Lost in Time

Terry was incredible.

Golden Glow meant that largely from an archaeologist's point of view, because he was the key to unlocking a million secrets about the previous civilizations that had existed here – perhaps even before Equestria! – but she also meant that he himself was, well, amazing, for lack of a better word. He went from having difficulty communicating with them to being roughly fluent in their language in less than a day.

He devoured knowledge: he went through all her datapads in a few hours while she and her camera crew had been bickering about what the hell they should do, who they should tell, where they should set up and how they were going to present this. Golden Glow had already staked her claim on this and called in some big favors from the Explorer's Guild to give her command over the little base camp here. She had made some big promises that they probably thought she wasn't going to deliver on, but oh, was she ever going to prove them wrong, once and for all...

She rubbed her hands together as she giggled to herself, and Terry looked up uneasily at her from across the little table, which reminded her she probably seemed like a nutcase to him. So she quickly cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly, saying lamely: “Just uh... thinking about how... happy everyone is going to be to see you!”

Terry didn't look entirely convinced, but Golden Glow quickly distracted him by asking: “So how are you feeling about all of this? It's been a long time since you saw any people and uh...”

Golden Glow gestured awkwardly a few times, and Terry smiled a little as he glanced down at the pad in front of him: the clever creature had discovered that he could use it to roughly translate whatever it picked up with its microphone into Ionic, so even when people used words he didn't know yet, he could see what they meant, or check the database for various definitions.

It confused her a little how he could be so good with technology that he'd never seen before, and yet when he talked, he was bashful, shy... almost as socially awkward as her when she wasn't pretending to be Boldly Goes. “It's... it's pretty neat. You're not at all like what I expected... not that that's a bad thing or anything, it's just... I thought if anything, my...”

He bit his lip, then searched for a word on the tablet before he said after a moment: “My Patron would be back. But I guess it's been too long for that, hasn't it?”

“Are you aware of how long you've been in that temple?” Golden Glow asked: she had a thousand other questions, but that was the first one that popped out of her mouth, maybe out of surprise, maybe out of sympathy: she knew all too well what it was like to wait for someone for Celestia knew how long, someone who never came back...

Although it sounded like Terry had been waiting a lot longer than her, as he responded uncertainly: “Years? Many years? I slept a lot.”

“That's some sleep.” Golden Glow remarked before she could stop herself, but Terry smiled at her and nodded with a bit of a blush.

“It's not quite the right word but I don't know what is.” he said, and then he cleared his throat before he put down the datapad and added: “It might just be easier to show you...”

He crossed his arms on the table and settled himself, taking a slow, easy breath, and Golden Glow watched with as much interest as she could feign, thinking moodily: I wish I could just hibernate for... wait, what's he doing?

Her eyes narrowed and her interest sharpened as she felt the thrum of magic across the leonine creature's body before he stiffened, his form undergoing a visible hardening as it lost its color. After a few seconds she was left staring at what looked like a statue, the mare pushing herself out of her seat with amazement to slide around the table and hesitantly reach out a finger to gently poke one smooth stone cheek.

He didn't stir, and the stone felt lukewarm, like it had already lost some of its temperature. Golden Glow tapped on the creature's face a few times, then whistled quietly as she muttered: “Amazing. Now there's a trick I'd love to learn.”

She leaned down, studying him closer before blinking as color slowly returned to the creature's face and body, and then one of his eyes opened, staring up at her curiously. Golden Glow stared back at him, then grinned lamely as she hurriedly stepped back, clearing her throat and rubbing at her cheek as Terry slowly straightened, as if he was still stiff.

He asked her something in Ionic, and she looked at him blankly before Aeiro came wisping out of her arm computer and translated cheerfully: “He wants to know if you were touching him!”

“Oh, just uh, making sure you were okay!” Golden Glow laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head and giving a cheesy grin to the creature before she asked hesitantly: “Uh... are you okay?'

Terry blinked, then smiled a little after a moment, rubbing at his faded face as he admitted: “I was always warned not to apolitho for any shorter than a week. I just feel very tired.”

“Dumbass.” Golden Glow said before she could stop herself, and Terry frowned in confusion before the mare corrected awkwardly, as Aeiro glared pointedly at her: “I mean, you... silly. Don't hurt yourself for me, huh? I want you in one piece when we bring you out of here.”

