners, although he did cast a glance towards the fidgeting gryphon every other page.

He looked up as we walked in, his face brightening in a smile as he set down the comic book, “Twilight, Sarah, we were just talking about you.”

I noticed Rosie stiffen as she turned to face us, her expression guarded as her wings ruffled against her sides.“Evening girls. How was your nap?”

“It was alright.” I replied smoothly, “Probably going to be up all night after we finish up with dinner because of it, though. So, what’s got you wound up tighter than a clock spring? Nothing went wrong while we were asleep, did it?”

She rapidly shook her head, “Oh no, nothing like that. It’s just,” she diverted her gaze and rubbed a foreleg with her claws, “Princess Celestia passed on my message to my father, and he replied almost immediately.”

That got the attention of everyone in the room, although Spike simply nodded in agreement as he pulled out a scroll that was marked by the now familiar seal of the Gryphon Kingdom. He passed it to Twilight, who carried it the rest of the way in her magic before reading it out loud.

“To my dearest daughter, it is wonderful to know that you are alive and well, but I am very disappointed that you would go running off without telling anygryphon where you were going. You had the entire castle in an uproar when you disappeared. However, knowing that you were with Miss Lovegood the entire time goes a long way to ease my worries, although I will be having words with the Captain the next time we meet about her blatant lies.” Twilight gave me a sympathetic wince before continuing, “Also, I understand you are getting training as an auramancer in addition to combat training from Captain Lovegood. While I have no idea what that truly entails, I do understand that it must have something to do with magic, and therefore I am requesting that you do your father a very personal favor. Continue your training under the Captain, but promise me that once you are finished, you will return to your home and teach others what you have learned. A new form of magic that gryphons can perform would be a groundbreaking achievement in our history, and would cement your place as my successor not only by birthright but by achievement as well. In the meantime, I ask only that you send your father letters once a month to report on your progress and to ease my peace of mind. I wish you all the best and hope you find what you are seeking while training with Captain Lovegood. Love you always, Papa.”

I turned to face Rosie as Twilight rolled the scroll back up, giving the hen a piercing look, “You told him about your Auramancy?”

Rosie nodded, “I couldn’t not tell him when it’s such an important part of my training.” She started as she waved her claws about in front of her chest, “B-But I didn’t tell him anything about the necromancers or the undead we’ve been fighting. I know enough about international politics that that kind of information should be kept as secret as possible.” Her gaze fell as she continued, “Even if I have to keep it secret from my own father.”

I felt the tension leave my shoulders as I walked up and rested a hand on Rosie’s shoulder, “I’m proud of you for understanding the sensitivity of the situation. I wouldn’t have been happy keeping something from my own loved ones any more than you feel right now. Regardless, you did the right thing, which is why I’m not upset with you. You did what you thought was right without giving up classified information and you did the best you could with a bad situation. That is the kind of leadership that a future queen will need if she is going to succeed as a ruler.”

Rosie brightened slightly as she looked up at me, “You mean it?”

I nodded, “I mean it.” I waved for them to follow, “Come on, I’m hungry and I’m sure Lyra and Bon-Bon are going to show up before too long. If I’m cooking dinner, then I’d better get started before they arrive.”

Rosie’s eyes widened slightly, “You’re going to cook? I didn’t know you could! What are you going to make?”

I smiled as I led our little procession down the hall and into the dining room, following Spike as he led me through a side hallway and into the kitchen, “You’ll just have to wait and see. It’s a little something from my home that I think you’re going to like.”

I left the girls back in the dining room as Spike led me into what had to be the biggest kitchen I had ever seen, although as he directed me to the pantry and refrigerator I felt a small flash of nostalgia as I remembered my time on base with my squad. We would always eat the chefs out of house and home when we got back from a mission, and one time I even did a stint as a cook in order to get the boys to stop complaining about the MRE’s we had to choke down while out in the field. I looked through the pantry, slightly surprised at the spread available to me, mostly because I was certain the vegetarian ponies wouldn’t imagine ever putting something like crab or shrimp in their meals. The fish was a given, taking into account my own dietary needs, but the large selection of seafood gave me an idea. I fumbled around until I found a large cooking pot, and in short order I had stuffed it full of nearly everything I could imagine in order to create my own personal gumbo.

Spike looked into the pot as the concoction bubbled and popped over the stovetop, his muzzle crinkling as he took a good whiff, “Definitely unlike anything I’ve ever made.” He glanced over his shoulder at me as I cut up bread slices on the next counter over, “What is it?”

I smiled as I sliced the loaf into manageable sections, “A little something I came up with while working as a cook in the military. It’s got seafood of several varieties, including crab, shrimp, trout because I couldn’t find any halibut, tomato, beans, carrots and about a dozen secret spices of my own design. I call it my Seafood Gumbo Surprise.”

Spike nodded, although it seemed to be more for himself than as answer to my reply. “I guess that makes sense, although I’m surprised the girls are going to eat this stuff, normally meat makes ponies want to throw up.”

I shrugged as I arranged the slices around the edge of each plate, setting a bowl in the middle of each ring as the timer on the stovetop dinged. “Lyra said she wanted to eat human food, so that’s what I’m doing. Not my fault if they don’t like it. Although I tried to make it less like a meat dish and more of a soup so that way it won’t be as obvious what part is what. Might make it easier to swallow if they can’t tell the carrots from the shrimp.”

Spike turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me to my own devices as I ladled the gumbo into each bowl. I had no true idea how well the girls were going to react to my dish, but I hoped that they would at least give it a try before dismissing it. If it was one thing I hated, it was watching good food go to waste, although I at least had the comfort of knowing that I would eat it at some point if the girls didn’t like what I served.

As it so happened, I was perfectly in time for Lyra and Bon-Bon’s arrival when I carried the first set of plates into the dining room, given Twilight was just showing them into the hall from the other end as they looked about the place with wide eyes.

“You’re sure you’ve never been this far into the castle before?” Twilight asked as I set the table.

Bon-Bon nodded, “I’ve never been further than the foyer, although I think Lyra was in the other wing during her little adventure into music with you and the others.”

Lyra nodded in confirmation, “Yeah, the east wing was more dedicated to the library and Twilight’s lab. Not much in the general living sort of décor.” She paused for a moment as her gaze landed on me and the plates in my grip, her eyes widening as her lips curled into a grin, “Is that what I think it is?”

I nodded, “Take a seat girls, I was just pulling the food out for you when you walked in.”

Bon-Bon climbed into the chair on Twilight’s right while Lyra sat down at the second setting on the left, leaving the seat directly opposite Bon-Bon open for me as I walked back into the kitchen. Rosie sat down next to Bon-Bon and rubbed her claws together, already expecting something good from the expression on her face. I loaded up the rest of the plates and slowly walked back into the dining hall, being careful not to spill the gumbo or any of the roll slices as I set each place. Twilight had taken her seat at the head of the table and sniffed a couple times as I placed her plate before her, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she looked over at me.

“What is this?” She asked as she pointed at the gumbo with a hoof, “It’s not something Spike threw together last minute, right?”

I shook my head, smiling a bit at the mental image of Spike running around in the huge kitchen like a little mouse, “Nope, this is something special I cooked up for all of you, given Lyra wanted to try some of the food from my home instead of the usual pony fare.”

All three mares looked down at the gumbo with mixed emotions, although it was Bon-Bon who voiced the thought that seemed to be on everyone’s mind, “There’s not any meat in here, is there?”

My face fell slightly, expecting her to reject my dish because of that little comment, “Well, yes and no. I wouldn’t really call shrimp and crab meat, but there is trout in there, so I guess you could say that it has some kind of meat in it.”

Bon-Bon’s cheeks grew a shade of green before she swallowed thickly, taking up the spoon in her hoof before dipping it into the bowl. All four of us watched in rapt attention as she ladled some of the gumbo, with a sizable piece of trout in the mix, up to her mouth and took a hesitant bite. I waited on baited breath as she chewed slowly, her eyes clenched shut as she seemed to force the food down her throat. Yet, as she opened her eyes, I noticed a light of surprise hidden in her gaze that hinted at something more.

She glanced down at the food before her, then up at me, then back at the gumbo. “Are you sure there’s meat in this dish? It didn’t taste anything like what I imagined it would be.”

I let out a sigh of relief as I sat down at my own place, “That’s because of all the spices and vegies I stuck in there. It helps to mix the flavors so that way no one thing sticks out too much. You actually just ate a piece of trout and had no trouble keeping it down.”

She glanced at the bowl before her and narrowed her gaze at it, as if it was lying to her about its contents or something, “Huh, you learn something new every day.”

With that she slowly resumed eating her gumbo, and I added my own spoon to the mix as Lyra and Twilight did the same. Rosie had already dug into the food, although she was a bit more refined than the three ponies at the table. Must have been her royal upbringing showing through. Lyra was ecstatic to be eating human food and seemed to be completely unaffected by the idea of eating meat. Twilight had no difficulty either, and after a few unsuccessful tries to get the recipe from me, she settled down and enjoyed the food with the rest of us. Spike walked in a bit later with Swift at his side, only to find three mares, a gryphon hen and a human woman with full stomachs and content smiles on our faces. He simply rolled his eyes as he continued on his way, a feather duster appearing out of nowhere as he left the room through yet another door. Swift walked up and took a sniff at the bowl in front of me, her eyes widening as she glanced up at me.

“What did I miss this time?” She asked, indicating the empty bowl with a hoof.

I smiled, “Just a little Seafood Gumbo Surprise. It’s a home recipe that I modified so the girls could try some human food.”

“It was delicious,” Lyra groaned out as she tried to sit up with her distended stomach, “I want more but I don’t think I can fit any more in my gut.”

“Really Lyra,” Bon-Bon scolded her as the earth pony sat up and wiped her mouth with a napkin, “you really should learn more restraint. You’ll make yourself sick if you eat that much all the time.”

The unicorn chuckled in reply, “Yeah, but it would be worth it.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes, “You got any more of that stuff so I can take it home?”

I shook my head, “Between you devouring three bowls and the rest of us taking care of the rest, there isn’t anything left in the pot to give to you. I’m actually somewhat surprised you three ate that with so little fuss. Normally ponies would have gotten sick at the very idea of eating meat.”

“Well that might be true for the usual pony on the street,” Twilight stated, “we’ve gotten used to the little surprises and quirks that come with being part of a herd with you, along with your dietary needs. It’s not really all that surprising that we would try and modify our own tastes to make you more at home, even if it does pull us out of our comfort zones from time to time.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon echoed their agreement, and I felt a tear coming to my eyes at how considerate these mares were being just to make me happy. “I don’t know what to say. You three have done so much for me and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay your kindness.”

Twilight waved it off, “Oh it’s not anything special. You’re our herdmate, so it’s only natural that we would try to accommodate your needs as much as we can. In return, you simply do what you can to make us happy, and it all balances out in the end.”

I couldn’t help but feel that my herdmates were getting the short end of the stick in that arrangement, and it was at that point that I remembered Luna’s words. If I wanted to show them I truly trusted them with every part of myself, then I had to tell them about my greatest shame. I stood up and walked over to the doors, glancing over my shoulder at the others with a firm look on my face.

“I need to talk with your girls about something.” They immediately sobered as they noticed my expression, “It’s something very personal and I need to get it off my chest.”

“Um,” Twilight shared a glance with the others, “sure. What do you want to talk about?”

I jerked my head in the direction of one of the lounges, “Not here, I want to sit down in some place more comfortable if I’m going to tell this story.”

Rosie seemed to catch the hint that this was a private matter and excused herself with a measure of grace I wasn’t expecting. “I’ll just be in the library. There were a few books on old gryphon history I was interested in reading. See the pony side of things and all that.” With that she left, leaving me at the doorway and the girls still seated at the table.

Lyra jumped out of her seat and walked up to my side, glancing up at me with a worried expression as she wrapped her tail around my leg, “It’s not something that is going to hurt you, is it?”

I shook my head, “Not really. It’s just something in my past that I need to get over, under Princess Luna’s orders.”

That seemed to get the attention of everyone in the room, given Swift beat a hasty retreat as Bon-Bon and Twilight stood from the table and walked up to my other side. Twilight wrapped her tail around my other leg as Bon-Bon brought up the rear, and I felt a burst of confidence at the support I was being given by the mares I loved. I led them into a lounge down the hall from the dining room and sat in a chair opposite a long couch as my gaze traveled over the numerous bookshelves that lined the walls. Twilight and the others climbed onto the couch and faced me, their expressions ranging from curious to nervous as they glanced between each other and then back to me.

“So, what is it you needed to tell us?” Lyra asked.

“And under orders from Princess Luna no less.” Twilight added with a worried expression.

“Well,” I replied with a hand rubbing against the back of my neck, “it’s not exactly a direct order, but it was heavily suggested that I do this for the sake of my own sanity.”

“Is this about the nightmares you keep having?” Twilight asked. I must have had a look on my face, because she rolled her eyes before continuing, “You really think I couldn’t hear you when you would have those night terrors in your own room? For Celestia’s sake we slept in the same bed last night and I could barely get to sleep because of the tears running down your face and into my mane!”

Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at me like I had sprouted wings, “You’ve been having nightmares?” Bon-Bon asked, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

I rubbed my arm with my left hand, averting my gaze from the trio as I tried to keep my breathing under control, “It has to do with my past in the military. I did some things that I’m not proud of, things that haunt me even though it’s been years since it happened.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she whispered, “PTSD.”

Lyra glanced at Twilight with a confused expression, “What was that?”

Twilight shook her head and turned to face the other mares, “PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s a form of psychological trauma that can be caused by a particularly scarring or frightening event in a pony’s past, leading to nightmares, hypervigilance, and even complete disassociation from the real world if the flashbacks are strong enough.” She turned to look at me as the others’ eyes widened, “What happened?”

I took a steadying breath as my heart raced in my chest, and for a moment I was tempted not to tell them, at least not the whole truth, but at that moment, an image of a disappointed Luna crept into my mind, and I found the courage to speak even as my heart screamed at me to leave things alone.

I spent the next three hours telling them my whole story, not just the child soldier, but how I lost my leg, the way I lost my entire squad to enemy fire, everything. I don’t know when I started crying, or when the girls had pulled me onto the floor and curled up around me, but I latched onto their support like a life raft as I held Lyra and Twilight to my chest in a twin bear hug. Bon-Bon had climbed behind me and had wrapped her forehooves around my shoulders, weeping into my neck as she held onto me for deal life, just as the others held me from the front. At some point I had finished my story, and I simply dissolved into sobs as the others wept into my shirt. I didn’t know how long we sat there, simply comforting one another in our shared sorrow, but at some point I finally managed to pull myself together, and I suddenly felt a powerful sense of wrongness being in such close contact with the ones I loved.

I stood up, so suddenly that both Lyra and Twilight were sent rolling onto their backs with cries of surprise and shock. I turned and ran out the door, feeling fresh tears running down my face as I climbed the steps and slammed the door behind me as I locked myself in my old room. My breathing was ragged and my heart was racing a mile a minute as I sank to the floor, burying my face in my hands as I sobbed into my legs.

“They’ll hate me now.” I blubbered to myself, “I know it. They’ll hate me for what I’ve done and what I’ve been through and they’ll never want to see me again.”

I ignored the sounds of approaching hoofsteps and buried myself even further into my legs as Twilight called through the door. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say, I didn’t want to see the fear or disdain that marred her beautiful face.

There was a popping sound, and before I could react, I was enveloped in a triple bear hug, courtesy of my herdmates climbing into my lap.

I had frozen for a moment, expecting them to yell at me, but when I saw the tears rolling down their faces and the smiles on their lips, it all came crashing down on top of me. Luna had been right. They forgave me for my mistakes and weren’t afraid of me or angry.

Fresh tears ran down my cheeks as I embraced my herd, muttering thank you after thank you as they muttered half-hearted insults under their breath about my pigheadedness and lack of trust. Finally, I pulled back enough so I could look them all in the eyes, my own having finally run completely dry after what seemed like an eternity.

“I don’t know what to say.” I finally managed to spit out, “I thought you would hate me for the things in my past. I never expected you to forgive me.”

“Forgive you for what?” Lyra asked, “For protecting yourself? For protecting the lives of your fellow soldiers even at the cost of your own sanity? Wherever did you get the idea that we needed to forgive you?”

My face morphed into an expression of confusion as I turned to Twilight and Bon-Bon, “You all feel the same way?”

They nodded, “You were doing what you had to do.” Twilight said softly, “We might not like it that you were forced to do something like that, but we understand why you had to do it.”

“Indeed,” Bon-Bon added, “You were in a life and death situation. No amount of second-guessing or what-if scenarios is going to change the fact that it was you or him. Based on your actions, I believe you did the best you could in a no-win situation.” She nuzzled against my chin with the tip of her muzzle, “I certainly would rather have you in our lives then have some brainwashed child running around killing others, as dark as that sounds.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand as I rested against the wall and embraced my herdmates, “I love you guys. I hope you all understand that. I was expecting you to hate me for my past, but instead you offer me understanding and forgiveness. I couldn’t have asked for better lovers than you.”

All three mares blushed in my grip and I held them a moment longer before letting them go, “I don’t know about you, but after all that, I could really use a shower. I’m a mess and you all look like you could use one as well.”

The girls glanced at one another and smiled, “Then you’re going to have to take a shower with us.” Twilight stated, “It just wouldn’t be the same going one at a time, plus it saves time and water.”

I blushed at the mental image of all four of us in one shower, “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want any of you to feel uncomfortable. Besides, I’m not sure all of us can fit in my shower.”

Twilight’s horn glowed for a moment, her eyes shutting tight in concentration for a moment before there was a loud popping sound and a flash of light from the bathroom. “There, now we should all fit without any trouble at all.”

We all stood up and walked over to the bathroom door, the girls stepping in before me as I held the door open for them before following them in. What met my eyes was a masterpiece of engineering, even though I knew it was just Twilight’s magic at work. The bathroom was now almost the same size as a school locker room, with a complete open floor covered in tile with a triple sink on one side with a roundabout shower pole in the back. There was enough room for all of us to shower together around different sides of the pole with space to spare, and I even caught sight of my favorite shampoo resting on one of the wall brackets on the right side.

I turned to see Twilight grinning like a fool, and I felt my blood start to heat as I realized it was now more than possible to have a shower with all of my herdmates together. Although the idea of getting them dirty before cleaning them off was starting to look like a very promising prospect.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.” I said to myself as I started to undress, “You girls are in for some fun times ahead. Just let me know if you want to try something, because I’m planning on doing more than just getting clean, if you know what I mean.”

The heated looks I received from the others was all the answer I needed, and I got the feeling this was going to become a regular thing in our future, if the calculating look I was getting from Twilight was anything to go by.

Author's Note

So sorry for the slow updates, but midterms are a pain in the flank, as any of my fellow college students can attest to. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, tears and all. Up next is a first for my book, a clop chapter immediately followed by an Interlude. How about that, we get to see the girls get down and frisky and then see Carpet Sense driving Celestia up a wall! What more could you ask for?!

How about more chapters instead of once-a-month updates? The peanut gallery replies.

Well who asked you?! I was just trying to be nice!

Anyways, hope you all are enjoying the book, and I'll see you all next very kinky chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

23.25 - [Clop] A Double Steam Shower

Twilight’s horn ignited with magic for a moment before a flash of light erupted in front of the lavender mare. In her magic grip were a collection of bottles and brushes that I assumed were shampoo and other care products, although my eyes were locked onto the flagged tails that were presented to my vision as all three mares walked into the shower area as I slipped the last of my clothes off. Twilight glanced over her shoulder at me with a sultry light in her lidded eyes, her tail flipping over her back to expose her dripping marehood and puckered ass to my vision as Lyra and Bon-Bon did the same. To say I was hot under the collar would have been an understatement of the century.

“Why don’t you get Bon-Bon clean while I work on Lyra?” Twilight said softly as she turned the knobs on the shower pole, the steaming water rolling over her shoulders and mane as she hummed in pleasure. “I’m certain this will be much more enjoyable if we don’t stink of sweat and tears while we get dirty again.”

I nodded in agreement, my lips pulled back into a grin as I walked up behind Bon-Bon and grabbed one of the bottles of shampoo, “It would be my pleasure.”

Bon-Bon glanced over her shoulder at me as she sat down, her tail staying flagged as she leaned back into my legs, “Just get my mane and tail with the shampoo. I like to clean my coat with my own products.”

I nodded, kneeling down behind the cream mare as Lyra sat down facing Twilight. The unicorn and alicorn ignited their horns and spread a heaping pile of shampoo onto each other’s heads before rubbing it in with a duo of loofas. I figured Bon-Bon would like it more if I used my hands, so I squeezed a thick pile of the liquid into my palm before setting the bottle to one side, rubbing my hands together to get a good coating of it on my fingers before bringing my hands up to Bon-Bon’s head.

As my fingers ran through her mane and rubbed against her scalp between her ears, Bon-Bon hummed in appreciation, her ears splaying back as she leaned into my ministrations, “Oh Celestia that feels amazing. Keep doing that just like you are.”

I smiled as I ran my fingers through her mane and over each of her ears, “As you wish, my lady.”

For a while we simply cleaned each other, Bon-Bon moaning every other minute from my ministrations as Twilight and Lyra watched with wide smiles. Then, as if a switch had been thrown, my fingers began to work down Bon-Bon’s back, my hands pressing in a bit harder into her flesh as I worked my knuckles into the motions. Lyra and Twilight were engrossed in each other and leaned in to trade tongues as my hands slipped under Bon-Bon’s rear.

The earth pony moaned as her tail swished back and forth, my arms working around to her stomach as she leaned back into my legs. Feeling like a position change was needed, I sat back and folded my legs into a pretzel so that Bon-Bon’s rear ended up fitting between my thighs. She leaned back so that her head was resting on my left shoulder, her mane flowing over my back as she rotated her head to kiss me along the line of my jaw. I hummed as her tongue rubbed along the sensitive nerves in my neck, but I wasn’t about to be outdone. As Lyra and Twilight traded spit and moaned into each other’s mouths, my fingers slipped down between Bon-Bon’s hind legs, first pinching each of her teats and then moving further down to cup her heated flower.

The mare bucked her hips as my fingers rubbed along her lower lips, her licking along my neck picking up pace as she added her lips and teeth into her ministrations.

“Please,” she begged between pants, “I need you to love me.”

Rather than answer her, I turned my head and met her lips with mine, kissing her deeply as our tongues wrestled for dominance as my fingers sunk into her love tunnel.

Bon-Bon’s jerked as two of my fingers slipped into her body, her tongue pausing just long enough for me to overpower it and force myself into her mouth. Her lips curled into a grin around my tongue as she closed her lips around it and sucked it like a lollipop for a moment or two, although the heated kiss paused for a second as Lyra and Twilight moaned out their own pleasure for us to hear. Feeling a bit naughty, I pulled my tongue out of her mouth and tilted her head up and back with my free hand as my mouth found the tendons at the base of her neck, my hand pulling the base of her mane as my lips and tongue ran over the thin fur that covered the flesh just above her collarbone.

Bon-Bon gasped as her hips jerked back and forth, a heated moan escaping her lips as she tried to press my hand further into her body with one of her hooves. However, just as I was about to slip another finger into her core, I felt my hand being pulled out and away by a light grip of magic. Pulling away from Bon-Bon’s neck I glanced up and saw that Twilight was gently moving my hand out of the way with a mischievous grin on her lips.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to try with you girls,” she said softly as she walked up with Lyra in tow, “but I’ll only do it if all of us can agree.”

I shared a look with Bon-Bon, who nodded her consent before turning back to Twilight, “Alright, what is it?”

Without speaking further, Twilight’s horn ignited, and a wave of magic washed over all three mares before a rapid transformation began to take place. From between each mare’s hind legs, a long, flared cock began to grow, so fast that had I blinked I might have missed it, although what was left after the spell had taken hold could have been seen by a blind man at night. Throbbing and pulsing with each heartbeat, and standing proud at least ten inches apiece, were a trio of horseflesh that were almost as thick around as my forearms. All three were a bright pink color at the end with splotches of darker versions of each mare’s coat color leading up to the sheath. The sight alone was enough to get my own core dripping with anticipation, as well as make my mouth water at the very sight of them.

I swallowed thickly, trying to keep my hormones under control as I looked up at Twilight’s face with some difficulty, “So what exactly do you have planned for these not-so-little packages?”

Twilight grinned as she and Lyra pulled Bon-Bon out of my lap, giving me a great view of the earth pony’s swinging balls and sheath as she walked over to the wall with the other two. With some direction from Twilight, all three sat back and leaned against the wall, presenting their stiff rods like flagpoles to me as they gave me their most sexy bedroom eyes.

“Well what are you waiting for hot stuff?” Lyra asked as she ran a hoof along her length, a single drop of pre sliding down the underside before being rubbed into the heated flesh by her hoof. “Get over here and give your mares some attention.”

Not taking even a second to think about my actions, I walked over and knelt down in front of the trio, my hands finding Lyra and Bon-Bon’s throbbing cocks as my tongue ran along the entire underside of Twilight’s. All three mares stiffened and moaned out as I started my ministrations in earnest, Lyra and Bon-Bon leaned their head back against the wall as my hands worked over the median rings and pulsing veins that ran along their rock-hard horseflesh. Meanwhile, my mouth had found a nice comfortable home taking in the first half of Twilight’s length, my tongue running circles around the median ring as I sucked her off. One of her hooves found its way onto the back of my head, rubbing my hair in encouragement as I slowly picked up the speed of my bobs and the power of my suction.

For several minutes I worked them over, the moans of all three mares echoing off the walls as I switched my hands and mouth between each of them. Finally, I felt each of them start to buck in my grip, their eyes rolling back in their heads as their tongues rolled out of their mouths.

I pulled my mouth off of Bon-Bon’s length and pressed all three flared tips against my lips, opening my mouth as I jerked all three of them off at once and looked up at them with my best bedroom eyes. Twilight and Lyra took one look at my position and bucked hard into my face, their cocks throbbing as pulses of cum visibly traveled up their lengths and out of their flared tips. The pulses must have been the final straw for Bon-Bon, because she came a moment later, adding to the literal flood of cum that coated my face and hair as well as filled my mouth with their thick and creamy spunk.

I smiled, keeping my mouth open as I pulled back, giving all three panting mares a good view of my cum-filled mouth before wiping some of the hot cream off of my face and pressing my fingers in between my lips. I make a show of sucking their seed off of my fingers and then swallowing with the loudest and most sexual gulp I could manage, then opened my mouth to show them that I had swallowed all of what they had given me.

Lyra’s cock pulsed again as another thin stream of cum ran down her length, her eyes widening in tandem with Twilight’s and Bon-Bon’s as she stared at me, “Now I know what you meant when you said watching me swallow was hot. That was probably the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Twilight nodded as Bon-Bon murmured her agreement, although as all three mares sat up and walked up to me, I couldn’t help but shiver at the looks they were giving me. Bon-Bon leaned in and licked along my left cheek, her tongue collecting some of their mixed spunk and then swallowing it in much the same way I had. Twilight and Lyra followed her example and joined the earth pony in licking off my face and hair until there was no more cum to remove. Even then, they continued licking along my neck and cheeks, taking turns coming in to kiss me before moving back to my neck and jaw.

Finally, I pulled back, grabbing Lyra by the shoulders and rolling us over until I was straddling her hips with my own. She looked down and saw the position we were in, and she smiled as her cock rubbed against my lower lips, her length stiffening once again as I leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips, rolling my hips against her own for a moment before pulling up just enough to position her flared tip against my own entrance.

It took some working, and I nearly screamed as her tip forced its way into my entrance, my breath leaving in a gusty moan as I felt how truly massive my herdmate was. At that point it was just her tip and already I could feel her stretching my tunnel to the point of nearly being painful.

“Fuck that feels amazing.” I moaned as I wiggled my hips back and forth, “Give me just a minute to get used to you, you’re a lot bigger than what I’ve taken before.”

Lyra nodded, her own breathing ragged as she tried and failed not to buck her hips up into me, “Celestia you’re tight. I’m not even sure I can fit all of it into you.”

I grunted with her hip’s movement as it shoved another inch into my stretched entrance, “Just take it slow and we’ll see how far it can go.”

We built up a slow rhythm as I added more and more of her length to my bounces, until I felt her median ring pressing at my outer lips. I grinned as I glanced down at the panting unicorn, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she rested her head on the floor.

“Halfway there.” I panted between bounces.

Slowly but surely, I worked more and more of her length into my body, feeling it stretch my body near to its limits as my hips and core exploded with pleasure with each thrust. Then, as if by magic, my hips connected with hers, and I felt the flare of her tip press against the entrance to my womb with enough pressure to make me scream in bliss.

As I came off my high, I realized that having Lyra all the way inside me had made me cum, although my thoughts were sidetracked as I lowered my gaze and saw Twilight standing over Lyra’s head with her own throbbing cock pointed at my face.

“Our turn now.” She said through a grin as she pressed my head down with one hoof, her flare pressing against my lips for a moment before spreading my mouth wide open.

I had only a moment to prepare myself before Twilight thrust her hips forward, her length pressing into my throat with no warning, making me moan and gag as she shoved her throbbing meat down my neck. My eyes watered as I felt the skin of my throat stretching around her length as her median ring passed my lips, and then Twilight did the impossible. She shoved her hips all the way forward, pressing my nose between her teats and nearly cutting off my air as her flare worked down to the base of my neck and rubbed against my collarbones.

For a moment I was worried that Twilight had gone too far, but as I realized I was still able to breathe, if in a limited fashion, I felt a pulse of pleasure run through my body as I realized I was being face fucked by a ten-inch horse cock attached to one of the mares I loved. I smiled around her length as I looked up, meeting her eyes and nodding as best as I could around her rod, one of my hands reaching up to rub the extended bulge in my neck as I ran my tongue over the underside of her balls. Twilight hummed in pleasure before pulling back, retreating from my neck until only the tip was pressed into my throat, and then shoving back in as she let out a heated moan. The force of her thrust shoved me back and onto Lyra’s length, making me gurgle out a moan as Lyra’s flare was pressed all the way against the entrance to my womb.

We built up a rhythm as Twilight bucked against my face, driving me back and onto Lyra’ cock with each thrust as my gagged moans gurgled out and vibrated along her entire length. For a moment I was certain that I was going to cum again, but that was interrupted as a weight settled over my back and a pair of hooves wrapped around my hips. I couldn’t look back with Twilight shoving her rod down my neck, but with Lyra below me that narrowed the suspects down to Bon-Bon. I felt her lean over my back as her breath washed over my neck and hair, the smile evident in her tone of voice as I felt something prod against my ass.

“Get ready hot stuff,” she moaned out as her flare pressed against my back door, “because we’re going to buck you senseless by the time we’re done.”

I had just enough time to gurgle out a protest, although it probably sounded like encouragement as Bon-Bon pressed her hips against my own, her flare working its way into my ass inch by agonizing inch as my mind exploded with pain and pleasure. I had never taken anything up the ass before, and Bon-Bon’s cock was far larger than anything I could have tried back home, although as she worked her way further in, the pain melted away to mind-numbing pleasure as her length literally began to rub along Lyra’s, sandwiching my tunnels against each other as they began to thrust in counterpoint to one other.

Between the double pounding I was getting from the back and the huge cock shoving its way down my throat and cutting off most of my air, I was floating in a sea of bliss as pleasure rippled through my body like splashes in a pool. I could feel the liquid of my arousal running down my legs and onto the floor, my spit running down my chin as Twilight rammed back and forth into my mouth. My eyes rolled back in my head as my orgasm slammed into me like a ten-ton truck, my scream gurgling and gagging around Twilight’s length as the alicorn threw her head back and moaned. As my tunnels clamped down on all three mares pounding my body, I felt them begin to pulse and expand within my body, their moans growing in volume as their thrusts began to become erratic and more powerful.

Finally, as my own orgasm began to fade, all three of them reached their own peak, my face being smashed into Twilight’s crotch as her balls slapping into the underside of my chin. My nose buried itself in between her teats as Lyra and Bon-Bon pressed as deep into me as they could go, Lyra’s cock breaking past my inner barrier and into my womb itself as all three of them pulsed in orgasm.

I could feel each burst of cum as a bulge in their lengths as it traveled through their cocks and into my body, Twilight emptying her load directly into my stomach as Lyra leaned up and licked along the bulge in my throat. That combined with the feeling of all three of my mares pumping me full of their hot spunk was enough to drive me into another orgasm, and I nearly lost consciousness as my eyes rolled back in my head. I was just aware enough to feel my stomach expanding from the sheer mass of cum going into my body, my womb filled to the brim as Lyra’s flare plugged the exit to prevent any of it from escaping. My ass was dripping as the extra cum from Bon-Bon’s release ran down between my cheeks, her body falling limp on my back as she panted in the afterglow, leaving me with no choice but to roll to the side to avoid crushing Lyra beneath our bodies.

Twilight slipped from my mouth, trailing some of her cum along my tongue as she stumbled back and struggled to stay standing, her legs shaking from the exertion as she hung her head and let her mane fall over her face. I smiled as I pulled Lyra to my chest and kissed her deeply, feeling the combined seed of my mares sloshing around in my gut as I rolled over and added Bon-Bon to the group hug.

Twilight smiled between pants as she walked up and lay down next to my head, her lips pressing to mine in an upside-down kiss for a moment before pulling back. “So, did you like your turn as a cock sleeve?”

I chuckled, feeling a sensation of contentment rolling over me as the warmth of their spunk spread through my body, “I could get used to being triple-teamed if it always goes like that. Although I can only imagine how hot it would be having one of you in the middle instead of me.”

She smiled as she stood up, her magic lifting all three of us into the air as she carried us out of the room, a quick flash of magic turning off the water as she levitated us over and onto the bed.

“I think that could be arranged if you ask nicely.” She said softly as she lowered the now-snoring Lyra and Bon-Bon onto the sheets and then slipped me between their bodies. Both mares latched onto me in their sleep as Twilight climbed up and lay down on top of my body, her weight pushing some of the cum out of my cunt as she nuzzled into my nose and neck with her muzzle.