“Out of here?” Terry asked with honest confusion, and then he shook his head and said quickly: “No, no, I can't leave here! This is my home, and my life; my patron called it my 'sacred duty' to protect this temple and all of the history and artifacts within!”

Something about the way Terry said that caught Golden Glow's attention: for his 'sacred duty' he certainly didn't sound all that devoted to the cause. Less like a zealot, more like... “So your job's important to you, huh?”

Terry nodded and smiled awkwardly, but he didn't correct her, didn't immediately try and tell her how it was more than a job. She smiled back after a moment, then sat back at the table, leaning on her arms as she said carefully: “Well, if it's your job to protect and preserve all of this, you should let me help. I told you that I'm an explorer and an archaeologist, but do you know what that means?”

“You're a custodian of history.” Terry said, and Golden Glow gave him a flat look before she could stop herself, which made him blush. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Uh... well, no, I guess not.” Golden Glow admitted when Aeiro pointedly flitted in the corner of her vision. “Just uh... well, I'm more like an explorer and stuff. Adventurer. But part of what I do is find important old historical things and... help make sure they're properly preserved.”

It was clear Terry understood what she was implying, but all the same he bit his lip, looking hesitant to respond. Golden Glow took that as an opportunity, however, putting on a smile and leaning towards him over the table as she plied: “Look, if the point of you being here is to protect your history, then doesn't it make sense for you to help us truly memorialize it and share it with the rest of the world?”

“I... I don't know...” Terry shifted apprehensively, biting his lip. “I'm not sure that's really what they would have wanted...”

“Well, why not?” asked Golden Glow, tilting her head towards him, trying to take the firm but curious route. “I mean, this stuff isn't hidden away... and I'm not saying that all of it has to go on display. We want to preserve it, first and foremost, and whatever you're comfortable with, we'd make copies of to put in museums or publish articles about, but everything else we'd move to a secure place, where it can be looked safely after.”

“But... it's safe here.” Terry argued, although she could hear in his voice that he didn't entirely believe that himself, and she seized on that.

“Is it?” she queried, and when he made a face at her, she smiled and held up her hands in supplication. “Hey, I know you're not stupid, Terry. You've done an amazing job keeping up this place after all these years, but a lot of that is because you were being left alone. Now people have found this place and are curious about it: I can't make you accept my help, but there are less scrupulous ponies out there who aren't going to ask before they come in here or start taking things apart.”

Terry grimaced uneasily at this, and Golden Glow continued: “I'm sure you also know that those crystal batteries you've been using are going to short out soon. If nothing else, you're going to need help protecting all those wall scrolls and art pieces, or all your efforts to preserve them are just going to be...”

Golden Glow blew a raspberry, and Terry stared at her for a few moments before he awkwardly put his tongue between his lips and blew, producing a reedy little hiss. Golden Glow cleared her throat and lamely looked away, covering her mouth to hide a grin, while Aeiro giggled loudly.

Terry looked embarrassed for a moment, and then he sighed a little as he became more serious again, saying carefully: “I... I know that this isn't going to last forever, and I can only protect this place for so long. But it's my mission. It's my...”

Terry picked up the datapad to search for a word, before he glanced up as Aeiro asked curiously: “Your mission?”

“Mission.” Terry said slowly, seeming to taste the word as he looked up the definition of this, and then he smiled briefly as he glanced up at Aeiro: it still struck Golden Glow as funny how he was completely unfazed by her, but at the same time, she guessed that... well, she herself was probably so weird to him that the little seahorse AI might seem almost normal in comparison.

“Well, every mission has to end sometime, Terry, or it's not a mission anymore, it's a punishment!” chirped Aeiro, and Terry blinked at this. “You can't just be expected to keep staying all by yourself forever!”

“Well... I'm not by myself.” Terry said after a moment, and Golden Glow cocked her head curiously as she wondered for a moment if maybe some of the statues they had seen were also guardians.

But Terry instead held his hands up to the jewel in the collar of his tunic, and it glowed brightly for a moment before a flickering wisp emerged from the gemstone. It thrummed weakly, fluttering back and forth, only a vague and indistinct shape as Terry smiled and said: “This is my daemon, Oneiros. She's a little weak at the moment, but she just needs to eat.”