I opened my mouth to warn her about the mess I was making on her sheets, but a quick ignition of her horn silenced me as she closed my mouth with a gentle press of magic. She kept her horn ignited and levitated the cum dripping from my cunny and ass into the air, collecting it into a ball before opening her mouth right in front of me. My eyes widened as she dropped the wad of spunk into her waiting maw and then rolled it around with her tongue for a moment before closing her lips and gulping it down like I had done for her.

She opened her eyes and smiled, “Not bad. I could get used to tasting that if you would be alright sprouting a cock for me every once and a while.”

I nodded, my eyes lidding as I wrapped her up in my arms, “I think we can work something out. But for now, we need to sleep. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day and I want to get up in the morning for training with Swift and Rosie.”

Twilight’s nod was interrupted by a wide yawn, her head coming to rest between my breasts as she kissed each of them in turn, “Goodnight, Sarah. I love you.”

I kissed her forehead just below her horn, ruffling her mane with one hand before leaning back into the pillow, “I love you too, Twilight. Goodnight.”

Author's Note

Yes this chapter is supposed to be numbered 23.25, because there is going to be an Interlude right after this one that is going to be numbered 23.75. So don't go getting your tails in a twist, I have my reasons for doing things.

Holy mother of Celestia that was a hot one!! I think I might need a minute after writing that one to get my head on straight. Anyways, hope all you naughty fillies and colts out there enjoyed the debauchery that was this chapter, and I look forward to hearing from all of you about what you think. As usual, leave a like, favorite and follow me if you so desire.

Anyways, hope to see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

23.75 - Interlude: Uninvited Guests

The sun was setting over the peaceful town of Ponyville, the residents all curling up in their respective beds for the coming night, with a select few cuddling up against their special someponies. Yet, in the halls of Twilight Sparkle’s castle, one being, if he could be called that, was wide awake and musing to himself about the nature of the universe. After all, when one is a living carpet, what else is one to do but ponder the meaning of existence when one has no need for food, drink or sleep?

Carpet Sense had his mismatched eyes closed as he muttered to himself, pondering the meaning of Order and Chaos in the world he had found himself to be a part of. Tasked with keeping the residences under his watch on the straight and narrow, and with powers of almost equal magnitude as the Lord of Chaos himself, one could wonder why Carpet Sense simply lay on the floor and allowed himself to be tread upon like a common rug. Yet in his very core, he knew as a carpet it was his duty to protect the floors, and thus the buildings themselves, from any kind of harm, be it from the residents or from outside forces. Logically, that also extended to the inhabitants of said dwellings, although for the not-life of him he couldn’t figure out why mortals seemed to act in such illogical manners on an almost daily basis.

He was just about to use his copy in Princess Luna’s private quarters to ask about his ponderings, when he sensed something just outside his realm of influence in Ponyville. In other words, directly outside the front doors of Twilight’s castle.It was a dark presence, fueled by chaotic monstrosities that made his counterpart look tame in comparison. While Discord was Chaos incarnate, at least his brand of chaos could be balanced out by his own Order. No, this was something worse, darker and more powerful on a fundamental level.

Necromancy.

His eyes opened in the darkness of the castle foyer, a frown crossing his lips as the trio of dark magic signatures drew closer to the castle and towards his realm. He didn’t know what had brought these dark mages to his domain, but he knew one thing for certain. He wasn’t going to make the mistake of letting them leave if they dared to cross into his territory. He closed his glowing eyes to hide himself, blending in with the tiles of the floor as the doors to the castle opened, a trio of indistinct forms entering the foyer under invisibility spells that made them almost undetectable.

Almost.

Nightshade couldn’t believe their luck.Not only was the castle unlocked, but from initial scans, not a single guard was present inside the entire building, meaning that their targets were completely unprotected while they slept. The dark grey unicorn followed her companions into the foyer, shutting the door behind them with a soft kick of her hind hoof, her bright amber eyes taking in the surroundings as she dropped her invisibility spell. Her fellow assassins, Black Rose and Violet Shade, followed suit as they looked about the crystalline castle they found themselves within.

“Would you look at this place,” Violet whispered as she walked over and placed a hoof against one of the walls, “we could make a hundred spell shards from just one wall of this foyer, let alone what we could accomplish if we fragmented the whole castle.”

“Focus on the mission, sis.” Rose muttered as she walked over and cuffed her sister over the head with one hoof, “We have our orders and we need to get moving if we want to avoid being caught out in the open come sunrise.”

The lavender unicorn nodded, her silver eyes taking in the rest of the foyer as her pitch-black sibling walked back over to Nightshade.

“So, what’s the plan?” She asked as Rose walked up, keeping her voice low so as to avoid an echo in the cavernous space.

“We make our way up to the private chambers, dispose of the auramancer and the Princess, and then we make sure that there aren’t any witnesses to our actions.” Black Rose grinned as her sapphire eyes narrowed in sadistic glee, “That means nopony in this building wakes up tomorrow morning, or ever again.”

Nightshade nodded, stepping in line on Rose’s right as Violet met up with them and followed their group into the castle proper. Yet as they were just about to start climbing the main staircase, Nightshade felt her hooves somehow get stuck to the ground beneath her.

She grunted and struggled to free herself from the seeming trap, but no matter what she tried, she couldn’t detect a spell at work or any sort of physical glue. The grunts and hisses of her companions confirmed her suspicions. All three mares were trapped, and Nightshade felt a shiver run down her spine as a disembodied voice echoed around the room.

“That, was most unwise.” A dark and sinister laughter followed the statement, and Nightshade felt a very large lump form in her stomach as she felt her legs begin to tingle with unfamiliar magic.

Black Rose grunted as she struggled to free herself, “Let us go you freak!” She hissed out, somehow managing to keep her voice low but still fill it to the brim with venom. “Where in Tartarus are you anyway?”

The voice seemed to take offence to Black Rose’s comment, because the room erupted in bright flashes as electric sparks arched over Rose’s body, her scream of agony muffled because her mouth had been magically sealed shut.

As the charge stopped flowing, Rose gasped as the force holding her mouth shut released its grip, her breathing ragged and her legs shaking as she struggled to stay standing. Nightshade felt cold terror run through her heart as she imagined what crazy things this being could do to them, given none of their magic seemed to have any effect on whatever it was that had them.

“I must insist that you keep your voice down.” The voice said with eerie calm, “My hosts are asleep right now, so do your best to scream quietly. We wouldn’t want to have somepony interrupting this little party, now would we?”

Violet tried and failed to free herself by blasting the floor with a beam of concentrated magic, her efforts rewarded with a shock similar to what Rose had experienced. Like before, her mouth was clamped shut to muffle her scream, her eyes wide in terror as the unknown magic gripped her body like a toy.

Finally, Nightshade couldn’t take it anymore, “What is it you plan to do with us? Are you just going to hold us here until the Princess and her pet monkey come to get us in the morning?”

The sinister chuckle that answered her question made her eyes shrink in terror, “Oh far from it, my uninvited guests, I don’t plan on any of my hosts even knowing you were here tonight. You see, I am a caretaker of sorts, and having them know that somepony snuck in during the night to kill them would be bad for their mental health. So, I am sad to say, you are no longer welcome in this castle. Feel free to enjoy your last moments of mortal life. You won’t be able to do much of anything once I get through with you.”

There was a sound of snapping fingers, and suddenly Nightshade was all alone in the castle, her sisters in crime having suddenly vanished without a trace.

Nightshade openly wept as she imagined what kind of horrors awaited her now that her companions were gone, but to her utter shock, she found that her hooves were no longer stuck to the floor. As she lifted each on in turn, her eyes wide with disbelief, she suddenly became aware of a large presence that was hovering behind her. She slowly turned around, her ears pressed flat against her head as she looked up and beheld the true form of her tormenter.

Gazing down at her with mismatched glowing yellow eyes, was none other than Discord himself, albeit a bit flatter than what the stories told. Nightshade nearly wet herself in fright, realizing that she was way in over her head. Thinking of nothing better to do, she threw herself to the floor and covered her head with her forehooves, begging for her life with every fiber of her being as she spouted random apologies in the hopes of keeping her life, and possibly her sanity.

Shaking like a leaf, Nightshade stiffened as she felt a claw run under her chin, slowly lifting her head and body until she was hovering impossibly before the Lord of Chaos, her entire body somehow held in place by his single claw.

“Now I am going to tell you this only once,” the flattened chimera said in a deathly soft voice, “tell your precious leader that if she sends any more of her little fillies into my domain, I will do more than simply make them vanish into thin air. I will burn her house around her until there is nothing but ash. I will drive her coven and its allies to madness with nothing but a thought. I will do everything in my power to make sure you all live just long enough to regret ever having heard my name. And I will enjoy tearing your little club apart piece by agonizing piece until there is naught but rubble left behind.” He leaned in close until his muzzle was pressed against her own, “Do I make myself clear?”

Nightshade nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face as she was lowered to the ground. She barely had time to get her hooves under her before she turned and fled, her exit only making a soft muffled click as Carpet Sense slowed the slamming door with a quick burst of magic. Nightshade raced into the night, heading back to the Everfree with every intention of never setting hoof in Ponyville again. Her heart raced like wildfire as she entered the dark wood once more, her mind filled with all manner of horrible images of what the Lord of Chaos might do to them if they messed with what he perceived to be his. She had no way of knowing that the real Discord was somewhere off in the far reaches of his own dimension, watching the chaos unfold over the Equestrian nation like a blanket of power as he munched on a bag of popcorn.

Discord chuckled to himself as he sipped on a large soda, the curly straw making a whistling sound as he sucked the fizzy beverage in enjoyment, “Oh well played my little creation. Well played indeed. For a being of Order, you sure know how to stir up chaos when you really set your mind to it.” He shrugged to himself as he changed the channel on his TV set, “Eh, must be my influence leaking in from when he was my body. Oh well, let’s see what’s going on with the latest Star Trek, never can get enough of that old boy Q.”

The following morning, Celestia walked down her castle halls like any other day, and yet, something seemed to be slightly amiss as she made her way down to the dining room for her breakfast. New drapes, colored black and violet, were hanging on either side of the windows in most of the exterior hallways. They fluttered slightly in the morning breeze as the wind blew in through the open windows, and yet for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why they were there. She hadn’t ordered any new drapery for the castle, and she hadn’t heard anything from her sister concerning the idea either.

She glanced down at Carpet Sense, who was lying on the hallway floor as usual, “Did these drapes get put up last night?”

The living floor covering nodded his head, “Indeed, they’re a new addition that I thought might liven up the look of the place a bit, a contrast to the white and gold you seem so fond of around here.”

One of Celestia’s eyes twitched as a strand of her flowing mane sprang out with an audible Twing, “And why exactly did you do this without getting me or my sister’s permission?”

“Who said it was me who put them there?” Carpet Sense replied, “I simply said I thought they would liven the place up a bit. I never said anything about putting them up there.”

Another strand of Celestia’s mane sprang out, the twitch of her eye becoming noticeably stronger, “Then pray tell, who put them up if not you?”

Carpet Sense grinned, “Now where is the fun in telling you when you could simply ask one of the staff? I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have any problems explaining to their Princess how new drapes seemed to appear out of thin air all around the castle.”

Celestia ground her teeth, reminding herself that losing her temper would most likely destroy the castle but would do little to the indestructible floor covering before her, “Very well, I shall ask them, but if you had anything to do with this and are lying to me, then I promise I will hang you out with the sheets and drapes every time they need to be cleaned for the next month.”

Carpet Sense visibly shivered at the thought of being near those horrid abominations, “You have my word, Celestia. I am being completely honest with you. No need for drastic measures.”

As Celestia walked down the halls towards the dining room, Carpet Sense smiled to himself, feeling a little kick at being able to mess with his host so easily. “Must be something left over from my counterpart. Although I must say,” he muttered to himself as he looked up at the swaying drapes, “you do make lovely wall coverings when you get past all the mental anguish you must be feeling. I wonder what it must be like, trapped in an inanimate object while still retaining your mind?” He shrugged to himself, letting his mind wander back to his musings as he lay there on the floor.

The screams of agony and the pleadings for release going unheard by anypony else, as what remained of Black Rose and Violet Shade gently swung in the wind, trapped forever in a form not their own. Unable to die and unable to be heard by anybeing other than the one who had cursed them with their new forms, they soon realized that they were going to be there for a very, very long time. The pain and suffering would be the least of their worries as the months, years, and eventually decades went by, slowly driving them to madness as the only constants in their new existence were the pain, the Princesses, and the ever-watching eyes of Carpet Sense.

Author's Note

*Shivers from head to hoof* Whoa boy, this one gave me the chills. I can definitely say I would never want to get on Carpet Sense's bad side, wouldn't you agree? :unsuresweetie: Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this little side chapter and I look forward to seeing you all again in the next one.

As always, see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

24 - The Truth Behind the Rank

The following morning rose bright and clear, the sun rising over the eastern horizon at a slow but steady pace. The soft morning light cascaded over the Equestrian landscape, illuminating the peaceful town of Ponyville in its warm embrace. Yet within Twilight’s castle, one being was already awake, although she had yet to move from her bed, given her rather unusual predicament.

I was lying in my bed with my mares as we had been the night before, Lyra and Bon-Bon nestled against my sides while Twilight lay on top of me, her muzzle resting in my cleavage as her soft breaths washed over my chin and neck. My eyes were open and my body was fully awake, and yet I had no real desire to move, at least not at the moment. The combined warmth and soft pressure that came from being in a three-way pony sandwich was rather comfortable, if not a little restricting. Both of my arms had been commandeered by Lyra and Bon-Bon, while Twilight had my upper body effectively pinned to the mattress by her weight. Had I really wanted to get up, I could have wiggled free, but that would have meant waking up my herdmates, and seeing the content smiles on their lips as they slept was more than enough to make me think otherwise.

And yet, all good things must come to an end. It wasn’t long after the sun’s light began to leak through the windows that I got a very urgent message from mother nature, stating that if I didn’t want to make a mess, I needed to get up post haste. Glancing between my herdmates, I thought about how exactly I could get up without being too much of a bother, when I remembered how Twilight had moved all three of us to the bed last night.

So, with a plan in mind, I slowly raised my head and bent down to gently kiss the very tip of Twilight’s horn. She hummed softly but didn’t wake up, so I moved on to licking her horn as her breathing began to accelerate. It only took a second before her eyes fluttered open, her initial look of confusion turning into a warm smile as I pulled back so she could see my face.

“Well that was a nice way to wake up in the morning.” She whispered as she spotted the other snoozing mares, “I don’t suppose you’d want to do that more in the future?”

“Well given my arms are a bit occupied I didn’t really have much of a choice.” I replied with a little bit of snark, my grin widening as I flicked my gaze at my encumbered limbs, “I could use a little help getting out of bed, the bathroom is calling me rather loudly and I didn’t want to wake all of you up just so I could relieve myself.”

Twilight nodded, her horn igniting and her magic carefully wrapping around each of us with a gentle yet firm grip. Neither Lyra nor Bon-Bon stirred from their slumber as Twilight and I were lifted off of the bed, her own body coming down between the still sleeping mares as I was deposited on the floor beside them.

Twilight let our herdmates grip back onto her as I slipped into the bathroom, her own eyes fluttering for a moment before the door blocked my view. I did my business and then returned to the bedroom, only to find all three of my mares snuggled against one another and sound asleep once again. Feeling like they deserved to sleep in for a bit, I got dressed in a fresh change of clothing and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind me with a barely audible click before turning my attention to the rather smug expression that resided on Swift’s face.

The military mare was stationed at the right side of my bedroom door, and from the gleam in her eye and the shit-eating smirk on her muzzle, she knew exactly what had been going on last night, although I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of getting under my skin. So, rather than address the elephant-sized issue in the room, I walked right past her and down the hall, Swift taking up position beside me as we made our way towards Rosie’s room. I had told them that we would be getting back into training bright and early, so that was what I planned to do. We had lost one of our biggest trump cards when Moon Song and her coven discovered my Auramancy, and I was determined not to let them find out about Rosie until it was too late to do anything about it. The last thing we needed was an even bigger reason for the necromancers to target Ponyville and the citizens within it.

On the way to Rosie’s room, I picked up a trash can lid with practiced ease, never breaking stride as I continued on my way, although Swift’s ears folded slightly as she glanced at the metallic instrument of torture in my hand.

“Do you really need to use that in order to get her up in the morning?” Swift’s eyes shifted from the lid to me and back again as she winced in sympathy, “I know it’s a tradition from your old unit, but pony and gryphon hearing is more sensitive than yours. You could actually hurt her if you get too loud.”

I nodded my understanding, “Oh I only plan on using it once or twice. Before long she’ll be so scared stiff of being startled awake that her body will get her up as soon as we enter the room, if she doesn’t start getting up before dawn like I used to do. Either way, it won’t be forever. Just a few days of torture and then smooth sailing for the rest of her training,” I snickered at the idea of smooth sailing in basic training, as if, “well, at least concerning her morning wake-up call, that is.”

Swift and I entered Rosie’s room as quietly as we could, although for some reason my instincts were telling me that there was something wrong. For one thing, the curtains were drawn, and that was out of the ordinary for the normally claustrophobic gryphon. Second, the lump on the bed didn’t quite match up with the size and shape of the princess, and in that split second before it happened, my brain screamed at me that there was something behind me.

Spinning on my heel, I caught the lunge that would have planted my face into the floor with the trash can lid, Rosie’s cry of triumph turning into one of confusion as I planted my leg in her stomach and rolled over onto my back. With Rosie unable to get a purchase on me because of my impromptu shield, she was helpless to stop me as my legs kicked out and up, throwing the smaller female over my head and onto the mattress like a sack of bricks. The air escaped her lungs with a whoosh as I kicked up onto my feet and jumped onto the bed with her, pinning her arms above her head while my hips locked her lower legs and wings to her body. By the time Rosie got her wind back, she had been fully locked in place, with my own face mere inches from her own.

Her beak curled up in a sheepish smile, “Um, surprise?”

I kept up my deadpan stare for a moment before letting my own smile come out, “Not bad for your first time, but you might want to make sure you leave the pillows in a shape similar to yours, or else someone like me will pick up on the difference immediately. Not bad, but you can do better.”

I climbed off of her and allowed the hen to sit up, her feathers fluffed out and her expression bunched up in an absolutely adorable pout as she climbed off of the bed at my side, “I was so sure I had you. I won’t make the same mistakes again next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” I countered, “or else I’m going to work you into the ground until your wings and legs fall off.” I cast her a stern look as she shied away from me slightly, “While I appreciate the effort to hone your skills, don’t try them out on me or else I might do something we both regret. This time I was able to hold myself back, but had I not been holding that lid, you’d have most likely received a broken wing or leg for that little stunt. I’m not good with surprises, especially sneak attacks like that. I react on instinct and don’t have any control over what I do until my body perceives the danger to have passed. So, I’m warning you now, don’t pull that stunt again or next time you might not be so lucky. Am I clear?”

She threw a quick salute and schooled her expression into a proper serious look, “Yes Lehrer, I understand.”

I returned the salute with equal seriousness, “Good, then we can get started on your training for the day once we take a look at the masters’ spell book. I’m certain there’s something we can teach you with the limited colors you have access to. I know you can use your red and yellow aura without any issues, but you still struggle with any of the other colors at your disposal. So, I’m thinking today we get a bit more of the book-style learning out of the way before we get back to actual Auramancy.”

Swift and Rosie fell in on either side of me as we made our way to the castle’s library, the click and clop of their claws and hooves the only sounds in the vast halls as the rest of the castle slept around us. Carpet Sense was lounging around on every floor as per usual, although I did make a point to step on the poor guy every time I could, his mumbled thanks making me smile as he hummed in relief. I never understood how being walked on could feel good, save for some kind of massage, but in his case I guess that was just how he functioned.

We made our way into the library and found that Twilight had to have been busy studying at some point, because there was a literal book fort in the middle of the room that had to be big enough to fit several ponies inside. Taking a look through one of the openings in the side of the structure, I spotted the masters’ spell book resting on the floor in the center of the fort, several other books open around it as if it were the center of a magic ritual of some sort.

Making a note to ask Twilight what she had been doing at a later date, I reached in and pulled the book out with one hand, charging my fingers with aura before rubbing them over the lock. It disengaged with a click and I opened the pages to where Rosie and I had left off in our previous lesson, taking pride in the fact that we had already gone a good third the way through the book. I turned around and found a seat next to Rosie on the couch, the hen having curled up like a cat on the cushions while Swift sat in a chair opposite us. The guardsmare was reading a book that had to be a good hand width thick, although with the cover resting on the table before her, I couldn’t see what it was about.

“So, what are we learning about today, Lehrer?” Rosie asked as I sat down and placed the spell book on the table opposite Swift’s.

“Today we are going to see if your color alignment is simply stuck as it is or if there is something we can do that will allow us to access all of your colors with equal strength.” I flipped through several pages before I found the master I was looking for, “I’ve seen some notes in here about other species being different than ponies when it comes to aura use, but I never thought it would apply until you showed up. So, we’re going to see if there is anything that can be done about your color conundrum.”

Swift rolled her eyes and snorted, “That was a bad joke and you know it.”

My eyebrow rose as a grin plastered itself on my lips, “Oh, would you like for me to make jokes about you instead?” I flicked my eyes towards Rosie while the hen was focused on the pages before her, “You know I could always come up with something that would really get under your fur.”

Swift blanched and turned her attention back to her own book, her ears folded and her cheeks flushing red as I chuckled under my breath. I knew I was going to catch flak for that later, but it was just too easy to mess with that mare sometimes.

Rosie and I read through several chapters on the different species and how they reacted to Auramancy training, although there were very few examples to go off of even in such a large book. The master that had written the notes had apparently only taken non-ponies as her students, although she neglected to say why in her journal entries. Yet they were detailed enough that we managed to figure out several things. The first thing that we discovered was that Rosie had roughly normal abilities for a gryphon, given the master’s three gryphon students all had the same color focus that Rosie possessed. However, it also stated that the color focus was specific to each individual, given none of the three students shared the same color strengths. One of the students had only been able to use green aura and had become one of the most powerful healers of his day, while the other two were polar opposites of each other. The first was like Rosie, completely dedicated to red and orange, while the other was locked into the cooler colors of the rainbow, mainly blues of various shades. This seemed to be a basic part of gryphon ability when it came to Auramancy, so it looked like Rosie was going to be unable to master every color of her aura. She simply wasn’t built to use them in any capacity above the minimum if they weren’t a part of her color focus.

“Well that sucks.” She growled to herself as we finished reading the relevant gryphon sections, “I was looking forward to being able to strengthen my body like my uncle’s iron.”

I ruffled her head feathers with a hand, making her go cross-eyed and let out a purr before she batted my hand away like a cat, “Hey, it’s not the end of the world. From what I’ve been able to figure, you can still use all of the colors of your aura, it just won’t be as strong as the ones your body focuses well. The good news is that you will most likely outclass me in red and yellow when it comes to pure strength and ability, because your body is naturally attuned to those energies. You might not be as versatile as me, but you will almost assuredly be more powerful when it comes to the energies you are able to use to their fullest extent.”

Rosie smiled as she straightened her crest feathers, her expression warming as she turned to me, “Thanks for that. It makes me feel a little better about not being able to use all of the colors like you can. But, then again, it seems only you and ponies can use every color equally. Look here,” she pointed at another section of the journal on the following page, “it says that zebra have only been documented being able to channel green aura. While they are some of the best healers around when it comes to using their magic, their lack of other color manipulation makes them vulnerable on the battlefield.” She shivered slightly at the implications of such a limitation, “I’d hate to be stuck with only one color and no way to defend myself. That would suck if we got into a serious fight.”

I nodded, my eyes roaming over the text for a moment, “It seems that each race has their own unique limitations when it comes to aura, and even some that have never been able to use it at all. Look at this,” I drew her attention to another page further along, “it says that dragons are so fixated on their own natural magics that the ability to use aura is a near physical impossibility. No dragon has ever been able to use Auramancy and none have ever been able to learn even when tested by several different masters.” I whistled as I leaned back, “Well that certainly explains a lot.”

“It does?” Rosie inquired, Swift’s eyes rising from her own book for a moment as her eyebrows rose in silent agreement.

I nodded, “It explains why there wasn’t any mention of the dragons having been a part of the Shadow Wars. They must not have taken part if they had no real way of combatting the necromancers and simply let the war go on without them outside their borders. Not exactly the most heroic thing to do but I can understand their reasoning.”

Rosie and Swift nodded, although our little study group was interrupted as Twilight and my other herdmates walked into the library, a sextuplet of plates floating along in Twilight’s grip as she carried what looked like omelets over to us. Rosie’s eyes immediately lit up and a trio of growling stomachs echoed around the room as Lyra and Bon-Bon pushed some more seating into place around the table. Rosie was polite enough to shift off the couch and take a seat next to Swift, the earth pony smiling to herself before turning her attention to the plate that had been set before her.

Twilight climbed onto the couch on my left while Lyra and Bon-Bon sat in chairs on either side of the table, their own plates coming to a halt before them as Twilight settled the food into position. The scent of warm food rapidly filled the air and I could tell that Rosie and Swift were nearly ready to dive in headfirst. However, they restrained themselves long enough for the steam to begin dissipating as Twilight cast a cooling spell over the food to make it edible.

With that done, Twilight turned to me and smiled, her head leaning in to give me a soft kiss before pulling back, “Good morning, Sarah. How’s the training going today?”

I shrugged, “Eh, not much being done today as far as regular training is concerned.” I flipped the Auramancy book closed and slid it onto the couch next to me as Lyra and Bon-Bon exchanged confused glances, “We finally figured out why Rosie is only able to access two colors. Turns out gryphons have a focus that is unique to each individual that limits what they can and cannot use to their full potential. Rosie happens to be good with red and yellow, but other than that she’s not going to be able to use much more than the bare minimum of power when it comes to everything else.”

Twilight’s gaze travelled to the hen as she dug into her omelet with her talons and beak, “So she’s a specialist when it comes to her magic. I guess that makes sense, although I’m still disappointed that I’ll never be able to learn any of the things that you are. It’s just so frustrating to know that there is a whole school of magic that I can’t use, and it drives me up a wall at times.”

“What exactly are you two talking about?” Lyra asked as Bon-Bon nodded her agreement, “I thought gryphons didn’t have any magic other than what allows them to walk on clouds.”

I realized too late that we had yet to tell Lyra and Bon-Bon about my Auramancy, given the fact that Celestia and Luna wanted to keep the whole necromancer thing on the down low. Yet as they turned their gazes from me to Twilight and back, I couldn’t think of a reasonable lie to tell them. I cast a glance Twilight’s way, but she seemed as lost as I was on what to tell our herdmates. Then, as if Celestia herself had seen our plight, Spike came running in with a scroll in his grip, the royal seal securing the scroll with a pure black ribbon.

“Letter for you, Twilight.” Spike said as he came up to us, effectively derailing the conversation as Twilight unsealed the scroll and read through it with rapid strokes of her gaze. Yet as she got further down, her eyes got wider and wider as her jaw hung low, her pupils shrinking in fear as the letter dropped to the table before her as her magic sputtered out.

“What is it Twilight?” Bon-Bon asked, her hoof reaching for the letter only for me to snatch it from her grip. I had a feeling I knew what this letter had to do with, and unless I got word from the princesses in some form, I wasn’t about to let the secret get out because of some careless mail handling.

“Let me take a look first.” I said smoothly, my mind projecting calm as much as I could to try and forestall any panic at Twilight’s reaction. “I think I might know what this is about, so in case it has to do with state business, I’ll check it over to see if we can share what is going on.” My expression fell as Lyra and Bon-Bon gave me the stink eye, but there wasn’t really much else I could say. Celestia’s orders were clear. None of the general public could know about the necromancers unless it was absolutely necessary. Until I heard otherwise, I was sticking to that vow of silence.

I read through the letter one line at a time, being careful not to skip over anything as my gaze moved down the scroll. Yet as I got to the main point of the letter, my eyes widened just as Twilight’s had, and I quickly walked over to one of the fireplaces and tossed the scroll into the flames. Twilight made no move to stop me, stuck in her shocked state that she was, although Swift raised her eyebrows in an unspoken question as I walked back over and sat down next to Twilight.

Before anyone could speak, I wrapped my arms around Twilight’s body and rested my chin on her head, whispering comforting words in her ear as I held her tight. Lyra and Bon-Bon quickly moved to our sides and wrapped both of us in a further hug, offering their confused but heartfelt support even though they didn’t know what we had read in Celestia’s letter.

For several moments we held onto one another, offering each other comfort as Twilight slowly came back to herself. It was only after she closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh that we backed off, although we stayed together on the couch as Twilight turned her attention to me.

“You saw what Princess Celestia wrote.” It wasn’t a question.

I nodded, “Every word. I tossed it in the fireplace once I was done, although that still leaves the question of what to do now? Do we continue on as we have before or do we change up the plan?”

Before she could answer me, Lyra spoke up with a frustrated tone in her voice, “Alright, that’s it. I am tired of not being in the loop and I want to know what you lot are hiding from us.” She turned her attention to everyone present and narrowed her eyes at us one by one, “It’s obvious there’s something going on and yet none of you are saying anything about it. So either you all spill the beans right now, or I’m going to do something I’m probably going to regret.”

Bon-Bon made no moves to calm her herdmate, although her own words were less inflamed than Lyra’s, “Yes, secrets are all well and good, but this seems like something that needs to be shared with all of us. We can’t be a herd if we don’t share what is bothering us, and right now I can tell that this is something that needs to be shared or else it will only get worse. I was once a part of Princess Celestia’s monster hunter guild, so normally I’m informed of these things, but lately the whole guild’s been hush-hush about what’s been going on and it’s been driving me nuts. Now you get a letter from Princess Celestia and immediately burn the evidence as soon as you read it. If that doesn’t stink of a coverup then I don’t know what does.”

I turned my attention to Twilight, “It’s your call, Twilight. You are the princess in this situation. I won’t say anything unless you give me the okay. Just understand this, if you don’t tell them, then it’s possible they could get hurt because of it. I don’t know about you, but that is the last thing I want to have happen because of a secret we could have shared.”

Twilight still looked indecisive, so I added in my trump card as one last bit of incentive, “If we ask them to live with us in the castle and don’t give them a good reason, I’m certain they would turn us down out of hand. After reading what we did, I don’t think they’ll be safe living on their own in Ponyville, and I know they won’t pack up their whole lives unless we tell them the truth. Give me permission, so we can protect our herd from danger.”

That seemed to be the final straw for Twilight, and I stroked her back gently between her wings as she nodded, her eyes downcast as she avoided the gazes of the others.

I lifted my gaze to look Lyra and Bon-Bon in the eyes, their own expressions softening at the serious look on my face as I spoke, “Before I tell you anything, you must swear on Celestia and Luna’s lives that you will not share what you hear with anyone outside this room. That goes for you too Spike,” I added as the dragon’s eyes widened in shock, “swear to keep this a secret or else the safety of everyone in Equestria could be at risk.”

Our herdmates shared a nervous look, now seeming a bit unsure if they actually wanted to know. Spike, on the other hand, never hesitated. He stepped forward and placed a claw over his heart, “I swear by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s lives not to tell anypony what I hear in this room today.” His gaze moved over to Twilight, even though his adoptive sister couldn’t meet his eyes, “If Twilight needs me, then I will do everything I can to help.”

That settled it in Lyra and Bon-Bon’s minds, their gazes hardening as they crossed their hooves over their hearts and then covered an eye, “Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. We won’t tell another living soul what we hear in this room.”

With that sacred vow having been sealed, I nodded and took a deep breath. This was going to be a long story, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well for anyone involved.

“Well, to answer your first question.” I swallowed thickly to get rid of the lump in my throat, “The letter Princess Celestia sent had only one thing to tell us, and it won’t be easy to hear.”

The others all leaned forward, their ears cocked and their eyes expectant as they waited on bated breath.

“Last night, over two dozen ponies in the noble class and upper ranking military personnel were assassinated, killed in their beds by means of a knife cut to the neck.” I closed my eyes to hide their horrified expressions from my gaze, firming my resolve as I continued, “The exact same story was told each time another body was found, no signs of forced entry and all other members of the household were found dead. No witnesses to the crimes and no other evidence to pin on a suspect. Yet we all know exactly who did this, because they are the only ones who would want to weaken our command structure in case of a military emergency.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon shared a horrified look, their eyes glittering with tears as Lyra asked the question on both their minds, “Who would do such a thing? Who would want to kill so many ponies for their own gain?”

I glanced once more at Twilight, but she made no moves to stop me from telling them. So, with a heavy heart, I turned back to our herdmates and began the same tale we had heard from Celestia back in Canterlot, “It all started when Princess Celestia was forced to banish Nightmare Moon. At first things looked alright, but then the monsters that go bump in the night started to come out to play, now that the mare keeping them in check was no longer around……”

It took several hours for me to tell them everything, neither Lyra nor Bon-Bon saying anything as I told them about the Shadow Wars, the necromancers, Auramancy, the whole story spilled from my lips in one long go before I had shared everything we currently knew about our enemy.

As I took a moment to breathe after stopping, Lyra and Bon-Bon simply stared at me with wide eyes, their expressions a mixture of horror, shock, and several other emotions I couldn’t identify. Yet the one thing that overpowered them all, was fear. Their eyes were pinpricks of terror as first Lyra, then Bon-Bon began to shake, their bodies nearly vibrating as I quickly wrapped them in a tight hug, pulling them into my lap as their hooves wrapped around me in a nearly crushing embrace.

“W-What are we going to do?” Lyra asked as she looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears as she fought to keep her voice steady, “we swore that we wouldn’t tell anypony, but every fiber of my being is telling me to run and scream for all of Ponyville to hear.” She buried her head in my chest as she began to sob, “I just don’t know what to do.”