The mare blinked in surprise as Aeiro flitted forwards, rapidly scanning the ethereal form floating in the air before she blurted out: “Wow! Its composition is analogous to mine, although based on a different mimetic frequency!”

Aeiro zoomed around the ghostly form several times, and then the seahorse giggled as it flitted into the air, calling a greeting in Ionic. The daemon, or whatever it was, responded sluggishly after a moment, mumbling something back to Aeiro as the seahorse flitted in close, and Aeiro giggled brightly before saying something rapidly in return.

Terry smiled, but Golden Glow's grasp of the dialect wasn't strong enough for her to figure out what the hell they were talking about before Aeiro flitted back to her as Terry recalled the spirit into the gemstone. Or daemon, or whatever it was: how could such an ancient civilization have created such an advanced piece of magitech?

“That's really something.” Golden Glow said after a moment, and then she asked curiously: “Wait, you said she needs to eat?”

“Yes, I don't know a better word for it.” Terry replied with a shrug before he cocked his head with interest. “Doesn't yours?”

Aeiro giggled at this, flitting down and saying brightly: “I'm powered by dual coron engyn crystals and a safestone diode that can preserve my last backup state in the event of total power loss! My current battery life is estimated at ten weeks and my function remains at optimal levels!”

“Cut the specs, Aeiro, even I don't know what half those things mean.” Golden Glow grumbled, waving a hand at the seahorse, and the AI huffed as it flitted away from her before quickly returning to its usual point floating above her shoulder. “Sorry. Aeiro is actually a modular interface...” That's helpful, Goldie, break it down for him. “I mean, Aeiro is actually generated by this.”

Golden Glow held out her hand and tapped on her arm console, the touchscreen blinking cheerfully as Terry leaned forwards with interest. “She's what's called an 'AI,' an Artificial Intelligence. She's like a living illusion projected by my wearable, and using this, I can actually control everything from her appearance to her mood.”

Golden Glow tapped quickly on her arm computer, calling up a digital dial she twisted, and Aeiro giggled as she floated forwards while her form popped through a series of different shapes, from tiny dragon to faerie pony to weird floating paperclip and back. Golden Glow smiled despite herself as Terry watched with amazement, before the mare touched the 'attitude' button... then hesitated and instead pulled her finger away. “I can change her personality, the way she speaks, what she's supposed to do, everything. She's a very helpful assistant.”

“Thanks, Golden Glow! I was created to serve!” Aeiro said happily, floating idly through the air in the shape of a squirrel before she shook herself wildly and changed back to the shape of a seahorse, before she looked almost apologetically at the mare. “Sorry! I should have asked before resetting my defaults!”

“No, that's fine. That's how I like you, anyway.” Golden Glow answered with a smile, and then she glanced back at Terry when he gave her a curious look. “What?”

“Is she alive or is she a...” He visibly struggled to find the word, then gave up and said it in Ionic to Aeiro.

“Simulacrum.” translated the AI promptly, and when Golden Glow continued to look stumped, she giggled before explaining: “He wants to know if you consider me real or a construct!”

“I mean, you can't be both?” Golden Glow asked before she could stop herself, and Aeiro giggled again. “She's... my sidekick, I guess. Sure, she's a program, a machine, but... I dunno. She's better at dealing with me than most of these ponies are and I guess that has to count for something.”

“Thanks, Golden Glow!” Aeiro said brightly, and the mare shrugged lamely as Terry looked at her curiously.

“But she doesn't have a soul, does she?” Terry asked, and Golden Glow blinked at this. “Things that have no souls are only tools; that's what I was taught.”

“Well, maybe you were taught wrong.” Golden Glow said, a little defensively, and Terry blinked before the earth pony sighed as Aeiro cleared her throat loudly. “Sorry, I mean... things have uh, changed, since then. I mean, I'm sure there are people who think like that, but I think of Aeiro as a... friend.”

She fumbled out the last word, finding it awkward to say. She had never been very good at the whole 'friendship' thing, after all, and maybe it was kind of embarrassing she had an AI for a friend, but at the same time... “And... I dunno what a soul is anyway. Who says that she can't have one?”

Terry smiled a little at this, and he hesitated before looking awkwardly away and saying almost shyly: “That's how I've come to feel a lot about Oneiros. Daemons are supposed to just be artificial pets and tools, but... we've been together for so long and we've gone through so much that I really can't help but think of her as my friend.”

“Then I guess we've got something in common, huh?” Golden Glow smiled a little despite herself, and then she said: “Look, I don't know how things used to be, but these days we work pretty hard on uh... getting along with each other. My crew might not be the best example of that but if you were willing to give us a chance, I know we could introduce you to some good people and... show you a world you've never seen before.”

Terry shifted uncomfortably: he did look curious, though. Considering his appetite for knowledge, she imagined being invited out into what was essentially a brand new world must be incredibly tempting...

But he was dedicated, too, to his task. And maybe a little scared, she thought. Sure, this was all he'd ever known and he clearly wanted more, but this was also all he'd ever known. It was hard to leave that behind, and the poor guy probably still thought...

“Hey.” Golden Glow said softly, and Terry glanced up at her. “We're not going to tear your temple down. We're probably going to want to take some of these artifacts, and we'll want to itemize everything, too. But we can restore your temple for you. Open it up again, give it purpose again.”

“Give the temple... purpose?” Terry asked slowly, almost in confusion.

“Yeah! I mean, why do you think this all exists, Terry?” Golden Glow asked, gesturing at their surroundings. “People... your Patron and others, they must have come and gone from this place pretty frequently in the past, right?”

“Well... yes...”

“And I recognize at least some of those tapestries as prayer or service scrolls, and a lot of this ornamentation is either scholarly or devotional in origin.” continued Golden Glow, appealing to both his rationality and his sense of purpose. “This place was once busy, and I bet those were happier times, right?”

Terry shifted a little, chewing at his lip before he said finally: “But... I was told to protect this place... protect the knowledge, and keep it safe...”

“And you have, for all these years. But at what point does this go from something you're protecting to nothing but your prison?” asked Golden Glow, and Terry shifted as he looked down, clearly unsettled by this thought.

He swayed a little on the spot, and Golden Glow looked around before she said softly: “We don't have to change anything. The traditional aesthetic is great. But we can put up enclosures around these tapestries or cut new crystal batteries for you, and repair all the damaged floors and walls. Fix those rafters up,too, before the roof comes down.” She smiled at him. “And not because there's a big snake up there, either.”

Terry laughed a little, coiling his long body tail in shy reflex before he shook his head and murmured: “I never was much good at sneaking around. Maybe it was all the daemons floating around back then, or maybe it's because I'm very lazy for a... big snake.”

He smiled and rubbed a hand through his hair, and Golden Glow teased: “Well, you're half lion, too, but you seem more like a kitty cat to me. It uh... it's probably rude to ask this, but what are you, anyway?”

Aeiro hadn't found anything about his race in the database, and Golden Glow figured it was probably better to swing away from trying to nudge him out the door, at least for a little while. Terry looked oddly happy to be asked, though, brightening and smiling at her before he answered: “It's funny, actually: they never really had a name for what I was. They always called me helper or assistant, words like that... sometimes I was 'the serpent,' sometimes...” His eyes shifted away, his smile fading a little. “Well, I had a few nicknames.”

“I'm sure you did.” Golden Glow said in a softer voice, and she let the silence spiral out for a moment before she asked: “So you've always served the uh, patrons?”

“Yes.” Terry nodded, and his mood returned as his pride visibly swelled. He was clearly loyal and dedicated beyond just this being a job, although she hadn't seen that reaction from him when he'd been talking about this as his mission. “As far back as I can remember, I've been here. I've always been here, I've always had Oneiros, I've always had and known my duties. And I always did my best to live up to what they expected of me. Even when it was very hard.”

He quieted, and the mare leaned forwards, feeling like this was the best moment to press gently: “So don't you think that after everything you've done, you deserve a little time off, if nothing else?”

Terry hesitated, and Golden Glow reached a hand out, saying firmly: “Gimme your hand.”

“Uh...” Terry stared at her blankly for a moment, and then he awkwardly reached out and took her hand before yelping when she pulled it forward, nearly dragging him onto the table. “H-Hey!”

She only squeezed firmly on his fingers, and he winced before she asked bluntly: “How long has it been since you've touched another living person?”