Bon-Bon was slightly more collected, although the look of betrayal in her gaze told me more than she could ever say. She had once been one of Celestia’s in the know ponies, and she had still been lied to just like everyone else. To find out that all of this had been happening right under her nose and she never knew, it must have been a wrecking ball to her pride and confidence.

Spike slowly walked up and held onto Twilight, shocking the mare out of her stupor as his arms held onto her chest like a lifeline, “I know it must have been hard for you to not tell me, but I can help you take down these bad ponies. I’ll do whatever you need me to do in order to get through this. You can count on me as your number one assistant.”

Twilight’s eyes watered as she smiled, hugging her brother back as she wrapped him in her wings, “Thanks Spike. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

With that said, the fog of fear seemed to lift from the room somewhat, and I looked down at my herdmates as they pulled away from my wet shirt, “So, do you understand why I was thinking of asking you to move into the castle with us? After hearing about all of these assassinations, I just can’t imagine being able to go on if something happened to you. Please,” my hands squeezed them tight against my chest again as I buried my face in their manes, “stay with us so we can all be together if something were to happen.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon nodded, their heads tilting up as one to kiss me on the cheeks as they pulled back. They waited for a second for Spike to climb off of the couch so they could get to Twilight, before wrapping her in a double hug as well and nuzzling against the alicorn’s neck and face. Twilight sighed as she nuzzled our herdmates back, her lips curling into a smile for the first time since reading the letter.

“So now what?” Swift asked as all three mares curled up around me in a comforting pile, “Do we change up the plan and try to speed up the soldier’s training?”

I pondered our options for a moment, my mind running at a mile a minute trying to figure out what we could do to counter the blow we had been given.

“I don’t know right now,” I stated honestly, “but I do know that we can’t sit here and do nothing. Twilight,” I turned my attention to the alicorn as she perked up, “we need someplace out of public eye where Rosie and I can practice our Auramancy. We can’t let the coven figure out that there is more than one auramancer that they need to deal with. Can you build something in or below the castle that we could use to train in?”

“I’ll see what I can do, but it will take a while to make something like that.” She narrowed her eyes in determination, “But I’ll do everything in my power to get it done as soon as possible.”

I nodded, “Good, that’s one thing taken care of. Swift,” the earth pony jumped to attention as my gaze turned to her, “as of right now you are probably one of the most senior members of the guard still alive. We’re going to need you to take command if things are as bad as we think they are. No more of this middle ground crap between my crew and the rest of the guard. I need a CO that has links in both but can keep her focus on where things need to happen. Can I count on you to take up the mantle if the need arises?”

She snapped into a salute, “You can always count on me, Sarah. You never even had to ask.”

I smiled, my gaze travelling over to Rosie, “I understand that this was not originally your fight, and your country has no real stake in what happens here in Equestria unless formal war is declared. Are you certain that you want to stay and fight alongside me in the coming battles? You could be injured or even die if you choose to stay.”

Rosie never hesitated as she set her face and snapped a salute in perfect mirror to Swift’s, “I’ll follow you to the ends of Equis and back if you’ll have me, Lehrer. I won’t back down and I’ll stand beside you till the end if that’s what it takes. I will make you proud and I will fight for my friends until my last breath.”

I felt a swelling of pride in my chest at my student’s words, her determination spreading to the rest of us as we stood up as one.

My voice could have cut steel as I smiled at everyone present, “Then let’s make sure those necromancers know what it feels like to have their greatest fear working against them. We will fight, and we will win.” I placed my hand in the middle of the group over the table, our food forgotten as the others placed their respective limbs on top of mine, “For those who have died,”

Rosie took up the idea as she added in, “and for those who live.”

Swift was next as she glanced up at Rosie before turning back to our huddle, “For those we love,”

“and for those we cherish.” Lyra said as she leaned against Bon-Bon.

The earth pony nuzzled the unicorn’s mane before adding her own voice to our vow, “We fight for the common pony.”

“We fight for our friends.” Spike stated with conviction as he stood on the table next to Twilight.

“We fight for Equestria.” Twilight finished as we pulled our limbs back, a look of firm determination falling over everyone as we shared one last glance before sitting down once again.

“Watch out Moon Song,” I muttered under my breath as the others began talking about other things, “I’m coming for you, and when I’m done, there won’t be anywhere you can hide that I won’t find you.”

Author's Note

Hello everypony, and welcome back after a way-too-long hiatus. *ducks as pitchforks and torches fly by my head* Alright! Alright! No need to get testy with me! I have a reason as to why I haven't updated this book in a while, and the simple fact is that school, work and my other projects have been taking up almost all of my time. I only got a few days to work on this chapter after a big 7.2 earthquake closed down the whole city for a few days, so if that doesn't tell you how busy I've been I don't know what will.

Anyways, enough of the gloom and doom, how have you all been? Did you miss me during this longer-than-Starswirl's-beard hiatus? Well no need to worry any longer, because I am back and I hope to be able to post more stuff for you all as the weeks go by from now on.

Also, I have my very first Patron supporter! Please give a warm welcome to Earthpatriot117, who has chosen to be the very first to support me and my books on Patreon. Thank you so much for your help and I hope that others will join you in time. A link is available on my personal author page if anypony is interested in pledging to the cause, so I'll leave that as a little reminder for those who might want to join.

Other than that, I have no other announcements, so I will wish you all a happy holidays and I'll see you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

25 - Change of Command

It was only a few minutes after we had finished our pact that another letter arrived from Celestia. It stated that Twilight, Swift, Rosie, me and the other Element Bearers were needed in Canterlot for an emergency meeting. Tickets were enclosed within for the next available train to the capital in order for us to be there as soon as possible, as well as instructions for where in the castle the meeting would be held. Naturally, Lyra and Bon-Bon weren’t going to be left behind after all that they had learned. So, with a quick trip around Ponyville to gather the rest of the girls, we were on the noon train and headed to the capital, my heart filled with anticipation and dread at the same time. Over a dozen high-profile murders in the course of a single night. There was no way this wasn’t going to reach the public in some form, no matter how hard Celestia and Luna tried to cover it up. The other noble houses were sure to blow it way out of proportion, sowing the seeds of chaos that the necromancers could capitalize on if we didn’t get control of the situation quickly.

We made all haste to the castle as soon as the train came to a stop, the thunder of hooves echoing through the air as the morning crowd of nobility was ungracefully pushed aside. Our group charged through the castle gates and into the halls beyond, the regular guard stepping out of the way while servants looked on in confused awe. Sure, seeing several national heroes, a human, a gryphon and a high-ranked member of the guard running down the halls of the royal castle was going to spread rumors like wildfire, but given the situation at hand, I didn’t think anyone of our group cared in the least.

It didn’t take us very long to reach the war room, even hidden in the deeper levels of the castle where almost nobody ever went. A duo of guards was posted outside the doors, a thestral on the right and a solar unicorn on the left, each armed with a crossbow that was locked and loaded. We slowed to a halt outside the doorway, the unicorn scanning us with his magic before turning to envelop the handles with his telekinetic grip.

We were just about to enter when the thestral stepped in front of us and pointed to Lyra and Bon-Bon, his tone firm but calm as he stopped the mares from entering, “No civilians are allowed within the war room while a meeting is in session. Please wait outside until the meeting is over.”

Both mares looked at me and Twilight for help, but I shook my head, “Not our palace, not our rules. We’ll fill you in once we finish up in there. Don’t worry, you won’t be kept out of the loop any longer than is necessary.”

Lyra nodded while Bon-Bon sent the thestral a dark glare over her shoulder as they were led off down another hallway, leaving the rest of us to enter the war room as a cluster before the doors slammed shut behind us.

The war room was not quite as I had expected it to look, but given the long history of peace that Equestria had prospered in, it wasn’t all that surprising that most of the surfaces were still covered in a thick layer of dust. Old banners hung from the walls that depicted centuries’ old coat of arms, while maps were scattered about on disused tables that rested around the edge of the room. Yet in the center of the large space, stood a single massive slab of stone, circular in shape and nearly big enough to seat thirty ponies around its rim. Yet those in attendance were woefully small in number compared to the space that was available, making the dire nature of the situation all the more apparent as I got a good look at the ranks marking the armor of the ponies present.

Of the thirty seats available, only twelve ponies in armor were here, and of those ponies, only one had a rank higher than Swift Blade. The rest were all First Lieutenants and below with the majority being made up of high-rank enlisted, most of which looked like they were very insecure about being in the room under such circumstances. The only pony out of armor was a bright gold pegasus with a fiery mane and tail. Her body was covered by a dark blue dress uniform, speckled with medals and other awards while her aviator shades hid her eyes from view.

Princess Celestia and Luna were seated across from the doors and were talking with the only Colonel present, his features immediately recognizable as Shadow Fury, although the normally aloof and carefree thestral’s face had hardened into a scowl that had an edge as sharp as a knife. I took a moment to try and spot Shining Armor or any of the other commanders that I had sparred with, but there was no one else. My blood ran cold as I tried not to think of what had happened, but as my gaze returned to the royal sisters, I was caught off guard by the raw emotion that was present in Celestia’s eyes.

The diarch of the sun, ruler of Equestria for over a millennium, neigh unmovable in the face of adversity, was fighting back tears as Luna rested a wing over her sister’s back. Even the normally stoic lunar princess was losing her fight with her emotions, and in that moment I understood.

There wasn’t anypony else to attend the meeting, because the other commanders had been assassinated.

Twilight seemed to realize this as well as she walked up to the table, her gaze traveling around the room as she sought out a certain stallion, “Where’s Shining Armor? Where is my brother?”

A soft smile managed to break through the gloom on Celestia’s face, “He is safe. He was away with Cadence in the Crystal Empire when the assassins enacted their plan. Do not worry, your brother is alive and well, although I cannot say the same for the others that should have been here.”

Luna’s mouth curled down in a furious frown as her eyes bore a hole in the table before her, “I am supposed to be the protector of the night, and yet this managed to happen under my very nose. I feel like a failure for allowing such a travesty to befall our kingdom.”

Celestia’s gaze shifted to her sister, a firm but controlled expression overcoming the sadness on her muzzle, “You cannot blame yourself for this, Luna. You have never faced enemies such as these before. There was no way you could have predicted what has happened, nopony could.”

Luna growled under her breath but otherwise held her tongue, her gaze lifting to take in the group as we slowly took seats in the remaining spots around the table. Twilight sat on Luna’s left while the rest of the Bearers settled in on her other side, Swift taking a seat next to me as I sat down on the opposite side of the table with Rosie on my right. None of the ponies paid the gryphon or me any mind as all attention was focused on Celestia and Luna, the young officers shifting their eyes between one another before returning their collected gazes to the diarchs.

Celestia swallowed before taking a deep breath, a calm washing over her face as she opened her eyes, her normal collected and commanding expression returning as she addressed the room, “My little ponies, there has been an attack against our kingdom, one that has taken the lives of many officers and nobles within Canterlot itself, as well as the surrounding forts that housed some of our deployed commanders. I understand you may be frightened of what might have caused this, but take heart in the fact that we know who has performed this travesty, and we plan to pay them back tenfold for the deaths of your comrades.”

Luna picked up where her sister left off as the ponies present muttered amongst themselves for a moment, “There is a group of dark magic users that have taken up residence within our kingdom, and they plan to bring the peace and prosperity that we have come to know crashing down around our heads. They will not hesitate to kill, as we are all well aware of. And yet, they are not invincible. Their mission was to break our spirit and to destroy our ability to fight back. Yet they have not broken us, and we will rise again to destroy the darkness that they bring to our homeland. As of right now, Equestria is in a state of war, and with the help of our newest allies, we will take the fight to these necromancers and we will snuff out their ilk wherever they may try to hide.”

“As of right now, there are only four creatures who remain in our chain of command with a rank equal or higher than Captain,” Celestia added, “three of which are present in this room right now. Colonel Shadow Fury, Major Swift Blade, Captain Lovegood,” she pointed to each of us in turn with her wing before drawing the attention of the room back to herself, “these will be your commanding officers in the near future, but in order for our military to recover from the blow we have been dealt, there must be a few changes made to the current command structure. Shadow Fury,” her gaze shifted to the thestral next to her, “while you are not under my direct command, Luna and I have spoken, and we agree that now is not a time to be splitting our forces between day and night. Therefore, we will both be acting as commanders for both the Day and Night Guard. As such, our first act as your dual commanders is to promote you to the rank of General, along with shifting the command of the entire Night Guard under your new title. Congratulations.”

Fury saluted with his wing, although the dark light in his gaze wasn’t changed by the gift he had been given. If anything, he looked almost sadder at the promotion, given what it had cost the ponies of Equestria for him to get it. “I will do everything in my power to prove myself worthy of the trust you have given me. I won’t let you down.”

Both of the elder princesses nodded, turning their attention to Swift as the earth pony straightened her posture under their combined scrutiny. It was Luna who spoke this time, her voice softer than normal but still loud enough to carry across the room, “Swift Blade, you have shown excellent service in the time you have served in the guard, and you have taken even greater initiative in training Captain Lovegood in the arts of pony combat. We know that you were close friends with General Iron Wall in the past, may his soul rest in peace, and we would be honored if you would take up the mantle that he has left behind.”

Swift’s eyes were brimming with tears, but her voice was firm as she nodded, “It would be an honor to take up my old commander’s post. I will pay those necromancers back for what they did to him, and then I’ll make sure that they never forget the pain that they caused when they took our friends from us.”

Luna nodded, “Then we promote you to the rank of Colonel, placing you in command of the battalions that were once under Iron Wall’s banner, as well as maintaining your direct command of Lieutenant Colonel Lovegood’s troops. I wish these promotions could have been earned under better circumstances, but as it stands, we are left with little choice on what options we can take.”

Next, Celestia turned to the mare in dress uniform, her eyes softening as the mare removed her glasses, revealing her amber gaze to the room as the two shared a knowing look.

“Flight Leader Spitfire,” Celestia spoke softly, her tone filled with remorse as the pegasus nodded, “you have my deepest condolences for the death of your aunt. Commander Slipstream was one of the finest pegasi to ever lead the Wonderbolts, and a true friend. She will be deeply missed, and I wouldn’t dream of passing on her command to anypony else. You have proven your ability to command as the head flyer of the Wonderbolts and as trainer for the new recruits. Now is the time to step forward and take up the title that your aunt left behind. Will you accept this responsibility and become the leader she would want you to be?”

Spitfire nodded, her eyes hard as a single tear ran down her face, “I’ll do my family proud and avenge her death. Nopony deserves to die like that, and I swear to do her memory honor by making sure that we win the coming war. I don’t care how many of those necromancers I have to take down, they won’t pull apart any more families while I’m on the job.”

Over the course of the next half an hour, almost every one of the military ponies present were given a promotion of some sort, although I could tell that none of them wanted or felt ready for the responsibility that had been hefted onto their shoulders. With the reconstruction of the chain of command at least partly solved, Celestia turned to look at the newly minted General, Shadow Fury’s eyes locking with hers for a moment before he nodded.

Fury stood up and placed his front hooves on the table, grabbing the attention of everyone present as he spoke, “While the deaths of our comrades was a tragedy, there was one small benefit that came out of this whole mess. I was among the targets that the assassins came to kill, and yet I managed to capture the pony that was supposed to dispose of me. She is currently sitting in one of our most secure cells in the dungeons below the castle. Given up until now we have had no way to pinpoint the location of the necromancer’s base of operations, this could be our chance to get the information we need in order to take the fight to them.”

“But how are we going to get her to talk?” The newly-promoted Captain Night Breeze asked, the thestral mare’s eyes filled with uncertainty as she looked around at the others, “There’s no way we’ll be able to scare her into talking, and I can’t think of anything that we could do to her to make her spill her secrets if we can’t make her take us seriously.”

“Besides,” Major Arcana Ward added, “we can’t expect her to cooperate when she has every reason to keep as much information hidden as possible in order to maintain her comrades’ advantage over us.” The tall unicorn growled as he pounded a hoof into the table before him, “And to top it all off, once news about all of the murders gets to the public, there won’t be a single pony in Equestria that will be able to keep the ensuing panic from spreading.” He turned back to face Celestia and Luna with an uncertain expression, “We’re flying with one wing tied, Princesses, and I’m not sure what we can do to keep from crashing.”

Before either of them could respond, I stood up and placed both hands on the table, my eyes hard as steel as I looked at every pony present, “Leave that slime ball to me. I know a few things about interrogation that she won’t ever see coming. Just give me a few hours and I’ll have that monster spilling every little secret she knows, as well as whatever else she can think of to make me leave her alone. I know you ponies don’t like the idea of using cruel or painful ways to get information, but in this situation, we don’t have a choice. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s the only way we’ll be able to crack that nutcase.”

Celestia and Luna shared a look before turning back to me, “You have our permission to perform the interrogation, but only if I or my sister are present while it happens.”

Luna nodded her agreement as she picked up where Celestia left off, “While the necromancers are our enemy, there are still things that we cannot allow, and we will ensure that you do not overstep your bounds. Is that clear, Sarah?”
I nodded, “Crystal, Your Highness.”

With that, the meeting shifted course to planning what moves would be made in the meantime while I tried to get the necessary information out of our prisoner. Shadow Fury would take over the training of the Night Guard and would assist in the formation of a special unit, designed to take out any further assassins before they could penetrate the city’s defenses. Meanwhile, Swift and I would work together to try and prepare the soldiers that were under our command for combat while Rosie’s Auramancy training continued under the radar. Twilight ensured us that she would have a training area set up by the end of the week under her castle so we could work without having to worry about prying eyes. The Bearers would be kept in the background as a means of defense while the army would prepare for fighting the necromancers head-on, although the mares would also be taking combat classes from some of the guard’s training personnel in order to ensure they had some ability to defend themselves should they also become a target.

As for the public and the news of the murders, Celestia and Luna decided that it would be best to cut the rumors off at the pass and hold a press conference to tell the masses all at once. It would give them a small chance to calm the ensuing panic before it could get out of control, as well as to inform the public about some of the steps that were being taken to combat the threat. While the reaction of the average pony would most likely still default to panic, at least with Celestia and Luna acting in control and calm about the situation, there was the chance that it would prevent the country from falling into total chaos.

With that settled for the time being, the meeting came to a close, the doors opening as the Princesses lead the new commanders out of the war room and into the castle proper once again. Swift and Rosie fell in on my sides as Twilight lead us and the rest of the Bearers a different direction while Celestia and Luna directed the military ponies to follow them to the castle courtyard. The diarchs would have the majority of the new upper command present while they addressed the populous, while Twilight and I filled in Lyra and Bon-Bon on what they had missed. Yet not all was quiet as we traveled through the halls of the castle, given that most of the other Bearers were still shell-shocked from what they had learned.
Finally, as we entered one of the many spare rooms of the castle, Rainbow and Applejack managed to find their voices as Lyra and Bon-Bon pushed themselves up from the couch they had been seated on.

“So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow said as she hovered above the rest of the group, “those necromancers killed a lot of ponies, and all we can do is promote some hapless newbies and try not to throw the entire kingdom into a panic? How exactly is that supposed to help us kick their sorry flanks out of Equestria?”

“Yeah,” AJ added, “Ah thought we were supposed to keep the whole necromancy thing a secret. Now we’re throwin’ the whole thing wide open and simply hoping for the best?”

“Well the Princesses weren’t given much of a choice, Applejack,” Rarity countered, “I mean, you can’t honestly expect them to have an answer to everything when we are dealing with an enemy that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years.”

“But Discord was stuck in stone for over a thousand years,” Rainbow countered, “and we kicked his sorry flank with the Elements after only a day.”

“Discord was a single foe that we could fight head-on once we figured out how to overcome his manipulation,” Twilight spoke up as she stepped between the arguing mares, “plus the Elements were designed specifically to combat threats like him. They were not meant to be used against large numbers of enemies, nor were they meant to be used as a weapon. A tool for purification or imprisonment, but never a weapon. That is why Celestia wanted us to act as a last line of defense in case the army can’t handle the threat the necromancers pose. We would be a light of hope in the event the guard doesn’t succeed.”

That silenced the others quickly, although it did nothing to discourage Lyra and Bon-Bon as they voiced their own opinions.

“So, what are we going to do now?” Lyra asked, “Because I’m not about to sit back and let you guys do all the fighting while Bon-Bon and I are stuck at home worrying about you.”

“Indeed,” Bon-Bon added, “Princess Celestia kept me and the rest of the monster hunting guild in the dark about all of this and it’s made me a bit angry with her. We could have helped to track down these ponies and yet what were we doing while all this was happening? Sitting on our flanks doing nothing, that’s what.”

“You’re going to have us by your side to help,” Lyra continued, “because we are a part of this herd and we won’t sit by while our loved ones go into battle against this kind of threat. We’re going to train with you and Swift Blade so we can fight by your side once we find out where those necromancers are hiding.”

I opened my mouth to argue with them, but a hoof against my leg stopped me. I looked down and saw Twilight shaking her head at me, and I let out a long-suffering sigh as I turned to Swift.

“Think we can fit in two more during our training sessions?” I asked.

She nodded, “I don’t see any reason why not. But first, we have a little side project that needs to get done. I got the info from Fury about what cell that assassin is being held in, so we can head that way as soon as the Princesses finish up with their press conference.”

I shook my head, “As much as I would love to play by the rules and follow the Princess’s wishes, we don’t have time for that nor will it be enough if they keep me from doing my job to the best of my ability. We’re going to go down to the dungeon right now, and I’m going to squeeze that assassin like a lemon until we get the info we need.”

“You can’t!” Twilight cried as the others voiced their agreement, “Princess Celestia told you that you can’t do the interrogation without her or Luna present. Why would you want to go against their wishes when you know they have a good reason?”

I turned to face my herdmate, her eyes widening and her hooves taking her back a few steps as my gaze leveled on her, “Because I don’t have any mercy for assassins, especially when they hurt those close to me. I may have the utmost respect for Princess Celestia and Luna, but don’t think for a second that I won’t do whatever it takes to make sure we defeat those monsters. If that means I have to do a bit of underhanded work behind their backs, then I’ll do it if it means we can save lives.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon stepped between me and Twilight, shielding the other mare from my gaze as they returned my glare twofold. “That’s enough Sarah,” Lyra said forcefully, “you’re scaring Twilight.”

“We understand that you’re upset,” Bon-Bon added with just as much fire, “but that is no excuse to take it out on Twilight or anypony else. We are all on the same side, or have you forgotten that?”

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, averting my gaze from my herd as I got my anger under control. Finally, I turned back toward them, a small smile on my lips as I replied, “You’re right, I shouldn’t let my anger get the best of me,” my smile slipped into a frown, “but you must understand, I can’t do what I need to do if Celestia or Luna keep holding me back. I need to do this alone or else we won’t be able to get anything out of our prisoner. Please, help me to save lives while we still have the chance to make a difference.”

Twilight shared a look with Lyra and Bon-Bon, their gazes turning as one to look at Swift, who let out a sigh of her own before averting her gaze, “Alright, I’ll take you to the cell, but I want you to know I am completely against this. If you get in trouble because you disobeyed orders, then you’re going to face it on your own.”

I nodded, “Understood. That was the plan from the start. Now, we have a little date with our resident assassin. Let’s make sure we aren’t late.”

Swift led me out the door, but I stopped the others with a raised hand as I began to close the door behind me, “I don’t want any of you to see what I am about to do. Human interrogations are a brutal thing, even at the best of times, and I don’t want to expose you to that side of my kind if I can help it. Please, stay here and try to come up with a plan for if the army fails. It’s not the ideal outcome by any means, but it would be better to have something in play beforehand just in case. Trust me, no good plan ever survives contact with the enemy.”

With that, I closed the door behind us, leaving Swift and myself alone in the hallway as she led me down several flights of stairs. The light got progressively dimmer as the stone around us shifted from white marble to grey granite, the temperature dropping rapidly due to the sporadic torches that lit the way providing minimal heat. Finally, we came upon a single corridor, lined on either side with metal doors that were intricately carved with complex magic seals. I had a feeling I knew what the spells were for, given the nature of our prisoner, so I kept quiet as we followed the hallway all the way to the end. There, behind another of the identical doors, was the assassin, although the only reason I could see her was because of the barred window in the upper section of the door.

Her body was a deep purple in color, nearly black even in the light of the torches. Her ice-blue eyes were open and locked on us as Swift stepped up to the door, her gold and white mane falling over the side of her face as a suppression ring glinted around the base of her horn. Swift opened the door just enough to let me in before closing it again, locking me in with the not-so-deadly assassin as her gaze moved up and down my body.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise.” Her voice was smooth like honey yet was cold as a frozen glacier as she snarled at me, “Celestia’s little pet monkey come to pay me a visit. You should know that I’ll never tell you or anypony else anything. You think you can get me to talk, well I have news for you.” She stood up and walked over to me, pausing just outside my reach as she locked her gaze with mine, “Anything you could possibly think of doing, my coven would inflict ten times worse for failing my mission. I fear nothing, not even death, because I know that there are things that my fellows can do that would make death a mercy. So, go ahead, try your little tricks and word games. I’ll never betray my coven and there is nothing you can do to change my mind.”

I said nothing for a moment, letting her get over her little speech before I walked right up to her, grabbed her by her throat with both hands, and lifted her completely off the ground as I used my aura to increase my strength. The mare choked as my fingers tightened around her windpipe, her hooves instinctively grabbing onto my wrists as I held her up at my eye level. Her irises had shrunk to pinpricks as I bared my teeth at her, growling out in a voice that my drill sergeant had used on my platoon when we really messed up.

“You think you don’t fear death?” I pressed my nose against her muzzle, making sure that she looked me in the eyes as I spoke, “Then I’ll just have to find something that you fear more than dying. I will break you down and I will shatter your will to hide secrets from me, and no one, not even Celestia or Luna will be able to save you from the pain and suffering I will inflict if you don’t tell me what I need to know.”

I tossed her to the ground, her breaths coming out in wheezes as she held her neck with a hoof, her eyes boring holes in my head as I knelt down on one knee, so I was level with her, “You killed ponies that were close to those I love and care for. I’m going to make you wish you had never been born after I’m done cracking you like a walnut.”

She spit in my face, her eyes narrowed as her lips curled into a smile, “Try me, whorse. I’ll be the one laughing by the end of this, because no matter what you do to me, you’re all going to die in the end. It’s only a matter of time.”

I wiped the spittle from my cheek with a finger, my expression a stony mask as I turned and walked back towards the door. Yet just as my hand reached for the knob, I spun around, catching the mare by surprise as my metallic foot lifted up and cuffed her across the side of the head. Her body snapped around in a full circle as she spun through the air, hitting the wall with enough force to drive the air from her lungs as I marched up to her slumped form. She barely had time to take in a gasp of air before my knuckles impacted the end of her muzzle, cracking bone as blood began gushing from her nose and mouth.

I knew Swift was standing outside, but as it stood, I didn’t care. This mare was going to tell me what I needed to know, even if I had to bring her to the brink of death to get it. Her hooves swung out at my face as I brought my hand back in to hit her again, but it did nothing more than glance off my other arm as I blocked the hasty strike and then twisted the limb up and behind her back. Pressed into the floor, her foreleg in an arm bar and blood leaking from her face in buckets, she hissed at me like a snake as I leaned down over her back.

“You might have magic and training in killing unsuspecting targets,” my voice was just loud enough for her to hear it as I spoke directly into her ear, “but in here, you’re in my world, and it will be the last thing you ever see unless you tell me what I want to know.”

She spit out a glob of blood, her teeth stained red as she turned her head to look up at me, “Rot in the pits of Tartarus you damn, dirty ape. Moon Song will have your corpse mounted on the wall and then she’ll make sure to let all of your little friends see your rotting husk before she kills them too.”

My smile was predatory as I pulled her leg further up her back, her hiss of pain letting me know that the joint was being pulled properly. “Want to run that by me again, or would you like to reconsider your choice of words?”

Even with one eye closed in pain, she still managed to smile as she let out a burbling chuckle, “Do your worst, I’ll never talk.”

The sound of a bone snapping, followed by a scream of agony, echoed through the hall of the dungeon, Swift Blade folding her ears against her head to try and block out the sounds coming from within the cell behind her as I did whatever I could in order to break the assassin contained within.

Only time would tell if I could get the information necessary to save Equestria from the rest of her sisterhood and their undead horde.

Author's Note

Well, I submit myself to the masses for my punishment for waiting so long to update. I know it's hard when authors don't update for long periods of time, and the only excuse I have is that I was unable to update due to the plot being a complete pain in the flank about working itself out in my head. Other than that, I hope you all have been enjoying the book so far, and I look forward to updating on a more regular schedule from now on.

Also, shout out to my Patron Earthpatriot117 for his continued support. He has commented on several of my other books and has been a faithful follower for quite some time. If anypony feels inclined to pledge their own support, then a link to my Patreon page is on my author profile for you to use.

Now that we have all of that sorted, I wish you all a happy Spring Break, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

26 - The Cost of Intel

It had taken a couple hours, and I had to resort to every underhanded, inhumane interrogation technique that I could possibly imagine, but the assassin finally cracked. She told me everything I needed to know and more just to make me stop. I took no pleasure in watching her curl up into a ball on the floor, sobbing her eyes out, but it had to be done in order to protect the ponies I had come to care for in this new and uncertain world.
I turned around, knocking twice on the cell’s door to let Swift know that I was ready to come out. It swung open with barely a sound and I walked out, leaving the broken mare behind me as the solid wall of metal slammed home once again. I turned to look at my companion, but the soldier wouldn’t meet my eyes as we began to walk back the way we had come. I thought about opening a conversation, but the body language I was receiving from the mare told me that now was not the time or place.

Yet we were not alone for very long, as the thunderous echoes of many hooves met our ears, quickly followed by the appearance of not only Princess Celestia and Luna, but all of the Element Bearers plus Lyra and Bon-Bon. The princess’s long legs granted them the speed to get to us first, although it was a close thing as the others slid to a halt behind them. All of them were wide-eyed and their gazes kept switching from me to the cells behind us and back again. Finally, as they regained their breath, Celestia’s jaw closed and formed a hard line as her royal gaze bore down on me.

“You interrogated the assassin without us.” It wasn’t a question. “You deliberately disobeyed a direct order and went over our heads when you knew it would get you in trouble. The only thing I want to know is, why?”

I didn’t hesitate or avert my gaze, keeping my eyes firmly locked with hers as I replied, “Because it was what needed to be done.” I kept going as Luna scoffed in disbelief, “I know what you are going to say, and I can tell you right now, no amount of persuasive words or tenderfoot tactics would have had any effect on that mare. She was more scared of what her coven would do to her then of anything you could come up with, so I had to use some of the less pleasant methods from back home to get past that indifference.”

“And those methods would be?” Luna inquired, her narrowed eyes shifting from me to the averted gaze of Swift beside me.

I shook my head, “I won’t repeat what I had to do, not even to you, Princess, because it is something that should never leave the walls of that cell behind us. I would rather die as the only one who knows then allow the poison of my old life to spill over into this world.”

“And how do we know that the information that you acquired was accurate?” Twilight spoke up as she and the girls moved to flank the princesses, “For all we know you could have been fed misinformation in order to send us in the wrong direction.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small metal ring, tossing it to Celestia as she caught it in her magic field. “I know because there is one thing that unicorns value more than anything else in this world.”

The alicorn’s eyes widened as she looked at the suppression ring in her grip, her panic spreading rapidly as both she and Luna moved to rush past me. Yet before they could take a single step from their positions, I reached into my other pocket and pulled out another object, their legs locking as their eyes widened in shock and horror. Twilight screamed while Rarity and Lyra outright fainted. Rainbow and AJ looked green around the gills while Fluttershy hid behind a wide-eyed Bon-Bon. Pinkie’s mane deflated like a popped balloon and her eyes filled up with tears as she stared at what was in my hand.

My fingers curled around it in a gentle grip, was the assassin’s horn, shorn off just a few millimeters from where it had attached to her skull, the broken base covered in a thin layer of blood.

Celestia and Luna covered their mouths with a hoof, their wings flaring wide to hide the gory appendage from the view of the others as they visibly fought to keep their lunches down. Luna’s gaze shifted over to Swift, her eyes lit up with understanding that I knew all too well as she raced to the earth pony’s side. I put the severed horn back in my pocket, allowing the others to breathe as their shock began to wear off. Luna was hugging Swift with both her front legs and her wings, shielding the mare as the smaller pony wept into the alicorn’s chest. I averted my gaze from my friend, allowing her to vent her emotions as I sized up Celestia, who was managing to get her stomach back in line as the green faded from her cheeks.

And yet, I was completely unprepared for the raw fury that smoldered in her eyes as her gaze met mine once again, and I nearly took a step back as she began to approach me with careful and measured steps. She stopped only when her muzzle was inches from my nose, her breath hotter than a furnace as it washed over my face.

She didn’t ask me what I had done, because that would have been redundant. She didn’t ask why, because I had already told her. What I was not expecting, was for a single tear to run down her face as she asked, “Did you at least finish the job after you broke off her horn?”

The question caught me off guard, but I shook my head anyway as I replied, “No, why would I do that? I got the information I needed, why would there be any need to kill her?”

Celestia’s gaze softened for a moment, her head turning to take in the others as Twilight and her friends did what they could to revive Lyra and Rarity, “Because a unicorn’s magic is so closely tied to our beings, that to lose a horn is nearly the same as loosing the will to live.” She turned back to me with a gaze that was filled to the brim with sadness, “Unicorns were once punished for their crimes by having their horn removed, before the unification of the tribes and my sister and I took the throne. Do you know what happened to them after the fact?”

I shook my head, although I was beginning to dread the answer.

“They committed suicide because the loss of their magic was too much for their minds to take.” She kept her voice low enough so that the others couldn’t hear us, “It is such an integral part of our being that to lose the ability to wield it, it would be the same as if you had robbed them of their cutie mark and then branded them with a hot iron in its place.”