“W-What?” Terry blurted, staring at her for a moment before he looked down at their joined hands, and he bit his lip as he realized he wasn't actually gripping back into her fingers; his hand was just there, caught in hers, afraid to squeeze, afraid...

He hesitantly wrapped his fingers around hers, slender digits careful, gentle, as the mare smiled at their interlocked hands before she looked up and said gently: “Equestria's kind of touchy-feely. I'm not as big on it myself, but sometimes it is a good way to show someone... you know, you can connect. You don't have to be alone.”

She squeezed his hand lightly, repeating: “You don't have to be alone. You don't have to stay here, Terry. You've gone above and beyond what anyone could have ever expected of you. These are some of the oldest and best preserved artifacts I've ever seen, and that's just in the antechambers of this place. Now let us help you, okay? Both help you see the world and everything you've missed, and help you fix this place up.”

She gave his hand a squeeze, smiling, feeling a little bad: this was a little manipulative, after all. This wasn't the first time she'd given a speech like this to an anxious native or resident of whatever temple they were trying to explore, and she'd learned that contact, any kind of contact at all with someone, gave her a lot more sway.

Especially when it was someone like Terry, who hadn't experienced touch in who knew how long. He looked at their hands with fascination as his fingers compulsively loosened and gripped, but never too tight, like she was a bird, fragile, going to break beneath his fingers if he dared to squeeze too hard.

“You aren't a very good snake.” she blurted out, and Terry blinked and looked up at her dumbly, and Golden Glow grinned awkwardly: all that schmoozing out the window because she couldn't keep her stupid mouth shut. “Well, uh, you know. Snakes... squeeze.”

She lamely squeezed his hand, as if to make her point, and Terry blushed before Golden Glow's grin toned down to an a lame smile as she said: “But that's okay. I was never great at being all the things I was supposed to be, either.”

Terry nodded a bit, looking at her curiously, but he didn't press the subject as he sat back, licking his lips before he asked, hesitant but direct: “Why do you want me out of here so badly?”

Golden Glow looked across at him for a moment, weighing her options: she could be honest, or she could lie, or she could hit him with a little of both. And it was always easier to turn on Boldly Goes, the heroine, the adventurer, the sympathetic shoulder...

She chewed at the inside of her cheek, then said finally: “This is the find of a century. You and this temple... it's something I've been looking for, for my entire life. I can't even believe you're real, still, that... that this is real.”

She gestured around at their dim-lit surroundings, continuing: “So yeah. I have some selfish motives, if that's what you're worried about. But I don't want to hurt you or damage this place. That would absolutely be counterproductive to my personal interests.”

“Why?” Terry asked, tilting his head curiously.

Golden Glow smiled wryly. “What'd you call me before? A custodian of history, right? Because that's what I am. I find old stuff and I take care of it. Fix it up, clean it up, all that jazz. You're a little different from what I usually work with, but hey, I'm willing to try and put some polish on you, too.”

Terry looked at her blankly for a moment, and Aeiro helpfully translated her words for her. After a moment, the leonine creature smiled a little, and then he shook his head and looked down before he murmured: “I was never allowed outside the temple.”

Golden Glow frowned for a moment before realization spread over her face, and she softened in spite of herself as she nodded and said quietly: “Hey. I'll be there with you the whole time, okay? We can take things at your pace.”

Terry hesitated, then he nodded a little before he said quickly: “But I don't want anyone... coming into the temple yet. Not any further than they already have, at least. And I want to help, and-”

“I promise.” Golden Glow interrupted gently, knowing if she didn't, he'd probably ramble forever. He seemed like a bit of a worrier, after all. “I don't wanna push you too much, since I've already been heckling you plenty, but do you think you could come out to the front steps with me?”

Terry bit his lip nervously, looking uncomfortable as he shifted a little, and Golden Glow goaded: “If you come outside the doors with me, I can introduce you to my crew and tell them that we don't move without your approval. It would speed things up a lot and they'd know you're the one in charge here.”

“Me?” Terry said dubiously, pointing at himself, and then he winced when Golden Glow nodded and reached out to firmly poke his nose.

“You.” she stated firmly, as Terry crossed his eyes to stare at her finger. “Hey, what better way to make sure everything stays safe, right? That way you can veto anything that you don't like and we can move at your pace.”

“I've never really been in charge of anything, though...” Terry shifted uneasily, pulling away from her finger carefully as he wiggled his nose. “I've always just-”

“Well, you're not 'in charge' in charge here, either.” rationalized Golden Glow. “You'll just be telling people whether something's okay or not, and I'll tell them what to do from there. How does that sound?”

Terry nodded hesitantly, and Golden Glow nodded firmly back before she stood and gestured at him quickly. “Well, let's go.”

“Let's go?” Terry stared at her, alarmed.

“Yes, let's go. That's the other part of the deal, remember? You get to tell my workcrews what to do, but now you have to come out to the front steps with me. I can't just tell them to listen to the snake hiding in the rafters, they'll think I'm crazy.” Golden Glow said with a shrug.

“But... I don't remember agreeing to that!” Terry shook his head quickly, but Golden Glow grinned wryly: now here was something she recognized plenty from her own team. He wasn't really arguing with her; he was just stalling.

“Well, you can sit here and try to argue with me or we can go get this done, and then we'll give you a few hours to rest up before we start tallying things.” Golden Glow answered, and Terry scowled a little for a moment, but then sighed and dropped his head as he slithered his way up to stand.

The two looked at each other, and Golden Glow smiled as she walked over and put a companionable arm around his shoulders, making him blush a bit as she said: “It'll be fine. Come on.”

She almost hauled him forwards, his serpentine body-tail wriggling hurriedly to fall into pace with her as he shifted nervously: he pulled a little away from her grip, but allowed her hand to rest on his shoulder, even though he still seemed like he was fighting with himself over whether he wanted to be in contact or not. “I can't help but feel like you're just trying to...”

He searched briefly for a word, and Aeiro helpfully flitted over to him and supplied him with several and their approximate translations, the serpent smiling briefly up at her before he continued: “Evict me, yes. This is all happening so fast...”

“That's how things work these days. Everything happens fast.” Golden Glow answered, before she squeezed his shoulder gently and reassured: “It'll be easier if you do it before you can worry about it too much.”

Terry sighed, but he nodded after a moment before he mumbled: “Alright, but... I don't really want to give a speech or anything.”

“You don't even have to say anything. Just smile and wave, like you're the princess or something.” Golden Glow answered, and Terry nodded hesitantly.

“Princesses... they rule your Equestria, right?” Terry asked as they headed through the corridor to the front room of the temple, and Golden Glow nodded.

“They do, and all things considered they might even want to meet you.” Golden Glow couldn't help but rub her hands together in thought at the opportunity. “That would be fantastic, wouldn't it?”

“But why would they want to meet with me? I'm just a caretaker.” Terry said, honestly confused.

Golden Glow was tempted to smack him, but realized she had already probably been getting a bit too casual with the serpentine creature, so instead she only gave him a look before she pushed open the front doors of the place. And immediately, Terry winced and hurriedly slipped behind her as several cameras flashed, Golden Glow squawking and waving her arms before she held up her hands and quickly snapped: “Hey, hey, knock it off! We've been in the dark for the last few hours, you're gonna blind us both!”

She grimaced a bit, then blinked a few times as she saw it wasn't just her crew here, but what looked like several eager reporters, possibly sent by the Explorer's Guild. She forced a smile, then turned around as if to talk to Terry as she quickly rose her armpad in front of herself and hissed into the built-in communicator: “What the hell am I looking at, Razz?”

“Sorry, sorry! Someone leaked and your communicator was off and we've just been trying to keep them busy out here!” hurriedly apologized the stallion, and Terry blinked in surprise as he stared down at her arm computer with fascination. He awkwardly reached up to touch it, and Golden Glow carefully – but with what little tact she could afford – pushed away his fingers before he could accidentally hit any of the buttons. “Maybe you should-”

“Screw it, I'll wing it.” Golden Glow muttered, and then she looked at Terry and said: “Play along.”

“What are we playing?” Terry asked dumbly.

“I mean... look, just. Stay quiet and look pretty and don't freak out when they start yelling and taking pictures. The flashes won't hurt you, I promise. They're just curious.” Golden Glow answered a little waspishly, and Terry winced a bit, but then nodded as the mare mentally kicked herself. Don't be a bitch, Goldie. Okay. Come on. You got this.