My mind went back to the desperate pleading the assassin had spewed when I had threatened to take her horn, but I had chalked it up to just her trying to keep her magic so she could use it against us once she got the chance. Now it was starting to make sense why she acted that way, and my eyes widened in horror as I realized what I had done.

Celestia’s nod was all I needed to see to know how much I had fucked up, “I hope the information was worth it, because if you don’t finish the job and kill that mare, somehow, some way, she will find out how to do it herself after what you have done.” Her gaze lingered on the pocket where the assassin’s horn was, her own lighting up for a moment before the weight in my pocket disappeared. “I think it would be best if that was put someplace out of sight so nopony else finds out.”

It was only as she turned away, that I realized that there might be another option than death. It was risky, and most of my mind was screaming at me that this was the stupidest thing I had ever thought of, but the guilt of what I had done was going to crush me if I didn’t at least try.

I placed a hand on Celestia’s shoulder as she turned to walk away, her head shifting back to me as I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

“Would it be possible to take her back to Ponyville with us?” Celestia’s eyes narrowed in confusion as I continued, “She’s not a threat now that her magic is gone, at least for the most part, so why don’t we show her that there is still a life that can be lived if she chooses to move past what I did? I know that there is no way she could ever forgive me, especially now that I know what I’ve done, but could we at least try to save her instead of letting her die?” Celestia’s eyes softened slightly as I began to ramble, trying to get my point across as I paced back and forth before her, “I know it’s selfish and stupid and I should just let it go, but after hearing what you said, I just can’t let it be. She may be our enemy, and she probably hates me now more than ever, but could we at least try, if not for me then for her own sake?”

Celestia forestalled any further words with a hoof on my shoulder, her gaze locked with mine and yet tender as she slowly spoke, “Your compassion in the face of your actions is commendable. I know that you did not mean to cause her as much harm as you did, but at this point there is very little we can do. The loss of her magic will be nearly impossible to overcome, and even if you did take her back with you, she would most likely spend every waking moment trying to kill you after what you did. I’m sorry, but there is no way you could safely rehabilitate her back in Ponyville, even if you somehow managed to keep her from killing herself.” A long sigh escaped the princess’s lips as she turned her attention to Luna, who was still holding onto Swift even though the mare had long since stopped crying, “Focus on the friends and allies that need you right now and let me handle the assassin. Did you manage to get her name after all of that?”

I nodded, “Lavender Blade. Her name is Lavender Blade.”

Celestia nodded in return, “Then I shall tend to Miss Blade while you and the others prepare for the battle ahead. If you have managed to lock down the location of the necromancers’ base of operations, then maybe this war can come to an end before too many ponies get hurt.”

“The base isn’t in the Everfree like we originally thought,” I added as we slowly began walking out of the dungeon, the others falling in behind us but staying well clear of me as we climbed back up into the castle proper. While it hurt me to know that my friends and lovers feared me to a certain degree now, I hoped that the information I had gathered would be worth it in the long run, “it’s in one of the old pre-Unification fortresses in the western part of Equestria. Someplace called Platinum’s Keep.”

“I thought we checked all of the old fortifications when we sent out our spies, sister.” Luna spoke up as she increased her speed to walk beside us, “Why weren’t we informed that the enemy had taken refuge there if our agents checked over every possible location?”

“Because there’s a perception filter over the entire outlying area.” I answered, “It makes ponies think they walked through the middle of the village and then through the fortress beyond, but in reality, they walked in circles for several minutes at the edge of the field and then were sent back the way they had come. It’s a very subtle magic, and one that most of the guard would probably have difficulty spotting even if they knew it was there. My guess is that they know that their agent was captured, so if we don’t get a move on soon, they’ll probably change locations to avoid getting caught out in the open. The only thing I can’t understand, is how they managed to make us think they had been hiding in the Everfree all this time when they were really hiding out on the other side of the country.”

“Magic can do many things,” Celestia muttered, “and there are lost arts that even my sister and I do not fully understand when it comes to the dark power these necromancers wield. We will muster the army, you must return to Ponyville to complete your training while the Element Bearers go with Colonel Swift Blade to Fort Reinwright to begin their own combat training. Time is a luxury we no longer have on our side, so make all haste to train Princess Rosie in every way you can, as well as to hone your combat skills for the battles ahead. We will alert you when we have prepared the forces necessary to take on these dark magic users, and then we will march on the fortress in order to take them down for good.”

“Why don’t you just use your magic to obliterate them from afar?” I asked, “Isn’t that something you could do?”

“While it is within my power,” Celestia’s tone was careful as she glanced over my shoulder at Luna, “the last time Luna and I fought using that much power was against Discord before we discovered the Elements. The Badlands are the result of that conflict, and I will not allow the same to happen a second time unless there is no other choice. We will have to rely on the common pony and their strength to overcome this foe, or else we risk destroying the very land we are trying to protect.”

Silence fell over the group as we returned to the main floor of the castle, the Bearers following along as Swift directed us to the train station, leaving Celestia and Luna behind as the diarchs walked off to begin their own preparations. Rosie met up with us near the entrance, although her excitement was quickly extinguished by the mood of the others as she fell in at my side. None of the others could even bring themselves to meet my gaze, and I knew it would be a long time before any of them could look at me the same way again.

The ride back to Ponyville was somber to say the least, and I caught Lyra crying softly into Bon-Bon and Twilight’s chests as my herdmates comforted the distraught unicorn. I wanted so very badly to sit down and hug the poor thing with all my worth, but I understood that now was not the time. She would come around, eventually, but for now it was best to let them be and to process what I had done.

The train stopped at the station adjacent to the military base, allowing Swift and the Bearers, minus Twilight, to exit, leaving Rosie and my herd alone in the car as the engine let out a forlorn whistle before it began moving again. I stayed on the far side of the car and allowed my herdmates to comfort one another as Rosie glanced between me and them, her expression a mixture of sadness and confusion as the Ponyville station slowly came into view.

“So, what exactly happened?” She asked me as we stepped off the train, “I know that you had to do something to make the assassin talk, but was it really that bad?”

I glanced behind us as Twilight and Bon-Bon helped Lyra off the train, the unicorn’s eyes bloodshot from crying as our herdmates helped her to walk back towards the castle. I nodded, not feeling like answering verbally when it was plain to see that I had done something that the others weren’t happy about. Rosie wisely let it be as we followed the girls back to the castle, the mares climbing up the steps to Twilight’s room and disappearing behind the door, leaving me and the gryphon hen alone in the foyer. Spike wandered in and asked us a question that neither of us paid attention to, his dejected face following our line of sight as Twilight walked down the steps alone. Her eyes were red and her tail was tucked between her legs as she walked up to me, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes leveled with mine.

“I’ll go and get that training room fixed up for you and Rosie.” Her voice was hoarse but firm as she turned away again, tossing the remaining words over her shoulder as she went, “Bon-Bon and Lyra are asleep wright now, so please let them be. It’s been a long day and I would rather let them rest after what we’ve been through.”

I winced as the alicorn turned down a hallway, leaving the three of us standing with nothing to do for the moment. Spike excused himself, making a hasty exit while Rosie simply walked away to do her own thing, forcing me to come to terms with my actions alone as the clicking of claws faded into the distance.

I turned and left the castle, feeling like I needed some time to think on my own while the rest of my herd had time to process what had happened back in Canterlot. My feet took me through the streets of the village, my arms waving absentmindedly to passerby as I allowed my body to take me wherever it wished. I found myself at the top of the hill where I had first discovered my Auramancy once my mind came back to reality, and I sat down with my back against the trunk as my gaze traveled over the rolling hills beyond the edge of Ponyville. The sun was still high in the sky, but in the shade of that tree, for a moment, I allowed myself to relax and close my eyes. I was drained from what I had done and heard in the dungeon, my heart pulsing with guilt as my mind’s eye returned to the assassin as she begged me not to take her horn.

I shook my head, opening my eyes again as I pushed myself to my feet, my jaw clenching in determination as I turned back to face the castle and the mares I loved, “I’m not going to let this bring me down. I won’t stop doing what needs to be done just because it hurts. This is war, and people get hurt in war. It’s a fact of life. I’m going to keep moving forward, and I’m going to make sure no one has to make those types of decisions again. I swear it.”

With my resolve held firmly in my chest, I marched back through the village, entering the castle proper, and making my way all the way up to Twilight’s room. I paused a moment to cool myself with a deep breath before I opened the door, my eyes adjusting slowly to the darkened room as I spotted Twilight and Bon-Bon lying on either side of Lyra in the bed. I was slightly surprised to see Twilight in the bed, but knowing how powerful her magic was, it stood to reason that she had probably gotten a sizable head start on our training area before coming back up here. Twilight lifted her head and saw me standing in the doorway, although she didn’t make me leave as I had originally thought. Instead, she used her magic to pull the covers off of herself and the others, inviting me into their embrace as Bon-Bon turned to see who was standing in the doorway.

I slowly made my way over to them, making sure to keep my movements careful and non-threatening, hoping that it would help them to see that I meant no harm. My heart swelled with emotion as they scooted to either side, allowing me to move onto the bed and hold onto Lyra as the unicorn finally opened her eyes.

For a moment her eyes widened in fear, and my heart clenched in pain before she wrapped her hooves around me, pulling me into a crushing hug as the others did the same.

“Promise me you’ll never have to do something like that again.” Lyra whimpered into my chest, her tears wetting my shirt as she buried her face between my breasts, “I don’t think I can handle seeing something like that again.”

I nodded, carefully pulling her body against mine as her horn came to rest against the side of my neck, “I promise. Knowing now what it does to the pony involved, I will never do that again for as long as I live. You have my solemn vow that I will find another way.”

Lyra nodded her understanding, her soft sobs fading as she managed to fall back asleep, my own eyes slowly closing as Twilight and Bon-Bon curled up on either side of us. In my heart I knew that they still loved me, but after what I had done, there was going to be a long road ahead of us before they could fully bring themselves to trust me again. I knew that, and they had good reason, but it didn’t hurt any less as we fell asleep, our hearts beating as one and our breathing smoothing out as the world faded out around us.

Author's Note

Well, here we are again, gearing up for another action-packed training chapter as the ponies get set to go to war. Did everypony enjoy this little number? I hope so because I plan to update roughly once a week instead of the twice-a-month bit I used to do. Keep your eyes out for more updates and I'll be waiting for your reviews.

A shout out to my Patron Earthpatriot117 for his continued support, as well as a huge thanks to all of my faithful readers who have stuck with this story for so long. We have officially moved into ACT 2, where the battle between the ponies of Equestria and the Necromancer Coven is building up into the war that has been promised since the beginning.

Hope you are all ready for the surprises and plot twists that are soon to come. I certainly am looking forward to it.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

27 - The Rift Between

The following morning was a rather somber affair. Twilight and Bon-Bon were content to let things lie, at least for now, but poor Lyra was still shaken up about what had happened back in Canterlot. Spike was a Godsend when it came to keeping the lot of us from falling into complete depression, throwing out small jokes over breakfast while Rosie picked at her own meal. The hen was almost as wrapped up in the tension and bad mood as the rest of us, even though she might not have known all of the details concerning my actions.

Yet, I had been tasked by Celestia to continue our training as best as I could in preparation for the coming battles, so after we finished eating what little we could stomach, Twilight led all of us down to a lower level of the castle. The space was rather large given it had been carved out of the ground mere hours before, but given the circumstances I wasn’t complaining about Twilight’s sometimes obscene power levels.

The cavern was roughly one hundred feet square, allowing for movements in every direction with plenty of room to spare, as well as a high, vaulted ceiling so Rosie could utilize her flight without feeling cramped. The walls were reinforced dirt that had been compressed into nearly steel-level strength, while the roof revealed the crystal of the castle above for all to see. Other than that, there wasn’t much else save for a bench or two on one side and a weapon’s rack for storage purposes.

“So, what exactly are we going to be doing?” Lyra asked as Twilight walked over to the bench and sat down, materializing a notebook and quill from thin air as she returned her attention to the rest of us.

“Well,” I mused, “I was thinking of starting off with some basic training for you two while Rosie warms up for her own stuff. After all, you said you wanted to learn how to fight.” I walked over to the weapon’s rack and picked up two wooden swords before returning to my herdmates, “Let’s get started and we’ll see what I have to work with.”

Lyra took her blade in her magic, her eyes slightly nervous as she hefted the weapon close to her body. Bon-Bon took hers in her mouth but surprised me when she then shifted it to one hoof, holding the blade across her chest with her hoof grip instead of her mouth. It took me a minute to pull my mind back into gear, because I was so used to seeing Swift holding her blade in her mouth. Never the less, at least Bon-Bon looked like she at least knew which end of the blade to hit with. Lyra was reminding me of some of the new recruits back home that had never handled a butter knife, let alone a real weapon.

“Alright. First lesson of the day,” I felt at least a measure of comfort falling back into training. This was something I could do without getting distracted, “you are going to get hit. It will hurt, most likely a lot, but if you can’t work past the pain then you are as good as dead. So, with that in mind,” I pulled out my own practice blade, a metal short sword that didn’t have an edge, “I’m going to give you some practical experience with both combat as well as pain tolerance. I won’t hurt you too much but expect to get hit more than once.”

“What!?” Lyra’s voice had gone up a few octaves as she dropped her blade in shock, “You never said anything about practical training right off the bat!”

“Pick up our weapon and get yourself under control, cadet.” My voice had dropped into a near growl as Lyra shrunk under my gaze, “The enemy won’t care if you are armed or not. Either you learn how to defend yourself or you’re going to end up dead when a real fight breaks out. Now pick. Up. Your. Sword.”

Lyra’s horn ignited and her blade slowly rose into position, her eyes narrowed in fear as I slowly approached her. Bon-Bon moved to intervene, but I stopped her with a raised hand, “She needs to learn how to defend herself on her own before she can rely on others. I know what I’m doing. Just let me do my thing.”

Reluctantly, Bon-Bon backed off, much to the shock of Lyra as the unicorn shot our herdmate a look of betrayal. Yet she wasn’t able to say anything before I swung my blade at her side, the flat turned to avoid causing too much pain should it connect. Lyra yelped and dropped her weapon again, ducking her front half and shielding her head with both forehooves. I sighed as my strike whiffed through the air above her body, but simply used my momentum to redirect the strike into a blow to her raised rump as I stepped past her.

Lyra cried out and jerked into the air as a resounding smack echoed through the room, her eyes filling with tears as she turned to face me, her tail tucked between her hind legs as the side of her rump began turning red.

“Like I said,” I made sure to keep my voice calm as I lowered my blade and walked up to her, “you need to be able to defend yourself, or else you’ll get far worse than a stinging rump.” I sighed as the tears began flowing, and I knelt down in front of the distraught unicorn as I wiped them away with my thumb, “You are stronger than you think you are. You just need to find something worth fighting for, if at the very least to protect your own life.”

“But I’ve never hurt anypony before.” Lyra forced out as she got herself under control, “How can I fight somepony else if I can’t stop myself from panicking when a weapon comes at me?”

“You need to think of it like this. It’s either you or them. There isn’t any other option.” I picked up her weapon and held it out to her, my gaze soft and reassuring as her eyes locked onto the wooden sword, “Either you learn to defend yourself, or at some point you will end up in a situation where you have no choice but to fight, and you won’t be able to do it because you’re too scared.”

“Like it’s so hard for you.” She hissed out, “You killed all the time back on your world. It must be like drinking water by now.”

I felt a spark of pain in my chest at her venomous words, but I understood at the same time that she was speaking out of fear, “I’m scared every time I go into a fight. I’m terrified of losing my life every time a bullet flies through the air or a blade flashes in my vision. You have not seen the things I have, and I pray you never do, but it will never be easy to take a life, no matter how many times you do it. I see the faces of every person I’ve killed in my nightmares, and their voices haunt my mind every waking moment. Don’t think for a second that it is easy to kill, because I can tell you it never is and never will be.”

I sighed again as her eyes slowly lowered to the weapon between us, her face slowly shifting into one of resolve as her horn ignited, “Will I be able to protect the ones I love if I learn how to do this?”

“Maybe,” I replied, “but then again, nothing is ever a certainty in a fight. You could get hit by a lucky arrow or you could mop the floor with an entire platoon by yourself. I can increase your chances of surviving should you get into a battle like that, but I can’t promise anything more.”

Lyra nodded, her blade lifting into the air as she backed up several paces, “Then show me what to do. I’m ready.”

I nodded in return, hefting my own blade across my chest in a cross guard as we squared off, “As you wish. Just remember my warning. This is going to hurt, but no matter what, you must keep fighting as long as you can if you want to stand any chance of getting better.”

Her eyes narrowed as her blade swung through the air a few times in front of her, “I know. Let’s do this.”

“Then defend yourself!” I cried as I charged, swinging an overhand blow for her head as her own blade rushed up to meet mine. The metal dug into the wood of her blade but didn’t break through, her eyes locked with mine as she struggled to keep my strike from getting any closer.

Bon-Bon had moved to the side to watch with Twilight as the princess took notes, leaving Rosie to practice alone on the other side of the cavern with her own sword. I could sense the energy coming off of the gryphon as she warmed up her energy abilities but was unable to focus on it any further as Lyra began her counter attack.

She might have been able to control her sword at further range than me, but it came at a cost when she had to block my blows. Her magic was versatile, but not really strong enough to take my power head on, so most of the time Lyra ended up dodging and trying to counter while I was committed to a strike. Sometimes it worked, and I had a few large bruises on my upper arm and ribs from lucky hits, but that was nothing compared to the plethora of welts and marks that covered the majority of Lyra’s body. I had neglected to go for her head, because I knew that wouldn’t go over well if she got hit in the eye or some such, but I did manage to get her across the side of the neck with a hit during one match, sending her to the ground and shorting out her telekinesis as she cried out in pain.

Bon-Bon and Twilight winced as I stood over Lyra’s body, her eyes screwed shut as tears ran down her cheeks. I held the edge of the blade to her throat, signaling that the fight was over, “You’ve got some skill, and your control of your blade is better than I had expected, but had that been a real sword, you’d be short your head right now. Go ahead and take a break once you can stand. You’ve earned it after going for so long.”

I turned and walked back to the bench, grabbing a water flask and taking a long drink as I heard Lyra’s stumbling hoofsteps come up behind me. She barely looked at me as she got her own water, although I did catch the slightly angry look I got from Bon-Bon once the earth pony got a better look at the marks I had left on Lyra’s body.

Bon-Bon was more skilled with the blade once she and I got into it, although just like Lyra, her body wasn’t used to taking blows from a stronger opponent, and her hoof grip was simply too weak to stop my strikes unless she used both forehooves, in which case I simply swept her hind legs and sent her to the ground. Skilled monster hunter she might be, but against an intelligent opponent, she was unable to get around my fighting skill and defensive maneuvers as I sidestepped or blocked everything she sent my way.

Finally, after several hours of back and forth between me and the two mares, I called it quits and sent them back up to castle to get some lunch. Twilight collected her notes as Lyra and Bon-Bon limped up the steps, her eyes filled with concern as she watched our herdmates leave.

“How can you hurt them like that?” She asked as I walked up and sat down next to her, “Don’t you care about them to not leave those kinds of marks?”

“Those marks are going to help them learn how to defend themselves.” I countered, “I care about them enough that I’m willing to hurt them so they can defend themselves when the time comes. Those bruises are nothing compared to the pain of a real wound, and I won’t sit idly by and let those necromancers hurt the ones I love when I can do something about it.”

“Yes, but if you push them too hard, they might end up hating you for putting them through all of this.” Twilight’s eyes were filled with worry as she turned to look at me, “I don’t want this herd to fall apart because we couldn’t see where the line was when it came to pushing each other.”

“I know what I’m doing, Twilight, but I understand you point.” I took a swig of my water before continuing, “I don’t want them to hate me, but I want them to understand that this is not a game. They will get hurt in a fight and I won’t let them fall over and take it when I can show them how to defend themselves. I love all of you too much to let you simply roll over and die, not when I have something to say about it.”

Her lips curled into a smile as she let out a sigh, “Well it’s nice to hear that you care so much. But, maybe ease up on them just a little bit? It is they’re first day after all.”

I nodded slightly, “I’ll think about it. I’m not used to going easy during training, but I’ll try my best not to go overboard.”

“That’s all I can ask.” She replied.

We watched Rosie as the gryphon performed more of her individual training, Twilight writing down notes while I was focusing on the energy side of Rosie’s combat moves. She was using a lot of energy to power up her strikes and speed, but I had yet to see her use any form of ranged attack. I knew that yellow could produce lightning, and red could heat up the air to the point it created a directed flame, and yet Rosie wasn’t doing either of those things. I made a mental note to go over that with her once we started our own training, my head turning to the stairs as Lyra and Bon-Bon returned from getting food. I wasn’t hungry yet, so I planned on doing some more with them before we got ready for dinner.

Yet something seemed amiss as the duo approached, and I felt a sinking feeling in my gut as I saw the expressions on the mares’ faces. They weren’t happy, and Lyra actually looked close to tears as Bon-Bon placed a hoof over her shoulders. Twilight and I shared a look of our own before turning back to our senior herdmates.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, “I didn’t hurt you too much, did I?”

They shook their heads, “No, It’s not that.” Lyra managed to say, her voice shaking slightly as she averted her gaze from Twilight and me, “Bon-Bon and I were talking over lunch, and we’ve come to a decision. We know that you want to teach us how to fight and defend ourselves, but it feels more like you’re beating us into a pulp when you don’t have to. We know pain is part of training. Bon-Bon explained it to me, just like you did, but I can barely feel anything on my entire body besides the pain.” Lyra sniffed as tears began running down her face, burying her muzzle in Bon-Bon’s chest as the other mare held her close.

“What Lyra and I are saying,” Bon-Bon added, “is that we feel that we aren’t going to be able to keep up with this kind of training. Even I don’t seem to have it in me to go through this kind of abuse when the possibility of us getting into a real fight are slim to none.” She must have recognized the shock and confusion on my face as she shook her own head, “We know this is coming out of nowhere, but if you insist on beating us into the dirt then we aren’t going to be able to stick with this training. We asked you to teach us to fight, not to turn us into walking pain factories. I can barely walk because of your hits and Lyra can’t use her magic because she can’t focus enough due to the pain. I’m sorry, but until this whole thing is over, we’ve decided that it might be better to take a break from the herd.”

“What are you saying?!” Twilight asked as she flew over to stand in front of the other mares, “You’re leaving, even after you said that you’d come and live with us in the castle?! I know this seems a bit harsh, but I agree with Sarah that this kind of training might be necessary if you are going to be able to defend yourselves. The necromancers are a very real threat and could attack anywhere they wanted if we don’t stop them first. I can’t bear the thought of losing either of you, any of you,” she added as she turned to look at me, “to those monsters if there is something we can do to stop it.”

“That’s why we’re not breaking up the herd.” Lyra managed to say as she pulled herself away from Bon-Bon, “we still love you both, more than you could ever know, but until all of the fighting is over, we feel it might be better if we simply weren’t here to distract you from what you need to do. My parents want to see me after Princess Celestia and Luna revealed the necromancers to the nation, and I think it might be a good thing if Bon-Bon and I took some time to visit with them in Manehattan.”

Twilight’s eyes filled with tears of her own as she reached out and hugged the other mares, “I don’t really understand why you’re leaving, but it makes me feel a bit better that you still love us enough to stay in the herd. We’ll write to you and keep you updated on everything so you can come back as soon as this is all over.”

I walked over and added myself into the hug, being careful to avoid the bruises I had made as we held to each other, “I’m sorry for causing you this pain, but I truly thought it would be what you needed in order to protect yourselves. For that, I’m sorry, I truly am. I just wish you didn’t have to leave.”

“We don’t have to leave,” Lyra replied, “but I agree with Bon-Bon. I think it would be better for everypony if you can focus on your training and beating those necromancers into the dirt. Bon-Bon and I would just distract you if anything were to happen. At best we wouldn’t be part of the fight, but at worst we’d be a burden and neither of us want that to happen. We love you both, and we don’t want you to have to try and split yourselves between two things if us leaving would make things simpler. We’ll only be a letter away, and we’ll come back a soon as all of this is over. Count on that.”

We held one another as Twilight sobbed into the chests of the mares, my arms holding all three of them together as Bon-Bon reached up and kissed me. I returned her affection before switching to Lyra, my tongue invading her mouth for a moment before we split apart. All three of us kissed along Twilight’s neck and face, slowly morphing her tears into giggles as she tried to squirm her way out of the middle of our embrace.

“H-Hey! S-S-Stop it!” She finally ignited her horn and teleported out of the huddle, her lips curled into a smile as she wiped her cheek with a hoof, “That tickles.”

We laughed alongside her as she returned to the group, her wings folding around all three of us as her lips met Lyra’s. Bon-Bon took her turn as Twilight parted lips with the unicorn, the earth pony’s hooves finding their way to Twilight’s cheeks as they held one another. Finally, after showering each other with affection for several minutes, Lyra and Bon-Bon stepped back and let out a double sigh.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.” Lyra managed to say as her eyes filled with tears once again. “We’ll send a letter once we get to Manehattan, so you won’t worry about us.”

“I’m going to miss you girls.” Twilight forced out as her own eyes filled, “but I know we’ll be together again soon. You’ll see. We’ll be closer together than ever once we don’t have to worry about those necromancers anymore.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon nodded, turning their attention to me. “We’re sorry we couldn’t keep up with your training,” Bon-Bon said with a small smile, “we know it wasn’t your intention to hurt us. It’s just that we aren’t cut out to handle that much pain and still keep going. Focus on the tasks ahead and we’ll see you when we get back, and once we do, I think Lyra and I would be more than happy to move into the castle with you and Twilight. We just can’t right now with all of this crazy necromancer stuff going on.”

“I’m with Bon-Bon completely,” Lyra added, “we’ll be the best herd anypony has ever seen, and I’ll certainly be looking forward to some fun together once we get back.” She rolled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

The rest of us laughed as we shared one last group hug, stepping back as the duo began climbing back up the stairs. Twilight and I waved until they were out of sight, a sigh escaping her lips as she turned to face me.

“Well, that just happened.” She stated with a flat tone.

“Yeah, but I can see why they felt that they weren’t cut out for this. You ponies tend to get a bit locked in your beliefs when it comes to your skills in life, mostly centered around your cutie mark.” I picked up the training weapons and put them back on the rack as I added, “Neither Lyra or Bon-Bon have the skills or drive to be a warrior, it’s not who they are, and given ponies are so driven to follow their destiny, they just don’t have the confidence or ability to learn something like combat without very selective training. Training that I am apparently unable to provide.”

Twilight stepped up and rested a hoof against my leg, “It’s not your fault. You did the best you could, and they weren’t able to adjust to something so foreign. After all, most ponies are peaceful to a fault. I’ve rarely seen anypony get into anything more than an argument, save for a couple of my friends. And even then, most fights never get past the first couple blows. I know you wanted to help them, but for the most part, we aren’t able to see past the pain the other pony is feeling, and that is why so little of our population is actually able to be a part of the military. Even then, the guard is more of a police force than anything like a true military, so they mostly break up fights instead of starting them.”

“Then how am I going to lead them into a warzone and expect them to be able to fight when the enemy is completely okay with taking the lives of anyone who stands against them?” I asked as I sat down again, my gaze travelling over to Rosie as she went through another combat dance, “Even Rosie is so new to this. I know gryphons have a more militaristic culture than Equestria, but even she is reluctant to do more than incapacitate her opponent. I don’t know if she’ll be able to cut it when the war actually starts.”

Twilight climbed onto the bench next to me and rested a wing over my back, “Have faith in yourself and those around you. We can do this, even if we don’t look like we will be able to do much. Equestria has faced many dangerous foes in its past. This time will be no different.”

I sighed as I stood up again, turning to look at Twilight as I smiled, “Thanks Twi, I know it’s not going to be easy, but with you and Rosie at my side, I know we can make it through this. And then we’ll make sure Lyra and Bon-Bon know that no matter what, we will always be together.”

She nodded her agreement, “Then let’s make sure they don’t have any reason to worry. I’m going to be headed out to Fort Reinwright so I can help the girls with their own training. Can you and Rosie handle yourselves here until it’s time to gather the troops?”

I nodded, “I’ll see you at the Fort when Rosie and I are done with our training. It shouldn’t take more than a few days; we’ve gone through most of the masters’ journals.”

Twilight smiled as she pushed up onto her hind legs, planting a kiss on my lips before pulling back, “I’ll see you in a few days then. I’ll be waiting for you and Rosie and I expect you to be on time. The last thing we need right now is a tardy commander.”

I rolled my eyes as she jumped off the bench, my hand finding its way to her rump as I gave her a playful swat. She yelped as her cheeks flushed red, her eyes lidding as she playfully glared at me over her shoulder, “Oh you’re lucky I need to go, or else you’d be regretting that little stunt.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, smirking as I looked down at her, “And what exactly were you thinking of doing to me in retaliation?”

Twilight smirked herself as she hovered up and whispered in my ear. My eyes widened and my cheeks flushed red as I jerked away from her, her smug grin and bedroom eyes driving my heart through my ribs as she landed once more.

“You really want to try that?” She nodded, “Well I think we should wait for the girls to come back before we do anything crazy. They’d never forgive us if we left them out of something like that.”

Twilight giggled as she turned around, flashing me as she swung her tail to one side as she began climbing the steps, “Then think of that as incentive to come back in one piece. I’ll be rather displeased if you get hurt out there and I can’t give you your present after this is over.”

I swallowed thickly, as she disappeared into the castle proper, my body jerking slightly as Rosie spoke up from my side.
“So, what exactly was that all about?” She asked, either not noticing or ignoring my jerk of surprise.

“Jesus Christ, don’t sneak up on me like that!” I managed to get my heart back under control as I turned to face the young hen, “Nothing really important. Just some talk about our plans for when this whole war with the necromancers is over.”

Rosie nodded, “Well, I think I’m warmed up enough. I was careful not to use too much energy like you taught me, but it was getting a little boring practicing by myself.”

“Then we’ll have to pound some of that boredom out of you.” I countered playfully, picking up my sword from the rack once more as I turned to face her, “Prepare yourself, because I won’t be going easy on you like I was with the girls.”

Rosie smiled as she drew her own blade, her energy charging all around her body in a bright red as she fell into a fighting stance, “I would hope not. I’m not some rookie like those two were. I’m ready for you, Lehrer. Come and get me.”

“As you wish.” I raised my blade and charged, her own sword rising to meet mine in a flash of sparks and energy as our bodies locked against each other.

We barely left that room for the next couple days, although Spike was sure to remind us to eat and sleep when we had to, although even he ended up forgetting some of the time because he would get so engrossed in watching our sparring matches. Twilight made sure to keep us updated of the situation at the fort, as well as passing on the letter she got from Lyra and Bon-Bon stating that they had made it to Manehattan without issue. In those last few days, we received word that Celestia and Luna had sent out a call to arms, and that the different chapters of the guard were mustering across the country. They would meet us at Fort Reinwright and from there we would march on the necromancer’s stronghold. The time for action had finally come, and it wouldn’t be long before Moon Song and her coven were facing the full might of Equestria’s army.

On the morning of the fifth day, Rosie and I packed up our gear before the sun had even risen, leaving a note for Spike so he wouldn’t worry, and headed out for the train station just as the engine pulled in. We climbed aboard and in moments we were on our way. Now the only thing left was to meet up with the troops, and march on the necromancer’s stronghold. Platinum’s Keep was a relic from a bygone age, one where war and invasion were a much greater threat. Taking it down would not be easy, especially when we knew that Moon Song and her coven had an army of their own. Yet as the sun began to rise, I felt like maybe, just maybe, things would turn out alright. We marched out of the station and began the long walk to the Fort, our heads held high and our spirits raring for a fight. The time for preparation was over.

Now was the time for war.

Author's Note

Well, here we are. The time for peace has come to an end, and the trumpets of war have begun to sound. Hope you all are enjoying this lovely little number, and I look forward to hearing what you think in the towel section below.

Also, say hello to my newest Patron, WuBzY, as well as a returning friend, Earthpatriot117. If anypony else wishes to join the ranks of my supporters, then feel free to use the link on my author's page and become a Patron yourself.

Other than that, not much else to say other than I'm sorry for the delay in updating. School has been kicking my flank left and right and I haven't had time to write until now.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

29 - On the March

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a little head's up. There will be music in this chapter, so I'm going to add in this little side note so nopony gets confused.
Words in this color are Sarah's voice.
Words in this color belong to the entire group singing at once.
Other than that, I hope you enjoy, and happy reading!

We spent the entirety of that first day on the road, marching mile after mile along the packed dirt towards the distant west, and the forgotten fortress where our enemy lay hidden. The supply wagons followed the mass of armored ponies so that we wouldn’t have to stop until we got to our destination. All of our food, tents, and other such gear was stored in the wagons, allowing the troops to march unhindered in formation as Fury, Swift, Rosie and I lead the army.

It was only as the sun began to set that we slowed to a halt, the thunderous rhythm of marching hooves coming to a gradual stop as the battalions formed up into their respective clusters as the tents and food were unpacked from the wagons. The command tent was stationed directly in the center of the conglomerate so that way messages could be passed from commander to subordinate as quickly as possible, meaning that the other officers and I were going to be spending the night in the very heart of our troops.

Rosie and I stepped aside with Fury and Swift as we sat around a small fire, the general hubbub of talking ponies creating a soft chatter in the background as everyone got settled in for the night. Patrols covered the perimeter of the camp so we wouldn’t get caught by surprise by any enemy soldiers, and in a rare moment of quiet, I managed to feel somewhat relaxed as I sipped from a thermos of tea. I would have preferred coffee, but the bags were much lighter than grounds and so I had to make do with the bitter liquid as the others munched on their own food.

Rosie’s wings fluttered slightly as she sat beside me, her skewer of meat bits steaming slightly in the cooler night air and giving off an absolutely delicious smell. Swift was used to us eating meat by now, so she wasn’t bothered by it as Rosie and I dug into our meal, but Fury was a bit green around the gills, pushing his own folding plate to one side as he mastered his stomach.