She took a breath, then swept a hand over her face, pasting on her big Boldly Goes grin before she turned around as Terry hesitantly followed her, the mare declaring: “Hello everyone, you all caught me off-guard and we're not quite ready to let the public in yet, but I'd like to introduce you to Terry!”

She stepped aside, continuing to smile as she half-hauled Terry forwards: he winced and blushed deeply, staring almost fearfully over the ponies that immediately clamored at the base of the steps, but at least Apex was down there, the big, muscular workhorse keeping the crowd at bay for now.

Terry waved lamely, then flinched when a journalist tried to step forwards, shouting a question: he was caught, however, by the large, muscular arm of Apex, before the massive stallion easily lifted the reporter like a child and firmly set him back behind an invisible line. He crossed his arms with a snort, and the journalist quailed as the rest of the crowd hurriedly stepped backwards, at least giving them some room even as another shouted: “What is Terry?”

“Terry is... the temple's caretaker!” Golden Glow answered in her bright, Boldly Goes voice: a positive, cheerful, and I-absolutely-heard-your-question-right-but-this-is-the-answer-you're-getting voice. “He's agreed to help us with our operations here, repairing this temple and cataloging the myriad of discoveries and artifacts inside. Terry's never seen modern Equestrians before, however, so I ask that you all give him and us some privacy while we figure things out.”

“Hi.” Terry said awkwardly, raising a hand lamely.

The reporters flocked around the base of the steps, along with a few gawking workers, and Golden Glow forced a grin before she waved her arms and said: “That's enough for today! Well, excuse us, we have to go back inside now and get to work!”

With that, Golden Glow spun around and nearly shoved Terry back inside, closing the doors to the temple quickly behind her before she slumped and wheezed, dropping her head grouchily forwards. She mumbled under her breath as she rubbed slowly at her face, then sighed before looking up at Terry through her bangs. “This is great.”

“Is it?” Terry asked doubtfully, as if he didn't fully grasp sarcasm.

“Not really. You've got a lot to learn, huh?” Golden Glow paused, then reflected: “Guess you'll learn fast, though.”

“I suppose.” Terry said uncomfortably, and he floated awkwardly in front of her, shifting back and forth on his coils, swaying like... well, like a snake. But it was the furthest thing from predatory, more...

“Yes, Terry?” Golden Glow asked, a little exasperated, a little amused. For such a curious creature he was just so damn shy.

“Um...” Terry blushed a bit, then he nervously pinched the cloth of his toga, asking timidly: “So it's not just you?”

“Just... oh.” Golden Glow looked between his clothing and her lack thereof, and then she shrugged as she awkwardly half-covered one breast. “Well, uh... no one will look at you funny for wearing clothes. If anything, they'll probably comment on your style, most of us just uh, can't really be bothered to put on clothes in the morning when it's not a special occasion.”

Terry didn't look precisely soothed by this explanation as he looked down at himself, and Golden Glow smiled awkwardly as she rubbed at her head before she sighed and gestured at him, saying quickly: “Well, I'm glad we got to introduce you, at least. That wasn't so bad, was it?”

Terry shrugged, and when Golden Glow frowned, he shook his head and murmured: “No, it's not that it was. I was afraid, but... I did as I was told. That's what I've always done and that made it easier. But if I go out there all alone, who will tell me what to do next?”

“Terry...” Golden Glow softened a little, but then she sighed and stepped forwards, reaching up to muss up his hair, which made him flinch and glower a little even if he seemed oddly pleased by the gesture at the same time. “Look, I don't have time to get into a big philosophical discussion with you right now. I need to start cataloging and figure out what to do with you, and you need to go rest for a bit. I know this has been a stressful day for you.”

“I'd like to help, please. I'd... feel a lot better about things if you let me help.” Terry said, and Golden Glow studied him, seeing the look in his eye, the way his body maybe trembled the slightest bit... yes, she understood that. Work could be the same thing for her.

“Sure.” she said after a moment, and then she sighed again, walking past her odd new friend as he smiled and twisted around, slithering in her wake, eager to follow in her hoofsteps as she reflected that, well, it could probably be worse.

At least now someone was finally listening to her.