“So, what’s the general plan going forward, General?” Swift asked, turning her attention to the thestral as she sipped from her own tea.

“We march into the village that resides outside the Keep,” Fury replied, “from there we can make a more concentrated assault on the fortress without having to worry about being flanked by enemy troops. Make no mistake, we will be facing an army, and I know for a fact it’s not going to be an easy fight once things start moving.” He shifted his attention to Rosie and me, “You two are going to be part of a special unit I’m putting together to try and break through to the coven itself, bypassing the majority of the fighting so you can take out our problem at the source. Without a necromancer to supply them with power, the undead should fall apart or at least lose any form of direction, allowing us to dispatch them easier and prevent new troops from being summoned.”

“How many of us are going to be a part of this little task group?” Rosie asked, “I know it’s going to have Sarah and I in it, but are we going to have a bunch of ponies backing us up?”

Fury nodded, “Yes, but only a squad or two. We want you to be as mobile as possible and having a large group will draw too much attention as well as slow you down. You need to have the freedom to move about without getting bogged down in unnecessary fighting.”

“I’m going with you.” Swift stated with finality, “I’m not going to let you face those monsters with a bunch of new recruits. Besides, Princess Twilight would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”

Rosie and I nodded our agreement, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’d be honored to fight beside you in the coming battle.”

“Then I suggest you get a good night’s sleep.” Fury added as he stood up, “We pick up camp at dawn and should be arriving at the Keep by midafternoon tomorrow. We’re going to need to be as fresh as possible if we’re going to be fighting a war once we get there.”

“Sir!” Swift, Rosie and I snapped into salutes as Fury trotted away, leaving the three of us to finish our food before standing.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Swift added as she walked into the command tent, “and good luck.” She cast a look Rosie’s way, opened her mouth to speak, and then seemed to think better of it.

Rosie glanced at me as the earth pony disappeared into the tent, but I shook my head. It wasn’t my place to reveal Swift’s feelings for the gryphon hen, and I wasn’t about to step in until after all of this was over. Because if Swift didn’t say anything after we fought through a literal army of the undead to save Equestria, then I was going to kick her sorry little plot from here to next Tuesday for being a self-conscious, boneheaded moron.

Rosie and I stayed out for a bit longer, just enjoying the quiet of the night as the rest of the camp went to sleep, and I felt the hen’s gaze on me as I turned to meet her eyes.

“Something on your mind?” She seemed to have trouble replying as she opened and closed her beak several times.
Finally, she managed to find the words and asked, “Do you think Swift likes me?”

I managed to keep a straight face as I followed her gaze towards the command tent, “I don’t know. I know she likes you as a friend, if nothing else, but it’s not my place to say one way or the other.” I returned my gaze to hers as she looked up at me, “What brought this on?”

“Well,” she tapped the tips of her claws together as she found great interest in the log across from us, “it’s just that I’ve seen her looking at me funny a couple times when she thought I wasn’t able to see her, and it’s got me thinking about what it would be like if she and I ended up together.”

“What about your father?” I asked, “Do you think he would approve of you dating a pony?”

Rosie’s beak curled into a smirk, “He wouldn’t care one way or the other, as long as I was happy. Would I need to think of something to secure my lineage? Absolutely. But I’m a young hen, and I have plenty of time to think of that once all of this is over with.” She smiled fully as her eyes lit up with hope and something else that I couldn’t quite identify, “Swift makes me happy, and not just as a friend. I can’t imagine not being with her after all that we’ve gone through. I just don’t know if she would be willing to return my feelings if I told her how I feel.”

I debated with myself for a bit before coming to a decision, “You know what? I think you should tell her. You might not get the chance after the war is over, so now would be the best time to do something about it.”

“WHAT?!” Her voice rose into a near screech as her wings flared wide, “You think I should just walk up to her and tell her how I feel? What if she doesn’t like me that way? What if she gets distracted and she gets hurt during the battle? I can’t endanger her like that just because I like her! Especially because of how I feel for her!”

“Then you won’t ever find the courage to tell her if you don’t do it now.” I countered, “She loves you. She’s told me several times herself that she’s crazy for you. All you have to do is walk into that tent, tell her how you feel, and then you can fight side by side to destroy the enemy with me. Quick acting like a little kitten and make a move already!”

Her eyes narrowed as her fur and feathers fluffed out, “Fine, I will. And when she rejects me, I’m going to blame you for breaking my heart!”

With that she stormed off and pushed her way into the command tent, and I sat back to enjoy the last of my tea before standing up and following her. I waited outside the tent flap for a moment, just letting them have their moment, although what I didn’t expect once I pushed the flap out of my way, was to walk in and see both Rosie and Swift locked together in a tight embrace, their mouths pressed into one another in a deep and passionate kiss.

I smirked as I walked over to my own bunk, pushing the sheets out of the way as I untied my boots, “You two might want to come up for air soon,” I quipped as they continued to make out, “or else you might pass out from lack of oxygen.”
They pulled apart slowly, their eyes turning to glare at me in unison as their cheeks began burning bright red. “Mind your own business,” Swift replied as she turned Rosie’s face back towards hers with a hoof, “we’re a bit busy if you hadn’t noticed.”

I rolled my eyes as they went back to sucking face, but I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my lips as I rolled over to face the tent wall. I was happy for the two of them, and I really did think that they would be a wonderful couple. Besides, love that never came to be because of war is more painful than anything else. I had a friend back in basic whop never got around to saying how she felt, and then her would-be lover got killed while on deployment. Needless to say, I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that didn’t happen to either of them. That, I swore to prevent at any cost.

The following morning rose bright and clear, and I rose out of my cot feeling rather refreshed. I rolled over and spotted Rosie curled up around Swift in the same bed, a wing rested over the earth pony in a protective hold while her claws held onto her barrel from behind.

I wouldn’t help the small squeak of adorableness that managed to escape my lips, but I held in my inner fangirl as I pulled on my boots and walked out of the tent. The morning bugle call rang out over the camp just as I exited the structure, and I felt a small measure of glee when I heard both Swift and Rosie crying out in surprise as a duo of thuds signaled their rapid departure from the bed.

Breakfast was more of the same from the night before, but then again, army rations were army rations, no matter what world you found yourself in. We formed up on the main road once again and began the march anew, although as we continued our journey, I noticed that there seemed to be a bit of a weight resting on everyone’s shoulders.

Feeling like some moral boosting was in order, I let the rhythm of the march fill me from boots to head, and I called out in my loudest voice as the ponies and gryphon around me turned to look in surprise.

It’s time to strap our boots on
This is a perfect day to die
Wipe the blood out of our eyes

In this life there’s no surrender
There’s nothing left for us to do
Find the strength to see this through

The ponies began to smile as I belted out the song, the thunder of marching hooves growing just a bit louder as Rosie and I sped up in order to stand next to Swift and Fury. They turned to look at me as we stepped into file on either side of the ponies, and I felt a surge of pride as they began nodding along with the beat.

We are the ones who will never be broken
With our final breath
We’ll fight to the death
We are soldiers, we are soldiers
Woah woah woah whoa
We are soldiers

I stand here right beside you
Tonight we’re fighting for our lives
Let me hear your battle cry
Your battle cry

There was an echoing roar as the stallions and mares behind us called out in unison, the collective army of Equestria sounding off their might as they added in a chorus to support my vocals.

We are the ones who will never be broken (never be broken)
With our final breath
We’ll fight to the death
We are soldiers, we are soldiers

We are the ones who will not go unspoken (not go unspoken)
No, we will not sleep
We are not sheep
We are soldiers, we are soldiers
Yeah

I felt the energy of the formation rising with me as my voice dropped to a low tone, the anticipation building with every word as I lifted my whisper to a shout by the end of the verse.

We stand shoulder to shoulder
We stand shoulder to shoulder
We stand shoulder to shoulder
You can’t erase us
You’ll just have to face us

The entire army echoed my words as the sun shone high overhead, the clear skies and open road carrying our song for miles. I could practically feel the hearts and minds of everyone lifting with each note and word, our collective strength bosting moral to new heights as the song reached its climax.

We stand shoulder to shoulder
We stand shoulder to shoulder
We stand shoulder to shoulder
You can’t erase us
You’ll just have to face us

We are the ones who will never be broken (never be broken)
With our final breath
We’ll fight to the death
We are soldiers, we are soldiers

We are the ones who will not go unspoken (not go unspoken)
No, we will not sleep
We are not sheep
We are soldiers, we are soldiers
Yeah
Woah woah woah whoa
We are soldiers
Woah woah woah whoa
We are soldiers
Woah woah woah whoa
We are soldiers

Rosie turned to face me as the song ended, her eyes alight with joy and excitement as she spoke, “That was amazing! Can we sing another?”

“Yeah,” Swift added, “we needed something like that after all the doom and gloom started to settle in. I’m all for another one if you feel like leading again.”

I nodded, feeling my energy rushing through my body as my mind settled in on another of my squad’s favorites.

“Alright, here goes.” I couldn’t help the smirk that formed on my lips as I turned to face Fury, “Try to keep up in you can.”
He returned my smirk and retorted, “With pleasure.”

My voice rose once more as the next cadence began, and I could feel the ponies behind me marching just a bit faster and harder as the beat filled us all with energy.

I’ve got the reach and the teeth of a killin’ machine
With a need to bleed you when the light goes green
Best believe I’m in the zone to be
From my Yin to my Yang to my Yang Tze

Put a grin on my chin when you come to me
‘Cuz I’ll win, I’m a one-of-a-kind and I’ll bring death
To the place you’re about to be
Another river of blood runnin’ under my feet

Forged in a fire lit long ago
Stand next to me you’ll never stand alone
I’m the last to leave but the first to go
Lord make me dead before you make me old

I feed on the fear of the devil inside
Of the enemy faces in my sights
Aim with a hand
Shoot with a mind
Kill with a heart like Arctic ice

“After me everyone!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, “I want them to hear us all the way back in Canterlot!”

I am a soldier and I’m marchin’ on
I am a soldier and I’m marchin’ on
I am a warrior, and this is my song
I am a warrior, and this is my song

I bask in the glow of the rising war
Lay waste to the ground of an enemy shore
Wade through the blood spilled on the floor
And if another one stands, I’ll kill some more

Bullet in the breech and a fire in me
Like a cigarette thrown to gasoline
If death don’t bring you fear I swear
You’ll fear these marchin’ feet

Come to the nightmare, come to me
Deep down in the dark where the devil be
In the maw with the jaws and the razor teeth
Where the brimstone burns and the angel weeps

Call to the gods if I cross your path
And my silhouette hangs like a body bag
Hope is a moment now long past
The shadow of death is the one I cast

The entire army added in their voices for the chorus, echoing through the air as the force of their cry drowned out the steady beat of their hooves. My vision nearly blurred from the rush of energy running through my body, and I could see Rosie’s aura beginning to rise around her body as her own energy surged beyond her conscious control.

I am a soldier and I’m marchin’ on
I am a warrior, and this is my song
My eyes are steel, and my gaze is long (I CANNOT HEAR YOU)
I am a warrior, and this is my song

Now I live lean and I mean to inflict the grief
And the least of me’s still out of your reach
The killin’ machine’s gonna do the deed
Until the river runs dry and my last breath leaves

Chin in the air with a head held high
I’ll stand in the path of the enemy line
Feel no fear, know my pride
For God and country I’ll end your life

I am a soldier and I’m marchin’ on
I am a warrior, and this is my song
My eyes are steel, and my gaze is long
I am a warrior, and this is my song

The great walls of Platinum’s Keep rose high in the distance, and for a moment, I could imagine Moon Song and her coven hearing our cry, and feeling fear knowing that we were coming to destroy her and everything she stood for.

The ancient walls of Platinum’s keep shook slightly with the echoing cry of the approaching army, a small group of unicorns standing on the outer wall as they watched the troops draw near. A single mare threw back her hood and smiled, her lime green eyes glinting with anticipation as her horn began to glow.

“So Celestia sent her little toy soldiers to stand against us.” Her voice dripped with venom as her lips curled into a frown, “Let’s show these little ponies that this is not a game that can be won so easily.”

The land around the Keep began to roil and shake as rotting hooves and skeletal bodies began breaking free of the dirt and rock, the army of undead rising to face the army of the living as the sun began its slow descent towards the horizon. Two factions would face another in this battle, but only one would come out of it when all was said and done.

The battle for Equestria was about to begin, and only Fate knew what lay in store for our heroes.

Author's Note

The time for talk has come to an end. Now is the time for action. I hope you all are enjoying this little chapter, because the next one is going to be the climax of ACT 2. Hold on to your horseshoes, and pray to whatever gods you hold true that things will work out in the end.

The songs for this chapter are as follows in case you want to listen to the original versions.
Soldiers, by Otherwise
The Warrior Song, by The Warrior Song Project

Once again, a big thank you to my Patrons, WuBzY and Earthpatriot117, they have supported me and my work for several months now, and I hope to see more of you jumping on the bandwagon in the future.

Other than that, I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

30 - The Knights of Light and Darkness

The army of ponies came to a stop as the land surrounding the Keep began to shift and toss, the forms of undead rising from beneath the ground in droves as Swift and Fury’s eyes widened in shock.

“Celestia preserve us.” Swift whispered as the companies behind us began to file out to either side.

“We can beat them.” Rosie assured the mare, placing a claw over her withers, “We just need to stick to the plan, and everything will turn out alright.”

“Rule number one in a war,” I countered, “no plan survives contact with the enemy. We might have a strategy for taking them out, but it never hurts to have a backup in case something goes wrong.” I turned my attention to Fury, “Any ideas, General?”

He nodded, “We can take out some of the undead from the air using our pegasus units, as well as bombard them from a distance with unicorn spells. The only problem I can see is that there are a lot more of them than there are of us. We need to avoid getting surrounded or else we’re going to get crushed like an ant under hoof.”

“Then it’s critical that we keep moving and avoid getting pinned in one spot.” I added, “Swift, Rosie and I will take our squad to one of the flanks and try to infiltrate the keep from behind, you need to keep their attention away from us by engaging the undead at the front.”

“We can also use our mobility advantage to run blitz attacks on the line while the majority of the troops keep the horde under control.” Swift smiled at Rosie, a slight blush coming over her cheeks as she nuzzled against the gryphon’s neck, “That way we can hopefully sneak in undetected while the coven focusses on directing their monsters at our main force.”

Fury watched as Swift and Rosie gave each other affection but didn’t comment on it as he shifted his attention to me, “Then we are all counting on you and your group. We can hold them off for a time, but without the ability to engage the coven directly, we won’t be able to stop the undead for long because they’ll keep bringing them back. Your top priority is to take out the coven at any cost and then get your flanks back to the main line so we can take care of the remaining undead. Is that clear?”

I saluted, “Crystal, sir.”

Fury saluted back, turning as the supply wagons began unloading the weapons and extra armor while the commanders passed out the respective gear to those under their command. Fury selected a set of wing blades while Swift and Rosie added some sections of plate armor to their kit, the earth pony picking up a sword while Rosie held onto the gryphon sabre that was hanging from her side. I picked out a duo of short swords and then added a set of bracers to my gear while slipping a small buckler over my shoulders. The metal shield would protect me from behind as well as provide me with an extra weapon should I lose one of my swords.

With our respective weapons taken care of and with Fury directing the distribution of the remaining supplies, Swift, Rosie and I walked back over to our company, selecting two of the squads from the front line as the rest of the army got into position.

“Alright, so here’s what’s going to happen.” I called out as we lead our support group along the rear of the battle line, “We are going to try and sneak around the keep and attack the coven directly, allowing the majority of the army to engage the undead out here. We are going to be on our own once we get inside, so if you have any doubts, voice them now or else we won’t have any pity for those that chicken out in the middle of the mission. Any questions?”

“No ma’am!” Was the collective reply.

“Alright then,” Swift called out over the din of shouting soldiers, “from this moment on, we are going to be fighting for our lives. If we say do something, you need to do it and do it yesterday or else somepony is going to die. The enemy has no mercy for fools who can’t listen to orders, and I won’t feel any pity for anypony who get’s their plot killed because they didn’t listen when given an order. Your number one priority is to keep these two alive so they can take out the coven inside the Keep.” She pointed at Rosie and I while maintaining her pace towards the right flank of the army, “If they die, we all die, so do your jobs and keep your formation unless you’re already dead on the ground. Am I understood!”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Good.” Swift nodded before turning to face Rosie and I, “Alright, you two are going to stay in the middle of our formation until we breech the keep. Stay with me and stick to the plan for as long as you can. I’m not sure how many of those zombies we’re going to run into out there, but I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to your lives.”

The ponies around us formed into a diamond shape with Swift acting as the point directly in front of us while the others covered our sides and rear. We broke from the side of formation just as the army of undead began marching forward, the village between us and the Keep quickly becoming overrun with the mass of rotten flesh. Fury called out the advance, the thunderous peel of bugles echoing over the battlefield as the pony army began marching against the approaching undead.

Swift and the others directed us around the village as the undead began picking up speed, their rotting flesh making sickening squelching noises against the hard-packed dirt of the main road. For a while it looked like we were going to make it without any trouble, but that only lasted until we came even with the village. A large group of zombies charged from between the dilapidated houses, coming straight for our left side as the rest of the army continued on towards the rest of the pony force.

“Incoming troops!” One of the mares called out, the formation shifting to support the left flank as the extra soldiers opened up the right side.

There was a loud crunch noise as the corpses impacted against the outer line of guards, their swords swinging through the air as parts were removed from the bodies in seemingly random order. Swift used her own blade to decapitate several of the incoming zombies before they could get around the formation, but it wasn’t enough. The ones that were put down were pitiful in number when compared to the incoming mass of undead, and it began to show as the surge of bodies began to work around the edge of the formation.

“Sure up the flanks!” Swift called out as she shifted to block one of the zombies that had tried to make it around the wall of ponies, “Don’t let them get through!”

Rosie and I were blocking and destroying as many of the zombies as we could without exposing ourselves too much. We knew we had to stay inside the formation unless absolutely necessary, but that didn’t make it any easier as we saw several of the guards get taken down as the amassed undead began to overwhelm our position.

“Make a run for the Keep!” Swift called over her shoulder as she used her hind hooves to buck a zombie into literal pieces, “We’ll hold them off so you can get finish the mission!”

“But what about you?!” Rosie cried as she slashed the head off of another corpse, “What are you going to do about all these undead?”

“We’ll make it through,” Swift retorted as she fell in beside me and Rosie, “we’ll return to the main force and draw these monsters away from you so you can get into the Keep and take out the coven. Hurry up and go before they cut off your route of attack!”

“Come on,” I grabbed Rosie under one arm and dragged her around the ponies, racing over the open ground as they blocked the rest of the undead from following us, “let them do their jobs so we can do ours. We need to get to the keep and kill those necromancers before their constructs overrun the army. Swift is a big girl. She can take care of herself. Focus on the mission and we’ll make it out of this just fine.”

Rosie grumbled under her breath but didn’t argue as she raced along beside me, our auras surging as we pumped on the speed, kicking up twin trails of dust as we blazed past the remaining undead and charged straight for the castle gates. The drawbridge was up, of course, but Rosie had wings and I could easily climb the walls once I jumped over the moat. We continued to charge past the remaining undead, cutting off heads at blinding speed without losing a step and then making a powered leap up towards the walls as our strides brought us up to the edge of the moat.

Rosie flared her wings and grabbed me under the arms, pushing the last few feet as we cleared the parapets, my boots coming down hard on the rock walkway as Rosie flipped over and came in for a landing at my side. We kept our weapons drawn and ready as we carefully climbed down from the outer wall, our eyes wandering from shadow to shadow as we carefully walked into the main courtyard. Not a single undead could be seen in the area, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any hiding outside our field of view. Rosie kept her side plastered to mine as we pushed further into the keep, the sounds of battle outside slowly going silent as the stone around us dampened the noise to nothing.

The air around us had grown still as we made our way deeper into the central keep, the darkness casting shadows over everything as we shifted nervously from step to step. Rosie’s feathers and fur were fluffed in nervous energy, her aura sparking with soft light every once and a while as she followed in my footsteps down the hallway. There was no sound save for our own steps on the stone, and I could practically smell the stench of death hanging in the air. We were in the necromancer’s home territory, and I had the distinct feeling that they already knew we were here.

As the great doors leading to the throne room opened with a mighty groan, Rosie and I poked our heads around the gap before stepping into the grand hall fully, our eyes locked onto the singular chair that resided at the far side of the room. There wasn’t anything else in the ancient space, but I knew in my bones that they were hiding here somewhere.

“Where do you think they are?” Rosie whispered as we stopped at the edge of the steps leading up to the throne, “Did they run away?”

My reply was interrupted by a chorus of laughter, and we spun back to back as large swirling clouds of black smoke formed on either side and running up the steps. The largest cloud by far slowly condensed on the throne itself, revealing Moon Song in all her glory as the other clouds formed into the other members of the coven. Rosie and I were completely surrounded save for the way back we had come, although that was quickly cut off as several death knights closed ranks and shut the doors behind them.

“Well, well, well,” Moon Song smiled as she lounged on the throne above us, “look what we have here. A little Auramancer come to save the day with her stumbling chick of a sidekick.” She let out a sinister chuckle as she climbed to her hooves, “You were fools to come here, and even more the fool for trying to face us by yourselves. We are far more powerful than one little Auramancer, and I will enjoy watching you break as we tear you little army apart.”

I smirked as I charged my aura and allowed it to escape my body, lighting up the room with a bright yellow glow as I glanced behind me at Rosie, “Ready to show them our little surprise?”

Rosie tightened her grip on her own blade as she nodded, “Thought you’d never ask. I’m ready to kick some plot and then head home.”

“Such confidence,” Moon Song mused as she stood above us on the dais, “but foolish all the same. Echo, Nightlock, show our guests how we deal with intruders.”

The two necromancers on either side of us ignited their horns, and I dodged to the side as the one in front of me shot a beam of dark magic my direction. Rosie flew into the air, letting her own aura flare brightly as she dove down on the other mare, her blade digging a trench into the floor as the dark green unicorn dodged to the right.

“What?!” Moon Song cried as her eyes widened in shock, “The gryphon is an Auramancer as well?! How is this possible?”

I grinned as I charged at the unicorn before me, my blade singing as my speed boost cut off any chance of escape. “That’s just one of the surprises we have in store for you!”

The unicorn in front of me tried to duck out of the way, but even with a last-ditch dive, my sword still bit into her side and slashed a deep cut along her flank, her eyes widening as she cried out in pain. She fell to the ground as her black blood began to pool on the cobblestone, but I was unable to finish the job as one of the death knights blocked my blow with his own blade.

“It won’t be that easy to defeat us,” Moon Song growled as her own horn began to glow, “you might have more power than we anticipated, but you are still outmatched.”

Rosie ducked to one side and was forced to land as a mass of magic missiles filled the air above us, creating a literal minefield in the upper half of the chamber. The hen growled as she slid to a stop beside me, her blade locking with another death knight as the two necromancers tried to pick both of us off with more blasts of magic. Yet it wasn’t enough to put us down for good, even when some of the magic managed to get past our defenses. Our auras managed to cancel out most of the incoming dark magic, resulting in minor burns more than anything else, although it didn’t help when we were trying to stop the death knights from skewering us at the same time.

Finally, as we managed to dispatch the death knights, Moon Song called out as we turned our attention to their masters, “ENOUGH!” The cry was disruptive enough to make Rosie and I pause as the unicorn mares ran back to the rest of the group. Rosie and I stood up straight but kept our weapons ready just in case, our eyes locked on Moon Song as she slowly walked down the steps.

“It would seem that you have more skill than I initially gave you credit for.” Her lips curled down as she sent a glare towards both of the other mares, making them flinch as the elder unicorn came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, “Very well, I guess I have no real choice at this point. I will have to pull out our secret weapon to defeat you.” Her frown morphed into a sinister smile as her horn ignited, a section of wall rotating around on our left as it glowed with the same sickly green.

“Behold,” Moon Song smiled as my jaw dropped open in shock, and terror, “your worst nightmare come to life. Well,” she chuckled softly as the two newcomers stepped out of the shadows, revealing their distorted features for all to see as they walked towards the rest of us, “not quite alive anymore, if you know what I mean.”

My mind was locked up in shock as my eyes roamed over the two ponies walking towards us, my heart clenching in fear and anger at the same time as I took in their familiar and yet unfamiliar faces. Their bodies were covered with the same black armor that all death knights possessed, but the helms were missing, leaving their faces open to the air. Their eyes were nothing but pools of tar, completely overcome with necromantic magic while what little fur that could be seen had darkened several shades from what I knew they originally possessed.

“Lyra?” I managed to croak out, “Bon-Bon?” I spun around and glared at Moon Song with such fury that the unicorn actually took a half step back before mastering herself. “What did you do to them?”

The smile that she replied with made my blood boil as Lyra and Bon-Bon walked up and stood on both of her sides, “Oh, nothing much, we just showed your little lovers what it’s like to be half dead and under our complete control.” I snarled as she ran a hoof down the side of Lyra’s face, her eyes partly lidded as she wrapped her hooves around the other unicorn’s shoulders, “You didn’t think we wouldn’t find out about your little herd, did you? The news about the new royal herd has spread throughout the entire country, and you so foolishly allowed them to leave your sight when you knew that we were looking for any and all ways to destroy you.” Her lips dropped into a frown as she released Lyra, stepping forward a pace or two before coming to a stop, “You now must face the consequences for your actions, because the only way you’ll get to me is to go through my newest death knights. They will fight until you destroy them completely, and I will relish watching you fall apart as you either submit to our rule or destroy the only ponies you have ever loved, aside from that naïve little princess.”

“I’m going to kill you.” My voice had dropped into a growl as I raised my sword into a cross guard, “I’ll make sure that Lyra and Bon-Bon are freed from your control right after I rip your horn from your head and feed it to you.”

“Such fury and compassion,” Moon Song mused as she stepped back, allowing Lyra and Bon-Bon to step between her and me as Rosie switched her shocked gaze back and forth between us, “I can’t wait to see that fire inside you die out as you finally give into despair. It will be so delightful to watch you hopes and dreams die as you are forced to fight the ponies you love most.” She glanced back at the others and their own death knights, “Nopony is to interfere with this contest. I want this to be as painful as possible for our little Auramancer.”

“And what about me?” Rosie hissed as she brandished her own blade, “I could still kick your plots before Sarah even has to move a muscle.”

Moon Song and the other coven members laughed, “You wouldn’t get four steps before we would destroy you. The only reason you are still alive is because you are little to no threat against us. Auramancer you may be, but with as little training as you seem to have, you couldn’t hold a candle to us even if you tried. Now sit down and let the adults have their fun. We’ll annihilate you if you so much as twitch a feather to ty and help your friend.”

“Don’t even think about it, Rosie,” I interjected as the hen bristled, “this is my fight now, and I’m going to finish it by myself if it’s the last thing I do.” My gaze locked onto Lyra and Bon-Bon as my heart clenched in agony, “I owe it to them to at least give them a decent burial if I can’t free them from Moon Song’s control.”

I squared off against my lovers as Moon Song returned to her throne, the two mares drawing their own blades as their soulless eyes locked with mine. I swallowed thickly as I charged my blade with my energy, the dark red and nearly black blue sputtering and sparking as I tried to keep my emotions under control. Ready or not, this was going to be the most difficult fight I had ever fought in, and I prayed to whatever gods watched over this world that I could do what had to be done in order to save them. I would never forgive myself if I allowed them to stay under Moon Song’s control without giving everything I had to free them, one way or the other.

“Let’s get this over with.” Moon Song stated flatly as she waved towards me with one hoof, “Kill her.”

“Yes Mistress.” Lyra and Bon-Bon chorused, and I was forced onto the defensive as they both swung their blades at me, driving me back a step before I could recover, allowing Lyra’s magic to slip her blade around my guard and to drive the tip into the curve of my side.

I hissed in pain but managed to fight my way past the burning in my side as I blocked Bon-Bon’s blade, although it wasn’t a half second before Lyra was trying to work her sword behind me while Bon-Bon had me occupied. I disengaged from my herdmate and sped back several steps, my aura flaring brighter as I used what little extra energy I had to heal the wound in my stomach.

“You’ll never get anywhere doing that.” Moon Song taunted me from her lofty position on the throne. “Fight like you mean it or else you’re not going to last much longer.”

“Shut up horn head.” Rosie hissed as I sprinted around Lyra and Bon-Bon, hoping to get a lucky strike in at Moon Song before she could notice me.

Unfortunately, the other members of the coven weren’t going to simply let me through, and I had to divert my momentum as a shield sprang to life around the dais. I cursed under my breath as I was driven back and had to reengage my herdmates, all the while Moon Song watched on with that infuriating smile of hers.

Finally, I had had enough. I charged up my aura to the maximum, lighting up the entire room with a bright yellow light. Moon Song and her followers shielded their eyes with their hooves, as did Lyra and Bon-Bon, allowing me to work my way around my herdmates and up to the shield. Using most of my available power, I plunged my blade into the shield, shattering the energy around the impact point as the cracks in the barrier spread throughout the entire bubble. The other coven members were just clearing their vision when the barrier broke, allowing me to take out several of the unicorns before they realized what had happened.

Moon Song snarled as her horn ignited, and I was flung backwards as her magic impacted me directly in the center of my chest, the wind exiting my lungs with a whoosh as my back impacted the far wall. Lyra and Bon-Bon formed up again in between me and their master, although Rosie was quick to help me up as she glared daggers at Moon Song and the remaining members of the coven. Of the original eight, five lay in growing pools of blood on the dais steps, leaving Moon Song and the other two mares the last ones standing of their dark cabal.

“You have made a very big mistake.” Moon Song growled as her horn ignited once again, “We will return, and when we do, you shall know pain and suffering the likes of which you have never seen. But first,” her gaze turned to Lyra and Bon-Bon as her frown morphed into a vindictive smile, “I will take two of the most precious things you possess.”

I cried out with what little air I had managed to get into my lungs as Moon Song fired a beam of pure black magic at my herdmates. Neither mare made any move to get out of the way as the condensed magic split apart and hit both of them in the center of the chest. For a moment nothing happened as Moon Song’s magic connected her to my herdmates, but as the energy turned a vomit green color, both mares began screaming as black mist seeped from every corner of their bodies and flowed through the magic beam back into Moon Song.

In a matter of moments, the energy flow came to an end, leaving Lyra and Bon-Bon as their original selves, only for their bodies to fall limply to the floor as Moon Song disconnected her spell from the two mares. She laughed uproariously as a black smoke sprang into being around her and the other necromancers, the mist taking them to some unknown location as their death knights vanished in similar maelstroms of power. In a matter of moments, the throne room was empty, save for me, Rosie, and my unmoving herdmates.

I forced myself to my feet once the echoes of Moon Song’s laughter came to an end, stumbling over to my herdmates as I searched for any signs of life from either of them. My hands came down on their flanks, and I desperately felt for a heartbeat, anything to signify that they were alive. For a moment I thought I felt a weak thump within each of them, but as I waited for another, there was nothing.

Lyra and Bon-Bon were dead.

My chest constricted as tears flowed from my eyes, my hands shaking as I tried to force their chests up and down in some pitiful hope of performing CPR. Some part of my mind realized that it was hopeless, but I still had to try, even if there was no hope.

Rosie walked up behind me as I compressed Lyra’s chest for the twentieth time, my lips meeting hers as I tried to pump some air into her lungs. The hen let me be for several minutes as I tried over and over again to save my lovers, but in the end, she stepped forward and rested a claw on my shoulder, my shaking body finally stopping as I lifted my head from Bon-Bon’s. I slowly looked up at the gryphon, tears streaming down my face as her own tears soaked her face feathers.

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered as she pulled me into a hug, “I wish there was something we could do. But there isn’t anything that can save them, not now.”

My body shook as I sobbed into her chest, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as I cried out my loss. Yet as my mind slowly ground to a halt, a small spark lit up in my head. My sobbing slowly subsided, allowing me to turn my attention back to my herdmates.

“Maybe there is something I can do.” I whispered. I pulled away from Rosie and knelt down next to the still bodies of my herdmates, my hands igniting with my aura as I slowly placed them in the center of each of their chests.

“What are you thinking?” Rosie asked as I began channeling energy into both mares.

“Something that is either going to save them or kill me.” I replied.

I ignored Rosie’s cry of shock as I pushed more and more energy into both of my herdmates, going far beyond the normal limit for how much I could use without driving myself to exhaustion. My power was already limited after using so much in the fight, but I was determined to do this, one way or the other.

“What are you doing?!” Rosie tried to pull me off as sweat began to drench my body from head to toe, but I shrugged her out of the way as I continued to channel energy into the slightly cooling bodies, “You’ll kill yourself if you don’t stop pushing energy into them! Remember what the masters warned us about in their journal?! Using too much energy could drain your own soul until it can no longer sustain your body! Please,” She began crying again as I felt my arms beginning to shake from the strain, “their lives aren’t worth losing you when you have to protect the rest of Equestria.”

“I don’t care!” I screamed as I poured more and more into my dead lovers, “My life isn’t worth anything if I can’t even protect the ones I love!” I could feel my tears evaporating as my body began heating up from the strain of channeling so much energy, my vision beginning to go dark as I pushed myself far beyond my limits, “Either I save them here and now, or I die trying.”

Rosie was forced to back up as the temperature around me continued to climb, and I gave one final cry as I pushed everything I had left into Lyra and Bon-Bon. I felt something snap within me as my energy cut off completely, and I could feel my body falling as I heard Rosie call out my name, although it sounded like she was at the end of a long tunnel as my face came to rest in Lyra’s mane. I tried to move but it was like my body couldn’t hear my brain’s commands as I felt Rosie shaking me and calling my name. Or at least that was what I thought she was saying. I couldn’t really hear her over the ringing in my head as my vision finally faded to black.

The last thing I remembered doing, was holding onto Lyra and Bon-Bon’s front hooves as my mind left the waking world, and it was only then, at the brink, that I realized that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the hero everyone thought I was. I had failed to protect my lovers, I had failed to protect Equestria, and now I had failed to even save myself. Discord had been wrong. I wasn’t the savior of this world, I never had been, and now I was finally going to pay for all of the mistakes I had made in life, one way or the other in oblivion.

Author's Note

Well, here we are, the finale for Act 2 of Hands of Life. What did you all think about the newest instalment of my longest book? I finally broke the quarter million word count as well as cracking thirty chapters on the nose, not including side chapters. I never imagined that this book would get so long, and it's still got another Act to go through before it comes to an end. Hope you are holding onto your horseshoes, because the adventure has only just begun.

In case you all wanted to know, I do have theme songs for this chapter, and they are as follows. The first is for the combat scene at the beginning of the chapter,

The other is for when they enter the fortress proper and the subsequent fight with Moon Song and her coven,

Also, say hello to my Patrons WuBzY and Earthpatriot117 once again. They have been a big boost to my confidence over these last few months by providing their support, and I hope that others will join their jolly ranks at some point in the future.

Other than that, I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

30.5 - Interlude: A Carpet POV

Boredom, it was a novel experience for the living floor covering as he lay upon the crystal that comprised the entirety of Princess Twilight’s castle. He had seen and heard much in the short time he had been in existence, in part because most of the ponies that interacted around him forgot that he was there on a day to day basis. One could be surprised by the number of secrets a being could overhear when the subject in question thought they were speaking in confidence.

Had he done anything with this knowledge, no. He had no real reason to do so, mostly because he had no interest in the personal matters of those around him. Had there been reason to believe legitimate harm would befall one of his charges, then that would have been an entirely different story. And yet, as he mused about the various happenings that had been going on as of late, Carpet Sense found that there was not much he could do given the current circumstances.

The strange human and her companions were off fighting a war, leaving the rest of the ponies in the little town keyed up and on edge. Even Princess Twilight, who had not joined the force fighting against the necromancers, was nearly sick with worry for her lover as she paced back and forth in one of the castle’s many libraries. Carpet Sense had checked in on her several times in the last eight hours, and the only change was the increasing pile of unsorted books that seemed to manifest of their own free will the longer the purple alicorn paced. Even though he enjoyed the feel of hooves going over his body, the particular part of him that was under the princess’s path was starting to get worn out from the constant back and forth, and that was even taking into account his near indestructability.

And yet, with no information concerning the status of her companions, there was nothing he could say that wouldn’t have the potential to backfire in the alicorn’s fragile mental state. So, he turned his attention to the parts of himself that were residing in the capital, popping his consciousness from room to room in Canterlot until he found who he was looking for.

Princess Celestia and Luna were currently in what Sense had discovered was an old war room, one that hadn’t been used since the end of the Shadow Wars so long ago. There were no other ponies present save for the two sisters, although their focus was entirely on the large table that took up the majority of the room. Lifting his body up to better see what was going on, Sense spotted little figures spread about on the surface of the map, indicating troop movements and the like as scrolls popped into existence every minute or two. Already there was a large pile sitting off to Celestia’s right, and from the frowns that adorned the royal sisters’ faces, the news they were getting wasn’t good.

“Things are not going as well as we had hoped, sister.” Luna stated as she shifted yet another pony troop marker off the table, “If this keeps up, we won’t be able to protect the rest of the country. Our loses will have been too great to muster a secondary force in time before they march on Canterlot.”

“I know, Luna,” Celestia replied, “but until we receive word concerning Sarah and her task force, we won’t know how many of the coven members have been taken care of.”

No sooner had the words left her lips, then another scroll appeared before them, the deep black ribbon wrapped around the parchment making both alicorns’ eyes widen in fear.

“No,” Celestia whispered as he grabbed the scroll in her magic and quickly unrolled it, “please tell me she isn’t.”

Luna read the scroll over her sister’s shoulder, while Sense followed along from the floor. He barely made it to the end before the paper fluttered to the floor, Celestia’s magic having given out from shock. Luna was equally shaken, if her wide eyes and shaking legs were anything to go from. Sense barely had the time to lower his body back to the ground before both mares bolted from the room, his other selves picking up their hurried hoofsteps before they disappeared in a dual flash of teleportation.

Carpet Sense sighed as he picked up the scroll and neatly placed it with the others, knowing full-well that its ominous news would rapidly spread to others. Given his bodies in Twilight’s castle allowed him to pick up the arrival of the sisters in the main foyer, he was well aware of where they had gone before they snapped into the library where Twilight was still pacing back and forth.

Listening with his other ears, Carpet Sense was able to hear every word as the mares passed on their grim news, watched as Twilight’s eyes filled with first horror and then tears as she found out what had happened to not only Sarah, but both of the other mares in her herd that she had presumed to be safe and sound. He turned his attention away as the royal sisters moved in to hold and attempt to comfort the sobbing mare, allowing her to have her breakdown in relative peace.

Expanding his attention to the short list of selves that had appeared in other buildings, Carpet Sense singled out the one body he had currently in the waiting room of the Canterlot Hospital. There, he was just in time to witness a group teleport as over a dozen ponies and a single gryphon appeared with a trio of gurneys held between them. The nurses took one look at the bloodied human and the two deathly pale mares and immediately called for a doctor, the unicorn soldiers who had performed the teleport barely having time to move out of the way as the medical staff rushed in and rushed back out with their patients in tow.

Shifting his attention back to Twilight’s castle, he watched as Luna and Celestia slowly pulled away from the still sniffling Twilight, their expressions worried and uncertain as the smaller mare wiped her eyes with a fetlock.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Sense added from his position under the three mares, “but I just witnessed the three mares in question being teleported into Canterlot Hospital. If you want, you might be able to –”

He wasn’t even able to finish before Twilight vanished in a flash of purple light. Celestia and Luna nodded to him silently before disappearing in their own teleports, his body in the hospital picking up their arrival as the smallest of the princesses raced through the double doors after her lovers. Celestia and Luna gave off a pair of sighs as they settled in on the available seats, the gryphon hen, Rosie he remembered her being called, walking up and joining them a second later.

Feeling like his intervention was not needed, Carpet Sense allowed his consciousness to wander for a bit between bodies, zeroing in on the one that never seemed to be in the same place or time at any given moment. It always hurt his non-existent brain trying to comprehend his opposite’s home, but then again, he was a construct of order going into a realm of chaos. Confusion would be the least of his problems had he been a mortal.

His mind was barely able to latch onto the body at his destination when his ears picked up the voice of his pseudo-father, “Ah, so you’ve finally decided to show up after all of the fun has come to an end.”

Carpet Sense looked down from his position on the ceiling of Discord’s home as he addressed the mismatched chimera, “You know well enough that I do not come here unless there is a good reason, Discord. And I do not revel in the misfortune of others as you do when there is so much more that I could accomplish.”

“But where is the fun in doing things the right way?” Discord countered as he reclined in his chair, the back of the plaid leather furniture folding forward until the chaos bringer’s head was between his mismatched feet, “And you know that I don’t ever let any of my fun cause serious harm or permanent damage. Broken toys are no fun to play with, even if the stuff beforehand was entertaining.”

“So, you knew that Sarah and her friends would face off against her lovers in the battle against the necromancers?” Carpet Sense accused, “You deliberately set them up for huge psychological trauma and failure?”

For the first time since Carpet Sense had seen, Discord’s face lost its smile. He snapped his fingers and popped into the air directly in front of Carpet Sense’s nose, “No, I did not set them up, as you so blatantly put it. I had no idea that her little lovers had been captured when all of the other chaos around the country is messing with my ability to see things.” As if to illustrate his point, his eyes popped out of his head and exploded in small mushroom clouds on the ceiling before reappearing in his head, “I’m having enough trouble telling where everypony is on a general basis, let alone things that are happening outside my immediate influence.”

Carpet Sense felt yet another novel sensation as he curled his lips into a smug grin, “So it’s true, you aren’t the all-seeing and all-knowing being that everypony thinks you are. Even your senses can become clouded if there is too much chaos going on at one time.”

Discord huffed in annoyance as he popped into existence in his chair once more, unfolding a newspaper upside down as he replied, “Then what do you want with me? Did you come here to gloat about how terrible I am and how great you are?”

Sense’s face returned to a more neutral expression as he shook his head, “No, I came to let you know that your little hero and her friends are alive, at least for now, and that they are currently in Canterlot Hospital. I figured that you would want to make sure that your extra-dimensional rescue wasn’t taken out of the fight too early, so I stopped by to let you know.”

Genuine surprise seemed to fill Discord’s gaze before a small smile graced his lips, “Not bad, for an old rug. I know exactly what you’re doing.”

Sense’s fur bristled for a moment, “It’s carpet you moron. You know how much those abominations irritate me. And what, pray tell, am I doing?”

Discord chuckled, “Oh, you’ll find out eventually. I just thought you might get a kick knowing that as a being of order, you’ve been causing quite a bit of chaos yourself. You might put me out of the job if you keep going as you are.”

Sense shifted his attention away from the body in Discord’s home, allowing his awareness to return to the real world before shifting once again to the floor of Canterlot Hospital’s waiting room. Had he stuck around a moment longer, he might have heard Discord’s final words and saw the prideful smile that had graced the chimera’s lips.

“He’ll do just fine. He just needs a bit of help finding the right path.” Discord’s smile held even as a single tear ran down his cheek, his hands folding behind his back as he came to rest on the floor of his home, “I hope it proves to be enough when the time comes. These little ponies are going to need all the help they can get. Good luck, my son.”

Author's Note

It's AAAALLLIIIIVVVEEE!!! I have no excuse for the huge amount of time that has passed between chapters other than life is busy and school has been keeping me on my hooves to the point I can barely see straight. Other than that, I hope you all are enjoying the book and I hope to have more for you in the near future without leaving you on a massive cliffhanger for months on end.

Also, say hello to my wonderful Patrons, WuBzY and Earthpatriot117, who have been supporting my work for almost a year now. Thanks so much guys, it really means a lot!!

Anyways, now that we have that out of the way, I hope to hear from you all in the comments section below and make sure to leave a like if you are enjoying the story.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

31 - Awakening

Beep…beep…beep…

Darkness, that was all I knew other than the soft, repeating sound…

Beep…beep…beep…

No light, no feeling, only the ever-present stillness that surrounded me from every side…

Beep…beep…beep…

I didn’t know how long I had been there, or why my mind struggled to remember…something. Something very important…

Beep…beep…beep…

Memories, faces of people I knew, or thought I knew. Images of creatures that I had no name for…

Beep…beep…beep…

Then, from somewhere in the darkness, a single thought managed to penetrate the shadows surrounding me…

Beep…beep…beep…

It was a name, my name, I think, but it was almost like it wasn’t something in my mind…

Beep…beep…beep…

No, it was a sound, a voice, calling to me from somewhere very far away. I tried to follow the voice, to move towards the sound. Towards someone I thought I knew…

Beep…beep…beep…

Sensations began to filter through the darkness as the voice became louder, a soft surface, a warm weight on top of me. I could feel my hands reaching for the voice, my own lips unable to formulate the words my heart so desperately wanted to say…

Beep…beep…beep…

The voice was close now, almost as if it was right in front of me. I could feel my limbs now, my breathing slightly restricted by the warm mass that was on my chest. I could feel a finger twitch while warm drops fell onto my cheeks at odd intervals…

Beep…beep…beep…

I winced as ribbons of pain rolled through my body, my limbs tightening as I grit my teeth and a hiss of agony ripped itself from my mouth. The weight on my chest suddenly moved, the sweet call of my name falling silent while a shocked gasp took its place…

Beep…beep…beep…

My eyes had clenched further shut from the pain, but once the surge of sensation passed, I was able to slowly crack them open. I winced as light burned into my vision, but it was only a temporary discomfort once my eyes adjusted. I turned my head in the direction the weight had shifted to, my blurred sight taking in a mass of purple on my left side. Yet, even through the blurring and fog still enveloping my brain, a single word was able to work its way through and out of my parched throat.

“Twilight?”

I could hear sobbing now, but the glimpses of white I saw amidst the purple told me the creature, no, my herdmate, was smiling at me, even as tears rolled down her cheeks and fell to the floor.

“Y-Yes,” her voice hitched as Twilight managed to work the words between her shaking lips, “it’s me. I-I was so w-worried about you, S-Sarah.”

I barely had the strength to do so, but my mind forced my hand to move anyway as I lifted my arm and rubbed Twilight between the ears, ruffling her unkempt mane for a moment before returning my limb to the bed.

Memories of what had happened slowly came back to me, the battle, the necromancers, Lyra and Bon-Bon, “The girls, are they alright?”

Twilight nodded, fresh tears running over her soaked cheeks anew, “You saved them. I don’t know how, and I don’t care. Thank you,” her shoulders shook as she bowed her head to me, “thank you so much for bringing them back alive.”

A smile of my own managed to work its way through the stiffness and sore muscles that seemed to cover my entire body like a second skin, “You would have done the same for me. It was the least I could do.”

Twilight lifted her head and leaned forward, our lips connecting in a soft embrace, filled with every ounce of emotion we could share with each other. Our love, our trust, and our promise to stay together, always.

We separated from each other after several seconds, and I could feel my eyes slowly falling shut again, the last sight I had was of Twilight’s smile and the pure, unadulterated love in her gaze.

Beep…beep…beep…

I found out three days later, after resting and taking time to recover some of my strength, that we had been transported to Canterlot Hospital after I fell unconscious and had been in a coma for the better part of a month. Princess Celestia had come in after news of my awakening had reached her and broke down the events that I had missed.

News of the battle had spread through the countryside like wildfire, and when it became clear that there was no way to hide the truth from the general population, Celestia and the other princesses had no choice but to hold a press conference to share what had happened with the country. To say there had been an uproar would have been the most understated statement in history, and yet, ponies weren’t panicking, at least not nearly as much as Celestia had predicted would happen.

Sure, there had been a few riots that had broken out from panicked ponies in a few major cities, but over all the general reaction to the news seemed to be one of support for the war effort, not fear. Ponies were signing up left and right to join the military, even though enlistment had not even been mentioned in the press conference, and several offices had closed due to the sheer volume of applications that they had been receiving. Thankfully, the coven had not been able to make another attack in the time we had been asleep, so there had not been a need to call upon so many new recruits.

Rosie and Swift had stopped by as well, sharing gentle hugs and little tidbits about their own lives. I was surprised and at the same time not when I found out that Swift had asked for Rosie’s claw in marriage almost immediately after the battle had concluded, the young hen now sporting a gold ring around her left middle claw. I gave them both my most heartfelt congratulations and wished them luck when it came to planning the wedding.

Evidently, even though I had been told all three of us were awake and on the road to recovery, Lyra and Bon-Bon were still being kept under close observation in another section of the hospital, given the unusual circumstances of their health. I had asked if I could go and see them but had been politely and firmly denied the request by not only hospital staff, but Celestia as well. Given what had happened to them, and the unknown effects that could come about from their resurrection, it had been deemed essential to keep us apart until the testing on the mares was concluded. Both for their safety as well as mine.

And so, I rested, slept far too much, and did my best not to climb the walls while my body recovered from the stress I had put it under. The food was standard hospital fare, terrible and tasteless, and with limited options for entertainment I was forced to endure hours of boredom, even with the books Twilight was so gracious to bring me from her castle to help pass the time.

It was a whole week after I had initially woken up that the girls were finally cleared for me to see them, and it was with both joy and embarrassment that I had the staff wheel me to their rooms in a wheelchair designed for a minotaur. I would have happily walked there, but my legs were still so weak that I wasn’t steady enough to walk just yet. My strength had been coming back slowly, but it was still not at a point that I could move about on my own.

The doors to the recovery ward closed behind us as the nurse pushed me through the halls with her magic, Twilight trotting beside me until we came up to a set of double doors marked with warning labels and restricted access locks. Twilight used her magic to light up a rune on the side of the door, and with the heavy Thunk of locks disengaging, the heavy entryway swung open to reveal a space not unlike the recovery room I had just left.

Wires were attached to both mares’ barrels in several places, and IVs were inserted into their forelegs in the event they were required. Two beds were resting against the far wall and both girls were sitting up with big pillows supporting them from behind. Lyra saw us entering and lit up with a huge smile, her head spinning around to face Bon-Bon as we approached.

“Hey! Bonnie! Twilight and Sarah are here!” The aquamarine mare could barely keep still while our other herdmate’s head rolled over to face our direction.

Her face was much more withdrawn, but her mouth still formed a soft smile as she met our gazes, “Hurray, we’re saved. Now we can bust out of this cell they call a hospital room.”

That got a giggle out of all three of us, the nurse walking back through the doors before closing them behind her. The locks re-engaged but I didn’t care at the moment, the only thing I cared about being the two mares in front of me.

“So, uh,” I rubbed the back of my head with a hand, “I guess I wanted to apologize to you both, for everything. I should never have left you unprotected and because of me you almost ended up dying.” I forced my gaze to hold theirs as I spoke, even as shivers ran up and down my spine, “I was so focused on everything else that I forgot what was most important to me, and it nearly cost you two your lives in the process.” I bowed my head, “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Well,” I glanced up at Lyra as she turned her head towards Bon-Bon, “I don’t know about Bonnie, but after all the crazy stuff that happened, I don’t really remember what we were upset about. All I can remember is waking up here in the hospital, but the events leading up to you saving us are kind of a blur.”

Bon-Bon nodded, “Me too. I guess as silly as it sounds, there isn’t anything to forgive, given we have no idea if there was even a real reason for us to be upset in the first place.” She turned towards me and smiled, even though it was clear the effort was draining for her, “For what it’s worth, I forgive you for whatever you did, and thank you for saving our lives. I only remember one thing from my time under the control of those whorses, and I’d just as soon forget it ever happened.”

I nodded, relief flowing through me as I returned their smiles, “Well then, welcome back to the land of the living.” I wheeled myself around Lyra’s bed and leaned over to give Bon-Bon a kiss, shifting over to do the same to Lyra before pulling them both into a weak hug, “I’m so happy you’re safe. I don’t know what I’d do if anything had happened to either of you.”

Lyra hugged me back as Twilight climbed onto her bed to join the embrace, “Us too, Sarah. Us too.”

We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence and taking in the scents of our herdmates. I felt their breathing and heard their hearts beating strong in their chests, and I vowed that I would never let anything happen to them again, no matter what surprises came our way.

I had no idea the shock that was in store for us, or the changes to our lives the revelation would bring.

Author's Note

Salutations my good readers, and welcome back to a story that has been loooooooooooooong overdue for an update. I am pleased to say that while a little on the shorter side, this chapter has reawakened a spark that I have not felt in ages. This begins the third and final act of this book, but don't worry about it ending too soon, I've got a lot more in store before we let Sarah and Co. off the hook. I wholeheartedly welcome back returning readers who were so patient to wait this long, as well as any new readers who may be seeing this book for the first time. Please, comment below your thoughts or ideas, or be free to snark for the horrendous delay, either one is perfectly fine with me.

Thank you all so much for your support, and I plan to update again soon once the craziness of working through Black Friday has come and gone. Happy Thanksgiving and a happy holidays to all!!

Hope to see you all soon, either in the towel section below or in the next chapter once it becomes available.

Welcome back, and I'll see you next time,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

3 - Adventures in Music

Fair warning to all of you, this chapter is one of those classic 'MUSIC' chapters, so expect links galore once you get reading. While not required, it would help you understand the stuff the girls are listening to so avoid them at your own risk. Anyways, now that we have that out of the way, ON WITH THE BOOK!!!!

I paced back and forth in front of the main entrance to my castle, my steps nearing frantic in pace and my mind running a mile a minute,

“Oh, where are they?” I asked myself as I spun around back the way I had come, “They’re three minutes late and not one of them have shown up yet.”

I was just about to turn for another circuit when three sharp knocks sounded from the doors. My magic swung them open so quickly the wind created by their passing ruffled my already frazzled mane. The three mares on the other side seemed frozen in time for a moment before they realized the doors were now open.

“Hiya Twilight!” Lyra Heartstrings announced as she walked in, “Sorry I’m late, but I got held up trying to get out of the market crush, you know how it can get when AJ puts her apples on sale.”

I shivered at the memory that came unbidden to my mind, “Please don’t remind me. I’d rather not deal with another crazy mob anytime soon. It’s nice to see you anyway, it’s been a while since we saw each other last.”

She gave me a polite nuzzle before pulling back, “Oh not that long. You were just so absorbed in research that you didn’t hear me when I came in to check out some sheet music.”

I felt a blush roaming over my cheeks as my ears folded against my head, “Ahah, yeah, sorry about that.”

She smiled and waved it off with a hoof, “No harm done, at least I know how to prank you next time I see you buried up to your ears in books.”

My reply was forestalled by the entrance of the other two mares, although how I could have missed Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Philharmonic was beyond me.

“For the last time Vinyl, I am not going to partake in that pounding migraine-inducing activity you call ‘clubbing’. I would rather not lose my hearing thank you very much.” She tossed her mane to add effect to her words.

“Oh, come on Octi,” the white and electric blue unicorn whined in reply, “I go to all of your orchestra performances, how come you can’t come with me when I go spin disks at the club?”

“Because I wouldn’t last ten seconds in that bone-pounding atmosphere and you know it,” the grey earth pony replied, “besides, I think having you listen to some real music now and again would do wonders for your, um, let’s call it eccentric personality.”

“Octavia! Vinyl! I’m so glad you could make it!” I bumped hooves with them both before addressing the group, “I know I wasn’t able to be very exact with the reason I called you all here, but given how delicate the situation is I had to make sure you would be able to keep a secret.”

This earned me three equally confused looks, “What could be so secret about us giving our opinions on some new music?” Lyra asked, “I mean, we make new songs every day and we play it for a living, you’d think it wouldn’t be that unusual for us to give our opinions on something like that.”

“Indeed,” Octavia added with a prim nod, “I’m a bit skeptical about this secrecy that and lack of details beforehoof. What’s the true reason you called us all here?”

I felt a drop of sweat run down my cheek as I closed the doors with my magic, “I think it would be better to show you than say it. I know it’s a bit much to go on right now, but trust me when I say it will be more than worth it in the end.”

Three equally dubious expressions followed me down the halls until we reached my lab. I opened the doors with my magic and allowed the others to walk in before me, closing and soundproofing the entrance once I followed them in. Their eyes roamed over the various equipment as I made my way over to the table with the creature’s belongings, my magic activating the amazing device I had uncovered earlier in my studies. The light given off by its screen seemed to attract the others like moths to a lantern, their eyes widening as they caught full view of the device.

“What is that thing?” Lyra asked slowly, her eyes taking in the small object from every angle with wonderment sparkling in gaze.

“This is why I had you all come here today.” I explained, “Believe it or not, this amazing device can play music, and if the numbers it contains are to be believed, it holds over sixteen hundred different songs and can play them all at a moment’s notice.”

Lyra’s eyes seemed to grow even wider, although Octavia and Vinyl seemed skeptical.

“Yeah I’ve seen music machines of every shape and size,” Vinyl said as she took a closer look at the device’s screen, “There’s no way that tiny thing can play that many songs, I mean, it’s got no speakers and no space to spin a disk on.”

“While I am certain you wouldn’t bring us here for nothing, Your Highness,” Octavia added, “I am inclined to agree with Vinyl, I just don’t see how that tiny device, no matter how interesting, could ever do as you say.”

I couldn’t help the smile that came to my lips, “Very well then, I’ll just have to prove it to you.”

I selected the music subcategory and moved through the genre lists, starting with the first title that captured my attention. I turned to face the others and tapped the screen with a mote of my magic and watched their faces as the first song began to play.

Predictably, all three of them gaped in shock and awe as the orchestral music echoed around the room. The best part was that I wasn’t even amplifying the sound, it was that loud all by itself. Once they got over their initial surprise, Octavia’s expression faded into a formulaic sort of concentration, even going so far as to wave one of her hooves like a conductor in time with the music. Lyra was simply sitting down with a big smile on her face, humming along with what I assumed were horns and low brass. Vinyl simply looked bored, although as the tempo picked up and the beat became more intense, her eyes lit up with excitement and her horn ignited to summon a notepad and quill. By the time the song ended, all three mares were completely engrossed in the number, to the point that Lyra and Octavia didn’t stop their actions for a few seconds after the final note.

Once everypony was back in the real world, Octavia lit up like a firecracker, “Oh that was wonderful! It was so familiar, yet seemed to hold something else I have never encountered in orchestra music before.”

“Yeah,” Lyra added, “it was like I was reading a Daring Do book and the music was playing out the action scenes.”

“Never thought I’d say this,” Vinyl said slowly, “but I think I might want to listen to more of that stuff if I can use parts in my gigs. I just got some sweet new ideas for a new remix listening to that.”

“Please,” Octavia begged, “I simply must know who the composer was.”

I grinned inwardly as I thought of a sneaky prank, after all, they still needed to know the origins of this music, might as well have a bit of fun telling them, “His name is Hans Zimmer.”

Three completely blank stares met my word, “I don’t know about you two,” Vinyl said, “but that doesn’t sound like anypony I’ve ever heard of.”

“I don’t think that’s even a pony name.” Lyra muttered before turning to Octavia, “Have you ever heard of this Hans Zimmer?”

She shook her head in reply, “I’m afraid not Lyra.” She turned her gaze to me, “Tell us Twilight, is the composer a gryphon by chance?”

I shook my head, “And that is the reason I had to keep all of this a secret. Yesterday a creature of unknown origin appeared in the castle, gravely injured and lacking in any kind of magic. It’s currently recovering at Ponyville General, but given its, um, unique situation, I’ve been looking into its belongings in order to try and get a better idea what kind of world it comes from.”

Vinyl’s ears perked at my words, “World? As in, someplace other than Equis?” I hesitantly nodded, “Do you guys realize what this means?! We’re listening to music made by aliens!”

Octavia rolled her eyes, “Oh please Vinyl, try and control that overactive imagination of yours. There’s no such thing as aliens.”

“Actually,” I interjected, causing the cellist to stop short, “that seems to be the case, believe it or not. The creature was completely devoid of magic before it appeared in the castle, meaning it came from a place without a magic field. The only logical explanation is that it is not of our world.”

“Well let’s not sit around talking about it!” Lyra yelled in excitement, “Let’s listen to some more of this stuff! It’s why we’re here, right?”

I nodded, selecting the next song with my magic before we could get sidetracked any further. The dramatic violins that sounded off next immediately captured everypony’s attention. Octavia payed careful attention to the piece, while Lyra and Vinyl seemed to be listening simply for the enjoyment of it. It seemed to take only a minute before the song ended, leaving us in the echoing silence once more as we took it in.

“Well,” Octavia huffed, “that was certainly intense. Not as powerful or dynamic as the first, but definitely orchestrated to leave the audience in suspense.”

“Sounded kind of like the theme to one of Bon-Bon’s spy novels.” Lyra mused, “At least it seemed to have that whole espionage motif going in my mind.”

“Eh, I thought the other one was better,” Vinyl muttered, “too repetitive once it got the main theme going.”

“I personally think it was well composed,” I said, “It might have had a bit of a repetitive theme, but it was subtle in its movements when it shifted the mood.”

The others nodded, and I moved on to the next song. I hadn’t listened to the music beforehoof, because I wanted to have this be a true blind viewing. After all, it wouldn’t be any fun if only the others got to react to the songs for the first time. The violins were much slower this time, and for a moment I wondered if it would be best to change the song before everypony fell asleep. Just as my magic formed over the screen, a voice began to resonate from the speakers. I immediately canceled my spell and focused my full attention on the music, noting that the others had done the same.

As the music continued, I felt a warmth in my heart at the lyrics, like I was sitting with Celestia studying some old scrolls like when I was younger. To say nothing of the voice that was singing them. Holy Celestia this stallion could sing!! Octavia was blushing like a tomato while Lyra and Vinyl were snickering at her expense, although I noticed that they also had fairly prominent tints to their cheek fur. Not that I had any room to criticize, given the heat in my face as I listened to the song. As the music wound to a close, I became aware of my partially erect wings, and quickly clamped them to my sides as my blush flared to full power. Oh gosh I hope nopony saw that!

Octavia took a moment, seemingly frozen in place by the unbelievable lyrics we had just heard, “Oh my, I never imagined I would hear something like that in all my years as a musician. That made my heart soar like I was a pegasus flying above the clouds.”

Vinyl snickered before adding in her own thoughts, “By the blush on your face it looks like you want to marry the colt.”

Octavia rounded on her marefriend with a scalding glare, “I’ll have you know that I was simply appreciating the artist for having an outstanding voice. Don’t you dare put words in my mouth.”

Vinyl lifted an eyebrow over her shades, pulling down the aforementioned articles as she met Octavia’s violet gaze with her own magenta orbs, “Good, because for a minute there I thought you weren’t happy with being with me.”

Octavia opened her mouth to retort, saw the expectant look on the unicorn’s face, and immediately closed it again. “Nice try Vinyl, but it’ll take more than fishing for complements to get that kind of talk out of me.”

While Vinyl peppered Octavia for a more concrete answer, Lyra turned towards me, “I wasn’t expecting a voice to be that clear coming from such a small device, truly that was a beautiful song if there ever was one. What’s next?”

“Well, I think this is something you’re going to like, Octavia, if the artist's name is anything to go by.” I tapped the song and was immediately bombarded with a rapid-fire chorus of violins.

We listened for a moment or two before the main line began playing, causing Octavia’s eyes to widen as a smile found its way to her lips. Vinyl groaned as she sat down heavily, apparently disinterested with the energetic cello lead. However, as the music became more aggressive, their expressions began to trade places. On a quartet of heavy notes, Vinyl’s head jerked up as her mouth curled into a smile.

Meanwhile, Octavia’s smile had rapidly dropped into a stricken expression that was enhanced by the rather abrupt loss of color in her face. I was a bit taken aback by the seemingly angry way the artists were handling their instruments, if the tone of the music was anything to go by. I summoned a notepad and quill and began to take notes as Vinyl did the same. While I was certain the disk jockey’s notations were nowhere near as meticulous as mine, it was still nice to see somepony else taking interest in this amazing find.

Roughly halfway through threw the song, it seemed Octavia had had all she could take, “Turn it off!” She yelled, her complexion sharing a hue similar to wet plaster as she held her ears to her head.

I shut off the music, hoping that I hadn’t hurt her in any way. Yet, given Vinyl’s complete lack of concern, topped with Lyra’s neutral expression, I figured it was something more psychological than physical in nature.

“What’s wrong Octavia?” I asked, placing a hoof against her shoulder.

Her eyes were staring at the floor in front of her, unfocused and the size of pinheads as she held her head with both hooves, “I would never have imagined I would hear something so horrid done to a cello. It was, unnatural, sadistic even.”

Vinyl rolled her eyes, “Oh come on Octi, I might like going to your concerts a bit more if you played like that. It may have been a cello, but dang that was some sick beats!”

“Not quite the words I would have used,” Lyra added, “but Vinyl does have a point. This shows us that the creators of this music are willing to do unconventional things to get their message across, even with instruments were are more familiar with. Don’t hate the music for the choices of the artist, even if you don’t agree with them. That’s not what being a musician is about and you know it, Octavia.”

The color was slowly returning to the cellist’s face as she returned her hooves to the floor, “You’re right, I shouldn’t let things like that get to me.” She turned her hesitant gaze to me, “Please tell me we aren’t going to listen to anything like that as we continue?”

I smiled, “Don’t worry, Octavia, I’m sure that there won’t be any more cellos being butchered from here on.”

She let out a heaving sigh of relief, “Oh thank goodness.” She cleared her throat, straightening her mane with a hoof before getting comfortable, “Very well, continue Ms. Sparkle.”

I smiled, glad it seemed everypony was still willing to continue, “Alright, then we’ll move on to the next genre. If the title is to be relied upon, the next group of songs belong to the ‘country’ subset, although I’m not sure if it means what I’m thinking of.”

“What would that be?” Octavia asked, pointedly ignoring Vinyl as her marefriend tried to distract her with puppy eyes.

“Well,” I mused, “it’s only a theory, but I think these songs might be like the ones that the cowponies are so fond of playing during their get-togethers. Lots of fiddle and banjo and the like.”

Understanding dawned on the grey mare as she nodded, “I see, not really my cup of tea but I’ll listen to it all the same.”

With that taken care of, I tapped into the next artist, letting the beginning notes ring through my lab as the bouncing twang of a guitar met our ears. As a new voice started singing, all eyes were on the device as Lyra and Octavia’s eyes began to shine. Vinyl shrugged, although the soft swing to her shoulders told me all I needed to know. Even I wasn’t immune to the catchy tune, one of my hooves tapping with the beat as the chorus came in.

Even as the song came to an end, Lyra’s soft humming kept going for a bar or two, counterpointed by Octavia’s mumbled continuation of the chorus. I giggled behind my hoof as they came back to themselves, although it was Vinyl that spoke first.

“I’ve been at a few gigs in Appleloosa and other frontier places, seems like one of those songs that ponies could get up and dance to.”

“Indeed,” Octavia agreed, “although I have to wonder at the word choice in the chorus. It seems a bit like the singer is missing his marefriend but is trying to move on.”

“A sad story told in an upbeat and carefree fashion,” Lyra mused, “a unique combination that I don’t think is present in any Equestrian music that I know of.”

“I’m a bit curious about this ‘hell’ he spoke of,” I said as I made a quick note in my growing list of bullet points, “from the context it sounds like a different version of Tartarus. I’ll have to get more information later.”

“Well let’s get into the next song!” Vinyl said with an excited hop, “I want to see what the next one has in store for us.”

I rolled my eyes at the DJ’s overexuberance, but I did as she asked and moved on to the next song. As the guitar strummed into another upbeat tempo, I set down my notes and quill to listen, giggling to myself as Lyra began swaying to the beat.

Vinyl didn’t seem to be immune to the effects of the music either, and before long she was swaying just as much as Lyra, singing along to the words while Lyra did a little dance around the tables of my lab. Octavia was a bit more reserved, although she was tapping her hooves and swinging her tail to the beat as she smiled warmly to the chorus.

As the song wound down I had to grab the device out of Vinyl’s magic, causing the unicorn to pout in the most adorable way, “Aww, come on Twilight, I want to see what other songs that thing has inside it. Just a little look, please?”

I shook my head, although I could understand her desire to search for more catchy songs like that one, “I know it’s hard to resist, but we need to keep going. After all, if we focus on one genre and ignore the others, then we won’t accomplish what I called you all here to do.”

Octavia placed a hoof over her marefriend’s shoulders, “Cheer up, Vinyl, I’m certain Twilight will share more with us in the future, right now we just have to do the job we were hired for and then we can play around with this new music.”

I nodded, “I’m planning on sharing all of this with the rest of Equestria once I get some more concrete answers, but I’ll make sure to let you know once I’m letting everypony else in on the secret.” I cleared my throat, “So, what did you think of that song?”

“I thought it was a celebration of youth, and the adventure of doing new things.” Lyra spoke up with a smile, “Kind of like going to new and exciting locations just because they’re there to discover.”

Vinyl nodded her agreement, “Yeah, I almost want to meet this colt in person so I can talk with him about what he does for fun.”

“Well,” Octavia mused, “it’s all a bit unrefined for my tastes, although I will admit it was fun listening to it and it has a wonderful tone when you delve into the lyrics. All and all a genre I can enjoy but would never dream of playing in front of others.”

I nodded, “Fair enough I guess, although I think you might want to hold judgement until we listen to this last song.”

I moved on to the next artist and was surprised by the piano solo that began the next song. For a while we listened to the soft and somber music, and I caught Octavia wiping a tear from her eyes as the song came to a close. I added a note about the reference to a god of some sort to my growing list before turning to the others.

“So, what do you think?” I asked.

“For one thing that was a really high voice for a colt.” Vinyl said with a fair amount of snark, “I mean, what did he have to do, kick himself in the balls to get that high or did he never grow up from colthood?”

“Really Vinyl,” Octavia interjected, “must you be so crass. I personally think it was quite romantic, having that colt bare his heart to his mare like that and reminiscing about the struggles that led him to her.”

“Kind of reminds me of that first song we listened to,” Lyra said as she placed a hoof against her chin, “A story of love lost and love gained, all told in a happy light. Definitely something I’ll remember for some time to come.”

“Well, let’s move on to the next genre,” I said as I picked up the device again, “and I think this one is more your speed, Vinyl.”

Her eyes lit up as she lifted her shades up and over her horn, “You mean it’s stuff I can mix on my tables?”

I shrugged, “All I know is that it’s labeled as electronic, so I guess we’ll have to see.”

At first, I didn’t know what I was listening to as the song began, although Vinyl’s eyes widened sharply as the chimes came in. Apparently, she recognized something about the music we didn’t, because the second the singer came in her quill was going a mile a minute on the paper in her magical grip.

Once the song ended Vinyl dropped the pad and quill, beaming at me with all of her teeth as she said, “It’s not exactly what I’d call clubbing music, but I like it. It just gave me a whole bunch of new ideas for a new mix I’m working on.”

“Yes well,” Octavia droned, “it wasn’t as bad as some of the rubbish you make me listen to, so I think I wouldn’t mind listening to that style in the future if it followed the same theme.”

“Seemed kind of like the singer was dreaming,” Lyra added, “At least that’s what I got from it. It seemed a bit to surreal to be centered in the waking world.”

I nodded, “I got that impression as well, I wonder how Princess Luna would react to this song.”

I didn't mention it to the others, but I had noticed something else about the song. The artist mentioned a planet called 'Earth', and I was beginning to wonder if Dr. Tenderhoof's theory of the creature being extra-terrestrial in origin might actually be true. I made a side note on a spare scroll to ask about the name of the planet once I could establish dialogue with the creature, if it would allow me to that is.

Muttered agreement was shared from all present, and I moved on to the next song with little fanfare. As the music started, I was caught off guard again by the seeming narrator, although the notes and bass in the background belied the idea that it was a simple lecture. Vinyl was going ballistic as the song began to wind up, and I took several more notes at detailed explanation of these ‘earthquakes’. I’d never heard of something like them before, and I wondered just how powerful something of that magnitude would be if it happened here. Once the song stopped Vinyl began scribbling notes to fast I could have sworn I smelled smoke coming from her paper. Octavia just shook her head and rolled her eyes, while Lyra just smiled like her greatest dream had come true.

“I could really get going if I was able to dance to that kind of music.” Lyra said as she came out of her little fanfilly moment.

Octavia rolled her eyes again at the aquamarine mare’s words, “Ugh, apparently even aliens like listening to this gut-pounding amalgamation Vinyl insists on calling music.”

“Hay yeah they do!” Vinyl yelled as she finished her notations with a flourish, “I just got so many new ideas from these sick beats!” She rounded on me with the most pathetic puppy eyes I had ever seen, “Show me more, please?!”

Luckily, I had practice fighting off puppy eyes from the CMC, so Vinyl’s assault was minuscule in comparison, “Sorry, Vinyl, but we have to keep moving. I promise to share more with you later, but for now we need to move on.”

She groaned in frustration but relented, sitting next to Octavia as I moved on, “Alright, so this next genre is called ‘jazz’, so I’m not sure what to expect. Try to keep an open mind if it’s something we haven’t heard before, but other than that I want your honest opinion once we’re done.”

Three nods of agreement met my words, and I tapped the screen to start the next song. The first thing we heard was a cymbal, followed closely by what seemed to be a saxophone. As the main theme came in Lyra began dancing in place with a huge smile on her face, leaving Octavia to watch Vinyl as the white unicorn bobbed her head to the beat.

While it was a bit shorter than the other songs we’d listened to so far, it was by no means a boring or uninspiring thing to behold. Once the song ended Lyra let out a loud whoop, jumping into the air before coming back to herself.

“I hope all the songs are this upbeat,” she said as she turned towards us with her lips still curled into a smile, “I could get used to having dance numbers like that in my regular collection.”

“Eh, I could do one better if I put my mind to it.” Vinyl mused while looking over her notes.

“It certainly was a unique use of syncopation.” Octavia added, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song that used it to such an extent.”

“It also seems to be a genre that relies on the brass and percussion more than anything else.” I noted as I added yet another bullet point to my notepad.

While Octavia and Vinyl were discussing the finer points of off-beat synchronization, I started the next song, although I nearly dropped my quill when the deep guitar started pounding out a rhythm. Octavia and Vinyl immediately ceased with their conversation in favor of listening to the next song, and as the rest of the instrumentation came in I couldn’t help but bob my head along to the beat.

This song was by far the longest one yet, and it took me a while to realize that part of the length was due to the dual solos that took up the middle half of the song. The first sounded like another saxophone, but once the second started I was a bit at a loss. It sounded like a string instrument, but it wasn’t any kind of string music I had ever heard.

Once the music stopped, Octavia spoke up with a thoughtful look on her face, “That song kind of reminds me of one of my action novels, like it was the soundtrack to a high-speed chase or something like that.”

“I think there was a bit of swing mixed in there as well,” Lyra added, “at least in the main chorus line.”

“Well one thing’s for sure,” Vinyl said with a big grin, “jazz has some sick beats when it gets moving.”

I chuckled softly at their antics, “I’m glad you girls are enjoying yourselves. The next genre is something called ‘pop’, although I’m once again at a loss as to what it might be.”

“Well don’t keep us waiting Twilight, start up the next song.” Lyra said.

I moved into the next song, and the chorus of voices that started off the song immediately captured every ear in the room. As the song continued, I held a hoof against my chest as a warm and tender feeling enveloped my heart. I glanced towards the others and saw that I wasn’t the only one affected. Lyra had tears threatening to break out of her eyes, while Octavia was mirroring my position with a hoof over her own heart. Vinyl was doing her best not to roll her eyes, although I was able to spot the soft blush that was present on her cheeks as she glanced at Octavia.

Octavia was the first to speak once the song ended, her voice somewhat rough until she cleared her throat, “That brought tears to my eyes. I felt like I was sitting with Vinyl under a starlit sky, just the two of us holding hooves and leaning against each other for warmth.”

That little comment made Vinyl’s blush flare into full power, and the disk jockey did her best to try and blow it off as she averted her gaze, “W-Well this stuff is all too sappy for me anyway. Not like I care or nothing.”

Her little act did nothing to fool me or Lyra, and Octavia seemed to have no difficulty reading her marefriend like a book, “Oh come now Vinyl, you wouldn’t mind sitting with me by the fire, all wrapped up in a blanket with two cups of hot coco. Nopony but us and no interruptions when we decide to get a bit closer to one another.”

That really made Vinyl blush, along with Lyra and me, “What are you saying Octi?”

The cellist smiled coyly as she kissed Vinyl on one cheek, “Let’s just say I’m in the mood for some fun once we finish up here.”

“O-Okay then, moving on!!” I yelled, “So, Lyra, what did you think of the song?”

She smiled as she rubbed one hoof against the other, “I loved it. It made me all warm and fuzzy inside, and I would absolutely fall apart if I could have something like that playing at my wedding. It just seems to fit so well.”

“True that,” Vinyl said as she extracted herself from her marefriend’s grasp, “that sounds like a great idea.” Her face took on a sneaky expression as she turned to Octavia, “Hey Octi, if you really like me that much, how about we put the hot kinky action on hold and get hitched?”

Vinyl’s words seemed to throw Octavia completely for a loop, her cheeks taking a bright red hue as she took a step back, “V-Vinyl! Surely you don’t mean that in a serious manner?!”

“Why not?” She replied, “I never was one for the mushy stuff anyway." She walked up and ran her tail under Octavia’s chin, making the mare’s already vibrant blush even brighter, “So what do you say, want to run away together?”

I cleared my throat, trying to fight down my own blush, “If you would hold off on the wedding bells for just a moment, I would greatly appreciate it if we could finish up here first.”

Vinyl gave me the most pathetic pout I have ever seen, “But Twilight,” she whined, “I want to sweep my mare off her hooves and gallop into the sunset with her.”

Octavia rolled her eyes, giving the DJ a playful shove before turning back to Lyra and I, “I do apologize, Twilight, sometimes Vinyl’s mouth gets ahead of her brain.”

“Ahem, well I guess it’s not that big of an issue,” I said slowly, “I just hope we can get through all these songs before lunch. I’d rather not miss out on Spike’s home cooking if I can help it.”

“Play the next one Twilight.” Lyra said.

The next song began playing, although once the singing began, I was caught off guard by the fact that it was a mare’s voice. Up until this point we had only heard stallions doing the vocals. For one thing, this song was nearly the opposite of the first, with its fast pace and bouncy chorus, it was about as close to the first song as a rock was to Poison Joke.

“Truly a motivational work if ever there was one,” Octavia said as the song wound to a close, “it made me feel like I could take on the world, as long as I worked hard and did everything I could.”

“I got the same feeling.” Lyra added, “Like I could do anything so long as I believed in myself.”

“I think this would be another one Princess Luna would like, if for no other reason than to show how much we care for her.” I said, “‘Glow like the Moon and shine like the stars’, indeed.”

“So, what’s next on the list, boss mare?” Vinyl said as she bumped Octavia with her rump, “Hope it’s good.”

“I don’t know,” I said as I scrolled through the artists, “this is a blind viewing for me as well, so I have no idea what the next song will sound like.” Finally, an artist caught my eye, and I selected the next song.

The song started out slow, but as the echoing singer rose in volume, I couldn’t help the slight bounce my hips developed, followed by a few wing flaps as the chorus kicked in. Vinyl was having a ball, jotting down notes like me on a study binge, while Lyra and Octavia were dancing with each other in their own styles. Lyra was kicking and flailing like I did at every party, while Octavia was more refined, taking careful and measured steps, yet exuding a grace and style that would make Rarity swoon.

“Woo! Let’s party!” Vinyl yelled as she finished her notes.

“Definitely a club style song.” Lyra agreed, “I could dance to that all night long.”

“Eh, a bit repetitive in my tastes,” Octavia said as she finished her final move, “but a fun and exciting piece in its own right.”

“Well that’s all I have for the ‘pop’ genre.” I said as I moved through the lists on the device, “Up next is something called R&B, although I have no idea what that stands for.”

“Ready when you are.” Vinyl said as she picked up her pad and quill.

I selected the next song, and our ears were met with the soft melody of what sounded like a bass and a horn of some sort. Once the stallion started singing, my wings once more threatened to spring upright, and if the vibrant blushes on my companions’ faces were anything to go by, they were feeling the same way. By the end of the song, Lyra was more red than green from the shoulders up, Octavia looked like she had been verbally assaulted, while Vinyl had the biggest grin I had seen so far today.

“Wow, umm,” Lyra forced out once she found her voice, “that was certainly a mental image I’m not going to get out of my head anytime soon.”

“It’s scandalous!” Octavia nearly shrieked, “That type of theme shouldn’t be broadcast through song in such a manner, it’s, it’s, inappropriate!”

“Oh, I think it’s appropriate for the right setting,” Vinyl hummed as she nuzzled against Octavia’s cheek, “if you’re looking to set the mood for a special occasion.”

“Keep things clean until you get back home!” I yelled, fighting to get my overactive wings under control, “You two are more than welcome to do that kind of stuff on your own time, but not in my lab and not where other ponies can see you. Jeez, have some decency.”

Vinyl rolled her eyes, either not noticing or ignoring Octavia’s raging blush, “Alright mom, I’ll behave like a good filly should.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding, “Thank you. Now, before we get caught up in any more distractions, let’s move on to the next song.”

Three nods followed my words, and I tapped the screen before anything else could happen. The smooth piano that sounded off seemed to indicate another mellow song. However, as the beat built up, I found myself nodding my head as the bass kicked in with the vocals. Tapping hooves and bobbing manes were the theme that fell over my lab, and I couldn’t really blame anypony. The solid beat and the catchy lyrics were nearly enough to make me sing along, although that didn’t stop Lyra and Octavia from joining in on the chorus.

“Seems like this song is about a strong and independent mare.” Lyra said as the music came to a stop. “I’d like to meet this mare if she really exists.”

“Then why don’t you talk to me?” Vinyl snarked, “I’m all the mare anypony could ask for.”

Octavia rolled her eyes, bopping her marefriend on the back of the head, “Only you could come up with something like that. While I did enjoy the song, the thing I found most enduring about it was the way the rhythm and beat kept me engaged through the whole way.”

I nodded, “I agree, it was enjoyable without being overbearing. Kind of like some of the music I heard up in the more cultural parts of Manehatten.”

Lyra tapped her hoof against the floor as her eyes ignited, “I think I figured out what R&B stands for.”

My notepad and quill were at the ready in an instant, “Please, share with the rest of us Lyra.”

She nodded, “Well, I got part of my master’s degree in Manehatten, and I know exactly what kind of music you’re talking about. The colts that play that stuff call it Blues, and when Octavia said something about the beat of the genre I realized what the name means. R&B is short for Rhythm and Blues.”

I made a note as she finished, “Well done Lyra. This is exactly why I called you here. I needed your perspectives in order to better understand this new music.”

“So, is there more of this ‘rhythm and blues’?” Octavia asked.

I nodded, “Yup, one more song. Don’t know what it’s about, but we’re about to find out.”

A solid bass beat echoed around the room, and I felt drawn into the song immediately as the singer began the first verse. However, as the music began to pick up, I couldn’t help the shiver that ran up my spine. The lyrics were reminding me of a memory I would rather forget, given the fact that we still had no idea where Queen Chrysalis had run off to after Starlight and the others saved us from her clutches. I glanced at Lyra, knowing she had some similar feelings regarding our first meeting with the changelings, and saw that she was a few shades paler than normal. Octavia and Vinyl were deeply engrossed in the song, their faces mirror images of concentration as they nodded or shook their heads at certain parts of the chorus or refrain.

Lyra shivered as the song ended, her mane and tail a fair bit more frazzled than before the song began, “I’m not really sure how I feel about that song. I know the creatures that made it have never met a changeling before, but the mare in this song sounds a bit too much like Chrysalis for my liking.”

“Oh, that’s not all the song has to offer,” Octavia countered, “it could apply to anypony with an air of class and sophistication. After all,” she flipped her mane behind her neck and fluttered her lashes at the aquamarine mare, lowering her voice into a sultry rasp, “a lady has to have some spice in her demeanor or else she never catches the eye of a stallion.”

Vinyl chuckled, “Oh take me away my sweet Octi! You know how much it gets my fur up when you talk like that.”

I rolled my eyes, “If we could get back on track, there’s one more genre I need to show you. It’s called ‘Rock’, although if the genre titles from before are anything to go by, I still have no idea what it’s going to sound like.”

The deep thrum of the bass drum and the mystery string instrument met our ears as the song began, and I found myself paying extra attention as the artist began the first verse. This was certainly unlike anything we had heard so far, and it only kicked into a higher gear as the chorus began. Vinyl was tapping her hooves to the beat while Lyra was nodding her head. Octavia seemed to be uncertain about the new style, although her expression was more neutral than anything else.

Once the song came to an end, Lyra opened her eyes and examined the device in a new light, “Never heard an instrument like that before. Seems to be a string of some sort, but other than that I’m stumped.”

“Never listened to jams like these,” Vinyl said with a wide grin, “but I like it.”

“Indeed.” Octavia agreed, “it’s certainly a new sound when compared to the other songs we’ve listened to.”

“It would seem that whoever these beings are,” I said as I scrolled through the list for the next song, “they have a diverse culture if the vast array of music styles is anything to go by. Oh, I can’t wait to talk with the creature about all of this. It could open up so many new fields of research!”

“Equis to Twilight.” Lyra forced out between giggles, “we’ve still got music to listen to, remember?”

I started as a blush found its way onto my cheeks, “Oh yes, um,” I cleared my throat as I selected the next song, “let’s continue.”

Unlike the previous songs, this was one of the few that immediately started out with vocals, although if the aggressive singing was anything to go by, we were in for a wild ride.

As the pounding beat and powerful lyrics met our ears, I watched the others’ reactions to try and gauge their thoughts. Lyra was the purest image of concentration, her eyes closed and her brow furrowed as she measured out the beat with her hoof. Octavia seemed to be a bit worried, although I had no idea why, while Vinyl was simply tossing her head back and forth like a mad mare.

“I need this music in my life.” Vinyl said as the music stopped, “I swear by Celestia’s sweet flanks that if you don’t share this stuff with me at some point I will fillynap you and subject you to the most painful music-based torture imaginable.”

Octavia rolled her eyes, “Really Vinyl, must you be so melodramatic?” She cleared her throat before speaking, “Anyways, I thought the song was interesting, even if the subject matter was a bit morbid when you actually listen to the lyrics.”

“I noticed it was also much more aggressive than the other genres.” Lyra added, “Could it be that the heavy theme and powerful style are what define this particular genre?”

I shrugged, making a note to ask the creature later if I could, “I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Anyway, I have one more song before we call it a day. I think we could all use some time off after all this.”

A round of nods met my words, and I selected the final song of the day. At first, the rhythmic keyboard and pounding bass seemed fairly normal, but that all changed when the first verse kicked in. My wings snapped to attention in my shock, as the eyes of everypony present widened in awe and amazement. We were struck frozen and speechless as the song progressed, completely unable to formulate a response other than to gape at the device as the lightning-fast notes and thunderous drum line echoed through the room.

As the song came to a climactic ending, I stayed frozen for a moment before I was able to close my mouth. My wings folded back against my sides as the others shook out of their stupor.

“That. Was. AMAZING!!!” Vinyl managed to yell at the top of her lungs, “I need to make a remix of this thing immediately.”

“That was certainly something alright.” Octavia mused as she rubbed her ears with a hoof, “I never imagined I would hear something like that when we came over to hear this music.”

“I didn’t even know you could play notes that fast,” Lyra added, “and given those were string instruments I would have to imagine the artists would need years of practice to get that good.”

“Note to self,” I muttered as my quill moved over my now quite expansive list of scrolls, “talk with creature about how music is made.”

“Well, it was great that you girls could help me with all this.” I said as I teleported my notes and quill back to my study, “I can’t thank you enough for sitting through all this with me.”

The girls followed me out to the foyer once I had powered down the device and removed the security spells on the lab doors. Lyra walked on my let while Octavia and Vinyl brought up the rear.

“It was an absolute pleasure Twilight.” Octavia said with a smile, “I enjoyed listening to them with you. Do call on us again if you want to listen to more.” She grabbed Vinyl around the shoulders and directed the mare out the doors as the DJ jotted notes at a frenzied pace. “Come along Vinyl, or else we aren’t going to have time to make lunch before you head out for work.”

Lyra chuckled behind her hoof as the duo exited the castle, turning back to me with a smirk as she leaned in to give me a quick nuzzle, “It was great seeing you again Twilight. Don’t be a stranger and call me up next time you have some free time.”

I returned her smile, “Sure thing Lyra. I’ll see if I can work some hang-out time into my schedule.”

She nodded in return, flipping around and calling over her shoulder as she walked out, “See you next time Twilight.”

I waved with one hoof, “See you.”

As the main doors closed with an echoing thud, I let out a sigh, turning back to face the now empty hallways of my home. However, my moment of introspection was interrupted by the doors slamming open behind me, ruffling my mane and feathers with the wind of their passing. I spun around to see Rainbow sprawled out on the floor, her eyes rolling around in her head for a moment before she leaped to her hooves.

“Twilight!” She yelled as she raced up and grabbed me by the shoulders, “the creature’s awake!”

My mind and heart began racing at the possibilities, “Are you sure? It’s woken up?”

She nodded, “Yeah, I heard the docs telling the guards to keep a sharp eye out. It doesn’t seem to want to move right now, but that could change any minute. I raced over here as fast as I could so you could blast it to pieces if it tries anything.”

I rolled my eyes, “While I appreciate your confidence in me Rainbow, I don’t think I’ll need to be ‘blasting it to pieces’ anytime soon. From what the doctors were able to say, it’s lucky to be alive at the moment, let alone running around causing trouble.”

“Well come on then,” my prismatic friend said as she practically dragged me out the doorway, “the sooner we get back the sooner we can get things settled.”

I let out a sigh as I was bodily directed toward the hospital, “Sure thing Rainbow, whatever you say.”

Sometimes it’s better to just leave well enough alone.

Author's Note

Hi everypony!! I'm back again after almost a month off the job!! *hides under table as fans throw rotten fruit and vegetables at me* Alright already!! Enough with the flame mail!! I have a legitimate excuse!! Well, finals were a pain and I'm still out of the job. :fluttercry: But I plan on changing that very soon so in the meantime I can work on posting chapters for you guys!! Also, this thing is over eight thousand words, so be happy you got this one when you did!! It took me three days of solid writing to get this moster finished, so don't get sore with me if you wanted more!!

Anyways, thanks so much for making this story so popular, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

14 - Nightmares and Empty Graves

My combat boots pounded against the desert sands, my backpack slung over my shoulders while my rifle was held in a loose grip against my chest. The trucks moved along the main road in single file, with several machine gun turrets locked and loaded in case of trouble. My squad and I were marching along the left flank to protect the convoy from the looming hills on that side of the road, and I was hoping to God that we would make it to the next town by nightfall. Being caught in the open at night was almost a death sentence out here, when the Taliban loved nothing more than to take unsuspecting sentries hostage before attacking the main group.

For hours we walked the same beaten road, stopping only for water and food twice as the sun made its way across the sky. Then, out of nowhere, something happened that would change my life forever.

A thunderous explosion shook the convoy as I was impacted by a concussive wave. I could feel myself flying through the air before landing flat on the hard ground. My ears were ringing with the shock wave and I could vaguely hear the sounds of my squad yelling my name as my sight began to clear.

What my sight met as I opened my eyes was out of my worst nightmares. Robed men were charging from the hills as my fellow soldiers returned fire from the truck turrets and with their small arms. Yet that wasn't what grabbed my attention as my mind began to clear. Lying off to one side, about ten feet from my hip, was the bottom half of a leg, severed above the knee and dripping blood from the shredded flesh of the foot and shin. The combat boot was little more than slivers of leather with a bent hunk of metal where the steel toe used to be, and I wondered for a moment whose leg it was that I was looking at.

Then, from behind me and to the left, a soldier wearing a red cross ran up and knelt down next to me, shaking my shoulder with one hand as he messed around with my pants with the other.

"Can you hear me Captain?" He yelled over the blistering gunfire, "Nod if you understand me."

Not really sure what was going on, I nodded my understanding, only taking in the surroundings with a haze in my eyes as my left leg throbbed. I lifted my head to look down my body as the medic began working on me, and in that instant my world shattered.

My left leg, was gone. All that remained was a bloody stump that gushed rivers of red as the medic frantically tied a tourniquet around it to stop the bleeding. My eyes widened in horror at what I was seeing, but I wasn't left any time to think about it as a screaming man in white robes came thundering towards me and the medic, automatic rifle swinging wildly as he charged the line.

Acting on instinct, I lifted my rifle and sighted in on his chest, pulling the trigger and pumping his center mass with a trio of bullets as he toppled to the ground. The medic nodded his thanks without even looking over his shoulder at the fallen Taliban, tying off the tourniquet with a final flourish as he stood up.

"We need to get you of the line of fire," he said as he walked around me and slipped his hands under my shoulders, "This is going to hurt like hell, but it'll be better than getting a bullet to the head."

Just as he started to pull my body back towards the road, something strange happened. My mind seemed to separate from the memory as my consciousness cleared. I turned around and saw myself being dragged behind one of the Humvees, leaving a trail of blood in my wake as my other self tried to pick off more enemy soldiers with her rifle.

"It would seem that you were not kidding when you told my sister and I about your combat experience." A familiar voice said from behind me.

I spun around, expecting to face another Taliban, only to be met with the solemn expression of Princess Luna. The Princess of the Night was looking around the battlefield with a sorrowful light in her gaze, her eyes coming to rest on my severed leg for a few moments before turning back to me.

"What, how, why," I sputtered, trying to make sense of what I was seeing, "How are you here? Am I imagining all this?"

Luna shook her head, "Nay, this may be a dream, but as the ruler of the night it is my duty to monitor the dreams of my subjects and to soothe the fears that might fester in their sleep." She looked around us and frowned, "Yet I can tell that this is no ordinary dream. It is a memory, one filled with pain and suffering the likes of which I have not seen since before my banishment." She turned her gaze back to me and asked, "Would you be willing to share this memory with me, if only to help me understand what is going on?"

I sighed, knowing full well that I wasn't going to get out of this without some emotional baggage. Maybe talking about it with Luna might help to make the memory less painful, for however long it lasted.

"Alright," I relented, "I'll tell you what happened here, but I warn you, it's not a happy story."

Luna nodded, "I assumed as much from the blood and death that surrounds us. Please," she indicated my dream self with a hoof, "explain the situation."

I nodded, turning to face my past self as she slammed another clip into her rifle, sighting in on a Taliban soldier that was trying to sneak up on Smokey. Freeze was manning one of the turrets on the back of the lead Humvee, although he had to abandon his post and jump behind the armored vehicle as bullets peppered the plating and ground from enemy fire.

"The War on Terror started when I was just a little girl," I said slowly as my other self shot a duo of Taliban, only to watch in horror as another got in a lucky hit and blasted Freeze in the leg. I winced as the memory of his pain-filled yell echoed in my ears, "A group of terrorists began a campaign against my native country in the hopes of breaking our way of life through fear and intimidation. They set off bombs in major cities and crashed vehicles into important government buildings just to watch the people scream. Naturally my people weren't going to take that lying down, so we sent troops overseas to fight the Taliban in their homeland." I indicated the battlefield around us with a sweep of my arm, "This was a very common scene that played out over and over again during the war. The Taliban were never an organized military, but rather a group of fanatics that used any means necessary to kill American soldiers and civilians alike in any way possible."

I winced as my past self reached for another clip, only to come up empty. We watched as another bullet, this time coming from the opposite side, slammed into Smokey's back and knocked him to the ground. Had it not been for the rapidly growing pool of blood beneath his body, one could almost say he was simply taking a break to regain is breath. My past and present self knew better, though. Smokey was dead, and it wouldn't be the last life lost that day.

"This battle was the one that cost me everything," I continued as Luna walked up and rested a wing across my back, "An IED took my leg, and the ensuing ambush killed the rest of my squad as I was helpless to save them." I reached up and wiped my eyes as tears ran down my cheeks, "I was supposed to be there through anything with them, taking out the enemy and come home to base to laugh about Smokey's bad jokes and Freeze's sarcastic quips about how Echo can't shoot straight."

I felt a sob rake my body as Echo's head was nearly severed from his body as a sniper bullet tore through his neck, and I fell to my knees as I buried my face in my hands. I heard and felt Luna lay down next to me, hearing the soft chime of magic as a wave of warmth washed over me. I slowly lifted my eyes, trying to see through the tears as I relived the horror of that day in my head. Yet instead of the blood-stained sands of my memory, my eyes were met with a comforting room lit by candles and stuffed to the brim with plush pillows.

I turned to Luna for an explanation, and she smiled softly as she rested a hoof on my thigh, "I changed the dreamscape so that we could talk in a more soothing setting. I believe this is a much better place for a conversation then that terrible memory."

I nodded, not trusting my voice as my throat choked up with emotion, and I buried my head in Luna's neck as my hands wrapped around her shoulders, my tears soaking her fur as I sobbed my eyes out. Luna stiffened at first, but quickly relaxed as she ran a hoof through my hair, wrapping her wings around me as we sat in that little room. No words were spoken between us, and none were needed. It was a time for me to let go of all the pain of my past, at least for a little while. Yet I knew that the suffering in my life was nowhere near centered on that memory, although it was a great source of pain none the less. I just hoped that Luna and the others never found out about my darkest secret, because I knew for certain that they would hate me for what I had done.

After some time, I finally got myself under control, wiping my eyes with the back of a hand as I pulled away from Luna, "I'm sorry, I know it's not exactly proper for me to hug a princess, but thank you anyway for that."

Luna shook her head, pulling me into another hug as she rested her chin on my shoulder, "No apologies are needed, dear Sarah, you were a being in suffering, and even though you are not originally from this world, you are still one of my subjects, and therefore deserve my protection." She pulled back and smiled slightly as she wiped a stray tear from my cheek with a feather, "Do not fear those around you. You are a strong and willful being, Sarah Lovegood, trust your friends to help you when you need them, and share your pain with those you care for." She gently placed a hoof over my heart, and I felt a soft pulse of warmth move through me as the room around us started to fade, "It will do much to lessen the burden you carry within, and you will become stronger for doing so as time heals your wounds." She too, began to fade from my sight as her final words echoed in the darkness, "Trust your friends, and let your sorrow hold you down no longer."

With that, Luna and the room faded completely to black, and my mind fell into the bliss of slumber as the pain in my heart was soothed by the warmth Luna had shared.

Sometime later, I awoke to the soft songs of birds as the morning light of dawn streamed through the curtains. A soft breeze wafted through the open window and I sighed to myself as I recalled what had happened in my dream.

"Thank you, Luna," I whispered to myself, "You don't know how much that meant to me."

I glanced down and saw that Lyra and Bon-Bon were still pressed up against my sides, and I smiled as I remembered the fun we had the previous night.

"Huh, what a wild ride," I muttered to myself as I extracted my body from between the two mares, "might want to check myself before I get too carried away with them next time."

I froze as those final words rang through my head, next time.

Did I really just consider having sex with them again?! My mind screamed at itself as my eyes locked onto the sleeping mares, What in the Holy Hell am I thinking?! I can't do that, they're not human! I can't believe I let myself get caught up in the moment when I knew for a fact that I shouldn't get involved with the locals!

I turned and made a hasty exit from the room, stumbling down the steps in the nude until I could sit down on a chair in the kitchen. For the moment I ignored the fact that I was naked and tried to get my head to stop racing a mile a minute.

"Okay, deep breaths Sarah, no need to get all worked up over nothing." I sucked in a lungful of air and held it until my ears began to ring, then let it out in a long gust as my heart began to slow down.

"Alright, let's get the facts straight." I slapped myself on the cheeks to wake myself up fully and rested my elbows on the table. I listed off what I knew on my fingers as I worked over the situation in my head, and what I was coming up with wasn't looking good.

"Well, first off," I ticked my first finger, "I apparently caught the attention of two of the local mares, so much so that they asked me out on a date." I ticked off another finger, "Second, the date goes well enough that they ask me to join their herd. Like a desperate hormonal teenager I said yes and they invited me back to their place." I ticked off a third finger, "Third, once we got back here, they ambushed me and seduced me by dragging me up into the bedroom and having sex until all three of us passed out." I ignored the little part of my brain that screamed at me that I had loved the sex as much as they had. I ticked off another finger, "Fourth, I have no clothes to change into other than the dress that I had on for the date and no way of getting more unless I ask the girls or Swift to get them for me."

I groaned and slammed my head against the tabletop, "I really need to talk to Twilight about how this whole herd thing works. I'm pretty sure having hot lesbian sex after the first date isn't how things work back home, but for all I know I could have just been formally inducted into the herd because of some local social norm that I had no idea about." I growled under my breath as I pushed myself up and glanced over my shoulder at the front door, "I sure hope Swift is still there, or else I'm going to have to wake up Bon-Bon to go get me a change of clothes from the castle."

I carefully made my way over to the door, making sure to avoid stepping in front of any windows as I stepped up to the slab of wood. I gripped the knob in my hand and opened it just a crack, poking my head out through the opening in the hopes of spying Swift nearby. I let out a sigh of relief as I spotted her standing at parade rest to my left, and I cleared my throat in the hopes of getting her attention.

She glanced at me over her shoulder and lifted an eyebrow, "Have fun last night?"

I felt a vibrant blush forming on my cheeks as I tried and failed to contain my embarrassment, "You heard all that, didn't you?"

Swift rolled her eyes, "Not exactly hard to tell what's going on when all three of you sounded like Timberwolves howling to the moon." Her lips pulled back into a wide grin as she narrowed her eyes at me with a devilish expression, "So how was your first time with a pony? I'm just dying to hear about it."

I growled as I slid a hand down my face, "Not the time Swift. Look, I know you've been guarding my ass all night, but could you do me a small favor? I don't have any clothes to change into and all my stuff is back at the castle. I can't go out in the nude and my dress is a little, um, messed up. It would really make my day if you would go get a change of clothes for me." When Swift made no move to answer, I sighed and added my secret weapon, "Please?"

She let out a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes, "Fine, but you owe me big for this one." She turned around and started to walk away, throwing her parting words over her shoulder as she left, "Don't leave the house until I get back, or else I'm going to tie you up and leave you back at Princess Twilight's castle for a week so you learn to follow orders."

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at her, "Sure thing mom, I'll be a good little girl and stay put." I scoffed as I closed the door and walked back into the living room, "The nerve, thinking I would leave when I just told her I had no means of going anywhere without a change of clothes."

Realizing that I was still naked, I quickly made my way back up the stairs and back to the bedroom, hoping that I could at least hide under the covers until Swift got back. Luckily, Lyra and Bon-Bon were still out cold as I reentered the room, although they had cuddled up against each other in my absence. I smiled at the two mares, feeling a rush of warmth in my chest as I climbed into the bed with them, fitting my back up against Lyra's as I pulled the covers over us once more. My eyes narrowed as I recalled the list of items I had to go talk to Twilight about, and slid my body a few inches away from the mares as I tried to keep my mind away from the images and feelings from the night before.

"Focus Sarah," I whispered to myself, "you need to get answers from Twilight before you can worry about what happened between you and the girls. Until then you need to play it cool and don't let yourself get pulled into any more crazy situations."

I put a mental clamp on the freak-out that was threatening to shake my flimsy resolve, and I tried my hardest to ignore the warmth coming off of the mares just a few inches away. I admitted to myself that I did have a great time with them last night, as much as I wanted to argue otherwise, but with all the crazy stuff going on I just had too much on my plate to really think about relationships of that magnitude. I curled my knees up to my chest and did my best to think of nothing at all, only to be interrupted by a trio of knocks from downstairs.

I growled to myself as I climbed out of the bed once more, "That had better by Swift with my clothes or else I'm going to have some choice words for whoever is calling this early in the morning."

I was just coming off the bottom of the staircase when the door swung open all the way, revealing the familiar form of Vinyl Scratch as the DJ walked into the house like she owned the place.

"Yo, Lyra, ya got the spare key I lent you?" She called out, "I locked myself out of the house again and Octi is out like a light."

I froze in place as the alabaster mare turned toward me, her own gaze locking onto me so fast that her shades fell off her muzzle and landed on the floor. Her pupils had shrunk to the size of pinpricks and her cheeks were rapidly coloring as she looked me up and down. Her lips curled into a grin as she took in my nude form, and she cat called as she held a hoof to her brow.

"Damn girl, you look like a tall glass of cider that I'm just dying to get a taste of." Her eyes had narrowed into a lustful glare as she stalked towards me, and I felt myself backing up as the mare pressed me further into the house.

It was all too much, the stress of fighting an undead army at any moment, the crazy mix-up that my love life had become, not having clothes to walk around in when I really needed them, and now I get seen naked by a mare that was looking to get in my metaphorical pants just like Lyra and Bon-Bon had.

I had just enough time to make a blind reach for something, anything to keep me from falling flat on my face, but my hand grabbed nothing but air as my frazzled mind simply gave in. My eyes rolled up in my head as my legs fell limp, and I vaguely remembered the sound of someone calling my name as my body slumped to the floor.

Fan-fucking-tastic, a small part of my mind managed to mutter as my consciousness faded away, just what I needed on a Saturday morning.

I came back to the waking world on my back. My body was resting on a soft surface and I could feel something warm covering my body from my knees up to my neck. I grumbled under my breath as I pushed myself into a sitting position, opening my eyes as I heard someone walk into the room. A gasp was my only warning before I was enveloped in a tight hug, my vision being overtaken by a wall of aquamarine fur as the sheet that had been covering me slid into my lap.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright," Lyra said rapidly as she hugged me around my neck, "when Bon-Bon and I came down and saw you faint we thought you were sick or something." She pulled back just far enough to look me in the eyes, "Please tell me you're not sick or dying."

I rolled my eyes as I gently removed her from my body, although she refused to get off my lap as she met my gaze with a concerned glint in her eyes, "I'm not sick, Lyra, just stood up too fast and got light headed. I'll be fine in just a bit if I don't push it too hard."

I glanced over the mare's shoulder and saw Swift standing next to a cowed Vinyl as Bon-Bon walked into the living room from the kitchen. Upon seeing me up and about, Bon-Bon gasped and leaped onto me in a mirror to the hug her marefriend had given me just moments before, and I let out a sigh as she settled into my lap as Lyra scooted back and onto my shins.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" She cried as she held onto me like her life depended on it. "When we saw you pass out we assumed the worst." She placed a hoof on my left cheek as she looked me in the eyes, "You're not going to pass out again, are you?"

I shook my head, "As I told Lyra, I just stood up too fast. I guess I just lost the blood to my brain and passed out before I could realize what was going on."

"Oh, don't give me that tripe," Swift said as she stepped up with a subdued Vinyl at her side, "I've asked this one what happened and she says that you passed out from fright when she stumbled upon you here in the living room." She cast a narrowed glare at the DJ, "Apparently you fainted when out resident musician started making advances that were not welcome."

In an instant, Lyra and Bon-Bon rounded on the other mare, their gazes brimming with fury as they climbed off the couch and formed a living wall between me and Vinyl.

"What was that?" Bon-Bon's voice was a cold edge and I felt a shiver run up my spine as she and Lyra stared the other mare into submission.

Vinyl ducked her head and folded her ears as her eyes took great interest in the floor, "Well, you see, I," she paused for a moment before clenching her teeth and lifting her head, "oh buck it all, I'm just going to say it. I'm in heat. I just wanted to get away from Octi for a while so I wouldn't jump her while she was sleeping, only when I saw Sarah standing there in the buff I just couldn't help myself." Her gaze turned towards me and she bowed her head, "I'm sorry for scaring you. It wasn't right of me to do so even if I'm in heat. I knew the risks of going out and I did so anyway, so for that I'm sorry." She lifted her gaze while keeping her head lowered, "Can you forgive me?"

Heat? Was that like when animals back home went into estrus? I took a moment to think over everything that had happened over the last two days, and all at once thing started to fall into place. It was common back on my family's farm for the horses to get crazy during certain times of the year. I learned later out that it was because the females were going into estrus and were giving off pheromones that told the stallions that they were ready to breed. I glanced over at the mares who were waiting for my answer, and I came to the realization that it might have been the same here, at least in part.

"Tell me," I finally said as I searched the gazes of all four mares, "When a pony goes into heat, does that come with increased libido and a strong urge to mate with those one finds attractive?"

That was enough to make even Swift blush, although it was Lyra who answered, "Well, yes and no. You see, when a mare goes into heat, it's not like she goes sex crazy or anything like that. It just makes us very horny for several days so that we are more receptive to being bred. It's something that carried over from our ancestors or something like that, when we didn't have civilization to help us prosper as we do now." She paused for a moment and looked me up and down with a critical eye, "Why do you ask?"

I turned my full attention to Lyra and Bon-Bon, narrowing my gaze in suspicion as I pulled the sheet up over my chest again, "Answer me this. Are you and Bon-Bon in heat right now?"

The blush that covered their cheeks was all the answer I needed, and I scoffed as I stood up and folded the sheet around my body, "Just as I thought. I knew something was up when you two jumped me last night, only I couldn't figure out why you would have sex with me after only the first date. Now it all makes sense. You were drunk off your heats and took advantage of me while I was feeling good about our date. You just wanted a quick lay with the hot alien while your heats were driving you up a wall."

Both mares stiffened, along with Swift Blade and Vinyl, although the indignant fury that was present on Lyra and Bon-Bon's faces was centered on me while Swift was glaring at the duo. Vinyl was looking between me and all three of the mares with confusion evident in every aspect of her expression, although it quickly turned into a raging blush as she took several steps back.

"Y-You know what," she managed to sputter out, "I-I think I'm going to see if Octi is done sleeping or s-something." She cleared her throat and beat a hasty retreat, leaving the four of us in the living room as a tense silence fell over us.

For a moment no one said anything, then Lyra growled in the back of her throat, "You would dare say those things, even after what we all did together?" She took a step forward, only for Swift to step in the way. Lyra ignored the guard and continued to stare at my face with a furious expression, "We took you on that date because we wanted to see if you were right to join our herd. I know I speak for both of us when I say that we loved hanging out with you on that date, meat diet or not. Yes, we are in heat, and yes we had sex with you, but that doesn't mean we did so simply because we were horny." She scoffed as she tried to step around Swift, only to be cut off by the earth pony, "We care about you, even if we jumped a few steps in our relationship. We knew that we wanted you to be a part of our lives as a herd member, not just some hot flank for us to bounce and then ditch."

She tried one more time to step around Swift, only to be cut off again.Â Lyra growled and turned her attention to Swift as she spoke, "Would you let me pass? I'm not going to hurt her."

"Seems like you've already done that." Swift replied in a cold tone, "I'm simply protecting my charge from further threats, physical or otherwise."

Lyra opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off as Bon-Bon spoke up behind her, "Let it go, Lyra. If Sarah thinks we aren't worth her time and that we took advantage of her for some quick sex, then she obviously wasn't what we thought she was. If she wants to leave our herd then she is welcome to do so. We can't force her to stay if she doesn't want to."

Lyra spun around to gape at Bon-Bon, "B-But what about finding another member for our herd? I thought Sarah was the one!"

Bon-Bon turned her cold gaze to me, and I felt a shiver run up my spine at the raw anger that smoldered in her eyes, "Nopony, and I mean nopony, tells my marefriend that she was acting like some two-bit whorse when I know that isn't true. If she wants to think of us like that then she has no place in our herd." She spun around and walked into the kitchen, casting her final words over her shoulder, "If you can find a heart inside that little ball of distrust you call a soul, then you are welcome to come back, but be sure to have an apology ready if you do, because I'm not going to forget what you said about me and Lyra."

With that she was gone, and it only took a moment for Lyra to snort in disgust before following her marefriend into the kitchen. Swift turned towards me and simply nodded her head to the right, indicating a pile of folded clothing that had been left on the coffee table in all the commotion. Nodding my thanks, I picked up my stuff and walked into the hall bathroom, changing into fresh clothing before returning to the living room. The jeans didn't exactly go well with the purple shirt and light blue jacket, but it would do for now while I got my head screwed on straight.

"Come on Swift," I said as I opened the front door and held it for her, "let's go home."

She followed me out without a word, and fell in on my left side as we walked through the streets of Ponyville. It only took a minute of walking before I stopped in my tracks, Swift taking a few more before halting in surprise.

"Is something wrong, Sarah?" She asked when I made no movement to keep walking.

I didn't answer her at first. My mind was going a mile a minute, thinking about what had just happened in the house behind us. I glanced over my shoulder at the dark windows and felt a sinking feeling in my gut as I remembered the hurt that had been plain to see in Lyra and Bon-Bon's eyes. Sure, they had been mad, but that didn't excuse my own behavior or what I had insinuated when I had told them I wasn't just an easy lay.

I facepalmed and groaned under my breath, "I'm an idiot."

Swift looked up at me and tilted her head in confusion, "I'm not sure I understand. How are you an idiot?"

"Because I just told the only mares to show any interest in me that they were taking advantage of me for my looks because they couldn't control themselves in heat." I slid my hand down my face and continued my walk towards Twilight's castle, "I've got some apologizing to do once we get things situated back at the castle."

"Shouldn't you go back and do that now?" Swift asked, catching up with me and falling in at my side, "I mean, wouldn't it be easier to get it over with fast, like a bandage?"

I shook my head, "They're too upset with me right now to listen. I'll have to come back once they've cooled off to talk with them about what we're going to do with this whole herd thing. Until then, I think we've been slacking off with my training for too long. It's time we got back to my Auramancy."

Swift muttered under her breath but didn't offer any true reply, leaving the topic hanging as we came up to the entrance to the castle. However, instead of getting some time to relax before getting back to training, we were waylaid as soon as we got inside by one very frantic Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, thank Celestia you're here." She spat out as she enveloped both of us in her magic and carried us through the halls at a full gallop, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna just showed up this morning and need to speak with you right now."

Swift and I shared a nervous look, knowing full well that it had to be important if Celestia and Luna were here instead of calling us to the capital. Twilight carried us into the Cutie Map room and set us down in two of the thrones, Swift taking Rarity's usual spot while I got Applejack's. Celestia and Luna were sitting in Fluttershy and RD's thrones respectively, and Spike was already in his seat next to Twilight's throne.

Said purple alicorn teleported into her chair and turned to Celestia with a nervous expression, "Alright, Captain Sarah and Major Swift Blade are present and accounted for. Shall we begin?"

Celestia nodded, "We shall." She turned her gaze to me and I felt like the temperature of the room dropped several degrees as she spoke, "What I am about to tell you must remain in complete confidence. If anypony were to get word of what has happened, the resulting panic would tear Equestria apart before Luna or I could do anything to stop it."

Swift and I shared a look before turning back to Celestia, "Whatever you say, Princess. It's your kingdom after all." I managed to speak clearly to the diarch of the day, even though tension hung in the air like a fog as I met her gaze, "We won't speak a word of this to anyone."

A simple nod was my only answer before her horn ignited. A bubble of yellow magic spread out until it covered the entire outer boundary of the room, sealing us in and anyone else not present out.

Celestia's horn died down as she finally spoke, "Last night, under the cover of darkness, every graveyard in Equestria was simultaneously targeted and ransacked."

Gasps erupted for everyone present except for Luna, although it was Twilight who broke the silence that followed Celestia's revelation, "So you think it was the necromancers that have been hiding in the Everfree?"

Celestia nodded, "I know for a fact it was them. They raised the dead of thousands of ponies from across the generations, leaving no grave unturned before using blood magic to create teleportation circles to an unknown location." Celestia held her wings close to her body as she shivered, "I tremble to think of the number of undead now under their control, not to mention the followers that are sure to be there as well."

"Followers?" I asked, "Who said anything about followers?"

Luna spoke for the first time, turning her attention to me and Swift, "Ponies in this day and age are mostly content with a life of peace. In fact, most know nothing else and would be next to useless in actual combat. Yet there are families that have been around since before my banishment, ponies who trained in the art of killing and combat strategy for centuries to hone their craft. These families have been kept in the background in case armed conflict should once again be necessary, but over time several of the older families have grown dissatisfied with the way things are. They believe that their skills are being wasted as tin soldiers with no real purpose other than to sit still and look pretty."

"So, we have been keeping an eye on them," Celestia added, "in case anything were to happen to them because the necromancers perceived them to be a threat. Yet it turned out we were looking in the wrong places. Instead of looking outward for the enemy, we should have been looking to our own."

"I'm not sure I understand," Swift said in confusion, "what exactly do you mean by that? Did something happen to the old families?"

"I think I know what happened," I said slowly as I sat back in my seat and crossed my arms over my chest. "Some of the old families decided that they liked the thought of an open war more than their loyalty to the crown, and deserted you in favor of the necromancers. They've probably gotten some kind of death magic boost like when Moon Song tried to corrupt me, and have been turned into generals in the enemy's army in order to better squash us under foot."

Celestia nodded, "We fear the same thing, although we lack any true proof that such a thing has occurred. All we know for sure is that we've lost contact with several of the old families, and with nopony else to turn to, we must find another to lead our troops into the coming conflict." She turned her attention directly to me, and I sat up straight under her scrutiny as she spoke in careful and measured words, "Captain Sarah Lovegood, you are not a native to this world, yet you have served in armed conflict many times in the past. You stated yourself that you have taken hundreds of lives in the line of duty and would kill again if it meant protecting those you cared for."

I was shocked when she stood up and bowed her head over the table, going so far as to lower her gaze to me as she finished, "I am asking you now, to lead my ponies in the coming war, and to do everything in your power to protect them from this evil force. I don't expect you to save every life, but I ask you, no, beg you, to help us in our time of need."

I was completely floored at what was happening. Celestia, Princess Celestia, was bowing her head to me in complete submission. I turned to look at Luna and found her to be in the same position, and she was quickly followed by Twilight and Swift Blade as they all bowed to me.

I wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, I was training to fight against the necromancers in the coming battles, but to command an entire army? I'd never even been in command of my own squad, let alone hundreds of soldiers. I knew basic combat tactics, but I never had the training to lead that many people in a large-scale war. This was way too much for me, and I said as much as I replied to her.

"I can't Your Highness." I managed to force out, "I'm not trained to command that many people at one time, and I have no experience with working an entire war from the logistical side of things. I wouldn't have a clue where to start."

Celestia lifted her head and smiled at me, "You are assuming I would make you do it all on your own. I would never do that, not even to my own generals. All I am asking is for you to act as a liaison to my chain of command and to lend your expertise to the cause in any way you can. You would be given your current rank within Equestria's military chain of command, and I would assign the appropriate number of ponies to your direct command as your rank would require. I am not asking you to lead the army alone, just to help us prepare and to give us help in training the new generation for warfare."

Luna snorted in contempt, "Likely that nopony will have a clue what to do other than to retreat when the enemy shows their faces. I've seen the state of the guard since my return, and frankly, I'm shocked it's taken this long for somepony to come up with a fighting force large enough to take us over." She leveled a flat look on her sister, "A thousand years is a long time for ponies to go without knowing how to fight. Are you truly certain we can get the army ready for war in what little time we have?"

When Celestia's expression took on one of worry, I raised my hand and waved it once to get their attention, "I think I can help you with that."

The princesses turned their gazes back to me, their eyes alight with interest, "What do you mean, Sarah?" Celestia asked.

"Well," I said, "I might not know about this whole commanding the army thing, but I yelled at enough soldiers in basic training to know how to get someone in the right mindset and physical levels to fight a war. I could take on a secondary position as an instructor if you think that might help with getting these wimpy guards of your up to snuff in how to actually fight."

Luna and Celestia shared a look, "It's not going to be easy, but I think it's possible," Celestia replied, "We will see what we can do, but for the time being you must focus on your training. Now that the enemy is making more bold moves, we must be all the more ready for when the final battle comes to call."

I stood up and snapped a salute, "Rest assure ma'am, I won't let up my training for anything short of a hurricane."

Luna chuckled, "Now if only we could get the Guard to think the same way." The royal sisters stood up and raised their wings wide as they stepped up to me, "Steady winds and restful sleep, Captain Lovegood," Luna said as her horn began to glow along with her sister's, "We shall be watching over your dreams so you can focus on your training in the day. May the Maker guide your path, and safe tidings to you all."

With that they vanished in a flash of magic, leaving the rest of us alone as a silence fell over the room once again.

Finally, it was Swift who broke it as she cleared her throat, "Well then, I guess we should get back to training. Don't want to disappoint the princesses by getting soft, now can we?"

I chuckled as I followed her out of the throne room, leaving Twilight and Spike as the alicorn began writing scroll after scroll at breakneck pace, "I don't think we need to worry about it too much. I'm certain we can have things set by the time those damn necromancers come to call again." I slammed my fist into my palm for emphasis, "And next time I see that Moon Song I'm going to pound her muzzle in for tricking me like that."

Swift chuckled as we exited the castle and made our way to the training fields out back, "Same some for me too. I need to repay her for making a fool out of the guard by snatching all those bodies from under our noses."

I smiled as I ruffled her mane with one, her head jerking in reaction good for a laugh as we started stretching out our muscles. One way or another, things were starting to pick up steam, and like it or not, we were going to need every second to prepare for the war that was looming ever closer on the horizon.

Author's Note

Yay, I'm not dead! Phew, haven't updated this thing in over a month! I bet you were all starting to wonder where I was. Well, I was up to my ears in school work, so I had no time to write other than to come up with basic concepts for my books. Also, new book for all of you to enjoy!! It's called Destiny Beyond the Stars and is piloted by our intrepid trio, the CMC!! Anyway, check it out if you like space adventures, and tell me what you think.

Anyways, hope you all enjoy the book so far, and keep an eye out. The next chapter is the next Interlude, so you all get to see Carpet Sense again!! :pinkiehappy:

Hope you all are loving the story as much as I am, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

28 - Call to Arms

Rosie and I marched side by side up to the gates of the fort, our strides straight and confident as the barrier was moved out of our way, allowing us to enter the main courtyard just as a group of guards walked past us from left to right. It didn’t take long for us to spot Twilight and her friends off to one side, Swift and Shadow Fury standing in front of the mares as they dropped down into a push-up and back up again. Even from a distance I could see the sheen of sweat on the poor girls, although that didn’t seem to deter them as they dutifully pushed through the pain and dropped back down for another round.

Rosie and I shared a look as we walked up to the group, Swift and Fury pausing in their count to glance our way before returning to their direction of the six. I took up position on Swift’s left while Rosie fell in on mine, allowing us to talk as Fury called out the cadence.

“So, I heard that the girls were getting some training in combat, but I never imagined you’d be training them yourself.” I whispered to the earth pony as Fluttershy finally collapsed from the strain, only to get back up again as Fury marched up and calmly motivated the pegasus with the threat of even more training if she gave up now.

“They’ve been doing well,” Swift replied without shifting her gaze from the girls, “at least compared to some of the other recruits I’ve dealt with in the past. It’s nice to see you again. Did you manage to get your own training done?”

I nodded, “Rosie and I are ready to go. We just need to form up with our troops and then we can head out to kill some necromancers.”

Swift smirked as she turned away from Fury and the girls, leading Rosie and I through the compound towards the center staging area, “Princess Celestia and Luna said that they’d be arriving fairly soon to give some kind of motivational speech. Don’t know what they hope to achieve by doing that, though. These guards aren’t ready to fight a herd of buffalo, let alone an army of the undead.” She let out a sigh as we came to a stop next to the commander’s stage, near the far side of the staging grounds, “I know that most of these stallions and mares are new to all of this, but I still can’t help but feel like we’re jumping into a fight that we’re going to lose. We aren’t ready for a battle of this kind. I don’t think we ever will be prepared to fight the undead. Maybe it’s just the nerves talking now that the time has finally come, but I’m scared of what we’re going to face out there. I don’t want to lead these ponies to their deaths if there is any other option.”

I placed a hand on her withers, catching her attention as she looked up at me, “We’ll make it through this, Swift. Count on that. The enemy might have the fear factor, but we have courage and devotion on our side. We will face these monsters, and we will come out on top at the end of the day. Will ponies die? Yes, but their sacrifice will not go unavenged because we will make sure that the enemy is destroyed once and for all. No one will ever have to fear the night again once we remove these dark sorcerers from our home.”

Her lips curled into a smile as she shifted her gaze to something behind me, “Well it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer. The Princesses have arrived.”

Rosie and I turned around and spotted Celestia and Luna walking through the courtyard, the majority of the guards stopping to salute before returning to their duties. Across the compound, Fury allowed the girls to rise to shaky legs, leading the group over to us as Luna and Celestia came to a halt next to the stage.

“Greetings Lieutenant Colonel,” Luna said, “I take it your training has been completed?”

I nodded, “Yes ma’am. Rosie and I are ready to fight and will do our best to take down the enemy.”

The royal sisters shared a look as the guards began forming up before the stage, the commanders looking rather nervous but still acting professional before their princesses.

Luna gave Celestia a nod as they turned their attention back to me, “We thought it might be a good idea if somepony gave the troops a bit of motivation.” Celestia’s face fell slightly as she glanced over her shoulder at the gathering troops, “We understand that most of these ponies have never been in combat before, so if they heard some encouraging words from somepony who has seen battle, they might not feel so uncertain about what is to come.”

“That is why we would like for you to speak to them,” Luna added, “because you have more experience than any of our ponies when it comes to fighting a war. You do not have to accept, but we would be eternally grateful if you would consider sharing a few words with your troops.”

I glanced down at Fury, who nodded his agreement, while Twilight and the others offered their own encouraging words. Rosie smiled and saluted, dropping her claws back to the dirt as I shifted my gaze back to the sisters.

“You really think they’ll listen to anything I have to say?” I asked. When they nodded, I let out a small sigh, squaring my shoulders and holding my head high, “Then I’ll do my best. I’ve never given a pre-war speech, but I can do what I can to give these ponies some motivation.”

“That is all we ask.” Celestia’s royal mask fell back into place as she and Luna climbed the steps of the stage, the rest of the ponies following while Rosie and I brought up the rear.

It never dawned on me until that point how large an actual army could be, but as my eyes fell onto the gathered guards below, I felt my heart speed up as I realized that I was going to be talking to tens of thousands of ponies, if the numbers for each platoon were even close to the same as back home. A nearly endless sea of silver and gold stretched out before me, reaching all the way to the far side of the fort and reducing individuals to collective masses of reflective metal.

I felt a small tingle of magic wash over me and I glanced behind me to see that Luna’s horn had ignited with a soft glow. I nodded my thanks, having a pretty good idea what she had done. I turned back to face the troops, who were all watching me with unwavering gazes and expectant gleams in their eyes.

“Um, hello everyone.” My voice echoed through the air as the amplification spell took my soft tone and projected it over the entire army, “I’ve been asked to give some words of encouragement to all of you, given that this is the first true war that any of you have fought in. What I am not going to tell you, is that every single one of you is going to come back alive. Forget everything you’ve been taught as a guard and listen to me here and now. War is Hell, and people are going to die. But I have something else to say that will help to keep as many of you alive as possible in the coming battles. And all of it starts with a single question.”

I paused for a moment to let my words sink in, and then I started what I hoped would be the best speech I had ever given, because if it wasn’t, then these ponies wouldn’t have a prayer when the time came to actually fight.

“When you wake up every morning, what drives you? If you want to live your life, a life with meaning, happiness and fulfilment, you must find your purpose. You see if you don't know what your purpose is, if you don't know what drives you, what inspires you, then you have reason to keep fighting. How can you keep fighting, when you have no reason to do so? Why do you do what you do? WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? What's the reason? Why do you stand here today ready to give your life?”

There were a few confused looks thrown between the ponies before me, and I could almost hear the mares behind me asking themselves where this was going. I pushed past my nervousness and kept speaking, hoping that by the end they would understand.

“Do any of you know what it takes to be strong? To stand for something greater than yourself and knowing that you are better because of who stands beside you? Are you willing to go the extra mile, even if it seems impossible and all hope has been lost? I will tell you time and time again. You will get tired. At times you will feel like there is no chance of anything going your way. But if you have a why, it will give you that extra strength. That extra foot you need. That extra hour you need. The courage to face the darkness and to spit in its face when it tries to break you down.”

I could feel the energy around me beginning to shift, going from confused and uncertain, towards confident and prepared as ponies left and right started stomping their hooves.

“Ask yourself, why are you different from everyone else that's trying to do the same thing you're doing? What makes you stand out? Why are you so important!? Why are you here and what are you truly fighting for?”

My voice began to rise as more hooves joined in the applause, my lips curling into a smile as I marched back and forth on the stage, looking each pony in the eyes as my energy rose to join the charge that had begun to flow through the troops.
“Find your why! Your why will pull you up when you feel like you don't have the strength to get up anymore. Your why will keep you fighting when everyone else thinks you are out for the count.

Why? Who are you fighting for? What drives you?

Is your purpose your family? Is it to prove the doubters wrong? Is it to prove yourself right? What is your purpose? Know your purpose in your heart. Carry it with you everywhere. Feel it deep and promise yourself every day you will live out your purpose with zero excuses!”

My arm pointed out over the ponies before me, towards the west and over the horizon. Somewhere out there was Platinum’s Keep, and that was where our enemy lay hidden.

“The enemy is out there. They are waiting for you to mess up. They are waiting for you to give up. They are waiting for you to fall. So, when you are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, what are you going to do? When you feel like you are at your lowest point, will you throw in the towel? Or will you make the moves to keep fighting?

Don't look back. Just remember where you came from. And let that drive push you to go forward. It's not always going to be an easy road, and when you see your friends and loved ones beside you at the end of it all, you won't take it for granted. You will cherish those moments you had to go through, those moments you were without. And when you fall down, get back up. Dust yourself off.”

Actual cheers had joined the thunderous applause, and I glanced behind me just long enough to see everyone smiling and stomping their own hooves. Even Rosie was pounding her claws into the wood like nothing else, letting out a sharp eagle’s cry as I turned back to the troops.

I let my voice drop down slightly, my smile fading into a serious line as the applause died down with my voice. I knew I had to nail this last bit or else all of my past words wouldn’t mean anything, so I put as much power and conviction into my voice as I could, hoping that my message would come through.

“You need to find something that drives you. Something that no matter what happens, this part of you does not change. This drive in you does not change. This purpose never dies. No matter how many times the enemy knocks you down, your purpose pulls you up every time.

‘This is the reason I will fight for my country!’

‘This is the reason I will not fall into despair!’

‘This is the reason I will do whatever it takes!’

When it hurts, keep going. Those friends beside you, your loved ones back home, they're telling you to keep going. Those times ahead, when you can't see how you're going to make it. Some things you can't change, you just have to live with. But if you do have a choice, make the right choice and stand strong!

Your purpose is that one thing that lights you up. It's that one thing that will get you up early. That one thing, when you're doing it, time stops. Your purpose may be something you don’t want. It may be seeing someone in your past and thinking, no matter what, I will ensure I never end up like that. Your purpose is always something that lights a fire in you.

I will do this. No matter what.

My family is counting on me!!

My friends are counting on me!!

I AM COUNTING ON ME!!!”

Silence followed my final words as they echoed over the parade grounds, and for a moment I thought that I had overdone it, but that was quickly dispelled as the cheering and applause came back tenfold. I raised my hands for quiet, and even though it took a minute or two, eventually the ponies before me came to a stop, patiently waiting for me as I lowered my hands back to my sides.

“Now that I have your attention,” I couldn’t help the smile that graced my lips as my words carried over the troops, “I need all of you to tell me one simple thing. Are you prepared to defend your home?”

A few stallions called out, “Yeah!”

“I can’t hear you!” I raised my volume a bit as I held a hand to my ear, “Now who’s ready to defend Equestria?!”

“Yeah!” This time a good portion of the troops called out, although there were still a few that looked uncertain.

“Sound off like you have something in your bodies beside cotton candy and kitten fluff!” My tone took on a growl as I shouted at them, “Now are. You. Ready. To. Defend. Equestria?!”

“OORAH!!” The reply was deafening as the entire collective roared back at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I pumped my fist into the air.

“Who’s ready to fight?”

“WE ARE!”

“Who’s ready to kick those necromancers out of our home?”

“WE ARE!”

“Do any of you have doubts?”

“NO MA’AM!”

I lowered my arm and turned to face the ponies behind me, “I think we’re ready to go Your Highnesses.”

Celestia nodded, stepping forward as Luna stood at her side, “Thank you Sarah. That was a truly inspiring speech.” She turned her attention to the troops before her, “Thank you my little ponies. We stand before you now, asking you to fight and possibly give your lives for the good of our nation. We have seen the horrors of war in our youth, and we had hoped that we would not see it again. Sadly, that is not the case, but Luna and I are moved beyond words that each and every one of you are ready and willing to stand strong in the face of such adversity.”

“Indeed,” Luna added, stepping forward until she was on the edge of the stage, looking out over the gathered guards, “we have fought many battles over our long lives, and we have battled against the darkness you are about to face. You will be challenged, and you shall face monsters the likes of which have not been seen in centuries. And yet they are not invincible. They can be destroyed, and they can be harmed just like any other foe. Stand together and fight with everything you have. We will come out of this conflict stronger than ever before and we will protect our way of life from those that would drag us down.”

The guards roared with approval, and the princesses glanced back at me, Swift and Fury, “Commanders,” Celestia stated in a level tone, “prepare your troops for battle.”

Fury stepped up with Swift at his side, stopping next to me as I fell in on his other side, “Company, Aten-hut!”

Thunder echoed as thousands of ponies clicked their hooves and stomped to attention, their ranks solidifying into perfect blocks as Fury spread his wings, “About face!”

As one, the entire force spun around, facing the gates of the fort as Fury led Swift and I through the center lane, our steps perfectly measured as we came to a stop in front of the gathered army. Rosie flew up and landed at my side, glancing up and giving me a smile, her sword strapped to her side as her tail lashed back and forth in anticipation.

“Forward, march!” Fury called out.

The gates swung open as we started moving as a unit, Swift, Rosie and I falling in next to the first two platoons as the group shifted into single file in order to get through the opening. It took almost an hour for the entire force to exit the fort, but as we started moving down the main road, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of energy in my body as the thunderous rhythm of marching hooves echoed through the air.

We were on our way, and together, I knew we were going to kick Moon Song and her coven to the curb. We were going to kill them and take down their army of undead, and I hoped that of all the mares and stallions marching with us, most of them would make it home alive. I knew that death in war was inevitable, but that didn’t stop me from thinking positively. We weren’t going to fail, we weren’t going to stop, and we were going to keep moving forward until there was nothing left to fight.

The war had begun, and it wasn’t going to be long before we were knocking on Moon Song’s door.

Author's Note

How about that, two chapters in two days! I'm on a roll! Anyways, how about that speech? I modified a little number from Fearless Motivation and tooled it for my own uses. If you want to hear the original, just jump on YouTube and look up Fearless Motivation: What is your why?

Other than that, welcome back to my Patrons, WuBzY and Earthpatriot117. Thank you to both of you for your support. Also, I've re-tooled my tiers so it's a bit more affordable for those of you that were thrown off by the original setup.

Anyways, hope you are all enjoying the books far. The end of Act 2 is coming up quick and it's going to rock your socks off for sure. No spoilers, but I can say it's going to probably catch most of you by surprise in a way that none of you ever saw coming.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.